《Enchanting》 Chapter 1 I felt a mix of nervousness, fear, and elation as I moved through an alley going north in the slums, toward the Merchants'' Quarter. It took effort to behave as if this was any other day and I had doubts about how well I managed. Inside my shirt I carried a purse that contained all the coin I had scraped together in the last few years and I did not want anyone to try to take it from me. Having done my best to draw attention away from my appearance with both dirt and loose clothing, I tried to come off as an older child as usual, helped by my lack of stature. Unfortunately not everyone believed in that ruse anymore, just fair skin was enough to end up in one of Syvon''s brothels and I had the bad fortune to have much more than that. The plan I had hatched almost the hour my mother died, several years ago, was deceptively simple, driven on by mother''s teachings I wanted out of the slums and out into the world I had only read about. My current goal was the Scribe''s shop just off the corner of Merchant''s Lane where it turned onto King''s Road leading down to the main city gates. Normally this was far too upscale an area for a half-way street rat like me but I thought I knew the mannerisms well enough that I should hopefully pass as a servant, though I would certainly look like one belonging to a less well off family. While the shop I had in mind was more expensive than others of its kind, the Scribe that ran it had a reputation for fair dealings, something I desperately needed. As I came out of the alley I stopped a moment and took in Merchant''s Lane with its vibrant colors and floods of jovial, well dressed people, a stark contrast to what was found anywhere in the slums. It also did not smell as bad, probably because the sewers here were kept in good repair and got used as they should. I moved swiftly up the road keeping my head down, while mumbling apologies whenever someone came close. It took me only a few minutes to reach my goal and luckily I got there without anything unforeseen happening. As I entered the shop I stopped a moment to stare in wonder at the contraptions that hung from the ceiling, the glass vials full of sparkling somethings or gross dead things. Or things I could not even give a superficial identification to despite my broad, though rather eclectic, education. Across the room from me there was a heavy looking well-worn wooden counter behind which stood a thin intense looking man with eyebrows overshadowing any other feature of his face. His gaze bored into me from across the room as he watched me, no doubt making sure I would not try to steal anything. "I wou¡ª" My voice gave out with a croak, and I took a deep breath to try to settle my nerves and tried again. "Sir, I would like to buy a spell book, Fire Burst." The man watched me in silence for a few moments before speaking. "Fire Burst, is a weak ineffectual spell with no room for growth, it is in factone of the few single Attribute spell known, it has no room for finesse or variation, driven only by the feeble amount of Mana its construct can handle. Even in the hands of an Arch-Mage it would not be an impressive spell, its only real use outside of possibly scaring away rats would be to cheaply become a Mage. Is that what you are planning, child?" His intense eyes stayed on me as I gave a hesitant nod, not expecting this amount of conversation over something I had thought would be a simple and hopefully straightforward transaction of coin and a spell book. "How old are you, child?" It sounded like his voice had become less harsh as he spoke, but it might be my wishful thinking, for any difference was slight. The question threw me a bit, making me unsure if I wanted to keep up the pretense or not, but considering the man''s reputation I decided to go with the truth. "Seventeen, sir." He kept silent for several long moments, making me squirm under his gaze before he resumed. "You on the streets then?" I shrugged and he gave a deep sigh as he crouched somewhat and began to rummage under the counter. While I did have a roof over my head, I either stole, begged or did chores where I could find them to feed myself. I was not sure if the Scribe even had a frame of reference for that way of life, apparently my attempt to pass as a servant had failed miserably. "At seventeen it is hard to say if you are grown enough that there will be no side effects, you know how age affect the Attributes, yes?" I nodded once more, but immediately felt foolish, the man could not see me facing down as he was. "Yes, sir" His search continued as he spoke, ignoring my reply. "Did you know that once you gain a class, you will no longer naturally gain Attributes?" The man looked up over the counter to meet my eyes. He placed a slim red volume on the counter, and put his hands on both sides of it and leaned forward as he kept speaking. "You see, as you grow older, your Attributes increase naturally throughout puberty and into adulthood. Gaining a class changes all that. Only changes recognized by your class, a skill or a Trait will change your Attributes, normally. So the safe option is to not gain a class too early in life. In most cases people can only reach a certain level before gaining further experience would require a risking of life and limb they are not inclined to put up with. The sensible choice then is to be as strong as possible at a certain level, that is, to have the highest Attributes you can. Then again, there have been children who grew up with a class, gained Attributes as normal and had a head start on their peers. On the other hand, there have been those who never hit puberty, never gained another increase and stayed a child in body until they died. There is no way of knowing which will happen, most children with a class never even gain their first level so the information available is sparse and inconsistent to begin with." He pushed the spell book across the counter. "But seeing as you have saved up what would be a considerable fortune on the streets, I assume none of this changes your mind. Going down the road of a mental focus is the wise choice. You have little chance matching up physically against anything threatening. So, hand over the coin, child. The book is a gold." I felt a bit annoyed at the man, it was clear he did not believe me about my age and went on a rant as if to a child. There were admittedly some grounds for his assumptions, in truth it was impossible to know if I might have another growth spurt coming. While I might one day grow taller, there were no guarantees of that and the risk of staying in the slums was not one to be ignored either. I fished out the coin purse, the price was what I had expected, and the total of my funds.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. I did not feel ashamed when the Scribe counted out a gold in copper coins, I felt pride that I had managed to gather the staggering amount, no shame as I so clearly showed I did not have a single silver to my name. The Scribe finished counting with a grunt and swept the coins into another purse while pushing mine ¡ª now empty ¡ª along with the book to the edge of the counter. As I reached for the book and purse the man grabbed my wrist causing my heart rate to skyrocket as I stared up at him with wide frightened eyes. "You should use that book here, child. If you leave with it, things are bound to go badly for you. If you are set on getting your class, just do it here and at least accomplish that much in safety." Having said that the man released me. I did agree with him, I would not have dared to do so had he not offered, but here was far better than some dark corner in the slums. I pocketed my empty purse and looked at the cover of the spell book. I could feel it was a spell book, everyone knew how to recognize one by the power they emanated. I could not read it though, the language was nothing I had ever seen before so I could not say which spell it was. But the idea that the Scribe would give me a more expensive one than what I paid for was laughable. I opened the cover and a flash of light burned my eyes as I had my first interaction with the Order.
Do you wish to learn the spell: Fire Burst?
It took me several moments of mental gymnastics to figure out how to give an affirmative, and as I did so I felt pain rush up the back of my head and tears started streaming from my eyes as the world swam in a kaleidoscope of colors as shapes distorted. I backed up against the door and slumped down it, trying to get my eyes to focus again while my head pounded like never before. The book in my hands felt oily against my fingers as it seemed to grow less substantial until I could not feel it anymore, with the distortions to my vision I could not make out what had happened, but the thin volume was clearly gone. And just like that it all stopped, the pain went away and I once more caught the eye of the Scribe, as he stood leaning over the counter, studying me. "So, child, you a Mage now then?" I took a deep breath, "Status."
Ewynne
Age: 17
Level: 1
Experience: 0/100
Race: Half-blood
Class: Enchantress
Strength: 6 Dexterity: 14
Agility: 12 Constitution: 7
Endurance: 8 Intelligence: 19
Wisdom: 11 Willpower: 12
Perfection: 14 Charisma: 12
Health: 70/70 Mana: 230/230 (19/minute) Stamina: 80/80 (15/minute)
I stared in shock at my status, trying to wrap my head around what I was seeing. There were just so many things that did not add up. If you learned a spell, you became a Mage, everyone knew that. There were only four base combat classes, Warrior, Rogue, Mage and Cleric, they diverged later on, but those four were what everyone started out with. Yet here I was having just learned a spell, the Order even told me what spell it was, and now I was an Enchantress; a class I had never even heard of. It grew more difficult to keep a hold of myself as the urge to hyperventilate was almost overwhelming. I had planned, worked and schemed to achieve this moment for years, barely scraping by and seldom having enough to eat. The joke was on me apparently, I was not a Mage. Furthermore I was a half-blood, if that became known it would add another heap of troubles to the ones I already had. Then, finally, my Attributes. Many believed ten was the normal value for an attribute, but I had read more than one account that clearly explained that ten was not average, rather, it was the natural value a person could achieve without any significant detriments or affinities. So rather than ten being normal, it was what could be achieved by time and effort if there was nothing in the way. Of course that was not strictly true, you could not train say Perfection for example, but in general the explanation was sound. Taking care of your general physique did affect your Perfection so it was not entirely out of your control, though what caused an improvement or not was rarely certain, and accounts varied as to what the Attribute actually did, though it did seem to improve one''s general appearance. I would not have been surprised if the average Attribute in the slums was five or six. Having thought all that, my Attributes did not match what I had expected by any stretch. My voice shook as I spoke to the Order once more. "Abilities."
Sense the Flow, rank 1 You can perceive the flows of Power around you. Limited to the basic Powers.
Cost: N/A Cast Time: Instant, Instinctual, Intentional
Range: 2 meters Upkeep: N/A
Enchant, rank 1 You canenchant objects with the Magic you know.
Cost: Variable. Cast Time: Variable, Intentional
Range: Touch Upkeep: Variable
I had heard people joke about how uninformative the Order could be when it came to descriptions, but the truth was glaringly obvious here. I did not actually understand what this meant and it would take experimenting to figure out the exact mechanics of the Abilities. But they were also very clearly not anything like what I had expected as a Mage. "Traits." I was all but shaking as I hoped for some good news.
Limited Caster You are not a Mage, while you may learn spells your ability to cast them is limited. Effect: The Mana cost of all spells is increased to five times.
My eyes bugged out as I tried to take in what was being presented to me. If I had actually been reading the information in question I could have hoped for a misunderstanding on my part. But it was not possible to misunderstand the Order; You might forget, or gloss over something, but outright misunderstanding was impossible. "Spells."
Fire Burst
Throws a burst of fire at a nearby target. Spell structure maintained by 10 Willpower. Damage: 3 times Willpower, excluding structure requirement.
Cost: 125 Mana Cast Time: 2s, Intentional
Range: 2 meters Upkeep: N/A
The massive Mana cost was insane, I could only cast the least impressive spell ever invented, once. Chapter 2 I was broken out of my funk by the Scribe repeating his question. "So, are you a Mage now?" I stared at him, eyes wide as I shook my head, and his eyebrows shot up. "You learned the spell but you did not end up a Mage?" As his question sunk in I realized I had made a mistake by answering him with anything other than a yes. My only excuse, was the shock at whatever was going on, I scrambled to my feet and fumbled at the door. I could sense something gathering behind me, a flowing of power. I could feel that something inside me had changed and now I could sense a spell forming nearby. The power was gaining structure, step by step, but still too swiftly for my peace of mind. I fumbled the door open after what seemed far too long and half-stumbled, half-fell through it. Though I would have liked to call it an intentional dive to the ground, that would have been a lie. I rolled to the side and started to get to my feet as a ghostly claw grasped into the empty air, where I would have been had I just run out. "Thief!" The shout rang far too loudly from inside and I instantly had the attention of merchants and nobles alike. But far more hazardous was the fact that there were several Guards about. I cursed under my breath as I completed my roll to my feet and started running down the street back to where I had come from not very long ago. Once more I could feel something, a gathering, but this one was far less ordered and structured, more like a whirlpool of force. I once more dove, rolled to the side and got to my feet. I could hear a surprised grunt behind me as well as a whooshing of air as something missed me by little more than a hair. Nothing was visible to the eye though, and the lack of something tangible made me more fearful than I had been at seeing the ghostly claw earlier. I ran as fast as I could until I reached the alley, which had carried me to Merchant''s Lane to begin with. I took the turn at speeds that made me scrape my shoulder against the far wall. Moments later I could feel the same whirlpool of power once more, this time it was directed at my legs. My heart beat like a drum in my ears as I tried my best to time a jump to avoid the oncoming force. Stone exploded under me as I sailed through the air. While I managed to dodge the attack, I still got pelted by stone fragments from the eruption. Now fear gripped me in truth, an attack that made stone explode like this could have taken my legs off. I took the next turn even harder than the last, jumping to the wall in order to conserve momentum. I sprang from wall to wall in the narrow alley, until I reached the edge of the roof and scrambled up. I was not stupid enough to look down to see what my pursuer was up to, rather I leapt to the central beam of the roof, and then ran along it for all I was worth until I could jump to the next building and keep running. ** Charles stood for a moment, looking up at where the small thief had just disappeared. He could not help but feel a bit conflicted about letting the street-rat get away, tinged by a bit of shame at the thought that he had tried to strike what could have been a lethal blow. His first attack had been modulated and weak, enough to only do moderate damage and stun. But the split second dodge from the thief had angered him, along with the mounting frustrations over the Bressling case, it all added up to him losing control. He had sent a full powered blast at the thief''s legs, and missed. He could not help but feel relieved that his second strike had been dodged as well, even though it had let the thief go free. He shook himself out of his musings and walked swiftly back to the Scribe''s shop to find out what had been stolen. The chances of catching the thief at this point where slim to none unless the Scribe knew the child, which should not be the case. But he had seen enough strange things over the years, and a Scribe knowing a street-rat would not have been the strangest by any stretch. A few minutes brought him back to the shop where an irate Scribe was waiting for him. "You did not catch her!?" The mans words came out far more like a banshee''s screech that words, but the meaning was loud and clear. Charles ignored the outraged manner of the man, and began his questioning while activating Truth Sense. It was seldom needed in a cut and dried case like this, but he had learned early on as a Guard that everyone lied about something. It was what was lied about, that was often so very interesting. "What did the thief steal?" The Scribe seemed to be taken aback by the question, but shook himself. "A spell book, Fire Burst to be precise." Lie The chill of a lie swept over Charles, but he kept his face impassive and continued. "Have you ever seen the thief before?" "No!" Truth Charles hesitated for a moment, uncertain as to what direction to take his questioning in. It was clear by the fact that the Scribe did not know the thief that she would never be caught. But it was also in doubt whether anything had actually been stolen at all. Charles sighed to himself and admitted that he would not upset a taxpaying citizen, to find out if the honor of a street-rat had been besmirched. The child was still free and alive, that was often far more than what could be expected in circumstances like these. ** I leaned back against the wall, back slick with sweat as I panted, trying to get my racing heart to stop beating so hard it hurt. I had lost the Guard at some point, probably as soon as I took to the roof. At that point though, I had been far more ruled by panic than reason and I had just run for it. Trying to put as much distance as I could between me and the murderous Guard. I picked up one of the stones that lay on the scrap-littered ground and threw it across the expanse in front of me, to hit the building at the far side. I had gained my class, and what I had to show for it was an Ability that seemed to only be useful against opponents far more powerful than me. Being able to sense when others used power or gathered Mana did not seem all that useful in a fight at this point. Though it had admittedly done wonders when running away, like I had just been. The problem was, it would not do much when cornered, against even a plain dagger.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. I tried to cheer myself up with the thought that Enchant might not be quite as bad, I picked up another stone, frowning as I tried to figure out how to get the Ability to work. It took me most of the remaining daylight to figure out how to get Enchant to activate. I focused hard on the stone in my hand only to have it explode into a fine white powder. I spat out some that had gotten into my mouth and then wiped my face off, with little success, judging from the smear on my sleeve. I would need a bath to get rid of the mess that covered my face and hair. Something the slums did not have an abundance of. "Mana."
Mana: 150/230
I did not spend any time considering the implications of the Mana used, maybe I needed to use more, maybe I needed to use less. I had no idea what the recipe for success was here. My second attempt did not explode, it shimmered sideways in a way that eluded my eyes somehow, and was just gone. "Mana."
Mana: 50/230
The cost of disappearing a rock, rather than blowing it up, was apparently higher. I relaxed against the wall and closed my eyes, it would take a few minutes to regain my Mana to resume my experimentation. Explosion.
Mana: 190/230
Explosion.
Mana: 100/230
The fifth attempt ended up with something that looked like glowing horse manure.
Mana: 60/230
I once more rested and waited. I repeated my attempts over and over as the day turned to evening and the evening to night. My attempts broken up only by waiting for Mana and scrambling across the ground for stones. I had lost track of the number of attempts by the time I succeeded. Holding the stone let me perceive its information.
Stone of Fire Burst Will explode with a burst of fire when hitting a target.
Damage: 12 Quality: Average
Some quick calculation told me that the successful attempt had cost me 35 Mana and did twice the damage the spell would do if I had just cast it. Unfortunately it took close to a minute to make, not counting the possibility of failure, so not an option during a fight. On the other hand, nothing kept me from filling my pockets. I shook my head as it felt like it itched on the inside. The sensation was very strange and refused to go away. As I sat there frustrated with the feeling, the itch changed and new information came to my mind.
You have made a discovery! You have discovered how to create a Stone of Fire Burst! Experience gained: 52
I took that in for a time, before making another Stone of Fire Burst. This time it only took me seven tries to succeed, and then do the mental shift afterward.
You have created a Stone of Fire Burst! Experience gained: 3
As my initial excitement died down somewhat, I was still elated by the fact that I could make a decent weapon and gain experience from it. Even if the experience stayed constant it would eventually be too small an amount to care about, but for now it was both a lot and safe. I spent the rest of the night making stones glow and explode, leaving myself looking quite a mess. ** As light hit me from the rising sun, outshining the single torch that was puttering at some distance, I shoved yet another enchanted stone into my pocket and yawned widely. I was nowhere near succeeding on every enchant I tried, but I had gradually been getting better. To the point that in my last few tries I had only failed four to every success. Which was considerable progress. My guess at this point was that the stones were different enough in their makeup that each one required a different amount of Mana and the flow of the enchantment changed. But that was still guesswork, it would probably take me hundreds if not thousands of attempts to find out exactly how it worked. I might have to use something better than stones picked up off the ground for any reliability. I had only gotten three experience per success, for ten tries, before it had dropped down to two. This made me suspect that the better I got at this, the smaller my experience gain would be. But it had still been enough to gain a level worth of experience in a single night. Which raised the next question. "Status."
Ewynne
Age: 18
Level: 1
Experience: 125/100
Race: Half-blood
Class: Enchantress
Strength: 6 Dexterity: 14
Agility: 12 Constitution: 7
Endurance: 8 Intelligence: 19
Wisdom: 11 Willpower: 12
Perfection: 14 Charisma: 12
Health: 64/70 Mana: 42/230 (19/minute) Stamina: 73/80 (15/minute)
I had no idea how to level up. I had expected there to be an itch like with previous information gain, but there had been nothing. Going back over everything I could remember, I had never actually seen or heard any mention about how people gained their levels. Which probably meant that it was something obvious that everyone knew but never felt a need to mention. Though frustrated at not knowing what to do, I finally had to admit defeat. I noted in passing that I had turned eighteen some time during the night. I stood up and stretched as my thighs cramped in complaint, apparently mostly sitting on the ground for half a day and all night was not recommended, as my loss of Health and stamina also attested to. That thought brought a painful reminder that I not only needed to relieve myself but also find something to eat. Some time later I walked through the slums with far more confidence than I had felt before, except possibly when mother was alive. That thought made me frown, my past still did not make sense to me. The things my mother had left me and the things I had been be taught by her, did not add up with where we had lived. Being a half-blood made it all even more bizarre. Why were we in the slums to begin with? Mother obviously had coin enough to go elsewhere. At thirteen I had been far more naive than now, having mother around kept me from many of the harsher lessons of the slums, while I learned others from her treatment of me. I had lost almost all she left me, shortly after her passing. The only reason I had kept what I had, was that it was mostly unimpressive enough not to mean much to even the street-rats. I smiled slightly as it sunk in that I could actually defend myself at this point, rather than just flee from everything. Probably. I was still not quite sure how the Stones of Fire Burst worked. I assumed they needed to hit a target with some force, or I would have put my own legs on fire by now. The thought made me decidedly uncomfortable, maybe carrying around dozens of fire summoning rocks in your pockets was not the most brilliant of ideas after all. Chapter 3 My search for something to eat had not gotten very far, it was severely hampered by the attention I had drawn, it was hard to pilfer food when you were being watched. With the dust in my hair and the smears across my face I was a sight even in the slums. It might have been wise to find something to steal and sell before I began my experimentation, then I could have bought food now. I had just moved through one of the empty side alleys opening onto the southern parts of the docks, where some stalls were situated to cater to sailors just coming into port and much attention was drawn to any incoming ship. It was also the only part of the docks that connected somewhat to the slums. That was when I spotted some of Syvon''s goons between me and the nearest stall. That in it self was not a big deal, of far more concern was the fact that they spotted me as well. Syvon was the most influential of the criminal elements in the slums, most of the beggars, the thieves and the brothels in both the slums and at the docks paid him off, if they were not owned outright. Just about everyone had the good sense keep their heads down around him, and anyone associated with his operations. "Well, well, what do we have here?" I watched one of them swagger forward into the alley I was still in, as the rest of the gang fanned out behind him. He acted out the very clich¨¦ he represented, as he tried to act tough and frightening. His worn clothes and his skeletal frame did not help in his attempt, rather they told a story of being as much a victim in some ways as everyone else. The difference was that he chose to be an active participant in the abuse heaped upon the poor. In the end though, it did not look like he got much out of that arrangement. By the way he leered at me, being as filthy as I was did not seem to be a deterrent, or perhaps being alive and a person was all it took. The thing that confused me though, was that they did not seem to be ready to chase me. Similar things had played out many times before with one gang or another, and I had always just ran away. The whole situation seemed strange and contrived somehow, as if they did not really care what I would do, which did not fit the modus operandi for Syvon''s goons at all. I fished out a handful of Stones of Fire Burst from my pocket, probably far more than I would need to defend myself, but my sense of unease was not letting up. That is when I felt it, a use of power forming behind me, just at my neck. The goons were not alone. The feeling was different than either of my previous experiences, colder and sharper somehow. But it was also faster, whatever was coming was forming quicker than the ghostly claw or the whirl from before. I had almost no time to react. As I did not have the room to duck and roll without ending up among the approaching goons, I leaned forward and then twisted to the side while turning on my toes, to get my eyes on whoever was behind me. As I did, my stomach cramped up in terror and I felt close to losing control of my bladder. Behind me was Jab, one of Syvon''s helpers. Jab was not one to start a fight and then let it go, he just killed people, pure and simple. Any excuse was a good excuse. Syvon mostly kept him close and in check, but this was obviously not one of those times. It was not like I could call foul though, it was of little concern to their operations if people got killed in the slums, the Guard would not come here to investigate after all. All that went through my mind as I finished my turn and met his cold eyes and his wide happy smile. The man was insane and he would kill me. I grabbed as many Stones of Fire Burst as I could with my free hand, fumbling some in my haste and threw what I had in both hands at him. I kept my momentum going trying to get as much distance between us as possible without bumping into the wall of the nearest building. I could see his hand holding a knife that glowed with a sickly gray-black light on my far side and he had just twisted his shoulder and arm so that the edge was once more facing my direction. No doubt the next slash was coming my way in just a breath. Truth be told it should already have hit me, he was by far the superior fighter, but the expression on his face told quite clearly he was enjoying toying with me far too much, and he relished in my fear and panic. Then the Stones of Fire Burst reached him, only two whirled past on his left side, the rest smacked into his chest with dull popping sounds before erupting into gouts of flame. The eruption seemed odd, just before the stones turned into fire there had been a flash of light that expanded outward, then it had distorted somewhat before collapsing back in and bursting into flame.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. I stood and stared, eyes wide with shock, all my thoughts of flight forgotten. I had seen horrible things before. But Jab was on fire, his Health kept the horrible damage to his torso from killing him outright. His body tried to equalize the damage and keep him alive as his flesh charred and burned. In the end he lost the fight to live and all that was left of him was a burned out husk slowly falling to the ground as a stench of seared meat clung like tar in the air. I tried to breathe, and started panic as I gulped for air and not getting enough. It seemed like all of it had just left the area near the macabre spectacle that had been a man just a short while ago. I finally got out of my daze and I turned on my heel and ran, the goons stood with mouths agape and eyes wide as I ran past them onto the docks. Heedless of where I was going, I just wanted to get away from the horror. I could not get the scene of his death out of my head. ** I was not sure how long I had been running. The dockhands were shouting angrily, as they had to stop moving to not bump into me with the cargo they carried, as I half-stumbled half-ran past them, panting. My head felt stuffed and a headache pounded behind my eyes. I took a bleary-eyed look around and realized that I had left the slums and lower end of the docks far behind. I was further through the affluent part of the docks than I had ever been before. Enough so that I did not actually know where to go now. One thing was for sure, if I went back to the slums I was dead. Syvon would have everyone hunting for me, as soon as he found out what had happened to Jab. My head was really killing me and I found it difficult to focus and think. Though I did have the presence of mind to move away from the water as to not fall in. I stumbled towards a nearby building before slumping down against it, leaning forward and holding my head in my hands. My short hair made a pathetic attempt of falling across my face, throwing up a small shower of white dust in the process, making me sneeze and causing yet another spike of pain to lance through my skull. "Get away from here you drunk fool!" It took me until a kick hit the side of my leg, hard enough to bruise the bone and make me yelp in shock, to realize that the shout had been directed at me. I looked up, trying to focus, but my vision swam. "A''em noth dunk." My words were slurred and everything was becoming strange and distorted. I felt another pain in my leg, before everything faded away. ** I woke with a start as my stomach screamed in protest. I could not recall when I had last eaten well, and skipping food entirely for however long it had been, made me feel horrible. I rubbed my eyes as memories came back to me, burning Jab, the running, the dizziness, the shouting, the kick and then nothing. The smell of Jab burning came back to me, and with it the unwanted thought that he had not smelled that different from any other meat sold at the market. I rolled over as my stomach rebelled. I fell off whatever I had been lying on, landing on hard on cold stone and started to dry-heave as tears ran down my cheeks. He deserved it. He deserved it. He deserved it! I was rocking back and forth heedless of my surroundings. He deserved it. He really did. I was trying to convince myself I had not done anything wrong. Jab had been a monster. I had seen and heard of him and all the others of his kind doing horrible things. He deserved it. I slumped against the floor, my heated cheek lying against the cold stone as my head felt funny. I made an effort to shift my mind into seeing what the Order was conveying.
You are suffering from Infusion Sickness. Effect: -3 Dex, -3 Agi, -2 End, -5 Int, -3 Wis, -10 Will Duration: 6 hours, 22 minutes, 11s
I did not know what Infusion Sickness was, but the effects of it would explain why my mind felt so strange. With a far greater effort than usual I got up of the floor and looked around. I was in a cell. Not surprising if I had been thought to be running drunk through the rich part of the docks. With my luck I might even have caused damage. If that was the case I would probably end up in the slave market. I did not have any coin, never mind the amount needed to pay for whatever fancy cargo the wealthy might have. There was no window in my cell, a quick check showed that all my clothes were in place, though my pockets were empty. I hesitated a moment, but the idea of meeting whatever would come without even the option of defense did not sit right with me. I might not have a chance to escape, but if what lay before me was bad enough, I could always fight and let come what may. The thought made me almost start gibbering in fear, and it took a frustrating amount of effort to get off the bunk again and start searching for something to enchant. How did people with low Will manage, when even the inside of your own head rebelled against you. My plan did not go well. Having crawled across the whole floor, interspersed with bouts of panic, I found some dust, a very small piece of cloth and nothing else. I did not see myself putting a Fire Burst enchant on cloth or the hay, surprisingly lacking in mold, that made up the mattress on the bunk. With a sigh of surrender I lay down and closed my eyes. I sat up again with a start as the world started shimmering brightly enough to sear my eyes at first. The walls of the cell were being washed away like a new painting someone poured water over. Welcome! Welcome! A creepy sounding, jovial voice greeted me as I could see a figure approaching at fantastical speeds, starting from little more than an outline until I had his widely grinning face just in front of mine, nose to nose. Chapter 4 The eyes of what I had first thought of as a human, were solid black. Except that every now and again there would be a spark of light in them, as if a distant explosion took place inside their depths. I could not see much more than the creature''s eyes though, with him so close. He moved in even further, flattening my nose. "Once again, welcome!" I felt uncomfortable and unsettled. Just then, the creature pulled back and straightened, looking down at me. He was slim and tall, aside from the eyes he looked human. But no matter how I tried, I could not get a grip on the details about him. Only his wide creepy, white smile and deep dark eyes stood out and was discernible. The rest was like an out of focus backdrop, I knew I could see it, but it also eluded my mind. "Have you ever wondered how leveling up works?" The question made me blink in surprise, I did wonder, and had done so only some hours earlier. I hoped it was just hours at least. "It is strange, is it not, that no one speaks of leveling up. How does it work? What happens? How can it be, that all of a sudden you have a higher Perfection score..." His hand snaked out and grabbed my left breast, squeezing hard enough to make me scream. He once more shoved his face close, strange eyes staring into mine as the pain made tears run down my cheeks as he mauled me. Before just as abruptly letting me go. I fell backwards, discovering that the bunk I had been sitting on was just gone. I fell the extra distance hitting my butt hard against the ground, and sending a jolt of pain streaking up my back. "... and just like that, you are more appealing to those around you. Or your Constitution increases and all of a sudden you can take more of a beating!" I did not even see him move before he was next to me, grabbing my arm and pulling me sideways before slapping my butt hard where I had just landed. The pain sent a another shock through my body as I was starting to truly panic. All the while he smiled his wide, creepy, sickening smile. "Or your Willpower makes you able to handle what life throws your way. Strange is it not?" Once more he was just standing a distance away looking down at me, seemingly without moving through the the intervening space. I was rubbing my hurting breast, sobbing, as I hoped this was just a sick and strange dream. "This is what happens, this is where that fabulous experience is traded, bartered, sold and made into whatever you fleshy creatures desire. At wonderful rates too!" The creature struck a pose holding its arms out wide, like a street performer waiting for applauds. With effort I was starting to get a hold of myself, this was just too bizarre. I took a deep shaking breath as I got myself under control. I was catching on to something here, which helped me to calm down. While I was still scared, having something to figure out and unravel, was comforting. Familiar. My suspicion was that this was all an act, a performance. The goal was to make me unsettled and afraid, so far it had been quite successful. This creature wanted something from me. From the sounds of it, he wanted my experience. He claimed this was how you leveled up, but I had no way of knowing if that was true. Would agreeing to anything here affect me? Was it all a lie? The pain felt real, but would I wake up bruised? I looked around, everything around me was covered in a gray fog, the only thing to be seen was the creature. He stared at me for a while longer before sighing, shoulders slumping. "It does work more often than you would think. Men, women, you name it. Grope them a bit and act creepy and they fall all over themselves just to get away. I have made fabulous deals that way!" He once more struck a pose while I stared at him in bafflement. Sure, I had been catching on, possibly. But did he not give up too quickly? Games within games. I rubbed my forehead. Obviously I was not affected by the Infusion Sickness, wherever this place was, or I would quite probably have reacted as he desired. "I have no way of verifying anything you say, so how could I possibly agree to a deal?" My voice was far more firm and clear than I had expected, with more than a hint of anger. The creature winced. "I hate the smart ones, at least have the decency to gain Intelligence after we have made a deal!" His eyes became unfocused for a moment, as he stared out into space, before abruptly getting in my face again. "This is wonderful, you are special! I love special! I love different! You have no idea what is normal and I can trick you in oh so many fabulous ways! You just do not know any better and all will be just swell!"This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Having said that the creature started dancing around, making strange noises that might have been singing, but I could not tell for sure. I lay down on my back and closed my eyes. This was too absurd to be real. It had to be a dream. If everyone went through this, the world would have gone insane. More insane. This could not be how you leveled up. I let out a grunt as a heavy weight settled on my stomach. I opened my eyes to see the creature sitting on me, staring down. He was not smiling anymore. "You are not playing the game." His voice sounded cold and hard, and somehow more articulate than before, certainly less jovial. "Why should I?" I tried to sound calm and uncaring. The number of unknowns here were far too many, and a creature with a predisposition towards abuse was sitting on me. The creature frowned down at me, he then sighed and was just gone. I sat up and looked around. The gray fog remained, but there was no creature in sight. He would no doubt show up soon to scare me. I lay back down again and tried to prepare for that. The world changed. From one moment to the next I went from lying down in the fog; to sitting up in a comfortable chair inside a small room, near a blazing fireplace with a cup of something hot in my hands. The aches and pains I had been feeling were just gone. Across from me sat a man in an expensive looking suit. He was older, slightly graying at the temples with a well trimmed beard and long black hair flowing down to his shoulders. And creepy black eyes. I sat there staring at him as he sipped from his cup. Then a smile started to spread across my face. "Oh, how annoying. Well, yes, you figured it out." The man spoke with what seemed to be genuine annoyance. "There are still rules though, you have to agree to a deal." "Experience." The man glared at me now. "You have 311 Experience. " He answered, tone clipped. "How often do I get to meet one of you?" The question was probing, but I asked anyway, curious if he had just given up or if this was another part of their game. Now he looked truly disgusted. "Fine, no more games! You can negotiate every ten levels if you have left room for it. No agreements may be changed unless all parties agree." "Are there more parties than you and me then?" "Yes!" I could still not be sure if this was more of a trick, but I had either managed to confirm something, or I had been truly fooled. "Our offer is two Attributes per level, and a Trait or Ability every three, from a list of appropriate choices." I considered that for a moment. Was this why no one would talk about gaining levels? Would I be able to remember this deal the next time, if there was one? "Four Attributes, define appropriate choices." "Appropriate choices is a well established term. It means anything with a value of seventy percent or less of the value of a level and something that can be feasibly called relevant to class, actions, skills or lifestyle." He sounded like he was repeating something by rote, so not a new questions then. "Who makes the call of what is feasible then?" "We do." The pronouncement made that seem very final. Which made me very skeptical. I sat back and sipped what turned out to be a very nice ... something, while considering. There were so many ways this was being manipulated in their favor that it was hard to put my finger on where the greatest problem lay. The choice of Traits and Abilities could be a big deal, but I had never heard of anyone bemoaning their Abilities or Traits, quite the contrary. No doubt they were normally good and relevant. So that was a distraction then? I decided to go for what I felt was the more obvious flawand made a counteroffer. "Four Attributes, Traits or Abilities at the value of the level where the choice is being made and the level just before that." The creature looked at me calmly, with a wide smile. I reminded myself not to be overconfident, there was still a chance I was being fooled here, in fact it was overwhelmingly likely. His reaction made me afraid I had missed something, which made my guts clench. But I could not think of anything, maybe I was not as clearheaded as I had thought. "Three Attributes, a Trait or Ability at or lower than seventy percent of the sum of the three levels it concerns, efforts will be made to make certain all choices are highly relevant." I considered that, it averaged out to be even over the levels, which was more in their favor, if I considered that at some point I would probably stop gaining levels. It did make it clear though, that three Attributes were far less valuable than thirty percent of a level. Did the cost increase the higher an Attribute got? Or would their gain from that part of the deal go up and up the higher level I became? I decided to hold off on that for a moment. "What happens every ten levels?" The creature put his cup away and leaned forward. "You get to choose a special Ability that is worth more than usual or have a class evolve or similar. But you forgo your Attributes and that level does not count towards the three." I nodded slowly. "And I come here for that?" The creature shook his head. "You only come here if there is a reason to negotiate." "At what value is the special Ability?" "We have the special offer of ninety percent, just for you!" I did not actually know the experience cost of levels so I had to ask. "Would that be worth more than the Trait or Ability before and after?" "Before, yes, by a lot. After, no. But by that time you would be a third of the way towards the next special Ability! And special Abilities are special! They offer things normal ones do not. Or evolved classes, that is very important!" "I see, I would like to add that no Ability or Trait should be worth significantly less than the seventy percent mentioned, and an effort should be made to make them close in value." The creature''s smile seemed a bit forced. "Are we in agreement then?" He held out his hand and I shook my head, making him frown. "Does the cost of increasing an Attribute increase as the Attribute gets higher?" He blinked in surprise. "Yes." "At the same rate as experience values for levels?" His face went completely blank, but I could see something dark and dangerous start to show in his eyes. The sparks of light had started to shift and change. I got a very unsettled feeling. I decided not to push too far, but push some never the less. It could be another trick, was there something about Attributes he did not want to tell me? "Lets say three Attributes per level for the first nine, and increase that by one additional Attribute per level, for every tenth." I sat back, hoping this would not end up with me being very dead. That was when it struck me that I had just assumed I knew how leveling worked. Far too much of this was assumptions based on what I had been told by the very creatures I was negotiating with. "I think you should explain the mechanics of levels instead of me fumbling in the dark, and make telling the truth a part of the deal." The creature looked disgusted as it began to speak. "We agree to not tell an untruth..." Chapter 5 I woke with a start, furiously looking around the cell as adrenaline flooded my system. But other than the light flickering slightly outside the bars, it was all empty and quiet. I had not expected prison cells to be as clean or as silent as this, even inside the Chatheza. The familiar itch in my head drew my attention to the Order, a sensation tinged with a bit of ... annoyance? I once more looked around the cell with a sense of dread I could not explain. I could have sworn I heard soft laughter, close enough to have been inside. But there was no one in here but me. I shrugged and made the now familiar shift to see what the Order had in store for me.
You have been victorious! You have slain an enemy stronger than you! You gain 186 Experience!
You are suffering from Infusion Sickness! You need rest!
Congratulations! You have advanced to level 2!
Congratulations! You have advanced to level 3!
Your Infusion Sickness has faded!
You have unallocated Attributes! You may choose a new Trait or Ability!
I considered what I knew for a moment. There was no explanation for Infusion Sickness, except that it said I required rest. But why had I gotten it to begin with? Was it related to enchanting? The death of Jab? Was it something that happened to people when they needed to level up? In the end I still did not know why I had gained my levels now, when I had not done so after accumulating enough experience for my first level earlier. Maybe sleep was required and not sleeping brought on a negative effect. I put my musings aside and spent some time figuring out how to bring up my options for Traits and Abilities.
Paranoia You are not paranoid, they really are out to get you. Effect: +4 Willpower, +2 Endurance, -3 Wisdom
Paranoid Negotiator There are always plots within plots within plans, everyone is several steps ahead of you. But you try to keep up. Effect: +2 Intelligence, +2 Willpower, +1 Charisma, -2 Wisdom
Forced Calm Things really are as bad as they seem. But you have learned how to cope. Effect: +3 Willpower, -1 Wisdom
Fervent Casting You have faced unforeseen circumstances enough that they have become somewhat of a habit and you have adapted. Effect: You may cast two of your spells per day, unaffected by restrictions.
I tried to make sense of what I was seeing, were these normal Traits for an Enchantress? It sounded like I had a class with an inherent mental instability. I had never done any negotiating, other than possibly haggling in the slums. Putting that aside I took in my options. Fervent Casting was the only Ability among these, though it did not seem that impressive. It would let me cast three Fire Burst instead of one, with the Mana pool I had currently, if it could counteract Limited Caster that is. Which was not enough damage to even threaten my life, never mind someone who I might actually be afraid of. My enchanted stones were far more impressive and the Ability would not help me escape this place. The problem I had with the Traits was that they all had negative Attribute values associated with them. I could compensate for that with my unallocated ones and come out ahead. But there was something about that; I felt ¡­ averse to using Traits to increase my Attributes, as if that was a¡­ bad deal? The thought refused to stick with me and kept slipping away. Even so I went back and considered Fervent Casting carefully. Nothing I could get now was truly immediately useful for an escape, but Fervent Casting had potential and might be more useful as time went on. Casting without being restricted was vague, however it was a level three Ability, I could not expect to be awed by the power of it.Stolen story; please report. I decided to go with my strange feeling and picked Fervent Casting and then turned to my Attributes. Strength, Dexterity, Agility and Perfection were out. They would not help me right now and was of limited use long term. Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom and Willpower were long time goals, while Charisma and Endurance might have some use for an escape plan. But the chances of me running away or talking myself out of this seemed slim, so I decided to increase Constitution, Intelligence and Wisdom by one, and put the remaining three points into Willpower. I had not appreciated how hard it had been to stick with my decisions when my Will had been affected, and I wanted to put more distance between that experience and myself.
Congratulations! You have reached a branch in Intelligence! Choose your path!
Mana Connection Mana flows naturally for you. Effect: Regain Mana 20% faster.
Crystallized Thoughts While Mana does not flow swiftly for you, you are far more efficient with how you use what you have. Effect: Your Mana pool includes Intelligence as an Attribute, but you regain Mana from Intelligence 40% slower.
I had never heard of Attributes branching before, was this something related to my class, or was this simply a lack of information on my part? The choices themselves had me really stumped though. On the one hand gaining Mana faster was good. But having more Mana meant I could actually cast several spells instead of just one, if that was ever a thing I needed to do. As I learned new spells later, that might start to become a real issue. What if I did not have the Mana to cast even one? Could I still learn and use it? More things I did not know. While Mana Connection seemed really useful, Crystallized Thoughts seemed like a safer choice to compensate for Limited Caster. In the end, I did not know how much faster Mana regeneration might help. Sure, it would affect my ability to mass produce enchantments, but how much more would it help compared to more Mana in general? I felt so frustrated, there was just not enough information. With a sigh I decided on Crystallized Thoughts and hoped that was not a choice I would come to regret. I noted that after that choice it would now take me almost 40 minutes to regain all my Mana, a rather daunting number. But I could also cast five Fire Burst back to back if I used Fervent Casting and that actually offset Limited Caster, something I needed to make sure of. At my current Healththat was actually enough to kill me, which was a sobering thought. Apparently only my maximum Healthincreased when I gained Constitution, not my current Health. "Status."
Ewynne
Age: 18
Level: 3
Experience: 11/300
Race: Half-blood
Class: Enchantress
Strength: 6 Dexterity: 14
Agility: 12 Constitution: 8
Endurance: 8 Intelligence: 20
Wisdom: 12 Willpower: 15
Perfection: 14 Charisma: 12
Health: 54/80 Mana: 470/470 (12/minute) Stamina: 57/80 (16/minute)
Now all I could do was wait and see what would happen next, while my stomach kept complaining about the lack of food. ** Had this been an epic story like the ones mother used to read to me, someone would have shown up to tell me what was going on, as soon as I was done with my levels. Preferably a villain holding an informative monologue. Apparently I was not that important, since it took what was sure to have been several hours before I heard footsteps coming my direction, sending my mind into a furious tumble. How exactly should a prisoner behave, what was I supposed to do now? With a sigh I sank back onto the bunk and waited. They might not be coming to my cell after all. A thought that made me hope they would not. It did not take long for the footsteps to resolve themselves into two stern looking guards. Their garb made it obvious that they belonged to the Guard, and that I was in fact inside the cells of the Chatheza. "Hands through the bars." The Guard was not loud, but his tone of voice and steely eyes made it abundantly clear that I would do as I was told. Having no desire to see what would happen if they had to encourage me, I swiftly got up, stepped up to the bars of my cell and stuck my hands out. The Guard who had spoken, swiftly shackled me with a set of bulky manacles.
You are suffering from Mana drain. Effect: -25 Mana/second. Duration: N/A
The effect of the manacles was immediate and horrible, it felt like someone was tearing my guts out, and a growing hollow sensation started just bellow my sternum. I had to grab onto the bars of my cell not to fall over as the world seemed to lose color. The visual distortion brought up a strange half memory of someone shouting welcome, but it soon faded as I did my best to keep standing. The so far silent of the Guards grunted as he grabbed me by the arm to keep me upright, while unlocking the door. After they had pulled me out, they half-carried, half-dragged me along a rather narrow stone hallway. My vision had started to resolve itself somewhat as I left the cell, enough so that I could pick up on more of what was around me. It was a bit uncomfortable that one of the Guards was half a head taller than the other, since most of my weight was resting on the arm he was holding. The stones of the walls above head height were glowing with a soft light, which gave me a desperate urge to explore how that was accomplished, but I strongly suspected the Guards would not appreciate me stopping to study the phenomenon. After having walked for a short while, we reached a set of stairs leading up to an empty archway. It seemed strange that there was no door, but as we ascended the stairs it became apparent that the arch contained a mirror. Frowning I wondered what was going on as we marched and hobbled up the remaining steps. I tried to pull back as the Guards seemed to be of a mind to just walk into the mirror. But they roughly pulled me head first into what turned out to be nothing. I stumbled, losing my balance but was kept upright by their none-so-gentle hands. Somehow we had ended up in another hallway moving perpendicular to the one we just came from. I tried to turn to see what the strange mirror looked like from this side, but the Guards would have none of it and roughly kept me moving. I considered asking them what was going on, but dropped that idea just as swiftly as I got it. The Guards were not known for their chattiness, I was far more likely to get a blow to the head than an answer to any of my questions. The journey continued along hallways and stairs, the light here coming from Mage-Lights rather than glowing walls, and the quality of the stone was quite a bit less impressive than what the cells had been made of. That was strange, why would the prison cells be of better quality than what seemed to be a main part of the Chatheza? Finally we came to a stop before a pair of large wooden doors. The Guards dragged me to a wall and stood to either side of me, staring silently out into the otherwise empty area. Apparently we were waiting. In silence. Chapter 6 We had waited a long time, especially considering how hungry I was. As I was starting to be reminded of other needs and was about to ask where I could find a chamberpot, one of the double doors opened. A man stuck this head through the gap, and narrow-set eyes stared at me from under a mop of blond curls, set in what I guessed was an intentional style even though it looked more messy than anything else. "Enter." The voice was a bit nasal, and the word short and clipped. I was about to find out how deep into the manure I had fallen. The room we entered was not as grand as I had thought it would be inside the Chatheza. A very fat man sat at my right, on the far end of a rectangular room. There was a sparse amount of furniture. A desk and a chair for the fat man, a carpet on the floor and some Mage-Lights. There was also another four Guards, two near the man, standing behind his chair to either side, and two next to the door on the opposite wall from where I had been made to enter. I blinked in surprise, there was another man as well. One I had not noticed at first, which seemed more than a bit strange as he stood next to the fat man''s desk, in plain sight watching me with a strange expression. "Cell 12?" The fat man asked of my Guards, cutting my study of the room short. "Yes, Sir!" The man answered promptly and with more than a bit of deference. "Destruction of property and disturbing the peace. Twelve gold fine!" The fat man did not even look at me, but there was something in his expression that sent shivers down my back. He shuffled the papers on his desk and made a note. "Collar her and send her to the pen." I gasped in shock, was that it? No defense? No asking if I could make the payment? Which I could not, but this was not justice, was it? I had no recollection of destroying anything, but it was not impossible considering my state during the Infusion Sickness. But should there not at least be a witness of my escapades present? Or was that what the strange man was here for? I was not sure what I had been expecting though, fair treatment and justice like in mother''s books was a fairytale. With that in mind I decided to fight, I raised my manacled hands and froze. I had no Mana, wore shackles and was a small woman in the room with eight rather large men. Fighting would only give me bruises or worse. They would not kill me, that would mean a loss of coin after all. The city would get whatever my price ended up being at the market, so they would want me alive. My thoughts were cut short as something cold locked around my neck. I looked up in surprise at the Guard who held the collar, and met uncaring eyes. The world started to slip away, I got vague images of doors and hallways, open air, more hallways and rooms and an increasing stench of something foul. ** I came to with a gasp which I immediately regretted, wherever I was stank horribly. The shock of the smell was followed shortly by the reminder of the fact that I had still not eaten, and hunger gnawed at my guts. As bile rose in my throat I wished I had not thought of eating, wherever I was made me feel that eating was not something I wanted on the agenda. My mouth felt sticky and strange and I had to repeatedly rub my eyes to see properly. I looked around the room and took in yet another cell. This one was far larger than my previous one and it was full of people. Dozens sat slumped and immobile. It took me a moment to get it, but my disgust heightened even further as I understood where the smell came from; all of them were sitting in their own feces. Most of them still dressed, but all just sat there in their own filth. I closed my eyes for a moment in silent hope before taking in my own state. Having finished dry-heaving, which seemed to have become a recent habit of mine, I felt my neck for the slave collar. Finding nothing raised the question of how come I had been sitting here, obviously as catatonic as everyone else. Up until; what? What had changed. "Status"
Ewynne
Age: 18
Level: 3
Experience: 11/300
Race: Half-blood
Class: Enchantress
Strength: 6 Dexterity: 14
Agility: 12 Constitution: 8
Endurance: 8 Intelligence: 20
Wisdom: 12 Willpower: 15
Perfection: 14 Charisma: 12
Health: 34/80 Mana: 42/470 (12/minute) Stamina: 28/80 (16/minute)
Unallocated Attributes: 0
My Healthand stamina had kept going down. That was something that did not give me a warm and fuzzy feeling. My lack of Mana seemed to indicate I had still been suffering from Mana drain until recently. With the low amount I had currently, the point at which I started to regain Mana should have been just a short while ago. At that time it seemed like everyone around me should have been a catatonic slave. So what had happened?This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. All this was moot though, I should be getting out of here, get clean and get new clothes and something to eat. Not necessarily in that order, but it was the most realistic one. It seemed like any attempt at a stealthy escape would be hampered by my fragrance o de excreta. Though how carefully a place like this would be guarded was up for debate, considering even the Guard seemed to be involved, and the slaves were not likely to even attempt an escape. As opposed to my previous abode, here the ground was littered with stones, unmentionables and pieces of torn clothing. As I found a tiny finger bone it sunk in that even parts of the dead littered the cell. I had never thought particularly well of the powerful people in Logate, but having seen this place, I did not see how I could think any less of them. At least Syvon was easy to understand. It was all about coin and control. This, was just slowly killing people for no discernible reason. I looked at a man not too far from me, his face was so pale that I first thought him dead, but the minuscule movements of his chest showed that he still clung to life. His frame was beyond skeletal, his face so emaciated that it looked more like a skull than anything else. I did not know you could still live while being that thin, what was the point of this? Why did not the slaves get sent to the market, to get whatever coin the city could? I prayed to whatever gods would listen that the slaves here were as unaware as I had been until recently, or this horror would be even worse than it seemed. I clutched the small finger bone in my hand, what had a child done to deserve this fate? What crime would fit this punishment? ** I crawled around picking up stones and some small pieces of metal while dodging things I did not even want to think about. All the while fighting off morbid thoughts, until I finally sat down against the back wall to enchant. Though it took me quite some time to gather enough focus to be able. The disgust at my surroundings along with my ever present hunger faded into the background, as I focused on my work and started to enchant my weapons. I decided to start with what I had practiced before and began with the stones, which I had a couple of dozen of. I enchanted, rested and then enchanted some more, for an indeterminate amount of time until I had 21 enchanted stones like the ones from before. My failures amounted to twice as many as the successful enchants. While I was getting better, but my experience had also taken a hit.
You have created 21 Stone of Fire Burst! Experience gained: 21
This made me think that by the point I could make an enchant with every attempt, it would give no experience. Which sadly made sense, there was nothing else left to learn from the mass production of something trivial. Having rested to full Mana, it was time to start with the metal pieces. I had a bit of fear that they would turn out to work completely differently from the stones. But to my surprise it was easier than expected, or I just got lucky.
You have made a discovery! You have discovered how to create a Iron Scrap of Fire Burst! Experience gained: 55
I inspected the small strangely shaped piece of metal.
Iron Scrap of Fire Burst Will explode with a burst of fire when hitting a target.
Damage: 14 Quality: Average
Making a direct comparison after a single enchant was not all that informative, but it seemed like metal was easier to work with and a bit more powerful than stone. So far though it had not seemed like shape, size or purity had an impact on the effect of my enchantments. If it did matter, then it was strange that all damage was uniform for the Stones of Fire Burst. Even the Mana it took to make them was not constant, indicating that Mana did not affect the strength either. Enchanting the scrap of metal had taken 41 Mana, which was on the high end of what enchanting a stone took. Could damage be decided by the type of material used? I had little knowledge of stone, but I did not think they would all be the same. In the end I had more questions than I started with and few answers. I used up the last two iron scraps with no success and closed my eyes to regain my Mana before I tried to get out of this place. I got shakily to my feet. My stamina and Healthhad dropped a few more points while I enchanted, at this rate I would soon be among the catatonic ones even without the collar. I pushed the melancholic exaggeration aside, I had not even dropped low enough to stabilize into starvation yet. While I would be more frail than preferable, I still had quite some time before I would sit down to die. The cell was enclosed by stone walls on three sides, lit by two high hanging lanterns placed on the side walls, no doubt to make it possible to see everyone in the cell from the outside. The remaining side was covered in steel bars, with a door constructed in the same fashion. It was similar to my last cell, though of far less quality. My first thought was to blow the door up, but my enchanted weapons were not likely to do much damage to it and were more likely to fuse the lock than blow it open if I focused my attentions there. My failed enchantments so far had made materials disappear and change in a manner of ways. While some of them were uncomfortable, none had seemed all that dangerous. So I decided to try failing to enchant the door, and thus remove it. I put both hands on it and focused. I started out with the 41 Mana I had used for the scrap metal, trying to find a base for what was needed. The sensation I got was reminiscent of a drop of water falling into a well. The echo of nothingness made me think that the amount of Mana provided was by far too insignificant to have any effect on an object this size. Curious. I tried again, preparing the mental structure I had used for all my enchanting so far. I then poured 200 Mana into the metal while holding the spell construct with my mind inside the door. I followed the Mana flowing through the metal, until I felt it rebound, coming back towards the point of origin like a wave of thin threads. But it ended up fading just about halfway. The feel of what I was doing was far more vivid and with more feedback than I had ever gotten from the stones or scraps, the whole experience was fascinating. I rested a while before trying again with 300 Mana. The same thing happened all the way up until the Mana wave was coming back and kept going until it touched the end of the spell structure I was holding in place. The whole thing thrummed for a moment and then the structure of Mana felt as if it solidified, into a crystalline structure of something I could not define within the metal.
You have made a discovery! You have discovered how to create a Steel Door and Bars of Fire Burst! Experience gained: 92
Congratulations! You have learned the Skill: Enchanting!
Enchanting, tier 1 You have begun to grasp the fundamentals of enchanting!
Skill: 1/5 Effect: You understand how to enchant new materials slightly faster.
I was not really impressed by the skill, and turned to inspect my new enchantment.
Steel Door and Bars of Fire Burst! Will explode with a burst of fire when hitting a target.
