《Shards of Old》 1. Calamity The age of magic in our world started a long time ago. A solar flare shook the foundations of the world we once knew. All of the technology that was using electricity was destroyed at once, which plunged the world into chaos. Since everyone in everything depended on power to work properly, whole countries got destroyed over a single night. The calamity also had some other, more interesting consequences. Since most technology got obliterated, energy fields created by technology that used electricity, vanished. That allowed mana to start flowing again through once dried up leylines. Ancient history was always full of magic, and apparently, that what we thought was legends and myths, appeared to be true. Long time ago, when electricity and pollution was a non-issue, mana could flow freely. Thanks to increasing human dependence on technology, old rituals, spells, alchemy, everything that used mana as energy resource was replaced by the "superior" version. Now it all went back to how it used to be, before the era of technology and pollution. Don''t get me wrong, I have nothing against technology, but that does not mean that I don''t have an opinion on what should be done. Every year after the calamity I learned to appreciate the new state the world found itself in. We no longer are dependent on exhaustible resources, and now can shape our future into something better. We have been given a chance to restart everything, but now with better knowledge and resources. I know it looks harder and resorting back to regular technology would be a lot easier, but don''t you think this is better? If that is not enough of an argument for you, I don''t know what to tell you. Shortly after the solar flare and reforming of the mana flow in the environment, a new element was discovered all around the world. It started appearing as small clusters of white crystals. We called them the Origin Crystals. They were everywhere, cities, ruins, woods, mountains, it didn''t matter. Thanks to them, the magic was rediscovered. But first, let me say a bit about the magic itself. I am sure you know that but, the mana split between person and environment. To draw from around you you need a gem. Gem also forces a color of magic or element if you will. They only allow you to channel mana into simple incarnations of the element. Without the incantation, that is. To create something else that''s more complicated you need a spell. To cast something you use the Forgotten Script, developed a long time ago and rediscovered again along with the advent of magic. Gems of different colors are not compatible with each other. If you use one color, the other will not be able to activate and be channeled through. When you cast a spell, mana is converted to the color of the gem. The bigger size of gem the larger the field it has that forces mana to be of that certain color. Meaning that casting multi-element spells is impossible with one person, and even with multiple people, mana in the environment can conflict with each other causing lack or abundance of mana of certain color. The Origin Crystals were different. They did not change your mana to a certain color - you had a free choice of elements for your spells. You can imagine the explosive start that it gave the research of magic. Those years were called the golden era of magic, which is ironic since it was then, when people were still trying to rebuild after the solar flare and the destruction it brought. Yet the magic research was booming, and people were slowly getting used to the new world order, with magic in their lives instead of technology they used all their lives up till now. To channel and convert mana to desired color is not very easy. To help beginners with their first magics there are a few methods, but two of them which are the most popular are coloring and bio-binding. Coloring is as you expect, just converting an Origin Crystal to be just of one element, essentially eliminating the need to convert the mana by yourself, useful for newbies, but limiting in every other factor. The bio-binding is a bit different. Gems can be infused with biological material of their user, making it easier for mana to flow from the user to the gem. It has a drawback though, or rather another useful feature. When the gem is infused, the only person that is able to use it is one whose biological material was used in infusion. That is why this process is also sometimes used as a security measure. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Sadly, the golden age of magic didn''t last very long. The MIRE was one of the centers of magic research. It was famous for creating many spells that would be widely used by everyone. But one day the whole city was shaken by an explosion, followed by a shockwave so massive that most of the city ended in ruins. Before people could get to the epicenter of the destruction, an earthquake accompanied by explosions of mana started destroying everything in their path, spreading like a chain reaction. It did not take long before it reached the ocean, creating huge waves. An apocalypse has started, once again. That''s what people tended to scream. They were not completely wrong. The following cataclysm lasted for a long while. Whole continents were reshaped, creating a completely new world. Or at least that''s what my theory about the beginning of the new era is. I was one of the magic researchers at The MIRE. Years ago we used to create first spells and to experiment trying to connect technology and magic, so we could rebuild our society that was shattered by the solar flare. Three of us were in the epicenter of the calamity. Well, four. What we had there was a giant magic crystal, which was supposed to be the biggest Origin Crystal to be ever found, the source of mana and the core of all the leylines. During one of the experiments, we made one crucial mistake. It was me who caused the calamity though. I''m the one responsible for all death and destruction that transpired on that day. My stupidity caused the shattering and destruction of the Origin Crystal and all the following aftermath. In the crystal chamber, before the first explosion, three people were supposed to be present. But, my coworkers, Mike and Iloa, brought their daughter, Ilma, that day, since she was very curious about their work. The three of us were pretty much in command of the whole research group, so nobody opposed us when we wanted to bring a kid to the research center. We never intended to let her get even close to the Origin Crystal, but thanks to some unforeseen circumstances, she entered the room right when the failure occured. The crystal exploded. You can imagine the pandemonium that it caused, even though the initial explosion was sort of contained. By contained I mean it did not destroy ALL the walls. The crystal shattered violently, sending chunks of razor sharp pieces all over the place. The most unlucky one was, of course, the kid. She was the closest one, sneaking into the room, despite both his mother and father threatening her with a solid spanking if she was to get caught inside. What would you do in this situation? Save the kid and risk your body being either riddled with holes or straight up vaporized by the massive wave of energy released by the explosion? Well, Iloa did exactly that. She jumped in front of the kid, saving Ilma¡¯s life, but also sacrificing herself in the process. Her body disintegrated right in front of us, just after being pierced by a large amount of crystal chunks. The three of us who were left, including a kid who was now covered in blood from her, now vaporized, mother, were all lying on the ground stunned and still processing what just happened, when everything went from bad to even worse. All the shards of the Origin Crystal now started glowing and before any of us was able to react, they also started exploding, like some sort of delayed firework. Almost immediately I lost sight of Mike and the kid, got thrown into a wall, pinned by a bunch of crystal shards that pierced my whole left side and cut off my left arm. Yep. Cut off. I didn¡¯t even have time to scream, the mind went blank from pain and pure mana that was now being released once more around me. Next thing I remember feeling was a massive earthquake, which I assume was just an aftershock caused by now unstable mana flowing through the leyline and exiting the chamber, leaving destruction in its wake. Then - another explosion. And another. It most likely continued for a long while after that, but I was no longer present, my mind drifted off from the shock of pain and mana flowing uncontrollably through me. When I came back to my senses I was lying under some rubble, with no one in sight. First thing I realized was that I was not in any pain. Well, maybe besides some chunks of rubble being wedged uncomfortably in my back. Tossing them aside and sitting up, surprisingly I noticed that my arm was not bleeding, and the wound was now covered in solid crystal. As much as that seemed like a very pressing matter I tried recalling what exactly happened first. Explosions, pieces of crystal, vaporization¡­ Oh right¡­ I stood up and took a good look around the rubble that was surrounding me. And a now large gaping hole in the wall. The room where I thought I was, was supposed to be on the highest floor of the building, giving a nice view of the whole city and surrounding area. There was nothing left of the city that used to be here. You couldn''t even tell if those ruins were new or old. And besides that, everything was covered in a nice, thick layer of greenery. 2. Lost I stood there for a good minute, trying to understand what exactly I was seeing, but no matter how hard I racked my brain, nothing that made sense came to me. Then I remember that there definitely were more important things to worry about right now. What happened to everyone else? With that simple question in mind, I shook off the initial shock and took a good look around the rubble that used to be our lab. Besides the obvious hole, and the destruction, there were no immediate signs of any human presence. I slowly started circling the room looking for any signs. I don¡¯t know if I should call it luck or not, there was no trace of bodies. Not even that much traces of blood. Where I woke up, near the wall and the, now overgrown with moss, floor, there were a few, barely visible, red stains, but besides those, the only ones were on the shards of the Crystal itself. Speaking of, the Origin Crystal - it was most definitely destroyed. The shards were scattered all over the room, and some even further down the corridor. Some of them, now instead of pure and colorless, were now dyed crimson, from the blood of¡­ well, it¡¯s anyone¡¯s guess whose. And yes, another thing that was dyed red was my shirt. Or rather all my clothes. Suddenly I got reminded about the state I was in. I quickly sat down on a nearby piece of destroyed furniture and started peeling away the remains of the sleeve from the wound. But the wound wasn¡¯t there. Well, let me be clear. My whole arm was still missing. But, after getting a fucking hand chopped of you¡¯d expect a bone sticking out, or, since the exploding Crystal was definitely searing hot, a charred wound at best. But no, instead of that I had a large piece of the Origin Crystal, about the size of a large fist, right where my shoulder used to end and my forearm start. Just to be more unsettling, I could see, although barely, a bone embedded into it. Hesitating a bit, I touched and tried pulling it away, getting ready for the immediate pain, but no. It was wedged tightly, to the point you can say it basically was melded into my flesh. If that was not enough, as I was inspecting the crystal lump I had instead of a piece of my arm, I realized that it wasn¡¯t the only place where I got struck by the shrapnel. The whole left side of my body was full of cuts and bruises, filled with pieces of the Origin Crystal of different size and shape. I had to lie here quite a bit, since all the wounds managed to close, leaving the shards inside my body. I started pondering if I should somehow try and pull at least some small pieces out, but after trying to scratch a little bit at the small ones, I decided that it was a bad idea. They were already completely embedded in me and I¡¯d literally have to use a knife to try and get rid of even the smallest of them, not to mention the large crystal stump. For that I¡¯d probably need a chisel. Or an axe. Carefully, I tried stretching a little bit. To my surprise, I did not feel any pain, although I definitely felt the presence of the shrapnel. It did not inhibit my movements, but my whole side felt itchy with every move, which was rather annoying. How long did I have to lie here for my wounds to look like that? I stretched out once more, this time a bit more lively, just making doubly sure that everything else was working as it should. Even the larger piece of crystal in my arm socket moved slightly. It was definitely unsettling, being able to see a piece of your own bone move as you tried stretching, but I was not complaining. Considering the fact that I spent an indefinite amount of time under some rubble, I was incredibly lucky. Somehow, the epicenter of the catastrophe, the same thing that destroyed so many lives, saved my life. My personal health being out of the way, I now had some other pressing issues. Where were the others? The distinct lack of the bodies meant one of few things. It was possible that they disintegrated as well. But the signs of the blood were still there. Not that much, considering what happened, so it could be possible. Someone moved them? I doubt it, they would¡¯ve noticed me, I wasn¡¯t buried that deep. Disintegration seemed most likely, but there was the one little detail that didn¡¯t fit all this. What¡¯s up with this forest? Sure, we had some trees next to our building, but not THIS. I heard that abundance of mana sometimes was able to cause nature to wildly expand, but on this scale? Still, I could feel a faint trickle of mana slowly pouring out from where the crystal used to be. We¡­ I mean, I did manage to rupture the leyline after all, so it was not completely out of the realm of possibility. I looked out from the opening in the wall towards the forest. After a closer look, the ruins I saw earlier were sort of in the right places, fitting the old layout of the streets before, although only the nearby ones. Others were too densely overgrown to see from here. For a second I thought about yelling out loud to check if I can grab anyone''s attention, but I stopped myself. If anyone was to come here they would definitely ask questions. Questions I either did not want to answer or plain should not. -Well, I better get moving¡­ - I said to myself and went back deeper into the ruin of what used to be the greatest research center of The MIRE. The building was an absolute wreck. While the room where the Crystal used to be was definitely in the worst shape, the rest of it was also hit pretty bad. Holes in the walls so large that the light from the outside was pouring in, ruined furniture, broken fish tanks, a lot of scorch marks¡­ And of course, on top of that - moss and grass everywhere. As I walked down the stairs, trying to find what remained of our locker room - the elevator was of course just a pitch black shaft with some vines wrapped around the cables - everything was silent. On the other hand, the staircase was mostly untouched. I mean, it was completely overgrown, but it was in one piece at least - with no major cracks screaming ¡°I am gonna give out any second now and kill you¡±. The locker room itself also was in decent shape. Probably because it was underground was my guess, but what got spared during the explosion, was ruined shortly after. The room was completely flooded - unsurprisingly, some water pipe had to break during all this and those were the effects. My locker was not far from the stairs, so I was able to reach it, but that did not mean my stuff was not ruined. The only thing that was somewhat spared was my bag - and this was only because it was not a regular bag. It was a common practice in The MIRE that we would use our personal belongings to experiment, sometimes even using our personal funds to finance more, ehm, unusual ideas, and my bag was one of such items. It was supposed to be enchanted with something we called ¡°infusion¡± - a.k.a. it was supposed to be resistant to all sorts of elements - water, fire, you name it, while still being made out of cotton and looking exactly the same. The experiment was deemed a failure - besides the protections being pretty crappy, the material darkened in color in random places. I didn¡¯t mind, but most of the clothing companies would most likely not stand for that, so I ended up with a bit darker and a little bit more resistant bag. It was definitely only ¡°a little bit more¡± - because right now the bag was completely damp - including its contents. My notes, phone, everything - ruined and useless. Well, at least I had a bag. I put it on the ground floor, in one of the numerous holes in the walls, where the sun was still shining through to let it dry a bit and I continued to scavenge, trying to find anything useful. I sort of wanted to find something to at least replace my torn clothes, but with the basement flooded I did not find anything that was not ruined by nature. Sadly, there was nothing that I would call useful, that is besides shards of the Origin Crystal. When I tried collecting them I noticed a strange new property - they were attracted to each other. Not only that, but when they actually touched, they immediately started to meld together, making it impossible to separate them. Without much of a thought I undressed from my shirt. I took one of the shards and using it as a makeshift knife, I cut out my other sleeve, essentially creating a very poor t-shirt. The remaining material I used to wrap the shards I picked up, trying to separate each other as much as I could. It sort of worked - they still were ¡°magnetic¡±, but the cloth at least prevented them from fusing. I tossed them into the bag, now a lot less damp - the enchantment was at least good for something, it was drying up pretty quickly. After a short consideration I put my shirt back on, but this time back to front - it was already pretty much ruined so no one would tell the difference and this way I at least had my crystal scars hidden. I grabbed my bag and started slowly leaving the building. I briefly stopped at the entrance and looked back at the ruins, wondering what the hell I should do now. There were no signs of any human presence nearby, and even the path that used to lead to the city was overgrown so much that if you did not know that it used to be there, you¡¯d easily miss it. I sighed and started to walk towards where the city used to be. As I was walking, I tried to think of some story I would tell if I met someone. Saying that I was from The MIRE was pretty much exactly the same as yelling, ¡°Hey look at me, I was the one that wrecked the city¡±. Whenever we liked it or not, when something went wrong with magic, it didn''t matter if that was our fault or not, the blame always got pinned on MIRE. Okay, most of the time it WAS our fault and it was just one of our experiments either running away or a stray spell went off somewhere where it shouldn¡¯t, but that doesn¡¯t matter. I decided I would act as a crippled refugee that got lost in the forest. My appearance definitely supported that story, all my clothes were ripped and dirty, resting in some ruins and getting front row seats to an explosion will do that for you. There had to be some refugee camp somewhere, or something right? That is if I was still where I thought I was¡­ But the longer I walked, the less sure I was. I mean, sure, I saw from upstairs that it covered quite a bit, including a part of the city itself, but I walked and walked, and there was no sign of the buildings. Was I lost already? Even considering that the mana flow has let the greenery to grow at an astounding rate, it was simply impossible for this forest to be big enough for me to get lost in. I was even following the path that used to lead to the city. Then it struck me. I WAS following the path. There was no sign of it any more, replaced by thick grass and bushes. I stopped for a minute and started thinking, but I could not think of a proper explanation for whatever was going on. Sighing with resignation I said to myself. -Welp, I guess I will have to bend the rules a little bit. Back when everything was normal, flying using magic was not something publically available. It was in development for a while now in our research center, but we were never able to stabilize it and have been going haywire more often than not. Since you basically used a small tornado to propel yourself upwards, it was deemed unsafe and quite destructive if not used correctly. I would know, it was one of my side projects after all. The experimental spell aside, there was another issue - I have not tried using magic since the explosion, and to be honest I was a bit worried to do so. After all, I did not have my personal crystal, one I used all the time for the experiments, as well as for regular everyday tasks - the only thing I got was the pieces of the Origin Crystal. Casting spells through them was definitely possible, but¡­ a bit risky. Imagine this comparison - if you were to make a cup of tea, would you, if you had to, instead of using the stove, pull out a flamethrower to heat the water? Yeah, that was basically what I was dealing with. The spell would most likely work, but I would most likely destroy something in the process, and most likely that something would be me. Without much of a choice, I had to at least try. Even if I were to go back to the ruins of the research center, that is if I managed to find it, I would just get lost again. But, I was not going to be completely reckless - at first I decided to check out the effects of a different crystal on a spell of a much smaller scale. -Usc fi mynu - I murmured under my breath, holding a shard that I''ve gotten out of my bag. It was an easy light spell that I always used instead of a flashlight. I expected many things. For it to blind me completely. Or to burn me. Or to produce some other weird random side effect. Or even not to work at all. I admit I was pretty certain I was gonna produce a flashbang, to the point that I even closed my eyes as I spoke the incantation. But as nothing like that happened, I slowly opened my eyes, and realized that it actually just worked as it should - a small orb of white light, the size of an apple, was now hovering in front of me. I tried focusing on the spell, trying to pour a bit more power into it, and as expected, the orb started slowly getting brighter. I was in full control of the spell. Encouraged by the success, I decided to try something else. -Usc fi geksu. The spell worked just fine - another orb appeared - composed of red flames instead - looking like a miniature bonfire, hanging in the air.. This time, I did not bother closing my eyes, and thanks to that I noticed something strange. Well, I would probably notice it anyway even with my eyes closed, because as I casted the spell, I felt a bit of heat somewhere near my left arm and a distinct smell of burned clothes. The spells that you cast always originate from the crystal you used. Usually it¡¯s not the problem, you can always move the source, right? Too bad, the source this time was not the crystal I was holding in my hand, but rather the large one that was now part of my body. Startled, I started patting down my clothes, but the orb moved quickly and my clothes only got singed a little bit. -Makes sense. - I muttered to myself. - Now I have a big chunk of crystal instead of my elbow. Mana always chooses the biggest shard to flow from. It might be problematic to explain how I am casting with a stump though¡­ Shrugging off his revelation, I continued with my experiment. Since everything was going pretty smoothly, well, mostly, I decided I should check all other elements, just to be sure. -Usc fi visu. The air next to my stump started to distort and condense, creating another orb - or rather rock - that moved and started hovering next to the other ones. -Usc fi elvu. Another one. This time, from the thin air, a bubble full of water appeared. I sighed with relief. The most basic elements were no problem. Now for the more advanced one¡­ well, the light worked, so why shouldn''t others, right? Hoping not to butcher the pronunciation, I went ahead and attempted summoning another one. -Usc fi wipvu. I was sure that was the weirdest sounding one that I had to use on a regular basis. But sure enough, suddenly a wind picked up, and I felt a brief rush of wind around me. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. There was no visible orb, but I felt that the spell worked. I hid the crystal back inside my bag and tried feeling with my hand around where the other spells appeared. Yeah, it worked alright. As I moved my fingers I could feel the air being denser and move between my fingers. Good. The one element I was the most worried about worked fine, so I was ready to try my idea, but before that, since I already started, I decided to test the other elements as well. I moved the invisible orb towards the other ones, paying close attention not to get too close to the flame - forest fire was one of the last things I wanted right now. -Usc fi gymnu. This time I summoned a small ball of electricity, which promptly shocked me as it emerged next to my arm. Actually, I didn¡¯t. I saw the small tendrils of electricity zap my crystal stump, but since it never touched my actual flesh, I did not feel the sting. Besides that, everything so far was going fine. -Time for the last one. Usc fi uncsu. This one appeared smaller than the other ones - a small dark orb. It was most likely thanks to my first spell directly influencing it, but I didn¡¯t care much about that - the point was, it worked. I started playing with them, making them dance around me, thinking of the next step, feeling a bit anxious. Noticing that I am looking like some weird solar system, I released all of them letting them disappear without a trace or fall to the ground, depending on the element, aside from the water orb - which I simply swallowed. -Here we go, I guess¡­ Trying to remember the whole incantation, I started chanting. -Imwulo wipvu loy wumu gesy nop icme fi gmyhu¡­ The spell worked. I felt the sudden familiar rush of air and slowly, but surely, I started rising from the ground up. My crystal was better than expected. It had the most stable mana flow I ever felt. It probably had to do with it basically being bio-bound to me, or rather wedged into my flesh. Only problem was its weird placement. Feeling more confident I started to increase my altitude, to try and break through the canopy. Soon, I was above the trees and slowly was ascending higher and higher, to see more of my surroundings. What I saw was definitely a sight to be seen. In every direction, as far as you could see there was only dark green. Not believing my eyes I flew even higher, until I was about 50 meters above the canopy. -Wow¡­- A sigh involuntarily escaped my mouth. In every direction, for what felt like tens of kilometers, you could only see trees. And, like in some dream, on the horizon, I was surrounded by mountains so high you could not see their top, hidden in the clouds. It was already getting dark, so with the red sky it was even more out of this world. After admiring this unexpected vista for a few moments, I finally stopped kidding myself - I was not even remotely close to my city, nor to any city in fact. How did I end up in this place? Why were the ruins of The MIRE still here as well? And most of all I realized I will have to somehow travel all across this. -I am lucky that I know this spell. I can''t imagine having to travel through all those trees on foot. - I muttered to myself. After looking around, I decided on going south, towards the ruins, or at least I thought that was south. Flying above the flowing sea of trees I couldn''t help but think about all of the possible scenarios that transpired after the explosion, with questions flooding my head constantly. What exactly happened to the rest of the city? Where the hell am I? Did I get teleported somehow? Then why do those ruined buildings look very familiar? Did they get teleported as well as the whole research center? How long has it been? What happened to the other people? Was I just unconscious for that long, my life supported by mana and the crystal? Is that even possible? I flew past where there should''ve been the residential zone, full of skyscrapers. Lowering my flight , I started looking for any signs of civilization, but it was already getting pretty dark, so even after summoning a couple of light orbs I couldn¡¯t find anything. After a long while of flying around the area, I almost gave up. As I was about to leave I increased the power of my spell, and this stronger gust of wind displaced trees far enough for me to see the ground. And some brickwork. Intrigued, I tried my hand at landing. It was pretty smooth until I hit the canopy. Before, when ascending, tree branches just moved out of my way, since nothing was really disrupting them. Now, they started swaying chaotically in every direction, being hit by strong winds generated by the spell. Not wanting to be smacked out of the air by some tree branch I started descending faster, but apparently my flying skills were not as good as I wanted them to be, because I got slapped in the face by a massive tree branch anyway. Dazed by the hit, my spell ended and I started unceremoniously falling to the ground. -Zurxa! Before I hit the ground I managed to cast another spell. Since I did not have much time to think nor to speak I kept it simple, But not wanting to break some bones I put a little bit too much into that one this time. I managed to stop my fall and not break my neck, but the large air current I created in the process managed to break some branches off the trees nearby and with loud creaking pushed a bunch of other trees back away from the impact point. -Note for the future: do not land near the trees in the dark - I thought, gathering myself up from the ground. On a closer look, what I saw from up above was less interesting than anticipated. I expected to find some actual clues about the current situation. Instead I''ve gotten some old bricks, firmly planted in the ground. You couldn''t even tell what they used to be even part of. Scattered every few steps, half buried in the ground and overgrown with moss. Considering how far I''ve flown, this could either be a part of the residential area, or even the old town. Though if that''s true and I was somewhere in the old town, I should be at a lake nearby, about half kilometer away to the east, on the outskirts of the city. That is of course if I was still where the city used to be. On foot this time, I started slowly making my way in that direction. Sure enough, it did not even take ten minutes for me to hear flowing water, and not long after I was standing on the edge of a small lake. To be honest, it was larger than I remembered. A lot of things were different than I remembered. First of all, besides the lake, there was a very small river that I am sure was not supposed to be there. It was flowing through and out of it, to the south. And second - the greenery. It was something else entirely. I already was used to seeing the forest all around me, or rather under me, while flying here, but even from the ground I could see the difference. It was even more bizarre than the whole forest combined. While everywhere else the trees were lush and green - here the colors were even more vivid, almost unnatural. The ones closer to the water were covered in something akin to the moss, but instead of green small leaves it had all the colors you could imagine, with patches of the same color clumped together, forming some abstract-looking patterns. To add to this image, there also were some sort of water lilies, although those were also pretty different - they were absolutely humongous - to the point I was sure that I would be able to climb into one of them and use it as a raft. Speaking of, the water itself was crystal clear. I could see the bottom of the lake, covered in something that looked like fresh cut grass, that, the closer you got to the shore, was being replaced by a nice and very fine, slightly reddish, sand. The most important thing though - while it was already dark enough so I had to use my orb to see properly, this place was quite the opposite. The water itself was slightly glowing. It was dim enough for the light to not get out thanks to the canopy above, and even if it was any brighter I don¡¯t think I flew close enough to here for me to notice anyway. It was definitely charming. It would be a great place to hang out, that is if it was not in the middle of nowhere. For a second I considered spending the night here, but immediately dismissed that thought. I was not going to sleep on the grass in some random forest, where there are most likely an abundance of wild animals. Actually, when I thought about it, I have not heard or seen much of the animals lately. Maybe some birds while I was flying, but that was it. A bit strange, since such lush forest should be a great place for any animal, but no, the silence of the forest was only being interrupted by the flowing water. I approached the lake and gazed into the clear water in front of me. Since it was the first time that I actually had the opportunity to wash myself up in something that is not a stale basement water, I kneeled down and dipped my fingers in the cold water. Immediately, I realized something was wrong. As soon as my skin touched the water I felt a sudden rush. My heart rate spiked up to, maybe twice of that what I would consider normal. I instantly pulled my hand back. The feeling subsided and my heart started slowing down, but even though the water was cold, I could now feel heat slowly spread from my fingertips, to the point it was almost painful, through my whole body and towards the left side and concentrating at the shoulder. Unsettled, I pulled back the sleeve and checked what¡¯s going on. My crystal was now glowing with the exact same light that the water was. I checked the other pieces of shrapnel in my side and, sure enough, they were as well, although less. I finally understood what was going on, two things to be exact. First off, the lake was heavily infused. I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised - not that far from here there was a literal crack in a vein of the world, constantly seeping mana to the environment, why wouldn¡¯t everything be infused with mana, especially water. I¡¯ve seen infused water before. As soon as mana emerged, half of the water supply got infused and started glowing, especially wild rivers and such, so I did not think much about seeing it here. To be honest, it was the only water I¡¯ve been using for the past few years. More infused waters were quite popular as a replacement for chlorinated water - it was cleaner, didn¡¯t smell, killed germs just as well, maybe even better, was pretty, and on top of that you were able to cut costs on heating it, because even when cold, it warmed up your body nice and quick. Thanks to that, you could measure the intensity of mana infusion quite easily - the quicker and more your body got heated up, the more mana was in the water. This water was intense. Back in the MIRE we used to use infused water of various degrees of infusion, including those with mana concentration so high it was dangerous for human health. Once, during some experiment I remember spilling a few drops of the one with about 80% on me. That thing burned like boiling water. If I was one to guess, this lake was about 60%? Maybe 70%? I was lucky I removed my hand so quickly. The cutoff between infusion percentage harmful to humans was exactly 66%. If I didn¡¯t¡­ Well, maybe I would not have lost another arm, but my fingers would definitely be numb by now if it was above that. Or maybe not, if things were exactly as I thought they were.. The second thing was about the crystal itself. The glow and the feel gave me a very clear idea what was going on in my body, and the crystal. As soon as I touched the water, the crystal reacted to it, or rather to the mana in it, pulling it towards itself. The glow and the vanishing heat - it was absorbing mana. Why, though? I had not even the slightest idea. I was hoping it was not going to do that consistently, I would not want to end up in a coma in a ditch somewhere after trying to light a fire with a spell because I ran out of mana or something along those lines. Luckily, it did not look like it was just hogging all the mana for itself, since I already cast a bunch of spells, including experimental one, and I did not feel drained at all. Quite the opposite. After touching the water, although my heart rate was normal again, I felt energized, as I just drank a large cup of coffee, or an energy drink. As I was contemplating what just had happened, the light in the crystal started to fade and it didn¡¯t take long for it to be back to normal, well, as normal as it could be. I carefully touched my side, checking if anything changed, but as far as I could tell, it was exactly as it was before. Shrugging this sudden event off, I covered my wounds again and took a few steps away from the lake, just to be sure. I was sort of curious about the source of this river, so without much better to do, I started to walk upstream. The river was pretty small, so I expected it to be a short walk. Boy, I was wrong. I walked maybe a full hour and still there was no sign of it ending. Thirty minutes, and I started considering flying again, even though it was dark and from above the canopy it would be hard to even see this small stream, not to mention to follow it consistently. Especially when the trees closer to the river bank were even thicker and more closely packed together, probably thanks to the mana flowing in the water. Another half an hour later I finally decided that without flying I am not going to get anywhere and started looking for a somewhat thinner piece of canopy, or a clearing, to try and fly up from. It proved a bit difficult - It took me about 40 minutes - but I managed to find an opening between the trees. It wasn¡¯t a clearing or anything like that - It was just a small hole in the canopy thanks to a tree that was crooked - it¡¯s branches were growing so awkwardly that there were large gaps between them, making it possible for me to see the night sky - a good location to try and take off from. It went smoother than expected. Trees nicely moved away from my spot when I finished chanting thanks to the air currents the spell created and soon I was above the canopy once more. This time, I was flying low and slow. I kept my light orb just above the water, so I could keep track of the stream and the way it was going. Even in the darkness of the night, it was not that hard to keep track of it, mostly thanks to the glow the river was emitting and thanks to the canopy itself which looked distinctively different near the water. It did not take very long for me to realize where I was going - soon, in the distance I started noticing a very familiar building to appear once more. Yeah, I just made a nice and big circle. For a second I even thought it was going to lead me right to the front door, but before the river reached the main building, it suddenly curved to the side and started to circle away from it. I had a good idea where it¡¯s going to lead me though. Not too far from the main building, there used to be a small shack - ¡°a maintenance box¡± as we called it. It used to house a bunch of pipes, valves and electric fuses, responsible for power and water supply of the whole center. I did not bother checking it before, since obviously the city was nowhere to be found - it was now just a useless piece of ruin. Or so I thought. As I flew closer, I could see the small clearing where the shack was - now cut exactly in half. This time, I managed to land without any additional unfortunate events. I walked closer to the ¡°box¡±, or rather now half of it. The cut was clean - it looked like someone just went and used pressured water to cut right through the concrete, pipes, cables, all of it. What was more interesting though was that the other part, the one further from the main building, was not just ruined - it was completely missing. No rubble, no ruins, nothing. Just untouched green forest further out, and the small stream of water slowly coming out of the cut pipes. It was definitely the same one I followed here, which I found puzzling. As far as I knew, the water to the MIRE was just supplied by the city and there were no magical additions to it that would explain this, well, maybe beside one¡­ Once, when there was an outage back in the city, Mike said he was going to work on a stable source of power and water for our facilities. It apparently was one of his side projects, saying ¡°It¡¯s going to help us in the long run¡±. At first I thought he was talking about signing a new deal with the city so they can supply us with generators or maybe a water tower, but nope, he wanted to do it the better way - using magic. I have to admit, even for him, that was far-fetched - creating something like that would be hard, especially for him, since he was not an expert on neither water nor lightning magic. That¡¯s why he asked me for help. While I was not particularly good at water magic, I want to say I was decent at lightning - and so we started working on a magical generator. To my absolute surprise, it went quite smoothly - with help of Iloa we managed to create a solid spell, which then we implanted onto a large runic circle connected to a battery - for starters it was just a regular car battery. It actually worked. But there was a tiny issue. The amount of mana it consumed was absolutely humongous - the three of us combined managed only to keep it working for less than a couple of minutes - and even then, the battery got filled about half way. The project was scrapped and forgotten soon after, but not by everyone. Even as recently as the day before everything went to shit I kept hearing from Mike about how he was having the exact same problem with the water source, that is it being too inefficient. Now, thinking about it, I have never actually seen that part of the project - since I was not good at that type of magic, I did not want to accidentally ruin his work. But it was not impossible that he was experimenting somewhere where, if he was to succeed, he would be able to connect his new invention to the water source of our facility. And going from there, it was not far-fetched to think that it was still operational - and now, thanks to the bonus supply of mana from the leaking leyline, the main issue of this ¡°generator¡± was resolved. Even better, the water now was infused. But that gave me another question - assuming I was right and the ruined MIRE had now an infinite supply of water, why wasn¡¯t the water in the basement infused as well? It was even closer to the leak than the ¡°generator¡±, which most likely was somewhere underground between the main facility and the maintenance box. I had no answer for that question and since there was no way for me to get to the underground section of the facility, because of the flooded basement, I did not bother going back to the ruined lab. Instead, I decided I would follow the stream the other way, to see where it goes past the lake. I took a deep breath and once more chanted the long incantation of the flight spell. Silently thanking my brain for remembering it well enough to be usable, I ascended once more above the canopy of the trees and started following my orb and the river below me. It probably was well past midnight before I arrived back at the lake and left it behind me. I was flying slowly, not only not to lose track of the river, but to look around and maybe notice something that would give me a hint about the area I found myself in - maybe lights of the city or something like that. Unfortunately, besides the one dot that was my orb down below me, and the dim glow of the river snaking through the trees, the forest was completely dark. The mountain range as well, while I did not expect for it to be a village on the mountainside, I still hoped to maybe see a light or two, but no, it was as dark as the forest. This trip took me most of the remaining night. At dawn, I finally started noticing the forest to thin out a bit and soon I reached the base of the mountains, or rather a large cliff. While the trees were a bit spread out, to the point where I could clearly see the ground and the water below me, the mountain just suddenly was sprouting from the ground at almost 90 degrees. On top of that, the rock did not look natural. While it had its irregularities and cracks, it gave me an impression that it was carved by someone, or something. And, more importantly, the stream was ending here - with yet another lake, and a small opening that looked like it was a cave right next to it. I landed next to the water and just by the mountainside, to take a better look at this ¡°wall¡±. Sure enough, after checking up close, I was almost sure - this thing was just way too straight not to be man-made. How, though? That was anyone¡¯s guess. The important thing was - there was absolutely no way to scale those mountains without flying. Besides, I had more interesting things to deal with besides the geological structure and genesis of some random rock. 3. Found I stepped carefully around the water and towards the cave, letting my light orb fly first to brighten up the surroundings. Let¡¯s say, that was one unusual cave to say the least. First thing that I noticed was a large rock formation at the back end of the cave, or more like a large slab of sandstone. It was almost perfectly square, with a polished surface. Right in front of it, there was a boulder, about quarter the size of the slab, but that one was almost completely round, only its top part was flattened. What caught my attention though, was what was placed on the larger one - a notebook. And not just some notebook, it looked eerily similar to ones we had at the lab. It WAS from the lab - the black cover still was sporting the logo of the MIRE. Someone was here. And not that long before me, in fact, judging by the fact that I was right next to the water and the notebook looked like it was in a pretty decent shape. I quickly approached my discovery and almost immediately got disappointed. What from afar looked like a nice, thick notebook, was just a singular page and a cover - the rest was torn out and nowhere to be found. With mixed feelings, I started reading. To whoever is going to find this note - I guess we are in the same situation. I have been in this place for the past three months - there is no escaping this stupid bowl. Believe me, I tried. I¡¯ve explored every single tree here and besides some ruins and this stream, there is nothing here. The forest is completely surrounded by the mountains, the exact same you see by the entrance of this cave - impossible to scale. But I think I found one way out. The stream outside is forming a lake - under the water there I see a passage. Where it leads though, I have no idea. It might even be a dead end. I must warn you though. If you are someone who knows a bit about the arcane, you are aware of how dangerous this water can be, hell, you might not be, but you might have tried touching the water already. If you aren¡¯t - let me just tell you that it¡¯s not a good idea for your long or short-term well-being to swim in it. I had enough of this place and the solitude so I am willing to take my chances and dive. If you are a mad man like me, you¡¯ll either find my corpse in there, or the way out. Good luck. There was no signature. The bowl, eh? I guess, if he, or she for that matter, was indeed right and this place was surrounded by those cliff-like walls, that was a fitting name. It was also clear that they had at least a decent amount of knowledge about magic. More importantly though - who left this thing here? Was it possible that it was someone from the MIRE? Then why did they leave me there? They assumed I was dead? I guess that was possible¡­ I probably would say the same after seeing myself armless and all¡­ For once in my life I started cursing the digitization of everything. I had no idea how my coworker¡¯s, bah, even friends¡¯ handwriting looked like, so it could be any of them, or none for that matter. It could even be some poor victim of teleport accident for all I knew. I left the cave and took a better look at the lake, lowering the light orb right next to the surface of the water. It was not that deep, maybe two meters right at the edge of the mountain. From where I was standing, it was hard to tell if there actually was something down there, but it was definitely possible. I was not going to take my chances though, I still had another possible way out - up. I tried casting the flight spell and instantly got reminded why that spell was deemed not safe for public use. The instant I started chanting, I noticed something was going wrong - instead of slow and steady buildup of rushing air, I barely was feeling anything. I managed to successfully finish the invocation, but instead of being able to fly well above the canopy, I barely was able to lift off the ground. -Work, you piece of¡­ - I started muttering, while dropping the spell and trying to cast it again. But the more I tried, the less effective it was - the second time, I didn¡¯t even manage to stay above ground for more than a few seconds, the third time, I didn¡¯t even lift off. All the subsequent tries did was just produce a gust of air that made waves appear on the pond next to me. That was how my attempts at flying ended. I had to start reconsidering my options. Suddenly, the suicide mission mentioned in the notes started looking appealing. I went back to the cave to check if I missed anything that would help me in this predicament, but found nothing. I sat next to the slab and the notebook, thinking. Should I trust this note? I couldn¡¯t see why someone would leave something like this here and lie in the contents, so maybe? I silently cursed the experimental flight spell once more - if I at least had that, I would be able to check if I indeed was trapped here. The worst part was, I was running out of time. I haven¡¯t eaten for a while now, and even though I have not felt any hunger, I was pretty sure that was just an after effect of that mana surge I felt when I touched the water. Would I be able to verify this ¡°bowl theory¡± before succumbing to hunger? I heavily doubted that, since apparently someone wasted three whole months trying. They managed to get by somehow, but would I be able to? I guess I could try gathering¡­ or hunting¡­ but should I? -First things first - I announced aloud, standing up after a long while - Let¡¯s check that escape route of yours. I went outside and guided my light orb as close as I could to the water surface, to maybe hopefully see something. While the water was crystal clear, it was not hard for me to see the bottom. It was similar to the one of the lake I¡¯ve seen in the middle of the woods, but this one had a lot less flora, to the point where I could almost see the raw rock beneath. I hesitated for a moment. I wanted to lower my orb even more - let it go underwater to maybe see if there is something deeper, or under the layer of that strange green grass. The question was though, what happens if you submerge a spell in, what effectively is, a massive mana source? I could think of a few possibilities. One, the spell gets amplified, absorbing mana from the environment. That would not be that bad - besides potentially blinding me for a second, it would prove annoying at worst. Two, absolutely nothing. The spell just does what it was supposed to and that¡¯s it. Also a favorable outcome. Three, the spell destabilizes itself and explodes in the process. That was the worst case scenario and its effect could range from slight injury to being fatal. In my time I¡¯ve seen all of those results, but every time it was in mostly safe, laboratory conditions. As far as I could remember, it depended on the spell and the potency of the environment. I was going to use a light spell, so the risk should be minimal, since the light can¡¯t really hurt you like for example fire or lightning. It was not completely safe though, it was still water of unknown mana potency - if high enough the blast alone could be strong enough to break a bunch of bones. -Well, no risk, no reward - I said, lowering the light orb below the water. Alas, nothing happened. While I doubted that the worst scenario would come to pass, I still was a bit nervous, so I welcomed the silence with open arms. As I lowered the orb deeper and deeper into the lake, the spell was consistently the same, so I could focus on looking for the supposed passageway instead of trying to control the expected sudden surge of power. All this time, the water was completely still, not even interacting with the spell itself, but that was just thanks to the element I used - it¡¯s not like water, infused or not, would be an obstacle for the light itself - I could easily manipulate it and move it around, just like in the air. It was also handy in finding out the edges of the basin - since the light would straight up stop at the walls and the bottom, sometimes half disappearing in that strange grass and shining through it with a green hue. It got to the point where I was scraping at the ground, or maybe rock, under the grass. I honestly did not think I was going to find anything, besides maybe the corpse or the skeleton of that note¡¯s author, but to my surprise, right at the edge, near the base of the mountain, my orb suddenly dove under the greenery and disappeared somewhere deeper. There was something there. I closed my eyes and started focusing more on the spell. Since the orb was already out of my sight, there was no point in trying to look for it - I instead wanted to feel it. That was the other function of my spell - while not really intended, it was possible to use it as a very primitive mapping tool. If you cast a spell, whatever it might be, you always can keep track of it, if you focus hard enough. That, combined with the fact that the orb would not be able to pass through the solid walls, made it possible for me to ¡°feel¡± where the opening in the lake bed led, at least roughly. I just had to keep it moving and whenever the spell would just refuse to move, change the direction. Kneeling at the edge of the water, I started tracing the route it was taking with my finger in the ground. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. That was pointless though - the tunnel was pretty simple - a ¡°U¡± shaped path that ended with some open space. A rather large one to boot, since I managed to make the orb float maybe two meters away from me, before it hit the wall - the other side of the one I was right next to. -Curious¡­ - I muttered to myself and approached the clifface, to get as close as I could to the wall and the spell. As I leaned on it, I could feel it less than a quarter meter away from me - the wall was pretty thin. I made it roam a little bit around that new found cave. As far as I could tell, it was larger than the one I found the notebook in, but was tightening towards the back end and transforming into some sort of tunnel about ten meters in. What was deeper I had no idea, since that was as far as I was able to make my orb go before starting to lose control of the spell. I dismissed the spell and sat at the edge of the lake, thinking. The path was actually real and even looked like it led somewhere. It was even large and short enough for me to swim through without much of a problem, which, considering my lack of one arm, was incredibly fortunate. There was one issue though - the water itself. I very well remembered what happened when I just dipped my fingers in it upstream. To swim in it was definitely not a good idea. But it kept bothering me. Considering it was that strong, why did my spell not freak out, even just a little bit? I mean, yes, of course, it was as basic as it gets, but still, that was unusual to say the least. That is, if the water was still as powerful as upstream. Usually, the natural streams like that tend to keep their infusion level somewhat the same, but they are also a lot less potent than this one. What about a man-made one though? Would it behave like the regular one? My curiosity got the better of me - I kneeled at the side of the lake and, as carefully as it was possible, I touched the water, with just a singular finger. I expected to feel another sudden jolt of energy, but nothing like that happened. I definitely could tell that the water was still mana infused, but the condensation was nothing like the one upstream. Slowly, I moved my hand and submerged more of my finger. There was no change, but now I could actually feel the warmth of the water - it was completely different than the one before. Instead of almost burning, I felt a pleasant warmth. Even after submerging my whole hand, the feeling was still the same. I moved my hand away and checked up on my crystal, and ,as expected, it was glowing, albeit not as brightly as before, absorbing the mana slowly and steadily. Scratching my chin, I started thinking again. Suddenly, the idea of checking the route described in the note was looking sort of appealing. One thing bothered me though. Was the author of the note just mistaken? Judging by the feel, the water was completely safe. Did it lose potency in time? Was that even possible? No, that would not make sense - it would¡¯ve meant that our lab was here for a very long period of time already, oozing mana and infused water. I started wandering about, thinking. Should I try it? It seemed low risk, and not like I had any other leads that would help, but I still kept having a feeling that I was missing something. Nevertheless, no better idea came to my mind, so I started preparing for a swim. Not even a minute later, I was already packing all my clothes into my bag and hoping that the enchantment would at least work a little bit. Once more, I summoned the light orb, moved it towards the entrance hidden under the layer of green and started slowly walking into the lake. First steps were quite uneventful and pleasant even. It felt like I was just walking into a nice, big and warm bath. No wonder they use that stuff in spas. The first minor snag happened when the water finally reached the crystal in my side. The shard suddenly lit up, and as it did, the light orb followed suit, getting brighter and brighter. I resolved the issue quickly though, just had to focus on the spell a little bit more. The orb was still brighter though and my side was still glowing. The same thing happened again, when the water reached the other piece of the crystal. This time I was expecting that and, even though I actively tried to reduce my mana usage even more, I did not manage to dim the light even a little bit, so I just cut the spell completely. I was a bit worried about diving down without light, but the problem resolved itself - as I cut the spell, the glow from the crystals in my body did not disappear - I was now a walking, or rather swimming glowstick. The light was not as good as the one from the orb, so I had to pay attention to my surroundings even more, but it was enough. As the water reached my chin, I could feel the gap under my feet - the opening. Taking a deep breath, I dove down. The sides of the tunnel were mostly bare, in comparison to the bed of the lake. The underwater weeds and grass were still present, so between them and occasional stalactites and stalagmites I was able to grab onto them and push myself forward, deeper into the tunnel. It was short enough for me to not worry much about lack of air - not even 15 seconds later I broke the water surface and emerged on the other side of the wall. About half of the cave was taken over by the lake itself. Thanks to the glow coming from both myself and the water, it was bright enough for me to see without much of a problem. In contrast to the outside wall, it looked absolutely normal and natural - full of different kinds of rock formations and damp. I crawled out of the water onto some rock and checked my bag. Disappointed, I started pulling out my clothes. I already knew that the spell on the bag was almost useless, but still, I had my hopes. Sadly, it only prevented the clothes from being completely soaked - instead, they were ¡°just¡± damp. Well, considering that I just swam through the underwater tunnel, I shouldn¡¯t complain. Sighing heavily, I laid my clothes on the stone floor nearby, in a poor attempt at trying to dry them. Seeing that it was going absolutely nowhere, I had an idea. Why not make a small orb of fire to dry faster? Not like I needed firewood for that. Just to be safe, I turned away from my clothes, turned towards the outer wall of the cave and tried summoning a fire orb. -Usc fi geksu. That¡¯s when the second little snag happened. Or rather a major one. It was a good thing that I turned away from my stuff, or it definitely would be gone in a blink of an eye, because what emerged instead of a small orb was a massive ball, the size of my torso, of roaring fire. Before I even realized what was happening, it touched the water and it was already too late. You¡¯d think when water comes in contact with fire, it would just get smothered and go out, right? Well you would be mostly right, if it was not a spell, and the water was not infused with mana. The lake instantly started boiling - and I am not exaggerating. To make matters worse, not only the liquid was being evaporated, but mana along with it. I quickly wanted to cut the spell short, but it was already out of control - it did not need my mana, it had plenty of it now in the steam from the lake. Not wanting to get caught in the imminent explosion, I quickly grabbed my clothes and ran towards the other end of the cave, looking for somewhere to take cover. Behind me, I could hear sizzling starting to intensify even more. I didn¡¯t even have to turn back to see the red glare on the walls of the cave - it was almost as bright as it would be outside on a sunny day. That plus the red tint. BOOM Right as I ducked behind a set of stalagmites, the cave was shaken by a massive explosion. Some rubble started falling from the ceiling, including rocks that were large enough to murder someone if they were to hit directly, and the bright red light of the fireball was replaced by a dimmer one, much more natural. Then, there was silence. I slowly poked out my head from behind the rocks. What I saw definitely made me glad that I managed to duck behind cover in time. The whole wall, along with the lake, was completely gone. The spell managed to completely evaporate and absorb the large portion of the lake, and bury the remaining part under the rubble. The river was now ending about five meters away from what now was the entrance to a cave, on a rather large piece of rock, which blocked its old path. Instead now, the water was going the other way, towards the cave where I found the notebook and was slowly starting to form a lake a bit further away, flooding some trees in the process. The explosion also managed to scorch the sides of the cave, and, more importantly, set ablaze a bunch of surrounding trees and bushes. As soon as I realized that the fire was still going, I ran out of my hiding spot and extended my hand towards the flames. -Fytu fi elwu! I immediately realized my mistake - the spell went wild once more. Instead, what was supposed to be a soft spray of water, to hopefully quickly douse the fire before it gets out of hand, I got basically a water hose. Considering all that happened, it actually was not the worst outcome, so I just went with it and started putting out the flames. I was not even halfway through, what effectively was roleplaying a firefighter, before the spell started to lose on power and slowly turned to what it actually was supposed to be. Spraying the remaining embers, I also noticed that my crystals also were not glowing any more, but I couldn¡¯t shake off a weird feeling that they got larger. -I guess that could¡¯ve gone worse¡­ - I muttered to myself, evaluating the aftermath of the incident. - At least the fire didn¡¯t spread¡­ After that spectacular failure, I decided I probably should try and do things manually for a change. I mean, mostly. Getting firewood and setting up a small campfire in my newly made cave didn''t take even a few minutes. I was planning on exploring the deeper parts of the cave and the tunnel as soon as possible, but I had to at least wait for my clothes to dry up. This time, while casting a spell to light a bonfire, I deliberately turned towards the cave and not the lake or the forest, just to be safe, but it was pointless. The overflow power from the lake that my crystal absorbed was already spent. Sitting by the bonfire and letting my clothes dry, I had some time to think about this place. It was sort of terrifying knowing that you are surrounded from every direction by a wall whose height you can''t even fully grasp, but I couldn¡¯t help myself. I was excited. This place looked like it was straight from some fantasy. I was also curious about the fate of my predecessor, after all, I did not find their¡­ well, remains, so he had to at least survive the swim and went further down this path, wherever that leads. After my clothes dried up to the state you would call wearable, I gathered my things and cleared the signs of my campsite. Not like it was likely for anyone to find them, but better safe than sorry. Getting ready to delve into the underground, I took one of the sharper rocks from the rubble I created earlier. Trying it out on the wall of the cave, I tried scratching it a little bit. As expected it was good enough to leave a mark. Since I didn''t want to use magic to do everything, I wanted to use it to mark my way while traveling through the caves. -Well I''m as ready as you can be in this situation¡­ - I said to myself, walking towards the back of the cave and summoning a light orb. -This is gonna take a while I feel. 4. Trip The first hour of my trip was quite uneventful. There was only one, damp, long path, filled with a wide variety of rock formations, so I didn''t even have to be worried about getting lost. Still though, every now and again I was marking the way, scratching signs on the right wall with the rock I took. Earlier, I thought about using a fire spell and marking my way with burn marks, but I couldn''t just depend on my crystal stump absorbing mana from the environment forever. Not being sure about how it works, really, could bite me in my butt in the most inappropriate time. Thinking about my predicament, I reached the first obstacle. The pathway was getting smaller and smaller, and finally I had to either crouch down or turn back. Sighing heavily, not wanting for this trip to be wasted, I got on all fours and slowly continued to make my way forward. After about 10 minutes I had to start moving some loose rocks and rubble that made my path even more annoying. Few meters later, I reached the end of the tunnel - an opening littered with rocks, ending with a fall. In comparison to the rest of the tunnel, it was quite wide. If I was to guess, it would¡¯ve fit three people lying shoulder to shoulder without much of an issue. Moving some rubble away and sticking my head through, I sent the light orb that was following me all this time forward, to see what is on the bottom. Below me, about four meters below, there was an actual tunnel. It was different from the path I was on up till now, it was a lot smoother. It wasn¡¯t like the sides of the ¡°bowl¡±, but more like someone took time and polished the raw rocks to the point they were almost reflecting light. Definitely man-made and most likely using magic to boot. Since the fall didn¡¯t look too bad, I moved even more rubble out of the way and squeezed through the hole, lying on the ledge and dangling my feet off the edge, trying not to fall, which was not as easy as it sounds, especially with one functioning arm. Taking a deep breath, I pushed myself off, and jumped down in an attempt to get down without breaking my neck or face-planting into the hard rock. Accompanied by a small avalanche of rubble I managed to get down relatively safely, although I think I barely avoided breaking at least a leg - I definitely felt the landing. Was not pleasant. Looking around, I realized that the tunnel I found myself in was definitely not abandoned. It was clean and looked like it was maintained by someone. Besides the small pile of rubble I left behind sliding down, there were barely any other rocks in the eyeshot. To the left side, looking from the spot where the hole was, it snaked slowly up, while the right path was wider and led even more down. Looking up, to see the hole I got here through, I saw it almost at the ceiling of the corridor. It was pretty hard to notice in the darkness, but just to be sure I decided to cover it anyways while hiding my tracks. -Visu wumu nuwo. The small pile of rocks that was left after my fall slowly rose up, levitated by my spell. The rubble slowly plugged in the hole in the ceiling, leaving no trace at the ground level. If someone was even to look up, they would¡¯ve now for sure missed the opening. Happy with the results of my spell, I looked around once again. The path down looked like it was opening towards a cave, or some large opening a bit further down. I also noticed something akin to a dim glow, that was definitely not from my light orb, thanks to the reflective walls of the tunnel. Curious, I started following the path down. The deeper down I was walking, the brighter the corridor was getting. After a minute I already had a good idea what I was going to find, and the sound of the dripping water that I soon started hearing confirmed the suspicion. An underground lake. And infused one to boot - the glow was unmistakable. As the tunnel opened up and turned into the cave, about half way flooded with water. While it was pretty bright, it was not thanks to the strength of the infusion. The water was barely glowing, in comparison to the one I saw not too long ago above ground. It was just the walls and the ceiling that reflected the light so much, giving a different impression at the first glance. Avoiding the water, I tried looking deeper into the cave, but that was the end of this path. In the distance I could see the other wall, albeit a bit darker - deeper in the polished walls were turning into regular, natural rock formations. -Well that makes it easier to pick a direction - I thought, heading back the other way. Back at the ¡°polished path¡±, I started thinking about this place. Why would someone even use this tunnel? Path to the lake? No, why would anyone want to come here out of all the places, thanks to the leyline under the MIRE there are plenty of other infused water sources for sure. An old mine shaft? Couldn''t be. Way too clean. Maybe the lake I found used to be a pathway somewhere further, but it got flooded? Maybe to the ¡°bowl¡± itself? In any case, I was sure of one thing - it has to end somewhere. If I was right about this tunnel being maintained, it had to lead somewhere above ground - somewhere with people. Just as it wanted to confirm my suspicions, the pathway started to curve slightly up, and after about half an hour of walking I started to feel some air movement. Finally, after another while the breeze started to pick up, and by then I was pretty sure - the exit was close. Not even a minute later, the tunnel suddenly started getting brighter and brighter - this time not thanks to some pool of infused water - it was the natural light. Soon enough, the tunnel opened into another, natural-looking cave, albeit smaller than the one by the lake or the river. I was finally out in the open. Stepping out of the cave I was greeted by a familiar sight - another forest. For a second I thought I somehow just looped around and ended back in the bowl, but one look was enough to notice a distinct lack of a massive mountain range ahead of me. The trees were a lot sparser too, but still the woods that were in front of me were pretty dense. The sun was already rising, so I dismissed my orb that still was following me all this time. Mountains, forests, old ruins, all this didn''t make any sense to me. However you looked at it, I couldn¡¯t understand where the hell did I end up, but one thing was sure - nowhere familiar. In any case, I had to find other people. Be it some random hiker or camper, they will at least be able to tell me where the hell I am. Obviously, the first thing that came to my mind was trying to fly. Just for the sake of it, I tried the spell again. This time it fizzled completely, not even a hint of wind came out. Sighing heavily, I started yet another trek through yet another forest. This time it was a bit easier, since this one looked a lot more like an actual normal forest, not like some thick dark jungle. The light of day most likely helped with that. To be honest, this trek was pretty pleasant this time around, it was reminding me of my grandparents and the times they took me mushroom picking when I was a kid. And when the forests were still healthy and big enough for that. Now the best you could get was a park in the middle of the city. Actually the biggest forest that was left was the one around our research center, thanks to the leyline and crystal leaking mana during some experiments, keeping it healthy. Or so I thought, before waking up in that jungle, and now traveling through here. It really felt like the old times. Reminiscing about the past, I walked for a short while, before something caught my attention. A green light, somewhere on the left, in the trees. I was lucky - since it was already pretty bright, I only managed to spot it thanks to the shadow of the canopy above me darkening the surroundings. Not even thinking twice I changed my direction. Light can only mean one thing - people. A few minutes later I was able to recognize the source - a small house in the middle of a clearing. It was an unusual sight, considering what that actually was - a log cabin, surrounded by a nice and big garden with a wide assortment of plants, most of which I couldn¡¯t even tell the name of. The closer I got, the more impressed I was. That large of a garden had to be pretty hard to maintain, and it was in a pristine state - not a single weed in sight, every plant neatly arranged. At the back of the house there was a small shack full of firewood, right near the stone well. The cabin itself was covered with a mix of moss and some kind of ivy. Above the door, in a wooden frame, there was mounted a large crystal, the size of a human head, glowing brightly with a green light. Everything looked like it was from some picture. You would think that it was a relic from the past, that this place has been frozen in time, the only thing breaking that illusion was movement inside, and light that you could see through the window. Funnily enough, the window itself was also not made of glass. It looked like some green membrane, or a very thin cloth. The resident seemed to notice me creeping around the garden - not like I was trying to hide, really - and soon enough the door slowly opened. Before me, now standing on the doorstep and looking at me, a surprised old lady. She was dressed in a worn-out, patched up long gray dress, so baggy you¡¯d say it belonged to someone else. She had short, about ear length hair, almost completely white. Her face was almost as pale as her hair. To be honest, if I was to meet her after dark, I¡¯d think I¡¯ve seen a ghost. A very short ghost. She was holding a small candle holder in her hand. Instead of a wax candle though, she had a small crystal, similar to the one above the door, but a lot smaller - most likely the same light I saw through the window. -Good day, Miss. I am very sorry to intrude, but I seem to be lost. I was looking for a way to the nearest city. She looked at me with a mix of confusion and suspicion. -Hello¡­ - her voice was a bit raspy. - A city you say¡­ -Yeah, or any village if that is possible. You see, I''ve been traveling for a long while. I don''t even know what day it is, so when I saw the light of your house, a pretty place by the way, I thought I¡¯ll ask for directions. -You definitely look ragged - she replied, looking me over. - To be completely honest, I am also unsure what day it is, there is really no point in tracking time in a remote place like this. -Remote? Is it really that bad? She laughed softly. -Yeah, it¡¯s been a while since I saw someone else in those woods¡­ I have no idea where the hell did you come from, but I am afraid I have some bad news. There are no cities on this island. Nor villages. In fact, I am the only one inhabitant of this place. -Oh. That was quite a surprise. I expected something was wrong, but this, this is something else. An uninhabited island? Those even still exist? How the hell did I, along with the ruins of MIRE, manage to even get here? -You really are an unusual person. What is your name? -Oh, sorry in all this I forgot to introduce myself. I¡¯m Mor. -And I am El. It''s nice to know the name of a person you''re talking to. It helps in more ways than you''d think. That was a strange thing to say. -You really had to travel for a long time - she said, noticing my confusion. - Do you know where you are? Why am I asking, of course you''re not. You are welcome to stay for a day, you have to be exhausted. -Thank you, but I''m gonna stay outside if you don''t mind, also someone to talk with is more than enough. I don''t want to bring all that filth inside - I said pointing at my dirty and ragged clothes. -I wouldn''t worry about it, but let me at least bring you something to eat, then we can have a chat. -You really don''t need¡­ -But I want to. On the other side of the garden there is a nice place to rest, wait there for me if you don''t mind. Before I was able to protest more, she was already gone. Shrugging, I started walking towards the spot she pointed out. Sure enough, a few steps later there was a table and a couple of chairs standing in the middle of a flower patch. Of all the things I expected to see after leaving the underground, this place was not on the list. Maybe a minute later, the old lady came back, with a kettle and, to my surprise, a small pile of sandwiches. When did she even have time to make those? -This place is amazing¡­ It must be hard to maintain all this by yourself - I said sitting down next to the table, along with the woman. -No, not really - she replied, pouring the tea, and sliding the food closer to me. - Plants just seem to like this place. -Interesting¡­ - I said, taking a bite off a sandwich, encouraged by her gesture. - Say, has there been any commotion around here lately? From what you''re saying it seems this place is very peaceful. -Yeah, I never have guests. This is a nice change of pace though. -That''s not really what I had in mind - I replied, trying the tea she brought. It was pretty good, and surprisingly invigorating. She probably made that tea out of slightly infused water. It was quite popular ever since its existence was discovered. The warm feeling started spreading through my body. Strangely enough, it was also accompanied by a weird sensation in my side, something like itching, but not quite, but I dismissed it as it was probably just the shards reacting to the water. After thinking for a while I made up my mind. -That might sound insane, but have you recently heard something unusual here? Like an explosion perhaps? -Oh my, no - she laughed. - I lived here for¡­ well, always, and I never heard nor seen anything of sorts. Besides occasional earthquakes, nothing happens here. -Earthquakes? Hmm¡­ When was the last one? -Ah, I don¡¯t know¡­ Last month? Last week? They come and go, there are a couple every year or so¡­ I don¡¯t really keep track¡­ -Uh-uh¡­ I sat in silence, drinking and thinking what should I ask not to seem too suspicious to get some more info, but her next question completely threw me for a loop. -Why did you come here? -Excuse me? -Why did you come here? Were you looking for this place? Someone sent you here? Her tone of voice didn''t change, yet there was an urgency in those questions, and a slight hint of worry. -I told you, I don''t even know where I am, I was hoping to find someone, but no one in particular - I slowly replied. -Why were you looking for someone? This started to sound like some questioning. -To learn where the hell I am. What''s with those questions all of the sudden? She didn''t reply, instead, she started asking more and more questions. -Someone from the capital sent you? -Emmm¡­ no? -Are you affiliated with MIRE? That name came as a surprise. I didn''t really want to tell anyone that, but¡­ -Yes¡­ I work¡­ed for them¡­ She visibly tensed up. -Are you here looking for something? -I told you, I was looking for someone to¡­ I asked - she interrupted - if you are looking for someTHING. Not someone. Again. Are you looking for something? -No? For a second she looked as confused as me when she first saw me, but that expression almost instantly vanished. -What is my name? - She asked with a hint of panic in her voice. That was the weirdest question yet. -Are you insane? You already told me your name. You¡¯re El. Right? -Wisfe wowu, moho dimu! Her voice changed. There was no longer even a hint of raspiness, it was clear and powerful. -What in the¡­ Suddenly, all the plants around her started moving, and the closest rose bush shot its vines right for me. Before I could even react it tripped me and wrapped itself around me. Other ones soon joined in, and in a blink of an eye I was hanging upside down tightly wrapped in various roots, vines and thorny branches. -Ouch! What? Why? -Anyone from MIRE knows my name. I don''t know who you are, but lying you just outed yourself. She was still sitting in the same place, but this time in her hand was a glowing green gem, which I assumed she used to sick those plants on me. -The hell¡­ Let me down! - I yelled, but the plant only squeezed me harder, rose thorns poking me through the clothes. -Stop acting. I know you resisted the spell, don''t know how, but that doesn''t matter. You will be hanging here until Il shows up and I can punish whoever slipped their tongue. -I am not acting, you stupid hag! - then it hit me. - Wait a second. Il? -Ha! I knew it! So you are after her! Those damn pests should choose their agents more carefully. -I think there is a big misunderstanding¡­ -Sure, whatever you say. Doesn''t matter. While you''re up there why don''t you tell me how the hell did you resist that? - she asked, now inspecting the plate with food. - Fake name then? -The hell are you¡­ - I started, but I noticed now what she was inspecting so carefully. On the bottom of the plate, there was a glowing runic circle. I couldn''t read all of it from that position but I recognized a few words : truth, lie, prevent, enforce, punish, and my name. -Truth Infusion? On a fucking plate? Shit¡­ that¡¯s clever. -Ha, you didn''t even notice before? But I applaud you, you know your stuff. Not everyone can decipher a spell just from one look. That means I was right to tie you up. You are going to wait here, this time you will not be able to lie for sure. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. I realized that she is not going to listen to me anyway, so I replied mockingly: -You think I am gonna be just hanging here peacefully? -I feel you don''t understand what situation you are in - she said calmly. - You think I would be that dumb? I already took my precautions. If you didn''t notice that as well, you drank a certain potion that will make it quite hard to cast anything. You must be pretty bad at your job if you didn''t even notice that. Potion? That tea? I agree, it did feel unusual, but in quite an opposite way. I felt more invigorated than anything else and I was pretty sure I could burn those plants pretty fast and easy. The only question was, what then? I didn''t know any spells that could pacify her, and I didn''t really feel like beating up some old woman. Pretty lively and threatening old woman, but still. I either had to hope that her friend will be more cooperative, or act quickly before he even shows up. If I was right and it was indeed the same Il I was thinking of though. -I still think you are making a mistake, but I don''t think I am gonna convince you, am I? -No - she stood up and started waking back to her house. -Before you go, I have something to ask of you. -I think you are in no position to negotiate - she replied, turning around. -Think whatever you like. Will you and that friend of yours let me go, if you confirm that I indeed didn''t lie to you, and didn''t come here for whatever weird reason you came up with? -Listen here, you little¡­ - she barked angrily. - I know that you are still playing dumb, thinking you can get out of this with your stupid talk. But as soon as she gets here, you will not be able to lie and that is for sure. You will tell me everything you know. You see, Il is an arcanist. I think you know what that means. Arcanist? Here? That means she wanted to use a ritual to make me unable to tell a lie. That is some powerful magic, but with one certain drawback: for a while after casting it, the user cannot cast other kinds of magic for a long while. That''s why she needed a second person - she would hold me in place, while the other one would be sure that I am telling the truth. Clever. But that also meant, even if it would come to the confrontation, the only opponent would be this old hag. Still, I was hoping it wouldn¡¯t come to that. -I already was doing that, you know that. But if information is the only thing you need, I guess I will wait. But in return when you will be inevitably proven wrong, you will tell me what I want to know. -Is that a threat? - she laughed. - And an empty one at that. Just you wait. And again she left for the house. As soon as she disappeared inside, I was left alone with the plant, wiggling on the ground and around me. -Usc fi geksu - I tried summoning my fire orb. As I thought, whatever potion she fed me, it didn''t affect me, at least not in the way she wanted. The orb appeared without issue and even was bigger than I intended. I instantly dismissed the spell, before it managed to set something ablaze. The plant didn''t notice, or more likely wasn''t even capable of that in the first place. Sighing heavily, I stared at the doorway she disappeared into and waited. After a while a blue glow filled inside of the cabin, and seconds later it disappeared, and soon enough, the door opened. Accompanying my captivator, to my surprise, was a young girl - It was definitely not Il. Either of them. That would¡¯ve been a small issue, that is if the kid was not shaking visibly in fear. Come on, I am not that scary. -You really are a hag - I greeted her mockingly. - Now you''re kidnapping kids just to deal with me? -Very funny. She might look young, but she is the best arcanist around. Soon I will be the one laughing when you start talking. -Of course. I am waiting then. When they both started preparing the runic circle in front of me, I had an opportunity to take a closer look at the new arrival. When I first heard the name Il, I instantly started thinking about Iloa. True, I¡¯ve literally seen her disappear right in front of my eyes, but after waking up in the middle of, basically a jungle, surrounded by mountains higher than anything I¡¯ve seen, crawling through the tunnels to some random cottage, I felt like it could be possible that she as well got tossed here along with me. I mean, it could also have been Ilma, but that was even less probable. And less helpful. She soon noticed my gaze and quickly moved as far as she could, while still working on the runes. They were both using some shimmering dust to write them, most likely crystal dust, at least that was what we used, but ours was of pure white color, while theirs was purple. Runes were similar to those on the plate I saw earlier, but instead of my name there was another, smaller empty circle. She looked like just some random girl, dressed similarly to El, or whatever her actual name was, she was wearing a long white dress - hers looked newer and cleaner, without any visible patchwork or decorations for that matter, besides a cloth belt. It was gray and tied on her back like some sort of ribbon, with one small sack on a side tied to it, from which she was taking out the dust and some other small utensils that helped them to make the circle. She had black hair, neatly styled in a bun. Funnily enough, she was almost as tall as the hag herself. Suddenly, I heard someone walking behind me, and seconds later some tugging on my hair. -What the hell! Without response, the hag backed away and went back to her preparations. After a while she emerged from behind me holding a small flask with a few strands of hair inside and placed it inside the smaller circle. -Everything is ready. Start up - she said to the girl, then turned to me. -Are you ready to talk yet? -I constantly am, yet you still are not satisfied. -Tsch. The kid took her place inside the main circle, and started silently muttering her incantation. Most likely on purpose, so I couldn''t hear her. Though it didn''t matter much, because every word she spoke was lighting up equivalent runes on the circle. Doy niptuhu itvut qypove, nepe itvut me kyhotvu, fosy me wisup ey itvut nusvohove, no usfupet em wo voekp. I am not so sure about the pronunciation of all that nonsense, but judging by the runes not fading away, I assume she got it right. As far as I knew, the translation would basically be something along the lines of ¡°Every lie will be punished, mana will be the judge, speak truth or be culled, I command you such¡±. It was just a part of the larger incantation and the rest of the runes were either behind me or I just was not able to read them at the weird angle I was hanging at. Right after the last rune lit up, and the circle got completed, the flask filled itself with white light, and was now like a small lamp standing on the ground. At the same moment, her eyes lit up with blue, similar to the runes, blue glow, and the ritual was now completed and active. -Now then, let''s talk. I sighed heavily. -Yeah, yeah, get on with it. -Why did you come here? -Here we go again. To learn where I did end up. -Where from? -The MIRE. Again, she gave me this weird look. -Were you looking for something? Those weird, ambiguous questions. -No, not anything in particular. Just way through I guess. -Who sent you? -Ah, finally some new questions. But the answer will disappoint you: no one. I am alone. -And who am I? So we are back to weird questions. -I don''t know anything about you, aside from what you told me today and that you like kidnapping travelers and apparently kids - I said annoyed, looking at the girl, still focused on the ritual. -Your story doesn''t make sense! - she said angrily, and I swear for a second it looked like she was about to stomp the ground like an angry kid, but she stopped herself. - I have no idea how, but you are lying. You have to be! -Is it that hard to admit that you are mistaken? Come on! I''ve been telling the truth since I''ve gotten here, yet you go to such lengths for some reason. She didn¡¯t reply at first, just started walking in circles. -You claim that you are from MIRE. And then you say that you don''t know my actual name - she finally started talking, more to herself than anyone else. - You lied about yours. You obviously know magic and are dangerous. I have never heard about anyone being able to lie, even while being under the effects of this ritual. Oh, that''s enough for now, child - she said to the girl, who all the time was looking at me with a mixture of focus and fear. Come on, I haven''t done anything to deserve those looks yet. -So what now? -Now, I will have to rely on more brutal methods - she replied with a grim expression on her face. - You know what that means, right? Don''t get me wrong, I hate using blood magic, but this is a pressing matter. Blood magic. Such a stupid name. To be honest, the official one wasn¡¯t better either: reverse bio-binding. While with bio-binding, you tie the magical item to a person, so they can use it with more ease, the reverse binds a person to an item, or rather to a magical effect, and is just a very roundabout way of casting a spell on someone. You need some biological material of the person, like blood, hence the name to act as an anchor, like in regular bio-binding. The more¡­ ehm, the harder to get, let¡¯s say, the anchor material is, the stronger the bind, meaning you can technically make a very powerful curse, or a blessing if you are so inclined, if you were to use, for example blood. Definitely not anything you want to be on a receiving end if you don¡¯t trust the caster. Technically she was using it before but with my hair, so why even bother saying that? Scare tactics, I guess? -And what if I won''t agree? -Don''t make me laugh! I already told you why you are defenseless and have no choice! - She started yelling, startling the kid. I was not going to let some half-assed mage try their magic on me. Especially not that kind. -Okay. That is enough - I said calmly. - I had enough of this bullshit. All this time, I wanted to resolve this peacefully. But if you are gonna threaten me with that kind of magic, I am forced to do this. -Ha! Empty¡­ -Sophuk fi geksu, dosleyy nop, nus. This time, I wanted to be a little more flashy, so instead of the orbs, I summoned a bunch of flaming rings, spinning around me, like planetless orbits. I was aiming to burn all my bindings, and scare them a little bit. It definitely worked: the plants binding me were instantly set ablaze. Including the one vine I was hanging on - meaning that I fell unceremoniously on the ground like a sack of potatoes. Not a very intimidating sight, to be honest. I quickly stood up, tearing off the rest of the flaming pieces of random plants that were stuck to me and started walking towards my former captor. In this position, parts of the rings were now burning the ground, alongside the circle, as I was approaching the hag. -Threats¡­? - I finished the sentence for her. - Are they really? She did not say a word. -I was trying to be a better person. But you had to make it hard, didn¡¯t you? Even more, you wouldn''t even do the dirty work yourself, you just love using this poor kid - I said, looking at the girl, now properly terrified. Well, now at least she had a reason. Feeling a little bit bad, I dropped the spell. -Can we please talk like civilized people, we were doing so well at the beginning. No response. She was just standing there, clutching her green gem, looking at me. -Look, I am not an enemy of yours. I am just passing by. If I knew that this surprise visit was gonna go so poorly, I would''ve just gone the other way. I am sorry for burning your plants, but I am not going to let random people just bleed me out just to satisfy their doubts. Still no answer. -Fine then. I am leaving then. Thanks for the food, I guess. You did spike it with some unpleasant things, but still, thanks. And sorry for scaring you - I added with a sour smile in the direction of the kid. And I started to walk away. -Wait. Expecting another attempt to bind me I turned around, but I was surprised. The hag put down her gem on the table and was now looking at me with a mix of curiosity and disbelief. -I don''t know what the hell you are, but no one from MIRE would''ve just left. Especially without at least taking one of us. I can''t make sense of you. -Me neither. Well then, are we finally ready to talk? Without "distractions"? -Thank you for your help, dear. Can you wait for me inside? - she said to the girl. -That is not what I meant. But she was already inside, shutting the door behind her. -Well, whatever. -So, what now, Mr. Mor Not-Mor? -We are starting from the beginning. But I need to confirm something first - I replied, going back to the ritual circle and examining it closely. It was broken, thanks to my flames, but parts were still readable. As expected, runes were the exact same as we used back at the MIRE. And in the flask were, of course, my own hair, used as an anchor that linked me as a target. -Well then - I sat down nearby on the ground - Ms. El Not-El, you''ve been asking me some very weird questions. I assume this is not the place I left from a few days ago. And you are proof of that. Yet still there are some, hmm¡­ inconsistencies. We are starting from scratch. After a second of hesitation, I made up my mind, thinking that I might finally learn something. -My name is, again, Mor and indeed, I am from the MIRE. This name made an, ah, impact on you. While I can think of reasons people might not like that name, what you were saying about it doesn¡¯t quite add up. So I assume that your MIRE means something else. Am I right? -And why should I answer you? -Oh come on, I am trying to be diplomatic and clear up this misunderstanding. Can''t you work with me on this one? What, you are mad about your plants? I wouldn''t have done that but I think you went a little bit too far. And I am pretty sure that your stupid sandwiches still are working, cause I feel like talking still. She pondered on my words for a long while. -Let''s assume I believe you. You are just a traveler, we had some misunderstanding, whatever. What matters now is that you still are a threat, it doesn''t matter why you are here, you proved that you are a threat, you can''t deny that. -And yet still, that threat, as you called me, is now sitting peacefully talking, not burning anything to the ground, trying to be a civilized man. I can''t blame you for feeling threatened. But I feel like I know what you are getting at. You want something in return for the information, isn''t that right? - If you are this, so-called traveler, you wouldn''t mind telling me a few things as well then? Like how did you avoid drinking my tea? -Answer for an answer? Sure, I can work with this. I don¡¯t exactly know what exactly was in that thing though, tell me what it was supposed to do, then I will try to explain why it didn''t work, because I did drink that tea. -I don''t think I am gonna believe that, but fine. It is basically a raw mana extract. Multiple mana colors used in it should overwhelm your own mana and start coloring it unpredictably, which makes it impossible to cast anything since you no longer have mana of your affinity. -Wait. I thought that tea made me feel energetic. You just gave me an unrefined mana potion and expected me to NOT be able to use magic? I have no idea how different mana color would interfere in my ability to cast. Also, mana affinity? Funny. I am not an amateur, by all means. -Amateur? The hell are you on about? - she looked at me, confused. -What, you are that undeveloped? - I said, shocked. -Hold on. Are you telling me you can just use any mana color? That is impossible. That would''ve meant that you can use any element! I am not gonna believe that bullshit! Her outburst seemed genuine. -You really are - I suddenly came to realize. - This is worse than I thought¡­ -You are either insane or stupid - she looked at me annoyed. I didn¡¯t pay much attention to the insults. I had a lot more important things to think about. All these revelations - that was some good news and bad news. Good - that meant that my magic was more versatile than any other known here, and bad - I didn''t want to go somewhere and start gathering attention just because of my magic. It was too late with her already, though. Besides that, there was also another problem. Could I, somehow, some way, I, along with the ruins of the MIRE, I ended up in another world? That was the only explanation that I could think of, besides the teleportation to some unknown part of the world that is - the overwhelming jungle, the unnatural mountains, the tunnels, this old-fashioned magic¡­ I had a hunch ever since seeing those mountains, but I honestly did not want to believe it, but it technically either could be possible - the power of leylines has no limits after all. I guess you reap what you sow. I should delay my judgment though, I just might be on some remote island in the Pacific or something. -Listen - After a long while of silence I turned to the hag. - I suppose we are already past the point of no return, so against my better judgment, I will trust you. Look. And as I did back near the ruins, I summoned all the elemental orbs. -Yeah. Not that hard for me. Since you live over here in the woods, far from anything, I assume you also would like for this to stay between us to not bring some attention. Like from those people from that other MIRE apparently. She was gazing, speechless, at the orbs floating around me. -Hello, anyone there? - I snapped my fingers and waved towards her while dismissing the orbs. - You believe me now? She shook off from that weird trance, realizing she was staring at me. -Ah. Hm, yes. I see¡­ - she said, her voice a bit shaky, hard to say if from fear or excitement, trying to regain her composure. -Okay, you got me there - she admitted with a serious expression after a second. - If word got out about some element master just appearing out of nowhere right in my forest, I would never hear the end of it. -Blame only yourself for that. If you didn''t start interrogating me, I would''ve just asked about a few things, and then be on my way to the nearest town, most likely. And I am not some element master. I came from a place where this is normal. -I don''t think there are a lot of people like you in MIRE. Or any for that matter. -About that. Where and what exactly is that MIRE of yours? - Eh¡­ - she started, seemingly tired. - It is a small village. -So it is definitely not the same. Mine is an organization that I work¡­ used to work for. And I have never heard of anyone using the same name for a whole village. They want something from you I assume? -They want a lot of things from a lot of people. But yes they do. And no, you don''t need to know what. I would like this place to remain secret, so I agree that we need to cooperate for now, but that doesn''t mean I am gonna just spit out everything I know. You just need to know that you do not want to get associated with them - she sighed. - Eh, it''s gonna be a pain to get you out of here¡­ -What, you don¡¯t have a port? What the hell. How do YOU leave then? Don¡¯t tell me you ¡°live off mother nature¡± or some bullshit like that. -That is irrelevant - she said, obviously avoiding the subject. - Besides, the more important part. This place is surrounded by a barrier, it is literally impossible for someone to just walk out. Or in, for that matter - she looked at me with distrust again. I shrugged. -I have no clue about any barriers, I just walked in - I replied, trying to think of any signs of a barrier during my trip. - I don''t believe I even encountered it, I think I would''ve at least noticed that I broke through something. Where is it exactly? She looked at me, clearly suspicious. -Oh come on, I already know about this place, why does it even matter if I know where it is or not. Not like I am trying to destroy it. The look on her face said that it was exactly what she was thinking I wanted to do, but started talking anyway. -Listen here. Whether you want me to believe or not, you can¡¯t deny that I somehow got here without you even noticing. It is clear that there is some hole in your ¡°security¡±. I am trying to be helpful and find it, as an act of goodwill. -Fine, fine. It basically surrounds this side of the forest and some mountainside. -Only some? If that isn''t the hole I don¡¯t know what is. And you said no one can get here? -Listen, smartass - she puffed angrily. - No one is going through the mountains. If you have to know, it is dome shaped and ends halfway from the mountain peak. -So what about the cave near the bottom? -No, the cave is inside the barrier, I use it sometimes - her eyes narrowed suddenly. - Why are you asking? -Well, I came out of it, so that''s most likely how I bypassed your barrier. -What?! I mean, that is a possibility, it does not stretch underground¡­ -I was traveling under the mountains and found a passage leading there. You might want to keep an eye on it, but I would be surprised if someone actually came through there, I did seal it. -Good to know. At least that''s the one thing taken care of. But that also means you can''t just go back the same way you got here. -And not like I would want to. -I guessed that much. No one under normal circumstances would want to go through some dank caves. You must''ve been really desperate. Are you a dwarf or something? -Verry funny. She was right though. I could''ve either lived in a forest that was cut out from the rest of the world, hoping that my fly spell would work again and then travel through the stratosphere or went through some cave. -I guess you could just use a portal, but that does not help with the issue of you appearing out of the aether¡­ -Wait, how can you just have a handy portal network hooked up out here and not mention it earlier, wondering how to get me out? Also, why are you so cooperative all of the sudden? -I don''t know what you are talking about. I gazed at her in silence. -But that means we only would be able to send you to Il¡¯s house, and I am not going to just let some mountain hobo casually wander into her place. -Isn''t she like your granddaughter or something? I can¡¯t see the problem, really. -You don''t need to know the details. But you are not that far off. She is my daughter, believe it or not. All you need to know for now is she is 14 and has issues speaking for now. Officially she is an orphan, living in a house owned by her parents that both died during a bandit attack on their carriage while they were traveling home from their trip to the neighboring city. Since the accident she has been living alone, mostly off her parents fortune. -This is a very nice, touching story and all, but why are you telling me this? -We will teleport you back to her home, and then we will sneak you out from the town itself, so you can come in as a regular citizen that is not associated with her in any shape or form. No one knows about her abilities so we should be in the clear. -That is very nice of you all of the sudden. So you want something in exchange, isn''t that right? -Good guess - she smiled slyly. - I want you to apply for the position of a bodyguard. -You what? 5. Plans -Listen, I, ah, made a bit of a miscalculation while leaving Il with the house and the money¡­ So that was her fortune then. -I gave it a little bit too much, meaning she soon started having some uninvited guests. Some "good people" started appearing, saying they want to either adopt her or marry her, to protect the lonely kid of course. -Even marriages? Isn''t she a bit young? Damn. I swear gold diggers are everywhere. -You don¡¯t even know - she looked towards the forest with disgust. - We were able to dismiss most of them, but last year they started using some different tactics. Every now and again there is an unexpected disappearance among the mansion staff. We asked the city guard to do something about it, but that only led to disappearances spread among the guard force. There is also that one guy. A noble. A pretty shady one to boot. I am pretty sure he¡¯s the one behind those disappearances. He used to be rich, but lately he appears to be completely broke for some reason. He still is powerful though. His family name is widely known throughout the whole capital, and even broke, he is dangerous. People have been even gossiping about him trying to get into King Axlerod''s court. I am sure he is plotting something¡­ So. I started looking for some private guard force. We hired some, but I want you to join them. King Axelrod? So this place is a kingdom. Good to know. -Huh. That is an interesting idea - I muttered to myself. - An unknown traveler, passing through, looking for a job, is hired instantly in some big city mansion. Doesn''t that sound a little bit fishy? - I added aloud. -Yes and no. Arbo is a trade city, a lot of mercenaries wander through and are often hired. It would be suspicious if some random armed thug was getting hired. But, let''s say, if that mercenary was a powerful mage, every business in the city would start sending him propositions. It is not that uncommon for those to appear out of nowhere in the city, and then get hired in a span of weeks, even days. Another name. Definitely not one I¡¯ve heard before though, and while I wasn¡¯t the best at geography, I was pretty sure I¡¯d hear it, since it sounded like it was the capital she mentioned before. -I see what you are getting at. I am not a powerful mage though. -Oh, you are good enough. Especially with your weird abilities. -I do not want to just flaunt¡­ - I started, but she immediately interrupted me. -Yes, yes. You don''t have to. Arbo is a city that is heavily influenced by green mana. Meaning that most people use nature magic, like me - she pointed at her green crystal. - Speaking of which, I assumed you also used crystals in your magic, but now, with all this, I am not so sure. -Yes, I still do need them and use them. I don''t carry them in plain sight though. -And there is nothing wrong with that, just asked to be sure, you are weird enough as it is. We will have to change you up a bit. Even as a traveler you would get a lot of weird looks. -Well, for sure I do look like shit. Do you have something specific in mind? -So you agree then! - she smiled surprisingly brightly, considering that not so long ago she was so suspicious of everything. To be honest, I was not keen on accepting but considering that I was in the middle of some woods, on an island without a port, in some land that I had little to no information about, that was not the worst proposition in the world. -Well, I am getting out of here, quite a bit of info from you and I assume a paid job. -Of course. While the deal seemed a bit in my favor and she most likely wanted more from me than it initially looked like, I made up my mind anyway. -Sure, why not. Not like I have any better chances getting out of here by myself. Smiling, she extended her hand to me. -But before we shake hands, can you finally tell me your actual name? -Ah right. I told you I am El. Actually my name is Melle -It''s a deal then, Melle. - I replied, shaking her hand. -First things first - she said. - We need to make you look like an actual traveler. Not like¡­ - she paused for a moment - whatever you are supposed to be now. -That is a little bit rude. I was wearing some jeans and a ¡°t-shirt¡± that were both dirty and ripped, so she was not exactly wrong. She led me back to the house. Inside, there were three rooms. Main one, which was a combination of kitchen and living room, with some basic furniture. There, Il was sitting next to the small table by the window, watching us intently. Second room, where I got led to, was a bedroom, with a queen sized bed and even bigger wardrobe, which occupied most of the space in the room. In the back I could see another closed door, leading to the third room. The whole house seemed cozy, but one feature seemed unique. Every furniture, utensil or decoration was made out of wood or other similar plant matter. -This place is a fire hazard¡­ - I said, taking in my surroundings. -Don''t worry about it. - she replied with a muffled voice from inside the wardrobe. - Here. She tossed a small pile of clothes on the bed. -Luckily for you I still have some of my husband''s old clothes. Change into something and come - she said, disappearing into the third room. One look at the clothes made me want to rethink my decision. No wonder she said I looked weird - most stuff she left me with looked like something you''d find in a museum, at best. Resigned, I started digging through all this junk, trying to find something decent. I managed to find some dark brown plain linen pants, a white linen shirt and some shoes that were at least completely horrible. I tied a knot with a sleeve in a place where my arm should be, so it wouldn''t flap around, and put on the one article of clothing that looked nice: a dark, brownish-black coat, large enough to cover the weird set of clothes that I had to wear along with my bag if I had to. It even came with a hood, as well as a belt that looked like it was made of dyed leather. It slightly dragged behind me while walking, but it seemed that the previous owner had the same issue, since it was a bit worn and tattered at the end where it was touching the ground. -If not for this coat I¡¯d look like some medieval peasant - I muttered to myself, putting my old ragged clothes in the bag, and knocking on the door, where Melle disappeared a while ago. -You done? - she asked, poking her head out of the room and looking me over. - Good. You look just like some generic wanderer. That will work. Come in. The room I entered didn''t differ much from the style of the rest of the house. Everything was still wooden. It was pretty dark, there were no windows, every wall was full of shelves stocked with books, papers, some gems, small wooden figurines and a lot of herbs. On the left side from the door there was a desk, or rather two stacks of drawers with a literal plank on them, which was serving as a makeshift desk. You¡¯d think someone with her abilities would have some better furniture. -I noticed you did not pull out your gem last time you, ah, disposed of my plants. Since we don''t need unnecessary attention I need you in the future to start using regular gems to cast your spells, not some fancy thing you use now. -¡±Fancy"? -Our crystals need touch to work. My guess is you have something like a necklace or piercing on you that lets you use all those magics, because you never pulled out anything earlier. Either way, you can''t use them if you are gonna pretend that you are limited to one element - someone¡¯s surely going to ask you to show it. You need a regular crystal. For starters I can lend you one of mine, they are pretty good quality. If you want something better you''ll have to look elsewhere. She pulled out a small wooden box from one of the drawers and opened it on the desk. Inside, there were three pieces of jewelry: two identical silver rings and a necklace, also silver, all of them with a red gem. The rings looked pretty plain, without any additional decorations, but the necklace had something written on it. The letters were too small for me to read though without getting closer. -Take one. We are going with fire, should be the best for a city full of green mages, as you proved on my plants. -And you suppose that those are not ¡°fancy¡±? Bullshit. Why do you casually have those just lying around? You can''t use them, can you? -No. They are just mementos, really, from old times. Curious¡­ I was not sure why she wanted me to take one of them, but I decided to play along. -Well, I am gonna take the necklace, I am not a fan of rings - I said, taking the necklace. To be honest, I am not a fan of jewelry, period, but I was curious about the writing. I wanted to check it as soon as possible, but decided to wait after she would leave me alone. