《terra viventium By TrinitySMQA》
Prologe
An eagle flew by the castle tower overlooking the town. heading north over the river towards
the three mountains by the shore. A large structure was built into the mountain side. The entrance to the
tomb covered with statues and scriptures locked magnificent from afar but from up close the word grand isn''t
enough.
It followed the small procession composed of around a hundred men and women and a carriage heading towards the tomb.
Once the group arrived at the tomb a woman stepped out from the carriage, dressed in blood red
and black dress and a black veil, as she headed inside.
A paladin dressed in white and green armor approached her.
-Paladin: Mistress Elayne we have to hurry he doesn''t have long.
She nodded and increased her pace.
She entered the tomb into a large hallway leading further into the mountain, giant pillars leading up to
the ceiling and among the pillars stood statues not to mention the numerous statues covering the walls of the hall,
she continued through the hallway following her escort of paladins as they lead her further into the north wing.
Elayne stepped up the pace as she could hear screams indicating that they where close to their destination.
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.Finally she entered into the chamber where a man was lying upon an altar. The only thing covering his body was
markings and scars from countless battles. The poor lighting in the room made his skin look like it had a
shining bronze color.
AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!
His throat was dry as paper but still he continued to scream out his agony.
He could hear voices around him but he couldn''t make out the words. All around him there were people.
people he could no longer make out. His eyes clouded with tears.
All he could see was their shadows. The pain wouldn''t subside it grew more agonizing by the second.
He knew who the people around him where but it was as if the knowledge of whom they where were just out of
his reach blocked out by the constant pain.
It felt as if days and weeks went by. All the while he expressed his pain with louder and louder screams
until he felt the last ounce of his strength fade away with his
final scream.
Chapter one The Beginning
chapter one The Beginning.
He woke up in the middle of the street, there were noises all around him coming from shopkeepers
in their stands trying to attract customers, clattering sounds came from carts with either
oxes or horses towing them.
All his senses overwhelmed by the sounds, smells and the scene playing out before him.
He ran, not knowing where to or really why, everything seemed wrong in some way.
he couldn''t figure out what, he reached an alley where he stopped, the sounds dissipated somewhat.
Know he had time to think.
where am I? who am I? he questioned himself.
He couldn''t remember anything before he appeared in the street.
After standing there for a while trying to remember something, anything but he couldn''t.
Then it came to him.
Maybe i have something on me that can give me a clue he thought looking down on himself he wore
a pair of brown wool pants, a white wool shirt, a leather vest on top of the shirt,
and he had a small pouch strapped to his waist.
Inside the pouch he found some bread, a couple of copper coins and a water bag.
taking out a portion of bread he thought this bag isn''t large enough to hold all of these
items, the inside seemed to have a larger volume than the outside of the bag.
He didn''t realize that he almost swallowed the bread whole. Drinking some water he thought:
I don''t remember how i got these. Nor do my clothing awaken any memories.
I need to find a way to sustain myself until I figure out what to do or who I am.
He walked out of the alleyway and began walking the streets. A couple of hours later he found an inn.
Smells of wine, beer and food hit him as he entered into the taproom, customers sat around the round
tables placed around the room with a few waitresses tending to them, an older and somewhat
round lady tended the bar. Walking up towards the bar she noticed him.
-Hi I was wondering where I could find work and a bed to rest my head.
-well the cheapest room I''ve got costs 5 copper a night as for work i am always short handed
in the kitchen and if that doesn''t suit your taste you could always try the smithy I''m sure
Ralph would be more than willing to hire another set of hands.
-well for now I''ll take you up on the kitchen duty although i have no experience in this line of work.
-That''ll be no problem hun. we''ll train you but for now get in there and do the dishes your training
will begin tomorrow.
The following week he spent learning about cooking and different spices and their properties as well as
how to make broths and stews. The work was quiet easy for him well the cooking part standing in the kitchen
all day was exhausting because of the heat.
The room he rented was basically just a bed and a stool. which is where he spent most of his nights thinking
about his situation and memorizing different recipes and properties of spices.
since he couldn''t sleep for more than a couple of hours each night which puzzled him since he felt completely
If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.rested and everyone else slept for more than six hours a night.
-Now that you have learned most things and quickly i must say you will get a salary for your work also I
only need you during dining hours midday and in the evenings the rest of the day you''re on your own time.
-Ok thanks see you midday tomorrow.
-Wait what is your name?
-He stood there stumped, he didn''t know his name nor did he know hers, after a while he explained that
he didn''t know.
-Well that''s alright hun my name is Alberta. To me you remind me of a friend called Vivo so lets go with that.
Exiting the inn he began walking the streets again attempting to find the smithy. It didn''t take long.
it was just a few minutes walking distance from the inn.
Finding a large man working in the outside smithy, dressed in a brown leather apron a pair of pants and
large gloves, he approached him.
-Vivo: Hey are you Ralph?
-Ralph:Yes what about it.
-Vivo:I heard you are looking for another set of hands.
And you think your up for it boy.
...
-Ralph: Well get over here let me have a look at you.
After a while he said "aight" with a somewhat satisfied look. he went inside the smithy and came back with
a hammer, gloves and an apron.
-Ralph: Here use this. Your first task will be to begin the process of flattening these iron bars.
Ralph grabbed an iron bar, about a meter long and an inch thick and two inches in width, and put it
in the hearth then he commenced with explaining how to work the iron.
-Ralph: remember you have to work fast while controlling your strength. only working the iron while the iron is
annealed also you cannot reheat the metal indefinitely because the iron absorbs impurities from the coal.
And before you reheat the metal cool it of in the fresh water in the barrel over there.
he then showed a piece he was working on.
Vivo started as soon as the iron was hot enough.
Melisa was lurking at the corner of an alley, watching the smithy or rather the two men sweating while working
in the heat, she had a feline smile drawn across her face.
Mordecia walked up the street, he had heard rumors over the last week about an interesting individual working
at an inn in town, he had left the inn after talking with the owner and now heading towards a new destination.
Almost there he saw a girl, dressed in a common dress she probably worked as a waitress he concluded her
brown hair braided into a single tail and her brown eyes almost shimmering in the light as a predatory smile
was playing on her lips, sneaking around in an alleyway watching the men working in the smithy.
He began smiling as he recognized the look on her face.
Chapter Two A Smiling Stranger.
Finished with the flattening Vivo looked up from his work, his arms trembling from exhaustion, lost in
his work he didn''t notice the time flying by. He gave the result to To Ralph. Looking displeased
he turned towards Vivo.
-Ralph: well i guess it''s ok for a first try although i will have to sell my final result from this at a lower
price. You didn''t think blacksmithing would be this hard huh. It requires a large amount of strength
and endurance to become a skillful blacksmith or even an adequate one at that. go rest take the day off
you will become stronger in time. For now you''ll just have to work a couple of hours a day.
-Vivo: Ok Ralph I''ll see you tomorrow after my lunch shift at the inn.
Ralph just grunted in response as Vivo left the smithy. As he began walking in the direction of the inn
an older man blocked his path. Dressed in a black garment consisting of a cloak, pants, shirt and vest. On a closer look
he saw that the shirt was actually white, but mostly covered by the cloak and vest, while the vest was
in a dark blue color. His hair was brown with small streaks of grey here and there. An amused smile
was pasted all across his face as he started speaking.
-Mordecia: Are you the new guy in town working at the inn going by the name of Vivo?
-Vivo: What''s it to you?
-Mordecia: I''d heard that we got an interesting addition and you sure look interesting.
-Vivo: well i suppose there is no point in denying it. I go by the name of Vivo.
-Mordecia: Great. My name is Mordecia. You see I have a couple of issues that i think you might be able to resolve.
-Vivo: And in what way could a man like me be able to do for a man like you huh?
-Mordecia: I am worried about my legacy or rather that my craft will be forgotten.
His voice turned more grave as he continued.
-Mordecia: I am a scholar of the arcane arts, some folks call my kind magicians or mages but that is not
how we see ourselves, I and my fellow scholars devote ourselves to the understanding of the universe
and the arcane arts as well as the divine, the demonic and some of us study life and death.
It''s been many years since my last encounter with any of my fellow scholars and i fear our kind is dying
out slowly, so over the years i have been trying to find someone to continue my research and to preserve
all of our works for future generations, well I have an apprentice but unfortunately he is not that talented
to be honest and he is more interested in gold than anything else. So what i was wondering is how would you
like to learn the arcane arts ?
