《Heroes of Kalydren - Olea's Journey》 Prologue Somewhere near, in, over, under, and through the realm of Kalydren - Year 1314, Month , Day 0. One. In a darkened room, floating in a space with no observable walls or ceiling, sat a hunched figure of no distinguishable appearance, reading over a display that floated above his desk showing lines of pulsing red, blue, green, and yellow text in a multitude of separate panes; it was that kind of day. Pushing back in frustration he whispered dramatically into the dark, ¡°What can I do to get these people to move forward? It¡¯s like they actively avoid conflict, change, and innovation." He gets to his feet in an exaggerated display of frustration and walks away. The dark stone floor seems to slide under him as he steps without moving, and soon a new non-room appears around him, carpeted in a rich, red, wool it is occupied by a small, ornate chair and a small table topped with a tray of fruits, a pipe, and a void-black cat. There were also people there, three of them. Seating himself slowly, so as not to disturb the cat, he picks up his dark wooden pipe and lights it by inserting his pinky into the tip. Staring ahead he takes a long pull, his furrowed brow relaxing, then breathing out slowly he sighs, an altogether different sigh. For some time, the only sounds in the dim room are that of the smoldering cherry of the pipe and rhythmic breathing of the lazy cat. The three new visitors looked on, seeming bored. They had been here before, and there would be no rushing the man in his ritual. Looking about slowly, as if in attempts to find his own straying thoughts, he exclaims "I¡¯ve thought over the issue at hand, and I can see the value in your idea." The man gave another good pull on his pipe before letting the smoke trail from his ears, leaving shifting images of his faithful creations below done in a purple haze as the cloud drifted through the air. Gazing to the cat he postulates, "Though, doing this would seem to be properly evil if I can''t gift something for them to acclimate themselves to survival, right?" Another moment in thought as the cat regarded him from the table before he added, "A boon! I will be granting them a boon to aid in their project, being that it is a project for me." The three people looked on, not yet addressed by the man before them. He nodded sagely to himself, not the cat, who nodded to a cat? Not him, no, never him, never. Taking another pull from his pipe he exhaled a stream of smoke in thought then muttered to himself again, "Boons they shall have, or at least I hope there will be them, else this will be very difficult indeed." Standing slowly, again not disturbing the cat, he begins to pace, the cloud of smoke moving around him as a halo of grays, greens, and blues. "Let''s Begin.¡± At this the older woman among the group cleared her throat, ¡°If we could have a moment to discuss your recent epiphany?¡± The man sighed as he looked about, as if choosing to not acknowledge them would have somehow saved him from this talk, they knew that he knew that were there and they also knew that he was not nearly as witty as most of the aged assumed they were. Most anyone of wit is indeed only suffering from a skewed perspective. There really was no room for wit after what he had done to his creation. The screens flashed closed as a soft hum emanated from the dark beyond. Searching for Outside Resources¡­. Possible Elements of Change Found! Permission for Extradition of Acquisitions Received. Transportation Commencing. "Win!" cried the old man, excitement radiating from his being. Transportation Interrupted... The man growled before turning to properly address the trespassers. Transportation Successful: Subjects safely transported to varied locations, assigning variable blessings and boons. ¡°What did you do, woman?¡± he demanded of her. ¡°I was trying to stop you from rushing this, you fool.¡± Retorted the woman in a measured tone, though not one without some measure of heat. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. The woman, one of the three was rather aged, though not less regal for it. She seemed to settle into her years with the grace of a well-lived individual. As if time had blessed her with a smooth journey through its harsh rivers. Her gray hair still showing signs of a fiery red underneath, her eyes of a hazel nature, shooting through with occasional spots of gold, blue, green, and a deep copper hue sparkling with intelligence. The robe she wore was plainly if not well made, unadorned by anything save the flowing wreath of runes along the hem, resembling a stream through the forest. So, maybe not so simple a robe. She had deep smile lines, though they were not particularly prominent in this discussion. Time Required until subjects are acclimated to local mana: Unknown. "Mana acclimation?" asked the man as surprise flashed across his features. You failed to read the help, again? Turning quickly the man regarded the cat, "What are you on about now?" I always listen, you are normally just not important enough to acknowledge. I also heard your use of the word ¡®old¡¯; I¡¯m telling. "Hurtful. I could have maybe used the advice. Also please don¡¯t." lamented the man with a concerned look. Another of the small group stood then, this time it was the second woman, for of the three there was but one man. Outnumbered in all cases not involving the one. She was garbed in a robe of flowing forest colors, though the colors had recently begun to shift into their ashen patterns of late. She had hair of darkest black, with a concerned brow arching over her deep, glowing blue eyes. Her skin was of a darker tone than the man behind her, more olive to his alabaster. She smiled ever so slightly, as if trying to relay information in a way as to not anger the man before her, he was after all, their father. ¡°This is why you should have consulted with us before you began the process. We only wished to assist you, as is our purpose.¡± The man behind her nodded, ¡°We did come all this way to help you get this right, it seems we should have spoken sooner.¡± "Well..." grumbled the man to the judgmental glares of the audience. He knew that he was only in this mess because he had failed to consult his chosen, the first of many in a universe that at the time had only him. Had he not brought them forth for this very purpose? Time flowed on with only the movement of the man''s pipe in his curved mouth and a small, steady stream of smoke wafting in the air forming patterns and shapes, ever shifting. With a pulse of energy leaving the man, the smoke froze and then fell as will the mist of the morning fading into nothing as the man evaporated and the room ceased to be, only the cat remained alone in the vast emptiness. The old woman just waited, patiently. The old man had taken to his theatrics long ago, and in time they had grown specific counters to each of his moods. This one was simple, they would just ignore him and wait patiently, reactions were his bread and butter, therefore he would find himself starving soon. ¡°You know, I really hate you people sometimes.¡± Said the man bluntly. ¡°We love you too.¡± They all said in unison, catching the man by surprise. It was downright creepy the way they said those words in a monotone voice, as empty as a cellar in late spring. ¡°Fine, fine. What is happening then?¡± It was the other man who spoke next, he was as young as the woman, possibly of the same age. He had hair of the brightest gold, with skin as pale as moonlight and eyes reflecting an emerald green of the deepest forests. His jaw was straight and squared, some would say well-defined. His face was composed and free of emotion. His robes were of an ashen gray and flecked with motes of red, blue, and black. They had begun showing hints of green at the edges not long ago. ¡°You failed to adjust for their need to acclimate to the mana of our world, sir.¡± The man bowed slightly as he finished his small sentence. He may have begun being warped by the mans failed theatrics. The old woman smiled at the younger man before turning to the old codger before her, ¡°You know that not taking the proper precautions, you have pushed back the time when you will be able to send them on to the world below, right?¡± ¡°How long? I needed them now.¡± The man was crestfallen, he had truly believed somehow that he could just make it right again, in a blink. Hadn¡¯t he created the world himself overnight? It did take countless ages to get the world right afterward, but surely being able to create the base planet over night would mean he was capable of something so small in a shorter time frame, right? ¡°Your impatience got you into this, let us help you get out of it. These are delicate times, but the world will be well for a time yet.¡± Said the kindly woman again, smiling softly as she spoke now that the man was turning to them, as he should. He would someday learn that he needed his own grounding stone in the storm of eternity. ¡°It will be a few decades, at least.¡± Said the Pale Man, ¡°I can assure you that by the time they enter the world we can have many pieces in places to help them, surely that would count for something. It gives us a goal, something for you to work toward.¡± The man knew his father had only resorted to this tactic out of fear and blind panic, though his countenance would never show it. That was what got them into this hole to begin with, they should have been more aware of his moods back then. If they had, this may not have ever come to pass. Such was how the cycle spun. The younger woman chimed in after, ¡°Plenty of time for you to do the thing, you know. Your special project?¡± The older woman caught on immediately. Since when did these kids get to be so wily. ¡°Right, right. Your Progenitor Program, you called it? You can do that!¡± the old woman looked about as a shelf materialized behind her. She thumbed through it for a few pages while the man looked at her incredulously. ¡°When did you find out about that, and why do you have my journal? How did you get my shelf in my room from my other room, I do not remember any of that ever happening!¡± ¡°Calm down, we can do things ourselves. Just because we have chosen not to do certain things does not mean we lack the ability, or did you forget our nature?¡± She handed the book over and pointed at a hastily scrawled series of notes. The man sat down in his chair, missing the cat as he did so. The old woman sighed at the cat and waved a hand. The cat vanished in the air, as did the three people who had worked through this short-lived intervention. The old man would be untouchable and unspeaking until his mind settled into his new project. ¡°The progenitor¡¯s project, I almost forgot¡­¡± Kalydren - Chapter 1 Oleas Flight Kalydren ¨C Year 1344, Dagour, Day 6. Spring Olea Munroe ¡°Dammit¡± casting a quick glance about I see no one in the alley, nothing to be afraid of down here, up above was different. I had just been awakened by the sounds of screaming, annoyingly loud, unending screaming. How the hell did I end up in someone else¡¯s bed? I swear I had just dozed off in the chair with an enjoyable book, moments later I am being startled awake by a teenage scream-queen shouting for their father because a strange boy is sleeping in their bed, ¡°I did nothing wrong!¡± I shouted this last to the windowed balcony above. Why I did this, no idea. It seemed I was only inviting trouble as I reminded them that I was still here. I turned to run off down the alley as a man appeared in the window above, his eyes flashed a distinct red for the briefest of moments, an odd trick of the light maybe. Jumping small crates and piles of who-the-hell-knows I sprinted away into the night. It was early afternoon when I started my nap, how did so much time pass, and more to the point how did I end up in someone else¡¯s home, let alone the room of a teenage girl. What was with that guy, her dad, he must have been her father, he nearly ripped through the house, he was so fast! I found myself backing away quickly when he ran into the room shouting for answers I did not have. Luckily, or not, for me the window was open to the night as I backed away, tripping over the balcony and landing in a pile of I-have-no-idea-what that cushioned my fall. ¡°Oy, you! Stop!¡± shouted a gruff voice from off to my left, they made it sound like I would just love to stop and obey. Nope-train for that idea. My thoughts were confirmed by the squawking of a large black raven as it cawed loudly overhead, flying into the night. Are those birds nocturnal here? ¡°Maybe later man. Long night.¡± I said into the air, maybe they heard me. I saw no reason to stop and answer questions when I had so many of my own, never talk to the authorities when you do not know the facts, even then get yourself a lawyer. How was I going to explain having a nap in some random girl¡¯s bedroom and having her say I should not have been there; I am no Romeo. Where was I? Yes, running! I ducked down another small alley, it was very dark they should get some streetlights up around here, a girl is likely to be accosted. I saw a wide variety of dark slushy puddles; it is not cold tonight so I am betting that is not snow and I should not be thinking about alternatives. I am not judging, I just cannot see myself dropping luggage in an alley, even one without lights! Crossing another street into the next set of alleys, this one was set between two brick buildings, one a ruddy brown of earth, the other a dark red of properly baked clay, maybe with a higher iron content. I paused to take stock. I found it odd that I was breathing so heavily, I was never a slouch and though I did no long-distance running, or any running really, I should not have been this winded. Blah, no socks, what happened to my socks. I looked down at my new leather shoes, tan homespun pants, top it all off with a deep brown shirt with weird sleeves; yep, no idea. I can work with this, must be a dream or something, unless maybe I was sucked to an alternate reality by some hero summoning ritual trope and they got me instead of the dashing young lad with a drive to be the best, most impressive hero ever. Poor saps, wrong girl. I heard more footsteps behind me, down the alley. I got my breathing slowed through the careful act of standing still and hugging my knees, not an athlete. I took off down the row and ducked into a small corner alcove, still no light. ¡°Psst!¡± comes a whistle-whisper in the dark. ¡°Huh?¡± I retorted with not a hint of surprise. Nope, I was not totally shocked or frightened to discover I was not alone. ¡°Get back here, you not hear the guard? They are headed this way, what in the hells did you do at the captain¡¯s house?¡± questioned the voice in the dark, they sounded a little mousy, and nervous, that last part I could say I shared. Where was that voice coming from? The sound of boots echo from across the street, ¡°This way men!¡± A trio of rough looking men, fine matching tabards or not, they did not appear friendly, came crashing through the alley I had left before ducking in here. The jingle of their belts could be heard bouncing from the brick walls. Were those swords at their hips, yes, yes, they were. I must have died and been snatched away to RPG dreamland. They looked like pumped up mall cops, sure they might be scary, but I doubt they would hold up to real pressure. The leader though, seemed to be a little scarier. I did not understand why, but he felt dangerous. A man best avoided. ¡°Where are you, it is not easy to see in here.¡± I say in not quite a frantic whisper. ¡°Over here, hurry!¡± The nervous voice said from my right. I saw a small child, maybe fifteen or sixteen, holding open a wooden panel covering a small hole in the side of another brown brick building. They were wearing a dirty gray tunic, tied at the waist with a rough knot of hemp rope, tattered pants, and no shoes to cover their grimy feet. From under the rags, I could just barely see a thin frame, even for what must be someone barely in the double digits. I was thinking they looked to be an underfed sixteen-year-old. ¡°Over here I said. The Guard will not find us, not tonight at least.¡± The kid dropped down and bolted into the hole, they just knew I would follow right after. My own little white rabbit. ¡°Neat.¡± I muttered as I followed quickly down the rabbit hole. Once through the opening, the panel was put back in place by the same kid from the alley, though no longer alone. Several children were arrayed around me, ages hard to tell but their sizes cover quite the range. Most wore similar clothing to my rabbit, rags almost. Some of the children had slightly better clothing, a few even had hats, a couple of scarves. Almost no one had shoes. I saw a few smaller children huddled back near the rear of the warehouse, for we were in a warehouse, a large building with a ceiling some twenty feet up, the building may have been fifty feet from front to back. A narrow catwalk circled the building maybe ten feet up the wall, accessed by small metal rungs bolted into the wall at each corner. One of the larger boys, not quite the tallest, but fitting into the boss category for classic child gangs, you know the ones in old English novels, I wonder if his name was. He looks at me up and down a few times, I hope he does not plan to take my shoes, this girl will draw blood for shoes, even if my shoes are not quite the quality kind, they are still mine. ¡°What you got for us, Len?" I turned to Len, the name of my rabbit, they were gone. Seemingly not a fan of the attention. "Clear out, I would like to talk with the new boy.¡± There it was again, why all these mistakes, I was a girl! These bastards, I took a few deep breaths; I suppose there is little harm in being underestimated. They would learn. It also did not hurt that I was no longer out of breath. Smiling brightly in the dark, I looked up and said, "Right-o Dodger, me boy, what''s this all about?" I chuckled at this last, I could not help myself, maybe Len could be my Oliver for this skit. I was also starting to think I may have somehow scored a concussion. ¡°Now, what is your name new boy? I am Keen, and I am the one in charge," he makes a wide circling motion with his hands to indicate the room, "I help keep these kids safe at night.¡± He sneers at me just a bit as he says, ¡°You like staying safe?" Watching me watch him he continues, "You have to contribute if you want to stay, being as it is almost sunrise, I can let it go tonight. Do some work today, make some coin, score some food, or help the others find something useful.¡± He rattled off a list of things a boy like me could do to make some small copper, did he mean pennies, ¡°If you want a place to stay tomorrow night, you bring something useful, we all have to contribute here.¡± I was beginning to think that I would eventually learn what it was like to be making references to things no one would ever understand. "Just passing the night then, the name is Olea." I put off trying to offend this lot for tonight any more than I thought I had, for my troubles Keen just nodded at my name and gestured for his crew to follow him as he headed for the far corner, near the front bay doors. A name was enough so long as I did not try to cause a fight. Low food, few prospects; no one wanted to expend energy. Looking at the small forms lying near the crates, I could not bring myself to blame them, they looked underfed, surely under clothed, and certainly not well cared for. It reminded me of some of my less than stellar foster families. With nothing to do but sit here, was there no furniture? Argh, back on track. I saw something earlier, and a voice matched it. ¡°One Hundred Percent¡± it had said, it being a disembodied almost sing-song voice. Almost like an old Mickey Mouse narration. Let us get back to that, it happened when that man¡¯s eyes flashed at me, just after I fell through the window and saw that bright flash of light, it splintered as I passed through some translucent barrier that was not there until I happened to fall out from it. Magic? Possibly. Was I committed to believing this was now an ¡®Isekai Event¡¯ I had been abducted by mad cultist somewhere and brought here to plague the lives of ne¡¯er-do-wells everywhere. After several moments of thinking and shouting nonsense words into the darkness, I startled the children. I grumped to myself and headed for a small alcove created by stack of cabinets and tools near the door. Now think, what is it that all those people do in the anime and light novels¡­ They say Status, Menu, Class, Options, and a slew of other things¡­ none of those are working. As I sat there thinking about everything, about my problems and predicaments I heard a small ¡®ding.¡¯ And then this. [Calculating; one hundred percent, threshold reached.] [Initializing System, Integration Complete] Welcome to Kalydren! As a new citizen allow this humble entity to greet you in place of great one above, I have been tasked with helping guide you in the world. I will be here for a time to assist you. If you find yourself in need of my aid, you merely need think upon the question ¡­ Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Nope, sorry. I have a lot to process, please give me a minute?¡± I asked, and I swore I felt a small sense of indignation hovering in the air directly in front of me. ¡°Have I the knowledge to assist-¡± ¡°Nope. Again, I was having a moment, could we work on timing?¡± I said, cutting him off again. I did not mean to be rude, but I needed a little time to myself to figure things out.¡± It was a few moments before my mind slowed down from its frantic flight and I realized the voice had said it was here to help. ¡°I was trying to help you!¡± shouted a voice into my mind, I knew it was not audible now, my ears did not register any vibrations. I think back at it, ¡°Basics, just give me the basics. I have things I want to do. Not intending to be rude but I want to get started already. I am sorry, I mean it, rough nights are no reason to be rude, I was just excited.¡± Clear, concise, and polite, me all over. ¡°I suppose¡­ of course, this must be the impatience of being mortal... Ugh your fellows are not nearly as bad.¡± Countered the voice, ¡°Look, just think about your perceived self, your potential and such if you have any, you will figure it out, maybe. It will become somewhat self-explanatory as you work.¡± It sounded a bit dismissive and maybe a slight bit irate, ¡°I will be going now, enjoy.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± I think back in cheerful appreciation, I hope I did not upset the little AI subroutine or whatnot that runs the world. Thinking of my potential self, my score, a video game stat sheet, the personification of my soul and all that, I just let my mind go dead the same way I did when plugged into my Rig at home. Name: Olea Archetype: None Attributes: Strength: 9 Dexterity: 13 Constitution: 9 Charisma: 16 Intelligence: 13 Wisdom: 7 Skills: Five skill points remaining. None. You have multiple skills available. View skills? [Y/N] Experience Till Next Level: 0/1000 Well, drat, I have an attributes screen, RPG of the year! Seeing the nine next to strength filled me with dread. I leaned forward, trying to pry a board free of the crate, it looked flimsy if not a little thick. I pulled, and pulled, and still I pulled. No dice, double-drat. Nine must still be child-like levels of strength, my arms are smaller than I remember, I would have to fix that. Sixteen Charisma? Did that make me charming, I wonder, could I have talked my way out of that problem with the old man and his daughter. Nope, no chance, he had been MAD. It also seemed as if there was a leveling system, one thousand experience points to reach the next level. Fantastic. Wait a minute, right there. Skills, I found the golden ticket! Yes please, I think the word yes repeatedly, mentally smashing the skills choice. Available Skills: Would you like to see General Skills or Specialist Skills options? I looked at general skills first; it contained page after page of everyday trade skills and even simple things like Jumping and Painting. Off to the Specialist course! Specialist Skills Available: Arcana Combat Necromancy Piety Stealth Woodcraft Promising choices! What do they do, hmm. ¡°Help Stealth¡± Not sure why I am still talking aloud when this is all so obviously in my head, but hey it is my life. Stealth: This skill serves as the foundation for all things related to stealth, having it is essential for learning the finer arts of surviving and thriving in the shadows, or in broad daylight if you are confident enough. Skills in this category include Sneak, Hide, Backstab, Steal, Misdirect, Dodge, and many others associated with the rogue personages of this world. Embrace the shadows and master the night. I knew what I wanted to use if I planned any more of these late-night strolls. Time to check the rest all at once. Arcana: This skill defines the underlying concepts of Arcana, the force of the cosmos. By utilizing this knowledge many would-be mages have gone on to master spells like: Magic Missile, Meteor Shower, Lightning Bolt, Charm Person, Water Breath, and yes, even Fireball. Learn to manipulate the Mana of the world for your benefit, we are in no way responsible for lost hair, skin, or limbs. Be responsible when wielding great cosmic forces. Woodcraft: This skill embodies the knowledge of the forest and dale. Traverse the wood without concern as you are borne of the Wilds, grants an understanding needed to effectively use skills such as: Campfire, Tame Beast, Control Weather, Detect Weather, Snare, Earth Shaping, and even Forest Stride. Piety: With this skill you are granted the knowledge required to work miracles in the world, from healing wounds to banishing evil. This knowledge will aid any who wishes to seek solace in serving a higher calling. Come join the ranks of Healers across the world, you will unlock skills such as: Cure Wounds, Heal, Major Heal, Dispel Evil, Cure Sickness, and maybe someday the fabled Resurrection skill will be yours, who does not want to revive the recently deceased and gain their undying loyalty! Necromancy: With this skill you gain knowledge of the forbidden arts of necromancy, learn to raise the dead to serve beyond life, hone your skills and become a zombie master, or even an economic fertilizer transporter. This Skill allow you to learn others such as: Animate Dead, Raise Zombie, Curse, Blindness, Poison, and Mind Flay. Drive the opposition into insanity to win the day, or least to keep those darned kids off your lawn. Combat: This Skills is the fountain for all things related to physical defense and offense. Has a small influence on the effectiveness of all fighting styles. With this base skill you will gain access to more advanced skills such as: Kick, Headbutt, Swordsmanship, Weapon Finesse, Hand to Hand, Parry, and Shield Block. Do not disregard the ability to improve your martial prowess, all things can be kung-f... err combat related! That is a bit much. Oh well, Stealth, I choose you! Stealth - Rank 1 New skill choices unlocked. Pierce Sneak What does the all-powerful help-chan have for me on these. Sneak: By gaining this skill you tap into the knowledge of the world adding a small correction to successful sneak attempts based on Dexterity and skill level. Pierce: This skill allows the citizen to use piercing weapons, daggers, stilettos, and other small hand blades more effectively. A bonus is applied to damage and wielded proficiency based largely on Dexterity with a moderate benefit from Strength. Yoink, and double-yoink! Grabbing them both might help me live a little longer out here. Sneak - Rank 1, Pierce - Rank 1 New skill choices unlocked. Hide Hmm, nah. Let us have a look-see at that other option. Piety, I am not at all religious but performing healing miracles seems like a sure way to win, have I ever played a game where I could use healing magic as a rogue!? Piety skill coming up, and fabulous! Piety - Rank 1 New skill choices unlocked. Armor Bless Cure Wounds Vigor Illuminate Help-chan, show me the skills! I know this is silly, but I cannot not get excited about this all being real, granted being an orphan on the streets again will suck, but I never had magical powers the first time around! Never would have feared the dark alleys as a child if I had some Paul Hogan style ¡°This is a knife.¡± Line to deliver as I pull my blade. Bless: This spell allows you to bless a person, creature, or object with the protection of your patron god[s]. You need not worry as all peoples of Kalidren have at least one patron god, whether they want one or not. Blessings on living creatures can last as long as several days, a blessing bestowed on objects is permanent unless blessed by a being stronger than yourself, at which time their blessing shall overwrite yours. Gives a small boost to all protections, resistances, armor, and a percentage correction to all skills used. [Hammers hit nails more accurately, spells are easier to successfully cast, pockets easier to pick, overall, you have a much better day.] Vigor: This spell allows the user to bestow a boost to the target¡¯s stamina, increasing their ability to push through tough tasks with more ease as they are lifted out of exhaustion. Walk further and be refreshed. Armor: This spell temporarily imbues the target with an increase in physical damage resistance. Used on existing armor it will give a small increase to durability, this effect is permanent. Cure Wounds: This spell at its base proficiency can heal minor wounds, referred to by the priests as ¡®cure light¡¯ it will not remove poison, curses, or blindness and is limited to minor healing. Multiple casts have an accumulative effect. Illuminate: This spell will allow the caster to create a small orb of light. The orb may be held aloft with your will or with your hand. The light consists of pure mana and can be considered illusory as it cannot be physically interacted with by anyone but the caster. Duration controlled by a mix of Wisdom and Intelligence. Other effects unlock with Rank. Well, that was informative, thank you Help-chan! I did my best to hide a huge grin on my face, I swear I was not planning world domination. The choices all seemed to be quite beneficial, but I need a right-now spell. I decided to go with Cure Wounds, thank you very much System-sama. Now how do I use magic, let us try guided practice, visualize the spell. Visualize. Visualize. Well crud, maybe it just would not work without having wounds to heal. I really did not want to cut myself on a nail to figure this out, Help-chan said it will not cure poisons and the like. I had no doubt that there were diseases just waiting to eat me in here. I cast another look around, no one had wandered over yet and most of the forms on the other side of the warehouse seem to be asleep, or at least very still. Keen was still looking out the windows in front, maybe he really did protect this collection of vagabonds. With all my skill choices made I decided to have a good look at my list, going blank face again I concentrated on the space where my mind goes to observe my potential, odd method that. Name: Olea Archetype: Merciful Blade Attributes: Skills: Zero skill points remaining. Piety - Rank 1 Experience Till Next Level: 0/1000 That is progress right there. I might be ready to see what daylight had to offer. It also seemed like I had been given an Archetype, I wondered what Merciful Blade meant. Merciful Blade: A basic archetype consisting of at least minor healing and some bladed skill, whether sword or dagger. Most citizens of this rare archetype type are found in rural or suburban areas where access to Temple healing is more limited or controlled as few people are desperate enough to spread their skills across more than one path so early in their lives. ¡°Desperate?¡± I asked, ripe with not-quite-feigned indignation, whatever you say System-sama. I thought I had done well enough after surviving my first night in the town, though it was a bit less than it could have been, I was sure. I was going to need to get some rest and get ready for what the day would bring. After sparing a few moments to wonder at whether my Constitution was to blame for my being overly tired I took another quick look around for suspicious characters, no one seemed to be anything but watchful in here, maybe they just respected the needs of others, or at least the communities need for a safe place to sleep, a cease fire while resting or some such. Not the trusting type in this new world I decided to just climb up on the catwalk for a small nap, maybe I can get a well-rested bonus for sleeping in a warehouse. I made myself somewhat comfortable as I leaned up against the wall of brick, I closed my eyes, smiling at all the thoughts of adventure that may lie ahead, and as I faded into the embrace of sleep, I think I may have chuckled just a bit into the night. Evil villain vibes: check. Chapter 2 - Early Morning Interrogation Kalydren ¨C Year 1344, Month 1, Day 6. Spring Olea Munroe ¨C Early Morning Interrogation ¡°New boy! Time to wake up!¡± who-the-heck-is-shouting!? I groggily move about as I wake from my sweet dream; I could have sworn I was in my own little fantasy world, complete with magic and ninja-skills. My eyes open to take in the view of a strange warehouse, and I realize my dream wasn¡¯t. I smile a little to myself before I remember someone had rudely woken me up, and argh, I need a mirror, if I have a moustache I will kill a god. I peer down at my would be assailant, a very low amount of light is filtering in through the windows above, it¡¯s not even full dawn! ¡°What do you want?¡± I almost shouted. Its Keen, what the bloody hell? He looks at me again and gestures to a small alcove, maybe a broom closet. Does he want me to follow him into the Janitor¡¯s closet? Ick, just no, all nope. ¡°I need to speak with you, private-like. Hurry on up.¡± And with message delivered he walks off, expecting me to follow him, I really hate that I want to follow him after that¡­ As I rise into a near crouch to descend the ladder on my right I once again take a look around, it seems that most of the smaller folks that were staying the night have already left for the day. Maybe they went off to find some food, not a bad idea, or perhaps they are attempting to collect whatever tithe this bastard Keen demands for his protection. Meh, time to go find out. Being in a secluded spot means if he does get handsy he won¡¯t have any witnesses to me beating him with the mop. Did I want to beat him with a mop, yes, yes I did. Could I do this thing, no idea, he may also have super-powers. Right, off we go. Reaching the floor I head on over to the alcove, double checking to make sure none of his goons are around. No cornering this girl, nope. I stand outside for a moment before I pull back the dirty curtain that is stretched across the doorway, this may really be a broom closet. Inside is just bare studs with some slate drywall to add a slight separation from the outer area. A small stool is in the corner, occupied by Keen. A dead lantern rests on a shelf with a small hammer and some rather useless looking nails. Weapon found! I grin at Keen and he looks at me, for a second I think he is about to speak and then the strangest damned look crosses his face. He stands up suddenly, sputtering, ¡°Are you a girl!?¡± He shouts, nay yells at me. I could not help myself; I punched him. He promptly fell down, holding his nose to stem the flow of blood. ¡°Why¡¯d you hit me?¡± he asks through his obvious pain. I stare for a little longer before I relent, ¡°I am a girl! I was a girl when I got here last night, I have been a girl for a very long time, is there a problem with my being a girl!?¡± I run my hands along the sides of my shirt, slim barely discernable curves along my hip to my shoulders, subtly shift my arm across to touch my opposite shoulder to get a sense of my chestiness without looking under my shirt, no reason make it seem as if he made a justifiable mistake. Breast are there, though I guess I was close to a B-cup now, no longer a C, goodbye back problems and poor balance issues. Did this mean I was younger now, how young? I really hope I¡¯m not twelve again, I liked being of an appropriate age! Waiting through puberty to be with the people I choose to be with will make me angry, wait sudden anger, no, no, nope. Not thinking about it, need a mirror. ¡°Listen, Keen. You need to stop fidgeting, it¡¯s just a little blood, you¡¯ll be fine. I am sure your nose is barely broken.¡± I hoped so anyway, not a doctor. I sort of am now? ¡°Actually Keen, stand up, right there. Hop to it, we don¡¯t have all day.¡± He looked at me then, as he stood I swear he was almost cowering, I am not scary! Maybe he is afraid of girls, could explain the outburst. ¡°Are you going to hurt me again?¡± ¡°No,¡± I reply, ¡°I won¡¯t hurt you, though I could change my mind any time now. Stay still.¡± Now how does this work, what was it the spell was called, ah yes! Cure Wounds: This spell at its base proficiency can heal minor wounds, referred to by the priests as ¡®cure light¡¯ it will not remove poison, curses, or blindness and is limited to minor healing. Multiple casts have an accumulative effect. I guess I need to touch him, or at least get closer, I step forward and grab his honker with my right hand, using my left arm to wrestle his head down in a basic hold, can¡¯t be too careful. ¡°Ow, ow, ow, Stop!! Please!¡± Keen whines, why was he so tough before, thinking I was a boy, if I were I¡¯d have probably knocked him out with that punch. Concentrating on my skill, or spell rather, I focus my thoughts on the wound I want to heal, not east with Keen crying and trying to free himself from the headlock. As I was reaching the point of ¡®Oh boy this is awkward¡¯ it clicked and I felt a small flow of something leaving the core of my being, my center, I know it sounds stupid but there it was, unknown source of something moving around and then I got a read on it as the energy reached my arm and flowed along my skin to envelop the hand gripping at Keen big bloody nose, I say this but it was a rather small nose, maybe someone else had flattened it before I did. Anyway! The spell finished flowing and so did his nose, not enough, though Keen did let out a sort of startled yelp when the magic let go of my hand. Accumulative effect, yep let¡¯s channel this sucker! I concentrated again, letting the spell swell up from wherever it was, it moved again along my arm flowing outward as it reached my wrist enveloping my hand in a steady glow of blue light, I could see it this time, more potent magic was more visible maybe. Something for later. Poof, the bleeding stopped, though he was still a right mess. I let go of the poor kid then, no need to torment him, I do not want him to wet himself. Not on me at least, no golden showers, thank you very much, nope. Keen just kind of stood there afterward, did I break another toy? Just as I was about to slap him, maybe knock something loose, he spoke, ¡°Was that magic? You can do magic, you healed me. Why break my nose and then heal me? This doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± I stood there waiting for him to recover and be done, ¡°Why were the guards chasing a girl, did Lenny know you were a girl?! I was not told about this.¡± He really was going to just talk to himself here. ¡°Start talking, Olea, gah a name like that, I thought it was Ollie but was just playing it up, it even sounds girly. Gross¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Are you done yet,¡± I demanded, ¡°Day is wasting out there. I broke your nose for calling me a boy, again. I healed you because I could and I hated watching you cry, and bleed everywhere, two bad things. Leaking in general is bad when other people are watching, bad manners, Keen.¡± I admonished. I couldn¡¯t say that I wasn¡¯t entirely sure it would work, and only healed him for the sake of science, that would make me the rude one. ¡°Now, why would you care if I were a girl, also what the hell did you wake me up for? I like my sleepy time.¡± I grumbled to the boy. I take a few moments to check him over while he fixes his stool and reassembles his tough boy fa?ade. He seems to be around five foot four, my scale is probably off being that I seem to have shrunk from my previous five foot seven. His hair is an unruly mess, knotted and dirty, it may be closer to a golden blonde if he ever bathes. Blue-green eyes look at me cautiously from under his unkempt bangs, I really have no idea why he would not be more trusting. Really. He seems to be a little less frail than the children I saw last night, sporting a pair of loose trousers, a too tight shirt the color of pale dust, not quite tan. They need a good wash. Wow, am I quite the judge today. Bah. ¡°I woke you up so the place could be empty before noon.¡± He states while looking at me, I look back confused. ¡°Why does the place need to be empty?¡± I ask aloud. ¡°We move about, not always staying in the same place, this place we use in the winter, cause of the fact that its empty,¡± he continues, a little more sure as I gave up being superior the moment I started to look ignorant, ¡±It¡¯s spring now, so the merchant that normally houses goods here during the summer and fall will be moving things shortly after his goods arrive from the docks.¡± ¡°So, you jump ship before they come sniffing around to avoid being caught trespassing?¡± I ask of my now very talkative friend. Oh, my clever Dodger. ¡°That¡¯s right, the others will be scouting for a different place to stay during the night when we lose the warehouse,¡± he continues ¡°also you had best be careful out there, the city isn¡¯t the safest place for cute unchaperoned girls, Id have been quieter if I knew. Girls go missing a lot, the girls that have slept on the streets at night usually disappear or get taken. It¡¯s not safe, I rather you do not come back just so as no one that makes people disappear shows up here. Although¡­¡± he hesitates, ¡°if you come back tonight, if you can scrounge or pick up some things to maybe help out with the kids, I would be thankful.¡± ¡°What happened to the or else speech about taxes,¡± I ask, almost chuckling ¡°you said a few things that contradict this little talk, also why are you so talkative now, I was chum last night.¡± Keen looks a little sheepish at this comment, it could be the dried blood smeared across his face, not my fault, ¡°I have to look strong in front of the bigger kids, some of the boys get physical more easily than the others, it scares the little ones. I have to sound meaner, at least when the audience is around, each of those little waifs is my responsibility after Luke left, I put on a show and let the others think they get special treatment for following orders.¡± He takes a moment to study me from under his hair does he not know I can totally see him, it¡¯s not that dark in here! ¡°So the tough kid act, was an act?¡± I hazard a guess at the obvious, must humor the kid. Though I think he may just be my age, my real age, malnutrition does funny things to people. ¡°Aye, it was.¡± He answers quickly, ¡°Can I ask where you learned magic? Are you a runaway from the church orphanage or maybe one of those fancy schools?¡± I grin at the lad, ¡°I learned it last night,¡± his eyes go kind of funny, ¡°right before I went to sleep, actually.¡± ¡°Is that why you were getting chase by the guard,¡± he ask alarmed ¡°Did you steal a spell scroll from the captain of the guard?¡± His eyes begin darting about, he goes so far as to peer around the corner of the curtain checking the rest of the warehouse. ¡°Spell scrolls, no, no, I picked up the skill for Cure Wounds last night.¡± I supply the kid with some information, ¡°Don¡¯t you have skills, spells?¡± I needed to figure out the limitations of this system soon. Should I be mentioning my skills or even using my spells so openly outside. Told that voice no spoilers, but maybe I should have been a little nicer, more appreciative. Nah. ¡°I ¨C I have some skills, I inherited Combat and Block from my folks,¡± Keen retorts, ¡°Not many people have healing magic outside of adventurers and traveling merchants, unless they are in the guard or worked with the militia.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just use skill points to get healing magic though?¡± I ask, honestly curious. ¡°I¡¯m level one, I have no skill points.¡± Keen continues, ¡°Most people don¡¯t spend skill points on things that don¡¯t help them advance in everyday life, it¡¯s dangerous to go out and fight the monsters and such for experience.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t just have skill point when you are born?¡± I ask without hesitation, this is strange I had five, ¡°I mean, I used five skill points last night, and how much experience do you need to level, isn¡¯t it only one thousand?¡± He just looks at me then, I think I¡¯ve lost all of my big kid clout for being dense. ¡°You had five!? I don¡¯t know how that is possible, what level are you?¡± He seems indignant as he near shouts again, ¡°And I need three thousand experience to level up, you should know this, one thousand for the level you are, plus one thousand for level you are going to be. Wait, what did you need for level?¡± So, the math would be one thousand multiplied by current level plus next level, would that mean I am level zero? I mean I have one thousand XP till the next level, I can¡¯t see my level, does that mean, well crud. I need to go grinding, maybe hit a local library. Is all this common sense, not even worth talking about as an adult, like would it be just things kids include in their ¡®When I grow up I want to be¡¯ discussions with other kids? I return from my inner algebra, ¡°One thousand, that¡¯s what I need. I think I am level zero.¡± I shake my head, overshare. ¡°What? Argh, how did you have five skill points, no one that many before level five, I have never heard of anyone getting more than one per level until level five, you are weird.¡± He says all this in a nonstop stream of words, is breathing optional? I look at him then, ¡°Well, I had five, now I don¡¯t. I guess that makes me normal now.¡± I grin a little bit, showing teeth, ¡°Do you know where someone can get a weapon around here, I think I need a knife.¡± I will have to ask around subtly and get more information from other sources, no need for Keen to know the limits of my knowledge, I may seem clueless now but I would rather not confirm it for him. ¡°A knife, I cannot say I know anywhere you can get one, at least not without some copper, maybe silver if you need a good one.¡± He taps his dirty chin in thought unless he just had an itch. ¡°I would say to try running errands unless you think you could sneak one from the butchers shop, or one of the stalls, just don¡¯t get caught stealing.¡± ¡°They chop off your hand for stealing here?¡± I inquire innocently. ¡°They throw you in lockup and then you do menial labor for six months to repay the debt to society, longer if you get caught stealing something expensive.¡± He says this in a whisper as if speaking of punishment can be punished. ¡°Well, that sounds pleasant,¡± I answer back, ¡°I guess I will try to stay circumspect in my acquisition.¡± Look right there, I can try sounding smart to earn back some big kid points. Keen huffs at my comment, an actual huff. I must have lost some points somehow. ¡°Listen, I have to leave now, remember what I said: be careful, don¡¯t get caught, don¡¯t run here if you get caught, and please don¡¯t punch me again.¡± He ducks out from under the curtain apparently, we were done talking. Whatever. I need to go find a knife, get some intel on monsters, maybe get outside of this little city, and check the countryside. I¡¯ll go hunt some jackalopes! Horned bunnies might be a thing, wolves would probably eat me. Argh, the life of a murder-hobo. Chapter 3 - Olea Gets a Job Kalydren ¨C Year 1344, Month 1, Day 6. Spring Olea Munroe After that interrogation incident with Keen, I decided that I needed to explore, learn something about this world other than how to dodge lazy guards at night and bully a bunch of underfed children. I would say it was rather beneficent of me, doing my part and all that. Yep. Now where to, I guess I can circle the block, work my way out. The warehouse looks much cleaner on the outside, brick walls cracked in some places but still sturdy by all measurements that matter here. Across the alley was that other warehouse, red brick, much fancier, they both had the same dark wooden roof, pitched toward the alley to control falling rain, forcing it and any possible winter ice to fall into the alley, still not safe in my opinion, I was in that alley just last night! I turn north up the smooth road, it seems to be made of some type of smoothed stone, mostly flat and joined with a gritty black mortar. I can see a fair distance ahead, several blocks without much foot traffic though I see a fair amount of wagons trundling along behind squat horses. What was it Keen said about port traffic, most of the merchant use this block as a midway or second storage of trade goods. Distribution centers on earth served the same purpose, there are some similarities. I continue walking, row after row of warehouses for several city blocks before I come to a ¡®T¡¯ shaped intersection facing a large five-story building, a sign out front displays a picture of a ship and a stack of coins, small letters underneath indicating dockmasters office. Well I have found the port, and it only took a fifteen minute walk. A signpost bears some information for me as well, indicating that to the west, my left, is the port and indeed I do see the sails rolled and tied to masts in the distance, swaying above the rooftops of local taverns and dock houses, probably a brothel or three. To the east, my right, the sign indicates the market district. Looking to the east I can see the road stretching on for almost half a mile; little storefronts and stalls with various oddities can be seen with increased frequency the further you walk from the port area. Considering I just came from the south, I look at the sign and sure enough, ¡®Warehouse District¡¯ in big bold letters. If these signs are in high use, I should have no problem finding my way back to the warehouse after dark. Impressive. Choosing right I head ever onward, going to the market district while having no money may seem foolish but I have a secret, having no money means I am completely immune to impulse shopping! ¡°Mwuahahaha!¡± I let an evil laugh slip, definitely have far too many people looking in my direction now, I don¡¯t think I could explain my mood to them in a way that would make them not want to alert the Guard. Casual, act casual. Strolling along I take in the many sights and sounds of the early morning market, some people are still working to set up their wares in a way that would attract passing customers, or at least passing customers with money. I looked at everything! Small sandwiches and pastries wrapped around sticks; the jewelry nearly displayed behind not-so-clear glass cases. I saw the small ornamental plates and fancy wooden cutlery, who would casually be purchasing silver from a vendor stall, no one would be doing that if they had the money, what would the neighbors think! As I continue my little trip through the market I catch the casual conversation between two passing citizens, they seem to be in a heated discussion about acquiring money, I like money so I easily decide to follow them, I mean come on, money. Coins make for commerce, let us get money! I catch little snippets in the wind as my quarry heads for a busy building up ahead near the square at the end of the street, a wide fountain of clear blue water sits in the center of a broad open square. A tall pale blue statue rises from the pool in the center. The statue depicts a woman standing with arms stretched to the sky, chest out proud with her eyes closed. In her hands is a bowl, from it pours a crystalline flow of glistening water. The square is divided by a north-south road as well as the east-west road I am currently following, from what I understand the north road follows the Jaga Lake for which this city is named, South Jaga City. Is there a North Jaga City, it would make little sense otherwise I suppose. I white marble brick is set around the fountain with stone benches abutting the base of the pool to provide a seat for weary travelers though I pick up a strong no loitering for the ugly vibe from the nearby guards, it would be a shame if the downtrodden were to mar the scene. Sad but true, I myself am feeling a tad grimy, even if the clothes were new and my body may be just as fresh, that does not absolve me of all the filth I collected running through wet, muddy alleys last night. I see my two guides walking into a building of a south west facing building ahead of me and I take the time to observe. There are a fair number of people coming out of and going into the structure, a fancy five-story affair, all hard lines and rough edges of polished wood framing the windows of the mostly stone building. Banners of varying color adorn the sills under each, the sturdy looking cloth makes me think they have regular surveillance as it would be easy to use those for climbing the building. A sign above the door marks the building as home to the local jobs hall, could this be the fabled adventurer society?! Speaking of sign, my eyes pick up the welcome sight of a lovely post letting me know that should I continue eastward from here I will be travelling along Market Street, whereas the northern road is Jaga Road, probably because it leads to the North gate and thusly the road that would follow Lake Jaga, this is only an assumption of course as I am not a local quite yet. The south road is labeled as Imperial Way, the picture next to the words seems to indicate it may lead through the city¡¯s Crafting Quarter, I pick up quite the sounds of bustling in that direction. The soft clang echoing from the south as if some distant smith is pounding away on his anvil, I will definitely be visiting there some time soon. Enough of the sightseeing, I must stay focused. Time to visit the Jobs Hall! I felt like a nervous green horn as I walked through the open double doors into the Jobs Hall, gawking at the people walking around wearing a hodgepodge of mismatched armor, the weapons on display here would explain the higher number of guards, well this and the obvious level of wealth displayed in this part of town. That reminds me, the warehouse district must skirt the slums on one side, maybe the government district as well, I did stumble somehow into the Guard Captain¡¯s house, or at least his daughters room. Will that develop into some sort of Bifauxnen reveal later, I have no idea, but it might be fun! Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Distractions! Be vigilant, there we go. The pair I followed here seem to be talking to a man behind the counter, is he a quest giver, will I be able to get quests? Wait, no, on second thought that may lead to an overfull quest log that I will ignore forever until I discover an upper limit and suffer some unknown consequence for my avarice. I will just browse, the doors were open so I doubt I am trespassing, it seems to be a public place. Is there a place to sign up and become licensed, do I need a license? The room I am in has five walls, as the outer wall faces the street in a south west direction it seems almost like they built a four sided building and then took a knife down one corner to turn it into a disproportionate five sided five-story building. Is five a lucky number in this world, no lucky sevens? Argh, overload. There are a few mounter trophies of strange beasts on the walls, various horned and scaled creatures, one of them looked like an oversized hamster head, it looked like a Raticate! Seeing as I have no idea what I am doing I decide to try one of the available teller windows, worst case they ask me to bother someone else, I am fine with that. I walked up to the nearest unoccupied person that wasn¡¯t openly scowling at me and asked, ¡°Excuse me miss, is there any work available? A man at the port told me to come here if I needed a job.¡± I smile my best super-smile, ¡°Please tell me I wasn¡¯t lied to, I am very new to town.¡± She smiles back at me, her bright silver eyes widening under her bright metallic blue hair as she looks down at me, ¡°Why certainly young man, I would be glad to help,¡± the emphasis on glad was not lost on me, ¡°what kind of work are you qualified for?¡± I grit my teeth a little at this continued confusion, I am getting myself a bow for my hair, I don¡¯t care what people say. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what I could do to be helpful, how do I know what jobs would be right for me?¡± I ask this in as na?ve a voice as I can, smiling slightly to help the conversation go along. I do not know why I am playing this up and letting the misunderstanding continue. ¡°Oh, oh my. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s start with this,¡± she reaches under the counter on her side of the counter and pulls out what looks to be a small round orb secured with a dark cable, probably theft prevention. ¡°Put your hand on the orb, it will let us know what we are working with, you would be surprised at the amount of people that come in here not knowing what to do with their varied and sundry skills.¡± ¡°What will it do,¡± I inquire, there is no way I want everyone to know my life story, hell I don¡¯t even know my story on this world. ¡°Oh. No reason to be afraid, this stone will show us your basic abilities, it is the simplest model so it won¡¯t be disclosing too much and no one not within three feet will be able to view it¡¯s details.¡± She supplies the last with a wink. ¡°We do not judge, we know that a variety of skills are needed to adequately perform the various jobs that we receive daily.¡± Sighing I resign myself to exposure, hoping they won¡¯t take any honest offense at my skill set, what would happen if I had Necromancy and some skill called summon Legion, that would get the guard I was sure of it, regardless of privacy policy. ¡°Okay.¡± I said lamely. Placing my hand on the orb felt almost like holding empty air, or empty air with mass, no difference between it and the ambient air temperature at all. It conforms to the contours of my hand and glows a soft pale blue, it went from black to this pale blue and then back again, showing a slow transition of the shades between. Then this happened. A small parchment seems to unfurl above the orb, translucent and glowing, as it displays a familiar list. ¡°Oh, you must be quite the charmer, indeed!¡± She laughs at that, a soft tinkling of bells, ¡°It says here you have some healing ability, and the knifework skill. A healer then? Knifework does seem odd to have though, are you a cook?¡± She writes down some notes in her ledger, ¡°Do you mind if I file this information in case we have need of these services? No one will see your name, only a small number that we can cross reference in our own files to contact you if someone shows interest, healing abilities though sought after are rare to find through the Hall.¡± ¡°Sure, sounds like a nice way to advertise my abilities,¡± I reply, no arrogance at all, ¡°my healing potential is somewhat limited to light wounds, broken noses and the like. I doubt I could easily mend a more than a sprained ankle or save someone from more than minor scarring.¡± She winces at this, ¡°Trust me when I say most people get enough small injuries to add quite a few minor scars,¡± continuing, she adds ¡°Minor scars can accumulate to quite the tapestry over time. A lot of people would welcome any amount of help in avoiding such things, especially the ladies, though I am going to say with your charisma levels I fear for your safety among the women we see come through here.¡± A brilliant smile belies any chance of a misunderstanding here. Not sure if I should play up some honest flirting or not here, ¡°I would glad to assist anyone in need of my services then, if you know of no one is there per chance a job available that I could do alone? A primer for things to come.¡± ¡°Let me see,¡± she begins rifling through some colored sheets of parchment on the counter, ¡°Here we go, someone in the guild district, Master Baker, he needs someone to clear his basement some rats, he is getting on in his years, not as spry as he once was and his wife would kill him herself if he came down with something while dealing with the issue. If you take the job, it will pay five coppers per rat, a severed tail will be used as proof of each rat slain. The will provide a means of disposal when you finish, it says here they have a cart arranged out back that will take the corpses to a local pig farm, we try not to ask for those specifics.¡± ¡°Sounds simple enough,¡± I say, ¡°Will they pay me there, or should I come here?¡± ¡°Oh, yes.¡± She quickly replies, ¡°How silly, of course. Come back here for payment, the large counter at the rear of the room will take the proof, please go there when you return. I hate having to clean the blood from my counter and he enjoys the effect such a mess has on his reputation, the whole rugged adventurer vibe he calls it.¡± ¡°Well, I think it is time to thank you for the help then,¡± I say, ¡°I cannot wait to return and speak some more with you.¡± She blushed, fantastic. ¡°Don¡¯t forget these,¡± she smiles, while saying, ¡°you will need these papers to let them confirm you were sent by us.¡± She waves me off then, still blushing. I go outside and look over my papers in case I have missed any details, out of curiosity I look at the back of the page. In a small, neat script, a street name and number. I head there the street joyously chiming, ¡°Off to slay some mice!¡± Chapter 4 - Ratsbane Kalydren ¨C Year 1344, Month 1, Day 6. Spring Olea Munroe ¡°So, my first job.¡± I carelessly utter these words as I head south down Imperial Way, off to find the baker named Mr. Baker. Killing a few rats in the basement, should be a good warm up though the whole removing tails seems grizzly. The price of money! Taking in the sights as I shoot off to my first successful job as an adventurer for hire, slaying rats is serious adventurer business! Maybe the rats will even give me experience. Sweet, sweet experience! ¡°Oy, boy. Move it!¡± somebody shouts in a harsh voice, ¡°Make way!¡± I wake from my dreams of eternal glory and am quite startled to see a large wagon heading directly north, through the center of the road, and by extension me. I jump to the side with enough time to see the carriage pass by and manage to almost not need the assistance of the wall to keep from falling over. Casual awesomeness, I have it in spades. I see the driver exercising an angry glare as he urges his horse down the cobbled street, the clop of hooves should have gotten my attention, I wonder if this is an effect of low Wisdom, I have what a seven. Does the system think I am some sheltered dunce with no worldly knowledge, or maybe it¡¯s a lack of understanding when it comes to using my knowledge. Let us check. Name: Olea Archetype: Merciful Blade Attributes: Yeah, low wisdom. I should have put more thought into that whole healing spells thing. I wonder if stat points are a thing, raising my attributes would be swell. It¡¯s not like I can start a training montage and boost my wisdom with a non-stop string of hard life-choice decisions. Speaking of training, could Help-chan display my skills again? Skills: Zero skill points remaining. Stealth [1/4] Piety [1/4] Experience Till Next Level: 0/1000 I cannot help but think that my wisdom is clouding me from remembering something about this job as well, something important. No matter, ¡°Onward!¡± It was an hour later when I finally reached the bakery, not a big city, donuts everywhere kind of bakery. This place had a three tier shelf up from where spaces were allotted for several dozens of loaves of bread, those big thick brown-topped, hard-shell loaves with the soft insides you see in the Amish taverns. The place smelled fantastic, it was at about this time I realized I had not eaten since I arrived some time yesterday, I say sometime because I think I slept through the entire transfer process. Did this world¡¯s God summon me only to find me asleep, then failing to rouse me just plop me down in some lord¡¯s home to watch the show? I think I would be upset if it were not somewhat humorous in hindsight. Distractions! Low wisdom must be the source of ADD, this is hard. I stand there acting like I belong for a few moments because I do. Three minutes pass before the kindly woman turns and sees me in all my solemnity, as if reporting for duty on the front lines. First impressions! I smile as best I can and cleverly say, ¡°Hello, I am Olea, I was sent down from the Job¡¯s Hall to deal with your mouse problem.¡± After handing her the papers I step back while she reads them, peering at me strangely as she finishes the documents. ¡°You seem to be the right person,¡± She states hesitantly, ¡°but are not you a little young for this kind of work, and a girl no less. I would expect some rougher lad at your age, or some other reluctant person who got pressured into cutting down the backlog at the office to show up.¡± She tsked at me, then turned about and yelled through a small window, ¡°Thomas! Oy, Thomas! The kid is here to clean out the basement.¡± I catch the sound of a slamming set of doors and chains being jingle-jangled in a hurry. ¡°Be right their Carol!¡± was the curt reply. No more than a minute passed as a wide shouldered man, probably Thomas, walks through the rear door between the kneading table and large wood stove in the back of the store carrying three large sacks of flour, these were large bags, I¡¯d think they must have been eighty pounds each. Hard working life pays off in some well-earned muscles. He wore a thick pair of leather pants, mostly brown with big handprints of white flour in places along his sides, a white shirt with extra white handprints covering his barrel chest. He had a slight hunch to his shoulders, leaning over the table kneading bread for years has the potential to do worse. His brown eyes seem to take my measure of him, brown hair hanging over a tan band he has tied around his head. Taking that in I begin to notice some problems, the man seems to be bleeding from several small wounds on his legs and arm, is that a scratch on his forehead, it must be. I started to get a bad feeling as I stood there. ¡°This the lad?¡± he asks his wife before turning to me, ¡°Oh, sorry lass. Why would a girl take this job.¡± He asks this last after turning to his wife. I am right here. ¡°She¡¯s here for the job, does it matter why,¡± Carol turns back to me then, ¡°listen hon, if you are here because you have nothing else we won¡¯t judge, but them rats are vicious. Are you sure you can handle them?¡± Pausing for a moment as she looks me up and down again, she adds, ¡°Are you a mage perhaps, you don¡¯t seem to be carrying anything for killing rats.¡± Crud, low wisdom strike, I forgot I would need a knife, what kind of idiot has a skill called knifework and fails to acquire a knife!? I stammer out, ¡°I took the job because I need the work, but I also think I can manage. No coercion, no desperate need.¡± I finish lamely with, ¡°Although, I did forget to bring any tools for dealing with the rats.¡± A loud laugh can be heard behind the back of Mrs. Baker, we turn to see her husband laughing like a loon, one hand on the table and while the other was tight to his chest, ¡°No weapons, those rats will eat you alive little miss. They nearly shredded me while I was saving these last bags of flour from those foul beasties.¡± He just stood there, laughing. His wife turned to me with an apologetic smile before she turned on her heel, walked six feet to her husband and delivered a powerful shut-the-hell-up-you-idiot slap to the rear of his cranium. That is when I started laughing, and you know what? Thomas looked up, saw me laughing and then started laughing just as hard as he had before. We¡¯re all crazy, his wife having to deal with us was crazy for doing so, I was crazy for being so unprofessional while trying to look competent, and Thomas was crazy for laughing again after being hit hard enough to have probably killed me. A stern gaze fixed us both, and I am not sure how but it had the effect of silencing our laughter, they must have had children. This is a mommy stare, the kind that leads you to your bedroom and has you grounded for an amount of time fixed solely by the weight of that glare, no words can explain their severity. Thomas and I fixed our faces though he still had a smile. This seemed to ease down the severity of the death stare as Thomas turned to dig around in his cupboard drawers. ¡°Now that we have calmed a bit, what say you about us going to the back there and letting you go down to address the situation?¡± asks a very patient and kind Carol who in no way was the incarnation of the devil. ¡°Sure thing!¡± I exclaim. ¡°Found it!¡± Shouts Thomas at the same time. We both turned to Thomas who was holding out a long dagger with a rough, nay barely attached and badly battered handle. The blade was still long, maybe 18 inches, it appeared to be crafted of a gray steel, chips and dents litters the spine, the tang seemed to be secured to it¡¯s handle with leather apron strings, I could see many different shades of coppery blood and black dried liquid spotting the handle. This thing may have been abused but in my eyes it shone with the look of a blade that had seen many perilous battles! ¡°I call her Ratsbane! It¡¯s what I use on the rats normally, but they are a bit too much for me in my old age, and quite frankly we have never had so many of the vermin move into our basement all at once before, one, two, sometimes three.¡± Thomas pauses to take a breath before continuing ¡°Those numbers I can handle, but what¡¯s down there now, I saw seven and knew there were more. If it gets much worse the Guard will end up taking care of it and I¡¯ll be paying fines from my profits for a month.¡± ¡°Ok calm down hon, we should escort this fine adventurer to her place of work.¡± Carol admonishes, ¡°No use for speeches and grandstanding, you just want to not work today.¡± She ushers us through the back door into the alley behind the store. In both directions I can see various tradespeople busy with chores, carrying water from a well at the end of the alleyway to their various troughs and barrels, one woman was apparently having a serious conversation with an orange tom-cat that was pointedly ignoring her while it licked itself as it sat on her dumpster lid. The opposite row of stores could be seen from here, the entire alley only being thirty feet in width. Getting distracted again, I look back toward the door we came through, to the left is Carol, her husband standing beside her, they were almost of the same height, nearly six feet tall. He was brown haired while she was that color of blonde that goes to silver early, or maybe it would stay that color with those strands of silver, hair is weird here. They both had those chestnut brown eyes and the look of rugged readiness that just happens when you work all your life. A look that you can¡¯t help but notice, as the person just always seems prepared to get to work, no fidgeting or idle hand movement, no wandering looks, I am a hotbed of wandering looks. Just behind Thomas I saw a set of doors going down into a cellar, which explains the sound of slamming doors, the chains are even wrapped around the bars. Nervous, me? This is not making me feel safe. At least Thomas is going to let me use his super handy Ratsbane, I¡¯ll need it. I walk over as Thomas finishes unchaining the cellar doors and removing an iron bar that serves as more of a ward against errant wind damage than any serious thieves. He looks back at me with a grim expression as he wipes a little blood from his forehead, ¡°You ready lass?¡± he asks, handing me the knife with his right hand as his left drops onto my shoulder, ¡°It¡¯s not too late for us to go find someone else for the job.¡± I swear he had to ask after handing me the knife, he has to know I was totally sold on just a chance to use this scary thing. I nod solemnly accepting my fate, ¡°I shall do my best to accomplish the mission!¡± Coughing can be heard behind me now, ¡°You two are such children, let¡¯s just open the door so she can go down there and clear out the rats, we have work to do Tom.¡± Carol had to interrupt our moment. Thomas relents stepping back, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid to run like hell if you think it¡¯s too much, I really don¡¯t know how many rats are down there.¡± I smile then, I am finally going to fight something, granted it¡¯s just a bunch of mice, probably just quick little buggers with more hair than teeth, whatever that means. I heard it on a late show, sue me. I took a few steps down into the barely lit cellar, at least someone left the lights on for me. I take a few swings with the knife, my skill making me feel a little less stupid as I work my way through some ultra-basic slashing and thrusting moves. I step down the last few feet into the musty smelling cellar, dirt floor under my feet with solid looking heavy bricks for the walls sealed with a flaking gray mortar and painted over with a basic whitewash, no longer white. Support beams are placed around the room in the form of foot thick wooden poles placed firmly into the ground running up to the supports for the floor above. It is then that I catch the increasing sounds of scurrying feet and chittering rodents from everywhere, all at once. I took a ready stance, my mind instantly screaming I did it wrong as a rat leaps from a wooden pole that served as a cross beam. The rat is about the size of a cat, the tail stretching to the length of my arm, its teeth are the size of my thumbnails: Flat, yellow, and sharp. Red eyes, surely an effect of the lantern light stare at me as it flies teeth first through the air, its thick, matted, slimy hair glistening like oil on water. Not sleeping tonight. I stepped forward bringing my blade to bare and whoosh, I struck too soon, my slash was nearly complete before the rat skewered itself on my blade, the dagger going several inches deep just below the creature¡¯s neck. I continue my swing fully invested in the strike, the rat biting into my left wrist at the joint as I finish the slash, the rat is flung free landing with a thud at my feet, it¡¯s wound fatal at the costs of a bleeding hole in my wrist. I stepped back, breath coming out quickly as I hit myself with a Cure Wounds spell. The hole closes slightly, less bleeding now. Still hurts! Three more rats stalk out from around a support beam on my right, I ready myself for round two, but they are suddenly in motion, sinking sharp teeth into the screeching rat that I had just downed. Two more come from my right side from under a stack of firewood, I turn to face the threat and feel a pain in my left foot, kicking furiously I wince as my shoe is torn and I see a rat flying forward to smack into the wall above the stacked logs conveniently impaling itself on a nail, it¡¯s rusted head now sticking out from the rats throat. The two from below charged forward like two alley cats chasing a pigeon, I felt like a snack. Their black forms flowing over the few feet that separate us, I stab down, blade held in my right hand I pierce the rat on the right through it¡¯s back above and probably behind the heart, and then swing as hard as I can to the left bringing the rat around like a screaming meaty mace, I make contact with the other rat, it¡¯s teeth finding purchase in the struggling creature I have affixed to the mighty Ratsbane. They fall away from the knife in a tangle of teeth and fur, angry screaming as they tear into one another confused as to why they would be attacked by an ally, I guess their mental stats couldn¡¯t keep up. A rat falls from above, landing on my back biting teeth sharp and fast as it clamps onto my left shoulder, I scream, fumbling back as I reach around trying to dislodge the beast. My back hits the brick wall sandwiching the rat against me, it bites down harder before releasing and rushes forward as it drops to the ground, staggering from the impact with me recovering from several deep bites. I cast another Cure Wounds spell, channeling extra energy to speed the process, the bleeding in my wrist stopped and the pain subsided in my back, I could still feel the spreading of blood. How much mana do I have, I can¡¯t heal all day I¡¯m sure of it. I step down with my foot crushing the downed rat before it could regain its bearings causing it to squirm and bite. I say this now, never step on animals with teeth while wearing leather shoes that are soft and already sporting holes. I screamed again as its teeth bit into the flesh of my foot, again and again. ¡°Why won¡¯t you die!¡± I shout, bringing my dagger down into its head, narrowly missing my toes. I stand up and look around, I¡¯ve somehow managed to get turned about, facing the left wall with the stairs leading from this cellar, nay dungeon, on my left behind me the pair of rats are bleeding on the floor having chewed through one another sufficiently to take them from the fight as they bleed out, that¡¯s four down. Thomas said he saw seven with maybe more in hiding, I now understood his issue with counting. This could take a while. The three rats from earlier were finished chewing the juicy bits from their fallen comrade and were now spreading out on my right, in the direction of the rear wall, I saw another pair of eyes coming up from the center, that¡¯s four. I drop low after looking up to check for snipers and move forward and left, keeping a wall to one side to the enemy from flanking me, rats flanking me. Funny, but it was happening. I scanned the dim space ahead, trying to find the next target of my heady vengeance, this was my only set of clothing! Stillness. A soft buzzing on my consciousness makes me think Help-chan has added information for me. Can¡¯t it wait? You have killed: cat-sized rodent 3[Level 3], 1[Level 5] Experience Earned: Level multiplied by base of 50, bonus for each level above current level +10%. Total Experience Gained: 960, Experience Till Next Level 40. I grinned then, thank you Help-Chan! Motivation, I did not expect the advantages brought on by pest extermination. Loud squeaking brought my head into the moment. The three rats from earlier, my giant bags of angry experience, came shuffling along from the far side of the left wall that I was crouched next to, two others were coming around on my right, blocking my way back to the stairs. I was not planning to run regardless, not after my pep-talk from Help-chan. I looked around again, readying my borrowed blade. The three amigos were closing in with the pair to my right happily waiting their turn, at least they are not practiced in tactical combat, a two-sided attack now could end badly for me. They rushed over the last ten feet, covering the distance faster than I thought they would or could. I raised my dagger in a sideways hold, which turned out to be a good play as two of the rats launched at heights similar to one another allowing me to catch them both with the blade, slicing through one rats mouth while the other was knocked aside with the combination of my blade and the other rats body as I swung forward and out to the right not cutting near as deep with its body so close to my wrist. The third rat landed lower, teeth biting into my stomach, claws tearing at my clothing, I was covered in weeping cuts, my shirt looking more like a football jersey. I drop to one knee, using my left hand to grip the rat¡¯s neck, its claws continuing to dig into my flesh. I tear and pull, twisting the rat as it squeals in protest. I bring the knife down, my hand guided partially by the skill to get a proper grip as I bring the blade in toward my stomach and as the blade bites into the soft belly of the rat I push out and down, it¡¯s claws dig into the meat of my hand, mouth opening in a scream as I push out and down with the dagger. My knife splits flesh opening the intestines to spill onto the ground. I release the rat, yanking the dagger free I channel some mana through the wounds, almost screaming ¡°Cure Wounds!¡± as the pain pushes through my shock. Of the two rats I hit with my blade moments ago, one is dead, its jaw hanging loose from its skull while the other stared at me from only three feet away, its mouth open in a furious hiss. I could see where my blade had barely managed to slice into one side of its face, splitting the muscles of the cheek and jaw. It lunged at me then, eyes glowing in the dim light. I raised my arms to block, not having enough time to bring the blade across. The momentum of the leap carried the rat into my body knocking me flat. The air left my lungs as I fell back with a thud, my arms once held to my chest flew open when I landed, the rats teeth tearing free of my arm. It hits the wall to my left, I look up seeing I had been backed into the corner during my flailing fall, somewhat dazed I twist, bringing my body in to a sideways roll and getting my feet and hands under me as I struggle to get a breath in, a deep cut leaking red hot blood mars the flesh of my arm dripping to cover my right hand as I steady myself. Focus. I feel a tug at my shoe and kick out, still unbalanced, my left leg shoots out, rat ripping away, another hole in my foot. I toppled over, my left hand unable to hold me up. My right arm and leg leave the ground as I roll recklessly over my left arm while it is pinned beneath me, a painful twinge in the shoulder I nearly dislocated the thing. My right side comes down with me staring at the ceiling again. Kicking my legs furiously to get my back against the wall and push myself to my feet, I am barely in time as the rat¡¯s teeth close on the space where my feet were seconds before. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Finally standing upright, I look down at the beady little bastard, hatred for all things rat-like burning in my mind as I invoke my inner chuuni-warrior, ¡°It¡¯s on¡± I spit the words, and to my amazement the rat flinched I¡¯m sure it was more the change in volume than the words of my threat, but I would take it. I growl as I begin to furiously channel healing into my body, I can feel my mana reserves dropping, here¡¯s to hoping my regeneration holds up to my use. The pain lessens but I can still feel blood flowing from several open wounds, I must look quite frightening by now. I stepped forward leaving my wall and the rat backed away, I noticed the other two that were until this point motionless begin moving forward, whether to get at me or grab an easy meal of their brethren I did not know. I bring the dagger up and then plunge the blade down as I extend my left leg forward, lowering my body and extending my reach, the blade sinks home severing the spine of my one-time assailant. I backed away after freeing the blade from the rat, its thick hair reluctantly parting as I withdrew the blade. I attempt to cast Cure Wounds yet again, the spell stops after just a second. Hardly any healing was done. I guess I may be out of mana, at least I don¡¯t drop into a coma when I bottom out. More facts for later. Help-chan is insisting that I pay it some attention again, I know I shouldn¡¯t look but I was curious! You have killed: cat-sized rodent 2[Level 2], 1[Level 3] Experience Earned: Level multiplied by base of 50, bonus for each level above current level +10%. Total Experience Gained: 435, Experience Till Next Level 2605. You have advanced to level 1: Minor regeneration bonus applied, one free attribute gained, three free skill points gained. You now have access to increased system information. ¡°Thank you, Help-chan!¡± I almost yip with joy. I am in no way ashamed of my dignified behavior, it is polite to show gratitude when earned. It was at this moment that the other spectators made their move. The two rats, who until this moment were waiting patiently for whatever cue to charge did just that, plowing forward and shoving aside the bodies of their fallen brethren, they split up, each diving forward aiming to either tackle me or just latch onto my feet, why is it that everyone wants to separate me from my shoes? Ugh. I stumble a bit as I attempt to leap backward, bumping the wall with the bum which in turn jarred my poor tailbone making for lots of uncomfortable pain and no small amount of internal swearing. The rats leapt forward immediately upon landing, intent on sinking their teeth into my innocent shoes, and by association my poor feet. In that moment of exhaustion and pain, my back aching, feet bleeding, and back so close to the wall that I could not fall backward, I dropped bodily to my knees, nearly crushing one of the rats under my left knee while my right knee pinned the others foot to the ground. The crushed rat did what crushed rats will do, it died, slowly. The other, having literally toe stomped by my knee, did what trapped rats will do, that one bit me! My poor knee jerked at the sudden pain, bent and solidly upon the ground it could go nowhere as my leg reflexively twisted, moving away from the source of the pain. My leg went sideways straightening, the rat¡¯s teeth becoming dislodged at my unwitting action even as my foot contacted the wall costing me my balance and stubbing toe as I toppled back onto my left side. The rat, glad at being freed scampers off on its wounded leg as I thank the heavens above for this brief reprieve. I manage to extend my left leg, freeing it from under the weight of my body and moving it ever so slowly. Does not seem broken, I lie there trying to calm myself and slow my racing heart. I had been in this damned basement for ten minutes and had almost died, at least twice. With eight rats down and at least one to go I sigh. ¡°There must be easier ways to make money in this city.¡± No helping it now, I took the job and even got some helpful information about a second appointment. I cannot fail after coming so far! I rolled back over, staring at the ceiling now, totally not losing to rats, nope not me! I sit up then, slapping my hands to the sides of my face, more an expression of determination than for any actual reason. It works in the movies. What was not in the movies was a disclaimer mentioning all the blood that would streak your face when your hands were liberally covered in the stuff. I want a shower. I stand then, slowly, so slowly, some may even say that I was leaning against the wall more than standing. Let those bastards judge me after taking several bites from an oversized Hamtaro. Looking around at the carnage I did indeed count eight fur-covered sacks of rat-flesh. At that moment a brief impulse to chant out Cure Wounds invaded my mind, I tamped the urge down, knowing it would be best to save my spell for a time when I could channel it for more than a second or two. Patience. ¡°Aha!¡± I say as I snap my fingers. I¡¯ll just sink another skill point into Cure Wounds, to raise my skill tier to the next level and thus improve my healing ability, I am a genius! Skills: Three skill points remaining. Stealth [1/4] Piety [1/4] Attempt to increase Spell Tier Cure Wounds: Failed, please increase Tier for Prerequisite skills first. Prerequisite for Cure Wounds Tier 2: Piety [2/4] Let¡¯s increase Piety to tier 2 then! I have three skill points, it couldn¡¯t hurt to increase the base specialist skill tiers, right? Piety [2/4] New skill choices unlocked. Cure Blindness: This spell will cure blindness, at higher tiers the ability of the spell to restore sight improves. Your level in Piety along with your score in Wisdom can increase this spell¡¯s effectiveness. Cure Disease: This spell allows the caster to attempt to cure a target of any diseases that they may be affected by. Channeling of this spell increases effectiveness. A higher Wisdom or Piety level will add to the spell¡¯s ability to cure diseases. Detect Aura: This skill at Tier One provides you with a spell which when used will allow the user to detect subtle hints in the aura of others, this information can allow you to detect a person¡¯s general motivation leanings. A red aura will indicate someone who is evil, or currently hostile to the user, a blue aura will indicate honorable intent or friendliness. Other aura colors and traits are detectable at higher tiers and in various situations. Exploration and experimentation will expand your knowledge! Detect Magic: This ability grants a spell to allow the caster to detect magical energies imbued in objects, creatures, and even the very air. Colors and patterns can help discern the nature of many magical spells and items. Spell effectiveness increases with level of Magical Attributes, tier of Piety, and tier of Arcana Mastery. Detect Poison: This spell allows the user to detect poisons at a glance; duration and effectiveness can be increased with a higher score in Wisdom, as well as a larger knowledge of poisonous substances. Remove Curse: A spell that allows the user to remove curses from people and objects. Cursed items have various effects, most of which are bad. Awfully bad. Curses on living creatures have a much wider and more diverse host of effects, also bad. Be the savior of your fellow people and rescue them from a cursed existence. Remove Poison: This spell will allow the caster to attempt to nullify or remove a poison from the target. This spell can be concentrated upon a smaller region of the body for increased effect on localized poisons. Channeling will improve spell effectiveness for harder to remove poisons. Spell ability can be improved with a higher Wisdom, higher Tier in Piety, or using various tonics, tinctures, poultices, and potions. Available Skills: Specialty Skills: Other Skills: Cool, new skills to stare at later, ¡°Let¡¯s get tier two for cure wounds right now, Help-Chan!¡± I whisper-shout. I can probably just think these things, but the situation almost screams for dramatic, almost random shouts. I can¡¯t help it, drama is always fun, too bad my audience is just a bunch of rats, mostly dead rats. At least they aren¡¯t critics. Cure Wounds [2/4] Tier 2 ability unlocked: Tier 2: Increased healing effectiveness. Spell can be cast at an effective range of ten feet, spell loses ten percent of potency for each foot of distance beyond this. ¡°Awesome!¡± I shout, then scream, looking down. In all my excitement I did not even bother to stand back up after freeing ¡°You little bastard!¡± I shouted to the rat latched onto my foot, again! I swung my foot up to the wall, trapping the vile creature between the tattered hide of my once-upon-a-time-shoe and the cobbled wall, bringing the knife down I let the thing know why Thomas called it Ratsbane! A sharp keening squeal fills the air for but a moment as I pierce the neck of the rodent, hot blood pouring out in spurts, keeping rhythm with the rats fading heartbeat. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s check my improved spell.¡± I state to the air in front of me. Stirring the mana inside me I begin to channel the spell into my stomach, I¡¯m not sure if touching a specific body part adds to the effect but it feels better to cover the hole in my stomach. The familiar rush of mana leaving my hands, filling them with warmth, like cozy mittens. I see the Band-Aid sized cuts sealing themselves almost immediately as the larger punctures begin to reform fresh skin over the opening, blood flaking away and falling to the ground. After four seconds I feel my mana reserve dip low on again, a slight mental fugue for the briefest moment letting me know to stop. Taking stock of myself I see only a few small holes in my body, though my clothes were not healed by my magic, at all. I looked scandalous. Displaying ample side-boob through the many holes in the fabric, my pants are holding up much better, with all the attention the rats have shown my feet and stomach this should be no surprise though there is quite a lot of thigh visible under the ragged tatters of my right pants leg, where the toe-stomped rat shredded them. This attire did not come with underclothes! Gah! Calm breaths, calm. Time to get back to work, nine rats down, were there any left? All this noise must have attracted them all by now. I look to my right, the stairs leading up not far away, a little further I see the opposite wall just thirty feet distant. Looking left the wall heads further back, shelves, mostly empty line the wall toward the street side with various bags and tools, a few long pans and wooden kitchen implements. I walk forward, scanning the shelves, it would not do to have missed a rat or three, Thomas and Carol hired me to do this, and I would not be failing my first job. Nope. I reach the next corner and turn right, amazed at how I just participated in a life and death struggle of epic proportions in a room no more than sixty by thirty feet in size. The center of the room has two lines of shelves extending up from the floor, making use of the beams that run out of the ground supporting the building. They make a nice little row leading straight to the stairs and fresh air outside. I pass them by, arriving at the next corner of the room. Nothing. Turning right to head for the rear of the building and finishing my inspection I notice a large hole dug into the wall, ripped bags of what was once flour strewn about like bedding in a pet store littering the ground around it. The smell of decaying food and refuse drifts through the unmoving fetid air. What do you do when you find a hole in the wall in a rat-infested dungeon under the local Baker¡¯s Bakery? Look inside of course! I lean over, peering into the dark. After a moment, my eyes adjust, piercing the darkness just a little as a pair of red eyes begin to float forward from the rear of the hole. I backed away, the eyes continued floating forward, slowly gaining a face and body as it entered the dim light of the open basement. A rat the size of a large dog lumbered from the hole, its tail clearly visible behind its monstrous body. I think I found the mother of the nest. ¡°RN Jesus, save me.¡± I mutter out my quick prayer as the rat momma emerges. She takes a brief look around the open floor, seeing one or two of her fallen children before settling her eyes on me. She does not look like she would believe me if I told her I had nothing to do with it. In the low light of the basement, I can finally see her true size, the other rats were a foot in length excluding the tail, this monster was nearly three feet from tooth to the start of it¡¯s four foot long tail. I was not looking forward to this. I quickly ran to the right, toward the stairs, tossing a few of the shelved cans in the direction of the rat. It did not show signs of waiting as it lunged for me, its dagger like teeth missing the scraps of my shoes. I make to head up the steps and catch sight of another rat sitting there in wait. I curse as I rush into the farther corner, turning about with Ratsbane in hand. Momma was headed for me, sleek black fur sending shafts of oily light into the floating dust motes. True nightmare fuel. I drop one leg backward shifting my feet in case I need to jump left as it charged. It launched itself forward, teeth and claws opening for me as I moved left taking a claw to my side as I sliced up its right side with Ratsbane, splitting flesh and fur even as my own blood flows freely from just under my armpit. I continue turning left as the beast flies forward, hitting the shelf with a clatter of broken wood and cracked masonry and shove the dagger home piercing its side yet again under the arm trying to make it bleed. Any hit I got in when the chance was open would just lengthen the fight and get me closer to death. I back pedal and turn again putting space between me and the rat-who-shan¡¯t-be-fed. I stop at the next corner, investing in a quick channel to Cure Wounds to help with the pain, less bleeding from my side, good stuff. I am starting to feel a little dizzy, no doubt my lack of food and such for the past day is making it extremely hard to replace my lost blood even with the help of magic. The rat frees itself from the shelves and turns to face me. Eyes alight with ominous intent. I cannot help but shiver as it stares at me. I drop low again, preparing myself for its next attempt. The great rat began to walk forward, favoring its right side, the side bleeding from my earlier attacks, black hair becoming heavy and wet with blood. I begin circling left, cutting between the shelves instead of skirting the outside of the room. I see the rat on the other side of the shelves as it walks by, wishing I had a spear or at least a longer knife! Not even having the ability to knock the shelves over and pin the bastard. It turns the corner and moves it head to look at the spot where I stand, a deep hiss of loathing emanates from its mouth, teeth bared, thick round togue pointed straight out as saliva flies forth in a frothy stream of ick to land on my face. I turn to run as the beat lunges, too slow, pain explodes from my calf as I feel claws tear into my flesh from behind. I stumble forward away from the creature, limping badly as the rat huffs at my back. Possibly annoyed that I yet draw breath. I made to climb the stairs ahead, the rat from earlier having moved on to somewhere quieter, maybe they feared their own mother, at this moment I could not blame them. The air behind me seems to hum with tension as I take the first steps up from the basement, I needed help for this fight. Time to leave, I hear the rat queen behind me as I make to leave, its frustrations obvious as it closes on me. I turn to look back and see the rat lunge, just as I slip on the steps underfoot. My legs buckle and slide as I fall backward, back into hell landing on my back in time to see the underbelly of the rat as it soars through the air to where I once stood. I make one last attempt at defense, raising Ratsbane directly above me in a straight line above my chest as the rats heavy body falls atop me forcing my dagger and then my outstretched arm deep into the rat, through its chest. The large beast struggled mightily as its blood flowed hot and fast over my prone form, legs and arms clawing ferociously attempting to find purchase and escape. The only thing it found was my soft skin as it tore flesh from my body before it finally died of a broken heart. I knew this because I could feel that same organ beat its last as my arm was lodged still elbow deep in its chest. I lay there, barely able to draw breath trapped under the beast, its blood flowing slowly to pool beneath me, drying and congealing. Trapped as I was, right arm stuck in the beast with wounds not yet healed, I had no way to escape the last release of its corpse as the bowels let go of their reserves. All I could do was close my eyes and pretend I was somewhere else, anywhere but here as I cast Cure Wounds with my left hand, feeling my low mana reserves bottom out again after only a second. At least I would live, I hoped. It was at this time that Help-chan nudged my hind-brain, ¡°Nothing better to do,¡± I wheeze. You have killed: cat-sized rodent 2[Level 4 Experience Earned: Level multiplied by base of 50, bonus for each level above current level +10%. You have killed: Rat Brood-Mother, 1[Level 13] Experience Earned: Level multiplied by base of 50, bonus for each level above current level +10%, Bonus for killing a non-sentient creature one rank higher than yourself +50%. Total Experience Gained: 2665, Experience till Next Level 4940. You have advanced to level 2: Minor regeneration bonus applied, one free attribute gained, three free skill points gained. You still have access to increased system information, pay attention! Name: Olea Archetype: Merciful Blade Sex: Female Age: 15 Winters HP: 13/64 Mana: 4/61 Stamina: 19/88 Attributes: Strength: 9 Dexterity: 13 Constitution: 9 Charisma: 16 Intelligence: 13 Wisdom: 7 You have two Attribute Points Remaining Skills: Three skill points remaining. Stealth [1/4] Piety [2/4] Experience Till Next Level: 4940/5000 Well, that is interesting, a few things stand out to me, at least someone can stand somewhere. My health, mana, and stamina are finally listed, I wonder what the math looks like. Also up to two Attribute points now, I will have to hold on to those, decide after I know a little more. Two more new things, I¡¯m apparently 15 Winters of age, weird way to phrase an age. No birthdays, bah! And, as if I did not know and needed it confirmed, the system lets me know that I¡¯m a female! Hallelujah, I am so happy to have it confirmed for me! Really?! I¡¯d rather you added something useful like a path forward through this system of prerequisites! Meh, whatever. I¡¯m not bleeding out so I should work on getting free. I wriggle around a bit pushing with my feet as I use my left arm to lift my body turning the corpse until I am almost spooning its underside in a very unladylike way. The body falls from atop me and I manage to get my legs under me as I push my way to my feet, right arm sliding free of the stinking remains, blood following my arm in a loud SPLOOSH as it leaves the chest, Ratsbane held tightly in hand. I stand there for some time, getting my wits together. The first thing I need to do is gather the evidence, I need to liberate some rat tails! I look at the body of the large Brood Mother, that¡¯s what the system message called it, level thirteen and of a higher rank, I wonder if I can get a monetary bonus comparable to the experience bonus. I¡¯ll ask later. Looking at the tail again, I frown as I get to work sawing away at the thick corded tail, it¡¯s longer than my leg. Ugh. I cut and I cut, severing the tail at the base of the creatures¡¯ body before I turn to finish off the rest of its brood. Nine small tails, and one rather large smelly Brood-Mother tail over my shoulder I make my way once again toward daylight, climbing the stairs one at a time. Finally done! As my eyes break level with the ground of the yard outside I can once again see the small alley running behind the row of shops, Carol and Thomas stand not far away, facing the opposite buildings while in conversation. ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯s fine, Carol.¡± Thomas says, probably not for the first time. ¡°I¡¯m just worried Tom, she¡¯s been down there for thirty minutes,¡± complains Carol, ¡°and those noises, she could be hurt!¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine dear, she¡¯s an adventurer they do this kind of thing all the time.¡± ¡°I am going down to check on her!¡± Carol states flatly as she turns around, locking her gaze on me as I finish my ascent. ¡°Hi Carol!¡± I exclaimed. ¡°I¡¯m safe, all the rats are dead!¡± ¡°Oh my, dear,¡± she shouts, ¡°Are you alright, you are covered in blood, and¡­ other things. What happened to your clothes?¡± Thomas turns smiling at what he hears as proof of my continued ability to breathe, he finishes his turn his eyes shoot wide as he points, shouting ¡°Behind you!¡± I do a one-eighty falling back on my bum as I top the stairs to see that last large rat, I somehow forgot this one! My arms encumbered by my bounty of rat tails won¡¯t make it in time to cover my throat as the rat closes on me, mouth opening to bite down on my neck as it closes the distance. I close my eyes, just before I hear a loud, ¡°KAWWWW¡±. Opening my eyes I see the empty air between me and the rear of the Bakery, spinning my head around to find out what happened, I see a large purple-black raven lifting high above the roof. A large dead rat was held easily in its talons. ¡°Bloody hell! that was close.¡± I sigh in relief. Sitting there on my arse, covered in blood and worse with my clothes in tatters I can¡¯t help but think of going back to the Jobs Hall and finishing my quest. Chapter 5 - A Job Well Done Kalydren ¨C Year 1344, Month 1, Day 6. Spring Olea Munroe Having finished up my first job at the Bakers¡¯ bakery I find myself headed back up Imperial Way toward the Jobs Hall. Carol had insisted I stay for a little while, taking advantage of the water pump and water cabin behind the store. After cleaning up and examining my clothing while I soaked I asked Carol where I could find some new clothes, she was aghast. I¡¯m still not sure why she was so shocked to learn that I was wearing my only pair of clothes. No, I did not have more at home, at least not home on this planet. She was even more concerned when she learned that I did not even have a home in the city. By the time I left the store, rat tails tied together over my shoulder, Thomas had supplied me with a new cloak to cover the obvious gaps in my ¡®armor¡¯ and Mrs. Baker had given me some of her son¡¯s clothing since he was grown and out of the house already. I was also forced to take a small duffel of bread loaves, a meal for the road she said. I somehow did not think I would travel quite as far as the bread would. Upon reaching the Hall I walked my way slowly around the marvelous fountain, enjoying the feel of the cool mist upon my exposed arms. I was just about to walk through the double doors when another shadow covered my own. Looking up I see what I believe is the same crow as before, and falling to land upon my head, a bloodied rat¡¯s tail. Now some people would have shouted to the heavens about being attacked by falling limbs, some members of the crowd shouted for me. I was happy though. One more tail meant five more copper pieces! Hoorah! I pushed the doors open and stepped inside to complete my job. I strolled in, this time with a little less wonder in my eyes. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I am still amazed at all the nifty things on the walls, the mounted monster heads, the rare plants, and weapons under glass panels. All the armor and strange weaponry used by my fellow adventurers, and even the smile on Sicily¡¯s face when I walked by. Though I briefly wondered why her eyes had gone so wide upon seeing my luggage. Rat tails, I needed them as proof, maybe I would ask later. I found the table with the rugged adventurer Sicily informed me of that very morning. ¡°Oy¡± I say, projecting my voice toward the man polishing his sword behind the table. An actual sword, really. The table was littered with an assortment of small tools, bloody hammers, rusted scraps in the form of arrowheads and spear tips. Most bent or broken. As the man turned to face me, his eyes went a little wide around the edges. ¡°What in the twelve hells have you got for me there?¡± He blurts out, beard shaking to-and-fro with every other syllable. ¡°Is that a Brood Mother tail?¡± Flopping down my load of tail, the rat tails. I respond proudly, ¡°It sure is, ten rats and one Brood Mother, is the momma worth more?¡± I smile as winningly as I can manage, it might have worked. The man burst out laughing, ¡°Worth more she asks, aye it be worth more.¡± He pulls out a large book, bound in brown and red leather, though the red could be dried blood. Turning into the book a fair bit, he stops at a page displaying rats of varying sizes and shapes, He continues, ¡°The brood mother is a pest, a plague rather. What was your job specifically.?¡± ¡°I took a job to clear a basement of rats from Sicily this morning, at the Bakers¡¯.¡± ¡°Just rats?¡± I nod, ¡°Just rats, the brood mother was there with the rest, she was tougher.¡± I hold my fingers apart a few inches as I add this last bit. That earned me a laugh, ¡°I am betting she was a wee bit more than that! Where¡¯s your team, did they elect to send their lowest level woman to me out of fear? Or maybe they were hoping I¡¯d be generous when I saw a pretty, little stripling of a girl at my table?¡± ¡°No team,¡± I say. ¡°I went alone to kill some rats. Me. By Myself, nobody else but me.¡± He shouts then, ¡°SICILY!¡± People stop walking for a beat, pausing or stumbling as the shout rang out across the hall. Then they all start up again. Does this happen a lot? ¡°Yes sir, master Doogan?¡± pants a flustered Sicily, the Doogan sounded like Dew-Gone. ¡°This girl here, did she get a rat clearing job from you this morning?¡± She looks at me then, ¡°Girl, sir?¡± His face tightens a bit, ¡°Yes, this girl here. The short haired lass standing directly beside you.¡± ¡°Oh, oh my. Umm, yes sir.¡± She says turning to me as she dips a low bow, ¡°I apologize for my earlier confusion and possible insult.¡± ¡°Insult?¡± I ask, very quick I am. ¡°What insult?¡± She goes to explain, ¡°I thought you were a boy, Miss Olea. Girls, women rather, we grow our hair long, the only women who have their hair so short are usually slaves.¡± She blushes then, ¡°Perhaps you hail form the countryside or some other country?¡± Well, that explains a bit, I think my hair is barely ear length. I guess it may be the fault of some overly involved god, plopping me down as their faux-prince. ¡°I¡¯m not local.¡± Is the answer I give to this question. Doogan coughs then, ¡°So this is the person you assigned to a rat clearing job? Did she have a team?¡± Sicily starts, giving a little jump where she stood, ¡°Yes sir, she came in alone, said it was her first job. Used the crystal to view her specialty skills myself.¡± Doogan nods, ¡°So she a mage then? Dusk Elves usually are.¡± ¡°Dusk elf sir? Mage? No, no sir. She tested for Knifework and Cure Wounds, attributes for Charisma, Dexterity, and Intelligence.¡± Sicily rattles this out nearly by rote, is there a memory skill and is it specialty or general? ¡°Cure wounds, and knifework!¡± He looks at me, then to Sicily, ¡°You mean we sent a level two street surgeon out to clear rats, alone? And she killed a brood mother on the job, also alone?¡± He looks at me for confirmation to this last part. ¡°Actually sir, I only reached level two after the brood mother died, even got a bonus for killing something one rank higher. And I¡¯m a Merciful Blade, sir.¡± I add the last to justify myself, street surgeon sounds much less cool than Merciful Blade, even if Help-chan said it was a common class of desperation. He raises his eyebrows at my words, ¡°Okay then. A level one, you killed the brood mother in combat, with what? A spear? Did you have help?¡± This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°No sir, and the brood mother, she¡­¡± I stammer lamely, ¡°fell on me sir. I fell down the steps running for my life, it had jumped at me before I fell so it overshot and landed on me, my knife went through its chest when it fell.¡± A few moments passed as both Sicily and Master Doogan stared at me. Master Doogan responded first, by laughing! I smiled a little bit as he spoke, ¡°You mean, you went all alone and killed ten rats, fought the brood mother, ran for your life from her. Then she up and kills herself on your fallen body.¡± ¡°No sir,¡± I start, earning me a quizzical look, ¡°I killed nine of the rats, and the brood mother. A crow killed the tenth rat when it tried to attack me after I left the basement. A crow flew by and caught it midair. It was awesome, actually the crow dropped that last tail on my head just as I walked up to the doors outside.¡± Raising his eyebrows even further the man dismisses Sicily with a, ¡°You may go.¡± While staring at me. Very rude he is becoming. Just because he looks like he runs the place doesn¡¯t mean staring is cool. Though I guess he didn¡¯t all me boy, he has a few respect points, I won¡¯t crush him when I become queen. ¡°It¡¯s rude to stare, Doogan. And why do they call you Master Doogan, do you own the building?¡± I ask quickly to cover my accusations. He lets the first go, tugging on his beard with one hand while his other moves the tails about the table, ¡°First off, the rats will earn you fifty copper coins, or five small silvers. The brood mother is a known pest of the realm, a real pest mind you. Left unchecked they can form larger nest and be absolutely annoying to cut out once they start breeding in earnest.¡± Looking in his big book of baddies again he says, ¡°I¡¯ll pay you two large silvers for the brood mother tail, I will also be sending a runner down so someone can collect it¡¯s body.¡± Happy that I would be getting paid, I smiled, ¡°Pleasure doing business with you Doogan.¡± ¡°Not so fast!¡± He retorts, ¡°I am Master Doogan here, Master for my role as leader, and master for my rank. You are a novice and should know this, but I will make am allowance for you, this once. You are odd.¡± This last comes with a wary look, as if he expects me to sprout wings and flutter out a window. I totally would if I could. ¡°Okay, Master Doogan.¡± I apologize half-heartedly. ¡°Am I dismissed?¡± ¡°Not yet,¡± he continues, ¡°Where are you from, I would love to hear tell of your home.¡± I begin to tell Doogan, he¡¯s Doogan in my own head, no Master here but me! I tell him I live in a warehouse for now, no I am not from Jaga originally and that I have a lot to learn. He makes consoling sounds in the right places and grumbles about stupid people with more luck than sense, he could not have meant me. In the end he offers me a writ for the teller at the next counter that I can exchange for my pay. He also offers me a room upstairs so he can keep an eye on me, not my own room of course. There are dorms above for travelling adventurers, not co-ed. Apparently, they have long since learned that lonely adventurers make too much noise when bunking together with adventurers of the opposite sex. I thank Doogan for his time and the money before heading out the door. I will be back later. Free room, hard to beat. Taking a stroll down Market Street to the east, I started looking for clothing stores. I soon learned that custom fit is extraordinarily expensive, my tattered clothes would have cost a hefty sum of several large silver. Oh, and money is done by orders of ten. Good to know. Ten coins of copper equal a small silver, ten small silver is a large silver and so on with small gold and large gold. The coins themselves were flat disks of nickel, each sporting a core of the aforementioned material, small coins had a rectangular core while the large coin cores had a star shape to them. You could easily tell by feel which were which, handy. A pair of copper bought me a kabob, which I ate slowly with my full host of manners on display. No, I did not turn it sideways and chomp down like a savage as I ripped the meat from the little piece of offensive wood. That would be very unladylike. I did though order two more from the man, he wasn''t busy and as such had plenty of time to gaze at me in admiration of growing appetite. I was not making a spectacle of myself, I swear! I soon found a small cart selling random one-size-fits-most clothing. I bought a backpack, from the cart next to this one, both ladies were thrilled to have my business. They were practically cooing at me as I searched for clothes to buy. I picked out three shirts, one brown and two tan, white costs more, and the blue shirts were vastly more expensive. I grabbed two pairs of sturdy pants, and some well-worn leather shoes, more like moccasins. I also got me a nice hat, a big brown leather tricorn affair with a feather on the top. It looked absolutely ridiculous, and the women suffered a fit of laughter as I worked my way through various poses. Passing children were giggling behind their hands as their mothers dragged them along. I really like this place. I paid the women, costing me seven small silver and three copper leaving me with one large and seven small silvers, plus a few copper. I stowed my spare clothes in the backpack after I put on the brown shirt and a pair of pants. The women were scandalized at what I am wearing, or rather what I was not wearing under the cloak. I explained that I was not quite a vagrant, and I would be fine. I was an adventurer and some nasties had gotten the better of me for a little while. I also informed them that I was happy to have the chance to meet them and they both beamed. The lady who sold me the backpack went so far as to tell me to stop by later, she would love to introduce me to her son. He was a millwright¡¯s apprentice, a fine young man. The clothier, her sister, I discovered, was quite clear in the support she gave to her nephew, a fine match indeed. I beggared off at this turn in the conversation, places to see people to do, all that jazz. I confused them with the last bit, the order of the phrase not sounding right. Onward! I must be visiting my old friend Keen, and maybe look at my new available skills soon. I head west on Market Street, toward the center of town. Passing the square, love that cool misting fountain. So very refreshing! Crossing slowly through the square I step onto Dock Street, honestly it is called Market Street West up until you get to the harbor master¡¯s offices. At that point the road becomes Dock Street as it leads to the docks on the north-west side of the city. I turn left at the harbor masters, after a short stroll I take another left into a large warehouse, the door seems to be a little cleaner. I enter into the large open area, surprised to see a large-framed carriage parked in the center of the space, most of the empty crates are gone. It seems the merchant will be using this warehouse again very soon. I see Keen in his little alcove talking to a small boy, looking around I notice all the other children have their hair cut short, maybe there was something to the no girls thing. That I wasn¡¯t the only short-haired girl in the city as Sicily suggested. Intel to gather later, I guess. I walk over to Keen as the smaller boy heads back to the others, seems they are just now wandering in from the streets. ¡°Oy, Keen!¡± I shout, waving my hand in the air as I approach. Keen looks at me then, a good long look. I think he blushed! ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± He replies as he lowers his eyes to hide his face under that unruly hair. It¡¯s cute that he can get embarrassed, at least when his gang is not all here. I untie the bag at my waist and hand it to him, ¡°For you,¡± I elaborate, ¡°and the little ones, my tax payment.¡± I gave a little wink at this, which earned me a laugh. A nice laugh even, once he got beyond the nervous fear that was there a moment ago. You¡¯d think he was afraid I would hit him. The nerve of such thoughts. Keen opens the flap on the bag, seeing the bread inside. He looks up at me, down at the bag, then finally back at me, ¡°Bread?¡± I nod, ¡°Bread. Yes. Bread good, bread for eating. Yes.¡± I sound out the sentence slowly, my own imitation of the scholar explaining to Tarzan the meaning of life. He shakes his head, grinning ¡°No need to be an a-, I mean thanks. Thank you for paying your dues.¡± ¡°No need to act tough, Keen. I won¡¯t be staying.¡± I went on to explain my change in circumstance and that I¡¯d be staying above the jobs hall. I also let him know I would not mind stopping occasionally to visit if I happened to be by. I would not be hitting him again tonight. I also asked if anyone needed to see a healer, I could probably help with some minor injuries if anyone had acquired one. I was about to leave when I had a thought, ¡°Keen, do you know where Lenn got off to?¡± ¡°Lenny? Yah, Lenny went off earlier, doesn¡¯t stay around too long only does basic lookout stuff. Probably has a different place to bed down nearby as I never seem to see him around for too long.¡± Keen explained. ¡°Thanks then,¡± I reply as I turn to go, ¡°I¡¯ll be seeing you.¡± After exiting the warehouse, I turn right, heading north up the road toward Market West. It¡¯s getting close to full night, and I have a date. At least I think I still have a date. One way to find out, off to see Sicily! Chapter 6 - A Beautiful Morning Kalydren ¨C Year 1344, Month 1, Day 7. Spring Olea Munroe I stepped out onto the well-trafficked road, leaving behind the tall red stone apartment building I had spent my night in. People were busily walking up and down the street, errands to run and all that. I saw a small stall selling warm meat buns across the way, the man extolling the virtues of a good snack before the business of the day could get under way. I happily agreed with the sentiment, I was famished. The sun was shining brightly this morning, giving warmth to the stiff, cool breeze rolling east from the lake. It would be better if it did not also carry the early morning smells of last night¡¯s catch with it. Light cloud cover barely obscured the vivid blue sky I could see above the five and six story buildings in this part of the city. I was in the northern part of the city, by my estimates the lower-middle folks. The further east you went from here the more lavish the homes became until you reached Artisan Alley. Every other outer road in the city was called Wall Road but once it passed north of East Market it became Artisan Alley and that took you back onto Imperial Way, the north-south running main concourse. I don¡¯t think they did any type of specific phrasing in this world for people of different income levels, at least not in as much of a strict line as we had on earth. You had the beggar poor, various working middle classes, and the upper-class government pricks. Maybe it was a little like earth after all. Enough of that for now though, I was hungry, and I wanted breakfast. I made my way across the street from the apartment, closing in on my goal. ¡°Two, please!¡± ¡°Milady?¡± ask the man at the stall. ¡°Two, please!¡± I repeat, making sure to pitch my voice in the exact same manner as before. Unlike many people I would never complain about repeating myself. Favorite childhood games of repeat-repeat to the annoyance of others... Excellent practice for growing up! The man looked at me oddly before reaching down to retrieve the two drizzling bear claw sized meat pies. He wrapped one in a deli-style sheet of something close to paper. ¡°One for you, and I wrapped the other for you to save for later. That will be one small silver and four!¡± How cute, saving the meat for later. Nope, wouldn¡¯t last the walk to the end of the lane. Read: Hungry. ¡°Yes sir,¡± I said opening my coin pouch to retrieve two small silvers, not a purse ¡°thank you ever so much!¡± He handed me back my six copper pieces and I was on my way. Where was I headed you wonder? Well, I had to get to the Jobs Hall and deal with the grumpy old master of the Hall. I headed down Topaz, the street that ran parallel and east of Imperial Way north of the Job¡¯s Hall. It was a mile long stretch of road from start to finish. The north end of the road spilled onto Prattle Street while the southern end joined with Market Street East. These were not specific names for Market Street as they were both one road, but the locals had long ago begun amending the street with east and west respectively to be more concise. It did make it easier to understand directions at least. I had just started to think of what Doogan was planning to talk about when I heard a shrill cry from above. That damned crow again! He-she-it had been hounding me since I left the Jobs Hall last night. I mean it did probably save my life or at least my remaining dignity when that rat was poised to snag my neck after the Bakers Basement incident. We won¡¯t discuss the particulars. Argh! ¡°What do you want!¡± I shouted at the cheeky little chipenjaw. Is that a real word? I don¡¯t know. This meat pie is so good. Is that sage I taste? ¡°CAW! Gruuunk!¡± cried the crow, or maybe it was a raven. I think I read somewhere that ravens were basically crows on steroids, bigger with more curve to the beak. Yeah, this one was large. With a wingspan of nearly three feet, I was willing to go with raven. It had that longer warbly quality to its call. The demon had black feathers with a purple-green shimmer of dark oil on water, depending on the light levels. At this point I had gathered a few curious glances from the street vendors and even the children around me. Weren¡¯t they supposed to go to school, was there a school in the city? No idea. I did not appreciate the scene; the crow was making me look like a nutter. In an attempt to normalize my actions, as best I could think of at least I raised my left arm to shoulder height, extending my forearm to kind of point and not point at the same time. I am sure I was not the only one who watched over simplified animal planet specials. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. The response I got was nearly immediate. The beaky bastard dropped like a rock from twenty feet up and smashed down with its considerable weight on my upper arm. One thing I could clearly think of at that moment was idiot. I had nine Strength! I really was at the physical level of a pre-teen girl, not a strong one. Not even a helps-mom-with-chores strong. My arm dropped so I was not pointing at the ground briefly as my body shifted to the left. I grabbed a nearby street pole for support as the bastard bird held fast to my arm, its claws only barely breaking the skin. Another ruined shirt! Dammit. ¡°I know I did the whole roost invitation thing, but why did you have to dive bomb my arm!¡± I shouted at the flapping bird, it hit me several times in the head with its large wings. I guess it was blaming me. ¡°Ra-a-a-a-a-t-t-tle, CAW!¡± was the only response I got. ¡°That¡¯s enough out of you!¡± I snapped back. I don¡¯t think this did anything to dampen the scene. If anything, even more people were now staring at the silly little girl getting accosted by a bird that was nearly half her size. I exaggerated a little bit, it¡¯s fine. The bird snapped its beak shut, turning its head to the side to level one eye on me. Was I being silently mocked? I raised my right hand up to bop the silly bird on the beak and teach it some manners. Instead, the bird pulled its head back before snapping forward with an open mouth and clamping down on my finger. ¡°You bastard! That REALLY HURT!