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. -Whatever works. -Give me a second, I am gonna go outside and check if it works. I don''t wanna get caught with my pants down. -Right. Let me just put those away - she said, closing the box and putting it back to the one of the drawers. Outside, I walked a few steps away from the cottage. If anything went south, I didn''t want to burn something down. I don''t know why she would give me something that could go haywire, but since she said it was pretty old, and she couldn''t use it, it might. -Get on with it already, we aren''t done yet with all the preparations. Sighing, I attempted to summon my fire orb, this time, using the necklace as a focus point. Amusingly, the effect was a bit different. Usually, when you use any magic, the mana gathers at the gem of your choice and then releases in a form of a spell, if there are no interferences that is. If there is a more powerful gem in the immediate vicinity, it might pull the mana towards itself and disturb your casting. For a second, I thought that¡¯s exactly what happened - the shards of the Origin Crystal pulling the mana to themselves, disturbing the spell, but no. Mana gathered around my crystal shrapnel like I would be using it to cast again, but instead of releasing the spell, it instead was flowing to the necklace and its gem, releasing the spell from there. -That''s¡­ interesting¡­ Next, I tried summoning a light orb. This one came out normally, completely ignoring the necklace. -A bit strange¡­ but this should be fine - I said turning to the woman, still standing by the door, looking intently at my orbs. -Hey! No falling asleep on me! - I added, dismissing the orbs, when she didn''t reply, still gazing at them, mesmerized. - Come on, that''s not something to be amazed by, just simple spells. -Right¡­ - she said, finally snapping out of it. - Come inside. We still need to talk through a few things. Back inside, she sat by the table next to the girl, and she gestured for me to sit on the other side, facing her. As soon Insat down, the girl flinched and moved away as far as she could, while still sitting by the table. -So, what now? - I asked, wondering what else she had planned. Ignoring my question, she turned to the girl. -Honey, do you remember when we talked about you needing more protection last time? I think we found a good candidate for that position. She looked at me, surprised and moved away even more. -Come on, I don''t bite. Ignoring me, she continued. -Don''t worry, we won''t just hire him right away, he will go through the regular process, so we can be sure about everything. That remark was concerning. -Also I don''t want you to mention that you ever saw him before when, or if, he¡¯s going to apply for the job. If? -But before that, we need to get him out of here. Could you teleport him with you to the city and then show him the way out, so he won''t be seen? Girl moved closer to her and then started whispering something to her ear. -I guess we could use it but I don''t like wasting it. Another whisper. -Fine. I guess you are right. Just pick the most useless one. She nodded, and ran off to the bedroom. -What''s that all about? - I asked, amused by this weird conversation. -Change of plans. We will transport you near the village north of the city instead. -You can? Why not do that in the first place? -Because I am not very keen on using such resources on you - she replied. - I wouldn''t even consider that, but since that''s what she wants, I won''t argue. -I find it hard to believe that she wants to help me all of the sudden. She seemed scared of me for some reason - I pointed out the obvious. -Oh, don''t get it wrong. She IS scared. If we''d go with my original plan she would have to lead you for a while through a few passages under the city. This way she doesn¡¯t have to babysit you. -Makes sense. Doesn''t matter much to me. -That should work as well, even better maybe - said Melle. - I''m pretty sure that someone will be traveling from there to the city, so you will have an occasion to tag along with some adventurers or a caravan. -Why are you so cautious? Don''t worry, no one will ever think that you are the one who sent me. -Better safe than sorry. -I guess¡­ Everything should be fine, but you have to calm her a bit down - I said gesturing towards the bedroom door. - If I am gonna be a guard, it is gonna be hard to guard someone who doesn''t even let you inside their house, you know. -We will get there when we get there. You have more pressing issues for now. -Even more planning - I sighed, tired - What is it this time? -I assume you have no money? I haven''t thought about this yet. Most of my belongings were gone, and that meant I was broke. Not like currency would be the same here anyway. She noticed the puzzled expression on my face. -I thought so. As a future employer of yours I will lend you a little bit of gold. Don''t worry, I will take my cut from your pay soon enough. -How generous of you. Thanks. So when am I leaving? - I asked, eager to finally leave that place. -As soon as Il comes back with her components. Speaking of¡­ Just as she said that, the door opened and she returned, holding a small pouch. -Good. Let''s get this over with. The girl nodded, went back to the bedroom and we followed her inside. On the floor there was now a runic circle, drawn with a similar dust as eatler in the garden, but a lot smaller, about a meter in diameter. I never worked with teleportation magic and saw it in action very few times, so this was pretty interesting to me. The girl pulled out a small piece of wood, covered in runes. I couldn''t really read them, since the way it was broken, the words were cut in half in most inconvenient places you could imagine. Putting it on the edge of the circle, she sat next to it and started concentrating. While I was trying to decipher the runes, Melle disappeared for a second in the other room and came back with a jingling leather pouch the size of my fist. -Here. Inside was a bunch of gold coins. -That should be enough for a few weeks. -Thanks for your generosity, boss. - I replied, half jokingly, hiding it in my bag. -Very funny. I am not your boss. Il is. Or rather will be, hopefully. Anyway¡­ - she turned to the girl. - Whenever you''re ready. Apparently she was ready, because her eyes and the circle started to glow as she started the ritual. Moments later, an opening started to form. But instead of, as I was expecting, forming in front of her, hovering above the ground, like portals I''ve seen usually appear, a circular shape forming the entry point was opened on the floor, like a hatch. -That is some weird looking portal. -You are witnessing an arcane spell, known by very few people and that''s what you are gonna say? Move it already! - she said angrily. - When you land, go west and you should reach the road. Follow it to the south and you should reach a small village . From there, the capital is to the south. -What? Am I supposed to jump in? - I said, stepping forward and looking down into the purple tear in the ground. - Your magic is clunky as shiiii... I haven''t even managed to finish my sentence before I got pushed and, stumbling forward, fallen legs first right through the opening. I used portals a few times before, but this one seemed different. Usually, you would just pop on the other side, like you just walked through the door. This time it felt like I was falling through some kind of tunnel. The feeling was getting even weirder. I couldn''t see anything and half way through I noticed the gravity shift around me - instead of falling I was now sliding, and not soon after my sight came back to me, just as I popped out of the other side, sliding on the leaves and wet ground out of a hole on the side of some tree. -Ow. Immediately after spitting me out, the portal started closing, and before I even managed to stand up, it was like it never was there to begin with. Only mark that it left was a small piece of wood, or rather bark that seemed to be burning off right in front of my eyes, right where the hole used to be. But before I was able to inspect it, it also vanished, not even leaving the burn mark. -Why is this magic so weird¡­- I muttered to myself, cleaning the leaves and dirt off my coat. -So west and south, eh? I looked up, trying to get my bearings. I was standing in some forest, not even some clearing, just some random place. Before starting my journey, I checked the inside of the pouch I was given. The coins were definitely pretty. Aside from that they actually looked golden and handmade, they were pretty simple: one side was sporting a rather large letter ¡°A¡±, while the other had a pretty looking tree bearing some fruit. I was pretty sure that I have never seen currency like that before. -Well, I better start moving along. I''d rather not spend any more time in a forest. - I said to myself, kneeling and picking a small lump of dirt - Visu, nuwo tyfip. The dirt suddenly moved, affected by my spell. -South is this way, huh? Let¡¯s go then. Yet again, I was traveling through a forest, but this time I had a little more idea of where I am, or at least of a destination. Even though it¡¯s been a while since I actually slept, I wasn''t particularly tired, most likely thanks to that failed attempt to poison me. And the refreshing swim in that infused water. After this interesting encounter, I was contemplating how much I''ve learned about this place, and how much I still didn''t know. Only thing that has been bothering me. I seemed to be a bit too talkative and felt slightly tipsy. Most likely that was another effect of that "interrogation" before. It started to bother me even more, because after landing in this forest, the feeling subsided, and only now I started to notice that it was there to begin with. The weird itching in my side disappeared as well. That woman was more powerful than it seemed, and that left me with an uneasy feeling. Or at least a better schemer. It was a good thing in a certain way. If she starts trusting me a bit more, I might learn something more interesting about this word. This world. That was constantly on my mind, on repeat. The theory of me being on some strange island on the Pacific flew right out the window when I saw the coins. No one sane would use a currency like this. This is definitely a new world. Still, those recurring names and remnants of the MIRE were strange. So how did they get here? I had some theories, but each one was weirder than the other. Could it be that it is still the same place, but we just straight up broke time itself? That leyline was definitely a big one, so who knows? It would also explain why magic here is so similar to ours. There are differences, but would it be possible that they are just that their magic isn''t yet as developed as during my time or rather, future? Another thought struck me pretty hard. What if I''ve got it completely backwards - and this world was a product of our experiment, and this was the future - humanity just regressed that much. -Come on, stop with those stupid ideas - I said to myself. In any case, if I was to do anything, I had to get out of those woods and get to a city of some sort. Sitting in some random forest was not going to help with anything. And at least, now I had some sort of an objective. 6. Village Surprisingly, I did not have to walk that long to get out of the forest. But I did not arrive at any road as expected. Instead, the woods started getting thinner and thinner, the soil started getting replaced by sand, and soon I reached a beach. The water looked calm, almost like I was looking at a massive lake, it barely had any waves at all. I approached it slowly. It was not glowing, like the lake under the mountains, so it was definitely not infused. Carefully, dipping one finger in, I double checked. No reaction. That was just regular water. And it was salty. A sea? The sand itself also looked completely untouched, there was not even a sign of a seagull or any other animal footprints, even though there was pretty much no wind. That was a bit strange. Melle never mentioned anything about the coast. Did she even give me the name of the village I was supposed to find? Damn that hag. Have I turned the wrong way? Impossible, but just to be sure I used the same spell again to check again, but with the exact same result. Maybe the coast used to have a road? I was about to start cursing her again for giving me wrong directions, when I spotted some brickwork under the sand, right at the edge of the forest. As I got closer, I realized that it was indeed some kind of a road that led further into the woods. It didn''t look like a road to some major city to me. Sure, it was a paved road, but it was pretty narrow, at most two people would fit side to side. Sides were already disappearing in the sand, and further in, was overgrown by moss and leaves from surrounding trees. At least it was a road of some kind. I spent about an hour, following the road and going deeper into the forest. The trip was pretty boring - the woods were quiet. Only thing that was breaking the silence was the occasional snap of a twig under my foot. The path was leading a different way - while I was supposed to go to the south, it was curving towards the east, and soon I arrived at a crossroads. A bit perplexed by this development, I stopped and looked for any indications of a village. The hag did not mention any of this. I either could continue east, deeper into the forest, or to the west, where the road was getting a bit wider. I guess that was somewhat right - the wider road usually means a city. The direction obviously didn¡¯t matter any more even though I checked again with a spell, just to be sure, I started making my way west. Another hour later, in the distance, I finally started seeing something more than just the trees. Getting closer, I started distinguishing some buildings. I guess I managed to find the supposed village. I use the term ¡°village¡± pretty loosely here. There were barely any buildings there. Architecture itself seemed similar to the hag''s cottage, but this time some buildings were made of dark gray bricks, similar to the road. All windows were still made of that weird green membrane though. After another glance, I noticed that the brick buildings were very few - the first one being an inn, the biggest by far building in town. Unlike the wooden houses, being just classic simple cottages, it was pretty fancy. Every wall seemed to have decoratie reliefs, sporting an image of a crystal, overgrown with thorny vines, hanging from a tree, like some bizarre fruit. Above the front door there was a large sign, sporting what I suppose used to be a name of the inn - now mostly unreadable. The only word I was able to decipher was ¡°respite¡±, the rest looked like it was scratched off. Deeper in the town you could see some movement and a bit of commotion near another brick building. That one was pretty simple judging from what I could see standing on the edge of the village, straight up four walls, no windows and one door on the front. It was most likely a warehouse or a barn of some sort. While slowly making my way through, I realized the weird layout of this place. It was just a singular road, with buildings on both sides, surrounded by trees from every direction. Overall, there might not even have been more than five buildings around The commotion I saw earlier was caused by one man, who was apparently in an argument with one of the two other people standing next to the barn-warehouse. The two other guys had to be guards - in chainmail armor, adored with the same symbol I saw on the inn on their chests, armed with halberds. Both hooded. One lazily leaning against the wall, other in a heated discussion with a man with a box. From what I noticed, the man had to be a merchant, he was moving some boxes from the barn to a small stall setup right in front of it, on the opposite side of the road. Passing by, none of them paid much attention to a singular traveler passing by - the guards busy with a one way argument with the merchant, and the merchant busy with the contents of his box, pretending to ignore them. Further, on the other end of the town there was another brick building, very similar to the warehouse I passed just a while ago, but a bit smaller and definitely not as tall. While the warehouse had a singular door in the front, this one had its front wall demolished, some bricks were still sticking out from the sides, and apparently was a stable. It was pretty empty, just two horses idling inside. The road, getting a bit narrower, was leading further into the forest. -I swear, this place is 90% trees - I muttered to myself, turning around, making my way towards the inn. When I was passing by the marketplace again, the guards were gone already and the warehouse closed, the only person was the merchant at his stall, still busy with the box. He noticed me, and immediately straightened up. -Hello good sir, please come take a look at my wares! Beautiful jewelry, sculptures, magical periapts and utensils, all the best quality! You won''t find those anywhere else! Great. Even here they have souvenir stalls. But¡­ Did he just say magic utensils? -Sure, why not¡­ - I said, approaching. -Come! Come! The best of the best, only here! The man looked tired, but as soon as I came to his stall, he tried his hardest to not let it show. He was a bit shorter than me, had a balding head with a hint of gray hair, and judging by his clothes and the fact that he was thin as hell, he wasn''t very wealthy. His plain clothes were pretty good quality, but it was obvious that they were not very new - torn and patched up with random scraps of cloth. Contrasting his other features was his mustache, looking almost like those you''d see on old paintings, comically large and black. Taking a look through the stuff he got on display, I immediately got disappointed. There was no magical aura radiating whatsoever from anything. His assortment consisted mostly of weird wooden sculptures, mostly animals, but each one was slightly different, and, to be completely honest, a bit crappy. Aside from that he had some figurines sporting some tree with something that looked like pinecones on it, which seemed weird, since the tree had leaves. He also had a handful of jewelry, or rather a bunch of rings, without any gems even. So basically nothing I would be interested in. -First of all, what are those? - l asked, pointing at the weird trees. -You have a very good eye, sir! Those are the arbo trees, complete with the life fruit, a symbol of our country! The life fruit, widely known as the prime gem of nature, is said to be the first gem that existed and the pride of ours! The beautiful image of it can be seen on our local inn, but nothing can compare to the original in the City of Abro itself! That is a sight to behold! Ah, so that''s what those pinecones are supposed to be. -Interesting¡­ Say, you mentioned magic components, what did you have in mind? -Ah, a more demanding customer! Those are hard to find, and not cheap, I must warn you! You''d pay at least 100 times more than for my figurines, but since it''s your first purchase, I''ll give you a discount. -Such generosity¡­ - I muttered, while the guy started rummaging in his box again. I didn''t think he would have anything that would be even remotely helpful, but It wouldn''t hurt to take a look. He pulled out a pouch and opened it on the counter. Inside, there were even more wooden figurines and other weird pieces of wood. -Those, my good sir, are magical charms! Every and each one of them has a different effect, from plain ones, like this one - he pointed to something that looked like a slightly bent wooden horseshoe - is to grant you overall better luck in life. Those, on the other hand - he pointed to a bunch of heart shaped carvings - also grant luck, but only in love, they are very popular with young girls and can make a beautiful present. He noticed my unamused expression. -But of course those are just examples of the small ones! I feel like you are the man that clearly knows what he needs, so tell me, what effect specifically would you like for your charm to have? I assure you, that I have one of those! And even if I don''t, I will order one at once! I didn¡¯t even bother focusing. None of those had even a word written on them in Forgotten Script. Those were just plain pieces of wood, and that guy was clearly basically just a scammer. -Show me the most powerful one you have - I told him, a bit curious what story he will make up this time. -Ah of course! But be warned, that magicks are not to be played with. Let me just find it. And he went back to digging through his box. -This is - he proudly exclaimed, pulling out something that looked like some piece of bark - a charm of infinite possibilities! This amazing thing is to provide its owner with help when he most needs it! -What is that supposed to mean? - I said, trying to sound interested. -That¡¯s the magic, my good sir! The powerful enchantment put on this carving will not show itself before it decides it is time for its miracle! Then it will decide on its power and then serve its owner either in that moment, or if you are lucky, it will become a constant charm to help you in your endeavors! -So, you say before its time, it will be just a plain piece of wood, right? How do I know you are not actually selling me a regular piece of wood? - I asked, amused with his obvious bullshit. -All of my charms come with runic markings, even those simple ones! No one but powerful magis and crafters are able to decipher it, but if you look closely, you can see them carved on the back side of the charm, or in case of some, on the base of it. Stolen story; please report. -Let me see it then. -Please go ahead, but be careful, they are fragile. You don''t need much to disrupt the magic forces, dormant inside them. -Right, right - I replied, picking up, so-called charm of infinite possibilities. There was indeed some writing on it. And surprisingly, it was actually in Forgotten Script: ¡°fibosu fi wowu¡±, or rather ¡°wish of life¡±. I took another look at the smaller charms. As he said, they indeed had writing on them, but they were just in plain english. I started recognizing some more words: luck, love, health, money - those ones were recognizable, but most of them were just too crooked to read, like they were written by a kid. All but that one. -That are some interesting pieces. Who do you get this from? -Oh, my good sir, what merchant would I be if I told you my suppliers! That is a trade secret! -Of course. But I would like to congratulate them on this great craftsmanship personally! Or rather to ask them why are they pawning such crap on unsuspecting people - I thought to myself. -Thank you, I will pass the message to them without fail. -I hope so. How much is for this one? - I asked, taking the "infinite possibilities" charm. -It is 70 silver pieces, but for your kind words, it''s just 50. -Listen. I will give you a gold coin for that, and you will pass a message to your "source".That I want to meet them. I¡¯m going to be spending a few nights in a local inn. This made me very interested in their work. And this - I gave him another gold coin - is for them personally, so you know I am serious about this. His eyes opened so wide, you''d think they''d pop out of the sockets. -Gods! Of course! Thank you! - he started mumbling. - I can''t guarantee that they will show up themselves, but for sure I will give you a reply as soon as I can! I swear on my life! -Good. Pleasure doing business with you. I will see you soon, hopefully. Pocketing my purchase, I started making my way back. -Oh the pleasure is all mine! And thank you again, I will not disappoint! I could still hear him shouting his thanks for a good while after leaving his stand. As soon as I was out of the earshot, he immediately started packing his stuff up. I slowed down my pace to check where he was going, but to my disappointment, he went towards the opposite end of the village and left it post haste. For a second I thought about following him, but dismissed that thought almost instantly. It would be obvious that I was following him, and either he will be back as soon as he can, as he said, or he will never come back to this place ever again. Both worked for me, but the last one was more likely. Not wanting to waste any more time, I went straight to the inn. First thing I was greeted by was the sculpture of that weird tree, as big as myself. I guess people living here are very proud of their heritage. You would expect that it would be made of some precious metal, but no, it was wooden, just like most of the furniture inside. Even including lights - those were some candle shaped wooden pieces, with small crystals instead of flames, that were glowing brightly. Behind the main counter, near the entrance there was a man, in his 50s I''d guess, with short, black hair. He looked like he had not shaved in a while. His nose was weirdly short, as it was cut off by something. Unlike that merchant, he was dressed better, but even though he looked like he was not poor, he was unhealthily thin. As soon as I entered, he turned to me. -Welcome. How can I help you? -Good day. I was looking for a place to stay for a few days. -Free rooms are from 10 to 30 silver per day, depending on your needs. Cheaper ones are communal ones. -I will take the personal room, thank you. Doesn''t have to be anything special. I would like to stay for a week for now, if that''s not a problem. -1 gold 40 silver up front or 20 silver per day every night. -Here - I replied, giving him 2 gold. -Thank you for the patronage - he answered dryly, giving me my change back. - My son will lead you to your room. If you need anything else, ask him. -Sure. The silver coins he gave me looked almost exactly the same as the gold ones, besides being made of silver, or at least something that looked like silver. -Kon! -Coming! - a kid''s voice sounded from somewhere upstairs. Waiting for them, I realized something. Either lodging here was pretty cheap, or that fake talismans were horribly overpriced. I expected something like that, but not on this scale. Well, one more reason to have a chat with him again, I guess. Just as I had this revelation, the kid came down. The kid was about 10 years old and a splitting image of his father, including the outfit. Also, as thin as him. Was there a famine in this village or something? -Show him to his room, nr.3. And mind your manners. -Hello sir and welcome, please, follow me - he exclaimed, excited, bowing in half. I nodded at him, and gestured for him to lead the way. He took me upstairs, where a long corridor with doors on both sides was stretching across the whole floor. We emerged in the middle of it, and he led me to the end closest to the street, where another door was open, leading to some other room, but before I could take a peek, he closed me and invited me to the room just beside, on the left side instead. The room was not very fancy or spacious. It consisted just of a bed, desk with a chair and a small wardrobe. There was one window though, made out of that weird green membrane, with a view on the street. Both walls and the floor were wooden, which struck me as weird, since from outside it looked like the outer wall would be a brick one. -Here you go sir, this room is yours for however long you wish to stay. Presently you are the only guest, so no one will bother you. If you ever need anything please call me or my father. You can find us either downstairs or the room right besides yours - he said, pointing at the door he closed just a second ago and giving me a small key to my room. - Do you need anything else, sir? -I am fine for now, thank you. By the way, you are pretty well spoken for your age. How old are you? -13 sir. Thank you. Father always says that good speech is the most important for any innkeeper. -He is not wrong. And before you go - I added, just as he was to leave - if a mustached merchant shows up looking for someone, he is most likely looking for me, so send him this way. -Of course. Anything else, sir? -That''s all, you are free to go. I will probably just stay in my room, please do not disturb me for a while. -Of course, I will make sure of that - he said, closing the door behind him. -Yeah, that merchant¡­ - I muttered to myself, pulling out my most recent purchase and sitting by the desk. When I first saw it, I got interested just because of the writing on it, but now I wanted to check something. I peeked out of my room for a second. The corridor was completely empty, and the innkeeper, together with his son, were downstairs. I could hear both of them talking about something. I slowly closed the door and locked it, just to be sure. The desk was far enough from the window, so I didn''t have to worry about someone seeing me from the outside. "Wish of life". Two words that always bring the most interest and controversies to every mage. To see those on a piece of wood in some remote village was completely bizarre. And on top of that, to see them connected¡­ It''s like finding a sheet of paper with nuclear codes, complete with a key, in a trash can. If you don''t know what you are looking at, it''s just an innocent piece of trash. But with enough information¡­ I focused my attention on the charm in front of me. To my relief, I felt absolutely nothing. It was just a plain piece of wood. To be honest, I probably should¡¯ve done that before buying it, but it''s better to be carefull. That kind of focus I just presented was easily noticeable for anyone that has enough grasp on magic, that is if you pay attention. Some people call it ¡°magic sense¡±. I guess this is a valid name, since you are basically using another sense. When you focus on an object, you always emit a slight aura around whatever you are inspecting. Not like a glow, no. It''s a small breeze, not even strong enough to move your clothes much. You can easily miss it, but it always has some hint of mana to it, a sweet scent that almost immediately disappears, so sometimes even people that are not trained are able to pick up on it. If I was to do that right there in front of that guy, he¡¯d notice for sure, trained or not. Even if I effectively wasted my money on some lumber that was for free and in abundance available everywhere, it did not change the fact that someone knew a bit too much. Back in, well, my world, some words were banned for various reasons. That included "life". "Wish" on the other hand, was interesting. It was not a word of power in any shape of form, it was just an artificial creation, without a real use. so you can imagine my surprise when I saw it here, and accompanied by "life", which is very much an actual runic word, and powerful to boot. It''s like seeing a nice sports car, but someone replaced the engine with a large iron ingot and is selling it now as a sofa. Made completely no sense. ¡°Life¡±... I knew a lot about this one. Back at the MIRE, we were sometimes dispatched along with emergency services, when someone had an ¡°accident¡±. Or rather just failed an illegal magic experiment. Funnily enough, people loved to experiment with ¡°life¡± in particular. To be honest, I can¡¯t blame them. Prospect of creating artificial life and maybe even extending your own is tempting after all. Sadly, it¡¯s not that easy, and after the knowledge of its existence spread, so the abominations started appearing. First was some guy who tried giving life to a wooden toy. Instead he gave life back to the wood itself, creating a tree. You''d think that''s not very dangerous. But when the tree did not stop growing and consumed its creator, it started taking over the whole neighborhood, the situation got pretty serious. It took quite a lot of fire to stop that one. Next was someone''s attempt at creating a water elemental. Well, they succeeded in some way. But the thing they made was just an orb of water, pretty much the same as one I usually use. When neighbors of the newly created lifeform, if you could call it that, started complaining about constant leaks, the would-be scientist got found out. Dead. And above his corpse was the orb, just flooding water everywhere. And of course you can''t forget about human experiments, trying to bring back the dead, or trying to mess with aging and all that. But those always ended with just one more dead person, nothing more, nothing less. As you would expect in this situation, governments swifty banned the word. After some more deaths, people started slowly losing interest in those experiments, seeing like every single one ended in the death of the caster. And right now, the same runes were right in front of me, sold as some dumb charm. -Well, now I can only wait for my supplier to show up - I said to myself, hiding the stupid thing in my bag. - If he ever will, that is. Wondering what should I do for now, I thought back about my "work" I was supposed to be doing for that stupid hag. I suppose her potions finally completely stopped working, because I was pondering about just ditching her and just going to some other city. But as soon as I started considering that idea, I remembered about the kid. Even with this world''s weird rules of magic, she was the one that teleported me here. And that meant they most likely could easily trace my steps. Plus I had on me their fire gem, and ditching it for the sake of getting away from them would be a waste. Might as well go to that city and check what the hell is going on. Not like I had any better lead on learning more about this world, so I might''ve as well go to that Arbo of hers and cooperate with them. That didn''t mean that I couldn''t take my time -That''s what you get for hanging me upside down and drugging the hell out of me. If you were in so much hurry, you wouldn''t drop me off in the middle of nowhere. So now you can wait. With that thought, smiling to myself, I looked out the window. The city was still empty, and after the one vendor left for who knows where, there was no one in sight. From my window I was able to see the whole town - now, from above, I could indeed confirm that from all sides I was surrounded by more forest, and there were no high mountains in sight, although the area west looked wavy, meaning there were some hills around and looked annoying to travel through, but that was definitely not "The Bowl". Wherever I was, it had to be pretty far from the mountains I came from. Come to think of it, I couldn''t see anything around here in any direction, even to the south, where the city was supposed to be. I should''ve landed somewhere close to it, not in the middle of nowhere. Maybe it was somewhere past those hills? They weren''t exactly south though... With nothing better to do, I decided to ask the innkeeper for directions. Either way I was gonna leave this place sooner or later, so better to make some plans now. 7. Informed Downstairs was still as empty as before, just the innkeeper behind the bar. Behind him, in the kitchen I caught a glimpse of the kid. -I do not give refunds - the guy immediately said when I sat at the bar. -What? - I asked, pretty confused. -You paid for a week, even if you leave now I am not giving you anything back. -And who told you I am going to leave? -Are you not? If you haven''t noticed yet, this city is dead, and will be for at least a few months. -It seems pretty deserted alright but it can¡¯t be that bad. Also, aren''t you supposed to be trying to keep me here? You are making money out of this, right? -I am realistic. I am not gonna bullshit my way into people''s pockets like some merchants out there, as you know, I prefer a direct approach. -Well thanks for being sincere, but I don''t want any refunds. I told your kid I am waiting for someone, I thought he would pass the message. -And he did. That''s why I was thinking you are leaving. You are not the first one who got got by him. -Excuse me? -Travelers that pass through here often buy his charms, and then come to me, trying to get some information about his whereabouts. And when they learn that I don''t know shit about the guy, they leave. -You''re half right, I guess - I admitted. - But it''s hard to believe that you don''t know anything. Doesn''t he live here? Guards seemed to know him, or at least tolerate the guy. -No. And no, I don''t know where. He appears once in a while to sell his crap and then, after he sells something, he disappears for a long while. And those guards are my employees. They know as much as I do. -You said you don''t know anything, yet you gave me a lot of good information. - I said grinning. -You are the most pleasant client that came here in a while. They are always mad and screaming about their wasted money or something along those lines. At least I can talk to you without being called names and suspected of working with him. I don''t blame them, that was a lot of money apparently. -Speaking of clients¡­ - I started, taking a look around the empty inn - Why is this place so empty anyway? -You picked a bad moment to visit. Everyone left already. -Left? Why? -You don''t know? Didn''t you come here for the¡­ ehm, auctions? -Auctions? -My bad. Since the first thing you did was checking the marketplace out I assumed so¡­ If you don''t know about it, you don''t really need to be interested. Let¡¯s just say it''s a¡­ festival. Yes. A big market festival. What is that supposed to mean? -If it''s that big of a deal, why did people leave this place then? Shouldn''t this place be a lot more lively as a center of trade? -Lively, hah - the innkeeper laughed. - Good one. He paused when I started looking at him questioningly. -You really don''t know, huh? - when I didn''t reply, he continued. - Nah, no one wants to live in a place like this. You shouldn''t linger here for long too. -What''s wrong with this place then? -Listen - he leaned closer to me behind the counter. - It''s just better for you to not know. Do what you have to and leave as soon as you can. That is a friendly tip - he said with a serious expression. -Ominous - I said amused. - What about you then? Are you leaving as well? -No. I will repeat. It''s better for you to not know. The hell is wrong with this guy? And the village over all? -Eh fine, fine - I sighed with resignation. - Let me change the subject then. I am on the way to Arbo. It''s supposed to be south of here. How far am I? His eyes widened. -South? Did you get your direction mixed up? -What do you mean? -Arbo is to the north. And on the continent to boot. North? On the continent? Where the hell am I then? -Great¡­ Any other cities closer then? -Nope, that''s the closest one. This is a small island after all. -That stupid hag¡­ Close my ass! - I said angrily aloud. - Ehhhh¡­ That complicates things¡­- I muttered to myself and started thinking. - Do you have any beer or something? Give me whatever you got. - I finally said after a minute of silence and a bunch of weird looks from the innkeeper. -This is an inn. Not a tavern. -Well looks like both to me - I said pointing at empty tables. -Just joking. Coming right up. -You have a weird sense of humor - I added just as he disappeared in the kitchen. Soon enough he came back with a big, wooden tankard full to the brim. -Pretty good - I said after a sip. - How much? -10 copper. -Here - I gave him 1 silver. - With a bonus for a nice talk. -Thanks. If you don''t mind me asking, if you are that rich, why stop here, you surely have the money to get directly to Arbo? -Better for you to not know - I replied with a grin. - But if you have to know, let''s say, my transport wasn''t very cooperative. -So you got scammed. Tough luck. -You really have shitty luck. - he added, when I did not answer. - I don''t know where you got dropped off, but the closest, and only port is about two hours'' travel from here. -Definitely not at that port. -No wonder - he nodded. - It¡¯s barely anything. That place doesn''t even have a name, it''s not even a village but sometimes ships do stop there. That''s your best bet I guess. -I''m guessing you don''t have some friendly neighborhood captain that would be able and willing to transport me somewhere closer, do you? -Even if I did, everyone most likely left already. And judging by your interest in that merchant you still want to wait here for the week anyway. -Maybe. I continued sipping the beer, thinking about my situation. It didn''t look promising. Judging by the words of the guy, I was indeed stuck on this island for however long it takes for the new batch of merchants to arrive. In any case, I might as well check that port out, maybe I will get lucky. Not like I will have much to do here. -So which way and how far is that port? -Go east from the village, and again to the east on the crossroads. -I guess I will take a look - I said, finishing the beer. - Thanks. -I wouldn''t bother. Last people left before you came here and if anyone actually comes, they will stop here for sure. It''s the only place with something more than a wooden shack to hide from rain on this island after all. -I will take a walk anyways. Not like I have much to do. -Well, your choice. Standing up, I remembered something. -By the way, what''s the other way? -Other way? -West. The road west from here. -Ah. Nothing. A clearing in the woods, but that''s about it. -Really? Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! That was the way the merchant went. -See for yourself if you are that curious. -I might¡­ Well, see you around. He nodded and went back to the kitchen. As I left the inn, I was greeted by the empty street again. Out of curiosity I took a few steps towards the stables, but even the horses were now gone. It didn''t take me long to get back to the crossroads. The road I was traveling on this time was almost exactly the same as one leading into the town. Sun was pretty high up, if I was to guess it would be about noon. The trip was very uneventful, and indeed, after about an hour I was able to see the water. Funnily enough, the forest was still as dense as near the village. Soon enough I was on the edge of the so-called port. Or rather a singular old, wooden pier, which occupied most of the "C" shaped bay, with an opening towards the east. The whole bay was overgrown with trees so much that even some roots were already in the water. A bunch of the trees were dead and broken, floating in the water, which was making the place look abandoned. That, and of course the lack of people and ships. The pier looked stable enough, and supposedly was in use, so I walked all the way to the end of it, to hopefully see something on the horizon. Yet, even though the day was bright and clear, I couldn''t see anything more than water through the opening of the bay. -I guess he was right¡­ - I said to the empty pier. I couldn''t help myself but wonder about this place. Such a "big market festival" and all, yet this place is in shambles. Who in their right mind would even think of coming here? Granted, the village was in a lot better shape, but still, seemed weird. I took a while to look around the place, but couldn''t find anything interesting, nothing was left behind. Not like I expected to find anything, I was no tracker after all. It was just an empty pier in the middle of nowhere. You wouldn''t think that someone was using it recently, yet, according to the innkeeper, it was. Sighing, I turned back, retracing my steps back to the road, and then slowly back.. Before I was going to go back to the inn, there still was one place I wanted to check out. I made my way through the village, still as dead as before, and to the western end, where I last saw the merchant. Soon after leaving the village, the road started curving to the right, and a few minutes later it just ended, leading me to quite a large clearing in the forest. Paved with the same stone, with a singular wooden structure in the back. It looked like some kind of podium, or a stage, with a set of stairs on both sides. It was pretty tall, about two meters high, and gave a great view on the whole empty circular plaza. After climbing on top of it I noticed a long metal bar that was near the stairs. I realized that the same bar was going around the front side of the podium, then down on the back of the stairs, just to circle around close to the ground, behind the whole thing. Curious about the weird railing I jumped town to check what''s behind the podium, and unsurprisingly found nothing, except the small rusted padlock on the bottom railing by the ground. I was slowly getting tired and annoyed by all this. Everywhere I went there was nothing helpful, and chances of finding someone with the ability to leave this island soon were getting smaller and smaller. The places I explored also did not bring any answers about the place, they only gave more questions. Why do people leave this place in such a hurry? What is this place for? Where did that merchant run off to? Without answers for any of those, I turned my back to the podium and went back to the village and the inn. Inside was as empty as I left it. -So, you are actually back. Greeted by the innkeeper I sat again by the bar. -What did you expect? You told me yourself that there is no one left that would give me a ride. -Yes, but that doesn''t mean that you don''t have a way to get off the island yourself. -Why the hell would I ask you about that then? He just shrugged. -People have their reasons and ways, I learned to not ask them too many questions. -Fine, I will ask again, this time more clearly. Do you have any way to get off this place to somewhere more civilized or populated, because I don''t. He just looked at me, full of suspicion. -Look, you already figured out I got swindled and stranded here. Why are you so suspicious? -No particular reason. -Oh come on, just tell me how I can get out of here. From what you said earlier today it seemed you also don''t want me to stay here, so why not help me leave? -You are starting to be annoying - he replied with a still expression on his face. -Of course I am. What, did you expect me to just swim out of here? Summon my private fleet with my amazing mind powers? Grow some wings and fly away? You keep telling me to leave, yet you won''t tell me how I can do that. He didn''t answer. -Ah whatever. I stood up and went upstairs, back to my room. I sat down on the bed, sighing heavily. -What the fuck am I supposed to do now? This whole place started to tire me. The one person that was here was obviously hiding something and didn''t want to talk any more. Thinking about it, it reminded me - there was still someone else I could talk to - the kid and guards. I haven''t seen those two guys for a while. I looked out of the window. There was no sign of guards outside, or anyone else for that matter. So that was about it for that idea. I decided to find them tomorrow. There was still the kid. I seriously doubted that he knows anything, and he keeps close to his father at all times. To be honest, after the time he led me to this room I have not seen him leave his fathers side. It''s going to be hard to talk to him alone, and even if it were to happen, father most likely already told him to keep quiet. Not like he knew much about whatever''s going on anyways, he''s just a kid after all. Not knowing what to do with myself, I started pacing around the room. Even after this much walking, I still was not feeling tired nor sleepy, thanks to the combination of a bath in infused water and the weird attempts of drugging me. I just was wondering, for how long is it going to last? Slowly massaging the wound through the cloth I started missing my old lab and workshop. If I had access to the same resources I had in the MIRE, I could easily just get out of here. Before all this I used to dabble in all kinds of elemental spells, but not in arcane magics, which now would be most useful. If I knew that in my future I would need to remember how to form the teleport spell manually¡­ For better or worse I was stuck with only basic spells for now. To cast spells you need the full formula transcribed in Forgotten Script, the more complicated the spell, the longer the formula itself. I remembered a few of those, but all of them were either experimental, like the fly spell, or more combat oriented. I was pretty fluent in the Script itself, but to cast spells without proper preparation first could be dangerous and unreliable. You could always improvise on the spot, but that brings a risk that the spell will do something completely different than you designed it to do. Whenever I get to somewhere more civilized I would have to buy a notebook or something and start writing stuff down. -Or maybe I won''t have to wait, maybe the innkeeper has something. With that in mind I left my room, but before I even managed to close the door, I noticed the door to the other room open, and inside the kid lying on the bed, kicking his legs in the air. -Oh, nice timing. I knocked at the door frame. -Hello? I think I startled him a bit. He immediately jumped onto his feet, facing me and bowed slightly. -Good evening! What can I do for you sir? -I was wondering, do you have some paper and something to write with? I seem to have lost most of my supplies somewhere during my travels - I said, taking a look around the room. It was pretty much a copy of mine, maybe a little bit smaller. -We should, but I need to ask my father about that. -Fine, I will be waiting in my room. I don''t think he likes me very much. It didn''t take long for him to return. -I am sorry sir, but according to my father we are very low on that ourselves. We recently used a lot and¡­ -Right¡­ Logging sales and all that¡­ Must''ve been a lot of people here. -Yes sir. Father is still trying to finish writing down all the clients and sales, even right now. -Too bad. I won''t be keeping you here then, go and help him. -Don''t worry sir. I would be only distracting him - he answered with a hint of shame on his face. -And why is that? -I¡­ I can''t write sir. - He said, embarrassed. That one caught me off guard. I never considered that someone could be illiterate. He noticed my shocked face and turned crimson red. -Ahem. I didn''t expect¡­ My bad - I said, trying to collect myself. -No, no it''s alright. But soon I will start learning! My father said he will be getting a teacher soon. -A teacher? Can''t he teach you? -I¡­ He¡­ He is busy - he started stuttering. Not even trying, I found an opportunity. And apparently struck a delicate subject. -Interesting¡­ Thank you. - I said, leaving him alone and making my way downstairs. He bowed to me again and closed the door to the room, still red. I went down to the ground floor to have another chat with the innkeeper, but the counter was empty and the main door closed. Even the light crystals were dark, only the one by the bar was still on. Curious about where the guy walked off I took a peek into the kitchen. It was completely dark, but in the back I noticed faint light coming from under another door. I knew I shouldn''t stick my nose in someone else''s business, but I couldn''t help myself. Knocking loudly on the kitchen door I walked into the dark room. -What is it? - I heard from behind the closed door. - I told you I still have more work to do. The door opened, flooding the kitchen with light. -Oh. What do you want this time? - he asked, surprised to see me. The room behind him was filled to the brim with papers, ledgers and books. You could barely see the desk that was standing on the opposite wall from under all the stacks of papers. -No paper, huh? -As you can see I am in the middle of work and would appreciate not being interrupted - he said, crossing his arms, visibly upset. -Yes, I see¡­ - I replied slowly, glancing behind him on all the stacks of paper. - Hard to believe that you can''t even spare a bit for a poor traveler¡­ He noticed my looks, but even though I could clearly see what he was writing there, he didn''t bother to hide it. -I can''t and I won''t. Anything else? -I heard that a certain kid in this house is illiterate and I find it deeply upsetting. It''s a shame that the son of such a busy businessman as yourself has such poor education. -Not your business. -Right, right. I was going to offer my services as a teacher, but since you are apparently not interested, then I will leave you to it. -Pff, sure, right - he laughed - I need a better teacher than some random drifter right off the street. -Your choice. If you change your mind you know where to find me. -Leave me alone already! With nothing more to say, I left him to his devices. I didn''t expect him to accept my proposition, but it was worth a try. Funnily enough, although our conversation was brief, I got out of that more than I thought I would. He didn''t even try to hide from me all those documents, most likely assuming that I can''t read them. But those few glances were enough for me to read some parts, and they were most interesting. From what I could tell, those papers were in Forgotten Script, but also weirdly mixed with regular english. I was only able to read a few sentences but they looked like actual legitimate ledgers, speaking about sales of something, along with a lot of what seemed like names. Sadly I didn''t have time to find out what because he closed the door. At least I knew he didn''t lie to me about that one, because I straight up thought he just made up something for me to piss off, he actually was processing his recent sales. Alone, in the main room, I started wondering, what the hell should I do. It was already getting dark outside, and even after my previous endeavors, I was still as energetic as you could. I still had my doubts, so I decided to test my limits a little bit, and go for another walk, check how long my crystal can keep me going. There had to be some kind of limitation. I decided to take a walk towards the beach, since that was the furthest location with a road, and I wasn''t really in a mood for another trek through some bushes in the dark, I had my fill of that already. As I left the inn, I checked around for any signs of light anywhere nearby, and just as expected, I discovered absolutely none, every other building in the village was completely dark. Without anything better to do, I started my nightly walk. 8. Peculiar As soon as I left the town I summoned my orb, this time fire one, just to try and get used to having to pretend being a fire mage. Trip to the end of the road was, as expected, uneventful. Again I tried looking around for any signs of side paths using little light that my orb provided, but that was just something to distract myself from the boring walk. Of course I didn''t find any. When I reached the beach the night was completely dark already. As soon as the sand started to take over the road I dismissed my orb, and looked in the distant horizon, to the sea. I was hoping to maybe see a light of a ship or something along those lines in the distance, but still, there was nothing. Even if I would see something, I had no idea what good it would bring me. What, I would start throwing fireballs in the air? Create a glowing beacon on the beach? With those dumb ideas running around my head I started slowly walking along the coast. First, just following my old footprints. Then, just wandering aimlessly on the barren and flat beach. Yet again, I started wondering what I should do, stuck here. This place wasn''t that bad if you thought about it. Calm sea, nice clean beach, not many people to annoy you, almost like paradise island. I could''ve stayed here and in relative peace and quiet continue, or rather start my research again. The money could''ve been a slight issue, but I was pretty sure that I could annoy the innkeeper enough for him to give me a way to get what I want. I could spend a few months here, or however long it would take for a decent ship to appear without much issue. Considering everything I knew so far, it wasn''t the worst place to be stuck in - there was at least a village here. Daydreaming this way, I walked about three hours along the silent beach. The night sky was clear and the sea as calm as it gets, with no wind to even speak of. The beach gave no signs of an end, so I started wondering if the whole island is surrounded this way, just to remember a while later about the overgrown part by the port. While contemplating the layout of this island I was stopped suddenly. Right before me there was a set of footprints in the sand. I started scouring my surroundings, but I didn''t notice any signs of whoever left them. I lit up my fire orb and made it a bit bigger and brighter this time. Thanks to calm weather I couldn''t be sure how old they were, for what I knew they could''ve been here for weeks, since the wind was seemingly non-existent over here. Upon closer inspection I picked up a few more details. The footprints didn''t end here, they instead disappeared into the sea. With my non-existent tracking skills I had no idea if someone came from the sea or the other way, or maybe he came here, had a swim, and went back retracking his footsteps. They were also pretty small. That also meant that someone else lived near here, which wasn''t that surprising to be completely honest. I started following the tracks, and not a long while later the beach slowly started getting thinner and thinner, turning a bit towards the sea, and finally ended on a cliffside. The cliff itself was pretty massive and created a big natural barrier for whatever was on the other side. The tracks itself turned from the sea, directly parallel to the cliff, and disappeared into the forest about twenty meters before the cliff. Turning my flame even brighter and lifting it higher above my head, I scoured my surroundings but, unsurprisingly, found nothing interesting. Thanks to the tracks leading into the forest I pretty much lost any hope of following them further, but after a second thought, reducing my flame to the size that didn''t scream "fire hazard" I stepped into the forest, where the footprints led me. I don''t know what I expected to see. A road? Some kind of lead maybe? Either way, I found exactly nothing. Like usual. The darkness of the night definitely didn''t help me very much, and even with my orb of flame I couldn''t pinpoint the direction where the person who made the tracks went. Thanks to the cliff, the only way forward was through the forest, so no matter which way they went I had to go deeper and avoid the clifface by circling around through the trees. Either that, or to simply go back. Unless I wanted to have a refreshing nightly swim, I only had those two options. Without thinking much I started going deeper into the forest. I wanted to check my limits anyway, and trekking through another patch of forest was as good of a way as was going back. Physical activity was surprisingly refreshing for me. I didn''t feel any fatigue or tiredness, for now at least. It started to worry me a little bit - the effects of infused water had to run out soon, right? Soon I reached the part of the cliff that was inside the forest, and realized that it looked more like a plateau. Going parallel to it, I hoped that I might find some way to get up top and maybe take a better look at my surroundings. And I was right, not a long while later the ground ahead of me started forming a hill that slowly connected to the cliffside. The incline wasn''t very steep, although the cliff itself was pretty tall. Upon reaching the top, I was able to see quite a bit of the island , the trees on the top were not as dense as below. Looking down towards the sea and the beach I could barely see my tracks down in the sand, besides the ones I followed here. I didn''t pay any attention to it before, but the moon itself was full, thanks to which the night was a bit brighter. The canopy of the trees was spanning the whole visible part of the island, even the coast, and it was pretty darn big. There was no beach anywhere in sight on the other side of the cliff. Even in the moonlight it was pretty hard to see in the dark, but thanks to the water being so still I could see that the further coast consisted of a similar shattered cliffside, like the one I was on top of, although a lot smaller. I couldn''t tell if it was like that all the way thanks to the bends of the coast itself and the trees that were practically falling into the water, similarly like those near the ¡°port¡± I visited earlier. I decided to get down and around the whole cliff, to check out the parts further by the sea. After a brief trip down, I moved into the forest and started paying more attention to my surroundings. Since I was close to the sea and I knew that there was a cliff nearby, I didn''t want to suddenly fall down because I didn''t notice the edge. Luckily the ground wasn''t unstable at all, even when I got dangerously close to it. Actually, it was even more stable than expected thanks to the massive roots of all the trees that were growing by the edge. Some of them were leaning past the cliff, looking down into the water. As I sent my orb down, I noticed that a few roots were even touching the water, covered in what seemed to be salt crystals, shimmering in the dark. The cliff wasn''t even that tall, you could easily jump down into the water. I couldn''t tell how deep it was, but when I looked down after my orb, I couldn''t see the bottom of it, even when it was basically touching the still surface. From what I saw earlier, the waters around here were nice and clear, so it had to be at least a few meters deep, at least. Following this amalgamation of roots and bushes that made up this side of the island''s coast I traveled for quite a bit. I didn''t encounter any part that would look like a regular beach, just that weird clifflike side. Thanks to the calmness of waters below, the ground itself was also not being eroded by waves, which with a combination of roots reinforcing it made for a pretty solid wall all the way. I started wondering if it was like that the entire way, encircling the island, to the port where I saw similar trees that hung over the water. Soon enough the coast started curving to the right and rising a little bit. In the distance I could see that it formed another cliff, as high as the one that blocked me by the beach, or even higher. Even with my seemingly unending stamina I decided to not climb this one, since the hill that it made was a lot steeper and trying to get on it would mean I had to walk a pretty steep incline. I turned right, deeper into the forest, hoping to get around it and get somewhere a bit flatter. After a while I noticed something strange. My arm, or rather my crystal, started to itch and irritate me. That was definitely a weird feeling, and it was quite alarming. The sensation was not letting up, and soon I was not able to ignore it any more. Conveniently, the hill that blocked my way to the coast started to flatten suddenly, so I decided to climb the few steps up to the top, which was now just about a few meters higher with a much smoother incline and took a break, to inspect it. After sitting down, I unwrapped my arm and checked for a reason for this irregularity. The crystal itself was glowing a little bit. It was not the first time that happened, but that was a bit unusual. As a matter of fact, every crystal does that when mana flows through it. Until this point I kept my arm hidden under the coat and a layer of cloth so it was not an issue, but if that would continue, it could definitely be a problem. I dismissed my orb again and soon the glow started to fade away, and the weird feeling also slowly started disappearing. I assumed that thanks to my expedition, constant mana usage and lack of rest of any kind, I finally started reaching my limits, and those feelings and unusually strong glow was just an early warning of some kind. My theory was further supported by the fact that during my short rest all the irregularities disappeared. I didn''t feel like my mana was exhausted though, which contradicted all of this, but without anything else to go off, I had to stick to my assumptions for now. Looking around my resting spot I noticed that I traveled further than expected. In the distance I could see the port, or rather its shadowy silhouette, which meant I already circled most of the island. The sky was still completely dark and the dawn was nowhere to be seen, meaning that this island was indeed a small one. Checking my crystal once more, I wrapped myself back up and went back on my way. The coast was still similar to the cliff but now it was much lower and the distance to water continuously was getting smaller until finally stabilizing at about three meters. It continued like this almost all the way to the port. When I was about a hundred meters from the port, the ground shifted steeply down basically to the sea level. Soon I reached the wooden pier and the road. There were still no signs of any boats. I hesitated for a moment. I should go back to town, yet I still felt like I could continue my "nightly walk". I almost managed to circle the entire island in one go, the most I have ever traveled on foot, not even to mention at once. After thinking about it for a few minutes, idly watching the calm water of the port, I decided to continue on, and finish my loop of the island. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. I walked off the path and continued along the shore. This part of the coast was different. It was smooth and flat, no hills or cliffs. Trees still were present, and as strong as always. Some even partially submerged in the water, most of them had their roots in the sea. They had to be pretty tough, considering that it was salt water that they were in. I already saw some roots being flooded and covered with salt water before, but to have a meter of the tree trunk underwater and be completely fine, those trees were something else. Either that, or this island was flooded recently. It didn''t look like it because the port was still completely fine, and it was looking pretty old and ragged, not like something that was recently built. The forest started to give way to the sand and slowly the coast turned to that of the beach. I still wasn''t near the point where my walk started, yet it wasn''t that far off. The beach was almost identical though, untouched and flat as a plank, sea still as calm as ever. Come to think of it, after spending so much time on the coast, I was yet to see a wave on the water. If I didn''t know better, I''d say that this is a massive lake, and even then for water to be that calm was unusual, but besides tasting the water, I already saw some salt crystals on the roots, and the smell near the water was also unmistakable. I guess nature has its ways. During my pondering about the sea and lakes I finally reached a spot familiar to me - the place where I first stepped on this beach. It wasn''t hard to recognize, really, thanks to the fact that my footprints in the sand were still there. And were still the only ones present. I took one last look at the sea and the sand, and went on my way back to the town. With that I finally managed to do a full loop. I can''t say it was very eventful or exciting, but anything is better than sitting behind the desk doing nothing. Funnily enough, back at the MIRE it was all I was doing, but then at least I could be productive working on spells, so I guess that was a bit different. Wandering like that wasn''t that bad, to be honest, I slowly started liking this feeling of freedom. The fact that I wasn''t getting tired or sore from all this was most likely a factor in that though. I started wondering about this world I found myself in. All and all, I saw only a small piece of it, yet already I started liking this place for some reason. Here, as well as before in the crater, I felt weirdly at ease. If that was just the crater I would say that it''s just nostalgia and homesickness kicking in, but there was no reason for that here. Nothing here was familiar, quite the opposite actually. With those weird feelings, just as the sun was about to rise, I reached the town again, and made my way towards the inn. I was greeted by quite an unexpected sight. The innkeeper was outside, with his back turned to me, looking towards the western part of the town while locking the door behind him. He didn''t even notice me arriving. -Hey, what about your guests? I paid for my room in advance! - I said, slightly annoyed. He was locking me out of my own room, after all. As soon as I spoke, he jumped, startled, and turned around to face me, while grabbing something on his belt, under his clothes. He looked nervous. -Why so jumpy? I just came back from my stroll around the island and the first thing I see is my host looking at me like he saw a ghost. -You are not dead? -Eeem, obviously? - I replied, confused. - What, I didn''t mean it literally. What''s going on? He didn''t answer. And I finally noticed what he got from his belt - It was a green crystal, similar to that I saw Melle using, but smaller, attached to something that looked like a metal brooch. I didn''t feel like reliving the "hanging upside down from a vine" situation, so I put my hands up. Or rather one and a half I guess. -Calm down, I have nothing to do with whatever is going on, so please no magic. I don''t think he believed me, since he didn''t put down his crystal, but he did not cast anything so that was a plus. -Come on, I''m just a defenseless bystander. Please put down your crystal. That was obviously half a lie. Judging from the looks of it, the gem was the exact same kind as Melle used on me a while back and that meant the worst thing he could do to me was to sick some plants on me, meaning I could easily get out if I had to. Luckily I never showed him that I have a gem as well, so I had pretty good chances he would believe me. -That is hard to believe - he finally said, still clutching the crystal. - What do you want? -I kinda bought a room here, remember? I wanted to get a drink so I came back, but since you seem awfully busy I''m just gonna go upstairs if you don''t mind. He looked at me, scowling. -Look, I see that you are in the middle of something. I am not asking questions, do whatever you want. I will just go upstairs and pretend that I don''t exist. I don''t want to get involved in anything. I was awfully curious about what the hell is going on, but I forced myself to say otherwise. I noticed he eyed my other half-arm. Right, until now I tried to keep that out of sight for everyone, and judging from his looks that was the first time he noticed I lacked an arm. -So how about it? Will you let the poor crippled man go? I think the remark about being crippled got to him, because he finally put down the gem back to his belt and opened the door. -Inside. But any suspicious move and I will use this - he said pointing to his belt. -Right, right. He led me upstairs, carefully watching me the whole time. After confirming that I indeed disappeared into my room, he went back down. I heard the door locking behind him. Looking out of the window I saw him walk nervously towards the houses in the western part of the town. Curious, I grabbed a chair and sat by the window, to observe what he was up to. I assumed all of those were empty before, since during night the only light source was this inn. It was definitely weird, but not as weird as he was now - he went to the first house and pulling out a massive keyring opened the door. He disappeared inside for a good few minutes, came out and closed the door, apparently accomplishing whatever he aimed for. Then he went for the house next door, repeating the process. After a while it was clear that he has keys to every single building of this town for some reason. And after every single house checked, he seemed even more distressed, juggling through his keys faster and faster. Few times he even dropped them while trying to open the door. After the fourth house I stopped paying much attention to him, instead looking around the village for anything unusual that would explain his behavior, but with no luck. Everything seemed the same as I left it when I went on my little journey. I considered going and looking around myself, but with his attitude earlier that was definitely not a good idea. I looked out the window one more time - he was still in the same house as before. After confirming that he was indeed going for the next one, I stood up and decided to use this weird situation as an opportunity to check something out. As silent and as fast as I could I made my way downstairs and towards the room by the kitchen, the one flooded with papers. I wanted to take a closer look at some of those, since it was bothering me - why would an innkeeper have so much paperwork? I had to be fast, since I didn''t know when he would come back. Luckily, the kitchen door was open. But as I walked inside, to my surprise, there was no door to be seen. Where last night definitely was an entrance to another room, there was a solid wooden wall. That ignited my curiosity even more. First thing that came to my mind was that this was some hidden path, but even touching the wall I couldn''t make any cracks in the wood, not to mention in the shape of a door. An illusion? It also was not possible, since I touched the wall - it definitely felt like a flat piece of wood, not a door. Then it came to me. The guy was using a green gem just now, meaning he could control plants. It wouldn''t be far fetched to assume that he could also alter the shape of the wooden wall. Looking closely, my guess was pretty much confirmed - the wood where the door used to be was a bit smoother than the rest of the wall, like it was somehow stretched. Meaning I was not getting inside without using some drastic methods. That brought a question - what was he trying to hide there? He basically permanently sealed the door. You would literally have to make a new hole to get in. What was so important that he had to do this? Those papers? Couldn''t be, last time when I saw him inside he didn''t bother hiding anything, he didn''t even try to kick me out of there. What happened today to put him on such an edge? Pondering this new discovery I heard a loud crack somewhere out on the street, something that sounded like a tree breaking in half. I ran to the door, but it was not budging. -Dick locked me in¡­ - I muttered under my breath. While running upstairs to take a look outside through the window, I started hearing a lot more cracking, this time louder, and accompanied with different noises - like something breaking and¡­ yelling? What I saw was definitely not what I expected. One of the last houses to the east of the town was split in half, and from inside there was now growing a tree the size of the house itself, probably even larger. In the ruins I could see three people, two on the ground and one standing by the tree. One of the people on the ground was definitely the innkeeper, they weren''t that for me not to recognize him. More importantly, the other two people were wearing the same armor I saw guards wearing. The next thing I noticed made me freeze for a second. The other person lying on the ground was impaled with a wooden spike. Not moving, in a pool of what most definitely was blood. After the initial shock, I realized a few things. One, the innkeeper was entangled with vines coming out from the tree in the middle. Two, the only person standing was also pierced with a wooden spike, but through his hand. The guy moved to the tied innkeeper on the ground, picked something up from near him, pocketed it, and after a brief consideration kicked him a few times in the stomach. He checked up on his companion in the pool of blood. He apparently realized the same thing as me, because he again walked up to the innkeeper and this time kicked him right in the face, after which he started dragging him through the wreckage towards the inn, using the vines he was bound with. That was absolutely not something I wanted to be a part of. Sadly, my wish was bound to not come true, because seconds later I heard someone loudly trying to open the door, after which a few bangs and yelling. By the time I managed to get a closer look through the window, they were already gone, and judging from the noises downstairs, already inside. 9. Intrusion I could hear muffled noises of opening doors and rummaging through the inn. I was at a crossroads. Whoever that was, they were definitely looking for something here, and judging by the magnitude of noises, they were getting increasingly impatient. If they are not going to find whatever they are looking for, they would come to me for sure, especially because the bedroom of the owner was right next door. As to confirm my thoughts, I could now hear someone going up the stairs and starting opening the doors on my floor, one after another. I could either hope they will find whatever they need before they get to my room, or to run away through the window. Neither of those seemed like it would end well, so I went with a more direct approach. When I heard another door slamming shut and opening again, I poked my head out of my room. -Excuse me, what is this commotion all about? Right as I spoke, he instantly pointed his finger at me. He was wearing a silver ring, with a large green crystal. Now, when he got close I noticed that it had to be the same guy I saw with the merchant back when I arrived. He still was wearing the same armor, but now it was torn in a few places and on the belly there was a massive hole in it. He was clutching his hand to it, which was now bandaged with some cloth and soaked in blood. -You... He tried standing straight, but only winced in pain. -Arbo Guard Force. I am on duty. Please do not obstruct the investigation. That worked for me. -Of course, of course - I put my hands up, making my lack of an arm clearly visible. - But that looks nasty. What''s going on? Are you alright? -I must inform you that the owner of this establishment is an outlaw wanted on the continent. I need to search through this place, and that includes your room, so please move aside. -Please go ahead. I am not gonna obstruct the law. - I replied, stepping back, letting him enter my room. He lowered his hand and walked in, looking carefully for something, still clutching his belly. He apparently did not find anything, cause after looking through the wardrobe he turned back to me. -Everything is in order. Please remain in your room until I complete my search, after which I will have to close this establishment, so please, prepare to leave. -Leave? I paid up front! And I have no means of transport to leave this place. -I am sorry for your loss, but I cannot refund you your money. This whole place will be closed and the right of ownership transferred. You will have to discuss that with the new owner, whenever it''s gonna be decided on who that will be. The means of transport can be arranged, but you will have to wait until the investigation is complete. Then I will be taking the culprit to the mainland, and you will be welcome to join us on the journey. Sorry for the inconvenience. For what I knew, he could''ve been telling the truth. The place was indeed fishy, along with the innkeeper. I decided to go along with it, since it was pretty convenient to me - I was getting an easy way to get out of there. -If you can arrange the transport then I am more than okay with it. -Very well. Excuse me then. And he went back to his search. That went a lot more smoothly than expected. For all that I knew he might''ve been an actual officer sent here to investigate this place. I couldn''t help but wonder what he was looking for, and what will happen if he is not gonna find it, judging by the way he "searched through" my room. I was pretty sure that it was in the sealed room downstairs, and I didn''t think anyone would notice that there was a door there without seeing the room beforehand. Few minutes later I started hearing some more noises and grunts in the corridor outside my door. I peeked my head out. It was the guard again, this time he was trying to open the door to what I thought was the innkeeper''s bedroom, but the door was locked. The noise was him trying to kick down the door and grunting in pain every time he hit the door. After a few bangs he gave up, and instead he put a hand on his ring. When he moved his hand from his stomach I realized that his wounds were worse than I thought. The most of the blood that I thought was from his hand was actually from the wound under his armor. I couldn''t see it very well but judging by the amount of blood, it was not pretty. -Sorry but I will need you to move aside for a moment. I have to use magic and I don''t want to hit you by accident. -Uh, sure. I stepped out of the room and took a few steps back giving him some space. I didn''t hear the spell, but the effect was quite something. With strained cracking, I noticed something growing right by the door. A sapling. It slowly started growing into the hinges, which started creaking, slowly stretching, and soon after breaking. With a face full of a mix of concentration and pain he started guiding the branches through the hinges, trying to destroy them. It was a weird way to get through the door, but it was working. Since the spell was pretty concentrated and contained, I started wondering why he told me to move away. Even if he lost his concentration, the growth rate was so slow that anyone would easily move away. Right as I thought that, he was getting to the last hinge on the top of the door. As he stood up to reach it easier, he flinched, apparently upsetting his wound, and just like that, he lost control of the spell. The effect was quite spectacular. The small sapling shot up into the ceiling, breaking through the remaining hinge and going straight through the roof. Before he managed to regain concentration and stop it, the tree was already thicker than my arm and started sprouting leaves. Some branches started growing through the ceiling onto the roof, breaking it, showering us with broken wood and dust. -Woah, careful! - I yelled, jumping even further backwards. -Sorry. Well, he managed to get through the door, but talk about overkill. At least I knew how that massive tree sprouted in the other house. When you start learning magic, one of the first steps is to learn how to shut down your mana flow, to not exhaust yourself via accidents like this. And he was supposed to be one of the people sent after a wanted person? Even taking his wounds into consideration, it was no excuse. By the time I processed what just happened he was already inside the room, looking around. My room was now blocked by the pile of rubble and some branches. Well, I didn''t really care, but now I had no place to sleep. I looked at the other rooms - every door was sealed with some kind of a wooden growth, forming a large "X". He soon left the room with no distinct expression on his face. -This concludes my search. I am sorry for blocking your room, but I had no choice. No choice? More like you were incompetent. -Well, I guess I will have to spend the night downstairs - I smiled. - Are you staying here as well? -Indeed. I have sealed all the homes before making my way here, so this is now the only place open. -Sealed? -Yes - he pointed at the doors with wooden growths on them. - This whole village was the property of that innkeeper, so it will all now be under the lockdown until further notice. Please, follow me downstairs so I can explain how we will proceed with the transport. -Oh, ok¡­ I followed him to the main floor. The sight was quite unusual. In the place where he grew that tree upstairs, here you could see actual roots that were molded into the ceiling, snaking and spreading from one point, each one in a spiral-like pattern. If you didn''t know what happened upstairs you''d thought that it was some kind of decoration or a relief. Most of the ground floor was otherwise untouched, besides one table that had been knocked over, and next to it there was the innkeeper, bound by a wooden growth, similar to those that the guy had been putting on all the doors. The other door that was leading to the kitchen and the hidden room were already sealed as well. That meant that either he never found the room or there was nothing interesting in all those documents, which was hard to believe. -Please do not approach the prisoner. -Is he dangerous? - I asked, taking a closer look, looking for the crystal he was using earlier, which was seemingly missing. -No, his magic crystal has been confiscated, but there is always a possibility that he will fight back physically - he replied, pointing at his wounds - So please keep your distance. The man on the floor looked at me. His mouth was tightly bound with a vine, so he couldn''t speak, but his eyes were determined. I don''t know what was on his mind, but he definitely didn''t look defeated or resigned, so I decided to heed the warnings and sat at the bar. The guard sat at one of the empty tables and groaned in pain. -So, about transport¡­ - He started, while clutching his stomach - We are going to leave tomorrow. We¡­ I have a ship stationed near the port. While he said that, the eyes of the man on the floor widened, and he also started listening carefully to the conversation. -You do? - I asked, surprised - I never saw it while I was there. -It was hidden. -Oh. Why are we staying the night here then? I would prefer not having to sleep on the floor any more than it is necessary. -I am again sorry for the current situation, but I need to finish a few things before leaving. I can''t stress it enough, I never expected that someone else would be still on this island besides the culprit, so I wasn''t exactly prepared for these circumstances, but it is what it is. I have already done everything that is possible to move as soon as I can but there are still things that need to be done. -I guess I have no choice. But what am I supposed to do until then? My room is inaccessible, nor is any building for that matter. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. -I need you to stay here for the time being. And also not to leave my sight for that matter. -What, am I now being detained as well? -No, no, of course not. It is unlikely that you are working with him - he said, kicking the innkeeper. - But better safe than sorry. He looked at me with a hint of distrust. -It is rare that innocent and oblivious people find this place, but it is possible. -This again¡­ I am going to say the same thing that I said to this guy - I pointed at the bound man. - I was supposed to be dropped off at the continent, but for some reason I got dumped here. In short, I got scammed. -Hmm. No matter. He stayed quiet for a good minute, looking at me and the innkeeper, seemingly deciding something, after which he turned his back to us and muttered something. A yellowish-green light suddenly flooded the room and disappeared almost immediately after. Startled, I looked towards the guard. He turned back towards us with a hint of relief on his face. My guess is, he probably used some kind of a helping spell, which was actually pretty impressive. After a while he made up his mind and walked up to the man on the floor, casting some spell. The wooden growth that was binding him sprung to life and sprouted vines that started wrapping around itself, forming about two meter long makeshift rope. It then wrapped itself around the wrist of the guard. He pulled out a small knife from somewhere and cut the vine that was binding his legs. -Stand up. We are moving. -I thought we were supposed to leave tomorrow? -Yes, but I am not risking the escape of this one. With this wound and an additional¡­ baggage¡­ - he looked at me. - I am not taking any chances. -Rude. But understandable. Lead the way then. I stood up and followed him outside the building. The innkeeper first was resisting a bit, but after a smack in the head with a hilt of a dagger he changed his mind and followed suit. He led us to the ruined house, the one with the sprouted tree. For the first time I was able to see up close the destruction that a fast growing tree can make. The front of the house was completely destroyed. The base of the tree was about where the main door used to be. The back wall of the first room was distorted by the roots that rapidly spread through the wooden floor, in similar fashion to the tree back in the inn. The roof was mostly destroyed by the branches that sprouted right through it, and was now a pile of rubble in the attic of the house. I couldn''t really tell from that side, but the back of the house seemed mostly intact. And in the middle of where the room used to be there was indeed a person. Or to be clear - a body. I could now clearly see that that was the other guard - the same guy that was guarding the stalls with the other one. He was wearing the same armor and he had a similar looking wound in the middle of his stomach. But it was a lot worse. He was pierced through with a long, sharp wooden spike that was lying broken a bit further away, covered in blood. Something that looked like a base of that spike was sticking out from the floor behind the tree. And most importantly - he was most definitely dead. I expected that already, but seeing an actual corpse up close is definitely a different experience. Especially of someone you saw not so long ago alive and kicking. I just stopped in the middle of the street and stood there, unsure what to do with myself. Seeing a dead body up close did not shake me as much as expected, but still was not a pleasant experience. -I am sorry for bringing you here - the guard started, kneeling by the corpse - but before we leave I have to take care of this mess. I did not answer. He picked the body up and carried it into the forest. We followed him, the bound innkeeper didn''t have much choice in the matter really, but since we got here he was glaring at the corpse and the guard with a weird expression on his face. I couldn''t really place it, but if I was to guess, it was a mix of guilt and hate. And maybe a bit of fear. After a minute of a walk, the guard stopped and placed the body by one of the trees. He fixed him into a sitting position and then cast a spell. The tree sprouted some new branches, just by the ground. Like vines, they started wrapping around the body, slowly growing thicker and thicker. Soon enough, the layer of wood covered it whole, and after another minute it disappeared completely. It just looked like a tree trunk with a growth on the side and a slightly thicker root. That was definitely an unusual way to have a funeral, but considering the circumstances, it was quite nice. I slowly started to feel sorry for the guy. -I am done - he said after a while. He stood up, clutching his wound again. -I know that''s a bit rude, but care to explain a little bit about¡­ that? - I gestured towards the broken house. -He resisted arrest - he replied dryly. - I acted in self defense. -Self defense¡­ with a tree? -Yes. -And the other person¡­ -We got attacked. We both got hit. I got lucky. He didn''t. -I am sorry for your loss - I said, feeling like I won''t get anything more out of him on this subject. -You don''t have to. I did not know him for long. We just got paired up for this job. That was a bit cold, but I couldn''t help but notice that he was shaking. I guess seeing someone die in front of you would do that to you. I decided to not push him and just dropped the subject. -So we are ready to leave? Any other unfinished business? -You seem to be eager to leave - He pointed out, calming down his shivering. - Any particular reason? -Not really. After you arrested this guy there is basically no one left on the island besides us. Why would I want to stay here? His expression changed dramatically. He was now on full alert. -Basically no one? What did that supposed to mean? Have you seen somebody? Who? Where? -Whoa, easy¡­ - he surprised me with that barrage of questions. - What''s up with that reaction? -Answer - he touched his ring, looking at me with suspicion. In the corner of my eye I noticed that the bound man was now also looking at me. But his look was almost like he was begging for something. This situation was something I did not expect. But I think I knew what the innkeeper was on about. -Calm down. As I got here some stupid merchant scammed me for quite a bit of gold. I thought he might be still here, because I didn''t believe that guy - I pointed at the innkeeper - but if you say you checked everywhere, he must have really fled as soon as he could. I guess I won''t get my money back. -A merchant? -Yes. Weren''t you there? I am pretty sure you even saw me enter the town for the first time. What''s this all about? -Nothing - he took his hand off his gem. - I thought you found someone else. -You mean you are looking for someone here? What, his partner in crime? He didn''t answer. I had a good idea who he was looking for. If that merchant was not his target, as far as I knew there was only one person that was in this town. The kid. That would also explain the looks that the innkeeper was giving me during this exchange. For whatever reason, this guy was after his son. I had a good idea where the kid might be hidden, and the innkeeper knew that. Even if he was indeed a wanted criminal, I did not feel like giving up a kid to this man just yet. Especially after that clear display of hostility. For now I decided to get off this, apparently sensitive, topic. -So where are we going now? You still did not tell me that. -To the ship. We are leaving. -You know, I was in the port today and haven''t seen any boats over there. You said it''s hidden but it''s hard to believe that I missed a whole ship. -But you did. It was hidden with magic when we got here, so it was to be expected. -Ooh, impressive. I didn''t know such spells existed. That was a lie. I expected that it was hidden with magic, but judging by what the hag told me, he shouldn''t be able to use more than one element. Was he an "abomination" as well? -Is he really worth that much of an effort? - I continued the conversation. - Something like that must not be easy to pull off. How much is he worth? -What, you looking for a cut? Ha, so there was a bounty. -No, no, I don''t want to have anything to do with this. I am just curious, that''s all. -100 platinum. And anyone found accompanying him twice as much. I had no idea how much that was, but It was safe to assume that platinum was more expensive than gold by quite a bit. That also explained why he was so persistent about the search. -That a nice sum. What the hell did he do? And why so much more for others? -He is known for illegal slave trade, and he apparently enslaved someone he shouldn''t have, thus the higher price for others, to guarantee their safety. That was alarming. Illegal slave trade? That clearly meant that a legal one existed. And that was not good news. Not letting this revelation change my expression I continued our talk like nothing happened. -Ah, I get it, you hope that I am one of those people so you get some more money. He twitched. I guessed right. -No. I can tell that you are not one of his slaves. But that does not mean I am going to leave you on this deserted island. I started doubting that it was his good heart that guided him to that decision. Well, whatever his reasoning was, this was the easiest way to get to the continent, so I didn''t mind. I planned to ditch them as soon as possible anyway. After a brief march, we finally reached the port. Nothing changed since I last was there, that included the distinct lack of boats. I stopped on the pier and looked expectantly at my escort. Without a word, looking down at his feet, he walked past me a few steps. Then he turned right towards the water¡­ and disappeared. -What in the¡­ The space where he disappeared in, started now weirdly pulsing, and the image of the water was distorted. The rope that he had wrapped around his arm was floating above the water, disappearing into this weird pulsing distortion in the air. Following it, I leaned forward and as soon as I reached the point where the rope vanished, I felt something hard. There, in the space where he disappeared, I could feel something like a dome, cold to the touch. Every time I touched it, the distortion pulsed, letting me see parts of the bubble. I couldn''t really tell how big it was, but it definitely stretched as far as I could reach with my hand, without falling into the water. -Give me a second - I heard from somewhere in front of me. Seconds later, I almost lost my balance, because the invisible thing I was leaning on disappeared, or rather it appeared for a second - it was a big blue bubble floating in the water - and then vanished, revealing a boat, and on the deck there was the guard, holding in his hand a blue crystal, as big as his head. -Get on. Without much of a thought I climbed on, using a small ladder made of vines, similar to those that I''ve seen him use to tie down the innkeeper. The ship was about 6 meters in length and 2 in width. On the deck there was a small cabin that extended below the deck, on top of which there was a large, green sail. On the back side there was a rudder, and that was about it. It was pretty primitive if you ask me, but a boat is a boat. There was also the matter of the weird spell that was hiding it beforehand. The guard now started to pull the innkeeper to the deck, but making a bound man climb a ladder wasn''t exactly an easy task, especially when the person of interest is not exactly keen on cooperating. Using that as a distraction, I started inspecting the crystal, which was now lying on the floor near the main cabin. It was unusually light for its size, but besides that seemed similar to all other gems I''ve seen so far. It was almost see-through though, which I found odd, considering it was used to fuel such an interesting spell. I tried lifting it to the light, to take a better look and thanks to that I realized something - the crystal wasn''t light nor see-through. It was hollow. It was just a shell that got used up and was now at its last legs. As I put down the crystal, my "companion" finally managed to get the prisoner up the deck and started dragging him below the deck. Downstairs was pretty barren, it was just an empty room with a round table in the middle. I couldn''t see very well in the dark, but there was a magic circle burned into the table top, with a three legged circular stand in the middle. I couldn''t decipher the spell itself without light, but I assumed that was what the crystal was for. The guard dragged the prisoner into the furthest corner of the room and then bound his legs again, using the rope that he was using as a leash up till now. Then he went back and brought the crystal back from the deck and placed it on the stand. Instantly, the whole room lit up with a glow of the crystal and I started feeling an uncomfortable tingling in my arm. -Done - he exclaimed. - We can sail now. He again went back on the deck, but this time he started hoisting the sails and preparing for departure. I followed him outside. Now the blue bubble was back. It was surrounding the whole boat from every side, and, looking down, it was even under the water. That was some interesting spell, but I couldn''t stop wondering how long it''s gonna last. 10. Voyage -So, how long is it gonna take? -We should get to the other side before the next nightfall. -Hmm. He finished unfurling the sails and then sat at the rudder. -You can go downstairs now, if I need you for something I will call. Or in other words: "Stop looking at me, I don''t want you to see how to operate this boat". -Fine, fine¡­ I was curious about the spell on the table anyway, so I took my opportunity to check it out up close without him breathing down my neck. The prisoner was still in the corner, he glanced at me while I entered, but soon lost interest when he realized I wasn''t there for him. The table and the gem was still glowing in the middle of the room, so now I could read some runes that made up the spell that covered the boat. The spell consisted of two parts - two circles. The outer one represented the invisibility spell. Well, it was not exactly true - more like an illusion - it was written in such a way that it simply created an image of what was immediately next to it, like an intelligent mirror. That was why, when something got close to it, the illusion started to distort, not knowing what image to project. The second layer was just a simple barrier with one condition - it simply rejected all living matter that was not in its space during the time the spell was cast. Both circles were fueled by magic from the crystal in the middle. There was no real indication for the remaining power in the crystal, and sustaining two area spells at once had to drain quite a bit. I was tempted to inspect it a bit more, but I did not want to disrupt the spell, and also I was not keen on showing that I can read this, for all that I knew the guard and innkeeper both could be oblivious to that and I would like for it to stay that way for as long as possible. I could already see a few modifications I could add, but for now I decided to restrain myself and not dabble with the circles themselves. I did try to read the whole spell formula and commit it to memory, it would be a nice training for me, since I couldn''t rely now on anything besides my brain. It would be a lot easier if I had a pen and paper, but of course someone had to be stingy. I looked at the prisoner angrily. After a while I realized something. My meditation about all this, plus the inspection of the circles took me a good chunk of time and focus, thanks to which I didn''t notice before - we were not moving. We were still in the same place. We have not moved even from the pier. The guard was still at the rudder, but was kneeling this time and had his back turned to me. Preoccupied with something, he was muttering to himself, apparently busy. Without a word, I came closer and looked over his shoulder, to see what the hell he has been doing all this time. Right in front of where he was kneeling, on the floor, there was a small open hatch, the size of a hand. Every now and then he was putting his hand inside it, muttering something, freezing for a second and then repeating the process over and over again. I took a step back, not knowing what got into him. -Ehem - I tried getting his attention. - Are we there yet? He stood up and turned to me, startled, slamming the hatch shut. -What''s going on? -I¡­ We¡­ Ekhem - he cleared his throat and was now back to regular cold demeanor. - There is an issue. -Well no shit! - I said, gesturing towards the forest and the pier. - Care to explain? -We are apparently out of power. -The hell is that supposed to mean? Also why did it take so long to notice? No answer. -So what now? Any backup boats or something? -Let me think. If you ask me, he had enough time to think this through ten times over, but I just shrugged and leaned over the side, looking at the calm sea. -You know, I do really want to leave this place. And I can be useful. Maybe I don''t have an arm, but I am not the dumbest one out there. "We are out of power"... Can''t you be more specific than that? Maybe I can figure something out - I finally said, running out of patience. -Pff, right. -Oh come on, what do you have to lose? We are stuck together until the wind picks up, and that is unlikely, so why not tell me at least what''s wrong. He just looked at me. -You seem so sure of yourself. He went silent for a moment, and then finally started. -Well we do not have any alternate ways of transport, this boat was supposed to be more than enough for any circumstance. -Well not considering the weather in your plans seems like a pretty big oversight to me. -This boat does not care about the winds. Annoyed mildly, I pointed at the sail. -Looks like it cares to me, don''t you think? Not moved by any of this, he continued. -We need wind, that is right. But this boat is capable of generating it on demand. -Now we are getting somewhere. And I guess, whatever this wind generator is, is now out of power. -Not really - his voice cracked for a second. -This here - he pointed at the hatch which I saw before - is a part of a spell that would generate wind. He opened the hatch. -You are supposed to place a source of energy here, like a crystal. -Don''t you have one of those? There is that glowing one downstairs¡­ -Indeed. But we need to keep the barriers up to get through the waters anyways, so I can''t use it for this. -So we need another one? Also, then how did you get here then if that''s the case? Wouldn''t you need to have two? What happened to the other one? That could be problematic. I had a few shards of the crystal from the lab, but I highly doubted that they would work, and even if they did, they were so small anyway they wouldn''t last for long. That, and I did not find showing them to a random guard a good idea. -I am getting to it. There is an alternate way to power it. -And let me guess - I interrupted him - the alternate way is dangerous or unreliable or something like that and you don''t want to use it. Right? He looked at me, annoyed. -No. It is not. That is how we got here. -What is the problem then? -If you won''t stop interrupting then I might tell you. -Okay, okay, I will shut up. -So - he continued - as an alternate power you can use yourself. Instead of a crystal, you place your hand here - he pointed at the hatch - and it uses your own mana as energy. But the problem is, I don''t know how to activate it. I never actually did it by myself - he finished, his voice cracking at the end. -Ah. I guess he had a guide before. It was weird that he never got curious about that and asked him, I definitely would. -Can you really not just use the other crystal¡­ -No - he replied, adamant on that point for some reason. -Can I see what is in there? - I pointed at the hatch - There has to be a magic circle in there, maybe I can figure out how this thing works¡­ -Pff. You are really full of yourself. But don''t bother. It''s all in Forgotten Script. -Can I take a look anyway? -Go ahead - he moved away from the hatch. -Thanks. Do you have a torch or something? It''s dark here. - I asked, while looking inside. -Give me a second. He pulled out a small crystal piece, like I saw lighting up the inn before, but completely dark. He shook it a bit and it instantly lit up with a dim glow. -It''s weak, but should be enough. - He said, giving me the crystal. -Well, let''s see then. I kneeled down by the hatch with the guy observing my every move. I looked inside. The opening was actually an access point to the layer of wood below the deck. The part I could see through was the center of a magic circle that was connected to something else, most likely another one. Like to confirm my observation, the guard said: -Below deck there is another layer of wood, fully covered in Forgotten Script. If you activate it, you can summon winds strong enough to sail. That did not sound right. Why would a simple wind spell need so much writing? Either he was lying, or he was just that ignorant. Judging by his behavior and failures before, I would''ve guessed it was the latter. Whichever it was, the exposed part was just gibberish to me, without the rest it would be impossible to decipher. But my attention caught something else. On the hatch itself there was also some writing, and it was not part of that circle, or any other for that matter. It was actually exactly what he was looking for - instructions. Three spells to be exact, all short. All written in Forgotten Script, but still, mostly understandable, while a bit ambiguous. -You know that there are notes here, right? -Yes, I am not that stupid. In Forgotten Script, so it is useless. -I mean, I can read those¡­ -OH! - he looked at me, his eyes wide open. Again I was surprised with his lack of knowledge. Was he really that uneducated or was this common among people now? How do people write spells if they don''t know this much? -I mean that''s great. Ehm. Yes. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. -Don''t try that hard¡­ -What? - he asked, confused. -Nothing - I sighed. - There are three spells here. I assume you want the "wind" one? -Yes. -It''s hipiso zurxa. -That''s what it was! Damn I knew I was close. -You were close? - this time he confused me. -I tried a few incantations before, but none of those worked. I was a few syllables off it seems. I was left speechless. This dumb oaf randomly tried incantations on a circle size of a boat. I couldn''t even imagine how many times he could''ve killed us all if one of those were an actual spell. -Just¡­ just cast the damn spell, will you? I had enough attractions for today. And I definitely had enough of him for my whole life. -Hipiso zurxa! The wind around us instantly picked up and got picked up by the sail. I didn''t know if that was again that dumbass'' fault, but it had the strength of a small storm. The wooden mast started creaking loudly, strained in the wind. We both almost got thrown off board when the boat instantly picked speed, leaving the bay. -Holy shit! Calm it down, you will destroy the sail! -No worries! It can take it! - he was now smiling, sitting confidently with one hand at the rudder and the other in the hatch. - With this speed we will get to the other side even quicker than I thought! Indeed, the boat was pretty fast. It was pretty bizarre to see us going full sail, when the water was completely still with no wind. The spell apparently generated wind only just in our close proximity, so the only thing making waves was our boat. -Ah whatever. I''m going below deck. It''s less windy. As soon as I got downstairs I noticed it was a lot brighter there. Though the ceiling didn''t have any cracks to speak of, since it was all one big piece of wood, the wood itself was glowing in a few places. As I looked closer, it was indeed coming from the place where the guy sat, fueling the circle. I tried my hand at reading it, but it was blurry enough to be unreadable. It had to be part of the spell though, there was no mistaking it. The prisoner was a lot less calm this time, looking from the glowing wood to me, nervously moving in his binds. -Yeah, I know, this light is really unsettling - I said half to myself, half to him. Without waiting for his reaction I focused my attention back at the crystal in the middle of the room. Thanks to the glow from the ceiling and the shard I had in my hand, the crystal looked even worse than before. I swear, if I was to pick it up, it would''ve crumbled down into dust. Wondering how this thing still works, I sat down on the other side of the cabin and tried resting for a minute. I couldn''t shake off the weird itchy feeling in my arm and it started bothering me. The boat was pleasantly swaying, so I laid down on the floor, looking at the glowing ceiling, listening to the sea and creaking wood. It was weirdly mesmerizing. I don''t know how long I laid there, but it had to be a long while. I was weirdly drifting at the border of being asleep, yet painfully conscious of everything around me, including the wooden floor, which definitely was not comfortable to try and sleep on. When I noticed that the boat started to slow down, it was, if I was to guess, the middle of the day, maybe later. The prisoner near me was loudly snoring on the other side of the room. -I''m glad at least one person here managed to have a good sleep - I muttered to myself and went outside to check where we were. I was greeted by the infinite ocean. Yea, that would be the best way to describe that. Nothing, not even a scrap of land in any direction. And the guard, soundly asleep at the rudder, his hand no longer in the hatch, where he was supposed to fuel the spell. -And I said only one of us slept well. Wake up! I got no answer. -I said, wake up, you lazy ass! - I kicked him in the ankle. Still no answer. I tried shaking him. Still, he was not responding. -Ok, what the hell is going on¡­ I checked his pulse. Surprisingly it was still there, but it was odd. His heart was beating about once every 10 seconds. That was definitely not normal. Also, since I was now pretty close, his breath was barely noticeable as well. I tried shaking him once again, but with no effect, I only managed to reopen his wound on the stomach and get dirty with his blood. Then I remembered - he was supposedly fighting the innkeeper back on the island. It wasn''t a big stretch to think that he could''ve used some poison. That would also explain why he wasn''t fighting back that much, he was just waiting for the chance to slip away when the poison started working. -Why did it have to be in the middle of the ocean though¡­ - I groaned. - Well at least I have the culprit on hand¡­ Without much of a thought I grabbed the dagger from his belt, left the guard and went back downstairs. I didn''t notice before, but the glow on the ceiling disappeared. No wonder, since the guy was unconscious upstairs. The prisoner was still snoring, lying on the floor. -Wake up - I tapped him a few times with my foot. As soon as he saw me leaning down with a dagger in hand, he recoiled and straightened up, his back against the wall. -Easy. I am here to talk. I sat in front of him. -You fought the guy upstairs, right? It seems your efforts finally paid off. He is out coldfod now but now we have a problem. I am gonna ungag you now. I cut the vine that was preventing him from speaking. -What do you mean he''s out cold? - he asked instantly, spitting out the remains of the vine. -I found him unconscious just now. It seems the wound you gave him has started to work its magic. A glint of understanding appeared on his face. -I see, you want something in return. I rolled my eyes. -Listen man, do you know where the fuck are we? We are in the middle of the ocean. What I want is to get on land, preferably on the continent. Too bad I have no idea where that is. -And you want me to help? -Isn''t that obvious? Listen, I know you are not just an innkeeper, no one would put that much effort for just some innkeeper. And after looking at your kid I also don''t think you are just some slave runner. I honestly don''t know what you are, but you are definitely capable. I am gonna untie you now, and you are gonna help me reach some land. Deal? -I don''t think you have another choice, do you? - he smiled slyly - I don''t know how you know, but I indeed can navigate this waters pretty well. -You don''t know shit about me - I replied, but I cut his binds anyway. - Consider this a gesture of good faith. -Right, right. He stood up, rubbing his wrists and started stretching out. -Congratulations on your freedom, now come on. We both went up on the deck. -You weren''t kidding about being in the middle of the ocean - he exclaimed while looking at the horizon. -Stop joking, start helping. -Well, don''t get me wrong, I am thankful you freed me - he said, while looking at the unconscious guard - but wouldn''t you be better off alone? It''s not that hard to steer a boat and you know which way the continent is supposed to be. So what gives? I looked at him irritated -As you are well aware, I am not from here. I only have a general direction as one and only point of reference, that was given to me by some questionable individual. True, I could''ve just sailed blindly and sooner or later I would''ve probably hit some land. But by then I would''ve had at least one corpse on this deck. I would like to avoid that. So stop questioning and just get to it. That, and I also did not want to pass the occasion of getting some more info about him as well. All those stories about slavery and bounties peaked my curiosity. -Well, whatever. But we have another problem. You have some oars or something? -Don''t worry about that. You better come here and get to navigating. -Well, we are kind of on the right course. But how are you gonna¡­ -This boat got itself a magic circle with some kind of a wind spell. Just activate it and we will be on our way - I pointed at the hatch. -Ah so that''s what you need me for. You can''t use it yourself - he exclaimed, laughing. - Very well. Let''s go then. I didn''t answer. It was better for me to keep him oblivious. As soon as I told him the words, he activated the circle and the wind around us picked up, just like before. But this time, they weren''t that storm-like. It appeared that I was right - the guard was just absolutely awful at controlling it. -This thing is pretty handy - he said while steering the boat. - We should be on land in a few hours. -I heard that one already - I replied, dragging the guard down below deck. - Man, he''s heavy. What the hell did you do to him? -Nothing. -Riiight¡­ I put him down exactly where the innkeeper used to be bound, not like there was much space on the boat to begin with. -So, which way are we heading? - I asked my companion as I emerged from below the deck. -I am obviously getting back home. As you know I am a wanted man. -Ahh¡­ right. I was hoping to get somewhere else than that small island but whatever. I sat down by the sail and looked at him. -Also, are you wanted, really? You don''t look like some criminal to me. What''s your story? -You really want to know? -I mean, we have nothing but time now. And I want to know who am I helping to escape the law. -The law - he spat into the ocean. - I guess I will tell you, since you helped me. His story - he pointed at the guard - is not completely wrong. The island we were on is basically black market for slaves. And since I do have some business there I guess you can say that I profit from that. And judging from this guy''s appearance, someone up there doesn''t like that, most likely cause taxes or some other stupid shit like that. -Slavery. So that was true. -Ye. Got a problem with that? - he asked, mockingly. -A few. But that is for the people that legalized it, so I will keep that to myself. -Hah! Good one - he laughed - Blame elves then, it''s their trade. Elves. That was a new one. This place started getting more interesting by the minute. -If I ever meet one, I will. -You are on the right track. I heard there is quite a bit on the continent. -You never been there? -Not in an elven city, no. I am busy here most of the time. -With what? You said it yourself, the island is half dead. He mumbled something under his nose. -Enough about me. What are you doing here, really? Don''t tell me you actually just landed here accidentally. -Sadly that is true. And I am deeply hurt that you did not believe me the first time - I sighed, looking into the distance. - I don''t really have much to say about myself. I''m just a traveler floating here and there, trying to make a coin and get to know the world a little bit in the meantime. -Where are you from? -From nowhere. My home got destroyed by an earthquake a while back. Including everyone I knew. Since then I''ve been traveling, mostly at sea, from ship to ship, sometimes as a stowaway, sometimes not. The last one dumped me on your island, assuring me that it is the continent. I hoped to get to some city for a change and earn a few coins. I obviously made up most of that story, but it looked like he bought it without a question. -Tough luck. I guess they just wanted to get rid of you, and what''s the better way than to drop you off at the island full of slavers. Too bad they also got unlucky since they managed to drop in during the off time. You got any enemies? Probably someone just paid them more than you. -Huh. I don''t think so¡­ Did that hag just want to get rid of me? But that wouldn''t make sense. Why would she give me money then? To lull my vigilance? That seemed far-fetched¡­ -But you might be onto something¡­ We sat in silence only disturbed by the sea for a long while. -This is a nice boat¡­ - he finally interrupted the silence out of the blue. - Say, how did you know the words needed to start it? -It''s written right where you have your hand. -Ah, you can understand that¡­ -Yeah, I learned during my travels. It got in handy in more situations than you''d think. Some were similar to this. -Really? You''ll have to tell me some time. -Maybe... - I wasn''t in the mood to make up a story to satisfy him, so instead I asked a question that was bothering me for a while. -But instead of this I have a question. -Ask away. -What are we gonna do with that guy? - I gestured towards the lower deck. - And for how long will he be like that? -That is a good question actually - he said, frowning. - I actually don''t know. -What to do with him or for how long he''s gonna be out cold? -Both. -That is a surprise. Didn''t you kill his partner earlier? And also why do you even use something you aren''t sure the effects of? He sighed. -That is not easy to answer. I did kill him but that was during the fight. I''m not gonna stab a defenseless person. Also, not like I did it with premeditation - he muttered under his breath. -Good. That means I didn''t make a mistake freeing you. I guess we''ll have to figure it out when he awakens. Speaking of which, you really don''t know how long this is gonna last? -No. -Any more details? He went silent for a moment. -It''s not a problem of "how long". It''s more like "what". -Now you confused me. -You already know I use green magic. It doesn''t take much to figure out. During our fight I used wooden spike projectiles, I didn''t create any poison. -So why is he out then? -Let me finish. Those spikes always take the properties of the wood they made off. And they are always made of the wood that is around me when I cast it. Judging by what happened, the home we fought in had to be made of some poisonous plant, or something like that. -That is an interesting spell. But what now then? Are you gonna drag him along with you or what? -We need to get back to that house. I''m gonna check the wood and we''ll go from there. -"We?" Since when is that a ¡°we¡± thing? -Since now I guess. You did free me, didn''t stab me and told me how to operate this boat. The least thing I can do is to trust you a little bit. He smiled. -That and you are traveling with a wanted man, if we ever meet someone like that guy again, I don''t think they''ll believe your story. -Fair. I kind of asked for it. Ah, and the last thing. I stood up and extended my hand. -My name is Mor. He did not stand up, since he was basically glued to the magic circle, but he shook my hand anyway. -And I am Jack. -Pleasure to meet you. 11. Deadbeat -Now with pleasantries aside¡­ - he said while I was sitting back down - Do you know anything about the poisoned guy? -He said he''s from some guard force. Didn''t you say before he was your employee? -Because he was. They both arrived about a month or so ago when I was looking for mercenaries to work as a new guard force. Didn''t know much about them, but they did not ask many questions which worked for me. -New guard force? What happened to the old one? -Nothing. Just left. I don''t keep the same people hired for long. -Mhm. Why this curiosity now? -I want to know who I pissed off so much. -So you think they are not from the Arbo guard, or whatever, as he said? -They might be both. That''s why I''m asking you. I thought he might have told you something. -Nope. But I have an idea. I went back below deck to where the guard was lying. -You won''t mind if I search through your stuff, will you? He obviously did not answer. -I thought so. He did not have much on him, just a small pouch on the belt and the ring with the gem. I took them both and opened the pouch. Inside there was another green gem, a very small one, a brooch that looked like the one the innkeeper used, a few coins and a letter. I opened it and started reading. You are to find the people of interest and deliver it to the capital. We have information that they are on the island. Do not raise suspicion, secrecy is imperative. When you are done, go back to the capital and in the inn at the outskirts ask for me. For the King O. -Well that is as vague as it gets¡­ - I said emerging on the deck. -What? I read him the contents of the paper. -And I think that might be yours - I handed him the brooch, putting the rest back into the pouch and hiding in my bag. -Oh, nice. Without that I feel like without my hand. -Ha, ha, very funny. Does any of that ring a bell? -Nothing comes to my mind. But that must be someone high up. "For the King"... That sounds like something that some noble would say¡­ - he sighed. - Well shit¡­ But why target me specifically? Am I worth that much? -Well your bounty is supposedly 100 platinum. And double for whoever is with you. -Holy shit! I didn''t think they would care that much¡­ - he added under his breath. -So you know something. -Well, a while ago I outbid some schmuck on some slave. Later I learned that he was working for a guy from the capital, but didn''t have any specific name. Damn. -Who did you buy? Even saying that left a bad aftertaste in my mouth. -That''s the thing. It was just some regular looking girl. Kinda looked like some peasant that had a streak of bad luck. Hearing that brought many unpleasant thoughts, but nonetheless I asked: -Where is she now? -Sorry, but that is a trade secret. I am not selling out my clients. -Well it''s your loss. I hope you got enough money from that trade. -Well, not really, funnily enough. She was like a few gold. I do wonder why she''s so important to the guy. Maybe someone up high likes them plain? -I heard enough - that last remark made me shudder. Poor girl. -I think there was something wrong with that sale but I can''t remember¡­ Well, whatever. I will have to check later when we arrive. -Speaking of which, when is that? - I asked, glad he changed the subject. -Not too long. This boat is faster than expected. Look, you can see the shore already. And sure enough, in the distance there was indeed something that looked like an island. -Hmm. Looks bigger than I thought it was¡­ By the way, are we gonna leave this guy on the boat? -For now, yes. Unless you want to carry him. -Oh hell no. Dragging him downstairs was enough for me, he''s heavy as shit. -I thought so - he laughed. - After I check the ruined house we''ll see what''s next. The rest of the trip passed in silence, and a while later we were back by the familiar pier. The innkeeper was actually quite skillful at sailing. He managed to control the winds and the boat to the degree that we stopped at the arms reach to the pier, before he finally cut the contact with the circle and the wind stopped completely. -Nice job. -No big deal. Being able to control the wind helped a lot. This is a nice boat. -Whatever you say. So, next stop, town? -Yeah. Let''s go. If anyone could see us then, they most likely wouldn''t believe their eyes: two men appearing out of nowhere at the pier and just walking towards town like nothing happened. -Man, this feels weird - I said, turning around at the emptiness that was our boat. -Yeah. I never thought about it but it had to look weird as shit when we were sailing. Just random waves appearing out of the blue on the water. Like a ghost ship or something. -I wonder how long this spell is gonna last¡­ -Stop wondering, we have shit to do. Let''s go - he said while going towards town. -We? More like you - I replied but followed him anyway. - I am not some genius alchemist that can recognize plants just by looking at them. And why do you care anyway? -I want to get our little friend to talk, that short letter is not enough. And for this I need him alive and conscious. -And what, you gonna make the antidote out of some planks? -You''ll see when we get there. With this remark ending our discussion we traveled back to town and to the ruined house. And the tree. First thing he did was inspect the tree. For me it looked like any other I saw on this island. He apparently came to the same conclusion. -This is weird, I expected for this tree to be out of the same wood as my spikes, but it apparently is not. It''s just a regular beech. -So what now then? He didn''t reply, instead he pulled out his crystal, kneeled down and cast some spell. As soon as I saw it glow I moved a few more steps back, but I was worried for nothing. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. A small sapling sprouted from the wood in front of him. It was magic similar to one that the guard used, but this time it did not get out of control. Either because he was better at controlling his magic or he was not wounded and poisoned, most likely a combination of both. But defying his expectations, the sapling was very similar to the tree. -I don''t get it - he exclaimed, still on his knees. -What? Spell failed or something? - I asked, coming closer, knowing that it''s obviously not the case. -I honestly don''t know. Look - he pointed at the sapling. - This is supposed to be the poisonous plant. Not a beech. -Hah, so it is - I looked at the plant. - I am not some kind of herbalist, but I can tell as much. So what? -That means those spikes I stabbed him with were just regular wood. And I have no idea why he is in a coma. -Well there goes your interrogation - I said calmly. - You sure you didn''t use some other spell? Or something? -I am not dumb. Granted, the encounter was pretty hectic, but I know what I did. This is definitely the same wood. -Well then, that means he got poisoned some other way. Your inn maybe? Somewhere on the way to the boat? -It''s an inn! Not some witch''s cottage where you have some weird plants on every wall! And wouldn''t you notice if he got stabbed or something on the way? You were pretty much all the time together. -So were you, I remind you. So what now? You gonna leave him on the boat? I would like to avoid that, I kinda want to use that boat to get to the continent. And I am not gonna take him with me. -Shit¡­ - he started mumbling something to himself, visibly distraught. After a while he apparently came to some kind of conclusion, because he stood up. -You know, fuck it. Let''s bring him to my inn. If he ever wakes up I can''t have him roaming the island and maybe calling some reinforcements on me. -Well, I don''t care. He''s your problem. He looked at me, annoyed. -Let me remind you, that if any word gets out about you helping me out, you will also be wanted. You said it yourself, double for accomplices. But don''t worry. I''ll make sure there won''t be any leaks. -Well, thanks. -Don''t thank me. Instead help me drag that fucker to me inn. -Oh no, I am not carrying a fully armored man all the way here. Getting him below deck was hard enough. Don''t you have some sort of spell you can use? -I have something even better. -Huh? And what that might be? -A wheelbarrow. With that amazing piece of technology pulled out of the stables, we made our way to the boat. On the way I couldn''t help but notice that even the wheelbarrow was made of mostly wood, only a few pieces like parts of the wheel and axis were metal. -Say, Jack, why are you people using just wood for basically everything? I can''t help but notice everything wooden. -You are in the land of the Green Mages. Well, sort of. Since everyone is using green magic, it''s the easiest way to make things. And the cheapest. -But isn''t it inconvenient? The wood is gonna rot sooner or later. And very flammable to boot. Aren''t you scared that one day some buildings will just gonna collapse out of old age? -Nah, that''s what the magic is for - he waved his hand dismissively. - You see, the wood the buildings are made of are not just planks or chopped down logs. They are actual living trees, just with their shapes changed accordingly. Thanks to that they never decay. -Hah. Smart. I couldn''t really tell from the looks of it. -And I can''t blame you. In some places it is a lot easier to notice, but in others, like here, they are different. Personal preferences of people who made them it''s my guess. -Curious. And who made yours? -Beats me. It was a long time ago. -Hm. Also a few buildings in the village are actually made from stone. Someone didn''t trust the green magic or something? -Hah, maybe. But I don''t know. As I said, it was a long time ago. But if they did, they made a mistake, right? Some of the stone ones collapsed, and every wooden one is still intact. -Almost every one - I pointed out. -Semantics. Besides, that wasn''t the building''s fault, anything would have collapsed. -True¡­ - I paused for a second. - Certainly that is an interesting way of doing things¡­ But what about fire? -We don''t really use fire. You saw the crystals I used to light up the inn? That''s basically it. I don''t know how you do things where you are from, but we also use similar crystals. I heard that in some places they do use open fire, but those are primitive people from the east. -Primitive? Sounds¡­ interesting. - I replied, not knowing what to think of it. -Right? I even heard stories that they also worship lightning and live underground. Imagine that! -Imagine that¡­ It took us a good chunk of time to transport the guard from the boat back to the inn, but with two of us carrying him and a wheelbarrow it wasn''t that bad. Jack decided that he will be keeping him upstairs next to where my room used to be. But as soon as we reached the inn we got reminded about another roadblock. After all, the inn was sealed with vines by the guard. -Shit, I forgot about that¡­ - said Jack scratching his head, looking at the X shaped vines on the door. -Right, and if it was not enough, there is also a tree upstairs - I reminded him. - Either you bring an axe and we start chopping, or we have to move him somewhere else. -Ehhh¡­ Unblocking this is gonna be a pain¡­ Well shit. Let''s go there instead¡­- he pointed to the end of the village. -You have a key to another place or something? -I have a key to all of them. This whole place is my property, mind you. -Oh. Nice. But weren''t they all sealed? He did not answer. We headed to the last house in the same row as the inn. It looked basically the same as any other, just a log cabin, but now knowing the way those were made, I started noticing some features that you wouldn''t find in regular houses. A few leaves sprouting from a wall or small branches growing from the roof, even roots in some places. They were barely noticeable and if you didn''t know you would just glance over them, just like I did. As I took another look at other ones, I started noticing more and more similar features. As I was looking around I realized that Jack was now walking towards the forest, carefully looking for something on the ground. -Ah, there it is¡­ He leaned down, pulled on something and to my surprise, opened a trap door in the forest floor. It was completely covered in moss, grass and a bunch of branches so it really had to be pretty hard to spot. -Nice - I exclaimed, looking down. - It''s gonna be a pain to drag him through this though¡­ Inside there was a set of wooden stairs that led about ten steps down and that was as far as I could see. -Either that or you start chopping down doors - he said calmly, dragging the guard downstairs. - Come on. -If I knew you were gonna make me do this I would''ve broken them down already¡­ - I moaned, but I started helping him anyway. The tunnel was pretty short and made of something that could''ve very well been the roots of the house above us and ended with another staircase with a hatch. Luckily, it was not sealed by the guy that was now being dragged by us and opened into some room, which I assumed was inside the house we were standing near just a while ago. As Jack was opening the trapdoor, I could hear the sound of tearing and his cursing. When we managed to all get out from underground I noticed that the hatch itself was hidden with a carpet that was in front of the main door. It was apparently sewn to the floor itself, because it was now in shreds, thanks to him opening the hatch. It was made of some weird green material, almost reminding me of moss. The room itself was barren and looked almost like my room in the inn, but a lot larger, which made it look even more empty. A chair and desk in one corner, a wardrobe in front of the door and the bed in the other back corner, with covers that were out of material oddly similar to the carpet. -Homey - I muttered while dragging the unconscious man onto the bed with him . -I never expected for someone to actually use this¡­ - he said, wiping his forehead and going towards the main door, trying to open it. To no one''s surprise it didn''t even budge, and if you looked closely you could see the X shape of the growth that blocked it from the other side. -So what now? - I asked, sitting on the only chair in the room, looking expectantly. -I don''t know about you, but I have to make my inn into a decent state again, or at least to have access to my room. -And what about this guy? -I don''t think he''s gonna wake anytime soon, and even if he wakes up he doesn''t have anywhere to run. Especially with the door blocked. You can stay with him if you wish - he added, mockingly. -Hell no. He is your problem. We both left using the tunnel. As a precaution he even locked both hatches behind us using a padlock on each, pulling them out from somewhere. -So where are you going now? - he asked me as we were walking through the village. -My plans didn''t change. I still want to leave towards the continent, but now I am a step closer, I have a boat. Now I need a compass or something like that and I am good to go. -Really? You know how to sail? -I am sure I can handle it. Say, do you have a map and a compass to borrow? Or rather buy? -Maybe¡­ - he hesitated - but that would be in my inn, and getting in will take a while. -Take your time then. I am gonna go to my boat for now, I need to check something. -"Your boat" now, eh? Fine, do what you want. I wanted to check a few things, since I was back on land. First, on my way out of the village I stopped by the ruined house, the place where the fight happened. I hoped to find something that any of those fighting dropped or lost during their scuffle. It was not a very pleasant or easy process. Sadly, I only found bits and pieces of armor from either of the guards. As I was about to leave I decided to check the ruined piece of the house as well. It looked pretty much the same as the house I was just in, not including the fact that it was mostly destroyed, but one thing was different - it had two beds. Before I didn''t really pay any attention to that, but the still standing part looked like it was used before all of this happened. There were some half-empty bottles of something that smelled like watered down wine on the table, along with a few pieces of bread. The beds, which were spared by the ruined roof, were messy and the wardrobe had its door broken with some clothes sticking out. That house most likely was a sleeping quarters for the two. In the wardrobe I found some plain linen clothes, along with a few coats, nothing useful. But while I was going through all the clothes I felt something in one of the more dirty coats. It was a notebook, or rather a bunch of papers strung together with a piece of string. Curious, I started reading and after a few paragraphs I couldn''t believe in my luck. I''ve just found what appeared to be notes about the boat, its magic circles and the illusion that protected it. After skimming through the rest of it, I realized that using that boat was gonna be even easier than expected. Besides the information I already knew, it had a similar list that was written on the hatch, but this one was a lot longer, and a lot more complex. Also, apparently both circles I saw on the ship were connected with each other, and a part of a big magic formula that spanned through the entire deck. Reading more and more, I couldn''t help but be amazed. That plain looking thing was an amazing piece of magical advancement. To think that something like that was used by two random mercenaries in the middle of nowhere¡­ -Where did they even get that? - I asked myself. Armed with this new knowledge I made my way back. 12. Growth As I was about to make my way towards the coast, I noticed, to my surprise, that Jack was still outside, apparently having some trouble with getting rid of the vines. He got an axe from somewhere, which was now stuck in the vines that were now starting to slowly envelop the weapon itself. -Having issues? - I asked, approaching him. -You''re back already? I thought you were supposed to go to the boat. -I changed my mind. What is going on? - I pointed at the door. -I don''t know what kind of spell this is, but those vines are aggressive! -What. Indeed, that thing which I thought was a harmless growth on the door was now moving and wrapped itself around the axe to the point where the metal blade was invisible. It even had thorns. -What did you do? This did not look like this before. -I know - he replied, scratching his head. - When I tried chopping it off, it came alive and attacked me. I managed to jump back, but¡­ -Can''t you just, you know, burn it? -Are you mad?! I would burn the whole village down! -Oh calm down. It is alive, isn''t it? Think of it like a wild animal. If we bring a torch it should just force it to move, scare it, you don''t need to set your door on fire. -Hmm. You might be right¡­ Ah fuck it, let''s try. He went to the stable, brought a flint, a handful of hay, some cloth and straw, and proceeded to create a makeshift torch. Lighting it took him a while. For a second I was tempted to just ignite it with a spell but I stopped myself. -Okay. Let''s try this. With a torch in hand he started slowly approaching the door. At first it looked like it worked. The vines started moving, and when he got closer it slowly receded. The axe that was completely covered in green was now more and more visible and finally it dropped to the ground. -Stupid plants¡­ - he mumbled under his breath and leaned down, trying to pick up the axe. But while he was doing that, he swung with a torch a little bit too wide and touched one of the vines. What followed was a weird, screeching noise that definitely came out of the plant, no matter how impossible might that sound. The vines multiplied in a blink of an eye. The plant itself was not on fire, but it got burned a bit and was now wiggling around angrily like a mass of green thorny tentacles. -What in the¡­ He didn''t even have time to finish cursing, the upset plant shot towards him and in seconds, he was now incapacitated, hanging upside down. It must have been pissed off, because the vines also shot towards me. It was oddly similar to my last adventure with plants in the hags garden, but this time I was far enough to react and managed to move out of the way. -This thing is vicious¡­ - I said while picking up the still lit torch that rolled away during this scuffle. -Help! - I heard from under the vines. This plant acted quickly. It already covered most of the guy and now I could only see his arms and legs poking out from a big green cocoon hanging from a thick branch growing out of the door. -I am trying! - I replied while inching my way towards him, swinging the torch left and right. Again, it worked at first. The vines moved away from the flames as I swung it, but the closer I got, the less responsive they were, and soon enough they just straight up didn''t react. I was hesitant to set them on fire in fear that they would attack me again, but Jack was disappearing in more and more layers of vines. -Do something! - I heard muffled under the green mass. I couldn''t see him any more. Hesitant, I slapped some of them with the torch, but surprisingly, they didn''t attack. Instead even more of them appeared in the places where flames touched them, covered in some slick viscera. I could now barely hear the voice from inside of the rapidly enlarging cocoon. It now reminded me of a nest that was growing into the tree, with the egg-like cocoon in the middle. -Ah, fuck this. Sophuk fi geksu, dosleyy nop nus. I dropped all the pretenses and straight up used the same spell that I freed myself from the hag''s trap. The reaction was immediate. The vines closest to me started burning, and the screeching sound picked up in the intensity. The ones not covered in that weird fluid were burned almost instantly, while the other ones started rapidly multiplying, now covered in even more of this weird viscera. I don''t know what that was, but it definitely made it harder to burn. It started attacking, but my aura successfully denied all attack attempts. That is until it started attacking with those slick vines. First one caught me by surprise, as it swooshed towards my head, hitting me straight in the forehead, knocking me back a bit. I tumbled down and lost concentration on my spell. I don''t know if I got hit so hard I started hearing things, but I swear, as the flames around me disappeared, I heard something laugh at me. But before I could even stand up or think about what happened, even more vines started shooting towards me, but this time not towards my head, but my arms and legs. Before it hit me, I managed to shake off from its attack and cast another spell. -Gmyo fi geksu! It was another pretty simple spell, just a singular, concentrated line of fire from my hand - basically a makeshift flamethrower. I did not put a lot more mana into it than I did into the first one, but thanks to it being a lot more compact, it did the trick. The closest vines instantly got incinerated and turned to ash the moment they got close to the stream. The plant started moving again, mobilizing more and more of those slick vines, but it didn''t matter now, I just had to redirect the flames. With my handy flamethrower I made my way towards the core, where Jack was supposed to be. I tried to be careful to not ignite anything besides that writhing mass, but before me was another issue. I had to somehow get rid of all the vines trapping him, without burning him alive. But surprisingly, the closer I got to the center, the less aggressive the plant started to be. It even started to recede. As I managed to get to him, the cocoon he was trapped in was now almost gone, and only was holding him tied, similarly to when he was a prisoner not so long ago. I carefully started diminishing my flames, fully expecting for the plant to attack again, but nothing like that happened. Instead, the branch on which he was hanging tied snapped, and he fell down like some oversized fruit on the ground. The mutant-plant itself was now just back to being a growth on the door. I started approaching the door, to burn the last moving piece. Before I got close, it started wiggling again and I was about to release full firepower again, but before I could, to my surprise, it detached itself from the door and shot towards the ground, like some kind of a crossbreed between a snake and a worm. I fired a stream of flames towards it, but for naught. It disappeared under the ground, leaving only a small hole in the ground, maybe the size of two fingers, that I promptly set on fire. I couldn''t hear anything anymore, so I assumed I missed. I waited for about a minute, with my flames out, but it didn''t come back. -I think it''s over¡­ - I muttered to myself and turned my attention back to Jack. He was still there, bound, but not gagged this time, yet he didn''t speak a word. I reduced my fire to just a small flame on my fingertips and proceeded to free him from the rest of the vines. -T-Thanks¡­ - he finally said, shaken. -Yea, that was unexpected - I finally extinguished my flames completely. - What the hell was that thing? -No idea, sir. I laughed. -Sir? Where did that come from? -I had no idea that you are¡­ I am sorry, I didn''t know you are a mage, one of the Red to boot¡­ I owe you my life... -Oh calm down. I just burned some weeds¡­ And I am no sir, just a traveler passing by. -If you say so¡­ - he replied, calming down a bit. - Do you think it''s gone? -Maybe. But remember, there were a lot of those growths all around the town. And even inside here. We need to be careful. -Right - he picked up his axe. - I feel bad for asking for something again, but can you help me get rid of the rest? If they also are¡­ aggressive¡­ I don''t think I can do this alone. -Just try not to get caught again¡­ - I gestured to him to open the door. He nodded, and we went inside his inn. But to our surprise, there were no growths on any of the doors any more. There were marks and holes, where they pierced the wood in as they were grown by the guard, but that was it. Actually, after a quick check, we realized that the rest of the growths from the whole village disappeared. -That is¡­ unsettling¡­ - I said back in the inn, after we checked the whole village. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. -Yea, but I am glad it is over... -I guess your inn is back in business since that is gone, but there is still that tree¡­ -Oh, I don''t care. After all this I made up my mind. I need to disappear for a while. -What, you think that plant is after you? - I asked jokingly. -No. I think that whoever is after me is not someone I have a way of dealing with directly. Especially if they send people using something like this after me. Unless¡­ -Oh boy, here it comes¡­ -I have a proposition for you. -Not again...- I moaned. - I know I shouldn''t have shown my magic¡­ -Again? - He asked, confused. -Eh don''t mind my complaining¡­ Continue. -Right¡­ You said you were going to the capital. What if you met up with that mysterious O., told him you found his employees dead somewhere. Maybe you could learn a thing or two about who is behind all this. -First of all, why would I even consider that. I already have things to do, and why would I risk my well being, mind you - again - for someone I barely know. There is literally nothing to gain here and everything to lose. -Let me finish. First I would like to properly thank you for saving my life. -And what does this have to do with anyth¡­ He slammed a sizable pouch on the counter. Judging by the sound the content was definitely worth a bunch. He pulled a handful of coins and pushed towards me. -The rest of this - he pointed at the bag - Is all yours if you agree. And maybe even more if you come back. -Hold on - I said, confused. - You are giving me this much for what exactly? I might just fuck off with all this and never come back? What gives? -Listen, I know you are a Red Mage. And you people are not cheap to buy. So take this as my gesture of partnership. What do you say? I laughed, but took the money, hiding it in my bag. -I think you are crazy, old man, but whatever, I am not going to pass on easy earnings. So what do you want from me exactly? -Just as I said. Go to the capital, try finding the man behind this, and let me know. Also, I¡¯m not that old. -Seems awfully easy for that much coin. So how do I contact you then? - I asked, ignoring the last part. -I would prefer you come back here and report to me whenever you can. You have their boat, traveling should be easy for you. Can I assume we have a deal? - he extended his hand. -Sure - I replied, shaking his hand. -Before we split up, I wanna ask you something - I said outside of the inn, where I was about to leave for the port once again. -Go for it. -Where are you going? You said you want to hide, but you are not leaving this island it seems. -I have some hideouts here¡­ none of them are easy to find. Don''t you worry about me. -I''m not. I assume that is where you sent your kid when shit went down? -Maybe. -Fucking secrets. Always. Well whatever. See you. Maybe never - I added under my breath. -Yea. By the time you come back I will be back in my inn. -And if not? -I will. With that we parted ways. Back on the way to the ship I couldn''t believe my luck. Twice, I met people that apparently gave away money, and trusted me pretty much right off the bat. I even got a map and something that I could write my notes in - he apparently changed his mind about that "not having anything to spare" thing. I couldn''t help but wonder, who else was I gonna meet on this journey. Were all people like this in this world? Back on the ship I pulled out the notes about the magic circle and the map. Thanks to the notes I now knew that this boat was a lot more advanced than it looked. At first I did the exact same thing we did before - I used the same wind phrase bound to the circle to get out of the bay. Even for me, a complete amateur, it was quite easy, the rudder was simple enough, and since the wind was controlled by magic, controlling the sail was also not an issue, just go straight. But as soon as I left the bay and was about a hundred meters off the shore, I stopped the wind and went back downstairs. According to the notes, this boat had some kind of rough autopilot system, believe it or not. Supposedly you just had to specify the direction and the duration and the boat will do everything for you. Handy for a single person to steer, if you ask me. -Well let''s see how this thing works¡­ I placed my hand on the circle. -North, two hours. As soon as I finished speaking, the crystal in the middle started slowly and steadily pulsing and I felt the boat move. Amazed, I went out on the deck. The boat was indeed slowly making its way towards the open sea, steadily increasing speed. I couldn''t help but be speechless. It was astounding how advanced that thing was. Stealthy, auto navigating boat. And, if I was judging by the amount of notes, that was not the only thing this boat could do. I stood there for a good while, admiring how smoothly it all went. With this thing I could indeed travel wherever I want¡­ -Wherever I want¡­ There was a question that was on my mind for a while. Where do I really want to go? What should I do? Until now I was basically going with the flow, and it kind of worked out for me nicely. The only real reason I wanted to visit the capital was to figure out more things about this world, and maybe learn what happened to others. Since I was somehow transported here, it was not impossible that someone else got here as well. But to find them I would have to basically check every single person that appeared to be able to use multiple elements, and if that hag was not lying, there were not many of those. That meant I had to get in touch with people that keep tabs on that kind of thing - judging by what I¡¯ve seen so far, that would be either some guild or some noble. And luckily for me I had leads on both. But in the process I would actually start doing either what the hag or the Jack wanted me to do, which didn''t sound appealing. One straight up left me stranded on some random island and the other was as shady as it gets. Considering those choices, I leaned towards Jack. He at least owed me something. Kind of. Well maybe not, he did give me a bag of gold in thanks. But at least he didn''t try to tie me up and poison me, as far as I knew. In any case, I would have to get to the capital first. But what then? If I was to try and get in touch with this O. that sent those thugs on him I would have to think of the reasons I was contacting him in the first place. "Oi, man, I found this letter in the ditch, looks like it''s yours." Yeah, I needed something more than that. On the other hand, I could always pretend that I am looking for a job in the city¡­ and if I was ¡°accidentally¡± in the right inn, there was a chance¡­ I don''t know how long I spent traveling on that boat, but it was most definitely longer than a few hours. According to that fake guard, I should be near the shore already, but knowing his incompetence it wasn''t surprising that he had no idea what he was talking about. It was boring as shit, since the surrounding consisted of just the flat sea and nothing else. That is also when I finally was able to start writing some notes about spells that I could remember, and about my current condition. I couldn''t tell what more was gonna change with my body, but I was not going to miss that. I started writing some of my hypotheses about the crystal embedded in my arm and its weird symbiosis with me, all anomalies that I noticed in my body and mind and so on. It felt weird at first, writing about myself like I was some test subject, but I had to get used to it, since that was pretty much what I became. Finally, my writing was interrupted by a singular pulse of white light from the crystal. Confused, I checked it out, but as far as I could tell, nothing changed. I peeked outside, and as expected, I was still out at sea, but further in the distance I could see a landmass. -Finally¡­ I went back downstairs and reset the "navigation", but since this time I had no idea how far I was from the shore I just set it to ten minutes. The ship started moving again, and I emerged on the deck, trying to look for a good place to dock. I had to repeat that process a few times, every time setting the time to a lower and lower value, to not ram into something. But, surprisingly, there were no ships in the area. I kind of expected to see at least one during this trip, especially now, since I was close to the continent. The sea was as flat as before and as empty as before. When I got to about a few hundred meters from the shore, I stopped using the ¡°autopilot¡±, and instead started manually using the rudder. It felt awkward since that was not something I''ve done before, but I managed to turn the ship to sail parallel to the shore. I tried to find some nice place to hide the boat. After a few glances, I started seeing familiar features. Cliffsides and sharp rocks, trees hanging over the water¡­ - the shore was quite similar to one at the island. Sadly, the map I was given was completely useless, since it had no landmarks, or even land height marked on it. The capital was supposed to be somewhere deeper on the continent, but that was the only place that was marked on it, and it was outside the map anyways. Honestly, it looked like it was just a half-assed copy of an actual map that someone scribbled in a hurry. That would explain why it was so imprecise. I followed the coast to the east for a while, but the scenery didn''t change for a long time. An hour later, when I slowly started thinking that I should¡¯ve gone the other way, the terrain slowly started shifting. It was getting smoother, and soon the sharp cliff faces were completely gone, instead I now had before me half-flooded forest, in contrast to the forest cut in half that it was before. Still, there was no place to dock, not like I planned to anyway, since there were no signs of life anywhere in the vicinity. I would¡¯ve settled even for a fishing village or something. I slowly started losing my patience. According to my shitty map, the land should''ve started to curve back to the north, but the actual terrain gave no signs of that yet, though in the distance I could see the coast ending relatively suddenly After I reached the bend of the terrain, there was finally something different for once. As I made my way along the coast, the land shifted a bit. The flooded woods were replaced by, first muddy, almost swamp like land, that soon gave way to actual sandy beach. But still, the one thing that didn''t change was the forest itself - still was covering the whole visible landmass, with no break in sight. It was already getting dark, when in the distance, on the shore somewhere ahead of me I saw some kind of light. As I was getting closer and closer, I started realizing that I might have finally reached some place with more than three people. But that came with another problem. How should I approach it? Do I stop somewhere away from what I hoped to be the village and walk? Or should I just drop the illusion now and stop my boat there? They need to have at least a semblance of port, right? As I was considering what to do, the lights were getting closer and closer, and finally I was able to tell what was in front of me. It was a small village and a port - with actual boats docked! If there are boats, there are people. But that is when I realized something. The previous owner of this boat could''ve very well stopped by here. If someone, by sheer chance, noticed that, and would notice me sailing alone on it, that would''ve brought some very problematic questions. With that in mind, I decided to stop by the nearest, most safe looking beach. It didn''t take very long to find a place where the beach briefly ended and gave way for some bushes and small trees to take over. I turned the boat and tried my hand in "docking", if you can call it that. I basically managed to beach my boat half-way on the sandy patch of terrain, right in the middle of the bushes. I was worried that I might have damaged something, but promptly remembered that this thing was magical, when surrounding me illusion shimmered, and the blue-ish bubble enveloping the boat turned green. I quickly went back downstairs and placed my hand on the crystal in the middle of the room. -Right¡­ Now let''s try this¡­ Anchor! That was one of the words I found in the notes about the ship. The command was self-explanatory, and, sure enough, as I finished speaking, I heard something heavy hit the ground somewhere in front of the boat. I quickly went back on the deck and as I leaned down to check, I saw a thick vine now sprouting from the left side of the boat. On its end there was this large, almost completely black anchor. Funnily enough, it looked like it was made out of wood, but that would''ve made no sense. Also there was no opening or anything that it would''ve come out from, it was just like it was always there, growing out of the side of the boat. -Well, at least that is working... - I muttered to myself, and proceeded to get off the deck, onto the beach. As soon as I got off, I realized I wouldn''t be able to assess the damage, if there was any, or inspect the anchor properly - the illusion was still holding strong. The whole ship was completely invisible, now looking like a big bush. At least I didn''t have to worry about it being found by someone. Deciding to trust this boat''s magic, I started walking along the coast towards the lights in the distance. 13. Locals Well, at least I wanted to. There was no road or anything like that leading that way. The beach where I stopped ended near where my boat was - the bushes that I hid it in transitioned slowly into more and more greenery and into that half-flooded forest again. I had to go deeper into the woods just to be able to progress. Since it was already dark, it was pretty hard to walk through the forest without tripping on random branches every now and again, but I decided to not use my magic this time. Every time someone spotted me using fire it always led to them trying to convince me to work for them. I wanted to avoid the attention for once. After a long walk, the forest started to thin out a bit and I even started spotting signs of people - some chopped down trees. That''s why I thought that I was getting close to the village. But soon the clearing ended and the forest went back to its old, dense self. Apparently this place was abandoned, because there was no path leading to it. I continued my journey for another while, and the forest started to thin out again. I didn''t want to get my hopes up again, but this time there was no mistaking it - I was getting close to the village - I could see lights in front of me, and soon enough, I was there. The layout of the place looked nothing like the one I left. It looked like there wasn''t much thought put behind the placement of the buildings - some were even less than a meter from one another, others so far you wouldn''t be able to see if someone is home in the window. The windows themselves were made of that familiar greenish membrane - but the similarities to other houses I''ve seen ended there. Each house looked like it was made out of a singular piece of wood, there were no visible connections between planks, doors, or anything really. The designs were pretty mundane to be honest, just a plain rectangle, door in the front, a few windows and a triangular roof, all wooden. If they were about ten times smaller, I would''ve said that they were just sculptures made by some amateur artist, or some toys you could''ve found somewhere in the corner of the bazaar. The only way you could''ve told the difference between any of them is by the size or amount of windows. On the other hand, the port was a bit different. Yes, the pier was also boring and plain, but not the boats. Those on the other hand were in many various shapes and sizes, scaling from small dinghy that looked like it was 100 years old, to a massive ship that was maybe 10 times the size of mine. For that small of a town, it was weird for that large of a boat to be here, but as soon as I got closer, I realized why. The boat looked like some antique battleship - including cannons and all. Two big sails were furled down, and it looked unusually normal - that is, it was not made completely out of wood. The boat itself was covered in gems that emitted light - it reminded me of Christmas lights that you would decorate your house. It looked out of place but one look was enough to guess why they were there in the first place - right above the gangplank, there was a massive sign : "The Edgestalker Inn". It definitely looked like that place was the center of the town - people were constantly going in and out, some going towards houses on the shore, some to the other boats that were nearby. For the first time I found a place that was actually lively and not abandoned, so I took my opportunity and took a closer look at the people. Some of them looked like sailors - and not very wealthy to boot. Others were just peasants, without much features at all. Here and there I saw people with full armor on - most likely guards of some kind. I was relieved to notice that none of them looked even remotely similar to my "friend" that I left in the care of a certain innkeeper. Their armor was completely different - full plate, and while matching, they did not have any visible symbols or crests. Since no one around was paying attention, I just casually strolled up towards the inn taking in my surroundings. It was refreshing, being around people again, after being basically stranded for quite a bit. I was not a very social person, but there still was a certain charm to those kinds of places. As I walked onto the boat I looked inside the main part of the inn. It was right below the main deck, and the room looked like it used to be the shooting floor - the cannons were still there, now standing rusted between the tables on the sides - some people were using them as benches even. In the middle, there was a bar, right next to the stairs leading from the upper deck right below the floor. People were constantly moving up and down. Without anyone bothering me, I took a peek downstairs. Below, it looked like there used to be crew¡¯s quarters, now converted into the main part of the inn - rooms for the clients, some people hanging around the corridor, talking and laughing amongst themselves. It was quite lively, especially for such a small village. I went back up to the bar, ordered a beer and sat down at the table near one of the old cannons. Sipping cold beer at the side of the room I started observing people. From what I managed to gather, a lot of them were just locals that ended their job for the day and decided to destress at a local tavern, laughing, talking and drinking. I managed to eavesdrop on a little bit of a conversation between two half-drunk guys, and what I heard was certainly interesting. -I wonder how long they are gonna stay¡­ - muttered the first one, with his face inside a half empty mug. -You kidding? No one wants to stay on the edge of the world for long. As soon as they are done with unloading, they are leaving - replied the other one, more enthusiastically, probably thanks to the alcohol. - You mean "we are done". Those lazy asses don''t even want to unload a few carts by themselves, they need someone to do it for them. -Pff. I thought you liked money. They are paying in gold, you dunce! It''s the easiest money you can make in this hole. -Gold? Fucker never said that! Those bastards¡­ -What, he doesn''t pay you? - he stood up. - Let me grab some boys and we''re gonna tell them what we think about¡­ -Stop¡­ - he pulled the other guy back down to his seat. - It''s not like that¡­ -Wha? -You remember my son? -That scrawny kid that only likes books and never had a blade in his hand? - he laughed. -Fuck you, and yes. So imagine he heard that they are also transporting people from here to the capital. And he won''t stop pestering me about going there. -So what? They are pretty cheap, last year I remember they came with about 15 people and went back with triple that. It can''t be that expensive if that many people went and joined them. -That''s the thing. You saw the guy who rented the room on the lowest floor here? -The shiny schmuck? What about him? -He apparently joined the whole caravan business a few months back and since then the prices went way up. -What the fuck? Why do they need a knight though? Are they scared the trees are gonna attack them or some shit? -Haven''t you heard? They hired him cause half a year ago they got attacked on their way from here! -And they hired a knight just because of one attack? The fuck did they got attacked by? A dragon? -I don''t know but apparently they lost half of their security cause of that. -That had to be nice and bloody¡­ -Right? No wonder they hired the guy. -Yeah¡­ but that shit''s scary¡­ I know that was far away, but still, that thing has to be somewhere nearby, right? You''re not worried about your kid? -Well, I am a bit. But this is the safest way out of here anyway, right? If I hadn''t let him go with the caravan, he''d have just found some ship and become a stowaway. And that would''ve been a death wish. His companion laughed. -Right. If he would''ve survived the initial trip, my boss would''ve just dumped him somewhere as soon as possible. That weakling would''ve been dead in less than a week. The other guy sighed. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. -I sometimes wish he wasn''t such a liability¡­ Why did he have to want to be a mage? Since the day he saw a Green Mage, he''s been all about magic and books¡­ Why won''t he help me in the workshop¡­ But a son is a son. -Hey, maybe the kid''s gonna surprise you some day. Maybe he''s got a talent for that. You tried talking with some mage about him? -He did it himself. Every time there is a mage in town, he always pesters them and asks to take him as an apprentice. -And what? -And what do you think? First, who even would want to teach some random kid that starts annoying you randomly on the street? -Mages are weird - he shrugged. - You never know. -Yeah, sure. Ah speaking of the devil¡­ Two people entered the room - maybe a 16 year old boy, dressed like some weird cosplayer: full-on hooded robes, a staff and he even carried a book that was way too large for him. He was following an older looking man, with graying hair, dressed in simple full leather armor, wearing a black cloak. He looked like he just made the biggest mistake of his life and tried to not pay attention to the boy following him. They were far enough for me to not hear them but I assumed that had to be the "son". -Holy shit, he managed to pin down even Mr. Bert! - the other man said amused. - Also, what is he wearing? -Don''t get me started on that¡­ - his friend sighed heavily. - He keeps calling those "his enchanted robes" . -Pffff¡­ -Right? I don''t know where he pulled that from, but he won''t let anyone touch it. -You sure you want to let him go? He seems¡­ a bit special¡­ you know¡­ -Yeah¡­ It''s not that easy¡­ Despite his looks he is pretty cunning¡­ He escaped home once already, trying to get to the capital¡­ At least this way I''ll have someone watching over him. I''m going to have a bit of a talk with the head of the caravan when I get a chance¡­ -I don''t think you''ll get a chance. Your kid basically glued himself to the guy. I spent a good chunk of time in this world, maybe not a lot with people, but I thought I started getting used to how people look, the incredibly plain clothes, medieval armors and stuff, but what I saw next made me retract my statement. From below the deck, what I assumed was the repurposed living quarters appeared a man that looked completely ridiculous, so much that I barely managed to not choke on my drink and laugh aloud. He looked like he was in his young twenties, blonde hair with a singular braid, and he was wearing the shiniest armor I''ve ever seen. It was a full plate, adorned with pauldrons in the shape of dragon heads, so big they made him be twice as wide as he would be without them. The armor itself was adorned with patterns that looked like flames, but the whole thing was in bright yellow color which made him look like he was glowing. As he appeared in the room, some people started noticing him. I was glad to see that I was not the only one that was stunned with his appearance. Most people either turned around with a sigh of resignation and went back to whatever they were doing, some tried to not laugh, burying their faces in their drinks. Some kids that were near the exit laughed openly, but were promptly rushed out by some people, who also had a hard time keeping a straight face. His voice was loud enough that I heard him even from the other side of the room. -Mr. Bert , when are we leaving? He was talking to the man that was getting pestered by the ¡°kid wizard¡±. He looked at him, defeated. -Soon. Hopefully early this morning. -Glorious. Do you have any spare time? I would like to negotiate my contract. He sighed heavily. It looked like he was weighing which one was the least pain to deal with. And apparently he decided that the golden guy was the least annoying. -Eh, sure. Let''s go downstairs - he said and turned to the kid. - Sorry, but can you leave us for a while? We have important matters to attend to. The kid replied with something I didn''t catch, bowing deeply, almost sweeping the floor with his brown hair, and he promptly left the room. -Lead the way¡­ - the man in leather armor said, reluctantly. -Indeed! - replied the golden knight lively, going down towards the living quarters. As soon as they left the floor, the two people I was listening to went back to their conversation. -Wow. He managed to get rid of him. -Ha ha. -Well that is a feat not all of us possess! -Oh shut up. He laughed in answer. -Well, joking aside, if you ever gonna talk to the guy now is the time. He went to talk with Goldie and I can''t imagine anyone wanting to deal with him for more than a minute. -Yeah, I should go¡­ Both of them finished their drinks and stood up. One of them left the inn, while the other went towards the stairs. I followed him. I also wanted to have a talk with that caravan leader. It seemed like a good chance to finally get to the capital and joining a caravan would be most likely the safest option. The guy I was tailing disappeared in one of the first doors below the deck. Deciding not to be a complete asshole, I sat at the bar, where I had the perfect view on the stairs and part of the corridor and started waiting for him to finish his business. Surprisingly, that took a lot longer than expected. I managed to down two more beers before I started losing my patience. After a third one people started leaving the place and the lively atmosphere started to die down a little bit, so I decided to chat up the innkeeper that was hovering around the place. -You have a minute? -Need another one? - he asked, pointing at the empty mug. -Nah, I had enough for now - I replied, though now when I thought about it, it didn''t feel like I drank that much. - I have a question. -Ask away. -I heard there is a caravan stationed here. -And it is. -And where and when might they be going? -To the capital. As of when, you need to check with their leader. If you want to tag along though it might be a problem - he replied like he was reading my mind. -Why? -From what I heard they are full and not taking any more people. -Well shit. Thanks for the warning, but I''m gonna check it myself anyways. Who''s the leader? -His name is Bert. Downstairs. First door on the left. What I heard from the two guys appeared to be true. I stood up reluctantly and went downstairs. As I arrived in front of the room I got pointed towards, I almost got smacked in the face with the door. It was the guy I eavesdropped on earlier. I didn''t really pay attention to his looks before, but now I could take a better look. He was dressed in linen shirt and pants, which color I was unable to identify due to being completely covered in various types of paint. He was also shaved bald. -Oh, excuse me¡­ He reeked of wine. He practically bounced off me and almost slammed face first into the wall, after which he carefully started walking away, towards the stairs, clutching a small pouch to his chest. He was a lot more drunk than he sounded at the table. -How can I help you? - I heard from the door It was the supposed caravan leader. Still in full leather, but this time he looked a lot more relaxed, which I assumed was thanks to the almost empty wine bottle in his hand. I now knew why the dude that left was that smashed. -Hello. Bert, I assume? -I was told I need to talk to you if I want to get to the capital. -Ah yes. But we have no spots left. Sorry. -Really? I don''t need much, surely there is still some place free, I can even travel as a cargo if needed. -Ehhh, listen, I have enough people to take care of already. I don''t have enough manpower to take any more freeloaders. -You misunderstand. I intend to pay and I can take care of myself. He gave me a judging look. -I find it hard to believe. -Name a price then. -No, not that¡­ -he waved his hand in dismissal. - Anyone can have money. I don''t think an invalid can put up a decent fight against anything. And I am not willing to stretch my people even thinner. Fair enough. I sort of did not expect for someone to actually pay attention to that part of some wandering hobo, but I was apparently wrong. -First of all, that is rude. Second, I will repeat, I don''t want protection. I need a guide. Also, what is that you are so worried about? This place seems peaceful enough. What''s so dangerous out there you don''t want anyone else to join? He was visibly torn, but whatever kept bothering him, he dismissed because he finally agreed. -Fine. One gold piece and you can go with us, but I warn you, if we are gonna get attacked, none of my men will come to your aid. I am selling you a spot on the wagon and that is it. Got it, mister¡­? -Mor. Works for me. When are you¡­ are we leaving then? - I asked, giving him the money. -This morning. We are already late and we need to hurry. -Okay then. See you in the morning. He nodded and closed the door. 14. Company All and all, everything went pretty smoothly. As I emerged from below the deck, I noticed that the guy that almost destroyed my nose with the door was still at the bar. Now, even more drunk, he was yelling something about being rich, mages and crying at the same time. To avoid him I tried to quietly pass him and sit at the furthest possible corner of the tavern but to no avail. -Ayy, friend! I saw you downstairs but I forgot to apologize! I rudely¡­ -It''s fine, don''t worry. I¡­ He did not let me interrupt him. Or rather didn''t notice. -I ran into you and didn''t even bother to stop if you are fiiinee. Cause you see, I was in a big hurry. The amazing wise magical man downstairs, which I am sure you know, was generous enough to give me a rise, that amazing man. He leaned on me and gave me a hug. -Oi, a round on me for my friend over here! - he yelled, still leaning on me. -You really don''t¡­ -Oh but I do! Cause this is celebration time! You see, Bert , let his name be known far and wide, is the best human being there is! Not only he agreed to help my son get to the capital, but now he also is gonna help him get to an actual magic school! A magic school! Imagine! A son of a talentless piece of garbage like me, be a mage! -Good on you¡­ - I mumbled, but he was still talking. -And he didn''t even take a single copper from me! I offered to work under him for however long he needs, but he just said "Help me with the caravan and I will arrange the rest". And now when I come here to talk, not only does he pay me, but even drinks a toast with me! He started crying again. -My son! He¡­ And he proceeded to start his drunk man''s rambling. Secretly I was hoping he would slip up and say something worth remembering, but who was I kidding. He was just a random man in a random place, talking about his son. Besides the things I already knew about thanks to his earlier conversation with a friend, the only new thing I learned was his son''s name - Felix - and his own name - Warren. And of course a lot of random facts from his childhood. During his ramblings about the kid and how he ate a bunch of snails thinking they were frogs - I know, it didn''t make sense to me either - I started slowly tuning him out and focused more on the other people left in the room. They were few, but, unfortunately, all of them were in a similar state as my "friend". Most likely because he kept buying everyone around him more booze. It was almost morning when he finally passed out - along with the two remaining guys that kept him company all this time and the only people that were somewhat sober were me and the innkeeper. I say somewhat, because, while I also downed quite a few drinks, they were pretty watered down and I tried to limit myself - I was surprisingly sober, but the innkeeper on the other hand, was not. He did drink with us, but even though he drank as much as the trio that was now soundly snoring nearby, he looked sober, although when he emerged from behind the bar, he was definitely not waking straight. -Congratulations - he mumbled, patting me on the back. - There are not many people that can outdrink this fucker. -Thanks? - I replied, amused. - You look wasted though, better go and get some sleep. -Riight¡­ And leave those - he gestured towards the snoring trio - here? No deal. But he did walk out from behind the bar, and to my surprise, started slapping awake one of the drunks. -No sleeping on the bar, you drunk oaf! Stand up! He tried a few times more, but to no avail. None of the guys were, even if they would cooperate, in a shape to walk. -Fuck me¡­ - he groaned and started dragging one of the guys towards the stairs. It was not an easy task, since he was also having a hard time standing straight. -What are you looking at? Don''t be a dick and help! That last one was directed towards me. Until then I was just looking at this performance, amused, but thanks to that remark I felt bad for the guy. -Aye aye, sir. Even with two of us it took quite a long time to drag those three downstairs. We put all three in some room that looked like an old storage unit, full of wooden boxes and empty bottles reeking like some old alcohol. As we put the last one on the floor near the rest of the drunks, I felt a hand on my foot. It was Warren, my "best friend". -Buddy, I need a favor to ask¡­ -Come on man, you are smashed. Go to sleep. -Yeyeyeyea¡­ but listen for a second. I am definitely not waking up early today... -Well no shit¡­ -But I wanna say goodbye to my son¡­ Please tell him his papa says good luck¡­ -What, you dying or what? -Come on, man, don''t be -hic- like that... And he passed out. -Why do people always want me to do shit for them? - I sighed. - And why did you drink that much then? He obviously didn''t answer, snoring loudly on the floor. -It''s nice seeing friends take care of each other - I heard someone say from the corridor. -I literally met him tonight. Also, what are you doing here, mr. Bert? -Preparing to leave. I told you last night, we need to leave early. -Shit, it''s morning already? -Yeah, get yourself ready, we are leaving in an hour. -Well, I''m as ready as I''ll ever be. -Hmm¡­ - he took a good look at me. - Anyway, let''s go. As we were walking out of the inn and towards the forest, he was constantly keeping one eye on me for some reason. It was unsettling, to say the least. The parts of the village we''ve been passing through looked even messier than the shore. Houses were spread even more unevenly and this time they even had patches of trees in between - it looked like people were too lazy to even chop the forest completely - some even had trees less than a centimeter from their walls, which looked unsafe, to say the least. Finally, we arrived at something you could call the end of the village, though it was hard to tell, since houses were spread so unevenly. The only distinguishing feature was that we were finally walking on something reminding me of the paved road, but it was pretty much completely overgrown. Few steps further there were about six wagons, each with a pair of horses, all of them filled to the brim with boxes and barrels, plus two more - but those two were filled to the brim with people. All of them had cylindrical roofs, but instead of the cloth or leather one, like I kinda expected, it was made of that weird green membrane that I saw on the windows around here, a bit darker, yet also see-through. -I warned you we were full, but you wanted to come anyway, so now you have to travel with the merchandise - he said, pointing towards the rest of the wagons. -Sure, works for me. Any in particular? -Take your pick. I need to check a few things and we are out. With that, he left me alone. In the corner of my eye I saw him talking to some men that looked like mercenaries and pointing towards me. Without much to do, I walked towards one of the wagons that was not completely stuffed with barrels to find somewhere to sit, but I immediately realized my mistake. It reeked of fish. After a quick walk around all the wagons I realized that I either have to smell the fish for the whole trip and have a decent place to sit, or I have to sit on boxes in the last, smallest cart, with my head right against the ceiling. Without much of a choice I went to the small one and sat on the toughest looking box - that would hopefully not break under my weight. About an hour later, I realized I had been lied to. According to Bert, our leader, we should''ve left by now, but it looked like we were not even close to being ready - people were constantly running around the place, moving stuff from one one wagon to another - few times I had to even move, because they kept stuffing even more things onto the on I was in - luckily, not fish. More people kept coming as well - some similarly to me sat in other wagons beside the cargo, but not caring about the fish smell, they chose the other ones. Some just got chased away by the guards. For some reason no one came to mine, but I was happy about that. To be honest it did not look like there was any room here for a regular sized person anyway. After another hour, the mystery of "why are we still here" was solved. Along with another group of people that came to join us, a familiar face appeared. Or rather familiar armor. Shining like a beacon in the sun, the golden knight appeared, this time, wearing a helmet - a golden dragon head, with two ram-like curved horns. On his back he had a shield - also golden, and also in the shape of the dragon head, but this time the horns were more like those of the bull. He was armed with a sword that was hanging on his belt. I couldn''t see the adornments on that, but if I had to guess, it also had something to do with a dragon. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. As he joined the caravan, I saw an angry Bert run by and proceed to have a nice and long conversation with Goldie. I couldn''t catch the exact words, but judging by the sudden movement of everyone around, I was guessing that he was the one we were waiting for. Now even more people started looking for a place to sit. In my thoughts I silently thanked the workers for stuffing this much crap on my wagon - this way I at least I didn''t have to deal with some random people. Sadly, I started celebrating my peace too early. As I was sitting between boxes and waiting for the whole caravan to finally move, I heard someone start climbing onto boxes somewhere near me. At first I thought people started stuffing more boxes onto my wagon again, but quickly I realized how wrong I was. Another familiar face appeared - along with his shitty wizard cosplay - my "best friend''s" son, Felix. -Oh, sorry¡­ I was told there was still a place to sit here¡­ - I heard a quiet voice. That was surprising. From my brief observation and what I heard from his father I would''ve expected him to be a little less timid. -"I was told"? -Mr. Bert told me that this wagon still should have at least one spot¡­ Bert? Bastard¡­ -I guess you might fit somewhere¡­ -Thank you! And he started squeezing between all the boxes, trying to find a place to sit. As he was trying to squeeze between the crates, I could finally feel the wagon moving - we finally started our trip towards the capital. It took him a good minute and I almost got hit in the face by that humongous book of his, but he managed to sit nearby, on another pile of boxes. Now, when I had a chance to take a better look at it, I was getting intrigued by the book he was carrying. The sheer size of it was intimidating, especially when in contrast to the small body of his. What was interesting though, the leather cover of his book was completely empty. It also looked pretty new, though it had few scratches here and there, most likely from carrying it everywhere with him. He noticed my attention and his face went completely red, after which he tried hiding the book under his robes. Thanks to the size it was obviously impossible. -Don''t bother. I''m not gonna steal your book. He mumbled something incoherent in response. -Though I have to admit I am curious what is in there¡­ As I said that, I realized that that thing had to be very expensive. It was pretty obvious that they do not have printers here. -How much did you even pay for this? As soon as I asked, his face instantly went from red in embarrassment to red in excitation. -You are not from here mister? This is the book I was given by the greatest knight in modern history, the Golden Knight! Have you heard of his stories? -I can''t say I did¡­ - I answered slowly, a bit overwhelmed by his enthusiasm. - But I have not been keeping in touch lately¡­ -You had to be traveling a lot then! Everyone here knows about his heroic deeds and his brother, the Black Knight, the slayers of dragons, the Magic Knights! What even are those titles? Who in their right mind calls themselves like that? Also, dragons? -Dragons? - I laughed. - Aren''t those mythical beasts? And you are telling me they exist, even better, that someone killed more than one? -Oh yes! - he started talking faster, clearly passionate about all this. - See, the book I carry was a gift from the Golden Knight himself! It is a treasure he got from the dragon''s hoard and gave to me as a keepsake! -Really now? - I started getting a bit suspicious about this book. - And he gave it to you, because¡­? -Because he is such a generous and great man of course! - he exclaimed with a bright smile. - Every time he finds treasure or defeats bandits, he comes to some nearby village and gives away all the amazing things he finds! -Aha. So, what''s in the book? -That''s¡­ a secret! - he said, but with a lot less conviction. -Secret? Why are you carrying it like this in the first place then? - I asked, even more suspicious. Flailing something like this in the open was basically asking for someone to just steal it. Honestly, I was surprised that no one has already done it in the first place. He did not respond, but just started clinging to the book even tighter than before. -Well, your problem, not mine. I sighed. No wonder his father was worried about him. -That reminds me¡­ - I said out loud. - I met your father, he wanted me to say goodbye to you for him. His eyes widened. -You know my father, sir? What happened? -Calm down. He is just drunk, sleeping in the inn. I don''t know him, I just happened to be nearby and he asked me to say goodbye to his son. I wasn''t really planning on even trying to find you, but since we met thanks to Bert, I might as well pass the word. My blatant answer calmed him down for some reason. -Thank you. That means a lot. Huh? That was not an answer I expected. But no matter the case, he looked even happier than when I asked about the Goldie. -I don''t really get you, but if you want someone to thank, thank Bert. He sent you to me, didn''t he? -Right. But thank you anyway Mr. ...? I did hesitate for a second. If I start being friendly with the kid, he will not leave me in peace, that''s just how kids work. Especially the likes of him. But I was basically forced to travel with him as of now, and for who knows how long. -Mor. -Thank you, Mr. Mor. The next part of the journey was pretty quiet. Or that''s what I would like to say. The kid didn''t manage to keep his mouth closed for longer than 20 minutes at a time. After he learned my name, he kept asking me questions, like, where am I from, what do I do, and when I told him I am a traveler without much of a place to call home, he started pestering me about "tales from my travels". Of course, I didn''t have any stories to tell, and was not in the mood, or even capable enough, to make something up on the spot, so I kept refusing, but that did not discourage him. Instead he flipped the script on me and started telling the stories of the two knights he mentioned earlier. Apparently Goldie, or Caleb Moi rather, was a famous figure around here. Before he joined the whole caravan thing, he was, along with his brother, a famous adventurer. He once arrived at the village he was from after a hunt for a dragon. Where and how they defeated it, no one knows, but after they plundered the dragon''s hoard, he started his journey to "spread the wealth that the dragon stole from the people of the land", as he said. That is when they first met, and he gave Felix this book. Or, to be more exact, he gave the whole village a part of the dragon''s hoard. The book was just a random piece of it. After a long time of traveling from place to place, he exhausted all the treasure he found, and started looking for a new way to help people - that is when he was contacted by Bert. As he was such a generous and amazing person - not my words, by the way - he agreed to work as an escort of this caravan for free. The second brother, on the other hand, Jacob, was more of a bounty hunter than an adventurer. He traveled around the world, killing bandits with bounties on their heads, and proceeded to funnel all the profits to his brother''s "charity". But now, he was apparently on a dry streak, or, like the kid said - he defeated all the bandits on the continent - and also started looking for another way to help people. And so, with his stories, our journey continued. I found it hilarious that a kid was the one telling me those, you''d always expect the roles to be reversed - the mysterious traveler spreading word about his adventures all around the globe. When he calmed down, his voice was pleasant and even though his constant talking was a bit annoying, it wasn''t that bad, at least the journey wasn''t boring. Yes, the journey¡­ It was a lot longer than expected. After the first night, I asked about how long we are gonna be traveling, and the answer was a bit surprising - a week or two, maybe more, depending on the weather and such. I honestly thought it would take a day, maybe two at most, but apparently that was just me being used to a bit different ways of transport. Also, we were stopping pretty often. From what I overheard, the goods we were transporting had to be checked every few hours by the caravan leader, which was weird, since I was pretty sure that most of them were just fish. And he never came to our wagon, every time he just sent a few of his people, but they just checked if any of the crates were opened and that was about it. During the second day though, the mystery about the stops was revealed. Once we stopped, I left the wagon to stretch my legs a little bit and managed to see Bert climb onto one of the wagons. As I walked closer, the guards, or rather his mercenaries, stopped me, but not before I saw him casting some magic inside the wagon, after which I got hit with a large batch of cold air that smelled like fish. It didn''t take a genius to figure this one out - every time we stopped he was casting ice magic to keep them fresh. As he was leaving the cart, he noticed me standing nearby looking his way and approached me. -Sorry, but these wagons are off-limits. Please leave. -Those have to be the most important fish in the world to be guarded like that. He sighed. -You need something from me, or are you just here to waste my time? -Me? I was just stretching my legs, since we stopped, it''s you that approached¡­ He completely ignored my answer. -I guess I have a minute of my time. Come with me. -Wha¡­ He waved the guards away and gestured for me to follow him. Surprised and not quite sure what to think about that, I just complied. He led me behind one of the fish stinking carts and checked if there was anyone looking. -What''s going¡­ Next thing I knew was that I was pinned down by him to the back of the cart and had a knife at my throat. -How much did you see? - he asked quietly. -Okay, calm down. I''m¡­ -Answer - I felt a sting on my neck and felt the dagger poking me a bit harder. Deciding to not push my luck in this situation I just answered. -I saw you walk in and cast something inside. Nothing else. -I am gonna tell you what you saw - he said, with a hint of anger in his voice. - I walked in and changed a crystal in the middle of the floor. That is it. -What''s wrong with¡­ -Shut up. If you value your life you will listen. Understood? -Yes, yes, easy there¡­ -There is no "easy there" with me. Now answer again. What did you see? -I saw you change the crystal in the middle of the floor and nothing else - I responded obediently. -Good - he sheathed his dagger, but did not let me out of his grip. - Now we will calmly walk away like nothing happened - he barked at me, after which he let me go and started walking towards the front of the caravan. -We will be moving again in a minute. Please return back to your places - he added, with his regular tone, addressing all his people around. Still a bit shocked, I made my way back to the last cart, but this time I was not alone. About five steps behind me I had another two people following me. I guess he was serious. Wondering what have I stepped into, I stopped for a second and waited for those two to catch up to me. -Anything wrong? - I asked them like I had no idea what was going on. -We are here to make sure you cooperate. I couldn''t see their faces - they were wearing black hooded cloaks and facemasks. I have no idea where they came from, honestly, but I have never seen anyone dressed like that in this group before. -We will be keeping watch. Please be on your way - said the other one. I shrugged and started cursing my luck under my breath. As I was climbing back onto the wagon, I noticed that one of my stalkers disappeared somewhere, while the other one was now standing guard nearby. Inside, the kid was soundly asleep, thanks to which I finally had some peace and quiet for once. Since he found me here he never shut up, even during the night he was telling stories about the brothers, but he finally gave in to exhaustion. It was amazing in some way that he was able to go on about those two for so long without any breaks. But I didn''t really have time for thinking about him and the stories, because now I had a more pressing issue - I apparently caught Bert doing something that he shouldn''t. At least that''s what he seemed to think. I couldn''t wrap my head around it, why would someone not want to see their magic. I mean, I get it, you don''t want people to start pestering you, especially here, where people seem to only be able to use one element. But to go that far? A bit overkill if you ask me. Even if he was the only person that could use ice magic on the whole continent, it was a little drastic. All this didn''t make any sense to me, and the noise outside didn''t help with thinking. 