If I take him up on the offer I might learn something either about this world or myself, in any case
I will probably get something out of it, he thought to himself.
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-Vivo: To be honest i would like to take you up on it but at the moment i am working as a cook and I''m an apprentice
under Ralph the blacksmith, Right now i have time during mornings and during the night free but soon i will
take on longer shifts at the smithy.
-Mordecia: Well that''ll be no problem my boy I myself work mostly during the night because of the noise, it is only
when I experiment that i work during the day sometimes I even leave town for my experiments just to not disturb
the townsfolk. So how about it?
-Vivo: Well that changes things. I accept.
-Mordecia: Great! Let me show you where i work.
-Vivo: Sure I''m free at the moment.
After walking for about half an hour they ended up on the west side of town outside of a fairly good looking
house. The house seemed to be a bit on the small side jammed in between to other buildings.
-Mordecia: Do you think that you''ll find your way here ?
-Vivo: yeah it''s not to far.
-Mordecia: Well then come by any time you want remember i will not pay you anything although you may use what you learn
to earn a living.
Back at the inn he sat down to think. Frustrated over that During the past week he had yet to remember anything
from his past, hopeful over this new development with Mordecia, he might remember something or at-least
learn something useful from Mordecia.
he didn''t sleep at all that night restless because of his new found hope and his frustrations of his failure
over the past week. He couldn''t spend the time completely idle tho so he thought about what he might have done
wrong during his time in the smithy. But to no avail since he didn''t have enough information to go on.
Ralph hadn''t explained the procedure in more detail so he was stuck.
When dawn came he headed down to the taproom to get some breakfast, greeted by a new waitress he hadn''t noticed
before, dressed in a simple white blouse and a green and black skirt that barley covered half her thighs
with black knee high socks. Her brown eyes went good with her brown single tail braided hair, that she
had left over her right shoulder, and her enigmatic smile. She introduced herself as Melisa, she took his order all the while moving her arms drawing his attention to her body, she left with a satisfied smile on her lips.
A quarter of an hour she came back with his order and sat down with him.
some info and discussion.
first things first this poll is only about chapters one through three and the prologue.
what i want to know is how you experience my text or to be more exact my:
sentence building and grammar
does the text sound forced or juvenile.
do you think i have any writing disabilities from reading my texts
is the punctuation good
word choice
Is the text hard to read or understand
Is the structure ok paragraphs etc
how do you like the length of my chapters right now my chapters have been around a thousand
words each except the prologue should i aim to decrease the amount of chapters in favor of longer ones
or just continue releasing chapters as is and not bother with the length. since now I am just writing and
when i get to a point where I am either to tired to continue or just don''t have any more ideas for the moment
and the text looks reasonable I just release it ( after some grunt work of course editing removing unnecessary words
restructuring sentences and fixing spelling and grammar(which i missed in the prologue thanks again for pointing it out AnalEvaporator)).
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
if you think I am worthy of your time and a bit of feedback feel free to answer these questions
almost any criticism is appreciated good or bad as long as it is constructive.
and now for some information about the future
and since I don''t really know if this will spoil it for some people.
Spoiler : the next few chapters I think Vivo will stay in town so nothing really exciting will happen
nothing planed for that at-least but the story must somewhat dictate itself imo.
the reason behind this is because I want some more character development and
to develop the world around him
and feel free to point out any spelling mistakes i do so i can correct them.
Chapter Three Learning your Surroundings.
After she sat down they began conversing about all manners of trivial things such as
how he enjoyed working at the inn and his cooking. Her work as a waitress and how life
in town was treating her. The conversation was filed with awkward pauses from his side
as she leaned forward as if listening and sometimes she would lean back and dusted something
of her blouse or adjusting her attire. During those times he just didn''t know where to
keep his eyes.
Suddenly Alberta called out to him reminding him that his shift was about to start. saying
goodbye to Melisa he got to work. Once done with the lunch shift he went over to Ralph,
continuing his work, he got a few helpful pointers on how to treat the iron which
ended in a slightly better result compared to his first attempt.
Ralph didn''t comment on the work much he pointed out that the poor quality was mostly
caused by Vivo''s inexperience and lack of strength. When finished with a second piece
he was to tired to continue so he went back to his room to rest before his next shift in the kitchen.
There had been quiet a few requests today but nothing he couldn''t handle after all he wasn''t the
only cook in the kitchen. Finally done he Figured he''d go over to Mordecia and see what being a
scholar was all about.
As he knocked on the door Mordecia answered it and let him in. Following Mordecia down the hall he noticed
The apprentice in an adjoining room together with someone looking awfully a lot like Mordecia.
He continued following Mordecia deeper into the structure as he thought: Mordecia didn''t mention
that he had a brother, I should ask about that, also this structure seem to be a lot larger than
it looks to be on the outside.
They reached a small room where the walls where lined with shelves full of books. In the center of the
room stood a round table, that almost seemed to big for the room, some books where lying open upon it.
Mordecia gestured him to take a seat on one of the stools surrounding the table as he grabbed a candle
and took a seat himself.
-Mordecia: First off we''ll start of with a simple mental exercise to help you focus.
he put down the candle on the table and lit it with a simple gesture of the hand.
-Mordecia: Now imagine a flame in your mind let it burn bright and strong revealing all your
thoughts and emotions. Now cast all your thoughts into the flame, let it incinerate them, watch
the flame expand in your mind now devouring your emotions and embrace the void left behind.
When your ready take this and focus your mind on this and think of fire.
He placed a small round object on the table made of bronze with a small hole in it covered with dimmed glass.
Vivo picked up the ball and looked into the dimmed glass. Time went by and nothing happened, thoughts of
frustration floated up outside the void, suddenly Mordecia spoke.
-Mordecia: it''s the middle of the night lets take a break and get something to eat.
Surprised that time had passed by so quick Vivo stood up and began stretching his body had gone stiff after siting uncomfortably
for hours on end. Merdecia walked into an adjoining room for a moment and came back with a package, two
mugs made of clay and a bottle. Unfolding it the package revealing some bread, cheese and dried meat.
Vivo took a piece of cheese and bread and ate it while Mordecia gave him a mug and some meat.
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.Surprised by the taste of wine he raised an eyebrow.
-Moredecia: Don''t get to frustrated, we all have different affinity for magic and even those
with high affinity can have a longer learning period, we can all use magic in one way or another.
-Vivo: Somethings been on my mind, I saw your apprentice as we entered and beside him was someone
looking an awful much like you.
Mordecia smiled at his comment.
-Mordecia: you noticed that hehe well all will be explained in due time, it is my hope that you
have higher magic affinity and stronger resolve than my other apprentice.
He paused for a moment then continued.
-Mordecia: What we have been trying to do tonight is to teach you how to control your mana,
it is not something that is easy to do, most people that attempt this need between one to three
days before showing any signs of channeling mana. Once you have channeled for the first time it''ll
become much easier to continue. Now go get some rest I''ll come and get you tomorrow morning.
The next morning Mordecia arrived at the inn expecting Vivo to be sound asleep, but that was not
what he found, in the taproom Vivo was sitting eating breakfast with the girl from the alley.
Vivo saw him and excused himself, walking over to Mordecia he didn''t look at all tired, even tho he
shouldn''t have been able to get more than 4 hours of sleep.
Mordecia led him to a small hill by the river just east of town where you had a good view
over the fields and the surrounding area.
-Mordecia: those three mountains just north of town is where our former rulers rest, the mountains further north
is where our iron mines are located if you walk just straight east for a couple of days you reach the next
town and these fields to the east and south of town is what sustains us, the mountains to the south contain
coal, tin and copper.
He paused.
-Mordecia: You see, this town about 150 years ago was a prosperous city but war ravaged the city
and a darkness was left behind after the enemy forces where destroyed. This town is slowly dying,
the fields don''t produce as much nourishment as they should, and the population is declining slowly.
I have tried to rid the town of this evil several times and failed but it is my hope that you will
succeed where I have failed.
Vivo followed him back in town where they continued to walk around aimlessly.
-Mordecia: Have you noticed the people?
Vivo had never really taken a good look at the other people in town he were always preoccupied
trying to either remember something new he learned or something from his past. But now
He gazed at the people he passed by, most of them were ordinary people going about their daily
lives, there where a few better dressed people going about which he figured where traders
but nothing seemed out of place.
-Vivo: I don''t see anything out of the ordinary.