¡± I exclaimed, damn the onlookers. I got a shrill caw in my ear for the trouble. The bird was looking down on me. Fine. I shook my arm up and down to dislodge the hefty thing, this only served to kill my balance. The bird must have weighed nearly twenty pounds. Better I just concentrate on standing upright. Come to think of it. Help-Chan! Status Report! ¡®Blah¡¯ Name: Olea Munroe Level: 2 Archetype: Merciful Blade [Street Surgeon] Sex: Female Age: 16 Winters HP: 61/61 Mana: 64/64 Stamina: 63/63 Attributes: You have two Attribute Points Remaining Skills: Three skill points remaining. Stealth [1/4] Piety [2/4] Experience Till Next Level: 4940/5000 There it was, two attribute points! Let¡¯s prop up Strength by one, and Constitution by one. At once I felt the weight on my shoulder become less of a hindrance and more of a small annoyance. I was at least no longer teetering sideways. I think I just graduated to soccer playing schoolgirl in strength. Win! I straightened up and ignored the odd murmur of conversation going on around me. I was above such trivial commentary. It was time to get moving, was it nearly noon? How long had I slept in? I had spent the night in a nice warm bed comfortably encased in the warmth of another only to wake up alone. Granted some people had to work early, but I¡¯d have gladly gotten up and started my day as well. I was not a heavy sleeper! The bed was still warm and smelling of sweet springtime flowers among other things when I rolled over and got dressed. It was a good night; I had even learned a few things. Getting my mind back to my appointment and out of that space, not the thing to be thinking of pre-Doogan. He never really mentioned a set time when we were talking, though the mention of a place to pass the night in the guild apartments as they were, may lead some to think that he wanted me close to hand early in the morning. Nah, no way was I making myself so available. We¡¯ve only just met! Where then did I spend the night, not telling. We¡¯ve only just met! Don¡¯t judge me, I am not a hypocrite! I rounded the corner, heading west on Market Street West, I say I was heading that way, but Topaz dropped off at the same corner as the Jobs Hall occupied. The entrance was just at the fountain plaza, I couldn¡¯t access the front area from the read entrance as that required more clout, the guards at the various doors were quite clear on who could use what door when traversing the inner rooms of the Hall. I stepped up to the entryway and walked inside, wobbling only slightly. I still had the big ass bird on my arm. Upon entering I was greeted by not one curious glance; everyone here had grown accustomed to strange and unusual long ago. Nothing to see here, just a nearly five-foot-tall girl with a two whopping turkey sized bird on her shoulder. ¡°Caw!¡± croaked out my previously mentioned stowaway. This did get people to turn their heads, some people anyway. Even Sicily looked up at the noise, there was a moment when she only saw the bird and had a small, confused look pass her face before she looked slightly down and to her left and saw me. I was only giving an ugly face to the bird for a second before I smiled at her. Another confused look before she just smiled and shook her head. Right. Some people had work to do. ¡°Where in the twelve hells have you been!?¡± came a bellow from the back of the room ¡°YOU WERE TO BE HERE AT DAWN!¡± Well, crap. I guess he did have a time in mind. Maybe it would be a good idea to pass on my spare meat pie after all. Still hungry though, these decisions are never simple. Chapter 7 - Welcome to the Club South Jaga City, Job¡¯s Hall ¨C Year 1344, Month 1, Day 7 Spring Olea Munroe ¡°Get back up little elf!¡± shouted Doogan for the fifth time this afternoon. How did this happen? I was minding my own business, coming to check in at the Jobs Hall and now an oversized bear is beating me. The first thing that he did after his rude claim that I was late was to march over and grab me up by the collar of my new shirt. Sure, I slipped it off right there much to his surprise, with a little shock thrown in, I am sure. I had been wearing an undershirt, though honestly it did not have much work to do. Noticing that I was not offended by his earlier move and was so quick to slip out of my shirt he had settled for wrapping an arm around me and carrying me off like some cheap luggage. We made our way, or rather Master Doogan had made our way through a side door and down a few hallways until we arrived at the rear door. Going through said door put us in view of a training yard under the noonday sun. He sat me down roughly, dropped me really. At that point I wondered where my bird had gone off to, I only remember a sharp CAW in my ear before the bastard left me alone to my current tormentor. I wondered what I should name it. Probably Brutus, et tu and all that. So many things to think about and do. I wonder what I should get for dinner, crowface stole my extra meat pie. ¡°I said up.¡± Growled the big man in front of me. ¡°Yah yah,¡± I muttered back, ¡°getting there.¡± I got back to my feet, making sure to wet my feet shoulder width apart as my wonderful instructor taught me. ¡°Better. Put your right foot back another inch and turn it ten degrees more to the outside. You do not want to kick yourself in the shins, do ye?¡± Doogan emphasized his instruction with a smirk as he tapped his own feet pointing out the differences. ¡°Hey Doogie, why all the instruction time? This is almost fun, but I cannot help thinking you would have more fun scaring people up front.¡± That is what his main activity seemed to be when I brought in my trophies anyway. ¡°I am taking time off to see what you can do. I am a bit disappointed but not surprised.¡± He answered. ¡°How long have you been using stabby things?¡± ¡°Ummn, two days?¡± I say honestly, ¡°before that I rarely ever used a knife, even for kitchen work.¡± ¡°Right.¡± He says, was he unconvinced? ¡°That explains your pathetic stance and horrible flailing. You resemble a drowning bird flapping about hoping to get free of your own stupidity.¡± ¡°Wait. Stupid?!¡± I shouted. Bastard. I stepped forward bringing my wooden dagger forward to cut the grizzled old man, realizing a little too slowly that he was toying with me, making up insults to goad me into an attack. Doogan wrapped my arm in his meaty grip and twisted forcing my now numb hand to drop the pointy wooden knife to the dirt as he extended a foot and flipped me up with a kick. ¡°You should have probably gotten eaten in that basement yesterday.¡± He said in that even voice as he looked down at my prone form. ¡°Ugh. Fine, I am terrible.¡± I mutter, not sounding petulant at all. ¡°You aren¡¯t doing half bad so far.¡± Doogan said after I had gotten to my feet again. ¡°Why am I even here? I do not think I volunteered for training.¡± I complained. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°You are here because you wanted to work, and you were late. Why didn¡¯t you stay in the barracks bed I arranged?¡± ¡°Work? Am I getting paid?¡± ¡°No pay. Where were you?¡± retorted Doogie. ¡°I was out.¡± I cleverly said. I am clever! ¡°You were out, yes. Where were you though?¡± ¡°I stayed over at Sicily¡¯s if you must know.¡± There I confessed. He glared at me a little before his eyes grew a little confused. ¡°Did she not know you had a room here; did you take charity from Sicily. Maybe infer you were homeless and needed a place to stay?¡± ¡°I did no such thing. It was not charity; we are friends.¡± ¡°Friends?¡± ¡°Friends, yes. When two people like each other enough, they sometimes form friendships.¡± I must confess I may have overestimated this man¡¯s Intelligence score. ¡°So, you were what, touring the city and then¡­ never mind.¡± Doogan said, a little slower this time as he processed. ¡°Ugh, I assume since we are talking that I have finished this little exercise for today?¡± I asked, not begging. Nope. ¡°How high are your strength and dexterity scores?¡± ¡°Veering toward personal, eh?¡± I ask cocking one brow from the ground. ¡°Oh hush, how high?¡± ¡°Ten Strength, thirteen Dexterity.¡± I reply by giving a little flex to my noodle like appendages. ¡°You¡¯ve got a long way to go before we make you a fighter.¡± He lamented. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to be a fighter, I want to be a lov- ¡° ¡°Fighter, you are going to be fighting to survive, you will need money and strength to carry you through life. That takes fighting whether it is at work, or in the fields. We all fight for survival.¡± Said my tormentor. ¡°Time to go again.¡± And so it went, me against the world, or rather against a mountain of muscle, a short mountain. I spent the next two hours striking out with my wooden weapon while he parried almost absentmindedly. He would occasionally give me a knock on the wrist or arm when my form was especially bad, correcting my hits in minor ways or tripping me when I left a proper stance. By the time we finished I was bruised and even more humiliated. I was also staring at the sky, refusing to get up after the last leg sweep. Done ¡°I¡¯d say go visit the medic for all those bruises, but it would most likely ruin all the work we¡¯ve done today.¡± said Master Doogan. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked. Unsure that pain translates well to my learning to better get knocked about. ¡°Healing would help alleviate the bruising and strain you feel in your joints and muscles, yes.¡± He continued, ¡°What it would also do is undo the stretching that occurs while we train, you won¡¯t have gained any added flexibility from the exercise.¡± ¡°So, Cure Wounds is out?¡± I ask, curious about the whole healing and training things. I had though he was only hitting me so often because he knew the healers could soothe away the damage. ¡°Aye. And also cure wounds isn¡¯t the greatest for healing anyway.¡± He added as an aside. ¡°It heals the wounds; it does not recover health. ¡°Ummn, explain?¡± I was curious, I was alive because I had used the skill so much. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong.¡± He amended with a nod as if following my thoughts, ¡°It can keep you alive. What the spell does is knit flesh and do minor healing to bone. Increasing the rate at which your body can recover.¡± ¡°The healing though, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes, but a different kind of healing. It does not restore the measure of health lost. When we get injured, say a slash wound on the arm or across your chest. These would be merely a flesh wound; we can live through them unless they are poisoned or very deep. The big danger is that our rate of recovery drops with each wound we take. When that rate drops below a certain level, we will more and more quickly lose our available health pool. This condition will lead to death.¡± I had the full weight of his bearded stare now. Your Cure Wounds spell will alleviate the wound healing it over, what that does it restore you own natural regeneration rate to normal allowing you to not slowly die, again it restores only your ability to recover quickly on your own. If the health drops too low too often your regeneration will be nearly halted making most damage taken in that state quite dangerous.¡± ¡°That is a lot to learn, I was not as safe as I thought yesterday. Scary.¡± It really was, I would have been less inclined to enter the rat nest yesterday if I had known. ¡°Enough talk for now. Get up.¡± Came the sterner voice I had grown to love and hate. ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°Fine. I am going to go grab some lunch, I will be back after that. Rest well.¡± With that bomb dropped he started for the doorway leading into the building, he did not even deign to reprimand the band of people laughing at my efforts that had somehow accumulated near the fence. Rude. It was a small group of seven or eight people, they did not matter enough for me to accurately count. Too tired. Not getting me to do anything. ¡°Did you say food?¡± I somehow managed to eke the words out of my tired body. ¡°I did.¡± Agreed Doogan while laughing, ¡°Too bad you are so exhausted that you won¡¯t be able to make the trip.¡± I found myself freshly invigorated and instilled with a desire to do things. Mysterious. No time to think about the reasoning for my newfound stamina. Food! ¡°Save some for me!¡± I shouted at the closing door. Interlude - Spectator South Jaga City, Outside the Job¡¯s Hall ¨C Year 1344, Month 1, Day 7. Spring ????? ????? ¡°Did you say food?¡± asked Olea, I swear I could see drool forming around her mouth as she asked the question. ¡°I did.¡± This from the big bearded one, ¡°Too bad you are so exhausted that you won¡¯t be able to make the trip.¡± It seems he may have discovered a weakness in my companion. Her lack of Wisdom is going to get her killed, far too flighty. Her blue eyes fire with intensity as the man turns away. She is hopeless. All this excitement over the promise of food. ¡°Save some for me!¡± she shouted before scrabbling in the dirt and chasing after the form behind the closing door. I guess I¡¯ll have to find something else to entertain myself now. I¡¯d been watching for the better part of the last two hours, making sure all was well. The interest Doogan has been showing Olea is strange. I have not yet figured out his motives for teaching the girl. It had been quite the show though. He basically stood there looking both imposing and bored, that may have been an exaggerated act to annoy her though. His every move was just enough to deflect a clumsy swipe or knock Olea on her butt. She would occasionally complain, ok she always complained. I had to hand it to her though, not even a full twelve in this world and she seemed to be adjusting well. I¡¯d been assigned to follow as much as serve as a guide. How to do those two things was up to me essentially and I was definitely enjoying the show. The rat mission yesterday was a travesty. She had barely lived through a fight with rodents, I¡¯d nearly lost my companion to a bunch of rats. It was so utterly frightful to have come that close to being reassigned that I almost did not act when the last of the small creatures had attempted to tear her open in the end. I suppose it could be said that nothing bad happened in the end and so it was all just water under the bridge at this point. I could agree to that. What made it all the more worrisome was the amount of time it took me to find her. I am lucky in that I have a form for flight, my compatriots do not yet have that option. They had to walk, I doubt they have even been able to see their charges yet, let alone get introduced. The storms had not done as planned, instead depositing the group in separate locations and far from the intended destination. It took me a full day of travel on the wind with the help of magic and elemental assistance. ¡°Enough circular thinking.¡± I mutter to myself. ¡°I think it¡¯s time to have a walk and clear my mind or find entertainment.¡± I found myself chuckling softly, which even I will admit must look odd as I was just spying over a wall like some crazed stalker. I walked around to the front of the large building, the Jobs Hall. It was a bit impressive, this little construction. Impressive for a city so small in any event. I had seen many through the ages though my recollection of those is foggy at times. Being somewhat ephemeral in nature can really skew the perception of aesthetics. I soon found myself walking in through the front doors of the Hall, not worried about being recognized as no one knows me. I¡¯m also not a person who would come across as blatantly gawking. I¡¯d seen the show. There were a varied assortment of weapons and armors displayed along the wall, some hanging from ceilings. A collection of animal trophies and the like, their newest addition was the mounted head of a large brood mother, I doubt Olea had seen it yet. The wooden floor was worn smooth over the years, though a few planks could probably bear to be replaced. The place was populated predominately by humans, sure there were a few dwarves and elves wandering about. I even noticed two or three beastkin, not people who had animal origins, these were instead people who had taken on animal traits while being stuck in a mana storm. Some had down-like fur while others had sharper canines or a slight tilt to other features such as the ear or eye. All people. I could see Doogan and Olea at a table near the back of the hall eating some type of meat with vegetables in a stew, Olea was eating very quickly I think she was afraid the food would disappear. Strange one. The other workers of the Hall were hurrying about with random tasks while the aspiring adventurers were chatting amongst themselves, staring at trophies, or reading bulletins. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. One worker I noticed quickly was Sicily, I only knew the name as Olea had spent quite a bit of time in her company the evening prior. All innocent of course, I followed from the roofs of the nearby buildings as Olea ran back and forth from shop to shop while Sicily pointed out a few of the taverns and the other shops. None of the shops were open by the time this happened but Olea insisted that it would be fine if they toured the stores while the owners were asleep. As if that is acceptable behavior in any society, what kind of world did she come from? Absolute barbarian this one. Sicily calmed the beasts of curiosity quickly pointing out the fact that there was plenty of time for those trips in the future. The look of crushed hope was something to behold for the three seconds it took Sicily to mention that they should probably call it a night. Olea hopped about with anticipation for the entire trip back to the small apartment complex Sicily called home, they ducked inside and from the window I watched as Olea wove tales of her heroics against the horde of monstrous rats while Sicily pointed out that there were not quite as many as was stated. They soon retreated to bed, quickly falling asleep. And sleep Olea did, I believe bears hibernate for less time than she slept. Fourteen hours of napping while I sat outside with nothing to do. Now though, she is safe for the time being. Nothing much I can do here regardless, if Master Doogan could not protect his flock, I had zero chance of aiding him. Again, though I doubt anything like that could happen in this peaceful little city under the watchful gaze of the sun. I left the hall wandering about the city, picking up a general idea of the city with a people¡¯s eye view. The buildings rarely climbed more than six stories, aside from the glaringly ostentatious aristocratic homes. Eyesores, though they made a good perch from time to time. I soon found myself in the western part of the city, nearer the docks when I spotted someone I had seen before. Now I only caught the name of the taller of the boys currently huddled away behind the crates of a nearby warehouse. Keen was currently having a heating whispering match with a few of his fellows. ¡°Has anyone seen ¡®er?¡± was the first actual sentence I heard. I may be a bit self-important, but I quickly assumed he was referring to Olea. Not many girls wandering the streets near ruffians and homeless orphans. ¡°No boss, not seen a glint of ¡®er¡± said boy one. He had unruly red hair with brown eyes, sporting the standard dull jacket and dirty gray trousers seen on a great many of the locals. ¡°Me either, though Lenn mentioned seeing her near the Jobs place.¡± Said boy two. This one was shorter with a hunch to the shoulders; he was sporting the same clothing as boy one with brown hair and eyes. ¡°Well dammit,¡± said Keen, ¡°I think we owe her for all the food she brought in but I ain¡¯t seen ¡®er since.¡± ¡°Your nose should be glad of that boss.¡± Chuckled boy one. Boy two laughed through his hands as well for some reason. ¡°You lot get back out there and have another look around¡­¡° Keen started as he turned his head and caught sight of me. ¡°You! Who are you?¡± ¡°Hi guys, don¡¯t mind me. Though if you are looking for Olea, she most certainly is over at the Job¡¯s Hall.¡± No reason to not let them know, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s fine. They seemed friendly, and Olea needs a few. ¡°Huh?¡± came three voices. ¡°Yeah, Keen right? I remember you.¡± I continued. ¡°I¡¯d appreciate you not saying I told you that but I¡¯ll have to take it on merit as I¡¯m not the fan of hurting the semi-innocent.¡± The boys looked at me for a beat more before they began running in my direction, not a sign of continued communications. I heaved a sigh and streaked off running for the alley on the opposite side of the street. I made it beyond the stacked crates and into the alley, the dead-end alley. Well, crap. After looking about for any bystanders and making sure I was still alone until the boys arrived, I leapt up and let go. The moment I released my form I spread my wings and took flight doing a quick aerial climb before perching on the spout above just as the whelps entered the alley below. ¡°Look behind those crates, Roy.¡± Came Keen¡¯s voice. ¡°Right, boss!¡± came the sharp reply. ¡°Stop calling me boss.¡± Sure thing, boss.¡± This reply was met with a groan. No shaking those shackled of respect for Keen. Boy two was looking under a tarp the covered a shallow puddle as a sign of being thorough I think as he said, ¡°I don¡¯t see ¡®em anywhere.¡± ¡°Maybe he ducked out before we got here, he was quick.¡± ¡°Maybe, we¡¯ll keep our eyes open. Anyway, lets go.¡± Grumbled Keen, ¡°Spread the word though, we got a spot over near dock three. Old miss Pigans shipwright.¡± This statement was met with more grumbling. I could see Keen shrug from up here. ¡°It¡¯s what we got boys, tar and fish is not nearly as bad a smell as just fish. And it¡¯ll be a slight bit cozier than the street, safer too.¡± ¡°Safe is good.¡± Came the admittance of Boy two. ¡°Yep boss, safe is good.¡± Said boy one at the same time, I think he was the one named Roy. With that small exchange done they made there way from the alley; Keen gave a last searching look to the walls and then the roof above. His gaze lingered a little as he met my cold gaze before he shrugged again and disappeared around the corner. It was probably about time I headed back to my charge, surely lunch was over by now. Chapter 8 - Lunch South Jaga City, Job¡¯s Hall Dining Area ¨C Year 1344, Month 1, Day 7. Spring Olea Munroe ¡°You know, it is considered nominally polite in most any place to allow your host to at least taste the food before you would consider eating with such gusto.¡± Came the gruff voice from across the table. ¡°Mhmm¡± I nodded sagely while drinking some water from my wooden mug. Doogan continued staring as I sat across from him, we were in a large dining area adjacent to the main hall of the Job building. After my harrowing experience with Master Doogan and his angry training regime, we had come in to eat lunch. I still could not remember what had happened to my other meat pie. Did I eat it, did I give it to Doogie, I could not remember. At least I had lunch now, lunch was good. We had come to a large table that could sit at least a dozen, there were several wooden tables just like it in the room. Doogan had informed me that this was the communal dining area for staff, I took that to mean I was being considered staff. I really needed to ask about that, I have been going with whatever has happened as of late for some reason I did not grasp. I¡¯m not complaining about results though, at least not all results. There were several other small groups of people chatting and eating their own meals, none of which resembled the food in front of us now. It looked like corn meal biscuits and some thick stew, it smelled almost as homey as my own food did exotic, not going to lie I was curious as to how well they would taste together. Does that make me a glutton? Naah. Spread out on the table were wooden platters of meat cut evenly and stacked several layers deep. It was paired with several small bowls of a red-brown stew. I could see rough cut tubers and leaves of varying sizes floating throughout. It tasted like curry and smelled like beef stroganoff. My head hurt trying to put those two things together, it should not be legal in any universe, and yes contrary to my belief on the matter it still tasted quite good. I can blame my unreasonable hunger on that judgement, I¡¯m sure. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault you are a slow eater.¡± I say after my mouth was clear enough of food to be polite, I could be polite! ¡°The food doesn¡¯t magically disappear if you wait more than a few moments after sitting down.¡± He said this with an odd look on his face. It was at this time that I noticed he had none of the food in front of himself, as I noticed this a short man with a thin moustache made his way to the table and plopped down some food similar to what the others in the room were eating. ¡°I did not want to offend the cook, so I thought to quickly demonstrate my love for his skills. Aside from that, why am I the only one not eating the yummy smelling cornbread stuff?¡± Something was off here. ¡°You are new to the hall and as such your first meal in the dining area should be special.¡± He answered with a smile and a nod. I had noticed a lack of sound throughout the rest of the room but decided to stay focused on the old man. ¡°All people joining the hall as new recruits or staff enjoy the same privilege.¡± ¡°On that note,¡± I said as I slowly chewed another piece of the thick and tender meat, ¡°when did I sign the job application? I do not recall agreeing to be your employee.¡± A sly grin could be seen under his face then, ¡°Let me instead ask you some things. Where else can you stay, how do you suppose will you be able to earn your way in this place so far from where you claim to be from, and who else can teach you all the things that you for some unknown reason seem to not know?¡± I ate a few more pieces of my meal, ¡°This stew is quite good.¡± Doogan nodded as I continued eating, I would like to say I was deflecting as I was thinking but it would be a lie. Most of my thinking occurs while I speak, eating deserves far too much attention. After clearing the last third of my savory meats and most of my stew I eyes the old master. I wonder if he had suspicions as to the truth of my story, I had not done much research on these mana storms he mentioned, and I believed they were common enough that asking about them directly would be a sure sign of questionable ignorance. I was also not sure why he would ask about church service regarding healing skills. I decided a little honesty would not be a terrible thing, just a little, someone as old as Doogan surely had enough experience as to make my unique circumstances seem not so astounding if he were to puzzle it out from context clue. ¡°I think I am rather blessed that such a one as you found it in their heart to help me by giving me a place to work and reside, thank you.¡± I said while watching his bearded face. The old hound¡¯s brows rose not a mote as he smiled and nodded. ¡°All the aside, I have to ask what you mean by church service. Why is it odd to have healing skills without serving in the church.¡± ¡°Oh, I assumed I was wrong there.¡± He seemed to chew on his thoughts for a moment, ¡°It appears we will be having another talk later. On the note of work however, I have taken the liberty of getting you some work for the afternoon. Several contracts have been posted and after consulting the map I have decided to consolidate the task. The reason for this is that it seems to stem from a certain brood of rats, rats you have recently dealt with.¡± If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°So, the contracts were already complete? I am confused, why consolidate contracts for something that is done?¡± I ask, not trying to hide my confusion. ¡°It seems the brood mother you killed was rather young, a good thing though it was we had the body brought in for examination, checking for disease and mana warping. Typical stuff for any evolved beastie.¡± He took a bite from his corn bread, making me wait. ¡°We found that the brood mother was not so old as to have a been there long, we also found proof that she was beginning her transition into a higher tier brood mother, those evolutions can go toward rat queen, or even a matriarch if enough time passes in an ideal location with abundant food.¡± ¡°So, it was going to get worse if left alone, sounds right¡­¡± I mutter thinking about some other scenario from earth with evolving monsters. ¡°This has what to do with other contracts?¡± ¡°The nest was larger than we knew, there are six other buildings on that block with rat problems. You have a busy day ahead of you.¡± Doogan said around his large spoonful of stew. He was smiling. Wiley old men are unwelcome news, true everywhere! ¡°I did not volunteer for anything.¡± I began, before he raised a finger. ¡°You will be given similar wages for this job, five coppers per rat slain. I gave Sicily word that you would be taking this contract at my direction, I am sure you do not mind her managing your workload.¡± He winked at me while delivering that last bit of information. I was tempted to thwack him with one of his biscuits but once again my respect for the culinary works of others stayed my retribution. ¡°Ok, kill some rats, grab some tail, report back, and collect some pay. It sounds fair.¡± I replied in my most businesslike manner. ¡°No need for rat tails on this contract, you have been established as dependable on my word. Besides the desk out front are equipped with clairvoyance and detection magics, lying is nearly impossible to do without the clerk being made aware. Keep that in mind, outside of these halls people can use such things to learn a great deal about you. I am saying this because you swing back and forth between being vague and being too elaborate in explanations. Being vague helps people keep private things where they need to be.¡± Doogan elaborated after finishing his last bite of bread, ¡°Here in these halls your secrets cannot travel, we keep the halls as a refuge for folk doing good work, outside¡­ outside is not so safe for some things, especially concerning you. Understood?¡± I was still contemplating his words as I said, ¡°Understood.¡± The whole truth detection magic was a bit of a buzzkill for some jokes I may have wanted to pull in the future, but I could honestly not think of any reasons to lie to the people I had met here so far, except for spite. I could do spite. Those blunted daggers still hurt. My brief time here had shown me that the rough folk that called it home were still just folks. They did their work, seemed to enjoy, or at least take pride in their work and its benefit to burden ratio seemed adequately shouldered. I won¡¯t deny the food is a good selling point for the job. ¡°Right, we should get going.¡± Said Doogan as he stood. ¡°Let us go out and get your contract. ¡°Oh, and before I forget. Look up there.¡± I followed his hand as he pointed to a mounted head on the far wall, not far from the exit to the main hall. It was a preserved head of a large rodent, nearly the size of a basketball. Large, four-inch teeth jutted down from the strong upper jaw to meet the lower jaw in an overbite where the other teeth hid in shadows, no less sharp and only slightly shorter. It¡¯s red-black eyes shining with the flicker light of the various candles, never seeing full shadow thanks to the magical orbs of light spread evenly through the room. The oily hair cleaned to a shimmering luster, a brown so dark it was nearing black. The nose was scarred in several places some carrying downward to run the side of its face. I was altogether quite the imposing beast. A small plaque under the head showed ¡°Brood Mother ¨C Slain in 1344 by Olea ¡®Ratsbane¡¯ Munroe Level 2.¡± As I had read the plaque aloud, I noticed the sound of wood scraping against wood and turned. The small groups of people had become much larger groups. When did they show up, I was still thinking about the ramifications of being surrounded by so many sneaky people when I heard laughter beside me. ¡°We wanted to commemorate your joining the guild with something special.¡± Said Master Doogan, ignoring my angry confusion. ¡°This is for you as well.¡± He handed me an object wrapped in purple velvet. It had weight to it. I unwrapped the parcel finding first a thick wooden handle inlaid with smooth bone white seams of¡­ yeah that was bone. The blade marred with several deep furrows and smaller knicks. It had a sickly coppery-red sheen visible even after the many times it was inexpertly honed. I recognized it somewhere, though it did appear to be a little different. ¡°This is?¡± ¡°Yep, that be Ratsbane. Mr. Baker handed it off when we sent the man for the Brood Mother corpse. Said you should keep it, he is too old and such was the claim. They liked you.¡± He looked up at the mounted head again before continuing. ¡°We have a few dedicated crafters on contract, they reinforced the hilt with the bone from that beasty to make it last, they were surprised to find it mildly enchanted, all the years of use for the sole tasks of rat extermination and continued blooding made the magic shape to the task. It happens sometimes, that is the reason they did nothing to the blade aside from some oiling. Ratsbane indeed.¡± I growled a little even as I delighted at having the little knife in hand, we¡¯d been through something together this blade and me. Not very heroic and slightly embarrassing, yes but it had been our moment. I looked up from my new blade with a smile. It was at that moment when I was going to thank the old codger that a chorus of shouts poured forth from the onlookers. ¡°To Ratsbane! Ratsbane! Ratsbane!¡± came the sporadic cheer interrupted only as some few of the participants drank of their cups. ¡°Ratsbane! Ratsbane!¡± I punched the old man on the arm, or forearm he was taller than me. This got the crowd even more excited. There were people clapping and shouting, just for the chance to see anyone get away with hitting Master Doogan and not being put down. I turned and walked away, not missing the shouts turning to laughter. As I passed by master Doogan, he simply said, ¡°I hope you enjoyed your lunch.¡± I paled only slightly as I exited the room. Rat stew is not something I expected to ever enjoy. Chapter 9 - Work to do South Jaga City, Trade District ¨C Year 1344, Month 1, Day 7. Spring Olea Munroe After extricating myself from the clutches of the evil manipulator Doogan and his chefs of questionable cuisine, I headed for the lobby. It was still a riot of random conversations and colorful garb, as well as some not so colorful garb. I saw a man wearing a potato sack today. Not that I can be one to judge as I came in the previous day wearing a dozen rat tails over my shoulder. Anyway, enough of that old news stuff. Time to work! With that slight adjustment to thought I headed for my favorite person of the week, Sicily! ¡°Hi!¡± I exclaimed as I approached her counter. ¡°Hello¡­ Oh, it¡¯s you!¡± she said. ¡°Me.¡± I agreed. ¡°Did you enjoy your training, and lunch?¡± she said, and with a completely blank face. ¡°It was awesome. The food, not the training.¡± I replied. With an oh so adorable lift of one eyebrow she inquired, ¡°Really?¡± I nodded emphatically, ¡°It was wonderful, spicy, and robust. I loved it, only slightly less after I found out what was in it.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± She said a little too slowly. ¡°Question! Did you happen to know that I would be receiving such special service today?¡± I could not bring myself to think that she had some part in this devious plot to make me hate food in any form. Food is not for jokes; it is the very reason for living. Ok, maybe not but it does have a broad role in support. ¡°I may have known something of it, it happens at least once a month. New people get new menu items, usually something exotic.¡± She continued, ¡°You just happened to catch your own. Sometimes Doogan will page through a bestiary with frightfully disturbing creatures and ask the newbie what they think of this or that. It makes them think the most ludicrous thoughts, he had once convinced a recruit that they were eating a snot-oozing slime from the council hall privy.¡± It seemed she remembered this last fondly as her eyes took on a look of recollection while a smile briefly played across her features. She had a wonderful smile. ¡°Yeah.¡± I answered smartly. ¡°Yeah?¡± she asked, ¡°I suppose you are here for the forms Master Doogan provided me earlier?¡± ¡°I am. Mostly. I mean, do you have plans for dinner?¡± I stammered. ¡°I do not, and neither do you.¡± She said with authority. ¡°You will be in basements and sewers for most of the day, I would greatly appreciate you not bringing that kind of work-related material anywhere near me for at least a day.¡± ¡°Harsh.¡± I said sadly. ¡°I call it good sense. Do you want people to associate your presence with foul smells and brown smears on the floor?¡± ¡°Ugh, point taken.¡± I admitted. ¡°They have a private bathing area in the back, take a left at the first door in the hallway you entered from the training grounds. Any occupied rooms will have a visible lock in place. Extremely hard to open from the outside without bringing full hell down on any unwanted peepers.¡± She said attempting to lighten my mood, it worked. Mostly. ¡°Ok, then.¡± I said, taking the papers from Sicily. Our hands touched briefly or not so briefly as I enjoyed the tactile contact. Warm. ¡°I¡¯ll see you next time then, Doogie is evil.¡± ¡°Master Doogan.¡± Sicily corrected. ¡°Also, not evil. He is more of a stern parent with ample eccentricities.¡± ¡°Tell that to my bruised shins. And my butt!¡± I laughed, ¡°The things he did to me... That did not sound right at all. His blades hurt, even using the flat end he made me remember it.¡± ¡°Complain later, work now.¡± Admonished Sicily. ¡°Yes, mam!¡± I exclaimed, attempting an extremely poor salute. ¡°Go away now, I have a line forming.¡± I turned to look and saw that no, there was no line forming. As I turned back to ask what she meant I was greeted with the pleasant and yet unpleasant sight of her retreating in a not-so-sneaky manner to the rear of the shelving area. I had been dismissed. Blah. ¡°I¡¯ll be going then!¡± I said to no one. And so, I left headed south along Imperial Way. The roads were still the same haphazardly cobbled together road they were yesterday, though today I did notice a few more things I had missed. Some of the shops carried more esoteric items than I had seen yesterday. A few had the common items, pastries, weapons, armor, and a few with fancy clothes. Some shows however seemed to specialize in a variety of monster parts, I saw a collection of claws and fangs arrayed on shelves through one window while another store had odd and magical looking beasts in cages or in the case of a large cat-like creature wandering the aisle. I was beginning to think it may be a clever idea to get a pet when I heard a loud CAW from the air above. Great. I did not want a creature to annoy and pester me all day. Who needs a friend that will eat their meat pies and then take off at the first signs of adversity. Nope, not me. I continued walking ever onward to my destination, pointedly not looking up. I arrived at my first stop, a storefront next door to the Bakers¡¯ Bakery. The sign read simply, spices at fair prices. Admiring the complete lack of effort put into a name I headed in through the Dutch Door entryway, I had not even seen one of these on earth outside of the Home and Garden VidCasts. ¡°Hello the store!¡± I called into the gloom. ¡°What was that?¡± came the reply from somewhere in the back. It was a store, assumedly for everyone to browse, so I headed further in. I navigated the sacks and barrels, ducked under a few drying racks, and soon found a small statured man sitting at a stool behind the wooden counter. Correction, he was standing on the stool. He was short, I mean I am almost five foot tall, but this fellow was probably in the neighborhood of three foot six. I found a gnome! ¡°Hello! Are you the owner of this fine spice shack?¡± I asked. ¡°Spice shack? I daresay this is more than a shack.¡± He replied. ¡°No disrespect, it just sounded better than No Name Spice Store or Spices at Fair Prices.¡± I answered back. ¡°A lot easier to say while conveying my meaning.¡± ¡°I suppose you are right, huh.¡± Said the little man, ¡°My name is Sam, it is nice to meet you.¡± Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°Olea, Olea Munroe. New in town, here to kill your rats.¡± I answered bluntly. ¡°Rats? Rats! I have no rats here madame.¡± He nearly shouted himself off his stool. It did not sound sturdy enough to support loud outbursts. ¡°You may have rats; I was sent here to verify the claim. All your neighbors have rats, it stands to reason that a place that sells such a variety of fine spices and flavorings would attract some of these dastardly rodents just as surely as fine culinary clientele.¡± After a few brief moments of him digesting my semi-nonsensical chatter, he relented. ¡°Come with me.¡± Said Sam the gnome. I followed dutifully, ducking under the gnome height bar between counter and storefront. The bobbing head of the gnome was easily tracked between the shelves and strategically places step ladders of the storage area. I caught up with him as he was exiting the building to the rear alley running behind the buildings on this block. He led me to a large set of doors set into the ground at the base of some stone stairs, D¨¦j¨¤ vu. ¡°This would be the basement, if I have rats, they would be there. I have not seen a one in my store yet and I would rather not ever see them. I will be at my counter so if you would please let me know when you finish, I would appreciate it.¡± He said, adding as if an afterthought, ¡°Is this going to cost me?¡± ¡°Nope, no costs sir. I was sent to kill the rats to prevent an infestation. I assume the city will cover if, or the Jobs Hall maybe.¡± I said, adding ¡°It¡¯s free for you!¡± That got a chuckle, ¡°I will take your word for it, elf. If you need anything let me know.¡± Words delivered and message received I took some time to think. Last time I went in unprepared for the size of the rats, how was a girl to know that rats here would be the size of small Dobermans. I would be ready this time, I had Ratsbane after all. ¡°Hey, Help-chan. Where do I stand in progress?¡± I whisper into the air. ¡°Now you need me?¡± came the sing-song voice in my mind. Name: Olea Level: 2 Archetype: Merciful Blade Attributes: You have no Attribute Points Remaining Experience Till Next Level: 4940/5000 Skills: Three skill points remaining. Stealth ¨C Rank 1 Piety ¨C Rank 2 ¡°Don¡¯t be so trite.¡± I whispered to myself, at least I assumed anyone seeing me would think so. It was odd. ¡°I only said I did not want spoilers. Something tells me without a little more basic information I may end up locked away in an asylum or thrown into a dungeon for study by some ancient sect or cult.¡± ¡°Probably.¡± Answered the voice in my head. Almost whimsical in its assessment of my statement. ¡°What can you tell me about my skills? I mean¡­¡± my head was moving in circles, ¡°I have Sneak, but anyone can sneak around. What is the use of having a skill for something most children learn to do on Christmas Eve?¡± ¡°Madame has me at a loss, what is Christmas?¡± came the reply. I began to think of all the Christmas celebrations of my past. There were a great many bad years, the presents did not matter, not to me¡­ mostly. I cherished any time I could be happy on earth. No, the few good Christmas times were those spent with the Murphy¡¯s. They believed less in presents and more in presence, there was this one year where¡­ ¡°I see, splendid imagery. I had assumed it was more akin to a night of demon¡¯s where the children would cower in fear for their lives as everyone huddled inside.¡± Came Help-Chan¡¯s interruption. ¡°Are you reading my mind?¡± I whispered harshly. ¡°I can only glean images and feelings broadcast on the surface of your mind; your secrets are your own unless you think on them with your public mind.¡± Supplied my inner voice. ¡°What do you mean when you say public mind? Never mind, save that for later. Back to the Sneak skill.¡± I amended; I would be getting back to the mental invasion later. Sneak: This skill allows you tap into the knowledge of the world adding a small correction to successful sneak attempts based on Dexterity and skill level. People are less inclined to take notice of people or creatures actively employing this skill. Can be checked against clothing, terrain, light levels, as well as a host of other unique things. ¡°So, it will make my attempts at sneaking better? I won¡¯t become undetectable, just harder to see.¡± I muse aloud. ¡°Correct.¡± Was the incoming observation. ¡°What about the Stealth skill again?¡± Stealth: This skill serves as the foundation for all things related to stealth, having it is essential for learning the finer arts of surviving and thriving in the shadows, or in broad daylight if you are confident enough. Skills in this category include Sneak, Hide, Backstab, Steal, Misdirect, Dodge, and many others associated with the rogue personages of this world. Embrace the shadows and master the night. Governs your ability to perform actions requiring subterfuge and subtlety. ¡°Fantastic.¡± I mutter. ¡°Would there be a benefit to sneaking into this basement?¡± ¡°Aside from potentially remaining unseen and thus being unmolested by whatever denizens lay in wait?¡± I could practically feel the sarcasm dripping down from the words. ¡°You will receive a small percentage bonus for damages done and actions taken before Sneak is interrupted.¡± ¡°Neat.¡± I said, ¡°One other thing. I remember when I leveled last that I received three skill points, afterward I upgraded two skills. Is there a reason I have only three skill points remaining? I thought I should have four left.¡± ¡°Acquiring skills consumes one skill point, advancing an entire school of skills requires greater commitment. To level your Cure Wounds you used one point. To advance Piety to Rank Two, thus unlocking access to Tier two skills and spell under that Path you needed to expend two skill points. Advancing Piety to Rank Three will require four and advancing the Path to four will require the use of eight skill points.¡± The helpful voice continued, ¡°This is why many people shun the generalists of the world, they gain diversity but suffer a definitive handicap by locking advanced skills and spell behind a mistakenly assumed, unsurmountable wall of progress.¡± ¡°Ok, ok. What about Doogie¡¯s suspicions concerning me learning skills without serving in a temple? Is it odd to have healing but not be a priest?¡± This question was niggling at the back of my mind for a few hours. ¡°To that I would assume that he is curious as to how you are learning without a standard teacher.¡± said the very courteous font of knowledge. ¡°Citizens of this world need to grasp the basics of a thing before they qualify for assistance from the system. One would normally observe a priest and offer prayers while serving the injured, ill, and lame to learn spells and benedictions to aid the many. Just as someone would need to observe the magic of the world and begin to build a sense for the arcane to unlock Arcana.¡± ¡°Hold up, I haven¡¯t prayed or done anything of the sort. I had not even used a knife for anything other than chopping vegetables or cutting ropes before I learned the Peirce skill.¡± I blurted out, ¡°Is that a benefit of not being from here?¡± ¡°It is but one of many special attributes bestowed upon you by the heavens. The one knew that your very existence would be threatened by outside forces the moment you arrived on his world, as such he took measures to help ensure you could survive until you reached a point where you could defend yourself.¡± The voice continued, ¡°You will gain other benefits as you advance. Traits, Talents, Affinities, and even innate or passive effects.¡± ¡°Well¡­ Okay.¡± It was one thing being brought into this world of fantasy and being able to live the life I only ever experienced in books and stories. It was a whole new thing to be even absently doted on by a higher power. ¡°Praise the one, I guess. Or the three?¡± ¡°That blasphemy aside could you at least pretend at being genuine?¡± I sensed irritation in the voice now. ¡°Fine, fine.¡± I relented, ¡°Let us be on with it then. There is work to do.¡± With the impromptu conversation out of the way and a whole new carton of things to think about I mentally flagged my skill for activation and began trying to be sneaky. It was simple; walk softly and carry a big knife. As I descended, I could feel a little more with my feet, as if the pebbles and grains of woods were releasing an aura for me to sense so as my feet feel evenly with each step. Even the air passing by my face and through my dark hair was more easily felt. I was not sure if it was thanks to the Sneak skill or the Stealth passive bonuses, but it was a rather odd sensation. As if I had opened the windows in a different room and the ghost of its passing was stirring everything around me in a way not random but also not as direct as an overhead ceiling fan. Every movement was a different possibility or path for the future. I am sure I would be able to shunt together better comparisons, but I still lacked the experience to adequately describe how this felt. Time to explore the basement, hopefully I could practice some of my sneakiness on some stupid ratties. Chapter 10 - Rats, rats, and more rats. South Jaga City, Trade District ¨C Year 1344, Month 1, Day 7. Spring Olea Munroe As my feet hit the hard-packed, dirt floor of the basement I took in my surrounding. The area was set up very much like the basement of the Bakers¡¯. Shelves were built between the load-bearing beams of the shop above and upon each shelf was an assortment of odds and ends. Bags of what I assumed were spices and herbs were stacked in neat little rows, each one large enough to hold a large loaf of bread like those money bags in old heist films. Scanning the ground, I soon found my prey; in the closest corner to the right, I saw the red-black form of a familiar species of rodent. Ratticus Deadicus, or as Help-Chan calls them, a cat-sized rodent. Bingo! I watched it for several seconds as it busied itself clawing open a large bag of something, low lighting is so very bad for even my amazing deduction skills to work. It did not seem to be in a hurry, nor did it seem to in any way be concerned about a super-sneaky, silent assassin; and so, I began my approach. I moved silently ahead, my feet touching lightly upon the packed dirt creating barely a whisper as the leather of my shoes made contact. I drew my newly acquired Ratsbane from its fancy belt sheath, careful not to cut my belt from the ill-fitting trousers. I would really need to find a tailor¡­ Focus! I was feet from the target when a sound caught my attention, and as such the attention of the rat. I turned slightly to see a normal-sized orange tabby. The rat also saw the cat. I really don¡¯t know what I expected, the cat was the same size as the rat and my mind was telling me the cat would murder this rat. Seems I was mistaken. The cat hissed, the rat hissed, I failed to remain quiet as my brain shut down and laughed. It was so unreal. That¡¯s when it got worse, both the cat and the rat turned to stare at me. ¡°What? I just got here.¡± I said to the audience. Both cat and rat growled at me, and then at one another. This is when I noticed a few new pairs of eyes gleaming from beneath the corner shelf. Dammit. So much for the gnomes claim of no rats. I jumped forward instead of waiting for the inevitable attack from these dirty rats, I was not looking forward to needing new clothes. Why did I not grab armor before I left the hall. I¡¯m having some rat fur armor made after this, I wonder if there is a tanner nearby¡­ Crap! I ducked as a rat jumped from the upper shelf, D¨¦j¨¤ vu, eh? It was at this moment that the cat realized it was in over its head and bolted. I could see the orange blur as it leapt the entire height of the short stairway. I surround myself with cowardly allies and opportunistic enemies. I needed an agent, or a good workforce to pull from. Mental memo added. Another rat took my brief lack of focus as a sign of weakness and jumped for my legs. Too bad I learned that lesson already. Turning sideways against the wall, I watched as the rat lunged past me, its head turning to look at me as it passed. I took this time to swing Ratsbane up into the side of the rat catching it mid-air, as the blade entered, I relaxed my wrist while keeping the grip tight to allow the rat¡¯s momentum to carry it off the blade before it could latch onto my hand. Again, it¡¯s good to remember my past errors and save my sleeves. You have killed: cat-sized rodent [Level 5] ¡­ ¡°Save it Help-Chan, little busy here.¡± I said to the air, causing the rats to pause for almost a full second as if awaiting further chit-chat. I pushed away from the wall and lunged for another rat as he was positioning for a jump for the upper shelf. I may point out at this time that the upper shelf for a gnome is somewhat closer to the ground than ones made for a human of most heights. I was not too short to benefit from the little extra reach required to impale the oily-haired blight. My blade went easily through its flesh, parting the flesh like wet tissue. I also took a few moments to appreciate the fact that Doogie had shown me a few proper methods for stabbing with short blades, I do believe I may have lucked out surviving my first encounter with the world¡¯s weaker monster population. Two rats down, a few to go. I counted the three in front of me and saw no signs of others, so I began stepping sideways along the rows of shelves. I was hoping the rats would split up and come from different directions. It is not wise to be caught in a pincer move but I remembered the effect of having multiple rats all charge at once. I was able to mend the flesh in my abdomen easily, but I could just have easily picked up a not so lovely scar from the last run-in. Scars don¡¯t break a person, but I would avoid them if I could. Dragon battle wounds, sure. Trying to impress people with scars obtained fighting rats, not so cool. It turns out I was somewhat lucky as the rats made for a follow the leader approach, the larger one stepping up with the two others following nose to tail behind. I back up and lowered my center by bending my knees as I awaited the charge. The lead rat rushed forth along the floor as the second in line leapt in the air. I knelt with the dagger in hand and brought it down hard forcing the blade through the rat¡¯s spinal column and into the dirt underneath. The second rat soared overhead, almost snagging in my hair, loving the short pixie cut. I moved sideways as rat number three moved to jump the shish kabobbed rat as it jerked about helplessly trying to escape its creeping death. Rat number two lunged from behind me just as I dodged rat number three and there was this moment where they met in midair, mouths open ready to bite down on me and instead showing a pucker up moment as they face planted into one another. With my knife still embedded in the ground, stupid move. I continued my sideways jump-fall hitting the wooden shelf hard. Pain blossomed in my elbow and shoulder reminding me again that I needed some form of armor. The last of the rats were still collecting their wits as I got to my feet, had to get my knife back, or find a new weapon. I scanned the area, my weapon was still embedded in rat number one, too close to the tangle of rat flesh that was orienting toward me. There! I moved quickly past the struggling shish-ka-rat and grabbed the first thing I had noticed, a wooden mallet. I was hoping the storekeeper would sanitize this mess when I finished up, that also led me to think about whether the jobs hall sent people down to clean these things up or if it was left up to the building occupants. Meh, next time I would ask. I hefted the mallet, a sizable tool the shaft was nearly two foot in length and two inches in diameter with the top being more of a drum the size of large metal coffee can. It felt like a hammer you would find at an arcade, just a huge whack-a-mole stick. I turned after firming my grip on the shaft, calm thoughts. The rats were moving slowly and steadily, maybe they did not like being so friendly and were trying to avoid further embarrassment. Rats, right? I was at a loss as to how to make use of my mallet, the smooth wood felt good in my hands, but I did not quite know how to employ its mass in a way that would be useful. Slamming it down was obvious but Id be very close to the rats if I missed, thinking about sports in general I swapped my grip to a more baseball bat appropriate style before moving my right hand up a bit for balance. The rats charged forth; I say charged but the distance was still only a few feet. A few rat lengths? As they got within striking distance I swung, not sideways but back and down in a circular motion before turning making a very amateur attempt at a hole in two, I had never golfed before and right then it became obvious that I should never attempt to do so on this world or any other. The mallet did most of the work on the downward swing gaining momentum as it dropped while my grip made it swing pendulum like, almost clipping my own ankles as it ponderously moved through the air. The rats did not see the incoming danger as the mallets¡¯ rounded smooth head contacted their heads, twenty pounds of wooden, splatter power brought fully to bare. Two things happened after that. First the mallet flew from my hands after contacting the attackers, rolling end over end after depositing them in the dirt. Secondly the momentum of the spin carried me onward, now off balanced from losing the weight of the hammer I did a little pinwheel before falling on my bum, to a wet crunching sound. Another smaller rodent had been sneaking up behind me when I fell ending its miserable life of stalking. The rats in front of me were a mixed bag, the first Ratty to contact the mallet was a mess, its head smashed in oddly as it breathed ragged breathes from a blood-red, froth covered nose. Ratty two was currently moving in a daze with a broken leg attempting to scurry away from the fight. Nope. Not letting my little bag of experience escape. I stood up, trying not to pay much attention to the wet and warm sensation from my pants. I was unhappy after managing to stay somewhat clean through this ordeal only to be soiled in a very undignified manner. I moved toward the dazed rat stopping to free Ratsbane from its dying sheath on the floor. It came free with a gurgling SLURK. Satisfying. I cleanly severed the neck of the dazed runner, its token resistance laughable if not for my wardrobe crisis occupying the emotional parts of my mind. I finished off the barely breathing rat soon after, making sure no other rodents lived in the basement. One site down, a few to go. I spent the next three hours climbing down into murky basements or scouting refuse pits, scouring this section of the district clean of the rodent scourge. I found several more nests like the first I had encountered though none had so many issues. I met several nice people and several not so happy people. A demi-dwarf tried hiring me out as a cleaning boy at one point as he clearly mistook me for both a vagrant and a boy, not difficult when covered in foul muck, dirt, and crusted blood. Sicily was correct in the need of a good soak after my fun. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. I had very little need for my healing ability aside from the injury obtained falling on a rake. Occupational hazards, I guess. As the afternoon progressed, I even learned a few new things about my Sneak skill. I had noticed the small nudges quickly and even the feel of my surroundings when actively employing the skill with a channeled thought of the Stealth abilities. It seemed to also dampen sound that originated with me. A falling pebble would clatter about, making small sharp sounds with each contact with a hard surface. However, when I knocked a pebble loose on a flight of stairs or scraped a corner roughly the sound was muted, causing the sounds to echo strangely in my ears as if it were passing through a dampening field. The pebble did not even cause the critters in one basement to notice until the third bounce, leading me to believe that the magic at work was only in use some of the time. After assuring the locals of the recent purge, I made my way back to the Jobs Hall. The sun had marched further along than I had anticipated, a hazy orange-purple stripe shown as a bar across the horizon. Nearly nightfall, fantastic. Up the street I marched, getting an entirely different sort of look from the meandering people on the streets. Where before I had seen looks of concern or disgust as people noticed my bloodied clothes, now marred as I was with various discolored stains, I could still sense some gazes hiding a covetous or more sinister intent. It was then that I remembered Keen and Lenn hinting at the fact that girls are rarely seen on the streets near dark and tended to vanish in the night. Was I worried? Not so much at this moment with so many eyes on me, but I did imagine that very soon I would start to invest in a healthy dose of paranoia. I entered the Hall from the side door, greeting the guards as they played at a table. They must have recognized me from the earlier shenanigans as I heard a few whispers of Ratsbane and some soft chuckling. It felt good to be recognized. I did not mind in the slightest, let my legend start small and humble. Some day I would claim the title of Dragons Bane and drown in adoration. I soon found the hallway leading to the bathing rooms. A small cabinet with towels of varying colors, mostly grays and off-white, sat against the wall. A small pile of slim soap bars and an assortment of brushes lay on a table beside it. I grabbed a thick-bristled brush, two bars of soap, and two towels before heading into the second unoccupied room I found. I skipped the first as the room adjacent to it was emitting a strong scent of something other. I did not want to be so close to that smell for long, as I am sure no one would want to be near me now. Upon entering the room, I found a medium sized pool of clear water in the center with several grates installed in the floor under what looked like a shower but turned out to be more like a water sluice. Small benches were arranged neatly in several places throughout the room for sitting and scrubbing before the bath. It almost seemed like I was at an Asian style bath house. I disrobed, lamenting the ruin I found my new clothes in. After pulling the release in the ceiling I felt the cold-water flow down on my nude form. Frigid! After a few mouth chattering moments of numbness, I took to a bench and scrubbed, and scrubbed, and scrubbed. The soap was very thick, leaving a film on the skin that I really had to work on to remove. The bristles of the thick horse brush I grabbed proved very good in removing the caked-on grime though I would have given my pinky toe for a good comb. My hair was a mess, dirt, dust, grease, and a little more stuff I did not truly know the names for were steadily removed with the water as I lathered the rough soap in. Another point for the short hair. After I was good and free of detritus, I pulled the sluice open and gritted my teeth against the cold water flowing down to wash away my filth. I stood then and made my way to the water to soak away my day, this seemed almost sinful after my life so far in this world. A warm soak in a pool of clean water after a long day¡¯s work. Yep, definitely sinful. I took notice of the large mirror on the far wall and decided I would have a look at myself, what I saw gave me pause. In the mirror my reflection screamed pixie-punk. I judged my height somewhere near five foot even, slender waist with toned muscles and skin of an almost olive color fitting my given name. My bust was underwhelming after so much exposure to buxom supermodels and the celebrities of now we were all forced to see everywhere on earth. Everywhere except in a real-world situation. I sat firmly in low b-cup status. My stomach was not washboard perfect, but I could not see any evidence of overeating, I¡¯d need to be careful of the free guildhall food. My hair was strange, I had thought it dark, but it was a mix of bright, vivid purple and black so dark it appeared to be liquid under the candlelight. I would say that my hair was the color of a raven¡¯s feathers, complete with shifting glitter-like strands of blue green. It was currently just long enough to almost cover my slightly tapered ears. As for my face I could not say, if I had to put it into words, I would say I was average. Completely average. My nose was small without being small. Not quite a button. My eyes were evenly centered, no sloping forehead, no jutting chin. It was perfectly average with only a small indication of a point to my chin with slightly elevated cheekbones. Though those eyes, they were truly blue, a cobalt bordering on cyan and glowing in the flickering light. ¡°Wow,¡± I muttered. ¡°Sicily didn¡¯t have a chance.¡± I shrugged away my musings and dropped into the water, luxuriating only for a few moments as I focused on my day of gains. ¡°Let¡¯s see the footage.¡± I spoke. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Help-Chan, are you there?¡± I ask. ¡°I am here.¡± ¡°Could I see the information from earlier now, please.¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± Came the reply, I detected a small amount of impishness creeping into the voice. You have killed: cat-sized rodent 9[Level 2], 5[Level 3], 2[level 4], 5[Level 5], 1[Level 6], 3[Level 8]. Experience Earned: Level multiplied by base of 50, bonus for each level above current level +10%. Total Experience Gained: 6680, Experience Till Next Level 5260. You have advanced to level 3: Minor regeneration bonus applied, three free attribute points gained, six free skill points gained. You now have access to increased system information. Your soul has undergone a level of strengthening: Removing Seals on your Triumvirate Soul: Abilities Unlocked. Soul Link, Vessel of Souls, Dowsing. Advance further to empower yourself and unlock more abilities. ¡°That¡¯s a lot for one level. And almost one hundred levels worth of monster killed to finish one level.¡± I was starting to understand the seemingly low level of the everyday citizen with each passing moment. I had gained enough to learn up to six new skills, bringing my total to nine. The addition of three attribute points was also a welcome influx in my ability to survive though I would still need to decide where to use them. It may have been easier in video games where you could always reset your statistics or reload a save file when you went the wrong way with character development but having one shot to get it all right made me feel slightly pressured. From the way it looked I would see a great increase in points allotted to me every few levels, milestones rewards maybe. I had noticed the whole obsession with threes in this world. ¡°What is the deal with the soul stuff?¡± I asked. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°That was a question for you, Help-chan.¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°An answer would be?¡± I asked for clarity. ¡°As one of three unique entities in this world you are blessed with a unique power. This power encompasses the whole of your soul. It was only able to be applied to you as you transitioned from your world to this one. You and your fellows will all gain abilities relating to the power of your soul as you advance, as this power is new to the world my own understanding of it is limited to your own ability to investigate. As the skills become available, I will be able to discern the truth of them, but as to the nature of future skill I am nearly as lost as you.¡± ¡°Okay then. More stuff for later.¡± Nothing to do but wait and see. I sat there in a near vegetative state for nearly an hour. I say nearly an hour as I totally lost track of time, I may even have been beginning to doze off when my musings were interrupted by a knock at the door. ¡°You alive in there?¡± came a curious voice from outside. ¡°I think so!¡± I yelled back as I climbed from the water, lightly draping a towel over myself. ¡°You think so miss?¡± came the now confused voice from the other side. ¡°Yes, I think so! Thank you for your concern.¡± I answered back. Sicily told me the baths were respectably private, we would have words. ¡°If you are sure then¡­¡± came the reluctant reply. ¡°Quite sure.¡± I said to the door. By now I had already wrapped my hair in a towel and dried it off. More or less. The clothing was not going back on. Ever. It was then that I realized I had left my change of clothes elsewhere. Dammit. I walked to the door, aware that I was not modestly attired and threw it open as the ever-concerned teenager was turning to leave. He was a slightly taller lad, muscular if not gangly, post-teen stubble without the full covering that develops in most men before the age of twenty-five. He had brown hair with steel-grey eyes. Eyes that were growing larger as he took in my state of undress. ¡°Goddess¡­¡± he stammered. ¡°Right, right. Jacket.¡± I said as I looked at him. He had a slightly oversized leather jacket on. With a button down front and a high collar it could really help me keep the looks or at least the glimpses of myself by others at a minimum. ¡°Jacket?¡± He asked, I think I broke another one. ¡°Yep. Jacket. Your jacket, could I borrow it for a while?¡± I was hoping this could be over quickly. It¡¯s hard to look calm and collected when you are not close to being calm and collected. I cannot believe I forgot my clothes! ARGH! ¡°Oh.¡± He said smartly. I saw his eyes go up and down my body, barely changing from the large grey saucer shape they had taken on. ¡°OH! Yes, yes. Here take it!¡± There was a bit of a time delay and then some fumbling as he hurriedly took his jacket off. Lots of fumbling with the two buttons that had been in use as well as several not-so-hidden glances at me from under his arms as he unwrapped it from his body. I could not bring myself to blame the guy, I was being somewhere rude and quite demanding of a total stranger. After he handed off the jacket he stood there. I stood there, we stood there. I continued glaring at him for a few moments before I wrapped the jacket around myself and secured every button, most were missing which explains his lack of use on that front. I wiggled the towel down my body to cover my lack of modesty and finally caught the guy as his brain turned back on. He glanced at me, the towel, his jacket, and then at the floor as he turned about. ¡°Thanks for the jacket¡­¡± I drew out the end of my statement. ¡°You¡¯re welcome, miss.¡± He said to the opposite side of the hallway. Ugh. I¡¯m and ass. ¡°You can turn around now,¡± I said after making sure everything was settled in. ¡°Do you have a name?¡± ¡°Henry, miss.¡± Was the formal reply. He was blushing, quite a bit too. ¡°Not miss, my name is Olea.¡± I said, extending a hand to greet him. ¡°Olea, yah. Okay.¡± He extended his own hand as we shook, causing the towel to fall. Being small sucks! No holder uppers at all. His face reddened yet again as I said, ¡°Nice to meet you Henry, I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡± ¡°Right, okay.¡± Was all I heard as I made my way past the guy and through the door. I made it up the stairs and into the girls¡¯ section of the dorms before shrugging out of the rough jacket. I grabbed a pair of breeches and a simple shirt to wear from the large closet and found an empty cot for the night. I really need to start investing in a tailor. And armor. And maybe another new hat. These mundane thoughts circled my mind as I drifted off to sleep. Chapter 11 Magical Opportunity, Missed South Jaga City, Job Hall ¨C Year 1344, Month 1, Day 8. Spring I climbed from my bed feeling wrung dry, drained of vitae, missing a few beats, and plain old tired. I had fallen asleep again before the sun rose merrily ignoring my own melancholic mood. That cheery, cheeky, bastard of a fireball. Now it seemed closer to noon. The sun was still out there, waiting for me. Why could I not have slept until nightfall and hidden in the shadows until the world felt right again. What time was it anyway? I sent a quick thought to the ever-helpful friend in my head or was it somewhere more ephemeral. Bah, who cared for now? Damn the sun! Status Report! ¡°The local time is 11:43 in the morning. Noon was an apt estimate.¡± Came the slow and almost humorous reply. I was right! Still the sun is far too chipper today, wasn¡¯t it supposed to be early spring?! ¡°Bloody hell,¡± I muttered, ¡°I am cursing the sun like a right old villain. I must have turned fifty last night, next thing you know I¡¯ll be complaining about old bones and the storm coming in.¡± I heard laughter as I finished speaking and whirled about to find a scary mountain looming over a poor innocent table. Sitting next to him was another woman hiding her amusement behind a hand in some pretend attempt at politeness. ¡°Glad you¡¯re finally awake kid.¡± The woman nodded as Doogan greeted me in his own way. ¡°Rough night. Who let you off your leash?¡± ¡°Calm down. I brought Camilla here as a chaperone of sorts. Making sure you do not abuse me somehow.¡± The woman, Camilla glared. Was she mute? I looked at the woman in question. She wore a plain black skirt flowing down to cover her knees, more pale skin colored her solid calf¡¯s flowing down to her ankles in a smooth line. She was sporting the frilly socks I had seen most often worn by the more affluent women of the city. Her hair pulled back in a severe braid, black as midnight with gray eyes centering her face showing a depth of color as they shifted in the light from the window. Straight even brows topped both, though the right one had a tiny sliver of silver where a scar was slowly fading. Her blouse had mid-length sleeves, all black with shiny brass buttons. Her right arm had a three-inch-wide ribbon style wrap that showed a hawk gripping a scroll. All told she resembled a corporate secretary from those seventy-year-old bond films. ¡°Wait a minute, how would I abuse you?! You deserve it for making me eat rats but when have I ever been anything but professional!?¡± Doogan looked both amused and relieved, he was worried about me. Camilla looked confused. I was still curious about the third wheel as I returned my stare to Doogie. ¡°Calm down. You never complained about the stew, I remember you clearing the entire bowl.¡± He continued as I kept up my staring, ¡°Camilla is actually here as a favor to me, she is willing to give you a demonstration of a few of her spells and abilities.¡± Camilla nodded as Doogan finished speaking as if to confirm his words. I turned my gaze in her direction. ¡°Magic lessons?!¡± She nodded, smiling just a little. ¡°Now, today?¡± Another nod. I turned to Doogie trying to figure out the game here. He had said a favor to him from Camilla. He keeps insisting I use his master title, and I think that master is a level granted title. But maybe he is a little more important than just a high-level grump. ¡°Question.¡± ¡°Questions, already?¡± came the reply as Doogan¡¯s eyebrows lifted slightly. ¡°Did you bring a mute in here to play tricks on me?¡± I was genuinely convinced she could not speak, she hadn¡¯t yet, and no one had enough control to not talk to me. Right? Maybe not. I had been neglecting to address her specifically, that was it. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°She¡¯s not mute.¡± ¡°Not mute, you¡¯re sure?¡± ¡°Aye. Not mute.¡± He responded. I turned to the mute in question, it was my fault. ¡°Hello Camilla, my name is Olea Munroe. Novice adventurer and all-around awesome person. I don¡¯t mind if you really are a mute, though Master Doogan should have told me beforehand rather than bringing you in here as his pet.¡± Doogan sputtered as Camilla¡¯s lips curved up in a smile. I was awesome after all. ¡°My name is Camilla, no surname.¡± She said in a right proper Welsch accent. Was it Welsch if Wales was not a place here? Why the mental comparison, I honestly could not tell if we were speaking English right now or not. That thought led to a few more rabbit hole type tangents I would need to discuss with Help-chan. ¡°Hello, hello! So rude of Doogan not to give us a proper introduction!¡± his smile slipped just a little at the end. ¡°Doogan actually told me your name before I came in, he was quite close in his estimation of the time it would take for you expound on¡­ your awesomeness.¡± It was my turn to frown; I had been set up. I showed Doogan the glare I normally reserved for rats. He was not showing any signs of it working. Rude. I glared more. ¡°Now, now. Quit being a pest.¡± Said Doogan. ¡°I am not being a pest!¡± ¡°You are.¡± Chimed in Camilla. ¡°Doogan, I think I may have come too soon for this lesson.¡± ¡°You think so too?¡± he said. ¡°Yes, I believe I will have to stop in after my next trip to Felandross.¡± I had no idea where that was, but it sounded like I was being baited. Did they expect me to grovel for magic lessons to beg like some¡­ beggar! Nope. ¡°Leaving the country,¡± asked Doogan, ¡°rough travels this early in the season.¡± ¡°Orders from the boss,¡± said Camilla ¡°I am needed to deliver a letter to the guild there, along with the stones for the winter records.¡± ¡°Will ye be going over Sathrozen or traveling the rivers?¡± Camilla laughed, a tinkling chime of mirth, ¡°By the Twelve Doogan, I am still at expert. My mana would never last over the whole of the wood. I will be going upriver to Tamirtell and then heading through the pass west of there before I reach the gulf.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still here.¡± I said lamely. ¡°We see that.¡± Said Doogan, ¡°That will be weeks at least.¡± ¡°At least, and that is if I don¡¯t move south instead of returning.¡± Said Camilla nodding. I was getting a little frustrated as I was no longer the topic of conversation. What? I am allowed to express vanity. I mean, I do not even think it is a sin in this world. Don¡¯t get me wrong I did not want to turn into some villain that always had to monologue for attention and recognition¡­ Argh, forget it. ¡°¡­Forgotten.¡± ¡°Tough trip.¡± ¡°Yep, so you see I think it could wait some time before we worried about this one¡¯s magical advancement,¡± Continued Camilla ¡°you said she was what level three? I see no reason lessons cannot wait another month.¡± ¡°I suppose so, we can at least show her what she is missing though I think.¡± ¡°We could, you think the captain will get mad if I go that way. It is against city ordinances.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still here.¡± I spoke. They were obviously obfuscating on purpose! ¡°We know.¡± They said together. ¡°I guess it can¡¯t be helped, did you want to use the balcony?¡± ¡°I believe I will.¡± She replied. I followed the rude pair out of the room to the hallway and then out onto the balcony overlooking the rear practice yard. Still curious as to what this was all about. ¡°It was a pleasure catching up Master.¡± Said Camilla with a slight bow to the two of us. ¡°Always happy to see you, Cammy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m confused,¡± I said, ¡°Still nice meeting you though. Were you leaving already, I thought that was a joke¡­¡± I really had. Damn these secretive old people. Well older people, Camilla could not have been more than thirty. ¡°No jokes from me kid.¡± She said, ¡°I see you have quite a large amount of magical potential, but it is too soon for me to teach you much. I am sure I will be back before you hit level ten even if your advancement festival is soon.¡± Advancement festival? That sounds odd. News to me. And level ten, the streets would need to run red with rat blood for that to be a concern. I really needed to find something worth more experience to kill. Did that make me a murder-hobo? Maybe. Oh, I should address my skill point overflow soon. Meh, maybe overflow was not the right word I had not even hit double digits yet. ¡°So why the balcony?¡± I asked, ¡°Climbing or jumping down seems like it would be tricky with those clothes.¡± ¡°She does have sense. I am glad you pay some attention.¡± She said, ¡°Master Doogie has told me you have almost no respect for your clothing or appearance, I didn¡¯t think you would consider my attire being unsuitable for anything.¡± I gave him my sternest stern face. ¡°You do tend to lose a good amount of cloth when working. You should start using the armor we supply the full members.¡± ¡°ARMOR?! No one told me we had armor to use.¡± I shouted. ¡°We did, you just left in too much of a hurry to pay us any attention.¡± He replied, ¡°The excitement of youth I suppose.¡± ¡°That is enough fun. I think I should be going now.¡± Camilla cut in. ¡°It really has been good catching up over this morning Master.¡± With that parting remark she uttered a few words and leapt atop the balcony railing. She looked like a lightweight woman but there is no way that balcony could support her weight for longer than a breath. ¡°Be safe out there.¡± Doogan said. A smile lit her face causing her silver-gray eyes to twinkle in the light. She turned and leapt again, kicking off from the railing, except the railing never budged. Her jump carried her almost five feet forward before she kicked off again, her feet shimmered as if supported by light and air. This leap carried her even further, easily covering another ten feet as the wind began to blow with more force. Another jump and she was climbing into the sky, like a squirrel through the trees, increasing her elevation by several feet. With each passing moment she climbed higher and moved further away. I saw her clearing the gates where she fell slowly before kicking off again at a faster pace. My mind was consumed with only one thought. I wanted to fly. Chapter 12 - Path of the Courier South Jaga City, Job Hall ¨C Year 1344, Month 1, Day 8. Spring Olea Munroe I am still not sure how long I had been staring into the distance after Camilla disappeared over the walls and became an impossible to see dot on the blue-gray horizon. It had to have been a goodly amount of time as I was broken from my state of wanton jealousy over the spectacle by a deep satisfied chuckle. ¡°Should I take this display of drool to mean you are interested in the Courier path?¡± ¡°Courier path?¡± I said, still staring in the distance. ¡°Aye. One of many paths that people who sign up can take is the path of the Courrier. We can talk a little more about that inside though, too much wind and I don¡¯t want to be a target for bird bombs.¡± Doogan turned about smartly on his heel and went inside all the while keeping an eye skyward. ¡°Flying, huh.¡± I turned around to follow Master Doogan back into the building just before a shadow moved across the wooden floor of the balcony. A shrill ¡°CAW¡± came from behind me as a slightly annoying crow-raven, craven, landed on the banister. ¡°Hey Brutus.¡± ¡°CAW?¡± it seemed like a question as the raven tilted its head to the side bending it like a broken barbie doll. ¡°That¡¯s creepy. Also quit showing off, I already know you can fly.¡± I stated, not at all feeding my own green-eyed monster with thoughts of winging through the sky. Seriously though, I would need to investigate this further. Magic was real, annoying birds were a thing, and I had not seen a magic wand or train yet those were surely possible. Flying, though? Sign me up for the line of impressed people. It was a dream of mine, as I am sure it was for everyone else who could breathe, to fly amongst the clouds or at least to pester a flock or two of birds with aerial gymnastics. It would surely save a lot of time with commuting; you know if people were not just smashing into each other. Meh, flights of fancy for later. ¡°NYIK-NYIK!¡± ¡°No laughing from you, feather face.¡± I left the beady-eyed bird to ponder my wit as I headed inside to talk with Doogie. Walking inside I took the stairs at the end of the hall that lead down to a wider hall with several doors on each side before it turned a corner at the other end of the building. The second door on my right was open and upon inspecting the inside I found Doogan sitting on an oversized chair at a table in the center of the room. If it had a mirror on one wall I would say this would be a perfect match for the interrogation rooms in almost every police show. A collection of variably sized chairs circled the table though I noticed only one chair other than Doogan¡¯s had a steaming cup in front of it. I took my seat, picking up the cup of something. The seat was a stool only slightly taller than I could comfortably sit in, I swear I only barely had to hop into it. The smooth wood of the seat feeling not as uncomfortable as I was thinking it would be, even through my rough-spun clothing. Thinking back to my previous day¡¯s work I swore to myself I would hunt down a committed tailor or seamstress to put together a wardrobe though I would need to work on finding a safe place to store these things after I had them bought and secured. ¡°So, is our little Ratsbane properly interested in pursuing a vocation as courier?¡± Master Doogan spoke from across the table, effectively ending my distraction train. Rainbow colored squirrels were fully flounced out of my mind as I turned to look at my stout boss-man. ¡°You say vocation like it¡¯s a job. Are couriers paid for the work?¡± I asked, elaborating as an afterthought. ¡°Properly paid for the work, that is. She seemed like she was in a hurry to be off, are there vacation days?¡± ¡°Yes, they are paid. Paid well for most work they perform.¡± He took another drink of his beverage; I wondered if his was as bitter-sweet as mine. It tasted like lemon-flavored oolong tea with an odd stevia aftertaste. ¡°She is normally a little more relaxed than she was today. Camilla only stopped by to resupply and visited on a whim more than for any specific task and had to continue to the capital and deliver missives to the king¡¯s advisor. Lastly, what is a vacation?¡± ARGH! I nearly facepalmed as I thought about it, most people in a world like this would likely work their entire lives as was normal in the pre-modern earth era. Growing older did not exempt someone from work, most people would later become the responsibility of their eldest children as they worked to supplement the household for the next generation. The upside you had a close-knit family structure built on respect, love, and reliability. The downside would be the people who never had a family or lost them in some tragedy and would be left on their own or would need to rely on the good-natured people of the community, the churches being a prime leader in those areas of support. ¡°I suppose you could say I have an interest in the idea of the courier path you mentioned.¡± I was failing at hiding my aloofness, this old bastard likely saw the imagined drool on my chin as a real thing. I honestly do not think I could hide my desire to fly, to be free, and to explore the world I now find myself in. ¡°What would I need to do to start that way? I¡¯m sure you have a specific plan in place to help people get from here to there as far as skill acquisition is concerned.¡± He chuckled, ¡°There is indeed a method used commonly for people headed the way of the courier. Most of the initial skills are found under the path of the pious focusing on increased mana efficiency and stamina use. Some couriers also diversify themselves with basic combat skills to better protect themselves on the road when they must travel alone.¡± He took another slow sip of his drink, I myself was nursing mine like a poor man at the local pub who was afraid someone would notice him and call their tab due. ¡°You would also need to build up your own Constitution, Wisdom, and Intelligence. Though a good amount of Dexterity helps if you want to also broaden your ability to be covert.¡± What he was saying was most likely that I would need to invest more in Piety while getting some more Stealth related combat skills while also investing more into Wisdom which was basically my absolute worst stat. Now that I think of it, I have not checked my full information in a little while. I sent a mental prompt to my totally awesome friend upstairs, though I¡¯m not entirely sure where he or it would call a residence was in relation to my own position in space. Meh, either way. Name: Olea Munroe Level: 3 Archetype: Street Surgeon Age: 16 Winters Health: 75/75 Mana: 79/79 Stamina: 80/80 Attributes: Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ? Strength: 10 ? Dexterity: 13 ? Constitution: 10 ? Charisma: 16 ? Intelligence: 13 ? Wisdom: 7 You have three Attribute Points Remaining Experience Till Next Level: 5260 remaining of 7000. Skills: Nine skill points remaining. Stealth - Rank 1 ? Pierce - Rank 1 ? Sneak - Rank 1 Piety - Rank 2 ? Cure Wounds - Rank 2 Triumvir Soul Skills ? Vessel of Souls ? Soul Link ? Dowsing ¡°Thinking on those stats you mentioned¡­ How much of the three main stats should I have?¡± I asked, only adding afterward, ¡°I¡¯ve already got thirteen in intelligence, ten in constitution and seven in wisdom.¡± Doogan slowly put down his mug after a long sip as if he had practiced this conversation with many other possibles in the past. ¡°A ten in constitution isn¡¯t so bad and your intelligence is almost prime at thirteen with fifteen being an ideal start. Your wisdom at seven¡­¡± It was at this point that I think the script was broken. ¡°SEVEN WISDOM!? How can you still have only seven in wisdom? Were you cloistered through your entire childhood? No never mind that, we need to get you a supervisor or chaperone.¡± At this point he was only extolling on the complexities of a problem only he could see. I happened to know that seven wisdom was quite a great value, it was my wisdom¡¯s value after all. He was still going on and on about my poor ability to stay on task and my tendency to stray from conversations while I sipped at my drink. It was starting to grow on me, after the tannins in the liquid coated my tongue the harsher notes became a kind of foggy backdrop to the tea, faint and oddly acceptable in their continued presence. It was weird. ¡°Alright!¡± Doogan finally said, his rant being through. ¡°It looks like we will have to work on getting you educated a little more before your age day comes around again. Maybe the gods will bless you with some wisdom if you work hard, by the twelve a seven!¡± ¡°You keep harping on the seven but I¡¯ve yet to hear what my goal would be for that stat, barring what you were on about a moment ago with my age day celebration. No idea what you mean there by the way.¡± I took another sip, for show of course. ¡°Let¡¯s pretend that is all normal and discuss what else I would need to start flying. That¡¯s the goal right, me flying. Or being a courier as you called it, flying, and getting paid for it.¡± ¡°First off, you¡¯re right. We can work with what we are given. Secondly, it¡¯s not flying.¡± ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s not flying? Camilla was clearly travelling in the sky!¡± ¡°Yes, technically she was in the air as she left.¡± He continued, ¡°She was not, however flying. That was the skill Wind Walk. The skill requires a minimum rank of two in Piety to unlock its prerequisites, higher if you wish to fully unlock the sustainable ability to travel in the air.¡± ¡°So, she was just jumping on air?¡± I asked. Air stepping would still be acceptable, no lie. Not as cool of course, still acceptable. I was leaning across the table just a tad as I waited for an explanation. ¡°Jumping on air would be an apt way of describing it, probably. I¡¯m not an expert in the field but in essence the skill creates a platform of condensed wind or air mana underfoot. Camilla then uses these platforms to leap through the air landing atop another platform she creates at the desired location.¡± He paused for a beat as if in thought. ¡°Along with the wind walk skill she has some other spells that modify her weight so she expends less mana and stamina to stay on the move. At her level, with her affinity for that school of magic I would wager she can stay on the move for up two hours, maybe three if she was willing to suffer mana depletion.¡± That was a decent amount of food for thought. An entire suite of skills and spells just to maintain the use of one higher end travel spell, research might be needed soon. And three hours of freedom at a time, three whole hours!? Yes, please. Also I thought that last bit sounded familiar. ¡°Mana depletion?¡± I hazard as an idle question. Doogan raised his right brow marginally as he repeated. ¡°Mana depletion. Aye.¡± Realizing he wanted me to commit to my query I dove in. ¡°Yes, mana depletion. What is mana depletion?¡± I slowly enunciated the last two words for added affect. This got me another confused look, he had quite the collection of confused looking looks. ¡°Have ye ever used up all your mana?¡± To this question I nodded, twice! ¡°I have.¡± ¡°Then you have more than likely noticed that when you drop so low in mana and maintain such a state for extended periods of time that your mana pool will become strained, the mind gets hazy and your regenerative ability is drastically decreased. Usually it will last only a short while, but sometimes it can persists until your mana pool reaches full before your regeneration recovers.¡± He drummed his fingers on the table in thought for a little while before continuing. ¡°Imagine your current regeneration levels, I¡¯d hazard they are nearly one hundred an hour with your poor wisdom. Mana depletion in the more severe stages would drop that to nearly ten mana per hour, it could take an entire day to recover if that were to happen.¡± ¡°Ouch.¡± I hadn¡¯t noticed the change in regeneration rates when I was first exploring the Bakers basement, if my mana had been as slowed as that I may not have lived. ¡°Aye, as a courier you would be grounded, most likely alone on the road or in a forest somewhere. Not a place for untrained adventurers to be when they¡¯ve no mana as a caster.¡± ¡°Okay, okay! I get the reasoning, I do.¡± I dared to interrupt so as to move the conversation along. ¡°Now, what skills or spells would I need to attain to start down that path?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be needing to work your way up to rank three in Piety after grabbing some tier two spells like Water Walk, Armor, Vigor, and Bless to name a few.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± I asked simply, it really did not seem like a lot. Doogan slapped his hand to his head, pulling his palm slowly down his face. ¡°That¡¯s all?! You¡¯d need to reach level fifteen to get those skills to the appropriate level before unlocking the third rank of Piety. That¡¯s a monumental task people normally spend a year or two working toward with a solid team supporting their progress. You realize without significant blessings from the gods and no small amount of effort from a team most couriers don¡¯t reach an actionable level until they are nearing thirty?¡± Doogan took in several deep breaths after his speech, stopping at the end to take a drink from his cup. The cup tipped back and I swear he did a small tapping on the bottom of the cup, not dissimilar to someone patting a Heinz bottle to get more catsup. He frowned while putting his cup down. I wisely said nothing while pretending not to notice his behavior. ¡°I get it. I have lots of hard work ahead if I want to run with the clouds.¡± I said, cutting off any more speeches in that vein. ¡°What do I do now? Where do I start?¡± Master Doogan sat there leaning back slightly and looking at the ceiling. I waited, and waited before waiting some more. ¡°First off, let¡¯s make sure we get you some gear from the quartermaster. You keep coming in at odd hours nearly naked and people are going to start saying things. Second we find you a suitable team of recruits to tag along with for some merchant escorts and local culling missions.¡± ¡°Culling?¡± I was pretty sure I understood this part, but I really wanted to be sure. ¡°Aye, lots of random beasties in the less civilized portions of the world. They need culling and you need work, it seems to me that you can assist with the problem and by doing so solve your own.¡± He was back to grinning now. ¡°All this being said, I will need to have a contract drawn up with a proper salary and commissions tag to start you on the program. Typical bureaucracy I¡¯m afraid.¡± ¡°Why do I need a contract? Why now and not when I first signed up?¡± It seemed to be backward, contracts after employment was arranged were usually not in the interest of the employee where I came from. ¡°Simple. When you started you were an adventurer getting paid for work you would do in the course of your membership. Now that you are wanting to become a courier we will need to begin investing in your progress, it¡¯s a long road with us fitting some of your bills. The contract will merely make it easier for us to be compensated later for our efforts.¡± I guess it made sense that I would need something more binding than my word to satisfy the paper pushing higher ups. I could totally understand the desire to have a method for reimbursement after spending both time and resources on recruits as promising as myself. ¡°Sounds fine.¡± Was all I had to say to that. ¡°Excellent, did you have any more questions before I go have someone slap the paperwork together?¡± The smile on his face at having my agreement was more than I would have expected from such a conversation as this. I could not help but smile back as I polished off the last of my tea. ¡°I don¡¯t think so, no.¡± I said, a little quickly. In the back of my mind a question seemed to emerge, one I had asked of Help-chan only last night. ¡°Oh, actually I do. Have a question, that is.¡± Doogan was still smiling as he held his hand to the knob on the open door. ¡°What¡¯s on your mind, lass?¡± ¡°On the topic of spells and skills.¡± Doogan would surely know. ¡°What is a Soul Skill?¡± Chapter 13 - More Questions South Jaga City, Job Hall ¨C Year 1344, Month 1, Day 8. Spring Olea Munroe ¡°What is a Soul Skill?¡± I had asked the question thinking Master Doogan would have some ideas as what it meant but the question seemed to hang in the air like a bad odor. Should I have asked Sicily, or someone else ¨C maybe someone at the church on Imperial Way. I didn¡¯t know, and Help-Chan was absent from any input on the subject. ¡°Soul skills?¡± answered Doogan slowly, ¡°What¡¯s gotten into your noggin this time, I don¡¯t believe there is any such thing.¡± He turned to face me again as the door closed in front of him on quiet hinges. ¡°Nope, I¡¯m sure they¡¯re a thing. I have a Soul Skill, got it yesterday.¡± I said helpfully, even happily. How often could I have knowledge not had by the master of the hall. I¡¯m not counting knowledge from Earth, that would be an unfair comparison. Was Newton relevant? Did things that went up ever not come down? Moving on! ¡°I was just hoping you could help me understand how to use it.¡± ¡°Well shit.¡± Was the mumbled reply from the grumbly bear of a man. Even his beard looked annoyed. At this point I was beginning to think I¡¯d been had, bamboozled, and or misled with his previous claim of ignorance. It was probably too late for me to act on the out he had given me. Who knew if surveillance was a thing, could there be recording magics at work, was the wind carrying our conversation so some unseen villain in the walls. I had no idea. ¡°Is it so bad, am I cursed?¡± My first worry was that the skills were nefarious, I mean Vessel of Souls sounded right ominous. ¡°Should I not have asked, is it by chance bad manners? Talk to me Doogan.¡± ¡°Lass, you have stumbled onto something you really should not know about. Would be better you never mentioned them again, leastways in the presence of unknown observers.¡± He said the last while eyeing the walls. Maybe I was right to be paranoid. ¡°Now when did this happen? These things usually have some trappings and costs. Prices to be paid for the boon they provide.¡± I thought back to the previous evening, the twisted dreams of my past. Would I experience those memories again, I thought I had buried my past on Earth before I had even been brought here. Not looking forward to remembering anything else. Nope, not even close to cool with that idea. ¡°Last night. It was last night; I¡¯d hit level three when I saw that they were there.¡± ¡°Level three, I keep forgetting that you are so woefully under leveled. It must have been an easy life¡­¡± His words trailed off as his eyes softened with a frown forming behind his beard. ¡°Nay, not easy. Some things make a little more sense now. Before we talk any more may I ask a different question?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± I said, confused myself by the turn in conversation. ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡± ¡°Last night, I don¡¯t want to draw up bad memories. The gods know life gets rough at times; some things are very obviously not good. But the thing in your dreams last night, that memory.¡± And here his voice took on a flat empty tone, ¡°Is there anything that needs doing to maybe alleviate that threat, make it go away. I am sure something could be done to help you if you, you know, needed something done. Will someone be coming for you?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± I was pretty sure what he meant, but again I had to make sure we were on the same page. I hate sharing my drama with other people. It isn¡¯t that I don¡¯t like attention, we all do. I just did not want or need the pity or scorn that comes with that sort of attention, I preferred lighter emotions to be at play. ¡°No hiding it girlie, you were right spooked. Either something happened or you are afraid something will happen. You would be less open if you had a fear of something coming versus something that had already come due but might come again.¡± He said the last before walking back over to sit opposite me. ¡°Past unpleasantness, sir.¡± I sighed, Doogan was a smart man. And to think I warranted such care that he would proposition me with the offer of eliminating my source of worry. The act of killing another put on the table so freely kind of drove home the thoughts of a different world rather clearly. ¡°Anything we need to prepare for then?¡± he asked, eyes not leaving mine. ¡°No sir, he¡¯s already dead. Long dead and far gone.¡± ¡°You do it yourself, or some foul accident take them off the table?¡± ¡°He was killed by someone else sir.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Doogan¡¯s frown straightened a little, easing into what was closer to a smile less like a grimace. The beard made it difficult to tell even from here. I immediately suspected magical manipulation. ¡°You are far too young to be worrying about that kind of danger, and no one should need worry about such things in an ideal world.¡± ¡°Right.¡± I nodded as I continued to hold back my welling emotions. I had had a lot of practice hiding the pain through the years. I think he knew that. I would like to think he did at any rate. ¡°Now then!¡± he said slapping a hand to the table. ¡°Your skill, what skill is it and what does it do.¡± ¡°Skills sir, more than one. Also, I don¡¯t know what they do. There is no description.¡± The last words came out almost like a complaint, worsened by the tightness of my voice as the images of last night¡¯s dream were still fresh in my treacherous mind. ¡°They? You have more than one Soul Skill.¡± His left brow shot up ever so slightly causing his eyebrows to dance a bit before settling. I simply nodded again. ¡°Show me.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± I said, hit by the bus that was unexpectedly presented. Show him, I had no idea what he meant. ¡°Show me the skill.¡± He said again. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to use it, are you sure?¡± A light popped on in his head, eyes widening slightly before he said, ¡°No. Not at all. I meant show me your skill description, let me see what your message says.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know how? Never mind. You just need to focus on your desire to share it with me, it¡¯ll come.¡± ¡°You make this sound like more than it actually is.¡± I said to the man as I was thinking about my display being sent to him. To that remark I got a slap on the head, not the gentlest slap as it sent my head rocking slightly. ¡°I¡¯ll have none of that talk from you Olea. It¡¯s bad enough we have the door barred, if my wife were not so frightening, I am sure the rumor mill would go crazy with such gossip.¡± As I began to get distracted at the images of what his wife must look like I sensed that my Will had conveyed my desire to share my information with the grumpy old man. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Name: Olea Munroe Level: 3 Archetype: Street Surgeon Age: 16 Winters Health: 75/75 Mana: 79/79 Stamina: 80/80 Attributes: You have three Attribute Points Remaining. Experience To Level: 5260 remaining of 7000. Skills: Nine skill points remaining. Stealth - Rank 1 Piety - Rank 2 Triumvir Soul Skills ¡°Ah, yes. Let¡¯s see here. Level three, check. Hah, you are a street surgeon now, must be the extra level in Cure Wounds that changed that. Strength of a child. Might make a good jongleur with the dexterity. Constitution, sickly. Charisma is high even for a local politician, elf thing maybe?¡± He continued muttering insulting things as he read through the status screen, what even was a jongleur? ¡°Intelligence thirteen, I¡¯d have never guessed. Wisdom seven, obvious. Ok, attribute and skill points¡­¡± he stopped speaking as his gaze went from vacant half room stare to fixating on me. I was just starting to notice the change in atmosphere when he spoke again. ¡°Come with me, don¡¯t say anything to anyone. I want you to say nothing at all until I say so, eyes forward.¡± I began to say something only for Doogan to put his finger to my lips and scowl. ¡°Say nothing. Let¡¯s go.¡± And so it was that I followed the stout man through the twisting turning halls of the building, down a flight of stairs into another hallway of unremarkable variety. We saw many smiling faces as we made our way down another staircase to the ground level, I almost spoke up when I saw a curious look from Sicily before a motion ahead of me made her gaze slide away as she busied herself with some imaginary tasks. Rude! We walked through a sturdier door off another boring hallway and stepped onto the landing of another staircase that went up and down. Master Doogan went down the narrow stairway saying nothing, and I obligingly followed. I daresay that my behavior and feigned solemnity under the circumstances was worthy of merit. At the bottom of the stairs, we entered a downward sloping tunnel. Tunnel not hallway, I would hazard that we had travel vertically thirty feet of stairs to reach this area. Smooth rock walls lit at regular intervals using orbs of light that were ensconced in the walls to both sides giving an almost blue tint to the stone. The tunnel was broken up every fifty feet by a four-way intersection with two doors entering private rooms between each. There were three such intersections before the tunnel ended ahead with a solitary door at a T-junction. I was guessing distances at this point but assuming it was uniform I would hazard the hall ran a solid two hundred feet before that last door. Master Doogan paused for a moment, and I felt the air around us thicken and bend as if it were being compressed by an unseen energy. The pressure built steadily over the course of three seconds before being released as an oddly localized breeze. ¡°This way.¡± Doogan said as he headed down the tunnel. We passed two intersections before entering a door on our left baring a closed eye symbol drawn over a large hammer. I have found the local Illuminati! The room was sparsely furnished. I saw ten simple, sturdy chairs circling a sizable ovoid table. The floor was covered in the hide of some large beast, giving my feet some refuge from the hard stone floor. I forgot to put on shoes. ¡°Sit.¡± One word and I found myself sitting while Doogan paced around the room muttering to himself. The walls were covered in maps of the area and strange pictures of strange things, including a creature that seemed to be eating itself starting at the tail. I did not see dogs playing poker or cats toying with yarn. The air felt cold but not unpleasant, reminiscent of hospital air conditioning. I was surprised to notice the lack of odor in the room, no smell of leather or mold. It was odd being underground and not picking up those scents familiar to a cave such as iron, dust, or moss. I know the place seemed man-made, but it was hard to wrap my mind around the bare granite being everywhere and this not being a cave. I¡¯m special, in a not so good way I understand this and have accepted it. I¡¯m betting there is a rock monster down here somewhere who specializes in mental warfare¡­ or maybe it¡¯s just a basement. ¡°Why?¡± The question came with no preamble delivered from behind me and to the left as Doogan continued circling the table. Maybe he couldn¡¯t think standing still. ¡°Why? Why what?¡± was my only response. I rightly did not know what was on his mind, what did he mean by why anyway? My mind briefly flitted through various scenarios I had seen in movies and read of in modern literature. The types where the brilliantly, charismatic, and dare I say it beautiful female lead would be drawn into a secret organization before being trained to become a world class spy or champion of justice. ¡°Focus girlie.¡± Argh, I¡¯m still in reality it seems. I trained my gaze on the grumpy grump in front of me. ¡°Really, cloak and dagger scenes are fun and all, but why are we down here in the basement?¡± I am nothing if not curious. And focused, yep! ¡°How is it that you have so many skill points, or attribute points for that reason?¡± he asked, finally stopping in his circular travel to stare at me. Odd question, unless I am forgetting something. I had thought I was mostly normal aside from my lack of need to visit some high and mighty trainer to learn my skills. Help-chan, any ideas? ¡®The current denizens obtain much fewer system awarded points as they advance in power. If I were to hazard a guess, I would say that you have more than triple what a typical level three person had in stock while also having eight points of skills you have already learned has caught your friend rather flat-footed. ¡°Oh¡­¡± I cleverly said. Really that for some reason did not seem to be so important. ¡°Oh?! Ye show me a detail sheet that should belong to someone in the Hero Tier and all you say is ¡®OH¡¯ Lass ye be making my life quite stressful.¡± He looked at me again. ¡°Do you have any idea what I am talking about?¡± I was not entirely sure where to go here. Did I bring him into the warren, yanking him down the proverbial rabbit hole of the gods intervening in my life to bring me here. Did I play dumb and hope it all worked out somehow? Argh, lying sucks. Well lying to idiots and people I disliked was fun, but yes, friends get truth. I thought of Doogan as a friend, hell most everyone in the hall so far had been very nice to me. One fellow even lent me his jacket, I should return that. ¡°Okay, Doogie. Doogan. Master Doogie. You want to sit down for a few minutes? I promise I will tell you what you want to hear. It might not make sense, but I¡¯ll tell it anyway.¡± Going for the rabbit hole abduction bit, I wonder if I can rope Sicily or the orphans in. I can see myself founding a large Oliver Twist school for street rats and scoundrels. I led Doogan through the line of events that was my life back home, glossing over quite a bit of my time in foster until the later years, good times need extra time in conversation. He only interrupted me when I got to the part where I had come to my senses in the captains¡¯ home near the warehouse district. Apparently, the guard was still looking for me, though they had hit a wall as the girl was too emotional to remember my face and my clothing had easily hidden the fact that I was a dark-haired girl, not a dark-haired boy. I told him about my first encounter with the crow when he asked me about my thoughts on why it was following me around. I explained how I met the orphans, and using my funds to buy them some food, they would probably need some more help soon unless Keen was getting his shit together. Poor Keen. I mentioned the whole orphan problem and was promptly told to continue the story and ask stupid questions later. Blargh, anyway. Went through my rat slaying adventures and my time spent navigating the city. He asked me questions about who I had spoken to and if I had said anything damning. Not sure what he meant by damning, I went on to elaborate and let him know who I had spoken with. He was tickled when I mentioned the old ladies who had tried to set me up with their children. He knew them. I told him what I knew of currency and let him know who I had discussed it with. A whole slew of things I saw no point in adding to my story were brought up and added to his mental image of my travels. Some of his questions were a little annoying but I noticed about midway through the moment he went from wary to empathic. I think he had planned on making some hard choices and was relieved that I was just me, whatever that meant going forward. As an afterthought I mentioned my friend Help-chan and how he was talking to me all the time and how I seemed to be one of the few people in the world who could hear him, aside from the others I kept hearing mentioned. Wait, was it hearing if I did not really perceive them through my physical senses? It seems that my non-imaginary friend was something when Doogan gaped at me for a full minute. It seemed like a minute to me, having to wait and being afraid that I had finally broken his brain-meat was a bit stressful itself. All that effort could have been wasted! At the end of my story Master Doogan told me to discuss the matter with no one. He also told me that he would need time to consult some of his friends and superiors regarding a few things I had said. Before I was shepherded from the room he placed a silver band on my right hand, it would apparently let me leave without being murdered by the lights in the hallway. Nice to know. I was also informed that a man named Alex would be waiting for me whenever I was ready to get to work for the day and that I was to tell him that we were staying local for this trip. I¡¯d be told later. Typical. Chapter 14 - Going Forward South Jaga City, Job Hall ¨C Year 1344, Month 1, Day 8. Spring Olea Munroe I climbed the long stairs alone, mulling over my most recent conversation with the all-powerful ever gruff. He had said a lot and he even listened to my tale of woe. Okay it may not have been a tale of woe but saying it all aloud like that had made me think my life was very sad, very sad indeed. Sure, it was a hot pile of burning garbage for that middle decade or in-between on Earth, but it got better! ¡®You seem happier.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m always happy!¡± I said to the empty air, some day I¡¯d internalize my inner dialogue so it was an actual inner dialogue but that seemed like a problem for the future me. ¡®¡­¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t give me that, everyone has bad dreams and off days.¡± I shot back. The nerve of some entities. ¡®The more I see of your world, the more I despise it for what it allowed.¡¯ ¡°It had some good qualities! Like¡­ ice cream, and birthday parties.¡± ¡®Rampant abuse of power by people in positions of trust.¡¯ ¡°The Murphys.¡± I continued. ¡®I am limited to your own experiences in the gathering of my comparisons, I am sure there are more in your memories that you are refusing to acknowledge either as an attempt to win this argument or the more subversive reason of protecting yourself from the harshness of reality.¡¯ ¡°Cheater!¡± I exclaimed in outrage. Feigned or not it was mildly annoying that my happy helped was helping themselves to my surface thoughts. I didn¡¯t mind, not really. It was just my own insecurity about what might be found out when piecing together my random brain farts. ¡®I did not realize brains could fart¡­ Humor aside I wish to allay your suspicions. I am not and will not be a judge of your character, you are more than enough of a judge of your actions. Like most of your race, at least insofar as the better ones are concerned there are no worse judges of your actions than yourself.¡¯ ¡°Yeah, yeah. Philosophy, makes my brain hurt.¡± ¡®I can smell the pain.¡¯ Being one upped by someone you could not physically interact with, i.e., strike repeatedly was not a good feeling. So, I wisely chose to retain my dignity by ignoring the barb. On my way to the main lobby, the place I assumed the person I was to meet would be waiting for me, I decided to make a small pit stop. All that tea and I had to pee. It would also allow me to process some of my gains and make them manifest. I made my way to a small privy room, very rustic. I noticed that the lid to the maw of poo was down and attached to a line of rope for no hands lifting, thoughtful. I did the thing and took a seat; I did not realize I had drunk so much herbal tea. Maybe it was magic increasing my bladder strength who knows. ¡°Help-chan?¡± ¡®¡­ la de da¡­¡¯ ¡°What does that mean?¡± I asked. ¡®I refuse to engage you while you are exercising your bodily needs.¡¯ ¡°You¡¯re a prude?¡± ¡®You¡¯re just lewd.¡¯ ¡°Fine, fine.¡± I was nearly done anyway; it was probably best if I did not spend an hour here. The rumor mill was vicious when it came to blatant exaggeration. I finished my duty and gave a small jerk to the rope; it snapped right back down. I wasn¡¯t certain but I could barely catch the sound of flowing water when the latch dropped, if only for a moment. I lifted the latch again and saw only a more hydrated cavern, dropped it via the rope mechanism I heard the sound again; I guess it worked like a fridge door. High tech potty for the win! I made my way to the next vacant room and shut the door behind me. It was a small room, maybe eight by twelve. A small table sat in the center of the room with four chairs, probably a minor meeting room like the one I had been in earlier in the day before my personal interrogation session started. Light was supplied by an orb that brightened as I entered the room, those things must make late night tryst difficult to hide. Who could sneak around in the dark when the building operated on motion detecting dimmer switches, I¡¯d make a note of that. I took a seat and stared at the far wall for no reason whatsoever. ¡°What are my options for advancement Helpy-kun?¡± ¡®How am I your junior?¡¯ ¡°I don¡¯t know, how long have you been alive?¡± I asked, my inner curiosity jumping to wakefulness. ¡®I was brought into existence when you entered this world. We are of the same age.¡¯ ¡°I was alive for seventeen years before I came here, would that not make me older?¡± ¡®I had an existence before this, one of a different scope and size that spanned milliennia.¡¯ ¡°I am not affixing Sama to your name; you have no evidence to support you claim.¡± I stated full of my own self affirmed belief. I was suddenly shaken with images of a vast land covered in fire and ash flashing through my mind. Day and night flickering like a disco light in and out as time stretched through the ages. The ash was soon muddied with the falling of rain and snow over many seasons and the ground churned below as the earth split and moved being tossed in upon itself before stabbing up to the heaven creating valleys and mountain ranges that boggled the mind. Small shoot of green suddenly expanded before me viewed close before the image panned out showing the sprouts growing in patches across the barren hellscape turned paradise. Trees were soon sprouting upward at an alarming rate, hundreds of years passing in moments. A great flood soon covered the land, arriving not as a fast-moving ever-increasing pool but as a large tsunami that crossed the lands before receding. Lakes and ponds formed in the deeper valleys while rivers and streams flowed down from the dark mountains above to feed them. Fish now traveled the new waterways, being brought in by the massive wave, as if the wave were only a means for spreading life. From what I could sense, that was the exact purpose. A mist occluded the vision for several spans more before it dispersed on an errant breeze and my breath caught. Before me was a large lake, or more of a sea. At the center of the water was a large island with mountains stretching into the sky above the misted clouds. Falls dropped far too much water down for it to be naturally fed, magical trickery! What astounded me was the sprawling city atop the large mass of land on the island. Is it still an island when it was the size of Iowa? In the center of that land near the mountains with three flowing rivers I could see going through the heart was a city of white and blue marble. It rose in organized tiers so closely knit that they could have been hewn from the same rock. Trees and plants grew atop some of the roofs and between some of the larger buildings as if nature had itself chosen where to install parks for an optimal level of beauty. People of all kinds were walking up and down the streets carrying about their days¡¯ work. Some with white skin, others with blue or black. Several shades blending in harmony even as the colors of their hair varied as much as did the varying shades of the forested land of rainbows that this city had sprouted from. And then the vision faded. ¡°Uh-what was that?¡± Feeling the tears trickling down my face, the sheer weight of the imagery was nearly too much for my mind to process. Above all, the emotions playing through the viewer. ¡°Weren¡¯t you lonely.¡± ¡®¡­ For a time¡­¡¯ ¡°How?¡± ¡®I began with the world; I witnessed the great birthing and the many attempts by the one to establish order and balance it with chaos. Many catastrophes and calamities have befallen this world, all to get to where we are. Watching the world reset over and over again, was hard even as I understood that each iteration before was merely a trial run. The end you saw, after the mist cleared was the moment that I knew we had reached a point of earnest growth. He had brought intelligent life to share his world with and in them he instilled souls, souls that he himself invested with a spark of his power.¡¯ ¡°Bah, you are such a bloody cheater.¡± I said, that was totally unfair. Using emotions to shift an argument was such a dirty trick. Sure, I did it often enough, but I was a girl so meh! ¡°I am still not using Sama.¡± ¡®Fine by me, kid.¡¯ ¡°Bah! Shelf this, show me what skills I will need to move forward so I can fly.¡± Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡®Flying or doing what the courier did?¡¯ ¡°The courier method for now, thanks. I¡¯ll check the flying afterward since I was told that is on the Arcana path. I doubt I¡¯ll be able to get the skills for flight so soon. Later though for sure!¡± Nine skill points remaining. ¡®You will need the spell Armor, Vigor, Water Breath, Water Walk, and then you may learn Wind Walk. This will take five skill points. I must warn you that what you witnessed was the effect of a higher tier Wind Walk and will thus require more skill points invested in it. Might I also suggest picking up Detect Magic as it will aid in learning the finer points of the art.¡¯ ¡°Alright, sounds fair if not convoluted.¡± I think I was using the correct word there, no one around to judge me though! ¡°Let¡¯s do this. I began focusing my intent on the spell and I felt it as Help-chan sidelined those horrible knowledge checks and my brain starting to hurt. Slowly knowledge of the spells filtered into my mind, and I got a basic sense of how they would or could work. I was assured that none of this would be possible without a basic understanding of visualization and know-how, some of which I had gotten from earth such as water tension and some other principles of hydrodynamics. I was not a professional, but I had the basics and that is what helped ease me into a fuller understanding. Tier One Spells Obtained. Vigor: This spell allows the user to bestow a boost to the target¡¯s stamina, increasing their ability to push through tough tasks with more ease as they are lifted out of exhaustion. Walk further and be refreshed. While this spell can alleviate Stamina overuse it can compound the issue if overused. All things in moderation. Armor: This spell temporarily imbues the target creature with an increase in physical damage resistance. Used on existing armor it will give a small increase to durability, this affect if permanent on items and caution is urged. Bonus applied is based on the combined Wisdom and Intelligence of the caster. Tier Two Spells Obtained. Detect Magic: This ability grants a spell to allow the caster to detect magical energies imbued in objects, creatures, and even the very air. Colors and patterns can help discern the nature of many magical spells and items. Spell effectiveness increases with level of Magical Attributes, tier of Piety, and tier of Arcana Mastery. Water Breath: This spell allows the user to breathe underwater by reducing water taken in while breathing by a large percentage, breathing too fast and deep can cause the spell to falter. The spell should be used with caution while out of water as some moisture is required for optimal respiratory health. Duration and efficacy increase with Intelligence and Wisdom. Water Walk: You gain the ability to walk upon the surface of water. You will be able to climb upon the water¡¯s surface using your hands and other extremities with intent. This spell will not cancel the momentum of a fall onto water. Effects enhanced with greater Wisdom and Intelligence. Wind Walk: This spell creates a field of moderate wind control for use by the wielder. It can be subtly altered by the target of the spell to shift the winds and allow for faster movement while lowering stamina consumption. Unlike other spells you will benefit from both Intelligence and Wisdom while receiving minor bonuses from your overall Dexterity and Constitution. ¡°Awesome!