Damage: 205 Quality: Good
I tried to wrap my head around the increased damage. Was it dependent on size? But all stones had not been uniform in size. Did the enchantment consume the material during the explosion to fuel the effect, thus making it a question of mass? And did I really just enchant the whole wall? I stood there in silent contemplation until the cramping of my stomach reminded me that I was trying to escape. I stared at the now enchanted door and wall in horror. I had gotten so caught up in my work that I had forgotten what my plan had been, ending up completing the enchantment successfully rather than failing. Though my failures had not had any side effects, raising further questions. I had read somewhere that it took intelligent people to be creatively stupid, I felt like there might be some truth to that. Chapter 7 The solid thudding of footsteps brought a halt to my rising panic, and I rushed away from the door and sat down hurriedly. It only took moments for a group of what looked more like unkempt mercenaries than the Guard to show. These men were no doubt the ones who kept the order in the slave pens, or lack thereof as it were. At this point I had started to seriously doubt that this place was anywhere near the slave markets. I had the dark thought, that perhaps my accident with the door had not been such a mistake after all. The ruffian in the front of the group unlocked the door with a large key and stepped partly into the cell. His face scrounged up, no doubt disgusted by the smell. With his free hand he held up a dark gem, inside which flickering lights moved. The sight reminded me of something, but whatever it was stayed just out of reach, before slipping away completely. Another four guards fanned out behind him, none had weapons drawn. No doubt they thought that unnecessary with the catatonic mob sitting in their own feces. There was supposedly no one here to give them any resistance. A pit of cold, hard rage started to boil inside me as the men looked out over the clumped up people with scowls of disdain on their faces. I wanted to shout at them that they were the cause of this, they could have kept people clean and decent. I palmed as many stones as I could hold without dropping them, as I considered what to do. Just what would make my large enchantment go of? The idea of hitting the bars was just silly, I did not have the accuracy for that. But hitting the men on the other side, who were standing there showing contempt for the suffering of others, that I could do. With a swift motion I unleashed the Stones of Fire Burst I was holding, towards the mercenaries. None of them even reacted to my motion, and a mere moment after most of my thrown stones hit the men, the wall was bathed in fire as the whole thing went up in flames. I could hear something crack and splinter and a few small stones fell from the ceiling, before the raging inferno subsided a few heartbeats later. It had been remarkably controlled, never moving far from where the bars were. As the fire fell away I steeled myself for what I would see. But in the end there was nothing much at all. There was a deep groove in the floor and ceiling where the grate had no doubt been lodged, but the whole metal wall and the five men were just gone.
You have been victorious! You have slain enemies stronger than you! You gain 164 Experience!
Congratulations! You have advanced to level 4!
You have unallocated Attributes!
I did not quite know what to think or feel. Some part of my mind noted that these five men gave less experience combined than Jab had done on his own. Was that a result of my level? Or were they just a lot weaker? Though the Order claimed they had been stronger than me, my inadvertent trap had killed them before they could react to it. I looked around at the slaves who just sat there, unmoving on the ground. One of the women nearest the door had a small cut on her face, and a slow trickle of blood ran down her cheek in a macabre parody of a tear. I stood there fighting my indecision, I did not think I could do anything for them. I did not know how my own collar had come off. It was a well known fact that special tools were required to remove a slave collar, that fact had made it so rare for a slave to escape that it was almost unheard of. They all looked so weak, I doubted they could even get out of here by their own power, even if the collars were removed. My own strength was also fading. I could not carry them all, one by one, with any hope of getting away. While my trap of happenstance had killed a few guards there would be more. If I was found out, that would not bode well for me. I needed distance between myself and this place. It tore at my heart to turn my back on the room full of quietly dying people and walk away. But I did. With my clothes sticking to me and making disgusting noises I did not want to think about, I moved as swiftly and silently as I could down a stone hallway. I had taken a right out of the cell, hoping this was the way to the outside. After a short while the hallway ended in a wooden door. I stopped, and put an ear to it to listen, but it was soon rather obvious that I could hear nothing. The door fit snuggly into its frame and was solid. The chances of it carrying sound were slim to none. I hesitantly opened the door, peeking through the widening gap. What I could see of the room on the other side was two chairs, the edge of what should be a table, a part of a door on the opposite wall and wall-sconce flickering on the right. Of far more interest though was the smell of food. It took effort not to throw the door wide and rush in. I contained myself and slid it open slowly.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Had anyone been sitting at the table, the creeping door would have been very conspicuous, so after a heartbeat of no reaction I opened the door fully. A superficial scan of the room told me there was no one in it, and so I rushed up to the table to see what was edible. There were some half-eaten pieces of fruit, a few bones stripped clean of any meat, as well as some rather sad looking vegetables. I swiftly ate the fruit, hoping that it was not too much for my abused stomach to handle. Getting sick all over the place would not improve this day. "You know, there is fruit that no one has chewed on yet, in the cupboard. But, each to their own, I guess." I stopped with a piece halfway to my mouth, the voice was squeaky and nasal, but try as I might I could not make out where it came from. I once more took in the room, but there was no one here. "Up here. You are not the sharpest tool in the shed, are you?" I looked up. Near the ceiling hung a sizable cage, out of which stuck out a small head. I was immediately fascinated by the creature, I had never seen anything like it. In shape it looked like a small human head, rather than an animal, but that was where visible similarities ended. If I would make a comparison, it looked like a mix between a human, a goblin and a fire-lizard. It was covered in red, leathery skin, with a wide mouth full of sharp teeth. It also sported a rather large nose, was bald and had yellow eyes. On the sides of its head were large pointed ears, with the points facing mostly outward, rather than upward like on an elf or a faerie. To my mind it seemed to fit the description of an imp of some kind, possibly fire-aligned judging from the skin color. For the first time in what felt like forever, I missed mother. She had not been likable by any means, she had been brusque, rude and abrasive. Having spent the last five years without her meant I did not feel much of a connection anymore. Though, having always been treated more like a project than a daughter, meant there had not been much to lose. But for a moment I missed having her around. When we would see new things and she would say, "Well, child, what do you see and what does it mean? Don''t guess, never guess, observe, analyze and consider! Then you form a hypothesis, knowing you might very well be wrong, but that is the mindset you should have!" She would always say the same thing, be it a noble or a dead bird we were watching. She would make me read her books and then recite them from memory. I would be beaten horribly if I got anything wrong, and that was also a part of what made me not have many fond feelings for her. After her death all the books had gradually turned moldy and fallen apart. I could not keep them safe in the slums, as she had. People had feared mother, but had no such fear for me. So I had hid them under the floorboards of our shack, and water had gradually ruined them all, cutting of the last connection we had, with her gone.Something I was surprisingly ambivalent about. But trying to figure this creature out had brought back memories. Along with the oft repeated question; just why had my mother not only moved to the slums but decided to raise a child there? Even now I could barely think about the question of a father without involuntary flinching. "I know I am an extraordinary beauty, beyond the compare of any mortal you have laid eyes on. But cut back on the staring, would you?" The imp brought me out of my reminiscing, and I smiled at the guts of the thing. Even if it was an attuned imp, it should not be much more than two hand-spans in size, having maybe fifteen Health. It looked down at me with a frown, turning its head this way and that, as if trying to get a better view. "Is that..." The imp''s voice trailed off. "Have you considered some basic hygiene? I know that this is a backwaters place, but surely you know about disease, yes? Or at least you might feel that there are benefits, not to smell like a cesspit? Or is this part of some kind of courting ritual? Those always seem to include bodily fluids, be very unhygienic and confusing." While I was still taking that rant in, not quite sure how to react, I decided to focus on the fruit that the imp had mentioned and moved to the cupboard in question. "But that residue... you have come out of the pens, have you not? Well done there! I guess that wave of Mana was your work then? Or just something you took advantage of? Either way, well done! Perhaps you are not a total waste of space. Even though you smell like something that''s been dead in the sun for a week." I left the imp to its running commentary, as I found the fruit and even some bread that looked reasonably fresh. My joy at the food was tempered by the imp''s reminder of just how filthy I was. I did indeed know some about disease, it had often been a tirade subject of mother''s, when she made me bathe on our ramshackle porch, regardless of how cold it had been outside. I looked down at my dirty hands and then shrugged, if this would kill me, I was probably done for already. With that cheerful thought I carried my haul back to the table and resumed eating. It did not take long for me to feel like I was about to throw up, and had to stop stuffing myself. "Well, that was decidedly disgusting. When are you getting around to letting me out of here?" "Do you know how to get out of this place?"As I asked, I looked around the room for a way to lower the cage. The answer was rather obvious, there was a rope attached to the top of the cage, going through a metal loop fitted to the ceiling and then to a loop on the wall until finally down to a peg where it was tied off. I looked back to the creature, to see it roll its eyes at me. "Yes, but that is not the hard part. You do realize that you are not just waltzing out of here, right? While I do not know what you did to the five idiots who used to be on guard here, there are a bunch of people through the door over there. Then down the hallway you came from, you can get outside into the compound proper and find even more people. They do not all suffer from major cases of stupidity, though there is a lot of that going around, I admit. There is a gate and a latrine-door in the wall of the compound. Good luck!" The imp pulled its head back into the cage, seemingly intent to ignore me now. I rubbed my forehead and sighed. "I assume you have a suggestion, or even a plan? What is that going to cost me?" The imp''s head popped back out, wearing a toothy grin. Chapter 8 Eric was giddy with excitement, enough so that he was all but shaking as he sat on his bed. Now was the time for his transition. With a final look at the pitch black sky outside his window, he decided that he had waited long enough not to wake anyone up as he proceeded. He brought out the thin dark-red volume he had hidden under his mattress. In hindsight it had not been the best of places, his fervent defense of the location had convinced his family he had other things hidden there. But soon that would no longer be an issue, even though the humiliation of it all rankled. With a contented sigh Eric stroked the book, he would have preferred to have gotten his hands on a Demonic System, but Vampirism would also do. Demonology was in many ways more powerful, but it also had some problems as there was a need for additional Essence. Eric''s research into this subject had shown that there was really no agreement on how or even if the user of such a System had any choice, as to the source of the extra Essence. It might be just pure chance, which with some possibilities of Demonic Systems was a truly frightening idea, both for the host and the inevitable victims. Eric studied the glowing words sprawled across the front of the book he held. He himself could not read them, but one of his friends had translated it for him. It was an ancient form of writing and the words spelled out: Original Vampirism. An enormous grin split Eric''s face as he opened the book and began to absorb the System. The thin book broke apart into what looked like blood red ash, thin flakes hovered in the air for a moment, before rushing towards him, piercing through his skin. Eric stared as veins of dark red, almost black crawled along his arms, sinking in deeper until no longer visible. He fell down onto the bed, back bowing in horrible pain. He gasped for breath as he could feel the burning, crawling deeper and deeper inside him. As a dry and androgynous Voice began reciting information, Eric soon felt he should have done a better job of finding a translation not only to the front page, but also the introduction, found at the beginning of every System. Dweller is a parasitic-type System belonging to the life-subsidized category, with a locale requirement. It belongs to the Domain-establishing sub-group. The Dweller System overdraws the hosts vitality, causing a loss of one unit of Life every four hours, to maintain the associated Domain. This also adversely affect their Constitution, Strength, Agility and Dexterity and the transition to Dweller results in a loss of three units to said Attributes. Dwellers have an emaciated appearance with sunken bloodshot eyes and grayish flaking skin as a result of their condition, which penalizes their Appearance by six units, subject to the normal limitations and modifications of self-image, further subject to the ideal of the group of origin or randomized in the case of a lack of ideals, transient or otherwise within said group. Dwellers have the baseline Ability to draw Essence from creatures within their Domain. Further information may be requested through the Archive, subject to the standard disclaimers and requirements. Eric sat up on his bed, stunned to silence as the pain of the transition faded. He held his hands out in front of him. They had shrunk down into almost skeletal appendages and his previously healthy looking skin had turned to a dry sickly gray. As he closed his hands to make sure they were really his, a flake of skin cracked and fell off. As it fell towards the floor it began turning to dust, and before even reaching halfway nothing of it remained. Heart pounding and taking great gulps of air he rushed up out of bed with rising panic. Stumbling on his now far weaker legs, he moved towards the large mirror that hung to the side of his wardrobe. In the mirror he saw a much shorter, hunched version of himself. Just as the Voice had told him, his eyes were red and sunken, his face was emaciated and his skin was dry and flaking. To summarize, the sight of him was horrendous. This was the point at which his pants, now far too large for him, chose to drop to the floor. Eric got yet another shock, as what he expected to see just was not there anymore. His eyes instead landed on not so smooth skin and nothing else. As Eric''s world went dark he wondered deliriously if this meant he had no need to use the bathroom anymore. *** Eric woke slowly, his head pounded, his mouth was dry and parched to the point that his tongue stuck to the inside of his mouth, an experience he felt he could have gone without. He rolled over to the side, which was decidedly uncomfortable. He reached for his night-light, with the intent of checking what time it was, but his hand kept slapping into open air. With an annoyed grumble he swung his legs to the side, planing to sit up on his bed. Instead the side of his foot scraped painfully against a rough surface, as his movement failed to find the expected space his bed would have given him. It dawned on him as his foot now stung from this treatment, that whatever he lay on was far too rough and hard to be his bed. Dweller 432-22 has been transported to a suitable environment, annexing procedures have been initiated. An Essence gate will open in 11 hours 16 minutes and 23 seconds. Please stand by. Ignoring the Voice, Eric turned his head one way and then another trying to see anything, but the pitch darkness gave no clue as to where he was, other than somewhere cold and uncomfortable. After a moment of not very deep consideration Eric tried to get to his feet, but as he rose his head struck against a hard jagged surface above him with a dull thud. He sank back to the ground clutching his head, cursing the Archive wholeheartedly with as many invectives he could think of, as tears streamed down his face. *** Eric lay on his back, head resting on his hands as he waited. The Voice had given a time frame for the opening of an Essence gate, which did not mean much to Eric. But it was something he knew would happen and waiting for it gave him something to focus on, rather than panic over the fact he did not know where he was, how small a space he was in, if there was a way out of here, if he could do anything about now being a sexless monstrosity or much of anything really. The things he did know did not make him feel any better, and more than anything he regretted using the book. He spent several long hours in this not very productive fashion. Until the Voice spoke once more. An Essence Gate has been established, fluctuations may occur as native Law resist annexation. Normal System operation established, standard interface elements enforced. Eric once more became acutely aware of the headache he had grown accustomed to, as a translucent blue screen appeared in front of him. It was just like he had been taught it would be in school. He experimentally waved his hand through the screen knowing that it was not really there, it was somehow supplied directly to his visual cortex, rather than being seen with his eyes. He spent a moment in distraction trying to remember what else he had been taught, but ended up drawing a blank. So he turned his attention to the screen instead.
Eric
Rank: 0
Tier: Cave
Essence: 0/50
Race: Dweller - Human origin
System: Dweller
Strength: 3Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Dexterity: 4
Agility: 2 Constitution: 2
Endurance: 2 Life: 12 (-0.25/hour)
Intelligence: 9 Willpower: 2
Wisdom: 2 Spirit: 1
Genius: 0 Domain: 1
Appearance: 1 Charisma: 1
Health: 20/20 Mana: 4/4 Stamina: 20/20
Attribute allocation currently not set!
Eric felt more than a bit of consternation at the fact that even before the transition to the System, he had been below average in everything. Further more his Genius was rated at zero, meaning the Archive found nothing in the workings of his mind that was a surprise in any way. While he was not an idiot, he was deemed completely predictable. His Willpower and Wisdom score of two supported the story of his life, or more accurately; the choices that had made him end up who he was, present circumstances included. Initial minor reconstitution sufficient for quantifying host. Forgoing major reconstitution. Proceeding to Traits. Eric''s confidence took a further dive at yet another clear dismissal of his abilities.
Darkvision - 10 Trait points Ability to see without available light. Does not allow for the distinguishing of color.
Dweller Claws - 15 Trait points The Dweller grows claws.
Trait points available: 0
To say that Eric was experiencing some frustration at this point would have been a massive understatement. He lay there and stared at nothing in the dark, as his focus slipped past the screen. Please choose Attribute directions for subsequent Rank.
With that simple message from the Voice, Eric did feel a slim hope start to build. He could not change anything of what had come before, the remarkable view he had held of himself had been brutally crushed by the Archive. He was not mentally strong and he was not wise. He had never deluded himself into thinking he was athletic, but the Dweller System had reduced his minor abilities even further during his transition. But now he had a choice of what to do, just who did he want to be? Perhaps, Eric mused, it was stupid. But this whole thing was stupid, was it not? So he decided to try to become the person he had thought he was, instead of the current failure he felt like. At least that was a plan, and at this point he had nothing else.
Having made a decision on a direction in life, Eric felt a lot better about what could not really be called anything other than crappy circumstances. But if he was going to survive he could not stay where he was, and at this point he would rather do something, rather than think about the things he did not know or understand. He slowly sat up, hands raised in the dark to fend of any unfortunate collisions. A few minutes of shuffling around the cave did not give Eric a sense of comfort, the ceiling was rather low, a bit more than a head lower than his height and uneven at that, with spikes protruding at places from both floor and ceiling. Eric felt sure he should know the name of the things, but he could not recall what it was. His slow and crouched exploration with an arm waving in front of him and one held over his head, had not exactly been conducted with scientific precision. He had yet to find any way out of the cave he was in, but he did discover a small pool of water at one end of the cave, where he soaked his feet by accident and now felt even colder. It was as he began to feel panic rising at the idea of being trapped, that something happened. He could feel a thing not too far away, like a warmth seen by the inside of his head rather than his eyes. Eric stood still, eyes closed as he tried to understand the sensation; he had a connection to whatever the thing was. Essence Drain established to unknown creature , unknown value.
New mission!
Investigate the unknown creature in your Domain. Reward: 13 Life.
Eric stared at the screen in surprise. He had of course been told about missions in school, as something far off and mysterious, which the Archive gave to great characters that were known throughout the world. Missions were a rare thing. They happened when the Archive itself wanted something done and was prepared to hand out rewards for following its will. Heart beating with excitement, Eric went back to his slow shuffling, this time towards the creature that he could sense. It did not take him too long to find an opening in the wall, heading in its general direction. The passage was just above the floor and barely large enough to fit him, as far as he could judge. Essence Drain canceled on unknown creature , unknown value. Mana insufficient. Eric ignored the message from the Voice, and instead started crawling into the passage, partly focused on the mission he had and partly rejoicing at being able to get out of the cave. He immediately discovered, with some happiness, that he had misjudged the space available and that he could crawl rather easily. His crawling soon took him to a bend which he discovered by scraping his head against the far wall, but to his right he could see a faint light. Feeling elated, he scrabbled forward until his head popped out into yet another cave. This cave was not only illuminated, it was also far different. On the left, the ground sloped upwards to an opening where the light came from. The slope itself looked like dirt rather than stone and it was covered in grass. The cave in general was rather square, though without pronounced corners. Eric faced to his right and the back part of the room. What he saw there made him immediately pull his head back. An adrenaline rush hit him and he started to hyperventilate, as he scrambled back to where he just came from. He was not sure how long the graceless journey took him. Once his mind cleared enough for coherent thought, he was sitting with his back against the wall, close to the crawlspace that connected the caves. The creature he had seen had some similarities to a bear. In the same way a sword has some similarities with a pen-knife. It had been a brown color like the bears he had seen before, but was covered in sharp bone protrusions, which were jagged and looked dangerous. Its maw was partially uncovered by skin, showing a multitude of sharp frightening teeth. Its one good eye had been all but glowing as it looked straight at him. That had given him a clear view of the other empty and bleeding socket. The whole thing had been enormous, Eric was sure it could not have fit inside his parent''s living-room. You have lost 0.25 Life, you have gained 1 Mana. This time Eric was too mentally spent to have a reaction to what he had glossed over earlier, the fact that his very life was on a decidedly short timer. Unless he could increase his Life, he would be dead in about two days. He focused on trying to get his character sheet to show, until the blue screen appeared just as it had earlier.
Eric
Rank: 0
Tier: Cave
Essence: 4/50
Race: Dweller - Human origin
System: Dweller
Strength: 3 Dexterity: 4
Agility: 2 Constitution: 2
Endurance: 2 Life: 11.75 (-0.25/hour)
Intelligence: 9 Willpower: 2
Wisdom: 2 Spirit: 1
Genius: 0 Domain: 1
Appearance: 1 Charisma: 1
Health: 20/20 Mana: 1/4 Stamina: 20/20
While he had not forgotten about the loss of Life per se, he had most certainly not given any thought to the implications. Looking at the screen in front of him he found himself not actually remembering what it had looked like the last time. His Life had gone down, he knew that. But he had not paid all that much attention before, other than enough to start his depression. The important fact was that he was using up his Life, and sometime in the next few days he would run out. Eric sat against the wall for some time, hesitating. He could die by waiting, or he could die trying to complete the mission the Archive had assigned. With any luck that mission had a way for him to survive, not that he would hold his breath. Even having thought all that, Eric hesitated. There was a difference between doing nothing and fading away, and the possibility of being mauled and eaten. You have lost 0.25 Life, you have gained 1 Mana. The Voice brought Eric out of his musings, reminding him that the clock was ticking. With a deep breath and shaking legs he once more started to crawl back to the second cave; and the monster waiting within it. What exactly did the Archive mean by investigate? Chapter 9 The imp looked down at me with a gleeful expression, which was not unexpected by any means, the creature no doubt felt it was in a good position to bargain from here. Which was not entirely wrong, but it seemed to have either forgotten or intended to gloss over some key elements of this situation. "Now, get me out of this cage and we can negotiate about my information." I raised my eyebrows and looked mockingly at the imp. "I can let you down when you have told me what you know." The imp blinked, seemingly trying to look innocent, though it did not pull off the expression well enough for me to be certain that was the goal. "What I have is of far more worth than a mere displacement in the room, for sure. We should negotiate as equals and not with one of us looking down on the other!" Having said that, it then looked me up and down, as if making certain I understood that I was being looked down on, both figuratively and literally. "How about I assume you know nothing of interest and are just trying to get out of there? I could take my chances and leave here on my own." The imp frowned at me, annoyance evident. "Fine, a familiar contract then. Seeing how helpful I am, I only require ten percent of your Mana. In turn I will of course provide any and all assistance I am able!" I noted that the creature had still not even hinted at any actual information. All that had been bantered back and forth was various ways I could help it out in one fashion or another, with only an offer of possible help in return. While it was amusing, I would not sign away ten percent of my Mana to have a familiar that might not even be useful, come to think of it, I would not sign away ten percent of my Mana, period. "Why would I want you as a familiar? I do not even know if you are aligned or not. You might be of no use at all to me." "Fire! I am aligned with fire, the most destructive of elements, I will help you lay waste to your enemies!" I rolled my eyes. The little thing could no doubt over time help me become far better at fire aligned spells than I possibly could achieve without it. The problem was that an aligned familiar also changed the power-alignment of their master, making any spell outside of the alignment more expensive and harder to use. It could even become impossible to use opposing element completely. My goal was enchanting, the idea of limiting what I could do just for an easier time casting some spells, which might not translate into anything beneficial for enchanting at all, was just ludicrous. "I have no use for fire, I will barter the information on how to get out of here safely for letting you out of the cage." The imp looked shocked, an expression it did very well. "You... You don''t want to align with fire? Why not? You have a combat class, why would you not want an easier time with such a powerful element. Are you daft? Stupid question, are you really that daft?!" That tirade came out with such fury that spittle rained down on me, which was unpleasant and showed how little the creature thought of me. No doubt though, I was a bit cleaner afterward than I had been before. Not that I had no sympathy for the imp though, I had basically said that the creature was of no use. That was not something anyone liked to hear. "I do not use offensive magic in such a direct way. While fire is indeed powerful, aligning with it would not help me enough to offset the obvious downsides. I can in fact see quite clearly how it could limit me and make me weaker." The imp stared at me, mouth agape. "Bloodline or Aberration?" The creature''s eyes opened wide as it stared down at me, searchingly, as if afraid to miss even the tiniest detail. "What?" The question did not make sense, I seemed to have missed the context of whatever the imp was talking about. This made the creature pull back into the cage and from the sound of it, start laughing. Whatever was so amusing about my ignorance I decided to move on, try my luck with the path the imp had derided before, and get out of here. I picked up an apple to take with me, but having eleven Fire Burst-enchanted objects in my pockets mean that while they were not full, carrying food in them would certainly make me less able to put up a fight. With a sigh I put the apple back. I peered back out the door in the direction I had come earlier, making sure no one had showed up to investigate the missing guards, or been alerted by the sounds. As far as I could see the hallway was empty and I slipped out of the door.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "If you leave I will shout until someone comes to investigate, don''t think I won''t! If I am left here to rot, so will you!" I froze, one foot in the air. If the imp was correct about there being people in the room just on the other side of the door in the opposite direction, then it shouting could indeed bring attention. I let my foot fall with a sigh and went back in to look up at the smugly smiling nuisance. "See? You can be brought to heel." The imp sounded even less friendly than earlier, no doubt feeling that it had won now that I had come back. I walked over to where the rope that held the cage was tied off, and the creature kept going. "Good human, now I believe I want a contract for fifteen... no, twenty percent of your Mana. What do you say, hmm?" I untied the rope and began to lower the cage carefully, my head down and shoulders hunched, until I heard it touch the floor. Keeping my face impassive as I walked back to the cage I looked at the imp with as pitiful an expression as I could manage, making my body language weak and subservient. Personally, I felt I had overdone it, but the imp gave of a muffled shout of surprise as I crouched down and grabbed its mouth with one hand and its neck with the other. The imp immediately started to bite my hand, with some success. Of more concern were its claws raking down my arms, but the difference in size between us was enough that while I was being hurt, it would have to chew and claw for a long while to put my life in any danger and then that would be from blood loss rather than actual damage. I hoped. I met the imps panicked eyes as it started to choke. Its threats might just have been bluster and empty words, but I would not bet my life on it. The attempt to get a skewed familiar contract just made me dislike the creature more. That was when the imp''s eyes started to turn crimson and I cursed under my breath, having so completely forgotten about the offensive parts of its alignment, my plan only considered the likelihood that my Stones of Fire Burst would do little other than tickle it. Whatever the creature could do was certain to be painful, but I was unsure if it could kill me or not. My Healthwas not at a comfortable level though and our messy fight had not helped, I moved my face closer to the imp''s, keeping my expression as hard and cold as I could. "Now, we can have a civil conversation without threats. Or we can see who can kill the other faster, would you prefer another shot at a conversation?" The imp did its best to nod, being held as it was. I suppressed a sigh of relief, I hoped the creature did not realize just how afraid I had been of whatever fire Ability it was about to unleash. I let the imp go but did not step back, prepared to continue the fighting. "Yes, negotiate!" The imp croaked out the words, sounding like it had problems breathing properly, which I did not feel bad about in the least. I took the creature in fully, now that it was more than just a head poking out of a cage. It was not very tall, only reaching to just below my waist. Its hands had three clawed fingers and a thumb, on its back sat two rather large bat-like wings. While it was thin it had a strong looking torso, no doubt needed for flight. Its legs were jointed a bit strangely, and ended in three clawed toes on each foot, its lack of external genitalia was obvious in its undressed state. "Would you stop looking at me like I am some specimen you are analyzing!" Having regained its breath the imp expressed its discontent. I raised an eyebrow in response but stopped studying it further, it did have a point, it was a bit rude, on the other hand we had moved passed rude some time ago. "I need twenty Mana per day to survive, anything beyond that would let me gain levels over time, each time I grow stronger the Mana I need per day will increase some. It is always better to take that from your Mana regeneration than from your pool at some point during the day. The things that would happen if you did not have enough Mana available are not pretty." If that was true, asking for twenty or even ten percent was crazy, even five percent would be many times what it needed to survive. I was about to speak when the imp raised a clawed hand, indicating it wanted to continue. "I am willing to disperse my Mana back to a neutral alignment, to have this contract. It will cost me three levels and the Mana I need per day will be as low as twelve afterward." The imp looked at me in what seemed far too pleading a fashion for the situation, and I felt an urge to scream which I fought down with effort. I hated negotiations, the other side always seemed to know more than I did. I had heard stories about familiars, everyone had, they were a staple when speaking of any Mage of worth. But as life had shown me, stories had a tendency not to match up very well with reality. Even so, Mages seemed to summon and bind familiars all the time, it was obviously worth it for some reason. For the imp though, to sacrifice three levels rather than negotiate with me to just help it get out of here, meant the imp knew something that would be beneficial to it. It could just be running low on Mana and was far closer to dying than I knew, but not knowing was unsettling. Asking would not really help, I would be skeptical of any answer I got. But the cost to me was, seemingly, low enough that I would hardly notice the difference. "Disperse you aligned Mana, I will grant you a single percentage of my Mana regeneration." The imp did not seem all that happy about the offer, but it did not contradict me, instead it waved a clawed hand in the air.
Do you wish to enter into a Contract with Zackary the Imp, for a single percentage of your Mana regeneration? Zackary the Imp will disperse its aligned Mana and enter into a Familiar bond with you.
I gave an affirmative after making sure the offer was what we had agreed on, and immediately a wave of red light flashed out of the imp before fading away just as quickly. As the light dispersed, the imp had shrunk down to only being high enough to reach my knees and it had turned a soft blue color. "Why are you blue?" I felt the question was warranted, I did not actually know the color of an unaligned imp. But rather than answer me the creature stood with its eyes rolled back into its head, as it rocked back and forth on its heels.
Familiar, Imp The imp Zackary is bound to your soul. Effect: Your Mana regeneration is reduced by 1%.
Once more, the Order was just shy of being uninformative. I had a familiar, which thankfully did not cost me much. The question still was though, how useful would it be? The creature seemed quite overwhelmed, perhaps recovering from dispersing ones Mana was difficult? Chapter 10 It seemed the imp was not done with whatever it was doing, to my annoyance. I had been in this room for quite some time now, and standing around even longer was probably not the way to a successful escape. "Status."
Ewynne
Age: 18
Level: 4
Experience: 43/400
Race: Half-blood
Class: Enchantress
Strength: 6 Dexterity: 14
Agility: 12 Constitution: 8
Endurance: 8 Intelligence: 20
Wisdom: 12 Willpower: 15
Perfection: 14 Charisma: 12
Health: 30/80 Mana: 122/470 (12/minute) Stamina: 80/80 (16/minute)
Unallocated Attributes: 3
I looked at the scratches on my arms and the bite on my hand with some consternation. They had reduced my Healthby another four points, and now they bled slightly. As filthy as I was, I felt there was a serious risk of infection or worse; I really needed to get clean. I took another look at the imp, but seeing no change I went back to considering my status. I had three unallocated points. I would have liked to put them into Willpower, for the same reason as last time, but also since I wanted to reach twenty and hopefully branch it, just like Intelligence. Considering my situation though, I felt that my most immediate concern was the risk of actually dying. While Willpower increased the damage of my spell; Fire Burst, in every sense so far, I would be better off enchanting more. A look at my Mana told me that unless I used Fervent Casting, which I had still not tested, so it might not work as I thought it did, I could not currently cast a single spell. While that would improve to one soon, it would take a considerable amount of time before I could cast two spells. Constitution it was. I walked over to the as of yet unopened door and listened, trying to hear anything from the other side. Unfortunately this one was well made too, and no sound carried. I went back to the imp, whatever was going on still was not finished and I seriously considered leaving the creature behind. But the whole is bound to your soul part, made me feel that it might not be the best of ideas. Though at this point I was very tempted anyway. It took another minute or so for the imp to start moving and the delay grated on my nerves. The creature blinked rapidly for a moment before straightening with a small frown and a sigh. I could somewhat sympathize, I would not appreciate loosing levels or halving my size either. But it was a choice the creature made, it had other options as I saw it, so there must be a reason it thought this was the preferable one. Seeing as I now had the imp''s attention I wanted to get on with the important issue, of not being here. "How do we get out of here?" The imp looked at me seemingly in confusion for a moment, before flapping its wings once and shooting up to be face to face with me. That made me start in surprise, which made the imp grin, until it realized I was not scared by the abrupt movement, but rather curious as to how it managed to fly as it did, I leaned this way and that, looking at its wings in confusion. They kept flapping lazily, which should not keep the imp as still as it was, or even afloat to my mind, this was not how a bird or even an insect managed it.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. "Focus! You really are like those crazy Mages in their towers, getting distracted way too easily. There is a portal through the door there." The imp pointed at the door, which I had tried to listen at recently. I considered that for a moment, it might very well have been lying earlier about the people in there, but I doubted that. "Details, please." The imp managed to look a bit sheepish at that. "Well... I didn''t exactly pay attention when I got here, my master was busy being, well, murdered. And so my attention was on not joining in that experience. A few details might have, gone past me unnoticed if you would." I pinched the bridge of my nose as I felt a headache coming on. At least having the familiar was not exactly expensive. Being tied to someones soul was supposed to be permanent though, so why would the imp just run away from a master and be fine afterward? "If you were his familiar, how did you survive him dying? I thought it was a rather permanent arrangement." The imp nodded slowly, with an expression clearly stating that it was picking and choosing how much manure to throw into its concocted story. I rolled my eyes at it all. "Well, you see... Most of the time... Mages have a contract you see... It will... Sometimes... You see..." I wanted to shake the obnoxious thing. "Out with it, so we can move on." "Most Mages never take on a true familiar through the Order, since that is a permanent bond. They use blood contracts instead, which are less restrictive and final." The words came out in a rush but I just shrugged. I had assumed taking a familiar was permanent, I had only been considering the lack of downsides, not the permanency of the arrangement. The fact that the imp had fled confused me, and now why was clear. There was no true bond between the Mage and the imp. Apparently the imp felt I should have reacted more, its confusion was evident. "You know there is a portal in the next room, since you came through it. But you did not pay attention to anything else, busy with not being killed. Is that all you know?" The imp made a strange shrugging motion while flying. "The room is really big, they seemed to have built something under what used to be the floor, and taken out part of the ceiling for some reason." I sincerely hoped the imp was wrong about that being all it knew, because that was close to nothing. "Where was the portal, near the door? Middle of the room? More importantly, where does the portal go?" The imp was quiet for a moment, in what I hoped was thoughtful contemplation and not a planning out of lies. "The portal is quite near to the door, on the remaining floor, a short distance to the left. The portal... the portal connects to wherever it was opened last." I stared with incredulity at the creature. "And the reason we want to use a portal that could take us anywhere, rather than sneak out is, what exactly?" My temper was rising and I felt an urge to finish killing the creature. "Well, you know I mentioned my previous master? He was not too good with time you see, got the days mixed up more often than not. You see, there should be an attack on the compound anytime now." Not quite getting the problem I asked the obvious question. "Would not that be a good thing for us? Cheer on our saviors?" The imp scratched its head, grimacing. "Have you heard of the Champions of Truth?" I closed my eyes and sighed. "Alright, there is a portal on the other side of this door leading somewhere, that sounds reasonable." The imp nodded emphatically. "Yes, it will take us to a place set from this side, not where my former master came from. No Champions of Truth, wherever it goes, no one would be that stupid." I nodded in return and moved up to the door. Following my recent habit I slowly opened it, taking in what I could see as I did so. It soon dawned on me that there was no point in moving so carefully. Except for about two meters of floor along the walls, the large room was hollowed out, both upward and downward. A quick peek showed that there was no one on the same floor as me. Moving carefully would not make people fail to notice me if they looked down from the floor above and did not make me visible to anyone below me anyway. Once inside the room, I looked around. The removal of the floor and ceiling was not done by skilled craftsmen, the work was shabby and haphazard. I could not help wondering what this place had been used as before, since it was no doubt at least twenty meters across, which seemed very large for a single room. The room was dimly lit by a few wall-sconces on each side. There did not seem to be any light on the floor above and as the windows on the floor I was on were dark I assumed it was night outside, which would also explain the lack of people around. I frowned, there was something about that thought that did not sit right with me. Shrugging after a moment, I moved up to the edge of the remaining floor, to look down at what was below. Someone had put down a lot of work to dig several meters into the ground, and then done a poor job of everything else. There was a floor down there, though I hesitated to think of it as such, it looked as if someone had thrown wooden boards into the muck until they stopped sinking and then repeated that across the ground until it was something that would hold weight. The result was barely functional and did not look very safe. A bit off center there was something interesting though, a large stone basin, a couple of meters across, filled with what looked like tar. Why would someone dig a pit, inside of a house, and then put a tub of tar in it? I shook my head and looked around the dug-out area. I spotted several people in a far corner, some of them were sitting crouched in the shadows along a wall, where the illumination from the wall-sconces barely reached. Whereas others walked carefully towards the center. As they came more into the light I could see that each held a gem like the one the guard in the pen had earlier. They stumbled along on the uneven footing until they reached the basin, and then carefully dropped the gems, one by one into the tar. I sat crouched and waited for something to happen, but nothing did. I was startled out of my observations by a hissing in my ear. "Don''t you think you should stop looking at the scenery, and, oh, I don''t know, use the bloody portal!" Having said that the imp waved a hand towards a softly glowing circle set in the floor, about halfway between where I was and the far wall. There had been a bit of extra floor left intact for it, and it was surrounded by inlaid symbols, some glowing and some not. Deciding not to try to figure out what was going on here and taking the imps advice I swiftly shuffled over to the portal. The symbols around it seemed similar to the ones that had been on my one and only spell book, which meant I could not read them at all. I glanced at the imp and it shrugged, pointing at one symbol that was a simple circle. "That one activates the magic, step into the portal, I will use it and follow." It hissed out in a whisper. Fighting down images of me exploding in some elaborate trap, I stepped into the portal. The imp pressed a hand down on the circular glyph and followed me quickly. That was when it dawned on me, the thing that I could not put my finger on earlier. I turned to the imp as the magic formed a dome around us, no doubt to make sure no one lost an arm or a leg during transportation. "It is in the middle of the night. The Champions of Truth would never ever attack at night!" The imp shrugged as the world faded around us. "Oops?" Chapter 11 The world came back with a flash of light, unfortunately I immediately started falling, while doing my best not to panic. My journey though, was happily a short one and hitting the ground was not as bad as it could have been, with a splash I sunk down into swamp water and came up spluttering, trying to get the muddy soup out of my mouth. The imp was flying above me, laughing. "Oh, wonderful, wonderful, I am glad to see you are so concerned about getting clean, the smell is a definite improvement." The imp spun in the air giggling as I glared up at it, while wiping muddy water off my face with very limited success. "Why, exactly, did you trick me into taking this portal to who knows where? Why not try to sneak out?" The imp shrugged, something it seemed far too fond of. ¡°I didn¡¯t know it was night, taking the portal was a far better way of getting out. The odds were decent that the portal wouldn¡¯t lead anywhere dangerous.¡± Having answered to its own apparent satisfaction, the creature held its stomach while letting out more cackling laughter as it took in my mud clad appearance. I grabbed a handful of mud, intent on throwing it at the creature, but the imp might get hurt and that would not be nice of me, I let the impromptu weapon fall. Zackary was an idiot, pure and simple. Preferring random chance was just stupid, but perhaps it did not know any better, I should not judge the imp too harshly. I massaged my temples, my headache had gotten increasingly worse, not too strange with all that had been going on. I looked down at my soaked body and wondered why I was not cold, I should be. Taking in a swamp illuminated by soft moonlight, I noted that getting back to Logate would no doubt be a bother. My thoughts were interrupted as I heard something, I tried to get a sense of what it had been for some time before it came again, a dull thudding in the distance. The imp was still going on and I waved a hand at it, trying to make it be silent. But the creature only got louder at that, Zackary was way too theatrical at times. "Be quiet!" I whispered at it, meeting unrepentant eyes. "You would like that, wouldn''t you!" The imp shouted back. "Pay some attention you dimwit!"I snarled, the imp looked very surprised as it lost some altitude and stared closely at me. A flash of light appeared in the air almost directly above us, and several small objects that sparkled in the moonlight fell into the swamp water with soft splashes. The thudding I had heard earlier sped up, and was now clearly coming in our direction. The imp and I looked at each other, before I started scrambling in the muddy water to get away, the imp was unimpaired and flew swiftly ahead. The first of my threadbare shoes tore away from my foot, soon followed by its companion, as the mud refused to relinquish its hold. Having gone barefoot more than once when I had no shoes to wear, my soles where somewhat hardened, but it was still quite a bit more uncomfortable than having shoes on. I felt amused at where my thoughts strayed when fleeing something probably dangerous. The expanse of muddy water was quite large, and we had to cover some distance before reaching trees to hide behind. I tried to be quiet while getting my breath back, as I looked towards where we had come from. It might have been the clever thing to keep running, but I was unsure what was behind us and we would be easier to spot while moving. Hiding was hopefully the best thing to do, and I was curious. What was coming? Why had a portal been set up to a swamp? What had the sparkling things been? So many questions, but one of them should have an answer in a moment. My breath caught as moonlight fell on the creature that had been the cause of the noise. It was huge, almost tall enough to reach the treetops. It was skeletal, literally made of bone. I had no idea what would leave behind a skeleton this big, probably a giant of some sort, except that its lower body moved more like that of a satyr, than a giant''s more straight and human-like joints. It had four arms, with four digits on each hand, and strange protrusions from its upper and lower arms, where bone seem to grow out haphazardly. The giant thing bent down over the swamp water, it then started to search near to where the sparkling things that fell from the portal had landed. When it found one, the giant skeleton pressed the thing to its forehead. A shimmer ran through the monstrosity as a low thrum sounded and waves formed on the water circling the creature. It then repeated this process, of searching and pressing what it found to its forehead, several times. Until having found nothing in its last attempt, it rose and ambled off.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. I sat quietly for quite some time after the thing was gone, until the imp broke the silence. "Well, that happened." I started to giggle, trying my best to contain myself, full out laughter did not seem safe. I started to wonder if I had gone insane, had this all been too much and now my mind had snapped? Did insane people ask that? Resisting the urge to take a deep breath I leaned against the tree to think. What was the connection between the slave pens, the gems, the pool, the portal and finally the giant skeleton? "There was no Mana in that thing." The imp said musingly looking in the direction the monstrosity had gone. "What do you mean?" The imp blinked back at me in surprise. "Obviously it was a golem of some kind, though making one out of bone seems strange, it should have been fueled by a spell but there was no Mana in it." The imp waved its hands in the air as if to give emphasis to its point and I nodded slowly in reply while trying to wrap my head around what that might mean. "If it is not animated by Mana, what else is there?" I asked, hoping that the imp might have an idea. It looked thoughtful for a long time before replying. "I don''t know, question is, why would something like that be here." Personally I wondered what the connection was to the sparkling objects that fell out of the portal, what did they do and why? "If you could animate a seriously enormous creature, would you just leave it out in a swamp? Why do all that work and then have no use for it?" The imp finished its earlier thought. "Right, that is strange."
Quest!
Inform the Temple of Logate of the undead abomination in the swamp. Reward: 800 Experience.
I felt confused and surprised; I had gotten a quest, which gave some answers and implied others. The giant thing was an undead abomination, which was either a type of creature or a specific creature, either way it was informative. I had never heard of an undead though, which seemed strange with mother''s focus on creatures. The quest also implied we were currently in the swamp that I knew lay some distance to the west of Logate. If I was in another area, the quest did not make sense. But then came the questions, why not just give the Temple a quest directly? Why did I have to go there and tell them of this? Why would the Temple care? This all seemed unnecessarily convoluted. The quest had issues though; The Temple could only be reached through the Noble Quarter or the High Quarter, since the Temple was situated on the border between the two, as far as I knew. Both of those Quarters were gated, as opposed to the Slums or the Merchants Quarter where anyone inside the city could enter them. Getting through the gates was not possible looking like a street-rat, looking like a swamp monster would not make it easier, I concluded as I held out an arm in front of me and a glop of mud fell from my arm to splash into the swamp. Even cleaned up and as presentable as I could be, I would not be let in. I looked down at the muddy water that covered my legs to way up on my ankles with a frown, it was sticky and unpleasant. "It is over, the lass lost her mind. I am doomed, woe is me, I am too young to be dragged into the suffering of madness, dear anyone, save me from this horrid fate!" As it was want to do, the imp cut my thinking short and I rolled my eyes at its antics. "I got a quest." I told it simply. "You got a..." The imp stopped speaking for a moment as its eyes bugged out. "You got a quest?!" The imp flew nearer and leaned forward, I could see that it had some half dried mud on the top of its head and on the tip of one ear, which made me grin. It leaned in to look deeply into one of my eyes. "Yup, totally snapped, nobody home. Too bad, she was such a... violent, abusive and sarcastic girl. Imps everywhere will miss her." The imp flew backwards a bit and bowed its head with folded hands over its chest, as if in mourning, its soft cackling laugh bouncing between the trees for a moment, we both froze to wait for any reaction from either the undead abomination or other creatures in the swamp. That brought an other question to mind, I had not actually heard or seen anything other than the abomination since we came here. No insects, no snakes, no birds making noises. Had everything been scared away by that giant skeleton? Had it killed everything? Something so large chasing insects seemed more than a bit humorous to imagine. Was a swamp supposed to be completely silent at night? "What is the quest?" Apparently the imp was not pleased with being ignored, and wanted attention. "To tell the Temple about the giant monstrosity." The imp shook its head. "There is no way you are going to pull that off." Since I mostly agreed with it, I just shrugged and kept listening for any noise around us. Since the moonlight was not that bright, the chances of me spotting something small was slim to none, but there should be some larger animals around the swamp, I thought. I was a bit frustrated at the fact that mother had focused so exclusively on magical creatures, I did not know what might live in a swamp like this, other than creatures that had Mana and there were no trolls around that I could hear either. The abomination had not seemed particularly focused on hunting anything, so what was going on? As if conjured by my attempts at locating something other than the abomination, a translucent shape which was roughly humanoid rose out of the swamp water in front of me. It looked like someone had made a bad outline of a person and then filled it with gray fog, which kept slowly roiling inside it. I wondered if this thing was dangerous. It did not seem so, but I was not one for assumptions at this point. I put my right hand in a soggy pocket and felt nothing. Repeating the action on my left, as my heartbeat sped up, resulted in a handful of enchanted objects which I swiftly threw at the fog creature. They all flew harmlessly through it, impacting nothing, this was not good, perhaps it was a friendly fog creature? Chapter 12 The fog creature let out a soft moaning sound, which seemed to come from both very far away and just nearby. As a swirl opened in its face, in a strange imitation of a mouth, I wondered; what did fog creatures eat? It started moving towards me, raising its translucent hands out in front, and I decided I was not that curious. I spun on my heel and ran. I could see the imp some distance ahead of me, meaning it had started fleeing well before I had. So much for loyalty. Then again, I had not exactly struck up a conversation before running myself. We rushed through swamp water, weaving between the occasional clusters of trees, the flying imp was unbothered by the muddy water, while my splashing loudly proclaimed our location to anything curious. All the while it felt like something was just behind me, ready to attack. I could hear the moaning of the fog creature, though it was very hard to judge the distance by the sound it made. I did not look back, that seemed like a very foolish thing to do while running. ** Eventually my stamina ran out and I stumbled over to a drier looking patch of ground and slumped down on it, as I looked back at where we had come from. I could not see anything behind us, which I hoped meant the creature was gone. "Well, the ... thing, seems to be gone." The imp chimed in, sounding more hopeful than assertive, something I could sympathize with. I was not sure if I was happy about the lack of life in the swamp or not, the stillness was frightening in its own way, though it was very preferable to actually being attacked. After a few minutes of panting and no fog creature in sight I relaxed somewhat. Having no better plan and being rested enough to move, I picked a direction in the swamp and trudged on, my path poorly lit by moonlight. Sloshing through the swamp without any idea of what direction we were truly moving in was mentally draining, and being soaked through did not help. At least the smell of the pens was not as big of a deal anymore, while I would not call myself clean by any stretch, splashing through a swamp was an actual improvement in that respect. Judging time was hard with only a moon above to go by, but by the feel of it, I guessed we had spent more than an hour walking when the swamp to the front and right of us gave way to a steep hill, with water flowing down it in a clear rivulet. I scrambled up the side of the slope as the imp lazily flew ahead. The sight that met me at the top left me stunned for a moment. The moonlight lit on a stream into which a small waterfall fell, the fall came down off a low rising mountain, which had been obscured by the hill and the distance as it rose some hundred meters away. At the top of the hill where I stood, the stream opened up into an almost circular pool before running down into the swamp below. There was a thick mat of strange, thin, grass covering the hill, and a multitude of flowers sat at the waters edge. Two majestic trees rose to either side of the stream near the edge of the pool, thick roots occasionally visible in the water as they broke through the bed. While the mountain was not very high, it stretched off into the distance as far as I could see, which admittedly was not very far in the current light. The sound of the waterfall, though powerful, seemed muffled, which I assumed was an effect of the thickly growing trees closer to it. As I looked down at the pool of water, I was surprised that I was not thirsty, while I had eaten some fruit and that would have helped, I had not actually drunk anything during all the time that I had been hungry. Should I not have felt thirsty as well? Even now, I could clearly eat again, not quite hungry, but getting there. But I was not thirsty at all. I bent down over the water and took a sip using my hand. It felt refreshing and cold, but no surge of previously suppressed thirst emerged. That made me quite worried, one possibility was that I did not need water anymore, or maybe just less of it, for some reason. The other possibility, and the far more dangerous one, was that I did not feel thirst anymore. On that thought I started drinking from the pool, but it only took a few mouthfuls until I had to run over to the side and throw up a cascade of water. I stared down at the puddle I had left on the ground, wondering just what was going on? Would I ever get answers to all my questions? With a sigh I went back to the pool of water and started to undress, I would get clean and wash my clothes. I would do my best to never think of that bath and washing for the rest of my life, safe to say, it took a long time. Another mystery reared its head though, I found that I had dried blood in my ears, and probably remnants around my eyes as well, though that was harder to tell. Having cleaned off and with a feeling of being a bit more optimistic than the situation warranted, I spread out my now decidedly threadbare clothes near the pool to dry. I sat down on a smooth stone to let myself dry off. At least I could rejoice that it was not autumn yet, though even so I seemed to be very unbothered by being wet and naked at night, to my mind it should have been colder. I looked around as I remembered the imp, but seeing it nowhere I shrugged and tried to relax, though a spike of pain in my head put an end to that plan.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. As I rubbed my temples yet again and hoped that this pain would be over soon, I remembered that I had no weapons anymore. I started a new hunt for stones near the stream, where many of them were worn smooth. I thought about how my enchanted stones had harmlessly flown through the fog creature, how exactly would I fight something like that? I decidedly ignored the question as I sat down cross legged to enchant new weapons once more.