-Mordecia: you don''t do you, take a closer look at their stature, or better yet look at their eyes.
Upon a closer look he realized That most people walked around cowering for a bit, and the look in their
eyes was that of someone defeated. It hurt him to gaze upon the people now that he saw their misery.
Chapter Four Frustration
-Vivo: So what exactly is it I have to do in order to help.
-Mordecia: All in due time young one all in due time. First of you need to learn how to
manipulate the world around you through the control of mana.
Vivo felt his frustrations bubbling up to the surface again. Not being able to help the
towns people nor being able to get a straight answer out of Mordecia certainly didn''t
didn''t help his mood.
-Mordecia: There is more you need to know. It is not only the darkness corrupting the town
but the lord, he doesn''t seem to be corrupted by the darkness, he isn''t properly managing the town
he is spending more money than necessary on the army and arranging games. There is high poverty
and beggars in every corner. The army isn''t even active protecting trade routs or the mines.
His feelings of frustration turned into anger during Mordecias speech.
-Mordecia: Calm down my boy no need to get angry, problems exist to be solved.
For some reason the fact that the lord was neglecting his duty to govern the town really
got to him.
-Vivo: How can someone in a position of power disregard their duties and the lives of his
people to such an extent when everything around him is dying.
-Mordecia: No point in troubling yourself with it, you cannot do anything about it now
but an opportunity might arise and then we will take action it might be tomorrow or a year
from now but it''ll come. As for now i think you have an appointment with a kitchen.
It had been a week since he explained to Vivo about the condition of the town. Yet Vivo hadn''t made
any headway with his mana channeling. This bothered Mordecia he had never meet anyone capable
of keeping their frustrations and emotions in check. Vivo''s unwavering patience could make
it impossible for him to channel although if he manages he could become stronger than anyone
before him.
Once again they where siting in the small room Vivo focusing on the algora to help him channel
and Mordecia transcribing a book.
-Vivo:ARGH!
He was about to throw the algora into the closest wall when the dimmed glass finally shone
with a bright blue light, if only for a second but it was there, he sat down surprised.
-Mordecia: Finally my boy i thought you would keep your feelings bottled up forever Haha.
-Vivo: You mean I had to let my feelings go to channel then what''s the point with the calming
exercise. Isn''t it a bit counter productive.
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-Mordecia: No my boy this test is not only to help you begin your channeling but also to determine
your potential as a magician.
-Vivo: well then I must have a very low potential since it took me longer than anyone before me
to channel for the first time.
Mordecia smiled at his comment.
-Mordecia: Let''s begin your training for real now. Remember that feeling focus on it and try
to channel into the algora again.
Vivo tried for a few minutes but nothing happened.
-Mordecia: clear your mind boy enter the void.
just a few seconds later the light was back.
He was surprised that it worked but he couldn''t understand why there was no difference in what
he was doing between him trying with or without the void.
-Mordecia: Now try doing the same thing again but keep up the flow to keep the light on for a
longer duration.
As hard as it was the light would stay lit for longer with each try until he could keep it up for
nearly a full minute.
-Mordecia: that''s enough for tonight get some rest. You may keep the algora
I have no further use for it.
The next two weeks he spent doing his daily routines alternating between working the kitchen
and the smithy during the day and studying under Mordecia during the night.
He reached Ralph''s skill level in blacksmithing quiet soon even tho he didn''t quiet have the
stamina nor the strength to work for a full day yet his quality of work was the same as Ralph.
He advanced quickly while studying with Mordecia, creating different mana flows analyzing the
structures of different items, he analyzed the manaflow of his own body under the careful
supervision of mordecia. He then recreated that manaflow in front of him, Mordecia hadn''t given
any reason for this exercise other than helping him control mana, this was hard and frustrating
work since he couldn''t get a straight answer out of Mordecia. And he didn''t know if this was
another test as with the algora.
He thought it strange that during the two weeks he didn''t see Mordecias supposed brother nor
his apprentice.
Every night at the inn he spent some time with the algora keeping it lit for as long as possible
before he slept for 2-3 hours ate breakfast and went over to the smithy before his lunch shift.
Chapter Five Doppelganger
-Mordecia: Well we are done for the day but before you go there is something i have to ask.
-Vivo: Go ahead.
-Mordecia: What fighting style do you prefer ?
-Vivo: Hm I have no idea never really thought about it.
-Mordecia: well then think about it and make yourself a weapon and bring it tomorrow.
After thinking about it through the night he finally decided to make a mace and shield
for himself. Ralph said it was ok as long as he paid for the materials used he even gave
a few tips.
Mordecia stood outside his house waiting for him when he arrived.
-Mordecia: Follow me my boy.
It was getting dark as they headed towards the Lords castle or rather the remains that
the lord lived in. they took a left at the gates not entering the castle and headed down a
narrow path until reaching a hidden door in the wall.
-Mordecia: this was once the door which thief catchers used to bring in their prisoners
but now it is unused.
He put his hand over the lock before he opened the door. It was dark inside until
Mordecia made a flame appear above the palm of his hand. Vivo studied the flame for a
second before he made another flame appear inside his own palm.
Heading down into the depths of the old castle, everything around him was covered in
dust and spider web, it all seemed untouched for centuries. A few minutes later the sides
of the tunnel began being lined with cellars and at some points there where a few guard rooms
and barracks filled with old furniture that seemed ready to collapse with the gust of a wind.
They reached a door made completely in metal with a black cross drawn on it.
-Mordecia: Behind this door lies the darkness that haunts this town. It is a doppelganger.
What i want you to do is to try and defeat it while you analyze it with your mana.
remember it will copy you almost entirely so don''t lose focus.
Vivo strapped on his shield and grabbed his mace with the other hand as he made the flame
disappear while Mordecia opened the door and stepped aside.
The room was completely empty but well lit from the four strange lanterns one in each corner
of the room and a man. The man looked to be about 190cm well built, broad shoulders,
his face was a bit square but sharp his ears where long and pointy,
his skin looked to be almost shining in gold.
He was equipped with exactly the same items as Vivo. He yawned and looked at Vivo.
-Doppelganger: another weakling here to challenge me, or are you here to finally let me out
of this forsaken place? I guess not.
He took the same stance as Vivo. Keeping his shield in front of him he walked towards the doppel
Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.as it mirrored his movements perfectly. He began charging forward swinging the mace against
the right shoulder. His mirror did the exact same thing, continuing his swing he raised
the shield to catch the mace heading towards him, a clash of metallic sounds was heard as
the two maces hit the shields at the exact same time.
Neither of the attacks had any particular speed but the strength behind them staggered them
booth, a second later they regained their posture, charging again he once again aimed
at the doppel''s shoulder but this time he didn''t raise his own shield in defense rather
he threw himself past his opponent while his attack connected. Simultaneously he felt
his opponents mace graze his left shoulder.
He charged in again swinging the mace against the torso while defending his own with the
shield. They traded blows for 10 more minutes Vivo attempted to outsmart and strike
faster than the doppelganger, but to no avail the doppel mirrored just mirrored his
movements.
Remembering what Mordecia told him he started analyzing the mana flow of the doppelganger.
At first glance it seemed to be like looking in a mirror, the mana flow matched his own,
but when taking a closer look there were a few anomalies that didn''t match.
Beginning to circle the room moving his different body parts while watching closely
at the mana flow of his opponent. Not noticing any more anomalies he stopped.
They where now standing about 2 meters from each other, the doppelganger seemed to mirror
his movements perfectly, Vivo decided to take a breather and plan out his next move.
Maybe I should try attacking him without dodging or defending that way at least I
might get a few hits in on him and test if he has the same endurance as I.
While thinking all of this the doppelganger was standing still in the same stance
as him.
He resumed his assault aiming at the ribs, his attack connected, he felt his own
ribs cracking by the force behind the mace. It got harder to breath but he charged
again striking at upper arm, his arm went slack as the bone broke, the pain
of the two wounds became almost unbearable but once again he took a battle stance before
charging.
This time tho as he begun striking at the torso again the doppelganger threw himself
backwards dodging the attack. He had a smile on his face as he began speaking.
-doppelganger: Even tho you''re weak you still amuse me by being so reckless.
Vivo felt his body slowing down as they continued to exchange blows until he found himself
kneeling before his opponent panting, every breath he took was an endless flood of pain,
just before he passed out he saw Mordecia walking towards him.