¡± I tried to say as the knowledge flooded my mind, what came out could be closer to sounding like Arrsuuumm-argh. Learning is painful, ignorance will remain bliss. I¡¯m sure that could be a situational proverb for just such occasions. ¡®The process is quite painless for most every other citizen of the world, after all they know these things before getting the spell. One of the many benefits of acquiring an actual teacher. You would do well to experiment with these skills in a safe location, not a rat filled basement. Dying to rats would be very bad for our image.¡¯ ¡°It seems that dying would be very bad for more than our image, you know, since we would be dead. Or I would be dead, and you would be somewhere else.¡± I said as what he said stirred my thoughts in my noggin. ¡®¡­¡¯ ¡°Are you saying dying isn¡¯t dying? Does this world have a respawn system, instant reincarnations, or some other clich¨¦ nonsense?¡± I asked, having that as an emergency out did not seem too bad but I cannot imagine dying to be pleasant regardless of the outcome. ¡®I will say that you were installed here with some safeguards in place as the One and the Three worked out a balance that would make it very difficult to die. At least for you and your fellows.¡¯ ¡°You keep saying fellows as if Bilbo Baggins will be hopping over the hill with the Hero Samwise in tow. Who are these others, other earthlings, I¡¯m sure. Where are they though?¡± I would love to compare reactions, thoughts, and feelings about all of this. Until I came clean to Doogan I didn¡¯t have anyone to chat with about this transposition thing. Or was it Translocation, Transplantation? I would still have to wait and check on his disposition later, he seemed a bit frazzled after my confession. What was there to adjust to, someone you know tells you they came from another world or universe, and they got dropped here during a terrible storm to save the world or invent ice cream. You know, a typical Tuesday. ¡®I only have a vague sense as to their whereabouts at this time, I believe your Dowsing skill could be useful in finding them or at least getting a vague awareness of their location.¡¯ ¡°Huh,¡± I thought for a few moments, ¡°I¡¯ll need to try that after I finish up with whatever it is I am to do with the Alex bloke.¡± As I finished ruminating, I focused my intent once more to unlock the next rank of Wind Walk. Wind Walk ¨C Rank Two: Your skill now invokes a passive benefit whereas you may expend a portion of your mana regeneration to maintain a lessening of your weight. Not unlike gravity magic, this will allow you to somewhat alleviate the pull on your body by external forces, be they natural or other. Further decreases the Stamina cost of many actions. This time the headache was barely a hum in the back of my mind. Wonderful. ¡°I saw the mana cost note there, I was curious. Am still curious, what is the mana cost for these spells?¡± ¡®All spells cost mana to cast, some channeled skills take the initial mana cost to begin the base structure and have a much-reduced cost to channel as the structure does not fade but is used as a sort of vessel to keep the mana flowing. The Detect Magic spell has a passive that makes it easier to see these things but might cause you some visual distress at first. The Tier one spells at Rank one tends to range in cost from ten to twenty-five, Tier two spells tend to range from twenty-five mana to fifty mana. Channeling these spells in their extended forms or invoking their passive abilities will normally consume the channeled cost of the cast over the course of an hour with lesser but more sustained or steady results.¡¯ ¡°Oh¡± that almost made sense, ¡°So Wind Walk cost how much?¡± ¡®Thirty-five mana to invoke, the passive will reduce your mana regeneration by ten mana per hour, or one per six minutes. You currently regenerate eighty-two mana per hour, this stat is currently atrocious and is a result of your low Wisdom score. Also, and I hesitate to add, the mana cost of the passive is determined by your current weight. If you get fat eating two or three meat skewers every morning you will expend more mana keeping the passive up.¡¯ ¡°Bastard! I do not eat them every morning!¡± I angrily shouted while making fists at the empty air, I could sense a sort of wry amusement filtering out through whatever bond we shared. I was being baited. Something occurred to me then, and I had to ask. ¡°Heya Helpy? You¡¯ve been more talkative and informative of late, what gives?¡± I was lucky to get three words a day not long ago. ¡®Simple, I decided to ignore your earlier command of being quiet. You do remember that rude interruption you shouted at me when you awaken, don¡¯t you?¡¯ I did actually remember something like that happening, bullocks. ¡®Yes, that. I decided it would be best if I were to be more helpful as I¡¯d hate to have you die so soon after being brought here. It would after all leave a dark mark on my pristine record. I also must confess that as you grow in strength my faculties will increase, giving me access to greater system knowledge as well as expanding my ability to aid you with something other than my stellar insights.¡¯ ¡°Okay, next up. Let¡¯s finish this study session with some helpful information on those attributes. You said my mana regeneration was suffering from a lack of Wisdom. What are the function of the attributes, aside from the obvious like strength make for better smash.¡± ¡®Right, you are woefully informed, feel free to offer a prayer of thanks for my presence.¡¯ Wisdom: This attribute is a measure of your belief, whether in a deity, your family, your self, or even your belief that up is not down and down is not up. Greater wisdom increases all regeneration levels, Piety based spell effects, resistance to mind altering magics and charms, as well as providing a small boost to your overall mana pool. Strength: This attribute is a measure of the overall strength you can bring to bear. A higher attribute level will increase carry weight, decrease stamina cost of carrying greater weight, and add bonuses to melee based damage from weapons and strength based skills. It will also provide small bonuses to damage resistance and fortitude. Dexterity: This attribute is a measure of your coordination, or your ability to perform complex and delicate task. A greater level of Dexterity will allow you to move more swiftly through the world as you become ever more efficient in your actions. It has a small effect on damage resistance, fall damage negation, stamina consumption, as well as boosting damage and effectiveness of Stealth based skills. Constitution: This attribute keeps you alive. It determines maxima health and stamina as well as having a direct effect on the regeneration of both. It is the main factor in determining damage mitigation and resistance. People with low constitution will become sicker more often and suffer from the negative effects of stamina depletion more frequently that others. Intelligence: This attribute determines the speed and flexibility of the mind. A higher intelligence score will have a direct impact on mana pool and a minor impact on mana regeneration. Your grasp of the arcane becomes easier as this attribute increases. Resistance to damaging effects of another mages spells will increase by four percent per point of intelligence you have over the enemy, the opposite however is also true. Charisma: This attribute will help you make friends. It has a large level of influence on your ability to use charm effects as well as your ability to resist them. A higher charisma attribute is directly proportionate to your ability to make use of General skills in line with Merchant work and Entertainment. This attribute will not make you less ugly, it will however help people look beyond your flaws. ¡®Just a reminder, as your friend Master Doogan mentioned, any attribute under a value of ten is considered deficient and has severe negative effects on your overall ability. Your lack of Wisdom makes you healing spells almost eighty percent less effective.¡¯ ¡°Well crap, he did say that. And I do seem to recall the time I increased my strength, carrying feather brain became much less annoying. Let¡¯s not say that aloud when he is around, bird poop is horrible for the skin.¡± ¡®I am sure that your statement would gather great interest from that particular bird.¡¯ Came the reply from my happy helper. Well it seems my path was clear on the attributes for now, higher Wisdom! ¡°I did have three points for attributes. Let¡¯s slide those into wisdom then, shall we?¡± I did my best sophisticated royal speak. ¡®I already did.¡¯ ¡°What, when?!¡± I asked in disbelief, ¡°Helpers don¡¯t make these decisions on their own!¡± ¡®I committed the points at the same moment you decided that it would be best to do so as I agreed with the decision and did not wish for you to become squirreled as you say. This had to be done for your benefit, and mine.¡¯ ¡°You do understand that I¡¯d be really cross with you right now had I been joking?¡± ¡®Your jokes are bad, it would serve you right. Also there is nothing funny about being so easily deceived. The you of the future will thank me. And before you ask, your new mana regeneration is up to one hundred fifteen mana per hour. You are welcome.¡¯ ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll let it slide, only because getting almost twenty mana every six minutes would be swelltastic.¡± I let the transgression slide, this time. And yes swelltastic has been a word for at least the last thirty seconds. If not, it should be. Having learned a few new things I decided that I had out off meeting Alex for what was probably a rudely long amount of time and headed off to meet my new potential friend. Chapter 15 - Alex Ambridge South Jaga City, Job Hall ¨C Year 1344, Month 1, Day 8. Spring Olea Munroe I strode into the business area of the Jobs Hall, the large open room at the front of the building open to the public. Aspiring members, random citizens, curious children, and random low-level municipal workers were moving here and there. Some people were staring up at the various trophies adorning the walls while others were waiting in the various lines as they attempted to conclude some business dealing or petition for some new form of work. All the clerks were busy, most were wearing their semi-professional fake smiles or carefully cultivated neutral faces. A few of the older members openly displayed their boredom with certain clients and petitioners. The joy of bureaucracy. Making my way forward as I weaved through the many people. Was it this busy when I was here last? I did not recall it being quite so noisy and full of people, a thought for later. I had an Alex to find, I should have probably found out what he looked like before I left the labyrinth downstairs. Also, maybe I should refer to it as the upper office to keep it straight in my head. ¡®How would upper work when describing a set of hallways and rooms underground?¡¯ It makes perfect sense if you think of it as an office for the upper most personnel of the guild, thank you very much. On the opposite side of the room from where I exited the hallway leading to the stairwell that led to the, you get the picture. Over there next to the table where Doogan usually harassed the junior members stood a rather tall young man wearing a mid-length gray cloak over some rather fanciful leather armor. He had a small knife attached to a sheathe on his left side while his right side bore the weight of a sheathe containing what seemed to be a bronze-handled rapier. He was busying himself by looking through the crowds of various folk until his green eyes fell on me. I think I found Alex. ¡®It seems he found you, would be more accurate.¡¯ Shaking my head at the blatant attempt to shift away my obvious display of people finding I made my way forward, hoping my wonderous jump of logic was correct. Why would anyone stand near Doogan¡¯s bloodied table full of various sharp, rusted, bloodied objects unless they had business with the man, or in this case with someone sent by the man. The man? Nope, moving on. He stood straighter as I approached, showing the full measure of his height, a fact hidden while he was more relaxed. He must be nearly six foot in height. Tall one here, though I was at what equated to five foot these days, so I could not really rely upon my own perspective when it came to comparisons. ¡°Are you Olea Munroe?¡± asked the probably-Alex. ¡°I am.¡± Was my short reply, no introductions when you meet someone while assuming you know who they are. Gah. ¡°You are late.¡± He accused me flatly, green eyes looking down at me. At least he wasn¡¯t smiling when he said it. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d have forgiven him for finding amusement in my tardiness as if he were insulting me somehow. Just a flat observation of my failure. ¡°Yeah. Sorry, Doogie made me sit through a lecture.¡± ¡°Doogie?¡± ¡°Yep, Doogie. Thicker, gruff fellow that owns this table. Maybe owns the hall, I don¡¯t know how it works really.¡± I told him, it did not seem to be such a jump, I¡¯d had many stranger names for people, and myself for that matter. Was this hard? Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°First, he is Master Doogan of the guild, you shan¡¯t besmirch his name in such a manner while in these halls. Second thing, I am Alex Ambridge, his former apprentice. I am here because my former Master has asked me to travel with you for a short while so as you may learn a little more of the wider world.¡± I must admit, while the words were a bit stuffy, he delivered them with confidence and not a shred of evidence that could be used to claim he was being purposefully rude. He even sounded slightly like a young Alfred the butler, all proper snark, and a few lilts in the proper places. Taking in his appearance once again I noted his eyes of emerald-green first. He was still tall, flirting with six feet. He had Fabio length golden hair tucked neatly under his hat. And his hat, yeah, it looked like something from the seventeenth century, I think called a Cavalier. The kind worn by D¡¯Artagnan, or Dartanian for us slightly less worldly folks. The musketeers! His cloak covered his left shoulder while leaving the right side free, a small red clasp secured it to his neck with a small toggle loop holding it to his shoulder. The armor he wore over a blue undershirt must have been custom made as it fit his form without bunching or being too loose in any one spot, it also had several small rivets spaced evenly across the front. He wore tan pantaloons banded just under the knee with black wrapped linen and secured with the belt holding his weapons. His shoes were simple sturdy leather made with a small metal plate installed near the toe. Practical and pretty. He seemed too young for all the war readiness, maybe nineteen, no more than twenty-two. Again, perspective. I¡¯m was just over seventeen when I got, whatever I got to be sent here. ¡°Who is your tailor?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°Furthermore ¨C wait, what? Tailor?¡± He stammered. ¡°Yeah, you look absolutely spiffing. I¡¯ve had nice clothes, but they always get ruined or chewed through and bloody. Your stuff looks sturdy and pretty, practical even. I need to know who your tailor is.¡± Honesty always wins! It also seems to be good at catching people off-guard. ¡°Spiffing? I am spiffing?¡± he continued. ¡°I am not sure at what ruse you are playing at but false flattery will not alter my reporting of our time together one wit.¡± That was something. Reporting on me, I wondered if Master Doogan had been planning something different for me before we had our meeting. Scary thoughts of an evil empire fighting to control my awesomeness and direct me to do unspeakable things in the name of corn flitted through my head. ¡®This is absurd, you should stay on task. It seems the investiture into Wisdom has served you, not at all.¡¯ ¡°Fine.¡± I said to both parties. ¡°Though I was unaware of any reports and possible bias toward bending them one way or another. What was the plan?¡± ¡°We are going to be going on the road, a three week or more journey around this section of the kingdom in hopes of getting you some worldly experience.¡± He said, matter-of-factly. ¡°Oh, that reminds me. Doogie-Master Doogan told me to say, keep it local. I wasn¡¯t sure what he meant then, but it seems pertinent that I say it now that you mention a road trip.¡± Alex hesitated before responding after this, ¡°Are you sure he said local in regard to our trip?¡± ¡°No idea, he told me to tell you, ¡®Stay Local.¡¯ I wasn¡¯t at all sure as to what he meant. I really should have asked for a little more information before I had been so roughly dismissed, maybe not roughly but it was abrupt. I think Doogan was just trying to get some space so he could free his mind and think a little. It was a lot to take in, when I got here, I needed a whole night¡¯s sleep just to process. It was tiring work getting chased by city guards. ¡°Well, that limits some things. I had arranged to travel with a crew headed toward this kingdom¡¯s capital. It seems we may need to instead find some people travelling north or go it alone.¡± He drifted in thought there for a few moments, he had actually closed his eyes, and you could see his brow knitting together just a little, I may have to be careful not to catch feelings. If only he were not so stuffy. ¡°Does it hurt?¡± He opened one eye to look down at me in question. ¡°You have been thinking for a few moments, does it hurt? Should I seek aid from a medic?¡± ¡°You are quite rude. Also, unoriginal. Alas, I think the master was seeking to test my patience and dedication by assigning you as my temporary ward.¡± He sighed. ¡°Let us go.¡± ¡°Lead on!¡± I said, following behind the leader. Again, I noticed the quality of his gear, practical and pretty. We made our way out of the Job¡¯s Hall and headed west along Market Way before taking a short walk through the warehouse district and then stepping onto another road that I could not name, heading west once more. A brief time later we arrived at the western gate of the city, near the south-western shore of Jaga Lake where I was informed that we would wait to find some honest people who were headed in that general direction to travel with. Road trips were always fun. Or that is what people claim. Chapter 16 - Leaving Town South Jaga City, Job Hall ¨C Year 1344, Month 1, Day 8. Spring Olea Munroe The west gate of South Jaga was more a yawning maw of stone. The wall itself was nearly thirty feet in height, all smooth blue-gray stone. There was an inner portcullis suspended above, held in place by unseen mechanisms, or magic. It was probably mundane in nature as you couldn¡¯t count on everyone to be magically inclined during an emergency. The tunnel leading through the wall to the outer portcullis was long and lit with those blue-white orbs of mage light. Several wagons were wheeling their way inside on the left while there were only a few farmhands walking along the right side to exit the city, probably returning to the fields. ¡°You there,¡± said a gruff male voice from the right, ¡°Name and business, if you please.¡± At this point Alex took the lead, I didn¡¯t even know our business. I¡¯d be happy to just stare at the wall and people watch while he did the talky-talky. The last wagon coming through the gate was being pulled by a large, blue ox. Which if you know many folk tales you could guess that my brain jumped straight to a scene from Paul Bunyan. Atop the wagon rode an old woman who was holding the reins while a small boy in blue leather coveralls listened with serious intent. Hats off to anyone who could get a kid to listen that well on a road trip. The wagons were loaded with large and small kegs of liquid, probably the wine from the last harvest, as I could detect a slight fruitiness in the air. ¡°We are clear to leave.¡± Came a familiar voice from behind me. It was just Alex. ¡°Ah. Yes.¡± I replied smartly. It seemed Alex was a little more casual when not on guild premises. It made me wonder if he would further relax from being super stuffy once we made our way from the city proper. I had met people who refused to relax when they thought people who mattered were nearby and possibly judging them for some unknown lapse in etiquette. We made our way under the wall to the outer portcullis. The arched tunnel had small windows on each side along with a wicket gate, or man-door. I followed Alex out into the sunlight ahead. We arrived safely on the other side of the darkened maw. I was being a bit dramatic; I know. It was just my first time seeing the gates even though I¡¯d been in the city for several days already. I had no reason to leave town yet, there were rats to vanquish! I also liked being a tourist. I turned about while Alex walked ahead down the path to a small pergola type of structure where people were tying off animals and assembling cargo for the wagons and various carts. Yep, big wall. The guards on either side were checking papers and looking menacing. I found them to be reminiscent of mall cops, they do the job but won¡¯t really get violent unless something serious occurs. Wearing armor out here in the heat for hours or worse the frozen wind of winter, I¡¯d bet they received adequate compensation for the work. That thought got my mind to wondering what normal monetary wages were in the wider world, I¡¯d been eating street vendor food and buying new to me clothes every day or so. Was I flaunting unknown wealth? That may be why the seamstresses were so keen to get me to agree to marrying up. Thoughts for another day. Above me I could see several more guards patrolling the upper walls, or rather I saw shadows of the patrols walking as the crenelation blocked my poorly angled view. Did they worry about assassins around here, or was it just lookout for bandits, thieves, and monsters? More to discover. Who could say what the bigger threat was when a twelve-year-old can toss magic missiles at people. The sound of creaking wheels, stomping boots, grunting animals, and the brisk wind whistling through the gate provided a comfortable sort of backdrop to the cool day. The sun approaching its zenith above providing the area with a gentle warmth, it was quite a wonderful spring day. I was told winter ended only a week ago, but I had yet to experience the freezing rains and sudden windy thunderstorms so prevalent back home in West Virginia through the early spring months. Here¡¯s to hoping this place is more temperate than back home. I figured I had had enough people watching after the most recent person to walk by was a swarthy, not unattractive, but over friendly for a first encounter farmhand proposed we hitch our wagons together. Nope, time to find my chaperone. I was not interested in marriage, nope, not yet. Maybe after I had conquered the world or founded my own kingdom of lama-loving sycophants who supported my every decision. Meh, I¡¯d settle for a small county somewhere. Better yet, I could be a sea captain charting the ocean¡­ oceans? I had no idea what the geography was like from the vision I had seen outside of this continent. Future me fun times. Making my way over to Alex as he discussed the weather or stock options with a large group of people near a line of carts and wagons, I let my mind wander back to the before. Life had been good there toward the end. I still wasn¡¯t sure if I had died there in that chair, was my body discovered by the Murphys? I hoped not, they were kind people if not a bit eccentric. The thought of them coming home together or if it was Sharon returning with the kids from school or shopping or whatever they were doing. That hurt to think about. I would just have to hope for one of those portal options where the room was left a mess or miraculously unharmed as extradimensional forces ripped me from Earth. ¡°By the way¡­¡± I muttered. ¡®I have no idea as to the how of your transposition, Olea. I was only here to join you after your trip.¡¯ ¡°No insider information, I guess that tracks with some things.¡± I mused a bit more on the mysteries of life and gods and solar storms in a black hole. Ok, that last was not a thought I would entertain, but I can pretend! I stepped up behind the wonderfully talkative Alex as he was losing steam, the man he was speaking with was all nods and smiles. He was typical of what we could term the middle-aged working class. Well built muscles from years of work, a deep tan from constant travel, and a well-defined belly bulge that stuck out just a little too far. Dadbod. He had brown hair with deep brown eyes and probably stood near the six-foot line. His clothes were the rough spun type commonly worn by those in trades that required rough use. A few light silver scars could be seen under his collar, I¡¯m betting this man had quite a few stories for the campfire. I decided then that I liked the guy, or at least that I could grow to like him. His demeanor screamed crazy uncle. ¡°As I was saying, young master. We will be following the lake along the southern border as we head west, a few stops along the way in some of the smaller villages not frequented by the barges. After we cross the river, we will head for North Jaga and make our way from there to the coast.¡± He paused for breath before continuing, ¡°The whole trip takes nearly two months, barring no major delays on the road.¡± ¡°And you say we can join you for the trip until you reach Melnor, correct?¡± stated Alex, probably more to my benefit than the man¡¯s. ¡°Right, sir.¡± He said nodding. ¡°And the price?¡± asked Alex. I was curious as well, I had not thought of it before, but I was not sure how the economy worked, how travelers travelled, what was expected of us lowly adventurers. None of it really. And now that I thought about it, this may have been the entire reason Doogan sent me out here. He wanted me to see a little bit about the world and how it operated insofar as the local establishments were concerned. ¡°Five small silvers for each of you.¡± ¡°Five, each?¡± asked Alex as if he had misheard. ¡°That¡¯s the price for the travel, did you plan to eat with us or have you some trail rations between you and the lady there?¡± he said. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Alex looked at me in my dusty clothes, devoid of a money pouch. I honestly had not thought to adorn my actual gear. Granted my gear consisted of a knife, rough spun clothing, and a pair of soft leather shoes. I had at least brought my own shoes. I should have traded out of the communal clothing I had thrown on as I hurried about. ¡°I did not think to ask, but Olea, where are your things?¡± Alex asked, looking down at me as I searched for an actual pocket. I had none. The sound of wings came from skyward as a large black raven of annoyance cawed in mockery at my preparation. How did I know he was mocking me; I did not know. It just felt like a laugh in my mind. Stupid bird, stupid Alex¡­ Or stupid me and my stupid forgetfulness. I shall endeavor to do better next time. For now. ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± said a confused Alex. Our audience began to laugh as I stared up at him making full contact with his eyes, they were a great shade of green. In them I saw his confusion turning to sympathy as I gave him my best puppy dog eyes. My own green eyes reflected in his; I¡¯d need a mirror again soon. I know they were blue yesterday. His sympathy and empathy seemed to slowly drain away as the chuckling continued and he became wise to the ploy. ¡°I will not be manipulated, demon.¡± Said Alex sternly, ¡°Though I should tell you that Master Doogan gave me the payment he had intended for you before I left his company this morning. I am not paying for your expenses.¡± As he finished speaking, he unstrapped a bag from his belt and, after removing the five shiny coins, handed it to me. I had completely forgotten to collect my money for the job yesterday. I had thought my wisdom and intelligence scores would affect my mind somewhat and make things easier to remember. ¡®Your augmented wisdom will only show heightened results as time passes and you become more set in proper habits. Bear in mind that you still have the wisdom that is, in this world, equivalent to a child.¡¯ ¡°Harsh.¡± ¡°On the contrary, I believe it is most fair.¡± Came the answer from Alex as he handed my shiny silvers away with five of his own. The man pocketed them with a shift of his hand, I heard them tinkle into a coin bag at his hip even though I¡¯d not seen the bag move. The power of a commiserate merchant, indeed. ¡°You are all paid up then. I¡¯ll be leaving you to it for now, we can talk more later if you like.¡± With that our new friend headed off toward the rest of his caravan. It seemed like a caravan, or a train. Wagon trains were a thing I think, yep, pretty sure they were. ¡°So, what were you planning to say?¡± asked Alex. ¡°About?¡± I replied hesitantly. ¡°What excuse were you going to use for having put in no effort when it came to preparing for this trip?¡± he elaborated. I wasn¡¯t sure what he was told but I know no one said I¡¯d be leaving town until an hour ago. I would love to blame a certain stuffy goat-like bear of a man, alas it seems that I should have asked for more information. Maybe I would have been better served had I realized it sooner, mayhap I could have gathered my few things before we left the hall. Then again, I really had nothing to my name aside from the gifted knife, a few coins, and the clothes that had not yet been raked from my back by random rats and treacherous cats. ¡°I don¡¯t have one.¡± I would be honest. ¡°No excuses, really?¡± he lifted a skeptical brow at me. ¡°What excuses could I use? At best I could have gotten my knife before leaving the hall, maybe my one spare shirt and pants. That¡¯s all I¡¯ve got though. Even had I remembered I¡¯d probably just have brought my knife with me even though it¡¯s only good for rats.¡± I had checked in at the armor smith for confirmation. It seemed that all the intent and focused use by the Baker with his knife had imbued within it a wild enchantment. The knife was guaranteed to score a critical hit when used on rodents of the larger variety. It had several other rat-oriented damage bonuses but if I were to use it on any other creature the damage would be cut by more than eighty percent. It was weird to think about, but I was assured that these things were common with implements that were constantly used for simple but focused tasks. Many people would seek higher quality goods to keep in the family for the purpose of attempting to acquire a wild boon of this nature though it rarely garnered the desired buff. I was then told a story of a chef in the capital that had used his knife and only his knife for every single task in the kitchen hoping for a great boon to aid in his craft. After almost three years he had discovered that the knife had taken an enchantment. He was soon saddened to discover the knife refused to cut anything but potatoes. It was nice in the fact that you could not cut yourself while peeling but I would imagine the cook had bigger expectations. ¡°When you say you have nothing, you mean nothing useful for the trip, right?¡± ¡°Yes. That is what I meant, what did you expect it to mean?¡± ¡°I was concerned for a moment. That is all.¡± Was the reply. ¡°Concerned for little old me? Really?¡± I couldn¡¯t help it. ¡°Barely. Though your wording had me for a moment believe that you were listing the extent of your worldly possessions.¡± He said before making to leave. ¡°Oh, yes. That is also what I meant.¡± I said to his turning form. ¡°I have a knife and some clothes and my bag of coins from the jobs I did yesterday.¡± As I finished speaking, I looked down at my little bag. I think it was made of flax, is flax a thing? I have no idea really. The coins all had the same nickel minted look, with the center occupied by either a squarish center or the larger star of silver or copper. On the nickel surface was a strange diagram or pattern of many small orbs circling in presumed orbits around the central core. Interesting detail. I wondered briefly what the meaning could be as they were each and every one slightly different than the other before I focused on the important thing, counting my loot. I had barely finished counting out my haul of one large silver, three small silvers, and six seven shiny coppers when I saw a pair of boots step up in front of me. Naturally I looked up as I stowed the small bag of coins. It was Alex. ¡°Weren¡¯t you leaving?¡± I asked. I noticed his feet shuffle a little as he seemed to be thinking, it¡¯s difficult to discern people¡¯s moods when you don¡¯t pay attention to them. He didn¡¯t quite rank yet for people I would count as worth the brain space. I¡¯m not being mean, I just know I forget enough in life without adding the names, behaviors, likes, and dislikes of six-hundred strangers to the list. ¡°Are you ok?¡± ¡°Okay, I think I am. Yes.¡± I was starting to get weird sympathy vibes. Argh. Feelings. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should be asking this, but I must. Why do you have so little? Are you, or were you an orphan?¡± He kept looking at me with that weird, I found an injured puppy look. ¡°Oh, yeah. Orphan. I was for a while yes.¡± I said, quickly adding, ¡°Though that¡¯s not why I don¡¯t have anything worthy of note.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m new to town, the continent really.¡± I continued, ¡°Mana storms a little while ago, sent me here. I¡¯m stuck here now, didn¡¯t quite get a chance to pack my things.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± His look of sympathy went up a few notches. As if it had become even more sad as I filled in that small gap. I was told mana storms frequently invoked strange magics and it was not uncommon to have people who were struck in the storm to be altered or transported elsewhere. The storms themselves were limited to only occurring once or twice a year at most. There were even times when the storms would be absent for a year or more. They were normally easy to predict as a purple haze would spread across the horizon days in advance allowing the people to prepare. The beast-folk of the world were actually just normal folks who were caught in a storm and somehow altered to include aspects of animal they were near. In my case it was a bit more extreme. Doogan had told me to mention the mana storms as an out for difficult questions as people would understand it and their own minds would produce a story to fit the line of questioning. ¡°No big deal.¡± I said mildly. It really was not a big deal, other than the thoughts of my method of travel I had no problems being popped from earth and delivered here. Isekai is popular for a reason, many people would love a fresh start in life. ¡°That could explain why you are so low in level. I¡¯d heard some people could be reduced to level one in the rarer cases of teleportation in a storm, but I had never thought to see such a sad case myself.¡± His explanation of the story in his head made me feel like I should be sad for myself. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯m alive and well. Now I am here and still well.¡± I said attempting to change the topic. ¡°What are we doing anyway?¡± I knew we were making some sort of trip and we would be stopping in a place called Melnor before we headed back. I also could kind of extrapolate that the Jaga Lake was not small. The town we were headed for was supposed to be nearly eighty miles west. Sure, that¡¯s two hours at a sedate highway speed drive back home but I was thinking that these loaded wagons would move a bit more slowly down the hard packed road. It would probably take two days more if the trip was somehow delayed on the road. ¡°I was told you needed a trip to see the sights and learn some of the local geography, it makes more sense now that I know you aren¡¯t from Talindrone. That¡¯s the name we have for this continent by the way.¡± He took another breath, ¡°Really though, starting at level one again must be rough. I would hate to lose my twenty levels merely because I had the misfortune of being caught in a mana storm.¡± He visibly shuddered as he finished speaking. It made sense why he had such sympathy for me now, and out of nowhere with it. If he thought I had lost a life worth of adventuring experience and all that invested time, several years¡¯ worth of levels and skills. Yeah, that would be a drag. ¡°I think we should make with the line there, Alex. I think our ride is getting ready to leave.¡± I said pointing behind the ever-talkative mister Ambridge. ¡°What?¡± he said following my gaze behind him. He was clever. As he finished his turn he started. The wagon train was just beginning to line up on the road. Animals harnessed, ropes creaking as they were pulled taut, tarps tied down, really all manner of cart like business had happened while we were talking about nothing but me. Some part of me was happy to have someone so focused on me and somewhat sympathetic but I also had a small nagging unease creep in as I remembered that most of what he felt sympathy for was a lie. The mana storm was true, but the details and the attached baggage were so much heavier than a planetary relocation. Emotions suck sometimes. During my rumination of mere seconds, I failed to follow directly behind Alex as he headed off, intent on us not being left behind. It was going to be swell travelling for days with these strangers, and the somewhat not-a-stranger, Alex. And so, I followed the leader toward the train of carts, wagons, and people. West-bound for the next town. Chapter 17 - Road to Melnor South Jaga City, Job Hall ¨C Year 1344, Month 1, Day 8. Spring Olea Munroe After the initial rush and confusion as to where we would be on the convoy, Alex found us a spot on a wagon near the middle of the train. I will say I was glad for the lumpy cushion that was my current seat at the rear of one of the wagons. The roads were smooth enough with all the traffic, but the occasional rut was always a jolt to the senses. There was that slow lift as the large wheel climbed a small mound of hard dirt before the cart dropped down the other side to hit the road hard with the weight of the merchants¡¯ goods. Yep, aside from that it was a smooth ride. Barely painful. I had already spent several hours on the wagon. It was nice at first, seeing the city fall shrink on the horizon as we trundled across the rolling plains that were so prevalent on the southern edge of the great lake. I saw fields of varied crops, some corn, some form of peas, a great many fields of wheat, and something resembling soy. I really wasn¡¯t the best judge. But that was it, no changes after leaving the city behind. Just more farms, occasionally these were broken up as we drove through a section of road that traversed nearly a mile of forested area at a time. I had asked why they didn¡¯t clear cut it all for an easier time of travel and the response came that these swaths of forest were left to supply small amounts of lumber and places to hunt forest game for the locals. I guess it made sense to keep some places open for alternate means of dietary sustenance, and lumber was useful. I found it almost worth thinking about. Now, I was content to watch the sky. It provided a much steadier source of chancing scenery. The big, fluffy clouds drifting lazily overhead. Most were a light gray though some on the northern horizon contained an ominous dark color. Those obviously carried the potential for a storm. I was thankful that I felt the wind blowing north-west, it would most likely keep us dry so long as that didn¡¯t change. A muddy road would most certainly make these occasional bumps extra annoying. ¡°Enjoying the trip?¡± came a questioning voice from behind me. I was sitting with my back to the rest of the wagon, but I had said hello to this woman a few hours ago after we had found our place. ¡°It¡¯s wonderful.¡± I said not bothering to look at the woman. I did not want to be rude but the last time I had tried turning my head and we hit a bump on the road I had felt something give a warning protest in my neck. I was not doing that again. Who wants to end up in a new world and then die suddenly because they broke their neck while sitting up in a wagon while sight-seeing. ¡°Are you going to be with the group for the whole trip?¡± she asked sweetly, she was really pushing the grandmotherly appeal. She had been sitting near the front next to a boy who appeared slightly younger than I was, though I looked closer to fifteen than I was. Why did I need to be a young elf I could have been an older looking elf, though I guess that would just lead to an older crowd of admirers. Or at least a more overt older crowd of admirers. ¡°Nah, we are leaving off in Melnor.¡± I said in response. ¡°A pity, we could use some newer faces and you are quite pretty. I was just telling my Thomas here that it would be wonderful if you stayed on for the full trip.¡± She continued speaking of the many grand traits their family possessed as I could swear, I felt the heat from poor Thomas¡¯ cheeks as they reddened. I could understand the desire to find ¡®friends¡¯ for your children and relatives but I don¡¯t think they were nearly as into the entire thing when they were younger. Then again, we were in a world where the average age of marriage was still in the pre-twenty category for most, while on earth that number was climbing close to forty if people ever did. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I put my mind my autopilot answering her inane questions with small non-answers as I stared up at the ever-flowing clouds. I had seen Brutus fly by on a few occasions carrying something that was most likely another rat. It was hard to tell as he was flowing quite high, though I did see the large brown object compressed in those thick claws. They had a steely glint to them; it would be quite intimidating if I did not know the beast to be such a wanton coward of situational manipulation. What did that mean? I don¡¯t know, but I had planned to eat that last meat pie. He was a thief. I took a break from cloud watching as the sky grew darker with the sun nearing the horizon. Looking further down the line of wagons, I saw Alex walking while keeping up conversation with some other passengers. I was quite jealous of his ability to walk at such a brisk pace and still have the wind for conversation. He would put mid-city speed walkers to shame with his gait. He didn¡¯t even need to use exaggerated elbow checks while doing so. Near the rear of the train a pair of men rode horseback with swords on their hips and short spears attached to leather straps on the saddle. They must be the muscle, should something serious happen. I had inquired earlier of another person on the wagon and had been told that they would likely not be needed as nothing would normally attack such a large wagon train and bandits did not normally frequent the more populous areas near the major towns and cities. As it was spring though, some larger creatures may still be lurking in unexpected places. It rarely hurts to be ready. The wagon I was seated upon began to slow. Curiously I looked about noticing that we were being led off the main road onto a small track of packed dirt that led to a spacious clearing. ¡°Coming around!¡± shouted a man near the lead wagon. This cry was taken up by a few other men, and many of the children. Learning through imitation, or some such thing. The clearing itself was just that, a clearing. The grass, where it grew, was sparse and kept short by grazing animals. There were four stone circles near the edges of the clearing with one in the center, probable sites of continued use as cookfires. Large trees of pine, oak, and a few elms circled the rear of the clearing as we were near a small, wooded area that covered maybe one hundred acres. The wagons and carts were led in a circle around the clearing like a snake eating its own tail. Once that was finished, the people leapt from their places atop the wagons quickly doing tasks taught them by rote. Pots were pulled out by the women and children while men pulled tidied up the outer edges of the clearing collecting wood for the cookfires. In no time at all a small city had sprung up. Tarps pulled taut over ropes staked into the ground provided shelter from the sky near each wagon. Fires quietly blazed in the cool evening air as the smoke trailed above. The smell of stew was heavy in the air. Soon enough the people were settled into smaller clusters, groups sharing similarly colored clothing having gathered nearer to one another. I had not noticed the divide earlier as everyone was separated by the wagons and situated into split into several differing roles amongst the train. It seemed that there were, judging by the colors, eight different groups among the merchants. I wondered briefly whether the division was familial or merely a representation of a different merchant faction, though I suspected it was a bit of both while also being more convoluted than I would care for, but it did make for quite the sight. There were some stragglers walking to and from each small gathering of people, visiting the various fires before taking a more distant route around the train, I suspected that they were the guardsmen hired on from outside groups. I also supposed I would fit into that latter category of strangers. Sure, I was here with Alex, and he seemed to know people, but it felt more like hanging out with a friend while that friend is entertaining his family and slew of closer friends. I was the fifth wheel in a party of people who had a more in-depth understanding of one another. Yeah, the last person invited to the barbeque that no one expected to show up but always did. That was me. ¡°Bah!¡± I¡¯d find myself something to do. As I completed that thought a small rumbling sound came from nearby. I needed food. Yep, food and then adventure! Chapter 18 - After Hours Stroll The Roads West of South Jaga City ¨C Year 1344, Month 1, Evening of the 8th. Spring Olea Munroe And so it was that I found myself in a strange camp full of strange people while travelling the strange lands of a new world. ¡®¡­Dramatic much?¡¯ ¡°Fine, fine.¡± I muttered to my inner party pooper, really days of quiet and then I asked a few questions and I inherit a running dialogue of my own inner critic forever. Blargh. I had spent the last hour or so meandering about chatting with some of the children about whose hats were more awesome or who deserved to win the specific ¡®my dog is betterer than your cat¡¯ argument that all unwise children have. The responsibility of being the older voice of objectivity is the same everywhere. I had to settle for complimenting both in a way that made them think their respective creature was better, no one wants to get into a dog versus cat argument. Not ever. Losing battle for all concerned. I had also learned that while traveling through the day most of these children had been in the wagons receiving verbal lessons from their older relatives, lessons that included reading and writing as well as trade routes and how to read some of the more archaic maps. They would even regale me with some of the finer points such as reading the marking stones and signposts used by the several countries. I asked them about their need to learn the other countries sign usage and then learned that a small few of the caravan members would often cross into the other territories as they reached adulthood and joined on with different wagon trains as they joined into other families. Apparently, they were the world¡¯s equivalent of gypsies. Though probably less the mischievous jongleur and more traveling vacuum salesman. Afterward I had grown tired of the social exercises that are often involved in dealing with so many people from the same background as discussions would always revolve around only a few topics and without the addition of more than one outside the conversations rarely deviated into something I could easily get behind. I needed to take a walk and get some air. And so, I started my wandering in a small circle inside the wagons, spying innocently in on these happy folks as they carried on in their practiced routines. I envied them in a way, my own family was missing for most of my formative years. This is not me lamenting some great loss or waxing on the injustice of it all; the fact of the matter is that I never had it to miss in the first place, not until much later. I would rather not get lost in self-pity, down that road lies only more sadness, this I know. After a little more than one full circle around the inner camp I squeezed on through to the outer ring between a large water barrel and a pile of rope. ¡°Hey, you. Girl.¡± Came a voice in the shadow of a nearby wagon. ¡°Huh, me?¡± ¡°Yes, you. Come over here, let me have a good look at you.¡± Looking around, I was assured that we were not alone, several of the people whom I believed to be in the position of guard for the convoy were making regular rounds in opposing circles around the exterior of the wagons, just beyond the light of the torches. It would not do for my personage to suffer some injustice at the hands of a creepy old man. Not judging the man, he didn¡¯t seem creepy at all in his brightly colored clothes, but that line of phrase sets off some bells in the back of my twenty-first century mind, old habits. ¡°What¡¯s the deal?¡± I asked into the shadows, the lights from nearby lanterns and torches were limited to only lighting his bright pants, shoes, as well as the tails at the bottom of his blue jacket. He was totally dressed like a Barnum and Bailey circus ring master. ¡°Deal? You knew?¡± ¡°Of course, I knew. Your voice told me everything!¡± I scoffed in mock indignation. ¡®Noone believes that¡­¡¯ came the inner Jiminy cricket. ¡°Is that so? Well then what do you say to this? I heard you mention you are without means of self-defense, something about a knife, eh?¡± ¡°I do seem to remember mentioning that earlier, what¡¯s the point?¡± If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. With great deliberateness the man turned about, exaggerating his movements for either flair or just to not scare the little girl that I was. He flipped a few latches on the side of what I assumed was his wagon and revealed a small rack displaying several shiny blades with hafts of varying thickness. ¡°I happen to be a procurer of fine blades and weapons of the sharpened variety. Would you per chance indulge me in an offer?¡± His face split into a wide grin as his show wound down. ¡°Maybe, what did you have in mind?¡± He reached to the lower shelf inside the opened display and pulled out a wrapped sheath with a tanned bone handle jutting from the top. After looking up and around to ensure the attention of my inner squirrel mind, he twirled about with his blue coattails swinging to rap against the side of the wagon causing a drum-like tattoo of sound to emanate from the collision. I was betting this was on purpose. ¡°I have this. A small knife crafted for use in closer combat, it is made of middle quality steel which while not a selling point does help to ensure that us wee common folk can afford it without signing away our first-born children.¡± He made to hand me the sheath as he continued. ¡°The bone handle carved from the leg of a boar native to the area; it is strong, durable, and easily gripped. Also, and this is unconfirmed but being that the animal bone was harvested early it should hold well to any enchantment you wish, if you can afford it in the future.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± was my reply as I unwrapped the straps and pulled the blade free. It was a sturdy thing, that I did not doubt. It was also somewhat pretty in a death delivering kind of way, beautifully simple and elegant. The bone handle also fit well in my smaller hands. I sensed some observation skill at work, did merchants have some odd profession skill to size people up or was this just some issue that could be related to a long life sizing up clients. Meh, future pondering required. His grin became broader as he saw me gripping the handle, I felt like such a sucker as I asked. ¡°Price?¡± ¡°Ahh, a price for that blade. ¡®Tis hard to place a price on safety, eh? ¡°Come off it, it¡¯s getting sold. You already won, what do you want for it?¡± I never really picked up on the desire to haggle. I might beg a lower price if something was priced far too high but the back and forth never really pulled me in like it could with some of my more fiscally inclined peers. ¡°That knife there, I can see leaving my wagon for six small silver and one copper.¡± I was still new in this world, but I was catching on to the coin of the realm. I was estimating the trade off between worlds put the copper at roughly a dollar. I am saying roughly as I do not think this economy suffers the woes of inflation, no paper money meant that the cost of materials involved was always worth the currency it represented. So, with all that considered I think the price of sixty-one dollars would equal the six small silver and a copper piece. Again, I am no expert, but it seemed close to right as I know a well worked knife on earth could fetch that price at most local Flea Markets. Yes, those traps of society were still around when I left the world. ¡°That seems reasonable,¡± I said, ¡°The sheath is included, yes?¡± ¡°No, tis a showing piece only. It would cost extra, two more small silver.¡± ¡°How about I give you eight and keep my copper, that doesn¡¯t seem unfair does it.¡± His eyebrows shot up, probably at my lack of haggling spirit. I was hoping these people were not the kind to begrudge someone who did not give them their haggling fix. Maybe the were awarded some experience for the endeavor, who knew. ¡°I find the terms acceptable.¡± He smiled and held out his hand as I fumbled at my belt strap to retrieve the coinage. After I had fished out my large silver piece and handed it over, he flicked his wrist and made my coin disappear while twisting his other hand around to reveal two small silvers and four copper pieces. ¡°Uh.¡± Seeing my confusion, the man simply smiled again before saying, ¡°It is a small discount, a gift if you will. I confess to hearing more of your earlier conversations. Mana storms cause such problems in the world at times and to be so far from home is always painful and sad, as one who has lost friends to these events, I will make an allowance for this one purchase.¡± ¡°Thank you, then. I do hope you forgive me for running off now. I had planned on exploring a bit before I sleep.¡± I felt almost obligated to stay and hear about some of this man¡¯s experiences but at the same time I really had meant to go explore a little and maybe have some fun. I was sure I would see him again tomorrow and said as much. ¡°We can talk some tomorrow, compare stories?¡± ¡°That would be delightful. Look for my wagon then and you can ride up front.¡± He cast me a knowing gaze as he patted his hand on the soft cushioned rider¡¯s seat above, ¡°I am sure you would appreciate it.¡± I was laughing a little as I left, knowing full well that if he had noticed some of the others would also have taken notice of my obvious discomfort. I wondered idly if they saw me as lesser for my lack of fortitude. Bah, no matter! I walked on, heading for the forest, not directly mind you, I did not want to end up lost in the woods like some two-bit hack in a children¡¯s story. I walked through the forest within sight of the road we arrived on, skirting the edges where the trees were well spaced and small shrubbery thrived. There were small saplings sprouting up here and there sporting small green and yellow buds as new growth began. The trees overhead were similarly adorned, though some had sprouted fuller leaves by now, a testament to their more established roots. I would occasionally hear soft hoots or the rustling of leaves, and even the flap of wings in the night. The sun had set only a short time ago, but out here away from the city walls and a good distance from the circle of fires my only source of light came from the riot of stars above and a pale glowing moon. It was as these thoughts took me that I realized how late it must be and how tired I had begun feeling, it also did not help that the air still had an early spring chill sitting heavily upon it at night. Why did I leave the warm circle of fires without a proper coat. I turned back to head for camp then, walking back in the direction of camp when, of course, I heard a branch snap. A branch, not a twig. Great. Chapter 19 - Something Mooves in the Night The Roads West of South Jaga City ¨C Year 1344, Month 1, Evening of the 8th. Spring Olea Munroe The noise seemed as if it echoed through the forest to my right just ahead, between me and where I was thinking the gypsy camp was located, yeah, they were merchants, but I couldn¡¯t help but compare them to those earlier times on Earth where gypsy bands would travel about causing mischief or living as freely as they could and being accused of causing mischief. Eye of the beholder on that one. ¡°Great.¡± ¡®Might I suggest we hide; those trees look splendid. Running would be a nice second option.¡¯ ¡°Nah, fairly sure it knows we are here and running in the dark is likely to end badly. Also, how are you seeing?¡± I had known my little chatterbox could somehow sense things nearby in my thoughts, but I had not thought it could see things as I saw them, I hoped help-chan didn¡¯t turn into some weird peeping AI or something. ¡®I gain more perception in the wider world as you advance, I do remember telling you that my powers and knowledge would return as you grew. This is part of that, I can see through your eyes without the distraction that causes your own observations to be lacking.¡¯ ¡°Rude to answer my questions while insulting me.¡± The nerve of some people No sooner had I finished the statement than a large number of white, red, brown, and black forms rounded the bend. It was a herd of cattle. ¡°Just a bunch of cows.¡± I had been scared for nothing it would seem. This whole wilderness thing must have been warping my imagination. Having overcome my false sense of danger, I decided to march onward. I¡¯d give the cows some distance so as not to spook them but, meh. Cows. ¡°Ha!¡± I¡¯d still get back early enough to not worry Alex if he even noticed me missing and maybe find a way to get more of that stew and get a place to sleep. ¡°Mooooooooooooooooo.¡± I looked up at the source of the bovine sound in time to see the cows all look in my direction, like, all of them. Each and every cow was staring at me as if I had just ordered a load of veal nuggets while giving some chickens a high-five. As I began to get bad vibes from the steaks-on-legs, I decided to assess my new toys. I let my mana flow through my body, or rather I focused on its flow. The stuff was always moving about, though without conscious thought and applied will it didn¡¯t really follow a noticeable pattern of any kind that I could discern. I focused my intent and my desire as help-chan had instructed me during our days travel, I was so focused I ignored the small mental comment of ¡®Would you stop calling me that.¡¯ It came across as more a statement as I am sure no one would think I¡¯d stop using such an easy to remember name. Getting back to my train of intent I called up three of my spells, the first was Armor, it felt somewhat tickly as the mana flowing through my body exited at various points near several of my body¡¯s joints as well as some softer area simultaneously. Like a cloud of feathers just tore through the air and touched my body in passing, and then it shifted, stretched, and flexed. I could feel the tough membrane across my body as I willed the spell¡¯s information into my vision. Armor: This spell temporarily imbues the target creature with an increase in physical damage resistance. Used on existing armor it will give a small increase to durability, this effect is permanent on items and caution is urged. Bonus applied is based on the combined Wisdom and Intelligence of the caster at the time of casting. Next up I channeled more mana into the second spell, Detect Magic. Again, my skin got tingly as the mana mobilized and then locked into a spell form. A small symbol flashed in the air around me visible to me probably because of the nature of the spell, my eyes felt strained for a moment before it subsided which was weird because I did not know the eyes could pick up tactile sensations. I took in the world around me as things became a little Extra. Detect Magic: This ability grants a spell to allow the caster to detect magical energies imbued in objects, creatures, and even the very air. Colors and patterns can help discern the nature of many magical spells and items. Spell effectiveness increases with the level of Magical Attributes, tier of Piety, and tier of Arcana. I guess it was not just for the eyes, I mean, I could see the flowing energies in the area, yeah. But now I could also feel it caress the exposed skin of my body like a hazy breeze of rainbow light brushing my senses. It¡¯s not easy for me to explain it all as anything more than a vague sensation of almost water and almost wind hitting me at the same time except, I could feel the colors and flavors of the magic in the immediate area with every part of my body. It became vaguer at a distance, like heat on the pavement it kind of bent the magic light before dissipating away. One thing I did notice with my new vision was that the mana around the herd of angry bovine was a distinctly ugly red black. Like the festering wound of trauma patients, it warped and twisted in on itself before undulating outward, the closest thing I could think of was that the mana around them seemed to move like the inner orbs of a lava lamp with no specific part keeping the same size and shape for more than a single rotation. ¡°Nope.¡± Not normal cows, I wanted no part of this. I channeled more mana as I cast Wind Walk. This time I did not get that cool tickle along the skin. I instead felt the mana leave my body, a large chunk of it just oozed out from my pores like a cold sweat that forms for no reason all over. Immediately after I could sense the air, and thanks to the overlap from Detect Magic I could also taste the wind. Very, very odd. I could also sense that I had a small amount of say in what the wind near me did, I doubted I could form a projectile out of my little slice of the sky, but it did feel as if the potential was there for more. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Wind Walk: This spell creates a field of moderate wind control for use by the wielder. It can be subtly altered by the target of the spell to shift the winds and allow for faster movement while lowering stamina consumption. Unlike other spells you will benefit from both Intelligence and Wisdom while receiving minor bonuses from your overall Dexterity and Constitution. There it is, strange how it uses multiple stats for the single ability, but I could totally see myself going all glass cannon and then accidentally ripping myself apart in flight if I got carried away, I may want to balance my body¡¯s toughness before I do any serious wind warping magical ninja flight. Wait a minute, I got two ranks of this spell. ¡°What gives?¡± ¡®I was waiting so as not to stress your brain, you savage.¡¯ I was about to retort but then saw the magical information flash across my vision. Rank Two: Your skill now invokes a passive benefit whereas you may expend a portion of your mana regeneration to maintain a lessening of your weight. Not unlike gravity magic, this will allow you to somewhat alleviate the pull on your body by external forces, be they natural or other. Further decreases the Stamina cost of many actions. Passively increases control over the magics of Wind and Air. ¡°Hrmn.¡± I did a quick little jump in place, yep definite weight reduction. I had meant to only do a small bunny hop but somehow my vertical clearance was nearly two feet off the ground. No effort dunking, I like. Of course, the cows were not idle as they had gotten much closer to me by this time, I really should try focusing more on my surroundings. They looked very hostile at this distance; a mere forty feet separated me from the hamburger brigade, and I was running out of time to make my escape. ¡°Time to go.¡± I turned and ran feeling the air shift with my change in direction as I sprinted away like a true warrior of discretion. I heard the cows behind me take up a run as I was no longer waiting for them to arrive, I wondered if they had thought I would remain there and be eaten or stampeded or some other such thing. Nope. My hair was whipping behind me as I ran faster than I remember being able to run, ¡°Wind Walk is bloody amazing!¡± It was at this time as I was making my escape that I couldn¡¯t not help but celebrate me new spells when I heard the ominous sound of doom ahead. ¡°Moooooooooooooo!¡± came the long-drawn-out battle cry of a large bovine beefcake from the forest tree line to my right. I turned my head keeping my feet beneath me even as I was only half paying attention to the ground ahead and saw a large red and brown spotted cow flying at me from the dense foliage, not running fast, FLYING! It was one of those ludicrous imaginings of a world so completely foreign to my previous one that I was caught flat footed. Time seemed to slow as I saw the cow hurtling toward me in a line parallel to the ground spinning like a top with its eyes focused straight on me, I swear I saw milk spraying outward in a white liquid parody of a water wheel gone mad as the crazed cow approached in a rush. I attempted to stop in place and instead tripped on a perfectly positioned rock under foot sending me stumbling through the air with my slightly reduced weight making me maintain my forward airtime just long enough to collide with the whirlwind of farm raised flesh. ¡°Gah! That REALLY hurt!¡± I had to confess my pain to the world as our two bodies collided. I was thrown from my forward trajectory and went careening sideways in a spin of my own and could not help but catch a glimpse of the foul beast as it did a pirouette upon landing in the soft dirt of the road. Just, how. After landing on a broken branch, or rather after picking myself up from atop some branches that had broken as I fell upon them, I took a quick survey of my surroundings. The road was ahead, upon it was the cow now on all fours again and looking at my hungrily. I have no idea where cows are on the food chain in this world but there is no way I am going to go down without a fight or at least a very climactic chase. I patted my hip and felt that my knife was still there, not doing any good before I pulled it from its sheath and gripped it in my right hand. Now armed I looked back up the road, the cow that had tackled me was patiently waiting as I had yet to move after my forceful relocation, instead content to wait for its fellows as they were mere moments from arriving. A sound of breaking branches and heavy movement from behind caused my mind to misfire briefly as I realized that the cow-turned-ballerina was not alone while waiting ahead of the other cattle. There was a right proper herd in the forest behind me, I¡¯d been well and truly trapped by several tons of hamburger. I dug in my heels, or soles as I do not think my soft leather boots had much in the way of parts other than the leather string and a few stitched edges. Never was a shoe girl. I sprinted up the small rise to the road committing the whole of my strength to a jump to assist in my withdrawal, I got much better airtime with this attempt as I found myself nearly eight feet from the ground. And obviously the spinning diva was expecting my attempt at escape from this pickle as she launched herself forward to give chase. To my dismay I was easily outpaced as the red devil ran under my airborne form and turned in place by planting its forward feet and raising it rear legs to spin about in the air and bleed off extra momentum as she looked up at me with a murderous gleam in her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s not fair!¡± was all I had the time to shout as I descended toward the waiting cow, it flashed its sharp, obviously carnivorous, teeth my way and that was when I knew I had seriously screwed up. I¡¯ll never leave a cozy gypsy camp alone again if I make it out of this somehow. ¡°CAW-CAW!¡± I felt a solid THWOCK in my rib cage as a feathery black mass of crow struck me in the side. WE, my most favorite of birds and I, landed all a-jumble barely feet from the perplexed cow. The small hit from my valiant friend sent me off course with my reduced weight enough to save me from being a Shis kebab but it was obvious I was in danger, and I doubted my bird friend would survive either. Such a valiant effort from a bird I barely tolerated, and too seldom appreciated. I grunted out a small thanks to my savior and received a labored attempt at squawking in return. So courageous. ¡°I guess this is where it ends, eh Brutus?¡± Another pitiful squawk, we were in perfect agreement. I managed to get my feet under me again channeling Cure Wounds through both hands as I gripped my own left wrist while my right hand held my bird-buddy. Until that moment I did not know that I could use the spell like this, but it seemed to work just fine for about two seconds, my small cuts and scrapes disappeared, and my feathered friend regained it¡¯s footing before taking flight as I felt the spell cease with my mana levels tanking. I was only just starting to get distracted with the specifics of my rapid mana depletion while dual casting my low-end healing spell when I was struck from behind by a truck. My body buckled and bent as the impact drove me forward before whatever had assaulted me halted its forward progress to send me flying into a large tree where I stopped abruptly with a CRACK. I felt my ribs painfully scraping at my insides as I took a sharp breath while I looked at the world upside down and through a curtain of fading light. In the well-trod road occupying a space I was just forcefully removed from stood a large bull of crimson spotted with a sickly purple. Its horns were glowing a shade of green and seemed to be wet with something red. It would seem that I had been gored, and as that thought struck me, I could feel through the shock that; yes, I was indeed leaking vital fluids from a spot that may or may not have just missed piercing a kidney. The bull tossed its head left and right as it ran its steel grey hooves across the ground tearing deep furrows into the earth, I would not be making it out of this one. ¡°I wonder if I¡¯ll have another go at it when I pass this time.¡± Was all the speech I could muster as my vision kept swimming in the gloom of near unconsciousness. It was then, as I was sure of my imminent death that the expected happened. A large figure stepped from the tree to my right, silhouetted in shadow and wielding an axe the size of a door to a famous uncle¡¯s station wagon. In my stupor I will not say that I was ashamed of muttering, ¡°Get ¡®em Buck.¡± Chapter 20 - A Strangers Boon The Roads West of South Jaga City ¨C Year 1344, Month 1, Night of the 8th. Spring Olea Munroe You have received a party invitation from John. Party invitation accepted. ¡°Hold still now, lass.¡± Said the axe wielding giant. I am not sure what he expected me to do aside from falling sideways as I did just that, the world reorienting me as gravity asserted itself. I believe my Wind Walk passive must have faded with the loss of my last point of mana. ¡°Steady now, steady.¡± He said slowly while he placed a hand on the shoulder of my prone body. I could hear the herd of beasties gathering somewhere behind the man as he calmed me like a spooked child. You have been affected by Boon of the Boar. + 20% to Constitution. + 20% to Health regeneration rates. Duration 8 Hours. You have been affected by Boon of the Bear. + 20% to Strength + 20% to Stamina regeneration rates. Duration 8 Hours. You have been affected by Boon of the Ox. + 20% to damage resistance. + 10% to all regeneration rates. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Duration 8 Hours. You have been affected by Shamanic Regeneration. Health regeneration will not be suppressed by physical wounds. Duration eight hours. ¡°Wha-.¡± ¡°Shh, calm down child.¡± Came the interruption from the large man. My vision had stopped swimming as his spells took effect. ¡°That¡¯s about it for anything I can do to help you not die, aside from the next little bit. You stay here and I¡¯ll go clean up Apathy¡¯s mess.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure who Apathy was, but that buffing bomb seemed to be helping quite a bit. I would be sure to visit that list of Boons once I was sure I would live through the night. The pain was still there, still bleeding though I could see my health bar slowly refilling. Sitting at a frightening thirty of seventy-five, looking back I noticed that I had come dangerously close to zero only moments after impacting the tree. I was beginning to grow curious as to how I survived my flight and the sudden impact against the tree when a buzzing came through the fog of my slowed thoughts. ¡®The effects of your Wind Walk spell lowering your overall mass combined with Armor¡¯s damage resistance effect reduced the damage from the hit that was inflicted from the impact from both the bull and the tree substantially. You received fifty damage from the bull after what I calculate as a sixty percent reduction from various magical multipliers as well as fifteen damage upon impact with the tree. You then bled off four health while sitting there under your laurels.¡¯ Oh, yeah. That seemed like enough of a magical science explanation for my liking. Nearly being one shot was quite shocking to the mind though, I¡¯d been kind of treating this life a bit flippantly lately. Being cajoled and taken care of by others just a tad bit aside from my little rat slaying adventures had left me with a slightly skewed image of the dangers I could face outside of the carefully controlled city I had been born into. ¡®Had the bull used any enhancements other that Toss Idiot or had he hit you in a vital spot you would have died instantly. Do be more careful as my image would be marred by your idiocy in such an event.¡¯ Sorry, sorry. Sheesh. Wait a minute! You made that skill up, come on. ¡®It was apt, though you should focus more on current events and stop trying to defend your irresponsible actions. Don¡¯t pass out.¡¯ Right. Focus! I could maybe do that. I watched from my near prone position against a tree with a limited view of the wide area in front of me. The road, up a small bank was now sporting a long caravan of angry bovine beasties. There were almost no shrubs between this tree and the area before me, just areas of rough scree along the ditch and tall tufts of stubborn grass. I could feel a light mist of rain on my face as John traced a small circle around my tree-chair with his weighty axe. Deep furrows were cut along in an almost perfect circle, though I did notice how his axe left not a scratch on the tree¡¯s roots and the grass would sort of split away as if reversing a knit-stroke the entire time he pulled his weapon along. Circle complete, John knelt and muttered something that sounded like Ward before standing. A vibrant orange light spotted with bits of green, brown, and blue spring up along the path in the ground and I watched as John walked away, axe resting on his shoulder as he strutted, totally a strut, up toward the mass of beef before me. Chapter 21 - John the Lumberjack The Roads West of South Jaga City ¨C Year 1344, Month 1, Night of the 8th. Spring Olea Munroe It says something about my state of mind that I failed to realize during the entire time I was limply lying against the tree, that John was wearing plaid, PLAID. Sure, the light was low, but I did not believe I had seen anyone exercising that level of stereotypical dress the entire time I had been in this world. I¡¯m sure I will someday, but this was the first, a first in a new world for me at least. It could have been the continued loss of blood from a hole in my body bleeding far more than anyone had a right to, it could have been the rain. Who could say? One thing I was certain of is that I had been saved in the middle of a forest from a group of wild beasts by a plaid-wearing lumberjack named John. He had a mid-length beard somewhat unevenly cut, a square jaw and thick brows hiding his finer facial features in the shadow of early night. And he was wearing a red and black checker-pattern shirt over thick trousers of some black material, probably leather. ¡®Really?¡¯ ¡°Yes, really. Now let me watch in peace before I pass out.¡± I shot quietly to my erstwhile stowaway. ¡®Not a stowaway.¡¯ ¡°CAWW!¡± I was slightly startled by the sound of my birdy buddy; I had no idea he hadn¡¯t left or been killed. I could not see where he was perched from my view on the ground, but I was relatively certain it was just above me in the tree. I ignored them both as I watched John walking calmly up to the oncoming horde. I had been waylaid by the large female and plowed through by the large bull, but I had no idea there were so many of the mad milk machines running around in the woods. This seemed to be far from a normal night¡¯s worth of monsters. John¡¯s footfall sounded like heavy logs hitting the hard ground from afar, occasionally accented by a rumble from the sky above. I had not thought the sky was quite so dark and troubled before I had seen the monsters, and I had not even noticed it while fleeing afterward. There were fierce winds blowing in and I could feel the occasional fat drop on my head. Fantastic. I hated being wet, well I hated being wet while not being able to enjoy whatever activity had made it so, swimming, running through the rain, water-gun fights, that kind of thing. My attention was refocused on the scene ahead as a lone cow barreled down the small slope toward my savior. He just rolled his shoulder and pulled forward with his left hand dragging his large axe over with a casual slash. The cow was forced to the side with the impact of the blow, the axe having cut a not so clean slice through most of its chest, and front legs. John had discounted the bovine as soon as he swung the axe, confident in his weapon and his swing. He set foot on the road and seemed to survey the surrounding mass of bodies moving in, there were cows coming from east and west along the road. They seemed to be gathering around the two from earlier, the ones with the odd coloring. A sound not quite like thunder began to echo out across the area, and though it took me a few moments, I realized it was the sound of laughter, John was laughing at the cows. And the cows did not like it, they also did not seem to like it when he said something, barely a sentence or two before it was carried away by the wind. I could not hear it myself. Yeah, I know. Trust me I wanted to know how to piss off a group of angry cows too, but I think the weather, my distance from the fight, and possibly a concussion was getting in the way of my ability to properly observe and describe the scene before me. ¡°Charge.¡± Was a word I could make out from the man before me as his word carried this time a weight of power. His blade swung wide upward as his feet carried him toward the waiting animals before he lowered it with a mighty swing. His blade tore through the four or more cows near the front of the group around the larger cow. An impressive feat but that was only four of what I am going to lazily sum up near thirty. The sheer weight of numbers and meat he would need to slice was quite heavy. ¡°Mudslide.¡± Came the next word from John. The earth below the cows looked to soften as his word, and with the small passive affect of my Detect Magic seemingly still in action I could see motes of brown and green mana moving in a flowing pattern through the earth within thirty feet or so of the axe-wielding man. Impressive crowd control. Mooing broke out as the cows tried to free themselves with fancy hoof-work only to press their opposite feet further into the mud while John¡¯s axe rose and fell with the wind. I could see at least eight new bodies falling as he waded deeper into the mess, the earth below his own feet seeming to solidify at his touch. Maybe a passive to his earlier skill, like my own Wind Walk? I would need to remember that one too. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. The leader of the cows, cow queen maybe, yep that was her name for now. She seemed to be issuing orders now. Two group of cows outside the range of the spell went in either direction to flank the lumberjack, and I must admit advanced tactics from the wildlife did not instill in me a desire for new adventures anytime soon. John only looked in both directions unconcerned as he cut down once again, removing another obstacle from the board. Several cows were gaining traction in the deepening mud as they charged forward even as the two other groups spun to close. ¡°CAW!?¡± ¡°Earthen Spike.¡± The word whispered from the mountain of muscle and violence as the ground at his feet produced a shard of rock from beneath his feet to send him sailing upward as several cows collided with the jagged edges. Bones crunched and I could see a few small splashes of red from where I was. The dirt of the road was beginning to take on a look of dark clay, the blood pouring freely from so many carcasses. As John reached the pinnacle of his forward arc he swung his axe down, around, and then up in some odd display of prowess. I personally thought he was using the flashy movements to right himself in the air, classic cover-up. He came down upon the head of another cow, his weight forcing the large beast to fall as he brought his axe down in an orchestrated arc cutting through the torrent of rain to bisect the cow behind his steppingstone. Two bulls ran from each side of the man as he lifted his axe or tried to lift his axe. The blade seemed to have lodged itself in the ground. John looked both ways before he simply jumped forward over the large blade usings its mass as an anchor to fuel his leap. The bulls halted digging deep furrows in the earth before they could smash into one another even as John used his forward momentum and considerable mass to pull his axe free at the end of his jump. He landed in a circle of cows the seemed as bewildered as could be, not expecting the man to have survived so long and to also have penetrated their inner ranks. John did not hesitate. ¡°Giant Strength.¡± The words were followed by a tightening of the air around him as he seemed to swell with power. I was starting to see how this whole thing would end, I had found a hidden master. The cows regained focus and began to spin in place on their front legs, I had seen this move already. Round-cow Kick incoming. ¡°Cleave. Sweep.¡± Apparently feeling no need to hide his use of skills he intoned two more words that were followed by his blade swinging in a wide arc as it took on a red hue, a line of blue gray could be seen in its wake. The blade took one cow after another, each in a different position as they tried to execute their combat maneuvers they were simply not as fast as John. I assumed the Cleave was a skill for impact and the Sweep skill was something that could aid the attack across multiple bodies if it worked. Help-chan would probably fill me in later. The effect was devastating in practice. There were now several more bodies in the piles accumulating on the road. The two bulls that had begun building momentum to charge after John¡¯s earlier stunt almost seemed to falter in their steps as the carnage unfolded, no doubt they had intended to land a surprise attack as the man defended, parried, dodged, or blocked the attacks from the cow maidens. Nope, not this guy. Who needs defense when a good axe-swing will just murder everything trying to hit you. With an almost contemptuous look upon his face John charged the running bulls dropping his axe low and bringing it up to take one of the bulls around the neck with his blade and use it as a fulcrum almost to swing around and up giving a sharp pull as his hit the apex to separate the head from the body. He made a leap from his new perch on the haunches of the falling beast and tore into the other bull from the side shattering ribs and opening the beast up through its massive side. As soon as he landed John kicked off the ground taking a line directly to the queen ahead of him. This is where the villain would normally have some dastardly ability revealed to slow the hero but nothing like that happened. John merely passed the side of the queen with axe raised and extended to the side and the head of the queen fell slowly to the road. ¡°Moooooooooooooooooo!¡± came the cry from the other group of bovine baddies. The large bull, king cow I will call him, saw the loss of his partner, and seemed to darken to the color of a sanguine cocktail. The roiling energy I could discern with my fading visual passive was disturbing, it almost seemed to sicken the world around it with a foul taint. John shouted something as the thunder boomed overhead, the storm had gotten worse. Spiffy. This challenge had apparently been enough to enrage the bull further as he and his entire entourage of maybe another twenty cattle charged as one for the lone man. A thunderous wailing echoed out into the forest. ¡°Moooo!¡± I would have been somewhat frightened at the thought of several tons of cow headed toward me at speed, but John seemed to find it humorous. He laughed in the face of this new threat as he hefted his axe skyward. The mana seemed to surge around the man as he stared skyward, the clouds circling in a vortex of black and gray. With a deliberate and focused swing, the axe came down, almost in slow motion as I heard John utter some new words. ¡°Call Lightning.¡± And call the lightning he did, the axe hit the road as forks and lances of pure light smote the earth. The cow king was blown to bits as his body was struck with a bolt that looked as thick as a tree, the smaller cows meeting similar fates all along the road as the heavens delivered their payload. As the last of the cows died, I saw John¡¯s shoulders droop slightly, maybe having dismissed his Giant¡¯s Strength spell as I saw the mana around him still. He looked about the area with a measuring gaze before uttering another few words to invoke his last skill. ¡°Create Campfire.¡± At these words every corpse within the vicinity began to smolder and smoke, flames began sprouting up all along the road as the fire took hold, not caring for the rain or the copious puddles of blood as it ravaged the field taking fires due. I was in awe of this one-man army as he stood there surveying the damage around him, other than a few furrows and a couple of ruts that were quite a bit deeper than most wagons would cause the road was somewhat smoother than it had been, an effect of Mudslide maybe? It was impressive and I could not help but wonder what level of monster this lumberjack was. And as I was starting to seriously consider donning my own set of plaids and leading the solitary life of mastering the woodsman¡¯s arts, I heard a distinctly unpleasant sound. CRACK. I looked up as the large branch above me gave under the weight of the storm and fell toward me. ¡°Well poo.¡± Was all the wit I could muster as I felt the impact and my world faded to black. Chapter 22 - Morning After A Cabin in the Forest ¨C Year 1344, Month 1, Morning of the 10th. Spring Olea Munroe So, I woke up. Good sign, that. I cannot believe I survived being gored by a bull and smashed into a tree only to fall victim to an errant tree branch. ¡°Argh.¡± I moaned to myself, unsure if I had an audience. I was unsure of even where I was now. Looking around I could see four simple wooden walls with no windows and only one door on the opposite wall. I was currently upright on a bed, more a bench for sleeping really. The roof was a crisscross of beams covered with rough, dark planks while the floor was smoothed with age and wear. A small broom rested in an open closet near the door along the far wall. There were obvious pegs at the top of the closet for hanging clothing or bags maybe¡­ I did not know. Motes of dust were drifting in the warm air near the door, visible by the light sliding through the opening in the door. ¡°Any idea what happened, Help-chan?¡± I quizzed my faithful mind-pet. ¡®I do not believe I need to answer that question, Miss Munroe. You were obviously struck dumb by a tree, no challenging task for the tree but you did survive. As to what happened next; you were unconscious and so I had an extremely limited ability to sense your surroundings.¡¯ ¡°Okay, barely hidden insult aside¡­ where am I?¡± My thoughts were still coming a little slow thanks in no small part to my probable concussion. Or was I just lethargic because of the gnawing hunger that I could feel eating at my backbone, I had not been this hungry since I was a child. Meh, stories for another time. Injuries, yes, I was injured. I felt along my stomach and back, up both arms, down the legs. Afterward I began feeling through my short hair and checking other places. It would seem that I still have a horrible hole in my back currently bandaged over, several small cuts along the extremities and lots of varying choices for bruise coloration. And I needed a BATH! ¡°Eww.¡± I had also not been this gross since my second rat clearing operation. I began to channel Cure Wounds through my hands as I stretched side to side in an effort to hug myself, reaching for the wiggly tears along my back. The itching became quite severe as I felt my flesh ripple and slowly grow together, though at the same time I could feel myself growing sleepier. And hungrier. Dammit, I had forgotten what Master Doogan had said. ¡°Excessive use of low tier healing magic will result in fatigue and hunger as your body facilitates the healing by expending nutrients and stamina.¡± I think I quoted that almost close to accurately enough. Probably. ¡°And here I had thought you would sleep forever.¡± Came a gruff voice from behind the door, I had not even heard the man approaching the cabin, shack, wherever I was. ¡°Mind if I enter, I happened to sense the ambient magic moving and figured you must be awake.¡± ¡°Umm¡­¡± ¡°Simple question child.¡± Came the voice from the other side of the door, a door not thin but surely not enough to stop the man if he had ill intention. And he bandaged me up, even if poorly done those spells surely saved my life. ¡°I¡¯ve got food.¡± ¡°Come in!¡± Food is good. Even bad food is typically good enough. At that the man pushed open the door while I sat up a little straighter on the rough bench. The door creaked just a small amount, well-oiled or well-made. The timber beneath the mans feet squeaked in protest as he walked across to sit beside me on a bench on the adjacent wall. He carried a small wooden platter of steaming tubers and fish, sans heads. I tore my eyes from the delicious sight before me to study the man a little more, last nights lighting was in no way conducive to a clear view. He still wore that immaculate plaid shirt tucked into those ridiculous leather pants. His jaw was chiseled and firm under a lumberjack¡¯s beard with a neat moustache shaking under his nose as his face shifted between several expressions as he studied me in turn. He had that dark brown-almost-black hair, rugged and possibly cut with a knife. ¡°Help yourself, you look hungry.¡± He said as he leaned forward and rested the platter beside me on the bench, I noticed his face had decided to set into a firm scowl as he leaned onto his own bench. ¡°While you eat you could share a little bit about yourself. Mostly the reasoning for being out in the forest, alone, near midnight, and at such a low level that a fox could finish your life if it were feeling anxious.¡± I let the frown show a little on my face before I smiled and started not so daintily munching on something that looked like a carrot-potato. ¡°I was just exploring a bit, it got darker and so I was headed back to the merchant camp to sleep. I did not expect to be visited by the walking cow-level.¡± Honestly, I had planned to return, and I may have lost sense of time for a little while but who could really fault me for not knowing that a horde of deadly bovines were stalking the countryside. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°Cow level?¡± ¡°The herd of bovine monster things, of course.¡± ¡°Ahh, them.¡± His face took on a contemplative look as he closed his eyes, in thought perhaps. I continued eating, even lacking spices, the food was good and warm. It was also doing wonders for my energy levels as I did not feel quite so dead inside after the first few bites. A few moments passed with me eating and John patiently sitting there. He was likely just giving me time to eat so he did not have to watch me wolfing down the food while he tried talking to me. He should have brought less food. A few more moments passed before John opened his eyes again, looking thoughtful. ¡°You could likely not have helped with the monster encounter; no. I believe they would have found you even had you stayed in the camp your merchant camp.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I mean, they were sent for you specifically, or at least sent for someone of your like.¡± ¡°Again, what do you mean?¡± I was now a little curious as to the sanity of my savior, though being in a world with magic and monsters has been doing wonders for expanding on what my mind has deemed sane behavior. Would you lock someone up in this world for seeing visions and imagining monsters where there were none visible to others on the off chance that he was crazy or would investigate the source of his rambling to ascertain the level of threat that was possible. I was leaning more toward the grab a sword and get ready scenario than my old view of step away and contact the authorities these days. ¡°I was also sent. Guided would be more apt in this case.¡± Said the man as his gaze focused on me, good solid eye contact. ¡°You see, I know some of what has transpired to bring you and a few others to this world.¡± To which I could only mutter, ¡°Oh.¡± I should have guessed that there would eventually be someone knowledgeable that would approach me. Even Help-chan had insisted that my arrival was something of a work on the side of greater gods and intelligent design. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go back a little. In an age not long past there came a small war. A small war that led to several other small wars. It is the way of things that conflict will arise anywhere and everywhere.¡± He paused a moment to sip at a flagon of something from his hip. ¡°War is like a contagious infection; it spreads and then spreads some more. You can cut away the rot that occurs afterward and try to limit the damage during, but it is never quite the same. This war was different though, it was a war not of mortal making.¡± ¡°Not of mortal making, what does that mean?¡± I asked quite confused, did the gods go to war or sent champions out to spread chaos, was there an evil Hercules? ¡°For that you will need some knowledge of the Pantheon on our world.¡± He said as he took another drink from his flask. ¡°Ok, hit me.¡± I said, fully prepared for a long lecture. ¡°I cannot see where my striking you would help you listen better to what I say, especially as you are so weak.¡± said the mass of plaid before me. ¡°Do you know of the One God? The one God created this world we live in long ago, as it took shape and began to grow the One created three others below him. The Three that are worshipped most today as servants to the one.¡± I nodded along as he spoke, I had seen some of the writings near the temple near the adventurer¡¯s guild. The one created the tree and then the three had created four servants each to aid them by serving more directly on the world. Or something. ¡°The three were embodiments of certain aspects. You see, each of these beings were to assist in the care of the world. The mother of time was first among the three and then came the gods of life and death. All three are gods, though of lesser power than their creator. What most people do not know, or what they have forgotten was that during the darker times of the worlds creation the One God created yet another god. I do not know the hearts of the greater beings but from what I have been told and have myself inferred from conversations I have overhead our god was frustrated with the lack of progress on Kalydren. And in his frustrations while he was engrossed in his thoughts and feeling disappointed, a lesser god was created.¡± ¡°So, he just popped out a spare god on accident, which seems a bit odd.¡± He smiled just a little, it was hard to tell through the mass of hair on his face, but his whiskers twitched just a bit as he spoke. ¡°I try not to speak badly of things I lack understanding in, but yes it does seem odd to me as well. Nevertheless though, this god, the god Apathy, was born that day. Since then, this god has sewn discontent and turmoil in the land of mortals. This is where you come in, again I must be vague, but you were brought here to help fight the lethargy and sloth that is beginning to spread in some parts of the world. ¡° ¡°Fight lethargy? That does sound vague¡­¡± I did not even know where one would start in doing such a thing. Exercise and a hobby? ¡°Once the world was more alive than it is today, there was innovation and purpose. Over the past centuries people have explored less, accomplished less, and improved less.¡± A wistful look filled the man¡¯s dark eyes then, an almost sparkle. ¡°People back then would strive to grow strong and reach their full potential, the fires of that passion have waned over time though. People are content to accept mediocrity as success. Again, I know not how you can fix this, or what powers the gods have granted you to help along the way but be warned. Apathy has sent their minions against you. Today I was here, but I must be going as I will be needed elsewhere soon.¡± That was a lot to take in, hunted by a god and tasked with saving the world from a mid-life crisis. Ugh, and I just wanted to have fun. Of course, being restless nearly got me killed last night, I would need to get stronger. And I would also need to catch up with Alex and the caravan. ¡°Do you know where the merchants camp is?¡± I asked now that my mind was seeming to wake up, I also wanted to shelf the god-level talking for a time. ¡°You will not be catching up to them, they left yesterday morning. I may have neglected to inform you that you have been asleep for thirty hours.¡± I could just barely feel my eye twitching as I stared with a slack jaw. How injured was I that I needed more than a day to recover. ¡°And my friend?¡± I am told that a mister Ambrose was frustrated that he could not locate his charge, but he has been made aware of the situation and sent on his way, not easily mind you. That boy seems a bit stiff regarding how things should be managed.¡± ¡°That would be Alex, yes. But what do I do now?¡± ¡°Now young lady you head home. I suggest you finish that plate while I go outside and pack a few things.¡± He got up and made to leave but stopped at the doorway, ¡°Also, you might like to know that your bonded companion is safe.¡± Bonded companion? Chapter 23 - A Shiny New Spell A Cabin in the Forest ¨C Year 1344, Month 1, Morning of the 10th. Spring Olea Munroe ¡°Bonded companion?¡± That was new, I had not heard of bonded companions yet in this world. I mean, yeah, they were a thing in games and the like with rangers and magical heroes, but I did not think I had such a connection with anyone. I did not think Help-chan qualified, and the only other creature I could think of was crow-Kun. Was that it? ¡°Help-chan?¡± ¡®You are correct, Olea. Surprising you took this long to ask about the bird and its connection with you.¡¯ ¡°I thought he just liked the free food and my impressive hair.¡± Honestly, who wouldn¡¯t like the hair? It was also the same color as the midnight black raven, complete with the hints of purple and light brushed of indigo. I could be quite the goth model if I tried with these looks back on earth. Though I still do not approve of the mid-teen look that I apparently inherited from the elven race. The kind of youthful look that would doom me to being carded well into my thirties on Earth. Back to the topic, ¡°So, what is a bonded companion? Do I need to feed it something to make it stronger or start giving it a share of my experience? I hope it doesn¡¯t require blood donations.¡± ¡®¡­ You continue to amaze me.¡¯ ¡°Thanks!¡± I said quickly. It felt good to be praised. ¡®Right.¡¯ I was unsure why I caught the whiff of sarcasm in that statement, but I wisely ignored it. ¡®Your friend, the bird. He will not need any form of sacrifice or supplement. You are bonded, not indentured. It is my belief that the bird will advance in strength as you do, I would also like to inform you that you should be able to view more information on the creature in question when you have advanced further. How far I do not know as I have never had a bonded familiar myself. I also believe this ability will not be available until we have parted ways.¡¯ ¡°Good to know¡­¡± wait a minute. ¡°What do you mean by parting ways? I thought you were my own little system notifications helpline?¡± ¡®I am not, good for me even if bad for you. I am merely a consciousness that is being allowed to help guide you as you grow acquainted with the world of Kalydren. I already have a form in the world, one you may or may not ever get to see. Upon reaching a certain level you will have been deemed sufficiently armed to tackle the world¡¯s challenge. It is at that time that I shall depart from your mind, though whether I may be able to communicate with you further in the future, I do not know.¡¯ ¡°So when will you be leaving?¡± I wish I had received a memo for this announcement some time ago, maybe I would have even picked a better name than Help-chan. Naah, I wouldn¡¯t. ¡®I cannot say as that could influence your growth. Afterall who would be able to bear the loss of my knowledge and presence?¡¯ ¡°Bah, I get it.¡± There is no way I would miss such an overly arrogant presence in this life, or the past one. ¡®I do however feel the need to let you know that you have notifications awaiting from the system. I have held them back, as I have said before as a courtesy so that you may get your bearings.¡¯ ¡°Oh, shiny notifications? What do we have then, some fearsome title or newly acquired skill of awesomeness?¡± I will confess that I had not thought the fight would net me anything as I had been slightly concussed for most of it. Your party has slain multiple enemies of a level greater than your own. Your reward is greatly reduced as your party¡¯s average level far exceeds your own. You receive a bonus to experience earned for being a member of a party and for taking all damage received by your party while slaying creatures of a vastly higher rank and tier. Information regarding these modifiers will be omitted in the future as you have now been made aware of them. Your party has killed: Mana-Warped Cow 14[Level 43], 7[Level 47], 2[Level 52] Total Experience Gained: 28,260. You have advanced to level 4: Minor regeneration bonus applied, one free attribute point gained, three free skill points gained. You have advanced to level 5: Minor regeneration bonus applied, one free attribute point gained, three free skill points gained. You have advanced to level 6: Minor regeneration bonus applied, three free attribute points gained, six free skill points gained. Experience Until Level Seven: 10,000. Your soul has undergone a level of strengthening: Removing Seals on Triumvirate Soul: Abilities Unlocked. Forum and Shared Senses. Advance further to empower yourself and unlock more abilities. ¡°Holy crackerjacks, batman!¡± That was a lot. I knew the cows were mean but to have been told that they were in the high forties and low fifties, just yikes. I assume Help-chan was not joking when he said my survival was a fluke during after I landed on against that tree. Level six now, which made me think a bit. Was I level six before or after I had read the notifications, did I just now advance from three to six or did I achieve level six as I passed out after the fight? Was the reason I passed out the strain of advancing so far while low on resources, or was the reason I did not pass out during the fight a result of growth attained as the fight unfolded and the experience was streaming in. ¡°Oh, Help-chan?¡± Name: Olea Munroe Level: 6 Archetype: Flighty Urchin of Healing Age: 16 Winters Health: 101/101 Mana: 112/112 Stamina: 113/113 Attributes: You have Five Attribute Points Remaining Experience Till Next Level: 10,000 remaining of 13,000. Skills: Fourteen skill points remaining. Stealth - Rank 1 Piety - Rank 2 Triumvir Soul Skills . Let¡¯s check that status screen then. I mentally focused to bring up my information this time instead of relying on the temp to do the job, was I subconsciously performing this task every time I address Help-chan or were they doing the task for me? The effort before I saw the results seemed to be inconclusive as it felt slightly different but no more demanding than before. Name: Olea Munroe Level: 6 Archetype: Flighty Urchin of Healing Age: 16 Winters If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Health: 101/101 Mana: 112/112 Stamina: 113/113 Attributes: You have Five Attribute Points Remaining Experience Till Next Level: 10,000 remaining of 13,000. Skills: Fourteen skill points remaining. Stealth - Rank 1 Piety - Rank 2 Triumvir Soul Skills Five new attribute points and fourteen skill points¡­ Wow. ¡°Time to invest some points into power! Mwuahahaha¡­¡± My laughter slowly died down as I remembered John was probably within earshot, just a little. Let¡¯s start with a new rank in Wind Walk. ¡®The spell cannot be improved without increasing it¡¯s prerequisite skills and spells.¡¯ ¡°What do you mean?¡± I believe I may have forgotten something. ¡®Remember that this spell needed you to learn other spells before you could learn it, of those spells Water Walk and Vigor are the immediate prerequisites. Those Spells will need to be taken to Rank 2 and as you will be reaching Rank 3 with this spell you will also need to reach that rank with its corresponding school. Piety will need to be advanced as well.¡¯ ¡°That seems cumbersome as well as crappy. Didn¡¯t you tell me that the next rank in Piety would run me four points?¡± This was totally unfair. ¡®That is correct, you will be using seven points to increase those spells and acquire the third rank of Wind Walk. Life is struggle, struggle is life.¡¯ ¡°Bah, fine.¡± I really did not like burning through all my skill points so quickly, but I could totally see how it would take most people an extraordinarily long time to master any specific school of spells. The costs for learning new things were a bit lopsided. ¡°Seven points down, seven to go.¡± Spell secured, I decided to look in on what else there was to learn in Piety. You have seven skill points available. You may learn the following: Piety: Rank 4 ¡°I¡¯m assuming the third rank for Water Walk is missing as Water Breath and Armor need to be increased?¡± The spell list was interesting as I had forgotten about the magical ability to make food and drink, which could be useful for the street urchins back in South Jaga. I was also interested in advancing Detect Magic as its first rank version was rather formidable, I won¡¯t like it also felt like I was wrapped in a super warm and magically tingly hug which was nice. Very nice. ¡®Correct. Might I suggest that if you are going to wait before moving forward in advancing Wind Walk consider working on something offensive to protect yourself with?¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m listening. Though I will still want to grab those creation spells.¡± Not having to spend money on food and such would be a nice boon. I think I still qualify as somewhat poor; I was at least homeless unless you counted the bed at the adventurer¡¯s guild. I did not want to be that girl that just stayed over at any house that would have me. I think everyone has had that one friend that always seemed to be somewhere else with each passing night, though most of them eventually disappeared somewhere down the line. ¡®You are in luck! I daresay that you will be able to acquire such a spell, and coincidentally Create Water is a prerequisite for the spell I had in mind. You would need Create Water, Protection from Evil, Command, Detect Aura, and Dispel Magic to be able to learn Conjure Elemental Spirit. This would even leave you one skill point to learn Create Food.¡¯ ¡°That does sound oddly coincidental. Have you been waiting for my eventual windfall to waylay me with this idea?¡± The whole thing seemed a bit too convenient, then again Help-chan does have vast knowledge of the system of skills and spell in place on this world. Being as old as literal dirt probably helps the cause a bit. ¡®I am only working with what you have. You need a better offensive skill that making stabbing motions with your hand while holding a knife and hoping for the best.¡¯ ¡°I like my knife, but fine. Show me the spell.¡± Jibe aside, I was interested in new magic. Create Water: This spell will create water! The amount of water created is based upon the casters Wisdom, Piety, and Level when cast. Can be channeled to continue creation. Water created in this way will evaporate more quickly as its elemental essence is reabsorbed by the environment. Protection from Evil: This spell will protect the caster from sources that mean them harm by creating a field around the user to effectively prevent creatures of a lower level from attacking. The level of monster affected by this zone of protection is a varying level based upon level of caster and level of target. Level, Piety, and Wisdom determine duration and potency. Command: By using this spell, the caster may compel the target or group of targets to perform a single command. Compulsions are limited to simple acts such as but not limited to Stop, Go, Kneel, and Flee. Effectiveness based upon Level, Piety, and Charisma of caster as well as varying factors such as Level, Charisma, and Intelligence of the target. Upon failing to compel the target, your target will be made aware of the suggestion as well as who cast the spell. Detect Aura: This provides you with a spell which when used will allow the user to detect subtle hints in the aura of others, this information can allow you to detect a person¡¯s general motivational leanings. Exploration and experimentation will expand your knowledge! Duration of spell is determined by your magical attributes. Devotion greatly expands this effect. Dispel Magic: This spell Dispels Magic. The level of success is determined by the level of the caster as well as the level of the target magical effect. This spell is not selective in the magical effect it dispels, both good, bad, and neutral spell will be dispelled if able upon the target. Higher levels of magical understanding as well as greater levels of Wisdom and Intelligence will subtly impact the effectiveness of its uses. Conjure Elemental Spirit: This spell must be cast upon a non-living object which possesses elemental essence. Duration, power, and success of the spell are limited by factors such as available essence, Wisdom, Piety, Level of Caster, as well as a little luck. ¡°Wow.¡± The information dump was impressive, and I could see how becoming a summoner would help me in a mad-dash fight. Having something to distract even murder those cows for me would have been swell. ¡°You said I would be better off with some offensive spell, but is that the only defensive ability for people with Piety?¡± ¡®It is not, other spells for people possessing Piety would be Holy Word, Dispel Evil, or even Blades. Though there are more, priests and the various clergy are far from defenseless.¡¯ ¡°Something to keep in mind, I suppose.¡± Those would leave me with one skill point to grab Create Food, but it might be a nice addition to my abilities. Just imagining an army of elemental warriors doling out fiery death and earthen mayhem brought a small smile to my face and a giggle from my chest. ¡°Let¡¯s do that, then. I¡¯d also like to learn Create Food.¡± Upon saying the words, I was met with nothing, no notifications that I had learned the spell or attained vast knowledge from the Cosmos. ¡°What gives, Help-chan?¡± ¡®You know how to learn the spells yourself, invoke the system on your own. It literally requires a thought with intent.¡¯ ¡°It was your idea for me to learn the spells in the first place¡­¡± having complained to my little helper I still acquiesced and did as I was told and soon the information flooded through my mind as vague sounds, colors, smells, and feelings flowed into my body. Was the magic changing my own body, I seem to recall something of the sort being mentioned. ¡°Help-chan, do these spells change my body when I learn them or is it just waking up stuff that is already there? Like, is my body numb to magic and then suddenly keyed in as I progress?¡± ¡®Your body is being subtly altered internally to allow for magic to flow more naturally. All spells and skills that you learn, advance, and use will alter your body in small ways to better allow for magic to be used. It brings you more in like with the powers of creation and the greater multiverse, though you are still you and still quite human.¡¯ ¡°Well, that¡¯s a relief.¡± Thoughts for future Olea, for sure. I was fairly sure I had been ripped apart by time and space before I ever arrived in the world in the first place, what was one more scrap of my past flaking away compared to vast magical powers? I was still me, after all. Instead of asking Help-chan this time, I decided to query the system myself and find the information for my other spell. Create Food: This spell will assemble ambient magic into a solid form that can then be consumed by living creatures as a form of sustenance. Yes, it creates food. Food generated with this spell is generally influenced by the spellcaster and their environment. Food created can be altered and improved by the Level, Wisdom, Constitution, Knowledge, and even mood of the caster. Remember, sad cooks make sad food. ¡°I did it!¡± I not so silently cheered to myself. System stuff was easy. I quickly added the spell to my list effectively murdering my final skill point. ¡®Congratulations on using the system as effectively as a child. Yay, you are special.¡¯ ¡°Mean.¡± I think my helper was just upset that I was learning so quickly, that must be it. ¡°Let¡¯s see what that does for my status sheet.¡± Name: Olea Munroe Level: 6 Archetype: Flighty Undine of Healing Age: 16 Winters Health: 101/101 Mana: 112/112 Stamina: 113/113 Attributes: You have Five Attribute Points Remaining Experience Till Next Level: 10,000 remaining of 13,000. Skills: Zero skill points remaining. Stealth - Rank 1 Piety - Rank 3 Triumvir Soul Skills ¡°Fantastic. I am going to need to find out what those Soul Skills do some time soon though.¡± I was starting to find my list of skills and spell impressive, even if the total output of power I had was still somewhat small. I was looking forward to seeing how strong I could get. ¡®About those Soul Skills¡­¡¯ Chapter 24 - Soul Skills A Cabin in the Forest ¨C Year 1344, Month 1, Morning of the 10th. Spring Olea Munroe ¡°So, captain stingy¡­ Would you be willing to share with the class? What do these skills do and how long have you known?¡± I was beginning to dislike the slow trickle of information I was getting before I realized that my friend was still missing some knowledge and such and had explained that his knowledge and power was limited to my own growth. Meh, I can still tease! ¡®I have known for approximately a day, I may have said something sooner, but you were being lazy.¡¯ ¡°I was asleep?! I was unconscious, you know that.¡± As I began to ramp up my indignation skill, I got a new notification. Soul Skill: Vessel of Souls ¨C You may serve as a Vessel of Souls. Soul Link ¨C Link the soul of another willing creature to your own. In most cases this will result in a strengthening of the soul, the entity you select will have limited access to the benefits of a Progenitor. Dowsing ¨C Concentrate and attempt to Divine the location of an entity or object. The target must be something linked to the user or to someone with whom the user has a connection. You cannot dowse undiscovered caches of riches or great beasts, unless those things have a connection to you. Caution: Using this skill to Divine threats to oneself will most often lead to paranoia and confusion. Forum ¨C Open a forum to converse with others connected to your soul, be they astral entities or people from across town. This spell will have no effect if there is no one willing to listen. By marking people with Soul Link, you will be including them in this group of beings, be wary of those you trust. Distance has no bearing on communication via this ability. Shared Senses ¨C You can share the senses of another person linked to your soul. You will feel, hear, taste, smell, and see what they are experiencing. Other senses enabled via spells such as Detect Magic will be applied to the user if they possess them, and they are active at the time. Others may catch a subtle sense of observation when you are using this skill on them, but it is suggested not to eavesdrop as this can lead to distrust. This skill is not shared with others via Soul Link. ¡°Ok, well. Wow?¡± The list of skills seemed impressive, though since it was my soul, we were seeing the skills of I had no doubt as to the power of the skills. I am awesome. Usually. Vessel of souls seemed a little weird and unhelpful with its description. Would I be someone¡¯s phylactery or a soul trap for wayward spirits? I did not like the idea of having ghostly beings stuck in my noggin¡¯ making a ruckus and interrupting my limited balance of sanity. Soul link seemed cool. Giving people access to more skills and having a tangible bond with the people of this world did make my imagination stir somewhat. I was wondering what benefits they would get from the bond and what it would mean to have my own soul strengthened. When I hit a threshold, I did see a blurb of my own soul strengthening and I assumed that it was the reason my Soul Skills were unlocked in the first place. That last part though, who was the progenitor? I wondered briefly about strangers in the dark funneling power and influence through me into the world, was it some greater being of the cosmos, or mayhap it was me. Future me thoughts again, moving on! Dowsing kind of did what I had thought it would from an earlier explanation, I could sense even now a small pull in multiple directions. It felt like a tether on my consciousness. One string led outside and away, but not far. I had a good idea of who that was. Two others were also present, and they seemed to be somewhere to the north, I had felt them before but not quite so strong before, again it could be an effect of the stronger soul. The Forum skill looked somewhat cool, I could almost sense that it was a global kind of chat room. A telecommunications skill if you will. I wondered if I could get video conference calls in with people after exploring the world, it would be nice to be able to gather information from global assets and maybe form a spy ring of sorts¡­ Yeah, I could see this skill leading me to spearhead a news network for the people. It might even put Camilla out of business as a messenger, she would probably kill me for losing that job. Next up, Shared Senses. I was not quite sure about this one. Sure, it would be nifty to be able to see through the eyes of another so to speak, but this skill seemed to be on a whole other level. I was thinking Big Brother kind of stalker skills, I would need to be careful about using it, so I did not fall into some bad stalker habits, but I was curious as to the limit of the senses. Would I have a sense of using a third of fourth arm if the person I was eavesdropping on or rather checking in on wasn¡¯t human. I wonder. I invoked the skill, and I was almost overwhelmed by the sudden shift in perspective. I was now looking down at a small cabin built off the ground, almost nestled in the trees with a spiraling staircase descending around the trunk of a large oak. Light streamed down all around me through the canopy above as the sounds of nature blossomed in every direction. I could feel the wind against my face and the gnarled branch gripped between my toes. The whole of the image was cast with a slightly gray tone, as if using an old-timey photo lens on a landscape image. It was so very odd, yet so very clear. I could detect the movement of small insects, animals, and swaying bushes over a very long distance. The most disconcerting part of this was that I had no control, I could see, hear, feel, smell, and otherwise sense the world around me in so many ways but anytime I heard a sound I would instinctively want to turn my head only for nothing to happen. It was this lack of control over my what and where my senses were directed that made me back right out of there, thoroughly done with the experiment. ¡°Okay, that was neat. Question.¡± This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡®No.¡¯ ¡°No, what? You had no idea what I was going to ask!¡± Was there no trust in the world? ¡®You were going to attempt to try your new Soul Link skill on me, were you not?¡¯ ¡°¡­ No?¡± I really needed to keep a memo about his ability to read surface thoughts and intent. ¡°Also, why not?¡± ¡®As much as I would love to link my soul to a being who never shows me proper respect and is flippant in the face of imminent death, for no reason other than ignorance I cannot commit to this act. This skill requires access to my soul. I am only here as an intellect; my soul is still bound to the location of my body.¡¯ ¡°What does that mean exactly, you are either here or not, right?¡± ¡®Unfortunately, no. My true self and my true intellect, my mind, is inside my soul. This version of me is a copy of my true mind projected and tied into your body for the time being. When I wish to know something, I do not have knowledge of it, I must query my true mind residing in my soul to gain the knowledge. And so, without that direct link to my soul as it is elsewhere, we cannot perform this sacred rite as frivolously as you would like. On that note, please refrain from linking your soul to the soul of others so casually.¡¯ ¡°Fine. That¡¯s still weird though.¡± I was nonplussed about the whole thing; I had new skills and knowledge of them, but I had no way to assess them yet. Blah. That reminds me I never checked on the updated version of my older spells. ¡°Help-chan?¡± ¡®On it.