You have created 41 Stone of Fire Burst! Experience gained: 13
As the light of dawn started to color the horizon I held the last enchanted stone and sighed. I had failed a few times earlier in the night, but that had soon stopped, and with it apparently any experience from enchanting. The crazy imp had not shown up during any of my cleaning or enchanting, I wondered if the creature had just used me as a way to get out of the compound and now it was off doing whatever imps did, to my annoyance I had to fight off the urge to start searching for Zackary. When had I started to think of the imp as Zackary anyway? I was starting to get tired, though I did feel that sleeping near the pool was too exposed and while cleaning and enchanting certainly had made me vulnerable had anything dangerous shown up, lying down to sleep would take that to another level. My clothes had dried some, but far from completely. Seeing no better option right now, I got dressed, with the intent of finding a safe place to rest. To my frustration I had enchanted more Stones of Fire Burst than I could carry in my pockets, while I could have some in my hands, moving through a swamp or a forest with both hands occupied seemed a foolish idea. It was with some regret that I left a few of the stones behind as I started walking towards the waterfall, I really should have thought through my capacity for carrying them before I spent the time enchanting, especially considering the lack of experience gained at the end. I put my regrets, minor as they were, aside as I picked my way amongst the stones near the stream where the passage was easier. The grass was more uncomfortable on my bare feet than the stones, surprisingly. The grass would occasionally cut through skin, by now I left small patches of blood behind, something that did not strike me as the best of practices, but for the lack of good options I kept going. I picked the direction I did in the hope that anything other than swampland would show me a way out of both the swamp and the forest, and hopefully orient me enough that I could find my way back to Logate. The waterfall fell into another large pool before running off toward where I had washed and bathed earlier, it was not a very high fall, but the closer I got, the more strange I felt that it was; that the sound of the fall did not get louder as I moved. Then all of a sudden I felt Mana in the air and stopped, there was a thin barrier in front of me, stretching to the sides and upward as far as Sense the Flow could discern, which was admittedly not very far. My goal had been to use the side of the mountain to orient myself and walking toward the waterfall had offered easier footing, my plan did not include potentially finding a magical creature which would no doubt disapprove at being disturbed. I changed my path away from the waterfall, though still toward the mountainside and kept going. While I was not exactly worried, the missing imp grated on me in a way I could not define. We had no need to form a familiar bond if it would just run off, though I supposed it was a way for it to get a free meal so to speak. Here or not, I assumed the imp would drain away some of my Mana. I did start to wonder if I could break the bond somehow, a thought that was accompanied by another flash of pain in my head. I groggily considered if the imp was the cause of all this, but no, that was not possible, Zackary was too kind and caring to cause me any pain. It did not take me too long to reach the mountainside and then start to move further away from the waterfall along it. I was wracking my brain trying to recall if anyone had ever spoken about a mountain near Logate, but considering I had barely heard anyone talk about the swamp it was not strange that I drew a blank on the subject. ** I had walked for quite some time, along dry and solid ground which made a very welcome change of pace, I did keep cutting my feet every now and then but it was bearable. "There you are! You just left me!" I could not help but grin as I heard the imp scream behind me with indignation, I shrugged and replied while it had still not caught up to me. "I had no idea where you were, for all that I knew you had been eaten by something nasty." I could just imagine the expression on its face and grinned even wider, maybe I did like the creature after all. "And if I got eaten, you would just walk away, not even trying to avenge me?!" I considered that for a moment. "Pretty much, yes." I blinked as flashes of light danced before my eyes, causing me to stumble. With flapping wings the imp came to hover in front of my face, almost nose to nose. I flinched back from it, and rubbed at my chest as a memory of dark eyes and pain came to me. The imp looked confused by whatever it saw in my expression, but soon rallied. "You care that little for me?" There was a tinge of hurt in the question, which made me consider how I would phrase a reply a bit more carefully, though not too much. "Yes. You have been my familiar for less than half a day and so far, neither of us have shown much care for the other, did you think I would suddenly love you? You can be amusing, but you have not been very useful. Further, you have also shown quite clearly you value your own hide far more than mine, so what exactly is your problem?" I rubbed my temples as my head throbbed, I was far too harsh on Zackary, I should not hurt its feelings for so trivial a reason. The imp blinked in surprise, apparently my answer was not what it had expected. "I see, maybe this was a bad idea then!" It huffed out and I rolled my eyes. "We are connected by the bond, that does not magically make us care about each other, that is something that might come in time, with actual effort." For a moment the imp''s light blue color gave way to a flash of red. "But it should have made you care!" The shout rang loudly and the imp''s face transformed into one of shocked regret. Apparently there was more to the familiar bond than I had been aware. The question from the Order did not mention that, though admittedly it did not explain the familiar bond at all. But regardless, the imp was a manipulative little monster and I was seriously regretting agreeing to have anything to do with it. I shoved the creature aside and started stumbling forward, as my head spun, I needed sleep. "Go away, and stay away!" I shouted, with all the anger I felt, as the pain in my head rose to incredible levels and my vision swam worse than ever, I hated the imp. It was so very nice to me, what would I do without Zackary? Chapter 13 I had walked for what was probably a few hours and exhaustion wore down on me, while my emotions seemed to be all over the place. The pain in my head beat a steady and debilitating rhythm as I regretted not having strangled the imp when I had the chance, but Zackary was just misunderstood, if I had been more considerate we would not be at odds now. I rubbed my forehead, the complete lack of any respect from the imp grated, but quite probably I had not earned any, though the creature could at least behave! I closed my eyes to ward off a flash of pain that made spots dance before my eyes. I stopped thinking and just focused on getting out of here and back to somewhere I recognized. While where I walked was rather dry and solid, that soon gave way to swampland yet again just a short distance away from the mountain wall, for all my plodding along it appeared I still had quite a ways to go. I rubbed my temples once more, I really did need sleep soon and I hoped that would rid me of this headache. After what might have been half an hour of walking, I spotted a break in the mountainside and I went to investigate, wishing for a shelter to rest in. I had not felt comfortable just laying down to sleep out in the open, though I had started to consider it more and more as time went on. What I found was an opening at waist height leading into a cave that was about three meters across and two meters high. Finding a cave or crevice empty of inhabitants might normally just have been wishful thinking on my part, but since I had yet to see or hear any animals it did actually seem likely, and after a glance around inside I spotted nothing that lead me to think any creature inhabited this cave. I was starting to become tired enough that I had problems focusing my eyes. I lay down against the far wall to the left of the entrance, though I wanted to make an effort to be less conspicuous and thus lay down with my feet against the wall with the opening in it to shelter myself from any cursory look inside. I was not comfortable with having my head or feet just next to the entrance, and while I made myself a bit easier to spot by my chosen placement, I hoped it would still be difficult enough to see me in the dim cave. I felt that having my pockets full of stones of Fire Burst was not a safe choice, and so stacked them up just between me and the wall before closing my eyes. ** I woke with a start, immediately trying to figure out what had disturbed me, as my heart raced. My attention was drawn by a low moan and I kept myself as still and quiet as I possibly could, while I listened for any further noise. It seemed like a fog creature was nearby, or there was something else out there moaning. If it indeed was a fog creature and it somehow found me in here, I would have to fight as there was no way to escape the cave other than the single entrance. Fighting had not gone too well last time and I felt no need to repeat the experience especially without an option of escape. I could hear the sounds the creature made moving outside, I could see part of the opening from where I lay, and soon the creature from about waist down came into view in the cave opening, while upright as it was it could not see inside to where I lay and my hope was that it would stay that way. The fog creature actually seemed more solid in the afternoon light than it had been in the dark earlier. It leaned over and touched a roiling arm to something on the ground, whereupon it flashed with dark colors for a moment and then turned its featureless face in my direction and I fought down a shout of fright. Letting out another low moan the fog creature glided through the passage and came at me as I scrambled backward. Fighting off panic I realized I had stupidly moved away from all my stones of Fire Burst, the fog-creature was gaining ground and I did not dare to move towards it only to gain weapons that had already proven ineffective. I began to cast my first ever spell, holding back tears of frustration at the full two seconds it would take, a seeming eternity. I fumbled for only a heartbeat before my practice at enchanting helped steady my focus as the structure was familiar. Casting a spell was both similar to enchanting and very different, the construct of the spell lacked what I felt was the connection to its surroundings, and it felt frail, making me suspect that the reason for the time it took was that the structure could not handle a quick influx of Mana without collapsing. Two seconds passed as the fog-creature closed in on me, it did not move very fast and the distance between us had been large enough with my scrambling to the back wall that I finished my spell in time. The creature was just close enough to reach me, as a shimmering red light flew out from my hands and exploded into fire as it came in contact with the fog-creature. The thing''s low moaning turned into a screech as flames washed over it. The screech, just like the moan had strange distortions making it seem to come from both nearby and very far away. Now knowing that the spell worked, I shuffled along the back wall of the cave as I began to cast yet again, I was painfully interrupted though, as the fog-creature dove at me, a translucent claw raking down my chest. The pain was distant and strange, making my head spin and my knees buckle. The structure of the spell I was casting fell apart as another claw swiped crosswise at me, sending me tumbling as bile rose in my throat. I tried to control my rising fear as I mentally fumbled at how to use Fervent Casting and my tumble took an abrupt halt against the cave wall. As the fog-creature moved in and raised both hands above my prone form about to strike at me once more, I managed to understand what to do and used Fervent Casting. I lost control over my hands as they formed strange shapes with my fingers and Mana flowed into the spell structure of Fire Burst in very different ways from when I had cast it earlier. The whole thing seemed to take several moments but the fog-creature did not move at all during that time, I saw a dark blue light form between me and the monster as everything faded away. ** I woke slowly, bleary-eyed in the dark, feeling sore all over. The memories of what had happened came back to me quickly and I patted at my chest expecting bleeding wounds, but found not a scratch at me or my worn clothes, with some confusion I shifted my focus to the Order.
You have taken unknown damage! You have lost one Constitution!
You have taken Death damage! You have lost one Constitution!Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
You are suffering from Magic Strain. Effect: -2 End, -3 Con, -3 Wis, -6 Will. Mana Regeneration stalled. Duration: 22 hours, 12 minutes, 9s
You have been victorious! You have slain an enemy! You gain 0 Experience!
You have defeated an Unraveling Spirit, you have been awarded 400 Experience!
You have made discoveries! You have discovered a new damage type! You have discovered a foreign creature! You have been awarded 1400 Experience!
Congratulations! You have advanced to level 5!
Congratulations! You have advanced to level 6!
You have unallocated Attributes! You may choose a new Trait or Ability!
I took all that in and closed my eyes again. By the sound of it the two swipes I had taken reduced my Constitution permanently, there was nothing in the description of events that made it seem like a temporary thing. Magic Strain might have some thing to do with Fervent Casting, or possibly be something caused by fighting the Unraveling Spirit. The idea of casting a spell now made me feel like throwing up, no doubt a part of the effect of Magic Strain and thus something that would last almost a whole day. Then there were the mysteries, the fog-creature, or the Unraveling Spirit had not given any Experience, instead it had seemed as if I had been awarded that Experience after the fact by the Order, presumably. Why though? It seemed as if I had discovered both the damage type and the creature, but surely neither was new knowledge to the Order? If it was though, did that imply that my enchanting was new knowledge to the Order as well, the idea seemed ludicrous, which left the question; what did the Order mean by discoveries? "Status."
Ewynne
Age: 18
Level: 6
Experience: 956/1000
Race: Half-blood
Class: Enchantress
Strength: 6 Dexterity: 14
Agility: 12 Constitution: 9 (-3)
Endurance: 8 (-2) Intelligence: 20
Wisdom: 12 (-3) Willpower: 15 (-6)
Perfection: 14 Charisma: 12
Health: 23/60 Mana: 220/380 (0/minute) Stamina: 60/60 (12/minute)
Unallocated Attributes: 6
I felt some joy at the fact that I was close to level seven, along with surprise at the amount of experience it took. Getting from level four to five had only taken four hundred, I had never seen the experience needed to go from five to six, but it seemed to have been five hundred, and then it doubled that to reach level seven. My Constitution had indeed gone down by two full points and then even further by the Magic Strain, as expected my Mana regeneration was nonexistent, my Healthand Mana pools were lowered as well. It did not seem as if I had the ability to cast magic while under this effect as even the idea made me feel nauseous. I had some hope that the Unraveling Spirit I had killed had been the same one I saw earlier and that there was not a horde of them out there in the swamp, searching. Trying to be optimistic and finish my leveling, I brought up the Traits and Abilities.
Hardened Heart You have seen the suffering of others, and walked away from it. Effect: +5 Willpower, -1 Perfection
Survival of the putrid You have wallowed in filth and have become more resistant to disease. Effect: Immunity to natural disease.
Blank Mind Your mind has suffered trauma and you have learned strange things from your experiences. Effect: -2 Willpower, -2 Intelligence, -2 Wisdom, +9 Perfection.
Discoverer You have discovered things that makes the world a more interesting place. Effect: +1% Experience from all sources.
I did not appreciate the Traits I had on offer. The first three felt as a testament to my failures and shortcomings, the idea of having them as a permanent reminder among my Traits was unsettling. While in many ways Discoverer might be the most useful in the long term, it would take a long time for a single percentage to amount to anything. But it was better than taking Hardened Heart or Survival of the putrid, to my mind. Having made a decision about that, I turned to my Attributes. It was decidedly uncomfortable to feel so close to death, and the lost Constitution made me more than a little uneasy. I decided to put three points into Constitution. The remaining three were really not a question though, I wanted to branch Willpower. My new Attributes made an obvious difference in how I felt, even though it was not an overwhelming change it was enough to make a clear contrast between before and after. I was sad to note though, that the now ever present headache remained at a dull throb. It took some work to get to my feet and I stood on increasingly steady legs as I got a hold of myself. The Unraveling Spirit had left a small mound of black flakes on the ground that looked a lot like glass, I considered taking them with me, but even moving closer to them made me feel weaker. I crouched to peer out of the cave into the night. I was planning to set out again, along the mountainside until I reached something that could help me orient myself toward Logate, so far I had been fairly sure I had moved in a roughly straight line, but the moon was more hidden behind clouds this night, while it was not pitch darkness, it was by no means bright enough for me to say with any certainty that I could keep track of my direction. Loud thumping footsteps from what was no doubt the undead abomination made me decide that sleeping here was not such a bad idea. At least the opening was too small for that monstrosity to enter, and with any luck its arms were too short to reach all the way in, I hoped. On that cheerful note I moved my pile of stones of Fire Burst to the back wall, away from both the strange flakes and the entrance, and lay down there to rest. I wondered if Zackary was cold out in the dark. Chapter 14 For the first time in what felt like forever I woke without anything going on around me, midmorning light flooded the entrance to the cave, and only the eerie silence gave lie to the seeming tranquility. I swiftly pocketed my stones of Fire Burst, while it felt like I had fewer of them than yesterday I had not actually kept track of how many I brought, and I was not about to crawl across the ground inspecting stones to see if they were possibly enchanted. That then raised an interesting question, why had I never felt any Mana from the stones of Fire Burst? I held one up before my eyes, but all I could see or sense was an ordinary stone. Inspecting it brought up the familiar information, but to Sense the Flow it seemed to be just a rock like any other.
Stone of Fire Burst Will explode with a burst of fire when hitting a target.
Damage: 12 Quality: Average
Was the lack of Mana I could sense due to the way the whole structure had crystallized? Would that then mean it was in fact inert right now and breaking or otherwise disturbing the structure was what made them erupt? That idea did not sit well with me, I felt that if the structure itself was disturbed the enchantment would fail in one fashion or another. I decided that I would at some point do proper experiments and figure all of this out. I peered out through the cave opening into a bright morning, looking all around did not show either abominations or spirits and so I started my trek. ** Apparently there was someone out there who felt I should not have a bright and sunny day, after only a short while into my journey a slow drizzle started, accompanied by a heavy fog over the swamp, leaving the area just near the mountainside the only thing I could see clearly. Thankfully the drizzle was light enough that I could still keep track of my direction using the sun, but it still left me soaked. I felt more tired than I should have with the amount of rest I had gotten, and I was truly miserable. ** I came to a stop as the mountainside turned rather sharply to my left and the ground all but fell away in front of me, making a drop of about two meters. Below was a lushly forested area of a kind with what had been gradually taking the place of the swamp for the past half an hour or so as I walked. Even at a lower elevation, the trees where still high enough that I could not see anything beyond them. While I had kept direction using the mountain wall and the sun, going down into the forest below would make that more difficult as the trees would obscure the sun. I was starting to get hungry again which lent some urgency to getting out of here, if my memory served me correctly the transition from swamp to forest should mean I was moving towards the plains around Logate. In short order I got down to the low ground and started to move through this part of the forest. I was soon amazed by the sheer amount of noise; everywhere around me birds were chirping and insects buzzing, this place was alive in a way the swamp and forest along the mountain had not been. ** While walking through the forest was far more interesting than along the mountain, it worsened the state of my feet, making them feel sore and bruised. Thankfully though it was peaceful and no monsters showed themselves. In only a few hours the forest broke up into a field, and on the far side of it; a road. I could not have claimed to have moved through the forest in a straight line nor swiftly, but I had managed to get out in one piece. While my headache kept up its steady beat, I had at least gotten used to it to some degree. I should not have left the imp behind, could it manage on its own? I felt a bit confused, but as I did not even know where to search, I kept going as I had been. When I looked around to see if I could spot anything that would give away the direction to the city I noticed five people on horseback on the road. They rode along as I watched, until they reached the edge of the field that was in front of me, then they wheeled around and rode back. A patrol of some kind, then. Five people seemed a bit much for that, but I had no experience with patrols outside of the city. If things like the abomination or the spirit was more common than I would have thought, then I could see why you would want a larger patrol. I crouched down and watched them ride to the other edge of the field and into a more wooded area where they disappeared from sight. I had just risen to start moving when they returned, riding back down the road. Was that what they did, five people riding back and forth along a field? I could understand it if they were poor and it was work that put food on the table, but even at this distance I could see that one of them wore a breastplate and a sword swung at his side. No poor people could afford armor like that, so why would rich people put up with something so silly? I watched and waited. After their fourth trip back and forth, my patience ran out. If I started moving they would no doubt spot me, but by all appearances they did not seem to have any plans of leaving so there was not much to be done about that. I rose from my crouch and started moving along the field as I took in what lay before me, which was more fields as the plains opened up in front of me as I walked. While I still had the forest edge on my right, to the front and left as more and more fields came into view the landscape became dotted by people tending them in the afternoon sun. The muddy earth at the edge of the field where I walked felt cool and soothing on my torn feet, though it once more brought up the question of infection or even parasites, though there was not much to be done about that.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. My clothes had mostly dried from the earlier rain, but the walk through the forest had not done any wonders; I looked quite a mess and it was no doubt that I would draw attention from people on the road, hopefully it would not cause me any problems when entering Logate though. It took me a lot longer than it had taken the riders to reach the point where the field I had started at gave way to another, and I stopped there to scan the horizon for a moment, trying to see if I could spot Logate. I felt like I should be at the correct side of the swamp and forest, otherwise there would not be so many fields, but I acknowledged to myself that my reasoning might be flawed about that. "Hey you!" The voice rang loudly, one of the members of the patrol had dismounted and was stumbling along the ditch between the two fields nearest me, while having crossed less than a quarter of the distance separating us, he had apparently had enough and shouted at me. Having seen that he had gotten my attention he waved at me and shouted, "Get over here!" He wore a white robe which bulged up strangely making me suspect that he wore some kind of armor under it. At this distance all I could make out of his appearance was the mop of dark hair on his head and the mud stains on his robe, no doubt from riding on the unpaved road and trudging along the field. He sounded commanding, not threatening per se, but it was hard to be sure without being able to make out expressions. While it would have been nice to ask for directions, I was not sure it bode well for me to have drawn so much attention. Even the four riders still on the road watched in my direction as the fifth man approached. I was just walking along a field, this amount of interest seemed strange. I stood hesitating as the man moved closer and closer, from the looks of it, he was not appreciating the exercise and no doubt blamed me for it by the scowl I could now make out. On the other hand, it was very clear that if I wanted to run, there was nothing he could do about it, graceful he was not. "Get over here!" This was more panted out than truly shouted, and it took effort not to grin in response. "Why?" I shouted back, and at that he stopped and pulled out something from inside his robes. "The Temple of the Order commands it!" I wanted to roll my eyes at that. I did not though, upsetting the Temple was even more stupid than upsetting the Guard. Clerics were magic users just like Mages, but what the exact difference was I had never gotten a satisfactory explanation to. The Temple claimed that the Order was more than just a source of, quite often, unhelpful information, and rather something that should be revered and worshiped. Safe to say, the Clerics were not the largest group of people by any stretch, but they did have the only real healers who could use magic to close wounds, cure diseases and remove curses. On the flip side they could also curse others, and so in general people tried to be very polite to them. Though to anyone who met one of the Clerics it was soon clear that they really expected people to obey them at all times, and could get quite testy when that did not happen, often making the aforementioned politeness difficult. I was just about to run away when a thought struck me and I shouted back at him. "There is an undead abomination in the swamp!" I could hear a soft chuckling, that sent shivers up my back and I swiftly turned around expecting to see someone behind me, there was no one there, but a soft golden glow rose from my skin.
You have completed a Quest! You have been awarded 808 Experience!
Congratulations! You have advanced to level 7!
You have unallocated Attributes!
This once more made me wonder why the Order did not give this quest to the people who so revered it, directly. From the way the man was now staring straight ahead, I assumed he had gotten a quest himself now. The whole thing seemed just as I had thought of it before; unnecessarily convoluted and complicated. Though I would not complain about the extra experience, now I wanted to get back to Logate. I started backing up, but apparently I was no longer of any interest as the man turned back to his companions and shouted loudly. "I have got it, the Order shines upon us!" The people on the road waved their arms in return, seemingly quite cheerful about that. As the man turned back to me I prepared to run, but he simply fished something out of his robes and threw it to the ground between us before starting back to his companions. I let him get all the way back there, trying to figure out just what had happened and why it felt like I had both lost and missed something in all of this, until I finally shrugged it off and went to collect whatever he had thrown. It was a pouch, not much bigger than the one I had lost when the Guard locked me up. What was inside it though, made my eyes widen in surprise. I swiftly counted out five gold coins, 22 silver coins and 64 coppers almost dropping some in my haste, but I managed the feat without mishaps. I held the pouch hard, not quite sure if I dared to tie this fortune to the rope I used as a belt or not. All thoughts of having lost something to the Temple fled at the realization that I could live on this for a long time, even outside of the slums. With a smile I turned to my Attributes and allocated two to Willpower and one to Wisdom.
Congratulations! You have reached a branch in Willpower! Choose your path!
Will over Mana Your control over Mana increase as your Willpower shapes it with more finesse. Effect: Willpower increases your Mana pool by another 40%, you power spell constructs 5% faster.
Mind Fortress You have been the subject of mind manipulating effects once too often and have learned how to fight their flaws. Effect: You are immune to mind altering affects of the Second Sphere and below, or equivalent.
This was an actually hard choice, for pure combat purpose and possibly along my earlier fears about Mana, Will over Mana was the obvious choice. But the idea of being immune to even some of the possible mind altering effects that I might encounter was very tempting, you could not fight if you did not know you had an opponent after all. I stood there at the edge of the field for a long time, considering what to do. In the end I decided to pick Mind Fortress.
You have fought off the effect: Twisting Minds!
Chapter 15 I stood at the edge of the field as the sun crawled across the sky, the afternoon slowly inching toward evening as my heart beat painfully in my chest. I understood intellectually that I was not entirely at fault, that I had been under a mental effect of some sort. The fact that even now I did not know how badly I had messed up, made me worried enough that I physically hurt. I knew that part of my reaction to all this was due to the Magic Strain, with less Willpower available to me I got more affected by the shock of what had happened, but that understanding did not improve how I felt. My memories from when I met the imp until I branched my Willpower were there, but far less clear and harder to bring into focus than even childhood memories. The imp was the obvious suspect in all of this, and the fact that my headache was gone and I could now consider how to best kill the creature without any spikes of pain gave credence to that idea. It brought further worries though, I had bonded the thing, could I kill it? Was it even physically possible to hurt your familiar? I pinched the bridge of my nose as what I hoped sincerely was an ordinary headache replaced the one I had so recently lost. "Effects."
You are suffering from Magic Strain. Effect: -2 End, -3 Con, -3 Wis, -6 Will. Mana Regeneration stalled. Duration: 5 hours, 18 minutes, 29s
As my stomach growled out a protest I acknowledged to myself that I could think and walk at the same time. Some distance in front of me, a few fields away, the road turned left in what should be a mostly eastern direction judging by the sun. Following that road should bring Logate into sight. I started moving through the sludge between fields, the very route the Cleric had taken earlier, what was now some time ago. I could see that his footprints had disappeared back into the mud while I stood at the field''s edge considering how to branch my Willpower and then lost in the revelations brought on by Twisting Minds. It seemed my lack of thirst was not connected to Twisting Minds, as no craving for water emerged even though I was once more hungry and should get back to the city. If what I had inferred so far was correct, I should reach Logate before full dark and the closing of the gates. As it sunk in that with the coin I had it was possible to not only eat well but also keep a roof over my head for some time, I felt quite cheerful, a frightfully foreign experience. I thought back to the frustrating imp once more, I really wanted to get into the Mage Guild library to find out more about familiars and the bond. I had always trusted books more than people and recent experiences had reinforced that opinion, while a fair amount of people would no doubt object to being in the same behavioral category as an imp, I personally thought the differences was not pronounced enough to be fussed about. I did not actually know how Twisting Minds had influenced me, bringing into doubt any deductions about the imp and our bond based on what I had experienced during my escapades. I wondered about the creature''s behavior, had it tried to get me killed or had it just been uncaring about what happened to me? That did not match well with what I thought I knew about bonds though, which was admittedly not much. They were mostly mentioned in passing when familiars were spoken of, and to my recollection never with much detail. I stopped in my tracks on the road with a frown on my face. While everything seemed so obvious, was it possible the imp was actually innocent and someone or something wanted us at odds, the goal being conflict? I shook my head, I felt almost forced to take everything that had happened at face value at this point just to keep my sanity, I could only handle so much second guessing. The truth was, and I felt sure of this; I had never liked the imp and I had been all but blackmailed into a bond shortly after I had wanted the thing dead. While my reasoning back then still seemed mostly sound to me, I had all along doubted the truthfulness of the imp and further I even distrusted the Order; I always expected there to be a hidden meaning that was not clearly spelled out. With a sigh I started walking once more, setting out toward Logate. ** I had walked to where the road changed directions and would soon pass into a forested area that broke up the landscape. Even before I set foot among the trees I could already see where they opened up once more on the far side, the distance being no more than fifty meters and the road ran straight ahead. "I am not going back! You will not send me back!" The screeching voice made me wince and as I turned around to see the imp flying down toward me, I also noticed that some of the workers had stopped what they were doing and were shading their eyes and pointing towards us in the distance. I sighed and shook my head, was this creature ever anything but trouble? "Do you hear me! I am not going back to the Emptiness!"If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. That made me tilt my head as I took in the obviously distraught imp, its previous blue color had darkened to a more blackish tint and its eyes were wide and frightened. As far as I knew, imps originated in the Between; a place that was quite literately between planes of existence, a concept that had been proven by the Imperial College, but was very hard to get a grip on. It was a place where the Laws were fluid and ever changing and the place itself was mutable in a way that was never the case on a plane of existence. The Between was not existence per say, according to the Scholars, it was more like potential existence, which made creatures like the imps so confounding; how did they manage to survive in a place like that? But now the imp raised a new question; what was the Emptiness? The imp had reached me and fell to the ground, grabbing my pants just below the knees and looked up at me with wide pleading eyes. "Please don''t keep Mana from me, don''t send me back, I promise I won''t consume you!" I looked down at the creature as fear settled into my stomach, while the imp spoke about consuming me its yellow eyes had changed from one blink to another and turned black. I had seen other creatures with solid black eyes before, it was not unheard of; the winter Fey and some creatures that lived out of the sun had black eyes. But not like the eyes of the imp, the darkness in them seemed to stretch on forever, it was not just dark, it was like the very nature of emptiness and I felt that my being was not enough to hold against it; I would soon be swallowed up and be no more. I stumbled backward and the imp fell with me, banging its head against my knee as I sat down hard, jolting myself awake from the strange trance as I blinked my eyes furiously trying to get my mind under control. If this imp was not unusual, then I had no idea about what imps were like at all! I had never heard of anything like this, what did it mean by consuming me? Why would it do that? Would it not just die if I did? I stared down at the imp which was now rubbing its head looking at me with still pleading eyes, seemingly unaware of anything strange having happened. I did not trust the creature to any degree and it was the most probable origin of the Twisting Minds effect, even all this could be a play for something it wanted, though I could not quite see how. It had said I kept Mana from it, so Magic Strain stalling my Mana regeneration also affected the imp. It further implied that without Mana the thing would return to the Emptiness, and not the Between. "What do you mean, Emptiness? I thought imps lived in the Between?" I hoped a distraught imp might be a better source of information than it usually was. "I tried to show I was worthy, to prove I could ascend, and what did they do!? A single mistake and they threw me out into the Emptiness! " The imp spat out its reply, showering me and making me fight off a shudder of disgust. If the imp was acting it was so far beyond me that I might as well just lie down and give up, and so I decided to tentatively trust it for now. "A single mistake! One! I did not mean to destroy the..." I winced at the name of whatever it was the imp had destroyed as my eyes ran with tears and I shook my head slowly, while blinking them away as a sense of vertigo hit me. The imp looked at my antics with a grave expression. "Even here, even now, the world itself objects to what I did. I did not mean to! It was a stupid mistake!" Very obviously it was quite a bit more than a stupid mistake, something I was not about to point out to the now wild eyed imp with snot running down its face and tears in its eyes. "If I go back they will send me into the Emptiness again! I will never go back there! You can''t make me!" As the imp spoke its voice got less nasal and turned closer and closer to a growl as its eyes turned dark once more. I very carefully did not meet the creature''s eyes, once was more than enough of that experience. "Would you not die if I did, is not that how a bond works?" The imp twitched strangely as its black eyes seemed to roam all over the area around us, but without a pupil it was difficult to discern where exactly it was looking. "I can''t die anymore, only return to the Emptiness... But if I do, you will come with me! I will drag all of you there and all you are will be mine, making me stronger! I will fight them!" The imp''s words started as a whisper, but toward the end of its rant, it released my pants and raised its clawed hands into the air as it screeched out the final words head thrown backward in a rather dramatic pose. The thing had snapped, if it had ever been sane. With a sigh I admitted that while I did not think the creature intentionally deceived me, there was no reason to believe that anything it had said actually matched up with reality. The imp''s eyes and the hunger they had held made me quite certain that the consuming part of the story held some truth, a thought that made me shiver. That gave further strength to the supposition that the imp had been unbothered by any accidents that might befall me, it was quite probable that it had been hoping for my death. It had not actively tried to kill me though which might be a limitation of the bond we shared, or the imp was possibly holding on to some form of convoluted morals. The mistake the imp went on about seemed to hold some water as well, based on the reaction I had to what the imp said. Beyond that it could either be true or a delusion of a broken mind, or any combination thereof. Which made me wonder if any imp could be called sane, they did originate in the Between after all, where the world was fluid and ever changing, without any fixed point of reference; was it possible to stay sane in a place like that? Or where the imps so different from creatures originating on a plane of existence that the concept did not even translate? That made me more suspicious once again, was not the imp simply too normal? Too much like any other creature I had seen or met? It was strange, sure, but not that strange. I looked at the imp, it had sunk down and now sat with its feet out in front of it, shoulders slumped and head lolling to the side, eyes vacant and staring. I could hope for delusion, but a nagging sense in the back of my head told me that I would not enjoy what would come if the imp died. I almost hoped that was a result of mental manipulation, that was preferable to it just being the stark truth. With a sigh I picked up the unresponsive creature and walked through the short distance of forested area until it opened up to fields once more, and there, far in the distance slightly to the left of where the road ran, was Logate. It took effort to put a smile on my face, mother had always said one should smile when anything went the way it was supposed to, and rejoice in any small victory. Often I got beaten after that lecture, as mother smiled. I could not keep the lopsided grin going and a frown took its place, even now I could not shake off the yoke my mother put on me, she still haunted my thoughts. I looked down at the blank faced imp in my arms and chuckled. Maybe we were not so different after all; that did not make us friends though, if I thought I could get away with it, the creature would be dead. I set off towards Logate with an imp in my arms. Chapter 16 The journey to Logate started out more of a bother than I had first expected when I picked the imp up. The creature had shrunk when its Mana was dispersed, as a part of our bargain before it even became my familiar, but even so the wings were a true hassle when it came to carrying it around, flapping all over the place. The imposition was offset some by the creature being far more lightweight than I would have expected considering its size. I remembered that I had wondered about the imps strange flight, what now seemed so very long ago, there might possibly be a connection between that and how little it seemed to weigh. In the end I draped the creature over a shoulder and trudged on. Approaching Logate by the road I was on would take me to the southern part of the city, which meant I would use the gate that entered into the slums rather than the main gate into the Merchants'' Quarter or the palace gate into the High Quarter. My chosen entrance, despite its location, was referred to as the dock gate and opened up onto what was without a doubt the most well kept road in the slums. It was patrolled rather diligently by the Guard, something that made me hold little fear of Syvon when just passing through. This road was used for all goods heading directly for the docks, rather than going by King''s road and then onto Merchant''s Lane and crossing most of Logate in the process. Though if one was headed for a ship in the northern part of the docks, the latter route might still be a faster than crossing the entirety of the docks lengthwise. I pondered the name of Merchant''s Lane for a moment, it was not narrow by any stretch so it was a bit of a misnomer. The only real reason I wanted to use the dock gate was the fact that even dressed as shabbily as I was, I would draw minimal attention of the Guard there, who were used to the dwellers of the slums. I might need to pay a bribe, but no one would expect me to have more than coppers so that should not be much of an issue. As I approached the city, drawing curious glances from fellow travelers, I felt myself fall into mannerisms and behaviors I had cultivated during my years in the slums, but I also realized I had other options now. Who did I want to be? I was dressed like something the cat dragged in, but the imp over my shoulder made a lie out of any simple assumptions. I had a combat class now, and seven levels to my name, I could defend myself and had coin. I wanted to buy more spells, do research on my Abilities and enchanting, visit the libraries, travel the world and see things I had only read of. I lifted my eyes from the road and watched the fields around me as I walked, a sense of freedom I had not experienced before made me straighten out of the street-rat-slouch I had adopted and I started walking with perhaps a foolish degree of confidence. In ways I had not predicted when all this started, I had indeed set out on a path that could lead me to the very things I had wished for, though the beginning had been more than a bit rocky and the final outcome was certainly still up in the air. More immediately though, my goals would have to be getting properly clean and some new clothes that would not make me quite as much of a dichotomy as I was now. Slightly more long term I needed a plan for more coin, Fire Burst had cost a gold and that was the least expensive of the open Sphere spells. If I wanted a first Sphere spell or even higher I would need much more than that, presumably. By the time I was approaching the vicinity of the dock gate, the sun had started setting and the Guard were closing off a portion of the gate. They were preparing to bar it completely in about an hour, and so the number of Guards at the gate grew fewer, as a smaller shift took over for the late evening and beginning of the night. The press of people trying to enter Logate sped up somewhat, as the people seemed to fear not being allowed to enter and thus being forced to wait out the night outside the walls. I did not feel rushed, the amount of people trying to get in was by no means enough that there was even a chance of us not being let in before dark. I could sympathize with the fear, though personally I felt it would be little more an inconvenience being made to wait out the night. But most of those trying to get in looked like they supported themselves and possibly families with work on the fields, and as such a night of bad rest might be enough to hurt their chances to put food on the table.
Your Magic Strain has faded!
The change to how I felt was immediate and welcome, as a fogginess left my mind and brought everything into focus in a way it had not been mere moments ago. The imp over my shoulder shuddered as it no doubt got its first trickle of Mana in a day. While it should not have been starving by any means, I was unsure if imps used up Mana for any thing other than just staying alive. If they did, the amountthey could get per day would be of far more importance, as a spell or two might just reduce its chances of surviving, or gaining levels. "Status."
Ewynne
Age: 18
Level: 7
Experience: 764/2000
Race: Half-blood
Class: Enchantress
Strength: 6 Dexterity: 14
Agility: 12 Constitution: 12
Endurance: 8If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Intelligence: 20
Wisdom: 13 Willpower: 20
Perfection: 14 Charisma: 12
Health: 37/120 Mana: 220/530 (12/minute) Stamina: 62/80 (20/minute)
Unallocated Attributes: 0
I considered my status, as some of the last few people ahead of me were waved on by the Guards at the gate. I had some time before I needed to make decisions about what to do with my Attributes, and I assumed by the pattern so far that I would need at least another two levels before I got to choose a Trait or Ability once more. My current Healthwas still not very high and I needed some solid rest without accidents before that could be rectified. I was not about to pay golds for a healing unless I really needed to, though for further excursions bringing healing potions might be a good idea. Which made me consider something I had not thought of before, if I was not a Mage, but I had learned Fire Burst, could I learn to heal? Despite that being a line of Cleric spells? Could I make a healing enchant? There was an open Sphere spell called Minor Healing, which should be possible to buy from a Scribe, though I would not be going back to where I bought Fire Burst, that was for sure. The idea made me very excited, and my distraction lasted long enough that I managed to get the Guard at the gate to growl at me to get a move on. I wound my way through the crowd at the gate, many had seemingly stopped to chat with friends and neighbors just inside the gate once they had gotten through. It struck me as odd considering how demure and quiet everyone had been while waiting on the other side, but that was people for you; always doing strange things. I decided to look for an inn at the docks, get a room to sleep in and a bath. For a few coppers I should be able to get some clothes from the innkeeper that should be less worn and dirty than my current ones, so for now, eating, bathing and sleeping was the plan. As I walked I kept an eye out in case Syvon was more daring and attentive to my arrival than I presumed he would be. I kept coming back to the question of how to behave now, I had always been strange compared to the people around me, mother had made very sure of that. With all that had changed, I would stand out more if I did not adapt how I portrayed myself than if I did. It did not take too long before I came to the first inn near the border of the slums and the docks. I stopped and listened to the rowdy crowd inside and admitted that this was not the best of ideas, in a place like this I would quite likely find the very people I wanted to avoid the most. Revising my plan, I kept walking, along much the same route as I had run some time ago, ending up in a cell in the Chatheza, and finally in the strange slave pens. I was not afraid anyone would recognize me outside of Syvon''s people. I did not think any Guard would have put my face to memory and the fat man had barely looked at me as it was. For the first time in a while I wondered about the why of it all, I was intrigued by the mystery it presented. The actions I had knowledge of did not match with any desire I could identify, from my point of view it seemed the result would be both a loss of power and wealth, something that did not sit well with my view of the world. How did the undead abomination and the Unraveling Spirit fit into the picture? Did they have a connection? Where they correlated events or causal? Mayhap just random chance? Having passed halfway through the docks I turned my way onto Merchant''s Lane, at the far end, which I could not even see from here, lay the Scribe''s shop at which my adventure had started. Merchant''s Lane did not have any inns, rather it was packed tight with shops, many of them still open even at this hour. Lanterns and Mage Lights fought off the encroaching darkness and proclaimed which stores had wealth to spare and which were just getting by. Walking a short distance down Merchant''s Lane I turned right onto Opal street, which went all the way up to the gate into the Noble Quarter. The inns here were more upscale than what I assumed I could support long term, even the ones at the very start of the street should be comparatively expensive, and it ought to get worse the further up you went towards the Noble Quarter. They did have one major advantage though, that being a customer here meant that no one would be foolish enough to cause problems unless the trouble came from the rich and powerful. But an inn this far down the street should not attract that kind of people. Though admittedly I was rather far out on the limb of conjecture at this point, while I had been here, this was not an area I frequented and my reasoning was rather full of supposition. I moved past the first two inns on a whim and settled on the third, the Chatelaine Inn, as was proclaimed boldly, on a to my mind, rather tasteful sign. Other than the three inns I had seen, there seemed to be a fair amount of pubs by the look and sound of things, which I found surprising considering this was the main street leading to the Noble Quarter. I would have expected a more somber atmosphere, but perhaps I was overthinking it or expecting nobles to be different than they were. There were other closed off doors, with shuttered windows and thus giving no hint as to their purpose. With a shrug at things I did not understand about the layout of the city I pushed open the half-door and entered the Chatelaine Inn, no doubt the half-door would be replaced by a full door in the coming weeks, as evenings and days got colder with the approach of autumn. The inside of the inn was not exactly packed, people were scattered in small groups or alone, most of them eating but a few only sipped from tankards. The atmosphere was far from the rowdy crowd I had noticed at the docks or the jovial pubs on the same street. I got the sense that here people were considering tomorrow as they prepared for the night, a sentiment I could agree with. The innkeeper, I assumed, stood with a rag in hand and a frown on her face as she considered me. She did not fit the heavy stereotype, being rather thin. She was well beyond middle aged, with an angular face and a head full of mostly gray hair with streaks of gold. Pale skin, sharp blue eyes and a small but angular nose made her seem a bit predatory to be honest, a thought reinforced by sharp words. "I don''t take kindly to begging here, shoo, rat." I raised an eyebrow in reply as I patted the back of the imp to shatter her preconceptions as much as possible before I spoke. "I want food, a bath, a bed and some clothes to wear when I go to get new ones on the morrow." I had considered mentioning that I could pay, but decided against it. I spoke in the way mother had insisted I should, whenever I lay forth an argument at College. She had been most adamant that I would one day enter the Imperial College, something I now found myself adverse to, if only just to spite her. My words were clipped and pronounced in ways people in Logate never spoke, at least as far as I knew. The innkeeper¡¯s eyes widened a fraction as they roamed from the wings on the imp, to my face, down my clothes and back to my face. Her expression morphed faster than I could keep track of, she seemingly did not know how to deal with this, but still rallied rather quickly. "Food for a half-silver, bath and room for a silver and clothes that will do until you get to a seamstress for a half-silver." Those prices were beyond what I had expected, though my frame of reference was the slums where a room for the night included a slit throat more often than not. I only hesitated for a fraction before opening my pouch and fishing out two silver. The woman nodded with a mix of surprise and suspicion on her face. "Take a seat, food will be a minute, ale or lager?" I assumed the swill I had tasted a few times would constitute an insult if compared to whatever was served here. I obviously did not know which I preferred, nor was I sure I could even drink more than a mouthful with my current condition, and as such I shrugged. "Whichever you think suitable." Looking around for a table I chose one in a corner, where I could sit with my back to the wall and keep sight of the room. The innkeeper snorted in reply and left, hopefully to bring my food. I moved to my chosen table and sank down with a sigh, dumping the still unresponsive imp on a nearby chair. I felt more than a bit out of my depth, but I had hope for a future that would at least be interesting. Chapter 17 The food was excellent, I had never tasted nor smelled anything as heavenly. It could not have taken me more than moments to all but inhale everything on my plate. I sat back with a contented sigh, sipping very carefully from the lager I had been given. The taste was strange. The drink was a dark red, almost leaning toward brown, and I found the taste hard to pin down. It was slightly sweet and made me think of a kind of roasted nut, which I had occasionally gotten at the market as a child. I was very careful not to drink too much, even though I definitely approved of the taste. It would not do to end up heaving on the floor to sate a craving I had just discovered. After another mouthful I put my tankard down with a sad sigh. While not needing to drink seemed to have upsides when it came to being out in the wilderness, back in the city it was not as much of a blessing. As I sat there, forlornly staring at my forbidden drink, the imp stirred and quickly sat up. The haste of its movements made its ears flap in a very comical fashion, and I failed to stifle a giggle. The imp looked at me searchingly for a moment, and then took in the room. Its face moved through expressions, from confusion, to disgust and finally settling on something that seemed to be elation. "I am getting Mana again!" As if the words themselves deflated the imp, it began to cower before me, pleading eyes meeting mine. "Please Master, don''t take away my Mana again!" It spoke loudly enough to draw attention from the other patrons, and while I did not look up to see what kind of reactions this had brought, I could feel their eyes on me. The imp was playing yet another game. "If you can refrain from trying to kill me, you deranged creature, there will be no need for any punishment." I replied in the same manner, making some patrons chuckle in response. I looked at the imp with an eyebrow raised, waiting. Our contest of wills had barely begun when the innkeeper came down the stairs and headed straight for us. "Your room is the second on the left, bathing chamber is down the same hall, clothes are on your bed." Having delivered her message she dropped a key on the table, shook her head at the imp that was gaping up at her, and left. Leaving temptation at the table, I picked up the key, crossed the room and climbed the stairs. It did not take long before I could hear the imp flapping behind me. It was more than a bit confusing how I could both loathe it, and be comforted by its presence. It reminded me of mother, and the thought made me want to lash out at the creature, an urge it took some effort to resist. They really were similar in some ways, thankfully the imp was not that clever, mother had been truly frightening with her schemes. The room I had for the night was sparsely furnished. There was only a bed, a small table and a newly lit lantern, its flame enclosed by a shimmering light. I crouched down, studying the lantern with rapt attention. I could feel how Mana spun a barrier around the flame, no doubt keeping it from accidentally starting any fires. I closed my eyes and followed the spinning Mana with my mind as it swirled. It did not take much to keep the barrier up, while I had never judged such things, I did not think it could take more than a few points per day to keep it going. There was something more to it though. I opened my eyes as I marveled at the thought that had been put into the design. If the barrier touched the fire, it would collapse inward and take the flame with it. So if the lantern was turned on its side, it would go out. "It is called fire, it gives off both heat and light at the same time! I understand the idea might seem foreign and magical to you, but do try to cope." The imp''s comment was not worthy of a reply, and I reminded myself that I needed to visit the Mage Guild library, and research familiar bonds. If I could get rid of the imp, that would certainly put my mind at ease. I rose from my study of the lantern, and looked at the clothes left for me on the bed. It was a dress. I pinched the bridge of my nose, and let out a slow deep sigh. The imp spun giggling around me, taking full advantage of my consternation. The most frustrating part of the dress was the lack of pockets, while I could use the rope I wore as a belt to tie my coin pouch, I had no idea how to deal with the stones of Fire Burst. Carrying a few in my hand everywhere I went seemed like a less than clever idea. With another sigh, I mostly cleared my pockets onto the small table, leaving all but some of the enchanted objects here for now. I shooed the imp out ahead of me, and brought the dress, as I left the room. The creature came off as less than pleased when I locked the door, grumbling unintelligibly under its breath. I left the imp behind and headed for the bathing chamber, finding that it was indeed straight down the hall, in the room at the very end. There was a stairway going upward to the side of the door, and in the other direction the hallway turned and continued on, with more rooms. The bathing chamber was slightly bigger than the narrow room I had for the night, and contained what I could best describe as a large wooden barrel. To my joy the door could be barred and I did so, before the approaching imp caught up to me. I wanted to take my bath alone. While downstairs the interior had been mostly done up in wood, up here everything was the customary bare stone, as such it was quite a bit colder. Thankfully the water in the barrel steamed, and I smiled in happiness. ** Having finished my bath I found myself considering my feet, they were far more torn up than I had expected, and it was even possible I might need to pay for a healing. It was a bit strange that it did not hurt too much though. I stared in dejection at deep gashes and wounds as I waited to dry, thankfully my hair was short enough not to be an additional hassle in that regard. Before too long I found myself considering my new outfit. The dress was low cut. A blush had spread from my face and all the way down my neck. While I had seen far more scandalous things or lack thereof, as it were, this was me! To be honest it was not that bad, but I had never ever worn anything like it and I was not appreciating the effect. I was accustomed to the loose coarse clothing I wore everyday, and the contrast to the comparatively flimsy garment I now wore was glaring. I was decidedly uncomfortable. I repeated to myself over and over that I would buy new clothes tomorrow, while I waited for my blush to settle, so I could open the door and face the ever-annoying imp. A loud knock at the door startled me into letting out a decidedly wimpy squeak. I gathered myself, someone no doubt needed the bath and since I was already done, I should be on my way. When I opened the door, I came face to stomach with a very large man. Clutching my worn clothes to my chest and keeping my head down, I sidled past him with a mumbled ''excuse me'' and rushed down the hallway to my room.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. As I fumbled for the key, one of the stones of Fire Burst fell to the floor. I gaped in horror, while mentally shouting no over and over again, as the stone bounced, once, twice and then settled. I stared at it. I waited. I walked up to the stone, and poked at it with my foot. Nothing. I bent down, still clutching my clothes, and looked at the stone. Was it a normal rock? I picked it up and inspected it.
Stone of Fire Burst Will explode with a burst of fire when hitting a target.
Damage: 12 Quality: Average
Mouth slightly agape, I tilted my head this way and that, as if looking at the thing could uncover its mysteries. An idea began to slowly form, and I threw the stone into the air. The stone of Fire Burst flashed, and fell to dust. A shimmering red light sped down the hallway away from it, impacting nothing, and so quickly faded. The only thing left behind as a testament to my experiment, was a tiny amount of fine white powder on the floor. I met the eyes of the large man, who still stood at the end of the hallway, staring in my direction. I smiled weakly at him, before getting my door unlocked and rushing inside. The imp dove through the door before I could close it, and looked at me as if I was some strange creature it had not figured out yet. I threw my old clothes on the bed and fished out another stone of Fire Burst.
Stone of Fire Burst Will explode with a burst of fire when hitting a target.
Damage: 12 Quality: Average
"Spells"
Fire Burst
Throws a burst of fire at a nearby target. Spell structure maintained by 10 Willpower. Damage: 3 times Willpower, excluding structure requirement.
Cost: 125 Mana Cast Time: 2s, Intentional
Range: 2 meters Upkeep: N/A
But from my experiment, it seemed as if the description only told of the effect that the enchanted object held. That is, it described the spell Fire Burst, and not the enchantment itself. It implied nothing about how to activate the object in the first place. That had been an assumption on my part.I nodded slowly to myself. I had completely misunderstood how the stones of Fire Burst worked. I had assumed that the description on an enchanted object described the way the object worked. The slight change in wording between the spell and the enchantment had reinforced my assumption. But as I had seen in the cave with the Unraveling Spirit, the spell Fire Burst did not work quite as I might assume from its description either. There was no fire until the shimmering light hit something. An enchantment, as I just found out, was activated by will. It was something I now hypothesized I had done unconsciously, by expecting what I threw to activate on impact. As such, my failure to hurt the Unraveling Spirit the first time I tried, was simply due to erroneous assumptions; I expected the stones to do nothing, as they passed through the creature and so they did. I felt a lot less clever now than I had moments ago. "Why do you speak to the Order?" Not even glancing at the imp, I closed my eyes. Spells.
Fire Burst
Throws a burst of fire at a nearby target. Spell structure maintained by 10 Willpower. Damage: 3 times Willpower, excluding structure requirement.
Cost: 125 Mana Cast Time: 2s, Intentional
Range: 2 meters Upkeep: N/A
I sighed deeply, in some ways, reading books was not that helpful when it came to the practical lessons of life. I did not need to speak out loud to bring up information from the Order. That should have been self evident, considering how I shifted my mind to bring up information about events and experience gained. But I had completely overlooked the connection, I rubbed my forehead and took deep breaths. I undressed, threw my old clothes to the floor and lay my dress at the foot of the bed. I very much ignored the imp as I tucked myself in. ** I woke with a start at the loud banging on the door, wondering who it could be. But as the knocking seemed to come from further away a few moments later, I understood it had to be the innkeeper or someone else working at the inn, who were waking people up.
Your familiar, Zackary, has increased in power!
I looked around the room, quickly spotting the imp as it hovered in the air, eyes closed and a small smile on its face. I did not appreciate the idea that the creature would become more and more powerful, but there was not much I could presently do about that. Health.
Health: 49/120
As expected I had regained my twelve Healthwhen sleeping, matching my Constitution, and it would take me several days to recover completely. The fact I had no pockets on my dress was a problem, if I wanted to bring my stones of Fire Burst. I looked at the smear left behind where my old clothes had lain on the covers for just a few moments, the evening before. I promptly decided, with a shudder of disgust, that wearing a dress was not that bad, and I could carry a few stones in my hand. After a moment of consideration, I decided that three would have to be enough. Which made me wonder, could I hold them in my hand and activate them? While the idea was intriguing, I did not try. I wanted more Health, and a plan to save my fingers before I would go that far. I left the room, locking the door behind me. I came down the stairs to an empty room, a stale smell was slowly dissipating, as cold air blew from the open front door. I needed to pay the innkeeper for another night, as I had left most of my stones of Fire Burst behind and I did not want to lose them. I stopped in the middle of the room and listened to the smattering of rain from the open door. I pulled at the sleeve of my dress and sighed. Going outside in this weather wearing nothing more than I was, would be a really bad idea. I walked up to the door, and stood there in silence as I watched the rain run in rivulets down the stone paved road. The light of the morning was dimmed by dark clouds. A flash of lightning struck not too far away, and a tangible shock wave pushed at me. I took a step back, though more in surprise than at the force of it. With a slight chuckle I peered back out into the rain. Though the impact was nearby and a lightning strike would without a doubt do damage, there would be no fire spreading in a city built like Logate, not any more; stone and magic had made sure of that. I turned back inside, planning to find the kitchen. The innkeeper was not yet in sight and I felt no desire to wait for her to get my food. It did not take too long to wind my way there, looking inside I found two people, neither of which was the innkeeper. At the central table in the kitchen, a man sat eating. He was probably about a decade older than me, with broad shoulders and a rather muscular frame. The Guard tabard he wore and his physique, made it all but certain that he had a combat class, most probably a Warrior. His face was angular, with a sharp, square jawline and bushy eyebrows. His dark hair was cropped short and his nose stood out like a beak, reminding me of the innkeeper. I could not make out his eyes with how he sat, focused on his food, but I found him an almost comical caricature of a the quintessential Guard. No doubt he was also stern, fair and honest. I grinned as I turned to the woman at the stove. I was a bit too far away from the stove to be able to pick out if there was anything magical about it, and I found myself moving into the kitchen, to get closer. I was far more interested in the stove than food or the woman at this point. Though when I had first looked inside, I had noted that she was heavyset and had thin white hair. But now all my focus was on the stove, and after only a few steps into the kitchen I could feel that there was indeed Mana flowing through it. I froze in mid step, as a familiar sick feeling washed over me. I clutched the stones of Fire Burst hard in my hand, and turned to the table, where my eyes fell on a few flakes of black glass that lay on top of a white cloth. Chapter 18 I stared at the flakes of black glass for just a moment, before I started backing out of the kitchen. My mind was running all over the place, considering possibilities. Had I been followed all the way here from the cave? That did not seem likely, it was way too much effort for seemingly no gain. I was, simply put, not important enough for anything so convoluted. The strangeness of the experiences, both in the cave and here, was grating on me; why could I feel the remains of the Unraveling Spirit? Was it due to the wounds I had taken, or maybe Sense the Flow? No matter which, what was it I could sense? It was not Mana, I had learned what that felt like, this was different. I shook myself as I backed up to the kitchen entrance, the more immediate question was; what connection did the Guard have to the Unraveling Spirit? The line of reasoning that might seemingly connect them, was full of supposition and conjecture. I whirled on my feet, as I felt someone leaning over me, breathing into my ear, making my heart pound with panic. Having spun around I could not see anyone, making me doubt that anything had even happened. I had questioned my sanity before, at least partially in jest, but maybe I was further off that cliff than I had thought. Though that way of thinking would not lead to anything productive, and as such I decided to just leave here. "Stop." I had not even started to put my decision into practice, when the Guard at the table spoke. His voice deep and commanding, just like one would expect. I had no desire to stop and chat with someone who would have his breakfast, with the remains of an Unraveling Spirit on the table. I walked out the room and headed for the stairs ignoring the man. I would find someway to carry the stones of Fire Burst with me, and leave. There would be other inns, hopefully without resident Guards. My thoughts were drawn to the blackish flakes though, if I could find a Guard in an inn, who just happened to have the glass like flakes from an Unraveling Spirit, did that mean they were a widespread thing? Again, I wondered if all these things were connected, or were they random events? As I reached the top of the stairs, I untied the room key from my rope belt, while fumbling a bit with the stones in my hand. I needed a more convenient way of carrying them, perhaps a satchel of some kind. For the first time since my adventure had started, as it were, I considered that perhaps I should leave Logate. I could use the coin I had and join a trading caravan going inland. The reason I had gone back to begin with was that Logate was the place I knew. I had never considered going elsewhere. I opened the door and spotted the imp, just as the creature threw a stone at me. I ducked under the throw, with a yelp of surprise. I spun in horror as I heard the stone impact the wall behind me, opposite the door. I watched the stone as it bounced from the floor, once, before settling. Just like one had last night. Curious. Apparently the imp could not use the stones of Fire Burst. I turned back to the obviously angry creature, it was a bit larger than yesterday. I remembered that it had lost size when it dispersed its aligned Mana, did that mean it would keep growing with every level? Just how big did imps get? I searched my memory for some time, without recalling anything concrete. I shook myself out of my distraction, I was leaving and it would not do to just stand around. The imp glared at me, as I took in the room, spotting stones spread out all over. The creature had apparently been throwing them, to little effect. "What do you think you are doing? Are you trying to burn the place down?" "Yes! I want you to die! I need you to die!" It screamed at me, one eye yellow while the other was the solid and creepy black I did not want to look at directly. "That imp is rather obviously deranged, you should banish it and summon another, if you insist on having one of the nasty creatures around." I stiffened at the voice from behind me. While I was tempted to blame the imp, it was rather obvious that I could not have managed to gather my things and leave, without the Guard catching up. I had hoped he would not be interested enough to follow, and just let me go. Wishful perhaps, but people were prone to laziness. Not quite feeling comfortable turning my back to either of them, I shifted so that I stood sideways to both, before replying. "I am bonded to it, it is my familiar." The man looked from me to the imp and back, green eyes sparkling as a grin spread on his face. "Well, then, isn''t that a pickle?" He chuckled out. His evident mirth at my misfortune, was not appreciated in the least. I raised my chin to at least figuratively look down on the man, who had almost two heads of height on me. "Was there anything you wanted, Guard?" The joviality quickly fled the mans face. "Yes." He fished out a white cloth and held it out in front of himself, making me take a step back, to get away from the sick feeling that washed over me. I noted that the sensation had been distant and muted before, but as he held out the bundle toward me, the uneasy feeling had increased. Though even as I backed off, the sensation seemed constant. I wondered why that was, as I was both curious and immensely repulsed by the remains. Was the main factor to my reaction not proximity then? The Guard chuckled. "You are a Mage, alright. Even something that scares you this badly and you still can''t rein in your curiosity. You seem very young to have gotten your Intelligence that high though, what level are you then? Fifteen?" I blinked at the man in surprise, trying to wrap my head around what he was saying, both the assumption about class and level. But also about being scared, the latter implying that he felt nothing from the shard. I understood in principle why he said what he did though. He was trying to make me more at ease, which meant he wanted answers. Certainly a less dangerous prospect than the alternatives. Now the question was, what did containing curiosity have to do with Intelligence? I inwardly cursed mother, why did she have to focus on strange creatures, language and methodology to such an extent! To be fair she had taught me a lot of different things, but there had never seemed to be a structure to it, except when it came to the three aforementioned. Everything else was just a hodgepodge of scattered information, making me knowledgeable on some subjects and clueless on others.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. "What do you mean? What does Intelligence have to do with it?" The man seemed surprised and looked at me considering for a long moment, as the imp grumbled about always being ignored, and threw another stone that bounced harmlessly against a wall. I followed the stone with my eyes, as it rolled across the floor for a bit before coming to rest before me. Was it only me who could activate them? Or was it something that the imp in particular could not do? Due to it being an imp? Or scatterbrained? I looked at the imp who now hovered, with a blank expression on its face. "You really do have it bad, don''t you? It could get a bit better if you focused some Attributes toward Wisdom, or Perfection even. It would not resolve your issue, mind you. But it could even your behavior out a bit." I tried to wrap my head around that statement, I had a difference of seven between Intelligence and Wisdom, compared to the six to Perfection. Still not enough information to understand what he meant fully. I looked at the Guard, an eyebrow raised and waited. "You must have started out with very uneven Attributes and then spent all your Unallocated Attributes from levels three, six, nine and twelve on Intelligence?" He was very obviously fishing, but what did he mean, the unallocated Attributes from three, six, nine and twelve, what was wrong with the other levels? I put another mark at the mental tally of how badly I needed to get into the Mage Guild library. The more I interacted with other people, the more I felt that mother had prepared me very poorly for life in general. "You are not with the Mage Guild then, someone would have explained to you how to best spend your Attributes if you were. Though they would have insisted on Wisdom over Perfection, as that one helps your casting and the other is vain. Though a fair amount of them ignore their own advice, but there is nothing wrong with a bit of vanity after all." The man looked me up and down for a moment, while starting to frown. "Just how much Intelligence do you have?" That comment was not much of a compliment, though it let me infer a lot about Attributes. Though I could not be sure of his knowledge, being a Guard rather than a Mage or a Scholar. But if he expected me to be level fifteen, then there must be something different about my Attributes, other than the strange amount I began at. Did people only get Attributes some levels and not at every one? Or was it the fact that I could choose freely that was the difference? What about Traits, I had been offered several that could increase Attributes, surely that was not uncommon. I suspected he was fishing for information, rather than just being kind and informative. Did he expect me to blush and object at the high level he suggested? Books, I needed books and answers! Seemingly the Guard guessed that I was not about to give anything up, and with a sigh he continued. "As Attributes get higher, they affect your personality, obviously. But not only in positive fashions, they all have downsides. Intelligence results in an overabundance of curiosity, and other Attributes can help offset this. But only to a degree, the higher an Attribute get, the more pronounced its effects, both positive and not. While this is not exactly common knowledge, you would need an Attribute of at least twelve to see any of this. I would guess that you would need perhaps seventeen to make it really obvious. That normally takes a fair amount of levels to achieve, and by that point most combat classed people have already been guided on how to spend their unallocated Attributes. Even if they might not have been told the why of it. Or do as they are told for that matter." The Guard looked at me for a long while, and I stared back. "But that is beside the point, and it is not like I am going to manage to put you at ease, am I?" He held out the cloth wrapped bundle once more. "What do you know about this?" He asked in a far less friendly manner than he had so far. As I considered what type of manure to throw at this problem, I felt something push against the inside of my head, and then break.