Chapter six Old and New Sensations
When he woke up he was back in bed at the inn. Attempting to raise up he grunted in pain and fell
back his left arm was still unusable and his left side hurt. locking down on himself he was covered
in nothing but bandages over his torso and arm the rest was covered with a blanket.
As he began wondering what had happened and how he got there Mordecia entered the room.
-Mordecia: So you''re finally awake boy. For a while there i was beginning to wonder if you
would wake up at all.
He paused and then continued.
-Mordecia: You''ve been out cold for two whole days. That recklessness of yours almost
got you killed, you almost bled out from the wound in your side, your fighting style
was also very stupid fighting without concern for yourself will only get you killed.
Vivo just grunted in response.
-Mordecia: Oh and by the way my boy you had lost a lot of blood and your body temperature
kept dropping so I asked for some help from that friend of yours. I believe her name is Melisa.
I couldn''t brew up any healing potions since all my herbal supplies have been running out
the last few months.
Handing him a tray he continued.
-Mordecia: Here eat and drink up everything you''ll need it to regain your strength.
Mordecia left as he began eating. he finished the whole tray then fell asleep.
waking up he felt something warm and soft pressing against him. He opened his eyes
and there right in front of his face was Melisa''s face, if it weren''t for his current
condition he would have jumped to the roof, he stared at her for a second then spoke.
-Vivo: What are you doing here?
-Melisa: Well i thought you looked cold so I decided to keep you warm.
-Vivo: ... Well thanks for that I guess but ehm would you mind I''m kinda hungry.
Melisa''s smile grew larger as he spoke, she didn''t move tho, she grabbed something from the floor.
A bowl appeared in her hand and she started force feeding him. At first he resisted and
attempted to take the spoon from her, but she wouldn''t have it she just seized his arm
and pushed it down then she sat down on it. Revealing that she was naked her legs still
covered with the blanket she once again took up the spoon and continued force feeding him.
Vivo''s face turned red when saw her generous bosom not to mention when he realized that
her soft butt was pressing against his arm. Eventually realizing that he wasn''t strong enough
to do anything he submitted to her humiliating treatment.
When the bowl was empty along with a cup and a loaf of bread he felt drowsy and fell asleep.
This continued for two more days before Mordecia showed his face again.
-Mordecia: Hey boy I''ve got a present for you. Since I don''t want you to be completely
useless for the next month or so, so I gathered some ingredients for a special potion
that will heal your broken bones in a mater of hours. Healing flesh is a simple
mater in comparison to bones, special ingredients are needed for that.
Giving a small flask to Vivo he said.
-Mordecia: Bottoms up.
Drinking the potion he felt the pain subside and in a mater of minutes he could use his arm
again although it felt fragile.
Turning back to Mordecia he saw a smile lurking on his lips.
-Mordecia: So I''ve got some plans on how you can repay me for that potion hehe although
you have some learning to do before you can repay me. Rest for a couple of more hours then
come by my place.
With those words he left, leaving Vivo feeling a little uneasy.
Sitting down in a somewhat larger room than the one they had used previously, he anxiously
awaited Mordecias return, his body tensed up at the thought of how Mordecia had smiled
during their last encounter.
Mordecia entered the room followed by three identical twins, the four of them sat down,
each one watching him, registering his every reaction.
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-Mordecia: What I will teach you now is how to create doppelgangers such as these.
He made a gesture towards the other three.
-Mordecia: I don''t know how many you will be able to control at once I''ve dedicated a large
portion of my life towards this and I am only able to control three other bodies except myself.
Well that is not entirely true I can only control three others while doing different tasks.
Doing the same task if it is a menial one I can control five others.
-Vivo: So that''s how you''ve been able to teach me and your apprentice at the same time.
Can they work while you''re asleep as well ? wouldn''t you be able to do years of research
in just a few months ?
-Mordecia: slow down my boy, no when I sleep they have to sleep or I have to dispel them
because I control them directly as if they where part of my own body that''s why controlling multiple
doppelgangers is hard and also you receive sensory input from all the five seances from each of
the doppelgangers, and about the research well yes I probably progress faster than most but
not by much since research takes time and you must be careful while doing most work dedicating
more time to safety than actual research.
-Vivo: But why don''t you just use the doppelgangers to carry out the dangerous research in a secluded
place?
-Mordecia: As you will probably learn in time when the doppelgangers take harm some of it is transferred
to you and they cannot be to far away from you the further away they are the harder they become to control.
Now enough with the questions lets begin. You remember how the mana flowed through the doppelganger in
the castle I assume. Recreate it in front of you and combine it with an exact copy of your own mana flow.
Doing as he was told the creation was only a mana flow resembling his own not a copy of himself as
he had expected.
-Mordecia: Now add this.
Mordecia had created his own mana flow and was now adding a shell of sorts to the flow, creating a
perfect copy of himself which he immediately dispelled.
Adding the same flow he felt as if his head was being overflowed with information he could see himself
staring at a perfect copy of himself through two different sets of eyes. It was hard to focus
and he was rapidly developing a headache.
-Mordecia: Now my boy I know it is hard to focus but try raising your left arm.
He did what he was told and saw himself and his mirror image booth raising the left arm. he felt
that there was some difference in the movement of his mirror image. He then attempted to lower
his arm while keeping the mirror image''s arm up, the result was only a slight difference
in where the arms ended up.
-Mordecia: now boy lets not get ahead of ourselves, you need to become used to receiving sensory
input from two bodies before you can learn to control them separately.
He then began smiling.
-Mordecia: And well you can start to repay me for that potion hehe. what I want you to do
is to transcribe some books, it is tedious work that I myself don''t have time for and
it''ll help you in achieving some control over your second body.
Mordecias doppelgangers placed quills, ink and paper in front of him and a space beside him
they then forced down his own doppelganger onto a chair placed in front of the second set
of quills ink and paper.
Three of the Mordecia''s left he assumes it was the doppelgangers.
-Mordecia: Now my boy begin.
He said while smiling contently.
Vivo began the transcription but after only about twenty minutes his headache had grown almost unbearable.
-Mordecia: DISPEL YOUR DOPPEL FAST!!!
The shout startled him but he immediately dispelled it.
-Mordecia: Your doppel became unstable when you lost focus and it could have ended badly, you need
to pay more attention you should have felt it become unstable.
-Vivo: I have a terrible headache since I first created the doppelganger.
-Mordecia: Ah right I forgot it''s been so long since i first learned this.
well let''s take a break then and eat.
Chapter seven Preparations
He had practiced his skill in handling the doppelgangers for three weeks now.
Still he was only able to control his own body and one doppelganger although he
could receive sensory input from a total of four doppelgangers at once without getting
a headache, Mordecia theorized that his limit would be to control four doppelgangers.
He had quit his job in the kitchen because the smithy was more lucrative and there
he could use his doppel both to train his control and work faster. Although
now he had to pay for his room and the food at the inn he still made more money.
accumulating a sum of 274 gold a few silver and copper he could probably buy some land
soon or a house to live in.
It was a hot day in the smithy, he was sweating through his shirt while working,
There was an order of about 60 swords that Ralph and his apprentices had been working
on for quiet some time now and the last swords would finish today.
Evening came and an emissary of the lord came with his men and wagon to deliver the payment
and receive the swords. Once that was done he said that the lord needed someone with adequate
blacksmithing skill to accompany his soldiers on an expedition to carry equipment and repair
or replace broken swords or shields.
Ralph told him that his most skilled apprentice was Vivo. So the emissary walked up
to Vivo and asked him if he was up to the task. Vivo thought for a moment. The emissary
added that he would be adequately compensated for his work and for the salary he would
lose while not working the smithy. Vivo then accepted while thinking that this could
be an opportunity to see more of this world than just this town, well depending on
how long the expedition would last and where it went to.
They would leave in two days and he should meet up with the expedition on the morning
outside the lords residence.
That evening when working with Mordecia he told him of his decision to accompany the
lords expedition.
-Mordecia: So do you know where you''re going?
-Vivo: ... No but this will be a chance for me to see the world.
-Mordecia: well it''s you choice to go but as you know the lords enterprises might
not be for good.
Stolen novel; please report.
-Vivo: I''ll keep that in mind, this will be a good way to see for myself how he uses his troops-
-Mordecia: Well be careful out there since you don''t know anything about where you''re
going or what you''re going to do. Now I assume you''ll be carrying a lot of heavy things
with you so I''ll teach you something.
He brought forward a small pouch and sat down.