¡¯ Came the terse reply. Water Walk: You gain the ability to walk upon the surface of water. You will be able to climb upon the water¡¯s surface using your hands and other extremities with intent. This spell will not cancel the momentum of a fall onto water. Effects enhanced with greater Wisdom and Intelligence. Rank Two: Spell duration of Water Walk is increased. Increases the tension of the water you stand upon for greater control and stability. Adds a passive effect to help keep you dry. This can be circumvented by outside forces with intent. Vigor: This spell allows the user to bestow a boost to the target¡¯s stamina, increasing their ability to push through tough tasks with more ease as they are lifted out of exhaustion. Walk further and be refreshed. While this spell can alleviate Stamina overuse it can compound the issue if overused. All things in moderation. Rank Two: This spell now alleviates the need for sleep to a small degree, recovering the body from both mental and physical exhaustion. A passive is applied to the user upon reaching this rank which reduces the Stamina required for strenuous activity by an amount directly related to Constitution and Wisdom. Targets of this spell will recover Stamina immediately while also receiving a reduced restoration of Stamina over time. Wind Walk: This spell creates a field of moderate wind control for use by the wielder. It can be subtly altered by the target of the spell to shift the winds and allow for faster movement while lowering stamina consumption. Unlike other spells you will benefit from both Intelligence and Wisdom while receiving minor bonuses from your overall Dexterity and Constitution. Rank Two: Your skill now invokes a passive benefit whereas you may expend a portion of your mana regeneration to maintain a lessening of your weight. Not unlike gravity magic, this will allow you to somewhat alleviate the pull on your body by external forces, be they natural or other. Further decreases the Stamina cost of many actions. Passively increases control over the magics of Wind and Air. Rank Three: You spell now has a greater duration and shall consume less of your Mana and Stamina while in affect. Weight is further decreased as you become less bound by external forces. You may now construct a thin membrane of air to use as a temporary contact point. I must confess I did not really want to spend the points on upgrading what I thought of as lesser spells, but it seems the investment did pay off. I wouldn¡¯t need to sleep as much, or get wet while walking in the rain? Yes, please. As to Wind Walk and its changes, that mana drain being reduced is impressive. Also, I can now make jumping platforms, this spell would require extensive testing in the very near future. One more thought was in the back of my mind, I¡¯ve upgraded Piety twice now. Piety: With this skill you are granted the knowledge required to work miracles in the world, from healing wounds to banishing evil. This knowledge will aid any who wishes to seek solace in serving a higher calling. Come join the ranks of Healers across the world, you will unlock skills such as: Cure Wounds, Heal, Major Heal, Dispel Evil, Cure Sickness, and maybe someday the fabled Resurrection skill will be yours, who doesn¡¯t want to revive the recently deceased and gain their undying loyalty! Rank Two: You have progressed further in your devotion and shall be rewarded! Passive increase to mana regeneration, as well as slightly faster casting of spells in any school. Your ability to sense the spiritual as well as the divine has increased. New spells unlocked. Rank Three: Do you wish to become a Champion to the gods? Keep advancing in your pursuit of heaven-sent powers. The gods appreciate your dedication and have given you another small boost to your mana regeneration. Your ability to sense both the spiritual and divine has increased by a larger degree, hold tight to your sanity. Ancient beings of the world may spare your life upon detecting your connection to the gods, should you chance upon them. ¡°Thanks a bunch, Help-chan!¡± ¡®I listed the details why don¡¯t you parse through them and try to understand what they mean.¡¯ ¡°I did read through them; it seems like a hard sell to a soft client. The description makes it seems like the gods hired salesmen to enlist people to the cause with random infomercial tactics.¡± It really did read like a good parody of commercials in fifties americana. There was a little to take note of though, more mana regeneration not least among them. I wondered what the past three levels did for me resource pools. ¡°Help-chan, do you remember what my old health and mana were, before I leveled? ¡¯You had seventy-five health, eighty-one mana and eighty-one stamina.¡¯ So, it seems I gained roughly twenty-five health while also gaining thirty to my mana and stamina pools. Sweet. Sidetracked there again¡­ Faster cast time seemed cool; I wonder if that applied to my channeling of spells. Would I get the added hits of healing more frequently while channeling Cure Wounds or would it just take less time for the initial effect while not changing the phases of the channeled effect? Also, I had forgotten about resurrection magic bringing back gram-gram would be swell though I am sure there are limitations the spells usage conditions. And then, that part about ancient beings sparing my life. All because of my godly connections and devotion to the beings up above, meh. With my luck I would encounter the one ancient being who got shafted by god¡¯s third cousin and be killed in a very slow and agonizing way. ¡°Future me concerns. I think I am going to go test my new skills!¡± I began shuffling off of my little plank of wood, blanket tossed to the side, though I did fold it up in a passable ¡®I cleaned my room¡¯ kind of way. It was as I finished tucking my feet into my leather shoes and fixed my now-holey shirt that the sound of the wind caught my attention. My raven pressed the door open with its beak and then launched itself into the air for a brief beat before taking a roost on the bed opposite me. It was in this time that seemed to stretch in some way like seeing someone you recognize but cannot place. That moment that pulls in an uncomfortable way as you scour your mind for their name and placing, just short of stalker level creepy in your encounter. We have all been there! Yes, in this long moment something clicked into place, and I heard a firm male voice come from the frame of this tiny animal. ¡°You are awake! Good, good!¡± ¡°What the actual -.¡± Chapter 25 - Companions of the Bonded Variety A Cabin in the Forest ¨C Year 1344, Month 1, Afternoon of the 10th. Spring Olea Munroe ¡°Don¡¯t look surprised now!¡± came the quick reply from the tiny little bird. ¡°You never talked before, really what am I supposed to do with this?¡± I was beginning to seriously doubt whether I ever woke up from my bout of unconsciousness. ¡°Also, did you shrink, again?¡± ¡°I never really had the chance to chat with you before, you latch onto other people very easily.¡± ¡°John is right outside, how is that different than all the people I¡¯ve been with before? Hell, I¡¯ve been alone a lot. Last night is a good example, wouldn¡¯t you say.¡± Having a sentient, nay sapient creature along on my adventure and not even noticing an inkling of its intelligence; what did that say about me? ¡°John knows what I am. Sort of, in broad strokes at least. He has a similar bond with his creatures to call.¡± Came the reply from the bird. I was getting somewhat annoyed having to converse with a creature that made me doubt my sanity, okay, my limited sanity. New world, new people, new culture, new rules for everything and everyone. It was all a bit much sometimes, but I could cope, right? Sharing a bond with an animal was a thing all on its own when said animal could speak. Not bark, chirrup, or just caw; but talk. ¡°It feels far too strange talking to a bird.¡± I admitted aloud. ¡°At least talking to Help-chan lets me believe it¡¯s more of an imaginary friend, even if I know it¡¯s not true. It isn¡¯t quite as hard to wrap my head around.¡± I stood up and started to pace in small little circles, more to see if it would make me dizzy and thus give me evidence to being awake than to help me think. ¡°I know this whole world is quite different that mine, you do know I come from another world, don¡¯t you?¡± I turned to look at the bird as I finished speaking. Also, yes, I did get dizzy. I was probably awake; I doubt my experiment had zero scientific evidence to suggest it was a feasible idea. ¡°I do! I was born the moment you arrived.¡± ¡°Okay, what?¡± ¡°I was born when you arrived. Before you got here that night, I was just a wisp of energy in the cosmos. Now, I¡¯m alive.¡± ¡°So, you just did not exist, at all?¡± ¡°Nope, didn¡¯t exist! I came into being with a slew of memories and base knowledge the very instant you arrived. I¡¯d have said hi that first night, but you were running super-fast, and I was still new to flying. I know for sure I would not have been able to keep up, whether I ran or flew.¡± ¡°Why would you run anyway, you¡¯re a bird. Never mind that.¡± I wasn¡¯t entirely sure about this development, but the more time I spent talking with the bird the more I felt as if it was all useless. I was somewhat shocked at first but was this not somewhat expected? I was sure the world had a lot more it could throw at me than one talking bird. Hell, Help-chan insisted that he had a body somewhere else, or at least a soul somewhere else. Could you just be a soul without a body, though? Future questions, again. This was not too big a thing to manage, I am fairly sure I had just failed to fully unpack all my stupid feelings over the past few days. A week? That did not seem to be right, though I did not have a calendar, hell I did not even know the calendar they used on this planet. I am sure it must be similar to earth, if only because the pantheon seems to consist of threes and twelves. ¡°Blah! Okay, so what now? You are my bonded companion; do you know what that means? I, myself, did not get that particular memo.¡± Maybe the bird knew. The bird knew¡­ so weird. ¡°It means we share a bond.¡± ¡°Are you being vague intentionally to mess with me?¡± I was starting to think the bird was messing with me and acting the part of an idiot. ¡°Maybe?¡± It shot back as the only reply. Bastard. ¡°Specifics, what does it mean that you are my bonded companion?¡± ¡°I am not.¡± ¡°What do you mean, I thought we were bonded.¡± ¡°We are. You are only half right though. We are bonded companions; you are my bonded just as I am yours. It is a two-way connection, meaning we make each other more. We are more together, a normal bonded companion gains nothing from the one to whom they are bonded.¡± ¡°Oh. Well¡­ yeah. So, what do you get from me for this connection?¡± ¡°I get to be alive.¡± ¡°Is that all, no fancy razor-sharp feathers or super speed and strength?¡± ¡°I do have other powers, though I am not sure they are directly related to you. I like to think they are mine because I am especially impressive.¡± ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll bite. What other powers?¡± If this bird could summon mighty gusts of wind or use razor wings, I would be impressed. A little. ¡°Shape-shifting and some magic skills. I recently got Wind Walk and some neat Creation magic!¡± Did that mean¡­ would the bird gain spells as I learned spells. ¡°Help-chan, do you know if we share the same skills and spells?¡± ¡®I do not. This is something I am unfamiliar with; I do not believe even my original mind has experienced this phenomenon as I do not recall anything quite like it in any of my current memories.¡¯ Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°How long have you known those spells then?¡± I was curious to know if I was correct, I also wanted to know how skills would translate to my new friend. I did not think he would be using daggers and walking on water, let alone why he would need certain perks of the wind walk spell. Maybe he could use the small platform creation to just sit in the middle of the sky while staring down at people. That would be an imposing sight, though it might just get him killed by some superstitious guards or something if he was seen to be possessed. Who knew? ¡°An hour ago? Time is weird. I don¡¯t have much experience with it yet, and your memory of clocks and stuff is still kind of fuzzy.¡± ¡°Wait, you can read my mind too?¡± Would I have no privacy, at all? Really? Really, what the bloody hell. ¡°No, I was born with memories of how I came to be and why. I also obtained a snapshot of your old memories. No new ones, I think that was intentional so we could be friends and share a commonality while still being separate creatures able to grow into being individuals, separate and alike.¡± It cocked its head to the side while turning to stare at me with just one eye before shouting, ¡°Like real companions!¡± Then it began to caw and cackle as birds tend to do when they find food or just want to be annoying. I think it was laughing at its almost-joke, hard to tell. It did however confirm that we likely share a skills and spells list. Probably. I walked back to my bunk and took a seat. My back still itched reminding me that I should probably attempt to use Cure Wounds again. For a moment I wondered about the possibility of diminishing returns, as I had seen several scars on John¡¯s exposed arms, but I chalked it up to the guy being so antisocial that no healers would treat him. His physical regeneration was probably quite substantial. ¡°Fine, okay. Let¡¯s get this finished up then, before John walks in and you have to either fill me in while helping him catch up, or we postpone the whole thing. I¡¯d rather we did not postpone your big reveal because I really want to know what you can do and what that could mean going forward. I¡¯ll deal with my mental whiplash later.¡± This conversation was going on for an entirely uncomfortable amount of time, I really just wanted to get out of here. I wanted to start moving, assess my skills, see some friendlier faces that didn¡¯t stare at me with annoyance, or the blue-black eyes of an almost raven. ¡°What else can you do, you mentioned shapeshifting; does that have something to do with you changing size from time to time?¡± ¡°Yes, yes it does.¡± ¡°Could you give me a look-see? Like make yourself bigger or smaller, something? I have noticed you are sometimes smaller than you are now, while that time you saved me from the rat you were closer to the size of a medium dog.¡± I watched as the bird began to shrink before my eyes, feathers and feet shrinking ever so slowly while keeping to the natural scale of a creature its size. Never quite changing the basic shapes and angles of his oil-slick pattern of blacks and purples, blues and greens, the colors always came in shifting pairs as if introducing only one color to the blend at a time was impossible. It did in a way remind me of my own hair color, and it sort of made sense as we shared some mystical bond that I would have some of its characteristics. I¡¯d rather have had the wings, honestly. Unfair. After the bird returned to its normal size but didn¡¯t stop there, apparently it would show me the reverse. It slowly swelled to a larger size, keeping to the same scaled image of its original form. Claws skittered and scraped along the boards underneath the creature as its claws elongated and thickened, leaving shallow furrows in the unprotected fibers of the wood. Before long I was looking at a dark bird, still resembling a raven that was nearly the size of a Scottish mastiff. I wasn¡¯t sure if it would be able to fly with its increase in weight and size, but then again, Magic. ¡°That is impressive, can you still fly?¡± I had to ask. Maybe I could catch a ride via air-Brutus. ¡°I can, though I can do more. Care to see?¡± ¡°I guess so, though if you get too big it may be best to do it while not on something you could break. That would make us terrible treehouse-guest.¡± I wasn¡¯t entirely sure if the bird had an upper limit, if not we may need to inform Godzilla that he has a new rival. Okay, that would be a stretch, but I was not ruling things out at this stage. ¡°Oh no, not bigger. Just more.¡± The bird assured me in that firm voice, the voice was just strange coming from a bird. As I watched on, I noticed the wings begin to shrink and the head condensed down. Totally unlike the previous display this time it seemed to be actually shifting its shape, truly shape-shifting then. The beak disappeared slowly into its mass of dark feathers and creased facial skill while its feathers shortened. The legs began to lengthen and thicken, while strange pops and weird squishy sounds could be heard coming from under the feathers. Soon the feathers were gone, and a haze formed in the air, a haze of black and blue motes with a smattering of red and orange streamers that seemed to slide through reality. ¡°Oh god, it¡¯s a magical girl transformation.¡± Sure enough, three seconds after this all started, I was now watching the smoke clear. It seemed like smoke, magical smoke, was magical smoke a thing or was it mist? Either way I was now looking at a more easily identified form of a man. ¡°So¡­ this is the more? Is there any more or can I start to process?¡± ¡°No more. No more for now? I can¡¯t quite commit to saying never more, but I can say for now, no more.¡± ¡°Was that intentional?¡± ¡°Yes, I couldn¡¯t shift forms without intent. So, by that rule I will admit it was intentional.¡± Poe reference aside, he was now a man. His form, fully clothed in a dark shirt with long sleeves that ended just above the wrist and rather form fitting black pants was that of an average, or this world¡¯s average male specimen. I noticed his ears had that same slight tapering edge to the tips as mine did, so maybe part of my own half-elf characteristics there? His eyes were a midnight blue, not black as they had been in his raven form. Little swirls of gray could be seen almost circling the iris as the light bounced back from their depths. He was still sitting, which made his height hard to guess. He was definitely taller than my five or so feet in height. I would really need to get a proper measurement of my height. ¡°Can you take this form whenever you want, is there a timer or some mana requirement that is hard to meet?¡± Find the rules, there had to be limits to transformation skills right. Maybe he had to be in the presence of yours truly before he could activate the skill, or he needed permission. It could be that he needed to sacrifice some other creature to refill his stores of energy. Calm down. Deep breaths, Olea. It¡¯s my companion, I am sure it is perfectly safe and not some dark being from the Nether Realm of Eldritch Horrors. ¡°It just makes me hungry. Very, very hungry.¡± ¡°Do you need food, what do you eat? More rats, bugs, nuts, maybe souls?¡± The man-thing laughed then, a bright and cheerful sound coming up deep from within its wide chest. There was muscle there. ¡°I eat food, and souls are not food. I¡¯m not a demon.¡± As he finished his chuckling he stated simply, ¡°Create Food.¡± Just like that he was holding a small handful of mushrooms in varying colors. I will admit that I was rather upset again, I had not gotten to use the spell I earned before my stupid new bonded companion had. ¡°Argh, fine. I¡¯m done, show and tell is over. We should get going, I am sure there is so much more you can tell me about how awesome it is to be you, but we should get going before John comes and finds me alone in a room with a man he doesn¡¯t know. He might just kill you.¡± I grinned as I tugged on my own shoes making sure they were secure before I stood up and walked to the door, remembering to channel Cure Wounds through my hands as I rubbed my back. ¡°Please change back into a bird for now, we can catch up when we get to wherever we are supposed to be going.¡± I closed the door behind me as walked out into the sunshine of a beautiful and strange new day. The beginning of a new chapter in my life. I also ignored the questioning voice behind me as it asked, ¡°What the hell did I do?¡± Chapter 26 - Politics Guild Hall Basement Office ¨C Year 1344, Month 1, Afternoon of the 9th. Spring A Quiet Observer ¡°¡­ important matters to discuss.¡± Droned the dry voice of the man standing at the table, had this been presented to outsides the attempt at added impact could be seen as necessary. Here it was just him being his pretentious self-important self. Politicians. ¡°And I¡¯m saying this is important, a gods-be-blessed with at least three divine skills. Here, in our hall!¡± shouted the demi-dwarf, a local leader among the adventurers. His growing beard dragged across the table as he attempted to present his case. That was the only new thing presented in todays meeting. Doogan growing a beard, he had been adamant in earlier years about beards being obtrusive unneeded things only fit to be shorn away lest they impede you in your daily tasks. We all knew he was merely fighting his heritage due to some overly conflated early childhood trauma, but we let it go as another quirk of character. On second thought, that was another new thing for the day, Doogan was speaking in support of another. Not to be misunderstood. he was always supportive of the guild at large, no, I cannot say that I recall him ever speaking up for just one person. The guild needs this, the guild needs that, and the Hall could do with a little more variety in the mess hall. All small complaints or grievances that would slightly improve the place without toppling the basket that is our budget. The assemblage had been arguing about the validity of their own issues for well over an hour already. Doogan with his prot¨¦g¨¦, the priest with our need to be more venerating toward the pantheon, the mayor always complaining that he needed to start taxing our members wages, and the others of the room who did not note a mention. They would cycle in and out of attendance as their small minds willed them, never committing to a more permanent role in the proceeding; either lacking motivation or a worthwhile cause they just faded away. We were in the same meeting room we always used for our little gatherings. The large irregular table around which the group sat with chairs of equal size and ornament. The walls were festooned with garish and macabre mounted trophies of varying rarity. One new addition seemed to be a large feral brood-mother, its fangs glistening in the firelight as its maw was preserved open and savagely tense; when did we get that? ¡°I think Doogan may actually have a valid point, Sigmund.¡± Said priest Darius from his chair. ¡°Not that what Mister Doogan says is ever lacking, mind you. But a thrice blessed is something we should address as the local council. It is written in the charter as well as the holy scriptures. We cannot simply pass it by.¡± He was a smartly dressed man, average in all but his presence. He could walk into a crowded bazaar wearing only rags and have the whole interest of all gathered in moments, he may not convince them of anything important, but they would listen, and they would remember. His head was covered in his dark brown hair, going a little silver at the edges. His thick bushy brows only served to highlight his blue eyes which were situated above his rather large, hooked nose. His jaw was rounded and even, sporting a small beard neatly trimmed and clean. A warm smile was always present unless his ire was raised, even then his soft and steady way of speaking made him an easy man to follow. ¡°Aye! That¡¯s the spirit Darius, though I¡¯m not sure if I should be taking offense for some reason. This girl needs training and protection. I say we move her on up and start getting her ready to meet her destiny!¡± Doogan said these last words with a little more zeal than I had observed from him in previous encounters. I must admit my curiosity was piqued by no small amount as I listened to the support gushing from the man¡¯s mouth. ¡°A girl? You wish us to allocate resources to a girl-child? You say she came to our lands via a mana storm, marking her as a restart. We all know they show potential at first, who wouldn¡¯t when they get to pop back to level one and move up again escaping the more obvious pitfalls. As a child she will hit the wall of her knowledge and the barrier that represent quite early.¡± Sigmund could not quite achieve speaking without the same nasal voice he used at court, even amongst equals. ¡°For what reason should we care at all?¡± I had seen my fair share of clashing egos and butting heads in my long years, who hasn¡¯t. Three hundred years as a member of the guild, I¡¯d seen both Sigmund and Doogan grow from children to adults, though with differing paths and proclivities they had arrived at adulthood quite a distance apart, at least regarding their personality. There were both people of power and influence, it was just a matter of degrees, and use. I sat through it all, unseen by most of the people in attendance. I caught a glance my way from the priest and knew he had been waiting for me to weigh in on the matter, but I was waiting, there were others here that I would like to hear from before I made my own voice heard. One of them looked to be about to start. ¡°I believe that we should indeed have a look at this waif. If for no other purpose than to judge her, to see if Doogan¡¯s words hold merit. Not that I doubt your esteemed word, sir. I suggest we bring her around and mayhap see for ourselves why you¡¯ve taken such an interest in her. You said she looked Elven, and a young girl as well. I would love a chance to meet her and help gauge her potential. New talents in this part of the empire should be nurtured if they prove useful.¡± The woman speaking was Andrea Avery, she had a seat here only as a member of the local government, being that she had a seat on the council of North Jaga she had the privilege of sitting in on these meetings when she made herself available, a position she likely used for her own gain. Her orange eyes were framed by a muted blonde hair, she was attractive in the way that a snake is captivating, you could stand transfixed until she decided whether to smile at you in parting or consume you for her own gain. I did not trust this woman. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°I cannot say whose side I am on, myself.¡± This from the mayor of South Jaga, his position was one of election, unlike the city across the water who had a council of a size that fluctuated with the season, this city elected a mayor who would serve a term of three years with a maximum term of twelve. Term limits helped to keep corruption to a minimum. Sure, it happened, but by limiting their terms we limited their power and ability to cause far reaching harm. We did not need another Dynast-King. ¡°While Mister Doogan has always spoken up only when he believes that a benefit can be obtained for the people of the city and his hall, I cannot commit resources to a project without some semblance of a plan and a possible benefit for our city being evident. The citizens would want me to get more information on the matter.¡± I was unsure of whether anyone in the room but myself noticed the way his eyes lingered on Avery for seconds longer than any other member of the discussion, but I doubt anyone else saw her smile shift slightly in annoyance. Speaking of corruption, I daresay I¡¯ve found some out. ¡°You always were too cautious to be counted on, Harris.¡± Doogan groused, impossibly unfazed at the reddening face of the mayor. ¡°Now, listen here Sigmund, we ought not have to fight over this here issue, what say we wait until she gets back from her trip across the river and then we can revisit. Darius and you would surely be a good influence on her growth, much as I hate to say. Imagine having someone with such potential looking back fondly on your tutelage, received when they were so weak and alone. If nothing else, do it for your own benefit.¡± And that would be the nail sinking in this topic, I could already see Sigmund mulling over the last spin from Doogan. He was an honest man, but his ego was always going to be something of a weak point, stoke that ego and embellish the benefits and that¡¯s it, Sigmund would be right on board. He might not be as proactive as he would be if it were his own project, but he would stick with it until it became a burden, if for no other reason than to gain a future favor from this new asset. Barring a payout there he would lord this ¡®favor¡¯ over Doogan for an age. ¡°Assuming we do this, what would you suggest as reasonable expectations?¡± ¡°Well, if we get her right properly educated and trained, I would bet she could climb to the fifth rank, if not higher.¡± Was Doogan¡¯s quick answer. ¡°Mind you this could take some time; it would still be a climb faster than our own. I think we would make of ourselves a steppingstone for her future.¡± ¡°Surely you jest, a fifth rank prot¨¦g¨¦? How could you be so sure this early, from which continent was she transported in the storm?¡± Sigmund paused then to wait for a reply from Doogan. It was a good question, there were many elven continents in the world though few had ever travelled the seas to understand the dangers of visiting any continent but our own. It would not be an easy thing to justify the expense of a sea voyage to locate one additional continent. There existed in many libraries across this landmass maps of other continents, including their capital cities that had been pieces together through the questioning of the many transports brought here but no one quite knew in which direction they were, those that did had no idea of the distance. ¡°There is some information I cannot share at this time; the girl has a right to some privacy.¡± Came Doogan¡¯s eventual response, which seemed to interest the other man. ¡°The fact that you would withhold that information here, in our presence leads me to believe she has quite the lineage or leverageable position in her homeland. Is she of the Talydrose royal family, or perhaps a Makiinosian?¡± queried Sigmund. ¡°Her peerage or lack thereof should not be the case here.¡± Darius had finally deigned to weigh in. ¡°All citizens have the right to some privacy, though why this information pertaining to her origin must be sheltered confuses me. I stand with Doogan if he believes she will be an asset.¡± ¡°You only agree because of the potential benefit to your church, the Three above know that the church would see a great amount of traffic while displaying a new thrice blessed novice.¡± Sigmund shot back. ¡°I motion that we address the other topics of concern before this council returns to this topic after further thought. We have much to do and unlike you fine gentlemen we have limits to our allotted time here.¡± This from mister mayor, though he made this statement after looking to Avery. I would need to investigate their connection, a mayor colluding with a councilwoman from across the lake. If nothing else his wife should know. A small chorus of assenting voices echoed across the room as people agreed to move along, even as a knock sounded at the door to the room. A moment passed as the group looked toward the door, the door to a room accessible to few people without proper clearance or a chaperone. After that brief initial pause the door slowly opened to reveal a blue haired woman with silver eyes, it was one of the guild hall secretaries, Sicily I think was her name. She looked troubled. ¡°Excuse me, Master Doogan. Could I have a word?¡± ¡°Aye lass, I¡¯ll be there in a moment.¡± Doogan made to stand and leave the room before being interrupted. ¡°No, I believe we are still in a meeting here Doogan. If it were truly so urgent as to have need of you leaving a council meeting prematurely, I believe she could share this information with the whole of the room.¡± Sigmund said while fixing the girl with a look of mild distaste, whether from disdain at being interrupted or a dislike of people serving a lower station I could not tell. ¡°Aye, well. Sicily, can you just tell us what you are here for? If its guild related most people here would find out eventually.¡± ¡°Yes, well¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°It¡¯s about Miss Munroe.¡± ¡°Ahh! Yes, yes. We were just talking about her; did she get back early?¡± A frown had formed on his face for a moment as he delivered the line. ¡°Where exactly did Alex take her that they would be back after only a day¡­¡± ¡°No sir, it¡¯s not that. It¡¯s her stone, it went dark.¡± Her face sunk a little at the verbalizing of those words. Understandably so. ¡°No¡­ Are you sure it was here stone?¡± ¡°Yes, Master Doogan. James confirmed it.¡± A clatter was heard as Doogan¡¯s chair hit the ground and he left the room, wrapping an arm around Sicily as they turned the corner and left. ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen, I believe it best if we were to adjourn this meeting for the day.¡± Darius said into the now quieter room. ¡°Right, right. Yes. Time to go.¡± Sigmund stammered out before he too left the room, followed in small spurts by the others in attendance, clearly at a loss as to what had just happened. It was indeed a sad day when a stone went dark, most people here would not know why. The stones are a representation of a member of the guild¡¯s status. They were created using a small bit of essence captured from the guild member upon registration by varying methods, some used blood while others used things like the Magi¡¯s Orb that was employed by this hall. It was essentially a small tracking stone for guild members, and they went dark for very few reasons. Death being one of them. Chapter 27 - Time Lost Along the Southern Shore of Jaga Lake ¨C Year 1344, Pax, 16th Olea Munroe ¡°Olea¡­ Olea¡­ Wake up!¡± came a shrill voice, echoing through my mind. ¡°I¡¯m awake!¡± was my first response as I groaned and moved to sit upright. ¡°You¡¯ve been staring into the middle distance for hours; not blinking, moving, or speaking. That¡¯s not normal¡­¡± ¡°I was not!¡± Surely, I was not some zombie. If the statement of the event was indeed true, I am sure I would have known of it, or at least have had a very good reason for doing so. Where was I, though? I could hear the bird calls from overhead, not just the one obvious raven. I needed to get a name for him, or did he have one already? Who knows? The ground around me was cast in shadow and I was leaning back against a tree. From the orientation of my perch, it could very well be said that I may have been staring off to the north-east. Not doubt I had fallen asleep; it was quite a warm day for early spring. The slow steady breeze flowed up the shore from the lake to bring the smell of loamy water and that almost tangible smell of fish you get in particularly natural settings. I was thankful it did not reek of old bilge water and the fetid smell of ship waste. ¡°Okay, okay. Hey Birdbrain, how long have I been out here?¡± I may have successfully hidden some of the turmoil I could feel welling up in my heart. I did not like being confused or lost; I was starting to feel like I¡¯d been drugged and possibly used for nefarious purposes after a very long night spent with dubious people. Whether voluntarily or not is not important here. I hated being so befuddled. Yes, befuddled. ¡°Days? Yeah, at least a few days.¡± Came the quick response, though I was picking up a slight confusion coming from the bird. Was this a sign that our spiritual bond was getting stronger, and what did that mean? How strong would the connection grow, I wasn¡¯t sure I¡¯d like the bird to sense it every time I was doing things best left to the privacy of my own privy. Alone time is needed for proper mental stability after all. The comment about days out here was more troubling. I remember John asking if I could make the rest of the trip myself once we came within view of town. He was reluctant to leave me alone, but I could tell that he was more reluctant to enter the city. I did ask why he said that unsure of whether he had a slightly shady reputation among the city folk as he called them. His response was more of the typical hermit variety, too many people, too much noise, and far too many curious questions about where he was. Basically, he was hinting at avoiding the very same treatment I had been giving him during the day of travel we shared. How long ago was that? ¡°What day is it¡­¡± I muttered even as I called up the information. Month of Pax, the 16th Year 1344. ¡°Well shit.¡± It had been almost five days since I had left John¡¯s company, what the hell had I been doing. A sense of vertigo and unease started to creep up from my subconscious mind as I thought more about my lost time. ¡°Help-chan? Got a minute?¡± Surely my faithful friend could assist me in finding my lost memory. Minutes passed as I stared dumbly ahead, waiting for some mental nudge or knock from my ever-present friend. ¡°Help-chan? This is becoming less funny.¡± I had been ignored for small moments before, but I had never been outright unanswered for so long when I had a genuine concern. I mean there was that time when I could not get an answer on what flavor candy was better and I know it was a particularly major decision as I had spent a full silver mark for the small bag of sweets. I could also see where it was not especially important and could have seemed slightly inane to my timeless passenger. Still, this seemed different. I could sense him-them-she-it somewhere in the back of my own mind, floating ever-ready to be helpful in more important tasks, or even when keeping me on task. Now, it was just empty. There was a void where once there was a helpful friend. ¡°Hey, you! Have you spoken to help-chan?¡± There was a small moment of hesitation in my feathered friend¡¯s flight, like a stutter stop where he forgot to beat his wings before righting himself. ¡°Are you okay, Olea? ¡°What do you mean, am I okay? I wouldn¡¯t be asking you if I was okay and had any idea where help-chan was. I¡¯d be asking them!¡± I was shouting now, though I wasn¡¯t sure why as I think most of this conversation had been occurring inside my own mind, possibly using the Forum skill subconsciously. Several birds took to the air from the tree above me as my shout seemed to echo out across the water. That was weird, I did not think echoes could carry across bodies of water. ¡°You asked the same question yesterday, and the day before that. You also had the same attempt at snark, give or take a word or two.¡± I did not recall that at all. Either my new companion was having quite the fanciful fit of imaginative angst I had ever experienced, or I was in a bad way. How did one account for their own sanity when all outside observers commented on your lack or loss of mental faculties? How could one prove them untrue without the input from multiple sources, or at least without the ability to recall any information to the contrary in that same span of time? I was never one for existential dives and rabbit holing myself into a bout of paranoia, but this was just not adding up in my head. I couldn¡¯t even remember how I had gotten to where I was right now. ¡°Screw this.¡± I slowly rose from my near-seated position at the base of the tree, it was time for me to head home, or back to South Jaga at any rate. I had said before that it was my home now, but for some reason it seemed a more distant claim now. Did I really belong here, was my presence even appreciated? Sure, I had people in the city who seemed to enjoy my company and even people like Mister and Missus Baker who would smile and wave whenever they caught sight of me, I didn¡¯t think it was only because of my large orders of bread. But was it home, I could not quite settle on a yes. As I gained my feet, the sudden sense of vertigo returned in force, as if my commitment to moving was increasing the pressure the world put on my mind. Like standing too fast after hours of gaming and then chugging a milk shake. Yes, it¡¯s not something normally done, but the sensations were similar. First the light-headedness as blood flow quickly resumed, feeding oxygen to my protesting musculature followed by the chill at the back of my throat that seemed to numb my mind and slow my already unsteady movement. It was not a pleasant feeling. How long had I been sitting there? I had no idea, and that was frightening. Granted, my new companion did say I had been wandering for days so I could not, by that logic, have been sitting under that particular tree for very long. I sent a quick query to my mental, or spiritual, Forum. ¡°Which way back to town again?¡± In response my feathered friend veered hard right squawking all the way, whether in annoyance of jubilant affirmation I did not know. I turned on my heel and began to walk. As I thought of it, this made sense. The lake was north of me, and by putting it on my left I was now facing east, why did this not occur to me more quickly? I¡¯d be best served if I hurried back to the somewhat safer domain of the city. I began to cycle up some spells as I started walking, I had the mana so I should use it to expedite my trip and stay safe. Mana: 112/112 First off, Wind Walk. I watched as my mana dropped to seventy-seven. At least I knew the mana cost for my future staple spell. I also remembered that keeping the passive active would take up a portion of my constant mana regeneration as well. I¡¯d have to keep an eye on that, though it would have to wait for future experimentation. Next up, Vigor. I had just awakened from a stupor induced by some means, so I did not expect the spell to benefit me much, but I was going to start working on building a foundation of spells before future expeditions into the unknown. Starting now seemed like a promising idea. I also figured that starting to think of this as a pre-travel buffing scenario gave my mind some familiar structured plan to focus on, this served to help ingrain the practice as well as giving my brain something to think of other than my growing anxiety of why the hell I was out here in the first place. With no idea of where I was, or why I was where I was. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Mana: 67/112. Oddly, as the spell took hold my muscles not only stopped their tingling from my returned circulation, but they seemed to relax as if they had been drawn taut from stress. I had not noticed that before. ¡°Argh, Focus!¡± I whisper-shouted to myself. For protection I invoked my Armor spell. A shimmering shield of translucent energy wrapped itself around my body before dissipating away into a nearly invisible skin I could almost see coating my body. It went under my clothing, not sharing its protective nature with my sadly diminishing clothing supply. Mana: 57/112. Now that I look at myself, I was filthy. I did not quite remember the last time I had been so thoroughly covered in rust-colored grim and streaks of something else¡¯s blood before. Was it my first job killing the rats? Probably. The bigger question, why I was covered in so much goop and crud, I had not even noticed when I had started walking. Surely the smell should have given it away, or the fact that I could hear my clothes crinkle as they moved with my steps. Ugh. I thought to myself for a few moments before looking around, finding no one but the birds and bees I took off my shirt. I doubted anyone would see me unless a boat of fishermen happened by the trees further inland did a good job of breaking silhouettes. I channeled my spell Create Water through my hands as I twisted and turned my shirt. I saw another ten mana drop from the tank as water flowed through the shirt forcing the ick away. It was by no means thorough, but I was happy to see what I assumed were thickly clotted clumps of blood flow freely to the ground. I channeled the spell through another cycle seeing my mana pool drop by another five points while I remembered Help-chan saying that channeling spells cost less that recasting them as the initial cost was a mix of creating the bridge from my magical body into the outside world. I dropped the shirt on the grass as I continued the spell making sure to scrub my own body with my hands as the water came into existence, it was a very odd sensation. The water coalesced around my hands, not between my hands and the rest of my body, almost like a low-pressure shower. A very cold, low-pressure shower. As clean as I would get without stopping, because there was no way I would stop now that I was becoming more aware of just how totally bizarre my situation had somehow become. Not going to lie. I was a wee bit more than just a little scared. If not for the trials and tribulations of my past life, I was fairly sure I would be losing my crackers right now. Mana: 32/112. Last spell in mind was the newer one, meant to keep me from angry visitors, spirits, and stuff. I focused my intent and called up Protection from Evil. I felt the mana stir and begin to move, but just as suddenly and lacking all the subtlety of a spell taking shape, my mana froze. The spell failed and I was aware of my vision dimming even as I saw the ground approaching, A Forest Clearing Somewhere West of South Jaga ¨C Year 1344, Pax, 18th. ¡°Where am I?¡± I asked the open air as I stirred awake. I felt odd and tired, and so very, very confused. Was I dreaming, and what was I dreaming about? I looked around and found myself in a small clearing, surrounded by a sea of tall trees. Birds were singing far above, while the sounds of small, landed animals added into the mix filling my ears. I could see the glimmer of daylight filtering through the canopy above, very distant. The ground was hard beneath me and smelled of that old, rich, and very dark soil. The kind everyone wants in their garden. How had I gotten here, I barely recalled leaving John for town just yesterday. I remembered John asking if Ibe okay from here once we came within view of city. He was reluctant to leave, but I could sense his reluctance to continue. I considered pressing the matter but did not to stir up bad feelings in the man who had risked his life to save me from the cows. I¡¯m sure his inner forest-hermit motif would clash with the bustling of the small city regardless of his reasons. Probably. That did not answer the question bubbling in my mind about how I came to be in a forest, even if I had passed out the moment John left me, I should see a road nearby. I was within sight of the gates of South Jaga after all. There was no way I, in all my distractedness, could get so thoroughly turned about. Turned about and lost¡­ What to do? I ran a few circles around inside my head, feeling out the skills and such I had at my disposal. Stealth - Rank 1 Piety - Rank 3 Triumvir Soul Skills So¡­ Yeah. I think I should give my soul skill a try. I focused on the framework of the skill centered at the core of my being, deeper than my well of mana, at the heart of my very being. Or so I thought. I channeled my intent and set my mind to emphasizing my desire to be home again. Home, in South Jaga city. With my new friends and the people, I had been growing close to. Not a lengthy list but I was sure it would help. Dowsing. I felt a pull on my mind, a shifting of the balance and focus of my will and then I knew. I knew the direction of the city, or at least the general direction of the people and places I had thought of when thinking about the city. ¡°Time to go!¡± I said to no one in particular. I found myself walking even before putting conscious thought to standing. If my mind were distracted, my body would take over. I could not see anything wrong with that, and so I let my feet do their thing as I took in the view. At least I was heading in the right direction. It was not long before I realized that my skill was telling me I had somehow gotten much further from the city during the preceding day or days. What time was it, anyway? Month of Pax, the 18th Year 1344. ¡°What the¡­¡± This couldn¡¯t be right. How did I lose track of time? What was going on, I did not remember passing an earth-standard week wandering about in the forest. What the hell had I been doing? I could feel anxiety building in my chest, a cold grip of pressure on my beating heart. Calm, need to calm down. Stressed, scared people die. They always die, usually in a bad way. ¡°What do I know?¡± Nothing. I don¡¯t know how I got here or what I have been doing. My body feels fine, no new holes in me or my clothing, though I am much filthier. I could now feel the grime and build up of drying fluids and other things upon my clothes, dry stains of red and yellow and some amethyst-colored gunk. I knew not where I had been, but I knew where I had to go. I had to get help, and soon. Trust in the skill, I had to. It was a Soul Skill after all. It had to know my feelings and it also had to be helping. I mean, whose soul would actively work against them. Not a thing, at least not something My Soul would do. My soul is amazing! That had to count for something. And so, I walked. I walked, and I walked. Hours passed by and as I grew tired, I found myself casting Vigor on myself, letting my energy levels rise repeatedly. My mana seemed to tick back up fast enough to cast the spell every twenty or thirty minutes and stay relatively topped off. It seemed that my regeneration would stay high so long as I didn¡¯t start tanking my reserves. I recalled something to that effect, the lower my percentage of mana remaining the lower my total available regen would drop. Something to think about, especially as I recalled some spells would eat away at my maximum regeneration rate to sustain themselves. I was suffering through a circle of less savory thoughts as the trees ahead seemed to grow further apart. I also noticed a stronger breeze flowing from ahead, as well as more light seeping in through the thinning canopy. I was almost free of the forest. I could then find the road; I was sure of it! I broke through the dense low-lying shrubs at the last row of large oaken giants took up residence behind me. An expanse of green hills greeted me, flowing ever outward from the forest. In the distance, maybe a days more walking, I could see tiny homes and plotted fields of crops and corrals. Civilization! ¡°Finally.¡± I could see in the distance, beyond where the small farms lay, on the very edge of the horizon a faint shimmer of sun-heated water haze near a wall of what must be the gray stone of the city. This fact was confirmed as I felt out the direction with my Dowsing. I would make it yet. I began walking once again, determined to find a safe place to rest closer to living people before I napped for the night, I would be home sometime tomorrow afternoon, surely. I could not wait to get back to my meat pies and fresh baked bread. And the people, those were important too. Doogie and Lenn, Sicily and even Keen. A whole week, I hope the street kids were still safe and keeping fed. I am sure it was silly of me as they had been surviving for long years as a collection of kids coming and going in the group, changing every year as a child grew and left, or was otherwise lost to the fold. Some things were best not thought of, though I could not help but think of the way Keen had mentioned that kids went missing all the time. The younger children, girls above all others but children all. Yeah, I had to fix that, or at least make sure someone did. I had made it barely a few hundred feet before my legs betrayed me and gave way. Darkness enshrouded my mind, and I was filled with an emptiness so profound that I could not even be bothered to feel the pain as I hit the hardened ground beneath me. Chapter 28 - Other Things Lost A Patch of Undergrowth ¨C Year 1344, Pax, 23rd Olea Munroe ¡°What was that?¡± I asked, forgetting I was alone in this hellscape of a forest. I woke up several hours ago, with no idea of how I got here. None whatsoever. I remembered having a companion, and a guiding voice. At one point I even think I had a savior of some kind. All those memories are foggy now, lacking specifics. It was confusing. I was confused. I did not like the feeling at all. I keep trying to access the system, you know the ever-watchful system governing all things in this gods-damned or gods-created world I am in now. Nothing. Not a damn thing. I have only been able to see the date and time. No help at all. Well, unless you consider bedtime to be a pertinent thing to time. Or dinner, but who eats on a regular schedule? Hell, who sleeps on a regular schedule. When was the last time I slept for that matter? I remember coming to several hours ago, but was I asleep or had I been knocked unconscious? I could not remember. Damnit, I could barely remember my own name, let alone my reason for being out in this forest. All I could do was survive, fight, and survive. At least, I think fighting is involved. My clothes were ragged, torn, and so full of grit and grime that I would have removed them had I not feared that their protection would otherwise save my life. The sun was above, not directly overhead, and it was quite warm. This observation led me to believe it was afternoon, as sun at an angle while cold would indicate it was morning, not yet having warmed through the early hours of the day. I think? A rustle in the leave drew my attention, not another pig, please. I had seen several, at least I assumed as such since there was a pile of no less than seven near a small lightning-shattered tree stump nearby. Had I killed them? Again, I do not know. Something killed them and being that I had a large chunk of broken boar tusk bloodied in my hand, a hand that was bruised, bleeding, and very swollen from abuse, I would say I had a part in the massacre. I just don¡¯t know why I did not remember it. Who forgets a fight where life and death are so closely mingled. I am not strong; I am not even skilled. I¡¯m not particularly bright or gifted, what I am is stubborn. I lack the ability to just lie down and die if I can spite the bastards causing me harm, it¡¯s a proven fact. Hell, it had been ¡°proven¡± in a court of law some time in my not-so-distant past. That case may not have been due to my own faults, but it had come to be my reality after I had been sentenced to the detention center for three years. Manslaughter as a minor seems to catch a smaller time if you were proven to from suffer ¡®negligent care¡¯ and lacked ¡®positive reinforcement¡¯. Yeah, ok. The noise grew louder, breaking me from my rabbit-like trance of idle thoughts. Were they idle? No idea, they seemed relevant, hell I had not had thoughts so sensical in hours. Or had I? Focus! Ahead of me, from under and behind the mass of snaking vines and low-land bushes came a sight I had not seen in the pile nearby. A wolf. Its eyes looked upon me from a wire-thick tangle of blood-caked fur, hunger and curiosity seeming to ignite them into a brighter hue. Its nose was working furiously as it scented the air, suspecting an ambush from multiple foes. It wouldn¡¯t find one, I was so very alone here that had I not been so furiously stupefied by my situation I would have long ago sought safety in a hole or ran fruitlessly in a random direction. It moved further into the small clearing I had been calling home for the past few hours, stopping at the pile of bloodied bodies, it even licked a chomped of the fleshier bits free of their morbidly precarious moorings. Its body was lithe and muscled, not suffering from any sign of malnourishment. I breathed out as the wolf turned to regard me in my readied position, I would not go down without causing substantial ruin unto this creature. Nope, not going quietly. Several sniffs of the sour-sweet smell of bloodied bodies and the wolf seemed to have seen enough of me. It shrugged its shoulders as if to indicate I was no threat, or of such a small threat-level that I could be ignored. Sinking its large teeth into the hind quarters of a particularly rotund boar the creature heaved mightily with its back paws, digging into the soft dry dirt as it pulled the corpse free. The body slid slowly at first before the whole thing shifted and the boar slid free with the slurp sound of a yogurt being forcefully evacuated from its tube. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. The whole thing was disgusting, but altogether hypnotic. That was not important, what bothered me for some reason was that this thing disregarded me entirely. It deemed me as unimportant, insignificant, and not worth note. That bothered me, though I was not sure why; it did. I would make this thing recognize me. I would make it notice me, it damned well better be paying attention in the future. Unsure why I felt such anger, resentment, and furious stupidity, I dashed after the creature. The distance was a mere fifteen feet, I covered that in seconds. Seconds that the beast had casually and dismissively awarded me as it continued pulling its prize, my property, behind it out from under the vines. As I jumped from the dry loam of the ground, launching myself bodily onto the beast, I brought my trophy-tusk down against and into its thick hide. The tusk went only a few inches before the wolf managed to roll away, my body still clinging tightly to the beast as it attempted to stand. I persisted, stabbing again and again even as the wolf bit hard on my ankle, an ankle I had somehow neglected to pull away from it heads as I rode the beast upside down. I ignored the sharp pains climbing up my leg, screaming to my brain that I was not ok, there was a trespasser to punish. The wounds I had been punching into the beast were becoming larger as I made perforations along its side, peppering the area around its lower ribs to make a hole. I knew my makeshift dagger was not long enough for what I wanted to do, not yet. The wolf finally gained solid purchase on my ankle even as I succeeded in tearing the tusk through the leather of its hide, bringing a whole new level of blood flow into the open air. I was almost done. Alas, the wolf jumped side to side as it pulled with its sharp teeth embedded in my own flesh and I failed to maintain my hold on its matted and blood slick fur. I tumbled from the injured creature, my tusks going free of my grasp as the beast stood and turned to face me. I stood as the wolf moved closer, its eye going from me to the tusk and back again, I think the thing was smiling, or grinning. I let out a growl that caused the creature to pause in its steps before growling back, a much more sinister and deeper thing rumbling up from its deep bloodied chest cavity. Its attempts to cause me to cower in fear would find no purchase in my mind, I was already frightened. No, the fear was there, but it took a second seat to my anger. I could not bring myself to care for what would come after the fight, could the world not tell I wanted to be left alone, to have a chance to find my way from this green hellscape and back to my home? I tensed, almost flinching back as the wolf lunged toward me jaws opening to reveal the rest of its sharp age-yellowed teeth. I moved to the side even as the beast landed, turning sharply to meet me. It was too slow to avoid the damage as I kicked out with my injured leg at the hole I had gouged into its ribs, the sound of my leg sending making dull impact with the wolf¡¯s body along with a noticeable squelch of sorts as blood was forced from the cavity. I hopped back on one leg, cutting off a shout of pain as my mind was conflicted between a celebratory strike and a self-harming one. We circled one another slowly. The wolfs eyes now darting back to the pile of meat and the arch in the underbrush it had climbed through. Escape was on its mind but my fervor for this fight and the heretofore uncommon rage I felt was all-encompassing. I knew not from whence the emotions came but I felt no desire to fight back, not here, not now. Another thing to be fearful of, my own loss of control. When had I lost it? I couldn¡¯t remember, nor could I quite place the sense of worry I had over its absence. There were other things too, more missing pieces of the puzzle that was my being. Again, I felt as if I should know somehow, I should just know what was missing, as if it was an intrinsic part of my current existence. If only¡­ I was brought from my spiral as the wolf lunged forward, though not at me. It truly was attempting to flee, I know I would have normally allowed this creature a chance to escape as I was the instigator in this bout, alas it was not to be. I brought the knee of my injured leg up to meet it as it was passing on my right even as I brought my arms down together, fingers laced to form a hammer. It worked for the WWE, why not here? The wolfs momentum was lost as I made contact and spun with the creature even as I drove it downward with my thin arms, a testament to its own injuries that I could misdirect it so easily. The wolf hit the ground and rolled; I lunged forward this time wrapping it from behind as I snaked my arms around to find the wound I had dug into. Now, before it could stand again, or maybe before I could think about it, I shoved my arm into to the side of beast reaching for its heart. The wolf whined in fear and pain as my arm forced aside its internals in search of the prize. I was there; I could feel the thud of its core beating in frantic rhythm to some unseen drumming of the world. Sensed somehow its fear of the inevitable, an unavoidable end we all must someday face, but most of all I sensed from it a feeling of great sadness and loss. It was altogether confusing and just¡­ I don¡¯t know. My hand had nearly reached the heart when the wolf finally got its feet to work, rising from the ground, I gripped hard on the tissue and sinew of the wolfs body as my hand began to slip away, and though my mind began to reject the act, I found myself tearing something vital from the organs inside. It was not yet dead, but my foe was now dying. I looked at the creature as it turned to face me, even as its legs began to droop. I felt the rage still, the unknown anger and frustrations that were bottled up inside me. I felt them all, but they were being drowned now by sadness, loss, and a different kind of frustration. I wish I could help this creature, I just didn¡¯t know how, or I had known how but had forgotten. That was the rub, had I known what I had once known I now knew that I could have in that moment saved this life before it was gone. Gone from the world because of my own lack of control. I fell to my side exhausted and in pain as my own injuries overcame my ability to push them back with adrenaline and shock. I lay there, moaning in pain even as I watched the glimmer of life slowly leaving the eyes of my opponent, and I wept. The world faded from view as the last sparks of intelligence and emotion left the body of a once noble and surely frightening creature. Before I lost consciousness, I also had another thought; didn¡¯t wolves normally travel in packs? Chapter 29 - Scavenger Carnival A Forest Near the Town of Malinon. Pax, 32nd. ¡°Are you sure it was this way?¡± grunted Bart. ¡°Aye, I was, I am sure! It was definitely this way.¡± Replied Kurt. ¡°I am just saying. You said it was this way for the last five ways an¡¯ four days.¡± continued Bart as he narrowly avoided snagging his bow on one of the many low branches drooping over the game trail. Kurt just shook his head and pressed on, certain of his bearing. There was no way he would confess that he was confused those few times, those were minor misremembrances. This time he was going the right way. He KNEW it. ¡°Afraid to admit you¡¯re wrong again, Kurt?¡± Up ahead there was a rustling of trees, a snapping of branches, and a cry of agony as something snarled like a vicious beast. ¡°You hear that there, Bart?¡± ¡°Yesh, I heard that, Kurt. By the Twelve, who couldn¡¯t¡¯ve?¡± came Bart¡¯s quick reply. ¡°Should we go have a look then?¡± ¡°The Three help me, but I think we needs to.¡± Said a resigned looking Bart, not at all looking forward to finding out what the fuss was about. Weren¡¯t these woods supposed to be safe for most Capable folks, since when do people get mauled and murdered by small times fauna? They had been trekking for days following several stories of missing livestock, strange property damage, the odd comb what come up missing. It was enough to make the local guild associate issue a small contract to investigate the forest. The contract itself was open-ended. There was no need to provide a scapegoat, culprit, guilty party, or even bring anyone in at all. They were to simply be seen putting in due diligence to ease the minds of the locals, no one liked having a nervous neighbor tossing Magic Missiles out the window in the wee hours of the night and smacking an innocent drunk on his way home from the pub. That would simply not do in their small town. So, here they were, traipsing through the forest because Kurt had found a trail. What¡¯s more, up ahead could very well be some villain what done the things and would keep to doing the things unless Kurt and Bart could stop the things from being done. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Bart followed Kurt down the narrow trail, ducking the many branches as they appeared. What they found was nothing short of inspiring, say if you were one to be inspired by lunacy and ill-conceived notions of heroism. Ahead, in a large clearing lit by the rays of the sun filtering down from above through a large hole in the canopy was a scene from some very drunken bard¡¯s tale. The two foresters were bearing witness to a contest of what seemed to be, King-of-the-Knoll, or Queen rather. For upon that knoll was a she-elf covered in naught but the blood of her enemies and oozing yet more from several open wounds in her torso and legs. Around her, attempting to climb atop the mound serving as an earthen bulwark was a horde of various scavengers. Bart counted possums, foxes, and a badger or three among the various other creatures attempting to assail the mound. Kurt broke the two hunters¡¯ silence first, ¡°Whose side do we take?¡± ¡°Side? What in the name of the One do you mean by side? That is a kid there, or least ways she looks as young as my own Molly, barely grown to the age for ale.¡± Bart looked at his companion who still seemed confused about the entire thing. ¡°We take the elf¡¯s side you idiot, let¡¯s go!¡± Now, Bart could not blame Kurt for being slow to act, it was not everyday you saw something like this. By the three Bart still was not sure what this was. But it had to end before that lass got herself killed, for it was of course a lass, the lack of clothing made it hard to not notice. Kurt followed Bart, circling right as his friend moved ahead to pick up what looked like a medium-sized badger, around level ten. They had long ago passed the threshold of veteran by reaching level twenty-five. Kurt even thought that Bart might be approaching level thirty by now, it took a lot of killing and praying to reach such heights. Especially as neither of them often left the region, staying closer to habitable zones that were kept clear by annual patrols sent in by the King or the Imperial Order. Kurt nocked an arrow as Bart skewered a large rodent with his spear and used its body to bludgeon a possum against a stout rock. Several arrows flew from his bow in rapid succession, these under-leveled creatures standing no chance against his dexterity enhanced bow skills. They would have this matter sorted out in no time, and surely the guild would pay them extra for rescuing a stranded mana-storm victim. Surely, that was the case here, right? Only a fresh Mana-Storm victim would be in the forest alone and in a near-primal state, all for what? Defending a mound of dirt? In less that half a glass the two hunters had cleared away the crazed denizens of the forest, surely there were none left within miles of this little patch of crazy. Now they only had to interrogate the girl and find out why she was all alone covered in dirt, blood, and other things. Also, why was she crying? Chapter 30 - Stand A Forest Near the Town of Malinon. Pax, 32nd. Olea Munroe It was early morning, already. I had spent the night doing God knows what, again. The dreams are getting worse, the dreams and voices. The voices and dreams. I had been awake for several hours now, even before the sun crested the distant horizon. I could not see the sun per se, but I could see the canopy of leaves overhead beginning to glow with early morning light. ¡°Scientific deduction, that.¡± I said to the empty air. Again, I think I have lost my mind. Though it could not be all bad if I could make unfunny jokes to myself, and recognize them as both jokes and unfunny, right? I did not know. The forest floor was clear all around me, spotted only with small rocks and struggling saplings rushing to grow faster than their neighbors so that they may survive and thrive in the sunlight rather than being slowly drowned in an environment too dark to sustain proper growth. Nature is a harsh mistress, a stone-cold murderer, even. I wonder if that means murder is the natural way of things. No, no, no. That is not right. Maybe struggle is the point, a struggle to survive against the other things trying to do you in, through no fault of their own. Just a basic desire to be the best as all around you other creatures are falling into ruin. That still did not feel quite right, but better than murder is nature, I supposed. Me? I am simply mourning a lost friend or at least one of those others, the only connection I have been able to recall in these past few days, weeks. How long had it been? No matter. My eyes are drawn to that mound of dirt, it is a small thing, barely worthy of the life lost. The soul extinguished¡­ ¡°Gah, I sound like an emo girl in a teen rom-com.¡± I find myself chastising my own thoughts again, though recently some of the thoughts in my head are not my own. I do not know who they belong to, but they are not mine. Some of the thought-voices keep asking me questions, some are speaking to other thought-voices, and sometimes all the voices talk all at once, trying to figure out who the others are. I would like to know who they are, and why they are in my mind. They should be paying rent and keeping it down. Enough about the stupid voice-thought things, I had work to do. I had spent the last few days enshrining my feelings and memories of this noble creature by making its mound presentable to the heavens, like some great Celtic rite performed by the druids of earth. I had gathered a series of stones to ring the mound and planted some thick green moss upon the stones as a blanket for the deceased. I knew they were dead, and as such would not get cold but who really thinks straight when they are in mourning. No one. And, I believe, I am doubly due for some leniency as I may be slipping into madness. I wonder if Alice will be around for a spot of tea. Back to the work at hand, I needed to plant these flowers I had found earlier in the day. They were a strange type of flower, all red with traces of silver moonlight streaking through the petals. Any time I looked at them I found myself being drawn to their beauty, and as the sun continued to rise the flowers fragrance would increase in potency. I thought it was a trick of the wind at first but as time wore on, I could scent the flower from further and further away. Indeed, at first, I would lean in and catch a small whiff of the sweet intoxicating scent but now I could smell them even as I stood several yards distant. I could also almost see a visible haze of glowing dust, or was that pollen, rising from the buds. No matter, now that the sun had warmed the soil, I could plant the pretty thing in the soil there and complete my makeshift memorial to my mysterious benefactor. As to the benefit I received, I cannot say. I am at a total loss as to what happened or even who this being was. I should know, shouldn¡¯t I? I was certain I had dug the grave and buried the body. I had to have known at some point, why couldn¡¯t I remember? This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The forest around me was coming to life with each passing minute, more and more sounds emanating from all around me. I listened closely, relaxing my mind as nature wove its song through the sounds of life. Then I set to work. I dug a small hole atop the mound, pushing the dirt here and there in the rough shape I needed to plant the flower. Once I had finished that part, I grabbed the clod of deep-red, copper-scented soil and placed it ever so gently into the hole, being careful not to damage any of the sharpened root¡¯s protruding from the underside. This was one feisty flower. I had just barely begun patting the soil into place around the wonderful smelling plant when I heard it, the low growl of some small scurrying creature. Several small scurry creatures. I found myself looking upon a vast array of small carrion consuming pests of the forest. Possum, rats, badgers, foxes, and several birds were also alighting down from above as they stared upon my memorial mound. ¡°What the bloody hell¡­¡± words fail me as I try to figure out why the denizens of the forest have sought out my clearing. Were they after my fallen friend? Surely the smell was barred from entry onto the breeze by the sheer virtue of being covered in packed dirt, my nails will attest to the fact that this was no shallow grave. Could they be here for me? I am only barely a narcissist sometimes, but even I could not fault them for wanting to see me, though today was not a good day. I was covered in the signs of my labor, the dirt, blood, more foul things. No, not that. Probably. I got to my feet gripping my digging instrument, a large broken length of bone, or tusk. It was here when I got here, no idea where it was from. It was however stained a deep red though, the color of dried blood, and of course dirt. ¡°Wait a minute.¡± I looked down at my feet to stare at the flower, which had taken on a slightly darker hue while still possessing the slivers of moonlight splitting the petals. They proved to be quite contrasting shades. Was this a magical plant, were the creatures trying to eat this innocent flower? I would not have it, whether they were here for my friend¡¯s body, myself, or the flower I would stop them. ¡°Arrrrgh.¡± In my moment of contemplation one of the little vermin had decided to latch onto my leg, my bare leg. I will not say that my shrill scream was macho, or even remotely barbarian adjacent. I will also not say that it sounded like the scream of a girl on the run from certain slasher-flick villains. Nope, not me. ¡°You bastard, get off!¡± I shook my leg to and fro for several painful moments before it went flying into the mob before me, with a piece of my flesh. ¡°That better not scar!¡± a small stream of blood began flowing almost comically fast from my small puncture wound. Did the damned thing¡¯s saliva have an anticoagulant? I dipped a little lower, not sure why at first. Then I felt something, a small certainty that my form was right. My body remembered something about fighting that I did not, chalk this up to the struggle of nature, or nature being struggle idea. Probably. Anyway, I did not like the looks of this. More creatures were coming in from behind the ones I could easily see. Dozens now, more? I moved to the side as I felt the wind shift, barely missing a large rat as it flew through the air and crashed into the mass of animals before me. As it landed and turned about to face me and have another go, a large animal bit into its neck and crushed its spine. I only think the spine was crushed because I heard a very dull crunching sound followed by several cracks and a pop before the badger jerked its head back and sent the corpse flying into the bushes. Then it all went to hell. I had beats leaping up at me from below, thankful all the while I had the high ground. I dodged, blocked, fake-parried, and sometimes failed to do any of those. I was beginning to think I would be buried in a mass of fur-covered teeth and small paws when I saw movement at the edge of the clearing and the glint of sunlight on metal. A pair of men were making their way through the lake of creatures before me. One was laying into the beasties with a short spear and a machete style blade, cutting and hacking at anything that came near. Hell, his lead attack was a spear through the stomach of one animal before using said animal to club another. It was spectacular. A sound from above caught my attention and I looked up to see a large bird swooping down on me just as an arrow took it through the abdomen and pinned it to a tree, the other fellow was like lightning using that bow of his. I saw arrow after arrow being loosed into the air, all save one finding a nice spot to rest inside my would-be attackers. I continued fighting the beasties that were before me clumsily by comparison to the men laying waste to the horde below. I took a great many cuts and scrapes, a tumble or two, and several more bites to places that should never even be laid bare in daylight. I could feel the familiar symptoms of blood-loss settling in even as the last of the beasties died. ¡°You a¡¯rite, lass?¡± said the older hunter with his spear held to the side, his friend was walking the clearing pulling arrows from corpses. ¡°I feel fine¡­¡± I managed, before the world went black. Somewhere deep in my mind a sultry voice began to whisper, and then scream. Weird. Chapter 31 - Debrief Malinon Guild Outpost. Pax, 33rd. ¡°So, explain it to me again.¡± Said Stan, the outpost officiant for the regional guild branch, ¡°What happened out there, and why did you bring a comatose elfling back nearly naked on a donkey. I didn¡¯t even know you owned a donkey, Bart.¡± ¡°Aye, the donkey belongs to a cousin of a cousin of Kurt, a stand-up fellow for a halfling. Not very tall as halflings go, but still a stand-up guy.¡± ¡°Ok¡­ so the girl?¡± Stan prodded, trying to keep the man focused, Bart had waylaid many an important discussion through lack of attentiveness and his frustrating talent for drawing people into a story. He would have made a better Bard. ¡°Yah, damndest thing. We found her in the forest, near-abouts to where the rumors and such were spreading from. You remember, ye contracted us to investigate.¡± ¡°I remember.¡± Said Stan with a slow nod, ¡°So you went into the forest, and then you found the girl. How?¡± ¡°I was getting¡¯ to that.¡± Complained Bart, ¡°Yer worse than Kurt at listening. Anyway, we were walking about and tracking all the leads, proper investigating. That¡¯s when Kurt and myself heard a scream, like a loud My-Wife-Saws-a-Spider proper scream from hell. So we followed the sounds and found the girl.¡± ¡°Just like that?¡± queried the guild representative. ¡°Nah, she was standing on a death mound, a right proper one. There was even a death blossom atop it, frightful things.¡± Bart took a moment to sip at his low ale before continuing, ¡°You know the ones, their pollen brings in the beasties, incites a riot, monsters fight and die, winner eats flower and dies like the rest only to be food for the next seasons growth. That flower there, and she was just standing there holding back the mini-beast tide.¡± ¡°Really?¡± asked Stan, his eyebrows now arching upward threatening his low brimmed cap. ¡°Yah, she was ready to wage a right and proper war. I mean, she woulda died right quick, but she was standing there ready.¡± Bart nodded sagely into his cup as he hid a grin. ¡°That¡¯s when we jumped in to save the girl, was only proper. Kurt did his arrow-meets-spleen bit, and I just went in and chopped the meat, simple really. The lass did some light work with a mean looking boars¡¯ tusk too.¡± ¡°A tusk?¡± asked Stan, not catching the rise of interest in his own voice. ¡°Damndest thing, right? No knife, no clothes, and I doubt the girl has bathed in a thrice-cursed month. She smelled almost as bad as the offal when we finished.¡± Bart chuckled deep and low, his Charisma peaking, ¡°The donkey did not appreciate it¡¯s burden.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t say, so the girl came peaceably?¡± ¡°I would not be saying peacefully, thought it be hard to do something the rough way while you¡¯re unconscious.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t!?¡± Motes of outrage filtered through Stan¡¯s voice at the thought of his members committing such deeds. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Nah, she passed right out, plus straight away when the fighting was done. There was a moment thought, just before it happened where I sensed something off with her. And I¡¯m not just talking about those purple eyes, we all know elves have weird flowery colored eyes.¡± ¡°Something off, you say?¡± ¡°Aye, off. She was putting out some strange aura, I had my detection spells going.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. Detect Magic and Detect aura, I saw those in your file. Fancied yourself a cleric in your youth?¡± ¡°Nay, I picked those up well after I was heading down the woodsman path. Got ¡®em to help me figure out when the kids be lying about who broke what at home. The devils be thinking their old man isn¡¯t on to ¡®em.¡± Stan looked puzzled for a few moments before he guffawed loudly in his chair, the wind escaping the man¡¯s lungs as he laugh-coughed sent his guild report papers flying in all directions. Reports on ore transport shipments, merchant convoys, and other unread missives from local branches all tumbling to the ground in lazy bobbing arcs on an unseen air current. ¡°Oh, apologies.¡± Said Stan as he went about grabbing up the papers, Bart likewise bent to the floor grabbing at some of the sheets, neither of them noticed the small letter bearing a brown seal from the South Jaga branch as it slid between the floorboards down into the rarely explored crawlspace. ¡°So, which detection spell got triggered?¡± asked a now rapt and curious Stan after nearly stacking and stowing his paper. Really, he should not be keeping guild correspondence out while in meetings with his subordinate members. ¡°Aura or Magic?¡± ¡°Neither.¡± ¡°Neither, what do you mean? How could something be off, or how could you tell otherwise?¡± Stan¡¯s curious mind could not help be race ahead of the building suspense he felt. He would need to invest in some attribute building for his own charisma, or better yet wisdom. Bart took a moment to hide a blush behind his mug, ¡°About that. Now Stan was much more intrigued, Bart was hiding something. ¡°I may have been negligent in reporting some of my new skills.¡± ¡°New skills? So, we don¡¯t require you to tell us everything. We aren¡¯t the Arcane University; some secrets are to be expected for our members privacy.¡± ¡°Aye, but this one is on the list.¡± Bart hesitated for a few seconds, ¡°Ya¡¯ see I didn¡¯t want to get picked for certain jobs and such, so I¡¯ve been hesitating to tell anyone.¡± ¡°Tell anyone what exactly?¡± Stan said, leaning forward in a gesture of conspiratorial collaboration. ¡°I may have picked up Detect Curse on my last age day.¡± Bart whispered into his mug, barely loud enough for Stan to catch. ¡°You picked up Detect Curse, on your age day?¡± Stan repeated, somewhat lost in thought. ¡°Aye, upon the return I received the skill. Never thought I¡¯d see the day.¡± ¡°When was this?¡± ¡°Last Winter Solstice, the very second of Turning¡¯s end.¡± Stan sat back in his chair, thinking. It wasn¡¯t strange to be awarded spells or skills at the celebration of Turning. What was odd is that it was a skill Bart confessed to not wanting, and at his age. It was strange as most people his age would normally receive a small boost to an attribute, or sometimes a skill-point for furthering their own knowledge, if the gods deemed them worthy. ¡°Well, that can stay between us then. We don¡¯t have much work with Curses at this branch, and besides O¡¯Leary would not take kindly to someone else taking up his curse detection detail. I won¡¯t even include the curse in the report.¡± Stan made a few marks on his file before shuffling it into the black and gold envelope for the next Courrier to come through for official reports. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we tell someone the girl is cursed? She should be sent to a proper temple for cleansing.¡± Bart asked, ¡°The girl should not be made to suffer from whatever that mark is for the sake of one old man¡¯s shirked duty.¡± ¡°Relax.¡± Stan said, nodding even as he raised his hands in peace, ¡°We will send a report with the girl on her way up to North Jaga, the guild will make sure she gets cleansed and is properly cared for so we can discover more about her. It¡¯s in the report I just filed away.¡± ¡°Aye, see that we do. Have I told you she looks a lot like my oldest daughter, though not near as lovely. The evening passed slowly as the men shared storied words of exploits, family, and better days. The world¡¯s worries slipping from their minds as if by magic. Had the report not been filed, they may have all but forgotten the event had even occurred. Chapter 32 - Transport Guild Transport Ship ¨C On Lake Jaga. Pax, 34th. The Crew of the Minnoa ¡°Oy, Jessup!¡± shouted a thin man from the port side of the transit barge. ¡°Yah Ishmere, what be you yelling for?¡± shouted another man from ten feet away, presumably Jessup. ¡°Did Stan¡¯s message say something about heading to North Jaga before we circle around to South Jaga?¡± ¡°Aye, we were told to go to North Jaga first. For the passenger drop off, poor lass been in a coma for a day or two.¡± ¡°That be a lot of rowing. I say we stick to the normal route, eh?¡± ¡°You want to abandon your duty, sailor?¡± shouted Jessup, unsure if he had heard the man correctly this time. ¡°Nay, I just be pointing out to ye, if she is in a coma I think she be fine to wait one more day. The current is with us now until the Turning, we should go east with the current instead of rowing north for a day. Besides, South Jaga healers are just as good as those northern types, does it matter where she gets healed.¡± Shouted Ishmere, for he had not lowered his voice from his apparent default level of oration. ¡°But the orders say- ¡° ¡°Yah, yah. Orders is orders you say, I bloody hate rowing against the wind and current.¡± ¡°We all do Ishmere.¡± said Jessup, a frown on his face as he tried to understand why his fellow sailor was in such a mood. Of course, he understood that going east was easier, and it was the normal way of things in this season as the powerful and steady currents of the lake would always flow against the clock, as time pulled winter from the land as the priest would say. Alas, orders is orders. It was not their job to ask the questions, they merely rowed the boats to lessen the taxing of their single guild mage and his small mana pool. ¡°Oy, Jessup?¡± shouted Ishmere as he pushed and pulled at his oar. ¡°Yeah, Ishmere?¡± ¡°That girl¡­¡± he seemed to draw out the statement as if piecing his thoughts, ¡°did anyone say what happened to ¡®er?¡± ¡°Nay, above my pay grade, and yours.¡± ¡°It do usually be that way.¡± Sighed Ishmere. ¡°It¡¯s just that, I dunna remember when last I heard someone was in a coma, least not without a large amount of ale. I¡¯m thinking¡¯ that don¡¯t count though.¡± ¡°It do seem odd, Ishmere. I¡¯d wager it be something to do with magic, that or someone knocked ¡®er on the noggin.¡± ¡°It still don¡¯t make no sense as to the why, Jessup.¡± Groused Ishmere, apparently switching topics again. ¡°Why send her north, I know guild protocol well enough to know that we should be getting her the fastest available healing. This doesn¡¯t fit.¡± ¡°Stan¡¯s name is on the papers, mate.¡± ¡°Stan¡¯s a right fool, but he should have ordered her to South Jaga.¡± ¡°You just hate rowing extra.¡± Said Jessup, trying to switch the mood of the conversation. Questioning the higher ups was a good way to get tossed to a different detail and Jessup much preferred the smell of the lake over the smell of the offal that was common to fighting the beasts that would occasionally visit their region. Sure, he could seek work elsewhere, the guild was not the only gig in town but it paid the best and he preferred this job as it kept him coming back to his wife and child safely every other day. ¡°Yeah, I do. It still makes no sense.¡± ¡°Just row.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the problem, guys?¡± came a new voice. This time it was Steve, the guild mage. The term mage was used loosely as he had started his career focusing on more martial aspects and as such had a smaller than normal number of spells for his veteran level. A small number of spells as well as a lack of mage oriented stat allocations. ¡°No problem, Steve-o.¡± Jessup said. ¡°Just debating the winds and such, Ishmere is a right proper font of curiosity today.¡± ¡°Aye,¡± chimed in Ishmere, ¡°the wind seems more colorful today, current is extra loud too.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°The wind is colorful?¡± asked Steve, uncertain as to the meaning of the words spouted out by Ishmere. ¡°Aye, and the water is way too loud.¡± He added in again. ¡°Far too loud, I agree.¡± Jessup said, nodding as he pulled back his row for another steady stroke. ¡°You folks been sipping the juice on the job?¡± asked a confused looking Steve. ¡°No sips here.¡± Ishmere said into the wind as he continued to row, staring aft as he pushed and pulled at the stout pole. ¡°What he said,¡± Jessup added as he tried his best to match the unexpected pace of rowing set by his friend, ¡°no sips, just a lovely day to smell the sunlight.¡± Ishmere let out a noise that may have been a laugh but came across more like a grunt while pulling at the fifteen-foot oar. ¡°You bastards, I was starting to think you all had lost your wits like that damned elf-girl.¡± Jessup groaned as Ishmere straightened in his seat by a fraction, barely slowing in his pace. Steve did not notice the change in posture, but Jessup knew Ishmere loved gossip and loose tongues were his favorite prey. ¡°How so, Steve? I like to think myself my wits are always near me.¡± Said Ishmere offhandedly. ¡°Wits may have been the wrong word, but it be best we do not talk about it.¡± Said Steve, his voice dropping to the level of a whisper even as the cadence of his speech changed to match the creaking of the oarlock. ¡°Kurt, the hunter from Malinon let slip that he thinks the girl be cursed.¡± ¡°Cursed, who the bloody hell would curse such a small girl? And elf at that.¡± Said Jessup. ¡°Aye, makes little sense.¡± Said Steve, still in a hushed voice. ¡°Had to be a powerful curse.¡± Said Ishmere. ¡°What do you mean, why would they need to be powerful? Most mid-level mages can pick up the Curse spell, it¡¯s even a prerequisite for some of the stronger attack magics.¡± Steve seemed at a loss as to what Ishmere meant, Jessup was just confused at how Ishmere could know something Steve did not. Steve WAS the mage on board. ¡°Aye, Elf-folks are resistant to magics of that school. Curses especially.¡± Said Ishmere as he watch the waves splashing in their wake. ¡°Would take a right strong curse to get past that, less¡¯n she be a Halfy.¡± Steve chuckled, ¡°She¡¯s not a halfling Ishmere, too tall by a fair margin and not near enough hair.¡± ¡°A Half-Elf Steve, diluted bloodline means diluted protection. Unless her ma or pa are some such race with comparable resistances.¡± Ishmere looked to Steve as he spoke, ¡°You happen to learn anything else about our long-eared cargo?¡± Steve sighed as he scratched at his balding head, ¡°I wasn¡¯t told much else aside from the odd fact that Kurt and Bart found her in the woods stark mad and nude naked as an autumn salmon.¡± Ishmere looked sharply at the ship-mage. ¡°That part is probably best left unsaid; we are not wanting to sully a girl¡¯s honor and dignity with chatter. I think we should be getting back to why the water is changing colors.¡± ¡°What?¡± came the reply from both of the other men at once. ¡°Look there.¡± Ishmere pointed aft as their eyes tracked from his face to his finger and then to the water behind their ship. In the distances, seeming to start at the dock they had left a short time ago was a shadow of sorts in the water. I shadow that was growing, in their direction. ¡°That there, isn¡¯t normal.¡± Steve and Jessup stared dumbly at the odd coloration of the water, an almost graying of the deep blue lake before looked back to Ishmere with mouths agape much in the same as a carp on dry land. ¡°We¡¯d best be moving lads,¡± said Ishmere, ¡°I think it¡¯s coming this way.¡± Jessup sat back down, not remembering when he had stood from his seat on the rowing bench and pulled. The boat moved slightly more to the left as Ishmere had not fully expected the usually slower man to display such vigor in his pulls. Steve, meanwhile, looked to the single mast of the ship and channeled an invocation of Whirlwind, being careful not to set it directly atop the sails and thus tear it to shreds. The boat lurched ahead as the wind filled the rippling sheets of fabric. Ishmere grunted his approval as he picked up his own pace, his curiosity as to the shadow¡¯s origin not nearly as strong as his desire to make it to a good tavern and drink some fine mead for many more days. No one could fault a man for wanting to live another day, even if their only reason was that they would miss drinking with the lads. And so, the trio continued their assault against the waves, keeping well ahead of the trailing shadow. The speed at which it traveled seemed to make them want to slow, as if warping their minds into accepting that it could never catch them regardless of how much they slowed the ship. They knew though, much like the eel that raced the dragon the slippery shadow of the eel would soon overtake them if they suffered the pride of the dragon and allowed their drive to slip. The three passengers on board watching from the small forecastle did not seem to notice the looks on the faces of the crew as the wind whipped by, they were just happy that it seemed like they would make better time. And so it was, that the ship came into the dock at North Jaga ahead of schedule by nearly four hours. The men working the dock took in the smiles of the passengers, the haggard appearance of the mage on board, and the shifting suspicious eyes of the oarsmen as the surveyed the waters; they shrugged it all off as another day at work. Some time later a group of clergymen showed up at the docks. They wore the typical almost-white robes of their order and all bore looks of solemnity as they marched onto the barge. ¡°The package?¡± asked the oldest man while looking at the crew. ¡°Package, sir? Which package, this be a barge. Lots of packages.¡± Ishmere said, with absolutely no inflection, fatigue clear in his voice. ¡°The elf, we are here to take the elf back to the church. We received the missing from Stan, the Guild representative of Malinon.¡± ¡°Ahh, that be her then,¡± said Jessup from his spot opposite Ishmere, ¡°that pine plank with the blankets and such up front.¡± The priest looked at the package before signaling to his fellows, they all bustled forward, lifting the plank which had held the girl snug for the journey across the water. She would probably never know how happy the crew were to see her leave their ship; Curses were for a higher paid lot of men. Up the slippery docks they went, moving with efficiency if not grace as the priest headed for their place of worship, already the head priest could feel the negative energy roiling from the young woman in his charge. This would be a long night, he only hoped they were fast enough to save the poor soul. Chapter 33 - Curses Church of the Three - North Jaga City. Troug, 3rd. Donovan Things were not going to script in the treatment of their latest charge and now Priest Donovan nervously awaits the arrival of brother Darius. Though they have shared a similar rank and role in the esteemed service of the three, Donovan has always been very aware that Darius is the more devout follower. It was not that Donovan was a non-believer, he had then and still had a firm belief in the gods; how could you not when visions were widespread, and the almighty system reaffirmed the presence of divinity with each passing day. No, Donovan suffered from a wavering belief in the Gods¡¯ ability to care for their people. They were surely there, in this he had no doubt, but they seemed to not be able to bring themselves to care for the suffering of the mortals walking the world. Darius though, he was a man of unwavering faith. Both cunning and intelligent, he would delight in any toil he deemed necessary for the glory of the gods. His charm and wisdom were utilized in his daily works to promote the divine ones. The man believed wholeheartedly that the gods shared in our suffering as they wanted us to grow yet could not shelter us from all hardships as that would remove the value from our lives. ¡°We as a people are shaped by our suffering as well as our success.¡± was the common utterance when he witnessed people suffering through strife. And now Donovan would need to ask for his aid to ease the suffering of someone in his care, a girl barely into adulthood. It was on days like these when Donovan felt that he was not needed by his church, that he had mistaken his call unto the service of the Trifecta his church was devoted to serving. They worshipped the Three as the Three served under the One, upholding his will on Kalydren whilst the Twelve aided them by bringing smaller miracles throughout his creation. A Hero would come to call upon the divine ones by name serving them more fully than most peoples though being loved all the same, or so said the scriptures. Donovan knew of one hero, a man serving one of the twelve, who currently resided in the Imperial Capital. There had been tales told by those sent vast distances through accidental exposure to mana storms and some of their more onerous effects. Those people had claimed that there was another hero, in some cases two, back on their home continents. If only it were yet possible to go to these places, study their ways, culture, and advancements. Alas, it was not to be as no advancement had yet enabled long-distance sea travel. Even the better mages feared going too far into the sea using methods of flight or water skipping for fear of never returning. The beasts of the sea were numerous and a stray mana storm raging out of season would be disastrous. There were spells used by the great mages and healers of the continent that could traverse space using anchors and gates true, but upon being transported by a mana storm a person lost all previous anchors, leaving the caster a castaway. Donovan once dreamed of being one such castaway, to leave behind his shame at having no meaning within these hallowed halls. ¡°Excuse me, Brother Donovan. Brother Darius has arrived; he awaits you in the Chamber of Rites.¡± Stated a nervous sounding priest. Brother Eric would be the man¡¯s name; he was new to the church and always seemed on edge if not eager to please. Donovan turned with a nod of acknowledgement to his colleague and made his way into the inner recesses of the church, he feared the day would only grow melancholier as it progressed. Would Darius be of help, would he have a solution? The problem was an odd one, never had a person been so irrevocably cursed that they could not be healed, and one so young. The girl could not have been barely into her adult years. What then could have caused such a riotous spread of malevolent energies? They had traced the lines of magic and found the source to be some sickly substance lodged in the small of her back, nary but a few inches from her very core. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Core may be the wrong term for some reasons left vague by mystics and even more vague by theologians, what mattered most was every drop of energy flowing through her body was crossing this line of dark, tainted miasma and being in turn corrupted. As fast as they worked to remove the curse from her body the cycling energy would corrupt what they managed to purify, like a bear protecting its meal. Donovan left the silent hallways of the inner church catacombs and entered the wide circular room of the Chamber of Rituals to see Darius staring at the girl on the dais. For a moment Donovan wondered if the girls state had shocked the stoic man, she was quite thin. Who knew when this child had last been able to eat a proper meal as there was no chance that she had yet reached the level where food became less necessary for survival or that she could subsist on ambient mana alone for long. Her short cut hair, resembling something more often found on the poverty-stricken boys in the slums than what a proper elf would normally be seen with. The rags she was wearing had been tossed, and burned, and then had their ashes spread to the wind and water; Donovan refused to think of the smell again lest its vile odor somehow strike his as a phantom would. She was now garbed in a thin, modest, tan robe; the kind worn by the younger acolytes. For all the care that had been taken in making her clean, the energy radiating from the girl was casting a cloud of such filth that it was tangible from more than twenty feet away. Donovan stepped up behind Darius, patiently waiting for the other man to make some move to acknowledge his arrival. Truly, Donovan had never seen the man so focused that he would ignore those around him so blatantly. ¡°Do you know who you have found?¡± Donovan almost missed the whispered sentence as his eyes had once more strayed to the pitiful creature at the center of the chamber. The room was a vast circle of various statues with sigaldry and runic engravings circling the chamber. It was sixty feet from one wall of the circular area to the other with doors placed in all four cardinal directions. The ceiling above was a multitude of carved images cast to depict scenes of the holy scripture, supported by twelve arching beams of glowing marble. The floor of the room was festooned with meticulously drawn lines to focus the powers of the priests who worked here, bolstering their stamina, and increasing their mana recovery as most rituals were taxing to the novitiates. ¡°A girl, for that is all she is in the eyes of the Gods.¡± Donovan said in reply. ¡°Nay, she is more than she seems.¡± Darius turned about to face the Donovan ¡°Brother it is good to see you again.¡± ¡°As it is good to see you, though I truly wish I had not needed to call upon you for such a thing.¡± Donovan said with a small smile, he may have been jealous, but he never said he disliked the man. ¡°This girl, your report indicated that she has been here for three days now. Has she not woken from this even once?¡± Donovan sighed, ¡°She has not opened her eyes in all this time, no. Though she had flailed about as if trapped in a nightmare several times.¡± Darius looked into Donovan¡¯s eyes as he listened, he always had a way of not breaking eye contact at all. It made one feel as if they were important when holding this mans gaze, but Donovan always found it off-putting to maintain for long. Surely Darius realized how uncomfortable it made others when he did this, or maybe not. Darius had always been intense. Darius walked to the center of the chamber seconds after Donovan finished speaking, waiting only a proper amount of time for the man to continue speaking before he did so. Donovan followed behind Darius while the other man began muttering to himself. It took Donovan only a moment to realize that Darius was verbally activating spells; Detect Poison, Detect Magic, Detect Aura, Bless, Protection from Evil, Sanctuary, Infra-vision¡­ The list went on and Donovan spared only a few moments to think about what that meant for the levels that Darius had reached since they had last done anything but greet each other at a random gathering for some festival or rite. The man had to at least be near Master level. They stopped before the dais where the girl lay, her eyes fluttering and fingers slowly fidgeting as she lay there. She looked different now, but wait, no. She was the same, it was just that Donovan could see swirls of color circling the chamber around them now. Donovan nearly choked in shock as he realized that Darius had cast a host of spells upon him as well, he had not even felt the effects taking hold, so lost his own thoughts. The blues, red, purples, and a sicklier, congealed shade of red were wafting about in the air like a rainbow of oil on water found in a smithy¡¯s quenching pool. It was disturbing and hypnotic. Donovan had not noticed quite as much before when working on the effects of his own spells. ¡°I need you to collect the clergy.¡± Darius said shortly. ¡°Oh? Someone in particular?¡± asked Donovan. ¡°We will need them all, bring everyone in who has any training in rituals. Every acolyte, scholar, and novitiate.¡± Darius looked serious as his eyes stayed focused on the girls¡¯ pain filled expression. ¡°We have to do this now.¡± Donovan was going to ask for more specific as well as the reasoning behind the demand but before he could utter a word Darius had sunk to his knees and begun reciting the ageless prayer. Donovan fled the room. Chapter 34 - The Void The Void Olea Munroe ¡°Ugh, what happened?¡± I asked of the empty air. No answer, great. Taking stock of my surroundings I noticed that I had no surroundings. The place I found myself in was emptier than the rundown Blockbuster Video on the other end of my hometown back on earth. No shelves, posters, floors, ceilings, or walls. Everywhere I looked was utter blackness, or a lack of blackness. Weird thing to think there, was it black when light was both present and absent? I was not sure how to put into words what I was not seeing. The whole of this place I now found myself in was devoid of all things. I felt myself blinking slowly but the vision before me never changed, shifted, or wavered in any way. There was no sound outside of a constant droning vibration that I could feel saturating the area surrounding me, I could feel it reverberating in my very bones. Like the feeling you get in the back of your throat when you hum at a low level, but all over. There were other comparisons I could use but they may be less acceptable in use across the broader spectrum of the people I would bother explaining it to. Hey, I cannot help it. I am just going to plead temporary insanity as I am still unsure of whether this is real. Speaking of reality, what the hell has been going on? I remember only bits and pieces of the things that I have experienced over the course of however long I have been out of it. I remembered my flying friend, my bonded companion flying off after days of the same exact conversation playing out. How did I not know I had had those discussions so many times before? I recall at the time not having a memory of things during that in-between state where I was conscious or was it cognizant¡­ Regardless, I should have known something was amiss. I moved to pull up my status window; it failed. ¡°What the actual¡­¡± It felt as if I had done it correctly but somehow the process halted as it was put into motion. It was as if an engine had begun moving but as soon as I began the process an outside force, or lack of force caused it to halt. The air around me shifted suddenly as a sound like stuttering thunder on a stormy night erupted from all around. It took me a moment to realize that it sounded more akin to very loud, and very deep laughter. ¡°Not sure what you find so funny, but could you stop hiding so I can at least glare at you for being rude?!¡± I shouted into the emptiness around me. Slowly as if drawn in time lapse video, color returned to the world around me. Rolling pastural hills began stretching in all directions, even as a vibrant green began to climb the grayed-out grasses that had sprung into being. Large trees unfolded from the earth below as small rocks erupted at varying distances across the field. It was as if the entire area had just become real. A thought struck me then, a memory from not so long ago. ¡°Help-chan!?¡± I called, daring to hope. I remembered in the vision I had received when speaking to my imaginary friend. I am aware that imaginary would not be correct as he seemed quite real, but what else could I title something that only known to me, or could only be perceived by me? Anyway, in that vision I had seen the world being born from nothing as time stretched ever onward. This was similar, while at the same time being sped up to a larger degree. It lacked the weight of time that the original vision possessed. Another rumble shook out across the sky that was just now becoming a deep shade of blue with streaks or indigo and orange. The sun came to life on the horizon as the source of the refracting colors was revealed, with the light came a vast shadow stretching across the land. I turned to the left and saw a large form stretching out before me. Glowing in the light or the lowered sun was an immense reptilian body. Its legs were crouched low as if it were kneeling before me or stooping to investigate my small frame. Rising behind those shoulders, was a lengthy expanse of scaled flesh that ended as the frame of the giant beast began its descent back to the earth as I am sure its tail was somewhere behind the wall before me. It felt a lot like staring at a cat poised to strike front, you knew there were larger legs behind the smaller ones you saw, and you also knew that it had a tail somewhere back there that was surely moving back and forth as it pondered the best way to pounce. This cat though, yes, I know it was a dragon but the moment I started thinking of cats they just stayed there. How could I not as I truly felt as if I were the damned mouse in this scenario. It heads the size of an English tour bus was turned slightly revealing one side of its face, along with one large eye that was large enough that I could stand upon it¡¯s scaled ridges and not be able to touch my hands to its brow. It occurred to me then as I saw the lengthy neck stretching behind that head to join between the shoulders of the beast that I realized my sense of proportion was off. This thing was massive. ¡°I do detest that name, Young Olea.¡± Came the deep rumble of a voice from the barely moving lips of the creature before me. It took my brain a few seconds, which I will admit seems fast for me these days, to register that it was remarkably similar to the sound of my faithful friend during conversation. I had thought that Help-chan was a musically tinny voice in the beginning but as time had passed, I recall that the voice had slowly grown to a deeper voice, with a fatherly timbre. ¡°Is that you? You got big.¡± I said, highly intelligent I was. ¡°Yes, and no.¡± it said. ¡°Ok then, what does that mean exactly?¡± ¡°It means that, while you have dubbed me with that name, it is not me. The entity you knew as Help-chan, for whatever reason you picked such a droll name, no longer exists. It has been subsumed by my greater consciousness upon its return to my body.¡± ¡°Did you kill him?¡± I demanded. My near shout was greeted with more thunderous laughter as the ground shook beneath me. The ground only seemed to shake as my body was thrumming with vibrations while the soundwaves created by such a creature merely speaking passed through my frail frame. ¡°No, child. The intellect you dubbed as Help-chan was a splinter of my true consciousness. It was a part of me, lacking in the full vastness of my knowledge and the power within my soul. It was a shadow of my own ageless wisdom and power, cut down to such a small scale so as it could be housed within your mind as you grew. It was returned to me the moment you hit level ten.¡± Level ten? I was only level six, wasn¡¯t I? This was starting to make my brain-meat hurt. I again tried to call up my status but was greeted with the sensation of it already being present, or near present. The confusion must have broken past my world-class poker face as the dragon chuckled again before continuing to speak. ¡°A lot has happened to you as of late, child. I shall explain.¡± Smoke wafted out of the dragon¡¯s nose and rose to the sky shifting as it went to display various scenes of the past, my past. Some of the images and scenarios tickled the back of my mind while others were completely foreign in nature as if they were part of an ephemeral dream that I could no longer recall while at the same time they were glaringly and obviously my own memories. I just could not remember when or where they had occurred. ¡°You have been serving as the host to a foul curse, you still are. Currently there are people striving to cleanse your body of the taint from Apathy.¡± ¡°You mean the fourth god, that Apathy?¡± I asked, barely remembering a conversation I had with John. The dragon¡¯s head rose in a nod, ¡°The very same. You were infected by one of the foul beats on the road before his arrival, as weak as you were then the curse found no resistance and easily infected your pathways, corrupting your very nature.¡± ¡°So, the people trying to save me, where are they?¡± It was the first of many questions in my mind, ¡°Also, where are we?¡± ¡°Ahh yes, those people are currently here and not here. You are currently in the great void, a place of everything and nothing. The birthing realm of the cosmos where reality was shifted and shaped before being pinned into place forming the tapestry that is your current universe.¡± Another swirl of the cloud of smoke revealed titanic planets shooting off to distant reaches before slowing to a stop and then starting again in an orbit around a trio of central stars. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°So, what you are saying is that they are here while I cannot see or sense them as I am somehow elsewhere?¡± Again, my confusion was a little more obvious than I was comfortable with as the dragon seemed to sigh. A great gust of warm wind shooting across the field and rustling the grasses as the trees swayed lightly. ¡°In the simplest of terms, you can consider this a dream-state. I sense you have already attempted to access the greater system of the One, that will not work here. Time has no meaning so the actions you attempt here will be halted as soon as they begin to take form in the outer world.¡± ¡°How is it that I have advanced so far in levels? I seem to recall that I was only level six last I checked.¡± ¡°You have not been yourself for the past month, it has been a long time indeed. The nature of the curse that was affecting you prevents access to the greater abilities of the system, a feat which is only possible due to the divine nature of the one who cursed you.¡± The dragon took a deep breath before continuing, ¡°The moment you reached level ten I was shunted from your consciousness, this happens for everyone upon reaching that level of power.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re saying everyone gets your version of newbie help?¡± I was thinking that I was special by having my own personal dictionary assistant this entire time, but it seemed as if it may just be a global help system for newbies, or as the tier system indicated, novices. ¡°All sapient creatures have a version of assistance from birth until they near their second rank, this is why most people of Kalydren refer to the second rank as Capable. We who are tapped to assist can only do so until they near this threshold as to remain longer would negatively impact their growth and ability to develop independent thought.¡± ¡°I see. Do you often involve yourself in this system of assistance then?¡± Was I hoping for a nugget of information to validate my own brand of specialness? Yes. Did I feel like I was being a narcissist for attempting to pin that merit on myself? Yes, and I also do not care right now about what that may say about me. Everyone wants to be special. ¡°I do not. I was tapped this time specifically to guide you and two others, while limiting the amount of guidance and help I could offer. Each of you has changed my structure in our initial interactions to shape how I assist you. As an explanation, the first thing you told me to do was to avoid spoilers and let you figure it out yourself.¡± A soft chuckle escaped the dragons¡¯ lips again, I caught a small glimpse of some extraordinarily long teeth. ¡°That statement prevented me from giving you more detailed information about certain skills and paths that you will discover later.¡± ¡°You mean to tell me that I could have gotten the equivalent of advanced tooltips for all my spells this entire time, and I screwed myself over in the first five minutes of life?¡± I was mildly shocked at my own stupidity; sure, I had thought I was dreaming for just a bit and had also been in a state of sorts, but I had not realized until now how utterly stupid it was to have handed off the keys to the library as it were. As I began to wonder at what I could have missed I asked, ¡°Does that mean I can¡¯t access those things now, did I lock myself out of learning things about the system later?¡± ¡°No, no it does not. You simply need to research it yourself now. I will no longer be there to boil down and condense the information for you, though at the same time you have access to a much wider amount of information than you know. I was there filtering out a great deal of things to help you stay somewhat focused on your day-to-day.¡± ¡°Oh. Alright then. What else can you tell me about what is going on out there then?¡± I had a feeling I may need to know what was coming if I were to escape whatever the hell was going on. ¡°Also, back to that leveling stuff, what happened to me being a six and suddenly being level ten?¡± ¡°Oh, yes. Currently there are several priests of the three working on a ritual to remove your tainted essence. This ritual will slice the rot away from your core and your pathways, thus freeing you of the curse. The downside to this is that you will lose access to the assistance granted to you by the Three. Upon waking you will need to anchor yourself to the Three once more, and through them you will be anchored to the One.¡± ¡°Excuse me, what assistance? I thought you said you would not be there with me anymore; also, will I ever see you again? I did not even know you were a damned dragon this whole time!¡± I would not confess to this super huge dragon that I was mainly interested in going for a spin around the world on dragon-back. Nope. ¡°You and your fellows were granted the assistance of the divine instructor. You remember me saying that other people needed trainers and teachers to access advanced skills, correct?¡± The question must have been rhetorical as the dragon continued after taking in another world moving breath. ¡°You will no longer be able to learn new skills until you return to a church and offer prayers to reignite the tether that has dimmed between you and the Pantheon. Until that time, you will only be able to advance in the skills and spells you already know.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t I already in a church? Why can¡¯t I just jump-start those prayers right now?¡± I asked. Surely, he had said we were in a church, couldn¡¯t the priest even help me with the whole prayer thing, I had no idea how to do that. Nope, not me. I had never really had the time or desire to pray to a god or gods on earth, it did not seem as if they were truly looking out for the little people back there. ¡°You are currently in a church yes, though as of now you are outside the flow of time. Sadly, when you manage to awaken out there it will be too late to offer your prayers as you will no longer be in the church. You have a trial ahead that you must endure before you can make your way back to a proper place of significance to reignite the tether.¡± ¡°Are you saying I am in danger? What kind of trial will it be?¡± I had thought I could just wake up and do a little speaky-speak to the divine air of the church and be done, moving steadily on my way to liberation and fun, I was mistaken. ¡°I cannot say as it will shape the outcome in a way that is not within my ability to influence. Just know that you should already possess the skills needed to survive, even if you lack the potency now. Remember you have advanced quite a bit since last you were aware. ¡°You did it again, how do you know I have the skills needed? Also how much have I advanced and how?¡± The lack of the systems assuring words before my eyes was really making me annoyed, something so absent in my previous life having already become a needed drug for my well-being may have been cause for some to investigate but I could not bring myself to care at the moment. ¡°Oh, yes. While you were slumbering in your own mind, trapped as it would seem, the curse was controlling your body. You slaughtered entire ecosystems of lesser beings. Hundreds of small defenseless creatures were slain by your hands as you fought and lost repeatedly against the curse inside of you. A great deal of that power was siphoned off and delivered to Apathy as you progressed, but you gained an immense amount of experience nonetheless.¡± ¡°Wait, you¡¯re saying I went full-on Murder-Hobo?¡± The thought had crossed my mind when I first started leveling, but I had held off that avenue of actions as I wanted to enjoy life and not be neck deep in offal and blood for weeks just to advance on my own path. ¡°In essence, yes. Apathy used your body as a means to accrue power in a way that would align with your definition of ¡®Murder-Hobo¡¯.¡± Stated the dragon, I could have sworn I could detect a note of derision for the term in his voice. ¡°Is there any way you could maybe, I don¡¯t know, let me access the system screen to see what you mean?¡± ¡°Hrmn, I suppose I could.¡± Said the dragon. ¡°Time will begin moving again when I do this, and you will be returned to the waking world. Remember what I have said as it will be some time before we can speak again. Assuming you can make it that far.¡± The skies flickered above as the ground shifted underfoot. The grass became gray for a moment before fixating again on their vibrant green. My brain caught up to the words spoken by the dragon and I suddenly became aware of what they meant, yet before I could shout out to my one time friend and ask him to wait or even to say goodbye I was greeted with a screen before my eyes and then the world returned to the empty void it had been when I came to. What I saw displayed before me was a shock to my mind. You have slain multiple enemies of a level lower than your own. You have slain multiple enemies of a level greater than your own. The list of enemies slain is omitted as the number is too large, you may review these with a thought as your convenience. Total Experience Gained: 125,500. You have advanced to level 7: Minor regeneration bonus applied, one free attribute point gained, three free skill points gained. You have advanced to level 8: Minor regeneration bonus applied, one free attribute point gained, three free skill points gained. You have advanced to level 9: Minor regeneration bonus applied, three free attribute points gained, six free skill points gained. You have advanced to level 10: Minor regeneration bonus applied, one free attribute point gained, three free skill points gained. You have advanced to level 11: Minor regeneration bonus applied, one free attribute point gained, three free skill points gained. You have advanced to level 12: Minor regeneration bonus applied, three free attribute points gained, six free skill points gained. You have reached the maximum level for the Novice Rank; greater rewards wait for you at the rank of Capable. Experience Until Level Thirteen: 4,500. Your soul has undergone a level of strengthening: Removing Seals on Triumvirate Soul: Abilities Unlocked. World Map and Soul Vault. Advance further to empower yourself and unlock more abilities. Name: Olea Munroe Level: 12 Archetype: Flighty Undine of Healing Age: 16 Winters Health: 153/153 Mana: 174/174 Stamina: 176/176 Attributes: You have Fifteen Attribute Points Remaining Experience Till Next Level: 4,500 remaining of 25,000. Skills: Twenty-Four skill points remaining. Stealth - Rank 1 Piety - Rank 3 Triumvir Soul Skills Chapter 35 - Preparations Church of the Three - North Jaga City. Troug, 3rd. Darius He could hardly believe it when he received word of a curse victim who was not immediately healed by his old friend Donovan. The man was humble and lacked the confidence someone of his position should possess, but he was a true devotee serving in his own way here in this corrupt little city. Darius knew too well that this city was a den of snakes. His home across the lake had some issues with the guard and the occasional overreach that would occur, he knew too well that it was true. Here though, the people sitting upon their council were well known for taking bribes and offering favors to gain more power, hadn¡¯t he just left a meeting some few weeks back with one such bad actor? Yes, Andrea should be in the city again, no doubt committing more atrocities in her search for personal power. Now that Darius had seen the victim of this curse, he had to act. He had never met the girl face to face, but he had seen her before. Yes, she was usually running about South Jaga wearing tattered bloody clothes, but she was always showing a bright smile on her face. It was not until much later that he had learned that this girl was the same one his friend Doogan had boasted of during their previous meeting. That thought brought a small frown to his face, he would have to get word back to Doogan letting him know his prot¨¦g¨¦ yet lived. That man had truly mourned her as if she had passed, though not without verifying what he could of the matter beforehand. The cracked adventurer stone in the hall was not always a sure-fire method of tracking such things as was obvious now that Darius stood before the ghostly-white and bone-thin frame of said adventurer. Maybe he should escort her home instead, though it would need to wait until he had rested, and she had recovered, he had no doubt that they would both need time to recover after this ordeal. His mind once again focused on the ritual he had begun formulating as he studied the weaves of the curse energy afflicting this poor girl, he started drawing small runic marks on the floor in a circling pattern to help focus the energy on the central point that was the platform holding the child. He saw the woven cords of energy pulsing in the air, malignant and menacing; they would have to act quickly and efficiently on this day. He stopped after finishing the ninth circle around the central foci, he was very thankful that the room was available as most of the more common but laborious rune work was carved into the room¡¯s walls, floors, and ceiling as they were static and provided the underlaying framework for most every holy ritual. It would save him countless hours and a great deal of stamina, mana, and blood. Runes and glyphs representing the divine host and the many subordinate gods were now interwoven across the floor, their colors becoming more vivid as mana was drawn into them from the surrounding environment. Soon they could begin their work and send off the taint that was afflicting the young elf. The curse itself was oddly powerful, he saw the subtle strings and redundant channels of energy that flowed through the body of the child in front of him. It was infecting each of the conduits that she had established in her body, highlighting a roadmap of energy he could also see now that the ritual circles were doing their work to expose the vile energy. What astounded him most was the pathways he saw; they were much like his own. Sure, there were several missing, but to see so many already opened and established, it boggled the mind that a mortal being so young could possess such an array of skills. More astonishing was that he could sense some of those pathways were at or above the third tier. Though he supposed that this revelation also brought other issues, as Donovan could not fully work with the flows that he had attempted to remove considering that he himself lacked the full foundation required to cleanse pathways he himself did not have opened. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. A tricky aspect to curses was that they could infect a pathway wholly or in part, but the worst part was that to effectively cleanse the pathways a person would need to understand the pathway that was infected; in simpler terms you needed skills that aligned with or exceeded the skill and spell pathways in the body of your target patient. The beauty of rituals like the one they would be performing in this room was that with all the clergy made present they could rely on the collective knowledge and skills of each participant, this removing any chance that the spell would fail to cleanse every pathway. Another thought that broke into his mind was Doogan¡¯s mention of soul-related skills, divine skills such as that were not entirely rare, but having multiple divine skills was very rare and often people would not unearth these traits until much later in life. Darius himself had two such skills, he also knew that Doogan possessed at least one. What was truly vexing to Darius now that his mind was more focused on it was that this child had no less than six, with more possibly waiting to become known to her. Had Darius known these facts he was sure he could have mobilized the entirety of the church to act on her behalf. Was Doogan intentionally masking her skills from being known, or had she developed these after leaving South Jaga somehow? Another question burning in his mind was her rapid advancement, mana storm victims usually had their pathways seared away and their progress reset upon rematerializing in another part of the world. Yes, most people never truly discovered that aspect of the process. During a storm the magical levels are so high that the body was twisted and destroyed only for the soul, that one unbreakable part of your being, to remake your body after being transported through the plane of the ethereal to some other destination on their vast world. ¡°It all just seems so convenient¡­¡± Darius muttered to himself, mulling over the issues present. For all these things to fall into place, like a great clockwork puzzle ticking closer to some unknown time. Darius loved a good mystery as much as many other people of world, but this mystery seemed as if it was best left to the gods; he would do his part in their plans, ever faithful, but he had no doubt in his mind that the end game would be far beyond his ability to shift or alter in any meaningful way. Darius truly had no idea of the storms that were to come. Meanwhile on the Other Side of the City Andrea Avery ¡°Are you sure the elf-girl is there?¡± she asked of the robed man before her. ¡°Yes, mistress. I left not long ago after hearing Darius confirm my own suspicions.¡± ¡°Hrmn, it seems we shall need to intervene.¡± She said as she thought over the news. If Darius were here that meant something was very wrong in the church, at the same time it had to be true that this was the girl she had heard Doogan speaking of in the meeting last month. ¡°What would you have me do?¡± ¡°You will need to find an opportunity to make off with the girl, you said she was comatose, correct? It should be no matter for someone such as you to assist her in finding her way here while she is asleep.¡± If the girl were to be cured of whatever malady she had picked up while running about it would only make her more valuable. To think that she would soon have a new slave to find a home for; a very young, very weak, elf-slave. Doogan had said she was only around level three, there was no way she could cause issues being so weak, and even if she somehow had gained more levels, she could not have found a teacher for any particularly useful skills while in the wild. ¡°It shall be as you say then, mistress. I believe the ritual is set to begin as soon as Donovan gathers the rest of the clergy for Darius. I can execute your plans immediately afterward.¡± ¡°See that you do. And I would have her taken to the facility after dark if possible. We don¡¯t need to be observed even if no one will notice such a small package being delivered as anything out of the ordinary.¡± She then waved the man away indicating that she was done speaking to him. The past few weeks had been very good for Andrea, she had acquired many new assets to be bartered off to the local nobility and other enterprises. The number of favors and coins she would be bringing in could very well fund her organization for several more years, especially if she could secure the green-haired elf that was in the nearby town of Eldor. She saw no reason why she would not be able to complete that task before the turning as she had a spot om that towns council as well, the river would also make for a convenient method of transportation when she struck. She had already placed several men in the town waiting for the order to move when the time was right. Yes, it would be much easier to stow the elf on a barge with the other base materials she had already purchased. There was no way that she could fail to win this time. Two young elves were better than one after all. Chapter 36 - In Between The In-Between Olea Munroe Immediately after my mind cleared, I found myself in an open field, A new open field. ¡°Ok, what gives, was I not supposed to be waking up soon?!¡± I shouted at the oddly purple sky full of darkened clouds. Wow, the sky nearly resembled my own hair color, neat. ¡°You are not yet there, young one.¡± Came a voice from behind me. I spun to see a translucent form of no distinguishable features. I mean, they were full on translucent, not invisible; unlike some confused super-heroes from earth television, I knew the difference. ¡°Who the bloody hell are you then?¡± I asked, imitating the cadence and tone of a certain actor from said-same television series. I left out the more colorful words because, well, bad taste. Obviously. ¡°Peace, child. I come bearing one last message for you. A bit of advice from gramps.¡± ¡°Gramps?¡± I asked, we clearly had different families. I always enjoy clarity when I am not the one confusing people. ¡°Who are you again, and who is Gramps?¡± ¡°I am Trougholiea Kenarious of the twelve. Most of this world¡¯s inhabitants just call me Troug. I am quite famous, I assure you.¡± They seemed to be winking at me, it was either that or there was something in their eye. I could not tell very well from here. Again, translucent. ¡°And Gramps, he would be the One.¡± They mentioned the number as if it were capitalized and in a moment of clarity, I recalled that I had seen the same name somewhere before. I quickly invoked my system status window and brought up the time. 2579452:321865^2 3rd day of Troug, near the Year of 1344 ¡°Ok, yeah, the time looks a wee bit skewed.¡± I said, noticing the obvious error there. ¡°Fine, fine. You are the name of the month, I guess I should ask how I could join the club, but I am sure that is a long story I do not have time for. Could you tell me why it my status says it is near the year of thirteen-hundred forty-four?¡± The form rippled in what I would assume was laughter but instead of hearing the chuckle escape their lips I was greeted with peals of thunder and bright flashes of orange lightning. All at once with no lag, if anything I could have sworn that the sounds were traveling faster than the flashes of light. Physics can just go straight to hell here it seemed. I mean if you are bending time, what¡¯s a quick little bird to the earthly sciences in the end, right. Magic! Joy. ¡°I did not know that it would show something such as that, I see.¡± The being paused for a moment with a tilt of the head, so very much like my raven friend would do while eyeing me from the window. ¡°Well, you are here in, near, around, on, and I daresay a part of the in-between. The other side of the river of time.¡± ¡°Still confused, you mentioned a time limit though, what¡¯s going on?¡± The moment I thought of the little birdbrain I had been rude to some time ago in the forest during his big reveal I felt a pang of guilt-fear-sadness-hope and loneliness. Yes, all at once! I can admit my feelings dammit, and yes, I was sure I was showing a little bit of water around the eyes. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. The face changed showing a little more, I want to say depth, but that would be wrong. They looked to be more real, more here in the now for a moment. ¡°I have done something to sadden you, for that I apologize.¡± The blue-watery-shadow-shade person bowed to me at the waist, almost a ninety-degree angle, as if I were an aged Chinese grandmother and they a child just remembering their manners. Weird. ¡°Apology accepted, what¡¯s the story now? The message.¡± I hurried them along just a little, as while the form was gaining more substance, I glanced changes above in the clouds as if they were parting from reality, shifting into a haze like distant land over a scorched desert, there was a haze forming around it all. ¡°Yes, yes.¡± They said standing upright again. ¡°You are currently in the Church in a small city known as North Jaga, you need to get back to the Church in South Jaga after you fully awaken. You will have help once you arrive in the city to the south.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you gods just spirit me off to that place then? Also, why can¡¯t I just reattune myself to the church I am in now, are you people so judgmental that you cannot accept one church over the other even though they all worship the same, what sixteen gods?¡± A low chuckle escaped their lips, her lips. More female now as her form solidified. I had a feeling I would grow jealous of this one as her assets became more evident, why was I so cursed to be so weakly endowed. Damn the gods! ¡°Hahaha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! You are a riot. No wonder they like you. Also, I can read your thoughts.¡± A smirk lit up on her face shooting from one corner of her perfectly snow-white face to the other. Not fair. ¡°Very fair, as was your question. The problem is that you will not awaken among friends, you will not even awaken in the church fully. Their ritual will leave you and most that would aid you weakened, very near death.¡± ¡°They are all priests, I¡¯m sure someone could heal me.¡± ¡°Normally that would be so, sadly you will be so near death that their healing will not be enough to awaken you. The same will go for all others who would feel obliged to aid you. Only one of our followers be of use after the ritual, but he will not be enough. He is far too trusting, though we cannot fault him for seeing the good in people and not noticing the darker side of people he considers friend.¡± ¡°Ritual? What kind of ritual?¡± ¡°You are cursed child, the man known as Darius has assembled many priests to perform a ritual in your name. He has brought together quite the gathering, and it shall be enough. The crux of our issue is that this ritual will drain them all equally, and you will be suffering from the full loss of your stamina and mana as happens to all creatures who become so gravely wounded.¡± ¡°If they are all injured so badly, won¡¯t I just die?¡± I was growing a little concerned as time went by, the topic of our discussion as well as the blurring of the sky may have been fighting for dominance in my mind. ¡°Even now I can feel the spells being placed upon you, one such spell is Death¡¯s Door.¡± Death¡¯s Door: Rank One ¨C This spell will act in the defense of one target, not the caster, in a single instance to negate immediate death from one blow. The target shall be rendered unto a state near death, suspended for a moment between existence as a free soul and an anchored mortal. Act quickly as the spell¡¯s power will quickly fade upon activation. Death will only wait so long. ¡°Well, that¡¯s bloody fantastic.¡± ¡°Quite so. Now you can see your predicament, or mayhap just a portion of it. The last part of the message is more reminder than news, your connection has been temporarily severed between yourself and their greater Gods of the Pantheon. You will no longer be able to learn new spells. What you may not have thought of is that while you were under the influence of Apathy your power increased, she could not siphon it all off as part of the essence, or experience as you mortals call it was drawn too quickly into your soul. You can still grow stronger in your current spells and use your Attribute points to increase your overall power. If nothing else, remember that.¡± ¡°So, learn bigger spells so I can heal my enemies to death? Seems fine, sure.¡± ¡°I can also see why the dragon could barely tolerate you at time. You have many spells. Now, I must go. Aunty is getting stressed trying to hold all this together.¡± The skies fell in a shower of glittering meteors and purple rain as my eyes shut and darkness took me. Just before my consciousness faded, I heard a whisper accompanied by a soft breath of heat on my neck. ¡°You are going to be so much fun when you grow up.¡± Chapter 37 - Ritual Church of the Three - North Jaga City. Troug, 3rd. The church had fully mobilized for the upcoming ritual. Spread across the chamber guards and clergy both stood in small groups, only those essential for a skeleton crew serving the city were absent. Darius had insisted that most involved would have no energy remaining for the care of the citizenry afterward. Most of the people there had heard or been told directly that they would be supporting a ritual to cleanse and purify a curse victim. While this was true, most thought that with the full retinue of varying skills and strength at their disposal that the subject would be some high ranking noble or at least a Master class citizen. None had expected to see the limp and ashen grey form of a small elven child. The conversations all dwindled as Darius finished the last of his invocations. He had summoned elemental guardians to guard the primal cardinal directions. Though most present had known that this was a practice used in large rituals, none had borne witness to such preparations before. The more studied of the priests were speculating while taking mental notes of the runic configuration that had been set up, while others were merely taking in the sight of these rarely seen forces of nature. In the east corner was a large earthen golem, otherwise known as a korred. They were normally quite small, but these elementals were all bolstered by growth magic that had been woven into their summoning. They had the legs of a goat with the stocky torso and muscled arms of a dwarf, their heads were more squared than circular, the edges softened a bit. The ears were long and curved, sticking straight back from under their massive mane of hair. The rest of their bodies were also covered in patches of hair, thickest in parts that were commonly more vital while the extremities such as arms, legs, and fingers had the barest covering. In the southern corner lay a heap of fiery muscle. The salamander that had been summoned was ten feet in length. Its long body supported by thick red-black legs and lined with intense blue flames. The tail was in a constant state of shifting between motion and stillness, with each renewal of motion causing the fires to dance across its body. The head was flattened as was common with its more mundane cousins, with a wide line of orange for a mouth and large orbs of molten glass for eyes. Instead of the fine skin of the river salamander this one possessed skin more akin to a cobbled path with plates of heated stone running the length of its form. In the alcove at the west side of the room was the ever-shifting form of a greater Undine. Its feminine body constantly shifting in various shades of blue, green, and white. It was seven feet in height and had features that were, while never static, always welcoming in their benign gaze. All features of the creature were obfuscated by the eternal mist covering various parts of its body, the streams of water flowing visibly under her stilled lake skin. The corner to the north, where Darius had just finished this last summon, was now occupied by a whirling dervish. Though just now taking form from the offering of elemental air provided it was quite imposing. The scent of desert ozone was wafting on a breeze unfelt while static discharges were shooting across its ephemeral form. Though they possessed the least corporeal form on this plane their damage output when fully utilized could strike fear into most every mortal. Small flecks of blue, brown, yellow, and purple shifting in its every turning body. As it was a clouded culmination of the very air it was never quite in one place or even easily visible in the flickering light of the torches in the chamber. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, servants of the Three, and assistants thereto; I have called you all here to aid me in this time of cleansing. We have with us a child, struck down by an enemy of the church. She needs our aid, and we shall provide that aid.¡± Darius spoke with raised hands while speaking to bring the attention of the assemblage upon him. ¡°Apathy thinks to crush us all under the weight of her namesake. She thinks to stymie us in a sense of mired mental futility. We will not falter in our work as we know that such is the way of life. There is surely a great burden placed upon us as in life, but we are, each of us, blessed with happiness and joy equal to the woes we suffer. I say this not to drone on and on about what we all know, or to harp on such things that we may see already in our daily task. I speak of this to remind you, and to bring into the clarity of light the force we fight.¡± Donovan turned slowly, sweeping his gaze across the room, his eyes holding the eyes of everyone for the briefest moment as if measuring their faith. None but one looked away, and Darius internally sighed. There would be no stopping some. Darius continued, ¡°The ritual will not be a long one, though we shall all feel its drain. I shall bear the greatest burden and feel the need to set to ease my compatriot, Donovan. This temple is his domain as a representative of the Three here in your city. I have asked that he refrain from actively participating with a select few of his aides to assist us in our recovery. I ask that you all take your places; if you have doubt of where you need stand step back and offer what prayers you feel come to mind. None shall be judged as inferior for a small conflict of faith.¡± With those words Donovan and his small group of aides watched the priest and priestesses wander about near-aimlessly as at first, they seemed lost. Moments later the air shifted, and people began walking to specific spots in the room. Not one headed for a section of space occupied by another or indicated by any other to be a destination. They seemed to be guided by some inner force. Donovan looked out upon the room from his elevated section near the entrance to the chamber flanked by large braziers of burning incense and saw that the people had all taken up spots bridging gaps between the various runes and sigaldry, not one was out of place. There was a palpable weight in the air, a weight of anticipation, as if a dam were filling to bursting. ¡°We begin.¡± Came the strong voice of Donovan at the foot of the table where the girl, Olea Munroe, as Darius had named her, was lying prone. He took out a small knife and cut along the flesh between his palm and his thumb before extending his arms to the side. Blood flowed freely from the wounds, collecting in small troughs long ago carved into the floor. As the blood flowed from his hands and into the channels below the magic of the room swelled. A small gasp escaped the throats of everyone present sounding as if a great gust had blown across the plains, with so many peoples breathing being in tune. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Lights shots across the chamber, ignited the patterns drawn earlier. The elementals each began to sound out somber tunes that quickly formed a melody, a song, a symphony. The volume rose slowly, dipping up and down. It was the song of the world; flowing streams, crackling fires, the ever-present wind rustling as it moved across the earthen body of their world. Donovan was in awe, frozen in place as he beheld the sight. Soon after the glowing runes had become less prominent in his vision, he saw streamers of energy shooting from the chests of his collective clergy, beams of varying colors across the spectrum shot forth as if a rainbow had burst into being and was now being inhaled by a great maw of churning darkness. A cloud of viscous red, orange, black, and yellow was rising from their patient attempting to fight back against the flow of energy pouring forth from his brothers and sisters. Donovan could not believe the curse had possessed such power before this moment. It fought like a living creature of hate, choking various flows and fully repulsing others. From under the cloud Donovan could see Darius speaking rapidly, eyes closed as if in prayer. A small circle of golden light boomed from his core bursting outward to temporarily weaken the miasmic core of the foul entity. The effects of Sanctuary were not lost on Donovan as he had been aiming for the same spell these last few months. It should effectively reduce damage from all sources upon his target for the length of this trial. Darius continued intoning some words that were fully lost to Donovan as the assemblage had all begun offering their own voices to the maelstrom of activity in the chamber. The elementals for their part had continued their own songs, adding to the strength of their magic. Donovan could still see the cloud at the center of the room, but now he also noted that the child¡¯s body had begun to glow. She had been the target of Darius¡¯ spells and was now showing some small signs of recovery. Hope welled inside of him at this only to be slightly tempered by the presence of new blood, the girl had begun to bleed from several cuts and slices that had begun to appear on her body. The tanned robe she had been garbed in turning a violent shade of crimson even as the white glow turned and shifted. New colors joined the flow of her aura, greens, reds, blues, and even the bright golden glow of the divine. Donovan heard his aides mutter as they had surely seen what he had if only a moment later. Just what was this girl, to have been so heavily inundated with the divine energy of the gods? Donovan knew then that Darius had not understated the importance of the ritual, nor had he misplaced the blame for the curse. To think that Apathy herself had cursed this child, what did that mean for the girl, the church, nay; what would this mean for their world? Donovan made a mental note to have a more serious discussion with Darius once he had recovered from this ritual. As Olea¡¯s blood dripped to the floor and started to pool beneath the platform it took on a nature of its own. The blood seemed to explode outward across the floor, as if a rock had been dropped from on high into a still lake only to cause a violent shower of water and then a cascade of ripples to spread; it was like this as her blood exploded outward in a riot of colored energies that rippled in waves among the collected peoples. It was at this time that several of the participants sagged to the floor, some gradually and some in sudden losses of consciousness. With the various augmenting spells cast upon his person by those very same that were assembled, Donovan knew the fire of life still burned within them. No doubt they were suffering through the effects of their mana and stamina both reaching zero simultaneously. Darius had said this would happen to nearly everyone, thus the absence of a select few in the ritual. A heartbeat later the ripple strengthened, and the wave hit the elemental guardians, their forms seemed to strengthen with this change. The fires of the salamander turning a blue-white, while the Undine¡¯s color deepened to the color of a bottomless sea, the korred seemed to increase in both density and influence somehow, and the dervish seemed to increase in the power of its electrical discharges. In unison their song changed, picking up the hints of a storm rapidly swelling on the horizon. At the center of the room the cloud had finally begun to shrink, even as the flows dropped in number the ability to counter them had almost died from the invasive curse. Olea¡¯s own aura had begun to fight back as a beam of multicolored light was blossoming from her bare chest, most of the robe long ago having been erased by the foul taint of a self-loathing god. The pillar that had taken shape above her was that of a multifaceted form commonly seen among the very same that supported the roofs of various religious temples. Lavish filigree and runes of shifting shapes and sizes were flowing across its surface, taking on many colors of the visible and invisible spectrums. Donovan had no doubt he would have seen nothing at all without the aid of his detection magic. It grew and grew, its colors changing ever faster as her body became paler with the lack of blood keeping it functioning. Donovan had felt that stirring of hope before but now he was not so sure, the loss of blood suffered by the girl could kill her if they did not succeed soon, yet even as the thought crossed his mind, he saw a bright golden beam shoot from Darius into the unconscious girl before him. Darius recognized the spell as the seldom used Death¡¯s Door. His heart soared at seeing it being used as it would guarantee her life if not the full expulsion of the taint. The rioting colors and the ever-present war of song spoke to the determination of those still standing as the cloud exploded. The colors of malignance that had been present were fully eviscerated, leaving nothing at the core and soon that small amount that had been acting as its armor, now deprived of its internal fuel, fell from the realm of existence. The Ritual was finished. Donovan descended the two stairs from the small platform at the room¡¯s entrance and quickly made his way to the child even as he saw Darius fall. From his pouch he removed a scroll given to him by Darius at the start; a scroll of Greater Heal. He recited the scroll over the still bleeding form of the girl and watched as it turned to ash in his hands before flowing away on an unfelt breeze. They were successful. The girl did not wake even as her color returned and her breathing came more regularly, though it lacked the strength and vigor of the true recovery. With the use of the spell to bring her health back from the level of certain death, she would no doubt have zero reserves of mana and stamina that were needed to fuel her body, and without at least some of either resource regaining consciousness again would take some time. ¡°Eric, take this child to the recovery room so that she may rest.¡± Donovan said as he turned to his brother Darius, the gulf between them in both dedication and resolve seemed ever wider on having seen the lengths to which he would go to save another soul. ¡°Make sure she is not disturbed until she awakens naturally. Fetch me as soon as that occurs, regardless of time.¡± That last came out as more Command than actual statement as he saw his mana dip, but he knew the passive did nothing to influence his aide as it lacked the full force of will and Charisma the skill required. ¡°At once, sir.¡± With that Eric stepped forward flanked by two priestesses as they wrapped her body in soft cloth to take her for cleaning before they placed her in a bed to rest. Chapter 38 - Eric Three Hours Later It had been some time since the sisters had left to help care for the exhausted ritual participants. Having washed and clothed the girl in attire befitting a convalescing patient that had deemed the room ¡®in order¡¯ and went about their daily tasks elsewhere. Eric had spent the past hour staring at the sleeping form on the small bed, his mind abuzz with worry, fear, confusion, and not a small amount of regret. He had a job to do, one he did not think he would feel any conflicting emotions about. ¡°What happened¡­¡± he muttered into the room, knowing that the sleeping form would not hear his words. He had been tasked with infiltrating the church some years back, and he had excelled at his task. He would report on the machinations of the clergy, letting Miss Avery know of the activities of the church, activities that he saw as inconsequential. Now, though. Now, he had a sinking feeling that he had somehow betrayed not only his new friends, and associates in the church, but also himself. He did not recall when he had considered the people he had seen every day, most in passing and only for the briefest of moments as friends. Regardless, he had a role to play. He had lit the candle in the belltower, a signal to the men waiting on the other side of the town to bring the cart around to the service entrance at the rear of the church. He would do his tasks as ordered. He could then approach his employer and get them to reconsider the plans they had. He had come too far and done too much to think he could stop now and be forgiven by his peers. He had to continue with the plan and take the girl downstairs and through the kitchens. Not a challenging task as most everyone was busy assisting in the recovery of their fellows. Most of the participants had only suffered minor mana fatigue, some like Darius had been burdened with channeling the bulk of the energies and had also suffered from stamina depletion. Eric had never suffered from the latter, but he had flatlined his mana on several occasions. It would always leave him feeling slightly lethargic, but still whole. Afterward his mana regeneration would be no less than halved until he had had time to fully recover. Stamina depletion was similar in that it left the body feeling slow to respond until your stamina recovered to above the halfway point; it was nothing that a good rest and a hot meal would not cure. Having both at once though, he had been told that the resources were so vital that to be without both could endanger your life. Indeed, Darius had yet to awaken, and it looked as if he would remain in that state for another day, depending on his recovery rates. He had no doubt that the mans mana regeneration was astonishing, his stamina though. Most priestly followers would neglect raising their constitution and strength, both of which were vital for stamina recovery. ¡°Enough of this.¡± Eric whispered to no one at all. He had to get moving now, before anyone came in to check on their mystery patient. He would need to dismiss the things he had seen in that chamber for now. He had a job to do. In committing his act of treason, he knew he would not be able to return to the church. Not tonight, nor ever. He would be firmly tying his cart to that of the organization that had taken him in and trained him up to be a passable spy, barely a fly on the wall in most cases. Standing from his chair by the door, he approached the sleeping girl and began wrapping her firmly in her own bed sheets. He would be damaging his employer¡¯s property, for that was what this was now, property. It was best that he got accustomed to the idea now so as to avoid developing feelings for the small creature in his arms, he would not be reminded of the sister he himself had lost as a child. After he had finished the wrapping of his bundle he went out into the hallway and removed the cart from the adjacent room, one normally used for laundry detail and brought it back inside before closing the door to the hallway. He emptied the cart of the small number of aged linens before storing his package inside, and then gently covered the form over with the aforementioned linens. He told himself he was only being careful so as to avoid noise, and unnecessary damage to the property. That done he opened the door once more and peeked outside, it had only been a few minutes, but he had to be sure that he was uninterrupted as he took his leave. He would not be able to resist apprehension if caught, he just was not strong enough. The coast was clear, so he made his way back into the room and began pushing his burden to the rear of the church. There were only a few halls to walk before reaching his destination, with intersections along the way that branched off into other chambers used by the kitchens and other essentials of the church. He was still unsure of why they needed an apiary, or even what that was as he had never ventured beyond the small gardens at the heart of the church but now, he would never know. Most likely. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts; really what was wrong with him. He moved onward, nearly there. ¡°Eric, hello!¡± came the chipper voice of a younger boy. Eric stopped dead. ¡°Laundry duty? Why would you be tasked such after the ordeal you went through earlier?¡± again the boy asked, not waiting for Eric¡¯s brain to catch up. ¡°Ummn.¡± Eric stammered. ¡°I am merely helping where I can. It is best that we all aide those we can when we can.¡± He spouted out the first reasonable excuse he could, being careful to emphasize the values he had been taught here, even if he were betraying them in this very same instant. ¡°Gosh. That is wonderful news brother Eric, may I help you then?¡± came the earnest response. ¡°No, no, no, thank you. I am fine, though I hear that Marty needs some assistance juicing the berries for tomorrow¡¯s breakfast.¡± ¡°Berry juicing? Really? And are you sure you need no help, that cart looks heavy.¡± Yes, yes. You must be getting along if you want to benefit, err, be of assistance to Marty, I even saw Evalynn there.¡± Eric noticed the slight blush forming on the face of the pale faced youth as he turned and made a quick-step getaway down the hall. He was sure Marty would be in the kitchens still, even though he doubted Evalynn would be anywhere in sight as she was one of the women currently helping in the recovery efforts. A short while later Eric arrived at the rear entrance and made his way out into the alley. The men were waiting for him with a small wagon bearing the symbol of merchants on the side of the wooden rails. This is where the job would be smoother as merchants would rarely be searched in this city as they left, even in the evenings. Most people were more concerned about dangerous things coming in than they were about valuable things leaving. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. The men were the typical sort of no-nonsense ruffian he had come to commonly see working for his employer. They both wore the same brown assortment of rough-spun pants and shirts with a green headband wrapped above the eyes. He knew he would not be enjoying any idle conversation as they made their way to the meeting point, and he was in no mood to participate in such things now anyway. No, Eric was still conflicted, though for what reason he was not sure, or more to the point he refused to acknowledge the feelings he had been experiencing for the past few hours. The sheer weight of potential that had been focused on that room not three hours earlier was such an eye-opening experience that his mind had yet to catch up. He had no way to process such profound sensory input. They had taught Eric through the years that the gods were always mindful of mortal men¡¯s deeds, and always there to aid how they could in the struggles of the body and soul if we were to but listen. Eric had always nodded his head without understanding the true depth of their words. To think that he would one day feel that gaze upon him and see the interactions of the divine on the mortal plane: preposterous. Or so he had thought, now, now he was no longer so sure that he could live with what he was going to do. Would the gods judge him harshly, had they already relegated his very soul to suffer in the eternal void, never knowing the warmth of their presence. As Eric was slowly coming around to making plans to foil the plans of his employer, even at the cost of his own liberty the cart came to a stop. Looking around he realized with a sinking feeling of dread that it was too late, they had already exited the city while he was stuck in his own indecision. It would be too late to alert the guards and free the girl, they had already reached their first destination. They were currently stopped at a small home outside the city, on the edge of the forest to the northeast that abutted the river. They would not be waiting here long as Eric could already see the other wagons approaching the stop on the road, as well as the low light from several lanterns that were posted on the barge some distance away moving closer on the river. The barge would serve as the main form of transportation from this point on, until they reached the estate on the opposite shore near the small town of Eldor. Miss Avery¡¯s own estate, Eric knew little of the actual place as he had never been so far from the city, but he had been told that she had access to a network of caves where she would be able to hold the goods until such time as she could negotiate for the proper buyer. Some time later, after all the carts had been offloaded, their goods moved to the ship, Eric was once again caught up in the travel of their growing convoy. There were now fifteen men and women aboard the barge with him, while he could see several large specially designed boxes tucked away holding their more important cargo. There were quite a large number of smaller boxes piled atop these larger ones, secured with great works of netting that would ensure little movement and smaller chance of lost profits. The nets also served as a deterrent to any random luggage checks along the way, no one wanted to be responsible for having to untangle and then retie a whole slew of nets just to check on the cargo of a minor merchant ship. This trick proved to work on two occasions as small enforcement ships stopped alongside to inspect their travel papers as was customary with such a large ship; small fishing vessels and johnboats were not subject to the requirement of transport writs. It took the full length of the night before they arrived at the docks near the estate. Several long wagons were neatly lined on shore, awaiting the goods that were due to be delivered up at the manor house. The provisions were considered essential for the running of the place. Large collections of spices, rope, tar, lumber, cloth, and other sundry items. It was not uncommon for the lady Andrea Avery to take in large collections of essentials as well as a varied assortment of other trade commodities each spring to sell and barter with through the seasons leading to harvest time. Eric marveled at the fact that she had been orchestrating such large-scale transfers of goods, and other items for so many years now without being apprehended. He did not know whether or he should be in awe of her ambition and luck, or if he should fear the fact that such evil was so vagrant in its deeds. Though after some time he realized that the ancient adage was true; The only thing needed for evil to triumph was for good men to do nothing. The workers spent two solid hours securing the cargo and moving about to clear up the barge before they began their short jaunt up the hill to unload the goods in a large barn. The large doors opened at their approach revealing a cavernous space the seemed almost empty. The high rafters supported a large, pitched roof from which hung several large chains, pulleys, and tackle arrangements. Not far to the east was the main house, while to the south in the direction of the city they had left was a large graveyard; used to house the dead from the town of Eldor. Dawn had already greeted the cool earth by the time the entire line of carts had been unloaded. Eric had watched as the smaller more innocuous goods were stored in large chambers at the sides of the building and had even witnessed the removal of the living property as the large boxes were carted down a narrow passageway that disappeared underground through a large section of the floor that had been hoisted up via some complicated mechanism in the ceiling. He supposed that it made sense to secure the people, no, property in a place where no one would go looking as well as a place they could not easily leave. Some larger men had come up from below, a much rougher crowd of people than he had seen before in his time as part of Avery¡¯s organization, he made sure to stay far away from them, though he did watch as they hauled one particular box down into the maw of earthen darkness. It was this sight alone that hurt his heart the most, for no discernable reason as he had seen many such pieces of cargo being carried down; some even making pleading, frightened sounds as their occupants awoke to find themselves in utter darkness, bound and helpless. Eric had to go, even before he knew it, he had already made his way to the main house. He had entered in through the entrance reserved for servants and other less flavorful guests and quickly demanded an audience with the Mistress of the house. It was while he waited that his mind caught up with him. What would he do? What could he do? Would he be able to convince the lady to change her plans, surely not. No, he did this only to help ease the burden of his soul. To free the weight that had been dragging him into an abyss of despair since he had first bundled the girl for travel. He needed to be able to say he tried, even if it was too late to be of any use. He knew that then; he knew it now. It was fifteen minutes later when a man came to greet Eric. The man was garbed in a pair of stiff red pants with brass buttons running down each leg. His shirt was of the same red leather, more vest than shirt and did nothing to cover the bulk of muscle underneath. He wore two large blades at his waist and had a small knife strapped below the knee on his left leg. Eric did not know what he expected, but it was surely not for the man to smile and beckon him forward down a small hallway before coming out at the base of the stairs leading to the second of three floors in the home. He followed the man up the stairs and down another richly carpeted hallways before stopping outside an open door. Inside Eric could see Lady Avery sitting at a table, sipping tea. It was too late for a change of heart, or a change in plans, he would need to follow through till the end. ¡°Enter, if you would.¡± Came the calm tones from the lady of the house. Eric entered the room followed by the man in red, and at a nod from Andrea the door was closed by her most faithful servant. Eric nervously glanced at the closed door even as he took in the sterile feel of the room they were in, he detected a strong odor in the air, not quite covered by the fragrant tea steeping on the table, no doubt waiting for Miss Avery to be in need of a refill, though he had assumed she would have some servant or another to perform the task of refilling the glass. There were no windows in the room, nor any other major furniture pieces. Only the table and three small chairs. Various paintings were placed along the walls showing nothing more than vague impressionist views of some scenic view or another. Steeling his nerve to speak Eric looked steadily at the woman sipping her tea so peacefully and opened his mouth to speak. As he did so, Avery nodded to her right and Eric felt a stab of pain in his neck, even as the world around him dimmed. He only had the barest of moments to reflect on his life as he fell to the floor, his lifeblood pooling around him as darkness moved in. ¡°Please Reginald, if you could remove the trash.¡± Erics body was still warm as the man, Reginald dragged him to a chute in the wall and dropped the body down the oversized hole before removing a bucket and beginning to clean up the small mess he had made removing waste from his mistress¡¯s estate. Chapter 39 - Captive Unknown Location, Near the Town of Eldor. Troug, 6th. Olea Munroe ¡°My head¡­ what in the hells was wrong with those mushrooms?¡± was all Olea could think, and therefore say, as she awoke in a dimly lit cell. A cell, not quite the type of cell she would have assumed to have awakened in after having been the subject of some arcane ritual sponsored by the church. Or was that a thing here, they did the whole care-bear routine chanting We Care over and over again till I¡¯m better and then I get locked away for their future amusement. Probably not. This had to be something else, possibly one of those trials that had been mentioned in that place between places. I had to figure this out. I also had to get something to eat, I could seriously feel my spine through my stomach. Washboard abs are fantastic on a model but having a hole where food should be does not feel good at all, they can keep their oils and tans. ¡°Focus¡­¡± I muttered to absolutely no one, only to be surprised, again. ¡°She¡¯s awake.¡± Came a whisper in the dark nearby. I looked around again to find that I was not quite alone, there were others here with me. Some other girls, and a few boys were scattered about the area. All in cells, all quite dirty. They did not quite look as starved as I felt, but I was sure they would disagree. The girl who had spoken was in my cell, along with two others. What kind of mess had my delirious mushroom addled mind gotten me into? Fact finding mission: Commence! ¡°Is she okay? Where¡¯s she from? What¡¯s her name?¡± came a few inquiries from the other cells. I was saying cell as if this was an old-timey prison with near rows separated by a hallway for guards to walk about in an orderly fashion, this was not that. The cells were more like well-wrought cages of wood and iron shaped into a dome, though much thicker and sturdier in appearance than I was currently comfortable with. The cages were all lined in no discernible order down the length of a large cavern, so we were either underground or inside a mountain. I guess both were technically underground though, something to ponder later. I only saw a handful of brown shirted guards walking about with thick clubs, no easy blades to steal anywhere in sight. I sat up and gave myself a look over to determine if anything was out of place while the girl in my cell told everyone to quiet down and let me get myself oriented before they began to barrage me with questions. I liked her already. Everything seemed to be in order, I was now wearing a tan-colored pair of pants and a nicely serviceable shirt, and I was mostly clean. Well, clean for me. I had about a day¡¯s worth of dust in various places, but my hair felt free of blood and dirt, I would take this win. ¡°Where am I?¡± I inquired of the girl who had cut off my future headache of an interrogation. Normally I¡¯d be asked that question internally of my friend Help-chan, but it seemed as if he truly was gone forever, or until I could find his great prismatic ass in the waking world, as he put it. Though now I was wondering how wise it would be to find the lair of a dragon the size of a small town in the first place, I doubted he had friendly neighbors. ¡°Dunno, I think we are still somewhere near Eldor. Not right sure though.¡± Was the answer I got. Where the hell was Eldor? ¡°Where is Eldor?¡± I asked. ¡°Nearby. Dunno how nearby though, miss.¡± Groaning inwardly at finding someone as vague as myself, and maybe even more dense when it came to context and all that other stuff, I began to clarify. ¡°Where is Eldor compared to South Jaga City?¡± ¡°Oh, that where you from miss? That¡¯s a might bit farther away then. Eldor is a small town north of North Jaga which you can see from across the lake in South Jaga, if-n your eyes are good, and the skies are clear. It¡¯s a good long way out, a few days walk even to the cities from here.¡± ¡°Well, hells.¡± ¡°Is that where you be from miss?¡± came the question on the hells of her explanation. Okay, I¡¯d been polite enough, maybe I was being too polite. I had to put my foot down somewhere, or this would just end up making me angry, and who wants to be angry with a bunch of people who were obviously being held for ransom, or potential slavery. Actually, slavery makes more sense, I doubted anyone would pay any ransom for me, let alone the one-armed kid on the other side of the cavern-like area we were in. ¡°Would you stop calling me miss, already? It¡¯s annoying, and I¡¯m not an old woman!¡± There I¡¯d said it. ¡°Sorry, mi- mam¡± she stammered quickly, as if trying to placate an angry child. ¡°Call me Olea, please. Though I will settle for your majesty, or mistress if you were older and we weren¡¯t all filthy. Ignore all of that, except my name, that was important. What is your name?¡± ¡°My name is Malory. Also, I apologize for offending you. You look like an elf, and most elves are a bit, uh¡­¡± she drew that emptiness out as if worried she may offend me, yet again. ¡°Fine, fine! Yes, lots of elves are probably uppity snobs, I get it, though I have never met one personally. Just treat me like one of the girls or something. It¡¯s fine.¡± I may have been rambling a little there myself as my mind worked through the problems of the day. The girls looked slightly startled at my vehemence as she shared glances with the other two in the cell with us. They seemed content to just listen in and keep their distance, not easy in a cell that was barely ten feet across and round. That was when the foul smell of their waste pot hit me. Ahh, hell no. Noticing my glance the smeller of the other two spoke up, ¡°It¡¯s not as bad as you think Mi-Olea, they come by and change out the pots quite often, and we can even put up one of our blankets to keep folk from peeping in.¡± ¡°Peeping in? Who cares about that right now, we are in a cage, in a cave, and likely to be sold off as slaves. I¡¯m more upset that it took me this long to notice something that smelled so foul.¡± I swear I must have gone scent-blind to most of the foulness in the area as I was recovering because as I concentrated on the missing parts of my environment that cold truth of the situation sank in. ¡°As you say.¡± Chimed in the other-other girl. ¡°Not doing this, girl one what is your name?¡± I pointed at the first one who spoke of peepers. ¡°I be Quinn, mistress!¡± came the high-pitched reply. ¡°I am called Mouse, your ladyship.¡± Came the tinny voice of girl two. ¡°Well met then. I¡¯m glad to be finally introduced.¡± They nodded in unison as Malory watched them with a confused look. It was almost as if she could not recognize the instant groupie mentality they had quickly adopted. I should totally start a cult, after we escaped, of course. ¡°Excuse me for asking, Olea. How did you end up here? When they brought you in, you looked dead, did they poison you somewhere with something?¡± Malory asked. ¡°They kidnapped me from church I think, I had a bit of a curse problem. I also might have eaten bad mushrooms, it¡¯s hard to remember as I have been kind of mental for the past¡­ month?¡± I said in reply, even as my mind was coming to terms with missing more than half of the time I had been in this world. Someone was going to suffer for making me miss out on life, as it was. My heart ached a little bit as I considered all the people back home across the lake who may think I had died. I idly wondered at the thought of who was feeding the street-kids, before my mind drifted once more to my friend Crow-Kun. I would need to give that bastard a cracker, or something. ¡°Kidnapped from a church?¡± questions the two girls, Quinn and Mouse, in stereo. ¡°By the Twelve, that is blasphemy.¡± Gasped Malory. ¡°They sell slaves, doubt they care about the gods and their judgement, though I think Kenarious would love to play with their corpses. She seemed like a right proper closet killer.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± said Malory. ¡°You know, that Trougholiea lady.¡± ¡°Do you mean the spring child of the Three, one of the Twelve, Troug?¡± asked Quinn this time, looking somewhat frightened. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Yeah, that one. She seemed like a future stalker kind of gal.¡± The three of them looked at me as if I had just killed a whole mess of puppies and had declared myself leader of the trash-heap. Yep, they thought I had up and lost my marbles. That begged the question, were marbles a thing here? I thought I had seen someone playing with marbles, but were they playing marbles? I would need to investigate. ¡°Anyway, who does a girl need to talk to around here to set up an escape plan?¡± The girls collectively shuddered as they shared a small glance amongst themselves. Apparently, they were not the ones I would need to be sharing plans with. ¡°Do they have any mages down here? Where is the overpowered Barbarian that is just waiting for his hangover to fade so he can muster the strength to murder all the bad guys? Anyone?¡± I asked, really doubting the odds that the plot-gods were smiling upon me. ¡°No mages, miss. Sorry, Olea. They took a kid away yesterday for trying to use magic missiles on one of the guards. We are pretty sure that there isn¡¯t anyone here who can use anything but healing magic or simple combat stuff, just no one is stronger than the guards. We¡¯re all novices, mam.¡± Said Mouse, she really surprised me with all the knowledge and speaking up so fast even with a name like Mouse, unexpected. Mouse was a small child, maybe in the neighborhood of twelve, while Quinn was at least fourteen by her appearance. They each had the same shoulder length brown hair with matching green eyes. Siblings? Neither of them looked to be well-nourished now, which made me wonder when the last time they had been fed was. Making people suffer was one thing but letting someone go hungry; talk about crimes against humanity. There would be wrathful vengeance in the future. ¡°Next question, how long have we been here?¡± I had to establish a timeline first, or I thought I did. It helped me think when I was speaking, monologues worked fine but I was no Doctor Who, miracles didn¡¯t just happen after I spoke for a few minutes without interruption. It was Quinn who spoke first. ¡°My sister and I have been here for almost two weeks, you, him, and Quinn both came in a few days ago. She was awake when they brought her in, we thought you were dead until you started snoring.¡± I noticed the word him being dropped as Quinn looked over to the pile of blankets I had skipped over until now. There was something underneath that pile that resembled a person but then my mind caught up to the rest of the statement. ¡°I don¡¯t snore!¡± I shouted, indignant. ¡°No, no. You surely did snore until we rolled you over, was mostly to have you snoring the other direction, but then you stopped.¡± This was from the blushing Mouse. I walked over to the pile of blankets and delivered a very soft but firm kick to the pile even as Malory and the others turned to the rear of the cage. Listen, I know it is a round cage and therefore has no front or back technically, but I am assuming rear because they faced away from me, this is perfectly reasonable logic! The pile began to make vague sounds of annoyance which made me assume that I had failed in my task and as such would need to invest a little more brick into my kick. I drew back just a bit and performed a mini-punt action to there I assumed his posterior was located. ¡°Ouch! Hey!¡± came the muffled shouts from under the pile of fabric. ¡°Hi, my name is Olea. It is nice to meet you, why are you sleeping when everyone else is awake? That¡¯s rude.¡± I then turned around and focused my eyes on the scene taking place at the cavern entrance. Apparently, there were more victims being delivered today. We watched as several burly guards walked in towing a line tied to a group of boys and girls of varying ages and obviously different species. There was at least one dwarf, and what I think may have been two others who shared some characteristics with domesticated animals. I won¡¯t say cat girls, as they were male and at least as old as myself, but there was a feline grace in their gait, possessing that coiled potential that leopards usually have when eyeing a gazelle. If they did not look so downtrodden I would say they looked very, very scrummy. Sorry, I am aware that it is equally rude to be thinking such thoughts when we are all captured and probably going to be sold off some time in the not-so-distant future, but I could not quite bring myself to not have such thoughts. I was sure that if we were not all in a dire situation that I could have maybe succeeded in getting one of them to buy me a drink, or at least a meat pie. At the thought of meat pies my stomach decided that I had had enough freedom of thought and chose to make its presence known. ¡°Was that your stomach, miss?¡± asked Mouse. I decided to let it slide as Mouse was so much younger than myself, I would not strike the kid for her impertinence. It also helps that she called me Mistress not five minutes ago. ¡°It was, sadly.¡± ¡°They won¡¯t be feeding us for a few more hours miss, its usually bread. Not good, but not bad either.¡± Piped in Quinn. Malory said, ¡°It¡¯s quite bad, if you get the moldy piece.¡± I decided that I did not want to wait any longer and brought up my new spell for just such an occasion as this, though I doubted many picked it up as a guarantee against slavery-induced starvation. Create Food: This spell will assemble ambient magic into a solid form that can then be consumed by living creatures as a form of sustenance. Yes, it creates food. Food generated with this spell is generally influenced by the spellcaster and their environment. Food created can be altered and improved by the Level, Wisdom, Constitution, Knowledge, and even mood of the caster. Remember, sad cooks make sad food. ¡°Bingo!¡± I nearly shouted the word, though I doubted from the looks I was receiving that anyone was familiar with the term. Was there Bingo in this world? I¡¯d have to see about creating a new trend for the masses. I chanted the little spell to myself while holding my hand out expectantly. In less than three seconds I found myself to be ten mana shorter but one potato richer. I guess the environment decided that potatoes were the most suitable thing to conjure. I bit into the spud to find a taste I did not quite expect, it was similar to a properly baked potato, but it had a definite hint of horseradish in there too. This sure as hell beat the last attempt I had made with the spell, was it due to my total lack of feelings at the time or had the curse interfered somehow with my ability to taste things, as if sapping away all the joy in my life. Questions for future me, the present me was busy inhaling a potato. ¡°Does anyone have anything to drink, or better yet a cup?¡± I asked of the people who were all staring at me, new prisoners totally forgotten, even the boy was staring. ¡°Hi, my name is Derek. It is very nice to meet you, can I have some food?¡± he said without a hint of shame. ¡°Well, look there. Proper manners!¡± I clapped at him even as he stared at me with those hopeful eyes. He wasn¡¯t alone either. It looked like I was about to be the vending machine for my fellow prisoners in cage forty-three today. No, it wasn¡¯t numbered, I just kind of called it that in my head, no one can pretend they don¡¯t do the same thing all the time. After casting my little spell three more times to make three more potatoes, and being down another thirty mana, I decided to take another look at my happy little stat sheet. Name: Olea Munroe Level: 12 Archetype: Water Priestess Health: 153/153 Mana: 136/174 Stamina: 152/176 Attributes: You have Fifteen Attribute Points Remaining Experience Till Next Level: 4,500 remaining of 25,000. Skills: Twenty-Four skill points remaining. Stealth - Rank 1 Piety - Rank 3 Triumvir Soul Skills ¡°Oh, goody.¡± I whispered to myself. The others cast curious looks at me but said nothing as they munched happily on their spoils. Two sources had both told me I had the skills to see this problem solved, granted they were a little vague, but I knew I would get to the bottom of this as I had only so many skills available. One issue I saw was that I was still lacking quite a few skill points to just max out everything. I had twenty-four and was pretty sure it would take well over forty to fully max each skill and spell. It looked as if I would need to spend some time researching my possible spells and their upgrades. Just when you think all the homework is done, you get a pop quiz, how basic. Next up, nothing beats having those fifteen shiny Attribute Points. I would need to determine a better way of distributing them to help me out of the current situation and not cripple myself in the future. Sure, bringing my charisma to thirty-one and trying to seduce my way out of here might work for me, then again it may just convince them that my sale-value had just gone up. Thoughts to consider, all of them. Next little thing to look over would be these new Soul Skills. World Map seemed pretty self-explanatory and when I looked at the details, I was not disappointed by what I saw. World Map ¨C With this skill the user can quickly determine their location in the world, all explored areas are forever stored in an image that can be called forth at will. Map can be made visible to others by channeling mana into the ability. Only places explored by the user shall be shown. People that share a Soul Link with the user have their own experiences added to the Map. Changes that take place in the world and thus alter any area previously discovered will be updated if they are of significant note. My own little map skill coming complete with user friendly usability. Neat. The other skill had a stronger hold on my thoughts. Soul Vault ¨C This ability allows the user to store indefinitely any item of their choosing. Time shall not pass for the items inside. Item storage limit is determined by the level and power of the user¡¯s Soul. Space available is equal to the accumulated level of Linked Souls cubed. The same space is shared amongst all people and creatures linked to the User. It was at this point that I realized my days of slumming it were over, if I made it out of this mess, I would never suffer from a lack of traveling necessities again. I also made a silent vow between breaths that I would not become a hoarder. Nope. Not me. Not ever. As if it the gods themselves were listening, I heard a small chuckle carry across an imaginary breeze. It made me shiver. Chapter 40 - Upgrades and Options Unknown Location, Near the Town of Eldor. Troug, 7th. Olea Munroe First off, I needed a plan. Yep, a plan, easy as can of cake, piece of pie. Pie¡­ Anyway, I need to address the possible Skill, Spell, and Attribute upgrades available to me so I can discover this divine path forward. Calling the skills list to mind, I began debating on which to invest in first. My first thought came in the form of investing in Command, but I figured it would only take one slip up for everyone to realize I was puppeteering their friends around. And a limit of single word orders would make it hard to utilize, which would also clear out my mana pool rather quickly. Other options¡­ Let¡¯s just look at my healing school of spells. Piety - Rank 3 The most obvious choice was sitting there as the conjuring spell. If I remembered correctly, it would also take a great deal of my skill points as I would need to level up its prerequisites; Dispel Magic, Create Water, and Command. And then I would need to also invest in Protection from Evil and Cure Wounds as they are both prerequisites for Dispel Magic. Though looking at it again I did realize that Cure Wounds was already at the needed level two, so I would only need to improve it if I wanted to bring Dispel Magic to rank four. ¡°Oh crap.¡± I might have said that aloud as I realized I would also need to bring Piety to rank four to put an endcap on that last spell. ¡°You say something, Ollie?¡± came Derek¡¯s voice from the other side of our not so private cage. Could not a girl quietly curse her luck without worrying about the spectators. It didn¡¯t help that they had all been wearing puppy dog eyes of thankfulness that moment they finished their conjured food. Even the girls were looking at me with a hint of worry, they thought their vending machine was broken and they would have no more snowballs. I missed snowballs, coconut, and marshmallow goodness. And the chocolate! ¡°It¡¯s fine, all good.¡± I said to my semi-loyal worshippers, ¡°I¡¯m just trying to decide on what spells to learn to aid in my escape plan so I can take over the world someday. Can¡¯t afford to die in a cage or get shipped off as meat for some uber-evil scum-bucket who just wants a pretty elf to sit in a corner till they are needed.¡± The girls all kind of cringed, no doubt thinking about the latter part of my statement, maybe they had not yet thought so far ahead as to imagine what was going to be waiting at the end of this train of torment. Quinn looked to be losing a little more of her sanity as I watched her worry lines increase in depth. Children, even almost adult children should not have to suffer pre-mature wrinkles from worrying this much. What the hell. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± I said simply, ¡°I¡¯ll be getting us out of here sooner or later. We aren¡¯t going to be sold off to some slimy shits this time around.¡± Malory finally voiced a thought by asking me, ¡°What did you mean by learning spells miss?¡± ¡°I meant I am looking to get a shiny spell made into a shinier spell so I can maybe break us out of here and get the bad guys.¡± I wasn¡¯t so sure of how it was so hard to understand such a simple thing, but here we were. ¡°I don¡¯t think they will be letting us learn new spells here, I doubt they would be willing to teach us anything, really. Did you have a teacher before being brought here, were you waiting to learn the skills until you knew for sure what path you wanted to take?¡± It was as she was half-way through her spiel that I remembered that most, or nearly every living person needed a teacher to learn anything beyond the absolute basics. ¡°I have a question!¡± I said as I raised my hand, looking straight at Malory. The girl looked slightly surprised at my actions, but nodded slowly as she moved her hands in a vague circular way. That must be my cue to continue. ¡°How does someone become a teacher, like can anyone teach anyone new spells and stuff? Is it restricted by age or rank or something?¡± I asked, a bit surprised that I had never really given it much thought before. I must be progressing as a person to be so forthcoming with my ignorance, win! Malory and the others in the room just looked at me as if I was some alien being, which honestly, I could totally fit that bill being that I was born in a completely different reality, or universe, or something. Oops, I should have asked TK when she was being a pest in the between place. It was Derek who spoke first. ¡°Anyone can teach someone else new skills and stuff. You just need to be able to use the skill yourself. My own Da¡¯ taught me Combat and Bludgeon.¡± ¡°Your dad did¡­ huh.¡± I guess it was not unheard of for fathers to teach their children how to fight, but if this were the case, what was stopping me from teaching all these little kids some new spells as well. Though, admittedly they did not have as many skill points as they would need to learn something incredibly powerful. The thought of dozens of kids and teens summoning elemental monsters to murder the kidnapper folks was quite humorous as it played out in my head. That thought also had me thinking that I should start investing some training time into the kids back on the streets in South Jaga, they could do amazing things if I gave them some cool new skills. ¡°More advanced skills are rarer as most people with advanced skills and magic are less widespread, unless you join the temple and learn there. Most of the priest teach anyone who asks to learn basic healing.¡± Said Quinn, dropping a little more information for me. Mouse piped up with her little chipper voice, ¡°My mum taught me how to use a knife, got me to learn Slash and help in the kitchen.¡± Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Using these skills to perform chores with a little more efficiency had never really crossed my mind before. Odd, I liked to think of myself as quite the corner cutter. ¡°That still doesn¡¯t explain how you planned to get new skills and stuff to escape.¡± Cut in Malory, so much for changing the topic. ¡°Meh, I guess it doesn¡¯t. I¡¯m going to go sit in the corner over there for a while, feel free to ignore me for a while.¡± I turned about and went to the opposite side of our round cage, corner may not have been the best word to use, but I was fine with that. I heard them talking about me strangely for a few moments before my mind shunted away all the distractions, not something I can usually do. It might be the cage helping me keep my focus, it¡¯s hard to get distracted when you can¡¯t physically go anywhere. Twenty-four skill points were burning a hole in my brain, and it was time to alleviate the pressure. Well, no there was no actual pain, but I was getting an itch to spend them. Not that kind of thing¡­ Not today, at least. I started by dropping eight to polish off my Piety skill. Not going to lie, it did hurt a little to see all those points go for just one skill. Moving on! I then dumped two points into Create Water, one point into Protection from Evil, two points into Command, two additional points into Dispel Magic, and finally three points into Conjure Elemental Spirit. Eighteen points gone in a blink, sadness striking on cue. I may have wept a little, but then I saw the improvements. Rank Four: The gods are proud this day as you have reached the final mortal rank of Piety, angels sing and demons lament at your accomplishment! You will now be able to learn any spell or skill up to the fourth rank. All spells will come more easily to you, thus lowering the time needed for caster by a small degree. You will more quickly recover from the negative effects of mana depletion. Regeneration of mana is increased; regeneration of all resources will also be increased while you are within a place of worship. Gain a passive ability to vaguely detect the driving intentions of others through careful observation. First up was Piety. Getting some nice regeneration bonuses and avoiding that crappy debuff for overspending are both very welcome. That part about spell casting time was different, I suppose I had never really tried casting spells back-to-back yet, something to pay attention to. I was also wondering at the new passive, I liked skills that required no upkeep investitures, I really like them. Rank Two: Targets of this spell will now need to cast two saving throws upon your use of the spell, one throw to thwart your command, and a second to determine the source of the spell. Rank Three: Target area for using Command is now expanded. Area of Effect is determined by Level, Wisdom, and Charisma. Spell can now be channeled to increase range; the spell will be applied after the channeling period has ended. And then this for Command, making it into some AoE mind control type thing seemed kind of frightening, but to see that I might be able to cast it and not get caught quite as easily when I inevitably failed to do such a thing was a wonderful thing to remember. Rank Two: Your water can now be used as a Reagent in your spells, as it now possesses a heightened level of Water Essence. Water produced has been doubled, though the caster may choose to limit the amount with a thought upon casting. Rank Three: The amount of water you can call forth has been doubled, yet again. The user retains the ability to limit the amount created with this spell. Your created water can now provide a minor increase to regeneration for a time limited by the level of the caster. Grants a small measure of control over the temperature of the water created. Create Water looked genuinely nice. I¡¯d be trying that soon, very soon. If it could get me some nice hit water for a scrub-down or something very cold to drink I would be quite happy. The old stuff was fine, but it was remarkably close to lukewarm. It seemed as if I could create quite a bit of water now. And right there near the end, more regeneration! Rank Two: The ability to Dispel Magic is increased. Range and power have increased. Rank Three: Your ability to Dispel Magic is greatly increased. The user of this spell can now passively intuit the spells that are dispelled when they cast this spell successfully. As for Dispel Magic, I could see that it had gained a bit more viability and flexibility. I would not be using it anytime soon but having it there would be swell if I ever find myself up against a smart opponent with spells. I wondered if it would work for enchantments. Rank Two: The field of protection is increased to cover an area around the target of the spell. The spells duration is now increased to equal the casters level in hours. Rank Three: The spell will now prevent any creature not currently at the level of the caster or above from attacking or bringing harm to the target of the spell, regardless of the target¡¯s actual level. And then there was this, Protection from Evil, it seemed I would be able to cast it and take better naps in the forest, the light forest. Though I will avoid those in the future if I can help it and just head off to a town for a bed. Why was I thinking about camping out again after all that nonsense in the forest that I had been through¡­ yeah, no. It would help with some fetch quests though, picking berries and the like while remaining unbothered. Wait a minute, this spell probably worked wonders as a pest deterrent, no more mosquitoes! Moving on, stay focused. Conjure Elemental Spirit: This spell must be cast upon a non-living object which possesses elemental essence. Duration, power, and success of the spell are limited by factors such as available essence, Wisdom, Piety, Level of Caster, as well as a little luck. Rank Two: Allows the user to form lasting bonds with the spirit summoned, while this will not increase the duration of the summon it will allow the user to reliably summon forth a spirit that they may find themselves more easily in tune with. Grants a small increase in power to the summoned Elemental. Rank Three: Summoner can now control a larger number of Elemental Spirits. Allows the caster to summon two elementals per rank, this does not allow you to summon more than one Elemental per cast. Elementals are now stronger than previous iterations. Caster can increase the Elementals power by investing twice the mana at the time of casting. Rank Four: Doubles the time that your Elemental can remain on this plane, though the caster may choose to dismiss their Elemental Summons at will. Elementals are significantly more powerful at this Rank and can be further imbued with the casters own Essence by using their own blood as a supplementary Reagent. Do not be afraid, pain brings power. And since it had been a while since I had checked I decided to look at its base function as well, I was probably starting to feel the influence of the big-bad there as I learned this spell and had to make sure I had gotten what I thought I had gotten, if that makes sense. Lots to unpack there, there were quite a varied list of friends I could summon, I could use the word minion, but I think I would eventually offend some greater elemental being and just get smooshed or something. Sticking with nicer terms for my loyal followers. It also seemed that I would be able to summon two different elementals for now, if only I could have been kicked up to the next level to improve my rank, then I would have four friends to summon. If the duration was anything nearing the metric used for other spells it might be safe to assume it was my level worth of hours, though I would need to test that soon so as not to be surprised mid-escape. I was also keen to see to test the extra imbuement and channeled summon abilities. Doubling mana costs though for the spell seemed as if it could be a problem as I only had one hundred seventy-four maximum mana with my regeneration sitting at sixty-four and some change, per hour. It was at that moment that I caught onto a strange feeling in the air, I felt as if I were being watched. I slowly moved my head from side to side as if surveying my new friends and cellmates until I felt the little tingle in my mind, perhaps from my new passive. At first, I saw nothing out of the ordinary, just the random guards doing a very random survey of the cages down in this cavern of shared captivity but then my eyes caught the briefest flash of light. A shimmer of torchlight reflecting from the hilt of a blade. There was now a man near the cave entrance wearing all red clothing, and he was focused on little ole me, that or one of the others in my cell. Color me conceited but I was betting that this was all about me. Chapter 41 - Attributes and Food The Caverns, Near the Town of Eldor. Troug, 7th. Olea Munroe I watched surreptitiously for a small amount of time, never really looking directly at the man in red. Now, there were quite a few men in the cavern, and the reason I could tell this man was different is that he had an actual blade. I had bought a knife from the caravan back before the time of that stupid curse nonsense, it was a good knife. This man had a proper sword, and it looked expensive. The other guards walking about the place all had short heavy truncheons, sure there was the odd man out who had a fishing knife, those small, jagged chunks of metal that can be right scary. They also lacked this new man¡¯s perfect posture and his stance of eagerness; it was as if he were in a constant state of, I¡¯m-going-to-kill-someone-soon. That may have been my new passive ramping us as I paid closer attention to the man though, and not my own deductive skills. I may be conceited but I know my limited weak points, I was rarely so observant. All his clothes were dyed the same color of red, if you excluded the thick black boots, belt, and that ridiculous looking neck piece. It was not a tie, more a bandana of some black material hung loosely around his collar. I could not make out the hairstyle from here, but the color was also almost dark, though that could have been due to the horribly dim light down here. Eventually the man left the cavern, and I saw not a single guard pay him any attention as he did so, some of them even seemed more relaxed in his absence. I was willing to bet I had just spotted the mini boss of this dungeon. Ok, ok, I know it is a little played out at this point. I mean it is obvious that he is quite a bit above my league, and I am sure I will not be doing a great amount of murder as I escape the clutches of this evil empire, but something told me that I¡¯d have at least a minor conflict with that guy in the not-so-distant future. Back to work! I had to spend some more points, before captain creeper came back to distract me again, or worse things happened. Let¡¯s focus¡­ Health: 153/153 Mana: 153/174 Stamina: 176/176 Attributes: Now, I have fifteen points to burn through for my attributes. I know what I want to do, namely waste them all in one attribute and be an all-powerful glass cannon, but I decided to go with something Doogan had mentioned the day I had met Camilla. He had mentioned that Couriers and people who used skills such as theirs would focus on Wisdom, Dexterity, and Intelligence with a splash of Constitution and Strength at the later levels to even out their stamina. I knew that waiting until later to increase my physical attributes was not a great idea, being as I was basically a weak child in those attributes, I also know they would not serve me well as the focus of my horded points. So, let¡¯s say I put a point each into them. I will also be putting two points into Dexterity and one into Charisma. Ok, fine, no Charisma this time. Cannot I be a little vain¡­ Anyway, I know Wisdom is my main regen and spell power attribute for most of my repertoire, so I can drop eight there leaving three to throw into Intelligence. Attributes: Stolen story; please report. I also noticed an increase in my Mana, Health, and Stamina pools. I had gained eleven HP, twenty-eight Stamina, and a whopping forty mana. Going a little further into the menus I found that my mana regeneration was no longer a sad, sad sixty-four but now sat at one hundred thirty-eight. Impressed with myself for no small reason, I decided that I needed to go a little further. I knew I was stuck here, and I would be gaining no new skills and spells anytime soon, as I doubted any of the people in these cells with me could fill the role of teacher and give me access to some uber-awesome new shiny. The only logical choice then would be to throw the rest of my points into something useful to me in some other way. First a point into Armor. Rank Two: Increases the armor bonus applied to the target. Applies an almost insignificant chance to completely nullify the physical force of any impact. Then a point into Water Breath. Rank Two: At this rank Water Breath will work as increased depths, the gods are not at fault for the assumptions of mortals who believe one rank may get them to the bottom of the ocean while alive. Provides a slight increase in the body¡¯s ability to resist changes in environmental pressure, again this is only a slight increase. Ok, first off, armor seemed plain and meh outside of the random small chance to ignore a hit. That would be nice, though with a tag that saying almost insignificant I doubt I will be seeing it work much. Though truthfully as much as I use the spell that should make it much less likely. Secondly, what is with the line about spell assumptions, the thing reads like a disclaimer on a bag of Q-tips back home. Weird creatures, these gods be. Moving on! Next a point into both Vigor and Water Walk, I¡¯d best not see something saying overuse of this spell may cause¡­ well Stamina issues. Rank Three: At this rank your passive Stamina cost reduction is increased. Your spell will now replenish a greater amount of Stamina as well as restoring slightly more over time as the spell fades. Rank Three: Increases surface tension of water even further, now in a wider area to support potential allies. Keep those friends close, or stop being stingy and share the spell. Due to the nature of this spell, swimming will become both more difficult and more effective. So, yeah. Vigor is nice and simple. More stamina, more fun passive boosting. And then we get to Water Breath I get comments, likely aimed at me. I highly doubt anyone else on the planet gets these off-brand lines in their information packets. Nope, the gods have to be all serious for their devout followers, but their Heroes, the ones the abduct from other worlds have to suffer through random inserts into the skill that may indicate a total lack of belief in said Heroes ability to survive and think freely. Ugh! Moving on¡­ I can toss a point into Wind Walk, and then my last point will go to Create Food, because I want something better than mushrooms and potatoes. Not that there is anything wrong with that. I happen to like both; I just want more. Rank Four: At this Rank you will see an increase in strength for your elemental constructs, allowing you to exert more pressure upon them before they fail. Your passive will now also give a bonus to your overall speed, and to be less bound by the forces of nature that would hold you back. Steps and other constructs created while making use of this spell now have their costs integrated into the upkeep of your passive ability and will not fail until you leave the range determined by your Level and Wisdom. Jackpot! It seems as if I might be taking some flying lessons soon, or air-hopscotch. I will figure it out. The air around me felt a little less claustrophobic as the point disappeared into the skill, I was guessing that was some type of force pressing down on me other than depression in here. Smiles all around. I need to have some fun with those air steps soon too, they might be useful for some honest tomfoolery. The create food changes though, those were nice. Rank Two: Food created with this spell is even more enjoyable. Food now contains more nutritionally useful components, though it still cannot fully allay the need for other sources of vitamins and minerals. The variety of food created is now more diverse, though one should never insult their food, or the one who cooks it. I ignored the jibes that no doubt was put in place as I thought about needing better food, some people just cannot take a joke. Bah, to them I say. Bah! I had to use the spell; I know I had just eaten but I wanted to give it a go. I cast the spell chanting the little lines and holding out my hand. Create Food. In my hand appeared a Potato, wrapped in bright green, yet clean moss. What the¡­ ¡°Can I have that?¡± came the voice of Derek, who was far too close to me. I ate the potato and handed him the moss. Chapter 42 - A Deeper Connection Than That The Caverns, Near the Town of Eldor. Troug, 8th. Olea Munroe I had spent the night getting some well-deserved sleep, there was nothing else to do. During the time of my blissful oblivion, you know, proper sleep, I had an utterly undeserved dream. I had dreamed that I was alone and panicking while soaring through the sky on black wings. It took me several long moments before it dawned on me that I must have been using one of my abilities to share senses with my bonded companion. I had activated one of my skills in my sleep, the thought both excited me and scared me. I was happy to be seeing all the sights below and coasting along on a breeze but at the same time I could not help but think about how bad it would be to channel Create Water while in an enclosed sleeping chamber. With that small distraction drifting into my subconscious to fuel nightmares in the future I took a moment to sink into the feelings I was receiving from my companion. It was startling to feel his depth of worry and anxiety, a feeling I had suffered through for too much of my own childhood. I could relate to this creature¡¯s pain, I had been somehow struck down, sickened, and cursed, only to be healed and then disappear. I was not sure how much time had passed with myself or even my friend being unable to fully sense the other, if only in a peripheral sense. I had never really focused on the connection before, not truly giving it the level of respect such a bond should be met with. Nope, I was a bad friend there in the end, excuses be damned. I mean, how cool was it that I now had a friend that could shapeshift back and forth between human and bird. Add to that the ability to become an oversized bird, one that I was sure I would be able to fly aloft with someday and it only got better. As my thoughts began to center more on my connection with the familiar, I sensed a slight shift, my friend had noticed me. I felt it as his wings missing a beat and his altitude dipped for a fraction of a second. I could feel his mind whirling about with thoughts as his head turned back and forth scanning the predawn sky, it was almost morning. I saw a large black mountain in the distance to the northeast and a small, blurred line of what I assumed was the lake around which the two small cities sat. My friend was looking for me still. I reached a little deeper into the connection and felt again that slight increase in sensitivity, I had not been using the full ability of the skill. There was a small pop, the sensation of bursting through a bubble on the surface of the water. A breaching of another membrane, a sensation neither pleasureful nor painful but akin to a soothing welcome home. I had other thoughts in the darker parts of my mind, but those had no place in the moment and left me quite a bit confused. It was then that I could feel my feathery friend trying to bridge that gap as well, and for a second we touched, and all was well again. Obviously, I was still trapped somewhere underground, and my friend was quite a bit away, but at least he now knew I was hale and healthy. I could feel the sense of relief in his chest, a loosening of the bottled dread. He had not known I had been cured of whatever had been eating away at our bond. I was not even aware that I had been affected so deeply. I suppose I should be more curious as to why I had never considered it possible for such a thing to happen. Magic. I had to keep reminding myself that the world itself was foreign to me, regardless of how numb I sometimes felt to it all. I loved magic, truly I did. It was just that sometimes the whole concept felt overwhelming in a frighteningly scary way. It could do so many wonderful things, but it was, for all intents and purposes, limitless in what it could do, how it could affect me. Sometimes I also had to remind myself of the potential that was inherent in magic much the same as I was at one time forced to remember that the same was true for my fellow human beings. We could be both monstrous and angelic in thought and deed. Before my mind could become distracted with thoughts of whether I was still counted amongst the human species now, I doubled down on the now. The feelings coming from my bonded familiar. I felt the wind flowing under and over his wings, the constant battle with the air around him. The feelings were so real that I had a challenging time remembering that it was not actually me in flight. I caught the scent of a multitude of things in the air, both wonderous and foul. I could see small glimpses of the world below in detail while most was a haze flitting by and being disregarded as trivial in the moment. My friend had a purpose; me. He was still searching for me; I could feel the strain in his body as I had the thought. I sensed a great many things then and had to shield my mind from the overwhelming fatigue for fear that I might not wake for quite some time under the burden of that mental weight. The little food stealing, ever annoying alarm clock of a bird was running himself ragged. Eating quite literally on the fly and only as meals presented themselves, he had been flying about hunting for me. Along with our shared connection of abilities he had lost access to his version of Dowsing and could no longer sense my exact location. That was no longer the case now, but I could somehow remember his memories as if they were my own in this odd mindscape. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. I could almost feel him resisting the sharing of his own memories, but I was unforgiving. I would make my friend pay for his ill treatment later, a proper scolding was already forming in my mind before being washed away with the relief I felt as he acknowledged my continued living. I was so confused by the whole mess that I only caught glimpses of his frantic search and constant berating of himself as he failed to find me after I had gone west. After my mind had recovered from whatever was causing me to lose focus, I became aware of the voice. A soft pleading whisper near the center of my very soul. ¡°Where are you?¡± I was surprised at first and then began to remember where I was. I recalled all the relevant images and feelings, the scents and sounds, everything. I thought long and hard about everything I had recently experienced, not sure what would help the little guy find me, he needed some form of comforting knowledge from me. Nothing would stop me from providing it, all, and everything. I was bombarded with a sense of recognition and confusion both as I saw his own memories of his flight over the town of Eldor not long ago, probably before I had arrived from wherever I was before. I even saw flashes of another memory, one where my friend had seen a pile of unrecognizable bodies decaying in a forest to the south. Guilty, that was me. I almost laughed as I felt the condescension wafting from my friend now that he had recovered from his own pit of despair. It was good, something more than wholesome, to feel his happiness return. Such was the nature of our connection I assumed, though why I had not felt this deeply of the bond between us before now I had no idea. It was intoxicating and wonderous, while also maddening and frightful. I loved it. A loud cry echoed through the vast air around me and I realized I was not alone in my bliss-filled acceptance of the bond. Though he was happier for me as he expressed somehow that he had felt this all along. That thought also pinged another memory of me dismissing his excitement back in the forest, along with the pain it caused as I walked away, doubled by the fact that my reason was never made clear. ¡°Why would you leave me for a stranger,¡± his heart had asked. That pain was also my fault. I could say it was the curse and be truthful in that response, but I should have known, should have realized something was amiss. I had lacked the drive then to fight for what I had, I was still in denial at that time, somewhere deep down about the reality of my situation. Who could reason out the answers at this point, when so much had happened? Not this girl, nope. Not me at all. What I could do, nay, what we could do, was to escape this hellhole and get back at the people that had aided in our separation. We could and would make them pay dearly for this insult given as they kept us apart. I heard another shrill cry as the town of Eldor came into view ahead, along a snaking river and encompassed by a large expanse of forest. Small roads show in each of the cardinal directions, weaving their way through smaller villages and farmlands. The scale of it was so much smaller than the smaller city to the south, both being several steps short of anything on earth that would compare. I saw the large graveyard on the eastern shore of the river, and there on the hill we both saw the manor, the estate of our captor. My captor, again I had to separate my mind a small degree away to keep sane. I was also wondering how fast my friend could fly, though I must admit I could have lost an hour or more in the sea of memories and mental gymnastics that my spirit, or whatever form I was now using, had been put through. My friend now knew where I was, and that caused me to feel hope, and a little worry about my prospects. I knew escape was something within my grasp even if I had a small fear for the safety of my friend so high above me. As I sensed the sun cresting ever higher over the horizon, I realized that yes, yes it had been quite a few hours since I had begun this dream. I also felt that our time here in this space was nearing its end as my rest was complete, my body was waking even as my very soul was screaming at it to let me remain here. I expressed these feelings to my companion, and he laughed in his own head, a musical laugh filled with renewed vigor and joy. I waited for the laughing to stop as I relayed some few messages through the connection. Things would need to be set in motion as I knew it would take several days for me to escape. My feathery little friend listened in rapt attention as I shared my thoughts. There were a few corrections and alterations as we shared our information, and we agreed on a plan. If all went to plan, I would be out of here soon, though I still was not sure why he refused to deliver me any meat pies, I had asked very nicely, and he had confirmed that he could access the Soul Vault. I was relaying my disappointment in his decision to deny me a healthy meal when I was rudely removed from our reunion. ¡°Olea, wake up. Wake up, wake up.¡± I awoke to Derek gently shaking my shoulder as the girls watched with worry. Great. They had noticed I was awake when I shoved Derek back and he toppled onto his rear with a squeak. Really, I did not do that on purpose, he was kind enough, but he reminded me sometimes of someone I once knew, now that I thought about it, and I could not help but be that encouraging antagonist to promote growth in him. I am aware of the meaning of antagonist and in this case, it fits in roundabout way, everyone needs goals. ¡°I am awake, okay. Calm down.¡± I looked around, noticing the dampness on my cheeks. No doubt my eyes would be a little red, damn the traitors. I guess I should spend some time relieving the worry of my new friends in the waking world. Chapter 43 - Delegation The Caverns, Near the Town of Eldor. Troug, 8th. Olea Munroe Gee, these little tikes were more worried about me than I had originally thought. I also needed to stop considering people in their teens as tikes. What the hell was wrong with me, thinking they were some naive NPCs, created for my amusement, as if they were just tools used by some grand, or not so grand, designer. ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine.¡± I said again, they did not seem to believe me even as I had totally expressed the same sentiment more than once in the past minute. It was as if they doubted my constitution. That must be it, they were all obviously younger than me, though I was still of a height with Mouse due to my somewhat confused elven heritage. Seriously though, I am not meaning to disparage elves or any other race with similar traits, but was I not supposed to be asked about the form I would wish for in this world, hell I would have chosen to be a dwarf. I could totally rock a moustache, assuming female dwarves had facial hair. Yeah, that was never really a settled topic in those deep-closeted Dungeons and Dragons¡¯ cloisters. One of the many ways to spark a grand debate, and probably a few illicit conversations. There was some speculation in this assumption as I had only been an observer in one or two games between established cliques while getting tossed around the foster system. I never really got the full tutorial before moving on, though some overly excited people had tried on several occasions. Okay, they were staring again. This is what happens when I get distracted, so much for having a high Wisdom to help my focus. I would need to investigate that, was the system lying about the voraciousness of these stats? Nope, nope. Focus¡­ Focus! ¡°Is anyone else hungry?¡± I asked more to distract them from my obvious distractions. It did seem to be the right call as I heard Quinn¡¯s stomach rumbling and saw the look of glee jump into Derek¡¯s eyes. A chorus of agreement was all I needed as I began to channel some mana into the spell. ¡°Create Food¡± I muttered the spell out and kept a steady stream of mana going into the spell, feeling the slightest tingle run through my body. The feeling was not an odd one as I had felt it to higher degrees in the past casting spells. It was diminishing in intensity the more I used the spell though, as if I were acclimating to the flow through my body. More future research required. Mana: 184/204. That could wait. I opened my hands from atop the small blanket we had spread to serve as a table for our impromptu meals. Honestly, I was still of the camp that would argue the ground was cleaner than this blanket. I was fairly sure Derek was in the same camp, or just did not care as he was hungry, and it was food. The girls though, they were ever the prickly bunch when the topic was brought up, grateful did not mean accepting. Whatever happened to the five-second rule, was that even a thing here? It had to be. I moved my hands away as I looked at the girls, Mouse was practically salivating while Quinn was just looking at the blanket of food. Malory was casting glances about at the randomly patrolling toughs that were ever-present in the cavern. That was another thing I had noticed, there seemed to be no order among the guards walking the caged domes. Some would occasionally stop and stare at some comely lass, or in some cases even the lads. Derek had noticed this practice and was always quite unnerved when he noticed the behavior. Right with you there, I was close enough to average and wearing very loose clothing which got my leers from most every one of the open gawkers. Twice a day the guards would make orderly visits to each dome to issue small rations to the children and teenagers, just enough food to avoid malnourishment, and water to avoid dehydration before they would move on to the next. It seemed logical if I were to think about it from their perspective, they saved on food and cut back on the need to escort the stock of merchandise to the dunny. I was being generous as the few times I had been to the area it was just a small cave with a flowing stream under some rocks with a bench placed atop it. With such luxuries it was amazing that they felt the need for cages at all, they could advertise their fine conditions to the world and have a slew of volunteers for such a life. Gah, I really needed to start working on the plan. ¡°Olea¡­?¡± came the voices of Malory and Quinn, I noticed that they both shared a look after speaking at the same time. It was rather cute in a sisterly love kind of way, although they shared no obvious blood relation, confinement could be its own form of sisterhood, I supposed. ¡°I am still here¡­ Just.¡± I started before changing direction, ¡°Do either of you know how many guards are down here? I have only ever seen a dozen or so at a time.¡± I had had a tough time telling one guard apart from another in the short amount of time I had been down here, it was obvious that I should be a little more reliant on the locals that may have been down here longer, or perhaps had a better eye for details. I knew I was not fit for that role; I knew my strengths. ¡°Ummn, twenty?¡± ¡°Seventeen?¡± Again, the answers came in unison from the pair of older girls. I looked at Mouse who was concentrating ridiculously hard. Derek was frowning in thought as his fingers twitched at his sides. ¡°There are forty-seven guards on rotation, with five that only come down for special duty.¡± He said not yet looking up, ¡°I think they have one or two healers on staff that come down for emergencies though, I remember seeing two robed guys when the little dwarf kid tried cutting himself open with a rock a week ago.¡± He kept frowning for a short amount of time afterward, oblivious to us mortals left speechless as his ability to spout out his keen observations. I may have misjudged him a little. Oh well. ¡°Derek¡­¡± Mouse muttered, looking slightly upset, perhaps at losing to the only boy in our little cage. I shared a look with Malory as she spared a smile to the dejected girl, and she looked away as if I had caught her doing something improper. Such timid people. ¡°Okay, we can round up to fifty, sixty guards. Just to be safe.¡± I turned to Derek after my little statement, ¡°How often do they change shifts, or whatever it is that they do?¡± ¡°They seem to swap half the guards out every six hours, I do not often see the same guards come back until twelve hours later or so. Sometimes a few of the guards do not come back down till the next day.¡± ¡°Right,¡± I said, ¡°It seems like they may split shifts to keep folks alert, while also keeping some to bridge gaps in surveillance to spot habits. Though I am curious as to why they would need to worry about something like that with kids here, and who could be so devious as to think up such a strategy outside of a film director.¡± ¡°Film?¡± Derek asked, the girls were patiently waiting for me to finish, much more polite. ¡°Never you mind that, moving on!¡± I pointed to the other cages in our immediate vicinity, each one housing another four huddled figures. ¡°We need to get ourselves an army. Does anyone know our neighbors yet?¡± ¡°They rarely talk much, most of them are too scared and hungry to do anything but sit there.¡± said Quinn. ¡°Quinn is right, we have not heard them talking even among themselves after the first day or so after they arrived.¡± This was from Malory who was looking between Quinn and myself. ¡°Well, let us see what we can do about that problem.¡± I turned to Derek then, ¡°I want you to start bothering the neighbors, get them to talk to you. Be annoying, be nice, do whatever you think you will need to do to get them to respond and then we can let them in on a few of the details.¡± ¡°What details, we¡­¡± Derek began before I cut him off. ¡°Details we will iron out later,¡± I told him before turning to the other girls, ¡°You three will help Derek out when his annoyance levels seem to be not working. Use Mouse to lure in some people if you need to, keep it quiet so the guards do not get a reason to grow suspicious of an increase in noise levels.¡± I really did not want to attract the attention of the guards, especially as the red clothed one had not been back since I had seen him that one time. He gave me all kinds of creepy vibes. I wanted to avoid that one, nay I say, I needed to avoid him. He just screamed psychopath. ¡°What will you be doing, Miss Olea?¡± came the soft question from Mouse, bless her heart. ¡°I¡¯ll be making food for the new recruits, as well as playing with some other ideas.¡± I said, needing to get a feel for what my new spells could do before I could finalize some of my target goals. ¡°Would that not leave you unable to think though? Surely you would get sick from mana fatigue.¡± Malory said, seeming concerned for my current state of mind. ¡°Oh no, I will be fine. I think I can do a good fifteen servings an hour if I only use Create Food.¡± I said, as quite a matter of fact. Malory looked to be thinking as I said that, while the others did not react at all. I mean, I could easily keep pace with the random vending machine of a spell I had. Ten mana to kick it into action and then channeling would only use five mana per second. I remembered Help-chan saying something about the initial cost being higher as I needed to empower the pathway or conduit for the spell and then it would hold until I canceled the channeling. It seemed perfectly fine to me. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°May I ask, how much regeneration do you receive for your mana, Olea? It is okay if you do not want to answer me, I know it is rude to ask a stranger about such things.¡± Malory said, before looking a little confused and asking another question. ¡°Why make so many? Will they not all evaporate once the mana decays?¡± I did not know that particular taboo, but I suppose it makes sense, most people tend to get a little defensive when you ask personal questions. What could be more personal outside of the bedroom than a question that addresses a core building block of your physical existence? Her other question though, I was not quite sure how to breach the subject of my Soul Vault. Was it a rare ability among the Soul-Blessed skills? I just had no idea, although Doogan had told me to keep those particular talents to myself. He had yet to steer me wrong in anything but culinary choices, so I decided to avoid that line of questioning altogether, though I doubted I would be able to fully skirt the issue forever. They would surely wonder where all the food was going, I had already stored several pounds of magical food away. Yes, my Soul Vault was currently filling with potatoes. I was really hoping to see something new in there soon. I had given my friend some directions to get me some real food when he could. I was not quite sure if he had found some coins to purchase some much-needed food to alleviate my boring diet, as I had made sure to mention that as soon as I remembered that he could also make use of my Soul Vault. ¡°I am sure it will be fine, so long as we rotate the stock a bit. They last long enough that they will not be going to waste.¡± I had a sense that they would last ten hours or so outside of my storage, and forever inside. I loved my fancy new soul power. Using it was a near-seamless action, I would only need to spare a moment of thought to my desired action and poof, item stored. I also found that by concentrating I could cast my awareness inside the space, invoking this talent had given me some new insights into the usefulness of the skill. The first thing I had noticed when entering was that my consciousness seemed to inhabit a body, my body. Or rather it seemed like my body, though I could sense that I was still in the outside world. I could navigate the space I had inside the skill by willing myself into motion, steps were not needed inside though I had quickly discovered that I felt quite nauseous when I did not go through the motions of normal locomotive transportation, yes, I had to walk. It felt a like a bit of a challenge at first to just will myself to move about, but I gave that front up quickly when I started getting a headache. Nope, not going to risk puking in my soul. If it were possible to do, I was not even going to experiment with the functions of this other body. Another thing I had found was that inside the vault time was truly stilled, it did not stop the passage of time for things inside as I had originally thought it would. It seemed that the space itself was outside of time, possibly occupying a space like the In-Between that TK had taken me to after I bid goodbye to my helpful dragon friend. I made this discovery as I inevitably got myself distracted inside sorting through the various mushrooms and potatoes that had piled up. I knew I had been inside for an age or two, but when I snapped out of it and shifted into reality, I realized that no time had passed. Not a second had managed to sneak by, I received not a single stare or odd glance as I was wont to get when I got lost in my thoughts. Further experimentation would be required. I was tempted to jump into using my Forum to communicate with my friendly, neighborhood Raven but decided that I had enough distractions for now. It would be swell to have little meetings inside the vault that could be held without losing time in the real world, though my brain almost went down a thought line regarding the possibility of locking others out of such conversations by not initiating the skill at the same time, could I use it and then not see the other person enter as they were frozen in a moment of time without being able to engage the skill from their side. Enough of that, focus¡­ ¡°...sure.¡± was all I heard from Malory as she turned away to help coordinate the recruiting efforts. I focused on my casting again, calling up my Create Food spell to get a good dose of the tingles. It was growing much less noticeable, a smaller sensation with each casting. It left me curious but not altogether concerned. I would figure it out later, I was sure. After amassing a large pile of random fungus and tubers, all wrapped in various forms of dry moss and leaves of an unknown species I called Mouse over to store the treasure for distribution, I had squirreled away a goodly portion to my growing horde, checking to see that I still had not received any alms from my freedom-rich friend. Mana: 78/204. ¡°Meat pies¡­ My kingdom for a meat pie.¡± I found myself muttering quietly. Derek was the first to hear me as he shot me a glance while leaning on the bars of our little cage, I could see a huddled form leaning slightly into the bars of a neighboring cage and assumed he was doing his job as well as he could. Mouse was to the other side of the enclosure watching as Quinn tossed a pair of wrapped mana-taters to another teen on the other side of the gap. The only problem I could detect was that the other people, those not in our cage, were beginning to stir up a fuss. They did not catch onto the quiet nature of this revolt I was planning. I sure hoped that did not come back to bite me on the arse. I, in my musings on the substance that was the world, eventually discovered that my mana regeneration fluctuated greatly as I expended more of my mana. Now, I was not someone to consult for advanced algebra, let alone the fundamentals of my new reality, but I could tell that my regeneration value would drop as my mana pool decreased. I estimated that it was ten percent less mana regeneration for every twenty percent of my mana that I was missing. This must be a side effect like the mana-fatigue Malory had alluded to. Seeing that my maximum regeneration was one hundred and fifty points per hour, I would say that I would normally wait an hour to get back to full, but if this tracked, I would be waiting two hours to get back to full as I was regenerating at half of that. Pacing would be important moving forward. Looking at the other spells I was itching to try left me feeling slightly annoyed, Wind Walk would cost thirty-five mana to cast, while Conjure Elemental Spirit would eat up another thirty. Topping that was the passive from Wind Walk that would consume part of my mana regeneration as an upkeep cost. I decided to refresh my brain on the relevant details of the skill. Wind Walk: This spell creates a field of moderate wind control for use by the wielder. It can be subtly altered by the target of the spell to shift the winds and allow for faster movement while lowering stamina consumption. Unlike other spells you will benefit from both Intelligence and Wisdom while receiving minor bonuses from your overall Dexterity and Constitution. Rank Two: Your skill now invokes a passive benefit whereas you may expend a portion of your mana regeneration to maintain a lessening of your weight. Not unlike gravity magic, this will allow you to somewhat alleviate the pull on your body by external forces, be they natural or other. Further decreases the Stamina cost of many actions. Passively increases control over the magics of Wind and Air. Rank Three: You spell now has a greater duration and shall consume less of your Mana and Stamina while in affect. Weight is further decreased as you become less bound by external forces. You may now construct a thin membrane of air to use as a temporary contact point. Rank Four: At this Rank you will see an increase in strength for your elemental constructs, allowing you to exert more pressure upon them before they fail. Your passive will now also give a bonus to your overall speed, and to be less bound by the forces of nature that would hold you back. Steps and other constructs created while making use of this spell now have their costs integrated into the upkeep of your passive ability and will not fail until you leave the range determined by your Level and Wisdom. There it was, rank two was my passive ability portion for the skill. What caught my eye as I looked over the skill once again was the small line that stated an increase in my elemental constructs and their power. I was curious as to whether that would translate to my other spells, would it boost my conjured allies, or would it only apply to the Wind Walk spell, the sad thing was that I could no longer test the theory myself as I had both spells and had not cast the conjuration skill before. I was missing a base line measurement. Oh well, I could find a book if I ever had time for reading. Or had the inclination to do so. I could hire someone to get me a cliff notes version and tell me the highlights. That would probably be the better option. Yep, outsourcing the tough stuff. Mana: 91/204. Impatience is a virtue, yep. I needed something to do while my mana recovered. So, I did the most logical thing I could think of, I counted my food items. I would not be judged for this course of action; I was doing the only thing for which I was currently suited. I did not want to involve myself in recruitment as I was quite sure that there might be one or two people in here who would judge me as slightly abrasive, or less that perfectly understanding. I would not even fault them for it, I was a bit much sometimes, I was self-aware enough to recognize that fact. I tended to be either intensely focused or too easily distracted to make the other party feel as if I cared about what they were speaking of. I did care, it was just that my mind would always wonder. Work in progress! After several curious looks from my fellows, and their slowly growing sphere of co-conspirators, all of which I studiously ignored, I check my mana stores again. Mana: 201/204. Two hours counting fungus, time well spent. With my mana nearly full and my stockpile of food well into the double, and nearly triple, digits; I felt confident that I could now focus on spell research. I started off by launching a full-throated cast of Wind Walk, wanting to have the passive reactivated as it made me feel all fluffy inside. Yes, fluffy, I remembered feeling super light and bouncy when I had the spell up last time, though that may have been the result of blood-loss. I would find that out today! As the words left my mouth, I heard a gasp from Malory. I swear she was so easily excitable. I also felt the light feeling in the core of my body signifying the passive taking hold to add more weight reduction to my body. I did not know how to judge the Stamina reduction as I was sitting here in a cage, but I could check on that when I had more room to run. Aside from the warm feeling of the spell wrapping me in a comfortable blanket of air, I noticed a strong tingle, nearing the feel of pins and needles through my entire body. Side effects of the upper tier spell, or something else? I was not sure, and I could, as usual, address the issue later. Next up, I prepared for my first casting of Conjure Elemental Spirit, I happened to remember that the spell required reagents for activation to be successful. To fix this issue I conjured a pool of water into my cupped hands through judicious use of Create Water, remembering only before I chanted the spell that I could toss in more mana to upgrade its strength, as well as mix in some blood for a much stronger connection still. Lots to remember for some of these spells, I was not looking forward to the requirements of other, more advanced spells. I bit my lip hard, it hurt quite a lot, but I wanted to be sure I did it right the first time. At the first taste of coppery tang, I sucked at the not-so-small cut before spitting into my small collection of elemental water. This could totally be made to resemble a very dark Hollywood ritual if I had the mind to commit to some brooding, and self-introspective monologuing. I waited for the blood to get well and mixed, measuring the opacity of the water by eye, I may also have uttered a whispered spell of Detect Magic. I was very curious as to whether I could watch the magic come together, or maybe see something profound. Okay, I may have read far too many fantasy novels to pass some of my more confined time. It happens. As the spell took hold, I began noticing small eddies of red light whirling together with blue-white strands inside the captured water. It was ready. Probably. Mana: 163/204. Time to try my new toy out for the first time. I focused on the process in my mind, concentrating on my desire to imbue the spell with a full investment of mana. Holding the image in my mind, I cast out with the full weight of my will behind the thoughts and image in my mind. Chapter 44 - The Azure Plane The Caverns, Near the Town of Eldor. Troug, 8th. Olea Munroe In a long-drawn-out moment, I felt it as my mind was transported to another space, a void of purest darkness. For a moment I feared that I had done something wrong, but then the space brightened, taking on the color of the azure sea. The entirety of all I could see was taken up by forms traversing the world both horizontally and vertically, fish, merfolk, semi-transparent undine-like creatures, and a whopping mammoth of a whale. There were so many sea faring creatures for my mind to catalogue that unsurprisingly I lost track of myself and completely forgot my current situation. Who knew. I was brought back to myself as I felt a presence come up behind me. I cannot say that I am possessed of a sixth sense that would let me go without ever being surprised, I am merely going to say that failing to sense the being behind me would be impossible for a deaf and blind sloth. I could feel the pulses of energy as it pulsed through the surroundings. Would it be considered elemental energy? Water energy? Something else? No idea, I was just going to label it as the do-not-anger-me energy as the creature I saw when I turned around was not something I would survive angering. Of that, I was sure. ¡°Hello, Olea.¡± Came the voice of the being in front of me. It carried through the watery substance all around me, echoing in the very core of my being. Another damned dragon. ¡°Ummn, hello.¡± I said intelligently. I was greeted with a deep resounding laugh; it shook the area causing a ripple of shockwaves to spread in all directions. The creatures that had seemed so plentiful moments ago were not making a run for anywhere that was not here. I guess I could play on the fact that I was found to be amusing. Funny people stayed alive longer! Usually. ¡°Have we met? I am afraid to say I have absolutely no idea who you are.¡± I said, then quickly followed up with, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± It usually pays to be polite when dealing with existential dread, and the creatures that inspire it in you. ¡°No, mortal. I would be shocked to recall ever encountering one so weak in my domain before today.¡± He paused then, in thought maybe. Or he was giving me a moment to collect myself. His form was difficult to fully grasp outside of his dragon-like appearance. I could make out the hazy outline as it stretched into the distance behind and down from his massive head. I would gauge him as being two-hundred feet in length, if you counted the tail that covered a good forty percent of that length. The scales, while lacking the prismatic color scope of Help-chan, held a color that was ever-shifting between deep blue, almost black, all the way to the bright green lagoons that were popular in the more exotic tourist destinations. It was so unbelievably beautiful, marred only by the fact that I was in danger of making the water in my immediate area a little more yellow. I had met a dragon, yes. The difference here was that I had known the spark of that dragon before meeting him and was relatively sure at the time that he meant me no harm. This guy could very well want to eat me and devour my soul or keep me here to churn out mushrooms for his progeny for all of eternity. I had no idea. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Calm down, child. I can feel the beating of your heart from here. Your fear is vibrating through half of the kelp forest.¡± ¡°Sorry!¡± I said quickly. ¡°All is well, fret not over my appearance. I was merely curious to see a Progenitor in my realm so soon after the initial implementation. You surprised me.¡± He looked skyward for a moment as a shadow passed overhead and then continued, ¡°I do like surprises.¡± ¡°Well, I am glad to be of service then. Was there anything else? Can I head off now without offending some standard protocol for a meeting like this?¡± I really did not wish to offend a great entity today, had I not had enough of these random visits from oversized creatures that bend and warp reality by existing? ¡°Be at peace. I am here to officiate the bonding of a spirit in my realm. I have been given the position of protectorate in this realm and as such I would like to make sure that I am signing my charges into a beneficial contract. I cannot have some uppity jerk ruining my children for all of eternity by making them suffer through onerous tasks such as heating a bath daily for the local nobility. Imagine the shame that work would bring upon a youngling.¡± He tsked to himself causing the water to echo with vibrations strong enough to make my teeth chatter. ¡°So, this is like a job interview then? Does every Piety user get the same treatment?¡± I was genuinely curious now that I knew I was not on the menu. ¡°By the blessed Three, this is far from normal. Child, I came for my curiosity. Your contracted partner was chosen the moment you incanted your spell, not the wisest move with such a new spell you know, full investitures are harsh. That aside, you will find your newly bonded elemental in the waking world when you return.¡± A small worm of thought wiggled itself into my ear as I listened, ¡°Wait a moment, what was that word you used for me earlier? Progenitor? What does that mean?¡± Another laugh followed my question, I was getting somewhat sick of being laughed at, or was I being laughed-with and not at? I was thinking about the former as this was not very funny for me. The dragon paused for a moment, cocking its head to the side as it did so. ¡°Not an answer for me to give you this day, whelp. Some time soon you may find your answers, but they are not mine to provide. Not even I will risk angering Mother.¡± He said Mother as if it were capitalized, which made me think that I would never wish to meet his mother, regardless of whether she made the best cookies in all of existence. Nope, not for me. ¡°So¡­¡± I said, not quite saying anything. I did not entirely know what to say, ask, or request. I mean it was a dragon, were they not being that hated ignorance, loathed greed, and disliked mortal peons like me? I was not willing to risk my life under an ocean of which I did not know the location. Nope, all life-rising behavior is bad. ¡°Yes, yes. My brother did say you were an odd duckling.