《A SH AI EL》 Chapter 1: Prologue So tired I hit the bed after another mind-numbing day as a corporate drone. This is not how I had envisioned life when I was a kid. I had even promised myself not to end up working for a big corporation. I succeeded. Instead, I got hired by a small company¡­ that obviously rented me to this big soulless corp as an underpaid consultant. Some djinn must have heard my wish and decided to fuck me over. Thanks, djinn. My name is Allen Smith, a software developer. I¡¯m only 30 years old and I¡¯m already so existentially numbed that I can barely feel any joy or sadness anymore. Except for anger¡­ that one is just impossible to get rid of. My job involves a lot of swearing and frustration. I used to try out many hobbies like drawing and cooking when I was younger, but now my enthusiasm for doing anything has been smashed flat to the ground. At least I¡¯ve polished my sarcasm and cynicism to the maximum, I guess. I closed my eyes and muttered complaints as I started dozing off. I had a nightmare, some long-limbed humanoid monster with no face was chasing me, but I was just too numbed to be scared. I stopped running and turned toward the creature, giving it a good wage-slave soul-dead stare, as I stood my ground. It stopped and we engaged in a staring contest. After an interminable amount of time of staring at that creepy faceless glare, the monster just turned around and walked away. Well, that was anti-climatic. Is this the power of the corporate machine? Honestly, even facing a nightmare feels more fun and pleasurable than sitting at the office, repeating the same day, over and over and over and over and over. Can¡¯t I even feel alive with a good scare anymore? Perhaps it was time to quit my job. An option I¡¯ve considered many times, but¡­ that sounds like losing. Wait¡­ this is a dream. I slumped down staring at the gloomy darkness of my dreamscape. All was dim and lifeless. Yeah, what great sight. Couldn¡¯t I have dreamed some scantily dressed ladies instead? That¡¯s when the scenery dissipated like smoke, leaving me in a noisy gray emptiness. A resounding voice spoke. ¡¸???: You look bored.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Ehh, who is this?¡¹ ¡¸???: I am the Creator.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Uh?¡¹ Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Am I about to have a prophetic dream ? ¡¸Creator: Are you interested in beta testing an alternative reality?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: What?¡¹ Have I been run over by a truck while I was sleeping? I tried turning around to see the source of the voice, but there was just noise and I had no actual body. ¡¸Creator: I¡¯ve been gathering ideas from this world and I want some feedback.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Is this going to be like that dream I had last time, where I was learning magic in a fantasy land¡­ and then I woke up?¡¹ ¡¸Creator: Oh no, this is a completely self-consistent simulation, just like the one you live in!¡¹ ¡¸Allen: I mean, I really liked how my subconscious felt the need to completely destroy my hopes, by giving me multiple false awakenings¡­¡¹ ¡¸Creator: ¡­¡¹ ¡¸Allen: ¡­and wow, each one in increasingly more realistic and depressing realities! I mean, who wouldn¡¯t feel thrilled of waking up alone, in darkness, inside a dirty bathtub or finding my brother nearby having a seizure or-¡¹ I felt a heavy pressure on my whole being, so I stopped blathering. Okay Allen, let¡¯s just humor this dream Creator character. What could go wrong? ¡¸Creator: ¡­¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Uh¡­ well I guess why not, it¡¯s not like my hopes can get more crushed than this.¡¹ ¡¸Creator: Excellent! Let¡¯s begin!¡¹ Just like that? No intro about my great fate as a hero? What about cheat skills and stuff? ¡¸Allen: Wai-¡¹ All went white.
I woke up with a start. I shielded my eyes from the daylight as my vision cleared. Around me was an unfamiliar environment. I was lying on a patch of grass surrounded by trees and vegetation. I tried turning my head to the side to see more, but I couldn''t. No wait... what''s this? I managed to move my hands upward. Streaks of dirt trailed down. I was embedded in the fucking ground! What the fuck. ¡¸Allen: Ugh...¡¹ It took a good minute of struggling to dislodge myself from the soil. I stood up, brushing the dirt from my pajamas, and I took a look around. There was a dirt road close by. ¡¸Allen: Huh¡­¡¹ I looked back at my silhouette carved on the ground. Is that a joke or a biblical reference? Ah, I see, this must be another dream. I checked my body, it was pretty convincing. I tried to fly as I¡¯m used to doing in my dreams, but I remained firmly stuck on the ground. I tried the proven and trusty reality check of pinching my nose and breathing through it. I couldn¡¯t do it. ¡¸Allen: Good job Creator, I¡¯m almost convinced.¡¹ No reply came. Have I really been transported to another world? I felt my heart racing as the question crossed my mind. I ran along the beaten path and I started sweating and wheezing. This is too damn realistic. Shit¡­ I really am in another world! Is this going to be like one of those lame isekai novels I¡¯ve read on the internet? Let¡¯s try something. ¡¸Allen: Status window?¡¹ Nothing. ¡¸Allen: Show stats?¡¹ Nothing. I tried visualizing game menus and shit like that. No chance¡­ I guess this is not a world like those. Resigned, I just kept walking along the path, until I reached a small village contoured by farms. There were villagers going about their works. I walked toward the closest man and tried to strike a conversation. ¡¸Allen: Hello.¡¹ ¡¸Man: Khat?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Uh? What did you just say?¡¹ ¡¸Man: Lakna arstei?¡¹ Fuck, he¡¯s not speaking my language! Of course, what was I expecting? To be granted magical knowledge of languages? Ha ha, too easy. Well, let¡¯s look at the silver lining. I¡¯m in another world¡­ with just my fucking pajamas! No money, no food, no knowledge of the local language, no nothing. Just fucking great. Chapter 2 Thankfully that night one of the farmers, a man with black short hair and an easy smile, saw me trying to sleep on a patch of grass, looking miserable, and offered me his barn to sleep in. All according to plan. I thanked the man, who nodded and left. Okay, I don''t usually feel much of anything, but I have to admit I was grateful. I''ll have to pay back the favor. The next day I offered to help with the farming, all the while trying to learn the language. I gotta say, stabbing the earth is definitely more satisfying than being a software developer and having to deal with management and customers. Almost makes me feel alive again, almost. Tiring work for my weak wage-slave muscles, though.
Yeah, I really felt alive the next day¡­ when all my muscles were aching like crazy. Maybe I should have hit the gym beside watching tv series, playing games and reading novels. Too late now. The suffering had begun. Anyway, Erne, the farmer who is letting me sleep in his barn, has two kids and a chestnut haired daughter. The eldest son is the only old enough to help with the farm, the other two are still children playing around, making noises. The usual child things. I have yet to meet the wife, assuming she¡¯s alive, I don¡¯t even know how to ask about it and it¡¯s best not to touch touchy topics, just in case. I tried talking to the Creator, but if he heard me he didn¡¯t give any reply so far. I bet he¡¯s enjoying having me squirm around clueless. Yeah, that sounds about right. I¡¯m still wondering if I died while sleeping, or maybe I entered a coma and am slowly dying. Welp, too bad I guess, I won¡¯t have to attend SCRUM meetings anytime soon. Since nobody understands my language here, while working the fields, I started humming the catchy tunes from my world but replacing the actual words with swear words. You see swearing is part of the work process for us developers, I can¡¯t talk about others, but I wouldn¡¯t have been able to do my job without muttering a continuous stream of profanities. It¡¯s like a mantra for me. Unfortunately, the kids had sharp ears and soon started imitating my blasphemous tunes. When I heard them, my heart skpped a beat. Boy, I really hope no one here ever learns the actual meaning of those words, especially their father. I also attempted to communicate with the neighbors, but for the most part, they try to avoid me, which is pretty much expected, I too would be wary of strangers that don¡¯t speak my language. I guess Erne is just a better person than me. I wonder if there are elves and monsters and magic. So far this world has been quite mundane and low-tech. I miss the internet, the shitposting forums and the other¡­ more questionable things. This place seems pretty boring, I should find myself a job and start making money. I¡¯ll have to ask Erne if there are bigger settlements around, with markets, jobs and whatever. Now, how should I pantomime that? I¡¯ll think about it tomorrow. The next day I awoke to the kids¡¯ screeches of joy, I walked toward the ruckus and I met a chestnut-haired woman with a ponytail. The farmer¡¯s wife, Berel. She was unloading goods from a caravan and was hugging her kids. When she saw me coming out the barn she glanced at me with a look of inquiry, she asked me something but I understood nothing of it. Thankfully her husband intervened and filled her in on my situation. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. I helped her unload the goods. I think I¡¯ll ask her to join the caravan next time, I¡¯m starting to get antsy here. I¡¯m in another world, I want to do interesting stuff damn it! I had to endure a whole week before my chance came. I helped load the goods onto the caravan and saluted Erne and the kids. According to what I understood we¡¯re headed to a big city to trade their goods, there should be plenty of stuff to do and see. I¡¯m hyped. The hype started fading as soon as I experienced the reality of driving a caravan, the bumpy road and the hard wooden seats made my ass ache. But I endured it, like a man. We stopped in another village to sleep and resumed our journey in the morning after breakfast. Obviously, I wasn¡¯t able to get any meaningful conversation going since I¡¯m still language impaired. So to kill the time I picked back up meditation from my long list of abandoned skills. At least it helped shift the focus away from my aching bottom. That night we stopped in a clearing and set camp with the caravans. Some villagers went into the forest to hunt game and came back with rabbits, or at least they looked like rabbits, their ears had somewhat a spiral twirl to them. They tasted alright, it¡¯s not like I can complain. The voyage took four days total, an excruciating wait for a modern man to wait. In the meanwhile, Berel gave me language lessons and taught me new words. Before long the big city, which is called Valarest, appeared on the horizon. It was surrounded by tall stone walls and I could see a castle further into the city. This looks promising, I feel the hype coming back. We reached a giant plaza and started setting up the stands. Once done Berel caught my attention and gave me a pouch with some copper coins. Oh boy, my first payment! I think she thanked me for all the work done so far. I thanked her and decided to have a look around the city. Where are the fucking wizards? I muttered to myself while walking aimlessly. I wisely avoided the shady alleyways, because gee I wonder what would happen if walked in there. I read a lot of stories, I know better. I liked how this part of the city has main roads going straight toward the market plaza, so getting lost is not going to be a problem. I turned into another road and saw a group of kids walking out of a place, they were all dressed like adventurers. Are they serious? Are people in this city actually letting pubescent brats go around causing a ruckus, what the fuck are their parents thinking? I sure hope they¡¯re cosplaying or something, but those armors and weapons look awfully legit. I decided to take a look at the place they just got out. Billboards full of unreadable postings and weaponized brats everywhere. Well, there were also few adults thrown in the mix. Yep, they¡¯re serious, this looks just like an adventurer¡¯s guild or similar. But, who knows, maybe they give kids only joke assignments and errands. It¡¯s too soon to sweat about the moral implications of child labor. Someone with intricate braided hair walked past me, I glanced at him. Wait, is that an elf? The elf with leather armor walked outside from where I had just entered. Woah. I saw an elf. I turned back to the crowd. I wonder if there are other people from my world. ¡¸Allen: Hello, does anyone here speak my language?¡¹ Everyone just gave me an uncaring glance and looked away. I guess not but it never hurts to try. I sighed, defeated. It feels a little lonely without people I can actually talk with. Curse you Creator! You could¡¯ve at least taught me the local language! I saw a man that looked like a wizard sitting alone in a corner, I tried to strike a conversation but the only words I could grasp were ¡°Go away¡± and probably some swearing. I slumped my shoulders and turned away. Ok, I¡¯ll give up for now. I walked outside. Chapter 3 Just outside the adventurer''s guild, there were two groups of brats shouting at each other. Like any responsible adult, I stepped in to separate them. These cheeky br- When I regained consciousness there was a girl dressed in white with a cleric looking hat, kneeling over me with a concerned face. She had blonde hair and green eyes and was saying something I couldn''t understand. ¡¸Allen: Huh... what just happened?¡¹ I asked faintly. How did I get on the floor? I looked around, confused. I couldn''t remember anything about whatever happened. There were some arguing kids... and then? Once she understood how bad my grasp of the local language was, she gestured that I had been badly hurt and that she had helped me. ¡¸Allen: Thank you.¡¹ She smiled, nodded and helped me up. I had some blood on me, but I couldn''t see any wound and I didn''t hurt anywhere. Had I been healed by magic? Damn, I should have asked her about teaching me, but she was already rejoining her friends and the moment was lost. I stared emptily into space. Did I just get beaten down by kids? That''s... depressing. I looked up at the sky. The sun was beginning to set, so I decided to head back to the market plaza. Upon seeing me Berel raised an eyebrow at my bloodied clothes. I could only shrug my shoulders in reply. Later we rented a room at an inn, where we dined and slept.
I dreamed of laughing kids clubbing me to death. Damned cheeky brats. I need to make money. I need to get a job. But how? I sat down staring at nothing in particular. With my modern knowledge, there should be something I can exploit. My stomach grumbled... I wish I could get a pizza but I haven''t seen anything remotely familiar in this place- Wait! That''s it! I know how to bake pizzas and cook various stuff too. I''ve always been a big fan of DIY so I ended up learning many recipes. Introducing my otherworldly cuisine is bound to gain attention. And money. A plan started to hatch in my mind, I don''t have any idea how to handle the business side of things here, so I''ll need assistance. Maybe if I find the most desperate bakery or restaurant, I might be able to turn the tables and take over... A smile started spreading on my face. I asked Berel which in turn asked the inn owner and we got a possible place. That morning we made a detour so we would take a look at the place and I memorized the route. After setting up the stand at the market I went back to the failing restaurant. I took a breath and walked inside. The place was empty and depressing, there was just a lone bulky middle-aged balding man sitting sadly at a table. Upon seeing me a light shone upon his face and he started talking. I understood nothing of it. He must think I''m a customer. ¡¸Allen: Well, my friend. You''ve been chosen for my base of operations.¡¹ He looked at me confused, but I continued. ¡¸Allen: Let''s see what you have in the kitchen...¡¹ I carelessly walked toward the kitchen. The man shot forward, making a half-hearted effort to stop me. He looked somewhat angry and was spouting words beyond my comprehension, but I patted his shoulders with a pitying expression and smiled as I took out my purse to give him a few coins. He slumped his shoulders, looking completely defeated. I conveyed that I wanted to cook something. Finally, he let me in with a sigh. Heh, I did it. I lugged him around to show me what he had, and I made a quick mental inventory: a stone oven, salt, sourdough, flour and other non-pizza related things. Okay, I''m missing a few ingredients but that''s enough to get started. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. I made some flourishing theatrics to point out I was about to start my culinary performance and started kneading enough for a dozen pizzas. I had to eyeball the amounts but I thought I did a good job, I covered the dough. And signaled the man I would come back later. I went shopping for the missing ingredients, it took me some time to find out suitable replacements for my world ingredients. Once I did so I came back and kneaded the dough some more, split it into twelve parts and covered it again. I tried chatting with the man, as much as my vocabulary allowed. His name was Corgas. I managed to understand enough to confirm that the work wasn''t going well, that he felt insecure about his cooking prowess and the steady decline in profits. This is just perfect! I waved the poor sod goodbye till later and caught up with Berel. It seemed she had managed to sell most of the goods, so she will probably leave tomorrow. While walking back to the inn, I conveyed the fact I was going to offer dinner myself this round, she gave me a deadpan stare. She was probably thinking I was going to offer some cheap shitty food at that place, I smirked. At the inn, while walking out our rooms I crossed the priest girl and her two male friends, apparently they too booked rooms in there. I waved her and invited them to join us for dinner, thankfully Berel conveyed my meaning properly, the trio shrugged their shoulders and started following. We reached the shitty restaurant. Inside there were only two patrons, who were dubiously looking at their food. I waved at the owner and he just gave me a defeated glance. My entourage gazed at me with an uncertain look, I could read in their eyes the "where the fuck did you bring us?", but I winked and gestured them to wait at the table, then I entered the kitchen. Under the curious gaze of Corgas, who stood near the door to keep an eye both on me and his patrons, I started turning the doughs into pizzas, added all the ingredients and proceeded to cook them in the stone oven. Very quickly the first pizza was ready. It looked just like a fine and proper pizza. Okay, this is the trial run, I took a bite to check the taste. Perfect! Finally a taste of my world. I offered a slice to Corgas, he took a few bites and stared at me in amazement. Jesus, he must really be a shitty cook if he stares at me with that dumbfounded face. I bustled out the kitchen with the first servings. ¡¸Allen: My friends, let me introduce you... to the miracle of pizza!¡¹ At first, they frowned at the never seen before food, but once they took the first bite, they started wolfing it down with delight. Even too much delight, what are these people used to eat in this world? I glanced at the two other patrons, who were miserably glancing at our table with craving eyes. They looked so miserable that I ended up upgrading their meals with proper pizzas, Corgas didn''t seem to mind. I brought seconds and we had some fun chatting, too bad I only understood fractions of what was being said, but everyone was in high spirits and complimenting me. I finally learned the names of the trio, the blonde priest girl is Ellin, the black-haired kid with the square jaw is Namrick and Grastel, a smirking kid with ash brown hair partially covering his eyes and a touch of freckles across his nose. It''s good that I met them at the inn. I feel their acquaintance will lead me to meet interesting people. Also, I''ll get a chance to ask the girl to teach me about magic. I ended up offering the remaining pizzas to random passersby, according to my plan of spreading the word. Yep, I can work with this. It''s liberating to be able to walk in a damn restaurant and abuse the kitchen for my own exploits. Back in my world I''d have had to file a dozen different forms just to get permission, pay seven different taxes, get a sanitary certification for the food and ingredients and take a mortgage. Then I''d have to compete against the big food chains. Also, I''d probably have gotten jailed for having broken into the owner''s kitchen in the first place. I definitely don''t miss the bureaucracy. With Berel''s help, I struck a deal with Corgas. I get half of all the earnings and in return, I join as a business partner and teach him the secrets of pizza. He was desperate enough to accept. Chapter 4 The following day was rather busy, the word had begun to spread so we had a sudden influx of customers. I began teaching Corgas. No matter how bad he was at cooking (pretty bad), making pizza is easy, it just requires a little practice. I coached him step by step and he quickly caught on. In the evening I helped Berel load up the caravan for the journey home, I gave her my thanks for everything and waved her goodbye. Okay, the current task is renovating the image of the shitty restaurant and pumping up the marketing. If I learned something from Eric of the sales department, is that marketing is the most vital part of selling any product. Even the shittiest piece of junk can be a success with the right advertising. After a week the place was unrecognizable. I had Corgas change the restaurant name to "Pizza Heaven" and we hired a couple of pretty girls to attract customers and serve the patrons. Sex sells, the oldest trick in the marketing book. Thanks, Eric. I have spent most of the earnings in renovations and advertising. The iron had to be struck while hot to gain the edge before anyone else entered the pizza market. Corgas regained his culinary confidence and now stands straight and proud. Dude it''s just pizza. When we started raking in cash he was literally in tears and hugged me like a lost son or something. I guess this is kinda fun, but there was something I hadn''t considered... I''m starting to hate pizza! I knead pizza, I bake pizza, I breathe pizza... all the fucking day! I can''t go on. I gotta shift my focus to the managerial side of things, Corgas has gotten good enough that we can train more personnel to keep up with the demand. And thus, we hired and trained more pizzaiolos. The adventurer''s trio stopped by various times and brought occasional acquaintances as well, I have to thank them for spreading the word. Also, thanks to them and Corgas I had many occasions to practice the language, so I''m finally able to have conversations! About. Fucking. Time. I gazed out the windows with a satisfied smile. It''s been a month since I''ve been staying in this city. Things are going well. My smile faded. BUT I STILL HAVEN''T LEARNED ANYTHING ABOUT MAGIC! According to Ellin, learning magic costs a lot of money and you need a good teacher to get started. She wasn''t confident in explaining the basics because I could hurt myself. While I was wondering about those things, Corgas came rushing to me. ¡¸Corgas: Allen! Allen!!¡¹ He was panting, panic painted on his face. ¡¸Allen: What?¡¹ ¡¸Corgas: Nobleman... pizza...¡¹ He pointed frantically at a well-dressed man accompanied by two menacing guards. ¡¸Corgas: You cook, make the best one!¡¹ And so I did, I used the best ingredients and cooked it at the right point. The waitress served it to the noble, while I and Corgas were watching from the kitchen''s door. Corgas was sweating cold and gripping the door frame as if his life depended on it. I myself had enough experience with upper management and CEOs to be unfazed. Besides, it''s just a fucking pizza, for fuck''s sake. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. The man took a bite, munched for a few seconds, then nodded to himself in approval and kept eating. Corgas bear hugged me with excitement choking me out. I hadn''t realized Corgas was so strong, it''s good he didn''t collapse my face when I walked into his kitchen. ¡¸Allen: Can''t... breathe...¡¹ I struggled hopelessly.
Later that day a messenger came to tell us we had been chosen to cook our specialty for an important banquet. I''m not sure how I felt about that, attracting the attention of nobility so soon. But it''s s also true that we could use the money they offered to open up a second Pizza Heaven on the other side of the city. It didn''t look like we had much choice about it, Corgas was excited and dreaming about fame and glory. We ended up in the massive kitchens of that noble that had paid us a visit, Lord Radenrouge. One thing that caught my eye was that dishes and cups were made of black glass. Or painted ceramic? I didn''t ask. Gotta be what''s trending. In the same room, there were various other chefs going about their work, preparing desserts, firsts and seconds, but it felt fishy. Some of them kept stealing glances our way. Was it a mistake to accept this jig? Are they going to sabotage us or beat us to a pulp? The banquet proceeded smoothly, and we received the agreed payment, 9 gold coins. According to Corgas, this is a lot. All chefs including us were kept in the kitchens so we did not get any chance to make important acquaintances. Well, no matter... with this money we have enough for opening that second pizza restaurant.
A few days later we heard about legit knockoff pizzas being sold from a rival restaurant, Corgas inquired around about it and apparently, that place was one of Lord Radenrouge''s assets. I spit out a string of profanities. I guess those chefs were really spying us that day, greedily stealing my average pizza-making secrets. Not much we can do it about now. But who cares! I just wanted to secure funding to learn magic! I''m not mad at all! Definitely not mad. I''m fucking mad. I was hoping it would take a few months more for competitors to catch up. I shook Corgas who was staring at the wall, probably picturing his dream of glory coming to an end. ¡¸Allen: C''mon, we got stuff to do.¡¹ Time to anticipate my next plan: take away pizza. Sadly paper in this world costs too much, so mass producing the classic pizza boxes is not an option. But I found a compromise... We talked about it with a woodworker, a friend of Corgas, and we came up with a wooden equivalent. They''ll be bulkier but they''ll be reusable. So we can give them to our clients in exchange for a small deposit, which they''ll get back as soon as they turn in the pizza box. I left the matter in the Corgas'' hands and our other pizza chefs. I''ve had enough of pizzas, for now, I need a breath of fresh air. Might as well ask Ellin to join her party, I want to experience some damn adventuring. So I took a day off and went shopping to gear up with some cheap stuff. Chapter 5: Adventuring ¡¸Ellin: So... huh. What are your strongest skills?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Sarcasm, cynicism and common sense.¡¹ It came out sounding like a question. C''mon Allen, be more confident. We have to convince them. ¡¸Ellin: ...¡¹ She swept an uncertain gaze between Namrick and Grastel. ¡¸Ellin: Can you fight?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: I punched a few guys back in the days.¡¹ I said, crossing my arms to express confidence. Long silence. ¡¸Ellin: Are you really sure about this?¡¹ She stared at me in the eyes. ¡¸Allen: Yes.¡¹ She took in a deep breath. ¡¸Ellin: Fine... let''s register you at the adventurer''s guild.¡¹ She helped me compile the forms and I paid the entry fee. Done. I''m a frigging adventurer. The trio looked at the billboards to pick a suitable quest. During the process, they glanced at me with uncertain expressions, multiple times. I put on my best smile and gave them the thumbs-up. These kids are making it such a big deal out of this. I''m a competent adult, I can deal with things. Ellin gave me a quick debriefing: we were meant to exterminate a group of verklings, some sort of creatures, I didn''t understand what they were supposed to look like.
We were walking in a forest when Grastel turned sharply to the right and signaled us to drop our backpacks and follow him. We approached a downstream river and I could see it. A yellow-gray skinned humanoid with very leathery skin, it had fangs protruding from the mouth and it was about 1 meter tall or so. I followed their lead a few steps behind and- *creak*. Oh, I stepped on a dry branch... The creature immediately turned toward me, screeched and charged. It didn''t see the others, who were already behind a bush just a little ahead. Here it comes, I quickly unsheathed my short sword and launched myself against the verkling. Time to get myself killed. I could feel my heartbeat racing. I felt alive. ¡¸Allen: Gaaah!¡¹ I swung with all my might... and missed. The creature was just nimbler than me. ¡¸Allen: Crap!¡¹ The verkling punched my arm away with enough strength to make me drop the sword. Embarrassing, I know. Also, ouch! That hurts! As I was assaulted, I felt the adrenaline kicking in. The blasted verkling screeched at my face letting out a fetid stench. I kept it at bay with my left arm. ¡¸Allen: Enough!¡¹ I kicked his groin and smashed my forehead against his face. That stunned him for a couple of seconds, enough for me to push it back sprawling on the ground, while I fumbled for my sword. Then I fucking stabbed the shit-eater on the mouth and swung him away, spilling blood all around. I stomped his head for good measure and looked away... just in time to see another one coming from my left side and shoulder the impact. ¡¸Allen: Agh!¡¹ It frigging hurt. I swore incoherently. I let myself roll back, following the momentum, grabbing my foe''s arm and pushing upward, so he would fall face-down. I actually learned this move back at school when a bully was charging at me with a big stick, I accidentally tripped on a rock while stepping back, he missed and in my attempt of pushing him away, I slammed his face on the hard ground. Good times! My arms were shaking with adrenaline, I stabbed and stabbed again at the verkling abdomen. Which didn''t turn out to be the brightest idea, since he was directly on top of me. Offals and blood rained upon me to my great regret. I''ve been desensitized enough by movies and games, but gods, the stench was nearly enough to make me puke. I pushed the corpse away. This had gotten real, real fast. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.Again, I took in my surroundings, there were a dozen dead verklings around me. Whoa, when did that happen? I didn''t even notice, those kids are no pushovers. ¡¸Ellin: Allen! Are you fine?!¡¹ I didn''t feel too good. ¡¸Allen: I''m fine...¡¹ Still sitting amidst the gore I gave a very shaky thumbs-up toward the guys. Just before barfing out what was left inside my stomach. She shook her head with a grave expression, while Namrick and Grastel burst into laughter. A lesser man would have been embarrassed then, but I''ve endured worse and more humiliating scenarios. Nothing can tarnish my confidence. Except maybe having missed my first swing. I gave a kick to the verkling corpse in retaliation. Okay, I feel better now. Thankfully the river was close by, it would have been embarrassing to walk back home like that. Constantly puking and smelling like... I don''t even know what, honestly. Ellin healed my injuries and we started a fire. I tossed my damp clothes nearby to dry them a little. ¡¸Allen: That was fun.¡¹ I said confidently. ¡¸Ellin: You should have been more careful.¡¹ ¡¸Grastel: Yeah, I could have killed that one silently, with an arrow, then things would have been easier.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Sorry about that...¡¹ ¡¸Namrick: And you didn''t pay attention to the battleground. You stumbled away from us and made it difficult to pick off the enemies without the risk of hurting you.¡¹ I felt like my first day at work, getting reprimanded for beginner mistakes. ¡¸Allen: Sorry...¡¹ I said, scratching my head. Damn, these brats are lecturing me... but they seem to know their shit, I have to give them that. I took out from my backpack a pan and my patent-pending wooden pizza box and heated up the pizza. ¡¸Allen: A slice for each of us, to celebrate my first quest!¡¹ My friends merrily accepted. I bit down my disgust caused by the excessive pizzaful lifestyle I''ve been living. I actually just wanted to show off the pizza box, I should have brought some other food... ¡¸Grastel: By the way, interesting fighting style.¡¹ He said mockingly. I almost choked on my pizza while the others snickered. ¡¸Allen: Gah! I wonder if at least I leveled up.¡¹ ¡¸Namrick: What do you mean?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Don''t you guys suddenly become stronger after defeating a certain number of enemies?¡¹ ¡¸Grastel: No... we train and gain combat experience. But it''s definitely not sudden.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: I see... I was just wondering if this world had some sort of level up mechanism, don''t mind me.¡¹ They were giving me puzzled looks, trying to figure out what I was blabbering about. Okay, so I guess there are no "levels" or RPG mechanics to exploit, but still, thinking back at when I first met Ellin, I went and tried stopping those arguing brats... they couldn''t have me knocked out so suddenly. Was there a trick behind it? I may not be ripped, but there''s no way a snotty brat could one-hit-KO me, a fucking adult, without magical assistance. Damn, I need to learn magic!
In the end, we collected our rewards, 20 gold coins, which we split equally. 5 gold coins... holy shit. Adventuring is much more profitable than my pizza restaurants. I could buy three thousand pizzas with this much. Even with our current capacity I only earn a silver coin a day, after splitting the income and paying our personnel. This is just depressing. It''s more than enough for a modest living, by this world standards. So I can''t really complain, but there''s a chasm between the money involved for a mundane living and the higher level. I took a look around and made inquiries. According to what I got, the reward/cost prices are very high for everything related to magery, alchemy, and adventuring. Basically, the money circulates back and forth between adventurers and the craftsmen that supply them, which then hire adventurers to gather rare reagents and materials only found in risky places. And the cycle repeats. Sounds close to a zero-sum game, despite the high payoffs, it''s not so easy to hold on the money. That explains why Ellin, Grastel and Namrick are staying at the inn instead of a more luxurious place. Also, the high cutoff behind the money involved makes it almost a separate economy. I wonder how nobles and merchants come into the equation. I took a proper bath and went to sleep. I had much to mull over. Chapter 6 I rose from the bed without much enthusiasm. I wondered about many things the night before. One of which, is that I still don''t know how to read and write in the local language. I''m always forced to ask my friends to decipher those chicken scratchings for me. I''m a fucking parasite. It''s also an obstacle for my progress. It''s decided. I''ll enroll in a school or find a teacher and get lessons. I asked the innkeeper and he gave me directions to the place I was looking for. I warned Corgas about my plans and then followed the directions I got earlier. It took a few attempts since I suck at following directions, but I ended up in front of a small house. Well, that doesn''t look like a school. I knocked at the door. A man with gray hair and medium beard came answering. ¡¸Man: Yes?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Hello, huh... I''m here for learning to read, I''ve been given this address by my innkeeper.¡¹ I never remember his name. ¡¸Man: Oh, I see. Come in¡¹ I walked inside. It was a homely place. I saw many bookshelves full of scrolls and books. ¡¸Allen: Well, pleased to meet you. My name is Allen.¡¹ ¡¸Man: I''m Gregoris, I used to be an adventurer. A healer, specifically.¡¹ He introduced himself and shook my hand. ¡¸Gregoris: Sadly, my magic was never strong. Along the years I shifted my main focus to scholarly topics, for which I had more aptitude. I teach people to read and write during my free time.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Nice, I came from a very distant land, I just learned to speak with some fluency, but the alphabet is alien to me.¡¹ ¡¸Gregoris: Hmm, I can''t help but notice your particular accent, which language do you speak in your homeland?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: English.¡¹ Gregoris scratched his beard, pondering. ¡¸Gregoris: I don''t remember ever hearing that one, I might give you a discount if you''re willing to teach me about it. Studying foreign languages is one of my favorite hobbies.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Huh, sure.¡¹ I doubt it''ll be of any use to him, though. I''m probably the only person in this world who speaks it. We settled the deal for 50 coppers each lesson.
When I got back, Corgas warned me that Berel had come paying a visit. I walked to the market to greet her and buy some of her food. ¡¸Allen: Hello, Berel!¡¹ She smiled as she saw me approaching. ¡¸Berel: Hi, Allen. I heard your business is going well!¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Not as good as I hoped, but I can''t complain. How''s Erne and the kids?¡¹ I wanted to make them taste some of my dishes. ¡¸Berel: They''re doing well, we''ve been having a bountiful harvest this year.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Glad to hear it. Oh by the way...¡¹ I reached for my pouch. I gave her a dozen silver coins as thanks for all the help they gave me when I first stumbled into this world. At first, she refused, but I insisted. I get antsy if I don''t repay my debts. I told her the tale of my first adventurer experience. Berel frowned. ¡¸Berel: You should be careful, most adventurers die young and you''re not young anymore...¡¹ Pffft, I''m only 30 years old, I''m still in my prime. Right? ¡¸Berel: ...you would do better to settle down and live a peaceful life. Many friends I knew when I was young lost their lives chasing riches and glory.¡¹ Right... settling down, with all the excitement and my corporate mentality I had completely dismissed such a notion. I think I''ll keep dismissing it until I get unlucky enough to fall in love. I never had time for a girlfriend, when I was a kid I was too dense to read the signals. When I went to high school and college there were literally no girls who resembled girls (shit, I really fucked up picking up IT) and finally, when I started working at that big corporation I grew weary of people and stopped going out. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Thinking about it again... I should have just changed job. Whatever. I returned to the restaurant to survey the situation. Corgas was doing a fine job of handling everything. I retired myself in the backroom and took out the sheets of paper with Gregoris'' notes. I had to study this damn alphabet. I really was hoping for skill books to exist, it seems that you have to do everything the hard way in here. "I''ve been gathering ideas from this world" said the Creator when it first appeared in my dream. Maybe I just deluded myself into thinking it would have been more like a game. This is just reality with extra hidden magic elements. Very well hidden, so far the only one I saw performing magic was Ellin. I swear, it''s like everyone in this world is greedily protecting their magics from public eyes. Such a bunch elitist cunts. I''m so fucking mad now. I bet the Creator made things like this on purpose to aggravate me, the stick and the carrot. God damn. I need more money, I need to find another quest. I really miss browsing the internet looking for tutorials! I used my anger as fuel for doing some push-ups. I gotta get in shape.
The next day Namrick paid me a visit. I had been chilling at the tables near the inn''s entrance. ¡¸Namrick: Hi, Allen, how are you doing?¡¹ He was his usual cheery self. ¡¸Allen: Fine, I''m learning to read and write.¡¹ I put down my notes and turned to face him. ¡¸Namrick: Look, we''ve got a job for which we could use your assistance.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Oh, what is it? More monster killing?¡¹ Namrick shook his head. ¡¸Namrick: No, we have to escort a merchant to a dwarven settlement for trading, with us and his two bodyguards that front is covered. The thing is... he requested a chef to bring along the journey, so we thought about you.¡¹ Fuck, more work involving food. I don''t mind it as a hobby, but having to do it as a job is taking all the fun away. ¡¸Allen: Well, I am confident in my culinary prowess. Can you tell me more about it?¡¹ I''m just average, but these people are easy to please. Maybe all the good chefs are taken by the royal palaces, never to see the light again. Anyway, I haven''t been sitting on my ass doing just pizzas, I can''t stand them anymore, I need to detox. Instead, I have experienced and learned many recipes from the locals, thanks to that I also learned many alternatives to the ingredients from my world. The recipes themselves are mostly rubbish, aside from a few things. Maybe I just don''t like those damn spices they stubbornly cram into everything. No, its other way around... it''s the food that''s crammed into spices. ¡¸Namrick: We''ll be traveling for four days at best, we''re leaving tomorrow morning from the inn. Your pay will be 10 golds with an extra if you manage to please him.¡¹ 10 gold coins... well that''s not bad! Adding the other 5 coins from last time I should have enough to attend that Basic Magery course at the Arcane Academy! Magic. I slapped the table. ¡¸Allen: I accept!¡¹ I need that money. ¡¸Namrick: Great! Make sure to prepare all the provisions you need, we''ll load them in the caravan.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Very well, leave that to me.¡¹ Namrick waved and left among the crowd. I''ve been keeping my recipes secret for future business opportunities. But I guess it won''t be bad to show off a little. This time I''ll introduce noodles and maybe ravioli since I haven''t seen them around anywhere. I spent most of the day preparing the food supplies. Chapter 7: Escort mission I dreamed I had been captured by evil pizza creatures and they were about to execute me by hanging. On a rope made of noodles. Pretty much sums up how much I enjoy cooking for a living. It was early morning, I shaved my beard and had breakfast. * Knock Knock * ¡¸Namrick: It''s time, let''s go!¡¹ My friends had come to collect me, Namrick helped me move my supplies into the caravan. We greeted Vargas, the merchant who had hired us. He had short black hair, a long oiled mustache and an impressive belly. Damn... did I bring enough supplies? My friends and one of the bodyguards climbed on their own horses, while I entered the caravan with the merchant and the other bodyguard, who sat in front and got the horses moving. Vargas looked at me with a calculating glance and began a conversation. ¡¸Vargas: So, I heard you''re a capable chef.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Well, I can manage.¡¹ I have been cooking for myself for quite some time, after all. ¡¸Vargas: I also heard you have a nose for business.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Huh... I used to work for people who had... back in my homeland. I guess I learned a few tricks.¡¹ Then he shifted the conversation on food. Food this, wine that, blah blah blah. I put on my poker face and faked a smile as I weathered through it. Eventually, after painfully long and detailed descriptions of foods and tastes from different lands, I managed to change the topic. ¡¸Allen: So what kind of people are those dwarves from the settlement?¡¹ ¡¸Vargas: Oh! The usual... hairy midgets, great metalworkers and supreme lovers of alcohol.¡¹ That fits the clich¨¨. I thought. ¡¸Vargas: We''re going to trade our alcohol and goods for a shipment of rare materials... and whatever else catches my eye.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: I see. I was curious about the minerals. Having come from far away, I''m having a hard time to connect the names I know to the local ones. Could you describe them for me?¡¹ Vargas told me about the most important ones. Adamantium, the hardest metal with greatest magic potential, it looks a dark gray-green with a pearlescent sheen. Mithril, a high-grade metal, not as durable as adamantium, but lighter and with a good magic potential, it looks just like silver. Orichalcum, a durable and weightless orange tinged metal, very little magical potential. Aetherium, a crystal formation favored by mages, has the greatest magic potential in absolute. Obsidian, a rock that dissipates magic, highly sought for building anti-magic arrows and devices. I thanked him for the quick rundown. Sadly for me, the discussion immediately derailed back to the food topic. Just kill me now. I felt my smile faltering.
We stopped at a small village for lunch. The merchant rented a kitchen for me to work in. I silently thanked the gods that the merchant left me to work alone without his incessant banter about food. I started humming my litany of curses while going about my work. Food nerds are the worst. I cooked some noodles with a pesto I made myself, it tasted average. Let''s hope the fat merchant likes it. He liked it, so much he took seconds. My friends gave me the thumbs up. Okay, maybe all these praises are giving me a tinge of gratification. But I still don''t like it... this is just a step to learn magic. Magic. Then, when I''m all powerful, it''ll be me having the plebs cook for me. No more wasting time in the kitchen for the pleasure of others. After the lunch, we quickly packed up and resumed the voyage. Vargas took a nap and dozed off. I took this chance to study the Arstei alphabet from Gregoris'' notes. There weren''t any more villages to stop at from that point on.
At the dusk of the second day, we finally reached the dwarven settlement. It was built next to a rocky mountain. The dwarves had carved a huge wall with a portcullis on the mountain face, showing off elaborate patterns. Half of the city was on the outside, surrounded by tall defensible stone walls. We didn''t get to take a peek on the inside of the mountains, but Ellin told me the dwarves are used to carve large rooms with pillars and statues. They''re obviously compensating. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Vargas stood in front of the portcullis announcing his arrival to the dwarvish guards. After some talk, a well-dressed dwarf came from the other side, exchanging greetings with the merchant and inviting him inside. We remained behind while Vargas discussed business. ¡¸Ellin: By the way, I really liked those ravioli!¡¹ ¡¸Grastel: Yeah, Allen. How many other recipes have you hidden away?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Well, I still have a few aces up my sleeve...¡¹ ¡¸Namrick: Ace-what? Is that a fruit?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: ... the real problem is finding similar ingredients to the ones I know. Also, I should keep a few surprises for special occasions.¡¹ ¡¸Ellin: You should open a high-class restaurant!¡¹ Said Ellin with a hearty smile painted on her face. Namrick and Grastel nodded in agreement. Damn, how can I tell these kids "I hate cooking for work", without breaking their hearts? Their eyes full of optimism and happy thoughts. How naive. Even if I wanted to, high-class restaurants are all under the monopoly of nobility. I''d only get myself killed. Sometime later, Vargas returned with a satisfied smile and announced we would leave tomorrow after lunch. I and the adventurer trio took the opportunity to wander around the settlement and do some shopping. I found a shop selling various kinds of ore, there was even some magnetic lodestone, they''re considered useless, except for holding nails or for harassing people with armor. In fact, I''ve seen a few dwarven kids throwing them at an armored guard, just to run away giggling. I bought some, I might be able to find a use for them, maybe I can even build a dynamo or something. Although, I don''t know exactly how. If only I could browse the internet. It was late in the night when we walked back to the inn and got to rest.
I dreamed I had fucked up a release on the production server and management was out to get me. I had had enough and punched them in the face, but they turned into dragons and burned me to ash. Welp, why can''t I dream something nice for a change? For some reason, I''m experiencing an increase in nightmares, which is weird considering I used to only have one or two every year at best. It must be the new fantastic experiences I''m accumulating. We woke up and had breakfast. Then Vargas had us help with unloading and loading the traded goods. With that out of the way, I prepared lunch, borrowing the kitchen of a random tavern. The dwarvish cook kept an eye on me, scowling the whole time. It''s not like it''s my fault, you damn midget. I''m not happy about it either! I want to kill something. I had found some ground beef, so this time I opted for making noodles with tomato sauce, meatballs and oil. I vented my frustration at the ground beef, under the disapproving stare of the dwarf. I cooked and served the food, Vargas first of course, and sat down with the crew. ¡¸Vargas: Hmmm... a fine combination, very good.¡¹ Everyone devoured their meals without complaint. ¡¸Allen: So, back to Valarest now?¡¹ ¡¸Vargas: Yes. By the way, I''ll have to ask you to teach me how to prepare this yellow looking... pasta you said, right?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Sure, it''s just a mix of eggs, flour and salt. I''ll show you how to prepare it when we''re back to Valarest.¡¹ ¡¸Vargas: Yes, thank you! It vaguely reminds me of an exotic dish I had once in a distant land. But that one tasted bland and didn''t have this consistency.¡¹ Vargas patted his belly and rose up, we followed suit. As we were about to leave the tavern a dwarf called out to us. ¡¸Dawrf: Ah... Wait!¡¹ He ran up to us. I could smell the alcohol. ¡¸Dwarf: I overheard... you''re headed to Valarest, right?¡¹ ¡¸Vargas: Yes, that is our destination.¡¹ ¡¸Dwarf: Huhh... could I *hic*... could I join yoh?¡¹ The dwarf scratched his beard for a moment, grumbling intelligibly. ¡¸Dwarf: Forgive mah manners... I am Yusdrolir Ironguard, an adventurer *hic*. My friends... left without me and I don''t know the road. I can give ya a few sh-silvers for the bother.¡¹ Vargas considered it for a moment. ¡¸Vargas: Fine, but be quick. We''re leaving now.¡¹ ¡¸Yusdrolir: Thank you! I''ll just... *hic* pick up my equipment.¡¹ The equipment consisted wholly of alcohols. Chapter 8: Escort mission 2 The dwarf came on foot. We inquired if he didn''t have a mount. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Huhh... I kinda gambled it away *hic* no worries! I''ll run!¡¹ Said the dwarf with a laugh. And run he did. Man, dwarves sure have stamina. He kept up with our pace without skipping a beat. Later, we reached the previous clearing and set camp for the night. The dwarf drank and sang in a drunken stupor, making our ear suffer until he passed out. We were about to go to sleep when the snoring dwarf woke from his alcoholic coma and grumbled something. ¡¸Yusdrolir: OY! I shumm...*burp* ehn¡¹ Vargas, who was sitting next to me by the campfire, gave me a look and said. ¡¸Vargas: What did he say?¡¹ I rose and walked closer to Yusdrolir. The smell of alcohol burned my nostrils. ¡¸Allen: What is it?¡¹ ¡¸Yusdrolir: I shmell... goo*hic*sheeen.¡¹ Rambled the drunken dwarf. Puzzled, I turned back to Vargas and relayed. ¡¸Allen: He said he smells... goshen?¡¹ I said while moving my hands for a shrug. Suddenly, my left hand hurt like crazy! ¡¸Allen: Gaahhh!¡¹ I took a shocked look. There was a fucking arrow lodged in my fucking hand! ¡¸Allen: Fuck! Shit! What the fuck!¡¹ Vargas rolled on his back in panic, that arrow had been aimed at him. The two bodyguards and my friends sprang up unsheathing their weapons. ¡¸Grastel: GOBLINS!¡¹ I looked back to see a rushing group of green-skinned creatures with long ears. They screeched and launched an assault. They were equipped with makeshift clubs and bows and they were closing in, fast! I grabbed the closest weapon I found. A pan. My left arm was spasming with pain. I don''t know why but the pain just makes me angry, very angry. I don''t know if it''s thanks to corporate stress, some Nordic ancestor or something wrong with my brain. But I was very fucking pissed at that moment. I processed my pain turning it into swearing and anger. Yusdrolir shot up and grappled one of the goblins, but another was coming at him from behind, with a crude dagger in hand. ¡¸Allen: God damn! Green skinned leprosy ridden little shits!¡¹ I moved quickly and slammed my pan on the goblin''s face with all my fucking might. The goblin''s skull caved halfway in and collapsed dead, I shouted a roar. I was fucking pumped with adrenaline and anger. Two more came from the right, I swung the pan again. The first ducked avoiding the blow, I slammed the second away, but another one behind them jumped me. I fell backward using the pan as a shield. When I hit the ground, another spike of pain rose from my injured hand. ¡¸Allen: Graaah!!¡¹ I kicked away the goblin further behind, but the one that jumped me was holding firmly, and with only one arm all I could do was bat away its dagger. Fuck, fuck! An ax swung over me, severing the goblin''s head. I rolled away to avoid another goblin then slammed my pan on its face again and again until it stopped moving. ¡¸Allen: Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!¡¹ ¡¸Ellin: Allen! Here!¡¹ Battleground awareness! Battleground awareness! I saw the others trying to form a circle around the merchant and I stumbled toward them. Namrick had an arrow on his left shoulder but was keeping the little bastards away. Ellin was healing him with her magic. Grastel was trying to shot down the goblin archers, while the bodyguards did their best to defend and attack. ¡¸Vargas: Gahhh... kill them! Kiiiill theeem!¡¹ Vargas was curled, up trembling, and screeching incoherent commands. I took my position among them. While I did so, a goblin avoided Grastel''s arrow and rushed at me with a spiky wooden spear. I kicked his groin and slammed my pan over its head so hard the handle broke. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡¸Allen: Guh...¡¹ My leg gave away, only now I noticed another arrow sticking from it. When did that even happen? I felt strength leaving my shaking limbs. I lost consciousness the moment I touched the ground. Allen skullsmasher. Hero of the mighty pan.
¡¸Allen: Gwah!¡¹ I jerked awake. Around us, there were at least twenty goblin corpses. Ellin was still administering her healing magic on the injured. Everyone was dirty and sweated. I looked at my left hand, healed without a scar. Bless you, Ellin. Grastel noticed I had regained my senses. ¡¸Grastel: Allen! Are you fine?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Huh, I think so...¡¹ I tried standing, but that was a mistake. Pain pierced my senses from all over. I grunted in pain. On second thought, the ground is good. ¡¸Ellin: Wait! I haven''t finished healing you!¡¹ Grastel was patrolling the area while we recovered. ¡¸Namrick: This is strange, we scouted the area beforehand. There weren''t any goblin nests in the proximity... we''ll have to notify the guild about it. I have a bad feeling about this.¡¹ According to Namrick, goblins are weak individually, but they''re clever and attack in groups, making them more dangerous even than some of the stronger monsters. So their threat is taken seriously. They also use poisonous substances on their weapons, which explains why I lost consciousness and I hurt everywhere. ¡¸Allen: Why didn''t you tell me there could have been monsters? I would have brought my equipment.¡¹ ¡¸Namrick: You don''t understand. Goblins don''t travel far from their nest. Something must have driven them this way.¡¹ I grumbled in reply. We just need a cook, Allen. All is gonna be fine, Allen. Oh... whoops, a goblin raid. I flexed my left hand a couple of times to shake off the memory of the painful arrow. That fucking hurt. Vargas was silent, staring fearfully at the darkness. We decided to move away from this location, the danger was too high. We couldn''t wake the snoring dwarf so we had to load him on the caravan. Sadly for our nostrils. We kept going until dusk when we stopped to rest a little. After the attack Vargas didn''t feel like talking about food anymore. We traveled the rest of the road without further surprises.
Upon reaching Valarest, Vargas took a sigh of relief. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Gah hahaha, finally! I''ll be off to the closest tavern. See ya guys!¡¹ Said the dwarf, walking away with his crate of alcohols. Vargas climbed down from the caravan, with a renewed smile upon his face. ¡¸Vargas: It is done... I have to thank you all for the hard work, so I''ll give you a little extra.¡¹ Vargas opened his purse and began distributing our salary. I got 15 gold coins instead of 10. Magic... soon. ¡¸Vargas: Allen, it has been a pleasure traveling with you. I''ll try to get back in touch, for that recipe, once I free myself from my duties.¡¹ Then he looked back at the trio. ¡¸Vargas: As expected from the Val Arinn family, your healing magics are top grade, young lady, and your friends more than capable.¡¹ They bowed politely. Vargas looked at the distance. ¡¸Vargas: That dwarf... he drinks too much.¡¹ Yeah, exactly my thoughts. But who knows how it would''ve turned out if he hadn''t been there. He did fight well, despite the drunkenness. Vargas waved goodbye and carried on with his two bodyguards. We went back to the adventurer''s guild, where Namrick reported the goblin attack. Out of curiosity, I tried reading some of the postings on the billboard. Yep, they still look like chicken scratchings to me. I need more lessons. Chapter 9: Magic lessons I kept taking Gregoris lessons, who taught me a lot of valuable stuff. Like, that in this world a year lasts 373 days split into 8 months with weeks of 8 days. Now I understand why I kept fucking up appointments. I also paid a visit to the Arcane Academy and confirmed the fees required for taking the basic class, 15 gold coins for a month worth of lessons, which will also give me access to the library. The next term would start in a couple of weeks, so I spent most of my time grinding my reading skills. I can do this sort of things when I''m properly motivated. I plan to diligently follow the basic class, while secretly copying all the books I might need from the library. The paper is going to cost me a fortune, but I don''t know when else I''m going to get enough for the next round. Rationalizing, I''m not too eager to get in another adventure, at least not until I feel more confident about my skills. I was also considering the beginner alchemy course, but to enroll the beginner classes I''d need at least 20 golds. In any case, I''m required to clear the basics before being allowed to attend. It''ll have to wait. I''m hyped, I''m fucking hyped. During these two weeks, Vargas the merchant got in touch with me, and as promised I taught him how to make pasta based recipes, like noodles and ravioli. He was very thankful, he too loves cooking as a hobby. He also promised me good deals if I need anything from him. Looks like he hadn''t forgotten I took a couple of arrows for him. Meanwhile, my pizza businesses are going steady, Lord Radenrouge has stolen some of my audience, but in the end, he targets the upper classes, so we didn''t get affected much. It would take powerful connections to enter that market, we simply don''t stand a chance. At least people know we are the original. Skipping to the end of the second week, I got praised by Gregoris for my efforts. I can understand almost everything I read, and my calligraphy is readable. Good enough. I already went a paid the Academy''s fee. this is gonna be my first magic class. MAGIC! I woke in the morning all pumped up and crossed the Arcane Academy''s threshold. I asked directions for my class and entered the room. I took a look inside and frowned. It was full of people who were at best half my age. I suddenly felt old. I sat on a free spot, trying to ignore the weird gazes. I could hear the little shits smirking behind my shoulders. Damn them. I took a good look at the teacher. She was around my age, black hair in a bob cut, piercing blue eyes and a voluptuous figure. Her chest was amazing, and she did nothing to hide it. I found myself smirking and quickly restored my poker face. ¡¸Teacher: Silence!¡¹ She slammed her fists on the desk. Everyone shut up. You don''t mess with magicians. ¡¸Teacher: You!¡¹ Uh oh, she pointed at me. Fuck! I''m smirking again! ¡¸Teacher: What do you find so funny?¡¹ Oh shit! Oh shit! ¡¸Allen: Uh... I-I''m just excited...¡¹ No! Stop thinking about the tits! Stop blushing! ¡¸Allen: ... attending a magic class has been my dream since I was a kid.¡¹ She narrowed her eyes but shifted her attention away from me. Phew. Nice save, Allen. ¡¸Teacher: Listen well you brats, I don''t care from which noble family you''ve come. Here in this class we, the teachers, are the absolute rulers!¡¹ To make her point she made a glowing sphere of fire float above her hand. ¡¸Teacher: Am I clear?¡¹ ¡¸Everyone: Yes, ma''am!¡¹ The teacher nodded. ¡¸Teacher: Very well, my name is Violet Val Mariannet. Now, introduce yourselves.¡¹ After the introductions, Violet made a brief explanation of how the academy worked, the rules of conduct and such. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Finally, the real lesson began. I greedily took notes. It''s happening. According to Violet, the magical energy called mana is stored within our body and spirit. The spirit commands the magical energies to take shape. To do so it needs to be trained, like a muscle, by performing specific mental exercises. One of these closely reminds me of a meditation practice, with a focus on visualization. It consists of breathing in, imagining luminous mana flowing in, spreading within the whole body, then breathing out imagining that energy pouring out from the skin. She told us to practice until we can literally see a faint luminous smoke emanating from the skin. As an example, she closed her eyes for a second and when she opened them again we could clearly see a faint light seeping away like smoke. ¡¸Violet: It will be unlikely for you to reach a similar result in short time, but you should keep practicing nonetheless. Remember to always follow the three tenets of magic. The first tenet is Grasp, the second tenet is Control, the third tenet is Power.¡¹ Violet made the energy take the shape of a winged goddess. Then made it glow impossibly bright, I could feel my skin prickling by the intense energy emanated. Cool! During recess, the brats divided themselves into groups and chatted with each other. I refrained from trying to butt in. Instead, I went to speak with the academy personnel. Thanks to that I found out that the basic class rarely sees adults joining in, mostly because only rich people have the funding for doing so, and they send their kids as soon as possible in the hope they''ll grow powerful and secure the family name. As I already experienced, there aren''t many people able to cross the chasm between commoners and upper classes. The Arcane Academy costs more than a lifetime of work. I''m really glad I met my adventurer friends, if not for them, I''d be still struggling in the dirt. I got back in class for the next round.
After the lesson, I asked Violet if there were books pertaining to the lessons I could find at the library, she gave me a short list and I thanked her. I made an extra effort to stare at her face, not her boobs. Only one book was available, but that was enough for me, I sat down at a desk and took a look, transcribing the interesting bits. It talked about the various schools of magic, proposing categorizations by the kind of effect and lists of relatively known spells. For example, heat-cold magics fall into the physical energy manipulation category, while under energy emission there are spells like telekinesis and illusion. I wrote everything down and gave the book back to the librarian. The magic schools are subdivided as follows: matter energy manipulation (heat and cold) spiritual manifestation (telekinesis, illusions and solidifying mana) matter transmutation (anything that involves transmuting or rearranging matter) spiritual interference (spells affecting the mind or the spirit itself) spiritual binding (spells with conditional activations, like oaths, curses, triggers, golems) spiritual displacement (mana shields and force fields) spiritual energy manipulation (like mana drain or boost) matter displacement (teleporting matter across space) I went back to the inn and started practicing the exercises we were taught. I have to admit I kept losing my concentration due resurfacing memories of Violet''s alluring figure. I slapped my face. Get it together, Allen. I focused and practiced until late. I dreamed of breasts, lewdness and of being incinerated by a giant ball of fire. Pretty hot. Chapter 10: Magic lessons 2 The next morning I had breakfast at the inn. Eggs and bread. Ellin and Namrick were there too, so we sat at the same table. Ah, this is the feeling of camaraderie. Grastel was outside somewhere. ¡¸Allen: Heya kids.¡¹ Namrick gave me an annoyed glare. ¡¸Namrick: Stop calling us that, we''re no longer kids!¡¹ He tried looking serious. Yeah, sure. You haven''t even grown a beard yet. ¡¸Allen: Hah, you''re still in the growing age. You''re kids to me.¡¹ Namrick punched my shoulder. I felt it. ¡¸Allen: Ouch!¡¹ I yelped, massaging my poor shoulder. Damn him, his punches are as hard as granite. The bastard was smiling. ¡¸Allen: Oh, by the way. I''m attending the basic magic course at the Arcane Academy.¡¹ I couldn''t help but give a hint of self-satisfaction. The path to wizardry was finally within my reach. Ellin glanced up from her plate. ¡¸Ellin: Great, who is your teacher?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Violet Val Mariannet.¡¹ Her smile dissipated like smoke. ¡¸Ellin: Oh, her. Good luck then.¡¹ Eh? What''s with that reaction ? ¡¸Allen: Huh... what is it you''re not telling me?¡¹ Ellin grimaced. ¡¸Ellin: I heard she can be... harsh. And being who she is... you best be careful.¡¹ She returned her focus to the breakfast. Well, this is starting to sound ominous. ¡¸Allen: ...¡¹ I scratched my chin. No. Ellin must be exaggerating. Violet might be a little bossy and has that icy stare that makes your blood freeze. But she didn''t do anything unreasonable. Besides, she''s pretty. ¡¸Namrick: I''m sure Allen, will be fine. The mighty Skullcrusher, master of the pan, knows no fears.¡¹ He reclined back in his seat after delivering his line. Looking all smug. Ellin started giggling. I narrowed my eyes and gave them an icy gaze. ¡¸Allen: You''ll see... when I master the arcane powers, I will be the one making jokes.¡¹ I said with an overconfident smirk that only solicited more laughter. We parted ways and I walked to the academy for the next lesson.
This time Violet made us practice the exercises while holding an Aether fragment. I proudly managed to get a little pathetic wisp of smoke come out from one of my fingers. Some of the brats were already able to cover their whole arms. Cheaters, I bet they had training beforehand. More theory followed, we were taught techniques to condense mana that helps, with practice, to increase the amount we can store within our body. Violet also stressed about the dangers of depleting our own mana, because our spirit uses it subconsciously to keep us in top shape, without mana our reactions might dull leading to an untimely death during battle. Later, in the library, I transcribed more interesting stuff, but there were some terms that escaped my comprehension. I paid Gregoris a visit, to talk about that and his experience in magic. ¡¸Gregoris: So you''re taking magic classes... I thought your expertise was... food?¡¹ He arched an eyebrow. Everyone''s just making assumptions. ¡¸Allen: Not really, it''s just that there wasn''t anything else profitable I could do. When I got here, I didn''t know the language, I didn''t know anything at all.¡¹ I said with a hint of complaint. Yes, I''m thinking about you, Creator. Just throwing people into other worlds without explanations or anything. Well, at least I wasn''t naked. ¡¸Gregoris: Well, you seem to have managed just fine, so far.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: For a commoner perspective, yes. But... taking the next step feels like crossing an ocean.¡¹ Gregoris gave me a knowing smile. ¡¸Gregoris: Sure it is. There is a reason for this. The upper echelons of our society want to keep it so. The rich families have access to high paying jobs and opportunities. For an outsider to mingle he''d need good connections... or try the adventurer''s life.¡¹ Gregoris scratched his beard, pensively. ¡¸Gregoris: Many adventurers have perished chasing the dreams of riches. Proper equipment is paramount to survival.¡¹ Yeah, not like my shit grade equip. ¡¸Allen: Do I have any hope of increasing my chances at high paying jobs by completing just the basic magic course?¡¹ I asked hopefully. ¡¸Gregoris: Haha, you must be joking. The basic course merely offers the know-how to begin!¡¹ That discouraged me. Just a little. ¡¸Allen: Gah... I''ll have to risk my life on more quests to rake up enough money.¡¹ I scratched my head, not sure what else to do. Gregoris only replied with a shrug. No suggestions, huh. I thought about the goblin attack and my poor limbs prickled by poisoned arrows... hehhhh. I didn''t want to remember. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡¸Allen: Anyway, I wanted to ask you about these unfamiliar words.¡¹ I showed him my notes. Gregoris raised an eyebrow at me. ¡¸Gregoris: You sure don''t waste time.¡¹ He remarked, proceeding to clear my doubts. He''s a good teacher. ¡¸Allen: Thank you. I wonder, could you give me some tips about magic?¡¹ He shook his head. ¡¸Gregoris: As I said, I was never a good mage, you''d better ask someone with greater skills.¡¹ Too bad. ¡¸Allen: Thank you anyway.¡¹ I gave him a tip for the bother and went my own way. I learned a few things about potions and magic items. To produce them, special components are used, like parts of magical creatures or plants. The reason for this is the lingering spiritual component, there''s a whole lot about the process of distilling the desired traits from them. Sounds like a bother, I wonder if it''s possible to directly synthesize these components, somehow. I have yet to figure out exactly how this whole spirit thing works. The fact that dead parts can have spirit residuals, makes me think that it''s like another layer, added on top to the classic atomic system I know from my world. Maybe? I thought about the Creator. He said I would beta test this world. How am I even going to give feedback, though? Is he spying on everything I do and think? Oh shit, if he does he also heard my prosperous streams of blasphemy. I''m one hundred percent fucked. Better not to think about it. Yes, positive thoughts. I found some time to fiddle with the magnets, I haven''t gotten yet to making a dynamo, but what I did was building a prototype magnetic board. Maybe I can sell it to the guild or some other place. I''ll try talking Vargas about it.
Another day, another lesson. This time Violet began with an explanation about the correlation between mana and body. ¡¸Violet: This time we''ll have a physical exercise...¡¹ She looked at me. ¡¸Violet: You!¡¹ Me? I started sweating cold. ¡¸Allen: Wha- Yes ma''am?¡¹ ¡¸Violet: Come here and start doing push-ups.¡¹ She pointed a spot on the floor. This is going to be embarrassing, I just know it. At least I have been doing some workouts. I silently groaned, got to the designated spot and started doing the push-ups. ¡¸Allen: 1... 2... 3...¡¹ ¡¸Allen: 49... uhgn... 50... hnnnf.¡¹ I slumped on the floor. My muscles had run out of juice. Fifty should be good enough, right?. It''s twenty more than what I used to do. I gave myself a mental head pat for this great accomplishment. I tried to stand, but Violet batted her staff against my back, pushing me down the floor again. ¡¸Allen: Gah!¡¹ I didn''t have the strength to retaliate. Why are you punishing me?! I glanced to the side, those fucking brats were smirking conspicuously. I felt betrayed. Violet sharply turned to the class. ¡¸Violet: Once muscles are exhausted we can begin by trying to boost them with mana.¡¹ She began explaining the process, all the while keeping me down with her blasted staff pressing on my back. You can do it, Allen. Just think of the brea- magic. The magic. I tried following her instructions. Her foot stomped hard on the floor. ¡¸Violet: Wrong! How many times do I have to tell you?! Make it flow evenly throughout.¡¹ She said with an angry tone while hitting me with that cursed staff. So cruel. What have I done to deserve this? Did she notice my stealthy lecherous gazes? Sadness and resignation were starting to tarnish my corporate poker face. I think I''m starting to understand Ellin''s concern. ¡¸Violet: Yes, keep going like this.¡¹ I could only grunt in response. I got a praise! ¡¸Violet: Now, everyone! Follow the lead, I will check on your progress and impart corrections where necessary.¡¹ The kids blanched and got immediately on the floor, doing push-ups. Haha, who''s laughing now, brats? I smiled secretly. My opinion of Violet was instantly restored. The smug rich kids receiving the same treatment I had, gave me newfound motivation and respect. After that, no one in the class was able to operate their arms anymore. Myself included. I hurt all over from my chest to my arms. At first it was the pectorals that failed me but mana had kept them going, then my triceps, biceps, and whatever other muscle was affected. Recess was spent resting and complaining about the pain. I used the first breathing exercise to circulate mana back into my aching muscles, it seemed to speed up the recovery. Other students caught on as well. At the library, I proceeded with the usual routine. I wish I had a computer to categorize and tag all that information properly. I thought while I struggled to turn the pages with my aching limbs. Chapter 11: Magic lessons 3 The weeks passed by and the abusive training started showing results. I couldn''t argue about the effectiveness. I wasn''t able to do any real magic yet, but I could feel satisfied with being able to manipulate mana. It feels like another set of muscles, but it requires a clear empty mind to handle. Violet trained us for keeping our focus even under duress. One of the trials was being hit by numerous low power lightning strikes. That''s an experience I wouldn''t like to repeat. I still have nightmares of that damn staff hitting me for "doing it wrong". But I did it. Today we''ll have to pass the test to clear the course. I was a little anxious, just like when having to meet upper management to explain why something went wrong in production. The test was engineered to embody the three tenets: Grasp, Control and Power. It consisted of pushing your mana inside a specially designed device. It had different moving parts and an activation crystal at the base. The grasp part was pushing the mana into the crystal, the control was about making the parts move steadily and the power was about speed. I waited patiently. observing the successes and failures of those before me. Soon enough came my turn. I felt my heartbeat racing. I nervously placed my hands on the side of the crystal. I must not fail or I''ll have to repeat the whole damn class. I willed my mana out. Nothing. I started feeling a cold sweat. Focus, Allen. Breathe, calm the mind. I tried again... and the contraption started moving. It took me precious seconds to stabilize the motions while increasing the power. I used as much power as I dared without upsetting the stability. ¡¸Violet: Average, you pass. Next!¡¹ I took a sigh of relief and walked away. I DID IT! The academy personnel consigned me the basic magic class certificate. I''ve made it! I''m a fucking wizard. Well, not really. I can''t even cast a single spell yet... After the last student took his test we were dismissed. Darn, this is the last day I can access the library, I thought. I''ve been scribbling notes from random books that caught my attention, I hope they''ll prove useful until I get enough gold for the other classes. There are a few kinds of magic that caught my attention. Spiritual binding, that allows to create triggers, servitors and other independent magic constructs. The other is spiritual interference, whose domain controls spells like telepathy, mind control, project emotion, and more specifically, what caught my eye, controlled hallucinations. Why these two ones might wonder. Hehe. Heheheheh! Let me explain. Spells like triggers and servitors, sound a lot like some kind of programmable constructs. If it''s programmable... I can make use of my extensive IT expertise! If I really can use my developer skills... what''s a better match than controlled hallucinations? I could literally build a screen or interface to handle various kinds of tasks! I can definitely exploit that. Hype rising. There''s only a little problem... I don''t have enough gold coins for booking the next classes. Hype dying. Well, no problem. I''ll just figure something. I went to catch up with my friends and celebrate my success. I found them hanging out at the Adventurer''s Guild, I barged in with a proud smile painted on my face. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡¸Allen: Hello, friends!¡¹ I couldn''t contain my cheeriness. ¡¸Grastel: I see you''re in high spirits, Allen.¡¹ ¡¸Ellin: Sooo, How did it go?¡¹ Everyone turned to regard me. I was almost tempted to make a serious face and say I failed. Imagine the shock. Instead, I took out my certificate. ¡¸Allen: Passed!¡¹ I shook the piece of paper for emphasis. ¡¸Ellin: Congratulations!¡¹ Ans so I collected my dose of shoulder pats. ¡¸Namrick: So, what now?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: I have no idea, I''ll need much more golds if I want to take more classes...¡¹ I closed his eyes and practiced the trick to emit smoking mana. My hands began emitting fluid light. ¡¸Allen: ...but at least I got the basics down.¡¹ I felt pretty smug. ¡¸Grastel: So what, are you going to scare monsters away with mana smoke?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Nah, but Violet''s training encompassed more than just that.¡¹ I gave them a full recap of the crucible we students had to go through. ¡¸Namrick: Well, that could be useful. I too have similar skills to mana enhancement but it has nothing to do with magic, so I doubt it can be compared.¡¹ I''m pretty sure there was something wrong with Namrick''s statement, but I let it slide. ¡¸Grastel: Besides we simply have more experience.¡¹ He said, holding up his palms. His face was saying git gud, Allen. ¡¸Allen: Anyways, I was wondering... do you know anyone that can teach me trigger spells and self-hallucination for cheap?¡¹ Ellin looked at me curiously. ¡¸Ellin: Why those two specific spells? Are you trying to set up some kind of magical alarm?¡¹ She''s perceptive. ¡¸Allen: Yeah, some stuff like that.¡¹ She raised a finger and smiled. ¡¸Ellin: Hmmm, I don''t know much about spiritual interference magics, except clear mind. But I know a simple trigger spell I could teach you.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Great!¡¹ I was excited. That would be my first actual spell! We caught up back at the inn and she taught me the basics of spell triggers. I was now able to set a trigger with a very simple condition, like "door opened", and I would feel a small spiritual jolt as feedback. This jolt sounds like spiritual interference. Maybe I can expand from there? I thanked Ellin for her patience and asked her what I could give her in return. She wanted me to cook more ravioli for her. That''s too cheap a reward, I almost felt ashamed. I would have offered her a pastry or tiramisu instead. Sadly, the people of this world don''t know about refined sugar. They just throw in fruits or fruit juice to add sweetness. Likewise, cocoa and coffee are nowhere to be found. For that reason, a big branch of recipes was out of reach. Maybe Vargas could help me track down some alternatives, given that he''s a traveling merchant with a penchant for foods. But once he starts raving about food he never stops. Maybe next time. I kept exercising triggers with different kind of conditions until I ran out of mana, and started feeling the sleepiness seeping in. I guess that''s enough for today. I groaned as I stretched myself. Should I keep my other 5 gold coins or spend them for better equipment to attempt more quests? I''ll sleep over it. I closed my eyes, satisfied by having finally learned to cast a spell, and slept. Chapter 12: At deaths door I dreamed I was soaring the sky, flying over oceans and isles. It felt good until I ran out of mana and started falling down towards the deep blue waters. Really, really fast. The impact jolted me awake. I made up my mind. I need excitement. I''ll upgrade my equipment. I put my precious 5 gold coins in my purse and set off to the shop district. No, wait. I stopped myself and turned around. I''d better ask my friends for counsel, so I don''t make shitty purchases. I praised my boundless wisdom.
I found them and they agreed to go shopping. Grastel patted my shoulder, showing off his usual smirk. ¡¸Grastel: It''s good you asked us, we have deals with certain shopkeepers, so we can get a discount for you.¡¹ In the end, this is what I bought: 3 golds for a light plate armor set 1 gold for a healing potion. 1 gold for a mace (suits my predisposition for crushing skulls) Spending a whole gold coin for just one potion made me queasy, but I''m a noob. I need life insurance. ON a good note, I can return the empty vial to get some silvers back. These vials are enchanted with durability and other spells so they don''t break easily. Well, that''s good and all, but why not just making them as solid food instead of liquid? I asked Ellin about it. ¡¸Ellin: That''s a common question. The reason is simple. Liquid potions are quickly absorbed, so they have an immediate and stronger effect. They also don''t spoil when properly stored in enchanted vials. I never tried, but enchanted food would take longer to be digested, giving a much weaker effect, over an undetermined span of time.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Ah, I see.¡¹ I scratched my chin. That makes sense. But how does it work if I wanted a slower prolonged effect? I guess I''ll find out once I learn alchemy. I would have paid Vargas a visit, but he mostly trades raw materials or high paying items. Besides, I heard he had left yesterday. Next time, maybe. We visited a few more shops, then we headed to the guild and took a look at the billboard. ¡¸Grastel: Hmm, look at this one... hunting a troll hiding in a cave in the Greenpeak mountain, 60 golds... aaand...¡¹ Grastel pointed to another one. ¡¸Grastel: Agrest mushrooms collection, 1 gold and 50 silver coins each, if my memory serves right, they also grow in the same area!¡¹ ¡¸Namrick: Hmmm, trolls. They''re quite strong and have that nasty regeneration. Perhaps we should ask another party to join us?¡¹ ¡¸Grastel: I think we are strong enough to take it down. I can stun the troll by shooting arrows at his head. Namrick can cut at its legs to make it fall and then we all hack at it and set it on fire.¡¹ Cut at its legs? How tall are these trolls exactly? ¡¸Namrick: It could work... Ellin?¡¹ ¡¸Ellin: If you think we can do it, I''m in!¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Uh... exactly how big are these trolls?¡¹ I ventured my question. ¡¸Namrick: About ten feet tall, give or take.¡¹ That''s pretty big. Everyone looked at me, waiting for my reply. Can we do it? The others seemed confident... fine then. ¡¸Allen: Okay, I''m in.¡¹ I said with a shrug. I just hope I''m not getting myself killed. We got more information from the clerk, who quickly copied a map of the location for us. We readied ourselves and set off. I didn''t have a horse, so Namrick let me ride along on his stallion. I had never ridden a horse before, I almost capsized trying to climb. Thankfully the dependable young Namrick was there to help me up. And so, we went. After an hour or so we reached the place, we left the horses some distance behind so they wouldn''t get scared by the troll. We got close to the cave silently, Grastel approached from the left side, Namrick from the right, I and Ellin where right behind him, ready to give support. This time I did not step on a dry branch. I just wanted to point that out. Grastel nodded to us, and moved in front of the entrance, making a lot of noise. ¡¸Grastel: Oi! You big fat troll!¡¹ A roar came from inside the cave. Grastel kept taunting and begun stepping back, drawing an arrow. A big shape emerged from the cave''s depths. It was big. I took slow breaths to calm my heartbeats while I waiting for my moment. As soon as the troll stepped outside, Grastel released the arrow, hitting the monster right in the right eye. The troll let out a pained groan. Namrick moved in with extraordinary speed and performed an arched slash on the troll leg behind the knee. The troll knelt down, its leg unable to stand due to the severed ligament. Namrick rolled to avoid being swept away by the troll big arm. So nimble despite the armor. How does he do it? I wondered while taking in the scene. Grastel brought another arrow to the troll''s head, making it roar with pain. Namrick took the opportunity to slice the other leg, making the troll crash hard on the ground. The monster screamed with pain. Now! At that moment I moved in, I swung my mace at the leg to crush the bones, then I moved to its arm and shoulder. Meanwhile, Namrick had climbed on top of the troll and was hacking his sword at its head. ¡¸Grastel: Fire arrow ready! Move out!¡¹ We jumped away as Grastel released the arrow, setting the creature on fire face first. Then he took a dried branch from the ground and lit it up to spread the flames on all the troll to prevent him from regenerating. ¡¸Namrick: Damn if it stinks.¡¹ Grastel grinned patting the shoulders of his friend. They were standing at the burnt feet of the troll, at the cave entrance side. ¡¸Allen: That was easier than expected, you guys sure are something.¡¹ This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. I looked left and right ¡¸Allen: So we gotta find those mushrooms no-¡¹ I saw a shadow moving from the cave entrance, a very tall shadow. SHIT! ¡¸Allen: GUYS! BEHIND YOU!¡¹ I cried pointing my finger. Namrick turned in time to see another troll swing a massive club against him and Grastel. All Namrick could do was try to shield his friend from the blow. The impact made a terrible sound. Everything seemed to move in slow motion, Namrick and Grastel were blown away and hit hard against a rock. They weren''t moving. No! ¡¸Ellin: Wha-¡¹ Ellin, who was halfway between them and me, just made in time to turn toward the monster and cross her arm for a protective spell, before receiving a massive swing right on her side. *CRUNCH*. She was sent flying away. The sound of crunching bones made me feel nauseous. No. I moved without thinking, my mind strangely silent. I jumped on top of the massive club using it to propel myself against the troll. With mana infused strength I crushed my mace on the troll''s face, but it wasn''t enough. I screamed without restraint. ¡¸Allen: Die! DIE! DIEEE!!¡¹ I grabbed at its throat with my left hand to avoid being pushed away and swung my mace again, and again, and again. Ellin! I took a look behind. A half of her left body was bleeding and bruised, she was spasming in pain, probably losing consciousness or dying. I must help her! I took another strike at the ruined troll''s head and left the mace lodged inside his fucking brain. I let myself fall to run toward her. I spared a glance toward Namrick and Grastel. Namrick looked pretty bad too, his arm was twisted at the wrong angle and he was losing blood. Faster. I knelt at Ellin''s side. Her ribcage seemed crushed in... I was sweating cold. ¡¸Allen: Ellin! Can you hear me?¡¹ I shook her shoulder, unsure what to do. I saw her eyes roll up and her spasms slowly dying. Oh shit! Oh shit! The healing potion! I fumbled with my panicked hands at the vial. God, I hope this works. I bit the cork away and raised her head as I pushed the red liquid down her throat. The effect was immediate. Her ruined side and chest began retaking form. Please make it work. My hands were shaking badly. She suddenly opened her eyes and took a deep, desperate breath. Only then I realized I had been holding my breath. I sighed with relief. ¡¸Allen: Thank god. You''re alive!¡¹ Ellin was shaking and moaning. She was under shock. ¡¸Allen: Ellin! Listen to me!¡¹ She wasn''t listening. I shook her shoulders. ¡¸Allen: Ellin! You have to heal Namrick and Grastel!¡¹ I heard rustling sounds behind me. Fuck! The fucker was still regenerating! ¡¸Allen: GO!¡¹ She started crawling, sobbing, her eyes lined with tears. Moans of pain escaping her bruised throat. I need to buy her time. I balled up my fists in anger. I ran back toward the monster, my mace had been almost completely incorporated inside its head. Damn. I swept up Namrick''s sword from the ground and attacked. ¡¸Allen: Take this... you fucking... BASTARD!¡¹ I stabbed its groin, twisting. I slid the blade away as the troll fell back down. ¡¸Allen: Fucking cunt piece of shit!¡¹ You hurt my friends! Next, I jumped on his chest and stabbed where I thought the heart would be. I twisted again in mad fury. I took out the blade again and moved to the head, I swung down with all my strength splitting it enough to take back my mace. Yes. ¡¸Allen: You wanted to kill my friends?!¡¹ I swung and swung and swung and swung until I entered some kind of trance. Breathing mana, striking down, breathing mana, striking down. I had but a vague sensation of blood splatting on me but I wasn''t even aware of the ruined mess before me. I just kept swinging... Until I felt a hand touching my shoulder. I hesitated and slowly turned my head. ¡¸Ellin: I-It''s done...¡¹ Her face was streaked with grime and tears. Ellin. I looked back and only now realized that the troll had stopped regenerating some time ago. I let the mace slip from my hand and roll on the ground. Broken from my trance, the magic started leaving my limbs, and I found myself tired and shaking. I was completely covered in gore. What was once the troll head was now only a poultice of gore and broken bones. I looked away. I... did this ? ¡¸Allen: T-The guys?¡¹ I couldn''t shake the feeling of dread. Ellin helped me stand up and pointed toward Grastel and Namrick, who were lying on the grass next to each other. Namrick''s armor had been unfastened and removed, it was a broken mess. ¡¸Ellin: They''re... alive... I n-need your help with Namrick. Please...¡¹ She pleaded with a broken voice. ¡¸Allen: Y-yes.¡¹ I helped her by setting Namrick''s broken arm correctly so she could heal it. Once done and her last speck of mana exhausted, she broke down crying. Sitting next to each other, I offered her my shoulder. ¡¸Ellin: W-We''re all a-alive.¡¹ She said with eyes wet with tears and a screwed face. I couldn''t say anything. Until now it hadn''t hit me, that I could have lost my precious friends. It had been a very long time since I had someone I could truly call a friend. We waited until Namrick and Grastel regained consciousness. We didn''t speak, just squeezed each other shoulders. There was nothing to say. We limped back to the horses and started riding to town. Fuck the mushrooms. That was enough. I only filled the empty vial with troll blood, hoping it would come handy in the future. We were alive but my heart felt... heavy. That was close. Way too close. Chapter 13: Resolve When I crossed the guild''s doors I was still covered in blood and dirt. Everyone was staring at us. Uncomfortable. I was just too tired, aching and depressed to add another stop. I just wanted to get it done quick and return to the inn, so I could bathe and die on the bed. My young friends didn''t look any better but at least Ellin had spare clothes for her. We told the guild''s clerk about the second troll, showing him the clipped ears we had collected as proof. He saw our sorry state and went to talk with the guild master. When he came back he apologized for the bad information and added an extra 40 gold coins to the reward on the counter. My friends only took 15 coins each and pushed the rest to me. ¡¸Allen: Huh?¡¹ I frowned in confusion. ¡¸Grastel: You killed the second one... alone...¡¹ He said looking downcast. Namrick nodded, the side of his face was still swollen. Ellin gave a sad smile and spoke. ¡¸Ellin: IF you hadn''t been there...¡¹ Her eyes teared, but she kept herself together. Damn, I didn''t like this gloomy atmosphere. ¡¸Allen: But... you guys saved my ass twice befo-¡¹ Namrick punched my shoulder. OUCH! ¡¸Namrick: Just... shut up and accept it.¡¹ He looked tired. We all looked tired. I sighed. I gave up and accepted the 55 coins. Even through my frozen corporate heart, I could feel the warmth of their gratitude, and it made my eyes water. Just a little. They''re good kids. If not for that healing potion we bought, because they were worried about me, this would have turned very badly. Shit. This is not the kind of life these kids should be living. We went a little too close with this one. The sickly bone-crunching sounds resurfaced in my mind and I shook a shiver. The trio decided to take a break from adventuring after that, to train and polish their skills. I was on the same page. More importantly, I really needed a bath. I excused myself and walked away, attracting the curious gazes of passersby.
Yeah, I needed that, I thought myself while sitting in the steaming bathtub. I felt the dread wash away along with the caked blood and grime. I thought about my next steps. Now that I had money, I could enroll for more lessons. Or should I wait and practice the basics until next month? Hmmmm. Let''s beat the iron while hot. The classes would begin in a few days, I still had time to decide which ones to take. Unlike the basic magic course, enrollment for the next courses works differently. Instead of a single focus schedule, for a fixed fee the students can attend different classes, depending on their level. For example, a beginner like me, for 20 gold coins can enroll for a month picking any beginner class I can fit on my schedule. There are other levels, like intermediate, which costs 30 golds and expert, 40 golds each month. The upper-level students can still attend any lower level class. There are also other expenses for workshops to add separately. Like reagents for alchemy and the such. I thought about it a little... I should definitely take Alchemy. Being able to brew potions on my own would definitely take some pressure off my coffers, also I might be able to sell some for extra income. I was still unsure about the other choices. I had to get on with my plan of combining spell triggers and hallucinations, but I also needed some firepower. I scratched my chin, lost in thought. I''ll see what is available when I stop by at the academy. I thought about the trio, they were pretty shaken and depressed. No good. I decided to treat them to a dinner in order to cheer up their morale. I''ll prepare something tasty. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. I didn''t have much time for great preparations so I decided upon a quiche lorraine and for dessert whipped cream mixed with a fruity syrup. I left all the ingredients in the restaurant kitchen. Corgas was glad to see me, I hadn''t shown my face much lately, I warned him to reserve a table for us later. I made some preparations and went looking for my friends. I stopped at the guild to see if they were hanging out there. As I entered I was greeted by a cheer. ¡¸Allen Skullcrusher!¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Huh?¡¹ I looked about me, confused. Some people I didn''t know got closer and started chatting. I had been surrounded. ¡¸Man: We heard the tale from Grastel. Did you really club a troll to death until he stopped regenerating?!¡¹ Just leave me alone. ¡¸Allen: I uh... yeah... I was just trying to buy time for my friends.¡¹ I got a slap on the shoulders by someone else and a wave of laughter rose. A dire assault into my personal space. I don''t like notoriety. People... ugh. They forced me to retell the tale from my POV and drink a tankard of beer. THIS IS NOT WHY I CAME HERE! It turned out my friends had already left. Finally, I disentangled myself from the crowd walked back to the inn. I asked the innkeeper to send the trio to me when they showed up. Then I retired to my room and did my magic exercises and meditations. It''s almost like I''m cultivating. I couldn''t help but smile a little to myself. Deep breath... focus. A double knock from the door woke me from the focus, I opened the door, revealing Namrick on the other side. He still looked a little down in the dumps. ¡¸Namrick: We''re here, the innkeeper said you were looking for us?¡¹ I nodded. ¡¸Allen: Yes, this evening I''m treating you all to dinner!¡¹
I had just served the food. We were sitting together at the table. Although my friends weren''t as energetic as usual, once they tasted the meal a faint smile had crept back on their faces. Good enough for me. ¡¸Thank you for the food.¡¹ Conquer their stomachs to conquer their hearts. ¡¸Allen: You''re welcome.¡¹ I wiped my mouth and took a quick look. The heavy atmosphere had somehow abated. It was time to share my future plans. I wanted to hear their feedback. ¡¸Allen: I''m going to attend more magic classes. I want to learn alchemy, and... something else, maybe an offensive magic. I''m not sure what yet.¡¹ Ellin looked at me, wiping her mouth. ¡¸Ellin: I''ve been told that heat and cold magic are easy to learn. The advanced forms are hard to master, though. But even at a beginner level, they come in handy. You could try that.¡¹ I took a mental note. Fire and ice. I was eager to learn practical skills, to become a proper magician. Just a few days! Ellin turned pensive for a few seconds. ¡¸Ellin: I too... need to improve. I was powerless... if I had studied a spell to sense enemies we would never have been surprised by the goblins or the other troll. I focused too much on healing magic.¡¹ She said with her eyes downcast. Maybe, but it had to be said, her healing skills were top notch. Closing wounds without leaving scars and mending the bones properly? Ellin is no pushover. At first, I thought that was the standard. But talking to more people I came to realize that our priest-looking girl was, in fact, a prodigy. ¡¸Allen: I think we all need more experience.¡¹ Namrick and Grastel nodded in unison, saying nothing. They looked like they had a lot on their minds. I raised my glass. ¡¸Allen: To getting stronger and staying alive!¡¹ We clicked our glasses together, with a determined expression drawn on our faces. Chapter 14 It was time to enroll in the next courses. I was excited. I entered the imposing Arcane Academy and asked the clerk about joining for the beginner courses. He pointed at a board with all the classes and dates and had me compile my schedule. I studied the board for a while in order to cram the most I could into my schedule. I wanted to milk these classes to their fullest. In the end, I took Alchemy, Temperature manipulation, Illusory magic and Magical Defense. Illusory magic comprised both illusion projection and hallucinatory induction, which are from different schools of magic. Two birds with one stone. In preparation, I spent two days grinding my magic fundamentals and rereading my notes. I was ready for the next round. Thankfully, this time I wasn''t the only adult student in the class. The beginner classes were much more varied in terms of age. I let out a sigh of relief. No more feeling self-conscious surrounded by rich brats talking behind my back.
Alchemy was difficult. It was a like a mix of chemistry class with magical toppings. The teacher, Lopu Gredannis, was an old man with drooping eyelids, bald head, and long grey beard. He explained many reactions and complicated theories. Is this really beginner level?! I did my best to follow, but I already felt it wouldn''t be easy. Furthermore, in order to use the laboratory, I had to buy the reagents from the Academy at a premium or bring my own. Thanks to Vargas, I was able to secure the necessary reagents at almost half the price. I had just to endure an unending tale of food adventures. My brow twitched at the memory. Anyway, alchemy is... pretty boring, yeah. I had this dramatic mental picture of alembics and vials filled with boiling mysterious liquids and dramatic sparkles and smoke. It shattered the moment I set foot in the workshop. It gave me the same feeling of the chemistry classes I had back at school. The feeling of not having fun. But the teacher guaranteed we would learn the basic potions, healing and mana restore. I will endure.
Temperature manipulation was much easier, just as Ellin said. In just a few days I was able too faintly cool or heat with my hands. Pretty cool. Still useless but cool. And hot. The teacher, Ahnelm Medritch, had long black hair and a shaved face, his eyes always looked angry, even when giving compliments. I wasn''t the only one with the same impression. It was hard to tell when he was pleased or displeased. Under his guidance, we would learn how to harness fire and ice without hurting ourselves, and the most basic form of attacks, burn and freeze. This class is gratifying. Every lesson feels like I''m making real progress.
Illusory magic was maybe the most interesting of the lot, probably because it was part of my plan to make use of my dev skills. I learned that projecting an illusion is much more complicated than inducing hallucinations. The first requires the caster to be able to model and visualize a realistic image or sound to be able to give it shape, while the latter can leave most of the work to the subconscious mind of the victim. The teacher was a woman of around forty years, long brown hair in a ponytail and a gentle smile. Her name was Jalatine Val Kordaste. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. I''m glad she didn''t hit me repeatedly with her staff for my failings. We started with simple things like manifesting a light, making it move and change. Emitting simple illusory sounds. Then we would finally move to make shapes and full-fledged figures. I couldn''t wait. Also I uh... almost made a big blunder. A lewd thought crossed my mind... it''s good nobody was looking at me at that moment. Thinking and remembering are dangerous with illusory magic... they leak into the illusion. It would have been terrible if someone had noticed my sphere with boobs. Focus, Allen! These projected illusions are much harder to pull than expected. Maybe I''m justing expecting too much from myself, some of the other students have probably repeated the class more than once. Some of them seemed already good at manifesting lights and geometric shapes. But I''m motivated. I''m living the dream. I can do this.
Magical Defense, well that one was a must. I simply had to learn it. Being used like a pincushion for arrows is just so much fun. Fucking goblins. Next time I''m going to deflect all their shitty arrows and crush their fucking skulls with my fists. Anyway, we learned how to harden our skin to receive less damage and deflect incoming projectiles. In theory, the more advanced mana shield is just a stronger more focused deflect projectiles. The teacher looked unusual, he was well built for a wizard. Like my idea of a muscle wizard. He also said he literally punches monsters to death. He had red medium short hair and an impressive mustache. His name was Vallachio Restgart. He laughs a lot and does weird poses. It''s like he''s trying to pose for a bodybuilding contest or something. Everyone looks uncomfortable, myself included. I''m sure he''s strong... but why does have to act like an idiot? I''m curious to see how this is going to turn out.
I continued attending classes, but I had to tone down my visits to the library to keep up. A necessary sacrifice. On the side, I kept experimenting with spell triggers. They can accept high-level commands, but doing so makes the magical construct "bulkier". I bought a silver cube with acceptable magic potential. I had transcribed the theory of magical enchantment from one of the books I read in the library. At first, nothing made sense, the texts talked about seeing the magic space. How do you see a magic space? I had no fucking clue. But after countless trials of pushing my trigger spells inside, I started to get a feel of... something. Like fumbling in a closet in complete darkness. What matters is that I was able to tell, more or less, where my spells were placed and linked to each other. That gave me a spur of inspiration. I started building logic gates in order to create something akin to a processor. These simple building blocks require very little "space" compared to the higher level commands. The higher level commands are akin to artificial intelligence, it''s fascinating. I couldn''t wait to make a working prototype and link it with input and output interfaces. If all goes well, I''ll be able to build a rudimentary computer, able to fit in a ring! All with magic! From there I can go anywhere. But enough for now. I put the silver cube back in the drawer and dumped my tired body on the bed. I had lots of plans and ideas. But I had to get better to make them happen. One step at a time, Allen. Chapter 15: Just a stroll in the forest I had to take a little break, all of this studying was starting to make my head explode, so I decided to try out my new skills outside the city. And so I did. I was trying to burn a spiral-eared rabbit but the little critter was fast and my accuracy poor. My magic range was at best 2 meters, the teachers taught us it was directly proportional to how much mana we had. I chased my prey for a while before giving up. Too damn fast... I need to take a breather. Then while I was panting, supporting myself with one hand on a tree, I heard a big commotion. A rumbling sound drawing closer. What''s going on? I took a peek in the direction of the sound. All I could see in the distance was a big dust cloud moving closer and closer. I remained hidden behind the tree. I had no idea what was going on. How is that possible for so much dust to be rising here in the damn forest? I thought. Just after the question crossed my mind, a dwarf shot past my hiding spot and tripped on an exposed root falling hard on the ground. ¡¸Dwarf: Blasted son of an elf! *pant* *pant*¡¹ He quickly got back on feet, visibly panting. Wait, isn''t that dwarf... I frowned. Yep, it''s him. ¡¸Allen: Yusdrolir?¡¹ He started and turned to look at me with wide open yes. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Huh... you... the cook?!¡¹ He was all dirty and stank as if he hadn''t taken a bath in weeks. ¡¸Allen: What''s go-¡¹ He ignored me, staring at something behind us. ¡¸Yusdrolir: RUN!¡¹ He grabbed my arm and pushed me onward, I started running along. WHAT''s GOING ON? WHY AM I EVEN RUNNING? ¡¸Allen: Wha- what the heck is going on?!¡¹ I took a quick glance back. All I could see was dust. ¡¸Yusdrolir: I... ehh... *pant* sand elemental¡¹ Sand elementals, I''ve read about them. They live in the desert and are dangerous because they don''t have a body to hit, they''re like... animated sand that envelopes its victim and chokes them to death. They live in the desert... ¡¸Allen: A sand elemental? *pant* Don''t those live, like... in THE DESERT?¡¹ I demanded while struggling to keep the dwarf''s pace. ¡¸Yusdrolir: HUHH!¡¹ He replied in a sarcastic tone. Stupid drunken dwarf. I jumped over a fallen trunk right in time to avoid tripping. ¡¸Allen: Why is it... here *pant*... why is it chasing you?¡¹ Did he enter a dungeon or something? ¡¸Yusdrolir: I... ahh... uhhff..¡¹ The dwarf only spewed incoherent grunts while staring dead ahead. We ran past an area with a downward slope. ¡¸Allen: How long have you been running?¡¹ ¡¸Yusdrolir: two... *pant* TWO BLASTED-¡¹ Two hours? ¡¸Yusdrolir: -DAYS!¡¹ I don''t even know what kind of face I made then. WHAT THE FUCK? ¡¸Allen: WHAT THE FUCK?¡¹ I almost tumbled on a rock lodged in the earthy ground. I could hear a faint noise ahead. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Drank too much *pant*... got a good piss in the sand... *pant* honest mistake... *pant* feckin'' stubborn.¡¹ I was still trying to wrap my mind around what he said when I spotted a waterfall. I pointed at it, catching the dwarf attention. ¡¸Allen: THE WATERFALL!¡¹ ¡¸Yusdrolir: DON''T NEED A BATH!¡¹ For fuck''s sake. I grabbed his arm and screamed. ¡¸Allen: WATER, SAND!¡¹ Understanding dawned on the dwarf sweaty face. We ran and launched ourselves behind the waterfall. The creature quickly arrived and stopped at a safe distance five meters away. Sand elementals are vulnerable to water, so it just stood there watching us with its eyeless stare. Waiting. We''re safe, I thought. The dwarf was panting hard. Just like me. What have I gotten myself into?
We waited for a dozen minutes or so, catching our breath, but the elemental didn''t give any sign of budging from the spot. It remained out of range from water splashes, but close enough to be able to intercept us the moment we''d try to leave. It just waited. Perhaps if the waterfall faced onto a bigger stream we could''ve tried to swim underwater and shield ourselves with water along the way. But no, the water barely reached over our calves. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. And the waterfall wasn''t exactly majestic. It was just large enough to splash on both of us with a jet of cold water, there was barely any foam and zero atmospheric fog. It was a pathetic waterfall. Maybe we should have kept running. ¡¸Allen: Huh... any chance it gives up and goes back home?¡¹ The dwarf looked at me, then at the sand elemental and back at me. ¡¸Yusdrolir: What da ye think... maybe, uh, I ask sorry real nice... worth a try alright?¡¹ The dwarf looked back at the sand elemental. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Ah, sorry about that! We can be friends now, rite?¡¹ ¡¸...¡¹ It looked more solid now that it was still. That faceless elemental of swirling sand was somehow glaring daggers at us. I wanted to point out that sand elementals don''t have ears to listen but I had realized the dwarf was being sarcastic. ¡¸Yusdrolir: No? Ay, be that way you blasted piss sandcastle.¡¹ He glanced at me and shrugged. ¡¸Allen: By the way, my name is Allen, in case you''ve forgotten.¡¹ ¡¸Yusdrolir: Ye, good food back then. I see you upgraded your pan!¡¹ He said glancing at my mace. ¡¸Allen: Yeah, but something tells me it''s not going to help much in this case-¡¹ Maybe, I should have just kept my mouth shut, then I wouldn''t have been dragged into this situation. I mused while dripping damp and wet behind the waterfall, trying to think how to get rid of the sand elemental. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Any plan chief? We could maybe spit at it?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Maybe it just wants you, so I can step out and get help.¡¹ Or just walk away and forget about it. A pissed sand elemental. Literally. Unbelievable. Without waiting, I tried crossing the waterfall. The moment I was two meters away the sand elemental rushed at me almost in the blink of an eye. I stumbled back, panicking. My heart was beating fast. ¡¸Allen: Nope.¡¹ Even if I tried running away all soggy I would be screwed, water is only effective if you can disperse the sand or else it only makes it worse. Sand elementals just need to enter any orifice to kill their prey. That''s how they hunt, they enter their victim, usually from the mouth or nose, and then choke them out (or worse) and feed on their mana. I just didn''t have enough hands to cover all my holes. Even if I rolled myself in the river the sand elemental would just take it easy and wait until I show an opening. Too dangerous. I stared silently for a few seconds. Wait... I''m a goddamn magician. A smile crept to my lips. ¡¸Allen: Hmmm, let me try with magic. I''ve been taking lessons.¡¹ I said confidently. The dwarf made a questioning grunt and looked at me with hope. Time to show off. I tried casting freeze. That didn''t seem to do anything. Burn, nothing. The sand was too dispersed. Illusions... it didn''t even care. Magical defense didn''t help me since the best I could do was deflecting projectiles. The dwarf watched my pitiful efforts with a sad face. He slumped against the solid rock behind our backs. Okay, we''re pretty fucked, I guess. My confidence had been shattered. Did I work so hard for nothing? I remained silent, staring into space. ¡¸Yusdrolir: A''ight, we''re gonna die. In here or out there. If only I had my booze...¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Ever considered you may have a drinking problem!?¡¹ I said with a trace of irritation. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Pffft... drinking ain''t no problem... ehrr, just what comes after, maybe.¡¹ He trying to be dismissive only made me even more irritated. ¡¸Allen: Just... let me fucking think...¡¹ I massaged my temples while spurring my neurons to work. I tried to ignore the powerful jets of water hammering my whole being. If only the sand was denser I could either freeze it or melt it. What if I boil the water underneath to... no, the water flows too fast. Why didn''t I take lessons in wind and water instead?! I sighed. So much water and we could do nothing with it. Wait. I shook Yusdrolir''s shoulder to gain his attention. ¡¸Allen: Huh... on second thought, I think your idea of spitting at it might have some merits.¡¹ Yusdrolir made a face. Chapter 16: The fruits of labor ¡¸Yusdrolir: Aye? Ye want to spit at it... haha... HAVE YOU GONE BONKERS?¡¹ The dwarf screamed at me, waving his hands madly. But I had never been more serious. ¡¸Allen: No no, I got an idea, let''s do it. Just spray the water as much as possible.¡¹ I explained to him the plan in detail. ¡¸Yusdrolir: I hope your plan works, mate. Just so ya know, wet sand chokes your nose and mouth better than dry sand. Just sayin''.¡¹ He grunted without much enthusiasm. We took a mouthful of water. I nodded at Yusdrolir. Gods, we looked ridiculous with our cheek full of water. We stepped forward to bait the elemental. After a few steps, the creature came at us with a jolt! But we were ready and jumped back spraying it back with water. To my dismay, the elemental managed to avoid the most of the water jets. What if... ¡¸Allen: Again!¡¹ The dwarf grunted in reply. We did it again. This time I used Burn on the sprayed water to generate some vapor. Try to avoid that, bastard. After several attempts, thanks to the sprays and the vapor, it started to show some globs of wet sand sticking together, orbiting at a slower pace. I shook a fist, It''s fucking working! ¡¸Allen: Yes! Keep going!¡¹ I cast freeze on a few globs and they fell down into the water. We can do this. I got back into the waterfall and took another mouthful. Spray! Heat! Freeze! Spray! Heat! Freeze! Spray! Heat! Freeze! We slowly chipped away at the elemental. My face muscles and cheeks were hurting. I took a little pause to recover my mana and resumed the strategy. Spray! Heat! Freeze! Spray! Heat! Freeze! Spray! Heat! Freeze! Finally, we could no longer discern any more floating piece of sand in the air. ¡¸Allen: We... did it!¡¹ I can''t believe it actually worked! ¡¸Yusdrolir: Gwahahaha... AYE!¡¹ The dwarf was roaring with laughter. As we got out of the waterfall, the dwarf grabbed my arm and looked at me with a serious expression. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Oy... no words to anyone we killed a sand elemental with... spits... aye?¡¹ No way, that would turn us into laughing stocks. ¡¸Allen: If anyone asks, we washed it away with a giant splash of water... alright.¡¹ We both nodded. We dried our clothes with my heat magic and walked back to Valarest. I broke the silence with some small talk. ¡¸Allen: So, there''s a desertic area at two days of distance from here?¡¹ ¡¸Yusdrolir: Wha- no... I... huh... kinda jumped through a portal.¡¹ A portal? That piqued my interest. ¡¸Allen: Are there gate portals connecting to distant places? I haven''t seen any yet, where could I find one?¡¹ Yusdrolir looked away and began fidgeting with his hands. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Maybe? I dunno... this one had been opened by... a high mage? Heck if I know, things were... kinda hazy... I was running and the portal was there... I jumped in.¡¹ Jump through a random portal? That reminded me of the shenanigans my clan mates would pull. Ambushing other players by opening portal gates inside safe zones, and obliterating the poor fools stepping through them. ¡¸Yusdrolir: ...¡¹ Yeah... walking into a random portals doesn''t sound exactly like a great idea. Unless you''re a walking murder machine equipped with godly artifacts and looking for deadly excitement. The dwarf read my stare and spoke. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Okay, ya see... maybe I was a little drunk and didn''t think things through, ay? But it all worked out in the end.¡¹ Yusdrolir stopped. I stopped too and faced him with a questioning glance. He was scratching his beard while looking at the ground. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Ehrrr... would ya mind omitting the part where I jumped into a random portal, aye? Thanks.¡¹ I gave him a silent stare and resumed walking. I think I''m getting a picture of why his friends had left him behind last time. This dwarf is trouble. Once across Valarest''s gates, Yusdrolir excused himself saying he had to find a way to contact his party. I walked back to my room and sat at the desk. Back to safety. I sighed in relief. Well, my training excursion did not go exactly as planned, I suppose. I did get some practice, though. That should count for something. Defeated by spits. I smiled a little then returned serious. Enough of that, let''s get back to work. I wanted to work on my enchantment skills. After all the practice I had, I had acquired a better feel of how enchanting worked. It was like expanding my will inside, and in doing so acquiring a three-dimensional feel of what was inside. Then I could build "circuits" of mana and spells, arranging them, unraveling them and so forth. It reminded me of the circuitry stuff we did at school back in the days. The notes I took from that nook about enchantments helped a great deal. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. I took out the silver cube and tried interfacing the magical microprocessor with hallucination magic. It took me too many tries with trippy results, but in the end, I managed to get a stable picture directly operated by the processor. I smiled tiredly. I swear if I am again just hallucinating about succeeding, I''m gonna smash my head on the table. I performed a few tests and confirmed the results. It was actually working. I had programmed my first magical "Hello world". The two words neatly displayed on the hallucinated screen. Words couldn''t explain my satisfaction. I would have shown my friends right then, but I doubt they''d have understood the underlying complexities and implications of my masterpiece. At least not with just a bland "Hello world" to show off. No. I need something more dramatic, something that might be useful. I just knew the thing. I got cranking.
The next morning I knocked at the trio''s door. ¡¸Ellin: Hi Allen! Huh... are you fine?¡¹ She asked with worry. ¡¸Allen: Of course I''m fine! Why wouldn''t I be.¡¹ I replied, fueled by my eagerness to show off. ¡¸Ellin: Well... you have dark circles around the eyes and... you look very tired, didn''t you sleep?¡¹ She was being uselessly concerned. ¡¸Allen: Sleep! Ahah... ha... who needs sleep, I''m a genius! Let me show you guys.¡¹ Yes, let''s focus on the important things. I wasn''t dead tired. If I kept telling myself that, I would probably convince myself. I walked in with the silver cube in my hands. Grastel and Namrick were yawning, still lying on their beds. ¡¸Grastel: Good morning, Allen.¡¹ ¡¸Ellin: What''s that?¡¹ She asked, gazing curiously at the silver cube in my hands. I smiled patronizingly and held it to her. ¡¸Allen: Take it and try to activate it.¡¹ Ellin looked at me with uncertainty. ¡¸Allen: Don''t worry it''s safe.¡¹ She hesitated a little but took the silver cube and activated the magic inside. ¡¸Ellin: Okay, now what?¡¹ She asked while inspecting the cube. ¡¸Allen: Try to pay attention to your upper right.¡¹ She did. ¡¸Ellin: Uh!¡¹ She frowned for a second. ¡¸Ellin: What is this? I see a circle... there are... dots inside?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Pay attention to it.¡¹ I said before doing a stupid dance inside the room. Obviously with a stupid grin plastered on my face. Namrick and Grastel started questioning my sanity through their sleepy eyes. ¡¸Ellin: Ah!¡¹ She exclaimed. ¡¸Ellin: This is... these dots... are us?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Exactly!¡¹ I said, crossing my arms and looking smug. Grastel rose up and moved closer. ¡¸Grastel: Uh, can I try it too?¡¹ Ellin passed the box to Grastel. I was eager for praise. I moved around the room so he could see it working. ¡¸Grastel: Hmm... the range is pretty short, though. It''s also draining my energy...¡¹ Damn it Grastel! Always complaining. He''s just like me. ¡¸Allen: I know, but it''s just a prototype. It''ll take time for me to optimize and fit into a ring.¡¹ Namrick finally stood up and joined us, but he looked like he was still sleeping. ¡¸Ellin: How... how did you do that?¡¹ She looked genuinely surprised. ¡¸Allen: Magic!¡¹ The three of them gave me a flat stare. I smiled and began explaining. ¡¸Allen: Well, long story short, I used trigger spells and hallucination magic as building blocks. When the triggers detect a spiritual mass above a certain threshold they translate the information as a dot through self-hallucination, with positions relative to the wielder...¡¹ I went on adding some technicalities to show off and sound cool. ¡¸Allen: ...to make it safer I made sure the mini-map shows up only when you make an effort to see it. I can also add features! Like a chime when another dot comes into range or something like that... I can also make the range adjustable with the amount of mana consumed... and more!¡¹ The three looked at each other in puzzlement. ¡¸Namrick: Huh, I only understood a third of what you said, but... that sounds impressive.¡¹ He yawned. He didn''t look impressed at all! I couldn''t stop from yawning as well. Ellin was still fidgeting with the silver cube. Please don''t break it. ¡¸Ellin: Detection magics usually require a lot of practice, and that just to be able to get an approximate sense of numbers and positions... this... is something else. Where did you learn all that?¡¹ I scratched my chin thinking how to respond. Okay... how do I explain software engineering to kids that live in a low-tech fantasy world? Nope. Forget that. I''m too tired to even stand. I managed a few steps before letting my body fall on the closest bed. Chapter 17: The crucible I didn''t fall asleep at the Academy, thanks to Ellin casting a restore fatigue spell on me. I should consider learning healing magic next time. I thought while attending the Magic Defense class. Vallachio, the teacher, clapped his hands to catch our attention. ¡¸Vallachio: Very well, my humble students! In preparation for the final test, we''ll be performing a little simulation... with the aid of one of the academy''s most illustrious instructors!¡¹ He called out at the door. ¡¸Vallachio: Please come in, madame Violet.¡¹ Violet entered and faced the class with a curt nod. Her bosom as exposed as always. Her gaze as cold as ever. Ahh. Violet''s the best, after all. Everyone''s face blanched. But not mine, I was just smiling stupidly. ¡¸Vallachio: Alright! Follow me outside!¡¹ I wonder what kind of test it will be? If it''s anything like Vallachio, then it will be showy and over-the-top. We followed our teacher outside and walked around the Academy until we reached the opposite side. ¡¸Vallachio: Very well!¡¹ Violet had set up a stage on the grounds surrounding the academy. Vallachio turned to us, displaying his usual overly cheerful smile. ¡¸Vallachio: Please walk to the center of the stage for the final preparations. He clapped his hands and urged us inside. We walked toward the center of the stage. ¡¸Do you know anything about this test?¡¹ ¡¸I never heard of this.¡¹ ¡¸Why weren''t we warned?¡¹ The other students were questioning and complaining in low voice, visible worry painted on their faces. I scoffed. There was no need to worry, with Violet involved there was only the resignation that this would be a crucible. How fun. Then I remembered something slightly important. It''s only temporary, try not to exert yourself or it will all come back, Ellin said. This is exactly the kind of stuff she had warned me against. Oh shit! Can I do this? I began sweating cold. I stole a quick glance at Violet. I didn''t want to be seen failing. Only imagining her looking at me like the trash I am sent me chills down my spine. No. Get your shit together Allen. You fucking soloed a giant troll, you can do this. Yes, I could do this. Confidence restored. Once we all were inside the designated area, Violet announced. ¡¸Violet: Stand still while we set up the arena.¡¹ Arena?! Walls of dirt sprang up with violence all around the stage. ¡¸Waaaah?!?!¡¹ ¡¸What in Anhelm''s name!¡¹ I shielded my eyes from the flying dirt and looked around. We were completely enclosed. ¡¸Vallachio: I highly suggest to get moving! Ohohohohoho!¡¹ He and Violet started glowing with mana. Then the slaughter began. What no- A stone flew an inch from my face. Gah! I began running. In just a few seconds everyone was fumbling all over the place while being attacked randomly by magic arrows, stones or being thrown around by Violet telekinetic spells. I just knew it would turn like this. Vallachio was in high spirits, coaching our efforts and pointing out our mistakes, while we panicked and tried to deflect, avoid or mitigate the damage. ¡¸Vallachio: Very good! Keep that field up! To slow! Ohohoho!¡¹ As I kept struggling I started feeling the fatigue seeping back in. Had I known there was a simulation test with Violet involved, I would NEVER have stayed up all night. If I could at least catch my breath. I slowed down a little only to get hit by a stone on my leg. It fucking hurt! ¡¸Allen: GAaaAaH!¡¹ The pain jolted me back awake. Sweat was dripping from my brows. I just want to sleep, damn it! I jumped and rolled to avoid a barrage of magic arrows. I struggled to breathe mana in and reinforce my projectile-deflecting magic. It was hard to maintain the concentration with all the moving around and the mental fatigue. ¡¸Vallachio: Ohoho! What a shame another one bit the dust! Violet please.¡¹ I was too busy to pay attention. I deflected a couple of magic arrows aimed straight at me but then got hit right after by a flying stone coming from another direction. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.¡¸Vallachio: Remember to use your peripheral vision! Keep going! Haha!¡¹ I so wanted to punch him in the face. Eighty percent of his "encouragements" sounded like mockery. I was very tired, my legs were no longer responding well. I felt like hell. Please make it stop. It didn''t stop. It kept going for another good 15 minutes or so. In the end, only half the students were still standing. The others who had succumbed and were unable to move had been removed by Violet with her telekinesis so they wouldn''t get too hurt. Surprisingly I wasn''t in the downed group. If barely. I was only standing by sheer will and pain fueled rage. I wanted to complain but I could only pant. Vallachio did another of his bodybuilding poses. ¡¸Vallachio: Ah-ha! Excellent! Excellent!¡¹ Said the teacher clapping his hands. I tried to insult him but the only sounds that came out of my throat were disconnected grunts. I just want to sleep. Please. Please. ¡¸Vallachio: Thank you madame Violet, as always your assistance has proved most valuable! Class dismissed!¡¹ He said, dismantling the dirt walls around us. We stumbled away. Next, I attended the alchemy lesson. Another challenge awaited me, keeping my eyes open. I kept being jolted awake the moment I was about to fall asleep. Over and over and over and over. I think I resisted until class was dismissed and everyone left, but I never left the desk. I just didn''t any strength left. I passed out. I was in for a rude awakening. ¡¸You! Wake up! this is no place to sleep!¡¹ I was roused awake by one of the Academy''s personnel ordering me to get moving. He looked at me like trash. I apologized and finally dragged myself straight to the inn, where I slouched in the sweet embrace of the bed. Sleep. I fell in a dreamless sleep.
I felt a shaking sensation on my shoulders. ¡¸Allen: Hrrmmmhnn...¡¹ I grumbled still with my eyes closed. ¡¸Ellin: Allen...¡¹ I slowly opened my eyes. Ellin stood before me with a concerned face. ¡¸Allen: Huh... what is it?¡¹ Oh, I had forgotten to lock the door. I took a look at the window. it was already late morning. ¡¸Ellin: There''s some... bad news.¡¹ Her face looked really worried. I felt a chill down my spine. I sobered up and made a serious face. ¡¸Allen: What happened?¡¹ I asked as I stood up. ¡¸Ellin: Berel''s village is under attack by a goblin horde!¡¹ What? I stared at her in disbelief. ¡¸Allen: ...¡¹ A goblin horde? ¡¸Ellin: A villager managed to run away and warn a group of soldiers that were patrolling the roads on horse. They sent for reinforcements.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: The villagers? Erne? Berel?!¡¹ She shook her head. ¡¸Ellin: Nobody knows yet... the guild is preparing a subjugation party. Are you... coming?¡¹ I clenched my fists. Do I want to? This stuff would be better handled by the soldiers and people more capable than me. But... I thought back at Erne, Berel, and the kids. They were good people. They helped me when no one would. What would have happened to me if I hadn''t met them? I was clenching so hard my knuckles went white. Shit. I knew that if I didn''t go and something bad happened to them, I would never stop regretting. I have to go. ¡¸Allen: Yes... give me a minute to prepare.¡¹ She waited outside as I put on my equipment. I glanced at the silver cube and decided to bring it along. Alright. I walked out, joining Ellin. She was looking downcast. ¡¸Allen: Lead the way.¡¹ She nodded and we got moving. Grastel and Namrick were waiting outside with their horses. They silently nodded to us. Everyone had grim expressions. I realized I needed to get myself a horse... and horse riding lessons as well. I couldn''t keep just relying on my friends. I''m useless. Namrick let me ride along on his sturdy mount. ¡¸Namrick: Let''s go.¡¹ He had a serious expression. We got on the move, joining the other parties that had begun marching. Staring ahead, a sense of dread overcame me... the village was four days away at a leisure pace. Could we make it in time to help anyone? My heart felt heavy. Chapter 18: Under attack We pressed on hard and arrived at the village''s outskirts in just a day. The first thing I saw was smoke rising in the distance. I clenched my fists. Just a little more... The horses were tired, but we were rested, we climbed down and continued on foot. We were being led by veteran soldiers who split us into different groups to approach the village covering each others'' flanks. I stood close to the trio. I didn''t want to get separated. ¡¸Soldier: You, with us!¡¹ A soldier motioned for us to join their group. ¡¸Soldier: Don''t wander off, keep watch on our flanks!¡¹ He turned to a burly man with a barbute helmet with a dark short beard. ¡¸Soldier: We''re ready, captain.¡¹ The captain nodded in reply and set off moving. We followed suit. This is too slow. I ached to run ahead. I looked to my right, Namrick caught my glance and nodded with a serious expression. Ellin and Grastel were just a step ahead so I couldn''t see their faces. I bit down my uneasiness taking long breaths and letting the emptiness swallow it all. Just like back at home, Allen. I kept following without really listening. My thoughts were focused on rescuing my friends As we got closer to the outer farms, we found an injured soldier laying against a tree. His face was screwed up with pain. He waved frantically at us the moment he saw us approaching. The captain walked closer to the man. ¡¸Captain: Report!¡¹ ¡¸Soldier: I-It''s not just goblins... there are verklings too... this is not... normal.¡¹ The soldier coughed blood but continued talking. ¡¸Soldier: T-they''re burning the... houses and f-fields... there might still be someone alive inside.¡¹ He finished with a pained grunt. A healer approached to take care of the man. The squad captain inclined his head for a few seconds before turning to us. ¡¸Captain: Damn it! Move on!¡¹ Finally, we moved ahead at a faster pace. As we drew closer the smell of burning wood hit my nostrils. Please be safe. There were corpses on the ground. None of them were of Erne and family. I sighed in relief. Please be safe. As we moved forward, the goblins saw us and started screeching. The battle began. The soldiers were on the front line, holding shields, spears, and swords, while we provided support and closed the gaps in the formation. ¡¸Captain: Cut the blasted vermin down!¡¹ The captain spurred us and the blood started dancing in the air. We approached the first house, it was unburnt. As we called out to the people inside, they came rushing out crying and sobbing. ¡¸Save us! Please!¡¹ A family of six streaked with tears and shaking with fear joined our group. One of the soldiers ran up to them and pointed behind us. ¡¸Soldier: We cleared a path behind us! Run to the rearguard, they will escort you to safety. Quick!¡¹ Faster. Erne''s house was still further on. The next house had been lit on fire. We tried opening the door, but it was too late for the ones inside, everything was ablaze. ¡¸Captain: Damn... next!¡¹ He pointed his sword to our left. While we were moving, another group of goblins came about, with verklings rushing at us from the rightmost side. Fuckers! I shot forward and smashed my mace on the first verkling, giving time to the soldiers to move in formation and deflect the goblin arrows with their shields. Namrick had done the same, decapitating another verkling before stepping back into line. I had lost sight of Ellin and Grastel, they must have ended up on the other side of the group. I turned my head to asses the situation. Behind us, another group of monsters was closing in, clashing with the rearguard and keeping them occupied. We pressed on. Finally, amidst the smoke, Erne''s house came on sight. It was halfway on fire. The door had been... broken down. Damn it! I felt my heartbeat pounding hard. I clenched my mace. I couldn''t wait anymore. ¡¸Captain: What do you think you''re doing!¡¹ I rushed forward, ignoring the curses of our squad captain. I was almost at the entrance. Damn it, damn it! ¡¸Allen: Erne! Berel!¡¹ I screamed through the chaos. A verkling came from my right, but I also saw a goblin with a dagger coming from the left of my peripheral vision. FUCK OFF! I infused mana on my mace swing, collapsing the verkling skull with a satisfying wet crunch, then as the goblin got in range I spun around, caught its throat with my left hand and cast Freeze. His body went limp, I let go and stomped his frozen neck, severing the head. DIE! Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. I rushed ahead. ¡¸Allen: Kids!¡¹ I moved inside the house without waiting for a reply. No. No... Erne was laying on the floor near the door, his eyes were open, staring into space. His body was covered in wounds and his chest had been carved gruesomely. So much... blood. Next to him was the eldest son, an arrow lodged in his throat. Their glassy eyes... dead. Time felt like freezing, sounds seemed to dull except the ones from my hammering heart. ¡¸Allen: No!¡¹ It came out as a whisper. It took all I had not to let my eyes water. Not yet... not yet. Where''s Berel and the other two? I thought frantically. They weren''t in this room. They could still be... ¡¸Allen: Berel! It''s me, Allen! Can you hear me?!¡¹ I walked into the other room. A third of the wall was on fire. Berel and her younger son were laying against a corner. Unmoving. She had tried to shield him, I could see wounds and blood, but I couldn''t make whose it was. Could they be alive? I have to try. I struggled to keep the tears from my eyes, while I dragged them towards the entrance. Wait, where''s the daughter? I rushed back from room to room but didn''t see her. The fire was spreading fast. Shit! I looked left and right not knowing what to do, time was running out. Right! I took out the silver cube and activated the spell. I took a look at the radar. There! I rushed inside the bedroom that was almost completely on fire. I cast cold on me to ward off the scorching heat. The wardrobe... the dot is pointing to the wardrobe! I rushed to it and creaked it open. The little girl was curled inside, unconscious. I took her in my arms, shielding her from the fire. At least one, let me save at least one. I felt myself growing weaker, I was almost out of mana. I rushed back to the entrance. * cough cough * ¡¸Allen: I need help here!¡¹ I screamed amidst the smoke. I felt hopeless. ¡¸Ellin: Allen? Allen!?¡¹ I could hear Ellin''s voice not too far away. I felt a glimmer of hope. ¡¸Allen: Here!¡¹ Ellin appeared in my sight, guarded by Namrick and Grastel, who were staying alert for attacks. ¡¸Allen!¡¹ Their faces light up. I stumbled towards them, holding the little girl in my arms. ¡¸Grastel: Why di-¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Help her! Please.¡¹ I pleaded, gently lowering the little girl on the bare ground. I rushed back inside to drag Berel and the kid, then Erne''s and his son''s cold bodies. ¡¸Allen: Hnng...¡¹ I was out of breath as I finished dragging everyone. I had brought them away from the fire, I didn''t want them to burn like this. I owed them at least this much. I turned back to Ellin. She lifted her head to glance at me. ¡¸Ellin: Allen! The little girl is alive! But... Berel and her son...¡¹ Ellin shook her head with grief in her eyes. I felt a wetness streak my cheeks. I guess, I''m not so numb after all, I thought while wiping the tears from my face. This is not fair... I rushed here as soon as I knew. Am I not the main character? I''m supposed to save the day. Why did it turn like this? I stared into space, trying to collect my thoughts. I was not doing a good job of paying attention to things today. ¡¸Namrick: We have to regroup, the captain is leading the squad forward! Let''s bring the girl to the other survivors!¡¹ I put the unconscious girl on my shoulders and followed Namrick''s lead. ¡¸Grastel: We got a survivor, she''s unconscious!¡¹ Grastel addressed the squad captain, who narrowed his eyes at me but said nothing. I lowered my eyes. ¡¸Captain: Anselm! Get this girl with the other villagers.¡¹ I surrendered the girl to the soldier. Hoping for her safety. What shamed me more is that I had even forgotten her name, along with the ones of the other two kids. I''m the worst. I wanted to fix that by inviting the whole family to Valarest in order to try out a pizza and my other recipes. Berel promised they''d come after the last harvest. That would never happen now. I rejoined the others, resuming our attack march. Other groups spread on the sides toward our flanks. I stood behind from the front lines, I had lost my will to fight. Instead, I focused on recovering my mana and helping with the rescue. Thanks to the silver cube I was able to locate the villagers quickly and accurately. But as we got further, only corpses remained to be found. Chapter 19: Archmages and demons There was no longer anyone to rescue so I returned to the front lines. I felt nothing for the people I hadn''t known... seeing their corpses did not evoke any feeling, it was no different from seeing the carnage third-hand from the news. But it was different for Erne, Berel, and the kids. They had welcomed me. We had sat at the same table and shared the same meal. I tightened my jaw. Now that the shock had passed I could only feel anger. I needed something to kill. I shifted my focus from my mind to what was happening in front of me. The soldiers were bringing out carriages, tables, and wreckage to create a barricade. ¡¸Captain: There''s an army of them! Where are the archmages?¡¹ An army of monsters? I took in the scenery, the fields were almost all burned down. The houses were still burning. Goblin and human corpses alike were spread on the beaten dirt streets of the once peaceful village. My thoughts kept going back to Berel and the others. They were gone. Only the little girl, had survived. They deserved better. I could have given them some money and asked them to come to live in the city. I couldn''t turn back time. But I can at least keep an eye on the girl, I promised myself. ¡¸Grastel: Goblin and verklings attacking together...¡¹ Grastel''s voice shook me from my thoughts. I turned to pay attention. My friends were discussing something. ¡¸Namrick: Someone is commanding them, there''s no other explanation.¡¹ He took a glance in the distance beyond the barricade. His eyebrows were knitted together. Ellin looked concerned and kept shifting her eyes left and right. ¡¸???: Move aside.¡¹ Among the confusion, our unit moved aside to let a woman pass. I walked closer to get a better look and my eyes shot wide open. Violet Val Mariannet! What was she doing here? ¡¸Captain: Madam Violet! We''ve cleared the village but the enemy is amassing ahead in great numbers!¡¹ Uh, it''s like he''s deferring to her. Violet who had her gaze set beyond the barricade, made a dismissive gesture and said. ¡¸Violet: Amassed, huh? Leave it to me.¡¹ She walked past the barricade and raised her staff. What''s an instructor from the academy going to do against a horde of goblins and verklings?! I didn''t understand. Then the air went cold and I felt a shiver. In the blink of an eye, hundreds of ice spikes formed in the air in front of her. What?! She waved the staff forward and the spikes followed suit, raining upon the creatures. I could only stare in amazement. In the distance, the battlefield blossomed in blood. Inhuman cries covering all sounds for just a second. Violet made another gesture and light gathered around her again forming a spell. The enemies still standing started being lifted from the ground into forming a great sphere. Violet raised both hands and sharply closed them together. The giant sphere of creatures turned crimson and it splashed down on the ground. Amazing... and scary! My heart was beating hard just witnessing the scene, it felt like a dream. I stared dumbfounded. Same as Ellin, Namrick and Grastel and everyone else on sight. And being who she is... suddenly I remembered a remark Ellin had made about Violet and my brain started putting the pieces together... Violet is an archmage. After the macabre spectacle, the horde of goblins and verkling started dispersing to avoid the same bloodbath happening again. Then a horn blared. They charged in unison. Violet walked back calmly to the captain. Even though his face was covered by the barbute, I could sense he was on edge. ¡¸Violet: I will stand in the front and alternate attacks and support. Position your men.¡¹ She delivered the order with her icy gaze. The captain nodded and shouted orders to the soldiers. I felt like a tiny speck of dust trying to face an avalanche. Outclassed and outmatched. What the fuck am I doing still here? A booming laugh came from behind, I turned to see another familiar face. He too? ¡¸Vallachio: As expected of madam Violet!¡¹ My magical defense teacher climbed down from his horse. He''s an archmage too?! This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡¸Vallachio: Vallachio Restgart at your service!¡¹ He said with a curt bow, then walked in front of the soldiers, his smiling face imperturbed by the carnage. Shouts caught my attention, the enemy army had clashed with ours. Vallachio stomped the ground sending a seismic wave against hordes of verklings. Then he moved with superhuman agility, closing in on the dazed enemies and punching them to pieces. His masterful use of magic shields and deflection prevented any attack from hitting. Every once a while he would feign an opening only to let an enemy get close and brutally smash their heads with both hands. My mind was barely able to process all that was happening. The prowess of the archmages raised the spirits of our combatants, myself included. I held the line next to Namrick. Thanks to my previous experiences my hands were much less shaky, and I think I did a decent job of crushing heads and limbs with my trusty mace. We were going to win! Payback for my fallen friends. That''s when I noticed a silhouette falling from the sky. What th-. The impact with the ground sent us sprawling. A human-like figure with red skin and horns stood in front of us. ¡¸Soldiers: DEMONS!¡¹ Huh, so this is a demon. I tried to stand, but I didn''t get the chance. ¡¸Demon: HSSSssss!¡¹ An intense wave of pain overcame me, my limbs started spasming. It hurts, It hurts. IT FUCKING HURTS. The pain fueled my anger thanks to which I was still conscious. But I was helplessly laying on the ground, barely able to move. Hurts. Everyone around me had fallen down unconscious, spasming or foaming at the mouth. Including Namrick. Damn it! The demons hissed and stomped hard on the head on one of the unconscious combatants. My blood curled at the wet crunching sound but my mind immediately filled back with pain. It hurts. I tilted my head enough to see Vallachio trying to charge in. The earth exploded under him sending him flying real fucking high. Violet sent a wave of ice spikes against the demon, but he suddenly became a dozen. Illusions? The demon retaliated against her, I heard a crackle. ¡¸Violet: Gah-!¡¹ Another wave of ice spikes shot over me, dangerously close, yet the demon unharmed. The fucking cunt was grinning. GRINNING. Waves upon waves of pain were making all my muscles spasm and my eyes water. S-so m-much... I touched the silver cube on my side and activated the spell. I understood why Violet was having trouble hitting him. He seemed to be phasing location between illusions every second. Our presence was preventing her from using more destructive magic, and the demon knew it. Enjoyed it. Exploited it. BASTARD! One of the illusions had walked close to me. I waited, trying to stand still and keeping attention on the radar. NOW! I snaked my spasming right hand and grabbed at the demon''s ankle. I surprised him for a second. That was all I could do. But that second was all it took. A dirty and bloody Vallachio shot up from behind the demon, punching a hole through his chest and grabbing hold of him. The demon lost control of his spells. I felt the paralysis wearing off. My hands moved to the mace. Die. ¡¸Vallachio: NOW!¡¹ In a second Violet was in front of the demon as if walking on air, her hand extended forward, almost touching his forehead. It seemed to happen in slow motion. I felt a chill. In a flash, the whole demon''s head and upper bust were turned into ice. I rose, still fueled by the overflowing anger. My mind was focused on a single thing. DIE. All of this was his fault. I couldn''t think about anything but to smash his fucking skull to pieces. DIE! ¡¸Allen: Graaaaahhh!¡¹ Violet and Vallachio were startled to see me stand so abruptly. But I paid no attention. All I wanted was... TO CRUSH. HIS FUCKING. SKULL! I infused all my strength, anger and sorrow, into the swing. The whole upper body exploded in a shower of ice crystals. My vision turned dark, as I fell into the cold embrace of the void. Chapter 20: Aftermath Where am I? I regained consciousness. I took me some time to open my glued shut eyes. I couldn''t make out what was I seeing, everything was blurry and my body sore. The demon! I sat up and waited a few seconds for my vision to clear. I was inside a tent. There were other people laying down, injured and unconscious. ¡¸Allen: Where am I?¡¹ I whispered to myself. A medical tent? My armor had been removed and had been laid down at my feet. I put it back on but I couldn''t find my silver cube. Damn... did I drop it during the demon fight? Shit. That demon was strong. Thank god Violet and Vallachio were there. I was completely helpless, he would''ve stomped my head just like that other guy. Namrick too. My mouth curled upward. Good thing I got to shatter his head in the end. Even if it was just kill stealing. My smile faded. I had to check for my friends. I walked outside the tent. There were soldiers going about, unfamiliar faces. I asked around if anyone knew where Ellin, Namrick or Grastel were, but no one I asked could help me. So I just walked. I arrived in front of Erne''s house, or what was left of it. This had been my first home when I came into this world. But... where are... the bodies? I felt uneasy at the thought they could have been already disposed of before I could give my final goodbyes. I asked one of the soldiers who was passing nearby. ¡¸Soldier: The bodies of the fallen have been gathered that way. There''ll be a funeral pyre and ceremony soon.¡¹ So there''s still time. He pointed at a direction. I thanked him and went that way. I reached the place. They were laying down the corpses, preparing for the funeral pyres, I walked about looking at the deceased, looking for my friends. And I found them. Their faces had been cleaned up. With their eyes closed it almost seemed they were just asleep. I asked for them to be put together, as a family. The soldier handling the task agreed. He asked me who they were so he could contact their relatives, then he allowed me to take part in building the pyre. It was the least I could do. The ceremony would be held at dusk. I went looking for the survivors, I wanted to check on the girl. I had to do some walking and asking around, but I managed to find them. A temporary camp had been set up around a couple of buildings that were left unmarred. I could see a group of civilian gathered just outside. Everyone looked a little dejected, some wore bloodied bandages. I asked them if they knew where the girl was and one pointed me toward one of the buildings. I walked in. The residents gave me a quick glance before dismissing my presence, I looked inside each room until I found her. She was lying asleep on a scavenged mattress. I dared not wake her. ¡¸Allen: She''s fine...¡¹ I whispered with relief. Not everything had been lost. Confirming that I had at least managed to do one good thing lifted a weight from my shoulders. Upon hearing me, the woman standing next to the bed turned to look at me. She had some resemblance to Berel. A relative? ¡¸Woman: You know Lena?¡¹ She asked in low voice. Right. Lena was the name! The woman started walking outside the room gesturing for me to follow. I did so. ¡¸Allen: Yes, Berel''s daughter... I was lucky I found her in time. I just wanted to make sure she was fine.¡¹ Her eyes went round. ¡¸Woman: You''re the one who rescued her?¡¹ As I nodded she gripped my arm. Huh. ¡¸Woman: What about Berel and the others?¡¹ That caught me by surprise. She didn''t know yet... I had to tell her. I wasn''t good at this kind of situations. ¡¸Allen: They...¡¹ I began but I couldn''t find the right words to complete the sentence. Instead, I lowered my eyes and shook my head. The woman stared at me with a grief pained face for a moment, before starting to sob uncontrollably. ¡¸Woman: M-my sister... e-everyone... why?¡¹ I remained silent. Comforting people was not really my thing. Trying to feel nothing had become my main approach to deal with life and work. I looked around uncomfortably. Eventually, she calmed down, cleaned her eyes and faced me again. ¡¸Woman: Sorry... I... I haven''t even introduced myself. My name is Elaida.¡¹ I shook her hand. ¡¸Allen: I''m Allen Smith. Erne and Berel were friends, let me know if you need anything.¡¹ I looked into her eyes, trying to sound reassuring. ¡¸Elaida: Where... where... are...¡¹ I knew she wanted to ask about the bodies so I told her about the funeral pyre and asked her to participate. ¡¸Elaida: Thank you, I... we, will be there.¡¹ She slumped against the wall, her gaze lost in thought. I excused myself and wandered outside without a destination. I wanted to walk for a while... to clear my mind. During my walk, someone called out to me. ¡¸Man: Allen Skullcrusher.¡¹ Someone behind me had to use that nickname. I froze. Allen Skullcrusher. That''s going to be a thing, isn''t it? I really don''t like being called names. Especially a nickname not befitting of a future mage in the making. But fighting it would only make it worse. ¡¸Allen: Yes, what do you need?¡¹ I turned around and asked trying not to show my irritation. ¡¸Man: I''ve been looking for you. The archmages have requested to speak with you. Follow me please.¡¹ He seemed a little tense. I followed him toward another recently built military tent. Vallachio was just outside, casting a deep gaze toward the wilderness. As we approached he turned around, knuckling his red mustache. He spoke. ¡¸Vallachio: Ah, thank you for bringing him here.¡¹ The man excused himself and walked away. ¡¸Vallachio: I remember your face, you''re one of my students... Allen.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Yes, sir.¡¹ Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. To think my teacher was archmage that could easily punch through my stomach as if it were paper. If I were a normal man I''d be trembling now. ¡¸Vallachio: I have to thank you for distracting that scoundrel. We had to pull our punches to avoid killing the downed soldiers.¡¹ I thought as much. ¡¸Allen: I see.¡¹ He broke in a hearty laugh. ¡¸Vallachio: By the way, you really surprised us there. To think you would endure that level of Pain, you must have some mental fortitude! Hahaha... oh and I find your nickname most appropriate!¡¹ This monster is smiling at me, just go along with it, Allen. ¡¸Allen: Thank you, sir.¡¹ He stared at me for a few seconds. I kept my corporate poker face on. ¡¸Vallachio: Well, now. Enter the tent. Madame Violet has a few questions to ask you.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Huh... yes, sir¡¹ What could she want to ask me? I just didn''t know. I walked inside the tent. Violet raised her icy eyes at me. A familiar chill ran down my spine. She truly is an ice queen. I stood straight. ¡¸Allen: Ma''am?¡¹ I couldn''t look away from her gaze. ¡¸Violet: I now understand how you realized which one of those illusions hid the real demon.¡¹ Whew. Straight to the point. That means... She opened her right hand revealing my silver cube. It was safe, all those hours of work were not lost. I felt relieved. ¡¸Violet: I have looked at the magical patterns inside this silver cube... albeit crude, they do seem of complex design... am I correct in assuming you made this? The magic signature looked just like yours.¡¹ She moved the cube across her slender fingers. Cold sweat. Keep it together Allen. ¡¸Allen: Y-Yes, ma''am.¡¹ ¡¸Violet: In such case, who taught you this?¡¹ I glanced at my silver cube. ¡¸Allen: It''s... huh... back in my homeland we have a... discipline we use to build... logic patterns... it has nothing to do with magic, but... when I first learned of spell triggers, I wondered if I could apply the same knowledge.¡¹ My eyes dance around while attempting to find the proper words. ¡¸Violet: Interesting... we''ll continue this discussion back at the Academy. For now, you''re dismissed.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Yes, ma''am¡¹ She threw the silver cube back at me. I barely caught it. ¡¸Violet: You can have it back.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Thanks, ma''am!¡¹ I walked outside, feeling her eyes boring into me. Once outside I let out a sigh of relief. Sexy... but deadly. Memories of the prior bloodshed flashed on my mind. ¡¸Vallachio: Allen!¡¹ I jumped at the suddenness of his voice. ¡¸Allen: I... uh. Yes, sir?¡¹ ¡¸Vallachio: There was a girl, along with two men, who were asking about you. She volunteered to help to heal the injured, she showed considerable talent in that regard. You may find her north-east from here inside a medical tent.¡¹ Said the muscled archmage nodding at the direction. Ellin and the guys, I should go find them! ¡¸Allen: Thank you, sir.¡¹ I replied with gratefulness. I walked on, feeling Vallachio''s gaze boring into me. I dared not turn to check. Man, these archmages have some powerful stares.
Eventually, I found the tent. Namrick and Grastel were outside, performing maintenance on their equipment. They looked up and saw me coming. I waved them. ¡¸Namrick: Allen! Are you well?¡¹ Namrick smiled sheathing his sword. ¡¸Allen: A little sore, but yeah. I can''t complain.¡¹ I shrugged. Ellin heard us and came outside. She made an apologetic face. ¡¸Ellin: Hi, sorry we had to leave you alone, I volunteered to care for the injured. The soldiers said you were just passed out.¡¹ She bowed a little. ¡¸Allen: That''s fine, you did the right thing.¡¹ I assured her. Besides, I''m an adult I can manage things by myself. ¡¸Grastel: Allen... how did you remain conscious? Namrick, who was next to you, went out cold almost immediately.¡¹ All three of them stared at me with questioning eyes. ¡¸Allen: Even if you ask me... it was extremely painful. But at the same time I was extremely angry... maybe that kept me conscious?¡¹ ¡¸Grastel: I and Ellin were distant enough not to be affected, we saw how you grabbed the demon''s ankle, then Vallachio and Violet made their move. And you suddenly stood up swinging down your mace at the demon. That was... woah.¡¹ He looked honestly surprised. I didn''t know what to say. So I just pursed my lips and nodded. ¡¸Allen: Huh, it''s almost dusk... would you guys come at the funeral pyre?¡¹ They nodded and we all went together. Lena and her aunt were already there, I joined them. The little girl looked at me with teary eyes. I put a hand on her shoulder and she broke into tears. ¡¸Allen: I''m sorry...¡¹ That was all I could say. Ellin walked closer and hugged Lena. She whispered gentle words with a reassuring smile making Lena calm down. Ellin was much better at this. We waited in silence for the ceremony to begin. When our turn came I had Lena hold the torch along with me, and we turned the pyre alight. ¡¸Lena: Mommy... daddy... b-broth-¡¹ She clutched her aunt''s skirt and let her tears fall silently. I asked her aunt to come to Valarest and stop at our inn, so I could give them a few coins to get by and a place to stay. Small villages clearly weren''t safe enough. ¡¸Elaida: I will. Thank you...¡¹ She patted Lena''s head and turned her eyes back on the pyres. I stared at the fires for a little longer. Until Namrick and Grastel squeezed my shoulders. I looked back at them, they gave me encouraging smiles. I felt lucky to have found such good friends. Ellin was behind them, eyes downcast lost in thought. It was time to leave. ¡¸Allen: Alright... let''s go.¡¹ I said goodbye to Elaida and Lena and walked away with the trio. Forgive me Erne and Berel, for not having been there for you. Chapter 21: An offer one cant refuse Back at Valarest, the Academy classes had been suspended. Troops were being mobilized to prepare in case of enemy attacks. From what I gathered, it had been almost a century since the last time demons lead an attack against human settlements. People were afraid the flames of war would spark again. Everyone was in a fell mood. Elaida and Lena came to pay a visit. I gave them enough money for booking a room at an inn, at least until the situation calms down. I offered Elaida work in one of my restaurants and talked her about giving Lena reading and writing lessons, so she could secure a better future. That done, I used my cold magic to prepare a bowl of ice cream. It took forever, it wasn''t very good due to the lack of processed sugar and I almost destroyed my arms with the churning process. But when I offered a cup to Lena I stole her a smile. I decided to pay a visit to the Adventurer''s Guild. I could feel the agitation in the air. ¡¸Allen Skullcrusher!¡¹ Hnnng, they keep calling me that. I kept a serene expression trying not to punch these guys in the face. People cheered me. And forced me to tell the story. It''s true I have a knack for crushing skulls, but... whatever. Once I become a powerful wizard no one will remember that nickname. For some reason, I wasn''t sure about that. Erne''s village was not the only one that had been attacked. Other farms and fields had been laid to waste in a similar fashion. This was no coincidence, it was a deliberate plan to weaken the kingdom. ¡¸This is bad. If they keep destroying our farms winter will be hard on us¡¹ I sat at a table inside the Adventurer''s Guild, I was hoping to meet my friends. ¡¸Demon bastards!¡¹ ¡¸I knew people from that village... I hope they''re among the survivors...¡¹ I wasted some time listening to the gossip. The internet was much more efficient, I thought, sighing inwardly. I took a look at the billboard but I wasn''t in the mood for "adventuring", so in the end, I stood up and walked outside. It''s been a while since I have eaten a pizza, I guess I''m sufficiently detoxified. I entered in my restaurant and waved hello to Corgas. ¡¸Corgas: Allen!¡¹ He beamed at me. ¡¸Allen: Hello Corgas.¡¹ I smiled in return. ¡¸Corgas: I''m sorry, I heard all about Berel and the village!¡¹ My smile faded away. ¡¸Allen: ...¡¹ I sat down at a table. I didn''t feel like talking about sad things, so I kept silent. Corgas frowned a little and slammed one of his burly hands against my shoulder. ¡¸Corgas: Do you want to order something?¡¹ I appreciated he didn''t press the issue. I made eye contact. ¡¸Allen: Yeah, bring me a pizza Margarita, please.¡¹ He nodded and left. Corgas came by a little later with a freshly cooked pizza. It smelled good. ¡¸Allen: Thanks. Has Elaida taken the job?¡¹ I asked while stuffing my mouth. If she joined our little enterprise I would be able to make sure nothing bad happened to her and Lena. ¡¸Corgas: Ah, yes. We sent her to the other place. She already knew a few things about cooking, so she caught on pretty quickly.¡¹ Corgas smiled and gave me a thumbs-up. ¡¸Allen: Good...¡¹ I kept munching my pizza. What am I going to do now? The academy has suspended the classes until further notice, but maybe I can still access to the library. Oh, there was also Violet that said we''d have a discussion back at the academy, although, I don''t think she''s back yet. I might do magic exercises or fiddle around with my silver cube. There''s also my abandoned attempt at building a dynamo, but with magic around I don''t know how much that would be worth. Maybe another day. I should breach into the upper-class businesses. With all my modern knowledge there''s gotta be something lucrative I can bring to the table. Of course, as I am now I don''t have much chance. I need more connections. And I must be wary of corporate espionage. Lord Radenrouge came to mind and I narrowed my eyes. What an ass, he could have involved me instead of pulling such underhanded tactics. And for what, just the fucking pizza recipe. No way I''m ever going to share my other recipes with him. He can get fucked. I didn''t really feel like doing anything. I just wanted to sulk. I got back at the inn and threw myself at the bed. Fuck everything. I spent two days like this, being unproductive. Well, I tried projecting illusions around me for *fun*. Sadly all my illusions were deformed mockeries of the human shape. The original plan was to entertain myself with sexy illusions. I need much more practice to get my dose of ass and tits. I thought about Violet. The illusion took a shape vaguely resembling her, or better, the nightmare anatomically-incorrect version of her. I shivered. I let the illusion dissipate. Why is it so hard? It''s difficult to keep track of my progress, too bad there''s no skill system thing. I would feel motivated by the gratification gained from increasing numbers. Hmmm. That''s it... I might roll my own system! With magic, I should be able to access information about myself. It would be just a matter of understanding how to interpret it. I could keep track of my health, mana, skills... I need to think it over. I began mentally visualizing a design document, which functions would I add, how to modularize the components. Just my kind of thing. My thoughts were interrupted by a string of knocks at the door. ¡¸Allen: Come in!¡¹ I said with a hint of irritation. I hate being interrupted when I''m thinking about *important* stuff. I was still lying on the bed I so I just inclined my head a little to see who it was. An unfamiliar face popped in. It was the face of a random irrelevant guy. I forgot it the moment I took my eyes off him. ¡¸Man: Apologies, could you be master Allen?¡¹ Then points for not having called me Skullcrusher. ¡¸Allen: Yes, who asks?¡¹ I raised an eyebrow. ¡¸Man: I''m a messenger, I''ve been tasked to deliver you this note.¡¹ If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. I stood up and received a rolled sealed paper in my hands. ¡¸Allen: Huh... thanks. Do I have to give you a tip or something?¡¹ He shook his head. ¡¸Man: That is not necessary.¡¹ He bowed and walked out. Well, he was polite. Let''s see what''s inside. I broke the seal.
Your presence has been requested at the Arcane Academy grounds, leave this note to the guards outside to gain access - Violet Val Mariannet
Huh... I guess the time for the discussion has finally arrived. What''s this about guards? Well better not to make her wait. It would be a shame if an ice spear happened to impale me out of the blue. I cleaned myself and put on my best clothes.
As I arrived at the Academy, the first thing I noticed was the presence of guards standing the entrances and perimeter. What is it about? I wondered. ¡¸Guard: Halt!¡¹ A guard put a hand up and moved in my way. ¡¸Allen: Greetings, I have been summoned by madam Violet.¡¹ I said placing the note on his hands. The guard read it and nodded. ¡¸Guard: Please, follow me¡¹ I followed him, we walked upstairs, where I had never set foot yet, we walked along the corridor and he stopped in front of a door. He knocked. ¡¸Guard: Madame Violet, a visitor for you.¡¹ ¡¸Violet: Send him inside.¡¹ The guard opened the door and gestured me to get in. I prepared myself mentally and walked inside. Violet was sitting at a desk, a bunch of papers arrayed on it and a map underneath. Is that a map of this world? I hadn''t seen one yet. It was too covered by papers for me to make out details. ¡¸Violet: Sit down.¡¹ She gestured at the chair. ¡¸Allen: Yes, ma''am.¡¹ She took out a small sphere of clear crystal and pushed it to my side of the desk. Her usual icy gaze pierced my eyes. I wonder if she''s using some magic trick to make her eyes so piercing. No matter. Through my corporate training, I had learned to keep a serene facade through despair and murder-killing rage, if I wanted to. ¡¸Violet: Do you know what this is?¡¹ She asked me pointing at the sphere. I shook my head negatively. ¡¸Violet: This sphere will let me know if you''re lying. So answer wisely to my questions.¡¹ Huh, is this going to be an interrogation? Cold sweat. ¡¸Allen: O-Okay.¡¹ ¡¸Violet: Touch the sphere.¡¹ I did so and©¤ *zap*©¤ I felt a jolt, like electricity, and retracted my hand. *Ouch!* I wasn''t expecting that. ¡¸Violet: The sphere is now attuned to your spiritual body, we can begin.¡¹ She announced as she placed her hands on the desk. ¡¸Violet: What''s your full name?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Allen Smith.¡¹ ¡¸Violet: Are you conspiring against this country?¡¹ Straight from asking my name to conspiracy suspicions?! My heart started pounding. I should have reamined on the damn bed. ¡¸Allen: No.¡¹ ¡¸Violet: Are you a spy?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: No.¡¹ She kept silent for a few seconds. ¡¸Violet: How long have you been practicing magic?¡¹ I couldn''t read what she was thinking. She really betrays no expression. That somehow incited me to keep my poker face on. ¡¸Allen: Since I enrolled in the basic magic course.¡¹ Again the silence. ¡¸Violet: I can''t place your accent, where are you from.¡¹ I answered her. ¡¸Violet: I never heard of such a place...¡¹ I shrugged in return. I started sweating cold. Oh god! Is she gonna ask me until she figures out I came from another world? I imagined Violet dissecting me while alive to find out how I worked. NOT FUN, NOT FUN AT ALL! ¡¸Violet: Explain me in detail how you made that spell in the silver cube.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: I... huh... okay.¡¹ Thank god she changed the subject. I took a mental sigh of relief. I began explaining, but she cut me half-way in. ¡¸Violet: Enough! *Sey-pe-yu, processor, memory bus, program*... these words mean nothing to me, are you making all of this up?¡¹ I glanced at the sphere and shrugged. ¡¸Allen: No... it just that... it would take a year to explain all the t-theory behind it...¡¹ She narrowed her eyes. Uh oh, did I anger her? My heart beat faster. ¡¸Violet: Are you somehow interfering with the sphere''s spell?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: No.¡¹ ¡¸Violet: Have you stared at my chest?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: N-NO!¡¹ The sphere glowed red. As did my face. What followed was a long awkward silence. Violet stared at me imperturbed. I''m dead, it''s been a good run, GG. ¡¸Violet: I see...¡¹ She began. ¡¸Violet: Honestly, you''re already past your prime...¡¹ Past my prime?! I''m only 30! I''ve barely begun! My right brow twitched a little. ¡¸Violet: To begin learning magic as such age is a great disadvantage... yet I can''t deny that you''ve been achieving acceptable results in your studies...¡¹ She started tapping the desk with her delicate fingers while he eyes wandered around the room. ¡¸Violet: At first I thought you were a spy sent from another country, feigning skills below your level... but I see that''s not the case... we also investigated your background and acquaintances, but we found no evidence of wrongdoing.¡¹ I got a background check?! Is she intelligence or something? ¡¸Violet: Listen well. We have a deal for you...¡¹ I raised an eyebrow. A deal? ¡¸Allen: Huh?¡¹ No good, I had lost my corporate face. I took a breath and relaxed my face muscles. ¡¸Violet: I see your interest in magic is genuine, and your peculiar knowledge could prove valuable...¡¹ She continued. ¡¸Violet: We could take care of all the costs regarding your tuition... on one condition... you''ll undergo physical and magical military training. With the prospect of war on the horizon, we don''t have time to coddle you. Most of all we need magicians able to fend for themselves.¡¹ She leaned forward. ¡¸Violet: Do you accept?¡¹ She stared hard at me with her icy gaze. No! Decline the offer! Decline the offer! It''s a trap! ¡¸Allen: Okay.¡¹ FUCK! Violet choose to ignore the red glow flashing from the sphere, her eyes fixedly pointed at me. Chapter 22: Preparations Thanks to the lack of coordination between my mouth and brain I was now enrolled in the military. Just peachy. Real fucking peachy. I slammed my fist against the wall. FUCK! Is it too late to leave the country and travel somewhere else? I muttered curses under my breath as I paced around my room. It''s all the demons'' fault. It was all going so well. But no... they had to come and fuck things up! I slammed my foot hard on the ground. And now I have to go, break my bones on this shitty military training. Next, I''ll be suckered into a war I didn''t want to take part in! * knock knock * My rampage was momentarily halted. ¡¸Allen: YE- ahem... yes?¡¹ I asked walking toward the door. I took a deep breath before unlocking the bolt to see who was behind. ¡¸Ellin: Hi... are you well? You look... upset.¡¹ Ellin went from happy to worried in half a second. ¡¸Allen: Oh no, why would I be upset... I''m totally fine.¡¹ I smoothed my face and faked a smile. She glanced at my bruised fist. ¡¸Ellin: Hmm... okay...¡¹ She didn''t look convinced. ¡¸Ellin: I just wanted to ask... would you like to have breakfast with us?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Sure, give me a second.¡¹ I gave her a thumbs-up and she nodded and walked away. Not before glancing again at my bruise. Fuck, I made a bad impression, didn''t I? I strangled the pillow to blow off the remaining anger, then I calmed myself. I was a little hungry. I stepped out of the room and joined my friends at the table and got my plate. ¡¸Grastel: So... what has fouled your mood?¡¹ Grastel managed to ask that in an irritating way, probably thanks to his usual irritating smirk. ¡¸Allen: Why would you say that?¡¹ I feigned ignorance. Grastel pointed at my hand. ¡¸Grastel: You''re trying to strangle that poor fork.¡¹ I looked at my right hand. ¡¸Allen: ...¡¹ He''s right. My knuckles were completely white. I relented my hold but the fork had already been misshapen, I must have used mana infused strength subconsciously. The innkeeper is not going to be happy about it. Whatever it''s just cheap fucking fork. I''ll buy a dozen in reparations. I lifted my eyes. Everyone was staring at me. I sighed. ¡¸Allen: Alright, I''ll tell you guys.¡¹ And I told them how I trapped myself in my current situation. ¡¸Namrick: If you didn''t want to, you could''ve just said no.¡¹ Namrick made a dumb statement. I slapped the table. ¡¸Allen: Sure! It all sounds so easy...¡¹ I made an ironic dismissive gesture. ¡¸Allen: I''d like to see you try retracting your words with Violet staring you down with her cold gaze!¡¹ I stared at Namrick doing my best imitation of Violet. He raised an eyebrow. ¡¸Ellin: She can be quite scary...¡¹ Ellin understands. Good girl. ¡¸Grastel: She truly did a number on those goblins that day. If she stared at me I''d probably curl down and cry.¡¹ Namrick closed his eyes and shrugged in defeat. ¡¸Namrick: I guess... what''s done it''s done. When will you begin?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Tomorrow...¡¹ I lowered my head grimacing. ¡¸Allen: Sorry guys, but... I''ll be away for a while. Could you...¡¹ I raised my head again. ¡¸Allen: Could you look after my valuables and check on Elaida and Lena for me?¡¹ They looked at each other and smiled. ¡¸Ellin: Of course!¡¹ Feels good to have friends.
I warned Corgas and Elaida about my imminent departure, then I started making preparations. Armor and basic equipment would be given on site. I''ll take along my silver cube so I can do further development. I asked Gregoris if he had any useful knowledge that could help me with the military life, he did. He showed me a few books about general knowledge, medicinal herbs, camp safety. I transcribed what I could, along with some of my notes, into the cube thanks to the simple text editor I had coded. Texts take very little space. I planned to develop a searchable database system during the spare time outside the training. After several hours of transcribing notes, evening came. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. It was time to say goodbye. Ellin, Grastel, and Namrick invited me out for a celebration. We went to an upper district restaurant. I have to admit, the food wasn''t bad. Still, it was a far cry from the quality and flavors of my world. We had just finished eating and our bellies were stuffed. We remained sitting at the table while chatting about stuff. ¡¸Namrick: I''m sure you''ll learn some useful tricks during your training.¡¹ Namrick encouraged me. Yeah, I''ll learn how fun is to be shouted at. ¡¸Grastel: Yeah, you also said they''d impart the magical training as well. That''s usually reserved to noble mages who joins the military and very few others. You should be thankful.¡¹ Grastel nodded in self-satisfaction as if he had imparted me with some kind of mystical knowledge. ¡¸Ellin: I''m sure you''ll do fine. You''ve gotten this far, after all.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: If you say so.¡¹ I said without much enthusiasm. Seeing the archmages at work had made me realize just how steep the road to the top is. I took out my silver cube. ¡¸Grastel: Ohhh... it''s Allen mistery''s box! What''s new in it?¡¹ Grastel crossed his arms and pushed forward to peek. ¡¸Allen: Not much yet, but I''ve stored a bunch of notes inside, so I can access them without having to lug around dozens of books and papers.¡¹ Ellin gave it a curious stare. ¡¸Ellin: Huh... can I see it?¡¹ I explained to her how to try it. ¡¸Ellin: I didn''t know you could store all that inside!¡¹ She stared open-mouthed. ¡¸Allen: It''s not really anything special.¡¹ Text is just a sequence of bits, after all. ¡¸Ellin: I''ve never heard of anything like that. I know there are some magic devices that can store messages, but they''re very limited. And you''re using common silver.¡¹ I shook my shoulders. Common silver has indeed a low magic potential, if I had better I could try more interesting things. But this is good enough for a rookie like me. ¡¸Allen: I guess they save the data in an inefficient way. There are tricks and algorithms to compress various kinds of information.¡¹ My extensive IT knowledge was not just for show. The praises added a trace of smugness to my smile. She gave me a puzzled look. ¡¸Ellin: You always pull strange words when talking about these things. I wonder if you''re not just making them up to look cool and wise.¡¹ She pouted a little, misplaced suspicion on her face. I shook my head. ¡¸Allen: No, I''ve been studying these things for half my life. It''s also one of the reasons I got suckered into this deal.¡¹ Violet had expressed interest. It was time someone recognized my genius. ¡¸Ellin: An all-expenses-covered tuition at the academy. People would kill for such privilege.¡¹ She reclined back on her chair and patted her full stomach. ¡¸Allen: Hehhh, everything comes at a price, though. I just hope it won''t be too high.¡¹ I said with dread. ¡¸Namrick: Allen... you really love to complain.¡¹ Namrick interjected. ¡¸Allen: Of course I love to complain! The only man that doesn''t complain is a dead man. And I''m not dead yet.¡¹ I put my hand to my chest. I was convinced of the truth of my words. ¡¸Grastel: Haha, I''ll write that down.¡¹ Grastel laughed. Ellin grinned as well. I scowled at them. ¡¸Namrick: Come on, Allen. It''s just training, nothing is going to happen.¡¹ He slapped my arm. Dude, stop raising death flags! I screamed internally.
Once we had digested enough we could move, we stood up. ¡¸Grastel: Well, man. What can we say... we''ll miss your food!¡¹ Namrick nodded in agreement. ¡¸Ellin: Be careful and don''t get yourself killed!¡¹ I took the opportunity to perform a group hug. ¡¸Allen: You too, kids. Don''t get yourselves killed.¡¹ We walked back to the inn and I entered my room. I looked at the night sky outside the window. Tomorrow I''d have to join the group of recruits and leave towards the training grounds. Well, I did all I could. Let''s call it a day. I tucked myself in bed but the anxiety kept me awake for a couple of hours. I dreamed of Erne''s farm, I could hear their voices, but there wasn''t anyone there. Chapter 23: Military training And so it happened. I joined the recruits just outside the city gates. Everyone looked tense. I guess getting military training in time of war can lead to tenseness. You never know if you''ll get mowed down by a surprise attack or something. Am I going to get myself killed? Our names were called out loud and we were split into different groups. Soon after, an instructor stopped by and addressed our group. ¡¸???: I am drill sergeant Malkohm. From here on I''ll be teaching the basics of military life to your sorry asses. You won''t eat, piss or sleep unless I say so!¡¹ He kept verbally abusing us for some time with the usual blabber about authority and chains of command. My brain turned off just like in the work meetings. ¡¸Malkohm: Very well, You got all that?!¡¹ ¡¸¡¸Yes, sir!¡¹¡¹ I parroted in unison. The drill sergeant jumped on his horse. ¡¸Malkohm: Let''s get on with it, follow me. On foot, it''s good for your temper. MOVE ON!¡¹ We started walking. After three hours my feet were hurting. I knew this was a mistake ¡¸Malkohm: All right! First stop. Time to work those upper muscles, start doing push-ups!¡¹ I groaned. Everyone jumped down and started doing push-ups,myself included. Other groups weren''t far from us and were getting pretty much the same treatment. We kept going until our muscles gave out. Well, I actually pretended to give out. I could''ve kept going with mana fueled endurance but I didn''t want to look like a try-hard. We resumed the march and kept going until noon when we reached a military camp located on a clearing. It was surrounded by palisades, full of oiled brown-green tents and bustling soldiers. The drill sergeant turned sharply giving us a scowl. ¡¸Malkohm: At ease! Very well. We''ll be now distributing your gear.¡¹ He said, then shouted orders to a bunch of soldiers in the proximity who quickly sprang into action. I waited for my turn. ¡¸Allen Smith¡¹ I stepped forward and received my equipment, a steel chainmail armor set, a backpack with basic supplies, a serrated knife, and a spear. I fastened the armor over my clothes and grabbed the equipment. Okay, I''m good. Once we were all geared up, we had lunch, which consisted of a distasteful gruel. But I was hungry so I gulped it down anyway. We got the chance to rest a little until the drill sergeant showed himself again. ¡¸Malkohm: Recruits!¡¹ He shouted at us. ¡¸¡¸Yes, sir!¡¹¡¹ ¡¸Malkohm: We''ll be now moving to the appointed training ground. If you need to shit and piss this is the moment because we''ll be marching until dusk.¡¹ My feet and legs gave a silent cry of despair.
At the end of the journey I was aching from muscles I didn''t even know I had. *Why didn''t I run away, I could''ve hidden in the mountains or something or traveled by sea far away.* To make matters worse... ¡¸Malkohm: What? Did you think you''d get food served to you?! Hahahahah, what a shame. Pick up your spears and go hunting!¡¹ Groans filled the air. ¡¸Malkohm: WHAT''S THAT, RECRUITS?!¡¹ The drill sergeant made a disgusted face as if he were staring at maggots. ¡¸¡¸YES, SIR!¡¹¡¹ Fuck, I had never used a spear, my aim was shit. Thankfully I paired with a group of more competent men. Men... they were younger than me. I''d say between 18 to 25 years. I wasn''t completely useless, though. I helped in driving a four-tusked boar toward them, so they could take the kill. I managed not to get impaled by the tusks, so I counted it as a great success. I also took the chance to see which herbs were available in the area and, thanks to the notes in my silver cube, I found something akin to spinach and something that looked and smelled like rosemary, so I''ll just call it rosemary. I used my burn magic to light up our campfire. My squadmates stared in wonder. Thank you, utility spells. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.While the guys cut away the fur, I took over the cooking appliances. Given the average cooking skills in this world, I couldn''t trust anyone else to cook things right. The taste of the gruel from before was enough reason to put me at work. The meat turned out alright. Seasoning and sauce had covered the gamey taste and I had proudly cooked it to a perfect medium-rare. My comrades weren''t complaining so I took they liked it. I had been expecting to be showered by praises, but apparently, everyone was so starved they only thought about stuffing their own mouths full. Right after that, drill sergeant Malkohm had us dig trenches and build up the camp. Once that was done, we were exhausted. I found a spot, unfurled my bedroll and lost consciousness the moment I closed my eyes. I was roused awake in the middle of the night, apparently, it was my round of standing guard. I grumbled and cursed but got out walking along the perimeter, among the other poor fellows who had been woken for their turn. As I paced in circles, I started humming my litany of curses. Nothing soothes the spirit like a good combination of swear words. I just hoped the Creator wasn''t listening. So far I haven''t had time to fiddle with my makeshift computer. I can only do some of the mana exercises while doing repetitive tasks. I''ll need some leisure time to be able to get something done. How bothersome. I finished my rounds and roused the next in line. The bedroll welcomed me in its rough embrace.
The days passed and we got our daily dose of suffering and exercise. After the first three days, the muscles stopped hurting. The drill sergeant verbally abused me for my poor aim and lack of fighting finesse. Fuck him. We''ll see who badmouths who when I become a walking magic death machine. Mana infused strength didn''t help me much. Mana burns too fast. I kept it for the final stretches so I wouldn''t end up too tired at the end of the physical exercises. And we did lots of it. I learned the basic of spear fighting, some unarmed combat. Then a bunch of soldiers came bringing different kinds of weapons for extended training. I chose the mace, but in the end, they forced me to practice with all of them. Recruit units were reshuffled every once a while, so I never stuck with the same people for long. In the whole group, there were only nine people who had received magical training, including me. All of them were from rich families, except one who had done some adventuring but gave up due to some circumstances and decided to join the military. The drill sergeant didn''t seem to know magic, I wondered who would be the one to train us in that regard.
¡¸Recruit: Allen! Drill sergeant Malkohm is calling us for a practical fight!¡¹ One of the guys from my group, whose name I couldn''t remember, came bearing bad news. How exciting. My thoughts were full of sarcasm. I sighed. ¡¸Allen: Coming.¡¹ I put away the silver cube in my pouch and rose up. I followed the recruit and we reached the area where Malkohm was shouting from. ¡¸Malkohm: We found a godforsaken area crawling with verklings!¡¹ He raised a finger. ¡¸Malkohm: I want you to make use of what you learned and cleanse that scum from our lands, GOT THAT CLEAR?!¡¹ ¡¸¡¸Yes, sir!¡¹¡¹ ¡¸Malkohm: Don''t you dare lose your life to such lowly creatures! I don''t want to explain to your parents or relatives what a fucking embarrassment you were! AM I CLEAR?!¡¹ ¡¸Recruits: YES, SIR!¡¹ Malkohm started pacing back and forth. ¡¸Malkohm: Remember to keep formation, and protect your flanks, shield your comrades! SOLDIERS FIGHT AS ONE!¡¹ ¡¸Recruits: YES, SIR!¡¹ C''mon get on with it, let''s go already. For fuck''s sake. ¡¸Malkohm: And for the love of the blessed one, guard your rear!¡¹ ¡¸Recruits: YES, SIR!¡¹ Finally, we started marching. I looked at the sky and wondered what my young friends were doing back at Valarest. Chapter 24: The trios resolve And so Allen had left. We had escorted him through the city gates where he joined the other recruits. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking since he kept his stone-face all the way. We were walking back to the inn, I had to prepare myself to attend the magic lessons. "Ahhh... who''s going to cook for us now?" Grastel sighed. "Well, there''s pizza!" Namrick grinned while slapping Grastel''s shoulder. "Oww!" he stumbled forward. "Are you trying to break my shoulder?! You dumb musclehead!" Grastel flaunted his arms harmlessly at Namrick. "We can''t eat only pizza, though!" I said with a note of dejection in my voice. Allen was a little weird, but he was a great cook! My thoughts filled with memories of ravioli. No ravioli for a whole month! I didn''t know if I could endure it, I felt my mouth turning into a pout. Now I can''t help but notice how bland is the food we usually eat, even the superior delicacies I tasted at home or during those noble parties, struggle to match the taste of Allen''s cuisine. I wonder why that is. Next time, I''ll have to ask him to teach me the recipe. I resolved myself. "So... are you going to try again, Nam?" Grastel asked Namrick, who smiled in return. "Of course! I''m sure he will recognize my dedication," he said with confidence. "Really, how many times have you failed now? Can''t you find someone else less demanding?" Grastel asked. "No, it has to be him," he said stubbornly. When Namrick gets stubborn about something there''s no way to move him. "Fine, whatever." Grastel shook his head admitting defeat. We weren''t far from the inn. I glanced at Namrick. "But didn''t he say he wasn''t taking in new disciples?" I asked him. Namrick was still at it on his quest to get accepted by the former Royal Sword. A man renowned for his strength, lethality... and incredible stubbornness. I can see why Namrick would get fixated on him. They were just on the same wavelength. "What he says doesn''t matter. I can feel he''s just waiting for the right person. I just need to push my efforts!" he slapped his chest taking a deep breath. Well, as long as he''s happy. "Well then, I''ll pray for your success!" I said with an encouraging smile. Namrick grinned in response. "Oi! You shouldn''t fuel his delusions!" Grastel interjected with a scowl. He received another heavy shoulder slap. "Ack!" he distanced himself massaging his brutalized shoulder. I burst out laughing. Then we walked in silence for some time enjoying the morning breeze. The inn finally came into view, we stopped just in front of it. "Do you think Allen is going to make it through the training?" Grastel wondered out loud. "I mean, he''s gotten a little better since we first met him, but..." "I''m sure he''ll pull through," Namrick scratched his chin. "Remember how he jumped at that verkling without hesitation?" "Yes... but I also remember how badly he was shaking after the battle. I knew he had no combat experience," He smirked. "Sometimes I get the impression he''s treating it all like a game," Namrick mused. "But that''s not entirely fair, is it?" I spoke in Allen''s defense. "Sure, we had to cover for him the first two times, but..." I remembered how sour our luck turned during the fight with the trolls. "When it really mattered he pulled through. I think anyone else would have run away in that situation." I shivered remembering the pain. I had been hurt... very badly. I couldn''t breathe or feel my legs. I had completely fallen into despair. I thought that was it. Namrick and Grastel looked away unsmiling. It was still a fresh wound. "To think he would take down the second troll all by himself..." Namrick was still in disbelief, even though I had told him dozens of times. "He didn''t even hesitate. I saw it just before passing out. He... jumped on the club, grabbed its throat and began swinging his mace. I thought I was hallucinating." Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. The next thing I knew he was slapping my face, shouting at me with an empty vial in his hand. Pointing at the unconscious bleeding figures of Namrick and Grastel. I hurt all over, but I crawled to help them. Just in time. "If he hadn''t been there..." My eyes turned a little wet. Allen had earned my trust that day. Grastel slapped his thigh. "Come on! We already had this conversation! This is why we''re training hard." A trace of irritation was showing in his face. Namrick nodded. "Right!" "Anyway, Allen screams too much during fights when he''s angry. And I have no idea what he says, it''s just foreign words." Grastel raised his arms and shrugged. "He is... enthusiastic, isn''t he?" Namrick smiled. But I didn''t feel like smiling. "You haven''t seen him when he''s really angry," I recalled it vividly. I had performed first aid on my two wounded friends, but I needed help. So I turned around and walked towards Allen. He was there... swinging his mace rhythmically. He was covered in blood, sickly wet sounds accompanying each swing. It felt like a bad dream. I could feel my heart pounding harder on my chest. I was almost afraid. No, for some reason I couldn''t feel fear. Hesitant was the better word. I touched his shoulder and he slowly turned his head to stare at me. "His face was completely expressionless, his eyes were like gazing into an abyss." The memory still makes me shiver. "It must have been battle shock. You never know how you''re going to react when brushing with death." "You must be right," I said. Namrick had already had some experience traveling with other adventurers before we crossed paths. "Or you know... he kept stone-facing so much that it became a second nature," Grastel smirked. He was trying to brighten up the atmosphere. "But let''s not forget... despite how great his achievements are, there''s one thing he will never improve." He smirked. "Storytelling. He can''t tell a tale for skraggs." He shook his head. Namrick grinned and looked at me. "Well, Grastel is right. Allen just can''t tell stories. He glosses over all the details." "And he conveniently forgets all the embarrassing parts," I admitted with a smile creeping into the corner of my lips. "So I met a dude, he looked strong. Yeah? What did he look like? What was his name?! And..." Grastel motioned his hands as if he was revealing something feigning surprise. "Behold my silver box of wonders!!!" Grastel exclaimed making an imitation of Allen''s voice. I started giggling without stop.