-Mordecia: look closely what I am doing now will increase the space inside the pouch.
Creating a mana flow around the pouch which he then seemed to stretch out but without the
mana flow leaving the pouch.
-Mordecia: You can continue to stretch it like this quiet far but it will only increase
the amount of items that can be stored not their size that is determined by the size of
the container which you use it on. Also it wouldn''t do you much good no mater how many
items you can store in a bag if you cannot carry their weight and that is what this
next step is for.
He then created an intricate web inside the first mana flow.
-Mordecia: This pouch can now hold about thirty times its original volume while reducing the
weight of the items carried within to one hundredth of its original weight.
Selling containers like these is one of the means I use to support my research.
The rest of the night was used to learning these new techniques, it was long and tedious
work although the theory was simple implementing it was hard, especially the weight reducing
technique since it required time and focus connecting small flows in an intricate web.
The next day he spent repairing his mace and shield saying goodby to Ralph and his apprentices
and then to further increase his ability to create items with increased space.
He could already make them with the same quality as Mordecia but it took him almost two hours.
By night he hadn''t made much progress so he decided to go back to the inn and rest,
after all he had to be up early the next day.
He entered his room and was about to close the door.
-Melisa: Do you think I will let you go away without repaying your debt to me for taking
care of you.
Surprised he turned around just to see Melisa''s face as she pushed him onto the bed and
closed the door.
Chapter Eight Danger ahead
FINALLY!
I''ve been unable to post this because my internet which is top notch has been crashing down on me.
100/100 mbit up/down load fiber cable, it hasn''t worked properly since about two weeks ago.
And FINALLY I am getting forward in the story hehe.
Now to get on with the story.
Waking up early, Vivo climbed out of bed slowly as to not wake up Melisa
whom was still sound asleep, he got dressed collected his things and left for the lords
residence.
Walking into the plaza in front of the lords residence, he took in the scene, about a hundred
men where scattered around the plaza collecting supplies, blankets, tents and storing them
in barrels and crates which they then stacked up on three horse carts.
Most of the men where dressed in a white tunic, a brown leather belt around their
waist, brown leather sandals and matching pants. an exception to this walked towards him, dressed in a
red tunic carrying the lords emblem depicting a diving hawk, black pants
along with black boots.
-Arden: My name is Arden and I am the captain of this expedition, what is your businesses here?
-Vivo: I am Vivo, the blacksmith that will accompany the expedition.
When presenting himself Vivo bowed his head slightly. Arden nodded in acknowledgment then continued.
-Arden: good you''re here early, and much earlier than I expected, The blacksmith supplies
haven''t been loaded onto the carts yet. I wanted you to look over them to check if you
have everything you will need with you. If that is the case you can begin loading them
onto the last cart right now they are in the warehouse over there.
He pointed across the plaza to a large structure, inside the warehouse he found what he
was looking for, Crates filled with iron bars, tongs, hammers, aprons and even a small divisible
furnace. Finding everything he would need for the expedition he packed it in a crate and loaded
it onto the cart.
When he was done he found the captain again overlooking the last of the crates being packed onto
the carts.
-Vivo: So is there anything else you wish of me ?
-Arden: No that''ll be all. We are now waiting for all the carriers to arrive before we set off.
Go rest, we have a long walk ahead of us, just stay within earshot.
Taking a seat outside the warehouse he watched as the final crates where loaded and the carriers
arrived. Arden then began ordering the men to form up into a column protecting the wagons and the
carriers. He gestured for Vivo to join him.
The column marched north through the town. The men now carried weapons on their waist and small
round shields on their backs. Equipped with their leather cuirass, greaves and an iron helmet.
The whole procession could not be considered impressing, neither their numbers nor their
formation was particularly impressing, the men just moved in the general formation they weren''t
disciplined enough to move in a strict column.
When they had left the gates and the river behind them Arden spoke.
-Arden: So... Have you been briefed on where we are going.
-Vivo: No.
-Arden: And you still agreed to go, why are you a fool?
-Vivo: Haha no, I want to see more than just the town in my lifetime maybe travel the world.
-Arden: There is better ways to do that than to get involved with this expedition. I cannot
guarantee your safety, all I have is fresh recruits with no experience whatsoever. And to top
it all of we have no information about the enemy numbers or their base. This expedition was
sent out to clear the mines up north from a goblin infestation and to locate where they are coming
from and eradicate them.
They walked silent for a while until Vivo spoke.
Vivo: How are you supposed to handle this with only fresh recruits?
-Arden: Goblins are fairly easy to handle if you outnumber them their only strength lies in numbers.
As creatures they are weak, have low moral and only a few of them are considered intelligent.
-Vivo: Then shouldn''t this be easy?
-Arden: No. It all depends on their numbers the lay of the land and if they have any tacticians.
They have two distinct advantages, one we have no idea of their numbers, and two we do not know
our way around these parts.
They continued to talk for a while but most of the day they walked in silence, to the west Vivo
could see the three mountains containing the tomb of kings and far north in the distance a large
mountain range rose up as if trying to touch the sky.
It took them a total of three days to reach the mining village. Every day they had pushed on until
dusk to hasten their journey
That night he sat down by the campfire together with some of the friends he had made during the
journey among them where Arden. They talked about women, food, sparring and at some point
the subject of what they would do after their service came up.
Arden had a military carrier in mind as well as a wife and 4 kids.
Erald, who was a slightly chubby average height man with a round face and big nose, wanted to
become a farmer and have a quiet life with wife and kids.
Erald''s close friend Lan shared his dream of a quiet country life. He was a strong looking and tall
with a broad chest and well defined manly face.
Honund on the other hand, was a tall thin guy almost looking like a walking skeleton compared to Lan,
had no intention of leaving the army his ambitions was to protect the people.
Loornal, tall and handsome with a face looking as if it was sculpted by the gods,
only wanted to have a family he didn''t care about his occupation as long as he could
support his family.
Kal''mor, tall strong and had an authoritarian aura radiating from him, did not join in on the topic.
Then there was Roy, a completely average guy in every single way he could blend in in every crowd,
he had always liked horses he wanted to gain the trust of the lord and become his stable master.
Sean Jack and Henry, all shared the dream of traveling the world together, Sean and Henry where both
slightly above average in height well built and with broad shoulders the only thing distinguishing them
from each other was Sean''s black hair and horse like face compared to Henry''s brown hair normal face
although somewhat large and pointy nose. Jack was the shortest guy out of the whole party only about
150 cm but his whole body exuded strength.
Then there was Pjot, average height but very thinly built always wearing a crazy look on his face,
He didn''t talk much but when he did it was either crazy talk or complete nonsense. The only reason
he was allowed at their campfire was that no one else had taken a liking to him and the captain didn''t
want to alienate any of his men.
Even tho they had made camp right outside the village Arden kept the guard shifts during the night,
he didn''t want to underestimate the goblins that would be like asking to get killed.
When it got dark Vivo grabbed a sleeping bag and went to sleep, after all he was no soldier and
didn''t have to keep watch.
The next they Vivo woke up early and together with the rest of the men they broke camp and headed of.
Their destination was the mine located furthermost to the west. It took no more than two hours
to reach the mine. Arden had sent scouts ahead which reported back that the entrance was guarded by
only a few goblins.
-Arden: During the battles ahead you and the carriers will stay close by but stay back unless some
goblins break through and assault you you should not engage in battle.
Arden then gave the marching order which began the assault. The guards at the entrance fled inside
once they saw their numbers. Once inside the mine Arden began systematically exterminating the goblin
infestation, the tunnels branched at several points, dividing his men into several groups they spread
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.out. Vivo and the carriers followed Arden and his men the whole time, the goblins where few and
far apart, in the end there where no casualties a few cuts and bruises and about 60 dead goblins.
Arden ordered them to rest, eat and patch themselves together he wanted to clear another mine before
night fall.
Clearing the mines took a week, although only a few of the mines where in use there where several
abandoned mines due to shortage of manpower, overall they had only taken nine casualties but none
of the men had escaped harm. They where all tired and Arden had ordered them to make camp for the
next several days in order for the men to get rested and Vivo to repair their equipment.
Vivo had his work cut out for him there where several shattered swords and shields that needed
replacement and the rest needed sharpening and maintenance.
First he began making replacements for the shattered equipment, during the first day of rest he had
created enough swords to replace those shattered, by the end of the day Kal''more came to him with
a bowl of pea soup.
-Kal''more: you need rest you''ve worked the whole day without rest.