¡± He gestured vaguely upward, and I saw nothing there but the usual shimmering haze of azure sky, except it was all water, no real sky to speak of. ¡°Brother?¡± I asked. ¡°No matter. That is a matter for another time. Let it be known that I approve of this bonding and shall look forward to your actions in the future young Progenitor.¡± He then made a dismissive wave of his whiskers, and I was gone, cast back to reality. Upon reorienting myself I found that I had indeed brought back a new friend. In my cupped hands I held a small Undine. A creature of old myths back on earth. This one was in the shape of a woman, albeit an exceedingly small woman made entirely of water. Her form altered in colors much like the sea she had been brought from, though there were occasional hints of crimson near her hair, a result of the blooded bonding. I had no idea. She looked at me so serenely that I lost myself yet again, only jolting back to reality when I heard a soft babbling voice in the back of my mind. ¡°I greet you, Mistress Olea Munroe, Progenitor and Progeny of Divinity.¡± Was the message I received, even as pain lanced its way through my body. The pins and needles had shot up five levels to become a searing agony in the very core of my being. My mind shut down as it failed to process every nerve in my body being set afire all at once, as if screaming for a release from torment. My bodily consciousness followed shortly thereafter, taken down into darkness. Chapter 45 - Elven Afflictions The Caverns, Near the Town of Eldor. Troug, 9th. Andrea Avery Today was not the best day to be Andrea Avery. First, there was the issue of that sun elf across the river in Eldor. Andrea had hired people, skilled people, to snatch her in the night; it had not worked. They had failed miserably, each of them dead in a back alley, covered in burns with cuts across their bodies. It was a mess. And now, she had another sick elf in her hands. Andrea thought that having the girl would be a boon to her upcoming negotiations with a certain minister serving under the king in Tamirtel, this region¡¯s castle-city. She had gotten the elf easily, given the circumstances. Then again had not the elf been sick when they brought her in. Some curse or something, Andrea did not know for sure, maybe she should have kept that insignificant priest around as a plaything, she could have used a little more information. ¡°Such is fate, I suppose.¡± Reginald was the only one to respond to her comments, and that was only with a small nod. It was as if he were acknowledging some profound wisdom, spoken from the heavens to reach his ears through his Mistress. Avery rather cherished the quiet man; he was both simple and efficient. A few moments had passed since Andrea received news that yet another of the elves had fainted in their cells. At first, she was annoyed that they were bothering her with such business, elves got sick all the time when they were stripped from their forest. They simply had no ability to withstand hardship it seemed; they were truly pathetic. It was a good thing they proved to be dramatically more valuable for similar reasons. That was when they had told her it was the raven-haired elf, the moonchild, Andrea had begun yelling at the for their lack of speed in informing her afterward, never mind the fact that she had just been telling them to go away; there were privileges to being the one in charge. She made her way down into the depths below, Reginald following a few steps behind. Her destination was not the large cavern holding varied merchandise. No, Andrea had the foresight to set up several waystations along the way down into the deeper caverns. The small sections that had been carved out both naturally, and through the use of varied magics served as a means to stage, resupply, and in this case serve as a small hospital to keep the property in serviceable condition. Gone were the days when she would lose half her work due to small contagions and larger outbreaks of various diseases. She had procured for herself a collection of healers, some even of their own volition. They would serve her in these warrens for various rewards and bonuses, though the less voluntary of the healers, another elf as luck would have it, were drawing breath as a favor from their mistress. Yes, even Elven healers of the Veteran rank could be shackled if one possessed the proper means of containment. The trick to the entire thing was of course, capturing them when they were too new to their skills, or as the current stock evidenced, just too young to have amassed much power. ¡°Ah, there she is.¡± Came a voice from the room she had been approaching. It was no surprise that her most senior healer, one Stefan, was the first to notice her arrival. The man possessed the highest Rank of detection magic for anyone on her staff now. Quite the find; his proclivities for younger partners was also a factor of his employment. A worthwhile trade from Andrea¡¯s perspective. ¡°What news do you have of the elf?¡± Andrea asked, though all those present knew that it was more command than query. Mistress Avery did not ask. She was not kind, and any thought to the contrary would normally result in harsh lessons. Reginald stopped inside the room, stepping to the side of the small room entrance as he surveyed the few people who were assembled. The room was more of an open and enlarged cave, eroded over time by a stream of water that flowed under the river to the west from a large mountain to the east. Black mountain was quite a distance but the water flowing through these caverns was still frigid with winter thaw. There were several beasts who frequented the waters, ranging from levels five and twenty. Most of the guards present were here to manage these beasts, they were not necessarily essential to the managing of the prisoners. The room here contained several small beds haphazardly arrayed against the two walls to either side as the tunnel ran directly through this small chamber. The flowing water ran through an opening in the side of the wall, providing a convenient method for both cleaning and disposing of failed property management. ¡°If you will, Matilda.¡± Said Stefan to the elven healer whose job it had been to care for the elves, Andrea also thought that she had been put in charge because the victim was a girl, but she would not voice the observation aloud. They all knew Stefan, but it would not do to call his curiosities into the light, happy workers, and all that. The elf woman stepped forward running her hands against one another as she addressed Mistress Avery. ¡°The child was brought up for the normal sickness of our race. Being too far from the surface has an ill effect on any of us who are without view of the sky for extended periods, even the elves of the moon such as the girl.¡± Andrea¡¯s thoughts moved about at the mentioned of the race of the girl, not quite the specific race she had thought but exotic, nonetheless. She would be fetching quite the sum from the Minister. ¡°I treated her with some light purification magics and a tea of moon-bathed lichen and mushroom extract, both of which are plentiful nearer to the cemetery, so there was little cost involved.¡± The woman looked away as she spoke, making no attempt to hide her inability to keep eye contact with the person who held her in servitude, her will had broken years ago. ¡°Very well. Could someone please explain to me why I was called for when you had already treated the girl in question?¡± Madame Avery was uncertain as to the fuss that had been brought upstairs to her, though she would not admit to any lack of knowledge, and no one would treat her words as an admission of such. ¡°Yes, well¡­¡± It was Stefan that spoke this time. ¡°Most of the prisoners are low level rank twos, we were curious to know if you were aware that the girl was not yet beyond the first rank, her constitution and strength are both abysmally low, you had said she was a recent transmigration from a Mana-storm?¡± ¡°I did, it has been maybe a month or two since her arrival in the area.¡± Adrean supplied, though Doogan had not given her the information, it was no large feat to gather intelligence from the loose lipped youths that had frequented the hall these days. ¡°Per chance then, were you aware of her nature as a healer? We had tests ran and made use of the Cube of Paths you had left with us; it revealed some remarkably interesting things.¡± Said Stefan. ¡°What kinds of things do you think would be of interest to me?¡± The meaning behind her words was clear, she was not one to patiently wait while Stefan built the suspense, he was so fond of. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Why, the most curious of things. Did you know she has achieved Mastery over the Piety skill? Aside from the she tested for having a high rank Create Water and a lower rank Create Food.¡± ¡°Explain.¡± Was the one word from Madame Avery. The doctor went on to explain the principles of the cube, all things Andrea knew. The cube directed mana from the user into the target¡¯s Mana Channel and from their trip through the body would ascertain the strongest pathways possessed by the person under scrutiny. Upon forming pathways, most were insignificant things; very weak. The foreign mana would sluggishly work its way through the channels with the least resistance, these channels that were used most frequently or had the higher levels of mana use present. Higher mana costs would be more prevalent in the test if the person had made use of the spell a handful of times or more, much faster than the lower mana cost spells as the channels even when used frequently did not have the capacity for larger flows of mana. He also went on to explain that the girl had several channels carved through her body that were not used. This caught the attention of several other people in the room as it could not be so. The very nature of learning a spell would require the teacher to force mana through these channels to structure them in their students¡¯ bodies to begin with; this was the foundation of all spells gifted through any means but birth. Even Mana-storm transmigration victims had to have their channels redrawn by a teacher, granted no teachers would really need to put in much effort in that case as the body did remember the basics of its past makeup. All of this to say that the doctor saw this girl as a mystery, and a possible threat. Without knowing what the other spells in her arsenal were, they could not ascertain what danger she could pose if kept confined below with such minimal precautions taken. No one noticed the elven healer hiding her expression as she studiously worked to reorganize a set of files on the desk for the third time. ¡°It sounds simple enough, see to it that someone oversees the draining of her mana twice daily, a rank one anything could not possibly be able to use spells if we bottom out her mana. Maybe have her alleviate the drain on my food supplies by giving hand outs to the other children.¡± It would be nice to have to spend less money feeding these wretched children, much nicer if it also ensured that another of her possessions was doing so at no costs to her. Matilda Moon-Leaf Matilda was grateful for the lack of information that her captors had on the biology of her kind. To think that her mental bindings had been so strictly confining to her at first; she had learned a lot over the years. When Matilda was captured by the organization, all those many years ago, she had been bound by the orders given to her by the men in charge. A geas had been used to bind her actions and words to the orders given to her by her betters, in this case Andrea Avery, and to a lesser degree Stefan. They were fools. To think that they had never bothered to read to the specific wording of the rules enforced upon her when taken into Avery¡¯s service as a slave. The shackles on her ankles may prohibit the violation of the terms laid out, but there was no intent binding. In other words, so long as Matilda could rationalize her actions as fitting in some way, she could then perform the action. In this case, Matilda has woven a story of Elven afflictions, an entirely made-up sickness of her kind, no elf was even ill due to a lack of sunlight, at least not any more than a farmer may feel the sickness of being away from his home farm. It was absurd to think that her lie was so easily believed. The girl was the third elf that had been brought before her this very same week, they had all had actual illnesses as Matilda did not believe the guards would show enough compassion to make them believe they would receive proper treatment for some feigned fatigue. No, the two to arrive first were suffering from dehydration, malnourishment, and a rather mild case of some local flu variant. The third girl they had brought, that child, gave Matilda a pause. Matilda had been raised in a fully Elven village; she knew the signs. The girl was not fully Elven. She had the thin delicate chin, and the sharp mana-infused eyes, and then it ended, her ears were tapered and not quite the proper length even for a moon variant and her nose was far too small. Upon closer inspection she also found some other odd characteristics, sharper and wider teeth, stronger musculature in various parts of the body, and she had also spotted a very ominous scar at the small of her back. While the scar signified nothing currently wrong with the child, Matilda knew that it had some link to a strong curse. How she knew? The feeling of malignant energies left a distinct taste in anyone of a race tied so intrinsically with nature. Matilda had known right away that the girl was by no means ill in the usual sense. No, this girl had overdrawn and overdrawn hard. Not even a gnome could have forced mana through the channels in such a way as to ignite them in such a manner, and if they had, this would surely not have been the result. Somehow, she had drawn mana into a fully formed, but never used channel of her body and cast a spell. While doing so was the basis of learning new spells when guided properly, she had been left clueless as to how the girl had managed it while not having any evidence as to ever using the prerequisite spells for the same spell. She could clearly see the pathways thanks to her own Detect Magic having reached the fourth rank, the outlines for other spells were plain to see when the target was unconscious, and their mana was in such a state of flux. None of these observations would have been possible if the child were awake and well, as her natural aura would have obscured even a master mages vision to a degree. That was another surprise for Matilda, she had known the path that was used, and the spell it pertained to. She had also noticed the number of runic channels that had branched through and away from the conduits. Somehow the girl had hit the fourth rank in Conjure Elemental Spirit, as well as Wind Walk and those were only the spells most obvious to Matilda, an untrained observer of such pathways. How could a child, an admitted transmigrated mana-storm victim been able to learn these spells at the first rank in her progression. The spells themselves would normally take a person solely dedicated to the pursuit of only one of those spells up to the elevated levels of Capable. Never mind the fact that this girl possessed all that, Matilda had a distinct impression that the girl had had recent brushes with divinity. The scent of change in the air was extraordinarily strong whenever she drew near to the child, and now Matilda had a chance to increase her own ability to help affect that change. She had boggled her mind for moments only before Andrea had given her the perfect excuse to communicate with the girl, she would need to first learn this girl¡¯s name, as calling her girl and child was starting to become a bother even in her own mind. She felt as if she were transgressing on divinity somehow, surely a notion of fancy. Matilda would take on the onerous task of aiding this girl in the draining of her mana. The use of the child¡¯s mana to supplement the budget for food in this pit of despair was laughable, no one would enjoy consuming the mana-made food of someone who despised them. Nutritious, yes. Tasty, gods no. Matilda had tasted food created in such a way by someone who was simply in an ill mood, it was horrid. To sample the creation of someone who hated you and what you stood for at their core, they would be lucky if some of the guards did not die or wish for death later while flushing their systems. A nearby guard jumped in place, startling Matilda as she was pondering her actions moving forward. Apparently, the man was not yet accustomed to the spirited nature of some of the local beasts that lived in the walls and swam in the current of the expose waterway. It was always a wonder how Avery had continued this operation while hiring men like them. No matter, that very same weakness could be exploited if Matilda could find a way to aid these prisoners in an escape, it may even result in her being freed, as one benefit of the spells possessed by the girl in question was that she could cast Dispel Magic, a spell that would quite truly set her free. Someone might ask themselves why a healer of a middling level would not just use this spell themselves to rid themselves of cursed enslavement. That was a simple thing, her Geas prevented her from casting spells that would aid her in escape. ¡°Slaves shall not tamper with or allow to be tampered with, any device meant to hold, imprison, bind, or ensnare the property of one¡¯s owner without permission of the owner of a charge granted adequate permission by said owner.¡± But who was to say that a charge and property were meant to be two separate entities? Also had Stefan himself not told Matilda to aid the girl in her recovery, how difficult could it be to circumvent such a soft commandment to aid one child and instruct the child in aiding Matilda to better serve that purpose after having the girl dispel the magic of her shackles, only temporarily. Chapter 46 - Meeting with Matilda The Caverns, Near the Town of Eldor. Troug, 11th. Olea Munroe So, mana induced comas are a thing. I had awakened in the presence of my worried little entourage covered in a new blanket and suffering the scrutiny of my fallow captives. Saying they had been worried about me was a bit of an understatement. They had apparently been beside themselves after calling the guard to report my sudden blackout. No one liked calling the guards as it was normally an effective way to skip meals and secure a little rougher treatment if they felt you were wasting their time. It was a good thing then that I was in a right proper mana-induced coma. I swear if my story ever finds its way into a book, they will surely title it something like ¡®Confused Chronicles of Coma-Girl.¡¯ Yeah, probably not. Even the make-believe title sounds flaky. It had been a day since then and I had made a new discovery, slavery. Yeah, nothing new there, people had been doing in on earth for over eight centuries, they still were in many places; though there was less outrage somehow as if it being out of public eye made it less heinous. My savior, the only elf I had met other than the one in the mirror, had given me some valuable information. She had also given me some more intelligence on my captors. Andrea Avery was a local politician; it should have been obvious, I know. The slave, Matilda rather, informed me during the first visit of my new daily scheduled visits. A thing I had not really understood at first. I had annoyed the lady of the house be getting sick, and Matilda had lied about the nature of my illness to cover up the fact that I knew far more magic than is normally permitted to be known among the general population of captives. It seems that my conjuration ability had not gone unnoticed by her, and only passed by unnoticed by the higher ups because of their seemingly innate disdain for elves, or anyone not of the human species. I had been told that I would be seeing her every day until the end of Turning, I was still not quite sure what that term meant in the grand scheme of things, though the way she said it led me to think that it was an important thing in the wider world. It was also soon, as the time for the Turning in this season was set for the second twelve-day week of the second month of Spring with its counter being the middle of autumn. That would be the extent of my definitive knowledge. And now it was time for another of those little meetings. ¡°Stand back, against the wall!¡± shouted the guard at the entrance to the cage, though we had no idea which wall to stand against as it was still a round cage we just backed away from his little door and gave him his ego boost. Mallory, Mouse, Quinn, and Derek all stood together on the opposite side of the cage to me knowing that I was the intended object of scrutiny after yesterday¡¯s meeting. They were at least less frightened today than yesterday, though they were failing to hide that in front of the guard. Mouse would win no awards for her fake-frightened face, not a one. I mean, she was nearly giggling behind the hand she had raised as if to shelter her face from some perceived threat; it was well-bad. In walked Matilda, pulling the door closed behind her as the guard reset the small locking mechanism. The guard turned around and walked off, not bothering to ask whether the little slave was sure they would be fine. I saw more than heard Matilda cast a few spells, incantations nearly silent in the noise of the cavern. The soft moans and small noises that cannot help but be propagated when this many bodies were present in one place. I knew one of the spells to be Detect Magic but the others I could not quite discern. She was apparently a healer, with a small amount of offensive magic, magic only taught to her after her own enslavement several years earlier. Apparently, one needed to be able to serve multiple purposes when one worked for the esteemed Madame Avery. ¡°You seem to have recovered well,¡± she started as the guard walked away, ¡°no lingering shadows or fraying can be seen anywhere in your aura. How do you feel?¡± ¡°Fine.¡± I said, not sure of the point in answering if she could just see everything. ¡°I ask you this as I wanted to be sure of your abilities being restored, it is always difficult to gauge the recovery of someone¡¯s mana channels without their input, however unimportant it may seem.¡± She pulled out a small bag then and began mixing several dry ingredients into a small flask of water, my medicine. I had been somewhat slow yesterday and had taken the tea down without asking about its contents and then been scolded by Malory for accepting something from one of them before the nurse mollified her with some use of elven charm. Not a spell per se, but more like a kind-hearted smile, the kind you can just feel is genuine and packed with true emotions. It was the kind that showed all the emotions one would think a slave had suppressed for countless years being brought up from the darkness to show the benevolence of a kindly grandmother. A kindly grandmother with her own problems that showed you that smile knowing that her woes were not your woes and understood that anything less than a smile would ruin the fa?ade she had established to make you feel better about the sorry state of the world. Ok, enough rambling¡­ I needed to stop that train of thought right there; memories and projecting could wait MUCH later. ¡°I am sure it is fine now; they are fine now. I am not sure what phrasing to use here¡­¡± ¡°That is fine, though I must say, given your heritage I suspected your grasp of the language to be less than ideal until you spoke with me yesterday.¡± she said while looking me over again, ¡°Could you cast a few spells for me, the first of which will need to be Create Food.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± I replied, not entirely sure of what this exercise would show. Aside from my inability to make anything truly tasty. I had spent nearly fifty mana when the healer told me that would be enough. ¡°And now, how is your mana and regeneration holding up?¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. I cast my thoughts to the all-powerful status window and quickly found that my mana regeneration was only slightly lower than normal. ¡°Still getting almost two mana per minute.¡± A look of slight disbelief flashed over her face before she asked, ¡°Even with your mana at half? Your regeneration should be a little lower than that.¡± ¡°Naah, three quarters full on mana.¡± ¡°May I ask, how high are your mental attributes?¡± ¡°Is that not a rude thing to ask?¡± She was a healer, and I knew she was simply curious, but I could never fully get into the whole moving along smoothly thing that many people adopted to keep conversations going without a small derailment. Most people just said that my issue was technically nothing more than me being a bit of an ass. I would stick to the claim that I was just thorough, I had to ask the questions as they appeared in my mind, I just could not help myself. ¡°I only wish to ascertain the baseline of your current ability to further aid you in your recovery.¡± She said the last as if it was fully understood that the term was a joke and I was fine, which I was. ¡°Fine¡­ I have sixteen Intelligence and eighteen Wisdom.¡± ¡°Oh, oh my¡­ Yes, I can see why that would seem like nothing then.¡± She put her hand to the side of her face as she regarded me for several moments. ¡°What spell were you casting when you suffered the blackout?¡± ¡°Conjure Elemental Spirit.¡± ¡°I find it strange that a thirty-mana spell would cause such severe drain.¡± She spoke. ¡°Oh no, it was sixty mana. I doubled down for a full power cast, even used blood and stuff.¡± I corrected her. For some reason she just kind of zoned out then, staring at me as if pondering my very existence. Was it uncommon to invest so much in the spell, or did she just not know that was an option of the spell, either way I was starting to think that I should practice a little more in the department of limiting my answers in the future. These moments just made me feel awkward, I could see that even Mallory was shocked. ¡°You cast a fully imbued spell using blood as a catalyst? That could explain the problem then. How often do you use that spell, and how long has it been since you have cast the spells that are a prerequisite to that spell. I hope your answer is not something like you never casting the spell after learning it from your teacher.¡± ¡°Counting the time that I cast the conjuration skill that had me visiting you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She was the short reply. ¡°That was it.¡± ¡°Ok, so being that you have only cast the¡­ wait. That was the only time you have ever used the spell, seriously?¡± Her voice rose ever so slightly as the calm she had been working to regain dropped. ¡°Yeah, first time.¡± ¡°Disregarding the fact that that would be impossible as your teacher would have had to guide you through the first cast to awaken the pathway in the first place, what about the prerequisites for the spell? You must have used those several times before?¡± I had to check my list: Piety - Rank 4 ¡°I have cast Protection from Evil once. I have used Armor, Water Walk, Detect Magic, Detect Aura, Wind Walk, Vigor, Cure Wounds, and Create Water a few times each, with Create Food getting a lot more attention, though I cannot recall using the others such as Dispel Magic, Command, and maybe Water Breath though I might have used it once; I tend to suffer occasional bouts of unconsciousness.¡± I explained before shrugging. ¡°Most of those are at Rank one though some have climbed the ladder so I could max out the conjuration spell and Wind Walk.¡± Mallory was openly gawking behind Matilda with Quinn and Mouse both cycling between stares and head shakes while Derek was just looking on with a slightly dumbfounded look before he noticed me looking. ¡°That should not be¡­ cannot be.¡± Spoke Matilda as if it were some ordained laws of the galaxy, really, I could understand the sentiment after the things I had learned in the past month or so. ¡°Would you like to see?¡± I asked concentrating on my status the way I would normally while also tickling my Soul Link skill ever so much. I had not used it before in any way whatsoever, but I felt that it could be possible after I had strengthened the bond with my Companion. I just had to do some mental gymnastics to assure that the link was only strong enough for a brief glimpse of what it could be if truly formed. There was no way I would let the skill fully take hold with a stranger; I was not getting stuck with anyone like this for the entirety of my life. Matilda gasped in a small breath as I felt the thought become action and I knew she was now able to see my full status screen, if only temporarily. Now, I know this was a big jump in trust for someone I had only recently met, but something told me that for the moment I could trust the elf and besides, once I got out of here I would be doing so much more to improve those stats that anything she learned would be old news in a very short amount of time. ¡°Just what are you?¡± ¡°Rude¡­ All that aside, knowing those little things right there, what were you thinking regarding this whole thing? It cannot possibly be acceptable for you to remain stuck here, and I wanted out.¡± She spent a few moments gathering her thoughts, or her sanity, and then continued. She laid out her plans and ideas, as well as some sound advice. Several times during the discussion she would not-in-anyway casually glance at the silver anklets that she wore, especially whenever she was discussing the spells that I had, particularly Dispel Magic. I may be slow, but I could notice the not-at-all subtle cues of please free me. I was assuming there was some silly rule in place to prevent her from being blatant about getting free of her master via some magical control. I would do what I could. She told me that I needed to strengthen my mana conduits, the happy things that allowed my mana to flow through my body in an organized way that would avoid damaging my weak body, which is why I had been struck dumb in the first place. It would seem that when learning a spell, your teacher would aid you in the activation of the spell through some form of connection established by the system at large to facilitate the process, which explains why me saying I had never cast the spell would have broken her brain for a few moments. Yeah, I tend to do that in conversation. She advised me to use each spell I had, every single one in order of acquisition, until I had stopped feeling the discomfort or tickling sensation when casting the spell. The tickling sensation was apparently the early signs of my own mana channels being melted away like iron in an acid bath. I offered to give her the helpful boon she did not ask for before she left but she declined the offer and said that she would be seeing me every day until I was due to be shipped off to some lord¡¯s manor for a delightfully unpleasant stay. She also took a moment to gather up several pieces of fungus, the food I had created earlier. It would seem Andrea Avery was too cheap to pay for the food her own guards would be eating. I did not complain overmuch, I was getting tired of potatoes that tasted like horseradish. The very last thing she said to me before the guard could get closer to the call was that my spell Conjure Elemental Spirit had an extraordinarily long range and power and that there were several small monsters of immense variety residing in the waterways that we so often had access to. At that point I was led to wonder at why a little voice in my head was chanting the lyrics, ¡®Rising up to the challenge of our rival.¡¯ I really needed to work on keeping my thoughts my own. That also made me wonder where my companion was on the food delivery, I know I told him to pick up some actual food and stow it away while he worked on securing some measure of safety for my escape. Chapter 47 - Spell Practice The Caverns, Near the Town of Eldor. Troug, 13th. Olea Munroe The moment had finally arrived. I had awakened from my fitful sleep ready to use my spells in the monotonous and repetitive order as prescribed by the elf servant to Madame Andrea Avery when I noticed a slight ping on my consciousness. It felt like the sensation I received when I accessed my Soul Vault skill, and I had a moment of clarity gifted upon me as the feeling rushed through my core. Yep, I had my answer. I knew now that if I had the inclination, I could throw myself into the skill at that point in time and interact with whoever may be inside the skill at the point of activation, and somehow, I also knew that others with access to this skill could and possibly would be able to do that same. Yet, as interesting, and informative as all that was I had only one thought cross into my stream of consciousness at that point in time. Food. In the very next instant, I received the equivalent of a mental smirk, and a soft nudge from my feathered companion and a feeling from my Dowsing skill let me know that he was quite a distance out to the southeast and stationary, or mostly so. I checked through my little hoard, skipping over the pile of fungus and tubers that were sitting in a single corner and quickly found my prize, or prizes. Yes, sitting neatly on a folded cloth that I did not place here myself was a small collection of beautifully moist, steaming, saliva stimulating meat pies. My lust for delicious treats was so powerful that I almost did not notice the very wonderful glint of a sturdy dagger. Honestly, I would have missed it entirely if it were not embedded in a large wheel of orange cheese. There also seemed to be a hastily tied piece of parchment rolled up and leaning against the edge of said cheese. I made a quick promise to my bonded companion without delay to the effect of cooking him an equally yummy meal when I escaped this monotonous hell and sent it away with a thought. What I got back from the mental link was a sharp denial of any food prepared by me, along with the mental image of what I could only assume was a scorched pot of mushroom stew. Fine, simply fine. I would shell out the money for a proper meal at a proper establishment sometime in the future, a meal without mushrooms. I scooped up one of the yummy pies and used the knife to cut it into five pieces, making sure that the piece for me was only slightly bigger than the others. I know that sharing is caring but I also know that the others were not starving and in dire need of the food in my hands. I also knew that the mere presence of this food in the caverns would surely make some of the more observant guards very curious as to why they smelled something of this nature in our little pit of despair. Meh, the evidence would be gone before anyone took note and by then I was sure my growing syndicate would have destroyed all traces of the food. I shifted my attention back to functioning reality, making the conscious effort to bring the food with me, leaving the dagger behind. There was no way I would let someone catch me with that particularly useful item on hand. Nope. Once I was solidly back, I called over my friends and smoothly pulled the pies from behind my back, showing them off to the bewildered teens. Quinn and Mouse both grabbed a piece of the blissfully spices and perfectly baked pies before backing up to take a kingly sized bite from the treasure. Derek hesitated for a few moments before taking a piece with a huge smile on his face as he nibbled at the thing, savoring every bite. I had honestly expected that behavior to belong to Mouse, but one look in her direction showed that the pie had had no chances in all the hells of lasting more than a moment. Frightening. ¡°Where did these come from?¡± Malory asked, even as she slowly took the fourth piece from my outstretched hand. I should not have been surprised that she would ask about the mystery meat-pie in the room but, maybe show some appreciation; or at least do not let your food get cold! She had grown increasingly curious over the past couple of days. ¡°A little bird got them for me.¡± Was all I said before I started eating my own little treat. It was everything I had been wanting in food since I had recovered from my cursed purgatory. It was delicately balanced with some form of wheat or barley; it was hard to tell as the spice profile hit my tongue. Salted to perfection and sharing some of the commonalities of fresh sage, rosemary, and peppercorn and a pinch of cardamon perhaps. I savored every bite, ignoring the look from Malory. She had not even started eating yet. Oh, well. After dusting off my hands and expelling a little more magical water for cleaning purposes I set to my daily ritual of casting my spells one by one. I popped off a quick Detect Magic before firing a Protection from Evil to start the round, watching forty-five mana fade away into the air around me as small motes of extended energy. I could even feel it ever so subtly whenever one of the motes would drift nearby caressing the aura my own body maintained around me. I had noticed that other people had similar auras though theirs would often lack the variance in color that my own contained, a difference in the flavor of mana or perhaps I simply could not fully discern their type as well as my own. I drew two more spells to the front of my mind; casting Water Walk and Water Breath back-to-back. Again, I felt the dryness in the back of my throat as the water was dispelled from my leaving only the oxygen and various other particles in my mouth. It felt quite a bit like waking up after a good night of drinks and only being able to taste the film of grease from a burger you had eaten the night before. While the uncomfortable feeling hit my throat, I found myself slipping sideways with my left leg while my right was firmly planted on the ground. I looked down to see that my foot had risen above the small amount of water that had pooled at my feet during my earlier cleaning. I gave a mental nudge forcing the water beneath my feet to provide a bit more stability and it seemed to firm up ever-so-slightly. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Neat. I still moved my foot to a dryer spot so as to avoid invoking some other form of bad luck that would have me knocking myself unconscious. These things seemed to be right in my wheelhouse, as if some evil Mushroom Lord were somewhere plotting against me as I disparaged fungal his kin for their unwelcome entry into my day-to-day diet. I did not dislike mushrooms, I just wanted something different than mushrooms. There was such a thing as too much of a good thing; it was true for many, many things. I had now burned down sixty-five mana from the use of four spells, as both of the water related spells had a mana cost of ten. I had also spent enough time in the casting and observation of the magic to have regenerated just a bit. Mana: 153/214. Next up was the spell, Dispel Magic. I focused on the magic and uttered the words while I moved my right hand up to rest on my left shoulder and shuddered as the spell took hold. The spell surrounded me in a small explosion of black motes that rushed through my aura, causing it to quiver and pulse. I immediately noticed the loss of my Protection from Evil spell, as well as both water spells. My throat spasmed a little bit as it quickly moistened with saliva, it was terribly similar to the feeling one gets when they inhale a small whiff of vinegar on a salad, that involuntary reaction of the body both strange and familiar. This was also the first time I had seen the spell in action as it had promptly dispelled my Detect Magic spell the last few times I had cast the spell. This time I could see the motes slowly dissolving into nothing, my aura eating it away and regaining its former passive solidity. Also, neat. And forty mana, ouch. Now for the fun part. Honestly, I should have changed it up ever so slightly as I could see Derek backing toward the other side of the barred in area holding his hands up in a pleading gesture. Just as Derek began to protest the action I stood up and faced him as I cast the spell. Command. Unlike my other spells, this one required me to focus on the intent of the spell while using a single word that was not the marker for the spell. In this example I simply said with my voice firm as I held the spell in my mind and felt the release of mana one word, ¡°Beg.¡± The look of wariness vanished to fully shift into his earlier pleading visage, though this time it would get him no more food. Was it a petty thing to do? Yes. Would I apologize afterward? Yes. Was it not still somewhat funny? Yes. His eyes took on a slightly panicked expression for a moment and he began dropping unsteadily to one knee, and I decided I had done enough damage to his esteem for today; Derek was a good kid, and even I knew I had probably been too close to being a bit too harsh to my volunteer. I cracked a small smile as I cancelled the spell by focusing my intent on something that was not the command issued, and as quickly as that the spell vanished leaving the compulsion to fade into nothingness. ¡°I want to go next!¡± Came the voice of Mouse next to me. ¡°No.¡± I said, even as Derek was looking to side with her instantly. ¡°Why not?¡± I sighed; we had been through this conversation several times already. I chose Derek because he had a measure of self-respect, he was also innately stubborn. The first cast of this spell had failed to take hold, causing him to only stumble for the briefest of moments. With Mouse, it was hard to tell if it was the spell taking hold or her just doing whatever I told her to do, as she considered it the most exciting of games. Do not ask me, I had no idea what was going through her head at times like this. In any event, I was done with the volunteer, and I bid him back to his business. They were still chatting up the other local prisoners in the hopes of getting some semblance of cohesion formed for the moment we stormed the gates and fled this place. I handed him a nice thick potato as his participation trophy and smiled as I turned back to my practice. Next up was my second favorite spell, though it was probably the most versatile and powerful for now. That is correct, I was going to be using Conjure Elemental Spirit. I prepared my reagents as I sat there huddled, quite conscious of the fact that Malory had not stopped watching me for even a moment since I had produced her lunch. I would need to ask her about her recent switching of gears some time soon. From friendly and caring to nervous and wary; it was an odd shift even for a teenager. Water in hand compliments of my Create Water spell, I spit allowed blood from a cut on my finger to collect and mix with the liquid before I uttered the words of the spell, making sure to infuse double the mana to make sure I was summoning the proper spirit. I had tried without the blood while using double mana and been rewarded with a similar elemental, but I could tell right away that it lacked the recognition that my other spirit friend had possessed. I had then tried it with the blood and not the double mana investment and received a smaller and much weaker version of the elemental in question, though it did seem to possess some of the original spirits characteristics. After that I had deemed it unethical to summon any water elementals with half-arse rituals. It was cruel to weaken my friend and it felt plain strange to be reliant on someone or something that did not have a connection to me. Especially for what I had planned. Mana: 78/214. My friendly water spirit rose from the pool of water barely contained in my hands to take shake and spill down my wrist and up my arm to stare at me from my shoulder. ¡°Hello again, my little friend.¡± I said to the small body of water. All I got in return was a shimmering pattern radiating through the small form and a small mental hug of sorts, like a phantom touch along my shoulders. I made funny faces at the little lady of the azure sea, even as their own form shifted to make a mockery of my pantomime. It was cute and an utter waste of time, I liked it. It was time to begin though. I gave some mental commands to my link elemental spirit and watched as she sloshed to the ground and joined in the puddle that had been pooling nearby. A second later she was under the bars and moving to collect my prize; a small rock that I had been watching get kicked about by the patrolling guards. It took some time for the puddle to fully encompass the rock and then slowly push-pull-tumble the earthly goodness to the edge of our cage where Derek picked it up and pocketed it for me before getting back to his conversation with a rather handsome young dwarf in the neighboring cage. This one even had a beard, scraggly and unfinished as it was. Focus. I sent another series of commands to my conjured spirit and watched her flow toward the section of the caves reserved for the small potty breaks we were permitted. Side note: Magical food was wholly absorbed by the body and therefore did not contribute to an excessive need to make a poo. Yay, science-Magic! I fiddled around with a small yellow carrot as I waited for my mana to tick back up before playing with some other spells. I needed to do some more testing with Armor and Wind Walk as I had found a small nugget almost-useful information regarding their interactions. Sure, I had enough mana now for one of them, but I would hamper my overall spell usage if I were to lower my mana too much as my regeneration dropped by a percentage that was nearly half of the percentage of mana I was missing. As I was missing most of my total pool right now, I would be regenerating mana fifty percent slower than normal, though that number would climb as my mana pool refilled, gaining a percentage point for every two percent of my total mana I regained. If I were to say, drop to zero mana instead of stopping at my current ten by casting Armor my mana source or pool would also suffer from mana fatigue which would stick me at half regeneration until the pool had fully recovered; as well as giving me the mother of all headaches, and possibly another fit of unconsciousness. Not cool. Anyway, I needed to get quite a bit more mana before I played with my next little bit of magic, and I also needed to give my spirited friend some time to get in position for exploration. I wanted to see what kinds of combat capabilities my elemental had. Chapter 48 - An Unwelcome Incident The Caverns, Near the Town of Eldor. Troug, 13th. Olea Munroe A little over two hours and I had almost topped off my mana and even gotten some other good news. You have killed: cave leech [Level 8] Total Experience Gained: 340, Experience till Next Level 4,160. Yep, my little elemental had found a snack. And I just had to look at my little sheet of statistics to get a refresher; it had nothing to be with reaffirming my inner awesomeness this time, I swear! Name: Olea Munroe Level: 12 Archetype: Water Priestess Health: 164/164 Mana: 211/214 Stamina: 198/204 Attributes: You have Zero Attribute Points Remaining Experience Till Next Level: 4,160 remaining of 25,000. Skills: Zero skill points remaining. Stealth - Rank 1 Piety - Rank 4 Triumvir Soul Skills Now, I knew I would get no immediately useful benefits from having my little elemental friend murder the local flora and fauna to bump me up to the next rank, I was aware now that I would need a teacher to advance further down my path of deity approved spell craft as it were. No, what kept running through my mind was the fact that I was only a small amount of experience from the next Rank and that there had to be a reason that the power above did not have anyone above that first milestone caged down here. That and it gave me something to alleviate my sense of inaction while I waited for backup to come rescue me, or rather assist me in a self-rescue. Yep, there was no way I was dependent upon some sketchy rescue plan of which I had little input in. Not me, nope, I was the hero! Or at least a hero based upon the fact that there were apparently two other earthlings somewhere out there, and based upon my Dowsing skill they were not all that far off from my current position. I made a mental note to track them down after I got away and had a proper shower. I finished ruminating on my excellence and waved to Derek, motioning slightly to the pocket he had stowed my little rock into. It was time to meet some new elemental dragon and form a new spiritual connection with a different element. Maybe one that could assist in freeing myself and this army of hungry pre-adults. Yes, I could say teens, but I was not entirely sure that some of the elves could have their ages estimated with only the first set of double-digit numbers. I was trying to be inclusive here. Hold the appreciation. After catching the small rock, barely the size of a golf ball, and not quite as well-rounded, I scraped it along the flesh of my palm successfully cutting the skin and causing a trail of my blood to coat the surface of the earthen material. I held the small stone near my chest and will my mana forth as I cast Conjure Elemental Spirit. And then I waited. And waited. As my heart began to cool and still, I could feel the smallest amount of motion in my hand, almost making me drop the danged thing. Instead, I sat the small rock upon the ground where it seemed to expand and crack along the multiple imperfections in the stone. I was also surprised to see a small portion of the earth surrounding the little thing had been drawn into as if it were water being drawn in to a very dry sponge. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. After another few seconds I could finally see the shape, my little creature was taking. It had apparently taken on the visage of a small stone man, with a scrunched face, a tail of full gray, and a dark moustache. It looked like if nothing else I had before me the stone-demon equivalent of a truly short and stout plumber from popular fiction. ¡°Fantastic!¡± I shouted, not so quietly as to avoid a look from a passing guard. A guard who then decided it was time to investigate, if for no other reason than to bring misery to others. ¡°What be going on in there?¡± he snapped as he drew near. Regarding his query, and my absolute failure to produce an answer, Derek decided to act. He did an almost handstand right there at the edge of the cage, it would have been impressive if I did not see his legs walking up the bars to get a proper start. Mouse then joined in the act and clapped at his performance, bless her soul. Quinn piped up saying, ¡°That¡¯s much better than the last one.¡± Derek, not expecting the assistance of his peers, nor the praise with it broke out in a blush. It was so darned cute. That was the moment that the guard had decided that we had wasted his time and smacked Derek¡¯s hand with his club. Hard. ¡°What the hell, man?¡± was my instant response. I was always a good and fast thinker. The guard scowled at me and shouted for another guard to join him from nearby. This of course drew the attention of another two guards who seemed equally bored, and they just had to come over and join the spectacle. After a brief exchange of words between the big, tough guys someone fetched the key from their belt and began unlocking the cage. Before anyone in the cage could react, even though Derek had tried to move to position his weak little body in front of me and the other girls who were now cowering next to me they had rushed into the cage, cudgels drawn to explain their issues with us lowly pieces of merchandise. Mouse cried out as she was knocked over by the falling Quinn, who herself had taken a sharp blow to the back from one wayward swing and then a boot for good measure from the guy at the back who could not get a good shot at us otherwise. The man who had stayed near the cage door did a quick two-step into Derek¡¯s side before watching the one-sided fight continue. I caught sight of Mallory standing idle at the other side of the cage, furthest from the door. She seemed caught within some inner conflict and did nothing to aid in the melee. Though who could blame her, this was not something a bunch of small children could win without some much-needed setup time. Quinn was crying while sprawled out over top of Mouse, possibly shielding the smaller child, or possibly unable to move after the heavy blow that had put her there. I had begun swinging my fist at the bastards the moment I had a clear shot. I was surprisingly ineffective in every single attack I landed upon my assailants, though I did rediscover my dislike for blunt instruments encountering my body after being directed with force. I was never and would never be a fan of that type of greeting. You have killed: Huntsman Spider [Level 10] Total Experience Gained: 400, Experience till Next Level 3,760. ¡°Not the time.¡± I muttered, even as the shorter, pudgier guard landed a solid hit on my shin from behind his fellow. ¡°Didn¡¯t my friend say you lot had to keep quiet!?¡± He said as he backed away from my attempt at retaliation, to be fair I would have missed regardless, but it was nice to know he considered my meager attack a threat. ¡°Roy, hold her down!¡± came the voice of man number three. He was an average height guy with less than average looks and a lazy eye that kept staring at the ground. I felt myself slammed to the ground where Pudgy McPudgison grabbed my legs and held me to the stone floor while the man who had been closer placed his hands upon my shoulders. The only good thing about my current predicament was that I could feel that none of my bones had been broken, despite the heavy, blunted impacts they had received. The terrible thing about my current predicament was that I could see that man number three had stepped between his friends and was currently in the middle of removing his thick belt. I had been in some shit back on earth, and I knew both directions this small conflict could take once a fight reached this point, what I had not expected was to be still being watched by someone who I had counted as at least a minor confidant as I was being attacked by evil bastards; yes, Mallory was still standing at the other side of the cage, just watching, she did not even look concerned. What the hell. Another thing I had not expected was for the man who had been fumbling with belt to suddenly grunt and collapse, directly atop me. I could not really help it at this point, I lost my collective shit. I began biting any piece of flesh that came near my mouth as I thrashed about on the floor, noticing after an unknown amount of time that I was being slowly warmed by an expanding pool of blood that was collecting under me. I froze up, thinking I had been cut somewhere and not realized it as I was admittedly a bit out of sorts. Apparently the other two men who were working to hold me to the floor took this as the third man preparing for some sport in the person he had fallen upon, they had yet to notice the blood. ¡°That is enough!¡± came a voice as sharp as steel. It was now time for the other men to freeze, the two holding me down that is. The third man was still unmoving. ¡°I said enough. Get up before I make such an endeavor impossible for you in the future!¡± Came the voice again, it was a voice I had not heard while down here in the gloom of this hellscape. The men slowly stood, releasing me carefully as I had resumed my attempts to free myself, if not quite as vigorously now. They stood and gasped in unison as they took in the sight under them. I shared a similar reaction to the sight as the man atop me was kicked to the side, his corpse heavy and lifeless. Above me stood the man from days previous, a man garbed in red with a pair of swords at his waist and a small dagger in hand which would normally sit in a cross-carry scabbard of some sort. His gaze was as murderous as the blood dripping from the edge of said dagger. In the center of my assailant¡¯s chest was a small wound, no doubt the exit of the sharp tipped blade I was currently looking at. ¡°What has happened here? What damned fool decisions were made that required me to put down one of your number, and for what reason are you even inside the cage of this slave?¡± The man in red stared at the three surviving men, for some reason I did not think he expected an answer to his questions. ¡°Out.¡± Was the only word he said to them afterward. And not surprisingly they all listened, no even turning to give me a glare they filed away dragging their fallen companion behind without even being told to remove the body. I began sitting up and rolling just a little to get better purchase on the slick stone beneath me, noticing that my newly summoned elemental was sitting prone near the cage entrance, poised as if waiting for some command to attack. Nope, not today. The man before me was shaking with controlled rage and killing intent, even a novice combatant like me could feel his desire to clean away this marred moment on his otherwise normal day. I stood slowly as the man looked at me, assessing the property for damages no doubt. I moved slowly to assist Quinn and Mouse in their own efforts to right themselves but made no move to aid Derek just yet, he was on the other side of the man in red. ¡°I am sorry for the rude behavior of your stewards; I shall have someone down to clean your lodgings shortly.¡± He stated simply before turning and leaving the cage, a new guard who had followed the man came over and secured the door, closing it firmly as the man exited. As the door clicked with a snick the man turned around. ¡°You may call me Reginald if you feel the need to speak to me in the future, I shall make myself more available to you as you are one of my mistresses more prized acquisition.¡± He said in a perfectly flat voice, as if he was not referring to people as property and held no real feelings on the topic whatsoever. I simply nodded as I stood there, still unwilling to make any more movements, though I did catch the glance Reginald gave in the direction of Derek, or perhaps the gaze was directed at Mallory. ¡°Well, crap.¡± Was all I could muster to as the man left with a few guards in tow. I really needed to get the hell out of here, and soon. Chapter 49 - Different Views Caves Under Avery Manse. Troug, 13th. ---- Mouse Mouse could not believe it, today was the most confusing day of her life. It was both wonderful and terrifying in nearly equal measure. The day started as most days did after being abducted, they all woke up at varying times in the morning. Derek would have been the last to awaken had it been one week earlier; but not now. Nope, now they had Olea! She would always sleep at the oddest of times, sometimes she did not even lie down before she fell asleep. Mouse knew that it was different, that these times were hugely different from sleep and that Olea had done something to make herself fall unconscious; she just could not figure out why it happened so often. Today though, Mouse watched as Malory was brought back from her privy visit; she was waking up earlier than everyone lately. By a lot! Mouse could not remember the last time she had not been the first to wake up, even if it were less than five days prior. These things did not seem to enter her mind as relevant, or memorable. No, what did interest her was that today Olea had pulled from nowhere a treasure of treasures. Mouse had no idea how it had happened but before her very eyes she saw a goddess. In the hands of said goddess was a mouth-watering slice of pie that smelled as if it had been pulled fresh from a vendor¡¯s heat-box. It smelled of home, safety, and MEAT. Sweet, savory, celebratory meat pie. It was as if she were home and strolling through the market aisle at Turning. Mouse did not care how she got the slices of heaven; nor did she care. It took only moments before Olea had sliced up the pies somehow using an unseen utensil to make almost even slices; Mouse saw Olea¡¯s piece, she knew her pies. Mouse could not blame her; it was her pie. What Mouse could do was eat the pie set before her. She took a large bite of hers as Quinn stooped down beside her, doing the same. It was oh-my-gosh, bless-the-three good. So Good! She continued eating her pie next to Quinn, both girls equally amazed and overcome by the sheer joy of eating something that was not served as a liquid. Mouse watched over her own baked goody as Derek took his slice after only a moment¡¯s hesitation. Mouse could tell that Derek was too proud to take food from a girl regularly, but he had no chance of resisting something like this at a time like this. Nope, not today. After a few more nibbles into her pie, Mouse looked up to see Malory hesitating and asking questions about the pie. Who in their right mind would ask about where a pie came from, and why your friends were offering you a pie when it was right there! Mouse liked Malory but sometimes the girl could be a right ninny. Just eat the pie! After a time, and after the pie, it was time for Olea to do her magic practices. Mouse always liked watching magic practice, she enjoyed it so much that she would often regret having no skill points of her own to spend on lessons. It was so rare to find a teacher for some of the spells Olea was casually casting on a regular schedule that most people would stick to the more mundane spells or go the route of combat and gathering skills before later snagging up a profession, though even those had their drawbacks. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. The girl would have dearly loved to be able to summon such a beautiful water sprite. It was just adorable, though sometimes Olea would summon the smaller, paler one; it was not nearly as pretty. After watching Derek collapse in relief when he was finished listening to Olea do her Mistress routine, as she had been caught calling it the day before, Mouse watched in awe as Olea brought forth the water elemental with all the best colors and shapes. Mouse knew this version was better than the others that had been thrown about, it lacked none of the qualities the others had. It was bright and spirited and it flowed ever so gracefully; Mouse likened it to a jongleur on feast day. It was so wonderful to watch. Olea sat there for a brief time staring at the little lovely before she looked in the distance toward the location of the privy and then the little dancer was off, sloshing along the floor to its destination. It was nearly three hours later when the other coin showed tails up. Mouse heard Olea shout out, ¡°Fantastic!¡± Now Mouse knew that Olea probably meant to use her inside voice, but there was no way that the guards would not notice such an exclamation. They seemed to be drawn to any incident involving fun or happiness. Mouse hated the guards. ¡°What be going on in there?¡± snapped a guard who had been walking past. Derek seemed to take this as his cue to provide a cover of some sort and being that he was so very random he took the moment to do a handstand and make a Ta-Da gesture without losing his balance; it was all rather clever. At least, Mouse thought so. The guard apparently found no amusement in the display as he sent his club spearing down hard through the bars and into Derek¡¯s hand causing the boy to topple like pile of wooden pails. ¡°What the hell, man?¡± Olea shouted, she really was brave to be shouting at someone so much bigger than herself, though Mouse thought it might not be the smartest play for the current situation. It seemed as if the guard agreed with her as he began shouting for other guards nearby, it took but a moment before someone had pulled out one of their keys to unlock the contraption on the door. Everything happened so fast after the door was thrown open. Three guards rushed into attack Olea, stopped only briefly by Derek who they shoved aside with disgusting ease. Mouse recognized the power of at least one Veteran and knew no one here could put up a fight with someone two ranks higher than themselves. She watched in horror as the guard at the door prepared a skill empowered kick at Derek even as she felt something fall from behind her, knocking her to the floor where she struck her head. Mouse took a nap in the now-dubbed classic Olea fashion. ---- Reginald the Red As Reginald made his way back up into the cavernous network of tunnels that lay beneath the manor of his Ladyship, he could not help but ponder the stupidity of lesser men. For the briefest of moments, he wondered if the elf child had deserved her torment, that brief thought of what may have happened to her before just as quickly dismissing it. Deni, the man who had been slain, was of no threat to the girl. Hells, the man had been a eunuch. Reginald was completely certain that he had merely intended to beat the girl for some small slight against his person, or perhaps a similar assault on the character of one of his fellows. It was not as if he could have put his non-existent equipment to use. All that aside, Reginald had been forced to slay the man. He sighed, not for the first time on this day. Had it been any piece of merchandise aside from that particular elf, Reginald would have been happy to watch the abuse; in whatever form it took. Sadly, the idiots had chosen the elf that was meant to be part of a pair; a pair meant to go to the august personage of a certain royal advisor. Reginald was still unsure of the progress being made across the river in the acquisition of the other youngling, though he had tried to find out. Reginald himself had volunteered for the task of collecting the green-haired elf, only to be informed that it would be too easy to connect his presence in town without Lady Avery to the fact that the girl had gone missing. To be fair, this was probably the most likely outcome even if it irked him to be so hindered in the service of his Lady. ¡°Oh, Reginald! Fancy seeing you about down here.¡± Came the unmistakable voice of Stefan, another man the world would be blessed to lose. Reginald could not tolerate the man if not for his lack of principles and proclivities for baser entertainment, then for the sheer amount of pretentious dribble that the man uttered with no semblance of a filter. Reginald made to continue in his travels upward, ambling along at a pace that seemed brisk but professional, nearly at a military marching speed. It was best not to tarry in his duties, lest he allow his current frustration to make a physical manifestation in the face of an ally to the endeavor. No, he would hold his anger until he had gotten to a nice quiet place where he could be alone with his blades. A good dance of steel would calm the nerves; it never failed. Perhaps sensing that Reginald was leaving without acknowledging his presence the doctor spoke again. ¡°I do not suppose the incident down below had something to do with a certain elf child?¡± Reginald paused before the next bend in the tunnel, not quite standing in the large circular cutout of stone that provided a small gathering area nearer the holding cells. ¡°I see, I see. Curious thing there, I hear tell that we may have an issue with some of the staff brewing, something about the merchandise in question.¡± Continued the good doctor. ¡°I have no time for games, Stefan. If you would have news for me, I would have said news without such a mincing of words.¡± Reginald said with a bit more barking growl in his voice than he expected. This man could certainly anger the good Reginald. ¡°It had come to my attention, through various means, that one of our staff has been colluding with the prisoners.¡± He said simply, being much more to the point than he oft times was like to be. ¡°Tell me more.¡± Said Reginald as he turned on his heel and took a seat near the doctor, though still out of arms reach. He did not want to strangle the man regardless of how appealing it would be. The pair discussed the topic in some depth before Reginald came to see the true extent of the problem. Yes, it seemed that he would need to have a word with his Ladyship this evening. Chapter 50 - Doogans Delight South Jaga City, Guild Hall. Troug, 13th. Sicily Three hours before the incident: Sicily had seen the many moods of Master Doogan over the years, some of them more than others. He was quite extreme in his shifts, now more so than usual. Some time ago he had learned that a possible disciple had died, her guild stone going dark. He had gone into seclusion for a day after the news arrived, performing rites his culture deemed appropriate for expressing the grief of his loss. He was now looming over his desk, looking down on an unconcerned young man with raven-dark hair. His beard now gone, and his hair shorn near to the scalp, a display of his emotional loss made manifest. Sicily would admit to admiring the girl herself, if not for her complete lack of formality and tendency to get distracted by the merest hint of, well, anything new. The girl had even proclaimed Sicily to big her new Big Sister, though what that meant Sicily was still unclear about. Olea had spent a night or two with Sicily before taking up temporary residence at the guild hall in the female dorms. Sicily did miss the entertainment and companionship in her tiny apartment, but she could certainly admit to not minding when the blanket thief had found other lodgings. Now though, now she was here penning notes for this meeting between Doogan and a boy who refused to give his name; something about not having been told yet what that was. This detail was very odd and had both the master and her quite confused until he mentioned having news of Olea. The news was brought on the back of news from Darius, the cities lead priest and a friend to Master Doogan. His news had pertained to finding the girl and healing her of some arcane curse with possible divine powers at play, if that could be believed. Having lost the girl he could not fully ascertain her current state of being, nor could he confirm it was even truly her though he had sworn that it could be no one other than Olea as she had possessed more divine blessings than any person he had ever witnessed. Master Doogan had then gone into a fit of shouts about the blasted girl and her problematic shenanigans; it was all quite a scene to behold. He had then mobilized the official guild members available to march upon¡­ somewhere. The guild members who had responded to his request simply shrugged off this small detail and pretended as if nothing had ever happened as they knew the man was quite excitable when he got in a mood, and honestly no one dared to bring a target upon themselves as they had a good level of respect for the man and his plight; Ratsbane was well loved, or at least liked in this hall. And now, this kid shows up confirming the tale, and adding more besides. ¡°Where did you say she was again?¡± asked Doogan, with a little gravel in his voice. ¡°Up north, and underground.¡± The boy said. ¡°Where at up north, and what do you mean underground? I thought you said she was alive.¡± Replied Doogan. ¡°She is alive! I spoke to her just a little while ago.¡± He said from his chair, he looked rather small while seated across from the guild master, ¡°She is under a cemetery near the river, on a big hill with a big house.¡± ¡°Okay, say I believe you. Which cemetery is she under, and how did she get there in the first place?¡± ¡°She was kidnapped by some priest guy; I think they are keeping her under there to sell her to someone later.¡± Was the answer to his question, ¡°At least that is what Olea told me.¡± ¡°Where is the cemetery?¡± Repeated Doogan, ¡°There is a town across the river from there, Eldor was the name. Does that help?¡± Master Doogan¡¯s face went still and slightly redder at the mention of the specific location, and Sicily believed she could guess at the reason. The only house on a hill near a cemetery in that region was the Manor of one Andrea Avery, a member of the city¡¯s council and head of a large merchant company. Not someone who should be involved in the illicit trafficking of slaves or people of any variety really. If she were involved in this mess and was keeping Olea, and any others in some underground prison, there would be hell to pay for and a mess to take care of after. Sicily snapped back from her mind and focused on the conversation again. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Anyway, she told me to get help, so I flew down here straight away.¡± Said the boy with a straight face. ¡°You were the first people I could think of to get help from, she likes you and that is enough for me.¡± ¡°When you say you flew down here, do you mean with a flight spell, or was that a turn of phrase?¡± Sicily asked, failing to stop herself from butting in. The look on Master Doogan¡¯s face let her know it would slide this time. He was likely just as curious, and it would give him a moment to think instead of reacting. ¡°I flew, I have flown here before after all. Even Doogie has seen me flying before, a bunch of times.¡± ¡°Right there, that. You say I have seen you flying and seen it here, but we have never met!¡± shot Doogan to the young man. ¡°I mean-You might not remember, or maybe you failed to recognize me as I am.¡± said the boy as he took to his feet. ¡°What do you¡­¡± Doogan¡¯s voice trailed off as he saw the man step upon his desk, his anger clearing rising. It was but a moment before the anger was replaced with a small intake of breath, a rare sign of surprise from the guild master, as the boy became bird. His body shrank and twisted in on itself only partially concealed by a dim cloud of magical essence which parted to reveal a large raven of the same color as his hair in the human form. Sicily was shocked, at first by the transformation and then by the recognition she saw dawning in Doogan¡¯s eyes, a recognition to which she could relate. This very same creature was the same that she had seen on the shoulder of Olea as she walked the streets of South Jaga on many an occasion. The very same bird that had stolen her food while she was occupied by some random sight I the city, as well as the same curious creature that had been present on her windowsill while Olea was staying over at her home. This thought of course brought a few more questions to mind, along with several possible alternatives that she would be sure to address at a time that was a little less urgent that the one they were currently in; just what had the bird seen from her window. ¡°You!¡± Shouted Master Doogan. The bird then began morphing slowly back into the human form he had arrived in this morning. It only took a few moments for him to resume the form of a fully clothed young man, standing upon Master Doogan¡¯s desk. ¡°See, we have met!¡± said the boy with all the exuberance one would see in someone proclaiming their absolute certainty in an answer given. Doogan looked at him for a moment before his eyes dropped to the desk that was serving as the boy¡¯s current perch. ¡°Get off my desk!¡± shouted Doogan, coming to his wits long before Sicily could fully parse the meaning of the situation. He did have the benefit of being slightly angry to help focus his mind. The nameless youth turned bird and back again, jumped down with surprising grace and poise before getting back on topic. ¡°So, can you help her?¡± he asked, eyes showing some uncertainty and a little bit of hope. Quite the difference from his earlier eagerness. ¡°Of course we will!¡± came the sharp reply, Doogan looking slightly annoyed to be asked a question with such an obvious answer. Now that he knew a little more about the situation his mind was quickly jumping into gear and formulating a plan of action; knowing where to send your people was after all the only missing factor. ¡°Great!¡± cried the boy, throwing his arms out a little as if mimicking his bird form and not realizing this form had no wings to rustle a breeze. It all seemed very odd to Sicily. ¡°You said you spoke with her earlier. Do you have some means of conversing directly with Olea? Did you sneak in and out somehow?¡± Doogan was no doubt wondering how such a weak person could sneak into a fortified location, be it as a bird or not, without being discovered or put down. ¡°I used our Soul Skill. She told you about those, right. We have a bunch!¡± said the boy, as if he were stating something as mundane as the weather; today will be rainy. Doogan dropped a bell from his pocket onto the desk with such force that Sicily feared he may have broken the enchantment even as t a low thrumming Gong sounded in the room and then faded to a muted buzz. ¡°Watch you tongue when discussing those topics birdbrain!¡± ¡°Anyway, are you done interrupting me? I said I used a Soul Skill to talk to her, I can also give her things and meet with her if I need to, but I did not have the things she was asking for and I did not want to just take things without asking. Some of our memories point out that it is not right to just take things we do not pay for from people we like.¡± explained the young man. ¡°Aye, stealing is not proper conduct for guild members. Explain this part about giving her things.¡± Doogan said, before he nodded in Sicily¡¯s direction and asked, ¡°Do you feel comfortable knowing a little more about our little rat-slayer?¡± Sicily nodded her assent to sitting in on the meeting, appreciating the fact that her boss had asked. One never knew when they would be placed in danger for information they possessed or were suspected of possessing. ¡°Are you saying she has some storage ability, and you can share items with her by using it?¡± Doogan asked, continuing the interview. As the bird-boy nodded Doogan let out a sigh. ¡°I was a bit shocked when I saw she had three of the blessed boons, and now I find she has even more. I suppose Darius was not fully exaggerating when he said she had no less than six.¡± ¡°Seven.¡± Said the young man in answer to the question that was not even asked. ¡°Shut up!¡± shouted Doogan, ¡°Do you not respect the safety of your mistress, that knowledge could have her strung up or thrown in to a cell to be abused for if the wrong people learned of it.¡± ¡°Well, she has already been kidnapped.¡± He said, ¡°Also, she trusts you both of you.¡± ¡°Fine, let¡¯s see if we can get her some things to help her out while she waits for us to get there and provide some assistance.¡± ¡°Great!¡± The young man rattled off a somewhat long list of requests that had Sicily almost laughing as she heard them, there was certainly a flavor along the lines of what she would expect of Olea in making these requests as the top of the list was occupied by meat pies and clothes, no doubt she had butchered another set of clothing. Doogan interrupted her scribblings by telling her to add a knife to the list even as he began to pen a letter to give to the bird for Olea to read. Sicily was overjoyed to have a focused Doogan back in action and no longer slumped with grief at the loss of a child he had barely even known. She was also becoming slightly worried by the volume of items on the list for her to acquire to hand over. These costs would certainly come out of Olea¡¯s pocket when she returned; after she had pockets. Not for the first time since the start of the meeting, Sicily caught herself casting a glance at a seemingly empty chair in the corner and she wondered at the significance of their guest, as her ring had notified her of the presence of a figure there. Chapter 51 - A Merry Meeting Underground Caverns, Troug, 13th. Olea Munroe After the kerfuffle with the guards and the absolute storm of crud that followed, what with the pool of blood and the pile of semiconscious friends I had to tend to when I finally made it to a proper position and calmed down, I had set about doing what I could to alleviate the issues I could address. I checked on Mouse who was awake and a little groggy, making sure she had no pressing injuries or other types of traumas I could diagnose with my non-existent triage skills before moving on to the still unconscious Quinn. Quinn was suffering from a goose-egg on the back of the noggin and a good bit of bruising on the shoulder with no visible scrapes and cuts that I could see, though I did apply a small cast of Cure Wounds on her scalp as the blood in her hair may have come from somewhere other than the hard packed ground they had fallen upon. Malory was still standing at the far side of the holding cell, having not assisted at all during the altercation. I could not fault her for not helping in a situation where she could not have been useful in the slightest, but I could not quite hide the fact that I was upset that she had not at least spoken up, or even cried out as her friends went down. I had thought we had known each other well enough to at least express some care for when one of our fellows took damage or had harm fall upon them. Maybe I was overreacting and had just assumed she was made of sterner stuff, hells I may have frozen up had I not had the childhood I had. Violence happens sometimes, the trick was surviving and not locking up playing the part of the victim; at least not as easily as Malory had made it look. Again, I may have been hoisting my own shame from earlier childhood garbage onto her and therefore damning an innocent for acting as I had once upon a time. Either way I could think about it later, Derek was still moaning and barely moving on the ground near the door. I made small cooing noises as I approached, soft little nothings of some minor comfort in case he had been sent into loopy land by one of the hits I had not seen land. The rib kick was quite telegraphed and hard to miss even around the large frames of the guards as they had approached but I did not know for sure if he had been hit somewhere else while we were all focused on other things; like not being murdered and such. I gave another glance to Malory as I bent down to check on Derek and his injuries, perhaps trying to will some empathy onto her features and maybe get some help assessing Derek but got no reaction, other than her eyes continuing to follow me across the ground. I do not even think she spared a glance at the girls after I had left their side. Mouse had gotten to her feet in half crouch and was currently petting Quinn¡¯s side and back in some attempt at comforting or waking the girl; or maybe herself. I got to Derek¡¯s side and winced a bit as I took in the sight of his swelling hand, I had no idea how to tell if it had been broken but I gave him the same treatment of Cure Wounds I had given Quinn. I was rewarded with a slight decrease in the swelling as his hand visibly shifted under the influence of the spell and I breathed out a small sigh of relief; one less problem. I shifted myself lower, so I did not topple myself as I rolled him onto his back slowly, ever mindful of not putting pressure on his chest unless necessary. I had no idea how to identify broken ribs, but there was no way that he had escaped those ministrations without at least severe bruising and possible small fractures. I also avoided bending the hand overmuch as I remembered that my spell did almost nothing for broken bones. ¡°Derek?¡± I asked quietly, not wanting to bring the guards back after they had been frightened away by the man in red. ¡°Agroha blah meh.¡± was the response I got back. I was fairly sure only two of those were words and they really did not work quite the way he had slapped them together but at least he could talk. Small wins and such. ¡°The guards are gone, I am going to be casting some magics on your chest, let me know if anything feels broken or really, really bad, ok?¡± I did not know if I was just rambling from stress or it was just my inner medical genius shining through that had me add the small task for him; I was surely just giving him something to distract him from the pain, yep. I channeled Cure Wounds across his chest watching as some of the visible bruising faded beneath the glow of my mana and relaxed a little as Derek¡¯s breathing eased ever so slightly. Did that mean he did not have a punctured lung, or heart? Probably. Yeah, I would go with that. I am neither a Gregory House nor a Doogie Howser, I would barely reach a middling level of doctor mom, but he should be fine. Again, probably. ¡°Sit here until you feel like you can move around safely, if something new hurts when you try sitting up, feel free to yell for me and maybe we can eat another meat pie when you feel better.¡± I had barely gotten the words out when he began sitting upright and staring at my empty hands as if the food would be waiting for him the moment he sat up. Boys. I looked back to Malory, noticing she still had not moved, though she was looking at the girls now. Glad she could join us. Right, crisis tended to. I decided I could spend a few minutes reading the note I had found in my little vault. I snapped the paper from my inventory into my left hand, pretending to pull it from the sleeve of my worn and tattered shirt to read it and noticed that I was being watched again. ¡°Are you alright, Malory? Did you need something, did you somehow get injured while standing way over there away from all the people who were just roughed up by the big scary guys?¡± I felt my lips curl into a slight sneer as I finished speaking, unable to hide my conflicted feelings about her presumed betrayal of our growing comradery. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. It was petty and probably misguided but I could not quite bring myself to be overly caring after my nerves had been so thoroughly numbed in the moment of violence that had preceded this small delivery of my ire. I had trust issues, okay? I looked down at my paper again after Malory had turned her attention to the not-so-distant walls of the cavern and began to read. It seemed to be written by Sicily, yay! Dear Olea, My heart melted as I saw her flowing script again, and to be called dear! I know you must be in a crisis-mode by now but I, or rather, we felt the need to write a proper letter to convey to you by the means dictated to us by your nameless friend, your raven familiar. We will need to discuss his idea of boundaries in the future, so you know. I am writing now in the presence of Master Doogan, and we are currently working on mobilizing the guild and to some extent the guard force local to your area of imprisonment. We have sent along your odd request of food from the vendor right outside the guild hall, as well as this letter and a knife that Doogan has stated you would need if you planned on eating like ¡®a civil representative of our fine establishment¡¯ his words not mine. Master Doogan is sure that we should be in position within two days of this letter being written on the thirteenth day of Troug. We ask that you be prepared as best as you can for whatever may happen while we launch the rescue; Doogan himself will be leading the charge. Be safe, little sister. Sicily. PS I shall be sending some clothing over as soon as I can get a moment away from the hall. PPS. Do not mention Bret¡¯s new hair. ¡°Fantastic.¡± I whispered, staying aware enough not to shout again. The letter affirmed their meeting with my companion though, and that was good. It left me wondering at how my friends had taken my possible death, or at least my disappearance. It also left me wondering who Bret was and why I would be curious about his hair. Oh, well. I was slipping the letter away when I heard a bright but hesitant female voice in the back of my mind. ¡°Hello?¡± called the voice. ¡°Hi!¡± I said, waiting expectantly. Mouse, Derek, and Malory all looked at me with varying levels of confusion, though Derek was probably still expecting food. I spent a few moments in contemplation before it dawned on me, I had totally forgotten about my other Soul Skill abilities, particularly the Forum. I invoked the skill, feeling something stir from the depths of my core. It almost felt like the small burning tingle of alcohol as it hit your stomach, but this sensation was a little lower¡­ maybe behind my belly button? Weird. I responded this time in the forum, repeating my greeting and I could almost feel relief swell through the channel as my message was delivered. The sensation was not unlike my connection to the bird, but it did feel much less intimate. As if it were two strangers on a street talking over the hood of a car about the weather versus my conversations with my bonded where we felt more like close friends sharing a milk shake. That probably makes no sense whatsoever, but I was never particularly good at these fuzzy comparisons. Sue me. ¡°Oh my god, it works! Hi, who are you?¡± came the voice at the other end of the metaphysical tunnel. ¡°I did not expect this to do anything. I mean of course magic is real but this¡­ I had no idea. Where are you from, are you in Eldor? North Jaga? Are you the person I sensed out west?¡± ¡°Woah, woah. Slow down. I am Olea, Olea Munroe.¡± I said as she bombarded me with a few more questions and speaking than I was expecting. The questions about someone to the west gave me the feeling that I was speaking with another recent immigrant to the world of Kalydren, as my Dowsing skill was continually informing me of two presences; both of which were to the west. ¡°Sorry, sorry. My name is Merry, Merry Christmas-.¡± She said, before I cut into the conversation. ¡°Is it?¡± I replied, not sure how she could tell when Christmas was while we were stuck on another planet, in another universe. Would it still be Christmas if a certain child of God had not quite walked on this worlds surface, I had no idea. ¡°Is it what?¡± ¡°Is it Christmas?¡± I asked again. ¡°You said Merry Christmas, I was not quite sure if you were joking or something. This skill sends a lot of emotion with it, and I could not pick up sarcasm or humor and well¡­ is it Christmas?¡± I sensed a chuckle, and a feeling of relief reverberated through the connection before she spoke again, ¡°No, no. My name is Merry, full name Merry Christmas Clarkson. My mum had a sense of humor and my da¡¯ just went with it.¡± ¡°Your folks were weird.¡± I commented idly, all the while thinking of my own name and its meaning, a tether into the past and an ethereal connection to a family I would never know again; hells, I could barely remember it all today. ¡°Are you ok?¡± came Merry¡¯s voice from the other side. ¡°I kind of get the sense that you are not feeling too well.¡± ¡°Oh, no, no. I am fine. Just got kidnapped and put in a prison, the whole name explanation threw me for a bit of a memory loop. You just trying out the skills or did you need something?¡± ¡°I saw the skills and had the time, so I decided to-. Wait, did you say kidnapped?!¡± Merry¡¯s voice rose a few octaves into the land of shrill before I responded. ¡°Meh, I am. Got kidnapped by some Avery lady a week ago, they yoinked me straight out of a church it seems.¡± I stated the facts as evenly as I could, not wanting to scare the person I had just met. ¡°That bitch!¡± ¡°Woah, hold on. What?¡± I asked, though I was sure I got the gist of it with the sense of recognition in the line. I swear this is like having a cellphone linked directly to a person¡¯s feelings, no ghosting folks with lies here. ¡°Andrea Avery, she abducted you?¡± ¡°Yep, a real peach from what I gather. She hires the nicest manservants.¡± ¡°Damnit, okay. Give me some time to see what I can do.¡± Came the even voice of someone on the verge of taking on a new mission in life. ¡°Hold up!¡± I interrupted her again, ¡°I have people on the way. No need to get rustled and riled. My friends should be here in two days. I am sure they will tear through the place, and I can get set free. Then I can come join you for some proper tea and a girl¡¯s night out, right?¡± A few heartbeats passed between us, really, I could have sworn I felt them slowing down through the link before she spoke again. ¡°Okay, I can wait. I will let a friend of mine know though, they are incredibly skilled in magic and can be very scary in a fight. I am sure he could help your friends.¡± It was then I noticed the level stares I was getting in reality; apparently this skill did not work outside of time as the Soul Vault did. ¡°Impressive, you do that.¡± I put in, needing to hang up. ¡°Listen, I need to get back to some things with the whole being in prison thing. We can catch up later, okay? Bye!¡± I mentally dipped from the Forum before looking around the cage, my home for two more days. Quinn was awake and leaning on Mouse, though not quite as heavily as she probably would be if she were critically wounded, good sign. Derek was still waiting for pie, though he was flexing and unflexing the fingers of his injured hand. No ibuprofen here, sorry Derek. I sensed the link closing on Merry¡¯s side as I continued looking around, but I saw nothing immediately troubling, so I turned around and moved closer to the pair of girls, motioning Derek with one hand and pulling a pie from the air under my other hand. I was not very hungry, but without ice cream a meat pie was sure to help the mood a little, right? Malory made her way over even without invitation, though I had smiled slightly in her direction as an afterthought, and it seemed to convey my reluctant invitation. I had barely sliced the first piece free before I sensed a mental tug on my vault and had to ignore the urge to dive in and meet whoever was present; food first, I would check in on the storage later. Chapter 52 - Cleaning Up Underground Caverns, Troug, 13th. Olea Munroe ¡°This is the best ever, Olea.¡± Came Quinn¡¯s voice from beside me as she helped me kill my second meat pie, I was still debating on whether to save the other two when another piece of information was brought to my attention. ¡°Olea?¡± asked Mouse. ¡°Yes, Minny?¡± I said in reply, knowing the depth of the comment would be lost here but wanting to add some small amount of levity for my own mental well-being. Mouse scrunched her face up as if thinking about what I had said before shrugging her shoulders and continuing, ¡°I like the food too, but is it not a little strange to be enjoying a hot meal while we are this close to that.¡± She pointed to the corpse of my past assailant. I had to admit that I had fully lost track of things, or maybe my mind was still working through its own little bout with shock. Either way, Mouse was correct. It was a little strange to be eating a fresh, hot meat pie this close to a figure who had momentarily filled me with dread and was now decomposing near the outer edge of our cell. It was also strange that I had forgotten one particularly important fact as I had been tending to the wounds of my fellows. One thing most people back home would have screamed at me for, especially if they were in a world like this, a world of gamer logic. The Loot!! Not wanting to acknowledge the act I intended to be committing lest I were caught somehow, as I hated having to answer pointed questions, I mentally projected my desires to the still form of my little rock-buddy. It took long enough for me to think I was being very dense before the tiny golem-like creature rumbled on over to the body began moving about in the blood and other fluids as he set about taking loose objects from the partially removed belt of the fallen man. Included in the loot was his club, a small jar, a belt pouch of jingling coins, and a key. After some exploratory pushing at the edges of my consciousness I found a way to encompass my little minion of granite in a shell of my own spirituality. What this looked like, I had no idea. My Detect Magic spell was not currently active, though thinking of it now, I had best get into the habit of renewing spells when I had the mana. ¡°Detect Magic¡± I said the words in a low whispered rush of exhalation and felt my senses tingle. Mana: 187/214 I could now see the very magic of the world, though somewhat confusing at first as all the colors of the rainbow were blending and mixing without ever becoming one, I found I could somewhat filter the aspects that I saw. I shunted away the ambient magic in the air and even the waves of magic that were slowly pushing up from under the rocky ground beneath us. I toned down as best I could the visible field of mana that was glomming onto my cellmates and the surrounding people in the distance, while making a note to relax this filter later. I did not want to miss some super-secret key detail later just because I was not willing to think about the specifics now. I was now focused on myself, my immediate surroundings, and the golem that was currently taking a gold filling from the corpse of the man on the ground, I saw that the colors and patterns of mana on the little rock man were quite similar to mine, though lacking in the speed of movement while also having hints of a solid gray and green that my own aura, for lack of a better term, lacked. My fellows were still eating their pies, though Mouse was still pointedly ignoring the corpse and looking away, I do not think she even noticed my little friend taking his time removing the effects of the fallen fiend. What I found to be useful information, as well as being the entire reason for renewing my little spell, was the fact that my spirit-bound earth spirit could access my Soul Vault skill. Yes, as I was happily sitting here and eating my meat pie, I had a proper little soldier looting the fallen foe. I had remembered the wording of the skill. Soul Vault ¨C This ability allows the user to store indefinitely any item of their choosing. Time shall not pass for the items inside. Item storage limit is determined by the level and power of the user¡¯s Soul. Space available is equal to the accumulated level of Linked Souls cubed. The same space is shared amongst all people and creatures linked to the User. It would seem I could extend its use for my summoned creatures, which opened several avenues for future experimentation. I could have probably been snagging corpses from the water spirit I had sent exploring earlier, though I had absolutely no use for another corpse in our cell. Back to the train kids. Stay on topic, no derailments. Derek had cast a glance or two at the rocky warrior as he went about tugging on various parts of the man and seemed genuinely uninterested in the proceedings. Maybe he was just relegating the goings-on to the same portion of his mind he would send images of his parents dressing a farm animal at the butcher¡¯s. Again, I grew up rural-adjacent, so my knowledge of the proper ways and means of farm life was very skewed and unorganized. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Quinn was just sitting there now, and pointedly ignoring the whole scene of the corpse as if her mind had shunted that bit away and was pretending that the only terrible thing in life was her current incarceration. Malory was eating the piece, the small piece, of pie I had given her almost reluctantly as she came near to us after the guards had followed the man in red away. She was watching the golem poke at the body for some time and seeming to grow more confused as time passed by. I will admit, had I not known that the golem was tossing things into my storage space, that I would have thought the little guy was somehow consuming the things he harvested from the body. The elemental would tug something free and then grab it between his hands fixing it with an almost obsidian glare before the item vanished entirely. Now, I knew our captors could not be bond villain smart, nor would they be stupid enough to not realize it if I had allowed the golem to completely disrobe the fellow. This is why I had ordered my conjured elemental to stop the looting after he had shown his willingness to go to town on this man¡¯s mouth for a gold filling. I was not a pirate! Well, not yet at least. A girl could dream. ¡°Olea¡­¡± I looked away from my industrious elemental to follow the words of Mouse, and then followed her gaze as she looked out beyond the bars of our small jail. Not a hundred yards away, passing several other caged in people, came two people in loose gray clothes carrying a pair of frothy buckets each. One of the non-descript people even carried a mop. The cleaning crew was here. I mentally commanded my little friend to make himself scarce, fully expecting him to have done so afterward. The two people approached our holding cell and beckoned over another guard to open the door. The guard fumbled to fit his oversized key into the mechanism before stepping aside to allow the crew to get to work. They removed the body, wrapping it in a layer of cloths that had been in a backpack carried by one of the attendees, before getting to work on mopping up the blood and bagging some of the other less than acceptable bits. When they had finished their little cleaning tasks, and without saying a word, they left. They lugged their wrapped-up body in the direction of the same are that we had been using on our twice daily visits to the potty. I was quite sure I knew how they handled corpse disposal at this point, I was also thankful that the water was flowing at not a stagnant pool or just some pit with a big pile of muck at the bottom. The guard locked the door quickly after the crew had left, glancing only for a moment at the property within. It was the closest any of the guards had come to acknowledging us after the incident an hour ago, they may have been concerned about collecting bad karma from the mere vicinity of our cell. That suited me just fine. I both heard and felt the tension leave my fellow cellmates as the outsiders made their way away. It was nice not to have a new conflict to throw on the pile. You have killed: subterranean sturgeon [Level 11] Total Experience Gained: 495, Experience till Next Level 3,265. More good news. I was tempted to test Shared Senses with my water elemental right then to see the size of the fish that had just sacrificed itself for my growth when I was distracted by something new; something much less pleasant. A man in red had entered from the tunnels at the far end of the cavern. A man that was easily recognizable from the other guards in the place. Yes, the man in red was back again, and this time he was not alone. I noticed that we were not the only ones to notice the entrance as many of the local population had been roused into attentiveness at the earlier disturbance, though most had remained quiet for fear of attracting the kind of attention we had gathered. The man in red was making his way in our direction once again. Behind him followed several burly guards dragging some type of structure behind them. A large, blocky, wooden thing. It was quite long and seemed to be very heavy, the guards were straining to maintain the pace set for them by the man in red. Behind them were a few more people dressed in the garb worn by the medics employed by Avery. I was beginning to get a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. We waited and watched as the procession made its way to the center of the prison area. By this time, it was a little clearer as to what was going on and I did not like it, not one bit. There was indeed nothing I could do as Reginald stepped forward after surveying the erection of the structure at our cavern¡¯s center. It was a wooden pole anchored with a large wooden base, heavily weighted to remain upright once placed. A crossbar had been installed near the top to make it almost resemble a crucifix. Strapped to the pole with their arms stretched and secured to the crossbar was Matilda. A gasp escaped Mouse and Quinn as they simultaneously recognized the figure of the unconscious, or dead, woman trussed up like a draining carcass. I found myself unable to do anything but seethe as I saw the slave trussed up like a sacrifice to the old gods of a different world. The man in red, Reginald as he had said he was called, stepped away from the proceedings and faced outward surveying the many caged denizen of this new hell. He turned about and began to pace in circles around the structure that was now solidly placed, stopping to glance outward after walking nearly a quarter around before continuing his theatrics. He walked two full circles, probably giving time to his entourage so they could get things settled before he made some silly speech or committed to an over-the-top monologue. At the end of his second passing, he stopped facing out from the spectacle he had created, staring in the direction of our cell, at me, as he began to speak. ¡°We have been made aware that certain people may have been playing favorites, and currying favor. We have investigated this allegation and found certain parties have been plotting to place everyone here in danger. You poor souls shall no longer need to worry as we have rooted out the source of this problem and taken actions to remedy the malediction.¡± ¡°This sickness ends here, let this woman be a reminded of what happens when you jeopardize the safety of our endeavors. My lady wishes for you to all to find a new place in life, free of your past impoverished states in a home of wealth and prestige.¡± My ears must have been playing tricks on me as Reginald spun out his tale of salvation to the future slaves held in their cages around me. I could see the hate burning in a few eyes scattered through the audience, but what surprised and confused me most was the fact that some of the people here were openly seething at Matilda as she hung limply on the wooden cross. What the hell was wrong with these people, was this some new form of Stockholm syndrome? ¡°You may rest easy now as we address this issue and be assured that nothing will sway our commitment to have you all established and safely away to your new homes in the next three days. I shall be following up on these matters, and you can rest easy knowing that nothing will stop us from making sure you find a place to belong.¡± Reginald gave a small nod of his head to the crowd of domed cages before he turned toward the tunnels leading from the cavern. It did not escape my notice that a small group of men were making their way to our cell with a familiar anklet in hand. Chapter 53 - Separation Underground Caverns, Troug, 13th. Olea Munroe I watched as the men approached our holding cell. I had figured it was about time I got some one-on-one time with the big bad, maybe do some banter and some back-and-forth villain on hero monologuing. You know, a proper bond type exchange. I was not expecting it to be so soon, at least not before I had set up my clever trap and gotten all my pieces in order. It could not be helped though, it seemed as if the timer had run out and now I could have my big meet-and-greet with one Andrea Avery. Maybe we would share a cup of tea and discuss something trivial like the birds outside her poshly decorated chambers and then lead into how I was so like a bird caged already that I should lay down and accept my fate. For the good of all, or some such nonsense. ¡°Olea¡­¡± Mouse had caught on to some of the evil-going-down vibe, and apparently it was time for her to add a voice her worries. Quinn took her by the shoulders beside me even as the men were lining up outside the cell door, making a proper presentation for their captain to approach. ¡°Stand back!¡± shouted the stern looking fellow near the front of the column as he produced a key. A taller fellow approached, rounded slightly in the waist as the key was turned and the heavy locking mechanism was removed. He had no remarkable features other than his ability to stand straight with all that forward facing bulk to drag him slanted. My inner dessert lover applauded his ability. I had once dreamed of getting to a ripe old age, old enough not to care about a few extra pounds; or a few dozen extra pounds. In those little fancies I would usually be sporting a cane or walker of some sort and resting on the porch with some lemonade while surrounded by cats and listening to my future husband or lover working somewhere in the yard. My dreams were never very focused, much like me every single-, ¡°I said stand back!¡± came the guard again. At first, I was not sure what he meant as I was still standing near the rear of the cell with Quinn and Mouse behind me, but then I saw Derek. He had stepped up from beside us without me noticing, possibly because I was very busy thinking of important topics. Never mind that, the boy should not be standing there in front of us while he was still nursing what were sure to be bruised ribs. The folly of youth on full display. ¡°Stand back, Derek. Just let the nice gentleman come in and do his job.¡± I said, trying to give him an out in this situation. I knew how important a young man¡¯s pride could be in such a situation, they needed a logical and socially acceptable reason to step down or else they would stand until they were beaten to death and could no longer support their own mass. It was oh so brace of him at the same time as it was totally the wrong approach for the given situation. But I could not fault him. I bet his father would be very proud, assuming, you know, Derek did not just turn into a corpse today. ¡°But¡­¡± stammered Derek through gritted teeth. I could tell he was worried, probably near to wetting himself as the large man entered the cell with another man; another man who was sliding a cudgel from his belt-loop. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I said, ¡°I am sure the kind gentleman only wishes to talk with us.¡± Said gentleman looked to me with a slightly confused look before he smiled and nodded. Derek took the offered out and backed away, stepping beside me as he did so. I guess he was letting me know that he had me in a fight if it came to that. I had no intention of fighting a group of men with the same willingness to do others harm as was on display only a few short hours prior. Had it even been more than an hour, I did not think so. I stepped forward leaving Derek at my back and approached the older man. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± I asked. ¡°Up?¡± He looked confused for a moment, even glancing at the ceiling for a second or two. Honestly, I would expect as much from a wise-cracking friend back on earth as part of some joke, but I believed then that I had truly confused him with a simple greeting that he had just not had the opportunity to hear before. He could consider himself blessed with future insider knowledge, some day it would be hip; I swear! With a shale of his head, he turned from me and pointed to Malory. ¡°Remove this one.¡± He barked at the soldier next to him. I looked at Matilda and saw confusion and some sort of question in her gaze, though I saw no fear or surprise. Odd, that. ¡°Malory?¡± I asked the name, somewhat louder than a whisper. She continued looking ahead as she followed the guard who had taken her by the arm without complaint. She kept walking even as she exited the cage, not the slightest tremor in her step. I knew it¡­ A damned turncoat-mole. I had been hoodwinked, bamboozled, and betrayed. I should have seen that coming as well, with all the odd looks and increased questions from her over the past day or so and her reluctance to get involved when Mouse and Quinn had been injured earlier. Malory only seemed to show a hint of uncertainty after she had left the cell and taken away from the door. That was when the other guard at the rear of the line bent down and slapped the binding around her exposed ankle. Malory seemed to droop suddenly as if she had had some of her strings cut and was barely able to support herself. I imagined there must be some initial magical dampening in the rune work. ¡°You, come with me.¡± I was taken away from observing Malory¡¯s reactions as the captain turned on me next. ¡°Me?¡± I said helpfully pointing a finger at my chest. He seemed to sigh and tighten his shoulders for a moment, a very odd display of irritation and acceptance, or some other emotion I had no word for. I think he was upset and probably a little disbelieving of my ability to reason. Probably. I complied and followed the man, several guards stepped in beside me as I left the cage and the final guard locked up the cage behind me, It only took me a few moments to recognize that we were headed for the exit tunnel, it seemed that I would get my chance to speak with Avery after all. I loved being right, not that it was rare, okay. It was nice. You have killed: razor-backed catfish [Level 14] 50 Experience per level of creatures, plus ten percent bonus for the creature being one level higher. Fifty percent experience bonus for creature killed being of a higher rank than yourself. Total Experience Gained: 1,155. Experience till Next Level 2,110. Also, nice! I was momentarily surprised by the notification from my busy little water elemental and decided I should look in on her actions soon, I was pretty sure Shared Senses could be used to get a peek in and catch the fights as they happened. ¡°Move along!¡± I heard as I also felt the sharp stab in my ribs from a heavy cudgel. I would have fallen over had the guards flanking me not anticipated my doubling over and grabbed me under the shoulders. I was now being carried along by the guards, all thoughts of dignity flying right out the window or down the chute. Either metaphor should work down here, though my education was a little sparse and maybe metaphors were something done by a butterfly. No matter, that cudgel hurt too much for me to disparage even my spotty school life for more than a passing moment. We stopped at the base of a steep incline. There was a long tunnel leading upward to a corner that I could make out with aid from the lights illuminating the way. I missed most of the layout as I was unconscious for the trip down, I was shamefully uninformed on the structure of the facility and would also need to remedy that if I were to make my escape soon. Before that though I still had some proper monologue to get to! ¡°So, where we headed? Is Andrea somewhere close?¡± ¡°Hrmn?¡± came the response from the large man in charge. ¡°Were we not going to visit miss Avery, the boss lady?¡± The man laughed then, ending in a low mirthful chuckle as he said, ¡°No, no. You my dear are to be held away from the others, in a place of high esteem where everyone can keep an eye on you.¡± He nodded in the direction opposite the tunnel leading up and I saw there set in the wall was a small hollowed out cell, fully barred at the front and with a small, raised hole at the rear. I saw one keyhole on the door that did not match the others I had seen out in the general area. I doubted my stolen key would work here. ¡°In you get.¡± He motioned for my holder-uppers to toss me in and they quickly obliged. I landed on the hard stone¡­ hard, of course. It was stone! ¡°You will get the standard two meals a day, we will not be letting you out for your daily constitutionals. You will eat, sleep, and defecate here until you are released into the tender care of your new owner. I am sure he will have much better accommodations if you are willing to facilitate him in his meeting his daily needs.¡± The smile on the fat man was now gone, replaced with a sardonic grin that hid no intent, the bastard was probably picturing me in some very lude positions even now. I was, however, thankful for being spoken for already, as it gave me a way to avoid any of those specific treatments before I was taken by my new owner. The door was quickly locked and locked again. Apparently, the captain had a special lock that he had been saving that attached somehow to the lock that was laced around the bars of the door. I was unable to see how it worked exactly from my position on the floor where I was busy making mean faces through the pain of a badly scraped knee. I shall be honest here; I was a wee bit angrier about the new rip in my clothing. The captain turned around and walked away, leaving me to settle into my new accommodation. At least now I would have time to look in on my familiar. Your Summoned Familiar has been slain by a Sand-borne Salamander. Well, crap. Chapter 54 - Corvin Comes to Caw Stone Cell, Underground Cavern, Troug, 13th. Olea Munroe I sat alone on the cold, hard, damp stone floor. It was here where I pondered all the mistakes that had led me to my capture, the assumptions of the world, assumptions of the system, and even the assumptions of myself. I thought of the way I had lived my life after my translocation, the friends I had made and the flippancy with which I treated every day. Though there were some more serious moments that I would not change, even if I could. I had made some friends on the mean streets of South Jaga, found a new big sister, performed low-level pest control, and even joined a small guild of adventurers or mercenaries. They were never fully clear on the whole adventurer¡¯s guild thing; I think maybe because they did not want to glorify the potential road to death that more challenging tasks could end in. Or maybe there was some other reason, I might even remember to ask for clarification sometime. I was about to go down a tunnel of what-ifs when I noticed a certain golem entering my little stone motel. Rocky had arrived! ¡°You came back!¡± I exclaimed. The little guy shook his head back and forth, possibly checking to make sure I had not been heard. Paranoia in elementals, another odd concept for future exploration. I suppose after seeing my other elemental get so thoroughly decimated that it was killed would make the little guy wary if he had been made as aware of it as I had via the notification. I reached out my arms and grabbed the little guy up in a hug, and almost gave up as I felt his weight. I really was not sure what was in my head, but the little guy was made of solid stone; he was heavy! His little rock arms wrapped around the front of my torso as I held him for a moment before we let go of the hug and I placed him back on the ground in front of me. It had been almost an hour since I was left here to my own devices. I had since seen several guards pass by going to and from the large, cavernous area where the others were being held. It meant that a guard could be walking by my cage as often as every twenty minutes, and rarely on schedule. I had much less privacy in this stone room, even the hole that would serve as a privy was in no way private. There were no walls, no windows, only this open section that was grated with iron bars running from floor to ceiling with two horizontal bars running a few feet apart to anchor into the walls on either side. It was spacious at least. I had plenty of room for the nothing I had with me. I was wondering if I would be able to get a blanket or something to keep myself warm when I had a thought. I knew someone who could help with my furnishings. I sent a quick mental nudge to my raven companion and was rewarded with a shove back before I dove into my Soul Vault. ¡°Olea!¡± I was instantly attacked by a boy of roughly the same age and height as myself. My second hug in less than an hour, I will admit I am not normally a hugger, but it felt nice to be wanted. I embraced him for a few more moments as we had time in this timeless space for such frivolous practices, even in my situation. ¡°You¡­¡± I started, not really knowing a proper greeting as we had not yet discussed his name, and if we had I was unaware of what it was as I was sure I had already been under control of the curse by then. ¡°I missed you, are you okay?¡± he said to me, excitement barely contained. I took a minute to observe the guy more carefully, as I had been out of sorts during our first meeting, and I recalled that he had assumed a more aged appearance at the time; something closer to a thirty-year-old version of his current form. It was a little vague in my memory. He stood at a height close to mine as I said, possibly five foot six. His hair had the same black coloring with almost shimmering locks of purple thrown in randomly. His hair was also much longer than my own in his current form, tied back by a band of black material in a way like a certain Highland sword master from the super-old TV show, coming together at the join and then flowing in a wave down his back and not held upward in that odd top-knot or bun style that picked up steam in the late twentieth century; it seemed regal, even if incomplete. It was also a little odd now that I was looking at my hair on someone else, I noticed that the colors were not different strands of hair but that each hair had both colors, as if they were highlights done all along the hair instead of the tips or roots. His eyes had a vivid blue-green hue for the irises and a dark violet-almost-black pupil. A pupil that seemed to shimmer with magical intellect. The last part was not too surprising considering that he was my bonded companion, after all. His frame was that of a typical slender male of whatever our non-descriptive race was; Matilda¡¯s revelations had me rethinking the elf assumption. He lacked the broad shoulders that came with a slightly older human male, not having reached that final upper body growth spurt most men see before twenty-five. His face also had more of a squared look than mine, his jaw more firm and less angular than my own. ¡°Olea¡­¡± I could hear the worry in his voice as I continued to assess him without answering his question, so very strange of me. ¡°I am fine, just distracted.¡± I replayed my more recent memories in my mind, knowing that with our proximity in this space it would actually transmit my thoughts and perspectives on the events than words could alone. I was unsure of how I knew this but chalked it up to magic. Because Magic! ¡°Oh, that seems scary. You are alright though; did you need something from me?¡± He paused for a moment with an unfocused look in his eyes before he groaned. ¡°Did you call me here just to ask me to get you a blanket and some essentials? Really?¡± I could tell he was a little irritated as he assumed I was only wanting to use him as a metaphysical pack mule, but I swear I had other things to talk about! ¡°So¡­ Thanks for the pie!¡± I said instead of answering, ¡°Also, thanks a lot for everything else. The letter helped me stay a little more stable though I lost a bit of that an hour ago.¡± He nodded in my direction, ceding to my stressful day in confinement. ¡°Okay, next point of business. You can talk now, here and I assume out there with other people.¡± He nodded again at my obvious statement, ¡°What name have you been using? I have no idea what to say when I talk about you or to you.¡± His face lit with a grin at my question, as if he had been wanting me to ask that very question, which I honestly knew because of the link we shared. Adding voice to it though made it more of an intimate question and sharing of knowledge than it would have been if I had just pulled it from his memories that were buried in our shared consciousness. ¡°I was thinking about calling myself Corvin, a word from your old world.¡± Said my raven familiar. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Why Corvin?¡± I was curious, though I remembered the meaning from old Latin as a form of raven. That fact surprised me only before I thought about how lazy it was to pick a name that was the embodiment of a physical characteristic instead of being somewhat original; that line of thought ended when I remembered my own name meant Olive in a similar language. Yeah, it all made so much sense now. He smiled again, having read my thought stream. I was right, and he knew it. Unfair. ¡°So, Corvin.¡± I said, enjoying the smile that it brought to his worried face. ¡°You were right, of course. I would love a blanket! And a pillow!¡± He rolled his eyes at my confirmation of his assumptions, ¡°Anything else, your highness? You do realize I sleep on a branch in the forest, or on dirty rooftops, right? I have zero sympathy for your rough accommodations.¡± I could feel the inferred air quotes around his description of my plight. Mean. ¡°Could you possibly ask Sicily or Doogan if they know of any items I could use for conjuring elementals? I have a feeling I will be able to get some powerful helpers for the day after tomorrow if I can secure some new elemental sources.¡± I relayed what I had learned so far of my spell, its spiritual aspects, and the power of the beings I contracted when using the full scope of the spell while Corvin nodded along as he listened. ¡°So, you named your earth elemental, a being of spiritual might and majesty, Rocky?¡± he made a scoffing sound before finishing, ¡°And you insult my choice of name, lame.¡± ¡°It was more a passing thought of convenience, besides he seemed to like it.¡± I was genuinely surprised at the feeling of acceptance when I had named the little creature, there was no way he did not approve. ¡°Anything else you need brought in here?¡± He asked again, ¡°Also, you may want to consider tidying up, you realize there are mushrooms growing on your things, right?¡± I growled, as I knew that he knew what those were for. ¡°I know, but it seems like your plans have changed. I do not think that your first path will work now that you are no longer in with the general populace, gen-pop comes up from your memories as the right word.¡± He said as his eyes unfocused for just a moment, ¡°Why is it that your mind has so many negative reactions to that word, oh, never mind.¡± ¡°Okay, okay. I suppose you are right, but the mushrooms and potatoes will not expire here. I doubt they can even grow as time does not pass in this space.¡± I responded, wanting to defend my little collection. ¡°Wrong!