I''m glad I met such good companions. My father had always advised me not to trust others too much, but I feel like I don''t need to guard myself against Namrick and Grastel. We saved each other so many times, I know I can trust them. Allen too. Someone who would walk into the fire to save a little girl can''t be a bad man. I''ll need to check on Lena as I promised. I took my pouch with the papers. Okay, time to attend the classes. I hadn''t been idling all this time. I needed magic to better assist my friends, just healing and shielding wasn''t enough. I had set my eyes on Confusion magic and Presence Detection. I also took Temperature Manipulation since it was not demanding and fit easily into the schedule. Seeing Allen always working hard every day to practice magic had spurred me into renewing my efforts. I will do it! I took a deep breath and walked out of the inn. Namrick was just outside staring at the sky. He glanced at me. "This time I''ll make it. You''ll see." He smiled. I grinned. "Do your best!" I raised a fist. "I will!" Namrick nodded and walked the other way while waving his hand. Grastel had already left to get his own training. Everyone was doing their best. I set off to the Academy in high spirits. Chapter 25: Military training 2 I stood at the vanguard as we moved toward the intended location. We tried to be discreet, but a squad of 50 people dressed in chainmail can only be so much quiet. A dozen of recruits stood at the back as reserves and to protect us from rear attacks. Everyone had chosen their favorite weapons. I obviously picked the mace, it had never betrayed me so far. Except for the archers, we all had a shield in our left hand. We marched keeping formation as the sergeant had instructed us. After a while, we started hearing screeches up ahead and put our guard up. I just need to not die. My mind was full of optimism. ¡¸Soldier: Everyone, stand ready and keep advancing!¡¹ A soldier had been tasked to lead us recruits so we wouldn''t embarrass ourselves and the whole military. ¡¸Soldier: There they are! ARCHERS!¡¹ The soldier shouted as he glanced back. The six archers we had, readied their arrows waiting for a clear sight. The verklings came into view, running fast. ¡¸Soldier: FIRE!¡¹ The archers released their arrows. On the first volley, only two arrows hit the mark. The second volley was more fruitful. But at that moment they had gotten close enough that we had to engage in close combat. ¡¸Soldier: ENGAGE! STICK TOGETHER!¡¹ Alright! I moved along with the unit. We closed our gaps and brought up our shield to slam them on the charging verklings. As I recalled, verklings could hit pretty hard so I infused some mana for good measure. The one that hit my shield found itself pushed back and stunned. I took the opportunity to turn its skull into porridge. One down. Well done, Allen. I smiled and gave myself a mental pat. The rich kid on my right had been less successful and had been knocked half a meter back. He was panicking and not being very productive. What a noob. I gave a back-swing at the verkling skull, not enough to kill, but enough it sent it sprawling dazed against his shield. The rich kid was wasting the opportunity being indecisive. ¡¸Allen: USE THAT DAMN SPEAR!¡¹ I gently encouraged the recruit. He got his shit together and started spearing the stunned monster. He screamed like a bitch, though. I guess it was his first time killing a monster. I looked ahead. The creatures were pouring from the trees. I caught a movement from above, right in time to see one about to jump over us. ¡¸Allen: ABOVE!¡¹ An archer saw it in time to shot at it. The arrow connected but the creature fell on one of the vanguard recruits sending others sprawling about. ¡¸Soldier: COVER THE GAP!¡¹ The other recruits swarmed to close the gap. One of the reserves speared the monster a few times while the downed recruit regained his feet. Whew, we''re having so much fun. I thought through gritted teeth. More verklings slammed into our shields and I kept smashing skulls. I could be home chilling but here I am, tricked by a pair of tits. It was a good pair of tits, though. I couldn''t blame Violet for my weaknesses. ¡¸Rearguard: THEY''RE COMING FROM BEHIND!¡¹ ¡¸Soldier: CIRCLE FORMATION!¡¹ We obeyed. A group of four verklings decided to focus on me. Oh boy, here we go. Why me?! ¡¸Allen: FUCK!¡¹ Screw it. I rushed forward a few steps to balance the impact on the shield. CLANG! Wasted effort. I was sent flying back with one of them clinging on the shield. As I was falling back I tilted the shield to the left to push it away, while I swung my mace forward hitting the other one on the neck. I hit the ground. I released my hold on the shield and rolled back regaining my feet. The third verkling was onto me but a reserve unit speared it from the side. ¡¸Allen: Thanks!¡¹ I thanked the man keeping my eyes on my prey. I finished the verkling with my signature skull crush using both hands, then I took a deep breath. The other recruits were finishing off the other two goblins who had breached the formation. I was panting hard, I retired within the circle to recover from the excitement. All this swinging, running and jumping had taken a toll on my stamina. I heard a rustling from above, another fucking jumper! I didn''t even have time to shout a warning as a yellow-grey skinned dipshit fell upon an archer, ready to claw his eyes out. Before that happened, I jumped at it and grabbed its head with both hands, casting freeze. Then I hit hard with my knee breaking it into pieces. The archer screamed like a girl. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡¸Allen: Can I get a fucking breather?!¡¹ I said to no one in particular. If Vallachio were here, I''m sure he would have been proud of me. I swear I could almost hear his "Hohoho" mixed with the ruckus. I turned again to the front lines to assess the situation. The monsters were retreating. ¡¸Soldier: They''re running away! Archers!¡¹ The archers loosened a volley hitting a few. ¡¸Soldier: PURSUE! WING FORMATION! RESERVES WATCH REAR FLANK!¡¹ I just wanted to catch my breath, but I guess I won''t. I picked up my shield and mace and followed. While mentally swearing in seven different languages. We managed to get half a dozen, but the others were already far away. We finally stood still long enough to catch our breath. ¡¸Soldier: Let''s track them down, there must be a nest nearby.¡¹ The commanding soldier took to the front, following the tracks back to a cave. ¡¸Soldier: Alright, stop here. Is there anyone who can cast fire magic?¡¹ I raised my hand along two other recruits. ¡¸Soldier: Excellent save up your mana... you guys on the rear, go cut down branches and bring here whatever wood you can find. Work in pairs, QUICK!¡¹ The recruits obliged and in around fifteen minutes or so brought back a good amount of wooden sticks, branches and a few logs by those who were equipped with axes. ¡¸Soldier: Good! Let''s smoke out these gray skinned fuckers, bring the wood... you three follow me!¡¹ The recruits under the soldier''s command set up the wood scraps and dried foliage into a woodpile. Then when the command came, we three who knew fire magic turned it into a blazing inferno. We waited at the entrance for some time, killing those few monsters who tried to escape the smoke. Eventually, they stopped coming. It was done. ¡¸Soldier: Enough! Fall back, let''s head back to the camp... well done, recruits.¡¹ There was a general cheer. I only grunted.
As we were heading back one of the recruits approached me. ¡¸Recruit: I saw how you crushed their skulls! You said your name was Allen... are you perhaps... Allen Skullcrusher?!¡¹ I froze. Not even here am I safe from that stupid nickname?! ¡¸Allen: JUST-¡¹ I began retorting, but I was interrupted. ¡¸Recruit2: Allen Skullcrusher! The one who smashed the frozen demon''s head?!¡¹ ¡¸Allen: LET ME FUCKIN-¡¹ Make it stop! Make them stop! ¡¸Recruit3: I heard you smashed a troll head so hard it stopped regenerating, IS IT TRUE?!¡¹ Another was trying to join in but at that point, I had lost it. I let out an incoherent growl of frustration. I covered my ears ignoring everyone and escaped toward the soldier, whose aura of command scared off the recruits hounding me. Good. Free again. The soldier looked at me with a scowl then at the others. ¡¸Soldier: Stop playing around... OR I''M INCREASING THE PACE!¡¹ No one wanted to increase the pace. Soon after we returned to camp. The drill sergeant was eager to know how we had performed. The soldier who had accompanied us obliged, relaying his report. Malkohm scratched his rugged face. ¡¸Malkohm: I''ll be damned we didn''t lose even one? Perhaps there''s hope for you, recruits!¡¹ He burst in a booming laugh. ¡¸Malkohm: Fine then, you can take a rest for the evening. But don''t forget to go hunt your dinner!¡¹ He waved off in dismissal. I spent my leisure time upgrading my silver cube, I finally completed the search database system, so now I could search through my notes more efficiently. Not as good as the internet, but it''s a step forward. ¡¸Recruit: What are you doing with that silver box?¡¹ I grated my teeth. It''s not even a box! It''s a cube! A FUCKING CUBE! Can''t you see it?! ¡¸Allen: Magic!¡¹ I replied with irritation leaking into my voice. The poor sod stepped back, taken aback. I ain''t gonna explain shit, scrub. ¡¸Recruit: ... okay.¡¹ He raised his hands apologetically and walked away. I guess I wasn''t in my best mood. And those damned Skullcrusher gossipers! Everyone harasses me to get my tales and then complains I can''t tell them. Well, excuse me if I have been given the gift of brevity. I grumbled to myself. I packed up and teamed up with random people so we could hunt for our dinner. Chapter 26: A brief respite After a grueling month, the first part of my training was complete. I even learned how to ride a horse. More or less. We returned to the first camp and consigned back our equipment in exchange for a more casual military clothing. We would take a leave for a few days before the next assignment. For those of us who had had prior magic training, the drill sergeant ordered to report at the Arcane Academy first thing first, to receive further instructions. We walked back home with the other recruits. This time when I got back I wasn''t aching all over. Actually, I was pretty fit thanks to all the exercise. I went straight to the Academy even though I wanted to greet my friends, but orders are orders. I guess. The other mages waiting for the magical military training were there as well. The soldiers noticed our uniforms and as we stated our orders, one of them went inside to warn his superiors of our arrival. So, magic training. I can safely assume it''s going to be much less physical. I sighed in relief at the thought. I felt a smile creep across my lips. After a few minutes, we heard a booming laugh coming from the entrance. No, it can''t be. We turned towards the source. Vallachio. My smile died in an instant. ¡¸Vallachio: I see! The magic able recruits have come to receive the advanced military training! Very well!¡¹ He noticed me. ¡¸Vallachio: And I see one of my humble students among them. Most excellent! Hahaha!¡¹ No. No no no. The others stole glances at me. I stare blankly into space. The equation of Vallachio plus training was not looking so good. I thought that after all the abuse, the bad smells, and the suffering, the magic part would be a cakewalk. I was no longer so sure. No, I felt an overwhelming sense of dread looming over me. Well, shit.
So I had three days before I would leave again for an endurance, brutal, military magic training with Vallachio Restgart. Just kill me now and spare me the suffering. Please. Since it was closer, I stopped first at the inn where Elaida was staying. Today was the equivalent of a Sunday, so I expected to find her there. I knocked at her door and she opened. ¡¸Elaida: Allen! Long time no see. Are you staying?¡¹ She smiled, inviting me inside. ¡¸Allen: Only for three days, then I''ll have to resume the training.¡¹ I said shaking my head. Lena was there too. She peeked from the other room. ¡¸Lena: Uncle Allen!¡¹ She started running. ¡¸Allen: But, I''m not your uncl-¡¹ I was too slow to avoid the hug. she barely reached my waist. What do I do? What do I do?! I''m no good with kids. I glanced at Elaida but she was grinning. Useless. I thought about what options I had to entertain a little kid. Biceps. With the armor, the shield and the weapons my muscles had been forced to keep up. ¡¸Allen: Look, I''ve leveled up my biceps.¡¹ I showed off my new improved biceps and she hung on them giggling while I lifted her from the floor. ¡¸Lena: Teheeh!¡¹ I swung her slowly around for a while. Okay, kid entertained. Mission accomplished. I looked at Elaida again for help. I really didn''t feel like lugging the girl around on my biceps any longer than necessary. She rolled her eyes. ¡¸Elaida: Come on Lena! Let Allen go and do your exercises.¡¹ ¡¸Lena: Nuuh.¡¹ Lena pouted and looked at Elaida with imploring eyes. ¡¸Elaida: If you''re good maybe Allen will tell you one of his stories.¡¹ ¡¸Lena: Yay!¡¹ She let herself fall back to the ground and scampered to the other room. I looked at Elaida. ¡¸Allen: But my stories are full of bad stuff...¡¹ I complained. ¡¸Elaida: Well, Ellin told me about that time you-¡¹ She forced me to remember something I had worked hard to forget. ¡¸Elaida: ... I think it''s was a funny story!¡¹ ¡¸Allen: That never happened... I''ll have to forget it again.¡¹ I pretended to scowl. Damn it, Ellin. Keep your mouth shut! We moved to a more serious conversation. Elaida told me the girl was still crying at night calling out to her dead parents. Poor girl. But she was doing well with the teaching lessons and was making friends among the other children. I said goodbye, reminding them I would be around only for a few days and I set off to search for the trio. I found them at the Adventurer''s Guild. They were sitting at a table chatting among themselves. I waved at them making my triumphal temporary return. ¡¸Allen: Heya guys!¡¹ I said loudly to catch their attention. ¡¸Ellin: Allen!¡¹ They turned around to greet me. ¡¸Namrick: You look stronger.¡¹ Namrick slapped my shoulder. ¡¸Grastel: Have you been working out?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Military training.¡¹ I said making my best impression of a bodybuilder pose. That got them laughing. I sat down on the free chair. ¡¸Allen: Well, it''s not over... I''ll have to leave in three days for the magical part of the training.¡¹ I said regretfully. ¡¸Ellin: Eh, so soon?¡¹ She looked disappointed. ¡¸Allen: And guess who''ll be the instructor. A hint, he''s muscled and laughs a lot.¡¹ I pressed my lips in a thin line. ¡¸Grastel: Vallachio Restgart!¡¹ Grastel said with his usual smirk. I nodded. ¡¸Namrick: To be trained by one of the archmages himself, it must be an honor.¡¹ As usual, Namrick spoke without knowing what things entailed. ¡¸Allen: I don''t doubt his strength but... he... his ways... you know...¡¹ The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. I didn''t know how to put my thoughts into words. I imagined for a second how he could waltz into the battlefield dismembering the foe barehanded. All that while keeping that smile stamped on his face. And that outrageous red mustache. Yep, he''s pretty scary. A Vallachio unrestrained from the safety standards of the Academy. What could go wrong? Yeah... a lot. I quickly shook my head to banish the dark thoughts. ¡¸Allen: Well, enough about me. What have you all been doing in the meanwhile?¡¹ I asked, shifting the topic on less grim topics. Namrick was the first to speak. ¡¸Namrick: I''ve been practicing my swordsmanship with the previous Royal Sword, Fredrick Val Bernonte. He agreed to mentor me, but it wasn''t easy to convince him.¡¹ Namrick looked proud of his achievement. But I wasn''t sure what the heck a Royal Sword was supposed to be. Some dude that swings a sword and looks cool? I didn''t know what level of "oh woah" I was meant to show here, so I played it safe. ¡¸Allen: Cool. So you''ve been learning all kinds of things, I see.¡¹ I bluffed a knowing smile. He would tell me soon enough anyway. As expected, Namrick started telling all of it, from the rumors surrounding the guy to the inane quests the old geezer gave him. I bet the old dude was pulling his leg just to see how far Namrick would go. Heh. Well done Fredrick, gotta show these brats who''s boss. Then the attention shifted to Grastel. He shrugged. ¡¸Grastel: What can I say, I''ve practiced with my bow and learned a fighting style with daggers for close combat situations... and ranged if I throw them.¡¹ He turned to Ellin. ¡¸Ellin: As for myself... I was attending a course at the Academy but last week they closed it off even for the students.¡¹ She let out a sigh and tapped her fingers on the table. ¡¸Ellin: I''ll have to wait until next week for the next session. All I can do at the moment is practice. I''ve learned a skill to sense danger but I also worked on spells to confuse the foes and defend myself.¡¹ Ellin nodded with a look of determination. Detection and debuffing. Sounds good. ¡¸Allen: You''ve all kept busy, that''s good.¡¹ I praised them and reclined myself in the chair. ¡¸Allen: You''ll see, next time we go on an adventure together, we''re going to make minced meat out of our enemy.¡¹ I waved my hand in a swiping motion to illustrate my point. ¡¸Grastel: For sure!¡¹ Grastel slammed a fist on the table. ¡¸Grastel: They won''t stand a chance!¡¹ ¡¸Namrick: Speaking of which...¡¹ Namrick gazed at me with his "I have a job for you" look. Oh shit... come on man. I''m on leave, let me rest. ¡¸Namrick: ...we do have a job. You might even like it.¡¹ He grinned. No, no. No. I just want to relax guys. Come on. I slumped on the chair, a little, while I stared at the guys. Grastel crossed his arms, a wicked smile painted on his face. ¡¸Grastel: Yes, we''ll be escorting a noble to a hot spring half a day from here, by horse.¡¹ ¡¸Ellin: Come with us! It''s going to be like a vacation!¡¹ Like a vacation, I''ll believe it when I see it. But... Hot springs. Hmmm. Well, it doesn''t hurt to try. Does it? I imagined myself relaxing in the lukewarm waters of a hot spring... ¡¸Allen: Fine, I''ll come!¡¹ I gave in. It might even be relaxing. ¡¸Allen Skullcrusher!¡¹ I grimaced. Oh no, here they come, the spreaders of gossip. ¡¸Did you really knee a verkling head to pieces?!¡¹ Shit. News sure travel fast, I''ve just barely set foot in the city. How did they even hear about it? Give me a fucking break! Namrick and Grastel stared at me with a smirk. ¡¸Grastel: Oh-ho, there''s a story to be told here!¡¹ His smirk turned even more aggravating. ¡¸Allen: Damn it.¡¹ I lowered my head in defeat. I had to tell the story, along with the whole military training experience.
Finally, I walked back to my restaurant. I wanted to enjoy a pizza. After a month of gruel, roasted four-tusked boars and random salvaged edible plants I deserved that much. I waved at Corgas. ¡¸Corgas: Allen! How was the training.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Hard.¡¹ ¡¸Corgas: I too used to work in the military back in the days. Fighting brigand, hunting for game and the occasion monsters.¡¹ Corgas assumed a distant look, obviously remembering the *olden days*. ¡¸Corgas: It was thanks to that I earned enough money to open my own restaurant. Then we met each other.¡¹ He slapped my shoulder and smiled. ¡¸Allen: Did you ever fight in a war?¡¹ I asked him. ¡¸Corgas: No, it was rather peaceful during my time of service. There had been a couple of small-scale conflicts, but mostly we would patrol the roads and fight off bandits.¡¹ He clapped his hands. ¡¸Corgas: Ah! Elaida has invented a new pizza flavor. Would you like to try it out?¡¹ A new flavor? ¡¸Allen: Really? What does it have on it?¡¹ He told me the names of unknown ingredients. ¡¸Allen: Huh, sure let me try it.¡¹ I was a little curious. I got my pizza ten minutes later. My mouth watered at the smell. I took a bite. The taste was good! Corgas can only copy like a monkey when it comes to food. He''s terrible at coming up with new ideas, I guess it was a good idea to bring in Elaida. Some creativity in the cooking always helps. I gave the thumbs up to Corgas, who smiled in return and I continued eating my meal. I got to the inn, my old room was available so I booked it for three days. Perhaps I should think to buy a house for myself. But then I''d have to do the cleaning myself, no more ready breakfast. Ughh. I''ll just stick to inns for the meanwhile. It''s not like they cost much anyway. I just lazed around until the next day. Chapter 27: Hot springs I woke up early. This time it was me knocking at the trio''s door. Hot springs, wait for me. Knock-knock-knockin'' on heaven''s door. I hummed, in good spirits. I wonder if there''s a way to extract audio from my memories. I put that thought on the to-do list. We got our breakfast and we set off to meet our client. We entered the noble district following Ellin who was leading the way. Finally, we arrived at the designated meeting place. I arched an eyebrow. The client was a kid, same age as the trio. I was expecting someone older. This isn''t a joke assignment is it? I looked around, but there wasn''t anyone else except us. ¡¸Ellin: Edward! Here we are!¡¹ Ellin waved cheerily at the boy. ¡¸Edward: Hi Ellin! Are you and your friends ready?¡¹ He glanced at me. ¡¸Edward: Oh, we haven''t met yet. My name is Edward Val Ferdias.¡¹ He extended his hand. I shook it. ¡¸Allen: My pleasure, I''m Allen.¡¹ ¡¸Grastel: Allen Skullcrusher, the unbreakab- ow!¡¹ I punched Grastel on his sides to shut him up. ¡¸Edward: Really?! I''ve heard tales about your deeds!¡¹ Oh no. He''s one of them. My right brow twitched. After the introductions, everyone went to fetch their horses who were waiting in a nearby stall. I rented one myself and joined the others on their mounts. ¡¸Namrick: You learned to ride?¡¹ He asked with faked surprise. ¡¸Allen: I can manage.¡¹ I said gritting my teeth. I can suggest a horse a general direction to follow. Then I have to pray. Worst case scenario, I subdue the creature with a choke hold and drag it back on track. I''m a goddamn magician. I dared it to defy me. We set off along the road to the hot springs.
¡¸Edward: You guys are amazing! You even killed two trolls! I wish I could join in your adventures.¡¹ The trio''s smile faltered. ¡¸Allen: I think you''re grossly overestimating the amount of fun involved...¡¹ I interjected. ¡¸Edward: I''d like to become a great hero and spread the tales of my deeds long and far.¡¹ He was too damn optimistic. ¡¸Allen: Isn''t it funny how almost all the heroes never live long enough to enjoy retirement?¡¹ I laid out the harsh truth. ¡¸Edward: I want to fight the bad guys!¡¹ It was like he wasn''t listening. It''s just like talking to my ex-boss. ¡¸Allen: Morality is relative.¡¹ I said flatly. Edward looked grumpily at me. ¡¸Edward: You''re no fun, Allen.¡¹ He scowled at me. My lips curled upward. ¡¸Allen: Why I''m just as fun as adventuring!¡¹ I said with an innocent smile. ¡¸Namrick: Edward, Allen is not entirely wrong. There are bright sides once a while, but most of the time it''s... grisly work.¡¹ Namrick butted in. Finally someone acknowledges my words! ¡¸Allen: Foul smells, muscle aches, gore, brushing with death...¡¹ I listed the fantastic and exciting experiences that were the core value of adventuring. ¡¸Grastel: Adventurer''s do it mostly for the payout. For most of us, these jobs are the only way to make connections with the upper classes and find a better life. Also... it''s a job, someone has to do it.¡¹ I nodded, approving the lack of idealistic naiveness. ¡¸Edward: That''s... disappointing.¡¹ Edward looked a little dejected. ¡¸Ellin: Sorry Ed, we do try our best to do good, but with our strength... there''s only so much we can do.¡¹ She said apologetically. I felt like we were shattering his dreams. They were gonna-end-up-dead kind of dreams but I wanted to lift the mood. ¡¸Allen: That said, fighting for your life sure makes you feel alive. A true boon to a corporate drone like me.¡¹ ¡¸Edward: Corpo-what?¡¹ He looked at me in askance. ¡¸Ellin: Ignore him, he keeps using weird words that mean nothing... probably.¡¹ I don''t know why Ellin keeps saying that. Does she think that just because I''m a foreigner I go around spewing inexistent words just to pull people''s legs? Or maybe it''s because I''m refusing to leak their meaning. I had already regretted telling Gregoris about the basic grammar. Fewer people knew about it, the greater the chance to spot other people from my world. Assuming I''m not the only one, that is. But even before that, I probably fucked up from the beginning. I''ve run in a couple of instances where I heard people I never met, humming one of my catchy songs. Mispronounced swear words included. How did that even happen! Now more than ever was the time to be careful. Why did I have to sing the catchy songs? How did they spread? Was Lena the culprit? Did anyone hear me while I was absorbed in my thoughts? I pushed down the negative thoughts and returned to the conversation. ¡¸Allen: Anyway, it''s only thanks to Ellin, Namrick, and Grastel that I''ve survived this long. If I had tried to go adventuring on my own...¡¹ I made a *splotch* sound with my mouth to illustrate my point. ¡¸Ellin: ... it''s not all that bad! We''ve also saved people without efforts. That alone is worth all we got through!¡¹ We did, didn''t we? Everyone nodded in agreement. But if I had to choose between a friend and a thousand random people, I would always choose my friend without hesitation. I''m not some dumb hero that greedily thinks he can save everyone. Besides, from a thousand people, I would expect the basic decency of trying to save themselves. One thing I learned in life is that you can''t help people by doing their job for them. ¡¸Edward: Look there! We have arrived!¡¹ I woke from my thoughts and saw the silhouette of a city in the distance. Edward spurred his horse to a trot and we followed behind. Well, that''s what I wanted to do. Unfortunately, my horse didn''t get the memo and kept walking at a normal pace despite my efforts to explain the importance of going faster. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Grastel looked behind, saw me losing ground and grinned. I scowled back at him. I wish I had a car.
We parked our horses in a stable and paced around the small city. The roads were paved and bustling with activity. Looks like we were in a tourist attraction. There were a lot of stalls selling wares and stuff. I just hoped the hot springs weren''t packed full. ¡¸Edward: I just know the best place, follow me!¡¹ Edward grinned and lead us on. Ten minutes later we reached our destination. We entered the establishment and Edward paid for us too so we could join. The baths were split by sex. We boys entered our side and cleaned up ourselves before entering the lukewarm water. I was a little envious to see that Namrick was way more ripped than me. Well, he''s been training hard and wearing heavy armors since the beginning. At least I had reached Grastel''s level so I had nothing to be ashamed for. I let the warm water embrace me I felt all the bad feelings and the wear from the previous month dissipate. Ohh yesss. ¡¸Grastel: Ahhh, this is the best!¡¹ We all had relaxed expressions, enjoying the bliss. Now this is a vacation. But something was gnawing at me. ¡¸Allen: I still think one of us should stand guard outside. Aren''t we bodyguards?¡¹ I voiced my dissent. ¡¸Edward: It''s fine!¡¹ He made a dismissive gesture. Completely unprofessional. ¡¸Allen: So, you''ve been here before?¡¹ The guys had never told me of this Edward dude. He seemed a friend of Ellin, but aside that I knew little to nothing. ¡¸Edward: Yes, many times with my family. But my father has been telling me that I need to learn how to handle things on my own. So this time I decided to come myself.¡¹ He folded his arms behind his head. ¡¸Namrick: So, how is life for nobility?¡¹ ¡¸Edward: Not as fancy as it sounds. It''s like living in a cage.¡¹ He grimaced. ¡¸Grastel: But you get to eat the best foods!¡¹ Grastel pointed out. ¡¸Edward: Yeah, well... the food loses its appeal after a while. Unless you''re like my uncle who just loves to eat.¡¹ ¡¸Grastel: What about the women? Don''t you get many chances to score, heeh?¡¹ Edward blushed. ¡¸Edward: What are y- I''m not talking about that!¡¹ Grastel laughed mirthfully. ¡¸Allen: Have you studied magic too?¡¹ I tilted my head toward him. I wondered I he was a prodigy like Ellin. Edward looked down, downcast. ¡¸Edward: I did, but... I failed the test for the basic magic and gave up after that.¡¹ Hmm? ¡¸Allen: Really? Why?¡¹ I stared dumbfounded. Why would anyone who had the chance, give up the dream of mastering the arcane arts? ¡¸Edward: Magic... is really not my thing.¡¹ He fidgeted nervously. ¡¸Edward: I''m kinda envious of Ellin... she graduated top of the class and her father even agreed to let her roam free with you guys.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Man... I really had a hard time coming with the money to attend magic classes. If I were you I wouldn''t have given up the opportunity. Magic can be very useful.¡¹ I had been lusting after magic since a was a little toddler. Then I found out there was no magic at all. Informatics was the closest thing. It looked like magic, it was good enough for me. ¡¸Edward: I know! But...¡¹ Namrick cut in. ¡¸Namrick: Allen, stop pestering him, I''m sure he has his reasons.¡¹ Edward kept silent. I''m not pestering anybody. Dumb Namrick. ¡¸Edward: Honestly, magic scares me... back when we were kids, Ellin, my sister and I used to play together.¡¹ He sighed. ¡¸Edward: One day when we were visiting the Arcane Academy with our parents, one of the students who was practicing magic with his friends, cast a magic ice spike and lost control of it... that spike hit my sister. We screamed and cried for help, but when the healer came it was already too late.¡¹ He closed his eyes ¡¸Edward: I think... that''s when Ellin decided to become a healer. I myself think the world would be better without magic¡¹ We remained silent for a while. I didn''t agree about the world being better without magic. Magic or no magic we can kill each other just as easily. But I kept silent. ¡¸Allen: Well, even if you don''t want to learn magic, you could get some military training. Look at me, I''ve just come back from a month of it.¡¹ I showed off my biceps. Edward looked uncertain. ¡¸Allen: Sure, the recruit training was brutal, but we did learn a few useful tricks. Also, we recruits had the chance to experience real combat situations.¡¹ ¡¸Edward: I already get swordsmanship lessons...¡¹ He looked away. ¡¸Allen: Hah... but have you ever killed anything or anyone with your sword?¡¹ I gave him a serious stare. Like in most things, actual practice always trumps theory. Theory only shines as a support to practice. ¡¸Eward: ... no.¡¹ Namrick nodded gravely. ¡¸Namrick: It''s different when your life is on the line.¡¹ I thought back to my first kill with the verklings. I think I didn''t do too bad. I got used rather quickly to the adrenaline, the combat and the act of killing. But then I''m not really a normal man. For starters nothing scares me anymore, it''s not even courage, after a certain age I just stopped feeling fear. At best I can feel anxious when bad things happen or someone I care about is in danger. How I survived until now without one of the basic self-preservation instincts is beyond me. Flashbacks of my younger self, doing stupid dangerous things flashed back in my mind. Gods, I wanted to travel back in time and punch myself so hard. ¡¸Grastel: Gah... let''s stop talking about these depressing things.¡¹ Grastel smiled wickedly and whispered conspiratorially. ¡¸Grastel: How about we take a peek on the girl''s side?¡¹ The three boys started grinning like dumb idiots. I shook my head. I did not participate. These things never go smoothly according to the stories I''ve read and seen. I ain''t falling to the clich¨¦. Chapter 28: Hot springs drama While the boys were trying to spy on the other side of the fence, which was pointless due to the steam and the heavy amount of elderly people, I relaxed and let my mind wander. I had a little trouble understanding how I ended up going through so much physical labor when I was walking the wizard''s path. This is all Violet''s fault. Violet''s seducing figure came to mind. Even if she''s one of the most powerful mages in the country, she couldn''t defend against my wild imagination. I remained like that with my eyes closed for some time, it was pure bliss. At least until I started hearing some kind of commotion coming from the entrance. I opened my eyes to see what was going on. What now? A group of six armed people barged in into our side. They wore darkened leather armor and had their faces covered by dark cloths. Namrick and the others turned to look at the newcomers. One of the black-clad guys pointed at Edward. ¡¸Masked man: That''s the one! Get him!¡¹ Well, shit. What the heck was going on now? Can''t I enjoy my damn hot springs? I gritted my teeth. ¡¸Wahhh !¡¹ The villains unsheathed their weapons sending the people in the hot spring in panic. I stood there calmly. I couldn''t move... thinking about Violet had been a mistake. Now I had to wait for the... excitement to wear off before trying anything. I really didn''t want to climb out with my rod activated, I would never live it down. Namrick and Grastel moved in front of Edward to shield him. Just give me a few seconds. Namrick stepped forth. ¡¸Namrick: You won''t have anyone!¡¹ Yes, very heroic. Too bad you''re stark naked! ¡¸Masked man: Ahahah, and how are you going to fend us off? With your pecker?!¡¹ Yes, keep laughing. Just you wait until my john has calmed down and you''ll see. I started moving slowly toward them. ¡¸Masked man: Surrender him to us and we won''t turn you two into a bloody mess!¡¹ They were almost on them. Okay, I''m good! I rose up and climbed outside the water. One of the bad guys noticed me and shouted. ¡¸Masked man: Hey you! What do you think you''re doing?¡¹ I gave Namrick a nod. I assumed he had some barehanded combat training since he was a fighter. He got my intention and charged against one of the men that had been distracted by my bravado. ¡¸Masked man: Little skraggs!¡¹ The man cursed as he sprawled back on the ground. I moved as I had been taught and hit the neck of one of the foes, the flimsy leather protection didn''t do much against my mana strength and he fell back choking. At the same time, I took his mace away and I swung it toward one of the other men. Maces, man''s best friends. The bandit tried crossed his arms trying to block the blow, but my swing was mana infused. ¡¸Allen: I''m military, BITCH!¡¹ * CRUNCH *! ¡¸Masked man: GAaa-ah!¡¹ He stumbled back. One of his arms were broken. I smiled in satisfaction. ¡¸Allen: Come at me, bros!¡¹ I kicked to another but as I was barefoot and wet I didn''t do much. I cast heat to dry up a little. In the meanwhile Namrick had grabbed one of them and performed a throw, sending the bandit flying into the water. Nice one! The other three moved against me as one. Uh, that might be a problem. I thought, stepping back. Thankfully, Namrick tripped one of them making him stumble down while Grastel, who had found a blade, stabbed at his legs. The masked man yelled in pain. The other two masked men swung at me with their daggers. I managed to avoid one, but the other cut deep on my left shoulder. ¡¸Allen: GRaaAh!¡¹ Pain blinded me for a split second. I dropped the mace. I moved without thinking and grabbed at both of them while casting a good fucking dose of Burn. The two guys jolted in pain, the smell of burned meat permeating the air. I grabbed the face of the one on my right and rammed it against the goddamn dividing palisade, sending him halfway through. He went limp. I heard women crying out in surprise. I ducked down to pick up the mace again. Can''t I have one fucking day of leisure? My left shoulder was throbbing painfully. My knuckles went white as I hardened my grip on the mace. Namrick was taking care of the one he had tossed into the water, who had now gotten back on stage. The last masked man, realizing the odds had been turned against them, tried to flee. NO FUCKING CHANCE! I sprinted unusually fast and jump-kicked him behind the knee. He fell hard, face down with me on top. I slammed the mace twice against his sword arm and then the other. ¡¸Bandit: Uhaaa- gah- gaaaahrgh!!¡¹ Grastel had secured one of the bandits from behind, his blade pressed against the neck, while Namrick had taken care of the ones that had tried to rise up. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Edward was sitting on a corner, looking at us half shocked. I grabbed my quarry by the scruff and threatened. ¡¸Allen: Now... you will tell me what was your plan and who hired you. Or I''m fucking freezing every single of your fingers and tear them down, alright?¡¹ It was a bluff because I was almost out of mana, but the bandit bought it and went pale. ¡¸Bandit: W-We were sent here... to kidnap the noble k-kid.¡¹ He stammered, his eyes dancing wildly around. ¡¸Allen: No shit, tell me more.¡¹ Ellin came rushing. ¡¸Ellin: Wha- What''s going o- Eeek!¡¹ She blushed and turned around. I looked down. Right we were all completely naked. ¡¸Allen: Who sent you?¡¹ ¡¸Bandit: ...¡¹ He tried to look away. I grabbed one of the man''s fingers. ¡¸Allen: Here we go with the first fing-¡¹ ¡¸Bandit: WAIT! WAIT! He s-said he was called T-Torken!¡¹ He started singing like a bird. He gave a brief description. Aquiline nose, black hair, a mole just over his right eyebrow and a goatee. Okay. I got up and covered myself with a towel. The others had already done so. We walked just outside where Ellin was waiting, still a little embarrassed. She healed our injuries. By then the city guards arrived. I introduced myself as a military recruit for extra kudos and explained about the attempted kidnapping, then they took the bandits away for questioning. ¡¸Grastel: What now?¡¹ Grastel shrugged looking left and right. The remaining people were all leaving in a rush. I looked back at the hot springs. I could feel they were calling upon me. ¡¸Allen: We resume our vacation.¡¹ I said flatly. ¡¸Namrick: Ehh?¡¹ He looked at me wide-eyed. ¡¸Allen: Torken... I bet it''s a fake name. He''s probably hiding far away and we''d have to waste days to track him down... let the guards handle it. Besides, I have to get back in time to resume my training. We don''t have time to chase people and walk into traps and so on.¡¹ I turned and began walking back to the hot spring bath. ¡¸Ellin: But...¡¹ ¡¸Edward: Shouldn''t we...¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Reeeeelax time.¡¹ The other patrons had run away at the first signs of struggle, so the bath was empty now. I stopped and glanced back. ¡¸Allen: Ah, since everyone here ran away, how about we keep our towels on and have a bath together?¡¹ I stepped into the water, laying down against the rocks. The steamy air and pleasant warmness embraced me once again. Yesssss. ¡¸Allen: Come on, there''s something on my mind I want to discuss with all of you.¡¹ Everyone shrugged their shoulders and followed my lead. Ellin hesitated for a few seconds but gave in. ¡¸Ellin: Fine.¡¹ There you go boys, you can thank me later. Ellin had a slim figure. I was sure that in five years or so she would turn into a beauty. But at the moment she was too young and optimistic for me. If I had to spend my life with someone, I''d want a strong and confident woman who can shrug off the unfairness of life and can take care of themselves. In short, someone like me. Ellin is a good kid, I hope she can find a good man for her. ¡¸Ellin: So, what did you want to say?¡¹ She asked, still a little blushed. Hmmm, is it just me, or did she steal a glance at Namrick''s pecs? ¡¸Allen: I was thinking... how did these guys know where to find Edward? I didn''t see anyone trailing us from Valarest... Grastel, what about you?¡¹ Grastel scratched his chin reflectively. ¡¸Grastel: No, I didn''t notice anyone following us. Along the road, there were only a bunch of older people and caravans, all of them riding on different routes.¡¹ As I thought. ¡¸Allen: Second, it''s not like we did a spectacle of our wealth... we just left the horses at the stable and came straight here. How could they know he was nobility?¡¹ Edward shifted uncomfortably. ¡¸Edward: W-What are you getting at?¡¹ He asked with a hint of uneasiness. ¡¸Allen: I think... that whoever sent these men, already knew you would come here.¡¹ I narrowed my eyes as I laid down my reasoning. ¡¸Ellin: What?!¡¹ She exclaimed in surprise. ¡¸Grastel: Hmmm, perhaps Allen is onto something. We never said we would go to this specific hot spring, did we?¡¹ The whole city was sprinkled with hot springs. ¡¸Namrick: They could have just followed us.¡¹ Namrick shrugged. ¡¸Allen: Maybe, but still. How did they know he was a noble and not just the son of a merchant? It looks to me that whoever hired these thugs already knew all about Edward and the purpose of his visit.¡¹ Ellin was wearing a worried expression. ¡¸Edward: Huh, but that''s...¡¹ The kid went silent, his brain gears grinding. ¡¸Edward: If that''s true... I only spoke of this to my father and... my household staff...¡¹ Edward paled thinking about the implications. Chapter 29: Military training with Vallachio While we enjoyed the hot springs to the fullest, Edward asked the owner to have a messenger deliver a missive about the incident to his father, urgently. The mood had been somewhat spoiled, but I got my rest. Refreshing respite I had really needed, after all the intense training I had gone through in the last forty-six days. Sometimes I almost forget one month here is like one month and a half from my original world. And I have another month of fun and jolly training under Vallachio''s supervision. Don''t think of it, Allen! We booked an inn in the city after randomly walking around. We didn''t trust going in the places Edward already knew about, just in case there were surprises arranged for us. Namrick, Grastel and I took turns guarding against possible attacks. Luckily nothing happened and the next morning we departed safely. ¡¸Edward: Sorry, guys I didn''t expect any of this would happen.¡¹ He looked a little downcast. ¡¸Grastel: Well, you hired us as bodyguards. We did our job.¡¹ Grastel gave him a wink. ¡¸Ellin: It was supposed to be fun and relaxing... why would anyone want to kidnap you?¡¹ Ellin was riding the horse next to Edward''s. ¡¸Edward: ...¡¹ Edward only looked at the ground not knowing what to say. The kids were a little depressed and their unhappiness was starting to infect me. ¡¸Allen: Come on kids, we did get our hot baths and we beat the bad guys. We got our dose of adventuring!¡¹ That lightened up the mood. Very smooth, Allen. ¡¸Edward: Thank you guys, and.... you were right.¡¹ He looked at us with a sad smile. ¡¸Ellin: About what?¡¹ She asked. ¡¸Edward: It''s different when your life is on the line¡¹ Namrick nodded. ¡¸Edward: I was... frozen, I couldn''t even think what to do... how do you guys do it?¡¹ He asked with a hint of amazement. Well, we had managed to beat a group of thugs in just our birthday suits. It should be noted, though. None of them seemed to be particularly versed in mana enhanced fighting. ¡¸Grastel: Practice.¡¹ ¡¸Edward: I... don''t want to be weak... I''ll talk to my father and see if I can get some practical experience in the military, at least just enough to defend myself.¡¹ He looked onward with a resolute expression.
Just in case, we used a slightly longer path to get back to Valarest, but we didn''t encounter any disturbance. Eventually, we arrived. Edward took a sigh of relief once we crossed the city gates. We escorted him in front of his family mansion. ¡¸Edward: We''re back home.¡¹ He turned to us. ¡¸Edward: Thank you for everything! Ellin, I''m sorry, I have to leave you and speak with my father.¡¹ He said apologetically. ¡¸Ellin: That''s okay, we''ll catch up later. Bye!¡¹ She waved goodbye. Edward waved back at us and walked inside the mansion gates. ¡¸Allen: And this too has been done. Tomorrow morning I have to be ready to leave for the magical military training with... Vallachio.¡¹ I grimaced as I said those words. ¡¸Namrick: From what we''ve seen during the demon''s attack you couldn''t ask for a better instructor.¡¹ ¡¸Grastel: Did you see how he killed those goblins with his bare hands?!¡¹ Yes. And now I have the doubt he''ll expect the same from us. ¡¸Allen: All too well, he was pretty scary, to be honest.¡¹ Ellin was being silent, looking down. ¡¸Allen: Is everything okay, Ellin?¡¹ She glanced at me with a strained smile. ¡¸Ellin: Hmm... yeah¡¹ It was clear she had something on her mind, but I didn''t want to pry. ¡¸Allen: Well, this is it for me. I''m going back to the inn to prepare myself. You guys can share my part of the reward...¡¹ Bathing in the hot springs had been reward enough. ¡¸Namrick: But-¡¹ I stopped him. ¡¸Allen: It''s fine, you''re all safekeeping my stuff and brought me on a vacation trip. Consider that my payment for your services.¡¹ I still had a good amount of gold left and now that I won''t have to pay the tuition fees, well, that''s a big pressure lifted from my coffers. ¡¸Grastel: Some vacation... heh?¡¹ Grastel asked rhetorically, showing off his usual grin. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.I grunted in reply. We parted ways and I returned my rental horse. Stupid creature. Then I walked back to my room at the inn. Alright, I still have some time to fiddle with my magic computer. I cracked my knuckles and got to work. I upgraded the radar making it possible to adjust the range. A wider area meant higher mana consumption, but I could offset that by reducing the polling rate, updating the energy body position less often as needed. I also began preparing the foundation for my game-like interface. It''s going to take me a while and it''s probably gonna suck up a lot of mana. There''s also the fact that I''m a beginner at magic. I''ll address that as soon as I can resume my lessons. I yawned. It was time to sleep, I had to be fresh and ready for tomorrow. I got to bed. Battle training by Vallachio... I felt a little anxious. That night I dreamed of fighting bare-handed hordes of goblins and verklings. I was screaming like a Viking.
I woke up and put on my recruit uniform. It was time. I grabbed my pack with the essentials, gave a quick goodbye to my friends and marched to the rendezvous point, the Academy. Other recruits had already arrived. We waited for a good ten minutes, then instructor appeared before us in his smiling mustached glory. I did a quick count. There were nineteen recruits, including me. ¡¸Vallachio: Very well! Very well! I see you''re all eager to learn the ways of military combat magic!¡¹ I wasn''t feeling all that eagerness, to be honest. I looked around. I could tell who knew about Vallachio''s teaching methods by the dread painted on their faces. Vallachio motioned us to follow and started walking around the Academy''s gardens. We followed him until he stopped near a bunch of crates which were being guarded by a group of soldiers. ¡¸Vallachio: Excellent! Here we have all the equipment you''ll need. Everyone, stand in line to receive yours!¡¹ To my dismay, the armor was a step down from the steel chainmail. This time we were issued a reinforced leather set. When everyone had received and donned their equipment, Vallachio continued. ¡¸Vallachio: For this training, we''ll be favoring mobility and magical defense. Be sure to stick close to me, or you might be burned to death! Ohohoho!¡¹ He clapped his hands loudly. ¡¸Vallachio: Amadeus, if you would be so kind as to open us a portal to the Fire Lizard Den.¡¹ Fire Lizard Den? That doesn''t sound safe. An old man with a long gray beard stepped forward. ¡¸Amadeus: Ahhh... an interesting location... sure my friend...¡¹ He gestured and mumbled while light gathered a few steps from him, slowly turning into a... portal! Woah! That was the first time seeing a portal first hand. It looked like space was being distorted, on one side you could see the destination, while on the other you would see a fuzzy highly disturbed distortion. ¡¸Vallachio: Thank you! And now my fellow recruits... let''s march!¡¹ Vallachio stepped through the portal. The recruits hesitated but followed on. It was my turn to step into the portal. I steeled myself. Here goes nothing. I felt a tingling sensation as I stepped across the portal. Then I took in the scenery. We were surrounded by rocks, lava, and fire. Not looking good. I gritted my teeth. ¡¸Vallachio: Ahhhhh... there''s nothing in the morning like the smell of brimstone! Ahahahah!¡¹ I saw burning things come out of the lava. ¡¸Vallachio: Excellent! Fire lizards, magical creatures that manipulate the power of fire to incinerate their preys while protecting themselves from the harsh environment.¡¹ They were coming closer to us. Vallachio stood there, laughing like an idiot. What the fuck. This is too sudden! I looked around me. The fire lizard began surrounding us. No damn time to prepare?! The other recruits started to panic. ¡¸¡¸We-we''re gonna die!¡¹¡¹ Vallachio laughed harder. ¡¸¡¸HELP!!¡¹¡¹ Since my survival instinct left much to be desired, I merely stared with resignation. If this is how it begins, I can safely assume this month is going to be tougher than the previous one. Well, I don''t know what I was expecting but I was glad I knew cold magic. Chapter 30: Almost getting roasted with Vallachio As we were about to be roasted by the fire lizards'' breath attack, at the last second Vallachio put a barrier around us. For a second I thought he''d let us get roasted. The hot air had hit us head-on. The recruits were still screaming like little girls before they registered the barrier presence. The barrier looked like a soap bubble with an iridescent fuzzy surface in turmoil. I would have found it fascinating if I hadn''t been so busy focusing on my survival. Vallachio clapped enthusiastically. ¡¸Vallachio: Ah-ha! I see some of you attempted to use cold magic to shield themselves from the fire.¡¹ I couldn''t tell if he was being ironic or not. In any case, it wasn''t hard to notice we were covered in brine. He began pacing around us. ¡¸Vallachio: It would certainly work, alas, such method can only protect you from the fire. What if an enemy magician were to throw in lighting, or some spiritual interference magic?¡¹ He kicked away one of the lizards who were too close to the barrier. ¡¸Vallachio: The fire breath of these lizards is made of magic. What else could be used to negate it?¡¹ He asked us with the same teacherly tone he used back at the Academy. He looks so damn relaxed. ¡¸Recruit: A-anti-magic field?¡¹ Someone proffered. ¡¸Vallachio: Yes! Excellent! Has any of you ever practiced anti-magic shielding?¡¹ No one replied. ¡¸Vallachio: Of course... this kind of magic is often taught in advanced classes. To our regret, with a war on the horizon, we won''t have time for a leisure training. To be able to stand against an enemy magician is paramount.¡¹ Vallachio stomped on another fire lizard that attempted to cross the threshold. ¡¸Vallachio: Fail that and everyone in the unit is as good as dead. I shall now explain the basics... you''d better to learn fast if you don''t want to be burned alive! Ohohoh!¡¹ Our instructor explained to us that an anti-magic field consisted basically in flinging out chaotic spiritual energy. Unlike the usual magic that requires stabilizing the flow of mana, in this case, we had to the opposite. Direct contact with these energies breaks down the magic that crosses it. Sounds simple enough, right? Anyone can do it. Yeah, but there''s a catch. Shaping a field with it is damn near impossible since chaotic energy is hard to control. That explains why it''s taught in advanced classes. And we''re supposed to learn it now?! I stared dumbfounded at Vallachio. ¡¸Vallachio: Everyone! Practice putting on an anti-magic field, try to complement each other and form a unified barrier.¡¹ He spurred us on with usual cheery attitude. I tried myself, it was indeed hard to give it shape, my attempt was full of shifting holes. I looked at the iridescent distortions in the air. Ours were nowhere as close as Vallachio''s. We''re never gonna make it. ¡¸Vallachio: You better get on with it, I''m dropping the barrier soon!¡¹ He laughed. Damn you Vallachio! We needed more time! Like me, the others were struggling. We started working together, desperately spreading our fields to cover each other. ¡¸Vallachio: Aaaaand... shield dropped! Ahahah!¡¹ Shit! The fire lizards bathed us with fire. Our anti-magic field barely held, part of the flames licked my skin, but I used cold magic to counter them. ¡¸Recruits: Gaah!¡¹ Others weren''t as fortunate. I tried to cast cold on those next to me, taking away part of the brunt. ¡¸Vallachio: Very well for a first try, keep at it! Don''t lose concentration!¡¹ He clapped enthusiastically. We tightened our circle to make overlapping the fields easier. It was working. We took another full brunt of flames, but this time barely any flame seeped through. ¡¸Vallachio: Very good, I see the drill sergeants taught you teamwork!¡¹ Yeah. That''s all good and well, but those lizards are starting to get too close! ¡¸Vallachio: But just defending will not save you, you must not neglect attacking!¡¹ No shit. I glanced at Vallachio with murderous intent. A recruit tried to spear one of the lizards, he pushed it back but the spear tip was almost about to melt. I took it from his hands and cast freeze at it, I gave him my mace instead. ¡¸W-What am I supposed to do with it?!¡¹ I ignored him. These creatures were too low for me to smash their skull comfortably, but with this... This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. I eyed the closest lizard and speared at it, casting freeze as I connected. That seemed enough to break through its skin and deal a killing blow. I did it. I smiled with renewed confidence. I quickly stepped back refocusing on the anti-magic field before I got hit by another fire breath. The hot air made me wince. It''s a fucking training with Vallachio episode. I thought to myself, swear words escaping my lips. ¡¸Vallachio: Good, those of you who can''t attack, focus on defense. Play upon your strengths!¡¹ The other recruits were following my example, taking turns at spearing the fire lizards while casting freeze to keep the tip from melting. A rock tip would have been better. Even better would have been obsidian, due to the magic dissipating effect. Wait, there''s plenty of lava around here. Those big glassy rocks near the flowing lava had to be obsidian, but we didn''t have time to chop pieces and turn them into weapons. What if... My brain gears started spinning. ¡¸Allen: Can we go closer to the lava?¡¹ I shouted to my fellow recruits. ¡¸Recruit: Are you crazy! The monsters are coming out from there and it burns hot!¡¹ If I have to be honest I don''t think I''ve ever been sane. ¡¸Allen: I want some obsidian on my spear tip!¡¹ I said pointing at the spear''s tip. ¡¸Wait, that''s not a bad idea.¡¹ ¡¸Let''s try it, quick!¡¹ I gained more consensus than anticipated. It helped that they were as desperate as me. We moved in the direction with fewer lizards going as close as we could without the radiating heat burning us. Then the ones of us who could use cold magic closed the rest of the distance and quickly dipped the spears into the lava, casting freeze to prevent it from melting. I took out mine, the tip was a messy mixture of impure obsidian. More burning shapes were emerging! ¡¸Allen: Ok, move back now!¡¹ I said motioning back. I quickly began grinding the tip on the rocks to restore its stabbing capabilities. The result had a sharp point, it was good enough. I took a deep breath. ¡¸Allen: Alright!¡¹ I said loudly and speared one of the closest lizards. The obsidian protected the underlying metal and negated most of the magic-enhanced burning. I didn''t even have to cast freeze! Good, because between casting freeze and the anti-magic field my mana was depleting dangerously fast! ¡¸Vallachio: Oohh! That''s a clever idea!¡¹ He burst out laughing while stomping a score of lizards that were surrounding him. I refocused on our situation. The others finished sharpening their obsidian tips and resumed the killing, under Vallachio''s enthusiastic applauding. Yep, that guy is definitely mental. We kept going for a good half an hour, then the lizards understood they had to steer clear from us. We were tired and panting. Multiple burns covering our skin. ¡¸Vallachio: Excellent! Now pick up the dead lizards that have cooled off, once dead they begin cooking themselves hahaha! This is going to be our meal!¡¹ We did so but their skin had become very hard after cooling off. We had to crack them over. The meat was tasty, and I could feel the mana flowing back while eating it. This was my first taste of a magical creature! We sated ourselves then our instructor shot up, striking a dramatic pose. ¡¸Vallachio: And now, we march forward! There are many wondrous places to see!¡¹ He set off in some apparently arbitrary direction. Wondrous places. I could only feel dread. We followed him. It''s not like we had any choice, none of us had any idea where the fuck we were. How to get back home, or how to survive these "wondrous" sights Vallachio was talking about. Reminder for next time. Never ever follow Vallachio through a portal if you value your life. We walked away from the Fire Lizard Den, defending ourselves against the scorching flames and the godforsaken creatures that inhabited it. I think it''s a miracle nobody turned into a smoldering pile of ashes. We had collected a good amount of burns, though. We did our best but we could only do so much in such a short time. It was only thanks to everyone focusing their anti-magic field that we were able to pull through. It was then when it hit me... we had a whole month of... this... ahead of us. How did it turn like this... I just wanted to learn magic. My heart sank. Chapter 31: Almost getting eaten with Vallachio The next step in the itinerary was a desert area. There we encountered one of my old acquaintances, sand elementals. Thankfully nobody disturbed them. As it happens they can be rather peaceful creatures if kept at a safe distance. And not pissed upon. ¡¸Vallachio: Hah! Those are sand elementals. You better not throw any liquid at them or else not even I, Vallachio Restgart, might be able to save your hide! As you can see there are no sources of water in the proximity to fight them off, hahaha.¡¹ He laughed with that damn carefree smile of his. I kept an impassive face while I recalled the previous encounter. I reminded myself to never cross the desert with Yusdrolir. No need to say, but everyone gave the sand elementals the widest possible berth.
We were walking under the scorching heat. I was drenched in sweat. Okay, I think I''m glad now I didn''t have to wear chainmail here. I couldn''t keep using all my mana for staying fresh, continuously breathing and using mana and would make me mana dizzy and unable to cast anything at all. Not a good idea. After a while, Vallachio stopped, looked around himself, nodded and stomped the ground with great force. He smiled at us. ¡¸Vallachio: My dear recruits! It''s time for today''s lesson! Can you feel the excitement in the air?¡¹ I could only feel the coming dread. I turned left and right, no monsters. Can I dare to hope for a relatively normal lesson? A guy on my left raised his hand. ¡¸Recruit: Huh... sir, what''s the lesson about?¡¹ He asked timidly. ¡¸Vallachio: Force field practice. For those who haven''t yet learned this spell, it consists of molding a barrier of mana and make it vibrate at high frequencies.¡¹ I had the upper hand in this since I had studied this stuff during Vallachio''s classes. A force field was like the intermediate level of protection between Deflection and a mana shield. It would defend against solids but let air and liquids seep through. A mana shield provided a complete physical defense like an actual shield, but it was way beyond my current skills. Vallachio clapped his hands. ¡¸Vallachio: And of course... there''s a second part to this lesson.¡¹ He said with an even more pronounced smile. Is it just me, or am I sensing a low rumble coming from somewhere? I looked around once more, but there was nothing to see. My alarm bells started to go off. ¡¸Recruit: A... second part?¡¹ It''s definitely a rumble. I was sweating cold, under the scorching sun. Vallachio spread his arms wide and with a great smile told us. ¡¸Vallachio: SANDWORMS!¡¹ The sand exploded with giant worms sprouting up from underneath. WHAT THE FUCK! ¡¸Vallachio: These pleasant fellas love to spit sand at their enemies before attacking! Be sure to put up your force fields to stop the sand so you can fight effectively!¡¹ Vallachio grabbed one of the sandworms who jumped at him and put it on a chokehold. I didn''t have time to admire the show because one of the blasted creatures launched itself at me. I barely dodged in time. We were rolling in the sand, half-blind due to the sand attacks and barely avoiding the fanged mouths of those blasted worms! GOD DAMN IT! I jumped on the side just in time to avoid another worm''s maws. My eyes were stinging thanks to the sand. I tried to make a field of vibrating energy. FWOOSH No good, another blast of sand got to me, I coughed. I heard a rustling ahead of me and jumped on my right to avoid the sandworm. Fuck this, I''m using my shitty radar. I put my left hand on the silver cube and activated the spell. We were all over the place, I regretted not making a function to distinguish between friend and foe. The sandworms were moving fast and one was about to get out from my left side. I swung my mace on the spot just while it was about to sprout from the ground. ¡¸Allen: FUCK YOU SAND MAGGOT!¡¹ The impact made a gross sound as I tore away a good chunk of its meat. YEAH! Try biting me now without only half your mouth, motherfucker! Unfortunately, as I was busy insulting it and his relatives, I didn''t pay attention to the radar and one of its friends got me, biting my left leg. ¡¸Allen: GaAAAaFFFUCK-SHIT-CRAP!¡¹ I screamed incoherently, desperately hardening my skin and muscles. The pain made me lose concentration and my poor excuse of a magic force field fizzed out, making me get a full dose of sand coming from another cursed worm. I gritted my teeth. DIE DIEDIEDIE! Blind and coughing, I shot my left hand to grab the one that was biting my leg. I put all my good fucking love in it and pulled hard on one of the maw''s side, relenting the hold and freeing my hurting leg. I got my right hand on another side of its mouth and pulled it fucking apart with mana infused strength. The beast screeched in pain. ¡¸Allen: FUCKING SAND SHITTERS!¡¹ Still blind and in a rage I held the wormly spasming corpse by the tail and started swinging it around. I wasn''t thinking very clearly then. I think I connected with something, but I couldn''t see shit to figure if it was a friend or a foe. I heard Vallachio laughing. That only aggravated me further. My vision began clearing, this time I cast the force field just around my head. Where the fuck is my mace? Another shitty worm jumped at me. I gave it an uppercut, I didn''t do much but then I grabbed it and froze a section of its body. I gave it my best crushing embrace. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. * CRACKLE! * The worm spasmed, broken into two pieces. ¡¸Allen: Eat shit, dirt eater!¡¹ I growled still under the effect of rage. Where the fuck was everyone? I turned around. A sandworm slammed against me sending me down on my back, its maw an inch from my face. The fetid smell filling my nostrils. I almost puked right there. ¡¸Allen: Fuuuck!¡¹ I was fully pumped with adrenaline. My right hand found something... a mace? I started swinging at the monster, desperately keeping it away from my face with my left hand. Shit, I''m starting to feel weak. I was running out of mana! After the twelfth hit, I think I dealt enough damage because the worm started convulsing and I managed to get it off me. My legs were weak, my muscles shaking. I saw where the others were and I started limping toward them. At that moment two worms sprouted from my sides, my left leg buckled down. Oh shit! ¡¸Allen: HELP!¡¹ I pleaded in a tired voice. In a moment the blasted worms were on me. I tried to fend them off the best that I could, but I was just delaying the inevitable. Is this how my tale ends? I thought hopelessly as my arms lost their strength. Then as one of the worms was about to take a good bite off my face, the worm flew away. Huh? Vallachio had grabbed it by the tail and was performing a choke hold on the creature. ¡¸Vallachio: Up close and personal... I like it! Ahahahahah.¡¹ I kicked away the other worm as I rolled toward my insane teacher. ¡¸Allen: T-thank you... sir.¡¹ I said with gratitude. Vallachio loosened the hold on the dead worm, smiled and grabbed my arm. I take back all the bad things I thought abo©¤ Then he threw me towards the group of recruits. ¡¸Allen: Gaaaaah!¡¹ I shouted as I flew. Then I hit the sand and rolled a couple of times ending up face down. I spit sand and sat up. ¡¸Recruit: Huh... what''s that in your hand?¡¹ I looked at my right hand, I was holding a giant fucking bone. ¡¸Allen: Huh... this... doesn''t look like my mace...¡¹ I said confused. One of the recruits dragged me behind them. They covered for me until I regained my strengths. Then I stood up and rejoined the fight. ¡¸Recruit: I saw you ripping one of them apart! Did the instructor teach you that?¡¹ I glanced at the man. He was covered in sand, especially his hair and beard. ¡¸Allen: No... just... mana infused streng-¡¹ I was cut short as another worm jumped at us, we dodged and speared it. As a unit, we were arrayed in a loose circle, with smaller groups of threes to watch out for attacks from all directions. ¡¸Vallachio: Very good! Very good!¡¹ More unhelpful encouragements from Vallachio. It took a while but the numbers of sandworms coming out from the sandworks finally began to dwindle and we managed to catch our breath. I was covered in sand and sweat. Sand was inside my armor. Sand was inside my shoes. The sand was inside every damn orifice! I felt miserable. This suffering had never been told in my favorite fantasy novels. I felt deceived. The bite on my leg wasn''t as bad as I feared, one of the two recruits who knew about Healing helped me getting back in shape. Only a bruise remained to be seen. I thanked him. A clap attracted our attention. Vallachio stood calmly before us, unfazed by the sun and sand. ¡¸Vallachio: Excellent! You''ve all done well.¡¹ He turned to his left gazing at the distance. ¡¸Vallachio: Now we''ll march toward a village two Reposes from here to have our meal. Sadly these sandworms can''t be easily eaten for sustenance.¡¹ Sadly? Thank god, you mean. I looked at the sandworm corpses with disgust. A Repose was like an hour. I still hadn''t get used to the local way of measuring time. These people tracked time with breaths. Breaths! A Respite supposedly matched how long you could hold down your breath. Each day was twenty-five Reposes. But I could never remember the exact numbers of Breaths to Respite and Respites to Repose. The imposing figure of Vallachio appeared next to me, shaking me from my thoughts. He was looking at me. ¡¸Vallachio: Ah, Allen, my dear student...¡¹ I stood straight, quickly restoring my corporate serious face and responded. ¡¸Allen: Yes, sir?¡¹ He put a hand on my right shoulder. A hand that could turn my bones into fine dust. I didn''t let my uneasiness show. ¡¸Vallachio: I have to ask, what does pain make you feel?¡¹ The question came out of the blue. His face was serious. ¡¸Allen: It makes me feel... very *very* angry, sir.¡¹ I replied, putting my sensations into words. Vallachio raised his chin, a knowing smile spread under his red mustache. ¡¸Vallachio: I thought so... you''re a battle rager, just like me. You must be very careful, the rage may give you strength but if you get yourself cornered, it will only lead to an untimely demise. Do you understand?¡¹ There was a hardness in his eyes. Battle rager? So that must be the term for berserker in this world. It''s probably just the pent-up corporate stress, though. ¡¸Allen: Yes, sir!¡¹ I said, nodding in reply. Just like me... I hope he doesn''t intend to turn me into another Vallachio. The thought terrified me. He smiled and gave me a pat on the back. Just enough not to break bones. ¡¸Allen: Kahh!¡¹ I fell on my knees. He hits even harder than Namrick! ¡¸Vallachio: Bring it forth, I have great hopes! OHOHOH!¡¹ I stood back up, shaking the sand away. I regret my career decisions. Chapter 32: Staying alive without Vallachio We arrived at the village Vallachio had talked about, it was built around an oasis. The inhabitants reminded me of Arab people, with tanned skin and dark beards. We ate and drank like starved dogs. The food was too spicy, but after the crucible, we had to go through I just didn''t have the strength to complain. That night I fell into a dreamless sleep. I closed my eyes and the next moment the sun was filling the room. Most of us had gotten various degrees of sunburn. I wasn''t too bad off, but my skin was all flaky. We got some suitable clothing and balms to deal with the sun''s fury. It was time to get on the move. We traveled through the desert for days, stopping at villages and oasis to recover. Vallachio made us practice mana infused combat and had us keep practicing anti-magic fields and force fields, killing the occasional monster along the way. The mana infused combat he taught us was more in-depth than what I had learned from Violet. Vallachio explained us the most efficient ways to reduce damage, strengthen our attacks or speed up our movements. Well, there''s a reason he''s both an archmage and a Magical Defense teacher back at the academy. Despite the fact he looks like a brawler, there''s no denying he''s an authority on magical defense spells. He shielded us multiple times from deadly hazards with spotless magic fields. Obviously, all those deadly hazards were all brought forth by Vallachio himself. I learned about multi-layered force fields, impact dampening, and camouflage illusion. Sadly, they''re all spells that require a long time to master. We were only barely able to make use of them as a group. To master them effectively, I''m afraid I''ll have to practice for at least half a year. Hmmm... maybe I''m too optimistic. By then we had reached a prairie with sparse trees. Vallachio had us split into two groups playing defenders and intruders. ¡¸Vallachio: Remember to use camouflage illusions when approaching the enemy from the distance, it won''t hold up to scrutiny, but the simple mesh of colors can allow you to easily slip unnoticed.¡¹ We kept practicing, swapping our roles after each success or failure until night came. I sighed, tucked in my bedroll. I was enjoying the breeze with my eyes closed waiting to fall asleep. ¡¸Allen.¡¹ Someone roused me from my happy place. It took some effort not to lash out with a verbal assault. ¡¸Allen: Hmm?¡¹ I said turning my tired gaze toward the guy. Ah, it was that guy... I could never remember his name. ¡¸Allen: Uh... yes huh... hmm... Floris, right?¡¹ I vaguely remembered it ending with an "is". ¡¸Floris: It''s Ferdis! I''ve already told you three times now!¡¹ He scowled with irritation. Serves you right for disturbing my rest. Heh. ¡¸Allen: Mmyeah... Ferdis, just as I said. What''s up?¡¹ I mumbled lazily as I shrugged my shoulders. This guy was one of the recruits from the previous training session, the ex-adventurer that knew a little about magic. ¡¸Ferdis: You fought alongside instructor Vallachio against the demon, right?¡¹ I rolled my eyes. He had the face of someone who wanted gossip. Why people always feel like ambushing me when I don''t feel like talking? Not that there was any chance of me feeling talkative during this excruciating trip. ¡¸Allen: If grabbing a demon''s ankle while spasming miserably on the ground can be considered fighting. Yeah... sure.¡¹ I turned on the side, hoping he would get the hint and let me sleep. ¡¸Ferdis: I always heard the tales of Vallachio, the battle archmage. How was it to see him fight? How was it?!¡¹ He asked with misplaced excitement. He didn''t take the hint. Not even remotely. I just want to sleep, man. ¡¸Allen: He was... dancing around, laughing, smashing verklings heads with his bare hands and stomping on the ground sending shockwaves all over. The usual Vallachio.¡¹ I said, facing him again in resignation. ¡¸Ferdis: It must have been a spectacle.¡¹ He said, his eyes moving away while imagining the scene. This guy must have a few screws loose. ¡¸Allen: If you say so... between him and Violet, it was a... bloodbath.¡¹ I replied without enthusiasm. ¡¸Ferdis: I wish I had been there... to witness the full might of the archmages...¡¹ Enough! ¡¸Allen: It wasn''t neither fun nor awesome. People died. Some of my friends died. It was a shitty day. Good night.¡¹ I said with finality and hint of irritation. Then I turned on the other side and closed my eyes. ¡¸Ferdis: Oh... sorry. I too have lost friends in battle. I just... wasn''t strong enough. That''s why I look up to the archmages... with their strength, I... could...¡¹ Finally, he shut up. C''mon Allen, the man just wanted to strike a conversation. I felt a little shitty about shutting him off like that. I heard his footsteps walking away from me. Whatever, I''m tired. I just want to sleep. Next time. I dozed off.
A jolt woke me up. Huh, what''s going on? I was still half asleep. Another jolt. Oh right, I left on the experimental feature to warn me when the number of energy bodies increases in the proximity. The silver cube was pressing on my skin so it had remained active all this time. Yes, I cheated a little during the "games". Isn''t magic itself a cheat, anyway? Wait. I checked the radar, I had set it to long distance low polling interval. What the heck. There were over a dozen new spots at the edge of the range. More incoming each refresh. I rose sharply filled with anxiety. ¡¸Allen: Shit!¡¹ My heart was pounding hard. Wait, if the others outside aren''t raising alarm maybe it''s nothing to be afraid of. Just in case, I quickly put on my armor and walked outside the tent to check. I raised a force field in front of me. Better safe than sorry. Where''s the one standing guard. Ah. He was sleeping. He''s fucking sleeping? This was just getting better by the second. I gave him a kick. ¡¸Allen: WAKE UP FOR FUCKS SAKE!¡¹ I shouted at him angrily. ¡¸Recruit: Gu-hah! Wha-¡¹ He jumped awake startled, his eyes dancing wildly. Was he alone standing guard? I couldn''t see anyone else. I looked toward the dots direction, but under the cover of night, I couldn''t see much, except some vague movement. ¡¸Allen: There''s something there!¡¹ I said, pointing at the darkness. Suddenly, an arrow came flying at me. It speared my force field penetrating just enough to brush my cheek. SHIIIIIT! I stared open-eyed at the suspended arrow. I shouted with all I had. ¡¸Allen: ENEMY ATTACK!¡¹ I grabbed the other recruit who had finally got his shit together and we strengthened each others'' magic fields. Another arrow hit our field, this time bouncing back. ¡¸Recruit: AAaahh, where are they?!¡¹ He was panicking. I gritted my teeth and checked my radar. ¡¸Allen: There, but they''re starting to spread!¡¹ The dots were on the move, splitting into groups, encircling us. Other recruits were rising up ready to fight. But, isn''t someone missing? ¡¸Allen: Where''s Vallachio?!¡¹ I swear if this is another of his shenanigans... Of course, it is. What better lesson for slackers than to get a good dose of daily lethality? ¡¸¡¸We can''t see them!¡¹¡¹ Our comrades said in confusion. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡¸Allen: There are three big groups, there, there and there!¡¹ The enemy had split into three big groups. I pointed out the directions to the other recruits so they could shield themselves properly. ¡¸Allen: We have to charge one their groups.¡¹ We had been taught to avoid getting surrounded, we couldn''t stand still and let it happen. ¡¸Ferdis: But it''s too dark, we can''t even see them yet!¡¹ Somehow Ferdis had gotten to my right. More arrow flew by, deflected by our fields. I took a branch from the ground and lit the top with fire. Another recruit light a magic light. Right, illusions can do that... but they need concentration. I definitely had not forgotten about them, it''s just that I was busy enough keeping the field on. ¡¸Allen: Let''s go before they close on us from all sides. Half of you, cover our back from stray arrows! RUN!¡¹ We ran fast toward the smallest enemy group. They weren''t expecting us to close in that quickly. We finally caught a glimpse of our foe. Small, green-skinned humanoids. Goddamn goblins. ¡¸Allen: Goblins!¡¹ The creatures charged at us, but we were ready. I crushed one''s skull with my mace, just to live up to my nickname. The blood splattered against the force field. This was nothing compared to what our instructor had us go through. The only thing we had to be careful of was the poison. Fucking goblins and their poisons. We made short work of the first group and turned to the other two, which were now closing on us. We were outnumbered, but the goblins were amassed. Some of the recruits launched burn spells, soliciting a chorus of inhuman screeches. Some of us had gotten hurt and were standing behind the vanguard, thankfully we had a couple of guys who knew some Healing. A rock got through our fields hitting the man on my left hard on the head. He fell back unconscious. ¡¸Allen: Crap!¡¹ The goblins immediately spun into action. A dozen of them launched themselves against the hole in our formation. ¡¸Allen: FERGUS! COVER ME!¡¹ I commanded, stepping forward. ¡¸Ferdis: Ferdis! My name is FERDIS!¡¹ He shouted back at me. I ignored his complaints, I was busy. I met the charge head-on. I swung my mace with mana infused strength catching two of them in one swoop. The other dodged and jumped on me. I fucking threw my mace at its face. It hit. GREAT, NOW I HAVE NO WEAPON! I received blows from all directions. ¡¸Allen: GAaahh!¡¹ I roared in pain. It hurts, IT FUCKING HURTS! I grabbed the two closest goblin heads and smashed them together, adding a fuckton of freeze in the mix. Their heads exploded. Literally. That gave the others a damned moment of hesitation. I shot forward, grabbed one''s jaw and fucking ripped it away. I was screaming like a goddamn berserker. ¡¸Allen: FUCKEEERS!¡¹ I blindly swung my fist down hard and broke some goblin bones. No good, I was burning mana too fast with no chance to breathe! I tripped on a corpse and fell to the ground. They were on me in a second. ¡¸Ferdis: Allen!¡¹ Ferdis speared one in the neck, I kicked another away and rolled back toward the recruits. My hands also found a mace, and I swung it upwards blocking an attack from a goblin. I cast burn making it fall back. I got a better look at my weapon. It was a shitty goblin mace. Why do I keep misplacing my maces? I looked back to my comrades. ¡¸Allen: Thanks!¡¹ I said, nodding at Ferdis. He nodded back with a grim expression. I rejoined the formation and cast my deformed illusions right behind the enemies. A distraction is a distraction. Some of them took the bait and panicked, causing turmoil among a number of goblin assailants. Another recruit also launched a small fireball against the enemy group. Causing more confusion. Perfect! ¡¸Allen: CHAAARGE!¡¹ We pushed forward seizing the opportunity and slaying as many as we could with a short burst of mana infused speed and strength. Then we immediately restored our defenses, advancing slowly while delivering death to the unsteady foes. The sudden onslaught broke the goblin''s morale, sending them running away screeching. We stood there for a moment, breathing hard and staring at the darkness. ¡¸Recruit: We... did it?¡¹ A man spoke with relief. I took a look around. Some of the guys had been injured. The man who had been hit by a rock was still unmoving. The healer was muttering something with a shocked face. ¡¸Healer: This is... beyond me... s-sorry.¡¹ Our first casualty... killed by a thrown rock. Somehow that felt unfair, we had gone through so much without dying, we had covered each other''s back, and yet. We stared at the corpse, disheartened. Vallachio walked in silently from behind us. Where had he been? ¡¸Vallachio: I see... most regrettable.¡¹ This time he was not smiling. ¡¸Recruits: Sir... why... why didn''t you intervene?¡¹ Vallachio stared at the recruit with narrowed eyes. ¡¸Vallachio: This is the most important lesson, my dear recruits.¡¹ Vallachio began pacing around. ¡¸Vallachio: It just takes one single mistake to lose your life, to become the weak chain, to be overrun.¡¹ He stopped and looked at us with a serious expression. ¡¸Vallachio: In the battlefield, you won''t have archmages looking out for you. You will only be able to rely on each other. Mistakes like falling asleep on your shift...¡¹ He scowled shaking his head. ¡¸Vallachio: It''s not just your life that you put in danger, but also those of all your comrades. Inexcusable.¡¹ He pointed at the goblins. ¡¸Vallachio: That, is the weakest enemy you''ll face in this war... after this training, most of you will be dispatched to active outposts.¡¹ Nope, I''m definitely not one of those guys. ¡¸Vallachio: You must not lower your guard! Always fight as if your life is on the line because it is! Do you understand?¡¹ He looked hard at us. ¡¸Recruits: Yes, sir!¡¹ He clapped his hands. ¡¸Vallachio: That said... I must commend some of you for the quick response. You correctly assessed the threat, took formation and defeated the foe. Well done! Hahaha!¡¹ His usual smile wormed back on his face. We didn''t feel like smiling. I looked back at our dead comrade. I just realized... he was the one I had kicked awake. I blanched. Did Vallachio arrange for this? Do I even want to know?! Better to stay on his good side. The death march is almost over, Allen. I reminded myself. I noticed Vallachio was looking my way. I kept my corporate face on, not betraying any emotion. ¡¸Ferdis: That was... pretty cold.¡¹ Ferdis spoke beside me, staring blankly at the fallen. ¡¸Allen: Maybe... then again, what he said is true. My friends almost got wiped away because we dropped our attention. That also taught me to always keep a healing potion on myself.¡¹ I caressed the potion on my belt. ¡¸Ferdis: I see...¡¹ Ferdis looked a little depressed. But that''s just how things work. I haven''t heard or read of any resurrection spell, so far. If such a spell exists it''s a heavily guarded secret or taboo. The man was gone for good. In the end not socializing too much had been the correct choice. I didn''t want to get too close with these people. They were going in a war, some of them would likely never return. I didn''t want to be worried about them. I wasn''t the only one keeping to himself, so others probably shared the same feelings. We made a pyre for the dead recruit and observed the flames in silence. That night we tripled our shifts. Chapter 33: Ferdis the recruit There was no doubt about it. Allen the Skullcrusher was the best cook among the recruits. I made sure to stay close to him so I could enjoy his cooking. In the previous month, there had been heavy competition among us recruits over who''d get to team up with him. I looked up into the sky, remembering the previous training we had gone through. Even though there had been a lot of inexperienced recruits we hadn''t suffered any casualty. Why did we have to fail now? I couldn''t help feeling a down. That guy didn''t deserve to die like that. He had lost his helmet during the fight and the force field failed to intercept the rock. It had been bad luck. But I thought that despite all the surprise attacks and unrelenting adversities he was putting us through, the archmage would always step in to prevent the worst outcome. I was mistaken. Vallachio had been harsh, but deep down I knew he was right. We had to learn to cover for each other, we couldn''t expect an archmage to come to our aid every time we found ourselves in a pinch. I felt like I had failed my comrade. Just like I failed my friends. Nightmarish memories filled my mind. We took what had seemed like an easy job. But we had severely overestimated our strength. I only survived because I hid like a coward. I listened to the dying screams of my friends. My heart pounding hard, so filled with fear I couldn''t even move. I had waited for countless Respites after our attackers had left, before mustering the courage to look at the carnage. The scene still haunted my dreams and the shame my mind. I had been the only one of the party to remain alive. All my companions of countless adventures had been wiped out just like that. I didn''t even have the courage to help in their direst moment. Too weak and cowardly. That''s not who I wanted to be. I wanted to make it up to my dead friends. I had to. For that reason, I decided to join the military. I heard about the demon attack and knew that it was my chance for redemption. My chance to do better. I turned my head glancing at Allen. As usual, he was keeping to himself, keeping an impassive stone-face. He looked lonely. Last time I had blundered opening a fresh wound. I hadn''t been told that the Skullcrusher had lost some of his friends during the village attack in which Violet and Vallachio had turned the tides against the enemy. I understood why he didn''t want to talk about it. Memories can hurt. I stood up and walked closer. "Say, Allen..." I broke the silence. "Yes, Ferdinand?" He said glancing at me. I chocked half mad. "You know my damn name!" I retorted in exasperation. I saw the edge of his mouth curling up just a little. He was doing it on purpose! I wanted to apologize for the blunder but now I no longer felt in the mood, so I picked another topic. "I wanted to ask, what is with those weird words you shout during battle? Is that like a war cry? A mantra or a prayer?" I asked. Allen was a foreigner with an accent I couldn''t quite place. He raised one brow and spoke. "Huh, it''s a..." he seemed to freeze for a second, "...kind of all of them, I guess." He shrugged. A war cry mantra prayer? Well, I had suspected something along those lines as I had heard him also intoning those words into melodic chants outside battle. That had surprised me because the first time I heard him scream during a battle I thought he was just swearing incoherently. "Oh, I thought it sounded like some kind of battle chant." I nodded glad of having had my suspicions confirmed. Clearly, there were hidden depths to the Skullcrusher. Allen continued. "The people in my profession are used to mutter such words while performing strenuous mental tasks. I myself wouldn''t have been able to do my work without sw- chanting these litanies." He said with a faraway look. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. "I see, your people must have a very spiritual culture." I ventured, sitting down next to Allen. He seemed to freeze again for a few seconds. "Definitely!" He said with a smile. I moved my eyes toward his pouch. "So, what is that silver box you always fiddle with during your free time?" I had been curious about it for a long time, but I had never managed to find him in a talkative mood. Was it some kind of magical tool? "It''s a silver cube I bought to experiment with magic," he took it out and rolled it in his hands. "I can store a good amount of magic stuff in it." He said, explaining basically nothing. "Ohh, so you have attack spells and other cool stuff?" I asked trying to broach the subject. Allen took a deep breath. "No, it''s an experiment with spell triggers to make myself see certain things according to certain conditions." He said. That didn''t sound like the whole story. Man, getting Allen to explain things was a strenuous task! "Doesn''t sound very useful said like that. I too have learned spell triggers. The more complex is their condition the greater the consumption and magic potential they take. It''s impossible to make elaborate enchantments in such small sizes." I said, showing off my knowledge. While I wasn''t an enchanter, I had still learned to appraise magical items and I knew full well about the strengths and weaknesses of these spells. Allen smiled smugly. "Yes, I know that. But with some knowledge in Information Technology you can make more efficient systems and compress the data." He crossed his arms. Information Technology? I had never heard those words. What did they mean? "What?! Is that some kind of magic school? I''ve never heard of such terminology." I asked him with a questioning look. Allen shook his head. "No, it has nothing to do with magic, but apparently it can be applied to it." He shrugged without expanding further. I had still no idea what he could do with it. So I asked him. "Whatever, what can you do with it?" I could see a glint in his eyes as he heard my question. "Ah, pretty much anything I want it to do. Store books and visualize information for starters. I''m still quite limited, but eventually..." Allen paused and scratched his chin. Store books? That seemed absurd. You can''t put a book inside a small silver box, that''s just impossible! "Store books? What do you mean? Like moving the books through a displacement gate? That cube wouldn''t be enough to store a whole memory of a book''s content." I pointed out with furrowed brows. It was just common sense. "No. As I said... compress the data... and all that stuff." He made a dismissive gesture. As if that explained everything. I made a face. Was he pulling my leg? "I think you''re making things up..." I expressed my doubts with narrowed eyes. "I''m not... but it''s not a simple thing to explain and I don''t have much to show off. I''m just a beginner magician after all!" He turned his palms up. I couldn''t say if he was being serious as he immediately restored his *stone-face* and looked away in the distance. My chances of getting more out of him for today had come and passed. I feel like I can trust him in combat, he fights like he knows no fears. But outside of it, he''s always grumpy or unhelpful. I sighed. The Skullcrusher was a mysterious man. I turnd my head to Vallachio, who was standing further ahead, gazing at the sky deep in thought. If I only had half his strength. I thought, lowering my eyes to the ground. Chapter 34: The end of the trials The rest of the days passed like a blur and we finally crossed back into forests and more familiar grounds. Along the way, we fought more goblins, a few trolls, and verklings. Vallachio kept us in check with his training, having us perform a lot of muscle building and endurance exercises. His reasoning was that the more ripped and fit we were, the easier it was to absorb damage and enhance our strength with magic. Honestly, I''d rather be able to make blood rain like Violet. At a safe distance. Another interesting trick he taught us was a way to disable magician opponents, a magic move called Mana Shock. It consisted of pushing all your mana into your foe, stunning his spirit temporarily, thus rendering him unable to conjure magic. The con is that it requires direct contact and can only be used on opponents whose mana strength is less than three times your own. And well, you''d be all out of mana. As I feared, I had become Vallachio''s favorite involuntary volunteer, in a crash-test dummy kind of way. Which meant a world of hurt for me when he needed to explain everyone how-to this and that. Every explanation started with me being treated like a punching bag. I only kept it together because we were getting close to home. It''s almost like these archmages are all out to get me... Eventually, we saw Valarest rising on the horizon. I barely could believe my eyes, I had almost started to think I would never go back. Forever stuck between battlefields and worse battlefields until I died by some stray arrow, stabbed to death, or killed in some creative way by Vallachio''s shenanigans. ¡¸Ferdis: We''re finally back! It has been a very long month.¡¹ Ferdis said putting his hand on his sides, smiling at the horizon. ¡¸Allen: You can say that Farras.¡¹ I purposefully mispronounced his name to aggravate him, a mocking smile painted on my lips. Ferdis punched my shoulder hard, but I was ready for it and completely ignored the damage. I''m pretty sure I can even negate Namrick''s friendly punches now if I expect them. ¡¸Ferdis: FERDIS! FERDIS!!¡¹ Ferdis overreacted screaming his name and flapping his arms like he was having an orgasm or something. Man, this guy sure was charged today. Must be the excitement of reaching the safe ground after the hellish march our good instructor Vallachio put us through. He could''ve made some effort to save that dude, though. Magicians are rare thanks to the high entry fee. But who am I to complain, I better keep my mouth shut lest he rips it off me. If entering in his good graces meant being used as a punching bag, I didn''t dare imagine what would happen otherwise. ¡¸Vallachio: Hohohoh, finally we gaze upon our illustrious city, double up soldiers!¡¹ Vallachio motioned us soliciting a cheer from our part. Just a little more. After the final stretch, we crossed the city gates and got inside. We walked straight to the Academy where we dropped our equipment and got advanced medical treatment from the senior healers. We were all back in top shape! Before we left Vallachio addressed us. ¡¸Vallachio: Well done, everyone! Now you''re no longer recruits but true mage soldiers. Stand proud!¡¹ We straightened our backs. He looked at each of us in the eyes, nodding. ¡¸Soldiers: Yes, sir!¡¹ We saluted, thanked him and started leaving the premises. I too turned and begun walking away. A strong hand grabbed my shoulder. ¡¸Vallachio: Allen.¡¹ Did you really think it would be that easy, Allen? I froze my face with an expression of serenity and turned around. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.Vallachio smiling face filled me with dread. No more hurt please... ¡¸Allen: Yes, sir?¡¹ I replied with faked confidence. ¡¸Vallachio: Follow me inside, if you would.¡¹ He gestured and started moving, I had no choice but to follow. We walked inside the Academy, then upstairs and toward Violet''s office. Vallachio politely knocked the door announcing himself before entering the door. ¡¸Violet: You''re back. How did the recruits perform?¡¹ She raised her eyes, her cold stare filled me with warmth. Her alluring figure restored some of my morale. ¡¸Vallachio: Reasonably well, we only lost one. There are some promising ones among them. Alas, I fear we won''t have enough time to polish their skills, but thanks to the practical approach they''re ready to be an asset.¡¹ Violet made no change to her expression at the mention we had lost one. Why am I even here? I started looking left and right for possible escape routes. ¡¸Violet: Very well. I trust your methods.¡¹ I don''t. Not at all. She faced me. Uh oh. ¡¸Violet: Allen Smith, you have carried out your part of the deal. You''re now free to attend whatever magic class you wish. I''ll inform the clerks as soon as possible.¡¹ YES! RIGHT! All of this was for the sake of magic! I had almost forgotten! I bowed down in gratitude. ¡¸Allen: Thank, you ma''am!¡¹ Finally! My lips curled upward more than usual. ¡¸Vallachio: Ah... I would like to add, I have confirmed that Allen here is a battle rager.¡¹ He said slapping his hand on my shoulder. Violet stared at me with her calculating ice-cold gaze. ¡¸Violet: I see... that explains how he didn''t lose consciousness from the demon''s Pain Wave. A useful trait if controlled.¡¹ She raised her chin just a little. ¡¸Allen: Huh...¡¹ I didn''t know what to say but she kept talking anyway. ¡¸Violet: Allen, I''ve taken the liberty of contacting one of my acquaintances. A mage called Grohm Khalkear whose expertise lies in the field of magic constructs and enchantment. His works vaguely remind me of what you did with your silver cube. I''d appreciate if you could both share your knowledge on the topic.¡¹ A challenger appears! Well, that''s actually kind of nice. If I weren''t alone I could make grander, better things. ¡¸Allen: Yes, ma''am.¡¹ She was tapping her fingers on the desk. ¡¸Violet: That''s all, you''re dismissed.¡¹ I bowed and turned to leave, but I was stopped. ¡¸Vallachio: Allen, do not neglect your training. We may soon be faced with a large-scale conflict, you must be ready.¡¹ I glanced back. He was not smiling. His face was dead serious. ¡¸Allen: Yes, sir.¡¹ I nodded. Haha, as if I''d be so dumb to stay and fight! No fucking chance! I grinned when facing the door. I left and closed the door behind me. Vallachio remained behind, discussing with Violet about something secretive. I didn''t dare stop to eavesdrop. The steps toward the exit seemed to never end, but eventually, I was outside. I took a deep breath and smiled. Free at last! I set off on the road in high spirits. I have survived the trials and I have gotten my free magic lessons pass. Finally a shine of light to wash away the last two months of dreadful suffering. Time to get back in touch with my friends and celebrate. I even hummed a tune without swearing. Chapter 35: Back in the game I went back to the inn. The innkeeper welcomed me by saying he had kept my room available for my return. How thoughtful. I thanked him and dropped my loot and equipment inside, then I cleaned myself up properly. We had washed in a river just before coming back to Valarest, but a real bath with real soap was another thing. I quickly dried myself with heat magic. I knocked to the trio''s door. Grastel came at the door to see who it was only to reveal my dumb grinning mug. ¡¸Allen: Heya, guys.¡¹ I said out loud. ¡¸Grastel: Welcome back.¡¹ Grastel grinned, letting me enter. I gave him a quick hug. Namrick and Ellin were sitting at the table with some kind of tabletop game. Tabletops games, I hadn''t played one in more than a decade. They both stood up to receive their doses of hugs, which I promptly delivered. ¡¸Ellin: Allen, you''re back!¡¹ Their smiling faces were a good change of scenery from the gloom and doom we had gotten used during the training. ¡¸Namrick: How was the training?¡¹ Namrick spoke the question. I sat down dramatically letting a heavy sigh. ¡¸Allen: It was a never-ending nightmare. We started by crossing a portal to the Fire Lizard Den.¡¹ I began, with a grave voice. Grastel brows shot up. ¡¸Grastel: That far? Isn''t that the place full of lava and fire lizards? You started your training there?!¡¹ He asked with eyes wide open. I nodded. ¡¸Allen: I know! It was one thing after the other, Vallachio barely left us any time to sleep!¡¹ I began recounting the tales of our misadventures. They better not complain about the lack of irrelevant details.
¡¸Grastel: Really, it looks like you learned a few moves from Vallachio.¡¹ Grastel grinned tossing the dice. We were playing a round of Verlikander, it was like a monopoly but with inns, dungeons and monsters. He moved his pawn four steps forward. ¡¸Allen: Yeah, maybe. Honestly, I''d rather attack from a safe distance, hopefully when I get better at magic. Oh by the way, now I can freely attend the classes at no cost.¡¹ It was my turn to roll. One. My pawn ended up in a mud pit, stuck for two turns. I scowled. ¡¸Ellin: Nice, maybe we''ll cross our paths at the Academy. I too am attending a couple of classes.¡¹ She straightened up announcing her commitment. ¡¸Allen: Very well... oh, look at what souvenirs I got from my travels.¡¹ Since I was out of commision for few turns I put a pouch on the table, revealing its contents. ¡¸Namrick: ... Seeds?¡¹ They all stared at me with flat expressions, clearly nonplussed. I grinned. ¡¸Allen: Yeah, seeds... of spices and stuff that I can use to cook! Although, I''ll have to plant them somewhere first. There were a few things that looked similar to the ones from my homeland... I also brought these.¡¹ I took out a few fire lizard tails. ¡¸Allen: Fire lizard tails! What do you say, can they be used for anything?¡¹ I asked wondering what kind of cool stuff I could do with it. ¡¸Namrick: You should ask an alchemist, I think I heard fire lizards have fire resistance properties but that''s all I know.¡¹ Namrick said with a shrug. The others didn''t proffer any more insight and merely shrugged in response. Well, they''re kids, after all, I can''t expect too much insightful knowledge. I scratched my chin. ¡¸Allen: Hmm, I''ll ask the teachers at the Academy, I also still have that vial of troll blood. I wonder how long until I''ll be able to use the special reagents. Alchemy is pretty difficult.¡¹ And boring. Very boring. ¡¸Ellin: It is... I wanted to learn it to craft magic potions, but I don''t really understand it.¡¹ She said with a pout and tossed her dice. It was a good roll so her smile was immediately recovered. Hmmm, now that I have a makeshift computer with a working database, I might cheat and write an algorithm to do the hard part of alchemy for me. I need to expand on this, it was a good idea. ¡¸Grastel: Your turn, Allen.¡¹ Grastel passed me the dice and I rolled. ¡¸Allen: Yes, I need to resume the alchemy class I was following. I think I can find a way to cheat and simplify the hard parts.¡¹ I moved my pawn two steps forward and ended up on an "event" tile. Namrick raised an eyebrow. ¡¸Namrick: Trying to cheat on something as serious as that... what if you screw up and kill yourself in the process?¡¹ Or others, was what he was thinking. ¡¸Allen: By cheating, I mean making a system that calculates dosages, heating times and reminds me of the various steps. I don''t trust my mind for any task related to calculations.¡¹ I picked up one of the event cards. Apparently, my pawn had been defeated by a Xankoli''hrater. I don''t even know what the fuck that''s supposed to be. I scowled and moved back my pawn to the previous inn. Grastel grinned at me for the sake of being obnoxious. This game sucks. ¡¸Namrick: And how do you think to do that?¡¹ He asked and I obviously took out my silver cube and put on my smug face. ¡¸Grastel: Allen''s magic box of wonders... of course.¡¹ Grastel rolled his eyes. Just you wait and see dear Grastel, you''ll soon be begging for my otherworldly technology. ¡¸Ellin: Did you add any new feature?¡¹ Ellin asked expectantly. ¡¸Allen: Not really. I only had the time to fix and improve what I had, but now the radar has a bigger range, consumes less mana and can warn me when new dots appear. That really saved us back there with the goblins.¡¹ I put the silver cube away. ¡¸Allen: I''ll get back to it now that I don''t have to bleed on the battlefield anymore. But let''s stop talking about me, did anything happen while I was away?¡¹ Ellin nodded, taking the initiative. ¡¸Ellin: Yes, Edward told me that three people from his household staff were missing when the missive reached his father. That Torken must have somehow warned them before the messenger arrived.¡¹ Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Se said with a hint of concern on her face. ¡¸Namrick: Besides that, we heard about monster armies attacking neighboring kingdoms too. Things aren''t looking so good on that front.¡¹ Namrick stared down at the table, fiddling with the game pieces. ¡¸Allen: I see. Vallachio did say something about a large scale conflict brewing up.¡¹ I said. Possibly much later and far away from me. ¡¸Grastel: So it seems. My grandfather fought in the last demon war... it wasn''t pretty. Many people died pushing those bastards back. Is it gonna be like that again?¡¹ We pondered in silence. Then I stood up. ¡¸Allen: Well, I''m going to pay a visit to Corgas, Lena, and the others. We''ll catch up later, see ya!¡¹ ¡¸Grastel: Aren''t you gonna finish the game?¡¹ He asked me pointing to the board game. I looked at my unlucky pawn, I was losing pretty hard. I hated losing so I decided to give up before I started seething. ¡¸Allen: Maybe another time. I''m not running anywhere, anyway. The last two months have been more than enough for me. See ya!¡¹ I picked up my pouch. ¡¸Ellin: Later!¡¹ I waved goodbye to the guys and moved to my next target. Elaida''s place. It was late in the evening, she had to be back in her lodging. I arrived and knocked on the door. I heard tiny footsteps drawing closer and it opened a little. Lena''s smiling face peeked from behind it. ¡¸Lena: Uncle Allen!¡¹ She jumped with excitement. Man, I wish I still had all the enthusiasm I had as a kid. ¡¸Allen: Yep, it''s me.¡¹ I made a heroic pose. ¡¸Elaida: Come in Allen!¡¹ Elaida called out to me. I walked inside and gave a quick hug to the two of them. ¡¸Allen: So, how are you two holding up?¡¹ I looked at Elaida and the at Lena. ¡¸Lena: Fiiiiine, did you kill the bad monsters?¡¹ Her eyes almost sparkled with curiosity. I knelt down so we could talk face to face. ¡¸Allen: We did. Our instructor made us walk through a portal full of fire lizards ready to turn us into ashes... and then he made us face many other terrible creatures!¡¹ I gestured my hands dramatically. ¡¸Lena: Woooooaah!¡¹ Lena yelled open-mouthed. I took out a fire lizard tail from my pouch. ¡¸Allen: But we prevailed. This is one of their tails, I heard it has magic properties!¡¹ I surrendered the lizard tail to Lena. Her eyes sparkled with joy at the gift and scuttled away to secure her trophy. Heh, kids. ¡¸Elaida: Thank you, Allen, for everything. The job you found me is going very well and Lena is doing well enough at school. I don''t know how to repay you.¡¹ She put her hands together in thanks. ¡¸Allen: No need, I''m just repaying the kindness I received back then. Don''t hesitate to ask if you need anything. By the way, I heard you were inventing new dishes last time I stopped at Corgas...¡¹ Her eyes lit up. ¡¸Elaida: Yes! I like experimenting with cooking.¡¹ She puffed her chest out with a confident expression. ¡¸Allen: That''s good, Corgas is terrible at that. I had to coach him step by step on how to make pizza, he learned it alright. But experimenting...¡¹ I shook my head, grinning at the thought. Corgas was just bad at coming up with new ideas. He had a preternatural gift to invent bad recipes. ¡¸Elaida: Ahahah! That''s true, creativity is his weakness, but once he gets how it''s done, he''s fine.¡¹ She nodded slowly. ¡¸Allen: Yeah. Maybe I''ll teach you some of my recipes one of these days. Expanding the business is always good, maybe the day we can breach into the upper-class restaurant business is not too far.¡¹ I just need to prevent Lord Rodenrouge from crippling my rise. ¡¸Elaida: That would be great! Everyone has been telling me of your culinary prowess!¡¹ She leaned forward with enthusiasm. I raised a hand to stop her. ¡¸Allen: Please, I''m just average, and I only enjoy it as a hobby. Cooking for work... it makes the fun fade away for me.¡¹ Memories of the days I couldn''t even look at a pizza without feeling nausea came back at me. Screw that, I''m gonna have others cook for me. More small talk ensued then I said goodbye and walked to my restaurant. My stomach was growling for dinner. People in the streets were talking about the coming war and the damages to the neighboring farms. Not very encouraging. I reached the entrance and walked inside. Corgas saw me and gave me a big smile. ¡¸Corgas: Allen! My friend, you''re back!¡¹ He moved toward me with open arms. ¡¸Allen: I am, no more military training and instructors trying to get me killed!¡¹ He gave me a bear hug. Which I countered with mana strength. ¡¸Corgas: Elaida has invented some new dishes since your last visit, do you want to try them? I can vouch for the taste!¡¹ He pushed me toward an empty table. ¡¸Allen: Sure.¡¹ I said taking my seat. ¡¸Corgas: You have to tell me the tale of your training with Vallachio.¡¹ He nodded and left. When he came back with the meal he sat down with me, and I told him of all that happened during the death march we had to go through. ¡¸Corgas: Woah, I never heard of a training so unforgiving.¡¹ Corgas slowly shook his head and drank from his pitcher. ¡¸Allen: Vallachio is not the kind of man to pull his punches, I guess the fact that the war is coming, made him push us harder.¡¹ I said before taking another bite. ¡¸Corgas: I see... another demon war, just now that everything was starting to go well.¡¹ He shook his head sadly. ¡¸Allen: Don''t worry. With monsters like our archmages, the demons won''t stand a chance!¡¹ I said, making a dismissive gesture. ¡¸Corgas: I hope you''re right.¡¹ He crossed his arms on the table, looking worried. We kept chatting about this and that, then I left eager to sleep on a real bed. With a real roof on top of it. I was back in the game. Chapter 36: The Magic Constructs specialist I had a dream. A dream of ripping computers open with my bare hands, Vallachio-style. The bastards had it coming. The dream setting had me working at my company''s server farm. There was a major release in production and all the machines kept breaking and acting up. The phones kept ringing non-stop, the elevator was stuck and the control terminals were glitchy. Ultimately, I lost my temper and started tearing everything apart. Motherboards, screens, keyboards, telephones... nothing was spared from my fists. When I calmed down, I stood upon the broken pieces of countless hardware. I felt like a god and screamed in victory. I woke up with a smile painted on my face. Best dream so far. I rolled out of bed. It was time to get back on track. I had a quick breakfast with the trio and I went straight to the Academy. I walked through the big entrance and asked the clerk about resuming my classes. I was told that my beginner Magical Defense class had been marked as passed, despite me not having taken the test. Apparently, Vallachio made sure the training excursion would count as passing grades. Good, I won''t have to deal with the "battle arena". With that gone, on my list remained Alchemy, Temperature manipulation, and Illusory magic. That was enough for now. I''ll wait until the next term before picking up something new. I was a little concerned about Illusory magic... my illusions were and still are pretty bad. Even bad illusions were good in battle but I was pretty sure the teachers wouldn''t agree with my point of view. Alchemy was demanding but it should be easier if I bring along my silver cube. There''s no cheating in magic. I nodded to myself savoring the wisdom of my thoughts. Magicians are strong because of their tools. Casting two spells at the same time is already a very difficult task, imagine if you had to cast three or more. Some spells become easier once your subconscious gets the hang of it, just like when driving a car. But others require active concentration. It would be like counting numbers and doing algebra at the same time. I just can''t. Let''s leave aside that mental calculations were never my forte. Enchanted tools are the way, you just have to push your mana into them and boom, it''s done. Even non-magicians can do it, to some extent. I noticed that the clerk was waving his hands in front of me, trying to catch my attention. ¡¸Allen: Yes?¡¹ I asked, looking back at him. ¡¸Clerk: Ah... madame Violet told us to put you in contact with a certain Grohm Khalkear. He''ll be teaching Advanced Magical Constructs here at the Academy. You may find him on the first floor...¡¹ Right! Violet had told me about him. Share your knowledge, etc. The clerk gave me detailed directions. I thanked him and decided to pay a visit up front. After some mishaps due to me being terrible at following directions, I found the right door. I knocked. ¡¸Come in!¡¹ A deeply accented voice invited me in. I did so and asked for the seventh time... ¡¸Allen: Greetings! I am Allen Smith, could you be Grohm Khalkear?¡¹ In the room, there was a man in his fifties. He had short peppered black air with a shock of white around his temples, a mustache, and a medium length goatee. He was in the process of arranging some tools on a sideboard. He put down the stuff he was holding and turned to get a good look of me. ¡¸Grohm: Ahhh, yes! That is me, so you''re the student Violet talked me about. Hmmm, I see.¡¹ He appraised me with a calculating look. I gave nothing away with my time-proven corporate almost-smiling face. ¡¸Allen: Pleased to meet you.¡¹ We shook hands. ¡¸Grohm: Hmmm, yes! Would you be so kind as to show me one of your works? My curiosity has been roused by Violet''s words.¡¹ He asked, lifting an eyebrow. I puffed up my chest. If Violet got him in the loop, I guess I can trust him. Or better, I have to. ¡¸Allen: Huh... sure, I''ve got just the thing.¡¹ I took out and showed him the silver cube, explaining to him how to operate it. Grohm inspected the enchanted cube, murmuring to himself as he moved it around his hands. I felt a little uneasy having an expert in the field analyzing my self-taught attempts. ¡¸Grohm: I see! Very clever and ingenious idea. Who taught this?¡¹ He asked me with furrowed brows. ¡¸Allen: Back in my homeland we had a discipline called Information Technology we used to make machines... do things. When I learned about magic I realized I could apply the same concepts to it.¡¹ ¡¸Grohm: Instructing machines to do things... without magic? How exactly?¡¹ He leaned forward with an inquiring look. ¡¸Allen: Well... those machines ran on... lightning. I don''t really know how to explain the specifics of how they were made.¡¹ Oh no, I''m saying too much. ¡¸Grohm: Hmmm, I would be interested to see such devices. Where did you say was your homeland?¡¹ Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Damn my loose lips. I began sweating cold. Damn it, I can''t lie to him. The risk of being found out by Violet''s blasted truth-telling crystal is too big. ¡¸Allen: Well, huh... nowhere I''m afraid. As a matter of fact... I haven''t found any trace of it.¡¹ I said hesitantly with a faked depressed scowl. Better to say true things while remaining vague. I don''t want it known I''m from another world. I''m pretty sure these crazy magicians would be all too eager to dissect me for the sake of magic advancement. Grohm furrowed his brows even harder. ¡¸Grohm: How so? Was your country destroyed? Hmm?¡¹ He asked me with a bit of disbelief. A way out! ¡¸Allen: Something like that. For all I know, I could be the only living man in this world that has studied these disciplines...¡¹ All true words. I closed my eyes and nodded gravely. Grohm lowered his gaze and started stroking his goatee. ¡¸Grohm: I see... regrettable. Verily, hmmmmm.¡¹ He believed me?! I dodged a bullet. No one will dissect me, for now. Phew. Grohm invited me to sit down at the desk and turned his attention back to the silver box in his hands. He started asking me the details of my process. After a long string of untranslatable terms and botched explanations, he made a recap talking to himself, his gaze distant. ¡¸Grohm: So you created this processor that allows you to give it orders through compiled code, huh... such weird terms. This radar thing seems very practical... a very clever use of hallucination magic.¡¹ He continued. ¡¸Grohm: And this library holding all these notes... incredible. To store such an amount of information in a meager cube of silver. Hmmmm. Yes, your spellwork lacks polishing, but you do have a solid base for building magical constructs.¡¹ The shower of praises made my ego swell and a true smile breach through my poker face. ¡¸Allen: Thanks.¡¹ ¡¸Grohm: I see you used Jalkavian''s projection method to push the probe trigger spells at a long range. Hmm, surprising you know of it.¡¹ He looked into my eyes in askance. ¡¸Allen: I, huh... read about it in the Academy''s library.¡¹ I said scratching my head. He raised his chin staring at me while continuing to stroke his goatee. I can see he''s of those guys who loves stroking their goatee while deep in thought. ¡¸Grohm: Yes, I''ll have you join my classes. They''ll begin at the start of the next month, in the meanwhile make sure to stop by. I... yes, I will teach you the techniques necessary to follow the class. Hmmm, I ask from you to explain to me in detail the theory behind this Information Technology discipline, yes?¡¹ Sounds good to me. ¡¸Allen: That''s fine by me!¡¹ I nodded. ¡¸Grohm: Very well! But wait, let me show you some of my contraptions...¡¹ He turned around and grabbed some stuff from the sideboard. This Grohm dude sure knew his shit. He showed me various prototypes, some kind of little golem that obeyed limited verbal commands, a magical orb that displayed a static illusion and¡ªwhat caught my attention the most¡ªa ring capable of creating another magical construct. That made me salivate because so far all the trigger spells I''ve used in my radar had been painstakingly crafted manually. And I had to enchant a lot of them to make the radar work as it does now. If it was possible to generate them on demand... that would open up a whole new world of possibilities! I could literally manufacture more and better processors! Okay, I''m hyped. It looks we''re both nerds some way or the other, we''re gonna get along just fine. ¡¸Allen: This is all very interesting! I''m eager to follow your lessons, sir.¡¹ I said with a curt bow. ¡¸Grohm: Ah... no need for sirs, just call me Grohm. Yes?¡¹ He said smiling. We stood up and shook our hands again.
From that day Grohm started coaching me in the secrets of Magic Constructs and I began giving him a few notions about IT. He complained that my explaining skills were poor, but with the fact we''re both foreigner and the number of concepts that don''t have a match in this world, a little difficulty was to be expected. I spent most of my evenings receiving his training and sharing my knowledge, in the meanwhile I resumed my previous classes. Speaking of which, unlike with the basic magic class, the other exam tests can be taken every end of the month but if I fail I''ll have to wait another four months before trying again. Given that I can use my silver cube to cheat at theory, the only thing holding me back is practical magic. I haven''t found any way to cheat at that, yet. Although, even if there were a way, what''d happen if it were negated in the worst possible moment? It''s better to practice. Just like with muscles, I can improve my strength with mana but if I''m weak and easily tired, then I''m still gonna get killed like an unarmed peasant. I couldn''t let that happen. Chapter 37: Passing with flying colors The exams period was approaching. I had to work hard and grind fast, so I went into social-recluse mode. My friends came to check up on me various times because they were worried I was overworking myself. Obviously, they had never worked under crippling overtimes, because compared to my old job and Vallachio''s training this felt like a vacation. It helps a lot when you do something you haven''t grown to hate with every fiber of your soul. I made preparations for Alchemy''s exam by writing an algorithm to balance the reagents and putting everything I could need into the database. Hehe. As long as the cube touches my skin I can stealthily operate it since the input is purely mental. I''ll leave the other noobs in the dust. I thought, smirking to myself. Two days before the Alchemy exam, the teacher taught us the long-awaited recipes for healing and mana potions, with a faint warning that one of them might be the subject of the practice test. That didn''t leave much time for us students to get experienced at brewing them. It was obviously done on purpose to milk more golds from the ones who would fail or wait another month. I wasn''t pleased. In fact, I swore a lot that day and had to run around collecting the reagents for my attempts. Then the day of the exam arrived. The written test didn''t even make me break a sweat thanks to my trusted silver cube. I aced it like the cheating genius I am. No one noticed anything. Right after that, the teacher announced the subject for the practice test. We had to brew a Healing Potion. I heard groans and soft-spoken curses from those who had bet it all on the mana potion. I smirked. I was confident in myself. During the last two days, in my brewing attempts, I had followed the reagent calculations to the letter and applied the magic component as instructed, which was the only part left to experience. I had asked around about how healing potions were tested during exams and I was told that the usual way was a cut to the palm and drinking the liquid instead of pouring it on the wound. In my last attempt, I made the cut, drank the potion and observed it healing up with no visible blemish, except the difference in tan. Perhaps it wasn''t super fast like the one I used on Ellin that time, but in around half a minute the deed was done. I hoped that would be enough. I had ended up intoxicated after drinking all those healing and mana potions, so I had to stop and recover. Besides, with all those self-inflicted cuts I was starting to feel emo. The teacher placed an hourglass on the desk for us all to see and announced that the test had started. I felt a tingle of anticipation. We all began brewing our potions with the equipment at hand. I prepared the reagents, brewed and heated the mixture slowly adding mana during the process, just as I had practiced. I took my time making sure not to screw up and managed to finish the whole process a good two minutes before the time was over. The teacher clapped his hands, getting everyone''s attention and announced the time was over. Then he began asking each student to cut their palm and drink their potion to try out the effectiveness. The healer on the staff would take care of eventual mishaps. A few students hadn''t finished brewing in time and were disqualified. Others had brewed potions that didn''t heal quickly enough and were deemed insufficient. A few even puked or lost consciousness. Whew. It was my turn. I took a deep breath. I sliced my palm and drank the potion. I was a little excited. Did it get it right? Did I fuck up the magic portion of the potion? Lopu, the teacher, stared at my palm with his drooping eyelids. Then nodded. ¡¸Lopu: Acceptable, you pass.¡¹ He moved on to the next in line. I smiled to myself. Yes! I''m a motherfucking certified alchemist! In the end, only five people passed the test. Alchemy is hard.
The next test was Illusory magic. It consisted of materializing different kinds of illusions, auditory and visual. The first task was to manifest a light, the second to materialize different geometric patterns, and the third was to materialize a human figure and make it talk and move a little. I easily cleared the first, did a reasonable work for the second. Now it was the time for the third. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Oh shit what do I do, WHAT DO I DO?! I still had not decided what to materialize. Strong memories give clearer images, what could I use? I started sweating cold. ¡¸Jalatine: Allen Smith, I''m waiting...¡¹ Teacher Jalatine was gazing at me with her serene face. No pressure! Damn it, all I could think vividly was my experience of the last month with Vallachio stomping around goblins and monsters! Here goes nothing. With my thoughts still in turmoil, I focused on materializing one of the images I had in mind. A recruit wearing leather armor. A goblin appeared before me. A deformed goblin. NO FUCK! WRONG ONE! QUICK ALLEN GET RID OF IT! I tried. A Vallachio materialized, moving in and quickly smashing the goblin''s head with his bare hands. SHIIIIT! My right brow started twitching uncontrollably. The illusion was completely out of control! The illusory Vallachio stood up straight and laughed heartily. NO NONONO! This is not what I was trying to do! That Vallachio was so damn... Vallachio. Acting just like I expected him to. It was too late to materialize something else, I had just to roll with it. I''m so screwed... To think even an illusory Vallachio would come out of his way to haunt me... His anatomy was not entirely perfect, but I didn''t let him stop, diverting the attention from the flaws. I let him strike one of his bodybuilding poses and finally smash the ground with his foot only to disappear among the illusory rubble. I managed to keep my corporate poker face on through all of it, but the sweat was dripping down my face. Someone snickered behind me. I gritted my teeth and pressed my lips in a thin line as I slowly turned to face the teacher. Jalatine stared at me with her serene expression for some time. Damn, I bet that''s her poker face. I wonder what she''s thinking underneath. I guess I failed. Rest in peace, Allen. ¡¸Jalatine: I see...¡¹ She slowly blinked. I couldn''t read her at all. ¡¸Jalatine: The anatomy was rather poor... but you kept it moving to make it less obvious. I saw you added details in the parts drawing attention... and the voice impression was... lifelike...¡¹ A month of Vallachio''s laughs had been engraved on my traumatized mind after all! She stared blankly at me for a few seconds more, thinking. I fucked up, I completely lost control and offended an archmage. I swelled with dread. ¡¸Jalatine: You pass, if barely. But, Allen...¡¹ I could feel a hard stare transpiring from that smiling face. It was to be ex¨C WAIT... I ACTUALLY PASSED? I let out a breath I didn''t realize I had been holding. ¡¸Allen: Y-Yes ma''am?¡¹ I stammered while straightening my back. She tilted her head ever so slightly and narrowed her eyes. ¡¸Jalatine: Please refrain from using other teachers as illusory images.¡¹ She smiled a dangerous smile. I immediately bowed in apology. ¡¸Allen: I''m very sorry, ma''am... I spent a month receiving military training from sir Vallachio... I mean, he''s...¡¹ She interrupted me. ¡¸Jalatine: Quite memorable, yes.¡¹ Yeah, that. She said nodding in agreement. ¡¸Jalatine: I''ll let that slide for this once... next!¡¹ In the end, Vallachio saved me again. I doubt I could have done any better intentionally. My illusory skills are still shit and do whatever they want. BUT I DID IT! I wiped the sweat off my brow and got my passing mark registered.
Temperature manipulation was piece of cake thanks to all the practice I got both inside and outside of battles. I just had to heat a liquid at a certain temperature, freeze it, and cast Burn at a target two meters away. I breezed through the trials and turned to look at the teacher for confirmation. I almost jumped. Ahnelm Medritch stared at me, an inch from my face, with his usual unsettling angry expression. I''m starting to think he enjoys slowly getting closer to distracted unsuspecting students, only to jump scare them with his face. ¡¸Ahnelm: Very good! You pass!¡¹ He said, his words completely departed from his expression, but that''s Ahnelm for you. ¡¸Allen: Thank you, sir.¡¹ I said, bowing in gratitude. And then I went out to celebrate. Chapter 38: By the way, Im from another world Grastel interrupted my storytelling to laugh his ass off, pounding his fists loudly on the table. The other two followed suit. ¡¸Grastel: Hahaha, really? You summoned an illusion of Vallachio¡­ smashing a goblin head and having a laugh?!¡¹ He snorted. ¡¸Grastel: Allen, you¡¯re killing me!¡¹ I had invited the trio over to dinner. Obviously, they wanted to know about the tests, so I obliged. I tried to gloss over the illusionary blunder, but the little devils probed and prodded until I gave up. ¡¸Allen: Stop laughing!¡¹ I said with irritation. They only laughed harder. ¡¸Allen: Okay, be that way.¡¹ I said crossing my arms, wearing a scowl. They kept giggling. Damned brats. My lips curled upwards. I know just the thing. I made illusory abominations sprout from their drinks, they took the forms of fleshy pale tentacles with pumping veins. My friends yelped and shielded themselves. I had startled them good. Hehe. ¡¸Ellin: Eeek!¡¹ Ellin waved her hands frantically in panic. I calmly sipped from my glass while Namrick and Grastel were trying to fend off the illusions with their forks. ¡¸Allen: Ah-ha! Who¡¯s laughing now?¡¹ I said, turning my smug to full power. ¡¸Ellin: Gross!¡¹ Everyone looked at me with angry faces. Even the other patrons who were wondering what the ruckus was about. I simply shrugged with a smile. Namrick smiled suddenly and tried to destroy my shoulder with a punch. But I knew it was coming. I nullified the damage and faced him with a defiant smile. I trained for this. ¡¸Namrick: Allen, you really have a knack for manifesting illusory abominations.¡¹ He said, stealing a suspicious glance towards his glass. At least there was something I could do with my illusions. What I really wanted from illusory magic was to materialize lewd stuff, but anything above geometric shapes had a bad habit of degenerating into eldritch horrors. So unfair. Grastel grumbled something under his breath, putting down his fork. He seemed to have lost his appetite. I concluded telling my friends about how I aced the test. Then I changed the topic. ¡¸Allen: Very well. I need to figure out what new classes to take. I¡¯m already kinda booked on that magical constructs course by Grohm, that Violet¡¯s acquaintance I talked you about. But aside from that, I¡¯m not sure.¡¹ I said, crossing my hands behind my head. I really had no idea what to prioritize next. I could attend all the classes for free if I had the prerequisites. Ellin cleaned her mouth from the dessert leftovers and spoke. ¡¸Ellin: Since you learned Freeze and Burn spells you might try Telekinesis. You¡¯ll need it as a prerequisite for many advanced attack spells.¡¹ I remembered that recruit who could launch fireballs. Fireballs are cool. ¡¸Allen: Good idea, I read that mixing temperature magics and telekinesis you can cast ice spikes and fireballs. That would be cool¡­ what else? Intermediate illusions¡­ no, I¡¯m barely good enough for beginner level¡­¡¹ Grastel cleared his throat, catching my attention. ¡¸Grastel: Well, you¡¯ve cleared beginner Alchemy, you might as well go for the next level. So you can make us potions for free.¡¹ He said with a wicked smile. ¡¸Allen: Maybe. My original plan was to learn alchemy to secure the funding for my studies. I no longer need to do so, but I could spend it on gear and stuff. I need to practice, though. Even when following the recipes to the letter, my potions are much less effective than the commercial ones. It¡¯s about the magic part of the process, I think. I just need more experience.¡¹ I sighed. Another round of boring Alchemy lessons. ¡¸Ellin: If you need real practice, you might try joining the Alchemists¡¯ Guild.¡¹ I stared wide-eyed. ¡¸Allen: What? There¡¯s an Alchemists¡¯ Guild here in Valarest? Where is it?!¡¹ I asked, wondering how I had managed to miss it during my walks across the city. ¡¸Ellin: It¡¯s located to the right of the royal palace. It has a potion emblem and a blue door, you can¡¯t miss it.¡¹ Ellin replied with her usual smile. I always saw the royal palace and the surrounding castle walls in the distance from the Academy¡¯s gardens, but I had never dared to venture close. ¡¸Allen: Hmmm, I¡¯ll pay it a visit. Anyway, I still have a slot free for the classes¡­ maybe I could learn a little Healing too?¡¹ Ellin shot me down. ¡¸Ellin: Healing is a serious discipline, it¡¯s not just magic but also about anatomy, how the body works and more. Inexperience can be dangerous! I think you should leave it to when your schedule is less demanding.¡¹ She said, waving her finger in the air. So it¡¯s probably as fun as Alchemy classes. Well, she¡¯s the expert. ¡¸Allen: Ah¡­ you might be right, I already have alchemy that is just so much fun¡­ what else then?¡¹ I looked at my friends in askance. ¡¸Namrick: Well, you learned hallucinations right? In the same school, there¡¯s a spell to project emotions and other stuff to confuse the enemy. They require some finesse but they can make a big difference.¡¹ Surprisingly, it was Namrick to answer. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡¸Namrick: My mentor told me that, during his adventuring days, one of his friends could scare away enemies or turn bad situations for the better by subtly manipulating the mood.¡¹ Playing mind games, it could be fun. I started scratching my chin, deep in thought. ¡¸Allen: Right, I could use it for bluffing my way through things and debuffing the foe!¡¹¨´ I clapped my hands. ¡¸Allen: Okay, it¡¯s decided then¡­ Magical Constructs, Telekinesis, intermediate Alchemy and projecting emotion. I¡¯ll go check the schedules and enroll. Thank you guys, I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d be doing without you.¡¹ ¡¸Grastel: Expanding your pizza empire, most likely.¡¹ Grastel shrugged with a grinning face. I seriously doubted that. I can stand that kind of work only for so long before I start getting homicidal urges. In this world, I¡¯m missing all the conventional outlets to relieve stress. But I did have plans that I wanted to see to fruition sooner or later. ¡¸Allen: I do have plans for my culinary enterprise, but I¡¯m holding off for when I can enter the upper-class market. I don¡¯t want Lord Radenrouge stealing all my cool ideas and reselling them at higher prices to the nobility.¡¹ I scowled. ¡¸Ellin: Lord Radenrouge¡­ I heard he began introducing pizza in other cities.¡¹ I scowled harder. Damn him! He¡¯s like the Steve Jobs of this world. ¡¸Allen: You see? I need a plan if I want to come out on top.¡¹ I shifted grumpily in my chair. Grastel brought his hands to his mouth and said. ¡¸Grastel: Culinary conspiracy!¡¹ Namrick laughed and Ellin grinned. While I was distracted by Grastel, Namrick took the opportunity to surprise shoulder-punch me. Ouch! I didn¡¯t see that coming. ¡¸Namrick: Haha, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find a way, Allen.¡¹ I refused to show any sign of pain. My training proved lacking. He never abused Ellin¡¯s shoulders. I¡¯m a delicate magician too, you know? I shifted my anger on Radenrouge. Sure, I might just turn him into an ice cube, literally freezing the competition. Then I¡¯d get arrested and executed for killing nobility. Worth it. Even if just for the pun. That thought brought a smile to my face. ¡¸Allen: Well, I¡¯ll just wait and prepare. I need to track down all the ingredients I¡¯m missing for the best recipes. Once I¡¯m free I¡¯ll consult with Vargas and perhaps accompany him in a quest for food discovery. Then I¡¯ll come back showing you guys the wonders of cocoa, coffee, and more.¡¹ My eyes unfocused, dreamily chasing the memories of better days. I missed a good cup of coffee and the sweet hot chocolate. ¡¸Ellin: Cocoa and coffee? What are they, another kind of food?¡¹ Ellin asked, tilting her head. Right, I haven¡¯t found the equivalent names for them, I don¡¯t even know if they exist in this world. I began explaining. ¡¸Allen: They¡¯re seeds that are toasted and ground into fine powder, which is then used to make beverages, pastries, sweets and more. I¡¯ll show you if I ever get my hands on some.¡¹ Sadly, Words couldn¡¯t describe the flavors. ¡¸Namrick: Your homeland seems like an interesting place, you should invite us over and show us all the stuff you always talk about.¡¹ He said, looking eager. But alas¡­ ¡¸Allen: I¡¯m afraid that won¡¯t be possible.¡¹ I said, lowering my eyes. ¡¸Grastel: Why not?¡¹ I hadn¡¯t told them yet. Well, if I couldn¡¯t trust them, who else could I trust? ¡¸Allen: Right, I haven¡¯t told you guys¡­¡¹ I made a serious face. They looked at me with curious eyes. ¡¸Ellin: What?¡¹ I guess I can tell them. I motioned them to lean closer and whispered. ¡¸Allen: I¡¯m from another world.¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡¹ They stared at me with blank faces and then at each other. ¡¸Allen: I¡¯m serious. Please don¡¯t say that around. I don¡¯t want to be dissected by crazy mages curious to find out if my body works differently. Which it doesn¡¯t, just for the record.¡¹ I added a pleading tone to my whispers. ¡¸Grastel: You¡¯re kidding us, right?¡¹ Grastel was making a doubtful face. I looked at him in the eyes, unflinching. ¡¸Allen: Nope.¡¹ I said, shaking my head. I don¡¯t think I could be more serious. Ellin was staring at me with her mouth half-open. ¡¸Namrick: Then how did you get here?¡¹ Namrick asked, a frown forming on his face. ¡¸Allen: I just went to sleep, bored like usual, when a voice claiming to be the Creator asked me if I wanted to try out a new world. I agreed. And here I am.¡¹ I gestured at myself. ¡¸Ellin: Really?!¡¹ Why are you so doubtful? Don¡¯t you guys live in a world of magic?! Has it really never happened before? ¡¸Allen: Yes! I have to admit I struggled at the start, that Creator didn¡¯t seem to have the decency to at least teach me the local language. It was really difficult to communicate with just gestures. But now¡­ I guess I¡¯m managing just fine. Also, my world didn¡¯t have magic so this is an improvement.¡¹ I said with a nod. A world with magic is indeed an improvement. ¡¸Grastel: I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m buying it.¡¹ He shook his head in denial. Good old cynic Grastel. ¡¸Allen: That¡¯s fine. Nothing changes, whether you believe or not. Who knows, maybe I just dreamed it all, invented an unknown language, unknown recipes and devised knowledge that nobody ever grasped before.¡¹ I let the sarcasm flow in. ¡¸Grastel: That doesn¡¯t seem very plausible either¡­¡¹ He said, scratching his chin. I rolled my eyes. ¡¸Allen: Okay. What if I¡¯m the only survivor of a secret highly-advanced civilization, that one day made a big mistake causing its complete disappearance from the face of the world, and nobody ever noticed or suspected anything?¡¹ I wasn¡¯t serious, obviously. ¡¸Namrick: Well, we heard tales of magic gone wrong wiping out entire civilizations. Maybe you¡¯re the one that made it happen and cast a magic on the whole world to erase everyone memories, even your own. But here¡¯s the catch, it didn¡¯t completely work, leaving part of them intact.¡¹ Namrick said with a faraway look. He too was derailing into spewing bullshit. ¡¸Allen: Ehhh¡­ since you guys know better, I¡¯ll leave it up to you to decide my origin story.¡¹ I raised my hands, giving up. ¡¸Ellin: Hahaha! Allen, it¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to tell us your real story, many adventurers decided to travel away and reinvent themselves. We know you¡¯re a good person and our friend. You needn¡¯t worry.¡¹ The others nodded in agreement. ¡¸Allen: ¡­¡¹ I looked at each of them in silence. ¡¸Allen: You don¡¯t believe me¡­ really? I mean¡­ you live in a world that has magic. MAGIC! Anything can happen!¡¹ I made a little Allen appear on the table. The illusion quickly melted down and dissipated. Grastel looked at the others. ¡¸Grastel: Well, he has a point there.¡¹ He shrugged. They still looked doubtful about my claim. ¡¸Allen: Fine, I¡¯ll tell you what, bring one of those truth crystal things and I¡¯ll let you confirm my tale.¡¹ I said, waving my hand in the air. ¡¸Ellin: What if you have found a way to cheat on them? We know you have a way with magical constructs.¡¹ She said narrowing her eyes. I brought my face to my hands and sighed. ¡¸Allen: Violet thought the same when she was interrogating me, but I¡¯m still here and alive, am I not?¡¹ A little exasperation was leaking into my voice. ¡¸Namrick: Does that mean¡­ you told her?¡¹ Namrick leaned forward questioningly. I shook my head. ¡¸Allen: No, I remained vague and she didn¡¯t ask for specifics, besides she was more interested to know if I was some kind of foreign spy.¡¹ Ellin raised an eyebrow for a moment and asked me. ¡¸Ellin: Okay, let¡¯s say we believe you. Are you able to go back?¡¹ I looked into her eyes. ¡¸Allen: No. And why would I? My life was dull and boring. I was a mere cog going through the motions, I had even forgotten how to have fun, I was alive but my soul was dead. True, I do miss some things, but here I can compensate with magic. Here, I have good friends, things to reinvent that don¡¯t yet exist. And magic! I can do MAGIC!¡¹ I really hoped I wouldn¡¯t wake from this dream. Magic was the thing I had always longed for but never knew I needed. The trio stared at me for a few seconds, unsure what to say. ¡¸Grastel: Okay, from my experience of reading people¡­ that sounded genuine.¡¹ Grastel said before leaning back in his chair. The other two shrugged their shoulders. ¡¸Ellin: Fine, we believe you. Sorry.¡¹ She said, scratching her head. ¡¸Allen: Thanks. I trust you guys and I don¡¯t want to lie to you. So¡­ now you know.¡¹ After that, we kept chatting for a while until we returned to the inn for sleeping. Along the road, I caught rumors of the escalating war. The demons had been working on subjugating various monster species like goblins, verklings, and trolls and were warring against human settlements. Other humanoid races like elves and dwarves had been left out of the conflict in an unspoken truce, and they wanted to remain so. Apparently, humans weren¡¯t too well liked among the other races since we breed too much and violate nature, so no one felt the need to go out of their way to help us. That¡¯s a little depressing, but they¡¯re probably right. I just need to remember the smog and pollution from my world, we humans are pretty good at fucking things up. But we¡¯re also as stubborn as cockroaches. We can survive anything. Probably. Ah well. My days of leisure are numbered. I wonder, how long will I be able to keep going until everything turns to shit? I can only wait and hope. Yeah. Because hoping has always served me so well. My cynical sarcasm left a bitter taste to my mouth. Chapter 39: Shady alleyways Walking down the street, I crossed path with Allen. I waved at him but he didn¡¯t notice me, he seemed to be deeply immersed in his thoughts. I could only wonder what he was up to. This is not the first time either. I sighed. It was sad to be ignored like this¡­ He¡¯s always walking around like a golem and that smiling stone-face of his. If I didn¡¯t know he doesn¡¯t do it on purpose I¡¯d get offended. I gave up catching up with him since I was heading in another direction. I resumed walking. He said he came from another world. I always dreamed of visiting other worlds, but beside the land of the Fae which I¡¯ve read about and is supposed to be just another face of our world, no evidence was ever found of others. Allen revealed to us a little about his world, but the descriptions didn¡¯t match at all neither ¨¢lfheimr nor any other fairy land I had read about. Could it be that he had fallen victim to a mindweaver? He had a lot of peculiar knowledge¡­ maybe they wanted to shut down his genius. But then why let him go free? It doesn¡¯t look like Allen¡¯s mind had been broken. It doesn¡¯t make any sense. Unless¡­ he escaped? In any case, I didn¡¯t really buy that the All-Maker himself would bother bringing a random person into our world just to ¡°try it out¡±. It must be the result of someone messing with his mind. Yes, it must be so. I nodded to myself. Or is it? There were still many mysteries the magicians had yet to find an answer for. ¡°Owwww!¡± I heard a cry of pain to my right, catching my attention. I turned toward the sound to see a child who had fallen and scraped his knee on the hard paving stones. He was already tearing up. I approached, showing him a smile. ¡°Easy now, let me see¡­¡± I said with gentleness, the little boy looked at me with teary round eyes. I knelt down, cupping my hands upon his hurt knee and cast Healing. The cut and bruise quickly disappeared as if they were never there. I grinned. ¡°There, all better now!¡± I patted his head. ¡°T-Thank you, miss!¡± The child sniffed and smeared his tears away. I helped him up and stroked his hair. I was rewarded with a smile. ¡°Be more careful on your feet. Anhelm bless you!¡± I said closing my hands in prayer. ¡°You too miss!¡± The child grinned and scampered away. Cute! The bad feeling from having been ignored was washed away in an instant. I arrived at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and walked inside. The mood was as lively as ever, I spotted Grastel and Namrick who were sitting at the usual table. I joined them. ¡°Hi, guys!¡± I said cheerily. ¡°Hi, Ellin.¡± They both answered. They looked in good mood as well. ¡°I crossed paths with Allen¡­ but he didn¡¯t see me.¡± My smile turned into a pout. ¡°Classic Allen,¡± Grastel said with a smile. A waitress stopped by to ask if I wanted a drink. I ordered my favorite. ¡°Did I tell you of that time I saw him walking across the street?¡± Namrick said. ¡°I waved at him but it was like he was ignoring me. Then I saw a drunken guy shot in front of him trying to punch another man. Somehow he avoided the blow and kept walking on as if nothing happened.¡± He said baffled. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s like his mind is somewhere else but he keeps reacting automatically¡­ like a golem.¡± Grastel agreed, nodding his head. Namrick continued. ¡°Then I caught up with him and he greeted me, but he had no recollection about the drunkard. Or of having seen me.¡± He shook his head and drank from his mug. ¡°And his stubborn avoidance of shady alleyways?¡± Grastel grinned. ¡°Haha, I remember that,¡± I said, recollecting the episode. ¡°We had to take the long route as he kept saying stuff about triggering an event.¡± Whatever that meant. Allen had a bad habit of using foreign words without explaining their meaning. It¡¯s like he was afraid of telling us. Or maybe he was just making them up. I just don¡¯t know what to think. ¡°And the silver box!¡± Namrick said looking at Grastel with a conspiratorial smile. ¡°Behold my new features!¡± Grastel said, making grand gestures with his hands. We laughed. It was fun because Allen always makes a big show when he shows off his enchanted cube. The waitress arrived with my velber flavored drink, I thanked her. ¡°Seriously though, with those few magics he knows he¡¯s accomplished some incredible things,¡± I admitted and took a sip from the drink. So sweet. I didn¡¯t think you could do such amazing things with just spell triggers. ¡°True.¡± Namrick agreed with me. ¡°If only he wasn¡¯t always so smug about it¡­¡± Grastel complained, shaking his head. I put a finger to my chin. ¡°He might get even smugger. That new teacher called Grohm¡­ his last name is Khalkear.¡± ¡°Khalkear¡­ wait, that Khalkear ?¡± Namrick looked at me wide-eyed. I nodded. ¡°The very same.¡± ¡°Who ?¡± Grastel shot a confused look from me to Namrick. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°Grohm Khalkear, the greatest authority on magical constructs in this continent. And apparently, Allen has been tasked to share his knowledge with him.¡± I said with a baffled voice. ¡°Wheeeh¡­ Allen is going places. I wonder if he¡¯ll remember about us when he¡¯s all rich and famous.¡± He said with a jaded expression. Namrick grinned. ¡°We might have to remind him who his real friends are.¡± ¡°Yes. We can¡¯t lose our best cook!¡± I said, slamming a fist on the table. We all nodded in agreement. We reminisced of our previous adventures until Grastel''s stomach started grumbling. ¡°Uhm¡­ how about a pizza ?¡± He looked down at his stomach then at Namrick and me. ¡°Yes!¡± I replied standing up. Pizza is good. And so we went.
We were halfway there when we heard a woman scream. ¡°Aaahhhh! Help!¡± We looked at each other and rushed toward the sound. Inside a back-alley, a woman was being molested by a bunch of lowlifes. ¡°Let her go!¡± Said Namrick, charging ahead of us. The six thugs turned their heads to us. The woman was huddled in a corner pleading and whimpering. ¡°None of your business, brats! Screw off!¡± One of the thugs yelled at us. Namrick did not stop. ¡°Tch¡­¡± The thug spat on the ground and got on the offensive. One of the men moved to intercept Namrick, brandishing a knife. Namrick hesitated. The others took out their weapons too and smiled cruelly. We hadn¡¯t brought our adventuring equipment today, it was supposed to be a leisure day! But we had worked hard and vowed to show each other the results of our training in the next battle. This was the chance. I steeled my resolve and stood beside Namrick and Grastel. Anhelm, guide us! I prayed to my chosen God. ¡°Let the woman go.¡± Namrick intimated the thugs. I and Grastel positioned ourselves right behind Namrick¡¯s shoulders, ready to support him. Namrick was strong, but we were outnumbered. The thugs looked at each other and laughed nastily. ¡°No. Instead, we¡¯ll give you a lesson and have some fun with your girl.¡± Their leader leered at me and licked his lips. I shivered. Disgusting. The men jumped forward, one of them remaining behind to hold the woman down. Namrick blocked the closest one and head-butted him while Grastel took the opportunity to disarm the opponent and steal his knife. Two of them moved on our sides. I stepped back, touching the wall. Namrick was on my left and Grastel on the right. ¡°Screw that. Kill them!¡± The thug boss yelled at his men. I won¡¯t let that happen! ¡°Close your eyes!¡± I whispered to my friends and weaved an incantation. Suddenly, a blinding light permeated the air. ¡°Gah!¡± The thugs covered their eyes too late. Grastel and Namrick moved in unison. Namrick punched one in the face and seized his blade, then with practiced moves inflicted deep wounds on the two closest men. Grastel stabbed a thug in the leg and sliced at the arm, sending the foe to the ground. ¡°Kuhh,¡± The injured men let out pained grunts. But then the thug boss moved in and grabbed hold of Grastel¡¯s arm, pushing him against Namrick with mana infused strength. Oh no! They both rolled on the ground. ¡°Guh!¡± Grastel ended up half tangled to Namrick. My heart was puounding in my chest. ¡°Nam! Stel!¡± I shouted with concern running toward them. . ¡°The hell are you doing?! Just skraggin kill them!¡± The boss roused his men. ¡°Not a chance!¡± Namrick shouted, pushing Grastel aside and kicking upward to the closest foe, sending him flying. Then rolled back and jumped forward swinging the stolen blade against the boss. ¡°Take this!¡± I helped Grastel up and cast Protection to deflect the blows from the foes closest to us. We had incapacitated two of them, but there were still four. The thug leader was strong, he was keeping Namrick occupied. Grastel pushed me back a step. ¡°Stay behind me, Ellin!¡± He yelled. Then he used his dexterity to dance against the thugs¡¯ attacks. I used mental interference to slow down their reflexes. Doing so he managed to make two of them trip against each other and sliced the wrist of a third one, who dropped his knife. He smiled at me and I nodded back returning the smile. Nice moves, Stel. ¡°Gaaah!¡± The bad guys went on the floor and swore. ¡°Crap! Little bastards!¡± Another foe had been incapacitated. We were doing it! ¡°Give up and we¡¯ll let you go,¡± I said with defiance. ¡°Screw you! Gar, put your blade at that whore''s throat.¡± The thug boss said, turning his head to the man who was keeping the woman cornered. ¡°Y-Yes boss!¡± He stammered a little but did as ordered. The woman tried to resist but it was futile, the thug was now pressing his knife against her throat. ¡°P-please¡­¡± Tears were streaking her face. Damn it! Using such cowardly tactics¡­ ¡°Make a move and she¡¯s dead!¡± Their boss spat blood at the ground. ¡°Coward!¡± Namrick shouted, anger showing on his face. ¡°Drop the blades and maybe we¡¯ll let you walk away.¡± He replied with a wicked grin. ¡°Do we look like fools?¡± Grastel stood his ground. We were at an impasse. ¡°What do we do?¡± I asked, looking left and right. Grastel and Namrick did not answer. With the war, the number of soldiers patrolling the city had been greatly reduced. This was one of the consequences. We and our foes remained still, staring down each other. Until something happened. A sound was coming from the passage next to Gar, the lowlife who was keeping the woman hostage. The man turned his head toward the sound¡­ and paled. ¡°Huh? W-Wha- Huuwaaa!¡± He started yelling with fear letting his knife fall on the ground. What¡¯s going on? I frowned in confusion. The woman let out a whimper before passing out. The bandit started shaking and let her fall against the corner. With trembling legs, he stepped back until he hit the wall. I started having a bad feeling. What was happening? I couldn¡¯t see anything from here. Everyone turned their heads to see. A shambling figure showed itself from the passage. It was a thing of nightmares, pale and purplish pulsing flesh and long red tendrils moving every which way. It moved its eyeless gaze at us and we were showered with fear. I whimpered. What¡¯s that thing ?! I felt goosebumps cover my skin. Namrick and Grastel winced as well. ¡°Wha-¡± The exclamation died in my throat. A monster?! Here in the city?!! ¡°FreesSHH¡­ fooOOD!¡± A spectral voice spoke from the shifting flesh. Tendrils of pulsing flesh began extending toward the bandit called Gar. Gar began running for his life without looking back. ¡°What the heck ?!¡± The boss said with a tinge of fear. He started sweating cold at the sight. ¡°DelICiouSss¡­ meat¡­¡± It spoke again. Something like a smile formed on that figure. It was unsettling. We took a step back. ¡°I-I don¡¯t want to die!¡± The thugs were in panic. ¡°Fuck it! Run. Run!¡± The boss picked up one of the injured thugs and they started running while the others helpe each other. The thugs ran away past us without giving us a second glance. The woman was in danger! My heart was beating impossibly fast. Namrick looked at me and nodded, a stoic expression on his face. We mustered our willpower. I cast Clear Mind on us to fend off the fear. Namrick took his combat stance and prepared himself to attack the creature. ¡°Ha! Hahahah!¡± I heard a strangely familiar voice. Wait¡­ that voice¡­ The illusion dissipated just like smoke, revealing a man beneath it. ¡°Allen ?!¡± I spoke bewildered. Allen stood there with a satisfied smile. ¡°What did I tell you about shady alleys? Ah¡­ did you see that one that peed himself?!¡± He was in good spirits. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Grastel said, lowering his knife. He looked at Namrick with a raised brow. I stared at Allen speechless. How did he get in here ? ¡°So¡­ was this the woman I heard screaming?¡± Allen said pointing at the fainted woman on the ground. ¡°Ah, yes!¡± I moved in to heal her. She had received a few bruises but she was fine. Thankfully we had made it in time. I took a breath of relief. ¡°Well, that took away all my mana. I¡¯m hungry. Who¡¯s up for a pizza ?¡± He asked. Namrick started laughing. ¡°Allen, we were just talking about you a little ago.¡± He said squeezing Allen¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Showering me with praises, I¡¯m sure!¡± Allen said lifting his chin. Grastel shook his head and grinned. ¡°Ahah, yeah! Let¡¯s go!¡± I woke the woman and asked her if she wanted to join us, but she declined. She just wanted to go straight home. Since it was along the way we accompanied her. ¡°T-Thank you very much! I¡­ can give you a few silver coins¡­¡± the woman said, bowing with gratitude. ¡°There¡¯s no need. We just did what anyone would have.¡± I said with an honest smile. The woman lowered her eyes. ¡°No¡­ not anyone. Thank you¡­ again.¡± She bowed again, a faint smile lightening her face. ¡°Goodbye.¡± I saluted her and rejoined my friends. Seeing her happiness had warmed my heart. Today was a good day. ¡°Come on, I¡¯m starving!¡± Allen urged from a dozen paces ahead. I gave Namrick and Grastel a pat on their shoulders and a bright smile for the job well done, and we set off to our destination. Chapter 40: Shady alleyways (Allen) I was making progress with my magic lessons and my quality time with Grohm was starting to bear results. He also had me follow his classes even though I didn¡¯t have the prerequisites. He must have interceded with the Academy to make it happen. I was glad and all, but¡­ ¡¸Grohm: Haaah. Your spells lack finesse! Do it again!¡¹ Grohm screamed at me for the millionth time. ¡¸Allen: Really, this is the¡­ hundred-something time, I need a break!¡¹ I complained, grimacing at the unfairness of the task. Grohm hit my hands with a stick. HngrrrHMff¡­ do not kill. Do not kill. ¡¸Grohm: No breaks. A dozen more times at least. Yes.¡¹ He commanded, standing there on my left with his demanding stare. Do. Not. Kill. I resisted the urge to tear his limbs apart. I took a deep breath. ¡¸Allen: ¡­ Okay.¡¹ I said and erased my spells from the silver practice ring to start again. I was supposed to make it produce a different colored light depending on the wielder¡¯s emotions. It sounded pretty easy. Turns out I was wrong. Not only have I to accomplish that but I also need to lower the mana consumption under a certain threshold¡­ and the spells must be ¡°elegant¡±. I¡¯m still not sure what the fuck that means. Also, for added ¡°fun¡± I even have a time limit. I started the process again. ¡¸Grohm: NO!¡¹ He screamed in my ears making me wince. I tensed up. ¡¸Allen: What now?!¡¹ I said with exasperation, my clenched fist lying on the table. ¡¸Grohm: You don¡¯t listen! The spell is not elegant¡­ not harmonized. Can¡¯t you feel the dissonance ?¡¹ Grohm paced back and forth waving his hands in the air. But those words meant nothing to me. ¡¸Allen: I don¡¯t get it, what¡¯s with this harmonized deal?¡¹ I let the ring fall on the table and shrugged my shoulders in defeat. I just didn¡¯t get it. Grohm stared at me with a dumbfounded face. ¡¸Grohm: How can you not now ?! Gah! Let me think how to explain. Hmmm. Shameful indeed¡­¡¹ He started stroking his beard, gaze unfocused. Unreasonable expectations. I silently mouthed a string of curses. ¡¸Grohm: Hmmm. Ah! Yes. That could work.¡¹ Ha showed me an all-knowing smile and seated on the chair next to me. ¡¸Grohm: Follow my instructions closely¡­ first, cast a light over your left hand.¡¹ I did so and looked at him for confirmation. He nodded. ¡¸Grohm: Yes, now cast another over your right as well, at the same time.¡¹ I cast the second light. Both my hands were holding mana lights. Multicasting the same magic wasn¡¯t as hard as with different spells. It was just like moving both your hands in the same or opposite ways. ¡¸Allen: Done.¡¹ I said, wondering what would come next. ¡¸Grohm: Well. Yes. Now get them closer to each other.¡¹ He said, motioning me to get on with it. As they got closer I started to feel some kind of humming from my mana senses. It was like two guitar chords vibrating together. ¡¸Allen: I feel a¡­ humming?¡¹ I said looking at him for confirmation. Grohm slapped his left hand on the table. ¡¸Grohm: Yes! Maybe there¡¯s hope. Hmmm. How does it feel, exactly ?¡¹ He spurred me on. I tried paying attention. It was as if it was pulsing irregularly like¡­ wait, is this what he meant with dissonance? Now that I think of it¡­ it¡¯s just like when you strike dissonant chords, or the guitar is not properly tuned. ¡¸Allen: Ah! I think I¡¯m starting to understand¡­¡¹ I said as my brain started making connections. Grohm stroked his beard eyeing me warily. ¡¸Grohm: Hmmm. Do you? Bring them closer still. Yes. Now if you say you understand, harmonize them.¡¹ I tried ¡°tuning¡± the spells making them resonate at the same ¡°frequency¡±. As they did, they suddenly got brighter. Woah! My eyebrows shot up in surprise. But it was a shaky balance, it wasn¡¯t easy to keep it steady. Grohm nodded and spoke. ¡¸Grohm: Good enough. Now you understand, yes? Magic is like music, to make spells play well together you need to harmonize them. This is the basis of combining multiple magics, and also working with constructs!¡¹ He was agitating his hands pointlessly. I had already gotten the point. ¡¸Grohm: Moreover, harmonized spells are stronger and consume less mana! Obviously, one has to pay attention to unwanted resonances with complex structures¡­ but I¡¯ll explain that during the classes. Yes. Now resume the enchantment, this time harmonizing your spells.¡¹ He stood back up leaving me to my work while he returned his attention to his own. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. I sighed, dispelled the lights and got back to work. It took four more attempts to please Grohm. ¡¸Grohm: Ahhh, finally! Let¡¯s see. Hmmm.¡¹ I gave him the enchanted ring. He nodded, stroking his beard. ¡¸Grohm: Hmmm. Much better¡­ this is acceptable. Yes.¡¹ I took a sigh of relief. ¡¸Grohm: Enough for today. You go and practice, yes ?¡¹ He waved in dismissal, turning back on his work. ¡¸Allen: Yes, thank you.¡¹ I bowed and left the Academy. I was starting to feel the mental fatigue. By the way, I had tried joining the Alchemists¡¯ Guild but they denied me. Apparently, I needed to first get an Intermediate Alchemy certification and a letter of recommendation. Well, there goes my plan for getting real experience to improve my potions. I was just a week in with the new classes. Telekinesis was going well enough, I had finally figured how to move a strip of paper about one millimeter away while the other students were being smug showing off their greater achievements. Emotion magic was much easier, I managed to project Fear on my sparring partners with ease. It was me being smug there, albeit I only really excelled with Fear. I wonder if I can get good enough to make people piss themselves. That would be fun. I can see some good opportunities from this kind of magic, I could forcefully make myself determined when I felt lazy, or calm if I lost my shit. I can force myself to grind like a Korean gamer! There were a lot of possibilities. Alchemy keeps being boring. There¡¯s a lot of normal chemistry mixed in. Ugh. I really only care about the magical part of it, but whatever, it all goes into my magical database. Speaking about my silver cube, I made progress on my game-like interface but I have just a little problem. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to use a magic construct autonomous enough to make an assessment of stats and skills. That would take away a very big chunk of the magic potential available in the cube. For the moment I¡¯ll just make do with a simple one for tracking the amount of mana I have, the rest will have to wait. Once I learn from Grohm how to make magical constructs capable of creating spells by themselves, I can turn the cube into a manufacturing device. Then I¡¯ll be able to quickly assemble a magical processor in other items. I had wasted countless hours to make the one in my silver cube, I wasn¡¯t eager to do it manually from scratch. I need to buy an adamantium ring. Even something as small as a ring should hold four times the mana potential of my silver cube. That¡¯s a lot, plus I can keep it on my fingers. It was time to pay Vargas, my merchant food-obsessed friend, a visit. I walked outside his warehouse and knocked at the door. ¡¸Allen: It¡¯s me, Allen.¡¹ I announced myself, wondering if he was inside. ¡¸Vargas: Ah! Come in Allen.¡¹ I walked in and saw Vargas sitting at his desk. He lifted his face to look at me. ¡¸Vargas: Ahhh, bookkeeping is a huge waste of time, all these calculations¡­ how can I help you ?¡¹ He pushed the paper pile aside and smiled. ¡¸Allen: Calculations huh? I might be able to build a device to help with that. Not yet, but soon.¡¹ I replied. Once I can mass-produce processors, making a calculator is a piece of cake. ¡¸Vargas: Really? That would help a lot! Ah¡­ speaking of devices¡­¡¹ Vargas raised a finger. ¡¸Allen: Yes ?¡¹ I asked. Did he want me to enchant something? ¡¸Vargas: You had left me your magnetic board prototype. I had the chance to showcase it to a few clients of mine and they expressed some interest. I¡¯m sure we can make some money from it, I just need to secure a shipment of lodestones and strike a deal with a manufacturer. I¡¯ll start with 25 pieces.¡¹ Vargas rubbed his hands as he said that. Right, I had left it to him. With my silver cube, I really didn¡¯t need that stuff anymore so I asked him to sell it off or something. ¡¸Allen: Sounds good, I¡¯ll leave that matter to you then. I never expected to make money off of such a simple thing.¡¹ It¡¯s just a magnetic board. ¡¸Vargas: You¡¯ll see¡­ we¡¯ll promote it as a premium product. I¡¯m sure the nobles will be ecstatic of not having to use tacks and cork like the commoners. Also, with a good woodcarver and quality materials, we will hit the mark!¡¹ Vargas spoke, staring at the ceiling, probably picturing deals and incomes. Yeah, how terribly exciting. ¡¸Allen: Nice! But that was not why I came here.¡¹ I stopped him before he started discussing the details. He turned his gaze back to me. ¡¸Vargas: Oh? What¡¯s on your mind, my friend?¡¹ He asked, raising his eyebrows. ¡¸Allen: I was wondering if you could get me a plain adamantium ring at a good price. I need it for my magic studies.¡¹ I said, trying to hide the longing in my voice. With that much magic potential in such a compact size, I could do a hella lot of things. ¡¸Vargas: Hmmm, let me check¡­¡¹ He shuffled around his papers for a few minutes. ¡¸Vargas: Ah! there it is. Yes, I have a shipment coming this week. I usually sell them for 14 gold coins¡­ but since it¡¯s you, I¡¯ll only ask for 7 gold coins. Do we have a deal?¡¹ He smiled and proffered a hand to shake. Holy shit, 14 gold coins for such a tiny piece of unenchanted metal?! And that¡¯s the reseller pricing. I¡¯m glad I¡¯m friends with Vargas. I didn¡¯t think twice and shook his hand. ¡¸Allen: Deal! Oh¡­ and another thing¡­¡¹ Vargas raised an eyebrow. I searched my pouch for what I was looking for. There it is. ¡¸Allen: Here, take these.¡¹ I said passing him a few sheets of paper. ¡¸Vargas: What is it ?¡¹ He furrowed his brows while looking at the papers. ¡¸Allen: Do you remember our talks about my quest to find my homeland¡¯s flavors ?¡¹ I showed him the pictures and notes I had drawn beforehand. Vargas was the only person exceptionally motivated in helping me with this. ¡¸Allen: I drew a few pictures and descriptions of certain fruits, vegetables, and seeds. If during your travels you can find any of these, I will show you even tastier recipes!¡¹ I promised him. He looked at me with sparkling eyes. ¡¸Vargas: Oh my! Now we¡¯re talking! Just last week I tasted¡­¡¹ Oh no. He began with the food talk. I knew he would! I screamed internally but managed to keep my smile through all of it. Eventually, he ran out of steam and I managed to flee. I knew the dangers of talking about food with him. It never seemed to end, every second felt like an eternity. To make it worse, all the food talk had made me hungry. FOOD. I headed toward my restaurant at a quick pace. Until I heard a woman¡¯s scream. At which I froze. It came from a shady alley to my left. A shady alley. Bad things happening in a shady alley? What a surprise! It¡¯s common sense. Should I go and check? It was probably wiser to just ignore it and let the city guards handle it. Besides, it might be a trap to attract dumb do-gooders and rob them blind. I stole a glance at the alleyway. But what if the woman is in actual danger? I scratched my chin. Damn it. For some reason, I felt queasy at the thought of just walking away. Did the kids rub off their misguided goodness on me? I sighed. Fine! I needed to blow off some stress from the Grohm¡¯s lessons and Vargas food monologues, anyway. Hmmm, I could try that. A smile crept onto my face as I ventured into the dangerous alleyway. I started weaving mana into a big illusion. As expected it devolved into a nightmarish mess, but I wasn¡¯t aiming for control. What surprised me were the illusory voices talking about food. Yep, I was really hungry. I hope this won¡¯t take too long. There were noises coming from the turn just ahead. I made a slow entrance, to make sure the illusion wouldn¡¯t move beyond my body leaving me in plain sight. There was a man holding a knife to a woman¡¯s throat. He turned his head my way and paled. For added fun, I shortly projected Fear at him. Since letting the illusion go wild didn¡¯t require much concentration I managed to cast it simultaneously. The woman rolled her eyes and fainted. Whoops! Did she faint due to the illusion or the projected Fear? I was still too inexperienced to be able to target specific people. The bad guy was shaking and whimpering, he let the woman fall and stepped back until he hit the wall. He was totally panicked! This is fun! I moved my arm as if to reach for him and countless illusionary tendrils moved in accord. The guy pissed his pants and started running. I had to hold off my laughs. Then I turned to my right. Huh. I was surprised to see the trio. What a coincidence. What were they doing here? Grastel and Namrick were brandishing knives with Ellin right behind them. Closer to me there were five other people dressed like thugs. It seems they had picked up a fight against my friends. Everyone was looking at me with confused an fearful faces. Fuck off. I projected another wave of Fear, a strong one. The illusion made an appropriate comment about food and I took a few steps forward, menacingly. The thugs broke in a panicked run, completely ignoring the trio who remained still, facing toward me. Namrick seemed ready to fight. I waited until the thugs left my line of sight then I grinned and let the illusion dissipate. With this short stunt, I had depleted all of my mana, but it was worth it. The look on my friends¡¯ faces was priceless. Chapter 41: Food One of the cute waitresses I hired came to deliver the pizzas. I would have admired her figure but all my attention was taken by my stomach, which was grumbling in anticipation. FOOD. I was a little surprised when I saw the trio standing there against the criminals. It turned out they too were heading the same way and heard the scream. I should have taken the chance to instruct that poor woman to the dangers of shady alleys. Well, maybe she¡¯s figured it out anyway. I devoured my first slice of pizza. My stomach greedily accepted the long-awaited reward. The pang of hunger was quenched. ¡¸Allen: So, my teacher says I¡¯m a natural at projecting Fear¡­¡¹ I said cheerily. My friend raised their eyes at me. ¡¸Grastel: That illusion was quite¡­¡¹ He made a disgusted face. ¡¸Ellin: Gross!¡¹ Ellin completed the sentence with another disgusted face. ¡¸Namrick: Creepy too, with all that mumbling about food.¡¹ Namrick said, raising his eyebrows for a moment before taking another bite. Good ol¡¯ Namrick, he doesn¡¯t let something as little as an illusory abomination spoil his appetite. ¡¸Allen: Hmm, yeah that was Vargas¡¯ fault, he started telling me his food tales. For hours¡­ made me hungry too.¡¹ I said munching another bite. ¡¸Ellin: I thought you were bad at illusions.¡¹ She said, now focusing on her pizza. ¡¸Allen: Well, I am. The illusion basically did it all by itself, I only offered a few suggestions. I had to be careful to stay underneath.¡¹ I just need to think about my cool nightmares to get inspiration for spooky stuff. Then it works out by itself. The problem begins when I need anatomically accurate stuff. I should have studied Loomis. ¡¸Namrick: Well, we have to thank you, you made our job easier. We had almost defeated them, but then they took the woman hostage.¡¹ He shook his head in distaste. ¡¸Allen: Glad to have been of help. I was dying to try that out, mixing illusion and emotion magic.¡¹ I puffed up my chest. ¡¸Ellin: So, what are you doing with Khalkear?¡¹ Ellis asked with curiosity. I winced at the thought. ¡¸Allen: He taught me how to harmonize spells. I spent most of the time trying to enchant a practice ring correctly. It was exhausting.¡¹ I said with a grimace. Then I took another slice of deliciousness. ¡¸Allen: ¡­ It looks like I had been doing enchantment the wrong way all this time.¡¹ If I had known some stuff earlier I could have saved myself some headaches. But my perseverance had still brought results. ¡¸Namrick: Did he show you any cool magical tool?¡¹ He asked and downed his mug of¡­ wait, is that an alcoholic beverage?! You¡¯re too young for that stuff, Namrick! I tried not to scowl him to death. ¡¸Allen: Huh¡­ yes, he had plenty of stuff.¡¹ I made a recap of what Grohm showed me during my visits. ¡¸Grastel: Uh¡­ what could you possibly teach to that man?¡¹ Grastel asked wide-eyed, after hearing about Grohm¡¯s awesomeness. ¡¸Allen: Information Technology. It was the closest thing to magic in my homeland, I tried to explain to you guys but you always interrupt me.¡¹ I scoffed. They¡¯re too afraid of technical terms. ¡¸Ellin: Can you blame us? You just throw weird words in the air and never explain what they mean!¡¹ Ellin pouted. I grunted in reply. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.I¡¯m a tech guy, I was never great at explaining to normal people. ¡¸Allen: Grohm said the same.¡¹ I shrugged my shoulders. ¡¸Allen: Well, I¡¯ll teach someone who can teach it properly.¡¹ I really don¡¯t have the patience to become a proper teacher. PTSD about trying to explain to old men how to operate the printer or clear the cache from the browser resurfaced in my mind. Never fucking again. Teaching to newbies sucks. I wonder if that¡¯s why Violet always seemed angry. ¡¸Grastel: Anyway, we¡¯re still waiting for our cool new enchanted items.¡¹ Grastel said with a grind. Clever Grastel, planning to exploit our friendship. I smiled. ¡¸Allen: I¡¯ll have you beta test them, but I can¡¯t do anything really useful yet.¡¹ Don¡¯t worry dear Grastel, I¡¯ll turn you into my guinea pig. ¡¸Grastel: What about your radar thing?¡¹ He aimed too far. I shook my head. ¡¸Allen: I had to cast almost a thousand spells to make it. It¡¯s too slow. Grohm has a better way, but he has yet to teach me. In the meantime¡­ give me something to enchant and I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡¹ I offered, looking at everyone. Ellin shot me a quick glance and seemed to want to say something, but her mouth was stuffed full. ¡¸Grastel: Deal!¡¹ I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s expecting, my magic knowledge and skills are still pretty low. Whatever, they¡¯ll be my guinea pigs. Hahaha. ¡¸Ellin: Almost a thousand?!¡¹ She asked me in disbelief. I nodded. ¡¸Allen: I made do with the tools I had. If you can¡¯t use the wrong tools to get the right result, then you¡¯re not a real developer.¡¹ I said proudly. I can¡¯t even count the countless ugly workarounds I devised during my working career. Can¡¯t be helped, you gotta go fast to meet the deadlines. As I thought at the face of those who would inherit that code my smile only got more wicked. Haha, suckers! ¡¸Namrick: What¡¯s so funny?¡¹ Namrick asked me. Damn, I let my mind wander. ¡¸Allen: Nothing. I just remembered something. Ignore me.¡¹ I said in dismissal, clearing the wicked smile from my face. He shrugged and turned to Ellin. ¡¸Namrick: Okay¡­ Ellin, do you have any news from Edward?¡¹ Hearing the question made Ellin lose her smile. ¡¸Ellin: No¡­¡¹ She leaned forward to whisper. ¡¸Ellin: His father told me he sent Edward to get military training under a fake name.¡¹ It makes sense, they¡¯d tried to kidnap him after all. I¡¯m sure the crucible will let him grow some backbone. As long as he doesn¡¯t get involved in Vallachio¡¯s training grounds. In that case, the only thing he¡¯d grow is the grass over his grave. But Edward doesn¡¯t like magic, so he¡¯s probably safe. ¡¸Ellin: I¡¯m a little concerned¡­¡¹ She put her hands on her lap with a downcast expression. ¡¸Grastel: I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be fine, they fight as a group in there.¡¹ Grastel nodded at me since I was the one who had told them about how the training happened. ¡¸Ellin: But what if they get attacked by demons?¡¹ I reassured her. ¡¸Allen: It shouldn¡¯t happen, our drill sergeant guaranteed us we¡¯d be out of the conflict zone during the training. Besides, since he¡¯s a noble I¡¯m sure his father made extra arrangements for his safety.¡¹ Ellin still looked concerned. It was time to change the topic. ¡¸Allen: So, did you guys learn any new tricks? Look at this!¡¹ I tossed a piece of paper on the table, and stared it down intensely, trying to move it with telekinesis. ¡¸Allen: You see? It moved!¡¹ Grastel puffed at it sending it flying away. ¡¸Grastel: Woaaahhh! Look at that! I¡¯m a great magician!¡¹ I made an offended face while everyone else chuckled like idiots. Good, I lightened up the mood. ¡¸Allen: You¡¯re lucky I¡¯m out of mana or I¡¯d have had you piss your pants with Fear. Now that would have been hilarious.¡¹ I retorted with a flat laugh. ¡¸Ellin: I¡¯ve been practicing to detect enemies, positions, and numbers. Beside that I also learned Confusion, I¡¯ve tried it on the thugs but it didn¡¯t seem to do much. I need more practice.¡¹ Ellin recovered her smile. She turned to Namrick. ¡¸Namrick: Well, I¡¯ve been practicing sword techniques. I¡¯ll show you in battle, next time. I can cut at a distance!¡¹ He said, scratching his head. ¡¸Allen: So you learned some magic, huh?¡¹ I looked at him in contemplation, cocking an eyebrow. Suddenly Namrick stood straight and serious. ¡¸Namrick: No, it¡¯s a sword technique from my master.¡¹ He said flatly. ¡¸Allen: Does it use mana?¡¹ I asked him. If it does then it¡¯s magic. ¡¸Namrick: We swordsmen don¡¯t use magic, we have techniques.¡¹ He slapped his chest and raised his chin. ¡¸Allen: Does it use mana?¡¹ I repeated the question. ¡¸Namrick: ¡­¡¹ Namrick stared at me. ¡¸Allen: Namrick. If it uses mana, it¡¯s magic.¡¹ It¡¯s all mana and magic in this world. ¡¸Namrick: No.¡¹ No?! I stared flatly at him. ¡¸Allen: ¡­¡¹ I turned my eyes at Ellin and Grastel for support. ¡¸Grastel: Don¡¯t look at me, I¡¯m open-minded.¡¹ Grastel said while Ellin was fidgeting pretending not to pay attention. ¡¸Allen: Really? Guys? Namrick, you even use mana infused strength.¡¹ I said baffled. ¡¸Namrick: You must mean battle spirit. We, swordsmen, use the vod, our inner strength.¡¹ He said with a final tone. Bullshit, I¡¯ve looked into it. There are too many similarities. It¡¯s just another word for magic. ¡¸Allen: Mana.¡¹ I said defiantly. Namrick crossed his hands and refused to budge. I narrowed my eyes. Why is Namrick being so stubborn? Is there some kind of rivalry between swordsmen and mages? He looks almost butthurt or something. ¡¸Allen: I see¡­ I suppose you would say I¡¯m mistaken even if I shoved you into an ocean of proofs. I give up.¡¹ From Ellin¡¯s reaction, I can assume this is an old argument. Now I knew how to push Namrick''s buttons. Eheheh. I smiled. ¡¸Allen: What about you, Grastel?¡¹ I looked back at the smug kid. ¡¸Grastel: The usual. Bows and knives. I can shoot two arrows at once. Sadly my quiver drains twice as fast if I do¡­¡¹ No shit. ¡¸Allen: I see, the cruel curse of arithmetics.¡¹ ¡¸Grastel: Indeed.¡¹ Grastel and I nodded in agreement. Ellin looked outside the window. ¡¸Ellin: It will be winter soon. That should slow down the war.¡¹ She said with a faraway look. ¡¸Namrick: Winter¡­ I hope we¡¯ll have enough food to get by, the demons destroyed a good chunk of harvest.¡¹ Namrick reclined back to his seat, his face serious. ¡¸Allen: Did they announce food shortages?¡¹ I asked I don¡¯t really pay much attention. I¡¯m always too focused on my stuff. ¡¸Namrick: No, but they¡¯d likely keep it under the rug not to cause panic.¡¹ He downed the last contents of his mug. I see. I bet there are gonna be some happy merchants ready to rub their hands when they raise the prices. I don¡¯t want to starve to death. Chapter 42: Looking to increase mana reserves The next day I mustered my courage and went to knock at Violet¡¯s office at the Academy, the clerk had confirmed she was in. ¡¸Violet: Come in.¡¹ Her voice invited me in so I walked inside. She was sitting at her desk, reading a book. DON¡¯T STARE AT THE CHEST. I reminded myself how to not get killed. ¡¸Allen: Greetings ma¡¯am Violet.¡¹ I said, bowing to the sexy archmage. She pierced me with her cold blue eyes. ¡¸Violet: Allen, what brings you here? How are your sessions with Grohm proceeding?¡¹ She inquired, putting down the book. ¡¸Allen: Very well, despite my low level in the Arts. I¡¯ve introduced him to the basic concepts of my knowledge.¡¹ I gave a short report on our exchanges. ¡¸Violet: I see. Is that all?¡¹ She asked me and I hesitated a little. I wanted to propose an idea I had, but I didn¡¯t know if wasting her time was the correct option. ¡¸Allen: No¡­ uh¡­ I actually came for another matter.¡¹ I said, fidgeting a little. ¡¸Violet: Hmmm?¡¹ Violet looked like she wanted to incinerate me on the spot so she could resume reading her book. ¡¸Allen: I ah¡­ heard that many farms have been attacked and their harvests destroye¨C¡¹ She cut me short. ¡¸Violet: I¡¯m not allowed to disclose details about that matter, I¡¯m sure you can understand.¡¹ She gave me a colder than usual glare. ¡¸Allen: No, I have a proposition about it but I don¡¯t know who else to contact¡­¡¹ She stared in silence. I felt the cold sweat rising on my skin. ¡¸Allen: Hmmm¡­ are you aware of the concept of vertical farming?¡¹ I watched various videos on the internet about it. And about many other things. A man has to do something during those dead times, the news websites could only write so many articles a day. That I cared about, at least. ¡¸Violet: No.¡¹ She slightly shook her head. ¡¸Allen: Well, basically¡­¡¹ I began explaining. At first I was gesturing with my hands along the explanations, but I stopped myself and switched to illusions. Yes, I can do geometric stuff well enough! ¡¸Allen: ¡­ crops like lettuces could be grown indoors, on vertical pillars or layered shelves, using water mixed with nutrients instead of soil, magic light instead of the sun and heat to maintain the ideal environment¡­¡¹ I relayed all that I remembered from those videos and tutorials. ¡¸Allen: It¡¯s certainly more expensive, but it can be done during winter. I¡¯m only suggesting it in case of emergency¡­¡¹ I said, concluding the explanation. Violet sighed. ¡¸Violet: Growing crops indoor¡­ are you certain it¡¯s feasible?¡¹ She was tapping her fingers on the desk. My gut feelings was telling me she was running out of patience. ¡¸Violet: Many magicians have tried to grow plants without sunlight, it has never worked. Not even with magic lights. You¡¯re not wasting my time, are you?¡¹ She narrowed her eyes as she said that. ¡¸Allen: I-It¡¯s all about finding the right light, intensity, and duration of exposure for the plant. I¡¯m not sure about the exact details, but I know it¡¯s possible.¡¹ Violet dropped her gaze while thinking and I felt the pressure relent. I snuck a peek to her chest for a microsecond. I¡¯m living on the edge. ¡¸Violet: I see. Let Grohm know about it, I¡¯ll contact some acquaintances to see if there¡¯s any interest.¡¹ She put her hand on her book. ¡¸Violet: If that¡¯s all, you¡¯re dismissed.¡¹ There was a sound of finality to her voice. I didn¡¯t dare push my luck. ¡¸Allen: Yes, ma¡¯am.¡¹ I bowed and walked away, leaving Violet to her book. First step in saving myself from starvation, check.
The next step was Grohm¡¯s office. When I mentioned him the idea he first complained about what a boring and wasteful effort it would be, but then came around as we started discussing the magical side of the implementation and the details, how to make the magic lights efficient and stuff like that. After that, I resumed my magic practices. Stolen story; please report. My control of mana has been steadily increasing, but the total mana I could build up in my body was still disappointing. I¡¯ve been diligent, doing the meditation exercises I¡¯ve been taught, but the only thing I¡¯m increasing is mana absorption and efficiency. I wonder what¡¯s the trick to raise the bar, to level up my mana reserves¡­ I should have asked Violet earlier, surely an archmage knew all the tricks. But, I had annoyed her enough for the day. I fully understood how aggravating it was to interrupted by random people while doing something, only to be showered with questions or talks about stuff you don¡¯t care about, and you¡¯re there, nervously shaking your leg hoping they will go away soon. Maybe I can try at the library. I went there and asked the librarians for books about increasing mana. It turned out to be a waste of time, all I got were books talking about what I already knew. Next step, Gregoris.