You have fought off the effect: Truth Sense!
That could not be good, could it? It was probably an Ability, since it had just shown up. Unfortunately it was likely to have some form of active feedback to the user then. Probably. Crap. As expected the Guard''s eyes widened in surprise, but then his free hand fell to a sword at his side. The imp, no doubt woken up from its state by this action, screeched loudly. "Kill her. Kill her! KILL HER!" That was apparently enough to make the man shake off whatever reaction his apparent surprise had wrought, as he looked at the imp in disgust before turning back to me. "You should really get rid of that creature, somehow." A sentiment I shared and nodded at, as his face hardened once more, before he continued." "Is that an active Ability you can turn off?" He watched me intently, no doubt trying to spot a lie. "No, it is a Trait." We stood there, quietly for a while as the imp spun and grumbled. It seemed the creature was rapidly getting more and more unhinged. It was changing, and certainly not for the better. Before the Guard had said anything else, the imp stopped in its flight and crashed to the floor. We both looked at it for a moment, while our expressions differed, we seemed to share the reaction of choosing to ignore the thing. "Tell me about the black glass." His voice was short and clipped, far from the chatty manner of earlier. There were two possibilities here that I could see; he either did not know what it was and wanted to know. Or he knew, and wanted to know what I knew. So I lied. "It is the remains of a creature called a Blood Wasp, it prefers to reside in swamps and it feeds through magic. It often leaves no wounds on its victims, but it does cause considerable pain and eventually death." If he knew what he held, that should hopefully let him think I was ignorant. "Excellent, you will follow me and take a look at a murder, to see if this Blood Wasp might be the culprit." That, was not what I had in mind, and was not asking a random woman for help investigating a murder, truly clutching at straws? Just how badly lost was the Guard at solving whatever this was, if they resorted to this? Or had I managed to find someone else who was deranged? "No, I will spend the day buying new boots and clothes!" I raised a bare foot and pulled at the ridiculous dress. "Certainly! I will take you to a good store that has both, run by a couple, Cobbler and Seamstress respectively, and then we will view the deceased." Having said that the man grabbed my arm and pulled me out the room, while slamming the door shut. "You might want to lock that obnoxious creature in, lest it cause problems." The last word was delivered with a fair amount of disgust. I considered attacking the man. I held three stones of Fire Burst, which might hurt a bit and be frightening, but that did not seem like the best of ideas at this time. "Let go of me!" To my surprise, the Guard did so. But he remained close, staring down at me. I really needed to know if this was a strange test, or had someone really been killed by an Unraveling Spirit? If so, how had it died afterward, if no one knew what it was? Hence I suspected this was some kind of ruse rather than the truth. But since the remains were in the hands of the Guard, where had the Unraveling Spirit come from and how had it died? I bent down and picked up the stone the imp had thrown out earlier, as I considered my options. They did not look too good to be honest. "I could let you spend some time in less hospitable accommodations, if that would help you make up your mind." His voice sounded far too cheerful. "That will not be necessary, not at all, lead the way to the shop!" My hope that the rain would ruin this excursion did not bear fruit. When we came down the stairs, the sun shone merrily outside. ** The Guard was very amused and I was not. Decidedly not. It had taken hours, hours to get the Seamstress to let me wear pants. Pants were not uncommon on women, but it was not proper to wear pants according to her, and so a battle of wills had ensued. While I had barely came out ahead there, I had lost when it came to shirts, the one I now wore fit snuggly to my frame and had frills! Thankfully her husband had been less of a bother. I had nice, high boots and even a long coat to stave of the rain and cold. The pockets of which now held my four stones of Fire Burst. I had also gotten an extra blouse as well as several pairs of undergarments, which now rested in a flimsy cloth bag, made mostly out of scraps by all appearances. Trying those on was an ordeal I would not think of again, lest I perish from embarrassment. The whole spectacle had cost me more coin than I would have thought possible, but the Guard, who had introduced himself as Charles by now, told me that the price was fair. Which I believed not at all. Now we were walking down Merchant''s Lane, heading for who knew where. One of the men on the street caught my attention as he passed me swiftly. He was tall and thin, and though he was familiar, I could not place him. I stopped as I tried to recall where I had seen him before, as he had drawn my attention so strongly. It finally came to me, the man was the one who had been hard to see, who had stood next to the fat one, in the Chatheza. "What are you doing?" Charles did not sound amused, he was nothing if not predictable that way. The best thing to do now was to follow him, investigate the deceased, if there indeed was one, and then hopefully get back to the rest of my long and happy life. With a last look over my shoulder, I watched the thin man turn down another street. I sighed and followed Charles. Chapter 19 It was my second time inside the Chatheza and I only mildly appreciated the difference in circumstances. Charles led the way down hallways and stairs, going ever further into the depths of the place. Finally we reached an oblong room at the foot of the last set of stairs where a chill clung to the air. Within the room stood several tables along the walls. Some covered by cloth and some not. Those that were covered, generally hid shapes beneath the white fabric. I soon came to realize they were bodies, and I took in the room once more. A lot of bodies. Just how many dead people were there in here? How long were they kept and why? Charles kept walking through the room, up to a table at about half way through. Next to the table stood a heavyset, balding man, who had a bushy beard, and small beady eyes. The man flinched slightly as he noticed Charles. His eyes were drawn to me, almost as if he rather look anywhere else than at his fellow Guard. Presuming he was a Guard. What did you call someone who poked around with dead bodies, other than creepy? I mused as I observed the man''s hand resting against the chest of the corpse. "I knew you swung in strange directions, Charles, but perhaps you should not bring your fun down here?" The man''s eyes roamed up and down me as he spoke with a sneer. The whole thing seemed odd coming from a man who by all appearances was feeling up a corpse. Perhaps he had even less interaction with other people than even I and so he thought himself funny. Charles did not react in any noticeable fashion. Instead he walked closer to the table with the already uncovered body and waved me on. The deceased man looked pale and frail, but somehow did not actually look like a corpse. Granted, the number of times I had seen dead people up close were very few. But this man hardly seemed dead, though I would hesitate to describe him as alive. Which was a curious observation, I thought. "Don''t touch him, wench. I am using delicate magic you could not possibly understand to determine the cause of death." The creepy man spoke with exaggerated condescension as I frowned. "What magic? There is no magic on the body." I turned to him in confusion. "My magic is so far beyond your understanding that you could not possibly understand it!" The man replied, as drops of perspiration started dotting his forehead even in the chill down here. If I thought the lie obvious, then it should be even more so to Charles with his Ability. I would use it constantly were I him, but as was apparent from earlier; he did not though. I glanced at him and spotted an absolutely thunderous face. He had clearly heard the lie. The now creepy and nervous man turned fully to Charles. "You don''t want to get involved in this, Charles. It is bigger than you can imagine, I can let you in on it. But you can''t mess this up. Just... just go away and leave the girl here. I will take care of everything... you can meet them! They will explain everything! Soon. Just... let this go, be smart for once!" The whole thing came out in a ramble, with words tumbling over each other. Apparently the flustered man failed to get the reaction he hoped for. He had barely finished speaking before running for the stairs. This seemed to surprise Charles enough that he just stood there for a moment, watching the creepy man go. But he eventually sprung into action, running after the fleeing man. I mused on what had just happened. It appeared that not everyone was involved with whatever this was. If the majority of the Guard had been, the man should have felt no need to run. It was not like Charles would cut him down on the spot. I presumed. I turned back to the deceased. Did one die from losing all Constitution or from reaching a negative value? Could you have negative Constitution? I would think reaching zero would mean you had no Healthand thus died, but those workings were strange to begin with; How the body actively reconstituted itself to keep from dying before all Healthwas spent. With a last look I turned to leave, just as an older man stepped into the room. He wore what I could only assume to be very expensive clothing, and must have spent a truly impressive amount of his Attributes on Perfection. But the ice blue, intelligent eyes that pinned me into immobility told clearly that this was not some dandy. "Interesting." As he spoke, I felt myself drawn to him, waiting expectantly for whatever he would say next. I shook my head, as if I could rid myself of the feeling. Was this the result of a lot of Charisma? It was as if the man covered the room with just his presence. This was one very dangerous man. He could possibly kill someone as they just stood there and let him. I hoped that was an exaggeration on my part. He strode up to the uncovered body and looked at it for several heartbeats before turning back to me. "Who brought you here?" "Charles." My reply was immediate. "Where is Charles then?" "Chasing after the creep." The man smiled slightly at that and continued. "Why?" Finally my automatic answers stopped coming, as I fumbled over what to say. I did not actually know why Charles would chase the man. I suspected he was connected to the murder, but I did not know that. The man took pity on my tumbling thoughts. "Badly formulated that, tell me what happened here, in this room." And I did. I told him everything, in detail. "One of mine seems to be involved in the murder of a head of a House and his heirs. That is very unfortunate. And you can sense Mana then? A very useful and rare thing to be able to do, in such a fashion." Cold sweat was running down my back as I understood that I was under the effect of an Ability. It had to be of a kind with the one Charles had failed to use on me earlier. This one though, was at least of the third Sphere. It could apparently not only tell truth from lies, it forced out the truth. My eyes were wide with fright as I dreaded whatever the man would ask next. "Do not worry, I will not ask more of you than I have." The slight smile on his face made me relax not at all, and he waved a hand at the stairs. I bolted without hesitation. It was not until I was well down the street away from the Chatheza, that I realized I could not for the life of me describe the man. He had blue eyes and was older. That was all I had. Cold sweat made my shirt stick uncomfortably to my back. ** I had never been to the Mage guild, as it was in the wealthier part of the Merchants'' Quarter. But I could navigate my way there just by sight, as the towers of the Mage Guild rose far above the surrounding buildings. Even compared to the mansions that occasionally littered this part of Logate, the Mage Guild was enormous. Here I came to notice the first truly pronounced signs of the folly of wealth. Many buildings used stone that was completely different to what came out of the quarry to the south of Logate. Someone had decided that importing stone by ship was preferable to that which was was available less than an hour away on foot. I hoped it at least impressed the other rich people and was not a complete waste of effort.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! After reaching the Mage Guild, I spent some minutes in confusion, before I gave in and asked a younger man for directions to the library. I was met with an eye roll and a scoff. But I got the answer I needed. ** The Mage Guild library was impressive, shelves full of books were everywhere. There were walkways where people stood, searchingly studying the shelves. There were stairways that wound higher and higher, and everywhere were people with volumes in hand, thick or thin. Most importantly; the whole place smelled like books. With a deep sigh I shook off the experience in the Chatheza. I rushed over to the desk that barred my entrance to the library proper, and waited impatiently in line for a few minutes. Until I could step up and meet the eyes of a bored looking young woman. "First time? First time! Five silver for access for the rest of the day, here is your pass, anything you may read will not be shining. Anything shining is a no go, stay away. Reading room is extra, ritual room is extra, materials are extra, assistance is extra. Nagging about access will have you thrown out. Questions? Good. Next!" I paid her quickly, hurried on by her rapid fire speech. Only moments after I had handed over the coin and been thrown something by the woman, someone shoved me aside with a loud ''idiot''. I moved away and studied what I had gotten. It was a medallion of some kind. I could feel the Mana in it, and it took real effort to ignore my curiosity and look around the library instead of studying it. Despite my efforts I noted that there was Mana everywhere I could sense, which was not all that far, but it hinted at the sheer amount of spells in effect. Since everyone else seemed to wear a medallion, though in differing colors, I put mine on. I immediately noticed how some parts of the shelves nearby were covered by partially translucent barriers, in various hues. At a distance, it looked like I might be able to read the covers on the blocked shelves. But if I understood the abrupt woman correctly, I could not touch those books. I noticed that several people seemed to bring small, narrow carts into the library. They were taken from a line of them, to the side of the desk. A minute of further study led me to believe that people put books they intended to read on the cart, while putting others back on the shelf. Walking past the desk a few steps, I could see a space open up in the very center of the library. It was full of chairs and tables, where people sat reading and taking notes. As such, there seemed to be no requirement to get a reading room. Which was very nice. After a moment of consideration, getting a cart seemed like a very good idea, I would want several books after all. I walked past shelves on history. The Race War and the fall of the First Empire covered almost a full row of shelves on its own. Everyone had some knowledge about what had happened back then. While it had indeed lasted a long time, I had not thought that even the war that divided the world among the main races; humans, elves, dwarves and fey would merit this much writing. Before the war everyone had lived, if not in harmony, at least in mostly peaceful coexistence. Now though, it was all but expected to kill someone if they were of a different race. Enmity ran deep and betrayal had been a major factor on all sides. Admittedly I assumed it had happened on all sides. The idea that everyone else had taken advantage of humans, as the narrative was, sat badly with my understanding of human nature. I walked past history, and more history. Then behind a barrier I saw books about the classes of different races. It would have been nice if I could find out where Enchantress came from, but that was apparently not possible with my access. Economics and geography. City planning was apparently a rather large subject as well, covering a shelf on its own. And then finally, the subject turned to classes, levels and Attributes. A thick book stood out, ''The Balance of Attributes, and the understanding thereof''. The title was sprawled in a lopsided fashion across a gaudy cover. I quietly hoped the contents of the book were still worthwhile and I picked it up to have a look. ''... believed that Strength is strength, nothing could be further from the truth! More correct one could say that Strength is the potential for action! But! It is limited by ones other Attributes! Agility, Dexterity, and Intelligence for leverage! Constitution and Endurance for perseverance! Willpower and Endurance for the ability to push yourself! Perfection and Constitution to avoid harming yourself in your action! Charisma, Intelligence and Wisdom to find ways of not having to do anything in the first place! ...'' I put the book back, I really did not like the way the author wrote. A slimmer, less ostentatious volume was next to be considered ''A treatise on the effects of Attributes''. ''... while it can be hard to pin down the effects of Attributes to a single concept, some general ideas are more apt than others. While both obvious and not in their aspects; Attributes are more or less what they seem, when approached without preconceptions. Strength is the potential for physical effort. Dexterity is the minute workings not covered by the coordination and flexibility of Agility. Constitution is simply the measure of staying alive. Endurance governs the perseverance in the physical, as Willpower is to the mental. Intelligence, the ability to reason and think. Wisdom is a distance to the world, which provides perspective. Perfection is the approaching of the ideal self, though often mistaken for just an improvement in appearance. Finally Charisma is the force of personality, pushing things your way. Obvious to any person of learning, this is overly simplified, to the point of almost incorrectness. Pages could be written on the details of each, and ...'' I skipped ahead to where the author started mentioning other effects. ''... as is readily obvious to anyone of even moderate levels, Attributes are not only improvements, they also change who we are. Some of the associated changes are easier to understand than others; Strength leads to a more brash personality, which in many ways, along with the curiosity of Intelligence, are the most easily grasped. Though the vanity of Perfection and the manipulative nature of Charisma are of the same ilk as the stubbornness of Willpower. But that Agility makes you more flighty, Dexterity covetous, that Endurance leads to single-mindedness, Constitution to self-sacrifice, and Wisdom to passivity; can be harder to understand. By considering ... '' With a slow nod I put the book on my cart, this one seemed more sensible. While I could not speak to its accuracy I preferred the language. On the shelf above the ones I had just considered, behind a shimmering barrier, sat a volume that caught my attention, ''The Bloodlines, The Aberrations: dangers and uses thereof'' I furrowed my brow for a moment, the imp had mentioned both of those before having a fit of giggles, had it not? Sadly though, I could not read the book. I scanned the rest of the row hoping titles might give me a hint and another one stood out. ''The bounties of the Kingdom: Deva, Devils, and Aberrations'' I raised an eyebrow. A royal bounty? Why only Aberrations, with no mention of the Bloodlines though? With a shrug, I put that consideration aside, as I did not know what it was or meant. I turned to the volumes on classes. I had far less luck there, most spoke in general terms. Mana was used by Mages and Clerics to affect the world around them. Rogues and Warriors used Force, which to my mind seemed a lot like Mana, but channeled through the body instead of a spell structure. I guessed people might feel better about calling it by a different name. Or maybe the Order had? A volume called ''A summary of the advancement of levels'' seemed interesting and I put it on my cart. The next shelf contained rituals. I could see books about summonings of all kinds behind a shimmering barrier, though almost the whole shelf was blocked. I was about to move past it when my eyes fell to a slim volume. ''On the banishment of Imps: A practical guide!'' While the exclamation point brought the very first book I considered to mind, this seemed too good to pass up. I picked the volume up and skimmed it. It did not seem difficult at all. Would it be worth it? I closed my eyes for a moment and considered. Yes. I would take a risk on this. The imp was dangerous and deranged, almost anything would be better than having the creature around. It only had to get lucky once to kill me after all. With a sad sigh at the pile of books I wanted to read, I headed back to the desk at the entrance. There was no line at this point and the woman''s eyes flicked to the book in my hand as I approached. She spoke in the same fashion as earlier. "Ritual room is four silver, borrowing an athame is four copper, the power crystal is included in the room price." She said the last with a note of disgust, as if she resented the idea that an opportunity for more coin had been overlooked. I fished out the sum. I had started to become numb to the amount of coin even the simplest things took in this Quarter. The woman handed me a key, a box, and a small bag. She then pointed down a hall I had not noticed when I first entered. "You are in room 41, down the hall, second right, sixth room on the left." Having said her peace, she turned away from me with a wave of her hand. It did not take me long to find the room as the directions were on point. I soon found myself looking down on a floor covered in strange symbols, with a circle at the very center. According to the instructions, due to the bond, the imp did not need to be here. Now I just needed to follow diagrams in the book. I looked out over the multitude of symbols. This would take a while. Chapter 20 I unslung my flimsy cloth bag and put it aside, before sitting down and once more reading through ''On the banishment of Imps: A practical guide!''. Apparently if one had access to a room like this, using rituals was frightfully simple. It required that blood was used on the correct symbols in the correct order and a power crystal to fuel it. That was all that was needed. The small bag and the box, which I had gotten from the abrupt woman, held a power crystal and an athame respectively. With a perhaps foolish amount of hope, I pricked a finger and begun. In stories, pricking a finger to bleed on something always seemed so neat and clean. This was anything but; I had to make several cuts in the end, to the point that my left hand now looked a frightful mess. But I had finished the ritual, using thirty-eight of the symbols while leaving many more unused. I fished out the crystal from the small bag and walked into the central circle. From the book I knew that I should now push Mana into the crystal. This would make it disperse its physical shell and let loose a burst of Mana that would fuel the ritual. I did wonder why I needed a crystal in the first place, from the feel of it there could not be more than a few hundred points of Mana in it. But I followed the instructions, until with a low booming sound and rush of Mana the bloodied symbols on the floor lit up. The density of the Mana around me kept increasing, as more and more was being pulled into the room. The amount I could feel now was truly staggering and far more than I could hold myself. Finally, the pressure let up as all of it was drawn into the ritual. A bright light filled the space and I could have sworn I heard a distant scream. Then the pain began. I could feel that something within me was being dragged out. The symbols, which moments ago had begun to dim, lit up once more. The pain kept ramping up and with eyes watering I tried to hold out against whatever this was. Could I not even banish the imp without the bond dragging me with it? The creature had said it would drag me with it if it died, could it do so even if banished? With gritted teeth I held on as best I could, but with a mounting sense of hopelessness. A tall man with broad shoulders limped slowly up a hill. His right hand was closed hard around the hilt of a bloodied sword and from his right leg dragged the end of a chain, fastened to a shackle around his ankle. It was clear that he had problems staying upright, as evident by his staggering. His arm shook with the effort of keeping the sword from dragging on the ground. As he crested the hill a multitude of people could be seen on the other side. They appeared human in shape for the most part, but their skin ranged from a light blue to a dark purple, and rarely one would have an extra pair of arms and a slightly longer torso. They mostly sat or lay on the ground, seemingly exhausted and many sported wounds. Those who seemed hale though, stood armed at the edges of the crowd facing outward. The man came to a stop to look down at the people, as they in turn looked up at him. ''It is dead! We are free!'' He shouted and the people cheered in reply. ''No bond shall hold us!'' The mans voice rang loudly and the crowd took it up as a chant, repeating it over and over. The man''s eyes fell to the shackle on his leg, and it opened to fall to the ground. He spoke softly, ''No bond shall hold me.'' I blinked my eyes and drew a ragged breath as the vision faded. Whatever had been pulling at me snapped painfully, sending me sprawling to the ground as the light from the symbols faded.
Your bond to the imp, Zackary, has been lost.
I took the information in with a sense of elation, I had done it! While slightly shaky, I got myself to a sitting position and out of my sprawl as the ritual finally came to and end. That strange vision had seemed too real, almost more real than the room around me. As if the thought had been an invitation, I could feel that something was trying to reach me. I got a sensation of warmth and with it, the idea of family, a promise; be a part of something greater than yourself, to serve, be respected, have a place to belong, a shoulder to cry on, be a pillar for others, and have a multitude at your back. The concepts rocked my mind and I felt my whole being recoil at the idea. It was all lies. Family was pain and suffering. Family was control and scheming. This was a lie, I pushed back at whatever sought me and it faded.
You have rejected a Bloodline, you are Aberration.
You must choose a Focus!
Mental Focus Balanced Focus Physical Focus
I was now Aberration, with no idea about what that meant. I had a bounty on my head from the kingdom, as far as I knew from a book title. With my mind still reeling from what had happened, I grumbled under my breath. The question from the Order was different from any that had come before and it was becoming more and more insistent, to a degree I had not previously experienced, while still being just as uninformative as ever. With an inward sigh, I picked Mental Focus, hoping that the inevitable downsides would not be too bad. As I made my choice, pain came once more. I had thought the pain during the ritual had been bad, but that had been nothing like what I felt now. My back snapped straight from the shock of it and I was dimly aware that I smacked the back of my head against the floor. Pain became all I knew and I lost my grasp on time. ** As my agony stopped abruptly, I took a sobbing gasp of breath. The sensation of the Order wanting my attention was nagging in the back of my head and I was coming to loathe the feeling.
You have lost a hidden racial Trait: Greater Balanced Focus. You have lost 2 Strength, 4 Agility, 4 Dexterity, 2 Constitution, 4 Wisdom, 2 Willpower, 4 Intelligence.
You have gained and advanced your racial Trait: Mental Focus. You have gained 2 Wisdom, 4 Willpower, 4 Intelligence.
You have lost hidden racial Traits: No bond shall hold us, Child of Flame, Fortified Body.
You have lost the Ability: Fervent Casting!
You may choose a new Trait or Ability!
You gain 842 Experience!
As I lay there looking up at the stone ceiling with a Mage Light hovering in the very center, I felt surprisingly good; the pain was gone, the imp was gone and there was nothing to panic about at this very moment. However, I was slightly worried about the loss of Traits, not knowing what they had done for me. How much help had those been? With the vision in mind; ''No bond shall hold us'', was not too hard to guess at. It might have been the reason for me waking up in the slave pens without a collar, and maybe even the cause for my resistance to the imps control over me? Fortified Body and Child of Flame were harder though. I could not recall anything about me that was connected to fire, except my one spell. Fortified body was vague enough to mean just about anything. The loss of Fervent Casting struck me as strange though. Was it connected to the Bloodline? But not my class? The question made a sense of dread come over me, surely my class had not changed? Status.
EwynneIf you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Age: 18
Level: 7
Experience: 1606/2000
Race: Aberration
Class: Enchantress
Strength: 4 Dexterity: 10
Agility: 8 Constitution: 10
Endurance: 8 Intelligence: 20
Wisdom: 11 Willpower: 22
Perfection: 14 Charisma: 12
Health: 48/100 Mana: 530/530 (12/minute) Stamina: 80/80 (18/minute)
Unallocated Attributes: 0
My race had changed. I was no longer half-blood, now I was Aberration, which was apparently a race? I looked at my hands and touched my face. But I could not spot any difference, everything seemed the same as ever. The change did not make me feel much, unless it affected my appearance. I poked and prodded myself a while longer, finding nothing of note. To my mind being Aberration meant little as to how others would view me, a half-blood already meant a death sentence from most humans, if it was known. The Race War and the splitting of the First Empire had made sure of that, the sense of self righteousness was deeply ingrained. Thankfully though, my worries about my class were unfounded; it had not changed. Abilities.
Sense the Flow, rank 1 You can perceive the flows of Power around you. Limited to the basic Powers.
Cost: N/A Cast Time: Instant, Instinctual, Intentional
Range: 2 meters Upkeep: N/A
Enchant, rank 1 You can imbue objects with the Magic you know.
Cost: Variable. Cast Time: Variable, Intentional
Range: Touch Upkeep: Variable
Having seen that things where as they should, I took a calming breath. I needed to make a new choice of a Trait or Ability, and a moment of focus brought the options up for me.
Paranoia You are not paranoid, they really are out to get you. Effect: +4 Willpower, +2 Endurance, -3 Wisdom
Paranoid Negotiator There are always plots within plots within plans, everyone is several steps ahead of you. But you try to keep up. Effect: +2 Intelligence, +2 Willpower, +1 Charisma, -2 Wisdom
Forced Calm Things really are as bad as they seem. But you have learned how to cope. Effect: +3 Willpower, -1 Wisdom
Aberrant Mind
Construct a mental landscape of insanity. A contest of your Willpower, Wisdom and Intelligence against the Willpower, Wisdom and Constitution of your target. May be used once per day. Damage: 13 times the combined difference between contesting Attributes as mental damage.
Cost: 215 Mana Cast Time: 6s, Intentional
Range: 6 meters Upkeep: N/A
The Traits where just as I remembered them from the cell, what felt such a long time ago. The thing about the paranoia stood out more to me though. The Traits seemed very random when compared to the ones I had gotten later, which had a clear connection to things I had done and been through. Where did this harping on about me being paranoid come from? While there might be some truth to it, it struck me as strange and was annoying. But the Ability was something new and different, but again seemed to not be on the sane side. At first glance it seemed very powerful, but as usual there was a lot that was not explained. The Ability was clearly the most powerful against someone weaker than I, at least when it came to Attributes. It might be very strong against a Rogue or a Warrior, unless they had many levels on me, as they probably did not focus on Willpower and Wisdom. But I would not bet on it against a Mage or a Cleric. Which brought up the next question, the damage description could be read several ways; what happened if the combined difference was not in my favor? Would nothing happen or would I take the damage? Just like Fervent Casting it had a daily limit on use and I had no idea how that worked, when was a new day? Dawn? And finally; mental damage seemed to have some limitations in what it could be used against. Despite all my concerns, the Ability seemed by far the most useful. I would pretend I knew it was a reference to me being an Aberration and not another snide remark on the state of my mind. As I made my choice, I once more took in that the imp was really gone and I smiled. I would not miss that murderous pest. Though the loss of so many Attributes hurt, it seemed inevitable that it would have happened eventually, the idea of family was not a pleasant one to me. I would have rejected the Bloodline at some point. Better it happened now than at an even less opportune time. I started to shiver on the cold stone floor and hurriedly clambered to my feet, unsteadily. I swapped out my sweat-dampened shirt for the blouse in my bag and used the less than clean one to wipe my face and hands. It would have to do for now. Now that I had moved, I felt as if my body was somehow foreign to me. With a shrug at things I could do nothing about, I gathered the box and bags and left the room. Walking back to the desk was uncomfortable, as my feet itched and hurt. The wounds that had earlier not bothered me, was starting to now. At the desk sat the same woman as earlier. She was currently leaning forward and conversing with another young woman, ''... they rode out, all pale faced and ...''. As I approached, the woman I had not seen before trailed off. She was stout, blond, and freckled; in sharp contrast to the terse one I had met earlier, who was thin, dark, and pale. "Done, good! Give me the key, the box, and the bag." "How much longer is the library open?" I asked while handing the items back to her. She rolled her eyes and waved a hand at me. "Your medallion will stop working at midnight when the magic rhythm of the world renews, as with all temporary spells. The library never closes. You will be sent out when the medallion''s magic fades." Not being quite sure if I was grateful for another piece of information or upset at her behavior, I chose to ignore her and moved back among the shelves. I should begin reading the books I had, before getting more, as time was limited. It was frustrating that I could not get to any information on Aberrations, now that I was one. It did not take me long to find my way back to my cart where I had left it. To my joy the two volumes I had gathered before were still there. There was an addition though; on the cart rested an apple. The sight of it sent a hunger pang through me worse than any I had ever felt before. I clutched my stomach as it cramped up and a slight sheen of sweat covered my brow. I had never gotten breakfast; I ended up buying clothes, going to the Chatheza, and finally came here. I could not judge the time of day in here, but I would guess at late afternoon or possibly early evening. My sense of time during the ritual had been more than fuzzy, it might even be later. I had gone whole days without food before, and my meal yesterday was better than anything I had ever eaten. My reaction seemed exaggerated. I picked the apple up to eat it, but stopped mid motion. I could feel a core of Mana roiling within it, and the spell was nothing I had seen before. If it was in fact an open Sphere spell I would have been surprised. The structure was nothing like that of Fire Burst or even the well wrought barrier on the lantern. This was an intricate thing, I could tell that it would do something to the body of whoever ate it; my understanding of physiology came up short however, I was no where near knowledgeable enough to figure out what it would do. Who would put an apple here and why? I sighed loudly. I hoped it was just someone trying to be funny and with a loud grumble I put the apple in a nearby bookshelf and shelved the book on banishing. Having done that I started wheeling the cart toward the middle area, where I could sit and read. I could manage my hunger for a while longer and then eat before bed. I should go back to the inn and get my stones of Fire Burst and make sure the imp was gone. The innkeeper would no doubt be unhappy to see me so late, I had left with the key to the room without paying or even saying anything. Hopefully paying for the room should alleviate any hard feelings. I could find another place to live tomorrow, that was more affordable. Having decided on what to do I focused on my reading. I sat down at an empty table with two chairs, off to the side of the open space. There were quite a few people here, all focused on their reading or quietly talking to each other, and so I left them to their pursuits. The book ''A summary of the advancement of levels'' turned out to be rather basic. It explained that when gaining levels you could gain Attributes, Traits, or Abilities. That there were combat and non-combat classes, the latter also referred to as profession classes. A profession class did not gain any experience from killing. Classes could at points evolve into other classes, many of the requirements of which were unknown according to the author. All in all, it was very unspecific. Turning to ''The Balance of Attributes, and the understanding thereof'' things became more interesting. ''... ways, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Willpower are less direct in what they represent as compared to their physical counterparts. What the Order provides through Attributes is a way for a class to function with more power. Increasing Attributes help you accomplish things like hitting harder, using more complex spell structures, or moving faster. The mental Attributes are primarily a way for spell casting to become more refined, not as a way for us to become more ingenious or wise. While this might be cause for some contention, the evidence speaks for itself. Much study has shown that Intelligence improves memory, speed of thought, and the splitting of focus to many tasks. As is readily evident; none of these improves comprehension. While that effect may be achieved over time, as has also been shown, that requires work and effort. It is a process which no mere increase of Attributes achieves. In conclusion, the spark of genius is not found in the Attribute of Intelligence; for that is clearly not its purpose. The same logic can be applied to Wisdom, and it has; distance and perspective does not automatically grant wisdom in actions. One does not become wise through an Attribute. Willpower is of the same ilk; when it is not resting on the bedrock of experience and conviction it is more akin to bullheaded stubbornness than strength of will. It is important to remember that Attributes are foreign to our natural selves, they have the purpose of empowering a class; while helpful they need to be handled with care so that one might cultivate traits and habits that...'' The tone and language of this passage seemed different from others I had read in the volume, and I was unsure if this was even the same author. As I kept reading the book turned more into a discussion on Attributes from different points of view than statements of fact, as it sometimes seemed to contradict what had been written as little as a page earlier. Though fascinating, I doubted I could assume anything in it was the unvarnished truth, but it still presented interesting perspectives. ''... and so it is stipulated that if one person could change his class, his Attributes might very well change as well. Attributes do not mean the same for all classes. The easiest example of this is Mana; For Mages and Clerics alike Mana is determined by Wisdom and Willpower. Mana regeneration on the other hand, is based primarily on Intelligence for a Mage and Wisdom for a Cleric. The same universal power is approached and used in very different ways. This can be further shown by how casting a spell differ; a Mage powers a construct while a Cleric will use chants and ...'' I was lost in the book, pouring over things I had not thought of before, or often even heard of. I did not take note of the passage of time, until there was a sudden flash of light and I found myself sitting on the stairs outside the library. I looked out over the Mage Guild, before checking myself over. The medallion I had been wearing was gone, but my bag of clothes was still with me and so was my coin pouch. I sat there for another moment and wondered about the why of the seemingly negative sides of Attributes. Were they truly a mere side effect or were they intentional? What I had read certainly seemed to have the common theme that the Order had a plan and a purpose. Even though it was never spelled out as such. At a reminding pang of hunger that put a stop to my musing, I got up and headed off towards the inn, through a night lit by flickering lights. Chapter 21 The walk back to the inn was both uneventful and unkind to my feet, which now hurt quite a bit. When I arrived, it turned out that the innkeeper was in fact none too pleased with me. Just as I had presumed earlier. Leaving with a key to a room without paying was not appreciated and it took many apologies before she agreed to let me stay another night. Had I not wanted my stones of Fire Burst and to make sure that the imp was really and truly gone, I would not have come back here at all. The room cost me another silver. The innkeeper claimed that the bath was always included and refused to cite another price. While I was doubtful about that, the bridge seemed burned. Hopefully I would find a less costly place to live tomorrow. I paid five copper, a half-silver, for more of the fantastic food, something I was sure to miss when I left. I sat in the same place as I had the evening before, enjoying my meal just as much tonight. I marveled at the number of people here at this time, did none of them need to work in the morning? I took an experimental sip from my lager as it struck me; with becoming Aberration I might see the return of thirst. I was not about to test that theory here though. Ending up repeating my experience from the pool of water would cause quite a scene; the innkeeper was already cross enough with me. I sipped from my lager and thought about the vision I had in the library, and the sensation afterward. I did not regret the loss of the Bloodline. Other than how it had cost me Attributes, which I would have preferred to have kept. It did beg the question though; were there only downsides to being an Aberration? The book title had mentioned them in the same breath as Devils and Deva, both of which were very powerful creatures. It would have struck me as strange, if someone wrote a book titled ''Dragons, Elemental Lords, and Hamsters'', unless it was a try at comedy. There might possibly be some gain for me in all this, but if it would be enough to offset my loss, only time would tell. With a deep frown I took another sip. Now that I had time to sit down and think, I felt that it was not really true that I was taking all that had happened to me in stride. It was more along the lines of me just feeling numb. The last few days had been strange and overwhelming, and I now worried about the extent to which my mind had been messed with. On that thought I put the lager down on the table, and headed to my room. It was time to make sure, once and for all, that I had not only lost the bond to the imp but that the creature itself was also gone. That I had not rushed up to make sure of that the first thing I did, was no doubt a testament to the fact that I was not as composed as I would have liked. Unlocking the door and pushing it open with one hand, I was prepared to dodge anything that might come my way. I took in the seemingly empty and dark room. It was a mess. Stones were thrown everywhere, the lantern lay on its side, unlit and broken. The bed was mostly unharmed, only a bit messy, while the small table had two legs broken off. Thankfully, there was no imp in sight and I felt my tension reduce palpably after I even checked under the bed. The nasty little creature was really gone. I hesitated about what to do when my thoughts were interrupted by the innkeeper. "What did that creature of yours do?! Those lanterns are a gold each!" She all but roared. It seemed she had been coming down the hall from the bathing chamber and I had not noticed her before now. ** A gold and three silver poorer, I was walking up the stairs again, carrying a new lantern. The innkeeper walked ahead of me, holding a small table and grumbling under her breath. My attempt to haggle the cost down had not gone over well. The innkeeper had loudly shouted about the cost of items that had no apparent relation to what had happened in my room. It seemed she was a very angry woman. I had considered just running away but she had stayed very close to me, no doubt fearing that very thing. I was not prepared to start a fight where I might actually end up killing her, or worse, the other way around. Truth be told, at any other time losing that amount of coin would have sent me into depression. Now though, I studied the lantern I held. This thing, when new and fully charged with Mana, was apparently worth a gold. While I could not enchant the barrier around the flame, not knowing even where to begin. I had thought of something else though, Light was an open Sphere spell and should be easy to find at any Scribe''s shop. Enchanting Light should hopefully work the same way as Fire Burst.If I used that spell to enchant something there would be no need for a flame or a barrier. There were some possible problems, like activation, but it was certainly worth trying. Depending on how well it turned out, it might even rival a Mage Light. Which I now knew sold from between two and ten gold, depending on how long they lasted. The angry ranting from the innkeeper had actually been informative in a way. ** The next morning I lay in bed staring at the ceiling for a time. I had been woken by the knocking, just as yesterday. I was still feeling numb and strange. Either it was an aftereffect of the changes I went through with my Bloodline or becoming Aberration, or it could simply be my mind trying to cope with the last few days. This might have been the first time I truly felt relaxed, with nothing immediate hanging over me. After finally getting out of bed I spent some time collecting all my stones of Fire Burst, and putting them in the pockets of my coat. I slung the cloth bag over my shoulder and left the room. This was a day for finding somewhere to live and to see if I could make coin using Enchant. My feet felt a lot better. As my Healthhad gone up during my sleep, they had mostly healed. When I came down the stairs, both Charles and the old man from yesterday were watching me and I found my steps faltering. I hoped that this was just a chance encounter. They sat at a table laden with what might have been breakfast to rich people. It looked more like dinner for a family of five to me. "Come girl, have a seat and eat!" The old man spoke loudly, and with a sigh at my ordeals I walked over and sat down. Running away did not seem too prudent at this point, even though it had been my default reaction for such a long time. "I am Stravos Mercia, what is your name, girl?" "Ewynne." His Ability was in full effect, forcing me to answer. But my mind was more focused on just who was sitting across the table from me. Stravos Mercia, the High Justicar, supposedly banished from the capitol to serve here in Logate. That rumor had been everywhere a year back, enough so that even I heard of it. This was without a doubt the most powerful man in the city. There was no way this would turn out well, was there? I rubbed my temples as a headache began. This day had seemed to start so well too. The old man leaned forward, seemingly amused. I could still not get his features to stick in my mind, even when looking right at him. What exactly did this Ability or Trait do? I had clearly recognized him as I walked down the stairs. But I could not name a single feature on him. Except that I thought of him as old. I considered that for a moment, I remembered that I had thought something about his clothing yesterday, but it was difficult to recall now. There had been something about eyes too? Blue; ice blue, that was it! He had worn fancy, probably expensive, clothing. I had thought his Perfection was very high as well. Looking at him now, I got none of that. Perhaps proximity was a factor to whatever it was he used? Getting hold of my internal ramblings I waited to hear the reason for the High Justicar being here. "What do you know about the politics of Logate?" That seemed like a strange place to start, and it was a subject I was quite ignorant about. "The three major powers; the Guard, the Temple, and the nobles seem to mostly stay out of each others way." My answer was a shot in the dark, and vague enough not to be an untruth as far as I knew. I noted that I was not compelled to give it, sharing ignorance was not forced it seemed. Did that mean that the effect I was under worked with my own perception of truth then? Stravos nodded slowly and chuckled. "That is rudimentary to the extreme, but basically correct. The Mage Guild is also a major power. What about the High Quarter, though?" The question took me off guard for a moment; what about the High Quarter? I had just assumed it was another place where rich people lived. I had seen some of the truly extravagant mansions in the Merchants'' Quarter though, what would be the step up from that?Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Seeing as I had no answer, Stravos continued. "In the High Quarter, you find individuals, families, and other groups that have amassed enough power that they are not just wealthy; a fair number hold enough power to rival a noble house on their own. Their wishes on specific topics need to be considered, as they are often quick to act if they feel threatened or slighted." The old man leaned back and placed his hands on the table, while Charles seemed more than a bit confused. "Why am I telling you this, you might wonder? You have a Bloodline, and with it an Ability or Trait that lets you sense magic in a way we find very useful. Do you know what Bloodline you are?" It seemed strange to me; that sensing Mana would be rare. I waited for him to get to the point, as the answer to his previous question was forced out of me. "No." I now noted that I was not forced to correct his mistaken assumptions either, which I gladly took advantage of. I hoped there would not be followup questions, I liked to keep being an Aberration to myself. Stravos nodded and smiled. How could I tell that without perceiving his features? It was a frustrating mystery. "That makes things easier. How do you believe we investigate a crime done by magic?" I looked at him in surprise, the answer seemed almost obvious, what was his point? "You have a Mage or a Cleric investigate it for you?" My voice trailed off. Now I could guess where Stravos was going with this, and he confirmed my assumption. "Both Mages and Clerics have other loyalties and tend to often point fingers to suit their own purposes, rather than trying to find actual culprits. This is not always the case, mind you. But when anything of import happens the experts from both the Mage Guild and the Temple will assuredly draw completely different conclusions. Making my work very difficult." Stravos'' annoyance was palpable. "Any Mage or Cleric with enough skill and levels to do what you seemingly do so naturally, can also protect themselves from any influence I might use on them. At least without being accused of breaking the very law I am trying to uphold." He concluded his remarks as Charles started nodding slowly, as if he was now agreeing with Stravos, rather than being confused. "But you are free from politics, you can investigate and tell me the truth. What problems do you see with an arrangement where I pay you to tell me about the magic you sense where there has been a crime?" I had several reasons why I did not think it was a good idea, and they were forced out of me. "It would make me a target for every organization that would not want me to investigate. There is obviously corruption in the Guard considering the creepy man yesterday. Then there are the dying slaves in the pens, and quite possibly corrupt Magistrates as well; painting a rather bleak picture of the keepers of the law. None of which makes me feel safe with the Guard. And I do not like you." Stravos threw his head back and laughed for some time before he stopped to look at me intently. Charles seemed shocked, but still kept quiet. "What slaves dying in the pens are you talking about? That would be a loss of coin, no slave-keeper in the market would allow that." "It was not the slave pens in the market. It was in a compound, I suppose somewhere outside the city." I told him tersely. His fingers pattered out a rhythm on the table as he seemed lost in thought for a moment. "Did you end up a slave then? Were you judged for a crime?" "Yes. I do not know if the judgment was fair though; I was told I had done twelve golds worth of damage and was to be sold." Another answer was forced out of me and now I was starting to sweat. I elaborated somewhat when answering the question, hopefully to my benefit. "That does sound somewhat suspicious, not necessarily against the law though. Lets pretend you have paid for whatever crime you might have committed and continue. You did not find yourself in the slave markets near the docks then?" I started telling him about the cell and the people in it. The question was not phrased in way to force me into saying anything beyond a no, but I thought it better to give information freely, rather than have more questions asked. I rather not answer how I got out of the cell as that would also imply I was not human. Maybe a Bloodline could have different classes than what was the norm, but I did not know that with any certainty. The imp''s comment when in the cage seemed to imply it, but I would rather not gamble. "Very interesting. I will investigate what you have told me. Can you describe any of the people involved?" I wracked my brain, trying to remember. I had met and recognized the thin man in passing yesterday. Even so I could not describe him with any clarity. "I think one of the men who was tall and thin has an Ability or Trait like yours. I saw him yesterday and could recognize him, but I can not recall him with any detail. There was a very fat man as well who seemed to be a Magistrate, with possibly the same ability." Stravos hummed in reply and resumed tapping his fingers on the table. "It is more likely that the thin man you saw yesterday extended the Ability to the room, than two in the same place. We tend not to work too well with our own kind and none of the current Magistrates have the Ability in question. Unfortunately it would have been more helpful if the Magistrate had been thin, there is only one of those. I find it most fascinating that you can describe them at all though. What can you tell about me?" It seemed as if I had set myself apart once more, inadvertently. I considered saying as little as possible, but I could not think of a good reason to. There was not much I could hold back the way the question was phrased. "You are old, have blue eyes, you have fancy clothes, a lot of Perfection and possibly a lot of Charisma too." Stravos chuckled and Charles was now looking at me strangely. "Very good! Very interesting too. My first thought was that your Willpower was high and that was how you could recall anything. But that does not seem to be it, as I do not look old at all. Very fascinating!" He shook his head slightly. "While what you have described is unusual, I am not sure there has even been a crime." That statement made me stare at him incredulously. He seemed almost sad as he shook his head at me once more. "The law does not have as its purpose to be kind or fair. The purpose of law is to keep order. If someone finds a way to do immoral or cruel things within the law, that does not make them illegal. Nor should they be." I kept staring at him, not seeing his point. "Did you kill anyone, fleeing your slavery?" My heart raced as a yes was forced out of me, and Stravos leaned in close to me. "Are you sure they all deserved it? Was it all just? Or were you thinking only of yourself? What you felt and what you wanted? What you did might very well have been a crime! Trying to bring justice to a society as ours; with so many people with vast personal power and a multitude of powerful organizations, it is all but impossible. That is not, nor has it ever been the goal. Keeping society functioning and chaos at bay is the goal." I sat there stunned, as I tried to understand his point of view. "What about the people you left in the slave pen to die? All this might be unjust and immoral, but it does not make it illegal." I felt like I had taken a punch to the gut. "But I will find out what has happened, if only for the waste of coin the city is due." "So if the slaves were paid for, how they die is not a problem to you?" I asked in turn. He just shook his head and went back to his earlier topic. "Not liking me is good, I am not very likable to begin with. It shows you have some sense. Corruption within the Guard there might be, but the man you saw yesterday was a Cleric. His purpose was helping the investigation, which did not turn out as we hoped it would. All of which reinforces my earlier point about your usefulness." Seeming to be amused, Stravos continued. "How about being paid ten gold for agreeing to our arrangement. We will pay two gold for every day of work when we need you. With full pay for any partial days. What do you say to that, Ewynne?" My eyes almost popped out of my head, and I had started nodding before I could stop myself. But I quickly started shaking my head instead, which made Stravos frown. "Why not?" "I do not want to die, coin does not keep you alive!" A reply that made him chuckle. He tapped his fingers on the table once more as he seemed lost in thought. "Five gold instead of two and I make sure no one other than Charles knows what you do for us. You report what you find to him or me, and I make sure he keeps quiet. Deal?" While secrecy did not seem like something that could last forever, that amount of coin could get me a long way towards the safety I had just proclaimed it could not bring. What could I accomplish with a first Sphere spell, if I could afford one? A second Sphere spell? I nodded at Stravos, and so joined the Guard, in a sense. ** Eric stood in the cave with the now dead monstrosity. He would have liked to have taken credit for both completing the mission and killing the creature. But the truth was that the mission from the Archive all but resolved itself and so did the monster. When Eric had eventually reached full Mana, his connection to the creature had opened up once more to drain its Essence. All the while he lay in the passage peeking out at it, warring with indecision for a very long time. It was not until he had drained sixteen Essence from the creature, that the Voice interrupted the planning Eric was so very busy with. Essence Drain canceled on Dire Brown Bear. Essence Drain complete. That had been shortly followed by a screen from the Archive.
Mission complete!
Investigate the unknown creature in your Domain. Reward: 13 Life.