15. Ambush That''s when I noticed - the noise. At first it was some almost silent creaking of the wood - like somewhere a storm picked up and the old trees started bending under the force of the wind. But it was getting closer and closer, and as it got louder, it started reminding me more of someone walking on an old wooden floor, but times hundred. I poked my head outside, but there was no sign of anything that would explain the sound. -What is going on? - I asked the guy in the black that came with me, but he silenced me with a gesture and pulled out a sword, looking somewhere into the forest. I followed his gaze, but at first I couldn''t see anything. But as the noise got louder and louder, I started noticing shapes in the forest. Humanoid shapes. All around us. -Ambush! - I heard someone yell up front, after which, from every direction, about a hundred of spikes shot towards us, like we got surrounded by an army of humongous hedgehogs. I managed to duck back inside, but heard a lot of not very encouraging sounds of pain, animal and human alike that replaced the creaking from before. Most spikes pierced through the weird green membrane of the wagon, but luckily for me, my wagon was packed so tightly that all of them hit the crates inside and stopped there. But just as I thought I might be relatively safe in there, all of the spikes sprung to life. They started growing rapidly and moving. It reminded me of the growth I encountered back on the island, but it was on a completely different scale. Judging by the volume of panic that exploded all around the caravan, it was not just one wagon that was in a similar predicament. Soon, in all of the panicked yelling I started hearing noises of a fight - weapons drawn and sound of chopping wood, the latter seemed slightly out of place in all this. I don''t know how long I stood there, frozen, not knowing what to do with myself. Whole cart was now tightly covered in those green roots, the only exit blocked, vines slithering around the place, like they were looking for something. Some started making their way towards me, but out of my shock I was broken out by another scream - this time a lot closer. I shuddered and noticed what was going on right next to me. The kid started to be wrapped by the vines from feet up, but when they reached his arm he must have woken up and started screaming. Thanks to that the adrenaline finally hit me and I started thinking a bit more clearly. I jumped to help the wrapped kid. He was struggling, but for some reason the vines were pretty slow and thin, so I didn''t even have to use magic, I was able to just tear through them with my bare hand like it was grass. He was scared and shaking, but managed to stand up and look at me. -What is happening? What is that? - he asked with a trembling voice. -I have no idea, but nothing good. As to confirm my words, the screams and noises outside intensified, but this time I could tell that there were not just voices of panicked people - they were screams of pain, accompanied with something that sounded like crushed wood. At the same time, the vines that wrapped around our wagon started moving and, to my absolute horror, started crushing the wagon. Luckily though, it looked like it had some difficulties with that, because the process was very slow. The floor was creaking and the boxes all around started to break, crushed between each other. The green membrane that was our roof started to distort. I sort of expected that it would have either been torn like a paper or would bend like a rubber, but no. It was¡­ folding, almost like it was made out of metal. The vines were squishing the wagon like an oversized soda can. The kid, realizing what was happening, backed up towards the middle of the wagon, where the floor was still intact and just stood there, frozen in fear. As I was about to unleash some fire magic to burn through all this, I realized that the squeezing stopped for some reason. For a second I thought the attack had stopped, but no, the noise around us was still going strong, although the screams seemed to fade away. But even though the vines stopped for a second, the ceiling didn''t stop collapsing - under the weight of all the vines it still was going down and I was already able to see the sky through the hole that was getting bigger and bigger. Without much of a thought I stepped on some of the boxes that were not destroyed by all this green mass yet and reached through the hole, trying to rip it further to get out. With one hand on my disposal, I expected it to be a hard task but, to my surprise, the roof ripped like a paper bag and the vines that were on top slammed right onto the floor of the carriage. The noise startled the kid and he managed to shake off his initial panic. He noticed what I was trying to do and, still clutching the book, came to my aid. As soon as he started helping, I could feel the vines weakening faster and faster, and not long after we managed to climb out on top of the, now covered in green roots, cart. The sight we were greeted by was not very pleasant. Or let me rephrase - it was horrifying. All the carts, or at least that''s what was left of them, got covered with vines, similar to the one I was standing on. But the major difference was that the other vines were a lot thicker and stronger. While the ones we busted through you could compare to a human finger, others were at least like a whole arm. And the wagons themselves¡­ Have you ever seen a knot tied by a sailor? One that looks too complicated for it to make any sense and untying it looks impossible? Imagine something like that being wrapped around a cardboard box, but a loot messier, and then pulled on as hard as humanly possible. That''s what was left of the other wagons. And people inside. Suddenly I was grateful that all those tangles were so tightly and thickly wrapped so I could not see the exact details of what was left inside. Besides that, the whole area was littered with other vines and quite a few bodies. From a brief look, all of them were wearing some kind of armor and were pierced by spikes or crushed by the roots. Some of them were wearing familiar-looking black hoods. And in the middle of this mess there were still two familiar people fighting the mass of vines on the floor, alongside a few mercenaries or guards. The main part of the mass was on the opposite side of all this mess and from it, every once in a while emerged greenish-brown, humanoid-looking creatures that proceeded to attack the group. To be honest, the only part that made them look humanoid was their posture and amount of limbs, but from the back of each one of them sprouted small bushes of different kinds. I could recognize a few of them - a rose, laurel, even a blueberry. Although different, they had one thing in common - instead of leaves and branches, they consisted mostly of sharp spikes, about human arm''s length, which made them look like some weird mixture of a plant, human and a hedgehog. As I took in all this sight, the kid managed to climb out as well and froze again, shaken and scared. We did not have any time to think about what to do next though, because as soon as he came up to the roof, the floor of the cart started filling with more and more vines and the whole thing started creaking even more, under the weight of the plant. The vines on the roof looked even weaker. Under its weight, and most likely ours, the roof was slowly starting to collapse. Without much of a choice I grabbed Felix by his fluttering robe and jumped on the ground beside the cart, aiming for the spot that was as far from the roots as possible. Good thing that we managed to get off the roof in time, because as soon as we landed, the vines covering the cart sprung with a new strength, covering all of it, and created a similar looking tangle that I saw everywhere around the caravan, although bigger. As I wondered why there was such a size difference between all others and the one we jumped from, the vines strained, and compressed with an unpleasant crunch, resizing the wagon to a green cocoon, even smaller than others. The noise and sudden movement of the vines caught the attention of the people fighting the rest of this green mess. Bert noticed us jumping from the roof and looked at us with expression of pure shock and surprise. Behind him, Goldie was fanatically fighting the plant monsters, chopping them like it was nothing. With his shield out, he was using a fancy longsword, with, you guessed it, a golden dragon head of a hilt, from which, instead of a tongue, was sticking a rune covered blade. Although he was easily chopping down the enemies, with the accompaniment of loud screeches every time he hit, there was no end to them. New ones constantly appeared out of the tangle, and even when he was able to cut them down faster than they appeared, the main growth then started sending its roots toward the group, forcing him to block the blows with his shield. The hooded figures were shooting using their bows, but few of them already ran out of arrows and pulled out daggers, trying to help him somehow, poking at some smaller roots, but without much of an effect. Bert himself, like his men, was also using a set of daggers, with a bow on his back. In all this mess, he gestured towards us to come closer. I didn''t think that it would be easy, considering all the roots spread around the place, but surprisingly, they did not attack, they didn''t even move. I assume that it was thanks to Goldie being a big shiny target in front of us that the plant didn''t notice, or, more likely, didn''t care about us. -How the hell did you not get crushed? - he yelled over the screeching noise of the plant. -No idea! - I yelled back, slowly making my way towards them, trying to avoid all the crap on the ground. He stepped back a bit and grabbed two swords from the ground, near a pile of chopped down vines, all the time while still looking at Goldie massacring the incoming waves of vines and hedgehog monsters. -You said you can handle yourself - he said while tossing the swords towards us - then help! You too, kid! The weapons clattered on the ground, bouncing towards us. -That''s not what I had in mind when I said that¡­ - I said, but picked one anyway. It was a bit chipped, but seemed usable. Not like that would matter to me. -What? - he yelled back, now stabbing some vines by the side of Goldie. I sighed and looked at the kid behind me. He also picked up the weapon, but just like me, he looked like he had no idea what to do with himself. We both came to the group and could admire their job from close up. Exactly as I saw, they easily were able to dispatch enemy after enemy, but the roots that attacked in between were the problem. They were so thick and durable, that even the heaviest attacks of the golden sword were leaving just small scratches on the bark, or whatever else you would like to call the skin of this creature. I did notice though, that the corpses of fallen hedgehog-plants were nowhere to be seen, and after a next wave of vine attacks I noticed something. Every time they attacked, some smaller vines were also grabbing the corpses and pulling them inside of the amalgamation in the back, I guess where the main part of this thing was. -Stop standing there and help! - I heard Bert again. -What did you try against this thing? - I asked, considering my options. -What do you mean "what did you try"? - he answered, annoyed, still stabbing at some vines that crawled nearby. - We don''t really have many options. -Any magic? - I asked again, fully expecting him to snap at me, but I got surprised yet again. -I tried. Ice doesn''t work on this thing - he replied. - Look. He pulled out his bow. It looked a bit plain, but sturdy. It did not have any visible decorations or runes. -Visinqo lyp hmedou. As he spoke, the blow started glowing blue. A frost spell. I didn''t expect him to show off his magic like this in the open, considering his threats earlier, but I guess it was a serious situation so I decided I better be quiet. -Tehu. As he pulled back the bow''s string, which was glowing even more than the wood itself, he conjured a purplish-blue looking arrow. It was steaming a little, thanks to the cold that it was imbued with. He first shot at one of the vines that was now slamming its weight onto Goldie¡¯s shield. As he hit the target, the place where the arrow impacted got covered with ice, which quickly spread about one meter in each direction and stopped it''s movement for a second. As I was gonna say that he''s talking bullshit and ice is clearly working, the vine shuddered, broke through the ice and continued its attack like nothing ever happened. He then continued his attack, this time at one of the hedgehog-plants that again was coming at us, and then even shot quite a volley at the main plant itself. All of those had a similar effect, maybe even less. Both of those didn''t even stop their movement, they broke the ice instantly. -That is the most I can do - he said, putting the bow back on his back. -Anyone else with magic? - I asked, hoping to not have to deal with this thing myself. - Fire, preferably. -No, I am the only person that can cast magic here. If we did, we would''ve dealt with this thing already? -Yeah, I was hoping not to¡­ Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. -I do - we heard from the front. Both of us stopped talking and turned. It was Goldie. He was apparently listening to us talk while still defending from the monster. -Can you repeat that one, Caleb? -I can use fire magic. My sword has some fire runes embedded into it. He looked completely lost for words. He just stood there, opening and closing his mouth like a fish taken out of the water. After a good while he finally asked: -So why aren''t you using it? -Why should I? The regular attacks seemed to work and your magic didn''t. Weren¡¯t you complaining about that just now? Why would I use something that doesn''t work? -Are you stupid? That silenced everyone. I know, magic can be difficult at times, but aren¡¯t elemental weaknesses like this just sort of logical? Why didn¡¯t he just try? -Boy, are you sure that this is the knight you were telling me those stories about? Didn''t this guy hire some kind of impostor? The kid just looked at me, confused. -Stop insulting me! - Said Bert, slightly offended. - But I don''t blame you for this one, I am at a loss for words myself - he added a lot quieter, so only I could hear. -In any case - he raised his voice back again - use that damn magic then! -Why? It didn''t¡­ -That is an order. That shut him up immediately. -Oletram! As soon as he spoke, the dragon''s mouth on his blade erupted in flames. The strength of the spell caught all of us off guard, especially the sheer size of the flame. It was almost twice the length of the actual blade. -Happy? - he asked, waving the blade around, spreading flames everywhere. -Attack the monster, you moron! - said Bert angrily, trying to duck down to not get burned in the process. Unnecessarily. His control over the magic was impressive. Although he was swinging his blade wildly, he did not set anyone ablaze, not even the grass or trees nearby. Following his command, Goldie swung at the vines and the hedgehog-monsters in front of us, setting them briefly on fire. Just as they got hit, the humanoid looking thing screeched even louder, but after a second, the flames disappeared without a trace. The monster just stopped for a moment, looking confused, after which, it screamed again, but this time not in pain. This time it sounded like it was angry, and with new vigor it started barreling towards us again. -Told you, it''s useless. - Goldie yelled back to us, trying to stop it again, swinging his blade wildly. -What are those¡­ - I didn''t hear the rest of Bert¡¯s sentence, because it got drowned in an unholy scream. As we were busy figuring out Goldie¡¯s magic and why it didn''t work, the plant didn''t wait. All the vines that were around us sprung into action at once and shot towards us all. After the failure of the other two, I was about to use magic myself, but I was rudely interrupted by some heavy object slamming into me, knocking me down and a few meters away from all the action. I had to black out for a moment, because the next thing I remember was me being dragged further away by someone. I shook off the impact and managed to stand up, although I still felt the blow in my bones. From what I gathered, all of us were slammed away by a massive root. Goldie was in the heaviest armor, so although he took a brunt of the hit, he was the only one left standing. He absorbed most of the impact, so Bert, me and the kid were left relatively unharmed. He was a few steps behind me, helping the kid to pick himself up from the ground. They all looked battered, but okay. Sadly you couldn''t say that about the rest of the group. They didn''t have anyone to take the slap for them, nor the required armor to survive the hit. The remaining people in black were now scattered around the place, limp and unmoving. The plant itself backed up though, stopped flailing around and started pulling back all of its roots. But as it did, it also was grabbing all the bodies and rubble and dragging them into itself. If that was not unsettling enough, it also started pulling in the wagon-cocoons. -That cannot be good - I mumbled, swaying a bit, still wobbly. I almost fell down again, but managed to grab onto Goldie who was standing besides me, still with a flaming sword in his hand. His armor took a beating though, the chestplate was dented and the dragon pauldrons were a bit deformed. His shield no longer reminded a dragon head, it was more like a deformed pug. -You alright? - he asked me, stabbing the sword into the ground and helping me stand straight again. -Yeah, I''ll manage¡­ - I responded, cursing myself in my thoughts for my indecision and trying to think of a spell that would work at this, apparently fire resistant monstrosity. I thought about using the similar spell I used on the growth back on the island, but I wasn''t sure if it would be good enough to bust through its defense. As I was thinking, I gazed towards Goldie, who now pulled out the blade from the ground and was getting ready for another attempt on the monster. Still burning, the blade easily came out of the grassy ground, leaving almost no trace¡­ Wait. No trace? That makes no sense¡­ Even a torch would''ve made at least a scorch mark on the grass. For a second, a horrifying thought came to me. What if this whole patch of grass we were on was the monster? Resistant to fire and maybe even magic? What can we do then? But that didn''t make sense, if that was true, it wouldn''t have to attack from the main tangle, it could''ve just sprouted somewhere under us¡­ Or¡­ -Can I see your blade for a second? Confused, he looked back at me. -Why? -I might have figured out how we can kill this thing. -Oh? Do you have an idea? - asked Bert, interested about my sudden initiative. -Maybe. That depends on the blade¡­ -Give it to him. Goldie, still not very keen on giving up his weapon to someone he knows nothing about, hesitated. -Come on. -Fine¡­ He extinguished the blade and handed it to me. It was a bit lighter than expected, but still a hefty piece of metal. And completely cold. -What was that spell you used on it? -Does it really matter right now? -Yes. A lot, actually. -I don''t think... -Come on, answer him. I am curious as well, although we don''t have much time I am afraid¡­ - interrupted Bert, looking at the monster plant that was still gathering bodies and rubble from all over the place. He grumbled something under his breath. -It was not a spell. The blade is enchanted with fire, you just have to recite its name to activate or dismiss the flames - he finally answered. - It also is enchanted that way so it never hurts its user. -Really¡­ And the name is¡­? -You heard it already, didn''t you? Oletram. Just don''t¡­ -Oletram! -Careful! - both of them yelled in unison. All three, even the kid, jumped back to avoid the flames that sprouted again from the blade. I waved the blade a bit to see their reaction. Both Bert and Goldie took a step back, looking annoyed, and the kid hid behind them even. -When I said it can''t hurt the wielder it doesn''t mean you can swing it like it''s a stick! We are still here, you know?! - shouted Goldie, but did not approach, afraid of the fire probably. I just looked at all three of them, considering what I should do. Their annoyance seemed genuine, although Bert started looking a bit suspicious about all this farce. Nevertheless, I decided to play along for a while. I stopped waving the blade and turned my back to them for a second, hiding the blade. I quickly cut my finger open on it and cast a certain spell on it. -Geksu, vsinqo do voy lmophu, oletram itvet tmutomu, muyfis itvet izqmufu lek mocisohu, nus. As expected, the blade heated up and the grass nearby lit on fire. I turned back to face them and stomped the flames with my foot. First step was done. -See what you''ve done? - yelled Goldie again, still angry. - Give it back, this instance! -Right, but before that, I think I know how to kill this thing. -Then tell us already! -And it will solely depend on you, Mr. Caleb. -Of course. "Can take care of myself" my ass! - he exclaimed, annoyed, but changed his tone almost instantly as I handed him the weapon back. - What do I have to do? -Looks like this thing''s skin is resistant to whatever we throw at it, but I''m not so sure about the insides and the core. -Core? -Look - I pointed towards the main tangle. - it keeps gathering everything around it and bringing it there. Why? Most likely to use it as a ¡°fertilizer¡±. -Disgusting. But if it''s fertilizer, why doesn''t it drag us in as well? It seems like it lost its interest in us. -That I am not so sure about. Maybe we are too far? But that''s besides the point. Where do you think it''s dragging all this to? It''s maw or something like that. What would have happened, if it "ate" something like, for example, a corpse with a burning blade wedged into it? -That''s nice and all, but won''t it just ignore the body if it''s on fire? -Yes, but that''s why we will give it your weapon. You said you just have to call it''s name and it will burst in flames. -I am not sure I can do that¡­ -Well it''s either that or hoping that after it finishes "eating" it will just let us leave, which I find unlikely. He looked torn, but after a while he made up his mind. -I will do it. - He extinguished his blade. - But if that does not work¡­ -I don''t think that''s how¡­ -Do you have any better ideas? - I interrupted him. - If not, please just watch. I am sure Mr. Caleb¡¯s blade will kill it with ease. And if you¡¯d be so kind, can you take care of the aftermath? He just stood there in silence. As Goldie walked away, he started again with his doubts. -Look, I don''t know how much you know but I am pretty sure enchantments do not work that way. You sent him to his death, didn''t you? - he added, lowering his voice, so the kid wouldn''t hear me. -Why didn''t you stop me then, if you are worried this much? - I asked, sucking my bleeding thumb. -I¡­ -But don''t worry he will be fine. Maybe burned a little, but fine. -I thought he can''t be hurt by his own weapon? -I wonder about that. But for now let''s see what happens. We moved a few steps forward and looked towards the plant. As Goldie was nearing the center of all this mess, the plant noticed his presence, and sent a bunch of vines his way. Like before, he easily knocked away all its advances with the shield, but this time he didn''t retaliate with his sword. Instead he was walking towards one of the roots that was dragging a corpse of one of the horses that were in our caravan. Without any hesitation he stabbed the dead animal right in the neck burying about half of the blade in, and instantly started to back away. The plant didn''t care at all and continued doing its thing. Funnily enough, as he was walking backwards, he extended his hand towards the corpse and the weapon and started chanting something. Nothing happened, of course. Noticing that it didn''t work, he started chanting again, now louder. And again, now with added arm flailing. Then, even louder, so we could clearly hear him yelling the sword¡¯s name. -I told you it won''t work. -Muyfis. -What the¡­? -OLETRAM! - just as the sword disappeared inside the tangle of the roots, alongside the cocoons, corpses and other rubble, Goldie screamed one last time on top of his lungs, drowning my voice and the spell. The blade finally caught on fire. This time though the plant actually lit up, alongside with the surrounding roots. At first the monster didn''t react, still pounding on Goldie''s shield, but after it started spreading more and more, the plant froze for a moment. Using the opportunity it gave him, he turned around and started running back towards us as fast as his armor let him. -What the hell was¡­ -Ask me later. Now we have another problem. The plant still did not surrender. As the flames spread, it started screeching and flailing wildly. While it wasn''t aiming for anything in particular it looked like, the flames that spread onto all of its roots already, started spreading even further to the surrounding trees. Bert noticed that as well and pulled out his bow again. -Visinqo lyp hmedou. Vijy. His bow started glowing again and he shot three frozen arrows, one behind the creature and two in front of it, on both sides. -Tehuk, lsitlo,lupilvo, moho¡­ As he chanted, the arrows that landed suddenly grew in size to about two meters long and started glowing with pure white. A white streak, almost like a curtain, shot from each one of them connecting all three, forming a large triangular shape, around the fiery creature. It was big enough to enclose the whole fire, it was not tall enough. Although the flailing started getting a bit weaker and the vines were turning to ash, the fire spread to some of the canopies anyway. Goldie, who just reached us, was panting heavily. -Good job, now keep running and take the kid with you! Bert said he will manage it alone from here. Luckily, he was too preoccupied with the spell and the toll it took on him to protest. -Right! - he wheezed and he continued to run along. As he disappeared behind some trees, now dragging the kid by the hand, Bert finally finished the spell. -..qsotnu. What used to be a fence surrounding the fire now collapsed on itself, forming a big, almost see-through prism, with a dull blue shimmer. Inside, the fire still raged, although it slowly started getting smaller, trapped without access to anything new to burn. -That is a powerful spell - I said as he collapsed to the ground, exhausted. - It''s not even starting to melt. He didn''t reply, he was just breathing heavily, slumped on the ground. -Can you do something to stop the other fire or are you tapped out? -I am fine. - he stood up, gritting his teeth. - Those are small, it should not be a problem. -Mhm¡­ He raised his bow again. -Visinqo lyp hmedou. Tehu. Same spell as earlier. He shot a volley of arrows, one towards each canopy that was still on fire that was outside his piramid. The spell was weak, as presented against the creature before, but the frost arrows were enough to stop the fires at their cores. -Fine shooting - I complimented his work. -Shut up. 16. Oletram He sat down on the grass beside me, or rather collapsed, exhausted. I sat down next to him, admiring his spell and watching the creature''s demise. After a few minutes, the movements inside finally stopped, although the fire was still going strong. It took another ten, maybe twenty minutes for the fire to finally die down. -I think you can drop the spell. He sighed with relief and the ice structure''s blue shimmer instantly disappeared. -Finally¡­ - he laid down on the grass. - I need a moment¡­ -Take your time. I stood up and started walking towards what used to be the monster. The pyramid was still see-through and glasslike, but as I got closer, I realized it started melting. I guess once he dropped the spell, the heat of the embers inside started winning against his ice - the top part was already halfway melted, with water slowly dripping from it. As I got closer, I noticed that the fire was pretty thorough. There was no sign of any rubble from the carriages and the plant was just a pile of ash in the middle. I touched the side of the icy pyramid. It was still pretty solid, although it was only a matter of time for it to melt completely. I started circling the ice structure, waiting for it to melt and looking around, scouring the clearing where the battle took place. After a minute or two, the walls have finally melted to the point where I could step through them and take a look at the core of this mess. The first thing that hit me was the smell. It was actually kinda pleasant, something like a burned pine tree. It was a bit unsettling, since I saw this thing drag in corpses and other wreckage that would definitely not smell like that when burned, as well as the cocoons. The thought alone was unpleasant. How many people did just burn inside this creature''s belly? I didn''t have time to think about that before, but I just cremated at least a dozen people. The thought hit me a bit hard, and I picked up the pace, walking towards the middle of where used to be the tangle, now just a large hill of greenish-gray ash. Just ash¡­ Wandering, I started slowly parting the pile with my feet, trying to feel if there was anything¡­ well, else. For a good while the only thing I found was more ash, which was unsettling. Was the fire so strong that even the bones were reduced to dust? As I was digging through, I finally felt something hit my foot. For a second I was mortified, not knowing what I was gonna find, but I was stressing out for nothing. It was just the sword that we used to burn this thing to the ground. The hilt was more or less still in one piece, although the dragon head melted a little bit. The blade was mostly intact, although the runic writing that it was covered with was melted to the point it was unreadable. I sighed with relief. -Maybe that''s for the better¡­ I made my way back to Bert, lying in the grass. -You found anything? I pointed to the sword. -Nothing besides this and a pile of ash. He winced and looked away. -Damn¡­ -Yeah. There was this moment of awkward silence. -Well at least the sword is still in one piece¡­ Sort of¡­ We are gonna need that if more of those show up¡­ I''ll have to thank Goldie for bringing that thing. -Yeah, about that¡­ -Yes, yes, and you too. I have no idea what he was thinking, not using this thing but¡­ -No, no - I interrupted him. - I wanted to ask you a question. -Well, your plan saved our lives, so ask away. -Hmm. Yes¡­ I wanted to ask about him, actually. Caleb, was it? -Him? I thought that kid already told you all the stories about him - he laughed, still laying on the grass. -Yes¡­ But my question is, do you trust that guy? He stopped laughing and sat up. -Where did this come from? - he sounded surprised. - I know it was your plan, but he also saved your life, don''t you remember? I mean, I know he acted a bit strange with his magic and all, but he still used it to kill the plant, right? -Riiight, he used it¡­ - I started slowly. - This is his sword, right? - I raised the blade that I brought back with me. -Yes? -Oletram. I ignited it again, like before. Even though it was dirty and melted a bit, the flames still sprouted from it without any issue. -What are you¡­ I stuck the handle under my arm and grabbed the flaming blade with my hand. As expected, it didn''t burn. The flames were licking my body, but there was no heat, just a glowy effect. -I think he is hiding something from us. -Stop trying to show off! Didn''t he say it won''t hurt the wielder? - he said and rolled his eyes at me. -Try it yourself then. Still uncertain, he slowly stood up and came closer. -It''s not hot¡­ - he said, reaching towards the flame. -It''s not. From what I can tell, this "fire enchantment" as he said, is just an illusion. For what reason someone would''ve made something like this, I have no idea. Finally, he was so close that the flames were basically licking his hand. -I don''t get it¡­ How did he burn this thing then¡­ -Well, he didn''t. -What, you''re gonna tell me all this is some illusion? I am not buying that. -And I am not saying it was. This monster was real. And the fire that you stopped was too. But I was the one to burn this thing. -Wha¡­ I dropped the blade and extended my hand. -Usc fi geksu. I summoned the fire orb. -My fire is real and I think you can tell that. His eyes widened. -A red mage¡­ that''s unexpected¡­ But why are you telling me this? And why didn''t you act sooner? -Well I am telling you because you are the only one that seems remotely competent in this group. I don''t know what''s in Goldie''s head, but I''d rather work with someone who threatened my life and is at least competent with magic than someone who thinks yelling at a sword louder will increase the likelihood of a spell working. I paused for a second. -About why didn''t I act sooner¡­ I didn''t really want to flaunt my magic, that bit me in my ass already before. Although I wanted to do something¡­ When he didn''t say anything I continued. -You seem awfully calm about all this. -So are you. -Yes, but that was not my squad that got wiped out a while ago. I am just a bystander. -That is bullshit and you know it. He hesitated for a second. -I am sorry. You are right, I didn''t care that much. Those were just mercenaries, some worked with me longer than others, but that was it. I am more concerned about Caleb. If what you are saying is true, and it definitely looks like that, that means that he has to be up to something. I can assure you that I didn''t know about that sword''s power and that concerns me. He started pacing around. -I find it hard to believe that that prominent figure would be that ignorant, and that only means he is plotting something. -Well, you know him better than I do, but he is a weird one. -Hmm. What about the kid? -I know as much as you do, but he is infatuated by him and his "legend", so I''d rather not mention anything about this to him. He might just tell him and if you are right and he is plotting something, that would not be good. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. -I agree that this should stay between us. And by the way, I am sorry for that little threat earlier, I think we started on the wrong foot. No hard feelings, right? -Whatever. As long as you are not gonna follow up on those threats. -But of course. It was a bit weird coming out of him, especially after he was so adamant on keeping his secrets before. I guess he lost his leverage on me - his team got wiped out and he was a poor matchup against me. -Well, what now? - I asked after a moment of silence. - We lost our transport and I don''t think we are even remotely near the capital. He scratched his head. -I am not sure¡­ But it shouldn''t be that bad. Since we were so heavily loaded I had planned to go to the capital in a straight line, although without horses now it would take forever. I think I have a map somewhere¡­ He reached to his belt but stopped almost instantly. -Shit. I left it in a cart¡­ We both looked at the pile of ash. -I am pretty sure it did not survive. -No shit... Ehm. I mean, you are right. - he corrected himself. - I am not sure about our whereabouts, but if I remember correctly, on our way to the capital we would''ve passed near one of the villages that I sometimes stock up in. I wasn''t planning on stopping there this time, since it is a bit out of the way, but now it seems like our best bet. -Nice. How far? -Hard to tell. If we were traveling by horseback, it would be about an hour from the main trail. -It doesn''t sound so bad. If you were there already, it shouldn''t be a problem, you can lead us there, right? -I think so. -It''s settled then. Let''s check up on the rest for now. I still don''t trust Goldie, but I want to keep an eye on him. -Same here. And so we made our way towards the forest where Goldie and the kid disappeared a while ago. We found them about a hundred meters deep into the forest. Goldie, clutching his shield, was walking nervously around the kid, who was sitting on top of some fallen tree, with his book on his lap. As soon as we got close, he leaped towards Bert, startling all of us. -Are you okay? What happened? Where is everyone else? -Easy there¡­ - he put his hand on his shoulder. - I managed to stop the forest fire and the creature is as dead as it gets, thanks to you, but I am exhausted. Anything new on your end? -No, after the screams stopped I haven''t heard or seen anything unusual. What was that thing? -We have no idea - I answered for him. - From all of us you are the most well-traveled one. Have you seen or heard about anything like that? -I guess that is true¡­ - he pondered for a second - but no. First time I encountered such a weird being¡­ -We were lucky. Without quick thinking of Mr. Mor and your blade, we would be long gone. -Just call me Mor. And without your ice, we would''ve been burned alive after that. But speaking of blades¡­ I presented the dirty gold blade that I brought with me. -I think that belongs to you. -Oh! As expected, Oletram survived and came back to me! What a great weapon you are! -Ehm, you''re welcome¡­ - I muttered under my breath, but he was not paying attention, cleaning the blade in the patch of grass nearby. -As soon as we get to the capital, I''m gonna find the best blacksmith there is and you will be as good as new. -Yes¡­ - started Bert, interrupting his monologue - speaking of travel, we have to get back on the road. Since we lost our horses we now need to stop by a village nearby. It shouldn''t be far, but we need to get moving if we want to get there before night. Goldie of course did not pay any attention, cleaning his sword and checking for damage. Bert just sighed heavily and instead centered his attention on the kid, sitting there listening to the conversation. -Are you all right? I know this is pretty sudden, but you''ll have to bear with us for a while. -Yes¡­ I think¡­ - the kid managed to say with a weak voice. He still looked a bit scared, but I guess the presence of his "idol" calmed him down a bit. -Sorry, but we will have to walk for a while. Tell us if you need a break, okay? He patted his shoulder. -Well, there is no reason to stay. Let''s move out. According to Bert we had to turn back and retrace our steps a little bit. Apparently, a good while ago we passed a fork in the road that is now gonna lead us to Kalkano, the village in question, where we are gonna stock up on supplies and buy new horses to travel to the capital. Apparently Kalkano is often used as a resupply spot for a bunch of traders and other caravans, which worked perfectly for us. Bert even promised he will cover all the expenses for both me and the kid, which was a welcome surprise. After the encounter he started being a lot more kind towards me. On another hand, Goldie was still mostly ignoring us all and just kept trying to clean his sword, with little to no result. Well, it was a bit of my fault anyway, not like he knew that. You see, my spell which created that flame was a bit too powerful - I melted a bit of the blade. Luckily, I didn''t destroy the enchantment itself, although the ash which the blade was buried in mixed with melted metal and when I found the blade¡­ Let¡¯s just say it was not in a good shape and no amount of polishing was gonna change that. The journey back took the better part of the day. Nothing worthy of noting happened, although we made a few stops on the way, most of them for the kid to catch a breath. Although every time he was saying he wanted to press onward, just to be promptly informed by Bert that he does not want to increase the death toll of his caravan. A bit over the top statement if you ask me, but it worked, so I didn''t mind it. When we finally arrived at our destination, the sun was beginning to set and by the time we reached the village, it was night already. Kalkano wasn''t very different from the places I visited so far. Houses were still wooden, made from one big piece of wood and with green windows. This time however, the layout was just a grid. No one long street, no randomly spread buildings, just clean and straight lines, almost like a city, although smaller. It was about ten buildings, maybe less, each one looking like each other. -This is¡­ A bit mundane place¡­ - I couldn''t help but comment. We quickly reached the main plaza, or rather an empty space in the middle of the village. Bert took a quick look around. -Ah. Here - he pointed towards one of the houses where there was a yellowish glowing gem hanging next to the door. -Your acquaintance or something? -Sort of. Give me a minute and I will set everything up - he told us and went towards the house. After a while someone let him in. He was inside for a good couple minutes, after which he emerged back, this time with a small pouch. -Good news. We have a place to stay for tonight and I managed to buy horses. Come on. He led us to the other end of the village, to the building that looked suspiciously like a stable. He pulled out a key from the pouch he got and opened the door. -This is our place for the night? - Asked Goldie, looking around the place. I was not wrong. It was a stable. Pretty barren as well. There were only five horses in there, and a lot of hay. The smell was¡­ not pleasant. -Yeah. I know it''s not an inn but we have to work with what we get. -You cheap bastard. That''s how you thank your savior? - he muttered under his breath, although it wasn''t quiet enough. -May I remind you that all my belongings went up in flames along with the caravan? You should be happy that we are not sleeping outside. If you want something more then go and pay for it yourself, I am already broke. -Hmpf. But, even while discontent, he gave up and instead went to inspect the horses. -So, which ones did you buy? -Those three in the back - he pointed at three black horses. -Hmm. Well, they at least look better than our living quarters for tonight. -Very funny. As we were about to go to sleep, Bert gave each of us one¡­ I guess a nut? It looked like a larger peanut, but it was green and was shimmering slightly, like it was dipped in glitter. -What''s this? - asked the kid. -Right, you probably have never seen those before. It''s a mana fruit. I still had a few on me for emergencies. Eat it now, oruse it as a breakfast, it will satiate you for a long while. That is if you don¡¯t use magic¡­ - the last part he muttered to himself. After this explanation the kid finally made up his mind and ate it. I didn''t say anything but when I heard his explanation I focused on the nut in my hand. Sure enough, it had a bit of a flow of mana through it, albeit small. It reminded me of the certain "tea" I had a while back, but a lot less invasive and, let''s say, ¡°filtered¡±. I seriously considered not eating it, but seeing how Goldie and Bert ate it without a hint of hesitation, curiosity got me. It tasted funny, not like a peanut, it more reminded me of a hard candy made of rhubarb mixed with tree sap. I couldn''t tell if it really satiates hunger as he said, but judging by the looks of the kid, he was not lying. -See? Pretty good. The kid nodded, looking very happy for some reason. -In any case, let¡¯s rest for now. They had to be quite tired after today, because it didn''t take them long to pass out and fall asleep, each on his own pile of hay. I also found myself a nice and comfortable pile and tried to rest. The sleep did not come to me though, probably thanks to the mana fruit ¡°charging¡± my crystal again. Okay, let¡¯s be honest. Even without the additional ¡°boost¡± from the fruit, I was pretty sure I wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep anyway. It looked like the mana from the crystal was constantly flowing through me, keeping me wide awake at all times. Even after all this time, I was not even slightly tired. I wanted to check if it was glowing again, but decided against it. I did not want anyone to notice my ¡°condition¡±. So I was just lying there, watching my companions. Goldie, still in his armor, found himself near the horses that we apparently bought. His helmet and weapon, which now didn''t fit in his sheathe, were laying next to him on the ground. Once in a while he twitched in his sleep, and muttered something that sounded very close to the phrase he used to summon illusory flames on his blade. I silently was thankful that those were just fake, because this stable was very flammable. Bert found his pile closer to the main door and was snoring silently. His bow was still on his back, how could he even sleep like that? Beside him, surprisingly close was the kid, who used his book as a pillow. Well, maybe not surprisingly close. He was the only person that showed any concern for him during our trip. Goldie was not thinking about our pretty young and weak travel companion at all and constantly wanted to press on, but every time he was stopped by Bert. I am a bit ashamed to say, but since I now had a seemingly infinite amount of energy, thanks to the crystal, I also sometimes forgot that I was not traveling alone any more. Even though he was the one that was threatening me not so long ago, Bert appeared to be the kindest person of us all. Well, maybe besides the kid. The whole night went by peacefully. As soon as Bert woke up, he started waking up others and was surprised to see me awake. -Well, night passed, I hope you all are ready to go. I want to say that we left the village smoothly and rode off to the capital without any issue, but who am I kidding, there is always something. This time the issue was pretty mundane - neither I nor the kid have ridden the horse before. It was no issue for him, since he could and had to share a horse with one of us. I didn''t want to share my lack of experience with my companions though - I was posing as the seasoned wanderer and traveler after all, so I decided to make up a small story. -Can you give me a hand with that? - I started, when Bert finished putting the saddle onto his horse and was about to climb on. -What? -Horse. Can you help me get on? -What do you mean, help, have you never ridden on a horse? -Not with one arm, no. It makes a lot of things harder than you think. -So that''s why you wanted to join my caravan¡­ You just needed a cart¡­ - he looked like he just had a sudden epiphany. -How did you even travel this far? - asked Goldie, who overheard us, clearly having a hard time not to laugh at me. -What? You are now gonna make fun out of a cripple? That shut him up. With Bert¡¯s help I managed to get on and stabilize myself. Honestly, even while it was the first time for me, it wasn''t that bad. I honestly would like to think that if I still had both hands I would''ve done that by myself. 17. Bighead We left about an hour after we woke up. The village was mostly still asleep, barely anyone was out on the streets. In the lead there was Bert, and Felix, sitting in front of him. Since riding with me was not the best idea and Goldie was wearing armor, it was really the only choice we had. But, speaking of armor. At first, Goldie was riding right beside me, trying to keep an eye on ¡°the suspicious one¡±, but he constantly was falling behind. Funnily, it was not my fault. Although I was a rookie in this horse riding business, the animals we got were pretty smart, so they kept their pace on their own. Soon he started falling behind so much that we actually had to stop and wait for him. The golden armor was simply too much for the poor animal. We had to either travel at snail''s pace or somehow deal with this, which was not easy. First idea was to just leave it behind but that was immediately shut down by Goldie. Although battered and melted, be refused to part with it. -Is it magical or something? We can''t travel like that, you''re gonna kill the horse! -I can walk if necessary! I am not leaving it behind! This is the best armor I own and it was not cheap! -It is enchanted then - Bert sighed heavily. - Why couldn''t you buy an enchantment that makes it weigh less or something, now we have to deal with this¡­ -It isn''t. I am not gonna trust some sketchy enchantment to protect me! -What? But you have an enchanted weapon! -There is a difference! -In what? Amount of metal? -That too! -Okay, let''s calm down a bit¡­ - I stopped them both before they started yelling so loud they would be heard back in Kalkano. -Shut it! No one asked for your opinion! You took the best horse for yourself, get me stuck on this useless animal and now act high and mighty! -If you''re gonna help me swap mounts I am more than willing but I think we all know it''s not the issue here. -Tsch. -He is right - said Bert, scratching his head. - Say, can''t you really leave it behind? We can mark the place and I will send someone to bring it to the capital when we arrive. -And get it stolen by someone? No. -How about this then: take it off and we will spread the weight between us three. - I proposed. -The idea is commendable, but we don''t have anything to carry it in. And I am not gonna hold a plate chestpiece on my lap the whole way. There is no real option here, Caleb. -Grrr¡­ -Come on. I swear I will send someone for it. I will even pay you back if it gets lost. It took a good half an hour to convince him, but he finally let go. Now we had to find a good place to hide it and mark it somehow. We weren''t too far from the village, so we had to be doubly sure that the hiding place was good enough, Goldie made sure of that. We stepped off the track for a while and went off deeper to the forest. I say deeper, but we were surrounded by the trees so densely that I couldn''t really tell the difference if we were just beside the road or a kilometer away. Bert found a nice and hollow tree trunk, lying on the ground that would make a perfect place for a hiding spot. -How is that for a place? -I suppose it should be fine¡­ -Good. Now get that piece of junk off. -Don''t call it junk! But he obediently started slowly taking the armor off, piece by piece. It was a bit harder for him than it should be, due to various dents and some melted pieces, but he somehow managed to remove all the pieces, besides his boots. Now that I think of it, it was the first time I saw him without armor. Not like there was much to look at. Under the metal he was wearing a white, one piece suit, tied on the back like some kind of corset. From the fight and the travels it was a bit dirty and charred but looked like it was made of some good quality cloth. He was surprisingly thin though, without armor he looked a lot less muscular, to the point that I started wondering how he even was able to move in that hunk of metal in the first place. -Also, why is he here? - That one was directed straight to me. To be honest, I was wondering the same thing. Not like I was interested in keeping his belongings safe, it was really not my business. I had a suspicion though. -Don''t you trust Mr. M¡­ I mean don¡¯t you trust Mor? I honestly was hoping to hire him to bring back your armor later. -What? No thank you, he''s just gonna take it for himself. -Hire me? I don''t remember mentioning that I am some kind of mercenary. All of this idea seemed a bit weird all of the sudden, but I dismissed it for now. -You aren''t? It''s a shame then. I don''t really want to hire some outsider for that¡­ Oh well. -Outsider? Over my dead body! If I have to, I am gonna do it myself! Bert sighed heavily, hiding the rest of the armor in the hollowed part of the tree. -Of course you will. Let''s leave that talk for later, allright? We went back to the road where the kid was waiting along with the horses. Along the way, Bert marked a few trees with his dagger, to later find the place. After he finished - and after a bit of assistance for me - we all were back in saddles and on the way to the capital. This time we were a lot faster, although my inability to ride a horse definitely didn''t help. No one was really talking, even the kid. He tried to strike a conversation with his partner in the saddle, but, since he was trying to guide us through the forests, he was not very chatty. Speaking of, the road we were traveling on was slowly getting smaller and the forest denser, which was a bit weird. It was definitely not a road that a whole caravan would be able to travel through. I even mentioned it to Bert, but he did not have an answer, or rather ignored me. Though the denser the forest got, the more concerned he started to look. Soon the road was just a path in the grass, and the forest - jungle. When the grass started reaching our knees, even Goldie started getting worried. -Are you sure it''s the right way? - he asked, looking around. - I don''t remember us passing this place. And this grass¡­ Right. We were in the middle of the dense forest. Usually, I wouldn''t expect any grass, just some dead leaves and such on the ground, but I learned that this place was a bit different from what I was used to, so I just accepted it as a norm. -This makes no sense, but I am sure this is the right way¡­ -I don''t know how you planned to pass this with a whole caravan¡­ - I said, looking at the dense forest and grass. - We can barely pass through by ourselves. -It was not like this before¡­ -Or maybe we are just lost. -No, I traveled on this path countless times, I wouldn''t¡­ -Well, as long as you can get us to the destination, I don''t mind. This place is kind of charming. I was not just saying that to cheer him up, I am not that kind. It was refreshing, seeing such grassland. Although still covered with trees, it was something new from the usual forests I kept seeing all the time. Confused, Bert decided to continue leading us in the same direction anyway, sure that we were still on the right track. And apparently he was right. Soon the grass started to recede and we were greeted by the regular forest floor again, along with the path we were supposed to be traveling along. Relieved, we picked up the pace, and soon we were back to our original speed. About an hour after that weird grassland, we made a brief stop to let our horses rest and to eat. By "eat", I mean to recharge with those mana fruit. This time I discreetly hid my portion in my bag and sat silently, observing everyone, slowly sipping water from the waterskin that each of us had by the saddle. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Bert was still looking a bit puzzled by our encounter with that grassland, but tried to hide that to not worry, I guess the kid, because he was definitely not fooling anyone else. Kid, still clutching his book, resumed his attempts to strike a conversation with him now when we stopped. Goldie, on the other hand, was looking a bit worse for wear. His earlier confidence was nowhere to be found, left behind along with his armor. He looked the most tired of us all, which was weird, since he hasn''t done anything at all. After a bit of a break, we continued our journey. We were gonna be traveling for a while and stop for the night when we reached some river called Iom that apparently would mark half of our journey complete. Sadly, even though we didn''t have any unexpected breaks, the night started to fall, but the river was nowhere to be found. -Ok, we are stopping for the night - announced Bert when we arrived at some small clearing in the trees. I looked around, but the river was nowhere to be seen, or heard for that matter. -I thought there was supposed to be a river here, but I can''t hear shit. -It''s getting dark, we are not gonna travel like this - he replied and pulled out a familiar crystal that lit up with a dim glow. -You think this is enough light? -This is the only decent light source I have, unless anyone has a better idea, let''s stop for now. -Well we have a certain flaming sword - I said, looking at Goldie - but using that wouldn''t be smart in the middle of woods. Well, whatever. But what about water? I am fine, but¡­ -I can survive without food and water for more than a week! - exclaimed suddenly Goldie. -What are you, a camel? -A what? -Never mind. I am sure you can, good for you. But you are not alone. We have a minor with us, and don''t forget about horses. -We will be fine - said Bert calmly. You forgot about my magic? With that he pulled out his bow again. -Visinqo lyp hmedou. Nemjimohot tehuk. He conjured about ten arrows looking pretty much the same as the ones he used to fight. -It''s pure ice. Those aren''t very useful as ammo, but as emergency supplies they are more than enough. -Huh. With that, he started to slowly chip down with his dagger on one of the arrows, letting the ice scraps fall into his waterskin. It was a bit unusual, but it worked. I was not that patient, so I took two of the arrows, broke off both ends and shoved the remains inside the waterskin. -Or you can do that¡­ - he said, looking at my display of laziness. -What I am curious about is how are you gonna make the horses "eat" that. Going to melt it? Do you have a bucket or something? -Nah. It''s easier than you think. With that, he approached his horse with one of the arrows. He broke it like I did and presented it to the animal. At first, it was confused, and licked his hand along with the ice. As soon as it realized that it was ice that he was giving it, it happily bit down, crunching it like it was candy. -See? Horses are pretty smart animals. -Yeah¡­ Almost like they have been trained¡­ He did not acknowledge my remark, just continued to feed arrows to the horses, so I decided to drop the subject. -By the way, how many of those mana fruits do you have? -A few. It should be enough for us to arrive at the capital. -Should? -Well, according to my memory, we should be near a river, but we aren''t. As you noticed. So we might be slower than we should, but we will manage. Meanwhile, Goldie and the kid were trying to "refill" their waterskins with arrows, one with better results than the other, so he went to help them and left me to my own devices. We spent the night camping around the glowing gem, like it was a campfire. Goldie volunteered to be a guard during our rest and said he will wake up someone else later so he can have his rest too. We spread around the light similarly like last night: Bert together with the kid, using his book as a pillow, me a few meters away from everyone, and Goldie just near the glowing gem. At first he was observing me, like he was waiting for something. I tried faking sleep as much as I was actually trying to fall asleep, and so he lost interest and turned his back to the light, looking somewhere into the forest. At least he was vigilant. If, for a chance, he was actually telling the truth and was able to go without food and drink for as long as he told us, he might very well be able to not sleep for a while. I mean I''ve seen weirder things, most of them were thanks to magic in some way, so I could at least try believing him in this aspect. Hah, who was I kidding. It didn''t even take an hour for me to hear loud snoring. He fell asleep, sitting up. I fought off the massive urge to sigh loudly and sat up as well. It didn''t look like he was gonna wake up any time soon, so I might as well take over from him. Not like I was planning to fall asleep anyway. I started listening to the forest. The night was calm and warm, you could hear some small night animals roaming around, but besides that, and snoring, it was peaceful. If any animal was curious enough to get closer to our camp it was promptly scared away by either the light or our not-so-golden-anymore noisemaker. Or so I thought. At first I started hearing more and more rustling coming from the forest. It kinda felt like some animals were getting spooked by something. I didn''t pay much attention since it was really nothing that weird. But as I started hearing those noises closer and closer to the campsite I started getting a bit suspicious. For a while I even considered hiding the glowing crystal, just to be safe, but I decided against it. After a while the noises stopped and the forest around got very quiet. It was a bit ominous, but not as much as what I noticed a while after. A humanoid looking shapes, looking towards our camp. It was dark, and in the dim light of the gem I couldn''t really pick up their features or even be fully sure that they were actually there, because every time I managed to spot one of those, after a closer look, they appeared to be just some weird accumulation of trees, shrubs or grass. In any case, it was unsettling. I wanted to pass those sightings as some hallucinations or illusions made by my tired brain, not used to this lack of sleep, but I couldn''t help but have some doubts in the back of my head. After the night had passed, I woke up my companions, and without much of an issue we continued our journey. Well, Goldie had some issues with me "taking the night watch from him without his permission" , but after reminding him that it was him that had fallen asleep on guard duty, he gave up. The next day was a bit boring, that is until the first break. We stopped around midday to give a bit of rest to our mounts and have a talk. -So we have a bit of an issue¡­ - started Bert, sitting under a nearby tree and gesturing for the rest of us to do the same. -As you all know, we should''ve passed by a river yesterday, or at worst today, and as you noticed - he nodded towards me - there is no sign of it. -We are lost? How is that even possible? - said Goldie, half mockingly, half serious. - The great Bert, caravan master, lost in the woods near the capital. What the hell. -Yes, seems impossible, doesn''t it? - he replied, not caring about the tone of his voice. - It keeps bothering me. I was pretty sure that I followed the same exact path we took to get to the coast in the first place. Don''t you agree, Caleb? That up to that weird patch of overgrown forest everything seemed all in order. -Now, since you mentioned it¡­ -And even more - he interrupted - don''t you feel like the path that we followed after that weird patch of forest looked familiar as well? -What are you trying to say? - he asked, confused. -Say, Mor - he turned to me. - And you too, Caleb. In your travels and adventures, have you heard of a river just disappearing in such a short amount of time? I am not sure if it''s even been a few weeks. -Impossible - Goldie immediately stated, sure of himself. - I have traveled far and wide and haven''t heard anything about something like that! Not even a legend! -Not really, no - I replied, indifferent. -Let me rephrase it then. Do you think it is possible? -Hmm. Well, I can think of a few scenarios¡­ - I replied after a moment of thinking. - But all of them are so far-fetched, especially in a place like this¡­ I was mostly true. I had some ideas how a river would have dried up in such a short span of time. One was especially close to my heart, but I think even mentioning it would''ve meant a lot of questions in itself. To keep it short, in my previous job we sometimes used large masses of water to test certain fire spells. Some of those also "mysteriously disappeared" during one night. I was pretty sure that it was not the cause here, the aftermath would be quite obvious. -But let''s start with the basics. Can we assume that this is not some natural phenomenon? Like dry summer or something? -In my life I have not heard of Iom ever stopping its flow. I don''t think it ever had, really. I don''t want to be grim, but if it ever would, it would spell a great calamity for the whole capital. -You both are mad - said Goldie suddenly. -Trying to shift the blame on some unknown calamity, instead of admitting your own failure. And you - he pointed at me - are enabling him. -Just having a discussion, that''s all - I shrugged. -We are lost. Admit it and stop spitting some doomsday theories. You are scaring our companion - he pointed to the kid. That was true. In our ramblings we kind of forgot about the fourth member of our party, who was sitting next to us, listening with a concerned expression on his face. -Don''t worry! I will save you from this incompetence! I will lead us to.. -Ehm. I am sorry to interrupt your speech - said Bert standing up - but I still outrank you. And I am still a leader of this group. -And you failed as one! As an adventurer, it is my duty to save you and bring us safely to our destination! - replied Goldie, eagerly waving his broken sword around. - I now hereby announce that I shall be the leader of this operation from now on and lead us to victory! -What victory? - I asked, trying to hide my grin. His speech was ridiculous for me, especially when it came from a man dressed up in some dirty-white pajamas waving a half-melted piece of metal. But before he could answer me, Bert suddenly changed his mind. -You know what? Sure. Lead us. I don''t mind. I looked at him, confused. -Go ahead. Lead us out of my so-called blunder - his face changed suddenly to even more serious, almost scary for some reason. - You know what that means, right? I saw this face before - when he threatened me back when we still had a whole caravan. Goldie looked at him. -Of course. -Why so serious all of the sudden? - I asked, a bit unsettled. He instantly changed back to his usual self. -Ah, don''t worry. I just don''t like when my underlings think they are smarter than they should. But I am always willing to give someone a chance. -That did not explain much. I didn''t get an answer to that. 18. Perception After this weird exchange, we started moving again. This time, Goldie was the guide, and at first it looked like he actually knew what he was doing. Until now, we were traveling on something that was just a random path through the woods, even calling it a dirt road would be an insult to every other actual dirt road out there. Goldie exclaimed that we are going to look for the main path that we would''ve taken if we were still leading the caravan. Sounded good to me, I thought, but not even a minute later I started cursing him and his ideas. Apparently to get back to the actual road we had to go through some dense parts of the forest. It didn''t take long for us to start going through the jungle so thick that we had to cut through the branches and plants with his blade. We traveled like this for the next few hours, and there was no end of this jungle in sight. What worse, it was starting to get dark, but not because it was late. The woods were so thick and the tree canopy so dense, the light was having trouble getting through to the ground. Our horses barely could move through all this. As I thought the day couldn''t get any worse, it did. For the first time in this world, I encountered my worst enemy that followed me all the way from my home - mosquitoes. During my travels up till now I haven''t seen any of those, and since I was constantly in woods and wet environments, I started hoping they don''t exist. Boy, I was wrong. Not long after we started chopping our way through this place, they started assaulting us in waves so big, even in the darkness of the forest they looked like dark smoke clouds. Every time Goldie swung at the branches to make room for us and the horses, they attacked with greater ferocity. Soon we had to cover our faces with makeshift masks, mostly made out of our own clothes. It was mostly my and Bert¡¯s cloak that we used, but that didn''t help much. They attacked any part of visible skin without hesitation and soon we started looking like some weird bedouin-beggars. That was only a half of the issue though. We couldn''t defend our mounts though, they were like a free meal that walked right into their hands. Poor animals were trying to slap them off with their tails, but that was pretty much useless. All the noise and movement only attracted more of the mosquitoes and slowed us down even more. I was slowly getting annoyed to the point that I considered summoning my fire orb and burning all of those annoying bugs alive. I slowly was thinking of a way to fool Goldie into using his sword again and igniting it so I could blame him for any "splash damage", like starting a forest fire. I literally was itching to use my magic, or maybe it was some mosquitoes that got under my clothes. Funnily enough, it was mostly in the spot where I had my crystal wound. Maybe they were attracted to it for some reason, it was brimming with mana after all. I didn''t have much time to think about it though, because the scenery started shifting a bit. The jungle-like forest started giving way to the grass, in the similar way we have seen before. Soon we were traveling through a mix of three environments - a jungle, tall grassland and a regular forest. It was a bit bizarre to see all three at the same time together. I was about to comment on that, but I heard something that I did not expect - water. While leading, Goldie didn''t pay much attention to the ground below him, because when he heard his horse step into the water, he was as surprised as everyone else. He quickly regained his usual confidence though. -Oh! Haha! I told you I was gonna lead us to Iom! Now it''s only a matter of a quick march before we reach the capital! -Quick march of half a day¡­ - I muttered, but I couldn¡¯t deny that it was at least some sort of progress. Bert didn''t look so sure of that. Instead he leaned down and took a better look at what we had in front of us, and I followed suit. It was already pretty dark, so it was hard to tell, but in front of us the weird triple-forest started looking more and more like a swamp. Or at least a flooded grassland. The trees started to thin out and further out we could see something that looked like some kind of clearing. -I don''t know about you, but this does not look like a river to me. -It probably just flooded - he waved his hand, dismissing Bert¡¯s doubts. - Let''s go and try finding our way around. What I thought was a swamp, slowly started turning into a large lake, and the more we started walking out of the jungle part of the forest, the more this place started looking like that weird patch of grassland we saw earlier. I was not the only one that noticed that. Goldie started looking a bit nervous. It didn''t take him long to deviate from the path and turn again towards the part of the forest that looked more regular, or rather it wasn''t the jungle we walked through. I expected Bert to stop him or at least comment on his sudden change of direction, but there was nothing. Quite the opposite, I started catching him smiling every once in a while. Well, we walked out of the mosquito lair, so that was a plus, but still, that did not warrant grinning like a mad man every time you look ahead. I was about to ask, what''s he so happy about, but Goldie suddenly stopped us all. -What''s going on? -Shhh! - he silenced me, jumped off his horse and started slowly crouching forward. The grass was so tall, it covered him completely from head to toe. Bert leaned down on his horse, smiling, and looked towards Goldie, deep in the grass. -Sooo¡­ What did you find? - he asked nonchalantly. -Footprints. Shut up, they might be close. -Uh-uh - he didn''t bother lowering his voice. - And whose those might be, you think? -Horses. Two, maybe three. One is heavier. Can''t tell much more. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. -You got to be fucking kidding me¡­ - I looked at both of them and instantly realized what Bert was smiling about. -Yeah. I am gonna ask again, who do you think those three horses belong to? -How the hell could I know? - Goldie replied angrily. - What, you can tell the owner after the shape of a hoofprint? And why are you so sure they are not close so you don''t even bother having a semblance of stealth? -I never said they are far. On the contrary, I believe we are close. -What are you blabbering about?! -Oh to hell with it - I interrupted this dumb exchange. - Those are our tracks, you absolute moron. I swear, I should''ve never joined this caravan. Are you doing this on purpose? -Now, now, let''s not be hasty - Bert stopped me with a gesture. - Mr. Caleb probably has some clever explanation for that, right? He didn''t reply, was just moving his gaze dumbfounded from the tracks to us and back. -I understand that means that I am back in the position of a leader? Again, no reply. -I think that means yes. Great - his smile got even wider. - So, first things first. This is enough walking in circles for today. Let''s set up camp. We are out of that mosquito den and this grass will be a nice hiding spot so this place is as good as any other. Caleb, you take the first watch. -Yes, sir - he answered politely. He looked completely defeated. The night was pretty much the same as the last one. Again, I hid my ration and observed Goldie while pretending to be asleep. This time though, he actually was awake and guarding the camp, like he was supposed to. He even "woke me up" and passed his duty to me, as we agreed. It was a bit unsettling, to be honest. He acted almost like another person. Without much to do, I was sitting by the glowing crystal that we used as a light source during the nights. Looking around, I could barely see my surroundings thanks to the grass that surrounded us. It was quiet and peaceful, everyone was fast asleep. Only horses seemed to be a bit more active than usual. After a long trip, you''d think they would''ve been fast asleep too, but no. Every once in a while they were kicking dirt and neighing quietly. True, this place felt a bit unsettling for some reason. If I was a leader, I would''ve at least got us out of this grassland to some regular forest and rest then, but what do I know. I stood up and went towards the mounts to try and calm them down. -What, still feeling the mosquitoes? I am uncomfortable too, but I am keeping that to myself, so why don''t you do the same¡­ Horses of course didn''t reply, but at least stopped kicking the ground when they felt someone touch them. Still looked annoyed though. Well, I couldn''t blame them. My arm was also still itching after the trip through that bog, even though mosquitoes were nowhere to be seen anymore. I absent-mindedly started scratching my wound under the clothes and accidentally undid the cloth wrapping that covered it. My crystal wound was emitting a dim glow again. I took a quick look towards the camp. Luckily for me, no one was awake to see it, because that would definitely warrant at least questioning. Last time it was a bit brighter because I was overflowing with mana. That was not possible now, right? Was the trip just taking its toll on me and I lost control of my mana? If so, it could be problematic, since there was no end in sight. But that didn''t make much sense. The trip was annoying, but it was not that bad, so what gives? Also, I don''t know if it was my imagination playing tricks on me, but It looked like the crystal got slightly bigger. In any case, I wrapped my arm again, this time making sure that nothing is poking out and added another layer of cloth on top made from my tattered coat, just to be sure no one notices. Hoping that it would solve the issue, or at least hide it, I went back to my post back near the glowing crystal and sat down. Again, since everyone else was asleep, I didn''t have to worry about anyone noticing, I started focusing on my arm and crystal, in hopes to understand it a bit more. I already did it a few times, never discovered much besides what I already knew, I just felt the mana flowing through it from me and vice versa. So you can imagine my surprise, when I immediately felt the difference - this time there was another source of mana that it was drawing from that was something else. It''s not unusual to draw mana from your environment, but it was strange to feel it happen without my control or without touching a large mana source, like the river full of infused water. The second thing, the most worrying one, was that that loose mana had to have a source, a massive one or at least a close one. That was not good news. I went back to the horses and tried climbing onto one of them. It wasn''t very easy, but after a minute of struggle, I managed to get into the saddle to see a bit further than the small patch of cut grass where we made our camp. Nothing in our immediate vicinity looked like it could''ve been the source of this mana, but everything was covered in either plants or water, so that was not surprising. As I was about to get down and go back to the center of the camp, I noticed some movement. I immediately froze in place and focused my gaze in that direction. It was just a movement of grass. It was tall enough to hide whatever was moving, but there was no mistake, something was slowly creeping towards our camp. As it came closer, it slowed down and finally stopped, about ten meters from us. I don''t know, maybe it noticed me, because as it stopped, about five more spots started moving towards the camp. As I was jumping down from the horseback, I started noticing more and more shadows moving through the grass, all coming from somewhere around the lake. That was definitely not good news. Going back to the camp, I lost sight of the shadows, but I was certain that they were growing in numbers. -Wake up - I shook Bert, who instantly woke up and grabbed his dagger, but seeing me, relaxed briefly. -Ah, yeah, my turn, right? Just let me¡­ -No, we are under attack. Something is coming. Get ready. That worked like a bucket of cold water. He jumped up and quickly woke up Goldie. It took him a second to wake up, but seeing how serious Bert was, he silently readied his shield and weapon. Meanwhile, I woke up the kid, and closely watching our surroundings, I told him to get behind Goldie and Bert. -Where and what? - he asked while readying his bow - I can''t see shit. -From the lake. At least six, most likely more. Don''t know what, but they are sneaky, I was lucky to notice at all. We formed a makeshift formation, protecting the kid - Goldie up front, shield up, facing towards the lake, he muttered something and his shield started glowing a dim shade of red. Me and Bert behind him, with the kid hiding between two of us, grasping my tattered coat. We stood that for more than a minute when we finally started seeing some movement in front of us. At first it was just movement of grass, albeit slow, but soon I started distinguishing some long, almost snakelike forms. 19. Leeches Three of them attacked all at once, springing from the grass towards us, shooting right towards Goldie. I could now see their full bodies. They were almost identical, maybe two meter long, their skin green and scaleless, completely smooth and glistening wet, no eyes and a toothless mouth that looked sorta like a tied opening of a sack, but without actual string closing it, which made them look like they wanted to blow you a kiss. -Ugh - I involuntarily reacted, seeing them hit his shield with a wet sound. -What is this¡­ - said Goldie with disgust, wildly flailing his shield and trying to dislodge the monsters that were now stuck to his shield with their mouths. - Some kind of leech? Indeed, they were extending and contracting their bodies like some weird looking pump, trying to suck something out of his shield. -HA! - he tried striking them off with his sword. As soon as he hit one of them, it jumped back, like a spring bounced off the shield and ground, shooting toward his sword this time. Noticing the attack, he tried smacking it straight in the head, but it didn''t even budge and just stuck to the blade, sucking it like the other two his shield. Meanwhile, Bert was preparing his bow, and when the third one jumped back, he let loose an ice arrow aimed right at it. Right when it was about to collide mid air with its target, two more jumped out of the grass, one aimed at the projectile and another, at him. First one opened its weird mouth, swallowed the arrow whole, and closed it with a wet smack, landing in front of us. If it had an actual face, I am sure it would be grinning at us. Meanwhile, the second leech aimed at him hit his bow and stuck itself to it, similarly to those that were pestering Goldie. -Get off! Damned thing¡­ - Bert pulled out his dagger and started stabbing it, trying to get it off his weapon. Leech didn''t even react, peacefully sucking onto the bow like it was nothing. As he was furiously stabbing the thing, the one that ate his arrow started aiming itself again towards me and the kid, but as it compressed itself, it suddenly started¡­bulging? In a blink of an eye it bloated to twice its thickness. Confused with this sudden change, the creature stopped, opened its mouth and started¡­ vomiting. Or rather leaking, because what came out was not some gross material, but clear water, followed almost immediately by icy slush. The arrow that it ate apparently was cold enough to start freezing its insides, and since it seemed like it was full of water, it made it bloat. As it was coming out, it was freezing completely, it immobilized the creature and turned it into an icicle. Bert noticed all this while stabbing and changed his tactic. His bow started glowing and he conjured another arrow, right in the face of the creature sucking on his bow. As in response to his spell, it started flailing wildly with its whole body, but it didn''t manage to do anything more, because instead of his dagger, he stabbed it with the arrow. This time it happened a lot faster. Maybe because it got pierced, but the creature instantly froze and fell off the weapon right away, with a loud thud, onto the ground. -Good - he pulled his bow back and aimed at the ones that were pestering Goldie, but changed his mind and just conjured another arrow in his hand and stabbed it. It worked like a charm - Goldie, now without an additional annoyance, nodded in thanks and turned again towards the lake, but there were no more enemies coming from that way. Still though, we could see some shapes darting all around us. -This does not look good¡­ Indeed, the shapes were multiplying and circling us. Not sure what to do, we were standing back to back, waiting for something to happen. -Any ideas? - asked Bert.- I will try shooting as many as possible, but I don''t think that will get all of them. -Use the spell you put the fire out with maybe? - I replied, trying to somehow hide behind those two and not break the formation. -I wish I could, but I am still a bit spent, the arrows are as much as I can manage for now. -Damn¡­ Why I had to get stuck with people that have the mana capacity of a toddler... The second part I didn''t say out loud, but I think he heard the annoyance in my voice. -But even if I could, that spell is way too weak. I doubt it would be able to freeze any of them. What about your fire? -I tried, but I think my enchantments are busted after the last fight - answered Goldie pointing to his shield, no longer glowing, although I don''t think the question was aimed at him. -Call it a hunch but I don''t think that fire would be very effective on something that is mostly made out of water - I said, pointing at the frozen ones on the ground. -If you have a better idea, be my guest, time''s ticking! Indeed, as we were trying to form a plan, creatures had already made a circle around us and slowly started slithering out of the grass into our sight. We tightened our formation even closer and were now shoulder to shoulder, pressed to each other, almost crushing the kid between us, while the creatures were spreading around us and the whole camp. After a good minute of tension, I couldn''t help but notice the obvious. -Say, why are they not attacking? It''s been a while and they are just¡­ there¡­ -Shhh! They will hear you! - silenced me Goldie, although he was even louder than me. -We were talking before and they didn''t attack, why would they now? - said Bert. There was no reaction. -Are they waiting for something? -The hell can they wait for? -I don''t think they are waiting¡­ Don''t you think they look a bit scattered now? Indeed, what at the beginning looked like a wild animal circling its prey, now turned into something more chaotic. Almost like¡­ -They lost our scent? - I finished my thought out loud. -But how? We have not moved even a step, how can you lose track of a stationary target? - asked Goldie. -Hell if I know¡­ - I muttered under my breath. -So what now? We can''t just stand here¡­ -Let''s move slowly. One by one. Maybe this way we can sneak out. -What about the horses though? -Fuck them, I''d rather get out of here and travel on foot rather than risk that. Also they most likely fled by now. He was probably right. -Fine. I''m first I guess - said Goldie - be ready, just in case. And he started slowly walking away from us, in the opposite direction from the lake. At first I wanted to protest and say that splitting up was not a good idea, but I stopped myself. After all, if something was to go wrong, who¡¯s better to send than him? It looked like everything was going smoothly. He slowly was making his way through the campsite. -Wait a few seconds and follow - said Bert and started moving along in his steps. About five steps from us though, both of them stopped. One of the leeches was lying right in Goldie''s way. He turned to us and gestured for Bert to ready his bow. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. He nodded with understanding, pulled back the bowstring, and silently conjured another ice arrow. As soon as the spell finished and the arrow appeared in his hand, everything suddenly moved. Like on command, all the leeches turned towards him and jumped. Bert, noticing he''s about to get swarmed, jumped away and started shooting. He managed to hit a few of the creatures in the air, but like last time, the arrows got eaten, so the effect was delayed, and as the leeches were about to reach him, he started yelling at us: -Go! Leave me! He did not have to repeat that twice - Goldie was already on the run, and without his armor he was fast. I grabbed the kid with my only arm and started running too. Those creatures were all around us, and avoiding the constant barrage proved a bit difficult for Goldie, so we managed to catch up to him. Somehow, most of the leeches were missing us. -Defend the kid, you half assed knight! -What, you can''t manage it by yourself? - he replied, panting. - I thought you can take care of yourself, so why not others? -Yes, but I am not one with a WEAPON AND A SHIELD! Also, is it fine to leave him like that? I turned back briefly. We were already out of the immediate area without the leeches, but I could still see them zipping around towards what used to be our camp. -It isn''t but we have no choice. He told us to run. -Wow, what an honorable knight - I couldn''t help but laugh. - Ehh, I guess I shouldn''t expect anything more from someone like you¡­ -What is that supposed to mean!? - He turned to me, enraged. I rolled my eyes. -Nothing, Mr. Golden Knight, Sir. I am not worthy to be in your presence. -Of course you aren''t - he sighed. - That''s what I get for saving you from monsters. I guess I will just leave you to die next time. -Come on, I know we have your number one fan over here, however I am not so sure now, because you are so self-absorbed you might just beat him to it. -You useless... -I¡­ I think we should go back for Mr. Bert too¡­ - said the kid quietly, surprising us both and stopping our argument. Now when I think about it, that was the first time I heard him speak in a long time. During our travels, after the caravan got wiped, he always kept close to Bert, never complained, never spoke a word, so we, I mean me and Goldie, tended to forget that he was still with us. I couldn''t blame him, really, having us three to keep him company, no wonder he chose Bert. Shaking off the surprise, I continued. -See, if you won''t listen to me, maybe he will change your mind. His demeanor changed, but the answer was still the same. -No. No matter who and how, I can''t. You are welcome to join, I can still lead us to the capital. -Consider me not convinced. Well, I guess this is farewell. Good luck being lost. -Do what you want. As I was about to turn back, I felt some tugging on my clothes. -Can I follow you? I¡­ I can help, maybe not much but I want to help him too. I honestly doubted that he would''ve been of any help, based on our last experience. But it was admirable that he had the courage to even ask to go back there after all this mess. -As much as I hate to say that, but you better go with him. -But¡­ -Listen. You saw what attacked us. I am not very good at protecting people, he on the other hand, maybe a bit better at that. Hopefully. -I saved countless people, you useless hobo, what can you say about yourself? -You are not helping right now. -Hmpf. -Anyway, go with him. Even if he acts like a total ass, together you should be fine. If everything goes according to plan, we will catch up to you. But if we don''t¡­ I pulled out the other mana fruit that I saved for emergencies. -Take this and good luck. -And you¡­ - I turned to Goldie. -Don''t worry, I will not let anyone harm him. You have my word. -Of course you will. But you know... Whatever. Let''s hope I didn''t misjudge you. -What? -Nothing. Go. With that, we split. I finally got rid of the most annoying person in our group. I should''ve been a lot more cheerful, but I guess the looming danger of monster leeches was at fault. Though as I made my way back, I noticed the distinct lack of them nearby. Before, they were everywhere. With an uneasy feeling I sped up and soon I was back where we had our camp. There was no one there, no people, no creatures besides a couple that were frozen solid, but from the camp there was now a path leading away, to the deeper parts of the forest. By path - I mean a large patch of grass flattened by something, most likely a bunch of leeches, glistening wet and in some places frozen. That was good news, that meant he was able to somehow run away. Well, I shouldn''t be surprised, he seemed pretty able. As I followed the path, I started seeing more frozen leeches and hearing some that were slithering nearby. There was also some other noise, like wet thumps? I slowly approached the sounds and was greeted by an unusual sight. Bert was sitting on a tree branch, perched like a cat who got chased by some dog. He had his bow at the ready, but no arrow notched. Under him and around there were, staring at him with their eyeless faces, the leeches. About fifteen of them, plus maybe ten more that were already icicles. They haven''t noticed me yet, so I stopped in an earshot from this scene and waited to see what was going to happen. Leeches were slowly creeping up to his tree. Surprisingly, they were not jumping up towards him, and as I was wondering why, another leech appeared from somewhere behind the tree. This one was apparently a lot less patient because he instantly sprung towards him, opening its mouth. Just as it launched itself up, Bert instantly conjured an arrow and shot right at its maw, knocking it off the aimed path and to the ground, and soon it was lying there among its brethren. Others did not react. That was not good news. They were smart. Those were not just random attacks.They were just waiting for him to wear out, launching surprise strikes from hiding. And it was working, I could see him breathing heavily. If it was true that he was low on mana earlier, that meant he couldn''t last much longer. I had to think of a plan. Luckily I already had an idea before, and seeing this scene only confirmed my assumptions. Those monsters were mana leeches. You''ll say it was obvious, with a name like this they should be easy to distinguish. Well you are right, but there is a small issue. The usual mana leeches that I know of and seen were the size of an actual leech - that is, not two meters large with a tail capable of launching them tens of meters in the air. We had a tank full of them in the lab. Officially they were bought as a testing subject for some experiments, but the crew started liking them for some reason so they stayed as a decoration, in a large fish tank in the lounge. Iloa fed them mana crystals sometimes so "they would glow with pretty colors". Right now they were definitely not pretty, nor glowing, and most likely were deadly so I had to approach with caution. I was not intending to rush to his aid in the first place. Him being weak actually was working in my favor, so after I approached another few steps, I stopped and waited, making sure neither leeches nor Bert noticed my presence. Every now and again I saw another creature fall to the ice arrow, sometimes hearing some cursing from the tree. Every time though, the breathing was getting heavier and heavier, and the number of enemies seemed infinite. For him that is. From my point of view, I could see the creatures in the grass and realized that there were no new monsters coming to replace their frozen companions. That was very good news. Even with his constant mana usage, there were no new enemies coming, and that meant I was mostly safe. There was nothing else to do than to wait. It took maybe ten minutes for Bert to run out of mana. Meanwhile, he managed to freeze maybe twenty leeches. Considering he said that he was low, he either lied, or this spell was pretty efficient. Most likely the latter, since no new creatures appeared to feed on him. He finally conjured his last arrow and as he was about to shoot towards the jumping leech, he fainted, falling down from the tree. Luckily for him, the grass and bushes below cushioned the impact. The leech that attacked jumped towards the arrow that fell down with the bow nearby, and others finally started to move. They were not jumping, just slithering forward towards him. I sort of wanted to wait a bit more. You know, not many times you have an opportunity to study an anomalous magic creature and its behavior in its native habitat first hand. I sighed, stood up and started walking towards them, ready to cast a spell. But, weirdly enough, nothing attacked me. Every creature was focused on Bert. One of them crawled close to him and started to wrap its body around him, like a snake. It started dragging him away from me. Other leeches were escorting it, creating a circle around him and following suit. I started moving faster, but still refrained from casting. As I approached the ring of creatures, I noticed another weird thing. Not only was I not being attacked, the whole ring of "bodyguards" started moving, creating a spot for me. They were not only not hostile to me, they were treating me as one of their own. That was unsettling. I joined the circle, unsure what was going on. Leeches acted like it was completely normal. I hastened my step. They started to move faster as well, matching my own speed, including the one in the middle, dragging the wrapped Bert. This was getting more and more weird, even for my tastes. Bert himself seemed more or less unharmed during all this march, I mean he was already out of mana and unconscious, so I decided to follow them some more. After a few minutes we finally reached our destination. The whole group stopped near the lake, where the water was merging with a thick jungle. In front of us, there was this one massive tree, that looked suspiciously out of place, even for this forest. I couldn''t tell how tall it was, but judging by the girth of its trunk, it had to be massive. The trunk by itself was at least as big as a medium house. This comparison was apparently on point, because as one of the leeches that was in front approached it, the bark started creaking and it opened itself, like a door. The whole group then proceeded to move away and slowly disperse, most of them towards the water. Soon only the one that opened the door and the one carrying Bert were left. They both looked almost identical, besides one singular thing - the new one had some sort of writing carved on its body, it was a bit far for me to see exactly. I wanted to get closer, but before I had a chance, they both disappeared inside the tree. As soon as they stepped through, the doorway started moving again and closing itself back. Knowing that I had no time, I dashed forward as fast as I could and managed to get through right before it closed shut. 20. Inside First thing I noticed while inside was the smell. Rotting flesh. Sadly, it was not exactly unknown to me. Covering my mouth and nose with my sleeve, trying to at least ward myself a little bit somehow. For a second, I realized that I stopped paying attention to the creatures inside, I froze in place, worried that I might get attacked. But both creatures were not paying attention to me at all. They were busy with something on the other side of the¡­ room? I finally realized where I was. I found myself in a large, square room, maybe four meters tall, and about ten meters across. On the ceiling there were roots and vines that formed something like a chandelier, with glowing gems in shapes of thorns stabbed into them. The shapes of them reminded me somehow of Melle¡¯s house, albeit barren and without any windows. The only furniture was a large desk, maybe three meters long, covered by some green fabric and a chair, on the other side of the room, where the creatures were doing something. As I slowly walked closer, I saw that there was also a small lamp, similar design to the chandelier, lighting up them all. And there was someone sitting in the chair. Their back was turned to me, so I couldn''t tell who that might be, but as I approached, the smell was getting worse and worse. They were definitely long dead. I was still being ignored, so I took a peek at the person''s face, and the desk in front. It was not a very pleasant sight. The face was almost in a liquid state. For some reason, the whole front of him, or her, was melted, like a wax figure who someone left on the sun, hair long gone. The clothes were in a bit better shape. The corpse was wearing a long robe, without any markings. It was completely green, but it was hard to tell if it was the design, or it was just because of whatever happened here, because the part of the desk in front was of the same color. It kind of looked like an exploded can of paint, the green stain was covering the whole chair and a part of the desk. In the epicenter of the stain there was a singular¡­ let''s say, device. I didn''t notice until then, because it was hidden by the corpse and the chair. Its design was similar to that of the lamp and was a bit wider, with a small opening in the middle. It sort of looked like a stand for something. Upon closer inspection, it looked like it used to have some writing all over it, especially on its lower, circular part on which it was standing. Sadly, it was completely covered in this green-colored paint or whatever that thing was, to the point where it was unreadable. I tried touching it. Similarly to the corpse, this thing was melted like wax, but it somehow retained most of its shape. It was even a bit gooey to the touch. I assumed that if I touched the person''s face it would be exactly the same. I took a better look at the green stain. It didn''t look like any substance I knew of. Stumped, I turned to the creatures that were a few steps from me, looking at something under the desk. By now, Bert was free from the bindings and lying near something on the floor. As I looked below, the smell got even worse. There was another body lying on the floor, hidden under the drapes of the desk. This one was in better shape. It was a man, maybe in his forties, head cleanly shaved, wearing robes similar to the guy on the chair, although those were blue. He had a green stain on his left side that covered most of his torso, similar to one on the desk. -This place is haunting¡­ - I muttered to myself, for a second forgetting that I was not alone in the room. Still though, creatures did not react, just looking at Bert and the corpse lying shoulder to shoulder under the table. I was so close to them, I basically could''ve touched them if I wanted to. Knowing better I focused my attention on the writing I saw earlier on the back of the creature and my suspicions were confirmed. Wowu. Life. Now, this close, I could see there was quite a bit more writing on that leech. ¡°Life¡± was surrounded by another circle of text, and then another one, and another. Most of it faded or straight up destroyed by something, but I didn''t even bother deciphering the readable part. I just found a place where someone was experimenting with life. It was not the first time I was in a place like this, but it was the first time in this world. Usually I would be sick and annoyed that once again I had to clean up after someone else''s mess, but this time, it was different. I guess it was nice to, for once here, know what you should do and be able to let your old habits take over. First: locate the epicenter and contain it. Quite obvious, the massive green stain and the stand in the middle make it easy. I was pretty sure that whatever crystal was used was completely disintegrated during the accident, so at least I didn¡¯t have to worry about