I greeted the scholar who smiled and invited me inside. ¡¸Gregoris: Allen, it¡¯s been a while. What can I help you with?¡¹ He gazed at me with an appraising stare. I hadn¡¯t visited him much lately, he keeps pressing for me to teach him more of my language but I¡¯d rather stop that. What if someone ends up figuring out what my curses mean? I want to swear freely without restrictions, risks or moral judgments. It should be a basic right for programmers. ¡¸Allen: Hi Gregoris. Sorry, I¡¯ve been quite busy. This time I¡¯d like to inquire about your scholarly knowledge of magic. You¡¯re the most knowledgeable person I know.¡¹ I said, attempting to sweet-talk him. His eyes lit up. ¡¸Gregoris: Magic? What do you want to know? As long as it is theoretical stuff, I¡¯m confident in my knowledge.¡¹ He said confidently, letting out a proud smile. ¡¸Allen: I¡¯m looking into ways of increasing my mana reserves. So far I¡¯ve found only about ways to increase efficiency and absorption.¡¹ I laid down my problem. Gregoris averted his gaze, deep in thought. ¡¸Gregoris: Increasing mana¡­ well, the simplest way is to bring charged mana crystals as an extra reserve, otherwise you could increase your mana density. The latter increases naturally to a slight degree as you practice breathing in mana¡­¡¹ Gregoris went into lecture mode, stroking his beard as he talked. ¡¸Gregoris: ¡­ beginners mistakenly think that overbreathing mana would give better results.¡¹ He shook his head. Yeah, I tried that. No use, the mana just leaks back outside. ¡¸Gregoris: Alas, it¡¯s not so. The reason is that they lack the advanced knowledge necessary to keep their aura in check. Without such skills, the extra mana is simply dispersed through the natural barrier¡­¡¹ The natural barrier is what prevents magic from interfering directly inside the body, there are exceptions to beneficial magic. I suspect the spirit body evolved this way through natural selection. From what I read, mana is poisonous unless it¡¯s your own, also the lack of barrier would allow any magician to just cook your brain on the spot. A scary thought. I¡¯m glad the Creator did not forget about that when he sent me here. ¡¸Gregoris: Instead with aura control, in addition to being able to hide your aura, you also seal the mana inside. Only once you¡¯ve sealed the dispersion, can you overbreath successfully.¡¹ Gregoris nodded as he finished the explanation. ¡¸Allen: So, I just need to learn aura control and I can get to it, right?¡¹ I asked, scratching my chin. How hard can it be? I wondered. ¡¸Gregoris: Not so fast¡­¡¹ Gregoris warned, raising his right hand in warning. ¡¸Gregoris: There are dangers involved in overbreathing mana, if done incorrectly you might damage your own natural barrier. There¡¯s a reason these skills are only taught to high-level practitioners. Worst case scenario you might even become mana dead. Do not take this lightly, Allen¡­ and before you ask, no I don¡¯t have books about aura control.¡¹ Me, taking things lightly? I¡¯m a serious person. I shrugged in reply. ¡¸Allen: Too bad. Mana dead, what does that mean exactly?¡¹ I asked the scholar. ¡¸Gregoris: Yes, that¡¯s what happens when the spiritual body is damaged beyond repair. You lose the natural barrier along the ability to control mana. You also become weaker and more prone to catch diseases¡­¡¹ He said in a grave tone. ¡¸Allen: Ah¡­¡¹ Gregoris turned on the side looking outside the window. ¡¸Gregoris: Forcing someone into a mana dead state is one of the harshest punishments against mages. It¡¯s usually done to those who abuse their power. There is no known cure. Once you¡¯re mana dead, there¡¯s no turning back.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: I see.¡¹ I said nodding my head. So if the spirit body dies, adios magic. I thought the spirit body was a byproduct of living physical bodies. But this makes it sound instead like a separate thing. A symbiotic mana-based being? Interesting. ¡¸Allen: You made me think another question¡­ if the natural barrier were to be damaged, would it be possible to store magic constructs directly inside the body?¡¹ Gregory turned his head back to me and took a deep breath. ¡¸Gregoris: Hmmm¡­ yes it has been tried, but enchantments are destroyed once the spirit body regenerates. There have been also experiments on mana dead people, but it was declared taboo. The magic stored inside seemed to act like poison to the body. I can¡¯t tell you anything more about that. Research on that topic has been forbidden.¡¹ He said apologetically. Something in the other room caught his attention. ¡¸Gregoris: Ah, sorry I was brewing an infusion of dried skalari flowers, would you like some?¡¹ He asked me. I had no idea what that was. ¡¸Allen: Sure, thank you.¡¹ ¡¸Gregoris: Please, take a seat while I bring a couple of cups.¡¹ I nodded and did so. Soon he came back with a tray with two cups and a pitcher. I accepted the cup of infusion and sipped it. It was bitter, with a fruity aroma. It could¡¯ve been better with a spoon of sugar, but alas, processed sugar wasn¡¯t a thing in this world. Yet. Another question arose in my mind. ¡¸Allen: What about curses? Aren¡¯t they similar to storing mana spells directly into the body? What¡¯s the difference?¡¹ ¡¸Gregoris: Curses¡­ they¡¯re different. A curse is like a living thing, a parasite that attaches itself to the spiritual body of the target. I only have a cursory knowledge of them. What I can tell you is that they can happen both naturally and artificially¡­¡¹ He took another sip and continued. ¡¸Gregoris: It¡¯s also common for strong magicians to launch a curse on their killers, on the verge of death¡­ something about intent. For more information you should ask an experienced healer, they are trained to recognize and dispel them. It¡¯s unlikely you¡¯ll find anyone openly admitting to knowing curse casting. It¡¯s kind of a frowned-upon topic and for good reasons.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Why?¡¹ I wondered aloud. Gregoris sighed and answered. ¡¸Gregoris: To put it bluntly, if it¡¯s known you can cast curses, people will harbor suspicions and blame you for every single curse happening in the city. It¡¯s not taboo¡­ but close.¡¹ He poured some more infusion into his cup. I can always rely on Gregoris for my info-dumping needs. I smiled. ¡¸Allen: Thank you Gregoris, I can always count on your extensive knowledge.¡¹ ¡¸Gregoris: Thank you. I am a scholar, after all, this much is expected.¡¹ He said with a hint of false modesty. Well, gotta give him a reward before he starts asking about my language. ¡¸Allen: Ah, it would be bad of me to waste your time without nothing in return¡­ so I brought you a bunch of ravioli and a sauce to cook them with.¡¹ I untied the pouch from my belt and handed it over to him. ¡¸Gregoris: Ah, so this is one of your secret recipes? I¡¯m honored. I hope to see these foods available at a restaurant soon.¡¹ He smiled, gladly accepting the pouch. ¡¸Allen: Heh, sooner or later.¡¹ I stood up. ¡¸Allen: I have to go now. Bye and thanks for everything.¡¹ I said, saluting Gregoris before going back home. I was hoping to avoid relying on enchanted items and just enchant my own body into an indestructible death-machine, but it looks there no viable options at this time. I wonder if I could do something with curses¡­ parasites on the spiritual body, huh? So even the spirit is vulnerable to spiritual diseases. Are blessings just like positive curses, then? I read they¡¯re granted by gods. If they work on the same principles you could call them symbionts. I can¡¯t wait to do irresponsible magical experiments like a true wizard. Chapter 43: Readers are probably wondering when the plot moves forwards I had a lucid dream. When I became aware, I was in a city at night. There were many canals and bridges, it reminded me of Venice. I flew in the air, passed through walls, sang in polyphony and attempted to satisfy my baser urges. Sadly, the latter was interrupted by a dream Violet walking in from the corner and giving me a chilly disapproving stare. That¡¯s when I woke up. Except for the last part, that¡¯s how magic should feel. The exhilaration, the freedom, the sense of wonder¡­ maybe I should add lucid dreaming practice to my schedule. Years ago I had practiced it properly and even attained good results until overtimes and stress killed my momentum and I gave up. In this world, astral projection might work for real. It¡¯s worth a try. Let¡¯s see¡­ the trick to lucidity was recording dreams, then awareness to recognize you are dreaming, and meditation to improve control. Meditation is already taken care of, thanks to my mana exercises. For awareness, I could cheat with emotion magic, maybe using a delayed spell so it enables during the sleep. It¡¯s a good plan. I congratulated myself. I rose from the bed with a smile on my face. Which was quickly erased by another mind-numbing Alchemy lesson. The best way to start the day. After the lessons, I stopped by the library to ask specifically about aura control. The librarian scowled and reproached me for trying to chew more than I could bite. Ha, jokes on you if you think you can stop a minmaxer like me. I¡¯ll figure it out myself if I have to. Controlling my own aura, how hard can it be? Pretty hard. I think I figured out the principle, it¡¯s like inducing a feeling of tightening across the surface of my skin. But it¡¯s not strong enough and I can¡¯t extend the effect on the whole surface of my body. It¡¯s as bad as trying to handle an anti-magic field. Whenever I focus on a point, the rest unravels. I sighed. The things I want to do are piling up but I have the impression of not being able to keep up, I¡¯m starting to feel discouraged. I cast Resolve. A spur of motivation pervaded me¡­ only to quickly dull a few seconds after. Meh, I need to improve my emotion magic. Well, at least I got some info about astral projection. Here they call it something like spirit travel or spirit walking. I read that it¡¯s a rare talent, but I¡¯m sure that with my overinflated confidence I¡¯ll manage somehow. I quickly transcribed the information into my database. I crossed path with Ellin in the Academy, while heading to Grohm¡¯s office. I waved at her. ¡¸Allen: Hi Ellin.¡¹ She looked at me with a surprised face. ¡¸Ellin: You noticed me!¡¹ I raised an eyebrow. ¡¸Allen: Of course. Why wouldn¡¯t I notice you?¡¹ I asked the fair-haired girl. ¡¸Ellin: Actually¡­ hmm, nothing.¡¹ She seemed to want to say something but gave up and shook her head. Gregoris said to consult an experienced healer about curse related questions, I might as well ask her. ¡¸Allen: Okay, heading back? How extensive is your knowledge of curses?¡¹ She furrowed her brows a little. ¡¸Ellin: Huh, curses? Well, I¡¯ve been taught how to recognize and remove some of them. Why do you ask?¡¹ Wait, remember this is an almost taboo topic, better not discuss in public. I shot a glance to the passersby. ¡¸Allen: Just curious. What about blessings?¡¹ ¡¸Ellin: What kind do you mean? The ones granted by gods that give permanent effects of the temporary ones summoned during battle?¡¹ Ellin asked, tilting her head slightly. ¡¸Allen: Both, aren¡¯t they the same?¡¹ I asked, scratching my chin. ¡¸Ellin: They¡¯re similar in the fact that they¡¯re granted by a God¡¯s favor. But the latter is only temporary.¡¹ The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. A god¡¯s favor? Do gods actually meddle with mortals? It sounds like a recipe for disaster to me. ¡¸Allen: I see. But what is a blessing made of exactly?¡¹ Ellin knit her eyebrows for a moment, deep in thought. ¡¸Ellin: I¡¯m¡­ not really sure. But from what they taught us, it¡¯s like being touched spiritually by the divine being itself. The caster channels the essence and is able to send it to others. It¡¯s easier to do than to understand the details of how it works.¡¹ She explained and finished with a smile. ¡¸Allen: Oh.¡¹ I said, taking a few moments to consider the information. I don¡¯t like relying on fuzzy things like ¡°gods¡±. How are they related to the Creator? Can they be trusted? ¡¸Ellin: Do you need anything else?¡¹ Ellin asked me, lifting her eyebrows just a fraction in question. ¡¸Allen: No, sorry. See you later!¡¹ She nodded and walked on. I shouldn¡¯t keep Grohm waiting. I went on.
Grohm raised his eyes to look at me for a moment, before lowering them back on his desk. ¡¸Grohm: Welcome back, Allen.¡¹ He motioned to come closer. I stopped in front of his desk. ¡¸Allen: Sir.¡¹ GRohm grimaced, shooting me a glance. ¡¸Grohm: Ah, drop that sir. We¡¯re not in class and we are both teaching each other, yes?¡¹ He waved dismissively. True, if my poor attempts at teaching can be considered such. ¡¸Allen: Yes.¡¹ ¡¸Grohm: Good.¡¹ Grohm picked up some papers buried underneath more papers. ¡¸Grohm: Ahh, Yes. Regarding the matter of growing plants indoor¡­ I have devised a design that would greatly lower the mana consumption. I already submitted my observations to Violet.¡¹ He said, pushing the paper toward me so I could see. ¡¸Allen: Very well, so all we need now is to prepare a prototype.¡¹ I said easing my shoulders and sitting down in the chair in front of his desk. ¡¸Grohm: Hmmm, I was reluctant at first, but then I wondered. Could such a system be used to grow alchemical reagents? Some of those plants require very specific conditions. Bothersome, yes?¡¹ He said, nodding to himself. Ah¡­ I hadn¡¯t thought about growing reagents. Yeah, that would be nice. And profitable. I mentally rubbed my hands while a faint smile crept on my lips. ¡¸Grohm: Allen! Are you listening?!¡¹ He slapped the desk to catch my attention, making me jump a little. ¡¸Allen: Err, yes!¡¹ He shook his head. ¡¸Grohm: Tch. No respect for your betters. Do I need to switch your hands some more, yes?¡¹ Grohm grabbed his switch and waved it in the air threateningly. Always resorting to physical violence. This is harassment! ¡¸Allen: No! Sorry!¡¹ I said, hiding my hands safely beyond reach. ¡¸Allen: You gave me an idea about reagent farming.¡¹ ¡¸Grohm: Hmmm?¡¹ He sighed raising an eyebrow. ¡¸Allen: If we build glass boxes we can add temperature magic to match the exact conditions for rare reagents.¡¹ I explained, making little illusory boxes appear before me. He stared at me for a few seconds, then his face turned angry. ¡¸Grohm: That¡¯s exactly what I was saying!¡¹ He yelled and swung his switch against me, hitting my shoulder. ¡¸Allen: Gah!¡¹ I yelped and scowled in return. What do they say? Great minds think alike. I massaged my poor shoulder. ¡¸Allen: Anyway, what if we keep this to ourselves and exploit the market?¡¹ I said, letting a greedy smile smear my face. Grohm smiled in return. ¡¸Grohm: And I expect you want a cut, yes?¡¹ He said, leaning forward. ¡¸Allen: Half and half?¡¹ I said tentatively. He slapped the desk again and scoffed. ¡¸Grohm: Ha! In your dreams! A third, and I¡¯m being overly generous because you have interesting knowledge. Deal. Yes?¡¹ He extended his hand forward. Well, a third is not bad. Let¡¯s go with it. ¡¸Allen: Deal.¡¹ We shook our hands to seal the deal. ¡¸Allen: I know a merchant we can trust to move the goods.¡¹ I said thinking of Vargas. This is bread and butter. Grohm leaned forward. ¡¸Grohm: Hmm. We should keep it between us as much as possible.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: I agree. I don¡¯t want Lord Radenrouge stealing my ideas.¡¹ I scowled, silently cursing the nobleman. With every new thing we introduced, he was always one step behind. The novelty of my new line of focaccias was shot down in just a week. Grohm furrowed his brows. ¡¸Grohm: Radenrouge? Ah, I¡¯ve heard of him. I doubt he¡¯s going to be a problem. Hmm, for this matter at least. In fact, he despises mages and magery. As does his whole family line of stuck-up swordsmen.¡¹ He scoffed, waving his hand away. Radenrouge is a swordsman? I didn¡¯t know that. And he hates magicians. Well, fuck you too, Lord Douchenrouge. ¡¸Allen: I see.¡¹ I said drawing a deep sigh. At least I won¡¯t have that guy competing in my magic related ventures. But still, I can¡¯t lower my guard. ¡¸Grohm: Whatever¡­ let¡¯s resume our lessons. Yes? Give me back my switch.¡¹ I sighed again. I was hoping he would forget about it.
After the lesson, I made my way to leave the Academy, but I was stopped by a clerk. ¡¸Clerk: Wait! Sorry, I¡¯ve been tasked to deliver this to you.¡¹ The man pushed a sealed envelope into my hands. ¡¸Allen: Oh¡­ thank you.¡¹ I said cordially and opened it up to read the contents.
I have found someone interested in your idea. His name is Lord Tareus Val Feran, he manages various manufacturing operations and can provide engineers and resources to turn it into reality. You¡¯ll find him in the northern part of the Nobles District. Tell him I¡¯ve sent you. Archmage Violet Val Mariannet
Northern part of the Nobles District. It could be anywhere! I ground my teeth, I was going to get lost and walk for hours like an idiot. Why not drawing a blasted map at least? I¡¯d get lost anyway but at least I¡¯d have a reference. I put the letter away. I asked the clerk about Violet, he told me she had left and wouldn¡¯t be coming back for some time. Archmage business. I guess she¡¯s been called to give support on the battlefield. Speaking of which, I haven¡¯t seen Vallachio around for some time. Is he fighting in the front-lines too? A mental image of a bloodied Vallachio laughing in the battlefield flashed in my mind. Most likely. After three hours of legwork, getting lost until my pride gave in and I asked for directions, I arrived at Lord Tareus¡¯ mansion. His staff told me he wasn¡¯t available so I was given an appointment for the next week. Bummer. After that, I just went back to the inn to do my magic training exercises and relaxed for the rest of the day. Chapter 44: Lucid dreaming and magic rings The days passed and the nights were restless, on account of me trying to use delayed Alertness spells in my attempts to lucid dream. I had yet to find the sweet spot of awareness to realize I was in a dream but not to wake from it. Well, I have plenty of nights ahead of me to try. I had succeeded without magic, now I could only do better and faster. I¡¯ve also been using Resolve to motivate myself into doing physical exercises. One of the harsh lessons I had learned back in my world was that building muscles was much easier than it was to keep them from evaporating into thin air. It took too much time and dedication. I¡¯m a programmer, I had better things to do. In the end, I abandoned the weights in a corner and let years of dust claim them. The only drawback is that I have to keep casting Resolve continually, depleting my mana in the process. Emotion magic is truly the key to grinding! Anyway, I can finally use telekinesis on things up to a couple hectograms. Very slowly. But I got better with lighter things. My alchemy healing potions are now at about sixty percent effectiveness compared to commercial ones. I gotta say, I keep feeling like an emo when I cut myself to test them. Disgraceful. The trio brought me empty rings to enchant. I¡¯ve been trying out a few ideas. Since the cool stuff will have to wait, I resorted for more conventional things. I was just enchanting one right now. I expanded my consciousness inside the ring and began weaving the spells. Compared to when I began, now I can almost see a clear picture of the spellwork, the mana filaments connecting the spells with each other, the space between them. It¡¯s like having a three-dimensional map inside my head. I have to thank Grohm for making me improve so fast. I still want to break his stupid switch into infinitesimal pieces, though. I weaved mana into a spell to regulate temperature against cold and heat. It should come handy against the winter and when facing the occasional fire breath. Once that was done and working, I moved onto the next feature, radio communication. Since mana could resonate just like normal matter, I fiddled with the concept and realized a very basic mana-radio transceiver. I had chosen the programmer path, but in the first two years, we had done some electronics and even built a simple makeshift radio. I didn¡¯t really remember much, so I struggled through many trials and errors, but I did it. The good part is that the signal is not affected by physical matter, so it could even work underground. The bad part is that any magic will disrupt the signal. So yeah, with magic around, the signal is pretty shitty. But hey, it¡¯s beta. There¡¯s always room for improvement. I had also tried to transfer the sound by using spell triggers, it worked fine but the range was poor. In the end, the mana-radio was the most sensible choice. I used a basic mental interference spell to read the mental sound and transmit it, that way we can have private conversations. I also added a cheap mana light since there was some available space. That ought to be enough for my adventurer friends. I thought, putting the last ring down among the others. I laid down on the bed to take a nap. Suddenly, I felt myself falling down into the darkness. ¡¸Allen: Wha- ufff!¡¹ I landed on the floor of a long corridor that faded to black in both directions. Something was coming from the darkness. I felt a faint shiver. Oh boy. Wait, this is a dream! I shook my fist in the gloomy air. Typical, when you¡¯re not trying the lucid dream comes forth, trolling your efforts. While I was thinking that, a nightmarish figure approached closer. It was pretty scary but nothing I haven¡¯t already experienced in my previous dreams. I gave it an appraising look and said. ¡¸Allen: Meh, I¡¯ll give you a 7 out of 10. I¡¯m sure you could do better.¡¹ The being replied with a spectral voice. ¡¸Nightmare: ¡­ You are a strange one.¡¹ Well, when even my subconscious tells me that¡­ ¡¸Allen: Great! Can¡¯t you turn into a pretty girl now?¡¹ I said, eager to project my godly dream power unto the dream realm. ¡¸Nightmare: I refuse.¡¹ I scowled. Stupid dream characters being stubborn, I am the god here, suckers. ¡¸Allen: Let me try.¡¹ I tried willing it to transform into a pretty girl. ¡¸Nightmare: What are you doing?!¡¹ The nightmare character looked at itself as I tried molding its shape into a pretty girl. I almost did it but like my crappy illusions the anatomy was disappointing and kept deforming as I looked at it. ¡¸Allen: Meh, I really suck at this.¡¹ I said, a little disappointed. But I did mess with its shape, so I have retained some skills from my previous lucid dreaming achievements. ¡¸Nightmare: You should be cowering in terror.¡¹ The thing said, refurbishing its horror capabilities. ¡¸Allen: I do. Look, I almost feel alive!¡¹ I said, raising my hands and smiling with excitement. Wait don¡¯t get too excited or you¡¯ll wake up! I calmed my mind with meditation. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Wait there was something I was supposed to do¡­ right, astral projection. Why is it so hard to keep focusing inside dreams? ¡¸Allen: Come on, you¡¯re my subconscious, you should know better than me. How about doing some astral projecting¡­ for science?¡¹ I talked to the scary dream character hoping to gain some consensus from my subconscious. ¡¸Nightmare: Am I? Science?¡¹ The nightmare played dumb. I shook my head, as usual, my subconscious is only good at being unhelpful. ¡¸Allen: Fine then, I guess I¡¯ll figure it out myself.¡¹ Who needs the subconscious anyway? I needed a change of scenery, so I walked through the corridor walls¡­ and ended up in a sunny green forest. There was no one around. Good. Okay, what now? According to the internet forums, you¡¯re supposed to imagine your awareness leaving your body or climbing an imaginary rope. But that¡¯s supposed to be before you get into the dream. Can¡¯t hurt to try anyway. I tried to will myself out the body. Sure¡­ and how in the fucking hell am I supposed to do that? ¡¸Allen: I need a rope.¡¹ I mused out loud, hoping the dream would provide. Expectations had a way to make things happen in lucid dreams. ¡¸Nightmare: You want to hang yourself?¡¹ A spectral voice spoke from behind me. ¡¸Allen: Uh¡­ you¡¯re still around?¡¹ I looked around but did not see the spook. Is it scared by the big bad cheerful forest? ¡¸Nightmare: How about I lend you a hand?¡¹ I caught a hint of maliciousness in that voice. Suddenly I felt something wrapping around my neck. A noose. ¡¸Allen: I think I¡¯m supposed to climb it, not hang myself.¡¹ I interjected as the rope lifted me up and strangled me. Good enough. I grabbed at the rope and started climbing, ignoring the dream noose tightening around my neck. It¡¯s just a dream noose anyway. Spiders appeared from nowhere crawling all around the rope, hands, and face. Oh come on. ¡¸Allen: Hmmghrpf!¡¹ I tried to curse while simultaneously spitting out spiders. Fucking subconscious! I wish I could fucking club it to death! I kept climbing stubbornly. ¡¸Allend: I¡¯m trying * spit * to do SCIENCE * spit * for fucks sak- gaah!¡¹ My hands slipped and I fell down. The dream collapsed and I woke up. ¡¸Allen: Fuck¡­¡¹ I quickly rebranded the dream as a great success. I didn¡¯t even lose lucidity or started roaming around like a sex craved monkey in search of females. Yes, definitely a great success. I straightened my back a smiled proudly at my achievements. Astral projection, if it¡¯s actually possible, is just a few steps away. I just needed to get my subconscious to cooperate. Someone knocked at my door. ¡¸Allen: Yes?¡¹ I asked yawning. ¡¸Ellin: It¡¯s us.¡¹ Ah, my friends had come to visit me. Good, I¡¯ll give them the enchanted rings. ¡¸Allen: Come in.¡¹ I got up from the bed and greeted the trio. ¡¸Grastel: So, what are you up to? Are our rings ready?¡¹ Grastel asked eagerly. ¡¸Allen: I was investigating astral projection.¡¹ ¡¸Grastel: Astral what?¡¹ He asked while picking his teeth. ¡¸Allen: Projecting the spirit out of the body. Something like that.¡¹ ¡¸Ellin: You mean spirit walking? That¡¯s a rare talent.¡¹ Ellin leaned forward with curiousness painted on her face, she seemed interested in the topic. ¡¸Allen: Talent is just a word to discredit people who work hard to hone their skills. Anyway, I¡¯m trying to become aware that I¡¯m dreaming while I¡¯m dreaming. Hopefully, that will lead to this spirit walking stuff.¡¹ I said confidently. Ellin frowned a little and spoke. ¡¸Ellin: Allen¡­ aren¡¯t you already too busy with other stuff? Trying to do too much will only burn you out.¡¹ I waved a hand dismissively. ¡¸Allen: Pffft, I¡¯ll just use emotion magic to renew my resolve.¡¹ She made a concerned face. ¡¸Ellin: Isn¡¯t that what the teachers expressly warn us not to do?¡¹ She said in reprimand. ¡¸Allen: That¡¯s the mindset of lesser beings! I¡¯ll only take a rest when I crash and burn. Besides, this is stuff that you can do while sleeping. Literally.¡¹ I said with a confident smile. She rolled her eyes and looked at Namrick for support, who shrugged his shoulders in return. He obviously knew I could handle my stuff. ¡¸Ellin: Ooookay¡­ anyway, now that you mention it I too have conscious dreams once or twice a month.¡¹ She looked at the ceiling, seemingly lost in thought. Grastel looked at her and then at me. ¡¸Grastel: What about the rings?¡¹ He said impatiently. Chill down, kid. ¡¸Allen: Yes, the rings. Here.¡¹ I pointed at the rings on the table. Grastel eyes sparkled greedily as he took one and inspected it. ¡¸Grastel: So¡­ huh. What do they do?¡¹ He asked after putting it on. I smiled and replied. ¡¸Allen: They can summon a magic light, let you walk into blazing fire or a freezing blizzard or communicate with each other.¡¹ I distributed the rings to everyone and quickly explained the features and how to use them. Namrick and Grastel had some trouble at first in activating the desired functions and so started emitting intermittent lights, burning and freezing themselves, and transmitting stuttering swearings via the mana-radio. I and Ellin had a good laugh. Grastel scowled at me, brushing the brine off his face. Namrick looked at me bewildered. ¡¸Namrick: Are you trying to kill us?¡¹ I shook my head, grinning. ¡¸Allen: No. Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s a safety measure to the temperature adjustment. You won¡¯t be able to hurt yourselves. In any case, to avoid mishaps, you have to think clearly which effect you want to activate. I thought I had been clear about that.¡¹ Having multiple spells in a single ring is indeed a complication when it comes to activating specific effects. I solved the problem by reading the intent while the spells are being activated. The two boys were probably thinking of all the stuff at once, making a huge mess of things. Ellin was a magician so she had fared much better. We magicians have more focused minds as a result of our training. ¡¸Allen: Thanks to Grohm¡¯s lessons the mana consumption should be reasonable. When I get better I¡¯ll have you test more interesting stuff. Let me know how they perform.¡¹ My young guinea pigs. Heheheh. Ellin, who was staring at her ring, caught my attention with a question. ¡¸Ellin: Hmmm, this is not like the communication rings I know about¡­ why is it so noisy?¡¹ Here comes the criticism. ¡¸Allen: Well, I don¡¯t know how those work. I¡¯m just testing out a theory.¡¹ I said defensively. ¡¸Allen: Try them out, the more mana you use the longer a distance they can cover. The sound is transmitted via hallucination magic, so no one beside us should hear it.¡¹ It¡¯s also unlikely that anyone knows about radio transmission in this world, so the chances of eavesdroppers are low. ¡¸Ellin: The sound is noisy¡­ but it¡¯s immediate, normal communication rings are much slower¡­¡¹ She said and smiled at me. Are they? Interesting. They must be using some other way to transmit the sound. ¡¸Ellin: Thank you, Allen.¡¹ She bowed slightly. So polite. I scratched my head, receiving thanks and praises always make me feel a little embarrassed. I¡¯m more used to insults and sarcastic remarks. ¡¸Allen: No need to thank me. It¡¯s good to have someone try out my magic items. I do need the practice after all.¡¹ ¡¸Namrick: Allen¡­ what¡¯s this?¡¹ I turned to face Namrick. He was holding something he had picked from my desk while Grastel was giving it doubtful stares. Ah. ¡¸Allen: That¡¯s a dynamo.¡¹ I said. ¡¸Namrick: Hmmm, what does it do?¡¹ He turned the bulky contraption in his hands, wondering what mysteries it held. ¡¸Allen: It produces an electrical current, which is the same energy as lightning. Look.¡¹ I took it from his hands and attached the rudimentary light bulb I had an artisan make. Then I started loudly moving the crank. The light bulb became incandescent. Not like the real thing but enough to see it was working. ¡¸Grastel: That looks¡­ bulky and loud. It doesn¡¯t look terribly useful.¡¹ No shit Sherlock. Grastel stated the obvious. ¡¸Allen: You might say that since magic makes a lot of these things obsolete, but back in my world you wouldn¡¯t believe the kind of stuff we managed to pull with this kind of energy.¡¹ I let the light bulb cool off and put it back. It was true, magic lights were much more efficient in terms of energy to light. ¡¸Allen: That said, my knowledge of this field is very limited, so it¡¯s unlikely I¡¯ll ever show you anything cool coming from it.¡¹ I¡¯m not an engineer after all. But who knows, mixing magic with mechanics and electronics could become a thing in the future. It would be nice to drive a car instead of those blasted horses. ¡¸Namrick: The power of lightning without magic? Interesting.¡¹ Namrick mused out loud. ¡¸Grastel: Well, thanks for these magic rings. We¡¯ll be sure to put them to use!¡¹ Grastel said grinning and turned on full freeze. ¡¸Grastel: They are p-pretty c-cool.¡¹ We burst out laughing. After giving their thanks the trio left, playing around with their new toys. Heh, kids. I opened the drawer on my desk and took a look at the adamantium ring I had bought from Vargas. Soon. Chapter 45: Feeling the urge to kill The next day I went to the appointment with Lord Tareus, the guards escorted me inside his office and remained at my side, no doubt waiting to skewer me the moment I tried anything funny. The man behind the desk had a medium build, a deeply lined shaved face, and short black hair untouched by grayness despite him appearing in his fifties. His blue eyes looked at me with annoyance. He looks just like top management. ¡¸Allen: Greetings.¡¹ I bowed as expected of a peasant like me. ¡¸Tareus: Who is it now?¡¹ The noble looked at his guards in askance. They kept their mouth shut, so I introduced myself. ¡¸Allen: Allen Smith.¡¹ I said with another curt bow. ¡¸Tareus: Are you a noble?¡¹ He asked leaning forward. Didn¡¯t Violet already tell you about me? ¡¸Allen: No, I¡¯m-¡¹ He interrupted me midway. I hated being interrupted but I didn¡¯t let my poker face falter. ¡¸Tareus: Why are you wasting my time with the plebs?!¡¹ He asked loudly to the guards, who kept a stony expression. Well, fuck you too. I thought while keeping my corporate smile on. ¡¸Allen: Excuse me, Lord. You should have heard of me from archmage Violet Val Mariannet.¡¹ I said, staring at him in the eyes, unblinking. ¡¸Tareus: V-Violet?!¡¹ He spoke with an octave higher, blanching at Violet¡¯s mention and left his mouth hanging open for a few seconds. ¡¸Tareus: Ah¡­ right! The winter crops idea.¡¹ He regained his composure and smoothed his rich suit. ¡¸Tareus: Yes, follow me if you please.¡¹ He stood up and walked through an adjacent door with me close behind. We entered his private office and began discussing the project. There were dozens of papers and boards with projects and notes scribbled all over. Tareus made some of his engineers join in to provide feedback and suggestions. I told him that Grohm had some ideas about the magical parts and that it would be best to involve him in the manufacturing process. Tareus was glad to hear Khalkear¡¯s name and tossed a few praises about the man¡¯s brilliant inventions. In around four hours we had already designed a few prototypes to try out. The only obstacle to clear was to find the correct light to generate. Plants need the right wavelengths for the right amount of time. I really missed ordering the stuff I needed from the internet. Having to walk around all over the place just to buy a few things was a torment. But I can''t be helped. Second step in saving myself from starvation, check. Now¡­ the Academy will stay closed for four days due to festivities. I might have a go at adventuring. I really needed to kill something to relieve the built up stress. From Khalkear¡¯s abusiveness and Alchemy¡¯s exasperating tedium¨Cand maybe the abuse of emotion magic too¨CI had become like a loaded gun. Let¡¯s stop by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and see my options. I strode eagerly down the road. A while later I reached the Guild. Inside I found my friends who were sitting at the usual table, trading gossip. I walked toward them. ¡¸Allen: Hello guys!¡¹ I was about to take my seat when some dude I didn¡¯t know addressed me. ¡¸Dude: If it isn¡¯t the Skullcrusher!¡¹ He had already lost five points by calling me that. Perhaps I can kill him and save myself from another unfortunate adventure. The temptation was strong but I couldn¡¯t let down these kids. I was an adult, I had to be an example to them. ¡¸Dude: Have you heard about the latest about Darian, the hero?¡¹ The dude said with eagerness, ready to spread gossip I couldn¡¯t care less about. ¡¸Allen: Who?¡¹ I said flatly. Never heard about him. Or maybe I forgot or I wasn¡¯t paying attention. Probably another nobody in a sea of adventurers. Namrick looked at me with shock. ¡¸Namrick: How can you not know? He¡¯s one of the six great heroes of our time!¡¹ I rolled my eyes. Who cares? ¡¸Dude: Yeah. I heard from a soldier that he and his party joined the campaign against the demon armies!¡¹ Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Dude seemed really excited about that. ¡¸Allen: A hero, huh? He¡¯s gonna get himself killed, isn¡¯t he?¡¹ I said wryly and sat down on my seat. If the common wisdom of my world holds up, being a hero just means getting signed for a premature glorious death. ¡¸Dude: Don¡¯t say that! They¡¯re fighting for us!¡¹ He frowned at me, clearly unappreciative of my fine cynicism. ¡¸Allen: Well. I don¡¯t know that guy, but usually, heroes die an early death. Correct me if I¡¯m wrong.¡¹ Namrick faced me, shaking his head. ¡¸Namrick: He won¡¯t die anytime soon, he¡¯s the strongest swordsman in the kingdom. He was even given the title of Sword God.¡¹ He uselessly praised a man he hadn¡¯t even met. Besides¡­ Sword God. So lame! It¡¯s like I¡¯m in a trash isekai novel. I shook my head. ¡¸Allen: Anyone can get killed, it just takes one little mistake. This is why they taught us to cover for each other during the recruit training. Don¡¯t heroes, like, charge head front into the danger, uncaring of traps and ambushes, just like complete fools?¡¹ Probably an accurate assessment in all worlds and fictions. Oh look, it''s a trap! Let''s just walk into it, what could go wrong? ¡¸Grastel: Haha, not everyone is like that. I¡¯m sure that the ones that survive quickly learn about those common pitfalls.¡¹ Grastel said and Ellin nodded in agreement. ¡¸Allen: If you say so.¡¹ I was skeptical. Perhaps if they survive they¡¯re not so heroic after all. If watching the news ever taught me something, is that famous people who don¡¯t die young always hide a dark side. ¡¸Dude: In any case, the full-scale war will slow down during the winter. So we¡¯ll have some respite during which to fortify our defenses.¡¹ The random guy said looking outside the window, a worry line creased between his brows. ¡¸Namrick: The real problem is going to be food.¡¹ Namrick said with a serious expression. ¡¸Allen: Ah¡­ if my project takes off that might not be much of an issue. I¡¯ve been working on a solution to growing crops indoor.¡¹ I said to let them know they were in good hands. ¡¸Grastel: If¡­ there¡¯s also the problem that the enemy might sneak in and destroy or poison our supplies. It has happened in the past.¡¹ Grastel shrugged. ¡¸Ellin: True, I read about that in the story books.¡¹ Everyone was derailing into talking about depressing stuff and making dejected faces. ¡¸Allen: Well, whatever.¡¹ I put my elbows on the table as I leaned forward and continued. ¡¸Allen: I was thinking¡­ What about doing some adventuring to take our mind off the gloomy prospects? I have four days off. I want to ki- experience some thrill.¡¹ I said with half a smile. Namrick¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡¸Namrick: Hmmm, since you ask¡­ there was a request on the billboard that caught my eye¡­¡¹ He said catching the attention of the dude. ¡¸Dude: Oh, you mean the one in the elven forest don¡¯t you?¡¹ ¡¸Namrick: Yes, that one. Were you going to take it?¡¹ The dude shook his head. ¡¸Dude: We were thinking about it, but we decided against. My team doesn¡¯t want to deal with traitors.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Traitors?¡¹ I asked, lifting an eyebrow. The dude who kept stubbornly talking without saying his fucking name continued on. I had to subtract another ten point, he was entering the aggravation zone. ¡¸Dude: Yeah, you should know that. The elven and dwarven countries have declared that they won¡¯t take part in the war. They fear being targeted by the demons. We¡¯ve been left on our own. Damn cowards¡­¡¹ A green haired elf who overheard our conversation took the chance to butt in. ¡¸Elf: That¡¯s not fair¡­ our countries have barely recovered from the last war. We don¡¯t breed as fast as you humans!¡¹ The elf said in protest and engaged in a staring contest with the dude. ¡¸Dude: Tch, whatever.¡¹ The dude averted his gaze and walked away with a scowling face. Ellin watched the scene with a worried expression. Silence. Finally, the random guy had walked away. I sighed in relief. ¡¸Allen: So what¡¯s this quest about?¡¹ I asked Namrick who scratched his chin while remembering the details. ¡¸Namrick: It¡¯s about delivering a casket of potions to the Danaanlar¡¯s high priest.¡¹ A fetch quest? My smile gave out. ¡¸Allen: What¡­ a fetch quest?¡¹ I said painting the disappointment all over my face. I wanted to kill things. I needed to kill things. ¡¸Namrick: Yes. Well, if it was so simple they wouldn¡¯t have posted a quest at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡­ the mountains across the elven city are haunted by migrating hellhounds.¡¹ My smile was restored. YES! ¡¸Allen: Hellhounds, what kind of monsters are they?¡¹ I inquired. ¡¸Namrick: They¡¯re like giant dogs who spit and breath fire. They¡¯re hard to fight in packs, more so if you encounter them in a forest.¡¹ That reminded me of the fire lizards. ¡¸Allen: Oh¡­ do they burn down whole forests when they take a leak?¡¹ My three friends grinned at the dumb question. It was a legitimate question, though. ¡¸Namrick: No, the magic fire dies down after a while, but you still risk being surrounded by flames and be mauled to death.¡¹ Namrick explained, while moving a finger across his mug. ¡¸Allen: Great! I already had some experience fighting fire lizards. With my magic rings, we should be safe as long as we don¡¯t run out of mana.¡¹ I started thinking about countermeasures, but I needed a little more information. ¡¸Namrick: A friend warned me that hellhounds¡¯ eyes light up when they¡¯re about to spit fire. Keep an eye open for that.¡¹ He added. Grastel looked at me. ¡¸Grastel: So, Allen. Since you¡¯re the fire creature expert, how would you fight them?¡¹ I considered for a moment an replied. ¡¸Allen: Simple. Obsidian weapons and anti-magic fields. Kill until dead. Ah¡­ is their skin like molten lava or something?¡¹ I looked from Namrick to Grastel in askance. ¡¸Grastel: No, but they light themselves on fire as a defense mechanism. We¡¯ll try fighting them at a distance but we need a way to defend ourselves against their ranged attacks when they get in range.¡¹ Ellin raised a hand. ¡¸Ellin: I can shield one person along with me.¡¹ She said confidently. ¡¸Allen: I should be able to cover one too, albeit anti-magic fields are much easier as a group effort.¡¹ Namrick tapped the table with his index finger. ¡¸Namrick: We could do it like this. Two groups, Ellin and I, Allen and Grastel. If we get a frontal attack we can join up, else we guard each other back. What do you say?¡¹ His strategy seemed good enough. ¡¸Grastel: That sound like a good plan.¡¹ Grastel nodded along with Ellin. ¡¸Ellin: Sounds good!¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Hold on.¡¹ I said reaching for the big pouch I was carrying and put it on the table. My friends looked curiously. ¡¸Ellin: What¡¯s in there?¡¹ I grinned. ¡¸Allen: I¡¯m sure you¡¯re already stacked up with potions. But there you go, 20 blasted healing potions. They¡¯re three fifths as effective than regular ones so you can keep the good ones for emergencies. Ah¡­ there are also 4 mana potions for Ellin. Just in case.¡¹ I pushed the pouch toward them. ¡¸Allen: There take them. I want my friends to stay alive.¡¹ I could just feel we would end up needing them. Dogs who spit and breath fire? And they move in packs? And nobody wanted to take the quest?! This is basic math. In any case, I can probably just scare them away if things turn bad, even my teacher tries to avoid receiving my project Fear. My three friends looked at me with grateful expressions. ¡¸Ellin: Woah¡­ this is a lot. Thank you!¡¹ They gladly accepted my wares and showered me with smiles. Feels good. ¡¸Grastel: So, huh¡­ you tested them¡­ right?¡¹ Grastel asked, inspecting the potions with hesitation. ¡¸Allen: Of course.¡¹ I reassured them. ¡¸Namrick: It must have cost you a small fortune to gather all the reagents.¡¹ I scoffed, shaking my head. ¡¸Allen: No big deal. Vargas gives me a discount. The potion vials are what costs the most¡­ So return them to me when you¡¯re done, I¡¯ll put them back to use.¡¹ I can¡¯t legally sell potions until I join the Alchemist¡¯s Guild, but it would be a shame to dump them in the trash. I might be brewing them for practice but they¡¯re still good potions. ¡¸Allen: Well then, to tomorrow!¡¹ We bumped our fists against each other to cheer us up. I¡¯ve been wondering what a true elven city looks like. Now I¡¯ll get to find out. And also release some stress by killing monsters. Nothing could ruin my mood. Chapter 46: Hellhounds and fire I got my horse from the stables and joined the others. Ellin and Grastel were loading their bags on the horses. ¡°I¡¯m back,¡± I said and looked around. ¡°Where¡¯s Allen?¡± I wondered out loud. ¡°He went to rent a horse,¡± Answered Grastel. ¡°He should be back anytime now.¡± He said and jumped on his horse. ¡°I¡¯m eager to try out the latest techniques I¡¯ve been taught.¡± I flexed my hands, eager to prove myself. ¡°Ha! You¡¯ll see, I¡¯ll take them down before they get the chance to get close.¡± He said spurring the horse closer to me. ¡°We¡¯ll see¡­ The one with the most kills wins.¡± I smiled in challenge. Grastel grinned in return. ¡°Oh? And what do I win?¡± He said confidently. I thought a little about it before replying. ¡°A fourth of the share. Deal?¡± I proffered a hand. Grastel shook my hand. ¡°Deal! Hehe, I¡¯m gonna rob you blind!¡± He told me raising his chin as if he had already won. I slapped his shoulder and he yelped, massaging it and shooting glares at me. I grinned. Ellin rolled her eyes. She had climbed her horse and moved closer to us two. ¡°Please, take the job seriously. I don¡¯t want to bring you back from the verge of death just because you were carelessly trying to outscore each other.¡± She said, narrowing her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s not going to happen,¡± I assured her, brushing the pommel of my sword. We have gotten stronger since our last blunder. We¡¯re not going to make the same mistakes. ¡°Guys!¡± Allen yelled from just a dozen paces ahead. Oh, there he is. I waved at my favorite cook. ¡°Allen!¡± Grastel and Ellin answered back to him. Allen approached us, barely controlling his horse. It seems he has been neglecting his horse riding practice. ¡°Are we all ready?¡± He said smiling with anticipation. ¡°Yes! Let¡¯s go meet the client!¡± Ellin said and smiled ahead. Her pure smile was one of the reasons I ended up partying with her. I had yet to meet another healer as selfless as her. I knew I had made the right choice back then. I smiled and trotted forward We headed toward the meeting point and found our employer, an elf with long silver hair. He gave us the casket, intimating us to deliver it personally to the elven high priest in Danaanlar, Taldinann. We secured the casket with the potions to Ellin¡¯s horse and started marching.
¡°According to the map, we¡¯re halfway there,¡± Grastel said, folding the map and putting it back. I looked at the horizon, the mountains weren¡¯t much further. ¡°We should stop before the mountains, the hellhounds must have scared away the game,¡± I said. ¡°We could hunt our dinner here before things get dangerous,¡± I suggested, glancing at Grastel for approval. ¡°Agreed.¡± He said, nodding. We found a good place to set up camp and I went with Grastel to hunt down some food. We caught a kroshar. We headed back and showed off our prize to Ellin and Allan. ¡°Ah, you got a boar,¡± Allen said contemplating the kroshar. ¡°It¡¯s called a kroshar.¡± I corrected him. ¡°Sure, what I said.¡± He said with a dismissive gesture. I sighed. Sometimes Allen doesn''t really listen. Allen smiled while taking out the cooking tools. ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s skin and cut our dinner. I¡¯ve got some new spices to try.¡± New spices? I had to say, was curious to see what new taste he would bring to the table. We did so, then Allen worked his magic with the cookware. The smell made my mouth water. ¡°Okay, should be ready now. Here¡­¡± He soaked the meat in a sauce he had prepared along the meat and prepared our plates. I received my portion and tasted the juicy meat. It melted in my mouth. ¡°This is¡­ too good!¡± I said with delight. I wish I had met Allen much sooner. I wolfed down another bite. ¡°Yum!¡± Ellin said with her mouth half full, licking her fingers. ¡°More!¡± Grastel demanded, waving his empty plate in the air. Allen shook his head. ¡°You guys are too easy to please¡­¡± He stood up and added more meat to the fire ¡°Okay, let me cook another serving.¡± He smiled, giving us the thumbs-up. After the second serving, we were stuffed full. I patted the hilt of my sword. Tomorrow I¡¯m going to put Fredrick¡¯s latest lessons to test. Grastel is going to be surprised when he sees me cutting down those hellhounds with a ranged attack. I smiled to myself. We prepared for the night.
The next morning we resumed the march and reached the mountains three Reposes later. ¡°Here we are¡­ hellhounds roam ahead,¡± Grastel said, turning to look at us. ¡°Maybe we¡¯re lucky and we won¡¯t encounter any,¡± Ellin said hopefully looking at me. As if on cue, ominous barks echoed from far ahead. Ellin stared forward and pressed her lips to a flat line. Grastel grinned and said. ¡°You jinxed it, Ellin.¡± She stared at him grumpily. ¡°So much for that,¡± I said. ¡°Let¡¯s tie the horses somewhere safe.¡± Allen was looking ahead, smiling. I see, he too is eager to try out his new skills. I thought, with a knowing smile. We secured the horses and ventured ahead on foot into the mountains. Grastel turned back to look at Allen. ¡°Allen, try to avoid making noise this time.¡± He said with a mocking grin. Allen stuck his tongue out at him, which made Grastel chuckle. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Alright,¡± Grastel said, addressing us. ¡°Follow me. We¡¯ll try to stay upwind.¡± ¡°We have to kill them fast,¡± I said and I gripped my sword by the hilt as I followed Grastel. ¡°It will be bad if we¡¯re swarmed by the whole pack. And they all start breathing fire.¡± Allen and Ellin, who were right behind me nodded in reply. After twenty paces or so Grastel motioned us to stop. ¡°There¡­¡± He said in a whisper, pointing at the ground. ¡°Those paw prints are recent. Half a dozen, probably.¡± He mused squinting and the traces. We kept following the trail silently. I took a deep breath and sharpened my senses. ¡°Use the damn rings, guys.¡± Suddenly a voice talked right into my head. Allen. Right, the magic rings. Uh, hi. I said. I had nothing original to say. Grastel pursed his lips and gazed at Allen. Fine¡­ they¡¯ll be useless soon anyways. Grastel said. Magic disturbs the signal. Can¡¯t be helped. Allen remarked. I never heard of rings sending disturbed sounds. Usually, the drawback is that the message can be intercepted by skilled mages. Mages¡­ always playing dirty tricks. Swords are more honest and reliable. Be careful everyone¡­ Ellin intimated, staring ahead. Allen signaled us to stop us and spoke through the ring. I see six dots ahead of us on my radar. He pointed at the direction. I couldn¡¯t see anything. I see more tracks, I think there¡¯ll be more on our left. Grastel said, staring at the ground for clues. ¡­ I can¡¯t see them on the radar, they must be further on. Well, here we go. Grastel said and patted Allen¡¯s arm. Allen, come to cover me once they start barking. I¡¯ll try to pick some of them silently, okay? Allen nodded. As we had discussed, I positioned myself to Ellin¡¯s side. Grastel ventured ahead taking cover behind the trees and drew an arrow. After an interminable Respite, he shot the arrow. And then another and another in quick succession! Three hellhounds fell down to the ground with barely a sound. Unfortunately, the other hounds noticed the attack and began barking loudly as they rushed toward us. ¡°Allen!¡± Grastel yelled, asking for support. Allen moved in and negated the fire breath attack of a hellhound that came right after. Grastel shot another arrow to one of the hounds but missed. "Damn it!" We too were bathed in flames but Ellin¡¯s magic shield dissipated the flames before they could reach us. I shot forward to intercept the hound that was jumping at us¡­ and sliced it right in half with my blade. I was about to skewer the other remaining hellhound but an arrow from nowhere pierced its head, sending it immediately sprawling on the ground. I glanced at Grastel who was smirking. ¡°Winning.¡± He yelled with his usual smirk. I narrowed my eyes in return. Wait and see, Grastel. ¡°Uh, guys¡­ they¡¯re all converging here,¡± Allen said with urgency in his voice. ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving. If we stand still we¡¯ll end up roasted!¡± I commanded. We ran away from the barks and howls until we came across another pack coming in front of us. The thrill of the combat was pushing my senses to the fullest. ¡°I see movements behind us! I¡¯ll cover our back!¡± Grastel said, rushing back with Allen right beside him. ¡°I¡¯ll take the front!¡± I said, nodding at Ellin. The fire rained upon us. Nearby trees burning ablaze. ¡°Leave it to me!¡± She said, the flames dispersing in the air. Thank you, Ellin. I jabbed forward, cutting down one of the hounds, but the others, wary of my blade, decided to attack at a distance. The flames licked my skin but Allen¡¯s rings were doing their job and keeping us cool. It¡¯s nice having an enchanter as a friend. I smiled at the thought. Anyway, it was time to put my new skills to use. I stilled my mind to access the Vod, feeling the familiar tingling as the inner strength come to my aid. I moved with a practiced motion, as I had been taught by my mentor Fredrick, and swung my blade at the air. At a distance, three hounds were immediately sliced by an unseen force. Yes! I finally managed to pull this technique in real combat! I thought proudly. ¡°Woah¡­¡± Ellin said behind me. ¡°You can use wind blades!¡± She said in wonder. I grinned at Ellin for a moment before turning again to send another wave of wind blades against the hounds who scampered in all directions. We have a clear path! ¡°Keep moving!¡± I shouted as I pushed forward. The flames and more hounds were closing fast on us. The acrid smell of burning wood was starting to permeate the air. I spared a glance behind. Grastel was jumping back as Allen punched a jumping hellhound in the snout. ¡°Take that shit eating dog!¡± Allen said in his foreign language, I couldn¡¯t get any of it. Grastel quickly retreated to our back and shot a few more arrows. ¡°Guys, let me take the front,¡± He said. ¡°If we keep moving forward I¡¯d like to be able to recover some arrows.¡± He tapped his quiver which was running low on arrows. ¡°Okay!¡± I said taking another glance back. The hounds were amassing behind us, my sword could make short work of them if only they didn''t move around so much. It¡¯s making my job harder. I ground my teeth. ¡°Twenty or more are getting in range!¡± Allen announced. ¡°On our right!¡± Ellin yelled, pointing in the direction. She did something, causing two of hounds to stumble against each other. I stepped in and stabbed them, then I swung at another group of the fire-breathing creatures as they showered us with more flames. The wind blades got them good. ¡°Gahh-GODFUCKIN-¡± I heard Allen shouting something behind me, but I was too busy dealing with my part of the deal to spare a glance. Flames danced about everywhere, I was sweating and panting. Just how many of them are there?! I hadn¡¯t expected this many! ¡°Allen! What are you doing?!¡± I heard Grastel curse at Allen. I sliced another hound who had jumped from the side, aiming at my legs, and kicked back another one who came at me using the flames as a cover. A few of the injured hellhounds decided to limp away from me. A breather. But I could see more coming in the distance. I coughed, fire and smoke filling my nostrils. The fire was catching up with us. ¡°Let¡¯s move a little faster! We have to escape this smoke!¡± I yelled, the smoke burning my nose. Ellin and I turned around to make sure Grastel and Allen were ready and saw what was happening. ¡°Wha-¡± Ellin exclaimed in confusion. Allen was brandishing a dead hellhound like a shield, screaming like a madman while swinging his mace arou- no wait! That¡¯s another dead hound! He was drawing the hellhounds attention to himself while Grastel was picking back his arrows. ¡°Where¡¯s my fucking mace?!¡± Allen screamed in frustration. A moment later he was enveloped in flames. My heart skipped a beat. But he walked out unscathed and kicked the fire-breathing hound mouth shut. I shook off my surprise and joined in the effort of driving back the beasts. ¡°Guys! More are coming from behind!¡± Ellin shouted, a bead of sweat running down her cheek. I gulped one of the healing potions. One of those damn hounds had managed to bite my leg. With my limp gone, we ran further on, finally getting out of the smoke. But more and more hellhounds closed in from all directions, we had been surrounded! We were forced to make stand, fighting back to back, barely being able to catch a breath.
One Repose later we were all covered in soot and grime. Panting hard while sitting on the ground, looking miserable. I looked around at the charred surroundings. The magic fires had died down, but the damage remained. ¡°Was that¡­ the last of them?¡± I asked Allen. I was pretty tired. Allen fiddled with his silver box. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything on the radar.¡± He said trying to smear away the soot from his face. Ellin took a sigh of relief. ¡°They¡­ just kept coming.¡± She whimpered, face down and eyes closed. Her once white clothes were now smeared with grays and blacks. I tossed the broken obsidian dagger I held in my left hand and sheathed my good sword. During the last stretch, things had gotten hectic. With the flames coming from all directions and our movements blocked, I ran out of energy for the ring and I had to compensate the burns with potions. Ellin was kept busy shielding us from the flames, while Allen tried to both defend and attack as best as he could. The hounds turning ablaze in close quarters did not make it better. Those burning dogs has been smarter than we thought, they had anticipated our movements and grouped ahead to deny our mobility. Allen shakily stood up and dusted his armor. ¡°Well, that was fun. I guess.¡± He inclined his head, muttering aloud. ¡°I wonder if hellhounds are edible¡­¡± He scratched his chin while staring at a hound corpse. Ellin shuddered. ¡°That was¡­ not fun. It was the complete opposite of fun!¡± She argued back shaking her head. ¡°Haha, it was just the kind of warm-up Vallachio would put us through. Haha. Warm up¡­ Did you get the pun?¡± He said with a stupid grin. Ellin stared fixedly at the ground with no word to say. ¡°Ha-ha.¡± Replied Grastel with a flat tone. ¡°So¡­ huh,¡± I said, facing Grastel. ¡°How many did you kill?¡± I just remembered the challenge. Grastel scrunched up his face in thought. ¡°Eh¡­ I¡­ lost count halfway.¡± He admitted, shaking his head. ¡°Namrick: Same here¡­¡± I shrugged and gave him a pat on the back. Then we both laughed. ¡°It¡¯s done¡­ the path is clear, let¡¯s go grab our horses!¡± I said with cheerfulness. I helped Ellin up, she was still looking at her clothes with dismay. ¡°Do any of you have any idea where we are?¡± Allen asked with a tinge of worry. Grastel spoke. ¡°No, but we don¡¯t need to.¡± He said with smirk crawling on his face. ¡°Huh¡­ why?¡± Allen asked, lifting an eyebrow. Grastel pointed at the charred trees, then to the dead hellhounds and raised an eyebrow in return. ¡°Right¡­ we just need to follow the devastation.¡± I dusted myself, only succeeding in smearing the soot further. I grimaced. We smelled like burned coal. It couldn¡¯t be helped. In any case, we did a decent job. ¡°Did anyone see my mace?¡± Allen asked aloud. Chapter 47: Blasted elven city After the fight, I felt refreshed. Despite all the burns and the perduring smell of burnt. I really needed to release that pent-up stress, I thought to myself. As expected we had ended up overwhelmed, but thanks to my bootleg potions and careful application of fear magic we had kept everything under control. Well, I could have tried to just use Fear to make all the hellhounds run away, but my magical aim and range left much to be desired. I might have disrupted my friends¡¯ concentration putting them in danger or depleted my mana when I needed to counter their fire breath. I had decided to play it safe. I¡¯m a responsible adult after all. We finally got back to our horses, who were still safe and sound, and headed toward the elven city. I tried to contain my excitement as I imagined the scantily dressed elven beauties and ancestral wooden houses awaiting me.
I felt cheated. The elven city was nowhere as impressive as I thought, it was merely a small settlement. No refined ancestral house design. No sexy underdressed female elves. Only the sour taste of disappointment. ¡¸Allen: That¡¯s it?¡¹ I said looking around with disappointment plastered all over my face. Ellin looked at me. ¡¸Ellin: What were you expecting?¡¹ She asked me with a bemused expression. ¡¸Allen: I don¡¯t know¡­ more?¡¹ ¡¸Grastel: Someone is coming to greet us!¡¹ An elf scout approached and asked something. ¡¸Elf: Ihlyn nerr thylm¡¯n?¡¹ Great, another unknown language. I looked at the others, but it seems no one understood a word of it. ¡¸Ellin: Taldinann?¡¹ Ellink spoke the high priest¡¯s name with an inquiring tone. The elf nodded and gestured us to wait where we were. Soon after an older elf with adorned garments showed up, along with the elf scout from earlier. ¡¸Taldinann: Hello humans, what brings you in our small settlement?¡¹ He spoke with a courteous smile. ¡¸Ellin: We¡­ were hired to deliver you a casket of potions.¡¹ She mentioned the quest and the elf who had issued it back in Valarest. Taldinann¡¯s eyes light up. ¡¸Taldinann: You brought the potions? We were afraid we would have to wait until after the hellhounds migration.¡¹ Namrick unloaded the casket from Ellin¡¯s horse and offered it to the elf. ¡¸Taldinann: The Goddess name be praised! Only she knows how we¡¯d been waiting for them.¡¹ The high priest gave an honest smile to us, accepting the casket. ¡¸Taldinann: Come, friends, before we discuss you must be tired from facing the hounds. We have an inn where you can clean yourself and rest.¡¹ He said and told something in his language to the elf scout, who nodded and made us sign to follow. ¡¸Taldinann: Come to the temple later, when you are ready.¡¹ He gave us a half nod and walked away toward the temple. The scout lead us to an inn whose owner knew our language enough to hold a conversation. We cleaned ourselves up and returned downstairs to eat the food the innkeeper had prepared us. ¡¸Ellin: Ahhh¡­ I feel reinvigorated!¡¹ Ellin stretched herself in the chair, wearing a pleased smile. Namrick just grunted as he was busy stuffing his mouth with food. ¡¸Grastel: Anyway, to which God is the temple dedicated?¡¹ Grastel wondered out loud. The innkeeper replied. ¡¸Innkeeper: Goddess of nature¡­ exalted Analher, forever may she shin-¡¹ I coughed, choking a laugh and hiding a grin under my left hand. Anal¡­ her¡­ Everyone was staring at me. ¡¸Allen: * cough * sorry, a bit of food got stuck in my throat.¡¹ I said with a straight face. Hahaha, with a name like that she would¡¯ve been bullied to no end back in my world. Stop Allen, be serious. I took another bite of the meal. The food was poor, steamed legumes. Tasteless, bland, disappointing. Just like this elven town. I don¡¯t know¡­ I¡¯m almost certain there¡¯s something preternatural behind the incapacity of the people of this world to cook decent food. It¡¯s not like they lack quality ingredients, either. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡¸Innkeeper: Is food¡­ no good?¡¹ The innkeeper asked us with his rusty Arstei. ¡¸Ellin: It¡¯s fine, thank you.¡¹ Ellin replied with a smile. Fine, if you just mean edible. I guess. I wasn¡¯t big on praising bad cooking. How could they improve if they didn¡¯t know how bad they were? But I let it slide, we¡¯ll be gone soon anyway. ¡¸Grastel: There were more hellhounds than we thought, does this happen each year?¡¹ The innkeeper nodded. ¡¸Innkeeper: Hellhounds migrating, same all years¡­ too dangerous to hunt them in mountains. Also bad for trees.¡¹ He said with a defeated expression. ¡¸Namrick: I see. So you just wait it out.¡¹ The innkeeper nodded again. ¡¸Innkeeper: Yes¡­ we wait. They not come near city.¡¹ I suspect these tree huggers are more scared about damaging the forest than fighting the hellhounds. Well, I hope they won¡¯t complain about the burnt trees we left in our wake. Better not to mention it, just in case. As we finished eating, Ellin announced. ¡¸Ellin: Time to talk to the high priest. Shall we go now? We shouldn¡¯t keep him waiting. I think.¡¹ ¡¸Namrick: Yeah, let¡¯s do it.¡¹ The innkeeper directed us toward a tall tower of wood and stone. At least this temple looked more refined than the rest of the buildings. Wood and stone were weaved in a complex mix of organic and artificial patterns with inlaid details. Foliage sprouted from different branches protruding from the upper levels. It was like they had grown the structure itself from one or multiple trees, adding stones and shaping their growth. It looked proper elven architecture. See this is what I was expecting, not those shitty normal houses that surrounded this tower. Why the stark difference? We walked in front of the entrance. So this is the temple. I caught a glimpse of the inside, it looked like they made some creative effort even there. Two elven guards were standing in front and gazed at us inquiringly. ¡¸Ellin: We¡¯re here for Taldinann?¡¹ Upon hearing the high priest¡¯s name they nodded and let us pass. Before entering I saw on my right an elf that was casting some magic, he was chanting along with the spell. We never chanted anything back at the Academy. Chanting also sounds pretty embarrassing, to be honest. Imagine being in a serious fight, and suddenly a mage starts singing. Just like one of those D*sney¡¯s movies. It weirded me out. Anyway, here we go. I¡¯m penetrating the temple of Anal¡­ her¡­ Damn it Allen, you''re in a temple! I complained to myself, butt I couldn''t help myself. I hid a smirk under my poker face. How can I take this seriously?! A peculiar sensation disrupted me from my perverse thoughts. Hmmm, what a strange sensation, I thought. It kinda reminded me of the lessons in spiritual interference, but I couldn''t quite nail it down. BLASPHEMER! My mind suddenly screamed. I stopped, frowning. Why am I insulting myself. Have I finally gone insane? I questioned my sanity. I felt a heavy pressure. BEGONE! It screamed again. I was sure of it there was something off about it. Hmm, I¡¯m pretty sure these thoughts aren¡¯t my own. Is someone playing a magic prank on me? I thought, looking around me. Ellin noticed I had stopped. ¡¸Ellin: What¡¯s wrong Allen?¡¹ She asked, still smiling and oblivious to my predicament. ¡¸Allen: Hmmm, are you guys playing a prank on me with the ring?¡¹ She blinked in confusion. Grastel, and Namrick stopped to look at me. I eyed them with suspicion, but they looked genuinely puzzled by the question. Just in case I took off the ring. ¡¸Allen: I think someone is casting spiritual interference magic on me. I hear voices.¡¹ I said wondering who could be the culprit. Then I heard rushing footsteps coming from ahead. A priestly looking elf and two guards came in the line of sight. The priest shouted something and pointed at me. Why are you pointing at me? The guards sprung in action and closed in on me. I made a half step back. What the heck is going on? My brow twitched nervously. ¡¸Grastel: Huh?¡¹ Grastel stared perplexed at the three elves who ignored the trio focusing on me. WHY ME? Ellin made a face. ¡¸Ellin: Allen? What have you done?!¡¹ What have I done? Fucking nothing. ¡¸Allen: Nothing?¡¹ I said with faint irritation as I surrendered without opposing resistance. It had to be a misunderstanding. ¡¸Allen: Why are you arresting me?¡¹ I asked not getting any answer. The guards took me by the arms and pushed me away while I cast confused stares in all directions. Ellin tried asking them what was going on, but they didn¡¯t understand a word and just carried me away, ignoring my friends. Another guard came out from one of the corridors and prevented the trio from following me. ¡¸Namrick: What¡¯s going on?¡¹ I heard Namrick¡¯s voice echoing behind me. And that¡¯s how I got imprisoned in an elven city. Blasted elven city, I¡¯ll give you a zero star rating on Tr*pAdvisor. I thought, cursing under my breath.
They seized my equipment and shoved me in a cell. I grabbed the bars and complained. ¡¸Allen: Gah, so this is how you reward me for doing your blasted quests?¡¹ I felt disappointed and betrayed. And confused too. The guard gave me a hard look and walked away, leaving me alone. ¡¸Allen: Can¡¯t I at least know why I¡¯m being detained!?¡¹ I asked loudly to the empty air. I slumped down with a sigh. ¡¸That voice¡­¡¹ Someon spoke on my left. I just realized I wasn¡¯t alone. I turned to look to the other inmate. A dwarf had been imprisoned in the same cell. A dwarf that looked terribly familiar. ¡¸Allen: Yusdrolir?!¡¹ I couldn¡¯t hide the bewilderment from my voice. ¡¸Yusdrolir: You, ah¡­ Allen?!¡¹ The dwarf rose up and stared at me. ¡¸Allen: ¡­¡¹ We kept staring at each other in silence for a few moments. ¡¸Allen: What the fuck are you doing here?¡¹ I said loudly, breaking the silence. ¡¸Yusdrolir: I ahh¡­ uhmm¡­¡¹ Yusdrolir faltered, trying to avoid telling about his mishaps. ¡¸Allen: Don¡¯t tell me you pissed on a holy tree or something, while drunk.¡¹ ¡¸Yusdrolir: Oh¡­ you already know.¡¹ He lowered his chin, looking dejected. ¡¸Allen: WHAT? You seriously¡­¡¹ I wasn¡¯t expecting to strike true. ¡¸Yusdrolir: ¡­¡¹ ¡¸Yusdrolir: ¡­ Did you come here to bust me out? You got a plan?!¡¹ The dwarf looked at me, an eager grin appearing on his face. ¡¸Allen: What? No! I didn¡¯t even know you were here!¡¹ His smile died stillborn. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Too bad.¡¹ The dwarf sat back down to the floor with a frowning expression. Then he turned his gaze back to me. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Uh, why are you here then?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: I don¡¯t know! I was entering the temple to speak with the high priest. And then they arrested me. Nothing makes sense!¡¹ I said in exasperation. Was I asking too much in expecting them to FUCKING TALK to me and explain their reasons? ¡¸Yusdrolir: Just like that? You did nothing to offend them prissy priest?¡¹ Mused the dwarf, brushing his dwarven beard. ¡¸Allen: No¡­ there was something strange though¡­¡¹ I said while sitting down like the dwarf. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Hmmm?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: It was like someone was talking in my head, I thought someone was playing a prank on me, but I couldn¡¯t see anyone around, except my friends.¡¹ ¡¸Yusdrolir: Talking to yer head, say¡­¡¹ He leaned forward and grinned. ¡¸Yusdrolir: What did the voice say?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: That I was a ¡®blasphemer¡¯ and to ¡®begone¡¯.¡¹ ¡¸Yusdrolir: And I suppose you weren¡¯t thinking bad things, were ya?¡¹ He grinned annoyingly. ¡¸Allen: I¡­ uh¡­¡¹ I stammered. Wait. I did think of something improper. Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Yusdrolir burst out laughing. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Gahahah! You entered a consecrated temple, who do ye think the voice was?! Gahahah!¡¹ No. No no no. I didn¡¯t offend a goddess. Wait, why are gods even intruding, don¡¯t they have godly business to do? What about my motherfucking privacy?! I was thinking my own damn business! I DID NOT GIVE CONSENT, THIS IS AGAINST GDPR LAWS! My heartbeat raced in the realization of the critical levels of manure I had fallen into. What the fuck?! Not even one second that I come in contact with a goddess and I had already offended her? This can¡¯t be happening. No, it must be a coincidence. Yes, just a coincidence. I heard footsteps, I turned around to see who was passing by. The high priest! I took a sigh of relief. He¡¯ll surely clear things up. As I was about to speak he gave me a stern face and said disdainfully. ¡¸Taldinann: You¡­ have offended the Goddess!¡¹ He said reproachfully, staring at me as if he was looking at walking garbage. ¡¸Allen: Huh?¡¹ I exclaimed, stunned. Behind me, Yusdrolir burst out in another round of laughs. Blasted dwarf. ¡¸Allen: Huh?!¡¹ I repeated, unable to form coherent words. I was royally fucked. No¡­ divinely fucked. RIP. Chapter 48: The gods hate him! I paced around the cell grumbling and muttering profanities. I and the dwarf were still stuck in the prison building just outside of the temple. Damn it, I should have kept my mental mouth shut, then I wouldn¡¯t have been dragged into this situation. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Any plan chief? We could maybe say we¡¯re really sorry and all and they¡¯ll let us off?¡¹ I stared flatly at the dwarf while I experienced a vague sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. ¡¸Yudrolir: Oy, ain¡¯t that funny. This time you screwed up bigger than me. Haha.¡¹ The insufferable dwarf mocked me, for once not alone in the embarrassing fuck-ups department. ¡¸Allen: Yes, ha-ha. fucking great. At least this goddess doesn¡¯t want to kill me¡­ yet.¡¹ That ¡®yet¡¯ was full of doubts. What do I do now? My mind processed the possible scenarios. If I try to escape it might create problems for the others and I would get myself killed. I heard all the elves learn magic to some extent, so my magical edge might not really help me at all. No, in fact, my magical edge probably looked like a dulled blunt instrument in comparison. But then what? Should I just wait patiently? How long? What about my lessons? Gods, Grohm is gonna be pissed. They also seized all my stuff. I sure hope they¡¯re not fucking up with my silver cube. I scowled at the empty air. How unfair. I had been 100% sure the high priest would vouch for me and send me back to my friends. I should just have run into the mountains. Hellhounds had a much warmer welcome. I muttered more curses under my breath. I heard footsteps approaching. Taldinann and two guards came into view, glowering disdainfully at me. I felt a pang of sadness. I did not deserve to be treated like this. I wonder what the trio had been doing. They were too good to just leave me rotting here. The three elves stopped in front of us. Taldinann pointed at me and spoke some elven gibberish. The guards nodded and whisked me away into another room. Taldinann sat on the comfortable chair and stared at me. ¡¸Taldinann: So¡­ Allen is your name.¡¹ The elven priest stated. I nodded. ¡¸Taldinann: Your friends have been petitioning me to let you go.¡¹ I felt a tingle of hope. ¡¸Taldinann: But the Goddess is not deceived¡­¡¹ Hope died. My shoulders slumped. ¡¸Taldinann: Not only you¡¯ve insulted her¡­¡¹ ¡¸Allen: It wasn¡¯t intentional!¡¹ I complained. The guard on my right sucker punched me to shut me up. ¡¸Allen: Ooofff!¡¹ I struggled to refill my collapsed lungs. And not to throw myself against the guard in a moment of murderous fury. ¡¸Taldinann: ¡­ She saw through your facade and found something unnatural about you.¡¹ He said a bunch of bullshit. ¡¸Allen: Eh?¡¹ I asked in confusion. What the hell did he smoke? ¡¸Taldinann: Hold him down.¡¹ He motioned the guards who quickly complied. I scowled at them. Taldinann touched my forehead with two fingers and closed his eyes. ¡¸Allen: ¡­¡¹ So, what is this guy trying to do? I could see a faint magic light being emanated. I was slightly concerned. After a minute he frowned. ¡¸Taldinann: Blessed Analher, forever may she shine¡­¡¹ He muttered something more in elven jargon. ¡¸Allen: What?¡¹ I shrugged voicing my exasperation. This is unreal, imprisoned just for badmouthing a prissy Goddess? ¡¸Taldinann: I¡¯ll be the one asking questions¡­ it¡¯s as the Goddess said, your soul does not match your body age. It¡¯s almost as if it were a newborn. Explain that to me.¡¹ My soul is like a newborn? That must be because I never had any mana until recently. ¡¸Allen: I, uh¡­ come from a land without magic?¡¹ I said vaguely. ¡¸Taldinann: ¡­ Does that mean you were you a soulless?¡¹ He asked wide-eyed, furrowing his brows. ¡¸Allen: Soulless?¡¹ Well, I was a corporate drone. But maybe calling me soulless is a little extreme. It¡¯s not like I was a murder-happy psychopath. At best I could be a sociopath. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡¸Taldinann: I believe you people call them mana dead.¡¹ He explained, restoring his scowling face. ¡¸Allen: Look, when I came into this w- country I didn¡¯t even know that mana and magic existed. This is all new to me.¡¹ Shit, did the Creator do a sloppy job with my spirit? I felt a cold sweat forming on my skin. ¡¸Taldinann: Impossible, you must be lying. But I have just the thing.¡¹ He fumbled within his priestly robes. Oh boy, he¡¯s going to take out some kind of torture device. The elf took out a familiar looking sphere of crystal. Oh¡­ one of those truth-telling magic devices, just like the one Violet used on me. So many happy memories about it. Taldinann gave it to me. ¡¸Taldinann: Hold it.¡¹ I did so. Anticipating the jolt, I did not let it fall. Taldinann narrowed his eyes. ¡¸Taldinann: You already know what this is?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: A truth-telling device, I suppose?¡¹ I said. I think that only made him more suspicious. ¡¸Taldinann: I see¡­ are you a spy?¡¹ He leaned forward trying to stare intimidatingly. A wasted effort against a man who can¡¯t really feel fear. ¡¸Allen: No.¡¹ I replied flatly. Again with this spy bullshit. ¡¸Taldinann: Did anyone perform experiments on you, restoring somehow your soul?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Not that I know of.¡¹ I shook my head. ¡¸Taldinann: Have you stolen that body?¡¹ He said, narrowing his eyes even further. ¡¸Allen: What? No, this is my body!¡¹ I squirmed agaisnt the restraints. Taldinann stared at the crystal and back to me for a few seconds. ¡¸Taldinann: You said you come from a land without magic, yet you clearly have a soul¡­ was it perhaps hybernating due to the lack of mana? Where is such a place?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: In my country¡­¡¹ I said its name. ¡¸Taldinann: I never heard of it, where is it located exactly?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: I, err¡­ I don¡¯t know?¡¹ Shit, I can¡¯t half truth through this. Taldinann frowned glancing at the crystal. ¡¸Taldinann: That doesn¡¯t make sense. Ho could you possibly not know?!¡¹ Taldinann was getting impatient, his brow was twitching. Aggravating douchebags is a small comfort, but one I gladly receive. ¡¸Taldinann: Stop playing games! Where are you from and how did you get here?!¡¹ ¡¸Allen: I just¡­ went to sleep one day and woke up here.¡¹ I shrugged innocently. ¡¸Taldinann: What? Someone must have brought you here, who was it?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: The¡­ Creator¡­ of this universe?¡¹ I said, slowly rolling my eyes upward. Taldinann massaged his temples, clearly disappointed at the crystal not blinking even once. ¡¸Taldinann: I don¡¯t know how you¡¯re doing it, but you¡¯re lying.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: I¡¯m not!¡¹ Taldinann snorted and stood up, scowling at me with all his might. ¡¸Taldinann: As you wish, this requires the intervention of the Goddess. Let¡¯s see if you can lie under her scrutiny.¡¹ He made a sign to the guards and walked out. I made a pitiful face while the guards dragged me into the temple. I had a bad feeling about that.
They tied me on a chair in a small room with various symbols painted on the ground and walls. I sure hope this is not one of those rooms where priests do blood sacrifices. ¡¸Taldinann: Now then, I¡¯ll summon the Goddess and expose your lies!¡¹ He started chanting, praying or both. After a while, I started feeling again that unpleasant sensation of something intruding my mind. I shivered. ¡ºWHY IS THIS ABOMINATION HERE?¡» The Goddess spoke telepathically. ¡¸Taldinann: Oh blessed Analher, guide me in exposing this human¡¯s lies.¡¹ Abomination? Whew¡­ Having a goddess calling me that was somewhat depressing. This is divine bullying. I filed a mental complaint. ¡ºSILENCE!¡» I¡¯m not even talking, this is a violation of my privacy! ¡¸Taldinann: Do not disrespect the Goddess!¡¹ The high priest barked at me. Apparently, the Goddess was simultaneously talking to me and the high priest. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have accepted the quest to help these elves. No good deed goes unpunished. I thought back at all the flames we had to endure against those stupid hellhounds. Besides, How is she even understanding me? I¡¯m thinking in my own language! I just didn¡¯t know. Taldinann flooded me with questions, I replied truthfully. ¡¸Taldinann: Again¡­ who brought you here?!¡¹ He asked for the seventh time. I groaned. ¡¸Allen: The Creator of this blasted world!¡¹ I said with exasperation, picturing the episode back in my mind. Urgh. Damn, I felt like something was running a blender through my brain. ¡¸Taldinann: Liar!¡¹ ¡ºHE¡¯S¡­ TELLING THE TRUTH¡» Stated the goddess. ¡¸Taldinann: Huh?¡¹ ¡ºOR SO HE BELIEVES¡» Yeah sure, I brainwashed the 30 years of my life with super accurate delusions of a real life in a world without magic and advanced technology. I thought sarcastically. I mean, it must happen all the time, right? Also waking up embedded in the ground, in a random place, that¡¯s like a daily occurrence. It¡¯s magic after all. I couldn¡¯t stop myself. ¡ºARE YOU MAKING FUN OF ME?!¡» The shouting goddess asked angrily. I probably shouldn¡¯t aggravate a goddess, what am even I doing? I thought, questioning my sanity. ¡ºINDEED!¡» I guess I¡¯m just under the common misconception that my thoughts are just my own. It¡¯s like someone broke into my bathroom and got me arrested for offending him, just because at that moment I was naked, trying to dress up in evident panic because SOMEONE HAD ENTERED WITH NO PERMISSION! ¡ºTHIS SACRED GROUND IS MY DOMAIN, BLASPHEMER.¡» The goddess shouted, only making my headache worse. Look, can¡¯t I just say I¡¯m sorry? It¡¯s not like I actually meant any disrespect. I¡¯m sure you can see that since you¡¯re ravaging my hopeless mind! ¡º¡­¡» I was confused. How could a goddess not know the Creator? It made no sense. Aren''t gods born from the Creator? Were they abandoned at birth with no explanation or purpose? Or mayb¨C Taldinann cleared his throat and spoke. ¡¸Taldinann: I would appreciate if you voiced your thoughts!¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Fine.¡¹ ¡¸Taldinann: So this Creator sent you here¡­ for what reason?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: He wanted me to¡­ try out this world? Give feedback? I¡¯m starting to suspect he only brought me here to have a laugh at my back. What can I say¡­ I can only make hypotheses. He¡­ it¡­ whatever, only talked to me once! Once!¡¹ I was still pissed about that. I had been dumped into this world without a goal or even a glint of divine wisdom. ¡ºHE BELIEVES TO BE SAYING THE TRUTH¡» It is the truth! ¡¸Taldinann: What about your soul then?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Maybe since there¡¯s no mana from where I come from, the Creator had to create one for me?¡¹ Taldinann kept staring at me with a hard face. ¡¸Taldinann: Blessed one, are you certain he¡¯s truthful.¡¹ ¡ºTHIS HEATHEN HAS NOT SPOKE A SINGLE LIE SO FAR¡» Of course, I don¡¯t want to die! I still retained my common sense, after all. ¡ºAND YET¡­¡» Another ¡®yet¡¯ that made me feel queasy. ¡ºI FEEL THE TOUCH OF A DARK GOD ON HIS SPIRIT.¡» Dark god? Was that a false accusation? She was the first god, besides the Creator, I ever talked to. Unless the Creator was actually a dark god or something. A sharp pain coursed through my spirit as if it had been caught under a lawnmower. I choked down a whimper. ¡¸Taldinann: Is that so¡­ who do you serve human?¡¹ The high priest tried to sound intimidating. I seriously wished he stopped that, he looked completely out of character. I wanted to punch his stupid face. Stop! The goddess is listening! I admonished myself. ¡¸Allen: Nobody! This is the first time I even interact with a god of this world! I didn¡¯t even know they actually existed!¡¹ How could I know, when people are wont to invent gods out of thin air? ¡ºEXFERAS¡­ DOES THIS NAME MEAN ANYTHING TO YOU?¡» The screaming goddess projected her question painfully inside my mind. Alas, the name didn¡¯t ring any bell. ¡¸Allen: Who?¡¹ I asked, not sure where to direct my questioning gaze. The headache intensified as the force intruding my mind rummaged around. I gritted my teeth, enduring the suffering. Taldinann rubbed his chin for a few moments. ¡¸Taldinann: Could he be¡­ unaware? What are we supposed to do with him?¡¹ He spoke to the empty air. ¡ºKEEP HIM UNDER OBSERVATION, MY ATTENTION IS REQUIRED ELSEWHERE.¡» The pressure on my mind relented and I gasped in relief. The priestly elf raised his head upward. ¡¸Taldinann: Thank you for your guidance, o¡¯ blessed one.¡¹ He said with his hands closed in prayer. I didn¡¯t feel thankful at all. He turned his gaze on me. Well, shit. No! Keep down the profanities! Damn it! This is so unjust. ¡¸Allen: Please do not dissect me.¡¹ I pleaded, still recovering from my splitting headache. The high priest narrowed his eyes without replying. How did I end up here? Why does the Goddess keep shouting? What''s this shit about dark gods?! I just wanted to go back home. Chapter 49: Even though we fought for them We were worried about Allen. We had petitioned the high priest to let him go, multiple times, to no avail. He kept telling us he couldn¡¯t, that Allen had offended the goddess and that he was hiding some dark secret. Unbelievable! I was angry, disappointed and confused. I gripped the hem of my dress tightly, I couldn''t calm myself. ¡°What do you think he did to offend the goddess? Not even three steps into the temple¡­¡± Grastel asked while stretching himself on the bed. ¡°I have no idea. Besides¡­ dark secret?¡± Namrick shook his head, disbelieving. ¡°And they kept asking us strange questions,¡± I said, reminiscing the awkward interrogation. Was Allen involved in a dark god cult? How long had he been planning to come here? ¡°They won¡¯t even let us see him.¡± I sighed, looking outside the window. Grastel crossed his arms behind his head. ¡°So¡­ what do we do? We can¡¯t wait here forever.¡± I felt depressed. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know,¡± I said. I don¡¯t know what to do, maybe I could ask my father to arrange negotiations. But elves aren¡¯t at all impressed by the human nobility. ¡°We could wait a few more days¡­ if they give us no clear answer to Allen¡¯s release we will report to the Guild and see what can be done.¡± Namrick suggested. ¡°But¡­ it would feel like we¡¯re leaving him behind. Betraying him.¡± I said, slumping my shoulders. It¡¯s not easy to find good adventurer friends. Despite the appearances, Allen is quite dependable. He never tricked us or gave reason to doubt his motives. We met many adventurers. Most of them were only interested in money, then there were cowards and swindlers. Our friend was not one of them. I sighed. ¡°I know how you feel,¡± Said Grastel, sitting on top of the bed. ¡°But there¡¯s little we can do without breaking the laws.¡± He shook his head. We remained silent for some time. Namrick stood up and sighed. ¡°Shall we go out and catch some fresh air?¡± We agreed.
While we were walking across the elven city we saw a guard watching a chained dwarf who was whining and complaining about something. I saw his face for a moment. It looked vaguely familiar. ¡°Look at that dwarf¡­ doesn¡¯t he look familiar to you?¡± I asked Grastel, pointing in the distance. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Grastel squinted and said. ¡°Maybe? Dwarves look all the same, long bears and ill temper.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Let¡¯s go closer,¡± Namrick said, walking ahead. We approached to see what was going on. The dwarf was collecting a bucket of water and scampering around, followed by the guard, to water trees and plants. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Blasted elven cities, why are there so many plants? Dwarven cities are much better. Rocks, gravel, and dirt. No blasted plant to water. Our plants take care of themselves.¡± The dwarf muttered grumpily. ¡°Ahem¡­¡± I announced my presence so the guard wouldn¡¯t jump in surprise. Both the elf guard and dwarf looked at us. The guard appraised us with suspicion. The dwarf burst out laughing. ¡°Gahahah! Aren¡¯t you Allen¡¯s friend?! Remember me? Yusdrolir! We had lots of fun during the goblin attack.¡± I opened my eyes wide. It was the drunken dwarf! ¡°Yes, I remember you!¡± I said smiling. ¡°Did you see Allen?¡± Namrick asked with eagerness. ¡°Of course!¡± Said the dwarf. ¡°He was shortly held in my same cel- GAH!¡± The elf prodded the dwarf with the butt of his spear and shouted something. ¡°Gah! Sure! You blasted tree hugger, I¡¯ll water your damn plants!¡± He said and went back to work, giving us a ¡®sorry¡¯ glance. The guard came closer to us. ¡°What¡­ want?¡± He inquired. ¡°Can we talk to the dwarf? We know him¡­¡± Grastel asked him. ¡°No¡­ understand.¡± The elven guard said with difficulty. I had learned a few elven words, maybe I could convey something. ¡°Can¡­ talk? Please.¡± I was not sure I said it right. I should have studied more¡­ The guard made a tired expression but nodded. He made us sign to follow but to keep a distance. We did so. ¡°So, how did you end up here. Chained. Watering plants?¡± Namrick asked the dwarf. Yusdrolir grimaced. ¡°Ah? I¡­ uh, property damage? A priest told me¡­ if I water all the plants in the city for a week, I can go free.¡± He patted at the wooden bucket. Grastel crossed his arms and asked. ¡°Hmmm, what about Allen?¡± ¡°Yes, what about Allen?!¡± I joined in. ¡°Well¡­¡± He watered a tree and the nearby shrubs, then looked at us. ¡°He was with me until yesterday¡­ but then the fancy priest guy came and took it to the temple. I haven¡¯t seen him since. Ah, did you know he insulted the Goddess?! Hilarious!¡± He grinned. Hilarious? That made no sense at all! ¡°How?¡± I began, unable to hide the bewilderment from my face. ¡°How did he even insult her, we had just set foot in the temple!¡± The dwarf broke in a laugh. ¡°Gahahah! He only told me that her name reminded him of something indecent.¡± He leaned forward. ¡°And at that moment the Goddess was listening! Ahahahhahah!¡± The guard gave him a whack. ¡°Ow! Blasted¡­ hrmph.¡± Yusdrolir grumbled under his mouth. Allen¡­ he actually insulted the Goddess AnAlher! I curled down, hiding my face. ¡°Allen¡­¡± Namrick whispered shaking his head slowly. Grastel rolled his eyes. ¡°Well¡­ we found one of the reasons he¡¯s under arrest, at least¡­¡± He looked at us shrugging his shoulders. ¡°Why, what other reasons are there?¡± Asked the dwarf, furrowing his brows before heading back to the water source to refill the bucket. While walking we told him of the high priest strange questions. ¡°Huh? I know nothing about that.¡± He looked at us, perplexed. Yusdrolir stopped. ¡°Ah, guys. Can you do me a favor?¡± He asked with pleading eyes. ¡°What kind of favor?¡± I asked tilting my head a little. ¡°Booze! Bring me some booze! It¡¯s killing me! Please?!¡± He said with desperation in his voice and an anguished face. I pursed my lips. The guard prodded him forward. ¡°Please! I need it! Please?¡± He looked back, imploring us with a face full of despair. ¡°Ehmm¡­ actually I think you should do without,¡± I said, collecting nods of approval from Namrick and Grastel. I just remembered. This dwarf had some serious alcohol issues. Isn¡¯t that why his team always leave him behind? Or why he didn¡¯t properly warn us he had smelled goblins nearby. No alcohol for you, mister dwarf. ¡°How¡­ how can you be so cru- GAH!¡± The guard gave him another whack to get him moving. We remained behind, waving goodbye to Yusdrolir. I sighed. ¡°Hehe. It¡¯s funny though. Looks like Allen has a knack to get the attention of powerful people.¡± Grastel looked at me with a grin. ¡°A mixed blessing.¡± Namrick pointed out, nodding to himself. ¡°Truly.¡± Grastel agreed. I didn¡¯t know what to say. Next time I¡¯ll remember to keep Allen away from consecrated grounds. Just in case. ¡°But aren¡¯t you curious¡­ what did Allen think to offend the Goddess?¡± Grastel wondered with a wry smile. ¡°Shut up.¡± I slapped his arm. It was probably better not to know. A cold breeze brushed the autumn leaves down the trees. I shivered. Namrick touched my shoulder gently, I looked at him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll convince the high priest. Let¡¯s petition him again.¡± He said, giving me an encouraging smile. ¡°Yes¡­¡± I replied weakly. We came here to help, we risked our lives and this is how we were rewarded. They didn¡¯t mistreat the three of us. But Allen was one of us. Allen would never leave us behind¡­ In the distance, we could still faintly hear the complaints of a displeased dwarf. Chapter 50: Astral Projection Taldinann had left me in the small ominous room within the temple. The guards had untied me from the chair but locked the door. Since I had nothing to do, I spent my prison days exercising my body. I did not dare perform magic, except mana breathing exercises and aura control. The Goddess was probably waiting for me to make a misstep and squash me flat on her holy ground. I was all alone, except for the guard bringing in food. Dreadfully boring. So far the goddess had not invaded my mind, to which I was thankful. But I was still imprisoned here. For dumb abstruse reasons, I could not comprehend. I laid down on the hard floor. And slipped right into a dream. I felt as if I were sliding forward until the sensation of splashing into water hit me all of a sudden. From the blackness, faint colors appeared shaping the imagery before me. I was on a beach shore. I waded forward until I stepped on the dry ground and took a look around. Shore sounds, a slight breeze and the light sparkling on the waves. The details almost surprised me. I was fully lucid in a dream! I toned down my excitement not to wake up too soon and sat down to meditate. I had read that meditating in a dream makes it ten times more effective. I was not sure of the validity of those claims but it was a fact that focusing while in a dream was way harder than normal. Stay lucid. I reminded myself. I remained there for some time, sitting on the sand and taking in the scenery while I maintained my awareness. I almost expected a nightmare to come bustling in ruining everything, but no such thing happened. ¡¸Allen: Hehe, in your face nightmare! This time I¡¯m in control.¡¹ I grinned smugly, standing back up. Now then. Astral projection, or spirit walking. Whatever it¡¯s called. It was time to experiment. This time I tried to will myself out of my body. Nothing happened, except me floating around. Maybe I have to involve mana¡­ somehow. I reasoned. As I tried reaching for my mana to weave it into my will, I began experiencing some static noise overlapping my dream vision. Then the noise faded away. Was I going in the right direction? That certainly did something! Or almost did. I tried again and failed. Let¡¯s think this through. How should it work? My mana body completely leaving my actual body sounded like a bad idea and perhaps even impossible, just like stopping my own heart voluntarily. Maybe I could, like, send out a spirit drone. It would need to be linked to my main mana body to transmit information. Or it could be wireless, but I haven¡¯t worked out the wrinkles about interferences and stuff. No, better to go with a wire-like connection. Or should I call it silver cord? The fabled thing supposed to link astral travelers to their actual bodies. I like it. Silver cord it is. I caught myself getting lost in the dreamscape. Focus! I made another attempt using my newly devised plan. This time it felt like I was trying to go through a spider web. No, thousands of spiderwebs. I kept pushing and the noise became more and more intense, until¡­ It stopped. I was no longer in the dreamscape. It was very weird. It was like I could see 360 degrees all at once, I was completely disoriented. Did I do it? My mind was free from the sluggishness of the dream, I felt like I was in complete control. Yep. I fucking did it! I spasmed around in excitement like a drunken pixie. What I was perceiving was unlike anything I had expected. I was not seeing physically as I would with my eyes, instead, I was Seeing mana. Mana masses like my body shone like bright blobs, I could see the magic energy circulating through the air, small insects were bright as well. The amount of detail and sharpness was astounding. I moved through a wall, which appeared to me as a ghostly outline as if it were air. It was exhilarating. Also cool. Ha. Rare talent my ass. Allen wins again bitches. I gloated posturing my shapeless form in the mana world. I looked upwards, there was a huge mass of light far in the distance and beyond even bigger masses. Shifting, flowing like a sea. I wondered if the one directly over me was the Goddess. She hadn¡¯t reacted to me leaving my body. Maybe she was asleep? Do gods even sleep? Can¡¯t cage the Allen. I smiled inwardly as I pushed myself beyond the temple. It wasn¡¯t easy since it was my first time, and I was zigzagging in all wrong directions like a drunken dwarf. I would dare anyone to go straight the first time seeing in all directions at once. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Well, what do I do now? Maybe try to say hi to the trio. They must be worried dead sick over losing such a central figure of the team. Forced to eat bad food without my reassuring adult presence. I navigated the confusing lights of the mana landscape until I found what was supposed to be the inn. I flew up to our room and found them. By looking at them I just knew who was who. I¡¯m not sure how exactly, but I knew. They were sleeping. I tried to get close and whisper to them. Hey guys! They didn¡¯t react. I wondered if I could cast magic like this. I made an attempt but realized I was unable to manipulate mana in any form. I kept trying to speak, but I was only talking in my mind. I had no actual mouth or body in this form. Damn! I just wanted to tell them I was fine. So close, yet so far. While I was grumbling I noticed another huge mass of mana closing in from the distance, countless tendrils thrashing in the air. What¡¯s that? I looked curiously. It was pretty big¡­ and it was coming closer. I felt a shiver. That thing was heading toward me! Uh, I guess this is enough for today. I turned tails and began flying back toward my body, following the silver cord. Faster! The tendrils were getting closer! Oh shit! Oh shit! At that moment I wondered what would happen to me if anything bad happened while I was in this state. I didn''t really want to find out so I flew as fast as I could. As I crossed the temple boundaries I saw the tendrils hesitate. Safe? The big mass of light over the temple moved in that instant and clashed against the other. I watched in amazement as the two behemoths of light whipped tendrils back and forth against each other, causing massive shifts of mana all around. The invader didn¡¯t seem very interested in fighting and retreated, defending itself until he disappeared in the distance. The remaining blob of light noticed me. A sudden wave of pressure rained down on me like a cold shower. I froze up. ¡ºFOOLISH HUMAN.¡» The Goddess spoke. Oh no. I had been caught red-handed during my magical escapade. Bright tendrils appeared from nowhere and started enveloping me, blocking off the way to my body. I¡¯m fucked. Came the cold realization. The huge mass of brightness was now closing in on me. Almost scary. I should have jumped directly into my body instead of watching the show. I so wanted to slap myself. In a few seconds, I had been entangled. I tried to free myself, to no avail. I was completely entrapped. Eeep. I let out a puny mental squeak. A sharp pain filled my whole being and I woke up. ¡¸Allen: Ah¡­ damn.¡¹ I shot up, my heart beating fast. I was still in the small room in the temple. I¡¯m still alive. I took a sigh of relief. Had it all been a dream or did I actually suceed in astral projecting? Let''s just pretend I''ve succedeed until proven otherwise. Another great success for the great All¨C¡ºWHAT WERE YOU TRYING TO DO?!¡» A booming telepathic voice hammered down on me. I winced at the suddenness. I was proven right. ¡¸Allen: Uh¡­ is that you An- Goddess?¡¹ I felt a surge of irritation being pushed on me. ¡ºSTOP ASSOCIATING MY NAME TO IMPURE THOUGHTS!¡» Not my fault! I hopelessly tried not to think about her name. The more I tried the worse it got. ¡ºCALL ME WITHOUT THE HONORIFIC THEN, JUST ALHER! ALHER!¡» Alher¡­ Well that name didn¡¯t evoke any bad thought. ¡ºI WAS WATCHING YOU. WEREN¡¯T YOU TRYING TO CONTACT YOUR GOD? WHY DID YOU RUN FROM HIM?¡» My god? Do you mean the Creator? I haven¡¯t heard from it since I came into this world. ¡º¡­¡» I caught a sharp feeling of impatience. ¡ºI DOUBT THIS CREATOR IS REAL¡­¡» Gods that don¡¯t believe in God. The irony was reaching metaphysical levels. ¡ºBUT NO. I¡¯M TALKING ABOUT EXFERAS.¡» Literally who? She had already asked me about that name. But nope, I was still clueless about it. ¡ºTHE ONE I DROVE AWAY. I SEE HIS TOUCH IN YOUR SOUL.¡» The other huge blob of light? Who the hell is this Exferas guy? Why don¡¯t you gods just leave me alone? I just want to git gud at magic! ¡ºHE¡¯S THE GOD OF NIGHTMARES.¡» God of nightmares? Wait¡­ could it be that¡­ No way¡­ so all these shitty pathetic nightmares I¡¯ve been having were due to some god bullying me? I knew there was something fishy about it! Back in my world I only had like two or three nightmares a year, if I was lucky. My dreams had been sabotaged. How did I not connect the dots? I guess my mind wasn¡¯t exactly in top shape after having been mind ravaged. ¡º¡­¡» He¡¯s not even that good at his job, to be honest. I¡¯ve seen worse nightmares. ¡ºYOU DON¡¯T UNDERSTAND HIS POWER!¡» She shouted at me and I was hit by a flow of images flashing through my mind. Fear, despair, famine, hopelessness. Images of abominations, dead people, tortured people. I did feel a little queasy. Probably just the Goddess projecting her fears on me. I started feeling a headache coming. ¡ºHOW CAN YOU NOT FEEL AFRAID?¡» Dunno, maybe I¡¯m just too dumb to feel afraid? I wondered. I saw the same stuff every day on television back in my world. It gets old fast. Except for the abominations, those were only in the movies. But it¡¯s not like they could hold a dime against a nuclear warhead. ¡ºTELEVISION?¡» Pain shot through my whole being while the Goddess investigated the concept of ¡®television¡¯. I gritted my teeth, refusing to give in to the pain. Of course, it was different when witnessing those things in person. I had experienced it firsthand. But a fleeting image couldn¡¯t affect me at all. Also, the corporate environment numbed me, I guess. I remembered the gray days at my job. Always the same day repeating forever, an easily replaceable cog in the system. Friends moved to distant cities. No energy left to do anything after the working hours. Fucking overtimes. Just emptiness to be filled by TV shows, novels, games, and dreams. Nightmares were one of the few things that reminded me I was alive. I desperately needed to feel alive. I was too tired to even feel depressed. ¡ºWHAT ARE YOU HIDING BEHIND THESE MEMORIES?¡» Alher started forcefully digging deeper and deeper. The pain became unbearable and all went white. ¡°Ally, wait!¡± Squealed the little girl with bright chestnut hair and hazel eyes while chasing me. ¡°No one can tag the Mighty Al!¡± I said, looking back and poking out my tongue. My boasts were cut short as I tripped on an exposed rock and tumbled on the grass. ¡°Ow!¡± I said, massaging a bruised knee, my eyes a little watery. The girl walked up close to me and stared at me with a serious face. Then she bumped my forehead with her open palm. ¡°More like Silly Ally!¡± She exclaimed breaking into a grin. ¡°Tag, you¡¯re it!¡± It was a cute grin. Did my heart just skip a beat? Someone smacked the nape of my neck from behind me. ¡°Owie!¡± I protested turning my head toward the culprit. ¡°Look where you run, Allen!¡± My mom reproached me. I pouted while the girl laughed merrily. Stop. ¡°What do you want to do when you¡¯re a grown-up?¡± The same girl, now slightly older, asked me. ¡°I¡¯ll make video games!¡± I replied with a bright smile. ¡°What about you?¡± I asked, looking into her hazel eyes. She smiled. ¡°I want to write fantasy stories!¡± She said reaching for the sky. ¡°Adventures with dragons, fairies, and princesses!¡± ¡°Lame! Nobody reads books!¡± I said, grinning. She looked at me with narrowed eyes and blew a raspberry at me. I laughed. We were interrupted by a shout. ¡°Who clogged the sink with dirt?!¡± Her mom shouted angrily, stomping footsteps drawing closer to us. We looked at each other, panic painted all over our faces. ¡°Uh oh¡­¡± Our little experiment gone wrong had been found out. ¡°Run!¡± We never stood a chance. No more. Please. My mind dissolved into the white. Chapter 51: Cooking my way out Someone shook me awake. ¡¸Allen: ¡­ Five more minutes¡­¡¹ I muttered, feeling groggy. ¡¸Taldinann: Wake up!¡¹ I opened my eyes. Right, I was still in the sad little cell in the temple. ¡¸Allen: I¡¯m awake.¡¹ I croaked. Vague memories of my dreams tried to surface. I think I succeeded in astral projection. Yes, I definitely did! What happened after was cloudy, though. The Goddess, Alher¡­ something about honorifics and Exferas, no¡­ ExFeras. God of nightmares? And¡­ Memories I had buried. I felt my heart sink. I slowly stood up, my head swimming with unpleasant sensations. My spirit felt¡­ tender. An attempt to control my mana sent a shock of pain all over my body. I almost fell back down. What did Alher do to me? ¡¸Allen: Ugh.¡¹ The elf caught my arm and propped me upright. Was my spirit fine? The thought of losing magic was somehow more terrifying than anything. ¡¸Allen: My mana... it hurts...¡¹ I muttered, holding my now aching head with my hands. ¡¸Taldinann: It is expected. The Blessed One scoured away the taint from the dark god and inspected your soul for signs of mindweaving.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Mindweaving?¡¹ The question was met with silence. I could tell from the word it involved fucking up minds, but I had never heard or read about it. ¡¸Allen: Has my soul... been damaged?¡¹ I asked, holding my breath for the answer. ¡¸Taldinann: No. Your soul will recover in a couple of days if you don''t strain yourself.¡¹ I sighed in relief. A heavy weight had been lifted from my chest. ¡¸Taldinann: The Goddess spoke to me about what happened last night.¡¹ He said, walking away from me. So he probably knows I¡¯ve stumbled around while Astral Projecting. Is he going to punish me as if I had tried to escape my confinement? I didn¡¯t know if my opinion of elves and their gods could drop any lower. ¡¸Allen: Am I going¡­ to be punished?¡¹ I said tiredly, lifting my head to look right to the high priest eyes. Taldinann shook his head. ¡¸Taldinann: No.¡¹ Oh? ¡¸Taldinann: The Blessed One has ascertained that you were truthful and not actively working for a dark god¡­¡¹ My eyebrows shot up in surprise. ¡¸Allen: I¡¯m free?¡¹ I asked, unsure if to trust hope. ¡¸Taldinann: Let me finish. No.¡¹ I closed my eyes, imagining myself slapping hope in the face for her misleading adverts. ¡¸Taldinann: You¡¯re still to atone for disrespecting the holy AnAlher on her consecrated ground.¡¹ As if I didn¡¯t feel miserable enough, Taldinann didn¡¯t lose the chance to throw more salt on the wounds. ¡¸Taldinann: Also let me give you a warning¡­ while it may be true that the Goddess has seen the truth in your words, you had been touched by a dark god. This must not be taken lightly, you must drive him away.¡¹ He said with complete seriousness. Wasn''t having my soul scoured enough? ¡¸Allen: How?¡¹ I asked him, briefly turning my palms up. I had never wanted to be haunted by gods, especially the bad ones. ¡¸Taldinann: Drive away dark thoughts¡­¡¹ That didn¡¯t sound realistic. ¡¸Taldinann: ¡­ Or seek worship of a light God. The faith should banish the dark god from touching your soul.¡¹ From the frying pan to the fire. ¡¸Allen: Is there no way to keep all gods away?¡¹ I really wanted to avoid dealing with gods. Chances are they would not approve of my unlimited swearing. No way I can function as a human being without swearing. The high priest scratched his chin in thought. ¡¸Taldinann: Only advanced practitioners of magic arts can close off their minds to outside interferences. You¡¯d better follow one of my suggestions. The alternative would be living imprisoned in an obsidian chamber.¡¹ The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Close off their minds. I wonder if it¡¯s related to aura control. I¡¯ll need to investigate it. That was actually a helpful tip. ¡¸Taldinann: Now¡­ let¡¯s talk about your sentence. We already have dwarf paying off his due by watering plants and trees in the city. What should I have you do? Hmmm¡­¡¹ He turned pensive. Afraid he would come up with something terrible I made my suggestion. ¡¸Allen: Huh¡­ well. I can¡­ cook?¡¹
And that is how I ended up cooking for the people in the elven temple. Focusing on work helped me choke down my uneasiness and ignore the tingling from my spirit, a constant reminder of the abuse I had received. At first, the elves were all scowling at me, forcing me to sample the food as if they were afraid I had poisoned it. Yeah sure. Who wouldn¡¯t attempt such a thing with a Goddess breathing down his neck? Instead, I tried to do my best and kept the swearing to a minimum. Well, thinking about it again maybe they were more concerned that I had cooked uneatable stuff on purpose. I can''t say I wasn''t tempted. After they tasted my cuisine they lost the scowls, but they kept the impassive faces. I guess they didn¡¯t want to give a blasphemer like me any satisfaction. Whatever, at least they had given permission to my friends to meet me here at the temple. As if on cue the trio, peeked into the kitchen. I forced a smile. ¡¸Allen!¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Heya guys.¡¹ They gave me a hug with relieved faces. ¡¸Ellin: Allen¡­ you insulted the Goddess of Nature¡­¡¹ Ellin¡¯s face turned into a mix of reproach and bewilderment. ¡¸Allen: It was completely unintentional!¡¹ I said in my defense. Namrick shook his head. ¡¸Namrick: Seriously¡­ didn¡¯t they teach you to respect gods in their temples?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Sure, but I never took it seriously. In my world gods are distant existences that never directly interfere. They might as well not even exist. Although¡­ the Creator seemed quite real when he tossed me here.¡¹ I mused. What was his endgame? Does he even have an endgame? What pronoun should I use? Too many questions. ¡¸Ellin: And so?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: And so I must atone by cooking for these ungrateful elves. With a Goddess breathing down my neck. It¡¯s uncomfortable.¡¹ I said looking left and right. It really was uncomfortable. All those stealthy glances and scowls. I wanted to tell them all about the unfair treatment I had received, but I didn''t want to drag them into trouble. Not here. It could wait until later. ¡¸Grastel: Hmm, the high priest had told us you had been touched by a dark god or something?¡¹ Grastel asked, lifting an eyebrow in askance. I shrugged. ¡¸Allen: So it seems. Remember all the bad dreams I always complain about? It¡¯s all due to this ExFeras god or something. I need to find a way to get rid of him.¡¹ ¡¸Ellin: ExFeras? The God of nightmares?¡¹ Ellin asked with wide open eyes. I sliced some unknown vegetables, they tasted similar to zucchini. I was putting my average culinary skills to work. I had to thank my Italian grandmother, that taught me the basics, and all those how-to videos on the internet. I should also thank the fact that people in this world suck at cooking. It really makes my average results shine like diamonds. ¡¸Allen: So it seems.¡¹ I confirmed with half a nod. ¡¸Ellin: But how? You¡¯re a good guy.¡¹ I shrugged again while slicing the vegetables. Am I really? Sometimes I wonder. ¡¸Grastel: How did you even attract a god¡¯s attention?!¡¹ ¡¸Allen: How am I supposed to know? My charming smile? My winning sarcasm?¡¹ I shot him a glance telling ¡®I-have-no-fucking-idea¡¯. ¡¸Namrick: I doubt so. It should be something that makes you attuned to his element.¡¹ Namrick surprised me again with his out-of-character insights. ¡¸Allen: Well¡­ I like nightmares because they remind me I¡¯m alive.¡¹ I added some oil and onions to the pan. ¡¸Allen: And I¡¯m pretty good at projecting Fear, I guess..¡¹ I added the not-zucchini, a little soup from earlier and closed the lid. ¡¸Allen: Also my illusions have a way to slippery-slope into nightmarish abominations¡­¡¹ Grastel looked from Ellin to Namrick. ¡¸Grastel: Well¡­ I suppose that would do it?¡¹ Ellin was looking at me with a difficult expression. Namrick and Grastel too. Uncomfortable staring. ¡¸Allen: Don¡¯t look at me like that, guys.¡¹ I pleaded with my friends. ¡¸Namrick: You should be careful. The dark god might try to recruit you and make you become one of his apostles.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: That sounds biblical, what does that entail?¡¹ I inquired for the sake of conversation. I didn¡¯t really want to know. ¡¸Grastel: If the old stories are true, probably making blood sacrifices, sowing fear, bringing nightmares to life and murdering innocents.¡¹ Whew. ¡¸Ellin: You¡¯re not going to¡­¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Of course not!¡¹ I¡¯ve got more interesting things to do rather than turning into a fanatical edgy loser. ¡¸Allen: Darn, I need to find a way to keep gods away from me.¡¹ A magical pesticide. Gods-be-gone. What is a god anyway? I saw big masses of mana. Are they just like spirit bodies on steroids? Another topic to investigate. How can a god not know the Creator? Everything would be much easier if he just turned up and said "Ah well, this is my boy Allen. I brought him here for shit and giggles. Don''t kill him, thanks". ¡¸Ellin: You mean the dark god? You could join the worship of AnHelm, or stop doing things that attract his attention.¡¹ Had I heard it right? I tilted my head and asked her. ¡¸Allen: The worship of Ahnelm? How is that angry looking teacher related to any worships?!¡¹ She stared at me, confused for a second. ¡¸Ellin: No, not Medritch from the Academy! AnHelm, the god of Virtue!¡¹ Ahnelm¡­ AnHelm¡­ ah. I thought it was a little weird that people were preaching blessings in Medritch¡¯s name. Perhaps his permanently angry expression was because he got bullied as a kid for that name. Poor Ahnelm. ¡¸Ellin: Will you consider my offer? I could introduce you to the temple¡­¡¹ I thought about my compatibility with a God of Virtue. There was none. It was a terrible idea! Best case scenario I would get pestered nonstop for my poor choice of words. Worst case scenario, instant smiting on the spot. ¡¸Allen: No, I don¡¯t want any god messing with me.¡¹ I just want to swear in peace. Am I asking too much? ¡¸Namrick: Why not? Unlike dark gods, the light gods actually help us.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Yeah, just look how well that went.¡¹ I gestured to my surroundings. Grastel chuckled. ¡¸Grastel: So, how long is your sentence?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: A whole damn week.¡¹ I said, shaking my head. I was losing important lessons back at the Academy, this was a huge setback. I can¡¯t even ask these elves about their chanting-style spellcasting. Only the high priest can fluently speak Arstei, and he¡¯s not a fan of me. Furthermore, my spirit was in shambles, I hurt all over everytime I tried to access my mana. I had to stop my daily exercises. An elf came to pick up the food to be served at the tables. He gave me one of his impassive stares and walked away. You¡¯re welcome. No need to thank me. I¡¯m not feeling offended at all. I hid my irritation and kept doing the job. Damn, I hate cooking like this. ¡¸Allen: I can come back to the inn later to sleep. They¡¯ve taken hostage all my equipment so I won¡¯t run away.¡¹ I hope they don¡¯t break or steal anything. My precious silver cube! All my hard work stored inside! I despaired inside. ¡¸Ellin: Nice! We¡¯ll wait for you then.¡¹ She smiled and turned to leave. Namrick squeezed my shoulder and said. ¡¸Namrick: Take care¡­ and don¡¯t offend the Goddess!¡¹ I grumbled in reply and waved goodbye to my friends. My smile disappeared as the feeling of dread returned. It had been a brief respite but seeing my friends again had somewhat improved my mood. I turned back to the stoves and sighed. On my far right was a stoic elf keeping watch on me. Unmoving, unsmiling and silent. Creepy. I tried to forget again he was there. Chapter 52: Leaving the cursed town It was late when I walked back to the elven inn. I had been keeping my feelings bottled up all day. I kept a brave face and pretended all was right. But it wasn¡¯t right. The truth was that I had been shaken but I didn¡¯t want to cause a scene inside the temple. I did not want to get the trio on the Goddess¡¯ bad side. I had yet to tell them what I had endured. The elven innkeeper welcomed me with a smile. He was most likely unaware of my blasphemer status. Maybe not all elves are assholes, I thought. Just the ones inside the temple. I walked up the stairs to our rooms and knocked on the door before entering. The trio gave me a warm welcome with smiles and shoulder squeezes. I sat heavily on my bed wearing a tired expression. This place was sufficiently away from the temple, I could talk. ¡¸Allen: Guys, I have left off a big part of the story when you came to visit me. Let me tell you all that happened.¡¹ And I told them, about the questions I¡¯d been asked, the suspicions they held against me and how my soul had been turned inside out. I omitted that I had spirit walked during the dream, I wanted to succeed at least a second time before sharing the details. The last part where I woke up was hazy in my memory to the point I was no longer sure what had been part of the dream and what of reality. ¡¸Ellin: Why didn¡¯t you tell us?!¡¹ Ellin asked angrily. ¡¸Ellin: Let me check on you¡­¡¹ She walked closer and put her hands to my temples, then she closed her eyes knitting her brows in concentration. She furrowed her brows. ¡¸Ellin: Your spirit is whole¡­ but the natural barrier is all damaged! I¡¯m going to complain to the high priest, they owe you at least an apology. This not right!¡¹ She turned, ready to walk off. I grabbed her by the arm. ¡¸Allen: No.¡¹ That was exactly what I wanted to avoid. Ellin looked at me, the fire still burning in her eyes. ¡¸Ellin: No?! We can¡¯t let this slide!¡¹ Namrick and Grastel stood beside her. ¡¸Namrick: You¡¯re part of the team, Allen. You know you can rely on us.¡¹ Grastel nodded in agreement. ¡¸Allen: I know, but don¡¯t go stir up a hornet¡¯s nest. Please.¡¹ It wasn¡¯t worth it. I released Ellin¡¯s arm. ¡¸Allen: I don¡¯t want you guys to make this problem bigger than it is and get yourselves in trouble. Could you please let it go? My spirit should heal in a couple of days.¡¹ I said, just wanting to forget about it. ¡¸¡­¡¹ My friends were too naive, there was nothing we could do about it. Alher was a proper Goddess of Nature. Harsh, cruel and uncaring. Antagonizing such a deity was just a bad idea. I knew when to lower my head. Never mind the pain and the accusations, I could rationalize that I would look suspicious given my memories, newborn soul, and the dark god¡¯s touch. What I couldn¡¯t forgive was digging up the memories I had worked so hard to forget. Old images from my youth kept floating in my mind at the most unexpected moments. I had long broken ties with that younger me, with whom I had nothing left in common. No one liked to remember all the mistakes they did in life. ¡¸Namrick: If that¡¯s how you feel, we¡¯ll respect your decision.¡¹ Namrick said, relaxing his stance. Ellin stared at him and then at me, her fists balled. ¡¸Ellin: But¨C¡¹ I lowered my head. ¡¸Allen: Please.¡¹ She looked down, dejected. ¡¸Ellin: ¡­ It¡¯s not right.¡¹ She whispered. After that we were no longer in the mood for talking, so we got ready to sleep. I laid down on my bed. A real bed. With sheets. I remained awake for a long time, dealing with the resurfacing memories the only way I knew. Replaying them in my mind over and over, sucking away the feelings until only peaceful oblivion remained. That night I had a dream, but I could only remember faint fragments of it. I was at the shores of a lake surrounded by green tall trees¡­ and there was an elven woman. We talked about something¡­ I¡¯m pretty sure she didn¡¯t like me but no one tried to kill me. The next day my mood had slightly improved. I went about the day serving my sentence. The day after that my spirit had healed up and I regained my ability to manipulate mana. With that done, the sense of dread weighing my heart had been lifted. I spent the following nights practicing my Astral Projection skills, succeeding twice. One time I wandered around inspecting stuff but ended up waking up too soon. The second time I experimented a little more with greater success. I found out that if I go far, I start feeling a force pulling me back. Out of curiosity, I tried severing the silver cord. I hesitated a little but reminded myself that when Alher had caught me I had simply woken up. The only problem was that I had no hands. Instead, I floated against the silver cord and willed to cut it. I immediately returned to the dream world. I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m still fine. I calmed myself and projected out again. The silver cord that had remained attached to my spirit body had apparently been reabsorbed because I couldn¡¯t see any trace of the previous thread. I floated back to the place where I had severed the cord and found my remains. The severed thread of mana was floating in the air moved by an unseen wind. Attached to one end I could see a small spherical glob of mana. So, that¡¯s how I look when I astral project. It was about one centimeter in diameter. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Something moving caught my attention¡­ an unknown mana being was feeding on the filaments of my leftovers! I wrapped myself around my remains and ran away as quickly as I could. I woke up with my heart pounding but otherwise fine. It was a whole new world. I had ascertained a few things. I can¡¯t pass through people or other living beings. Their natural barrier keeps me out. It feels like sliding on a slippery surface. There¡¯s a limited range I can travel, which might be related to my skill and power. I can¡¯t see actual colors, only shapes with varying degrees of brightness¡­ and perhaps a vague sensation of the quality of mana, but I couldn¡¯t make anything out of it yet. The silver cord can end up getting tangled and if cut, my awareness returns to the main body. In retrospect cutting the silver cord might have been a hazard. Luckily, I did not end up brain dead. It would have been nice if I had been able to find an experienced spirit walker or some written record about it. No such luck. I was in good spirits so I shared my progress with my friends. ¡¸Allen: Hey guys! Guess who learned spirit walking?¡¹ No one seemed to share my excitement. Maybe I should have waited for everyone to fully wake up before breaking the news. Grastel groaned something intelligible as he shifted in his bed. Namrick scowled at me. ¡¸Namrick: I was having a good dream¡­¡¹ Ellin looked at me with tired eyes. ¡¸Ellin: Hnnn¡­ are you sure?¡¹ I told them about my attempts and successes. ¡¸Ellin: Blobs of light¡­ That reminds me of Mana Sight.¡¹ She said ending with a yawn. ¡¸Allen: Mana Sight, how come I haven¡¯t heard of it?¡¹ I asked, interested in the topic. Something like seeing mana seemed like a fundamental of magic to me. Why had it never be mentioned during my magic lessons? ¡¸Ellin: It¡¯s one of the advanced topics.¡¹ She stood, sitting on her bed. Of course, those blasted secretive advanced topics. ¡¸Ellin: I just know about it because my uncle is a Magic Inspector. He told me tales of how he would catch criminals by investigating mana residuals with his Mana Sight.¡¹ She furrowed her brows. ¡¸Ellin: You¡¯re a spellcrafter, don¡¯t you do something similar when you enchant magical items?¡¹ She asked, tilting her head. ¡¸Allen: Hmmm, it¡¯s different. It¡¯s more like pushing your awareness inside the object and then feeling what¡¯s inside. Remember when you taught me spell triggers?¡¹ One of the few magic spells I managed to get her to teach me. ¡¸Ellin: Of course, but that was just a basic spell.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: The principle was the same, you place the spell and fix it in place. At that moment you feel it.¡¹ ¡¸Ellin: Of course. I can also feel a vague idea of the kind of spells stored in a magic item, but that¡¯s as far as I go.¡¹ I shrugged and said. ¡¸Allen: It¡¯s just a matter of practice. At first, I had no idea of what I was doing, but then by adding, removing and shifting spells around, it became clearer.¡¹ ¡¸Ellin: And you figured it all out with just trigger spells?!¡¹ She stared at me in disbelief. ¡¸Allen: I was motivated.¡¹ I said, without hiding a smile. ¡¸Ellin: Okay¡­ going back on topic. Spirit walking¡­ is it safe?¡¹ She leaned forward a little. I scratched my chin. Is it safe? Good question. ¡¸Allen: Well, I¡¯m still alive.¡¹ I heard Grastel grumbling some more, still hiding under the sheets. ¡¸Grastel: Just¡­ let¡­ sleep¡­ hmmngrr.¡¹ He seemed in a foul mood this morning. Ellin stared at me with a glint in her eyes. ¡¸Ellin: Would you¡­ teach me?¡¹ Ellin asking me to teach her magic? This is a first. ¡¸Allen: Huh¡­ are you sure? I¡¯m not a very good teacher, but I can try.¡¹ Grohm always reminded me of how sub-par my teaching skills were. Thank you, Grohm. ¡¸Ellin: Yes, please.¡¹ Right, she had shown interest when I had grazed the topic before we left for the quest. ¡¸Allen: Sure, but what¡¯s your interest in astr- spirit walking? If I have to teach you lucid dreaming in the process I need you to be motivated or we won¡¯t be able to move forward.¡¹ Attempting to lucid dream without a strong intent would be unproductive. ¡¸Ellin: Well¡­ I had given up because I thought it wasn¡¯t possible to learn without the talent. When I was little I wasn¡¯t allowed to leave the house, so I always dreamed of flying away and see the world, just like the spirit walkers of the tales.¡¹ She started fiddling with her fingers. ¡¸Ellin: I know¡­ it¡¯s just a silly childhood dream. But I always wanted to experience it.¡¹ How can I say no? ¡¸Allen: That¡¯s not a bad reason. Plus training together can only make it easier.¡¹ Namrick stood up, apparently not interested in the secrets of the arcane arts. ¡¸Namrick: I¡¯m going to ask the innkeeper to prepare our breakfast. See you downstairs.¡¹ He walked off the room, hiding a yawn with his hand. ¡¸Ellin: Thanks!¡¹ She said to him, before turning her head back to me. ¡¸Ellin: How do you do it? What¡¯s the trick?¡¹ I began my detailed explanation. From lucid dreaming, to what I did within the dream to succeed in Astral Projection. ¡¸Ellin: Hmmm, but can¡¯t you just do it when awake?¡¹ I froze. Why didn¡¯t I think of it? ¡¸Allen: Huh¡­ let me try.¡¹ I lied down on the bed and tried to perform the trick. I failed. I just couldn¡¯t evoke the same walking-through-spiderwebs feeling. I gave it a few tries but quickly realized I wasn¡¯t going anywhere. I opened my eyes. ¡¸Allen: Nothing, sorry. Maybe it can be done with the right training, or maybe not.¡¹ ¡¸Grastel: Or you blasting dreamed it!¡¹ Grastel yelled in exasperation. I poked at the shape under the bed sheets receiving more grumbles in return. I grinned. ¡¸Ellin: Hmmm, I see. then I have to learn this lucid dreaming first.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Yes¡­ You¡¯re a magician as well, so you are already practiced at meditating without losing mental focus. You just need to become aware that you¡¯re dreaming while dreaming.¡¹ Of course, it was easier said than done. But if I could learn it, I¡¯m pretty sure anyone else could. ¡¸Ellin: I¡¯ll do it!¡¹ She sure looked determined. I really hoped she wouldn¡¯t get bored of it after the first week. Having another astral projector buddy would be very helpful to do science. ¡¸Allen: Very well, then¡­ I recognize you as my disciple!¡¹ I said, standing and making a dramatic gesture. Grastel kept grumbling at us to shut up. When I went downstairs to get my breakfast, Namrick explained to me Grastel had drunk too much elven spirit the earlier night. That explained the grumbling and the aversion to light. Hangovers, man. I had been wondering if he was turning into a vampire. You can never be sure in this magical world. Anyway, it was time to leave this blasted elven city. I had served my sentence. I just had to collect my equipment from the high priest. I asked my friends to accompany me, their righteous presence should increase my chances of everything going smooth.
The elven guards escorted me to Taldinann¡¯s office, my friends remained just outside the room. ¡¸Taldinann: I see, you have come to collect your belongings¡­¡¹ Taldinann rose from his seat trying to look solemn. ¡¸Allen: Indeed.¡¹ ¡¸Taldinann: But before that¡­¡¹ Come oooon. I ground my teeth under my corporate smile. ¡¸Taldinann: I would like you to explain to me the purpose of this magic item. The spellwork is rather crude but intricate¡­¡¹ He picked up the silver cube. I sighed. ¡¸Allen: That¡¯s my rough attempt at building a programmable device.¡¹ ¡¸Taldinann: A what?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: A thing that can be instructed to do specific tasks.¡¹ Taldinann stared at me in silence for a couple of seconds. ¡¸Taldinann: Isn¡¯t that what spellcrafting is all about?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Uh¡­ yeah. But spirit constructs take up much more magical space and are less predictable. This is more efficient!¡¹ I began decanting the versatility of my magical processor opcodes, but I was cut short. ¡¸Taldinann: Stop! I don¡¯t understand or care about the details, I just wanted to know what it does!¡¹ He said, exasperation in his voice. I smiled inwardly, my full pedantic explanation had given the expected result. ¡¸Allen: Oh¡­ it mainly saves notes and shows energy bodies in the proximity. I needed it to locate the hellhounds in the battlefield.¡¹ He stared at me with a hard expression. ¡¸Taldinann: It¡¯s not a spying device or anything dangerous, is it? I can only feel spell triggers and hallucination magics¡­ plus some sealed mana arranged in some kind of pattern.¡¹ He fiddled with the cube while inspecting it. I felt queasy, I did not trust this elf to touch my beloved creation. ¡¸Allen: No¡­ it can¡¯t cause harm. Unless you step barefoot on it.¡¹ Taldinann met my eyes with a flat stare. So much for my attempt of lightening up the atmosphere. No sense of humor. My opinion of elves was plummeting dangerously low. ¡¸Taldinann: I see¡­ Fine. Get your stuff and leave.¡¹ He put the cube back in the bag with all my equipment, which I promptly collected. ¡¸Taldinann: May the Goddess forgive your sins.¡¹ He said sternly. I said nothing and left the room, rejoining with my friends. ¡¸Allen: I¡¯m good, let¡¯s go.¡¹ We walked outside the temple and toward the stables. ¡¸Grastel: Did you see those elves at the tables? They were literally scowling at their food¡­ did something happen?¡¹ Grastel asked, breaking the silence. I smirked wickedly. You can eat your tasteless pride, blasted elves. During the last week, I had done my best to make good-tasting delicacies so they¡¯d forever mourn the loss of my cuisine. That was my revenge. As we were about to leave the city someone shouted behind us. ¡¸Oi, wait a moment!¡¹ I turned around to see Yusdrolir running toward us. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Can I¡­ can I come with you guys?¡¹ He stared at us with pleading eyes. He looked so pitiful. We looked at each other and shrugged our shoulders. ¡¸Namrick: Fine¡­ Just, don¡¯t cause trouble.¡¹ And thus we set off from this cursed god-infested town. Chapter 53: Remembrance Without access to booze, the dwarf was a much better company. Or would have been if he didn¡¯t keep grumbling about it. ¡¸Yusdrolir: I need alcohol.¡¹ He yelled behind us for the millionth time. We just kept ignoring his complaints while we rode our horses. The dwarf was keeping pace on foot. We didn¡¯t encounter any hellhound while crossing the mountains. Either we had scared them for good or they had moved on. Just as well. I wasn¡¯t in the mood of repeating the whole experience, anyway. My clothes had still a faint smell of burnt. ¡¸Allen: What were those potions anyway?¡¹ Ellin turned to me to answer. ¡¸Ellin: We weren¡¯t told directly, but since I know a little elvish I overheard a few words about magic diseases¡­ apparently we managed to deliver them just in time. They were very thankful.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Not to me.¡¹ I said, scowling. ¡¸Grastel: * cough * Insulting Goddesses * cough * ¡¹ Grastel shot me a grin. ¡¸Allen: Well, that wasn¡¯t the real reason. Whatever.¡¹ I muttered angrily as I corrected the trajectory of my stupid horse, who was on the verge of straying off the path. JUST FOLLOW THE OTHER DAMN HORSES! I slapped the creature¡¯s neck receiving an irritated neigh in return. IT¡¯s MOCKING ME! ¡¸Namrick: You¡¯re fine, that¡¯s all that matters.¡¹ Everything went great until we reached the village. Getting swarmed by hellhounds and dancing with the fire had been much more fun than the disappointing elven town, their scowling people, and their blasted Goddess. Yes, I think I¡¯ll keep bitching until it gets old. I¡¯ll have to find a way to get back at them. It¡¯s healthy to have some positive objective to focus on. ¡¸Yusdrolir: So¡­ huh¡­ is there any chance I might join yer party?¡¹ Namrick looked back at the dwarf with a raised eyebrow. ¡¸Yusdrolir: I¡¯ve been¡­ kinda¡­ ya know¡­ dumped by my team.¡¹ I could see why and I¡¯ve merely seen the point of the iceberg. ¡ºNamrick: What do you say, guys?¡» Namrick spoke telepathically through the ring. ¡ºGrastel: He sounds like trouble¡­¡» What should I say on the matter? ¡ºAllen: I dunno. He¡¯s not a bad guy, but he¡¯s got a problem with alcohol.¡» Now that I think of it, I¡¯ve always met him during the aftermaths of his drunkenness. Every single time. ¡ºEllin: I could sober him up with magic¡­¡» Ellin said blithely. I tried imagining the dwarf¡¯s face after being magically sobered, all his drinking efforts gone and the mug empty. Could be amusing. ¡ºNamrick: We could use another fighter.¡» ¡ºGrastel: He did fight well that time against the goblins.¡» ¡ºAllen: He has plenty of stamina and strength.¡» He ran for two days straight in that incident with the sand elemental. With the armor on. ¡ºEllin: It¡¯s decided then.¡» We had reached consensus. ¡¸Yusdrolir: So, huh¡­ are you done staring at each other?¡¹ Asked the dwarf, who wasn¡¯t privy to the conversation. ¡¸Namrick: Welcome to the party.¡¹ Namrick said turning his head and grinning to the dwarf. It¡¯s going to be a train wreck, isn¡¯t it? I thought with my boundless optimism. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Thank you! I promise¡­ I¡¯ll do right by you!¡¹ It would¡¯ve sounded serious, if not for the fact he had been yelling at us while running on foot the whole time.
That night the dwarf was strangely silent. ¡¸Grastel: So, Yusdrolir. What¡¯s your story?¡¹ Grastel asked to break the ice with the newest member of the party. ¡¸Yusdrolir: My story¡­¡¹ Yusdrolir began, staring in the distance. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Ain¡¯t no story. I got enough of my life and became an adventurer.¡¹ He was clearly withholding a good part of it. ¡¸Grastel: I see. Well, I guess I could say the same¡­ I was just a mischievous kid doing petty thefts. Thankfully I met Namrick and Ellin.¡¹ He said slapping Namrick¡¯s shoulder, who chuckled in return. ¡¸Namrick: Yeah, we caught you red-handed trying to steal my sword.¡¹ Namrick said, shaking his head with a smile. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡¸Grastel: It was a pretty sword.¡¹ Grastel replied with a wicked grin. ¡¸Allen: Thieving? Didn¡¯t your parents scold you?¡¹ I asked him, wondering what the heck his parents had been teaching him. ¡¸Grastel: Parents, huh¡­¡¹ He lost his smile. Uh oh¡­ Too late I realized I had made an inconvenient question. ¡¸Grastel: I don¡¯t remember my father. My mom told me he was a soldier but he died when I was little¡­¡¹ He stared at the campfire. ¡¸Allen: Oh¡­¡¹ ¡¸Grastel: My mother¡­ she did her best to raise me. But one day she got sick.¡¹ He tossed a wooden branch into the fire. ¡¸Grastel: She got worse and worse until she lost her job and could hardly rise from her bed¡­¡¹ A few seconds of silence, filled by the crackling fire. ¡¸Grastel: We had run out of money and we needed food. That¡¯s when I became a thief. Stealing a few scraps here and there, just enough for getting by. Then more pricey items, trying to get enough to buy a healing potion.¡¹ He looked downcast. ¡¸Grastel: But it was all too late¡­¡¹ He said, closing his eyes. The dwarf stared at him, furrowing his brows. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Sorry lad. I too lost my father when I was a kid. He was a damn fine blacksmith, best in town, but one day he was ambushed while traveling and never returned home.¡¹ The dwarf closed his eyes and shook slowly his head. Damn, I didn¡¯t like this heavy mood. Grastel sighed. ¡¸Grastel: What can I say, these things happen all the time. I met many kids in similar situations, we stuck together and helped each other. But some ended up walking darker paths.¡¹ He shook his head. ¡¸Grastel: But it¡¯s all in the past now.¡¹ He forced back his smile. ¡¸Allen: The past¡­¡¹ Echoes of old memories tried to resurface but I kept them at bay. ¡¸Yusdrolir: What about you Allen? How did a great chef like you become an adventurer?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: For starters, I¡¯m only an average chef. I¡¯m afraid there isn¡¯t much to tell about my life, I was a stupid kid but I grew up. Getting what I needed was never a problem, but I could never reach for what I really wanted.¡¹ Not even once. I shrugged. ¡¸Allen: The reason I became an adventurer is quite simple, I needed golds to get magic lessons. I was lucky to meet these capable kids here who brought me along in their adventures.¡¹ I waved my hand at the trio. ¡¸Namrick: We¡¯re not kids!¡¹ Namrick retorted, pressing his lips together. The dwarf burst out laughing. ¡¸Yusdrolir: HAHA! Say what? You haven¡¯t even grown a beard yet!¡¹ I nodded in agreement. ¡¸Yusdrolir: And you, young lady? What made you become an adventurer? You can¡¯t fool me, you stink of a noble-born through and through.¡¹ ¡¸Ellin: I don¡¯t stink!¡¹ She complained, then continued. ¡¸Ellin: I became a healer because I wanted to save people, but I couldn¡¯t save anyone from behind the safe walls of my home. It was hard but I convinced my father to let me go. He said that if I wanted to be an adventurer then I had to learn to pay for myself and complete a quest he would choose for me at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.¡¹ Ellin looked up to the starry sky, a faint smile spreading on her lips. ¡¸Ellin: The next day I mustered up my courage and registered myself at the Guild. The clerk gave me the details of the mission¨CI had to slay a pack of wolves¨Cand he said I had to form a party with at least another person. No one wanted to join me because I was too inexperienced and the reward too low.¡¹ She looked at Namrick. ¡¸Ellin: But then when I was about to give up Namrick stepped forth and said he would help me.¡¹ She grinned. Namrick smiled and nodded back. ¡¸Ellin: It turned out the quest was a sham. My father wanted to scare me away from adventuring, so he had hired some people to keep an eye on me, but with Namrick at my side we and my spells we defeated the wolves before they could intervene.¡¹ Namrick nodded and added. ¡¸Namrick: You should have seen her. Her legs were all trembling but she had not given in to panic.¡¹ Ellin stuck her tongue out at Namrick. ¡¸Ellin: Then he yelled¡­¡¹ ¡¸Namrick: Who¡¯s there hiding behind the trees?!¡¹ Namrick said dramatically and Ellin continued. ¡¸Ellin: Then my father¡¯s men came out congratulating us for not having needed their help.¡¹ ¡¸Namrick: I had already run with other parties, a pack of wolves was nothing to me.¡¹ Namrick said puffing out his chest. ¡¸Ellin: I still had to heal your wounds, though.¡¹ She grinned while Namrick scratched his head. ¡¸Yusdrolir: So you were already adventuring before you met her? I¡¯m sure your parents weren¡¯t too happy about that.¡¹ Yusdrolir said to Namrick. ¡¸Namrick: I told my parents I would become a swordsman and adventurer. It had been my dream ever since I saw the fights in the tournament with my father and brothers, back when I was still a little kid. The tales of heroes and adventurers only reinforced my decision. So, one day I woke up and told my father I would learn swordsmanship. So I went and used the money I had saved up to get my lessons.¡¹ Namrick rubbed his nose, reminiscing. ¡¸Namrick: My father got so mad that I didn¡¯t want to become a woodcutter like him, he kicked me outside at night until I¡¯d regain my sanity. Instead, I walked off and joined a group of adventurers to earn real battle experience. When I got back my father and mother were there at the Guild worried sick.¡¹ With a son as stubborn as him, I¡¯m sure those poor parents had to go through a good deal of trouble in raising him. I could just imagine his father giving him an axe to teach him the art of cutting wood, then Namrick crosses his arms and says ¡°I want a sword,¡± and his father replies ¡°Son, you can¡¯t cut trees with swords,¡± then Namrick goes full stubborn ¡°SWORD.¡± with scowling willfulness engraved on his face. The thought made me smile. Then it was time to sleep, Grastel appointed himself to be the first to stand guard. As I laid down in my bedroll I caught a glimpse of him staring up at the sky with a melancholic expression. Losing both father and mother¡­ he had it hard as a child. I closed my eyes. A familiar scene stood before me. A small room with a bed, a desk and ancient wreck of a computer. My old bedroom. I knew when and what this was. This was a dreaded resurfacing memory. No, thanks. I turned and walked off through the door. As I crossed the threshold I realized I was again in the same damn room. I narrowed my eyes. Screw you, dream. I repeated the process a dozen times, always ending up in the same old room. There was no escape. No good, if I stay here I¡¯ll¡­ ¡°Ally!¡± A smiling girl peeked from the door. ¡°Your mom let me in! What are you doing?¡± I was sitting at my desk in front of my powerful computer, a 286 with a CGA monitor, received as a gift from my father because he had bought a newer one. It couldn¡¯t run the cool games because it had only four colors for graphics, but it was so full of mystery and magic that it didn¡¯t matter. ¡°Hi ¨€¨€¨€! Let me show you,¡± I smiled confidently as I inputted the commands on the keyboard so I could launch GWBASIC. The welcoming black screen of my first programming language to ever learn appeared before me. I struck a few more keys to load up the project I was working on. My friend stared uneasily at the monitor and the characters popping up on screen and said. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re doing¡­¡± she said, looking at me with a pout. I grinned and launched my badly-coded hammered-together sorry-excuse of a game. ¡°I made a text adventure!¡± I exclaimed pointing at the screen.
You find yourself in the cursed fairy forest, there¡¯s an elven statue in front of you and a path on your right. What do you do?
¡°Woooh!¡± Her eyes sparkled with wonder. ¡°You¡¯re making a story that is also a game?!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± I nodded, all proud of myself. I had learned it all on my own just by trying random commands from the manual. ¡°Let me explain how it¡¯s played,¡± I said, eager to have someone to try my game. I let her take the seat while I stood on the side suggesting what keys to press. ¡°Hnnn, I got it. Let me try!¡± She smiled and started giving the commands. Hehehe. * BEEP BEEP BOOP * A ugly speaker tone signaled me ¨€¨€¨€ had picked the wrong choice. I grinned.
The dark elf of doom incinerates you with his magic! You died!
¡°Eeeeeehhh?! I¡¯m dead?¡± She said in confusion then she knit her brows and sniffed. ¡°I¡¯m trying again!¡± She hammered the keyboard one key at a time. This time she got further before¡­ * BEEP BEEP BOOP *
Sadly the magic box was cursed and you¡¯re swarmed by poisonous wasps! You died!
¡°Gaaaahh!¡± She stared at me infuriated. ¡°Ally, your story sucks!¡± She declared, lifting her chin with her eyes closed. I laughed heartily. I had purposefully riddled the game with a lot of death scenes. Because it was fun! Writing stories was not my thing. ¡°Well I¡¯m not a writer¡­ maybe you could help me?¡± I suggested shrugging my shoulders. Her eyes shone with newfound light, a radiant smile finding its way back on her face. ¡°Yes! Let¡¯s make the best story ever!¡± Chapter 54: My first disciple Namrick roused me awake, it was my turn. I stood up and sit near the campfire and watched the dancing flames. I had lowered my attention for just a second and the dream had fucked me over. I took a deep sigh as I let the silver cube¡¯s radar do my job while I stared at the sky slowly turning blue. When everyone was awake we packed up and resumed our march. The moment we set foot back in Valarest and returned the horses to the stables, the first thing I did was take a good bath and changing my clothes for not burnt ones. The innkeeper, whose name I¡¯ll never learn because by asking now¨Cafter all this time¨CI would completely lose face, told me there had been various people stopping by asking for me in the last week. Feeling refreshed I did a quick stop at my two restaurants so I could check on both Corgas and Elaida, they¡¯d been worried about me not coming back. I gave them the short synthetic version, sadly that didn¡¯t seem to appease their thirst for gossip, so I promised them to reveal the details next time. I was tired so I just grabbed a bite and then went to bed. It had been a long day.
The next morning I entered Grohm¡¯s office. Once he saw me he stood up suddenly, his features screwed with fury. ¡¸Grohm: Allen! Disgraced student! Where in the skraggin earth have you been?!¡¹ He started screaming. Well, I thought worse. He wasn¡¯t throwing stuff at me. Yet. ¡¸Grohm: We¡¯re behind the schedule! I¡¯m not here to play you know?! Yes?!¡¹ He stomped closer, ceaselessly shaking his hands in the air. ¡¸Grohm: I even bothered Violet to find out where in the blasted earth you went! Adventuring they said! HA! You better have a good excuse! Yes?¡¹ He stopped an inch from my face, staring at me with killing intent. I¡¯m glad to see you too, magic nerd comrade. I thought to myself. ¡¸Allen: I was kidnapped by elves.¡¹ I said with a straight face. Grohm stared at me for a couple of seconds, then he turned around massaging his temples. ¡¸Grohm: Kidnapped by elves he says! Hmmm¡­ He must think he¡¯s hilarious, yes.¡¹ He turned around sharply. ¡¸Grohm: Elves haven¡¯t kidnapped anyone since the times of the Fae rule of old! Did you encounter a band of rogue elves?! Say it straight, you ingrate student!¡¹ He hit my forehead with his blasted switch. Where had he hidden it?! ¡¸Allen: Ow!¡¹ I complained, looking offended. ¡¸Allen: Fine! My presence offended their goddess, so they imprisoned me and flayed my spirit. Happy now?¡¹ Grohm stared in silence. ¡¸Grohm: You offended¡­ a Goddess?!¡¹ His brows shot up. ¡¸Allen: Yes. It wasn¡¯t my fault, though¡­¡¹ We sat down while I gave him a quick rundown of the facts. ¡¸Grohm: You see? This is why you should avoid adventuring!¡¹ Grohm sighed heavily in his chair. He¡¯s probably right, I thought. ¡¸Grohm: Look at me. I¡¯m alive, yes? I¡¯ve got money, yes?! No need to offend gods and be tortured!¡¹ I shrugged my shoulders in silence. No matter in which world I go, for some reason I keep attracting the attention of powerful wackos. A memory of my boss inviting me over to his parties flashed back into my mind. I shook away the thought. ¡¸Allen: I just wanted to get some fresh air.¡¹ And blow off some steam. Grohm rolled his eyes. ¡¸Grohm: Go take a walk then! Hmm?¡¹ Right. Perhaps next time I¡¯ll walk through shady alleyways and take my chances. ¡¸Grohm: Enough¡­ Let¡¯s just resume the lessons. Yes?¡¹ He swung his switch against the desk. ¡¸Allen: I was wondering when you¡¯d say that.¡¹ I grinned. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. * WHACK * I yelped. I hadn¡¯t been fast enough to save my hand.
Being over a week late had crippled my progress for this month, I knew I wouldn¡¯t be able to clear any exam this time around. I was hoping to at least clear projecting emotion but I¡¯m not good at focusing on specific targets and it seems that¡¯s going to be a prerequisite. Whatever, no need to rush, Allen. Alchemy and Telekinesis were important, the first for joining the Alchemist¡¯s Guild securing a better income, the latter for the advanced attack spells. I too wanted to launch fireballs! Fireballs are cool. Later that day I had dinner with Corgas and Elaida, who also brought Lena around. I told them the full version of the adventure and subsequent imprisonment. I didn¡¯t say exactly what AnAlher¡¯s name suggested to my perverted mind, I only downplayed it to ¡°something embarrassing¡±. Which it was, so I didn¡¯t lie. Well, maybe I lightened the story a little because I didn¡¯t want to worry Lena, but I¡¯m sure Corgas and Elaida had read between the lines. After a while, I wished them a good night and excused myself. I had a disciple waiting to receive my blessed teachings. ¡¸Ellin: I¡¯m ready!¡¹ Ellin said with a determined face. She had brought a leather notebook to take notes. She looked at me expectantly. ¡¸Allen: So¡­¡¹ I made a confident face. Shit how do I begin? I browsed my mental internet for reference. ¡¸Allen: The first step¡­ the first step is writing down your dreams.¡¹ ¡¸Ellin: Writing down my dreams? How does that help?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Well¡­ by remembering and writing them down you tell your subconscious that dreams are important. Your goal is to¡­ remember three dreams each night with good detail.¡¹ That seemed to be the sweet spot for me. Remembering also helped increase awareness inside the dream. She nodded and wrote that down. ¡¸Ellin: Okay. What¡¯s the next step?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: The next step¡­ is raising your awareness.¡¹ I scratched my chin. ¡¸Allen: There are many techniques like Reality Checks and Mindfulness, you should do both.¡¹ Ellin shot me a confused stare. ¡¸Ellin: Reality Checks and Mindfulness? What do they mean? I never heard these words¡­¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Reality Checks consists of confirming every now and then if you¡¯re in a dream or not. One test that¡¯s effective is pinching your nose and see if you can still breath through it, but you can try many others, like reading a book and see if the contents change. But it¡¯s important to be aware when you do the test or it becomes useless.¡¹ ¡¸Ellin: Ah, I see. Like paying attention to recognize when you¡¯re being manipulated by spiritual interference.¡¹ *scritch* *scritch* She took notes. ¡¸Allen: Mindfulness, or awareness, is simply being aware.¡¹ She pressed her lips into a thin line. ¡¸Ellin: Eh. That¡¯s doesn¡¯t really explains it. Aren¡¯t we always aware when awake?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Oh, are you?¡¹ I smiled wickedly. ¡¸Allen: You¡¯re now breathing manually. You can feel your clothes touching your skin. You now feel a sudden urge to swallow your saliva. You¡¯re now aware your nose is in your vision. You¨C¡¹ Ellin cut me short. ¡¸Ellin: Stop! I get it, I get it!¡¹ I grinned. ¡¸Allen: You see? Most people are asleep not only in the dream but also when awake.¡¹ It¡¯s normal, the brain tries to suppress useless repetitive information so everyone goes into auto-pilot mode. ¡¸Ellin: You would know¡­¡¹ She stared at me with a bemused expression. I didn¡¯t get what she was trying to say, so I just ignored it. ¡¸Allen: To raise your awareness you have to focus on something, like your breath, and try maintaining it for as long as you can during the day, even when doing other stuff.¡¹ ¡¸Ellin: That sounds like an exercise to multi-cast spells¡­¡¹ ¡¸Allen: You should also imagine that everything you see, touch, and hear, is a dream.¡¹ ¡¸Ellin: Eh? Doesn¡¯t that defeat the purpose?¡¹ She asked me with a doubtful expression. ¡¸Allen: No. What you perceive is not what¡¯s really out there. It¡¯s just your brain interpreting different stimulus. It¡¯s not too different from dreaming. Being constantly aware of it can help you maintain awareness.¡¹ I read that in a book about Tibetan dream yoga, it was basically a streamlined mix of all the techniques. I doubt anyone following it properly could fail to have at least one lucid dream. Ellin scribbled it all down. ¡¸Ellin: Fine, I¡¯ll try.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Now then, about the night practice¡­¡¹ ¡¸Ellin: Ehhh? There¡¯s more?!¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Of course! Did you think it would that easy?¡¹ I could see the what-am-I-getting-myself-into expression on her face. ¡¸Allen: I have to explain to you WBTB, MILD and WILD and how to wrap them in your nightly attempts to have conscious dreams.¡¹ ¡¸Ellin: Wibi-what?¡¹ And so I began a lengthy explanation about the core techniques to lucid dreaming. Wake Back To Bed (WBTB) simply means waking up in the middle of the night, usually from four to six hours since going to sleep, staying awake for a short period of time and finally, going back to bed. This helps to enter sleep during a REM phase. It makes all the other techniques more effective. Mnemonic Induced Lucid Dream (MILD), instead is basically reciting a mantra like ¡°I¡¯ll recognize the dream as a dream¡±, leveraging prospective memory in order to make it happen. WILD was another beast, the infamous Wake Induced Lucid Dreams, namely slipping directly aware into the dreams. It usually consists of focusing the mind on something dreamlike while you transition into the dream. For me, it was one of the hardest techniques to accomplish, but perhaps the most satisfying. It¡¯s said to be easier for certain people, I could only wish I was one of them. Ellin wrote it all down diligently, inquiring every time I hit one of my acronyms. I had some difficulties explaining certain concepts for which I didn¡¯t know the proper Arstei word, but I think I did a fair job. ¡¸Ellin: Is this all?¡¹ She looked at me fearing for more. ¡¸Allen: No.¡¹ She tensed up. Unnecessarily. ¡¸Allen: The most important thing is intent. You need to will it. You must expect to succeed and don¡¯t get discouraged if you fail, because it just means you¡¯re one step closer to making it.¡¹ I parroted the quote from some guy in some forum that had remained burned in my mind. Because it was true. Ellin nodded, filling her face with determination. I didn¡¯t expect her to do it all immediately, but it was good to know about all this stuff beforehand. ¡¸Allen: Very well. When you go to bed, begin your practice by telling yourself you¡¯re going to remember all your dreams with great detail and try to will yourself into waking during the night to attempt MILD. It doesn¡¯t matter if you fail. I just want you to get used to it.¡¹ I clapped my hands. ¡¸Allen: Aaaand we¡¯re done!¡¹ Ellin smiled and closed her notebook. ¡¸Ellin: Thank you! But do I really need all this stuff just to learn spirit walking?! It¡¯s a lot!¡¹ I looked left and right with faked surprise. ¡¸Allen: Welp, looks like there are no spirit walkers around to clear our doubts. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to learn it my way. Lucid dreaming is a prerequisite.¡¹ It wasn¡¯t really a lot. In the end, it¡¯s just about remembering dreams, being more aware and actively attempting to lucid dream. The hardest part was not giving up. Ellin poked out her tongue in defiance and stood up. Then she grinned and said. ¡¸Ellin: I¡¯ll do my best!¡¹ I nodded and waved her goodnight as she walked out, eager to try out lucid dreaming in order to accomplish her spirit walking dreams. I laid down on my bed and sighed. Perhaps teaching people was not that bad¡­ when they don¡¯t hit you with a switch. Chapter 55: Violet uncovers a lead The butler walked me to the room Violet was waiting in. ¡°Ah, Violet! Thank you for receiving me. Yes.¡± I announced myself with a curt bow. Violet was sitting on a cushioned chair before a small table, I took my seat in front of her. She put down her book and looked at me inquiringly. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I wanted to notify you,¡± I began. ¡°There¡¯s no longer need to look for Allen Smith, he has returned.¡± She pierced me with her pale blue eyes. ¡°I see,¡± she said. ¡°Please have a seat, I¡¯ll have some tea prepared.¡± She gestured to a maid, who bowed and left the room. ¡°What kept him from returning? He seems very dedicated when it comes to attending magic lessons,¡± She asked noncommittally. ¡°He had been imprisoned in the elven city of Danaanlar¡­¡± I relayed her what I had heard from Allen earlier. ¡°Offended the Goddess of Nature¡­ Touched by a dark god¡­ Soul was scrutinized¡­ A casket of potions¡­¡± She whispered to herself, her gaze temporarily unfocused as she tapped on her chin with a finger. ¡°Exactly! Yes? I told him, no adventures, take a walk.¡± I said. How dumb did you have to be to risk your life by adventuring? Pretty dumb, yes. ¡°That seems an excessive reaction. There¡¯s something amiss.¡± Violet stated, returning her gaze to me. I shrugged. ¡°Perhaps he omitted some parts, hmm, or enriched the story? Who knows!¡± Footsteps on my left caught my attention. The maid had come back with our tea. ¡°Here¡¯s your tea, sir,¡± I received my cup. ¡°There¡¯s also some purified honey if you so wish.¡± ¡°Yes please,¡± I said with a nod. Only the best alchemists knew how to remove honey¡¯s dangerous toxins, but it was well worth the price. Hmmm, yes. I sipped the sweetened tea enjoying the rich taste while Violet did the same. ¡°In any case. Can we chain him to a chair? That should make sure he doesn¡¯t kill himself. Yes?¡± Violet shot me a glance and took another sip without replying. I had been really worried, for the first time in years I had met someone with a passion for magical constructs and an interesting branch of knowledge. It would have been a terrible loss to magic progress if he died. I remembered something I wanted to ask. ¡°Ah, yes. He keeps pressing for me to teach him Magic Generators.¡± Also known as Proxy Magic. ¡°What am I supposed to do? He¡¯s getting quite insistent. Yes.¡± I eyed her inquiringly. ¡°Keep stalling for time, I want to be sure of his intentions and we can use it as a bargaining chip.¡± She took another sip and continued. ¡°So, are you learning anything useful from him?¡± She asked, her expression not betraying anything. I smiled. ¡°Indeed I am, yes,¡± I replied. ¡°It¡¯s even more than I expected. This will completely change how we make magic tools!¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Up till now to make tools follow instructions we were limited by those inefficient and unruly independent magic constructs, yes? But with this¡­¡± I waved my hands to emphasize. ¡°With only the tiniest amount of magic potential we can obtain the same in a completely reliable and predictable way!¡± I exclaimed excitedly. ¡°All of that with just spell triggers?¡± Asked Violet. She was the one who had told me of that silver cube with intricate spellwork that picked my curiosity. ¡°It¡¯s more than that, spell triggers are merely the building blocks! Then there is Boolean algebra, Karnaugh maps, processor design, opcodes, compil¨C¡± ¡°Stop!¡± Violet exclaimed, exasperation in her voice. ¡°You¡¯re starting to sound like him¡­¡± She had begun tapping her fingers on the desk. Yes, Violet didn¡¯t like when she couldn¡¯t follow conversations. ¡°My point is, yes, this is a whole new field of magic. Hmmm, we could make four new classes from it if not more. I have merely scratched the surface of this discipline.¡± Allen wasn¡¯t very good at explaining these concepts, every unknown terminology he used would lead to more foreign words. He clearly wasn¡¯t used to teaching, jumping from one topic to the other only causing confusion! For that reason, I asked him to help me compile a glossary of all the terms involved, then I had him organize them separately, drawing a diagram on paper. Yes, It took some effort and multiple papers to write it all down, but eventually, I could see the big picture and its hierarchy before me. Thanks to that I knew where to begin and how to move forward. We had started from logic gates and were now in the process of exploring in depth the topics related to Boolean algebra. Now that I understood the basic concepts, I could see the elegance behind it. Yes, at the core I found some similarities in things I¡¯ve done and seen, like linking different smaller spell triggers with very simple conditions so they¡¯d take less magic potential. But this was on another level. With boolean conditions I could go even smaller at the cost of having to design a more complex but smaller and reliable mana circuit. Hmmmm. And then there was that kind of algebra that allowed you to design and simplify them without resorting to blind attempts! I sighed, looking down at my empty cup. It was too bad that I couldn¡¯t inspect those contraptions Allen had told me about. Yes, truly a shame. What sort of magic could run without magic? Hmmm. Was that knowledge really lost forever? ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡± Violet asked, reading my disappointment. She had always been the perceptive one, yes. ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s just that I would have wished to see those lightning-powered machines Allen told me about, yes? But since his homeland is gone¡­¡± I shook my head sadly. Violet leaned toward me and narrowed her eyes. ¡°What do you mean by ¡®his homeland is gone¡¯?¡± She stared at me with a peculiar intensity. I furrowed my brows. Did she not know?
I was enjoying watching the outside scenery from my office¡¯s open window. The sun shone brightly without any hint of clouds, the colors of autumn were a constant reminder of the approaching winter. I breathed in the fresh air. Winter was near and with it, my old pains would return. Old age is unfair even to an accomplished magician such as myself, I thought, stroking my long beard. And thanks to those blasted demons waging war on us I have to stay cooped up here, at disposal for emergencies. I grimaced. Ha! But if they think I won¡¯t take my little vacations when no one is looking, they¡¯re fools! I sniffed. I was the specialist in molecular displacement, after all. * Knock Knock * ¡°Hmm?¡± I turned toward the door, who could it be at this hour? ¡°Come in.¡± I invited them in. The figure of Violet emerged from the door. I smiled. ¡°Ahhh, Violet Val Mariannet. What do I owe the pleasure?¡± She was as attractive as ever, I remember when she first walked into the Academy, all the teachers began praising her talent. Too bad she¡¯s always so cold. ¡°Amadeus, I need a favor.¡± She said. ¡°Haha, always straight to the point with you. Official business or personal?¡± I asked anticipating the request. ¡°Personal. Keep it under wrap if possible.¡± She replied coolly. Violet was Violet. ¡°Where to?¡± I asked her, stroking my beard. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Danaanlar.¡± I lifted my brows. ¡°Why there? I thought we had cut connections with the elven cities until further notice.¡± I asked her. She only stared in silence with her blue eyes without offering an answer. I sighed. ¡°Fine. But as you know there¡¯s magic disrupting the opening of portals. I can open one on a clearing outside the city.¡± ¡°That will be fine.¡± She said with a nod. ¡°How long do you expect it to take?¡± ¡°One Repose should be enough.¡± ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll reopen the portal at the same place in a Repose, then.¡± I agreed and began weaving the spells to open the portal. I summoned the marked memory of the location and formed the portal before me. Space rippled as the dimensional distortion began showing a flush clearing. Once stabilized, I nodded to Violet who then crossed to the other side. I then cut the flow of mana and let the portal ripple out of existence without a trace. I found the proper hourglass to match a Repose, turned it upside-down and watched as the obsidian sand flowed down. I wonder if I¡¯ll ever find a suitable successor, I thought, letting out a deep sigh. My retirement was still far on the horizon.
¡°High Priest, we found a human woman just outside the city. She is asking to meet the high priest.¡± The guard reported. ¡°I¡¯m coming!¡± I said, putting my notes in the chest. Strange, we weren¡¯t expecting any visitors. Who would risk crossing path with hellhounds unless for a reward? Was it perhaps some diplomat coming to complain about what had happened to that blasphemer from a while ago? The young noble girl had been vocal about it. If that¡¯s the case I¡¯ll just send them away. I followed the guard to the outskirts of the city to meet the human. I couldn¡¯t hide my curiosity. She was turned toward the forest, showing her back to us. I coughed to catch her attention and said, speaking in Arstei. ¡°Greetings, what brings you to our humble city?¡± ¡°I have questions to be answered,¡± Spoke the woman in perfect Elvish as she turned toward us. The moment I saw her face I felt the blood draining from my own. Violet Val Mariannet. How? Why is she here? I quickly looked around in panic. No! You¡¯re the high priest, don¡¯t let the human intimidate you. I stood my ground. Her pale blue eyes stared at me coldly, no trace of a smile or any expression on her face. ¡°Is¡­ that so?¡± I said, feeling a little queasy. She walked closer. ¡°Taldinann, I don¡¯t recall you being qualified to be the high priest. Where is high priestess Myralith?¡± She asked, stopping a mere two steps in front of me. ¡°S-She is not here.¡± I stammered. ¡°I have been elected to handle the matters during her absence. But please¡­ let us continue this conversation inside the temple¡­¡± I forced a smile as I proceeded to turn and walk, but suddenly a force froze me in place halfway. ¡°Huh?¡± I yelped in surprise. ¡°Do you take me for a fool?¡± Violet warned. My heart started beating hard inside my chest. Why did it have to be her?! I ground my teeth. The guard next to me tensed and brought forth his bow, pointing an arrow at the woman. Several other elven scouts, who had remained hidden until now, did the same. Violet seemed unfazed. ¡°Stop! Don¡¯t harm her!¡± We couldn¡¯t risk a diplomatic incident. Not here! The scouts lowered their bows but did not let their guard down. I sighed. Besides, she would never forgive me for causing problems to her acquaintance. Did this human deserve such consideration? I wasn¡¯t so sure of that. The constriction keeping me in place was lifted. ¡°I had expected Myralith to show herself to discuss the elven involvement in the Demon War. Instead¡­¡± She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. ¡°We were met by an elven messenger relaying the elven noncommitment.¡± ¡°Her Holiness Myralith was and still is, on a mission for the Blessed AnAlher,¡± I forced a smile despite the cold sweat forming on my forehead. ¡°She deeply regrets not having been able to attend but the Elven Council has spoken.¡± ¡°Is that so? How strange that I haven¡¯t been able to get in contact¡­ It¡¯s almost as if she had disappeared into thin air.¡± She said wryly, staring at me without blinking. Does she know? No impossible! ¡°Her Holiness is not to be disturbed until the accom¨C¡± I was interrupted. ¡°You know, I have been thinking. Why would the high priest decide to visit the old capital at such an inconvenient time?¡± She said, hinting at the hellhounds migrations. ¡°The faith must be upheld even in the remote provinces! We can¡¯t abandon AnAlher¡¯s faithful.¡± ¡°And I heard about a man who had been imprisoned here and scrutinized by the Goddess. She must have been paying careful attention to whoever approached the temple. Despite this place being so remote to the elven capital.¡± ¡°The Blessed One is not like your gods, she pays attention to her subjects!¡± My voice came out a little strained. ¡°And then there¡¯s the matter of a potion casket. I made a few inquiries. Do you want to know what I think?¡± Se said narrowing her eyes. My heart pounded loudly. I looked left and right, there were too many ears and eyes. Passersby were stopping to see what was going on. ¡°Wait. Not here, let¡¯s discuss inside.¡± I said, trying to keep my composure. We headed toward my home. I asked the guards to wait outside and weaved an incantation to make sure no one could eavesdrop. ¡°She is here in this city, isn¡¯t she?¡± Violet asked behind me. I said nothing. ¡°This¡­¡± I felt the anger swell in me. ¡°This is all you humans fault!¡± I said, punching the wooden wall. She stared in silence for a few seconds before speaking again. ¡°Explain.¡± ¡°The day she left with the delegation to reach the summit, they were ambushed,¡± I balled my fist. ¡°All because she wanted to pledge her support against the demons.¡± Violet¡¯s eyes turned hard. ¡°Of eight people only two survived. One of our Elder Spellweavers and Myralith.¡± ¡°I need to talk to her.¡± She said. ¡°You can¡¯t,¡± I said slumping down on a chair. ¡°No one can¡­¡± Her brows lifted up a little. ¡°She killed the demons, but in their dying moments, they cursed her. Having been hurt and weakened during the fight she was left unable to counteract them,¡± I continued. ¡°She hasn¡¯t woken up ever since.¡± I put my hands to my face. ¡°Two of the assailants were elves! We¡¯ve been betrayed by our own kind!¡± I said venting out my anger. There were those among us that didn¡¯t like humans, to think they had gone as far as to make a deal with those accursed demons!. Curse them and curse the humans for bringing us into this. ¡°I see.¡± She said, letting the silence linger. ¡°So the potions¡­¡± ¡°Yes, we needed them to treat her damaged soul,¡± I said. ¡°And yes, the Goddess is paying attention to her Chosen One.¡± ¡°Why Danaanlar?¡± ¡°Why? This is the only place with a consecrated temple that is strong enough for the Goddess to manifest and far enough to be left unmarred by sedition. The old capital has been forgotten by many and dismissed by the rest.¡± ¡°Why not retaliate?¡± She asked. ¡°Do you really think they¡¯ll spare you once they¡¯re done with us?¡± I looked at her in the eyes. ¡°Retaliate? How?! Without our greatest champion?¡± I exclaimed in bewilderment. ¡°Do you know what this city was?!¡± I stood up and waved a hand toward the window. ¡°I know because I was there! Luscious vegetation brimming with life, beautifully woven structures from living trees and shade offered by the Great Trees. We were fifteen thousand strong, yet we had never imagined such an attack!¡± My voice started to break. ¡°I was there when the lake was corrupted and started brewing abominations, I was there when the demons attacked with their unholy armies¡­ I was there when we fought and retreated, watching our friends and children die, until only the temple remained. I was there when we chanted until passing out in a desperate attempt to keep what was left of us alive. Only a thousand¡­ a thousand.¡± I said with despair. I felt my eyes water at the memories of the horrible nightmares. It had been a hundred years since that day, but it still hurt like it was yesterday. ¡°Nothing remained but the temple, even the land remained completely barren for seventy years¡­ and what of the Three Kingdoms? Where were humans and dwarves when we needed them the most?!¡± ¡°According to the records, Valarest and Mitharul suffered similar fates. No one could expect such a big scale surprise attack right to the heart of our adjoined capitals. But you already know this.¡± ¡°You humans stood back up pretty quickly, though. You bred like goblins during these years, yet we have barely started to recover. I cannot condemn our people for not wanting to face such a challenge so soon.¡± ¡°Perhaps you could have done the same if you weren¡¯t so bound to your pride and the absurd amount of rituals and rules involving mating.¡± She said in a cold tone. ¡°We are elves, we are our traditions.¡± I retorted, daring her to say more. Violet remained silent. ¡°Is this all you wanted to know?!¡± I said frowning. I didn¡¯t care how powerful she was, I would not let anyone make fun of our ways. Especially not by humans who were too deaf to listen to the Song of Nature and too blind to see anything besides themselves. Who was she to speak, a human female of barely twenty-five turnings? She may have great power, but she had yet to begin to live and truly understand life. ¡°No, there was another matter,¡± She cut the silence. ¡°Allen Smith.¡± I groaned. The name made me feel exasperation, ever since he left everyone at the temple had been grumbling about the food. I should have kicked him out the city on the first occasion. ¡°Nor I nor the Goddess will apologize for that blasphemer,¡± I said with disgust painted on my face. ¡°A man touched by ExFeras itself, walking in at such a critical moment, making absurd claims and even insulting the Blessed AnAlher on her sacred ground! What were we supposed to think?!¡± I yelled the last part. She shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in apologies. I want to know what he said and what the Goddess found by scrutinizing his soul.¡± I raised an eyebrow. So she wasn¡¯t here to speak in his defense? Fine then, who cared about the ramblings of a madman? If it helped to make his life more miserable, all the better! I eagerly shared the blasphemer¡¯s answers to our questions and what the Goddess had found by inspecting his bare soul. ¡°No signs of mindweaving, then¡­¡± Violet said, seeking confirmation. ¡°No, he was clearly insane and believed what he said to be the truth. The extent of his delusions was impressive.¡± ¡°I see,¡± she said, standing up. ¡°That¡¯s all I wanted to know.¡± She headed toward the entrance¡­ and stopped. She turned her head slightly to the side and asked. ¡°Do you need anything to help with Myralith recovery? She is a friend... I don¡¯t take friendship lightly.¡± I shook my head. ¡°No, with those potions we already have all we need. Between our Elder Spellweavers, who specialize in soul recovery, and the Goddess, Myralith couldn¡¯t be in better hands.¡± Humans were centuries behind in the treatment of souls, there was nothing they could do to help. ¡°I want to be informed when she wakes up.¡± She said before finally walking out. I truly hoped she would. Oh Myralith, without you we are lost. I had done everything I could do here, I had to move soon before anyone else started suspecting anything. I prayed to the Goddess for her guidance. We needed our Chosen One to unite our people, now more than ever. Chapter 56: A deal with the devil I put down the practice ring and sighed. ¡¸Allen: So, when are you going to teach me about Proxy Magic?¡¹ I insisted again. ¡¸Grohm: I told you! You have much to learn before breaching that subject, yes? STOP ASKING!¡¹ Grohm replied in exasperation. But I didn¡¯t relent. ¡¸Allen: Even so, I would like to start ahead. It will be useless if the demons attack before I can make any use of it.¡¹ I could almost hear him grind his teeth. ¡¸Allen: Besides how do you expect me to build a complex CPU without one? You¡¯ve seen from my silver cube how many spells that would require. You can¡¯t expect me to waste a whole month building one!¡¹ ¡¸Grohm: I can help with that, no? NOW SHUT UP!¡¹ I caught his switch mid-swing and grinned. Haha! I got you! Grohm scowled in disapproval. I¡¯ve had enough of all this postponing. I loosened my hold on the switch and turned serious. ¡¸Allen: You said you wanted to see glimpses of the advanced stuff, right? Well, I won¡¯t show a damn thing then, we can keep going for months with just the basics, if you so wish.¡¹ I crossed my arms and dug my heels. ¡¸Grohm: I just sa-¡¹ I cut him off, slamming my fist on the desk. ¡¸Allen: No! You think I haven¡¯t noticed how you¡¯ve been delaying the topic of Proxy Magic?¡¹ Grohm narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth. ¡¸Grohm: Now you lis¨C¡¹ ¡¸Allen: While I respect you and enjoy our sessions of knowledge share, I will not be made a fool. I¡¯ve had enough of everyone walking all over me!¡¹ The last sentence came out as a yell. Grohm turned red with fury and glared at me with a deepened scowl. ¡¸Grohm: You¡­ YOU!¡¹ He stared in silence breathing heavily. Then he stood up and walked off the room without saying a word. Did I go overboard? I wondered. No, I really have had enough. I¡¯m very grateful for the lessons he¡¯s been giving me, but I hate, hate, being delayed when I¡¯m so close to getting my personal projects going. Call me a cynic, but I just know shit is going to hit the fan right after winter. This is my only chance before it¡¯s too late. I waited for a while but eventually, I left the empty room. I had another pressing problem to take care of¡­
¡¸Clerk: We have all kinds of spirit wards here in our establishment! What were you looking for? Wisps, pixies, sylphs?¡¹ The clerk said with a smile, coming forward to receive his patron. ¡¸Allen: Think bigger.¡¹ ¡¸Clerk: I see! Ghosts or Revenants?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Bigger.¡¹ His smile creased a little. ¡¸Clerk: Elementals¡­ or Fairies?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Bigger.¡¹ The clerk¡¯s smile died on his lips. ¡¸Clerk: Errr, what are we talking about exactly?¡¹ I looked upward, shaking an angry fist. ¡¸Allen: Gods!¡¹ I exclaimed, scowling with full power. ¡¸Allen: I have a god infestation!¡¹ I grabbed the clerk by the shoulders and shook him. ¡¸Allen: I just want to be left alone. No one intruding my mind and getting offended, flaying my soul or leaving their taint on me!¡¹ A terrible analogy of beasts marking their territory with piss crossed my mind. Curse them! ¡¸Clerk: Wha-Whaaat?!¡¹ He pushed me back with a confused look. He started looking about himself, probably thinking I was some kind of nut job. ¡¸Allen: I¡¯m serious. I need to drive gods away before they ruin my life.¡¹ I gave him my serious stare. ¡¸Clerk: S-Sorry we can¡¯t help you.¡¹ He excused himself and stepped back several meters until he hit the counter. ¡¸Allen: Fuck.¡¹ I turned and walked out of the useless shop. ¡¸Allen: Useless. Useless! Everyone¡¯s useless!¡¹ I complained out loud in my own language. This was the fifth shop selling wards I visited. My first attempt was met by a dumbfounded man staring open-mouthed and saying nothing more, another suddenly pretended I didn¡¯t exist, the third dropped down on his knees and started praying his god, the fourth hid behind the counter and started whimpering. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Did I perchance put too much emphasis on my request? Or was my bad mood leaking on my face? Isn¡¯t driving gods away just a legitimate request brimming with common sense? I saw Alher. She¡¯s just a blob of bright mana. Well, a very big and bright blob of mana. Surely a big enough warding should do the job! I gave up and walked to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, wondering if the trio was there. They were. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Allen!¡¹ The dwarf raised a tankard. Right, we had let the dwarf join our party. I narrowed my eyes. ¡¸Allen: That¡¯s not alcohol is it?¡¹ Yusdrolir scowled at his drink. Ellin answered for him. ¡¸Ellin: No, it¡¯s an herbal infusion to fight alcohol addiction.¡¹ She replied with a cheerful smile. The dwarf was anything but happy. ¡¸Namrick: Ah right!¡¹ Namrick caught my attention. ¡¸Namrick: Someone sent a messenger at the inn looking for you. You¡¯ve been summoned at the Arcane Academy.¡¹ The Academy? Maybe Grohm wants me back there to scold me? Well, I won¡¯t let myself be intimidated. ¡¸Allen: Was it said by whom?¡¹ ¡¸Namrick: No, but it was said to be urgent. So¡­ you should go.¡¹ I sighed and turned to leave. ¡¸Grastel: We have something to discuss later! See you!¡¹ I waved at them and headed toward the Academy.
I asked the clerk for information about the summon and he directed me to Violet¡¯s office. Violet? Did Grohm go and complain about me? Well, whatever. I prepared my smiling corporate face and knocked at the door, announcing myself. ¡¸Violet: Come in.¡¹ Violet said with a strange hint of amusement in her voice. Strange. I walked inside. She was sitting at her desk, facing me. Her pale blue eyes fixed on my own. ¡¸Allen: Ma¡¯am, I¡¯ve come as soon as I heard about the summon.¡¹ She stared at me in silence. ¡¸Allen: So¡­ huh, why am I here?¡¹ Silence. ¡¸Allen: Is this about Khalkear? I won¡¯t budge.¡¹ I said with determination. ¡¸¡­¡¹ Finally, Violet took in a deep breath and spoke. ¡¸Violet: It has come to my attention that someone has omitted important details about themselves.¡¹ Her lips curled in a faint faked smile. Oh no¡­ I had a bad feeling about that remark. What does she know? ¡¸Allen: Ah¡­ I wonder who that someone is¡­¡¹ I said innocently. Bide your time, Allen. ¡¸Violet: I wonder if he¡¯ll be forthcoming and speak up. What would you suggest?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Ah¡­ ha¡­ I¡¯m sure that asking gently will lead to positive outcomes. Who would resist an archmage after all?¡¹ I said, as my flight-or-flight response kicked in. ¡¸Violet: Hmmm.¡¹ She lifted her chin slightly never letting her gaze waver. I shot a glance at the door behind me. ¡¸Allen: W-Well, if that¡¯s everything¡­¡¹ I turned around and¡­ *SLAM* The door closed itself before me. I stared at the door, my hopes waning. Perhaps I could jump from the window? My thoughts were turning delusional. ¡¸Violet: If that someone came from another world¡­ he would tell me, right?¡¹ Oh no. No no no no. I turned back slowly, making sure my smiling poker face hadn¡¯t been broken. My heart was beating fast. ¡¸Violet: Please have a seat.¡¹ The seat moved on its own, inviting me my doom. Nononono. ¡¸Allen: Ah¡­¡¹ HOW? HOW DID SHE FIND OUT?! ¡¸Allen: Eh¡­¡¹ I¡¯M GONNA GET TORTURED AND DISSECTED. I started sweating cold. Violet continued. ¡¸Violet: I happened to hear an interesting story about a casket of potions and a certain man whose homeland was nowhere to be found.¡¹ GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHMMMMMM!! I firmly gripped the chair armrests. My knuckles went white. But it didn¡¯t make sense, I had never told him that I was from another world! ¡¸Allen: How did y¨C¡¹ ¡¸Violet: Taldinann. He was more than forthcoming to spill it all out.¡¹ What? HOW?! WHEN?!?! That fucking elf! I slumped on my chair, losing the smile from my poker face. ¡¸Allen: ¡­¡¹ ¡¸Violet: I guess I should thank you since I also obtained important intel from this little investigation.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: I never lied to you¡­ intentionally...¡¹ ¡¸Violet: Indeed you didn¡¯t.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: I always said the truth and agreed to share my knowledge¡­¡¹ ¡¸Violet: No one is claiming otherwise.¡¹ Silence for half a dozen breaths. I sighed. ¡¸Allen: What do you¡­ want to know?¡¹ ¡¸Violet: I already know everything I need to know. About how you came here, about your newborn spirit and the dark god¡¯s touch. The very fact that your spirit stood up to the scrutiny of a Goddess without revealing evidence of mindweaving is proof enough.¡¹ Violet relaxed in her seat and continued. ¡¸Violet: That fool¡­ Taldinann thought you were the result of a failed magical experiment but Khalkear vouches for the legitimacy of your knowledge, which finds no match in our world, therefore it must be the truth.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Then what¡­¡¹ I said furrowing my brows. ¡¸Violet: I¡¯ve been told you¡¯ve been pressing for learning Magic Generators.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Yes¡­ I need them.¡¹ ¡¸Violet: I have an offer.¡¹ I grimaced inside. Not again! ¡¸Violet: I want you to join the military¡­¡¹ ¡¸Allen: No.¡¹ I spoke without thinking. She stared hard at me for a few moments, sending a chill down my spine, then resumed. ¡¸Violet: I want you to join the military and use your knowledge to develop magical weapons and tools to use against the demons'' armies.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Why? Can¡¯t I do that without joining the military?¡¹ Violet leaned forward. ¡¸Violet: I want you to be bound to our kingdom and work for us exclusively.¡¹ I ground my teeth. I didn¡¯t want to be bound forever to serve this country and end up involved in politics. I hate politics. ¡¸Allen: I don¡¯t want to be bound.¡¹ Violet narrowed her eyes and began drumming her fingers on the desk. Not a good sign. ¡¸Allen: N-not forever.¡¹ ¡¸Violet: Very well¡­ what if it were exclusively for the demon war and the length of its duration?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: But¡­ there¡¯s no telling how long it¡¯ll last!¡¹ Violet stared in silence. *tap tap tap* Her fingers weren¡¯t stopping. ¡¸Allen: What if I refuse?¡¹ ¡¸Violet: Then you¡¯ll never learn Magic Generators.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Why not, what if I simply ask someone else?¡¹ ¡¸Violet: It is strictly forbidden to pass down this magic without an Oath and explicit permission from an acting authority. And no, this is not knowledge you can simply acquire by attending the Academy.¡¹ She stated flatly. ¡¸Allen: What? Why?!¡¹ I asked, confused. Magical Oaths were serious stuff. Was Proxy Magic such a big deal? The tapping stopped. ¡¸Violet: You don¡¯t know much about Magic Generators, do you? Magic created through them has no magic signature. Do you understand the implications?¡¹ The magic signature was the DNA of mana beings. Which meant¡­ Shit, so Proxy Magic could be used to commit crimes without leaving direct evidence? Grohm hadn¡¯t told me about that detail. Beside him, I hadn''t been able to find anyone else knowing about the topic, or even any literary mention. ¡¸Allen: I guess¡­ I do.¡¹ She nodded. ¡¸Violet: Besides, I think it would be beneficial to be backed by the military in case anyone found out you came from another world.¡¹ Her gaze turned somehow more intense. ¡¸Violet: There are mages who have spent centuries theorizing about different worlds and wouldn¡¯t stop at anything to put their hands on a living proof of their existence.¡¹ That sounded like a threat. But there was some truth to it. What if I let it slip, or my friends drank a little too much and got talkative with the wrong people? How long before I ended up locked in a dungeon to receive my long dreaded dissection? With Alher and her loose-lipped priest knowing, the cat was out of the bag. My privacy was obviously the least of their concerns. ¡¸Violet: Your knowledge is valuable. If you work for us we will take steps to ensure your safety.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: I see. I don¡¯t much of a choice, do I?¡¹ I said lowering my eyes. ¡¸Violet: There is always a choice. Will you accept?¡¹ I was hoping for my inner voice to say ¡®no¡¯ and ¡®get the hell outta here¡¯. But all I got were remarks about being done for and that all was over. Damn my cynicism. I didn¡¯t want to join the military. But I wouldn¡¯t mind fighting against the demons, indirectly. Proxy Magic was mandatory. All my future development relied on the ability of mass producing processors and improve them. Normal people may not know, but the ability to script and automate tasks was something of terribly useful. I needed that extra edge to compensate for my low magical skills. I might even be able to create spell macros. I had no choice, it was now or never. ¡¸Allen: I¡­ I accept.¡¹ It was also the best option to deal with my current problems, even if I ran away it wouldn''t solve the dark god issue. My dreams were still clear from nightmares since the Goddess'' hamfisted cleansing but the real problem was my mindset, so it was just a matter of time. An archmage could surely help with that. Chapter 57: A deal with the devil 2 ¡¸Allen: ¡­ But I won¡¯t agree to just any condition thrown at me.¡¹ I will not! I resolved myself. Violet took out an empty sheet of paper and a pen. ¡¸Violet: Very well, let¡¯s discuss the contract terms. This will be an official agreement between you and the Kingdom.¡¹ I nodded. ¡¸Violet: As I said, I want you to work alongside our military enchanters to aid in the development of magical weapons and tools. I¡¯m only making this proposal because Khalkear values your knowledge highly, therefore I¡¯m willing to trust you.¡¹ He does? It would be nice if he said so to my face, so I can gloat and be an insufferable student. ¡¸Allen: I see. But what will I get in return, besides the knowledge of Proxy Magic?¡¹ I renewed my grip on the armrests. I so didn¡¯t want to lose out on the deal. I wouldn¡¯t let her cleavage subdue me this time. So I used Resolve on myself. ¡¸Violet: Of course, you¡¯ll be also given a stipend. 25 gold coins every month.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: 30?¡¹ ¡¸Violet: 26.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: 27.¡¹ She stared at me unblinking for a few seconds. ¡¸Violet: Deal.¡¹ I felt proud of myself for the successful haggling. Violet scribbled it down then shot me another gaze. ¡¸Violet: Then there¡¯s the matter of the dark god. We can¡¯t risk someone in our ranks to be corrupted and manipulated by him. The Demon God ExFeras, no less.¡¹ My brows lifted up a little. Demon God? Perhaps it was time I read about Gods and Goddesses. ¡¸Allen: Uh¡­ yes, I tried asking in warding shops, but no one would help me.¡¹ ¡¸Violet: Since you haven¡¯t mentioned it, can I assume you don¡¯t want to seek aid in the worship of one of the Light Gods?¡¹ She hit right on the spot. ¡¸Allen: No. I don¡¯t want anyone intruding my spirit. Once was enough.¡¹ I said flatly. She took a deep breath. ¡¸Violet: I see, that complicates the matter¡­ no other option is feasible, I¡¯ll have to teach you how to close off your spirit.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Does that involve aura control?¡¹ She gave me a calculating gaze. ¡¸Violet: Hmm, you already know about it?¡¹ So I was right! I nodded. ¡¸Allen: I heard about it and tried figuring it on my own, but¡­¡¹ ¡¸Violet: Show me.¡¹ She demanded, her eyes lightening up with mana while I attempted to seal off my spirit, but, as in my previous attempts, the moment my attention shifted to another area the previously sealed part would unravel, making my efforts vain. ¡¸Violet: You¡¯re doing it wrong.¡¹ She pointed out unhelpfully. Well, thanks. I really needed to have the obvious pointed out to me. ¡¸Allen: What am I doing wrong?¡¹ I prodded for more. ¡¸Violet: We¡¯ll discuss that once you¡¯ve signed the contract.¡¹ Her eyes returned normal. ¡¸Allen: I see.¡¹ ¡¸Violet: Let¡¯s return to the main topic¡­¡¹ She picked up the pen again. ¡¸Violet: I want you to stay within the confines of the city unless otherwise authorized.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: What? But I hav¨C¡¹ I began complaining but was cut short. ¡¸Violet: This is not negotiable. I won¡¯t have you be kidnapped, killed or tortured while in possession of sensitive state¡¯s secrets.¡¹ I sighed. I was really hoping to get myself killed in my misguided attempts to manage my stress. Jokes aside, being confined didn¡¯t sit well with me. ¡¸Violet: You will issue a formal request directly to me if needs be. It¡¯ll be within my discretion whether to allow it or not.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: I don¡¯t like it¡­¡¹ Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. She ignored me and continued. ¡¸Violet: Next, the duration of the contract. I want you to cooperate for the duration of the war.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: This is too unclear, it could last anything from months to years!¡¹ I complained spurred by Resolve. Violet narrowed her eyes slightly. ¡¸Violet: I see¡­ What about two years at the end of which we will discuss the terms again? If prior Demon Wars are to be taken as a reference, it¡¯ll be unlikely for it to last more than that.¡¹ Two years was better. A clear goal. Not too much to scare me off, but enough to give me time to grind my skills and, hopefully, become independent. ¡¸Allen: Fine.¡¹ Violet wrote it down on paper. ¡¸Allen: What about my work hours and duties?¡¹ ¡¸Violet: Since I value your dedication in attending our magic classes, I was thinking 152 Reposes of work to arrange according to your discretion and schedule, and eight free days you can fully dedicate to resting.¡¹ It was approximately the equivalent of working half a day and I would get five-something golden coins for each Repose. Time-wise it was more efficient than adventuring. Also safer. ¡¸Violet: As for your duties, you¡¯ll be required to work according to your specialty. No one will force you to explain your process in details, as long as you can produce results. Know that I will know if you slack off and deliver appropriate punishment.¡¹ She warned me, hardening her glare. I started wondering if I was really up to the task. ¡¸Allen: I agree with those terms. Will I have to fight in the battlefield?¡¹ She shook her head slightly. ¡¸Violet: No, unless you wish so.¡¹ I took a mental sigh of relief. No way in hell. ¡¸Allen: Who will be my superior? Who will I report to?¡¹ ¡¸Violet: You¡¯ll report directly to me for all matters. If I¡¯m not present you¡¯ll delay any directive not previously contemplated.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Okay.¡¹ We straightened the few remaining details and Violet transcribed the terms in fair copy. She reread the document one final time and pushed it to me alongside the pen. ¡¸Violet: I shall impart you with the knowledge of Magic Generators the moment you sign the document.¡¹ She promised. I nodded and grabbed the pen, staring at the document. Am I making the correct choice? The loss of freedom sucked, two years were demanding, and the work would take away part of the time I dedicated to my studies. But, I would get a fair income, the chance to indirectly fight back against the demons, and Proxy Magic plus Aura Control. It wasn¡¯t a bad deal. ¡¸Violet: You can always decline if you feel yourself being forced¡­¡¹ Violet said noticing my hesitation. ¡¸Violet: But know you might never again find such favorable conditions.¡¹ She was right, my bargaining chip would lose its value in the long run as Grohm absorbed my knowledge and spread it to others. The thing was, I needed more people with expertise in the field. A single developer could only do so much. It sucks working alone, testing things is harder, spotting bugs is harder, making decisions is harder. It¡¯s also much less fun. And not only that, I will eventually need mathematicians to restore the knowledge of advanced compression algorithms, cryptography, encryption and more. I took a deep breath, signed the contract and pushed it back to Violet. ¡¸Violet: Excellent decision.¡¹ She said with an icy smile while signing it herself and pressing her signet ring into melted wax. It was done. ¡¸Violet: Very well, come closer now and give me your hands. You already know the principles of Spell Binding so it will be easier. Prepare yourself to accept the Oath.¡¹ I leaned forward putting my hands over Violet¡¯s open palms which were brimming with mana. I swallowed, this was my first time ever in dealing with a magical Oath. Suddenly I was aware of the terms and price of the Oath then I became aware of an insistent force trying to push into my spirit. The surprise made my heartbeat accelerate. Is this safe?! ¡¸Violet: Accept.¡¹ She repeated. This is what I came here for. I willed myself to accept the Oath. Knowledge not my own started flooding my mind. Proxy Magic was¡­ like an ugly workaround, a very creative and clever one. I would have never figured it out on my own. ¡¸Allen: Woah¡­¡¹ I steadied myself, feeling a little dizzy. If it was that easy to transmit knowledge of spells why didn¡¯t they do it all the time here at the Academy? Violet read my expression. ¡¸Violet: I can imagine what you¡¯re thinking. Why wouldn¡¯t the teachers teach you spells this way?¡¹ I nodded. ¡¸Violet: It doesn¡¯t work. Without an Oath as an anchor, the knowledge would quickly be lost. And keep this in mind, Oaths are not something to be abused, remember that they feed on your mana depending on the complexity of their conditions. You don¡¯t want to have too many.¡¹ She said, relaxing back in her chair. Yes, I had read about it. Thankfully this Oath was negligible in terms of mana consumption. I was simply forbidden to transmit the knowledge in any way and form. Removing the Oath would also remove the knowledge. ¡¸Violet: It¡¯s best to just use Intent during the teachings and let the students learn naturally.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Intent?¡¹ ¡¸Violet: Have you never noticed? It¡¯s often done subconsciously. Of course, coming from a different world you wouldn¡¯t know¡­ pay attention to the difference.¡¹ ¡¸Violet: Cold water. ¡¾Cold¡¿ spell. Cold water. ¡¾Cold¡¿ spell.¡¹ I froze. Now that I actually paid attention I could feel something, it wasn¡¯t just mere emphasis. No, it was like a deeper meaning buried underneath the words. For some reason, I felt like I had made a step toward my ideals. ¡¸Violet: Did you notice the difference?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: I did.¡¹ I said, confirming with a short nod. Cold, cold, cold, ¡¾Cold¡¿¡­ Yes! I got this. ¡¸Violet: Good. Now let see about your ¡¾Aura Control¡¿¡­¡¹ She stood up and pointed to the sofa on the far right side of the room. ¡¸Violet: Lay down there and follow my instructions.¡¹ I obeyed and laid down. I saw her eyes lightening up again with magic. ¡¸Violet: Close your eyes¡­ Now, instead of focusing on specific parts of your body, empty your mind.¡¹ I relaxed and stopped my thoughts. ¡¸Violet: Be aware of all your body, don¡¯t filter anything through your senses. Just feel your pure unfocused awareness.¡¹ I did so, letting all the sensations flow in. ¡¸Violet: Now¡­ slowly dismiss out your bodily sensations until only the awareness of your whole spirit body remains. Remain unfocused.¡¹ It took me several attempts but eventually, I let the other sensations gradually fade from my awareness. ¡¸Violet: Yes¡­ your spirit in synchrony now. Tighten your aura just like you were doing before. No! I just told you, don¡¯t focus, surrender to the awareness¡­¡¹ I did my best to follow Violet¡¯s expectations, but it was much harder to get a grip on my spiritual surface this way. I had to stay unfocused while also ignoring the other sensations from my actual body. ¡¸Violet: Yes, like that¡­ ¡¾tighten¡¿ your aura.¡¹ It didn¡¯t seem like I was getting any meaningful result, though. The private lesson continued for a good half an hour. ¡¸Violet: Enough.¡¹ The archmage clapped her hands and I stood up before her. ¡¸Violet: Don¡¯t expect to be able to close off your aura before the fourth week. It is important that you keep practicing every day as much as you can, or you will quickly lose your progress.¡¹ Violet took a look at the calendar lying on the wall. ¡¸Violet: You¡¯ll begin next week, so come here the day before. I¡¯ll check on your progress and deliver your instructions. Now leave, I have matters requiring my attention.¡¹ She said with finality. ¡¸Allen: I will.¡¹ I said, bowing before walking out of the room. Violet had turned her icy gaze against the calendar so I took the opportunity to appreciate her curves as I closed the door. I have one week of freedom. Violet had been more forthcoming than expected. Now that I had ¡¾Proxy Magic¡¿ I could finally upgrade my adamantium ring, and with ¡¾Aura Control¡¿ I could keep the gods away while improving my mana reserves. I just hoped I wouldn¡¯t come to regret the deal. Chapter 58: RPG_GUI.EXE I entered the chaotic hall of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild where my friends were still waiting for me. ¡¸Grastel: Allen! So what was it all about?¡¹ I sat down among them and replied. ¡¸Allen: Ah, well¡­ it¡¯s like this¡­¡¹ I made a short summary omitting the part where Violet had exposed my secrets. There were too many ears around, not counting the alcoholic dwarves. ¡¸Grastel: ¡­ All that gold every month without risking your life?¡¹ Grastel said dumbfounded while probably reconsidering his career path. ¡¸Grastel: But you¡¯ve barely learned any magic yet¡­ Ellin, isn¡¯t he just a beginner?¡¹ Grastel asked, turning to Ellin for confirmation. ¡¸Ellin: Well, you saw what he can do. Besides, Allen never slacks off, does he?¡¹ She smiled at me and I nodded. I never slack off when interesting stuff is involved. ¡¸Ellin: And they don¡¯t hire just anyone, you know? You must have really impressed Violet and Khalkear.¡¹ Namrick shook his head sadly letting out a heavy sigh. ¡¸Namrick: Looks like we won¡¯t be able to bring you along in our quests for some time.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: We¡¯ll see about that. In any case, I still have one week of freedom, we could do one little adventure¡­¡¹ I pressed my lips and continued. ¡¸Allen: As long as it doesn¡¯t involve elves, sacred grounds or gods.¡¹ ¡¸Yusdrolir: Gahaha! Who needs those prideful creatures ¡¯nyway?¡¹ I stared at Yusdrolir and wondered out loud. ¡¸Allen: Hmm, who knows. We could trade our dwarf for a pretty female elf spellweaver. It¡¯s not good for diversity to have so many males in the group, right guys?¡¹ I grinned around at the team. I was actually serious though, I was hoping for more women joining our group. Possibly sexy and mature. And starting a harem, with me as the male alpha. Delusional thoughts filled my mind. ¡¸Yusdrolir: O-Oi! Ye wouldn¡¯t! How can ye even compare a sturdy dwarven warrior to a scrawny feeble spell-flinger.¡¹ Yusdrolir shot panicked glances at me and the others. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Ye wouldn¡¯t, would ye?!¡¹ We grinned at each other while the dwarf grumbled under his beard. ¡¸Grastel: Speaking of adventures¡­¡¹ He stood up dramatically with a grin plastered over his face. ¡¸Grastel: We are five people now! We can register an official party name!¡¹ ¡¸Ellin: Yes! We waited for everyone to be present before picking a name!¡¹ ¡¸Namrick: How should we call it?¡¹ ¡¸Grastel: Blinding Dagger?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Too daggerous.¡¹ My pun was lost in translation. ¡¸Namrick: Blazing Sword!¡¹ Grastel rolled his eyes muttering something about ¡®swords¡¯. ¡¸Ellin: Unyielding Spirit?¡¹ ¡¸Yusdrolir: Hammering¡­ Booze?¡¹ The dwarf¡¯s proposal was met with flat stares. I had no idea so I just threw in the first thing that came to my mind. ¡¸Allen: The Wage Slaves?¡¹ I said as a joke. ¡¸Grastel: The Weije Sleiss? It sounds kinda cool.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: No wai¨C¡¹ I tried to stop them. ¡¸Namrick: ¡­ Exotic and mysterious.¡¹ Said Namrick scratching his chin. ¡¸Allen: I was jus¨C¡¹ ¡¸Ellin: I like it! It sounds like old Karelan.¡¹ Ellin exclaimed with a smile while the dwarf simply shrugged. ¡¸Allen: Just a sec¨C¡¹ ¡¸Weije Sleiss!¡¹ They yelled and nodded together. ¡¸Weije Sleiss!¡¹ I stared speechlessly. It was too late to repair the damage. And so we became the Weije Sleiss. They never even asked me what it meant.