Vivo saw it differently, he would probably ¡äbe done with replacing the equipment today if he had
used his doppelganger but he didn''t want to scare the men or make himself appear as a threat.
-Vivo: thanks, but it needs to be done if we were to be attacked the men wouldn''t be able to fight
without their weapons.
-kal''more: True, but everyone needs a break once in a while.
-Vivo: No I''ve been working to slow I should have been able to replace all the broken equipment
today and I''ve been unable to do so.
Kal''more left him with a puzzled expression on his face, Bit vivo didn''t register his expression
he just gulped up his soup and got back to work. Absorbed in his work he didn''t notice darkness
fall around him until Arden grabbed his shoulder.
-Arden: It is good that you''re hard working but even if you don''t need any sleep the men do,
and they won''t be able to with you hammering all night.
-Vivo: Sorry.
He put out the furnace before going to sleep. He had been able to sleep up to four and a half hour
lately when he exhausted his body, the rest of the time he spent enchanting and disenchanting
a small bag he kept with him. Ripping apart the mana threads and then recreating them to keep
increasing his proficiency in creating storage units with increased space.
The next day when dawn came Vivo disassembled the furnace and moved it into a small clearing,
he created two doppelgangers stationing one out of sight overlooking the path from the camp
and the other helped in repairing.
A couple of hours later he had to dispel his doppels as Arden came over.
-Arden: So this is where you''ve been. still working I see.
-Vivo: yes I didn''t want to be interrupted while I work.
-Arden: I see but what if you where attacked ?
-Vivo: Then I''d manage somehow.
Arden looked unconvinced but continued.
-Arden: Well at least come back and have something to eat before you continue.
-Vivo: No, I will probably get done by tonight if I am uninterrupted.
Arden didn''t push the issue, leaving Vivo to work alone he headed back to the camp.
Re-summoning his doppels he added one more, he didn''t need to control the one keeping watch
and controlling his own and another body while repairing went fluently, adding the third doppel
and working with it was hard so he used it in a support roll helping with small tasks speeding
up his work slightly.
There where no interruptions during the day and when the sun began descending past the horizon
he was done. whipping the sweat from his forehead he could feel his other bodies exhausted and
wet. Packing up everything he left for the camp after dispelling his doppels.
Surprised that he had finished all his work Arden complemented him and let him rest as he gave the
order to distribute the equipment.
Arden had ordered for one more day of rest after Vivo finished his work to let the wounded
recover more. They where marching east alongside the mountain range, Arden kept several scouts ahead
at all times in search for the goblins or their origin. Sometimes they would encounter small hunting
parties of ten to twelve but those skirmishes where over quickly as the goblins where vastly outnumbered.
Moving slowly through the difficult terrain it took them two days until they found an entrance
guarded by almost a hundred goblins. It was just a big cavern entrance although a pair of
wooden palisade gates cowered it and in front of it the position was fortified by 3 guard towers
stakes and Something resembling walls. It was all shabby constructed and badly maintained
further fortifying the image of goblin stupidity.
Ordering his men into position Arden prepared himself for the coming assault and once he got the
signal that the men where in position he launched the assault.
Their position was down hill from the fortification, spread out along the forest edge, The men
shouted out their battle cries as they charged through the bushes against the fort.
The goblins position was quickly overrun by the rampaging men, although the archers in the
towers got of a few shots it didn''t take long before someone took it upon themselves to
climb up and slaughter the towers inhabitants.
Taken by surprise some of the goblins fled into the cave while the rest held their ground.
Even tho their position had been over run and there was total chaos around them a few of the
goblins gathered and protected a shaman whom was chanting, tho it didn''t take long for the men to
realize it and gather for an assault on the shaman''s position.
When the shaman was slain the goblins moral broke and they scattered, fleeing in every direction.
By then the battle was over, a few men hunted down the remaining goblins and the rest began looting
or patching themselves up.
walking over the dead goblin corpses Vivo observed that all but the shaman had green skin, the shaman
unlike his brethren had pale brownish skin. He then got to work repairing what little he could, without
setting up shop, before Arden gave the order to move again.
The order came less than an hour later to go ahead and enter the cave. They walked into a large dark
tunnel the walls where covered with torches at regular intervals giving enough sight to walk forward
but not enough so that you would be able to read a book. Walking forward unchallenged for a couple
minutes before encountering a T junction ahead, from left and right goblins swarmed into to tunnel,
the men prepared themselves for what would come.
Arden finally gave the order to charge, and charge they did screaming their lungs out, the sound
echoed and amplified to an intensity that became unbearable for humans and goblins alike. A split
second everything became almost quiet before the sound of goblins and men crashing into each other
with full force erupted.
From his position Vivo could see the goblins getting pushed back and slaughtered, but still goblin
reinforcements kept swarming in, even tho there was no end to the goblins only 6 men had fallen as
the goblin casualties stacked up.
The fighting continued like this for about twenty minutes, the progress of the battle became much slower
than the initial assault, slowly pushing forward Arden and his men began feeling fatigued.
Vivo saw a movement from a ledge above where Arden now was, without thinking he grabbed his mace
and charged forward screaming warnings to Arden and his men, goblins began jumping down into the
midst of battle creating chaos among the men, some became confused and demoralized and fled.
Arden turned around just in time to see Vivo pushing him away as a goblin struck the ground where
he just stood. A split second after that he felt his body strike the ground as the world
became black.
Chapter Nine Somes Mens qoud Animus
Vivo woke up, his arms and legs were stretched out with ropes connected to two poles, he felt his arms protest against carrying his own body weight as he was hanging about a foot above the ground.
He was held in a large cave, lit up by both torches hanging between two and ten meters up on the walls and a large fire in the center contained by a glass metal contraption.
To his left was a small wooden staircase and a couple of meters rightward Kal''more was hanging from a similar contraption facing Vivo. All around them were goblins and a few tables, some of the goblins were sharpening different kinds of tools, then putting them back, as far as Vivo could make out there were also four shamans.
From behind him, Vivo could hear tormented screams. Two Goblins approached Kal''more from behind, evil grins were pasted across their faces as the first whiplash landed on his back.
Kal''more Screamed in agony, the goblin didn''t let him recover before the next blow landed.
Watching as the whip struck Kal''more repeatedly, Vivo felt helpless and angry while wishing that he could trade places with his friend.
His anger soon subsided and left room for pity, when the goblins put the whip down and started carving at his body with a blade.
Behind him, Vivo could hear screams come to an abrupt end. He noticed one of the shamans walking towards where the screams had come from. He feared the worst, no mater who it was, no one deserved to die like that. A second later he heard a gulping sound from the same direction, his fear subsided somewhat, whoever it was, was probably still alive.
Suddenly he felt a lashing pain radiating from his back, he almost let out a scream of pain before he understood what was going on, the goblins had grown tired of whomever was behind him and switched to him. Feeling lash after lash land on his back, Vivo suppressed his urge to shout out his agony. The goblins didn''t seem to mind, one of them was standing in front of him smiling while playing with a dagger, awaiting his turn.
The lashing continued on for what seemed like hours, the pain warped his sense of time, Vivo began doubting in his ability to resist the pain. He wanted nothing more than to scream, and release his anger and anguish in a roar. But he didn''t want to give the goblins any satisfaction, if anything he wouldn''t utter a sound just to be spiteful. Seeing his friends fall prey for these barbarians, and their foul torture, Vivo''s anger once again flared up and he made his decision. He steeled himself for what was to come, no longer doubting himself, he wouldn''t yield an inch to these distasteful creatures even if it cost him his life.
Remembering how detached from his body, he had felt during his sessions with Mordecia, Vivo once again conjured the familiar flame in his mind. He allowed it to devour everything, his fear, anger, pain, what was left was the vast void inside his mind. From within the void, it was as if he was looking through another persons eyes and feeling another persons pain.
When the lashes seized the dagger equipped goblin walked up the small staircase and plunged the dagger into his side, while watching Vivo''s face for a reaction, all he saw was a face carved in stone.
The goblins evil grin dissipated somewhat from his failure, but he didn''t stop at that, he continued by slowly making shallow cuts all over Vivo''s body to maximize the pain.
This continued for hours on end, but Vivo didn''t budge. He hardly felt any of it, but by the end he could feel his body growing weak, it became hard for him to focus and he couldn''t finish a thought.
Black spots began filling his sight, but before he fainted, he felt something pressing against his lips.