that. About the other part though¡­ This one was a bit tricky. In this case - the mana leech. Judging from the runes, it was the testing subject, but containing it looked unnecessary. Since both of them arrived here, they did not react to me at all. Hell, neither of them even moved at all. If that were the regular, smaller ones, that would not be surprising. After all, they were named leeches not because of their relation to the animal - rather because of their behavior. To be honest, they had more in common with a plant than with an animal. I decided to, for now, leave them alone. Second: provide aid to victims. We are far too late for this. I mean, that¡¯s what usually would happen, but still. I guess Bert counts, sort of, but he''s fine. Then the most interesting part. For me at least. Third: secure the evidence. The only thing that was left was the stand. I took another look at the construction, and yep, nothing changed. Still gooey and unreadable. Just a piece of junk. If there were any notes lying in the open, they were either destroyed or gone by now. The place was pretty barren, so the only place to search for them were the bodies themselves. Without delay and much of a thought I started ruffling through the robe of the guy on the chair. Or at least I attempted to, because when I touched his chest, I could feel that it was useless, almost all of his body and clothes were of this weird, wax-like consistency. Unpleasant to the touch, and even more unpleasant to try and ruffle through. When I tried moving his clothes aside, it felt like the whole corpse was made of the same substance, and I was not wrong. As I reached deeper under his clothes, my hand went a lot deeper than it should. Into his chest. And through. I touched the back of the chair. Disgusting. Deciding to better leave that one alone I pulled my hand out with a loud and not very pleasant sound and went to inspect Bert¡¯s neighbor. This one was in better shape, only his side was gooified. Finally, I had some luck - ruffling through I found a notebook. I skimmed through the contents and it looked like it was mostly a journal. It had a few other notes here and there, but for now I focused on the last entries. xxx Preparations are almost complete. We have acquired both gems and a few good specimens that should survive the merge. Tomorrow we attempt the fusion. xxx Today''s attempt failed half way. Specimen 1 successfully joined with the nature element, but died during the injection of the second. Specimen 2 was the exact opposite. It failed at nature, but joined with the water element. It died during the second attempt at nature. Third and fourth died during the preparation phase. Further experiments required. xxx The deadline is coming close and there are no new discoveries. We will have to use more risky methods. xxx We are creating a new, life magic based injection sequence. Theoretically it should increase the likelihood of the specimen''s survival. xxx Sequence is now complete and working. Test on a live subject was successful. Without addition of any elements we boosted its physical strength twofold. We need more testing subjects. xxx The population of mana leeches has stagnated. We are unable to acquire more healthy subjects without completely destroying this river''s ecosystem. xxx After a long discussion we have altered the local landscape and created better habitat for the population to increase. River has been transformed to a lake thanks to our combined effort. xxx Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. There is not enough time to wait for the population to recover. We are unable to get more subjects before the designed date. We are going to proceed with an experiment using a singular subject. xxx Subject is prepared and sequence ready. Tomorrow we will try the fusion again. xxx That was the last entry. Experiments involving life, water and nature magic? Sounds about right. And tests on living creatures? Well, they succeeded. Sort of. But one thing is weird. Why would this creature bring Bert here? A security measure? Possibly. A new test subject? Maybe. In any case, I hid the journal in my bag and started looking for more notes. Sadly, this was the only thing that was not absolutely destroyed that I managed to find. Here and there I found scraps of some papers, some were even pretty clean - I immediately pocketed those. I also found something that looked sort of like a pencil, but instead of wood it had a very thin layer of some green texture, similar in touch to moss, but a bit harder. Besides that, everything was either destroyed by water or moss. It checks out I guess, they worked with water and nature magic after all. That meant there was only one thing left to do. Fourth: sterilize the accident area. Or, be blunt, destroy everything else. To be completely honest, that was the only part I always was chosen to do. I often helped others with the rest of the process, but the cleanup was the one thing that I was given full supervision over. I guess working with elemental spells puts you on this kind of list - I was delegated to being a glorified janitor. In any case, first I had to make sure there was not anything that I missed, so I moved to the center of the room and focused on the area. Immediately I felt a lot of magical traces nearby and concentrated on the specific locations. In the corner of my eye I noticed that the leeches started now looking towards me. As it was the first time that they finally recognized my presence, I felt a bit unnerved. They still were not doing anything though, so I decided to keep an eye out but not disturb them for now. The first and one of the more apparent magical sources in the room were the leeches themselves. I could also feel a faint magical aura from Bert on the floor, my arm and the whole building, I mean tree. But the biggest one was coming from the stain on the desk, with its source being the small stand. If I didn''t know already, I now was sure where the epicenter of the experiment and the failure was. All of those, well besides people, were a mix of nature and water magic. There was also quite a bit of lingering mana in the air around. But it appeared that there were no hidden magical sources in the immediate vicinity, so I felt a bit relieved. After all, what I was about to do was guaranteed to bring attention to everyone and everything in the area. First thing first though. I grabbed Bert and dragged him towards the middle of the room and sat in front of him. He was still out cold, but that was not the issue right now. I started focusing my mana into a small orb, like I always used to. That immediately grabbed the attention of the leeches. They approached us, like some weird curious cats, turning their maws right towards the orb that I was forming and growing larger. It was still invisible, made of pure colorless mana, although they appeared to see it no problem. Then I started the spell. -Iminipvuk lupilvo lyp do voy mulu, gmyo lek¡­ It was a bit of a lengthy incantation. I remembered it well, since it was part of my job, but it still required a lot of concentration. It was a combination of elemental magic that is always chosen by the spell itself to specifically work the best against whatever element it finds traces of. But this time, the effect was unusual. The orb, which was supposed to be the center of the spell, first turned into ice. Then it instantly vaporized and was replaced with a flame. Then again, ice. And so on. As the elements were flickering in front of me, I realized that the spell had a difficulty distinguishing the remnants of this experiment. Usually I would just leave it for a while and let it work for a minute or two. This time though, I did not have that luxury. As soon as the mana was converted to elements, the leeches suddenly got riled up. First, the two creatures instantly sprung towards the orb, trying to devour it. Since the spell was powerful enough and the orb about the size of an average person, they just got pushed back. One of them was not discouraged though and kept attacking and bouncing away constantly. The other one though, with the writing on, was a lot smarter. It looked at me directly and started slithering in my direction. For a second I hoped it''s just gonna watch, like it did before, but that was cleared out pretty quickly when it opened its mouth and sprung from the ground, directly at me. In a split second I had to make a choice. I interrupted my concentration on the spell and jumped backwards, trying to drag Bert with me. At the time, the orb, or rather now the large sphere, was filled with two elements fighting over for dominance. When I broke the spell, both of them got released at once and exploded all around us with a blast of hot steam that first seared the one leech that was still near it. Then it hit us, along with the other leech, blowing him off course, making it miss us and pushing me with Bert almost to the edge of the room. Well, the regular plan was out the window. I took a quick look around to see the damage. Or at least tried. Right now I was standing in an actual sauna with steam so dense I couldn''t see further than about a meter in front. In other news, the shock and hot air apparently shook Bert awake, because he started to pick himself up from the ground. -What the hell is going on... - he groaned. - Where am¡­ YOU. Why are you here? Why is it so hot? Before I managed to answer a singular question, a horrible shriek tore through the air. High pitched, almost like someone stepped on a mouse, but maybe a hundred times louder. It came from where I imagine the leech landed after the explosion. -What was THAT? -Nothing good. Like to confirm my words, something else replied to the scream, from a bit further away, somewhere outside. Similar scream, but a bit lower and guttural, or maybe just distorted by something. And then another. And another. And then ten more. To the point where the air was filled with this cacophony of noise. -We have to get out of here. And fast. -I think it is a bit late for that. The shrieks were now so close I could feel the vibrations in the wood all around us from all the noise. The steam also cleared up a bit and I finally could see what happened. One of the leeches was lying on the other side of the room, steaming and unmoving, pierced by some pieces of wood from the furniture it was near. The other one, who survived and raised the alarm, was lying wounded a few steps in front of me. It had a large splinter of wood stabbed right in the middle of its torso, pinning it to the ground. It was most likely a piece of chair, or a desk. Speaking of, the other side of the room was absolutely ruined. The little furniture that were here were nowhere to be seen, replaced by a pile of wood. The blast of steam was powerful enough to send some splinters flying, saving me from being attacked. I was glad that I jumped back, because even right in front of me there was a bunch of wood wedged into the floor. But even though pierced and blasted away, the one leech survived and was wiggling around, trying to free itself from the pin. Every time it moved, the wound started getting bigger and bigger, and if it was a human, it would be bleeding profusely. I could even see inside the wound and its body. It was apparently made of some sort of sponge-like substance, bronze-green in color. Instead of bleeding, it was leaking some clear liquid, almost like water, but a bit more viscous, with some green particles in it. Thanks to the heat blast, it was steaming hot, along with the whole body of the creature. Even incomplete, the spell worked nicely, although it failed to finish the job. Normally it would not be a problem, I would''ve just recast the spell. But now¡­ -How are you holding up? - I asked Bert, who was now standing up and drawing his bow. Where did he even pull it from? -I''m fine, but I don''t think I can muster anything more than a few arrows. I still feel a bit hazy. -Don''t have any more of those mana fruits I assume? -I do, but it takes time for them to work. I ate one as soon as I heard that horrible noise, but I don''t think I have enough time for it to work. -Shit. As to confirm how bad the situation is, to all the screeching noise there was added a new one - loud thumping. Something was hitting the front door, or wherever there was the front door before, trying to break in. A lot of them. -They are here already. Ok we need to¡­ Before I managed to finish the sentence I noticed something else. The door¡­ or the crack that got sealed after I entered the room was opening again. -No you don''t! It was the one leech that was with us. The writing on his back was glowing. It was trying to open the door to let all its companions in, but it got interrupted by the leader. He shot an ice arrow at it, and, even exhausted, he managed to hit the target. The attack was weak, but was enough to break the spell. The crack stopped growing and the leech slumped back to the ground, convulsing. Still not dead though. Not even a second later it picked itself up and tried casting again, just to be interrupted once more by an arrow. -I thought you were exhausted. -I am. Those arrows are now basically glorified icicles. I don''t need much mana for those. True, while he did interrupt the spell, he did not even manage to pierce the creature''s skin, the projectile just shattered on impact. -At least I can stop it from whatever it''s trying to cast. -I think the damage is already done - I said pointing towards the crack in the wall. Even though the spell was interrupted, the crack did not disappear. What more, it was slowly growing larger, but not thanks to the spell. On the other side, the noise was getting louder. Or rather we could hear it better now, thanks to the crack. It was the horde of the leeches. Called by their, I guess leader, they were trying to force their way into the room, and the crack provided a nice starting point for them to try and break the wall. -You bastard! - Bert yelled, frustrated, approaching the convulsing leech and kicking it right in the open wound. It screeched quietly and got immediately silenced by another arrow. This time it was a proper one, albeit still weak. Or it was just thanks to it being shot point blank. It froze most of the creature''s body which swiftly got shattered by another kick. -Congratulations on killing a dying creature and wasting mana. -Pfeh. If I am gonna die, at least I killed the one responsible for this situation. -And why do you think that poor creature was responsible for all this? -What? You are defending THIS THING? NOW? -I am not defending anyone. Also, who said you are dying today? Although you made your odds worse with this display. -Why are you so calm?! - he slumped on the ground, angrily clenching his fists. - Damnit... -Told you, don''t waste mana if you are not sure that you can handle it. -Maybe then start using it yourself instead of lecturing me? -I intend to. As we were having this pleasant conversation, the crack in the wall got big enough for the first few leeches to emerge. They were a lot smaller than those I saw earlier, but thanks to that they managed to squeeze through the opening first. Without hesitation, about three of them jumped right towards us. 21. Abomination -Gmyo fi geksu! I used the same spell as I dealt with the weird living roots a while back. It definitely worked, although not as well as expected. The leeches screeched and fell on the floor, burning and convulsing, but were still alive. They were pretty smart - some of them immediately started puking water all over themselves, trying to douse the flames. I increased the output a little bit and seared them again, this time letting them cook a bit longer. I had to make sure that I wouldn''t go overboard, I was standing in the middle of a very flammable room after all. Luckily, it was enough. About thirty seconds later, they finally stopped moving, smoking on the floor, like oversized grilled eels. Also a bit overcooked. I even managed to not set the room on fire. -See? Not hard to kill them, although it''s a poor matchup for me. Since they are mostly water, I wanted you to use your magic instead, but¡­ -Yes, yes, I know, my bad. But what now? They are still coming. -And I am gonna wait for them here. I don''t feel like starting a forest fire. So either get up or move. I could''ve just used other magic myself anyway, but I would like to avoid that for as long as I could. Although this was not the worst place to use it¡­ not too many witnesses¡­ I did not have time to think about that though, right after I finished complaining, the hole in the wall cracked even more and then opened completely, revealing the horde of leeches. It was a sight to behold. Every visible square of land was covered with a glistening dark green carpet of those snakelike creatures. If they were a bit different color you could easily mistake it for a large body of water. Even their movement somehow reminded me of those of the waves, weirdly in sync, jumping above each other, just to get faster to the tree. -Gmyo fi geksu, lupfipto! This time I didn''t want to take any second chances, I launched the spell full power but reduced the size to minimum, effectively making a condensed flamethrower. A bit basic, but still good enough. The first bunch that managed to sneak through turned into ash instantly. They were a bit bigger than the first three, but still not as large as those I saw first. The spell had its negatives though, this time I did not manage to not set the base of the tree on fire. -Careful! - yelled Bert, covering his face from the heat I was unleashing towards the incoming flood of leeches - You are gonna burn me as well! -That''s why I told you to get back! - I yelled back, through the roar of flames and the screeches of leeches being burned alive - If you didn''t waste mana you could''ve just used your ice to shield yourself! Well, even saying that I was pretty sure that would be impossible. Extinguishing some of the forest fire, maybe he would be able to do that, but stopping my flames like this? I doubt that. Even if he had not depleted his mana. -I said I am sorry! Wait, is it just me or it''s suddenly gotten a lot quieter? Indeed, the only sound was coming from me, blasting fire through the opening. There was no screeching or the sound of leeches trying to get in. I couldn''t see much through the flame, so I dialed down my spell a bit, and the sight was definitely unexpected. The whole sea of leeches stopped and was staring at the flames. -Did you hypnotize them or something? -No. Did you? -With what? I''m out of mana. I reduced the spell to the point where it was just a small flame, like a candle on my palm. I waited for the moment they started attacking again, but they were still, even then. -What the hell is going on? As he was asking that question, I saw a movement in the sea of leeches. In a few places actually. -Something''s coming. Multiple somethings. Be ready. -Not like I can do much - he grumbled, but conjured an arrow and notched it, ready for a fight. Soon I realized what was coming. It was a bunch of those bigger leeches that I saw attacking Bert and our camp before. They were moving as a group, fast, right towards us. The other, smaller ones, were moving aside as they were making their way here. It sort of looked like a boat making its way through the sea of green. -Bigger ones. Great¡­ - Bert noticed them as well. - Any plans? -If it''s not broken, don''t fix it. - I said, expanding my spell back again. The small leeches almost instantly backed down, although I managed to sear some that were too slow. When they got close enough, the new group of leeches stopped. They were close enough for me to distinguish about ten of them, although when I was in the middle of counting they suddenly started to move again. But this time, it was not forward. They started flailing around wildly and¡­ -Are they attacking each other? He was right. The large leeches opened their "mouths" and started sucking in the smaller ones surrounding them. What was more disturbing was that the smaller ones didn''t run away. Quite the opposite. They were going towards them, just to be swiftly devoured. Whatever was that they were trying to do I was sure that would not be any good news for us, so I started the offensive. Without hesitation I started burning those that I had in range, to prevent them from being eaten. Although they were fast, I managed to get quite a few of them. Funnily enough, I don''t think that helped much. The large ones started devouring the burned remains of their brethren as well. That''s when I got an idea. I condensed my spell to a singular streak of fire and aimed it at the group that I had still in range. I managed to burn a bunch, but that was not what I was aiming for. -Bert, shoot ice at those! -Why? -Just do it! Just enough to extinguish the flames! -Okay? He let loose a few frost arrows, which almost instantly melted when they approached the pile of smoldering remains. But that was enough. The melted ice extinguished the flames so I could easily approach and take a look. Some of them were still alive. My fire burned and cut through them, leaving them sliced in half, with a smoldering open wound. I found one that was still alive and mostly untouched. Well, I am overestimating, it was alive at least. It had a wound like others - it got cut in half - but my fire didn''t go through all the way, so the flesh was still connected. As I tried grabbing it to cast a spell on it, it tried running away, but thanks to the wound it was slow enough so I managed to touch it briefly. It was enough. -Geksu, vsinqo do voy lmophu, gosi itvet tmutomu, muyfis itvet izqmufu lek mocisohu, nus. It immediately ran away to the bigger ones, and got devoured, but my spell took hold, so I relaxed and started observing the situation. -What did you do? What''s going on? - asked slightly panicked Bert. -I set a trap. Should be enough to wipe it whole. -So what are we waiting for? Trigger it! Before it notices us! -What do you mean before it notices us? It is solely here for us, why would it suddenly forget about that? -I mean, they did start to avoid us again, maybe it¡­ -Hah, no. I don''t think that is even remotely possible. Before, maybe, now it''s just defending its territory. Also I am not gonna trigger the spell before it consumes all the leeches in the area, that way we kill two birds with one stone. Or a massive cluster of leeches with one spell. -Are you sure about that? As we were talking, the leeches finished eating the smaller ones and the silence filled the air. They started fighting amongst themselves, biting on each other, although without teeth it just looked like they were trying to swallow one another. -Is it me or are they bigger? He was right. I guess that made sense, all the small ones had to go somewhere, they didn''t just turn into mana and vanish. All this was alarming but within the expected result. As I was contemplating if I should trigger the spell already, another revelation happened. One of the leeches, the biggest one, apparently fed up with his compatriots, screeched, breaking the silence and¡­ started bloating. -They ARE getting bigger! Come on, fire already! Before I even thought about it, the leech was already two times its length, and at least four times the girth. The other ones didn''t even have time to react, they got absorbed right away and disappeared under the rapidly growing "fat". As soon as it managed to cover all of its companions, it stopped bloating. Instead now it was starting to glow, its skin dark glistening wet, started being see-through. We could see its insides¡­ and all the other leeches squirming around its body. -Disgusting. As if it heard his remark, the whole creature started trembling. And glowing even more. To the point that I could not look right at it without hurting my eyes. The light started pulsing and finally stopped a second later. Before us was now standing a completely new creature. The only similarity with its form before was the body type. Its body now reminded me more of a snake than a leech by this point. And a massive one to boot. It was two, maybe three people''s size in width and the length I couldn''t really tell, because part of its body sunk into the ground. It now had some dark blue patches on its body that were slightly glowing that appeared to be moving. Its head was now a lot more slender and snakelike, although still eyeless and toothless, as it promptly demonstrated, opening its mouth and screeching towards us. The sound it made was a lot more guttural, but still was similar to one from before. -You really think you can wipe this thing in one spell? -Well, no time like the present to find out! -Gosi! The spell activated without issue. I started having my doubts about it even triggering since it just transformed into something else, but apparently for nothing. Somewhere in the middle of its body we started hearing sizzling. The spell worked, and the flames started spreading inside the creature - the glowing blue patches started turning red - from the middle of it and towards its head. It definitely started feeling the effects, because it screeched once more. As it opened its mouth again I could see flames raging inside, but that was not what caught my attention. The patches that still had its original color, near where eyes normally should be, suddenly flashed bright blue, and from inside of its mouth bursted a gush of water that promptly turned into a massive stream. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. -Look out ! - yelled Bert and jumped away. But the monster did not aim towards us. Instead, it slammed its head into the ground and stopped moving. -Get do... wn? - he stopped in the middle of trying to cower from the immediate water blast that never arrived, confused. - The hell is it doing? -I am not so sure myself - I replied - but my spell worked, it is definitely getting burned from inside. -Yeah, I can see the flames - he pointed towards the red patches on its skin. - This thing has a weird body. It even started smoking! And I doubted your spell. -That is steam, not smoke¡­ - I noticed, worried. -Whatever, makes a little difference. At least we know it''s working! Die already, you overgrown¡­ He didn''t finish his insults, because the whole body of the creature suddenly moved. And again. And again. It started pulsing, almost like a beating heart. The blue patches started glowing even more. It started fighting back my flames. I could feel my fire spell inside being pushed back. -This thing is clever. Instead of attacking us, it redirected that water spout towards itself, into its own body. -What are you even talking about?! That''s¡­ How do you even know that? -You saw the flames inside. Can''t you see the water as well? - I pointed to the blue glow. - It''s currently a draw, but my fire is slowly losing. -Fuck, you are right¡­ Can you up your firepower? Cast the same spell again or something? -I can''t manipulate something that has already exploded. I basically made it eat a bomb, remember? Also we don''t have time for that, it''s already almost done extinguishing! The red patches were almost gone, there were only some on its rear end that were still visible, all others were already completely blue. -Stop gawking at it and do something then! He was right. When I saw my spell getting pushed back, I did try thinking about something else I could do, but being constricted to a singular element vastly narrowed my options. Wasn''t much I could do besides dumping more mana and hoping for the best. -Get back! I made up my mind, and decided to at least try while the creature was still busy. I again busted out my flamethrower, aimed right at the head of the creature. This time I did not even try limiting my flames, I let it run wild. -SHIT, CAREFUL! The result was a bit over the top. The flames were so wide, the whole creature got swallowed instantly, along with a small patch of forest nearby. And Bert''s pants. -Why did you not use this thing in the first place! Worked like a charm! Indeed, the creature caught fire awfully fast. It even stopped moving, lying on the ground like when it got hit for the first time by the bomb. It even worked a bit too well. The fire almost instantly spread towards the tree, including the massive one where I found the leader in. -We better get moving. I think I burned a little bit too much. -Towards the lake! We left the forest fire to its devices and started quickly moving as close to the shore as we could, but not as close as to start stomping in shallow water. -Gotta say, you red mages can pack a punch. Fire is scary. -Mhm. -You saved my life. Again. -Mhm. -I''m scared to ask, how can¡­ What interrupted him was a loud roar. The creature was still alive. And pretty angry, judging by the noise it made. No big deal, I thought. It had to be burned pretty badly, it shouldn''t be a problem to finish the job. You could even call it a mercy killing. How far I was from the truth¡­ What stood up from the ground was a massive serpent, burning with blue flames. It still had its green tint, but now the patches on its body were burning with an actual open flame. I didn''t know why it was blue, but I was confident that it was not good news. -Usc fi geksu, gmyho! I instantly threw a fireball towards it, without even thinking twice. My spell was pretty hasty, so the orb was less of a ball and more like an uncondensed blob. Still, I packed quite a bit of mana, so it was decently large, maybe of the size of my head. It didn''t matter though. As it flew closer to the creature, it got surrounded in the blue flames and promptly disappeared into them, not even leaving a mark. Bert also was preparing to cast something towards it, but when he saw what happened to my attack he just turned around and yelled: -RUN! I couldn''t agree more. Even if that was not a massive beast barreling towards us, to try and fight some of those weird flames I would have to prepare a decently sized spell, not those peashooters I was using, and I did not have time for that. Luckily, along with gaining the size and new look, the creature also lost its speed. Or rather the ability to "spring jump", or however you want to call that. It actually tried to compress itself and launch from the ground towards us, out of habit I guess, but all it managed to do was to brighten its flames a bit and fall onto its sine, that''s all. It quickly corrected itself and started slithering towards us. Although it was considerably slower than the jumps, it was still decently fast. Especially with its size, it started gaining on us alarmingly fast. -Any emergency plans? - asked Bert, still running, almost tripping over some branches on the ground. -Why it''s always me, maybe you try something this time! I did have an idea, but I wanted to save it as a last ditch effort, hoping that we can somehow resolve the issue without that. -Well, I have one but I don''t think I will be conscious after that. Also, its flames might be problematic. -You don''t know if you won''t try! -Ok, but don''t blame me if you''ll have to carry me after! -If you don''t try, then there won''t be anyone to carry anyway! -Fine! He turned towards the creature mid run, and pulled out his bow again. -Visinqo lyp hmedou. Lsitlepve nemjimohot tehu-sivu. This time, he did not conjure an arrow, it was more like some gnarled mass of ice with a dull end. If it was made of wood, I would''ve said that he just pulled some half dead branch off a tree and tried notching it on the bow. I don''t know if it was on purpose, or just because he was spent, but he fired it anyway, almost straight up. -Mocisohu! As he lobbed the spell towards it, the "ice branch" spread into a thin layer of icey net that covered the sky above us and fell down towards the creature, which was still barreling towards us. I expected it to instantly melt when it got close to it, but to my surprise I was wrong. It fell directly on top of the creature and started wrapping itself around it, slowing it considerably. -Holy shit, it actually worked - he said surprised - and I am still sta¡­ - and fell face first onto the wet ground. -Ouch. He was not kidding about carrying him, but at least he was still conscious this time. That actually was not the best scenario I was expecting, but was far from worse. The creature was wriggling, trapped in the icy web. It was the best opportunity to finish it, so I started slowly getting closer. Or so I said to myself, really I was curious how such a weak frost spell managed to bind a creature that was literally on fire. -What are you doing¡­ - I heard from the ground. - Help me up and let''s run¡­ - he turned towards me, trying to pick himself up with moderate success. -If we won''t finish it, it''s gonna go after us. Be quiet and don''t distract me. I positioned myself the way that he wouldn''t see the spell I was gonna use and got even closer. I expected to be hit by heat any second now, but I was surprised again. The air that was supposed to be hot, coming from those blue flames, was freezingly cold. Well at least I solved the mystery of "how didn''t this ice net melt". It did not explain how the hell a fire can be cold though. It also made me second guess myself. If it''s now imbued with ice, wouldn''t fire be superior against it? The second I thought that the creature replied to me with a guttural growl and the flames suddenly shifted color, from pale blue to crimson red. The frost spell that was holding it in place vanished instantly, followed by a sudden burst of heat and a groan from Bert behind me. I didn''t even have to look to know that he got knocked out once again. There wasn¡¯t much time before the creature would attack, so I dropped all the pretenses and focused up. There were no more witnesses. I could finally try something new against this thing. Something that might actually work for once. -Usc fi geksu. Usc fi hmedou. I summoned two orbs, fire and frost one. Made them extra large this time around, so they would be actually a threat for the creature, and launched an attack from a frost one first. -Gmyo. It was a combination of the flamethrower I used earlier and an orb spell, pretty basic, but easy and effective. The stream of ice that shot from my orb staggered the creature at first, extinguishing a bunch of flames on its body and even managed to reach the skin itself. Unfortunately, as soon as that happened, the creature turned blue again, and the flames that were extinguished got replaced by the cold fire that promptly swallowed the spell. I replied in kind, switching focus to the other orb, creating an actual flamethrower. Like before, at first it was very effective, but the creature adapted quickly, turning back to red. I should''ve guessed as much, it used to be a mana leech after all. Hell, for what I know it still might be. Out of all our experiments we did not attempt to find ways to kill those creatures, but it shouldn''t be that complicated, right? -I guess it''s time for some field experiments. Since it adapted quickly to both fire and ice, how about hitting it with both at the same time? Should work, right? Well, I thought so at least. -Gmyo! I launched a wave of fire and ice from my orbs, trying not to cross the streams, to not waste mana. Still, the spells were big enough to meet in the middle and parts of the elements just turned into steam. Maybe it was good, because I hit the creature with three streams simultaneously. Again, at first it appeared to work. The creature reeled back, confused, and started switching between both blue and red flame chaotically. It sort of looked like a broken RGB light, which was hilarious. It was no time to laugh, because even though the creature was stunned and couldn''t move, focused on the adaptation to my spells, it was still barely taking damage. My spells were hurting it partially, whenever they hit a part that was not attuned properly, but at the same time, where the same elements clashed, it was absorbing the magic of the spell and actively healing it. Even the damage from the hot steam was getting healed thanks to that, even though the magic from that part of the spell was not getting sucked by the creature. I could''ve waited there for, maybe like an hour and the creature would most likely finally get exhausted and finally die, but that is only if I was gonna endure that long and not get tired myself. For a second considered fully merging the orbs and only blasting it with steam, but instantly realized that would be a bad idea. It would''ve just switched to any of those flames and overpower me easily. So why not blast it with something else? -Usc fi gymnu. I added a third orb to the mix - lightning - above the other two. I made this one especially large, since I wanted to end it quickly, before this thing adapts again. The creature instantly felt a new magic in the air and started writhing even more, but was preoccupied enough with both fire and ice, so it didn''t have time for anything else. -Lsitlepve nemjimohot tehu-sivu, mocisohu! I borrowed the incantation from Bert for this one, to minimize the risk of the spell going wild, hoping to create a similar net out of my lightning orb, but the result was a lot different anyway. Instead of a branching net of the electricity, it started sparking and distorting for some reason. Every time it changed its shape, it was reaching farther and farther, like it was looking for something. It finally touched the fire orb and then in the blink of an eye all the electricity suddenly focused, creating a stable line between the two. The flamethrower that I had going all this time changed as well. In the red stream of flames I could see electric sparks flying all over. The electricity suddenly flashed red and fused with fire, creating something akin to plasma. Instead of a stream of fire, I was now emitting a branching stream of this weird¡­ substance, I guess? That was not the end though. The spell was still going and started looking for another target to connect to. And it found my ice orb. Again, the electricity jumped instantly and started fusing with ice. This time the effect was a lot more regular, if you even can call it that. Neither the lightning nor the ice changed colors, instead the ice started looking more like a crystal, with cracks inside that were pulsing with electricity. Apparently that was enough for the spell, because it started to calm down a bit and its shape stopped changing wildly. I had now a reversed V made out of my orbs and electricity formed in front of me. As it formed, my flamethrower suddenly stopped, and the lightning orb, that was the only one that did not change its form, flashed suddenly. The other two, like in response, shook and from the lightning orb, it released its power towards the creature. It was strange. At first, it looked like just a stream of that electrified ice, crystalized and colorless, just to almost instantly change color to red, and inside, along the sparks of electricity, appeared the weird substance. It was closer to liquid now, trapped inside, like some strange combination of lava lamp and those lightning spheres you¡¯d often see in random thrift stores. It was also effective. Very effective. At the first moment when the stream touched the creature, it roared even louder, to the point where it was hard to not cover my ears. It started flailing so much that even the ground below it started to give way. I was glad that the place was not on a hill, because the landslide would''ve been massive. It almost looked like it was trying to bury itself under ground, but the shocks prevented it from digging correctly, so it was just there, writhing in pain. After about a minute of struggle, the creature finally gave up. It stopped wiggling and shut down its flames. Even the roar stopped, instead replaced by only a silent screech. -Poor creature. It was sad, really. Shame I couldn''t do much besides ending its torment. Shame that people do things like this without much of a thought. Shame¡­ In this lack of resistance the lightning finally did the job and surged through the whole body of the creature. In one moment, it reached from its head to the ends of the tail, now visible, dug out from the ground. I canceled the spell. It was over. 22. Blue Now, the dead body of the creature was lying there, silently. I wanted to approach and take a close look, maybe bury it, or burn it to dispose of it, but it suddenly shifted its color to completely black. Startled, I stopped, a bit worried that it might pull a fast one on me and again attack, but no. It was definitely dead. After a second of hesitation I got closer and touched the creature, but as soon as I came in contact with it, it crumbled, turning into black dust that slowly started falling to the ground and soon, there was no trace left after it, besides a few ash marks on my palm. Plus the massive skid marks and burned forest of course. Luckily for me, most of the fire died down already¡­ A bit unusual, right? Well not really. Although it was my first encounter with a specimen that big, there was no doubt - it was a mana leech. They feed on mana and magic spells, and since the fire that was burning in the forest was of my making, when we fought, it got absorbed continuously. I should''ve been more careful. I accidently made a feeding ground for the creature, making the fight that much harder. Still, I couldn''t believe it. Someone succeeded in modifying those creatures. It was not without any issue, obviously, but they did manage to make it able to absorb raw elements. Shame it all was wasted. Well, at least the fire was contained¡­ I looked around at the destruction that we¡­ or rather that I caused. The tree was now only a massive, smoldering stump in the middle of burned clearing. The lake itself was mostly untouched, although some ashes of the creature were still slowly sinking in the green water. Everything else was eerily quiet, the noise we made had to scare all the living creatures away. Especially the later roars of that mutant leech. I sighed and stretched my back a little bit. For the first time in this world I was tired. -I should move¡­ I almost forgot about Bert. Luckily, he seemed alright. Like before, he was completely out of it, but probably not for long. I was not in the mood to carry him anywhere, so I just pulled him out of the wet ground where he fell and towards the dryer part of the clearing, to the stump of the massive tree. I propped him up a bit and sat nearby, waiting. I hate being confined to one element. How do even people are able to function like that? That stupid handicap almost cost me my life¡­ And what was with that stupid incantation? I guess I shouldn''t rely on smart spells. Shit, even copying the spell had some unexpected surprises. I would have to prepare for the next time¡­ Can''t get caught off guard like that. I took a deep breath and looked at the man at my feet. He was still unconscious. I poked him with my foot a few times. -You dead? Come on, we should move. I don''t feel like spending even another minute near this mess. A loud groan announced that he finally woke up. -What''s going on...? - he slowly raised his head from the ground. - My head is killing me¡­ -And it''s gonna be like that for a while. You ran out of mana twice in less than an hour, no wonder now you have a headache. -What about the creature? - he suddenly propped up, remembering what happened. - Shit, everything is pain. -Burned to a crisp - I said and helped him sit up. - Thanks to your net I was able to kill it. -Net¡­? Ah, that. But how? I thought... -When you tossed ice at it, it absorbed all of it, making it vulnerable to fire. I just had to be fast - I explained quickly. -Annoying bastard¡­ Where did it even come from? -Someone''s been experimenting here. Dunno why. Can you walk? -Yeah¡­ But I think I will need a helping hand, would you¡­ -Shh! The silence after the battle was deafening. That is why even the slightest sound could easily catch your attention. Bert also instantly caught on. We both heard some voices. They were still distant, but they were getting louder. -Time to leave. -Agreed. I don''t feel like explaining this mess to anyone. Can you walk? -I don''t have much of a choice, do I? With a little bit of my help, he managed to stand up and we started to move as fast as we could in the opposite direction. With me basically dragging him like some drunk man, we were not very fast and the voices were getting louder and louder. -Shit, this is pointless¡­ Even a child could follow us like this¡­ That was true. With him barely moving his legs, we were not exactly hard to catch. -Let''s hide. Maybe they will get preoccupied by the¡­ -Wait, you hear that? The voices were awfully close, to the point where we could understand what they were yelling. And recognize who they were. -Bert! -Mr Mor! Mr Bert! -Anyone here? -Hello!? It was Goldie and the kid. There were also some other voices I did not recognize, but those two were easily distinguishable in all the shouting. -What the hell are they doing here? And who''s with them? -Beats me - I sighed relieved that I won''t have to drag him through the forest by myself. - But at least we don''t have to run anymore. -But who''s with them? I don''t think... -Oh come on, let''s go. And I turned back towards the burned clearing, dragging him with me. We didn''t have to walk very far to get spotted. -Ah, finally! It was Goldie. He was followed by the kid and some guy that I didn''t know. They were now wearing some blue robes, exactly the same as the other man. He looked young, maybe not even 20 yet. He was shaved clean and looked weirdly featureless, as bland as you can get. -Are those the people you were looking for? - he asked, his voice was a bit raspy, which didn''t fit his face. -Yeah. Notify your leader. He bowed his head slightly and went back towards the clearing. -I thought I told you to run. -We did. And on our way we met this group. Felix asked them to find you. And then all hell broke loose. What happened here? He looked concerned. -What do you mean hell broke loose? - I asked instead. -I am not talking to you. -Caleb, he saved my life. A bit of politeness would be nice. He looked at me with surprise. -He? Save someone? Are you sure you are alright in the head? -Can you not¡­? -When we met this group and he was trying to convince them to search for you, we suddenly heard some loud roars. After that we got swarmed by all kinds of wild animals running from this direction. It was like the whole forest was running away. -That is a bit of overreaction, don''t you think? "Hell broke loose". Just some scared animals, that''s all. -Yeah, but whatever that was, definitely unsettled the whole bunch of Blue Mages. -Wait, wait, wait¡­ Blue Mages? Don''t tell me that this group¡­ - started Bert, but shut up almost instantly. Coming to greet us was, who assumed was the leader of this group, a man in his 50s, with a gray goatee, shaved bald as the other guy that was with us before. He was wearing the same blue robes, although his looked less worn and a better quality. When he was moving it almost looked like they were somehow glowing. -Ah, so you finally managed to fi¡­ - he stopped suddenly, when he saw who was standing before him. - What are you doing here?! He looked absolutely stunned. -I could ask the same question - replied Bert, looking as surprised as the bald guy. -The King sent us to check up on¡­ - he stopped, looking at me and Goldie. - But never mind that. Who is that with you? -Ah, right. This is Caleb Moi, he is my, ehm, let''s say assistant, I told you about him before, remember? And this is Mr Mor, we met not so long ago, a Re... -A traveler - I interrupted him. - I was on my way to the capital when we met in some coastal town and have been traveling ever since. -Yeah. And this is Felix, was part of my caravan before, well, all this. -Oh. I see. My name is Harsh. Pleasure to make your acquaintance - he bowed slightly and turned back to Bert. - What happened here? Where is the rest of your caravan? We''ve been scouring the forest around here for a while, but found only some smoldering remains. What happened here? A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. -Well, it is a long story. Call off the search for now. -You sure? There might still be some survivors! -Besides us four there is none - Bert said with a blank expression on his face. - You have some place we can talk in private? -Of course. He led us back towards the burned clearing. I don''t think it was even ten minutes after we left, but, to my surprise, there were already about fifteen people running around the place. Some were inspecting the embers left after the giant tree, a few were by the skidmarks of the massive leech, and a few even started building something that looked like a massive tent. All of them were wearing the same robes as the first guy we met and were clean shaved, making them look like some kind of monks or worse, a cult. -You have to excuse us, we just arrived and didn''t have time to set up properly. We followed him towards the other edge of the clearing, where under some trees there was already one tent set up. It was a lot smaller and surrounded by a lot of bags and boxes of different shapes and sizes. -If you would be so kind, please wait outside? - asked Harsh -Of course - replied Goldie. - Come on, Felix . Felix, who, since Bert appeared, was following him constantly, stepped back and bowed to the monk. -Thank you for helping us look, Mr Harsh. -No problem - he smiled warmly. - Take a rest, all of you, you look like you had a rough day. Both of them disappeared inside the tent, while the rest of us sat down nearby under some not burned trees. Meanwhile other monks were coming and going, carrying all the supplies towards the half-build tent on the other side of the clearing. Whatever they were talking about inside, it was taking them quite a bit of time. Felix managed to fall asleep under the tree and Goldie was staring into space. -Do you know who those people are? - I asked him to break the silence. - It looked like they knew him. -Don''t know. It is not my business to poke around in someone else''s life. Especially my employers. -Shame. He went silent for a moment. -Is it true that you saved his life? -Wha? Well, yeah I guess. -Thank you. That caught me off guard. -Why are you so polite all of the sudden? I thought you didn''t care and are just following orders. -Can''t I be both? He went silent again. -I do care. But I also have to follow orders as well. -Mhm. -In any case¡­ - he sighed - these people are Blue Mages dispatched by the king. I don''t know what for or how they know Bert. -Ah. Good to know. If I had to guess, they came here for the results of the experiments¡­ that I sort of destroyed. Just great. After a while of idly watching monks, or rather the Blue Mages building the tent and making a camp, I got called into the tent myself. I was expecting that for a long while, but it took them longer than I anticipated. The large tent was already done and most of the crew was now preoccupied with carrying the rest of the supplies inside. When I came in, the Berth along with Harsh were sitting opposite to each other by the small table. Besides that, the inside of the tent was pretty barren, only a few boxes stacked on top of each other. -So this is him, eh? That was not the greeting I was expecting, but whatever. He stood up and walked up to me, looking judgingly. -Not what I expected of one of those¡­ Now he was circling me like some weird cat, examining me from every possible angle. -Excuse me, but would you please stop? - I asked, unsettled with him treating me like some exhibit in the museum. -Oh! I am sorry, I couldn''t help myself. - he backed off and bowed slightly. - So. I am thankful for saving this miserable excuse of a mage, Mr Mor. -Ah¡­ Well, it was no problem really, I mean¡­ -No problem you say? What I heard you single handedly destroyed a whole army of monsters and at least two mutants! Don''t be so modest! Ah, so he talked. -And a Red Mage! It''s not often that one of you is traveling through those parts¡­ I find it hard to believe¡­ -I told you that you don''t have to¡­ - started Bert , but was immediately interrupted by the monk. -Let''s get straight to the point. I believe you, Bert, but that does not mean you were not just fooled. There are always some impostors running around. People claiming that they use fire while they can''t? He was right about that one, I already met one, but¡­ -So here is the deal - he continued. - Prove yourself to me. If you do, we will escort you to your destination, as Bert promised. -And if I won''t? -We will also lead you to the capital. But in shackles. -How nice of you - I replied annoyed. - Especially considering that I already paid up front for my escort. And even saved my own escort from certain death. I honestly should be escorting them, not the other way around, considering the circumstances¡­ -If that is indeed true. I can think of... -Please, Harsh, stop. Mr Mor, I know I already brought you a lot of problems lately, but can you accept his request? I know I revealed your magic, but this was the only way to convince him. -I knew I should''ve just used that boat and found another village¡­ - I mumbled to myself. - So what am I supposed to do? - I asked out loud - To prove myself I mean. -Oh, it''s easy. I will have you cast a certain spell. Nothing much, just an easy fire spell that has been used as a test for every red mage there is, I am sure you know it. -That''s it? -Yes. It will be obviously modified for our needs, so I will provide you with an incantation. It''s gonna be a bit more demanding than your regular test spell, but for someone like you that was able to burn that much of a forest it shouldn''t be an issue, should it? Ah, so he knew about that too. I mean it was not hard to deduce, especially when you got told that I use fire magic. I was a bit nervous when he said that I should know the spell, but since he was providing me with a full incantation, it shouldn''t be an issue. -So, you agree? -Sure. Shouldn''t be hard. Just tell me when and where. -Great! - he clapped his hands, pleased. - The place is here, and the time is, as soon as the incantation is ready. -Works for me - I sat down on one of the loose boxes nearby. - I am waiting. He nodded his head and poked out of the tent. I did not hear what exactly he said, but he called for someone, it looked like. After a minute of awkward silence and staring, another person arrived in the tent. It was the guy that I saw at first when we got found. -Please prepare the incantation I asked about. -Yes sir. They pulled out a piece of paper that looked like it was about to crumble to dust along with an actual quil and a small bottle of ink from one of the boxes. It made me feel like I went back in time suddenly. For the next twenty minutes we were watching him furiously write while only making stops either for the ink to dry or for Harsh to whisper something into his ear, instructions most likely. -It''s ready, master. -Good. Please, if you would. -You sure took your time, I was about to fall asleep - I said, standing up and taking a look at the scroll. -Are you sure you want me to cast here? You''re not scared that I am gonna burn something down? -Oh, no no, you are not casting anything here - he raised his hands up in a defensive gesture. - We are going to take it outside. But before that I have to give you time to actually read the spell, I am not stupid, I know you have to prepare. Prepare? What kind of spell is that so I have to prepare myself to cast it? With this in mind, even more curious I started to read into the spell, but it was not something I expected. The incantation was long and elaborate, almost like some sort of a song, or a prayer. Most of it didn''t wasn''t even connected to magic, it was just plain filler content. It sort of reminded me of a work of some middle schooler that had to hit a word limit on his essay homework so he started repeating random garbage that doesn''t contribute anything to the overall project. I did not even bother reading half of it. -Take your time, and when you¡­ -Are you making fun of me? - I looked straight at Harsh. -Excuse me? -Or maybe it''s you - I pointed at the scribe. - What is this supposed to be? -I believe I don''t understand, sir¡­ All three of them looked at me with a mix of confusion and surprise in their eyes. If any of those were fake, they had to be pretty good actors. -Okay, let''s start from the beginning then. What is this supposed to be? I pushed the paper back towards him. -A fire spell? -A fire spell. Sure. And the rest of it? -I am sorry, but I don''t follow. I am sure that if you take your time and read¡­ -Oh I read it alright. -I still don''t¡­ -Okay¡­ Maybe you then - I turned again to the guy that wrote the incantation. - Are you paid off? Or what? -I am not gonna stand idly and watch someone insult my staff! - Harsh stood up, angered. - Especially when it''s from some wannabe shitty mage that can''t even comprehend an easy incantation! Guards! -Please, both of you, calm down! - spoke Bert, trying to calm the situation down. - I am sure there just was some misunderstanding. Please, Mr Mor, calm down. And you too, Harsh. I don''t want any bloodshed here. Two other robed people entered the tent, guards probably, and pulled out two short daggers each. A bit weird weapon for a guard if you ask me. -We are fine - said Harsh towards them.-Please leave. They both looked at the monk, who waved them off, annoyed at the situation. They were a bit hesitant, but left the tent. Bert looked at me beggingly. -Can''t you both come to some sort of agreement? I am sure he did not mean any harm to you in any way. I am sure this is just some kind of mistake¡­ I am sure this spell is safe and¡­ -Harm? - I couldn''t help but laugh. - This spell? Maybe if I laughed too hard and pulled a muscle then it would''ve harmed me. Otherwise, not much. Here, here you go, this is the spell. Usc fi wisfe geksu. -What are you¡­ Before any of them could react, I cast the spell of the exact same effect that was on the paper I was given, but omitting all the useless garbage that was piled on top of it. It was just a simple fire orb with a minor modification - it was green in color. Also a lot smaller, so as not to burn the place down. I wasn''t that crazy. -Happy? Or do you need a better look? Both Harsh and the scribe jumped back when I cast the spell, almost falling over one another. Bert was surprised too, but didn''t even flinch in his seat, the only thing revealing his emotion was his face. -How¡­ What¡­ Harsh was struggling for words. The other guy was just staring at the small spark, slack jawed. -Is that enough? -I¡­ That¡¯s...! Ehm. Yes. The effect is absolutely correct but¡­ -Oh for fucks sake.. -...but how dare you botch the incantation so much? This is preposterous! -Botch? - I snapped my fingers, ending the spell. - You botched it by adding some trash between the lines. I just simplified it. -GARBAGE? HOW DARE YOU! He got really angry. To the point that he looked like he wanted to punch me. Luckily, he was stopped by both Bert and the scribe. -What? -Nothing, sir - replied Bert. - Don''t mind him, we will lead you to the capital, as promised, I will¡­ -BLASPHEMY! - Harsh was straight up yelling right now. - I WILL NOT ALLOW FOR THIS! Bert leaned down towards him and whispered something into his ear, which calmed him down a little bit for some reason. -But. Yes. It''s enough. You will be leaving for the capital soon enough. Just don''t think that I won''t report this behavi¡­ Bert covered his mouth before he finished his speech. -Thank you, Mr Mor Would you be so kind to leave for now? We need to have a talk. Please take your time to rest. -Whatever. 23. Inconsistent I left the tent half angry, half disappointed. I didn''t really know what I expected to be honest. But at least I learned one thing - mages here are even worse than I anticipated. Well at least I would finally be able to get to some proper city, not some random forest or fishing village. I sat back near Goldie and the kid. Both were dozing off currently and didn''t even notice me. I leaned back, watching other people wander around the place and waited for Bert to finish his chat. It took him a long while, maybe an hour, after which he announced that we will be leaving at once. He was also very apologetic towards me for some reason. I mean, right, Harsh did shout a bunch of crap towards me, even after I left the tent I heard some unsavory words that were most likely towards me, but I did not care much. In any case, all four of us left almost immediately after they finished talking, along with three other monks, or rather Blue Mages, that were apparently there to guide us to our destination. -Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience you were caused. -Again, stop. I think I said that five times already, I don''t mind. Shit happens I guess, let''s just forget that and move on. Better tell me how long till our destination. -About a day''s worth of walking, sir - answered one of our guides, or maybe guards. - Would''ve been faster but roads have been overgrowing lately for some reason. -Mhm. By the way, what happened to the horses? - I asked Goldie. -They would be only a problem - answered the guide again - When I say overgrown, I mean it. -What happened here? -Don''t know. And not my liberty to say anyways. We spent the rest of the day walking through what apparently was supposed to be a road, but neither Bert nor Goldie could recognize it as such. I honestly don''t know how our guides were making any sense of this place and even started thinking that maybe meeting this group was not the worst thing that happened to me in the recent time. For what I knew, if we were to travel alone we would most likely be lost in those woods for a long while. It would be especially hard with the kid slowing us down. Speaking of, since the initial meeting by the camp of those so-called Blue Mages, he was keeping quiet. Once or twice he spoke both to me and Bert, but seeing as he was completely drained and I was not exactly in the mood to talk, he left us alone. I was sure that I was gonna be showered in questions later and I was not mistaken. When we stopped for a break to rest for the night, he approached me and asked all about what happened after we split. I explained that I found Bert who was under attack by the creatures and we both managed to scare them off using torches and some ingenuity, but burned a bit of the forest in the process. I don''t know if he bought the last part, but he didn''t ask any more questions. The night was quiet and our rest wasn''t interrupted by anything. To be honest, I was expecting to be ambushed again by something, but no. I spent the night lying down and pretending to sleep, watching our "company". Or at least I wanted to. Later that night, I was joined by Bert, which was unexpected, since I was sure that he would be completely out cold, especially after the events of the previous night and day. He sat next to me and looked like he was contemplating if he should wake me up or not. After a long while I sat up and stopped pretending, which caught him off guard. -What is it this time? -I am sorry, I didn''t want to wake you up. You have to be extremely tired after¡­ well, all this. -And aren''t you as well? You seem extremely lively considering you have been drained not too long ago. -I am fine. I can recuperate quickly. -Is that so? Well then. What do you need? -Excuse me? -Well, I don''t think you would wake me up in the middle of the night just because. -Ah. Right. I am terribly sorry. I just wanted to check up on you. It''s all I can do after all you have done for me. -OK - I stretched a bit and looked directly at him. - No. This is not right. What is this all about? -I''m afraid I don''t understand¡­ -Oh you do - I sighed, annoyed - Since, ehm, since our little adventure and the talk with Harsh you have been getting more and more polite towards me. What is this all about? -Is it weird that I am being thankful to the man that saved my life? -A bit, yes. It''s odd that a person who had threatened me is now basically my attorney and now even a bodyguard. What are you playing at? -Ok. Let me be serious - he looked directly at me. - I take my debts very seriously. I am now riding a thin line here, and I am not so thrilled about that. I do not exactly know who you are, but you definitely are something else. So I will do whatever I have to do to repay the debt. -Thin line? Debt? What are you talking about? -You have Stained me. -I did what? -Oh. Oh¡­ - he looked like he finally understood something - I forgot. You are not from here are you? -Well, yes, you already know that I am a traveler. I told you a long while ago. What of it? -So you are not familiar with the Law of Triple Binding? -I am afraid I am not. -As you are one of the Red Mages I assumed you were informed but I guess these things happen - he leaned on a nearby tree, looking tired - especially while you travel. Let me explain then. -Would be appreciated. -Where do I start¡­ - he gazed towards the night sky, thinking aloud. -From the beginning would be best. -Right¡­ - he smiled. - So. Our country¡­ or rather our whole continent, is ruled by one prevalent law, enforced by an old magic. It binds every single soul to fulfill our deals, whether we like it or not. -Binds? How exactly¡­ -¡±Any promise, be it king''s or beggar''s, be it written, spoken or bloody, is always a bind that will last forever, until death and beyond. To forget is to Stain yourself. To Stain oneself completely is to forgo one''s soul for eternity.¡± -What the hell. That¡¯s ominous. -Right? It¡¯s a piece of an old spell that creates the Law. -Someone cast a spell like that on a whole country? - I asked, not very convinced about all this. He noticed my skepticism. -I must admit, I was not that sure of it myself for a while. Seems far fetched, doesn¡¯t it? Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! -No shit. ¡°Forgo one¡¯s soul¡±? The hell is that even supposed to mean? -Ah, that¡¯s quite simple. You are enslaved. And judging by my Stains, I am not that far from experiencing that first hand. And to a man that I barely know. -Okay, one thing at a time - I said, raising my hand in surrender. - You keep saying "stained"... What does that¡­ -This. He pulled up his shirt, revealing two large, well, stains on his body. It sort of looked like someone spilled black ink all over his chest. -As far as I am aware, you gain one of those marks when you fail to fulfill your contract. You get three and it''s the end of the line for you. -Uh-uh¡­ okay¡­ I sort of get where you are coming from. We sat there for a minute in silence. -You are dumping a lot on me here. Say, the Stains. They always manifest¡­ there? - I pointed towards his chest. -Yes. As far as I know. -Hm¡­ can you, er¡­ ¡°wash¡± them out somehow? -By fulfilling the deal you made. Or somehow amending it. -Doesn¡¯t the "deal" have to be some kind of ritual or something? -Not really. The verbal agreement is usually enough. Usually people finalize it with a handshake, that is a gesture that creates the deal, most of the time, but even without it it is sometimes valid, if the person is strong enough and persistent enough. The amount of the Stains you get at once are connected to the type of a deal you struck. -That''s¡­ unsettling. And inconsistent. What do you mean by persistent? -You can forcefully create a Stain. -How? He smiled at me. -And why would I tell you? While I am definitely going to try and fulfill the deal, even though we had some¡­ roadblocks¡­ - he gazed towards Goldie and the kid. - I am not going to be that submissive. -Fair point. Okay. I get the general idea. I don¡¯t really intend on pursuing this, as long as I reach the city in one piece. -And I am glad to hear that. -Ehe¡­ - I muttered, thinking of something else. - Well, I don''t really want to be responsible for someone else right now, so rest assured that I am not trying to jeopardize our deal. This is all just an unfortunate turn of events. -Seems like it was fortunate if you ask me. For you at least. -Think whatever you want. But I do intend to get to the capital. This¡­ detour is not bothering me much. So you can sleep safely. Well, as long as you won''t get carried away by a group of bandits or something. -Thank you. -You are welcome. Now, if you excuse me, I would like to rest. I recommend you do the same. -I will. With that, he left. When I was sure no one was paying attention, I quickly lifted up my shirt and examined myself. To my relief, I had no black patches on my chest. I instantly felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders, but also got angry at myself. Everyone was so trusting. I should''ve known better than to just assume that they were just so easily swayed. And now, I had at least two looming promises over my head. -Well, there go my plans of ditching that witch¡­ - I muttered to myself. Now while thinking about it, my situation shouldn''t be that bad. If the Stains on Bert were indeed real, that meant I had at least a two point margin of error. Or two Stain margin of error. Two Stain points? Something like that. How does that work exactly? Or does it even work at all, since by all means I was not a resident of this country. I should''ve asked him about all this a bit more. With all the questions welling in my head I lied back and started watching the stars, talking to myself. -This is going to be either interesting or a complete pain in the ass. There is no inbetween. The sleepless night went by pretty fast. I slowly started getting used to not being able to sleep. Besides it being annoying, it should prove being convenient in the long run anyways. Sadly, I didn''t get any opportunity to talk privately with Bert again, so I decided to leave that for later. For the first time in however long I was traveling, I was in an actual group that seemingly knew what to do. In the morning I noticed how monks started shuffling around the camp and started preparing an actual breakfast. Although I still was not hungry, my mouth started watering anyway. I wondered what and how they were gonna go about this, since we were still in a total wilderness, so I started pretending like I was waking up. Most of them were paying me no mind, just greeted me with a nod when they noticed me stretching. Others were still asleep, so I quietly stood up and started wandering around our makeshift camp. Well I called it a camp, but it hardly was anything. We didn''t even light a bonfire last night, we instead used one of those large glowing crystals. They did not give any heat though. It was not really an issue because nights here were pretty much as warm as days, but now I wondered how they were gonna go about making meals. I was instantly disappointed, because when I approached the group, I recognized what they were preparing. Besides a bunch of large waterskins that they pulled out of somewhere, they had opened a large box that one of them was carrying the other day. It was full of mana fruit. With a sigh, I was about to turn around and go back to "sleep", when I noticed one of them was making a stake of some kind out of wood and sticking some mana fruit onto it. Curious, sat nearby and started watching him. He filled about four of those sticks with them and started "grilling" them over the glowing crystal. Even without warmth, after a few moments, the fruit started changing colors. While normally green, they slowly were going through the whole array of colors. Blue, purple, red, yellow and back to green. It appeared like it was circling through the whole rainbow, and it was getting faster and faster, to the point where I couldn''t even tell which color it was. It was a bizarre sight. There was no smell though. The guy "cooking" finally noticed me observing him and gestured for me to approach. He broke one of the sticks with the glittering fruit in half and gave it to me with a warm smile. -Thanks - I muttered, carefully investigating the food, touching it. It was still completely cold. Up close, it was almost hard to look at. -They''re gonna dim soon, so don''t wait for too long and wake up your companions. -Mhm¡­ That''s an interesting way of preparing them - I said, sliding one off and examining it under the sun. -Right? Some prefer it raw, but I always thought eating them like this makes it more interesting. -I honestly never tried eating them "cooked". How do they taste? -Ooh, you don''t know what you are missing. The taste is different, depending on what color they are currently! You are literally playing the flavor lottery. -Huh. Interesting. What happens after they dim? -Usually they come back to their regular color. Sometimes, if you roast them for too long they might permanently change their taste, but that''s it. -Curious. -Right? People always tell me I am wasting time preparing them, but I don''t care. -Because you are - said some other monk that noticed us talking. - They will have the same amount of mana whenever you waste your time like this or not. Just eat and stop pestering others. -I don''t really mind. The other guy just shrugged. -Whatever floats your boat - he grabbed one of the raw fruits and devoured it in one bite. - Wake your companions up. We are leaving as soon as we can. I nodded and took the fruit on the stick that he shared with me. -Wake up - I unceremoniously poked Goldie with one end, while sliding the fruit off the other. - Breakfast is ready. All three slowly started gathering themselves off the ground. -Shit, it''s morning already? - muttered Bert under his breath, glaring towards the canopy. -Here - I gave each of them one fruit. Courtesy of our guides. Water is by the campfir¡­ I mean by the crystal if you need some. -Oohh, someone cooked them! - noticed Goldie, immediately taking a bite. - Always better than raw. -Meh. -What are those? - asked the kid, staring intently at one of the fruits. -Ah, right. - Bert finally stood up and stretched.- Let me explain then. He said more or less the same thing as that monk. Meanwhile, I was considering whether I should leave it as emergency supplies, but couldn''t help but to be curious about that so-called "flavor lottery", so I took a bite. The texture was still the same, basically a hard candy, but it tasted like I just bit into a small, sour apple. It still had the tree sap aftertaste though. Not too bad. I took another bite, finishing the fruit, and the taste was different again, this time, straight up a cherry tomato. Definitely a weird experience, especially confusing when you combine such varied flavors with the same texture. And the aftertaste. Seems like at least that was the same, no matter what you do. I can see why some people like it. After we finished our "meal", the guy who prepared them handed us each a waterskin and told us to get ready. In about half an hour we were back on the road. The weather was beautiful, as always. Now when I think of it, since I woke up in "the bowl", I have not seen any rain, or even a bigger cloud in the sky. It was a nice change of pace, since I was used to it raining every other day. After a few hours of march the woods started to finally thin out a small bit. I only noticed when we finally started walking on something that was not leaves or grass - a stone paved road. First, it was a bit small, but soon it expanded to being about three, maybe four people''s size. According to what I overheard it was still overgrown - it was supposed to be wide enough for two medium sized carriages to ride alongside each other. Finally, after yet another hour, we arrived. 24. Capital One thing I can give it to people living here - they are crafty. When I was thinking about the capital, I always imagined large stone buildings, maybe even brick ones, a castle with walls, something like that. What I was greeted by was completely different, although by now I should''ve seen that coming. First, there were no walls whatsoever. The main road suddenly expanded to the size it was supposed to be, with a range of trees spreading like a forest within a forest. Yes, trees, not buildings. Those trees were pretty much as thick as the one I burned down not too long ago. Unlike that one however, they all had entrances and some even carved out windows, with the green membrane replacing glass. They came with different shapes and sizes, which made some look like they were either squashed by something or stretched weirdly. From where we were entering I could see a couple that were connected by their treetops, with some walkways made from branches connected by a rope of some kind. Further in I could see even more and more, creating basically another layer of city that was above everyone''s heads. The road on the other hand was made out of regular stones embedded in the ground. As we were entering the city, I noticed that from the woods, somewhere on the side, there was some kind of canal, few meters deep, that was coming into the city and going somewhere towards the center, passing between "treehouses", or maybe rather ¡°housetrees¡±, and crossing the road, with small bridges created out of what looked like tree roots. It was similar to the road, made out similarly out of random rocks. At first I thought it was just another street, since it was completely dry, but I realized my mistake after seeing literal piers with small rafts tied to them. The city itself was quite lively. The deeper we went in, the more people we started seeing. What struck me as weird though, was that most of the people we saw were wearing green. Be it a robe, similar to our guides, a skirt or some linen pants, everyone was wearing green. Even guards, or at least I think that they were guards, while wearing leather armor, kind of like one Bert had, had some green accent to it. Mostly it was just a belt or an armband, but there was one that had had their armor dyed completely green, even though it was still leather as far as I could tell. That was the one that approached our group. -Halt. Who are you and what is your purpose here? One of our guides spoke up. -We are a part of the Blue Mages group that were requested to aid this city. I thought the guard was informed about us. -I was not asking you. Who are you? - he was addressing the other part of the group, the tattered and obviously not in the blue robes. -Refugees that we met on the way. They were heading¡­ -For the last time - the guard turned, visibly annoyed - I am not speaking to you. I think they can speak for themselves. -I was leading a caravan from Kruro to the capital. On our way here we got attacked twice. First, just after we left, second, near here, where we met these people - explained Bert, pointing towards the monks. - They were kind enough to guide us back here. -I see. But you still did not give me your names. -I am Bert, and this is Caleb Moi, believe it or not. These two - he pointed at me and the kid - are what remains of people I was escorting here, Mor and Felix, if you care enough. -Moi? Yeah right, and I am King Axelrod. You are telling me that this poor excuse of a man is The Golden Knight? Come on, think of something better next time. Now get the¡­ Before he managed to finish the sentence, another voice spoke up. -What is going on here? Another guard, in similar armor, approached him from behind. He was at least one meter taller and man, he was ripped. He had a small goatee and black hair, tied in a short ponytail. On his belt he had two short swords that in his hands would most likely look like a pair of daggers. -Sir! - the other guard saluted him instantly when he heard his voice. - I was just chasing off this band of vagabonds. They have the nerve to impersonate The Golden Knight, of all people! -Golden¡­ - he finally looked at our company. - What the¡­ Sergeant. Please stand down. I will take it from here. -There is no need, I can¡­ -That was an order. You are now dismissed. -Yes sir! He promptly saluted and left, seeing that his superior was very serious about it. That also did not give me much hope in the situation, even our guides looked slightly scared. Strangely, Bert and Goldie did not share our worries apparently, because when the other man left, they both sighed with relief. -Man, it is good to see you. - said Goldie, making me think I was hearing things. -I can''t say that it''s likewise. What happened to you people? - he asked, looking genuinely worried. -First, can we leave the streets for a bit? We kinda attract attention. - said Bert, looking around. True, now when he mentioned it, I noticed that several people were already stopped and were gawking at our group. I can''t blame them, we were definitely looking out of place, with tattered, dirty, and in some cases slightly burned clothes, with a group of monks in blue robes to boot. -Right. You - he pointed to the monks. - You are also dismissed. I will take over from here. -Yes, of course. Our mission was completed anyway, we were just going to escort them towards the nearest inn. -Good. Leave then. They all bowed and left towards the center of the city. -Come with me. He led us towards one of the side alleys, to the left of the main road. First thing I noticed was that the path here was a lot more overgrown. It wasn''t completely wild, like outside the city, but still, gras was poking through everywhere it was physically possible. Trees, I mean houses here were overgrown by moss and sometimes even some mushrooms. They were also pretty tall, considering that we were walking just on the edge of the city. On our left, all of the canopies were connected, with ropes hanging down, forming a long balcony that was spanning across the whole visible border between the wilderness. On our right, homes were a bit smaller and had a lot more variation to them. There were also a lot less people here. Even then, still people were staring at us, just to notice the massive man in the lead and stare even harder. We stopped by one of the house-trees without any windows that was overgrown even more than others and almost looked like it was abandoned, if a tree can even look like that. He opened the door and rushed us in. Bert and Goldie didn''t hesitate even for a second, so me and the kid followed suit. The large man entered last and closed the door. Inside looked a lot more pleasant than you would expect, although again, everything was still made of wood. The room was circular. Even without windows, it was bright, a sizable glowing crystal was standing on a large rectangular table in the middle of the room, accompanied by six chairs. On the far side there was a row of shelves along with something that looked like a spice rack. A little bit further to the left there was another door, closed shut and a small bed, covered with something green. It was not exactly cloth, but from afar I couldn''t really tell what material was that. At least it was not wood, but, with this place, I could not be all that sure. The rest of the walls were covered with cabinets of different sizes and one small desk with another chair, directly next to the bed. -Make yourself at home. Even before he said that, Goldie was already sitting. We all sat on whichever chair was closer. -First things first - said our host, sitting next to his bed and turning towards the middle of the room, with his chin on a backrest. - Who are you two? Before I was able to say anything, Bert already started talking. -As I said, those are the remains of my caravan. We had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting a sentient plant and a bunch of mutant leeches. -The what? What happened to your guard force? And his armor. On a mention of his armor, Goldie sighed and it looked like he was about to start crying. -Calm down, I told you, I am gonna send someone to get it back - stated Bert, visibly annoyed. -It won''t be the same. I will have to get it reforged, by now it is already either stolen or completely ruined. - he moaned tearfully. -Damn, this is really serious. With that, he explained most of our journey, including fights and his "kidnapping", but he avoided mentioning my fire magic. -Man, I don''t think you can be any more unlucky. Two, scratch that, three attacks in such a short span of time, debts and you even ran into him. Hah, I can''t believe it! -And my gear! -Yes, and your gear - he waved his hand dismissively. - You want me to find you a group that is willing to get it for you? -Actually, I was gonna send him - he pointed at me. - Besides us he is the only person that knows how to find it. -Glad to be finally noticed - I said, slightly annoyed. - Don''t you all think I need a bit of explanation? -What do you mean? -Ah, right. He is a wanderer, and has no idea who you are. -Oh! I am sorry - The large man stood up and extended his hand. - Odar Erf, High General of Arbo Guard Force. We know each other quite well - he gestured towards the two. I shook his hand, surprised to hear that some random caravaneer has friends as high as this. -Hello. I am Mor, a wanderer and now looks like a mercenary - I gazed towards Bert. -Look, I am sorry, I didn''t have much of a choice, and considering... - he stopped suddenly. -What? Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. -Nothing. Odar, do you have a place where we could rest for a day or two? We need to rest before we head out. -We are heading out again? - groaned Goldie. -Stop complaining. It''s to get your armor back. -Oh! OH. Nevermind then. -Well, there is an inn deeper in the city¡­ -Do you have anything close to here? I kinda don''t want to get him seen in a state like this - said Bert gesturing towards Goldie. -You are annoying, damn you. FINE. There is another inn, a few streets further. It''s not like those closer to the center, a bit shitty if you ask me, but barely anyone visits it and definitely no one that would know you. -Works for me. Bert looked at me, then at Goldie then back at me, like he was considering something. He apparently made up his mind, because he said: -Caleb, can you go and check if they have rooms for us? I don''t want to run into another overzealous guard, and if we get booted out¡­ -So what, you want just ME to get booted out? -Exactly. And then come back and tell us. Out of all of us, you are the best for that. -And if someone notices me? -Relax, you will be fine. Here. Odar tossed him a long cloak, no idea where he pulled that from, that might as well have been a large green curtain. -See? Now go, I don''t want to rely on Odar''s hospitality for that much. -It''s fine¡­ -It isn''t. Go. After a short explanation about where to find said inn, he left in a hurry, covered from head to toe with the cape. As soon as the door closed, Odar asked: -Ok, what''s that about? -Excuse me? - said Bert, obviously pretending to be confused. -I don''t buy your story. Fire magic from his blade? Yeah, right. Also, you would never send him alone like this. First you say you don''t want him to be seen, then you send him alone, instead of your other companions. You want to talk without him listening, don''t you? What''s going on? -Well you got me. -Do you want me to go outside as well? - asked the kid suddenly, silent until now. -No. This is something I want you to hear as well. Unless Mor has something against it? -That depends. I don''t mind him - I waved my hand towards the kid dismissively, finally understanding what¡¯s going on. - It might be better that he hears it anyway. On the other hand¡­ - I looked at Odar. - I don''t know about you. -Okay, now I am very curious. What have you done this time? - he asked, looking now suspiciously towards me. -Well, a lot happened. But yes, I trust him with my life. -That does not reassure me much. I am pretty sure you know why. Bert wanted to say something, but bit his lip and stayed silent for a while. -You are right. I don''t¡­ -Can you elaborate a little bit at least? Can''t help you if I don''t know what is going on. If you are unsure¡­ Odar stood up and started taking off his shirt. -What¡­? His chest was muscular, with a bunch of scars, some looking like they were made by some wild animal''s claws. -I have not Stained myself even once in my life and I don''t intend to. So. I hereby promise that I will keep this conversation secret between us. -He extended his hand towards me. -Odar, no! -This is my decision. I see something is bothering you and I won''t just stand by and be oblivoius. Do you agree with those terms, Mr Mor? -Fucking laws and¡­ Whatever. Fine - I shook his hand. - You better keep the promise. -Don''t insult me! We all have never been Stained, and we will not stand¡­ I couldn''t help but laugh. -What''s so funny? - he looked at me angrily. -Well, this is something. -Yeah. Something alright. He took off his shirt and presented the obvious Stain on his chest. This time, there was only one, the second one was almost gone, but its outline was still there. -Huh, so that''s how it works - I muttered to myself. I guess he did complete our deal, so one of the Stains was erased. - Wait¡­ why one? - I finally picked up on the very interesting detail. -No¡­ - Odar looked completely broken.- What did you do? - What¡­ How¡­ -I mean we had a deal that you failed but¡­ - I scratched my head. - Man, I still don¡¯t get how all this works¡­ -What do you want? - Odar almost barked at me, like some angry dog. Honestly, he started to look scary. To my relief, Bert intervened. -Calm down. It''s not like this - he looked a bit startled. - That is true, this is strange, but as you can see I am out of the immediate danger. That is not what we came to discuss. At least not now. I said that Goldie was using fire magic, right? - he asked, dressing back up. -Yeah, what of it? His swords are always enchanted with something weird. -That''s the problem - he dropped the pretenses.- It was illusion magic. He proceeded to explain what actually happened and how Goldie tried making us believe that he saved us. -But I don''t get it. - Now dressed and a lot calmer, Odar was again sitting with us - Why would he do that? Why CAN he even do that? That makes no sense. -Right? I am confused as well. I trust you with my life, you know that. That is why I am turning to you with this. -There is still another thing I don''t understand. Why is he here? - he pointed to the kid, who was silent all this time, listening intently. -It might surprise you, but he knows more about Goldie than any of us. He is from the village that he apparently visited multiple times. -Don''t tell me. His "charity"? -Yeah. -Oh for fuck sake. I swear, if this continues this way, we will have yet another church to worry about. -Can¡¯t you just make him talk? It''d be a lot easier. Bert ignored that remark and instead focused on Felix. -So listen, kid. - Bert turned his chair towards him. - You traveled with us, now you know most of the story. So now I need you to tell us all you know about him. -Aren''t you overestimating him? - I asked, unsure about all this. - He''s told me a bunch of those stories, true, but most of them sounded a bit over-the-top. He''s just a kid. -I¡­ I¡­ am sorry, I don''t think I can help you¡­ It''s like sir honored Red Mage said. -Don''t call me that. I have a name. -Right! I am sorry, Mr Mor. What I know are just stories I heard in the village, I don''t know much¡­ -Don''t sell yourself short. You know more than we do - said Bert. - Not too long ago I never heard about him visiting your village and leaving you his treasures, and I tried keeping tabs on all places he visited. You have to know something. Kid looked very conflicted all of the sudden. That did not sneak past Bert though. -You are hiding something. Speak. -No! I would never¡­ He was not a good liar. -Calm down. We are good friends here - he said, approaching him and putting a hand on his arm. He was calm and had a friendly smile on his face. Oddly familiar smile that almost made me shudder. I should''ve known better, he would never have let him listen to this discussion if he did not have a plan, or at least some interest in him, which was now obvious. -We only want the best for our friends, such as yourself. But we cannot help if we don''t know how. So? Anything more to share? The threat was obvious. Odar didn''t even flinch, like he was expecting this, just observing both me and the kid. -I might know where he got his blade¡­ - finally exclaimed kid. -Might? -When sir Caleb arrived and started sharing his treasure with the village and when I got this - he started, clutching his book to his chest - I heard him talking about some new amazing weapon that he acquired. I didn''t know back then, but he must have meant the sword. I have never seen his blade before. He said that it was all together with the treasure he gave us and he found it in some red dragon''s lair. -Ok, that is enough - interrupted Odar, looking very unimpressed. - Dragon. A mythical creature. Who do you think we are, a bunch of kids, so you can talk such bullshit? -Well - said Bert, still smiling - I am also inclined to not believe this. Say, Mor, in your travels, how many dragons did you see, or even hear of? -None. Well, not like I traveled much, but I was not going to tell him that. -Yes. None. That is because they don''t exist. So why won''t you stop wasting our time and I might consider completing my deal with your father, because as of right now, I am tempted to break it. -That''s what he said! I don''t know anything else about him, I swear! -We all know it''s a lie. You have been a great source of stories about certain two brothers before, and now you forgot all about those? -I... -Don''t get me wrong, I don''t care about most of them. After all, I know a bunch of them first hand. But this blade¡­ -I already told you¡­ -Yes, you did. But how can I believe such a story? I am sure you want to cover for your idol and master, but¡­ He got interrupted by knocking at the door. -Who''s there? -It''s me - we heard Goldie''s voice. Who else would that be with timing like that. -We will finish that later. Odar let him in and silence fell on the whole group. -Sooo¡­? - Bert finally spoke up. - How''s our lodging? -Yeah, it is available, but¡­ -But what? -Come on, spit it out. -Do we really have to stay in a trash heap like that? - he finally said, broken. -What, you expected some luxurious apartment? -Well, it is THE capital¡­ -And you needed a place to stay that was out of sight. We are at the outskirts, what did you expect? - replied Odar, annoyed. -It can''t be that bad. Come on. Let''s go - hurried us Bert. - Felix, we''re gonna talk later - he said, while looking at the kid - we have a lot to catch up on, don''t you think? Odar looked at the three of them worryingly. -Riiight¡­ Want me to escort you? -Nah. We should be fine. Thanks and see you later. We left, hurried by Bert. As we were leaving, he pulled the kid towards himself. -Don''t get too far, now. The city is vast and I would hate for you to suddenly get lost. It did not take a genius to notice that he scared him shitless. He managed to squeak out an answer along the lines of "yes, sir", before we finally lost sight of Odar¡¯s place. As we were walking, I asked Bert a bit about the city itself. I learned that the whole capital was one big circle. It had three main districts: Outer Circle, Inner Circle and Learned Grounds. First two were self-explanatory, so I asked about the last one. Apparently, in the middle of the city there was a school of magic of some kind, hence the name, and it was an official home of the current ruler. The place we were gonna stay was in the Outer Circle. It took maybe five minutes for us to reach there. We passed many similar-looking houses and I even started wondering how people even navigate in this place. Goldie led us a bit deeper towards the center, although not far enough that we would lose sight of the last layer of trees that marked the border between the forest and the city. On the outside, it was similar to all the other tree-buildings that we walked past so far. Only difference was that its tree was one of those that was connected to the upper layer of the city, similarly to Odar¡¯s place, although on the other side of the street. And that it actually had windows. By the main door I noticed there was a glowing crystal hanging down from something like a vine, shining pale green. Besides that, there was nothing that would''ve said that this is not just some other random home. Hell, for all I know it might as well be. No signs, no name, no anything. -Gee, I wonder why isn¡¯t this place more popular¡­ - I muttered to myself, gazing around. 25. Inn Even though we were not that far from the main, larger street where we earlier saw some people wandering minding their own business, here we were the only ones in eyeshot. Good for us, I guess. Goldie knocked at the door. It didn¡¯t take even five seconds for someone to respond. -Who¡¯s there? The voice was weirdly familiar. -Your clients. -Ah. Come on in. The door opened to some dark room. The only light was a small wooden candle, similar to those I¡¯ve seen on the island, but this one looked a lot shittier. It was standing on a curved bar, in the furthest corner of the room, with two barstools besides it. Near it, almost parallel to the entrance there was another closed door. Outside of that, the room had three tables with some benches at each wall. The man that let us in walked behind the counter and was waiting expectantly. He was wearing a hooded cloak, casting a shadow on his face, making it impossible to see. -You didn¡¯t say you will be having that big of a company. -You said that you have multiple rooms free, so I didn¡¯t think it would be an issue¡­ -It isn¡¯t. For me that is. It¡¯s just gonna be more expensive that¡¯s all. -Works for us - chimed in Bert, still clutching his hand on the kid''s shoulder. As soon as he spoke, the guy flinched. -Oooh, I see¡­ I didn¡¯t know you were one of his friends. -We know each other? - Bert asked, curious. -No. But I¡¯ve heard of you. I understand the secrecy is the main reason you choose my place so I am not going to ask any questions. -Good. -That aside, the price is 10 gold per person per night. Plus service, it would be 50 gold. -WHAT. -You heard. -That is straight up robbery. -Funny. Especially coming from you. -Ha, ha. We are not going to pay that much for some run down rooms in someone''s basement. -Excuse me, my rooms are not run down, and who cares where. -I do - said Goldie, just to be silenced by Bert¡¯s gesture. -Listen. I will pay five gold max, nothing more. Take it or leave it. -No no, you listen. Do you realize how much I risk running an establishment like this? Bribes aren¡¯t cheap, you know. I need to make a profit somehow. So either you leave now or you pay. They argued for a solid minute. In the meantime I took a better look at our host. Even though his voice was familiar, thanks to his cloak I could not recognize him, which was odd, since I haven¡¯t met many people since I¡¯ve arrived here. Could he be someone from before all that? It was possible, but who then? I took a step closer, to maybe try and see at least part of his face, but for nothing. The ¡°candle¡± gave out a little light and they finished their haggling so he stepped out from the counter and kneeled down, looking for something under the bar. Meanwhile Bert was cursing under his breath, looking for money. -We will stay here for a couple days. Or however long it''s gonna take for him - he pointed towards Goldie - to fix his gear. I looked at him with curiosity, but he did not acknowledge that. -For now, let¡¯s go to our rooms. -Money first - the guy finally emerged from under the counter, holding a small key. -Damn money-grubber¡­ here - he tossed him his whole pouch - should be enough. -Two days? Okay. Follow me then. He opened the only other door in the room and let us in. It was a small circular room with a ladder leading up and a set of stairs leading down. He gestured towards downstairs. Below, there was a short, dark corridor with four doors on each side. He opened the door to the one directly next to the stairwell, on the left, and let us in. The room was as bland and dark as the corridor. No distinguishable features, just two beds and a small table between them, with one glowing crystal embedded in the wall, right above the table, which started to glow, touched by the innkeeper. -A bit small for four people but I am sure you will manage - I managed to get a glimpse of a smirk from under his hood as he was about to leave and got stopped by Bert. -Wait, what''s that supposed to mean? There are obviously just two beds, how are we supposed to fit? -And that is not my issue. You paid for one room, you got one room. -THAT MUCH FOR ONE ROOM? Oh boy, here we go again¡­ Before he started arguing again, I decided to step in. -How much for another one? - I stepped in front of Bert before he managed to start yelling. Innkeeper carefully looked me over. -I am sorry but I don''t think you have enough. Well true, after our trip I did not look particularly presentable. Not like I started good looking anyway, but now with tattered clothes and the coat ripped in many places, with muddy stains, I guess I shouldn''t be surprised. -Try me. He started counting something, muttering to himself. -Another twenty gold daily. -Deal. From my bag I pulled out forty gold and gave it to the surprised innkeeper. Behind me I heard some muffled curses from Bert. -Follow me. He led me to the room next door, on the right side of the stairs. It was basically the same, but even smaller - it had just one bed, although this time there was a chair standing next to the a bit larger table, also with a singular crystal in the wall. -It''s one person only , but that shouldn''t matter. - he said lighting up the crustal -Works for me. -Hey! If he''s paying on his own, why don''t you give me my money back? Bert followed us, apparently still did not lose his will to haggle. -And I don''t care. You bought a room and paid for four people to cover, you got that. For all that I care you can order yourself a girl from somewhere around the corner to keep you company. -Very funny. -Right? Just like your haggling. -You fucking¡­ -If you are gonna argue can you at least do that outside of this room? I will most likely gonna hear everything anyway, but¡­ -Ah, sorry, sir, we are on our way out - the innkeeper bowed down and started pushing Bert out along with him. -Yeah, yeah, don''t think you''ll get rid of me that easily. I don''t know if that remark was towards me or the innkeeper, but he responded anyway. -No refunds! If you are not satisfied with my services you can always sleep on the street. Or any other inn. Too bad all of them have a register of guests! -Grrr! As I closed the door, their voices got muffled a bit, but I could still hear the remnants of their argument. For the first time in a long while I had a minute to myself and to think about what to do next. Even though I finally reached the capital, for some unknown reason we had to lay low. Yeah, it was supposedly Goldie and his crap, but who in their right mind would care about something like that? And there is also this innkeeper¡­ I could''ve sworn I heard his voice somewhere before, but he definitely didn''t know me, either that or he hid it so well¡­ But what for then? Weird¡­ And now there are also money problems¡­ I pulled out my bag and started going through the contents of my "coin purse". If all this was to continue like this I would run out of money pretty soon, especially with those prices. Well, whenever I like it or not, I will have to look for some kind of employment office. A guild office? Guild hall? Whatever they are called here. I guess even if I don''t feel like it I will have to do as that stupid hag said¡­ My thinking got interrupted by knocking at the door. It was not Bert though, I could still hear him argue about prices in his room. Goldie? -Who''s there? -Felix, sir. Can I talk with you for a moment? That was unexpected. During this whole trip he rarely talked, and usually it was not with me. He managed to slip out, but judging from the shouts next door it wasn''t very difficult. -Yeah, sure. Come in. He was looking a bit shaken, no wonder, since he was basically getting held hostage now for some odd reason. Still with his book, he quickly closed the door and just stood there, in the middle of the room, staring at me. -Oh come on, sit down. What is this all about? He did not sit down and with a trembling voice, started. -Thank you for letting me talk to you, sir. I just raised my brow at him. -Huh? -I also wanted to apologize for my earlier behavior. I am sorry if I offended you in any way. - He bowed his head, almost hitting the bed frame in the process. -Huh? - I repeated, dumbfounded. -I didn''t know you were a Red Mage, so please, I beg for forgiveness. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. -First of all, stop all this nonsense. I am not someone that you have to bow to, I don''t know how using a type of magic makes me some kind of celebrity. -You are too modest - he continued. - Everyone knows all of you deserve respect and most praise for what you do. -What, wave some fire around? Stop. Sit down and tell me what you wanted to talk about. This time he listened to me, but was still visibly stressed, his knuckles almost completely white from clutching his book to his chest. -Oh please, stop. Don''t know what you imagined about me, but I am just a random person. You weren''t nervous when we talked before, at the caravan, remember? -R-right¡­ - he took a deep breath. - I wanted to ask you to read my book. That was a new one. -Huh? Where did that come from? -I''m sorry, but I don''t follow¡­ -You want me to look at the book. That you were so protective about. That you refused to even let me get a peek of contents at. -Ah, yes. I am sorry, I did not know of your status before, never expected to meet a Red Mage so close to my home¡­ -What does my magic have to do with anything? No matter, show me then. He handed me the large tome. Not without any hesitation though, even though he was sitting right in front of me, like I was gonna destroy it or something. It was heavier than I expected, even considering that it was pretty large with a thick cover. -Before you open it - he said, as I was about to look inside - I already showed it to a couple of mages. Most of them laughed. But I know there is something in this book and I have to find it. -And they said they laughed, because¡­? -They just said to not waste their time. -Curious. Well, let''s see. I opened the book and after reading the title I almost laughed out loud as well. The kid noticed, visibly sunk down in his chair and already started pulling his book from my hands. -You don''t want to know what''s inside? He stopped. -Please tell me. -As I understand, Goldie gave you this, right? -Yes, he said he never knew what was inside. -Well I can translate it for you. It''s a bit of a mouthful but¡­ I flipped a few pages and started translating, or rather trying to remember the translations I saw a long time ago. -¡±Loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great. To take a trivial example, which of us ever laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it?¡± -What does that even mean? Is that even proper language? - he asked, confused. - I feel like even some words are missing¡­ or just wrong... -And you would be right. -You mean some words are unreadable? -No, no, It is in pristine condition. I¡¯m honestly surprised that you managed to keep it that way, considering you are carrying it around constantly without any bag or anything. -I don¡¯t understand... -There is nothing to understand, really. He looked at me, lost with this explanation. No wonder. -Well, how do I put it¡­ It is a part of some old book, but not exactly word to word. Abridged version? Let¡¯s go with that. I don¡¯t remember the original author, or the title. The title that I know this by, and is used here, is ¡°Pain Itself¡±. -So what is it about? Any magic formulas? - he asked, suddenly excited - That sounds like some powerful spellbook. -Sorry to disappoint but no. It might be an interesting read if you are into this kind of stuff, maybe a bit confusing, but nothing besides that. Definitely no magic in the text itself. -Oh¡­ But¡­ -But what? You don¡¯t believe me? -Of course I believe you, sir! - he straightened up suddenly - But I showed this book to a couple of people already. And one of them said that it has some weird aura about it. -Aura? Like a magical aura? -I don¡¯t know, sir. I hoped that you would be able to tell me. -Hmm. Do you mind if I check something? -Please do. I focused on the book, looking for traces of magic in the tome lying on my lap. But I didn''t feel anything. It was as mundane as it gets, as if I was inspecting a piece of wood. Even less maybe, after all even trees pretty often have a hint of aura to them. -Sorry, but I don¡¯t. It is just a book. I think whoever told you that it had an aura just either was incompetent or just lied to you. Don¡¯t know why. -With all due respect - he stood up and took back his book. - Thank you, but I believe them. - It is not that I think you are lying or are unable to feel that aura for yourself - he added quickly - but I will ask the person myself when I meet them. -Sure, it¡¯s your book - I shrugged. - By the way, who told you about the aura and all this? Before he managed to answer, the door to my room opened suddenly and crashing loudly Bert entered the room. -I would appreciate it if you knocked before entering. -And I would appreciate it if HE was not running away from me - he gazed at the kid intently. - As you are well aware I am in no place to break another deal, would it be on purpose or not. -Maybe then don''t scare people off like a mad man? -Take him to the other room and don''t let him leave this time? Without a word, Goldie emerged from behind him and led him out of the room, closing the door. -Besides looking for the kid, I also came to talk to you. -You too, huh? What''s going on? -Well¡­ - he sat down in the same chair that kid was a second ago. - I had a serious "talk" with our friend Caleb. -And? -And I am relieved to say, and a bit dumbfounded, that he is just an idiot. -Like that''s news. -Funny. But I am serious. What he said during our encounter with those plant-things¡­ he actually meant it. Well, most of it. -I am listening¡­ -He told me how he managed to escape at first. -I thought you were caught together? -No, he was in another cart, but that is beside the point. He said, as the vines started crushing the cart he instantly used his "fire" to try and burn them, but, as we know why, it did not work at all. He managed to escape only using his raw strength and just cut through all that mess, just barely avoiding crushing. That''s why he said that magic or fire won''t work. He also swore that I am the only one he was working for, so it is not some double agent bullshit. -Well, at least he is not completely braindead. "Completely" being the operative word. I still can''t believe he never noticed that what he was using was just some stupid illusions. But speaking of "believing". How can you be sure that he is telling the truth? -I have my ways¡­ -Yeah, no, explanation please. -I made sure he can''t lie to me. That is as much as I am willing to say. -Truth Infusion? But¡­ - I tried probing him a little bit - aren''t you an ice mage? Or rather Blue Mage, since you people like using colors here. -Yes, I am. But that does not mean I don''t have some other means to¡­ -Ok, stop. Just tell me, was that it, and if not then how sure are you about that? -Well¡­ It was not exactly that but something close enough. -Ah great, secrets. And how sure are you about that? -As sure as I am of the Law of Triple Binding. -Meaning not much. He shrugged. -I honestly think he didn''t lie. What I used was sort of my last resort, so I am pretty sure about all this. -Eh. Whatever. So did you tell him about my magic and what exactly happened? -Not yet. I wanted to ask for your permission first. -Yeah, go ahead. Just tell him to not spread word. Every time someone learns I use fire, they want something from me. -Ah, speaking of. -Oh here it comes. -No, no, it''s not anything new. I wanted to ask you if you are interested in the job I was offering earlier. -What job? -Bringing back the armor. You know. He won''t stop pestering me about that. -Ah, that. You really don''t have people for that? -I had. -Oh. Riiight¡­ My bad. -Shit happens. Pretty often actually. So, you interested? -Maybe, but why do you want me for that? -Besides you being the only additional person that knows where that pile of junk is, I want someone to check that armor of his as well. He will never let me. You are the only one available on hand. Well, besides¡­ -Ehe¡­Wait, what do you mind, check the armor? -Since he is working under me, I don''t want to have another situation like last time. Like pulling out some magical item that, for all I know, might be used against me. -What, so you think he is actually working with someone else? To kill you? Or what? What happened to believing his word? -I don''t think he WANTS to kill me or betray me. Quite the opposite. I think he might do so accidentally. -Okay, that is hilarious. What, are you his father or something? -Funny - he said stone faced. - What if this time he thinks that he has some, let''s say, a glowing crystal. I ask him for a light and that shit explodes in my face because it was a rock enchanted with fire magic or some crap. I laughed. -Well, after the deal with the sword I guess it might happen. So what am I supposed to do then? -Meet up with the people that guided us here. In a day or two they are gonna be returning to their camp. I''m thinking of hiring one of them as well to help you, he seemed competent. I think he knows how to deal with enchantments as well¡­ -I will be fine on my own I think. -You sure? And what if some more of those creatures appear? -If any survived, the rest of their group dealt with them. Seemed capable enough. I also can handle myself. I managed to deal with them three times, I can do it again. -Three? -I had an encounter before I met you. Weren¡¯t exactly the same, but still. Doesn''t matter. What is my pay then? -That depends. First of all, are you sure you will be able to detect the enchantments on that armor by yourself? -Of course. -I know you are a Red Mage and all, but that is not very easy. -What, you want to test me or something? Not this shit again¡­ -Don''t worry, I am not as strict with the rules as my father. I just need you¡­ -Father? He stopped and realized what he just said. Apparently too much. -Forget I said that. -Harsh is your father? - I decided to ignore that sentence. - I mean, yeah, it looked like he knew you but¡­ -I don''t like talking about my family. Please, can we continue the topic at hand? -Okay, okay. So how do you want to test me then? -With this - he pulled his bow from his back. - Try finding out what enchantment I have on this. It was a nice bow. I didn''t have the opportunity to look closer before, but it looked well made, but was a bit plain, just straight up wood, nothing fancy. -You sure? I already saw it in action, you know¡­ -I am. -Okay then. I put my hand and focused on the weapon in front of me. As expected, I did feel magic on it, but, to my amazement, not the kind I¡¯ve seen in action. I thought I would feel some strong frost magic, but no. I could feel some remnants of his frost spells, but no inherent magical element. Quite the opposite in fact. It felt¡­ empty. Not like it had no magic, no, it was more like I was touching some empty container¡­ -And? -That is some interesting weapon you have¡­ This is not frost magic, is it? -Ah. So you are the real deal then. -What does that mean? -I had some doubts about you, but if you can recognize the difference you have to be the real deal - he said, putting his bow back on his back. -What is that supposed to mean? -That means I am sorry for doubting you. And that I will increase your pay for that mission accordingly. -I never said I agree. -Thousand gold. Plus extra for checking the enchantment of course. -But I am willing to work with you under certain conditions. -I am not using the Law of Triple Binding. -And I don¡¯t care. Don''t worry. I''m not gonna make you promise your firstborn or something. My needs are a bit mundane. First, if I am to work with you, I need you not to spread the word about me and my magic. I have enough requests as it is. -I can''t promise anything. Like in, ehm, my fathers case, some people have to be informed, or everything else becomes incredibly complicated for me. Also Law¡­ -Law, whatever. I¡¯m not telling you to shake my hand or promise anything. Can¡¯t we just somehow avoid all that garbage? I hate how strange that Law is¡­ -You aren¡¯t the only one. Well, I can say that¡­ I can say that I will try to keep the information to a minimum¡­ -I guess that has to be good enough¡­ Second. This one is easier. I need some supplies. Clothes, some paper maybe, something to write with, preferably good quality. What I have is¡­ not the best. -Easy enough. Any specifics? -Not really. -That''s all? -Yeah. What, you want me to demand more? -No no no¡­ Just people usually haggle more¡­ Not that I am complaining. -Well I am not the haggling type. If that''s all, can I finally have a moment to myself? -Yeah, of course. Pleasure working with you. As soon as I get my hands on supplies I will notify you. -Sure, sure. Take your time. 26. Preparations With that I was finally left alone in my room. First, I checked the door. There was no lock on the inside, but there was a small piece of rope, almost a vine, hanging by the doorframe. -Good enough - I said to myself and tied it to the door handle, effectively locking the door. I moved the desk and the chair so that I would not be seen instantly if someone was to try and open the door, and sat down. I pulled out all the papers I had along with the journal from the tree and started copying the parts I found most interesting. I started with the actual "journal" part that I already read. Now I had all the time in the world, so this time I read everything carefully. Sadly, besides the last part, it was pretty boring. No names, just bits and pieces of experiment results, or rather failures. And what was more important, no interesting formulas or incantations. I copied what looked important and shoved back in my bag, along with the journal itself. During that, I managed to go through the most paper I found. With what I got left I tried remembering some spells that I was working on back before all this and some that would be helpful now. Like, some attack spells. Until now I resorted to using basic stuff, and even then some of my spells worked a bit differently than expected. If I was to leave the city again and look for that dumb armor, I''d better be prepeared for the eventual encounter with those creatures again. Or maybe something different, who knows. Even in my city, after magic appeared, streets got dangerous, who knows what might happen when you remove police and add uninhabited forest to that equation. Without my office the process was a bit daunting. First, I had to think of the result of the spell, let''s say for example my fire shield. I used it before just because I remembered the work I did very vividly, since it was the last spell I created while I still worked on the elemental magics. The effect was basically a field that burns everything that is in designated radius. Easy. But you always have to add some safety measures, like - in this case - don''t burn me or whatever is that the shield is protecting. Usually it is a long and tedious process, but I was one that developed a way of combining the safety measures into one simple word - Nus. It took a lot of time, but I managed to create a spell, or a piece of spell, that was added to almost every spell created afterwards. There was one negative, though - it was too effective. Since it worked with virtually every elemental incantation, I basically removed the need for my job. Anyone could create any elemental spell and slap my safety on, and it would work. What was interesting though, it also worked here - in this word. Meaning, someone had to discover it as well, which would be hell of a coincidence. Or there was another scenario. Someone else from my world appeared here before, and copied my job. How am I so sure about that? To answer that I have to explain how spells work, as far as I know. When you cast a spell, you always use some kind of incantation - the more complicated the spell, the longer it gets. Quite logical, really. But you can bypass that. You can write the whole thing in advance and have it on your person, and when you want to cast the spell, you just have to use the name that you gave for your work. But it has negatives - since what you are making is just a piece of paper, it will get destroyed in the process. You can of course use different materials, so the scroll will survive the process, but that is not easy nor is it cheap. Honestly, I was not sure if that was even possible here, since technology is a foreign concept. But there is another way, which is more risky and a lot more permanent. If you take a spell prepared in such a way and place it near a place of power, or even better - connect it somehow - you are giving the access to the spell for everyone using mana originating from such a place. That is exactly how my "safety" was shared with the world. If all this worked the same way here, I had to dig into the history of this world, and if I was lucky, I would be able to find out how I ended up here. Not that I am complaining, so far my stay was more than entertaining. Okay, maybe a bit too entertaining at times. Well, maybe I was complaining, but just a tiny bit. I spent most of the night, I think trying to recreate some spells. First, the flight spell. Since it started failing on me I didn''t expect much of a result, but I wrote everything I could anway. I was not stupid enough to try and experiment inside with that magic, so the theory had to suffice for now. Second was the fire spell I used before, the so-called flamethrower. Since I managed to successfully cast it a few times, although with a few alterations, I thought I would try and make it as good as it gets, and maybe even make it universal to other elements. What I thought would be an easy process started to look more and more complicated. It was kind of my fault, since I started expanding on the spell out of sheer habit, forgetting that I do not have infinite resources. About half way, maybe not even, I ran out of paper and was left with two unfinished spells. As I was in the process of cursing myself, I heard someone knocking on my door. -Yes? -It''s me. I have stuff you wanted. Quickly putting all my notes aside I opened the door, letting Bert in. He carried a rather large bag with him and as soon as I closed the door, he started pulling its contents out. -First, here - he handed me a leather bound book. It was a bit smaller than that the kid had, but still pretty thick and heavy. - It''s the best they had on hand. The ink is sealed and the quill is brand new. -The hell? Quill? Don¡¯t you¡­ Nevermind. It will have to do. -And second, set of clothes and some protection. He started pulling out clothes and pieces of leather armor. -I think I will be fine¡­ -I know it is not the best quality, but that is all I can get right now. -Not what I meant¡­ I was not very keen on wearing some weird armor, but he insisted anyway, so I had to indulge him. The set was surprisingly well made. It was pretty plain, no inscriptions, markings or anything, but I felt weird and standing out anyway. The dark brown leather was sewn together with thin green fibers, fitting for the town I was in, and it was at least comfortable. On top of that, he brought me a coat, dark green, with a large hood, that, on the other hand, I was happy to wear, since it covered the armor. -You ready? - I heard from outside the room, just as I was trying to stuff my old clothes into my bag. -Yeah - I replied, giving up and instead put everything back in the bag he brought the stuff in. Bert entered the room again and looked me over. -I know it might not be to your taste, but that is all I can provide at this moment. -Yeah, yeah. So, what now? -I have contacted the men that guided us and one of them accepted my proposition. You are to meet with them in an hour by the entrance of the city we arrived through and he will guide you to their camp, from where you are to guide him to the place where we hid the armor. Transport will be provided. -Already? You work fast¡­ -Fast? It''s dark already. -Oh. I guess I got caught up in my work¡­ -I am sorry that I interrupted, then. -No matter. Give me a second to pack myself. -Of course. He left the room again, taking his bag with him, and so I started sorting my notes. I took the book and stuffed all the papers inside. For a second I wondered what I should do with the ink, and almost called him back to give me my old torn clothes back. Then I remembered that I still had a few scraps of material that I wrapped the old crystals from the site of the accident, so I checked If I had some spares. That is when I noticed something wrong. I picked up one of the bundles of cloth that should have a shard inside, but it was very light. I quickly unwrapped it and¡­ there was nothing inside. I started looking for another one¡­ also empty. I tossed all the contents of my bag out and every single bundle of cloth, where the crystal shards should be, was empty. Frantically, I started thinking back. I have never left my bag unattended. Honestly, I treated my bag like that kid his book - I did not let anyone look inside, I don''t think I did even let someone touch it. First thing I thought was that maybe someone robbed me during my sleep? Then I remembered - I have not slept in a long while, night or not, so that was not possible. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. -You ready? - I heard from behind the door. -I said I need a minute! -Please meet me in my room when you are done. I would like to deal with this as soon as possible. Apparently I was running out of time, but that was not what I was concerned about. Quickly I took the biggest piece of cloth and wrapped the bottle of ink and the quail, but then I noticed something sticking to my fingers. It was like sand, or dust, dry and colorless, and as I started to look for the source, I noticed that it was all over my bag. I only noticed because when I unwrapped the largest bundle it started pouring out of it, shimmering in the light of the glowing crystal. I focused on the dust, trying to inspect what I was dealing with. What I felt was hard to describe, and I am not sure what to make of it. It was like someone flashed me with a bright light right in the eyes, to the point that it was almost painful. Reeling back from the table, I almost fell down on the floor, surprised, but I managed to catch myself. What I did not notice at first though, was that the dust started¡­ smoking? Or rather vaporizing, as soon as I pulled out from the "vision". I only noticed because of smell - one that I knew very well - mana. It was unusually strong, to the point that it made me shiver all over, and my arm itch. Quickly I straightened up and started observing the unusual event. It was like someone set the whole table, hell, the whole room on fire, although there was no heat. It made me realize that there was a lot more of that dust than I initially thought. I guess I was a bit rough when I was digging through my bag and had to scatter it all around me without noticing. Everything was glowing with a bright white light that slowly started getting brighter and brighter - to the point when I had to close my eyes. For a second, it was exactly as I saw it with my magic sense - pure white all around me - and then it suddenly stopped. I slowly opened my eyes, adjusting slowly back to the normal amount of light, trying to see what happened. Along with the light, the dust was also gone. I started feeling around the table with my palm, to check if it maybe was just transparent, but no dice. I hesitated for a second, but I attempted to use the magic sense again. Since I had no visible target, I tried focusing on the area in front of me, but instead I just managed to feel the wooden table instead. The dust vanished without trace. Even the smell of mana was now gone. I leaned back on the chair and sighed heavily. The last remnant of my old lab and the failed experiment that I had was gone. "Well, not exactly true. I still had my crystal stump." I thought to myself, scratching the wrapped crystal wound. That''s when I noticed something was different. I already got used to the size of the crystal stuck in my body and its weight, but now it felt¡­ larger¡­ and heavier? Unnerved by this sudden realization I started unwrapping my arm. To be honest, I was not doing a good job keeping it clean and properly sealed as I probably should, so now I expected to see some kind of swelling, or even worse. To my amazement, that was not the issue. The wound was as clean as I first saw it, and the flesh around it was nice and smooth, to the point that you could think that the wound was long healed. What was unsettling though, was that the crystal itself was larger. Before, it was just enough to cover a wound that was there after the missing arm, but now it has grown a lot thicker, maybe a few centimeters more. It was also slightly glowing, but as I was unwrapping it, I could see how it was getting dimmer and dimmer, and by the time I finished, it was completely dark already. I fired up my magic sense again, and the crystal replied in kind, starting to glow once more. I could feel how it was pulling the mana from my surroundings to itself and then spreading it through my body. I don''t know if it was my imagination or not, but it felt like now it was absorbing the mana through a larger portion of my arm, even a bit further up than the crystal was. Amused by this development I sat on the bed for a long few minutes, unsure what to think of it. After a while, I decided that there was no time to try and figure this out, since someone was waiting for me right about now, and I started liking the way people were constantly offering me money for some easy tasks that hardly can even be called jobs. I started wrapping my arm again, this time trying to cover it a bit better. I finished tying one of the sleeves of my coat in a knot, and gathered all my belongings that I managed to scatter around the room in the process, and soon I was ready to go. I touched the glowing crystal that was lighting the room. It flickered and flamed out, if you can say that about the crystal, leaving the room in the complete dark. Seconds later I was by the other door, knocking. Immediately, the door opened and Goldie let me in. The kid was sitting on the bed, in the furthest corner of the room, with his chin on the book, looking tired. On the other end was Bert , impatiently stomping his foot on the wooden floor. -Ah, finally. Come on, let''s go. -You''re coming with me? -No. Just want to check one last thing... -Uh-uh¡­ We promptly left the room and went upstairs to the main room of this "inn", if you can call it that. As we entered, from the darkness emerged a shadowy figure - the innkeeper of this establishment. -This is the one that will be going out? -Please, mind your manners, but yes. How are the preparations? -The issues have been resolved. Everything is in place and waiting for the arrival of your people - he bowed slightly in my direction. -What issues? -You don''t need to worry about that - Bert quickly interjected. - Nothing important. -Sure¡­ - I couldn''t help but think that it was gonna be quite the opposite. -Then good luck and farewell. If you have any questions, direct them to him - he gestured to the innkeeper and walked downstairs. -So what was the issue? - I asked as soon as he disappeared in the darkness of the bottom floor. He shrugged. -Nothing important. Just had some issue getting you mounts, that''s it. Now, I am sure you have been briefed already, so if you don''t have anything else to ask, I will just be leaving¡­ -Yeah, I actually have one question. -I''m listening then. -I think I know you from somewhere. -I am afraid you are mistaken. From what I heard you are new to this city and I have never been outside its walls so that is impossible. -Huh. I could''ve sworn that I heard your voice somewhere before. -A coincidence. -Uh-uh¡­ I was not convinced. Don''t know why I was so curious, I guess you could say I had some gut feeling. -Say, mind showing your face? Maybe that will ring a bell. He visibly shuddered. -I would rather not. In my line of trade, secrecy is imperative, you see¡­ -I heard that one before. Can''t I somehow change your mind? - I asked, shaking my bag a bit, just enough for the coins inside to make a sound. He didn''t reply, but I saw his head move side to side under his hood, like he was wondering about something. -Ten gold. I''m not going to lie, it caught me off guard that he actually agreed. -Pricy. -Deal or no deal? -Sure, deal. I pulled out the gold and handed it to him. He pulled back his hood, and I finally realized why he seemed so familiar. -I hope it was worth it, he said grinning. From under the hood emerged a balding, short black-haired face of a man in his 50'', a very familiar, unshaved face. -Motherfucker. Should¡¯ve known it was you¡­ -Greetings - Jack was grinning at me, very happy about himself. -How did you even get here?! I mean sure, I was not in any hurry but¡­ How did you cross the water? -Trade secret. -Ah yeah, bullshit if you ask me. And what happened to the "yes sir" treatment from before? Owing me your life and all that? -Oh I still owe you, I know. But we have a deal now and that balances the scales quite a bit, don''t you think? I looked around, checking if Bert, or anyone else was nearby and lowered my voice. -By the way, what happened to "our guest", so to speak? He immediately stopped smiling. -Still as you saw him last. No change, which is annoying. -Where is he? Don''t tell me you brought him here? -And how else am I gonna try and wake him up? He also looked around, nervous. -After you left, and he did not wake up for a few days, I brought him here with me. I was looking for someone to try and wake him up in the city when you showed up. I must say, I did not expect to see you that fast. -See me that fast? I still can''t get over you being faster than me. Did you have some handy portal that you just forgot to mention or something? -As I said, trade secret. -Bullshit. -Okay, we can spend the next hour catching up and shit, but I think you have places to be right about now. -Yeah, yeah¡­ Well at least I don''t have to travel all the way back if I learn something new. -Speaking of, anything you learned? - he piped up at the mention of the topic. -Where? If you didn''t notice, the only place I''ve been in this city is here, and this is not exactly a place where I can get anything besides overpriced rooms. -Oh, come on, it''s not that bad. And I kind of have to somehow get my money back, I overvalued you a small bit¡­ -First, fuck you. -Pff. -Second, well yeah, I warned you. I don''t know why you people treat me like some kind of royalty whenever you see my magic¡­ -Heh. You''ll find out soon enough. -What? -Nothing. Come on, or your employer will scold us both. -Riight¡­ With that we parted ways and I left the dark inn along with its owner. 27. Gallop Outside it was completely dark. If not for a few glowing crystals on some house-trees that is. Now, walking through the dark alley towards the entrance of the city, I noticed that most, if not all the houses had a glowing crystal either hanging somewhere around the front door, or have it embedded in the wall beside it. At this point of the night the streets were completely empty. The only people I saw were up above me on the walkways, and from the looks of it, they belonged to the city guard. Most armed with bows with small swords by their side. They were few and far in between, and if any of them spotted me, they didn''t seem to care. Considering that we were stopped in the middle of the day, that seemed a little bit weird, but I was not complaining and instead quickened my pace. During the brief walk I was still lost in my thoughts about my last "reunion" so to say, to the point that I did not realize when I arrived at the gate. At first glance I thought I was alone. Only after I made a few steps towards the outside of the city, I saw a movement somewhere in front, hidden from my sight by trees surrounding the area. -Who''s there? - the unknown figure asked. -And who''s asking? - I replied, not stopping. The figure stepped out of the darkness and as I saw the blue robes I realized that it was indeed the one I was supposed to meet. -Ah, so you actually came. You were supposed to be here ages ago. I thought something happened. -Nah. Just had something to do before leaving and it took longer than expected. As I came closer I recognized him. It was the same guy that led us to the city, and the same one who explained to me how the "cooking" of mana fruit works. -It''s only two of us? -Three. The other one is guarding our mounts a bit further out. You ready? -Yeah, sure. Let''s go. With that we left the city and stepped into complete darkness. It was a bit spooky, after all it was the first time that I was traveling without any light, I usually had at least the glow crystal to light the path up. -You don''t have any light? -No, I left my crystal with the mounts. -So may I¡­? -Of course. He knew who I was anyway, so I could at least not try and hide my magic for once. -Usc fi geksu. -Woah¡­ He stopped, gazing at the orb. -It looks like a small sun¡­ - he said, reaching his hand towards it. -Careful there¡­ But even with my warning he almost touched the orb before quickly pulling his hand away. -Ouch! -I mean, what did you expect? It is fire after all¡­ -Yeah, I am gonna be honest, I did not think it was real¡­ -What is up with you people - I said, shaking my head. - It''s either this or completely opposite¡­ -I don''t follow¡­ you mean why do people not take you for your word? -Something like that¡­ - I was not going to explain my previous encounters with people not recognizing magic that was right in front of their nose. -Well, if I may be so bold, it might have to do with your appearance a bit¡­ and overall disposition to people¡­ -Excuse me? -Don''t get me the wrong way - he quickly added - you are a much more approachable person, that is all... People of your stature just are usually¡­ More distanced to people. -Uh-uh¡­ - I didn''t know what to say to that. - Thank you? -Oh, no, thank you. It''s a pleasure seeing your magic from such close. He started getting closer to my orb again. -Maybe not that close, you''re gonna burn yourself again. -Right. I should focus. He regained his composure and we increased our pace a bit. -We are almost there. -By the way, why do we have to meet so far outside the city? -Well, our mounts aren''t exactly fit for the city proper¡­ -What do you mean by that? He didn''t answer, instead he hurried me even more. Still though, he was constantly getting distracted by my flame, like some moth. Few minutes later I spotted someone just ahead of us, pacing back and forth on the street. -That your guy? He noticed us as well and started hurriedly walking towards us. -Yeah, but I don''t know why he''s running¡­ Yes, what just seconds ago was a brisk walk, now was a full fledged sprint. -Should I be worried? -I don''t think so? His tone of voice did not sound reassuring so I prepared myself for the worst, looking for a way I should run if the forest, let''s say, spontaneously combusted around us. But it was unnecessary. -What are you doing! - I heard the guy almost yell at us as soon as he got in the earshot. -Put out this thing, you are gonna scare them! Are you insane?! -I looked confused at my guide who looked like he suddenly realized what was going on. -Right! Please turn off your light, we are gonna scare the mounts! -Huh? Yeah sure, you are the one that wanted light in the first place¡­ Why not tell me sooner? - I asked as I extinguished my orb. He looked at me, embarrassed, but the answer came from the other guy. -Let me guess, he was so preoccupied with your little trick that he forgot to tell you any details. -Well, I think I got most details out of our employer but, yeah, kind of. -Sorry¡­ -Doesn''t matter. Let''s start from the beginning then. Greetings. My name is Abes, this is Eicam, I believe we traveled together already, but I don''t think I got your name. -It''s Mor. I didn''t recognize him, although I didn''t remember most of the faces of people I traveled with. He was wearing the same blue robes though, so he might as well have been with us before, and they definitely knew each other, most likely he was not lying then. He was bald, as all the other Blue Mages, as they call them, with a very pointy nose and eyes that looked like he was constantly judging me for something. -Well then Mr Mor, we are to guide you towards our main camp by the accident site. Then you and Eicam are to continue onward as you are to guide you both to the point of interest to take the object in question back to the city. Is that correct? -Mostly. Didn''t know we were gonna split. -Is that a problem? -No. Just answering the question. -Good. I am to see that we are traveling uninterrupted and without any other inconveniences, as well as to acclimate you with your mounts if needed. -Okay¡­ Speaking of, where are they? -Just away from the main road, outside of plain sight. Can''t get spotted by passersby. -Riiight¡­ Can''t really imagine that in the middle of the night there were many people passing here, especially with roads being overgrown. We were just at the point where the road started getting more wild and green, so that was especially unlikely. And why does he need to hide a bunch of horses from people to see? Not like we are gonna do some secret mission or something. Soon enough I knew exactly what he meant by that. We were not traveling by horseback. In front of me, between the trees, there were three creatures. From their stature, and amount of legs, they kind of reminded me of a horse, but that''s where the similarities ended. They were completely brown, like a dirty tree branch. Their heads were large, dog-like, with a short neck, almost looking like some weird sculpture if I am being honest. Two eyes, completely black, were shining like gems, looking at us three. The legs though¡­ Have you ever seen a table with legs that looked like they were wrapped around with long vines, that spread as they touched the ground? That''s how their legs looked for me. Their backs were a lot wider than that of a horse, with a long, almost snake-like tail. -What in the hell are those? -I thought you said you were informed about everything. - said Abes, annoyed -Well, apparently not. I knew there were problems with mounts but I did not expect that we were gonna ride on those monstrosities. -I also didn''t know about¡­ this¡­ - said the other guy, shaken - where did you even get those? I thought we were gonna ride horses... -That is inconvenient - he said, scratching his chin. - Listen then. He approached the beasts and said something towards them that I didn''t catch. On command, all three beasts¡­ kneeled? No, not exactly. I couldn''t believe my eyes, but their legs just unwrapped themselves, creating three vine-like tentacles each and spread, like an opening umbrella, making them lower completely to the ground. -Those are borrowed from the King himself. -What. Wait. Why? I heard there was even a problem getting regular horses, but those you got just like that? How does that work? -I see you are not informed at all it seems. We have been given those only because they are important to our main objective at the camp. It is inconvenient that you are also included, but since you are a Red Mage, you are to be trusted. -Wow - the other guy approached the creatures, clearly amazed and maybe even slightly frightened - I''ve never seen those¡­ or even heard about those creatures¡­ What are those exactly? -Yeah, I am curious as well. -No wonder. Apparently there are only a few around. To be honest I only learned about those about two weeks ago, when the mission was scheduled. I don¡¯t even know if their species has a name. -That is fascinating¡­ - said Eicam, still inspecting the mounts from every possible angle that didn¡¯t involve getting closer than a meter. - So why do we need them exactly? -I am not sure. I am to inform our leader about them and he is supposed to know. We are just delivering them. I was going to go alone, but apparently now you two are going to go with me. Lucky you. You have some friends high up. -Not really¡­ It¡¯s probably just Mr Bert. I only agreed because he paid a lot. -Same here - I nodded - but you are right, that''s probably Bert. But to think he managed to get in touch with someone that high up¡­ - as I said that I remembered about Odar. - I guess that makes sense. So. How are we doing this? I¡¯m not really sure how to approach this¡­ animal? Creature? Monster? -They are domesticated. From the time I spent with them they seem like they are pretty intelligent as well. Come. It¡¯s fine. I only stopped you before because I am not sure how they would react to open fire. As even the domesticated animal could be unpredictable, and those¡­ I am not sure exactly if I can call them animals¡­ Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. I approached the creatures and touched one that was the closest one to me. The feeling was¡­ odd. I was not sure what to expect but the creature¡¯s skin was more like a bark than actual skin. It was rough and cold to the touch, just like you¡¯d expect after a plant, not an animal. But it was definitely a living creature, I could feel the regular movement of its body, similar to that of breathing. -If you don¡¯t have any more questions, can we move out? I¡¯d like to get on with it as soon as possible - asked Abes, getting onto one of the creature¡¯s backs and gesturing for us to do the same. -I always have questions but they can wait for now. -Same. Let¡¯s go. Two of us went and followed his example and mounted our monsters. It was a lot easier than mounting an actual horse, probably because they were lowered to the ground and didn¡¯t move. It was a bit unsettling at first, since it almost felt like we were just climbing on top of some sculptures. We looked at each other with a bit of confusion and curiosity. -So¡­ What now? - asked Eicam. - How do we¡­ command them? -Like so. Stand. All three creatures suddenly spring to life. The legs that were just lying there on the ground spread like some scattered vines started moving and wrapping itselves back together, and pushed the creatures off the ground, like some sort of weird piston, or a tangled bunch of springs. -As I said, they are smart. They understand simple commands like this, I don¡¯t know their full range of abilities just yet, but you are in for a ride. Forward. All three, responding to his command, started moving through the forest. The ride was quite different from what I was used to. While a horseback is not exactly comfortable to ride on, even with a saddle, those creatures were even worse. Even though each of us had a lot more space than we would have while riding on a horse, it was like we were sitting on a plank of wood, and that would be even more comfortable because it would be at least a bit smoother. On top of that, add the weird way they moved, almost machine-like, without any natural spring in their step, which was surprising, since while looking at their legs I expected them to at least walk a bit more fluidly. The only good thing was that they were fast. Even though we were not traveling via roads, the creatures did not care, skilfully avoiding contact with all trees and stomping through everything like it was a flat road. Few times I even noticed that sometimes they didn¡¯t even bother using the ground - when there were some worse patches of forest they just unwrapped their legs again and used them as some sort of hooks to pull themselves along the tree trunks. First time it caught me off guard and I thought that it was about to fall over and throw me off its back, but it just pulled itself up about two meters above the ground and above some large patch of bushes that we were trying to cross and started moving forward like nothing happened. -Those mounts are great and all but I¡¯d rather just walk¡­ - I couldn¡¯t help but say during one of those weird maneuvers. The rest of the group seemed to share my thoughts, even Abes, but nevertheless he just gestured for me to be quiet, and immediately almost fell down off his mount, which slung itself past some creveace, or was it another patch of poison ivy? I was not sure, it was still dark. When the creature finally decided to walk back on the ground he finally managed to reply. -I know they can be a bit overwhelming, but it is the fastest way to get to our destination. How long did it take you last time? Like a few days? -I think? -Well it''s gonna take us a few hours. We are almost there. -If we used a regular horse and a road would probably take the same amount of time - I muttered under my breath. -There were none in the whole city - said Eicam, breathing heavily. He was taking this trip the worst of all of us, and I can¡¯t blame him for that. While Abes looked fairly fit under his robes and looked used to this kind of travel, he wasn¡¯t the thinnest person in the world. I only managed to hold on and endure this because I had the advantage of constant supply of energy from my crystal. When the dawn started getting through the canopy, we finally reached the crossroads, so to speak. Abes stopped the mounts and jumped off. Me and Eicam followed suit, stretching our battered bodies after long hours of bumpy travel. -We are almost there. The camp is maybe just a few minutes that way - he pointed somewhere behind him. -Finally. You can go if you want, I am gonna rest here for a second and we will be on our way. -You¡¯re not coming? -Am I supposed to? I don¡¯t think I have, or want, to do anything with those, and especially with your leader. -Hm. Well, suit yourself. As agreed I will take those beasts to our camp, and you can go on your way. With that, he left us, leading the three creatures away, towards the camp. -So, how long of a break do you need? - I asked my companion, who was now lying on the ground nearby, on a large patch of moss. -Give me a minute, I can¡¯t feel my everything right now - he groaned. - How can you be so relaxed after riding one for that long? -Yeah, those things are something else¡­ But make it quick, I don¡¯t want to stay near here. -Why? Something¡¯s wrong? - he asked, rolling over on the side. -I guess your leader is not the talking type¡­ To put it short, we had¡­ some disagreements. -Really? He¡¯s usually calm and easygoing. -Well, he didn¡¯t seem like this to me. Maybe I am not exactly a people person, but from the brief exchange we had¡­ It would be better that I do not say anything more. -Oh. Did he offend you in some way? - he looked at me concerned. - I am sure he did not mean it. I laughed. -And why are you defending him so much? I don''t think that concerns you, well, at all pretty much. -I am a member of Blue Mages. It¡¯s just natural that I am loyal to my leader. I am sure he only means the best for us. -Loyalty is one, blind faith is another. Doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯m not holding a grudge, I just don¡¯t want to stoke the fire that is still burning hot. Shall we go now? -Ah, just a minute more¡­ Instead of wasting time I decided to check our inventory. I did not expect for this journey to be on foot, so I did not have any plans for this, nor resources really, but luckily my companions did. Eicam had a bunch of provisions - or rather mana fruit - on him from the start, and Abes, when left us with a small backpack that inside contained two large waterskins, that were apparently enchanted ¡°to refill themselves every now and again¡± as he said, and some other basic supplies. During our break I checked what that actually meant, and it was apparently just a slowly acting frost spell. It constantly created frost crystals inside the waterskin, pulling moisture from the air. Pretty useful. All this while Eicam was still lying on the ground, trying to shake off the aftereffects of our mounts. After what was definitely more than a minute, we started walking towards, what I assumed, was the direction where we hid the armor. I explained the route we took from the hiding spot to where now was the Blue Mages campsite and he said that we should be able to find it without much of an issue. I had no idea how, but I was gonna leave that for later. However, it was still pretty far off. And we were now traveling on foot. The journey was pretty dull. At first, we were moving rather swiftly. Eicam was lively and even tried to strike a conversation about random topics. That¡¯s when I learned that he was one of higher ranked Blue Mages, whatever that meant, on par with Abes, who apparently was his childhood friend. He kept rambling about his young years, when he was living in the capital and traveled around the area, exploring neighboring villages, or sometimes just wandering the surrounding forests. During one of those trips both of them got scouted by Harsh and promptly started learning from him. I tried asking him about his magic, but he never said anything specific, saying that he¡¯s not that powerful and works as an ¡°investigator¡± of sorts. Apparently he¡¯s good at using magic sense and thanks to that he landed such a high rank. As we were making our way through the forest he started talking less and less, and finally instead started complaining. -Why do we have to go through all this on foot¡­ - he moaned. - I swear Abes did that on purpose¡­ -I thought you had enough of those mounts for a lifetime after that short trip from the capital. Or at least that''s how you looked lying face first in the grass. He mumbled something under his breath in an answer that I didn¡¯t hear. I honestly can¡¯t blame the guy. I expected us to ride closer, not just to their campsite, and definitely did not expect to be dumped just outside it without any guidelines. He did say that he can lead us easily there, but now I started worrying that it was just empty talk, and him getting angry did not help the situation. -Say, how long is this supposed to take for us? -With a mount? Less than a day. Without one? No idea. -Hm. We are not in a hurry. Although I am not sure how we are supposed to carry all that scrap metal back to the capital¡­ -On our backs I guess¡­ - he exclaimed dryly. - I don¡¯t know if we have much of a choice. -Riight¡­ The next part of the march we spent in silence. Complaining or not, he was indeed a skilled guide, and knew the place like the back of his hand, no wonder Bert hired him. Thanks to that we avoided most of the areas plagued by the mosquitoes and the trip was pretty smooth, albeit slow as hell. The first day went by fast, but according to him we didn¡¯t even get past the halfway point. We set up a small camp under some tree. It didn¡¯t make any difference when we stopped or where, since everything in this forest looked the damn same. Eicam pulled out a small glowing crystal from his backpack, unwrapped his bedroll and looked at me expectantly. -And you¡­? -I don¡¯t need a bedroll. - I said, sitting next to the crystal, leaning my back on the tree nearby. - You want to take the first watch? -Watch? There is nothing in those forests that would attack us. I lived here for a while, you know, sometimes sleeping alone like this in the middle of the woods without any issue. -Well, I don¡¯t live here but I got attacked twice. -That¡¯s¡­ I mean I know, but I still can¡¯t believe it. Animals here just don¡¯t attack people. They are so few and far in between that it would be a miracle to even find one. -Who said anything about animals? -Huh? -What do you mean ¡°huh?¡± Sure, maybe animals in those parts aren¡¯t the issue, but that is not what I am worried about. -Okay, but what else could we be attacked by? Bandits? Those woods are perfectly safe, the guard made sure that¡­ -Isn¡¯t that obvious? I¡¯m worried about monsters! Weren¡¯t you with Harsh back then? Didn¡¯t you hear the screams? -Yes, but¡­ -So what animal did you think that was? A bear? -I mean, maybe? There are some wild species out there, but to call it a monster¡­ -Well I am sorry that I hurt their feelings, but they seemed pretty monstrous to me. Doesn¡¯t matter. Whatever that was, I don''t want to get caught off guard by it ever again. -Okay, okay, I get it. But didn¡¯t you say you got rid of it? So¡­ -A few, yes, but I am sure there is more out there. I will take the first watch. -If you insist¡­ But I am sure you are overreacting¡­ -Why are you so easygoing? You don¡¯t like your life or what? -I¡¯m sorry? -Nothing. Go and sleep so we can move early tomorrow. He nodded, and buried himself in his bedroll. For a while I was observing him tossing around, until he finally stopped moving and finally fell asleep. Now used to my sleepless nights, I started watching the black sky, and the dark forest around us. The only visible light source was our glow crystal, lying on the ground between us. I did expect for something to happen, thanks to my earlier experiences, but surprisingly no, it was completely quiet. No movement, no sounds, the peace of the forest only sometimes broken by a gust of wind. After, what I thought was, at least half of the night, I woke my companion. I felt a little bit bad, since he looked completely out of it when he poked his head out of the bedroll, especially since I was not gonna sleep anyway. -Shift change. You¡¯re up. -Mghmm¡­ one second¡­ It did take him more than ten minutes to actually wake up, but he finally did sit up and started his watch, sitting on his bedroll, looking somewhere into the darkness. To keep up appearances, I laid down next to the crystal and turned my back to the glow, pretending that I¡¯m going to sleep. He did not pay any attention to me, so I did not have to try hard to fake sleeping, I continued to keep watch and listened to the environment. It did not even take half an hour for the silence to be broken. But not by some attack, or a wild animal. Nope, Eicam just started snoring. I sighed and sat up. He was still sitting, although barely, leaning on some tree, with his mouth half open. For a second I wondered if I should wake him up, but decided not to. I was never gonna sleep anyway, so what¡¯s the point? I stood up and instead decided to take a look around. Sadly, there was nothing that would even remotely be different from all of those woods I¡¯ve seen and traveled through. Only trees, bushes and sometimes grass, and definitely nothing that would tell me if we are close to our destination. There was also no sign of the road, although I was unsure if we were even supposed to be traveling via the road. Not like it would make any difference, since it was overgrown anyways. I did start to wonder how did he even know where we are, I never saw him use a map, or a compass even. Back at the camp, he was still sleeping soundly. I used that occasion to take a look at the supplies we got from Abes. It was pretty dull, besides what he showed me, I did not find anything else that would help us travel through these woods. He either was keeping it on his person or he was just that sure of his own skills. I went back to my spot and back to pretending. The morning came pretty fast. Eicam was still asleep, but I decided to stop pretending and stretch out a bit. Not much changed since the night. Luckily, no creature, or bandit, took any interest in the snoring that was heard loudly through the large part of the forest. I guess we walked far enough from the burned down tree and the swamp where I met the weird leech-monsters. I waited for the sun to rise completely and then maybe even an hour after, hard to tell without a watch, but my companion was still sleeping. -Wake up - I finally poked him in the arm - Hey, lazy ass! -Arhh¡­ Ah! Everything is fine! No attacks! I¡¯m not sleeping! -Come on, it¡¯s morning. And you were sleeping. -Oh. I¡¯m¡­ -Next time if you can¡¯t handle the watch, just say so¡­ - I shook my head - You are lucky that I have a light sleep. And I guess we were in the peaceful part of those woods¡­ -How so? Last night you weren¡¯t so sure - he started rubbing the remainders of the sleep from his eyes -With your snoring? If there was someone or something here, it would¡¯ve either attacked us already or ran away from that horrible noise. -Sorry¡­ Was it really that bad? -Maybe. It looked down at the ground, ashamed. -Just do better next time. Now get up and let¡¯s move. This time we did not waste time on ¡°cooking¡±, to the dismay of my companion. At first it seemed like he was about to complain, but he changed his mind almost immediately, maybe because he still felt bad about me taking most of his night watch. When we started moving again, he asked about that. -I am ashamed to ask, but when did I fall asleep? I don¡¯t really remember the night very well¡­ -Like an hour later? It¡¯s hard to keep track of time in this environment - I gestured towards the endless canopy of the trees above our heads. -I don¡¯t know what to say¡­ I made you lose sleep too¡­ -That is the least of your concerns. I had enough sleep, thank you very much. Maybe not comfortable or very refreshing but it is good enough, considering the circumstances. -How long did you sleep, actually? You said you heard me fall asleep that means it... -As I said - I interrupted him - enough. He did not look very convinced so I added: -If you must know, I also used to travel a lot, and thanks to that I am used to sleeping with, let¡¯s say, one eye open. Not literally of course - I stopped him, before he managed to interrupt me. -I see¡­ I think he bought that explanation, because he stopped asking questions about that. The whole day went pretty peacefully. Although this time, we were making a lot more stops on our way, we still made some progress towards our destination. Thanks to that, he was a bit more lively, chatting about random topics, or explaining some random plants we saw on our path. Not like I''ve been listening to him too much, instead I was focusing on the path we were taking. It definitely looked like he was guiding us without using anything besides his own head. It was a bit unsettling, since even Bert had problems with that, thanks to the apparent rampant growth of the surrounding forest. I did ask him about it, but he just dismissed me. -I lived in this forest for my whole life and it never changes - he admitted proudly. - There is no way I am gonna be lost here, ever, just wait and see! -I somehow doubt that. I swear, no one can think rationally in this world. Or, at least most of the people I¡¯ve met. During the night we camped in another, similar-looking part of the forest, and I slowly was regretting agreeing to this deal. I expected a quick trip and return, but this situation started looking worse and worse. -If it goes like this for much longer I will have to argue for a raise¡­ - I thought to myself, while observing Eicam ¡±taking a night watch¡± - or rather falling asleep ten minutes into his shift, even though I just told him to try and stay awake for a change. I hoped that the night would be as peaceful as the last one, but to my dismay, it was not. The wind was howling, and I think for the first time I¡¯ve been here, it started to rain. 28. Faith The one good thing about all the trees that were covering, judging from my experience, the whole country, was that the canopy was so thick, the rain barely even reached the ground, getting stopped by various branches and leaves above our heads. It did not help the cold though, and I started to regret that our glow crystal is not a bonfire. After what felt like hours, and was probably a few minutes, I stood up and started gathering some branches to start an actual fire. Thanks to the rainproof canopy above us, most of the firewood I found was dry. I did not bother with looking for some kindling and after building a small ring of stones I dumped most of my findings inside and ignited with a spell. I didn¡¯t really notice before, maybe because I got used to it, but there was a big difference between the light given by the real fire, and that from the crystal. The simple fire was infinitely better, not even including the warmth that it was giving. While before I was able to see enough of the woods that surrounded me, now I could see at least twice as far, maybe even more. And that is thanks to that I noticed some movement at the edge of my view. I tried to not reveal with my behavior that I noticed anything, but I did sit a bit differently, to have a better view on the direction I saw the movement at. Whatever that was, it got startled by the fire. That was a good thing. That meant there was a good chance that it was just some wild animal, even though they were supposed to be basically non-existent in those parts. If push came to shove, even if it was not the case, since it got scared by fire, I had the clear advantage. I sat there, trying to see if I could distinguish any silhouette, but no luck. It was careful enough to not show itself again. I kind of wanted to think that it ran away as soon as I lit the fire and I worried for nothing, but my experience was telling me that was not the case. Nevertheless, the rest of the night went by smoothly and there were no further incidents. In the meantime, I did a few walks around the area, to gather more firewood, and ¡°accidentally¡± went towards the place I saw movement at, but to no avail. In the morning, I did think of telling what I saw during the night, to see how Eicam would react, but decided not to do so. After all I was not sure if I actually saw something, it might have been just my imagination. Before he woke up, I was already clearing up the campfire and scattering the ashes away from the place he was sleeping. -Morning. We have a bit of shitty weather today, I thought you¡¯re gonna sleep a bit longer. -Good morning¡­ Well¡­ you¡¯re right. I would, most likely but I don¡¯t know why, I slept better than usual today. -Good on you. -Kinda weird that it''s raining, I swear I felt it was warmer during the night¡­ -I wonder why¡­ - I looked at my, now dirty in some soot and ash, hand and the sleeve. -What? -Eh, nothing - I shook off the rest of the ash and started wiping my clothes with some wet leaves from a nearby tree. - By the way, what animals are usually in those parts? You said that there are some monstrous types. -I told you there is nothing to worry about. -Yes, yes, I heard that already. I am still curious. -Well - he tossed me a mana fruit from his supplies - besides some of the regular forest fauna, the weird ones are the main reason that the woods are so quiet. Or rather the weird one - he started, biting into his own fruit. - We are in werefera¡¯s territory. -Now that sounds interesting. The hell is that? -It is a wild beast, that''s what it is. A monster that can take numerous shapes and sizes, all of them of a wild animal. It is said that there are only a few of them, but one is quite enough to keep the forest predators in check. -No wonder. It sounds like it¡¯s basically a whole half of an ecosystem in one. But why, please tell, you are saying that it is not dangerous? -Oh, it is. Very dangerous. -So why in the hell you still don¡¯t want to keep a night watch then?! We were lucky so far, but.. -Because it¡¯s not interested in attacking people. You see, it¡¯s a very smart creature. Most people who saw it survived without much of a problem. Sometimes even it came as close as we are now, and it did nothing, just sat there, watching. -¡±Most people¡±? So it attacked some then. -I mean, sure. But those were straight up idiots. From what I know they attacked it as soon as they saw it. Can you blame it for self defense? -And wouldn¡¯t you attack as soon as you saw, let¡¯s say, a massive bear lumbering towards you? -Well, you have a point¡­ -And why did you not tell me that sooner? What if that thing appeared, for example last night, and I attacked it? I am not familiar with this place, you know that. -Oh come on, what¡¯s the chances for us to run into it randomly, that close to the human settlements? -That is not a good way to think - shook my head - Every time, when you bet on something, the universe will always make sure that it¡¯s gonna be different, just to spite you. -Universe? You mean Gods, right? I didn¡¯t think you were a believer¡­ -Don¡¯t mix religion with¡­ wait Gods as in plural? Oh for¡­ I never thought about that one. -Excuse me? -What ¡°Gods¡± do you refer to? As you well know I am not very aware of your culture, and apparently also religion¡­ -What God do you follow then? It¡¯s gonna be easier for me to explain if I know from which side I should start¡­ -None. So start with yours. -We, as Blue Mages, are forbidden to be of one or the other religion. I don¡¯t know how it works for Red Mages though... I shrugged. -I am my own person and I decide for myself, what others think is not my problem. Although I agree that mixing your job and religion is not a healthy combination. But that is beside the point. -I see¡­ Well then. We have two main religions here. The first is the Lost Church. -Can¡¯t say I¡¯ve heard about it. -It¡¯s been on a decline lately, although they still have a strong presence all through the country, and even beyond. -Sounds big. What are they about? -From what I remember, their main point of belief is centered around the ¡°Lost¡±, which are supposed Gods that descend to the mortal world once every 20 years or so. They don¡¯t really have tenets, besides what the particular Lost declares as one. -What, then it¡¯s like religion¡­ without religion? Just whatever they think it''s popular they believe in or what? -Something like that. -I mean, you can always be progressive, but man that''s a bit much. And how do they decide who¡¯s their God or not? -There is apparently some council involved, but I don¡¯t really know much about it. -This sounds fishy as fuck. Self-proclaimed Gods, approved by some mysterious council. I bet they just use their members as a quick way to gather power. -I don¡¯t think so. I said I don¡¯t know much about them only because it is forbidden for me to get involved. If you wish to learn more, you¡¯d have to ask one of their priests, I am sure they will gladly clear up all your doubts. -Are you trying to evangelize me? - I laughed. - I thought you are forbidden to get involved in either of those. -As a Blue Mage, yes. Doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t personally tell you what I think is better. ¡°I am my own person and I decide for myself¡± - you said so yourself. -Fair. What¡¯s the other option then? -The Absolute Insight. -They sound fancy. -They are more, let¡¯s say, traditional. -How so? -For one, they believe in one, singular God, who dictates all the rules through their priests. -Sounds familiar¡­ He looked at me, puzzled. -Don¡¯t mind me. I¡¯m listening. -Uh¡­ Their main principle is that they refuse to approve any type of technology. -Excuse me? -Metallurgy, architecture, nothing. They believe we should live as one with nature, not within brick buildings and such¡­ thanks to which we can be in unity with magic and the planet itself. -Ah, so that¡¯s what those treehouses are all about! So they can still live in the city, while being ¡°in one with nature¡± and all that. -Yes and no. What is funny, those buildings were the idea of one of the Lost, the first one that appeared. He was the one that created spells needed for creation of those, and was one of the cofounders of the capital. -Huh. -Right? Later, there were some theories that he was actually just another priest of the Insight, who had enough living in caves and decided to take matters into his own hands, but I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s true or not. It¡¯s been a long time since then. -Interesting. The houses are made using only magic then, right? Should be fine for them. -They mostly are. There are always some extremists, but most of the Insight believes that it was indeed their priest that created those and they can live in the city. Now more than ever, actually, since the Lost Church... well, lost, a bunch of the followers¡­ -You mentioned that earlier. What happened? -Nothing really. That is the problem. You see, back in the day, Lost appeared pretty often, to the point where we had whole groups of them wandering the lands. -You had ¡°Gods¡± walking around people en masse? Kinda defies the point of being one if there are so many of you, doesn¡¯t it? He just shrugged. -Not for me to comment on. But as the time went by, there were less and less of them, to the point where their appearances stabilized at one or two at once every 20 years or so. It was like that for a long while. Until now. -Ah, I get it. People got scared that their ¡°Gods¡± abandoned them and now look for another one to fill the place. -Pretty much. That''s why Insight started being more popular lately. They¡¯ve never been as strong as they are now, which is impressive, since they have been around as long as Lost Church.. -Makes sense. Sort of a strange move from their council or whatever they call themselves. Gods or no, why wouldn¡¯t they crown someone to be the new leader? Not like anyone would notice, since they are the only ones who make a decision. -That is preposterous! - he seemed offended. - They would not dare to deceive people like that! -If you say so - I raised my hands, I mean hand, gesturing that I surrender - I¡¯m just saying what would I do if I was a part of some hidden society. -They are not a hidden society! - he still sounded angry, but almost instantly calmed down. - But you might be right¡­ At least people would be put at ease¡­ -By the way, how long has it been since their last Lost? -A century, more or less. -Oh. No wonder people started leaving. He looked at me, annoyed. -As much as I value the opinion of a Red Mage, please don¡¯t¡­ -Okay, okay, I¡¯m just saying - I interrupted him before he started some religious debate. Whether he admitted to it or not, he was clearly on one side of that fence, and definitely not ¡°forbidden to get involved¡±. For now I decided to avoid that topic as much as possible, since dealing with churches and their followers always felt for me like a death wish. -In any case - I broke the silence that suddenly fell upon our campsite - we should get a move on. Too bad it¡¯s still raining¡­ -Yeah¡­ - he sighed. - Why won¡¯t you create some fire field, so you can vaporize the droplets before they hit you? -And why won¡¯t you make a freezing field that will deflect them away? Because it¡¯s too much of an effort for a little gain. And I don¡¯t feel like burning down the forest - I added quietly. - We are protected by the canopy anyway. What was that question even? I mean you are welcome to ask but... This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. -Sorry¡­ just an idea, that¡¯s all - he mumbled and started packing up the camp. -Pretty weird one¡­ He did not answer and instead just started moving quicker. The next part of our walk went pretty smoothly, considering that the rain was constantly falling and making it a lot more difficult. No strange figures in the distance, no sounds besides the rain. The only thing that was weird were the questions that he started asking me all of the sudden - all about my fire magic. ¡°How many fire spells do you know?¡±, ¡°How often do you feel like using them?¡±, ¡°Are they exhausting?¡±, that sort of crap. I get it, curiosity, and all, but it was a bit overwhelming. We spent the whole day on the road, without any stops even. I did ask if he wanted to take a break but he instead wanted to push as much as we are able to because ¡°He already ate too much of the mana fruit and wanted to bleed out some energy. I asked him what was that even supposed to mean, although I had a vague idea. -I am not used to eating so much of those any more - he gestured towards his back. - Back in the day I could go on like this for months and didn¡¯t feel much of a difference, but since I¡¯ve joined Blue Mages I have been a bit complacent¡­ -I can see that¡­ - I muttered to myself. - Don¡¯t have to push yourself that much, we have time. -No, no. I need to. I am fine, don¡¯t worry. Well, he definitely did not look fine. I did pretend to not notice, but he was shaking. Rapid and snappy movements, faster and faster speech, sometimes even devolving to blurb too hard to understand. Mana overdose. Usually, this can go two ways, and it depends on the amount of mana absorbed by the person. If you somehow have too much mana in your system, the first stage is basically something that looks like caffeine overdose - like in this case. Sometimes, it¡¯s even helpful and it can be easily gotten rid of by just using some mana, or just plain regular exercise. The second stage is worse though. And also pretty familiar to most people. At first, the first stage¡¯s symptoms start reversing and you feel better - which is a trap in itself, because it quickly leads to getting drunk on mana. And I am not talking about some metaphorical weird state of mind, no. You straight up are just smashed, like you¡¯d expect after a cheap booze and a night of drinking, hangover included. I guess I should¡¯ve expected that, since the only thing we were running on were just mana fruit. I just had to hope that he wouldn''t go overboard. I was completely fine, most likely because I was eating half of what he did. And my crystal most likely helped me in that matter as well. I did not have an opportunity to check on it during this outing but judging by my earlier experiment it most likely absorbed most of the mana from them for me. At first I thought that, since he was not the thinnest person in the world, his body mass would help him dissipate energy and it would be fine, as it would take a lot more from him to get through the woods and now wet and muddy terrain, but that was wishful thinking. Well, it had its upsides. Next night he willingly took the night watch and did not fall asleep. I did check on him a few times, but his eyes were wide open. About half way into the night, the rain was still upon us. I decided to stop ¡°sleeping¡± and take over his watch, to which he just responded with a nod, but didn¡¯t move from the spot. Not caring much about his ¡°overdose¡± I again started gathering some firewood. It was a bit warmer that day, but to stave off the boredom I decided to light a fire anyway. As I was doing rounds around the area, he followed me with his eyes, looking weirdly fascinated. -Sleep. I will take it from here. - I said, dropping the dry wood next to the glowing crystal lying in the middle of the camp and started making a ring from the stones I found nearby. -What are you doing? - he asked, ignoring what I just said. -Making a fireplace. It¡¯s been cold lately. And then I at least have something to do during my watch. He did not reply, just watched me intently. I was a bit unsettling, really. One quick spell later, the bonfire lit up, and so did his eyes. I did not notice before, but now in the bright light of the campfire I noticed that his pupils were absolutely enormous. -Are you sure you are all right? - I asked, but did not get any answer. As soon as the fire was lit, it was the only point he was focused on. -Hello? You there? Still nothing. I waved my hand in front of his eyes, breaking his line of sight from the fire and that finally caught his attention. -You were saying? -OK, what is going on? -Sorry? -For a while you¡¯ve been sort of¡­ out. Something happened? Or what? -Ah. No, no, I''m fine. It¡¯s just I am not used to this¡­ conditions any more. Told you. -Yeah, it looks like it¡¯s something more than that. -I assure you, everything is fine. I just need to stop running solely on mana fruit, that¡¯s all. -Uh-uh. Speaking of, how far are we from some kind of landmark or something like that? Feels like we¡¯ve been traveling for ages with nothing but trees around. -Tomorrow we will reach the village you said you stopped during your trip. Honestly, we probably could reach it today but¡­ I needed a break. -Sure¡­ I guess we wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep in the village anyway, I don¡¯t think there was any inn there¡­ -Yeah¡­ That too. He turned his gaze back to the fire. -In any case, don¡¯t push yourself too much. You are already jittery, just go and rest. He did not say anything, just nodded, still staring at the flames. -I am serious, if this is gonna continue and I will have to drag your unconscious body back to civilization, you will have to pay for that. He no longer was listening, focused on the bonfire, with his eyes half shut. I sighed and stopped observing my companion. Whatever was going on in his head, there was nothing I could do now, so instead I decided I should focus on more pressing matters. While we were talking, the rain was slowly getting weaker and weaker, to the point where the weather was almost completely clear and the moon slowly showed up in the sky. I waited maybe another half an hour or so and the sky was again completely clear, the forest silent. For the whole time, since I¡¯ve seen that shadow in the rain, I couldn¡¯t help but feel that I was being constantly watched. I took another walk around the perimeter, to ¡°gather more firewood¡±, but instead I paid a lot more attention to the wet ground, looking for any signs of people. Just to be sure, I pretended that I did not find enough and started doing circles around the campsite, at first maybe a few meters in radius, but slowly doing wider and wider sweeps through the forest, to the point when I was barely able to see the fire. I have not found any signs besides our own until my last one. As I was about to give up and just dismiss my worries as imagination, I finally found something. It was a set of footprints. In the muddy ground it was hard to tell but it definitely was not some animal, and definitely was not any of us. Faking my sudden interest in some particular piece of wood on the ground, I inspected the patch of bushes nearby. Yeah, sure enough, more footprints, close together, along with some broken branches. Even without some amazing tracking ability you could easily tell that someone was hiding here not too long ago, and then creeped out away from the camp. I gathered some of the branches, and slowly stretched out my back, trying to look where our tail might have gone, but saw nothing more. As I walked back to the fire I looked towards where the footsteps led, but they almost immediately vanished in some thicker patch of grass. Back in the camp, Eicam was still facing towards the fire, but this time with his eyes closed. I don''t think he was asleep, because he was still trembling a little bit and not snoring, but I decided to not bother him anyway. Instead I just sat nearby, summoned my fire orb and started playing with it, mindlessly, but still keeping a close watch towards the direction where I saw the footprints. In the worst case scenario I would be able to pretty much instantly set the forest on fire to hopefully get rid of our tail. That moment never came though. Night went quietly and smoothly, even without a certain person snoring. I am not sure if he slept at all, because as soon as the sun rays started piercing the canopy and it got a bit brighter, he just stood up and asked if I was ready to move out. -The bonfire pretty much just went out, so I have to clean up, but besides that, sure. He nodded and started rummaging in the bag with our provisions, looking for more mana fruit. -No thanks - I said, before he even managed to pull out one. - Say, are you sure you should eat any more of those? Maybe just wait till we get to the village, maybe there we can get some normal food. -I am fine. And we are not stopping there, just passing nearby - he answered while munching on one. -Ok then¡­ The village was even closer than expected. It did not even take us an hour to get to the edge of a familiar set of buildings. From there, we quickly moved through the edge of the village and went on our way, without getting bothered by anyone. To be honest, it had to be a very early hour of the day, there was not even a single person around, so it was not that surprising. From there it was me who was leading. It was not hard to find the right direction and find our old path. It took a bit of a walk, but we finally managed to locate one of the marked trees, and then soon enough the hollow one. -Finally - I sighed and pointed towards the hiding spot - that should be it. Without a word Eicam approached the tree and started rummaging inside the hollowed trunk. Indeed, inside he found the armor, which was in surprisingly good shape. It was still half melted and battered, but besides some dirt, there was no signs of rust or anything like that. -Looks fancy - he said, inspecting it closer - and it is absolutely wrecked. Why do they want this thing so bad we had to walk so far? -That¡¯s one of the reasons we are here, not them. Not like I care that much. -Right. Do you want to start or should I? -Go ahead - I said, remembering that we were supposed to check this thing for enchantments. He placed all the pieces in front of him on the ground, like some kind of merchant presenting his goods and started focusing on every single one. I did not interrupt, watching him closely. He was indeed using his magic sense to get a read at the items in front of him, I could tell that much. So he was not a fraud at least. -I don¡¯t get it - he said after a while. -What? What stupid enchantment did he get this time? -I¡­ I need to check again, give me¡­ Once again, he tried focusing on the armor, but every time he changed his focus from one part to another, he started looking more and more shaky, to the point he was looking like he was panicking. -No, no, no¡­ Maybe it was those mana fruit¡­ It can¡¯t¡­ -What¡¯s going on? -Nothing, I¡¯m just distracted, give me a minute. -Uh-uh¡­ Obvious lie, but why? Was the enchantment that powerful? He tried maybe three or four more times, every time looking more and more distressed, which was astounding really, since even from the start he was looking half insane from all those mana fruit, shaking like crazy. -Ok, if you wont tell me, I will check myself, what the hell is wrong with you¡­ He did not answer. I grabbed him by the arm and shook him but still, he was like in a trance, constantly focusing on the armor. I just shrugged and without much of a thought shoved him unceremoniously away from the armor. That finally caught his attention, but he was still in shock, not answering, instead looking at me. -Give me a break¡­ - I sat in his place and started checking myself. And¡­ nothing. I had to check again, just to make sure I am not going crazy. Yep, still nothing. The armor that was in front of me, and what was supposedly such an important piece of gear was just plain old mundane piece of metal. No magic, no enchantments, no nothing. -Oh for fuck sake! What am I, some kind of trash collector? Are they making fun of me or what? - I said, trying to stop myself from kicking the pieces away in frustration. I turned my attention back to my companion -Hey, snap out of it. Give me the bag so we can gather this scrap and get this over with. He finally answered. -But¡­ What¡­ -Yes, this is the thing we came for. No, it is not enchanted. Yes, I am disappointed. -Are you sure? - It looked like he managed to come back to his senses. -Yes, I am sure. What are you so freaked out about? -I¡­ I was told that it was a powerful magical artifact and if I won¡¯t come back with it intact¡­ -Well coming back intact was impossible from the get go. It was like this when we left it, although I am surprised that it did not rust or anything, so I guess we are bringing it back as intact as it gets? -I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what he meant. -Who cares. Come on, let¡¯s pack our crap and get a move on. I don¡¯t want to waste more time that is needed for that annoying bastard¡­ Still in shock, he started packing the scrap metal into his bag. Or at least tried to. He was still trembling and barely could even hold the pieces in his hand. -Oh for fuck sake, get a grip on yourself! I told you it is in the exact same state as we left it here, stop panicking. Not waiting for the answer I started gathering the junk in his stead and throwing it to the bag that he was holding open. We managed to fit all the pieces inside, just barely though. I tried lifting the bag and slinging it over my shoulder but it was a lot harder than anticipated. -Holy crap, that is heavy. What the hell is this thing made of, lead? Come on, help me maybe? He nodded and tried doing the same himself, but even though he had two arms, he did not even manage to get it off the ground. -I have never seen such heavy armor¡­ - he moaned. - How are you supposed to wear that? -Don¡¯t ask me. That poor horse¡­ -What? -I said I have an idea. I quickly took a look around and found the sturdiest looking piece of branch I could. -Tie this thing to the middle. -Ah. That should help. We tied the bag to the center of the branch and put the piece of wood on our shoulders, letting the bag with the scrap hang loose between us both. It was not very comfortable, but at least we could somewhat carry it. -Let¡¯s go to the village. We have to get some kind of mule or something, else our trip back is gonna take a month. He nodded, and we slowly started maneuvering between the trees, walking back towards the village. I don¡¯t know if that was physical exertion, but he finally looked calm. Well, calmer than before. I could still feel him shaking a bit, but I think that might just have been the aftereffects of mana fruit, and not the sheer terror that I saw when he started investigating the armor. It took us a good chunk of time to finally reach the village. It appears that it is not easy to carry a metric ton of scrap metal through the dense forest, who would have known. But our roadblocks have not ended just yet. As soon as we set foot outside the forest I realized that something was not right. The village that just a while ago was completely empty, was now crawling with people. And they were definitely not the residents. Coming and going from house to house were people wearing full plate armor, from head to toe, with either dark red cloaks or scarves on their necks. Some of them had different kinds of weapons either hanging from their belts or on their backs, ranging from small swords to large two handed axes. It appeared that they were looking for something, asking every person they could find, searching the streets nearby. Before they could see us, to my surprise, my companion pulled us both back to the forest. Startled, he did it a bit too roughly and both of us collapsed under the weight of our baggage into some bushes nearby, outside of the immediate view. -What gives? - I hissed at him. - Want to kill me with that hunk of junk? -Shhh! They will hear you! - he whispered back, looking towards the village. - Luckily for us they have not reached this side of the village yet¡­ -¡±They¡±? What are you¡­? Oh don¡¯t tell me you are wanted or something! -Well I am not! I think¡­ -That does not sound convincing! And who are they? -Don¡¯t you recognize your own people? Red Mages! He told me it was already resolved! Bastard! -Oh great, the good news keeps on coming! What did you do? -You are one of them, aren¡¯t you? Go and clear up this mess! -First things first. What mess?! You are not being helpful right now! -It¡¯s a long story. -Well I can¡¯t help you if you won¡¯t tell me what¡¯s all that about. -Argh¡­ Fine! I¡­ might have ACCIDENTALLY burned down a large chunk of forest and shifted the blame on them¡­ -You¡­ -But I was told that the case was cleared ages ago! And now they are here! -Freeze! In our frantic discussion we failed to notice one of the armored people, apparently Red Mages, approaching our bush. -I found him! - the guy yelled from under his helmet. -Well too late, I guess they found you. Damn it, I will have to carry this thing all the way back by myself¡­ -Your name is Mor, right? - asked the guy looking directly at me, ignoring my companion. -Well, yes, but¡­ -You are hereby under arrest. -Excuse me? 29. Arrest -Excuse me? - I asked again, confused, flanked by armored people and poked from behind by the tip of a spear - Can you at least explain¡­ -Silence! - barked the guy who arrested me at first. - If you want to explain, do it later when you meet the Head Mage. -And when will that be? He did not answer. Behind me I could hear someone thrashing around and complaining loudly. -I told you! This is some kind of mistake! Apparently, my companion, despite his story, was still wanted. I guess this is what I get for dealing with shady people. They led us to the center of the village, where most of their force was now gathering. There were about ten people there already, all in full plate and with their faces hidden. I could hear some scraps of conversations between people there, which did not sound very comforting. * -Two at once? I thought we were here just for the impostor? -Right? I guess scum travels in groups. * -Who is the other guy? I heard about the one armed one but the other? -I think that is that stupid pyromaniac who we were supposed to find ages ago. -What is he doing here? -Beats me. * -Well that was quick. Not gonna lie, when I heard we were following some anonymous tip I thought we were just gonna waste time, and we hit a jackpot. -Yeah. What¡¯s funny is that our anonymous helper is supposedly from Blue Mages. -He sold out one of his own? -Looks like it. * It took them about ten minutes to gather all of their people. During that time I tried talking to one of them, to at least try and understand why I am suddenly wanted, but they only silenced me, repeating the same thing that I already heard. Attempts at talking to my companion also were in vain, we both were flanked by armored guards and I didn¡¯t feel like trying to talk through a literal wall of metal that was definitely not friendly. We were led to some empty building. It kind of looked like a barn, or a large storage shed. Inside, our hands got tied together behind our backs, and in my case they just tied it to my belt. One of the people started drawing something on the ground in runes, and meanwhile they started going through our belongings. Surprisingly, they took very little interest in my bag and notes, just skimmed them and put them back where they found them. Same with my companion¡¯s bag. What caught their attention though was brought after us - the heap of scrap metal we were dragging with us. -What is this? - asked one of them, pulling out some melted pieces of armor. Judging from the voice, it was the same one that found us at first. -I can finally speak now? - I replied, annoyed. - Some scrap metal I found. What of it? -Scrap metal? Very funny. It clearly doesn¡¯t belong to any of you. Who did you steal that from? -Oh please, who would steal some broken set of armor? Anyway, what¡¯s going on here? Can you at least explain why I am basically getting kidnapped? -I am the one asking questions here. I asked what were you gonna do with all this gold? This is worth at least¡­ I honestly can¡¯t even tell. -Gold?! - both me and my companion yelped in surprise. I could only imagine the guy rolling his eyes, I only saw a slight movement of his helmet. -Yes, gold. Stop pretending. I asked where did you get that from. -In a treasure trove, guarded by a monster - I replied mockingly. No wonder we were tasked to bring that stuff back. How much do you even pay to get something like that made? Or better question - why? Isn¡¯t gold a pretty shitty material to make armor from? Or anything besides jewelry for that matter? No wonder it got absolutely destroyed during that fight -I am done with this. Let¡¯s see how you are gonna talk after you spend some time in a cell. Gag them. Before I was able to protest my mouth was already full and was unable to say a word. Even though Eicam was pretty quiet, he also got the same treatment and we both were forced to watch our captors in silence, waiting impatiently. Before that I was contemplating on how and if I should try to run somehow, but I decided to try and talk to them instead. That is, after they would ungag me. In hindsight, it wasn¡¯t the best choice, but also not the worst. While it wouldn¡¯t be hard to run from regular people in full armor that were apparently here without any mounts, if they were indeed those so-called ¡°Red Mages¡±, it had to mean that they also were able to use fire magic. I was not dumb enough to fight that. Plus there were a lot more of them. My thoughts were interrupted by the guy who was up till now drawing runes on the ground. -Ready when you are - he said to the guy inspecting our golden scrap. I wasn¡¯t really paying attention to him before, but he looked a bit different from others. While yes, he was also armored and was wearing a red scarf, his armor was not full plate. Judging by the jingling that sounded from him every time he moved, it had to be chainmail, but covered in dark leather. Instead of the helm, he had a dark hood, and his scarf was covering his face to the point where you could barely see his eyes. -Good. Prisoners, get ready. We will begin transport - he said to us and then turned back to the other guy. - Let¡¯s go. He nodded and started a spell. I looked at the runes he wrote on the floor. I¡¯ve already seen a similar pattern before not so long ago, at the old hag¡¯s place, although his version looked a bit more¡­ rough? I guess he was using some wooden boards in some random barn as a base, so I couldn¡¯t blame him for that. He pulled out a small book from somewhere and started quickly going through it. After a second he finally found what he looked for and, to my surprise, tore the page out. As he finished the spell, the scrap of paper lit up in flames, turning to ash and at the same moment the familiar glow of the portal appeared. And of course it opened on the floor, like a hatch. Again, it was not the way I was used to portals working, but I started to think that¡¯s just how they do it here. First one going through were the ones ¡°guarding¡± me and Eicam. I was curious how the hell are they gonna go through with that armor, and especially, how is that gonna look on the other side. Judging from my personal experience it would be hilarious. As to confirm my suspicions, they definitely did not look optimistic, and carefully walked towards the opening. I expected them to jump, but instead they, one by one, sat at the edge of the portal and then slowly slid in, like some kids scared of water, entering the pool for the first time. It was a bizarre sight, that I am sure looked even better from the other side. -Move - I heard from behind. - Your turn. I approached the portal and started pondering on how the hell should one actually enter that thing properly, but my thoughts were cut short by a poke of a spear in the back, so I just jumped in, hoping I would at least not break my bones during the fall. Moments of distorted gravity later, I managed to somehow land without digging my teeth into the floor, although barely. It is not easy to keep your balance up while using portals and being tied up to boot. I gathered myself from the ground and took a look at the place I landed in. It looked like some sort of library, not jail. Lot of bookcases, a lot of papers, and also a lot of guards. But the most interesting thing about the room was what it was made of-some kind of raw rock. It was crimson red. The walls and the floor were carved, almost like we were in some kind of a cave that has been repurposed and deepened to resemble a room. The people that arrived before me were now talking with the group that was stationed here. I heard something about finishing the mission, but before I could try and listen in, the rest of the group started landing behind me. I turned around just in time to see Eicam land face first onto the ground. I realized that the portal that we emerged from was anchored to one of the bookcases, labeled simply ¡°anchors¡±. I couldn¡¯t tell which one exactly, thanks to the glow. Not soon after, the whole group was standing in the room, the last one entering being the man in dark armor. Unlike the other people who either fell onto the ground or carefully went through, step by step, he jumped out and landed firmly on the ground, jingling his armor, looking like he¡¯s done this thousand times already. He stepped towards the bookcase and ripped something off behind the portal. The opening disappeared and I now could see that he ripped a page out of a book that was standing open on one of the shelves. The page itself turned to ash in his hand and disappeared, without leaving even ashes behind. -Thanks for the help - said the one who captured us -No problem - replied the man who teleported us here. - I think you can handle this from here yourself. -Right. The three of us will take them to their cells, rest of you, you are dismissed. Mission over. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Some of them nodded, few saluted even, but everyone that came with us started leaving the room, besides the small group that was gonna escort us. The last one to leave was the man in the dark armor. He looked back towards us, like he wanted to say something, but decided otherwise and left anyway. -Prisoners, move out. And don¡¯t try anything stupid. Not like you would be able to anyways. We left the room, led by him, and followed by two armored people, one of which was carrying our bags. I am not sure if they were still the ones that came with us all this way or those who were stationed here, all of them were in that stupid heavy plate that made it hard to distinguish them. Coming out of the room, we turned left. Corridor we were traveling through looked pretty similar to the ¡°portal library¡±, although it looked a little bit rougher. Walls, ceiling and the floor looked like carved inside a solid rock, maybe a bit darker than before. I also noticed that there was no visible light source anywhere in the vicinity, yet it was bright enough for me to see clearly. It took us a good few minutes to reach the end of the corridor and the plain looking, spiral staircase leading down. We walked past a bunch of doors, each similar to another, made of some kind of metal. Don¡¯t know why, but even though they were simple, they kept grabbing my attention, like somehow they did not fit here. What also struck me as odd was the distinct lack of windows of any kind. Maybe we were actually in some sort of cave system after all? An odd thought came to my mind. Since in this world elves apparently existed, why not dwarves? I took a better look at my captors. They definitely didn¡¯t look any different from me or Eicam, at least from what I could tell, not like there were many features that were visible through the heavy armor. The gear itself was not giving away any hints either. It looked solid, probably iron, without any distinct features, it was purely functional. Like to confirm my thoughts about caves, the staircase we started descending was pretty long. We went past a couple of levels, all of them similar to each other, until we reached what I thought was a ground floor. Again, we walked through the long corridor, but this time it looked a bit darker and even rougher, like it was older than the other parts we¡¯ve seen. It led us to yet another stairway, this one was straight and looked like it was made of solid slabs of that red stone. After about fifty steps, we finally reached the massive door that just screamed ¡°dungeon¡± to me. Large, twice the height of a regular person, made of a very thick piece of metal, with the red crystals embedded in it. It sort of looked like someone shot a shrapnel of rocks towards it and no one bothered to pull them out. Inside, there was a short, thin corridor not even two meters wide, with maybe four doors on each side, spaced about a few meters from each other. The doors were similar to those we entered through, with the rock-shrapnel, although they were not as thick as that one, as I could clearly see up close when I got shoved into the room, or rather cell, on the end of the corridor. Before I could even react, the doors closed and the last thing I saw outside was Eicam being stuffed to the cell on the opposite side. Still gagged, and bound I sat down in the corner, cursing myself for my complacency. The space I got shoved into was pretty tiny, I was barely able to stretch my legs while sitting without touching the other wall. I started shifting around in my bindings, trying to at least loosen them a bit, without luck. I heard the door close on the other side of the corridor and some footsteps coming closer. The door opened once again and I was greeted by another man in full plate. Or was it one of the people I¡¯ve already seen? Who knows at this point. Without a word he cut my bindings and removed my gag. -So no one will even try to explain to me what is going on? The door closed behind him and I was left alone. Seconds later I heard him unbind Eicam as well, heard him complain a bit and as soon as the door to his cell closed his voice got completely muted by the door. Not too long after I heard another door close and then there was only silence. -Eicam? You there? No answer. Either he did not care or the two doors were soundproof enough for him not to hear me. Probably both. I sighed and stretched out. I was now standing in what basically looked like solitary confinement. No windows, no bars, there was not even a single piece of furniture to sit on. But even though there was nothing here and it was completely isolated from the sunlight, it still was not dark. It did intrigue me before, as we were being dragged through all those corridors, but I suspected that there were just some lamps hidden somewhere. Now, when I was left here, I realized that it was not the case. The dim light was coming from the walls themselves. The red rock was emitting a very dim glow that gave off enough light to see. I did not notice it before, since it was all around me and it just blended in nicely, but inside the cell I could clearly see it thanks to the door, the only point that was darker. My first instinct, despite being locked in, was to inspect and check what material is that. It sort of reminded me of the glowing crystals I kept seeing being used everywhere, although they had a different color. Even if that was indeed it, it had to be the biggest piece of crystal I¡¯ve ever seen, to the point that it was almost unthinkable that it existed. The next item, and the only one else, that caught my interest was the door, or rather the crystal shrapnel itself. The doors were just made of some mundane metal, most likely steel, although they had some traces of magic embedded in. It most likely came from the crystals. They were surprisingly easy to identify - they were the same as the gem in the necklace I got from the hag. I almost forgot that I had that, still hanging on my neck. That made me realize: I was not searched. Well, besides my bag, which they were not very interested in, they left me as is. It was either completely stupid or they were that sure of their security in this place. In any case, it did not bode well for me. If they were actually just ignorant, I would never get a chance to speak with someone that could clear up this situation. The escape would be the only option, but thanks to this place being who knows where, and who knows how big, the direct jailbreak would prove almost impossible, if I was even able to get out of this cell. That brings us to the other option - they were absolutely sure about the security of this place. They left me without a search, and even unbound me. Surely they realized that I would try to use magic to try and get out, right? There had to be some sort of mechanism that either warned them about that or flat out blocked magic. -Well, no time like the present to check that out! - I said out loud, not like anyone was to see or hear me. -Usc fi geksu. Yep, the spell worked alright, the fire orb manifested without any issue, floating near me. For a second, I waited, expecting some sort of reaction. Maybe an alarm, or I don¡¯t know, someone stopping me, but none of that happened. I decided to test my luck some more, and got closer to the door, to try and at least warm the door a little bit, maybe that would provoke a reaction. Still nothing. I turned up the heat, to the point that the metal on the door started to change color, and even distort a tad. Yet still nothing. I dismissed the orb and sat down in the corner. My magic was completely fine. Moreover, they didn¡¯t even bother monitoring their prisoners, it looked like. As a last resort, I would be able to get out with enough persistence, even using only fire magic. Melting the hinges wouldn¡¯t be that difficult, although for now I decided against it. I did not want to antagonize anyone just yet. I started forming the plan of action. First, I wanted to at least attempt to talk to whoever was in charge here. Not like they left me to die here, someone will sooner or later have to come here with food and water. If they are the same person that unbound me, it could prove hard to even make them speak, judging from the short encounter I had before, but I would work something out. In the worst case I could always try and take them hostage, I was pretty sure their armor was conductive and I had more than fire to make use of if it came to that. If for whatever reason that would prove impossible, I still had some other ideas, ranging from optimistic at best to insane at worst, but for now I decided to wait and see if someone actually shows up. I had to wait quite a bit for the first guest. A few hours after getting locked up, I heard a set of footsteps coming towards me, accompanied by noises of heavy doors. The door to my cell swung open and I was greeted by yet another man in full plate. I think it was the same guy who cut my bounds not that long ago, but who knows for sure. He tossed a small sack towards me and almost immediately started closing the door. -Wait! He hesitated for a second. -Can I speak to someone that is in charge here? I am sure I can explain this misunderstanding. He shrugged and continued closing the door. -I was never told why am I even here! You can¡¯t just jail a man without giving an explanation! The door slammed behind him, leaving me without any answer. I sighed and checked the bag he tossed me. -Lovely¡­ Inside was a small loaf of bread, a bit stale judging from the looks, and a waterskin, similar to those we had during the journey, but this one was not enchanted. I almost took a sip, but stopped myself and first checked the contents with my magic sense, just to be sure. It was indeed just water, and funnily enough, I did feel something different, but not only from the bag, also from somewhere else. It was very faint, but there, to the point I was not sure that I indeed felt something and it was not just my imagination. I started doing circles around the small room, trying to feel the direction from which it was coming from, activating my magic sense over and over again, but, to no one''s surprise, the traces just led me to the door. Focusing on the bag again I tried identifying what I exactly felt. It was not the waterskin, it was the bag itself. The effect was also pretty distinct, even without the runes I was able to recognize the familiar spell - the same one a certain hag had on her silverware - Truth Infusion. Considering everything, it was good news. If they were trying to drug me with that, it meant that they wanted to talk, and soon. As far as I knew, the effect of this spell was not very long, and considering that it was embedded in some fragile piece of linen, it could be even less potent. Last time I encountered it it was inscribed in a solid material, and even then it did not work for very long. I left the provisions in the bag and considered my choices. I was not keen on getting drugged again, but it could very well work in my favor. Whatever I did, I had to do it soon. If my thought process was correct, someone would surely appear to check on me. Whenever I had something to hide or not, I¡¯d prefer to have my own free will to decide what to say, although that might make it hard to trust my words. But that also gave me an idea. I got closer to the door and started listening. Nothing. Whoever came and left this, was already gone. -Elwu, wesnoho. There was no visible effect to my spell, but I felt it slowly working. It was a delicate process, so I took it slow. Maybe a minute later, when I was satisfied with the effect, I ended the spell and used another one. -Elwu, nemwesnoho, This one had less risk, but still, I kept the power low, just to be doubly sure. All this took maybe ten minutes. With preparations now done, I just had to wait for my jailor to come and visit me again. This time it took him about half an hour. The door swung open and I made sure he saw me with waterskin in hand, slowly sipping the contents. Without saying a word, he grabbed the bag with the bread and left. Judging from the sound of the footsteps, he was in a hurry. I smirked. Everything was going smoothly. If I was correct, he now went to inform his superior that I am now under influence and ready to be interrogated. The fact that he left so quickly also confirmed that the effect was weak and time limited, as I thought. It did not even take five minutes before he came back. This time he was armed with a long spear. -Stand up - he barked at me. - Out. -Where are we going? - I asked, leaving the cell and waiting for my escort. He did not answer but just poked me with the end of the spear. -Ow. Okay, okay. He led me to the end of the corridor, where the main entrance to the dungeon was. The door was still closed. I looked at him, questioningly. But he did not open the main door. Instead, he put his hand on one of the doors on the left of the entrance and opened it. -In - he gestured towards the open cell. I walked in and the door almost immediately slammed close behind me. I was in an interrogation room. It was maybe four times bigger than the last one, and not barren. Still, the walls and floor were made out of the same materials, as apparently everything in this place. In the middle of the room there was a large table, with two chairs on both opposite sides, all made of that weird, reddish stone, or ore. All of that was fused to the floor. I sat in the chair facing the door. The only thing there was left to do, was to wait. This time I did not hear anyone approach. Now, when I think of it, I also did not hear the guy who closed the door leave, everything was silent. Maybe a minute later the door opened again and this time, to my surprise I was visited by someone new. 30. Red It was a young woman, I would guess in her early twenties. She had pale skin and short, black hair. It looked like she used to have a buzz cut not so long ago, but she forgot to maintain it. Still, it was clearly showing her ears. I couldn¡¯t put my finger on it, but something felt wrong with them. Contrasting to every single person I saw thus far, she was not wearing heavy armor. Quite the opposite. She looked like she just escaped some kind of party, she was wearing a long red dress with no sleeves. What did not fit though, were fingerless black leather gloves and a red leather belt with a small dagger hanging off it, along with a brown linen bag that looked very similar to one I was given when I was sitting in the cell, although smaller. What caught me off guard was on her neck though. She was wearing a necklace that looked awfully familiar. As far as I could tell it was exactly the same as the one I was given by Melle. She looked at me, judgingly. -So you are the one that has given me so many problems lately. She sounded annoyed. -I¡­ -Silence. You will talk when asked and only when asked. Oh for fucks sake, a bossy one. I could already tell she¡¯s gonna be a pain to deal with. -So. Who sent you? -Sent? You are the one who captured me. I was just minding my own business when your people arrested me. Still don¡¯t know why to be honest, and¡­ -Answer the question - she interrupted me. - Who sent you here? -No one. She looked surprised for a moment, but a split second later she returned to her resting annoyed expression. -Is that so¡­ Then who do you work for? -Many people. Don¡¯t think that matters for you though. None of my employers have anything to do with you, as far as I am aware. She squinted her eyes at me. -I know you are not lying. Despite everything you are a smart man¡­ Let¡¯s go at it differently then. From the small bag she had with her, she pulled out a small piece of something gold, a bent metal plate. -My people are telling me you were trying to smuggle this somewhere. There is absolutely no way that belongs to you. What is this? And why do you have it with you? I took a closer look. Indeed, that looked like a part from the destroyed armor set we were carrying. -Believe it or not, I found it. It is a piece of junk, that most likely would go to be melted somewhere and remade. -Found it, huh? You randomly stumbled upon it while casually strolling through the forest? -Of course not. I knew where it was hidden, I just came to retrieve it. As far as I am concerned, you are the one stealing it right now. -Don¡¯t get too clever now. And stop avoiding the answers. -Then start asking direct questions. Not like it''s gonna change what I am gonna tell you or not. -Listen here, smartass - she leaned towards me. - You are now under my control, and there is no way you are getting out of here without my direct order. You either cooperate or will be put in that cell without any food and water until you feel like being more talkative. -Oh, I am very talkative. You are just pretty bad at questioning. With a quick swipe she pulled out the dagger and pointed to my neck. -Oh, I see I struck a nerve. Alright, alright. -Why are you impersonating a member of my Guild? That one surprised me a little bit. -I have information from a reliable source, that you are proclaiming yourself as ¡°a wandering traveler, mercenary and a Red Mage¡±. That is clearly a lie. What is your game here? Speak, or this knife will be the least of your problems. I had a sudden epiphany. -Oh¡­ so THAT¡¯S what it¡¯s all about. I mean¡­ is it really that hard to expect that there are more people using fire than you think? - I looked at her, doubtedly. -Use fire?! - she looked absolutely furious. - Listen here, you son of a bitch, you use the name of MY GUILD without any permission, clearly get some shady deals - she shook the pouch from where she took the piece of Goldie¡¯s armor - thanks to OUR NAME, and above all else - she pushed her dagger closer to my skin, to the point when I felt a small drop of blood roll down my neck - you disrespect other Guilds IN MY NAME AND YOU HAVE THE AUDACITY TO SIT HERE LIKE¡­ At the end she was positively shouting. -Wait wait wait wait¡­ - I started, trying to get the knife away from my neck - Guild? Your people? Do you own the term ¡°fire mage¡± or something? -Red Mage! And yes I do! Well at least her outburst made sense. -I believe I can explain. -Oh please, be my guest! I am sure that this will definitely clear everything up and I won¡¯t put you back to the cell for¡­ -Yes, yes. First, I am very, sorry, I did not know that was your guild¡¯s name. You see, I am a traveler and just thought that it''s just a weird way you people call mages using fire. -As if. -Second. I have never called myself a ¡°Red Mage¡±. Not once. -Obvious lie. There are multiple witnesses claiming you used our reputation for your own gain. -Miss, I think we both know that I am not lying. Not a single time I have called myself a ¡°Red Mage¡±. It is just straight up one big misunderstanding. True, I heard people use that term talking about me, but I never did that myself. I can not be responsible for people gossiping about me. That stopped her outburst for a second. She apparently remembered that I was supposed to be drugged and that calmed her down a bit. For a while at least. -That does not make any sense. The more you talk, the more annoyed you make me. A random person, claiming to be able to use fire magic is by sheer accident assumed to be a member of one of the most prestigious Guilds. Without any proof. That is just¡­ impossible levels of stupid. -I mean, it¡¯s true though. And they did try and test me. -Who? How? - she immediately started asking. - Who was that fucking stupid and belived your farse? -I thought you already knew. The ¡°disrespect other guilds¡± part? Weren¡¯t you talking about those ice users, or rather ¡°Blue Mages¡±? -What does that have to do with anything? -Well they did not believe me that I was a so-called ¡°Red Mage¡± . As far as I knew I thought they were talking about me not being able to use fire, so I agreed to their ¡°test¡±. Long story short, they were incompetent and I called them out on that while casting their stupid spell and they agreed that I was indeed a Red Mage. -What the¡­ I did not hear that part - she added quieter, and for the first time she sounded slightly concerned. - Who was that? Who did you get tested by? -I don¡¯t know the name of the guy who wrote the spell, they all looked the same. But the one supervising was Harsh. I think it was their leader? There were a bunch of other people present, but I don¡¯t think I am able to repeat all their names. -You managed to fool Harsh? Are you joking right now? What in the hell was that test even? -Yh, believe it or not, they wanted a green ball of fire, I don¡¯t know why they made such a big deal out of that. -A green fireball. You made a green flame. -Yep. -A green fireball is the reason for all this bullshit. -I don¡­ -Shut up. I am not asking for an opinion. She looked a bit confused and maybe even surprised and started pacing around the room. After a minute she went to the door. -I swear if they forgot the Infusion and you are spitting bullshit, heads will roll¡­ - she said under her breath, just as she was about to leave the room. -They didn¡¯t - I yelled behind her as the door closed and I was left alone in the room once again. That didn¡¯t mean that it worked of course. What I told her was pretty much all the truth, but I did not need her Infusion for that. Judging from my earlier experiences, it tends to loosen your tongue quite a bit, and since I wanted to avoid that I took some precautions. In fact, what I drank was just pure clean water. While I was unsupervised I just boiled the so-called truth-infused water. Usually, to break an enchantment like that you¡¯d have to distill the concoction for a good while, but with their subpar methods even that was enough for the effect to be nullified. ¡°Prestigious guild¡±, my ass. They can¡¯t even secure their prisoners correctly, nor interrogate them. Speaking of, guild. Yeah, that made sense. It seemed weird that they kept calling me ¡°Red Mage¡±, but can you blame me, everyone I¡¯ve met had been weird in some way, so I just thought that¡¯s just part of it. That would also explain why people suddenly were so cooperative and showered me with gold ever since they learned that I used fire, or rather was a member of Red Mages. I did not get much time to think though, because not even a minute later, the woman was back. And she was angry again. This time she was carrying my bag with her. Like it was not enough to look at her once to judge her mood, she slammed the door of the cell so hard behind her that the gems lodged in it blinked, like a lightbulb that was about to burn out, but not before long they came back to life again. Without a word she slammed my bag onto the table between us and started rummaging through, tossing the contents out. Finally, she found what she was looking for. With surprising care, she carefully pulled out my notes, along with the journal I found at the ¡°accident¡± site. -Do you realize what this is? - she pointed at the papers in her hand. -Emm¡­ my notes? -Your notes. About what, please indulge me. -I mean, you can read them, I¡¯m not shy about¡­ -Oh I will. But first I would rather hear what you are gonna say. -Some of my spells¡­ and some others that I managed to discover recently. -Discover. Yeah. Sure. She started going through the papers, but the longer she read, the more confused she started looking. -You wrote this. -Well, mostly¡­ some is copied from¡­ -Copied? From where? I pointed at the journal. She immediately turned her focus to the journal. The recent anger and confusion on her face disappeared and got replaced by bewilderment. -Copied? It is completely different¡­ -Of course I didn¡¯t bother rewriting all that crap, only the parts I found interesting, why would I even¡­ -You can understand that? That question threw me off the mark completely. That was what she was confused about? -Of course? How else would¡­ -All of it?! If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. -Emmm¡­ mostly? That for some reason calmed her down. -Stop scaring me like that. I just looked at her, puzzled. -Can you explain? She went back to her annoyed expression, but this time it was weaker, and mixed with something that I could not put my hand on. Hesitation? Nah, couldn¡¯t be it. -Are you really that ignorant? Where the hell are you from? -I said I am a wanderer. Don¡¯t really have a place to call home any more. Let¡¯s say I''m from across the seas. -Seas? You¡¯re an elf? -Do I look like one? -Well, I¡¯ve seen many things that people like you do to hide their identity, including self-mutilation. I am not gonna make you strip just to prove a point, so I prefer asking. This discussion started getting weirder and weirder. -What in the fuck that has to do with¡­ you, know, never mind, I don¡¯t want to know. No I am not an elf, just a regular human male with crappy luck. -Hm. Well then. I don¡¯t need to answer your question, but I will humor you. The language you said you were able to read and write, are not very public knowledge. So for someone like you, casually using them to write notes¡­ She leaned closer to me. -Who are you, really? An agent? Elven spy? Oh boy. Is the magic research here that primitive? How the hell are they even able to write spells without that being a common knowledge? I sighed. -I am sad to say, that as I told you, just a random person that just was minding his own business. I have nothing to do with elves, or their agents. Actually I have never seen an elf in my life. -Is that so¡­ So why do you have something that belongs to King Axelrod¡¯s mages? -Excuse me? -Don¡¯t play dumb. This - she pointed to the journal - belonged to one of His Majesty¡¯s Mages. That you are supposedly not a part of. Am I right? -Well yes¡­ -So you did steal it then. For who? And more importantly: how? She started to sound excited. That did not bode well. At least she was not a fuming ball of rage any more though. -Well, can you really say that you stole something if its owner was dead¡­ Her face turned pale. -You managed to kill a¡­ -Oh hell no, they were already dead when I found them. Not like they were gonna be needing it any more¡­ She did not look convinced, even though I am pretty sure she was still thinking that I was under the influence. -And who, pray tell, did kill them then? -Who knows - I shrugged. - Why do you care? They were not your people I don¡¯t think. -Don¡¯t ask unnecessary questions. -Look, I am willing to cooperate, I don¡¯t have much to hide anyway. But it would be nice for once to at least explain why I am being interrogated in such - I looked around the cell - unpleasant circumstances. -I am not taking any chances. I already did once, with your friend. Did not end well. -Friend? - I laughed. - Nah, just met him not so long ago. We were traveling together by coincidence. Suddenly, her face changed expression. She suddenly started staring intently on my face, like she saw something that was not supposed to be there. -Oh? -What? -Nothing, I am just curious about that coincidence. Care to elaborate? That definitely sounded more menacing than she intended to, but despite my better judgment I decided to answer anyway. -Ah, nothing special. We met while I was traveling through some sort of town, can¡¯t remember the name. It just sort of happened that we were traveling together, apparently having the same destination. -Uh-uh. She was looking at me intently, like she was deciding on something. -I guess we are done here. For now. I have been told that your¡­ acquaintance is also ready for questioning - she stood up. - So I have to hurry. If you excuse me. -Not like I have a choice in the matter¡­ - I shrugged. As she was about to leave she added: -This is not over just yet. But I agree, we have to meet in a bit different circumstances. The door closed. Well, that sounded ominous. I was left alone in the interrogation room, without any visible supervision. This time though I had a lot more to think about, and even maybe be worried about. If what she said was true, Eicam let them drug him and was about to tell everything about our ¡°quest¡±. Or at least more than she found out from me. I did try to at least not flat out lie because I assumed that she would interrogate him before me and would sniff out the lie instantly. And since I was supposed to be under influence, it would also instantly raise some red flags for them. I would rather leave them in the dark, for now at least. In the worst case scenario, the knowledge about those weak points could be critical. I sat there for a good hour, maybe more even, but no one came back for me. Nor to follow up on that vague threat of hers, or to just drag me back to my cell. I didn¡¯t even dream of them forgetting about me, so I assumed that this would be the place where I was being kept for a while and decided to take a bit of a nap. Or at least try and fake one, not like I could sleep anyway. I stretched out and tried settling down, as comfortable as it got in this sorry excuse of the furniture I had provided to me. It proved pretty hard, and soon I started missing the forests that I was starting to get used to resting in. It made me think. How do they even manage to hold prisoners here? I guess the room I was earlier in had to be a holding cell, but still. It was just four walls, a floor and a ceiling, nothing more, nothing less. I bet solitary confinement was better than that. Don¡¯t prisoners have some sort of rights or whatever? The present room I was being held in was infinitely better, but still, not by much. It made me feel glad that I no longer had most of the biological needs of a human, or it would get really awkward here, especially¡­ well, better not to think too much. I started realizing that before, especially when I was traveling with Eicam, but now I was completely sure. With how much time has passed, there was no mistaking it - the crystal wedged in me changed a bit more than was initially obvious. It wasn¡¯t all that bad, but I must admit, not having to sleep had its negatives. Another hour passed. Multiple times I considered getting out and at least trying the escape, but every time I stopped myself short of casting the spell. I still had faith that this stupid misunderstanding could be resolved peacefully, although when I was visited again, the situation did not look very good. Once again, it was the same woman who visited me. This time, she was sporting a full black leather armor very similar to the one I¡¯ve seen on the man who teleported me here, although the distinct lack of jingling betrayed lack of chainmail underneath. She still had the same belt, along with the fingerless gloves. And speaking of the devil, the one who accompanied her was indeed the same guy who warped us here. Neither of their faces looked hostile, although the fact that this time she brought backup did not fill me with confidence. Without a word she sat down and the man in black stood right behind her chair, on the right. She motioned towards me to join, which was a surprising change of pace and I think the first gesture that I could count as non-hostile. Sitting down, I noticed that the man was observing me closely, but not you would expect a guard to look at the prisoner. It was more like I was some sort of a specimen, on a display. I stopped my sudden urge to scratch my arm-stump and just waited on whatever¡¯s gonna happen next. -Well - she started - here we go again. Let me start from the beginning once more. Who do you work for? Any governments? I inhaled deeply and sighed. Again with this? -I already said, not really. Not anymore. All my friends are most likely dead or missing. The current ones, I¡¯m not even sure who they answer to. Wait, what the hell? I definitely did not want to say that much. Both the woman and man in black looked at each other like they confirmed something and smiled. Then I realized the obvious - I was under the effect of some Truth Infusion. As if to confirm my suspicion, I noticed that the man was wearing a necklace similar to mine and the woman¡¯s, but his for a change got a crystal that looked like glass, and that was slightly glowing. That¡¯s why she brought this guy. Not as a bodyguard, just as a way to force me to talk. Should¡¯ve known better. -So you are a government agent. Which one? Some free nation? I looked at them, amused. SInce they already had me under control, why not give them what they want? I sort of wanted to see what kind of response they would give me, hearing the truth. -Do you really want the answer? It will only confuse you. -Try me. -I am, or rather was, a member of MIRE, an international government agency responsible for containing failures of experiments and research into magic and weaponization of it. As far as I know it no longer exists. She sighed, annoyed. -See? I told you it¡¯s not gonna work - she said to the man in black beside her. -But I don¡¯t get it¡­ - he sounded confused, looking at his neck and the glowing shard of glass - the spell was successful and it is still holding¡­ Maybe the component was damaged somehow¡­ -I extracted it myself. That is not possible. He¡¯s just one of them. Them? The hell were they talking about? I expected many reactions, but this was not one of them. -How in the hell did he end up in your cell? -It¡¯s Harsh¡¯s fault. He¡­ - she stopped short of finishing the sentence, remembering that I was still in the room. - We can talk later. -Right¡­ - he looked at me and suddenly swayed on his feet, almost falling down, but managed to hold onto the woman''s chair. -For fucks sake, stop the damn spell, I don¡¯t need you fainting on me. -Yeah, yeah¡­ He muttered something and the gem on his neck stopped glowing. Suddenly I felt like someone just dumped a full bucket of cold water on my head. My thoughts cleared out and I realized that they were clouded all the time, even before those two entered the room. I already knew that I was under some sort of spell but him dispelling it made it painfully obvious and hard to even imagine that I did not feel the difference when it was cast on me. I fought off the sudden need to shudder and instead asked: -Was that really necessary? I told you I am not¡­ -Yeah, yeah, whatever, stop your acting - the woman interrupted me mid sentence. - As you can see and hear we know, you are immune and we can¡¯t do shit about it. For a second I wanted to correct her, but it was most likely just the remnants of the spell washing away from my brain. They would not believe anyway, as demonstrated before. -Sure¡­ So what happens now? -Yeah, what happens now? - asked the man, still holding onto the chair, clearly having difficulty standing. I swear people have no mana here and flaunt fancy spells without any thought. -Of all things you could make up, why me¡­ - she said, clearly annoyed. I just shrugged. It was not my idea, but I was not gonna tell her, obviously. Not now, since the spell still didn¡¯t dissipate completely from my head. -Like I didn¡¯t have anything better to do right now, I have to deal with this mess¡­ -I don¡¯t think you can keep him locked up like this¡­ if someone would hear about¡­ even this place¡­ they¡­ -I didn¡¯t ask for any comments! And I am well aware! Once again I was mistakenly being categorized as part of something I had no idea about. -Okay - I interrupted the silence that suddenly filled the room. - I see this situation is strange and definitely not comfortable for any of us. Can I at least leave this¡­ dungeon, for lack of the better word? She gave me a dirty look. -This is one of the most secure rooms in this place. I am not stupid enough for this. Most secure¡­ oh boy¡­ so they were that ignorant. But that was also a good thing. That gave me an idea. -Secure you say? I don¡¯t see any guards and besides that, your doors are so weak that a decent fire spell would completely melt them. They both laughed. -You sure he is immune? Every time he speaks he sounds dumber and dumber. -Immune or not, it doesn¡¯t make you smart it seems - replied the man. - But I admit, that is jarring. No one would be able to even cast a spell without permission here. -You both are insufferable - I sighed. - Okay then. I propose a deal. -Deal? - she went right back to being focused and suspicious - And what in the hell someone in your position has to offer? -Are you familiar with the Law of Triple Binding? -Of course! Who do you think I am? We are still in King¡¯s Axelrod¡¯s dominion after all - she said, clearly offended. -Well good then. You are so sure of this place¡¯s security, right? Will you agree to let me go and leave this place as a free man, without any strings attached, if I show you how wrong you are about this place¡¯s security? -And how the hell would you even manage that? - she went back to laughing. -That is for me to show. Do you agree then? -What about if you fail? What do I gain? Just so you know, I do not care for the stains¡­ -I thought you knew how that works? I am going all or nothing, obviously. -Bleh, I don¡¯t need a servant - she waved her hand dismissively - there are more than enough here already. -Sure they are. But if I was a servant, let¡¯s say, it would definitely be more likely for me to say who sent me here and why. That caught her attention. -So someone did send you. I just smiled and looked at her, waiting. -Are you sure about that? - the man chimed in suddenly. He looked a bit better already, or just did not let the exhaustion show.? -Do you think it will work?- the woman questioned him. - Since he is immune, why do you think he won¡¯t be to this? -Well, if my thought process is correct - he scratched his chin - the deal can technically avoid that. If you won¡¯t make him tell only the truth, instead, for example, only punish him for lying. -A slave immune to Truth Infusion¡­ - she said, now visibly excited. - That''s something. She thought for a second. -Let me get this straight. The deal goes like this. You are to show me the weaknesses of this dungeon¡¯s security and successfully escape the cell. If you are to fail or break the deal, you are to forfeit yourself to me. Is that agreeable? -The last part seems a bit redundant¡­ - said the man, now slightly concerned for some reason. -Better safe than sorry. Do you agree? - she asked, turning to me. -First get this on paper. Not that I don''t believe you or have faith in those kinds of deals, but I¡¯d prefer to have physical proof of this. -Works for me - she turned to her companion. - Can you arrange that? -Sure. He left for a moment what felt like it was too short, considering the amount of steps I had to go down to get here, and returned with something that looked like a stack of yellow-ish paper, a quill and a small bottle of ink. Woman didn¡¯t even bother standing up, just gestured towards the table. The man looked visibly annoyed, but did not say a word, instead he placed the tools he brought in front of us and started writing, leaning on the desk in a very uncomfortable-looking position. -What¡¯s your name? -Oh, right, forgot about that one. Mor. He started speaking as he was writing. -I, Mor, am to show the weaknesses of this dungeon¡¯s security and successfully escape one of the cells. If I am to fail this task or to otherwise break this contract, I agree to forfeit myself, as is written in the Law of Triple Binding. If I am to complete the demands, I will be granted the free and safe pass from and through The Red Edge. Signed, Mor and For. -Hah, it rhymes. He did not respond, just pushed the paper towards me. Just to be sure, I read it again, in case he wanted to sneak in something, but no. Everything looked in order. -You first - I moved the paper towards the woman, whose name was For apparently. Without hesitation and even reading, she took the quil and signed and looked at me in anticipation. There was no time for second thoughts, so I signed. I sort of expected some sort of¡­ I don¡¯t know, effect? It was a magically binding contract after all. But no, it was just as mundane as it gets. -So - she stood up from the chair, picking up the paper and waving it gingerly, to dry the ink. - Be my guest - and bowed in an obviously mocking manner. 31. Safety -Sure. You want me to start here or from a smaller cell? -Doesn¡¯t matter. Both of them have mostly the same security. I just shrugged. -Well, for starters let¡¯s start with the obvious. -Usc fi geksu. I summoned a fire orb and proceeded to walk towards the door. But as soon as the flames materialized and started floating in front of me I saw both of their faces turn from laughter and confidence to straight up disbelief and almost panic. -HOW? - they both exclaimed, unison. Without answer I just moved to the hinges of the door and increased firepower, started slowly melting the metal. Exactly as in the other cell, the metal was pretty weak and soon started bending and distorting. -From what I understand you have a bunch of fire mages here, I don¡¯t know why in the hell would you not think that someone wouldn¡¯t try this. -But¡­ you shouldn¡¯t be able to do that! - For started protesting. - The crystals¡­ -Well, he was able to cast spells on me. So why wouldn¡¯t I be able to? -He is different! He¡¯s... -Yeah sure, whatever - I dismissed her. - Apparently your ¡°protection¡± is pretty crap. And if he¡¯s different, why one of your prisoners can¡¯t be as well? -It does not work that way! Who are you?! - the man was almost yelling at this point. - That does not make any sense! -Well, I don¡¯t know exactly what would prevent me from casting - I said, moving to the other hinge - but it obviously doesn¡¯t work on me. Wouldn¡¯t be the first time. And for the other problems¡­ well the lack of any guards, or supervision is one. At least if someone would try escaping you¡¯d have some sort of a backup plan. -And how do you know we don¡¯t have one? - she still tried to remain professional and collected. - For all you know they are observing ri¡­ -Don¡¯t make me laugh. Of course no one is paying attention. If they would, I am pretty sure this discussion wouldn¡¯t ever take place. Or your ¡°guards¡± are so shit at their job that they don¡¯t care that someone is openly casting magic where they shouldn¡¯t¡­ She didn¡¯t reply, so I continued. -There is also another problem with those doors. I don¡¯t know who made them, or enchanted them, but I am pretty sure they just scammed you. -How so? - this time the man asked the question, For was still processing my earlier complaints. - They are soundproof and¡­ well besides not being fireproof they definitely proved their usefulness until now¡­ -Well, this one here - I gestured towards, now partially melted and distorted door - seems like they are, but I honestly doubt it. All those doors have the same properties, right? I mean in this dungeon. The man looked at the woman, seemingly looking for approval, she just nodded, defeated. -Yeah - he finally answered. - Enchanted with the same spell, by the same man. -Well, I¡¯d recommend looking for him. My cell was definitely not soundproof at all. Or rather, It was, but only one way. I did scream a bunch of times, not to mention I did cast several spells, no one cared, but I could hear everyone on the other side. Everything went silent only when someone closed the other door, for example when someone went to visit my, ehm ¡°friend¡± as you called him, or left the dungeon over all. On the other hand, here, I couldn¡¯t even hear her shoes, even while she was right next to the room. Just a guess, maybe the enchantment faded with age or something, hard to tell without inspecting all of them properly first, but¡­ My sentence was interrupted by a loud noise. The last hinge, it finally gave up and the whole door fell outside, to the corridor, where it crashed on the floor, crushing some crystals that were wedged into it to dust, making a horrible sound. The noise snapped awake For from her weird trance. -Okay, okay, it''s enough! I give up! As she spoke, the paper, the deal, which she was still clutching, suddenly lit up. The ink turned pure white and started getting brighter and brighter, to the point where it was painful just to look at it. The letters got bigger and bigger, and started moving. I sort of looked like someone took and zoomed into the paper with a massive magnifying glass and focused on both of our names, finally making the whole paper just be completely white after which it promptly caught on fire. White fire. The sudden event made For flinch and pull away from it, but it still remained exactly where it was, hovering between us, burning. It took a few seconds to burn completely, not even ashes remaining. -Ehm, I assume that means the deal is complete? Didn¡¯t expect you could just¡­ say that and complete it like this¡­ - I gestured towards For. - What about my part of the deal though? Don¡¯t feel like you fulfilled that one¡­ She sat back down in the chair and sighed heavily. -I am not sure¡­ it just disappeared like this¡­ - she sounded defeated and, over all, tired. - But don¡¯t worry, you are free to go. Not like I am able to keep anyone here, as demonstrated. -You are both wrong - interjected the man - The deal is not completed. It only got sealed. Both of us looked at him, questioningly. -Don¡¯t tell me you both have no idea?- he looked surprised and slightly worried. -Idea about what? - apparently the woman was as confused as I was. -How the magical contracts work¡­ please tell me you did not make me write one without knowing the consequences? -What''s the difference? - the woman rolled her eyes. - I just have to let him out of the place and it¡¯s done, what¡¯s the big deal? -Well, I guess that''s sort of true¡­ -Can you explain anyway? - I asked. - I kinda want to know for the future, since it apparently is a big deal¡­ -He can if he feels like it but first, can we get moving? - she said impatiently. - I don¡¯t want to look at you for any much longer¡­ -Oh come on¡­ - I rolled my eyes. - Rude. That¡¯s the thanks you give for someone that willingly pointed out holes in your dungeon? -Pointed out? More like made more¡­ -I wouldn¡¯t if I didn¡¯t have to. You basically kidnapped me and dumped who-knows-where. -Tsch. Why did all this have to happen today?! But even with the complaints, she stood up and we all left the room, walking around the fallen door and the shards of crystal embedded in it. As we approached the main door to the dungeon, I noticed there was no keyhole. Instead, the woman placed her hand on one of the crystals, which promptly started glowing, and the door opened by themself, with a slight creaking. -Interesting¡­ - I muttered to myself. - Some kind of bio-binding¡­ -What, you found more holes? - she asked, almost barking at me. -No, but I probably would if I had time and resources. Not like I need them, you can just break through the door just fine without that. -Fucker. Man, she was angry. I kinda felt bad for her, but she did agree to this. All this was just one big misunderstanding after all. -In any case - the man interrupted - we should move. Where exactly do you want to go? -What do you mean? Outside, obviously. Don¡¯t want to annoy you any longer that it¡¯s needed. -Sure - suddenly the woman smiled - Outside you say? To the bottom entrance then. -But that¡¯s not¡­ - started the man. -I said - she looked at him devilishly - to the bottom entrance. -Oh man¡­ Of course. I just squinted, looking at them both. That look on her face made me suspicious. Even though everyone seemed to have complete faith in those ¡°deals¡± and that stupid triple law or whatever, I still, even after that flashy show, couldn¡¯t completely get behind idea of it. The man apparently had similar thoughts, because wanted to say something. -If you think to¡­ -Shut up and walk - he didn¡¯t even get to finish his sentence. -Okay, I am also here, and I also would like to be enlightened in the situation - I announced, now slightly annoyed. -This is not your business - she scoffed at me. -It is very much my business I feel like, our deals and crap, remember? -Hmph. That woman started getting on my nerves. I get it, I am an annoyance and an uninvited guest. Can we get on with it and just go instead barking at each other like a bunch of angry dogs? For once I feel like she read my mind, because she just turned around and exclaimed: -Let¡¯s move. We have nothing to talk about, let¡¯s just get on with this. Once more I was led through the weird corridors of that¡­ castle, I guess? As we emerged from the dungeons, we went in quite the opposite direction than I arrived from. I admit, it was pretty hard to keep track of where we were going. A few times I even was pretty sure that we were walking in circles, but I kept my mouth shut. It was most likely just my imagination, since every single corridor looked the exact same. Metal doors, weird stone walls, another metal door, this time with crystal shrapnel inside of it, then some more stone walls, and just for a change of scenery, even more stone walls. We walked for a good couple of minutes until we finally arrived at some different door. I know, impossible, isn¡¯t it? It was a bit larger, and even slightly decorated, what looked like it was a rarity at this place. Without even a pause, For opened the door and we all finally walked outside, what seemed like the first time in years. The view was not quite what I expected. We were standing on a small, paved plateau, with one singular tree in the middle. But what was more interesting was what was surrounding us. Instead of some kind of railing or something, the place was surrounded by a set of massive, spiky rocks, angled outside, tall and thick, forming some sort of defensive barrier. And outside of that, was nothing but vast and open sea, as far as the eye could see. But, what was more important, no way to leave, besides swimming of course. Not like it would be a good idea. Without looking down I could already feel that we were pretty high up. Even though the water looked eerily calm, I could hear the unmistakable sound of the water crashing somewhere down below us. Considering this, spikes and a large clifface below, it would be a suicide. -Okay, I am glad that you showed me your¡­ balcony? But can we get a move on? I thought you can¡¯t bear to see me? -I fulfilled my end of the bargain. You are outside now. Now, goodbye. And she started to walk away. -Excuse me? I was gonna go and chase her, but the man stopped me. -It¡¯s no use. She¡¯s just like that. -I don¡¯t care, that is not the deal we agreed on! I would¡¯ve had the proof, but it CONVENIENTLY just went up in flames! -Well, to be honest, both you and her are not wrong. We heard a loud bang. It was the door, closing behind For. He sighed. -I guess I will have to deal with this¡­ My name is Jacob, and it looks like I will be taking care of you until our leader stops being immature. The last part was definitely said with a hint of irritation, but not towards me. -I¡¯m Mor, but you know my name by now. Now care to elaborate? I guess it is my fault for not creating a thousand anti-loophole mechanisms in the contract. Kinda ironic, after pointing out your failures I succumb to my own. -It actually is not that bad. For you that is. Depends on the interpretation. -Oh? A loophole in a loophole? -Not exactly. You were supposed to be granted ¡°the free and safe pass from and through the Red Edge¡± right? -Yeah, you wrote it yourself. -Yes - he nodded. - And was there any time or deadline mentioned? -No. -And if one was to get stuck at said place. What would that kind of contract force us to do? -Oh. I get where you''re coming from¡­ -Yes. I don¡¯t think For realized that yet, but she just granted you an infinite ¡°guest pass¡± of some sort to our fort, sealed in blood to boot. -In blood? I didn¡¯t¡­ Then I remembered what exactly happened in the cell. -Ah. The dagger. Almost forgot. And it was also most likely how they managed to cast the spell on me without noticing. -And by the way, you did not ¡°lose¡± the written proof, quite the opposite. I didn¡¯t expect to have to explain it to you, since you asked for it yourself, but now you will always have it on hand. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. -Can¡¯t you be more specific? -No, I literally mean your hand. Look at your palm. -Wha¡­ Having a bad feeling I inspected my hand. In the middle of my palm, on the inside of my hand there was now a small, white¡­ I want to say scar? It sort of looked like a burn mark, but it did not hurt. I touched it and it indeed had a texture like a small wound. -It is a symbol of your pact. Try directing a little bit of mana to it. As instructed, I concentrated a bit of energy in my palm, and the mark suddenly came to life, emitting white light, then suddenly a small bright flame appeared. The exact same kind our deal disappeared in. It did not burn, or even was hot for that matter. It grew to the size of my full palm, and from it emerged the contract, unscathed and just floated in front of us. -Now you will always have it with you. As he was saying that we heard a scream somewhere from inside the castle. -Ah right. Don¡¯t worry about that. Just touch it with the white fire and it will disappear. I did as instructed and the paper immediately lit up, burning up in white flame once more. The flame lingered for a few seconds more, but then started disappearing. -We are under attack! Quick! It was the woman. She looked scared shitless and was grabbing her neck, like someone was just trying to choke her. -And why do you think that? His tone did not even betray a hint of surprise. -Some fire mages! It had to be you! - she pointed her finger at me. - Who did you¡­ -For, please calm down. Let me guess, you suddenly got lit aflame while walking back through the castle. -How do you even know?! He sighed. -I really hoped you knew what you were getting into at least. Mr. Mor - he turned to me. - Can you do that again? For a second I did not catch what he was about, but it finally clicked and I couldn¡¯t help but laugh. -Sure. As before, I activated my mark. Multiple things happened at once. First, as before, my hand was set on fire and the contract started appearing out of thin air before me. Second, there was a scream. For suddenly jumped back and grabbed her neck again. From between her fingers I could see the exact same white dancing flames that were just on my hand. Jacob sighed and approached her, trying to grab her by the arm. -Calm down. This fire can¡¯t burn you. It¡¯s just the contract magic sho¡­ -What did you do to me! Traitor! I knew it all along! -SILENCE. His voice was different and very, very loud. I swear, if there were any windows nearby, they would most likely be shattered from the sheer volume and power of his voice. I couldn¡¯t help but jump, startled from this sudden change of atmosphere. He looked absolutely furious. The woman on the other hand was now straight up scared and, I swear, almost in tears. She looked like a small girl that had just been yelled at by her father. To be honest, the situation was very similar to that. -This is not a place or time for one of your tantrums! Behave like a woman of your stature should! As he turned to me, his face was once again calm and collected, his voice back to regular tone. -Excuse for this lack of composure. In any case, as I was explaining, thanks to the generosity of your host, you are now in possession of a free pass to and from the Red Edge -Free pass? But I didn¡¯t agree to¡­ -Agree to what? - he interrupted her immediately and shoved the contract that was still floating between us right in front of her face. - I think that is your own signature, isn¡¯t it? This time he did not yell, but I could hear the faint sound of anger in his voice. -You do realize how blood contract magic works? Or you want to tell me that all the lessons your father and I were trying to stick into that empty head of yours were just null and void? She did not answer. She slowly moved the hands from her neck, towards the necklace and grabbed tightly the gem embedded within it. -I thought it was just a legend¡­- she said meekly. -Gods damn it¡­ - he sighed heavily - you are impossible¡­ Let¡¯s start from the beginning. Why are we here? She looked confused and instead of answering she gazed towards me. -Yes, I am aware, he is here. That does not matter - he said, noticing her look. -We¡­ I am upholding my part of the deal - she stated defiantly. - Escorting him outside the walls of our castle. As far as I am concerned I fulfilled my part. Before I even managed to start protesting, Jacob raised his hand, gesturing to keep silent. -Yes. A very clever idea. While that is technically correct, what do you think happens now? -And why would I care? - she shrugged. - That was not part of the arrangement. I fulfilled my part so I don¡¯t understand why this¡­ - she waved towards her neck and the floating piece of paper - is still here. -A very good question. Well, as I just explained to Mr. Mor, that¡¯s not how things work. Basically, you just have granted this man unlimited access to the Red Edge.. PERMANENT access to the WHOLE Red Edge. For a good minute she was just looking at him dumbfounded. Then looked at me, and back at him, until what he was saying finally sunk in, her face expressing now sheer terror. -I see you understand. -Why didn¡¯t you stop me! I thought¡­ -Thought what? I am not your father. That last one had to sting, because she immediately stopped. She looked at me with, what I can only describe as complete defeat. -What am I supposed to do now? -Okay, I hate to interrupt this wonderful discussion and all, but I would like to remind you that we still have some unfinished business - I finally decided to speak up. -She wanted to say - Jacob cut in - that we know, but there is a slight problem. -And that is? -That is, this is the furthest we can escort you outside the castle. As you can see, we are on the island. -Yea I am not blind, but what does that have to do with anything¡­ -Gods, not another one¡­ - he sighed - We are on the Red Edge, the tallest and the most remote island on the known seas. It was created hundreds of years ago by our great founder, along with the castle from the depths of the sea to host the most secure school of magic in this part of the world. That is why there are no ships here and getting here or leaving is basically impossible thanks to the geography¡­ -Yeah, yeah, thanks for the history lesson - I interrupted him. - Can¡¯t you just teleport me out? That¡¯s how I got here anyway. -That is the main problem. I can not. -That is because¡­? -Are you aware how teleport magic works? -Not exactly. I did know how those worked back in Mire, but by now I knew that here things are not that easy. -It is quite easy to understand. To create a portal you need, besides the incantation of course, you need an anchor. Anchor is an item imbued with magic, I will skip on the detailed process of its creation if you allow me, which is then broken into two pieces. First part serves as a destination, and the second is the needed component for the creation of the portal itself, both consumed in the process. Sounded about right. I did not know all the details, but it seemed quite similar to the portals I have been used to. -I still can¡¯t see the problem though. If you say you ran out of anchors¡­ -No, no, of course not - he dismissed me instantly. - But the portal creation process is quite tasking one, and today I have been using my magic quite often. I am spent. I guess that''s true. He did create the contract, portals¡­ bah, that stupid excuse of a spell in the water was most likely his doing as well. -Ah. Well then. Don¡¯t you have anyone else that can teleport me, do you? -While we are a prestigious organization - the woman chimed in - he is the only one here that can do that. I am not the King with his infinite resources. I was pretty sure that if it came to that, I would be able to do that myself, but I kept my mouth shut. -So how much time do you need? -Few days. A week at most. -What the fuck, man? Even if you had just awakened from coma that amount of time would be enough to recuperate and then some. -Under the normal circumstances, of course. But the magic I used left me a lot more drained than I am used to. I am afraid that it can¡¯t be avoided and you will have to stay here for a while. That was obviously bullshit. That is not how mana works. Even if he was completely drained, the mana in his body would be, if not restored completely, at least back to the acceptable levels. If that was not enough, I am pretty sure they had at least some of the mana fruit and just used that, since they are so ¡°prestigious¡±. They want to keep me here for some reason? Nah, I already proved to them that they can not contain me and that woman would rather kill me than let me just stay here¡­ From their behavior it was quite obvious that they had, if not secrets, then at least something sensitive, that they did not want to show to the outsider and a stranger to boot, be it a Red Mage or not. -I will take care of this, For. While my mana is spent, I can still manage that and I think you had enough excitement for today - he added, looking her over. -Thank you - the woman muttered, still visibly stressed. - Ekhm, and you - she turned to me - can you¡­ - she gestured toward the flame and the contract. -Ah. Yeah. - I dismissed the contract and the flames on both of us vanished. -Ahhh¡­ this is better - she scratched her neck, where the flames used to be and started to walk towards the castle. -And before you go - I said as she was already turning away - while you still probably not gonna believe me, your¡­ organization. I never intended to harm nor to use to¡­ all this is just one big stupid coincidence. I was always willing to cooperate, but¡­ well, things happened. -What is that supposed to mean? -It means we just started on the wrong foot. Since I am to stay here for¡­ a week or so - I gazed briefly towards Jacob - I do not want to make enemies. I feel like this - I raised my hand - is not the best introduction. I will try to not stick my nose in your business any more. -Hmph. We will see about this. And with that she left us two on the courtyard. -Please come with me then. I will arrange the quarters for your stay at once. I nodded and he led me back inside the castle. As we were walking through the plain corridors once more, he started talking again. -We will be stationing you in one of the higher towers well above the main floors of the castle. Those are one of our guest chambers and should provide sufficient for any of your needs. -Don¡¯t worry that much about me, I am not that picky. A standard room is more than enough. -I respectfully disagree. This is my decision and I think it is the least I can do, considering what you¡¯ve been through lately. We did imprison you after all. -I guess¡­ Although I probably was feeling a bit guilty for using their name without their consent, I was not gonna argue. -Say¡­ who exactly is that woman? - I asked after a brief pause. - She is the leader of the Red Mages and an owner of this place. Her word is a law around here. -It certainly did not feel that way just now¡­ - I muttered to myself. -Hah - he chuckled. - I don¡¯t blame you for that first impression. She is quite young and inexperienced. But she is also a good leader. You don¡¯t have to be popular to properly guide and manage a guild. -I would disagree, but that is not what I meant. I don¡¯t want to intrude on personal subjects so I better stop while I am ahead - I smiled at him, not like he could see me anyway, walking in front of me. -Oh? No please, speak your mind, I am open to clear any doubts you have about our leader. -Well¡­ - I hesitated for a second. - It¡¯s not about her. It is about you. To be blunt, you look more like a leader than her. Especially after the latest conversation¡­ -Ah. Well I guess you are right about this being a personal subject. -Sorry, didn¡¯t mean to intrude - I definitely did not want to get on his bad side. -No, no. I asked for it. Eh¡­ - he sighed. - All I can say is that she indeed is my guild master and leader, but that is it. Nothing more. Considering the guild that is. Private matters are our own to deal with, even if they tend to sometimes directly oppose formal ones. I did not want to pry and had already a good guess what was going on, so I just nodded and kept on walking. It took us a long while and quite a lot of stairs to get to those so-called ¡°guest chambers¡±. He was being quite literal when he said that it was on top of one of the towers. The last set of stairs was a long winding spiral that started not so far from the portal-library place. It was hard to judge how high we went since there were no windows on the staircase, only a couple of doors on the inner side that most likely lead to the other guest rooms. -Your room will be on the third to the last floor - he announced as we were climbing the tower. - Above you are my quarters, so if you need anything do not hesitate and ask. The top floor belongs to For. -I will try and not disturbing. -As stated in the contract, you are free to walk as you please, but I am sure she would appreciate that. He stopped by the next door and touched one of the crystals embedded in it. It lit up with a dim glow and the door opened. The room was definitely the best one I¡¯ve seen so far, and was the most¡­ normal one. It was circular with a wooden divider splitting it in half. By the entrance there were a bunch of cabinets made of nice and sturdy-looking dark wood, with some fancy engravings. Walls, although still made of that strange ore, were mostly covered with paintings in what looked like golden plated frames. All of them were of different landscapes, although most included an unhealthy amount of trees. In the center of the room, on this side of the divider, there was a comfy looking armchair along with a small table with a singular drawer. I could not see most of the other side of the room, and as I entered I was stopped before I could take a peek. For some reason, the whole room had a reddish tint to it. -I know you are very tired after today''s events, but please bear with me for a second before you leave to rest. He pointed towards the crystal shards embedded in the door. Now while inside I could see that, similarly to those in cells, those were pierced all the way through the metal, but unlike those downstairs, here it looked like they had some sort of pattern to it, not just were randomly shoved in. -Please, place your hand on the crystal and send a little bit of mana towards it. I will bind you to the locking mechanism so you are free to come and go as you please. -Ah, bio-binding. Sure - I placed my hand on the crystal. -Not quite. Whenever you want to lock or unlock the door, place your hand on the crystal like this and activate it with your mana. He placed his hand on mine and I felt a sudden rush of mana flowing from him. The crystal lit a little bit brighter for a second and then went back to how it was before. -Strange¡­ -What? -Can you try closing it? I need to check something. He gestured for me to try. I put my hand on the locking mechanism and, as instructed, sent my mana towards it. The crystals lit up brighter this time, but the door closed without any issue. -Ah. I guess it¡¯s just my imagination - he said, checking the door, confirming that it was indeed closed. - The link was so weak, I didn¡¯t think it worked. I am probably just tired. He focused and opened the door again, but as he pulled back, he suddenly staggered and had to catch himself on a door frame to not fall. -You weren¡¯t kidding about being mana starved¡­ - I gazed at him while he was trying to stand straight. -Yeah¡­ it was a long day¡­ - he said, almost hugging the wall. - I will go and rest now. -Can you even make it upstairs? You look like you can barely walk. -Please, I am not that weak - he replied, straightening up. - If you excuse me¡­ I nodded, watching him leave, closing the door behind him. I swear I heard him moan with pain as soon as they closed, but I decided to not be pushy and keep it to myself. I took a few steps around my new room and I had to stop myself from yelling in surprise. I did not see that before, but behind the divider, besides the large, queen-sized bed, and the small desk, the whole other side of the wall was occupied by one large window. It was taller than me and at least two meters wide. Only thanks to that I finally could realize the location I found myself in. I could see a large part of the castle with an abundance of towers. Well, I use the term ¡°castle¡± very liberally. Not a single tower looked normal to me. Each of them were too slender - it almost made my head hurt, trying to wrap my head around how they are even supporting themselves, and how they are just more than a decoration. And they were, because I could see countless windows dotting them everywhere. The main ¡°building¡±, or rather a large chunk of rock, without any real proper shape, or even signs of architecture, laid in the center, right in front of me. I was indeed in the tallest part of this weird place. It all was apparently made of that weird, crimson red ore, which in natural light had a nice, crystalline look. It was honestly hard to call it a castle, it was more like a large mountain, just appropriated by someone and slightly remade to suit their needs. Speaking of the red ore, I also found the source of the reddish tint of the room. The window was made of the exact same thing, although a very, very thin layer instead of the glass, which gave the view and the light pouring into the room an unusual color. And if all this was not enough for this place, it was the environment that was my main concern - the sea. I mean, I knew already, I got a glimpse of it while we were arguing downstairs, on the plateau, but thanks to the height of this place I could really see the sheer scale of this - and the main issue that I had with the sight that was in front of me. When you see the sea this vast , you expect to see a nice view, maybe some land masses somewhere far, or a boat or something. Besides the complete and utter lack of any signs of life anywhere, the horizon was what made my stomach churn. It was definitely too close. Very close. And besides that, I could see something white, right at the edge, like a fog, or mist. -A waterfall¡­ - I said to the empty room. - The horizon is a waterfall¡­ It made no sense. I rubbed my eyes and looked again. It didn¡¯t help, the waterfall was still there. Then it struck me - the sound of the, what I thought were the waves hitting the base of this ¡°island¡± - It was the roar of the waterfall on the horizon. The lack of boats. The name of the place. There was no mistaking it. We just had to be on top of the world¡¯s tallest and most bizarre waterfall. 32. Rest The one good thing about me having to wait for Jacob was that I had a lot of time to think everything through, and man, there was a lot. The next day, first thing in the morning, he visited me again, a bit more lively but still definitely looked drained as hell, to explain a few things. According to him, and the contract, I was free to roam the castle and do whatever I want, although he asked me to not abuse that right. It was quite obvious that this place had its secrets and they were not very keen on sharing them with me - a random stranger who just barged into their lives. So instead of snooping around the place I settled on the second best thing - the library. It took me quite a bit to find it once more, since all the corridors looked the same, and not like there was anyone who would just lead me wherever I wanted to go. While roaming around and trying not to get lost, I passed by a bunch of people, but it was either those wearing heavy armor, similar to those who arrested me back then, or some sort of monks. Long, hooded red robes, somewhat similar to those you¡¯d expect to see on an actual priest, besides the color. Every time I passed one of those, I could hear the jingle of chainmail, meaning even they were armored. What was creepy though, was that every single person here seemed to hide their face, be it a hood or a helmet, everyone had something on their head. This, along with the baggy clothing made it hard to distinguish anyone. I was given one of those robes as well, although at first I did not feel like wearing that weird getup, considering that my old clothes weren¡¯t in great shape after being in a dungeon and all that, I put them on anyway. And I was glad I did that. Even in those, I could feel the eyes of people on me everywhere I went. It was especially bad in the library. When I first managed to find it, I was greeted by a bunch of spears pointed to my chest, which disappeared almost as fast as they came. Even though they backed off, they never let me out of their sight. It was pretty unsettling, every time I moved from shelf to shelf, or even if I turned the page in a book, I felt their eyes on me, and could see the heads turning towards me. I would not let myself get intimidated by something like that though - the library had the one thing I was lacking to finally start acclimatizing to this world - information. And a lot of it. I spent most of my time here. No one was stopping me, so sometimes I was borrowing the tomes to read in my room, usually for the nights, to have something to do, since I was not sleeping anyway. To be completely honest, that was the only reason why I kept trying to get in touch with people that seemed at least slightly more unusual - it was pretty unlikely that some random Joe would have access to more than a cookbook, and I feel even that was a stretch. That¡¯s why I kept looking for a little bit more wealthy people, too bad every single encounter this far ended with very unexpected results. But results nevertheless. First book I got my hands on was about the history, sadly, just of this area - a tome called ¡°Castle at the Edge of the World¡±. With that title I thought I stumbled onto the fantasy section but it was indeed about the place I was in. The contents were, well, interesting to say the least. It explained the history of this place itself. It pretty much confirmed what I was told not too long ago. Most of it was about the founder¡¯s successors and the changes they made to the layout of the place itself, new chambers, new regulations about the subjects taught and so on, nothing that I cared about much. Although some of the details caught my attention. For example, their founder, not only created the castle and raised the whole mountain from the depths of the ocean - he apparently did it in a span of minutes, by himself and from the deck of a small ship that was not even anchored. To add more to this story, the material of which this place was made was a fire crystal - the same material used for gems that gave you the ability to use fire magic. A bit unbelievable, if you ask me, but I can¡¯t argue with the results. Later, when I was alone in my room I started inspecting and discreetly chipped away a few shards from the walls. Out of curiosity, I compared it to the gem I had on my neck, and indeed, it was pretty similar, although the color was a bit darker. But that was not the important part that got my attention. It was the place where this island was located. ¡°Castle at the Edge of the World¡±- whoever wrote that, they meant that literally. As literally as not more than a few kilometers away there was a death waterfall that ended somewhere in the void, and according to the author was ¡°the edge of the reality itself¡±. Pretty hard to believe that one, let¡¯s say that at least, so I decided to treat this library with a bit of skepticism. It was a bit sad that something like this found itself in ¡°one of the most prestigious institutions of this world¡± or whatever they said. Sadly, that was the only book that I could qualify as the ¡°history book¡±. All the other ones were about the different types of magics, with the overwhelming majority of, you guessed, fire magic. Funnily enough, even with that wide choice of magic books, I could not find any speaking about non-elemental magic. There were few excerpts here and there, but the one sentence caught my attention: As of this day, there is more than enough evidence that confirms the existence of types of magic different than elemental, but as the research of this field is yet to be properly conducted, any more information is not available to the public knowledge, as instructed by the king Axelrod. Unsurprisingly, even here the government is still doing its thing. It seemed a bit strange that they were this direct about it though, but not like I care. I also managed to find a bunch of books about religion that confirmed what I already learned about the Lost Church and Absolute Insight. Funnily enough, they were more informative than the stupid history book. Besides that, there was even a book called ¡°Old minor beliefs and their foundations¡±. Unbelievably, it was the most interesting read out of all of them so far, but not for the reasons you expect. The ¡°minor forgotten religions¡± as the book called them, actually sounded somewhat familiar. For example, one of the religions that it contained was something called ¡°Church of Contradictions''''. It said that it was founded a long time before the ¡°Great Awakening¡±, whatever that was supposed to mean, and spoke about a politeistic religion that called itself monoteistic, with different branches of it fighting between themselves over the course of centuries. According to the book, when the branches completely cut themselves off from the main church, it resulted in a massive war that wiped most of its followers, and the Awakening finished the job, wiping it completely. There were a lot of others, but, according to the book, all of them were already completely replaced by the Lost Church and Absolute Insight. I was not a religious type so I didn¡¯t delve much into the subject, instead trying to find something more useful. Though without any help it was harder than it looked. I had the whole library to myself, well, besides one shelf - marked ¡°Anchors¡±. Every time, whenever I tried approaching it, the guards tensed up and immediately stopped me before I could even take a better look. Well, they were anchors after all, no wonder they were not taking any chances. For a few days, I kept spending my time like this - half a day in the library, another half in my room, trying to learn however much I could. After the first day Jacob even swung by and gave me my bag along with the contents back, but almost instantly left, saying that he ¡°still needs to recharge¡±. I honestly didn¡¯t mind it that much, the place was quite comfortable. Well, the only issue was their food¡­ I didn''t really need it but every time I came back to the room I had already been delivered a prepared meal, it would be a shame to waste it. Too bad it was the exact same thing every time - and pretty smelly to boot - a whole fish, grilled in some kind of spices. Don¡¯t get me wrong, it was quite tasty, but after the third meal the smell started killing me. I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised - we were on an island that was apparently cut off from the world after all - there was no place to hunt or grow crops. Especially since it was a school, they had to feed quite a bit of people - fish was the easiest choice. I would not like to be living here constantly though, imagine how annoying that would be. Think about the cook - poor bastard had to constantly deal with fish and only fish. It was somewhere during the second week that I finally found what I was looking for - a map. It was folded inside some random tome and I only managed to stumble upon it accidentally, when it just happened to fall out while I was browsing through yet another pile of spellbooks. It looked hand-made, in contrast to all the books that were definitely printed, although with a varied degree of success. I don¡¯t know how much of the world it pictured, but it mapped two large islands, maybe continents even, hard to tell without any scale to compare. The first one was larger, with a big body of water in the middle. It looked sort of like a distorted ring. The larger cities were all either on the inner side or deep in land. There were only a few small villages marked on the outer part, and most of them in the proximity of some other, larger place. To be honest, even counting the smaller villages, there were not a lot of settlements marked down, about ten or so. The other large island was to the north-north-east, and it looked a bit less weird. It was just a long strip of land with three cities, each of them near the coast. Besides those two landmasses, there were some small islands peppered out, unnamed and without any settlements marked, but all of them were in close proximity to the larger ones, most were closer to the north one. Besides a singular one. It would be easy to miss it if it was not named, since it was just a small dot near the western edge of the map. A dot with a very familiar name - Red Edge. Well, at least I finally knew where I was. And speaking of the edge of the map, it was also pretty unusual. It was adorned with a very impressive drawing of a waterfall, falling over the edge of the world. It made me stop for a moment. Before I straight up dismissed that thought, but seeing this again made me question things. Do they really believe that the world is flat? This is ridiculous¡­ How do they explain horizon¡­ or anything for that matter really? I mean, surely, this is just some artist''s rendition of the map, right? I am not an astronomer or physicist but I feel like it was pretty hard to believe that sort of crap. That day, I couldn¡¯t get the waterfall out of my head. I took the map to my room to try and judge the distance to the edge, comparing what I was able to see through my window and what was drawn on the map. With that I wanted to estimate that the map that I got my hands on was actually showing a pretty small part of the world. If it was the comparable size to my old world, it would¡¯ve been about 1/8 th¡¯s of the size. But what if it was not though? Stolen novel; please report. Once more I started cursing myself for ditching that magical boat back at that small village. With that I would at least be able to take a look down and see for myself. It had so many enchantments that it surely would be able to withstand the pull of the waterfall, right? Who am I kidding, of course not, if it was that large there was no magic in this world that would be able to counteract that kind of force. That question constantly was bouncing around in my head for some stupid reason. Maybe eating that much fish started getting to me, I don¡¯t know. But the only other theory, about this place just being on the edge of the biggest waterfall ever on the most awkwardly shaped landmass wasn¡¯t much more convincing either. For the first time in a while I felt the need to visit my host upstairs, to, once more, ask some questions. Also, it¡¯s already been a long while, Jacob was most likely rested already and able to take me back to the mainland, so I should pay him a visit anyways. I grabbed the map and started climbing upstairs, to have a bit of a chat. The staircase was exactly the same as the one leading downstairs, and I had to make a full lap around the tower to finally arrive in front of the next door. I took a good glance around, but there was no name or anything that would indicate that it was the wrong door, so I knocked. I waited a good minute, but there was no answer. I tried again, but still, got nothing. Was I at the wrong door? I mean it is not easy to get lost in this place, but not on this staircase - besides that being the first door, according to what he said earlier above me were only his quarters and For¡¯s. The bastard probably was already rested after the first day and just went off somewhere. I tried opening the door, but it did not budge - it was locked with a similar mechanism to mine. I was not about to try and break into his room, so I started climbing further. I was not in the mood to talk with For, but she was the only person who would know where the hell he got off to, and the only one I could complain to. And I would not pass an occasion to annoy her. Another round around the tower¡¯s circular staircase and I arrived at the end of the stairs and next door. It did not even take her ten seconds to answer my knocking. Probably she was expecting someone, but definitely not me, what was clearly written on her face that instantly turned from happy smile to complete disappointment. -Hi. -Ah. It¡¯s you. Good evening. She was wearing a dress, similar to that I first saw her in when she visited me in my cell, but this time it looked a bit more plain and with long sleeves. She replaced the leather gloves with ones matching the dress, although those were fingerless as well. She still was wearing the same necklace, which reminded me that I never actually managed to ask her about it. -If you are here I assume you have a good reason to disturb me? - she asked dryly. -Why else would I bother my generous host? She rolled her eyes. -What do you want? -Well, it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been staying here, and not like I am getting impatient, but I think it¡¯s about time to talk about me leaving. -You are free to leave whenever you feel like, I am not holding you hostage here, as you are well aware - she pointed to her neck. -Yeah, yeah, I know, but I still need your¡­ butler? Assistant? Jacob. I need his help. -Obviously. But I still can¡¯t see why you come with that to me. -I also have a few questions about some of my findings from your library. So how could I pass up the opportunity to have a chat with the great leader herself? -You still can discuss that with him. Now, if you excuse me, I am busy. As she was starting to close the door, I shoved my foot in the doorway. -Ok, fine, can¡¯t even have a little banter with you. Ow - she tried closing the door again. -Get out or I will make you even less symmetrical. Go bother Jacob. -I honestly doubt you could. Fukin¡¯ - I groaned loudly when she slammed the door even harder, crushing my foot - I would if he was in his room! Can you at least let me finish before slamming the door in my face? That immediately caught her attention. -What do you mean ¡°if he was¡±? Where is he? -And how the hell should I know? That''s why I came here - I answered, quickly removing my foot from the door, before she changed her mind and started crushing it again. - I knocked but there was no answer, I thought you sent him on a mission or something like that. -A mission? What are you on about? We are not some stupid adventurers guild and I am not a dispatcher. And besides, who in their right mind would send someone that was barely able to walk anywhere at all? I was gonna say that I had my doubts about her being in her right mind, but I bit my tongue and instead asked: -So where is he then? I kinda want to get out of here sooner than later and since he is not there that clearly means he has recovered already, right? She looked at me, irritated, clearly thinking something over. -I need to check for myself. Move. I gave her a bit of space so she wouldn¡¯t lash out at me again, and she left her room, closing the door behind her. The crystal on her door shimmered lightly as the door locked. -Go then - she gestured for me to lead the way. I shrugged and started walking downstairs, limping a little bit, she did slam the door pretty hard on me after all. I was fine, but I would not pass up on the occasion to annoy her. I could feel her drilling look on the back of my head and I had to stifle a laugh. She looked like was feeling genuinely bad with how she treated me. That is, when I was looking. Whenever I turned away she instantly turned back to her old, annoyed self and I could tell without even seeing her face. When we reached the door I walked a few steps lower and bowed down, gesturing towards the door. She sighed and knocked at the door. -Jacob? Open up. Of course, there was no response. She tried two more times, each time she knocked harder, but that did not change a thing. -So¡­ now what? - I asked, a bit impatient. -Shut it. One look at her face and I realized that something was wrong. She no longer was just irritated at me for disrupting her day, instead she looked worried. -Something wrong? -I don¡¯t know yet. It¡¯s not like him to not answer like that. -Can¡¯t you open the door? Don¡¯t you have a master key or something like that. -Unlike you, I am not someone who just barges into someone else''s room without invitation. -Yeah, uh-uh. So we are gonna just stand here looking at each other instead. -Grrr. She turned back to the door. -If you are there, I am sorry, I am coming in. She placed her hand on the gem. Unlike with me, the gem instantly recognized her mana and the door unlocked, opening slightly inside. She gently pushed the door, knocking once more and entered the room. I slowly poked my head inside behind her, inspecting the chamber. It was pretty much the exact same as mine, maybe only the paintings were different, including the fish smell from the uneaten dinner. Flooded with red light and divided in half, but from the door we could not see anyone inside. -Jacob? There was no answer. For instantly started scouring the room and as soon as she disappeared behind the divider I heard a loud gasp. -Uh-oh - not knowing what to expect, I followed her. Yep, she found him alright. He was lying on the bed, looking exactly as I saw him last in my room. He was a bit pale, even in the red light of this room, but besides that he looked fine. Well, besides the fact that he was not moving. For was standing frozen next to the bed, looking straight at his face. -Is he dead? I mean, sure that was a bit of a grim question, but come on. She didn¡¯t even move nor react anyway, so I started expecting the worst. I walked past her and before she was able to stop me or at least shake off the initial shock, I managed to check his pulse. He was still warm and most definitely alive. From this close I could even see his chest moving to the rhythm of his breathing, although shallow, it was still definitely present. -Don¡¯t touch him! - she finally managed to spit out, but I already stepped back. -He¡¯s alive. Don¡¯t know what''s wrong with him though, I am not a doctor. She was still staring daggers at me. -Hey, I asked you, you just were standing there looking like a dead body yourself, so I had to check. I kinda need him to get me of this stupid rock, remember? I think she finally gave up on me, because she instead focused on Jacob again. -Was he attacked? Have you heard or seen anyone near here? -Nope. But I spend the most time in the library, so I could¡¯ve missed it. Also I thought this is the safest place in this part of the world or something, so how would anyone even get here? I know that sounded like me trying to annoy the crap out of her yet again, but this time I was serious. She realized that, although I briefly saw her eyes flash with anger. -That does not mean that it is perfect, as you demonstrated not so long ago. And it could¡¯ve been an attack from the inside. Like poison. Or a curse. I wanted to laugh at a mention of a curse but I stopped myself short. This world proved weird enough that even a curse might have been possible. -Before you jump to conclusions, don''t you have some kind of doctor on site? It¡¯s a school so maybe a nurse or something? -Yeah we do, but I am not leaving him with you like that! What if¡­ -If what? - I interrupted her, annoyed. - What, I¡¯m gonna stab him or something? I literally am unable to run away from this place. And I am gonna repeat myself: I NEED HIM AS WELL. Now move it. I think that finally convinced her, because she finally left the room. Quite fast I want to mention. -Just don¡¯t kill yourself on the stairs, I don¡¯t need more problems - I said behind her, but I doubt she heard me. After I made sure that she really left, I started scouring the room. I was pretty curious how he ended up like that as well. Even with the two of us arguing over his head, he did not wake up or even move, just was lying there, so it was definitely something unusual. But the room was just as regular as it gets. Besides some different contents of the drawers and such, it was exactly the same as mine - meaning there was nothing suspicious there. Even the food was identical, the exact same plate of stinky fish just by the door, untouched. Funnily enough, although the smell was definitely noticeable, the meal did not look old. Either those fish have an amazing ability to stay fresh or it was the plate that got brought here today. I was tempted to look a bit more carefully through his belongings, but I stopped myself. I did not want to be that rude, especially to the person who helped me. That, and I heard some footsteps outside. 33. Herbal For came back with another woman behind her. Both were breathing heavily, they definitely ran the whole way up. Funnily enough, the other woman did not look like a medic to me. She was dressed just like all those other ¡°monks¡± I saw on the premises, long red, hooded robes with the chainmail underneath. She also had some small pouches tied to her belt. As soon as they entered, the room got filled with a mix of herbal scents, spices and¡­ smoke? She instantly froze the second she saw me. I just bowed slightly and moved out of the way. -Don¡¯t mind him, Jacob is on the bed. -Right away, miss - she muttered quietly and approached the unmoving body. For followed her, carefully observing the woman. She definitely looked at least somewhat competent. Checking pulse, looking for any wounds and so on. After a minute she started digging through one of her pouches and produced a small vial with water and something that I can only describe as a bunch of very small pinecones. She opened it and attempted to pour a few drops into his mouth, but it had no visible effect. -While she¡¯s doing her thing¡­ - I turned my attention to For - you might want to interrogate the servants as well. -Who? - she looked at me, puzzled. I pointed to the full plate standing near the door. -Whoever is bringing those. -So you think he was poisoned? - she said, pulling the dagger out. Where did she even get that from? -Calm down, it¡¯s¡­ what the fuck are you¡­? Before I even managed to react, she grabbed the ¡°nurse¡±, who meanwhile managed to pull out an impressive array of vials with different herbal contents and was mixing something in a small bottle. She grabbed her by the hair and I am pretty sure she was ready to slit her throat. -You better start talking. Both me and the woman looked at her, confused. -I¡­ I don¡¯t understand master, I am doing what you asked me of¡­ - she started stuttering, visibly shaken. -Yeah, me neither. Care to explain? -You said the servant bringing him the meals did it. That''s her. She is the one responsible for our meals. Both making them, and bringing them to this tower. -You have a doctor¡­ or rather herbalist that doubles, or rather triples as a cook and a servant? - I asked, genuinely surprised. - Never mind that, let her out, I never said she did anything. -You said¡­ -I only wanted to speak with the person, doesn¡¯t mean she¡¯s done anything. For was not convinced, but she stopped pulling her hair, moving the hand to the neck instead. How the hell does Jacob even work with her? -Listen, I am pretty sure that if he was poisoned we both would be as well. Why wouldn¡¯t she poison all the meals at once? And why would she come here willingly anyway? Besides, that one is not even touched and Jacob is¡­ well, down, so how the fuck would that work. -So why do you want to¡­ -She is the closest thing to the witness we got, and she was here not so long ago, so had to talk with him? Come one think before you pull out a dagger on someone. -Rrgh¡­ She let her go. The herbalist, frozen in fear until now, took a step back and almost fell over, tripping over some furniture, but got caught by For again, this time without the weapon and hair pulling. -I am¡­ sorry. I acted hastily¡­ -You better raise her pay instead, maybe she won¡¯t have to do three jobs at once. I, of course, got ignored. -No, I understand. You have to be shaken, finding master Jacob in this state¡­ I honestly am as well. I can¡¯t help but feel responsible too¡­ -You better explain yourself faster or she¡¯s gonna try stabbing you again. This time I was not gonna stop her, that definitely sounded suspicious. -No, no, that''s not what I meant - she instantly started backing up. - I just feel bad because I didn¡¯t bother checking up on him earlier¡­ -You did not bring this to him today? - I approached the food and touched the plate. - It¡¯s still warm. Who was that then? -Yes, it was me, but I just left it by the door, as I was ordered to. -By who? -Master Jacob himself. Master said he will be indisposed in the next few days so I don¡¯t need to bother him. But I didn¡¯t expect this¡­ -Neither did he¡­ - muttered For, still uncomfortably close to the woman. -Have you seen anyone else around here then? Some visitors? -No sir. Besides you that is. -And when was the last time you spoke to him, or saw him¡­ awake? -About a week ago, or so? He said he was gonna visit you and take a rest. -Ah. Well yeah, he dropped off the rest of my belongings¡­ Well fuck. He did look kind of weak, but not that much different than when you last saw him - I said to For. -If it was not you¡­ -I told you I have not done anything. -Then I have no idea. -Well she is the doctor, right? Have you found anything? -I am an herbalist, sir. But yes, I think I know. It just looks like mana starvation. -That checks out - For nodded. - That¡¯s why he went to rest in the first place. -But I have never seen it be that severe. If he¡¯s been like this for a week¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ -How do you know how long he¡¯s been like this? -I have been delivering meals every day. Master has not touched his food for a week. At first I thought he was just out somewhere, but¡­ -That doesn¡¯t make any sense¡­ - For started muttering to herself. - Why would that put him in a coma¡­ -By the way, what were you mixing in there - I gestured towards the army of vials - before you were¡­ interrupted? -Oh! Right! - she perked up and went back to browsing through her supplies. - I was making some incense. I specialize in different kinds of stimulants and potions, and from my experience incense has the strongest effect, especially on unconscious people. It¡¯s almost ready¡­ She continued adding something, what I assume was crushed dried herbs, to one of her vials, and after about a minute she poured the contents onto a small container, putting it on the floor right next to the bed into a small pile. -Geksu. A small ember flew from her hand, igniting the herbs. -This is the strongest thing I am able to make. If this won''t work, I don¡¯t know what will. I leaned over, taking a sniff and almost immediately pulled backwards. The smell was somewhat sweet, but definitely powerful. I am no herbalist, but I doubted that something like that would wake anyone. To be honest, it felt more calming than energizing, but what the hell do I know? Soon the whole room was filled with smoke, and I couldn¡¯t help but to open the door to take a breath. For apparently felt the same, because she followed me. -So, this is your best healer? - I asked while already on the staircase. -Not exactly - her voice was a bit raspy and eyes a bit red, thanks to the smoke. -Another secret? -Eh, not exactly¡­ A friend¡­ Sort of¡­ A last resort, really. Don¡¯t want to use my father¡¯s contacts if I don¡¯t have to¡­ But I guess that¡¯s what I get for being so worthless. That caught me off-guard. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. -Woah, what¡¯s up with sudden self-deprecation? She¡­ smiled? -I dunno¡­ I feel sort of¡­ calm all of the sudden¡­ You know¡­ thanks for stopping me before¡­ I don¡¯t know what would¡¯ve happened if I stabbed her¡­ She leaned towards me, almost falling down the stairs, before I caught her. -Okay, something is definitely not right. Wait a second¡­ I looked inside the room and at the herbalist. And yeah, she was in the exact same state as For, maybe even worse, barely holding onto the chair next to the bed. -For fuck sake, you stupid hippie¡­ I swiftly walked to the bed and kicked the smoldering remains of the ¡°incense¡±, extinguishing it completely. She didn¡¯t even look at me, staring at the ceiling. -And now instead of one, I have three mentally away people. Amazing. -Oh, come on, I am not that¡­ Before she finished the sentence she tripped on her own dress, almost slamming her head into the door frame. -Damn it. -Yeah, damn it alright. Eh come on, I¡¯ll help you get to your room, you need to rest. -Riight, I have to send the message to... -You better wake up completely before you message anyone¡­ I led her back upstairs or rather dragged. Although with a bit of difficulty, she opened the door, saying: -Just give me a minute, I¡¯ll get back to you after I call her¡­ And disappeared inside. One less to worry about. Now I had to deal with the dealer. The herbalist was still on the chair in the exact same position. Although the smoke and the smell dispersed quite a bit already, she was still unresponsive. As was Jacob, the ¡°therapy¡± didn¡¯t work after all, to no one''s surprise. At first I wanted to carry her but having one arm makes that a bit difficult. I wanted to place her somewhere that is not this room and the closest bed was sadly mine¡­ Groaning, I dragged her out of the chair and started leading her back downstairs. Halfway to my room I already was regretting that decision and considered using magic to help myself a bit, but I persevered. It took me a good chunk of time. I left her in my room, but first I took all my belongings with me, just to be safe, and locked the door behind me. She probably can unlock them on her own anyway, that is if she is in her right mind. At least I thought so. I went back to Jacob¡¯s room, to check up how exactly this treatment worked on him, but as before, he did not betray any signs of change, still lying there like a dead body. Well, maybe he was breathing a bit more deeply but that was all. I shoved the rest of the ashes under the bed and started walking upstairs, to check up on For, while quietly complaining to myself about this new role of babysitter that I suddenly just got promoted to. Upstairs, the door was still open, but I knocked anyway, just to be safe. There was no answer, so I let myself in. For a second I thought I entered the wrong room, because it definitely did not look like a living quarters. The whole chamber consisted of bookcases and only bookcases. I can only assume it had a similar shape to the ones below, but I could not know for sure, because the books were even piled on top of the furniture and on the floor, completely blocking the view further than a meter and creating a maze. I bet you could even get lost there. As I started wondering how in the hell did For in her current state manage to get through this, I spotted the distinct trail of books on the floor, that either fell down from the shelves or were from some knocked down stacks on the floor. Following those breadcrumbs I started making my way to what looked like the center of the room, and apparently another set of stairs. I arrived just as For was trying to open the hatch to the even higher floor. -You alright? - I asked as she finally managed to unlock it. -Mostly. Give me about a minute and we will be able to sort out this mess¡­ Make yourself at home¡­ With that she disappeared somewhere above. I tried taking a peek, maybe seeing what¡¯s upstairs but I only could see a part of yet another bookcase, behind which she disappeared. -What the hell am I getting myself into again¡­ - I sighed and sat on the stairs, waiting patiently. It definitely took more than a minute. I managed to read through all the book titles that were in my immediate vicinity and even started to contemplate if I should go and start reading one, but none seemed like it was interesting, so as soon as I heard some noise and cursing from upstairs, I perked up. For emerged from the hatch, holding something that looked like a very dirty piece of paper. -Done¡­ She will be here in, like an hour or so¡­ -You had another mage that you could just call in to teleport me out and you made me sit here? -No. I didn¡¯t know she could get here that fast, I thought it''s gonna take her at least a week to find someone who can teleport her. Also this was a one time thing, for emergency use only. -One time thing? -An old gift. I am not using something like this on you, even if we are currently bound to each other. -What? -What? Listen, take this - she handed me the paper she had with her. - I am currently a little bit¡­ ah, tired, so you will have to do the honors and welcome the guest. Bring her to Jacob. -And this? - I looked at the paper -This is the letter I just wrote that explains most of what happened, along with my seal, so the guards won¡¯t bother you and all that. It will come in handy. Heh. -I kinda doubt that¡­ - I ignored the obvious joke. -Why? I raised the paper slowly, holding it by the edge and letting it unfurl right in front of her face. -Oh. -Yeah. Oh. The ¡°letter¡± was mostly unreadable - besides a few words, the only thing visible were large ink stains. No wonder it looked like a dirty piece of trash at first glance. -I mean I was in a hurry¡­ I had to spill the ink bottle, damn it¡­ Well, no matter, here she pulled out her necklace that was suspiciously covered in ink as well. -This is my seal so it''s basically the same. If anyone bothers you just show them this and you¡¯ll be fiiine. I gingerly took the necklace, trying to not get the ink on myself as well. Now I noticed that not only her necklace and the paper were completely covered with ink. Both of her hands and a large part of the dress were absolutely covered with stains. How big was that ink bottle? -Okay, but why are you giving this to me? What do I have to do with all this? -Whaat? You are greeting our guest of course! I am a little bit¡­ sleepy, yeah that''s it, so I¡¯m gonna go take a nap. -Yeah, I figured that much, but don¡¯t you have some servants for this? -Pfff, servants. Why bother, I have you right here and you are the perfect man for the job! -Aha. -Come on, don¡¯t sell yourself short, the great leader of Red Mages asks for your assistance, it¡¯s an honor, or something like that¡­ -Mhm. -Don¡¯t you ¡°mhm¡± me! Okay, I might be joking a little bit, but you are the only person that I trust right now! -And since when? -Since you dragged my fucked up ass up the stairs and didn¡¯t try anything stupid during all your stay¡­ that I know of¡­ Okay, I admit I might have been a bit rude before¡­ but that¡¯s in the past¡­ Come on, don¡¯t be like that¡­ I had a distinct feeling that talking to her in this state was pointless so I just nodded. -Sure, not like I have much of a choice¡­ So this is your seal¡­ this is your emblem or something? -Sort of¡­ It¡¯s my father¡¯s¡­ but that¡¯s a longer story, and I am done with today. Goodnight. Before I managed to react, she patted my shoulder, leaving a large inkstain right where my crystal stump was and wobbingly started climbing the stairs up. I sighed and waited for a second until she disappeared behind the bookshelf upstairs, before I grabbed the most useless-looking piece of paper in the vicinity that was not the ink-stained letter and wiped the necklace along with my own arm, with a varied degree of success and left the room. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder, what in the hell did that woman make that ¡°incense¡± from? I took a peek into both rooms with, ehm, absent, people. To no one¡¯s surprise, nothing changed. Jacob was still lying like he was dead and the herbalist was sleeping like she was dead. I closed the doors and focused on a more interesting subject - the necklace. I can¡¯t even begin to comprehend how and why she would think giving me that was a good idea, but, hey, I got what I wanted. Well, mostly. I wanted to ask her about it more, but inspecting it up close was still useful. I pulled out both of them, and my earlier observations appeared indeed correct - they both were identical. The ¡°seal¡± as she called it, was just what I just thought was just a small engraving on the back side of the gem. I didn¡¯t even notice it before, since it was out of plain sight and definitely would not come to my mind that it is to be used as one. It was just a small image of a cracked boulder, without any letters or other markings. Not the greatest artistic work. To be honest, it didn¡¯t even look hard to counterfeit. Now, that brought a different question. Why in the hell did Melle have it as well? Didn¡¯t she say it was her husband¡¯s or something? Was it a fake? Those questions had to wait, because lost in my thoughts I already managed to reach the library, so I had to get ready for an unavoidable confrontation with the guards, or whoever was stationed there. Luckily, it went smoothly. Pulling the necklace out from my pocket was enough to completely change the demeanor of the whole staff inside - the instantly started saluting and loudly exclaimed: -We are under your command, sir! I didn¡¯t bother explaining to them the whole situation, not like it was a good idea anyway. I just briefly said that I am to receive the guest who is gonna teleport here soon and am gonna escort them to the tower where For and Jacob are. They insisted on escorting them as well, but I managed to convince them that it¡¯s not needed. After all, I don¡¯t think seeing their leader in her current state was gonna work well on their morale. After a good few minutes of talking he finally left me alone, saying that he will notify me if anyone arrives, and so I sat back at my usual spot, waiting. Bored, I started playing around with the necklace, while, just to be safe, hiding my own. For the first time I was tempted to actually try and fulfill the request of that hag, or at least try and find her again. Not like I had much of a direction to follow in this world, besides trying to learn as much as possible. Last time I did not really have an opportunity to ask about much, and now I at least had some basic knowledge so I at least knew what to ask. Just to pass the time, I started roaming the library a bit, this time without being stalked by a bunch of armored guards, which was nice for a change. Seeing the opportunity I approached the section that the guards used to chase me off from. Instead of shooing me once more, they said: -You don¡¯t have to check that for yourself, you will be notified whenever any news arrives. I was about to back off, but then he looked behind his shoulder and stated: -Ah. My mistake. Please stand back then. I was going to ask what the hell was he on about, but then noticed that one of the books in the section in question started glowing. He picked up the book and started to leaf through it, and as he finally found what he was looking for, opening it widely and placing it right in front of us on the floor, quickly stepping back. Right in front of the tome, the floor started to distort, wobble and the opening started to form. Few seconds later, the full fledged portal opened, a bit smaller than the one I got there through, but a bit more¡­ round, almost reminding me of a sewer hatch. Finally, a hand emerged from the ground and someone started to climb out. -Someone help me, would you? The voice was, as expected, female, while a bit distorted because of the magic, it did not sound very young. I looked at the guards. -Come on, I kinda am not in the best shape to help - I pointed to my missing arm and they instantly jumped towards the opening, giving the woman a hand. From the portal emerged an older woman, dressed in something that reminded me of some old night gown. The dress was completely white and plain, but didn¡¯t look cheap. After she finally emerged completely and sighed, thanking the armored people that helped her climb out, she looked at me with absolute surprise. -Yeah, that makes sense - I just said to myself, looking now at the slack jawed Melle standing in front of me. - We meet again. 