Ellin left my room after I gave her a quick refresh and answered her questions about lucid dreaming. She was eager, but these things took time and she had just begun. Finally, I was alone. I sat down at my desk and put my silver box and adamantium ring before me. It was time to work. I first took the silver cube and used the available magic potential to create ¡¾Magic Generators¡¿ to help me recreate the processor parts, then I started assembling them inside the ring. It took me approximately four hours to get it done against the month it would have taken originally. I copied all the data over and started working on the ¡¾Magic Constructs¡¿ that would serve as the core AI for the game-like interface I had been developing for so long. Another hour later it was done. The constructs ended up eating a third of the magic potential, it was a lot but that was exactly why I had bought this ring. I launched the automated tests and made adjustments until everything was in working order. It was ready. I took a deep breath, caressing in my hand the culmination of countless hours of work. This is it. I felt a tingle of excitement as I slid the ring on my finger and activated it.
SYSTEM BOOTING Memory¡­OK Routines¡­OK AI_Interface¡­OK Peripherals¡­OK STARTING RPG_GUI.EXE
Yes. I rejoiced, a smile spreading on my lips.
Quest completed (Build a game-like interface) +100 EXP
Yes! The sweet reward of pointless numbers spurred my endorphins. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡¾SHOW STATUS¡¿
Warning: Learning mode, reduced functionality. Warning: Not enough data to display absolute stats values. Allen Smith Age: 30 LV: 5 Class: Yes-man Informagic Developer HP: 100% MP: 10% SP: 70% Skills Titles Skullcrusher
YES! Wait a second¡­ ¡®Yes-man¡¯? I scowled at the ring. I did it all just to build you¡­ you ingrate! ¡¾FUCK YOU¡¿
Syntax Error
As I feared the magical constructs had inherited my bad sense of humor. They were, after all, reflections of myself. I could do nothing about that, such was the price of smarter Constructs. But I grinned again, I couldn¡¯t contain my euphoria. It works! I shook a fist at the air. IT WORKS! ¡¸Allen: Mwhahahahahahah!¡¹ I laughed maniacally uncaring for who would hear me. * BAM BAM * Someone bumped the wall a couple of times in retort. Right, it was night time. ¡¾MIMETIC MODE ON¡¿ The ring seemed to disappear, but it was just a weak illusion doing its job. It was good enough to pass unnoticed, but anyone paying attention would notice it. However, I had done something wrong with the spell because it had a medium amount of mana consumption, I¡¯d have to check it out later. ¡¾MIMETIC MODE OFF¡¿ The dark green metal with opalescent colors reappeared on my finger. I planned to keep it on at all times. I looked back at the silver cube. I was going to turn it into a manufacturing device, doubling back as a backup. I needed to buy another ring. There were many things I wanted to try. I tucked myself into bed. ¡¾RUN LUCID_DREAMER.EXE¡¿
Background process started. Monitoring sleep pattern¡­
Now that I can, I¡¯ll upgrade Ellin¡¯s ring with my lucid dream inducer so she can catch up faster. I closed my eyes and slept. I was standing atop a mountain, surrounded by a snowstorm. I could barely see anything. There was something I was trying to get away from but it seemed I was walking in circles. The snowstorm intensified. I walked blindly until I found refuge in a crevice on a rocky cliff. It took me a few moments to realize I wasn¡¯t alone, an old man wrapped in ragged clothing had found this nook before me. He glanced at me and spoke. ¡¸Old man: There is no escape from what you¡¯re running from.¡¹ ¡ºYou are dreaming.¡» The mental voice I had recorded reminded me I was dreaming. Yes, I am dreaming. I grinned at the old man. ¡¸Allen: We¡¯ll see about that, old man.¡¹ I said to the dream character, then I calmed my mind and¡­ ¡¾Astral Projection¡¿! Suddenly, the eerie world of mana came to sight, I waited a few seconds to get my bearings. Going to a full 360 degrees vision was always a little disorienting. I floated across the wall and stopped in the middle of the trio¡¯s room, where I started meditating. I wondered if by some stroke of fate Ellin would suddenly manage to project out. No stroke of fate, I waited for what felt like an endless time. I was bored. Let¡¯s have a stroll around the city. I floated in the sprawling crossroads of Valarest. Unlike my friends and the elves in the Danaanlar, the people here had a much less dim spirit on average. It made sense, commoners didn¡¯t train their spirit much. I could actually make most of their features. Few wore enchanted clothing. Most of them looked¡­ naked. It was pointless to go around and peep, though. Everyone looked bald, what a turnoff, besides I couldn¡¯t feel any sex drive while astral projecting. Many questions filled my mind. If a mana being could only see mana, how did the eyeless sand elemental see the water I was throwing at it? There had to be a trick to watch and listen across the material plane. What I could perceive was of little use for espionage. I couldn¡¯t read writings because, unless some kind of mana infused ink was used, it would simply be invisible to my spirit eyes. I couldn¡¯t hear sounds because only faint muffled echoes reverberated, covered by the constant whooshing of mana wind. Touching was a no go, obviously, since I was merrily floating across walls. Moving around I saw tendrils coming down from the sky in the distance, no doubt some temple and God. No need to say, I steered clear of that place. I was curious about pure mana beings, I couldn¡¯t see any inside the city. Were they scared by human activity? Or maybe the wards kept them away¡­ Feeling a spur of courage I decided to try to enter the Academy, wondering what would happen. I floated above the faint ghostly rooftops. Maybe some mold was making them more visible, plants were alive too and emitted their own mana. It didn¡¯t take much for me to reach the Arcane Academy. Unlike most buildings, its walls looked solid even here. Brimming with mana. I remained still a few minutes, contemplating the glowing architecture before me. Then I launched myself against its walls and¡­ * ZAP * I was back into the dream, still in the crevice. But now the old man was gone. Well, I had to imagine the Academy was protected against spirit intrusions. I reasoned while walking out toward the now calmer snowstorm. Was there someone there in the distance? A small silhouette stood unwavering against the snowy barrage. Obviously a trap. I took flight in the opposite direction, uncaring for the dream snow. I wonder if there¡¯s something outside this snowstorm. I thought, looking around while flying forward. I kept going for a couple of minutes, taking in the white scenery before me. It seemed to lose detail the further I went. Until the snow stopped. Before me I could see a huge wall of ice, extending in all directions. And a small gray door down in the ground. I floated down before it. Should I open it? I wondered while closing my hand around the door handle. I opened it. ¡°I¡¯m doing it,¡± I said, squeezing the empty coffee cup in my hand. ¡°It¡¯s happening.¡± ¡°Good luck then¡­¡± Eric said looking at his watch. ¡°I gotta go to another meeting, let me know how it goes!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve waited six months for this day, I scheduled the appointment in advance...¡± ¡°Yes, yes¡­ you¡¯ve already told me four times. And the stars¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Are aligned! I won¡¯t be denied, not after all the shit I had to deal with.¡± ¡°Yep¡­ later!¡± He hurried off from the break room. I violently tossed the empty cup against the helpless trash bin. Five years and not one time I remained true my job description. Why does it have to be me to fix our client¡¯s random tech issues? I¡¯m a fucking developer and yet I always end up having to fix absurd unrelated problems, reconfiguring servers instances repairing computers from scrap parts or managing firewalls and proxies because the technicians were at home sick when the shit hit the fan. Why did I always have to gloat about how efficiently I automate my tasks? I should have kept my mouth shut and enjoyed the leisure time, pretending to work. But no¡­ I had to gloat and brag about my skills. And the last episode? I had to manually fix half a hundred ancient routers because a serious vulnerability had been found. They kept getting hacked and people had to restart them every fifteen minutes to keep the network from coming to standstill. The budget to refit them had not been approved thanks to bureaucracy. To my dread, management here at Generic Corp Ltd decided to ask me, a software developer, to fix them. Because ¡°Well, you¡¯re a developer, this should be a cakewalk for you. We heard you¡¯re our tech genius! You don¡¯t want to assist accounting with manual data entry, do you?¡± I didn''t want to do either. I had complained about it to my boss over the phone, but all I got was a ¡°Generic Corp Ltd is our main client, do your best or they might replace our people with Indian consultants, they¡¯ve been saying we cost too much! Good luck. *click*¡±. I almost squeezed my phone to death. Thankfully someone on a obscure Russian forum had pinpointed where the issue was. The problem was that the fixed firmware download button only returned a broken link and there was nowhere else to get it. Of course, the author of the fix did not reply to my PMs. I had to read the whole mistranslated thread for clues, study the flavor of assembler code for that blasted router¡¯s processor and fix it myself. But I did it. I fucking did it. Maybe I¡¯m just a masochist. I thought as I ended the twenty minutes drive to my company offices and walked to the elevator pressing the button. Nothing. I pressed again and again. Still nothing. ¡°Elevators are out of order, they¡¯ll be fixed in a couple of hours.¡± Said a maintenance guy. ¡°You¡¯ll have to take the stairs.¡± ¡°FUCK!¡± I said out loud as I stomped toward the stairs. My company¡¯s offices were on the last floor, the 50th. Having anticipated traffic and bad luck I had still enough margin to make it. I ran up the stairs with all my might. When I reached the top floor I was drenched in sweat and panting. I felt like I was dying. ¡°Allen Smith¡­ appointment,¡± I said to the boss¡¯s secretary, who shot me a weird glance but didn¡¯t stop me. I sat down on the closest office chair, panting hard to recover my breath. I still had a couple of minutes, I steeled my resolve. I won¡¯t let myself be dismissed this time. I thought as I closed my fists. Hold your ground, Allen. ¡°Hey, you! Wait!¡± The secretary shouted to a man with a hard face, walking onward uncaring. He went past me and into the door. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s my turn!¡± I complained. He didn¡¯t give a shit as he slammed the door behind him. That was the last straw. I lost my shit. ¡°God.¡± I stood up, gritting my teeth. ¡°Fucking!¡± I grabbed the chair from the cylinder. ¡°DAMN!¡± I barged into my boss¡¯s fucking office, brandishing the motherfucking chair. The man who was sabotaging my appointment was before me, giving me his back. He noticed me too late. ¡°GET,¡± I slammed the chair hard on his head and shoulders. ¡°ON THE FUCKING,¡± I slammed down again. ¡°LINE!¡± Another slam. He slumped down on the fitted carpet, unconscious. I stared horrified. Oh God, what the fuck did I just do? The boss is gonna fire me. My heart was pumping like a fucking jackhammer and my hands were trembling with adrenaline. I raised my head to my boss, he looked at me with his strong chin and graying hair and an expression of surprise painted on his face. Whatever. ¡°I want a raise,¡± I said letting the chair fall. I don¡¯t even give a shit about this job. To my surprise, he broke into a grin. ¡°Done!¡± He said. The fuck?! I stared in disbelief. Did he just agree to give me a raise? All these months trying to fix an appointment against postponements, sudden commitments and denials¡­ and all I had to do was to chair someone to unconsciousness? I looked back to the man I had beaten down and froze. Is that¡­ is that a fucking gun?! He had a gun! I almost risked getting shot! Holy shit! I felt a wave of nausea hit me. ¡°You really saved me there!¡± My boss said kicking the gun away before calling security. Are you fucking real? ¡°What was your name again, son?¡± My boss asked me for the umpteenth time since I had been hired. ¡°Allen Smith, sir.¡± ¡°Allen, free yourself this Friday, I¡¯m inviting you to a party to celebrate!¡± He said slapping a hand on my left shoulder and squeezing. "Let''s talk about your raise..." Nothing makes sense. It¡¯s like a fucking game. Chapter 59: News from the frontlines ¡°Grastel, are you ready?¡± Namrick asked ready to leave the room. ¡°Yes, just a second!¡± I said as I finished tying my shoes. Damn him, always waking me up from the best dreams. ¡°I failed¡­¡± Ellin said while writing something in her journal. Curious. ¡°You¡¯ve just woken up, what could you possibly have failed?¡± I asked her while I stood up, ready for breakfast. I nodded to Namrick. She sighed and joined us as we walked toward the main hall. ¡°Spirit walking.¡± She grumbled. I raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°Didn¡¯t you start learning it just a few days ago? Give it some time,¡± I continued. ¡°Besides, who knows¡­ Allen might be swindling you!¡± I said jokingly, showing her my signature grin. ¡°Shut up!¡± She said. ¡°Spirit walking is my dream!¡± Dreams. I too used to have lots of them, but life has only taught me disappointment. Well, maybe not always. I think I''m doing pretty well at the moment, I even feel I might become someone decent. We climbed the stairs down the hall, I took my seat and called out to Klark, the innkeeper. ¡°Hey mister, we¡¯re ready for breakfast!¡± ¡°Coming!¡± The innkeeper said, appearing from the kitchen door with our breakfast in hand. ¡°You guys are always early.¡± Ellin and Namrick sat down as well and we started eating. ¡°Allen?¡± Asked Ellin, looking at the stairs. ¡°I knocked at his door, as usual, he¡¯ll be here soon,¡± Namrick answered. ¡°Ah, sorry guys! I have to do a quick errand, could you watch the place for a dozen Respites? I know I can trust you.¡± The innkeeper asked us. ¡°Sure!¡± Namrick nodded. ¡°Thanks! I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± He thanked us and left in a rush. ¡°Ellin, are you coming to spar with us later?¡± I asked. ¡°No, sorry. I¡¯m paying a visit to the Val Ferdias mansion. I think Edward is back from the training,¡± She smiled. ¡°His father sent for me, but he didn¡¯t specify the reason. I think he¡¯s still afraid that someone could hurt him.¡± She added, slumping her shoulders a little. ¡°I see. Next time, then.¡± Namrick said looking outside the window with a faraway look. I heard footsteps coming from the stairs and turned to see Allen. I waved at him, he almost waved back but his hand got stuck staunching a yawn. ¡°Morning¡­¡± He said, looking at us with a tired face while taking a seat. ¡°Morning.¡± We replied. ¡°Ah¡­ are we alone?¡± He asked looking around. ¡°Yes,¡± Ellin replied. ¡°The innkeeper just left for an errand. He¡¯ll be back shortly. Do you want some milk?¡± She asked him after having filled my own. I took a swig. ¡°Yes, thanks. Ah¡­ by the way, Violet knows my secret.¡± He said casually, like it was nothing of importance. What the heck!? I choked on the milk, half of it coming out from my nose. *COUGH* Namrick and Ellin almost seemed to freeze in place. *COUGH COUGH* ¡°Whaaat?!¡± We all said in unison. Or would have had if I hadn¡¯t been fighting a coughing fit. ¡°Weren¡¯t you afraid of being taken to pieces if other mages found out? Why did you tell her?!¡± Ellin exclaimed, staring at Allen wide-eyed. Namrick had a surprised expression but quickly resumed munching his breakfast. ¡°Yes. But I didn¡¯t tell her,¡± Allen said, his eyes narrowing. ¡°It was Taldinann!¡± He added with a scowl. ¡°I don¡¯t know how she got there so quickly, but he sang like a bird. He told her all of it! Yesterday, when she told me she knew, I almost thought I had reached a bad end.¡± ¡°Yesterday? But then¡­ why didn¡¯t you tell us?!¡± She asked him. ¡°Why keep us in the dark?¡± ¡°I just didn¡¯t find the right moment.¡± He said while shrugging his shoulders. ¡°You had all day!¡± She complained. She was right. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. I stopped my coughs and agreed. ¡°She¡¯s right.¡± ¡°I had more important things in my mind. Which is why I¡¯m telling you now. Do you really want me to make a big fuss for all the minor details?¡± ¡°Minor details?!¡± Namrick said, narrowing his eyes. ¡°That sounds pretty major if you ask me!¡± He crossed his arms on the table. Thankfully for Allen, he was sitting in front of Namrick so he couldn¡¯t receive the usual shoulder punches. ¡°Even at the temple¡­ you said nothing until the next day. Don¡¯t you trust us?¡± Ellin added, with a saddened face. Yeah, that was a low blow. He should have told us immediately he had been tortured. Or soul-tortured. Whatever that was called. Allen frowned. ¡°Of course I trust you guys! But it wasn¡¯t urgent news so there was no need for my friends to lose sleep over it. I¡¯m a grownup, I can take care of myself.¡± He said and attacked his own slice of bread. ¡°Besides, Violet promised me she¡¯ll make sure no one ends up experimenting on me.¡± An uncomfortable silence came down. I actually understood Allen¡­ I too didn¡¯t like to weigh down my friends with my own problems, if possible. Hmm, there was something I wanted to ask him. ¡°What were you up last night? We heard you laughing,¡± I asked him before taking a bite from my slice of bread and butter. You woke me up! Allen grinned. ¡°Right, sorry about that. I had just finished working on something important.¡± Namrick smiled. ¡°Another feature for your¡­¡± ¡°Silver box?¡± I finished with a grin. Allen grinned and shook his head. ¡°No,¡± he said showing us the back of his right hand. ¡°There¡¯s nothing there, Allen,¡± I stated. Did he forget his ring? He probably did. Ellin frowned and spoke. ¡°Did you forg¨C¡± But she was cut short. ¡°MIMETIC MODE OFF!¡± Allen exclaimed. His adamantium ring appeared on his finger. "..." I sniffed. ¡°Well¡­ a great party trick, I guess,¡± I said wryly, looking at Namrick for support. He glanced back at me and raised an eyebrow at Allen. ¡°No¡­ you guys don¡¯t get it,¡± Allen said waving his fingers. ¡°This is the silver cube¡¯s successor. The All-Ring!¡± A satisfied smug stamped on his face. I rolled my eyes. Great, double the silver boxes double the smug. ¡°Give me your rings later, I¡¯ll make use of my time with Grohm to upgrade them,¡± He said. ¡°Now that I have Proxy Magic I can do all kind of fun stuff, you¡¯ll see.¡± ¡°Allen?¡± Ellin leaned forward. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I almost did it¡­¡± She began. ¡°You did what?¡± He asked, confused. ¡°Spirit walking.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Allen said. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t notice anything while I watched over you guys¡­ maybe I missed your attempt?¡± ¡°¡­ Creepy,¡± I said with a frown. Does he peep on people all night long? ¡°Creepy indeed! Everyone looks bald! But don¡¯t worry, you guys have bright spirits, I can¡¯t even make out your features.¡± Allen inclined his head and looked out the window. ¡°After a while, I got bored and took a stroll around the city, I attempted to cross the Academy¡¯s walls and I got zapped back into my dream.¡± ¡°I had a lucid dream but¡­ I wasn¡¯t in control... and woke up, I failed.¡± She said, playing with her hands. Allen looked at her for a few seconds. ¡°Ahhh, I see,¡± He said, with a knowing smile. ¡°You dreamed lewd things!¡± Ellin¡¯s eyes went round. ¡°E-Eeeeeh?!¡± She blushed a deep red. That reaction¡­ He got it right?! I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Ellin, it¡¯s perfectly normal. Everyone becomes a sex-starved bunny when they become fully lucid and realize they can do anything they want.¡± Allen said, nodding slowly. She hid her face under her hands to cover the embarrassment and muttered. ¡°N-No!¡± Anything you want¡­ I¡¯m almost tempted to try it as well, but honestly, brothels are probably less demanding in terms of effort. I eavesdropped when Ellin went inside Allen¡¯s room to get her lesson, wondering what all the fuss was about, and from what I heard learning these lucid dream things required way too much effort. At least I confirmed they weren¡¯t doing anything improper. I trust Allen¡­ but Ellin¡¯s a pretty girl. It never hurts to be double sure, especially since she¡¯s so unwary. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time someone tries to exploit her good nature. I hope she learns fast how the real world works. Namrick too¡­ he''s not a fool but once you start talking about swords and swordsmen he turns into one. I truly don¡¯t know how they would have kept going without me. ¡°Grastel, are you sure you don¡¯t want to try?¡± Allen asked me, grinning. I shook my head. ¡°No thanks, I¡¯m not such a loser that I would seek that kind of comfort in my dreams,¡± I said to tease him. He scowled. ¡°It¡¯s more than that,¡± He looked at Namrick. " Namrick? You could practice your swordsmanship while you dream. Imagine it!" Namrick¡¯s eyes sparkled for a moment, but then he too shook his head. ¡°No, I prefer my dreams to stay as they are, but thanks for the offer.¡± He raised his arms in surrender. Allen shook his head, disappointed. ¡°You have the chance to reclaim some of the time spent sleeping but you won¡¯t even try¡­ fine, as you wish.¡± He turned back to Ellin. ¡°In any case, the fact you had a lucid dream so soon is encouraging. You just need more practice in controlling your dreams. I¡¯ll add my lucid dreaming app to your ring. It checks when you enter the REM phase and sends a telepathic reminder while raising your awareness, nothing overly complicated.¡± He grinned and continued. ¡°Then, when you get good at it you¡¯ll be able to have all the dream sex you want without waking up in the middle of the actIOuMHPf¨C¡± Allen¡¯s face was hit by a loaf of bread. Courtesy of Ellin. ¡°Shut up! Shut up!¡± She yelled, blushing again. ¡°I only care about spirit walking! Idiot!¡± Both me and Namrick were grinning. ¡°So there¡¯s a shortcut? Can¡¯t you just use that app thing, whatever that is? Why waste time learning?¡± I asked. If there was a magic tool that does it all for you maybe I could make an attempt after all. ¡°Ha! It¡¯s not so easy,¡± Allen said, picking up the loaf. ¡°Without the basics, even if you became aware, you¡¯d wake up, lose lucidity or simply forget about the dream altogether. Besides, it consumes mana.¡± He pointed at Ellin. " Ellin is a magician so she has higher mana recovery, you don¡¯t." He concluded with a shrug. No luck, then. ¡°I give up then,¡± I said with finality. Namrick looked at me. ¡°We should invest our time in sparring, instead.¡± He said. ¡°That¡¯s what will keep us alive on the battlefield.¡± I nodded in agreement. ¡°Indeed. You should join us sometime.¡± ¡°But, I¡¯m busy. Besides, I already had some experience during the recruit training and out battles.¡± He said with annoyance. ¡°That¡¯s not enough, they only taught you basic moves. In any case, if you don¡¯t keep practicing you¡¯ll get rusty.¡± Namrick said with a stern face. He was right. ¡°But¡­ I¡¯m a blasted magician! Every time I swing my mace around I¡¯m embarrassing my profession.¡± Allen complained. Namrick was about to say something when the front door banged open, Klark rushed inside with a worried look on his face. He was panting hard. He looked at us and said. ¡°I¡­ I just heard. Noirdant¡­ Noirdant has fallen!¡± The smile fell from our faces. Chapter 60: Edanors path Everyone looked grim. ¡¸Allen: Noirdant?¡¹ I said with a puzzled face, looking at the trio. I had never heard of it, so I had no point of reference. I got my explanation, Noirdant is¨Cor was?¨Ca kingdom¡¯s capital on the eastern side, located on a chokepoint between mountains. Until now the war had been fought at the northern border, no one had expected the demons to cross the sea on the split between western and eastern landmasses. Once there, they had bred an army out of goblins and verklings. Without Noirdant acting as a funnel, fending the attacks from both northern and eastern flanks would pose a greater burden on the kingdom''s armies. Retaking the city would be very difficult since it was heavily fortified and on higher ground. The demons would have all the time to breed their armies and rush us with overwhelming numbers. ¡¸Allen: I see. That doesn¡¯t sound good, does it?¡¹ ¡¸Ellin: No¡­¡¹ Ellin said, her brows creasing. ¡¸Allen: So, where¡¯s Yusdrolir staying?¡¹ I asked, changing the topic. I thought he would book a room at our same inn, but I was mistaken. ¡¸Namrick: He¡¯s staying at a dwarven inn he¡¯s familiar with. He¡¯s probably heading to the Guild by now, we should join him.¡¹ Namrick said, standing up, quickly followed by Grastel. ¡¸Grastel: Yes, they probably have more detailed information about the war. Are you mages coming too?¡¹ Grastel asked, looking between me and Ellin. ¡¸Ellin: Sure. My lesson starts in a couple of Reposes, I have time.¡¹ The trio looked at me, waiting for my answer. I shook my head. ¡¸Allen: Sorry, my schedule is packed full. I¡¯ll join you at the Guild once I¡¯m done. Ah¡­ give me your rings before I forget.¡¹ I collected my friends¡¯ enchanted rings and we went our separate ways.
¡¸Grohm: Fool!¡¹ Grohm yelled, swinging his stupid switch against me. ¡¸Allen: Stop it!¡¹ I parried the blows with my arms the best I could until Grohm finally gave up. ¡¸Grohm: I told you I would help, yes? But no, you went and got suckered into working for the military. Ha!¡¹ Grohm looked pretty energetic today, projecting his scowl against me. ¡¸Allen: Well, what can I say? I got what I wanted. Besides, won¡¯t we be working together?¡¹ ¡¸Grohm: No! Valarest doesn¡¯t own me. Hmm. I¡¯ll only cooperate if my country begs me to. I dislike working on magical weapons. No.¡¹ He said, narrowing his eyes. ¡¸Allen: Ah.¡¹ Grohm sighed and sat down at his desk and I joined him. ¡¸Grohm: Fine, the damage is done. I hope you¡¯re content, yes?¡¹ I shrugged. ¡¸Allen: I can¡¯t complain. In fact, I wanted to show you something for which I could use your help.¡¹ He leaned forward, a speck of curiosity flashing behind his eyes. ¡¸Grohm: Hmm?¡¹ I took out the silver cube. ¡¸Allen: Yesterday I used ¡¾Proxy Magic¡¿ on my silver cube in order to build another processor in this adamantium ring.¡¹ I wiggled the finger with the ring. ¡¸Allen: It took me four Reposes, I wanted to show you the process and hear your thoughts on how it could be done faster and better. I also brought three rings I had enchanted for my friends for which I wanted to add a processor.¡¹ ¡¸Grohm: Well, then. Show me.¡¹ With Grohm¡¯s help, I managed to get the deed done in just two hours and a half, albeit I used a simpler design than the one from my ring. I had many experimental circuits that were still unfinished attempts at replicating functionality I knew existed but wasn¡¯t sure of the implementation. I was just a developer, after all. I had studied the theory but designing processors was not exactly my expertise. In the end, I replaced the magic constructs by using smaller specialized constructs linked to the processors. Doing so I freed up some space. Less in Grastel¡¯s case, because his ring was of an alloy of mithril and silver, while the other two were full mithril. I equipped them with a text editor and a calculator, I also added the lucid dreaming app to Ellin¡¯s ring. That¡¯s all I had time to do within the time constraints. I wanted to equip all of them with a radar and more cool stuff, but that required time. Besides, I wanted their feedback first. Now the rings should be able to read Intent much better than before. I had to thank Violet for that, by actively recognizing and pushing Intent on words I had gotten a better grasp. Even Ellin was surprised when my lucid dreaming lesson was suddenly easier to follow. I would have figured it on my own eventually, but sometimes just knowing that something exists can help a lot. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡¸Grohm: I see, so that¡¯s how it all comes together. Hmmm.¡¹ Grohm nodded appreciatively turning the last ring between his fingers. ¡¸Grohm: What¡¯s with this spellwork coiled in a cylinder?¡¹ He said furrowing his brows. He meant my mana radio communication attempt. I didn¡¯t want it to be known yet. ¡¸Allen: Oh, that¡¯s an experiment but it¡¯s not complete yet.¡¹ Which was true, because I had still to work out the kinks to reduce the noise interferences. ¡¸Grohm: Hmmm, I see.¡¹ Does he? I hoped not. My secret communication devices were better to remain secret. At least until I could encrypt the signal while spying on others. Hehe. I wanted to spread my knowledge but I also wanted to stay remain several steps ahead. I think it¡¯s just common sense. With the magic lessons attended and the private session with Grohm over, I concluded my duties at the Academy, so I left for the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. But when I got there my friends were nowhere to be seen. Did they leave already? I thought. Had they left to go shopping or something? The hall was also emptier than usual, at this time of the day there were usually a lot of people boasting about their adventures and exploits. I didn¡¯t believe a third of the crap I heard and I didn¡¯t like crowds, but the Guild was the go-to place for hearing news. I really missed the internet. Hmmm, maybe I could build my own internet.
Quest added (Build the internet)
The ring showed a premature notification, it was too soon to think about that. I would need infrastructure, routers, bridges to relay the signal and more. Someone approached me. It was the dude that had never introduced himself to me. I obviously refused to cave in and ask him his name. ¡¸Dude: Ah, you¡¯re the Skullcrusher from the Weije Sleiss¡­¡¹ I opened my mouth to complain about the unfitting nickname I had been shackled with but he continued. ¡¸Dude: I have a message from your friends. They left for the collective quest.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Collective quest?¡¹ I asked lifting my brows just a fraction. ¡¸Dude: Yes, there¡¯s a column of people running away from Noirdant. You must have heard about the attack, haven¡¯t you?¡¹ I nodded. ¡¸Allen: Yes, although I haven¡¯t heard the details yet.¡¹ He crossed his arms and spoke again. ¡¸Dude: Well. Long story short, a messenger came in last night delivering the news. Noirdant was attacked by surprise. The defensive walls on the eastern side had been breached from the inside letting the demon¡¯s army in. Their soldiers fought for two days while coordinating the civilian evacuation before retreating. That was seven days ago. There are carts with injured people approaching our city so the Guild has been asked to escort and aid them to safety.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Why the rush? Can¡¯t we just wait for them to arrive at the city doors?¡¹ He shook his head and made a grim face. ¡¸Dude: Bandits have heard of the news too. The retreating soldiers are spread too thin to take care of all the groups and supplies. I would have joined the quest too, but my equipment is still being repaired.¡¹ He shrugged. ¡¸Allen: How long ago since they left?¡¹ Dude diverted his gaze while his neurons did their job. ¡¸Dude: About a Repose ago, I think. Give or take. The rendezvous was along Edanor¡¯s path.¡¹ Damn, that was about an hour ago! I had to be quick if I wanted to catch up with them.
Quest added (Escort the evacuees: Rendezvous with your party)
¡¸Allen: Thanks for letting me know!¡¹ Dude nodded and rejoined his friends while I turned around and left in a rush. I had to collect my equipment back at the inn. I rented a horse from the nearest stall. Horses, dreadful creatures. I asked for one that could go fast and hoped I didn¡¯t get ripped off. It¡¯s good that in this world horses have enhanced stamina thanks to mana, but slow horses were still slow horses. I trotted back to the inn to collect my equipment and don my armor. I was ready to go. Edanor¡¯s path¡­ I had yet to find exactly which way that was. I wasn¡¯t even sure what Edanor was supposed to be. A city? A country? I fucking hate geography. Maybe someone at the gates could give me directions. Hopefully, I would not get lost midway. Following directions¡­ my greatest weakness. I hopped on my mount and headed toward the city gate. As I was about to cross the last hundred meters, my attention was caught by the drumming of hoofbeats closing in from my left. When I turned my head I saw Violet on a lightly armored black mare. She stopped, giving me a sideways glance. Violet? What is she doing here? ¡¸Violet: Allen Smith¡­ you¡¯re not trying to escape before your duties begin, are you?¡¹ She said, casting an accusatory gaze toward me. Do you have so little faith in me? I thought with slight irritation. What did I have to do to gain that woman¡¯s trust? ¡¸Allen: Violet, ma¡¯am. No¡­ I was¨C¡¹ I cleared my throat and straightened my spine. ¡¸Allen: My adventurer friends have gone on a quest to escort the injured evacuees. I wanted to rendezvous with them and make sure they¡¯re all right.¡¹ Violet raised her chin a little. ¡¸Violet: Where to?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Along Edanor¡¯s path, I was told¡­ although, I¡¯m not sure which way it is.¡¹ I glanced toward the gates, maybe she could tell me. ¡¸Violet: That¡¯s along the way. Follow me, if you can keep up.¡¹ I nodded, thankful not to have to navigate roads alone with my awesome sense of direction. Violet stared at me for a few seconds with her piercing blue eyes, before spurring her mare ahead. I pointed my own mount at her heels. Thankfully, the horse understood it had to follow and did not stray away right off the bat. Maybe this horse had a brain after all. ¡¸Allen: Ma¡¯am, are you also going to assist with the Noirdant¡¯s retreat?¡¹ I asked Violet, who tilted her head just a fraction in my direction. ¡¸Violet: My main objective is to assess the situation at the border¡­ along with other tasks.¡¹ She didn¡¯t venture any further information and I didn¡¯t dare intrude on archmage businesses, so we rode on in silence, the rhythmic sound of hoofbeats filling the air. We passed several smaller groups of soldiers patrolling the road, until half an hour later, when we saw a closed carriage painted with bright colors approaching from ahead. It was being escorted by ten soldiers of a foreign outfit. Upon seeing us they slowed down until they stopped a dozen meters before us. One of the mounted soldiers moved closer and addressed us. ¡¸Soldier: The khainar shines brightly. Who are you?¡¹ ¡¸Violet: Your lament was heard. I am Violet Val Mariannet, archmage of Valarest.¡¹ The soldier released his tenseness and turned to nod at the others before facing Violet again. Hmmm, were those code phrases? ¡¸Soldier: Is the road safe?¡¹ ¡¸Violet: It is. Do you need further assistance?¡¹ The soldier shook his head. ¡¸Soldier: No, thanks to our speed we safely split from the main group the moment our scouts reported the arrival of four or more scores of bandits from the rear.¡¹ He turned around, pointing back. ¡¸Soldier: The carts with the injured were right behind us but couldn¡¯t keep up with our pace. Our soldiers were joined by groups of adventurers offering help, but we don¡¯t know what¡¯s the current situation. We¡¯d be grateful if you could lend them your exalted assistance.¡¹ I couldn¡¯t see their expressions under their fancy visored helmets. ¡¸Violet: I see, time is of the essence then. I¡¯ll press on.¡¹ She spurred her mare forward and I followed. I caught Violet nodding to the carriage driver, who nodded back with a grim smile as he spurred his own horses to a trot. As I passed next to the carriage¡¯s side, I stole a better glance. It was sealed shut and the windows were barred, I wondered who was inside. From the use of code phrases and the even more suspicious nod to the driver¨Cwho probably wasn¡¯t just a driver¨CI gathered that the passengers must have been important nobles, or perhaps even royals. I bet on the latter. Knowing Ellin, she was most likely assisting the injured. Scores of bandits¡­ I hoped all my friends were safe and sound. Chapter 61: Struggling defense (Ellin) ¡°Bring him to me!¡± I yelled to Namrick. He glanced at me and deflected an arrow with his shield, then dragged the injured soldier toward the caravan I was on. ¡°Quick!¡± I pulled the bleeding man inside. ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself too hard, Ellin,¡± Namrick said, sparing me a brief glance before rejoining the defensive line. I nodded in return. The injured soldier was bleeding from an artery, I pushed my hands against the wound and closed it with Healing. I felt tired. I was using too much mana too fast. I had been treating the wounded from since we had joined the evacuees. ¡°T-Thank you.¡± The soldier said before passing out. I eased him down among the others. We had left the major conflict trying to escort two of the caravans packed full with wounded people, until the moment the bandits had caught up with us and we were forced to stop and defend. I slowed my breathing and resumed the meditative breathing to replenish my mana. My spirit felt dizzy. No good. I peeked outside the caravan. Namrick, Grastel, and Yusdrolir were fighting alongside the soldiers. We had the numerical advantage, but most of the soldiers were tired or wounded and, with the newest injured, there were ten people who were too hurt to keep fighting. Grastel was bleeding from his left arm. These weren¡¯t normal bandits, they were well equipped and combat trained. Half of them wore full armor and helmets. There was some kind of sparkling black paint smeared over their armor. ¡°Arrows!¡± Someone shouted and I saw an arrow fly an inch from my face. I stumbled back. ¡°A-Aahh!¡± My heart was beating wildly. I ground my teeth. I couldn¡¯t stay hiding here, I had to help my friends! I took a deep breath and cast a deflection field around me. ¡°I¡¯m coming!¡± I yelled, jumping out of the caravan. ¡°Careful!¡± Namrick shouted, briefly glancing at me while he kicked back one of the bandits. Damn, why were they attacking us? Shouldn¡¯t we all band together to fight against the demons? Why? Why?! I rushed to Grastel¡¯s side. ¡°I¡¯m here, let me treat the wound,¡± I said while grabbing his injured arm. ¡°It¡¯s just a scratch,¡± He said, but his blood was still dripping through the clothes. I closed the wound, my mana dropping again and the dizziness making me almost stumble down. ¡°Hey!¡± He grabbed my arm, steadying me. ¡°Are you fine, Ellin?!¡± Grastel looked at me with concern. ¡°Yes, just give¡­ me a moment to recover some mana,¡± I steadied myself. ¡°I¡¯m good.¡± ¡°Get behind, archer guy!¡± Yusdrolir shouted shoving Grastel a step back while he intercepted the blow from one of the bandits and head-butted him in the groin. ¡°Blasted scoundrels all of ye!¡± ¡°Why?!¡± I shouted. ¡°Why are you attacking us? We¡¯re only escorting the injured to safety!¡± I gestured at the caravans. ¡°There are no valuables here!¡± I said, amplifying my voice with a touch of mana. One of the mounted bandits raised his helmet visor revealing an eye-patch, dark blond hair and a haggard face smiling cruelly at me. ¡°Oh?! Then you don¡¯t mind laying down your equipment and letting us take a good look, do you?¡± He said with a booming voice. ¡°Perhaps we¡¯ll even let you live, what do you say?¡± The combat slowed down for a few seconds, while the bandits assumed defensive postures and waited to hear our response. The one-eyed man had to be one of their leaders. ¡°I want to have fun with the girl!¡± One of the bandits leered. ¡°Yeah, she looks pretty!¡± Disgusting laughs rose among their ranks. Their boss grinned. ¡°Of course, my men have urges. How can I deny them?¡± He shrugged unapologetically. ¡°N-no!¡± I half stepped back. Namrick moved in front of me. ¡°I won¡¯t let you touch her!¡± He shouted with defiance. Thank you. Namrick was always ready to come to my aid. Sometimes I wondered how my life would have turned out if I never met him. ¡°We won¡¯t surrender to you scum!¡± The soldiers shouted. ¡°So be it!¡± The bandit leader laughed. ¡°Kill them all but keep the pretty girl alive!¡± He shouted to his men. The clanging of weapons resumed at full volume, everyone dancing on the battlefield in frenzied movements. Preying upon injured people and innocents¡­ These people had already lost their home and yet the bandits wanted to take away what little they had left! I screwed my face up in anger. ¡°Curse you!¡± I yelled. One of the other adventures shouted something while throwing a fireball against the bandits. ¡°Look out, a mage!¡± They rose their shield to meet the flaming ball. Which lost strength on impact merely spreading the flames around, which were quickly extinguished by the bandits. I frowned, it was as I feared. ¡°Cursed obsidian lacquer!¡± The adventurer mage yelled. They had applied powdered obsidian on their armor with a lacquer to fix it in place, a common practice when having to refit normal equipment against magic. It wouldn¡¯t protect them from the stronger magicians, but it would greatly diminish the effect of all direct magics. ¡°Haha! Did you think we¡¯d come unprepared?¡± The bandit leader crowed, moving his horse closer in an attempt to stab Namrick with his halberd. He entered my casting range. Let¡¯s see how you deal with this! I cast Confusion on his unprotected horse, which buckled down bringing its rider down with it and pushing his nearest allies off balance. ¡°Ghaaarg! Blasted horse!¡± He yelled, rolling on the ground. ¡°Stel!¡± Namrick shouted moving forward to seize the opportunity. Grastel moved in unison, parring a sword blow from his right with a short sword one hand and counterattacking by stabbing the man on the visor with the dagger on his other. The bandit screamed and scrambled away holding a hand against the visor. Meanwhile, Namrick swung his sword down against one of the unbalanced foes, cutting down the arm. Seeing human blood fly so freely made me uneasy. One thing was fighting against monsters, but against people¡­ it just felt wrong. Someone coming from behind another bandit launched himself against Namrick with unnatural speed. ¡°Careful Nam¨C!¡± I warned. Namrick reacted just in time to parry the blow with his own sword. *CLANG!* The force pushed Namrick back a step. It was the bandit leader! Grastel turned to face the opponent but received a kick on the stomach that sent him flying backward a few paces. ¡°Grastel!¡± I shouted, a bandit not wearing a helmet was about to hit him with a mace, I cast Burn at the foe¡¯s face who was then hammered down by Yusdrolir¡¯s blows. I knelt down to help Grastel up. Namrick sidestepped in front of us and stared down at the bandit leader who grinned in return. ¡°Leave this one to me!¡± The one-eyed man bellowed and then continued with a lower voice. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you a lesson, boy.¡± His smile held a dark promise. He closed his visor and assumed an attack stance. ¡°Namrick¡­¡± I said with concern. That man had moved very fast just a moment ago, he wasn¡¯t your average bandit. ¡°It¡¯s okay! Stay back while I keep him b¨C¡± But he was cut short as the man danced forward and started assaulting him with a flurry of swings. Namrick¡¯s attention was fully absorbed in the sword dancing. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°A little help here!?¡± Yusdrolir shouted from our right. Grastel grabbed my arm and pulled me back. ¡°Let¡¯s help with holding the line!¡± He said, moving toward the gap where another of our allies had fallen down, he was holding his bleeding leg while desperately defending himself with his shield. More blood. I thought feeling an increasing sense of dread. I stomped a foot hard on the ground. No! Don¡¯t back down! Fight! Grastel loosed an arrow and hit the attacker right into the eye. The bandit let his pike fall and slumped down unmoving. ¡°¡¯Bout time!¡± The dwarf yelled grinning at us behind his helmet. ¡°Arrows!¡± A soldier shouted. I renewed my deflection field and put myself between Yusdrolir and Grastel. Two arrows flew just above our heads spinning harmlessly out of the way. I breathed a sigh of relief trying to calm my racing heart. A shout behind us caught my attention. I turned in time to see another of our soldiers crumbling down, his helmet punctured by a war-hammer. Crimson liquid blossomed from the hole. It was a fatal blow. ¡°No!¡± A whimper of desperation escaped my lips. The assailant gestured his allies to rush through the newly opened gap. But in that instant, something happened. From the dead soldier¡¯s helmet, a dozen bloody hands sprouted grasping for the bandit. The dozen became hundreds and kept extending, elongating unnaturally. ¡°Wa-aah-aaaaAHHH!¡± The closest bandit broke in a panicked run, confusion spreading between both the bandits and our allies who were near the still stretching limbs. The sight sent shivers down my spine. What¡¯s going on? *CLANG!* Namrick grunted I glanced back at him. The bandit leader was pushing him back but he was still holding. I looked again at the bloody hands, now extending several paces outside our defensive line. Someone rushed uncaring against the limbs. They didn¡¯t seem to hamper him the least. Wait¡­ Illusions? Could it be¡­ My eyes widened with realization. ¡°Allen?!¡± I shouted toward the running man who looked at me and waved a hand. ¡°It¡¯s a skraggin illusion you fools! Breach that damn gap!¡± Shouted the bandit leader Both friends and foes rushed to the hole. Thankfully the adventurers and soldier managed to stop them in time. ¡°Guys! Why didn¡¯t you wait for me!¡± Allen rushed toward us. ¡°I brought reinfo¨C¡± He looked behind confused. ¡°Uh¡­ Where did she go?¡± He turned back to me and tossed me a pouch. ¡°Take this!¡± I caught the pouch and looked inside. There were a dozen assorted potions. Healing and mana ones. With these, we had a fighting chance. And¡­ also three rings, our enchanted rings. ¡°Thank you!¡± I said, giving him a quick hug. He hesitated a breath, then patted my shoulder as he looked around. ¡°Namrick, Grastel!¡± He called out but they were too busy fighting. ¡°¡­ And Yusdrolir too.¡± The dwarf grunted in reply. I gulped down a mana potion and returned my attention to Namrick¡¯s battle. The one-eyed man was strong, he wasn¡¯t letting him catch his breath. Namrick¡¯s movements were slowing down and the injuries piling up. The constant fighting was taking its toll. Please stay strong! I wanted to help him, but he was moving too fast. I was afraid of hampering of distracting him in a crucial moment. If only we weren¡¯t spread so thin! ¡°Sloppy footwork.¡± A calm female voice said in our direction. Namrick grunted, meeting the enemy¡¯s blade mid-swing and pushing forward, putting his shoulder weight behind the shield while the blade was locked against the foe. I frowned and looked around seeking the source of the remark, but I couldn¡¯t see anyone. ¡°Uh? My magic has no effect on them?¡± Allen exclaimed next to me, staring at the bandits with a puzzled expression. ¡°It¡¯s the obsidian powder lacquer!¡± I said, watching his expression turning into a scowl. He sighed. ¡°The mace it is.¡± He said joining the leftmost defensive line. He summoned another of his creepy illusions behind the bandits to distract them a little while he swung his mace around. ¡°Crude spellwork but effective.¡± That voice again! I ignored it and rushed to the nearest wounded ally. ¡°Here take this,¡± I gave him one of the healing potions. ¡°Lacking magical support.¡± The voice spoke again. I winced, feeling like that one was addressed at me. I pushed down my irritation and continued delivering Allen¡¯s supplies to the injured and the other adventurers inside our defensive position. I kept a few for us just in case. ¡°Thanks!¡± ¡°We can do this!¡± Thanks to the potions and my Healing magic, four more people were able to rejoin the combat. We were holding fast! I returned to my party. Allen was fitting right in with the other soldiers¡¯ combat pace, Yusdrolir and Grastel were doing their best fighting along the members of the other parties and the few soldiers mixed between. Namrick¡­ Namrick needed help! I ran toward him. ¡°Argh!¡± Namrick yelled, stumbling back after receiving a pommel blow on the side of the face. The one-eyed man spun around impossibly fast, going for a decapitating blow! ¡°No!¡± I shouted, pouring all my magic on a force field. *CLANG!* The blade, that had lost most part of the lacquer during the intense fight, stopped an inch from Namrick¡¯s throat. But the enemy did not falter and followed with a powerful kick, sending Namrick rolling back on the ground. ¡°Nam!¡± Grastel shouted, too distant to intervene. I didn¡¯t move away in time. An unyielding arm closed around my neck, pulling me against him as a sharp blade appeared at my throat. ¡°Ellin!¡± Both Namrick and Grastel shouted. ¡°N-No! No!¡± I struggled helplessly, my heart racing fast. I¡¯m done for! ¡°Move and your friend is dead! Drop your weapons. NOW!¡± The bandit bellowed, his rank breath making me wince. ¡°D-Don¡¯t!¡± I wanted to shout, but it came out as a whimper. ¡°Don¡¯t g-give up!¡± AnHelm have mercy! ¡°Wasteful. Should have prevented the momentum from building.¡± The female voice grated on me. A horn was blown in the vicinity. The bandit leader chuckled and let out a loud whistle. ¡°Playtime¡¯s over!¡± He said and laughed. Another score of twenty or more bandits reinforced the enemy lines. Why? Why now? I thought we had some hope¡­ My eyes watered, the sudden realization of what the fate had in store for us hitting me. We¡­ lost. A tear streaked my face as I watched Namrick¡¯s terrified expression, froze in the act of standing up. ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking dare, you piece of shit!¡± Allen shouted something in his foreign language. Suddenly, as the last vestige of hope was fading away, a figure materialized three paces ahead of me. A woman. Not just any woman. ¡°Vi-Vi-Vi¡­¡± I stammered, disbelieving. Violet?! A voice so loud to make everyone stop and wince filled the air. ¡°BY THE AUTHORITY OF THE KINGDOM, I DEMAND YOUR IMMEDIATE SURRENDER. LAY DOWN YOUR WEAPONS AND YOUR LIFE WILL BE SPARED.¡± Violet stared calmly at the one-eyed bandit and his minions. ¡°HA¡­ HAHAHA!¡± The bandit leader bellowed looking from left to right, pressing his blade on my throat. ¡°H-Hiii!¡± I cried out, feeling the cold blade slide against my flesh. I closed my eyes. ¡°Another magician trick! Don¡¯t let her f¨C¡± He stopped mid-sentence, then I felt a wetness flowing against my neck and a gurgling noise, then dull thuds hitting the ground. The grip on me slackened. I reopened my eyes, turned my head and¡­ ¡°Eeeek!¡± I cried out, horrified. I was looking at the headless throat of the bandit leader, still sputtering blood. ¡°Aaaah!¡± I pushed it away and fell down on my back, distancing myself with frenzied panic. I looked at my shaking hands. They were full of blood. ¡°A-a-ah!¡± It wasn¡¯t just the bandit leader¡­ all the others had been decapitated as well! I stared speechless at the macabre scene. ¡°Gods!¡± The soldiers and adventurers walked back a step, surprise painted on their faces. I took deep breaths trying to calm myself. I¡¯m alive¡­ I¡¯m alive! A number of arrows suddenly flew above me, aimed at Violet. I tracked their flight with my eyes. They passed through her with no effect. An illusion?! The illusory Violet smiled coldly. ¡°Thank you for showing me your locations.¡± She said, her disappearing figure was followed by more thuds in the near distance. Some of them fell from the trees. A hand closed on my right shoulder. I turned, startled. ¡°Ellin¡­ are you fine?¡± Namrick asked, the side of his face bloody and swelling. His face screwed. ¡°Sorry, because of me you almost¡­¡± He pressed his lips in a thin line and looked away. ¡°I-I¡¯m fine,¡± I said, cleaning my tears with the part of my dress that wasn¡¯t smeared in blood. Allen, Grastel and Yusdrolir were beside us in moments. ¡°Let me¡­ let me heal yo¨C¡± My head swam and I almost fell down if not for Grastel and Namrick keeping me steady. ¡°No. You should rest, you¡¯ve used too much magic too fast, haven¡¯t you?¡± Allen said, shaking his head. ¡°Let¡¯s get you inside that caravan.¡± I noticed Violet staring at us, her back leaned on the caravan¡¯s side. ¡°I have a few questions¡­¡± She said out loud and asked everyone present which direction were the other groups of evacuees and what numbers of bandits we had faced. We didn¡¯t know how the others were faring, I could only hope they were still alive. Most of the Noirdant¡¯s soldiers had remained behind with the main groups, so there was a good chance they had repelled the attacks. ¡°I see. I must hurry along¡­¡± She said looking at the distance. She turned and walked away. ¡°L-Lady Violet!¡± I called out to her. She stopped, turning her head a fraction to glance at me. ¡°Thank you,¡± I bowed. ¡°Yes, thank you, ma¡¯am!¡± ¡°You saved us!¡± ¡°May the Gods bless you!¡± The survivors exploded in a cheer, thanking their savior. Violet looked around with her piercing blue eyes and impassive expression, then gave us a quick nod and climbed on her black mare, that as if on cue, had surfaced from behind the trees. She trotted away at full speed without looking back. ¡°Men literally lose their heads for her, don¡¯t they?¡± Allen said, grinning. We stared at him flatly in silence. ¡°What?¡± He said. He wasn¡¯t funny. He wasn¡¯t funny at all. I did my best to avoid looking at the headless men and fighting down a shiver. I almost got killed¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be forgetting this episode anytime soon. Namrick planted a fist against Allen¡¯s shoulder but buckled down due to his tired legs. Allen caught him and remarked. ¡°You look like shit, man.¡± Namrick could only smile in return. I looked at my still shaking hands. I had felt useless. Who were those bandits? They had fought like trained soldiers. I had at least managed to Confuse and hurt the ones not wearing helmets, but how was I supposed to deal against their anti-magic defenses? Archmage Violet had made it look so trivial. Just how wide a gap was there between us? ¡°Are you well, young lady?¡± Yusdrolir asked, taking off his helmet to wipe away the sweat. ¡°Yes,¡± I said with a nod, forcing a smile on my lips. ¡°Grastel¡­could you help me track down my horse. I had parked it behind those trees,¡± Allen said, scratching his head. ¡°It¡¯s gone now¡­¡± Grastel grinned and patted his shoulder. ¡°Sure, we have also to get our own back. We let them wander ahead before we were surrounded.¡± He looked around. ¡°We can also take the ones from the bandits to replace the ones we lost.¡± Allen and Grastel moved out, soon followed by others in the search for the horses. I remained behind to care for the wounded. There was only another healer besides me so we had to do our best to split the work between the two of us. During the battle, we had lost four combatants. Two adventurers and two soldiers. I knew one of them, a guy with an easy smile and chestnut hair. We had chatted a few times back at the Guild. I felt a pang of guilt for not having been able to save him. I didn''t even see how it happened. I thought sadly. We prioritized the urgent cases that required the use of Healing magic and patched up the others with non-magical aids. Magic wasn¡¯t always the best option, not if there were so many people to heal. A good healer knew when to use magic and when not to. After the last patient, I laid down on the caravan''s hardwood and closed my eyes, succumbing to the fatigue. Chapter 62: New leads Ellin looked a little depressed for not having been more useful in battle but she quickly regained her confidence by treating the wounded. Thirty-two of the injured evacuees had been saved and thirty-one of the combatants had survived. She was still sleeping inside the caravan. Besides, she saved Namrick from losing his head. Man, that guy who was fighting against Namrick was really fast on his hands and feet. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to keep up. I¡¯ve thought long and hard how to fight against swordsmen, in theory, I¡¯d just need to get too close for them to swing. If I can manage that, without getting sliced to half, then I¡¯d just need to break their bones with mana infused strength. Or break their weapons by dual casting extreme cold and heat. I can¡¯t pull that trick very well yet, though. Anyway, I had been surprised by the coordination shown by those bandits during the battle. ¡¸Allen: They fought like soldiers.¡¹ I mused out loud. Namrick, who was riding his stallion on my left, glanced at me with a pensive expression on his face. ¡¸Namrick: I think they were¡­ their armor had a familiar design but they had removed the insignia.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: You guys should have waited for me¡­¡¹ I said, biting down the unpleasantness of having been left behind. ¡¸Namrick: Sorry¡­ but the quest was urgent, we had to leave with the organized group.¡¹ He averted his gaze. ¡¸Allen: You split from the main group and let yourselves get surrounded. I would''t have done that, not with caravans slowing me down. I''d have fight along the soldiers.¡¹ Even if Noirdant¡¯s army had a slightly different style of combat, my military mage training could still increase the soldiers¡¯ effectiveness. Despite the anti-magic equipment, there was much a magician could provide for aggravating the foe. And if everything fails you could always bash craniums with a mace. At least until I become a proper magician like Violet. ¡¸Namrick: I know¡­ We were following the painted carriage away from the conflict. We were actually on a group of six carriages and one hundred and fifty combatants¡­¡¹ Grastel picked up from there. ¡¸Grastel: Yeah, but the caravan horses panicked and we ended up being separated.¡¹ ¡¸Namrick: We didn¡¯t expect they would press us so hard¡­ and for what?! Looting scraps from injured people?¡¹ It was indeed weird. The bandits should have seen the caravans only held helpless people and scraps. I could only think of another reason. ¡¸Allen: I think I know why. They were probably looking for the ones inside the painted carriage.¡¹ Grastel lifted an eyebrow while Namrick frowned. ¡¸Grastel: The painted carriage? But we were told it was just a merchant family running away from the conflict.¡¹ I smiled. ¡¸Allen: Or was it? I think it was royals or very important nobles at the least.¡¹ Why else would a bunch of trained soldiers-turned-bandits with obsidian lacquer waste men and effort harassing a caravan full of injured people? They were looking for someone. Maybe they thought the people they sought were hiding among the wounded. ¡¸Allen: Hmmm¡­ just a question. Who made the decision to follow the carriage?¡¹ ¡¸Namrick: The commander of Noirdant¡¯s soldiers called the shot. They said to escort them to safety before the attack came. Why?¡¹ The carriage had left before the bandits could gain sight of it. And why not, the decision of having the caravans follow could have been to provide a diversion. Although I wasn¡¯t sure about that last part, maybe it was just my cynicism speaking. In any case, it was no coincidence that Violet had been sent this way. Grastel and Namrick had become silent. ¡ºNamrick: Are you thinking¡­¡» Namrick spoke telepathically through the ring. ¡ºGrastel: ¡­ We were used to provide a distraction?¡» ¡ºAllen: We can¡¯t know for sure. Even if it were true they wouldn¡¯t tell us, would they?¡» I shrugged. If I were a royal on the run I would lay down layers upon layers of diversions. Fuck, this is exactly why I didn¡¯t want anything to do with royalty and politics. ¡ºNamrick: If that¡¯s true¡­¡» Namrick closed his fist on the horse¡¯s bridle. He looked angry. ¡ºAllen: Guys¡­ just promise me you¡¯ll be more careful. Always plan for twice the expected and don¡¯t let others sucker you into perilous situations.¡» ¡¸Yusdrolir: Why are ya guys staring at each other, making funny faces?¡¹ The dwarf asked us while shooting confused glances from the low height of his sturdy-looking pony mount. I was surprised he didn¡¯t come on foot. I had been relieved to find everyone alive. I¡¯m sure Violet would have saved them anyway. What I¡¯m not sure was why she waited, dropping a few remarks around like it was a lesson. That hadn¡¯t been helpful at all! This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. I was reminded of the training with Vallachio. Well, at least I got to incapacitate a couple of bandits even though it was Violet who delivered the coup-de-grace. Hmm¡­ Now that I think of it, since I came here I haven¡¯t yet actually killed a single person. What would I feel when I¡¯d finally end up doing the deed? I wasn¡¯t sure if I wanted to find out. Which is why I was certain it was gonna happen sooner or later. When I don¡¯t want something, that something has a bad habit of happening. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Yes, keep ignoring me ya lanky brats.¡¹
We roused Ellin awake at the last stop before reaching Valarest. The sun had long set. ¡¸Ellin: You should have woken me earlier.¡¹ She complained, ending with a yawn. ¡¸Namrick: It¡¯s okay. You deserved some rest.¡¹ Ellin looked down and made a serious face. ¡¸Ellin: I heard you before¡­¡¹ She said in a low voice. ¡¸Ellin: ¡­ Through the ring.¡¹ ¡¸Yusdrolir: Whatcha talkin¡¯ about?.¡¹ Yusdrolir frowned, not having taken part in the previous conversation. ¡¸Ellin: It doesn¡¯t matter¡­ we saved many lives. We did the right thing.¡¹ Namrick nodded. We returned to the Guild and collected the reward for the collective quest. 5 gold coins each. To be honest I was expecting more given that the danger had been greater than advertised, but it was in line with the usual rewards.
Quest completed (Escort the evacuees) +75 EXP
Yesss.
You leveled up! You¡¯re now level 6.
YESSS! We walked outside into the quiet scenery of the city at night. The streets were empty this time, usually, there was more activity. Maybe people had been shaken by the news. Whatever. ¡¸Allen: I gained a level!¡¹ I said with satisfaction. The trio ignored my senseless statement. They had grown too used to me saying random words that had no meaning in their language while offering no explanation, so one day they just stopped asking. ¡¸Yusdrolir: What¡¯s a level?¡¹ Asked the dwarf looking between me and them. ¡¸Allen: In this case, it¡¯s an imaginary number to make myself feel good about my increasing experience.¡¹ ¡¸Yusdrolir: Uh? Like those blasted circles¡­ steps¡­ whatever magicians are always raving ¡¯bout to show off their power?¡¹ I made a mental reminder to look that up.
Quest added (Research ways to measure power)
I smiled inwardly. ¡¸Allen: No, it¡¯s more like a game to trick me into being more productive, but¡­ circles, steps? So there is a way to actually track your magical power?¡¹ I wanted to know more. ¡¸Namrick: Life is not a game.¡¹ Namrick cut in with a stern expression, derailing from the interesting topic. ¡¸Allen: Everything is a game if you look from the right perspective.¡¹ ¡¸Ellin: But still¡­¡¹ I continued. ¡¸Allen: Games aren¡¯t always about fun and giggles. Politicians play their schemes, Gods play with our lives, Namrick plays with his sword¡­¡¹ I grinned as Namrick narrowed his eyes. He was too tired to retaliate. ¡¸Allen: And I¡­¡¹ I slapped my chest. ¡¸Allen: I play my own game.¡¹ ¡¸Grastel: And what game is that?¡¹ Grastel asked skeptically. ¡¸Allen: An incremental game where I¡¯m rewarded for completing arbitrary quests and objectives while tracking my progress.¡¹ ¡¸Grastel: That sounds stupid.¡¹ Stupidly awesome. I mentally corrected my friend¡¯s statement. ¡¸Allen: You underestimate the power of instant gratification.¡¹ All people hunger for it and so do I. ¡¸Namrick: Isn¡¯t that simply deluding yourself? You need true motivation to achieve your goals or you¡¯ll just give up along the way.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Well, my dedication to magic is as true as it gets. But I know myself and what engages me.¡¹ I haven¡¯t farmed all those stupid time-sink games for nothing. I just need to reproduce that same healthy feeling of addiction. Then I won¡¯t even need to use emotion magic on myself. Or at least not as much. ¡¸Yusdrolir: I don¡¯t get it. How¡¯s that supposed to work?¡¹ Yusdrolir asked, looking at me with half a frown. ¡¸Allen: Magic. My ring can do many things, like tracking my progress, take notes, do calculations and more.¡¹ The dwarf grunted, unconvinced. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Magic tools can do two or three things well, at best.¡¹ He crossed his arms. ¡¸Allen: I can make them do all things well. Speaking of which, you should bring me a ring to enchant so I can give you one of my cool creations.¡¹ Yusdrolir shook his head. ¡¸Yusdrolir: No thanks, I¡¯m good. My equipment is fine as it is. Besides, yer magic didn¡¯t look like much, to be honest.¡¹ He must be reminiscing about that embarrassing sand elemental episode. It¡¯s true that I still haven¡¯t mastered any powerful spells, but what I lack in power I can make up in utility. ¡¸Allen: Fine then, I guess you¡¯ll remain oblivious to our secret conversations then.¡¹ ¡¸Yusdrolir: Secret conv¨C wait a second¡­¡¹ He narrowed his eyes, a glint of understanding flickering behind them. ¡¸Yusdrolir: You mean¡­ all those times ye were looking at each other, making funny faces, while I thought yer noggins were leaking brain¡­¡¹ I grinned. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Burn me! I don¡¯t want to be left out. Ya, damn lanky scoundrels.¡¹ He said grumpily, but I could read the pleading behind the lines. I knew deep down he was afraid of being left behind. ¡¸Allen: It¡¯s decided, then. Bring me a ring to enchant, possibly above normal silver.¡¹ The dwarf nodded. ¡¸Yusdrolir: I will.¡¹ He took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. ¡¸Yusdrolir: It¡¯s late¡­ See ya all tomorrow!¡¹ I waved goodbye to the dwarf and noticed that Namrick was staring toward the horizon. I wondered what he was thinking about. Probably swords. Grastel and Ellin were both yawning. ¡¸Allen: I guess it¡¯s time for us to return to the inn.¡¹ The trio nodded in agreement and we walked in silence through the empty streets. When we reached the front door of the inn I suddenly remembered something I had been wanting to ask in a long time. ¡¸Allen: Oh¡­ by the way. What does skraggin mean?¡¹ The Arstei dictionary had failed me. Perhaps it was a foreign word. Namrick and Grastel smiled at each other. Ellin spoke, lifting her chin slightly. ¡¸Ellin: Hmm, we might answer if you answer us this¡­ What does fucking mean?¡¹ I froze my expression to the standard corporate face with a faint smile. ¡¸Allen: ¡­ Your young minds are not ready to understand such transcendental knowledge.¡¹ I said dramatically and walked inside, ignoring their unconvinced stares. I had already figured that skraggin was an insult and I prided myself in the ability to discern cussing, despite the language barriers. But I still didn¡¯t know the exact meaning. Likewise, the trio must have figured out that my favorite swearword was, in fact, a swearword. But they couldn¡¯t be sure, for all they know it¡¯s a conjunctive. I sure use it like one. I will not lose in this battle of wills! As I opened the door to my room I suddenly remembered I hadn¡¯t explained Ellin how to run the lucid dream inducing app. I stopped and glanced at her as she was passing next to me. ¡¸Allen: Ah Ellin¡­ when you go to bed, remember to keep the ring on and think ¡¾RUN LUCID_DREAMER.EXE¡¿ with Intent. Try it now. You¡¯ll know if you did it right.¡¹
Background process started. Monitoring sleep pattern¡­
As a cue, the ring gave me the notification. ¡¸Allen: It''ll activate an application that helps you lucid dream. Let me know how it works and don¡¯t forget to practice.¡¹ She nodded and smiled then attempted to activate the app. ¡¸Ellin: I see it! Thank you and good night! I''ll let you know how it went.¡¹ I nodded back and stepped inside, where I got rid of my armor and hit the bed like a dead weight. This would be the last adventure for a while. It was almost winter anyway, so I expected the whole adventuring business to quiet down. And, if what I heard was true, the war would slow to a crawl until the ice melted. That meant I had two months to help develop magic weapons to push back the next assault of the demons and their armies. I was also curious about that thing about magical power Yusdrolir had mentioned. Circles, steps, whatever they meant. My status system was still stuck in an uncompleted stage because I needed to figure what formulas to use. Perhaps that topic could help me clear my doubts. I had read many books in the library about increasing mana and mana efficiency, but it had not occured to me to ask the librarians if they had anything about the classifications of magic power. I usually prefer practical things over the theoretical. So much to do... I sighed. I closed my eyes and slept. Chapter 63: Baridmors Twelve Steps to Power I had a horrible dream. I was at my boss¡¯s party where there were many famous people. I felt completely out of place. Everyone was calling me chairman because I knocked out that guy using an office chair. My arm muscles were still a little sore for exceeding their capabilities. I guess I must thank my boss¡¯s secretary for leaking the gossip faster than light. Damn her. We were in some kind of nightclub. There were annoying music, chaotic lights, and pretty half-naked pole dancing girls. The latter was the only pro. The other almost positive thing is that those nutjobs didn¡¯t talk about boring mundane things like my coworkers. No¡­ famous people were all fucking crazy. They raved about their inane experiences, drugs parties, and orgies. I kept my straight corporate face on and tried not to run away screaming from that nest of insanity. Were they telling me all that so they had a reason to murder me afterward? I was especially wary of one silent guy who had been introduced to me as a politician. He had the serial killer face, that one. Thankfully, the dream skipped some parts of the experience, among some of my blunders, and I woke up before long. I debated whether to classify it as a nightmare or just as a bad memory. That had been the first of many wasted nights I could have better spent playing with my clan mates or watching a good movie. I think even a bad movie would have been better. The pole dancing girls and the booze could only do so much, the surreal atmosphere and the uneasy company prevented me to get any enjoyment out of it. Especially that creepy politician guy. I swear he was stealing glances at me. I don¡¯t know why my boss was so dead set in bringing me around. I faked enjoyment out of politeness, but if anything, whatever dream of fame and glory I still had in my bleak outlook of life, it was lost hearing these people¡¯s tales. Better to remain a nobody than becoming one of them. Just imagine¡­ you¡¯re eating at a restaurant and you take a moment to walk to the toilet because you can¡¯t keep it any longer. But as you start approaching your destination, suddenly a fan appears asking for your signature and showering you with dumb questions. Then another and another, while all you wanted was just to take a fucking piss. Paparazzi hiding under the rocks, people gossiping about you. What a nightmare. I would probably have punched them all in the face, ruining my career and flat-lining my public image. I stared at the ceiling for some time, feeling too lazy to get up. I had to ¡¾Resolve¡¿ myself to rise from the bed. I joined the trio for breakfast. Namrick and Ellin looked in a sour mood and weren¡¯t eating their food with the usual enthusiasm, unlike Grastel who had no qualms in eagerly filling his belly. Ellin said she had experienced a disturbing nightmare about headless people chasing her while blood rose from the ground. She woke the moment she became lucid and spent the rest of the night awake in fear of slipping back to that same dream. It sounded like a pretty mild nightmare to me but I refrained from making more headless jokes, this time. I still reminded her that she should use lucid nightmares to practice her dream control. Namrick¡­ Well, he didn¡¯t feel like talking. Was he still seething about losing in sword skills? I excused myself and walked toward the Academy, Grastel joined me for a short walk. ¡¸Allen: What¡¯s the deal with Namrick? Why is he so gloomy today?¡¹ I asked out of curiosity. Grastel grinned and answered. ¡¸Grastel: Heh¡­ there¡¯s more than one reason. One I¡¯m not telling but you can figure it out. The other, well¡­¡¹ He turned serious. ¡¸Grastel: You see, Namrick is a good guy. He holds back when it comes to harming other people¡­ He could have delivered several killing blows against those bandits, but he hesitated instead trying to incapacitate them. I admire his spirit¡­¡¹ That lingering pause was obviously inviting a ¡®but¡¯. ¡¸Allen: But?¡¹ He averted his gaze. ¡¸Grastel: ¡­ But when your life is on the line, you can¡¯t afford to hesitate. I learned that the hard way.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: You mean, you killed people before?¡¹ Grastel walked in silence for some time. ¡¸Grastel: ¡­ I¡¯m not proud of it.¡¹ He said with a faint shrug. ¡¸Allen: Do you ever regret it? Taking someone¡¯s life.¡¹ Would I? He shot me a glance. ¡¸Grastel: You never killed anyone, did you?¡¹ He guessed right. ¡¸Allen: No¡­ Not yet. I only killed monsters and hunted animals.¡¹ I admitted. ¡¸Grastel: The first time is the worst. But if you have no other choice, and it is to protect yourself and the ones you care about, you won¡¯t regret it. That¡¯s what I tell myself, at least¡­¡¹ He glanced to his left. ¡¸Grastel: I¡¯m turning here¡­ Bye.¡¹ He restored his usual grin and made to turn. I gave him a shoulder slap for encouragement. ¡¸Grastel: Ah, come and train with us once a while!¡¹ He added returning the slap. ¡¸Allen: One of these days.¡¹ I promised before resuming my walk. I wasn¡¯t sure I would be able to train seriously against them. I mean, my fighting prowess mainly consisted into bashing skulls to a pulp. But I could try. We had done it in the recruit training, although I felt like I learned more the hard way with Vallachio. We¡¯ll see how it goes, I guess.
I attended the lessons at the Academy. In the Alchemy class, we were given the recipe for ¡¾Night Sight Potion¡¿, which would be the topic of the exam. Some of the reagents required were expensive and the time to practice too strict. I had planned to take the exam in the next round, so¡­ whatever. One of the things that bothered me in Alchemy was the lack of a clear standard in measurements. It all felt so approximative. No flask or cup was created equal, you had to get a feel for your own equipment when it came down to dosages. A pinch of this, a half a cup of that, a spoonful of Merriam¡¯s certified alchemist¡¯s spoon¡­ I did not like it. Not at all. Grohm¡¯s lessons continued bearing fruits. He made me analyze a dozen enchanted tools asking me to figure out their usage. For many of them, I drew a blank, simply because I had never encountered the type of magic they contained. Spells are like flavor, you can taste it in your mouth but that alone won¡¯t help you decipher the single ingredients, especially if you never saw them firsthand. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. I inquired about the vertical farming project. I was disappointed in hearing that Lord Tareus was repurposing the project so he could grow fresh produce to sell to the nobility, but Grohm assured me that there would be no shortages of food. He didn¡¯t expand on the reason. I hoped he was right but my sense of bad management decisions was ringing at full swing. Well, in any case, I was safe. I had built a simple freezer for me and Corgas so we could stockpile our reserves. It sucked a lot of mana to keep running, at least until the temperatures dropped. For the moment, we had to regularly pay magicians to fill up the Aetherium crystals we used as batteries, but I think it was worth it. Finally, I stopped at the Academy¡¯s library and asked a librarian for books about magic power classifications and something that listed the prominent Gods. He gave me three books. The first was ¡¾Baridmor¡¯s Twelve Steps to Power¡¿. It sounded like some kind of scammy self-help advertising, but I read it anyway. What I learned was that a magician¡¯s potential power was directly related his own body mass, more or less. The amount of mana one could hold depended on height and muscular tone. Body fat had little to no effect on the capability to store mana. The other interesting bits were that, depending on how dense one¡¯s own mana was, the magician would gain some perks along with the increased mana. A Step was basically one full volume of your mana body. The first Step would be when you reached the level where you couldn¡¯t hold more mana without it overflowing. The subsequent Steps were based on how many times you could hold that amount. Then there were the Circles. Every fourth Step there would be a jump in the range you could manifest magical effects. Sudden jumps¡­ like electron orbitals? In total there where twelve Steps and three Circles. Upon reaching the last step in the current Circle, the difficulty in taking the next Step would increase several times. Why twelve? It seemed to be a physical limit. I guess you can only hold so many atmospheres inside your spiritual body. The perks that you could gain were directly related to how much mana you were holding inside. The denser your mana, the more aware the spiritual body. Consuming all your mana would temporarily turn you into an ordinary human. Mana is the life source of spirit beings after all. The benefits were astounding, resistance to diseases, increased lifespan, slowed down aging, faster healing¡­ the spirit body would gradually grow becoming able to actively assist the magician. This is indeed like Cultivation. Not exactly like in the novels, but close. The problem was making your spirit strong enough to hold all that mana without rupturing. How to do so had been conveniently left out, with only an exhortation to seek the assistance of a certified practitioner. This book was indeed advertisement for this long dead Baridmor. What followed were historical records of people who had walked the Steps, how long they had lived and what they could do. There were also mentions of how the dwarves would grow naturally into the second Step, while elves into the third Step. There were also mentions of their lifespan if they were mana dead or had a damaged spirit. Now it all made sense. This is why they lived longer than humans! Without mana, even they would have a shorter lifespan. They still lived longer by a decade or two, but the true trick to their long life was the same. More mana. Humans started disadvantaged but they too could reach the peak with the same benefits. The oldest human magician on record had lived for 1819 years, while the oldest elf died 2160 years old. That was a lot in both cases, even though, it had to be noted, they had capped their magic potential. That was important information, I wrote it all down inside my ring. I could use these numbers to extrapolate a formula. Those jumps every fourth Step seemed like one of the pivotal parts of the equation. Only one thing was making me uncomfortable. This classification of Steps and Circles was so¡­ dull. I wanted something cooler sounding. I moved to the second book. This one was about how magic power was ranked in different cultures around the world and various short biographies of their renowned magicians. Between those pages I found what I was looking for, I grinned the moment I read it. The Ashan people had come up with just the right nomenclature. I took notes.
Realm Rank Title
Mortal Realm 1 Awakened
2 Adept
3 Master
4 Grandmaster
Heavenly Realm 5 Ascendant
6 Enlightened
7 Exalted
8 Transcendent
Transcendental Realm 9 Sage
10 Peerless
11 Saint
12 Living God
Yeah, now we¡¯re talking. This was a proper Cultivation ranking. Look at those boastful titles, I already feel more motivated. I hoped the librarian did not see me grinning like a damn idiot. The third book was the one about Gods, it was pretty short so I breezed through it. So let¡¯s see¡­ The five Greater Light Gods are¡­ AnAn, The First Spirit, God of Existence, aka The Sleeping God (there were no record of anyone succeeding in communicating with it) AnAlher, Elven Goddess of Nature (currently standing very low in my rankings) AnHelm, Spirit God of Virtue (also known as the Silent God) AnDareth, Dwarven God of Crafting (a midget Hephaestus, heh) AnTarran, Human God of Martial Mastery (dislikes mages) Dislikes mages. I narrowed my eyes at that. Then their major counterparts, the five Greater Dark Gods are¡­ ExFeras, Demon God of Nightmares (Fear) EsArix, Demon Goddess of Pain and Pleasure (sounds like she¡¯s into BDSM) EsUlmar, Elven God of Pride ExDriel, Spirit God of Envy Wait¡­ Where¡¯s the fifth? I glanced back at the previous passage. ¡­ the four Greater Dark Gods are¡­ I sighed. The tiredness was getting to me. One passage, in particular, caught my eye. A God shapes the will of its believers as much as the believers shape their God. But a believer can, with effort, align himself with any God of his choosing, while a God cannot choose his believers. So, not only these Gods snoop into your mind, they also project their insecurities onto their believers. Is this why Namrick is so butthurt when I say that he¡¯s basically a combat mage? Is AnTarran projecting his dislike for magicians onto him? Namrick is all about swordsmanship, so ending up aligned with the God of Martial Mastery wasn¡¯t exactly a surprising outcome. Fucking Gods. Not you Creator. Please don¡¯t kill me. Thanks. I finished the book and gave it back to the librarian who walked off in pursuit of their rightful places. I eagerly walked back to the inn and secluded myself in my room with some food as fuel. I wanted no distractions. I was pumped about Cultivation so I started doing the math using the calculator in my ring. I approximated my likely mana body volume, the ranks were the density, so multiplying them together would give me the mana mass. Then¡­ the casting range is a sphere¡­ there was a formula to calculate the radius from a mass, what was it? It took me some time to remember what it was, but I figured it out. After several adjustments to take into account the actual range and the jumping growth from the three Circles/Realms, I was reasonably satisfied with the fidelity. Nothing would stop me from better refining the formulas in the future. It was time to put it to test. I fed the information to the ring and manually adjusted the parts my ¡¾Magic Constructs¡¿ couldn¡¯t handle on their own. I rubbed my hands and called up the window I had built for mana related information. ¡¾SHOW MANA STATUS¡¿
Mana: 117/133 Cast range: 3.3 m Mana volume: 74 Mana density: 0.6 Mana efficiency: 0.6 Mana regen: 0.67 mana/min Mana drain: -0.12 mana/min
I thought my mana density was higher but this is the value my Constructs were getting from the spirit body. Mana efficiency was self-explanatory, it would reach 1 once my spirit body learned to cast spells without wasting mana. According to Gregoris, without ¡¾Aura Control¡¿ the density wouldn¡¯t go above one, if not by a small margin. I wondered what Ellin¡¯s stats were. She had been practicing since she was younger but she had never been taught how to control her aura. I should teach her, while I try climbing the Ranks of the Mortal Realm.
Quest completed (Research ways to measure power) +25 EXP
Feels good. Spurred by my achievements I pulled more numbers out of the blue to give my status window a more proper look, then called up the status window. ¡¾SHOW STATUS¡¿
Allen Smith Age: 30 LV: 6 Class: Yes-man Informagic Developer HP: 240/240 MP: 118/133 SP: 50/62 Magic Stats Rank: 0.6 (Mortal) Cast range: 3.3 m Skills -Magic- Alchemy: Lv 3 Anti-Magic Field: Lv 1 Aura Control: Lv 2 Force Field: Lv 4 Hallucination: Lv 4 Illusion: Lv 3 Mana Infusion: Lv 5 Hardening: Lv 6 Projecting Emotion: Lv 3 Proxy Magic: Lv 10 (Oathbound) Spirit Walking: Lv 2 Temperature Manipulation: Lv 4 Telekinesis: Lv 1 Triggers: Lv 9 -Combat- Military Techniques: Lv 3 Maces: Lv 4 Swords: Lv 2 Spears: Lv 2 Shields: Lv 2 Unarmed: Lv 3 -Other- Corporate/Poker Face: Lv 9 Drawing: Lv 2 Storytelling: Lv 1 Developer: Lv 10 Engineering: Lv 4 Oneironautics: Lv 6 Cooking: Lv 8 Cynicism: Lv 10 Sarcasm: Lv 10 Swearing: Lv 10 Ma¨C
TOO MANY FUCKING SKILLS! Besides, there was no way my cooking was at level 8. At best it could be 6 or 7. I had to come up a way to filter out the excess skills. But whatever, today I did good work. A strong lethargy overcame my senses. I had completely lost track of time. I think¡­ yes¡­ I¡¯ll take a little nap. Fighting the sleepiness and blurring vision, I walked the unending distance toward my bed and slumped in its soft embrace. I closed my eyes and slipped into a dreamless sleep. Chapter 64: Resolve Abuse A knock on the door woke me up. It had to to be Namrick¡¯s breakfast signal. I opened my eyes. Is it day already? I stared at the ceiling. I felt really unmotivated today. I should probably get up. I didn¡¯t move a millimeter. Well, maybe another five minutes. ¡¸¡­¡¹ No, I had many things to do, I couldn¡¯t afford to vegetate in bed. I knew just the thing. ¡¾Reso¨C ¡¸¡­¡¹ Ok, it¡¯s just a fluke, Allen. Let¡¯s try it again. ¡¾Res¨C Nothing. I just couldn¡¯t put my heart in it. Too bothersome. I slowly became aware of my rumbling empty stomach and my full bladder. All stuff that required immediate attention which I could not bother with. This is not looking good. I considered. I should probably call for help. ¡¸Allen: Hmmrbgffhh.¡¹ Welp. Maybe I could just abandon my dignity and let the bladder empty itself. Who needs dignity anyway? Well, kidney failure is always an option. My empty stomach filed another grumbling complaint to remind me I was starving. I moved my eyes a fraction. Man, was that bathroom always so far? Emotion magic wasn¡¯t gonna save me from this one. Perhaps I shouldn¡¯t have abused it. Nah, a little healthy breakdown once a while can only temper my will. I remained still for some time. What was it that the teacher was warning us about¡­ Ah, right. Ending up like a vegetable and wasting away. That doesn¡¯t sound so bad¡­ Plants have it easy. No taxes, no jobs, no contracts, no bothersome human interactions. Just vegetating without a care in the world. Is it too late to become a plant? No! I need help I need¡­ I looked toward my right hand. Ring! Do something!
Quest Added (Rise from the bed)
I slowly rolled from the bed to the floor. *THUMP!* This is what I call progress.
Quest Completed (Rise from the bed) +1 EXP
So stingy.
Quest Added (Walk to the bathroom)
Whoa there, that¡¯s too much. I already gave up.
Quest Updated (Walk to the bathroom: take one step toward the bathroom)
Okay, this is manageable. One step. Ezpz. I took a deep breath. I can do it. Despite the urge to remain still, I managed to stand up and make a step. I stopped. The bathroom still looked so distant.
Achievement Obtained (Even the longest journey begins with a single step)
Fuck you. Damned sassy ring. Lucky for it, I was in no condition to dismantle it.
Quest Updated (Walk to the bathroom: take another step)
I groaned. This was gonna be a very long day. Eventually, I walked out of my room. Then I reached the staircase. Oh no¡­ I stared long and hard the stairs. They were mocking me with their effort wasting requirements.
Quest Added (Walk down the stairs)
I should ask the innkeeper to build a chute, more efficient. Walking down required too many useless movements¡­ I had a better idea. I rolled down the stairs, hardening my flesh with mana to reduce damage. *TOMP, CLONK, THUMP*
Quest Failed (Walk down the stairs)
¡¸Allen: Hrrmphmf.¡¹ Hurts¡­ Yes! Pain will spur me into action! I stood up. My three young friends had stopped eating and were looking at me with confused expressions. ¡¸Ellin: Allen¡­ are you well?¡¹ Ellin asked with concern. I grunted in reply.
Quest Added (Have breakfast)
I walked slowly, taking a deep breath every step, and sat down the chair before my plate. Ox eye eggs. I eyed the cutlery and the plate. Too many wasted movements. I let my face fall next to the plate. ¡¸Namrick: Allen!¡¹ My aim was true, I landed on the side with my mouth close to the eggs. I pushed the eggs into my open mouth with a touch of ¡¾Telekinesis¡¿. Maximum efficiency. I would have smiled, but that required moving more muscles and I didn¡¯t feel like it. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡¸Grastel: What¡¯s wrong with him?¡¹ Grastel was poking me with a finger. I grumbled at him, then I noticed Ellin had moved closer and was inspecting me. ¡¸Ellin: I don¡¯t know, he doesn¡¯t look hurt¡­ poison?!¡¹ She looked worried. ¡¸Allen: Hmmffrngl.¡¹ I explained my situation concisely. Ellin frowned and put her hand around my head. ¡¸Ellin: My ¡¾Cure Poison¡¿ is not having any effect¡­ but I feel something wrong. It could be magic related.¡¹ She said, removing her hands. ¡¸Grastel: He seems almost catatonic¡­¡¹ I ignored Grastel and focused my attention on the glass of milk next to my plate. My friends had filled it for me. Heartwarming. ¡¸Namrick: What do we do?¡¹ I used telekinesis to topple the glass over the plate then lazily slurped the collected liquid. Basic body needs, fulfilled.
Quest Completed (Have breakfast) +2 EXP
Unbeknownst to the trio, I was winning all the battles against the encroaching apathy.
Quest Added (Defeat the encroaching apathy)
¡¸Grastel: We should probably stop him from making a mess of things. Mister won¡¯t be happy about that spilled milk and the eggs remain over the table¡­¡¹ ¡¸Ellin: We need a specialist, I know someone¡­ Namrick help me carry him!¡¹ She suddenly exclaimed. ¡¸Namrick: Sure!¡¹ Strong arms wrapped around me. Namrick tossed me on his shoulders. No! I want to rest on the table. Who knew hardwood could be so comfy. ¡¸Allen: Hrmmff!¡¹ I complained intelligibly but then relaxed. Wait, I don¡¯t have to move. Efficient. Ellin led the way, while I studied Valarest¡¯s paved roads hanging from the heights of Namrick¡¯s shoulders.
¡¸Specialist: Hmmm¡­ It¡¯s clear. This is the rebound from excessive use of emotion magic, more specifically, ¡¾Resolve¡¿.¡¹ No shit! It¡¯s what I¡¯ve been saying from the very beginning! ¡¸Allen: Hngrmm hpffmmm!¡¹ If only my stupid mouth could be bothered to actually turn the thoughts into words. ¡¸Specialist: This is a rather severe case. I¡¯m surprised your friend managed to get up from bed¡­ ¡¾Resolve¡¿ abuse can be very dangerous if there¡¯s nobody around to help the patient when the rebound hits. It always happens suddenly.¡¹ Ellin shot an angry glance at me. It was brimming with I-told-you-so. ¡¸Ellin: What can be done?¡¹ She asked looking back at the gray-haired man with a shaved face, except for those bushy sideburns. ¡¸Specialist: It usually takes a whole week of complete rest before the body starts recovering its normal faculties, and then it depends on the individual, usually four to six more days¡­¡¹ Too much! ¡¸Allen: Hmm mmh!¡¹ ¡¸Specialist: ¡­ But there are also decoctions based on Viridian leaves that can lessen the effect of the rebound. No need to say, further use of emotion magic should be absolutely forbidden during the recovery. I¡¯ll write you down the suggested dosages.¡¹ The man wrote something on a piece of paper and gave it to Ellin. ¡¸Ellin: Thank you, master Edelrac.¡¹ The man smiled and nodded. ¡¸Specialist: Always a pleasure. Please give my regards to your father.¡¹ ¡¸Ellin: I will!¡¹ Ellin bowed courteously, then she nodded to Namrick who put me back on his shoulder. We left the specialist¡¯s office and were back on the streets. I can¡¯t spend a whole week resting, I gotta start the contract¡¯s job soon. I considered watching the ground moving beneath me. Violet will have my hide! ¡¸Ellin: I told you to be careful!¡¹ Ellin reproached me while jabbing a finger at my sides. She put more emphasis than usual, it almost hurt. ¡¸Allen: Mmnff.¡¹ The irritation gave me a faint stimulus clearing the apathy for a split second. And then it was back. Pain. Pain is the key. ¡¸Grastel: So¡­ Are we going to have to lug Allen around all day? I mean, sure. He looks like an interesting conversation topic, doesn¡¯t he?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Ngrrm!¡¹ He grinned insufferably. ¡¸Namrick: We could bring him along to the training grounds so he can see how we practice and we can keep an eye on him.¡¹ While the trio discussed what to do with me, something across the road caught my attention. Here in Valarest, there was a variant to the three shells game. They called it the ¡°pain ring cup¡±. The rules were to hold a wooden cup full of water and then putting on the ring, which was enchanted with pain-inducing spells while attempting not to spill the liquid. If you won, you¡¯d get twice what you paid. It was a scam, no normal person could avoid the spasming. The scammer also had one or more accomplices that would take part in the game to make it look like it was possible to win, but they¡¯d be actually using an unenchanted ring. Despite the obvious scam, people still fell for it. Just like in my world. People are dumb. None of that really mattered to me. Pain. Key. I used all my effort but I managed to give a couple of pats on Namrick back to catch his attention. ¡¸Namrick: Hmmm? Need anything, Allen?¡¹ He stopped and tilted his head toward me. ¡¸Allen: Nhrrm.¡¹ I pointed a finger at the scam artists. Grastel and Ellin, who had stopped as well, glanced at me and at the direction I was pointing. ¡¸Grastel: Why is he pointing at the pain ring cup scammers? You know it¡¯s a scam, right?¡¹ I jabbed again my finger at the air. The effort was monumental. ¡¸Namrick: Let¡¯s take a look.¡¹ Namrick said with a quick shrug. The scammer looked at us approaching and gave an annoying smile. The small crowd of spectators parted to let us through. ¡¸Scammer: Good morning gentlemen! Would you care to wage a silver?¡¹ Namrick looked at me. ¡¸Allen: Hrrnnng.¡¹ I pointed at the ring in the man¡¯s hand. ¡¸Grastel: He wants to play?¡¹ Ellin shot me a puzzled look. ¡¸Ellin: Are you sure? Why would you¡­¡¹ ¡¸Namrick: Let him try.¡¹ Namrick said. ¡¸Namrick: Can you stand?¡¹ I grunted positively and he set me down. I faced the scammer. ¡¸Scammer: One silver for ten breaths and you¡¯ll earn it twice back! Dare to try?¡¹ Shut the fuck up and give me that fucking ring. ¡¸Allen: Hrmm ffp gmm hrnnng.¡¹ ¡¸Grastel: Now I¡¯m curious, I¡¯ll pay the coin.¡¹ Grastel grinned and produced a silver coin from his purse. The scammer greedily accepted it. And sized me up, probably anticipating his win. ¡¸Scammer: Very well! Very well! And now gentlemen the trial!¡¹ He made a lot of useless hand-moving before he gave me the wooden cup full of water. I took it on my right and raised the left to have him put the stupid ring on. Come on, I don¡¯t have all day. Actually, I did. No! Keep it together. He grinned and made more flourishes then finally slid the ring on my finger. FINALLY! I was washed over by jolts of pain. Which turned into anger. Which turned into fuel against the apathy. Somehow I even managed to keep the cup still. ¡¸Allen: AAGH! FUCK!¡¹ I yelled suddenly, startling the scammer a little. It hurt, but compared to that time with the demon, this was nothing. I could manage it. I stared at the man and asked kindly. ¡¸Allen: RING. WANT.¡¹ I grunted, feeling my brow spasming and my muscles twitching. The scammer took a step back and shielded himself with his arms. ¡¸Scammer: Who-whoa! B-Battle rager?!¡¹ *CRACK!* I failed in controlling my rage and reduced the wooden cup to splinters. Water sprinkled around propelled by the suddenness of my tightening fist. The scammer paled and walked another step back, looking left and right as if seeking an escape route. ¡¸Allen: RING! HRGN. BUY!!¡¹ The man flinched back further, worry painted on his face. ¡¸Scammer: N-NO! SO-SORRY!¡¹ Stop walking back I¡¯m trying to buy the fucking ring! I stomped hard on the paved ground to release some tension. I thought I heard a few tiles breaking but I didn¡¯t check. ¡¸Allen: SIX SILVVVGRRR!¡¹ I yelled out my offer, waving my hands in frustration. ¡¸Scammer: A-A-AAhhHH!¡¹ He yelped and bolted away. I gritted my teeth and looked at the crowd, they were gawking at me with dumb bewildered eyes. ¡¸Allen: WHAT?!¡¹ I shouted politely. They all broke into a run like frenzied chickens. I hate people. I turned around to face the trio. ¡¸Namrick: Allen, you¡¯re making one hell of a scary face.¡¹ Namrick stated. I touched my face. Well, thanks. My muscles were spasming, my brows twitching and yes¡­ it was possible that my face was contorted in some kind of grimace. ¡¸Ellin: You can walk and talk¡­¡¹ Ellin stared open-mouthed. ¡¸Allen: Can. Manage.¡¹ I grunted in reply, pressing my lips while I attempted to control my rage. Grastel doubled down. ¡¸Grastel: Ah-hahaha! That was a silver coin well spent.¡¹ He beamed. Insufferable. I stared at the ring on my tightly clenched left fist. I didn¡¯t remember clenching the left. I was feeling the impending urge to punch something. ¡¸Namrick: So, huh¡­ Need another ride?¡¹ Namrick asked, scratching his head while wondering what my next move would be. Punchin¨C No. ¡¸Allen: Walk. Good.¡¹ Stomping hard on the ground would help but I had to do something about the ring before I went berserk and started hurting people or things. I slammed one foot forward, loudly. Then another. ¡¸Allen: Good. See?¡¹ My friends did not look completely convinced but it was just a mistaken impression caused by all the spasms and twitching.
Quest Completed (Defeat the encroaching apathy) +15 EXP
Chapter 65: Training grounds ¡¸Ellin: This is stupid, I¡¯m taking this ring¡­¡¹ Before I could react, Ellin had already slid the pain-inducing ring off. ¡¸Allen: No! I must enchammmrm.¡¹ My complaint died down in my throat as I lied down on the cold ground. The apathy quickly swallowed up all my energy. I was betrayed. Et tu, Ellin? ¡¸Ellin: You¡¯re not doing anything before I get you the medication.¡¹ I grumbled in return. Namrick sighed and loaded me back again on his shoulders. ¡¸Namrick: Everyone¡¯s staring at us¡­¡¹
Namrick and I were the first to reach the training grounds. Ellin had taken a detour to get some Viridian leaves while Grastel had gone to the Guild to meet up with Yusdrolir. The place was just outside the city walls, as big as a football field with training dummies, archery targets, and various stuff sprawled on the grass and bare ground. It had a shoddy self-managed look, but then I¡¯m not sure what I was expecting. There were about twenty grownups plus half a dozen kids playing around with wooden swords. My friend unloaded me on a wooden bench and started training with other sword guys. Why am I here? Watching others fight while vegetating on a bench wasn¡¯t my idea of fun. It took a good half an hour before Ellin arrived, followed later by Grastel and the dwarf. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Good morning everyone!¡¹ Yusdrolir eyed me. ¡¸Yusdrolir: So you got done in by your own magic, huh?¡¹ He looked amused. ¡¸Allen: Hgrmpmrr.¡¹ I said, thinking about shrugging my shoulders but making no movement. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Magicians.¡¹ He said, shaking his head while smiling under his beard. That''s rich coming from an alcoholic dwarf. I was focusing all my efforts on sipping the bitter-and-sour decoction that Ellin had prepared on the spot, thanks to heat magic. Grastel strutted around after hitting three targets in one strike. I was certain he was subconsciously using magic to make them fly on the correct path. I was about to wonder about the differences in learning the passive and active use of mana, but it was too much of a bother. Instead, I slowly degenerated from a sitting position to sprawled on the bench, while watching my friends go on about their activities. Namrick was sparring with Yusdrolir. Despite the small stature, the dwarf was keeping up without a sweat. Ellin was peering into the distance as if expecting someone. And someone came. A boy with blond hair I had never seen before. He waved in our direction and approached, a smile stamped on his face. Ellin beamed, returning the greeting. ¡¸Ellin: You came!¡¹ ¡¸Boy: Hi!¡¹ He noticed me, widening his eyes. ¡¸Boy: Skullcrusher!¡¹ My brow twitched. ¡¸Allen: Mmrhfrr.¡¹ He frowned. ¡¸Boy: Huh, what¡¯s wrong with him? Why is he all slumped down on that bench? Hangover?¡¹ He asked Ellin, after having given me a puzzled glance. ¡¸Ellin: Ignore him. He¡¯s paying for his stupidity.¡¹ I¡¯m right here, you know? The boy shot puzzled looks between me and my friends then shrugged and walked closer, whispering conspiratorially to my ear. ¡¸Boy: It¡¯s me, Edward!¡¹ I frowned. Edward? I may be bad at remembering people, but I was pretty sure this guy didn¡¯t look anything like the brown haired kid I had in mind. Although, the voice was vaguely familiar. ¡¸Edward: ... I¡¯m using an illusion ring.¡¹ Ah, I see. Magic. ¡¸Allen: Hmm.¡¹ He could¡¯ve said he was a prince or a god descended on earth, I would¡¯ve reacted with the same enthusiasm. ¡¸Edward: My name is Redan. Pleased to meet you!¡¹ He said out loud, making a show of shaking my limp hand. Is he still in danger? Is this necessary? I was trying to vegetate and human interaction was preventing me from reaching this important goal. Namrick coughed to catch Edward¡¯s attention, who turned to face him. ¡¸Namrick: About last time¡­ Sorry, I overdid a little.¡¹ He said, scratching his head. ¡¸Redan: No, it was my fault¡­ I overestimated my skills.¡¹ Both guys looked at the ground in an awkward silence. Ellin was the only one with a satisfied look. I¡¯m missing some kind of context here. Thinking about it was too big an effort, though. I gritted my teeth. Damn it, Ellin, give me that blasted pain ring already. The guys began training against each other while I remained stuck on the bench. It took a while, but the decoction started having an effect. I moved my mouth, emitting sensible sounds. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡¸Allen: Hey.¡¹ I could talk. Ellin glanced at me and smiled. ¡¸Ellin: Hey guys, Allen is talking again!¡¹ Yeah, what a great achievement. I ignored the faces of fake amazement. ¡¸Allen: Ellin, ring.¡¹ She frowned. ¡¸Ellin: Even if you¡¯re a battle rager I don¡¯t think it¡¯s healthy to let your body experience constant pain.¡¹ I presented my open palm impatiently. ¡¸Allen: Enchantment, adjust pain level.¡¹ She stared at me for a few moments then she sighed. ¡¸Ellin: Fine¡­ here¡¯s the ring. I still don¡¯t see how you plan to do that since the magic inside is not yours, though.¡¹ I closed my hand around the ring, extending my consciousness inside. It was true, I wouldn¡¯t be able to alter the original incantations since their mana signature was different. They would resist my touch and degrade if I attempted to do so forcefully. But I had ¡¾Proxy Magic¡¿. ¡¸Allen: Magic.¡¹ I explained. Ellin stared at me with a blank face. I just needed to link my own layer above the original enchantments with a filament of signatureless mana. I did so. I added a small construct to adjust the pain levels to my liking, nothing special. The ring had very little magic potential, so there wasn¡¯t much I could do even if I wanted. It had to be made of iron. Done! I opened my eyes and put the ring on. I had a quick spasm just before I adjusted the pain to a reasonable level. ¡¸Ellin: Are you okay?¡¹ I raised a hand to stop her, then I stood up and walked a few steps. ¡¸Grastel: Look! He can walk again!¡¹ Grastel was mocking me, I narrowed my eyes at him. ¡¸Allen: Shut up, Grastel.¡¹ He grinned. Every second was like being pierced by thousands of needles but I wasn¡¯t getting constant spasms or homicidal urges. Only a faint need to punch people. I was reminded of all the times I was forced to destroy the office phone because the client was being aggravatingly dumb. A completely reasonable and relatable occurrence. This is good. I can be functional with this. ¡¸Allen: I¡¯m good.¡¹ ¡¸Ellin: You aren¡¯t good. That can¡¯t possibly be healthy¡­ You heard what Master Edelrac said, you need rest and no emotion magic.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Not planning to use it.¡¹ ¡¸Namrick: Want to spar with us?¡¹ Namrick asked expectantly. ¡¸Ellin: He should be resting¡­¡¹ Ellin¡¯s complaint went unheeded. ¡¸Allen: Sure.¡¹ ¡¸Redan: I want to match blade with Allen!¡¹ I grunted in reply. Let¡¯s see how the rich brat can handle himself after the military training.
Quest added (Play with the kids)
We both got our wooden swords and started the duel. The constant pain was making me more suicidal so I threw myself against the opponent without hesitation. Edward smiled and swatted his sword around like a pro. Right, he¡¯s a blasted swordsman. I ¡°sacrificed¡± an arm to stop the sword blow and hit him hard with my shoulder, we landed on the ground with my sword pressing on his neck. His look of surprise was satisfying. Did you really think I would stop after you hit me?! HA! He frowned. ¡¸Redan: But I got you first¡­¡¹ ¡¸Allen: You got arm. I got head. Dead.¡¹ ¡¸Redan: Right¡­¡¹ We stood back up. ¡¸Allen: Again.¡¹ This time he was more guarded, swinging his sword and moving around as not to give me an opening to charge in, all I could do was parry and avoid the strikes. His swords skills were way superior to mine. So fucking annoying. I cast ¡¾Burn¡¿ around his hand. ¡¸Redan: Ahh!¡¹ He let the sword go and I punched him in the guts, grinning triumphantly. Edward doubled down and knelt on the grass, struggling to catch his breath. ¡¸Ellin: Ed- Redan!¡¹ Edward waved her away and stood back up, looking at me angrily. ¡¸Edward: Y-You cheated!¡¹ Grastel and Namrick looked amused by the show. ¡¸Allen: Should¡¯ve used ¡¾Hardening¡¿.¡¹ I stated, he could¡¯ve withstood the blow. ¡¸Namrick: Swordsmen use ¡¾Battle Spirit¡¿ to strengthen their attacks and defenses.¡¹ Namrick interjected, to which I rolled my eyes. ¡¸Allen: ¡¾Hardening¡¿. Magic.¡¹ ¡¸Namrick: ¡¾Battle Spirit¡¿. Vod.¡¹ I pointed my sword at Namrick. ¡¸Allen: I challenge you!¡¹ I yelled. He smiled, accepting the challenge and readied himself in position. The next moment he shot towards me. Before I could react his sword¡¯s tip was pressed at my chest, where the heart was supposed to be. He grinned. Unlike before, he was now making use of his full speed. He wanted to show off. I narrowed my eyes. ¡¸Allen: Again.¡¹ He got me again, this time his wooden sword stopping at my neck. ¡¸Allen: Again.¡¹ This time I managed to parry a blow. The moment he moved his sword back to take another swing, I put all my mana in speed and strength. Let¡¯s see how you deal with this. I slammed myself against him, grabbing his sword arm. We ended up rolling on the ground. Namrick seemed to be enjoying this. He let the sword go and attempted to perform a lock. I too had learned some hand-to-hand combat so I tried to do the same. The result was an embarrassing tangled mess. It was time for psychological warfare. ¡¸Allen: Magic.¡¹ ¡¸Namrick: Vod!¡¹ While he shouted stubbornly I got both legs free. Namrick was stronger, but¡­ I adjusted the pain ring back to maximum. ¡¸Allen: GRAAAAH!¡¹ I stood up suddenly and launched Namrick into the air using the last of my mana. ¡¸Namrick: Whoaa!¡¹ I immediately slumped down on the grass not even bothering to see his landing. No mana, no pain. No pain, no gain. ¡¸Allen: Grass. Comfy.¡¹ I muttered. Grastel was laughing in the background, clapping his hands. Namrick approached me with a smile on his face. I had managed to smear him in the dirt. ¡¸Namrick: That was fun¡­ but I don¡¯t think it would be very practical during battle.¡¹ He crossed his arms. ¡¸Namrick: You could use some sword training to better defend yourself.¡¹ He said, nodding to himself. I let Namrick enjoy his moment of superiority. In a real battle, I would use all the dirty tricks. Besides, I wasn¡¯t even at my best right now. ¡¸Edward: You guys are crazy¡­¡¹ Edward said with a bemused expression. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Gahahah! Ya see, craziness it¡¯s a common trait in our line of work, Redan.¡¹ The dwarf slapped Edward¡¯s back sending him tumbling three steps ahead. ¡¸Edward: Gaah!¡¹ Namrick extended his hand to help me back up. I grasped it, got up, and walked back to the bench. The pain ring was working, but using pain to fuel my rage came at the cost of getting physically tired sooner. I was done.
Quest completed (Play with the kids) +10 EXP
I sure showed them. I thought, smiling to myself. But Edward was not done with me. He sat next to me and began telling me of his time in the military. Evidently, he had misread my attempts at being a dick as deep and meaningful life lessons, so now a mistaken sense of comradeship was prompting him to share his experiences. I was defenseless against the verbal attack. In the end, I skipped the classes and only attended Grohm¡¯s private lesson. I ended up breaking his switch right in half since he abused it in a misled attempt to increase my attention. I thought I was safe then, but then I found out he had a whole drawer full of them. I spent the rest of the day resting on my bed, practicing nothing except to control my aura. Ironically, the apathy that prevented me from focusing on anything, was helping me reaching the unfocused state of mind Violet had talked about. Hehe, just as planned. I blatantly lied to myself. I lost myself in the mindless exercise of tightening and relaxing my aura. Somewhere along the way, I fell asleep. ¡°No! I said ¡®browser¡¯. B-R-O-W-S-E-R.¡± I repeated again, strangling the cordless phone with all my might. ¡°It¡¯s what you¡¯re using to navigate the website. Can you please tell me which one you¡¯re using? It¡¯s written there, in the title bar.¡± ¡°Title bar¡­ ?¡± The senile voice said. The phone started making creaking sounds under my crushing grip. ¡°Top¡­ left¡­¡± I was running out of patience. Why did I have to deal with this pleb that couldn¡¯t even understand the fucking basics? ¡°Internet¡­ Explorer?¡± He replied, unbearably slow. I knew it! I tried biting off the phone screen to no avail. I put the phone back to my ear. ¡°The first thing I said¡­ our new webmail does NOT support your version of the browser. There¡¯s even a pop-up when you enter, warning you and suggesting what to do.¡± ¡°Pop up? What is that?¡± The aggravating voice made another dumb question that could be answered by a three seconds search on G*ogle. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, just download C*rome or F*refox,¡± I said, the last bits of patience slipping from my fingers like fine sand. ¡°Download? Creme fair fox?¡± My face went blank. Calm down, Allen. Just take a deep breath. I took a quivering breath. ¡°Just¡­ type one of them on the search bar, the one with the URL,¡± I said, slowly and clearly. ¡°You-are-well? I don¡¯t get it¡­ I just want to read my emai¨C¡± *CRUNK!* I stared silently at the broken cordless phone in my hand. I had slammed it hard against the edge of the table in a moment of pure unadulterated seething rage. I didn¡¯t insult the client. I adhered to the protocol. I reassured myself. ¡°Whoa, what did that phone do to you?¡± Asked Richard from the cubicle on my right. ¡°One hour and a half¡­ to explain how to send a fucking email,¡± I said, grinding the phone corpse on the table to savor its demise. ¡°I see¡­ It had it coming then. Accounting will make you pay for that, though.¡± He said with a shrug, before sitting back in front of his screen. No doubt he was about to message everyone to tell them about how I had just destroyed the shitty phone. It had an anonying ringtone anyway. ¡°I can¡¯t speak to normies¡­ the language barrier is too wide,¡± I muttered to myself. It wasn¡¯t even my job. I tossed the broken scraps into the trash. I can¡¯t go on like this, I need¡­ A thought crossed my mind and I opened the email client. I scrolled down the incoming emails from the ¡°Employee¡¯s benefit¡± group. Yes¡­ That one.
Meditation and Positivity course: find your inner peace and improve your work performance.
I¡¯m desperate enough to try. I sent an email to confirm my subscription. Chapter 66: Reaching the social quota My week of freedom had flown by. As instructed, I had walked to Violet¡¯s office to get my briefing about the job. I knocked and waited. Then knocked again and waited some more. Oh no, Violet isn¡¯t here¡­ She was probably still on the eastern border. Would I get punished for not reaching my workplace, even if I didn¡¯t know where the place was? I walked back down the stairs and asked the clerk for information. Once I mentioned my name, the clerk walked off and came back with a sealed envelope addressed to me. It was from Violet. How thoughtful. I thought as I opened it. I scowled as I read the contents. I was supposed to show myself at the outer gate to the royal palace. A location I was hoping to avoid. Well, it was probably for the better that Violet wasn¡¯t here to see how I had crippled myself with emotion magic. While walking back to the inn I made a few stops. Not because I was feeling particularly sociable, but because I needed to recover my stamina and mana. The pain ring was the only thing that allowed me to walk such unbearably long distances. Also, I was trying to do better. Back in my world, the stress had turned me into a social recluse. I could endure my social quota at work with no problems, but the moment I walked out those doors, the only thing I sought was blissful solitude. I had expected to eventually become sad or depressed, something to put me back on the right track, but the years passed and no such thing ever happened. Before I realized it, the fun things had become annoying, traveling had become boring, and parties were just a bother. I often wondered if I was still human. But now I was in another world. A chance for new beginnings. I think I was doing pretty well. I even had people praising me non-sarcastically, although my cynicism would always make me doubt their motives. But that¡¯s just common sense. * Knock Knock * ¡¸Elaida: Allen! Nice to see you.¡¹ Elaida smiled as she opened the door. ¡¸Allen: Morning.¡¹ ¡¸Elaida: Please come inside.¡¹ She invited me in. I walked inside and sat down at the table. ¡¸Elaida: What are you up to?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Recovering.¡¹ I replied. ¡¸Elaida: Recovering? From what?¡¹ She said, lifting her brows. ¡¸Allen: Long walk.¡¹ I turned off the ring and relaxed as the thousands of needles stopped prickling my body. ¡¸Lena: Lala, I¡¯m bored¡­¡¹ Little Lena showed up from the other door. Upon seeing me she smiled brightly. ¡¸Lena: Uncle Allen!¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Not yo¨C¡¹ I was surprised by a hug-attack. ¡¸Allen: Hrm.¡¹ I administered one head pat and went back to vegetate, closing my eyes. ¡¸Lena: I want a story!¡¹ The child tugged my sleeve expectantly. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡¸Elaida: I think Allen is tired, you should let him rest. He said he had a long walk.¡¹ Relatively long at least. It was all a matter of perception. Even through closed eyes, I felt the pout on Lena¡¯s face. ¡¸Lena: But¡­¡¹ ¡¸Elaida: Come now, show Allen hear what you have learned. Tell me the measures of time and month names.¡¹ ¡¸Lena: Boooring¡­¡¹ She pouted. I fully agreed. Lena sighed and spoke to show off her knowledge. ¡¸Lena: A Respite is¡­ twenty-eight Breaths. Forty-two Respites make a Repose. Twenty¡­five Reposes make a day¡­¡¹ I still had to look those up, remembering numbers was never one of my strong points. My brain just throws all the similar things in the same pot. ¡¸Elaida: Yes, go on.¡¹ ¡¸Lena: The months are¡­ Alderath, Malkadreth, Eraikrath¡­ Lumarith? Saldareth, Rixoruth, Zalmerith and¡­ Niveroth!¡¹ I didn¡¯t even try to memorize them, somethingrath, whateveroth. They all sounded the same to me. I should really look into making a working calendar app. ¡¸Allen: Better than me.¡¹ I muttered a praise, keeping my eyelids closed. ¡¸Elaida: Well done Lena, now you should go finish your exercises.¡¹ ¡¸Lena: But¡­ I wanted to ask Allen a question¡­¡¹ Lena said with an imploring voice. I lazily opened my eyes and glanced at her. ¡¸Allen: Yes?¡¹ She was looking at me expectantly. ¡¸Lena: If¡­ If I study hard¡­ Can I learn magic too?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Of course. But you need motivation.¡¹ Becoming a magician meant being good at meditating. It all seemed a piece of cake on paper, yet it was surprisingly hard to get results. It doesn¡¯t surprise me that normal people give up, it takes strength to break free from the addictive internal dialogue. ¡¸Lena: And¡­ if I become a strong magician¡­¡¹ She averted her gaze, fidgeting with her fingers. ¡¸Lena: Can I¡­ Can I bring mama and p-papa b-back?¡¹ Her voice started quivering and her eyes became watery. Oh no. ¡¸Lena: A-and big bro¡­ and l-little b-bro¡­ oou-uuuuh¡­¡¹ She began sobbing, her face screwing up with sorrow. I felt bad about seeing her like that. I wrapped my right arm around her and she buried her face against my shoulder. Elaida stared with a sad expression on her face. ¡¸Allen: Sorry. Magic¡­ can¡¯t fix everything.¡¹ Lena kept crying, trying to silence her sobs. I could feel she had more she wanted to say and ask but could not find the words. I felt compelled to say something. ¡¸Allen: They... still live¡­ as long as you remember them.¡¹ I never thought I¡¯d say a line like that, but it felt right. The girl did not reply and kept quivering as she let it all out. We remained like that for a few minutes, until she stepped back, sniffing. ¡¸Lena: Sowwy¡­¡¹ She said weakly, wiping the tears from her face. ¡¸Allen: It¡¯s okay to cry¡­¡¹ ¡­ While you¡¯re still able to. She nodded while struggling to hide the grief from her face and walked away to the other room. I felt like I had been tricked into these feels. But how could I blame that child? She had put a brave face so far, but her loss was still fresh and I understood her pain. ¡¸Elaida: She¡¯s trying to be strong¡­¡¹ Elaida said looking toward the other room. ¡¸Allen: Hnn.¡¹ I resumed my rest, now weighed by the sad atmosphere. The next step was Vargas. When I reached him I found out he had hired two guards to look over his merchandise, they looked familiar. ¡¸Vargas: Allen! How can I help you?¡¹ He was pacing around the place. ¡¸Allen: Guards?¡¹ I asked pointing at the guys outside. ¡¸Vargas: Ah yes, I was about to tell you. I¡¯m thinking of leaving for some time¡­¡¹ He turned serious and sat down at his usual desk. I joined him, sitting in the other chair. ¡¸Vargas: I¡¯ve been having a bad feeling lately. I no longer feel safe here in Valarest.¡¹ He looked left and right, a slight frown perturbing his chubby face. ¡¸Allen: Hnnn.¡¹ I could relate, I always have bad feelings. ¡¸Vargas: I¡¯m planning to travel long and far, see exotic locations, and of course¡­¡¹ He brought up a familiar bunch of papers. ¡¸Vargas: ¡­ Look for your ingredients.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Hnnn.¡¹ I nodded appreciatively at his dedication. ¡¸Vargas: If they are out there, I will find them. You can count on me.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: I do.¡¹ I took out something from my pouch and extended it to my merchant friend. ¡¸Allen: For you.¡¹ Vargas examined the object with curiosity. ¡¸Vargas: What is this?¡¹ He asked poking at the object with a puzzled look. ¡¸Allen: Calculator.¡¹ This one wasn¡¯t just a ring. I had actually built the hardware beforehand, giving it a more classical shape. Basic illusion magic had been used to make the numbers appear on the display. It had been waiting on the drawer of my desk for the day I¡¯d be able to put a processor in it. That day had come. ¡¸Allen: Does the four basic math operations.¡¹ I punched the keys to show him how to use it. He was staring speechless. ¡¸Vargas: This¡­ this¡­¡¹ I had promised it to him. Grohm had also been fascinated by the idea of making a calculator anyone could use. ¡¸Allen: Uses small Aetherium crystals. Easy to recharge.¡¹ I showed him how to open the slot containing the crystal and pushed some extra mana in them. ¡¸Vargas: How¡­ how can I thank you?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Adamantium ring?¡¹ I asked. I had plans for a second ring, possibly to match with my awesome ¡¾All-ring¡¿. He shook his head. ¡¸Vargas: I¡¯m sorry, I ran out of them. Adamantium is a rare material and highly sought. But¡­¡¹ He stood up and opened a crate next to him. He rummaged for a minute before his face lit up. ¡¸Vargas: Ah, here it is.¡¹ He showed me a silvery ring. ¡¸Vargas: This one is a mithril ring. They aren¡¯t visible but there are fragments of Aetherium crystals embedded inside. I was assured it could hold roughly two-thirds of an adamantium¡¯s magic potential. It¡¯s yours.¡¹ I plucked the ring from his hand and quested it with my mind. He seemed right, there was plenty of magic potential to go around inside it. ¡¸Allen: Thanks.¡¹ I nodded. ¡¸Allen: Had long walk. Rest.¡¹ I relaxed on the chair. I was actually taking it easy. I was anxious about tomorrow, I wanted to show up in decent conditions at my new workplace. Or as decent as I could since I had barely begun recovering from the Resolve abuse. ¡¸Vargas: Suit yourself! I¡¯ll put on some tea and try out this calculator you gave me, in the meanwhile.¡¹ I took a sigh of relief. I was thankful he didn¡¯t start talking about food. The soft taps on the calculator keys reminded me of my old workplace sounds. Tomorrow was the big day. I was secretly thrilled about developing weapons against the demons. They were gonna regret stepping foot on this soil and involving Erne''s family. Chapter 67: The three enchanters ¡¸Guard: A foreigner?¡¹ The guard scowled as he read the introduction letter. ¡¸Guard: This is not forged, is it?¡¹ He eyed me with suspicion. ¡¸Allen: No.¡¹ You fucking cunt. He stared hard at me and grunted. ¡¸Guard: Wait here.¡¹ He walked off. I was standing at the outer gate to the royal palace. All the other guards were scowling at me. I remained uncomfortably still. Fucking waste of time. There was nothing like a pain ring to put you in a positive mood. Finally, the guard returned with an important looking magician. I could tell by the fancy magician-styled clothes. And the long gray beard. The magician sized me up with a glance and asked. ¡¸Magician: Allen Smith?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Yes.¡¹ I replied, nodding. He stared at me for a second, his eyes brightening up with mana. ¡¸Magician: Hmmm. Yes, the signature matches.¡¹ He nodded, stroking his wizardly long gray beard. ¡¸Magician: I am overseer Lorinthar, follow me. We have a few things to clear up before I let you join your group.¡¹ We walked to the right, across the outer courtyard. We stopped in front of an entrance to a long building. ¡¸Lorinthar: Before we start I¡¯ll need you to accept a temporary Oath.¡¹ I grimaced. Fucking Oaths. ¡¸Lorinthar: It¡¯s both to protect you and the Kingdom. Unless authorized, you¡¯ll be unable to discuss publicly what happens inside here for the following two months. I¡¯ll renew the Oath each month for as long as you remain under our employ. Is that fine?¡¹ It was as Violet had warned me about. ¡¸Allen: Fine.¡¹ Lorinthar nodded and weaved the Oath spell. I endured the unpleasant sensation and accepted the terms. Great. Another luggage to weigh down my mana regeneration. Thankfully it was only temporary. It¡¯s work. I told myself. Satisfied, the overseer escorted me inside the building, we passed several rooms with people immersed in enchanting and discussing their work, some of them shooting glances at me. The noob. The magician stopped in front of a room. He frowned, noticing its emptiness. ¡¸Lorinthar: Where d¨C¡¹ * BOOOOM * A loud sound echoed from outside. Lorinthar grimaced and took a deep breath. ¡¸Lorinthar: This way.¡¹ We walked out from the other entrance at the far end of the building, and there they were. Three people, coughing while standing around a burnt dummy. The one in the middle was holding a metallic staff with what looked like an Aetherium crystal. A fucking wizard staff! ¡¸I told you, the protective spell should go first!¡¹ ¡¸But then it cripples the fireball!¡¹ ¡¸Hrrmm!¡¹ They were arguing with each other and had yet to notice us. The overseer cleared his throat to which the three guys turned to face us, blanched and straightened their backs. ¡¸¡¸Overseer Lorinthar.¡¹¡¹ They saluted the magician, their faces turning serious. ¡¸Lorinthar: Starting today, you¡¯ll have a new colleague.¡¹ He gestured at me. ¡¸Lorinthar: He¡¯s been imparted with the knowledge of magic generators so you¡¯ll no longer need to share with the other groups.¡¹ The overseer gave me a do-your-thing look and I stepped forward. ¡¸Allen: Allen Smith.¡¹ I said, with the flat tone that my apathy provided and started shaking hands, starting from my left. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. The first was a man in his forties, with black short hair and a day old shave. ¡¸I¡¯m Bart, my specialties are spiritual displacement and spiritual energy manipulation.¡¹ The one in the middle was a younger blond guy with a sharp chin and hair parted in the middle. He looked haughty. ¡¸Klenn. Spiritual manifestation and matter energy manipulation.¡¹ The last was a dwarf, he was bald but was compensating with an overly braided ashen beard. He grunted as we shook hands. ¡ºI¡¯m Vezlaz, I specialize in spiritual interference.¡» He spoke telepathically into my mind then winced and frowned. ¡¸Vezlaz: Huh¡­¡¹ Did he notice my pain? He¡¯s a sharp one. My corporate smile betrayed nothing. And with that, we were done with the introductions. ¡¸Lorinthar: Good, I¡¯ll leave you to your jobs. I don¡¯t need to remind you how dire the situation is.¡¹ Is it really so dire? I glanced at the retreating figure of the overseer. ¡¸Bart: So you¡¯re the ¡¾Proxy Magic¡¿ expert.¡¹ Bart stated, appraising me or something. ¡¸Allen: And magic constructs.¡¹ Klenn smirked. ¡¸Klenn: We all know magic constructs, right Vez?¡¹ Vezlaz grunted. ¡¸Allen: Specialist.¡¹ I stressed out. I hadn¡¯t spent all that time with Grohm for nothing. In any case, my brilliance would become self-evident. ¡¸Klenn: Bah, we just need you to link our spellwork together.¡¹ Klenn said, looking down on me as if he was hot shit. I narrowed my eyes. We had just introduced ourselves and I already wanted to punch a coworker¡¯s face. All the signs of a healthy and positive work environment. ¡¸Bart: Come on, let¡¯s get to work.¡¹ I followed the three enchanters back inside, we entered the previously empty room and sat down before the table full of rings, metal parts, schematics, and leftover food. Klenn tossed the magic staff against some crates across the wall and pushed a smaller box on the table toward me. ¡¸Klenn: Okay newbie, have fun. These are boring rings with deflection and clear mind spells, link them together while we think up what to do next.¡¹ I looked inside the box, there had to be half a hundred of them. I pressed my lips. ¡¸Allen: Boring.¡¹ I said with the appropriate amount of excitement and got to work. The enchanter sneered and started brainstorming with the others. Fuck you. I had already come up with some interesting ideas I wanted to try, but I didn¡¯t want to show off from the first moment. I¡¯ve had bad experiences with doing so. The usual result would be colleagues clamming up¨CLIKE SPITEFUL MAGGOTS¨Cand shooting down all my superior suggestions. Klenn was the perfect candidate to exhibit such a behavior. If I learned something from my previous career is that I have first to KIL¨C worm my way in into the group before revealing my power level. The power armors and the deadly implements will have to wait a little more. The fastest way to get points in a work environment is to bring food for your colleagues. Which is why I had prepared a bunch of small puff pastries. Well, actually, I had Elaida make them for me. My fight against apathy was still a work in progress. While I wasn¡¯t paying attention, the discussion had derailed into gossip. ¡¸Bart: Did you hear about how Noirdant fell?¡¹ ¡¸Klenn: Yes, I heard from someone who spoke to one of their soldiers. Someone sabotaged them from the inside.¡¹ ¡¸Bart: Maybe more than one, they said various people were turning crazy even before the wall was breached. This was days before the demons showed themselves.¡¹ Klenn scowled, shifting on his seat. ¡¸Klenn: I don¡¯t like it. Do you think maybe they used some kind of poison?¡¹ Bart scratched his chin. ¡¸Bart: Or a form of mind control. Demons have strong spirits¡­ if they snuck inside the city under disguise they could have imprinted a geas on anyone with a weak will. What do you say Vez?¡¹ Vez grunted, not saying anything. At least not verbally. ¡¸Klenn: You might be right Vez. We¡¯ll carve them a new one!¡¹ Klenn laughed. I scowled, wondering what joke I had just missed. I felt excluded. Which, made me think about Yusdrolir. I couldn¡¯t help but make a comparison. He had brought a ring for me to enchant but I was too brain-dead these days to make anything with it. He was probably feeling left out. I should make him feel like a true Weije Sleiss. A fucking wage slave. They continued trading gossip, rumors of a mysterious mana spike happened months ago somewhere, bullshit stories of storytelling ghosts and adventurers and the latest exploits of Darian the hero, who apparently had apprehended a notorious thief who stole from the corrupted noblemen for the benefit of the poor. To avoid losing his head he swore a capital ¡°O¡± Oath to the hero, in doing so appeased both noblemen and the populace who would have rebelled against the injustice. I thought that Darian was busy fighting against the demon armies, where does he find the time to pull these stunts? Whatever. I put down the STUPID ring I had just enchanted annexing the two spells. I need food. ¡¸Allen: Snack time.¡¹ I announced, taking out the wrapped cloth with the savory pastries from my pouch and revealed its contents to my colleagues. Bart eyed the pastries with predatory eyes. ¡¸Bart: For us?¡¹ I nodded. ¡¸Allen: Celebration.¡¹ I heated the snacks back to their crispy glory. I took one first, so to show they weren¡¯t poisoned or anything. Klenn inclined his head, suspicion painted on his face. Or perhaps a simple distaste for plebs like me. I tensed. Don¡¯t punch him in the face. Do not punch him in the fucking face. ¡¸Klenn: Are those¡­ miniature pizzas?¡¹ Klenn said snatching one of the mini pizzas. I had brought some variety, mini pizzas, ricotta and herbs, and more. ¡¸Klenn: I guess I¡¯ll take a bite.¡¹ He said, chewing the crunchy treat. He seemed pleased. Vezlaz too was grunting appreciatively. I relaxed. ¡¸Bart: They taste good!¡¹ I nodded and turned off the pain ring. The hurt and the anger flowed away, leaving space to the numbing apathy. I needed a little rest to recover my stamina. I was slowly developing a tolerance to pain so I had to increase the intensity, which also came with augmented murder-killing urges. Nothing I hadn¡¯t already experienced at work, though. It¡¯s good I had taken that meditation course. ¡¸Allen: Rest.¡¹ I said, slumping on the desk and closing my eyes. ¡¸Klenn: Hey, you¡¯re not here to slack off!¡¹ Klenn complained, followed by a Vezlaz''s grunt. ¡¸Klenn: What? You think he¡¯s in pain? He looks fine to me.¡¹ ¡¸Bart: Klenn, I don¡¯t think you should antagonize our new ¡¾Proxy Magic¡¿ specialist. We¡¯d be having much less trouble if you hadn¡¯t pissed off all the others¡­¡¹ Bart said with a hint of passive-aggressiveness. ¡¸Klenn: Hmpf, they¡¯re all pampered special snowflakes flaunting their Oath-bound magic as if they were skraggin princes! We were called upon for our merits, not just because our rich daddies pulled some strings to have us learn the secrets of magic generators.¡¹ ¡¸Bart: Don¡¯t mind him, Allen. He¡¯s actually a good guy.¡¹ Bart said, directing his voice toward me. ¡¸Allen: M¡¯kay.¡¹ ¡¸Klenn: Can¡¯t he speak a full sentence? Foreigners are a blasted disgrace.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Two weeks.¡¹ ¡¸Klenn: What¡¯s that? The time it takes for you to speak a full sentence?¡¹ He said mockingly. I took a deep breath and reopened my eyes to stare at the asshole. ¡¸Allen: Recovery.¡¹ I said through gritted teeth. Vezlaz grunted again. ¡¸Bart: So Vez was right, you¡¯re in pain? How did you get hurt?¡¹ I rolled my eyes and spoke. ¡¸Allen: Magic.¡¹ The most efficient answer. I closed my eyelids again. ¡¸Klenn: Hmpf. He¡¯s just another glorified slacker.¡¹ I should¡¯ve spiked Klenn¡¯s pastries with magical laxatives. Too late now. I unfocused my senses, letting the awareness tune out everything but my spirit body and I resumed my aura control flexing exercise. Chapter 68: Explosive ideas Three days had passed from my first experience as a military enchanter. I had also been attending the magic lessons, but what I needed there was simply more practice. Until I defeated my apathy I could only do the minimal effort. For Alchemy, I went straight at trying to brew the ¡¾Night Sight Potion¡¿, but I was having some trouble with the measurements. Apparently, this potion required perfect dosages. I grimaced thinking about that time I thought I had gone blind as everything had become blindingly bright. It took half an hour for it to wear off. After that, I only took small sips to test the effects. I really didn¡¯t want to go and buy Merriam¡¯s overpriced Night Sight certified metered flasks. The whole set cost twelve fucking gold. A fucking set of flasks. EAT SHIT AND DIE, MERRIAM. I grimaced remembering that my savings were down to 7 gold coins. Wizardry is so damn expensive. I was going to miss Vargas, my merchant friend. Although, I won¡¯t miss his incessant talks about food. But... My discounts¡­ Gone. ¡¸Allen: This sucks.¡¹ I said absentmindedly. ¡¸Klenn: Oh, so protecting our homeland is beneath you?¡¹ Klenn didn''t lose the chance to scowl at me. I gritted my teeth. I should MURD¨C explain him why it''s a bad idea to aggravate a battle rager while he''s suffering pain. He was always ready to catch me off guard and aggravate me. If only he wasn¡¯t the GODDAMN specialist in attack spells I would¡¯ve told him to back the fuck off. But he was, and I was going to need his help. What was even the topic? I wasn¡¯t listening. I tried to muster my senses and recall the current conversation. I drew a blank. Fuck it, I¡¯ll just complain about something. Complaints are good conversation starters. ¡¸Allen: Always leaving me out. I have ideas.¡¹ I said. ¡¸Klenn: You hear him, Bart? He has ideas!¡¹ He said, mocking surprise. Bart replied with a shrug. ¡¸Klenn: Fine, let¡¯s hear it. How would you fit all the spells inside this wand, without losing in power?¡¹ He asked waving the wand in his hand. ¡¸Allen: Easy. Smaller constructs.¡¹ I said naturally. The two men and the dwarf looked at each other and then at me. ¡¸Bart: Uh, but if you make them smaller then they won¡¯t be able to handle all the spells correctly.¡¹ Klenn scoffed, shaking his STUPID head trying to sound superior. ¡¸Klenn: See, he¡¯s doesn¡¯t even know how to do his job.¡¹ I narrowed my eyes. I stood up, took a deep breath to calm myself, and walked toward the crates against the wall bending down to pick up an item. The magic staff I saw them use on the first day. The one that was meant to both cast explosive fireballs and shield the user. ¡¸Klenn: Hey, what are you doing with that?¡¹ Klenn said behind me with a preoccupied tone. I ignored him. I knew what was wrong with it. It simply lacked a reliable way to sync the spellcasting while balancing the right amount of energy between the spells. ¡¸Klenn: You¡¯re not going to use that inside here, are you? Vez tell me he¡¯s not going to do it.¡¹ Vez grunted. Tempting, but no. I sat at the table, put the metallic staff before me, and quested the spellwork inside through my right hand. ¡¸Bart: There isn¡¯t much leeway for that tool. The metallic staff is meant for storing up mana while the crystal contains the actual spells¡­¡¹ Bart explained. ¡¸Klenn: A construct would take away too much of the stored magic. If it can¡¯t cast the spells at least three times on its own, it¡¯s just not worth it¡­ So put that away, okay?¡¹ I opened my eyes to shot a narrowed gaze to the prick enchanter. ¡¸Allen: Can make it work.¡¹ I said confidently. ¡¸Bart: Let¡¯s make him try. What do we have to lose?¡¹ Klenn slapped a fist on the table. ¡¸Klenn: Our lives, for a starter.¡¹ I ignored his brimming optimism and closed my eyes, fully focusing on the crystal¡¯s spellwork. The spells had components I hadn¡¯t yet encountered, but that was not my current concern. I scrubbed the previous signatureless mana links and proceeded to devise my own solution. This wasn¡¯t an overly complex task so I didn¡¯t need to craft a full processor. A simpler circuit with a construct acting as a clock to coordinate the mana flow between the offensive and defensive spells would do. It took me only ten minutes. I tested the mana circuit and finished the adjustments before linking my little system with the other parts. I didn¡¯t really know what the ratio of attack to defense was meant to be, so I exceeded on the latter. I also made sure the shielding spell would last long enough to protect the caster. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Done. ¡¸Allen: Done. Test.¡¹ I said, opening my eyes and pushing the staff toward Bart. ¡¸Bart: Hmm, I see you added a mix of small constructs and spell triggers in an interesting pattern. I can¡¯t really say what it does by just looking at it, though.¡¹ He said while prodding my spells for a while before opening his eyes again. ¡¸Bart: How does it work?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Too long to explain.¡¹ I said curtly. I didn¡¯t feel like moving my lips that much these days. ¡¸Klenn: Show me.¡¹ Klenn impatiently stole the staff from Bart¡¯s hands and examined the work. ¡¸Klenn: You¡¯re telling me this puny little spellwork is meant to make it work properly?¡¹ I nodded. ¡¸Bart: Klenn, I doubt he¡¯d be here if he hadn¡¯t anything to offer.¡¹ ¡¸Klenn: Bullshit! Try it outside, show us this is not a death trap.¡¹ He said, tossing the staff back at me. I grunted in reply and picked it up, then we all walked outside before the freshly replaced dummy. It was snowing. ¡¸Bart: Looks like winter has finally come.¡¹ He said, taking a good look at the sky. Vezlaz shrugged, not impressed. I positioned myself at a safe distance in front of the dummy. ¡¸Allen: Ready.¡¹ ¡¸Bart: Give me one Breath¡­ okay, done. Go on.¡¹ I glanced back, the three guys behind me were enclosed in a protective bubble. I focused my attention back to the dummy. DIE YOU PIECE OF STRAW! I activated the staff. * BOOOOM * My ears were ringing slightly but the magic shield had done its job. The dummy had been slain. ¡¸Klenn: ¡­ It¡¯s just a fluk¨C¡¹ GET FUCKED KLENN! * BOOOOM * DIE! * BOOOOM * I took a deep breath, takin in the smell of destruction and admiring the burnt remains of the training dummy. The snow was melting before touching the smoldering remains. I used cold magic to kill the embers. ¡¸Allen: Works.¡¹ I said, turning around. My ears were ringing. There were improvements to be made, like triggering the shield at the actual explosion, checking if it was in range, but it was all stuff that could be done later. This is a beta product. It just needs to look like it works. At least, that¡¯s what Eric always told me. Klenn remained silent, staring ahead with an unreadable expression on his face. ¡¸Bart: Burn me, a magic construct working exactly the same way three times in a row¡­ That¡¯s a first.¡¹ Bart said, giving a slight nudge at Klenn with his elbow. As it was known, the more complex the construct was, the more unpredictable it would behave. Producing smaller and deterministic magical circuits was my strength. Yes! Praise me more! ¡¸Allen: This is why I was hired.¡¹ I stated with a hint of smugness. This is where mere mortals should prostrate themselves before me. ¡¸Klenn: I say it¡¯s just a fluke¡­ or a trick. Let me try¡­¡¹ Klenn ripped the staff from my hands¡­ ¡¸Allen: Hey!¡¹ ¡­ And recharged it with his mana, preparing to shoot. Not wanting to be caught in the blast, I hurried to the other two guys under the protection of Bart¡¯s defensive bubble. I covered my ears. * BOOOOM * Another explosion. ¡¸Klenn: Impossible¡­¡¹ Klenn stomped hard on the ground. * BOOOOM * Klenn stared at the nonexistent remains of the training dummy. ¡¸Klenn: It works?¡¹ He muttered staring and the burning charcoals littering the ground. A voice shouted from behind us. ¡¸I think that training dummy is dead enough! It''s not like we needed it.¡¹ I turned back to see other enchanters streaming out from the entrance. They didn¡¯t look pleased. ¡¸Are you skraggin done with all the ruckus?!¡¹ ¡¸We are trying to work!¡¹ ¡¸I knew it was Klenn¡­ It¡¯s always him.¡¹ Klenn, being the one holding the magic tool, became the target of the verbal abuse. His face turned an angry crimson with a deep scowl carved on it, but he remained silent. Whoops. Finally, after venting out all their anger, the other enchanters returned to their work leaving us alone. Klenn violently tossed the staff back at me and stomped back inside without saying a word. ¡¸Allen: Ow.¡¹ I said flatly, failing to pretend getting hurt since the pain ring was overriding my senses with greater pain. ¡¸Bart: Well, looks like it works.¡¹ Bart said, scratching his stubbly chin, a hint of amusement spreading on his lips. ¡ºVezlaz: This changes things¡­¡» The bald dwarf said telepathically while stroking his intricate braided beard.
Klenn was stubbornly sitting the opposite way, staring at the wall and ignoring us while he seethed in his corner. ¡¸Bart: Come on, Klenn. We should discuss this together.¡¹ Bart tried to rein him in. ¡¸Klenn: Hmpf.¡¹ To no avail. ¡¸Bart: Fine¡­¡¹ Bart said, shrugging before staring at me. ¡¸Bart: So, you¡¯re telling me you can consistently make smaller magic constructs that behave always the same way?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Yep.¡¹ I nodded. ¡ºVezlaz: That would save time.¡» ¡¸Bart: I agree. Making sure they work is a huge waste of time. We always have to test them all separately.¡¹ Bart crossed his arms lost in thought. The dwarf grunted and stared at the emptiness, imagining the possibilities. Klenn remained still, being useless. Silence. ¡¸Allen: ¡­ What now?¡¹ I asked. ¡¸Bart: We can reconsider all the ideas we scrapped because they required too much magic potential.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Like?¡¹ ¡¸Bart: Well, there were many interesting options that required working together with other teams¡­¡¹ He stole a glance at Klenn. ¡ºVezlaz: ¡­ but somebody managed to piss off all of them, some way or the other.¡» ¡¸Klenn: Hrmpf.¡¹ Klenn grumbled, still staring at the wall. He had heard the telepathic jab. Looks like Klenn was one of those difficult to work with people. I thought he only hated me, in virtue of being an exclusive ¡¾Proxy Magic¡¿ user. ¡¸Bart: And that¡¯s how we ended up saddled with crafting the menial magic tools. Isn¡¯t that right Vez?¡¹ The dwarf grunted, nodding in agreement. ¡¸Klenn: ¡­¡¹ Klenn seemed about to say something but remained silent. Despite everything, they didn''t seem actually angry at him for making their job worse. Bart looked around to check if there was anyone around besides us, then he bent forward and spoke in a lower voice. ¡¸Bart: Listen, I have a plan.¡¹ He glanced at me to which I blinked silently. He continued. ¡¸Bart: First, we¡¯ll show off what we can do with Allen¡¯s miniaturized magic constructs¡­¡¹ He said, tapping his index finger to the table. ¡¸Bart: Then, it will be just a matter of time before they beg us to help them with the big projects. Everyone needs smaller magic constructs.¡¹ He smiled at Vezlaz who returned the smile. ¡ºVezlaz: I like it¡­ Working on complex crafts makes AnDareth proud.¡» The dwarf stroked his beard eagerly. ¡¸Bart: Where should we begin?¡¹ I thought about that for a second. I wasn¡¯t feeling like doing complex stuff yet. So, something simple and useful, like¡­ ¡¸Allen: Start simple. Flashbangs.¡¹ Bart frowned, not understanding the foreign word. ¡¸Bart: What¡¯s that?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Very bright light. Very loud sound. Delayed activation. Stuns people.¡¹ ¡ºVezlaz: Hmmm, it¡¯s not exactly groundbreaking but if it¡¯s small and can do both things at once then¡­¡» ¡¸Bart: ¡­ It could come handy both in the battlefield and in other situations.¡¹ Bart agreed. But there was one thing I was still missing, in order to make one. ¡¸Allen: Problem. I can¡¯t make sound loud enough.¡¹ I said, pressing my lips in a thin line. ¡¸Bart: Hmmm.¡¹ The best I could do through illusory sounds was akin to talking through a megaphone. Not enough. The bang was supposed to cause loss of balance, not just wake people from the torpor of their numbing existence. Klenn, who was still giving us his back, tilted his head a little and spoke. ¡¸Klenn: ¡­ Make Bart do a sound-cutting spherical shield, project the sound inside multiple times and then release the shield.¡¹ Hmmm, I hadn¡¯t learned about sound-cutting shields yet. I had to admit, trapping the sound inside a shield was indeed a clever idea. Bart clapped his hands. ¡¸Bart: Yes. That should work! Thanks, Klenn.¡¹ ¡¸Klenn: Hmpf.¡¹ ¡¸Bart: We know you¡¯re the greatest mind inside this building.¡¹ Klenn emboldened by the praise puffed up his chest and lifted his chin, visibly regaining his confidence. ¡¸Klenn: Of course. I was a prodigy at the Academy after all.¡¹ I saw Bart mouth curling up just before he opened his mouth again. ¡¸Bart: If only you could al¨C¡¹ ¡¸Klenn: SHUT UP!¡¹ Klenn yelled, turning around sharply. ¡¸Klenn: Stop chattering and start enchanting! Let me do the blasted illusory light. I¡¯ll melt your insufferable eyeballs!¡¹ If only he could what? I hated missing inside jokes and contexts. I looked at Vezlaz for clues, but he only grinned knowingly as he stood up to fetch a box filled with metallic balls. ¡¸Bart: Very well, let¡¯s get to it.¡¹ Bart said, looking like he was having fun.
Quest completed (Military enchanter: Become part of the team) +5 EXP
Quest added (Military enchanter: Unlock advanced magic tools development)
I felt like I was making progress. Chapter 69: The magic inspector (Ellin) ¡°The decoction is ready,¡± I said presenting the steaming cup to Allen. ¡°Thanks,¡± He said, accepting the medication. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know, I can form full sentences now.¡± He sat down at the table, holding the cup to warm his hands. ¡°Yes, congratulations,¡± I said wryly, taking a seat next to him. ¡°You¡¯re almost back to being a normal person.¡± He shot me a quick glance. ¡°Is that sarcasm? Perhaps I should remind you that I¡¯m twice your age and I¡¯ve been successfully surviving on my own for a decade.¡± ¡°That was back in your world. In our world you need to be more careful,¡± I said. ¡°We¡¯ve seen how well you¡¯ve been doing on your own,¡± I added, rolling my eyes. He shot me a gaze. ¡°I take measured risks.¡± He said, his voice a little annoyed. ¡°I think I can brew the medication on my own from here on.¡± That seemed like a bad idea. ¡°No,¡± I said, shooting down his proposal. ¡°I am the healer here. Besides, I¡¯m certain you¡¯d get creative with the dosages in an attempt to find a shortcut.¡± He definitely would. One hundred percent. ¡°Until you become a certified healer, please, leave the healing to me.¡± Allen took an exaggeratedly deep sigh. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see how much faith my friends put in me¡­¡± He said, making a show of shaking his head dramatically. I grinned. If he was in the mood for jokes he was in the path to recovery. I noticed he was still wearing the iron ring. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t need that anymore,¡± I pointed at the pain ring. Allen stared at his finger and shrugged. ¡°I decided to practice my pain resistance every now and then.¡± I lifted my brows. ¡°It makes you cranky,¡± I said, crossing my arms. ¡°We¡¯ve all grown tired of cranky Allen. People are starting to think you¡¯re an annoyingly rude person.¡± He rolled his eyes. ¡°You make it sound like it¡¯s a bad thing.¡± He said, clearly amused. ¡°Anyway, I was thinking¡­ What if someone powerful casts a Pain Wave at me?¡± He scowled at the air, probably remembering the ordeal. ¡°I don¡¯t want to lie down like a helpless infant ready to be slaughtered. I want to shrug it off and punch him in the face.¡± He took a jab against the air. Getting used to pain¡­ ¡°I see your point,¡± I admitted. Allen had the rare trait of channeling his pain into focused anger, a battle rager. No one was sure how it worked, sometimes people were born like that, sometimes they¡¯d become one growing up. The scholars thought it was a just trick of the mind. What was sure is that they were rare, one in a hundred thousands. I was a normal person. When I get hurt the pain breaks my concentration, making me lose control of mana. Maybe I should ask Allen if I can borrow the ring? I thought, remembering the times I could have done better. ¡°You see. There¡¯s a reason for everything I do.¡± Allen lied. ¡°Even in the resulting crippling apathy, I found a way to make great progress in controlling my aura.¡± He raised his chin as if that was a reason to feel proud. That delusional attitude was kinda irritating. ¡°Really? It seems to me you have a knack for digging ditches and jumping into them.¡± I said unfazed. ¡°Remember that time you tried to buy honey?¡± Allen frowned. ¡°Errr¡­ How could I know that your bees produced poisonous honey?! I didn¡¯t even know the word for ¡®poison¡¯ yet!¡± ¡°We had to convince the guards you weren¡¯t trying to kill anyone. We spent a whole evening to straighten things out and get you out.¡± I sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sure the merchants tried explaining to you that there was also purified honey¡­¡± He dismissed my words with a wave of the hand. ¡°I thought they were trying to scam me with useless premium products. I know all about those marketing tricks. I said I wanted ¡®just honey¡¯.¡± He scratched his chin. ¡°An honest mistake.¡± He continued. ¡°No wonder everyone blanched when I was asking where I could buy some. Someone had even pointed me to a shady alleyway.¡± He smiled. ¡°Of course, I knew better than to walk there.¡± ¡°And that time you told that soldier to copulate with a chicken?¡± I asked, watching Allen wince. ¡°And that other time you got lost because asking for directions was beneath you?¡± Someone had to remind him he was fallible. ¡°Asking for directions is for the weak.¡± He muttered, crossing his arms. ¡°And t¨C¡± I began again. The list of Allen¡¯s shenanigans was quite long, despite his claims that they never happened. ¡°Fine!¡± He threw his arms up. ¡°Maybe, sometimes I make less than optimal decisions.¡± He admitted. ¡°You know, you could avoid a lot of trouble if you just listened,¡± I said. ¡°Whatever, in any case, I¡¯m sure Violet or someone else would come to get me out of trouble. I am a valuable asset after all.¡± He said, looking smug. I pressed my lips. He was being stubborn. ¡°What if I tell her what you do with your illusions?¡± Allen looked at me sharply. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare¡­¡± He said, narrowing his eyes and pointing an accusing finger at me. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t.¡± I grinned mischievously. ¡°Learn to knock before you enter! You¡¯re noble-born, you were supposed to know these things!¡± He complained, looking away while scowling with all his might. ¡°I was just trying to improve my illusions. I can only give shape to memorable things and I really don¡¯t want to materialize a Vallachio in my room¡­ He laughs too damn loudly.¡± He drank another sip from the cup and continued. ¡°Violet¡­ she just stares at me like she wants to kill me. And then turns into a non-euclidean nightmare. Much more comfortable.¡± What does ¡®non-euclidean¡¯ mean? Probably something scary. ¡°Have you made any progress with lucid dreaming?¡± He asked, changing topic. I crossed my arms on the table and rested my chin on them. ¡°I had another two conscious dreams, but one time I woke up too early and the other time I didn¡¯t remember what I wanted to do. Why is it so hard?¡± The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Allen shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Well, you have it easy. You have no idea how much effort I had to spend to get good the first time around.¡± He said, hammering his fingers on the table. ¡°Instead you¡¯ve just begun and are already getting so many lucids! I¡¯m kinda envious.¡± ¡°My teachers always told me I learn fast,¡± I said proudly. Allen looked outside through the window and sighed. ¡°I should get going. One of my coworkers is an insufferable jerk and will ostracize me for coming late.¡± Allen said, standing up. ¡°If you heard him talk you¡¯d think he¡¯s the center of the universe.¡± ¡°Working on anything cool at your new job?¡± I inquired, a little curious. I wondered what kind of secret tools they were developing. ¡°We¡¯re starting to¡­¡± He began, but his voice stopped mid-sentence. He frowned for a moment. ¡°¡­ Sorry, the Oath is preventing me from speaking of it.¡± He said in apology. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I know you¡¯re doing your best,¡± I said, standing up as well. I smoothed down my clothes. ¡°I see you¡¯re wearing elegant clothes today. Is there an event?¡± He said. ¡°I¡¯ll be staying at my father¡¯s mansion for a couple of days. My uncle is visiting us today and has requested me to be there for an important matter.¡± I wondered what it was about, the letter didn¡¯t hold any clue. ¡°Your uncle?¡± Allen asked. ¡°The magic inspector, don¡¯t you remember? I told you about him.¡± I must have mentioned him at least twice or thrice. ¡°Hmmm¡­ Yeah.¡± He said, but he was making the face he does when he doesn¡¯t remember at all. He¡¯s forgotten about it! ¡°Don¡¯t expect me for lunch and dinner, but I¡¯ll pay a visit in the morning so I can administer you the Viridian decoction. Bye!¡± ¡°See you!¡± He answered and turned to pick up his dust-brown coat. I walked downstairs to give a quick goodbye to the guys before setting off toward the noble district. Namrick insisted in accompanying me, so I told him about my uncle¡¯s adventures along the way.
I was at the stairs near the main entrance when a voice exploded ahead of me. ¡°Oh my, if it isn¡¯t my favorite little chick!¡± Uncle Kiras stood before me, his blond hair gleaming under the sunlight, framing his chiseled face. He hugged me and kissed my cheeks. His long stubble felt itchy. ¡°Uncle! You let your beard grow.¡± I noted. ¡°Haha, yes. I haven¡¯t had the time to shave.¡± He said, ruffling my hair. ¡°Stop it!¡± I exclaimed defending my hair. He was ruining all my brushing efforts! ¡°How long has it been?¡± He said. ¡°It seems yesterday when you were just this tall, a lively child with a bright shock of blond hair¡­¡± He looked dreamily at the horizon. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not that little anymore, uncle.¡± I reminded him. ¡°And yes, it has been six months. Where have you been all this time?¡± I asked, eager to hear all about his latest missions. His smile faded, leaving behind a worried expression. ¡°I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have to postpone recounting my adventures for a better time.¡± He turned his head toward the hallway. ¡°Come, I was waiting for everyone to be present. There¡¯s something very important I need to tell you.¡± He gestured at me to follow him. What was this all about? I didn¡¯t like the sound of it. The sudden grave tone made me feel a weight on my chest. I followed his blue and gold clad frame until we reached my father¡¯s office. The smell of finishing oil filled my nostrils, the room was the usual harmony of dark wood and bright colors from tapestries, books covers and various trinkets collected during the years. Father was waiting inside, along with my mother. ¡°Ellinoria.¡± Father greeted me. Mom smiled and hugged me. ¡°I hope you¡¯re not doing any adventuring under this dreadful climate.¡± She said, a small wrinkle creasing between her eyebrows. ¡°No, Mom. We mostly do training and small quests inside the city.¡± I assured her. ¡°I still don¡¯t like you risking your life out there,¡± Father spoke up, piercing me with his stern gaze. ¡°But I see how much you¡¯re growing thanks to these experiences.¡± He paused, caressing his beard. ¡°Still, I hope you¡¯re not taking unnecessary risks.¡± He took a seat on a chair before the small table in the middle of the room. ¡°Be careful dear, I don¡¯t want to lose another daughter.¡± Mom said, still looking worried. I squeezed her hands for reassurance. I never told them about the troll incident and the demon encounter. I didn¡¯t want to worry them. Also¡­ I still felt shame for having been useless. ¡°Is it done?¡± Asked Kiras, closing the door behind him. ¡°Yes,¡± Father nodded. ¡°No sound or spirit will be able to cross this threshold.¡± He said. ¡°Please, sit down everybody¡­¡± Uncle said, sitting down himself. I and Mom sat down next to Father. ¡°So, Kiras. Why did you call up this meeting?¡± Father asked, staring at him with intensity. Uncle Kiras put his hands on his knees and leaned forward, his face dead serious. ¡°What I about to say is confidential,¡± He said. ¡°It must not leave these walls.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Father said. ¡°I trust that by now you must have already heard the rumors of how Noirdant fell.¡± We nodded. ¡°Good. I was called back to investigate what happened. As you can imagine, there wasn¡¯t much to go on since we don¡¯t have access to the city itself. But I started by talking to the refugees and the soldiers¡­¡± He shifted on his seat. ¡°What I learned is that the city had been suffering from internal problems before the attack came. Random people suddenly going crazy and doing harmful deeds for no reason. The citizen called it the Madness.¡± ¡°Yes, we had gathered that much as well,¡± Father said. ¡°What you don¡¯t know is that all of the people who suffered this Madness died by burning themselves, laughing like madmen during the act.¡± Mother shuddered. ¡°Why would they do such thing¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s the point. They wouldn¡¯t,¡± Kiras said. ¡°They were forced to. They did the deed and destroyed the evidence, their own bodies.¡± He remained silent for a few breaths. ¡°Their actions seemed random at first, but the end result was that they had in fact crippled the city defenses, which the culminated in the breach of the eastern wall and the following invasion. It was all orchestrated, either by use of mind control or by forced Oaths¡­¡± Uncle let the silence linger for a couple of breaths. ¡°What worries me is that some of the victims were in high positions and well guarded. How did they get to them?¡± He wondered out loud. ¡°I see, but I don¡¯t understand why that would concern us,¡± Father said, crossing his arms. Kiras looked at him sharply. ¡°Here¡¯s the thing¡­ One of the refugees was found immolated the day he arrived here in Valarest. When I interrogated the witnesses I was told the man was laughing crazily as he burned.¡± He swept his gaze between the three of us. ¡°Sounds familiar?¡± A silence fell. I could hear my heart thumping. We¡¯re¡­ under attack? ¡°Yes, I believe the saboteur is within the city,¡± Uncle said with a grave tone. ¡°AnHelm, guide us.¡± Father¡¯s scowl deepened at the revelation, his tight fists revealing his anxiety. ¡°What?!¡± My mother exclaimed. ¡°How¡¯s that possible? How can it be so hard to find a demon?¡± ¡°Trust me, if it were a demon we would have found him. We had anticipated an infiltration attempt. But no, it¡¯s either a man¡­ or something else.¡± ¡°Something¡­ else?¡± I muttered out loud. Uncle stared at me. ¡°All I have are conjectures, what I¡¯m sure about is that the culprit must have disguised himself, or herself, among the refugees. We don¡¯t know if it¡¯s male or female or how it looks like. Which is why¡­¡± He fished something from his pocket. ¡°I had these made for all of you.¡± He showed us three rings on the palm of his hand. ¡°Enchanted rings? What are they for?¡± Father asked. ¡°High-grade protection against mind control and other forms of possession,¡± He said. ¡°Promise me you¡¯ll keep them on you at all times.¡± ¡°But¡­ shouldn¡¯t you make this information public?¡± I asked him. ¡°What about the population? We should warn them!¡± ¡°Absolutely not,¡± He said, shaking his head. ¡°Everyone would start pointing fingers against each other, it would turn into a mess and make our work harder.¡± He sighed. ¡°If my superiors knew I¡¯m telling this to you they would have my hide. But I was worried, I had to warn you.¡± ¡°Thank you, Uncle,¡± I said picking up one of the enchanted rings. ¡°Be careful all of you¡­ Noirdant was not short on capable magicians. We¡¯re dealing with an exceedingly clever and slippery foe. If you notice anyone acting out of the ordinary or looking strange¡­ warn me immediately. You can leave a message at the gates to the royal palace.¡± ¡°We will.¡± Father nodded. ¡°Thanks for warning us, Brother.¡± My father and Kiras stood up and clasped their forearms together. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, we¡¯re family.¡± He said, his lips curling in a smile. Uncle turned back to me and mom. ¡°Sorry ladies, I¡¯ll be a little busy these days but we¡¯ll catch up at lunch and during the evening.¡± He smiled apologetically, scratching his hair. Father squeezed his shoulder. ¡°Speaking of which, isn¡¯t it time for you to settle down as well, Brother?¡± ¡°Please, stop trying to play matchmaker. You know full well I can¡¯t follow through, as long as I am a magic inspector.¡± Kiras said with a hint of resignation. I felt a pang of sadness for him. Magic inspectors were frequently threatened and subject to blackmail attempts. They were the ones who held the Witnesses and uncovered the hidden truths. It wasn¡¯t a job for everyone. In fact, he only showed his true self when alone with us. One time when I was a kid we had crossed each other in the city streets and I had felt hurt by the coldness he had shown, so much that I ran away crying. Only later had I realized that he was doing it to protect me. ¡°Ellin, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be the one telling her adventures this time,¡± Uncle said, winking at me. I smiled. ¡°Sure!¡± Kiras waved goodbye and left the room. The silence claimed the room again. ¡°So¡­ about these adventures of yours¡­¡± Father began. Oh no! I should have offered Uncle to accompany him outside! I shifted uneasily on my seat as Father and Mother bore a hole in me with the intensity of their gazes. Chapter 70: Allen reinvents the metric system That day was some kind of holiday. A good day to be antisocial and dedicate myself to figure out how to complete my current task, which was¡­
Quest (Reinvent the metric system)
What I actually needed was just proper measurement for alchemy so I could make do with any arbitrary measurement unit and start from there, but I wanted to do things properly. That would also allow me to reuse some of the knowledge from my world. Anyway, Corgas had asked me to come over for lunch as there was some important matter to discuss, and thus I had just walked inside our prestigious pizzeria restaurant. I smiled at the pretty waiters and caught Corgas¡¯ attention, who smiled in return and cleaned his hands from the flour. ¡¸Corgas: Allen! This way.¡¹ Corgas said, waving me toward the backroom. I tilted my head toward him while I opened the door. ¡¸Allen: So what did you want to talk abo¨C¡¹ ¡¸¡¸Hi!¡¹¡¹ My question was interrupted. Lena and Elaida were sitting at the table in the middle of the room. Both were waving at me, smiling enthusiastically. ¡¸Allen: Hello?¡¹ I replied, confused. I gave Corgas a puzzled gaze. What important matter could include both Lena and Elaida? ¡¸Corgas: Sorry. Your friends said it was the only way to have you participate in festivities.¡¹ He said apologetically but in good spirits. A trap. I rolled my eyes. ¡¸Allen: So¡­ what is this festivity about?¡¹ I didn¡¯t mind festivities as long as they don¡¯t involve, people, dancing or loudly annoying sounds. I especially despised those where couples show off their ¡°coupleness¡±. Not jealous at all. ¡¸Lena: Remembrance day!!¡¹ Lena exclaimed, brimming with positivity yet unmarred by the real workings of the world. Such adorable misguided optimism. I too was like that, a long time ago. ¡¸Elaida: Today is the day when people celebrate with their families, relatives or friends¡­¡¹ Elaida explained. ¡¸Elaida: It became a widespread tradition for the three races after the Heroes of Light defeated the darkness.¡¹ Defeated the darkness. So clich¨¦. Corgas nodded. ¡¸Corgas: Indeed, which is why I invited you all. In a way, we¡¯re like family¡­ So I wanted us to celebrate together.¡¹ He looked at me and slapped one of his burly hands on my shoulder. ¡¸Corgas: I had invited your friends as well, but they already had plans.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Yes, Namrick said he was going to pay a visit to his parents and Grastel was tagging along. Ellin is staying at her parents¡¯ mansion for a few days, and the dwarf¡­ I don¡¯t know, I didn¡¯t see him this morning.¡¹ Probably wasting himself on alcoholic beverages. Ellin had stopped by in the morning to administer me the decoction, she had seemed strangely silent today. I could tell there was something gnawing at her. I wondered what it was. I sat down a the table. ¡¸Elaida: I¡¯m glad you came¡­¡¹ Elaida said standing up. ¡¸Elaida: I wanted to have you taste some new dishes I derived from your secret recipes.¡¹ She smiled and left the room briefly to bring us the food she had prepared. The dishes consisted in tagliatelle with a tasty sauce I couldn¡¯t quite place, a spin-off of a quiche lorraine and fried bread with cheese inside. ¡¸Lena: Yum!¡¹ Lena seemed to particularly like the latter. ¡¸Allen: I approve of your cooking. I¡¯m pleased you¡¯ve departed from the local cuisine of drowning everything in oceans of spices.¡¹ I said, nodding appreciatively. I was doting on Elaida so that I could eat good food. ¡¸Corgas: Come on. You always make disgusted faces when mentioning the local cuisine but there are a lot of tasty flavors in this city!¡¹ I shook my head. ¡¸Allen: I agree that there are good foods and ingredients around. But the cooking¡­¡¹ I leaned toward him and made a grave expression. ¡¸Allen: The cooking is disappointing and uncreative. I¡¯ve even found places where they take two good ingredients and somehow manage to turn them into something that is worse than their sums. How¡¯s that possible?¡¹ ¡¸Corgas: The recipes¡­¡¹ Corgas sighed, pressing his lips in a line. ¡¸Corgas: Much has been lost since the time of the dark ages. All that remains are the stories of the Tallian Republic¡¯s thousand recipes. But it¡¯s all gone now, the few recipes passed down are heavily guarded secrets and the good cooks usually ends up working under nobles or royalty.¡¹ I stared flatly at him. ¡¸Allen: That¡¯s stupid. What¡¯s stopping people from reinventing the flavors? They just have to tone down the spices, then maybe their numbed tongues will finally start feeling again.¡¹ ¡¸Corgas: You must be kidding. Discovering new recipes is not something anyone can do. In fact, wars have been fought for recipes.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Now you¡¯re pulling my leg.¡¹ I said, looking for the traces of deception on his face. But Corgas was dead serious. ¡¸Corgas: I assure you it¡¯s all true. The use of Oaths to protect the secret recipes is a common practice¡­¡¹ He paused a moment as his face clouded. ¡¸Corgas: I still curse my ingenuity for letting that noble steal our pizza so easily¡­¡¹ This is stupid. ¡¸Allen: This is stupid. They¡¯re just recipes. I could even procedurally generate them. Anyway, can we stop talking about food, I¡¯m starting to get Vargas PTSDs.¡¹ Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Corgas shrugged, not knowing what to say. ¡¸Elaida: What are you up to these days? I see you always scowling at the air when you stop by.¡¹ Elaida asked, lifting her brows just a fraction. ¡¸Allen: Oh that. I¡¯ve been trying to solve a problem¡­¡¹ I said, thinking about my alchemical woes. ¡¸Elaida: What kind of problem?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: The lack of standard measurements units. Here everyone uses hands, feet, spans, paces and whatever else. All of them fuzzy an inconsistent. This is giving me a headache because I¡¯m doing a potion that requires exact measures, and I need to be able to reproduce it consistently.¡¹ I had two successes while trying with smaller doses of reagents, but with my crappy alchemical apparels, I couldn¡¯t do the proportions right. Thankfully, I had received the first part of this month salary at the end of the week, or I would have been broke. Stupid expensive reagents. ¡¸Allen: And well, I¡¯m also thinking about my magic training.¡¹ Lena¡¯s eyes sparkled with interest. ¡¸Lena: Magic! Magic! I want to see magic.¡¹ I smirked. ¡¸Allen: Fine then. Behold, my progress at ¡¾Telekinesis¡¿!¡¹ I willed the cup toward my right hand. The cup took flight¡­ And hit my fingertips just a little off, bouncing outwards instead of toward my open palm. The cup met its demise. I stared at where the cup was meant to go, ignoring the disappointed stares of Corgas and Elaida. Lena burst out laughing. ¡¸Corgas: Speaking of magic¡­ I think it would be better if you refrained from casting spells inside our restaurants, it makes our patrons uncomfortable. And well¡­¡¹ He waved a hand toward the cup¡¯s corpse. Just a slight deviation from the proper trajectory. I did well all in all. Corgas and Elaida started talking about mundane stuff, so I phased out my attention from the chatter between the two and returned to the problem at hand. I needed reliable measures. The Fahrenheit scale was too contrived for me, but figuring out Celsius would be a walk in the park. 0¡ãC is when water freezes and 100¡ãC when water boils at sea level. Besides, I had completely forgotten about which and what Fahrenheit¡¯s arbitrary numbers were meant to be. I suck with arbitrary numbers, they all look the same. Sorry Gabriel, better luck next time. But then the really hard part were liters, meters, and kilograms. They were all tied together. I remembered that one kg of water was one liter and that one liter was 1000 cm3. Haha, so easy. Too bad I don¡¯t have any fucking reference for any of those measures! I gritted my teeth in frustration. I could improvise, but it¡¯d feel like losing. There had to be a way to solve the damned equation. There was, most likely, but I either didn¡¯t know or couldn¡¯t remember it. ¡¸Corgas: Look at you, Lena. You¡¯re growing up!¡¹ Corgas ruffled the child¡¯s hair. Lena raised her hands to prevent further ruffling. ¡¸Lena: Hehe. Lala says I gained another finger¡¯s breadth.¡¹ She said all proud. Wait. Height. I felt the buzzing of server rooms and the clacking of hard disks working in concert inside my head. I slammed a fist on the table. ¡¸Allen: YES!¡¹ Everyone jumped, startled, and stared at me. My height! Yes, my motherfucking height! I knew my exact height, 1.72 meters. Not one millimeter less or more. I had the missing parameter all along! I knew what I had to do. ¡¸Elaida: Wha¨C¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Thank you, Lena.¡¹ I said standing up and giving a quality head-pat to the confused child. Not that the others were less confused. ¡¸Lena: Huh?¡¹ She looked with puzzlement from Corgas to Elaida, but they were as clueless as her. It was so obvious. How had the thought escaped my mind all this time? ¡¸Allen: You gave me the missing piece to the problem.¡¹ Lena smiled. ¡¸Lena: I helped uncle Allen solve a problem! Can I skip homework?¡¹ She asked her aunt, who didn''t seem in agreement. ¡¸Allen: I must go. Important work awaits me.¡¹ I said theatrically, bumping a fist on my chest and looking at the distance. ¡¸Elaida: But¡­ it¡¯s Remembrance day!¡¹ Everyone looked at me with disappointed faces. ¡¸Allen: Thanks for the meal and the company. Consider the day remembered.¡¹ I said, concluding with one of my award-winning smiles, then I strode off eager to accomplish the quest.
After several attempts, I found a tailor who had cooped up inside his shop and decided, against his better judgement, to answer my incessant knocks. ¡¸Tailor: I¡¯m closed! Stop banging the blasted door!¡¹ The voice complained from behind the door. ¡¸Allen: Are you celebrating with your family?¡¹ The man didn¡¯t answer. Which meant he was brooding all alone and had all the time to listen to my very reasonable requests. ¡¸Allen: Excellent! I¡¯ll give you 20 silver if you help me doing what I have in mind.¡¹ There was a heavy sigh followed by the door unlocking. The tailor scowled at me and invited me inside. I explained to him what I wanted to do.
¡¸Tailor: I don¡¯t see where you¡¯re going with this.¡¹ The tailor grumbled as he watched while I folded and marked lines on long strips of cloth. ¡¸Tailor: What¡¯s wrong with using hands, inches, and feet? They do the job.¡¹ This was at least the seventh time he had dropped that line. ¡¸Allen: What¡¯s wrong is that everyone¡¯s measures are inconsistent!¡¹ ¡¸Tailor: So?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: I need a reliable reference. Hell, everyone does. How do you people even trade goods without well-defined measurement units? I bet you¡¯re all getting scammed by people who use smaller units so they can sell less for more.¡¹ ¡¸Tailor: Oh? And your measurement is better than ours? You¡¯re getting it from your height! If this is not the definition of arbitrary¡­¡¹ He scowled while shaking his head. ¡¸Allen: My country had a decent system and I know my exact height. I just need to find how much a centimeter is and I¡¯ll be able to measure weights and liquids with precision.¡¹ The man frowned and scratched his balding head. ¡¸Tailor: What has your height to do with weight and liquids?¡¹ This is basic stuff even a kid would know. But I guess he can be excused by the medieval-like standards of this world. ¡¸Allen: Everything.¡¹ I replied curtly, refocusing my attention to the task. I had no time or will to explain this stuff to a random tailor. I just needed to adjust my makeshift measuring tape until I managed to make one that matched my height exactly. ¡¸Tailor: You¡¯re wasting my ink¡­¡¹ I ignored him and kept working. It took me three hours to achieve perfection. I checked, double checked and triple checked. It was done. ¡¸Allen: Done!¡¹ I said, shaking the measuring tape in my closed fist. ¡¸Tailor: All that work just to make a measuring tape. I think I¡¯ll stick to my proven and tried methods¡­¡¹ Do what you want old geezer. I was planning to propose this standard to normalize this country¡¯s measurements. It didn¡¯t matter if anyone kept using inches, paces or whatever, as long as they were clearly defined. I left the shop and made the next stop at the shop of a craftsman I knew. He asked me why I wasn¡¯t celebrating the holiday, but I assured him I had already reached my daily social quota, then I asked him if we could work on my project. I assured him it was for the advancement of humankind. He didn¡¯t look too convinced but he accepted anyway. ¡¸Craftsman: Done.¡¹ He said, handing me the last of the hollow cubes, then he stretched his back and looked at me with his arms crossed. ¡¸Craftsman: Would you care to explain to me how these empty cubes are supposed to contribute to the ¡°advancement of humankind¡±?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Of course!¡¹ I smiled. ¡¸Allen: These are the basic unit of measurements of volume. The liter, centiliter and milliliter.¡¹ ¡¸Craftsman: The what?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Liter. You can use it to measure liquids with precision.¡¹ The man shrugged, clearly oblivious to the importance of this deed. ¡¸Allen: Well, I¡¯ll give you a copy of my measuring tape next time.¡¹ I promised, nodding in approval of the work from the artisan. ¡¸Craftsman: I already have my measuring tapes and rulers. Why are you so worked up over such trivial things, anyway?¡¹ He frowned a moment and continued. ¡¸Craftsman: I mean, I¡¯m glad that you paid me generously but, as a mage, don¡¯t you have more important things to do? Especially on Remembrance day¡­¡¹ He made a puzzled face. ¡¸Allen: Worry not, this is very important to my alchemical work. It might even be groundbreaking for the whole field¡­¡¹ Groundbreaking for these people without standards, that is. I quickly explained to him the importance of this stuff for trade, construction, and engineering. ¡¸Craftsman: I see. But you¡¯re not the first trying to launch a new way to measure things. It never sticks, everyone always ends up doing their own thing¡­¡¹ He took a deep sigh. ¡¸Craftsman: But I have to admit. If there was just one way to measure things reliably I wouldn¡¯t mind. I happened to lose or damage my measurement tools quite a few times, getting new ones caused me some headaches for the works I had in progress since they weren''t exactly the same.¡¹ He said, scratching his scraggly beard. ¡¸Allen: Leave it to me.¡¹ I said confidently and walked off with my prototype liter units. I had one more place to go. I hummed under the dusky sky.
I knocked at the shop¡¯s door. I had seen the lights behind the windows so I knew the glassmaker was inside. I had bought some stuff from this guy. His wares were of good quality and the prices fair. But his ¡°measures¡± were arbitrary lines on the glass with no rhyme or reason. They made no sense at all since the liquid required for each new line were not equivalent. I had been one step from murdering someone when I recently discovered that little fact. That was most likely one of the reasons why Merriam was the most acclaimed. But Merriam was the enemy, or so I had decided. I heard voices inside and some muffled swearing then steps getting louder. ¡¸Glassmaker: Who is it?¡¹ An annoyed voice came from behind the closed door. ¡¸Allen: I have a business proposition.¡¹ I announced. ¡¸Glassmaker: I don¡¯t care! It¡¯s a holiday! We¡¯re closed!¡¹ I heard him stomping away. Wait! ¡¸Allen: Wait! I have a plan to bring down Merriam from his high horse!¡¹ I yelled against the door. The footsteps stopped, then silence. Did he take the bait? I wondered. Had I been a glassmaker I wouldn¡¯t have missed the chance to cripple Merriam¡¯s monopoly on alchemical supplies. After a dozen seconds, the door creaked open. The scowling face of the artisan glared at me. ¡¸Glassmaker: Tell me more.¡¹ There was a hungry glint behind his eyes. I smiled knowingly, glad to know we were on the same page. Chapter 71: The Sober Dwarf At first, the glassmaker had been skeptical about my plans, but after explaining to him about the wonders of measuring liquids by volume, and that I would soon become a guild employed alchemist, getting the chance to push the product, he started to agree. All he had to do was to use the cubes I had myself crafted to fill his glassware and mark the lines. To show him the process, we made a couple of prototypes recycling some existing stuff he had already on the shelf. Prototypes which were now in my possession. A flask and a test tube. Finally! I had what I needed to brew that godforsaken potion!
Quest completed (Reinvent the metric system) +200 EXP