He felt a liquid pouring down his throat, the taste was disgusting beyond imagination.
He couldn''t refuse it, the liquid was forced down his throat. The void had shattered, making him feel the taste of every single drop of the disgusting fluid.
His head became clearer by the minute, he felt his wounds closing, and the pain faded.
Raising his head, he saw the goblins beginning the torture all over again on Kal''more, expecting the same thing for himself he entered the void again.
Nothing happened, the goblins just continued torturing Kal''more.
Watching helplessly from the sidelines once again, Vivo felt despair and anger floating outside the void.
The more he watched the harder it became to hold on to the void, he couldn''t take it, watching as his friend screamed in agony he made another decision.
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The goblins took their time torturing Kal''more, before they once again turned their attention towards Vivo.
They began as before, with the whip. None of the lashes striking his back bothered him.
-Vivo: HAHAHHAHAAA. Is that all you''ve got green-skin, my grandmother hits harder than you.
His words sent a shock throughout the goblin population in the cave, the smiles on their faces were replaced with a stunned expression.
It didn''t take long before the first goblin recovered, only to walk up to him and plunge a dagger into his abdomen.
Ignoring their attempts to hurt him, Vivo laughed and taunted them, soon all of the goblins focused purely on him. They didn''t allow him, neither sleep nor rest, working in shifts they experimented with new methods of torture since their old measures were ineffective.
A week passed like this, Vivo constantly tortured and on the brink of death several times a day. During this time, Vivo had several episodes where he felt a strong feeling of d¨¦j¨¤ vu, these episodes disturbed him more than the torture itself.
Becoming quiet creative, the goblins came up with several different methods of torture. One such method involved hundreds of needles piercing his body while simultaneously slicing him up with a dull blade and forcing the disgusting tasting healing potion down his throat.
The result was excruciating pain, his body was forced to heal both open wounds and those caused by the needles sticking out of his body.
This wasn''t even among the top ten most heinous methods they implemented during this time, but none of them bothered him compared to the sleep deprivation he was forced through.
With his mind clouded by sleep deprivation, Vivo had a hard time holding onto the void, his laughs and taunts became further apart as time progressed.
Vivo began to doubt that he would resist for much longer, more and more pain reached him inside the void, then finally after a week of constant torture they gave him a moment''s rest.
Looking down, Vivo saw that his once plain skin, was now covered with open wounds, blood and scars.
Understanding now what he had gone through already he did not fear what was to come. The days of torture had left their mark on him, and if he could endure all of this then he surely could endure much more.
While thinking this he became so amused that a genuine laugh escaped his mouth, once again the goblins froze by the unexpected development.
A minute later when he regained his composure Vivo said in an amused tone.
-Vivo: If this is all you''ve got to offer green-skins, then we''ll be here until the end of time, before you break me.
In an instant, he could feel the frustrations the goblins had felt over the last week turn into red hot rage.
Without hesitation two of them grabbed a pair of odd looking instruments and rushed towards him, meanwhile another pair seized a staircase and placed it at his side.
Suddenly two pairs of small hands grabbed a hold of his head, keeping it in place.
The first pair, had climbed up the staircases, Vivo could see their faces contorted by evil grins.
With their hands they held his eyelids open, as they used the odd instruments to take a hold on his eyeballs, the pain was immense. Time slowed down, every second became an eternity, as they gradually pulled out his eyes.
The void crumbled in an instant, he felt everything, every sensation in his body. All the pain his body, registered, was now flooding him, but nothing compared to what they now were doing to him.
No longer in control, he let out a terrifying scream.
The world went dark, the pain didn''t subside nor did his scream. A new sensation replaced his sight, something was flowing from his eyes down his cheek.
He didn''t know for how long he screamed, engulfed in pain and darkness he couldn''t think, barely registering the sounds of commotion coming from around him before he passed out.
---
It was dark, his whole body was hurting as much as before, he felt ropes around him.
He felt himself being pulled upwards...
---
Still dark, still pain, someone was carrying him.
Not goblins, no, it was a single person...
Chapter Ten Recovery
Pain, someone was hurting him, he tried to get away.
Struggling, he heard voices around him, the pain, which clouded his mind made him unable to understand what they said.
Forced down by several strong hands, he felt himself drifting away.
Stew, the smell of stew woke him, before he knew it, he opened his mouth and someone fed him.
He only ate a few spoons of stew before he lost consciousness.
The world was dark, the pain had subsided greatly, for the first time in what seemed like ages his mind was clear enough for him to think.
-Vivo: Where am I.
-voice: So you''re finally awake, wait here I''ll be back soon.
A few moments later Vivo heard the familiar voice of the captain.
-Arden: We were worried about you, you''ve recovered somewhat.
-Vivo: Where am I.
-Arden: We''re en route to Niele, we''ll be back in town before you know it, once there we''ll be able to find someone more capable to help you heal.
Vivo raised his hand towards his head, but before reaching it someone grabbed a hold of it.
-Arden: Don''t, What you did was admirable. But you paid a heavy price.
Vivo didn''t hear what he said, his body had already gone limp.
Waking up again, he heard Mordecia arguing with a woman.
-Woman: Oh, you''re awake good, how do you feel?
-Vivo: Like minced meat.
-Mordecia: Ha, you sure as hell look like it, you fool.
-Vivo: Where am I?
-Woman: You''re in my house, my name is Trudie, I am the healer in town. The lord personally requested for me to take care of you, if I knew then that my house would become a new tavern, I would have refused outright.
-Vivo: what are you on about.
-Trudie: I''ll let your friend here explain, you''re not the only one I''m taking care of, I''ll be back later.
She closed the door behind her as she left.
-Mordecia: I''ve not seen a bigger fool than you in many years. Well, at least you''re alive, but I don''t know if you''ll get your sight back. Trudie is an herbalist, she has no way of regenerating body parts.
-Vivo: And you?
-Mordecia: I am currently searching through my entire library, so far nothing. I have no real experience in healing, after fighting with the doppelganger I''ve learned how to regenerate the body faster through mana manipulation, but never have I lost a body part.
While he was talking, Vivo felt him using mana, first, to examine his body and then to increase the regeneration rate of his body.
- But if that''s the case, I might have a solution that will ease your life considerably.
Hearing Mordecias words, Vivo felt the blood leave his face, he didn''t look forward to live a life in eternal darkness.
-Vivo: And what would this solution of yours entail.
-Mordecia: I''ve been thinking of a way to use mana to determine your surroundings, I''ve yet to put it in use, I fear it will use copious amounts of mana. Also, it is a completely different from how you and I have been analyzing items before.
-Vivo: Go on.
-Mordecia: You can still feel when mana is used right?
-Vivo: Yeah...
-Mordecia: It occurred to me that you don''t always have to see the mana patterns to know or understand them. But enough of that I''ll try it out beforehand so you don''t hurt yourself more you fool.
With those words he left, leaving Vivo alone with his thoughts.
Vivo attempted to figure out what Mordecias solution could be, but before he could think it through thoroughly the door opened again.
-Arden: So it''s true, you''re finally awake.
-Vivo: yeah.
-Arden: I''ve come to thank you, you didn''t just save my life back there but also two of my men.
When Vivo didn''t respond, he continued in an erratic voice.
-Arden: I was a fool, I''d gotten used to fighting unorganized goblins with little or no scouting information, and thanks to that I lost almost two thirds of my men. I was arrogant, and others had to pay the price for my mistake. About fifty men died and you, Kal''more, Roy and Lan were captured. Roy died under torture, I can''t imagine a worse fate.
He paused for a second to clear his voice, then continued in a more stable tone.
-Arden: After we were routed we sent for reinforcements and began scouting the area for additional entrances. Luckily we found a cave system that led to a ledge overlooking the torture chamber you were held in. All we could do was watch as we waited for the reinforcements and equipment to launch out assault, we were too late, just as they arrived my guards reported what was happening to you.
-Vivo: How many died?
-Arden: what?
-Vivo: how many of the expedition died?
-Arden: sixty four, including Sean and Pjot, also Roy were killed in the torture chamber. But through your action both Kal''more and Loornal survived and were relatively unharmed when we found you.
Arden paused, waiting for Vivo to respond, after a few moments Vivo spoke.
-Vivo: leave, leave me alone for now.
Without a word, Arden left. The door closed and Vivo started crying, not only for his friends that had died, but also for the other 61 men that had died. He had known most of them, or talked with them, and now they were dead.