¡± he said, ¡°I discovered something you did not it seems.¡± ¡°What do you mean, the skill even says that things don¡¯t age in here.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. It does say that.¡± He admitted, ¡°Though one thing that is missed is the exchange of time.¡± ¡°What?¡± I was genuinely lost for a moment before his thoughts began trickling through my own mental barrier. ¡°You are here now, while here time is stilled out there as you are removed from it. If I left here to get your things but you stayed, I would be frozen out there as time passes here. Time must keep flowing, this skill only alters the river of time to flow down a different path.¡± He continued, affecting the cadence of a British professor. ¡°By being here, you make time flow here, though it seems at a very reduced speed, while this affect ceases when you leave the space. The way I see it, this place only exists within the stream of time while being accessed.¡± Wow, just wow. ¡°I had no idea. So, what you are saying is that I should probably be eating those meat pies soon if I plan to be in this space more often?¡± Another eyeroll. ¡°What I am saying is you have less than two days before Doogan has his little group of guild members raiding your location to free you, and that you should be as ready as possible to escape.¡± ¡°Should I not stay and help fight after I get loose, maybe aid in the rescue of the other people here?¡± I said, not wanting to cut bait and run away from a fight, a fight that was mostly happening due to my own involvement. ¡°Listen, I know how awesome you think you are. I also know you are not as impressive as you think you are, you should face reality and realize that getting away saves the better fights the need to worry about protecting you while they are fighting a force of unknown strength.¡± He continued after breathing, ¡°You should know that as soon as Doogan mobilizes and leave town here that the spies that woman has in place will probably alert her to the raid, we need you ready for that. And before you yell at me or claim to know better, I was told to let you know that your big sister is the one who said to do just that.¡± I grumbled about it in what I believed to be an audible manner, letting me thoughts on the matter radiate out from me like steam from a kettle before I relented and slowly nodded to the uppity bird-boy. ¡°I¡¯ll be the responsible coward and run away, fine.¡± ¡°Olea¡­ It is not cowardice to retreat from a battle you cannot be useful in. We both know that in time you and I will be much better at this than we are now. Besides, Sicily is going to be all alone and worried about her sweet little sister until you show up back in town, safe.¡± He continued after watching my safe soften at the words, the manipulative little punk, ¡°Also, Lenn and Keen are both asking around town to try and find you, seems they took your lectures about hard work to mind and got all the local orphans to sign on as junior guild-members. They still live in a warehouse, but I think Doogan got them a regular supplier of cheap food in exchange for them taking over some of the small messenger service routes in town.¡± It seemed that a lot of happened since I had been away from town, I was surprised to learn about the orphans doing odd jobs and not being as orphan-like, almost as surprising as Doogan doing something that outed him as being the softy we all knew he was. ¡°Okay, well¡­ You get those things for me, elemental summoning reagents and a blankie, maybe some more food. Hot food, and maybe some coffee?¡± I asked hopefully. ¡°You do know that Doogan has set down rules that anything handed over is paid for out of your pocket, right?¡± Corvin explained, not letting me forget the toll my request would have on my financial situation when I returned, ¡°That knife was six small silvers.¡± I was aghast at the number, ¡°That¡¯s nearly all my savings.¡± ¡°No, that was more than your savings, at this point you are in debt, and I think you should thank the guild charter that Doogan cannot charge interest to members in good standing.¡± Replied my feathered friend. ¡°That stingy old codger.¡± I said, more for something to say than from any actual anger. I knew it was done to help me in a way that was not an obvious handout. ¡°All that aside, what are you planning to do now?¡± asked Corvin the ever shifty. I appreciated his attempt to get me thinking about things not involving the perilous debt that future me would suffer through, though I was somewhat at a loss on how to answer. ¡°I guess I can try to get some things sorted out, maybe finish getting to that next shiny rank by using my existing elementals. I am very curious about what happens when I break through to the next rank.¡± I said, accepting the topic switch as my mind changed direction. Corvin chuckled at me as he held a hand to his chin, rubbing at a beard that was not present. I really hoped he did not feel the need to incorporate a beard into his transformation, it would not suit him. ¡°I think you will really appreciate what happens at Capable. I have learned a little from the guild members back at the hall and most of the younger folks have recently gotten there, it should be quite the surprise when it happens!¡± He laughed in a conspiratorial fashion after he finished speaking, clearing letting me know he would say nothing more. I was tempted to delve into his memories but respected the choice to keep it a surprise. Forming boundaries would be good for our relationship going forward. ¡°Fine, lets call it a day then.¡± I began before he smiled and pulled something from behind his back, ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°Presents from the Mr. and Mrs. Baker.¡± He said simply. ¡°Bread!¡± I took the bag quickly and tucked it under my arm, I could feel the warmth of the oven still clinging to the loaves, and the smell was wafting from the loosely tied bag of bountiful goodness while I held it. Food first, experience gathering after! Corvin laughed, knowing I had zero control over my bodily actions where food was concerned. I would totally need to exercise some of this goodness away later, but my magic infused diet had stopped most of the adverse effects of an inconsistent nutrition level. The benefit of magical calories was wonderful. ¡°Thanks Olea.¡± Corvin said, for no obvious reason before he faded out of the vault. I was a little confused as to why he would thank me when he was the one doing all the work, and making sure I was safe and well supplied but I accepted the heartfelt emotion behind it, nonetheless. I popped back to normal time, resuming my position in the river analogy. It took only a second before I felt the familiar tugging of the Soul Vault being triggered. Did we forget something, I wondered for only a moment before I invoked the skill once again. ¡°Okay, what did we forget this time-.¡± I began to lament the interruption even as a very anxious and clearly distraught green-haired elf-girl attacked me. ¡°Olea! Oh my god, I am so scared. You need to help me!¡± she cried. Every fiber of my being demanded that I hold the girl and never let go, seeing such dread clear in her expression and only getting worse as time wore on. Had I not just seen her smiling this morning, what in the world could have happened between then and now. ¡°Slow down, slow down. We should start with what is going on. Why are you so upset, and yeah.¡± I was almost stammering as my heart took control of my words, I needed to calm down a little to be of any use, if I could ¡°Start from the beginning.¡± She started crying even as I held her there, soaking through the thin dirt-stained material of my well-abused clothing. I had absolutely no idea how to handle another woman in distress, what would Dear Abbey say right now¡­ ¡°I think¡­¡± She sobbed again, clear lines of precipitous nostril juice dripping with tears onto my sleeve, ¡°I think I¡¯m about to die.¡± Her words chilled my heart and almost destroyed the small amount of projected safety I was aiming to project to put her at ease. What the hell was I supposed to say to that! Chapter 55 - A Chance at Hope The Soul Vault, Troug, 13th. Olea Munroe It was a matter of several minutes before Merry calmed enough, her body slowly reaching a level of stability that allowed her to stand without crushing her weight against me. Her emerald-green hair cascading like a thick curtain of willow branches to hide her form as I looked down at her, a feat only possible as she was bowed low with her heavy emotions. It was a few more minutes before I interrupted the heavy silence with any form of speech. I was honestly unsure of how to respond to a declaration as bold as being about to die. I was quite frankly even more thankful now for the freezing of time within this space; maybe there was hope. ¡°Why do you think you are about to die?¡± I cautiously asked, still holding her barely trembling form in an awkward hug. It took another long minute before Merry stood straighter and backed away, running an arm over her eyes and then under her nose to wipe away the various signs of her crying. It was a little gross to see the snot pulling away from her nose in a sting attached to her finger, but I thought it would be bad form to judge in her current state of mind. I had been a lot more uncivilized in the past few weeks. ¡°Before I came here¡­¡± she started before hiccupping and shaking with another sob, she was a wreck. ¡°Take your time, we do have time here.¡± Was all the comfort I could offer her for the moment. I wanted to know what was going on, but I knew better than to force anyone in to working their trauma, especially as it seemed that she was still in the situation that was causing all this drama. She looked around the place again, still shedding those puffy-eyed tears; it pained me to see her so hurt after seeing her so lively only an hour ago. What could have happened? ¡°Does time really not move while we are here?¡± she asked, stifling another sob with her sleeve. She was dressed in a very colorful floral dress with just the right combination of vibrant colors to add a contrast to her long green hair and blue-green eyes. I wondered if her eyes changed colors the way mine did, or if they were just blue and I was catching some reflection of her hair in those distraught windows of the soul; like a forest reflecting on a stained-glass window of some secluded monastery. I shook the thoughts away; we were discussing important matters, and I had no time for my usual lack of focus. ¡°As far as we can tell, yes.¡± I said, ¡°It does move in here, with us, but out there everything has stopped. Kind of like a river in the sea with a storm¡­ Okay, I cannot remember exactly but we should be good.¡± Confusion clouded her face for a moment as she thought about it, at least the distraction served to help her find her emotional balance; I was better she was a science-nerd or some other scholarly type of person. They loved weird explanations for unexplained things. ¡°Well, I think I am dying, or dead already. I do not know, maybe?¡± I came in here the moment it all happened, ¡°I cannot believe I left her there like that, but I was so scared and shocked.¡± ¡°Left who and where?¡± I asked. I needed to keep the conversation going so she did not focus too much on any single thing. ¡°Abby, I left her there. She was looking down at my face when I came here. We were walking near the guild hall when it happened.¡± The color drained from her already pale face as she seemed to recall something, ¡°By the gods, she was still holding my hand standing there!¡± I stepped forward to catch the girl in case she fell. I was beginning to think it might be too late to help her even if I escaped right this instant. ¡°Okay back up a second, holding your hand and looking down at you seems hard to do while in the street and walking.¡± I started, now more confused as I tried to assemble the scene in my head. ¡°Could you tell me what happened leading up to this, did someone drop a piano on you?¡± I knew the attempt at levity was uncalled for, and quite likely to pass over the head of anyone not from earth but my brain does not always follow the normal schema for these types of conversations. I was totally the wrong person for this kind of talk. ¡°I think, I think someone cut my head off. I can remember seeing Abby holding my hand standing beside my body even as it crumpled and looking down at where my head landed in the street.¡± Merry dropped to her knees faster than I could get my arms under her, ¡°I have no idea what to do now, I cannot die yet, we barely had any time together. It is not fair!¡± Oh no. I knelt in front of Merry looking at the space her eyes would occupy if she looked up again, I remembered reading somewhere that it was a good tactic to help people gain stability when shock began to ebb from a person¡¯s body. I had no idea if it would work, but I had nothing else to do, instead I said, ¡°Abby is important then?¡± I was starting to think that I could at least help her accept the current situation more easily. There was a certain thing particular about us that could help her cope, or at least ease her worry somewhat. That is, if she had the same skills as I did. Soul skills were supposed to be unique to each person, but I was thinking that ours were more intrinsically linked than that. I was counting on one or two specifically, and with the small hint slipped to me by Help-chan long ago I believed it was not quite as bleak as Merry thought it was and I sure as hell hoped I was right. ¡°Merry, Merry listen to me. I have a question for you.¡± I whispered to her still kneeling form, she was starting to sob again, and I could not have her breaking down and losing control of the skill; it would be too late to help her help herself by then. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. I will admit to thinking of an old rhyme as I repeated her name, something from the depths of my childhood, but I quickly dismissed it. I could focus when the situation called for it, though I would probably be using it when we met outside someday. It took a while but Merry eventually looked up and met my eyes. None of this could work unless there was still a person there willing and able to listen, and hope. I was thankful for her nature as an individual who could be distracted with mental exercise because I was only going from a vague sense of things and a hope that it would all pan out as I thought it would. ¡°There we go.¡± I said, trying for a supportive if generic form communication. She did another one of those hiccup-sob-slobber things that were common among anyone who has had an exceptionally long cry, it was so very full of guilt, grief, and loss. ¡°You had a question.¡± She stated more than asked as she straightened herself up a bit assuming some vague cross-legged sitting position. Her eyes were still somewhat puffy and red, but I could see her mentally shoving the pain aside for a change in topic. Brave, bold, or stubborn; whichever it was I could work with it. ¡°Do you have the other Soul Skills, most importantly Soul Link and Soul Vessel?¡± If she had those skills, it would solidify my vague suspicions regarding the use of the latter skill, if she had the first it could help alleviate her stress about her impending death if only a by a little. I was sure dying would hurt a lot. ¡°Yes, they were some of my first skills, have you used them as well?¡± she said as her eyes unfocused, and it appeared that she was reading through a mental checklist. ¡°Good, good. I have a small inkling that you will not really die when you leave.¡± I began. I explained as she listened. I told her of my thoughts on death for us, I explained my feelings about the vessel and linking skills. I shared with her the small amount of information I had gathered since arriving here, all the subtle hints I received about circumventing death at least partially. I was also fairly sure we would die if we all expired at the same time, but I believed that so long as we were not all dead that we would get a chance to return, though in what form and how long that could take I was still unsure of. Merry, to her credit followed along the entire time I was shooting out my theories without uttering a word. I could see her own hope rekindling and her mood lightening ever so slightly. She may not be entirely sold on the idea; but she had hope again. Hope was a tricky mistress, always elusive and easily lost but once you found her, she could be the greatest ally one could have. It was just so much easier to allow hate, apathy, and fear to grow that sometimes you lost her altogether. As her mood shifted to one with a brighter perspective, I broached the other topic. ¡°How do you feel about your Abby, do you trust her?¡± I asked, ¡°Could you trust her with all your secrets, and could you trust her to be able to stand up to the danger that I am rather sure is going to follow us down a very long rabbit hole?¡± Merry opened her mouth to speak and then stopped, mouth still poised to utter some word or another. It formed a perfectly adorable little O with her mouth. I was tempted to interject with something akin to saying ahh like they do at the doctor. She must have caught the slight uplift of my mouth as I hid a giggle as she closed her mouth before nodding to me. ¡°I do. I could trust her with my heart, mind, and soul.¡± she said resolutely. The space we were in seemed to shudder as if struck with the weight of her words, the vague nothingness beyond the room resonating with some hidden power and meaning. I had zero clues about that particular response though. ¡°Okay, you are going to need to take a big leap of faith then.¡± I started, breaking the odd air of suspense that hung heavy after her proclamation. ¡°I recommend you use Soul Link the moment you exit here, that will allow you to find her after whatever happens is done happening and you can get back. That is also assuming that your town does not have a priest that can just resurrect you somehow.¡± Even as I spoke the words my mind was already checking the system to see if such a spell even existed, and yep, it was there. Resurrection: Prerequisites ¨C Revitalize ¨C Heal. And because I was even more curious, I checked the requirements for those spells. Revitalize: Prerequisites ¨C Holy Word ¨C Cure Sickness. Heal: Prerequisites ¨C Cure Wounds ¨C Cure Blindness ¨C Remove Poison ¨C Vigor. And it seemed as if clerics had quite a long path of skills to follow. ¡°I doubt the town priest has that spell, though I cannot say that I would resent him for surprising me with it.¡± Merry smirked a bit as she finished speaking, it reminded me of the first time we met here. Hours before when her world was still a bit brighter. ¡°Now, I know you are probably a bit frightened still, and I do not envy the situation you are returning to, but we cannot stay in here forever.¡± I delivered the truth of our situation as politically as I could, knowing that with all the things we had already discussed that she was as ready for what was to come as we could get her. Anything now would be a delaying step, something that would merely increase the hold on her by all those negative possibilities. ¡°Yeah, I get it.¡± She stated simply, ¡°It is past the time that I should face the music.¡± She jumped to her feet then, catching me off guard as she wrapped me up in a hug with a whispered thank you in the ear. Then she made it doubly awkward by pulling back from the hug just enough to kiss me full on the lips before she left the space. Weird but not unpleasant behavior; I was putting that up there on the pre-death, stress-relief delirium. I slipped from the space between and then used my own skill. Shared Senses. I was immediately hit with the pain, a burning thing at the base of her neck and my other senses adjusted and aligned with Merry. She had not been kidding. I was currently looking up through her eyes and hearing the shouts and cries of the onlookers as a rugged man was putting away his bloodied sword and shouting orders to the guards around him. They were holding back the large crowd of people that had been present. Above me I could see Merry¡¯s body falling to the ground, only slowed by the arms of a person I assumed to be Abby. The girl had the brightest red hair with emerald-green eyes. She looked to be in her early twenties, with all the proper proportions. I could tell at a glance that she was most likely a caster type as she only wore a dagger on her hip, and she lacked that air of potential violence I had seen in so many fighters at the guild. Right now, her face was an ugly mask of shock and fear as she stared at me, or rather the head that I was looking out at the world from. She held her gaze on Merry¡¯s severed head even as she followed the body to the ground from twenty feet away. I was thinking that Merry was lucky that her head had stopped rolling when it did so she could witness that at least her lover was safe, though it must be quite awful to be able to see the life leaving the eyes of your lover while you held the rest of them in your arms. This was a mess. I had no idea why I had bothered to be here except that I felt a need to see the end for Merry if we were wrong. I would at least remember the face of the bastard who had committed such a heinous act. I focused again on the man, searing his visage into my memory for later use, he would not be getting away with this; he and whoever had sent him. I could sense the world slowing and growing cold through Merry¡¯s senses as the blood drained from her brain and gradually ceased its functions when the world lit up with true fire and brimstone. A pillar of fire erupted from the sky even as a gust of wind knocked Abby away from the body of her fallen love. It was a tornado of blue and orange flame nearly ten feet in width that fell into the street, swirling and spinning as it approached. I had no time to consider that I was only a passenger as I felt the pain of the fire engulf the headless body and then descend upon the soon-to-be lifeless head of one Merry Christmas Clarkson. I found myself back in my cell, covered in sweat and hyperventilating even as the notifications struck my mind, I was not even given the chance to ignore them as the words flashed across my retinas. Your Soul has been damaged. Triumvir Skill Soul Vault Engaged: Capacity Reached. And then I passed into the void of unconsciousness once again. Chapter 56 - Preparing for Advancement Olea Munroe I woke up, once again on the floor of this stupid cave, suffering from the mother of all headaches. I figured there could be some kind of reaction I could feel if the worst had happened to Merry at the time of her death but come on. How was it fair that I had to deal with all the pain of the situation. Okay, that might not be right. She is the one that died after all. Soul damage did not seem to be a laughing matter though. Very painful stuff, I could still feel a deep ache in my everything. My legs were stiff and sore, my back ached, my arms were freezing, my feet were numb, and for some reason even my chest was hurting. Sure, most of that could maybe be blamed on the cold surface I had fallen asleep on, but really what the bloody hell. I made it to my feet, really wishing I had a chair to sit on. I looked back at the only well-formed seat in the room and decided that it was not a very appealing place to rest. It may not smell the way something of its nature should but the thought of what happened there made it very unappealing. I was extremely glad that my diet consisted of mostly magical food now, and I could avoid making use of it to a greater degree than the former tenants. I decided to lean against the wall to recover my wits, taking note of the fact that my resources, excluding some stamina, were mostly full. I had to wonder at the missing stamina for a moment since I had just woken up. Did it really take six stamina to stand up and then sit down or was this some sort of effect of the damage to my soul or even moving with mild injuries and soreness? It was probably best to figure all this out some time, but I had no idea how to figure out the difference as of yet. Another thing for the future me; she would be terribly busy. Alrighty, time to get back in the game. There were things to do, and I was sure I was forgetting some of them already, but I knew that I wanted to get moving on to this next rank so I could possibly be more useful as I escaped. I know Corvin said that I should just run, run, and run some more until I got back home but I was not sure if I could leave while the party was just getting started. Could I leave while Doogan and the others were engaged with the guards above while fighting so fiercely in the name of rescuing me? Should I? I knew the right thing to do was to listen to the higher ups and hop, skip, and jump my way to freedom to avoid being a liability but that did not mean that I wanted to do these things. Again, future me concerns. ¡°Hey Rocky, are you still here? I asked. In answer to my question, or my thoughts on the subject, the small form of my earthy elemental came around the corner of my cell wall. I wondered briefly if he was standing guard or if he had simply been bored and wandered off to investigate other rocks. He looked about the same, still made of solid stone, broken up only by small cracks at the joints. I really wanted to hand him a plunger and complete his stoney Mario appearance but realized I would also be missing the hat. ¡°Okay, little guy,¡± I said to the short elemental, ¡°can you do anything about these bars?¡± I pointed and indicated the joins of rock and iron along the cave walls, hopefully being clear enough to indicate what I wanted. It would be nice if we could make some progress on just taking off the bars so I could sneak out the easy way with some judicious use of Stealth and luck. At my prompting the little guy almost shrugged as he moved over to the wall. He seemed to be just standing there for several minutes before the first sign of movement occurred. It was a subtle thing, and almost impossible to notice. Rocky stepped aside to reveal a small divot next to the bar. It was only as deep as a penny is wide and I was starting to think that this might not be the best route for escape. Who knew how deep the bars were embedded into the rock? My friend noticed my thoughts as he plopped on his side and rolled over to me. His heavy body came to a rest before colliding with my feet and he stood up by simply rocking back onto his feet without any form of bending in the joints and if he were one of those old clown style Bop-Bags that would just pop back up after you jabbed them in the nose. It was a very odd, and genuinely nice gesture all told. He even handed me a penny sized rock after he stood up. I took the coins shaped piece and put it aside in a small niche along the cave wall, saving it for later. I was not sure if there would be any stone left once his current body broke down after all, and if it did, I was equally unsure as to whether I would be near enough to him to retrieve it. That being what it was, I set it aside. It was best that I focused on what could be done now, so I took what brief time of concentration I had and shoved it toward the problem of advancement. It was high time I reached level thirteen. I cast Detect Magic from my poor postured position before beginning, it was about time I began paying more attention to the way these things worked. That and it was rather cool to see all the swirling wisps of multi-colored light while I felt the tingle of other barely seen forces along the rest of my body. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Magic may be an addictive element. I sat up straighter and tucked my legs under one another sitting like a proper meditative pupil before I began throwing out some magic. First, I pulled out my new, or new-to-me, knife and traced a small cut along my palm. I could heal it after I finished. Next up, I invoked my Create Water spell to summon forth some happy water to use as a reagent and let it mix with the blood in my cupped hands. Every time I thought of using this spell combination it felt as if I were in some cheesy eighties¡¯ movie about the occult. I just had to picture Peter Liapis standing in front of a triangle and reading a book while the faux-mystical music played. I was confident I would not get that brand of summon in my rituals, but it still felt very weird every time. I watched as the magic gathered in my hands, bonding with my blood and the water that held it. At the center of the small, gathered pool of water I could just barely make out a small circle of cerulean essence as it expanded to fill the liquid with its own hue. Like the sky reflected on a crystal-clear lake. I lowered my arms and allowed the form of my summoned elemental to flow from my cupped hands onto the hard stone a moment before the undine-like creature took shape. ¡°There you are!¡± I said, with enthusiasm if not volume. There was no need to alert some stray guard to my happiness. They were fully in the camp of preventing happiness at this point. ¡°What happened with the lizard?¡± The water elemental just kept looking at me, almost impassively. ¡°The Sand-Borne Salamander?¡± I tried using its actual name, and hoped I got it right. Still the elemental just looked at me, I could sense a growing irritation from the spirit as it stared at me, though I could not figure out why. It was then that I noticed Rocky pointing at my little conjuration with a small stoney finger fully extended as if taunting the thing. I could even make out a grin behind his mustachioed rock face. I was absolutely missing something here. ¡°Okay, what exactly is going on here you two?¡± I waited for an answer and got none from Rocky, though he did quit pointing after he saw that I had finally noticed. In my mind I felt a small bit of disappointment from the spirit, and for some reason a tinge of sympathy from my bonded familiar. I was wondering at first if he was just stalking me with our shared senses and was trying to comfort me in my ignorance before I realized the sympathy was for the water spirit. ¡®What gives?¡¯ I whispered through the link. ¡®You are so slow sometimes, Olea.¡¯ Came the quick response, ¡®Do you have such little respect for the magical creatures assisting you that you cannot even tell when they need something from you?¡¯ I thought about it for a moment, still unsure as to what could be missing here. What could Rocky have noticed and felt the need to ridicule my water spirit for that I had not noticed. ¡®Olea¡­ Olea¡­ Olea¡­¡¯ continued Corvin, ¡®I should not be surprised that it had taken you this long, it took a month for you to finally talk to me about the very same thing. Use you bond to communicate instead of talking at the spirit.¡¯ ¡®Fine!¡¯ I said into the void that was our fading link, I could still hear the caw and cackle from the other end as I muted the connection. I also realized that I had forgotten to ask after bedding. I focused on that small connection I had with all contracted elementals while wondering as to the limit of even this connection. What would happen if I had a dozen or two or these contracts; I also wondered if I could talk to them while they were on the other plane. What I got when the connection finally hardened was a sense of frustration-anger-impatience. I was quite shocked when the feelings came through and almost pulled back far enough to smack my head on the wall, I thankfully stopped just as my hair flattened to my skull. I did not want to pass out again, especially because of something so stupid. There would be no Adventures of Coma Girl series. It took a moment longer to realize why Corvin had mocked me, and why Rocky was being such a prat. I had neglected to properly name my very first spirit elemental. But I had named the earth elemental Rocky. I could not believe that the spirit was jealous of me naming the earth elemental. Something new every day. Okay, here goes nothing. ¡°I will call you Selene.¡± I said simply, before elaborating with a little bit of pomp, ¡°It is the name of the Greek goddess of the moon in my home world, and as you remind me of the early night sky, I think it would fit you very well. Any complaints?¡± The elemental dropped her form and turned into a flat puddle, making not a single splash in the transformation as if reluctant to let any of her essence be abandoned. Water tension at work or just plain magic? Who knows? I got a mix of happier emotions from the elemental as she rose from her puddle state in a more exaggerated female form, complete with the rough ring of darker blue circling under her seaweed like flowing hair. She had a lot more definition now and I was wondering if the name itself had imbued more meaning into her spirit. I did recall that some cultures insisted that names not only gave people power over you but also had the potential to strengthen you when given. Something to consider. Rocky was less amused as I saw him kick a fake pebble with his foot in an awe-shucks kind of act. It was cute. Getting all that situated I decided to buff up the party, it was time to get back into killing the evil fish and reptile population of the cave¡¯s waterway. I burned ninety mana popping up Selene and did a quick check to see what I had regenerated in the meantime. Mana: 148/214. Goody. I beckoned my friends to come closer as I spelled up the party, I would be sending them both into the tunnels this time. Though I did my best to not think of the fact that they would be needing to enter via the toilet, I did not want them to pick up on the negative connotations that the trip entailed and subsequently revolt. I dropped ten mana on Armor, fifteen mana on Protection from Evil, and ten mana on Water Walk for Rocky. I started the same for Selene noticed that both Water Walk and Armor failed to stick, wasting twenty mana. After some thought I spent another forty mana on Detect Aura and Detect Magic for the pair leaving me with thirty-nine mana remaining. I guess I had regenerated only one point of mana between all those spells, it seems I forgot that mana begets mana and that a lack of total mana would negatively affect my regeneration. After doing the math and seeing that I was basically at eighteen percent of my total I realized that I was probably sitting at around forty percent of my normal regeneration level. I was quite glad I had no more need for magic now and decided to move on. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s all set,¡± I said to my pair of elemental spirits, ¡°Time to go!¡± They sat there watching me with unblinking eyes for minutes before I had recalled that I had not shared my plan with them, so I spent a few minutes letting them know that I wanted them to traverse the tunnel network and waterways in search of the more blatantly annoying creatures to kill. I did not want to accidentally kill something cute like an otter or platypus. Granted I had no idea whether they existed as such in this world, but I would take no chances; I had morals, sort of. They took the plan in stride and made their way to the portal of the tunnel system while I did my best to not think of it as a potty system. I took almost a half second as they headed into the waterways to debate on the use of the Soul Vault as a private facility before I recalled that my physical body never left this plane even as I traveled back and forth. Oh well. As they plopped down into the water below, I set in to using Shared Senses to follow along, not even bothering to approach the toilet to view their landing. It was time to go hunting. Chapter 57 - Teamwork Olea Munroe I chose to hook into Selene, riding along on her senses as she dropped into the flowing water below. The small river of water was flowing steadily and quickly through the caverns, drawn on by gravity and its own established momentum. The cave network inside the hollow of the waterway was smoothed to fine perfection at the water level with small stalactites of many assorted colors that might have indicated something other than their age to someone more learned than me. Though you did not need to be well-studied to appreciate the many shades of blue, green, orange, and white that collared the small spires reaching downward. I felt more than heard a splash through Selene¡¯s body when Rocky landed nearby. It seemed that the Water Walk spell did work as I could see him drop into the water. The surface seemed to bend downward like a stretched trampoline before he could pierce the layer of tension. He continued to bob along with his stubby feet springing along on top of the water. Selene flowed toward Rocky as he climbed to the edge of the small water ways edges. It seemed that there was a type of shelf running the length of the underground system. It was nearly as smooth as the submerged portions of the cavern, which made me think that it was underwater for some period of its existence, possibly the earlier weeks of spring. Selene moved up to stand with Rocky on the shelf as they scanned the area. His head moving about slowly, along with most of his torso. He must have detected something as he began trotting off in an almost sliding stomp. Selene followed the clomping steps of Rocky as they wandered down the narrow walk near the flowing water. Her own field of vision panning left and right while keeping the earth golem in sight. It was strange in that I could not detect her head moving as her vision did, she just shifted her view somehow to see through a different section of her form with a thought. Or so it seemed to me at the time. Ahead of us on the shelf I could just now see the form of a creature that resembled a large centipede. It had a vast multitude of legs, and a thick rust-colored shell segmented down its body. I could also see a large spine extended from its posterior that looked like it would cause no small injury to the creature¡¯s prey. Its head housed four small black orbs that served as the thing¡¯s eyes and a pair of mandibles was currently busy snipping away at the remains of a rat-like creature. It somehow sensed the presence of my summoned elementals and turned to greet them with a clacking of its creepy mouthparts. I guessed that the creature was probably close to two feet in length. Rocky made the first move, having not stopped to observe the beast at all before attacking. Straight into the ring. I watched as Rocky bowled into the creature and was quickly wrapped up as the thing seemed to flow over his small body, avoiding the stone fists and legs of my stalwart stone-man. It ran along his body jabbing with its steely knife of an appendage. I could not sense any real damage being done but knew that I might be missing something in the quick movement. Selene moved in closer, and I saw her arms extending into small thick whips only moments before they shot out and struck the creature any time its body separate from Rocky, and a few times that it did not. Rocky for his part was taking the abuse quite well and it was not long before he managed to snag a segment of the creature and secure it to the ground stopping most of the creature¡¯s movement. The beast proved to be quite slick though as it wormed its way free, losing a few legs in the process. It continued its assault on its dense attacker, occasionally being pinned down again only to free itself shortly after. Selene continued her assault, though her senses had told me that she was planning something else. I could almost taste it. Like, really. Moments after the beast regained its footing from another grapple with Rocky, I could taste something in Selene¡¯s mouth, and then it happened. A small jet of condensed water shot from her mouth and onto the face of the centipede. This was more than just water; it had a green-gray tint to it that made me think poison. Apparently, my elemental had some other skills up its sleeve. The insect did not seem to recognize the poison as it clacked its mandibles and swung its tail, still trying to penetrate my earthen friends¡¯ hard exterior. I would have doubted the effectiveness myself had I not noticed the discoloration that was spreading along the carapace of the centipede. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. As the small battle continued Selene delivered two more doses of poison to the creature, splashing some onto Rocky in the process. I never saw the poison bothering the tough little guy, and it took me a moment to realize that poison probably would not work on a creature made entirely of stone that possessed no circulatory system, at least for blood. I would have made a note to study it later, but I did not think I would ever develop the desire to study elemental physiology. Okay, I knew I would never really commit to such lessons; maybe I could get cliff notes from Merry. That seemed like a much better idea. At that moment Rocky managed to get a good grip on the mandibles that had been striking relentlessly into his hardened body and began pulling them apart even as he rolled the creature under his body. The tail began thwacking onto Rockys back hitting repeatedly until the spine at the end of the tail snapped away. This of course made the creature struggle even harder as it attempted to dislodge its stony attacker. Selene stood back and watched as the mighty hero defeated the evil centipede by lifting its head and ramming it into the solid surface of the shelf underneath. This action, combined with the weakening of its exoskeleton from the liberal doses of what I knew to be a poison of some kind, made it a matter of time before the stalemate ended in a gooey mess. The entire fight consisted of five minutes of wrestling with a glorified garden hose monstrosity and a creature that just refused to get tired, while the assassin waited for poison to kill the competition. Poor matchup for the agility-reliant centipede. You have killed: Bronze Centipede [Level 11] 50 Experience Per level, Minus Ten Percent for Level Difference. Experience Till Next Level: 1,615 remaining of 25,000. One down, a few more to go. The scene filled in some gaps as to how Selene had been killing things before, she had a partner. She was physically weak in her current state, but I assumed that would change as I leveled up. Being able to just poison a creature and wander off while it died, thus getting me some beautiful experience was a benefit to being made of water. One had to wonder what was so special about the sand born salamander that had put a stop to it earlier. Either way I was tired of looking at the gunky remains of the ugly beast on the ground and I think Selene agreed as she motioned to Rocky, and they both headed off further into the watery tunnels. Several small encounters occurred over the course of the next hour, small creatures all. A collection of spiders and other small cave vermin fell to my friends. I felt somewhat sorry for the snail before Rocky broke open its shell and revealed the small mammals in various states of decomposition tucked up into its shell. Appearances truly were deceiving when snails could become such vicious scavengers. The experience offered was miniscule but did add up over time even as the penalty for killing creatures that were sometimes five levels below me took more than half the experience. Yes, I felt like a true murder-hobo as the creatures of the cave fell before the dutiful duo of Rocky and Selene. I had shifted my senses back to the cell for a few moments between bouts to make sure no one was keeping an eye on me or investigating why I would possibly be sitting against the wall unmoving. As I could only vaguely notice things that were happening to my physical form while sharing senses through this link, it all just felt so distant and unreal while piggybacking with Selene. I only saw more guards walking to and from the tunnel, many more than were present before though none of them stopped to gawk at me in my dimly lit cell. They were all so confident that I would be going nowhere. After all the slaughter I was not only a meager ten experience from reaching level thirteen. I was extremely excited to learn what the fuss about ranks was all about, and that might be why the deity of fate stepped in to present a chance at revenge for my friend. We rounded a small curve in the tunnels as the water descended picking up speed as it went, creating sounds like distant thunder and I noticed that around the curve of the limestone walls was a steep drop into a darker tunnel as the water cascaded down a large collection of small falls each adding a depth of echoing reverberation to the sound in the cavern. I had a thought then, it appeared that this entire section was most likely filled with water during peak levels of rain, the smooth ceiling above giving me some confidence in the idea. All that aside, I did not fail to notice a bright shaft of light coming from another chute that led upward in the center of the larger shelf that probably served as a spillway or something similar when the water speed or volume picked up. I saw a diverse collection of loose pebbles and scattered debris across the expanse created by the weather of the narrower walls at this portion of the cave system, countless years having carved away the rock to allow a clearer view of what was on the other side. It was like an S-bend curve that wound its way through a flattened stretch of desert, the former walls now only visible as occasional shafts and pillars of stone reaching part way up to the ceiling. Sitting in the center of the curving channel under the solitary shaft of filtered light was what I assumed to be the victor of Selene¡¯s earlier fight. The Sand-Borne Salamander. I noticed that Selene had stopped moving as my point of view had not changed after several moments, and I felt the mental prodding that signaled her attempt at communicating intent toward me. I would have greatly appreciated a clearer bond with her, like the one I shared with Corvin, but her desire was clear; she wanted a rematch. I gazed at the creature through her eyes, knowing I could just nudge them toward nailing that last little bit of experience I needed to rank up somewhere else. I could even see some bats on the ceiling and noticed a few exceptionally large spiders in webs near the walls. Not to mention that I saw another slow-moving snail not twenty feet away. Somehow though, I sensed that Selene wanted to tackle this thing as we were. Sitting at the novice rank punching up at the next rank as we avenged her earlier nameless form. I really could not bring myself to deny her the chance to avenge her former vessels defeat. I gritted my metaphysical teeth and shouted through the link one simple phrase, tried and true for many, many years back on earth. ¡°Round two, FIGHT!¡± Chapter 58 - Stubbornness as a Virtue Large Cave Expanse near Eldor Olea Munroe After my agreement with the current course of action, and my subsequent relaying of the information to Rocky, we were all on the same page. It was time to roll. My team moved forward; Rocky heading straight toward the beast while Selene moved off to the right to come at it from the side. The salamander for its part, was warily watching them as they parted from one another. It had seen my elementals and was deciding on its own course of action. I took a moment to study the creature as we traversed the cave. I took note of its mottled brown and gray skin, it also had small flecks of black, green, and red dotting its body. The two large yellow and green striped eyes were swiveling in their sockets, broken up in the center by a slanted split iris. The beast appeared to be nearly three feet in length, with nearly half of that being its lengthy tail. It had two thick rear legs and two narrow legs at the front, each topped with toes that ended with webbed digits that ended with short, thin, and sharp claws. As we approached, I saw the creature part its lips for the briefest moment and shoot a narrow beam of sand at Rocky. Rocky was of course unfazed as he was composed of hard rock, though I could see how that strategy may have been quite effective in its earlier fight with Selene. Now that I was thinking about the past fight, I gave another look at the body of the creature, surely Selene would have left some mark on the beast. It did not take long to find the evidence of their earlier fight now that I knew some of Selene¡¯s capabilities. Above the front leg, near the shoulder, was a large patch of skin that was several shades greener and more yellowed than any other section of the creature¡¯s body. He had not quite healed from all the previous fight¡¯s damage. A moment later Rocky had engaged, launching himself at the lizard¡¯s front legs attempting to brings it body down to the ground for a good wrestle, I was beginning to doubt his planning ability as he rolled forward under the now-raised leg of the creature. I watched as a stream of water ejected from Selene¡¯s mouth, feeling the substance leave her body and the minor subsequent drain on her body. It would make sense that she could not use the skill without some cost, I was assuming that she gave up some of her own body¡¯s fluid and a bit of energy when converting it into a projectile poison. It was a good thing we had water aplenty down here. The water splashed across the lizard¡¯s side and slowly dripped to the cave floor. In its wake was a slightly paler portion of flesh, though I did notice that Selene had managed to get some to once again cover the weaken area I had noticed prior. It showed a greater level of damage and discoloration as the poisoned liquid fell away, as some places were now taking on the appearance of first- and second-degree burns. Rocky by this time had gotten to his feet, and just in time to see the lizard hop to the left before swinging to bring its tail around and smash into the little plumber-pot. He went rolling another ten feet before he stopped with his head buried in a pile of loose sand and gravel. The lizard then shot a glare at Selene as it leapt toward her location, she had drawn agro. Selene dropped to the ground, taking on the form of a thickened puddle to flow across the ground, passing the shadow of the creature that was still airborne and quickly reforming into her humanoid shape to shoot another stream of poison at the creature¡¯s underbelly. The shot contacted the rear of the body, splashing along the inside of the legs and mostly soaking the tail. Even now I could see the pale poison discoloring the sandy skin of the beast. It was slow, but I once again marveled at her abilities. She was as effective as a kid with a super powered squirt gun. Always dodging and running off while the giggled only to wait for you to tire and fire again. I was not a highly active individual, ok. The kids at some of the foster families were just evil demons possessed of far greater stamina and energy than was natural so of course I would lose in those types of confrontations. Alas, the older children, the ones my age would never deign to acknowledge others in such situations. No, by then most of us had just been living by rote, sticking to a routine of apathy or feigned superiority. But, enough of that. The salamander hit the ground, absorbing the momentum with its legs and it wheeled about, tail swinging wide to collide with an until then standing Rocky. He went skidding across the ground again, though not nearly as far this time. Selene was prepping another blast of poison as the salamander lined its body up with her. As the poison left her body, Selene was struck by the lizard¡¯s long tongue. It hit her like a fleshy rock, and the small barbs on its bulbous end punctured her watery form. I sensed her body sag by a small amount of the tongue was retracted, quickly coiling back into the mouth of the salamander. I had never heard of a salamander possessing a frog¡¯s tongue, or even that the tongue could be used as a weapon; live and learn. The creature seemed to frown slightly as it tasted the small amount of poison Selene had managed to expel before the tongue had made contact, served it right. Selene for her part was still standing though I could feel small tremors in her body as it adjusted to the decreased volume. I was beginning to think she should step aside for a recharge and let Rocky take another hit or two even as she tore off to the left in response to the beast lunging forward to gobble her up. It slid to a stop, mouth closing on empty air as it twirled around swinging its tail and just missing Rocky as he barreled forward. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. He jumped from his flat ponderous run and made some good vertical progress before he wrapped his arms around the neck of the beast and began to squeeze. I, myself, was happy that Rocky had ended his comedic relief role and finally helped in the battle. Selene seemed to agree as she paused for a moment, absorbing some of the moisture from the air. It did not feel as if it would be quite enough for sustaining her, it would do for now. She moved forward as the beast reared up and shook its long body to dislodge Rocky and thwart his chokehold. It took but a moment before she was under the creature and shooting a stream of liquid under its chin, all along its neck below the spot Rocky had wrapped himself. The poisoned water splashed all along its chest, covering its neck and chin, and even splashing harmlessly onto Rocky. I was not yet sure why Rocky seemed to be immune to what I was beginning to assume was a somewhat acidic liquid but pushed the thought away to be more of a future Olea problem. The beast quickly lowered its body, hoping to shake Rocky even as it moved to respond to the elusive water spirit. Too slow was the thought I had when Selene was nearly bisected by the lengthy tail which sent her careening through the air as her form was struggling to maintain itself. There was a gash in her mid-section that went from her left side to her right, not quite making it the whole way through. A human would have been missing their intestinal track at this moment, while Selene was only losing copious amount of liquid life. Her body was slowly reforming itself as Rocky and the beast tussled in the sand at the center of our natural arena. Rocky did not look tired at all, though I did notice a spot or two on his body where a chunk of stone had been chipped away, letting a darker stone underneath be made visible. He continued squeezing the thick leathery neck even as it weakened under the poison coating its slimy skin. He sure was stubborn, and I approved. Selene herself had stopped halfway to the fight as she happened upon a small pool of water that had formed under a dripped stalactite and was busy topping off her reserves. I swear I could almost taste the high mineral content of the water as it flowed up from the ground to fill in the missing pieces. Elementals were strange. Having reached a level of equilibrium she took off, covering the distance almost as quickly as she had been when tossed aside by the offensive appendage. I watched the terrain slide by as she picked up speed and shot forward to grip the creature¡¯s tail with both arms. At first the creature paid her no attention as he was fixated on the creature slowly closing his windpipe, but then things shifted. Selene¡¯s arms stretched around to meet hand in hand as she gripped the creature¡¯s tail near the base of its spine where the merged to form a solid band of encompassing water before shifting to that off-green color of her poison. I felt the drain in her system immediately but one could not ignore the effect. The skin beneath the band was quickly turning to a sickly color, that of green mold and yellowing-brown pus before sloughing away and falling to the ground. The salamander roared out in pain, an oddly high-pitched sound with a warble of rubbery flesh as its vocal cords were taxed under the pressure of the earth golem. Selene fell to the ground as the tail separated from the body of the lizard as it shed its tail to preserve its body. My little elemental had just removed one of its weapons and caused it grievous injury. I approved. The lizard turned to glare at Selene, even as Rocky hung from its neck; his feet trailing the ground as the beast circled around. He resembled one of those oversized rock necklaces from the Flintstones in that moment, adding a little levity to an otherwise serious standoff between these tiny titans. My attention was drawn back to the now as the lizard shot its tongue forward at incredible speeds, though not quite as quickly as it had earlier. Selene noticed this as well, moving to the side before the barbs could make contact and damage her further. I had a feeling that reshaping herself with water was not enough to restore lost health or whatever represented that for my water elemental but only served as a band-aid or stand-in for much needed rest. She gripped the tongue with both arms even as it began to retract, wrapping herself around it just above the barbed tip. The lizards slitted eyes gaped as the tongue entered its mouth and then all I could see was darkness. I realized the issue as Selene was now in the cavity served as the little beast¡¯ skull and switched my focus to Rocky. My sense seemed to shift again as I swapped elementals. Rocky had senses that were slightly more off-putting than those of Selene. His vision worked in shades of gray with less focus given to stationary objects, making things that moved stand out with elevated clarity. I could feel the vibrations of each impact as the beast moved between the wrapped arms of my elemental along with the sloshing of water that was Selene in her puddled form. The ground below occasionally sent sharp thrums of impacting energy up from Rocky¡¯s feet as he was bounced along, though his grip never faltered. I had at first thought he was blindly holding on as it was the first grip he had managed to secure but now, as the beast made retching sounds, and I felt it trying to swallow I realized that Rocky was just exceedingly early in his claiming of a tactical position. Yes, he was slow, and he got knocked around quite a bit. It was funny and it was seemingly pointless at the time, but now that the battle had reached this stage I could see that it was a well thought out, if poorly timed, strategy. As Selene was inside the beast mouth and unable to be forcibly removed by the slowly dying creature Rocky was doing his best to stop the thing from swallowing his teammate. I was unsure of the wisdom in swallowing a creature that could become poisonous, but the lizard had defeated Selene while she was alone and I could surmise that maybe her death in a vat of stomach acid would negate future damage and at least allow the creature to begin regenerating again, if not very slowly. Rocky was putting a stop to that with dogged determination. I could feel the heartbeat of the lizard slowing even as its body warmed. The skin around Rocky¡¯s arms was beginning to soften and lose cohesion. I swapped back to Selene and saw that light had begun invading the creature¡¯s mouth via small gaps created by the loss of flesh along its jaw. I regretted my choice to swap bodies as I was now watching the inner workings of a soon-to-be-dead salamander. The tongue was an oozing mess loosely hanging out of its mouth even as Selene continued delivering a toxic payload down its ever-eroding throat. This slow agonizing death was finally delivered in full as the salamander¡¯s head, now bereft of all supporting tissue, fell to the ground in a heap of melting flesh. Rocky dropped to the ground with Selene forming up on his right even as the notification rolled through. You have killed: Sand-Borne Salamander [Level 14] Experience earned 840. Experience increased for killing a creature one rank higher than yourself, plus fifty percent. Total Experience Gained: 1,260, Experience Till Next Level 52,750. You have advanced to level 13: Minor regeneration bonus applied, three free attribute points gained, nine free skill points gained. You now have access to increased system information. You have reached Rank 2, known by the locals as being a Capable Adventurer. As your rank has increased, you will deal increased damage to lower ranked entities. Your spells will be ten percent more successful upon entities of a lower rank and shall take ten percent less damage from these same entities. Your chance to cast a saving throw against impending attacks and abilities has increased. Your soul has undergone a level of strengthening: Removing Seals on your Triumvirate Soul: Abilities Unlocked. Soul Link ¨C Rank 2 Soul Vessel ¨C Rank 2 Advance further to empower yourself and unlock more abilities. Postscript: You need to hurry, little bird. Chapter 59 - Escort Duty Olea Munroe I sat there, refusing to belittle this victory of my elemental spirits, in their novice form striking down a creature that while only a few levels higher was still an added rank up. While the two levels were not a significant gap in power, I had just seen that a rank up gave some rather interesting bonuses to damage and resistance, as well as saving throws. That had to affect some of the finer combat mechanics. It may even explain why Selene had such troubles finishing it off alone, as her poison was likely quite weaker on this creature than it had been on her previous weaker enemies. Either way, it was time I sent some heart felt congratulatory emotion through the small connective bridge and into my followers. They deserved it, even if Rocky had basically just acted as a weighted necklace for most of the last fight. They seemed to accept my feelings with some hesitance as if thinking it were not so great a thing, but I knew better. I could feel it just a little in the way they began to carry themselves as they explored the small area where the fight had taken place. Of the greatest interest was the shaft of evening light coming through the ceiling. I may not be the brightest cave explorer, but I knew the sunlight meant access to the surface. Selene was the first to approach the opening as Rocky had taken to kicking pebbles around and destroying a small assortment of bones and other debris that he had stumbled upon after the beast had died. It may have been its hording nest or future nest. Not anymore though, Rocky was determined to play his petty role of tantrum thrower. I understood. Selene was now standing under the hole in the ceiling as she looked up into the refracted light of the sun, filtered through cascading water and large crystals embedded in the long shaft that seemed to snake its way upward twisting and turning. While this meant that the surface was accessible, it did not seem to guarantee a large open tunnel the whole way through as the light was being reflected down through a possible labyrinth. It was possible there was even a crystal that spanned the entire cave somewhere in there and any attempt at escape would hit a literal wall and be foiled. Solid Plan B material. A faint tremor of sound rippled across Selene¡¯s body, and she turned her attention to where Rocky stood as the elemental looked up to meet her gaze. He looked annoyed and somewhat offended as his body began breaking apart and transforming into fine, dark sand. I was instantly wary of attacks from some unseen force when I saw a brief notification in the corner of my vision/ Spell duration expired: Conjured Elemental Spirit dismissed. I began thinking about when I had summoned him and realized that it had been earlier this morning before Traitor McTraitor pants had done her betrayal stuff and got Matilda hung up on a cross. I figured that maybe the spell would only last somewhere near my own level in hours. That seemed a bit short to me now, but maybe with some rank multiplier and a future level of sixty being possible it might be rather impressive later. More to look forward to. While I had been going through the small thoughts of a mortal caster, Selene had begun scouting the area more thoroughly. I was not sure why, but I would leave her to her wanderings. I had some things to look at. Name: Olea Munroe Level: 13 Archetype: Water Priestess Health: 256/256 Mana: 310/310 Stamina: 305/305 Attributes: You have Three Attribute Points Remaining Experience Till Next Level: 52,750 remaining of 54,000. Skills: Nine skill points remaining. Stealth - Rank 1 This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Piety - Rank 4 Triumvir Soul Skills I had seen the notification, but it was nice to see it all laid bare before me. Gaining three points in every attribute as a reward for ranking up was a wonderful thing, truly. If it held true, I would come close to hitting thirty in my weakest stats by the time I hit the level sixty barrier. And an additional three free points to spend how I saw fit, another win. I also knew exactly what I would be doing with them. Yep, all Wisdom. I had seen that it has some effect on overall regeneration for health and stamina, but I would need mana regeneration to support my spell casting; as well as the added power to my Piety based spells. I knew somewhere in my mind that I would need Intelligence to increase my mana pool along with my regeneration for larger expenditures and more mana intensive fights, but I was also aware that a high mana pool with poor regeneration would see me with an even larger down time waiting on said mana pool to refill. Now, the more important question; what to do with all those skill points? To that question I had a very quick reaction, I needed to-. As I had made up my mind I was rudely interrupted by a pair of guards at my door. ¡°Wake up, Elf!¡± This demand was punctuated with a hard knock on the bars with a wooden cudgel. The men currently at the door were easily identifiable as two of the guards who had assisted the now dead guard earlier in the day with his attempt at doing something very unkind to me. I left my inner musings and plans of food domination behind as I acknowledged their presence with a wit-filled finger motion. To my utter annoyance they failed to register me as a worthwhile opponent and disregarded the gesture entirely. ¡°On your feet, we have a guest.¡± Said guard one. I saw a grin flash over the face of guard two as guard one said this. I had a feeling I would not like this particular visitor. Guard one proceeded to unlock the mechanism on the door even as I was making to back away from the entrance. ¡°None of that now.¡± Said guard two as guard one walked into the cell, cudgel drawn and raised while he held a pair of manacles in his left hand. The manacles were tossed at my feet as I stood there, eyeing the weapon, and pondering my chances against the two. I only had a small amount of hope in taking on two men, let alone two men who obviously out leveled me. That and the fact that my offensive spells required some setting up and one of my familiars was already summoned and too far away to be of aid. I would need to comply, for now. I placed the manacles on my wrist sliding the restraints together to lock around my wrist, as loosely as I could. The guard in my cell laughed as he grabbed my arms and pulled me around in front of him, hugging me between his arms as he groped for my wrist, doing me the disservice of tightening the restraints. ¡°This is not my first prisoner escort, kid.¡± He said, adding a little more thrust to his statement. I really wanted to kill this man, quite a bit. He needed to be super dead. Guard two said, ¡°Calm down Hal, the merchandise has to be pristine for its new owner.¡± To that Hal said, ¡°I know, I know. And yah Tal, I remember what Reginald said.¡± He shoved me forward again, causing me to trip on the bars under the doorway. Tal laughed as he picked me up from the floor, not too kindly using the manacles to do so. My wrist screamed as they bore my weight and I waited till I was upright before I muttered the words for Wind Walk to make any future falls less likely, or at least less painful. As the spell took hold, I felt the magic spread through my body even as a sharp pain exploded in my midsection, Tal¡¯s cudgel slamming into it with force. ¡°No magic!¡± Hal said, at nearly the same time, ¡°What spell was that?¡± I did not answer in a timely fashion, so Tal hit me once again, this time on the shoulder. Maybe he realized it would be hard to answer as I was doubled over and having a tough time breathing after the attack on my diaphragm. ¡°It was Wind Walk.¡± I said, as plainly as I could. ¡°We heard that part,¡± Said Hal, ¡°but what does it mean?¡± Now I was confused, did they not know the spell name, or was something else going on. I had no way of knowing how to answer a question that I had thought I had answered as simply as possible. ¡°Wind Walk.¡± I said again, slowly this time. The peculiar thing was that this time I felt some of my mana stirring, even as I had not tried to cast the spell. Weird. ¡°Let¡¯s just get her to where she needs to be, it sounds like she is speaking gibberish to me.¡± Said Tal, looking angry and sounding impatient. Hal nodded and we were on our way. I was roughly led through the tunnels passing by the other guards and the various slave laborers for nearly forty minutes. My calves were only slightly sore from the up and down climb-walking thanks in part to my reduced weight via Wind Walk but my wrists were still letting me know that there would be future swelling. I did not think my Cure Wounds spell worked on inflammation, but I would give it a go. Later. When we arrived at our presumed destination Hal knocked sharply on the wood of a stout door set into the wall. The door looked just like any of several doors I had seen lining the tunnel in the past few minutes. It seemed that there was a great deal of earth-working going on as if the lady of the house were renovating the entire cave system to better suit some growing empire. I was not impressed. After several long minutes of standing outside the door with Tal and Hal fidgeting in nervousness as they exercised their insignificant amounts of patience the door was opened. It was Reginald, joy. Chapter 60 - Meeting the New Owners Olea Munroe ¡°Good, you brought it.¡± Said Reginald as he surveyed my chained form in the doorway. ¡°Though you were late.¡± Tal spoke up then with Hal giving him a wary glance, ¡°She gave us some trouble in her cell milord. Used magic too.¡± Reginald raised one eyebrow at the statement and began inspecting my wrist, where the tightened chains were beginning to dig into my flesh. It really did hurt quite a bit now that he had made me aware of it. I may have a sprain from one of the many induced falls, fantastic. ¡°Were there any other problems, any at all?¡± queried the man in red. He had moved into menacing mode, his voice dropping an octave. Hal seemed to catch on quicker than Tal but could not share his fear with Tal whilst remaining quiet, which lead to the second man speaking. ¡°No sir, we showed her what happens to the uncooperative sorts right there.¡± He smiled to himself as he said this, probably congratulating himself before adding, ¡°Had to make sure she understood who was in charge.¡± ¡°I see.¡± was Reginald¡¯s response as he turned and headed further into the room beckoning us to follow. I stepped forward only to be jerked back by Tal as he grabbed the collar of my tattered shirt and whispered into my ear, ¡°Play nice or you will not like what happens later.¡± I shuddered thinking about his threat, even though I knew that any punishment would need to be light to escape the wrath of Reginald. I was not quite sure why, but I had a feeling my buyer would be very unhappy to see me damaged. That did not mean I was not a little scared about what would happen to me before someone potentially got fired. Sure, there would be some form of vengeance, but would I not have already been damaged? Nope, not a fan of that line of thought. Hal stepped forward, probably to get us moving before anyone noticed as much to cover for Tal. He could read the room, good show. We entered the sparsely furnished room, small tables sitting next to simple and elegant wooden chairs in each corner with a large table set back from the center of the room to allow more space on the entrance side. It was almost as if they had set it up to make it seem like the person on the other side of the table usually entertained a larger number of guests and had made accommodation for them all to enter, and stand. The man was dressed in a simple black uniform with a crest on one shoulder that bore some strange symbol I could not make out in the lantern light. I could only discern the blue and yellow swirls around a red central icon. His hair was black, his eyes brown. He really looked like a non-interesting butler stereotype; except that this one had knives tucked into his coat. I could tell because the hilts were plainly visible when he moved to pick up his tea. Off to one side sat a woman with similarly decorated clothing, although she was wearing a knee length skirt and blouse. If she had a knife, it was most likely strapped to her inner thigh, as her legs were not being kept in the proper ladylike arrangement. She held a small hand-fan and was speaking behind its thin paper in a whisper to the man. He made a gesture with his hand and said, ¡°This is the elf?¡± Reginald spoke to him with a calmer voice than he had used moments ago, all businesslike. ¡°She is, this one from South Jaga.¡± ¡°What of the one from Eldor?¡± ¡°Sadly, she died. I believe the chancellor would know more about that than we. She was killed by one of the king¡¯s shades.¡± Supplied Reginald; you could hear the regret in his voice. He must have hated to disappoint his betters. ¡°Really now? I was not informed of that; I am sure my master will be informed if unsatisfied by the time I arrive back Tamirtell.¡± He took another slow sip of tea, his eyes now on me. ¡°She appears to be harmed; can we unchain her?¡± Reginald made a motion with his hands at the request and Hal quickly moved to comply, unlocking my chains, and removing them. I felt the quickly spreading tingle of pain and pleasure shoot through my hands as blood flow resumed and rubbed at them in as non-threatening a way as I could manage. Reginald grabbed my wrist and inspected it again, seeing the circular bruising near the bone of my thin arms. The magical food never seemed to help me put on weight, muscle or otherwise. I almost got distracted thinking about why that was when I was brought back from my musings. ¡°Explain.¡± Hal remained quiet again as Tal spoke, ¡°She resisted when we entered the cell, we had to force the cuffs on ourselves.¡± ¡°He cuffed her, I held the door.¡± Hal said in his defense, getting a confused look from Tal. Reginald shot a dangerous look to Hal, ¡°One person answering is enough, thank you very much.¡± Hal nodded, afraid to speak again. I could clearly see him trying to swallow something that would not quite seem to go down as his Adams apple bounced up and down. I would have felt pity or some sympathy for him has I not remembered that he had helped his friend subdue me earlier in the day for the now-dead arse to teach me a lesson. The man behind the table made a small noise as he set down his teacup even as his lady-friend tapped her fan shut against the table. ¡°Is she likewise marked anywhere else, anywhere that we fail to see?¡± came the oily voice of the woman. Reginald looked to the duo behind me even as Tal quickly said, ¡°No sir, we only had the small incident with the cuffs. We would not dare harm her more than we needed to get her here, right Hal?¡± He looked at his friend who almost nodded before shaking his head and sighing. He remembered the bit about only one person being able to speak to Reginald, it must suck to have Tal as your ambassador. ¡°I do not believe them, Reggie. We need proof.¡± The woman said, her voice taking on a bit of a whine at the end, as if feigning worry to a lover. It was quite bizarre. The man next to her nodded before he spoke to Reginald, ¡°Let us see the proof. We will need to heal her wounds if she has any before we can make the payment as agreed,¡± Reginald turned to the two guards, and my heart dropped at his words, ¡°Remove her garments.¡± I barely had time to crouch, to attempt a defense as a pair of hands grabbed me roughly from behind, while another pair of hands attempted to remove my pants. I felt my foot contact something soft and crunchy before I felt a tug and heard the fabric tear. I guess cutting and tearing my worn clothes was easier than trying to earn my cooperation. I saw Hal hesitating as his form appeared in front of me, maybe rethinking the removal of my shirt while Tal¡¯s arms were holding me still. I also think we both knew that Tal did not need to hold me in the manner that he was. A knife flashed from Hal¡¯s right and cut a straight line up my shirt, stopping near my sternum, not enough to remove the shirt but it made it quite easy for Hal to finish removing with some well applied strength. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. So, I was now suspended above the ground with Tal holding me tight about the chest with my arms squeezed to my sides, helpless and only clothed in rough sleeves, the only piece of clothing still on me as they could not remove that last bit without Tal first releasing me. ¡°Put her down.¡± Came a voice like cold steel. A quick shift from the woman¡¯s earlier words. ¡°Now.¡± Came the one word from Reginald, apparently Tal was taking too long in his holding of the property. I nearly fell to the ground, had it not been for my passive from Wind Walk I was sure to have felt some serious pain from the landing. I was also fairly sure it was the only reason Tal was able to hold me so easily. I would need to keep that in mind with some of my magical effects later, though I could not quite bring myself to make a mental note of it quite yet. I felt the softer hands of the woman bringing my right arm up from my curled position to inspect it. She turned my wrist over and back again before extending my fingers one by one and bending my elbow even as I attempted to struggle against the action. She picked up my chin to stare my in the eyes before uttering the word, ¡°Submit.¡± That one word, just a word had me almost giving in. I could almost feel my body¡¯s desire to allow her to do what she wished for a small amount of time. What were a few seconds of cooperation in the face of one such as her. It was only for the briefest moment though as my mind recognized what had happened. She had not said submit, no she had said Command I knew that spell and somehow, I had managed to resist her. I had wondered what it was like being on the other side of the magic and now I knew, Derek would be getting some very handsome payback for his tolerance of my testing, if we survived. Maybe a sharp knife to kill future kidnappers. I stopped allowing her to move my arm around, causing her to tense. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± came the man¡¯s voice again, from the other side of his table. ¡°She resisted my spell.¡± came the confused answer. ¡°Try again.¡± Again, she looked me in the eye; though much less playful now. I heard the word and felt the magic stirring in me to counter her influence as she mouthed, ¡°Command.¡± I felt the briefest tingle of desire for her command to be met before it faded to nothing. Was this what it felt like to cast a saving throw versus magic? It really made me happy to have bumped up my rank before this meeting, if indeed that was the case. ¡°Again, she resists.¡± Complained the woman, nearly in a hiss. The man came around the table then, his curiosity piqued perhaps. ¡°Let me see.¡± He said as he took my arm from hers and lifted me without a care for the pain shooting through my wrist. It was almost secondary to the realization that I was now fully exposed to the room. I felt my cheeks flush as tears of anger and shame threatened to spill from my eyes for a moment. He removed the sleeves from my left arm as I was held bodily upright against my will. All attempts I made to rely on my body to help me drop failed before I realized I held some sway over my weight via my passive ability. I lowered the spell¡¯s influence on my body weight as much as I could and saw the man frown. ¡°What¡¯s this.¡± He lifted me again, slightly higher now to bring me to the tips of my toes, ¡°She seems to have gotten heavier.¡± He did not look like he was struggling overly much as he held my weight with one arm, but I knew he was right. He then pointed to Tal with his free hand, still showing no signs of tiring, ¡°You said she used magic, what spell was it?¡± ¡°I do not know milord; she would not answer me. I think she was speaking Elfish.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Elven, you idiot.¡± His eyes turned back to me as he raked his gaze up and down my body, I confess that his lack of hesitation as his eyes passed over my more private bits and bobs had me feeling a little less shameful and slightly angrier now that I was sure he did not intend to misuse me physically. I will not deny having issues. The woman asked me from beside the man, her voice now calmer than before. ¡°What spell did you use when they brought you in, I must confess that the only spell that comes to mind is something I do not believe you could possess.¡± It was the mans turn to use a spell, though he spoke so quickly that I could not make out the words. It sounded almost Latin. ¡°It would seem that she is not so much the novice we had been told to expect.¡± He said, ¡°Reginald, I had thought she was not yet of the second rank?¡± ¡°We were informed by the guild that she was when we acquired her, though I presume she could have gained a level or two in the month she had been away from their oversight.¡± It angered me that someone in the guild had sold information, though I could understand it would not necessarily be hard knowledge to obtain. Also, did the man just use an identification spell on me, I would need to find out how to get that someday. ¡°Yes, that would make sense. Though finding a spells teacher without guild oversight for someone who does not know the ways and means of our continent should be difficult for one so young, even if she is an elf. Now, girlie,¡± he said after turning to me again ¡°which spell did you use, which spell is currently controlling your weight?¡± ¡°Wind Walk.¡± I muttered to the man; he looked confused as he turned to the woman who nodded to herself. ¡°She used Wind Walk, sir.¡± was her answer in a hesitant voice. I was not sure why but when she mentioned the Spell it seemed wrong somehow, as if lacking some inflection, I could not place the cause of my own confusion. ¡°Curious, curious indeed.¡± The man said before turning to Reginald, ¡°Also, we need to discuss the cost of healing, do you see these?¡± His free hand pointed to my chest and before I could take umbrage at some misconceived insult, he poked a large group of bruised muscles near my shoulder before again poking my very tender stomach. I will again admit that I was becoming a bit angrier as the show continued. Reginald moved slightly to the right to see over the indicated places on my abused body while I resisted the urge to squirm under the gaze of so many strangers. ¡°Who caused these injuries girl?¡± I rolled my eyes to the left and then the right in reply as my breath was being hindered by the unnatural pull of my body weight. The constricted feeling reminded me that many people who would be hung by their arms would suffocate when their bodies failed to hold them upright any longer while imprisoned in some medieval torture rooms. I had never been sure if that was true, but it felt to be at the moment. I heard the two behind me begin to deny the allegations, and even though I knew Hal was almost innocent I did not care for them at all. Reginald blurred for a moment, sidestepping us, and disappearing from my view. I had only seen his arms move by the barest amount while he stepped forward, but I heard two distinctive sounds like a pumpkin being cut into with a dull knife for Halloween carving and then two thuds as I was sure Hal and Tal¡¯s bodies hit the ground. It would seem that my estimation of them being fired was not as accurate as I had thought. While it made sense that these people cut their losses with people who would not perform adequately, I failed to believe for some reason that they would simply kill the flunkies outright. It was a mistake I could live with, though Hal and Tal would not. I shuddered a bit as I felt the pools of blood that were so obviously forming underfoot began to encroach on my spot of the floor, I could feel the warm wet substance even as the coppery smell hit my nose. The man seemed to notice and smiled before speaking, ¡°My lord will very much appreciate you for years to come, I believe he may find great delight, indeed.¡± The shadows cast by the lantern light near the door let me see Reginald¡¯s form bent low to remove his weapons from the fallen bodies and wipe them with some cloth that he then let fall. I did not see where the blades went as he stood up, but I now knew he had many more large knives than I had seen during our first meet and greet. ¡°I will have this place cleaned after we finish our business here.¡± Said Reginald behind me. ¡°There is no need, we will be leaving for the evening.¡± Said the man as he motioned to the woman while indicating the purple, blue, and yellow flesh of my body. The woman placed her hands upon my chest, almost cupping me while a smile played across her features before the man slapped her with his free hand. ¡°None of that, Sonia. Not today.¡± Growled the man. ¡°Sorry, sir.¡± She muttered before her mouth moved again, uttering a word that escaped my understanding. My body was suffused with warmth and the tingling sensation of magic for a long-drawn-out moment before the small amount of light I had not noticed before faded away like mist at dawn. Once the light had fled, I received one more look from the man before he finally released me to fall to the floor. I had a moment to react and decreased my weight to avoid some of the pain, though I still landed in the blood. ¡°Take her back to where you were keeping her, we shall confer with the madame before leaving.¡± I sat up adjusting myself on the floor and almost moved to brush a bit of hair behind my pointed ear out of habit or a need for comforting normalcy before I realized my hands were covered in the wet coppery blood of my past tormentors. I felt Reginald¡¯s hands as he lifted me from the floor with his arms under my shoulder as he straightened me up before leading me from the room. The weight of that small trauma was beginning to sink through the attempt at flippancy or apathy I had wanted to show, it ended up being mostly the shock and a lack of ability to fully process. What was wrong with these people? Also, if this man was anything to go by, I was loathe to meet his employer. Reginald had me back in my cell before long, I barely remembered the walk back. What I did remember after the door had been securely locked was that I was still wearing the blood of Tal and Hal but nothing else. ¡°I will have clothes and water brought to you in the morning, be sure to clean yourself up. You leave in the evening.¡± That was all Reginald had to say before he turned and left. It seemed that the end of this day had finally arrived as I fell into a fitful sleep, too drained to care about the blood or my lack of clothing as I curled up on the cold stone floor. My fear of the future was not quite able to drown out the anger I felt at having to deal with all this again. A new world with some of the same problematic types of people, I was too angry, tired, frightened, and cold to care about right now. It was in the fuzzy world of dreamland when my subconscious mind repeated the words Reginald had spoken before he left. ¡°You leave in the evening.¡± Chapter 61 - House Helga South Jaga City -Troug, 13th. ¡°Pass.¡± Said a slow speaking dwarf at the table of five through the bottom of his empty mug of half-ale. He had a long no-nonsense beard of black and a moustache to match. Most of his face was constantly obscured by the welding goggles he seemed to never remove. He wore no hat and had no hair, though a faded tattoo of crossed hammers was somewhat visible upon his dome. ¡°Fold.¡± Came the soft voice of a wizened old elf sporting a fancy green topknot hairstyle that was in no way ostentatious. He wore a collection of multicolored cloth layers over his thin frame hitting every color of the Wilds beyond the tamer pastures surrounding the city, a token of his appreciation for the forest he sometimes called home. ¡°Call.¡± This was spoken with concise words of skepticism as the woman speaking held no thoughts of loss. Her opponent was known for bluffing and easy tells after all. She was unique in that she was the only woman at the table, though she was also unique in the fact that she was the only sober player in the house. She wore a simple leather outfit that hugged her small frame tightly if not scandalously. Two blades sat at her waist, tied with bright yellow knots to honor the rules of the host, while her bow was unstrung and serving as a prop behind the over-sized chair: over-sized for her at least. ¡°Fold.¡± Said another man, this one possessing a proper eye-patch over his left eye, his visible eye was a brilliant blue gray. His face was roughly shaved and showed only small bits of green stubble. His silken green hair matched, tied back in a knot of locks secured with a red velvet band at the base of his neck, most people would say it resembled a green horse tail, if horses were to have green tails. ¡°Alright then boys.¡± Said the excited man at the final chair as he put down his own mug. He had been drinking since dawn. He possessed eyes that were of a silver blue hue with shoulder length hair that had a mix of white and black atop his head as if his hair had decided to be the color of snow but got confused when nearly done leaving the resemblance of zebra-stripes. He had angular features, somewhat softened with age and ale. His clothing consisted of an overlarge and roughly made leather coat with several small strings of yellow knotted throughout. He was well-armed. ¡°Full boat, thieves over mages, I think that sets me as winner for the round.¡± ¡°You are still a fool; thieves are never over mages. And you only have two of them, why would you say it that way? It makes no sense!¡± this came from eye-patch. ¡°Ahh, come on Dwayne. We all know thieves are simply better.¡± Replied the Zebra-man. ¡°I hate to say how much I love being right, but it seems you lost. Four saints.¡± Said the woman as she stood upon her chair to look down into the man¡¯s eyes. They were almost even. The mans face shifted from incredulous shock to peevish anger and then straight to shame-filled loss as he recognized his defeat. ¡°Fine, you win Finny.¡± This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°The names Finwighin, you lout. Why do you insist on giving me a nickname when your own name offends you, eh Chris?¡± taunted the gnome, her pink hair bouncing on hidden currents of air. ¡°You can call me Algol.¡± Said Chris, striking a regal pose. Chest out and hands at his hips, truly exaggerating the look. It might have had the desired effect if he had not spilled his ale at the same time. ¡°Watch it, watch it!¡± said the dwarf attempting to secure the cards. ¡°Sorry Daryll, party foul. My bad.¡± Said the man named Algol, looking properly chastened. ¡°If we could all get back to the game, I would be well pleased.¡± Said the elf as his eyes lingered on the gnome as she leaned over the table. Was it his fault she wore such tightly fitting clothing over places not meant to be restrained, no it was not. ¡°Eyes on the table, Haroll!¡± said Finwighin, a scowl marring her otherwise smooth, light-brown skin. ¡°Cannot blame the elf for being who he is, lass.¡± Said the dwarf, pointing at her obvious chest as her parts strained against their bonds. ¡°You make quite the welcome distraction.¡± The gnomes face flushed to the color of her hair creating a great display of acute embarrassment for all to see. It was really rather fetching, and a great many of the patrons would concur as several began shouting complimentary agreements. ¡°Enough!¡± shouted a large woman from the bar. She was rather large, though not wide. The woman was tall in a way of grand oaks. Eight feet from toe to top, with a club mounted on the wall to match. None would naysay her decree as all who entered knew she held the keys for all the best ale and food in town. The woman held their gazes for only a moment before turning her attention back to a willowy man at the end of her bar. The patrons all looked after the fire-haired woman for several moments before they continued with their rambling and gambling: although at a much lower level. The five had taken their seats once again and were currently dealing a new round when a faint sound passed through the air, accompanied by a soft blue glow. All five turned to look at Algol¡¯s pile of assorted equipment where they saw a small ring tied through with a thong of leather. No one at the table permitted anyone else to wear enchanted items, save the dwarf who never seemed to be without his goggles. The zebra haired man stood with a sigh of sufferance as he dropped his cards and pushed in his pile of wooden chips. ¡°Duty calls to me, my fine friends. It seems night has arrived.¡± Algol made a mock bow after donning his coat and with it his weaponry before sliding the ring over his finger with it still glowing softly, though the vibration had begun increasing in level. With a press of one finger to the back of the ring it stilled, going back to its dull silver sheen. Algol took up his great sword and secured it to the rack at his back before pulling the knots free from his myriad items and placing them upon the table. He did not need to leave them behind for some rule of the house, but he would not need the added color to attract attention on the darkened streets. ¡°Tell Bret I said hello, yah?¡± said the dwarf, Daryll. It took only a moment before Finny softened her expression and bid the man farewell, along with the others at their table. They each had responsibilities, and they knew that soon they would probably be called to work as well. They were all members of the guild after all. Algol¡¯s eyes shifted to a vibrant red color as he pulled his short sword from its scabbard and dragged it down against some invisible barrier in the air. Nary a second later and the path he had sliced split with a sound like ripping sails to reveal a rift of purest darkness. Algol waved goodbye, grinning evilly showing fang as he stepped through the portal into the darkness. After the regulars had quieted down the newer patrons, assuring them that all was well the party continued. They were all accustomed to various patrons using wildly varying methods to leave the house; hells the lady of the house encouraged outlandish behavior so long as it did not result in damages to her property. Another boring night at Helga House. Chapter 62 - A Small Pursuit South Jaga City, Troug, 13th. ¡°Lenn!¡± came the shout from somewhere up ahead. Keen looked around also trying to find the kid. ¡°Where the hell is Lenn¡­¡± pondered the young man, or rather boy who would soon be a man. He had at least one more winter before he needed to move on to adulting. The thought of leaving his little group behind as his predecessors had filled him with a mix of anxiety, fear, relief, and somethings a little shame at that last one. He had no idea who would take up the mantle of watch-warden when he moved on. It had only been three years now since he had been forced to step up and those days had been the worst. He had had absolutely no idea what he was doing at first, though it turned out that he had to do very little. There had been another child then, maybe a year younger than Keen was now, who had stepped in and out often with small gifts of food or a tip on where they could safely bed down for a few extra nights without having issues. That boy had moved on some time two winters back, which had caused Keen a whole new bout of stress; he had no idea how the other kid had done it, or how to fill that role himself. The boy had not even shown Keen any of the ways he had been finding these small treasures and safe havens. He was brought from his mental wanderings as he caught sight of Lenn in a warehouse on the other side of the busy street. The kid had just ducked under a cart that was being slowly moved around a corner as the merchants made to tuck their things in for the night, it was a day of Turning after all. Keen looked to the sky above, sheltering his face with a hand to keep the slow soft rain from getting into his eyes. Turning rain was not dangerous, he just hated getting water in his eyes when he needed to be using them. He had time. After looking in both directions, the street was busy, Keen made his way to the warehouse. A quick look around confirmed that no one was paying any attention to him, he ducked inside. The light was low, having no torches or orbs lit anywhere, but it was lit enough from the gray light of the faded skies to illuminate the area in a low haze of semi-gloom. There were several stacks of freight and a good many buckled down wagons stored in the far corner away from the opening and any chance of rain while nearer the door there sat a few stout barrels, the kind used for storing water on long trips. A flash of blonde hair caught Keen¡¯s attention as his eyes were adjusting and he headed further in. Keen was not entirely sure why Lenn seemed to be avoiding him today as they had yet to report in on anything for the evening. Heck, Lenn had failed to report anything for the past two days; it was odd. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Lenn had always been the one to show up with strays or random gatherings of supplies for the group this past year, even surprising them with that strange elf who had eventually joined in supporting the small group of orphans and urchins, though Keen had no idea what form of obligation that one had that would compel her to supply them with bread. He rubbed at his nose as he recalled the first meeting he had had with the elf, still unsure as to why she had struck him. They were not even fighting! Once again, Keen was interrupted from his almost-a-grown-up thoughts by a sound as a rear door was swung open and a small-framed individual made their way through at a calm pace. Keen was quite certain that Lenn did not even know he was following behind. The sound of others coming into the warehouse behind Keen got him to walk a little faster than an innocent person would, even if he knew they were likely not related to his entry into the warehouse. Habits picked up while on the streets had served him well enough, even if they made no sense in civilized society. He was quickly out the back and standing under the rain once more. The drops were falling heavily now as night approached; soon it would be by the bucket. He knew that Lenn would be fine in the rain of Turning, as everyone knew what to expect and only fools would travel alone at night in the dark with such a high amount of mana in the environment. Everyone knew that. The guard patrols would be showing signs of increased regularity soon as they made their rounds being on the lookout for stray monsters coming in from the lake, or above the walls; the latter were normally caught by the archers stationed there. Keen should be heading back now, and he made to do just that before another sound caught his attention. Above him the sound of footsteps on a creaking staircase caught his attention. Keen looked up to see Lenn waving from a landing near a window on the opposite side of the alley. ¡°Lenn!¡± Kenn called up, ¡°What are you doing on headed for the roofs on the first night of Turning?¡± ¡°It is fun, Keen. The wind is alive tonight.¡± Said Lenn, making little sense to Keen¡¯s logical mind. Who liked high wind on rainy days during Turning? No one sane. Of course, this was Lenn; the crazy ones tended toward higher survivability. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to others, you know how the little ones can get when the storms start bangin¡¯ about.¡± Keen shot back, he had to pitch his voice a little higher over the growing wind, how late had it gotten? ¡°It will be fine, Keen. You go on ahead, I can catch up later.¡± Lenn looked down at a shiny ring on the right index finger of her hand before mumbling something that was lost in the wind. ¡°On second thought, I need to go. Keen, you head back now, and I will catch up tomorrow night.¡± Keen did not know Lenn had jewelry of any kind and wondered where Lenn may have come by the thing. It was dangerous to keep your valuables on you whilst being anywhere near the docks, every pup knew that. ¡°Listen, Lenn. You need to come on down so we can head back together, you are my responsibility.¡± Keen tried appealing to the kid¡¯s loyalty and code of conduct, the rules of the pack. Lenn chuckled, a mirth-filled low bubble of laughter escaping into the wind as it whipped over the roof above. ¡°I think you might be confused there Keen, though I like you and your ability to stick in there when things get rough. I will be back to the den later; I know where it is. You need to get home and care for the little ones, I have things to do, and I might not make it back for another day or two.¡± Keen made to protest and call for Lenn to stop being a turd when Lenn jumped from the landing to the top of the stairs in a single forward leap. His mouth was still hanging open when Lenn looked back from above with a wicked grin on her face before disappearing into nothingness, a grin that showed sharper teeth than he ever remembered Lenn having. Also, through some trick of the light, it had looked as if Lenn¡¯s eyes were glowing with a deep red inner light. Chapter 63 - Getting Back on Track Olea Munroe I woke to the gentle buzzing of someone entering and exiting the Soul Vault, if gentle buzzing could be used to describe a fly constantly landing on your ear to flap its wings directly into your ear canal. I did not even bother to sit up before I engaged with the ability unlocked by the empowerment of my soul, simply jumping into the vault as I was. I had forgotten that the avatar, or body, I would be using there was a representation of my actual appearance. ¡°Olea!¡± the word had barely registered in my mind before the arms of Corvin wrapped around me, though he quickly backed away as his senses caught up with him. ¡°What happened to you, you are filthy. Is that your blood?¡± I looked down at myself seeing the blood covering a substantial portion of my exposed body; I may also have forgotten that I had yet to get some clothes. This happened far too often. ¡°No worries; this is not mine.¡± I said before adding a little sheepishly, ¡°Did you happen to find me some new clothes?¡± The temperature in the space was still at a neutral body-warm level with no breeze to make me uncomfortable but I was starting to get weird feelings about my level of exposure around my friends. It may have had something to do with my recent interaction with the duo upstairs, but it was starting to scratch my mind in a bad way. ¡°I did, they are all sitting next to your mushroom mountain.¡± He pointed to his left where my pile of horded foodstuffs was situated. ¡°Big sis picked them out for you.¡± I looked over and saw that indeed the clothes were there, stacked neatly and tied with a length of brown leather cord. ¡°Fantastic!¡± I shouted a little too loudly, letting my excitement show, my mind screaming at me to get some clothes and to wash away the grime-slicked feelings of the past day. ¡°Do you mind?¡± Corvin laughed, a good-humored if slightly shaky sound coming from his lips. ¡°Sure, go ahead and get changed. I will step out and back when you are ready.¡± ¡°How did you¡­ Never mind, the link.¡± It was nice to know that he had picked up on my desire without me needing to say it aloud, though it also made me feel a little uneasy as to how easy I was to read in other situations; a lot to get used to. ¡°Be sure to wash up first though, you stink.¡± Corvin said, shooting me a grin as he faded from the vault, subtly pointing at another collection of items near the clothing pile. He left before I could make any reply, though I had no idea what it would have been, so I blew a raspberry in the direction of his previously occupied location and left. I resumed my place in the waking world and set to. I pulled the collection of items from my storage and began setting them out on the stone floor. Sicily had sent me a care package, and I would need to thank her ever so much when I saw her next. I stood up slowly from the floor and made my way over to the lower side of my cage as I cast Create Water into my hands summoning a constant stream of warm water, thanking the heavens for temperature control. It took more time and mana than I would have liked to get most of the dust, dirt, and blood to wash away but I succeeded and waited a few moments to drip dry before I headed back to my pile and grabbed the rough bar of soap I had been supplied. ¡°Thank you, Sicily.¡± I said again, this time with my outside voice. I was starting to get cold from being soaked in the underground caves and quickly began scrubbing at my skin with a desire to rid myself of the taint I had picked up by merely existing in this pit. It felt incredibly good, almost liberating, to be clean again. After spending an unhealthy amount of time rubbing my skin with the gritty bar of soap and hitting myself with several more streams of conjured water I cast another spell. Wind Walk. I wanted to test out one of the functions of the spell, one that I had thought about but never tested. It was also good to cast the spell as I had been told, and I felt the slight tingle in my body as the circuits for the spell were stretched through use. I focused my intent on what I had in mind and felt the shift in the air as it took effect. An eddy of air circled around me, not disturbing my surroundings in any noticeable way outside of the small ripples in the nearby pool of pink water. It had worked. Some people may judge me for this, but I did not feel like justifying their contempt with a voiced objection; I simply willed the air to flow around my fingers as I ran my hand through my hair. My own personal hair drying spell, win.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Mana: 164/316. Finishing the overly costly cleaning by magic I stowed the soap and removed my clothing from storage. The package was a simple leather wrap securing the garments underneath. There was a sturdy looking brown shirt with short sleeves that I put on immediately, it hung low on my body, well past my waistline. Next, I held up the black pants, they seemed to be made of something like woolen canvas, not quite cotton. They fit nicely, and even had a belt string that I could tie off. I wondered briefly about the length of gauze-like wrapping for a few moments before I realized that bras were not quite common in this world. I took the shirt off and wrapped myself like a proper burrito before donning the shirt again. The wrap also seemed like it would help me stay warmer while it kept all my parts in place, hurrah for practicality with purpose. Under the clothes hidden until I had picked up the pants was a new, or new to me, pair of shoes. They were made of sturdy if not soft leather and fit rather well for something for which I was never measured. I hopped in place after securing them to my feet, they felt nice, and my toes thanked me. I swear I could hear their cries of happiness in my mind. Under the shoes sat a roll of parchment tied with a thick string of some green material which I picked up quickly. I untied the letter, as it was most assuredly a letter from my big sister and began to read. Olea, I hope this letter finds you alive and well. Your friend Corvin has assured me that he will deliver these items to you personally and with haste. I still have no idea how it is that you came to possess such a unique skill, nor how you seem to have been bonded with this strange creature and I will not press for details. Do know though that we at the hall are looking forward to your return, including two gentlemen that I had not been aware of having any interest in you before. Strange. All the potential gossip that could bring being pushed to the side, I have enclosed in this parcel some clothing I hope you find to your liking. It was chosen with your predicament in mind, no frills, and no soft edges today. I would say I gladly bought them items for you with my own funds, but I had seen a tagged document for your previous work that stated you had left the hall before being awarded your basic gear which would have included many comparable items and so put this on the guild¡¯s tab. Doogan should be well on his way to aiding the release of you and the others who may be held wherever it is you are, and I can only hope that he makes them pay dearly for such atrocities. He had also instructed me to, once again, relay the message that you are not to join the fight and are instead ordered to return to us here in South Jaga. This is important, as you will not be able to assist with the major assault and would only distract those that are there to end this organization and put down that vile snake of a woman at its head. You should also have noticed that we have sent over a small supply of basic elemental summoning items for your use, again I have no idea how you would have learned this skill, but I shall try to restrain my curiosity until you arrive back home. These items include some loosely gathered soil, several jars of something the alchemist call charged air, and several torches that require lighting before they can be used; the flint striker is included in the package. There are also a few other random bits and bobs enclosed within a few extra bags that Corvin has somehow managed to make disappear, a questionable talent that. He assures me that he is a very good boy and has a high standing moral compass and I assured him that I would never believe that. All that aside, I am beginning to get off topic. I will end this letter by saying good luck and may the three guide you safely home. Sicily
  1. I have sent several pastries along as well, I hope they are still warm when you get them.