Brimming with excitement, swear words of joy started streaming along my humming as I walked down the streets illuminated by torches and magic lights. My stomach started grumbling to remind me of my mortality. Right, it¡¯s quite late. I thought, staring at the full moon shining brightly on the sky. Man, the Creator really lost the chance to add multiple moons to spice up the sk¨C * BAM! * The impact sent me sprawling against the cobblestones. ¡¸Allen: The hell?!¡¹ I yelled against the hooded figure, who was sporting a grayish tattered cape. The guy who had bumped me hesitated for a moment, turning to look in my direction. I tried to peer at the shadowed face but it was too dark to see. I felt goosebumps. So cold. ¡¸Allen: Look where you run, asshole!¡¹ I muttered while checking if my precious glassware prototypes were safe. They were. I took a sigh of relief. ¡¸Rude man: Are you a¨C tch!¡¹ The rude man bolted away mid-sentence. A lot of hurried footsteps were approaching, I turned my head to see what was going on. A bunch of city guards were shouting and pointing while hammering their feet against the ground. ¡¸¡¸Somebody stop him!¡¹¡¹ I scurried out of the way and watched as they ran after the hooded figure. A criminal? I wondered what had just happened. And what had that guy tried to say? Probably something insulting before trying to rob or kill me. I rubbed my arms for warmth. Welp, I slowed him down for the guards. I did my civic duty. I congratulated myself. I stole a last glance at their fading silhouettes and shrugged. Food, I need food. My stomach sent another reminder and I resumed my march. As I was passing next to a tavern, a booming familiar voice caught my attention. I slowed down and took a good look at the place. The signpost said ¡°The Sober Dwarf¡±. I had some serious doubts about that. ¡°The Drunken Dwarf¡± must have already been taken. I decided to walk inside. Unsurprisingly, there were only dwarves there¡­ and a strong smell of industrial level alcohol that made me feel dizzy. ¡¸Yusdrolir: ¡­ eeend thesn *hic* we shhpout eet it. Blehshted shesnd *hic* ehmentalsh.¡¹ My smile turned into a scowl. There it was! Yusdrolir. Talking about what we swore to never talk about. What a coincidence¡­ ¡¸Dwarf: Hahaha. Bullshit! You¡¯re making up stories!¡¹ Another dwarf slapped Yusdrolir¡¯s shoulders. ¡¸Allen: Ahem.¡¹ I said, clearing my throat. Every dwarf turned to look at me, Yusdrolir included. My dwarven party member left his mouth hanging open, the lower jaw moving up and down incoherently. I gave him a good passive-aggressive smile. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Alle¨C Mother pishh *hic*.¡¹ He uselessly tried to hide the tankard full of spirit. He looked, sounded and smelled drunk. ¡¸Dwarf: Is there a problem?¡¹ Asked the dwarf closest to Yusdrolir, while everyone else glared at me with narrowed eyes full hostility. Silence fell in the tavern. Oh boy. You¡¯re in the wrong neighborhood you lanky human. I froze on the spot, considering if walking into a dwarven tavern had been a mistake. Everyone looked so drunk. Drunkards and frail glassware didn¡¯t play well together. A few seconds later, the fact that there had been some tension between humanity and the other races resurfaced in mind. My smile remained frozen in my face like the light of a long-dead star. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Ehhrrr¡­ nahh hesh a *hic* freshnd.¡¹ Thankfully, my party member defused the tension and the dwarves turned back their attention to their respective tankards. Phew. I sat down next to Yusdrolir and glared at him with my lips pressed. He looked away. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Come onsh *hic* cansht deneh a dwarsh his alcohoshl.¡¹ He grumbled in drunken language while staring down his tankard. ¡¸Allen: It¡¯s not that, idiot!¡¹ I whispered. ¡¸Allen: We had agreed to never tell that story!¡¹ His eyes slowly went round. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Oh¡­ Ohhh¡­ skragg¨C *hic*.¡¹ His shoulders slumped and he averted his gaze. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Shorry¡­ Imma shcrew up *hic* I jusht¡­¡¹ He started making an unintelligible ramble. I couldn¡¯t make any of it. Of course, I had expected his lips to be loose, just like I recognized his fighting prowess and absurd stamina. ¡¸Allen: Shut up and use this.¡¹ I said, laying on the counter the enchanted ring I had prepared and pushed it toward him. I had planned to give it to him this morning but he hadn¡¯t been around. He stared at the ring with confusion. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Ehrr¡­ Ya arn¡¯t my type¡­¡¹ He said apologetically. Neither are you! ¡¸Allen: It¡¯s your blasted enchanted ring! Put it on already!¡¹ I hissed, tapping my fingers on the wooden counter with irritation. ¡¸Yusdrolir: I¡­ Uhh¡­ Thanksh *hic*¡¹ He clumsily proceeded to put it on, a task that required several attempts. During which, I had the time to order a grilled steak and something to drink. Yusdrolir was really wasted this evening. It reminded me of that time when we were sitting at the campfire just before the goblins attacked. Fucking goblins. ¡ºAllen: Finally, we can talk privately!¡» I announced telepathically. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Huh¡­ howsh ye talken wishou*hic* yer moush?¡¹ This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. The dwarf asked while furrowing his forehead. Well, he was pretty drunk so I couldn¡¯t fault him for not remembering about the telepathic abilities of my rings. ¡ºAllen: The ring. Will yourself to speak through it.¡» The drunken dwarf made a face of intense concentration and succeeded. ¡ºYusdrolir: Huh¡­ Hello¡­ Hear me?¡» Surprisingly his thoughts weren¡¯t drunken sounding. No, that actually was expected now that I thought of it. Nice, we could have a conversation. ¡ºAllen: Now you¡¯re a true member of the Wage Slaves¡­¡» I sent telepathically, while I sipped from my tankard. I winced, feeling the alcohol burning my throat. Damn, this stuff is vile. And to think that was the lightest stuff they had. ¡ºYusdrolir: ¡­¡» The dwarf projected shameful silence before staring back at me. ¡ºYusdrolir: Whatcha doin¡¯ here? Don¡¯t you have¡­ a woman¡­ to celebrate with?¡» A woman. I gritted my teeth. ¡ºAllen: No. Love can wait until I¡¯m an all-powerful wizard.¡» I said, annoyed. ¡ºYusdrolir: Maybe¡­ ¡¯tis for the best.¡» Yusdrolir took a long sip and cleaned his beard against his arm. Silence fell again. Not really, we were in a dwarven tavern after all. Everyone was yelling, burping or laughing. Anyway, I had thought about it long and hard since coming here. The conclusion was that I didn¡¯t want to be saddled with a Mary Jane eager to be kidnapped and used as blackmail by evil villains. I¡¯d rather avoid the drama and the clich¨¦s. No, I wanted someone equal. A female Allen, preferably. Objectively the best choice, albeit unlikely. I also considered brothels¡­ Well, I sure as hell didn¡¯t want to catch any damn otherworldly STD just for a few minutes of lust. I could just imagine the shame¡­ Ellin looking disgusted and refusing to cure me, Grastel smirking and Namrick going round-eyed as I explain to him the whole bees-and-flowers business. Poor innocent Namrick, so obviously a virgin. I could tell. I personally would wait until I had the misfortune to fall in love again. There was no need to lower myself to the level of a horny teenager. I was an adult after all. Besides, I still had both my hands¡­ no need to go look for trouble¡­ What a depressing thought¡­ ¡­ No. NO! I WANT to get laid! I NEED to get laid! Where¡¯s the closest brothel?! I¡¯ll blow all my saving and fuck all night lo¨C I shut down my inner dialog before I started questioning my earlier resolve and refocused my attention to the present. ¡ºAllen: So¡­ Do you really enjoy getting drunk like this?¡» I asked, going straight to the point. Yusdrolir was barely holding himself together. ¡ºYusdrolir: No¡­ Just want¡­ to forget.¡» We were approaching a touchy subject, but I felt there was a need to press on. ¡ºAllen: Want to talk about it?¡» I glanced at him. He was staring at his own reflection on the alcohol¡¯s surface. He took a deep sigh. ¡ºYusdrolir: Perhaps¡­ Perhaps I can tell ya.¡» I waited in silence. ¡ºYusdrolir: It¡¯s¡­ sodding Remembrance day!¡» He clenched his fists, his face screwing up. Then he told me his story. Of how he had looked up to his father and how hard he had worked to pick up his craft after he was gone so soon. Of when he was about to give it up but met a pretty dwarven lady who convinced him to keep going. Of the happiest day in his life when he married her. Of how he kept working hard to hone his blacksmithy skills in order to one day surpass his father and make his wife proud. Of the day he had been summoned at the dwarven temple to receive official praise for one of his works from the high priest himself. He had walked into the temple halls full of anxiety and excitement. After years of hardships against the heavily competitive environment, his work had been finally recognized! It was the first step to a better life, he would be able to raise a child and live comfortably. He felt like nothing could stop him now. ¡­ And this is when tears started streaming down his cheeks. That day he rushed back home to bring his wife the good news¡­ Only to find her in bed with another dwarf. The woman for which he had given it all. The one whom he vowed to never betray. At that moment he felt something break inside of him. He told me of how in a fit of rage he trashed his home and destroyed his father¡¯s shop, something he would deeply regret afterward. Yusdrolir slammed his tankard on the table a couple of times, venting off his frustration and remained silent for a time. He continued telling me of how he had started drowning his sorrow in alcohol, of how he decided to leave the town because everyone knew everyone else and he could no longer face his peers or hear them talk behind his back. He had lost everything that mattered. There was no longer a place for him there. And that was how he became an adventurer, always drifting from town to town, piling up mistakes and disappointing his friends. Every time the regrets growing deeper and deeper. ¡¸Yusdrolir: I¡­ I dohnwana be liesh dish!¡¹ He said with a growl full of desperation and slapped the tankard away, making it fall beyond the counter. The dwarven bartender scowled and picked it back up without saying a word. The tankard was undamaged. Quality dwarvish craftsmanship. ¡¸Yusdrolir: I¡­ I¡­ *sniff*¡¹ Yusdrolir buried his face in his hands. Feeling a little sad for him, I squeezed his shoulder. ¡¸Allen: Well, fuck that bitch!¡¹ I said waving my tankard in the air. I guess I had gotten a little drunk in the meanwhile. ¡¸Allen: Lemme tell you a secret.¡¹ I said conspiratorially. ¡¸Yusdrolir: A shecreet?¡¹ Yusdrolir asked, lifting his brows and leaning closer. His breath made my nostrils burn but I continued. ¡¸Allen: If you want to git gud at something you gotta do it for yourshelf. Screw the other shitters. Word.¡¹ I nodded to myself, proud of having delivered a semi-coherent thought barely resembling a pearl of wisdom. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Allhen?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Eh?¡¹ ¡¸Yusdrolir: Thanksh.¡¹ I gave him a thumbs-up and a wink. The dwarf broke up in a laugh. We had a toast to lost loves and new beginnings, then he passed out over the counter. Drool coming out from his open mouth. Thankfully Yusdrolir¡¯s dwarven friend volunteered to bring him back to the inn where both of them were staying. ¡¸Dwarf: A damn shame.¡¹ He said as he loaded Yusdrolir on his shoulders, ready to leave the tavern. ¡¸Allen: Hmm?¡¹ I shot him an inquiring glance. ¡¸Dwarf: Sorry, I haven¡¯t introduced myself. I¡¯m Kurmol¡­ and you must be Allen. Yusdrolir told me about you and your party¡­¡¹ As we stepped outside I felt a jolt as the cold air gave me back some clarity. A gentle reminder that it was winter. ¡¸Kurmol: You know, Yus and I come from the same town. We weren¡¯t friends back then, but I admired him. He was a good dwarf and blacksmith. It saddens me to see him like this.¡¹ Kurmol shook his head sadly. ¡¸Allen: He was betrayed by the one he loved. I guess that changes people¡­¡¹ I said, absently staring into the night. ¡¸Kurmol: So he told you¡­ Good night and may AnDareth pave your path, human.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Likewise.¡¹ And so we walked in our separate ways. Looks like Yusdrolir wasn¡¯t as shallow as he pretended to be. I thought. All that carefree demeanor he usually projected was just a facade to hide his pain. Then a thought crossed my mind. Could this be of those so-called ¡°companion quests¡±? Perhaps I could try to get Yusdrolir back into blacksmithy.
Quest added (Yusdrolir the blacksmith)
Thanks, ring. I walked past some kind of commotion, there were people amassed around something but I strode on without paying attention. It had been an eventful day. I was tired and somewhat drunk. When I finally got inside my room I passed out on the bed without even taking off my clothes. I consciously slipped into a dream. I was in a maze of gray corridors. I walked around randomly, working on keeping my concentration intact until I ended up in a big room full of empty desks. These desks were even on the walls and ceiling, in complete disregard for gravity. In the middle of a wall, there was an empty space as if there were meant to be something. But no, it was just an empty wall. Whatever. As I was about to astral project I felt a shivery sensation. ¡¸Fooouuund you!¡¹ A mocking spectral voice echoed in my dreamscape. ¡¸Allen: Who is it?¡¹ I asked, looking around at the empty room. At that moment, tendrils of black smoke seeped from the floor, weaving together to form a nightmarish image. It gave off a feeling of wrongness. Somehow I could tell it was no part of my dreamscape. Shit! Was it ExFeras? How had he found me? Questions flooded in my mind. ¡¸Allen: Feras?!¡¹ The nightmare¡¯s head inclined at a neck-breaking angle. ¡¸Feras: Ah, so you figured who I am. He¡¯s clever¡­¡¹ The spooky figure said with a hint of amusement. ¡¸Allen: Leave me alone!¡¹ I said, tossing the closest desk against the dark god. A useless move. The smoke tendrils dispersed and danced in the air before regaining their former shape. ¡¸Feras: Leave you alone? But it¡¯s you who calls upon me, human.¡¹ The being smiled creepily beneath the ever-shifting dark smoke. ¡¸Allen: Bullshit! I don¡¯t want any god poking inside my head. My dreams are mine!¡¹ I made the floor open up like a mouth and eat up the nightmare. All that remained was a mound of stretched floor tiles. I had honed my dream control during my lucid adventures. That too proved to be ineffective. Vein-like things formed on the spot and started pulsing until another abomination with overstretched limbs sprouted from it. ¡¸Feras: You surely aren¡¯t expecting to beat the God of Nightmares from inside a dream, are you?¡¹ He was right, but nor could he beat me from inside my fucking dream. I had long lost the ability to feel fear but he could annoy me by turning my dreams into tedious B movies. Not to speak that he was leaving his mark upon me, which would freak out all the other gods into making my life hell. I had to try another way. C¡¯mon, Allen. You¡¯ve trained for this. I reached for my aura and tightened my spiritual skin. I immediately felt like something heavy had been lifted from my spirit. The nightmarish creature stopped moving and slowly melted on the ground in a formless puddle. ¡¸Allen: Huh, are you still there?¡¹ I kicked the puddle with a foot. No response. Nothing. I took a deep breath and smiled. But my smile quickly faded. What to do now? Was it safe out there with an Evil God trying to violate my dream space? Probably not. I decided against projecting, instead, I turned around and realized that in the previously blank space on the wall, a sky blue door had now appeared. Looking at it, I felt goosebumps all over me. It was one of those doors. Better to just get on with it. My hand turned the pommel and a blinding light enveloped me. The sun was shining brightly up in the sky. Summer vacations were coming to an end. I doodled something on my notepad and looked up to the girl who was staring in the distance, her back turned to me. ¡°¨€¨€¨€?¡± I called out to her. I should tell her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong ¨€¨€¨€? You¡¯re all silent today!¡± I complained. ¡°We were supposed to work on our game. You¡¯re in charge of the story, remember?¡± The girl faced me. ¡°Ally¡­ there¡¯s one thing I need to tell you.¡± She looked at me with a serious face. What? What is it? I wondered, feeling uneasy. ¡°Hmm. W-What?¡± I stammered feeling the blood rushing to my face. Does she know? ¡°I¡­¡± She looked back at the distance. ¡°My parents... are moving to another city far away.¡± I stared speechless for a second as a sense of dread closed around my heart. ¡°What? Why? When?!¡± I asked surprised. And disappointed. ¡°Next month,¡± she said feebly. ¡°We won¡¯t be seeing each other anymore¡­ Sorry.¡± She turned back and sat down on the grass. She looked sad. ¡°But¡­ we can still call each other!¡± I said. ¡°And my dad told me of this thing called Internet¡­ You can use it to talk to people all over the world! We can still¡­¡± Be together. The words died down in my mouth. ¡°Right¡­¡± She said with a forced smile that quickly faded away. I felt our distance growing miles apart. We both stared at the grass letting the silence grow. I realized it was now too late to say what I wanted to say and cursed my cowardice. She was going away. She would make new friends and forget about me. I thought¡­ I thought I had more time. I felt my eyes water. Chapter 72: Investigations There had been another murder. Sigh¡­ I had hoped to spend more time with my niece. But no, the saboteur¡ªor saboteurs¡ªhad to strike on Remembrance Day. Curse them! I swore softly under my breath. I had spent all night running around in the cold night, questioning soldiers and bystanders, yet I had little to show for it. And to make it worse, the old man had me roused awake early in the morning for a ¡°most pressing matter¡±. I wonder what he wants this time. I took a quick look outside the windows in the corridor. The sun had yet to rise. I stifled a yawn before knocking at the door and walking inside, there was no point in announcing myself. Since he always knew who was behind the door. ¡°Awake at last, are you?¡± The white-haired short old man looked up from his array of magic tools, to cast a sharp glance at me. He was writing something on a sheet of paper. He turned his eyes back to the task. ¡°You must be wondering what this old man wants at this time, Inspector?¡± There was a sharpness in his tone. He was in a bad mood. ¡°It¡¯s my duty to serv¨C¡± I began. ¡°YOU¡¯RE NOT MAKING ANY PROGRESS!¡± He shouted, wearing an angry grimace. The mana light gave his lined face a sinister look. I bowed in apology. ¡°I¡¯m sor¨C¡± ¡°YOU SHOULD BE!¡± The old man slammed a fist on the table and let out a slow exhale. Silence. I pursed my lips and waited. My boss shifted his weight and spread his hands over the table, softly hammering his fingers rhythmically. ¡°Remind me why I picked you for this job, Inspector Kiras.¡± He spoke slowly, piercing me with his gaze. ¡°Because,¡± I said, straightening my back. ¡°I¡¯m your best Inspector, as you said.¡± ¡°And yet¡­¡± He turned up his open palms. ¡°We still don¡¯t even know what we¡¯re up against. Why is that?¡± The accusation was a stab at my pride. It was unjust, I had been giving my best as always. ¡°The perpetrator has been clever at covering his tracks. If only we could secure a better-preserved corpse for inspection¡­¡± I said, with a hint of frustration. Fire had the property of breaking down mana, but even then it was strange that all the corpses found so far had been beyond magical inspection. Completely scrubbed. No helpful clue had been left in the proximity of the events either. Strange. The old man gestured at the window. ¡°Do you know what¡¯s happening out there?¡± He said, a deeper scowl marring his aged face. I remained silent, gazing at the spectral grimace from the glass reflection. I could only assume there was more bad news awaiting. ¡°The civilians are fomenting hate against foreigners,¡± He spat out. ¡°They say the Noirdantians brought in the Madness and should be cast out!¡± He slammed the fist again. ¡°The fools¡­¡± The old man suddenly cocked his head to the side, then stood up and walked toward the window, opening it while extending an arm outside. A few seconds later a bird landed on it and he untied the small note it carried. He put the bird in one of the empty birdcages. It always made me uncomfortable to watch the old man go about his business. All those secrets coming and going. I lost count of the times I wondered whether he had forgotten I was still there. Long uncomfortable silences. ¡°No sightings anywhere of their cursed¡­¡± He muttered intelligibly. ¡°So irregular. Concerning.¡± He turned back to me. ¡°Where was I¡­ ah, yes. Don¡¯t they see that by spreading chaos they¡¯re playing right into the demons¡¯ hands?!¡± He said with frustration. ¡°Not to speak of the recent animosity against the other races risking to strain future relations! Just when we need unity more than ever¡­¡± The old man was venting out his frustration. I wish I were spending quality time with my adorable niece. I thought grimly while nodding absently. ¡°I can¡¯t waste my time on these minor matters!¡± He was yelling now. ¡°I have to handle the flow of information for the war! Keep the generals updated! Make sure our allies are coordinating and logistics unimpeded!¡± He paused a moment to take a breath and stare at me. ¡°Information you see¡­ is everything, my dear Inspector¡­¡± I nodded again while grimacing inside. Was he going to start again one of his lectures about the importance of information? I had to stop him and remind him of the topic at hand. I coughed to catch his attention. ¡°Sir, if I may?¡± I said. ¡°We were discussing the self-immolation murders¡­¡± He took a weary sigh and finally sat back on his chair. ¡°Right, of course.¡± He took a blank piece of paper. ¡°Please, brief me on the current status of your investigation.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I said, recollecting my thoughts for a moment. Then I began. It was unclear whether there were one or two perpetrators, but given the dynamics of the murders, I doubted there could be more than that. So far there had been four identified murders committed inside the city, all with the same approach. The victim would start to behave unusually. Some would disappear from their homes only to be found days or weeks later in a crowded public location, after having set themselves on fire while laughing maniacally. The chosen spots were always those with fewer soldiers and high civilian traffic. It was clear that the culprit¨Cor culprits¨Cwere aiming to make a show, perhaps to destabilize the public order, and in doing so make their job easier. It had worked well, especially thanks to the stories that the refugees had spread about the so-called Madness. Citizens didn¡¯t miss the chance to immediately start pointing fingers. Can¡¯t expect much from commoners. Given the lack of evidence to analyze, we weren¡¯t yet able to pinpoint what we were up against. ¡°Hmm, yes. But how are they doing it?¡± The old man wondered aloud. That was the big question. There were several possibilities but no way to ascertain for sure. ¡°I had evaluated several options,¡± I said, recalling my latest lines of inquiry. ¡°Mind control, forced Oaths, spirit possession, mindweaving, poisons or curses¡­¡± From the autopsies, we were at least been able to rule out other possibilities. ¡°Yes, and?¡± He asked impatiently. ¡°I think we can rule out poisons, in all cases the immolation was caused by external ignition so it was not by fireblood or similar mixtures,¡± I said, scratching my stubble, which reminded me I hadn¡¯t shaved yet. ¡°Spirit possession is also unlikely given that the victims had been acting strangely for several days. Possessing a foreign body corrupts both the host body and spirit, it¡¯s only feasible in the short term. Moreover, from what I gathered some of the victims from Noirdant had been people of uncommon power, unlikely to be easily dominated.¡± The old man was quickly scribbling with practiced motions without even looking at the paper. ¡°I see. What about the others?¡± He asked. ¡°A forced Oath could bring such a result, but I wonder why the murderer would make the victim laugh while burning¡­ perhaps something about the conditions?¡± I said. ¡°Mind control¡­ that¡¯d be tricky. It would require the culprit to remain in casting range, which would mean he¡¯s good at disguises and powerful spiritual interference magics.¡± ¡°Mindweaving?¡± He asked, furrowing his brows. ¡°That is also possible. An expert mindweaver could make anyone do anything, at the price of the subject¡¯s sanity,¡± I said. Very possible but I had my doubts about that choice. ¡°It would seem to match, but if that were the case¡­ Why only one victim at a time? Why not more?¡± I wondered. Is the culprit, or culprits, so determined to hide the evidence that they¡¯ll focus on a single target at a time? Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. The old man scowled. ¡°Why indeed?¡± He considered for a moment. ¡°Aren¡¯t there any other options?¡± ¡°No¡­ I had already excluded minor spells like geas, temporary mind-altering drugs, and magical parasites, that simply can¡¯t be applied to all the murders,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m certain the culprit is using the same method for all the killings. If only we had concrete evidence to confirm which method he¡¯s using¡­¡± ¡°What about the gray caped man? Do you think it could be him?¡± He asked me, now picking another paper sheet as the previous was full. ¡°I wish I could tell for sure,¡± I said, not hiding my disappointment. ¡°Killers often return to the scene of the crime, but according to the witnesses this individual always showed up right after the immolation. Smiling with satisfaction, then running away when guards show up.¡± ¡°How haven¡¯t we already secured this fool?¡± He asked me, visibly irritated. ¡°He can run very fast, which implies at the least knowledge of mana infusion. Everyone who saw him gave different descriptions, though, which leads me to think he¡¯s also adept at disguises either magical or physical¡­¡± I said and tried to dig my memory for more. Why risking so much by coming out in the open? I felt we were missing something. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s an accomplice whose job is to lead the guards away while the murderer cleans up whatever evidence is left? I can only speculate.¡± I said defeated. Why show up with the same distinctive gray tattered cape, if not to taunt us and buy time? ¡°Humans betraying humans¡­¡± The old man spat with disgust. Hadn¡¯t it been for the testimonies I collected, I would have presumed multiple accomplices taking turns at distracting us from the crime scene¡­ but there couldn¡¯t be that many humans sided with the demons, all with the same demeanor and skills. ¡°What about last night?¡± He asked. ¡°It¡¯s all in the report, sir,¡± I said. I had already written out all the salient points, details, and theories. ¡°Any leads yet to explore?¡± ¡°Only a very weak one. I¡¯m missing the testimony from a man who had been pushed to the ground by the fleeing gray cape, maybe he saw something we missed,¡± I recalled. ¡°I could only track down his dwarven friend but he was too drunk to tell me where to find the man.¡± Dwarves. ¡°A soldier reported that the gray cape had stopped a moment to utter something at the man, then bolted away the moment he saw them.¡± What I expected was another useless description of the ever-changing gray cape features. Assuming that witness had even seen his face in the darkness of night. ¡°Did the soldiers hear what was said?¡± ¡°No¡­ they were too far.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t think we have any testimony of the gray cape¡¯s voice,¡± The old man said slowly. ¡°It might be worth getting a permanent record with a Witness in case we can locate him with it since he seems so good at disguises.¡± ¡°I will.¡± I agreed, cursing myself for not thinking about it. ¡°Don¡¯t leave any stone unturned.¡± He reminded me. ¡°I won¡¯t, sir,¡± I said, nodding. The culprit may have been altering his voice, or not. It was worth a try. The old magician interlocked his fingers, a dark look flashing over his eyes. ¡°This is bad, by this pace the saboteur will find a way to cripple our capital just like he¨Cor they¨Ccrippled Noirdant¡¯s. There¡¯s no demonic army outside our walls, but if they get their hands on one of our strategic personnel¡­¡± He remained pensive for some time. I waited without making a sound, it was a bad idea to disturb the old mage while he was brooding. I too had some dark thoughts to wonder about. If the saboteur had been able to manipulate powerful figures back in Noirdant, why was he starting small now? Why waste the element of surprise? Was him¡ªor they¡ªbeing cautious? ¡°Inspector. I have an urgent task for you.¡± He said at last, with a sharp tone. ¡°Yes?¡± I responded. ¡°I need you to warn a number of people of the potential danger¡­ in order to take precautions,¡± He said, closing his eyes and rubbing his eyes. ¡°And we need¡­¡± I waited. ¡°With the war, our resources are spread too thin. We can¡¯t wait for the bureaucracy, we need the Shadows on this.¡± He said gravely. ¡°We¡¯ll have to ask her to intercede for us.¡± With we he meant me.
It really felt like everyone was working hard to prevent me from enjoying my niece¡¯s company. I felt a pang of sadness. Today she would rejoin her adventurer friends. I had wanted to know more about her adventures, but my job kept me away. While in the presence of her mother and my brother I could tell she was withholding a good deal of information, probably not to worry them. Such a good-natured girl, I need to know what she left out. I would have to pay a visit to make sure the new additions to her party of adventurers were upstanding people. And if not, make sure the bad apples disappear. It was my sacred duty as an uncle to protect my niece from the evils of the world. My sweet little Ellin, she¡¯s grown so much! What was my brother thinking when he allowed her to become an adventurer?! And worse, leaving her to her own devices¡­ all alone in the midst of brutes and swindlers. I smothered the little voice telling me she needed to do her own experiences and growing up. To me, my little Ellin would always be that cute yellow-haired newborn chick. I¡¯m a doting uncle. What a sad fate that we, nobles, have to endure such hardships to be able to stand against demons. I walked inside the halls of the Arcane Academy and stopped four paces before my objective. I wonder if my lovely niece is here somewhere, taking magic lessons. I pushed the thought away and restored my composure. Work first. I took a quick look around to make sure no one was around, then I closed my eyes and enhanced my sense of hearing¡­ I could hear two distinct voices behind the closed door, the Ice Queen had company. I would have to wait. I kept on listening. An Inspector never lets his senses grow dull. ¡°This is enough for now. You may leave,¡± I recognized the voice of the Ice Queen. ¡°I expect an update every first day of the week and I want to see faster progress.¡± A brief silence. Footsteps. ¡°¡­ Congratulations on walking the First Step.¡± ¡°Thank you¡­ ma¡¯am.¡± He said. A student of the Academy? Before the door creaked open, I resumed walking normally, to make it look as if I had just arrived. The light-brown-haired man who came out of the office almost bumped into me. His aura was closed off and he looked drowsy as if he had just woken up. It must be hard having the Ice Queen as a teacher, I thought. I gave him a stern stare and continued walking. ¡°Inspector Kiras,¡± I announced myself as I knocked at the door. ¡°Come in.¡± The voice called out and so I did. I smiled and bowed to the Archmage before me. Her cold icy eyes pierced my own. Violet Val Mariannet, the infamous Ice Queen. As beautiful as deadly. This was my first time meeting her in person. She had a powerful presence. Black hair in a bob cut, eyes the color of ice. She wasn¡¯t wearing makeup. I always wondered why she decided to become a teacher as a secondary job. Maybe she just enjoys being sadistic towards members of the younger noble generations. I sure wasn¡¯t going to ask. ¡°What do I owe the pleasure, Inspector?¡± She said, suspicion hiding behind her voice. ¡°Does the Institute have business with me?¡± Everything about her was cold and ice. Just like I had overheard. ¡°Apologies for bothering you so soon after your return, but there have been distressing developments during your absence, Archmage.¡± I said. She narrowed her eyes. ¡°Is that so?¡± She said, crossing her arms which emphasized her chest. ¡°Please have a seat, I presume this is related to Noirdant¡¯s downfall?¡± I lifted my eyebrows. How much does she already know?. ¡°Before we talk, allow me to secure our communications.¡± I waited for her approval and cast a silencing spell around us. I resumed our conversation. ¡°Correct,¡± I admitted sitting down on the chair before her desk. ¡°I¡¯ve been dispatched to look into the matter and it seems that the culprit, or culprits, had been hiding among the refugees¡­¡± ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡± She interrupted. ¡°Isn¡¯t this a matter for the Institute?¡± ¡°It is,¡± I admitted. ¡°But I¡¯ve been tasked to inform certain key personnel in the kingdom, as to prevent a similar fate to befall upon us.¡± ¡°And I assume you need something more¡­¡± She stated, narrowing her eyes. This woman was scary. And to think she was younger than me. Even though she was hiding her aura, there was no mistaking the tremendous amount of mana she was holding. I had been trained to feel the pull of accumulated energy. I estimated she had walked at least the Seventh Step. Maybe even the Eighth! ¡°It is as you suggest,¡± I said, with a curt nod. ¡°We need the Shadows¡¯ assistance. The Institute would greatly appreciate it if you could intercede on our behalf.¡± She stared at me in silence, a cold and calculating gaze. Suddenly, I felt inadequate with my meager Fourth Step. ¡°Why?¡± She asked at last. I fought a few seconds to recall my argument and speak. ¡°We need assistance in apprehending this saboteur causing uproar in Valarest. We fear he, or they, might soon target critical personnel and deal thus an important blow to the capital at such a critical time.¡± ¡°The Shadows¡¯ specialties do not lie in identifying targets,¡± She said curtly. ¡°And why isn¡¯t this request being passed through the official channels?¡± ¡°Apologies, but the matter is of extreme urgency,¡± I said. ¡°With the reduced garrison patrolling the city, the magicians dispatched to prevent long-distance portals and the unrest brewing among the civilians¡­ We¡¯re dealing with someone capable of manipulating even high magicians against their own will.¡± I let that sink in, somehow her gaze turning colder. ¡°We need to stop whoever is behind this operation before it¡¯s too late.¡± I held her gaze without blinking, hoping to convey the importance. A short silence ensued as she considered my words. ¡°I¡¯ll need to know the details.¡± She said, with a neutral tone. I repeated to her what I had told the old man earlier in the morning. If hearing the news had fazed her, she hadn¡¯t shown it. ¡°I see,¡± She said at last. ¡°I¡¯ll submit your request to the Shadows¡¯ attention. Dismissed.¡± Dismissed? I felt a twitch to my eye. Usually, people show utmost respect before Inspectors. And for good reasons. Of course, archmages aren¡¯t just any people, as they report directly to the crown. I hoped she understood the gravity of the situation. I didn¡¯t dare show disrespect to such a powerful Archmage so I kept my complaints to myself. I stood up and bowed again if a little stiffly. ¡°Thank you, Archmage. May the kingdom ever prosper.¡± She nodded and watched me go, the pressure of her gaze burning on my skin. I closed the door behind me and took a sigh of relief after having walked several paces away. Another task done. I ticked off the name from the list and acknowledged the remaining few names With that done, I would be able to resume the investigation. There were many questions waiting to be answered. One of them being why an Inspector was being sent around acting like a glorified messenger. Chapter 73: The First Step The day hadn¡¯t started well. A dark god had come haunting my dreams, even if for a short time. I couldn¡¯t get back to sleep again after that. I guess I felt less bold now that I was awake and my brain was working at full capacity. So I spent the whole night awake, going extra hard at controlling my aura. It looked like whatever Alher, the Nature Goddess, had done to keep him away was wearing off. Sure as hell, I wasn¡¯t going back for a second round of soul lynching. From any god ever, if I could help it. Making my spirit sore was a minor inconvenience but having some opinionated big-ass spirit snooping on my personal business was a big no for me. I tossed the useless obisidian-lacquered blanket away and got ready for a new day. As soon as I entered the Academy, one of the clerks beelined me and sent me straight to Violet, who had just gotten back from her mission. Or covert op, whatever. So I rushed to her office to make my report about the progress with the job. And to bask in her perfect curves. I received a cold shower¡­ She had expected more. I blamed Klenn for being an insufferable prick. It turned out she knew him because she told me¡­ ¡¸Violet: You could probably beat him in a direct confrontation.¡¹ I remained speechless for a few moments, processing the words. ¡¸Allen: But he¡¯s an attack magic specialist¡­ I would be turned into ash on the spot!¡¹ I expressed my doubts. Klenn was all about attack magic. Flashy attack magic. He specialized in making things go boom in spectacular ways. In fact, he was so autistic about his spells having to be flashy that he wouldn¡¯t allow us to go on without adding some special effect like illusory particles or sounds. Powerful magics have to look powerful, he kept on preaching. A waste of mana, basically. Klenn was just the worst. I really didn¡¯t know how Bart and Vezlaz could endure his antics. However, Violet only replied with a faint mysterious smile that lasted a mere second before her face smoothed again. What did she mean by that? I could only see myself being turned into red mist by Klenn¡¯s lethal magics. ¡¸Violet: What about your aura? Have you been practicing as instructed?¡¹ She sharpened her icy gaze as if such a thing was even possible. I mentioned my progress with ¡¾Aura Control¡¿. And also that ExFeras had disturbed my night, but I managed to push him away. That¡¯s when she turned all serious, stood up, and made me undergo another private lesson. Only, it was more like private torture¡­ ¡¸Violet: Dreaming is a habit best forgotten.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: But¡­¡¹ She seemed dead set to never have me sleep again. Which was not compatible with my astral projection efforts. I didn¡¯t get a chance to complain. She made me lay down on the couch. Then she pressed a finger to my forehead and started casting a sleep spell on me. She expected me to stay on the edge of awareness while performing a mental exercise of moving my attention to various parts of my body. I was supposed to remain fully aware of my surroundings while my body slept. I obviously fell asleep quickly and repeatedly, only to go through wake-up slaps and going back from start. Over and over and over and over. I considered mentioning I was not into masochism but decided to endure stoically like a real man.
I was still under torture¡­ I felt miserable. And groggy. And miserable. The day was turning shittier by the second. It never seemed to end, and I lost track of time. At some point, a peculiar sensation washed over me. Suddenly I felt better, more present. It was hard to describe.
Mana density is now 1 Title Acquired (Awakened of the Mortal Realm) Achievement Obtained (Walked the First Step)
The great news washed away all the bad suffered until then. I had walked the First fucking Step! I wanted to jump up and pump my fists, but I kept my excitement at bay. Instead, I used my newfound optimism to endure the training until Violet was satisfied. ¡¸Violet: This is enough for now. You may leave.¡¹ She said. I felt the pressure of her fingers lifting from my forehead. I lazily opened my eyes, my brain still catching up with the fact the trial was over. Violet had already gotten up and was crossing her arms, staring down at me. I mentally praised God as I fought to push myself against the drowsiness. Then, still suffering from the force-induced sleepiness, I half-stumbled towards the exit door. ¡¸Violet: Congratulations on walking the First Step.¡¹ She added in her usual tone as I was leaving the office. She had noticed. Of course, she had noticed! She had been keeping her fingers on my forehead for the sleep spell while inspecting my spirit. Violet praised me. I allowed a small smile to curl my lips. ¡¸Allen: Thank you¡­ ma¡¯am.¡¹ Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. I felt a pang of pride. Violet¡¯s cool acknowledgment was certainly more rewarding than any of the ungrateful dismissive grunts I would get from the workplace back in my world. Anyway, I had never managed to fill my spirit body completely before. Now I would be able to start the whole business of increasing mana density. I hadn¡¯t even paid much attention, but somehow keeping my spirit body closed off had become second nature, like shifting gears on a car. I couldn¡¯t wait to gloat among my friends. Although, perhaps the reason why people ended up grunting instead of praising me was my bad tendency to gloat. I quickly dismissed that line of thought. You gotta advertise how good you are. As I opened the door, I remembered that I was supposed to meet with Grohm in the morning. I was most certainly late¡­ I rushed to reach his office. I almost bumped against someone as I left Violet¡¯s office. I still felt groggy. And excited. ¡¾SHOW MANA STATUS¡¿
Mana: 255/255 Cast range: 3.9 m Mana volume: 73 Mana density: 1 Mana efficiency: 0.7 Mana regen: 1.31 mana/min Mana drain: -0.16 mana/min
I stopped in the hallway and looked around to make sure I was alone. Then I pumped a fist with satisfaction.
¡¸Grohm: You¡¯re late.¡¹ He stated, scowling. ¡¸Allen: Sorry, Violet kept me.¡¹ Hearing that, Grohm didn¡¯t seem to mind much. I noticed he was working on what looked like a prosthetic arm. ¡¸Allen: You¡¯re working on magical prosthetics?¡¹ He nodded. ¡¸Grohm: This is what I enjoy. This is art. And I make life better. Yes.¡¹ I took a better look. The prosthetic arm was made of countless parts. A third of which were arrayed on the desk, yet to be assembled. I felt strong steampunk vibes. ¡¸Grohm: Here. Look inside¡­ see the enchantments¡­ but be careful! It¡¯s fragile, yes?¡¹ He had an unusual light inside his eyes. I guess this is truly the kind of work for which he nerds about. As a fellow nerd, I could relate. ¡¸Allen: Okay¡­¡¹ I closed my fingers around the fake arm and extended my magical senses. Woah. He wasn¡¯t kidding when he said that it was art. The spellwork was on a whole another level from what he had shown me before. I couldn¡¯t even wrap my head around it. There were so many enchantments and mana threads all over. It was like a complex magical clockwork. My face betrayed my surprise. ¡¸Grohm: Ah, you see? This is where true mastery of the craft shows, yes?¡¹ Before I could reply, he went on¡­ ¡¸Grohm: Quality magical prosthetics are tricky, you see. You need spells to simulate the sense of touch, movement, and all else. Otherwise, it won¡¯t feel natural. There are few in the world capable of such a feat.¡¹ He said, puffing his chest with pride. ¡¸Allen: And here I thought you only produced gimmicky toy¨C¡¹ * WHACK * ¡¸Allen: Ow!¡¹ The cursed switch had somehow appeared in his hands. He scowled at me. ¡¸Grohm: Fool! I only showed you what you could handle. Obvious, no?¡¹ He shook his head dramatically, like a disappointed father. ¡¸Grohm: Insufferable. Short-sighted¡­ fool.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: I was just kidding.¡¹ I pointed out, grinning. Grohm sighed and eased back in his seat. ¡¸Grohm: Bah. Anyway, the final work will need a fine forbidding weave to protect it. I assume you must have seen something like that in your other job. No?¡¹ I had. My enchanted rings felt naked after seeing how proper magical tamper protection looked. It made projecting your mind into the enchantable space impossible. At least with my current skills. ¡¸Allen: Yes, I did.¡¹ ¡¸Grohm: Good. You have decent precision despite being quite new at this. Hmmm, soon I might teach you some basic weaves and how to hide the seam.¡¹ Grohm put down his weapon. ¡¸Allen: Anyway. Staying in the theme of advanced knowledge, I too have plenty yet to show you¡­¡¹ I said with a challenging smile. Grohm sniffed loudly. ¡¸Grohm: Yes, yes. To be honest, I¡¯m finding it hard to wrap my head around this thing you call software.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Well, that¡¯s what I excel at. Most of the other topics I only know superficially.¡¹ All thanks to those moments of boredom at work, browsing far and wide. As far as the corporate firewall allowed. ¡¸Grohm: I noticed, yes.¡¹ Grohm had taken out the sheets where we were laying out the map of my knowledge. I didn¡¯t even know I knew so many things until he started putting them on paper. He seemed more excited about ¡°hardware¡± concepts rather than the ¡°software¡± counterparts, which appeared to hurt his brain. My knowledge about hardware was spotty and theoretical. I had taken the programmer¡¯s path after all. ¡¸Grohm: This is going to take years. Hmm. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll need to bring in someone else too. Yes.¡¹ It didn¡¯t help that, while I had always been good at quickly learning what piqued my interest, I was a train-wreck when it came to teaching others. Grohm had been painstakingly extracting the knowledge from my half-assed explanations. He had already filled a book worth of stuff. Somehow. ¡¸Allen: Someone else?¡¹ ¡¸Grohm: Yes. I think I should focus on the¡­ hardware branch of knowledge. Yes. I find some of the concepts familiar and the questions challenging. I do want to learn about the software as well but¡­¡¹ He gazed at the topics: compilers, lexers, parsers, linkers, debuggers, operative systems, multitasking, drivers, programming patterns, networking¡­ he pushed the paper away, shaking his head. ¡¸Allen: I¡¯ll need to at least teach you a programming language, otherwise you won¡¯t be able to make use of CPUs.¡¹ He grimaced. I couldn¡¯t wait to give Grohm¡¯s a taste of his own medicine when he¡¯d inevitably fuck up the use of pointers, forget a semicolon, or generally fall for one of the common blunders. Eheheh. ¡¸Grohm: This is too much. Another layer of magic beyond magic. Hmmm¡­ It can wait.¡¹ He stroked his goatee. ¡¸Grohm: I have someone in mind¡­ But not while danger is present.¡¹ I raised an eyebrow at that. ¡¸Allen: Danger? Isn¡¯t Valarest safer than most places?¡¹ He shot me a glare of disbelief. ¡¸Grohm: Didn¡¯t you hear about the Madness? Didn¡¯t you see the unrest in the streets?¡¹ Now that he mentioned it, well¡­ maybe the people were grumpier and more agitated than usual? I didn¡¯t pay much attention, to be honest. ¡¸Allen: Sorry, I¡¯ve been spending all my time on my job, my lessons, and my projects.¡¹ It¡¯s not like I had a point of reference to tell whether Valarest was more or less in unrest than usual. It wasn¡¯t rare for drunkards to shout at each other. I think about more important things while my body goes on autopilot from point A to point B. ¡¸Grohm: Hopeless. Hopeless!¡¹ He shook his head again. All this head-shaking was gonna make his head fall off. ¡¸Grohm: Anyway, when are you going to do something about that?¡¹ He pointed a thumb to the magical glass tanks, our little project. Still empty. ¡¸Allen: Oh, that¡­¡¹ I had kinda forgotten about it. ¡¸Allen: Err, I don¡¯t have any cool seed to grow yet. What if we put some spices and herbs in it meanwhile? The ones in my vases are dying out due to the cold.¡¹ Grohm¡¯s eyes went round, and he stood up suddenly, grabbing his switch with white knuckles. I inched back. ¡¸Grohm: Spices¡­ Herbs?!¡¹ He appeared visibly agitated. ¡¸Grohm: Perfect ambiental management. Advanced mana flow adjustment. Temperature and humidity control. Programmable full-spectrum day and night lights patterns. Automated water and air circulation. Magical pressure control. And what does he want to plant in it?¡¹ He started twisting the switch between his hands. ¡¸Grohm: Spices.¡¹ He spat with disgust. ¡¸Allen: Okay, okay! I get it!¡¹ I threw my hands up. Grohm didn¡¯t pay me any attention and motioned toward the glass tanks, caressing the frames. ¡¸Grohm: A perfect tool built to simulate even the most peculiar of environments. Yes?! No¡­ Spices.¡¹ He shot me another poisoned glare. ¡¸Allen: What do you want me to do?¡¹ I asked, peeved. ¡¸Grohm: You are alchemist, no? Post quest, ask peers, buy rare seeds.¡¹ His Arstei was devolving by the second. ¡¸Allen: It¡¯s winter. I don¡¯t know which plants I should look for and where. I won¡¯t be able to ask anyone until I join the Alchemist¡¯s Guild, and reagent sellers have restrictions on what they sell to students. Everyone who may know something just smiles and says it¡¯s a ¡°trade secret¡±.¡¹ If only people weren¡¯t so adamant in keeping their secrets under tight wrap and their shit-faced grins¡­ Oh, how I miss the internet. ¡¸Allen: Look, my intermediate alchemy exam is due soon. Once passed, I¡¯ll have all the requirements for joining the Guild. When I get there, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be able to find something.¡¹ Grohm sighed and sat down. I didn¡¯t have time to go look blindly for books about magical reagents. I was already loaded with duties. I had decided to go easier next month. I¡¯m full nerd for magic¡ªit had always been my dream¡ªbut I¡¯m still just human, unfortunately. ¡¸Grohm: Pay attention out there. We¡¯re at war, and Demons never play fair.¡¹ I shrugged, not sure how to reply. Chapter 74: The distressed dwarf I burst into the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, ready to tell all my friends how cool I was. I looked left and right, but it seemed I had arrived a little late. They had already left for lunch. I was about to leave when my eyes met Yusdrolir¡¯s, and he started waving at me frantically. I waved back. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Oi! Allen!¡¹ The dwarf made his way through the crowd. He had a worried look. ¡¸Allen: Hi, Yusdrolir. No, I haven¡¯t told anyone about our drunk talks.¡¹ He grabbed my arm and dragged me outside in the cold, toward a less crowded area. He peered left and right like a paranoid conspiracy theorist. ¡¸Allen: Looking for a tin hat?¡¹ He stared at me, confused. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Tin ha- What are you- No. I¡­ I haven¡¯t told the others because I didn¡¯t want to worry them, but¡­ Allen, I think you¡¯re in danger.¡¹ I scratched my chin. ¡¸Allen: I¡¯m in the capital of the kingdom and under the employ of an archmage. I think I¡¯m pretty safe.¡¹ The dwarf shook me. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Ya don¡¯t get it. I thought it had been just a bad dream, but¡­ just a while ago an Inspector approached me asking about you! I-I thought he wanted to execute me or worse! Ancestor¡¯s beard!¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Is that bad? Aren¡¯t Inspectors like the magic police?¡¹ ¡¸Yusdrolir: Yer a mage, they hunt mages! When an Inspector comes callin¡¯, ya better start runnin¡¯. Whatever he wants it can¡¯t be good¡­¡¹ I scoffed. ¡¸Allen: The military needs me, no one¡¯s gonna touch me. As long as I keep being useful, at least. Did he say what he wanted?¡¹ ¡¸Yusdrolir: Er¡­ he said he wanted to ask some questions.¡¹ Well, since Yusdrolir wasn¡¯t being kept in a cage under torture, I guessed this Inspector was indeed only looking to ask questions. In any case, I was under Violet¡¯s protection. And archmages are directly under the crown. I ought to be reasonably safe, even if I had done something illegal which I¡¯m not aware of. Did someone complain about me using magic in public? ¡¸Allen: Well, I guess we¡¯ll find out when I meet the guy. Where are the others?¡¹ My projected aura of confidence calmed down the frantic dwarf a little. ¡¸Yusdrolir: They¡­ They headed off to lunch. I stayed behind because I wanted to warn you. Yer still in time to run and leave the city, ya know?¡¹ Leave and go where? I¡¯m pretty sure Violet would have me hunted down and tied to a chair. And I didn¡¯t want to lose all my benefits. It turned out my IT knowledge was very valuable in a fantasy world full of unreliable magic, and I was planning to milk all I could from this partnership. Moreover, things were about to get exciting at work. I just needed to push the Great Project for approval. I thought the time was ripe. ¡¸Allen: Don¡¯t worry. If I get kidnapped or something, get Ellin to send a message to Violet Val Mariannet at the Academy. Let¡¯s go have lunch.¡¹ I was about to go, but the dwarf tugged my sleeve. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Allen, thanks for yesterday¡­ I see ya didn¡¯t tell anyone of my past shames. I appreciate it.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: No probs.¡¹ I¡¯m not one to break confidence. Sooner or later, he would tell them too, whether sober or drunk. Preferably, the former. We started walking. ¡¸Yusdrolir: I need alcohol¡­¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Dwarves drink too much.¡¹ ¡¸Yusdrolir: Ha! There¡¯s a valid reason actually. If ya would care to know.¡¹ I gave him a doubtful look. ¡¸Allen: Seriously?¡¹ He nodded. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Ya know that those uppity tree-hugging elves have such great eyesight? Well, we dwarves instead we got a good nose. Too good, in fact.¡¹ If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. He pinched his nose. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Human cities¡­ they stink! Ya see, alcohol helps to make smells more bearable. Valarest is not that bad or I¡¯d have departed in a desperate run.¡¹ It sounded like an excuse. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Also, it¡¯s so damn cold. It should be a crime not to drink alcohol during winter¡­¡¹ That one definitely was. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Not to speak how hard it is to get hold of clean wat-¡¹ I put a hand on his shoulder, as I stopped to get a chunk of fresh snow from a nearby pile and offered it to him. It was winter, and it was snowing a lot. The dwarf rolled his eyes. ¡¸Allen: Also... Valarest is literally surrounded by water streams. Let that sink in.¡¹ He grunted with frustration, which only made me grin harder. ¡¸Yusdrolir: I meant in general! And wipe that grin off yer face, AnDareth¡¯s anvil!¡¹ We resumed walking. ¡¸Allen: Oh, so dwarves have good noses. Elves have good eyes¡­ What perk did us humans get?¡¹ He looked at me and grinned. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Humans¡­ Ye breed too damn fast. Aye.¡¹ He said, nodding to himself. Fair, I guess. Although, I was hoping for a more practical perk. ¡¸Allen: Yusdrolir?¡¹ ¡¸Yusdrolir: Hmm?¡¹ ¡ºAllen: You can use the magic ring for private conversations. Remember?¡» ¡¸Yusdrolir: Oh¡­ I had forgotten. Haha.¡¹ The dwarf seemed to have recovered his good humor. Then he cast a sidelong glance at me with a serious expression. ¡¸Yusdrolir: I still think ye should get the heck out of this darn city.¡¹ I wondered what the magic police wanted from me, but I didn¡¯t recall ever doing anything forbidden. I was probably safe. Or was I?
¡¸Allen: Behold, an Awakened of the Mortal Realm.¡¹ I said, casting my arms upwards striking a dramatic pose. Before even saying hello. The guys, who had been sitting in the process of eating, turned their heads toward me with a bemused expression. I sighed. ¡¸Allen: Okay, okay. I walked the First Step. How do you not know about the Ashan obscure but totally awesome magical power classification? Some adventurers you are.¡¹ I complained, shaking my head with faked discontent. ¡¸Namrick: Even normal creatures can be Awakened. That¡¯s not such a big achievement, you know?¡¹ Buzzkill. Yes, Awakened was a common term for anything and anyone who had, well, awakened their mana body and reached the First Step. Grastel raised a hand while finishing to chew whatever was inside his mouth. He made us wait dramatic seconds. ¡¸Grastel: Walking the First Step¡­ isn¡¯t that, like, the bare minimum to be called a mage? You can¡¯t even throw a fireball yet!¡¹ He said with a hint of sarcasm. Everyone grinned, except me. Where are my praises!? My worst fears were coming true. ¡¸Namrick: Is it like sword mastery ranks? I¡¯m a Silver Sword but I¡¯m close to being promoted to Golden, by the way.¡¹ ¡¸Ellin: Congratulations!¡¹ Ellin beamed. Such a good girl. ¡¸Allen: I knew I could count on my disciple.¡¹ ¡¸Ellin: I was referring to Namrick.¡¹ She said, grinning. An obvious attempt to tease me. I pretended not to hear. Yusdrolir and I joined them at the table. He was still fidgety and was casting glances toward the entry door every now and then. I shouldn¡¯t need to be afraid¡­ unless they found out I¡¯m from another world and want to dissect me alive. I pushed the uneasiness away. Violet is my shield. Have faith in Violet. ¡¸Namrick: Allen, have you ever wondered why I know so many things about mages?¡¹ My swordsman friend said out of the blue, looking at me with a defiant smile. ¡¸Allen: Yes. Every damn day. And every time I ask, you just smile like an idiot.¡¹ Namrick raised his chin, breathing in loudly. That smug bastard. ¡¸Namrick: I was wondering if you would figure it out. You see, you¡¯re like the other mages¡­ and just like other mages you can¡¯t help but boast about your successes, telling and retelling us of your achievements, cleverness, all in unnecessary detail.¡¹ I remained silent for a second, mulling over his words. ¡¸Allen: Am I really that bad?¡¹ I asked, looking from left to right. ¡¸Namrick: Unceasing¡­¡¹ ¡¸Grastel: Unrelenting¡­¡¹ Ellin exploded in a laugh. I considered trading my friends for a bunch of like-minded magician nerds. They should be thankful for me sharing my arcane wisdom. ¡¸Allen: What a shame¡­ Looks like my fellow party members no longer want potions and enchantments for the very accessible price of ¡°showering Allen with praises¡±.¡¹ I said with a faked sorrowful grim tone, stifling a grin. While my skill set was still limited, I could only but improve, and they knew it. It¡¯s always good to remind your friends not to take things for granted. Otherwise, you¡¯ll end up being asked to fix random shit on their computers for free, and they won¡¯t even thank you for the time you wasted. Although, maybe those don¡¯t qualify as friends after all¡­ ¡¸Yusdrolir: He¡¯s right, ya know.¡¹ My dwarf pal came to my support. Way to go Yus, tell these brats. ¡¸Ellin: Congratulations, Allen.¡¹ ¡¸Namrick: You know, Allen. I don¡¯t really mind hearing mage talk. It reminds me that magicians are dangerous foes. So paying attention can only better my chances of defeating them. Master Fredrick agrees.¡¹ Fredrick? Oh right, the former Royal Sword guy that has taken Namrick as a disciple. ¡¸Allen: Good for you. Anyway¡­¡¹ I remembered Grohm¡¯s concerns. ¡¸Allen: I heard there¡¯s bad stuff happening in the city. Something about¡­ madness?¡¹ The mood turned sour. People shifted in their seats. ¡¸Grastel: Yes, I heard about it. The Madness. People say it¡¯s a curse brought by the refugees. You become crazy and set yourself on fire.¡¹ Come on baby, light my fire. Some kind of magical STD? Remember to use protection, kids. Ellin made the face she does when she wanted to say something, but she kept silent. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Demons?¡¹ ¡¸Namrick: You can bet on it. Why would anyone else side with them?¡¹ My cynical nature started making lists, but I didn¡¯t think Namrick was ready to accept how greedy and stupid people can be. ¡¸Grastel: Maybe we should leave and wait until it gets sorted out?¡¹ And go where? It was cold outside. Roads were covered with snow. There was no global warming in this world. Yet. ¡¸Allen: I can¡¯t leave even if I wanted to.¡¹ I shrugged. I wouldn¡¯t risk breaking the contract unless I really had to. No one seemed eager to leave the city. We all had our good reasons to stay. Had demon agents really infiltrated the city? Wrong question. What are the chances of anything ever going well? Zero. Chapter 75: An Inspector never falters Done. I had carried out the old man¡¯s request. I could finally resume the investigation. Time to make a dwarf talk. ¡°Where to now, master Inspector?¡± The cart driver asked. It was late morning. Even the most drunken of dwarves would have woken from their stupor by now. Besides, if he remembered meeting me, he would likely be seeking friendly faces to share the story. Which meant¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s head to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild,¡± I said. The dwarf was an adventurer, the Guild was the most probable place to catch him, or at the very least someone would be able to point me where to find him. We quickly reached the place, and I hopped off. I barged through the door, everyone¡¯s eyes fixing on me and my Inspector badge. As expected, the dwarf was there, all fidgety and nervous. He went pale as a sheet the moment he saw me. I smiled and approached ominously. I like how people squirm when they face me. The crowd parted, leaving the dwarf on his own as if he were contagious. He let out a whimper. This was going to be easy.
I finally had the full name, Allen Smith, a foreign magician. The stuttering dwarf babbled about the man likely being at the Academy. He sputtered out also that he had a job as an enchanter for the military. It seemed an empty boast, but I found no traces of lying. I had just came back from the Academy, but it seemed I had to pay another visit. Military enchanters meant royal palace. I would need to get permission. Annoying. I also asked other adventurers about this Allen Smith. It was confusing that most were referring to a certain ¡°Allen Skullcrusher¡±, a warrior who allegedly pounded a troll to death with a mace. It was probably two different people. I was looking for a magician. I headed back to the Academy.
Allen Smith wasn¡¯t there. I had just missed him, or so the clerks claimed. This chase was starting to get tedious. Was this person trying to avoid me? I asked the Academy personnel for all the information on him. But all I got were denials and apologies, Archmage orders. The Ice Queen had forbidden any personal information to be disclosed without her explicit consent. And, of course, she was conveniently away from her office at that time. Clerks usually sang like birds when it came to helping investigations. It was extremely unusual for me to encounter issues in acquiring intelligence on nobles and adventurers. What¡¯s so special about this guy? When an Inspector comes knocking, you best start talking. Such a situation was abnormal. I did not give up, however. I approached all the available teachers and asked them what they knew. What I got didn¡¯t make sense. Allen had enrolled this same year. Allegedly new at magic, he was managing to pass most courses right away. I would have accepted it if it were a young genius, but here we were talking about a grown man. It was simply impossible for the spirit of an adult to show such magical flexibility. He must¡¯ve had previous experience and joined while pretending to know nothing to seek attention. A foreign spy? Why would an Archmage allow him to be and even protect him? I felt I was missing crucial pieces of the puzzle. The next breakthrough came while talking to teacher Jalatine Val Kordaste, who kindly showed me an illusory image of this mysterious Allen Smith. I had already seen that face! The sleepy-looking person who came out of the Ice Queen¡¯s office! Damn it, I swore silently. To think he had been so close! A foreigner. Attending the Academy. Never mingled with the other students. Protected by an Archmage. Involved in the military. Crossed path with the gray cape. My gut was screaming at me that I was onto something. Did the Archmage know about this person¡¯s encounter with the gray caped man? Was there a conspiracy going on? I had to talk to the old man. It would be strange for him not to have heard of such a particular individual. This guy stood out like a sore eye. But first, I would pay a visit to where this suspicious person was lodging. Experience taught me I had to find whatever evidence there could be before he caught wind that I was onto him. It would not do to give him time to dispose of compromising clues. I rushed to the place the dwarf mentioned, a location I was already acquainted with. I, of course, had to pay a visit to make sure this was a respectable establishment. And make sure the owner understood what would happen if any noble resident were to receive untoward treatment. And by that, I meant Ellin, but I had to keep my affiliation unclear, which was why I made sure other nobles had lodged in this inn before making my move. Also, I never mentioned my family name¡ªwhich I had to cast aside when I became an Inspector. Some greedy inn owners wouldn¡¯t think twice before organizing some unfortunate happenstances to their noble, or adventurer, patrons. I had learned the hard way in my younger days. The least I could do was make sure Ellin didn¡¯t have to endure such discomfort behind the relative safety of Valarest¡¯s walls. To the world, I¡¯m Inspector Kiras. Cold-blooded. Efficient. Grown distant from the family due to unwavering loyalty to his duty. And that was good. If anyone powerful enough decided to kidnap Ellin to force me to close an eye to their magical misdeeds, I would never forgive myself. There was a highly suspicious person. At the same place my lovely niece was staying. Unforgivable! An unnecessary element of disruption. A potential dang¡ª ¡°Everything all right, master Inspector?¡± The cart driver inquired. ¡°You look unusually tense today, if I may say.¡± I cast a glance at the driver, releasing the tension in my fist. I hopped down without answering and stormed inside the inn. The innkeeper¡¯s eyes grew large as he saw me, and he bowed. ¡°I-Inspector, what a pleasant sur¡ª¡± ¡°Show me into Allen Smith¡¯s room,¡± I said menacingly. ¡°B-But¡­¡± He stammered. ¡°Now,¡± I ordered in a low voice. He quickly complied, unlocking the room with shaking hands. I walked inside. ¡°Leave me,¡± I ordered and waited until I was alone. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. I inspected the suite rooms. Alchemical instruments, armor, several stacks of paper written with glyphs I couldn¡¯t recognize, maces¡­ Wait, maces? I was reminded of the rumors about the so-called Skullcrusher. There was also the smell of magic in the air and a peculiar feeling about it. I activated my mana sight. The room blazed alight. I carefully inspected every nook and cranny for any trace of demonic mana. I found a hidden compartment hiding several enchanted items, as expected from an enchanter. All the mana belonged to the same person. And then it dawned on me why I felt such a peculiar feeling. I had already observed this mana signature before! The mysterious incident several months ago¡­ I had been called to investigate the area where a large-scale magical event had occurred. The area was brimming with powerful signatureless mana. But even more sinister was the humanoid-shaped hole in the ground, holding faint traces of this same signature! All who came to investigate had no idea of what could have happened. Not even the spirit whisperers were able to offer any insight. The monstrous amounts of mana involved had scared all the spirits away. Had some forbidden experiment gone wrong? We had no clue at all. And then again recently, when I investigated the sites involved with the refugees. I had inspected a combat site where a group of mercenaries had carried an attack. I encountered traces of that same signature on an iron helmet which felt like a spent illusion. Although, I wasn¡¯t entirely sure of that because the residual magics had almost decayed. The gray cape came from Noirdant with the refugees. Coincidence? Had this Allen Smith reached out to the saboteurs hidden among the refugees? If that were the case, how could he fool an Archmage? Unless the Archmage herself knew or was a betrayer¡­ but no, impossible. The Oaths¡­ Too much noise, I thought to myself. I had to share my findings with the old man. And watch that guy carefully.
¡°Back so soon?¡± The old man asked as I showed myself in. ¡°What about the investigation? Have you spoken with the witness yet?¡± ¡°Not yet,¡± I began. ¡°I need all we have on a certain Allen Smith, urgently,¡± I said. He looked at me, his eyebrows furrowing up. ¡°And how do you know that name, Inspector Kiras?¡± He asked with an inquisitive tone. Surprise betrayed my face. ¡°You know about him?! I need to know everything.¡± ¡°Slow down, Inspector.¡± He said while raising a hand. ¡°First of all, what business do you have with this person?¡± ¡°It¡¯s about the case!¡± I said with a hint of exasperation. I had to understand what was going on before removing this danger from my beloved niece¡¯s proximity. ¡°How so?¡± The old man asked. I ground my teeth in frustration. Why was he being so cagey? Who the hell was this Allen Smith?! ¡°He may be more involved than we imagine. He could even be one of the saboteurs!¡± I said, voice rising. He considered my words for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to explain to me your reasoning.¡± And so I did, laying down all the suspicious facts I had uncovered. He stared at me impassively during all the exposition. Then remained silent for a few moments. ¡°Hmmm¡­ I was not aware of the correlation with that large-scale magical event. Very interesting,¡± He mumbled, narrowing his eyes. ¡°I have to admit I know much less than I feel comfortable with¡­ However, I believe any correlation with the demonic forces to be purely coincidental.¡± ¡°What?¡± I sputtered. ¡°I suggest you take your question to Archmage Violet Val Mariannet,¡± He said. ¡°Do you really think they would let anyone near the castle walls without proper vetting?¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Even I am not privy to all the schemes that happen within the royal walls, Inspector¡± He grimaced. ¡°But you are¡ª¡± ¡°I know! Over three hundred years, and still they try hiding the vital pieces of information from me!¡± He sighed. ¡°Anyway,¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°He may be under the protection of an Archmage, but I see no reason why you should not proceed to interrogate him: Just make sure to move carefully!¡± So disposing of this person was off the table¡­ a shame. I scowled. ¡°And of course, report only to me. Avoid attracting attention.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°You said he works with the military enchanters? I¡¯m expecting a delivery from them. I¡¯ll grant you permission to enter the grounds. See if you can get in touch with Allen Smith.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± I thanked the old man and took my leave. I had a quick lunch before getting to the next step. An Inspector never relents.
I had been granted admission to the outer walls. The snow had mercifully stopped its frenzied dance. Overseer Lorinthar finished inspecting the paper. ¡°Everything seems in order, Inspector. I will have your order delivered presently.¡± ¡°Ah, in the meanwhile¡­ would you be so kind as to let me trade words with a certain Allen Smith, supposed to be working here as a military enchanter?¡± He stared at me silently, trying to weigh my intent. ¡°I understand he was employed here by the grace of Archmage Violet Val Mariannet. I shall not keep him from his duties.¡± ¡°I see¡­ yes, he should be here. I¡¯ll have him deliver the magical items so you can speak. Please wait here.¡± He said as he left. Having legitimate reasons to be somewhere and dropping the right names can always make things easier. I didn¡¯t have to wait long. ¡°Excuse me. You must be the man overseer Lorinthar spoke of?¡± The newcomer said with a foreign accent. Allen Smith. I took a good look. He was indeed the man I saw outside the Ice Queen office. Unlined face. Smooth hands. A noble upbringing? Or a son of a wealthy merchant? ¡°Indeed.¡± I acknowledged. ¡°This is for you, sir.¡± He said politely, delivering the package. He didn¡¯t seem to notice the Inspector badge pinned on my chest. Not from our neighboring kingdoms, then? Or just never heard about Inspectors? Everyone knows about Inspectors. Or does he know and has a good stone-face? He was about to turn away. ¡°A moment,¡± I said. He stopped and faced me again, with no change of expression. ¡°I also wished to speak with you, Allen Smith.¡± I prodded him. He blinked. No surprise? He definitely had a practiced stone-face. ¡°I¡¯m an Inspector,¡± I said, pointing at my badge. ¡°I was hoping to collect your testimony about a certain matter.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ so you¡¯re the Inspector who was looking for me?¡± He said, straightening his back. ¡°How can I help?¡± He knew about me, which meant he had either talked with the dwarf or another adventurer from the Guild. ¡°I understand you had an encounter with a gray caped man, being chased by soldiers.¡± He thought about it for a moment. His eyes fixed on mine. ¡°Hmm¡­ The rude man who bumped against me and sent me to the ground, maybe?¡± I tensed. It was finally time to get this damn testimony sorted out. I had been running left and right the whole day. ¡°What did he look like?¡± I asked. ¡°He had a gray tattered cape.¡± He said without offering further details. ¡°What about his face?¡± I inquired when I realized he wasn¡¯t going to elaborate further without a prod. ¡°What did he look like?¡± Trying to withhold important details? ¡°It was night. I didn¡¯t see it.¡± A convenient if true answer. He was playing it safe. ¡°Did he say anything to you?¡± I asked, paying attention to his eyes. The eyes could tell much. But again, he didn¡¯t shift his gaze significantly enough to let me read his pattern. Is he being guarded? I wondered. At first sight, he appeared to have a relaxed posture. But there was a stiffness to it. ¡°Hmm, yes.¡± He admitted. ¡°He said something like ¡®Are you a¨C¡¯, and then ran away because he was being chased by the guards.¡± He had heard the culprit! I cast aside my accusations for a moment as I set down the package and took out the Witness from my pocket. This had to be recorded. ¡°That¡¯s not a truth stone, is it?¡± Allen Smith asked with a glint of curiosity in his eyes. He knows about truth stones? They were scarcely used to avoid people coming up with countermeasures. ¡°No. This device will record an unfalsifiable memory of your testimony. Give me your hand.¡± I ordered. Any refusal now would reveal his allegiance with the culprit. I had him in my hands. I felt my lips slightly curling up. It didn''t matter under whose wing he was if he dug his own grave. ¡°Cool! How does it work? Can I buy one?¡± He enthusiastically proffered a hand. His stone-face gone leaving space to unexpected enthusiasm. Heh? That¡¯s not the reaction I was expecting. His face was now clearly betraying a hunger to take the magical device apart. My victorious smile was stillborn. Right, he¡¯s an enchanter¡­ I reasoned. ¡°Do you think I could extract a perfect replica of any song I ever heard with it? I¡¯ve been trying with acoustic illusions but¡­¡± I stared emptily. What is this guy talking about? I felt my control of the conversation fall apart. ¡°What about muvis? I assume there¡¯s a limit about how much can be reco¡ª¡± ¡°Silence!¡± I yelled, my patience waning. Then I grabbed his hand and closed mine on his with the Witness in the middle. He raised an eyebrow. ¡°Recall that moment,¡± I said. I saw his memory unfolding. Something irrelevant about glassware. The annoyance of being sprawled on the cobblestones. Checking on the glassware, fearing it had broken. Relief about the glassware. Mara¡¯s knives! Enough about the damn glassware! Finally, a grey caped man. And his voice. Done! The memory¡ªthat did not present any inconsistency¡ªhad been sealed within the Witness successfully. By the grace of the God of Knowledge, it could not be tampered with. ¡°Can I take a look? I¡¯m an enchan-¡± Allen Smith said with dangerous curiosity. I swatted his hand away and safely deposited the precious testimony back in my inner pocket. We had the culprit¡¯s voice. It appeared he really didn¡¯t know about the saboteur. Although, that doesn¡¯t exclude that he may be a sleeper agent. ¡°Was that all?¡± He asked. ¡°Where can I buy one of those devices? Could you let me take a look at on¡ª¡± ¡°Enough! We¡¯re done.¡± I dismissed him, unwilling to deal with the barrage of questions. I am the one who¡¯s supposed to ask the questions! I picked the package back up and nodded to the guards. Only a few steps later, as we were heading back outside the walls, did I remember that there were many more questions I wanted to be answered, and gritted my teeth. His annoying excitement had caught me off guard. Had I been manipulated? I was definitely going to keep an eye on him. Chapter 76: The Great Project It was an afternoon at the military enchantment building. We were sitting at our lab table, not doing any work, because¡­ ¡¸Bart: I can¡¯t believe they actually agreed¡­¡¹ ¡ºVezlaz: I¡¯m speechless¡­¡» That was rich coming from a dwarf who mostly spoke through telepathy. I wondered when I would be able to do the same without physical contact. ¡¸Klenn: It happened¡­¡¹ Klenn looked like he just remembered something he had done while drunk. I stood there looking smug. ¡¸Allen: Of course they agreed. Who wouldn¡¯t want to take part in the Great Project?!¡¹ At first, everyone argued it was just a waste of resources, a death trap, a liability. ¡¸Klenn: It was all thanks to my genius, of course.¡¹ ¡¸Bart: Isn¡¯t it funny that they almost dismissed it right there when they heard you were part of it?¡¹ Klenn raised his chin, looking offended. ¡¸Allen: Well, I can¡¯t deny Klenn was a great help in putting the details down¡­¡¹ Klenn nodded, his ego restored. ¡¸Allen: But next time, he should probably keep his mouth shut and let Bart do the talking.¡¹ He scowled again. I knew that the only reason we got the other enchanters to agree was that everyone secretly dreamed of building something like this. Something absolutely badass and lethal. The objection was always the same, the inability to make triggers do the task 100% reliably. Building tools that had to follow complex orders and decision-making required the help of very skilled specialists and wasting good chunks of magic potential. It was not impossible, but it was only considered for the heavy ordnance. And so, we prepared a little showcase to prove we could provide that reliability. Klenn wanted to do something flashy. I proposed instead to show off my calculator. But it was Bart that came with the right idea. He told me that very few people were good at math, so they wouldn¡¯t know why to be impressed by the calculator0. Instead, we ought to show them the ¡°impossible¡±. The impossible turned out to be a set of mechanical constructs, all identical, linked to a button. The button was designed to turn them on and switch behavior. I thought it was pretty lame, but I trusted in Bart. He had been a military enchanter for a long time and knew how to woo other magical engineers. Well, he turned out to be right. The other enchanters started showing interest when they saw all the constructs behave identically and in sync with each other. No matter how quickly they pressed the button while trying to throw them off sync. Once we also showed the constructs¡¯ capability to recover the lost synchronism after being disturbed physically, we knew we had them. It turned out the loss of sync was one of the main problems to solve in the field of magical engineering. Needless to say, team Allen was no longer the black sheep, and people stopped treating me like I was a glorified glue stick for spellwork. ¡¸Bart: So, we¡¯re really going to build one?¡¹ ¡ºVezlaz: Do you think the upper management will reject the project?¡» ¡¸Klenn: If they can find the resources for those unwieldy mana cannons, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll gladly divert something toward my carefully planned combination of lethality and mobility.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Ours, you mean¡­¡¹ ¡¸Klenn: Hmpf, We would have never convinced them with your hamfisted vacuous ideas. And you style yourself an enchanter¡­ ridiculous.¡¹ I really wanted to plant a fist on his face and see what sort of bruises would blossom. But I¡¯m an adult and shit. ¡¸Allen: Perhaps someone should remind Klenn why nobody wants to work with him.¡¹ There, a nice dose of passive-aggressiveness, like a real mature person. ¡¸Klenn: As expected, inferior intellects are bereft of arguments when challenged by a true genius.¡¹ Klenn was starting to sound like a real dick. Stroking his ego too much had been a mistake. He was all erect and ready to ejaculate, metaphorically speaking. But let¡¯s not say that Allen is ever short of witty comebacks. ¡¸Allen: Is that so? Here¡¯s an argument¡­ I was summoned by Archmage Violet earlier today¡­¡¹ Klenn shot a hateful glare at me. ¡¸Allen: She was unhappy with the lack of progress here, so I had to report Klenn¡¯s poor behavior as the cause.¡¹ ¡¸Klenn: Lies! A filthy peasant like you could never dream to approa¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Bart: Come on guys, we¡¯ve been doing gr¡ª¡¹ I didn¡¯t let Bart finish. ¡¸Allen: She said that even I could beat you in a direct confrontation.¡¹ ¡¸Klenn: She¡­ What?!!¡¹ He sputtered, face turning red. What the fuck am I doing? I asked myself, in the process of aggravating a very powerful attack magic specialist. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Trust in Violet. ¡¸Allen: Oh... and she said that with a little smile.¡¹ I cast an illusion to materialize Violet¡¯s faint mysterious smile. Klenn lost it. He stood up, face glowing red. ¡ºVezlaz: Oh, he¡¯s done it now¡­¡» The dwarf enchanter and Bart shook their head while looking at each other. Klenn pointed his finger at me and yelled. ¡¸Klenn: Enough! I challenge you¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Accepted!¡¹ I was already moving mid-sentence. If dealing with bullies taught me anything, it was to strike first and strike hard. Preferably their face. Neither Bart nor Vezlaz reacted fast enough to stop me. I threw myself against Klenn while spraying anti-magic energy around me. I hoped my body still remembered how to ¡¾Harden¡¿ subconsciously, and swung my fist right to his face. He didn¡¯t move. He didn¡¯t even put up a defense. Only at the end did I realize that Klenn wasn¡¯t going to budge. That was dangerous, so I had to tone down my power as the fist connected. He flew back and landed on the ground. I furrowed my brows. No shield? No defensive reaction? I had bet everything on speed to avoid giving him the time to cast any dangerous spell that could have knocked me down on the spot. But this¡­ I lowered my fists. It was like hitting a deer frozen in the headlights. I almost felt bad about it. An uncomfortable silence ensued. Nobody moved. Had I walked myself into some classic blunder like getting fired over a squabble? ¡¸Allen: Why didn¡¯t you defend yourself? Surely you could¡¯ve slammed me away with your telekinesis, or even put up a shield.¡¹ I clearly remembered the time he shoved me up against the ceiling and kept me there until I apologized for an imaginary affront. Klenn stood up, now touching his face almost in a daze. I noticed his legs were shaking. ¡¸Allen: I only got two months of military training. Aren¡¯t you a combat magic specialist? Is this a trick to get me fired?¡¹ His eyes grew wider, then he looked away and walked off slamming the door hard behind him. I didn¡¯t know what to think. I had half expected him to grin and gloat about having me expelled from work. Violet had been right¡­ but I was still at a loss. Had he been afraid to kill me too quickly? Silence. Bart sighed, and I looked at him in askance. ¡¸Bart: So you¡¯re acquainted with that Archmage¡­ Isn¡¯t that funny Vez?¡¹ ¡ºVezlaz: Heh.¡» ¡¸Bart: So now you know¡­¡¹ ¡¸Allen: What do I know?¡¹ Bart shrugged. ¡¸Bart: That, despite his genius and magical power, Klenn is simply unable to fight. He just freezes over the moment things heat up.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Oh¡­¡¹ ¡ºVezlaz: Why do you think someone so overqualified ended up here?¡» ¡¸Allen: Love for enchanting? Showing peasants how it¡¯s done?¡¹ The dwarf snorted. ¡¸Bart: Klenn wanted to fight on the frontlines, weave powerful and flashy magic to make the bodies of his foes explode in a shower of gore¡­ That sort of stuff.¡¹ ¡ºVezlaz: Maybe in a hundred years, when he grows some balls?¡» Bart smirked. ¡¸Bart: Imagine how hard he had to choke on his pride when he got here, and the only one talking to him was a useless commoner from the Academy days.¡¹ No doubt Bart was having a lot of fun. ¡¸Bart: So, no. Klenn absolutely despises enchanting spellwork.¡¹ Does he? ¡¸Allen: What is he even doing here then? Anyway, staying away from the frontlines is the objectively correct decision, in my opinion.¡¹ No sweating, no gore, no bad smells. No getting yourself killed. ¡ºVezlaz: Agreed.¡» ¡¸Bart: As you can imagine, it has to do with a woman of comparable genius he was unable to match stride with.¡¹ A woman of comparable genius? Ah¡­ Violet. ¡¸Allen: I see¡­¡¹ I said, putting all the pieces together. A clearer picture was now painted in my mind. So Klenn and Violet had both attended the Academy during the same time. They were both very talented individuals. Klenn must have seen Violet as a match to his overblown ego and thus fell for her. Unfortunately, his inability to engage in face-to-face confrontations had left him unable to keep up, so he spent the pent-up frustration at making instruments of destruction. So he ended up here because he wanted to be part of the bloodbath, even if indirectly. With that punch and taunts, I had run his pride to the ground. That could lead to bad consequences. I had to apologize. ¡¸Allen: Alright, I understand. So this is where I go apologize in order to show my humility and establish a newfound bond of brotherhood, thanks to which we¡¯ll finally be able to get things done without Klenn-derived interruptions.¡¹ Bart stared at me for a moment, making a worried face. ¡¸Bart: Oh no, he¡¯s just as delusional as Klenn¡­¡¹ Bart told Vezlaz, who shrugged in response. ¡¸Allen: It¡¯s okay, this is classic tropes and office politics. I¡¯ll bring him back.¡¹ * BOOOM * Something exploded in the distance. ¡¸Bart: Uhmm¡­ shouldn¡¯t you let him cool off first?¡¹ Vezalaz grunted. I ignored the two enchanters. My work experience taught me these things had to be done ASAP. ¡ºVezlaz: I¡¯ll engrave your coffin.¡» I walked out of the building and tracked down Klenn. A task easily accomplished by following the explosions coming from the practice targets¡¯ direction. I remained behind the safety of the protective barriers and waited for him to notice me. ¡¸Klenn: Come to gloat, have you?¡¹ I remained silent. ¡¸Klenn: If not for this weakness, I would have risen to the top¡­ I could have been an Archmage myself!¡¹ * BOOOM * ¡¸Klenn: No one would ever dare deride me!¡¹ * BOOOM * The atomized remains of the practice targets floated down in a cloud of dust. Someone was compensating for something. Nice explosions, but I had long lost the ability to be afraid. ¡¸Allen: I apologize for punching your face.¡¹ I said with my serious corporate face. Here, me being a respectable adult. ¡¸Klenn: Do you think an apology will be eno¡ª¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Enough with the bullshit.¡¹ I cut him off, to which he gritted his teeth and started building a huge fireball. But this is where I had to hold my ground. ¡¸Allen: Archmage Violet will have my hide if I don¡¯t produce results.¡¹ He kept silent, fireball growing bigger and bigger. ¡¸Allen: There¡¯s only one reason for a scrub like me to ever be allowed here, and it¡¯s not because I can stick spells together.¡¹ I held his gaze. Klenn narrowed his eyes. He looked angry, but he wasn¡¯t stupid. He must have been suspecting there was more to me once he saw my never-seen-before magical constructs. ¡¸Klenn: You spoke ill of me against my back! What lies did you tell her?!¡¹ The projected heat seemed to increase worryingly, as did the brightness of the fireball. ¡¸Allen: Would I be alive if I lied to an archmage?¡¹ I stated as a matter of fact. The oversized fireball stopped growing. Can the barrier hold against that? I started feeling faint doubts about coming here. ¡¸Allen: What can I say except ¡°Klenn? He¡¯s talented, but he¡¯s not a team player¡±. I never denied your genius, but if you want me to speak well of you, you have to give me a reason. Violet sent me here for a single purpose, giving us an edge against the demons.¡¹ We stared at each other, unblinking. I had imagined this moment several times before falling asleep. That¡¯s why I had the right words to say at the ready. I had long been waiting for the chance to punch his face with impunity. Thank you, Violet. The silence stretched out, but the molten ball of fire started shrinking. I wondered what Step was Klenn at. With my First Step, I could sense the power being emanated from him, but I still couldn¡¯t gauge it. I just felt he had a lot more than me. The fireball dissipated, and I let out a breath I didn¡¯t know I was holding. I was vaguely aware of people peeking at us from afar. Ready to spread gossip, no doubt. ¡¸Allen: So¡­ are you feeling a renewed bond of camaraderie?¡¹ I said, putting on a smile. ¡¸Klenn: Shut up.¡¹ He said curtly, breaking eye contact. Oof. Klenn started walking back but stopped. ¡¸Klenn: I will show you all.¡¹ He said, with his back turned against me before he resumed walking. Very dramatic. I shrugged and followed him back inside. I guess it¡¯s good that he felt motivated. And didn¡¯t give me third-degree burns. ¡¸Allen: The Great Project awaits.¡¹ I said cheerily. Klenn grumbled something intelligible but didn¡¯t kill me, which I saw as a positive sign. I could but congratulate myself for having handled the situation so smoothly. I smiled. What a great day. I had succeeded in punching Klenn in the face.
Quest completed (Punch Klenn in the face) +1 EXP
Wha- Only 1 EXP? Stingy ring. Chapter 77: The culprit The sun had set and snow started coming down, intermittently sent to a frenzy by sudden gales of wind. I had waited for the suspicious foreigner to come out from the royal grounds and tailed him from a distance. With these commoner robes and a magical disguise to change my face, I was free to pursue him. There were too many strange things about this person. Walks like a golem. Despite the heavy winter clothing, I could see he was all stiff, moving like a dwarven mechanism. Military background? No awareness of his surroundings. I wondered if my efforts to remain conspicuous weren¡¯t being wasted. Someone with military experience would be less lax about his surroundings when the sun goes down. Perhaps an official or someone without direct combat duties? Or simply got rusty. Unless¡­ he was merely pretending not to pay attention. But he didn¡¯t have enough power to extend his senses effectively¡­ The man walked inside a commoner¡¯s restaurant. The sign said Pizza Heaven. My stomach growled, reminding me I hadn¡¯t had the chance to eat a proper meal for a while. I sighed, checked my disguise, and entered as well. Pizza Heaven, I think I had heard about this place being mentioned as one of the two serving the best pizzas. I wondered how far from Lord Radenrouge¡¯s original recipe they were. My brother had tasted pizza while attending one of Radenrouge¡¯s banquets and invited me to try some. It wasn¡¯t much later that commoners began replicating the formula. But nothing beats the quality and rich flavor of the original. I scanned the crowd and was disappointed in seeing that my target wasn¡¯t among them. Where did he go? Had he noticed I had been following him? Had his alleged lack of awareness been a front to lower my guard? ¡°Good evening, sir. Would you like to take a seat?¡± A pretty maid asked after noticing me. No matter, I know where he sleeps. Besides, he could still be inside somewhere. My stomach growled again. ¡°Yes, please,¡± I said, and she guided me to an empty seat. Then she came back to bring a clean set of tablecloths and tableware. A rare thing amongst the lower-class restaurants. ¡°What would you like to order?¡± She asked cheerily, presenting me with the available dishes. I picked a pepperoni pizza. While I waited, I paid attention to the staff movements, they moved back and forth the hallway to the kitchens and through a door, but there was also another door they avoided. Had my target escaped from a secondary exit? ¡°Here¡¯s your pepperoni pizza, sir.¡± The girl set down the plate, and I thanked her. I took a bite and savored the flavor. It was surprisingly good. One of the best imitations, I¡¯d say. Or maybe even a little better? I could find no fault in the crust, nor the cheese, or the toppings. A pleasant surprise. While I was eating, I noticed a woman dressed like a cook walking inside the unopened door. And then I spied him¡­ Allen was in there. I froze. Ellin was there as well, and her two adventurer friends plus a few other unfamiliar faces. SUSPICION LEVELS CRITICAL. All my uncle senses started blaring in a mad frenzy. How dares this unapproved foreigner dine at the same table as my niece?! What¡¯s happening there?! I felt a wetness in my right hand and noticed I had strangled the mug to death. I scowled at the broken remains. And now it came back to me, in our too-short exchange, my little Ellin had mentioned she had added a magician and someone else to her party. Could it be? Allen Smith and the drunken dwarf?! The maid noticed the broken mug and rushed over. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry, the mug must have been damaged! I¡¯ll bring you another!¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, then I added. ¡°If I may ask, is that a private dining room over there?¡± I pointed to the door. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a restricted area! Only the owner, the head chef, and their friends are allowed inside,¡± She leaned over to whisper. ¡°I think they have spelled the door because every time I try touching the pommel, I feel gripped by unfathomable fear! I wish I could see what they cook inside. The smells are amazing¡­¡± She said, casting a glance that way. Her hand fiddling with her dress. ¡°I see¡­¡± I said, my mind ablaze with worry for my lovely little niece. Worry not, Ellin. Your uncle shall protect you from the dangers of the world.
Eventually, my niece and the others left the building, passing me by without recognizing me. All thanks to the magical disguise. The dwarf, however, stopped for a moment and sniffed around with a frowning brow. I tensed up, worried about being discovered, but then he shook his head and walked away. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Accursed dwarven noses! I¡¯ll need to remember to conceal my smell next time. My target was still inside the room, discussing something with the female cook. I had to wait a little more, but eventually, he left alone. Which was convenient since I wanted to trade words. Alone. I stalked him carefully. He must have been headed back to the inn, but for some reason, he was avoiding all the shortcuts, taking the long way. Again I wondered if he hadn¡¯t noticed me. More, I had started getting the impression that I wasn¡¯t alone in tailing the foreigner, although I couldn¡¯t spot anyone. Weird. We passed across a quiet and empty street. Then, suddenly, someone rushed out from a narrow back-alley, grabbed my target, and tossed him towards the shadows. ¡°What the¡ª!¡± My target yelled. My heart started beating fast. Something was happening! I dropped my disguise and instead focused on avoiding detection. I rushed silently toward the corner to see what was happening. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for you¡­¡± The unknown man said. That voice! The culprit¡¯s voice! I quickly activated an empty Witness and started recording my experience in real-time. A wave of fear washed over me, dampened by the magical ring I was given. Spiritual interference. ¡°It didn¡¯t work? Who are you, and what do you want from me?¡± Allen Smith demanded. ¡°I knew I could sssmell the touch of the Great One in you,¡± The culprit said in a guarded tone, ¡°You mussst be one I mussst recruit.¡± I KNEW IT! Allen Smith was a sleeper agent! I made sure everything was being recorded inside the Witness. You¡¯re done for, Allen Smith. ¡°¡®One of us¡¯? Who the hell are you?!¡± ¡°A ssservant of ExFeras,¡± The voice revealed. ¡°I saw you coming out from the castle walls. Well done in gaining access.¡± A servant of the demonic God ExFeras?! He was sibilating the ¡®s¡¯ like a demon would¡­ Had he been raised by Demons? I peeked over the corner. I could see the culprit¡¯s back. He was not wearing the gray cape, but I was sure. The voice was definitely the one from the recorded memory. Allen must have been a sleeper agent. He must have employed a mindweaver to block out his memories and fool everyone, waiting to be contac¡ª ¡°Fak! No. Tell your damn god to leave me de fak alone!¡± Allen yelled. ¡°I want nothing to do with him or any of his servants!¡± ¡°What?!¡± The saboteur said with disbelief. What?! My thoughts echoed. ¡°Does your shit-eating god thinks he can recruit me after having sent his fakin henchmen to kill my godam friends?!¡± Openly insulting a god? Was the man brazen or insane? ¡°After having spiritually peesd on my spirit body so that every other god is now wary of me?¡± There were some foreign words I didn¡¯t understand, but Allen Smith appeared genuinely unhappy about the demonic god¡¯s interest. This conversation was not going in the direction I had expected. ¡°But¡­ You obviously carry the favor of the Great One,¡± The culprit insisted. ¡°Join force with usss, great rewardsss await thossse who aid our caussse!¡± ¡°Take your rewards and shove them up Feras¡¯ arse. Him and his demon army of jobbers.¡± Allen said, launching himself forward to punch the man. Unfortunately, the culprit evaded with astounding speed and sucker-punched Allen to the stomach, who was flung against the wall and struggled to regain his breath as he stood back up. ¡°No one ssspeaks ill of the Great One! The only reassson you ssstill breathe isss becausse He dessires for you to join him.¡± He said, taking out a blade from under his coat. ¡°I¡¯ll assk once more¡­ Will you join uss?¡± ¡°¡­ Ba-barely¡­ felt it, beech,¡± Allen said in defiance. ¡°You don¡¯t understand, human,¡± The demon supporter warned in a threatening tone. ¡°Willing or not, you are coming with me.¡± I had to intervene¡­ but what if he was going to cast his mind control spell? Was the ring protection enough? Was his blade spelled? In the few breaths I considered my course of action, some sort of blurry movement entered my peripheral vision. And then the culprit spun backward, sending a flying dagger away. ¡°Ssshit!¡± He said, jumping back and avoiding another two blades that hit the ground and wall. Who? Where? I gazed around, trying to find out the new attacker. I noticed the blur moving again. A concealment spell! I switched to mana sight. The concealed figure jumped down from the rooftops and started chasing after the demon supporter. Illusory magic and spiritual interference? Probably an enchantment on the armor. I wondered. An ally? ¡°Thisss isss not over,¡± Yelled the culprit before engaging in combat with the new attacker. They were both jumping against the walls back and forth, exchanging magical and physical attacks. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Allen Smith looked like he had no idea of what was happening. I moved on from behind the corner and ran past Allen, uncaring if he recognized me or not. I had the true culprit, or at least one of the culprits, within my grasps. I couldn¡¯t risk letting him get away. I was not as agile as the two I was pursuing, and the snow reduced my visibility, but it wasn¡¯t hard to track them by ear. The chase continued across a couple of alleys and rooftops. Eventually, their movements slowed down, and I caught up with them again just as they jumped over another rooftop. Blood traces. At least one of them was hurt. The agility, the concealment spells¡­ Could this person be a Shadow? I realized. I had never seen one in person. All I knew was that they were lethal and adept at remaining unnoticed, just like shadows. I climbed the wall aiding myself with magic and saw them just as I emerged above, right across another rooftop in front of me. The culprit was now limping due to a leg wound. The concealed figure was moving forward to strike. Then the demon supporter did something unexpected. Instead of blocking or evading, he grinned and moved his bare neck toward the Shadow¡¯s blade path. ¡°Wait!¡± I cried too late. I couldn¡¯t interrogate a dead person! The culprit¡¯s head was sliced almost clean off but remained attached by an inch of flesh. Blood spurted out against white snow and roof tiles as the body hit the roof tiles. I cursed under my breath. The Shadow knelt down and grunted, his cloaking spells deactivating. After a moment of catching up his breath, he started loading the corpse over his shoulders. ¡°Wait! I¡¯m an Inspector!¡± I shouted, ¡°I demand to inspect that body!¡± The Shadow stood back up, the body on his shoulder, then turned his head to look at me for just a moment before jumping away. ¡°Wait!¡± My complaint fell to deaf ears. ¡°Damn it!¡± Why was everyone working so hard to make my job harder?! I gritted my teeth in anger as I watched my prize being snatched away. And then I saw it, the head breaking free mid-jump. The sudden violence of the movements tore apart what flesh kept it attached to the rest of the body. I heard a faint thud as it rolled down the rooftop into an open street. The Shadow continued without noticing. Yes! I didn¡¯t waste a breath. I jumped down, Slowing down my descent with the application of a telekinetic force, and ran across the alleys until I found the severed head. There was no time to waste. I had to inspect the mana residuals on this head and the locations where the culprit had fought the Shadow. I would later lodge a formal request to requisition the culprit¡¯s body for further inspection. The Shadow¡¯s appearance must not have been coincidental. Had they been on the culprit¡¯s tracks? Or had this particular Shadow been here for another reason¡­ like keeping an eye on Allen Smith? If the latter, I knew who to ask. I smiled at the snowy sky. An Inspector never leaves a stone unturned. There was nothing more exciting than unraveling a mystery. And the leads were finally unfolding before me. Chapter 78: Of Deathtraps and Alchemy I didn¡¯t fall asleep. Too many questions, too many thoughts. So I practiced Violet¡¯s way of not-sleep. How had the Dark God¡¯s lackey found me? What had happened in that alley? My ¡¾Project Fear¡¿ had not worked on that guy. And he had been stronger and faster than me¡­ Had I not received training from Vallachio, my guts would have spilled all over the place. Maybe I should have thrown fewer insults against his shitty god. My lack of fear could be a disadvantage sometimes. I had expected Violet to put someone to watch over me. It was the obvious thing to do. I would have done the same had I found some dude from another world with game-changing knowledge like me. Then someone else had run past me. I guess another secret bodyguard? I didn¡¯t see him well. I had been kinda distracted at that moment staring at the two engaging in parkour combat. Whatever, I thought. I was not going to remain there in case those two jobbed against the evil god¡¯s cultist. I believed in letting professionals do their jobs. Better than staying underfoot like a misguided scrub with hero delusions. Thinking about it, if the evil god had known my exact location, he would¡¯ve sent the cultist straight to my room. Which left the question, how was ExFeras intruding on my dreams without direct contact? Had he been sending a spiritual tendril toward me, I would have seen it during my out-of-body experiments. Also, my obsidian-lacquered blanket was supposed to protect me from direct contact. How was I intercepted en route? Did the cultist follow ExFeras scent or something? I spent an hour or two with my amateurish attempt at losing a tail. I hoped I had done it right, and no one had followed me back to the inn. I decided to wait until tomorrow before telling my friends, who had already retired into their rooms. I didn¡¯t want to interrupt their sleep. Just in case, I spelled door and windows so I¡¯d get a warning if anyone approached. Also, I put a sack under the sheets, with a static illusion for my face. Meanwhile, I rested hidden while keeping my aura closed off, wrapped in the antimagic blanket. My favorite mace close by, recently enhanced with kinetic enchantments for extra power. I smiled. And let¡¯s not forget about the motherload of magic flashbangs I had packed under the sheets. They were a rush job and not as good as those made with Bart and Vezlaz, but I counted on the numbers to make up for it. It was the equivalent of twenty flashbangs. Whoever approached that bed was gonna end crippled long enough to meet my mace, no matter how strong. Good luck ambushing me, demon cultists motherfuckers. The ruckus would also wake up the kids, attract patrols in the proximity, and other possible allies. It was a great plan. Also, I wouldn¡¯t waste people¡¯s time if nothing happened. Well, maybe I did want the cultists to come and see how effective my trap was. And to let Mace-chan drink some blood. I haven¡¯t killed anything in so long! So I waited. I am machine I never sleep I keep my eyes wide open I mentally played thematically appropriate music while I not-slept. It was only when sunlight pierced the darkness that I came to the grim realization that all my planning had been for naught. Sorry, Mace-chan. Looks like we¡¯ll have to postpone your blood-drinking. I gave an affectionate pat to the mace beside me. If I ever have a son, I¡¯ll give him a mace plushie instead of a lame teddy bear. I¡¯m sure a mace is more comforting against darkness and nightmares, right? I stood up from my hiding spot and stretched out lazily. And I had a dawning realization. ¡¸Allen: Oh shit!¡¹ I muttered. With all the excitement, I had completely forgotten¡­ This morning I had to attend the Alchemy exam! I had planned to prepare yesterday evening. Instead, I had spent the whole time losing imaginary tails and coming up with deathtraps¡­ I had to get ready! ¡¸Allen: Fuck.¡¹ I carefully disarmed all the traps and set to work. Thankfully the not-sleep had replenished some of my energies, and the clarity of staying at the First Step would do the rest. I mentally played out the steps to brew the damn potion and reread the notes. I prepared the alchemical equipment I needed to bring with me and got moving. The trio was still asleep, and breakfast wasn¡¯t ready yet, but I hadn¡¯t time to wait. Reporting this to Violet was my first priority.
Unfortunately, Violet wasn¡¯t in her office. The clerks said she¡¯d be available after noon. I doubted I¡¯d get attacked again during the daytime, so I chose to wait and focus on the exam. Maybe she¡¯s busy or this isn¡¯t urgent? With nothing better to do, I focused on my studies. The second Alchemy exam was much harder than the previous one. Even the theory had been full of tricky questions and obscure references. Thankfully, I had a searchable database inside my magic ring. It was surprising that they didn¡¯t ask us to remove our enchanted paraphernalia. What if someone used a communication ring to cheat the theory? Or maybe they had some countermeasures in place, but I wasn¡¯t aware of it. Which was more likely. Well, they¡¯d rethink their policies if they knew how much information I could store in a simple ring. Now came the tricky part, getting the ¡¾Night Sight Potion¡¿ right. I knew I could do it. I just had to stick to the exact quantities and procedures refined in my previous attempts. Only thinking about all the money Id wasted on reagents made my face turn pale. I needed to join the Alchemist¡¯s Guild. I had to find new recipes, sell potions for money, and stockpile my party members with absurd amounts of potions in order to save them from themselves. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.I thought back at the hellhounds trek around the mountains. I knew how it was gonna end. Thank god I was a cynical pessimist, or we¡¯d have ended up as roast. Lopu¡¯s ancient-looking figure walked in front of me. ¡¸Lopu: Allow me¡­¡¹ I let him make sure I hadn¡¯t any hidden vial of premade potions on me or on with the equipment. There was no cheating on the potion-making. Everyone was at their own desk with self or Academy provided equipment. I had my own, obviously. It was impossible to get this potion done with unfamiliar tools. It was all about precision dosages. Those using unfamiliar equipment were at a big disadvantage. Lopu turned the usual hourglass upside down and watched us closely as we started brewing our potions. I did it like practiced, finishing with just enough time to take a breather. Honestly, I thought the stringent time limit was overkill. It¡¯s like they wanted us to fail. No, they definitely wanted us to fail. More failures meant more money flowing in. There was a murmur of muttered curses from those who didn¡¯t make it in time. Not as many as the previous exam. After sending off the disqualified applicants and letting our brews cool off, Lopu called us by name. I was first. He led me inside a dimly lit adjacent room. In the middle, there was a device, shaped like binoculars but bulkier and without objective lenses, a long pole keeping it in place and providing height adjustability. ¡¸Lopu: Very well, drink your potion and put the device over your eyes.¡¹ I didn¡¯t drink it all because it was morning and a full vial lasted approximately half an hour. I saw Lopu nodding. Shit, was drinking the right amount also part of the test? I was starting to get paranoid about this exam. In seconds, the previously dimly lit room became as bright as direct sunlight. I moved the device against my eyes and looked inside. I noticed a flutter of multicolored antimagic energy. I assumed to dissuade those attempting to cheat by other means. ¡¸Lopu: Good¡­ now tell me everything you see.¡¹ He started operating the device. Images and words at differing amounts of brightness began flashing before my eyes, and I relayed what I saw. I froze over when I encountered the first too-bright picture. I felt the cold sweat forming on my forehead as I shut my eyes from the excessive brightness. Fuck! Was my potion too strong? No, I had tuned it for comfortable use at night. The only use case of practical use. Was this another pitfall to trick me into failing the test? What to do¡­ The image was just too strong. I wouldn¡¯t be able to see whatever it was. Worse, the attempt may even blind me for the rest of the test. ¡¸Allen: Too bright¡­¡¹ I admitted, expecting the test to end. But it didn¡¯t. Another word to read came up, and then another, and another, until the test was over. ¡¸Lopu: You can move away from the device.¡¹ I did so and looked at Lopu, awaiting judgment. He stared me back with his drooping eyelids. COME ON, JUST SAY IT, OLD MAN! The suspense was killing me. I realized what the test was all about, gauging if my potion delivered the correct range of vision. Not too strong. Not too weak. ¡¸Lopu: Let¡¯s return to the main room.¡¹ Did I miscalculate? I shielded my eyes to avoid the brightness and followed the teacher. Once we crossed the threshold, he cleared his throat and announced¡­ ¡¸Lopu: Allen Smith has passed the exam.¡¹ Whew. I breathed a sigh of relief. ¡¸Allen: Thank you, sir.¡¹ He nodded and gestured to the benches against the wall. ¡¸Lopu: You can wait out the effects before collecting your certification.¡¹ Then he called the next name, and so on. In the end, only three people passed the exam. I did not advertise the new line of glassware on this occasion. The wannabe alchemists could suffer a little longer. I was finally qualified to join the Alchemist¡¯s Guild, and I did not want fresh competition underfoot.
I checked again in case Violet had left a message for me. No such luck. I told the clerks I¡¯d be at the Alchemist¡¯s Guild if she needed to get in contact before lunchtime. That done, I didn¡¯t waste time. I headed to the Alchemist¡¯s Guild, paid the fees, and signed the papers. Only then did they reveal that I still had to complete an apprenticeship before actually being allowed to sell potions. Annoying, but I only knew how to brew three potions. The recipes weren¡¯t so conveniently available, not even in the Academy¡¯s library. ¡¸Clerk: Do you already have a senior alchemist sponsoring you?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: No.¡¹ I admitted. Was that a fuck up? ¡¸Clerk: We¡¯ll assign someone to you, then. Please take a seat in the waiting room for the interview.¡¹ I did so. No one was there but me. I thought about the other two students who had passed the exam. The early bird gets the worm. And the seeds, and the fruits, and all that is edible. ¡¸Clerk: The Guild Master is ready to see you.¡¹ Announced the clerk. I stood up and let him escort me to the Guild Master¡¯s office. The Guild Master turned out to be a woman, looking in her late fifties. But considering how much mana could increase a lifespan, she was probably older. She waved at the empty chair, inviting me to take a seat before her. ¡¸Guild Master: So¡­ Allen Smith. I see you acquired your certification for intermediate alchemy just today. You don¡¯t waste time, do you?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: No, ma¡¯am.¡¹ ¡¸Guild Master: Are you of noble descent?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: No, ma¡¯am.¡¹ ¡¸Guild Master: I hear from your accent that you are a foreigner. Why did you decide to join the local guild?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Because¡­¡¹ Because it¡¯s here. I hated these stupid questions. ¡¸Allen: I have business dealings here in Valarest and expect to be around for a long time.¡¹ ¡¸Guild Master: I see.¡¹ She crossed her arms. Scanning me with an appraising stare. ¡¸Guild Master: Any particular goal for joining the Alchemist¡¯s Guild?¡¹ I need money. ¡¸Allen: Money, recipes, business opportunities, keeping my party members alive.¡¹ She raised an eyebrow. That was more than I was trying to say. I narrowed my eyes. Spiritual interference? I had to pay more attention¡­ ¡¸Guild Master: You are also an adventurer? Oh my, how intriguing¡­¡¹ I didn¡¯t like her tone. A malicious smile spread on her lips. I hoped she wasn¡¯t planning on asking me sexual favors¡­ Suddenly I was feeling uncomfortable. ¡¸Allen: ¡­¡¹ I remained silent, hoping she would stop digging into my personal affairs. ¡¸Guild Master: I see you are well-toned under those clothes.¡¹ I shifted uncomfortably, still keeping my smiling poker face. What do normal people do in these situations? ¡¸Allen: I don¡¯t want to die.¡¹ That was what came out of my mouth. I¡¯ll admit, not exactly one of my best thought lines. The GM scoffed. ¡¸Guild Master: Oh-ho? I almost get the impression that you¡¯re not feeling safe in here.¡¹ I kept my mouth shut. I knew that my lips were going to say something insulting about her being too old for me. Never had I imagined I was going to deal with a mana-powered cougar. I needed protection from spiritual interference. Working out had turned out to be a mistake, after all. ¡¸Guild Master: Ah well, enough of that. You¡¯re looking for an alchemist under which to carry out your apprenticeship¡­¡¹ She sighed. ¡¸Guild Master: I¡¯m afraid that most of our Master Alchemists are already occupied or with prearranged engagements. But¡­ ah, right. We have old Zavir, always in need of new apprentices!¡¹ The way she said it¡­ Why do I feel there¡¯s a catch? Of course, there was a catch. That¡¯s just my luck. ¡¸Guild Master: He was acclaimed as the most renowned alchemist in the kingdom. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll learn many important lessons under his tutelage.¡¹ She smiled again, maliciously. Probabilities of a catch exceeding 100%. ¡¸Allen: Thank you, ma¡¯am.¡¹ I tried to sound grateful. ¡¸Guild Master: Were you to find the accommodation¡­ lacking. Be sure to come back here for¡­ an alternative arrangement.¡¹ Another suggestive jab. The discomfort was reaching critical levels. ¡¸Allen: That won¡¯t be necessary.¡¹ I said, hastily rising from the chair and bowing. ¡¸Allen: Thank you for your time, ma¡¯am.¡¹ ¡¸Guild Master: Be sure to check in with the clerk in the evening for finalizing the terms of your apprenticeship.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: I will.¡¹ I said, bowing again before escaping from her predatory gaze. She didn¡¯t even offer her name. Maybe it was customary of her position? I only knew the best course of action was avoiding her as much as possible. Why was it always so easy to get unwanted attention? I walked out to the fresh air. And smelled burnt. Several people were amassing in the streets, murmuring about something. I was getting a vibe of ¡°happening¡± and decided to inquire. ¡¸Allen: Excuse me, what happened?¡¹ ¡¸Did you not hear?¡¹ ¡¸The food storages! Someone set fire to the food storages!¡¹ I fucking knew it! My sense for bad management decisions had been right after all. Even my grandma cautioned against putting all eggs into one basket. ¡¸First the Madness¡­ and now this¡­¡¹ Unrest was growing to a degree even I could notice. This didn¡¯t look good. It was also time to put some food in my belly and tell the guys about my unfortunate encounter. And then pay Violet a visit. The lack of communication was giving me bad vibes. I didn¡¯t even feel in the mood to brag about passing the exam. One task at a time¡­ So, the food storages burned down, eh? I had prepared for this. I rushed toward Corgas¡¯ place. My MMO clanmates had taught me the correct approach for situations of scarcity. Raise the prices. Chapter 79: Sabotage Once again, I was denied my well-earned rest. ¡°What!?¡± I grumbled with irritation. I had been up late examining the crime scene and writing down my report. Adding to that, I hadn¡¯t been getting enough sleep the earlier days. I was feeling both dead tired and grumpy. I need proper sleep to keep a clear mind, damn it! ¡°Apologies, Inspector. He¡¯s waiting for you. It¡¯s extremely urgent.¡± I cursed. I had earned some sleep. Why can¡¯t people let me skraggin sleep!? I stomped my way to the old man¡¯s office, manifesting my discontent. ¡°Inspector¡­¡± His voice acknowledged me even before I reached the door. I was about to voice my complaints, but then I saw his expression. I felt a shiver running down my spine. ¡°Sir?¡± ¡°I have dire news,¡± He said grimly. I noticed broken pieces of something on the floor, not good. ¡°I just received word¡­¡± He fixed me with his eyes, his jaw muscles tightening and releasing. I waited. ¡°The saboteur hit again.¡± The words hit me like a cold shower. Damn it, so the saboteur hadn¡¯t been alone. I knew it had been too easy, how that guy smiled as he got himself killed. A discardable pawn. We had pushed his accomplice toward making a bolder move. ¡°The victim managed to destroy two-thirds of the food storages before immolating himself.¡± ¡°The food storages?!¡± I asked, perplexed. ¡°Isn¡¯t that place more secure than a royal prison?¡± The previous demon wars had taught us well to protect our reserves from poisoning and other nasty surprises. Demons never played fair. I could only be thankful that this time they hadn¡¯t opened the war dances with their abominations. I hadn¡¯t witnessed first-hand the previous war, but I had read the accounts. Which led to the question¡­ Why hadn¡¯t they deployed them? Were they not ready yet, and in which case, why such a premature attack? Were they waiting for weakness before unleashing havoc? My mind was wandering beyond the current task. I dismissed that line of thought. ¡°So everyone thought¡­¡± He pushed a paper toward me. ¡°This is a permit granting you full authority to perform an Inquisition.¡± I raised an eyebrow accepting the paper. An Inquisition allowed for complete control and detainment of anything and anyone on a crime scene. It was an exceedingly rare occurrence. Especially for the outrage it may cause if there was nobility involved. ¡°I expect you to make full use of it before any interference arises,¡± He said, then pushed a vial toward me. ¡°Take this potion. I need you focused.¡± I accepted the vial and drank the bitter contents. In a few breaths, the soreness and sleepiness washed away, giving way to unwavering focus and alertness. The rebound would undoubtedly hit me later. ¡°The whole area has been sealed,¡± The old man said. ¡°You¡¯ll get more information when you get there. Every breath counts. Now, go!¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± I nodded and rushed outside, where the carriage was waiting for me.
I looked at the sky from the carriage¡¯s window. A grim gray, very like my mood. People were out in the street, speculating about the nature of the burning smell coming from my destination. My mind returned to the previous night¡¯s inspection. I had found three magic signatures, ignoring Allen Smith¡¯s one. One was definitely a demonic aura, but it didn¡¯t match the dead accomplice¡¯s severed head, which meant he had used magic tools during the battle. His task must have been to keep attention away from the brainwasher, while the corpses were scrubbed of magic traces. Just as I suspected, there was no other reason to publicly provoke us by flashing around that distinctive gray cape. There had been still no response from the Shadows regarding the delivery of the corpse for further inspection. Precious mana traces were being lost due to bureaucracy¡¯s delays. The carriage stopped, and I made my way through several blockages and checkpoints before reaching my destination. ¡°Inspector Kiras,¡± I announced myself. ¡°We¡¯ve been expecting you,¡± The magician, head of security, stepped forth and motioned to join him. ¡°Please follow me. I¡¯ll show you around explaining how the events unfolded.¡± I noticed his wariness. We walked across the perimeter. ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± I inquired. While the loss of food storage wasn¡¯t of great concern to nobility, commoners and soldiers were the ones who most depended on them. And with the war, the priority was to the latter. ¡°Bad. We didn¡¯t let anyone in or out, but the commoners aren¡¯t stupid. The flames and burning smell coming from this direction is not something we can hide.¡± The magician grimaced. ¡°How many of you were working here when the attack came?¡± ¡°Forty. Twenty magicians, ten technique users, and the rest of lesser spirit on guarding or other duties.¡± ¡°How many dead?¡± He stopped. ¡°Twelve¡­¡± ¡°That many?¡± I asked, unable to hide my surprise. ¡°Nobody was expecting an attack from the inside¡­ from a familiar face,¡± He looked at me, worry creasing his face. ¡°Mikaj had served the kingdom for two decades. When we caught him, the damage had already been done.¡± ¡°Had you noticed him behaving strangely of late?¡± He stared away, deep in thought. ¡°No, I can¡¯t say he had. He was always the same Mikaj as ever. What could have possessed him?¡± If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯d like to inspect his body first.¡± He nodded and walked inside the structure. The acrid smell of smoke filled my nostrils. Dead bodies lay sprawled along the corridors. One¡­ three¡­ four. ¡°We had to move some of the bodies to protect them from the fire,¡± My guide said. ¡°I hope that won¡¯t be a problem, Inspector.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± He nodded. ¡°Fortunately, we were able to kill the flames and save part of the stores¡­ Here we are.¡± He pointed out the carbonized remains. ¡°I, uh, let me know if you need anything.¡± He said before giving me space and turning away from the sight. I knelt down next to the corpse of the magician named Mikaj. Five. Extensive burns, a missing right arm, several blade wounds. I engaged my mana sight. The magic traces of his mana body were readable but weaker than I expected. ¡°How did he die?¡± I asked. ¡°He fought back when we cornered him. One of the technique users managed to slice off his right arm, but he ran into a room that was ablaze and started laughing maniacally¡­ We didn¡¯t think he would let himself burn alive,¡± He paused for a breath. ¡°When we were sure he was unconscious we pulled him away as we subdued the flames¡­¡± ¡°Show me the places where you fought.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± He obliged. After inspecting several spots, I realized something was off. The brainwashed victim had not used his own magic¡­ Instead, there was more of that same demonic aura, the one from the previous scene. ¡°Did magician Mikaj fight with a magic tool?¡± I asked the head of security. He furrowed his brow. ¡°Huh? Well¡­ He had stolen a bladed weapon from one of his victims if that¡¯s what you mean. I guess he wanted to kill as many as possible without raising the alarms. We can detect spellwork, but a blade is silent.¡± Something had left that demonic aura. What about a ring? I walked back toward the immolated corpse and looked for wearable accessories. The only thing I found was a ring with protective enchantments. The mana signature didn¡¯t match. Where could it be?. I explored the rest of the building, counting corpses and looking for enchanted items. People with their necks sliced, tricked by a familiar face. Six¡­ eight. I explored the missing rooms. Nine, ten¡­ eleven, twelve. I found no magic tool matching the demonic aura. My tracking spells only led me to the places where the fight had been consumed. I had a bad feeling about this. ¡°Enough, I want to interrogate the personnel,¡± I told my guide. ¡°I gather no one has left the premises, correct?¡± ¡°Yes, Inspector. We followed protocol.¡± He said, leading me back outside. As we approached the group of people, their chatter died off. Then I noticed another corpse, face down not far from the group. Thirteen? Hadn¡¯t the head of security talked about twelve dead? ¡°Excuse me,¡± I said, again facing the head of security. ¡°Earlier, you told me about twelve dead, but I see another corpse there¡­¡± ¡°Ah yes, nothing to do with the attack, just an intruder that was easily dispatched.¡± He said. ¡°Humor me.¡± I pressed, my intuition spurring me on. He nodded to the group of people, inciting them to recount me the event. ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. We were walking around the perimeter when we heard the outer alarm go off, we¡¯re not sure how he got past it without being seen, but we tracked him quickly¡­ Tell him,¡± He said, looking toward another man, who continued. ¡°He did not heed our warning and tried to attack me the moment I got close. I let out the spell I had pre-casted and shot a bolt right to his face,¡± The mage guard said proudly. ¡°He died instantly.¡± ¡°I see,¡± I said, walking toward the corpse. I rolled him face up. The face had been made unrecognizable by the lightning bolt. I opened my mana sight. The blood froze inside my veins. Impossible. ¡°Inspector? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Asked the man at my side, reading my expression. Think, I told myself. I knew this mana signature. It belonged to the Shadow. What was he doing here? Had he been on the saboteur tracks before it ended badly? No¡­ that didn¡¯t make sense. There was another possibility that explained it all. I lifted the dead man¡¯s shirt and observed the skin. Darkened veins¡­ mana poisoning. Which meant¡­ Spirit possession! Mara¡¯s knives! How? Could the culprit still be around? I had to play it carefully. Calm down¡­ he had to get himself killed to leave the body. How long had it been since the event? More or less a Repose and half. Time enough for preventing it from hopping to another host, if common sense applied to this case. I swooped my head around, looking toward the group of men watching me with caution. ¡°Security officer,¡± ¡°Yes, Inspector?¡± ¡°Do you perhaps know how strong was magician Mikaj?¡± ¡°Quite powerful, I would say, a Fourth Step if I recall correctly.¡± Too strong to be possessed directly¡­ but what if he had been wounded? ¡°Had he reported a wound before the event?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know, sir. He was inside the building. He must have used this distraction to enact his misdeed when we were busy dealing with the intruder.¡± Or perhaps the spirit had taken over a guard of lesser spirit, wounded Mikaj, and possessed him. I stood up, back straight, and addressed everyone. ¡°Everyone, raise your magic shields or whatever defense you can muster. Now!¡± I ordered, ¡°And if anyone tries to escape, make sure they¡¯re constrained but not killed.¡± After a moment of confusion, the magicians raised their shields, and the technique user started glowing as if aflame, while the ones with lesser spirit looked left and right with worried disorientation. I quickly inspected the mana signatures of everyone who had cast a spell or manifested a technique. No match to the demonic aura. Then I inspected the ones of lesser spirit, a couple of whose complained about belonging to the nobility. They were made aware of the authority I had been granted and quickly dropped their complaints. It was then that I noticed it. ¡°Security Officer, a word,¡± I called out. ¡°How may I help, Lord Inspector?¡± Bemused faces gazed at me, wondering what I was looking for. ¡°You said there were forty people on duty. I count twenty-seven alive and twelve dead. Thirty-nine in all. Did you make a mistake?¡± He creased his brows and scanned the men. ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ Where¡¯s Dhaven?¡± The guards looked at each other. One spoke up. ¡°Uh¡­ I remember Dhaven saying something about checking up on something around the corner before we reset the outer alarm¡­ But we didn¡¯t see him leave.¡± A group of guards quickly circled the perimeter, coming up empty-handed. ¡°We can¡¯t feel anyone¡¯s else aura in the proximity¡­ He¡¯s gone.¡± I looked again at the dead Shadow. He was not wearing his magic equipment. Perhaps he entered unseen thanks to it, stashed it somewhere before letting himself be killed. I reconstructed the likely course of events. The demonic spirit had possessed a guard, got inside the building, chose a powerful mage to take over. Then sowed as much mayhem as possible, when killed, escaped into Dhaven¡¯s body, collected the Shadow¡¯s equipment, and finally, escaped before the guards had time to reset the alarms. ¡°Mara¡¯s knives,¡± I muttered under my breath. This case defied my knowledge and experiences. Endless questions began filling my mind, but there was no time to waste. ¡°Security officer, have the intruder¡¯s corpse sent to the Institute of Magic Regulation,¡± I began walking away. ¡°There¡¯s nothing more to be done here. You¡¯re all dismissed.¡± I announced loudly. I heard sighs of relief behind me. They had asked no questions, just relieved to see me gone. But there was nothing to be relieved about. The spirit could have possessed anyone anywhere by now. But a big question remained unanswered. How had the spirit possessed so many victims while preserving its sanity? Just like the body started decaying from the foreign mana, so did the spirit. Inhabiting a foreign body was said to be excruciatingly painful for a spirit. Possessing multiple bodies for long-duration should not be possible. But¡­ if it had happened, it meant there was a way, even though I had never encountered such a case in my career. A sudden gale of wind gave me goosebumps. Even possessing a Fourth Step magician seemed far-fetched. Was the spirit that powerful? This required immediate attention. I needed to report to the old man as soon as possible. We had to dispatch a capture order for Dhaven, making sure they understood no harm should come to him except by trained anti-magic personnel. The chance was low that he was still possessing his body, but no second should be wasted in front of this threat. The Shadows had to be informed as well. Perhaps they had a way to track down the stolen equipment. As if on cue, the wind built up, turning into a snowstorm. I hastened my steps. Chapter 80: Strapped for time I jumped down before the carriage stopped and ran up the stairs as fast as I could. I got a few looks as I dashed through the hallways, but getting the old man up to speed was critical. This was beyond my pay grade. I quickly approached his office and walked inside. He was sitting at his desk with his arms crossed. I paused a moment to catch my breath. ¡°You¡¯re here earlier than ex-¡± He began saying. ¡°Sir,¡± I exclaimed, cutting him off. ¡°The situation is dire!¡± And so I gave him the short version. His forehead creased with increasing intensity as I neared the end. ¡°This changes everything¡­¡± He whispered. The old man cursed under his breath, his eyes darting all over while deep in thought. Finally, he stood up, slamming his palms on the desk. ¡°This is a diversion!¡± He exclaimed, fixing my gaze. I frowned for a moment. A diversion? Burning the food storage seemed quite the main target. ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­ What do you know that I don¡¯t?¡± I asked. ¡°I cannot enter into the details,¡± He murmured, pacing quickly back and forth. ¡°I thought the menace had been removed¡­ The information was incorrect.¡± After a couple of rounds, he stopped and sighed, before facing me again. ¡°Allen Smith! We must secure him, now!¡± That person again¡­ ¡°Him, again?¡± I said, irritated. What¡¯s the correlation? The fact that the body-stealing demonic spirit wanted to recruit him? ¡°Because the demons have an interest in him?¡± I inquired. ¡°What is it that I don¡¯t know? If he¡¯s a problem, why not simply hold him in a cell, or even better¡­ kill him.¡± One less risk factor for my sweet niece. ¡°It¡¯s not so simple,¡± The old man said, hesitating whether to say more. Was he going to keep withholding vital facts? ¡°Listen well, this must not leave this room, as every variable might distort the outcome,¡± He took a long breath. ¡°There¡¯s a prophecy involved. The recent events confirm that Allen Smith is part of it, and must thus stay alive¡ªand outside the Nightmare God¡¯s influence¡ªso he may fulfill his part in it.¡± At a loss, I couldn¡¯t help but stare in silence. A prophecy? ¡°What exactly-¡± I started asking, but he hushed me with a look. ¡°A chance to end the Dark God Feras¡­ for good.¡± He said, almost in a whisper, his eyes filled with cold determination. I felt a chill run down my spine. Ending a Dark God? Mara¡¯s knives¡­ What he said next filled my heart with dread.
And so I convinced Corgas to double our prices. Despite his initial reluctance¡ªmy friend was too good a person¡ªI told him it was okay, that Valarest had a backup plan¡ªmy vertical farms¡¯ idea¡ªand to milk as much money as he could while the crisis lasted. Our personal provisions should be safe in the other restaurant since I spelled the door to our private area. Some slight fear projection for unauthorized people touching the handle. A touch of telekinesis to self-close the door on their faces. A choir of illusory voices warning off against stepping inside. And then a more potent fear projection and nightmarish illusions for those who disregarded the warnings. So far nobody had experienced the latter. I guess the early magical warnings were enough to spook most people. Lord Radenrouge must be seething that he can¡¯t have his minions snoop into our private kitchen. I had prepared that space so that we could cook without having our recipes stolen. That noble piece of shit was onto us with everything new we introduced. Some of our chefs had to be leaking information. I could only trust Corgas and Elaida, at least until I could afford to employ some of those Oathbinders¨Cor whatever they were called¨Cto magically force my employees not to spill the beans. I didn¡¯t give a damn about running a restaurant empire, but Radendouche could get fucked. I certainly didn¡¯t want to enrich a piece of shit noble for free. His prices were insane for non-nobles. Fucking asshole failed to follow the proper isekai trope of licensing or buying my recipes and I certainly was not gonna accept a loss. You hear me Radendouche? I waited to have lunch together with my party. And soon, everyone arrived, Yusdrolir included. ¡¸Allen: Sorry to sour your lunch, but I have to tell you what happened yesterday¡­¡¹ My friends eyed me in confused silence as I told them about my encounter with ExFeras¡¯ cultist. They were rightfully concerned about further attacks, given that the food storage had just been set on fire. I agreed I would ask Violet how to ensure they wouldn¡¯t get crossed by nightmare cultists on my pursuit. The demonic worshipers must have had some way to track me, although they didn¡¯t seem to know where I slept. Yet. Otherwise, last night would have been more eventful. I gave them the key to my room and told them to grab some of the flashbangs, just in case. They would come in handy even against strong opponents. Since Violet hadn¡¯t contacted me in the morning, I assumed there was no immediate risk, but meeting her was my top priority right now so I left toward the Academy. Did I need an escort or a place to hide? This was a great chance to take away my freedom and have me locked up in a hole for my protection. Why not at least send a messenger to tell me what to do? Unless¡­ something happened to my secret bodyguards, and she doesn¡¯t know yet. I could almost feel Murphy¡¯s law smirking at me behind my back. One more reason to hurry.
Against the old man¡¯s advice to take a rest while he managed the situation, I set forth for one last task. I had to get Ellin to safety, she couldn¡¯t stay near that person. Not with a demon on his trail. ¡°Busy day, master?¡± Asked the driver. Had I been informed correctly since the beginning, I wouldn¡¯t have to fear losing my dear niece. The implications of what I had been told were momentous. Did the demons start an early war just to secure the key to the prophecy? That was very possible. What exactly was Allen¡¯s role in its fruition? Unclear. He was too green to be the main factor in killing a god. A major Dark God, for Mara¡¯s knives! And the other details¡­ I felt increasing drowsiness. The potion effect was waning. ¡°Stop here,¡± I uttered to the driver. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Your will is my wish, Inspector,¡± Said the driver, slowing the carriage to a halt. I darted inside the familiar inn, ignoring the owner, and upward toward Ellin¡¯s room. I knocked hurriedly. Please be here. I heard the shuffling of boots and soon the door opened. She was there. Blessed be the Light Gods, I breathed out, seeing the healthy and alive form of my niece. ¡°Uncle?¡± She exclaimed. ¡°What are you doing here? I thought you were bus-¡± ¡°Get inside, quick!¡± I pushed her inside, closing the door behind me. Her adventurer friends weren¡¯t there. Good. ¡°Ellin, listen,¡± I said looking at her in the eyes. ¡°Do you remember what I said a while back?¡± She nodded, staring at me with an air of worry. ¡°We found the culprit. It¡¯s a powerful demonic spirit with the anomalous ability to possess even strong magicians¡­¡± I let my words sink in. ¡°His main target is your party member, Allen Smith.¡± Her eyes went round, as her mouth. ¡°But.. I thought-¡± I held both her shoulders. ¡°Now listen to me very carefully,¡± Tiredness almost made me yawn. ¡°You absolutely can¡¯t get near him now. Come with me to your parents¡¯ house and stay there until¡­¡± I stifled another yawn. ¡°Until we¡­ deha wihh-¡± I felt my legs giving away. ¡°Uncle!¡± Was the last thing I heard as consciousness left me.
I helped my unconscious uncle to the sofa. He looked pale and tired. A stark contrast from his usual energetic self. Allen was being hunted by a demon spirit who could take over anyone?! A¡­ bodystealer, like the stories! If uncle came here like this, it must mean something bad is happening right now¡­ What was I supposed to do? I felt my heart sink. I couldn¡¯t just abandon Allen! He had put his life on the line to save me¡­ I should at least make sure he was safe and warn him of the danger. If I could reach him in time. What if I ran into the demon spirit? I was taught how to exorcise a spirit at the church¡­ But I had never tried it on a real full-fledged possession, I lacked experience. I felt like this task was beyond me. I slumped down, filled with anxiety. I gripped the couch, squeezing hard. Only the memory of the past encounter with a demon, in that burning village, was enough to remind me just how scary and powerful demons were. Uncle¡¯s chest was heaving up and down as he breathed. ¡°What am I meant to do?¡± I whispered. At this time, Allen would be back at the Academy. A quick knock came on the door. I twisted around, seeing Namrick and Grastel enter the room. ¡°Hey, Ellin! We¡¯re here.¡± Then they noticed me near the couch with my uncle. ¡°Uh¡­ who¡¯s that? What happened?¡± Asked Namrick, mirroring the worry he read on my face. ¡°It¡¯s Allen¡­ He¡­¡± I told them.
I finally reached the entrance of the Academy. I pulled down my snow-covered hood and nodded to the ever-scowling guards. Today¡¯s weather was turning out to be as angsty as the commoners screaming along the roads. Someone even tried to stop me for whatever reason, but a proper application of ¡¾Project Fear¡¿ made sure I could continue my route undisturbed. Surely this snowstorm would cool off their temper. ¡¸Allen: Greetings.¡¹ I said as I passed next to the clerks. One of them recognized me and said something to a group of soldiers or guards that were standing there. Those guys had richer embroidery embedded in their armors and mantles. The most lustrous one, perhaps their leader, approached me. What now? ¡¸Leader: You are Allen Smith, correct?¡¹ The man said more as a statement than a question. ¡¸Allen: Yes.¡¹ ¡¸Leader: We were told you may be found here. You are to be put under the protection of the Crown, urgently.¡¹ I guessed it had to be about yesterday¡¯s attack. A bodyguard upgrade? I wasn¡¯t going to play difficult like those brain-dead novel protagonists making everyone¡¯s job harder. I felt a sense of relief knowing Violet had taken action, which meant everything was under control. ¡¸Allen: Alright, so you¡¯ll be my new bodyguards?¡¹ I asked the stern-faced guy before me. ¡¸Leader: We have to relocate to the Palace Grounds, follow us. Quickly, your life may be in danger.¡¹ He started steering me back toward the exit. ¡¸Allen: But wait, what about my lessons?¡¹ I got no response. Was there a reason to rush? Since the start of the war, I had seen an upgrade to the Academy¡¯s security. I thought I was pretty safe here. Who would be dumb enough to attack a place full of guards and magicians? As we approached the gates, a figure materialized, or should I say we only now noticed it. An unfamiliar grinning face. The man took out two blades and took a loud breath. ¡¸Stranger: Sssmell that? Fear iss in the air!¡¹ Then he finished with a loud a mad cackle. Does he think he¡¯s some sort of anime villain. Cringe as fuck. The two guards at the door regained their composure after the sudden appearance and moved in to block his way. ¡¸Halt! Who are you?¡¹ * SWISH * The newcomer moved in a blur, at the same time my bodyguards shoved me behind them. ¡¸Allen: Hey!¡¹ I fought to regain my balance. I saw the heads of the door guards hit the floor, sliced clean off. Blood quickly spread all over. ¡¸Allen: Oh¡­¡¹ That didn¡¯t look good. Adrenaline kicked in, sharpening my senses. Several onlookers let out surprised screams and began panicking. ¡¸Leader: Protect the target! I¡¯ll hold him off.¡¹ Shouted the leader, unsheathing his sword and standing on the ready. ¡¸Stranger: I have come to get your anssswer~!¡¹ The attacker shouted with glee. Who was he talking to? Me? What the fuck? Another nightmare cultist?! ¡¸¡¸Yes, sir!¡¹¡¹ My other bodyguards sandwiched me between them and started running in the other direction. I could but comply. And then, all hell broke loose.
I had a bad feeling. ¡°Why are we stopping? We aren¡¯t there yet!¡± I asked the carriage driver. It had been fortuitous to find Uncle¡¯s carriage just outside. The driver, who was a former member of the family¡¯s staff, had recognized me and agreed to deliver us to the Academy before going back to collect my uncle. ¡°Apologies young Miss, but there appears to be some commotion up ahead. We can¡¯t continue further,¡± He said apologetically. ¡°You may consider continuing the last stretch by foot.¡± And we did so. Namrick helped me down. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, and he nodded back. Grastel hopped down and peered on, through the snowstorm. ¡°What¡¯s going on up ahead? All this snowing¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look!¡± Namrick yelled, moving ahead with a jog. ¡°Do we even have a plan?¡± Asked Grastel. Neither I nor Namrick replied. ¡°Okay. Great plan.¡± He murmured drily. We reached a line of soldiers trying to keep order and pushing people away from the streets leading to the Academy. ¡°Hey, you three! It¡¯s dangerous. Stay away!¡± A soldier shouted at us, moving in to block our passage. ¡°Nightmare creatures are prowling about in this area!¡± Nightmare creatures? I shivered, and not due to the cutting cold wind. ¡°We¡¯re adventurers! We can help.¡± Yelled back Namrick, standing his ground. The soldier shrugged and signaled the others to let us pass. ¡°Try not getting underfoot!¡± He yelled back at us as we moved on. It was hard to make out much with all the snow swaying around us, but it appeared that soldiers and mages were not focusing their attention on the Academy. In fact, when we caught sight of it, there was no one standing guard. There were scorch marks just outside. Many footsteps were still clearly visible in the fresh snow. ¡°A fight happened here. The defenders gave chase to whoever attacked, in great numbers,¡± Grastel knelt down to inspect something, and we slowed down beside him. He pointed at some marks on the snow. ¡°These footprints are unfamiliar. Could they belong to the nightmare creatures the soldier warned us about?¡± He stood up. ¡°Anyway, all the tracks lead away from here. They must have driven them away.¡± Perhaps the attackers had been repelled, and Allen was safe inside. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Namrick spurred us on. We reached and passed beyond the gates. We had to be close enough to use the rings to communicate. Allen! We¡¯re here! Where are you?! I sent through the ring. Please be safe¡­ A short silence ensued, during which only our footsteps and my heartbeat could be heard against the frenzied snowstorm. We were just a few steps from the entrance¡­ Suddenly, Namrick tripped over something. He quickly turned into a roll to recover his footing, but we all stopped when we saw what it was. A dead body covered in snow. Grastel hesitated just a breath before rolling the body over to take a better look. I stood there, my mind blank before the dread settled in. ¡°No blood¡­ I see dark spots, a magic attack?¡± He said. Something moved in my peripheral vision. I jumped, twisting in that direction. ¡°What-¡± Grastel¡¯s voice died down. A dark shape emerged. It just looked¡­ wrong. A keening noise filled my mind and made goosebumps prickle across my whole body. The shape moved close, I wanted to run. But I couldn¡¯t. I was paralyzed. My body wasn¡¯t responding! ¡°Don¡¯t look at it!¡± Namrick shouted, dragging us forcibly. ¡°Inside!¡± The loss of eye contact interrupted the keening and I clumsily regained control of my movements. My heart was beating so fast it could explode, It all happened in a breath, but it felt so much slower. Together, we dashed through the entry door, thankfully not locked, and shut it behind us. I had felt it. I had felt that creature drawing closer. My limbs were shaking. A loud bump against the door made us jump backward. We waited for several breaths. Expecting the nightmare to burst inside any moment. Had I made a mistake coming here? But nothing happened. It was then I noticed. The hall wasn¡¯t as bright as usual. The silence behind the hissing wind was almost oppressing. And the place smelled of death and smoke. I conjured an illusory light, almost regretful for doing so. We weren¡¯t ready for what we saw. The shapes, that didn¡¯t seem real in the low light, manifested in all their horror. The blood¡­ The dismembered bodies. And the smell of burning. The dark spectacle made me nauseous. We froze in place. What¡­ What happened? I wanted to say, but my mouth didn¡¯t move. ¡°This¡­¡± Grastel tried to say, but nothing else came out. Even Namrick looked uncertain. My illusory light winked off. It was too much. Never had I seen so many people so horribly butchered. I felt sick, the bile rising toward my throat. All I could do was turn away and puke on the floor. I thought adventuring had prepared me for this. I pictured myself able to stand my ground in any situation. I was wrong. I blinked away the tears building up in my eyes. Keep it together! ¡°Ellin, how are you?¡± Namrick asked with a whisper, his hand clasping my shoulder. ¡°F-fine,¡± I lied. I reignited the mana light, trying to look away from the worst. ¡°We can¡¯t get out,¡± Stated Grastel. ¡°That thing outside¡­¡± ¡°Stay away from windows and doors,¡± Namrick said, steeling himself. ¡°If anything happens, I¡¯ll buy you two time to run.¡± Everything looked so.. sinister. So hopeless. Allen¡­ Please¡­ I sent again, my last embers of hope waning as the cold reality washed over me. Had we come too late? Chapter 81: The Bodystealer I was in deep shit. ¡ºAllen¡­ Please¡­¡» I thought I had been imagining it, but that really sounded like Ellin. Oh shit! Did they come here?! ¡ºAllen: Guys?! How did you get here? Get the hell out while you can!¡» The next telepathic sending was a jumble of everyone talking at the same time. I recognized Ellin, Namrick, and Grastel. A pause. ¡ºNamrick: We came here to help you! What¡¯s the situation?¡» Namrick had the stubborn tone of when he¡¯s set his mind and won¡¯t listen to reason. Maybe I did need some help after all. The situation was a clusterfuck, but I tried to explain while I was busy running down a hallway with my bodyguards. ¡ºAllen: Nightmare cultists are coming out of the woodwork! Stay away from them. It¡¯s like they¡¯re getting stronger by the minute!¡» I had no idea what was going on. One of the students had thrown a fireball at the invader reducing him to a burnt mess of charred meat. Then another student wearing a crazed grin hit him from behind, slamming him against the wall. And calmly picked up the dead villain¡¯s blades before rushing toward us. And that kept happening all over. The whole Academy was fucking chock full of the vermin! More panicked screams broke my concentration. ¡¸Cultist: Heh-he. Let me get rid of the nuissances sso we can talk.¡¹ Why are they all talking like that?! My bodyguards pushed me into another hallway. In the midst of chaos, I had no idea where we were anymore. There was smoke coming from somewhere. God fucking damn! How am I supposed to deal with this shit?! My thoughts had degenerated into long strings of imprecations. My skill set in this situation was utterly ineffective. ¡ºGrastel: Allen! We know what you¡¯re up against! It¡¯s a bodystealer¡­ a demonic spirit!¡» A bodystealer? Someone who possesses bodies, then? Things started to make sense. Why they were attacking one at a time. How they spoke as if we already met, and in the same mannerism. My bodyguards had been discouraging bystanders from getting involved and prioritized moving through uncrowded locations. They knew¡­ ¡¸Allen: Are we being chased by a demonic spirit?!¡¹ I asked my meat shields, receiving only a grunt in reply. I squashed a pang of anger. ¡¸Allen: When did you think would be a good time-¡¹ Shrapnel exploded right behind us. ¡¸Allen: To tell me?!¡¹ My bodyguards ignored me, but I cut them some slack. We¡¯d been on the run since the beginning, with little to no breath to spare. ¡ºEllin: Someone¡¯s still breathing here!¡» Ellin forgot to turn off the transmission. Her thoughts were leaking. ¡ºNamrick: Where are you? How do we help?¡» Help¡­ I needed time to think. So this was something like demonic possession. We needed an exorcist. ¡¸Allen: Anyone knows how to exorcise demons?¡¹ I asked while we got through another door. One of the soldiers put a chair under the doorknob to slow down our pursuer. Unfortunately, a blade stabbed through the door catching him right into his forehead, which was still inclined forward. He slumped down, a puddle of blood starting to form. ¡ºEllin: Maybe I do¡­¡» Ellin¡¯s reply didn¡¯t seem to brim with confidence. Good enough for me. Adrenaline and a full tank of mana were keeping me sharp and clear, despite the confusing mess. We passed through another location, meeting more smoke. ¡¸Damn! This exit is blocked! We can¡¯t get out¡­ We have to go another way!¡¹ ¡¸What happened to the reinforcements?!¡¹ I was wondering that too. It was like we¡¯d been cut off. It appeared that the demonic spirit had set the stage, blocking the secondary exits and starting fires right before engaging us. He also kept spreading fire to drive us into a corner. We were being chased by a crazy pyromaniac capable of possessing random people. Even just keeping track of the enemy was a challenge. Was all the panic and fear making him stronger? I had read about aspected mana boosting those who embodied it. The bodyguards were starting to feel distressed. After losing touch with their leader and seeing two of their comrades die, they were starting to lose their discipline. I tried projecting an aura of calm meditative emptiness. There wasn¡¯t much I could do besides protect myself. I wish I had my flashbangs. Wait¡­ ¡ºAllen: Guys! Did you bring some of my flashbangs?!¡» ¡ºNamrick: The sphere things? We have two each.¡» So six of them, the equivalent to two-something full flashbangs. ¡ºAllen: Great!¡» Good, we could try disabling this foe with a surprise attack long enough to run off. It would have been ideal if they had brought all of them, but it wasn¡¯t time to be picky. I heard noises behind me, no doubt the bodystealer catching up. Catching a glimpse of a window, I confirmed we were still at the upper levels. ¡¸Allen: Hey! Can¡¯t we jump off the window?¡¹ I thought, with magic and snow, we were likely to survive the fall without severe damages. ¡¸He¡¯s too fast. He¡¯d catch up right away in the open with all that soft snow. We need walls to slow him down and keep him busy, at least until we get a chance to disable him.¡¹ He touched a chain he had tied to his side. I assumed it was something created to deal with the demon. Anyway, I guessed he was right. If the demon could track me, then our only chance was to find some way to block him. Something moved outside, I barely caught a glimpse from the tail of my eye, but when I looked again, there was nothing there. Maybe it wasn¡¯t so safe outside. Something must have happened to those guys who were so eager to call for reinforcements. ¡ºCan you hear me?¡» An unfamiliar voice spoke inside my mind. No, wait¡­ I had heard it just before this mess started. The leader of the bodyguards! I thought he was a goner. He had bought us several minutes, but he hadn¡¯t shown up again since then. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡ºAllen: Uh¡­ Yes. I¡¯m here with your men¡­ somewhere upstairs.¡» I had never set foot in most of these areas. Not that my sense of direction had ever been good in the first place. ¡ºGo back toward the main entrance. We¡¯ll set up an ambush in the northeast corridor. First floor.¡» ¡¸Allen: Guys, your boss is still alive!¡¹ That got my bodyguards¡¯ attention. ¡¸Allen: He just contacted me saying he¡¯s setting up an ambush in the northeast corridor. First floor.¡¹ The soldiers glanced at each other. ¡¸The Captain is safe?¡¹ So he was a captain. ¡¸We stand a chance!¡¹ I had trouble telling the bodyguards apart. They were all hidden behind helmets. The only differences were the mages having lighter robes instead of armor. ¡¸I studied here, I know the way. Follow me!¡¹ The mage bodyguard beckoned, and we followed. ¡ºAllen: We¡¯re getting there. Be ready with the flashbangs!¡» The mage cast an explosion against the corridor ceiling, causing a good chunk of debris to fall beside the doorway. ¡¸That will buy us a few breaths.¡¹ Then in front of us, a guard, one of the Academy, approached. His sword was drawn, his face contorted in a crazy smile. Fuck me. ¡¸Bodystealer: Sssurprise! Heheheheh!¡¹ One of the bodyguards launched himself forward and engaged in sword combat, although he well knew it was suicide. I and the others kept going. ¡¸Bodystealer: You can¡¯t run from me! Hehe.¡¹ Promised the demon possessing the guard, behind the clashing of swords. How are we going to lose him if he can jump into another host so quickly? I was starting to have bad feels about this whole ordeal. What¡¯s stopping him from jumping right into us? Where was Violet? This looked like one of those nightmare scenarios tailor-fitted for an archmage. A scream and a frenzy of footsteps in the distance. ¡¸Mage Bodyguard: Down here!¡¹ We rushed down a flight of stairs, and the mage cast a flurry of fireballs upwards. ¡¸Mage Bodyguard: We¡¯re almost there. Warn the Captain!¡¹ I did so. ¡ºAllen: Almost there!¡» I sent through the ring. ¡ºNamrick: We¡¯re ready. We¡¯ll give you a signal to cover your ears and close your eyes.¡» I relayed the same to the surviving bodyguards. I would give them the signal. ¡¸Bodystealer: Right behiiind you~¡¹ The possessed guard said mockingly. I really wanted to stop and plant a fist right into his fucking face. Fortunately, my sense of self-preservation was still somewhat operational. Also, the possessed person was innocent. We entered the designed corridor. * Tap tap TAP TAP TAP * The demon was closing in fast. I had the feeling he was playing with his food. Us. ¡ºCaptain: Now!¡» The signal came. ¡¸Allen: Now!¡¹ I repeated, closing my eyes and covering my ears. * CLACKLABAAM! KABLAM! * The flashbangs exploded almost simultaneously, the sound so loud my ears were ringing, despite being covered. We opened our eyes and turned around. From a side door, the trio and the captain crashed into the deafened possessed guard. The stern-faced man whipped out his enchanted chains, which he quickly wrapped around our pursuer as Grastel assisted in knocking him to the ground. The chains glowed then he jumped back, wary. The demon-possessed guard didn¡¯t budge. That seemed to satisfy the bodyguard¡¯s captain. ¡¸Captain: Got him! These enchanted chains should contain him.¡¹ He said finally, a hint of a smile showing off under the scowl. ¡¸Ellin: Is-Is it done?¡¹ Asked Ellin, hiding behind Namrick. Grastel was right beside the captain, standing up. The bodyguards cheered. The possessed guard lay on the ground, still Too still. I felt they were cheering prematurely. ¡¸Allen: Guys, don¡¯t stand there like painted targ-¡¹ Suddenly, the captain, who had the other soldiers crowded in front of him, grew still, his face going slack. He fell forward, revealing a dagger planted on the back of his skull. Fuck. ¡¸Allen: Fuck!¡¹ ¡¸Not-Grastel: Thiss iss a nice ssword right here. You almost had me there, human. Hehehe!¡¹ Behind him was Grastel, who, with a smooth motion, had slipped the captain¡¯s blade from his sheath as he fell. The remaining bodyguards were caught by surprise and didn¡¯t react in time * SWISHISH * A flurry of blades and my bodyguards fell apart. Literally. Guts spilled, along with unpleasant smells. Blood splattered in several arcs. Some even went on my eyes, forcing me to blink. I rarely feel strong emotions, but I couldn¡¯t avoid getting that sinking sensation of everything going to shit. Sometimes I really hated being right. ¡¸Ellin: Eeeek!¡¹ Screamed Ellin, cowering behind Namrick, who thankfully had the sense to step back and defend. ¡¸Namrick: Grastel¡­ No!¡¹ Namrick shouted, his face screwed with both anger and fear. The possessed Grastel tilted his head in their direction, a malicious grin spreading over his face. ¡¸Allen: Move awa-¡¹ I tried to warn, but the demon wearing Grastel¡¯s body rushed ahead too fast and headbutted Namrick, who couldn¡¯t but hesitate before his friend. Both he and Ellin were sent crashing against the wall behind them. Namrick was out cold, blood gushing down his nose. I couldn¡¯t do anything. Shit! At that very moment, I felt powerless. I didn¡¯t know how to deal with spirit possession. Not-Grastel fixed his attention to me, wearing a grin that looked wrong on him. ¡¸Not-Grastel: Whew! Can you feel all thiss deliciouss fear?! I¡¯m brimming with power!¡¹ He rolled his shoulders and stretched out his limbs. Behind him, Ellin twitched. I kept my cool. Only at that moment did I notice how my limbs were succumbing to small tremors. A disappointing reminder that I was getting rusty by the lack of action. ¡¸Allen: Enough! You got me.¡¹ I yelled to keep his attention focused on me. A clear mind was the only weapon left I could use in this situation. Who was the one who had given their ring to the captain? Ellin or Grastel? Since he first spoke, I had only heard from him and Namrick¡­ ¡¸Not-Grastel: I believe we had a discussion to continue¡­¡¹ He raised his palms up, one hand still holding the sword. But I got a good look. He wasn¡¯t wearing his magic ring. ¡ºAllen: Ellin! Can you hear me?¡» ¡¸Not-Grastel: Finally got rid of all the insectsss¡­¡¹ The demon said, smiling even harder while cleaning the blade on Grastel¡¯s clothes. I¡¯m so gonna curb stomp your demonic ass spirit, I promised mentally. ¡¸Allen: So what? Do you think to bring me to your cause by hurting my friends?¡¹ He chuckled and started walking closer, slowly. I took a step back. ¡ºAllen: Ellin!¡» I put some urgency to my mental sending. ¡¸Not-Grastel: Those brats? I may decide to let them walk away if you come with me willingly¡­¡¹ ¡ºEllin: Ugh¡­ A-Allen?¡» I saw Ellin try to move, still covered by Namrick¡¯s unconscious body. ¡ºAllen: Stay still!¡» I warned her, never gazing away from the danger walking toward me. ¡¸Allen: And what if I don¡¯t?¡¹ I said with a tone of challenge. The demon-possessed Grastel chuckled in a sinister way. ¡ºEllin: I-I¡¯m afraid¡­¡» ¡¸Not-Grastel: I¡¯ll take over your body. Closing off your aura won¡¯t sssave you, I only need a cut. And you are attuned to fear! I could preserve both your spirit and body for months!¡¹ I grunted. I wasn¡¯t really listening. I was thinking about what to do. Ellin said she could exorcise spirits. And the chains around the subdued guy¡­ they had to be enchanted to restrain the demon, to keep him from leaving. ¡ºAllen: Ellin¡­ I¡¯ll let him possess me.¡» He won¡¯t react to her if he¡¯s busy with me. ¡ºEllin: Wha- No!¡» There was another enchanted chain ready to be used, lying across the gore. It looked intact. ¡ºAllen: Listen! When he jumps in me, use the chains, and try to exorcise the demon.¡» ¡ºEllin: But I¡­¡» Ellin was still in shock. ¡¸Not-Grastel: Caith got your tongue, human? Oh! If you think help iss coming you are out of luck! Heheheh.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: What do you mean?¡¹ I asked, feigning surprise, all to keep him busy just a little longer. ¡ºAllen: If it works, his soul will be destroyed, right? At the very least, we can imprison him inside my body.¡» The kids came to help me. I had to give them a chance, even if it hurt me. ¡ºEllin: Yes¡­ But I¡¯m scared. Death, so close¡­ Again¡­¡» Her telepathic voice was full of despair. Come on, Ellin, get it together. ¡¸Not-Grastel: I left a little surprise out there, as a diversion¡­ Hehe~¡¹ The demonic-possessed Grastel revealed, confirming my worries. No one was coming in time to save our asses. How did spirit possession work? Was it about willpower? Spiritual strength? I should have read more books. ¡¸Not-Grastel: I expect they¡¯ll be busy long enough for me to finish the job.¡¹ ¡ºAllen: Ellin¡­ I¡¯m going to buy as much time as I can.¡» I kept my eyes fixed on Grastel¡¯s. I had to play it right. ¡ºEllin: I don¡¯t know what-¡» ¡ºAllen: Either chain me or run. It¡¯s up to you.¡» ¡ºEllin: I¡­ I¡¯ll try.¡» Her thoughts had a wavering tone. But with a hint of resolve. I didn¡¯t see any other option. ¡¸Not-Grastel: I¡¯ve had enough. Anssswer me now, or I¡¯ll cut this one¡¯s throat.¡¹ He moved the blade to Grastel¡¯s neck, drawing a line of blood. He smiled. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Time to make Master Zheng, the man who taught me meditation, proud of my mental fortitude. ¡¸Allen: I made my choice.¡¹ I said at last. ¡¸Not-Grastel: Oh-ho? Let¡¯ss hear it then! Be quick!¡¹ I walked closer. Better to shorten the distance Ellin had to move. In case it only took mere seconds to possess me. ¡¸Allen: I decline.¡¹ I said, pushing him back. He needed me alive, and that body wasn¡¯t his. He wasn¡¯t going to kill me outright. ¡¸Allen: Tell your god he can suck my dick.¡¹ I said defiantly, making his grin waver. ¡¸Not-Grastel: You-!¡¹ I stabbed a finger on his chest, driving him further back. ¡¸Allen: And tell him that his nightmares were the lamest I¡¯ve ever had the misfortune of suffering in my dreams!¡¹ He didn¡¯t hesitate after hearing me insult his god. I felt a piercing pain on my arm, where he had sliced me, so fast I barely saw it. I stood still. ¡¸Not-Grastel: No matter, there are ways to change your mind¡­¡¹ He said, restoring his nasty grin and grabbing my wounded arm with surprising strength. Cold sweat covered my forehead. This is it. A moment later, Grastel collapsed. I held him not to let his head hit the floor. It¡¯s happening. Thrill, dread, and anticipation filled my whole mind. Suddenly I felt it. Something foreign invading the sacred abode of my soul. I clenched my spirit body shut as hard as I could. ¡¸Allen: NOW!¡¹ How long could I resist? ¡ºBodystealer: Here I am!¡» I felt him attempting to put me to sleep. Despite my efforts, I lost consciousness of my body, but I held onto my awareness. ¡ºBodystealer: Oooohh! Ssomeone who triess to ressist. How refresshing! Please try your bessst, I¡¯m gonna enjoy it..¡» And the pain enveloped me. Chapter 82: Dreams of an empty world My world was white-hot pain. I could barely hear the demon¡¯s taunts as he assailed my spirit. I pulled all the tricks I had learned to remain aware and push him back. But I was just not strong enough. I think I heard someone scream, or maybe that was me. Even the last scraps of awareness faded despite my effort. ¡°Welcome to the Meditation and Positivity coulse. I am mastel Zheng,¡± The Asian meditation guru introduces himself with a cliched accent. I¡¯m already regretting coming here. How¡¯s this gonna help me? Probably just another waste of time. ¡°¡­ Or that is what you¡¯d expect me to say, heh?¡± He says, going 180 degrees and shutting off the fake guru smile, along with the accent. I perk up. I guess the meta stunt made me a little curious. ¡°This course is not for delusional optimists,¡± He begins, walking back and forth the stage. ¡°I will teach you how to withstand the most crippling mental pressures and face the inevitable reality waiting in ambush behind the corner¡­¡± A smile creeps on my face. Finally, someone who knows what people actually need. ¡°I¡¯ll start by teaching you how to embrace the void¡­¡± He turns his palms upwards and smiles again. Nobody imagines the unorthodox teaching regime to follow¡­ ¡°Alright. Allen, this is Yuri, our prized penetration tester. He will assist you in securing our mainline product,¡± My new manager says. ¡°I¡¯ll let you introduce yourselves. I got a call on the line.¡± The manager, whose name I¡¯ve already forgotten, walks away, fumbling with his cellphone. Good thing I can just call him boss. ¡°So, Yuri, heh? It¡¯s funny, in Japanese-¡± ¡°A §Þ§å§Õ§Ú§Ý§Ñ weeb,¡± He murmurs, adding more Russian sounding insults. I know they¡¯re insults. There are Russians in my clan who always scream obscenities. ¡°Your joke is as old as this company¡¯s routers.¡± He says finally. I freeze. A counter-pun that reveals he knows who I am. Fucking gossip. ¡°Funny you would mention routers.¡± I take the bait. ¡°Yes, very funny. I¡¯m sure the network admins, who were so close to upgrading to post-war equipment, and were denied, must be overjoyed.¡± Whoa, this Yuri dude, who speaks with heavy sarcasm and a Russian accent, is a bag of fun! I already like the guy. ¡°Want to know what is funny too?¡± The Russian pokes at me. I bet it¡¯s the other kind of fun. ¡°How a friend of mine lost his job because a certain consultant automated a whole department,¡± He continues, casting an accusative glare. Someone says ¡°Ooohh¡± in a hushed tone. I see¡­ I¡¯m behind enemy lines. But I can turn this around. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s funny, actually,¡± I say, increasing my smile by 20%. Yuri narrows his eyes, ready to hate me, but I had anticipated this day. ¡°I know a very funny story about a manager who didn¡¯t believe in backups and didn¡¯t let anyone see how his golden goose worked. So, he never noticed his machine responding at dept06.m083.corp.net having an open port on 45577, waiting for a telnet client to say ¡®KILLDED¡¯, to bring the whole thing down because he decided to let greed blind him.¡± Yuri stares at me in the eyes in dumbfounded silence for a moment, then sits down and starts stabbing at his keyboard. I¡¯m actually impressed he remembered everything without asking me a second time. Two minutes later, he turns his head slowly toward me. ¡°Blyat. You¡¯re one crazy motherfucker,¡± He offers his hand. ¡°Welcome to the team, comrade.¡± The old manager was a cunt, although I am a consultant, I was expecting some kind of reward. I¡¯d have shut it all down right there, but I was concerned about being found out. Well, a pen tester must know how to hide his traces. ¡°By the way, I found the fix for those routers on a Russian forum,¡± I say, shaking his hand. We get stuck in a feedback loop of increasing grip strength and tenser smiles. I¡¯m young again, and I¡¯m starting a new year. Robert, the bully, makes a beeline toward me. Why won¡¯t he leave me alone? ¡°Oh, look! It¡¯s Allen the wimp.¡± He says, looking around to bask in the smirks of his pals. ¡°What are you gonna do now without your girl calling the teachers for help?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to be defended!¡± I yell back at him. He prods and pushes me, stabbing his finger at me. ¡°Ohhh! Look! He doesn¡¯t need defending!¡± I try to punch him, but he parries and slaps my face. Then he kicks me on the sternum, making me fall down. I hate him so much. His lackeys are laughing. I hate them too. The other kids stay away to escape Robert¡¯s notice. No one stands up for me. I¡¯m all alone. ¡°Wanna know what I heard from my mom?¡± He says, posturing like he¡¯s giving a show. ¡°She told me that your friend¡¯s mom came back and that-¡± ¡°Very good!¡± Master Zheng says, dropping a hand on my shoulder. There are only five people left. He addresses us all. ¡°Yes, you stopped yourself from shivering in the cold. From sneezing. From tickles and many other obstacles,¡± Master Zheng circles around us. ¡°You now realize all of these achievements are but one simple state of mind. Embracing the void. Which also stops you from feeling.¡± All this time and the answer was so simple. I can finally control my anger. ¡°Now, you have choice in what to think. You have control in what to feel,¡± He pauses. ¡°Your right to choose was earned. Be positive that nothing will be able to break you, lest you allow it to.¡± The course is over. We¡¯re leaving. I feel like some blanks in a grand picture have been filled, a step closer toward something I¡¯d rather avoid but must pursue. I¡¯m the last to leave. Master Zheng glances at me, his hands linked behind his back. He nods at me, a knowing smile painted on his lips. I nod back, wondering what sort of complicit message he thinks he¡¯s conveying. Perhaps he recognized in me what I recognized in him. A tacit understanding between individuals who are on another level. I realize Master Zheng is one of the few people I can deem worthy of respect. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Robert is lying down. It was so easy¡­ a punch to the face. He¡¯s so surprised he¡¯s not even reacting, just staring open-eyed. I kneel down and grab his throat. ¡°What did you just say?¡± He tries to punch me, but I feel nothing. I slam his head down a couple of times and repeat my question. I¡¯m running down a familiar road. There¡¯s a doorbell. I need to know. It must be a lie. I press the button, again and again. I never felt like this before. My heart hammers in my chest like never before. I see the door opening, ¨€¨€¨€¡¯s mom comes out and looks at me. All I need to know is written on her face. All I can ask is¡­ ¡°Why¡­ Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± I ask, my voice breaking. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you let me say goodbye?!¡± My vision blurs with tears. I can¡¯t stop them. Why? Why was I not even allowed to hold her hand one last time? I don¡¯t understand. I just don¡¯t. ¨€¨€¨€¡¯s mom is crying too, and she lowers down to hug me. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­ I¡¯m so sorry.¡± She repeats. I remember my friend¡¯s smiling face. I can¡¯t accept she¡¯s¡­ gone. My tears keep going. ¡°I wanted to tell you¡­¡± Her voice quivers too. ¡°You were her best friend. But she¡­¡± ¡°She just-¡± She sobs. ¡°She just couldn¡¯t let you see her like that. She wanted¡­¡± Her arms hold tighter. ¡°She wanted you to forget about her and be ha-happy.¡± She ends with another sob. Forget? How could I possibly forget my nest friend? How could I ever forget my first love? We cry until the tears run out. I feel empty. ¡°So, what¡¯s your story?¡± Yuri asks while analyzing my code. ¡°What brought a brilliant mind such as yours into this corporate hellhole?¡± I remain silent. He starts himself, ¡°I was a little shit who hacked into the wrong server and had to sell his skills as a security analyst to avoid a prison sentence. My father was married to vodka and never bothered with me. Then it turned out I was really good at my job, so I left my shitty home¡­ And here I am.¡± I stare at Yuri, waiting a moment before replying. Honest truth should be repaid in kind. ¡°I wanted to make games. Then my childhood friend died. I punched a bully in the face so hard nobody ever touched me again,¡± I said. ¡°So in the end, I became a piece of shit and landed a job at a small company because I didn¡¯t want to become a corporate drone. You can see how well that worked out.¡± Yuri considers my words in silence. ¡°I had a childhood friend too. Got himself an OD on some drug while I was working overseas,¡± He says finally. ¡°Never had the chance to say goodbye.¡± Silence. The way he said it¡­ We may grow jaded and cynical, but our regrets are never really forgotten. This must be what they call ¡°growing up¡±. Sometimes I think all that actually happens is that we just become even worse assholes. ¡°By the way, I have found 6 new vulnerabilities.¡± He says, changing the topic. I sigh heavily, taking out my Vaseline tube I brought as a prop, making it a grand show. ¡°Go easy on me, Yuri¡­¡± The bad mood is cleared. But deep inside, I know well that regret. Never had the chance to say goodbye. It¡¯s the one thing I regret. I¡¯m a kid again. We did it! Our game is done! I make a copy for ¨€¨€¨€ in another floppy. This feeling of having made something I can be proud of and share it with someone else. It fills me with happiness. I couldn¡¯t ever have done it without her. Our first game made together. A fantasy story about a hero called Nalel trying to rescue princess Mya from the evil sorcerer Mael. Pay attention! The best ending required the protagonist to meet with the Fae queen, Titania, and obtain the water of restoration, a secret requirement for saving the princess, who would otherwise die in the Hero¡¯s grasp due to a curse laid upon her by the villain. Upon meeting the villain, he would mock the Hero and introduce himself. ¡°I am Mael Ukie, sorcerer of the Forbidden Tower. Who are you to challenge me?¡± How couldn¡¯t I see it? I played the game over and over, every time noticing a new mistake or an error. But I was looking at the words while I should have looked at the message¡­ While making it together, we both shared laughs and smiles. It was easy to forget we would be apart. She was trying to tell me all along¡­ ¡°¨€¨€¨€! Wait!¡± I stop her as she¡¯s leaving. I dash toward my room to take the floppy disk and head back. ¡°You can¡¯t go without your copy of the game!¡± I offer her the diskette, sporting a tacky label colored with markers that says ¡°Fantasy Land¡±. She happily accepts the floppy disk, cradling it in her arms. ¡°Thank you, Ally.¡± She smiles. The last smile I see of her. Forever burnt in my memory. Tell her¡­ tell her how beautiful her smile is. That memory freezes in time. And I¡¯m aware again. They say when you¡¯re about to die, you see your life flashing before your eyes. In this very moment, I can actually feel, just like I used back then. All the joys and sorrows. The young me and the cynical me. I savor it all one last time. The memory fades like smoke on a black canvas. Only she remains. Not with a smile, but with an expression devoid of anything. ¡°Amy¡­¡± I call out to her. But it¡¯s not her. Just an echo, taking shape in my dreams. I stare at Not-Amy. Her gaze is lost to the eternal blackness that surrounds us. I attempt to feel my body. But no sensation reaches back to me. Am I still alive? I could always feel something when lucid, now there was nothing. I should feel sad, but not even that is granted to me. The moment to feel has gone. I just hope my sacrifice was enough to save the kids. I don¡¯t have many friends, but for a true friend, there¡¯s nothing I wouldn¡¯t do. After a seemingly endless time, I hear Amy whispering something, ¡°I want to forget,¡± I turn my attention back to her. Her silhouette shimmers. She is now my younger self. Young Allen, empathetic, weak, insecure. I¡¯m stronger now. There is nothing that can break my will. It¡¯s other things that break to my will. But everything comes with a price¡­ The silhouette shimmers again, turning back into Amy. I guess I¡¯m talking to my own subconscious. I sit down beside Amy and peer into the void, just like her. ¡°Sometimes we just have to deal with it, don¡¯t we?¡± I ask a rhetorical question. ¡°Even though we were doing completely fine, but nooo! Some asshole goddess had to come around and fuck shit up. And then that demon son-of-a-bitch nightmare god as well.¡± I¡¯m so tired of being treated like a puppet. I could have done without the trip to memory lane. And the lame-ass nightmares. My own nightmares had been magnitudes more terrifying and sinister. And they made me feel alive. They gradually grew darker and more disturbing. Until one day, when they culminated into an endlessly looping nightmare that never seemed to end. It only stopped when I became something worse than the nightmare itself. That¡¯s when the nightmares went away, along with my ability to be afraid. One thing less I could consume¡­ ¡°The hunger, it hurts.¡± She says, immobile like a statue. Her expressionless face betrays nothing. The hunger. The hunger to feel alive. To feel. To fill the emptiness. ¡°I know what you mean. To consume all, just to feel-¡± Alive. The thought resonates like an echo inside my mind. And like that, I consumed many other things, sadness, joy, music, stories, games. I methodically hunted down everything that could make me feel, leaving empty deserts behind. The only wells that never dried were anger and amusement. It was very fitting for me to find myself in a black void in the end. I can really taste the irony. The girl, which is not Amy, turns her head toward me. I feel the pressure of her gaze. I should be startled by the suddenness, but I¡¯m not. She is just another me. ¡°I want it,¡± I sense a yearning in that monotone voice. ¡°I want to feel alive.¡± She says. ¡°But we lost,¡± I state. I¡¯m glad I practiced lucid dreaming and managed to remain aware. I trust in Ellin, but my prospects are hopeless. It was just for a fraction, but I felt the overpowering presence of the demonic spirit burrowing deep into my mana body. Too strong, too deep. I realize what an unreasonable request I made to Ellin. It will tear me asunder.. How long has it been since I lost consciousness? I hope she managed to use the enchanted chain on me. Whatever happens, I don¡¯t want to wake up as someone else¡¯s slave. Better they destroy me along with the demon. I¡¯m kinda disappointed I¡¯ll never see Ellin achieving her dream of becoming a Spiritwalker. Or to see the peaks Namrick would reach. Or to see what new tricks and jokes Grastel would come up with. Or what artifacts Yusdrolir would end up crafting. Or how Lena would grow up. Or what new recipe Elaida would cook up. I wanted to see. I wanted to know. I wanted to experience it all. I understand intimately what hunger my subconscious talks about. I know myself all too well. Without noticing, I shrink down. I¡¯m eye to eye with Amy. She looks so tired. I reach for her cheek, just as she reaches for mine. Take all of me, the desires that keep burning deep inside¡­ The memory of a song plays in the background. Dreams truly are amazing¡­ like... Magic. Anger wells up in me, filling my whole being. It¡¯s not enough. ¡°It¡¯s not enough,¡± Amy echoes. This time there¡¯s a hint of despair on her face. Just when I was learning magic, the real deal. My impossible dream since childhood. Just when I had found true friends, to whom I could open my dried-up heart. ¡°IT¡¯S NOT ENOUGH!¡± She screams. Her eyes are deep pools of darkness. ¡°All of me,¡± I promise. ¡°I¡¯ll give it everything.¡± I embrace the void and feed it my all. I¡¯m not afraid of nightmares, it¡¯s them that should fear me. I reach out to the world of pain. Something loosens¡­ And the void turns white. Chapter 83: Aftermath I wake up. My mind is scattered. Thinking is hard. My eyes are caked shut. I¡¯m in a dark room, but I see some faint light leaking through the eyelids. Am I alive? Sensations return. I try to move, but I can¡¯t. Is this still a dream? I wriggle again, trying to stand up. Rattling noises. I feel heavy. A bell sounds. My heart is pounding. I start to feel something pressing against my skin. I¡¯m tied down. This doesn¡¯t feel like a dream¡­ I hear a creaking noise behind me. ¡°He¡¯s awake!¡± A man¡¯s voice. Wait¡­ I am alive! My isekai adventure is not over just yet. The game is still on! I shift back into the right frame of mind. I woke up fully and managed to blink my eyes open. Everything was blurry, but I could make out several chains protruding toward me. I cleared my throat. My body felt sore. The number of chains wrapping me was unreal, I was somehow suspended mid-air. I couldn¡¯t even tilt my head. Two figures moved close to me, poking and prodding. It took me several blinks to clear up the image. ¡¸Allen: I feel¡­ heavy.¡¹ I croaked. Everything was coming back to me. Grastel, the body-stealing demon, Ellin, Namrick. What happened to my friends? ¡¸Allen: What¡­ happened?¡¹ I asked the middle-aged man and woman who were inspecting my condition. I guessed they were healers or something. ¡¸Healer: Stay still while we take a look.¡¹ He turned to the woman. ¡¸Healer: What does it look like, Priestess. Is the spirit healthy?¡¹ Ohhh, a priestess. She wrapped her hands around my face and closed her eyes. ¡¸Priestess: It would appear so, but if he allowed me to go deeper, I could confirm for sure.¡¹ ¡¸Healer: You¡­ Try to loosen up your spirit body, if you can.¡¹ He said, with a tone suggesting both an order and a request. I complied, and only while doing so did I feel how exhausted my spirit body was. It felt like a muscle after a cramp. I was sore both in body and spirit. I experienced a somewhat unpleasant sensation of something rummaging through my spirit. Bad experiences with rude goddesses came to mind, but the priestess had a gentler touch. ¡¸Priestess: Done! He¡¯s fine, there¡¯s no trace!¡¹ She said cheerily. Both took a sigh of relief. ¡¸Healer: That is blessed news.¡¹ Right. The demon had burrowed into my spirit. Had the exorcism worked? My mind was still a little dazed. ¡¸Priestess: One last thing.¡¹ She said, addressing me. ¡¸Priestess: Your spirit body should take around four more days to fully recover. I recommend avoiding unnecessary magical strain.¡¹ I blinked. I thought worse. ¡¸Allen: Okay.¡¹ The healer seemed satisfied. He straightened up and addressed the priestess. ¡¸Healer: Call them. They wanted to be informed.¡¹ The priestess nodded and scurried away, footsteps echoing from the outer corridor. Then he turned back to me. ¡¸Healer: You¡¯re very lucky, you know? Some of the other victims suffered extensive damage from the demonic spirit. A few have yet to wake. Others lost their lives¡­¡¹ He began undoing the chains. ¡¸Allen: I see. I take it the demon spirit was successfully exorcised.¡¹ He nodded. ¡¸Healer: It appears so. I was told the whole area was quarantined, and everyone checked thoroughly.¡¹ He waved at the black walls around us. ¡¸Healer: As the last one who had been attacked by the demon, and because your own spirit was closed off tight, which made it hard to inspect without causing damages, you had been placed inside this obsidian chamber. A necessary precaution.¡¹ Yeah, thanks for turning me into a chain mummy. ¡¸Allen: I understand. I would have done the same.¡¹ He nodded. A healthy dose of precaution and paranoia always leads to better risk management. Releasing updates to production healed me from delusions of misguided optimism. Something always goes wrong unless you cover all your bases. The healer released first my feet and legs, allowing me to stand on the cold ground. And finally, the last of the chains rattled on the floor. A literal weight off my chest. My muscles felt unusually weak, and I almost buckled down. Thankfully the man was supporting me. ¡¸Allen: How long did I sleep?¡¹ ¡¸Healer: Two days whole.¡¹ He cast some magic, his hands slightly glowing with mana, and I felt my body becoming less sore. I stretched my legs and stood on my own. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.The chain marks on my skin were disappearing. Two days¡­ Why don¡¯t I feel like I need to piss? I didn¡¯t really want to know. I shooed the grim thoughts away. ¡¸Healer: Easy, spirit possession causes damage to the body. Although, in your cause, it didn¡¯t linger long enough that you should suffer from it¡­¡¹ He said while inspecting my condition. ¡¸Allen: What about the kids that were with me? Did the girl get hurt in trying to exorcise the spirit?¡¹ The healer walked out, beckoning me to follow. Outside, there was a bench. I took a seat there. Shielding my eyes from the sunlight. ¡¸Healer: I wouldn¡¯t know. I only treated the patients that were sent here.¡¹ I looked around. The place was unfamiliar to me. ¡¸Allen: So where am I? This is not the Academy, is it?¡¹ The middle-aged healer shook his head. ¡¸Healer: No. This is the Healer¡¯s Guild.¡¹ I still felt slightly lightheaded. I really thought I was a goner. Had Ellin succeeded in performing the exorcism alone? Well, even if she received help from rescuers, the fact that I was in good condition spoke volumes. I had to thank her. ¡¸Healer: I should go check the other patients. Wait here, there were people looking for you that may know more.¡¹ I nodded, and he excused himself, returning to his job. I circulated my mana slowly, also stretching my spirit body. Funny how a demon spirit had proved to have a lighter touch than a fucking goddess. Or maybe it just didn¡¯t have enough time to cause real damages. My memory of receiving the spiritual assault was spotty. I didn¡¯t really remember much of it. I waited for ten minutes or so before I was greeted by my visitors. Violet and Grohm. ¡¸Allen: Hello.¡¹ ¡¸Grohm: He¡¯s safe. He looks safe.¡¹ Grohm said to Violet, whose reply was a slight tilt of her head. ¡¸Allen: I¡¯m fine. I was told that my spirit will make a full recovery in four days.¡¹ I offered my reassuring corporate smile. ¡¸Violet: Good.¡¹ ¡¸Grohm: Yes, good.¡¹ A short silence ensued. This was a no-hug scenario. As expected from fellow nerd magicians. Better. Hugging is usually done to squirming targets, like a predator smelling weakness, or chasing fleeting prey. I can do it if I know I¡¯m making my target uncomfortable. Their discomfort is what makes it comfortable, like teasing. Otherwise, you¡¯re the one feeling uneasy. Or maybe that¡¯s just me. I stood up. ¡¸Allen: So, what happened after I got possessed? The demon talked about¡­ a diversion?¡¹ Violet nodded, relaying the events that unfolded that day. Apparently, the bodystealer demon had exploited the accumulation of fear-aspected mana to summon nightmare creatures. Something only possible to those up in the hierarchy of Feras¡¯ cult. The interference had been detected, and Violet, along the main forces, had moved to squash it down. The creatures had targeted the population, both to fan their fears and to scatter through buildings and narrow alleys. One day my teachings about shady alleys will be heard. Dealing with them wouldn¡¯t have been a problem on an open field, but under those conditions and the reduced visibility from the snowstorm, it proved tricky and time-consuming. It was too late when they realized the Academy itself had been attacked. That hadn¡¯t been a spur of the moment. The demon had planned it all surprisingly well. The nightmares were summoned while I was still en route. By the time I reached the gates, the subjugation forces had already left. I hadn¡¯t noticed anything amiss until I got inside and he appeared. He had killed the guards outside and unleashed another nightmare to keep anyone from leaving. The damage to the Academy had looked worse during the conflict than it actually was. The structure was built with enchanted stone, so structural damage had been relatively minor. Teachers and students had worked to quench the fires, once safe to do so. It would be reopened in another couple of days, Violet said. The whole ordeal had lasted around ten Respites, so fifteen minutes or so. It had felt much, much longer. About the demon, his abilities had been abnormal. He must have been both skilled and holder of a direct blessing from the Nightmare God to be able to do what he did. And to fuel this blessing, his process had been to create fear among the populace to strengthen itself. That had to be the reason he had started small both here in Valarest and Noirdant. He had been impossible to detect because, instead of consuming the host spirit, he had put them to sleep in a looping nightmare. He wore their spirits like a suit, hiding his presence. I didn¡¯t remember any looping nightmare. Not that it would have worked on me, anyway. ¡¸Violet: I have arranged for you to lodge in the outer barracks of the royal palace. An escort is being prepared for your safely.¡¹ Grohm nodded. ¡¸Grohm: It doesn¡¯t hurt to be sure in these uncertain times.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: What about my apprenticeship with the Alchemist¡¯s Guild?¡¹ ¡¸Violet: It can wait.¡¹ She said curtly. Welp. ¡¸Violet: You can focus on your contract with the military enchanters. Prepare yourself. We¡¯re leaving as soon as you¡¯re ready.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: What? Right now? ¡¹ I wanted to check up on my friends first. Also, I was wearing this world¡¯s version of hospital robes. Not something to brave the winter with. Violet walked away without replying. I would have felt annoyed, but her swaying bottom soothed my spirit. Even in full winter, she was wearing her usual attire. That¡¯s a proper mage for you. Grohm coughed to catch my attention and pressed a bag into my hands. ¡¸Grohm: The healer put your clothes and belongings in this bag¡­ Usually, they leave them next to the patient, but there were special circumstances. Take.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Thank you.¡¹ I said, accepting the bag. Inside was all my stuff, rings included. I hadn¡¯t even noticed I wasn¡¯t wearing them. Reaching the First Step to restore clarity was not something I could attempt at that moment. ¡¸Grohm: We¡¯ll be waiting right outside. Don¡¯t make us wait too long. Yes?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Yes.¡¹ He nodded and left. Violet and Grohm¡­ I hadn¡¯t expected to see them so soon. I wondered if Violet actually cared about me or if she was just protecting her investment. She was hard to read, but I was thankful nonetheless. She was either a stone-cold psychopath or a socially awkward overpowered girl. Or both. I put my clothes on. They had been washed from the blood. Then equipped my magical instruments.
