The anvil of fate falls, and the universe gives not one whit what happens…
“You’re looking a lot better now,” Nora amicably mused when the girl was led into the room where she was waiting.
Nox, not knowing what to say, meekly nodded. But she now saw the reason for the woman wanting her to take a bath. The room was carpeted and held what looked to be a barber’s chair, with both the carpet and the chair looking rather extravagant. If she had to guess, it’d simply been easier to have her wash rather than having to throw out or clean everything after she’d had her hair cut. Then again, it could’ve been the woman just being nice. After all, technically Nox didn’t even need to be inside the building for the hair cut. It would’ve been both easier and quicker to have done it outside.
Still feeling sick to her stomach, Nox sat down and in less than a minute she was bald.
“Do you have an account at the adventuring guild,” Nora asked.
Nox shook her head. “No,” she quietly added, taking note of how light her head now felt.
“I see,” Nora mused, holding out two small, gold-colored coins. “Then I’ll have Jane escort you there so you can open an account. Two gold is far too much for you to carry on you… even as far as the alley. And once it’s in the guild, you can access it whenever you want. I would suggest handing Ri one silver at a time. You do pn to continue staying in the alley right, and to practice hunting the rats?”
Nox blinked, noting the woman apparently knew Ri, the woman who sold her bread at the alley. To answer the question, she nodded.
“Good,” Nora stated in a firm tone. “Two gold might seem like a lot, but it’ll eventually run out, so you’ll still need to keep working towards your Blessing. It might be a bit te in coming, but everyone gets one, and you will too.”
The woman let the two coins drop in the girl’s hand.
Ding!
You have received the Blessing:
Worldly Prostitute!
You have received the Titles:
Pneswalker!
ArchMage!
Numberphile!
Worldly!
Startled, for a moment Nox could only stare. It was followed by her dropping to her knees and uttering the word, “No,” in a shocked, horrified whisper under her breath.
“Are you alright,” Nora asked, immediately kneeling beside the girl and pcing a hand on her back.
Nox felt a tear slip down her cheek. “Why,” she pleaded, though she didn’t know who to.
“Wait, you didn’t just get your Blessing from that, did you,” Nora asked. “Hmm. Selling hair, so a trading profession? That’s not altogether bad.”
Shaking her head, Nox gulped.
Nora stared. “Please don’t tell me it’s…” Her voice trailed off.
“Worldly Prostitute,” Nox gasped out. “But how? Why?”
“That’s impossible,” Nora replied with an uncomprehending stare. “Sure, you made the offer… but it was just once, and it was turned down. Though…” The woman was quiet for a while. “Just how, um, sheltered were you,” she finally asked.
“I have, um, circumstances,” Nox admitted.
“Oh.”
“It was just once, and you refused me,” Nox stated, pleading. “I was desperate for money, but I never wanted to be… that. I wanted to work with computers, but you don’t have those here, so I had to aim for something else.”
“Computers,” Nora asked.
“A type of device where I come from. All I ever dreamt of was working with them, and it was what I aimed for… but then I ended up here and no one here has computers.”
“I, um, see…” Nora said, cringing. She didn’t know what to say to the girl, but eventually she took a deep breath. “I see,” she repeated. “If working with those, um, computers wasn’t a job you could do here, then there was no way you would’ve gotten a Blessing reted to them. That would’ve negated all the effort you put into seeking such a Blessing, forcing you to start over from scratch.”
The woman again winced.
“And while you only made the one offer of prostitution, and it was turned down, the gods might not have seen it that way. I guess instead they saw the desperation of the offer, and the immense relief, aka joy, you got from the deal we made, and the immense return of two gold—all things that started with the offer of prostitution. Evidently, they considered it enough to not only give you the prostitute Blessing, but to make it a rare Blessing of Worldly Prostitute.”
“B-But-” Nox closed her eyes.
“I take it you really hate the idea of being a prostitute,” Nora mused.
Nox nodded.
“I see. Too bad. With it being a rare Blessing… it would’ve really worked out for you if you were more accepting of such a job. But beyond that… I don’t know what to tell you. I’m sorry, but what’s done is done. It can’t be changed.” The woman truly did sound apologetic.
Nox let herself slump forward, only to be caught by the woman who lifted her and pced her in the barber chair. For a moment she wanted to sh out at that woman, but she could sense the shock and the horror in the woman’s tone. This hadn’t been pnned, nor was there anything the woman could do.
Still in a daze, she focused on the word, ‘Blessing,’ and upon giving the silent command, a flood of text appeared on the small blue screen that popped into existence before her eyes.
Worldly Prostitute
Name: Nox Walker
Race: Human
Level: 0/100
Subrace: Pneswalker
Exp: 0/2000
Str: 100
Con: 100
Int: 100
Wis: 100
Cha: 100
Luc: 100
Mana: 100/100
Stamina: 100/100
Regen: 1 Per Hour
Regen: 1 Per Hour
The girl blinked, trying to make sense of what she saw.