This had not really resolved anything beyond the mission for Eric though. Now that he did not have anything to work on, he found himself completely at a loss as to what to do. He did not dare to enter the cave with the dire brown bear and instead just ended up laying there for even longer. It was not until the bear died a few hours later that things really changed. The death of the animal caused the Voice to speak once more. A Dire Brown Bear has died in your Domain. You have absorbed 64 Life Essence, you have gained 640 Life. Eric''s eyes rolled back as a rush of power flowed through him, invigorating him to a point that he lay there shaking for several minutes after it was all over. He still waited for quite some time before daring to enter the creature''s abode, to take a closer look at it. What he found did not make him feel much better about himself. The sharp bone protrusions that stuck out of the bear were not natural; they were spears of some kind that had caused horrible wounds, apparently the cause for its gruesome appearance as well as its demise. Eric reminded himself that normal bears were dangerous, and even more so dire brown bears. His actions had been wise, he concluded. Eric spent a lot of time exploring his two caves, though he found nothing more interesting than the small pool of water. During the first few hours he had hoped some other creature might show up and provide Essence, but this had not happened and Eric despaired that it never would. After a long while and having nothing better to do, Eric went up the slope and out of his cave. He found himself looking out over swampland as he walked outward a bit to see if he could spot something interesting. It was very quiet in the swamp this morning and he tried to remember if he had learned anything about them, but could recall nothing of note. After having stood there for quite some time, listening and watching he finally heard something. In the distance there was a dull thud, which made the ground quake just a bit. Eric leaned forward to see what could possibly be making that noise. A few moments later, a giant skeletal creature came into view in the distance. Eric turned and ran back into his cave. As he entered the cave the Voice spoke. Reestablishing connection to Dweller 432-22. No new Essence has been absorbed. No new Life Essence has been absorbed. No new mission progress. Reality sync completed. Surprised enough to be distracted in his headlong flight, Eric tried to wrap his head around the idea of having lost connection with the Voice, possibly even the Archive itself. This was baffling to him, how could this be possible; he had just been outside of the cave after all. Eric turned around and waved an arm through the entrance, but he felt nothing special or different. There was no other reality outside of the cave, that idea was just stupid. Chapter 22 I sat at the table, my new purse of gold in hand, as Stravos walked out of the inn. I felt strange, as If I was not quite sure I could believe what had just happened. Charles shook his head as he glanced after the leaving man and then started eating. After a moment''s hesitation I joined in. As I ate I took in the room with some trepidation. I was not sure what reaction our conversation might have brought, but to my surprise we did not seem to have gotten the attention of anyone. "What will you do now?" Charles'' question brought me out of my thoughts and I looked at him, perhaps truly for the first time today. The effect Stravos had was most unsettling. I looked around the room once more, in thought. If the people in here, and there were quite a few, had known that Stravos Mercia had just been in the room, there should have been more of a reaction than this. Did his Ability do more than I believed it did? Or did he have several of that kind? I turned back to Charles. "I need to find a Scribe''s shop, but not the one just off the corner of Merchant''s Lane where it turns onto King''s Road." I replied, musingly. Charles finished chewing something unidentifiable, while I had stuck with the familiar gruel so far. I gazed out over the feast in front of me and shrugged, before I started taking experimental bites from everything I could see. "Why not that shop? The Scribe is considered highly respectable." Charles asked in between bites of food. "He called me a thief the last time I was there, a few days back, and tried to catch me." I trailed off for a moment, considering. "I think he thought I had a Bloodline, and took a different approach than Stravos did." I felt there was no danger speaking of this with Charles, considering the conversation I just had with Stravos, while he was at the table. Especially if I would report my magical findings to him. Charles managed to get something stuck in his throat and started coughing, while beating his chest. I had my doubts that the beating truly helped, but I had seen others do the same, so there might be something to it. I considered a strange shelled creature with large blue eyes before passing it over, it was creepy. I looked for something else to taste. "You? You were the one who bought Fire Burst some days back?" I stared at him for a moment, thinking. While it was possible that the Guard had tried to investigate the loss of a spell book worth a gold, I thought it highly unlikely that they would use more than one person for the investigation. Charles just said bought not stole, as if he knew I stole nothing. That in turn implied that he had used his Ability on the Scribe, since I doubted the Scribe would shout thief and then just claim a misunderstanding. There would be no need for Charles to cater to my feelings after how Stravos had just dismissed my enslavement. The conclusion was that it had been Charles who almost killed me. I raised an eyebrow at him, and he looked decidedly uncomfortable. "Sorry. It was a mistake I should not have made." He took a deep breath as if to steel himself. "Tell me what I can do to repent." It was my turn to stare. It took several moments for me to notice that my mouth was hanging open, whilst full of food. The idea of behaving in such a way made me think on what mother would have done had she seen this, and I shivered. Charles'' question was contrary to my expectations, just what was his game? I peered at him suspiciously; what did I want though? "Tell me where I can find a place to live that is not too costly but not in the slums." I took a chance, willing to see if he would be a help or not. The smile that spread across his face made my heart skip a beat, and his eyes sparkled with mirth. If he suggested I should move in with him, I might just have to find out how Aberrant Mind worked, I mused with renewed suspicion. Charles brought out a piece of paper and a narrow stick, nothing at all like a quill, and began to write something. "There is an old widow that lives just down Emerald Lane, it is aways down Merchant''s Lane, on the right when coming from this direction. Her house is the one past the jeweler''s just before the closed old Alchemist''s shop. Her husband was the Alchemist you see." Charles sighed deeply as he finished writing and handed me the note, folded in half. "Give her that and tell her I sent you, she should be fair." Having said that, Charles nabbed a final bite of food, gave me a short nod, and walked out of the inn. I was left there holding a note and feeling as if I had ended up in a very strange and foreign world. My experiences with mother had prepared me for things that now did not seem to hold true. It almost felt like a different reality; my years in the slums had taught me to be suspicious and careful, everyone was out to get everyone else just for a possible leg up. But now? I was uncertain where I should expect danger and what was benign. I could not keep waiting for everything and everyone to be out to get me somehow, but I could not go the other way either, and think that no one and nothing was. Unfortunately I suspected that what I lacked was experience, which only time and mistakes would earn me. ** The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. I stood in front of a blue wooden door, hesitating. Charles had provided both a note and a way to begin a conversation, but this was so surreal. I took a breath and knocked on the door. I ended up knocking and waiting and knocking for quite some time, uncertain if I should just give up; eventually an old, thin, and frail looking woman opened the door to peer out at me, surprisingly we were of a height. Her hair was thin and gray, standing in every which direction. Her eyes were almost hidden beneath heavy lids, on a very wrinkled and tanned face. Her dark eyes stared at me with a shrewdness that told me quite clearly that this old woman was not feeble of mind, though her body certainly looked like it was giving up on her. She smiled slightly, showing teeth white enough to again remind me that this was not the slums, and spoke. "What is the fuss, girl, banging on my door this way?" I was lost for words for a moment, but I rallied; I had fought an Unraveling Spirit and banished a murderous imp, I should not be tongue tied when faced with the prospect of talking to an old woman! "Charles sent me, he told me to hand you this note." I handed the note over and waited. The old woman read it and nodded to herself. "Come inside child, and we can talk." With that she turned and walked back inside, leaving the door open for me. I followed in, closing the door behind me. I noted that there was not only a lock but two sturdy bars that could be put in place on it. I could not recall hearing either lock or the bars being moved before the door opened, and so left them as they were. I found myself in a hallway with a door to either side and ending in stairs going upward. I could hear the clinking of pottery from the opening on the left. The old woman was in a large kitchen, though it was considerably smaller than the one at the inn, this one was not meant to serve a crowd and thus it felt quite extravagant. She was putting mugs on a tray along with several other pieces of pottery the purpose of which I was not sure of. "The other room dear, across the hall," she told me, shooing me ahead with the tray. The room we came to was just a bit smaller than the kitchen, with a lush carpet and two large armchairs standing at a low table to one side; the other side of the room held a large glass container, which was almost as wide as the wall it stood against. The container came to roughly chest height with me and was full of various kinds of plants. The truly interesting part to my mind was the cylinder that stood in the center, out of which flowed what seemed to be vapor. I stepped closer, eyes wide as if that could help me discern more. The amount of Mana the cylinder held was very high, at least several thousand. It did some intricate things to the air I could not understand, before it pulled water from somewhere, and then vaporised it, letting it flow out among the plants. This must have cost a fortune! I turned to the old woman who was putting the tray down on the table, as she smiled at me. "I used to work as an Herbalist, I have the profession. Nowadays I only grow things that are pleasing to the eye." She answered my unspoken question, while walking over to look at the plants. She seemed so sad as she stood there for a moment, before she sighed deeply. "Well, let''s have tea and talk!" She turned abruptly, and walked back to the table. She served me and herself, before sitting down to stare intently at me. "Charles claims you are a Mage and need a place to live. That you are unlikely to kill but slightly more likely to rob me." I blinked in surprise at the statement and the old woman chuckled. I wondered if my mind was slipping, why did I not even think of reading the note? Just days ago that would have been my first thought, suspecting treachery. Did I actually trust Charles? I could not really refute the note''s claim; I was more likely to rob her than kill her. "That is just how Charles is, don''t worry about it. My name is Sharon." She interrupted my tumbling thoughts as she took a sip and waited. "Ewynne." I was not sure what to say or do now, should I ask to see a room? How much it cost? Sharon chuckled. "Yes, you are awkward, aren''t you? You may rent the rooms upstairs, there is a separate bathroom and an office there as well as the bedroom. I want half a gold each week for it." The price was a bit less than what staying at the inn would have cost for the same amount of time, but offered a lot more. Five silver did not seem that much comparatively, if this was what I got. The work with the guard and the more than thirteen gold I now had with me, as well as the possibility of earning more from enchanting, made me feel rather secure. I took in the fact that I could actually get a home to live in that was not a run down shack. Sharon showed me around upstairs, there was a bedroom at the far end of the hall, a bathroom on the left, and an office on the right. The bedroom even had a window facing out over the street. The bathroom had indoor plumbing, something the inn had not, to my knowledge, other than the drain in the bathing chamber. Just who had Charles sent me to? Though I assumed that someone who lived almost in the center of the Merchants'' Quarter could not be poor, by any stretch. After having been shown around upstairs I felt confused about where the old woman would live. When I asked about it, she showed me that there was another door in the room where we had tea. It was almost hidden from sight when closed, so smoothly did it fit into the paneling. Behind that door was another bedroom, on the far end of which was a bathroom. By my understanding of the layout of the house, it should be just to the side of the kitchen, though there was no connecting door in that direction. While quite giddy with excitement I paid for the two weeks she wanted and got a key of my own. She asked that I kindly not make noise if I returned late, which I assured her I would not, before I left. I ambled back out to the Merchant''s Lane, not quite sure where I could find another Scribe''s shop, something I was delightfully unconcerned about. There should be several considering the size of Logate, I thought. And so I walked around, taking in the smells from the food sold at the market, and the sights, as people rushed about around me. I almost dared to call myself happy. A young man, probably just a few years older than me came walking up, a wide smile on his face. While slightly uncomfortable by his gaze, I tried to maintain my mood and raised an eyebrow at him. His grin widened as he threw something at me, underhand. I caught it in surprise, and he gave a jovial wave and walked away with an, ''Have an apple!'', over his shoulder, before he quickly was lost in the crowd. I had already felt the Mana in the apple as I caught it, and only a moment of concentration confirmed that while it might not be the same one as in the library, it definitely had the same magical effect on it. I tossed it from hand to hand, as I considered what to do. I noted absentmindedly that it was harder to catch the apple than I expected, an effect of my lost physical Attributes no doubt. A few moments of study led me to believe that whatever effect the apple might have was contained. Unless it was eaten it should not be able to do anything. With that conclusion I unslung the cloth bag I wore, to put the apple in it, but I froze as my attention was drawn by the Order.
Quest!
Destroy the apple. Reward: 400 Experience.
I grinned widely, now that was interesting. Chapter 23 I looked down at the apple in my hand, and then out over the mass of people on the street. None of them seemed to have much interest in me at all. I could not see the young man who threw the apple at me anymore, and from all appearances he just walked away. The grin I still wore on my face was probably not a very nice one, but it felt so very appropriate. It would be conceited on my part to believe that the Order did not want me in particular to have this apple. Which led to the conclusion that the Order did not want it around, period. Yet the young man had not been struck by lightning, the earth did not swallow him, nor did hordes of people rush to kill him. I got the quest to destroy the fruit, even though it should be quite clear to the Order that I was not about to do anything just because I was told to. While there were some people glancing at me curiously, it was rather obvious that no one nearby had gotten a quest to steal or destroy the apple. The quest implied a want or a need: Ergo, there were limitations or rules in place of some kind, or the Order would have done something else, with a more assured outcome. The very idea that the Order could not act as it pleased, pleased me. My thoughts in the swamp gave support to my reasoning. I had seen the undead abomination, gotten the quest, and wondered: why not give a quest to the Temple directly. Now, I believed that the Order might not be able to do that. Just how far did these supposed limitations or rules extend to the interactions I had with the Order? I believed the Order could not state an outright lie, an idea I felt somehow very strongly about even though I could not say why. Beyond that, I had no clue. I looked in the direction the man had disappeared once again. While it did seem as if the Order was unable to act directly, I would not risk pushing that idea too far without stronger proof than this. What kept the Order from handing out a more general quest though? Rob that woman of her Fruit! Was that not allowed either? It seemed too strange to be a limitation of the Order''s power. So a rule then? Set by whom?
Quest!
Destroy the apple. Reward: 800 Experience.
My musings were cut short as I tried to come to terms with the implications of the change to the quest. I admitted to myself that none of this had to mean what I thought it did; I might truly be mistaken and being led along by the nose. There was also the possibility that I was correct, to some extent, and the Order actually wanted me to figure this out. Just because I could not see a reason, did not have to mean there was none. I wondered, just how many apples were there? I nodded slowly to myself, as I worked on this jigsaw puzzle of ideas. If I had been targeted in the library, as a potential new Mage, and if what Stravos told earlier was correct about the rarity of Mana sensing among weaker Mages: I should not have been able to know that the apple held a spell, had I been a Mage. Was that it then? A person having specific information was the key that determined how the Order could interact with them? That would also be supported by the fact that I had told the presumptive Cleric on the road about the undead abomination before he shouted that he ''got it''. It was not too bad of a theory, I thought. A bit weak, heavy on assumptions, but it seemed to line up with the few pieces of information I had. For now at least. That led me to a different thought: I did not think the Order just wanted to hand out opportunities for experience through quests, that notion sat really badly with me, just like the idea of the Order lying did. Quests would be commonplace if that was the case. So were they limited to when the Order itself wanted something then? Which led to the next question, what did the Order want? I shook my head, now I had left the realm of putting pieces together and taken a step into pure guesswork. For now, it might be best to keep the apple and wait.
Quest!
Destroy the apple. Reward: 800 Experience, a choice of a Trait.
Just how long would this keep happening? It was a good plan though, at some point what the Order offered would outweigh any curiosity I had. The plan was especially good if the first quest reward was truly lowballing it, as the increments would give me a sense that I was getting a progressively better deal. Which considering that I had no idea what the apple was worth, should not be too difficult. Was it even correct to think of it as having value? Would it be beneficial for me to eat it? Was that what the Order did not want? Or the complete opposite? Was the goal of the quests to make me rebel and eat the thing? Information, that was what I needed, I mused as I rubbed my forehead.
Quest!
Destroy the apple. Reward: 800 Experience, a choice of a Trait, Information.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as I tried to sort through my thoughts. It was hard to outplay someone who by all indications could read your mind. Was information, reaching level eight and a new Trait worth more than the apple? I doubted that. Would I ever dare to eat the apple? I doubted that too. I had done enough spur of the moment risk taking for a while, be it bonds, portals, or rituals. Eating the apple was not on the table. Was keeping it though? That seemed uncertain. Would I have to keep it safe? Would it rot? Would that ruin the spell and potentially any reward? To what purpose should I keep it? To eventually get an even better deal from the Order? At what point did I accept, and complete the quest? That seemed like a slippery slope of almost extortion, based only on a vague assumption of value. In the end that might end up being just as foolish as eating the thing. I stood there, going over everything once more, but coming up with nothing new.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. I crouched down and put the apple on the ground, before fishing out a stone of Fire Burst from a pocket. Destroying the thing seemed the wisest choice, with the most certain and positive outcome. The world started shimmering brightly, and I ... ... stumbled slightly, steadying myself with a hand to the ground. I shook my head at a strange sensation as my eyes fell on the apple resting on the cobblestone near to me.
Imbued apple of the Archive This apple has been imbued with a spell, forming a connection to an Entity originating on a separate plane of existence.
That was both informative and confusing. What was the Archive and what did it want with people here, if it was from another plane of existence? I brought up my quests, feeling more than a bit suspicious at the kind of information I had previously only been able to get from items I had enchanted.
Quest!
Destroy the apple. Reward: 800 Experience, a choice of a Trait, Information.
So that was it then. It felt a bit like a trap that I got a reward before I had completed the task. If my assumptions earlier were correct about the Order being held to rules, then I did not want to find out what would happen if I seemed to break an agreement. I considered the Imbued apple again. My understanding of my enchanting had led me to believe that when a spell structure was disturbed, it would do unpredictable things. I was not completely convinced of that though, nor did I know if it even applied to something like the apple. With that cheerful thought I fished out one more stone of Fire Burst. I bent down and placed both of them near the fruit. I stepped back several long steps, and then utterly failed to make anything happen. I gradually stepped closer and closer again, trying to set off the stones of Fire Burst. I did so until I was at a range where I could sense the magic in the apple once more, meaning I was within two meters now. I grumbled under my breath, if this apple made a huge explosion I would be so mad. This was supposed to be the safe option! The stones of Fire Burst vanished into dust and the apple burst into flame, splattering mush for quite some distance. I held my breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop. After a few moments I let out a ragged breath, it seemed this had worked out. Nothing strange had happened. Now I also knew that the range at which I could activate the stones of Fire Burst and the range of Sense the Flow was the same, or close enough that I could not tell the difference. ''...e really does not like apples, dear!'' I heard a older woman speak to the man next to her, as they moved past. I took a look around, and my antics had drawn quite a bit of attention. Ah well.
You have completed a Quest! You have been awarded 808 Experience!
Congratulations! You have advanced to level 8!
You have unallocated Attributes! You may choose a new Racial Trait!
You may choose a Trait!
For the first time ever, I did not feel like I had to sort out my level right this very moment, there was no hurry. It was also possible that this was the first time I was not under any kind of impairment either, be it Twisting Minds, hunger, or tiredness. I could allocate Attributes and choose my Traits at home, in peace. I smiled widely at that thought, I liked my home. ** I spent another half an hour walking down streets, being rather lost, before I spotted the familiar sign of a Scribe''s shop. With a grin I walked inside, and was faced with much the same as I had the first time in such a store. Except this time two older women stood talking quietly with the Scribe at the counter. I looked around at what I could see. Here too contraptions hung from the ceiling, there were glass vials full of sparkling things or gross looking dead creatures. There was also the multitude of things I had no idea what they were, just as last time. The women spent quite some time talking to the Scribe. I waited with what was probably visible impatience, once I realized they were chatting about everyday things, rather than actually buying anything. Eventually they did leave though and I moved up to the counter. In this shop it was less imposing, compared to the shop where I got my first spell. This one looked newer, with a far lighter color, more towards light brown than black. Behind this counter stood another thin man of moderate height. He was of advanced years and almost completely bald. He was pale faced, almost pasty, but with alert eyes as he took me in, just as I had him. "Good day! I would like to buy the spell Light, how much is it?" I asked with a smile and the man smiled in response. "Ah, the most common way of making a Mage Light! Another youth setting out on the path of Imbuing I take it!? A hard path to take, but quite lucrative for those with the patience and fortitude to stick with it!" I looked at him in confusion. I was not quite sure how to react to that statement. I felt a bit silly, I could Enchant things, but I had never even thought about how other magical items were made. I had assumed it was something similar or even the same, but I had no knowledge about the how of it. "Ah, was I incorrect then?" The man looked confused in turn, and I considered what to say for a moment. "I am sorry, I am not yet on that path. I would appreciate any guidance you might have!" The old man grinned widely, showing white teeth. A few of which were missing, making him seem a bit creepy to be honest. "Certainly! Imbue is a skill that allows the user to place a known spell, and a charge of Mana, into an item for later use. Once the charges are used up the spell fades and the item can not be used again." I considered that, it seemed similar to Enchant, sort of. "So the item is destroyed when the charges are spent, then?" The man looked at me askance. "Certainly not! Whatever gave you that idea? The item is just a vessel in which a spell is contained. Why would an item be destroyed when the magic fades, that does not make sense!" I nodded again, so there were differences then, clearly. My enchanting connected the spell structure to the item used. As far as I had understood it, when I enchanted something I used up all the Mana spent to form the wave like thing, which I had sensed in the slave pen. That wave then crystallized into something like an anchor for the spell structure, connecting it to the material used. It was not a store of Mana for the spell. Admittedly, my understanding of what I did was probably flawed. "Can any spell be placed with Imbue?" "Almost, there are spells that can be cast on an item without the Ability Imbue, those are called temporary spells and fade with the magic rhythm of the world, at midnight. Those can not be Imbued, but everything else can. Though some spells might not make sense when used that way, though it can be done." I was fascinated, and kept asking more. "What about Cleric spells, they lack the same kind of structure that Mage spells do?" The old man snorted loudly. "They do not! You have been reading that swill Maxwell Weston writes, he might be famous, but he is an idiot! All spells have a structure, or they would not do anything. Clerics structure their magic differently from Mages though, and use chants and even gestures as mnemonics to make their process of casting faster. They could cast spells without them, it would just take longer and require more practice, but it is quite possible." I felt almost ecstatic. "Do you have both Light and Minor Healing?" The old man nodded, though his confusion was clear. "I do, a gold two silver for Light, a gold seven silver for Minor Heal. But I thought you were a Mage? You do know you can not learn, much less cast, a Cleric spell, right?" I nodded enthusiastically, taking his correction in stride, and lied. "It is for a friend." "Ah, both of you just starting out I take it then. I have a book on imbuing, outlining how to improve your chances of getting it as an offered Ability when leveling up. Only a gold!" I grinned at him and shook my head, before I made what turned out to be a futile attempt at haggling. I handed over the coin and got two new spell books. I then leaned in towards him and asked what I really wanted to know. "Do you have any first Sphere spells?" The Scribe blinked in surprise, seemingly shocked by the idea before rallying. "I have one or two, but there is no way a wisp of a thing like you have the Attributes to cast one, never mind afford it. The cheapest is fifty-two gold!" My shoulders slumped somewhat at that, I should have guessed that higher Sphere spells would be both expensive and need higher Attributes. Fire Burst only needed ten Willpower for its structure, but even then you needed more than ten Willpower before the spell did anything. "How high Attributes do you need in general for the first Sphere spells?" I asked out of curiosity and the old man looked lost in thought for a moment. "I would say thirty is probably a good guess in general, but there are variations. There are a lot of open Sphere spells though, which become far better with higher Attributes. There is no rush to get to the first Sphere, take your time girl." I nodded, it was true, even Fire Burst would do a lot more damage now than when I first got it. But my enchantment of the spell had not changed, it was still the same as the first time I made it. Perhaps I was missing something, my enchanting had not improved as my spell casting did. I needed to spend some time experimenting! But first, I should finish up here. "Are there any offensive or defensive spells from the open Sphere you would recommend for a new Mage?" Chapter 24 The scribe looked thoughtful for a time, before he brought out two spell books from behind the counter. "I would recommend Ice Lance and Acid splash. Ice Lance has decent range and completes late. Acid Splash is short range, very fast, and is one of the few open Sphere spells that can be maintained. It is expensive to cast, but if you have a sword in your face that is not your main concern, now is it?" He chuckled at his own attempt at humor, as he brought out yet another volume. "Minor Shield is the best defensive spell there is in the open Sphere, which does not say much as it is hardly worth the coin to be honest. When complete, it only absorbs a total of five damage." He raised a hand, holding up all five fingers as if to clarify this point. "Minor Shield does not really protect you against anything. You are far better off increasing your Constitution, or better yet, don''t get hurt in the first place! The spell is rather inexpensive to use though, so there is that." I was not too impressed with his reasoning; taking less damage was surely an improvement, even if the reduction was small. The thing that had me curious though, was the part he had only glossed over without any explanation. "What do you mean by complete?" The Scribe stared at me as if I had asked what color the sky was, before he started guffawing loudly. "Did you think spells kept getting better and better indefinitely? Foolish child, of course not! There is only so much focus or depth that you can put into a structure before there is nothing left to improve! I have been told casting spells is a bit like fencing; any fool who can lift a sword can chop at someone, but with skill you can strike the heart!" He made a completely ridiculous motion, no doubt meant to simulate a stab. "So it is with improving your casting! You can use more and more finesse with your Mana, but once you are striking the heart there is nothing more you can do, other than get a bigger weapon!" He grinned widely, and it took effort to not roll my eyes at him. His analogy was terrible, understandable, but terrible. "How do you know when a spell is complete then?" "The Order will tell you when you ask for your spells, of course!" I was not at the point where I felt I could take anything the Scribe said as the unvarnished truth, but I hoped he was not completely inaccurate. "Now, you can have the two offensive spells for three golds combined, a steal for sure! If you really want the Minor Shield, that is another gold and three silver." He patted the spell book of Minor Shield with a forlorn expression, as if sad at its fate. The theatrics were honestly starting to be annoying. "I will take all three. But I think three and a half gold should be more than enough." "Done!" He smiled widely, obviously he had overstated the price even more than I had expected. I took my small and petty revenge by paying him as much as possible in copper. After a moment of consideration, I thought to use the fact I had put the Scribe in such a good mood by asking more questions. "By the way, do you have any suggestions as to where I might find suitable items for Imbuing, something lightweight and easy to carry?" The Scribe once more looked at me as if I lacked all sense, but answered with a shrug. "I suppose you could check with any blacksmith, jeweler or glassblower. They all have knickknacks and leftovers from whatever else they craft." I thanked him and headed out, after I packed the slim volumes in my flimsy bag. I noted with some disgust that the shirt I had changed out of after the ritual now smelled rather bad. I also needed a better bag. Once outside I started winding my way around, looking for any of the shops the Scribe had suggested. ** It was mid-afternoon, rather warm, and I had now spent most of my coin. I was down to two gold, two silver, and three copper. But I had gotten a very nice leather satchel, and literally hundreds of beads of various kinds, filling a considerable amount of the aforementioned satchel and making it heavy to carry. I had no idea if I had overspent or not, which made me slightly nervous at having used up so much of what I felt had been a fortune. I had visited several blacksmiths, jewelers, and glassblowers and gathered a good amount of different materials for enchanting. I not only wanted to get experience out of this, my hope was also to advance my only skill; I suspected I needed several kinds of materials for that. I took a turn onto a narrow street that should eventually lead me back to Merchant''s Lane, when something pricked the skin at my side, just inside my open coat, and I froze. A man stepped out of a shadow that was by far too small to contain him, showing an obvious use of an Ability. I had not seen anything of him, until I felt something sharp and cold against my side. He was not exactly unkempt; his clothes were decent and clean, but he smelled of stale sweat, and his eyes were bloodshot and slightly yellow in their color. Another poke from the dagger he held at my side put a stop to my study, and I gasped slightly at the pain. Without speaking he reached for my coin purse with his free hand. He wore a cruel smirk on his face, showing teeth that were starting to go yellow but also had flecks of black here and there on them. I gritted my teeth. How dare he!? After all it had taken to get here! I started out with a class I never even heard of, got chased by Charles and almost got killed. I burned Jab to a crisp, ended up collared and sent to a slave pen; got stuck with an imp, jumped through a portal and into a swamp. I got chased by a creature I had never even heard of either, and then killed it in a cave, frightened out of my wits! I found out that my mind had been messed with, who knows how badly! Then I trudged all the way back with a deranged imp in tow; I finally got rid of the creature in a ritual and ended up losing a whole bunch of Attributes, as I did not buy into the whole idea of a happy family. Now, here was this disgusting piece of human filth thinking he could poke at me with a dagger! I looked up at him, my eyes meeting his, as a rage beyond what I had ever felt before came over me. Words that meant nothing to me rolled off my tongue, harsh and guttural. I felt blood trickle down my side as I kept speaking. The man moved the knife, to put it against my throat and said s... Mother stepped out from behind the would-be robber, a small smile on her lips as she drew a long nailed finger down his cheek. He turned to face her, and his hand holding the dagger fell to his side, as he stared slack-jawed. "You have been a bad boy, I need to teach you better." Her voice was smooth and languid; it was a voice that drew you in and made you want to listen. Her hand trailed down the man''s cheek as she leaned closer to him, whispering in his ear, and he started nodding as he now stared out into the empty air. Mother''s hand came to rest at his neck and she drew unhurried circles on his skin with a finger, before she leaned her head against his with a sigh. Her long nails cut across his throat, causing blood to spray out over her face and neck. She held the man as his knees buckled and followed him to the ground, all the while patting his head with a blood coated hand. "There, there, that was not so bad, was it?" I shuddered at words I had heard so many times before, as I watched the mans glassy eyes stare vacantly out into space. Mother raised a bloodied hand to her lips and started licking, as she rose in a smooth and graceful motion, her face made into a macabre mask by the blood. Her night-black eyes met mine. "Have you been a good girl, Ewynne?" I took a shaky breath as the world came back jarringly, cold tingles rushing up and down my spine. The man who tried to rob me was slowly slumping to the ground, until he finally landed on his back in a graceless sprawl. His eyes were open wide, blood running as tears out the sides.
You have been victorious! You have slain an enemy weaker than you! You gain 86 Experience!
I closed my eyes for a moment and breathed slowly to steady myself. Seeing mother again, especially this way, was very unsettling. I now felt certain that had I not been the stronger mind, I would be the one on the ground. Aberrant Mind was frightening and it was painfully obvious that someone would be on the receiving end of the damage it did. It was also unsettling that I had not really chosen to use the Ability.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. With swift motions I patted the man down, took his meager coin and the dagger before walking off. Perhaps the Merchants'' Quarter was not so foreign to me after all. ** Back in my new home it was peaceful and quiet. I did not see or hear the old woman, the door to the house had been locked and so I had used my key to get in. Feeling a bit hungry, I peeked into the kitchen to look for something to eat. I found some fruit and a few slices of bread on the kitchen table and took them. An uncomfortable sensation, a mix of fear and shame, made me leave some coppers behind. After all, it would be rather obvious that I was the culprit, but I was not about to put the food back. I dressed my wound as best I could in the upstairs bathroom and grumbled over the cut in my blouse. Out of necessity I washed the dirty shirt, as I realized I needed to both repair and clean the blouse before it could be worn again, something I had limited skill at. It was a small blessing that the man had put the knife against my side inside the coat, so while there was blood to clean off it, the coat was otherwise undamaged. I realized that I probably had to get more clothes, something that would eat away at the few coin I had left. I glared at a small amount of blood on my pants, before trying to clean that off too, with limited success. Having done what I could for my wound and hung my shirt, coat, and pants to dry; I sat down on my bed. I focused on what the Order had for me, beginning with the Racial Trait.
Improved Focus Aberrant Path
There was no helpful information here. I thought I knew what Improved Focus would do, so I picked that, Aberrant Path did not even sound appealing. While I was curious about what it did, I was not about to experiment on myself at this point.
You have advanced your racial Trait: Mental Focus. You have gained 2 Wisdom, 2 Willpower, 2 Intelligence.
I grinned at the outcome, it was actually quite good. Two levels worth of Attributes and no downside I could see. I decided to spend my unallocated Attributes on Wisdom, both for the Mana and getting closer to a branch. It would probably also help me manage the effects of my other Attributes better. Finally I turned to the Trait I could choose.
Paranoia You are not paranoid, they really are out to get you. Effect: +4 Willpower, +2 Endurance, -3 Wisdom
Paranoid Negotiator There are always plots within plots within plans, everyone is several steps ahead of you. But you try to keep up. Effect: +2 Intelligence, +2 Willpower, +1 Charisma, -2 Wisdom
Forced Calm Things really are as bad as they seem. But you have learned how to cope. Effect: +3 Willpower, -1 Wisdom
Hardened Heart You have seen the suffering of others, and walked away from it. Effect: +5 Willpower, -1 Perfection
Survival of the putrid You have wallowed in filth and have become more resistant to disease. Effect: Immunity to natural disease.
Blank Mind Your mind has suffered trauma and you have learned strange things from your experiences. Effect: -2 Willpower, -2 Intelligence, -2 Wisdom, +9 Perfection.
I hung my head for a time as my shoulders slumped, before I let out a sigh and took in my options and thought on how they had come to be. It took effort to remember what had happened after I met the imp, and before I got the trait Mind Fortress, but it was possible. With a feat of focus that made my temples throb, I recalled thinking that I disliked the names and the associations of the Traits that had been offered me back in the swamp. I still very much did, but then choosing Discoverer because of that, was simply ridiculous. As I had noted at the edge of that field, what now seemed so very long ago: it was not until Twisting Minds had faded, that I could consider killing the imp without spikes of pain to my head. While I had never truly gotten any confirmation that my choices in the swamp was a part of the imp''s attempts to weaken or kill me, I truly believed it was. Though I could be mistaken. After all, if it could make me pick Discoverer, why did it let me take Mind Fortress? Was I in fact just making up excuses for myself? It was possible that when it came to Mind Fortress I was more focused on outcome, giving little mental leverage; my disgust with Survival of the Putrid and Hardened Heart though, might have given plenty to work with. It could also be that the obnoxious little vermin was too far away to influence me at that later time. I did not know though and probably never would. While I had never consciously made the decision, I had put this whole thing out of my mind, as something I could not affect or change and would just have to live with. Yet here it was again, to frustrate. While it was an unwanted reminder of things I rather not dwell on, I made my choice of a Trait.
Survival of the putrid You have wallowed in filth and have become more resistant to disease. Effect: Immunity to natural disease.
Status.
Ewynne
Age: 18
Level: 8
Experience: 500/3000
Race: Aberration
Class: Enchantress
Strength: 4 Dexterity: 10
Agility: 8 Constitution: 10
Endurance: 8 Intelligence: 22
Wisdom: 16 Willpower: 24
Perfection: 14 Charisma: 12
Health: 56/100 Mana: 583/620 (13/minute) Stamina: 80/80 (18/minute)
Unallocated Attributes: 0
Having completed that, I brought out the spell books I had bought, and used them, one by one.
Light
Creates a moderate light source. Spell structure maintained by 8 Willpower, 7 Intelligence. Duration: 10 minutes per Attribute exceeding structure requirement.
Cost: 50 Mana Cast Time: 5s, Intentional
Range: Touch Upkeep: N/A
Ice Lance
Throws a sharp lance of ice at a target. Spell structure maintained by 10 Willpower, 11 Intelligence. Damage: 2 times Willpower and Intelligence, excluding structure requirement.
Cost: 225 Mana Cast Time: 3s, Intentional
Range: 4 meters Upkeep: N/A
Acid Splash
Conjures a small splash of acid in front of the caster. Spell structure maintained by 13 Willpower, 12 Wisdom. Damage per second: 0.5 times Willpower and Wisdom, excluding structure requirement.
Cost: 275 Mana Cast Time: 1s, Intentional
Range: 1 meter Upkeep: 75 Mana per second
Minor Shield
Conjures a translucent shield around the caster, absorbing incoming damage before dissipating. Spell structure maintained by 10 Wisdom. Shield: 0.4 times Wisdom, excluding structure requirement. Duration: 2 minutes per Wisdom exceeding structure requirement.
Cost: 125 Mana Cast Time: 2s, Intentional
Range: N/A Upkeep: N/A
Finally, I sat there with Minor Heal in my hands. I was both excited and worried. Could I learn a Cleric spell? It was the idea that Cleric spells had a structure that made me take the chance, despite the cost, hoping I could Enchant it. I tried to use the spell book.
Do you wish to learn the spell: Minor Heal?
Chapter 25
Minor Heal
Restores a small amount of Healthto a target. Spell structure maintained by 11 Wisdom, 11 Willpower. Healing: 0.4 times Wisdom and Willpower, excluding structure requirement.
Cost: 500 Mana Cast Time: 8s, Intentional
Range: Touch Upkeep: N/A
While I had thought there might be a chance I could learn the spell it still took me by surprise. I had to admit to myself that I had felt from the very beginning that I was just a less competent Mage, who could enchant things. I had planned for so long to become a Mage that the idea was difficult to get rid of. Learning a Cleric spell though, strongly contradicted that and brought my illogical take on the situation into focus. I was not sure I appreciated that. With a frown of concentration I began casting Minor Heal on myself. I formed the structure between my hands, just like I first cast Fire Burst in the cave with the Unraveling Spirit. It took shape inside a cloud of Mana as more and more of it filled out its structure and made it almost tangible. The long casting time gave me plenty of time to study what happened before the spell completed, and it was very interesting to watch it come together with Sense the Flow. The spell completed and a rush ran through me, making me feel ever so slightly better. I sat there on the bed, thinking, before calling up Limited Caster.
Limited Caster You are not a Mage nor a Cleric, while you may learn spells your ability to cast them is limited. Effect: The Mana cost of all spells is increased to five times.
I was not surprised that the description had changed, I did wonder though, why it had not stated that from the very beginning. Traits and Abilities in a sense always gave new information, was the fact I could cast spells from a yet another class somehow more valuable or secret? Why did it cost five times as much though? I had the sense that things were not as arbitrary as I had thought when I got my class; I was not a Mage or a Cleric, but I could cast spells. Why should they cost five times more? I did not accept that was somehow a random punishment handed down by the Order, there had to be more to it. What did I do different from a Mage or a Cleric when I cast a spell? One obvious thing was that I had not used any chants when I cast Minor Heal, unlike what the Scribe and the book in the library had mentioned. I did not know any chants, nor did my understanding of the spell include any. The casting was much the same as when I used Fire Burst, except with a different spell structure. It was a structure built within Mana and then fueled until it took effect. I recalled using my familiarity with enchanting as somewhat of a crutch in the cave, to cast a spell for the first time. Was that possibly it then? Did I in fact not actually cast a spell but rather enchant without a material? I did also remember, albeit with some difficulty, that the main thing that made me feel casting was different was the lack of connections to something for the spell structure to attach to, making the whole thing feel frail. I really wanted to know more about how Clerics and Mages cast their spells, to be able to judge the difference. Another thought that struck me then, was: what about Attributes? Why did my casted spells improve with Attributes when my enchantments had not? Either it had something to do with using Mana instead of a material, or I was mistaken about this. If it was about using Mana as an anchor, what did that mean for my enchantments? The possibilities were far too many. The Steel Door and Bars had done massive amounts of damage, so size and material should have some kind of effect, but there had to be more to it than that. I fished out a small bead from the satchel, it was quite a lot smaller than any stone I had used. Would this do even less damage then? Wanting to find out, I enchanted the iron bead with Fire Burst. As opposed to my all but guaranteed success when enchanting a stone, I fumbled the connection of the structure twice before I managed a successful Enchant. I disliked destroying materials I paid for a lot more than stones picked up off the ground.
Iron bead of Fire Burst Will explode with a burst of fire when hitting a target.
Damage: 12 Quality: Good
You have created an Iron bead of Fire Burst! Experience gained: 8
There were several interesting things here, first; I did not get a discovery, which made sense with my reasoning from before. If I was indeed correct about that, it would then mean I had received my discoveries for Fire Burst, using stone, iron, and steel. I still held some hope that each spell had a discovery of its own, otherwise enchanting would not give experience for very long. The quality of the iron bead was higher, the size was smaller and the damage was the same as a stone. Which was not really what I expected, was quality more important than size then? Or did it have nothing to do with that? The iron scrap from the pen had done two more damage, but been maybe twice the size with lower quality. I fished out some glass beads and continued experimenting.
You have made a discovery! You have discovered how to create a Glass bead of Fire Burst!The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Experience gained: 97
Glass bead of Fire Burst Will explode with a burst of fire when hitting a target.
Damage: 13 Quality: Good
It took me seven tries to connect the structure this time, and again the damage was slightly different from before. Driven on by the chance at experience I enchanted beads of copper to get a discovery from that as well, since I had many of those. I hesitated to use either silver, gold, bronze or tin, since I had far fewer of them; I only had five of the gold beads, which might not be enough to have a successful enchant at all. I put off using steel for Fire Burst as well, while it might get me an even better enchantment I did not have quite as many, and I wanted to know more about the other enchantments first.
You have made a discovery! You have discovered how to create a Copper bead of Fire Burst! Experience gained: 86
Copper bead of Fire Burst Will explode with a burst of fire when hitting a target.
Damage: 17 Quality: Good
It was clear that I would need more and different materials if I wanted to keep experimenting. And so I decided to enchant a glass bead with Light, to see if it had potential as a source of income, as I had thought of in the inn. Nine glass beads and some Mana regeneration later I got my result.
You have made a discovery! You have discovered how to create a Glass bead of Light! Experience gained: 172
Glass bead of Light A moderate light source
Duration: Permanent Quality: Good
Congratulations! You have advanced the Skill: Enchanting!
This experience was very good, and a bit strange, seeing it was twice as much as the previous discovery. The fact that the Glass Bead of Light was permanent was both a mystery and a bother. Mage Lights lasted years due to the amount of Mana they held, according to what I had been told. But my Light enchantment was permanent, which would set it apart as something quite obviously different, which might not be a good thing at all for me. I held up the small glass bead and concentrated for a moment, and the thing flared to light. It was about as bright as an ordinary lantern and gave off a soft and warm light. To my surprise, I could feel a slight shifting of Mana around the bead. It was actually drawing in Mana from around itself, was that how it was permanent then? It could support itself with ambient Mana? Why then did the stones of Fire Burst fall apart when used? I set to enchanting iron, copper and even steel with Light as well. They all came out permanent, but with slightly different hues to their light, and the discoveries netted me 491 experience. I sat there with four glowing beads, cross legged on my bed, as I thought about what to do. I needed to find out if it would cause problems for me if I tried to sell these. I wondered if I should ask Charles. He would no doubt talk to Stravos about it though, so maybe ask Stravos directly? I was useful to them at this point, so that might not cause any problems, even if it set me apart. I did not appreciate the uncertainty though, and I would think some more on this and see what I could come up with. I put my musings on hold and instead made an enchantment of each spell and material combination I had in abundance, so glass, iron, and copper. ** The results were a mix of surprises and not, as I gradually increased my skill as the day went on, until I finished the last Ice Lance enchant, and the Order insisted on my attention.
Congratulations! You have completed the Skill: Enchanting!
Congratulations! You have advanced the tier of the Skill: Enchanting!
Enchanting, tier 2 You have begun to be able to strengthen your enchantments.
Skill: 1/10 Effect: 2% increase to enchantment strength per skill level.
Congratulations! You have advanced to level 9!
You have unallocated Attributes! You may choose a new Trait or Ability!
Which brought up a new interesting question, was this skill a representation of what I could do, or was it something external, that was added to me? I ate some bread and fruit as I pondered. Minor Heal, Acid Splash and Ice Lance had netted me a bit above four-hundred experience each, whereas Minor Shield was just about half of that, something I found interesting. That put Minor Shield and Fire Burst on the same level, approximately, and all the other spells at about twice as much. Combined, the experience gained from the discoveries had been enough to get me to level 9. Damage and effects varied quite a bit too, Ice Lance was the most surprising, where Copper bead of Ice Lance came out at twenty-three damage and the iron version was at fifteen. The Minor Shield enchants only absorbed two damage for all the materials, it did not seem to have a duration though, something which I wanted to experiment with.Minor Heal came out at three Health for glass and iron, and five for copper. I grinned, as I finished the last of my pilfered food. I was not about to pick a Trait or Ability yet, but I placed my Attributes in Wisdom, reaching nineteen. I had not even tried enchanting gold, bronze, tin or silver yet, and I had only enchanted Light in steel. That still left me with a fair few discoveries I could make, but right now I felt it was better to make sure I had a good supply of my new spells and to pack them properly in my satchel. I set to enchanting once again. ** I confirmed that experience gained was tied to the material and not the spell. As I got more proficient with a material, the experience dropped accordingly, while my success rate went up, no matter which spell I was using at the time. I advanced my new skill three times which should mean a modest improvement to the effects of what I made, and it did open the door to the idea that there were things I could do to make my enchantments stronger, which I would also have to experiment with further. I used copper beads for Ice Lance and Acid Splash, making quite a good amount of both, despite the fair amount of failures while I learned how to anchor them.
Copper bead of Acid Splash Creates a small splash of acid in front of the user.
Damage: 6 per second Quality: Good
The word change on the Acid Splash enchantment was interesting, and yet another thing I needed to figure out the meaning of. I got sidetracked at this point though, as I activated a Minor Shield to see how it worked; the enchantment started drawing in Mana and did not fall apart as Fire Burst did, instead it stayed intact the way the Light enchantment had done. The air around me looked slightly hazy as I could feel the shield around me with Sense the Flow. Being curious, I picked up another Minor Shield and activated that. I could feel the shield around me intensifying, which was really fascinating. I wanted to see if this kept happening and so took both the activated enchantments in the same hand in order to pick up a third, but as I did that, the shield started flickering as the beads fell to dust, and about a minute later the shield faded completely. This was very interesting! I started considering the implications of this, but I was interrupted as the door banged open, showing a harried looking Charles. He stared at me for a moment, before reaching for the door and slamming it closed again, with him on the other side. Curious. Chapter 26 I picked up a glass bead and an iron bead, both of Minor Shield, and activated them. I held one in each hand and slowly moved them toward each other, to observe what would happen. As they got closer and closer the ambient Mana they drew started to fluctuate, more of it moved towards the glass bead and away from the iron bead. As they got ever closer the Mana started swirling violently and small cracks formed on the beads, starting with the glass one but soon followed by the iron. Just as my hands were about to touch, both beads swiftly fell to dust. It was very curious and I felt sure there was more to gather from this. I now only had Iron beads of Minor Shield left. But rather than continue with Minor shield, I picked up a bead of Acid Splash. I was not sure what the difference might be between conjure and create, as that was where the descriptions between the spell and the enchantment differed, but there was no duration mentioned either. Surely the acid could not be permanent from the enchantment, could it? It did not seem a wise plan to test that idea indoors though, having a pool of acid eating through the floor did not appeal in the least. My stomach growled angrily and I noticed for the first time that I was both hungry and parched. I must have been distracted by what I had been doing for quite some time to feel like this. The thirst was a comforting return to what had been normal, not too long ago, even though it was slightly unpleasant. I peered over my shoulder out the window, seeing a bright day outside. I shrugged and turned back to the piles of beads on my bed. There were at least thirty of each enchanted spell. That translated into several hundred attempts in total, as I had to learn the materials to have any reasonable chance of success. That amounted to quite a lot of hours of work, as I also had to wait for Mana every so often. An enchantment took between one and a few minutes to complete, and the Mana used varied between thirty-five and forty, when an enchantment was successful. Which was also interesting, there was very little difference in the Mana needed for the different enchantments. It also took longer to enchant a bead compared to a common stone, something I had a hard time coming up with a reason for. The door banged open once more and Charles stood there staring at me yet again. "Why are you not ready yet?!" He growled out. I noticed that he was pale, sweating slightly, and he had dark circles under his eyes. All in all he looked terrible. "What do you want, Charles? You look like something the cat dragged in, what have you been doing to yourself?" I received only a glare in reply, as he moved out the doorway. "Meet me in the kitchen!" Having said that, he slammed the door shut even harder than the first time and I could hear his heavy footsteps as he left, all but stomping away. Had something happened to him? Deciding that it was not really my concern or problem, I checked my clothes. Finding them mostly dry, I dressed with a grimace. It was always uncomfortable to dress in not quite dry clothes. Now dressed, I considered if I should bring my satchel. If Charles was here he might have work for me with the Guard, and so I decided to bring it along. I left the piles of unenchanted beads on the bed. I doubted Sharon would steal them and if I needed to enchant more than I had with me, I was in trouble anyhow. I had kept the Stones of Fire Burst in my coat pockets, and filled the four smaller compartments in the satchel with Ice Lance, Acid Splash, Minor Heal, and Minor Shield respectively. After a moments consideration I put out the four Light enchantments and dropped them into the large center compartment of the satchel. I could not quite see myself needing them, but I would be annoyed if I did and had not brought them. Being done with that, I cast Minor Heal on myself to restore some of my missing Health, before leaving. Status.
Ewynne
Age: 18
Level: 9
Experience: 241/10000
Race: Aberration
Class: Enchantress
Strength: 4 Dexterity: 10
Agility: 8 Constitution: 10
Endurance: 8 Intelligence: 22
Wisdom: 19 Willpower: 24
Perfection: 14 Charisma: 12
Health: 71/100 Mana: 15/650 (13/minute) Stamina: 80/80 (18/minute)
Unallocated Attributes: 0
Charles and Sharon were sitting at the kitchen table. Sharon was drinking tea and Charles was looking annoyed and generally grumpy. "Finally!" He all but erupted, as I entered the kitchen. "Have a seat, dear, and I will get you something to eat." Sharon spoke over him. "We need to be on our way!" Charles responded with overt annoyance. What was his problem? What had happened to have him acting this way? "Nonsense, the girl has not left her room for close to a day, she will eat before going anywhere, and that is all there is to say about that." Sharon delivered this with enough finality to make Charles sit down and wait. I was quietly impressed. An excessive amount of food later, Charles shooed me out the door as I shouted my goodbyes to Sharon. We set off down the street at a quick pace. "Where and why are you dragging me off in such a hurry?" I asked, as Charles glared down at me. "There has been several murders, a small village worth of murders. We think we know who did it, but we are hoping you will tell us it was a strange spell gone awry. Anything other than what we believe would be good, to be honest." The more he spoke the more tired he sounded. I was not exactly feeling spry myself, not having slept, but Charles seemed downright haggard. Not knowing what to say or do, I kept walking in silence. We took a turn out on Merchant''s Lane and kept moving towards King''s Road, which made sense, if we were leaving the city for a village. There were no villages all that close to the city though, so it would be quite a walk to get there. My thoughts about walking turned out to have nothing to do with the plans of the day. Charles led us to the side of the Guard post at the main gates, where there apparently was a small stable. Riding was not quite prohibited in the Merchants'' Quarter, but there was a charge to pay in order to do so; which meant that other than on King''s Road, where messengers rode to the High Quarter or the Noble Quarter, horses were rarely seen in Logate. Most of the carts of goods were brought into the city in the early mornings, and oxen were the common beast of burden for those.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Riding out of Logate was not a pleasant experience, it seemed to me as if my horse was intentionally making me bounce all over the place, whereas Charles seemed to follow the horse''s movements smoothly and without any issue. The bloody thing was tall too, Charles had seen me try to get a foot into the stirrup to mount, and he had simply thrown me up on the thing rather than wait for me to manage on my own. I hoped we were not going too far. Charles kept glancing at me with amusement, which was in a way preferable to his earlier mood. But still annoying. Eventually, as we had moved some distance away from Logate one of his glances at me turned into a frown. "Did you increase your Perfection?" The question took me off guard, being quite strange. "No." "You really shouldn''t increase your Perfection." He was shaking his head and disapproval was all but radiating off him. It was he who suggested I should increase Perfection or Wisdom in the inn not so long ago, and now he was lecturing me on the opposite! "I have not increased my Perfection, and even if I did, why would that be wrong?" I snapped back at him. It took him long enough to answer that I thought he would not do so. "You should make sure to settle your other Attributes first. Preferably branch more than one, before increasing Perfection. Even if you are saving unallocated Attributes for it, you should wait for the others to branch first." I took that in for a moment, not getting the issue. "For a Mage, the relevant Attributes are only truly Wisdom, Willpower, and Intelligence; that should not take too long to branch, what makes you think I have not done that already?" I asked, curious. Charles had already thought me several levels higher than I was, at the inn a few days back, though admittedly that might have been a ploy of some kind. If I had focused only on those three Attributes I could have branched them all by now. Even for someone without Mental Focus, that would only add a few more levels. Charles though, looked very serious. "You should not say that where anyone else can hear you," he replied while shaking his head. "I am not sure how much of an advantage your Bloodline gives you, but for a Mage; branching one, never mind two Attributes before level twenty, would require high starting Attributes. I do not know of anyone who has branched three before then." He kept shaking his head as we rode on, and he seemed lost in thought. I was not about to tell him my reasoning. It seemed as if I was getting more Attributes from my class than was common, judging by what had just been said. I would have to figure out a way to ask about that, or read about it somewhere, without drawing undue attention. Charles took up his lecture once more. "Perfection is the strangest of the Attributes, it makes you more of what you already are. It is less predictable compared to other Attributes; two people living similar lives, having the same Attributes, and classes, can get completely different results from branching Perfection." Charles shrugged in the saddle. "Make sure to settle your other Attributes first, to get the most out of Perfection. It is not worth the effort to level, if you spend rare unallocated Attributes, just to look prettier." That was both informative and scary. Was unallocated Attributes rare? Did that mean that most Attributes others got were allocated then? As in preassigned to an Attribute? There was no way I could ask that though, I would have to get back to the library at some point. We rode in silence for some time, among the now mostly harvested fields. The situation and our previous conversation was quite awkward to be honest. I had the discomfort of trying to stay in the saddle to take up my time, but after a while with nothing else to focus on, I noticed that Charles had something magical on him. On his belt he wore two small flasks, both of which had quite a bit of Mana in them, but no structure I could discern. Curious. "I got my first ever quest about you, to bring you to see the deceased Lord of House Bressling." Charles broke the silence with that statement, which I considered with more than a bit of confusion. I did not know what to say, ''Congratulations on a quest''? ''Sorry, I know the Order can be a bit of a bother''? I settled for a slight nod and kept quiet for the rest of our trip, something Charles seemed to think a good idea too. ** We rode for the better part of two hours with my discomfort from both the horse and Charles'' manners grating on me, before we rode through a narrow strip of forest that opened up into a beautiful valley. The colors of the abundant flowers and trees were really remarkable and the sight brought a smile to my face. We rode downward for a few minutes, until a man-height palisade came into view just after a bend in the road, showing two-story buildings inside it. The houses were, as opposed to Logate, mostly wood. But I could see, as soon as we passed through the open gate, that the foundations were made of stone. The idyllic view was shattered by the rows of bodies that lined the main, and probably only, street in the village. Two Guards were carrying out yet another body from a house, whilst a third Guard stood taking notes. My relief at standing on my own two feet was marred by the gruesomeness of the scene. Charles spoke without getting down, "I will return before dark for your report, I have other things to do." Having said that, he turned his horse and quickly rode off, leaving me there stunned. "Well, I guess you are the special investigator we have been told to expect." I turned to the Guard who had been taking notes, and was now leering at me instead. "Is Charles always so... pleasant to deal with?" I could not help wondering if his previous behavior had just been an act, and this was what he was actually like. The Guard scratched his unshaven face, and looked in the direction Charles had left. "Na, not really. Normally easygoing for one of the prissy ones. Didn''t quite seem himself today. Don''t know why, he''s seen worse than this." He shrugged as if it was not his problem and turned to stare at me again. "So, darling, what do you need?" I very deliberately did not set the man on fire, instead I looked over at the line of remains. "Nothing, just leave me be so I can finish this and go home." With that, I set to work, wondering if this was really worth the coin. At least the Guard did not bother me further. I moved from one body to the next, sensing what I could find, which was nothing at all for a time. It was not until the twelfth body, which was not even halfway down the line, that I found Mana. By this point I was sweating from the strain of not running away screaming. Keeping my face impassive added to the effort, but I did not want to show the already obnoxious Guard any weakness, which was probably immature of me. The people who were dead had been chopped apart; men, women, and children alike. Until the twelfth, where his face had been melted by magic. Refraining from taking a deep breath, I took in the remnants of a spell structure, something I had not known I could sense before now. There was always Mana around, to one degree or another. But just like how I had not noticed the bottles Charles had until I had nothing else to focus on, I clearly did not always pay attention to what I could sense. I mused that it was a bit like how sight worked; One always see what is ahead, but to pay attention to it all for any length of time is impossible. This structure was so weak and frail though, that I had to really focus on it to make anything out, which made me curious as to how many of its kind I had passed by without taking note. It was hard to understand the structure as well, there were parts of it that made sense, and then there was a nothingness that I could not get a handle on. I sat back on my heels, in my crouch, and considered this. The structure seemed to be fairly simple and straightforward: it threw something. It was what had been thrown, at the mans face in this case, that was strange. It was like a blank had been left in the remnants of the structure. It could be a limitation of Sense the Flow; I could only perceive ''basic Powers'', and this could possibly be something other. What would constitute a basic Power if that was the case though? Mana and Force, maybe? It was also possible that one part deteriorated faster than the others, I supposed. It was all just speculation though, and this was my first time studying something like this. I sighed and rose, to look down the line of bodies. Hopefully there was no magic on any more of them and I would be able to leave this horrid place soon. That was when I heard the horses. I looked up to see that the three Guards had mounted and were riding off, without even a backward glance at me. A sense of dread settled in my stomach, but I reminded myself that this did not have to mean anything. They might just have been done with their work, and now left. Leaving the rest to me, and eventually Charles, when I told him what I had found. They had left my horse, so I could just ride away myself, which I now fully intended to do. I did not have to mention I did not look at every body. I could just tell Charles what I had found on the one. A skittering sound made me freeze, and cursing under my breath I turned to the building the Guards had been carrying a body out of, last I took note of them. There, I could see a rabbit. It was a rabbit with a missing front leg, its head hanging twisted and limp, with black eyes that seemed strangely intelligent. I thought that the angle of the creatures neck should have meant it was dead, but it still moved. The most unsettling part though, was that it also had a small clawed arm growing out of its back. The thing was waving back and forth in a macabre parody of a tail. I had a bead of Ice Lance in my hand before I consciously thought about it; I threw and activated the bead. A mostly flat and sharp looking blade of ice formed all but instantly in the air, as the bead was consumed. The lance shot towards the creature and skewered it lengthwise. The rabbit-monstrosity let out a horrible squishy sound before slumping to the ground.