SYSTEM BOOTING Memory¡­OK Routines¡­OK AI_Interface¡­OK Peripherals¡­OK STARTING GAMERGUI.EXE
Quest completed (Defeat the Bodystealer) +500 EXP
I got my dopamine hit.
Quest completed (Mission: Survive) +1 EXP
Quest failed (Keep the bodyguards alive)
When did these quests even get added? I guess I had been too busy staying alive to notice. And what¡¯s up with that 1 EXP?! Stupid ring. Anyway, I had one important task to do.
Quest added (Check on the kids)
I inspected the damages to my mana body. It didn¡¯t feel as bad as last time. I could even cast magic without pain or strain, as long as I took it slow. Good. I checked the various rooms on my way down, looking for Grastel and Namrick. Since the exorcism had worked, Ellin had to be fine. My random intrusions earned me some scowls from the staff, but I found Grastel. ¡¸Allen: Hey.¡¹ I said. Grastel rolled his head toward me. He looked a little down on spirits. ¡¸Grastel: Hey¡­¡¹ He blinked twice and propped himself up. ¡¸Allen: How are you holding up?¡¹ I asked, crossing my arms and leaning on the door frame. I wanted to look like a dependable cool uncle. ¡¸Grastel: That¡¯s what I should ask you.¡¹ He made a weak smile before going all serious again. ¡¸Grastel: I¡­¡¹ He swallowed before continuing. ¡¸Grastel: I killed¡­ those men¡­ And I don¡¯t even remember it.¡¹ He said with his eyes fixing downward. I was tempted to give him a slap. ¡¸Allen: Why are you blaming yourself? The demon killed those men, using your body against your will.¡¹ ¡¸Grastel: I even hit Ellin and Namrick¡­ I could¡­¡¹ I walked a step forward. ¡¸Allen: It¡¯s not your fault¡­ You were a victim too.¡¹ Why do good people have to blame themselves for things that aren¡¯t their faults? ¡¸Grastel: I know, but¡­¡¹ ¡¸Allen: No buts.¡¹ ¡¸Grastel: ¡­¡¹ We remained in silence for a moment. ¡¸Grastel: What did you feel when the demon possessed you? The only thing I remember is an unending nightmare¡­¡¹ I didn¡¯t really remember much of it, just some vague recollection of pain and random flashbacks. So I shrugged. ¡¸Allen: What about Namrick and Ellin?¡¹ ¡¸Grastel: Namrick stops by every day to check up on me. And to complain they wouldn¡¯t let him see you. Ellin was called back to her family¡¯s mansion. She¡¯s fine.¡¹ That eased my spirits.
Quest completed (Check on the kids) +5 EXP
How does that give more EXP than surviving?! ¡¸Allen: I¡¯m glad to hear that. So, how long till you recover?¡¹ ¡¸Grastel: I was told a week or so. Ellin healed my body right away, but my spirit¡­¡¹ I got closer and gave him a pat on the shoulder. He looked like he needed it. ¡¸Allen: Rest well. I¡¯ll be staying under protection for a while, so it will be a while before we can reunite. Tell the others I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll write you letters.¡¹ Grastel smiled and nodded. ¡¸Grastel: May the Gods be with you, Allen.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: You must be joking, surely?¡¹ Those gods were the sources of all our problems. Grastel grinned and waved me goodbye, and so I turned to leave. I stopped. Right, I keep forgetting because nothing can break me, but¡­ ¡¸Allen: I¡¯m sorry you guys had to go through all that. It was¡­ bad¡­ wasn¡¯t it?¡¹ I turned in time to see Grastel wiping away a tear. Gone was the smirk. He was again wearing that haunted look I saw when I first entered the room. Come on, Allen¡­ There was no way all that blood and death hadn¡¯t left a mark. ¡¸Allen: Thanks for coming for me. Tell everyone¡­ And remind Namrick our enemy was just too strong this time.¡¹ Man, I suck at these sentimental things. Grastel nodded one last time, and I left. It was time to get myself into protective custody. Violet and Grohm were just outside, waiting with a carriage ready. We made a quick stop back at my inn so I could collect some stuff I needed. Then they dropped me off in front of the castle gates, where my escort was waiting to receive me. The escort showed me into another building inside the outer walls. The barracks. It was all very disappointing. My new room was a downgrade. Cramped space and stark stone. I stood there, holding the crate with my stuff. I was angry, not at the lackluster accommodations. The nightmare god Feras had put my friends in harm¡¯s way. Not once, but twice. He had to go. The wooden crate creaked under my grip. Chapter 84: Allen ponders I was in my cell. It had been five days since I woke up from the attack. The stark stones reminded me of medieval ruins. The window had no glass. So I had to choose between light and cold, or dark and less cold. I chose dark. Mana lights consumed less than keeping myself warm with the window open, so I obviously selected the most efficient path. Needless to say, my movement options had become heavily restricted. I could go nowhere but my room, the common canteen, and the enchantment workplace. And the Academy, at pre-arranged times, under escort. I was concerned about the trio. They were probably devastated without me. I had wanted to stick around to lift up their morale. Although the people of this world were more used to traumatic experiences, they¡¯d been surviving each Demon war century after century. Adventurers even more so. At the Academy, the other students were confused to see me¡ªa foreigner¡ªbeing escorted by royal soldiers. I was doing good at being unapproachable. No risk of involvement with politics and feuds. I only wanted to speak with teachers and staff, anyway. If there¡¯s any acquaintance I actually need, I¡¯m sure fate will smear it all over my face. I was never a social animal. Even after Eric explained to me all the marketing tricks, I only built up a greater aversion. That¡¯s why I explained to others how to do the whole marketing thing when we were promoting our pizzerias. Allen, allergic to marketing. Well, that thing about getting involved with feuds only applied to the Academy. My feud with Lord Radenrouge was there to stay. He would get his just desserts, in time. Allen always repays his debts. I kept in contact with my friends through letters. Unfortunately, letters were expensive. And slow. In theory, one could relay a message to, well, a messenger. But the higher the word count, the less likely it was for it to be delivered verbatim. On a positive note, I had successfully passed the telekinesis exam. It didn¡¯t take long for the Academy to return to full capacity. When I got back inside after the incident, I was amazed at how quickly and efficiently they had made it look as the attack never happened. The only telltale was the lack of furnishings and decorations in the previously damaged areas. And thus lessons and exams had resumed. Attendance was slowly returning to normal. Everyone was still on edge, and the security had tripled. No teacher had suffered severe injuries, so almost all the available courses were back on the menu. So, yeah. Telekinesis. The test hadn¡¯t been easy, but I had had two months to get good enough at it. There was nothing like the dopamine rush of levitating objects and making them move and twist with just my raw willpower. I remember trying that shit back in my world, of course, it didn¡¯t work there. Anyone claiming otherwise was either a scammer or delusional. It had been a real disappointment realizing magic wasn¡¯t real. The only magic that was not disprovable was the one about chances, but still, even though most things went as I expected, it just meant I was good at making estimates. Weren¡¯t it for how often coincidences happened, I would have dismissed it entirely. Did it work, or was I just a statistical outlier? Who cares. I have real magic now! I found that cooking with magic was very convenient. Stirring a pot without my hands was a very nice trick. Except when the hot contents would spill all over me because I failed to control my telekinesis. I learned an important lesson there. Remember kids, always keep the temperature dampener in your ring active while cooking. It was a shame I was not allowed to cook for myself in these new accommodations. The canteen cooks told me to stay the heck away from their ovens. Assholes. I finished writing the letter to Ellin. Writing letters¡­ so inconvenient. I really ought to reinvent the internet and the email protocol. HELO, MAIL FROM [email protected].
Quest added (Build the internet: Email protocol)
My magic ring flashed again, but I dismissed it. Damnable thing. My idle complaints continued to contribute to the ever-growing quest list. I sent an apology to the Alchemist Guild, explaining my inability to attend the apprenticeship in the short term. I¡¯m sure the seal they used here to wax the mail would give that GM cougar a second thought before laying her wrinkly paws on me in the future. Or will it make it worse? I had a walk across the outer ward and dropped the letters to the person in charge. At least I don¡¯t have to pay the delivery fee here.
Quest completed (Deliver the letters) +2 EXP
Even sending letters gives me more EXP than surviving, I thought grimly. That done, I went to work with my enchanter buddies. I didn¡¯t get paid overtime, but I hadn¡¯t much else to do, and the current project was interesting. Several randoms nodded in my direction. I was highly requested these days. ¡¸Can you make it do that thing?¡¹ The price of success. Now all enchanters harassed me to get their requests implemented with my processors. I didn¡¯t even know this guy¡¯s name. ¡¸Allen: Of course, just write down the specs for me, and I¡¯ll take a look.¡¹ ¡¸Specs?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: How it¡¯s supposed to work. Please be as detailed as possible. I need to know all the cases.¡¹ At least it was something related to the Great Project, so I didn¡¯t mind. The others I was going to milk out of their secret knowledge. ¡ºVezlaz: I hear the blacksmiths are preparing a prototype. It should be ready next week.¡» ¡¸Allen: That¡¯s good news.¡¹ I said, nodding approvingly. Pieces were falling in place. ¡¸Bart: It won¡¯t be easy. We need to account for different heights, the mana crystal storage, and mobility¡­¡¹ Bart glanced at Klenn to give him the chance to add his comments and feel important. But Klenn remained silent while pondering what other flashy magics he should incorporate. The problem child of the group was finally taking things seriously. Besides the project-specific task, I spent most of the time trading my services for enchanting secrets and improving my processors. No one had any idea of they worked, nor was there any chance they would. All processors were password-protected, written in my native language, and full of Allen-only backdoors. No one was going to crack them any time soon. I couldn¡¯t put backdoors on simpler circuitry. It was too conspicuous. But processors? Their extra complexity ensured that everyone accepted them at face value, so long as they did what they wanted. No rule forced me to explain them in detail. The magical construct just had to work as advertised. Everyone else did pretty much the same. The QA team only inspected the spellwork for abnormalities. ¡¸Bart: Anyway, has anything interesting happened outside the walls since they killed the demonic saboteur?¡¹ This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡¸Allen: Nothing much, it would seem.¡¹ The fact that I had been one of the main targets had been kept under wrap. We didn¡¯t want people to blame me for their misfortunes. It was much better not to spread such information at all. I had been in contact with Ellin and Jorgas. The only ones who spared the effort to write back. Ellin had returned to her family house right after the attack, due to the dangers possibly lying afoot, and was having a hard time keeping in contact with everyone else. She said she was making progress on her lucid dreaming control but had yet to succeed in getting out of her body. Corgas wrote that Namrick and Grastel were still a little shaken but doing fine. Everyone else was okay. Ellin confirmed she had exorcised the demon alone, to her own surprise. Perhaps possessing someone unable to be afraid didn¡¯t prove such a smart move after all. No fertile ground to be had, plus I had fought back hard. ¡¸Allen: Anyway, I¡¯ve been wondering¡­ Why didn¡¯t demons just open a portal inside the city to attack us?¡¹ Not that I was complaining. Klenn scoffed with his haughty tone. ¡¸Klenn: Ha! Do you think the kingdom would allow free use of long-distance spatial magic during war times?! Just how clueless are you?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Why? Can it be blocked?¡¹ ¡¸Klenn: Of course, the longer the distance, the easier it is to disturb spatial interferences. Would you let demons march their armies into our cities unimpeded?¡¹ How matter displacement and spatial interference worked was a mystery. It was a rare talent, very little info was written about it. ¡¸Allen: But I¡¯ve seen a portal being opened at Academy grounds¡­¡¹ ¡¸Klenn: Hmpf, it was a portal to elsewhere, wasn¡¯t it?¡¹ He was right. I didn¡¯t know enough about this kind of magic. I wondered if it could be used to create a bag of holding or similar. I have to learn it. ¡¸Klenn: The kingdom has many magicians and devices specialized in disrupting spatial magic. Moreover¡­ ¡¹ Klenn launched himself on a lengthy explanation, from which I got that the difficulty of jamming spatial magic was inversely proportional to distance. That people capable of opening portals are rare, and that there are ways to pinpoint where portals are being opened. So that¡¯s why demons weren¡¯t just sending their armies through portals. I still had to wonder how the whole portal opening mechanic worked. How did they get the coordinates right? It wouldn¡¯t do to open a portal into deep space. Unless you want to get rid of trash. ¡¸Allen: I see. Thanks for the explanation.¡¹ He looked disappointed. I knew he was expecting me to ask about the details he had left unsaid, but I knew he was going to play hard to get and smile smugly while withholding his precious knowledge. It was a pattern I had come to learn. ¡¸Klenn: Hmpf.¡¹ I finished enchanting the current piece and moved on to the next. Every part we produced underwent rigorous testing, aided by a system I had developed myself to automate all that was possible. Done with my daily quota, I shifted my attention to improving my personal tools. The ¡¾All-ring¡¿ had recently seen an upgrade to the resolution of the hallucinatory screen to 640x400, 16 colors. Even Grohm was amazed by my ability to hallucinate individual pixels. Making a physical screen was much easier in comparison. My processors also now ran at 800Hz, although some operations needed to be optimized to keep up. It was terribly slow compared to modern CPUs. However, the simpler instruction set and custom architecture meant it could do the job reasonably fast. The day I managed to convert all the higher-level constructs into simpler faster ones, would lead to a dramatic performance increase. Although, there were other hardware issues to be solved that Grohm was eagerly investigating. I needed that knowledge to spread wider, put more minds into advancing Informagic to the next level. Make it faster and more reliable. Blessed be magic nerds. I could never do it alone. I would always be many steps ahead, in any case. There was no danger of this magic technology running rampant. I had grown a sense of the people of this world. My professional estimate was that anyone trying to spread the advanced parts of such knowledge to the general public would meet unfortunate lethal consequences. Besides, magicians were really few in numbers, the ones specializing in such a field even lower, and the ones willing to divulge secrets basically zero. Magicians were the pioneers of job security. Also, they all had big egos, as befitting for those harnessing the arcane arts. The only immediate consequence of Informagic was that magic tools would finally work reliably. If anything, it would make magic less dangerous. I desperately wished for faster processors, memory storage, and reliability. But there just wasn¡¯t enough manpower to make that happen quickly. Also, the fact that I desired such an outcome made it extremely unlikely to happen. The more you want something, the harder it is to obtain. Besides, once I reached max-level I could simply go and kill those annoyances that threatened to ruin my isekai experience. I am a responsible person. I won¡¯t let this fantasy world turn into a modern cesspool. Just thinking about magic being turned into just another joyless mundane thing was enough to send my blood boiling. Magic was my dream. Magic was my love. My world would rape it, bend it to corporate needs, and leave it depleted so no one can enjoy it anymore. No way I was gonna let that happen. I stopped my dystopian trains of thought and returned to the real world. In the last weeks, I had been putting my enchanting skills to use for another project, the ¡¾Debugger¡¿ ring. As the name implied, I had repurposed the ring for facilitating programming and magical analysis. It really couldn¡¯t do much yet, aside from helping me analyze the state of processors and what they were executing, but I was experimenting. From what I had seen, it should be possible to measure external magic processes. Just imagining the possibilities, were I able to debug real magic¡ªand not just programs¡ªmade my lips curl up with anticipation. I was planning a whole line of rings with different purposes capable of linking with the ¡¾All-ring¡¿ for advanced coordination. And why not, even the armor and weapons. Enchanted equipment 2.0. It was going to take time. I wanted to learn all schools of magic, exploit synergies, and make my own cheats. Since a certain Creator had neglected to give me my well-deserved broken powers, the only logical conclusion was making my own. The Creator¡­ not a word since I was brought here. Did he forget about me? What did he mean by ¡°testing¡± this world? Was this one of those stories where the starting premise fades into oblivion? Was he, or it, gonna pull some surprise when I least expected it? The more I thought about it, the more I felt a looming concern. What are the chances there are no hidden agendas here? Yeah, exactly. We can¡¯t have nice things, Allen. Eventually, I dined and went back to my cramped room. I was practicing both Violet¡¯s way is not-sleeping and my way of lucid dreaming, trying to switch between the two. No more forceful memories made their way into my dreams, including dark gods. But my sanity was slipping. I needed something to kill. Killing monsters. Killing time. Anything.
Quest (Kill the dark god Feras)
I had too much free time here. No internet, no novels, no movies, no games.
Quest (Build the internet: 10 sub-tasks)
I was so bored that I started using my lucid dreams to train against Namrick. The real-life experiences contributed to making it realistic. Haha, even in sleep, I still grind. Well, actually, something did make its way into my dreams. Empty-faced Amy. When I saw her again, I remembered that she had appeared in that black void space within my mind. Sometimes she took the form of different people who had been meaningful to me. Always appearing in a corner, staring at nothing, saying maybe a few words, then disappearing again. I wondered what my subconscious wanted to say by manifesting itself that way. Maybe something like, ¡°get your shit together and stop delaying until it¡¯s too late.¡± The dream version of Namrick sliced me in half and stepped back, smiling confidently. That had been enough sparring against the overpowered dream-Namrick, who didn¡¯t hold back like real-Namrick. I flipped my middle finger to his smug face before walking down a random path. I ended in front of a familiar farm. I walked inside and sat down at the table. The house was empty. A moment later, Amy appeared beside me. ¡¸Amy: Feels like family¡­¡¹ And she was right. It was Erne¡¯s and Berel¡¯s house. The first place after so many years in which I had felt that peculiar sensation of belonging. My parents abandoned me when I was sixteen, leaving behind only a shitty letter of apology. Yes, I didn''t tell Yuri. I didn''t want to make it sound like a competition. A funny coincidence that we''d gone through similar troubles. ¡°Family¡± was just a distant memory for me. And yet, despite all, I still longed for such things. I willed the room to lighten up with more vibrant colors, and it did. To my surprise the whole family also walked in from the doors across the room, along with the trio and my other friends. The dream characters walked around the room, looking busy and paying me no attention. I would have preferred naked ladies, though, to cheer me up after the sound beating dream-Namrick had given me. Dreams are like magic. I sighed, resting my head over the table. Amy had disappeared. How did he do it? I asked myself. How did Feras enter my dreams without direct contact? No one answered. Last time, I had mistakenly thought that tightening my spirit body had severed him. Of course, I had realized shortly after that I had been wrong. If Ellin were nearby, we could have tried this sort of stuff, intruding into one¡¯s other dreams. Directly and indirectly. Magic is like a dream. I willed to intrude into Ellin¡¯s dreams. But after several attempts, I had to give up. I blinked, teleported, flew through different dreamscapes, and even encountered an Ellin, but it was not the real Ellin. Just a mindless dream character. Inside dreams, discerning reality from illusory was no easy task, even with my experience. Defeated, I sat down on the floor to meditate. The scenery evaporated like smoke leaving me inside the comfortable black void. I gently moved my attention back to my physical body. Violet¡¯s teachings weren¡¯t too far off from lucid dreaming. How I had resisted the induced sleep, and how I had maintained my awareness in dream¡­ The experience had left a strong impression on me. Both approaches had complimented each other, so I was practicing alternating both. Switching from one state to the other had so far kept my dreams Feras-free, and I liked to keep it that way. Uninterrupted awareness was the key. It sounded like something a Tibetan monk would pursue. Again, the similarities between this world and my own kept creeping up. I had to mention these dream experiments in my next letter to Ellin. It was time to start exploring these avenues. Chapter 85: The prototype I had been experiencing a strange phenomenon. Every now and then, when I went to relieve myself, I would hear some kind of moaning squeal. At first, I thought nothing of it¡­ But the first time it happened, some guy came running, knocked insistently, and scowled around, ignoring me and my legitimate questions. Was someone spying on me? Playing a prank? The sound didn¡¯t always happen, and nobody came checking after the first time. What the fuck is going on? My paranoia was growing every day. After asking around, it seemed I wasn¡¯t the only one who had experienced it. What kept me on the edge was that it had started soon after I had arrived. Overseer Lorinthar said it was probably a spirit playing around. To ignore it so it would get bored and go away. And no, it wasn¡¯t a demon spirit, or they¡¯d know. Well, even if it¡¯s not a demon spirit, it might still be spying on me, dumbass. Those reassurances did nothing to ease my uneasiness. Everyone¡¯s out to get me. I stretched on my bed while stifling a yawn. I dispersed the Violet illusion. She was getting more lifelike after every attempt. Too bad illusions had no consistency. Different branches of magic were needed to create tangible illusions. At the Academy, I had finished the last pending exam. Projecting Emotion. I felt some distress when the teacher told me not to project fear because ¡°we already know you¡¯re good at it.¡± I guess exerting my dominance against the other students during the practical lessons came to bite my back. But it didn¡¯t matter. I passed anyway with adequate results. I had little to do besides practicing. In my cramped room. Against my better judgment, I missed Vallachio¡¯s lessons. His hardcore way of teaching was very effective, just like Violet¡¯s. Ellin wrote me that she would try my little dream experiment. She continued not being able to step outside her body. She thought she had succeeded once but later realized it was just a dream. Perhaps she was missing a step, hard to say through snail mail. I hoped this temporary near-imprisonment would end soon. I would have met her at the Academy, but my bodyguards were always anxious to get moving. I couldn¡¯t fault them. Their predecessors had become sashimi. The Academy¡¯s entrance had been upgraded with even more mages and soldiers., plus stricter controls. Many nobles spent time within its grounds. Therefore, security had to be enforced at all costs. My royal escort allowed me to bypass some controls, so it wasn¡¯t all that bad. There was always that slight chance of another demonic spirit with the same capabilities. Even though the higher-ups were all theorizing about it being one of a kind. I kinda missed hanging around with the others. When spring came, they could go back to adventuring. That should wear of the sting of the bad experience. Assuming they wouldn¡¯t pick the wrong quest. Adventuring was a deadly wage-slaving business. Unfortunately, I was stuck here till the war ended. Unless Violet gave me the OK. I¡¯m sure she could understand the therapeutic effect of killing mobs since she was so good at it herself. I may have some chances after all. Speaking of action, I needed some exercise. My muscles were waning, as I could see from my decreasing mana volume. ¡¾SHOW MANA STATUS¡¿
Mana: 266/266 Cast range: 3.85 m Mana volume: 71 Mana density: 1 Mana efficiency: 0.75 Mana regen: 1.6 mana/min Mana drain: -0.2 mana/min
Mana volume had decreased, but my mana had still increased thanks to better efficiency. The value was an average of the last hundred casts. All these measures came from analog feelings made into constructs. Turning them into numbers had been a challenge. Anyway, I had bigger concerns than decreasing muscles. I was bored. BORED! I sprang up from my bed and got outside. I practiced my telekinetic abilities by attempting to levitate multiple snowballs. It was no easy task. Nowhere to go. Nothing to see. No content to consume. I was sandwiched between the two walls between the royal castle and the city. I stared at the wall, and the wall stared into me. ¡¸Allen: You think you¡¯re hot shit, eh? You, piece of brick?¡¹ The wall stood defiantly, posturing like he was better than me. I ran toward it and jumped, trying to replicate some parkour moves I had seen that time the demon and the protector fought in the alley. Acquiring better mobility skills was the basis of metroidvanias. The videogame genre involving exploration and progressive unlocking of new skills, allowing the player to jump higher, multiple times, and reach previously unreachable zones. I didn¡¯t like lagging behind. My competitive spirit was screeching like a turbojet. Unfortunately, the wall was slippery, and I fell on my ass over the fresh snow. I checked my surroundings. No one was around to see my shame. I let out a sigh of relief and walked away with my honor intact. I decided it would be wiser to wait for spring before attempting magical parkour. Learn to walk before you run, Allen. Winter was hard mode. I was already thinking¡­ double jumps could be achieved with some application of telekinesis. Levitating myself was beyond my abilities, but perhaps I could start with little bursts of inertial defiance. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Quest added (Learn magical parkour) Quest added (Unlock Feather Fall) Quest added (Unlock Double Jump)
I could start practicing with enchanted equipment. Eventually, I would learn to apply telekinetic forces to my own body. With renewed motivation, I did some fitness exercises that Vallachio had imparted to me during the grueling military training.
Quest completed (Daily exercise) +12 EXP
Then I went back to my room to rest a little and write down my ideas. Until a noise caught my attention. * TOC TOC * ¡¸Allen: Who is it?¡¹ I asked, my voice overflowing with boredom. ¡¸Bart: It¡¯s me, Bart!¡¹ Bart sounded excited. I saved and closed the text editor. Could it be it? ¡¸Bart: We¡¯re ready for the testing! I thought you¡¯d want to know.¡¹ Fuck yeah! I rushed to open the door. ¡¸Allen: Of course I want to know!¡¹ Holy shit! Bart was there, beaming with a smile. Finally! Boredom kicked to the curb! ¡¸Bart: Every enchanter¡¯s dream made true¡­¡¹ He said and started marching back to the workshop. He sounded like a movie trailer dude. ¡¸Allen: I wanted to be the first to try it assembled¡­¡¹ I said, a little peeved. ¡¸Bart: It had to be Klenn. You know it.¡¹ Only Klenn and I were the ones with the full knowledge of how to maneuver it. Because we had designed it ourselves. We were going to gatekeep it hard, milking all the fun we could before we received orders to train whoever would go and use it. ¡¸Allen: Yeah, I guess.¡¹ We arrived there in a minute, both excited like little kids. The staff personnel had cleared up an area in the testing grounds just outside. They had just finished transporting the Great Project and were reassembling it. In the safe zone, a small crowd was forming. Klenn saw us and waved us to join in. ¡¸Klenn: It¡¯s time.¡¹ Vezlaz, our dwarven colleague, joined us with a satisfied air. ¡ºVezlaz: Years of being sidelined for being a dwarf. Worth it.¡» We waited for the staff to finish assembling the last piece. As if on cue, a ray of light pierced the clouds to shine on our masterpiece. The hype was skyrocketing. ¡¸Klenn: I¡¯m going.¡¹ Klenn announced, walking forward with a dreamy air, crackling his knuckles. He climbed the support to fit inside and pulled close the external structure. Sealing it. The Magical Power Armor came alight. Its face was pure rage. Its color was the blood of its foes. Illusory sounds, suggesting carnage started emanating from the Magical Power Armor, only there to evoke awe. Klenn spoke through the voice-changer. ¡¸Klenn: SELF TESTS COMPLETED. INITIATING MANEUVRABILITY TEST.¡¹ He struck a cool pose and began moving. First, a normal walking pace, then a jog, and finally a sequence of dashes and jumps. We had worked hard with several specialists to add assisted stability. Another set of specialists had worked to make the external limbs feel like one¡¯s own. The Armor had mana crystals stuffed in all the empty spaces to act like a battery in addition to the wearer¡¯s own mana reserve. But a suit that just walks would be useless without- ¡¸Klenn: FILTHY DEMONS! BOW TO THE MIGHT OF THE MILITARY ENCHANTERS!¡¹ * BLAM BLAM BLAM! * Klenn fired the bolters. Which were simple cannons firing metal balls charged kinetically. Three targets went down in rapid succession. ¡¸Klenn: KNEEL BEFORE THE ASTARIL KINGDOM!¡¹ Astaril was the name of this kingdom. I somehow kept forgetting its name. Vezlaz often complained about how the Three Kingdom¡¯s dream had been broken since the last Demon War. The Three Kingdom¡¯s dream¡­ It meant to be humans, dwarves, and elves, joined together to fight as one. Alas, it hadn¡¯t gone as planned, and after the bloodshed, the other races seethed when the humans quickly breed back to peak performance and rebuilt their cities from the ashes. Some thought that allying with humans had been a mistake, yet some still believed in that dream. * KABOOOOOM! * Klenn unleashed the most explosive of his flashy attack magics. Most of the sounds and particle effects were illusory. A waste of mana. I gotta say, they looked rad in action, though. Very impressive. The blast was absorbed by the reinforced mana shielding. The poor practice target had been once again reduced to molecular dust. ¡¸Klenn: BEGINNING COUNTERMEASURES TEST!¡¹ He shouted, gesturing at another set of people tasked to set off an explosive force against the Armor. That was the best part. ¡¸Klenn: READY!¡¹ * KABOOOOOOOOOOM * Another deafening roar made the ground shake. Smoke and dust were covering our vision within the shielded area. And then Klenn, unmarred and unfazed, appeared before us with an armored arm lifted toward the sky as a sign of victory. ¡¸Klenn: INTEGRITY CONFIRMED. BATTERY 75%. TEST CONCLUDED!¡¹ The crowd cheered on. I couldn¡¯t help but clap as well. In a real battle, the Armor would be wearing a replaceable set of mana batteries in the form of a backpack for extra juice. Easy to attach and remove. Bullets for bolters could be substituted with any sort of shrapnel that fit the barrel. We were already prototyping several kinds of enchanted ammo. We had also added assisted aim, which still required more tests and calibration for long-range, but was already good enough at close range. It would come in handy for artillery rounds. ¡¸Allen: The next run is mine.¡¹ I stated as a matter of fact. Making all of this work reliably was only thanks to me, who had brought in my processors into the soup. There were multiple fail-safes and fallback systems. It had been built for battle. Not a single inch had been left unenchanted. ¡ºVezlaz: Convincing Klenn after this taste of power may prove difficult.¡» We watched as the Armor split open, revealing Klenn, who pushed himself out of the harness and stepped into the support the staff carried close. He looked pretty smug right there. More than usual. Bart walked closer, us trailing behind. ¡¸Bart: So, tell us. How did it feel?¡¹ Klenn, still grinning, shook his head with a loud sniff. ¡¸Klenn: It felt like¡­ I was power incarnate!¡¹ He yelled the last part. Bart clapped his shoulder. ¡¸Bart: Glad you finally found joy in the noble arts of enchantment!¡¹ ¡¸Klenn: With this Armor¡­ With this Armor, even I could enter the fray.¡¹ Klenn said, trying to convince himself. I remained skeptical. ¡ºVezlaz: Glad you had fun, noble brat!¡» ¡¸Klenn: Hmpf¡­ I¡¯ll let this one slide, dwarf.¡¹ Vezlaz grinned back. Then Klenn found my eyes. ¡¸Klenn: ¡­¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Say it. ¡¹ I stood there, lifting my chin for what was coming. ¡¸Klenn: Alright, you win. It wasn¡¯t a waste of time.¡¹ I nodded in satisfaction. Klenn had been the first to say it wasn¡¯t possible to build a useful power armor. He was singing a different tune now. ¡¸Allen: Good, I can¡¯t wait to read the logs and check the data.¡¹ ¡¸Klenn: I noticed a few areas of improvement we could work on¡­¡¹ ¡¸Allen: And the chainsaw! We need obsidian-tipped chainsaws for close-quarters combat.¡¹ Chainsaws were a core value for power armors. We started walking back inside. The prototype was being disassembled to be brought back into the lab. ¡¸Bart: This calls for a celebration!¡¹ Bart said, sneaking between us and wrapping our necks with his arms. Unwarranted physical contact. ¡ºVezlaz: Indeed.¡» ¡¸Klenn: What if I ordered some pizza from Radenr-¡¹ ¡¸Allen: No!¡¹ I yelled, almost subconsciously. ¡¸Allen: Radenrouge is a lousy imitator who steals my recipes! You will order pizza from the original ¡°Pizza Heaven¡± restaurant.¡¹ Klenn started to complain, but I cut him off. ¡¸Allen: It will also be cheaper and allow you to feed the whole workshop for extra friendship points. Then you will tell me if my pizzas are inferior to Radenrouge¡¯s.¡¹ And the money goes back to me. Hehe. ¡ºVezlaz: Pizza and beer. What do you say?¡» The dwarf glanced to Bart, who nodded in agreement. ¡¸Bart: It¡¯s settled then!¡¹ ¡¸Klenn: Alright¡­ Let¡¯s give it a try.¡¹ Klenn said, still unconvinced that a commoner restaurant could produce edible food. He must have forgotten about all the treats I had snuck in from our private kitchen. When I could still get there, at least. And so, that evening, the whole building of military enchanters celebrated for making a dream come true. Even Overseer Lorinthar joined us, despite some initial reluctance at removing the broom from his ass. We ate, got drunk, and boasted of how we¡¯d carve the Demons a new one. Magical Power Armors (which I will refer to as MPA in the future). The reasonable compromise between underwhelming normal enchanted armors and huge impractical robots. The choice of the Walking-Machine-Of-Death pragmatists. If we kept at it like this, the battle-ready version of the MPA would be ready for spring. I pictured myself chainsawing my way through goblins, verklings, demons, and anything else. This time, Violet would be satisfied. Chapter 86: The Turning ¡°I still think it¡¯s a bad idea,¡± Uncle Kiras said while peeking out from the carriage window. ¡°Can they even guarantee your security with all these crows?¡± We were en route to the festival. I felt a little anxious. ¡°We can¡¯t let the Demons take away even this!¡± I retorted. ¡°Demons love to exploit the little moments of joy to break us even further,¡± He said. ¡°Don¡¯t forget Remembrance Day.¡± He was right, but were we still in danger? Could we allow demons to poison even our minds with constant fear? I sighed. Uncle Kiras was wearing a disguise. It felt weird to talk to him while having the face of a complete stranger. ¡°So, what am I supposed to call you on this occasion, Uncle?¡± I asked. Sometimes I wished I could just call him his real name, which wasn¡¯t Kiras. That was the Inspector name he received when he cast away his affiliations to pursue his career. His real name was Sigard. Sigard Val Arinn. But that name was taboo for as long as he remained an Inspector. I didn¡¯t like Kiras. Kiras was rude and scowled a lot. Kiras also insulted me in public, for keeping the image he said, but it hurt every time. At least with this disguise, he didn¡¯t have to fear ¡°appearing too close¡± and ¡°designating me as a target,¡± so we could normally talk even in public. ¡°Call me Rogart. I¡¯m your bodyguard.¡± He said, changing his tone and mannerism. I had asked around, and other Inspectors didn¡¯t take things this far. Father said his brother had read too many novels about Inspectors, which had skewed his brain. The only concession I had attained was that he had stopped calling me ¡°chick¡±. I¡¯m a grown woman now. ¡°Is it worth going this far, Uncle?¡± I queried him, a little bit of exasperation in my tone. He considered me in silence for a moment. ¡°Is it worth making sure the ones I care about can steer clear of any danger caused by my activities?¡± He asked. ¡°Yes. Every precaution is a blade removed from the hands of your enemies.¡± He continued, ¡°I would never forgive myself if my brother, or you, were hurt. When it happens, it¡¯s already too late.¡± He said, with a tone of finality. ¡°Humans can be monsters too.¡± I shifted in my seat. The rhythmic sound of gallop would have permeated the carriage were it not for Uncle¡¯s magical sound barrier, but I could still feel it from the movement and vibrations. It had been an exciting winter. In a bad way. I had come so close to losing it all. Again. But this time, it hadn¡¯t been due to our inexperience. We had stayed put in the city we thought safe. All it took was just an unexpected surprise. It had been so unfair. ¡°Why are you making that face, my sweet Ellin?¡± Uncle asked, saving me from dark thoughts. I shook my head. ¡°Nothing. Just¡­ thinking how fragile life is.¡± I said, discomforted. I once believed things were simple as they looked. It was only recently that I had started to see the layers and depths. I am not ready. I don¡¯t feel ready. He put a hand on my shoulder. A comforting warmth. ¡°Thank you for telling me about your adventures,¡± He said. ¡°I won¡¯t tell your parents. But you have to promise me to be more cautious.¡± I nodded. After the event had concluded, it had been Uncle Kiras who had come to rescue me. By some Gods¡¯ miracle, I had somehow managed to exorcise that demon. I still didn¡¯t believe it. I had been so scared, my hands unsteady. It felt just like that time with the troll. So, yes. I had managed to save the day, thanks to everyone. But¡­ Allen screaming and going limp, then twitching and moaning in defiance of the demon. Me, wrapping him with the enchanted chains and trying desperately to exorcise the demonic spirit, while Grastel and Namrick were out cold. I had tried to heal everyone, including the Royal Guard, who had been stabbed on the skull, who was surprisingly still breathing. But I had remained alone. The wind touched my skin with a cold bite. The uncertainty that I could have failed, the corpses spread around me¡­ It was all too much. All that blood¡­ All those people¡­ I still had nightmares about it. Who comes to the rescue of heroes who have to face the darkness? I had never thought of it before becoming an adventurer. Just winning doesn¡¯t wash away all the blood, the despair, and the tears. The last time it had been Allen, he hadn¡¯t given soothing words. Instead, he kept calm and looked after us while we got through the shock. That¡¯s what matters. This time, the one to rescue me had been Uncle Kiras. He said he had suddenly woken inside his carriage feeling something wrong and demanded to be taken immediately to my location. He¡¯d found me sobbing and trembling amidst the blood and death and wrapped his coat around me. Then he carried me back to his carriage and delivered me personally home. All the while, he hadn¡¯t said a word. I thought he was angry that I had disobeyed him and put my friends in danger. I felt so drained and ashamed then. But, when we dropped off at home in the courtyard¡­ he gave me a big hug. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re safe,¡± He finally said, his voice loaded with emotion. I broke into crying again. When we met later, I told him everything. About what happened with the bodystealer, the troll¡­ and everything else I had left out. Perhaps I should¡¯ve told Mother and Father as well. But they had already been informed about me exorcising the demonic spirit. It was already a lot to chew on. So¡­ ¡°Thank you, Uncle Kiras,¡± I said, looking him in the eyes. ¡°For being there for me when I needed it.¡± He nodded. ¡°This is just what any uncle should do for their niece.¡± Even if he said that I knew I was lucky to have people who cared about me. Not everyone was so fortunate. I regretted not warning my friends of the danger earlier¡­ Maybe Grastel wouldn¡¯t have been possessed if I had at least gotten them rings like mine to protect themselves. I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d run into the monster right inside the Academy. I had warned them of the danger when Uncle was out cold on the couch, but then it was too late to prepare. I had to apologize. Kiras spied again outside the small window. ¡°We¡¯re there. Remember¡­ Rogart, your bodyguard.¡± ¡°Ser Rogart, my faithful bodyguard,¡± I confirmed. He smiled, nodding approvingly. The cart slowed down, and the driver knocked twice to signal we had arrived. Uncle Kiras, or should I say Rogart, stepped down and helped me down. The wind was still chilly, but the snow had been removed or melted during the preparations. Street shops and lights, both magic and not, adorned the roads toward the plaza. Today was the first day of the Turning, an ancient tradition held since time immemorial. A new year, a new hope. The people would dance and sing for the magical days between Winter and Spring. Sometimes, like this year, it would last a day longer. A scholar had once taught me why when I was younger, but I had forgotten. What I recalled were the tales of Fae and Heroes, and the Turning that everyone celebrated. Who knows, perhaps even the Demons took part in it. Nobody really knew their culture, except that they hated Humans. ¡°Ser Rogart, why do you think Demons hate us so much?¡± I asked my disguised uncle. ¡°Who knows, it has been thousands of years, young Lady,¡± I said. ¡°It would not surprise me if no one actually remembers anymore. As often happens.¡± This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. We walked down the roads toward the place I had agreed to meet with the others. ¡°You know, you should meet my friend Allen,¡± I said. ¡°He can keep his cool even in the direst situation. Just like you.¡± He grunted in reply. ¡°Don¡¯t forget we have to stop by the plaza soon,¡± Uncle reminded me. ¡°Your presence was requested.¡± ¡°Uhmm¡­¡± I replied uneasily. ¡°What could they want?¡± ¡°You banished the demonic spirit. You stopped what they called the Madness.¡± He said, adjusting his clothes. ¡°This alone warrants a public acknowledgment.¡± I didn¡¯t like attracting attention. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I want to be put under the light,¡± I said, my anxiety making my voice shaky. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯re a Val Arinn. Stand proud, as we are of you.¡± Rogart said, with an encouraging pat on my shoulder. I marched on until I spotted a familiar face. The young girl, Lena, and I crossed our gazes. Her mouth turned into a smile, and she pulled at her aunt, Elaida. ¡°Lala!¡± She squealed happily. ¡°It¡¯s Elin!¡± The woman turned and waved at me. ¡°It¡¯s Ellin, dear. Two Ls.¡± ¡°Hehe, whoops!¡± Lena said in a cute way, covering her mouth. I bent down to pat her head. A child¡¯s smile was always a good recipe to heal a pained heart. She hugged me, and I hugged her back. ¡°Long time no see, Little Lena!¡± ¡°Missed you too!¡± She said back. ¡°Good to see you, Lady Ellin.¡± Said Elaida. ¡°Please, it¡¯s just Ellin for my friends.¡± Corgas joined us. ¡°It¡¯s been a while. We miss having a distinguished lady in our establishment,¡± He made a curt bow and smiled. He was dressed more elegantly than the usual cooking attire. ¡°The others went ahead to check a few stalls,¡± ¡°You shaved your head.¡± I noticed. ¡°Oh? Haha, yes,¡± He said, acting embarrassed while passing a hand over his scalp. ¡°Elaida said I would look better like this.¡± ¡°It suits you,¡± I agreed and saw Elaida nodding a pace away. ¡°Ellin!¡± A voice shouted between the crowd. Namrick and Grastel separated themselves from the crowd in motion and rushed toward us. ¡°Namrick! Grastel!¡± We stared at each other for a moment, and then we hugged. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you two all back in shape,¡± I said, my eyes watering up a little. ¡°Same for us,¡± Replied Namrick. ¡°Heya there! Don¡¯t leave a dwarf behind among all these lankers!¡± Yusdrolir appeared beside us, his approach hidden by the taller humans moving about. ¡°Sorry I wasn¡¯t there with you guys. I felt kinda left out when I heard about what happened.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± I apologized. ¡°I was rushing there and only met Namrick and Grastel by pure chance. I don¡¯t know what would¡¯ve happened if we¡¯d been late even by one breath more.¡± The dwarf waved it away. ¡°No matter. I woulda been afoot anyway. I can deal with things you can hit. But a body-stealing demonic spirit?¡± He shuddered. He noticed Rogart and sniffed for a moment. ¡°Ya smell familiar. Have we met already ser¡­¡± The dwarf began. ¡°He¡¯s Ser Rogart, my bodyguard,¡± I introduced him. ¡°Here to protect me in case anything happens.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe we have, sir,¡± Rogart said curtly. Yusdrolir shrugged. ¡°Must be wrong.¡± I looked around. ¡°Do you think he made it?¡± Asking to no one in particular. An important person was still missing. ¡°Look! Shiny armors!¡± Lena pointed excitedly at a group of royal guards that were parting the crowd in their passage. ¡°Isn¡¯t that¡­¡± I said, recognizing the face in the lead. The captain I met in the previous disaster stopped before me. ¡°I wanted to thank you for saving my life, my Lady,¡± He said, bowing. ¡°Not once but twice.¡± ¡°S-Sure,¡± I said, embarrassed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ for your men.¡± A crowd of onlookers was staring at us. I felt like I was submerged to my chin. ¡°I should have brought more capable individuals, alas, the short notice¡­¡± The captain shook his head. ¡°And I lowered my guard. Inexcusable.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologize,¡± I said. ¡°Come on! Let me pass! These are my friends,¡± Another familiar face pushed himself from within the tight ranks of the royal soldiers. ¡°Allen!¡± Everyone exclaimed, almost in unison. Allen waved and smiled, coming closer. ¡°Ellin, you did a good job carving that mofo demon a new one,¡± He said, giving me a head pat. I saw my Uncle tense next to me from the edge of my vision. Sometimes I think he¡¯s a little overprotective. I gave Allen a hug. He squirmed a little before giving up. ¡°Thank you for believing in me¡­ and for always keeping your cool.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just glad that my friends are safe and sound,¡± He said, gently pushing me away. ¡°Funny how the two mages are the ones always having to wrap things up.¡± Hew winked at Grastel and Namrick. Grastel walked forward, face serious and a little hesitant. ¡°Captain¡­ I apologize.¡± The captain shook his head. ¡°It could have been anyone,¡± He said. ¡°I made a poor display there myself¡­ You have nothing to apologize, young man,¡± He clasped Grastel¡¯s shoulder. That done, the captain straightened his back and announced. ¡°Very well. This is where we part ways, Allen Smith.¡± He and Allen shook hands and saluted each other. ¡°Had the enemy had another hidden card, they would¡¯ve played it in the morning. Our temporary charge is over.¡± The royal guards walked in another direction to resume their original duty. Allen turned back to us. ¡°So, I¡¯m free agai-¡± He began saying but was soon smothered by a group hug. ¡°Too many hugs! Too many hugs!¡± I smiled. My spirits had been lifted. Namrick caught my eyes and nodded. ¡°Glad to see you again, Ellin,¡± He said. ¡°I would¡¯ve stopped by your family¡¯s house more often but¡­¡± I giggled. ¡°I know, the gate guards are intimidating, aren¡¯t they?¡± He scratched the back of his head. ¡°Yeah¡­ And I didn¡¯t want to be like a nuisance to your parents. I¡¯m just an adventurer, after all. I can¡¯t presume-¡± ¡°You¡¯re my friend! You¡¯re always welcome!¡± I reminded him, and he smiled in return. ¡°Lena, could you please detach from my leg?¡± Allen pleaded. ¡°Is it my impression or have you gained weight?¡± ¡°Hehe~¡± She responded, not letting go. ¡°Looks like we¡¯re all back together,¡± I said. My uncle cleared his throat, ¡°It¡¯s time we reach the plaza,¡± He incited. ¡°Young Lady.¡± I nodded and let him guide me. ¡°Guys, would you come to the plaza with me?¡± Whatever awaited me, it would feel less oppressing with friendly faces around. ¡°Look at all these people, wouldn¡¯t it be better to stay cooped up and-¡± Allen was cut short, grabbed, and pulled by Namrick and Grastel in our wake. ¡°Oof.¡± We passed by the street performers, the smells from the stalls, the laughter of children. And finally reached the plaza. A stage had been erected in front of the hourglass tower. I made my way to the front and was beckoned by a priest who invited me inside. ¡°We have been expecting you, Lady Ellinoria Val Arinn,¡± He motioned to other organizers to set up the stage. ¡°We are ready for the announcement!¡± I fiddled with my hands, suddenly aware of all the people looking this way. ¡°What do I need to do?¡± I asked, not sure how to behave. The last time I felt like this was my coming of age ceremony. But at least then, I was given plenty of time to rehearse. ¡°Worry not. You will only have to come up when called to receive the elegy. You can bow and do some hand waving if you wish so,¡± he said reassuringly. ¡°We¡¯re starting.¡± A presenter took the stage, cleared his throat, and spoke with mana-enhanced volume. ¡°This day marks the beginning of yet another Turning!¡± The crowd cheered. ¡°The Demons sought to break our spirits¡­ To turn us against each other!¡± He paused for a breath. ¡°But we persisted!¡± Another cheer. ¡°This time, their deceitful tool was a demonic spirit¡­ A cowardly tactic consisting in stealing innocent bodies and immolating them to spread fear¡­¡± Boos filled the air. ¡°He sowed discord, inciting Dwarf against Elf, Elf against Human.¡± He took a dramatic pause. ¡°Citizens against refugees.¡± Silence. ¡°They sought to weaken us! To drive a wedge between us! To fuel the power of the Nightmare God¡­ And we let them!¡± People lowered their heads in shame. ¡°This is another lesson for us,¡± He spread his arms wide, looking from left to right. ¡°All of us¡­ That in distrust we grow blind, that alone we grow weaker.¡± Another breath of silence. ¡°Is this what we are? I ask of you¡­¡± The presenter riled up the crowd, who shouted back their defiance. ¡°Have we forgotten the dream of the Three Kingdoms?!¡± More defiance. I felt it too, the injustice, the anger, and defiance¡­ ¡°The Demons targeted our food storage¡­ but we were prepared!¡± ¡°The Demons release heir Nightmare creatures against our populace, but we vanquished them!¡± ¡°And last but not least¡­ The Academy, where they sought to snuff our future generations of mages,¡± He said slowly, with raised hands and palms up. ¡°Men and women who stand in our defense.¡± Silence, as the presenter motioned me to come. After a moment of hesitation, I made up my resolve and walked up the wooden stairs to the stage. My heart was beating loudly. I walked beside him, facing the crowd. Gods, there are a lot of people, I thought, feeling a knot forming inside my throat. ¡°I present you Lady Ellinoria Val Arinn,¡± The presenter announced loudly. ¡°The one who banished the demonic spirit!¡± I felt everyone¡¯s gazes on me. ¡°No more madness!¡± He continued. ¡°No more fear! An applause for this young promise from the Arcane Academy!¡± He clapped, looking at me, inviting the public to do the same. The crowd erupted in a cheer. I sought the faces of my friends and found comfort in finding them smiling back. Edward was among them too! I bowed respectfully, then the presenter pinned a medal on my dress. ¡°A token of appreciation from the Kingdom.¡± But I hadn¡¯t done it alone. This prize belonged to us all. It was wrong to let all the glory focus on me. The presenter bowed his head respectfully and motioned me to leave the stage. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, stepping down and moving behind the stage. I took a breath of relief as I walked off view. The presenter resumed his announcements. Edward waved at me from the sidelines. ¡°Ellin!¡± He yelled. I asked the organizers around the stage to let him pass, and we hugged each other. I had missed him so much. ¡°It¡¯s been so long!¡± I said. ¡°Same¡­¡± He replied. ¡°I came back just yesterday! I heard about your ordeal, and I knew I had to attend. So much happened while I¡­¡± I noticed Uncle Kiras, still disguised as Ser Rogart, watching me just beyond the cordoned area. He and all my friends were there. I felt safe. Edward¡¯s face looked haunted. No doubt he had overcome his own share of challenges. ¡°Come on,¡± I said loosening my embrace. ¡°Let¡¯s reunite with the others! We have so many stories to share!¡± I grabbed his arm and pulled him behind me, smiling at him. ¡°Slow down!¡± He said, matching in stride. ¡°Let my bodyguard catch up!¡± The festival continued, washing away all the sorrows and doom. Magic lights danced in the night sky for the delight of everyone. And for a few days, we forgot about the war. Finding comfort in each other and our bonds. A day to remember. Chapter 87: Xmas tree ¡°Come on, ser Rogart! Let¡¯s follow them!¡± My niece said cheerily, as she dragged me along. Begrudgingly. I had hoped to quickly deliver her back home within the safety of its wall. But Allen Smith had some surprise that couldn¡¯t wait. Her childhood friend, Edward, and his bodyguard had bidden their goodnights and parted ways. A course of action I intended to follow myself. Instead, we were heading toward the usual inn. ¡°I want to apologize for having put you guys in harm¡¯s way,¡± Allen said. ¡°And also share a tradition from my¡­ hometown.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Grastel asked. ¡°All this anticipation¡­¡± ¡°Surprise! Surprise!¡± The commoner child squealed. At least it was relieving to see that Ellin had surrounded herself with trustworthy people. Even Allen. After listening to my niece¡¯s stories, I saw him in a better light. Slightly better, at least. He was still a dangerous existence. But he had shown an ability to remain clear-headed during the most desperate of times. Thanks to that, Ellin was still alive. For that, I was grateful. We arrived at the inn and climbed up the stairs. ¡°I¡¯ll wait outside,¡± I told Ellin. I didn¡¯t want to be an oppressing presence. I was afraid of losing her trust. Which was why I practiced the utmost secrecy while keeping an eye for her. ¡°Come in,¡± She whispered. ¡°You always scowl and sniff when I talk to you about my friends. I want to show you they¡¯re good people.¡± I couldn¡¯t refuse, so I let her drag me inside. Perhaps it was fate that she would cross paths with someone involved in a prophecy. My little Ellin was destined to do great things. I couldn¡¯t be prouder. She was growing so fast¡­ Soon she won¡¯t need her uncle anymore, I thought sadly. The first thing I saw upon entering the room was a tree placed in a corner, cut as tall as a person. A tree? ¡°A tree?¡± Namrick, the swordsman, echoed my question. I heard he was being taught by the former Royal Sword. My previous approval remained confirmed. Allen snapped his fingers, and colored illusory lights sprang to life. ¡°Yes, an ExMas tree.¡± Allen said. My blood froze inside my veins. Ex-what?! Was he displaying an idol dedicated to a dark god?! Which god was Mas? My fingers twitched. I turned on my mana sight to detect any sign of danger. Several potentially dangerous enchantments were arrayed under the tree. What is he planning?! ¡°Pretty!¡± The commoner child exclaimed. She ran toward the lethal idol of sin without hesitation. Nothing happened. Yet. ¡°Why are you so tense?¡± Ellin whispered to me. I had inadvertently put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. I relaxed my hold. ¡°Is that a pine? Why did you bring the top of a pine in your room?¡± Grastel, the archer, asked. A legitimate question. Grastel had been Ellin¡¯s pet project. I couldn¡¯t just disappear him after she had gone through all that trouble to redeem him from his thieving ways. He had proven himself competent, though. Reluctant approval. ¡°Are those mana lights?¡± Ellin asked. ¡°It looks cozy.¡± It did indeed look cozy and comforting, but so did all the most effective traps. ¡°Yes, they are mana lights, and yes, the tip of a pine tree because that¡¯s the tradition,¡± Allen explained. ¡°And of course¡­.¡± He lowered down to pull at something. I tensed, prepared to spring forward, and cast a shield to protect my lovely niece¡­ ¡°Presents!¡± Allen exclaimed, waving a hand toward the cloth-wrapped gifts with a stupidly smiling expression. I relaxed, glad I hadn¡¯t given myself away for nothing. I retreated back near the entrance to give them space while observing from afar. Ellin shot me a smile, which soothed my spirit. I had never heard of a tradition involving pine trees, but exchanging gifts during the Turning was common practice. It was custom to secretly place the gift near the sleeping person, or hidden in places where they¡¯d usually look, during a random day before the Turning ended. ¡°Ho ho ho!¡± He said in a deep voice. ¡°But first, can you find your presents?¡± The guests approached the loot, inspecting the wrapped packages. The blob of lights I had seen through mana sight suggested magical equipment among them, which made sense since he was an enchanter. ¡°¡®Little girl who can read¡¯¡­ this is mine!¡± Yelled the child. ¡°And this is yours, Lala! Hehe~¡± However, someone else seemed to struggle in picking up their presents. ¡°Ohhh, do I see someone having trouble reading?¡± Allen said with faked surprise and implied mockery. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Silence, as everyone turned to face him. ¡°Did you think I wouldn¡¯t find out?¡± He said dryly. ¡°When did you think would be a good time to tell me you¡¯re illiterates?¡± No one replied. ¡°Namrick, you almost fooled me,¡± He continued. ¡°Those times you were looking at the quest billboard, pretending to read¡­¡± ¡°There are pictures¡­ and I memorized some words.¡± Namrick defended himself. ¡°Adventurers don¡¯t need t-¡± Allen cut him off. ¡°Oh no. No complaints,¡± He said. ¡°Raise your hand those of you who can read and write.¡± The child raised her hand and jumped with enthusiastic energy. ¡°Me! Me!¡± The dwarf, the restaurant owner, and Ellin also raised their hands. Allen shot a disappointed look at the remaining people and shook his head dramatically. ¡°I can read some!¡± Grastel said in objection. ¡°Oh yeah?¡± Allen looked up in mocking surprise. ¡°What does this say?¡± He conjured a floating illusory writing. Heh. For the first time, I thought he was funny. I had to suppress a smirk. ¡°I-I a-a-am a d-du-duh-dum-¡± Grastel stammered his way into the trap. ¡°Dumb archer!¡± The child yelled and giggled, then pumped a fist in Ellin¡¯s direction, who ruffled her hair in response. ¡°Hehe~¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Grastel exclaimed and grinned. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m not so good.¡± ¡°Lena has taught me some reading, but I can¡¯t write,¡± The woman admitted. Namrick looked defeated. ¡°You¡¯re all weaker than Lena,¡± Allen said, walking beside the child and giving her a head pat. ¡°You should all be ashamed.¡± ¡°So you just called us here to mock us?¡± The swordsman asked. ¡°Should we perhaps test your skills in combat?¡± He smiled in defiance, taking a combat pose. ¡°No, but I won¡¯t accept illiteracy,¡± Allen said, face serious. ¡°Not only you are unable to use my enchanted tools to the fullest. You could be tricked, misled, or miss an important note that could prove fatal. All because you can¡¯t fakin read or write. It¡¯s dumb, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Namrick, Grastel, Elaida,¡± He called out. ¡°I sentence you all to attend Gregoris¡¯ lessons, at my expense, until you are all capable of reading and writing. Not negotiable.¡± I had to agree with him. Literacy was a powerful tool, and the commoners dismissing it as unnecessary were fools and deserved to remain at the bottom. When I was young, I used to think all people were equal before the Gods, but the sad truth was that most were weak, stupid, and cowards. Those with motivation and ambition would always find a path. I sometimes heard lowlifes cursing at nobility for their privileges, but they forget who bleeds for them in times of need. Like these. A commoner, or even ten, is no match to any mage or technique user. I firmly believed anyone could acquire strength through effort and willpower. Weakness was a choice. There were plenty of capable adventurers coming from commoner¡¯s blood. I had experienced that life as well, in my younger days, and learned many important lessons. ¡°And now, let¡¯s open the presents!¡± Allen announced with renewed vigor. ¡°Namrick, Grastel, and Ellin,¡± He said. ¡°Armors enchanted by the finest military enchanters who owed me favors. Couldn¡¯t get permission to enchant weapons for you, sorry.¡± The two young men didn¡¯t waste time and started putting on their armor pieces. Ellin covered her mouth, her eyes round. I walked closer, curious about her gift. ¡°It¡¯s so light¡­ is this orichalcum?¡± She said breathless, inspecting each orange-tinted piece. Orichalcum¡­ that had to have been expensive. ¡°Yes, orichalcum weaved with mithril for extra enchantments,¡± Allen said proudly. ¡°Good protection, lightweight, and designed not to impede mages. Don¡¯t worry about the price¡­ it was commissioned by the kingdom itself. I did some enchantments myself.¡± ¡°Thank you¡­¡± She said, full of emotion. I was glad the kingdom had decided to repay Ellin¡¯s effort with more than just words. You deserve it, Ellin! ¡°A gift worthy of you, my Lady,¡± I commented, staying in line with the image of Ser Rogart. ¡°We survived unscathed because of you,¡± Allen said. ¡°This should be the minimum. I sincerely thank you.¡± It was an excellent gift, I had to admit. It would go along well with the magic wand I had prepared for Ellin. ¡°Remember to send your thanks to the royal family,¡± He added hastily. ¡°They might break my legs if they thought I shirked on my duty¡­¡± ¡°Next!¡± Allen continued. ¡°Lena and Elaida¡­¡± He waited for them to finish unwrapping the cloth around their presents. ¡°A mini magical golem for Lena, it charges on its own, and a recipe book for Elaida.¡± ¡°Woah!¡± Lena exclaimed, playing with the magical doll that squirmed in her grasp. It looked like a stylized version of Allen. Such bad taste. ¡°Well, at least it¡¯s not a dead monster body part, this time,¡± Elaida said after having stared at the animated doll. ¡°It¡¯s safe, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Allen replied. ¡°I even added several defensive measures, like dumping all the mana available on a Fear Projection against an attacker. Extra protection!¡± Elaida stared blankly, then turned to the girl. ¡°Give me the doll, Lena. It¡¯s dangerous.¡± ¡°No! it¡¯s mine!¡± The girl shied back, holding her mini golem doll tightly. ¡°Grohm assisted in its creation,¡± Allen assured. ¡°And I tested it on myself!¡± His thumbs-up was anything but assuring. The woman narrowed her eyes but eventually sighed, giving up. ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Lena said, hugging the woman. Mother or aunt? I saw a resemblance. ¡°Next, Corgas!¡± Allen continued. The bald man with a beard revealed a bunch of arcane contraptions. No doubt instruments of evil. ¡°A set of magical cooking utensils to make your life easier.,¡± Allen said. ¡°Elaida can use them too. I had made them before all the mess with the demon. I¡¯ll show you how to use them.¡± ¡°But Allen,¡± Elaida said. ¡°I can¡¯t use magic tools¡­¡± Allen went unnaturally still, the smile frozen on his face. ¡°How so?¡± He asked at last. ¡°Normal people need training to use magical items. Don¡¯t you know?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± He admitted, looking at nothing lost in thought. ¡°Okay¡­ No problem, I¡¯ll make new ones with physical buttons and self-charging.¡± ¡°I can use them, don¡¯t hesitate to ask,¡± Corgas said, smiling at the woman, who nodded in reply. ¡°Alright,¡± Allen said. ¡°And last, on purpose for teasing him, Yusdrolir!¡± The dwarf grunted and grinned. I narrowed my eyes. The drunken dwarf, I didn¡¯t hear many good things about him while asking around posing as an adventurer. On probation. ¡°Almost thought ya¡¯d forgotten about me! Haha!¡± The dwarf said, eagerly opening the small box he had revealed. ¡°A piece of paper?¡± He said, confused. He spent a few breaths reading it. ¡°Wait, this¡­ You¡­¡± His voice broke. ¡°Yeah,¡± Allen said. ¡°A six months lease on a small smithy shop. An enchanter who owed me a favor had an acquaintance who was looking to rent it, so¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re a blacksmith?¡± Grastel asked with a surprised face. Everyone seemed surprised. ¡°I¡­ uh,¡± the dwarf brushed a tear away. ¡°I used to be. A long time ago.¡± Having a blacksmith in her party could prove a valuable addition. Approved with reservations. ¡°Six months should be enough to polish the rust off your skills, right?¡± Allen said, giving a bump to the dwarf¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I expect free repa-¡± The dwarf responded with a crushing embrace. ¡°Ugh! You¡¯re breaking my bones!¡± The mage complained, uselessly trying to squirm away. The others traded grins and joined as well. ¡°Stop! You already hugged me!¡± A pleading hand reached out, trembling beneath the assault. I see, I thought. Allen Smith is weak against hugs. ¡°Anyway,¡± He said, untangling himself. ¡°Since we were talking about basic life skills. How many of you can swim?¡± Another long silence ensued. He cares for his friends and takes precautions. Approved. Chapter 88: The Catch Big day. I was at the Alchemist¡¯s Guild, waiting to be summoned. I sat in the waiting room. I had sentenced my illiterate friends to literacy. That should keep them busy for a while. Not being able to read was simply unacceptable. No wonder I wasn¡¯t getting enough feedback for the advanced functions I had embedded in their enchanted rings. And swimming¡­ I sighed. Ellin and Corgas, yes. Grastel? Barely. Everyone else, no. I had to lug them to a lake or a beach when it became possible. I imagined Violet wearing a bikini. The Guild Master¡¯s door creaked open. ¡¸GM: Ah, Allen! What a pleasure! Please do come inside.¡¹ The cougar GM invited me in with allusive wording. I bet it was intentional. I grimaced internally while walking in and sitting on the free chair. ¡¸GM: So, I heard you faced a body-stealing demonic spirit. Oh my!¡¹ Damn gossip. But this time, I had come prepared. I had on me one of those mind-protecting rings we produced. The old hag wasn¡¯t going to pry unnecessary details from my lips with her sneaky magics. ¡¸Allen: Yes.¡¹ She smiled. There goes my attempt to keep a low profile. At least the one under the floodlights was Ellin. She, the one who had vanquished the demon. I was a mere bystander, not worthy of notice. Good. ¡¸GM: How exciting!¡¹ ¡¸Allen: I would gladly do with less excitement, to be honest.¡¹ I was much more comfortable when the challenge was adequate to my level, as a proper isekai novel. After all these long months, every day seemed to make more certain that I was the first and only otherworlder to cross over from my original world. I had kept some reservations at first. After all, there were some parallels in naming things. For example, this world was called Gaia. That¡¯s the Greek name for Earth¡¯s embodiment. It seemed a pretty big coincidence. Despite that, I had found no trace of mentions of any historical, or current, language I knew about. No traces of staple foods from my world. There were only tangential naming coincidences, but not enough to suggest someone had come over and named things. Perhaps I truly was the first otherworlder to get here, but there was an obvious connection to the other world. What sort of connection? If there¡¯s only one isekai hero, then there¡¯s no doubt that he¡¯s the protagonist. A comforting thought. Even if someone came later, as the first I had seniority claim to the role of protagonist. So, do I have plot armor? It was probably best not to grow too complacent. After all, the Creator might just be waiting for me to lower my guard only to shove another unpleasant event right up my butt. ¡¸GM: And you have ties with the royal palace. Hmm.¡¹ She didn¡¯t seem discouraged by that at all. Worse, it looked like her lust was increasing. This is bad. ¡¸Allen: Indeed. Would you mind showing me to the master I was assigned to? I must apologize for the delay.¡¹ ¡¸GM: Oh, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find old Zavir doesn¡¯t mind. He¡¯s not one to hold grudges.¡¹ She said, waving it away as if inconsequential. She sighed and stood up, walking out of her office. I followed. I thought she would lure me into some empty room to try to sexually harass me or something. Instead, she waved to a clerk. ¡¸GM: Please, introduce Zavir to his new apprentice, Allen Smith.¡¹ The clerk nodded and motioned me to follow. But before I could move, the cougar tapped my arm. ¡¸GM: And remember¡­ If you don¡¯t find the arrangement suitable, I¡¯m sure we can discuss a different accommodation.¡¹ I¡¯ll keep that in mind, old hag. ¡¸Allen: I¡¯ll keep that in mind, ma¡¯am.¡¹ I replied with a polite nod, then I followed the clerk, thankful I was finally distancing myself from the awkwardness. We climbed a flight of stairs and walked down a bunch of corridors. I hoped I would remember the way back. The clerk knocked at a door, the nameplate said ¡°Zavir Nedomar¡±. I wondered if this Alchemist also had a shop in the commercial district, like others I had seen, or if he only worked inside the Guild. And so I met old Zavir. ¡¸Zavir: Ah? Yes?¡¹ I thought he would be some kind of insane sadist or the like. But when the GM had said old, she really meant it. Zavir looked ancient. He looked a century years old, which¨Cdepending on how strong his mana had been and was¨Ccould mean several centuries. ¡¸Clerk: Master Zavir. I bring your newly appointed apprentice, Allen Smith.¡¹ The clerk motioned me to go on and left without further ado. ¡¸Zavir: A new apprentice? Hmm, wonderful!¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Pleased to meet you, master.¡¹ ¡¸Zavir: Hm-hmm.¡¹ Silence ensued. I waited respectfully. I waited some more, but the old man still sat on his chair, staring at nothing in particular. ¡¸Allen: So, Uhm¡­ What do I need to do, master?¡¹ Zavir shook his head and fixed me. ¡¸Zavir: Sorry. Who are you?¡¹ I felt a sinking sensation. ¡¸Allen: Allen smith¡­ Your new apprentice.¡¹ ¡¸Zavir: Oh wondrous, a new apprentice!¡¹ He blinked a few times then asked¡­ If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡¸Zavir: What potions can you brew, then?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Night sight, mana potions, and health potions.¡¹ ¡¸Zavir: Ah¡­ Fresh from the Academy, are you? We¡¯ll start with a healing potion. A real one, not the training recipe¡­¡¹ Training recipe? I knew it, damn it! I had been suspecting. It was too good to be true that they would let you know the proper recipe. No wonder my potions were less effective. He stood up and made a few steps. Then stopped. ¡¸Allen: Master, is everything alright?¡¹ ¡¸Zavir: What was I doing?¡¹ He said, looking lost. My refurbished master alchemist had gone senile. That was the catch. Following my new master¡¯s example, I peered at the emptiness before me. My anger was rising.
Since master Zavir quickly forgot about me, I headed back for another round with the cougar. I had to go through the queue again. She smiled at me each time she opened the door to call the next person in line. An evil smile filled with malicious intent. I saw a few other faces of apprentices smirking at me. Looks like the gossip about the new apprentice of Zavir had spread. Turns out I hadn¡¯t been so early a bird as I thought. These smirking jackasses had already arranged their apprenticeship with fresher non-senile masters. I guess I should have¨Cugh¨Ctalked to other people more to gather info about the prospective Alchemists available for an apprenticeship. My turn came, and I walked in silently and remained standing. ¡¸GM: Back so soon? Anything wrong?¡¹ She said, not even hiding her devious smile. ¡¸Allen: Is master Zavir fit for teaching?¡¹ I asked, trying real hard to fight the impulse telling me to break her neck. ¡¸GM: Why, of course! He¡¯s been one of the stars of this institution. Not to mention the many times he was nominated the best alchemist in the kingdom!¡¹ Been. Was. ¡¸Allen: He appears to have some¡­ memory issues.¡¹ ¡¸GM: Ah! Well, he¡¯s certainly starting to show his age. Some bad days are to be expected after all.¡¹ She caressed her chin, pretending to act like an innocent girl. I wished to have a mirror and show her the reality of her wrinkled middle-aged face. But I¡¯m an adult and must be patient and not kill anyone. ¡¸GM: You might commission our certified alchemists to brew some memory-enhancing concoctions, if the price is agreeable to you, or¡­¡¹ She crossed her legs. ¡¸GM: There are ways I could help if you were amenable to certain requests of mine¡­¡¹ No. ¡¸Allen: I see. If master Zavir holds such renown, then I¡¯d be a fool to give up so soon. I shall follow your suggestion, ma¡¯am.¡¹ In response, she smiled passive-aggressively. As did I. ¡¸Allen: Thanks for the opportunity, ma¡¯am.¡¹ I bowed and left How much do these fucking potions cost?
Too much! Memory-enhancing potions cost way too much! 30 gold coins for just one dose. No way. The cougar thought she had victory in her paws. Well, she had never met Allen. I hated losing, especially when losing had no benefits. I¡¯m a programmer. Making half-broken things work is part of the curriculum. When life gives you lemons, you build a lemonade empire and squeeze lemon juice over the eyes of your foes. Not to speak of the lemon-powered electric chair awaiting the detractors. My first big IQ move was to ask my master to brew the potions himself. ¡¸Zavir: A memory-enhancing potion, you say¡­¡¹ He gazed at his stocks. ¡¸Zavir: I lack Viridian leaves, a named plant. Rare. Stabilizes the mind. Six leaves for a dose¡­¡¹ After muttering that, he nodded off again. He returned to his chair, and I knew I had lost him. I went and checked the price for that amount. The least I could find was 21 gold coins. Still too much! Had the cougar inflated the prices specifically for me, or were these Viridian leaves really priced around 3.5 golds each? Vargas, where are you?! I lamented the unavailability of my more accessible merchant friend. I¡¯ll forgive your talkativeness. Please come back! No answer came. I added this plant to Grohm¡¯s magical plant tank candidates list. I returned to my senile master again. ¡¸Zavir: Excuse me, who are you?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Your apprentice.¡¹ ¡¸Zavir: Are you? I seem to be forgetting many things these days.¡¹ He said, rubbing the ring on his finger. ¡¸Zavir: How regrettable¡­ This ring used to bring me clarity once¡­¡¹ A ring, huh? Was it broken? What if I put some enchantments to help him remember things? It was a good idea. What other options? With my mana fully charged, I felt more present. Maybe old Zavir could restock his mana storage as well. The mana body could lose shape just like the physical body. How long had it been since my senile master had properly meditated and replenished his mana reserves? ¡¸Allen: Master, could meditation improve your memory?¡¹ ¡¸Zavir: Of course, meditation before a session is a great- a great¡­ Hmm, what were we talking about?¡¹ No good, he had trouble focusing. Perhaps it was a ¡°bad day¡± as the cougar said, but¡­ ¡¸Allen: Master, would you mind if I inspected your ring?¡¹ He retracted his hands in a protective gesture. ¡¸Zavir: This ring is precious to me! Who are you?!¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Master, I am also an enchanter. I could fix and improve whatever enchantments were put on your ring.¡¹ He shook his head. ¡¸Zavir: Nonsense! I can only trust the one who enchanted it in the first place, as it¡¯s proper.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Who enchanted your ring, if I may ask?¡¹ Old Zavir smiled and caressed the ring. ¡¸Zavir: An award for my accomplishments, enchanted by hmm¡­ Ah yes! The young Grohm Khalkear. A talented youth, that one.¡¹ Youth? Grohm? Zavir was a little outdated. But that was OK. It was my turn to smile maliciously. ¡¸Allen: I think we can arrange that.¡¹ ¡¸Zavir: You look suspicious. Who are you?¡¹ I couldn¡¯t just take his ring and walk off. That would be most likely considered bad conduct and could be used against me. I had to go through official channels. No probs! ¡¸Allen: Let¡¯s have a little chat with the cougar.¡¹ I took hold of the old man¡¯s arm and steered him outside. I put on my reassuring corporate smile. ¡¸Zavir: Who? Where are we going? Who are you?¡¹ After many complaints from my master, which I promptly ignored, we arrived at the cougar¡¯s office. ¡¸Allen: Master, we were to talk with the Guild Master.¡¹ ¡¸Zavir: Ah, of course.¡¹ He went straight to the door, skipping the queue, and I followed right behind. Skipping the queue, what a chad. The Guild Master was alone, writing something on paper. She raised her gaze, first annoyed, then surprised, then annoyed again. ¡¸GM: Old Zavir? What an¡­ unpleasant surprise. What do I owe the visit?¡¹ Zavir frowned for a moment before speaking. ¡¸Zavir: Young Keira? Why do you look so old?¡¹ Oof. The cougar balled her fists. I fought hard a smirk. ¡¸Zavir: And where is Guild Master Barabaz?¡¹ ¡¸GM: Barabaz¡­ retired several decades ago. As I have already told you¡­ A thousand times!¡¹ Good, take some of your own medicine, you witch. ¡¸Zavir: Is that so¡­ How regrettable.¡¹ Women don¡¯t like being called old. Zavir had balls. Or lack of common sense. ¡¸GM: In case you have forgotten, again. I am the current Guild Master.¡¹ She inched forward. ¡¸GM: And who are you calling old?!¡¹ Zavir scratched his long beard. ¡¸Zavir: Apologies¡­ At my age, I tend to forget things, I¡¯m afraid.¡¹ ¡¸GM: Cut it short, Zavir. What do you want? Why are you here?¡¹ ¡¸Zavir: Ah yes¡­ I uhm¡­¡¹ She sighed in exasperation and turned her gaze toward me. ¡¸Allen: You wanted to have the ring repaired, master.¡¹ ¡¸Zavir: Did I? I can¡¯t remember¡­¡¹ ¡¸Allen: You heard that Grohm Khalkear was teaching at the Academy and expressed the wish to tune up your magic ring.¡¹ ¡¸Zavir: He is? How fortunate!¡¹ ¡¸GM: Hold on¡­ Who is going to pay for this? I don-¡¹ ¡¸Allen: There is no need. I will take on the costs.¡¹ I was going to add the most appropriate enchantments myself. ¡¸GM: But Zavir is very attached to that ring¡­ He will cause a ruckus and pester our personnel about his lost ring. Constantly. Like last time.¡¹ She massaged her temple. ¡¸GM: ¡­He had left it in his pockets.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: I think I can persuade Khalkear to get it done and delivered back quickly.¡¹ She remained pensive. Probably thinking what a bother it all was. I had to give her a push. ¡¸Allen: I mean, fixing the ring might discourage my master from finding his way here with this same request.¡¹ Zavir massaged the ring. ¡¸Zavir: Ah¡­ This ring was a great aid to me. How regrettable¡­¡¹ Then he frowned and looked back at the Guild Master. ¡¸Zavir: Young Keira? Why do you look so old?¡¹ She ground her teeth and stood up. Was he doing it on purpose now? ¡¸GM: Deal! I do this, and you keep him out of my office. Agreed?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: I¡¯ll do my best.¡¹ I smiled my best corporate smile. ¡¸GM: Zavir, come here.¡¹ ¡¸Zavir: Hmm?¡¹ She grabbed his hand and pulled the ring off. ¡¸Zavir: My ring!¡¹ ¡¸GM: I¡¯m sending it to repair. Now shut your mouth and let me work!¡¹ ¡¸Zavir: I¡­ Uh¡­¡¹ I gently accompanied Zavir toward his laboratory. ¡¸Zavir: My ring¡­ My accomplishments¡­¡¹ He said with a pitiful voice. ¡¸Allen: Don¡¯t worry Master. You¡¯ll be restored to peak performance lemonade.¡¹ ¡¸Zavir: I don¡¯t get it¡­ And who are you?¡¹ I didn¡¯t need miracles. I just needed him to be able to teach. He still had the knowledge and the instinct. Strengthening his spirit might be what tips the balance. Chapter 89: Zavir鈥檚 ring ¡¸Grohm: Nelomar is still alive?¡¹ Grohm had been surprised to see that ring delivered to him. ¡¸Grohm: I was still young when I enchanted this ring! Oh, how unrefined I was.¡¹ He shook his head, contemplating. ¡¸Allen: It¡¯s not a problem if I add some custom feature, isn¡¯t it?¡¹ ¡¸Grohm: I suppose not. It originally only provided lighting and clarity of mind. I had spent most of the magical capacity on multiple fallbacks, anticipating the enchantments would decay. Hmm, I was less refined back in the days.¡¹ Grohm launched himself on a long-winded retelling of those times, of Zavir¡¯s prowess and official recognition from the kingdom. Being tasked to enchant the ring for such a renowned Alchemist had been an achievement in itself. ¡¸Grohm: It¡¯s an honor to repair this piece. And I¡¯m glad it¡¯s something that can help someone who dedicated himself to his craft for the benefit of all.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: I want to add a processor and program a system to help him maintain his focus and memories.¡¹ I was going to recycle what I had done for my ring, which kept track of quests and stuff. I didn¡¯t have to start from scratch, so it wouldn¡¯t take too long. ¡¸Grohm: You seem good at crafting introspective constructs. Should be viable, yes.¡¹ And so Grohm and I spent a good chunk of the day refurbishing and improving Zavir¡¯s ring. It had been made of different alloys, mainly adamantium with masterwork refinishing of mithril and gold, plus some small Aetherium crystals, fitted in to serve as batteries. The engraving said ¡°Alchemist of hope¡±. He had concocted some antidote to a lethal demonic disease, which had granted him kingdom-wide recognition. Hearing all of these praises only made me more determined to beat the old geezer back to shape. The smirking apprentice morons were gonna seethe real hard if I managed to dig up all the secrets master Zavir had hidden within his brain. So the final full feature-set was: - automatic lighting, good for old people This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.- automatic temperature regulation, to avoid back pain and stuff - mana siphoning from the atmosphere, pushing the excess into the holder - task tracking, to keep him focused - quest system, just curious to see if the old master would get addicted to those dopamine hits - hallucinatory overlay for names and titles, I didn¡¯t want to reintroduce myself every ten minutes - the least sarcastic construct I could craft, to handle all of these systems The plus was that I could control it remotely thanks to my ¡¾Debug Ring¡¿, so I could make some code adjustments without much trouble. We finished the ring the next day. Proper testing had been completed, and we were both satisfied with it. ¡¸Grohm: It is done. Yes.¡¹ He said, nodding in satisfaction. I nodded as well, for we had done an excellent job. ¡¸Grohm: I would like to deliver it personally if you don¡¯t mind.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Of course not. I¡¯ll show you the way.¡¹ And so we both headed off to the Alchemist¡¯s Guild. A quick stop to notify the cougar that the ring was about to be delivered, to which she praised the gods and told me I knew where to go. And so we went. As we approached, I heard the laments. A couple of clerks were attending the despairing Alchemist, reminding him that his precious ring was being repaired. Grohm took the lead. ¡¸Grohm: Grandmaster Zavir Nedomar.¡¹ Zavir turned silent as he gazed at him. ¡¸Zavir: You¡­ I remember you. You look more mature and wiser¡­¡¹ He said, his brows furrowing up. ¡¸Zavir: Grohm Khalkear?¡¹ Grohm bowed. ¡¸Grohm: It is an honor you remember me. I¡¯ll never forget how you cured me of that demonic disease.¡¹ I was surprised. Grohm hadn¡¯t told me he was one of those who had contracted the deadly disease. ¡¸Zavir: And I¡­ I will never forget the gratitude I felt that day. Oh, but the ring¡­ where-¡¹ Grohm produced the ring and offered it to the old Alchemist. ¡¸Grohm: We have restored¡ªand even improved¡ªthe kingdom¡¯s token of appreciation. Please put it on.¡¹ Zavir gladly accepted the ring, his eyes moistened by emotion. He slid the ring back where it belonged on his wizened finger. The two clerks sighed with relief and took their leave to attend to other matters. ¡¸Grohm: How do you feel Grandmaster Zavir?¡¹ The old man remained silent for a moment, massaging his ring. ¡¸Zavir: My mind is still clouded, but¡­ I feel¡­ more present.¡¹ He turned to me. ¡¸Zavir: Have we met before?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: I¡¯m Allen Smith, your apprentice.¡¹ ¡¸Zavir: My¡­ Huh. Why do I see words over your head?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: It¡¯s the Assist System. It will show up when you don¡¯t remember or have difficulty doing so.¡¹ ¡¸Zavir: Is that so¡­¡¹ ¡¸Grohm: Grand Master Zavir, it was a pleasure to meet you again. Yes.¡¹ ¡¸Zavir: The pleasure is mine.¡¹ They shook hands. Grohm turned to me. ¡¸Grohm: Allen. I trust you will fill this honorable man on using the ring to its full extent.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Of course.¡¹ I nodded. Grohm patted my shoulder and began walking away, stopping after three steps. ¡¸Grohm: I hope¡­ this can repay even a little of what I owe¡­¡¹ ¡¸Zavir: Nothing has helped me more than this ring.¡¹ Zavir said, bowing his head. Grohm smiled and was gone. Deep. ¡¸Allen: So, can we start my apprenticeship now, master?¡¹ Chapter 90: Straivahl I was reading my diary from the start and found something weird. Why was I keeping a diary? Well, Ellin said it¡¯s good practice for mages to keep one since they live for fucking centuries. Also, I should leave something to my descendants to know how much better I am than anyone else, a beacon of light everybody should follow. Anyway, I was saying¡­ I found a detail that was off. And it wasn¡¯t one of my deliberate edits. I had never been shy of rewriting history, especially in GIT repositories, but this wasn¡¯t the case. When I was talking to the Creator, my first memory of coming to this world, I remembered recalling my brother¡­ The problem was I didn¡¯t have one. I was an only child when my parents abandoned me. Grandma raised me alone. No brothers. How had I failed to notice such detail until now? It had felt so natural that I wrote it down without even questioning. Was it a case of fake dream memories? Those weren¡¯t uncommon, and it wasn¡¯t uncommon either to have recurring memories you could only access in dreams. Like knowing how to fly, which was second nature to me in dreams. But no matter how hard I thought about it, I simply couldn¡¯t remember any consistent recurring dream about a brother before the Creator called upon me. That specific memory had carried its own subset of detailed memories, but it only existed there at that moment. The clarity from the First Step and the experience from my dreams was making my mind sharper. My reason said it was just a fake memory, but my intuition was screeching like a howler monkey. That gray emptiness had felt different from normal dreams, and we hadn¡¯t talked with actual voices¡­ more like concepts and impressions? Was my initial memory wrong, or had my mind¡¯s content changed recently? I was growing concerned about the reliability of my memory. What if I¡¯m not the only Allen? What if different versions of me have been keeling over left and right, littering the multiverse? ¡¸Namrick: Hey Allen! Why are you brooding?¡¹ I returned back to reality. I was at the training grounds with the trio. The snow was gone. Edward was there too and had just finished getting his ass whooped by Namrick. Ellin was checking up on him. Yusdrolir was absent, busy with the smithy. Namrick was vexed and ready to vent against another target. I was still pretending to be dense about their relationships, like a proper MC. Needless to say, I had been shipping Namrick plus Ellin since the first time I laid my eyes on them. Edward was the unsuitable childhood friend who was gonna grow apart or some shit. Well, maybe I just didn¡¯t like him much because he made a weak impression that time in the hot springs. Don¡¯t be a dick, Allen. ¡¸Allen: Has it ever happened to you to remember things you never experienced?¡¹ ¡¸Namrick: Like a previous life? Or like a transmission, where a dying master passes on his memories and will to their disciples?¡¹ I had read about those, but no, this was different. ¡¸Allen: No, not someone else¡¯s. A memory of your own that could only have happened if your life played out differently.¡¹ Namrick raised his eyebrows. ¡¸Namrick: You must be talking about attaining straivahl.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Straivahl? Explain.¡¹ Never heard of it. It had to be the usual dumb-named version for technique users. ¡¸Namrick: I haven¡¯t experienced it myself, but¡­ How do I explain?¡¹ Namrick tapped the point of his training sword to his chin. ¡¸Namrick: Sometimes, in their direst moment, a warrior may experience a¡­ sudden understanding of different techniques he never learned, but could have, and use them in battle¡­¡¹ That was interesting. ¡¸Allen: Is it common?¡¹ ¡¸Namrick: It is said to only happen once in your life, and feels like¡­ the you who took another path joins you for a moment. It doesn¡¯t last long, but some of that remains.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: ¡°Another path¡± as ¡°lived a slightly different life¡± you mean, correct?¡¹ ¡¸Namrick: Yes. One of my friends told me a story where he was about to be killed by bandits and somehow managed to use the technique from his old master, who had passed away in an accident before he could teach him. Despite that, he swore he had a faint memory of learning it from him, even though it had never happened.¡¹ Straivahl. Reminder to self, investigate this phenomenon.
Quest added (Find out more about straivahl)
Grastel glanced at us with a strange expression, then went to pick up the arrows. Maybe he thinks we¡¯re losing it. ¡¸Allen: Paths converging¡­¡¹ What if I had experienced something similar? Maybe there was an Allen who had a brother and an Allen who isn¡¯t always seething in existential angst. Maybe the Creator scooped up a bunch of Allens from across the many-worlds. ¡¸Namrick: Care to spar?¡¹ Namrick inquired, pointing his word toward me and smiling in challenge. ¡¸Allen: Sure, time to put my secret dream combat training to test.¡¹ Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. I stood up, cracking my joints. All of them, slowly for extra drama. He sighed and shook his head. ¡¸Namrick: So, you know about combat visualization? My master said I should meditate while visualizing on how to respond against every attack.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Sort of, but I can make it super realistic inside my dreams. I have fought dream Namrick countless times.¡¹ I said with a smile of defiance. ¡¸Namrick: Oh? And how many times did you win?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Ten¡­ over a thousand. And I had to use cheap tricks.¡¹ ¡¸Namrick: Yeah, that sounds like me.¡¹ He said, looking smug. ¡¸Allen: Dream Namrick doesn¡¯t pull punches. He slices me in half and looks smug. Exactly like that.¡¹ I said, narrowing my eyes. ¡¸Namrick: Show me, then.¡¹ I grabbed my own training sword and launched myself forward. My body didn¡¯t move with the same precision as my dreams but, after a few minutes of adjusting, I was deflecting Namrick¡¯s blows much more effectively than before. I smirked. ¡¸Namrick: Good, I can increase the difficulty, then.¡¹ He announced and immediately increased his tempo. Oh no, I thought, as I started losing ground to the superior swordsmanship. ¡¸Allen: Do you mind¡­ if I use¡­ cheap tricks?¡¹ I asked between blows. ¡¸Namrick: Do your worst, mage!¡¹ Hehe. I had come up with plenty of evil strategies that people with honor and pride¡ªwhich are both sins in my book¡ªwould never consider. I cast a magic field over Namrick¡¯s feet, making him trip. He rolled and parried my wooden blade. I blocked his line of sight with an illusion of black smoke, but he took a defensive posture and somehow managed to stop my next blow. I was not done, though. My best outcomes came from getting close. I grabbed his sword hand right after a swing and pushed forward to destroy his balance. He reacted quickly, clutching my right hand and swinging me away. I kept my balance while he moved in to strike, but his hand met a solid magic field. This time, I crashed my shoulder against him. ¡¸Edward: Go, Allen!¡¹ Edward was cheering for me. I guess I¡¯ll have to cut him some slack, after all. Namrick cartwheeled backward and grinned back at me as he resumed his stance. How aggravating. ¡¸Namrick: You¡¯ve gotten better!¡¹ He said cheerily, as he increased his speed again. I could not match him. So I responded with a moderate use of ¡¾Fear Projection¡¿, which slowed him down a little. I gained a few steps before he started glowing. That was new. ¡¸Namrick: Enough of that!¡¹ He spun forward quickly, ignoring my spells, and batted my sword away. I grabbed his sword hand, disarmed him, and tried to launch him in the air, but he kicked the back of my leg, making me buckle down. We both fell down sloppily. We were both breathing hard. ¡¸Allen: Draw?¡¹ ¡¸Namrick: Draw.¡¹ The glowing thing was new. It looked like an anti-magic membrane. I could have cast hallucinations on him when we made physical contact and used a heavier fear projection, but he¡¯s my friend. I wasn¡¯t trying to kill him. I already felt a little bad for using all those dirty tricks against dream Namrick. Likewise, Namrick could have easily dispatched me with some flashier technique without letting me get close if he weren¡¯t restraining himself. Casting spell in rapid succession was still challenging. Still, I was confident that, with fully enchanted equipment, I could stand my ground. At least until mana ran out. I wondered if this experience would end up supplementing tonight¡¯s dream sparring session. ¡¸Namrick: I can only emit Warrior¡¯s Aura for a breath. I need more training against mages. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re back to train with us.¡¹ He said, slapping my shoulder. I turned my head to face him. ¡¸Allen: I need to get back in shape. Also, I¡¯d like to learn how to deal with nasty competent swordsmen.¡¹ We grinned at each other. ¡¸Namrick: Heh. A good mage would usually avoid getting close to one.¡¹ Fuck that. In a real battle, I was going to fucking bend someone¡¯s arm the wrong way, rip their tendons from their tryhard bulging muscles, stab their eyes with hardened fingers. I had plenty of options depending on how dirty I wanted to go. I¡¯ll make Kenshiro proud. And not only that. I could blind foes with invisible light. I just needed to figure out how to shoot a laser first. I had already verified it was possible to manifest invisible frequencies of light. Mana was being used even I didn¡¯t see it. It would be theoretically possible to microwave someone¡¯s brain. I was almost scared by the possibilities. I was going to keep these tricks to myself. For now, I just needed to learn magical healing and expand my mana pool. Then who cares if I get a few stabs. I¡¯ll become an unkillable motherfucker fueled by battle rage. To my greatest despair, healing lessons had still to breach the magical part of healing. I also made the mistake of lecturing the teacher about modern first aid procedures, which I had learned from those forced tutorials at work. So now I was the designated example for all lessons. Why do I always end up as an example? I stood up and dusted the dirt off my training clothes. ¡¸Allen: Alright. I¡¯m heading back to work.¡¹ Namrick, who was still sitting on the ground, looked disappointed. ¡¸Namrick: Ah? So soon already?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Yes, I¡¯m waiting to hear words about an important matter.¡¹ I cast a glance toward Grastel and Edward, who were busy in a game of ¡°shoot me, and I¡¯ll deflect the arrow,¡± much to Ellin¡¯s chagrin. Edward was trying to show off. I said goodbye and made my way to the military enchanters¡¯ workshop.
Overseer Lorinthar had given me the answer. It was not the answer I was waiting for. ¡¸Bart: I think we should all calm down.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: I am perfectly calm.¡¹ I said slowly and clearly. ¡ºVezlaz: Turning the table¡¯s edge to dust doesn¡¯t exactly inspire calmness. Does it, Bart?¡» Bart nodded. ¡¸Allen: This?¡¹ I said, grinding to dust the fragments of stone within my death grip. ¡¸Allen: This is just me being mildly inconvenienced.¡¹ ¡¸Bart: The table had no fault.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: A stone table should be able to withstand a little punch and a moderate grip.¡¹ ¡¸Bart: It would if you weren¡¯t using mana-infused strength.¡¹ ¡ºVezlaz: Fortunately, this dwarf knows some stone shaping.¡» The dwarf merrily said while massaging the cracks away from the stone. ¡¸Allen: Where is he hiding?¡¹ ¡¸Bart: Important business, I was told.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: The coward¡­ Sneaking behind my back and snatching the live combat practice session away from me!¡¹ I tapped a finger against the table. * THUNK * ¡¸Allen: The fuck is he even gonna do on a goddamn battlefield?!¡¹ * THUNK * ¡¸Allen: Stare at the godforsaken flowers while he stands paralyzed because he can¡¯t deal with any actual semblance of direct confrontation?!¡¹ * THUNK * Another crack appeared under the fury of my mighty finger. Vezlaz sighed. ¡ºVezlaz: Just let him have his fun, aye? He¡¯ll run back pissing himself.¡» ¡¸Bart: Come on Allen, he needs this.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: He needs what? What about me?!¡¹ * THUNK-KRK * ¡¸Allen: I¡¯ve been slaving for months, everyone¡¯s trying to pull tricks on me, and I have all this pent-up stress. I need an outlet! Bathing in the blood of my foes while performing exterminatus with the MPA was supposed to be my reward!¡¹ ¡ºVezlaz: You¡¯re getting plenty chances to use the MPA, though.¡» ¡¸Allen: Debugging and tests, not comparable to going all off!¡¹ Training with the kids wasn¡¯t enough. ¡¸Bart: You could walk out the city walls and hunt some game, just saying.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: I can¡¯t! I can¡¯t leave the city without official business!¡¹ I said in exasperation, throwing my hands up. Violet had shot down my adventuring request, saying I had to learn to ward off my mind first. Closing off the spiritual body wasn¡¯t enough. If it were, Vezlaz wouldn¡¯t be able to perform his telepathic talk inside my mind. ¡¸Allen: I even went through several shady alleyways, and nobody jumped on me! Nobody!¡¹ ¡¸Bart: Why would-¡¹ ¡¸Allen: I need something to kill, Bart.¡¹ ¡ºVezlaz: Man¡­ why are you so angry these days?¡» He was right. I had no fucking idea why. I felt more irritable than usual. Maybe the thing with the demon had left some marks on me. ¡¸Allen: Dunno. I¡¯m going out to punch the practice targets and cool off some.¡¹ Bart and Vezlaz shot me some concerned glances as I stomped outside. I put the illusion of Klenn¡¯s face over the practice dummies and cracked my knuckles. Chapter 91: Spirit walker I was meditating in deep space. It was a dream, obviously. I was getting a vacation from getting skewered by dream Namrick. Mainly because I had something else important to do. Ellin and I were busy failing to intrude on each other¡¯s dreams. We experienced a few curious coincidences about dream contents, but actual communication had not succeeded. Failure. Trying to ram my astral projection self against her wasn¡¯t much of a use. I just slid around her natural barrier like on an extremely slippery surface. I had yet to find the trick of casting spells in such a state. Failure. To share a dreamscape, we needed to establish some sort of link, and for that to happen, Ellin had to astral project like me. She had gotten proficient at lucid dreaming. She only needed that last push. Then we both could spaz around like drunken flies in the astral world. And finally, she would experience for herself that it¡¯s not possible to peep around like a pervert. There¡¯s absolute zero Kelvin sex drive in astral form. I¡¯ve had enough of those accusatory glances, even if it¡¯s just for teasing. Who likes bald silhouettes, anyways? I have superior standards. ¡ºAllen! Can you hear me?!¡» An intrusive telepathic voice echoed inside my head. It was Ellin. Finally! ¡ºAllen: It¡¯s about time! You made me wait six nights as you kept failing to activate the ring while inside your dreams.¡» ¡ºEllin: It was hard to do!¡» She complained. ¡ºAllen: It¡¯s a piece of cake. I did the first time I tried.¡» ¡ºEllin: And you woke us all in the middle of the night. We thought you were under attack or something¡­¡» ¡ºAllen: I told you. You just have to feel your spirit body where the ring is and active it.¡» ¡ºEllin: You¡¯re terrible at explaining! Who even knew how to feel the spirit body?!¡» Her projected voice betrayed a trickle of excitement despite the complaints. ¡ºEllin: It¡¯s because you¡¯ve been taught stuff by an Archmage!¡» Well, maybe she had a point there. Usually, feeling your physical body would wake you up. ¡ºAllen: Alright, but tone down your excitement or you¡¯ll wake up and waste another attempt!¡» ¡ºEllin: Hmrgh.¡» Ellin sent a mental sigh as she collected herself. ¡ºEllin: What now? Uh¡­ is that you sending music my way?¡» Ah right, I stopped the background music. MY rings transmitted the mental sounds of their users, but in a dream, all sounds were just that. ¡ºAllen: Sorry.¡» ¡ºEllin: It was ni-¡» ¡ºLet me pleasure you, my mistre-¡» ¡ºEllin: BEGONE!¡» Something exploded. All sounds that came through the ring. ¡ºAllen: ¡­¡» Pfff. I pretended not to hear. Teenager brains, and more specifically, dreaming teenage brains, are full of lust. She must have thought she didn¡¯t want an embarrassing situation, so her subconscious summoned one for her. A beginner¡¯s mistake. Thoughts can materialize things and situations, that¡¯s why meditation is key to dream control. ¡ºEllin: S-so¡­¡» Her voice carried some embarrassment. It¡¯s okay Ellin, it¡¯s just the hormonal storm thing that cripples every teenagers¡¯ brain. I had been one of them and still remembered with dread my younger days. ¡ºEllin: Are you speaking in a foreign tongue? I don¡¯t understand.¡» Shit, I had inadvertently sent that last thought. Okay, I make mistakes too, sometimes. ¡ºAllen: Astral projection.¡» I reminded her. It was important to keep her focus¡ªand mine¡ªon the task because the brain is not fully awake while dreaming. Focus. ¡ºEllin: Right.¡» ¡ºAllen: Give me a moment to exit my body so I can see what¡¯s happening during your attempts.¡» I pushed out, and the world of luminous blobs came alight. In this state, there was no risk of getting swayed by the dreaming mind. I floated through the faint outlines of the walls toward the trio¡¯s rooms. Ellin was in her single bed while Grastel and Namrick slept in the room just outside. I lowered myself toward the luminous bald silhouette of Ellin. Maybe if we enchant our hair, we can solve the astral baldness problem. ¡ºAllen: I¡¯m here, watching over our bald silhouette in a totally not creepy way.¡» If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡ºEllin: Who¡¯s bald?! Don¡¯t do anything weird!¡» ¡ºAllen: Well, lucky for you, I haven¡¯t yet learned how to do anything weird. Come on, try to astral project!¡» I said back to her and observed her spiritual form for any change. I waited for a few minutes. Nothing happened. ¡ºAllen: Are you doing anything? I don¡¯t see any change.¡» ¡ºEllin: I¡¯m trying, but I can¡¯t ¡°push out¡±, as you say.¡» She said in a demoralized voice. ¡ºAllen: Hmmm.¡» What could be the difference between Ellin and me? I had started astral projecting a while ago when my skills were still limited. The main difference was that I¡¯m an enchanter¡­ But I only used magic that- Suddenly, I considered that I may have overlooked a few details in my former explanations. ¡ºAllen: Maybe I have an idea. Give me a second.¡» ¡ºEllin: What¡¯s a sekond?¡» ¡ºAllen: Wait for a breath.¡» I returned to my body and pushed out again a few times, slowly, while paying attention to the whole process. That could be it. I moved back in position next to the sleeping Ellin. ¡ºAllen: Ellin, do you know about Jalkavian¡¯s projection method?¡» ¡ºEllin: No¡­ What is it?¡» ¡ºAllen: It¡¯s a way of pushing spells further away from your casting range that doesn¡¯t involve telekinesis.¡» ¡ºEllin: Explain.¡» ¡ºAllen: When you apply an enchantment, like the triggers you taught me, you can spin a mana filament connected to it. You should be familiar with that, right?¡» ¡ºEllin: Yes.¡» ¡ºAllen: If you will it a certain way, you can make the filament rigid, so it extends away in a straight line. That¡¯s how it feels when I push out.¡» It was not a very precise way of pushing a spell and could only be used for small enchantments. That¡¯s why it was considered obscure knowledge. Despite the flaws, it had worked reasonably well for my radar, which I had recently upgraded with telekinetic spells for straighter lines. ¡ºAllen: So, does that ring any bell?¡» ¡ºEllin: I think¡­ I think I know what you mean. Why didn¡¯t you tell me before?! Wait. Let me try!¡» She replied, excitement in her mind-voice. I waited, remaining vigilant for any change. Once again, I was reminded how bad I was at explaining stuff. I¡¯m not wired for that shi- Something rippled in Ellin¡¯s head area. Had it been just my imagination? It was hard to say since her spirit brimmed with light, so I lowered myself down to better see the surface. It happened again! ¡ºAllen: You¡¯re doing something! Try again!¡» ¡ºEllin: I feel something!¡» She exclaimed. On her forehead, another ripple shimmered as if something wanted to push out. ¡ºEllin: Urgh! why is it so hard!¡» She grumbled with frustration, but she didn¡¯t give up. The ripple bounced down and up again¡­ And finally, it happened. A small bright glob escaped outside, tethered to her forehead by a mana thread. She immediately started spazzing out, unused to the 360 degrees of vision. An absolute mess of squeals of joy and girly shrieks pierced my mind. ¡ºAllen: Calm down!¡» She didn¡¯t calm down. Instead, she zapped around in random directions at very high speed. I felt dizzy by just trying to follow her movements. ¡ºEllin: Woooooooooo!¡» I sighed and waited it out. Eventually, she came to a stop. ¡ºEllin: Uhhhh¡­ I feel dizzy.¡» ¡ºAllen: Congrats, you gave me a headache too.¡» ¡ºEllin: I did it! I did it!!¡» ¡ºAllen: Yep.¡» I confirmed. ¡ºEllin: It¡¯s so weird! I can see all directions at once!¡» ¡ºAllen: You get used to it. Do you see me?¡» I wiggled in front of her. ¡ºEllin: The glob at the end of the thread¡­ Is that you?!¡» ¡ºAllen: I¡¯m a handsome glob of mana, am I not?¡» ¡ºEllin: This is so cool!¡» ¡ºAllen: Why don¡¯t you come closer so I can show you around and-¡» Ellin crashed into me so fast I had no time to react. Chaos. It took me a moment to realize I could feel her every thought directly. We had somehow gotten tangled. ¡¸Allen: Well, it looks like we managed to establish that link, somehow.¡¹ But for Ellin, that task was secondary. Her emotions of joy and euphoria were leaking into me. How brightly she felt. My emotions were a pale shadow in comparison, but I was happy for her. Kids should get the chance to be happy before it all goes to shit. ¡¸Ellin: I¡¯m so happy!¡¹ She wobbled, but we were still tangled. I could see no actual tangle, though. I was getting aware of a new sensation I hadn¡¯t experienced before. ¡¸Ellin: What now? I¡¯m stuck!¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Hmm. This is the first time I get stuck to someone. I kinda feel something. We have to learn to control it, I think.¡¹ I probed the link that was Ellin and tried to push her away. At least, that was the plan. Instead, I ended up pushing straight into her spirit and found myself inside a dreamscape. A luxurious room with a big bed and flower petals scattered around. What really caught my attention was the huge hole that had erased a third of the room, revealing a bright sunny sky. There were discarded clothes on the ground. In a corner, I saw the statue of a ripped man in a provocative pose. I see, I thought, my amusement leaking through the link. Ellin appeared next to me, confused, and quickly devolved into an evident state of agitation. ¡¸Allen: Are ya winning, daughter?¡¹ I said to break the ice. ¡¸Ellin: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!¡¹ Everything exploded in a massive conflagration.
A big crater had replaced the ground. Ellin sat pitifully facing away from me. Shame and embarrassment so thick I could almost taste them. I had walked in on her before she could get rid of the evidence. Whoops. So this is what a parent feels like when they walk in on their kids with a porn tab open, and they jump startled, failing to close it in time. I see. ¡¸Ellin: Stop thinking weird things!¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Well, at least I didn¡¯t walk in whil-¡¹ A giant hammer from nowhere pummeled me into the ground. It seemed I lacked dream control in this dreamscape because I couldn¡¯t simply phase through it. I ended up having to ooze through the cracks. ¡¸Allen: Whew¡­¡¹ I was impressed. The dreamscape hadn¡¯t collapsed despite all the excitement. Ellin was a natural. She was standing before me, her fists clenched and shaking. Her face was red like a strawberry. ¡¸Allen: I¡¯m so proud-¡¹ Another hammer buried me again, deeper. ¡¸Ellin: I¡¯m not a pervert!¡¹ I hadn¡¯t said that, though. I oozed out again, reshaping myself into my usual form. That last complaint sounded like an admission. ¡¸Allen: As expected from my disciple.¡¹ I said with a stupid grin on my face. ¡¸Ellin: AAAAHHHHHH!¡¹ She wasn¡¯t thinking straight anymore. Things escalated. I liked teasing my friends a little, every now and then. All of a sudden, the dream crumbled, and I was caught inside a frenzied maelstrom of chaos. Woah! What¡¯s going on?! Despite my efforts, I was being washed away and realized that this had to be how it felt to invade someone who dreamed blissfully unaware. The sleeping mind turned out to be a powerful protection against invaders. I decided to let Ellin sleep. This had been a great success, and I had learned a lot more than expected. She needed to sleep through the embarrassment. Next time I would invite her into my own dreamscape and test the effectiveness of Violet¡¯s teachings. I let myself out, returning to the out-of-body experience. I made my way back to my body. I didn¡¯t have to, but it felt nice to float around weightless. I passed over the silhouettes of Grastel and Namrick, and I wondered how hard it would be to have a shared dream everyone together. As I approached my physical body, I noticed something off. There was a big blob of light that wasn¡¯t there before. As big as a volleyball and very bright. I froze mid-air. The fuck is that? Not knowing what to do, I took a page from my nightmares. I zapped toward it with angry, stuttery, unpredictable motions. The spirit pulsed and floated away. I tried to give chase, but it was too fast and nimble. Shit, I thought, staring at the retreating light. My mood turned sour. Someone was spying on me. Chapter 92: Dwarven appraisal I entered the shoddy smithy. It was more silent than I expected. Had Yusdrolir gone away leaving the door open? He said he would be there. ¡¸Allen: Heya.¡¹ I announced myself as I walked inside. In a corner, the dwarf was sitting at the workshop table, seemingly busy caressing chunks of metals. He looked up at me and grinned. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Allen! Haha!¡¹ He exclaimed, pushing the bench back as he stood up. ¡¸Yusdrolir: How¡¯s it goin¡¯?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: I¡¯m trying to stay on the move. That mysterious spirit is still on my track.¡¹ It was the damn squealer from the barracks! Again! ¡¸Yusdrolir: Still? Didn¡¯t ya say the Archmage would deal with it?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Violet has been dispatched somewhere. Ellin said she would try asking her uncle, who is an Inspector, to investigate where it appeared.¡¹ The dwarf scratched his bear. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Inspectors are dangerous, ya know? Best to stay outta their way.¡¹ I sighed. ¡¸Allen: What a pain¡­ Why can¡¯t a man enjoy some peace while his pants are down?¡¹ It had happened the very next day I saw that extraneous mana blob. I decided to temporarily sleep in other inns. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Bah, if that spirit really was a spy, it wouldn¡¯t be so loud. Wouldn¡¯t ya think?¡¹ I shrugged in response. I didn¡¯t understand. Spirits aren¡¯t supposed to have a sex drive, just like my out-of-body experiences. What the fuck is its goal?! And why wasn¡¯t anyone getting rid of it? Did it decide to follow me for¡­ reasons? ¡¸Allen: So, are you ready to go adventuring with the trio?¡¹ I changed the topic. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Of course. Too bad ya can¡¯t come with us.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Yeah¡­¡¹ I couldn¡¯t leave. With Violet gone, my only chance was the field test with the Magical Power Armor. Surely Klenn was going to pussy out at the last minute, and since I had been allowed to attend to provide maintenance, I would be there to take the lead. Unfortunately, that event had been postponed for some unspecified reason. How hard was it to find a bunch of goblins or monsters for a live test? I stole another glance at the metals arrayed on the table. ¡¸Allen: What were you doing with those metals?¡¹ The dwarf gazed back toward the metal chunks. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Oh, those? Was just training my appraisal senses. It¡¯s been a long time since I dealt with anything but coins. It¡¯s important fer forging proper alloys.¡¹ Is this¡­ APPRAISAL?! The staple skill of many novels! I had to learn it. ¡¸Allen: How does it work? Can you give me a quick rundown?¡¹ Yusdrolir had to take a step back from my sudden looming hunger for knowledge. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Uh¡­ Well, I don¡¯t know if a Human got the sense for it, but er¡­ maybe ya can learn the basics. Lemme show ya.¡¹ He made me sit at the table. ¡¸Allen: What do I do? Do I just sexually caress the metals and wait for them to moan?¡¹ I asked Yusdrolir, who exhaled slowly. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Would it hurt ya to be serious once in a while?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Yes.¡¹ ¡¸Yusdrolir: Sigh¡­ Alright. Normally to ¡¾Appraise¡¿ alloys, a young dwarf is taught how to use their smell, touch, and dwarven insight.¡¹ I noted that he had put Intent into that ¡¾Appraise¡¿. Maybe it was worth finding a way to hook my ¡¾Debug Ring¡¿ to analyze Intent, because even a simple word spoken with Intent could carry a plethora of concepts and meanings, quickly forgotten little after.
Quest added (Implement a system to analyze Intent)
Maybe I could become less shit at explaining things. I¡¯m sure everyone would be happy if I managed to properly convey Intent, like the Academy¡¯s teachers. ¡¸Yusdrolir: But ma Grandpa, who suffered permanent damage to his spirit, could still help out my father at discerning alloys with just touch and smell. So¡­¡¹ He cleared his throat. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Close yer eyes and move your finger from one metal to the other.¡¹ I did so, unsure what he was expecting to happen. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Pay attention to how it feels¡­ Try to listen to the tune of the material.¡¹ I was not sure what he meant, but I tried nonetheless. The metals didn¡¯t moan to me their secrets. ¡¸Allen: What am I supposed to feel?¡¹ ¡¸Yusdrolir: Ya should be noticing a difference.¡¹ I tried again, but it all felt the same to me. I blinked my eyes open and shook my head. ¡¸Allen: I¡¯m not getting this difference you speak of.¡¹ The dwarf scowled, twirling a strand of beard between his fingers. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Gimme a breath. I¡¯ll give ya something easier¡­¡¹ He started rummaging through boxes, looking for something. ¡¸Yusdrolir: A-ha!¡¹ Yusdrolir came back with two cut pieces of wood. He slapped them on the table. ¡¸Yusdrolir: There, close yer eyes and do these.¡¹ I closed my eyes and alternated touching both. This time I did notice a difference. One of them felt more¡­ Denser? Stronger? I wasn¡¯t sure. ¡¸Allen: Hmm..-¡¹ ¡¸Yusdrolir: Can ya feel it? Which one would ya say breaks easier?¡¹ Without hesitation, I pointed to the flimsier-feeling wooden piece. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Aye! Ya learn fast! Haha!¡¹ I arched my eyebrows. I had never noticed these nuances until he pointed them out. ¡¸Allen: So, what kind of magic is this?¡¹ I asked, opening my eyes and staring at him. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Magic? No this ain¡¯t magic, Allen. The touch thing can be done without mana.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Eh?¡¹ ¡¸Yusdrolir: In my birthplace, we had a game¡­ With a blindfold, ya¡¯d try guessing the fullest mug only by touching it lightly on the rim. The winner would have his mug refilled from the fullest mug, the loser would hafta refill the emptiest mug.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: That doesn¡¯t answer the question.¡¹ ¡¸Yusdrolir: Even brats too green to harness mana could learn the trick.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Oh.¡¹ ¡¸Yusdrolir: Telling brittle from tough, or narrow from thick, is easy once ya get the feel. Just hafta pay attention.¡¹ He said, slapping a hand on my shoulder. That was surprising. Did that mean that something like this was possible even in my original world? I had never heard of it. Maybe I was just focused on wage slaving and consuming to notice? ¡¸Yusdrolir: We dwarves call it ¡°Getting the timbre of a material¡±. But without a keen sense of smell and dwarven insight, ya can only get so far.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Interesting¡­¡¹ I said, losing myself in thought. I really could tell the difference between the two wood pieces. And if could feel it, then I could measure it thanks to magical constructs. ¡¸Allen: Thanks, Yus. You gave me much to think about.¡¹ My subconscious was clearly interpreting some cues, I just had to figure out what exactly. Although I couldn¡¯t simply measure this stuff directly with magic, yet, I could turn my sensory perceptions into numerical values with my ¡¾Debug Ring¡¿ and learn how to make sense of the data. Then it would just be a matter of building up from there. Sooner or later I would find a way to conjure remote perceptions, just like I could perceive mana within my casting range. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Err¡­ Why are ya staring at emptiness with that creepy smile?¡¹ I stood up and grinned at the dwarf. ¡¸Allen: I was thinking of possibilities.¡¹ Yusdrolir grunted.
Skill acquired (Material Perception: LV.1)
¡¸Allen: Oh yeah¡­ Before I forget¡­¡¹ I grabbed the messenger bag hanging on my shoulder and put it over the table. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Ah, yer using the gift. I chipped in too, ya know.¡¹ He said, talking about the bag. ¡¸Allen: Someone should tell Grastel to put a ribbon or something next time¡­ Just so I know it¡¯s a gift and not something someone left behind by mistake.¡¹ How was I supposed to know it was a gift?! Nobody warned me about the custom of unceremoniously dumping gifts in random places! Put a ribbon, wrap them, or something, at the least! Grastel had been in charge of sneakily delivering it. He succeeded in the sneaky part. I glanced at it once and thought someone had forgotten their bag and would pick it up next time. Then it sat there collecting dust until Namrick asked me if I was liking their gift. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Heh. Fair.¡¹ I poured the bag¡¯s contents over the table, then put the strap around my waist and activated its magic. It shrank into the shape of a pouch. Enchanted elven fabric. Sturdy. Cutpurse-proof. Of a sober unassuming brown color. It was a nice gift. Yusdrolir picked up one of the vials and inspected it closely. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Healing potions?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Pro-grade health potions. Zavir, my Master taught me the whole process.¡¹ ¡¸Yusdrolir: Ohh, the renowned senile Grand Master Alchemist you complain every day about.¡¹ He said with a nod. ¡¸Allen: Exactly. I had my patience challenged to the extreme, but he¡¯s starting to remember things more often. There¡¯s hope.¡¹ I had to force him into basic meditation to restore his spiritual strength. I also had to apply some of Vallachio¡¯s practices and dietary tricks to get him back into shape. As ancient-ass Romans used to say, mens sana in corpore sano. Master Zavir kept asking unnecessary stuff like ¡°Why are you doing this?¡±, ¡°Barabaz would never approve of this!¡±, and ¡°Somebody help me!¡±, but the cougar lady had wisely given approval to all my lines of treatment. He was slowly getting used to following the tasks provided by the refurbished ring, so the amount of investment and aggravation on my side was decreasing. Master was managing to stay focused long enough to provide proper explanations, so I was learning new things. Like his S-grade health potion recipe, with variations, and important magical plants to keep an eye out for. I had much to practice before I could brew potions at his level, but these health potions were already on par¡ªif not better¡ªwith the usual. Just this morning, I posted a quest for the Adventurer¡¯s Guild to request Viridian plant seeds. Zavir knew a good deal of information on the magical plant, which I shared with Grohm. I had arranged everything so the seeds would be delivered directly to Grohm¡¯s office at the Academy. The Guild clerks assured me they had staff trained to discern magical plants, so there would be no issues. The whole thing cost me 41 gold coins. An appalling amount of money. Named plants grow in dangerous places, they said. However, I had little choice, this plant was to be both a source of income and an aid to Zavir¡¯s mental acuity. Grohm himself had suggested this plan. It was sad that the special bonus I had been recently awarded for making the MPAs a reality, had been erased so quickly. 30 whopping gold coins, gone. Whoosh. At least Grohm pitched in the rest. Until the apprenticeship ended, I couldn¡¯t sell anything. My main source of income remained those 27 gold coins a month from the military enchanter job, dispensed in weekly installments by Overseer Lorinthar. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Why are ya looking so grim now?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Expenses rising. Gold dwindling.¡¹ ¡¸Yusdrolir: Ain¡¯t that right.¡¹ He said, shrugging his shoulders. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Don¡¯t ya worry. I¡¯m gonna repay ya for this.¡¹ He pointed his thumb at the smithy appliances behind him. ¡¸Allen: Free repairs and discounts are enough. You should focus on getting your shop up and running.¡¹ ¡¸Yusdrolir: Nonsense! I would¡¯ve never gotten here without ya and the trio. No one ever put their faith in me since I left ma damn town.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: That was probably the alcohol¡­¡¹ The dwarf laughed heartily and bumped my arm with a fist. ¡¸Yusdrolir: How do ya do it?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Do what?¡¹ ¡¸Yusdrolir: Ya never stop. Never falter. Ya twist every situation to yer advantage. Where do ya find this strength?¡¹ Power gamer isekai delusions and hatred for losing. ¡¸Allen: I know myself and use every trick to deceive my mind into getting things done.¡¹ The trick was making it feel like a game. I also had self-hallucinatory spells, which I subtly used as naturally as I breathed. I just needed those little pushes when the quest system failed to spur me into action. The fact that magic was also my childhood dream helped a good deal. I wonder what my friends would think of me if they knew how my brain works. Yusdrolir grunted, caressing his beard in contemplation. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Well, I gotta say. Yer dedication inspires us.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: I see¡­ I created a positively challenging environment.¡¹ I said smugly, rubbing a thumb over my chin. ¡¸Allen: Alright, gotta go. The healer class should approach magical healing on oneself today. Can¡¯t miss it.¡¹ According to the teacher, healing yourself is magnitudes easier than others. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Heh. Ellin will rejoice not having ta patch ya up every time.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Make sure nothing happens to them, Yus.¡¹ I put a heavy hand on his right shoulder, for extra emphasis. ¡¸Allen: Those three have a nose for trouble.¡¹ ¡¸Yusdrolir: Hahah. Fortunately, this dwarf can smell trouble a hundred paces away.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Just¡­ make sure you don¡¯t piss over a sand elemental, or a sacred tree, or other dangerous sources.¡¹ The dwarf sniffed loudly. ¡¸Yusdrolir: Don¡¯t ya worry, I¡¯ll keep my nose as sharp as my ax. The young lads are in good hands.¡¹ He said, face serious. He meant it, so I nodded. ¡¸Yusdrolir: We just gotta escort a group of merchants, though. Besides, we ain¡¯t alone.¡¹ Right¡­ there was also Edward and a bunch of other adventurers. All people with more experience than me. Anyway, it was an escort mission. I wasn¡¯t losing much. Low chances of killing stuff. Unless you camp near a goblin nest. ¡¸Allen: Have fun adventuring.¡¹ I said and left. Yusdrolir¡¯s accent was all random. He reminded me of my grandma. She would degrade into Italian when reminiscing or swearing. She was the one who taught me the passion for swearing like a sailor. Bless you, Nonna. Ah yes¡­ cooking too, but that was less important. Anyway, this new thing Yusdrolir had taught me would keep my mind away from all the pent-up stress. The day of the bloody massacre where I would drench the battlefield with endless ichor while maneuvering the MPA would soon come. I could feel it. Chapter 93: The promised day It started as a normal day at the military enchanter¡¯s workshop. I was sitting next to Bart and Vezlaz. Klenn was absent. ¡¸Bart: Did you see that guy with the dark circles under his eyes? Who was he?¡¹ Bart was talking about the pale guy with dark wavy hair. Lorinthar had paled at his sight and went all servile. Therefore, it became the latest gossip. ¡ºVezlaz: No idea. Some big shot, maybe?¡» Progress in preparing the stage for the live battle? I could only hope. ¡¸Allen: Don¡¯t ask me. I¡¯m a filthy foreigner. I know nothing, as Klenn says. Where did he go, by the way?¡¹ Bart glanced toward the corridor. ¡¸Bart: Still in the meeting with the Overseer, I guess.¡¹ I sighed, arching back to stretch. ¡¸Allen: Well, I finished all the parts already.¡¹ ¡¸Bart: That was fast.¡¹ ¡ºVezlaz: Too fast.¡» I pushed the MPA piece toward Bart, who took it and put it on the automated tester I had created. There would be three more Magical Power Armors. The work on my part was done, but it would take everyone else a good while to finish all the enchantments. I would have pretended to take longer, but I wanted to develop new lethal accessories for the MPA. I was having fun. The tester device emitted a positive beep. ¡¸Bart: All tests passed.¡¹ Bart confirmed. ¡¸Allen: This is the power of Informagics.¡¹ I stated as a matter of fact. The sudden sound of running footsteps coming from the corridor caught our attention. Klenn appeared, visibly excited. Could it be?, I tensed. ¡¸Klenn: It¡¯s happening. Now!¡¹ Finally! I smiled and hopped off the seat, running toward the crates in the corner. I had stashed my armor fully expecting that these fucks wouldn¡¯t give me time to prepare. ¡¸Bart: What are you doing?¡¹ I rudely shoved the other crates away and retrieved the contents in a mad rush. ¡¸Allen: Getting ready.¡¹ I grunted as I proceeded to equip the armor pieces. ¡¸Klenn: Hmpf! Your presence won¡¯t be necessary.¡¹ Klenn said, walking away. Eat shit, Kunt. Vezlaz and Bart were speechless. They must have thought I was kidding or something, even though I told them I had two full months of battle experience. Ninety-six days of life-or-death experience. Especially the Vallachio half of it. ¡ºVezlaz: Are you really going?¡» ¡¸Allen: I will not just be going.¡¹ I said, just finishing to fasten the armor. ¡¸Allen: Make your bets, boys.¡¹ I clenched and relaxed my hands. Klenn had never been on a real battlefield. Even in the worst-case scenario that he wouldn¡¯t pussy out, there would be some meat for me. It wasn¡¯t just the killing that I needed. It was feeling alive. I walked away toward the corridor but cast a final glance back to the two enchanters. ¡¸Allen: Make sure the chainsaw is ready.¡¹ ¡¸Bart: Klenn said he wouldn¡¯t need it, though?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: We¡¯ll see about that.¡¹ I said, winking, then I rushed ahead to catch up with Klenn.
I joined a group of grim-faced black-armored individuals. Further ahead, there was a face I knew, the mage who had opened the portal last time. I thought the kingdom was enforcing portal disruption magic. Were they gonna send us somewhere on the fringes where the disruption didn¡¯t reach? The tired-faced pale man I had seen earlier was several paces away, staring at the sky. Klenn was waiting for the Magical Power Armor to be assembled. It felt like forever since I had seen a real battle. I was brimming with restlessness and anticipation. One of the grim-faced men approached me. He exuded the aura of a leader. Mostly because his armor was shinier. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡¸???: Who are you?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Allen Smith, sir. Here to provide maintenance for the Magical Power Armor. I received military combat experience.¡¹ I said, performing the military salute. He sized me down, unimpressed. ¡¸Blackfist: I¡¯m commander Blackfist. I¡¯ll be leading this operation. Follow my orders, and we¡¯ll ensure your safety.¡¹ He nodded his head toward the portal mage and other less grim-faced individuals. What was his name again? Right¡­ Amadeus. I was planning to attend his lessons when my workload lessened. ¡¸Blackfist: Join the support group. Don¡¯t engage unless asked to.¡¹ I suppressed a scowl. Engaging in the bloodbath was the whole purpose of my presence. ¡¸Allen: Yes sir.¡¹ My chance would come. I joined Amadeus, who recognized me. His brows shot up. ¡¸Amadeus: I recognize you¡­ aren¡¯t you Allen Smith from the Academy?¡¹ I nodded to the old man with the long gray beard. He cast a glance to the pale man, who was still gazing at the sky. ¡¸Amadeus: What are you getting yourself into?¡¹ He mumbled. That sounded weird. ¡¸Allen: What do you mean, sir?¡¹ He stared at me right into the eyes for a few breaths. ¡¸Amadeus: Be careful.¡¹ I had six S-grade healing potions on me and the survival teachings of Vallachio. I was confident I wouldn¡¯t die too easily. ¡¸Allen: I will.¡¹ I observed Klenn entering the MPA. The Armor enclosed him. The sound of magic filled the air. ¡¸Klenn: SELF-TEST SUCCEEDED. READY FOR BATTLE.¡¹ Ready my ass. I glanced back to the pale man. He sure had a strange presence. Suddenly, Amadeus tensed and ran toward the pale man and whispered something to him. The tired-looking man, probably a magician given his lighter attire, waved at Blackfist and nodded. ¡¸Blackfist: Everyone! Get ready!¡¹ Amadeus began casting his spell. White light swarmed and gathered into forming the portal. ¡¸Blackfist: Quick!¡¹ The grim-faced men stepped in first. Klenn, with the power armor, second. Blackfist put a hand on Amadeus¡¯ shoulder and whispered him something. ¡¸Blackfist: I suck giant black cocks.¡¹ Amadeus nodded with a serious expression. No, he didn¡¯t say that. I had no idea what he fucking said. What was the deal with all this whispering shit? I hated to be left oblivious. How am I supposed to translate and narrate the goddamn story if people don¡¯t keep me in the cazzo di loop? Watch me Nonna, I used an Italian curse word. Be proud. I usually kept the foreign curses for when I was really pissed. ¡¸Blackfist: Go!¡¹ The commander motioned us toward the portal. I was the first from the support group to go in since everyone seemed reluctant to enter the totally-not-dangerous shimmering portal. The familiar tingling sensation washed over me. I took a look at the scenery in front of me while the others joined. We were on a plain, it was colder, and I could see big white mountains in the distance. Somewhere up north? Where are our targets? A waft of iron filled my nostrils. ¡¸Blackfist: This way!¡¹ The commander called from behind us. I turned around. The first thing I noticed was that the portal was gone, and Amadeus hadn¡¯t crossed to this side. The second thing was that view was much different on this other side of the plain. ¡¸Klenn: WHAT IS THIS?¡¹ The voice-changed voice from the Armor echoed my thoughts. Dead demons and humans lay on what had been the stage of a small and quick confrontation. But the centerpiece was the man holding a twitching demon. His fingers were piercing the foe¡¯s skull. Behind them was another portal to somewhere dark. ¡¸Allen: What¡¯s going on here?¡¹ Death had already been delivered here¡­ What was the deal with that other portal and twitching demon? The commander ignored me as he hopped forward. He was headed toward the pale man and the mage holding the demon. ¡¸Pale man: How long can you hold?¡¹ ¡¸Mage: Long enough, Master.¡¹ ¡¸Pale man: Well done.¡¹ Said the pale man with a sinister smile. The mage nodded in response, his brows knitted in concentration. Murmurs filled the air. I took a good look at the demon, his eyes were rolled up, and his body was twitching every now and then. Were they using him to keep the portal open? That was the only thing that made sense. Commander Blackfist spat on the ground and spoke. ¡¸Blackfist: We secured a portal to the Obsidian Citadel. This is our chance!¡¹ The grim-faced men bumped their fists on their chests. ¡¸Klenn: THIS-THIS IS NOT WHAT WAS AGREED!¡¹ ¡¸Blackfist: We apologize for having kept this secret to some of you. We needed to be sure to have enough firepower and to catch the moment the enemy would open a portal straight to their heart.¡¹ He made a step forward toward the Magical Power Armor. ¡¸Blackfist: Lord Klenn Val Bennet, your assistance is crucial to the mission.¡¹ Klenn stepped back. ¡¸Klenn: I-I CAN¡¯T! NOT THIS!¡¹ ¡¸Blackfist: My Lord. Many good people gave their lives to secure us this opportunity¡­¡¹ He gestured to the dead bodies scattered around the plain. ¡¸Blackfist: Turn back now, and it won¡¯t end with a simple stain on your honor!¡¹ The commander said with a menacing tone, half yell, and half growl. Everyone was staring at Klenn. ¡¸Klenn: NO! NO!¡¹ Under the pressure of all the accusing stares, he turned around and seemed about to bolt away. Fuck this, I had seen enough. ¡¸Allen: ¡¾ADMIN HALT¡¿!¡¹ I shouted. The Armor froze mid-step. ¡¸Allen: ¡¾ADMIN EJECT¡¿!¡¹ Anything sporting my processors had always been under my complete domain, obviously. I had savored this exact moment. The exoskeleton whirred open as I calmly walked toward it while stripping my armor away and letting the pieces fall to the ground. ¡¸Allen: I shall take his place!¡¹ I announced loudly. Had I been a better man, I would have said I was doing it to prevent Klenn from getting a bad end. The truth was that I didn¡¯t give a fuck. I just wanted to kill stuff, let out all the bottled-up anger, and feel alive. The Magical Power Armor had been designed for the purpose of exterminating demons. I had nothing to fear. Not that I could. ¡¸Blackfist: I care not who commandeers the Armor, so long as we execute the plan!¡¹ That was as official as it could get. Game¡¯s on! I climbed the MPA and stared at Klenn in the eyes. He looked terrified, he was shaking, and his skin was covered in sweat. He seemed to want to say something but nothing came out of his trembling lips. What a pussy. My hand reached for his collar, and I pulled him out in one smooth motion, letting him land feet first. He buckled down. ¡¸Allen: Take my armor and try not to die.¡¹ Klenn stared at me half-dazed, as I hopped inside. ¡¸Klenn: Wa-Wait! You have to use this ring t-to communicate with Commander B-Blackfist.¡¹ I reached for his wavering fingers and picked the ring. I had only carried the ¡¾All-Ring¡¿, which could be tuned to the MPA frequency but was useless now that I was the one inside it. ¡¸Allen: Alright.¡¹ I put the ring on a free finger. The Magical Power Armor closed around me. I breathed in as I felt its senses merging with mine. ¡ºAllen: Armor ready, sir.¡» I sent through the ring to test it. ¡ºBlackfist: Very well. The ring you wear uses spatial magic and should allow us to stay in contact despite the obsidian walls.¡» The commander replied. I guessed we were all set to go. ¡¸Blackfist: Quick, we wasted enough time!¡¹ He set in motion. ¡¸Allen: AGREED.¡¹ I said as I joined the group. Blackfist nodded to the pale man beside him, who gave a light pat to the mage¡¯s shoulder. ¡¸Pale man: If I don¡¯t make it back¡­¡¹ ¡­ erase my porn folder. The mage nodded, his hands glistening and hems stained from the demon¡¯s leaking blood. Of course, Master! None shall gaze upon your doujin collection. Blackfist clapped his hands loudly. ¡¸Blackfist: Move, everyone! Let the Armor go in first and follow!¡¹ I got moving. ¡¸Allen: AFFIRMATIVE!¡¹ The MPA angry promised deadly determination. I felt a god as I walked forward, and I had yet to kill anything. ¡¸Klenn: You can¡¯t..¡¹ Klen called out weakly from behind me. The crowd parted way to let me pass. It seems I was going to spearhead this. I grabbed the MPA¡¯s chainsaw from one of the slack-jawed support units. ¡¸Klenn: Don¡¯t you know what the Obsidian Citadel is?!¡¹ Klenn¡¯s voice echoed behind me. I guessed it was a city made of obsidian. Big deal. ¡¸Klenn: THEY¡¯RE GOING TO THE DAMN DEMON LORD¡¯S PA-¡¹ His scream turned into a muzzled murmur as I crossed the portal. Demon Lord¡¯s palace. It took my brain several seconds to process those words. Fuck. Chapter 94: The ascent I had just stepped into the fucking Demon Lord¡¯s palace. Before me, I saw a big room with pillars. Walls and floor, everything was obsidian. The only lighting came from blue mana lights sitting atop silver decorations. The ambiance gave off an eery atmosphere. There were traces of glistening blood on the gray-black tiled floor. ¡¸Allen: HA¡­¡¹ The situation was so absurd that my neurons shut down. ¡¸Allen: HAHAHA!¡¹ I laughed, driven by hysteria and euphoria. Everyone was determined to drive me insane. Klenn with his microaggressions. The Cougar, for making it awkward as fuck. Master Zavir, for being a stubborn broken record. The stalker spirit, for harassing me when my pants were down. Radendouche, whom I could have shared mutual success with but chose to antagonize me. Demons, for killing those who first showed kindness to me. Feras, who brought hurt to my friends and prevented me from freely enjoying my dreams. Alher, for being a bitch who hated me for petty reasons. And this fucking kingdom¡­ For making me walk to the final boss without even a shred of warning. But it was okay, because I was here to KILL! MAIM! BURN! Technique users, and mages, all stern-looking and seasoned, poured from the portal, taking repair behind me. This was a fucking suicide mission. ¡ºBlackfist: Be our shield. We¡¯ll do the heavy lifting.¡» Fuck that, I thought, smiling. If I have to kick the bucket, I might as well go all out. ¡¸Allen: BLOOD SHALL FLOW APLENTY.¡¹ Random words came out of my mouth while I checked that the chainsaw was safely secured to my left gauntlet. ¡¸Blackfist: First Group, with me! Second Group, defend the portal! Third Group, cover our back!¡¹ The commander was shouting orders, then glanced my way. ¡ºBlackfist: Be ready to follow my directions.¡» A hissing shout came from our right. ¡¸Demons!¡¹ My gamer reflexes, honed by countless hours of deathmatches, kicked into action. The demon¡¯s head exploded, hit by the bolter projectile. I didn¡¯t even need aim assist. Not that I had implemented it yet.
+100 EXP
The demon wasn¡¯t alone. Four more demons, their skin color ranging from red to blue, launched a simultaneous magical attack while taking cover behind the small archway they had appeared from. ¡¸Allen: ¡¾SHIELD¡¿!¡¹ As soon as it appeared, the shield collapsed. But the fireballs, and whatever else they had cast in the mix, exploded ineffectively without damaging the soldiers behind me, who had, in turn, raised their own shields. ¡¸Allen: FEAR NOT BROTHERS, FOR I HAVE COME.¡¹ I was already moving forward the moment I cast the shield, the chainsaw spinning to life. ¡ºBlackfist: Hey! WAIT!¡» I passed the small archway, swinging my chainsaw left and shooting the bolter to my right. Screams and blood filled the air. I had killed four demons in a single move.
+400 EXP
You leveled up! You¡¯re now level 10.
This room was similar to the previous one. A big space with pillars. A hundred demons were now looking at me, first with confusion, then with rage. My heart was beating loudly, and my mouth was curled up in a devilish smile. ¡¸Allen: XENOS SCUM!¡¹ All hell broke loose. I shot down a dozen even before they managed to approach me, then I holstered the gun and grabbed the chainsaw with both hands. ¡ºBlackfist: What are you doing?!¡» I waited for the demons to surround me, then I spun around.
You leveled up! You¡¯re now level 11.
Spin to win, motherfuckers! I had practiced the move during the tests. A small amount of dizziness was a small price to pay. Red blood danced in the air, along with the limbs of my foes. This is it¡­ The feeling of power was intoxicating.
BATTERY 95%
¡¸Allen: BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!¡¹ I screamed, waving a fist to the air. The other demons stepped back and parted ways to let a bigger demon through. He was as big as the MPA, wearing massive black armor, and holding an oversized hammer. He tossed his helm away, hissed some foreign taunt, then immediately prepared to swing. Being hit by that hammer could pose a problem, so I dashed backward just in time to avoid the deadly blur by inches. The hammer exploded into the ground sending shrapnel in all directions, even hurting some of the demons surrounding us. Only then did I notice our soldiers had joined the fray, but I didn¡¯t let that distract me. That armor looked too thick. I let the chainsaw fall and, as I dashed forward, I grabbed hold of his hammer just as he was preparing to swing again. I used that chance to get up close and personal. My right gauntlet closed around his throat and clenched. ¡¾BURST CLENCH¡¿ He resisted for a second, his eyes bulging. The Armor¡¯s gauntlet clenched with sudden violence severing the big demon¡¯s head from the neck. Good job tossing your helm away.
Battery 90%
+300 EXP
I shoved his corpse away but kept the hammer. ¡¸Allen: IT¡¯S HAMMER TIME, SONUVABITCHES!¡¹ I shouted as I swung the oversized hammer, killing another three demons.
+300 EXP
One sneaked under the blow and attempted to hit me with a shitty mace. * CLUNK * He realized his mistake pretty quickly as I wrapped my gauntlet around his skull and crushed it like a ripe tomato. I swung his corpse against his comrades. Some started losing morale and ran away. Fireballs flew from behind me, hitting them. I twisted my visor to see my comrades taking care of the lesser demons. These were no normal soldiers, the way they moved and killed¡­ These were elites! I picked up the chainsaw from the ground. Three robed demons emerged from the chaos headed in my direction. Magicians. I tossed the hammer their way, but it bounced against a magic shield and hit the ground. ¡¾ENABLE MAGICAL COUNTERMEASURES¡¿
MAGICAL COUNTERMEASURES ONLINE.
I launched myself against the demonic trio. They screamed in surprise when their prepared spells failed.
MAGICAL COUNTERMEASURES OFFLINE. RECHARGING. Battery 82%
Magical countermeasures consisted of an experimental system, devised by me and other enchanters. It was better than just spraying anti-magic randomly because it targeted and unraveled any spell within a short radius. The fact it went down so quickly meant they had been casting heavy stuff. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Oh well, I had no idea of their capabilities, nor had I any intention to find out. My chainsaw sparked against their overlapped triple mana shield. Too bad it was an obsidian-tipped oversized chainsaw. I pushed it deep into the middle demon¡¯s chest. His scream turned into a wet gurgle as he collapsed. More blood!
+150 EXP
The strength of the shield diminished. I pulled off the chainsaw, quickly sneaking my right gauntlet into the fissure, and grabbed the demon on my left. ¡¸Allen: HERE¡¯S JOHNNY!¡¹ My Shining reference was wasted on him. I smashed his face against his own mana shield. Thrice, with satisfying crunching sounds and blood dripping midair, then I finished him with the chainsaw.
+150 EXP
The last mage, who had jumped back and dropped his shield, began glowing incredibly bright. Whatever he had in mind was foiled by a swordsman, who lopped his head off. I forgave him for kill-stealing my target. He nodded to me and moved on. More demons flowed from the other two archways into the current room. ¡¸Allen: THERE WILL BE NOTHING LEFT TO BURY!¡¹ I yelled eagerly, launching myself into the fray. KILL! The next moments felt like a blur. I moved around delivering death without stopping, and before long, I ran out of demons to dismember. MAIN! I felt alive. BURN!
You leveled up! You¡¯re now level 12
Battery 50%
The progress notifications were turning out to be a little distracting in this situation. I needed to keep an eye on the battery level, not the EXP. ¡¾NOTIFY PROGRESS FALSE¡¿ I sent the command to my ¡¾All-Ring¡¿.
Notifications of type PROGRESS set to FALSE
Alright, I was good to go. ¡¸Blackfist: Haul the corpses toward the Archmage! Quick!¡¹ Archmage? I turned, staring with surprise. The pale man who looked tired was weaving some sort of magic. Dead demons started standing up. Necromancy! One of the forbidden magics. This was my first time seeing it in action. So we had an Archmage with us? Our chances of surviving rose by a few points. I started to believe we may actually get the job done. Only, one though? ¡¸Blackfist: Third Group, protect the Archmage until he¡¯s done, then rejoin the vanguard!¡¹ The pale man was busy doing something more than just raising dead. Some of the corpses melted and joined together into big and fleshy abominations. I actually felt comforted that someone playing dirty was on our side. Commander Blackfist approached me, shooting a look of equal scowl and awe. ¡ºBlackfist: I can¡¯t decide if you¡¯re brave or suicidal¡­¡» ¡¸Allen: I AM THE HERALD OF DEATH.¡¹ I responded with a military salute. The commander had nothing to complain about since I had shielded everyone to the best of my capabilities. In fact, we had yet to suffer a single loss. He stared at me for a moment before turning back to the other men. ¡¸Blackfist: Upstairs! That way, let the Armor take the lead!¡¹ The commander shouted, and so I obliged. We fought our way upstairs in what seemed an endless march. The pale archmage had rejoined us along with the rear guard. I followed the directions I was given and dispensed carnage.
Battery 25%
We had lost four people, but everyone continued forward with unwavering determination. I liked to think that my display of prowess was inspiring fearlessness in them. Without the MPA, I would have no doubt died like a dog many times over. But inside it, I was an instrument of death. The MPA had received but minor damage, not impacting its effectiveness. I ripped off a demon¡¯s head along with its spine. Some odd-looking misshapen demons appeared in the distance, quickly heading our way with twitchy motions. ¡¸Blackfist: EVERYONE! RETREAT AND TAKE COVER!¡¹ The commander suddenly shouted with urgency. Everyone moved back. I dashed backward as well, spinning up a shield, unsure of what we were facing. A demon making moaning sounds rushed ahead from within our ranks. Was it a zombie or something? Suddenly, I got goosebumps all over me and heard a high-pitched sound. The undead demon exploded right in the face of the misshapen ones. It was no mere explosion either. It had been like a sudden white expanding flash, followed by a loud crack. It left behind only statues of ash which crumbled into dust. The fuck was that? I wondered, amazed. More sinister magic from the Archmage. He was turning half-dead demons into suicide bombers for our cause, but it seemed to take a toll on him because Blackfist was holding him upright. I didn¡¯t need spelled to me that this was another kind of forbidden magic. ¡ºAllen: What were those?¡» I asked about the misshapen demons. ¡ºBlackfist: Painwroughts¡­¡» The commander said curtly. That sounded ominous, but I shelved that thought because it was time to change batteries. ¡¸Allen: REQUESTING BATTERY CHANGE!¡¹ I said the moment we settled inside an empty room. Commander Blackfist nodded and motioned to the ones who had been carrying my spare. I noticed the pale archmage turning his head around left and right as if looking for something. ¡¸Pale man: Commander, this room looks differen-¡¹ I was about to kneel down to let the guys carrying the spare battery perform the deed when the wall behind them wavered into a blur and disappeared. An illusion! In but an instant, we were overwhelmed by a sudden surge of fear and pain, all combined. Misshapen demons with twitching limbs and creatures made of smoky blackness ambushed us. The two carrying my battery stood there paralyzed and were met with a massive spiked mace swung by one of the painwroughts. I couldn¡¯t react fast enough. The replacement battery was split in half, and the two men met a worse fate. My mind went very quiet. ¡¸Pale man: Shield your minds! Why¡­ so strong¡­¡¹ The archmage¡ªone of the few who was still able to keep moving¡ªtried to cast something, but the black creatures were on him before he could finish. He had to switch to an anti-magic field to keep them at bay. Despite the armor protections, I was hit with the full brunt of pain and fear. I felt like in a dream. Something primal awakened in me. Pain became anger. Fear became thirst. A sense of euphoria so powerful it made my eyes cry filled my whole being. I moved without thinking toward the nightmares assaulting the archmage. I slammed hard on them, grabbing one by the scruff. I brought it face to face with me and stared it down. Its¡¯ gaze sent a stronger wave of fear within me. Yes, make me feel alive. I clenched the gauntlet. The creature turned to smoke and tried to escape. But the smoke got pulled toward me by an invisible force.
Battery 25%
What did I just do? I had no idea how, but it seemed that I had just consumed a nightmare creature. Suddenly, all of them turned their attention to me, the painwroughts as well. For a moment, my consciousness lapsed.
When I came back to myself, I was holding my right fist deep into a black wall. I pulled it back, revealing the gory remains of what had once been a painwrought¡¯s upper torso. ¡¸How¡­¡¹ Someone spoke from behind me, and more muttered intelligibly. I felt drained. I was experiencing a mild shock, nothing I couldn¡¯t deal with. I turned around to assess the situation. Dismembered limbs and blood littered the battlefield. Had I done all that? I couldn¡¯t see any nightmare around, nor could I remember anything from the instant my mind blacked out. A fourth of the First Group forces had fallen to the surprise attack. The survivors were hiding behind thick layers of physical and magical shields. They were eyeing me warily. ¡¸Allen: THREAT EXTERMINATED. AWAITING COMMAND.¡¹ I glanced at the replacement battery. It was beyond salvage. I would have to do without, I looked at the current battery level¡­
Battery 70%
I stared confused at the HUD. I hadn¡¯t simply imagined it. I literally had absorbed that nightmare. So it was true then¡­ I was attuned to fear. Was that good or bad? ¡¸Pale man: How did you do that?¡¹ The archmage asked, his eyes round and rather scary looking were fixed on me with tangible intensity. He looked like he wanted to tear me apart to see how I worked. I had no answer to give. ¡¸Blackfist: We have no time for discussion¡­¡¹ The commander said, trying to sound clearheaded, despite his trembling limbs. ¡¸Blackfist: How further from here?¡¹ ¡¸Pale man: According to the extracted memories, very close¡­ That way.¡¹ The pale archmage pointed toward the large staircase, previously hidden behind the illusory wall. The doors at its apex looked fancy. Very suited for a boss room. ¡¸Blackfist: We have to hurry up! ¡¹ Blackfist turned my way and spoke through the ring. ¡ºBlackfist: You stay here.¡» ¡ºAllen: But-¡» I tried to retort, not hiding my discontent. ¡ºBlackfist: We all clearly saw you¡¯re attuned to the fear Aspect. Exceptionally so. Just now, your presence amplified the nightmares¡¯ power.¡» ¡ºAllen: ¡­¡» Was that true? Or did he just want someone to blame? ¡ºBlackfist: You don¡¯t even notice the fear you¡¯re projecting right now, do you?¡» I wasn¡¯t actively projecting anything at that moment, but¡­ the soldiers closer to me were shaking. A side-effect of consuming those nightmare creatures? ¡ºAllen: ¡­ No, sir.¡» I admitted. Blackfist scowled under his visor. ¡ºBlackfist: What we are about to face is the Nightmare God¡¯s Chosen One. We can¡¯t afford any further risk.¡» That was the end of our secret conversation, then he switched to voice. ¡¸Blackfist: Stay here and assist the rear guard. Under any circumstance, do not join us unless explicitly asked to. Is that clear?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: UNDERSTOOD.¡¹ I confirmed. All the better, my brain still felt a little scrambled, and I was having trouble thinking clearly. I needed a little time to recover my wits. Blackfist turned to the archmage. ¡¸Blackfist: Can we raise more undeads?¡¹ The pale mage shook his head. ¡¸Pale man: I can¡¯t do anything with those¡­¡¹ He said pointing at the carnage. Courtesy of Allen. ¡¸Pale man: And my vows forbid me to use my powers against our own deads. Moreover, I need to conserve mana for confronting our target.¡¹ ¡¸Blackfist: I see¡­¡¹ The commander turned to his men, raising a hand to demand silence. All chatter died down, and everyone straightened their spines, giving their full attention. ¡¸Blackfist: This is the moment of truth.¡¹ Blackfist said in a dead cold tone. ¡¸Blackfist: How long we prayed for this day? Our one chance¡­ to deliver retribution!¡¹ The men bumped their fists against their chest. ¡¸Blackfist: The Dream of the Three Kingdoms¡­ Our dream, shattered by a coward hiding inside his obsidian tower!¡¹ Gauntlets hammered again. Louder now. The Dream of the Three Kingdoms¡­ I had not expected to hear that in this situation. ¡¸Blackfist: Today, we repay deceit with deceit! Today, the Black Guard fulfills its purpose!¡¹ The fists hammered again. How old were these men? Sometimes I forgot that awakened people could live on for centuries. They were fighting for something that happened a century ago. Commander Blackfist Raised a sword and turned it against the gilded doors. ¡¸Blackfist: Let us teach them¡­ that shattered dreams have the sharpest edges.¡¹ And so the First Group marched upstairs. The pale man, whose name I still hadn¡¯t caught, shot me a long sidelong glance before hurrying after them. It would be a lie if I said that Blackfist¡¯s speech hadn¡¯t moved me. He hadn¡¯t needed to scream or amplify his voice to make himself heard. Was I growing soft? One man stayed behind, with the task of coordinating with the Third Group. We waited in silence, far away from each other. There was another exit in this room, similar to the one we had come from. No foe had yet approached from that side, so I eyed both entryways warily, expecting the worst. We heard footsteps approaching from the way we came. I positioned myself next to it while the soldier took cover behind the corner leading to the stairs. I aimed the bolter toward the entrance, holding my breath. The footsteps grew louder. The men from the Third Group streamed forth, and I lowered my gun, exhaling in relief. ¡¸The Commander?¡¹ One of them asked. ¡¸Upstairs. He ordered to send half the men onward and leave the rest here in defense. Healers to go midway to assist both sides.¡¹ Said the soldier, who then rushed upstairs to rejoin the First Group. ¡¸What¡¯s going on? Is there a nightmare?!¡¹ Some of the soldiers started asking, twisting around, trying to find the source of the fear they were experiencing. My aura was affecting them, and I couldn¡¯t control it. ¡¸Allen: THE NIGHTMARES HAVE BEEN EXTERMINATED. I SHALL GUARD THIS ENTRANCE.¡¹ I excused myself, walking toward the other corridor to lessen the effects of my unwanted aura. It will wear off, won¡¯t it? Explosions shook the ground. Looks like Blackfist has engaged the enemy. Despite this fear attunement problem, they hadn¡¯t sent me off or tried to kill me outright. And they trusted me to guard their back and protect these guys. It felt nice not being thrown in the grinder the instant my unwilling affiliation with the Aspect of Fear became known. * BEEP * A sudden notification appeared on the MPA¡¯s HUD.
SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE INITIATED: 30 BREATHS LEFT
I blinked twice, not comprehending. What? My heart skipped a beat. Chapter 95: Final descent
29 BREATHS LEFT
What the? It had happened so suddenly and unexpectedly that I wasted precious seconds not reacting. ¡¾ADMIN STOP SELF-DESTRUCT¡¿
28 BREATHS LEFT
No response?! What the fuck is going on?! Cold sweat formed on my forehead as I frantically sent commands to the Magical Power Armor. To no avail.
27 BREATHS LEFT
That was not possible! The way it had been designed made it impossible for the self-destruct sequence to engage randomly and dismiss the deactivation signal¡­ Unless¡­ Someone had deliberately sabotaged the mechanism. Anger flared up in me as I slammed my gauntlet hard on the wall. Twice. ¡ºAllen: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!¡» I screamed through the fucking comm ring. ¡ºBlackfist: Can¡¯t talk now!¡» ¡ºAllen: THE ARMOR IS SELF-DESTRUCTING! WHAT DID YOUR MEN DO TO IT?¡» ¡ºBlackfist: WHAT?!¡» Had they embedded some remote mechanism to trigger it? Had they decided to dispose of me, after all?
20 BREATHS LEFT
Approximately sixty seconds left. Not enough time to undo the protective weaves and inspect the mana circuits.
19 BREATHS LEFT
But then¡­ Why not detonate it immediately?! I had no time to speculate.
18 BREATHS LEFT
¡ºBlackfist: The Archmage only changed the self-destruct spell!¡»
17 BREATHS LEFT
¡ºAllen: SOMEONE SABOTAGED THE ARMOR!¡»
16 BREATHS LEFT
¡ºBlackfist: SHIT¡­¡» The commander sounded genuinely unhappy about this turn of events. ¡ºBlackfist: GET AWAY FROM THE OTHERS! DUMP THE ARMOR AND RUN!¡»
14 BREATHS LEFT
I was doing that even before he said so. ¡¸Allen: STAY BACK!¡¹ I shouted back to the Third Group, while I ran deeper into the corridor. If the archmage changed the spell, I had a good idea what had been the replacement. The lethal white flash explosion from before.
13 BREATHS LEFT
How big would the explosion be? What factors would amplify the blast? Mana? Blackfist had put emphasis on running. Probably worse than I could imagine.
12 BREATHS LEFT
I thought I had run far enough. Obsidian would obstruct the magical explosion, so I turned and knelt down. ¡¸Allen: ¡¾ADMIN EJECT¡¿!¡¹ The Armor¡¯s unfastening unfolded at an incredibly slow perceived motion. Come on, come ooon!
11 BREATHS LEFT
¡¸Allen: ¡¾TIMER START 29 SECONDS¡¿¡¹ I transferred the countdown to my ring minus one second for safety and jumped off. Fuck! My heart was beating like a goddamn jackhammer. I ran as fast as I could. 28 I¡¯ll miss you MPA MK I. We bathed in blood together. 27 I turned the corner. 26 An unexpected problem at the worst possible time¡­ A demon, who had seemingly appeared from no-fucking-where, standing in the middle of my path was turning to face me. He shouted something. 25 FUCK! I ran the other way. I had no armor on me. 24 Not even a weapon! 23 I heard his footsteps getting closer. He was faster than me. 22 21 20 He jumped on me. I twisted, trying to make him push him off. He didn¡¯t look like a soldier or a mage, maybe a servant. But he was strong nonetheless. The demon wrapped his hands around my throat as I was pushed down to the ground with him on top. 19 Despite hardening, my neck was about to be crushed at an alarming speed. Adrenaline kicked in, time slowed down. I could see his bare arms, muscles tensing. 18 I pinched my fingers right behind his tendons and pulled as hard as I could. The pressure on my neck loosened. The demon arched back about to scream, but I was already grabbing the back of his head. My magically hardened forehead met his face. 17 Without hesitation, I stabbed my right index finger deep inside his eye socket. I had never tried it before. FUUUUCK! I wanted to scream, but only a grunt came out. 16 The demon went limp, and I pushed him aside. I was gasping hard to breathe, not sure if my throat had been crushed or not. 15 I stood up and wasted another precious second trying to recollect where I had come from. 14 It was too late to run all the way back with my own legs, so I continued in the opposite direction. 13 I finally managed to breathe in fully. 12 11 Three armored demons appeared at the end of the corridor and saw me. 10 I jumped into an empty room on my right. 9 8 A dead end. 7 I was almost out of mana. I had burned through it dealing with just one demon. 6 FOCUS, ALLEN! On a corner, I saw an open coffin made of stone, its lid just leaning next to the side. 5 I jumped into the coffin¡­ 4 I grabbed at the stone lid with my right hand, but the index finger sent a jolt of pain when I tried to bend it, ruining my grasp. 3 This time, I used both hands and pulled, using the last of my mana reserves. 2 The first of the armored demons rushed into the room just as I dropped the lid closed. 1 If I survive this I will never take orders from anyone ever again. 0 Unless at gunpoint. Armored footsteps approached dangerously close. I closed my eyes and took a long weary breath. Sudden goosebumps covered every inch of my skin, and the high-pitched sound filled the air. The effect was magnitudes stronger than before. A deafening crack and an equally potent tremor shook the building. I saw the white flash through the lid¡¯s cracks. My ears were ringing. And just as it had happened, it was over. Quick! I drew two long deep breaths and started breathing mana, finding it hard to do. I pulled the broken finger and took a sip from a health potion. All the pains I didn¡¯t know I had worn off. I pushed the coffin¡¯s lid away. Complete darkness had overtaken the place. I conjured a mana light. My body twitched in response to seeing a dark shape just a few steps from me. It crumbled to dust just as I stared. The only sound I could hear, beyond the ear ringing, was the hammering inside my chest. I have to get back. I hopped off the coffin and traced back my steps. At least that had been the plan. Instead, I found a giant pile of rubble blocking the corridor intersection from which I had come. I stared silently at the obstruction. There was no way I could dig through that on my own. To make it worse, it was all obsidian. A telepathic voice interrupted my grim realization. ¡ºThis is the Forbidden. We¡¯re retreating, warn the others!¡» Forbidden? That voice wasn¡¯t Blackfist¡¯s. It was the archmage¡¯s. ¡ºAllen: Blackfist?¡» I inquired, guessing the answer. ¡ºPale man: Dead.¡» I remained silent for a few seconds, taking in the news. ¡ºAllen: Did you kill the Demon Lord?¡» He didn¡¯t answer and the silence told me all I had to know. Blackfist dead and the mission a failure¡­ It saddened me, I really hoped we¡¯d win or at least that we¡¯d go down taking the enemy with us. ¡ºAllen: I can¡¯t regroup. Your explosive spell made the corridor collapse.¡» Obsidian could negate direct magic, but indirect forces¡­ ¡ºPale man: I see¡­¡» Was I going to die in this obsidian shithole? Weariness pervaded my whole body. ¡ºPale man: We can¡¯t open a path. We have to move down.¡» I closed my eyes. I could almost hear some faint vibrations in the distance. That would be the men retreating. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡ºPale man: Try finding a way down.¡» My eyes shot open. My attention was suddenly sharp. ¡ºPale man: From the demon¡¯s memories there was another conjunction just one floor lower from where we started.¡» A sliver of hope. I steeled myself. ¡ºAllen: Will do.¡» ¡ºPale man: Good luck.¡» I bolted into motion. Stairs, I need to find stairs. I checked the rooms as I moved further into the corridor and met a junction. I took a right. Soon I faced a dead end. I cursed, hastening back to the junction until I heard a hissing voice. I froze mid-step. Shit! I killed my mana light. This felt like one of those nightmares where you¡¯re hopelessly lost and can¡¯t ever find the destination. Right¡­ Nightmare! I saw a blue light becoming visible as the armored clanking grew louder. There was no time. I took off my shoes, crouched down, and cast an illusion just in time to meet the incoming guest. The armored demon acted startled when he noticed me but held his ground. I could see black smoke being emitted, but I wasn¡¯t sure how well the illusion was working. I was letting my subconscious do the work. It was a big gamble. I slowed my breath. We stared at each other for an indefinite amount of time, then he yelled something in his hissing language and motioned me to follow. I toned down the illusion as soon as he turned his back on me, to conserve mana, but kept it active so I could restore it quickly. I longed for the clarity of the First Step, but I hadn¡¯t been able to reach that state since I had dealt with the unarmored demon. It had been, like¡­ hard to breathe, but it was getting easier now that I was getting further away from the zone of the explosion. That white flash must have depleted the mana in the air. We approached a corridor that hadn¡¯t suffered from the blast. The mana lights were still active. I restored the illusion to full power. The good thing was that since I didn¡¯t need to focus on directing the illusion, I could concentrate on breathing mana in to slow down its depletion. The demon soldier hurried downstairs, casting glances at me now and then to make sure I was still following. We turned several corners and descended as many stairs. My chances to shrink the illusion and conserve mana grew scarcer because we began crossing paths with more and more demons, heading in the same direction. I didn¡¯t know how long I¡¯d be able to hold the illusion. Or how long I¡¯d last before anyone noticed I wasn¡¯t a nightmare creature. We entered a long wide corridor, and by that point, I had completely lost any sense of direction. I saw no doors or archways on the sides, no place where I could sneak into. We approached an area where thick numbers of demons were clustered. The area opened into what looked like a storehouse with crates and junk. As I moved on all fours, I felt the many stares boring holes through my illusion, but they stepped aside to let us pass. Right in the middle of a wall was an unassuming black door. The armored demon who had led me here opened it, gesturing me to get inside. I moved slowly, gauging my options. No options, only demons. So I moved inside. The room was dark and stank of stale air. The moment I stepped inside, I realized I wasn¡¯t alone. Shadows were shifting around me. Fear-projecting gazes of an indefinite number of nightmares fixed on me. Behind me, the door closed with a bang, leaving me in complete darkness. For some reason, I felt a smile creeping up my lips and a deeply wrong sense of euphoria. I blacked out.
I came back to my senses, still in complete darkness. The first thing I noticed was that I was breathing hard. It had happened again. What¡¯s wrong with me? I thought, struggling to push the concerns away and focus on the now. Like before, I felt mentally drained. I conjured an illusory light, just in time to see a big foggy mass being drawn toward my body. I jumped, startled by the surprise. The energy I absorbed pushed me quickly into the First Step. A shred of light was cast upon my disarrayed thoughts. More nightmares were circling around me, but they seemed too wary to approach. Three dozen at a first glance¡­ at least those I could see. The black fog they emitted prevented me from seeing further than a few paces away. I also became aware of the pain in my chest. Clothes torn and bloody, I had been slashed by something sharp that had left three deep gashes leaking blood. My arms and legs were covered with similar wounds of minor severity. I warily poured a few drops of healing potion on the gashes while holding them closed to help them heal right. I couldn¡¯t count on Ellin this time. I had to follow what I learned at the Academy. I drank the leftover liquid from the vial, already partially depleted from the earlier sip, and tossed it away. Five potions left. Think, Allen. I was severely outmatched and unprepared. My chances of survival were dangerously declining every second. At least the demons outside hadn¡¯t seemed to notice anything or perhaps didn¡¯t deem worth investigating. Good. I was surrounded by lethal-looking creatures of shifting black smoke. Not good. The only saving grace was that they were hesitant to attack. I was wearing no armor, and my shredded clothes offered zero protection. One wrong step and it would be over. I couldn¡¯t afford to blackout again. There had to be something really wrong with my brain because I was feeling madly elated. A dangerously addicting kind of feel. I had to maintain the void state of mind to keep myself from doing something fucking stupid. What was the deal with this room? Why not use all these nightmares against our forces instead? Demons outside, nightmares inside. It was like¡­ they wanted to protect something? I slowly walked further down the room, keeping my attention to the deadly nightmares circling me with predatory intent. What I found was a narrow dark corridor extending further on. Wide enough for one person. Floors, walls, and ceiling were made of polished pitch-black obsidian stone. I could see the faint reflection of my face. Gods, did I look like shit. The creatures didn¡¯t pursue me choosing to remain behind, maybe annoyed by the tight space and all the obsidian. but I could still perceive their attention fixed on me. ¡ºAllen: Hello?¡» I asked through the ring. ¡ºAllen: Are you guys still alive?¡» No reply came back. Had the pale-skinned archmage died? Were they too busy surviving? Had everyone left already? It depended on how many demons they had to fight through to get to the portal. The narrow corridor culminated to a dead end. No doors, no openings. Nothing, only my disappointed scowl reflected back at me. That didn¡¯t make sense. There was no point in defending an empty room. Unless¡­ I slid my hands across the surface and knocked at it to hear the sound on different parts of it. Precious minutes passed without me finding anything. I walked back slowly, letting my hands slide on the reflective walls. Are you having a laugh, Creator? I engaged in an imaginary conversation with the entity who had dropped me into this world. What, I dug my own grave? You¡¯re mistaken, I received plenty of help from everyon- Wait¡­ A change in sensation¡­ Had I imagined it? I stopped and moved back slowly. The wall to my right had felt different but offered no visual cue for me to see, just polished black obsidian. I closed my eyes and focused more carefully on the sensations on my fingertips. There! I felt it again. A small gap where the material felt different. I slowly traced an outline, realizing it was shaped like a rectangle. A secret door! My excitement didn¡¯t last long as I realized I had no idea how to open it. There had to be some kind of magical contraption, a trigger, something. Nothing within the rectangle. Nothing on the wall immediately next to it¡­ The outline of the secret door was around two-and-half centimeters thick. Perfectly indistinguishable from the surrounding obsidian, but it didn¡¯t stop magic. My magical sense couldn¡¯t extend deep enough to sense anything. I stared at my feet. It felt weird being inside this corridor. It would have been like floating in a black void, were it not for the ghastly reflections. I crouched down and inspected the floor. Here! A small circular area¡­ I could extend my sense through it and immediately did so. I found a trigger construct with several threads extending away from it. I had no idea what could activate the trigger, nor did I care. I hooked a filament to the mana circuit running toward the secret door¡¯s direction and activated it. The effect was immediate. The innermost part of the invisible outline turned semi-liquid, and the door opened smoothly without a sound. Clever¡­ they had merged a similar but easily transmutable material to the obsidian, so they could hide it and move the obsidian door indirectly. The enchantment transmuting the glassy material had to be deeper inside, projecting its effect to make it harder to find and activate. Move the fuck on, Allen! I reminded myself, stifling the desire to analyze the magical mechanism. I would have never found it were it not for Yusdrolir. If I ever come back, I¡¯m buying you all the alcohol you want, I promised. By now, the ring would have remarked about this achievement had I not disabled the progress notifications. Well, it wasn¡¯t time to turn them back on yet. I moved through the new corridor. This one was more spacious, made of raw, unpolished volcanic stone. Lots of dust. Maybe I could still make it if I found an exit. Several steps in, I wished I had kept the shoes. A weapon would have been nice too. Sadly, the white flash had turned both demonic soldiers and their equipment into ash. ¡¸Allen: Can¡¯t we tune the difficulty down a notch, huh?¡¹ I whispered to myself, hiding my uneasiness under sarcasm. I picked up the pace moving through a confusing mess of small corridors and rough stairs, desperately looking for an exit. After an unspecified lapse of time of wandering lost, I heard a coughing sound further ahead. I shut down my mana light and approached carefully. I spied around the corner from where a faint gleam of light was coming from. A beaten-up blue-skinned demon full of wounds was hobbling forward with great difficulty, supporting himself with a shiny bloodstained metal staff. He looked aged and about to keel over. He had to have crossed our troops! He was bleeding, which meant I could trace back his steps to find the exit! Hope was not lost yet. The passage was too narrow to run past him, and I didn¡¯t have time to wait for him to cross over while hiding safely somewhere. Time was a commodity did not have. Perhaps it was foolish to hold on to the hope that the portal was still open and waiting for me¡­ but you never know. One of Vallachio¡¯s sayings came to mind. As long as you draw breath, you haven¡¯t lost. And I fucking hated losing. So I would keep winning and burying as many of these pieces of shit kurwa motherfuckers as I could before getting a Game Over. Finish off the demon and follow the blood traces back to the exit, Allen. I set my mind to it. I drew a deep breath and wove a new nightmarish illusion over me, then I left the corner, approaching the half-dead demon. He immediately noticed me, tensing. The aging demon was wearing the tattered remains of a black and purple silky robe. Now that I took a closer look, I realized he was missing the left arm. This seemed doable. My plan was to strike hard and fast at his carotid, then beat him down with his own staff. Now or never. I kept walking until I was a few steps away from him. The moment I was about to strike, he frowned menacingly and threw himself against me with unexpected agility. Because he moved, my throat punch missed, sliding across his blood-wetted skin. The old demon had dropped the staff and instead grabbed my left arm. * CRACK * I felt the sound before the pain hit me. With an impossibly fast movement, he had broken my arm. Just a mere twist of his wrist. I had misjudged his capabilities! Involuntary tears blurred my vision. The demon was on me. I fell back with him on top. The fucker tried to bite my throat out, but I managed to push him away with my right arm just in time. He growled, spitting blood in my eyes. Fueled both by pain and mana-infused strength, I kneed his nuts. He emitted a high-pitched whine, and his grasp on my broken arm loosened. This time I succeeded in punching his throat. I pushed him away from me, hoping to buy precious seconds. I jumped on my feet and tried to run past him. But he used his legs to make me trip. I rolled forward, nearly avoiding his hand coming short mere inches from grasping me. I scampered back. At that instant, magic particles shimmered around his hand, dancing in a vortex. I barely had time to instinctively shield myself. But nothing happened, except a fizz. The spell had failed! There was no word to describe the surprise and anger displayed on his face while I stared back, my heartbeat pumping like never before. The light went out. I had forgotten that the source of light had been my opponent himself. I failed to react. * CRUNCH * My right leg burned with searing hot pain. As I frantically grasped around blind, something cold touched my right hand. The metal staff. Without thinking, I grabbed hold of it and struck at the not-quite-dead-yet demon, whose face was now illuminated by magic particles from another spell in the making. I knew he wouldn¡¯t fail again if I let him, and I couldn¡¯t flee since he held onto my broken leg. The staff was about to collide when it went rigid mid-air. The bleeding demon smiled nastily. He shouted a command. A force pulled the enchanted weapon aside toward empty air, I pulled back, and the weapon pulled twice as hard, dragging me along with it. The pain I was experiencing was indescribable. I almost blacked out. A bright gleam of magic flared up, about to be cast. Fuck. Summoning every inch of anger, strength, and mana, I made one desperate gamble. You. I pulled hard, twisting myself left. The pain didn¡¯t matter. ¡¸Allen: GaaaaAAAHH!¡¹ For a brief moment, I managed to drag the butt of the staff right in front of the demon¡¯s mouth. I pushed. Hard. The demon stared with horror as the sudden telekinetic pull, complemented by my own physical push, forced the weapon to fly straight into his own mouth. A gasp and the mana particles disappeared¡­ Along with the hold on my broken leg. However, the demon was still making gurgling sounds. A disturbing sound to hear in complete darkness. ¡¸Allen: FUCK!¡¹ I pulled my left foot back. ¡¸Allen: YOUUUU!!!!¡¹ And slammed it where the top of the staff had been. Pain coursed back to me as I hit the pointy bits, but I didn¡¯t hold back and pushed as hard as humanly possible. I heard a soft thud. Silence. I was about to take a deep breath when a sudden and excruciating pain assaulted my spirit. Something was wrong. Very wrong. I fought hard to remain conscious, whimpers escaping my lips. I was enduring not only physical pain but the spiritual kind too. A normal person would have passed out. Not me. Somehow the sudden wave relented, leaving a dull pulsing ache behind. What the fuck¡­ was that¡­ I tried and failed to conjure a mana light, my spirit screaming in pain. It took me a while, but I remembered that my ring could also produce one, so I activated it. Light streamed across the passage, but I was too hurt to move my head and look around. I moved my trembling right arm in search of a potion. My vision was blurry because I had trouble stopping my eyes from shedding tears. My heart sank when I touched the sharp edges of the broken vials. Second, broken¡­ third, broken¡­ Fourth, broken too¡­ Fifth¡­ broken¡­ I closed my eyes as I moved ib the last sixth vial. The glass didn¡¯t cut me. I gently pulled it out and brought it before my eyes. It was intact. I exhaled, my jaw trembling, as I cradled the vial to my chest. I had to set the broken limbs straight. I rolled my torso forward to reach and set the broken leg straight, holding it beside the wall and my left leg. I gritted my teeth, enduring the sharp pain. I lightly used magical healing to realign the limb correctly, letting the body remember just like I had been taught. My spiritual body complained, but not as much as casting an external spell. Next, the left arm. I laid down and slowly twisted the arm until I felt the broken parts trying to realign. ¡¸Allen: Hhugh!¡¹ I wasn¡¯t capable of doing more than that. That was the best I could do. The rest would be up to the potion. I uncorked the vial and drank the contents. Tingling, pain, and other sensations pulsed for several seconds while the S-grade healing potion worked its magic. I waited a little more, still breathing heavily. How lucky that the demons didn¡¯t know about Informagics, and still relied on unreliable magical constructs. Had it been made by me, the enchanted staff wouldn¡¯t have committed such grievous mistake as to pierce its owner. ¡ºPale man: We¡¯re leaving. Are you still alive? This is the last call.¡» The sudden intrusive mental voice made me twitch. ¡ºAllen: I¡¯m alive!¡» I sent, as I struggled to order my thoughts coherently. ¡ºAllen: I found a secret passage¡­ I¡¯m inside¡­¡» ¡ºPale man: I thought you were dead. I heard you calling before, but you didn¡¯t answer my replies.¡» I hadn¡¯t heard him at all. Maybe something was blocking spatial magic back there? Whatever the case, it seemed to work in this spot. ¡ºAllen: I killed¡­ a demon¡­ My spirit hurts¡­ Can¡¯t cast.¡» ¡ºPale man: You must have been cursed.¡» Cursed? Shit¡­ I had forgotten about dying mage curses. ¡ºAllen: Fucking¡­ purple-robed¡­ old demon geezer¡­ I shoved his¡­ metal staff¡­ down his throat¡­¡» My body was mostly healed, but I had nothing to treat my mana body. It was hard to think. ¡ºPale man: What did you just say?¡» Asked the pal man suddenly curious. ¡ºAllen: I shoved his¡­ metal staff¡­ down his throat¡­¡» I repeated. ¡ºPale man: Sorry¡­ Are you talking about an aged blue-skinned demon? Purple and black robe? A shiny metal staff?¡» He asked with sudden urgency. The description matched. He had seen him then? Was there a chance they had fought anywhere close?! ¡ºAllen: Yeah¡­ That one. Was he close-¡» ¡ºPale man: You?!¡» He said speechless, interrupting me. ¡ºPale man: You killed the Demon Lord?!¡» I stared at nothing, blinking confusedly. What? WHAT?! Demon Lord?! Is this a bad joke? ¡ºPale man: What about the Grand Vizier?! He was covering his retreat! We were so close, if only he hadn¡¯t summoned that abomination¡­¡» ¡ºAllen: Who-¡» Footsteps caught my attention. I twisted my neck in the direction, suddenly alarmed. Another light was approaching from the distance. ¡ºAllen: Shit! I think he may¡­ be getting here.¡» ¡ºPale man: ¡­¡» I tried standing, but my legs buckled down. Another wave of spiritual pain hit me. My hand slipped over a puddle of blood that had leaked from the fucking Demon Lord. The noise echoed across the passage. Shit! I gotta move! I thought, but my body wasn¡¯t responding. ¡ºPale man: Soldier, the Kingdom will honor your sacrifice.¡» A flash of anger welled up in me. ¡ºAllen: Sacrifice my ass! GET ME OUT OF HERE!¡» I knew it was pointless. I just wanted to vent out. I understood¡­ these passages lead all the way up to the throne room. My hope had been ephemeral. I never really had a chance to rejoin the group. I crawled away from the approaching light, but the demon had heard me and was approaching quickly. Just when I finally managed to stand up straight, a telekinetic force lifted me up in the air. My attempts to struggle proved vain. The curse was wreaking havoc on my spirit body, so I couldn¡¯t even spray some anti-magic to free myself. I was utterly fucked. The magical force held me in a T pose, slowly rotating me to face the new arrival. An older demon, but healthy. Not covered in wounds and ready to cross over. There was no dealing with this one. I was also out of potions. The Grand Vizier spoke foreign words I didn¡¯t understand, then he cast a look at the dead Demon Lord and stared back at me with anger. ¡¸Vizier: How could¡­ a mere human?¡¹ Oh whatever, I don¡¯t give a fuck anymore. ¡¸Allen: He basically¡­ killed himself.¡¹ Come on, kill me, you piece of shit! Instead, the demon kept me floating mid-air, while he inspected the corpse, all the while whispering inaudible words. Another wave of pain wracked my spiritual body. ¡¸Allen: AaaAAGH!¡¹ I twitched, cold sweat covering my skin. I gritted my teeth. But this time, it was just too much, and I was too tired, and hurting, and spent. I welcomed the blackness enveloping me. A voice pierced my blackness. Sinister maniacal laughter echoed across all corners of my being. It stopped. ¡°How ironic,¡± the voice said in a wicked tone. ¡°To think all I had to do was simply wait!¡± The voice exploded in another laugh. ¡°That you¡­ Would deliver yourself to me in such a manner!¡± It said with devious glee. An amused silence echoed just as loud. ¡°You will serve me¡­¡± promised ExFeras, the Dark God of Nightmare. The blackness swallowed me again. Glossary (Arc 1) Hi everyone, I¡¯m Ellin! I¡¯m writing this glossary because Allen said it would be helpful to anyone reading our story. Or maybe he forgot something and he doesn¡¯t want to admit it¡­ Sometimes he chooses the most contrived way to reach a goal. But anyway, here we go!