First she noted that she had 0 out of 100 levels which, given she’d only just received the so-called Blessing, she figured was to be expected. How she would make levels she didn’t know…
Nox shook her head, forcing that thought out of her mind.
Next she noted that the Blessing used (str)ength, (con)stitition, (int)elligence, (wis)dom, (cha)risma, and (luc)k as stats like some old RPG game. Nox thought that a bit strange, but there were literally thousands of Blessings which a person could get, and she figured the diversity of such stats were needed to make that system work. It even used terms like mana to denote how often a person could use magic, and stamina to indicate just how often one could use skills.
Staring at the words, Nox clenched her teeth. She also figured that this was as close as she was ever going to get to her precious computers again. After all, no actual person, or god, or whatever, would take a girl selling her hair as an act of prostitution. No, that was the sort of mistake a poorly programmed computer would make.
Taking a deep breath, the girl focused on her stats.
Strength
A multiplier to one’s physical strength. At 100 strength, you are exactly as strong as you would be without a Blessing. At 200 strength you will be twice as strong as you would be without a Blessing.
Constitution
How resilient one is to physical damage, including such things as non-magical fire, non-magical freezing, and non-magical diseases. It also denotes how much stamina you have, which is a measure of how often you can use skills.
Percent immunity to physical damage = constitution / 10. Cannot exceed 70 percent.
Intelligence
A multiplier to one’s mental strength. At 100 intelligence, your spells/prayers/and acts of psi are exactly as strong as they normally would be. At 200 intelligence, they will be twice as strong as they would be without a Blessing.
Wisdom
How resilient one is to magical/mental damage and effects that mesmerize, including such things as magical fire, magical freezing, and magical diseases. It also denotes how much mana you have, which is a measure of how often you can use spells/prayers/and acts of psi.
Percent immunity to magical/mental damage = wisdom / 10. Cannot exceed 70 percent.
Charisma
Will tend to enhance beauty by removing blemishes and ensuring wounds heal without scaring. The effect of spells/skills/prayers/and acts of psi that mesmerize or otherwise affect the mind will be affected by this stat.
Luck
Will influence luck-based skills/spells/prayers/and acts of psi.
Mana
Your maximum mana is simply your wisdom, and is a measure of how many spells/prayers/and acts of psi you can do. It regenerates at 1 percent hourly.
Stamina
Your maximum stamina is simply your constitution, and is a measure of how many skills you can perform. It regenerates at 1 percent hourly.
Nox nodded to herself. It was pretty standard fare for an RPG game.
Next she took a deep breath, struggled not to faint, and focused on the word, ‘Prostitute.’
Prostitute
Gives a bonus of +1 charisma per level.
Gives a bonus of +1 constitution per level.
Gives access to sex reted skills/spells.
Nox blinked, noting something wrong… then refocused her thoughts on the words, ‘Worldly Prostitute.’
Worldly Prostitute
Gives a bonus of +1 charisma per level.
Gives a bonus of +1 constitution per level.
Gives access to sex reted skills/spells/.
Gives access to the title: Worldly
Doubles costs to level and raise skills.
A bonus to charisma so as to attract more clients, Nox noted in visceral disgust. And a bonus to constitution so a prostitute can serve more clients. And then there’s the access to the skills a prostitute would use. Sickening! Screw all this fucking crap; I want my computers back! … And what’s with this bloody nonsense? It gives a title—whoopee—but makes it twice as hard to level? Fucking ripoff!
Sighing wearily, the girl fought back her tears and focused on the word, ‘Titles.’
Pneswalker
In a world void of magic, without aid you not only forged a teleportation circle that took you between worlds, but more importantly—you survived the trip. This will have sting repercussions for you!
alters physical structure, changing subrace.
changes to structure increases immunity to all types of damage by 30 percent.
changes to structure gives a bonus of +1 to each primary stat per level.
changes to structure allows you to exceed stat limit. (+200 cap limit per world.)
changes to structure allows you to exceed title limit. (+2 cap limit per world.)
allows for one evolution of your Blessing.
ArchMage
In a world void of magic, without aid you forged a teleportation circle that took you between worlds.
For this great deed, you now possess the following achievements:
boosts immunity to magic by 30 percent.
boosts growth of intelligence by +1 per level.
boosts growth of wisdom by +1 per level.
Worldly
You sold yourself for the treasures of the world. We have taken note, and now you will have the treasures of the world that you so dearly craved.
gives a bonus of +1 luck per level.
gives access to the skill, ‘worldly.’
Numberphile
In another world you once orchestrated the calcution of over a trillion math operations per second.
gives a bonus of +1 intelligence per level.
gives a bonus of +1 wisdom per level.
gives access to the skill, ‘calcute.’
Gulping, Nox noted that her race had changed. … Well, her subrace. Deciding that wasn’t something she was comfortable thinking about, the girl decided to do just that—not think about it. Nor did she understand just how the heck she’d create a circle, magic or otherwise, that could transport someone between worlds. And so she decided to focus on just how messed up her Blessing was.