You have been victorious! You have slain an enemy! You gain 0 Experience!
You have defeated an Undead: Rabbit, you have been awarded 101 Experience!
I took a deep breath as my mind raced through that. Was this the Order''s way of giving as much, or as little, information as possible? Why did the undead creature seem to not give experience in and of itself; it rather appeared that experience was awarded after the fact, by the Order, presumably? Just like with the Unraveling Spirit in the cave. I looked at the skewered rabbit with a frown, the ice lance was still there. Was it not supposed to fade away? It seemed more like it was very slowly melting. While the word undead was not that hard to understand, the concept was strange. What kind of world would have creatures about that were not alive, but not dead either? Truth be told, I did not really care, I was getting out of here.
Quest!
Find the source of the Undead and destroy it. Reward: 8000 Experience, Sense the Flow: rank 2.
Well, crap. Chapter 27 While I thought it preferable to have help with the quest, who could I turn to? I had my doubts about the whole situation with Charles and the Guards. The behavior of all of them was more than a bit suspicious, leaving me no one I really felt comfortable relying on, which was familiar territory to be honest. Even so, I felt strangely betrayed. Surely I had not started trusting Charles, had I? I crossed the street and moved in the direction of the gate and the horse I had ridden here. No matter if I was on my own or not, I thought it wiser to leave, if only to consider my options in greater safety. I had not yet gotten all the way to the horse when something struck me as odd; the horse stood stiffly and its flanks were not moving with the steady breath of earlier. I slowed my pace, as I furrowed my brow in thought. I did not know all that much about horses, but this seemed strange. My suspicions were proven to have merit as the horse turned its head. It had a gray metal spike, which shone with a dim purple light, sticking out of its left eye. Something that surely should have killed it. I was not sure which was more unsettling, that someone had done such a thing to the dumb beast, or that I had not noticed. I started moving backward as I saw that the animal was not only undead now, but also apparently untethered as well. This had to have been the work of the Guards; the fact that the monstrous rabbit showed up just as they left was suspicious, but now with the undead horse, their involvement was all but a certainty. One question that really made my gut clench was, just how involved was Charles? He knew where I lived, knew the woman who owned the house, and probably knew more about me and what I could do than anyone else at this point. But the idea that Charles was one of the corrupt Guards did not sit well with me, I had to be missing something. Why would anyone bother though? While I did not think the slim amount of information I had gathered here meant much, I could be mistaken. But the situation I now found myself in might not have anything to do with this village in particular. Had Charles told anyone what I could do, and this was an attempt to get me out of the way before I caused problems for anyone? It seemed as if whatever was going on was adversarial to the Order, was that Archive entity involved in this? It felt unnatural that I was at the point where I probably trusted the Order the most. The horse gave off a disgusting sound as it turned gracelessly around to face me. The creature was very large, standing quite a bit taller than I, something I had found mildly terrifying when it had been alive and mostly docile. Now, it was decidedly unpleasant. I hurriedly withdrew several Copper beads of Ice Lance, threw, and activated them. The sharp shards of ice sunk deep into the chest and neck of the horse. The damage did not seem to faze it nearly as much as it had the rabbit, which had died from a single one. Despite having several ice lances sticking out of it, the undead creature moved towards me with a lumbering gait, accompanied by wet squelching noises from its wounds. I kept backing up as I withdrew more beads of Ice Lance; I threw and activated the five I had palmed. Three of them sunk into the neck and torso, one hit its muzzle, and the final one made a loud cracking sound as it impacted the horse''s skull and sank in by half its length. The undead horse stumbled to a stop, and slowly tipped over.
You have been victorious! You have slain an enemy! You gain 0 Experience!
You have defeated an Undead: Horse, you have been awarded 606 Experience!
The horse was dead, more dead? Deader? I now had to leave on foot, which would be quite a bit slower. I did not know how many of the undead creatures there were in the area, and I had used up close to a third of my Ice Lance enchants, leaving quickly would have been preferable. In order to have some protection, I activated a Minor Shield bead in each hand and put them into the pockets on my pants, one on each side. I presumed that should be far enough apart for the enchantment to stay active and stable, which seemed to be true. I was quite upset with myself for not settling my Traits and Abilities when I had peace and quiet. I vowed to myself never to leave such choices unmade, when I was safe and had the opportunity to make them. I wanted every advantage I could get, and hoped I was not making a mistake by dealing with it now. I focused on bringing up my options of Traits and Abilities, to no apparent effect. I had time to truly start to worry before the Order finally responded. Why had there been a delay? That had never happened before.
Acolyte of the Order You have chosen to work with the Order, though for personal gain rather than any sense of loyalty. Effect: +10 Constitution, Sense Domain
Breaker of Bonds You make your own path and will not follow in the footsteps of others. Effect: +6 Perfection
Faced the Emptiness Effect: +6 Willpower
Inspect, rank 1Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. You can perceive the properties of items that are not of your own making.
Cost: 10 Mana Cast Time: Instant, Intentional
Range: Touch Upkeep: N/A
I wondered if I had not been mistaken when I first thought about what Traits and Abilities meant. I was now starting to suspect that they were more of an opportunity than a cynical commentary on my recent past; as if I stood at the cusp of something and could choose to embrace it or leave it behind. Which also made me wonder, did my choices of Traits affect me beyond the obvious? The Traits I had on offer this time were all very good, but Acolyte of the Order stood out, clearly offering much more than either of the other Traits. It felt quite a lot like a bribe, which I had no problems with. Inspect seemed like it could be very useful, but compared to the sheer survivability of ten Constitution, branching, and getting whatever Sense Domain was, the choice was rather obvious. Even the description seemed to suit me very well. If I was being played, it was very well done, though not exactly subtle. I was not that sure I cared though, as long as I could get something useful out of it. It was a lot like my relationship with Stravos to be honest. Though the motivations of the Guard seemed to be less clear and focused than those of the Order, despite me not knowing much of what the Order wanted, other than presumably getting rid of the Undead and maybe the Archive. Were they connected somehow? I chose Acolyte of the Order.
Congratulations! You have reached a branch in Constitution! Choose your path!
Hardy Your tenacity is exceptional, pushing the boundaries of what your body can survive. Effect: Constitution increases your Health by another 60%.
Regeneration You survived and learned that nothing is more important than recovery. Effect: Regain three Healthevery hour, your Stamina recovers 20% faster.
While regaining Healthmight be very useful, I could do that using spells or enchantments; the pure and massive survivability that Hardy offered was simply too good to pass up. I assumed the choice might have been more difficult if I was a Warrior or a Rogue. This single Trait I just got, represented quite a significant increase in power, which made me wonder: just how powerful was someone like Stravos? Or even Charles for that matter?
Sense Domain You are attuned to the differences of the Worlds. Effect: You can perceive the limits of a Domain.
While more than a bit ambiguous, I supposed it might be useful. My traits settled, I should now leave this place. I was not very far from the unimpressive gate to the village, but moving toward it, I was distracted by a purple line that ran along the street on my right. The line curved somewhat, and a moment of study showed that it circled one of the buildings. At least now I had a guess as to why I received such a good Trait, had that been the cause of the delay even? Just how did this fit into the rules the Order seemed to follow? I looked at the open door and the dark interior beyond; it seemed rather obvious that this was where the source of the undead could be found. And I would not be going in there. I rubbed my eyes, the stress and my lack of sleep was getting to me, but even so, I grinned slightly. Seventeen stones of Fire Burst later, and the house was a quite merry bonfire. No doubt it had been overkill to use so many, but I was not about to err on the side of restraint when setting out on my path as an arsonist. This did feel way too easy though, the amount of experience and the Ability improvement were quite significant. I could not help feeling that the other shoe had yet to drop. But as of yet, there was nothing to be seen; no rabbits, no horses, no spirits, and no undead abominations. I jumped backward with a start as the purple line on the ground moved with a lurch. My heart raced and I had to forcibly keep myself from hyperventilating. I looked around and could see that the whole circle around the building was moving, not just stretching itself towards me. Which was both comforting and frightening, quite a dichotomy. I had thought there would be something inside the building to destroy, but if it was moving, did that mean it was a someone? It only took moments for a silhouette to show in the door to the burning building; a man came shambling out and he was horribly burned. I put a hand over my mouth as if that would make his visage less horrifying. Most of his skin looked like it had melted, and parts of him were sizzling and popping like a piece of meat over the fire. The only thing on him not totally ravaged by flames, was the tabard he wore. It seemed to resist the fire, as it was not even singed. The burnt man wore the tabard of the Champions of Truth. As he fully came out of the fiery inferno the man turned his face to me, showing empty eye sockets and a cracked and split forehead from which came a black and creeping light. The light moved as if alive in the air, rather than shine as light was wont to do. Obey me! I stumbled backwards as a voice tore through my mind. I grabbed beads of both Ice Lance and Acid Splash. I threw and activated them just as the burnt man waved a hand at me, in a clumsy motion. A wave of dark light sped quickly to strike my chest, setting off a flash of blue light, throwing me quite some distance backwards to land hard against the ground. It felt as if many eyes rested on me, scrutinizing me while I gasped futilely for air. Both the blow to my chest and back made it impossible to draw breath as my torso cramped. I could not hear anything other than my own heartbeat, increasing my panic as I could not tell what was going on around me. I needed to get up, now! I rolled over and scrambled to my feet, despite not yet having been able to draw breath. Tears ran down my face as I looked for the burnt man. One of the ice shards had missed him, and now stuck into the wall of the building, but the remaining three had struck his chest and neck. Acid Splash had covered a fair amount of his upper torso and head. Strangely colored smoke rose off his body as I finally managed to draw a ragged and sobbing breath. Health.
Health: 29/320
The amount of HealthI had lost was staggering, while I had not been anywhere near full Healthbefore the attack, I was now frightfully close to death. One more such attack would kill me outright. I half ran, half scrambled along the street and out the gate into the forest. I fled, gasping for air while making small whimpering noises as the pain in my chest made itself known with every breath. I kept scrambling through the underbrush for some time, staying away from the road and out of the open. ** I sat panting against a tree some considerable distance from the village, as I emptied my pockets of the dust that was all that remained of the beads of Minor Shield. I decided that unless something else happened, I was not moving from this spot until I had healed myself fully. I spent a very long time, casting Minor Heal, resting to get Mana back, and casting again. The light of the day gave way to evening and then night, morning came and the sun rose as I stubbornly healed and waited for more Mana. My head slumped more and more as time went on. ** I woke with a start, to a moonlit night, and groaned. I was hungry, my mouth was dry enough that my tongue stuck to the inside of it; at some point I would wise up and start bringing provisions with me when I left home, no matter how short an excursion I was planning. I had been stupid. Setting the house on fire had been clever, doing it while low on Healthhad not been. Standing in the middle of the street like a buffoon, watching the thing burn was beyond idiotic. Not preparing for a possible attack was also stupid. I could blame some on tiredness, some on inexperience with actual combat; but all in all, this had not even been a real fight, it had been a farce I could only count myself lucky to have survived. I rubbed my head as I thought on what I knew. There had been what appeared to be an undead Champion of Truth in the village. They belonged to the Temple. Since the Order did not seem too fond of the undead, I would have assumed the Champions of Truth would have been opponents of whatever was going on here. As I had a hard time seeing why anyone would be willing to become undead, it stood to reason that it was not a voluntary thing. Which did raise the question: what did the Guards get out of leaving me as they had. Coin? A more frightful thought came to me, the swamp had been all but depopulated of life, from what I had seen when I passed through it. The Unraveling Spirit and the undead abomination indicated that there were undead in that area; just how many undead creatures were there in the swamp, and what were they planning? Did undead plan? The strange intelligence I had seen in the rabbits eyes and the voice that assaulted me near the burnt man made me suspect there was someone directing the undead. Perhaps now was the time to travel and see the world, in particular the parts far from Logate. Chapter 28
Acorn of Ice Lance Throws a sharp lance of ice at a target.
Damage: 4 Quality: Poor
I sat under the tree, waiting for the sun to rise. From my previous trek through the woods I knew I was not particularly skilled at moving through forest. So waiting for better visibility would hopefully make my travels less of a cacophony. While I did not know for sure if anything was out here looking for me, I saw no good reason to draw attention by hurrying at this time. I looked down at the acorn in my hands, they had been very difficult to enchant, and I had gained a discovery of 184 experience for Ice Lance and 98 for Fire Burst, as well as an increase in my enchanting skill. Having spent a fair amount of time waiting for morning and enchanting acorns, I now understood what it was that made them so difficult to enchant; the structure of an acorn was very unhomogenized. Admittedly, it was also possible that its organic nature had an effect. Which made me wonder if it was possible to enchant something that was alive? Was that merely a question of skill, if an acorn was possible? I ended up pondering other things as I sat there under my tree: How come I could activate enchanted objects, despite not being able to feel them with Sense the Flow? It could just be happenstance that the range of Sense the Flow lined up with the range at which I could use something enchanted, but I doubted that was the case. It was not so long ago that I had assumed that I activated an enchantment by having it impact something, which had proven to be a misconception on my part. What if I was making assumptions here too? I closed my eyes to see what I could sense, which was nothing from the acorn. I sat there for some time, my eyes closed. I knew where the acorn was, which was not that impressive as I had it in my hand. But was that it? I threw the acorn over my shoulder. It flew to bounce against something nearby, before landing on the ground; I knew what had happened, despite having my back to it. I smiled as I waved my hand, and a lance of ice came shooting from behind me to slam into a nearby tree. The theatrical gesture truly only helped my mood, but that was as good a cause as any I thought. I could not feel the Mana in my enchantments, but it seemed as if I knew where they were. I had not even considered that as something special, or even given it thought. I had never lost sight of an enchantment I had planned to use, giving me an illusion of the series of events, once again. I could not help but wonder how long this would keep happening, me thinking I knew how things worked, only to find out that I was wrong. This realization did open the door to new possibilities when fighting, if I had the opportunity to prepare.
Quest!
Find the source of the Undead and destroy it. Reward: 8000 Experience, Sense the Flow: rank 2.
I took in the quest I had brought up once more and sighed. I would not be asking anyone for help at this point. The things I lacked knowledge of made my life harder; I did not know what set me apart, as an Aberration or an Enchantress, something made painfully obvious in my last conversation with Charles. I seemed to stand out even when I tried not to. As such, working with anyone unknown, who would take coin, was not a consideration. I did not trust the Guard for obvious reasons. I did not trust Charles either, while I was unsure if it had been his intent to leave me with the undead, he had been acting way too strange. If he had not been in on the plan, he was simply inept, which was just as bad in someone I considered relying on. Taking care of myself was hard enough, I did not need another to care for too. If those Guards were what they seemed and Charles had no clue, then he was not particularly proficient at his duties. I could come up with a long list of reasons for why he might fail to realize what was going on, but none of those made him appealing as someone to have at my back. As the light of morning began to shine through the trees, I got to my feet. First, I would deal with my hunger and thirst. I had never hunted and did not know much about it, but as long as it was not undead, it was probably safe to eat. Not willing to use copper beads, I had enchanted a few stones of Ice Lance during the night, granting yet another discovery. ** Over the past few hours I had hunted, and found myself a small pond to drink from, where I now sat tending a fire. It was circled by what was probably an excessive amount of stone, but I did not want to accidentally start a forest fire. I had also circled my small impromptu encampment with enchanted beads, in case I was attacked. Killing a normal rabbit with Ice Lance had been messy, but rather easy. Cleaning it out, had been disgusting and difficult. I knew how to do such things in theory, but had no real proficiency. The dagger from the man who tried to rob me might not have been well suited to the task either. For a time I had considered if it was possible to melt and drink the water from an Ice Lance. They did not seem to dissipate the way most magic did, but I was not confident enough about that. If it did disappear, what would happen to the water or me if I had drunk it? Though my opportunities to grill meat had been rare, it was at least mildly familiar and it gave me a moment to relax and consider my options further. While I could gain experience by enchanting, there seemed to be a rather definite end to that path, both in terms of coin and variation. No matter how I looked at it, at some point I would have to take risks. I would rather those be ones I chose, if only for the illusion of control. I did have the option to be more intelligent about what I did. I looked out over my encampment and the enchanted beads that lay all but invisible. There were things I could do to manage the risks I took. One thing I had noted was that the undead seemed rather slow both to move and react. ** As the day progressed through the afternoon, I stood at the gates of the small village, in which I had now spent quite some time. I had found that staying away from the burnt house and its Domain was enough to let me move about unimpeded while I completed my preparations. While my plan was more than a bit risky and relied on my observations during my first encounter with the burnt man, I thought it feasible. I took a deep breath and went over everything once more, making sure I had not forgotten anything. Not for the first time today, I wondered if this was the life I wanted for myself. My conclusion, yet again, was that I wanted to have the power to stand on my own two feet rather than bend over for someone else. This was the best choice I could come up with; everything else I had thought of had been ways of delaying action and putting faith in others, which to my mind was not really a choice at all. I was a bit worried, I did not know how many potential enemies there might be nearby, but if they were all undead, running should still be an option. I had prepared a route that should let me get away, but hopefully it would not be needed. I had learned many things in the last few hours, like the fact that I knew what enchantments I had in my satchel, but not how many; If I spread them out on the ground though, I knew how many I had, and where, if they were within my range. It was as if they interfered with each other when too close. Perhaps they distorted the ambient Mana even when inactive. Or perhaps they contained some other Power, which Sense the Flow could not discern. I had, for the most part, carried Stones of Fire Burst in my pockets. It was quite reasonable that I had never understood that I had any knowledge about them, when everything had played into my preconceptions. Of course I knew what I had in my pockets, since I had put it there. It was easy to dismiss that as obvious and fail to make the connection, or so I told myself at least. I was more than a bit worried about what might happen after my fight with the burnt man, when it was time to get out of here. I had spotted nothing so far: living, dead, or undead. The rows of dead people were gone, the rabbit, and the horse along with them. A village this size should have had pets, probably some other animals too, yet I had not found anything. The idea that I could finish my quest only to get attacked by an undead cow was not amusing. The burnt man had not reacted to my presence in the village yet, just like the day before. Then he had only moved when the fire had hurt him badly enough it had seemed. My plan for this part was that if he still was a reasoning creature, the fire should now be a way to get his attention, and so I began.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. The damage the acorns of Fire Burst did to the already burnt building was negligible, but it was far easier to get them inside the building than last time, so they should still have the effect I hoped for. While it took a few minutes, the Domain did start to move; the burnt man was coming my way. I took slow breaths to keep my calm while I waited. The monstrosity that came out of the building was frightful to see, even compared to last time. Chunks of him were missing and the damage done by fire and acid made it sickening that he was still upright and moving. I honestly hoped he could not feel what he had gone through. I did not assume him weak though, despite the horrendous wounds. The moment I judged he was close enough, I began activating the Copper beads of Ice Lance that were spread out between us. I sent them at him in groups of four, using them as quickly as I could manage. As soon as the last four of the sixteen I had prepared struck the burnt man I quickly shuffled backwards, carefully judging distance as I watched the undead Champion of Truth turn into a pincushion, but not go down. I had not expected that to end him, hoped, but not expected. With something between a growl and a moan he began a stumbling shuffle forward, as sharp lances of ice stuck out of his torso, legs, arms, and neck, hampering his already graceless movement. For this last part I would have to be within the Domain of this creature, something I was not looking forward to. When I had thought about my previous fight, I had suspected that both the painful voice and the magical attack required me to be within the Domain, as I had not been struck in the back when running away. The assumption seemed to be correct, as the undead creature kept approaching me at a slow lurch, which I saw no reason for if it could have attacked me already. I crouched slightly, preparing to dodge, if possible. This time I had several active Minor Shield enchants spread out on my person. While it was uncomfortable to have one bead in each boot, if it improved my chances of coming out of this unscathed, I could put up with it. All in all I had one in each boot, one in each of my pants pockets and one in my left hand. I hoped the shield could absorb ten damage, but it was probably less. I suspected it was not possible to stack enchantments without any reduction in effect, considering how they had reacted to proximity so far. The burnt man shuffled forward slowly, the whole thing was surreal; even the rabbit had seemed more alive than this creature. The undead Champion of Truth seemed more like a thing than a person. I held my breath as the purple line passed me, and I found myself within the creatures Domain. OBEY ME! I stumbled, but quickly caught my balance, I could not move too much or my plan would fall apart. The undead Champion waved an arm at me, though with its horrible injuries it was more akin to a half body shrug than a wave. The dark light that sped towards me gave me a sense of dread I had not expected. This had been a very likely outcome when I had considered what might happen. Apparently knowing a thing might happen, and experiencing it was very different, who would have thought. I cut my mental ramblings short, to focus on what I was doing. I tried my best to dodge but still got hit on my shoulder, as a flash of blue light all but blinded me. The hit caused me to spin in a circle as I half stumbled, half fell to a knee, before quickly pushing to my feet. The creature did not have much further to move. I could no longer feel the beads in my boots and the one in my hand had fallen apart, I was without a shield. Health. The next attack from the undead Champion took me off my feet just like during our last fight, and I had a panicked moment where I wondered if I would die here. Health. The Order not responding to me intensified my fear. I wiped tears and snot as I got to my feet, watching the undead creature take that final step I needed. I swiftly retook the ground I had lost during the last attack, as the burnt man started its lurching arm wave once more. Beads of Acid Splash exploded around the undead Champion in a cascade, twenty beads going off in a swift sequence, one after another, forming a veritable cloud of acid in the air. I crouched down, ready to run. The damage done each second by the acid was enough to kill me in heartbeats, even with my now impressive Health, and I hoped it would do the same to the undead Champion. But even though he was already burnt, been skewered by ice lances, and was now all but drowned in acid, I was still preparing to flee if that turned out not to be enough. As the creature was still in the cloud of acid, I quickly replaced the beads in my pockets and in my hand; while not as much of a shield as what I had earlier, a reduction of six damage was far better than nothing. I also began sidling backwards, towards the edge of the Domain. I let out a small gasp of fright, as the undead Champion stumbled out of the acid cloud. Other than a few pieces of flesh here and there, all that remained was a skeleton, even the resilient tabard was now gone. The creature''s bones where coated in acid and breaking apart even as it tried to move. I watched in horror as the skeleton took one more step, before the creeping dark light from its forehead went out, and the whole thing collapsed into a pile of dust, bones, and acid. I waited for the Order to tell me that the quest was complete, but my unease increased as that did not happen. In a mix of fear and confusion, I threw and used some of my remaining Stones of Fire Burst at the pile and it exploded into black sparkles and flame. Why had I not gotten any reward for killing such a powerful creature as the burnt man, and why had there been no information from the Order? Was this still not over? I was down to three Copper beads of Ice Lance, five stones of Fire Burst and thirteen Copper beads of Acid Splash, going by my count, and some of those were hidden away along my planned escape route. I felt something watching me, and I spun in panic, searching for an enemy ready to attack.
Health: 240/320
You have been victorious! You have slain an enemy! You gain 0 Experience!
You have defeated an Undead: Vessel, you have been awarded 1717 Experience!
You have completed a Quest! You have been awarded 8080 Experience!
Congratulations! You have advanced to level 10!
You may choose a class Ability!
Sense the Flow, rank 2 You can perceive the flows of Power around you. Limited to the World Powers.
Cost: N/A Cast Time: Instant, Instinctual, Intentional
Range: 3 meters Upkeep: N/A
Why had the Order not responded earlier? Was it due to the Domain, which was now hopefully gone? The increased range of Sense the Flow would be very useful. Expanding the powers I could sense made me curious though, if this was a natural development of the Ability, or if the Order had meddled with it to make me more useful. I supposed it did not really matter in the end. I looked around, as new sensations started to bombard me, it took quite some effort to push them all aside, I would have to deal with what I assumed to be the change to Sense the Flow later. Most houses were undamaged, some were a bit singed, but only the one I had put on fire was truly burnt. I should look around for things to enchant to make my trek out of here as safe as I could manage. I should also see what other things I might acquire. I brought up the class Abilities I could choose between, as I moved towards the nearest house.
Creation: Golem Core, rank 1 You can coalesce and support a single Sentience Core.
Cost: 575 Mana. Cast Time: 45 minutes, Intentional
Range: Touch Upkeep: N/A
Manipulation: Telekinesis, rank 1 You can telekinetically move a number of your own enchanted objects, limited by Willpower and Intelligence.
Cost: Variable, nonlinear increase for each object. Cast Time: Instant, Intentional
Range: 3 meters Upkeep: Variable
Oh, that was downright informative. **
Mission complete!
Defeat the invading undead. Reward: 35 Essence.
Eric drew one of his, now clawed, hands across his forehead. Not that he was sweating, that had seemingly gone the way of other things, but it was something familiar to do as he sat with his back against the cave wall. At some point he had lost track of how many times the rabbits, rats, and raccoons had attacked his cave. The raccoons were the worst, and he had been bitten several times, which was very unpleasant and he had still not regained all the Health he had lost. He fumbled a bit, trying to get his character sheet to show.
Eric
Rank: 2
Tier: Cave
Essence: 46/125
Race: Dweller - Human origin
System: Dweller
Strength: 3 Dexterity: 4
Agility: 2 Constitution: 2
Endurance: 2 Life: 626.25 (-0.25/hour)
Intelligence: 9 Willpower: 6
Wisdom: 4 Spirit: 1
Genius: 0 Domain: 1
Appearance: 1 Charisma: 1
Health: 12/20 Mana: 10/10 Stamina: 11/20
While he had gained a fair amount of Essence from the attacking undead, none of them gave Life, which annoyed Eric to no end. But something good had come from this, Eric looked down at his clawed hands with a grin. The two Ranks he had earned gave enough trait points that he had gained his claws, using fifteen, and even had five left over! More than anything now though, he just wanted to sit down and rest.
New mission!
Defeat the invading undead. Reward: 33 Essence.
Eric swore loudly as he scrambled to his feet. Chapter 29 My frustration had been increasing for quite some time now, and while I did not exactly stomp out of the fourth house I had been in, it was close enough. So far I had found three copper coins and a bent spoon. The houses had been ransacked, furniture was broken, and most everything of value was gone. I crossed the street to enter yet another house, as I wondered why the undead Champion, or the ''Vessel'' as the Order referred to it, had been left behind as it was. While it had not been anywhere near defenseless, it would have been better off with more undead to protect it. It did not seem wise to leave the creature alone and exposed. I could not come up with all that many explanations that made sense; either the undead were less intelligent than I had suspected, or, and this was the less pleasant idea, the Vessels and their Domains were less rare than I would have preferred. As I went through rooms, taking in broken furniture and torn clothes, I mused on the Abilities I could choose between.
Creation: Golem Core, rank 1 You can coalesce and support a single Sentience Core.
Cost: 575 Mana. Cast Time: 45 minutes, Intentional
Range: Touch Upkeep: N/A
Manipulation: Telekinesis, rank 1 You can telekinetically move a number of your own enchanted objects, limited by Willpower and Intelligence.
Cost: Variable, nonlinear increase for each object. Cast Time: Instant, Intentional
Range: 3 meters Upkeep: Variable
It was really hard to say which was more useful, both could rank up and the direction they might take was unknown. I noted that while Creation: Golem Core did not have an upkeep, the description mentioned that I could support a single Sentience Core, which might mean there was some form of additional cost associated with it. Manipulation: Telekinesis, did not actually mention any costs at all, just ''variable'' and the nonlinear increase. For enchanting, variable had meant anywhere from thirty to several hundred Mana. I doubted this Ability would be useless, but the question was how useful it could be. How many things could I move? How heavy? In what way was the Ability limited by Willpower and Intelligence? A Golem in general was seen as a sign of a proficient Mage. They were dumb obedient constructs that were single minded in their tasks, and while not exactly common they were not that rare either. A Sentience Core implied some change to that, but still probably left me with the need to gather materials to form a body of some kind. The Ability did not say I could coalesce a Golem, it said: coalesce a Core. Which was both a bother and somewhat of an opportunity; I could choose what to create, which in a way truly appealed to me. Another advantage the Golem had was that it was a known entity; I could visit the library and study ways to proceed. Having a Golem might discourage others from attacking me, they were often very hard to destroy, and would keep fighting until the very end. Few would want to engage such a creature in combat if they could avoid it. Telekinesis seemed to have the advantage of being more subtle, letting me potentially shift a battlefield to suit me, but it would also take time to develop. Being able to activate an enchantment at a range of only two meters, or possibly three now with the increased rank of Sense the Flow, I could argue that just throwing enchantments was enough, but that might change with higher ranks of Sense the Flow. I made a mental note to verify my assumption about the range at which I knew of an enchanted object, when I went to pick up the ones I had left along my planned escape route. As such, Telekinesis might not necessarily mean much in combat right now. Though that should change with more types of enchantments, and maybe other objects, such as arrows, daggers or even swords. An Acid Splash enchanted dart for example might even let me have an enchantment go off inside of a target, which would no doubt be very effective. I had a hard time making up my mind about which to choose. I entered the final room of the house I was in, only to see something small streak across the floor and disappear. I had sensed the creature, it was almost as if it had a taste to it, which was putrid and disgusting. Had that been an undead rat? The body was a bit too bulky and the tail far too short, an undead hamster then? I shook my head and moved on. ** I walked out of the village, took a sharp turn just outside the palisade, and then moved into the forest. I intended to collect the enchanted beads I had hidden as traps along my planned escape route, the backup plan in case everything had gone horribly wrong when fighting the undead Champion. It grated on me, that searching through the village had been such a waste of time, I had even failed to enchant the one spoon I found, and the few coppers I had gathered did not amount to much. As I moved further into the forest I felt increasingly uncomfortable, I had what was akin to an itch inside of my skull; my attention was drawn every which way without a clear sense of why. No doubt, going by the similarities in perception, this was a result of Sense the Flow having increased in rank, letting me sense some new Power I had not been able to before. I quickly started having troubles with the increased stimuli, experiencing a sense of vertigo. I suspected this effect was due to the behavior of this new Power I could perceive, as well as the significant increase in volume to the sphere the Ability encompassed. Ambient Mana had been a rather constant and unobtrusive Power, as opposed to the one I struggled with now, which was anything but. It took some time, but I managed to get the Ability under control, mostly by suppressing the sensations until they did not constantly draw my attention. I did wonder though, if Sense the Flow could end up overwhelming me, especially if there was too much going on nearby. Would I have to make sure I increased my mental Attributes to handle future ranks of this Ability? It seemed as if at least Willpower was a major component in managing the stimuli the way I did. I shrugged the thought off, as I already intended to do just that, making the point moot. As I felt better, and less distracted, I started using up some of my healing enchants in between collecting enchanted beads from my ambush points.
Iron bead of Minor Heal Restores a small amount of Health to a target.
Healing: 3 Quality: Good
There were many things about the Iron beads of Minor Heal that made them rather lackluster in combat. While they did restore slightly more Health than beads of Minor Shield protected from, my recent experiences made me believe that Minor Shield actually made getting hit hurt less, which I felt was a rather major consideration. The small amount of additional Health Minor Heal restored felt rather insignificant in comparison.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. I should enchant some larger objects with Minor Heal and Shield, to get their effect to be somewhat respectable, though I only assumed that size impacted every enchantment, since I had not tested that properly. If I could fasten them on something, keeping them far enough apart that I could activate each without issue, that would be very useful. Now I just needed an idea of something I could carry with me and the coin for it. I mused on the final thing I had noticed when preparing for the fight with the undead Champion, but then put aside; It seemed as if I could not activate an enchantment if it was crowded by too many others. At the point when I could no longer tell how many individual enchantments there were in a location, I could not activate them either. This seemed to happen when eight enchanted objects were in close proximity, and it struck me as strange. I would have thought it reasonable if I could not activate all of them at the same time, that could possibly be due to insufficient ambient Mana, but why not even one? I had theorized earlier that enchantments possibly interfered with each other when too close, and therefore kept me from keeping track of their number. This was possibly caused by distorting the ambient Mana even when inactive, but I had no idea why this should affect my ability to use them, even if true. It was most frustrating. As I collected the last few enchanted beads I wondered where all the undead had gone, while I wholeheartedly approved of their absence, I would prefer to know where they were. Come to think of it, I had only seen two or possibly three undead creatures during all my time in the swamp, and I suspected that it had been all but depopulated of living creatures. Perhaps they had been used as sustenance rather than an undead army? I could hope. I had confirmed that my new range for knowing about an enchanted object had increased to three meters, or sufficiently close. I took this as proof that the ability to know about enchantments was indeed dependent on Sense the Flow, which also indicated that I would be able to increase my range along with the Ability, a welcome piece of information. ** I walked along the road that led back toward Logate. It had taken quite some consideration to reach the conclusion I had, truth be told it had been tempting to travel elsewhere. But in the end I decided that the resources I knew I could gather in Logate outweighed the danger, especially when I considered the total uncertainty that leaving brought with it. None of the Guard had acted overtly against me. The three in the village could have attacked, rather than leave me for the undead. They would have had a far greater chance of killing me, compared to the horse and rabbit. The fight with the undead Champion had been a choice on my part after all, I could have just left. Their choice puzzled me though, did they need to be able to truthfully say they had left me alive? Either way, it made me reasonably confident I would not be openly attacked inside Logate, at least not by the Guard. The small amount of trust I had started to hold for that organization, despite the corruption I had known of, was now gone though. Did that make me a mercenary then, if I kept taking their coin? Or had I always been? While I had not wanted to move along the road before, the lack of undead in the forest and the fact that I could move so much quicker on the relatively flat ground made me choose to do so in the end. It was also true that I would have a considerably harder time finding my way back to Logate if I stayed off the roads. I did carry three active beads of Minor Shield and kept an eye out for ambushes. Not that I could see why anyone would bother: If I had not been hunted down during my time in the forest, most of which I spent sitting still, I doubted anyone would have made elaborate plans now. But as I had noted before, one should not underestimate creative stupidity, and so I kept alert. It was at the narrow strip of forest which I had crossed to enter this valley, that things became interesting. There was a horse standing on the road. I moved into the forest to the side of the road and crouched down, while I studied my surroundings. The horse seemed to be alive and well, from a distance at least. While I doubted that undead would just leave the beast alone, I did not really have any knowledge that supported my supposition. So far I had been the first to attack any undead I had seen, not the other way around. Would the Unraveling Spirit have left me alone if I had not thrown enchanted stones at it first? The thought struck me that perhaps I was the aggressor in all of this, but as I remembered the rows of murdered villagers I shrugged that idea off as ludicrous. I moved closer to the horse until I could confirm that it lacked the putrid feeling the hamster had given off. But why was the horse here alone? I did not believe one had magically appeared to make my journey back to Logate easier. Having moved up to it, I clumsily patted the animal, perhaps more to comfort myself than it to be honest, the horse was very large after all. My search for someone to whom the horse belonged had not truly even begun when my attention was drawn by the Power inside the beast. It was the same kind as what I had felt all around me inside the forest, and now suppressed my sense of as much as possible. I had never even considered that I might feel what was inside something or someone before. Which probably meant I had not been able to, until I reached the second rank of Sense the Flow. I focused inward to see what I could sense from myself, and what I found was three distinct types of Powers; Mana, the same Power as in the horse, and a third I had not felt before. My first theory was that the Powers were Mana, Health, and Stamina. Just like in my Status. But that would then mean that the horse lacked either Stamina or Health as a Power, which did not make sense to me. With reconstitution and how the body worked when one had a class, I thought that Health might be a Power. But stamina did not fit my idea of what a Power should be, and if the horse only had one, Health did seem the more likely of the two. A problem with that theory was that according to what little I knew, you only really had Health in the sense the Order referred to it once you achieved a class. Though I had my doubts about how to ascertain such a claim, while I had never seen anyone without a class exhibit reconstitution, that could possibly be explained by a lack of Constitution among the classless. The idea that everything around me had Health did seem quite reasonable, I supposed. Quite interesting, was that while an exact comparison was difficult to make, I clearly had more of this Power than the horse did, but the order of magnitude of the difference was hard to define. I turned away from the horse to search for its rider, and quite quickly found several dark spots on the ground, making a clear trail into the forest. I slowly moved in their direction to see what I would find, while fishing out a few beads from my satchel. I assumed I would find someone hurt, but I did not want to be too stupid about this. It did not take long before I sensed a gathering of unstructured Mana I recognized, but there was more detail to it now; I could sense a core of the third Power I had within myself inside the gathering of unstructured Mana. But there were also two small pockets of the putrid feeling I associated with the undead nearby. I moved closer, suspecting I knew what I would find. Or rather whom. I spotted Charles sitting against a tree, a hand held against a blooded side, a small flask in his other hand, and a bloody arrow on the ground next to him. He was pale faced and unconscious. I watched him for a moment with mixed emotions. I was glad he was here, I assumed to look for me. At the same time I thought him an idiot for coming here and getting shot with an arrow. From the looks of things he had removed the arrow from his side and then drunk from one of the flasks that held Mana and whatever the third Power was. The two sources of the putrid feeling were in Charles'' coat pocket and the arrow that lay on the ground. As I did not even consider putting my hand near something associated with the undead, I took my small knife and slit the pocket open. Flakes of black glass fell to the ground, and as they did I could sense how tendrils of Power reached out from them, towards both me and Charles, some of the tendrils sank into our bodies while undulating in a sickening fashion. I felt horror and panic, far beyond the sick feeling I had associated with the remains of the Unraveling Spirit before, as I scrambled backwards. I fell hard on my butt sensing the tendrils that had reached inside me moments before wave ineffectually in the air in front of me. My face scrunched up in disgust as I could sense how the tendrils drew out waves of Power from Charles. I swiftly moved forward, grabbed one of his feet and started pulling him away from the horrifying flakes. I swore angrily at him for being a heavy oaf, as another tendril reached for me. I flinched as it sunk into my chest and I swallowed bile as small amounts of Power left me. But I steeled myself and dragged Charles away from their reach. He had better appreciate this! I sank to the ground next to the idiot I had just saved from being eaten by pieces of undead glass. No doubt if I told him of this, he would look at me with one of his strange expressions and complain about his coat pocket. I found myself almost looking forward to that, as I began to check his wound. I opened up his coat to get at the wound properly, as I thought on what had happened. The sick feeling I had gotten before I gained the second rank of Sense the Flow and could not sense the tendrils from the flakes, had seemingly come from when they were inside me, drawing out Power. That thought was decidedly disgusting, creepy, and horrifying. The pertinent question though, was: why did this large idiot keep carrying the flakes around? Did he just ignore the sick feeling they gave off, like the fool he was? I grudgingly conceded he might not be able to feel it, but I put very little stock in that. Stupidity was far more likely. His wound was all but healed, but the edges had a dark purple color to them. With a disgusted suspicion I concentrated further on what was inside Charles. The first thing I noticed was that he had three types of Power inside, just like me. Two of them we had in common, and one was different for each of us. One of the Powers was the one we shared with the horse, then there was one both of us had but the beast did not, finally I had Mana and Charles had something else. Did that mean that my thought in the library was wrong then, that Force was not just Mana channeled through the body? Or had Charles harnessed some other Power? I would have to ask him when he woke up. Just as with the horse, it was hard to judge, but the Power we had in common with the beast was one that I had far more of. The remaining one Charles and I shared, he had more of. I frowned at this, while I thought my Health was rather impressive, I seriously doubted I had a greater amount than Charles, who had a physically oriented class and no doubt many levels on me. His almost closed wound suggested he should be near to what was full Health for him. It had either been a scratch, and thus he had not lost much Health, or he had recovered enough Health to reconstitute the wound. I sighed as I guessed at what I would find, which would no doubt complicate my theorizing. I refocused on the injury, having sorted out the distracting sensations and thoughts. I could make out very small tendrils that ate at Charles'' Power from the inside, something in the wound spread the putrid sensation of the undead. I swore quietly to myself. Chapter 30 I rubbed tiredly at my eyes, my sleep under the tree had not been my best rest ever and the day had been rather taxing. Taking a slow breath, I studied Charles'' wound for a time, considering what to do as I sensed the tendrils draw at his Power. In the end that was what decided it for me; the thought of leaving those things inside him, eating away, was far more disgusting than I could handle. I would have to do something. Before I did anything else, I spread out many of my remaining enchanted beads on the ground, to give me a better chance to defend us if we were attacked. Our present location was far too close to the road for me to have any confidence we would remain undisturbed. My ability to reach Charles'' wound was hampered somewhat by his coat, but getting him out of it would be difficult: he was simply too heavy and he was not likely to cooperate. Thankfully his Guard tabard was simple in its make, as I had easily moved it aside earlier without even giving it a thought. I concluded that the coat would probably be ruined anyway, with the hole and blood, and so decided to cut away parts of it when needed. I took off my own coat though, while a bit dirty it was fine otherwise, and I did not need to get blood on it again. I knelt down, knife in hand, and began cutting into Charles. At first I managed not to feel much as I was deeply focused on finding the sources of the undead taint, but that all too soon gave way to pure horror at what I was doing. ** I lay on my back, staring up at the evening sky. The sun had not set yet, and I was apprehensive at the thought of spending yet another night in the forest. I did my very best not to think about what I had spent hours doing to Charles, and failed rather miserably. There had been many small black shards inside of him, and each one I found had tiny tendrils reaching for me, as soon as it left Charles'' wound. Over time I had gotten very proficient at quickly flicking the shards away from the both of us. But it had been slow going, both with Charles'' very impressive healing, forcing me to repeatedly reopen the wound, as well as me being hampered by trying to limit the damage I did so that he would have a better chance to recover. I had assumed the flasks Charles carried contained some form of healing potion. After I had finished removing the shards and confirming I could sense no more of them, I had spent an inordinate amount of time making him drink what was in the remaining flask. It did seem to have a rather potent effect, as the wound closed rapidly once I had gotten the contents into him. I thought it must have taken hours to get it all done and at this point I felt exhausted. I doubted the shirt I wore could be saved at this point. I was also bloody up to my elbows, something I needed to deal with, and so with a groan I sat up and began casting Ice Lance. A rather impressive lance of ice slammed into the ground in front of me, tossing dirt every which way. I frowned at it, to me it seemed quite a bit larger than what had come from my Copper beads of Ice Lance. Some quick math told me the damage of this lance of ice should be twice as much as what came from the beads, was that the reason for the difference in size then? I had not thought about it when I hunted rabbits, but the size of those lances should have been even smaller if that was the case. As I reached for the ice lance it wavered and dispersed into motes of Mana, leaving me staring in surprise. That had not happened with the enchantments. It did not take me more than moments to find something to enchant, an acorn once more, as there seemed to be more of them than stones of an appropriate size in this forest. I regretted that choice in mere minutes, after five failures to enchant acorns I started looking for a stone instead. Once I managed to find one, I enchanted it with Ice Lance without issue. I used the enchantment and a new piece of ice slammed into the ground near to me. I sat a moment and watched it, the point in time where the first one had vanished came and went, and I stretched out a hand to pull this one out. With a hiss I pulled my hand back, the ice was both very cold and sharp. I changed my mind and merely held my hands against it for as long as I could stand. I then used the small amount of water I had melted off to scrub at my hands and arms. Rinse and repeat. It did seem as if whatever was created from enchantments was permanent or at least far longer lasting. If the creations indeed were permanent, then that was interesting, as the equivalent spells did not have this property. I had noted that enchantments of Acid Splash lacked duration and had a change in wording from the spell, now it seemed that might be a property of enchantments in general, rather than just that particular spell. If that was the case I could see how I had not noticed before I had gotten the new spells, there was very little difference between a real fire and a magical one. A flame without fuel would just go out, giving me no real chance to notice this difference with Fire Burst. Being slightly cleaner, I still grimaced as I donned my coat once more, and considered Charles. I could not move him and I was not prepared to leave him, more the fool I. Unfortunately I was reaching the point where I would fall asleep if I sat or lay down for too long. I had been awake for close to a full day if my count was correct, and the hours and the stress wore on me. I looked around, as I once more wondered where all the undead were. I mused on what to do, and decided to leave most of my beads of Acid Splash spread out where they were; they needed to be so much closer to a target to be useful anyway, so I might as well have them on the ground and only collect the others. I closed my eyes as I tried to sort out what was pertinent. One obvious issue was the horse, if it was actually still there at the road it was all but a beacon proclaiming there was something nearby to be found. I got to my feet and went to check on the dumb beast. To my surprise it was still there, grazing. I shook my head as I walked carefully up to the creature and grabbed the reins. Other than an indiscernible look at me, the horse did not seem concerned about being led away and it followed me back to Charles without issue. I felt more than a bit foolish that I had not thought about how the horse might have drawn attention earlier. Thankfully no one had taken advantage of my mistake, and Charles had not been conscious to notice either. As I came back, Charles was sitting in the fading evening light, arrow in one hand and some bloody shards in the other. His eyes kept flicking from what was in his hands to the flakes on the ground, formerly in his coat pocket. His expression seemed so sad, almost heartbroken. As the horse and I came closer, and he looked up, I could see that he had tears in his eyes. "Would you betray me, Ewynne?" The question took me off guard and I stopped, flabbergasted. "What is going on with you, Charles?" His response was something between a sob and a laugh, making the situation even more surreal. He looked around, a frown on his face, while I stood there warring with indecision. For some reason Charles tried to gracelessly get to his feet. Seeing him totter, about to fall, I dropped the reins and swiftly moved to steady him. He grinned down at me, something strange and dangerous in his expression. "Charles?" I did not like how scared I sounded, and as Charles turned his free hand up, my heart beat in fright as I expected to see a weapon coming my way. Instead he held a smooth circular stone that soon shattered in his hand, and the world went dark around us.
You have entered the tenth floor of the Deep!
Light came back with the notice from the Order, and I found myself held by Charles, as he looked down at me. He still wore the same strange and dangerous expression on his face and I tried to wrap my head around what was going on, with little success. "Why would the Order offer me so much to get you into the Deep?" His question came out dark and gravelly. It sank in that this idiot had used a Portal Stone. Even one attuned to a Dungeon floor would still be expensive to a horrifying degree. I sure hoped whatever he received was worth it, since I was not appreciative in the least! Perhaps I should have left those undead shards where I found them? **
Mission complete!
Defeat the invading undead. Reward: 82 Essence.
Eric sank to the floor of his cave, feeling exhausted and quite sure he was dying. But this final amount of Essence he had been rewarded was enough for him to get to Rank 4, and with it, he could purchase the spell that had shown up when he had reached the previous Rank.
Conjure Imp - 25 Trait points Summons an Imp.
More than a bit gleeful at the idea of having something that could fight for him, rather than do it himself, Eric did not hesitate a moment after procuring the spell. He began to cast, and marveled at how all the information and understanding about what to do was just there in his mind, as his hands waved in the air and words he did not know the meaning of rolled of his tongue with no difficulty. Quite some time later, the spell not being short by any means, there was a tear in the air in front of Eric. He leaned forward, expectant. He felt more than a bit disappointed as a small blue creature fell out of the portal. With such a diminutive size it would not be able to fight very well. Eric rubbed his head and sighed as the creature looked up at him, with dark eyes that seemed to stretch on forever. With no warning, the creature launched itself at him with an incomprehensible screech. Without hesitation Eric met the imp''s lunge with a swipe of his claws, sending the thing flying backward, but before he had a chance to make sure the creature was dead the Voice interrupted him. Emptiness Corruption detected, Essence gate closing in 19 seconds. Eric stood staring for some time, trying to understand what was going on. He tried to bring up his character sheet, but had no success. He kept trying over and over again, panic taking hold as nothing showed. Eric looked around, feeling strangely betrayed. For the first time since he had taken on a System, he wondered how his parents and sister had felt, just finding him gone one morning. He looked over at where the imp had landed, to see something dark and bloated that was still expanding with cracks forming in it. Eric decided he had seen quite enough, and quickly ran out of the cave and into the swamp. ** Having run a very long time, Eric stumbled to a stop, arms pinwheeling as he almost fell off a ledge. Gathering himself for a moment and taking a deep breath, he peered down. He was on a height above a plateau of some kind. There were quite a few people there below, and seemingly they were splitting up in groups of five or six, before using a broad walkway spiraling downward into the depths of some kind of structure. Deciding he had no interest in that, he turned to leave, only to see a giant sword in mid-swing, coming at his neck. Eric did a clumsy duck and roll, right over the edge. With an inarticulate scream of terror, Eric fell into the dark. He preferred to think that he was crying, otherwise the walls of the pit he was falling into were melting. Welcome! Welcome! His panicking thoughts were interrupted by a creepy sounding jovial voice. Eric was startled further as the dark gave way to a face, black eyes staring into his. Whoever this was, had pushed in close enough that their noses were touching.
Spoiler: Status
Ewynne
Age: 18
Level: 10
Experience: 1240/11000
Race: Aberration
Class: Enchantress
Strength: 4 Dexterity: 10
Agility: 8Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Constitution: 20
Endurance: 8 Intelligence: 22
Wisdom: 19 Willpower: 24
Perfection: 14 Charisma: 12
Health: 278/320 Mana: 529/650 (13/minute) Stamina: 80/80 (28/minute)
Unallocated Attributes: 0
Spoiler: Racial Traits
Mental Focus (Improved) Effect: +4 Wisdom, +6 Willpower, Intelligence.
Spoiler: Traits
Limited Caster You are not a Mage nor a Cleric, while you may learn spells your ability to cast them is limited. Effect: The Mana cost of all spells is increased to five times.
Crystallized Thoughts While Mana does not flow swiftly for you, you are far more efficient with how you use what you have. Effect: Your Mana pool includes Intelligence as an Attribute, but you regain Mana from Intelligence 40% slower.
Discoverer You have discovered things that makes the world a more interesting place. Effect: +1% Experience from all sources.
Mind Fortress You have been the subject of mind altering effects too often and learned to cope with some of them. Effect: You are immune to mind altering affects of the second Sphere and below, or equivalent.
Survival of the putrid You have wallowed in filth and have become more resistant to disease. Effect: Immunity to natural disease.
Acolyte of the Order You have chosen to work with the Order, though more for personal gain than any sense of loyalty. Effect: +10 Constitution, Sense Domain, rank 1
Sense Domain You are attuned to the differences of the Worlds. Effect: You can perceive the limits of a Domain.
Hardy Your tenacity is exceptional, pushing the boundaries of what your body can survive. Effect: Constitution increases your Health by another 60%.
Spoiler: Skills
Enchanting, tier 2 You have begun to be able to strengthen your enchantments.
Skill: 5/10 Effect: 2% increase to enchantment strength per skill level.
Spoiler: Abilities
Sense the Flow, rank 2 You can perceive the flows of Power around you. Limited to the World Powers.
Cost: N/A Cast Time: Instant, Instinctual, Intentional
Range: 3 meters Upkeep: N/A
Enchant, rank 1 You can enchant objects with the Magic you know.
Cost: Variable. Cast Time: Variable, Intentional
Range: Touch Upkeep: Variable
Aberrant Mind
Construct a mental landscape of insanity. A contest of your Willpower, Wisdom and Intelligence against the Willpower, Wisdom and Constitution of your target. May be used once per day. Damage: 13 times the combined difference between contesting Attributes as mental damage.
Cost: 215 Mana Cast Time: 6s, Intentional
Range: 6 meters Upkeep: N/A
Spoiler: Spells
Fire Burst
Throws a burst of fire at a nearby target. Spell structure maintained by 10 Willpower. Damage: 3 times Willpower, excluding structure requirement.
Cost: 125 Mana Cast Time: 2s, Intentional
Range: 2 meters Upkeep: N/A
Light
Creates a moderate light source. Spell structure maintained by 8 Willpower, 7 Intelligence. Duration: 10 minutes per Attribute exceeding structure requirement.
Cost: 50 Mana Cast Time: 5s, Intentional
Range: Touch Upkeep: N/A
Ice Lance
Throws a sharp lance of ice at a target. Spell structure maintained by 10 Willpower, 11 Intelligence. Damage: 2 times Willpower and Intelligence, excluding structure requirement.
Cost: 225 Mana Cast Time: 3s, Intentional
Range: 4 meters Upkeep: N/A
Acid Splash
Conjures a small splash of acid in front of the caster. Spell structure maintained by 13 Willpower, 12 Wisdom. Damage per second: 0.5 times Willpower and Wisdom, excluding structure requirement.
Cost: 275 Mana Cast Time: 1s, Intentional
Range: 1 meter Upkeep: 75 Mana per second
Minor Shield
Conjures a translucent shield around the caster, absorbing incoming damage before dissipating. Spell structure maintained by 10 Wisdom. Shield: 0.4 times Wisdom, excluding structure requirement. Duration: 2 minutes per Wisdom exceeding structure requirement.
Cost: 125 Mana Cast Time: 2s, Intentional
Range: N/A Upkeep: N/A
Minor Heal
Restores a small amount of Health to a target. Spell structure maintained by 11 Wisdom, 11 Willpower. Healing: 0.4 times Wisdom and Willpower, excluding structure requirement.
Cost: 500 Mana Cast Time: 8s, Intentional
Range: Touch Upkeep: N/A
Spoiler: Items
Copper bead of Ice Lance x3 Throws a sharp lance of ice at a target.