The letter filled me with warm fuzzies even as the small buzzing alerted me that someone had grown impatient and was waiting for me to jump back to the vault. I shifted myself back to the vault expecting to see Corvin and instead found that someone else was there. ¡°Hi.¡± Was the one word I uttered in way of greeting. The other person inside the vault was male, wearing what could only be described as farmer chic. Full flannel and plaid, broken up by the strange hat and his small-wicked axe. He turned suddenly at the sound of my voice, showing a youthful visage nearly in line with my own age. His eyes were widened in fear and his body tense as if he were preparing for battle. I started to move closer even as I saw Corvin materializing nearby, but before I could say another word or try to calm the guy he was gone. I raised an eyebrow as I looked at Corvin and he just shrugged as we looked at the spot that was recently occupied by what I could only assume was the third member of the Triumvir. ¡°So much for the Charlie¡¯s angels spin.¡± I said dejectedly. A sharp snort of laughter greeted the statement before Corvin said, ¡°Lame.¡± I would have protested but my mind jumped back to the purpose of our visit. ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan?¡± I asked, looking at the bird-brained critic. ¡°Ah, yes!¡± he said, ¡°The plan. Well, I was told to tell you to read the letter and let you know that Doogan is in route. I am also nearby, almost there at least.¡± ¡°So, the cavalry is on the way then?¡± I said, just wanting to make sure I was correct and reassure my own frayed nerves. It would be good to get away and not also be stuck worrying about the people I had met here, though I would most likely not be seeing any of them again after this farce. ¡°Yep, we should all be there by evening tomorrow. You should work on getting somewhere safe and hunkering down until you can make good on your escape, with your new spells we should be able to get back to South Jaga by morning though it will probably be murder on your mana.¡± ¡°So, I just sit here and look pretty for a while and wait to be rescued by my dark prince, is that it?¡± I asked. ¡°Dark prince?¡± Corvin scoffed, ¡°A bit dramatic, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Fine, fine. I will work on getting free if I can and at least safe if I cannot.¡± There were a few avenues open to me for such things, not the least of which being the large sunlit tunnel Rocky and Selene had found. ¡°Okay, that settles all we needed to discuss then.¡± Corvin said to me while his brows begun to scrunch up in thought, ¡°Sicily did a good job with your clothes, you look nice, almost pretty.¡± As the words left his lips he began to fade away, an amused smile on his face. I was genuinely taken aback by his words as my mind worked through the plan, the past few days¡¯ troubles, and the letter I had received from Sicily. The letter that had mentioned¡­ ¡°You bastard, did you take my pies!¡± I shouted as I heard his laughter ringing in the empty space. I hated that bird. Chapter 64 - Sonia Troug, 14th. I stood back in the world of the waking and imprisoned going over some preliminary thoughts in my head as I planned my escape. Most of my ideas hinged on someone opening the doors to let me get out after rushing past them, or confronting them in some epic, if not quiet, battle. At least I was warm now, or rather warmer than I was. It was still damp and cold down here. I honestly had no idea how so many young people could be stuck in a cold damp hole for so long without more of them becoming ill, then again, they did have people skilled in healing magic available. Maybe there was some Cure Disease or Cure Sickness spell out there for such things. Yeah, that was quite possibly the way of it because why not. Magic. ¡°Wake up, wake up.¡± A shouted voice came from up somewhere the tunnel that led down to this lower level. Apparently, I had a visitor on the way. It was either that or she had underestimated the level of volume she was calling out and had meant her calls to be heard by the massive cavern further down. I was betting she aimed her comments at me though. I was just recalling the fact that Reggie, the mighty red ranger of the bastard brigade had mentioned sending someone with clothes down to see me taken care of. Joy. It was only a moment before I saw the woman round the bend higher in the caves. She wore typical servants clothing, which is to say she had on a frilly ankle length dress of sorts with matching gray and white shirt and a small bonnet to tuck her hair into. In her hands was a small bundle of clothing and what looked like a bag containing an empty pitcher and soap. Also, was that a brush? I could use a brush¡­ ¡°Well, they said you would be in worse shape than this, dearie.¡± Her statement was full of surprise and disappointment both. I wondered at what aspect of the meeting she had been looking forward to, though most of the more malicious reason for such feeling left my mind when I noticed the small silvery anklet she wore. It bore the marking of runes and glyphs shown to me by Matilda. Unbidden my eyes wandered to the center of the cavern that was still visible from my cell to find that figure still there, mounted upon a wooden construct that very closely resembled a cross. I couldn¡¯t tell if she was still alive, but I was betting Reginald had found some way to lengthen her time of torment if only to cause the other captors to behave; living examples of torment were very good motivators for obedience. ¡°Hello there madame,¡± I said by way of greeting to the woman as she drew nearer, ¡°I had a chance to wash up in the night.¡± ¡°My, oh my! You are certainly more chipper than the usual sort kept in these dreadful cages.¡± She said with a small grimace that slowly turned into a controlled smile, ¡°Just how did you manage that. Also, those clothes look new; was I not the first one to visit?¡± ¡°Alas, no dear lady.¡± I said as I channeled my inner lady-ness, ¡°I simply made do with what was before me, I do not suppose I could borrow that brush though?¡± I emphasized my desire by running a hand through my still tangled hair. I had definitely not expected so many knots to have formed with my short hair. Perhaps noticing the flinch on my face as my hand caught on a particularly nasty knot the woman¡¯s face shifted to one of sympathy and understanding. I doubted she was happy being reminded of some past experience where she had waited to be sold herself. I wondered then if Lady Avery actually had anyone in her service that was not a slave; outside of the guards and that whack-job doctor. Probably not. ¡°Either way, I was told to get you cleaned up and to get these clothes to you, I have to follow orders after all.¡± Said the woman with a small wink as she slipped the parcels through the bars to me. I smiled as I thanked her, doing my best to not quickly hide the things away in my happy little storage room for later. I expressed my thanks to her several more times, smiling even as I ran the coarse brush through my rough hair. She watched for several long minutes with a confused look on her face, as if lost in thoughts of a time she could not fully recall. It was strange, but I realized that she had probably been here for quite a long time. Maybe she had children once upon a time, or maybe she only wished she had had the opportunity. Either way it was not long before the woman nodded to me in acknowledgement before turning and walking back the way she came. It took several long minutes with the brush to get my hair in some semblance of order, not perfect but it would do. I had not really taken any time to do anything with my hair in a very long time and it felt nice to actually do something so mundane again; something normal. The whole process served to help balance my fraying psyche, to the extent that I was starting to doubt my own mental well-being. How bad was my mind messed up to be so changed after just a few minutes of combing my damned hair. ¡°I really need to leave.¡± I muttered to myself then, barely a whisper in the cold space. I was taken from my introspection by the cold voice of a woman I had met only once before as she said, ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, dearie. We will be leaving together very soon, only a few more hours¡­¡± She let her voice trail off as she came fully into view, smiling as I turned to see her walking up to my cell. I had not fully registered this woman when we first met, but I remembered her name and sighed, ¡°Sonia.¡± Her face lit up to hear her name, a bright sadistic thing, framed by her silvery blue hair that was no longer tied back in the severe knot of yesterday. Her attire had also changed to something less formal and more domineering. She now had on boots of rough leather that came almost to her knees with loose fitting brown linen pants held in place over her tucked in tan blouse with a copper-colored belt of some shinty material. I was never really keen or discerning when it came to fabrics, even on earth. She honestly looked like she would fit in well climbing the rigging of some ship in a pirate film. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just back away from the door for a moment.¡± It was almost a question, but I could pick out the not-so-subtle command laced in the words as I backed away. ¡°Good girly, I just wanted to have a little chat before I go back up and join the others, we have a long trip ahead of us today.¡± I did not like the inference in her words, and I had also forgotten that they had planned for us to leave today. I wondered if Doogan and his group would make it in time to save the other future slaves or even me. The same thought had crossed my mind before now, but as I approached the deadline for our departure, I could not help but feel a little anxious at the prospect of it all. I had yet to get into any real combat situations, and this whole ordeal down here had seemed more like a linear story where I was taken from the lead role and cast as a random extra. It was not a pleasant feeling, at all. Sonia stepped into the cell with me after making use of a large key she had pulled from her pocket and upon stepping inside she merely pulled the door shut again to click it back in place. All the while she wore a most predatory smile. I did not like this, nope, not one bit. ¡°We were never properly introduced yesterday.¡± She said stepping closer to me even as she ran a hand down the front of her blouse, as if trying to entice or frighten me. She had the second part well and truly started, for sure. ¡°I was under the impression that I was off limits to you.¡± I said, trying to sound calm, if not slightly confused by her actions. I was in no way confused right now, but I had to seem off balance to her to keep her from being too cautious. I did not want her to prepare for anything that might give me a chance of escape. She had a key. She stepped closer and I could not help but back away further, succeeding in only getting myself against the wall. My eyes widened involuntarily as my body contacted the cold wall, a small, ragged breath escaping my lungs. Sonia smiled, showing me a craven look of predatory glee. It seems like I had pegged her correctly as the sadist in their little pairing, not necessarily a good thing for me. She unclasped the buttons in her blouse as she approached, baring even more of her chest to the room. A room that was nowhere near as large as I would have preferred as I had nowhere else to go. I was in no mood to put up with any more of this aggressive crap from the underbelly of society, but at the same time I needed to pretend to be intimidated so I could implement my master plan, pretending was very easy, the actionable parts of my fictional plan were not. I had no idea what to do in a scenario like this, but I knew playing along or at least allowing her to play her part would buy me some more time to think of something. She closed on my position with only a few more steps, placing one arm on my shoulder as her other worked to finish exposing her torso to the cold air. I could not help but notice that she was showing visible signs of the temperature, that or she was much happier than I had assumed. ¡°She leaned forward, wrapping that arm around my neck as she whispered, ¡°All alone with my little raven.¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. My breath caught for a moment thinking of how she may have discovered Corvin before the pain of my hair being pulled let me in on the fact that she was referencing my own raven-colored hair. This coincidence was far too close for my little heart to not shudder. A fact she picked up on. ¡°No need to fear little bird, we are only going to play for a little while.¡± She whispered into my ear as she held me against the wall with her body. I could feel her free hand working its way up the side of my body, freeing my flesh of its confining clothing. I felt a tug as my belt was pulled from the loops and released, giving me only a second to snag at the other end and will it away into my special place. If Sonia noticed a lack of noise from my belt falling to the ground she showed no signs, intent as she was in removing me from my wrappings. It was only a few moments after my belt had been removed that I felt her shuffling in place, and only a few seconds more to realize she had removed her feet from their boots and was now working to access my own places of privacy. I shuddered again at her mostly unwelcomed touch, wondering at why I was not even more revolted by this woman and her blatant violation of my body¡¯s sanctity. My mind was racing for a solution to figure out what was wrong with me as I found myself slowly and silently complying with this woman¡¯s unspoken commands, stopping at one spell in particular. Detect Magic. There had to be something magical going on, something swaying me somehow. That or Charisma was much more insidious than I had thought before. So, in a panic I dumped three of my nine skills points into Detect Magic. I was hoping that it would help while justifying the expenditure as an investment, I was sure it would be a prerequisite for some other skill in the future. Probably. Detect Magic: This spell allows the target to detect magical energies imbued in objects, creatures, and the very air. Colors and patterns can help discern the nature of many magical spells and items. Spell effectiveness increases with the level of Magical Attributes, Piety, and Arcana. A wider knowledge of magic can aid the target in discerning the true depths of the world. Rank Two: Further enhances the ability of the target to detect magical signature, even when cloaked by the aura or magic of others. The target of this spell can more clearly see the separation of magical fields. Rank Three: Allows the target to detect magical signatures more easily in the environment. The target can now sense unmasked mana signatures inside the body of another, as well as the workings of magical conduits inside of objects and living beings. Resistance to foreign magic is increased. Rank Four: Unlocks a passive ability that allows the bearer of this skill to feel, smell, taste, touch, and at times manipulate magical energy at no extra cost. This passive is permanent, and its effects shall only be limited by the Wisdom and Intelligence of the one who obtains it. The Duration of Detect Magic is now increased to Level multiplied by Rank in hours with range being Level multiplied by Rank and the average score of Wisdom and Intelligence. I rasped out a breath under the sound of Sonia¡¯s excited noises barely whispering the words, ¡°Detect Magic.¡± Sonia must have only felt the heat of my breath on her exposed neck as she pressed herself closer to my body, her desire to have what was not hers evident in every movement of her body. She wanted to have me for the sake of having me, to despoil something she had no rights to. I had a feeling this behavior had long been nurtured by whatever sick pile of garbage this advisor was, and I made sure to remember that I would need to look in on some of the shadier politicians when I got a bit stronger. This kind of behavior was totally not going to last in the world. Nope. Sonia¡¯s hand, the one not wrapped firmly around my neck, soon found its way beyond the line of my waist and was now freely exploring my softer bits, both above and below. Her hands were not at all clumsy, but she lacked any sense of wonder or subtlety in the act. She was like a brutish monkey who had cracked open a particularly large fruit, all greedy grabbing hands attempting to steal away the best bits and leave only scraps in its wake. It suited me just fine as it helped me get my head away from the moment, to shrug off the power of whatever was influencing my mind. I will admit that it may also have been some of the power of the upgraded skill. I freed my eyes from the woman¡¯s hair to glimpse my surroundings again and my breath hitched a bit. This did not serve to alarm my assailant but seemed to excite her as she bit into my ear. I had to push a bit with my left arm against her shoulder though I lacked any kind of real leverage, and my right arm was pinned between our bodies, stuck against her heaving chest. I saw the room now awash in subdued mana rivers. There were slow streams of brown and gray moving along the walls and floors of the cell, while a red-orange aura was emanating from the iron bars at the front. Beyond those bars I could now see a group of guards watching from a recessed area not far from my cell. I spoke softly to the lech of a creature that was busy pawing at me like a drunken slug, ¡°We have an audience.¡± Sonia only chuckled low and throaty as she said in a husky voice, ¡°Let them watch.¡± I rolled my eyes as she explored my body while busying myself with taking in the room, and my attacked as best I could. I had noticed a small faint glow being emitted from an area near the woman¡¯s neck through her long hair and I was determined to find the source. I had tried pushing the woman away again as I noticed it but when she had said the word no my own body had stopped in the act of shoving her away. It only cemented the fact that I was being magically mind-warped somehow and I worked on a different method. I buried my face in her hair, searching along her neckline with my eyes as I moved her hair with my chin, nose, and in an instance or two I had even nibbled a bit. Blaming the magic on that. My eyes began filtering out the ambient magical energies as I searched and Sonia was most assuredly thinking that I was finally succumbing to whatever the hell was going on she raised her bare legs to caress my exposed hip in an animalistic fashion, as if we were two beasts in rut. It took entirely too long for me to see the faint steamer of magical energy flowing from her ear, a place that should have been obvious. Gah! Magic was so very awesome and so very awful all at once, and though I had no way of knowing for sure, I was certain that this bauble was the source of all the lusty, estrogen-fueled shenanigans in the cell. I moved my head deeper into her hair, nibbling at Sonia¡¯s neck in a playful way. The way you would in any intimate encounter of desire and mutual trust. I moved my mouth upward taking her ear firmly in my mouth to the surprise of Sonia, I heard her gasp in pleasure at the contact as I took the lobe into me and pulled it straight with my tongue. The moans of pleasure and anticipation turned to a scream of outrage and pain as I bit down hard, severing the appendage and ripping the offending enchantment free. She tried to back away from me as I spit the flesh from my mouth, blood flowing from the wound in a steady little stream but her arm was stuck around my neck and her pants were very much in no position to facilitate footwork of that nature. I took the moment of clarity to use my wits and pulled the knife from my storage into my left hand as I brought it around to her stomach aiming to dig deep. My elbow had jarred against the wall as I swung it around, but I still had enough room to plunge the blade deep using the fourteen in my strength stat for all that I could as I pushed. And pushed. My hand went in after the blade as I shoved upward to pierce at her heart, much as I did to a certain brood mother in a previous fight. One thing I discovered quickly was that without the weight of a two-hundred-pound creature forcing the entrance I was not going to be able to hit her heart this way, and I did not want to lose another knife. I spun to the left, freeing her arm in the process as I made space between us as I freed the blade from her abdomen. The guards in the hallway were now fully aware that something had gone very wrong as they hurriedly jostled to get the door open and assist the angry woman as she began to bleed out in my cell. I moved my hand behind my back storing the blade away while Sonia cradled her injury, trying to prevent her lifeblood from flowing onto the floor. I could pull it back if I needed it, I also saw no need to press for an advantage here. The guards would soon be in the room, and I did not want to give Sonia a chance to grab me and prevent me from moving. ¡°You¡­ You vile little rat.¡± I turned slightly to see Sonia staring me down, her words coming out with specks of spittle and a visually impressive amount blood. I had to have ruptured something near a lung for that kind of display. ¡°Yep, me.¡± I decided to keep her angry now, and I really was in no mood to make her less angry; hell, I was angry, there was no reason not to show it. That magical roofie was no joke. It may not have been a full-on thief of conscious thought, but it was damned close to making me some helpless doll for the amusement of one Sonia Von Succubus. Apparently even my limited flippancy had served as a motivator for the woman as she stood a little straighter with a hand still to the gaping hole in her stomach as I picked up a word she uttered, ¡°Pzar.¡± I saw the magic coalesce in her body and pool down her arm as it exited her palm and sank into her flesh before the wound began to heal over. The blood stopped and the flesh pulled itself together leaving the smallest of silver puckers on her otherwise flawless skin, discounting the copious amount of blood anyway. I had forgotten that she was a bit of a healer. Apparently, she was quite a bit more of a healer than I was. I had to go. ¡°Yep, I¡¯m out.¡± I said to her as the guards began filing in, taking up position behind the now healed woman. They were hesitant to approach the woman because she was covered in blood, very angry, and also nearly nude. ¡°You will not be going anywhere, little bird.¡± She said to me, I could swear that I saw the mana around her changing to a sickly red even as I backed away once more. ¡°There is nowhere else to go.¡± As she said this, I heard the door to the cell click shut and lock as a new figure emerged from the crowd of thugs, the room was definitely beginning to shrink. ¡°What seems to be the problem, Miss Sonia?¡± came the slow and measured voice of Reginald. Sonia looked to the man before looking back at me, ¡°I was merely sampling the goods as is my right. It seems that the little bird has claws though, she somehow procured a knife.¡± Reginald¡¯s brows shot up as he took in the scene again. The blood, the tiny scar mark, the lack of clothing, and the lack of a knife. ¡°Do you happen to know where the knife is now, Sonia?¡± asked Reginald, even as the woman scowled at me and looked about on the wide empty floor. Empty of anything but a hunk of flesh and a flash of shiny metal. I smiled just a bit as I saw her eyes linger. ¡°I suppose it does not matter in the end. We shall have her bound and taken upstairs.¡± Reginald said as he motioned the guards forward. The men began tripping over themselves as they pressed forward in an attempt to follow orders, it seemed that no one wanted to be seen as not listening even if in the process they made it harder to perform said task. I took advantage of the slower movement to jump up and back to stand up on the one and only raised surface in the room before saying to the crowd, ¡°Screw you guys, I¡¯m going home.¡± I pulled my heels together after a quick cast of Wind Walk and allowed myself to fall through the only hole in the floor. Yes, I had just dropped like a needle into the toilet. I heard the curses of several men above me fading away as I descended into the dark below realizing that my spirit-bound elementals must have had some form of altered sight to allow them to see so clearly down here. One thing I also failed to do was tuck in my arms. I suffered a great many bumps, scratches, and at least a few serious cuts as I dropped through the coarse tunnel to the water below. Which let me know I had forgotten one more thing. I had not graced myself with those other beautiful spells, Water Walk or Water Breath. I hit the surface of the water hard and immediately sank below the surface, cold water pressing in from all sides as I struggled to pull myself up from the depths. It took several tries before I was able to pull myself free of the cold water and lug myself onto the bank of the small stream, the current had pulled me well away from the original place I had fallen in at and I still had no way to see my surroundings. But for the moment, I was free. Mostly. Chapter 65 - First Steps Toward Freedom Troug, 14th. ¡°Cold¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t help but voice my complaints aloud as I shivered in the chill air of the cave network I had escaped to. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I was happy that none of the people in that room could fit through the narrow stone chute that served as the chamber pot for their cell. I had several bruises on my body now thanks to the few protruding knobs of limestone I came in contact along the way but at least my dip in the freezing water had served to remove any evidence there may have been of other things attaching to me. Small favors and all that. I took the time to observe my surroundings once again. It was cold and dark, though I could see the faint glow of magic along the edges of the water where the stream met the rock shelf. It was almost the only source of contrasting light in the entire network of smooth stone, and I was thankful for the effect. The other source of light, though very dim, was the small, clumped knots of moss that grew in various alcoves above. I do believe I would have had less than zero hope down here without my skills ability to show me more of the magical spectrum; it was dark. I recalled the direction my familiars had progressed down the tunnel system and began my arduous journey onward even as I recalled the other set of clothing I had tucked away in my vault. The woman had left me the clothing with that lovely little brush I had used to tackle my hair earlier, a task that now seemed wasted as my hair was once again an utter mess. Sigh. I worked at changing my clothes as I walked, wondering if I would have been able to change my pants if I had an extremely high Dexterity score and could somehow run using only one leg. It was ridiculous but the image did help me lighten my mood a bit, along with the fact that I was mostly dry after changing. The new boots were still freezing cold and squishing as I walked. Taking another peek into my vault, I took an inventory of sorts. Wet clothes. Knife. Pile of food. (I swear I am not a hoarder; I am absolutely sure that my stock of mushrooms and orange potatoes will be useful someday.) Small collection of correspondences from friends that I would be keeping for posterity. The concept seemed quite novel to me, and I was totally going to keep them all as souvenirs of a sort. Last but not least was my small collection of elementally charged reagents. This pile was quite diverse as it contained things that would presumably serve as catalyst for my conjuration spell. I saw the torches, static filled flasks, a striker for the torches, hunks of wood, and some small bundles of wrapped earth. I also noticed that some of those bundles of dirt had large collections of vegetation clumped within. Maybe those would allow me to summon my very own Alec Holland into the world. I took a few more moments as I mentally shuffled through my inventory, not fully entering into the space so as to keep moving. While being inside the skill itself provided a severe stop in flow of time on the inside, I did not currently see a reason to make use of it, I was making progress and really did not need a lot of time for thinking. I will also confess that sitting in that space had a tendency to remove the urgency that I felt I would need to keep moving forward. It was far too easy to get complacent and I was not sure what would happen if I stayed inside too long as my mind flashed back to a period in time that I had nearly forgotten where a feral version of myself stood defending a stupid murder-flower on a pile of corpses. ¡°Nope. Ending that thought right there.¡± I did not want to think about that right now, more time for stupid trauma processing later. Although I did make another little promise to myself that I would be looking for a way to hurt the entity that had cursed me using a stupid cow; I was totally eating a hamburger when I got back to South Jaga. After looking at my available resources I decided to make use of my Conjure Elemental Spirit spell. I¡¯d be using mana when I needed to be conserving it, but I had to face the fact that I would probably get murdered by some random monster if I happened upon it in the dark while alone. Yeah, best to be safe. Though I had to spend several more moments thinking of which one to summon. It would likely not be the easiest decision as I had several ingredients and no real idea of which would be the most useful to me at the time. The forces of the world interrupted my thoughts then with a long-drawn-out stream of water-chilled air flowing up the tunnel from below that set my teeth to chatter. ¡°Conjure Elemental Spirit.¡± I intoned the words and felt the mana leave my body and wrap the blood-smeared torch I had lit with my flint striker. The directions I found attached to the torch had made it clear that without lighting the oil-doused wood first I would summon either a creature of wood if my skill were low, or a creature of muck and oil if my skills were high and conditions favorable. I wanted fire, needed fire. My mind was filled with a vision of a vast canyon spewing ash and fire into the skies above as something emerged slowly from the abyss for only a moment before my mind snapped back to the moment and I sensed that somehow something had intervened in the vision on my behalf. Odd. My thoughts stuck on that for only a moment before I stepped back as my elemental took shape. It was, predictably, a salamander of fire. It stretched to nearly six feet if you included the tail. It had six stubby legs ending in multi-jointed feet that were tipped in short blunted, black claws. The body of my new elemental was occasionally lit by flickers of flame and puffs of visible heated air and as it looked back at me, I could see the clear hint of intelligence in its large round orbs dark coal. My new friend came complete with the standard salamander tail, though this one ended in a small flame that made my mind want to chant ¡°char¡± for some reason.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Some may say that I made my decision to summon this fire elemental underground in a water-filled environment a bad idea, but those people were probably safe and warm with ready access to dry shoes. All this was to say, I was cold, and I was going to have fire! ¡°Now, what to call you¡­¡± I said as I looked at my newest elemental spirit. The creature just looked at me for a moment before rolling its eyes back, which was made even more strange as it eyes kept rolling back until I saw its iris emerge from the bottom and disappear into the top again before stopping and coming back down to look at me. As its eyes locked onto mine, I sensed in our connection that it already had a name, or rather he had a name. Ignis. ¡°Okay, then. Ignis it is.¡± I affirmed loudly while maintaining eye contact with my new friend. I liked it and for a moment I wondered whether these beings had a similar level of access to my knowledge of earth and if he had just stolen that name from some memory of my past self. ¡°Thoughts for future me.¡± It was time to check my reserves and see what there was to see so I took a moment to call up my status sheet. Name: Olea Munroe Level: 13 Archetype: Shrine Maiden of the Elements Health: 192/256 Mana: 117/316 Stamina: 243/312 Attributes: You have Zero Attribute Points Remaining Experience Till Next Level: 52,750 remaining of 54,000. Skills: Six skill points remaining. Stealth - Rank 1 Piety - Rank 4 Triumvir Soul Skills I took a moment to re-read the archetype tag, noting that it had changed from water priestess to shrine maiden of the elements. ¡°Who comes up with these things?¡± My mind then jumped to my mana levels as they were currently at about one third full. I had a brief moment where I realized I had wasted thirty-five mana on casting Wind Walk when it was obviously still in effect after my earlier casting. I clearly felt the spell manifest at the time I cast it, but it was as if the spell just washed over its previously established form with no benefit. Again, I was using some vague descriptors as the feeling was somewhat lost in the moment, but it did feel close to that. I would need to invest some time in studying it after I escape. My future self was going to be busy. ¡°Ack!¡± I let out a not-at-all-girlish yelp as I was knocked over by the tail of my summoned elemental. It seems I had been rudely staring at it for an overly long amount of time. I muttered a hasty sorry even as I climbed back to my feet. I began looking ahead down the tunnel once again and was about to start walking before I felt the bottoms of my feet growing very warm; almost uncomfortably so. Looking down I saw that Ignis had sidled up close to me and was currently resting one of his wide feet directly beside my wet shoes. ¡°I really like you.¡± I said as I looked down at my newest friend. ¡°Warm¡­¡± The little guy just looked up at me as the steaming vapors left my feet feeling very comfy, and I do not feel guilty in the slightest at standing there to bask in the feel of my own personal heater that felt like the summer sun. My mind briefly shifted from the heavenly feel to more mundane problems as I tried to figure out my goals. I had to escape, that was a given. I was tired of being cooped up down here and not having any say in my own ability to do what I wished to do at any given moment. Yes, freedom is what I desired most. Also, revenge. I wanted to see the lady of the house suffer alongside her dog Reginald. I knew I was not on the level where I would pose a real threat to that man and his ability to just casual kill people as if prepping food for lunch. Scratching that one away for now, I knew I needed to get back to South Jaga to fix my connection with those higher beings that gave me some extra perks, chief among them being my ability to learn skill and spells without the need for a teacher to connect to me somehow. I preferred not waiting for a chance to snag what I wanted when I wanted it. I knew I would most likely be using my Wind Walk skill to make me way home, though I still was not sure what that looked like as I had not used the spell for much yet and I doubted I could pull off the casual proficiency that Camilla the courier had displayed above the city as she left the guild hall. The memory of her dancing and flipping through the air as she somehow built her speed and increased her momentum so quickly still left my spirit aching for a chance to try it myself. Focus. Right, I needed to get moving, recover my mana, and reach my escape route. I accomplished the first by taking that first step with dryer shoes and warmer feet as I moved further along the network of tunnels and caves in this soon-to-be-left-behind domain of subterranean hell. The second would take longer as I did remember that for every two percent of my mana lost, I would lose one percent of my total mana regeneration which would increase as I replenished it. Mana begetting more mana and all that. Don¡¯t ask me how it worked, I just knew it did. I also had to avoid bottoming out that mana pool as it would lock me in at half mana regeneration until fully recovered with a killer headache as a full-time reminded. ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t want to do that again.¡± I muttered, earning me a look from Ignis along with a puff of heated air which he blew out through his little nose slits. Seeing a lizard smile while blowing heated air from their nose with their thin line of a mouth stretching from one side of its jaw to the other was rather strange in a creepy kind of way. Still cute, creepy-cute. Ignis shook his head as if reading my thoughts before he trudged on head down and eyes forward. As for the last bit, I figured that I would just need to make use of the limited knowledge of the skill I had obtained as I learned it mixed in with some heavy improvisation and luck. I would also need to worry about something new, as I was sure I would soon have to rely on my pool of stamina for executing the flight. ¡°Onward, to glorious freedom!¡± I exclaimed into the air as I continued my walk, startling Ignis just a bit in the process. Chapter 66 - The Party Trough 14, Aboard the Ale¡¯s Lament ¨C South of Eldor ¡°I don¡¯t feel right about this, Doogan.¡± Said a deep gravelly voice from under a large metal helmet. The man was sporting a chest piece of leather spotted in places with small plates of a dull metal. He was taller than the man leading their party and twice as wide with a large hammer strapped upon his back in some method than no one could figure out. ¡°Quite your worrying little brother.¡± Came an equally gruff voice, like rocks falling into a quarry. ¡°We volunteered and you are only complaining now because we¡¯re on a boat.¡± The second man was built to the same design as his brother with their only difference being that this man wore only a leather smithing apron over his every day homespun clothes of deep brown. Strapped to his back was a pair of long scimitars, glistening with oil in the chilled moist air. ¡°That is not my worry, little brother.¡± Said the first man, clearly arguing his title. ¡°My worry is that we are out under open sky during the blasted Turning.¡± ¡°In a boat.¡± Said the second man to finish what was left unsaid by his brother. ¡°Melbeck,¡± Doogan said as he turned to the pair from his place at the prow of the ship, ¡°We haven¡¯t got a choice in the matter. Also, you should remember the teachings. Good men with a purpose are blessed by the gods and shall suffer no harm in their duties.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t quote the book to me, Brett.¡± Said the first man, Melbeck, with a scowl. ¡°He speaks true, my good man Melbeck.¡± Another voice came from the stern. Melbeck glowered as he looked back at the priest manning their rudder. Darius had been among the first to join the party and was probably more powerful in his role than anyone but Doogan. It was the pair of them that had worked through various channels to assemble their group for the raid on Avery¡¯s manse. To think that the spider of North Jaga had taken a citizen, and a guild member, as a slave. Let alone the fact that she had been working as a slave trader for several years without anyone being aware. They had slipped up somewhere and as the two brothers shared a glance, they both understood that things would most likely be changing rapidly for some time. There was always some fallout when taking down someone with such long reach. There would likely be several small issues noticed by only a few as a certain company has its doors forcefully closed in the near future. Darius only smiled as the brothers shared in their twin speak, using their eyes alone. He had worked with everyone aboard, most everyone aboard. On the port side of the ship stood an unlikely pair, people Darius had known but only through reputation as they kept to themselves. It would be strange to see people of their level with so few friends in the area had not the pair been translocated themselves to the land of Talindrone. These two were instead brought here by the very thing they were now facing, the Turning. It was a change of seasons, a refreshing of the very magic of their world. It was written in the book that this time was when the gods were closest to their world and could act more directly in their lives.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. No one believed that the hand of God would descend and help guide them so thoroughly in their lives as they would need no longer serve; or rather most did not. In a great many cases people would wake up after the Turning was done with some new skill, or spell. Sometimes they would gain a level in the night due to a large growth of experience. Though most often it would only be the people who were born during the season of a particular celestial shift. That is to say, people born in Fall or even Winter receive their first blessing during the Turning of Spring after one year of life and continue to receive boons upon only that particular event. The children of Spring and Summer would receive their particular gifts during the Stilling of the Fall. It was also a time of upheaval for some. As was the case for the two sitting together alone while all these others were speaking together and sharing the anticipation of the upcoming battle. Darius had been waiting for the others at the docks in town when he was approached by these two and he could not help but recall their meeting. Four hours earlier. ¡°Hey priest.¡± Said a voice from behind Darius who turned to greet the speaker. ¡°Hello to¡­¡± he began looking for the speaker who had interrupted his ruminations. ¡°Down here.¡± Darius had been forced looked down to see a profoundly serious, mustachioed gnome. Before Darius could respond and perhaps save himself from appearing to be discourteous another voice sounded from further down the pier. ¡°You beat me here, I see.¡± The second man to arrive was actually not a man. He was an elf. The two smiled warmly at one another before looking back at him, both of them sharing the same bright green colored eyes. Darius was somewhat intimidated by the look and could feel the distinct pressure that comes from two older men and perfected through years of combined effort. These two could not be trusted. That was not to say they were evil men, no. These two were old, and with age and some link they shared Darius knew they would cause no small amount of mischief. He had no idea why they had shown up here and now, but he was on his guard. He knew what it was like to suffer the company of irascible grandfathers. ¡°You know, Cal. I think he¡¯s having unfavorable thoughts about you.¡± Said the gnome through his large moustache. The way he grinned at his friend was almost comical as his large bushy, black brows were set waggling. ¡°You jest, Castor. The man is a priest.¡± Said the elf as he gathered his robes about him and took to leaning against a large staff at his side. No, not just a staff. It was a bow-staff, only missing the string to bind it into a more formidable weapon. Darius frowned at them before speaking, ¡°What brings the two of you to visit me at such an early hour?¡± The two looked at one another again and frowned before nodding. The gnome took the lead while the elf began to busy himself with sorting through a large satchel he had removed from around his shoulder. ¡°You see¡­¡± began the gnome. And Darius did see. The pair had been struck a blow to the heart recently. Their prot¨¦g¨¦ had been slain in a ruthless manner only a day before. Castor told Darius of their time together and the training and nurturing these two had done for the girl, barely an adult even by human standards. He explained that he knew why Darius was there and he had told his prot¨¦g¨¦ before her demise that he would assist in freeing her. He did not elaborate on how the young girl had known of Olea, but Darius had some ideas. All true blessings came in sets of three, as the book said. Castor added that he would like to speak with Darius after the mission was completed while also listing his abilities as a mage of some skill, while his friend was a passable archer. They had apparently known each other for an exceptionally long time and had been removed from their home continents during the same year almost four decades earlier. Fate may be a fickle mistress, but it seemed as if she were on their sides this day. Again, Darius smiled. They had talked among themselves, Darius serving as the dutiful listener while Castor regaled him with fanciful tales and Calen occasionally corrected him about who suffered what. It was an entertaining hour spent before the ship arrived bearing the rest of his party. Darius spent some time making introductions and then took his place at the rear of the ship. The two from Eldor had walked off alone to converse amongst themselves after that. Chapter 67 - Preparing for Flight Trough 14, Rocky Underground Shelf Beneath the Avery Manse It took nearly two hours for me to find the corpse of the sand-borne salamander that I had seen during my time piggybacking on the senses of Seline and Rocky. I was not sure if this was due to the fact the time was somehow dilated while using the skill or if I was too focused at the time of my experience. Honestly, I was still unsure of how to classify almost anything involving time in this world since I arrived. ¡°More thoughts for my future self.¡± I muttered, earning me a look from Ignis. He had done some growing up since we first started our walk, not physically mind you. He was still between three and four feet in length and still pulsing with warmth. My own little heater bug ¨C or lizard. He had come to pick up on smaller things, matching my stride with his steadily flopping feet. I had even changed my pace a few times, earning me more of those wide-mouthed glaring frowns. It helped keep my thoughts on the goal, honestly. Up ahead was the bending wall that snaked its way along the winding stream, a wall made of long stone fingers reaching to and from the floor and ceiling of the cave. I saw the shaft of light beaming down on the remains of the beast, and it looked off. Not the light, the corpse. It looked small and deflated, and it seemed to be shrinking. I stared for several more minutes, focusing on the thing before my brain was able to process what I saw. I could see faint traces of matter leaving the body, or rather I saw something leaving the body. I had only truly noticed it as the pace was not steady, it even seemed to be speeding up. Fine motes of multicolored energy were leaving the body on the ground, as if the world were reclaiming the energy spent on its existence. Okay, I may have been adding some sentiment to the comparison that was all my own, but it sure seemed as if that was the case. Maybe the world was indifferent and there was something else at play, maybe that was also why no one seemed to mind when I left the bodies of fallen rats in the alleys back home in South Jaga; they just disappeared over time. I felt a nudge at my leg and a marked increase in the temperature as my salamander friend retrieved me from my thoughts. ¡°Right, yeah.¡± I said apologetically, ¡°The mission!¡± I nodded to the little guy whose head was just above the level of my knee and marched on. I needed to find out how far down I was, and the easiest way to do that would be simply climbing up. Looking up into the source of the pale light above I could see that it wove in zigs and zags the entire way up, or at least as far as I could see. I was beginning to wonder about how the light was so strong after bending through the hole before I saw the many sharp crystals lining the walls. Honestly, I was just as amazed that I had lived this long with my low attention to details like this. Sometimes my mind was a little slower than I thought it would be, as if I had been growing more closed in. Tunnel vision and such, a whole new level of attentiveness that shunted the peripheral world whether it was to my detriment or not. More future me problems and thoughts. ¡°Okay, time for testing.¡± I said as my mind recalled one spell that was sure to become my favorite very soon, I was honestly somewhat hyped that I would get to use this feature of the spell. Yes, it was time to try out my Wind Walk spell, more importantly the constructs that the spell was centered around creating. I recalled the pertinent information form the system spell logs. Wind Walk: This spell creates a field of moderate wind control for use by the wielder. It can be subtly altered by the target of the spell to shift the winds and allow for faster movement while lowering stamina consumption. Unlike other spells you will benefit from both Intelligence and Wisdom while receiving minor bonuses from your overall Dexterity and Constitution.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Rank Two: This rank adds a passive effect, similar to gravity magic, allowing you to somewhat alleviate the pull on your body by external forces, be they natural or other. Further decreases the Stamina cost of many actions. Further, it increases control over the magics of Air. Rank Three: Spell duration increased to Level multiplied by two while Mana and Stamina costs are further reduced. Weight is also decreased while actively using the spell as you become less bound by external forces. You may now construct a thin membrane of air to use as a temporary contact point. Rank Four: At this Rank you will see an increase in the strength of your elemental constructs, allowing you to exert more pressure upon them before they fail. Your passive will now also give a bonus to your overall speed, and to be less bound by the forces of nature that would hold you back. Steps and other constructs of air created while making use of this spell now have reduced costs and shall exist far longer before they expire. Range of construct conjuration greatly increased. I cast my senses inward, verifying that the magical spell was still active. It felt as if it were. I then checked my mana reserves to find that I was only a few points shy, the two-hour walk having seen me to a nearly full tank. I focused my thoughts as best I could with the sounds of flowing water echoing through the cavern and the foul stench of poisoned lizard meats as it broke down into its baser parts; it took a little doing. After a brief moment when I thought I was going about it all wrong I felt space condensing in front of me, or rather I felt the air condensing. In front of me at about knee height I could make out a faint bending of the ambient light as it passed through what I assumed was my new air step. I poked the side with a finger and felt my hand enter into the side of the construct, the feeling was similar to dipping your hand in water but without getting wet. I felt the sensation of pressure upon every inch of skin that was embedded in the construct up until the moment that it fell apart, air dispersing in a whoosh. It had not lasted as long as I had hoped it would, dispersing after two or three seconds. My mind was puzzled over that as another thought occurred to me and I summoned another step. This time I watched the construct, counting the seconds as they passed. After a solid ten seconds I poked it again, and the thing fell apart two seconds later. ¡°Interesting.¡± I mused aloud, which earned me another look from Ignis. Really you would think he was getting offended on behalf of his air-borne elemental cousins, it¡¯s not like I was playing with fire. Why was he acting all superior while observing me play with air, he was a fire type! I shrugged and conjured a new step, this time casting it in a way that placed it behind me before I leaned into the step that I had summoned at a steep angle to support me as I did not want to lean so precariously that a dissipating would put me on my backside. Nope, Ignis would definitely judge me for that. I waited for the two seconds it took before the step would dissipate and kept waiting, the step held strong. I turned around and shoved at the step while not expressing any intent that it should give way, as I somehow knew that thinking it should move would indeed make it move; that was not the goal here. The step didn¡¯t budge as I pressed my shoulder into it, not even a little. One thing that did budge though was me. I soon found myself stumbling forward as the step fell apart only righting myself a moment before I toppled over. I had lost track of the time I spent pushing onto the step and my mind had wandered causing the summoned platform to fall apart. It seemed that the constructs would only fall apart when I lost focus on them, or if they were somehow pierced from a side that was not firmed up, or rather a side that was not meant to bear the weight. My finger poking into the side of the construct seemed to be like putting a hole in a tire, whereas resting against the top was more like making use of the surface of the tire that hit the asphalt. It had more resistance to being broken when used as intended. I summoned another one, this time willing it to appear in front of me at chest level. The moment it came into existence I placed my finger underneath the step and verified that yet again it fell apart after two seconds. I summoned another one slightly lower before placing my thumb down upon the surface and it held. My digit did not so much as dent the surface of the construct. I smiled to myself, having fully exercised a bastard version of the scientific method before I got back to work. I summoned another step at the height of my knee before leaping from the ground and standing on it. It held, no surprise there. I summoned another while still perching on the previous construct and leapt forward keeping my intent in mind as I landed upon the step, pinwheeling my arms a little as I stopped myself from pitching forward. This would be easier if I had more room to maneuver and I glared at the low ceiling and looming walls. It would just be much easier if I could do this while in constant motion. The experience of ice skating came to mind where I could just use my momentum to take the next steps and continue ever onward picking up speed and doing some really nifty spins and twirls before I felt myself falling. I had gotten distracted again and soon found myself looking up into the eyes of my new judgy friend from my backside after landing on my bum and collapsing in embarrassment. It wasn¡¯t the fall that had wounded me so; nay, it was the shame of being defeated by my own mind. ¡°Right.¡± I said as I climbed back to my feet and started again. I needed a great deal of practice. And so it was that I spent the next hour summoning and dismissing the little steps of air, jumping back and forth upon the constructs with an ever-increasing level of confidence and control. I still couldn¡¯t flit about and do fancy tricks in the way that I had envisioned my first use of the spell, but a girl had to have goals. Chapter 68 - A Grave Encounter First off, I need to say that hopping around in a thirty-by-forty cavern with various low hanging and high climbing protrusions was as frightening as it was boring, but it did help me improve my spatial awareness. Secondly, I needed to get out of here because the sheer boredom of seeing the same walls of slate-gray and lime-white were beginning to make my brain hurt. I stopped my little parkour run feeling confident and in control as I said. An hour well spent, indeed. My next task was exploring the tunnel in hopes of finding the light at the end. I checked my mana levels, noticing that it took surprising little mana to produce the little steps though the stamina cost was a bit daunting. I chanted a quick Vigor and watched my stamina pool climb up by nearly forty points, also taking note of the increase to my regeneration rate. It made sense as I recalled the effects of the spell. Vigor: [Ten Mana.] This spell allows the user to bestow a boost to the target¡¯s stamina, increasing their ability to push through tough tasks with more ease as they are lifted out of exhaustion. Walk further and be refreshed. While this spell can alleviate Stamina overuse it can compound the issue if overused. All things in moderation. Rank Two: This spell now alleviates the need for sleep to a small degree, recovering the body from both mental and physical exhaustion. A passive is applied to the user upon reaching this rank which reduces the Stamina required for strenuous activity by an amount directly related to Constitution and Wisdom. Targets of this spell will recover Stamina immediately while also receiving a reduced restoration of Stamina over time. Rank Three: At this rank your passive Stamina cost reduction is increased. Your spell will now restore a greater amount of Stamina as well as restoring slightly more stamina over time as the spell fades. I had a moment where I thought about using one of my remaining skill points to increase the magical spell level by one to max it out but thought that it may be best to wait a little while. The boon would surely be something helpful, likely providing more stamina, but I wanted to keep it as an option rather than committing straight away. I was beginning to look at my other attributes and skill when a sad thought occurred to me and looked down at my little friend. I had no idea if I would be able to bring the salamander with me. Sure, he was a conjured spirit and would just vacate his current vessel when I dismissed the spell, but I could not help but feel like I would be abandoning him here if I were to shoot up the tunnel right now. I mean what kind of friend just -. My thought process was interrupted by the salamander giving a loud huff before expelling a blast of fire from his tail as he pushed away from the earth with short stubby legs. I was equally amazed and skeptical as his lunge fell just shy of landing him in the opening above us as another gout of flame erupted from his posterior, and it was not the tail this time. ¡°Eww.¡± I said waving the air in front of and all around me, making sure to lean into the air manipulation inherent in the Wind Walk active effect. ¡°It smells like stale swamp gas and burnt eggs¡­¡± As I was complaining about the foul smell, I could not help but be amazed as the salamander reached up with one clawed foot to latch onto a crystal and pull itself up; each of its legs grabbing onto the wall of the tunnel as it drew further in. ¡°Show off.¡± I said, even as the little guy began wriggling further up the hold in the ceiling, grasping as crystals and rocks alike. Impressive. Now, I did not want to be outdone by my subordinate this early in my hero career, so I jumped up from the floor of the cavern one leg extended higher as I formed a step and then pushed down hard. With my stamina costs and weight both reduced through the use of Wind Walk I found that lifting myself up and through the hole took little effort. I could compare it to climbing a small set of stairs, though the sight of nothing below my feet but a haze in the air did take some getting used to. ¡°That could be an issue.¡± I found myself saying as I thought of attaining the heights I had seen Camille reach before she faded into the middle distance outside the city all those weeks ago. Had it been weeks, really? I took a moment to bring up the calendar function even as I pushed higher into the labyrinthine tunnel above me. Troug 14, The 1344th Year of the Age Wow, while I had no idea what age the calendar referred to it did occur to me that this would be the equivalent of Valentine¡¯s Day back on earth as it was the fourteenth day of the second month. And yes, I knew that the calendars were not quite the same and I also knew that they probably had no saint Valentine on this world, but I had to draw that line in my head. I honestly could not wait to get back home to South Jaga. I will be honest here in my own thoughts about this, I mostly wanted to try those pastries I had been cheated out of. Thoughts of the pastries made me think of the evil raven that was my bonded familiar, and I remembered to send out a quick mental message to let him know I was making my way topside. I knew he was there as I could feel his presence growing nearer and nearly directly overhead. I got back the sense that he was not alone, and I could vaguely discern a mental image of some fighting below Corvin as he flew about, waiting for me to arrive.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. The feel of throwing down and tossing some help to my rescuers occurred to me then, but I had to quickly shunt that thought away. I could barely keep up with one mad cow, how could I stand against a bunch of bandits and slavers defending their home turf. I also got the sense that something very wrong was about to happen as the magic in the area was taking on some not-so-friendly undertones. It did not feel evil per se, but I was definitely picking up on some negative energy gathering. Focus. I leapt to the next step, missing a jutting chunk of blue and white crystal, something that was the size of a fire hydrant and likely just as hard. My mana was still doing fine, and I saw that my stamina had only fallen by a few percentage points, good signs. I also noted that I had not yet caught up to Ignis, though I could see his fiery tail lashing about up above, throwing shadows and weird shafts of different colored lights throughout as his flames were refracted and reflected by the oversized crystals. It seemed as if I had been climbing through the tunnel for an age, leaping from magical steps and even some of the large crystals and rock shelves where they were available to conserve mana. The tunnel grew so narrow in some places that I needed to summon my little footpads nearly on top of one another as I stepped up in place as if climbing a very off ladder, banging my knees in places when I misjudged a few stones. Was I almost having fun? Yes. Would I ever want to do this again? No. Though it was almost a guarantee that I would some day be forced to do similar things to escape some horrible fate or maybe rescue a fair prince from evildoers in some far-off kingdom. The struggles of an up-and-coming heroine. The lights above suddenly lost their orange and red shifts in hue, and I realized a little later than I should have that I was nearly out, almost there. The loss of colors would mean that Ignis had cleared the hole and was waiting on the surface, it must be nice having six legs and being able to create your own propelling force from the undercarriage. I was betting he had learned that skill in Elemental College of Cha¡­ Yeah, let¡¯s skip the copyright infringement. A moment after my mind threw that random pattern of thought out, I was clearing the last of the crystal and now climbing through a tunnel of simple brown soil. Above me I saw the carpets of green grass that folded down at the lip of the sinkhole that had allowed me easy escape. I took another pair of steps above me and leapt the last bit of distance to land almost gracefully upon the sod. I heard a loud ¡°Caw!!¡± overhead even as I took in the sight of Ignis curled in a circle, his body hissing softly as small droplets of water fell from above, steaming away on contact. It was also at this time that I noticed another notification from the ever-present system. Welcome to the Turning, as you are braving the open world in this time of change all regenerations are increased. Be aware that all spells and skills are empowered during this time. Yet even as you are empowered the Monsters of this world are similarly empowered. This message is being shown to you so as to make you aware of the specifics of a natural cycle; remember this fact as it will not be repeated. I had been wondering about the whole Turning thing the others had been mentioning. Now I knew, kind of. Meh, I would surely remember to ask someone later, after I got back. The important take away was that I had a little less to worry about when it came to running out of resources as I made my escape. Win, win. ¡°Hey Ignis¡­¡± I began before being interrupted. ¡°Why, hello there!¡± came a high-pitched voice from behind me. I jumped and turned to see a girl, or a woman rather standing behind a tomb stone. That got my mind working again as I took in the hill, I found myself standing up. Yep, I was in the middle of a graveyard. This entire side of the river seemed to be one massive collection of stones, there had to be several hundred stones in various places on this side of the mansion. ¡°Umm, hello.¡± Came the voice again. I looked at the lady again, mildly confused as to what she was doing here. There was no way she was one of the bad guys. She wore a long dark coat that covered her from her head to her kneecaps. She was holding an umbrella to keep the rain from ruining her curled and coifed hair that she was keeping under a small bandanna of yellow and blue. Her eyes were a pale blue reflecting the grey cast clouds of the sky above even as she smiled at me from her gentle angelic face. She was wearing serviceable boots of some dark leather and sported the most interestingly colorful pain of cotton socks I had ever seen outside of a cartoon show. ¡°Hi.¡± I answered, not lame at all. ¡°Oh, you can speak.¡± She said, ¡°I was worried that you may have been one of them.¡± She made vague hand gestures toward the ground and then at the stones. I was not sure what to make of that but decided to keep talking, I couldn¡¯t be seen as rude. ¡°No, not one of those. I¡¯m alive.¡± I answered, ¡°I am also named Olea, who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just visiting.¡± She said, not quite answering my question. ¡°My friends are usually much quieter though.¡± Her hands once again pointed at the various stones surrounding us. ¡°Do you come here often?¡± was the response that came from my mouth, and yes, I realized it sounded very lame. Very lame. ¡°Oh, yes I do.¡± She nodded even as a giggle escaped her mischievous lips, ¡°You may want to leave though, maybe come back later.¡± I looked down at Ignis and then up to Corvin who was circling much lower now and screeching something, even as I felt some sense coming to the rear parts of my brain. ¡°Why would I need to come back-.¡± I began as I looked back, only to see that the woman had gone. It was then that I took a few moments to observe the surroundings with a more critical eye, the things she had said slowly sinking into my forward-facing brain-meat. I saw down below at the base of the hill; a large barge had been run up on the shore. Not far along the road coming up the hill, though on the opposite side to me was a familiar figure. Doogan, in all his glory, was facing off against a group of the local guards, and he wasn¡¯t alone. I saw a pair of wide-shouldered men fighting their way forward against a dozen slow moving foes. One was swinging a large hammer of monstrous size around as if it weighed nothing, or it seemed that way until it made impact and sent someone flying several feet away. The other wielded a pair of flashy metal swords that he was using to slice his foes down where they stood. They were both wearing professionally done armor that glinted even in the low slate-gray evening light, and they both looked very committed to ending the lives of their foes. The problem I saw facing them was that the foes were getting back up, and not all of them were in one piece. No, and this was probably obvious given our location, but my friend and his friends were fighting a horde of zombies. The worst part of this was that even as I noticed them fighting below, I could also see some climbing from the ground at my feet. It was apparently time for the reinvention of a classic cult fiction. Except it would seem that this one was real. I patted Ignis on the head and pulled my knife from storage and prepared for battle before being interrupted by the telepathic message from my familiar shouting, ¡°Run!¡± This message was further punctuated by a large stone falling from above and smashing the ground nearby, along with crushing the head of a withered corpse as it had started pulling itself free of the earth. I guess I could have my heroic moment later. Chapter 69 - Ignis and Ignition I was about to take a running jump into the air when a small whimper caught my ear. Ignis was sitting there, looking up at me with a hurt expression. It seemed that I would not be able to take him along, being that most of Wind Walk¡¯s power was in the passive ability gifted by being the caster of the spell. I also had a strong feeling that without those passives he would not be able to make it more than a few steps. Even if it would let him get a small boost to controlling the air and maybe creating steps there was no way he would be able to keep up. ¡°Yeah, this sucks bud.¡± I said to him, even as hordes of the undead were steadily slogging up the hill toward us. This was made all the more dramatic as we could hear the sounds of Doogan and his merry band down below laying waste to zombies by the dozen. It would totally be close to any moment in the hundreds of zombie flicks where the brave injured party is left behind to provide a distracting meal for the hungry mass of death that chased the protagonist through the alleys and forests of the world. Well, if not for the fact that Ignis was uninjured, and that I had a feeling he could kick some zombie faces in with the right help. His eyes lit up as he read my surface intent, a trick I somehow kept letting lapse from my mind. I was sure it would stick in my head better when they picked up more power as I ranked up. Maybe they would even use their words! I was not leaving my little guy in the lurch without some buffs. Nope, not today. I looked into my list deciding to burn through some of those wonderful skill points and stop hoarding them when it was time to run a Hail Mary. Looking strictly at my list of spells I tried finding the most beneficial ones for the current task and my upcoming run, having already picked Vigor as a grab priority. Command was out, as was Cure Wounds as I would not be fighting. Next off the list were the creation spells as I had had enough to eat recently, Create Water did not seem like it would be tossing in some random buff for drinking lots of fluids before I hit turbulence. Protection from Evil had some merit if I had any thoughts of the beasts below being near my level as it only worked on things my level or lower. Dispel Magic seemed more combat focused as well. Then there was Detect Aura which would presumably only let me see bad stuff better, I was quite sure of the temperament of a horde of zombies, which would mean not today. Yeah, it would seem that I had made my choice. I wanted to get Water Walk, and my mind was rather set on it. I realized I was just trying to rationalize my choice and wasting time in the process. One thing to note was that Armor and Water Breath were both in that tree of prerequisites anyway, so it would only be another two points down to just max them out after getting the needed level to top off Water Walk. ¡°Done.¡± I said, looking at my little salamander friend. He was just going to keep scanning the crowd of approaching corpses while I talked to myself, I guess. Some friend. I watched the five skill points sink down the chute as my skills improved. This time I observed the feeling as the pathways of mana in my body were changed, strengthening my abilities. The closest thing I could think of would be if you were to lie down and create a puddle of warm water on your belly, near the navel and then add a little hot water to it. The warm pool would heat up causing your mind to focus on the spot as after a while it would have become static in your mind; like those pains that you get and learn to ignore. And now with that extra water added the puddle would overflow in places, creating many more little runnels of water that tickled a bit before growing cold and once again not being actively noticed. All of this to say that it just felt weird, warm, and pleasant; don¡¯t judge me. First off, spell changes. Each one was small, but I was impressed overall with my choices and the results thereof. Because, yes, they were my choices. First off, armor was at one time just a spell for added resistance and such that I could use for myself and other people, or even on objects; now it did just a wee bit more. Rank Three: Bonus to damage resistance will now be boosted by the Constitution of the target. You will now be able to notice a slight reduction in the inhibitive effects of this spell when applied to objects. Rank Four: The holder of this spell will now receive a permanent bonus for their resistance to all physical damage; even falling down. This spell can now be used to reinforce magical constructs created by the caster though it cannot interact with the spell constructs of others. It seemed as if I would be able to cast it reliably on constructs, though I was not sure what that would do to my air steps from Wind Walk I was sure I would remember to test it thoroughly later, probably. Another bonus I noticed right away was the new passive boost to my own overall resistance, a boon that I saw as a common benefit for getting spells and skills to a higher level. Although now that I was thinking about it, I really didn¡¯t have any skills. I just had a lot of spells with my only actual skills, those ones without a mana cost, being sneak and the pierce skill for my stabbby-stabby weapons. Next up was Water Breath. Rank Three: Increases the ability to withstand environmental pressures and temperatures. This ability scales upward with the Constitution and Strength of the target. This spell will now actively work to maintain a proper balance of moisture for most creatures to survive prolonged use of the spell. Rank Four: This spell now provides a permanent passive to the wielder, granting you its increase to the resistance of environmental changes in pressure and temperature beyond the lower ranks at all times, so long as shall live. It seemed that it only strengthened the ability to tolerate pressures and temperatures, though to what extent I could not quite feel out with the spell as easily as I could my others, possibly due to it relying on other stats that I was lacking in, or that I had not yet cast it actively being that I had just acquired it. A problem I shall be addressing soon. Another bonus was another passive giving, without cost to me the wonderful priestess, even more resistances to the environment. It would have been nice to have that while suffering the cold of the damned caverns. Another complaint about hindsight only granting me knowledge of how to fix problems that were no longer problems. Another bonus was the loss of a chance to wither up and die due to a lack of water for keeping the spell on at all times. And then there was Water Walk, a fun favorite. Rank Four: This rank increases the ability of the passive to keep you dry, so long as you wish to be dry; it will not hinder your ability to be wet when you wish to be wet. Your movement speed and balance will also increase slightly when surrounded by water. I had some vague memories of the first time I used this spell, and I would have loved an increase in balance when trying it out. I was fairly sure my new skill would even impress the birdbrain overhead, though I was very curious as to how he had been able to conjure a massive rock to drop from above¡­ Focus! I was rather glad I had snagged this as a spell upgrade as I noticed the increase in movement speed there at the end as I was quite sure that I could make use of it in this downpour. Rain to count right? I was just about to drop my last skill point into sneak, just to see if there was some subtle boost to movement speed or balance to be had when I remembered that I had neglected one other spell. Vigor.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Rank Four: The decrease in stamina regeneration caused by exhaustion and overuse are now lessened. You will never fall below sixty percent regeneration of stamina regardless of stamina spent, this effect can only be negated by outside mechanisms such as curses, poisons both mundane and magical, or sickness. It looked like another solid win for team all-nighter. Lower stamina cost and increased regeneration even while dead on my feet, this would make a great many things in life so much easier. Though I may want to keep in mind that it did not yet make me a marathon winner, not yet. There may have been better choices available to me, but I could not quite see them at the moment, and I was sure I needed a nap as my rambling thoughts were back there starting to nag at me and ask me questions about my choice of hat while making me grand escape. I had to get moving. With all these unimportant thoughts in my head, I took a moment to center myself before bending down to my little Ignis. I popped off a series of spells, having to wait roughly five seconds between castings as I felt the mana bottling up inside me when I tried forcing them all through at once. I spared a brief thought for whether or not spell cooldowns was a thing before coming to the obvious conclusion that of course they were. Water Walk, Wind Walk, Armor. I chose the first spell to keep the little guy dry, as the rain hissing on his body looked as if it may have been painful; if not at least annoying. The second spell should give him some more mobility, and the third would let him shrug off a few more attacks or ignore some of the impact damage at least. Nearly twenty seconds casting spells for my little friend with a cost of fifty mana made me feel a little better about abandoning him here to the undead. Yeah, I was still aware that he would be back the next time I summoned him even if his body were ripped to shreds by an undead swarm but that had to hurt, right? Why let them make him suffer, it was best to even the field a little. I looked at my mana bar, seeing it tick up quite a bit faster than normal and smiled. I had to be regenerating nearly one thousand mana per hour now, at least five times my normal rate. That big revelation caused me to strike upon another idea, something fun. I pulled up the relevant line in Conjure Elemental Spirit. Rank Three: Summoner can now control a larger number of Elemental Spirits. Allows the caster to summon two elementals per rank, this does not allow you to summon more than one Elemental per cast. Elementals are now stronger than previous iterations. Caster can increase the Elementals power by investing twice the mana at the time of casting. I pulled a few more torches from my stash of random summoning materials and quickly held them out to Ignis, it was time to get him some new friends. Ignis, being as bright as he was caught on quickly and pulsed a small gout of flame toward the torch ends before he jumped forward to engage the approaching enemies. I channeled the mana into the torches one by one, making sure to double the input. I didn¡¯t bother imbuing my own essence into these ones as they would serve as backup for Ignis and something about cutting myself while surrounded by the undead seemed like a bad idea, so I was not going for the full imbuement. I was also mindful of the casting time before my next spell would be fired. It somehow seemed to stretch a bit more for this spell as aside from the one second of extra channeling to get the extra mana out I was in a bit of a fugue state for nearly twenty seconds where another spell would not manifest. This gave credence to my cooldown theory, though it seemed to differ with each spell. I remembered that Create Food had almost no time between the cast and being that it was the spell I had used most I could kind of understand how I had not noticed this before. Focus! Mana: 184/316. I watched as my mana began ticking up by one or two points every ten seconds or so and smiled again. I loved the Turning. I pointed a hand at Ignis who was currently slapping a zombie with his tail while clamping his mouth around the head of another, a bright red glow emanating from his mouth all the while and grinned. The three salamanders I had summoned launched themselves at the zombies that were moving to assist their brothers in death tackling the problem head on. These three salamanders were maybe a foot shorter than Ignis, but they moved with speed and precision quickly digging their large talon into decomposing flesh and helping my friend cause mayhem. It warmed my heart to see them melting hearts and brains for their glorious benefactor. Ignis looked at me as if to say I was wasting time and I had to agree, it was time for me to leave. ¡°I¡¯m counting on you to make ¡®em pay.¡± I started saying before a flash on the battlefield caught my eye. Down below where the Doogan¡¯s party was making steady progress toward the mansion I saw another flash, and another. I located the source and stared as I saw the slender man, an elf by the looks of it weaving in and out or a crowd of zombies and striking them with a large bow staff. He swung it from side-to-side striking blow after blow upon the mindless horde while behind him a rather short man, was tossing streaks of electricity from his palms. I saw bolt after bolt striking the oncoming denizens of death, leaving them smoking and in some cases smoldering. Most that went down stayed down, but still some clung to un-life and got back up. It was enough to make me think that healing was not what I should have been focused on until I looked at Ignis and realized I would not be trading my little companions for anything. I would still be getting some lightning spells in the future though; it was far too impressive not to take that route. That aside, I now noticed one other figure. I had missed him before because he stood directly behind Doogan. He stood there looking imperious and confident even as he took a spot safely behind the wall of muscle that was my guild master. He was just standing there one moment and the next he was lifting an odd staff into the air as if he were the great Gandalf and they were trying to snag up his hobbits. I laughed a bit before he brought the staff down and was surrounded in a dome of bright white light that vaporized every undead creature within twenty paces. Maybe the lightning could wait until I had THAT spell. I looked at where Ignis and his followers were taking down the undead in smaller numbers and then to where Doogan and his two friends were cleaving into the masses as they made their way up the road, twitching limbs and piles of ash were the only things they left at their back. ¡°Hey Ignis, change of plans!¡± I pointed down the hill as he looked at me, a molten glob of bone mass dripping from his mouth. ¡°Get down there and help them when I leave.¡± He nodded, causing some red-hot drool to drop to the ground and shook his head spraying the ground with hissing liquid. I wasn¡¯t sure but there was no way that he was displaying normal power for a spell of my level to have summoned him, and I spared another few moments to remember the little notification. Be aware that all spells and skills are empowered during this time. Yet even as you are empowered the Monsters of this world are similarly empowered. I also had to think that my spells may have been being unfairly influenced by the gods, but I was not about to start complaining about TK being overprotective. The sky rumbled above me as if in answer. Yeah, purely coincidental. I conjured a step and took to the air, summoning and stepping along as I gained altitude. I felt amazing to be able to build speed and add to my momentum without the fear of hitting a rock wall, or the ceiling. My steps came faster, and I remembered to start casting my own spells as I climbed. I felt my speed increase as the Water Walk passive took hold, proving that the rain did count for the movement bonus, I also had to focus less on keeping the rain from my eyes by manipulating the wind. I cast Vigor to give myself a temporary increase to stamina regeneration as I climbed, feeling the strain as I rose above the ground. And then I cast Water Breath for the increase ability to ignore this icy rain, as well as to see if it would cut down on the need to buffer my face as the wind speed increased. Was it silly and unnecessary? Maybe. Did I care? Nope, I wanted to avoid those wrinkles in the future and having my face stretched out by the wind at high speed was not a risk I would take; I indulged. I was making great progress in climbing above the melee below and I took the chance to look back. My eyes went first to the hilltop I had emerged onto, and I grinned as I saw the wall of fire descending the hill to leave a trail of smoking ruin in the wake of my little trooper. He was tossing small gouts of flame at random zombies while lashing out with his tail at any he got close to, melting the flesh from their legs and causing them to fall. His three subordinates were similarly busy, jumping into the air like flaming geckos before landing atop a wandering corpse only to engulf their heads in an inferno as they breathed a first-sized ball of fire into their faces before riding the body down and bounding off again. It was amazing. I saw Doogan and his crew making steady progress as they hacked, smashed, and sawed their way through the ever-growing crowd even as I saw larger groups of the undead closing on their location from every direction. I wondered at how the hell anyone could have summoned so many undead and what the mana cost would be for such a thing for a moment before my eyes locked onto the elf and his friend, a friend I was going to assume was a gnome. He was far too short, and he had magic; duh. The gnome was just standing there waving his hands in the air as the elf released arrows and beat things with his bow, the string somehow removing itself mid-swing and reattaching itself like magic as the bow bent the other way around the head of a zombie. It was odd, but somewhat mesmerizing. I stumbled for a moment before I remembered I was supposed to be leaving, catching myself with a newly created step below the one I had missed. I heard a caw above me and laughed as I was finally flying with my feathered companion. He was flying just above me, drifting lazily from side to side between wing beats as if demonstrating his obvious prowess. ¡°Showoff!¡± I shouted, thoroughly enjoying the feeling of the wind flowing by. ¡°Caw!¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you use words?¡± I shouted, while probing the Forum for his consciousness. ¡°Caw!¡± was the word that resounded through the forum a moment later. I sighed internally, this moron just had to be, well, a moron. He really needed to work on that sense of humor. ¡°Mean.¡± He said, his voice echoing across the Forum, our own special communications space. I could pick out the sense that we could drop to a sub-level of the skill and have a more private conversation and did that, as I knew we still had one other person linked to us, and I had no idea if he could access this particular skill. He also looked really busy, almost frantic when I saw him in the Soul Vault earlier. I found myself offering a prayer for his safety before I took another glance behind us. We had made some good distance; the mansion was beginning to become a blur behind us as we progressed down the river. The mass of ant-sized undead visible as a wave moving toward a central goal, all converging on the place where I knew my friend Master Doogan was. As I was thinking about changing my plans and damning the consequences, the world was engulfed in light. Chapter 70 - Firestorm Master Doogan Doogan and his team have barely tied their boat to the large dock at the base of the road leading to the home of one Andrea Avery, a leading political figure in the local town of Eldor. She also seemed to have ties to some shadier trade partners, slavers. It would be more apt to say that she herself was a slaver, as she was actively abducting citizens and selling them off to people in various locations. Doogan had long suspected Andrea of being slightly underhanded in her business dealings, but he had never quite expected to be informed of her dealing in slavery. While the practice was not illegal in all places, such as the far-off wilderness zones where criminals were sent to serve sentences as conscripted labor with little to no oversight; there was zero tolerance for enslaving the innocent. Kidnapping itself was punishable with the same sentence, most offenders serving a minimum of ten years hard labor. There were a vast number of ways to track the people abducted if one had the resources. There were clairvoyance spells as well as object or creature location spells. The problem here was that it appeared Andrea had defenses against most types of scrying spells and had the added insight to abduct people from less connected families. Who could expect a farmer or small group of traveling merchants to obtain the scrying services quickly enough to find them before they were shielded with other magics and items, similar to the enchanted bracelet Doogan had found on one of the poor sods guarding the docks. It seemed that Andrea¡¯s only oversight was her choice in abducting a member of the guild. She could not have known that this low-ranking member would have been equipped with her own means of communication; even if Doogan had no idea how it worked. The crow had easily convinced him of his claims as he looked just like the girl and spoke with some of the same random flippancy. He also seemed to be very easily distracted by his own inner musing. The best part was that he had somehow led them straight here after they had reached the general area. As to how Doogan confirmed this with his team; the answer was obvious. How best to confess to a guilty conscience than by summoning an army of undead before a group of guild members could make significant progress. The group of six had been making small advancements up the road for some time, hacking and slashing at the denizens of loosely controlled dead. Every step was another corpse laid low, as a twitching pile of parts of a burning mound of ash. Melbeck with his hammer was fighting alongside his brother Karaga and his two swords in a show of true skill seen only in people who had spent every moment in one another¡¯s company. They had been born as twins long ago and could not be separated, regardless of what they may say to one another. You could see it in their every move. Melbeck¡¯s hammer would fall and crush a corpse while his brother would dart in with several slashes as the thing was retrieved. He would step into the mass of rotting corpses and take several more swings, only to duck a moment later barely missing a sweeping blow of hardened metal as it soared overhead clearing a large swath of his attackers and forcing them into a tangled mess of broken limbs. Castor had also been doing very well, tossing out fireballs and bolts of lightning as his friend Calen the elf covered his immediate area with a very wicked combat style. The sound of incantations and arrows being released was also a constant reminder of the power Darius had brought to his team, having a healer in the party was only trumped by having a healer that also came with an Elven ranger and a powerful mage in tow. There was a story there that Doogan knew he would want to hear after this was all over, but for now he would continue his bloody work. Raising his axe to down another row of enemies. ¡°Hey, Doogan!¡± came a shout from the left. Doogan brought his axe from right to left as it descended into a group of three animated corpses, severing them cleanly. He swung the axe back to a ready position gripped in both hands before replying, ¡°What¡¯s wrong now, Melbeck?¡± Melbeck removed his own hammer from a dented corpse on the ground before looking back over at Doogan with a raised hand, pointing somewhere in the distance as he asked, ¡°Would that girl up there be your disciple?¡± ¡°She looks frightened,¡± came Karaga¡¯s comment a moment later. Doogan looked into the distance to where Melbeck had indicated even as a wave of light washed through his body and Darius¡¯ favored spell melted several corpses. What he saw made him grin; the girl had made it out. She stood there stepping from the left to the right as if thinking about something; a display he doubted she was aware of. She tended to keep herself moving, fidgeting no matter where she was or what was going on; she was almost never still. A moment after he looked up, he saw a small flash of red light as she used a spell, one he had had some time trying to place in her growing list of piety-based spells. He had not believed it when Darius said that she had known the spell. Additionally, he had told Doogan that she had also acquired the Wind Walk spell. These were two spells that would require people to focus solely on them to attain before reaching the rank of Veteran at level twenty-five, yet she had both. It was truly frightening when he thought of her progress since arriving at his Hall of the guild only a month ago. It was also chilling to know that she had been corrupted by a malignant and near-divine level curse less than a week prior. He was brought back to the moment as another flash lit the hilltop where Olea was currently standing. She had summoned two more of the elementals, granting her a total of three bright red salamanders to protect her. And then Doogan saw it. He had missed the blackened-gray body of a much larger specimen somehow during his musing. He was not sure how he had missed it but now that he saw it in action, he knew Karaga¡¯s assumption that she may be frightened was very wrong. The girl was summoning a small army of elemental fire, and he was very glad Sicily had given her those reagents. He wasn¡¯t sure how they got to her, but he was thankful she had received them. Doogan began to laugh, even as he renewed his slaughter of the undead; he was not even angry that he received no experience for killing summoned fodder. The girl was here, and alive. He just hoped she wouldn¡¯t be jumping in to help; though he had a feeling she would be more helpful than he had originally thought.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°Maybe I should had asked her to stay instead of running to safety.¡± He mused aloud. ¡°Are you well, Doogan?¡± asked Darius from behind him, possibly worried that his old friend had gone mad at the sight of his underling in such peril. ¡°More than that, old friend.¡± He said over his shoulder as he lifted his axe once again before turning his head and shouting to the twins, ¡°I don¡¯t think she scared lads.¡± The paused in their delivery of death unto death to look back up to the hill before there expressions shifted to something more akin to shock. ¡°Are those¡­¡± they said together, trailing off before they said in unison again, ¡°Is she flying?¡± Doogan glanced to the hill in time to see Olea leaping through the air in a way that was far less graceful than Camille had shown her a month prior. It was still amazing, and he had a suspicion that she had finally taken the advice of increasing her physicality. There were a few moments when he saw her stumble and stutter in her climb above the army of the dead before righting herself and picking up even more momentum; there had to be a few spells at work for her to keep that level of balance. His eyes then drifted to another movement. There seemed to be a moving cluster of flaming familiars headed their way. Doogan¡¯s grin broadened as he realized that Olea had sent them some support. ¡°Good girl." Castor of Eldor The gnome did not regret working to fulfill the last request of his own disciple, or rather adopted daughter. He had taken her in when she was lost and confused, new to the world at large. She was a victim of the mana storm, in a way far eclipsing his own. He and Calen had learned that her claim of being from another world was true, she had been chosen by the very gods to act upon the world. Castor doubted she had realized the importance of all the things she had shared with him all those weeks ago, but he knew. She could have changed the world. That was before the attack yesterday. What had happened would never leave his mind¡¯s eye. To cut down a young woman, barely into adulthood, was an act that could never be forgiven. The fact that her killer had died did little to alleviate the loss of Merry. It was quite the sight to see the skies open up and show such swift and utter hatred for the scene it was forced to observe, for the heavens were always watching. What was more awe-invoking was the message that had appeared before Castor as the girl lay bleeding upon the cobbles. You have been gifted with the spell: Fire Storm ¨C Rank 4. All Prerequisites have been deferred. Spells shall be further empowered until the end of Turning in the year 1344 on the Continent of Talindrone. Boon Granted by Trougholiea Kenarious, Third Daughter of She who Mourns. I watch on from a place of knowing, kind gnome. Protect them. It had taken some time to process the full weight of those words. Words that had been delivered through the system while invoking the name of a divine maiden of springtime. He recalled the spell now, even as he tossed bolts of arcane lightning and bright orbs of fire at the approaching horde. Fire Storm: [Four Hundred Mana] Using this Apex spell, the caster can summon forth a storm of raging fire to consume all in its domain. The fire summoned will be all encompassing and cause continual damage to any within. Objects and creatures outside of the area of concentration shall suffer very little damage as the bounds of this spell prevent the release of heat into the environment. This spell will do no damage to the caster, but it can and will harm any other person within its area. Area increases with Level, Intelligence, and Constitution. Can be channeled for greater effect. Rank Two: At this rank the area of Fire Storm¡¯s influence is increased. Duration of the spell can now be increased by supplying more mana into the fire, channeling cost is one hundred mana per second. Rank Three: Due to the nature of the pathways unlocked when empowering this spell, the user shall experience a significant increase in their ability to tolerate extreme heat in the form of a permanent passive. Grants the caster the ability to more easily morph and regulate the area affected by this spell while channeling. Rank Four: At this rank the caster will see an increase in the area of Fire Storm¡¯s influence. Control of the storm is now more reliable, allowing the user to greatly influence the path of devastation. Casting time is now reduced by half. ¡°Keep them busy, Cal.¡± Castor shouted as he stepped back. He took a moment to pull a cigar from his robes, a cigar that was currently lit and sporting a bright red cherry at its tip. Pulling in a long breath to relax his mind even as he suffered the verbal abuse that his friend Cal was giving him for having-a-smoke while he fought for his life brought back some fond memories. Memories that would need to wait as he prepared his spell in his mind. His cigar was imbued with no small amount of relaxing herbs, it was also imbued with an enchantment that would increase his intelligence by ten percent. It was a bonus he thought he should have before his first cast of the spell he was about to invoke. He put his hand in the air as he began to channel his mana through the many pathways in his body that had only recently been established. He felt the burning hot energy pour through his conduits as they were flexed and strained through their very first use. He knew he would pay for this later, but he had faith. Faith in the gods above who had given this power to him, a faith that helped him believe that they would see him protected after the spell ended. He knew the cost his body would pay for overusing a new spell to this degree, and he knew very well the cost of using this spell so openly. It was a restricted spell, of course. One seldom taught outside of the Imperial Military and strictly controlled by the Empire. Calen had just backed up to stand by his side as he called out in the divine language, the words gifted to him by divine knowledge, and he watched as his magic was made manifest. A tiny ember, a small spark, the most insignificant floating pinprick of flame appeared between their party and the building in the distance. A place directly over the horde of undead. This small bit of fire was soon growing to envelop a group of shambling corpses at the center of the group. It grew again, encompassing an area nearly the size of his market dwelling across the river, then again it grew to double this size. The heat while distant could be felt even as he shifted his intent, bending, stretching, and growing the walls of flame until they were covering the entirety of the fields before them. Castor watched through a haze of pain as his spell brought the mass of walking dead to a halt, their shadows lingering for moments even as the group around him watched in speechless awe. The spell empowered by The Turning to increase its potency was a sight to behold, and no one spoke a word as the army that they had struggled to fight their way through was turned to ash. There were small bits of bones and clothing left on the ground as the storm was made to avoid directly touching the earth below it, a benefit of the spells focused fury that it did not turn the area into a wasteland. Castor maintained the spell until the final dregs of mana left his body in a sigh, his body collapsing onto the warm grass. Doogan was the first to speak. ¡°Calen, get your man back to the ship.¡± Karaga and Melbeck watched numbly as the elf hefted the gnome over his lean shoulder and made his way back to their craft, all boasting forgotten. ¡°What was that?¡± they asked in unison, slowly working through their stupor. ¡°Trouble.¡± Doogan remarked before tightening the grip on his axe. ¡°For a later time, friend.¡± Darius said while nodding. ¡°We should go though, more work awaits.¡± Doogan nodded back to the man as he began the long march through the fields of ash, his party following behind. No one commented on the four salamanders that had stopped nearby, wondering where all the targets had gone before they began to slowly fade into the ether. Their master had passed beyond the range of the spell, severing the link and releasing them to return to their own realm. Ignis smiled even as he faded away, it was an interesting vacation. Chapter 71 - Flying River Run Now, to say that I was surprised when I turned around and saw a moving wave of fire would be a bit of an understatement. The sight of a moving mass of flame shooting across acres of rolling hills and engulfing the mass of zombies that I had just flown away from left me feeling a little chilled. The chill was fully a mental thing, as I had been knocked from my translucent perch by the waves of heat gushing forth from the rapid combustion. Luckily, I was already quite a distance away and over the river by the time I made the oh-so-wise choice of looking back and had thus only fallen into the river instead of onto a tree, rock, or other solid surface. It was at this point where I threw out another small thank you to my past self for using my water travelling spells. The active spell effects combined with my passive did wonders to keep me afloat. Instead of falling beneath the cold surface of the water, I had a moment to experience what I had seen Rocky endure. The water rippled out from my body as I hit the surface, creating a cascading wave that flowed away from me like the shattering earth scene in almost every super-hero movie. I landed with a muted thud-splash and slowly climbed to my feet, shooting an angry glare skyward as I heard the mad cackle of my bonded familiar. He really was the worst. I allowed myself to calm down for a few moments, letting my mana tick back up before I took a few more steps into the air again. I soon regained enough altitude to watch the end of the show over the Avery estate. I saw the little man, as I wasn¡¯t sure if it would be rude to assume he was a gnome, collapse as the remnants of the fire died. He was then hoisted up by a tall willowy man and carried back to the little riverboat they likely arrived on. It seemed as if the gnome may have overexerted himself. What I did not see was the undead, the field below was vacant of all zombies. There were a few bits and such still twitching on the ground here and there, but the threat seemed to be eliminated. Doogan and his crew watched as the gnome-man was taken aboard before the marched up the hill toward the home of wicked witch. It would seem that they had things well in hand, and I was quite relieved to see that the fireworks were a thing used by my rescuers and not against them. Though to be fair, I was not quite sure I could be calling them rescuers as I had technically rescued myself. Would it be more accurate to say that they were my assistants, or just the distraction to cover my daring flight into the night? Sure, Doogan had supplied me with a great deal of the supplies I had used to rescue myself, but did that count; did it really? Focus. I would need to shelf that line of thinking until I got home, or at least back to South Jaga. I was still on the fence about naming the place as my home, it just seemed too final, as if it would somehow limit my desire to leave one day. Yeah, I needed to explore more of this world before I could think of creating some cage of responsibility and safety. ¡°Can we get a move on, Olea.¡± Came the annoyed voice of Corvin through Forum, sounding just patient enough to make me not hush him. He knew me well enough by now that he put just the right amount of annoyance into his voice to make me respond without getting into a verbal spar. I was soon hopping my way through the air as we followed the river, quickly losing sight of the Avery estates and what I assumed was the town of Eldor. It had looked like a rather pleasant place, maybe one tenth of the size of the city in which I had awakened when I arrived in this world. Thinking about that made me also think about Merry, and the one she left behind. I was really hoping that had worked out the way I thought it would, or I¡¯d probably owe some karmic debt and end up being haunted for all my days. I was fairly sure I was right though, mostly. ¡°It would be nice to see her again.¡± I mused aloud as I stepped through the air, almost skipping as I recalled our last meeting; before the whole being murdered part. I caught myself running my tongue over my lips as I recalled how the meeting had ended and frowned, she would need to answer for that someday. And then I thought about my other brief encounter with who I assumed was the third in our triumvirate, I did not even know his name. I did notice that he looked incredibly determined, if a little frightened. I¡¯d seen the look of caged animals before and seen that same look on desperate people. He was most likely suffering similar problems to Merry and myself and I found myself cheering for him in the back of my mind even as I picked up my pace. I would love to say that I was doing a bang-up job as I skated through the air, that I did amazing pirouettes and twirly leaps, but that would be a lie. I was mostly skipping along like the false Mima of Perfect Blue, I even kind of imagined the scene with me bounding from the tops of streetlamps. I probably needed a pink umbrella to really sell the image though. Meh, that would probably cancel the bonus I got from being surrounded by water somehow. ¡°How long until we get back, do you know?¡± I asked into the Forum, hoping for some concrete time from the bird. ¡°Four hours or so.¡± He said, ¡°A bit less if you stop getting distracted.¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Fine.¡± I said, voicing my witty reply even as I leaned into the magic and began to push. Something told me that the magic boosting effect from the rain and this particular phenomenon were the only reasons that this level of control over my spell was even possible. I had not been able to create the spell platforms from Wind Walk that were seemingly easy to manifest now. Sure, I used them, and they held me but the ones I was creating now took little to no effort and I was sure they could hold a great deal more than my own weight. I also felt that they were lasting much longer than they had in the cave below the graveyard. I focused a bit on the feeling as a new connection was formed with each manifestation, that ethereal link to my creations and I was surprised to count nearly twenty in existence. I could feel it as the older ones expired while I made my way across the lonely sky and had a moment of realization. I couldn¡¯t feel Ignis. The little guy must have retired when I left range for the spell, though I wasn¡¯t sure when that had happened which made me wonder at the maximum range of the spell, I was almost certain it was just after the fiery apocalypse had descended on the horde. I¡¯d need to summon him again in the future and treat him to some gooey napalm treats, or meat pies. ¡°Hey!¡± I shouted up to the bird, though the glare and body language did not carry into the Forum, and I was certain he wasn¡¯t watching me so much as he was watching our surroundings. ¡°Don¡¯t bother asking.¡± He said shortly, ¡°I promise to make it up to you, later.¡± ¡°How did you-¡± I began before being interrupted. Who knew it was possible to interrupt telepathic thoughts sent with the speed of the soul, not me. ¡°You always obsess over food; wait till we get back.¡± He said before continuing, ¡°Sicily will surely reward her little sister for making it home safely.¡± I huffed, putting some extra wind into it and creating an effect that resembled a spit-take, totally ruining the display. I let his cackling caws be the fuel for my focus as I stepped and stepped, pushing my legs harder as I picked up speed. I learned to reduce the amount of resistance in the air around me and began slowly manipulating the very wind to bolster my movement, it was such an engaging process that I had lost track of how high I had climbed. I looked down on what at first was an amazing view of the winding river flowing on for miles and miles from its source and fed by a multitude of large creeks which I could see snaking in like dark arteries. Far in the distance to the south was Jaga Lake, from here it was almost a pond, but I had seen it firsthand and knew it would likely rival Lake Erie. The next thing my mind grappled with was the fact that in order to take in all of this at once, my body had to be extremely high up. I¡¯d guess at over fifteen-hundred feet with the distance of my view being roughly eighty or one hundred miles. This distance was fully a guess as I assumed Corvin and myself could fly well over thirty miles per hour and he had said we could make this trip in four hours. My brain was kind of short circuited as I skipped along, thankfully too shocked at the knowledge that my body had taken it upon itself to jump into autopilot. It was a sensation similar to the dreams I had as a child, where my dreams had been realized, and I was finally able to fly. This dream almost always ended up with my ability being somehow lost, due to fear or lack of concentration and me falling toward the ground, only to wake up tangled in blankets on a cold cement floor. And now here I was, a victim of self-fulfilling prophecy. I faltered and missed a step as my foot landed wrong and I slipped sideways toppling over and falling downward. I let out a scream that was quickly stripped away by the wind around me and my primal brain shouted alongside my rational one for several long moments and I plummeted to the ground. And then I was no longer falling. I was gliding, awkwardly. I felt talons digging into my shoulders even as I noticed a shadow had blotted out the limited light from the pale overcast sky above. ¡°You really need to stop eating so much.¡± Corvin crowed in my mind. I looked up to see the chuckling creature that was my bonded familiar, now in a slightly larger form. His body had grown to be nearly the size of a medium sized hog, with wings spanning out well over twenty feet tip-to-tip. ¡°Have you always been so big, yourself?¡± I asked as my thoughts began to calm down a bit. The pain in my shoulder was helping me to focus faster on the matter at hand. ¡°Only after you hit Rank Two.¡± Was the response I received to my question before he added, ¡°Are you okay, and can you continue?¡± The words in my mind were accompanied by worry and a sense of protectiveness that made me wince as I recalled my state from not so long ago. He had been worried then, and no doubt he would not want to go back to that feeling of disconnected helplessness again. I could get behind the sentiment, fully. ¡°I¡¯m good, thanks.¡± I said, not bothering to belittle his feelings or make some glib remark to save face. He cared and that meant I had to play nice, though I¡¯d still get him back for the pie theft. I shook my shoulders as he loosened his grip and allowed me to fall in a control fall, speeding forward at an angle rather than straight down. He had helped by stabilizing our descent and that was enough to help my brain regain proper functionality. I took several more steps skipping quickly and letting my body pitch forward a bit more than would be safe if not for the safety net that was my flighty friend. I knew he would catch me if I somehow got turned upside down again. I was also getting lower now, my altitude having dropped quite a bit before I was grabbed. I could clearly see the waters below as we covered the distance, and I watched the scenery race by. We were making timely progress, or so I thought as we sped along. I saw other boats along the river, tied alongside the shoreline. In some instances, I would catch sight of small campsites along the river with people sitting around campfires in this late evening air. I waved to random groups of people, though most never seemed to notice me. I did spot one pair of children playing near the river who in turn spotted me as I came flying by, and I decided to show off just a bit. I let my steps take me lower to the water, coming down close enough to be level with the trees before I leapt forward and landed on the river, relying on the Water Walk spell to allow me to slide across the blue, mirror-like surface. A cascading wake of ripples of mist formed behind me as I skated across the water like an ungraceful figure skater, and I will admit I loved every second of it. The children gasped in amazement even as some adults noticed my display, letting out small bursts of affirmative appreciation even as I stepped back into the air before all of my momentum could be bled away. Corvin had slowed a bit in his flight as he sensed the outline of my planned stunt before I had committed to it as if he knew I could use a little stress release. It felt amazing to slide across the surface of the river like that, and even more amazing to have such a wonderful audience. I felt all warm and fuzzy inside. Which of course was when I heard the screaming. Chapter 72 - Aerial Race I had been the producer and the audience for many levels of screaming in my time on this planet, or rather on earth. Not as much here on this one. I would like to claim that I knew a great deal of ranges for the purpose of the loud outburst of air and fear or excitement. They could signify a fright, a joyous celebration, an exhalation of passion to the ceiling, or just someone showing themselves to be a fan of childish tantrums. There really was a diverse array there, with each having their own nuances and situational uses. This scream was one of pure terror. I froze on the surface of the water, my heart pounding as I scanned for where it came from. The kids near the river, who had been watching me, were bolting away in a panic. I watched them run past the adults to their large encampment and into the arms of the women there as the other adults, mostly men turned back to the water before they began shouting to one another. Some backed away slowly while others stood their ground, looking all the world like they were about to throw down and fight to the last. This stance prompted my own slow mind to follow the water up to the spot their gazes were locked upon. There was nothing there, or rather there was nothing visible there. What I saw instead was a large circle of deep ripples and a line of disrupted water forming a massive wake following an equally massive shadow hidden by the pitter-pattering raindrops making the surface opaque. And of course, the shaded monstrosity was heading directly for me. This is where I want to say I acted in the selfless style of a hero, bounding away to distract the beast so that the menfolk could either escape with their charges or also heroically come to my aid in some wildly spectacular flanking maneuver of magic and might. That is not what happened. No, I took a step in the opposite direction and ran. My feet dug into the surface of water beneath me feeling all the world like I had taken that first lunge from a trampoline where your lead foot will sink before you move your weight and get propelled forward with speed. My weight shifted with my next step, and I hastily formed the thought required to step away from the water and into the air. I took a step and another step even as I felt the air behind me grow cold. I knew not to turn and look, it would be a mistake to do so; it always was. Instead, I ran up into the air as fast and far as I could get my little legs to carry me. Why couldn¡¯t I have been brought back as a tall amazonian princess with a six-foot body and legs for days. No, no, I needed to be a petite, little, elf-girl of proper and perfect rescuable carry-size. My back was suddenly showered with a spray of water as I felt a surge of air around me as something missed snagging my feet by what I was going to pretend was more than inches. I climbed higher and higher, wanting to escape the water-bound beast quickly. I put my head down in that way children do when they think it will help them move forward faster and that was then I saw the water below. The shadow of something was swimming just as quickly as I was fleeing, it seemed to be keeping pace with me. ¡°Keep moving, Olea.¡± Corvin squawked through the forum. I nearly shouted back some retort before I realized I had slowed down to track the thing below us even as I lost altitude. I was still thirty feet above the water, surely that was safe enough for now so long as I kept moving. I picked up the pace again, not wanting to tempt fate and stick around. It could have friends, or there could just be some over-powered Rok flying around in this empowering rain just waiting for some wonderful elf-snack. Another thing occurred to me, and I changed direction slightly, veering more east than south as I climbed higher and soon made my way above the treetops on the opposite shore. Even if the creature could walk on land there was no way it could follow me from below while there were so many trees in the way. Right? I had barely made it fifty feet past the shoreline before a deep reverberating eruption of water sounded from behind me. I grinned as I pictured the beast reaching the shore to realize my plan of leaving it behind. The sound that followed would have set me to smiling had its cacophonous moan of anger not been located behind me and not below me. I could not help it; this time I looked back. And there it was, the hidden monstrosity that had made grown men quake and tremble. It was now understandable why they looked so determined. The monster resembled a Chinese dragon dancer seen in many parades. It had a long sinuous body snaking out behind its massive tooth filled maw. There were at least three sets of arms or legs separated by no less than twenty feet of body each. The tail was similar to eels swishing side to side with a long fin of sorts running down the length of it. It was an overly majestic creature, or it would have been if it were not cast in that sickly red on black color pattern that reminded me of my previous bovine attackers. What made it all the worse was the fact that I could see stubby tentacles ringing the oversized head as if in mockery of a lion¡¯s mane. The part of its body that made the least sense was its lack of wings. I know magic exists and it was somewhat hypocritical of me to be a judge when I obviously had none of my own, but how could something so Dragon-Esque fly without wings?This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Because obviously it was flying, and quickly. ¡°Run!¡± came the voice of reason that was my bonded familiar. I needed no further motivation as I turned and burned across the sky. I had been regenerating mana and stamina more quickly than I could use it before with my casual pace, but now I could feel my resource pools slowly dwindling down as I pushed faster. I cast Vigor to increase my stamina regeneration while my mana was still near the higher limit even as I pumped my legs faster. I threw away my sense of heroic style and suave movement for the sake of producing more speed and sensed that while not gaining ground I was at least not falling closer to the monstrosity behind me. I did not want to get eaten, cursed, or hen-. Yeah, I was not even going to think of what-ifs for now. Best to keep running. I soon attained a state of mind where my body did what my body did as my brain focused on keeping track of my dwindling resources. Mana: 234/316 Stamina: 276/312 My legs felt like leaden weights as the first hour passed by, all raw exhaustion and fatigue. This feeling led me to use the Vigor spell more than I probably should have to keep my stamina flowing inside. It alleviated the bulk of the strain on my poorly conditioned body, but I could tell that I was using it too soon. I needed to cast it only after the bonus to regeneration the spell granted with each cast ran out, not before. My mana pool was also suffering from this mishap as I could feel that I was definitely losing more mana than I was able to keep up with. It was also becoming harder to passively generate more than I was using as I continued forming my air-based constructs as the lower my tank dropped the lower the rate of regeneration would creep. The beast was still behind me, though I had gained a few dozen yards with the past several miles. Believe me when I say that I knew this was not an acceptable level of distance when fleeing through the sky. I had been gaining more altitude as time marched on, hoping something would change so that I could try something to get more distance once I was high enough. Honestly, any change right now that did not actively hurt me would only be welcome. I could see my destination in the distance. A small bastion of hope lit up against the rolling plains and sparsely forested land on the other side of the massive lake, each wall lit by a multitude of tiny pinpricks of mana-infused orbs. The roar of the nightmare behind me caused me to leave that little glimmer behind as I focused once more on putting one foot in front of another. Corvin cawed somewhere above me, he was flying higher so as to follow the movements of the beast. For some reason it had no interest in him at all, even when Corvin flew nearly in line with the monster it would not deviate from its path. Its focus was purely on me; I was not flattered. Mana: 157/316 Stamina: 216/312 My mana kept dropping as my legs continued to protest the abuse, at this point I was certain that my muscles were going to rip away from the bone at any moment, my tendons screaming as they were stretched and strained. I was much higher now, having climbed to at least twice my previous height. I was not panicking this time as I knew there was something much worse than a sudden stop and splatter awaiting any fright-induced mistake. No, now I was going to attempt to change something. To force a slight change and maybe gain some more distance. I sent a mental nudge to signal to Corvin above even as I dove down, creating a step at my feet to push against; increases my downward momentum. The air was whipping past me at speeds I had not been able to attain while running even with all my passives literally streamlining me. I quickly reached maximum downward velocity travel forward and down at what I hoped was something close to forty-five degrees. It was a brief moment later than I felt the familiar feeling of claws wrapping around my arms as my course corrected slightly. Corvin had told me this could work after a brief outline of my idea, though he had let me in on some pertinent details. His size shifting had costs. It was the reason he did not maintain his larger form. He derived his stats from my own which is to say that my paltry levels of Strength and Constitution were not enough for him to effectively use the larger forms that came as we increased our power. In fact, if not for my higher Wisdom he would quickly burn through the entirety of his energy as he had to actively use mana to keep him aloft as the purely physical stats could not maintain the proper force or lift required for his increased mass. What he could do was serve as a temporary glider to help me gain a few seconds reprieve while diving downward to hopefully increase my lead. We stayed that way for a very brief time as I fell toward the water below, having finally reached the lake. It was amazing the pace one could maintain when being chased by a tentacled monster of nightmare conjuring proportions. I cast a Vigor spell on my companion, burning through another ten mana to help sustain Corvin through the stresses of our flight even as he released me and resumed his smaller, more agile form. It was such a short-lived respite that I was sure we had lost some of our lead for just a few moments chance to stop flailing my numb legs. I created a series of steps to shift my orientation even as I slowly reduced my weight again, grabbing the next step above me to swing my feet the rest of the way beneath me. Finally upright and able to dig in once more I waited for Corvin to spot our pursuer. I could now see the dots of light on the other side of the lake more clearly. They were close enough that I almost slowed down to take in the rate at which we had covered the distance as I fell and had no idea how to even calculate it in my mind. Surely it had taken more than those few moments to cover a dozen miles. No use thinking about it now. Mana: 129/316 Stamina: 176/312 I pushed faster, urging my overworked body forward even as my mind sought the safety of a dream of hope. I was so remarkably close. Maybe the beast had flown off as we neared the city, the guard¡¯s presence having caused it to pause. ¡°Olea, dodge!¡± came a shout in the space of my mind even as a shadow loomed over me. I pushed off a hastily made step causing my ankle to twist even as I moved quickly to the left. In the place where I would have been I watched as the long form of the monster plummeted through the space before it hit the lake below causing a cascade of frigid water to shoot into the sky. The water failed to find purchase on my body, but I was quickly chilled as it stripped away the ambient heat in the air around me. It would seem that I was overly optimistic with our thoughts. I saw the deep glow of red eyes before I realized I was standing still and stepped forward again, moving into a sprint. I was no longer aiming for height as I raced forward a mere twenty feet above the water. With thoughts of death and magical enslavement still fresh in my mind I ran. And ran. I was closing in on the walls of the city even as I missed a step and fumbled my balance causing me to fall even as I heard the beast leaving the water behind me. I had been so close; I could see the monster drawing nearer even as my speed bled away with my small misstep. And then a small blue orb crashed into the monster. Chapter 73 - Intervention As Olea neared the city, others had taken note of her appearance in the skies. The more probable cause for their awareness of her plight was perhaps the one-hundred-foot serpentine monstrosity that was closing in on her small form; that could be seen by anyone with eyes. One pair of observers stood upon the city¡¯s longest pier. It was a wide finger of stone, wood, and ropes shoving out into Jaga Lake. Sailors meandered about, looking busy while doing nothing as it was not normally unwise to travel the waterways during the Turning; one of the many reasons for this was currently chasing down a small Elf-like girl above said-same water. As more people took note of the situation above the water, the activity on the walls and the docks increased. People began moving along faster, while some simply turned to watch events unfold. Some of the archers on the wall took up their bows in case they were presented with a shot if the creature got within range. And once more the attention was shifted to that of the odd pair on the dock, the pair that seemed to be paying no attention to the large creature chasing down a small girl; a small girl that was currently running through the sky. At first it seemed that the two were fighting one another; a tall man talking down to a small girl. That was when a large ball of ice shot forth from the girl¡¯s finger to fly through the air and smash into the distant creature of darkness only heartbeats later to deliver a glancing blow. The ice ball splintered on impact with most of the mass being shot off to the side while a small amount seemed to shoot across the surface of the beast giving its skin a slightly frosted look. ¡°That was close, though you may want to aim a little to the left.¡± Said the warrior. ¡°That¡¯s not how this works!¡± Shouted the now irate girl, ¡°You know as well as anyone you don¡¯t aim spells, they follow your intent.¡± She glowered up at the man before looking back out upon the water and raising her hard. ¡°So, your intent was to miss? Got it.¡± Said the man dryly as he turned to watch the chase, his eyes shifting slightly to observe the girl¡¯s reaction to his barb. ¡°Argh, would you just shut up already, d-.¡± started the girl, before being cuffed behind the head by the man¡¯s hand before she could finish speaking. ¡°What have I told you about using such language?¡± he rebuked with a scowl, ¡°We are in a public place and should act accordingly.¡± The girl grumbled unintelligibly under her breath as she raised her hand to launch another projectile. The magical attack left her splayed palm as a blue streak and bloomed outward as the distance from her hand increased before it formed into a rough-cut frozen orb that smashed into one of the beasts tentacular appendages. The timing of the strike seemed fortuitous as it caused the beast to shudder for a moment, giving the elf a chance to leap upward away from the creature; no doubt under the effects of Wind Walk. Though that had made the man think for a few moments, as it was highly uncommon for someone of her obvious youth to have such spells, while apparently lacking any offensive capabilities. ¡°Most likely some spoiled prot¨¦g¨¦.¡± He said in a faint voice, letting the sentence hang like some half-hearted admonition in the open air. ¡°What was that?¡± said the girl over her shoulder as she lined up another shot. ¡°I was wondering why you don¡¯t use lightning.¡± He lied. ¡°You¡¯ve been reading too many stories again.¡± The girl chided, ¡°At this range I¡¯d be more likely to hit the elf than the monster, ice is the only accurate spell I have for this distance especially in the rain.¡± The man smiled while shaking his head, he knew all these things, but it was good to have the younger generation extrapolate and be allowed to posture with their hard-won knowledge from time to time. This stance on her growing independence did not however stop him from saying, ¡°You missed again.¡± The girl growled, having not needed to be told that she had missed when her ball of ice skidded across the surface of the lake two-hundred feet distant. ¡°I am working at maximum range here, old man.¡± ¡°Hey now! What have I told you about-.¡± He began. ¡°You told me not to use words and names that could give away your identity or help identify you in some other way.¡± She took a breath before continuing, ¡°I called you old, everyone present can see that you are ancient!¡± The elf took advantage of another lapse in the creature¡¯s speed as a lucky arrow caught it in the face by jumping higher into the air. Her feet were moving quickly, but the jerky movement was a sure sign of dwindling resources. She had to be nearing her end, and if she did not manage to get closer to the docks or walls soon¡­ ¡°It doesn¡¯t look good, does it?¡± he said. ¡°She will be fine.¡± Said the girl calmly. ¡°What makes you so sure about her then?¡± he said smiling down at her, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you have a new friend, when did you even meet her?¡± The girl fumed silently for a few moments, barely more than seconds but it was enough to let the man know that there was at least some weight to his guess. They grew up so fast. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°I¡¯ve seen enough.¡± She said into the wind that even now was still gusting strongly in the constant turmoil of seasons turn. The man grinned as she turned around to toss another ice ball. The speed with which she was tossing those about was almost enough to make him regret his own skill choices; almost. That line of thought soon had him checking the straps on his sword, as well as the clasp on his smaller blades. All was as it should be. ¡°I¡¯m just glad the sun has finally decided set.¡± He said glancing up, ¡°It¡¯s almost time.¡± The girl unleashed another spell even as she replied, ¡°Go take a nap, then.¡± They continued with their back and forth as the elf climbed ever higher, she must have reached over three hundred feet by now. As the man was wondering why on earth she would be climbing upward instead of racing for the safety of the city, and the aid therein, he saw something truly humorous. The elf in question stopped her climb and began falling again, angling her descent with the assistance of some feathered companion he had until now disregarded. The bird was large, maybe the size of a pony. He had no idea how he had failed to notice such a large creature even if there was a much more massive monster rampaging about, it was unlike him to discount any beast of that size in any situation. What caught his attention most was what happened an instant later, as the beast climbed up to meet the pair the avian ally spread its wings wide and flapped once, arresting their fall slightly even as the girl conjured a large chunk of rock from nowhere into her hands and released it. The rock dropped even as it shifted form into something resembling a korred, one of the northern earth elementals. She had just dropped a conjured elemental onto the unsuspecting head of the beast that was even now still climbing upward. It took only a few seconds for the two to meet in the air. The man watched as the elemental, who looked mildly disappointed for some reason, brought his hands together and swung down upon the snout of the nightmarish serpent. The beast fell like the rock that had struck it, rearing back in pain even as its magical flight was interrupted, and it fell into the water once again. The elemental lost its form moments later as it no doubt escaped the range of the conjurer or more likely suffered from the collision itself. He could not help but chuckle and then burst into laughter as the girl stood stupefied and frozen mid cast at the sight before her. Who used conjured elementals as projectiles? Apparently, this elf did. The monster had only disappeared for a second before it emerged from the lake once again, screaming in rage as it tore into the sky after the elf. It seemed as if it were not using its full speed before as the new rate of travel was far greater than its previous pace. The elf had not been idle while the elemental bomb did its thing as she was now only half her previous distance from the docks where the pair stood. He wasn¡¯t sure why she chose to head this way rather than toward the wall that was launching multiple arrows in the direction of the beast until he saw the arrow that was dangling the cloth of her pant leg. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d run from them too.¡± He said, acknowledging that someone needed to work on their aim. ¡°Got anything special for closer ranger, kiddo?¡± She glared up at him even as another ball of ice tore through the air, going high over the elf. It would not help their cause if she continued flying straight at them; she was an obvious obstruction to their line of sight. More arrows peppered the beast even as most of them went wide or fell short. More spells had also begun flying out from the city, it seemed as if someone had roused the more magically inclined guards into action. No one wanted a monster to come to visit their homes. It was moments like these that one could genuinely appreciate the danger of Turning. The spells one could cast were always empowered but by that same token monsters would be similarly strengthened. A monster this size should have already been slain by the number of spells that had hit it, but by the same logic the spells that had landed would have been far less potent if not for the special amplifying powers of the occurrence. The beast had been slowing before it hit the water though after its reappearance it seemed renewed; such was the power of its regeneration. Even now with the spells making contact more often it was slowing steadily. The man once again checked his gear, soon it would be time for him to act. He drew the large sword from the harness at his back gripping it in his right hand as he drew the blue dagger with his left. The girl looked his way after finally unleashing a spell of lightning, which caused the man to grin. He watched with satisfaction as the bolt arced through the air ripping violently past the elf to strike the beast in its neck as it lifted its head. ¡°Lightning really is the best.¡± He said while smiling. ¡°All magic is of equal value; they only differ in their applicable use.¡± Said the girl, as if reciting some dry, old tome. ¡°Sure, kid.¡± He said dismissively. He watched the beast approach the docks at speed, no more than one hundred feet separated him from the creature he would soon engage. The elf was nearly to the docks by now, only a few wobbly steps left, and she would be with them. He did idly wonder if she knew just how lucky she was that he was here. ¡°Stop that.¡± His face shifted as he looked down at the brat, ¡°Stop what?¡± ¡°You had that satisfied look on your face again, that stupid one that almost always means you are thinking about how absolutely right you are about whatever it is you are thinking about.¡± She said pointedly, ¡°It¡¯s a bit sad, really. How arrogant do you need to be to think that you¡¯re the only reason something is going to work out.¡± ¡°That is not what I was thinking!¡± he countered before adding, ¡°It¡¯s also not arrogance if I truly am the one responsible for success.¡± ¡°Whatever.¡± She huffed. Their quibbling was interrupted as the thud of a falling elf sounded near their feet, causing them both to look down at the disheveled elf that had landed there. She was still carrying the arrow in her clothes but looked otherwise fine if you ignored the obvious exhaustion that was clear in the way she flopped onto her side clutching her sides. They took in her appearance quickly before making eye contact with one another, it was time to finish the job. The girl swiftly recited the incantation of a new spell, causing a ball of intense fire to manifest in the air. This fiery projectile traveled in a spiraling trajectory before striking the creature''s flesh and detonating upon impact. Consequently, fractures appeared on the areas of its skin that had previously been struck by ice. The beast roared again in anger more than pain, the sound was a physical thing at a range of barely fifty feet and it looked as if the beast would soon collide with the dock taking the trio with it as it passed. At that moment, the man wielded his dagger with precision, slicing through the fabric of reality and creating a tear in space. The resulting aperture emitted darkness, which behaved as if it were sentient, with fine tendrils extending outward to interact with the surrounding atmosphere. These tendrils penetrated solid objects, such as the dock, as though they were immaterial, while simultaneously responding to the movements of the wind as if they possessed physical form. The man offered one last wink at the girl and gestured to the elf before leaping through the hole, his large sword resting over a shoulder. The young girl merely shook her head and turned to gaze at the oncoming monster.