Vivo was lost in his dark thoughts for hours, but he managed to regain his composure somewhat. He even tried to conjure up a doppel, but to no avail, the doppel became unstable before it formed and he had to dispel it. His failure provoked him to consider why he couldn''t conjure up a doppel, but before he reached a conclusion the door opened again.
-Trudie: Hey, I''m back, how do you feel?
-Vivo: You have to ask?
Continuing to talk, Trudie checked on his bandages and wounds to look for potential infections and to see the progress of his recovery.
-Trudie: I meant, do you feel anything except the pain coming from your wounds? Such as nausea or stomach aches?
-Vivo: No.
-Trudie: You''re a talkative one, Hmph, after what you''ve been through I can''t really blame you. One advice though, don''t alienate the people around you, I''ve had a whole bunch of your friends filling up my house since you got here. I''m quite eager to get you out of here, I''m not running a tavern here, something your friends seem to think.
With those words she left, leaving Vivo alone once again to ponder on why the doppel failed to form.
Just moments after Trudie left, the door opened up again, interrupting his thoughts.
-Mordecia: I''m still working on a way to regenerate your eyes, but as for the temporary solution, it is safe but requires a lot of mana.
-Vivo: Go on.
-Mordecia: It would be better to show you.
A moment passed before Vivo felt a wave of mana hitting him.
-Mordecia: I call it mana sonar. Now you try it, focus a substantial amount of your mana in your body, then release it in a slow moving wave emanating outward from your body.
Releasing a wave, Vivo felt how some of his mana reflected upon touching objects around him, it gave him a general sense of his surroundings. Successful as he was, it still used up a lot of mana, even though some mana returned to him most of it was lost.
-Mordecia: Good, but from the look on your face, I can see that you grasp the problem with using this technique. I think though that it can be refined to use less mana and be more efficient, but it will always use a considerable amount of mana.
Vivo tried creating another wave, using considerably less mana, the result was disappointing. He could only feel a few inches around him, further than that he felt nothing except a few spots here and there, as if looking through a piece of paper with holes in it.
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Pondering his results for a second before he spoke.
-Vivo: have you ever been unable to conjure up your doppelgangers?
-Mordecia: Not really, unless I''ve been too tired to control them or when I''ve depleted my mana to severely, why do you ask?
Without answering, he began conjuring a doppel and dispelling it when it became unstable.
-Mordecia: Ah, I see the problem, which is the first step of conjuring the doppel?
-Vivo: To create a copy of my own mana flow.
-Mordecia: there you have it.
Confused, Vivo laid quietly for a moment pondering Mordecias words.
-Vivo: I don''t understand, what are you trying to tell me?
-Mordecia: Remember when you first learned to conjure up a doppel? Go through all the steps one at a time.
Still confused, Vivo began analyzing his own mana flow, to his surprise, he noticed several differences from before most noteworthy were around his eyes. Adding in the changes, he attempted to conjure up a doppel, this time he was successful. The result, disappointed Vivo greatly, It was as if he now had two bodies, each with only four senses. Hoping that he could use a doppel to be his eyes, he felt defeated, he would now have to rely on the mana sonar¡§for the rest of his life.
-Mordecia: I figured out another method to help you get around.
Mordecia then went on explaining about beacons, creating a piece of mana flow resembling a small ball containing a partial copy of your own mana flow, which you then could bind to any place you wanted and always be aware of where it was located.
-Mordecia: Get up, you need to show people that you''re alive.
Vivo climbed out of bed.
-Mordecia: Oh... Hehe, I didn''t know she had gone that far... Here put these on, I''ll wait outside if you need any help.
Handing Vivo a set of clothes he closed the door behind him. It took him some time to get dressed, using only touch and sonar as guidance. Exiting the room, Mordecia took a hold of him and escorted him down a set of stairs.
Sending out a wave, Vivo felt twenty or so, people sitting and standing around a round table, some of them were holding large objects which he couldn''t identify. Letting go of Mordecia, he walked up to one of them which he thought he recognized.
-Vivo: Is that you Kal?
Kal''more couldn''t hide the surprise in his voice when he answered.
-Kal''more: Yes, it''s me.
-Vivo: Who else is here?
-Kal''more: Almost all of us, Arden and a few had duties to attend to, but the rest of us are here. We were worried about you, after what you did, I wanted to thank you.
Kal hugged him cautiously, after Kal''more released him, he felt a strong hand on his shoulder, he turned around.
Lan: Thank you for saving us from so much pain.
They all sat down and had a drink after that, Vivo now understood what Trudie had been talking about, they had all brought flagons of beer and were drinking while waiting for him.
When Trudie entered the room, she gave them all a good scolding before throwing them out and putting Vivo back in bed.
The next day Vivo woke up, feeling no pain whatsoever. Getting dressed he found his bag and the rest of his stuff on a chair alongside the bed. With his spirits high he slowly made his way out and headed towards the smithy, the journey wasn''t particularly long, but it took him a while getting there. Constantly asking for directions and creating beacons, while slowly walking towards his destination, bumping into people and objects along the way because he didn''t have enough mana to use the sonar frequently enough, his spirits declined rapidly.
Ralph greeted him once he arrived.
-Ralph: Well, look who''s up and about. Considering your injuries I didn''t think you''d return, let me have a look at you.
Vivo felt him removing a blindfold which he hadn''t noticed he wore.
-Ralph: How do you expect to work when you can''t see, boy.
-Vivo: I managed to get here, didn''t I?
-Ralph: Go home, boy you can''t do anything here except hurt yourself.
Ignoring Ralph, Vivo walked into the smithy, putting on an apron and gloves, then returned to Ralph.
-Vivo: Give me something easy to do.
Ralph sighed, then told him to make a simple knife. An hour later Vivo gave up, he couldn''t use the sonar frequently enough to see what he was doing, the result was a piece of scrap metal.
Thanking Ralph, for letting him try he left, making his way towards the inn.
He asked Alberta if he could try his hand in the kitchen again, skeptical she agreed.
The result was similar to his attempt in the smithy, even though he could smell which things were which, it took him far too long time, to assemble the ingredients and cook them resulting in over cooked food.
Disappointed, he made his way back to Trudie''s house and into the bed.
That evening Mordecia came by. He had dark rings under his eyes, his coat and cloak covered in dust.
Finishing a conversation with Trudie, he walked up to Vivo''s room.
-Mordecia: Hey...
Vivo sat up hopeful.
-Vivo: Did you find anything?
-Mordecia: Not in my library no, but I''ve been granted access to the lord''s library, it isn''t large but ¨ª might find something.
-Vivo: Then either take a break or get to it, I ain''t going nowhere and you sound tired.
-Mordecia: I''ll come back when I''m done.
Having his hope shattered and then been given a branch to cling to, Vivo clung to that small hope as if his life depended on it.
A while after Mordecia left, Trudie forced him down and into her laboratory. There she began teaching him about herbs and salves.
A week passed like this, Vivo smelling and analyzing herbs and plants, learning about their properties and uses, while desperately clinging onto that branch of hope. Constantly hoping and fearing for news from Mordecia, made him on edge, he slept less than usual, and when he wasn''t sleeping or eating, he worked, using every moment of time to fill his head with anything but the fear.
Tired, Mordecia entered Trudie''s home, he found Trudie in the kitchen.
-Mordecia: Hey...
-Trudie: What''s the word?
-Mordecia: Not good. I couldn''t find anything to help him, how''s he doing.
-Trudie: He''s taken up the craft remarkably well, I hope it''ll be enough for him, without a reason to live he might end himself.
Concerned, Mordecia continued on into the laboratory.
Vivo was sitting in bed with his head resting in his palms, tears were falling from between his fingers. With his last hope crushed, he didn''t know what to do, he missed cooking, the feeling of creating something tasty, by carefully adding the ingredients one at a time to produce something just not edible but enjoyable.
He would no longer be able to forge metal, he liked the heat from the forge, the long hours of sweating while creating anything from a kitchen knife to a piece of armour.
The Herbalism that Trudie were teaching him didn''t give him the same satisfaction, even though he was creating cures and helping people, which was satisfying in itself, it wasn''t like working hard exhausting his body.
That night he cried himself to sleep.
The next two days Trudie worked him hard, keeping him busy. Vivo still had time to reflect on his situation, living in total darkness, depressed and frustrated him. He could barely make his way around the house without bumping into things, finally he couldn''t take it. He grabbed his stuff and left.