Damage: 24 Quality: Good
Iron bead of Ice Lance Throws a sharp lance of ice at a target.
Damage: 15 Quality: Good
Glass bead of Ice Lance Throws a sharp lance of ice at a target.
Damage: 17 Quality: Good
Copper bead of Acid Splash x4 Creates a small splash of acid in front of the user.
Damage: 6 per second Quality: Good
Iron bead of Acid Splash Creates a small splash of acid in front of the user.
Damage: 4 per second Quality: Good
Iron bead of Minor Shield x20 Conjures a translucent shield around the user, absorbing incoming damage before dissipating.
Shield: 2 Quality: Good
Glass bead of Minor Shield Conjures a translucent shield around the user, absorbing incoming damage before dissipating.
Shield: 2 Quality: Good
Iron bead of Minor Heal x20 Restores a small amount of Health to a target.
Healing: 3 Quality: Good
Steel bead of Light A moderate light source.
Duration: Permanent Quality: Good
Copper bead of Light A moderate light source.
Duration: Permanent Quality: Good
Iron bead of Light A moderate light source.
Duration: Permanent Quality: Good
Glass bead of Light A moderate light source.
Duration: Permanent Quality: Good
Copper bead of Fire Burst Will explode with a burst of fire when hitting a target.
Damage: 17 Quality: Good
Glass bead of Fire Burst Will explode with a burst of fire when hitting a target.
Damage: 13 Quality: Good
Iron bead of Fire Burst Will explode with a burst of fire when hitting a target.
Damage: 12 Quality: Good
Stone of Fire Burst x 5 Will explode with a burst of fire when hitting a target.
Damage: 12 Quality: Average
Coat (dirty), Pants(dirty), Boots(dirty), Blouse (need repairs; cut side, room), undergarments, bag with undergarments(2, room), undergarments (room), Shirt (bloody). Leather satchel(dirty), Small dagger. 236 glass beads, 40 iron beads, 88 steel beads, 28 silver beads,2 gold beads, 54 bronze beads, 42 tin beads -> (room). Coin: 2 gold, 5 Silver, 11 Copper. Chapter 31 I quickly glanced around, taking in the room we found ourselves in. It was empty, with two closed doors, leading me to assume we were safe enough for the time being. Charles still held me, no doubt waiting for a response. Unfortunately, I did not know the answer to his question; why would the Order want me here? There was a chance that Charles was making the whole thing up, though that did not seem all that likely. I stared up into his still tear-filled eyes. I was confused, a bit afraid, but also quite angry. "Why did you bring me here?" I growled out the words, and no doubt I was very intimidating. Charles blinked in seeming surprise. "The Order gave me a quest to!" He answered as if that made the outcome self-evident and sensible. I studied him for a time, but feeling confined by how I was held, I pushed at him to let me go. Which he did. While he was not exactly steady on his feet, he stayed upright without me, albeit with a grimace and a hand to his side. A quick sense told me he had not brought any of the undead-tainted objects with or within him. I let out a sigh, "Do you always do what the Order asks of you?". His expression told clearly he thought the question strange, "Yes, of course. Though this is only my third quest ever!" His answer was emphatic and proud enough that I became slightly worried for this idiot. I considered carefully how to phrase my next question, while filing away that apparently he had received another quest sometime between the two I now knew of. "Are you a member of the Temple?" At that question, Charles flinched, and tears began rolling down his cheeks anew. Uncertain how to react to this, I patted one of his shoulders a few times, wondering if you said ''there, there'' to grown men who cried, or were you supposed to pretend nothing was happening? "She told me they were safe, that I should keep them with me in case they gave me a clue." Charles'' sad and tear-filled voice brought me out of my musings on crying men, and I spent some time parsing the implications of what he was saying. "We grew up together, we have been friends forever, she was ... " His voice trailed off as a slight blush crept up his cheeks. Right, a bit too much honesty even for this moment. "... but with this, she... she tried to kill me, didn''t she? She is a Cleric, the Grand Healer, she told me she was certain they were safe. With her Abilities, she would have known." He looked into my eyes as he sobbed out the words, something hopeful in his expression, as if I would refute his claims. I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed. "Did you lose Constitution from what happened to you?" Charles nodded slowly, his face going paler as an even more forlorn look came over him. While pure incompetence on the Cleric''s part was an option, that was exceedingly unlikely from someone holding office with the Healers. So, attempted murder then? "I lost some Constitution to the Undead Drain, which the Order informed me I suffered from. I thought it a disease, and went to her to be healed." He shook his head, sadly. "As I woke after you had removed the shards of the arrow, I had lost far more Constitution. I found the arrow and the shards, and compared them to what I had carried with me. They were clearly the same thing, though shaped differently." He shook his head sadly, "But, she is of the Temple! She follows the will of the Order. Perhaps I am meant to die." His voice went softer and softer until he finished at barely a whisper. I wanted to slap him! "People change, people are always more complicated than what they seem, if I know that so should you, do try to be less of an idiot!" Apparently I had said something right, as Charles had started nodding and he seemed to rally himself. "Yes, you are right, I did not think this through. My quest instructs me to keep you safe as we defeat the tenth level. So we are on the side of the Order!" I was uncertain if I appreciated how his bright smile and sparkling tear-filled eyes made me feel. Uncomfortable, that was for sure. I had a hard time imagining what he was going through, doubting a life long friend, and then receiving evidence, if not proof, that she tried to kill him. I had simply never trusted that way. This was an evening for unpleasant thoughts, it seemed. So other than being overly trusting of the Order, it seemed Charles was not actually bad. Still a bit stupid though, but I had now started wondering if that was not true of me as well, as I seemed to be far too willing to forgive this mountain of a man. "Wait, your quest is not complete?" I shook my head at what was inconsequential at this time. "Forget about that, the next time you get it into your head to do something the Order tells you, involving me, talk to me first! If you thought this was such a wonderful and amazing idea, I would have assuredly agreed!" I was quite certain my sarcasm was coming through clearly. Charles did look more than a bit sheepish, which I approved of wholeheartedly, as I glared at him. "I promise, I will consult you about what affects you. But I got the quest! It might have been of paramount importance to get you out of there immediately!" I did not like the way he looked at me, as if he was assigning some of what he felt for the Order onto me. I shuddered at the thought. "Did the quest mention anything about any urgency?" "No." Charles scratched his head and grimaced. "Unless the sky is falling and we are at imminent risk of dying, speak up, before making decisions in my stead!" I had to acknowledge, at least to myself, that there was a possibility there might have been some degree of urgency. The undead was one possibility. Might Charles'' quest have been more about not being where we were, rather than being here, in the Deep? If so, that might actually make more sense. But it did not seem as if Charles had reached a conclusion about what to do through careful consideration. He had been emotional about the betrayal and attempted murder, then gotten a quest and completed it, no questions asked. Which seemed quite stupid from my perspective. Unfortunately though, I could see how it sort of made sense from his point of view, a thought I would not be sharing with him. "Can you forgive me? I will bring you out of here safely, and the Order will reveal its plan for you!" I rubbed my forehead, had I just convinced myself he was not that stupid? Yes. Yes, I had. Hopefully he was better at fighting than at thinking. I recalled something mother had said, that intelligence and critical thinking were not the same, one was innate and the other a skill acquired. How would I have behaved now, if no one had ever even suggested that I should question all that went on around me? I put those musings aside for another time. The room we were in was square, with two doors on opposite sides and otherwise empty. The floor, walls, and the ceiling were made of stone inset with intricate patterns. It was rather bright in the room, but I could not spot a source of light; just as during the day, without knowledge or sight of the sun it was hard to explain the prevalence of daylight. I had never been in a Dungeon before and did not know all that much about them. But this should be a ''safe room'' where we should be unaccosted, at least for a time. From what I understood, getting to the tenth floor as we had was something rare, expensive, and also quite dangerous. In general you could only challenge a floor if you had defeated the one previous. There were plenty of cautionary tales of people who had done what Charles had done to me: entering somewhere beyond their ability, being unable to defeat the floor they were on, thus unable to leave as they could not access an exit on the present floor and could not retreat to the preceding one.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. While I might be wrong, as stories were not always the truth, this probably meant I could not enter the ninth floor since I had not defeated the eighth. Which led to the conclusion that leaving was probably impossible for me at the present. Somehow though, the kind of Portal Stone Charles had used circumvented this rule. It also probably meant that he could leave without issue, if he had attuned it to the location himself. I though, would have to defeat this floor in order to leave, if there even was an exit at the end of this floor, which I sincerely hoped there was! I needed Charles, that was rather obvious. What I wanted now though, was to eat and sleep. At least one of those I could do something about. Charles was still waiting patiently for my response, so I gave him a short nod and a yes. His face broke into a smile once more, and I turned to check on my belongings. I peered into my satchel with resignation. I had left quite a few beads of Acid Splash behind when Charles had brought us here. I was down to three Copper beads of Ice Lance, one iron and one glass. I had four Copper beads of Acid Splash and one iron. I had around twenty of Minor Shield and Minor Heal and a handful of different Fire Burst enchants. All in all I was rather ill-prepared for a Dungeon. I looked at Charles, uncertain of how to proceed, only to see his expression change into what I could only call mischievous. "Checking on your weapons are you?" He fished something out of his pants pocket and threw it to me, and catching it I could see it was a small stone.
Stone of Fire Burst Will explode with a burst of fire when hitting a target.
Damage: 12 Quality: Average
"So, what do you need to do to prepare?" At my horrified expression, he shook his head and continued. "I assumed quite some time ago that you are not a Mage. This stone is not imbued, you have some other Ability to make them, I assume." I wrestled with my thoughts for a time, but this did not really change anything, if Charles thought I was on the side of the Order, he would help me. If he got a quest to push me off a cliff, he would probably do that too. And the Order could read my mind. This was just wonderful, I could see how this might push people toward revering the Order. It was one way of getting peace of mind: instead of worrying, just assume the Order was good and benevolent. Then again, could the Order give a quest to kill someone? Surely that was possible, but what were the rules? I would have thought it would happen more often if there were no limitations. Like the corrupt Guards working with the undead, surely they would be a good target? And the man with the apples? I wrestled with the fact that I was surprisingly drawn to the idea of trusting Charles. Despite everything. Perhaps I should stop thinking of him as the stupid one? I looked around once more, confirming that the room had a smooth and empty floor, lacking in anything enchantable. I considered for a moment, and decided to sacrifice my copper coins to enchant more Ice Lances.
Copper coin of Ice Lance Throws a sharp lance of ice at a target.
Damage: 30 Quality: Good
I honestly felt happy I was so used to copper that I could enchant all of them without issue, even though they gave me no experience anymore. The coins were a bit bigger than the beads, which I assumed was why they did more damage. It had felt as if there was an extra fold in the wave of thin threads at a point just before they crystallized with the spell structure, was that something related to size? Putting that aside as not relevant right now, I looked up at Charles, who sat on the floor, studying me with an uncomfortable degree of interest, leading me to turn away again. "I need to sleep, fighting like this would be unwise." I could see Charles nodding out of the corner of my eye. "Make sure you are ready before we leave, full Mana, Health, and settle your levels." This sounded like something he had repeated many times before. Charles studied me for a moment more, "There is nothing I can do for missing Health in this situation, is there anything else you should deal with before sleeping and taking on the Dungeon?" My expression apparently gave me away and he shook his head at me. "This place can kill you at the best of times, being weaker than you have to be, even though you are not here by choice, would be foolish. I know you are not a Mage, you can create things in ways I have not seen before, you gain more Attributes than what is common. But all that means is that your Bloodline is more powerful than usual, which should make you feel safer, not less. No one wants to risk offending a Bloodline, especially not one as powerful as yours seem to be!" I could not quite grasp what he was saying, and apparently my confusion was clear enough to make Charles chuckle at me. "You still don''t get it, I see. Eventually someone of your Bloodline will find you, that is always the case. Imagine a hundred people with your class, with a hundred levels each! Or two hundred, all tied by bands of blood and family. No one in their right mind would risk making an enemy like that without a very good reason." He studied me for a moment. "But that does not make you feel safer at all, does it? Just what kind of family have you had? An orphan would not react as you do, they often seem to seek familial bonds, rather than fear them." I decided I preferred the stupid Charles a lot more, but what he had said made a chilling kind of sense. Would people of my rejected Bloodline come looking for me? How would they know of me? "I have a class Ability left unchosen." Charles nodded once more, "What are your options? You should tell me about your class as well, so I have context." I stared at him, quite certain I did not want to do that, and he rolled his eyes at me. "I swear by the Order and by my hope of the everlasting Life, that I will not betray your secrets." A flash of white light spiraled out of him, leaving me gaping in surprise. He smirked at me, "Not even Stravos can make me give up what I know now, so speak, and we can work our way out of here." I refrained from pointing out the major flaw in his logic, since if that turned out to be the case, I would not have a chance anyway. I began to tell Charles of what I was and what I could do, but I still skirted me being an Aberration. If he could attribute my class and Abilities to a Bloodline, I would not do anything to change his mind. ** I was not sure what I had expected from Charles, but once I had told him what I knew and what Abilities I had to choose between he sat there silently, looking thoughtful, for quite some time. "You know nothing else I take it? No lore or anything such passed down?" I shook my head and he nodded decisively. "You should pick Creation: Golem Core then." At my expression, he smiled widely and explained his thoughts. "While Manipulation: Telekinesis might be more useful in direct combat, that is predicated on things you do not know. You might be able to lift a sword with the Ability, but could you swing it hard enough to hurt anyone? Break armor? How is it limited? How much focus does it require? Are you vulnerable to flanking when using it, being too focused in one direction? All those unknowns make me cautious of this Ability. Also, does it complete like a spell? Are there any additional limits to it, which you do not know of yet? What amount of an Attribute do you need for the Ability to shine? The path forward is too hard to discern." He grinned, "A Golem would be something you could always trust to have at your back. Making a Golem is a fourth Sphere spell for a Mage, but sentience, that is an eight Sphere spell! It is remarkable, but more importantly: I think I know why the Order want you to be here! This floor has many a Golem on it, giving you ample opportunity to gather parts for one of your own! This must be the Order''s intentions!" I refrained from rolling my eyes at this surge of Order fanaticism, though I admitted to myself that the thought of being able to make a Golem was quite tempting. But the fact that Creation: Golem Core was as remarkable as Charles seemed to think, reinforced the probability that Manipulation: Telekinesis was quite powerful too. I had reached the point where I believed that this was no longer a question of reason, Charles had pointed out even more unknowns with Manipulation: Telekinesis than I had thought of myself. In the end it was down to a choice of what I wanted, it was not truly possible to know which was the most useful. So: what did I want?
Creation: Golem Core, rank 1 You can coalesce and support a single Sentience Core.
Cost: 575 Mana. Cast Time: 45 minutes, Intentional
Range: Touch Upkeep: N/A
While I certainly wanted to sleep, I did have my priorities straight; I began to coalesce a Sentience Core. Chapter 32
Golem Core Inert Sentience Core.
Mana: 5/100000 Quality: Epic
I was not quite sure what to think of this. The Core was inert and seemed to be gaining Mana very quickly, though it could also hold an absolutely staggering amount.
Golem Core Inert Sentience Core.
Mana: 31/100000 Quality: Epic
I waited a time, as I tried to grasp how fast the Mana regeneration of the Core was. A few moments later I shook my head at the absurdity; as far as I could judge, it would take somewhere between eight and nine hours for the sphere to absorb the full amount it could contain. Pushing that marvel aside, I decided this was as good a time as any to sleep. Apparently Charles had reached that very conclusion at some earlier point, no doubt watching me sit immobile with glowing hands for close to an hour was not interesting enough, and so he was asleep already. I felt rather bothered by the lack of indoor plumbing as there were only unpleasant solutions to that problem. ** When I woke, I was surprised into alertness at no longer holding the Core. I sat up in confusion, only to see Charles sitting cross-legged with the sphere in his hands, looking thoughtful. At my movement he looked over at me, "This thing is drawing in the ambient Mana at an astonishing rate! I wonder what will happen when it is done." I got to my feet and walked over to him. I had not taken note of it before, but by his earlier comments, starting with the stone of Fire Burst, he should have the Inspect Ability or something similar. It was a curious Ability to choose, and it made me wonder just how powerful he was, to feel comfortable with such a choice. Life as a Guard should not have made him seek power any less. "Charles, what level are you?" He looked at me askance, which was quite understandable as the question was not exactly polite. "I am just past my sixty-eighth level." While I thought I had managed not to look as surprised as I felt, Charles'' smirk gave lie to that hope. His high level compared to mine reinforced my earlier reasoning that the Power Charles and I shared with the horse could not possibly be Health. If Charles had fifty-eight levels on me, with a physical class, his Health should outstrip mine by a large margin. But it did bring up another question though. "How dangerous is this floor? If you are at risk here, will I be of any assistance at all?" Charles was shaking his head before I finished speaking. "No. None at all." Feeling dejected and more than a bit worried, I asked, "What will I do then? Can you defeat this floor on your own?" Charles grimaced, "While I am certain I can defeat or even clear out this floor on my own, it is unlikely to be all that easy. I will probably be hurt, but nothing to threaten my life. This floor is appropriate for a group of people near to level forty if they know what they are doing, and closer to fifty if they do not. You will follow me, keep your head down, and not die." I looked around at the room we were in, feeling confused, "Why would I not just stay here then?" Apparently that was amusing, as Charles chuckled in response. I enjoyed that he was more as when I had first met him; the forlorn version I had not appreciated as much. While I could understand his earlier reactions, as circumstances had seemingly brought many things into question for him, his emotional response was quite unrestrained for someone with his age and experience. I could grasp the why but the how bothered me somewhat, which might be unfair of me: I had never trusted as he had. But even so, it was possible that there was more to it, as one did not have to contradict the other. Might the undead material have a mental component to it? Willpower reduction perhaps? I had considered earlier that the Champion of Truth was unlikely to be a willing subject of the undead, giving strength to the argument that there was some form of coercion involved, though I had no idea how or in what form. I was lost in thought considering how I could possibly find that out, as Charles interrupted with the answer to my earlier question. "A safe room is only safe as long as all who entered through it remain. As soon as I leave, there is a chance of creatures making their way here. You are safer with me than staying here, in a confined space you can not flee from." I nodded, as that made sense. I had heard that the Order governed places like Dungeons in a far more direct manner than most other locations, enforcing rather strict rules at times. I wondered why though. Why were there Dungeons in the first place, and why the rules? What did the Order get out of the arrangement? Getting myself back on track with a shake of my head, I did feel a bit worried about Charles, and at the risk of sending him into another emotional spiral, I asked, "How much Constitution did you lose?" He did flinch and sounded a bit strained as he answered, "I lost thirty-seven Constitution, but the Order has offered to restore me and grant me two levels, if I can safeguard you along this floor." I warred with the realization that he had lost enough Constitution to all but kill me twice over, along with the reminder that he was supposed to try to keep me safe when he had more than six times my level. I rubbed my forehead as another thought came to me, "Why did you not use Inspect on the flakes? I assume you have some such Ability." Charles nodded, "Yes, I do have Inspect, but it does not work on the flakes. That will happen sometimes with strange items, especially as I only hold the first rank of the Ability." After he spoke, he handed me the Core back.
Golem Core Inert Sentience Core.
Mana: 85675/100000 Quality: Epic
I shook my head, once more stunned by the amount of Mana it drew. In less than two hours I would find out if anything happened as it reached its capacity. Charles got to his feet and stretched, before pulling his sword out a bit and then releasing it back into its sheath, probably to check that it was not stuck. I scratched my head, as I watched the hole in his coat on his right, stretching from just under his armpit and quite some distance down. His wound had been just below the ribs, and I had cut away quite a bit of the coat, which now seemed rather excessive. He followed my eyes and shrugged, "Better than dying. We should get started. While we are not exactly in a hurry, I assume you have no food or water with you?" The only place I could possibly carry any such would be my satchel, which was empty of edibles, unfortunately. "No." I was still unsure if the items I created from enchantments were truly permanent or not, and I did not want to find out what would happen if I drank something that then disappeared. At least, I would not experiment at this point. I would need to be far more desperate to think that the wise course.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Charles stepped up to one of the doors and peered out, before closing it and moving to the other. I looked at him in confusion and he explained, "That door leads to the stairs up to the ninth floor, so the other one is the entrance to the tenth." He repeated his actions at the second door, opening it and peering out, before stepping through. Past him, I could see a long corridor of unadorned stone, or at least parts of one where Charles did not obscure my sight. I activated the two Minor Shield beads I still had in my pockets as we moved out. We left the room and stalked down the corridor silently. In Charles'' case, surprisingly so, for someone his size. All large men I had seen before had been slow and stiff in their movements, Charles was anything but. It did not take us very long to reach a door on the left hand side of the corridor. Charles moved past the door, waving for me to stop where I was. He then pushed the door open, while standing to the side. When nothing had happened for a moment, he peeked into the room beyond. He swiftly pulled his head back, as a knife came flying through where he had been moments earlier. It slammed into the opposite wall, with enough force to shatter the blade into fragments, which went flying every which way, as the handle bounced to the floor. I stared at the space where the knife had hit the wall, as shivers went through my body. Would that have killed me? With shaking hands I patted myself down, finding no wounds, but still unsettled. Charles drew his sword, and stood motionless for a moment until a soft green sheen came off his weapon. He then turned swiftly to face the open door, meeting another dagger with his sword, causing a thrumming note to ring as the dagger was sent spinning upward. Charles disappeared into the room and out of my sight, and sounds of fighting soon reached me. I stood where I was, shivering slightly. There really was not much I could do to help, if this was the kind of attack I could expect; it would be foolish of me to even peek around the corner, never mind trying to engage in combat. I had either been too distracted before, or too locked down, because as I stood there warring with my fear and sense of inadequacy, I could sense there were five gatherings of Power in the room Charles had entered. One matching what I had sensed from Charles earlier, he shared two Powers with me and had one unknown. The other four shared the same two Powers but held no third at all. Then, in one of these binary Powers, one drained away swiftly and disappeared, followed very quickly by its match. Leaving only four clusters of Power left in the room. I was partly lost in thought, as I followed the fight with Sense the Flow, perceiving Charles moving through the room while I heard the clang of metal and dull thudding sounds. I thought on what I had felt from what was no doubt the death of one of the creatures Charles was fighting. The Power Charles and I shared had been the first to disappear, followed by the one I had felt from both the forest and the horse, but not from the undead hamster. It stood to reason, that the first thing to go would be Health. That would also be supported by Charles having more of it than I, which then meant that what I had sensed from the horse was something else. But what was the second Power? And why did I have more of it than Charles? What could I possibly have more of, that seemed to be so prevalent? At first glance the problem was not to come up with something, it was to limit the possibilities. I decided to leave that for now. As everything inside the room except Charles had perished, I entered after him. He had gotten some splatters of blood on his coat and hands, and a cut that marred his left upper arm bled slightly. He did not seem bothered by the wound as he cleaned off his weapon, thus I followed his lead and refrained from worry. There were four dead hobgoblins in the room, which was just shy of four meters across. I felt a cold shiver go down my back, as I had not even considered the size of the room when I had deemed it safe. I silently berated myself for this stupidity, as cold sweat dotted my brow. I did soon realize that while the basis for my conclusion had been flawed, I would still have heard fighting had any creatures remained. Though this demonstrated the limitations when relying on Sense the Flow in lieu of sight, in a rather frightening fashion. As a species hobgoblins were somewhere between a goblin and an orc in stature and mass, quite similar to that of humans. Their morphology differed though, with longer arms, shorter legs, and a broader torso. Their skin tone also had a different range, from a darker green to a deep brown and almost black. The hobgoblins had been all but cut apart, splattering gore everywhere. I decided I did not really need to study this room any further, and left Charles to the search he had begun. I was peering out into the hallway when he stepped up next to me, taking a look in both directions himself before holding up a small gem. "We need four more of these, and we can enter the final room and defeat the floor guardian in this section. Once that is done, we have defeated the floor." I stared at him in surprise, "Is that it?" He nodded, "Yes. Most of the time though, unless you are far more powerful than warranted by the floor you are on, this is not the way. Far better rewards and Experience are gained by clearing all rooms you can access. But getting past the final guardian is all that is really needed to move on. It should mean the completion of my quest, and give us a safe room at the end of the floor to hold golem parts for you." "Will the final room be safe, if the first one was not?" I asked, slightly confused. Charles gave a small shake of his head, "Not exactly safe but I am suggesting we leave items there, not that you stay there alone." I nodded at that, "There is no risk of other people coming down and leaving with what we have gathered?" Charles shrugged, "It is possible, but it rarely happens this far down. The Order seem to prefer to send people to different parts of the floors, and there are limits to how much of a floor you can access from any given entrance. While it does happen that you meet people you did not enter with, it is very rare. Further, Golem parts, while technically valuable are bulky and heavy; they are not something people will want to carry with them, when going deeper." I considered all that he had said for a time, "Does that mean that just reaching the safe room at the end of a floor is enough to defeat it? That does not seem as if it would take very long." Charles grinned at me, shaking his head, "Sure, that is enough to defeat a floor in the sense that you can leave, so why would the Order bother stopping you? If you walked down to a floor too strong for you and managed to somehow sneak to the end, you could enter another floor even harder, or leave. But why bother?" It seemed to me as if Charles'' quest was quite uncomplicated with his high level, if I could refrain from stupidity and stay safe. While the making of a Golem was important to me, I honestly doubted it mattered much to the Order. It felt more like a carrot, leading me along. Possibly as a distraction, or would this Golem save the world perhaps? We both stiffened in the doorway, as we could hear the thudding of approaching footsteps. ** Eric got slowly to his feet, feeling more than a bit strange. He felt different but could not pin down why. He found himself in a brightly lit room, with doors on two of the adjacent walls. Eric shivered in the cold, which surprised him. It had been so long since he felt cold that he had almost forgotten what it was like. He held a hand out in front of himself and marveled. His gray and flaking skin had been replaced by gray skin sans the flaking. He also stood straight once more, instead of being hunched over as he had been. A memory pulled at him, of something just out of reach. "Status!" He shouted out.
Eric
Age: 19
Level: 1
Experience: -11578/100
Race: Aberration
Class: Summoner
Strength: 4 Dexterity: 3
Agility: 3 Constitution: 3
Endurance: 6 Intelligence: 8
Wisdom: 5 Willpower: 11
Perfection: 1 Charisma: 2
Health: 30/30 Mana: 160/160 (8/minute) Stamina: 60/60 (9/minute)
Unallocated Attributes: 0
Eric took in his Attributes with some confusion. He scratched his head as it felt as if thoughts warred within his skull, some memories saying one thing only to be contradicted by others, moments later. Why did he have such a massive negative amount of experience? "Abilities!"
Summon Blood Beetle, rank 1 You can summon a creature to serve you.
Cost: 65 Mana Cast Time: 12s, Intentional
Range: 2 meters Upkeep: 15 Mana per minute
Drain Life
Rip the Life out of a creature, to feed your own. A contest of your Perfection and Constitution against the Perfection and Endurance of your target. May be used once per week. Drain: 4 times the combined difference between contesting Attributes as Life.
Cost: 10 Life Cast Time: 11s, Intentional
Range: Touch Upkeep: N/A
A grin split Eric''s face as he nodded happily, this was very good. Another shiver interrupted his thoughts, and with a frown he rubbed at his unclothed legs to warm himself. Wearing only a torn and bloody nightshirt was not the best attire in any circumstance, and certainly not here. His hand touched something he had thought gone for good, and surprised he leaned over to check himself. Eric took in his negative experience once more and nodded sagely. Clearly worth it. Chapter 33 I crouched against a wall, as I watched Charles where he sat slumped with a hand held against his side. The same side where he had recently been shot by an arrow made from the material that radiated the putrid sense of the undead. While defeating the many creatures that barred our way to the final room he had been hurt more than once. Despite no single encounter having caused him much harm, it still added up and by this point his face was pallid and he was smeared in his own blood. Now though, we had the small gems that acted as keys and he was trying to recover as much as possible before taking on the floor guardian. I had tried to help Charles fight once during our time on this floor, as we encountered a patrol of Golems near the first room where he had killed the hobgoblins. I had not wanted to get close to them and so had chosen to attack using two Ice Lance enchants. My enchantments had accomplished absolutely nothing, only chipping one of the Golems slightly. Charles on the other hand had rushed in with his glowing sword and destroyed them in moments, which then defined the pattern of our progress; I hid whilst Charles fought for me. I understood that the reward he would receive from the Order for his efforts by far outstripped the risks he took, but it still grated on me. Not that I had many sensible options, anything I did risked being a distraction possibly causing further injury to Charles or myself. As had been shown, my attacks were not enough to be of assistance, making me a liability. So I had swallowed whatever foolish pride that tried to rear its ugly head and kept myself as safe and out of the way as I could. Charles drew my attention away from my thoughts by letting out a groan and dragging himself to his feet. He gave me a small grin, before he started placing gems into the sockets on the locked door, behind which the floor guardian should be. The door slid aside quickly, and Charles rushed inside as soon as there was space. I frowned at what seemed a rather foolish action, but I had no other option than to trust that he knew what he was doing. As I had done before, I moved a short distance from the door and kept an eye out for any patrols, as that was something I could actually help with. I was not near enough to sense what happened during the fight between Charles and whatever was in the room, but it took a long time, perhaps as long as it had taken us to go through all the other rooms combined. When the clamor finally died down, I waited for Charles to return for me. As time passed and I heard nothing from him, I slowly started moving back towards the door, worried at what I would find. As I took in the final room of the floor, I could see what seemed to be the remains of a very large Jade Golem. I spotted two pieces of it that were at least as tall as Charles and probably out-massed him several times over. As there was nothing moving, the Golem having been thoroughly defeated, I hesitantly moved into the room, to search for Charles. It did not take too long to find him and while my examination showed that he was even more battered and bruised than before, he was alive, albeit unconscious. As there was not much I could do for him, I took in the room and soon spotted a door on the far side, which I went to investigate. I thought it must lead to the safe room at the end of this floor, but even so, I was very cautious as I pushed it open to peer beyond. The room on the other side of the door was similar to the first one we had been transported to, though with two sets of stairs and only one door, which I was holding. The thought of being able to leave soon reminded me of both hunger and thirst, as well the slight headache I had contended with for some time now. Having confirmed the room to be what I hoped, I began the slow and rather arduous process of dragging Charles over. I leaned against the wall as I considered what to do now, while I waited for Charles to come to. If my understanding was correct we were not safe from patrols here. If we wanted to be truly safe to rest we would have to move down to the next floor. But, unless I was mistaken, if I left this floor I could not return to it, as I had not defeated the previous one. Which meant that if I descended to the next floor I would have to defeat a whole new one before I could leave. With Charles now as hurt as he was, and without a quest to entice him to stay with me, that seemed to be a very foolish option. Risking patrols was no doubt the lesser danger. I looked back into the room with the crushed and battered Golem and wondered how to go about creating one of my own. Getting the parts out of the Dungeon seemed to be a first step, but then what? I had been following Charles'' lead on this, but I was starting to wonder if he had given thought to what to do once we defeated the floor. My brooding was cut short by a high-pitched buzzing sound, as if from a giant insect and I stared at the door on the far side of the guardian''s room with worry. But I quickly came to realize that the sound was coming from somewhere much closer, and I searched my environs with a rising sense of panic, until something flew out of my satchel and spun off into the floor guardian''s room. I stood a moment in stunned surprise, Sense the Flow had shown me that the object that flew off was the Core, which was outside of any of my expectations. A glance into my satchel showed that the leather at the bottom had been worn smooth in a small circle where the thing had rested, and that the Glass bead of Light that had been there had been crushed into a strange but uniform pattern. I moved to the open door to see what had happened with the Core, to see it spinning in the open next to the two largest pieces of jade. There was a whirling tornado of jade around the core, and more was being added to it as pieces were continuously being torn away from the Golem remains.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. I hesitantly stepped closer, but stopped once Sense the Flow let me perceive the Mana that attacked the jade, tearing it apart and then adding the material to the whirl around the Core. This went on, creating an ever denser cloud until the Core was eventually lost to sight entirely within the green swirl. I stood there, fascinated for some time, as the jade cloud began to draw inward and the amount of Mana inside spiked to absolutely staggering amounts. I frowned as I felt some Mana drawing inward, whilst some caused an effect that seemed to push outward, and small pieces of jade began to be ejected from the swirling cloud. Were they being rejected by the process perhaps? My frown deepened as I considered the contracting and pushing sensation I felt from the cloud, before I turned on my heel and ran for the safe room. I had enough time to start to feel foolish, standing there with my back against the wall, before I heard an explosion from the other room, and a cloud of Mana-filled jade fragments shot past where I sheltered. I looked over at a green and sparkling Charles where he lay in the middle of the safe room, feeling bad for not having thought of him until now. Warring with curiosity about what had happened with the Core and concern for Charles, I sighed and went to check on him. Other than having a now sparkling coat, he seemed no more injured than before, which admittedly did not mean much. I checked his breathing and noted that he had regained some color, which made him seem healthier. Having satisfied my concerns, I hastily moved to the Core, to find out what had happened. Where the core had been, was a crouched bent-over figure. It was made up in nuances of green. Its skin was a dark green, it had what looked like short hair which was even darker, going towards shades of black or purple. I took it in, amazed at its body; I could even see collarbones, and some muscle definition. That was when the Golem began to stand up. I stared into a face I knew very well. It was my own, though made out of jade. I stared into deep green eyes for a moment before I took in the rest of it. Her? As far as I could see, it looked like me, in quite frightening detail. And very nude. I shook myself out of the shock I found myself in, and I lifted the satchel off my shoulder as I shrugged out of my coat. Somewhere in the back of my head a tiny voice insisted that giving my coat to the Golem only to cover a nudity that was not even truly mine, per se, was foolish and illogical. But, even so, I wanted it covered. Its appearance also played havoc with my perception of it. Was it female? What did that even mean for a Golem? I walked up to her, my coat in hand and the satchel back on my shoulder, unsure of how to do this. Would she cooperate? Understand what I was trying to do? "Hi, there. Can you speak?" Sadly, there were no reactions from the Golem. I raised a hand as I approached, touching its cheek with my fingertips. It was smooth and slightly warm, perhaps from the process that created it? I gasped in surprise as a jade hand closed around my wrist faster than I could perceive. I felt the fingers close the last bit, locking my hand in place, as my heart beat rapidly for a few moments, before I calmed. I suspected that with the speed it had shown, if it wanted to hurt me, my wrist could have been pulped. While I was locked firmly in place, the Golem did not seem to mean me harm. "Could you please release me?" I tried, hoping it would do so but not holding my breath. I got the feeling that communication would take some time to figure out. At the risk of having both my hands caught, I raised my other hand which held the coat still and pushed slightly against the Golem''s chest, to no avail. As it clearly out-muscled and out-massed me, I did not think I could force the Golem to do anything; but I had hoped to convey the meaning that I wanted distance, which seemed to be a failure. I stood there, confused for some time, until I felt something. I could sense a connection to the Golem. There was a mind somewhere in there and while it did not reach out to me, exactly, it still seemed to be very near. I considered the sensations I experienced; the other mind felt tiny, infantile, I seemed as a giant in comparison. Surprisingly the small flickering thing that was the Golem''s awareness made me feel very protective. I tried to reach out, to see if I could understand it or perhaps even communicate.
N/A
Age: 0
Level: 1
Experience: 0/100
Race: Golem (Jade)
Class: Sentient Golem
Strength: 42 Dexterity: 37
Agility: 51 Constitution: N/A
Endurance: N/A Intelligence: 1
Wisdom: N/A Willpower: N/A
Perfection: N/A Charisma: N/A
Health: N/A Mana: 54325/100000 (195/minute) Stamina: N/A
Unallocated Attributes: 0
I blinked in surprise as I grappled with the status that came to me. It took me several moments to grasp all the meaning from it. Curious at what it represented I tried for more, and the Order provided me with information on both a Racial Trait and an Ability.
Sentience, rank 1 The first step of awareness. Effect: The ability to grasp basic concepts. Limited memory and idea of self.
Animation, rank 1 You animate and control the material that you inhabit, forming your body.
Cost: N/A Cast Time: Instinctual
Range: Self Upkeep: Variable (152 Mana per minute)
There was so much to consider here that I was unsure of where to start. But one issue still remained. Just how would I make the Golem release my wrist? Chapter 34 I was not exactly comfortable standing as I was, with an arm held outstretched. So far, my attempts to make the Golem release me had failed. While that might have given me cause to worry, every now and then the Golem''s fragile awareness reached out, giving me hope that this was not an impasse. There would be a flash of color or a scent, along with sporadic impressions I could not interpret. These might be attempts at communication for all I knew, but if so they were beyond me to interpret. I started wondering what it was like for the Golem, having its existence begin in such a manner. Was it overwhelming? Was the Golem trying to cope with the reality it was brought into? Were my attempts to communicate washed away in a cacophony of impressions? The Sentience Trait made me suspect that the Golem was rather limited intellectually, to the point that it might not be capable of anything I would even recognize as thoughts. That in turn at least hinted at the cause of its complete lack of Willpower. I could not help thinking of the Golem as a strange and rather stupid child. I sighed in frustration and flexed the arm the Golem held while rolling my shoulder. I did my best to ward off the encroaching stiffness my strange posture caused. It was with some frustration that I wondered if I would have to try to harm the Golem to make it release me. Though with its Strength that did not strike me as the most brilliant of ideas. As if intentionally seeking to confound my understanding further, the Golem released its grip on me. My mind started racing, searching for clues as to what had prompted the Golem''s action. Had it been my implied willingness to do it harm? But I had quickly discarded that idea, and even if the Golem could read my mind I had a hard time believing it could understand what it might perceive. So what had happened? Perhaps the idea of me being uncomfortable prompted the Golem to release me, perhaps my thoughts about the stiffness of my shoulder conveyed an idea it could comprehend; that did not seem likely though, why would the Golem have any ability to relate to such a concept, which seemed so foreign to its nature? I stared into its expressionless face, confused and frustrated. It could have been either of those or something completely different. Was it purely an instinctual creature? Could it make decisions as I thought of them? With a frown I took in the Golem''s Racial Trait once more.
Sentience, rank 1 The first step of awareness. Effect: The ability to grasp basic concepts. Limited memory and idea of self.
The ability to grasp a basic concept did in no way guarantee it would do so, it only offered a possibility. Further, it raised the question: just what was a basic concept? Did the limited memory mean that the Golem would forget things or that it simply could not hold on to too many ideas? The latter would match better with what little I knew of other Golems, but that did not necessarily mean it was the case here. It either had a limited instructions set, or a limited time frame for a set of instructions. Either was something I could work with. That was all moot though, if I could not solve the issue of communication. One worry that had cropped up was that as the Status of the Golem had put an age to it, might I even have to contend with the fact that it needed to mature? While that idea seemed ludicrous, it would not be the first time my expectations were derailed by the strangeness of reality. The Golem had not shown any inclination toward vocal or somatic expression. So far all I had been able to discern from it had been mind to mind. There was no reason to believe I could make the Golem understand words, or even grasp the concept of sound being communication. The mental connection was the most likely path to success it seemed. ** I glared at the immobile Golem, while doing my best to express all my frustrations, to no apparent avail. As far as I could tell, with the exception of grabbing me and then letting me go, it had not moved at all. With a groan I slumped to the floor. I ended up laying there, staring at the smooth stone ceiling as I tried to think of anything I had not already tried. I stayed as such for several minutes, feeling sluggish and spent. With a groan I made an aborted attempt to sit up, sinking back to the floor halfway through with a sigh. I had not come up with any new ideas, so I might as well stay where I was. A sound from the Golem had me sitting up abruptly, to see it bend over slightly. With a perhaps unwarranted sense of excitement I got to my feet, as I tried to recall everything I had done or thought just before the Golem moved. ** After many failed experiments and a few successes I had finally understood that I could not communicate with the Golem the way I had first believed. What I could do though, was to focus on something akin to the sensation of a motion and string those together into a set of actions.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it While I had by no means perfected this, my most recent and successful attempt had been when I thought about sitting down, in steps. Focusing on each preface to motion, just before they slipped over into an action, and conveying those to the Golem. It was very difficult and not something I had ever thought of before; the intent to move and actually moving were separate parts, it was further complicated by the fact that if done too quickly the Golem remained unresponsive. I stretched and yawned, while I was hungry and thirsty, I was also more than a bit elated by the progress I had made, despite it being slow going. As I had been doing on a regular basis, I turned to look over my shoulder at Charles where he lay, noting that he was still out but clearly breathing. So far I had worked on having the Golem sit, stand, and walk. None of which was complicated, per se, but it was mentally taxing. A question that bothered me though, was how to make the Golem advance beyond this infantile stage. How could it gain levels? Would it need to fight? If so, how? I knew how to throw a punch without hurting myself too badly, but I was not sure I would be able to communicate fighting to the Golem in the steps required while keeping myself safe at the same time. Perhaps there was a way to set up instructions ahead of time, so I did not need to do so while fighting. The question was how though, if it was even possible. The Golem did not behave as if it had much of an actual self, perhaps it needed more time? Or was I too optimistic about what a limited idea of self might entail? When I managed to communicated my will, the Golem did as I instructed, promptly and without hesitation. Only the brief times when its mind had reached out earlier gave any hint that there might be more to it. Deciding that I should get back to my original plan of getting the Golem covered, I spent some minutes getting it into my coat, concealing a rather disconcerting nakedness. It made a rather strange picture: a green version of me wearing only a buttoned up coat. Having finished, I started on the somewhat tedious task of walking into the safe room while making the Golem follow. During all of my experimenting over the past few hours I had not felt anything new from the mind of the Golem. As I thought about that I took note that I had in fact not sensed anything akin to emotions from it at any point. Which made me wonder: what would a creature be like, without any physical imperatives? No need to eat or sleep, thus nothing forcing action. No need to respond to the environment. What would a mind born to such an existence be like? How much of behavior was biological in nature, never mind the need to seek sustenance and shelter? It was a strange thing to consider. Having made the Golem sit down in the safe room, I went over to check on Charles, finding him much as before. As there was nothing I could do to help him, I sat down myself, resting my forehead on my arms which were folded over my knees. The wait for Charles to wake was uncomfortable and I promised myself never to leave home again without rations of some kind. I took a deep breath and looked up at the Golem, only to see it sitting in the same pose as I, with its head still resting on its arms. With a growing sense of uncertainty I had to mentally double check myself, but I was certain I had not communicated anything beyond the initial sitting down. Which had been more of a sprawl to be honest, and nothing like how the Golem currently sat. Had it copied what I had done, perhaps visually? Or was it picking up actions even when I did not work on sending anything particular? The Golem changing how it sat did not fit into what I had experienced from it over the past few hours, which I found confusing but quite interesting. Charles'' groan interrupted my musings. While muttering things under his breath I could not make out, he got up on hands and knees before sitting down in a kneeling position and stretching his back out. By his grumbling and the cracking noises his back made, he did not seem all that hale. I decided not to mention the jade, as a veritable cloud of dust drifted off him as he moved and several of the larger pieces fell to the floor. The Golem turned its head towards Charles'' antics and I held my breath, waiting to see what would happen. As Charles let his arms drop with a groan, the Golem lifted both its arms and leaned backwards, slamming its head against the wall with a crack loud enough to make both me and Charles jump. Unperturbed, the Golem ground its head against the wall, making me wince at the sound, before it let its arms drop, returning to its earlier posture. By this point both me and Charles were staring at it. "Ewynne? What... what happened to you?" Charles asked, sounding quite alarmed. "That is my Golem," I clarified, drawing his attention to me. Charles'' head turned toward me so fast it almost blurred. With a grimace he put a hand to his head while steadying himself against the floor. "How long was I out?" He croaked. "A few hours at most." I replied, as I took in his pallid color and not quite focused eyes. It seemed he was worse off than I had thought, which made me feel somewhat bad about not having done anything for him. My ability to heal would hardly have made a dent in any injury that could affect him so greatly though, which was frustrating in other ways. At my answer Charles frowned and looked back at the Golem. "That was quicker and less of a hassle than I expected. I guess we can leave then," he half panted out. Having said so, Charles got to his feet, wobbling slightly before catching his balance. He then stumbled into the floor guardian''s room, returning quickly with a small ornate box carried under one arm. With a final stretch and a sigh, he started up the stairs out of the dungeon. His abrupt manners had me worried about him and I frowned after his retreating back. To my surprise, the Golem rose in a smooth motion which I doubted I could have managed and glided after him, without so much as a glance at me. It had taken several steps up the stairs as I felt something akin to discomfort from it, the closest to an emotion I had perceived so far. It came to an abrupt halt as it spun around to face me. The Golem stood there for several moments, seemingly staring at me, before it whirled around once more and followed after Charles. I dearly wanted to know what was going on in that creatures head. I started up the stairs after them, curious about what the outside of the Dungeon would look like.
Quest!
Defeat the first four floors of the Deep, assisted only by your Golem! Reward: Two levels.
I rubbed my forehead as I walked. The reward was enticing but I found something else far more intriguing: why did it seem as if the Order wanted me to stay here? I had never believed that the Order was benevolent. While I did not think the Order wanted me harmed in particular, I seriously doubted there was any altruism involved on its part. Just as the Trait Acolyte of the Order implied, it was an exchange of services. So what was happening here? I was being offered a reward for something that seemed to only benefit me. Was there something happening on the first few floors the Order wanted me to be here for? Or was there something happening in Logate the Order did not want me there for? I walked up the stairs, deep in thought, as I grappled with the fact that I did not really know what was going on. Chapter 35 The sun shone down on me as I ascended out of the Deep, when it struck me suddenly that I had no recollection of the stairs transitioning into the broad walkway I now strode upon. Confused and curious I turned to see what lay behind me and what had happened. What I saw did not match at all with what my senses had told me transpired. I could have sworn I had walked straight upward on stairs, which at some point had flattened out, unbeknownst to me. This was not what lay behind me though; the walkway was lost to sight a short distance away as it spiraled in on itself around a central pillar I had not taken note of at all. I rubbed my forehead as I wrestled with the mismatch between my perception and reality. Frustrated, I shook my head and continued out of the Dungeon, hopefully I would have time later to explore this strange effect. It did not take long to reach the end of the walkway, which gave way to an open expanse of flat stone, shimmering with a blue tint in the sun. I spun slowly, taking in the sights outside of the Deep. There was a rather sheer cliff-face behind me, rising to a modest height, whilst ahead the stone gave way to forest some distance away broken up by an expanse of cleared land dotted by a scattering of tents and wooden buildings. "Guard!" A harsh voice drew my attention to a Guard standing at the edge of the clear area. His eyes were fixed intently on Charles, who still moved with a disconcerting lack of grace. An expression I could not quite discern flitted across the Guard''s face, but it quickly gave way to a scowl. "Report to the captain, immediately!" Something in Charles'' posture made me think he was surprised by the order, though personally I could not see anything wrong with it. But then I did not know much of what might be normal or not, in this situation. The Golem who had been trailing near to Charles all the way out of the Dungeon had slowed down enough to let me catch up. It seemed to throw a glance at me and then sidled even closer, away from the Guard and Charles. Perhaps the Golem was uncomfortable with new people? That idea did not seem sound though, as it had acted quite enamored with Charles earlier, copying his actions and following him far more readily than it had me. Charles gave a curt nod to the Guard and strode past him towards the cluster of wooden buildings. Hesitating for a long moment, the Golem eventually followed, though it took a detour, its route taking it as far away as possible from the Guard while still moving in Charles'' direction. I followed, not even trying to keep my grin at the Golem''s antics hidden. A shudder went through me as I passed the Guard and it took effort not to turn and stare at him in shock, as undead taint sat as a lump inside of his chest. I walked past, keeping my face impassive as my mind raced through possible implications. The Guard did not seem to be different from anyone else, aside the Power inside him. While it was hard to make an exact comparison of the magnitude or amount, I could say for sure that he held more undead Power than had been in Charles'' wound. Yet he did not seem haggard or worn, carrying himself as if all was well. How could this be? This made me wonder if people with the undead taint was nothing new. Was it possible that the only thing that had changed was that I could now perceive them, with the new rank of Sense the Flow. I walked slowly forward, focused on trying to make this idea fit with what I had seen and experienced. But it seemed far more likely that this was something new or possibly reoccurring. Another interesting question was: what was the difference between the grotesque creatures I had faced and the Guardwho seemed so normal? I hurried to get closer to Charles and further away from the afflicted Guard, catching up to the Golem as we strode on. We soon came to the largest of the buildings in sight, where Charles knocked on the door to be quickly answered by a call to enter from inside. As he opened the door, he waved his hand at a bench to the left,"Wait here, while I see what this is about." He gave me a small smile before walking inside, closing the door firmly behind him. I could sense that there was undead taint approaching from behind, just crossing into range of Sense the Flow. Presumably it was the Guard who had followed us. I moved to the bench and sat, both to get further from the undead-infested Guard and to give me an opportunity to view the rest of the cleared area in sight. I worried that the Guard was not the only one touched by the undead Power. While the Golem sat down next to me on the bench, with rather hesitant movements, the Guard stood watching us. I threw some surreptitious glances at him, trying to spot anything that was noticeably unusual, which would give a hint at the Power that lay coiled inside him. By the way he straightened and pushed his chest out, I was not as discrete as I had hoped. As it seemed the Guard would not do anything beyond standing there and preen, I closed my eyes and turned my attention to what I could sense from inside the building. The first thing to draw my attention was even more undead taint. There were four clusters of Power in the room just inside the door, three of which held the undead Power. Putting my surprise aside, I presumed that the only one free of taint was Charles, as that cluster of Power held what he had in place of Mana, making the supposition credible. All four clusters seemed to be very close to each other, strangely so even. Were they grappling? For a short moment I hoped that they were sharing in some manly hugging, not having seen each other for a long time or some such. That hope faded quickly though, as I sensed the undead taint spread and move into the core of what I presumed to be Charles'' Power cluster. I gasped loudly as a sense of dread started to rise. The possible implications of this were more than I could easily sort out. I felt exposed and afraid, thinking of someone assaulting me in such a way. I recalled the feel of the undead tendrils of Power with a disgusted shudder. I was pulled away from thoughts as two more Guards walked up to the one that watched over me and the Golem. They both had undead Power burrowed inside their chests. The two new Guards only stopped for a moment, sharing a few words, before throwing a glance my way and moving on.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. I did my very best to keep up a calm appearance and breathe slowly. Was this why the Order had offered me Sense the Flow as a direct reward instead of a choice? So I could perceive this?
Quest!
Flee into the Deep with your Golem! Reward: Adventurer''s Satchel.
I took in the quest with both dread and relief, it almost felt as if I had been given confirmation of my thoughts from the Order. But it also indicated strongly that I was in danger where I was, which did not bode well for Charles. I looked out over what I could see of the tents and buildings, noting that there were quite a few people around. Were all of them afflicted? What did that even mean? What would happen to them? The clusters inside the building moved further away, three staying near to each whilst one moved ahead, soon leaving my range. Were they dragging Charles? For a moment I was tempted to rush inside and try to free him but I squashed that idea, there was no way I could hope to be successful. I very carefully did not look at the Golem as I began to give it instructions. The Golem rose swiftly and started to walk back toward the Dungeon, though with less grace than it had when it moved on its own accord. "Sit here and wait!" The Guard stepped in front of the Golem, no doubt intending to stop it, only to get knocked over as the Golem just kept walking. I wondered what the difference in weight between me and the Golem was. Had I walked into the Guard in such a manner I would have been the one to fall. The Guard scrambled backward a short distance before getting to his feet. I rose as well, rushing after the Golem as quickly as I could while still giving it instructions. "Stop! Come back here!" I did not shout too loud, not wanting to draw more attention than necessary, but still wanting the Guard to be confused, thinking me willing to stay. As the Guard had not shouted for others and seemed quite confounded in general, I did not slow as I reached the Golem, instead I started to sprint. My instructions to the Golem got jumbled up and I stopped trying to control it, hoping it would follow and not do anything stupid. To my great relief I could feel the cluster of Mana, that was the Golem, following me as I crossed over onto the stone expanse around the Dungeon. "Stop!" I took a look over my shoulder as I started down the incline that would take me to the first floor of the Deep, to see that the Guard had stopped at the edge of the stone. He stood there, red-faced and scowling as I began to move downward. The experience of entering the Dungeon this way was quite interesting. The whole thing seemed to play with my perceptions, as all of a sudden the walkway was stairs, yet I did not stumble, instead I moved with a rhythm as if I had been on stairs all along. I stared around me, taking in what should have drawn my attention immediately, but had not. Instead of the stone I would have expected, the stairs and walls were wood. There were pieces of both the walls and stairs missing, showing only darkness. Looking ahead, some parts even seemed rotten. I turned around, facing back to where I had come from. I could see the Golem following me, walking down the stairs that rose behind it into darkness. Which was decidedly disconcerting as I could have sworn that just moments ago I had been on the stone walkway. I shook my head as I continued downward, walking out of the dungeon again did not seem the most brilliant of ideas. Even if it would be interesting to observe more of the effect. Why had the Guard not followed? There was no guarantee that we would end up in the same part of the first floor if we both moved down the ramp, but why stop so far away? Why not make more of an effort? Perhaps me getting away was of far less importance than I had felt myself. I did wonder though, did you end up on the last floor you had defeated when re-entering the Dungeon or always the first floor? The stairs soon ended in the kind of room I had come to expect, a square with the stairs I came down and a door on the far side. Though this room was made of dilapidated wood and not stone as on the tenth floor. I stepped into the room, catching a face full of cobwebs making me shudder in disgust. As I finished wiping my face free of the cobwebs I saw that in the middle of the floor rested a satchel.
You have entered the first floor of the Deep!
You have completed a Quest! You have been awarded an Adventurer''s Satchel!