The World

Our world is called Gaia. A planet full of wonders, with a white moon and a long history of many a legend. I wanted to tell more about its story, but Allen said I should keep things short, so I¡¯ll restrict myself to the current era.

Age of Restoration

The Age of Restoration is the current era in which we live in. It was established after the Eight Heroes of Light¡ªchosen from the three races of humans, Elves, Dwarves, and the Light Gods¡ªfought together to bring balance back to a ruined world.

Calendar and time

8 days make a week. 6 weeks to a month, except for Niveroth, the last month, which is shorter with only 37 or 38 days.. 8 months to a year. Usually, a year has 373 days, except during leap years where we have one extra day and happen once every 8 years. The last week of Niveroth is considered The Turning, when winter gives way to spring and another cycle begins. 28 Breaths make a Respite 42 Respites make a Repose. 25 Reposes make a Day. Month names (named to reminisce the 8 Heroes): 1 Alderath 2 Malkadreth 3 Eraikrath 4 Lumarith 5 Saldareth 6 Rixoruth 7 Zalmerith 8 Niveroth

Turning

Ancient tradition that dates back to many millennia ago. A lot was lost during the Dark Age, except this tradition of celebrating the transition from winter to summer. A new cycle. A new hope. A new Turning.

Demon Wars

An event occurring since the Age of Restoration. For reasons now lost to us, the demons have waged war once every century against humans and all those who sided with them.

Dream of the Three Kingdom

Before the last Demon War, Humans, Dwarves, and Elves had forged a powerful alliance. Born of shared hardships and hope for the future. Our bond had been strong, so much that we had founded the Astaril kingdom on the very premise of having the three races living together by having each capital close by. But it was not to be so¡­ Our very hearts were attacked with unheard atrocity. So much that in the end, the other races regretted joining forces with us. We lost more than just lives in the last battle. We lost the bonds we had worked so hard to build during the centuries. Because we rebuilt and replenished our numbers so quickly, our longer-lived but less fertile allies grew distanced from us. Fighting alongside us had proven such high a cost that even after a century they have yet to regain their former power.

Gods

Major Light Gods

AnAn, The First Spirit, God of Existence. Also known as The Sleeping God. There are no records of anyone succeeding in communicating with it. AnAlher, Elven Goddess of Nature. Doesn¡¯t like Allen for some reason. AnHelm, Spirit God of Virtue, also known as the Silent God because he communicates through emotion instead of words. The God I chose to worship, just like Father. AnDareth, Dwarven God of Crafting. AnTarran, Human God of Martial Mastery. Said to dislike mages.

Major Dark Gods

ExFeras, Demon God of Nightmares. He¡¯s taken a dangerous interest in Allen. What might he be plotting? EsArix, Demon Goddess of Pain and Pleasure. EsUlmar, Elven God of Pride. ExDriel, Spirit God of Envy.

Friends

Ellinoria ¡°Ellin¡± Val Arinn

That¡¯s me! I¡¯m a young noble lady. I decided to become a healer mage after witnessing Edward¡¯s sister¡¯s death at the Arcane Academy due to an unfortunate accident. I wish my father had been there with us, he could¡¯ve saved her.

Edward Val Ferdias

My childhood friend, who chose the path of swordsmanship after the trauma of his sister¡¯s death. He was recently involved in a kidnapping attempt, thankfully we were there for him. After that, he put serious effort into his skills and is catching up to Namrick. Go Ed!

Inspector Kiras (Sigard Val Arinn)

My uncle, who cast away his name to serve the kingdom as an Inspector, one of the men who investigate magical crimes. He¡¯s always there for me when I need him. I only wish I could casually talk to him in public, but he says it¡¯s dangerous.

Namrick, son of Bralick

A young adventurer, and the only one to help me in my first days as one. I don¡¯t know where would I be now if I hadn¡¯t met him. A friend to whom I can trust my life to. He¡¯s currently being taught by the former Royal Sword!

Grastel, son of Harden

A former thief turned adventurer. He lost his father¡ªa soldier¡ªat a young age and later his mother, causing him to endure hardships to survive. Namrick and I met him when he tried to steal our equipment, but we quickly realized he was a good person, so we helped him clear his name and let him join us in our adventures.

Erne

A farmer who welcomed Allen when he first came to this world. I never met him but Allen said he had two older sons, besides Lena.

Berel

Erne¡¯s wife, who brought Allen to Valarest, where we first met. She was a good person.

Lena, daughter of Erne

Erne¡¯s and Berel¡¯s daughter. The youngest of the three and the only one that survived the goblin¡¯s attack. I wish I could have done more for her.

Corgas

The owner of a formerly failing tavern. Allen taught him the secrets of pizza and he¡¯s now the owner of two successful restaurants. He used to be bad at cooking.

Elaida

Berel¡¯s younger sister. She¡¯s working as a head chef at Corgas¡¯ second restaurant. She proved a talented cook and sometimes lets me taste new tasty morsels!

Allen Smith

The man from another world. He appears to attract the attention of powerful figures. He¡¯s¡­ quirky. His face and words don¡¯t always match with what he¡¯s doing, and sometimes he spaces out and doesn¡¯t pay attention, but he proved to be a reliable friend. ¡ªAllen: Of course, only the best for my friends. Why are you writing in my glossary? And why can¡¯t I delete your text?! ¡ªAllen: Heh, I¡¯m the one who programmed this thing. Anyway adding personal opinions to a glossary is not very professional. This is my glossary, get out!

Yusdrolir Ironguard

A seasoned dwarven adventurer with more than half a century under his belt. Our last addition to our adventurer party. He¡¯s addicted to alcohol and has a bad habit to get himself into trouble, but he¡¯s getting better. I think.

Amadeus Verokrat

Teacher of spatial magic at the Academy. Allen suspects he might be a friend of Vallachio.

People

Amy

Allen''s childhood friend. I saw her in Allen''s dreams. He says it''s just an old memory and won''t tell me more.

Ahnelm Medritch

Teacher of temperature manipulation. My friends at the Academy call him Angry-face. Not to be confused with AnHelm, the Spirit of Virtue, which I worship. ¡ªAllen: I bet he looks so angry because he was bullied as a kid.

Bart

A sarcastic but good-natured military enchanter with commoner background. Expert at spiritual displacement and spiritual energy manipulation.

Ferdinand-or-something

A mage Allen met during both months of military training, first under Malkohm and then again under Vallachio. Allen says he¡¯ll remember the name when he meets him again. Apparently, the only mage who had befriended Allen during the journey, since he couldn¡¯t even remember the face of the others. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.¡ªAllen: In my defense, we spent most of our time with helmets on.

Grohm Khalkear

One of the best enchanters on this continent. Allen says he¡¯s teaching him stuff, but I think it¡¯s the other way around. ¡ªAllen: Just ask him yourself if you don¡¯t believe me I was waiting for you to introduce me, but you never did! How am I supposed to approach him, when I don¡¯t follow his lectures, and he doesn¡¯t accept visitors?!

Jalatine Val Kordaste

A kind mage that teaches illusionary magic at the Academy.

Lopu Gredannis

An aged teacher of Alchemy at the Academy.

Malkohm

A drill sergeant from the Astaril army. Taught the basics of the military doctrine to Allen and the other fresh recruits.

Pale man

An archmage that joined the suicide attack against the Demon Lord. I think I know who he is, but Allen doesn''t want me to say it as a "punishment" for rude people who don''t introduce themselves.

Vallachio Restgart

A renowned figure known both as an Archmage and a teacher at the Academy. He is famous for being an unconventional mage who focuses on defense and raw strength. According to my mother, he¡¯s been around for almost two centuries, and is famed as the strongest human who has never lost a duel! ¡ªAllen: After having seen him in action, I believe it.

Vargas

A merchant who hired us in one of our quests. He has short black hair, a long oiled mustache, and an impressive belly. Loves talking about food.

Vezlaz

A dwarven military enchanter. A rarity. Usually, other races don¡¯t join the Astaril kingdom¡¯s army, or at least so it has been in the last century.

Violet Val Mariannet

Archmage and teacher at the Academy. She¡¯s also known as the Ice Queen, but no ones dares call her out by that nickname. Thanks to her intercession, Allen was granted several benefits. And obligations, too. Violet is also known as the youngest Archmage of this generation. ¡ªAllen: Violet is the best!

Klenn Val Bennet

A nobleman enchanter focused on attack magic. Allen says he¡¯s insufferable but knowledgeable. I wonder if Allen purposefully antagonized him like Lord Radenrouge. ¡ªAllen: Why would you think that? Klenn is a prick through and though! Stop meddling with my summary! You said I¡¯d have creative freedom! ¡ªAllen: And I¡¯m gonna punch Radenrouge in the face one day. Please no, we don¡¯t want to see you beheaded.

Radenrouge Val Haydon

The noble who stole Allen¡¯s pizza recipe and spread it to the nobility without giving Allen any credit. His family is known to be focused on swordsmanship and holds a negative stance toward mages. ¡ªAllen: He¡¯s a magephobe? Is that why he antagonized me?! What a piece of trash. Can¡¯t you just let me write in peace? ¡ªAllen: No.

Torken

A mysterious man that instigated the failed abduction attempt against Edward. All we know is that he had an aquiline nose, black hair, and a mole just over his right eyebrow. I¡¯m writing it down because it could be important.

Zavir Nedomar

A Grand Master Alchemist, rumored to have weathered through three demon wars. He cured a terrible disease with his potions during the last attack, which earned him public acknowledgment as a Hero of the nation. These days he appears to have a very short memory, according to Allen. ¡ªAllen: Work in progress.

Places

Valarest

Human capital of the Astaril Kingdom, also known as the jewel of the kingdom. Due to its renown and location, it¡¯s a place where all kinds of good and people can be found. It also used to be the human capital of the Three Kingdoms, before it was destroyed and rebuilt from the ashes. Surrounded by plains and forests on the eastern and western sides, mountains on the south, and sea on the north, this city lacks no resource or commodity.

Erne¡¯s village

A small settlement of farmers that had yet to acquire an official name. It was unfortunately razed by the goblins and then abandoned. It used to be inhabited by two dozen people and growing, now it¡¯s just a burnt down ruin.

Danaanlar

Elven ex-capital. Once part of the Astaril Kingdom. Was destroyed in the previous Demon War, leaving only the temple standing where the surviving elves had taken refuge and fought tooth and nail. It is now a small village, slowly being rebuilt to what it once was. ¡ªAllen: Wait, was this the Disappointanlar village we saw last time? I don¡¯t like how you mock their efforts. Danaanlar was once said to be the most beautiful city, where living trees were shaped into houses, and small fairies danced at night in a breathtaking display of colorful lights.

Mitharul

Dwarven ex-capital. Was located inside a mountain but the demons collapsed it during the previous war. Fortunately, its denizen managed to escape through subterranean galleries.

Thar¡¯vel

A dwarven settlement we once visited, focused on mining and metalworking.

Noirdant

Capital of the eastern kingdom, Edanor. A fortified city blocking the passage between two mountains to the north-eastern part of the continent. Has been overrun by demonic armies.

Obsidian Citadel

The capital of the Demon race, built with obsidian and surrounded by lava and fearsome creatures. The Obsidian Palace is the seat of power of the Demon Lord. I still can¡¯t believe Allen finished him off. ¡ªAllen: This is not even the first time I land the finishing blow on a boss. Or should I say he killed himself with his magic staff?

Races

Humans

Across the main races, they are the ones who are born with the lowest magic potential. However, due to their short lives and fertility have been able to overcome many challenges across the ages. With effort and training, they too can attain power and lifespans to rival the other races.

Elves

Long-lived humanoids, similar to humans but with longer ears and innate magical potential. They can spellweave, and have great eyesight and can see well at night. Elven culture is heavily bound to their traditions. Even the weakest elf still reaches the Second Step during their growth.

Dwarves

Shorter but wider humanoids. They have an innate capability for working and shaping stones and metals. They have a good sense of smell which they need to move through dimly lit galleries and detect dangers. Dwarves naturally become Awakened during puberty.

Demons

Evil humanoids with black sclera, yellow-slitted irises, horns, and skin colors ranging from blue, to grey, to red. They¡¯ve been waging a worldwide war every century since the Age of Restoration.

Fae

The most mysterious of the main races, the spirits of Nature. Only the smaller spirits have been seen, playing tricks on unwary vagrants or luring them into traps. The higher Fae and their rulers haven¡¯t shown themselves for so long that no one remembers if they ever existed, however, only fools would dare set foot into their domains. Many have never returned from the cursed forests believed to be Fae domain.

Creatures and monsters

Fire lizards

Lizards who swim in lava, their skin is covered with a layer of lava. When they die, the lava layer cools off turning intto solid stone.

Elementals

They are spirits born from elemental forces, like fire, earth, wind, and water. Sand elementals are a cross between wind and earth.

Hellhounds

Giant dogs that spit and breath fire. Best to avoid confronting them in packs.

Goblin

Small green quick-witted creatures with an innate hatred for other humanoids. Live in communities and can craft tools and weapons. The individual goblin is not much of a threat to the average human, but because they usually move in groups one should always be careful. Some of them imbue their weapons with poisonous substances.

Verklings

Lankier and less intelligent cousins of goblins.

Nightmares

Nightmare and fear made physical. They can shift into black smoke and can paralyze their victims by using their own fears against them. I saw one, it was scary.

Painwroughts

Beings whose minds and bodies have been corrupted to the will of EsArix, the dark Goddess of Pain and Pleasure. They¡¯re said to be thrice as strong and that nothing can dissuade them from their task, except death.

Magic and Techniques

Mana

Mana is the source of all magic and the lifeblood of spirits. There are several types of mana: Primal mana: pure mana, can be the result of decay from higher forms of mana. Anyone and any spirit can directly consume this kind of mana as easily as we drink water. Elemental mana: created by elemental forces. It feeds and spawns elemental spirits, and is a factor in magics that evoke elemental effects. Breathing this kind of mana is possible but requires more time to metabolize it. Aspected mana: generated by emotions and concepts. Is sustenance for spirits aligned to that same Aspect. Signed mana: generated by a living being. Has a specific magical signature that makes it harder to assimilate for others with different signatures. ¡ªAllen: Let¡¯s leave out some details and the last type, for now. Mana can be poisonous too depending on the situation. People with weak spirits may get mana poisoned, like mana-dead people who had their spirits crippled or sundered. Mana poisoning can be easily spotted by darkened veins, and to the worst of cases, Mana Rot.

Schools of magic

Spiritual binding: the class of magic involved in creating spell triggers, magical oaths, curses, servitors, and so on. Spiritual interference: magics involved in interfering with someone¡¯s spirit. Telepathy, emotion projection, etc. Spiritual energy manipulation: manipulation of magical energies, like draining mana from someone, the environment, and the opposite. Spiritual displacement: the class of magic involved in creating magical shields, fields. Involves the act of shaping and positioning mana. Spiritual manifestation: manifesting physical effects through mana. Telekinesis, illusions, gravity, etc. Matter energy manipulation: the manipulation of temperature. Matter displacement: the class of magic that allows teleporting, gates, and aggregating matter from the proximity. Matter transmutation: the act of changing the physical properties of a substance, transmuting it into something else, and also healing. ¡ªAllen: These classifications don¡¯t convince me. This is what we¡¯ve been taught. And stop meddling with my notes!