Fuck, Nox seethed, with all the titles, and the boosts they give to intelligence and wisdom, if I’d gotten the mage Blessing I would now be set. Wow! Yeah, at level 100, a person with the mage Blessing would have 200 intelligence and 200 wisdom, but with my titles, if I’d gotten the mage Blessing it would’ve been a freaking 500 intelligence and a freaking 500 wisdom. I would’ve been the overpowered character one expects of isekai stories. Instead… Ah, fuck! Why did I get that bloody prostitute Blessing? Why? Why? Why? I don’t even like guys. Or gals. … Wait? What do I like? Bleh! Who the fuck cares!
Gulping, the girl clenched her teeth, trying to resist the urge to throw a tantrum and get tossed out of the brothel—maybe without the two gold coins that’d cost her so fucking much. Sighing, she forced her mind back onto her so-called Blessing, and focused on the word, ‘Skills.’
Skill
Level
Effect
Cost
Calcute
Worldly
0000
0000
Evaluate Expression
Generate Income
1 Mana
2 Stamina
Sighing again, she focused on each skill separately.
Calcute
If you understand the math well enough, you can effortlessly calcute the answer to minor mathematical expressions.
Cost: 1 mana.
Worldly
A highly versatile and much valued skill that will bring you riches galore. Wherever, and whenever, there is a chance for material gain… this skill will come into effect.
Finished with a client, then based on your charisma there’s a chance they will give you a tip.
Finished with a client, then based on your charisma there’s a chance they will boost the size of the tip.
Haggling in a store… then this skill is a nifty substitute for the haggling skill.
Looking for herbs in the woods, then this is the skill you need. If there is something to be found, your luck and this skill will boost the chance of finding it.
Depending on the situation, this skill can be based on either intelligence, wisdom, charisma or luck.
Cost: 2 stamina.
Scowling, Nox realized that the Blessing wasn’t going to give her the numbers behind the skills. It seemed only time and practice would tell her if either was worth it.
Sighing again, the girl looked up to see Nora staring at her with a worried expression. “What do I do,” Nox pleaded, struggling not to break down in tears.
“Sorry,” Nora said, deciding to be blunt. “It can’t be changed.”
Nox gulped. She now had the Blessing she needed to survive in this world, but it meant… She shuddered. And there were only two ways to level a Blessing. The first, and most common way, was to do whatever had gotten you the Blessing in the first pce. A hunter hunted; a trader traded; a carpenter carpentered; and a prostitute prostituted. The second was to go into a dungeon, but she couldn’t even kill enough rats to afford a bloody slice of bread. Entering a dungeon would be a death sentence.
Taking a deep breath, Nox focused on the skills she could learn. Reading the list caused her to turn red, and she almost puked all over the nice carpet as her stomach churned.
I can’t do any of that, the girl decided. Sure, once because I really, really needed the coinage and expected a good payout… but not as a profession.
But two skills did draw her attention.
“Whips,” she asked the still present Nora who was still gazing at her in concern.
“Our clientele come in all varieties,” the woman expined, “and what they consider pleasurable is just as varied.”
Nox gulped.
“And inflict pain,’ she asked.
Nora shrugged and smiled haplessly. “There are some who like that,” she admitted. “Unlike the psi spell where inflict pain does just that, and causes minor damage, for a prostitute it inflicts the pain, but there’s no damage. It does cause a momentarily stunning effect though. As I said, our clientele come in all varieties, and what they consider pleasure is just as varied.”
Nox stared, trying to comprehend the words, but then decided to just it accept it as something she couldn’t understand. Instead she brought up the list of skills and studied them.
Whips
Enhances your proficiency with whips, allowing you to deal pain to those who crave it. However, in the hands of a prostitute, this skill ensures no damage is done as you give your clientele the not-so-delicate administrations they seek.
Cost: nil
Nox clenched her teeth. “And the whip skill prostitutes get… that means no damage is done as well,” she asked.
Nora nodded. “While our clientele come to us for any number of reasons many find strange, few actually want to leave here bleeding and crippled.”
“Frig,” Nox said and sighed. This whole situation was weird, and more than a bit twisted. “I’m going to end up going into the dungeons, aren’t I, and here I can’t even use the one weapon type my Blessing gives me. Are there any skills a prostitute gets that are useful outside of… prostitute stuff?”
“Hmm. Quite a few,” Nora mused, thinking. “We get some cleaning skills for stains and such. And we get some very minor healing spells. Of course none of those are as effective as they would be if we had the maid Blessing, or the healer Blessing. But still useful.”
“I see,” Nox muttered dejectedly.
“A dungeon is sure death,” Nora said softly. “From what I’ve heard you have no skill at all with a spear, and your Blessing certainly isn’t going to help you in a dungeon.”
“What choice do I have,” Nox asked, scowling.