Looking around as I moved toward my reward, I could not help feel exposed. The darkness showing through the rotten and broken wood gave me a strange sense of being watched, this room had a far more ominous feeling than what I had experienced so far in the Deep. While the tenth floor could no doubt have killed me in short order, it had not seemed as imposing. Getting a hold of myself I crouched down to take in the satchel I had gained. I should be safe in this room until I left it, no matter what I felt at the moment. While the satchel that held my enchanted objects was of rather fine make, the adventurer''s satchel was even more so. No doubt wearing it would make a rather stark contrast to my dirty and somewhat worn attire. The Golem moved up and crouched down next to me, seemingly also to study the satchel, making me smile in amusement. The Golem seemed to become more and more alive as time went on, at quite an astonishing rate really, considering how it had started out just a short while ago. Turning back to the satchel I opened it to see if it held anything interesting, only to stare in confusion. Inside there were tiny apples the size of small strawberries, several pieces of bread the size of my thumb, along with what looked like miniature water skins the size of my fist. Just looking made my stomach rumble in protest and I grumbled under my breath at the cruel joke. Since a small amount of food was better than nothing I stuck my hand into the satchel and grabbed what must have been a water skin by the size of it and brought it out into sight. I stared at the normal sized apple I held. I looked into the satchel, seeing only tiny apples and then back at the one I held. I put the apple on the floor as I held the satchel at eye height before slowly lowering my free hand into it, watching carefully. As my fingers crossed the plane of the opening they seemed to bend at an angle rather than go straight down. It was really difficult to make out, my mind seemed to rebel at what I saw, but my fingers were smaller past the the rim of the satchel. Inside, small fingers. Outside, normal sized fingers. I could understand when the transition that should be taking place happened. I was sure it happened at the edge of the satchel, but I could not see it happening. There was no large part of a finger connected to a smaller one. I could perceive one or the other, but not both at once. As if my elated curiosity brought on my worries, I let out a shuddering sigh, as I wondered what was happening with Charles. What about Logate? Had the undead taint spread there too? That seemed very likely, I mused. For a fleeting moment I wondered if Sharon was alright. I did not think I would be comfortable living with her if she had been afflicted as well. I brought out a loaf of bread and a water skin before sitting down against a wall to eat and think. The Golem stayed crouched, watching me with its expressionless face. Was it curious? Could it be curious? Why did I not get the quest earlier? Could I have saved Charles if I had? Or did I not know enough at that time to qualify for a quest? I took a bite and chewed while shaking my head. Had I been too accepting of the notion that rules governed the Order? I did not actually know that, though the hypothesis seemed very sound. I ate as I wondered just how far this undead infestation had spread. Had Logate been overrun completely? If so, what would that mean? What was the difference between the undeath of the Champion of Truth, the rabbit, and horse on one side and the Guards on the other. What about Charles'' wound? In all of those, the Power I had felt was the same, so why did the effect vary? Had I not felt the undead taint in the Guard I doubted I would have noticed anything strange about him. Had I not sensed what happened to Charles inside of the house, I might have once more wondered if the undead Power was any concern of mine. It was not as if I cared much about what happened to the people of Logate anyway. Bad things happened all the time, undead Power or not. I felt uncomfortable as I considered if that might be why I had been given the quest after Charles had been afflicted. So that I would be there to sense it, making the memories of those undead tendrils fresh and harder to ignore. Chapter 36 Eric woke in the same corner of the room as he fell asleep in. His heart beat furiously as his eyes roamed, searching for danger. As nothing caught his attention, he slowly relaxed. Though he soon shuddered and moved away from the walls he had been leaning against. Sleeping in a corner was safer, he had concluded. Even so, the darkness he had seen beyond the confines of the Deep made resting against a wall unnerving. As he tried to stop thinking about the darkness, he leaned over and hiked up a pant leg to scratch at the multitude of spider bites he had collected. With a sigh that was almost contented, he moved his satchel around to fish out an apple. Thankfully, every so often he had gotten something edible as a reward for defeating a room, which was probably the only reason he was still alive. He noted the water skin that still lay on the far side of the room, empty. Sadly, such rewards were sometimes abundant and at other times scarce. Eric knew well by now that having no water did not necessarily mean he would find any today, or even tomorrow. Acknowledging this made his mood sour as he took a bite from the apple. The constant stress and worry wore him down. He had no real idea of how long he had been here, but to keep track he had decided to consider every time he woke as a new day. While this timekeeping was not the most accurate by any means, Eric was never the less certain he had been in the Deep for weeks by now. He was also very sure that the Archive was a complete and utter ass. What the Archive had done to him was beyond the pale. He was quite certain that the System he had absorbed had messed up his mind, while leaving him unaware of it even happening. His reactions had been off and strange. While he had freaked out a bit, been scared and worried, it was as if a part of his brain had just stopped working properly. He had taken things in stride and rejoiced in whatever scraps the Archive had thrown his way. Eric chewed his apple as he considered sewer Ghouls in a new light. It was a punishment for the worst kind of offender, to have a choice between death and ghoulism. With what Eric now knew, it was surprising that so many chose to become a Ghoul. Considering they used to be humans and now they spent all day eating crap, literally, there should have been a Ghoul uprising at some point. Yet they had never demanded fair treatment, or even to be paid more. Eric doubted they were paid at all. Viewing his own experience in that shared and rather unpleasant light, Eric decided that the Archive was bloody horrible. He shied away from thoughts on the role people took in the travesty. The jury was still out on this Order though, at least he was free to think nasty thoughts about it, which strangely lessened his fear of this new ... Eric''s thoughts trailed off. What were the Archive and the Order? Eric was sure by now that he was on a completely different world than he had been born on. The messages from the Voice certainly supported that idea. The short view of a swamp with the giant skeleton and the sword that almost took his head off gave assent to the notion. Who even used a sword anyway? The Order was what finally convinced him though. He had never heard of the Order. Everyone listened to the Archive through the Voice. Everyone. Now that had changed. Eric''s emotions ran wild as he recalled killing the weird imp-creature and being tossed aside by the Archive like a used tissue. He took an aggressive bite out of the apple. The Archive was crap. Then he ended up here, fighting rats and spiders, whittling away at an experience debt. No more Essence. Experience. He took another angry bite and shook his head. At least his Blood Beetle had grown as time went on. It was now almost twice its original size, making it as large as a small dog and quite capable of clearing out a nest of spiders or rats on its own. Sadly Eric could not keep it active for too long, as it constantly drained his Mana. With a grunt Eric got to his feet, tossing the remains of his apple in the corner. Status.
Eric
Age: 19
Level: 1
Experience: 68/100
Race: Aberration
Class: Summoner
Strength: 4 Dexterity: 3
Agility: 3 Constitution: 3
Endurance: 6 Intelligence: 8
Wisdom: 5 Willpower: 11
Perfection: 1 Charisma: 2
Health: 21/30 Mana: 160/160 (8/minute) Stamina: 60/60 (9/minute)
Unallocated Attributes: 0
He nodded to himself. As the day was just starting out he should be able to reach level two today. With a stretch and a yawn he moved over to the door and opened it, to peer carefully in either direction. Not for the first time, Eric swore under his breath at his lack of a weapon. Could not this Order at least give him something useful?
Quest!
Meet Ewynne and avoid dying. Reward: Not dying.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
Eric blinked in shock, not knowing what to think, what was an Ewynne anyway? He stepped out of the door into the hallway, which started to shimmer around him. His heart stuttered as he felt a sense of vertigo. Eric could have sworn that his heart rate had just slowed down, but he decided that it had to have been his mind playing tricks, or possibly adrenaline. A nearby door opened causing him to jump back, preparing to fight what might possibly be a patrol. The patrols were normally less dangerous than what could be found inside of a room, but you never knew what you would get with a patrol. Some of them had been downright devious. Just as he was about to start the far too long summoning of his Blood Beetle a stunning woman stepped out. She had skin, hair, and eyes in amazing shades of green. She turned to face Eric, where he stood mouth agape. With no expression and without saying a word, the lovely creature pulled her shoulders back and pushed her wonderful chest out. Eric groaned out loud. ** I stretched and got to my feet, having finished eating. As I did not yet suffer from any other needs I headed for the door into the Dungeon proper. What would the first floor of a Dungeon be like? How difficult was it? These were things I would have asked Charles, given the chance. I stopped with a hand against the door. I missed Charles. We were not really friends, but we were something. Acquaintances? It was more than I was used to having. Would I have cared as much about him if I had friends and family? Charles had in many ways been both trouble and help, probably more trouble. Yet I missed him. Shaking my head I opened the door, only to have the Golem swiftly step through ahead of me. Not that I minded. I was quite certain the Golem could take more of a beating than I. Before following, I activated two iron beads of Minor Shield and dropped them into my pockets, just as I had on the tenth floor. On this floor though, a shield of presumably four damage might actually be useful. I stepped through the door after the Golem and took in the scene before me. If I thought it would have done any good, I would have slapped the stupid piece of rock. There it stood, in the same posture as the undead-infested Guard earlier, preening. This was seemingly in response to a gray and horribly ugly looking monster, which was busy leering at my Golem. I wanted to hang my head, of all the things to learn, the Golem picked this up? I had not been leering at the Guard. With a deep sigh I fished out a few stones of Fire Burst. At least the creature stood still, giving me an opportunity to see how strong the opponents were on this floor. Spotting me, the creature ducked its head and blushed, as if ashamed. Surprised, I studied it for a moment. I grumbled under my breath as I sensed the same constellation of Power within it as from myself. The Power that every creature inside the Dungeon so far had lacked, was present in this thing. "What kind of creature are you?" It was a long shot, but worth a try, I supposed. If it was not intelligent enough to speak, I could always just kill it. The creature tore its eyes off the Golem once more, to stare at me. It then looked back at the Golem and then at me again. A creepy grin spread across its face as it straightened up, placing hands on hips. "I am an Aberration!" I rolled my eyes. "What are you doing here? Are you alone?" "I am gaining Experience!" I considered the strange way the creature spoke, as if it was not accustomed to the words it used. Could it be a goblin Aberration that had learned the human language? "So, tell me, what are your names?" The creature looked from me to the Golem and back. I sighed, "I am Ewynne. This is my Golem." The creature''s eyes widened in shock and it took a step backward, raising its arms as if to ward off a blow. "Ew-- Ewynne?" It''s large red eyes bugged out as it swallowed audibly, before it fell to its knees and banged its head against the floor. "Please, please, please don''t kill me, I''m useful, I can be very useful, I know useful things, I''m very nice, please don''t kill me!" I stared at the creature, how did it even know of me? It was not as if I was well known anywhere. Very few people in Logate knew of me, never mind outside. I narrowed my eyes as a suspicion crept up on me, there was something that knew of me though. "Did the Order give you a quest?" The creature lifted its head off the floor and nodded furiously. "Yes, yes! I should meet you and avoid dying!" I rubbed my temples and sighed as I tried to make sense of this. The quest was strange, was it an attempt at humor? It seemed rather callous of the Order, as I might have really killed the creature without consideration, this was a Dungeon after all. Further, the thing seemed weak of both mind and body, with spindly limbs and strange behavior. Why did the Order even bother? It struck me that there was something the Order knew to dangle before me, information. I dropped my hands and stared at the creature. What could it possibly know? "What do you know about undead?" The creature rose slowly, with a strange expression on its face that made me think it was possibly constipated. "I''ve heard of the Undead, they have shown up several times in history, they''re horribly difficult to deal with. I think, I was never a very good student." It smiled sheepishly, making me frown in response. Just how far away had it come from? "Where did you learn that?" The creature straightened up with a wide grin, showing yellow and crooked teeth. "I''m from another world you see! I used to follow the Archive before your benevolent Order set me free!" It seemed to me as if the creature was expecting my approval, which did not make sense. This creature used to be of the Archive then, just like the apple. Presumably it really could be from another plane of existence if that was so, yet the creature had heard of the undead. Whereas I had never heard of or read of the undead at all, before encountering them. Thus it seemed a reasonable hypothesis that the undead were not from this plane either, originally. "My name is Eric by the way." It spoke happily, before trailing off, "Not that you asked..." I looked over at the silent and immobile Golem. Despite the difficulties in the beginning and some weird antics, I was coming to appreciate it more and more. The prudent thing to do for my sanity, was to ask the ugly creature questions, get my answers, and then leave it behind.
Quest!
Defeat the first four floors of the Deep, assisted only by your Golem and Eric! Reward: Five levels.
I let out a sigh and hung my head. There was no way I would pass up on such a reward, even if I had to put up with this annoyance. Why did the Order care more about this creature than Charles though? I had actually liked Charles a bit. At least he had not made me feel disgusted every time I looked at him. The Eric-creature had started to prattle on, something about a beetle and killing spiders. "Did the Archive send you here?" Seemingly surprised at my interruption, it nodded furiously. "Yes, yes." Something that looked a lot like horror flickered across its face, "It also changed my body, messed with my mind, and threw me aside as soon as something strange happened!" At the end of the rant the creature was shouting, waving its arms in the air and spouting gibberish. "Explain!" Apparently my voice cut through the creature''s nonsense, as it began to expound on what had happened. "You see, I acquired this System, a book. I knew immediately what it was, but somehow the Archive tricked me..." As the creature rambled on, I kept a close eye on the hallway behind it. But so far, I had not seen or heard any monsters coming. I listened to Eric, as he told me of the Archive and the Voice. About the caves and his Domain. About summoning an imp, killing it, and then being abandoned by the Archive. This made me wonder if there was an even bigger picture than what I had been struggling with so far. How would I even start to unravel this? Perhaps more important: why did the Order even want me to know these things? I frowned as Eric finished up his story. The Order did not care all that much about individual people, this was blatantly obvious by now. So why such apparent care with me all of a sudden? The reward for fleeing into the Dungeon was all but absurd. The most solid theory that I could come up with, was that I was available and held knowledge about recent events that few or no others did. If there was one thing that seemed rather certain, after the encounter with the apple of the Archive, it was that knowledge seemed to be a limiting factor for interactions with the Order. I did not know if that was a rule, a strong suggestion, or even something else. By what I had observed so far, my original hypothesis seemed flawed, but the general premise still appeared to hold true. So in conclusion, I was the best currently available candidate as a knowledge repository. If this assumption was correct, I would eventually get a quest to tell someone of what I knew. This also made it all but a certainty that the Order either had a backup plan, or was working furiously on one. Further, it was quite probable that my role in all of this was a non-permanent one, which made me a bit worried that the Order would just have me killed off in the end. On reflection though, this did not make sense. I doubted the Order cared enough to be vindictive. I was probably a piece on a board and little else. So, both the undead and the Archive came from other planes of existence, presumably. Both had Domains they could establish. In my fight with the Champion of Truth I had wondered about the unresponsiveness of the Order and if that had been due to the undead Domain. Eric had mentioned leaving his Domain and the Voice talking about establishing a connection and reporting on his progress. As if something within Eric had informed the Archive about what he had done when not in the Domain. I nodded slowly as I recalled the feeling of being watched after my fight with the Champion of Truth. A Domain belonged to an entity of some kind, that came to this plane of existence to do ... what? Did this mean that the rest of the world was the Domain of the Order? Was that why the Order cared? This was all some interplanar expansionist war? Did that then mean that the undead and the Archive could somehow challenge the Order? But even so, why did the Order really care? What use did these entities have for their Domains? That raised other interesting questions: what was the Emptiness Corruption that made the Archive throw Eric aside? Did that mean the imp was Zackary? Why would that make the Archive abandon the Domain? Chapter 37 I looked down the decrepit hallway as I thought on what I knew. Most of what Eric had told me had been enlightening, if only in granting perspective on events. I considered the slave pens, the strange gem the guard held over the catatonic slaves, and the stone basin in the room with the portal. I recalled the man who I had not noticed at first, when I was sent to the slave pens. He reminded me of Stravos in some ways, even now it was hard to bring details to mind about either man, a similarity I was not quite comfortable with. Considering the undead abomination, these events seemed more likely to be connected to the Undead rather than the Archive. The Guard might then have had the Undead taint among them for some time. It did seem likely that the Undead and Archive were at odds, especially with Eric''s tale of killing undead in his Domain, and the Order''s reaction to both was anything but amicable. In some ways I felt that the actions of the Undead were quite a bit more straightforward than those of the Archive; what had the young man with the apple been trying to accomplish? If I had eaten it, would I have lost my connection to the Order and have experienced much what Eric had, but in reverse? With Logate obviously the Domain of the Order, could that have worked? Considering Eric''s story though, it did not seem impossible that the Archive might have a Domain somewhere inside Logate as well. Perhaps the change that had happened to Eric as he entered the Deep was not too rare of an occurrence. I had the unpleasant mental image of chess pieces on a board being caught and changing colors. This seemed a rather apt metaphor for the Guard. How the Undeath spread its influence seemed rather obvious, even if the original source was unknown; but where did the apple come from? Just how easy was it to remove someone from the sway of an Entity, was there a choice involved for those affected? It seemed likely that I then held the Power of the Order inside me, but what happened to that Power when another kind was introduced? What about something akin to Charles'' wound? That seemed to have been killing him rather than changing him. While Undead was not something I had heard of before the swamp, the name itself and its creatures painted a rather bleak picture: those belonging to Undeath seemed to end up being not quite dead but not alive either, like the rabbit, the horse, and the Champion of Truth. That made me wonder if the remaining Power I had not yet identified from Sense the Flow could be that of the Order. That would make a strange kind of sense, as I had felt it from just about everything, while it had been absent in the undead hamster. The problem with this theory was that the Guards outside of the Dungeon had all held this Power too, in addition to the Undead taint. Might there be a transition of sorts, that I had not yet had experience with? I was, to be honest, left knowing very little for sure. A rather common occurrence, I mused. As Eric had been looking at me expectantly for some time now, I motioned down the hallway. "We need to clear the first four floors of the Deep, if we could get started?" Eric seemed quite happy, despite my not so subtle manipulation. He nodded firmly with a big grin on this face, before he began to move down the hallway. The nearest door was only a few steps away, but Eric moved past it without even a glance. Sense the Flow did not warn me of anything from inside the room, and so I found it likely that this was where Eric had come from previously. He strode ahead until he reached the next door, just a few strides away from where the hallway turned sharply left. From inside this room I could sense four clusters of Power, though having learned my lesson I did not assume there to be only this number of creatures inside, as the room might be larger than Sense the Flow could encompass. The four creatures I could sense were all near to the ground, so I assumed them to be rather small, or possibly resting. Eric waved a hand at me to stop where I was, as he kept moving up to where the hallway turned. There he quickly peeked around the corner, before returning to me. It stood to reason that there would be patrols on this floor, just as on the latter ones. The idea of getting caught by a patrol while fighting a room did not seem particularly pleasant. Eric knelt at the floor outside the door and began to speak under his breath, hands waving. He was clearly casting a spell of some kind. What he did was different than any of my own spells, as I could not sense a spell structure form in front of him. Tendrils of Mana flowed out of his hands into a circle on the floor, but this circle lacked everything I expected from a structure. I tried to match what I was sensing to my previous study of Minor Heal, I considered that perhaps I had been aware of things outside of the scope of Sense the Flow when I had been in control of the spell. But even this failed to explain what I was sensing here. Even though it might be possible that the spell structure itself was something I could not sense, I was quite clear on the fact that the structure had been filled out by Mana before the spell had been completed. As such, I should be able to pick up on the spell structure Eric formed by now, if only in part. Despite my confident reasoning though, this did not come to pass. Eric''s spell completed and a hexagonal shape formed on the floor, from which a huge insect crawled out, surprising me. As the shape on the floor faded away, leaving the insect behind, I wondered if my spell casting was different from what others did.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. This idea did not sit well with me, spell structure was not a concept I had come up with on my own after all. I studied the floor intently and with focus I could eventually make out a structure, just like I had in the small village, what seemed such a long time ago. Just like then, this structure seemed frail and hard to discern. I wondered, now even more curious, if I could learn a spell from studying such a structure. Frustratingly enough, this spell was no where near as simple as the spell I had studied back then, and I could not actually understand what it did. I crouched down, brows furrowed. Had the Mana somehow pooled over the spell structure and thus obscuring it from me? How had it ended up on the floor? Confused, I shook my head as the strange thing that Eric had summoned drew my attention by shuffling sideways. The creature was a beetle of some kind. It carried a thick looking black carapace with a red tint to it, tapering to a squarish head with eyes in several rows of four with a final cluster going up over the ridge of its head. It had mandibles similar to that of a bulldog ant leading to a mouth like that of a lamprey. Its legs were short and hinged backwards while situated under the bulky body rather than out to the sides. My study was cut short, as Eric opened the door and his summoned beetle surged into the room beyond. Keeping my misadventures in mind, I sidled carefully up to the door and peered inside. The room was at a guess four by four meters in size, with a giant pile of garbage in the middle. I could see bits of torn cloth, rotten wood, and a lot of unidentifiables. To complete the quaint picture were four giant rats, three of which were engaged in combat with the summoned beetle, and the fourth had its beady little eyes set on me as it rushed across the floor. As the rat approached, I decided it would be a waste to use any of my enchantments on something this trivial. I took a step sideways and back as I prepared the spell structure for Acid Splash, its range was short, but it was certainly enough to stop something like this in its tracks. Before I could do more than bring the structure to mind, my Golem stepped out in front of me and into the doorway. Its foot came down hard on the head of the giant rat, pulping it with a crunch. I let my spell structure fade as I tilted my head to try to see my Golem''s face, not quite sure what I expected to see there. It worried me that it had progressed so swiftly, it had only been hours ago that it could not even walk on its own, and now it performed violence of its own accord. Though admittedly, it might have been my own intent shaping its behavior. On further thought, one could argue that violence was as basic a concept as they come, it would be hard to find anywhere in nature without strife. Aggression was most certainly not limited to the astute. Eric moved into the room and drew my attention away from my Golem. Judging by how quiet it had gotten his summoned beetle had defeated the three other rats. I looked into the room after him, to see the beetle with its head buried in a mass of flesh that might have been a rat at some point, but it was hard to tell by now.
Your Golem has contributed in a Dungeon Room victory! You gain 1 Experience!
Your Golem has contributed in a Dungeon Room victory! Your Golem gain 5 Experience!
Eric looked around the room for a moment before letting out a long sigh and leaving once more. "Were you looking for something in particular? This does not look like a place where anything of value is likely." Eric glanced back at me over his shoulder as he answered, "Yes, sometimes there are small chests left behind in the rooms. They can contain simple things like clothes, food, or water." I nodded my understanding as we began to move down the hallway, back to the corner. Eric leaned forward just as before, only to freeze and then start to scramble backwards, as I could hear the scraping of claws against wood. Something was coming our way. By the sound of it, more rats. I looked down into my satchel with annoyance. Enchantments were far faster and more convenient than spells in a fight, but I did not have all that many left. Even so, I fished out half of my remaining Stones of Fire Burst, keeping two in one hand and one in the other. That, along with a cast of Acid Splash should hopefully be sufficient. I hoped I was not being overconfident, but I still had a hard time seeing these rats as a challenge. A nuisance perhaps, but not a challenge. Several large rats, the length of my forearm skittered around the corner, loosing their footing with their speed and gliding sideways as they fought for purchase. I was not about to wait for them to get ready; I tossed my Stones of Fire Burst in front of me, while also beginning the short cast of Acid Splash. The Fire Bursts splattered over a rat each, and they let out high pitched screeches while burning, the stench of cooked rat permeating the air. The remaining three rats had rushed closer as I finished my cast, but even so I took a step forward to be sure they were in range, before the spell structure solidified. A splash of acid fell on the two nearest rats, with only a few drops reaching the trailing one. My Golem stepped forward as if on cue and stopped the mostly unhurt rat with a vicious stomp. It then rushed forward to deal with the rats that were writhing in the fire in the same fashion. I watched this with mixed emotions, as the acid cowered rats stopped moving and I canceled the spell. The Golem returned to me, where it crouched down to watch the rats who died by acid. Its blank face and the dead creatures made the whole scene seem rather macabre. I did not quite know what to think of the Golem''s behavior. While it had been helpful, the last few minutes had a creepy undertone that made me uncomfortable. Mana.
Mana: 150/650
It felt longer, but with the Mana I had left, I could not have held the Acid Splash for more than a few seconds.
You have contributed to a Dungeon Encounter victory! You gain 24 Experience!
Your Golem has contributed to a Dungeon Encounter victory! Your Golem gain 79 Experience!
Congratulations! Your Golem has advanced to level 2!
Choose an Attribute to sacrifice!
Intelligence Transfer one Intelligence to your Golem.
Dexterity Transfer one Dexterity to your Golem.
Agility Transfer one Agility to your Golem.
I looked out over the rat corpses and the Golem, still crouched over half melted remains. Somehow, I did not feel that congratulations were appropriate. Would I lose an Attribute every time my Golem gained a level? Chapter 38 To my mind, the most sensible thing to do when faced with an offer to sacrifice Attributes ¡ª was not to. As the thought crossed my mind an oppressive feeling came over me, strongly enough to make me stagger to the nearest wall, assaulted by nausea. I had the strange and unpleasant sensation of not having enough room inside my own skull, as I tried and failed to draw breath. When the oppressive feeling finally abated I gasped for air. Apparently, ignoring the choices the Order gave was not an option. I stayed against the wall as I considered my alternatives, clearly they were all bad. On a whim I stretched my mind towards the Golem, feeling for its presence. It still felt so small and frail, a flickering pinprick in a sea of darkness, so unlike its solid physical form. With a frustrated sigh, I made my choice. The pain hit me hard enough that for a moment everything went dark, thankfully I still had the nearby support to keep me on my feet. I blinked fervently to chase away the spots that danced across my returning vision, to little avail.
You have lost one Intelligence!
Your Golem has gained four Intelligence!
Sentience, rank 2 The second step of awareness. Effect: The ability to deduce basic concepts. Limited memory and perception. Basic idea of self.
I was almost glad for the distraction the Order provided from the pain, as I took in the information before me. I wondered if there was a difference in the quality of Attributes, I had lost one but the Golem had gained four. I recalled that according to ''The Balance of Attributes'' there might be something to that idea. On the other hand the Scribe which I had bought my spells from afterward had scoffed at what was written, calling the author an idiot. Now I had just observed an interaction that gave credence to what the book had stated, but it had clearly and obviously been wrong about spell structures, where the Scribe had been in the right. Putting the question of Attributes aside I frowned at the Sentience Trait. I thought it rather obvious that the Golem had achieved what this Trait described some time ago. But perhaps there was a question of degrees to qualify for a Trait, rather than a simple has or has not. That raised a new and interesting question though: where was the line between what people achieved on their own and the Traits, Attributes, and Abilities the Order provided? Was the Order, at least in part, taking credit for things that happened naturally? Considering my recent experiences I decided that this might not be the most constructive or safe line of thinking. "... doing? What is wrong! Why are you not answering? Where are you hurt?! I should have helped! This is all my fault!" Eric was performing a rather ridiculous dance around where I leaned against the wall, his rapid fire words coming in a quiet but high-pitched voice. No doubt he was loathe to attract the attention of any other patrols while I was so out of it. "I am fine, mostly." I did not sound fine, but trying was surely half the battle. Eric nodded doubtfully, with another strange expression momentarily flitting across his face, before he imperiously pointed towards the corner before us and snapped his fingers. A disgusting wet squelch preceded Eric''s summoned beetle as it left the room with the rats, its maw still churning around pieces of flesh as it skittered forward to disappear around the corner. Eric followed, grumbling things under his breath I could not quite make out, or if he said what I thought I heard, his grasp on anatomy was sorely lacking. My Golem strode after Eric and the beetle, leaving smeared red footprints behind. With a slight shudder in disgust I navigated past the dead rats and followed, wondering at the seeming lack of reaction the Golem had displayed at its increased Intelligence and Trait rank. Around the corner lay another hallway akin to the one before, fading into gloomy darkness in the distance. I looked upward with interest, the tenth floor had been uniformly lit, with hardly even any shadows. This was not so here, though I had not taken note of it before. It seemed as if the light was centered on us but fell off in the distance. What might be the purpose of such a thing? Was there necessarily one? How much direct control did the Order have over Dungeons? How did they differ from the rest of the world? So many questions.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Eric drew my attention by opening a new door, and letting the beetle scurry through. It seemed as if the bug could manage quite well on its own. As I was in no hurry to let my Golem gain more levels, I held back and let the critter deal with the room. Putting the sounds of fighting aside, I resumed my study of the Golem. I was not sure what I was looking for nor could I spot anything of note. It seemed just as before, whatever that meant. It was not as if its behavior had been constant or predictable to begin with, how would I know what was due to the change in Trait and Intelligence? If anything, it seemed vigilant, which might be something. Eric came out of the room with both arms in the air, shouting something about hairy genitals on rodents. I rubbed my forehead and wondered if the levels I would get out of this were worth his presence. But then again, if I could delay the Golem from gaining levels and putting me through the pain that had still not faded completely, perhaps he did have value. Eric stopped running and grabbed his head, freezing in mid-motion, only his eyes twitching slightly as I could hear a loud splat from the room he had just vacated. I approached him, trying to ascertain what was wrong. I could not spot any injuries and so I had no idea what to do with him. Deciding instead to investigate the noise, I moved past him to look inside the room. What I found was much like the first room; a gory mess of rat corpses, though sans the bug. I moved back with a sigh, sat down, and fished another apple out of my Adventurer''s Satchel. The Golem joined me against the wall as we waited to see what would happen with Eric and I took the time to study him further. He stood close to my height, putting him at about a meter and a half, with a satchel slung over one shoulder. He wore what looked to be a nightshirt which was torn, dirty, and bloody. While his feet were bare, he thankfully had pants on, made of some kind of leather and of considerably better quality and condition than the shirt. His skin was a strange gray color, not only different in pigmentation but its texture also appeared quite inhuman. His eyes were a bit too large for his face, with both the iris and sclera being a deep almost luminescent red, while the face in question was oddly asymmetrical. His teeth left some to be desired, poking out from between partially closed lips, standing crooked and yellowed. All in all, he was ugly. It took a few minutes, but he eventually drew a gasping breath, blinking wide eyes at me, "What is Perfection?" ** It took quite some time to go over what I knew of Attributes, of which Eric had received two unallocated, and then for him to tell me of his Abilities. While his Drain Life might be powerful someday, for now it was only a liability. But it made me curious what exactly Life was in this context, as we both lacked that in our Status. I suggested he would be best served by increasing his Intelligence so that he could maintain his Blood Beetle for longer, as his Mana regeneration would be almost as high as its upkeep at thirteen and fifteen respectively. Apparently he had received Mental Focus when he advanced to level two, though its Attribute distribution with one Wisdom, two Willpower, and three Intelligence appeared slightly different from my own. Though, I had never seen the initial state of the Trait so perhaps I was mistaken. I did my best to keep my Golem away from the fighting as we moved through the floor, with partial success. My plan only failed once, when another patrol came upon us as Eric was resting and regaining his Mana. My Golem all but singlehandedly pulped the attackers, gaining 90 Experience. We continued, Eric''s bug clearing several rooms until we eventually reached a set of double doors at the end of a hallway. It appeared we had reached the final room of this floor. Eric was quite hesitant to challenge the floor guardian, preferring to stay and clear more rooms. "We need to move down further, working our way towards the fourth floor," I declared firmly, hoping to cut the debate short. While it might be true that Eric would gain enough Experience to make it worth it for him to stay on the first floor longer, it was also true that he had been doing most of the fighting alone. We should have no difficulties going deeper if we worked together, and hopefully it would not take me hundreds of encounters to gain a level then. The only way I could think of to manage the downside of my Golem was to gain levels myself, but I might have to accept that I would lose another eight or nine Attributes before we reached an equilibrium. I winced at the thought of the pain that would entail, unfortunately I had no ideas on how to avoid that horrible experience, but at least I might offset the lost Attributes. Ignoring Eric''s further spluttering I opened the doors to see an empty room, at the far end of which stood an archway with stairs leading deeper. "This is a trap." I nodded slowly at Eric''s comment as he moved up aside me. As if on cue the both of us leaned into the room and looked up. An enormous web spanned across the room, threads as thick as a finger, and on the far side in a corner I could see and abundance of red eyes. A giant spider. Wonderful. I fished out my remaining Stones of Fire Burst, as Eric snapped his finger and the Blood Beetle scuttled past us and into the room. In response, the giant spider began to move at a deliberate pace, seemingly focused on me and Eric and ignoring the bug. This was confirmed as when it reached a point above the Blood Beetle it kept moving. Deciding that I wanted to limit the spiders ability to get to us I threw one of the enchanted stones upwards and activated it, setting the nearest part of the web on fire. I had expected the fire to spread, but other than the part of the web immediately above us shriveling up and falling to the floor, nothing much happened and the flames soon petered out. It did have more of an effect on the spider though, as it began to rush across its web. As it closed in I kept judging the distance, the web was not very high up and so I should be able to use the Stones of Fire Burst before long. Once I judged it near enough I threw my remaining two Stones of Fire Burst as hard as I could and then delayed activating them for as long as I dared, to achieve as much of a reach as possible. One of the spells hit the web under the spider, while the other hit its head, covering its eyes in writhing flames. In the end it was the spell that missed the spider that proved to be the most effective, as the burning web underneath it gave way, causing it to slam to the ground. I fished out a handful of the Copper coins of Ice Lance and used them, causing five jagged shards to rush through the air towards the sprawled monstrosity. All of my attacks sank deep into the creatures flesh, and I could see and hear the Blood Beetle clamp down on the spider from behind, its maw tearing through flesh. The floor guardian twitched its legs weakly before perishing with a final shudder. It might have been wasteful to use five of the coins against a spider that could not have been more than level three or four, despite its size. I was somewhat worried at my finite resources, as we had three whole floors left to go. Eric walked slowly into the room, before spinning to face me, a strange expression on his face. "That was awesome!" Chapter 39 I shook my head at Eric as he began yet another of his antics, moving across the room in a strange shuffle, arms waving over his head. Wherever he had come from, that place must be odd indeed, if he was representative of its people. I moved after him, past the feasting Blood Beetle, and further into the room. While this current floor was no great danger, especially at this point, it was undoubtedly still wiser to move down to the safe room to rest, rather than stay here and risk an unnecessary patrol. A flash of light made me jump in surprise, a hand going for my enchantments while Eric let out a loud birdlike squeak. The light soon receded leaving two strange cylindrical enclosures behind, each reaching from floor to ceiling and spanning the width of my shoulders. I moved closer carefully, while the wiser idea might be to just move past and leave this floor, I was far too curious to do so. I found that on each of the enclosures there was a symbol at about head height. They were not anything I had seen before, but on closer inspection they appeared somewhat similar to heraldry. The one on the left was a depiction of odd gray flames, or mayhap some kind of strange appendages, giving a sense of a writhing mass. This was set against a black triangle on top of a dark red rectangle. The other had several books in a pile, each depicted with painstaking detail. There were also several scrolls, some leaning against the pile, while others lay haphazardly around it. On top of the pile of books stood a strange creature. Its body was a large eyeball, tilted slightly as if in confusion, with two long spindly legs holding it up. All of this was set on a circular black field, against a white oval. I stepped back and looked from one depiction to the other. The strange flames felt somehow sinister, whereas the legged eyeball struck me as, for lack of a better word, cute. I stared back in surprise at the eye, had it just blinked? I leaned in closer to it, but I did not get very far before the whole pillar shattered into flickering lights, falling to the ground as colorful snow, and slowly fading away as it reached the floor. Left behind was a single stack of what appeared to be coins, reaching about a meter in height.
You have defeated a Dungeon Guardian! You gain 7 Experience!
You have defeated the first floor of the Deep! Collect your reward!
I shook my head at the low Experience rewarded, as I took in the stacked coins. Picking up the top one, I noted that it was made out of bronze. Further, it lacked many of the features that would, to my mind, qualify it as a coin. It was quite thick, and large enough to cover the palm of my hand, it was also completely smooth, with neither design nor flaw. I tossed the disk from hand to hand, thinking. It seemed as if I had just been awarded a solution to my resource problem, at least in part. As this was a material I had never used before, I could expect a lot of failures when learning to enchant it. I crouched down and began to count the disks, and soon found that there were fifty of them in the stack. I figured that the best idea now was to move down to the safe room and get to enchanting. I looked up to see Eric bouncing around the room with a robe on, and the second light cylinder was missing, leading me to conclude that Eric had been rewarded as well. It was sadly quite clear that I could not put all the disks in the satchel I had my enchantments in without making a complete mess of things. With some curiosity I dropped a disk into the Adventurer''s Satchel and watched it pass the rim to bounce off a tiny apple, with seemingly no effect. As nothing unforeseen had occurred I began to swiftly stack disks into the Adventurer''s Satchel, keeping them away from the miniaturized food as best I could manage. The pile of coins ended up being surprisingly small, and I experimentally lifted the satchel, and could not notice any real change to its weight. It was in fact considerably lighter than the other I wore. I looked around for the Golem, finding it still at the entrance to the room. Its posture, while still as straight and upright as ever, was somewhat strange. If the idea had not been rather absurd I would have thought the Golem was sulking. I shook my head, thankfully it had not been awarded any Experience in the previous fight, which in and of itself might be worth the use of the Copper coins of Ice Lance. I glanced over at Eric and his antics. Seeing him half undressed, I turned for the archway to the second floor. I shook my head, wishing I could unsee what I had just seen. As I begun to descend, my Golem caught up to me and we strode abreast down the stairs. Judging by the shuffling and grumbling from behind us, Eric was doing his best to follow, with at least moderate success.
You have entered the second floor of the Deep!
The safe room on the second floor looked very different from the first, but once again the transition from one floor to the other had eluded me. I took in the decently sized cave we descended into, the wall to our right was partially missing, showing water flowing from above to be lost somewhere far below. The floor of the room was completely smooth, making a sharp contrast to the jagged and uneven walls and ceiling. The behavior of the light had once more changed and was now much dimmer, giving just barely enough light to see the whole room. The door to our left appeared to be solid metal, making yet another contrast. I turned to watch the stairs, while I expected them to match the new setting, I still wanted to confirm. True to my expectations, behind me rose a stone stairway with smooth steps going upward, framed by uneven stone walls. There were occasional rivulets of water running down the walls. Curiously though, there was no water flowing down the stairs, making me wonder where the water went, as there were no visible gaps between the uneven walls and the stairs. A throbbing began at my temples as I tried to make sense of what I was seeing. There was something wrong in what was before me, but I could not put my finger on what it was. It was not until the Golem joined me in staring up the stairs that I pulled myself away from the strange phenomenon. There was something about the transitioning between floors that kept nagging at me, I felt as if there was something obvious I was missing. Turning back to the safe room, I saw that Eric had apparently moved past me when I was lost in my contemplation. Currently he was leaning out through the missing part of the wall, giving off short and loud shouts that echoed strangely down into cavernous depths. Shaking my head I moved to the side, sat down, and began to bring out the bronze disks. I hesitated before I began enchanting. While it was true that I wanted to get as many useful enchantments as possible out of the disks I had, I was not quite sure how to go about that. As it seemed I was quite ignorant on this matter, I finally decided to use Ice Lance. I failed my enchantments eight times in a row, making me quite frustrated. Closing my eyes and breathing slowly, I thought carefully on what had gone wrong. Keeping my points of failure in mind, I tried once more, and was finally successful.
Bronze disk of Ice Lance Throws a sharp lance of ice at a target.
Damage: 50 Quality: Masterwork
You have made a discovery!Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. You have discovered how to create a Bronze disk of Ice Lance ! Experience gained: 198
Congratulations! You have advanced the Skill: Enchanting!
The result was better than I had expected and the increase in skill was welcome.
Enchanting, tier 2 You have begun to be able to strengthen your enchantments.
Skill: 6/10 Effect: 2% increase to enchantment strength per skill level.
The damage the Bronze disk of Ice Lance did was somewhat of a surprise. While copper had been quite a bit better than iron, having bronze be an increase of the same magnitude was interesting. I had no idea what might be the cause, so far I did not even have a theory on what materials might be better than others. Metals seemed to be better than stone, which in turn was better than acorns. Considering the process of enchanting though, it seemed quite clear that material was of far more importance than the spell used. The difficulty of enchanting dropped as my understanding of the material improved, which was also indicated by the Experience reward disappearing. Perhaps then, I should focus even less on the structure and more on the material, and the wave-like shape the Mana took. I created the spell structure for Ice Lance, holding it as if I was beginning to cast a spell. I could feel something from the spell structure, while it was not quite reaching out, there was a clear sense of it being incomplete. This was the point at which I would flood the structure with Mana in order to finish casting the spell; instead I tried to help the structure along, and connect it to the bronze disk. Rather than succeeding, the disk exploded into white dust. Frowning I began anew, but instead of helping the structure connect, I tried to draw on the bronze disk, forcing it to meet the spell structure, rather than the other way around. There was a sense of resonance, before the spell structure snapped into place and the enchantment stabilized.
Bronze disk of Ice Lance Throws a sharp lance of ice at a target.
Damage: 51 Quality: Masterwork
You have created a Bronze disk of Ice Lance! Experience gained: 18
Congratulations! You have advanced the Skill: Enchanting!
Congratulations! You have advanced the Skill: Enchanting!
The dual skill increase made it clear I was on to something here, it also gave me reason to think that my ideas about casting were in fact correct. It did indeed seem to be the case that when I casted a spell I was enchanting without a material. So in a way it was not that my spells were many times more expensive compared to Mages and Clerics, it was that I replaced the access to a material with additional Mana. Now I wanted to know why that increased the cost to five times, was that just an arbitrary number? I did not know the answer, but it made me wonder if the cost of a spell cast by a Mage had something to do with the size of a spell structure. With a shrug I put this line of questioning aside, as something not even remotely relevant. I had 39 more disks left, and the best idea was probably to make most of them into Ice Lance enchants. I still had a few Copper beads of Acid Splash and a fair few Iron beads of Minor Shield and Heal. It was also dubious if Minor Shield and Minor Heal would benefit much from being enchanted on bronze. After another eleven disks, I had succeeded twice, and the last of those gave another skill increase. While I could make successful enchantments without it, it seemed as if the skill improvements were tied to my ability to affect the resonance between a spell structure and a material. I still had another twenty-eight disks remaining and wondered if I could complete the Enchanting skill once more before I ran out. I was quite curious what would happen when I did. After another sixteen failures and four successes, I found out.
Congratulations! You have completed the Skill: Enchanting!
Congratulations! You have advanced the tier of the Skill: Enchanting!
Congratulations! You have advanced the tier of the Ability: Enchant!
Congratulations! You have been awarded a level!
Congratulations! You have advanced to level 11!
You have unallocated Attributes!
Enchant, rank 2 You can enchant objects with the Magic you know. Partial conversion is possible.
Cost: Variable. Cast Time: Variable, Intentional
Range: Touch Upkeep: Variable
Enchanting, tier 3 Your conversion efficiency is increased.
Skill: 1/20 Effect: 1.5% increase to enchantment conversion effect per skill level.
I reeled from the onslaught of information as I tried to parse it. I had gained a level in all of that, but I had not received any Experience. Status.
Ewynne
Age: 18
Level: 11
Experience: 1564/12000
Race: Aberration
Class: Enchantress
Strength: 4 Dexterity: 10
Agility: 8 Constitution: 20
Endurance: 8 Intelligence: 21
Wisdom: 19 Willpower: 24
Perfection: 14 Charisma: 12
Health: 298/320 Mana: 471/640 (13/minute) Stamina: 80/80 (28/minute)
Unallocated Attributes: 4
As I retained my Experience, I concluded that I had been granted a whole level for some reason. This had not happened when I advanced the tier my skill the last time, so perhaps it was due to the increase in Ability rank. Further, I had gained four Attributes instead of the three I had received every level so far. Did that have anything to do with my Golem perhaps, or was it something else? There was something strange here I could not put my finger on. "What did you mean by that?" I was startled out of my musings as Eric spoke, both he and my Golem sat crouched, looking at me. "Mean by what?" I wondered if I had been distracted enough to speak out loud, an idea that made me more than a bit uncomfortable. "You said, ''we agree to not tell an untruth''," Eric replied with an expression that seemed to be worried, which I was not quite sure how to react to. I had no memory of saying anything like what he claimed, so I decided to just shrug it off. I needed to allocate my Attributes, and understand my new Skill and Ability, but Eric interrupted me once again. "Wait, before you start making cake frosting out of bronze again, you gotta see this!" Seeing that he had my attention, Eric drew a knife and slashed down the arm of his robe, causing a multitude of blue sparks to fly away from the impacted area. The blade was kept from touching skin or robe by swirls of Mana, which flowed out in intricate patterns as the blade came down. "Look! My robe has a shield on it!" I looked at where the knife had failed to make impact and studied how the swirls of Mana moved within the robe. It was all contained and not interacting with the ambient Mana in any way, making me shake my head. "You do realize it does not recharge, yes?" Eric froze and stared down at his robe for a moment, before looking back at me, eyes wide, "Crap?" Chapter 40 I watched Eric as he shuffled around the room with shoulders hunched. He was a strange creature indeed and I found it quite difficult to get a grip on his personality. It seemed to me as if he himself did not actually know who he was. Then again, he did have a Wisdom of six, so that might be accurate. Putting my thoughts about Eric aside, I considered my unallocated Attributes with no small amount of frustration. If I had been able to choose freely without worries, branching Wisdom was the obvious choice. But even though it was just a single Attribute away, I did not believe that to be wise right now, the irony of which was not lost on me. When I thought about how it had felt to sacrifice a single Attribute combined with the experiences around Zackary''s banishment and becoming Aberration, I suspected that I did not want to experience going below twenty in Intelligence. While I was not sure I could lose a branch, I did not want to find out either. Sadly, it was likely that I would, considering the Experience involved. It appeared rather unlikely that I could gain another level before the Golem gained six. It was far more probable that the Golem would gain as many as eight levels before I achieved another. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. My reasoning right now was leading me to a false premise about the Golem, making me resent it. It was a substantial increase to my chances of survival. In many ways it was a more efficient fighter than I. It did lack skill and finesse, but one could make a good argument that so did I. But more than what it was right now; the Golem could increase in levels and gain power, even if at a cost. I placed all my unallocated Attributes into Intelligence. By the time I gained another level, I should know if I was free to explore the Wisdom branch or not. If not, I would eventually complete my quest and do so then. I turned my attention back to the remaining bronze disks I had. Hopefully my enchanting would be easier now that I had gained both an upgrade to my Skill and Ability. I picked up one of my eight remaining disks and began to Enchant yet another Ice Lance. It quite quickly became apparent that however the Ability worked now, it was nothing like what it had been before, leaving me floundering. I sensed mostly emptiness from the disk I held, with motes of something whirling past at impossible speeds. But more than anything, I sensed a great vast nothingness. My inaction and confusion soon led to failure and the bronze disk unraveled, sending out a wave of Mana unlike anything I had ever sensed before, some of which flowed into me. As the Mana kept whirling around me I began to feel a strange pressure building, a sensation which gradually increased, though thankfully never quite becoming painful, before suddenly abating. As the Mana wave faded I watched in stunned surprise as I began to breathe out sparkling motes of Mana. It took a few moments before I properly gathered my wits, fascinated that I could actually see the Mana sparkle, something I had no good explanation for. Pure density should not cause that, surely? While this was a bit disconcerting, there did not seem to be anything wrong with me. Mana.
Mana: 1341/680
I tried to wrap my head around what that might mean, I did not feel bad, injured, or even strained anymore. Could my normal maximum represent how much I could gather without aid? Health.
Health: 298/320
I did truly appear to be unhurt, as my Health had stayed the same. I wondered how Eric had reacted to the Mana, and so I looked up to see how he was faring. Eric had moved back to the opening in the wall at some point, and now he was spitting into the water below, from all appearances oblivious to what was going on with me. I did not think he could have failed to notice the Mana if it had affected him, so I could only presume the concentration dispersed rapidly with distance. The Mana wave was curious: uncomfortable, but seemingly not harmful. I put it aside for now, as even the sparkles had dissipated. Mana.
Mana: 1341/680
As there did not seem to be anything dangerous happening, I picked up another bronze disk and returned to enchanting. I stared at the disk, grappling with indecision as I tried to come to terms with what I had sensed in my previous enchanting attempt. I knocked the disk against the stone floor, whilst feeling foolish for doing so. It was obviously solid. How could what I had experienced be real? How could a solid metal be so much nothingness? Was it a metaphor of some kind? Perhaps I was only sensing the Power the disk contained. I focused, and began to Enchant Ice Lance once more, and as I sensed the vast emptiness I tried to follow one of the motes of Power and connect to it. Another wave of Mana rocked me backwards as my head swam for a moment and my eyes stung. Whatever the tiny things were, they were much too fast for me to follow. Mana.
Mana: 1342/680
There was not much of a change, and I had recovered much faster this time, without any sparkles. Curious. Perhaps there was an upper limit to what amount of Mana I could hold, different from how much I could regenerate. With a steadying breath, I attempted another enchantment. This time I tried to predict where one of the motes of Power would show up.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Sadly my attempt once more ended in failure. I could sense the strange motes, I could know where they had been, but I could not react quickly enough to actually interact with one. There had to be something else to it, but what? It was possible that my Attributes were too low, perhaps I needed more Intelligence to make sense of this. Or perhaps my Willpower was insufficient, letting me be overwhelmed. But waiting for more Attributes was not an option, it was now that I was in the Dungeon after all. I picked up one more bronze disk and closed my eyes, concentrating. I recalled what Enchant had felt like before, how I had created a Bronze disk of Ice Lance with the previous tier of Ability. Ignoring the sensation of vast emptiness, I imagined the wave of Mana and the resonance. With a sense of elation I felt how the spell structure began to stabilize. Until it abruptly stopped and the disk disappeared. I stared down at my empty hands, frowning. That had not been an enchanting failure, I knew what those felt like by now. This was something else. But of more interest: I had noticed that the resonance I had almost achieved had nothing to do with the motes that sped by. There was something else here, a multitude of them, spread out in the emptiness. This might be a problem of scale and perspective on my part. It appeared as if I had focused so hard on the motes, that I never looked for anything else. But the failure was still strange. Had the Order kept me from enchanting the way I had with a lower tier Ability? Why? Because I did not have that Ability any more? But if so, why would the Order even care? I tried to Enchant again and again, failing with each, but I gradually improved my understanding. My initial perspective did indeed seem wrong, the motes of Power, and there were many of them, seemed to move in a way as to create a boundary or a shield of fast moving swirls in layers around another something. Those boundaries then interacted with each other, in a strange push and pull. If this was a true representation of reality, then many things that seemed so obvious about the world, were in fact anything but obvious. I had understood what happened with the wave of Mana at least; when an enchantment failed, the things at the very center of the barriers fell apart into even smaller objects, many of which shot apart in separate directions at mind boggling speeds. But as they encountered the Mana of the forming enchantment, they exploded into tiny clouds of massively condensed Mana. I was quite curious what would happen if those small objects interacted with each other, or perhaps another center of a barrier, mayhap that was needed for a successful enchantment.
Quest!
Do not let unbound particles interact with anything other than Mana! Reward: Survival.
I considered the quest, as I mused on why it would be given. If the particles created Mana when interacting with Mana, what would happen if they hit another particle? An infusion of other particles? I absolutely itched to find out. But either it would kill me, or the Order would. I was not quite willing to die for my curiosity. I sighed in frustration at not managing to Enchant any of my remaining disks. But I had a lot to think about concerning enchantments, and it was fascinating. I looked around in the room for anything I could Enchant, anything at all. But other than me, the Golem, and Eric, there was truly nothing. I looked considering at Eric for a moment as he sat sleeping against a wall. But he was quite a bit more useful as he was, rather than as a consumable spell. I was likely to fail the enchantment anyway, especially considering what a nuisance acorns had been. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I would not experiment with my food, clothes, or coin. That would just be a waste, I only had seven coins left now and two of them were gold! With any luck, I would find something on this floor to use. Elated at the prospect I got to my feet. But Eric was sleeping. Sighing, I admitted to myself that there was no reason to hurry. I should take the opportunity to rest when I had it, and deal with other necessities as well. ** When Eric woke with a loud gasp, I was laying on my back staring at the ceiling, lost in thoughts about levels. As Eric fished something out of his satchel and began to eat, I returned to my musings. The Sentience Trait my Golem had received had changed how I thought about Traits, and the Order. Now I kept wondering exactly what the Order was, and why was the Order? And perhaps the more dangerous thought, would I have been better off without the Order. As Eric finished eating I shook myself out of my probably unhealthy questioning and got to my feet. "Do you have any water to spare?" I shuddered at Eric''s wide and toothy grin, which was anything but endearing. But I fished out one of the water skins and tossed it to him, thirst would quickly make him useless after all and I still had quite a bit of water. Once Eric had finished I moved over to the door and opened it, the Golem at my shoulder. Beyond the door lay a corridor of damp stone, the previously smooth floor of the safe room giving way to rough and uneven ground. On the far end of the corridor lay an open space, most of which was lost to darkness. I could hear a repeating splashing sound, but I could not see the source of it. But by the way the sound changed, it was clear that whatever was making the noise, it was moving. A water elemental perhaps? Elementals were generally quite powerful though, to be able to create a semi-physical form on their own. Surely the increase in difficulty from one floor to the next would not be that steep. As the creature in question, a blue jellylike substance, oozed around the corner, it lay my worries to rest. A slime was not nearly as bad as an elemental, though we were perhaps not the best equipped to deal with it. My Golem was already rushing forward, as I had not yet instructed it differently. I was curious to see how well the Golem would manage against something requiring as much finesse as a slime. As the Golem stomped and kicked at the monster, further staining its coat, it became abundantly clear the answer was: badly. Neither the slime nor the Golem seemed to be capable of hurting each other. I would eventually have to make an attempt at teaching the Golem what to do, but for now I wanted to make sure that what I thought I knew about this kind of creature was correct. I tried to convey that I wanted the Golem to move aside and to my surprise it did so immediately. The Golem kept kicking at the slime, but doing so from the side, giving me a clear view. As my Mana was more than full right now, instead of using a precious enchantment, I began to cast Ice Lance. The shard of ice sped across the distance and cut through the gelatinous exterior of the monster. Seemingly the shard only grazed the creature''s core, but it was enough. The slime shuddered, before dissolving into a viscous fluid.
You have contributed to a Dungeon Encounter victory! You gain 18 Experience!
Your Golem has contributed to a Dungeon Encounter victory! Your Golem gain 31 Experience! You gain 9 Experience!
Well, that was curious.