The Twelve Steps

When a living being reaches the First Step, they are considered Awakened. Their spirit and body become aligned, filled to the brim with magical energy which wakens the spirit granting the awakened increased clarity. A certain miser, who failed to notice this paragraph I added sneakily, once rented an unawakened horse, despite the stableman declaring it unfit for adventurers, because it was ¡°way cheaper¡±. We ended up doubling back to change it with a proper one. The First step is also known as the first wall for Humans, who, unlike Dwarves and Elves, have to train in order to reach and surpass it. The Fourth, Eighth, and Eleventh Steps are special in that reaching them grants a noticeable jump to casting range, lifespan, and magical capabilities. No man in the last centuries has walked past the Eight Step, and to reach the Twelfth Step would mean to ascend to Godhood. Reaching each wall is easier than getting past them, and if the First step is a wall, the Fourth is a dam, the Eight is a mountain, and the Twelfth is the sky. The number of Steps is directly related to how much mana one is holding within themselves, which means that consuming enough mana can make a mage walk down a Step, or several. One should always be careful about how they dance between the Steps, for a misstep could prove deadly. ¡ªAllen: I deleted the rest, we don¡¯t want to scare our readers with walls of text Not busy enough to find the time to ¡°revise¡± my work. ¡ªAllen: I always spare some time for my friends :))) ¡ªAllen: By the way, I found my belongings that you had hidden as a prank¡­ along with you-know-what. Give it back! NOW!

Mages

Mages are those who learn to directly harness the power of mana, making the impossible possible. Scholars argue that the direct manipulation of mana may be less efficient than what technique users do, but the added potential far outweighs the drawbacks.

Technique users

Also known as "martial artists". Those who indirectly harness magical power. They use different terminology and claim that their way to tap into the inner strength, called Vod, is the natural and more efficient way. ¡ªAllen: Why not both? It¡¯s widely known that you can¡¯t do both without stunting your growth. ¡ªAllen: But Vallachio taught me how to magically harden my body parts subconsciously. Doesn¡¯t that sound like a ¡°technique¡±? Won¡¯t it stunt me? I¡¯m sure Archmage Vallachio knows what he¡¯s doing. ¡ªAllen: I¡¯m starting to get worried¡­ Good. Now go away! That''s it! Thanks for reading. ¡ªAllen: Alright this is good enough for now. Thank you, Ellin. Ugh, I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ll agree next time. You cut away so many pieces of my hard work! ¡ªAllen: As an apology, I arranged ravioli for dinner, with Elaida''s new special sauce ;) Ravioli? Hmm, my forgiveness shall be proportional to the tastiness¡­ Recap Arc 1 In the previous episodes... Allen, a cynical jaded corporate wageslave programmer, gets isekaied in a fantasy world by the Creator. Unfortunately it''s the realistic kind of fantasy world. No skills, no cheats, no nothing. Without even basic QoL like the ability to understand languages, Allen sets out in the pursuit of magic, and to to use his programming skills to create his own cheats. After being offered a roof by a farmer, Erne, and his family, Allen starts learning the ropes of the language. When the farmer''s wife, Berel, returns from the city to get new produces to sell, Allen is eager to join. And so they arrive at Valarest. In the city Allen tries to be a responsible adult and ends up bleeding on the ground, only to be rescued by a trio of adventurers, Ellin, a healer, Namrick, a swordsman, and Grastel an archer. They make friends. Driven by the desire to learn magic, Allen brings the miracle of Pizza to a failing restaurant, where a depressed man named Corgas was facing his inability to cook meals. Thanks to this new enteprise, Allen gears up and becomes an adventurer, along with the trio, in order to earn the big bucks. The party escorts a merchant along a drunken dwarf, and are attacked by goblins, from which they emerge victorious. Finally Allen can pay the fee to enter the Magic Academy where he starts learning the ropes of magic. Things go well, until news of a goblin attack to the small village where the farmer''s family resides, reaches their ears. Allen and the trio sets out to repel the attack. Unfortunately they come too late to save everyone, when Allen crosses the burning home, the only survivor is Erne''s daughter, Lena. Meanwhile the battle reaches its apex, revealing a powerful demon at the command of goblins. Two archmages, who happen to also be instructors at the Academy, face the demon, who is exploiting the surrouinding incapacitated people to his advantage. Thanks to Allen magical radar, that he built with the recently acquired knowledge, the demon illusionary prowess falls short, resulting in his defeat. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Lena is soon reunited with her aunt, Elaida. Allen repays his debt to the farmer family by helping them back to Valarest. Violet drills Allen with questions about his background, and gives him an offer in exchange of his IT knowledge. Allen accepts. Allen is sent to receive mundane and magical military training, at the end of which he returns back to Valarest to resume his studies and share his knowledge with Groh, an renowned expert in building magical tools. Many things happens. Allen teaches Ellin about lucid dreaming, which was one of the closest thing to magic he could do back in the original world. He ends up insulting the Goddess of Nature. The Demon War breaks out sooner than expected. Violet finds out that Allen came from another world and offers him a deal he can''t refuse, Proxy Magic in return of applying his IT knowledge to develop weapons against the demons. Allen accepts and becomes a military enchanter, in the meanwhile he furthers his training and improves his magic ring, he reinvents the metric system starting from his height in order to have proper measurements for the difficult alchemical potion. Unfortunately despite it''s attempt at avoiding any kind of trouble and bore our readers, trouble has come to find him. Forces aligned to the God of Nightmare and his fellow demons entered the city hiding among the refugees from Noirdant. Causing unrest within the city with peculiar murders. Allen and the trio emerge triumphant against the Bodystealer, a demon spirit capable of possessing even strong mages. The military enchanters, thanks to Allen, manage to buid a Power Armor prototype to use in battle. Allen is eager to try it, but Klein, a insufferable noble enchanter genius is set to steal the show. When the chance happens to test for real, however, Klenn chickens out, letting Allen to finally take the reins with the test. Unbeknownst to Allen, the ones who organized the test did so in a rush job, to mount a desperate attack against the Demon Lord, because the chance presented itself and there was no time for proper planning. It turns out Allen is attuned to Fear, and it fuels him and the armor to his advantage. Unfortunately due to an act of sabotage, Allen is forced to lose the Magic Armor, which self-destructs. Lost in the mazes of obsidian, Allen somehow ends up assisting a half-dead Demon Lord, who is still far stronger than Allen, into finishing himself via his own magical staff. Allen, crippled by the last-second curse casted by the demon, is then found by the Grand Vizier and captured. Chapter 96: A beautiful day The sun was shining brightly from the ornate windows. It was a beautiful day. A relief for my aching back. And a bigger relief to all of Humanity. The Demon Lord had been defeated! Blackfist¡¯s operation had bore fruit despite my impression of the contrary. May his soul return to the Great Flow. That accursed demon had never set foot on the battlefield, unlike his predecessors, and yet he had proved himself to be the most devious and talented foe Humanity had ever faced. Poisoning wells or food, striking at the moment of weakness, corrupting key figures, allying with our foes¡­ No lowness had been beneath him. The spirits themselves had been quite excited about the news. There had been no chance of keeping the death of such a pivotal figure under wraps. In just two days, the ones who communed with spirits had confirmed the rumor. What had looked like an uncertain failure turned out to be a great success. This fortuitous event was cause for celebration. Unfortunately, today my mind was too overwhelmed by dark thoughts to rejoice. I¡¯m done for, I thought. ¡°Why so gloomy, Amadeus?¡± Asked Jalatine, reading my expression. ¡°Aren¡¯t you happy that Demon Lord Iktarioss passed away?¡± The Illusion magic instructor peered at me, raising her eyebrows in askance. I returned my attention to the teacher¡¯s meeting I was attending¡ªin body but not in spirit. Everyone was too busy gossiping to talk about real work, anyway. How long before Violet came back? Maybe I had still time to hide somewhere. I cast a quick glance at the door to the corridor. I just needed to find an excuse. ¡°I am, but¡­¡± I cleared my throat. ¡°I¡­ learned that I¡¯ve sent one of our promising students to their death,¡± I revealed with gloom in my voice. That drew a few stares in my direction. Why did it have to be him? I had even given him warning to be careful! Why does nobody ever listens to warnings from more experienced mages with centuries under their belt. ¡°Anyways, isn¡¯t it concerning that Demons haven¡¯t deployed their abominations yet?¡± I added, to change the topic. ¡°And the timing¡­ it¡¯s like something forced their hand to attack before they were ready.¡± ¡°One of our students?¡± Jalatine inquired, furrowing her eyebrows. ¡°Who were they?¡± Alas, I had failed to change topic. I let out a heavy sigh. ¡°Allen¡­ Smith,¡± I said, recalling the man with light-brown hair and his deceptively serene expression. ¡°Ah! That guy!¡± The Healing instructor exclaimed, slapping a palm on the oaken table, a scowl stamped on his face. ¡°A raving lunatic! Remember? The one who broke his own finger without batting an eyelid, just to ask me a practical demonstration?¡± He shook his head. " I shouldn¡¯t have mentioned how it was easier to learn magical bone-setting by experiencing it oneself¡­" He grimaced, remembering something unpleasant. ¡°He also had unnecessary opinions about first aid procedures. A disruptive presence.¡± I stared at him for a moment. I hadn¡¯t heard about the bone-breaking gossip yet. But I wasn¡¯t surprised. My friend Vallachio had a tendency to favor talented yet abnormal students. But it wasn¡¯t Vallachio¡¯s reaction I was concerned about¡­ This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Allen? I remember that one,¡± Jalatine said. ¡°He made quite a realistic impression of Vallachio during the illusory exam. Even with proper application of light absorption. How regrettable, he seemed promising¡­ How did he die, Amadeus?¡± Everyone¡¯s gazes were boring a hole on me. I swallowed uncomfortably. I never liked being at the center of attention. ¡°Well,¡± I said fishing for words. ¡°He was part of the support unit that joined the Black Guard in the attack two days ago. He wasn¡¯t among the survivors when I reopened the portal. I know nothing more.¡± Silence ensued. ¡°I heard from the Alchemist Guild that he had recently started an apprenticeship with Old Zavir,¡± said Lopu, the alchemy teacher. ¡°Wasn¡¯t he also the one working with Grohm? Did anyone tell him?¡± Lopu looked left and right in askance. A that someone cleared his throat to catch our attention. ¡°Oh, I think he heard alright,¡± Ahnelm intervened. ¡°I heard Grohm yelling from across the corridor¡­ something like ¡®What do you mean he¡¯s gone?!¡¯. I doubt he was complaining about the Demon Lord¡¯s death.¡± The angry-faced mage of fire and ice scratched, his beard. ¡°He¡¯s been locked inside his office ever since, and canceled all of his lectures.¡± Grohm Khalkear, the renowned enchanter. Being an illustrious guest and temporary teacher, he wasn¡¯t required to attend these meetings. ¡°I still don¡¯t understand what the deal is with Student Allen,¡± Ahnelm wondered. ¡°How did he catch the fancy of Vallachio and Violet so quickly while having barely walked beyond the first Step? And I¡¯ve seen him frequently walking in and out of Grohm¡¯s office¡­¡± ¡°Perhaps he¡¯s privy to some secret knowledge¡­¡± Jalatine shot me a look. ¡°Amadeus, you say you didn¡¯t see him coming back,¡± She said, then looked away with a troubled expression. ¡°Please tell me we didn¡¯t consign someone with dangerous knowledge in the hands of Demons.¡± My eyes grew wider. I had been so preoccupied about the other trouble, that I hadn¡¯t even considered he could¡¯ve been captured alive. But what were the chances? Very slim, given how many had returned from that incursion. ¡°Are we talking about the student who had been granted the special dispensation?¡± Someone asked out loud. ¡°Ah! The loner student who doesn¡¯t mingle with the others?¡± ¡°I know him! The suspicious foreigner! Who would believe he¡¯s learning magic for the first time at his age? I bet he¡¯s a spy.¡± ¡°First time? I thought he was merely obtaining the certifications to advance his studies.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t he a Reincarnator?¡± ¡°His power and talents were lacking at that age, but he was a quick learn.¡± I lowered my gaze to my fretful hands and tuned out the chatter. Violet was going to find out I had sent her latest toy to the slaughter. And perhaps a toy with dangerous knowledge to boot! Demons had ways to extract secrets from even the tightest lips. Whether he was dead, or alive, my prospects looked rather grim. I should have refused to send him off. As I would have done had I known what Blackfist was planning! But nobody ever tells me anything! I scowled to myself, once again oblivious to my surroundings. Perhaps she would be reasonable and understanding¡­ ¡°By the way, what happened to Violet¡¯s office?¡± Ahnelm asked. ¡°I saw nothing amiss when I left yesterday, but I passed by this morning and there was a hole in the wall being inspected for repairs.¡± My head shot up at that. She had already arrived. She had already found out. I felt my heart sinking. I stood up. My instinct of self-preservation was telling me I had to leave, now! ¡°I, ah¡­¡± I muttered. ¡°Have to check on something¡­ urgently,¡± I said, hastily excusing myself and heading toward the doors. The doors blew open all of a sudden. A woman with black hair in a bob cut walked in without knocking. My old weary heart skipped another beat. There she was. Violet Val Mariannet. She instantly fixed her pale blue eyes on mine. I could but stare back with my mouth agape, unable to move. It¡¯s over. An endless breath passed as we both remained frozen in that stare. ¡°U-Uhm¡­¡± I said at last, breaking the silence and pointing at my right cheek. ¡°You have something¡­ on your cheek?¡± It looked like¡­ blood? She froze the smear, brushed it away, and incinerated the residuals mid-air. All in one swift motion. ¡°Amadeus,¡± She said with a voice colder than usual. ¡°With me.¡± Before I could complain, her hand clamped on my arm and she dragged me away. Everyone in the room stared at us in silence as we left the room. This was not how I had pictured my retirement. Chapter 97: A not so beautiful day after all Violet pushed me into the waiting carriage and sat in front of me. ¡°Go,¡± Violet ordered to the coachman, without looking away from me. Her gaze was intense. The silence stretched out, yet her eyes didn¡¯t blink. ¡°So¡­ what is this abo-¡± I started asking. She interrupted me. ¡°I think you know what this is about.¡± It probably wasn¡¯t about my little trips. I had been careful at opening the portals only during other official commissions. And more importantly, not getting stuck elsewhere with no means of return, since the Kingdom had dispatched mages to disrupt the opening of portals within our territories. Yes, I knew, of course. This was about Allen Smith. This was too much excitement for an old man. I hadn¡¯t experienced such dread since my past adventures with Vallachio. Funny how I had aged so quickly in comparison. Must have been all the dread I endured. ¡°Am I going to be executed, then?¡± I asked at last, resignation in my voice. She didn¡¯t answer but the air grew colder. I closed my eyes and waited. Violet sighed. ¡°This is no time for your jokes, Amadeus,¡± She said tersely. ¡°It is necessary to rectify that mistake.¡± Of course, I knew I wasn¡¯t going to be executed. The fact that she hadn¡¯t taken measures to disable my magic, meant there was another purpose for dragging me along. She knew well what I was capable of, after all. I may be only versed in one type of magic, and well past my prime, but when it comes to spatial magic, I¡¯m peerless. The kingdom couldn¡¯t afford losing me, yet. What more, my suspicions had been right. For whatever reason, Student Allen had caught the eyes of the two Archmages. I knew something was up when Vallachio mentioned having found an interesting student. The very same he had brought to that stunt at the Fire Lizard Den. I remembered it clearly. I wonder how many participants had been aware that the purpose of that group had been to prune incompetent noble firstborns as a sink or swim last measure. The battlefield was the place that would reveal a man¡¯s¡ªor woman¡¯s¡ªtrue character. Weakness was not an option in these times of strife. And yet¡ªagainst all expectations¡ªVallachio had returned with only one casualty, and not one of the survivors could be considered a liability. To most his methods may appear inane, but having experienced them firsthand, I had to side with Vallachio. Learning magic in life-and-death situations was magnitudes more effective than within the safe walls of the Academy. I could vouch for the effectiveness. It was in life or death situations that the spirit became more receptive to learning, more awake. An undeniable truth dismissed for safety and comfort during every cycle. I¡¯m always surprised how quickly people forget. The carriage stopped, as did my wandering thoughts. ¡°Follow me,¡± ordered Violet, opening the door. A quick look around revealed me we had arrived in front of the royal castle¡¯s gates. The guards made no move to stop us, or inquire about our credentials. The perks of having an archmage at your side. We crossed the gates and entered the palace, Violet steered me toward some utility corridor. Stark stone with no decor. Then we climbed down several flights of stairs, to my chagrin. Halfway through, Violet, annoyed by my decreasing speed, lifted me in the air with telekinesis, and so we continued down until we reached a small obsidian room. Someone was already inside. It was the Archmage of Forbidden Knowledge, whose head was resting on a round table in the middle of the obsidian chamber. He lazily rolled his face in our direction. He looked haggard but a little better than last time I had seen him, all battered and covered in blood. I had entered obsidian chambers before, but never the royal one. The novelty made me anxious. This was a place were crucial matters were discussed. ¡°My goodness,¡± He said with a pained voice. ¡°Why did you call me here? I¡¯m still recovering from the ordeal, you know? What happened to finding whoever had sabotaged the magical armor?¡± ¡°Summarily executed for treason,¡± Violet stated without further exposition. ¡°On the spot.¡± Sabotaged armor? I was not sure what they were talking about. Could they be talking about the big magical armor I saw walk into the portal? ¡°Oh? That fast! I¡¯m sure the the Institute of Magical Regulation will be thankful for not having to deal with the paperwork,¡± He said with an hint of sarcasm. ¡°But why are the three of us here?¡± He said, shooting me an accusatory glance. I wanted to know as well. Violet stared at him in silence, then turned to close the door behind her and enabled the magical mechanism to discourage eavesdroppers. We were enveloped by a noise-canceling magical shield. I took seat one of the empty ornate chairs. All those stairs had played a number on my poor back. Alas, teleporting within the royal palace would have been bad etiquette, beside a punishable offense. Violet sat down last, her back to the door. ¡°What we discuss here won¡¯t leave this room,¡± She warned. I nodded, while the Forbidden grunted. ¡°Allen Smith,¡± she said. ¡°We need to retrieve him.¡± ¡°Impossible,¡± The Forbidden shot back, pushing himself upright. ¡°There¡¯s no way he survived. He reported suffering a curse from finishing off the Demon Lord, and wherever the Demon Lord was, the Grand Vizier was close behind. The linked spatial communication ring was confirmed to have been destroyed soon after,¡± The archmage paused for a moment. ¡°He¡¯s gone.¡± My eyes went wide. I heard something absurd. That guy, finished off the Demon Lord? How? But I kept the questions to myself. ¡°You don¡¯t understand. We cannot afford the chance of the God of Nightmare turning him to his side.¡± Violet stressed. Her hands were clenched so hard I could see the knuckles going white. ¡°Speaking of which,¡± The Forbidden said. ¡°What were you waiting to inform us that we had a potential Chosen One with extreme compatibility to the Aspect of Fear right under our nose?!¡± That made me raise my eyebrows. Or perhaps they were already raised from all the preceding revelations. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Divulging that information was deemed unwise,¡± She replied coldly. ¡°Measures were being taken to prevent the Dark God from corrupting his mind.¡± She lifted her chin in confrontation. ¡°Well, look how well that turned out! Blackfist and I could have called better shots during our operation, had we been aware,¡± He retorted, his voice rising angrily. ¡°That secret put our lives in jeopardy. His presence amplified fear-aspected magic even beyond our countermeasures!¡± ¡°I never authorized for him to be used in your stunt,¡± Violet said with apparent calm, but the air got colder. ¡°Neither did you inform me of your plan.¡± The Forbidden scowled without replying, his eyes becoming small fissures. I felt the magical energies vibrate in the ether. I felt terribly uncomfortable and out of place watching these two argue. Then Violet unclenched her fists, taking a deep breath. ¡°Nothing will come of arguing,¡± She inched back on her seat. ¡°You must be aware of the Shattering of Prophecies,¡± Violet said. ¡°Of course,¡± The other archmage replied. ¡°There was quite the talks back then. As if a powerful seer or fateweaver had upturned the strings of fate worldwide¡­ perhaps even a God.¡± ¡°Perhaps even a being beyond Gods, but that¡¯s irrelevant,¡± She said. ¡°What you don¡¯t know, is that it resulted in a new prophecy, with two possible outcomes. In short, with Allen Smith on our side we have a chance to end the Dark God Feras. Forever.¡± The Forbidden blinked, momentarily at a loss for words. ¡°How?¡± He asked. ¡°Are you perhaps thinking of having him uproot the God of Nightmare from his seat? That¡¯s ludicrous!¡± ¡°The how is uncertain,¡± She admitted. ¡°All we know is that he must not side with the Dark God or else¡­¡± ¡°Let me guess,¡± grunted the other archmage, waving his fingers. ¡°Bad things?¡± ¡°The worst outcome¡­ A new Dark Age.¡± He tensed. I looked from Violet to the Forbidden, completely at loss. I¡¯m not supposed to hear this. Why am I even here?! Prophecies were bad news. I stole a glance at the exit, wishing I could open a gate somewhere remote and take a well-earned vacation. The door, as the walls, was lined with oppressive black obsidian. The Forbidden grimaced. ¡°Such an important prophecy, and I had not been made aware of it.¡± Accusation heavy in his tone. ¡°Amadeus,¡± Violet called, startling me. ¡°What are our options for approaching the Obsidian Citadel?¡± Approaching the Obsidian Citadel?! The way she was staring at me told me she was completely serious. ¡°I uhm¡­¡± I cleared my throat. ¡°We don¡¯t have options. The Obsidian Citadel is unapproachable from the outside, both physically and magically.¡± I wasn¡¯t privy to Blackfist¡¯s plan, but if they got inside the demon¡¯s palace, then they must have exploited a portal that had been opened from the inside. Just like us, demons were preventing large scale spatial magic from working near sensitive locations. ¡°What¡¯s the closest we can get?¡± She asked. ¡°I don¡¯t have any unblocked location marked in the proximity. And even if I had, it wouldn¡¯t solve the problem of entering the citadel. By water, land, or air, no one has ever made it as far as the walls.¡± I never went to see myself, but it was common knowledge that the Obsidian Citadel was surrounded by deadly monsters, without even accounting for the insurmountable defenses. It was diminutive to say that Blackfist¡¯s men had been extremely lucky to secure an open portal, let alone keeping it open long enough to escape. There was no chance in Gaia that the Demons would allow another such misstep. ¡°What if we attacked at night? I could fly you both inside,¡± Violet suggested. ¡°The Forbidden could conjure a distraction, and Amadeus could open a gate back to safety.¡± The Forbidden and I exchanged looks. ¡°Violet,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m too old for this sort of action,¡± I was confident in my abilities and defending myself, but my best years were long past gone. ¡°That¡¯s just plain suicide. We don¡¯t even know where he may be kept, or if he¡¯s even alive, and no doubt the Demons have reinforced their inner defenses since our incursion,¡± The Forbidden pointed out. ¡°Besides, do I look in any condition to do anything?¡± He pointed a finger to his pale complexion and tired bloodshot eyes. ¡°I¡¯d need another five days to be able to fight, and a full week to recover my full power.¡± Violet waited, perhaps expecting us to venture suggestions. ¡°We can¡¯t just let the Demons use the prophecy against us,¡± Violet stressed, tapping a slender finger on the table. ¡°Our best are elsewhere, engaged in the war. The only ones with the power to change this fate are inside this room.¡± It was then that it struck me. A prophecy of this scale would be reason enough to start the war early. Violet stared at us in silence. ¡°We can¡¯t afford doing nothing,¡± She said at last. ¡°We already lost two days. It might already be too late.¡± If I didn¡¯t know who these people around me were, I¡¯d presume they were insane. But there was something I had overheard that was gnawing at me. ¡°Keeper of the Forbidden,¡± I interrupted the silence. ¡°You said that ¡®he suffered a curse from finishing off the Demon Lord¡¯, is that correct?¡± He stared at me. ¡°Yes. Your point?¡± ¡°Can I assume a Mana Shock was performed to deprive him of his magics?¡± ¡°Correct. And not just that. We did so, in a concerted effort and at great cost, but he had other cards in his sleeves,¡± He recalled. ¡°Blackfist sacrificed himself to protect me while my mana was depleted¡­ may he return to the Great Flow.¡± ¡°I see,¡± I said. ¡°Then Allen must have met the Demon Lord as he was recovering from Mana Shock¡­¡± That explained why he hadn¡¯t been killed outright. ¡°What are you getting at?¡± Replied annoyed the pale Archmage. ¡°I¡¯m even surprised he managed to cast a spell in that condition.¡± ¡°Nothing, I¡¯m just a little confused that he would spend his last breath casting a curse instead of healing himself.¡± The timing was possible but it felt off, considering the nature of a Demon Lord. A lapse in judgement then? A miscalculation? It was just as the books said, dealing with people involved in prophecies was bad luck. As I was mulling over my thoughts, the door opened suddenly without a sound, due to the sound barrier. Violet, who was sitting with her back to the door, noticed our surprise and turned as well. ¡°I asked not to be interrup-¡­¡± Violet¡¯s complaint went silent as she saw who had intruded. An unfamiliar smiling old woman stepped into the chamber, and calmly walked into the sound-absorbing field. A new face I hadn¡¯t meet before, but the two Archmage appeared to know her. ¡°Happy to see me in your moment of need?¡± She said, before letting out a cackle. ¡°Who-¡± I started asking. ¡°Mistress of Spirits?¡± Violet said with a rare tone of deference in her voice. She stood up and bowed her head. I arched my eyebrows. I had heard about her, one of Astaril¡¯s most prized citizens, the oracle who communed with spirits. Very few knew where she lived or what she even looked like. I stood up as well and bowed my head in respect. ¡°Oracle, I thought you were busy foreseeing the effect of the Demon Lord¡¯s death,¡± The Forbidden said casually. ¡°Did they let you wander off?¡± ¡°What a silly question to ask, boy,¡± She scoffed. ¡°Of course not! But I go where I please, to do what needs be done and see what needs be seen. You know better than to question my methods.¡± ¡°Please, grant us your wisdom,¡± Asked Violet with unusual respectfulness. The Mistress of Spirits sniffed loudly. ¡°The thread we cherish is yet to be severed.¡± She announced, her lined face growing serious. The old woman took a seat beside me. We all sat down again, everyone fixing their gaze upon the Oracle. ¡°In a future I saw a girl¡­ She could speak in dream to the Outsider, but it was too late when she came to us, Violet.¡± She turned a palm up and conjured the illusion of a face, a young girl with blond hair. I remembered her. She was a student at the Academy and had introduced herself as Ellinoria Val Arinn during the announcements of the Turning. She had been quite the talk after the Bodystealer attack. ¡°I know her,¡± Violet said, her eyes narrowing. She seemed about to move but the Oracle raised a finger. ¡°But you won¡¯t find her in the city, my dear,¡± The old woman said. ¡°She was away in a quest.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll find her¡±, Violet promised. ¡°But how does that help us?¡± The Oracle smiled. ¡°Sometimes knowledge that something can be done, is all that¡¯s needed. We need the girl to deliver that knowledge.¡± Violet nodded, and without further ado, sprung into action leaving the room. Leaving me here, among these two important figures I was not accustomed to. Right after that, the oracle winked in my direction, catching my attention. ¡°And you,¡± she said pointing a finger toward me. My heart skipped another beat due to the unexpected event. ¡°When the token is passed on, be strong, for the legacy lives on.¡± Token? Legacy? What did she mean by that? I couldn¡¯t possibly imagine but I already felt my guts twisting with dread. ¡°Wha- What do you mean?¡± I asked confused. Was she foretelling my own demise? But the old lady only smiled mysteriously. I had never received a foretelling before. I was not prepared for this. I¡¯m too old for this¡­ And yet I could not ignore the warning, whatever it meant. ¡°Oracle¡­ I need to know about the prophecy,¡± The Forbidden interrupted, casting a sharp glare in my direction. ¡°Do you mind¡­¡± That was my clue to leave. Unfortunately, my back was of a different opinion. ¡°My back¡­ the stairs¡­¡± I said gravely, feeling drained as I stared toward the exit with hopeless eyes. The Oracle cackled again, only adding to the archmage¡¯s frustration. Funny woman. Had we the time for jokes, though? The situation seemed quite dire. Well, if there¡¯s one thing I learned from Vallachio, is that it¡¯s when things are most dire that we need a laugh the most. Chapter 98: Sweet dreams are made of ravioli I was dreaming. My dreamscape was a sunlit forest. I sat down before the campfire to pray and meditate. I had found that doing so in dreams helped me connect with my God on a deeper level. I felt His presence gracing me, and a feeling of peacefulness permeated my spirit. I did it again! I quelled my excitement to avoid waking from the dream. In waking life, we had been escorting the merchants and were close to our destination. Nothing untoward had happened so far. I had just finished wandering around while astral projecting, where I had taken an excursion to check our surroundings with different eyes, and was now back again inside my dreams. AnHelm shared Encouragement through the connection. I felt grateful. I would never have imagined to be able to directly commune with AnHelm, The Spirit of Virtue! I had yet to tell Namrick and Grastel. Nothing of this would have been possible without Allen. Because I thought of him, Allen walked in from behind the trees, he was holding a dish with steaming ravioli and tomato sauce. I could even smell them. ¡°Your favorite,¡± He said, setting the plate down before me. ¡°Ricotta and herbs with secret tomato sauce.¡± I grabbed a bite, despite knowing it was just a dream. I was a little disappointed it didn¡¯t taste like anything. Perhaps I had to pay more attention to the flavor next time I ate them, so I could bring the memory inside the dream. ¡°I killed the Demon Lord, by the way,¡± Allen said of a sudden. I looked up at his face, he looked completely serious. I scoffed. Allen had warned me that dream characters say the weirdest things. ¡°Sure you did,¡± I responded, a knowing smile forming on my lips. The whole concept was so absurd that I couldn¡¯t help but think it funny. We had a very long road before us before we could even consider challenging an average demon on our own. Even the weakest demon was twice as strong as a human. I took a deep breath and restored my concentration. I didn¡¯t want to summon that monster from that time. Out of the blue a thunder echoed in the air and the sky turned dark. I looked around, the dream was trying to distract me. I focused my attention back to the campfire and dragged my hand across the ground. The physical sensation stabilized my presence in the dream, making it more vivid. ¡°Ellin,¡± Allen caught my attention. I faced him again, this time he was bound in chains, his eyes were closed. AnHelm projected Worry. Strange, this was a dream, I had nothing to worry about, especially with a God watching over me. ¡°Tell Violet,¡± Allen muttered. ¡°Danger.¡± I stared at him a moment more. I was trying to smooth out a growing bad feeling, without succeeding. ¡°Allen, is that you?¡± I asked. This reminded me of those unsuccessful times we were trying to enter each others¡¯ dream without direct contact. Suddenly he opened his eyes and jumped against me, grabbing my shoulders despite the chains restraining him. ¡°Ellin!¡± He was yelling. ¡°Ellin! Ellin!¡± I woke up with a start. My heart was beating fast. I blinked, confused. Someone was rousing me. I struggled to to clear my vision. It was Namrick. ¡°Ellin! Wake up, quick!¡± He hissed loudly, while giving my shoulders another shake. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. After a breath to collect my thoughts, I sat up, alarmed. The smell of grass filled my nostrils, I felt a little drowsy, this was not a dream. ¡°What¡¯s happening? Are we under attack?!¡± I whispered worried. My hand found my staff in the shadows. The sun had began dawning outside. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Namrick said, peeking out of the tent. ¡°We heard a loud sound in the sky but it wasn¡¯t a thunder¡­¡± He left. I quickly tightened my armor and joined everyone outside. Namrick, Grastel, and others were peering up at the starry black sky. It was next to impossible to see anything in the darkness surrounding us. The stars were brimming brightly on a clear sky. I could see no movement. ¡°I heard something!¡± Hissed Yusdrolir, catching our attention and pointing a direction. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Namrick yelled. ¡°Show yourself!¡± He put up his guard, gazing quickly from tree to tree. A rustling sound, getting closer. I prepared myself. A silhouette of a woman, approaching. I blinked twice. Archmage Violet? ¡°Uh?¡± Namrick hesitated, recognizing her as well. ¡°Archmage?¡± He lowered his sword. Our other companions broke into a confused murmur. The woman looked straight at me, with her pale icy eyes. ¡°You,¡± She said, pointing an accusatory finger straight in my direction. ¡°Me?¡± I asked a tone too high from usual. Why is she pointing at me? What does she want?! ¡°The Kingdom requires your assistance,¡± She declared walking closer and closer. I instinctively stepped back. ¡°Uhmm¡­ I¡¯m on a quest?¡± I complained weakly. Is this a dream? Why is an Archmage here? Grastel and Namrick shot me a confused look. I understood, I was confused too. ¡°No time to explain. You¡¯re coming with me.¡± The archmage said with finality. Before I could react, she wrapped her arms around me. I left my staff fall in the surprise, a sinking sensation, and a moment later we were flying high up in the sky. ¡°AAaaaahhhhh¡± I felt myself scream in sudden panic. My limbs tried to move on their own but her hold was stronger. Then everything was moving very fast and my hair went all over my eyes. The roar of the wind was deafening. ¡°AAaaaAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHhH¡± My scream was buried beneath the fury of the wind. And I passed out.
I opened my eyes in an unfamiliar room. I was lying on a comfortable sofa. I blinked twice. Of course, I told myself. It had just been one of those pesky false awakenings. Completely had me fooled! Haha. Though, my senses were telling me otherwise. No, I just need to wake up proper. Haha¡­ ¡°Good, you¡¯re awake,¡± A female voice stabbed me from behind me. I twitched and twisted my head. Archmage Violet. It hadn¡¯t been a dream! The wall beside her sported a huge hole, making for a bizarre sight. ¡°Wha? Wa- What? What?!¡± I stuttered suddenly wary. I didn¡¯t know where I was. Had I just been kidnapped by an Archmage?! It all looked so unlikely that my mind still was still on the fence whether this was reality or dream, even though I knew I was fully awake. ¡°I already wasted too much time and mana in order to track you down and bring you here,¡± She said, piercing my eyes with her own. ¡°Every breath counts.¡± She walked closer and I shied back, pressing myself against the soft material of the sofa. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± I asked half cry, half yell. "Why did you take me?!" ¡°Lady Ellinoria, your friend Allen is captive in Demon territory,¡± She said. ¡°I need your assistance to deliver an important message.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I said, my mind going blank. What was she saying? Allen was back in Valarest, safe and sound. Wasn¡¯t he? Violet closed her eyes and massaged her temples. ¡°A few days ago,¡± She said. ¡°Your friend unwittingly joined a surprise attack into the Demon Lord¡¯s palace in the Obsidian Citadel...¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°... Unfortunately, due to an act of sabotage, aimed toward another enchanter, he remained behind and ended up finishing off the Demon Lord before being captured by the Demons.¡± I heard the words, but my brain failed to understand the meaning. Surprise attack? Finished off Demon Lord? Captured?! I stared with my mouth open. Violet sighed. ¡°I need to confirm. Can you contact Allen Smith through dreams?¡± I squirmed under her unblinking stare. How did she know? Had Allen talked about our dream experiments? ¡°N-no, Yes!¡­ M-Maybe?¡± I stuttered. Then it dawned on me. The Allen in the dream earlier hadn¡¯t been just a mere dream¡­ ¡°I-I dreamed about him,¡± I said, my chest feeling heavy. ¡°He said he had killed the Demon Lord. Tell Violet. Danger?¡± I hastily relayed what I had dreamed about. Would I able to get a full message across, though? Violet exhaled slowly, closing her eyes to think for a short moment. ¡°What do you need to send a message?¡± She asked. ¡°It would take time¡­ I need to fall asleep.¡± I answered meekly under her oppressive gaze. ¡°That won¡¯t be a problem,¡± she said curtly. ¡°I can put you to sleep in an instant.¡± Right, Allen had told me that she had done something similar to him. He called it sleep torture. Only now, my mind was starting to clear and take in the gravity of the situation. Archmage Violet would not go this far for a joke. In fact, rumors said Violet had little to no humor at all. ¡°A-Alright¡­ But it¡¯s not like speaking directly,¡± I said. " What do I have to tell him? How will that help?" ¡°You must tell him two things¡­¡± What she said next made even less sense. Chapter 99: Troubled dreams I was in the deepest of shits. When shit gets real. That kind of shit. For some reason I could not wake up, I just could not feel my body, and to make it worse, I was being haunted by the Nightmare God. ¡°You can¡¯t escape me,¡± He hissed all around me. ¡°You are in my domain.¡± It must have been true, since all my previous tricks to fend him off were proving to be completely ineffective. I had yet one to attempt, but had been failing so far. It was like Feras was pulling me to him whenever I moved too far. But I knew there was no real ¡°moving¡± inside my own mind. I¡¯m not one of those ignorant novel protagonists. Therefore I was doing the second best thing, walking through my memories. So far it had been the only thing to give me some respite. Better to show him random useless memories, and keep him entertained, rather than him handpicking what could be bad for me, and for mankind. I really appreciated how the Demon Lord¡¯s magic staff had impaled its own owner. Would be nice if it stayed that way. Anyway, direct confrontation hadn¡¯t worked well, and I was not eager to attempt again. I wasn¡¯t sure why the God of Nightmare wasn¡¯t exerting a heavier hand, like Alher last time, but I planned to delay the confrontation for as long as possible. I needed time to think. To focus. Not an easy thing to do from inside a dream, while being pursued. And my dream instinct of bravado and fearlessness was not helping. Every time my attention lapsed I reverted back to suicidal dumbassery. Old habits die hard. I was at the office with Yuri. We were pulling an all-nighter, it was just the two of us. ¡°Are you shitting me?¡± He asked, breaking the silence. ¡°John and Jane Smith?! That¡¯s like-¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I replied, wondering if it had been a mistake to mention they had abandoned me in my teens. ¡°Very hard to track down even if I wished to do so. At least they had the courtesy of sending Grandma my way.¡± ¡°Sometimes I can¡¯t tell when you¡¯re being serious or not.¡± He said with mixture of awe and doubt. ¡°I¡¯m a mysterious man with a deep backstory.¡± I said sarcastically. ¡°Sorry, man.¡± He said apologetically. ¡°Don¡¯t be, I¡¯m better off without the assholes parents who abandoned me.¡± I shook myself off the memory and stood up from the chair. Unfortunately, Feras was not the only one getting suckered into these flashbacks. I took in my surroundings. The windows looked good. I jumped through it, as if it were air, just as Yuri¡¯s head exploded into a gushing of blackness. ¡°How long can you flee, I wonder?¡± I heard Feras hissing behind me. Boy, he sure was having fun at playing with his food. Fleeing. I felt anger swelling up at the thought again. It had been a very, very long time since I last ran away from a bad dream instead of smashing it into a bloody pulp. No! Stay focused, Allen! I reminded myself. Thinking was hard, but I had realized two things. I was still alive, and wherever I was, it was a place where ExFeras could touch me directly. This was different from the previous dreams. I couldn¡¯t cut him off now. I could feel him, always close as I wasn¡¯t really running anywhere. I still didn¡¯t know what game Feras was playing. If only I could reach that place¡­ ¡°Why aren¡¯t you killing me?¡± I asked while walking behind a corner of the empty streets. The scenery there was like half rendered. I had to jump into another memory. Easier said than done. ¡°I¡¯ll make you mine.¡± ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m only into pretty girls,¡± I replied, while tracing a luminous circle on the floor with my finger. Become a fucking door, you stupid circle! The circle resisted, but eventually materialized as a trap door. I jumped inside right as a broken-necked Yuri with black pits instead of facial features entered my vision. This God of Nightmare had no creativity nor vision when it came to nightmares. Like a boomer with experience but no passion for his trade. Probably waiting for retirement. I fell for many interminable seconds. I had no idea where I was going to end up to. I landed inside my old house. It was night. I managed to keep myself detached from the memory. There it was, a younger inferior me. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.He was holding a coin. ¡°We have nothing,¡± He muttered. ¡°We are nothing.¡± Great. Cringe emo shit I didn¡¯t have time for. My younger self threw the coin which began spinning on the ground. Suddenly, I was aware of another entity beside the younger me, who had now literally lost his face. Not-Amy. The comforting expressionless girl, the manifestation of my regrets. Sometimes it appeared as other people, but most of the time it was the childhood friend I couldn¡¯t say goodbye to. Just the one I was looking for! ¡°Not-Amy!¡± I said grabbing her arm. Perhaps my subconscious could lend a little hand into easing this situation. I wasn¡¯t sure. My subconscious was stubbornly uncooperative at times. ¡°I¡¯m not Amy,¡± she replied while glancing at the spinning coin. ¡°Exactly,¡± I replied. ¡°Can you bring me into the void? Can you shake Feras off?!¡± The empty place had eluded me the whole time, no matter how hard I sought it. It was my last chance to distance myself from Feras and take a breather. My instinct was telling me so, and recently I had resolved to trust my instinct more. The girl fixed her gaze on mine and nodded, without a word. She guided me through a door that wasn¡¯t there before, we left behind the faceless younger Allen who was still staring at the spinning coin. And just like that we were in the void. Blissful black emptiness. Immediately, I noticed the lack of that pursuing presence. A stark difference. Feras was not here. I still waited anxiously a few minutes before letting myself relax. I had now idea why it was working, but it was working! My subconscious was now cosplaying as little Allen, perhaps encouraged by the recent encounter. ¡°Empty but not empty. Dead but not dead. Living but not living.¡± He said in monotone. Since I had no idea how to reply to cringe, I gave him a headpat before lying down on the blackness that was the ground, so I could think. I mentally replayed my supbar performance leading to the Demon Lord. I could have done many things better, smarter. I should have at least swallowed the magical rings before getting caught. I should have kept running despite that demon servant being there. I could have left the magical armor somewhere closer. Why was the self-destruct mechanism sabotaged? The answer was simple now that I had time to think about it. Who was meant to maneuver the armor? Klenn. Who was the most insufferable enchanter who had pissed off the whole department? Klenn. Someone had tried to get back at Klenn, to embarrass him during his performance. I doubt whoever it was, had anticipated the self-destruction spell upgrade. Still, very unprofessional. I hope he got fired. And set on fire, possibly. In no particular order. I smothered my anger. I would¡¯ve gone back safely had it not happened. Just when I had found a way to recharge the armor and keep fighting. The exhilarating feeling of power. The amazing maneuverability. I had truly felt invincible. At least until I had to leave it and run on my legs. How stark a contrast, I even felt short on breath as a painful reminder that I hadn¡¯t been training my physique enough. I tried to wake up, and failed again. Then I tried to astral project, but could only confirm it wasn¡¯t possible. The Demons were doing something to keep me inside my dreams and within my body. The universe sure throws some unreasonable challenges my way. But I hate losing. Feras thinks he¡¯s got me in his pocket? I¡¯m gonna find a way to cure him from such delusions. I have wageslaved enough. I took a moment to restore a proper mindset. I¡¯m Allen Smith. God dumped me in this world without any cheat skills. But magic is real here! I can still make my own cheats and live my isekai dreams. ¡¸Allen: Alright. Much better.¡¹ I told myself. Mindset and confidence restored. First things first. I had to let people know I was still alive. There was only one option, contacting Ellin in dream. First problem was that my dreams were being plagued by an intrusive God. Second problem was sending something resembling a message through dreams. Without direct contact it was very, very unlikely to get anything across reliably. But then again, I had no other option. Perhaps I could deal with the first problem. I rolled my head toward my regret, now back to being Not-Amy, who was unusually pointing her uncanny stare in my direction. Usually she just stared motionless at the void. ¡¸Allen: How about we go on a trip? Could you fend off unwanted presences?¡¹ I asked the manifestation of my subconscious. ¡¸Not-Amy: Yes.¡¹ She replied, not expanding on that. I assumed I had to lug her around for that to work, so I stood up and took her hand. ¡¸Allen: Ok, what now?¡¹ ¡¸Not-Amy: Go.¡¹ She simply said. ¡¸Allen: Do we just walk around while holding hands? How about you turn into a ring or something?¡¹ The girl ignored me and started walking in a random direction to get me moving. ¡¸Allen: Alright, hand-holding it is.¡¹ We walked for a while until the scenery changed. We were now within the Academy walls, but the layout was all wrong. We passed through several doors, leading to different places. Ellin, I need Ellin. I told myself to convince my subconscious to manifest my friend. We crossed several dreamscapes, managing to avoid Feras, until we arrived outdoors. A forest, at night. Ellin was just ahead, seated by a campfire, writing on her journal. I sat beside her. Amy walked near the fire but remained standing. My subconscious is so dependable when forced to act. Could¡¯ve helped a little sooner, though. It felt like I had been running from Feras for days. In dreams it was hard to tell. ¡¸Allen: Ellin¡­¡¹ I said, channeling my whole intent. She looked at me and smiled. ¡¸Allen: I killed the Demon Lord.¡¹ I said to gauge her reaction. Technically, the Demon Lord had killed himself with his poorly engineered magical staff, I merely lent a hand. ¡¸Ellin: Nothing can beat ravioli!¡¹ She said merrily, completely ignoring what I had just said. I closed my eyes, taking in the failure. I was hoping I would succeed in the moment of need, but this was just another fabrication of my mind. With a real spiritual contact I would have felt the presence of her own mind. I knew it was possible to do without touching her spirit¡ªFeras could¡ªI just hadn¡¯t found the trick yet. ¡¸Allen: I¡¯m being held captive at the Obsidian Citadel.¡¹ I said anyway, wondering if any echoes of my thought would reach her. Was she even asleep at this time? ¡¸Ellin: That¡¯s funny!¡¹ She remarked, before going back to writing on her journal. I grabbed her shoulder to get her attention. No Ellin, it¡¯s not fun at all! ¡¸Allen: Tell Violet, when you get back to Valarest.¡¹ She changed her expression into one of worry. ¡¸Ellin: A thunder on a clear sky?¡¹ She said randomly. ¡¸Allen: Tell Violet. And stay away from dangers.¡¹ She stared at me in confusion. It was useless. I stood up and turned back to Amy. ¡¸Allen: Alright Not-Amy, let¡¯s go explore random ass dreamscapes until we can wake up.¡¹ I wanted to try visiting the other guys too. Never hurts to try. Whatever the Demons were doing to keep me from waking up, would stop soon because Feras had lost his handle on me. But how? And what was he waiting for to brainwash me or compel me? After the Bodystealer I did some reading on how demons would exploit a human... and man, if even half of what I read was true, I was royally fucked. Although I was thankful for still being myself, I had the rising concern that I was missing important parts of the picture. This is not what I would¡¯ve done if I were a bad guy. There had to be a reason. Chapter 100: Ticking clock I woke up, struggling against an extreme sense of drowsiness. Violet¡¯s sleep-torture was bearing its fruit. No way I would''ve been able to endure it otherwise. It took several attempt to open my crusty eyes and realize my situation. I was shackled to a chair in what looked like a laboratory. My clothes and shoes had been removed, and I was left only with some undescript brown rags. I could see various kinds of reagents, and alchemical implements. How did I get here? I asked myself, but my brain had no answer to offer. My magic wasn¡¯t working and I felt like shit. I could feel like something was squirming and twisting around my spiritual body. Right¡­ I had been cursed¡­ I recalled that another demon had shown up right after I had assisted the Demon Lord into impaling himself, a Grand Vizier maybe¡­ Then just a haze of dreams. Feras was silent, it looked like he had taken a break from intruding my spirit. I was almost surprised when I finally started feeling my body again. I didn¡¯t waste time and shifted my awareness into it. There was no telling how long I had before Feras, or his minions, would come back to check why I wasn¡¯t being cooperative. I tested the shackles, but they were secured tight. Same for the chair, carved out solid obsidian. I struggled again. Maybe the shackle on the right foot gave a slightly different vibe, so I kept that in mind. It looked like I couldn¡¯t swing to the floor like the movies. Not that falling sideways would have helped me in any case. No in fact, obsidian was like glass... it might have skewered me to death. I was not sure, but I didn''t care to try. I looked at my hands. No rings¡­ as I had feared. I scolded myself again for not swallowing the damn things. I really didn¡¯t want demons to research this technology. I needed a head start to be ahead of the game. On my right there was a table with several jars, bottles, and vials. I caught a movement in one of the jars. It was kinda hard to see, because the glass was tinted dark, but there was a little creature floating inside. It looked like a child with insect wings. Could that be a fairy? Cool, I thought, since it was the first time of me seeing one, as they were said to be very elusive and mischievous spirits. I couldn¡¯t see its eyes clearly but I got the impression it wanted my attention. I shrugged my shoulders, there was nothing I could do. My hands were tied, literally. I started wriggling my right foot, slowly but repeatedly. It hadn¡¯t been just my imagination, something was grinding and loosening. Excited about the prospect of aggravating my captors by damaging their property, I continued the work. I wasn¡¯t sure how long it took¡ªI was fighting drowsiness the whole time¡ªbut with a sharp crack, the shackle detached from the chair. The skin around it had turned red from abrasion, but I had a whole leg and foot to move around. A smile spread over my lips. Take that Demon assholes. Of course, what was I gonna do with just a freed foot? Not much. I couldn¡¯t summon mana infused strength and I wasn¡¯t a circus acrobat. A movement on my right caught my eye. The small spirit in the jar was again shaking his hands to catch my attention. I stared at him, and then my foot. Right. I just had to turn a little¡­ So, I pushed against the floor, careful not to make too much noise, in order to turn the heavy obsidian chair in the direction of the table. The chair was heavy, but thankfully it was not a massive slab of pure obsidian stone. It took a few tries, as my leg and foot weren¡¯t moving as nimbly as I wanted. Done! I lifted my right foot setting it against the edge of the wooden table. And I pushed as hard as I could. I sent everything flying and crashing. Many precious glassware lost their lives and spilled their guts on the floor. Had I managed to break the jar holding the fairy? I couldn¡¯t see with the table in the way. The little guy jumped up in the air letting out a high pitched chirping sound. Now that I could see it better, he had black shiny eyes, he was grinning at me. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.I smiled back. I was already playing several novel scenarios in my mind where spirits would aid their saviors by snatching keys and stuff. But our excitement was short-lived. Footsteps, quick approaching. I moved my foot back in position, even knowing it wouldn''t hold up to scrutiny. The small spirit hid itself out of view just before the door opened. Before a moment of confusion and the subsequent damage assessment, the Grand Vizier¡ªwhose face I recalled from when I got caught¡ªhissed and cursed in his demonic tongue. He didn¡¯t look happy. I fought to keep a straight expression. His dismay gave me strength. ¡¸Allen: Must have been the wind.¡¹ I teased, imitating the NPC of a videogame. That earned me a sound slap on my cheek, which left my ear ringing. ¡¸Vizier: You¡­ You were supposed to be asleep! How did you¡­¡¹ He said in fluent Arstei, with extra emphasis on ¡°s¡±. The demon seemed eager to break every single bone in my body, but instead moved on checking my restraints. He quickly found about the detached shackle on my right foot. ¡¸Allen: Clearly not Dwarven workmanship.¡¹ That earned me a punch in my guts. Quite painful since I could hardly defend against it in my current condition. Even though I smiled defiantly, it took me a while to regain my breath. Thinking back perhaps my mind wasn¡¯t fully awake, but then again I never stood down against a bully. Unless I was planning to get back at him later, in some contrived way. ¡¸Vizier: I hope you refuse the Great One¡¯s offer¡­¡¹ He said grabbing my chin with his sharp nails, and sneering. ¡¸Vizier: Then nothing will save you from me.¡¹ Those felt like weak threats. Why hadn¡¯t they already worked their magic on me? I was here alone and helpless in their place of power. Yet for some reason they were holding their hands back. Though I felt weak and sick, now that I was somewhat awake my brain was elaborating the information acquired so far. ¡¸Allen: I don¡¯t feel very threatened, yet.¡¹ I stated. ¡¸Vizier: I should have killed you as soon as I found you.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: But Feras stayed your hand?¡¹ I said, smiling defiantly. The demon tightened the grip on my chin. I felt the wetness of blood running down my throat. ¡¸Vizier: Careful of what you say, Human.¡¹ He hissed furiously. The pain from the nails biting into my flesh was starting to annoy me. ¡¸Allen: Or what? I can¡¯t be afraid. Or Maybe you think I¡¯ll break down if you hurt me a little?¡¹ The Vizier smiled cruelly. ¡¸Vizier: Let¡¯s see about that¡­¡¹ He pressed his left hand on my chest. Crippling pain coursed through my whole body. I grunted as all my muscles clenched. My anger flared up. I was almost hoping it would have helped me break the shackles and break this guy¡¯s neck. No such luck, but that was anger talking, bad for survival. Demons were stronger than the average human, as I had unfortunately experienced. My eyes were lacrimating and my muscles twitching. But I raised my head and grinned back at the motherfucker. It was just thrice as painful as the pain ring. A walk in the park. If the park is make of nails. ¡¸Allen: That all you got?¡¹ I said through gritted teeth. The demon amped up the voltage, making me twist involuntarily. ¡¸Allen: Kuh-¡¹ I embraced the void and relaxed my body, then I calmly raised my head again, with my best impression of an evil smile. Bad guys who smile evilly under torture have higher chances of getting free and turning the tables. Maybe the universe was punishing me for being too good and reasonable. Perhaps it was time to try a different approach. It was too hard to say anything, though, so I just kept silent. I felt on the edge of passing out. I always enjoyed a challenge to my mental fortitude, and for some reason he still wasn¡¯t using spiritual interference. Why only physical torture? After a few breaths the demon hesitated and stepped back. Then in his frustration he punched me in the face, I barely managed to tilt my head to save my nose. He hit like a truck. ¡¸Vizier: It was meant to be mine!¡¹ He yelled, punching my stomach again. I took the hit the best I could. He grabbed my throat and hissed at my face a few inches away. ¡¸Vizier: Give it back!¡¹ I had no idea what he was talking about. The position for Feras #1 certified lapdog? Sure, take it. ¡¸Allen: Earn it.¡¹ It came out as a whisper, not having enough breath for more. The Demon regained his composure, but now I knew he wasn¡¯t allowed to kill me, and that I had something he wanted. Plus there was the freed fairy. If it hadn¡¯t fled already. My chances were going from certain doom to almost certain doom. Aggravating this guy was proving to be effective. ¡¸Allen: Don¡¯t you know that-¡¹ Feras wants to recruit me? I finished mentally while still moving my lips. ¡¸Vizier: Know what?¡¹ He inquired, his eyes narrowing. I smiled inward, having just confirmed he wasn¡¯t reading my thoughts, or at least not verbally. ¡¸Vizier: What trick did you use to shield from the Great One? Answer me!¡¹ But before I could open my mouth, he twisted his head a bit to the left, as if hearing some sound. I hadn¡¯t heard anything. He smiled and turned back to me. ¡¸Vizier: No matter. He has returned.¡¹ And as he said it, I felt it, ExFeras¡¯ presence, once again invading my mind. I stopped my thoughts and embraced the void. I didn¡¯t want the God of Nightmare to read my mind, because I was certain he could, unlike the Demon in front of me. Without the aid of mana, I could only do so much. Feras took his time, pushing and prodding, and projecting a feeling of dark anticipation, before speaking inside my mind. ¡ºFeras: You have two nights to swear fealty to me.¡» An ultimatum. At that moment I found it amusing. Haste makes waste, I said mentally. Isn¡¯t there a bad feeling building up somewhere in your guts? Feras expressed a silent anger. But if I was fucked anyway, I might as well aggravate him until the end. ¡ºFeras: You won¡¯t be so bold once you realize the choice will be taken for you.¡» He promised again. I had no idea what that meant. Perhaps there was a correlation to why they were being so ¡°gentle¡± with me? How long have you kept me here? And not even a single reasonable offer, I accused him. You¡¯ve cursed me, threatened me, hurt me. My excitement to join team Feras is at an all-time low. ¡ºFeras: You have nothing to bargain with, Human.¡» I wanted to argue more, but I felt a new wave of hurt beginning to wash over my spirit body. The curse was acting up again. ¡ºFeras: Join me willingly, or not. Either way, I just have to wait.¡» His voice hammered in my head. I passed out. Chapter 101: The power of knowledge Did you deliver the message? Violet asked insistently, her voice echoing inside my head. I had been lucid dreaming for just a short while, trying to reach out to Allen. So far the dream characters impersonating him had shown no sign of having truly understood. ¡°Have you tried turning it off and on?¡± This Allen replied nonsensically. Another failure. ¡°I don¡¯t think it went through yet,¡± I said through the telepathic link. Violet was too impatient. For this to even work we both had to be dreaming and receptive. A big gamble. Keep trying until you succeed, she insisted. I didn¡¯t know why she was so certain I could succeed. Why not ask someone more experienced in these things? Didn¡¯t the kingdom have hold on any Spirit Walker? Sure they were only talked about in tales, but what did I know? I was getting nowhere, so I slowed down and calmed myself. I needed calm, I needed AnHelm. I had felt reluctant to contact Him while the Archmage was keeping watch on me, but perhaps this was the best time to call upon my God. ¡°AnHelm... please grant me your wisdom,¡± I prayed, concentrating on establishing a link with the Great Spirit of Virtue. It took a while but the familiar presence manifested, as if a trickle had opened to a sea. AnHelm read my worry and projected Inquiry. He was one of the spirits who trusted more in feelings than words, for they were purer. ¡°I must contact a friend in dream, but I don¡¯t know how,¡± I whispered. ¡°He¡¯s being hold captive by demons. Please.¡± I thought about Allen, and how his presence felt. There was a tell to distinguish presences, Allen¡¯s had felt different from AnHelm. If I could just replicate that feeling I could be sure I was talking to Allen. Maybe. My God projected Encouragement and my confidence was renewed. With Violet¡¯s forcing me into sleep state, and AnHelm supporting me, there was no limit to the attempts I could make. I just had to get it right once. Allen himself theorized it was possible due to the Dark God invading his dreams several times. I could do this! I just had to believe in myself and have faith. Thinking about it again, it had to be thanks to my faith in AnHelm that I had managed to exorcise the evil Bodystealer. And again I felt blessed for my prayers to have been heard. My father too could commune with AnHelm while deep in meditation, but I had never been able to until I tried in dream. ¡°Bring me to Allen,¡± I commanded the dream. At first nothing happened, until I felt a tug and allowed myself to be pulled away. After a short moment of emptiness, a new scenery appeared before me. AnHelm projected Curiosity as I gazed around. I saw Allen walking away from me in an endless gray corridor full of closed doors. ¡°Allen!¡± I yelled, but he didn¡¯t hear me. I rushed after him, trying to catch up, but before I could, he vanished through a door that closed on its own. I inspected the door and renewed my intent of finding Allen. Make him be beyond this door. Intent and expectations were the rulers of dreams. Allen had taught me so. AnHelm whispered Anticipation, I mustered up my will and opened the door. There was only blackness inside but I didn¡¯t let that discourage me. I walked in. The blackness flickered, and though it was all still black, there was now a young girl in front of me, I twisted in surprise. She was staring at me with a blank expression. I looked around behind her, but there was only darkness. The girl¡¯s silhouette seemed to shift while in the edges of my vision, I was getting a sinister vibe yet AnHelm was suggesting Confidence. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Believe in yourself, I told myself. I faced the strange little girl, who stood immobile her eyes fixed on mine. ¡°Have you seen Allen?¡± I asked her. ¡°Can you help me find him?¡± Sometimes asking dream characters could help, other times not at all. Without replying, the girl grabbed my hand and pulled me forward. I felt the connection with AnHelm being severed, and a new one appear. A familiar one. ¡°Allen?!¡± I called out before even seeing him. Almost failing to keep my excitement in check. ¡°Ellin?¡± He said from behind me. ¡°Strange, no dream character ever appeared in the void,¡± Then he frowned at the expressionless girl. ¡°Where had you gone, Not-Amy?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me!¡± I said. ¡°Can¡¯t you feel my presence?¡± Allen rubbed his chin. ¡°Prove me you¡¯re capable of intellect.¡± I exhaled impatiently, ignoring the pointless request. ¡°Allen, I know you¡¯ve been taken captive by Demons. Violet knows!¡± That gave him surprise. ¡°You got my message then?! Did you warn Violet?¡± ¡°She already knew! She came to me because I need to deliver you a message.¡± ¡°A message? How¡¯s that gonna help? I need an army! I doubt I will be able to stall them for long¡­ It seems I¡¯m on borrowed time for some reaso-¡± ¡°Listen carefully¡­¡± I said, cutting him short and recalling the words I was meant to say. ¡°You are holding onto the Demon Lord¡¯s Mantle. Give them an order.¡± Allen stared blankly at me. ¡°The fuck you saying?¡± He asked. ¡°You are holding onto the Demon Lord¡¯s mantle! Demons must obey your orders!¡± I repeated. That was what Violet had told me to say, and what I had been constantly trying to convey. Now it was up to Allen.
¡¸Ellin: Demons must obey your orders!¡¹ Ellin, who had somehow managed to intrude the mental place where not even the God of Nightmare could, repeated loudly and clearly. At first it sounded like an insane notion, but as I considered those words, everything clicked into place. Now I understood what the Grand Vizier was complaining about ¡°giving back¡±. Mantle was another peculiar word. In some novels it was used for powers that could be passed on to others. How did that even happen? Was the curse the Mantle? ¡¸Allen: That¡­ changes things.¡¹ I said, considering my new options. ¡¸Ellin: Who¡¯s this girl, anyway?¡¹ Ellin asked, walking around Not-Amy, who had returned to her favorite sport. Staring into emptiness without moving. ¡¸Allen: A childhood friend I could not save.¡¹ I said simply. My subconscious seemed to think I needed a constant reminder to not postpone things to death. Maybe it was right. Ellin suddenly looked aside as if noticing something. ¡¸Ellin: I did it, I told him!¡¹ She said as if she were talking to someone else, which made me arch an eyebrow. ¡¸Allen: Who are-¡¹ But she disappeared mid sentence, as did her presence, leaving me again alone in the void. I had wanted to talk more. Not-Amy wasn¡¯t a good conversation partner. Though, this place seemed to offer my mind safety from the God of Nightmares, it wasn¡¯t a perfect defense. Any moment and he could yank me out of it by waking me up. It wasn¡¯t easy to escape his clutches as I was physically in his domain. The Vizier too would wake me up temporarily to throw me off. I had been recently told that the curse was killing me. That I had a limited time to swear an Oath to Feras if I wanted to be saved. It seems they had withhold a few details. Was it a lie that it was killing me? I really was feeling like shit, and those sudden waves of pain, that pulsed both in my physical and spiritual body, didn¡¯t seem a positive sign to me. I sat down in the emptiness. The curse was the Demon Lord''s Mantle. With that the case, I could see now why they were being "gentle" with me. They were concerned about damaging their precious asset, and perhaps there were other restrictions, cultural or magical, preventing them to use spiritual interfence one me. Fears didn''t seem having problem probing my spirit, though. I guessed he was exempt. So I could issue an order to demons, Ellin said. What were the conditions, though? I expected a requirement to be that my words had to be understood. Demons had their own language, so I had to take my chances with someone who understood Arstei. The Vizier was the only target available to me, no other demon had ever been present while I was awake. Once I used this power, assuming it worked, he would take measures to silence me. I had one shot to make it work. So just phrase it as an order, then? I doubted it would be so easy. Also, there was no telling to what extent an order would be obeyed. I had to play it safe and be careful with the wording. I was still prisoner in a unknown location, surrounded by legions of demons, and my health was apparently deteriorating. But I now had a sliver of hope and a trump card I didn¡¯t know how to use. There was also that small fairy still hiding somewhere. I spent my time visualizing the possible scenarios and how to react. Chapter 102: Unforeseen variables ¡¸Vizier: Wake up!¡¹ The demon slapped me awake. ¡¸Vizier: Eat.¡¹ He said, before giving me time for my brain to register the levitating bowl of mystery slop floating before me. The Vizier forced my mouth open, and moved the bowl closer. Knock knock. I could hear someone knocking at the door, and some impatient hisses. The Vizier ignored the noise and inclined the bowl, sending the bitter contents down my throat making sure I swallowed. I half choked with it. The broth was bitter. He prepared to give me another dose, but the knocking became more insistent. I saw him lose his patience and dump the whole thing down on my mouth and face as he stood up. The moment he turned away I spat what I could to the side, and coughed my throat clear. I started feeling sleepy again. This was what they were giving me to keep me sedated. I watched the Grand Vizier slam the door behind him. In that moment I was alone in the room. I double checked for Feras¡¯ presence, but he was not here. Sadly, it looked like I would have to wait before trying out giving an order. Not that I would¡¯ve attempted it with the danger or falling asleep the next moment. Before letting sleep claim me, there was something else I wanted to try. ¡¸Allen: Hey¡­ psst.¡¹ I whispered out, turning my head left and right. Where was the damn fairy? Had it flown away already? I felt a rustling within my shirt and something crawling upward. I thought I was being assailed by some demonic rodent, but the next moment I saw two black eyes peek from the neck hole of my rags. We stared each other for a few seconds. ¡¸Allen: Hi?¡¹ I said in a low voice. The small creature then sent a flurry of thoughts against me. Or rather wordless concepts. Woah,slow down! I admonished. The chaotic mixture of fear, desperation, hope, and questioning was disrupting my efforts to resist the potion my stomach was digesting. One thing at a time! First, what are you? I queried the fairy. The fairy replied with an impression of similar smaller creatures dancing in the air, flying, freedom, droplets of water on a leaf, and a voice. Picksi. No, pixie. So he was a pixie¡­ another term intersecting with my world. But I had no time to wonder about that. It was confirmation enough that he was a spirit of nature. How did you get here? From what it showed me, I could tell it had been lured into a trap and captured. I caught a glimpse of a portal, the evil grinning face of the Vizier. A portal¡­ interesting. Can you find a way out? Despair, helplessness, feeling lost, obstacle. No. Everything was obsidian, he had had to hide in my clothes to remain unnoticed while the Vizier had the room cleaned. My eyelids were lowering despite my efforts. Outside the demon appeared engaged in an argument. Stay close. I may have a way to get us out. I conveyed at the pixie. Just as I was passing out it hit me with a flurry of question, doubt, hope. All sensations faded away and the hammering of my heart became war drums. I was once again lost in dream.
¡¸AAAAaaaahh!¡¹ A loud shriek jolted me awake. It was not mine. I opened my eyes to get a bearing of the situation. My heart was beating with anticipation. I was still in the lab. Positioned far off from anything of value. The Grand Vizier was in the far right corner, he was holding still a screaming red-skinned demon boy by gripping his shoulder, while harnessing some kind of glowing magical tool in front of him. Another demon girl of similar age was weakly hitting the Vizier on his leg, to which he responded by shoving her to the floor and hissing a warning. The girl, who had the same complexion as the boy, sobbed while the adult continued his work. I didn¡¯t know what was going on. Was it bring your grandchildren at work day? I had no clue. My restraints had been improved. My only weapon was my voice, and fortunately I still had my tongue, which was not restricted. The drug had wore off earlier because I hadn¡¯t gotten a full dose. To my luck the vizier had been busy. Feras, you there? I asked mentally. No answer. Great. Pixie, you there? I got a weak sensation of hopelessness in return and realzied he was still cradled inside my shirt, pressed against my skin.. The demon boy stopped screaming and went limp. The Grand Vizier lowered him to the bench he was sitting on, then stood up and walked toward the girl, who shied back. He had still the tool in his right hand and seemed about to do the same to the little demon girl. The feeling I got was that something very wrong had been done to the demon boy. Was this the right moment to try out if I could boss around the Grand Vizier? Perhaps it was wiser to wait until we were alone. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. No. I felt my heckles rise up. This was it. This was the moment to act. I took a slow shuddering breath. The little girl had backed up until she hit the wall, all the while pleading in Demon tongue. I felt I had to do something. Even if it was a demon, I still didn¡¯t feel good about child abuse. Children are the future... and stuff. Against my better judgement, I spoke out. ¡¸Allen: Stop!¡¹ The Vizier cast a quick glance at me, but otherwise ignored me. Of course it wouldn¡¯t be so easy! But wait¡­ I knew it was a curse. I knew little about them, but I remembered I could feel it squirming over my spiritual body. I couldn¡¯t access magic, but I could feel my spirit body. I had practiced extensively in that particular area. By some vague instinct, I tried touching that squirming thing. It was slimy and twitchy, it really didn¡¯t want to be in me. I couldn''t get a grasp on it. In a moment of inspiration I recalled how the Bodystealer had assaulted me, the feeling of spiky tendrils, and I attempted to do the same to the curse. I was not sure if that made any difference, but I managed to hold my grip onto it. Then I spoke again. ¡¸Allen: I order you to stop!¡¹ This time the demon stopped. My heart beat louder in my chest. Holy shit, did it actually fucking work?! My grip on the curse slipped, and I felt a sudden wave of pain, almost debilitating to the paint of passing out. It was gone the next moment. I was still conscious. I hated how, despite my battle rager trait, and my extreme mental fortitude, spiritual pain was making me pass out, for some reason. The Grand Vizier slowly turned toward me, his expression hard. He was probably wondering if I knew what I had just done, or if it was a fluke, and considering the options to shut me up permanently. It was time to spin the bullshit I had prepared. ¡¸Allen: Yes, ExFeras told me the trick to the Demon Lord¡¯s Mantle.¡¹ I lied with a face full of unwarranted confidence. I still had no idea how Violet could know before me, but I¡¯d make use of anything I had. ¡¸Allen: As you can expect, I would not know how to do so if I hadn¡¯t submitted.¡¹ The Vizier stared at me with wariness and suspicion, the demon girl forgotten. Her stare dancing between me and the Vizier. ¡¸Vizier: The Great One did not warn me¡­¡¹ He hissed. ¡¸Allen: The Great ExFeras is busy elsewhere. He wants you to bring me to him.¡¹ Appeal to higher authority. I had rehearsed in the void. I knew there were portals, and I knew the pixie had been carried through one. This was a gamble¡ªa big one¡ªto trick him into gating me elsewhere without demons. Portals close to human were likely guarded, asking about them would have been suspicious, but what about an unrelated party, the Fae? Less suspicious, and more confusing. Confusion is good, nobody can think straight when faced with confusion. Add hastiness to the mix¡­ ¡¸Vizier: Bring you where?¡¹ Great! The Grand Vizier didn¡¯t know where Feras was either. Maybe this is actually gonna work. I kept my thoughts and emotions under tight leash. I didn¡¯t want to risk him getting wind of my deceit by reading my surface thoughts or some shit like that. Being fucking paranoid pays out sometimes, and my programmer''s job taught me to expect everything going to shit, always. ¡¸Allen: To the portal closest to the Fae. Now. Just you and me.¡¹ The Vizier raised his eyebrows. ¡¸Vizier: Why there?¡¹ Because you gotta have caught that fairy somewhere, and I expect it to be the least guarded portal. Not to mention, the least suspicious request to get away from this damn place! ¡¸Allen: He didn¡¯t tell me. I was just ordered to tell you, and to compel you if you make him wait.¡¹ The Demon hissed dangerously. ¡¸Vizier: I¡¯m in the middle of something here.¡¹ The two demon kids were an unforeseen variable. I hate unforeseen variables, but I have a soft spot for kids. I noted that the demon boy was still unconscious. Maybe it was too late for him, whatever the Vizier had done to him. ¡¸Allen: Aren¡¯t you eager to get this curse off me?¡¹ I leveraged his dark desires. I could see in his eyes he wanted this damn curse for himself. ¡¸Vizier: They are under my charge.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Will the boy wake up soon? Maybe you can just bring the girl along so she doesn¡¯t wreak your room, no?¡¹ He cast a glance to the little demon girl, which was cowering hopelessly. I told myself I would at least try to prevent her from suffering from the same fate. Whatever that was. ¡¸Allen: Or dunno... We could just wait and see what the Great ExFeras has to say about us being late. What could go wrong? Surely he won¡¯t ask someone else to remove this curs-¡¹ ¡¸Vizier: Shut up!¡¹ He growled, but then set to action. He grabbed and wore an overcoat in which he hid the magical tool he had been using on the demon boy, hissed a warning to the girl, and finally approached me with the set of keys to undo my bindings. I remained as calm as possible while the chains dropped. The demon stepped back, scowling at me the whole time. I helped myself up with difficulty. My limbs hadn¡¯t moved in god knows how long. ¡¸Allen: My rings?¡¹ I asked. The Grand Vizier narrowed his eyes. ¡¸Vizier: What do you need them for? I scrubbed your communication ring the moment I found it. The other had peculiar spellwork but no real offensive or defensive capability.¡¹ I had expected he would destroy the comm ring, but I bet the All-ring had piqued his curiosity enough not to warrant scrubbing all the magic off. No way he had found the time to understand the magical engineering secrets within it. I had to retrieve it at all costs before there was a chance it happened. ¡¸Allen: I don¡¯t care if you scrubbed them of magic. They are still valuables and I refuse to leave without them.¡¹ The Vizier hissed with aggravation, but he moved to fetch the rings and slapped them on my open palm.. ¡¸Vizier: Here are your damn rings! Now let¡¯s go.¡¹ I put them on my fingers. I couldn¡¯t activate the All-ring, be it whatever was blocking my magic or the Vizier damaging it. He grabbed me and the girl, pushing us where he could watch us. ¡¸Vizier: Stay there, I will open the portal.¡¹ The demon began chanting in a low sibilant voice and weaving his hands. A portal shaped in the air before him. I masked my excitement by thinking about bugfixing and corporate meetings. The Grand Vizier went to grab the demon girl, who ignored his warning and rushed at the exit door, only to find it locked. I remained still and impassive. Waiting. Can you do one thing for me once we cross over? I addressed the pixie who was holding onto my side inside my shirt. The pixie sent a questioning feel. Once I give the signal¡­ I imagined little pixies attacking the Vizier eyes, spraying pixie dust. I had no idea of an actual pixie''s capabilities. I only had the novels I read to go on. The pixie returned a mental nod. He had agreed! Perhaps fear of the Vizier would discourage him from bolting off immediately. This demon appeared magically strong. I had to assume he was stronger tha Violet. A scary thought. What I planned to do was probably suicide. The girl tried to resist at first, but then after some hisses and other exchanges I couldn¡¯t decipher, she just resigned herself to be dragged along. The Grand Vizier shot me a look. ¡¸Vizier: Don¡¯t leave my side.¡¹ As we started moving I hastened my steps just enough that I would leave first through the portal. I immediately began turning as I crossed, feeling the tingly sensation of passing through a portal, and faced the demon as if I were inviting him to hurry up. I was sure the Vizier was extra wary, watching for my littlest misstep. He pushed the girl through first. I grabbed her arm, so he would think I was cooperating and he could feel more in control with both hands free. Be ready, I thought at the small fairy. He conveyed anticipation. Now was the time. The Grand Vizier was between me and the open portal, the little demon girl was on my right, sobbing and whimpering. Before he could realize Feras was not here, I focused again on the alien thing twisting across my spiritual body to issue an order. ¡¸Allen: Close the portal.¡¹ I ordered. His face twisted in outrage. ¡¸Vizier: But-¡¹ I had imagined many possible orders to issue, like ¡°keep your mouth shut and go eat shit¡± or ¡°kill yourself¡±, but I wasn¡¯t keen on testing just how far it was possible to push him around with the Mantle. I expected there would be limits to causing self harm, or that I would not be strong enough to make them stick. Closing the portal was probably an annoyance, as he would lose a convenient quick way back, but not something to actively fight against. I inclined my head to the side and yelled out loud. ¡¸Allen: We have come!¡¹ It was a ruse, of course. There was no one expecting us here. As anticipated, the wave of pain coursed through me. I focused my whole being into not passing out. I almost lost my footing. Pleased by my suffering, the Vizier made a dismissing wave toward the portal. Now! I thought at the pixie. The next moment felt like an eternity. Chapter 103: Im not a Demon Lord Now! In a blur, the pixie shot up against the Vizier¡¯s eyes, who, taken by surprise, moved his arm ineffectively. Adrenaline kicked in. I was about to see my gamble pay off, or die trying. I hadn¡¯t mentioned it before, because it was an unnecessary detail, but magic portals don¡¯t disappear immediately. Instead they fray at the edges and shrink. I always wondered what would happen to something in between. I was about to find out. The portal was closing. The Grand Vizier was distracted. In a silent rage I launched myself against the demon, hitting him with my shoulder. Because I had stood close to the portal, he hadn¡¯t been able to distance himself. He lost his balance, his head moving into the shrinking portal. To his credit, I sensed an enormous magical power radiate over my spiritual body. Likely an offensive spell. But it was too late. His body collapsed on the ground, headless. His neck sported a diagonal clean cut, spurting blue blood all over the grass. Whatever magic he had tried summoning dispersed as suddenly as it had been called up. All of that must have happened in the time-span of two or three seconds. The maddened beating of my heart was pounding on my head. Only then I realized I had been holding my breath. Finally, I let out a sigh of relief and admired my handiwork. The demon girl, whose arm I had let go earlier, let out a small shriek and fell backward on her butt. She remained there staring with her mouth open as if paralyzed. A naive good guy would never have come up with such a strategy. I smiled with satisfaction. The odds had been low, but I had managed to stack my cards against those odds. Without the pixie¡¯s distraction, the right positioning, the strict timing, and the Mantle-powered order¡ªwhich I had theorized would prevent the Vizier from reopening the portal¡ªmy plan would have failed. I had witnessed it before, the strongest magicians appeared able to think faster and multiple things at once. There had been probably also other factors that came to my aid. Like Feras wanting me alive, the Mantle being precious, and perhaps limiting other demons from using spiritual interference against their ¡°Demon Lord¡±. Another wave of pain brought me back to Earth. Or rather, Gaia. I knelt down and grunted. This time it was lasting longer. With my teeth gritted and black dots swimming in the corners of my vision, I took in my surroundings. The small pixie was dancing over the Vizier¡¯s corpse. The demon girl was now staring at me, likely afraid. I considered leaving her behind, but my conscience poked daggers at me. I couldn¡¯t abandon a defenseless child in a forest alone, even if it was a demon. Eventually, the spiritual pain eased, and I could stand again. My limbs were a little twitchy, but that was expected from all the adrenaline. I came with the grim realization that my spirit was weakening. I could feel it. The Mantle was not meant for me. It didn¡¯t like my body. It didn¡¯t like me. One problem at a time, I told myself. ¡¸Allen: Pixie!¡¹ The pixie stopped dancing and blinked toward me. The moment he touched my skin I was aware of relief, joy, vengeance. Can you bring me to a safe place? I asked him. He responded with images of different kind of fairies. Kindred. Home. Safety. I even caught a glimpse of human-like fairies. I decided to ask them for help. I didn¡¯t know where I was, and despite my short military training, I was not confident in surviving all alone innawoods. I had learned to cook and clean the meat. But hunting I had left to the ones who knew how to. My knowledge of edible herbs was also limited. And worst of all¡­ My sense of direction is complete shit, when I don¡¯t know where I am or where I am going. I would likely walk back into Demon¡¯s territory. No. The Fae were my best bet. There still was a chance I¡¯d stumble on a human village. I turned to face the little demon girl. Her tears were glistening on her cheeks. By her confused looks from earlier I had surmised she didn¡¯t understand Arstei. Fortunately there was someone who could relay concepts which didn¡¯t require words. I didn¡¯t have to pantomime like when I first arrived in this world. Tell her she can follow us, if she so wishes. I conveyed to the small spirit. He seemed reluctant at first. Reticence, enemy. but when I projected a sense of protecting newborns and responsibility, he gave in and went to her. The demon girl shied away, letting out a shrill and covering her head with her little arms. At least until she realized the pixie didn¡¯t have bad intentions. I saw her calming down as they communed telepathically, then she looked at me, and the forest around us. She nodded sullenly. We were all on the same page. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. I scavenged the overcoat, the shoes, and whatever looked useful from the Dead Vizier, leaving behind the magical-looking stuff, fearing they could be used to track me. I was not going to walk into common blunders. The orb he had used on the demon boy, I smashed with a rock. The demon girl, noticeably relaxed when she saw the think break into pieces. I hoped that was enough to show my good intentions. Then as I was about to leave, I turned back a gave the corpse a good kick, as a symbolic gesture. I was free. Free to get lost and starve to death. A pixie, a cursed man, and a little demon girl walk into a forest¡­ It sounded like a promising start for a bad joke. ¡¸Allen: Lead the way.¡¹ I told the pixie.
We¡¯d been walking for a while. The sun was ready to set and temperatures were going down. I felt wise having had the sense to steal the overcoat. The clothing I had been left after my capture were only a light layer of protection, just not to offend the Vizier¡¯s sight. The pixie made me sweat cold several times, when it disappeared to look for directions. Only to return later with a grinning face and energetic fluttering. Occasionally, the demon girl murmured things to herself in her sibilating demon tongue. Nothing I could make sense of. She was keeping the pace well. The one having trouble keeping pace was me. My legs were a bit out of shape and I still couldn¡¯t use mana. To add on that, every now and then the curse would send a debilitating jolt across my spirit, which sometimes stopped me dead in my tracks for a while. These attacks, while still paced apart, were happening with increasing frequency, I thought grimly. I didn¡¯t feel good. I think I was also running a fever, but with the cold air it was hard to tell. The lack of light forced us to camp. We found a rock formation near a river that offered an alcove for us to take shelter in. I set to collect branches to set up a fire. I doubted anyone knew where we were, so I deemed the danger of our fire smoke being seen lesser than being devoured by wild beasts. When I tried to lighten the fire, I found out how hard was to do so without magic. The demon girl looked at first puzzled as to what I was trying to do, but then understood and showed off she could light up a fire. I wish I had asked her before going through all the trouble of trying and failing like a dumbass. I missed my magic. I missed my ring, which would have adjusted my body temperature automatically. I missed my room in the inn. And I missed my friends. The pixie had been chatty all the time, jumping left and right, chirping, pounding my poor mind with a shower of concepts and images. So fast I was having an hard time following, I got the same vibe of watching someone skip game dialogues while I was trying to read them. He was giving me a greater headache than I already had. That night I dared not sleep, following Violet¡¯s approach of resting awake. Twice I endured the curse acting up. Thankfully, the pixie had the sense to shut up and take a nap. I bet Feras was seething. And yes, my brain had definitely not been working proper since my captivity, though I wasn¡¯t sure if now with the curse and sickness I was any better. I let the girl have the biggest share of the overcoat, which we were using as a blanket. The pixie slept on my head. At that moment, I realized how glad I was of not being alone.
The next morning we resumed our march. I hoped that the pixie wasn¡¯t just pretending to know where he was leading us. I still wasn¡¯t sure if he was a it, a he or a she. He looked and acted boyish, so I settle for ¡®he¡¯. He didn¡¯t seem to have any genitalia. But maybe he¡¯s got a cloaca. What even is a cloaca. I never bothered to search. It could have been important right now. Or not. The demon girl was named Sonetzi, though I was not sure how many S were in the initial. When I asked the pixie for his, he didn¡¯t offer any name but a puzzling disconnected sequence of concepts. I was starting having second thoughts about putting my life in the hands of spirits of Nature. Alher, the Goddess of Nature, hadn¡¯t been left with a good impression about me. Quite the opposite, actually. Was I making a mistake? We were starting to hunger. I picked up a few berries I recognized from having seen in Valarest¡¯s market, but it was no proper sustenance. Animals had been steering clear from us. And I didn¡¯t know enough of herbs or fungi to discern the edibles ones. I asked myself just how far the portal was from the damn Fae. The Vizier had to have flown, for this trek was getting longer than expected. The little demon girl¡¯s stomach rumbled as well, but she looked determined to keep going. The pixie was inquiring about how I had gotten myself into this mess. He was so damn overeager, already pushing impatiently for the next thought even before I finished conveying one. I finished with a, want me to say all that again? By habit and impatience he urged me so, falling into my trap. And I started again. At first he looked confused then, amused. We both laughed out loud. The demon girl looked at us puzzled, with her yellow reptilian eyes framed by black sclera. It was then I decided a nickname for the little pixie. ¡¸Allen: I¡¯ll call you Skip.¡¹ I announced, grinning. The little spirit stared at me stared at me with his mouth open. Then he showered me with a feel of pride, happiness, winning. It¡¯s just a nickname, bruh. I didn¡¯t understand his frantic enthusiasm. I had grown tired of calling him ¡°pixie¡±. And how would I call upon him later, if we met more of his kind? ¡¸Skip: Skip. Skip!¡¹ He chirped in his high pitched voice. I surmised he had liked the name. After torturing us for a quarter hour by repeating his name with different intonations, he disappeared again. I and the demon girl sat down and waited. By then we had gotten used to the pixie¡¯s scouting disappearances. We were still waiting in silence, sitting between two big trees, when we heard a hurried rustling of leaves. The sound had been masked by a nearby stream. We tensed, holding our breath. A predator would approach more silently, I thought. Two humans appeared from the foliage. An archer and a fighter brandishing a sword. They were as surprised of us as we were of them. Allies! I told myself. I opened my mouth to greet them but I was drowned by their shouts. ¡¸Fighter: Demon!¡¹ The fighter ran at me, unsheathing his sword. What the fuck? ¡¸Allen: Stop! I¡¯m human!¡¹ I yelled, scrambling upward. The demon girl scampered behind a tree. ¡¸Fighter: Your poor disguise betrays you!¡¹ What was this retard spouting? Just because I was in the company of a little demon girl? ¡¸Allen: Wait-¡¹ He closed the distance incredibly fast, reminding me of Namrick. I was unarmed and ill, but the situation was so similar to the fights I had dreamed against my friend Namrick, that without thinking I moved forward making him botch the timing for the swing. I punched him sloppily at the face. I had wanted to make him reason. His head exploded into gore, instead. A bit of exposed spine from his severed neck hit my chin by pure momentum, jutting a spray of blood to my face the moment later. What the fuck?! I sputtered in shock, blinking away the blood in frozen confusion as his corpse slid down before my feet. WHAT THE FUCK?!?! It was all so unexpected I forgot to swear out loud. The archer behind him, looked shocked as well. He took a few steps back, getting his bow in hand, but realizing his quiver was empty he decided to run instead. ¡¸Archer: Demons! Help me!¡¹ His voice echoed in the forest. The curse chose that moment to hit me hard. I fell at my knees, trying to fight the pain. What the fuck was these guys problem?! How the fuck did I punch his head off? I felt angry that fellow humans, who are allegedly capable of higher intellect would not only fail to save me, the main dude who finished off the Demon Lord, but even go as far as calling me a demon without even having the decency to stop and FUCKING LISTEN. Fuck¡¯em, I thought. I decided I did not feel sorry at all for decapitating that guy. A blur in my periphery, and something touching my shoulder. Danger! Impressions of humans flashed in my mind. I grunted pointing at the corpse before me. The pixie had been so frantic he failed to take in the scene. ¡¸Skip: Ah.¡¹ It was the first time the pixie had vocalized something understandable. Surprise was easily expressed in all tongues. But the pixie had added one important detail. There were a lot of humans in the proximity. If they shared the same mental deficiency as these two guys, I was fucked. And knowing my luck I had no doubts on what to expect. God¡­ give me a fucking breath, I thought feeling drained out. Where was Sone- The spiritual pain overwhelmed me, and I passed out. Chapter 104: Tea party Despite what I had resolved to do, I didn¡¯t go tell the others about Allen. After what was revealed to me by the head librarian, when I stepped outside the Academy, I was overwhelmed by a sense of anxiety and powerlessness. What was I even meant to tell them? Maybe it was cowardice, but I suddenly felt very tired and found myself walking back home toward the noble district. Father was busy at the Church, but Mother was there. She read my face and understood I needed a hug, she didn¡¯t ask any question, for which I was thankful. She would wait I was ready. I skipped the dinner and just hid myself in the bedroom. I couldn¡¯t sleep, too many questions and thoughts were swirling inside my mind. It had been a long night. The next morning I was delivered an invitation to the Val Mariannet mansion here in Valarest, to attend at my earliest convenience. I let a sigh of anticipation. I had many questions for Violet. About Allen¡­ and about Spirit Walkers. All prestigious noble families owned a residence in the capital, beside their territories. The Val Mariannet were one such lineage, their legacy spanning back to the earlier days of the Age of Restoration. I had not waited. I knew I would not be able to calm down until we spoke. ¡°Lady Violet is ready to receive you.¡± The servant announced, waking me from my fretful thoughts. I rose up. I followed the servant who escorted me from the finely furnished waiting room to a corridor. Paintings of stern faces stared me down from the walls, which didn¡¯t help me feel at ease. The servant stopped before an open door. ¡°Lady Ellinoria, as you requested, my lady.¡± He spoke out loud and waited for me to enter before closing the door behind me. Violet, who was sitting at a small table in the middle of the room, looked up to meet my eyes. ¡°Please, have a seat.¡± She invited. Two cups and a teapot of fragrant tea had been arrayed for us. Had there been any news about Allen? Last night I just hadn¡¯t been able to fall asleep and attempt to contact him. I had felt as if I had failed him. ¡°I imagine you have questions,¡± Violet began. ¡°So do I.¡± She took a sip from her teacup. I took it as an invitation to do the same. The tea was a flavorful mixture of fruits and berries, a pleasant taste. ¡°Is Allen¡­¡± I ventured, almost afraid to ask. ¡°Nothing yet¡­ Unless you happened to contact him in dream?¡± She inquired, her pale blue eyes almost accusatory. ¡°No, I couldn¡¯t sleep. My apologies, ma¡¯am.¡± I said defensively. ¡°No need to apologize, Lady Ellinoria,¡± She replied. ¡°Your contributions and discretion over the incident last winter has more than proven your loyalty toward the kingdom. Moreover the Val Arinn family has always been true to the Kingdom. Reasons why I¡¯m willing to discuss these matters with you.¡± It had been weird since then. I had received the toasts and thanks from adventurers and Academy students. Even a few commoners had recognized and cheered for me across the streets. I felt conflicted about it. Being recognized by unknown people had made me feel elated¡­ but also queasy. I hadn¡¯t become an adventurer for the fame, but to help people and progress my Path. I had already received several offers to join major parties at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. But I had refused. The members our party were all people I could entrust my life to. Uncle had always advised me not to gamble my life adventuring with untrustworthy people, and to try follow both instinct and reason. Besides, I still felt like a fraud. My exorcising of the Bodystealer had been a group effort. And luck, probably. I was barely half way to the Second Step. AnHelm must have lent me his assistance when I most needed it. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. It hadn¡¯t been right to pin the achievement only on me, just because I belonged to the nobility. ¡°We¡¯ve done all in our power to increase Allen¡¯s chances,¡± Violet promised, breaking the silence. ¡°For now, we must wait.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± I said, disappointment showing both in my voice and face. ¡°But I haven¡¯t invited you here to discuss that matter¡­¡± She cut in. ¡°You contacted the head librarian as I had instructed.¡± It was not a question, but I nodded anyway. Violet stared at me with her icy glare for a few breaths. ¡°Have you ever been approached by anyone claiming to be a Spirit Walker?¡± I shook my head. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Very good,¡± She relaxed ever so slightly. ¡°I assume your pursuit of conscious dreams is Allen¡¯s doing?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I admitted. ¡°But also a childhood dream of mine.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Se said with a hint of annoyance. ¡°But¡­ if it is so dangerous why©¤¡± ¡°The lure of the forbidden,¡± She cut me short. ¡°What if we made it publicly known? Prohibition would only ensure that more people attempt so.¡± She took a sip before continuing. ¡°Many would sleepwalk to their deaths, be spied in dream, or be turned against us.¡± She cast me a sharp glare. ¡°No. It¡¯s best to deal with such things quietly when we identify anyone with the talent. A rare occurrence but easy to spot whenever people boasts about mastering their own dreams.¡± ¡°But why are the Spirit Walkers acting against us?¡± I asked. None of this was ever mentioned in the stories. ¡°It is believed they suffered a betrayal during the Dark Ages. Whatever written records we had were lost during one of the Demon Wars.¡± Violet inched forward. ¡°What we know is that the feud is real, and their hatred focused on the kingdoms originating all the way back from the Eight Heroes. It is possible they have allies in the southern kingdoms, or in the fringes, working against us.¡± I remained silent for a time, staring down my cup of tea. I felt a sense of betrayal. My dreams of becoming a Spirit Walker had now revealed the poison beneath the glittering surface. I hadn¡¯t known of the dangers, or the feud. ¡°Can they really do that? Control people while sleepwalking?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± She said. ¡°But the last recorded case was a century ago. Those capable of conscious dreaming were always a rarity, and since the beginning of the Age of Restoration, we discovered the benefits of not dreaming at all. It was never just Sleep Walkers killing mages in their sleep, after all.¡± In my mind a Spirit Walker was a daring adventurer, flying out their body, soaring the skies, hunting for secrets, helping those who couldn¡¯t wake, and soothing children nightmares. Just when I had finally found a way to pursue my childhood dream of becoming a Spirit Walker, it was so cruelly shattered. ¡°You may continue your pursuit.¡± Violet said suddenly, while taking another sip. ¡°Wha-?¡± I blinked, confused. My sorrows momentarily suspended. ¡°You can commune with a God in dream,¡± She said. ¡°You may be one of the few able to recover this lost knowledge. As long as your spirit is in communion with a Greater God, no one, not even another God, will be able to intrude your dreams. This much we know.¡± She eased back on her seat, crossing her arms. So unexpected! After all the warnings and reveals, I thought I would¡¯ve had to abandon my dreams. ¡°So I can really keep practicing?¡± I asked, still incredulous. ¡°Yes,¡± She confirmed. ¡°I invited you here to ask you if you¡¯d be willing to share with me what you learn of these abilities.¡± ¡°Share with the Kingdom, you mean?¡± ¡°No,¡± She said. ¡°I can¡¯t be sure whom to trust¡­ My research on Spirit Walkers has hit walls I can¡¯t overcome, and I can¡¯t afford to try myself, even if I had the talent.¡± I kept to myself that Allen claimed you didn''t need a talent as long as you had a strong enough intent to lucid dream. Violet set down her empty cup, and filled it again. ¡°In return I can help you Walk the Steps safely and quickly,¡± She considered me for a moment. ¡°You must be halfway to the Second Step, isn¡¯t that so?¡± ¡°I-I think so?¡± I said, a little uncertain. Allen always bragged how he could measure magical power, and I had the values from the magic ring he had enchanted for me. It said I was at 1.5 Steps, if it could be trusted. I was not sure one could simply put a number to magic. ¡°Your fame has increased faster than your power. This is dangerous,¡± Violet stated. ¡°As you have broken through the first wall, you should aim to reach the Fourth Step as fast as possible. You will need a stronger spirit for what is to come.¡± I sat there, with a cup in my hands, staring. Violet Val Mariannet was well known for rising to power in a short period of time. None better than her would know the secret ways to walking the Steps quickly! It was a very tempting offer. How many more people could I have saved if my spirit was stronger? Magic skill is useless if a stronger mage suppresses you. ¡°I offer my assistance, in exchange for what you learn about Spirit Walking.¡± Violet extended her right hand. The choice of a lifetime. I could not refuse. I shook her hand. Her grip was firm but not crushing. Violet was one of the two Archmages that came in our help when the demon attacked Lena¡¯s village, and also when the bandits closed in on us. She had also taken Allen under her wing. She had more than earned our trust. I was tired of feeling powerless, of having to watch while everyone bled. All the moments of despair were too fresh in my mind. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best!¡± I said, determined. Violet nodded, her features softening ever little. ¡°You must be careful,¡± she warned. ¡°So many events and plots are unfolding and converging, so quickly¡­ You may have Talent and Skill, but without power to back them up, you will be swept away with the tide.¡± That was exactly it. Everything had been happening too fast. And I couldn¡¯t keep up¡­ We had a lengthy discussion. About Spirit Walkers¡¯ abilities. The walls she hit in her pursuit for knowledge. The suspicion that someone might be working against the kingdom to keep up in the dark. The rumors saying that Violet was a woman of few words were wrong. Chapter 105: The Humbling River A fever dream. That¡¯s what my memories from that time looked like. I recall being dragged by Sonetszi, distant shouts, frantic limping and wheezing, hiding and resting. Sleep. Sonetszi was a bit annoying to pronounce, I decided. Sonet would do. When I finally woke with my mind clearer. I felt like shit. Probably even running a fever. I rolled my head to see what was of my improvised party. We were in a small area surrounded by tall bushes and thick trees. A decent cover. Sonet was sleeping, slumped against a log. She was stronger than what she looked like. But then it was common knowledge that demons are stronger than humans, so it shouldn¡¯t have been a surprise. Perhaps I had repeated that to myself times enough that my brain would accept it. Holy shit, I punched some guy¡¯s head off. Another fun thought to accept. Fuck. I brought again my attention outward. I couldn¡¯t see Skip. He was either hiding somewhere near or scouting around. I replayed the encounter with the fighter and archer inside my mind. I touched my face, I could still smell the iron of blood. Damn it, I hadn¡¯t mean to explode his head. How had that even happened? I still had no sense of mana. A distant bark made me push myself upright, suddenly alert. I roused Sonet, who gave a start but remained silent as she looked wildly left and right. Another rustling¡ªvery close¡ªmade us turn. It was Skip. He conveyed us the urgency to get moving by his frantic movements. We didn¡¯t waste time. My steps were unsteady, but I did my best to keep the pace. The demon girl helped me not lose my balance across the wild vegetation, until I managed myself. I don¡¯t know how long we continued, but at some point the trees ended, revealing a mixture of low bushes and grass with a river in the middle. Even just by the sound, I knew the river had a moderate current. Worse, it was around 200 meters wide. I had no idea how many feet or paces that was. ¡¸There!¡¹ Shouts echoed behind us. Right at that moment, my legs cramped, buckling under me. Skip hurried over my face, pointing beyond the river. Urgency. Safety. I truly wanted to go on, but my body was simply failing me. I rolled forward instead, until Sonet noticed and came back to drag me. ¡¸I see them!¡¹ ¡¸Demons!¡¹ The whole ordeal looked hopeless. But life had taught me to be extra spiteful, so I was already massaging my legs while Sonet dragged me onward, trying to ease the cramps. Our pursuers came into full view. A dozen humans appeared from the trees, a wolf among them. Two archers were already drawing their arrows on us. One missed. The other hit me. ¡­ Or would have, had I not snatched it mid-air. A big stroke of luck, maybe. I just swatted by feel. Still holding the arrow, I flipped a middle finger to the piece of shit that was already running closer. ¡¸Allen: I¡¯m human! You fucking retards!¡¹ I bellowed after them. The fighters didn¡¯t even slow down a beat, their blades set on the prize. ¡¸Allen: Fuck.¡¹ But then something else happened. I saw one of the archers fly up in the air. Or rather his upper body. Spun like a ballerina, with a bloody gown and unfurling guts. A bizarre sight. Screams from behind my assailants gave them temporary pause. As the men turned, Allen temporarily forgotten, they found themselves facing a group of demons. The wolf bolted away, whining. ¡¸Allen: Fuck me.¡¹ I turned my eyes toward the river, ignoring the chaos. We weren¡¯t much farther. Should I trust Skip, beyond the river would be safety. But I was already deep down in guano and choking to death. Even if I crossed to the other side, the demons would soon catch me. I stole another glance toward the battle. The humans were getting butchered real quick. I could only count as a blessing that they were too busy killing each other to pay us attention. Sonet hissed something. We were at the water. I stood up, slowly. The leg muscles were still close to cramp but manageable. I¡¯m having so much fun! I thought to myself with fatalistic sarcasm. As I watched the boiling stream I wondered when are water currents dangerous to cross. I had no frame of reference. I took two steps into the water. So far so good. Sonet whining behind me made me turn. She was shaking her head, as if she were adverse to water. Either she was afraid, or she hadn¡¯t learned how to swim. Behind her, the humans were jobbing hard. They had managed to kill two demons, but the other four demons were finishing the job. There was no time to waste. I lifted Sonet up, crossed her arms around my neck, and waded into the angry river. As my knees got wet I started feeling the true power of the current. The demons shouted and hissed at us. I had merely traded one problem for a worse one. I was in no position to try and order them around. The attempt might have made me unconscious, and I had no assurance they understood Arstei, so I continued, step after step. The water current was making me move diagonally, and as soon I realized that I was swept away. Sonet hissed and screeched. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Not me, I¡¯m immune to panic and I had already imagined this happening even before setting foot into the river. I started swimming, doing my best to keep Sonet afloat and catching a breath of air every now and then. Swimming was using another set of leg muscles beside the cramped ones so it wasn¡¯t that bad. What was bad were the bumps against rocks I couldn¡¯t see. I thought I was about to die twice. The silver lining was that the current was putting some distance between us and the demons. I had long lost track of Skip, but Sonet held on firmly against me. And then after more endless moments, the other side was in sight. I timed myself to grab a solid-looking emerging rock. Which turned out not to be so solid. But it slowed me down, and I grabbed at another, and finally found some footing to jump. The weight of gravity from leaving the water made me stumble. I stopped my fall and noticed the bruises. I let Sonet down on her feet and took a moment to recover my breath. Only a moment. Gotta go fast, I reminded myself. I shambled forward and called out. ¡¸Allen: Skip!¡¹ He was nowhere to be seen. ¡¸Allen: Skiiip!!¡¹ I didn¡¯t want to sound impatient, but I was feeling the dread. Where were the demons? I glanced around quickly and found them, still on the other side of the river. They were shouting something, but only Sonet seemed to understand as she briefly turned to face them and shake her head. I turned again to take off into the forest, when a sharp pain came over my right leg and I buckled down. Something had hit me. Half shocked I looked over my disabled leg. A fucking big nail was dug into it. Now the demons were shouting even more angrily. ¡¸Allen: Fuck.¡¹ I spotted the one with the nails. He was scowling in my direction, while other two demons were pushing another demon toward the river, but he didn¡¯t seem happy about it. Why though? I doubted an adult demon would find any challenge in crossing, if even a half dead me had managed so. I wanted to go on into the forest, but my body just refused to move. Even rolling was out of question. Maybe the nail was enchanted, or posioned, or maybe I was simply dead tired. In a desperate attempt I tried to get a hold of the Mantle to tell them to go away. But as I focused my senses on my spiritual body, I realized it was not gonna happen. The Mantle was no longer that squirming thing, it had grown stronger as my spirit had grown weaker. I instinctively understood now what Feras had meant when he said he just had to wait. The Demon Lord¡¯s curse was going to take over me. And it was a curse, a parasite, not a different spirit simply killing off my own. I couldn¡¯t think about the implications. I just sat there. My mind blank. Sonet broke down in tears at the repeated threats the other demons were uttering. And then something changed. My skin prickled, the demons twisted. Sonet as well, looking left and right and trembling all over. From the forest appeared a woman, radiating power and beauty. She was tall. Her skin was faintly iridescent, like a pearl. Her eyes had a black sclera, like demons, but the pupil was round, not reptilian. Her green hair were like peacock feathers. Graceful limbs. Around her, lights trailed. Spirits! Of different shape and colors. All tittering, keeping a respectful distance, but crowding the surroundings. It was as if the forest was coming to life. More fairies of different make were coming out the woodwork. Some even literally. It was a ¡°you stepped in the wrong neighborhood¡± kind of vibe. The pretty woman, who was smiling as if she hadn¡¯t a care in the world, spared me and Sonet the briefest of glances, only to walk past between us. As she passed, Sonet cowered, pressing her head against the dirt. The woman crossed her arms and stared silently at the demons across the river. After a few moments of silence, one of the demons stepped forward. A brawny one, blue skinned. He hissed and yelled something in demonic tongue. The fae woman snapped her fingers. From across river a splash rose up, to envelope and swallow the demon who had spoken. A few seconds later he appeared sputtering on our side. The pretty woman bent down as if to consider a curious piece of flotsam who had just surfaced. She put her right hand under his chin. And lifted him up that his feet couldn¡¯t touch the ground. She spoke loud and clear, both physically and psychically. Even though she was still smiling amiably, what she conveyed was anything but. ¡ºFae woman: Listen here, you little shit.¡» Oh wow, she called him a little shit! Must have been the infamous fairy glamour, but I was in awe. The demon was powerless in her grip, and knew better than to try anything. ¡ºFae woman: You come in my territory. Kidnap my subjects. Shed blood at my doorstep.¡» The language was familiar but also different, I only understood due to the psychic concepts filling the blanks. She moved his head closer. ¡ºFae woman: And you dare make demands of me?!¡» Then she slammed him onto the ground. And stomped on his legs. The crackle of breaking bones and his scream was music to my ears. Hopefully she wouldn¡¯t do the same to me. ¡ºFae woman: Return whence you came. And send someone of authority if you wish to negotiate.¡» The burly demon remained frozen for a few moments, staring back in shock. Then he crawled away, almost like a snake, desperate to flee, his broken legs swaying at wrong angles. The woman stared back at the demons for a few moments more, then she turned. I felt her heavy gaze set on me, and felt compelled to speak. ¡¸Allen: So¡­ huh¡­ did Skip send you?¡¹ She didn¡¯t answer, instead she gave Sonet another glance. We were both lifted up by an unseen force. Sonet yelped in surprise and flailed her limbs uselessly as she floated in the air like a baloon. The fae woman walked past us, and we trailed behind. I sure hope she notices I¡¯m bleeding and dying. No rush, though. ¡¸Allen: You came to save us¡­ right?¡¹ I could swear she smiled even though I couldn¡¯t see her face from where I was. As we dived deeper into the forest, trees and branches moved to let us through quickly. I had the chance to witness the procession of fairy creatures peeking from the corners or trailing behind us. I wondered if Skip was among them. There were so many pixies and others that it was hard to tell them apart. My mind lapsed. Next thing I know we were in a circular clearing. I was face up. Sonet, on my right, noticed I was awake and cast me a pitiful look that said ¡°help me¡±. Sonet must¡¯ve been blind, because the one needing help the most was me. I hurt all over. I was bleeding from my nailed leg. My spirit was in shambles. And I was definitely feverish. ¡¸Fae woman: How interesting¡­¡¹ Did I also mention this fae woman had a melodious voice? She was looking down on me as if inspecting a circus freak. I probably didn¡¯t look good, all dripping wet and ragged for wear. Damn, why do I have to meet a pretty girl at my lowest? ¡¸Fae woman: At first I thought you were a half breed demon, or a renegade fairy, but no! You are a Human... holding onto the the Demon Lord¡¯s Mantle?!¡¹ I blinked, bemused. Why would she think such things? ¡¸Allen: Wha-¡¹ ¡¸Fae woman: And it¡¯s a human carrying around a demon girl? So strange. So curious.¡¹ She said that as if it was a funny thing. I realized she was speaking a dialect of Arstei. It was peculiar to hear both the words and the meaning directly inside my mind. ¡¸Fae woman: Please. Who do you think taught you monkeys how to speak?¡¹ She was reading my mind! ¡¸Fae woman: Of course.¡¹ She smiled amiably. But her eyes were different, I could read a familiar sense of eternal weariness. Those were the eyes that stared at me in the mirror. I suddenly wanted to know her name. ¡¸Fae woman: I am Mab. Queen of the Fae.¡¹ Mab! Another intersect with the tales from my world. The Winter Court. Or Unseelie Court. Often depicted with a cold and merciless temperament. ¡¸Allen: I¡¯m¡­ Allen¡­ Smith.¡¹ I introduced myself. ¡¸Mab: The Winter Court? Your knowledge is outdated human.¡¹ I stared. Well it was true, I had skimped on reading up this world¡¯s lore. But this was not the time to speak about Fae lore and compare notes. I was dying! ¡¸Allen: Would you heal me? Please?¡¹ I pleaded. ¡¸Mab: Should I?¡¹ She said, a devious smile spreading on her lips. It wasn¡¯t fair. I had worked so hard and went so far, finally finding true magic. I hadn¡¯t yet done eno- ¡¸Mab: Ohhh. You¡¯re still a virgin, I see. How tragic.¡¹ I stared at her hopelessly. My mind was an open book to her. She was gonna kill me, wasn¡¯t she? ¡¸Mab: Oh? And why would I kill you?¡¹ Because I had pissed of her Goddess. Alher, the Goddess of Nature. Even if she didn¡¯t know yet, she soon would find out. And- Mab dropped the smile. ¡¸Mab: The elven bitch? We allowed her to take control of the Aspect. Not the oth-¡¹ What?! Mab eyes went round. ¡¸Mab: Wait¡­ Oh my¡­ You¡¯re him!¡¹ The Fae Queen started laughing. Damn even her laugh was melodious. She waved her hand around to gather attention. ¡¸Mab: Children! He¡¯s the human who told Alher to get fucked in the ass!¡¹ She resumed laughing. No! That¡¯s not what I said at all! I stared speechless, still lying half dead on the soft grass. My feverish brain was not up to the task of processing all of this. Even Sonet couldn¡¯t help but stare with extreme confusion. The whole damn forest was laughing at me. I closed my eyes. Mab, I¡¯m dying here¡­ Chapter: 106: Fairyland Something small was touching my face and buzzing around. I opened my eyes. I hadn¡¯t realized I had passed out. Skip was fussing over me. Mab stood before me with her arms crossed. Sonet was still on my right, sitting with her face buried on her knees. There were more human-like fairies, standing at the edges of the clearing and watching us with curiosity. They all looked like fashion models. Poor Sonet, saved from whatever the Grand Vizir had in store for her, only to end up starving and hopeless. Maybe I should¡¯ve left her back there? ¡¸Mab: She didn¡¯t go through the Attunement?¡¹ Mab captured my attention and raised her eyebrows slightly. I was still laying on the grass, as I was too sick to move. Too tired. Even opening my mouth was pain. So I kept it shut. The Attunement? What did that mean? ¡¸Mab: Not important right now. You seem to be in quite the predicament¡­¡¹ She pointed out with a hint of sarcasm. At any other time I would have appreciated a fellow sarcasm practitioner. ¡¸Mab: Let¡¯s say I could save your life, Human. What would I gain by doing so?¡¹ At that Skip flew around Mab, latching on her arms, avoiding her attempts to shoo him away. Until she lost her patience. ¡¸Mab: Enough!¡¹ All of a sudden Skip was enveloped inside a mana shield and Mab turned her attention back to me. Skip was a bro, he had tried. Mab sighed. ¡¸Mab: I suppose you did help one of the small folks return to the flock, but this situation will require a much bigger favor to be solved. This calls for a bargain.¡¹ I groaned. Can we hurry, before this thing takes over me? I thought, thinking about the Demon Lord¡¯s Mantle. Mab smiled. ¡¸Mab: For saving that pixie I sall heal you, but for removing that Mantle from your spirit I will require a favor of my own¡­¡¹ I will not do anything that will bring hurt to the ones I care about. I solemnly thought. ¡¸Mab: Oh, nothing like that¡­ I want you to wake the First Spirit.¡¹ I stared at her, mind blank. She returned the stare. You want me to wake the Sleeping God? I remembered clearly what I had read on the topic. AnAn, The one no one had succeeded in communicating with since time immemorial. ¡¸Mab: Yes.¡¹ How am I supposed to do so? How does one even wakes a sleeping god literally named ¡°Sleeping God¡±? If he¡¯s called Sleeping God, maybe sleeping is his main feature, no? This makes no sense. No it even makes even less sense to ask such a task from a random hum- ¡¸Mab: This is my condition. Take it or leave it.¡¹ She said dead serious. I felt the full weight of her stare. Is this something I can actually achieve? I asked at last. What if I can¡¯t? She smiled knowingly. Damn, I hate when people smile knowingly about things I don¡¯t know about. ¡¸Mab: Then you will keep trying until the day you die.¡¹ I felt a wave of spiritual pain. The curse was acting up again. ¡¸Mab: I suggest you decide quickly.¡¹ I didn¡¯t really have a choice, did I? Fine, I¡¯ll do my best to awaken the Sleeping God. Mab clapped her hands, pleased. ¡¸Mab: Very good! Ah, it¡¯s quite fortunate you have brought that demon girl with you.¡¹ She exclaimed, glancing at Sonet with a smile on her lips. Sonet was less excited. She looked terrified. What are you going to do to her?! I was against child abuse. ¡¸Mab: Nothing of the like. She will receive the Mantle in your stead.¡¹ That did nothing to assuage my concerns. The Mantle was dangerous. ¡¸Mab: Not for a Demon. And she¡¯s not Attuned. The Mantle won¡¯t be able to control her, if she chooses so.¡¹ Was that bad? It didn¡¯t sound bad. If she was the Demon Lord, none of them would be able to harm her, at least directly. I still didn¡¯t know what this Attunement was, but it seemed I had done the right thing when I stopped the Vizier. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. She was better off among her people, hopefully she would prevent more Attunements. Noticing we were looking at her, Sonet glanced at me and Mab questioningly. I couldn¡¯t bring her with me. My fellow mentally-challenged humans had already jumped to conclusions and tried to kill me just because I had a little defenseless demon girl with me. ¡¸Mab: Oh no, there¡¯s a different reason for that. See for yourself.¡¹ She conjured something that looked like a mirror, and showed my own face to me. My eyes had a dark sclera. My pupils were yellow. Like a demon¡¯s. Or a fairy, apparently, now that I looked Mab up close. I felt my nailed leg going numb. Mab! Fix me now! Mab gave me another smile and knelt beside me. ¡¸Mab: First, show me in your mind how this came to be. I have to know.¡¹ She asked putting her left palm over my forehead. My complaining thoughts were shoved aside as she penetrated my spirit. A gentle touch, but firm. A motherly touch. She swiftly guided my mind over the events between my imprisonment and improvised escape. I did not resist. ¡¸Mab: Just one last question, but perhaps the most important¡­ What is it that you truly desire?¡¹ Are you Lucifer or something?! My mind was forcefully guided to think about what I truly desired. A real family. True friends. The love I had been denied. But none of that was what I truly desired. Magic. It had always been Magic. The one thing that I would stop at nothing to regain, if I ever lost it. The one thing I had ever longed for, so desperately trying to fill its empty place with pale imitations. Nothing could compare to the real thing. ¡ºMab: ¡­¡» I felt Mab¡¯s presence inscrutably observing my thoughts. ¡ºMab: Sleep now.¡» My consciousness faded into a blissfully dreamless sleep.
¡¸Mab: Wake up.¡¹ My eyes shot open. I felt refreshed. Nothing hurt. Fever gone. Mind clear. ¡¸Mab: Yes. It¡¯s done. Your spirit is practically newborn, it will recover without damage.¡¹ Maybe responded even before I finished forming the thought. I exhaled a breath I didn¡¯t know I was holding, then I sat upright. Mab was sitting between me and Sonet, she was just lifting her hand from the little demon girl. We had both been lain over clean fabric. ¡¸Allen: Is she-¡¹ ¡¸Mab: She¡¯s fine. The Mantle has been passed over. Can you stand?¡¹ I stood up without issue. I noticed I had been dried up. Many eyes were watching us, which made me a bit uncomfortable. Mab was a good two heads taller than me. ¡¸Allen: What now?¡¹ ¡¸Mab: Now you will be under my protection until negotiations end.¡¹ My face betrayed surprise. ¡¸Allen: Did they send someone already?¡¹ Mab smiled, and pointed a finger toward the unconscious Sonet. ¡¸Mab: We have the Demon people representative right here. I expect no trouble striking a favorable bargain.¡¹ I felt a little bad pushing this ordeal on Sonet, but I hoped she being the new Demon Lord would protect her and not corrupt her mind. ¡¸Mab: Follow me. And take the noisy pixie.¡¹ The magic field disappeared and Skip landed atop my head, burrowing on my hair. He was very excited. The Fae Queen walked toward the center of the clearing, and waved her hands forward. A portal opened. But not the sort of portal I knew. The goosebumps on my skin reminded me of the recent white explosion thing. That spell had been both very powerful and very dangerous. ¡¸Mab: Interesting observation.¡¹ She muttered, with a hint of amusement. The portal formed. Completely black, like a black hole. No light was getting through. It looked very unnatural. ¡¸Mab: Come.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: What about the girl?¡¹ ¡¸Mab: Where we are going Demons can¡¯t follow.¡¹ She said, walking toward the black portal. Two fairies I hadn¡¯t seen creeping behind us, pushed me onward. Completely unnecessary. I didn¡¯t want to be here once Feras found out what I had done. I cast one last glance at the little demon girl, who had done her best to drag me onward, and walked through the black portal without hesitation. It felt like listening to a cat scratching a blackboard. On the other side I shivered and opened my eyes. Now this was a proper nature-themed fantasy city. The sunlight coming from overhead had some kind of ethereal property. Massive trees were shaped as houses, or had many small holes from which glowing little spirits danced across. Flowers and stuff were arranged artistically. Finally someone was taking the nature-themed fantasy aesthetic properly. I nodded internally. I felt at ease. Mab, still walking, shot me a glance with a raised eyebrow. Perhaps surprised I was walking into their maw without even a pause. The disappointing Elven city, whose name I had already forgotten, should¡¯ve taken notes from here. ¡¸Mab: Hmm, the small folk liked that place. We should ask for reparations.¡¹ Mab said cheerily. The trees and shrubbery opened up to a lake with a tree castle in the middle. As Mab got closer to the river, stones surfaced pushed upward by roots. ¡¸Skip: Skip!¡¹ The small pixie chirped from atop my head, projecting feelings of daring and adventure. Good to have you back, little buddy. Once inside the tree castle, Mab had me stashed safely in a guest room. I had so many questions. ¡¸Mab: Your question will have to wait. Clean yourself up in the meanwhile.¡¹ And she left. No doubt there would be an intense bargaining session. The two Elven guys who had pushed me onward shot me a look of disdain and closed the door. I guess they were my bodyguards for the time being. ¡¸Skip: Skip.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Indeed. But you should expand your vocabulary.¡¹ There was a bed, a bunch of dark gray clothes arrayed there for me, everything needed to get clean, a desk and a mirror. I went for the mirror and took a better look at my face. MY eyes were still black and yellow. Fuck. I hoped it wasn¡¯t permanent. Permanent damage is the worst. I had been so good at keeping my body whole and unscarred, it was a shame to start now. Skip, reading my mind due to still being there stuck in my hair, sent some thoughts about me looking like a fairy. I guess that played a role in the little pixie trusting me. Maybe even Sonet. The next big thought was my brain wondering what were the political relations between Demons and Fae. Surely Mab wouldn¡¯t sell me out, would she? No, she had asked to wake the Sleeping God. Certainly she could see how it would be a problem getting to the task if I¡¯m turned into a puppet by Feras. Even if Sonet¡ªnow the new Demon Lord¡ªcould potentially be on my side, who knows what the Mantle will do to her, or if she¡¯d get pressured by Feras to do his bidding? I shooed Skip away from my head, cleaned myself and donned up the gray clothes. They fit perfectly. Skip giggled as I cut myself several times while trimming my stubble. I shot him an angry scowl. After coming in this world, I had learned to leave the beard trimming to professionals, as I clearly was not gifted for doing it with sharp blades. Maybe I should invent a magical beard trimmer, so I can be autonomous. Or maybe there was a way to use magic fields for it¡­ I sat down on the bed. Oh right¡­ I had to check my magic rings. They were still on my hands. One had been scrubbed, but I was interested in the other. I tried booting up the ¡¾All-ring¡¿ and¡­ nothing. Shit. The Vizier had meddled with my enchantments. My spirit was still hurting from the ordeal, so I took my time and slowly examined the ring, trying to ignore the bored pixie buzzing around the room like an energetic toddler with wings. The damage looked minimal. I just hoped the demon didn¡¯t mess with the disk section damaging the data. All I needed was just some proxy ma- I froze. Proxy magic¡­ why can¡¯t I remember proxy magic?! The knowledge was simply gone. Just gone. Chapter 107: Revelations I felt anxiety. But also resolve. Violet had given me much to think about. She had also given me direction when I felt lost, and renewed motivation to face the challenges that seemed hopeless. There was more behind the rumors about the Ice Queen. Despite her power and position, she had always spent most of her time raising new talents at the Academy. I was walking down the streets of Valarest. The commoners, who had been wary since the Bodystealer attack, were now starting to ease back into common routine. Kids playing. Merchants yelling. Smiling faces. The Demon Lord was dead! What would happen to the current war? Would the Demons continue fighting or would they regroup to plan their revenge? My parents had been preparing me to face this harsh world. The war had come earlier than expected and it had come to our footsteps before I was ready. One challenge at a time, I told myself. I had now arrived in front of Pizza Heaven, Corgas¡¯ restaurant. It was before opening, so I knocked. They needed to know what happened to Allen. Corgas opened the door and furrowed his brows. ¡°Lady Ellin!¡± He exclaimed. ¡°Have you just returned?¡± ¡°Corgas, I- uhm. I have som-¡± I began saying, but he grabbed my shoulders and spoke suddenly. ¡°Listen! I have¡­ dire news for you and the others. Allen¡­ he has been lost in demon territory!¡± Corgas said, surprising me. ¡°He might¡­ he might be dead.¡± He said grief stricken. He loosened his grip, remembering I was a noble lady. Behind him, Elaida appeared from behind a door, carrying what looked like a dough-filled basket. ¡°Ellin!¡± She exclaimed, then she took a look at Corgas, whose expression revealed much. ¡°Did he tell you?¡± They knew already, my hesitation had been pointless. ¡°I knew¡­¡± I revealed. ¡°But how¡­ how did you know?¡± ¡°The noble guy¡­¡± Elaida said, putting down the basket, then cast a glance toward Corgas, who continued. ¡°Lord Klenn,¡± He said with a pause. ¡°He came to us along with another man and a dwarf, they had been here before¡­ We had been wondering where Allen was¡­ It was just so weird¡­ I thought it was just a bad joke.¡± He sat down on a empty chair and continued. The other man had seemingly taken the initiative to speak, but Klenn interrupted him and came forward asking to talk privately. Corgas had felt his stomach churning at Allen¡¯s name being mentioned and the downcast look the three military enchanters were carrying. These were Allen¡¯s work colleagues. And that was how Corgas learned that Allen had taken part to the Obsidian citadel raid. He had to sit down then, because he felt a little dizzy. Even at that point, he still thought it could be a practical joke. But then the dwarf delivered Allen¡¯s armor, his coat, and the magic pouch¡ªthe gift we had given him for the Turning¡ªhe knew it was all real. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault¡­¡± The nobleman said. Because of his cowardice, Allen had taken over his role. Because of his enmities, one of the other enchanters had sabotaged the equipment¡ªwhose exact nature he could not disclose¡ªall in order to embarrass or cause harm to Lord Klenn. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. But it hadn¡¯t been Klenn who had been commanding the weapon. And the self-destruct mechanism had been upgraded to a much greater level of destructiveness, to not leave nothing behind in case it fell to Demon hands. Klenn himself had agreed to this modification. Lord Klenn did not see Allen return among the survivors. And neither had he seen Blackfist, the man who had organized the incursion. A deliberate act of irresponsibility, at the worst possible time. The only information he managed to glean from the second-in-command of the operation, was that the weapon self-destructed, and that it had been sabotaged. Then the man passed out and was taken to the healers. Klenn had been left with more questions than answers. Everything that could have gone wrong, had gone wrong. When he came back, he recalled Allen was a business partner of Corgas. And thus the reason of his visit. To deliver back Allen¡¯s personal possessions to his friends, and apologize. He had been trying to get in contact with someone with the authority to rectify the situation. The perpetrator wouldn¡¯t go unpunished. He owed Allen that much. It turned out Lord Klenn wasn¡¯t as arrogant as Allen had pictured him to be. ¡°And he did,¡± Elaida added. ¡°Tell her, Corgas.¡± ¡°Yes, the day after he came back, alone¡­¡± And he continued the telling. With the help of an Archmage, they found out and interrogated the culprit. One of Lord Klenn¡¯s competitors, a noble whose project funding had been cut in favor for Klenn¡¯s own. The wannabe saboteur paled as he was made aware of the full extent of his failings. His personal feud had put at risk one of the most crucial and daring operations to ever been carried out by the Kingdom. An incursion to the Obsidian Citadel. An one in a lifetime chance to find the Demon Lord palace as unguarded as it would ever be, and strike the Demons at their very heart. The news of the Demon Lord demise had just become public. Many had lost their lives in the operation. How many more could have come back had there not be any petty act of vengeance? The crime had acquired a much serious connotation. At that the traitor pleaded and begged. He thought being a noble would¡¯ve shielded him from all consequences. That he could¡¯ve just bought his way out with money and influence. He had been wrong. There had been no process, no judge, nor jury. He had been executed on the spot for the crime of high treason. During a demon war rules were stricter and swifter. Justice had indeed been swift. Allen had been avenged. Lord Klenn apologized one last time and left. ¡°And that¡¯s all.¡± Corgas said grimly. ¡°I still haven¡¯t told Lena,¡± Elaida said, looking down. ¡°How can I tell her that Allen is dead?¡± She shook her head. ¡°He¡¯s like an uncle to her.¡± They didn¡¯t know that Allen could still be alive! ¡°It¡¯s still not certain!¡± I hastily said. Corgas and Elaida cast me confused looks. Their doubt was understandable. ¡°Allen did not die,¡± I revealed. ¡°He was captured! And I know for certain that as to yesterday he was still alive.¡± They looked at me, speechless for a breath. ¡°What do you mean? How can you be sure?¡± Corgas demanded, a sliver of hope brimming on his eyes. Elaida too looked at me in askance. ¡°I can¡¯t explain the details, and you must keep this for yourselves,¡± I warned. ¡°But we¡­ Archmage Violet and I, contacted Allen, delivering the means to escape¡­ We just don¡¯t know if it worked. Yet.¡± Should have I waited to give them hope, when I myself didn¡¯t know if Allen had succeeded or had fallen trying? ¡°Escape?¡± Elaida muttered. I nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t say anything more¡­¡± I lowered my head. Betraying Violet¡¯s confidence would serve no one here. ¡°Allen needs all of our prayers. We can only imagine what ordeals he¡¯s facing right now.¡± Elaida took my hand in hers. ¡°Oh, Ellin. Thank you letting us know.¡± ¡°But where are Namrick, Grastel, and Yusdrolir?¡± Corgas inquired, looking at the door, half expecting it to open any time soon. ¡°Ah, about that¡­¡± I told them how I was snatched from my quest and flown back to Valarest. My heart ached imagining the confusion our party must have felt, having had to part ways with me so suddenly without proper explanations. By the time they got back, I vowed myself to have better news at the ready. Tonight I would lucid dream and attempt to get in contact with Allen. I couldn¡¯t help but imagine Allen, on the run, cold and hungry, pursued by all kinds of horrors. Chapter 108: Dinner with Mab I chilled on the fairy bed. Instead of a mattress, it was composed of several leaves that adapted their shape to my position. It was surprisingly comfortable. I didn¡¯t peek enough to figure out if they were enchanted, or living plants trained for the job. I suspected the latter. Because I could feel shifts in tune to the music I was playing. To get Skip to stop distracting me, I had started playing music inside my head, which at some point leaked out as illusory sound. I always hum random tunes when I focus on a task and there¡¯s nobody around to hear me. The illusions however didn¡¯t sound cringe as a hum. I had never stopped casting hallucination magic on myself, so I had gotten good at it. I didn¡¯t even need to think about it. And so, while Skip danced in the air, I enjoyed the moment of peace by slowly fixing the broken enchantments in my magical ring. I didn¡¯t have anything better to do and needed to stop thinking about the missing Proxy Magic and physical changes to my eyes. For the nth time I tried rebooting.
SYSTEM BOOTING Memory¡­OK Routines¡­OK AI_Interface¡­OK Peripherals¡­FAIL
Alright, I was close. This was taking a lot longer without proxy magic and me being careful not to overexert my recovering spirit. Like slowly stretching an inflamed muscle helped, so did the spiritual equivalent appeared to apply. Despite the ordeal, my spirit felt didn¡¯t feel as bad as last time. I wondered what the guys back in Valarest were up to. I was among strangers here. The Fae were known to be merciless and manipulative, and both this and my world seemed to agree on that point. I found the damaged mana threads, replaced them, and reactivated the ring.
SYSTEM BOOTING Memory¡­OK Routines¡­OK AI_Interface¡­OK Peripherals¡­OK STARTING GAMERGUI.EXE ¡ã$:%?¡ê$%?=¨{Gm(7? DISK ERROR
I sighed. ¡¾CHKDSK¡¿
Scanning disk¡­
While I waited I pondered over crucial matters. Had Mab really said ¡°fucked¡± earlier, or only broadcasted the concept into my mind? I couldn¡¯t pinpoint the exact word she had spoken in my memory. But then my memory has never been that good.
3 sectors damaged TODO implement sector recovery File verification completed.
I hadn¡¯t had the time to write proper disk repair tools, but it would mark bad sectors so they wouldn¡¯t get used. My ring enchantments had grown in complexity ever since Grohm had taught me advanced techniques. Fixing everything without Proxy Magic and proper tooling was not viable. I rebooted once more.
SYSTEM BOOTING Memory¡­OK Routines¡­OK AI_Interface¡­OK Peripherals¡­OK STARTING GAMERGUI.EXE
Ok, it had booted! ¡¾NOTIFY PROGRESS TRUE¡¿ I ran the command to reactivate notifications, which I had disabled back then in the Obsidian Citadel to reduce distractions.
Quest completed (A secret passage?) +150 EXP Quest completed (Kill steal the Demon Lord) +20 EXP Quest completed (Escape the Obsidian Citadel) +2000 EXP Quest added (Get back home) Quest added (What happened to proxy magic?) Quest added (Wake up the Sleeping God) You leveled up! You¡¯re now level 13
The notifications comforted me. The ¡¾All-ring¡¿ was back in action! I didn¡¯t yet know what to do with the scrubbed ring, which by the feel of it must have been made of mithril. Not as good as adamantium, but the next best thing. ¡¾SHOW MANA STATUS¡¿
Mana: 233/233 Cast range: 3.68 m Mana volume: 62 Mana density: 1 Mana efficiency: 0.75 Mana regen: 1.4 mana/min Mana drain: 0.0 mana/min
Numbers go down. No surprises there. The Mantle had pulled a number on me, and I had lost muscle mass. I heard a knock and sat up. My bodyguards entered the room. Their disdainful stares trained on me. I gave them my corporate smile in return. ¡¸Come.¡¹ They ordered and I followed, leaving an exhausted Skip to sleep over the bed sheets. Being confined in that room had gotten boring fast, so I didn¡¯t mind being shown around a bit. The two fairies led me into a lavish dining room. Mab was there, waiting for me. The smell of food filled my nostrils and awakened my starving stomach. The Fae Queen nodded to the seat that had been arranged for me. Close to her, but not too close. I didn¡¯t need to be asked twice. From her confident expression I had to imagine the bargaining had gone well. ¡¸Mab: Indeed it has. We have just a few details to finalize.¡¹ She said, gesturing my two bodyguards to leave us alone. After they left, it was just us two. In that moment I realized I had no idea what title to address a Fae Queen, so I remained awkwardly silent. I didn¡¯t want to offend my savior. Not just because she was pretty. Tales about fairies always stressed how a poor decision was to offend a fairy. I had already offended a goddess. It was prob- ¡¸Mab: Just call me Mab. It¡¯s already a title of sort. The small folk call me Mother Mab, but that¡¯s not appropriate for a Human to say.¡¹ That made my eyebrows rise. If Mab was a title, I also had to wonder if it was a Mantle. ¡¸Mab: How insightful. And yes, we Fae are well acquainted with Mantles. It was us who first created them, after all.¡¹ I was curious about how Demons and Fae were connected, but I didn¡¯t want to waste Mab¡¯s time with trivial questions. I wanted to know my fate. Was I going to get abducted, never to be seen again? Returned without memory a century later? The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Fairy servants entered with food trays, and set them before us. Even they were impossibly beautiful. Eugenics? Or genetic engineering? My cynical brain wondered. Mab, head shot in my direction, staring at me wide eyed. ¡¸Mab: How does a human know about genetics?!¡¹ I stared back. ¡¸Allen: How does a Fairy know about genetics?!¡¹ I argued back. Mab recovered her composure. ¡¸Mab: And who else, pray tell, would possibly know. If not the very spirits of Nature?¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Uh¡­¡¹ Well, if she put it like that¡­ It kind of made sense, didn¡¯t it? In this world there were Nature spirits. I guess they had first dibs at figuring out DNA, and all that stuff. Humanity had not developed much scientific prowess from what I had learned. That didn¡¯t mean there weren¡¯t mad mages doing illegal experiments and figuring things out. In this world people closely guarded their secrets instead of bragging over the internet. But if any human mage was carrying such experiments, I was not aware of it. Well, in any case I was not a genetic engineer, so I didn¡¯t know how to manipulate genes. Mab didn¡¯t have to kill me over this. Hopefully she agreed. I shot her a glance for confirmation. ¡¸Mab: You truly are from a different world.¡¹ She stated dispassionately. I found it odd how apparently disinterested she was about me being an otherworlder. She didn¡¯t look like she wanted to dissect me at all. ¡¸Mab: Says the one whose thoughts about the wonders of the Fairy realm boil down to a mere ¡°looks proper¡±.¡¹ If only I could still feel things as the child me. ¡¸Allen: In my world we have these corporate work environments that make you dead inside.¡¹ ¡¸Mab: Fascinating.¡¹ She said, picking up a spoon. I took the clue and did the same. But stopped. ¡¸Allen: Hmm¡­ Forgive me Mab, but is this food safe for Human consumption? Are there glamours or magics to deprive me of my mental faculties or-¡¹ ¡¸Mab: Shut up and eat.¡¹ Against my better judgement, I opted not to argue about food safety. I was hungry, so I tasted the soup. It was good. Not like those elves¡¯ food. I ate silently. Mab didn¡¯t spark any new conversation. She was probably plotting devious loopholes for her bargains. The awkward silence had been reinstated. My boss inviting me in those dreadful evenings with his rich and famous friends had quickly immunized me from feeling shy among the rich and powerful, but did not magically improve my conversational skills. It¡¯s easy when you can talk about work, or just nod when your superiors launch themselves in long-winded monologues. But how do you start a normal conversation? I never got out in the evening to mingle with normies. I was too tired to go out and endure people. I was missing a conversation opener. If only I could goog- Mab cleared her throat. Was she listening to everything I thought? Must have been exhausting considering how much I think. How long before I thought something wrong and would be punished for wrong think? I had earned Alher¡¯s hatred for a simple sexual jok- No stop! Don¡¯t remember! What if my brain did something disrespectful¡­ like imagining Mab naked? And that¡¯s exactly what my brain did. It¡¯s over, I thought, my eyes fixed on the filled spoon in my hand, frozen in motion. I think I saw Mab rolling her eyes from the corners of my eyes. My mind filled with the many possible scenarios of impeding demise. Immolated, drowned in acid, turned into fertilizer- Mab sighed heavily, and set her spoon down loudly. ¡¸Mab: Do you ever relax your mind for a breath?¡¹ She asked, with a strained smile. How about not listening to my thoughts? Please don¡¯t kill me. I couldn¡¯t close my aura and do the tricks Violet taught me, due to my spirit body needing recovery¡­ but yeah, mages are masters of meditation by necessity, I could quiet my mind. And so I did. Mab stared at me for a few seconds before getting back ro her soup. It wasn¡¯t until the servants collected our plates and brought seconds¡ªmeat covered in unknown sauces¡ªthat I found the strength to break the ice. ¡¸Allen: Thank you, Mab.¡¹ I had not had a chance to thank her properly yet. This seemed a good time. I didn''t care if, according to Fairy lore, it meant I owed her one. She had saved me. ¡¸Allen: You would make a much better nature goddess than Alher.¡¹ Mab dropped her smile. ¡¸Mab: Perhaps it¡¯s not worth the price.¡¹ She said with a harsh tone, warning me I had just stepped on a landmine. Way to go, Allen. ¡¸Mab: Why don¡¯t you ask me what you really want to ask? Go on.¡¹ I should probably ask first the one about my eyes. It would surely look weird if I asked about me forgetting magics first, wouldn¡¯t it? ¡¸Allen: Is this¡­ permanent?¡¹ I asked her, pointing at my eyes. ¡¸Mab: Maybe.¡¹ Maybe?! ¡¸Mab: It¡¯s hard to say. Mantles are like blood curses. A Human like you was not meant to receive a Demon¡¯s Mantle¡­ I wonder how that even happened in the first place¡­¡¹ I had no idea. I shrugged apologetically. ¡¸Mab: I already arranged for our healers and curse specialists to have a look at you. I¡¯m sure they will do what¡¯s possible, along speeding up your recovery.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: Thank you.¡¹ I continued. ¡¸Allen: And the other thing¡­ I had Oath-bound magical knowledge. Did you perhaps remove it while healing me? Or was my spirit damaged and I lost some magics? Can it be restored?¡¹ ¡¸Mab: No. I did cleanse your spirit from Feras¡¯ demonic aura and the Mantle leftovers, there was no other abnormality. But if you say ¡°Oath-bound¡±, perhaps you breached one of the conditions? You Humans have always been fond on safeguarding your little insignificant secrets.¡¹ Now that she mentioned it¡­ could there had been something about ¡°falling into enemy hands¡±? Remembering things related to Oath-bound knowledge was extremely hard once it was lost. I had researched on it after having it done on me. I also had nebulous memories about my time as a military enchanter, from that other Oath. I couldn¡¯t recall what happened inside the establishment, but I had likely written it down on my journal back at home. No biggie. That eased my mind that I might have suffered impairing spiritual damage. But damn. How was I going to enchant things without proxy magic? Perhaps Violet would grant me that knowledge again, once I got back. But what was I going to do in the meanwhile? Portals close to home were still jammed. As a beginner, enchanting equipment was my greatest tool. But without proxy magic I could not produce magical CPUs in reasonable times. I wished I had at least a parallel mind like in those mang- ¡¸Mab: You desire the dual mind? That¡¯s something you would attain at the peak of magery. But, hmm¡­¡¹ She smiled deviously. ¡¸Mab: How about a bargain? I¡¯ll have to bestow a blessing on you before you leave anyway, for your safety. I could make so it also grants you a similar ability¡­¡¹ Mab had my attention. Having a parallel mind would be great both for enchanting and combat. I was always hungry for more magical capabilities. ¡¸Allen: What would it cost me?¡¹ I asked, suspicious. ¡¸Mab: In return I ask you to never lie to me in any form, not spoken, not written, not even in your mind. You may only speak the truth to me, as I am bound to do so by ancient Accords. It will have to be an Oath.¡¹ ¡¸Allen: You can¡¯t lie?¡¹ I asked. This was not unexpected, since it¡¯s pretty common knowledge that fairies always speak true words. Not that it would stop them from lying with the truth. ¡¸Mab: I¡¯m not going to give you a history lesson. Your answer?¡¹ Mab was trying to rush me into making an uninformed choice. ¡¸Allen: Wait, at least give me more details on what this would entail!¡¹ Mab, displeased I didn¡¯t immediately agree, explained me how the ability would work. It would allow me to temporarily split my mind through the blessing, at the price of an increased mana consumption, and experiencing a short moment of confusion when merging back. It had nothing to do with the gradual awakening of one¡¯s spirit, Step after Step. Or the real thing, Parallel Mind, rumored to be the reward of walking all the Steps. No, this was borderline from a blessing to a curse. Somewhat of a less convenient alternative. It was what I had been trying to do with magical constructs without success. Triggers and more advanced constructs could only work once manifested outwardly. I had tried everything I could with my abilities without success. Maybe curses were the way, but that was taboo. There were other ways to work around these limitations, in fact there was a whole bunch of classes on the topic of becoming a more effective spellcaster. Unfortunately, I was not qualified yet to attend them. The Fae Queen stared at me impatiently. ¡¸Allen: Alright. Sounds good.¡¹ I said, nodding. I would need to train to use this new skill, and it would come with downsides, but being able to think more than one thing concurrently is well-known to be OP in all the isekai stories. As for not lying to Mab, that didn¡¯t sound like a problem. She would spot my lies anyway, but Mab had saved me and treated me like a proper guest. I did not want to lie to her. Or was that glamour influencing my mind? ¡¸Mab: Good. We¡¯ll proceed once your spirit is sound. Now, go have it checked and get some sleep. Yes, I know you still have many questions, they will have to wait tomorrow morning.¡¹ I made a disappointed face as Mab clapped her hands, to signal the guards outside it was time to escort me back to my rooms. There had been more things to talk about, but I left it at that. Since my worries about Proxy Magic had been dispelled and there was no reason to think I had forgotten other magics, restoring my physical appearance was the next important thing. Chapter 109: Namrick鈥檚 mentor My blade danced against the dead tree, focusing on the routine I had been taught. Again and again. Too slow. I told myself, wiping the sweat from my brow. ¡°Hey Nam!¡± Grastel called out from behind me. I stopped and turned to face my friend. ¡°Hey,¡± I said, sheathing my sword. ¡°Still brooding, huh?¡± He teased, nodding at the ruined dead tree. I didn¡¯t answer. ¡°Worried about Ellin?¡± Grastel asked, sitting on a broken log half covered in moss. ¡°She¡¯s probably safe back in Valarest.¡± He stretched his legs. I tightened my right hand. ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡± Not just that. ¡°Am I a good leader, Grastel?¡± I asked him. Grastel frowned up. ¡°Where¡¯s that coming from?¡± I sat down on a rock and exhaled, biding my time to find the words. ¡°Back then at the Academy¡­ I passed out at a critical moment,¡± I recalled. ¡°When we fought the hellhounds¡­ we almost got overwhelmed. And that other time we nearly got turned into troll food¡­¡± My strength had always been in combat, or so I thought. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault Namrick,¡± Grastel said. ¡°Sometimes the unexpected just happens.¡± ¡°No!¡± I said louder than I wanted to, and took a moment to calm myself. ¡°A good leader should always be ready. A good leader should not pass out when it matters most. I-¡± I put my face in my hands. ¡°Things are happening¡­ and I¡¯m not in control. We almost got wiped out, twice! I should be the one looking out for you guys¡­ the one you can depend on¡­¡± Grastel pressed his hand on my right shoulder. ¡°Nam,¡± he said. ¡°We can¡¯t ask for a better leader.¡± ¡°Then why do I feel so¡­ powerless?¡± I asked, looking at him. ¡°Ellin is rising in popularity¡­ will she really stay in our small party? And Allen¡­ he always seems so busy in so many pursuits. We just registered our party and it¡¯s already fraying at the seams.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but feel a sinking sensation in my stomach. We remained in silence for several breaths. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving,¡± Grastel said. ¡°Whatever you might think, you know how to attract the right people. And we know we can trust you, Namrick. And look,¡± He said pointing at himself. ¡°We¡¯re all still alive! We¡¯re not doing that bad by all accounts!¡± He was not wrong, but I had known how a good leader was meant to be. ¡°Relying on luck is not what Artas taught me.¡± ¡°Again with you old mentor¡­¡± He puffed, rolling his eyes. ¡°Guys! Was looking for ya!¡± Yusdrolir exclaimed, approaching from the beaten path. ¡°Merchants be telling we march in a Repose. Whatcha up to? Woodcuttin¡¯?¡± I turned my head to see the dwarf shooting an appreciative look at the skewered dead tree. He was leading the horse with our equipment. Grastel grinned. ¡°Namrick¡¯s brooding about our missing party members¡¯ busy schedules and failing his mentor.¡± ¡°Riiight. Ye said there was a story about the old party or somethin¡¯¡­ lemme grab a seat!¡± Yusdrolir growled, as he lifted a rock and moved it near us. He then brushed the upper side, pushing rock in a more comfortable shape as if were dough. ¡°Oh, I got some booze from the traders.¡± He grinned waving a flask. ¡°Weren¡¯t you abstaining?¡± I asked serious. It wasn¡¯t too long ago that he¡¯d been a drunken liability. Yusdrolir grumbled. ¡°Ellin¡¯s not here! Gods she sometimes scowls like ma gran.¡± He complained. ¡°Anyways, Allen says I should avoid the forbidden fruit effect or somethin¡¯? Change why ya drink and stuff. Then he did a thing to ma ring to¡­ discourage me¡­ So, yeah. Thought ya guys could use a drink together?¡± He asked shaking the flask again. I suppressed a flash of irritation at finding that Allen had gone behind my back in a party-related decision. My dad always said that giving booze to a drunkard was never a wise move. But on the other hand, Allen was both older and more paranoid than me, so I decided to trust his judgement on how to deal with Yusdrolir¡¯s problem. Just this once. ¡°Do you know why I quit my previous party?¡± I asked Yusdrolir. ¡°Ye kept short on details¡­ but I asked around,¡± The dwarf admitted, shooting a glance at Grastel. ¡°Didn¡¯t like the prissy nobleman taking over, didn¡¯t ya?¡± ¡°That¡¯s only half the story,¡± I said, taking a deep breath and recalling how I became an adventurer. A young Namrick had walked into the Adventurer¡¯s guild, full of determination, only to be laughed at. My face still flushed at the memory of how foolish I had looked then. Nobody would have brought a brat like me on a quest. Soon after, my father walked into the guild and started shouting at me, but I was stubborn and held my ground. I was determined to become an adventurer and a swordsman. Amused by the ruckus, Artas approached us, and made a suggestion. He would test the boy¡¯s mettle in a real adventure, making sure no real harm would come to him. That would either discourage the boy or prove he was cut for the job. ¡°Heh, first time I walked in an adventurer guild¡ªhalf drunk and angry¡ªI demanded to kill something, anything,¡± The dwarf grinned. ¡°Almost got me killed thrice. They named me Crazy Yaz.¡± He shook his head, and took a swig at the flask, then passed it to Grastel. I continued the telling. Back then I didn¡¯t know who Artas was, I was just happy someone was willing to bring me along on an adventure. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. My mentor¡¯s name wasn¡¯t very known publicly, as he didn¡¯t have any great deed to his name, but my father must¡¯ve known about him or he wouldn¡¯t have agreed. I¡¯ll never forget my first quest. Artas, and one of his friends brought me out of the city and into a dense forest. We were to hunt a lone wolf who was attacking people in the area. They gave me a backpack that was heavy for a kid, and solid stick that I could use to walk and defend myself. I struggled to keep up with the pace, but I made no complaint. I didn¡¯t realize Artas was mentoring and testing my mettle all the while. I was blinded by eagerness to prove myself. It was later after we camped, that we were attacked. Artas had left earlier to procure food, so it was just me and the other man. All of a sudden the lone wolf came from the bushes and jumped on Artas¡¯ friend, who screamed in pain. It was bigger than I had imagined. A big gray wolf, snarling and menacing. Hearing about wolves didn¡¯t describe what they really looked like in person. How terrifying they could be. I was paralyzed for a moment, before remembering I had the stick. I couldn¡¯t abandon the man and run. I found my courage and swung and poked at the big gray wolf, yelling and screaming, so that it would move away from the wounded man. I put myself between them, and screamed desperately for Artas. My arms were shaking badly and I was blinking tears away. But I held my ground. Then the man I thought I was defending put a hand on my shoulder and yelled something at the wolf, which stopped and moved away, no longer snarling or attacking. Artas walked over from behind a tree. It hadn¡¯t been a real attack. The wolf was a familiar. I felt confused, then shamed and betrayed. I sulked on the way back, until the moment Artas stopped me, clasping my left shoulder, and told me. ¡°You held your ground, boy.¡± Then he nodded and we resumed walking. He didn¡¯t mock me for the words of bravado I had spoken on the way up. I think I had said something about fending off waves of goblins. I had been foolish, as kids are. But I had shown my true character. And more important I had proven it to myself. I stood straighter. We stopped halfway to gather rare herbs for his friend, who turned out to be a mage. I still stood clear off the wolf. It¡¯s size had been too intimidating for the younger me. When we got back, Artas gave me a small portion of the herbs we collected, and instructed me how to turn them in at the guild. He would later speak to my father. And he did. My father was reluctant at first, and Artas made no light of the dangers of an adventurer¡¯s life. But he vouched that I had what it takes and would mentor me. ¡°Remember when we tested Allen¡¯s mettle?¡± Grastel interrupted. ¡°That was something.¡± He took a sip and passed me the flask. ¡°Yeah, he was really enthusiastic,¡± I said, my lips curling up as I remembered that scene. ¡°I never saw a first-timer kicking a verkling in the nuts and following with a headbutt.¡± I drank a sip and passed the flask back to Yusdrolir. I kept to myself the disturbing dreams of endless sparring against Allen that had been plaguing my dreams of late. Allen would never be that vicious in our training sessions. A ploy for the God of Nightmares to try distancing him from us? ¡°Oh-ho? That sounds like Allen,¡± The dwarf said. ¡°Maybe ya guys should tell him not to growl so loud. He attracts the enemy attention.¡± ¡°We did. More than once,¡± Grastel said ¡°But maybe he wasn¡¯t listening. You know how he is when lost in thought.¡± We all nodded together. ¡°And Ellin? Did ye test her meddle as well?¡± Yusdrolir asked. ¡°Ah, that is a tale for another day,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°We should let her do the telling. when she¡¯s back with us.¡± I hoped she was well. The dwarf grunted. ¡°So, what happened next?¡± ¡°And then,¡± I resumed the story. ¡°Artas took me under his wing¡­¡± From that day on he brought me along with his party, and I learned so many things. Artas was well known amongst adventurers. He had mentored several of them, and he had many friends. I started by bringing along the backpacks, and slowly learned the ropes, the sword tricks, how to lead, and how to care about a party. And so on. Artas had seen something in me, and I wasn¡¯t going to disappoint him. I didn¡¯t know then, but he was coaching me to become his successor. Our quests didn¡¯t always go as anticipated, but he always planned ahead to minimize dangers. What to bring along for safe travels. Weak points for monsters and creatures. How to get a feel about other adventurers. I thought things would always be the same, but my mentor was already past his prime. And then came that day. It was not during a battle or a quest. We were heading home, traveling through a mountain path, when Artas shoved me away from sudden falling rocks and ended up with a broken leg. We didn¡¯t have a healer with us that time and we were two days from the closest town. We set his leg best we could and gave him a health potion. But that leg never healed fully right. Artas¡¯ time as an adventurer was over. A good adventurer knows when it¡¯s time to quit. My mentor had said with a melancholic look. To this day I still feel guilty. If only I had been more careful. If only¡­ And then everything changed. I was too green to lead the party, and by right the position was to fall in hand to the nobleman in our party, who had also been sponsoring us. I will not name or defame him, as I agreed when we parted ways. But he wasn¡¯t good at leading. He was not Artas. He also did not listen to me, for he didn¡¯t need the opinion of an inexperienced ¡°peasant¡±. I admit I had been wrong a few times, and perhaps I should have kept my mouth shut in some occasions. But that nobleman had even dismissed the basic teachings Artas had imparted on me. He cared not much for the safety of the adventurers under his command. He did not anticipate situations. He just lead arrogantly. It was only a matter of time before everything would come crashing down. At last, I confronted him about all this and he gave me an ultimatum. Fall in line or leave the party. I left. It broke my heart to leave the party Artas had built¡ªwhich I considered almost like a second family¡ªbut I had to. A good adventurer knows when it¡¯s time to quit. I may not be a noble, highly educated, or from a strong bloodline. But I had learned from the best teacher that I should listen to my guts. And so I did. From then I joined other adventurers in their quests. Until one day, when I heard that the Verdant Crest had been nearly wiped out on a quest. That day my former party had disbanded. No one trusted the nobleman to lead them anymore. That had been the last straw. I found Artas in the Guild, drinking away his sorrow. ¡°Should have been you leading them, Namrick.¡± He told me, shaking his head and blinking away a tear. Good people had died. Some of them friends. Could I have prevented it had I been there? Reduced the casualties? As if reading my mind he told me. ¡°It was not your fault. They knew who was leading them. We¡¯re adventurers, not slaves. It¡¯s by our own choices that we meet our death. Remember that.¡± Then I slumped down and sobbed. No shame in that. What is a friend who¡¯s got no tears for his fallen comrades? Artas knelt down and hugged me, and we poured our tears on the ground, until there ware no more to give. I keep this last memory to myself. Some things should be remembered, not told. The dwarf broke the silence. ¡°So¡­ yer mentor¡­ is he still kickin¡¯?¡± Asked Yudrolir lifting his eyebrows. ¡°Yes,¡± I replied. ¡°Who do you think introduced me to the former Royal Sword?¡± I smiled grateful to my mentor, who was still looking up for me even in his retirement. ¡°And now I wonder if I really am up the task, to live up to what he taught me¡­¡± I said, rolling my shoulders to ease the tension. ¡°I¡¯ve seen worse.. much worse.¡± Yasdrulir said. ¡°I¡¯ve been worse as well¡­¡± He stared at the flask in his hands, shook his head, and offered it to Grastel, who declined. ¡°This may be a small party. But ye guys are the first that don¡¯t make me feel like dwarven scraps. Yer doin¡¯ well by my book.¡± The dwarf stood up and sighed. ¡°Wish you guys had called on me when the demon-thing came over them prissy mages academy.¡± Grastel shrugged. ¡°We were in a rush. It was all so sudden. Sorry Yus.¡± ¡°Heh. It¡¯s okay. Just sayin¡¯¡­ you can count on me when your lives are on the line.¡± I nodded. We all stood up and headed toward the main camp, from whence the smell of roasted meat was wafting from. We would soon go back on the road. I wished Ellin was here with us, and wondered what she thought about me.