34. Hag -How in the hell did you end up in this forsaken piece of the world? - she asked me as we left the library, after I once more had to convince the guards that I would be completely fine on my own. -That¡¯s what you are surprised about? - I replied slightly annoyed. - Or rather that I am still alive? -What are you on about? -Don¡¯t act stupid. Your ¡°portal master¡± sent me to the middle of nowhere. -Okay, Kalkano is not that bad¡­ -Kalkano? -Wait wait wait wait¡­ You did not end up in Kalkano? -Oh for fucks sake¡­- I sighed with resignation. - Don¡¯t tell me. It¡¯s not your plan. Your kid is just either a dick, or a shittiest mage on this planet. Judging how you emerged from the portal it is the latter¡­ -How dare you, after what I did for you, you¡­ -After what you did for me? - I turned, facing her. -You ditch me on an island that had a population of, what, five? Maybe six? Including me, one of which had died, one disappeared and another one is in a coma. Even then, I managed to leave and sort of get a grip on things, then I got attacked multiple times, probably also your fault if I was to guess, and then captured, kept in the dungeon, this time definitely because of you. -Okay, I see¡­ you had a¡­ rough couple of days. But how is all that my fault!? - she started defending herself. - Okay, maybe the portal failed, don¡¯t know how that happened¡­ But the rest? What is that all about? -It¡¯s been more than a couple of days. Anyway, we will talk upstairs. - I sighed and started walking again. - The truth is I was gonna try and look for you anyway. There had been some¡­ developments. This castle is nothing but problems¡­ -Speaking of - she immediately noticed the opportunity to change the subject - what happened here? I was told that there had been an accident and I am the only person thatFor can turn to¡­ So I came as fast as I could. -Yeah. As I said. Developments. Again, we will talk upstairs. But in the meantime, who the fuck is For to you? She spoke of you like you were some last line of defense. She started pondering for a second. -I guess you should know¡­ - she started as she took a quick glance around. - Her father was a friend of my husband. A very close friend. I guess they both left each other a way to keep in touch in case of emergency, but it¡¯s been a while. So instead of him picking up, it was me. -Hm. I guess that explains a couple of things. The rest of the walk we spent in silence. As we reached the tower and finally the doors to my room, before entering the door I turned to her. -We are mostly alone so I will try to explain what is going on. -Is it really that secret of a topic? I shrugged. -Not my decision, but I felt like I should respect it. -Fair enough. Let¡¯s hear it. -So. I told you I was captured, right? -I told you that was not my fault¡­ -Whatever. It was this band of people who caught me. Besides it being a lot of misunderstandings and problems which I am not gonna explain right now, it ended up in Jacob being in a coma, so For called some sort of a herbalist. But¡­ I explained most of what happened so far and opened the door to the room. She was still lying on the bed, and as we approached we could smell the smoke along the various herbs. -What the hell was in that thing? - she asked after smelling the air. -Hell if I know. She did have an impressive amount of herbs and shit on her, they are upstairs if you want to check. -Yeah. I feel like I have a hunch what is going on here, but might as well double check. -Mhm. We quickly went upstairs and after a brief inspection of the herbs, as well as some remaining ashes that she found under the bed, she asked: -And you are fine? -Well, as you can see. -Hm. Yeah, everything is clear. -Mind explaining then? -The man right here - she gestured towards the bed - is suffering from a serious case of mana starvation. -No shit, that¡¯s the whole reason I¡¯m still here. But is it really that bad? How the fuck did he not recover after all this time? -Don¡¯t know that, but what that woman did, despite what it looked like, was pretty smart and should have worked. Well, it worked but on the wrong people. -What, it was some mana herbs or some shit? -Sort of. It was a mixture of a lot of things, all of which are used to regenerate your mana in different ways. I did not hear about anyone burning them though, but I guess it was effective. -Not on him though - I stated the obvious. - He¡¯s still as out as it is. And how the hell do you know it was effective. -I saw the herbalist. She is positively drunk. I looked at her, confused. -Drunk? What do you mean? I don¡¯t think they even have alcohol here. -Alcohol? Well I guess we are pretty far from the capital, but no, I mean she¡¯s drunk on mana. -What does that even mean? -Oh? The Great Traveler doesn¡¯t even know that? How sad - I could hear her stifling a laugh. I had an idea of what she was talking about, but I decided to fake complete ignorance. -Instead of mocking me, explain. -Sure, sure. You see, alcohol is banned in Axelrod¡¯s domain. As you would expect, people were not very fond of that decision. It did not take long for people to start creating substitutes, but none of them gained track. That is until some alchemist accidentally got drunk thanks to his own potion - potion that did not contain even a drop of alcohol - so he obviously started experimenting, smelling an easy opportunity. After a bit of reverse engineering, he realized that what got him drunk was just pure mana - nothing more and nothing less. -How in the hell do you even get drunk on mana? That does not make any sense! -Well but that is how this works. Apparently, if you try and successfully absorb more mana than your body is naturally able to, you start experiencing very similar symptoms to those of just plainly getting drunk. Plus a few other ones, but those depend on the person. When she mentioned it, I remembered how Eicam got weirdly jittery after mana fruits earlier. I guess that was one of the ¡°other¡± effects. -So the same as getting drunk. -More or less. Imagine how mad Axelrod got. He tried so hard to ban the alcohol just to create a substitute that was even easier to produce and got more popular! He couldn¡¯t even ban it, because it would¡¯ve basically meant crippling every mage ever - since you could just use anything that can refill your mana. -Riveting. So let¡¯s get this straight. That herbalist - I waved towards the door - tried to cure his mana deficit using a bunch of herbs that were infused with mana. -Or just plainly naturally mana rich. -Same thing - I continued. - And instead of making a potion, like a regular person would, she burned those damn things, so, ¡°It would work better¡± or something. -More or less. -And in the process she managed to make everyone in the nearest vicinity high. Drunk I mean. -Everyone? Who else was here? -Oh, you didn¡¯t notice? For is upstairs, in a similar state to the herbalist. I guess she left the room quicker than her so she was a bit more sober¡­ -Oh¡­ that''s why I felt like something was weird¡­ -No shit. She is basically a different person now. -And you? How do you feel? -Completely fine. Why do you care? She rolled her eyes. -Weren¡¯t you in this room as well? -Ah, right. Nah, I am fine. As you are very well aware, those kinds of drugs don¡¯t work on me. You tried that already. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. -Right¡­ Still don¡¯t understand how¡­ Pretending to be oblivious I just shrugged. -I guess I have some natural immunity. -I am not buying that. -Not my problem. She looked at me annoyed. -Whatever. I¡¯ll learn sooner or later. Just for the sake of being annoying I made a mental note not to tell her anything. -Sure, right. Speaking of learning, do you know how to ¡°fix¡± them? Or rather him? -And why do you suddenly care? -Actually, you are right. Why do I? - I suddenly realized. Up till now I went along with For and her requests just to be able to use Jacob¡¯s portals. Him being out of it was an inconvenience, but I was going to deal with it anyway. Now though things changed - right in front of me there was another way for me to leave this place. After a long, awkward pause, she continued. -Anyway¡­ yes I know how to heal them. They don¡¯t really need treatment per say, they will get better on their own in a week or so, but with this guy - she pointed to Jacob - it¡¯s a bit different. She started pacing around the room. -He inhaled that much infused smoke and is still out of it while two other people are out of it for the exact opposite reason. Unorthodox or not, the idea was good. I now just need to apply it in a bit more precise and conventional way. -Meaning? -As I said, let¡¯s get back to the classics. I just need to make the potion for him and he will be up and running in a blink of an eye. Sounds easy. -But¡­ -Of course, there is always a but. -But I don¡¯t have the ingredients. -That woman had a bunch of weird herbs and some other crap on her, probably got what you need. -Hm. Worth a try, but I doubt it. Back in my room, she started digging through the bags and pouches. -What do you need exactly? - I asked, watching her spill out the contents of the various pouches onto the desk. -I need a good quality base for the potion, a mana fruit and a bunch of other herbs, but those are actually in here - she pointed towards the pile she was making on the desk. -Well shit, I had a couple of those before but I think they either got confiscated when I was in the dungeon or I just used them all¡­ -Right¡­ I never asked, but what exactly happened? -You really did not think that out did you? -Think what out? -Ehhh¡­ - I sighed. - I swear people don¡¯t think anymore¡­ I sat down next to the desk. -Remember this? - I pulled out my necklace that she gave me. -How could I forget my own necklace? - she asked, visibly irritated. - Are you mocking me? -Well are you? This is the reason I was imprisoned. Or rather - I pulled out the second, identical one - this. -And how in the hell did you get the second one? -You really don¡¯t know? -No. -I swear - I hid both of the necklaces back to their previous spots - I know more about your husband than you¡­ To my surprise, she did not get angry at me - quite different in fact. She stopped digging through the herbs and leaned down on the desk. -You can say that again¡­ She looked¡­ sad. That threw me for a loop. -Okayyy¡­ Anyways, the other one belongs to For, as I understood correctly, the master, or owner of this place. She gave me this as some sort of mark that was recognized instantly by the guards - meaning that¡¯s most likely her family symbol or something along those lines. She said it was her father¡¯s symbol, but she was absolutely not in her right mind at the moment so it was pretty vague. She didn¡¯t reply, lost in her thoughts. -Strange that you both have the same amulet - I started thinking out loud. - If she was a bit older I would say that you might be related¡­ Feels like your husband and her father¡­ -...are the same person? - she finished my sentence and laughed. - Hah, noo, I don¡¯t know a lot of things about him, but I do know that much. It seems like the man in question was just a part of his party¡­ -Party? He was an adventurer? -Yeah. I thought the necklace was just a part of his loot, since he never spoke about it, but seems like it wasn¡¯t. It¡¯s a bit strange though¡­ Why didn¡¯t he take it with him¡­ -Take it? What do you mean? -When he came back from his adventures, he stayed at home for a few years, but left again, a couple years back. Since it apparently is their symbol, I feel like he would want to take it with him again¡­ -Left again? I was under the impression he died? -I honestly don¡¯t know - she sighed and went back to the herbs. - It¡¯s been a long time without any news¡­ I don¡¯t want to believe it, but¡­ The room got filled with awkward silence. -Now I feel bad¡­ - I muttered quietly. - Do you want it back? - I asked, pulling out the necklace. -Nah, I already made my decision before, and I am not changing my mind. Besides, I have other mementos after him, so I will be fine. You need to keep your appearances after all, right. -Right¡­ And speaking of, it would be nice of you to explain that to For when she wakes up. I mean, without¡­ some details. -Why? -Well, she did imprison me for impersonating a member of their order¡­ guild¡­ whatever this is. -Oh, sure. The room went silent once again, only interrupted once she finally finished going through the herbalist¡¯s belongings. -Well I guess this was not a complete waste of my time - she finally announced. - She was surprisingly stocked. Don¡¯t know what this garlic is for though¡­ -Vampires? - I asked jokingly - Nah, For said she is also a cook, believe it or not. -It can always be both. I looked at her confused, not sure if she is messing with me or not - with her it could be either way. -Aha. Sure¡­ -Anyway, I have most of the ingredients. She even had some mana fruit - she said, presenting a small bottle filled with what looked like miniatures of mana fruit. -Aren¡¯t those a bit small? -What do you mean, small? Those are the most common ones, for the larger ones you¡¯d have to look at the capital or at least at some city with good trade routes, not at the end of the world. -Well, true, we are in the middle of nowhere¡­ Also: ¡±most¡±? So you still are missing something? -Yeah, didn¡¯t expect for some random herbalist to have any good potion base¡­ Especially here¡­ Well, I¡¯ll just have to go back home and get some. Hearing that, I perked up. -Can I tag along? She laughed. -I thought you don¡¯t trust me or my¡­ ¡°means of travel¡±. -More like ¡°your means of travel are primitive and don¡¯t work properly¡± but if you think I am letting an easy way to get out of here escape, you¡¯re delusional. -Suit yourself. But you¡¯ll probably want to come back with me here anyway. -And that is because¡­? -Because I am not going anywhere near civilization, and I feel like that¡¯s where you want to go. -Everything is better than taking care of those fuckers for free. I am not some sort of nurse¡­ -I thought you wanted to pay them back for letting you stay here or something¡­ -Pay them back? - I laughed out loud. - Hardly. They are paying ME back for imprisoning me without a reason, and basically kidnapping. Speaking of kidnapping¡­ -Hey, I just remembered something. How much of that potion of yours you¡¯re gonna make? Can you make a batch for me as well? -I am not making some energy drink - she puffed. - Nor the poison if you are thinking of that. This is a medicine, and a powerful one to boot. -Oh, I am aware, that¡¯s why I am asking. -I am not gonna waste resources just because you felt like it. Maybe if you¡¯d fulfill your earlier promise I¡¯d think twice about it¡­ -How the hell was I supposed to do anything after being sent to fuck-knows-where? Not like I was trying to, though. -Meaning that our deal is still on? -What, you don¡¯t believe in the Law as well? - I grinned at her. -Eh - she looked disgusted - I don¡¯t want to use it if I don¡¯t have to. I rather just keep the deals plain and magicless. -Well then, if you¡¯ll get me some of that potion then I will be a lot more inclined to help¡­ She looked me in the eye. -Listen. I can get you as much of that as you need¡­ -Well that¡¯s a sudden change¡­ -...but¡­ -Ah, here it comes¡­ -...but this is not something that is very¡­ let¡¯s say my potions are not something you can just go and ask some random village alchemist to make. They are complicated and¡­ -Yeah, I got it, you¡¯re making illegal drugs. I don¡¯t care. -Well, if you want to be blunt¡­ -Whatever, I am not gonna sell anything, don¡¯t worry. She still did not look convinced. -We will get back to this topic. For now there is nothing to discuss. Literally. -Eh, fine. Let¡¯s move out then. -Don¡¯t you want to contact your ¡°leader¡± upstairs? -She is not my ¡°leader¡±, I am my own person. And besides, she is wasted, not like she can stop me from doing anything. Also you seem not very interested in her well-being. -Is that so? - she said, gathering the herbs back into the bags and standing up. - You told me everything I needed to know already, so I know she is fine. Isn¡¯t that right? -Sure¡­ -I know what you mean, I am being a bit too trusting¡­ Well of course I was concerned about that. Especially after her mentioning that she did not want to rely on the Law of Triple Binding. Although I did not blame her for not wanting to use that janky magic, I can not deny that it was indeed handy sometimes. -...maybe you are right. Maybe I am wrong. But I have a good feeling about you. That¡¯s it. -Huh. What, you are now some kind of oracle now or what? She chuckled. -I wish I was, oh, I wish I was¡­ We left the room, and despite what she said, she wanted to check up on For anyways. It seems our luck ran out, because we found her door locked tight, and neither of us even bothered trying to unlock it, knowing very well about the spell put on the locks, so we made our way back to the library. -By the way, how are we going to get out of here? -Portals, duh. -Well obviously - I said annoyed. - But I don¡¯t think you can use them, do you. -No. -So then, how¡­ -I already contacted Il. She should be ready to open it in a second.. -Ah. Her. Wait, when did you do that? And how? She smiled. -Woman¡¯s secret. I rolled my eyes. -Of course¡­ Sure enough, when we reached the library, I didn''t even have the time to talk to the guards to warn them about the portal, it appeared exactly where it was last time. I had to be quick, because who the hell knows how stable that portal was. Judging from experience, I expected the worst. -Shall we? - she asked as I finished talking to the armed people stationed here. -Yeah, yeah. I hope this time it¡¯s gonna work properly¡­ -Of course. Without hesitation, she jumped into it. Hell, she was pretty spry for an old woman. I was having a bit of second thoughts, but I followed her anyway, anything was better than being stuck in that place. 35. Ingredient This time the arrival was not so bad - for once the gravity did not make my stomach churn, nor did it even change. As I jumped through the hatch-like portal, I emerged from the ceiling of some room and even managed to not fall straight on my face. Progress. The woman next to me was also standing straight, her landing was even better than mine. Honestly, it was pretty impressive. The place we arrived in was also familiar. We were back at her house - the bedroom to be exact - same place I got pushed into the portal some time ago, and where I almost burned down her garden. -Ah. Brings back memories - I said to myself, looking around. Just as I spoke I suddenly heard a loud yelp - for a second I thought I accidentally stepped on a dog or something, but it was just Il that immediately ran from me as far as it was possible and hid behind the bed. -Good to see you too, oh great portal wizard - I said, bowing mockingly. - I bet you did not expect to see me again after last time. But it was Melle who answered instead. -Stop. You are not helping right now. -Neither she did last time, I dare say she was the main issue. -Stop. I shrugged. -What? I would like an explanation at least. -Ehhh¡­ - she turned towards the girl. - Honey, I think you remember this man. I saw her head move behind the bed in nodding motion. -He¡¯s telling me that when you teleported him last time, he ended in some remote forest, not even close to the place we agreed on. Do you know what happened? There was no answer. -I know you did not do it on purpose, no one is blaming you¡­ -I am. -Shut the hell up! -Ah fine, whatever. I am gonna wait outside, good luck with¡­ whatever this is. I left the bedroom and sat down in the main room, gazing around at all the weird herbs and ingredients she had hung up in the room. Besides some obvious ones like spices and garden vegetables, I could not name any of them. Wondering how and what she¡¯s gonna need, I waited for a good couple of minutes, when she finally emerged from the room. -She said she is sorry and has no idea how that happened. -Aha, yeah, sure. -Oh come on, I am sure you did not land far off. It probably was just some slight miss¡­ -Slight miss? Very funny. I landed on a secluded island, without any boats, in the middle of the forest. That is definitely not a slight miss. -You keep saying that, but I don¡¯t know the place¡­ -Well that would be the two of us. Whatever - I sighed. - I didn''t think you¡¯d actually just go back here¡­ Really, this is your home? -Yes, what of it? -Nothing, I was just hoping that we would land somewhere close to the city so I can leave you to it and just go on my way later, but this¡­ -Yeah, no, I live pretty far from civilization. That¡¯s the point. I warned you. -Too bad. Well, I guess I¡¯ll be going back with you then. In any case, you got what you needed? -What? No! -Then get to it. -Don¡¯t rush me. First of all, I, I mean we, still need to wait for Il to recharge after teleporting us here, you can¡¯t just use this spell back to back like that. Ah right, I forgot about the distinct lack of mana capacity of people here. -And anyway, we still need to get going to actually go and collect the water. -I assume you don¡¯t mean regular drinking water¡­ -Obviously. We need mana infused water. Luckily, there is a source of it not far from here. Give me a minute and we will be on our way. After a few minutes, she was ready. She brought a small bag, not that different from the one the herbalist had, besides it being twice the size of that one. -Shall we? We left her house and the garden and started going through the forest towards the mountains. -You have any light source or we are gonna walk in the dark, being slapped by the branches left and right? Before I finished the sentence, she already pulled a glowing crystal. It gave out barely enough light for us not to trip over some random tree roots. I sighed. -I assume we are not gonna meet any people, are we? -Definitely not. -Put this thing down then. Usc fi mynu. I summoned the light orb. I made it similar size to that of the crystal, but the light it gave out was maybe ten times that of that excuse of a light source she had. I had to shrink it even more so we wouldn¡¯t get blinded. -Ah! - she yelped in surprise. -Don¡¯t act like that. You know very well what I am capable of. -I do, but it is still surprising every time I see it with my own eyes. I rolled my eyes and decided to change the subject. -So where exactly is that source? -In the cave not that far from here. I think you are familiar with that one. -I am what? Wait, don''t tell me¡­ -Yeah, you guessed it. We are going to the caves that you ¡°supposedly¡± traveled through. -Well I did, but I¡­ I stopped mid sentence. There actually was a lake in the caves. -You want to collect the water from THERE? Is that water really that special? -Yes. -May I ask why? -I thought such a powerful mage would know after the first glance. -Can you not? - she was clearly messing with me. -Just kidding, just kidding. - she chuckled. - Truth is, I am not so sure myself. I once, accidentally stumbled upon that pool of water. It looked clean and I was thirsty, so I refilled my waterskin with it. Not long after, I realized that I found something unusual - I felt a surge of energy so strong that it was hard to control. For the next couple of days I was basically unable to use magic, since every spell was magnitudes stronger than it supposed to, and controlling it proved very taxing. -So that ¡°poison¡± you fed me was from that water too? -Yep. Speaking of, you really did not feel any ill effects after that? No problems? -What, you want to make something that will work on me? -Don¡¯t be ridiculous - she puffed at me. - Yes, let me ask you how to make poison that would work on you, makes sense. If you have not realized that yet, I want you to help me. For that I need you to trust me. -Well, you can always try threatening me again¡­ -You really think I am that stupid? I shrugged. -Don¡¯t know how trying again would make someone stupid, maybe stubborn. Not like it would work anyway¡­ -See? In any case, no I am not talking about that. I am just curious, that¡¯s it. I think you can understand that. True, I honestly would¡¯ve done the same in her shoes. Exploring and explaining new magics was kind of my job, not to mention it was not the first time I was put in a similar situation. To be honest, she was definitely taking it better than expected. After all, besides that initial attack, all she did was try to cooperate with me and figure stuff out. The least I could do was to do the same. -Have you ever seen something like that before? - I asked. - I mean, the sickness like this. -Mana starvation? Yeah, it¡¯s not that uncommon. But for the treatment to not work like that¡­ It¡¯s quite unusual. That is the first one for me. -See, that¡¯s funny. It¡¯s not for me. -Oh? - she looked at me curious? - What does that mean? -Not that long ago I stumbled upon a man in a similar situation. In a coma, supposedly with mana starvation. He¡¯s treated but it doesn¡¯t work. -Really? Your friend or something? If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. -Hardly. Just a stranger I met, that¡¯s it, but that¡¯s not what I am concerned about. You see, from what I know they¡¯ve been out cold for a long while, without any change, even though I know there have been plenty of attempts at reviving them. -So that¡¯s what you wanted the potion for¡­ -That¡¯s if it actually works - I nodded. - I must admit, I had my doubts about that, but since it¡¯s supposed to use that water¡­ It actually might work. -I thought you didn¡¯t believe me. -It¡¯s not the matter of believing or not. I am very well aware about what that water is and I can see it actually working. Although I might have some other ideas¡­ -Other ideas? Now you are making me curious. -Don¡¯t get your hopes up. It¡¯s just¡­ Well, let me ask this: Do you know why the water you want for this potion is so rich in mana? -A weird question. I do, of course. -Then you are probably wrong. -Pfff. Of course. Listen, even though you are capable of using different types of mana, that does not make you an expert in every category. - I am not saying I am. Although on this topic I am pretty sure I know better. You said it yourself, you don¡¯t know what exactly there is in those mountains. -And what, you do? I still don¡¯t believe your stupid story. What, you are some dwarf who awakened after a thousand years deep in the mountains? Even if that was true, the cave layout can change after that much of the time so¡­ I laughed out loud. -Dwarf? Naaah, come on, do I look like one? -Maybe? To be honest I never had the pleasure to meet one. -Neither did I. Who knows, maybe next time I use your kid¡¯s portal I will end up in a dwarven city. I¡¯ll send you a postcard or something. -Oh give it a break already. She said she¡¯s sorry. -Really? Because I have not even heard her speak once, especially to me. She suddenly looked concerned. -Yeah, I know. That¡¯s a slight problem¡­ -You bet. You can¡¯t just be her interpreter for the rest of your life. Even if you do, I am pretty sure she will outlive you, what then. -I had a more immediate future in mind. -Who said I didn¡¯t? -Is that a threat? -Oh come on, I am joking. -Eh, see, that is half of the problem. Acting like this won¡¯t help you gain her trust¡­ -And who said that I want to win her trust? -You better want to, being a bodyguard who is not trusted by his boss is kinda pointless, isn¡¯t it? -Ah, that. I think I am pretty far from that yet. Haven¡¯t even made contact with the adventurer¡¯s guild or whatever¡­ I have not been to the city proper, to be completely honest. -I would recommend getting a move on. I mean, we are not in a rush since we are still hiding here, but sooner or later I would like to return her to the city. I like living here, but I don¡¯t think she shares my sentiments. -I would - I replied, annoyed - but somehow I ended up¡­ -Yeah, yeah - she waved her hand - I know. I get it. Give me a break¡­ I sighed. -Sure, whatever. Let¡¯s get back on topic. So, as I asked previously, why do you think that water is so special? -I assume it probably is running along some leyline deep beneath the mountain. -And why would that make it so potent then? -What do you mean ¡°why¡±? Because why wouldn¡¯t the leyline influence it? -Because it¡¯s a leyline, that¡¯s why. If what you are saying was right, every single river would be abundant in mana because pretty much every single stream intertwines a leyline at some point. -True, but that doesn¡¯t mean that¡¯s not possible. You are right, leylines and water streams intersect quite often, but that does not mean that every water has to be infused - you need either prolonged exposure or the intersection has to be close to the actual body of water where you are taking the water from - since in any different circumstances mana would just dissolve away into the atmosphere, or would get absorbed by some tree roots or something. The spring we are going to is most likely one of those. She was not exactly wrong¡­ but I did not feel like explaining it to her if I didn''t have to. -Well, we will see when we get there. Speaking of, I think we are close, right? -True. Indeed, we were pretty close to the mountain range - I had to strain my neck pretty badly just to see the tops - mostly because it was so large, but the distance definitely did not help. The forest also finally started to thin out a little, although as I remembered correctly it stretched to the cave and beyond. Still, it was better than the constant jungles I had to travel through all the time. Soon enough we were standing before the very familiar cave, or maybe it was a mineshaft, hard to tell. -Want to lead the way? - she asked. - Since you supposedly were here, it should not be a problem. I just glared at her. -Alright, alright, just joking, calm down. But I would be thankful if you could dial down the light a bit. -Why? You don¡¯t want to scare the dwarves or some crap? -Yes, the earth fairies are gonna get scared and I want to catch a few on our way in. No, this thing is going to be blinding when we go inside. -You¡¯re really in a joking mood - I muttered while reducing the power of the spell even more. - Is that enough? Or maybe you should just use that poor excuse of a light source that you brought instead? -Nope, I am good. Let¡¯s go. And so we started delving deep into the mountain. The path looked exactly the same as when I was there last time, to the point that I was able to see the marks I made on the walls and the rocks I displaced. I think she also noticed that, because every time we passed by one of those spots, her eyes widened for a second. After maybe five of those spots I finally couldn¡¯t help myself and asked: -Why are you so surprised? I told you I came through here. -Yes¡­ I can see¡­ - she replied with a hand on one of my marks on the tunnel wall. - But still, I can¡¯t believe it¡­ -What, you thought that I just walked out from here without marking the path? - I asked, knowing fully that it was not why she was still in denial. -No¡­ I still can¡¯t understand how you ended up in those tunnels¡­ I thought I knew all about them¡­ -Ehe. By the way, what exactly are those? Some old mine, or what? -It really looks like that, right? -Well, sort of. It¡¯s a bit too clean for it to be a natural cave, that¡¯s for sure. After you told me that you used them I thought it was your secret passage of your making or something¡­ -Hah, I wish. But you might not be far off¡­ -Oh? -I used to come here with my husband¡­ -I was not talking about THAT type of secret passage - I interrupted her mid sentence -Oh shut the hell up, we were going here to get that infused water as well. -Of course you did. She glared at me annoyed. -And he kept saying that this corridor could not be made by any non-magical means. I gazed around, trying to get a feel for the mana in the area. -Well, I can¡¯t feel a thing. He was either talking bullshit or¡­ -Honestly, I thought so at first too. But the longer I knew him, the more I realized that he knew a lot more than I was aware of. He had a lot of secrets. -I can see that - I muttered under my breath, thinking of the necklace I had and all the commotion it caused. - I also didn¡¯t even manage to finish my sentence. -Wha..? -I was saying, he was either talking bullshit, or whoever made those tunnels was very skilled. -What do you mean? - she looked at me, confused. -See, I am not particularly versed in earth magic, but¡­ you technically would be able to make something like this - I gestured around us - without that much of an effort. You don¡¯t need earth magic to do that, for example you could use water to straight up cut through the rock, or mix water and ice magic to slowly crack it away. You could even straight up melt it with either fire or lightning. The issue is, if you used any of those methods, you¡¯d leave a massive amount of traces behind, including a lot of mana infused rock, that would not disappear for a VERY long time. So if someone who made this used one of those methods, it had to have happened literally tens of thousands years ago. Maybe even more, who the hell knows. -And what, the earth magic would be different? That probably would be the most invasive method¡­ I shook my head in disappointment. -For a wife of, supposedly, a smart man, you don¡¯t know much about magic, do you. She puffed, but did not interrupt. - No, quite the opposite: because you are not destroying anything. It is always far easier to destroy than to create, but to compensate, the creation is a lot more, let¡¯s say, environmentally friendly. Don¡¯t get me wrong, you still leave some residue behind, but it is far less persistent, to the point that instead of millenniums we are talking days. -That¡¯s¡­ actually interesting¡­ - she looked genuinely curious - To think earth magic has that much of a difference¡­ -No, no, it¡¯s not the earth magic - I corrected her - it¡¯s not the element that is the key factor - it is how you use it: creation and destruction. I only mentioned earth magic because we are literally inside a large rock. If that was an iceberg, the same thing would be correct for ice magic. Although then melting it would be far easier¡­ Well anyway doesn¡¯t matter, you get my point. -Sort of¡­ I still don¡¯t know how making a hole is creating, though¡­ -Because you are not ¡°making a hole¡±. You are melding a path, changing the shape of the rock. That¡¯s probably why the surfaces are that smooth¡­ -What happens with the excess material then? There had to be a lot of it, right? -Probably less than you¡¯d expect. Mountains are rarely just a solid block of rock, they often have a lot of cave-like structures that are not connected to anything. The place where we are going was most likely one of them. Besides, when I passed here before, I saw a few holes, sort of like vents that probably lead somewhere as well. -I guess that makes sense¡­ but is that even possible? It would take a lot to make something like that¡­ -If one person can make a full-ass castle from a mountain in a day, why not? -Are you for real right now? I swear I can¡¯t tell when you are joking or not¡­ -I guess it probably was a bit over the top comparison, but¡­ -What are you even talking about? - she turned to me, confused. -Emm, hello, Red Edge? I had some time to read up so¡­ But you¡¯re right, that was probably just some kind of myth or another religion¡­ They had bunch of tomes on that for some reason¡­ -Stop confusing me! -Okay - I sighed. - The Red Edge, the place that we teleported from, was supposedly created out of one large chunk of stone by one man some time ago. I read it in a book dedicated to the history of their guild¡­ order¡­ whatever they are, you probably know better. I admit, it sounds a bit improbable, so I assume it was not just one person, although the place looks like indeed it was made out of one large piece of stone, meaning earth magic had to be involved. Kinda similar to those tunnels. -I never heard of that story¡­ - she looked genuinely surprised. -Well, you live literally in the middle of the forest, nowhere, so that is not a surprise. -First of all, fuck you - she said offended. -Come on, I spent what, two weeks or so, in this country and I already know more about its history than you. She didn¡¯t even flinch at that comment. -I have you know, I also have a house in the capital, as I said already! No matter! - she puffed at me, which looked stupidly out of place for a person of her age. - Besides, I used to be an adventurer! I would¡¯ve heard the story about something like that for sure! -I dunno. It was in their library. -I guess you can find secrets in all sorts of places. -Ah yes, the school library, the best place to hide your secrets. I could think of worse places. -Like what? -Like your head, because I swear there is a lot of empty space in there. Why in the hell would anyone hide a story like that? -Okay, I would recommend for you to not antagonize your employer. Might end poorly for you. I rolled my eyes. -What are you gonna do, tie me up with plants? Because I can¡¯t see any down here. Come on, I am joking. You said it yourself, you never know when I am serious or not. -I swear¡­ She did not finish the sentence, instead she stopped suddenly, without a warning. -What? I didn¡¯t even have to ask, really - one glance was enough to see why. We were standing in the entrance of a large cavern. -Ah, we are here. But as I said that I realized that something was wrong. It was quiet. There was no sound of dripping water that was prevalent last time I was here. Curious, I sent my light orb forward and up, lighting up a bit more. Instead of the lake there was now a big empty cave with a shallow dry pit. -I want to ask if you are sure that this is the right place, but¡­ - I looked down and further towards the end of the cave - ¡­but I also know that it is. 36. Deal -What the hell happened!? - she yelled, panicked, letting the voice bounce around in the empty space. - Why? How?! -Calm down, it¡¯s just water. -Just water?! JUST WATER?! That was our source of income! I just shrugged and jumped down into the pit. It was maybe a meter deep at the edge and continued to deepen further into the cave, still covered in darkness. It was completely dry down there. I started walking, looking for the other edge. After a few steps, the floor and the cave itself slowly started reminding me less of a man-made structure and more of a regular, natural cave. Stalagmites and stalactites started sprouting from the floor and the ceiling and soon I reached the abrupt end - a regular cave wall. The lake dried out completely. I wanted to try and listen for the dripping water but that was impossible with the noises coming from the entrance. It was not easy to tell what exactly that was thanks to the echo, but I was sure that I knew the source. I sighed and started walking back. As I got closer, I realized that Melle was now crying. Slumped down on the edge of what used to be an underground lake, she hid her face in her hands and was trying to quiet herself down, but with the echo of the cave that was useless. Without a word I climbed out of, what used to be, the lake and leaned on the side of the cavern, playing around with my light orb. I was not in the mood for consoling, so I just stood there, waiting for a long while. It took her a couple of minutes to finally stop sobbing and stand up. You could still see that she was shaken, but she tried her best to keep it together. -I am sorry - she said meekly, - I don¡¯t think I am gonna be able to help after all. Nor will I be able to hire you... We should go back, as soon as we arrive I will get Ilto open a portal for you to wherever you like to go and¡­ -Hold your horses - I stopped her mumbling. - I sort of don¡¯t want to know, but I will ask anyway: why was that water so special that you had to¡­ well, do this? -I¡­ ehm - she cleared her throat - I am sorry. I lost my temper there for a second. I don¡¯t really want to talk¡­ -No, no - I stopped her again. - I am not asking about that. I want to know exactly what that water exactly was. I thought it was just some infused lake, and there are plenty of those, right? -True - she started wiping her tears, but as soon as she started talking again, it started flowing again - But this was only one powerful enough for my needs. And probably for For ''s as well. -Wait, that¡¯s it? - I asked, confused. - Power? You know you can infuse the water yourself, right? -That¡¯s¡­ I know, I guess I can still help you and For... That¡¯s not going to change my situation. Doing this manually is going to take a long time, so we should hurry and go back¡­ She started walking towards the tunnel and the exit. I did not stop her, but just followed suit and said: -You know, I might know a place¡­ -Stop it, that is sweet and I am flattered that you want to help me, but don¡¯t give me false hope. -I mean it. Say, how potent was the water in here? -About 40. -About what? -40 degrees? The temperature you feel when in contact with the water? -Ah. I was expecting the percentage of infusion, but I guess that works too. Listen, I think there is a place nearby with similar, if not better concentration. But¡­ She stopped so suddenly I walked right into her. -Ow. -You are joking. Tell me you aren¡¯t. She turned to me, wide eyed. -Come on, woman, calm down. I said ¡°I think¡±. -So it¡¯s just¡­ -For fucks sake woman, let me finish. I swear you are so¡­ Eh, I can show you the place, but there are conditions. -I am listening. She was now staring intently at me, it was kinda unsettling to be completely honest. -Well¡­ First things first, I do not want anyone else to know about it. I don¡¯t care who that is. No husbands, daughters, friends, servants, whatever. -Of course. -Second. We share profits. Any potions, or whatever the fuck do you make out of this water - two thirds are mine.. -Done. That surprised me. I thought she was gonna haggle - that¡¯s why I went with that instead of a 50/50 split. For a woman who just cried about losing her, well, basically a goldmine, like a little baby, that was a bit out of character. That also gave me an idea. -Third. You are to help me learn more about this land. -What does that supposed to mean? - she looked at me suspiciously. -I told you. I am not from this country. I want to learn as much as I can, so I can finally get my bearings on this situation. -Sure¡­ I guess that¡¯s a cheap price to pay for a¡­ -I have not finished yet. She looked at me questioningly. -By that I meant you to be bound to me by Triple Binding, so I can make sure that you won¡¯t go back on your word and be of help in the future. That was obviously a stupid request. Judging how things worked in this country, no sane person would agree. I wanted to¡­ -No problem. Wait what? I honestly did not expect her to accept right off the bat. Again. -Well, I¡¯ll be damned. -What? -Nothing¡­ Are you ready then? -For what? You want to do this right here and now? You know how to do it? -Yep. During my time at the Red Edge I managed to find a bunch of books explaining the Law - I wanted to figure out what exactly I walked into after I signed one with For. I might not have learned everything I wanted, a lot of things were omitted for some reason, but I knew how to forge a pact at least. It was actually pretty simple. You just need a deal to be written on something and you need to sign it in blood. Literally. You take the blood of both parties and mix it together using a certain spell - apparently the one that drained Jacob so much. I was not worried about that part though - I was confident enough in my mana capacity, especially with the crystal. I pulled out my notebook. ripped out a page and started writing on the floor. It was not the most convenient way to do things, but I was not gonna let this occasion slip. I, Mor, am to provide information about the infused water spring to Melle. In return, I expect her to not disclose any information about it to anyone without my previous acceptance. Any profits off the said water will be split - two thirds go to me, one third to her. We are to be bound by the Law of Triple Binding. -How does that look? - I shoved the paper towards her, letting her read and pulling out one of the empty ink bottles I still had in my bag. She quickly skimmed the text and equally fast replied. -Yes. Where¡¯s¡­ -I was just getting to that. Do you have a blade, or should I improvise? -Actually, I do. Why do we need that? -What, you never signed a contract like this before? We need blood to sign the deal with. -I didn¡¯t¡­ I mean I never thought when they say ¡°sign with blood¡± they mean literally¡­ -Every saying has its roots in some truth. Give it to me. I couldn¡¯t see where she was keeping it, but she produced a small dagger from somewhere under her clothes. The blade was smaller than even my pinky finger, with a simple, wooden handle. I wanted to check how dull it was, so I slightly touched it with my thumb, and to my surprise I immediately got cut. It was pretty much a scalpel. While it was not my intention to cut my finger first, I shrugged and dropped a few drops of blood into the empty container. -Ready? She nodded and extended her hand towards me. -I was going to ask for you to do it yourself, but¡­ whatever - I said, while using the blade to poke her in the same spot, spilling some of her blood. -Okay, now for the harder part. I gave her back the knife and focused on the bottle. Inside there was no more than a couple of drops of red liquid, barely enough for two people to write the names. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. -Temhe mohoue. As I spoke, the blood started shimmering and changing colors, until after a couple of seconds it finally stopped at black. -You first - I handed her both the quil and the ink-blood. Without hesitation, she signed and looked at me expectantly. Taking it back from her, I still could not believe what was happening, but nevertheless I signed the contract. Instantly, the paper vanished in a familiar flash of light, and the deal was struck. I checked my finger - sure enough, there was now a new ¡°burn mark¡± on my thumb, the size of a full fingerprint, instead of the initial bleeding knife wound. I noticed Melle checking her own, new mark as well. -And now for the final test - I said, focusing on the mark. Immediately, both of our fingers lit up in flames. Although the size of the fire was considerably smaller than the one that appeared when I checked the contract with For, it was still pretty large - it was covering the whole finger from the tip of the fingernail to the wrist almost. Accompanied with flames, the contract appeared again, with glowing ink, spelling the contents of the freshly signed deal. -Whoah. She took this a lot better than For. While the flames and the burning letters definitely surprised her, she did not scream nor even flinched too much, instead she was intently watching everything. -Everything seems in order - I said, dismissing the papers and standing up. - Let¡¯s go. -So where is it then? I did what you demanded of me. -About half a kilometer that way - I pointed towards the wall. -You are joking. What, there is a second cave somewhere nearby? -Sort of. Remember, I told you where I came from. I meant it. -Wait, wait, wait. You are telling me that you actually did not lie and¡­ just stumbled upon a passageway that led you to those caves? -Yep. But that does not mean that getting there is gonna be easy. Look. I pointed towards the ceiling, where there was an opening which I fell down from last time. -This is where we are going. -What the fuck. -Yeah, I know. But I have a plan. First, who knows about this cave and your barrier? -Just us two, Il and my husband. -And I assume it¡¯s the same for your house? -The one here? Yes, what would be the point of the barrier then? -Just checking. Should be fine then. Step back. She moved a few steps further into the tunnel. -While I am not the greatest at using earth magic, I will try to carve us a few steps so we can climb up there. Unless you have any other ideas? She shook her head in denial, saying: -As you already know, I can¡¯t really use my magic here, there is not enough plantlife to even try. -Well then, let¡¯s try this then¡­ Visu, nuwo lek lupfipto. Fotoho. First, out of the rubble there was around, I created one larger piece of rock, which I split into a few chunks, maybe the size of my hand, and sharpened them on one side. Positioning them at the wall to create some sort of footing to let us climb up, I took a good breath, before¡­ -Qigo! I rammed all of them at once into the wall, trying not to break them in the process. The result was¡­ decent. Couple of ¡°steps¡± crumbled upon impact, but we have been left with enough to grab on to hopefully get up. -Ehkm - Melle coughed to get my attention. -What? I asked you if you have any better ideas¡­ -No, that¡¯s not it. -Well spit it out then. What? -Did you have to¡­ ram them into the wall? Couldn¡¯t you just let them float like that? -Ah. A valid question - I said, turning my back to her and checking the footing. - Of course I could. But if you were to step on one of them, they would just fall down. -Hm. Earth magic is strange. -Eh, not really earth magic¡¯s fault, just a side effect of mana conversion. -A what now? -Well - I started slowly climbing up, to the opening near the ceiling. - How do you think my orbs float? - I waved my hand towards the hovering light orb. -I¡­ actually don¡¯t know. -Then let me ask something. Do you think mana has weight? -Hmm. I actually never thought of that¡­ -The answer is no. While sometimes we can see it, and most of the time we just feel it, it weight¡¯s nothing. It is just pure energy. What happens then when you convert this energy into something else? It retains some of its properties for a while, depending on what it was used for. For example¡­ I stopped short of my explanation, because I almost fell down from one of the shittier steps. -For example this fucking thing - I pointed to the rock I almost fell from. - If I use mana to modify some solid matter, the weightlessness is kept and shared with whatever you used it with, for as long as you focus on it. And if you were to step on that while it was hovering in the air, it would have just given up under your weight. -I think I get it¡­ But still¡­ -Okay, I know magic is a fascinating topic and all, but you¡¯d better focus on figuring out how are you gonna climb up here - I said, finally managing to crawl up into the opening and looking down at her. -Ah. No problem. With incredible fashion, almost like a monkey, she quickly started scaling the wall, barely even stopping to look at the next step, leaving me absolutely stunned. Before I even managed to shake off the initial shock, she was already face to face with me right at the hole. -Make some room. -Damn - I crawled further into the tunnel, giving her some space. - I mean, I know I have one hand, but you made it look easy. -Thanks. I might be old, but I am not senile. -Shit. Well, I don¡¯t have to worry then. Let¡¯s go. -Is the whole way there like this? - she asked after a few minutes of crawling. -No. We still have the worst part in front of us, but judging by your earlier display, you won¡¯t have any problems with that. Unless you have claustrophobia. -It gets even tighter? - she groaned. - Where the hell are you even leading me? -Don¡¯t worry. It gets easier the further you get - I silently chuckled to myself. -What¡¯s so funny? -Nothing. Here comes the hard part. As predicted, we managed to squeeze through without much of an issue. She, once more, demonstrated the amazing flexibility of someone of her age. After that, we finally managed to stop crawling and could actually walk, albeit barely. -We are almost there. -Why did you even go through here in the first place? No sane person would squeeze through those caves¡­ -I was exploring. I could feel her stare from behind. -What? Is it that weird to explore caves? -Hmph. And what made you explore this particular one? I feel like those mountains have an abundance of them¡­ -A gut feeling. Why do you care so much? -I don¡¯t want yet another ¡°explorer¡± like you to show up at my place again. It¡¯s a bit¡­ inconvenient. -Oh, I assure you, me neither. That¡¯s what the rules of the binding were for. -And what, are you going to make me some kind of guard for this place? I am not some great wizard that can just¡­ -Calm down. I am pretty sure no one will come through here to you, and if they would, I would definitely want to meet them. -Why? -You will see soon enough. We are here. We arrived at the cave where I managed to ¡°accidentally¡± break a wall. As we stepped out of the corridor, she asked: -What the hell happened here? It looks like¡­ -A landslide? Beats me, what¡¯s important is outside. Look. I pointed towards the stream of water, which now instead of creating a lake right at the ruined cave wall, made one about ten meters away, towards the other cavern, where I found the notebook. -Is that¡­ -Infused water, yes, yes. Good enough for your potions, or¡­? -Let me check¡­ With a brisk walk, she went towards the lake and before I even managed to say a word, she dipped her hand in the water. -AAH. -Yeah, I wanted to warn you, this one is pretty strong. She was now clutching her hand to the chest and looking at the water with sheer amazement. -Pretty strong? PRETTY STRONG? THIS IS THE BEST ONE I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE! And to think it was right under my nose! No wonder you did not want to tell me anything¡­ -But you agreed on the terms anyway. So stop staring and get to work. -Right! Of course! She started pulling out her stuff from the bag, while I sat down on the rubble of the wall, half watching her, half dozing out. We were pretty far from our lab, but I still felt some sort of nostalgia while gazing towards the forest. -Say - she asked after a while - you said no one is going to come through here¡­ Why? -Ah, right. Apparently, the corridor we crawled through is the only way to get here, or out of here, besides flying maybe. -How the hell did you end up here then? -Good question - I sighed. - I do not have an answer to that. -What, are you some kind of amnesiac or something? I pondered that sentence for a long minute. -Well, maybe. -You made me sell my own freedom and still you don¡¯t want to tell me anything? -And why would I? Yeah, we forged a pact, that doesn¡¯t mean I immediately will tell you everything I know, or don¡¯t know rather. It¡¯s not like this magic is perfect, far from it. -I guess¡­ -Don¡¯t sound too disappointed - I laughed. -It¡¯s just¡­ it¡¯s going to be hard to ¡°help you learn about this land¡± if I have no idea what you know¡­ -Ah, you¡¯re worried about that? - I waved my hand dismissively. - We¡¯ll get there when we get there. I¡¯ll be the one asking questions. For now just focus on the water. -Right, right¡­ -But, since you are so cooperative¡­ - I continued - I actually have a question or two. For starters, have you seen anyone besides me around your place recently? -After you left? No, no one has touched the barrier even. This is a very, very secluded place, It is rare for someone to just stumble upon¡­ -Rare. That means someone did. When? -Ah. I mean, yes, but it was years ago. It was even before the barrier was made. -You¡¯ve been here since then. -Yes, this is my family home. While it does not look like much, I used to live here with my mother and father. When I was 15, they both died and I was left alone. -I¡¯m sorry. It must¡¯ve been hard for you¡­ at such a young age¡­ -A bit. But I got used to it. I kept telling myself: they are still watching you, so you better not disappoint them. -A nice way to look at things - I nodded. -Sorry, I¡¯m rambling. - she cleared her throat - Anyway, the one who found this place was actually my husband. Well, not yet then, but¡­ -Ah. Interesting. Any idea where he came from? -Now while you mention it, he said he was a traveler and explorer, sort of like you. -Funny. -Yeah¡­ Anyway, I am done, are we leaving now? - She said, standing up. Her bag was now visibly more full, probably of bottles full with infused water. -Just a second. I wanted to show you something. Come. I took her to the other cave - the one I found the notebook in. -Take a look - I said, presenting the notebook. - I found it here. This is how I knew how to get to you. -I have never seen such a book before - she muttered to herself, carefully opening the notebook. - It¡¯s just one page? -Yeah, strange, right? That¡¯s why I asked before about people who passed through your place, but I guess since you haven¡¯t seen anybody, I guess they just didn¡¯t make it¡­ -No¡­ -What do you mean ¡°no¡±? She looked shook, and¡­ happy? That was not the reaction I expected. -I know this writing. -OH. So someone DID pass through here. Why haven¡¯t you told me when I asked? -I did - she was staring at the paper intently, like she was expecting that it¡¯s somehow going to spring to life and tell her something. -You mean¡­ -This is my husband¡¯s handwriting. 37. Coincidences -Wait, wait, wait¡­ - a lot of things started suddenly rolling through my head. - That means¡­How long ago did you meet him? -About twenty years ago? Give or take a year. -Okay, so let me get this straight. Twenty years ago, your husband somehow managed to get trapped here, out of all the places possible¡­ like me, went through those tunnels, and met you? That¡¯s a lot of similarities¡­ -You don¡¯t even imagine how many¡­ - she looked back at me, definitely with mixed feelings. - I don¡¯t think I told you already, but he was also the one who showed me that underground lake with infused water¡­ and a few other things¡­ -Like what? -He¡­ he had similar abilities to yours. Actually, I am pretty sure that you used a bunch of exact same spells like him¡­ -Okay, that is not that weird, all I used were very basic, regular¡­ Then it finally struck me. -I think you understand now. He was also able to use multiple elements - she nodded, confirming my suspicions. I started walking around the cave, thinking intently. -And you have no idea where he came from, right? She nodded again. -That¡¯s just too many coincidences. -Yeah, to be completely honest - she suddenly blushed - when I first saw you and your magic, I was sure that it was him, but you look nothing alike. I thought I might learn something about him if I manage to interrogate you, since it looks like you came from the same place¡­ -Well fuck, I think we both are in the same boat. And you might be right that we were, but, more importantly, what¡¯s his name? - I asked, impatient. -Ah, I never told you that. Noli. Did you know him? -That¡¯s the strange part. This is the first time I have ever heard that name - I stated, confused. -Hmm¡­ -Where is he now? I have a lot of questions for him, but¡­ -I know what you are thinking - she shook her head. - I honestly have no idea though. He left the house, saying he wanted to ¡°remiscience a little¡±. Back then, I thought he wanted to go and meet his old friends we adventured with. She sighed. -It¡¯s been too long though. After about three months of his absence, I started looking for him, but to no avail. I reached out to a bunch of our friends, but none of them have heard from him since their adventuring days. -Sounds like quite a mysterious fellow. She didn¡¯t answer, instead just kept looking at the horizon. I stood up, slapping the ground and stretched out. -Ahh, finally, a direction. I think I now know what I want to do for now! -I thought you were going to help me with Il ''s problems and all. -Well, that¡¯s that too, but I feel like you are overreacting. No one is going to bother you out here, and with this infused water you¡¯ll have your source of money back, meaning you can just permanently move out here. -Yeah, and leave the mansion along with the city? No thank you. -I thought you liked it here, wasn¡¯t this your family home. -Yes. But I am not going to confine Il here like some weird forest witch. While I might be one, that does not mean I have the right to decide for someone. -Pfff - I waved my hand. - Like that matters that much. She¡¯s just a kid. If she doesn¡¯t like it that much why don¡¯t you just build up your shack a bit. You can control plants, make a new room, or even a floor, buy some furniture or better, make them yourself. If you ask me, this place is better than most of the cities. -You sound like some hermit yourself. I couldn¡¯t help but laugh. -You can¡¯t be more wrong. I spent most of my life in a city, and while I don¡¯t regret it, if I had a choice to live somewhere like here with that much of resources and freedom, I would¡¯ve taken it in a heartbeat. -Resources? Freedom? -For one, since you said no one¡¯s been here since your husband appeared out of thin air, I am pretty sure you don¡¯t have to pay for land, or home. Thanks to your magic you are self-sufficient. On top of that, you have a source of income, and with that kids portals, an access to the outside world whenever you like. Perfect life. I still have no idea why you didn''t ditch that other place of yours already. -Maybe I should¡­ - she sighed. - Anyway, let¡¯s go back. I groaned heavily and started walking back towards the tunnel at the end of the cave. -Man, I never thought I would ever have to go through those tunnels again that soon, and now I am doing it twice in a span of one day. -Come on, it¡¯s not that bad¡­ - she said while lowering her head, trying not to hit some stalactites formed on the ceiling. -I am not an award winning gymnast like you, apparently. I¡¯m just a lazy man with one arm. -Right, I never asked. What happened? - she pointed at my missing arm. - From what I tell it¡¯s not that of an old wound, you sometimes forget that it¡¯s missing even, so it had to be pretty recent. -Really? - I said surprised. - Damn, you¡¯re observant. Let¡¯s call it an accident at work. -What, a bear mauled you while you were exploring or something? -Yeah, sure, whatever you say - I tried dodging the topic, but she definitely caught on. -It¡¯s not my business, really, but since we are going to work together¡­ -Hmm? What, you want to hook me up with some prosthetics or something? Not the worst idea in the world¡­ -Prosthetics? I guess I could, but no, that¡¯s not what I had in mind. I was just going to share a story of one of my adventures. -And how¡¯s that going to help in¡­ -Let me finish and then you can start complaining. I sighed and stopped talking, instead focusing on the tightening tunnel in front of me. -So. As I was saying, this took place while I was adventuring along with Noli. We arrived in some sort of remote village near the coast. We stopped at some sort of a tavern which was actually an old ship. At the time it was quite deserted - apparently a lot of the people had left for the capital with some sort of a caravan. While that didn¡¯t concern us, we wanted to stay there for a night before we would move on and go towards the capital ourselves. Sadly, we didn¡¯t get much sleep that night. The caravan apparently got assaulted by something and most of the people involved died. We both got woken up by the innkeeper, along with one other person that was also staying there that night, to help tend the wounded. We tried helping, but for a lot of them it was already too late. From what was about 30 people that arrived, maybe less than five lived through the night, but events surrounding one of them were¡­ mysterious. It was just some middle-aged man, nothing was strange about him. When he was brought to us three, we all instantly knew that his situation was serious. We managed to save him, but in the process we had to amputate both of his legs. He was left in the care of the other man who was with us that night. We stayed there for another day, to make sure we did all that we could. In the morning I went to check up on the survivors, and especially on the crippled man. To my absolute surprise, he was nowhere to be found, along with the other one who was helping us during the night. We asked about both of them, but everyone was sure that they definitely did not know each other - the crippled man was one of the people that was living in that village for a very long time and was a merchant. He apparently was not very successful and wanted to leave for the capital to hopefully change his luck. The other was just passing through, like us, and no one had seen him before. -Wow, what an amazing story¡­- this time she didn¡¯t even stop to berate me, just continued talking. -Neither of us would really pay attention to that particular event, if not for one thing. One of the people we interrogated kept telling us that he saw both of the men in question that morning, walking out of the village. We obviously dismissed that as some misunderstanding, what, he suddenly grew legs or something? We just dropped the topic and left the village the next day, promptly forgetting that incident. The corridor in front of us again made us crouch and progressively then crawl, as she continued her story. -Not until the time we arrived at the capital. We stopped at some inn on the outskirts of the city, and, to our absolute surprise, we saw both of them there. They both recognized us instantly; before we even managed to speak to them they both sprinted out the door and disappeared in the night, not to be seen again. -You sure you weren''t drunk, or just too tired from traveling so you were seeing things? - I asked as we reached the end of the tunnel and I started climbing down using what was left of my stone steps. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. -Yeah, no. What, both me and Noli coincidentally had the same hallucination in the same place or something? No. We later asked the innkeeper about them; he provided the description that fit perfectly. He apparently overheard their conversation, but never told us where they went, apparently that ¡°was a bad business practice¡±. -Well yeah, if you keep gossiping about your clients that¡¯s not a good look for your establishment - I said already on the ground, waiting for her to also climb down. I wanted to give her a hand or something but she just climbed down like some sort of monkey and was next to me in about five seconds. -So what, you think that guy just regrew his legs. Do you even listen to yourself? -I know, it sounds stupid, but you tell me. You apparently know more than me about magic. Is that thing even remotely possible? -I have seen many things, including bringing to life inanimate objects, so nothing is impossible. But the price for that sort of spell is always too big for it to be worth it. While making a new arm is not exactly resurrecting the dead, I don¡¯t think it would be remotely worth it. -Okay, now you are speaking in fairy tales. Bringing back the dead? Let¡¯s not get ahead of ourselves. -I just answered the question. While indeed, that person of yours sounds interesting and I wouldn''t mind having a good talk with them, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m just going to randomly find them. -I was just getting to that. -I feel like I heard that already more than once. -Hmph. In any case, about a month later, I visited the same village once more, to get some supplies for my potions. I don¡¯t know if I should call it luck or fate, but once more, during the night, I saw that same man. Again, he ran away as soon as he saw me, and even though I chased after him, he managed to lose me in the woods. His trail ended somewhere near the sea. I promptly asked about him around town, and this time I had more luck. Probably thanks to some locals that remembered me from the last time. He apparently regularly visited that same inn every month or so, and supposedly was from the capital, even worked in royal military. No one had seen the other guy since he disappeared from the town though. -You done with your story? - I asked, squinting my eyes; the light coming from the exit of the tunnel was unbearable after spending so long underground. -Yes, yes - she sighed as we entered the forest and started to walk back towards her home. -Well then, let me ask something. Do you actually believe he managed to heal him? Regrow his legs? -At first I didn¡¯t. But Noli was very adamant about it and kept saying that he should look for that man. Knowing him, he probably found out something more about that and never shared it with me. -Your husband seems to have a talent for finding weird people, so I guess you might be right. -Was that an insult or a compliment? - she grinned at me. -Maybe neither, maybe both - I looked up at the canopy stretching above us. - Nevertheless, there definitely had to be something interesting about that guy since he wanted to go out of his way and track him¡­ -Yeah¡­ too bad he disappeared. -Hmm¡­ I actually might have some leads¡­ And before you ask, no, not about your husband. The other guy. -How the hell¡­ nevermind, you won¡¯t tell me anyway. -Actually, I will. First thing, do you remember the name of that village? Any particular distinctive features? -Not really, besides that it¡¯s not that far from the capital and has a tavern that is an old ship. -Funny. When your protage sent me ¡°to the capital¡±... -Village close to the capital. -Whatever. When she sent me, I arrived on some small island. Was pretty deserted, so I managed to procure a transport to the mainland, and I arrived at a village that is quite similar to the one you just described. Massive boat-inn. Hell, I think I even met some people you saved. -What the¡­ -Yeah, I heard a story about an attack, wiped caravan and all that. -How the hell did you end up all the way there? - she sounded genuinely surprised. -Right? But that¡¯s just the start. I joined the caravan; apparently led by the same guy as the last time. -That¡¯s¡­ -Convenient? Well, that¡¯s not the end of the story. On the way to the capital, we were attacked and most of the caravan was wiped. Like on the day you were there. Long story short, I, along with the caravan leader and two other people managed to get to the capital safely. I even managed to meet a head officer of their army or something. Didn¡¯t help me much though, I got arrested soon after but still, that is a lead. -I can¡¯t even process this - she said, visibly deflating. - I was looking for that man for so long, and found not even the faintest trace, but you - she pointed at me aggressively - not only met the guy that probably is connected to him, bah, I think you even landed directly at the island he escaped to. -Actually¡­ you might be right¡­ hell, I think¡­ I think I met the guy himself¡­ -You WHAT? -I told you the island was almost deserted; I also met some people there. One sort of fits the description. Middle aged. Merchant. It also could be a coincidence. -Okay, you¡¯ll have to tell me more. She went silent for a minute. It looked like she was debating with herself and was on the verge of revealing something. Before she was able to make her mind up though, we reached her house. -So, how long is it going to take for you to make those potions, do I have to wai¡­ -Shh! She ducked down and pulled me with her into a nearby bush. -What? - I hissed at her, but she didn¡¯t reply, instead pointed towards the house. The door was opened. Inside, I could see the lights were turned on and a chair lying turned over right at the entrance. -You said no one can get here without your knowledge. -Yet you are here. And apparently someone else. -Well then, let¡¯s move - I said, standing up, but before I even was able to, she pulled me back to the ground. -Wait! You want to just waltz in like that? They are clearly powerful since they made it past the barrier! -And? -And we need a plan, oh my lord! And I thought you were smart! I sighed, disappointed. -So what do you want? Sit here and wait? Use your magic then! Make the plants barricade the exit! Grab them with vines! I don¡¯t know, I don¡¯t use a hedge as a weapon. They are most likely gone anyway. -How would you know? -I don¡¯t. That¡¯s why I want to go in and check. Sitting here won¡¯t help anyone. Maybe your protagee just tripped on some furniture, who the hell knows. I wiggled out of her grasp and started unceremoniously walking towards the building. I still could hear her hissing something to me from the bush, but I didn¡¯t bother with that. As I was getting closer to the house, I started realizing that that was definitely not just some home accident. Through the door, I could see the cooking utensils and random herbs littering the ground, along with some papers. Melle gave up on trying to stop me and actually followed up on what I mentioned - the plants around the house started moving, slowly but surely trying to block windows and were creeping around the entrance, ready to trip and tie down any unsuspecting foe. Carefully, I stepped closer to the door, ready at moments notice to defend myself if needed. Inside looked absolutely ravaged. The whole room was pretty much flipped upside down - every item that was not permanently nailed to something was now on the ground - and that included all the furniture. The door leading to the other room was also missing. Stepping over the mess I took a peek inside. Similarly, the bedroom was also wrecked. The door was torn from the hinges and was lying on the bed, snapped in half. But there was no sign of the intruders. Nor the girl. Scratching my chin, I quickly stepped out of the house and waved towards Melle, urging her to come. In a matter of seconds she was next to me, speechless, looking at the mess. -So¡­ I guess the bodyguard job is off then¡­ - I said as she started digging through the mess, looking for something. -No. No¡­ How did they get here! This should not be possible! -So, you have a suspect. -Of course! It had to be the people from the capital! Who else would it be! -Right, right, rich family and all that. -How did they get here without me knowing!? How did they know about my home in the first place! -Before you accuse me, no, I never mentioned this location to anyone - I raised my hand defensively. - To be honest, I couldn¡¯t even if I wanted to, I still have no fucking clue where I am. -Those motherfuckers will pay! - with surprising spite with her voice she sprang up and dashed towards the ruined bedroom. A bit startled, I followed suit. She was digging through one of the wardrobes, which was lying flipped over and tossing out some random clothes on the floor. -What are you up to? - I asked, dodging a coat that almost slapped me in the face. - I know this place can¡¯t be much more of a mess, but if you keep up, you might actually prove me wrong¡­ -Got it! - she pulled out a sack, a familiar one at that. It was the one with her ¡°mementos after her husband¡± if I remembered correctly. She pulled up her sleeve and shoved her arm inside up to her elbow, and then, surprisingly, up to her shoulder. Let me say, the bag was definitely NOT large enough for her whole arm to fit, hence my surprise. -Ooh, fancy. From the depths of the sack pulled out a scroll. -Are you going with me or not? -Mind telling me first where? Calm down, it¡¯s not like you know where they went. -To the capital, where else? It¡¯s quite obvious. -Okay. And then what? -Then I am going to rescue my daughter. You dense or something? -I mean ok, but there is still the matter of HOW and WHERE? Sit down, calm down, and let¡¯s talk. I know, this all happened a bit suddenly, but what¡¯s rushing the matter going to help? -You don¡¯t understand! You don¡¯t know what those fuckers might do to her if they know! I sighed heavily. -Then tell me! Know what? She stopped, clearly conflicted and hesitant to tell me something. -Look, I am pretty sure I can use this - I raised my hand and pointed to the mark of the contract - but I prefer to be on good terms. She still did not look convinced, but at least calmed down for now. She flipped over one of the upside down chairs and sat down. -Yh, fine. She can use life magic - she finally replied quietly. -Sooo¡­? -What do you mean ¡°so?¡±?! That¡¯s why she was kidnapped! To use her as some sort of tool in the research! Why else? I thought we were already over this! - she said angrily. - You are an abomination. Not everyone is like you! We can¡¯t use every element like you and life magic is especially rare! -Sure, yeah, but that¡¯s not what I meant by that. There are only two reasons why someone would get snagged if it is about life magic. It¡¯s either she already used it on something, shit went wrong and she was being hunted by the law or someone that got caught up in the aftermath. Or someone wants to use it and not be the one casting the magic himself in fear of the side effects. Which one is it? -Of course the other one! Why else! -So why are you so in a rush! It takes months, sometimes even years to prepare that kind of spell, and to even start the preparations you need the caster on hand! It¡¯s not like they just can toss a scroll in her face and tell her to read it aloud! -I¡­ I actually didn¡¯t know that¡­ - she looked surprised. - WHY do you know that? -Take a wild guess - I puffed at her. - Instead of worrying about that you¡¯d better start digging through all this mess and cleaning shit up. We might find a clue or something if we are lucky. -And if we won¡¯t? -Physical exercise is a great way to destress and clear your mind. And you need that right now. Come on, move it. 38. Mixed Reluctantly, she agreed and we started the process of cleaning up this mess. After maybe about half an hour of silence, she finally gave in. -Soo¡­ you know about life magic¡­ -A bit. -And you know about drawbacks. -A lot. -Arm? -Maybe. -Uh-uh¡­ Seeing as this conversation is not going to go anywhere without me telling her some more, I sighed. -Well, I used to work at an institution that¡­ was interested in all kinds of magic. That included life magic. My current state is indeed an aftereffect of one of our failed experiments. And I know you are going to ask - I said before she managed to speak a word - it doesn¡¯t matter if the failure was connected to life magic. I am fine now, well, mostly - I gestured to my missing arm. - I have a question though. How were you going to leave this place? I thought you were somewhat stuck after a certain someone disappeared. You have a boat or something? -Boat? No¡­ also how would a boat help me get out of here? It¡¯s not like we are next to the shore¡­ -Good to know. -Ah - she bit her tongue. - So you really don¡¯t know. -Yeah, I constantly keep telling you that, yet every time you are surprised. -Sorry. It¡¯s just¡­ just since you were from the mountains I thought you were just playing with me¡­ Or is that also one of the¡­ aftereffects¡­? -Well, that¡¯s not that far off, so let¡¯s say yes. -Hrm¡­ Clearly not happy with my answer she went quiet again. -I know what you are thinking. How can I trust someone who apparently forgot half of what he knew, including his whereabouts. How can I be sure he won¡¯t conveniently forget our deals and go sell out information about me somewhere? Am I right? -Maybe¡­ -Well then, let me at least dispel those worries. I am pretty sure that the nature of my accident was not in the slightest related to my memory. Quite the opposite in fact, it never has been better. I''m just¡­ lost, let''s say. As far as I can tell I just got transported to fuck-knows-where, that''s it. I thought you figured it out by now. You did try and bind me when you heard a certain name though, so I guess that''s an issue¡­ -So you weren''t kidding then? -I know I sometimes am hard to read but damn¡­ -No, no¡­ It''s just¡­ it doesn''t make any sense¡­ You are really from Mire? -Yeah, but judging from your reactions that''s not a good thing is it? -No, it''s just¡­ you seem too¡­ open to be one of them¡­ -The hell is that supposed to mean? Also, I, open? Ha! -Your people are usually more of the "kill first, ask questions later". To be honest, I have never been able to have a proper talk with any of them really¡­ -Okay¡­ I feel like there has been another misunderstanding¡­ - I started rubbing my temples. - What exactly is that Mire of yours? -What do you mean "of yours"? -Just answer please¡­ -Okay¡­ It''s a remote village in the swamps on the continent. People living there are nameless wanderers, throwaways and other scum¡­. Ekhm, of course besides you. A lot of them are also assassins and mercenaries for hire. -Huh. -Something wrong? -Well, I am pleased to inform you that you don''t need to worry. That is definitely NOT the MIRE I was talking about. -What¡­? -Is it really that strange? It''s not exactly a very unique name, first of all. I am glad I noticed that something was not right or I feel it would''ve ended like the whole Red Mage fiasco¡­ -What''s yours then? A different village? -Nah. It used to be an organization that I was part of. I felt like it was strange that you''d know what it was. -Was? -I''m just speculating here, but after the failure that was the last experiment I think it does not exist any more. -That''s how you lost your arm then? -Yeah. Ah, by the way, I don''t think it matters any more but I would recommend not mentioning that to anyone. -The experiment or¡­ -Neither the experiment nor even the name. The name shouldn''t be a problem since apparently there is another MIRE around, but to be safe, just don''t. You never know who is listening. -Okay¡­ I guess everyone has their own issues¡­ Man that experiment had to get really bad then¡­ -You have no idea - I said while scratching my stump. - That''s for the better. -Why are you even telling me that then? -You asked. Consider it an act of trust. -It''s hardly trust while I literally have a slave mark and cannot defy your orders¡­ -Details. You said yourself, that magic is far from perfect. Rest of the cleanup was spent mostly in silence. I think it took us about half an hour, give or take. Melle even managed to fix most of the broken furniture and door - her plants were especially handy for that. For example, the table that had a leg broken off, literally grew a new one. The door on the other hand, she straight up started weaving, like some sort of strange basket. Her magic was really something. After we finally were finished with the mess, I sat down on one of the newly fixed chairs and asked the question that I am sure was constantly on her mind. -So, what are you going to do now? -My plan hasn''t changed. I still want to go to the capital. -Yeah, I figured. But what next? You said you have a suspect¡­ -Yeah¡­ Don''t worry. I am not going to just charge in like an idiot. -That''s progress alright. So what exactly is your plan? -I will contact some of my husband''s old friends. I suppose some of them should still live there¡­ I just hope they remember his name¡­ -Reasonable. But there is another problem I think you failed to notice. -Wha? -How the hell do you want to get out of here? On foot? I guess we could, but that would be a major endeavor¡­ -We? Since when are you so helpful? -Since my transport has fucked off to the capital supposedly and the alchemist is too caught up in her own problems that she forgot that she was supposed to make me some potions. Come on, do you think I''m just gonna stay here and what? -Fair enough¡­ -So what type of transport do you have? A helicopter made out of plants? -Heli¡­ wha? -Ehh¡­ never mind. How do you want to get to the capital? While I don''t exactly know how far we are from Arbo, judging from the terrain it is definitely not close. She laughed dryly. -You got that right. If you want to know, we are on a small island on the Inner Sea, about a¡­ Well, a long while to travel by ship. If we had one that is. -Inner Sea? Ah, right, I still can¡¯t get used to those names. Kind of a poor name for a sea if you ask me¡­ Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. -Pff. Don''t blame me, I was not the one doing the naming. What would you call it then? -Mediterranean. -That''s a mouthful. -I guess¡­ whatever. So you don''t have a ship. How are we getting off this island then? -With this - she pulled out a scroll that she was frantically looking for as soon as we arrived. -Yeah, I thought that was important¡­ What''s the spell then? -Check for yourself - she said, handing me the rolled piece of paper. Slightly intrigued, I carefully unrolled the scroll and started reading. It was not the shortest spell and I swear, half of it was straight up wrong, but I was able to get the jist of it. -This is a portal scroll. Who made this? -Who do you think is capable of that kind of magic? -Your husband? Maybe one of his friends? Fuck if I know, that''s why I am asking. -I mean¡­ - she scratched her chin - one of them probably would be able to¡­ but no. That''s just Il''s creation. We made it just in case something would happen to her, and unfortunately I was right. -You know - I said, feeling uneasy - suddenly I don''t think using this thing is a good idea¡­ -Oh come on, you are still on about that portal from before? Told you that was just a silly mistake, there is nothing to worry about. -Yeah¡­ sure¡­ But please go ahead and use this scroll yourself. -So you''re not going with me after all? -Of course I am going. Just don''t feel like using some random scroll, especially when its author is far from reliable. If you want to take the brunt of the failed spell then go for it. -Rude. -Maybe. Well, for her age I guess she''s doing ok, but that''s not the point. -Yeah¡­ - she looked at the scroll with teary eyes for some reason and went quiet for a good minute. -Hey, snap out of it - I said, waving my hand in front of her face. - There is still stuff you need to do. -Huh¡­? -Potions, hello? Or are you really that out of it that you can''t even mix some herbs? -Ah, that. That''s like ten minutes. -Then go get to it. Then we will move out. -I mean, sure¡­ sort of thought that is not important for now¡­ -You kidding? And what insurance do I have that you will be even able to make those after we¡¯re done? -Oh come on, you speak like we are going on a suicide mission¡­ - she said standing up and starting to prepare the potions. -Correction: I am speaking as YOU are going on a suicide mission. I will manage just fine, I just don''t want to look for another alchemist somewhere when I have one right in front of my face. -Alright, alright¡­ -Dunno about you, but I at least try to repay my debts to other people. And I guess, ehm, "Contractors". -Excuse me? - she looked at me, confused. -Ah, you don''t know. Here, look. - I said, raising my hand. - I think you are familiar with this mark - I pointed to the newest scorch mark, made after our deal. -Yes, but I don''t know how¡­ -And this - I pointed to the smaller one - is the one from my earlier deal with your friend¡­ contact¡­ acquaintance¡­ however you want to call that woman. -You even had a deal with her? - she asked with disbelief. -Pfff, as if. It was a quick deal, but we signed it only thanks to the guy that is now lying unconscious pretty far from here. It''s the least I can do for him. -Hm. -Don''t you "Hm" me. -No, no¡­ it''s just¡­ hard to believe that someone who is actively hunting for slaves is actually a decent person. -Okay, I am not actively hunting for anyone. It''s just¡­ been like this. I am adapting to your culture. -Eh. You got that one right - she said with a sour smile. - Sometimes I wish elves had never appeared¡­ -And what do they have to do with anything? -This magic - she pointed at her hand and the scar - is an elven creation. Without them, there¡­ -There wouldn''t be slavery? - I shook my head with disappointment. - Sorry to break it to you, but humans always find a way to make someone''s life miserable, be it with the help of others or not. -You really have that little faith in humanity? That is sad. -Ha. Sad? I''m just realistic. For an old person, you seem to be pretty hopeful¡­ -Hey! -What? That was a compliment. Now stop brooding and the pointless talk and finish the damn potions. I want to finally get a move on.. -Right¡­ It did not take her even five minutes before she finished doing her thing. The process looked pretty funny from the outside - she literally was mixing the ingredients in a one large pot, standing right on the table. Just add a large bonfire under it and a black cat somewhere in the vicinity and I swear you''d say that it''s just some witch trying to curse your family. Well, it was not all that off from what was happening¡­ Alchemy was not really a popular topic back at the MIRE, so I tried to at least take some mental notes of what she was doing. To be honest, it was a bit disappointing. It was more like cooking without heat than anything else. She just was mixing the infused water with some random plants and other weird ingredients, pulling them from freshly fixed shelves. The one thing that was worth noting was that every single item she submerged in the water almost instantly was getting completely dissolved. At first, it was taking a good second of mixing for anything to even change the consistency, but the more things she put, the easier it got. Finally, after a good chunk of her supplies got used up, from one of the shelves she took six small bottles. They sort of looked similar to little jars that you''d store your pills in, but with a thin neck. She proceeded to pour the contents to each of them - and to my surprise, it all managed to fit. -Here - she handed me three of them. If I didn''t know already, I could easily just mistake them for regular infused water in a blue bottle, because only the color changed. Both consistency and the dim glow of mana infused water was still the exact same as before. Well, maybe it was a little bit brighter. -What''s with the rest? She shrugged. -Just in case. -Uh-uh¡­ Are you ready to go? -Yeah. Let me close up the place. We both left the house and she did something to the door. As she turned away from the building I could see the vines grow around the door and windows, covering them completely, then spreading to the walls. In a couple seconds the whole cottage got wrapped up like a large cocoon and you could barely recognize what it used to be. Just as I thought the "closing up" was finished, I got proven wrong. The cocoon suddenly sprouted leaves at the top part of it along with long branches. In a matter of minutes the whole building turned into a large tree, without even a trace, well besides the small garden surrounding it. -I feel like this is a bit more than "closing up" - I said, appreciating her feat of magic. -After what happened today I am not pulling any punches. Better safe than sorry. -Whatever you say. Kinda surprising really. -What? -Nothing. Just open the portal, then we''ll talk. -Right. I need to clear the floor first¡­ -Oh come on, you''re gonna open it on the floor again? Can''t you just¡­ I don''t know, use a tree, or a wall? -And what does that matter to you? I sighed heavily. -You know, maybe your monkey genes are still up and dominant, that would explain a bunch of things¡­ -Hey! -... but I don''t feel like crawling out of the floor or being tossed out by fucked up gravity. Speaking of, where exactly are we supposed to arrive? Please don''t say "at the outskirts of the city". -At the outskirts of the city. I just gave her a look. -What, you''d rather arrive at the palace directly? Be my guest and make such a scroll. And then explain yourself to the guards that would inevitably come to arrest us. -Well, I have some practice with that¡­ - I muttered to myself. - Fine, fine. Do what you will. Even though she appeared not moved by my annoyance, she seemingly changed her mind and came back closer to the house-tree. She cleared out the side of the trunk with her sleeve and pulled out a small knife, the same one she used for the deal back at the cave, and started drawing with it in the ground right at the base of the tree. Judging by the shapes, she was copying parts of the scroll onto the ground, although she did not write a single word. -Ready? - she asked, hiding her dagger, apparently finished. -Yeah. Not like I have to prepare or something¡­ She nodded and started reading from the scroll. At first I thought something went wrong, because nothing was happening. It took her a whole two sentences before the spell actually started forming something. The familiar dim glow started spreading from the paper towards the tree and the ground, forming a circular purple opening in the freshly made trunk of the house-tree. Finally, the whole scroll caught on fire and disappeared, leaving just the flickering portal. As it disappeared, she suddenly started trembling and almost fell on the ground, but caught herself. -You all right? Earlier I wanted to say you are surprisingly resilient, but look at you, the exact same thing as all those other people¡­ -What¡­ -Nothing. Come on. Before it closes. I grabbed her by the arm, trying to lead her into the opening. -Take a deep breath now - I said and pushed us both through the opening. Few seconds of confusion and disorientation later, we got spit out on the other end. To my surprise, it wasn''t that bad this time. While the portal definitely took longer than it usually would, we landed the right way up and did not instantly get assaulted by flipped gravity. Turning back, I noticed that we arrived, similarly to my first portal here, from some random tree, on which now the portal was closing, while the spell written on its bark was being burned away. Couple of seconds later both disappeared, leaving us in a random forest somewhere. -I hope this time we arrived where we were supposed to¡­ - I muttered and attempted to help Melle from her knees, where she fell almost instantly after we arrived. - Come on, maybe take a bit of that potion you made? I don''t need yet another vegetable to take care of. -Come on, it''s not that bad¡­ - she managed to say before almost collapsing again. -Uh-uh¡­ come on. I grabbed her bag and started digging through, looking for her batch. To be honest, I could have just given her mine, but I was curious about what she was dragging with her. Besides the inside of the sack being severely larger than the outside would suggest, the contents were not that wild. Bunch of herbs, about five bottles filled with clear infused water¡­ Why the hell would she want to drag that with her? ¡­ a bunch of scrolls, some empty flasks, another bag, and of course the potions. I pulled out one of the bottles that looked familiar and gave it a sniff. I don''t know what I expected, but the smell was just a mixture of some hard to recognize herbs. -I assume that''s one of the potions? - I asked, shaking the bottle right in front of her face. She nodded. I realized that I needed to act quickly, her state was slowly getting worse. Just seconds ago, while she had difficulty standing she at least was able to talk but now I noticed that she was hardly even able to keep her eyes open. -Well, down the hatch - I said while carefully trying to feed her the potion. It proved especially awkward with no hand to actually keep her head and body stable, so I first managed to lie her down next to a tree we arrived at. She did not try and stop me and started drinking so I assumed that it was the correct potion. It worked even faster than expected. The moment she took a first sip, her eyes instantly opened and her whole body got jolted, like she got electrocuted. I immediately moved the bottle away, but not carefully enough - a few drops got spilled and, by some unlucky occurrence, landed on me. 39. Connections At first it felt like I had some acid spilled on me and reflexively dropped the bottle, spilling even more in the process, this time on my leg, which got accompanied by even more pain. Before I even managed to say something, or even yell in pain, it immediately subsided, instead replaced by something less inconspicuous. Both my crystal stump and the side of my body with crystal shrapnel suddenly started glowing. In comparison to all the previous times it happened, this was by far the brightest it ever was. Both crystals were clearly visible through my clothes and the makeshift bandages, glowing like beacons on my body and, to my absolute horror, started getting larger. I could feel it as well - the one side of my body suddenly got heavier. But as quick as the glow appeared, it started dimming down. In a matter of seconds there was no sign of the light, nor was there any mark left after the spilled potion. Melle, now wide awake, was looking at me in confusion and horror. -What was that?! - she asked, completely conscious. -Ah. Well, your potions are a bit strong. The important thing is it woke you up. One way or another. You fine? -Yeah, sure, whatever. Mind explaining yourself? -Yes actually, I do. -Come on, I feel like this is a bit important don¡¯t you think? What was that light? -I¡¯m not pestering about your secrets too much, so why won¡¯t you do the same? - I said, annoyed. -Not pestering? Ha. Funny. -Okay then. How about one for one. -Wha? -One secret for another. While I don¡¯t think my problems have anything to do with our current situation, I can think of a few things that might prove¡­ problematic if I''m correct. -Pff. I already told you everything important. There is nothing¡­ -So that¡¯s a yes then? She hesitated for a second. -Sure. Be my guest, go first. -Why are you lying about being able to use a singular type of magic? -Excuse me? I pointed towards the tree from which we emerged not too long ago. -Portal magic. Why are you trying to convince me that you can¡¯t use it? -Because I can¡¯t? - she looked at me, confused. - I used a scroll¡­ -Pff.. Scroll. Woman, that does not work like that. -What do you mean - she started looking at me surprised and a bit scared - Scroll magic always comes from the person who wrote the scroll¡­ I rolled my eyes. -Yeah, no. Look at yourself. Listen to yourself. I agree, you can make items that work like how you just described, but that was not one of them. If it came from the person who wrote it, why would you be absolutely drained just now? -I¡­ em¡­ I mean¡­ -See? I am right. So? She looked at me defeated and sat under the tree that she not so long ago was slumped under. -Why do you have to be so observant¡­ -Thank you? - I said a bit bewildered. - I kinda have to be¡­ Also, it was not hard to spot¡­ -Eh¡­ Right, right. I was sort of distracted¡­ by some things. -Yeah, your daughter got kidnapped, I get it - I rolled my eyes. - I¡¯m not judging, just pointing out. It¡¯s you who started this¡­ tug-of-war. -Fair enough. Eh¡­ that¡¯s what I get for being careless I guess. Whatever. -So¡­? -Yeah, yeah, I also can use portal magic. Albeit poorly. -So it was YOU who failed to teleport me to the capital! For fuck¡­ -NO! Actually, no. That¡¯s confusing for me as well, but let¡¯s leave that for later. I learned that magic from my parents. That¡¯s why we lived so far out, away from civilization. -Like you can even call those villages ¡°civilization¡± - I muttered quietly to myself, making sure that she wouldn''t hear me. -I never was good at it, so after my parents died, I just stayed at my house, content living there. -But then someone appeared out of the blue at your place. -Yeah. You know the rest. -Hm. I guess¡­ -Now it¡¯s your turn. -Wha? -The glow, what the hell was that? -Ah. I said I¡¯m going to tell you¡­ - I scratched my chin, thinking how should I put it - It¡¯s sort of complicated and I myself don¡¯t know much of it¡­ Do you remember what I said about the experiment and all that? -The failed one that made you appear here? -The same. -Sure. What of it? -This is another one of the side effects. You see, I lost an arm to¡­ - and I started rolling back my shirt, to show the side of my body. -OH! -Yeah, oh - I said, touching the shrapnel stuck in my side, but I stopped almost instantly, noticing that something was wrong. The feeling I had before, of my side getting heavier, that was not my imagination. As I was showing my wound, I realized that the crystal was now covering most of the side of my body. It was starting at about chest level and reached just below my waist. It did not spread the other way though. Slightly unnerved by this discovery, I tried not to betray anything on my face, but I am not sure if I managed that. -That looks pretty serious¡­ are you sure you are okay? - she reached towards me, trying to touch the crystal. -I am fine - I replied, pulling my shirt back down and hiding the wound. - The glow you saw was the crystal absorbing your stupid potion. -Your arm¡­ is it¡­? -Yeah, it¡¯s the same thing. Excuse me but I don¡¯t feel like being undressed right now so¡­ -Right. Sorry. -Whatever. I guess I should¡¯ve known that stupid light is going to give me away some day¡­ In any case, I expect that this discussion is going to stay between us. -Of course. But¡­ -Come on, what now? -If it¡¯s absorbing magic¡­ How do you even use spells? How does this thing work¡­ What exactly is that thing? -Okay, first of all, this is not the time nor the place for this discussion. -But¡­ -Second of all - I interrupted her - I have no fucking idea. I managed to somehow go by like this without much of a problem, besides a couple of flashes once in a while. -Aren¡¯t you curious though? I mean, I would instantly try and experiment¡­ -Experiment? - I laughed. - Where? With what? In the woods and using some bark or some shit? Come on, you need proper preparations for this. Also, you have no idea about my curiosity and lack thereof. -Sorry. -No worries. Now - I sighed, standing up - Since you¡¯re obviously in a good shape now, where the hell are we? -A! Right! -I swear, you keep telling me you are so worried about that kid, and yet you get distracted so easily¡­ -Shut up! I think I hit the weak spot, because for a second she did not know what to say. -Ehm. We are just by the capital, about ten minutes walk I¡¯d say. We need to go that way - she pointed out some random direction - and we will reach the road in a minute or two. -Now we are talking. Let¡¯s go. To be completely honest, I expected this to be bullshit, considering she was the one who teleported us here, but I was surprised to notice that she actually was right. Soon we emerged on a very familiar road, half-overgrown and not too long later the city gate started looming in the distance in front of us. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Once more I was arriving at night, so to no one''s surprise, the roads were deserted. The guards at the front looked at us and tried stopping us, but Melle pulled out something out of her bag and they left us alone. Walking further in, I asked: -What did you show them? She pulled out the very familiar necklace - the same I had two copies of with me. -Hm. Good to know it¡¯s recognized even here¡­ -Why the hell wouldn¡¯t it? You said it yourself, that''s the symbol of the magic school and fire mages themselves. -Yeah, sure¡­ but there is a small issue. -Huh? -This is basically exactly what I was imprisoned for. Don¡¯t you think they¡¯ll¡­ I dunno, try and jail you this time? -Pff. Right. Who? For that is lying half conscious in her bed, or Jacob, who is completely knocked out. -I guess that¡¯s true¡­ -In any case, she is the one who called me in - she shook the necklace - so she¡¯s in no place to complain if I use her reputation a bit. -I mean, I don¡¯t care, really, I¡¯d be fine either way¡­ So. Where are we going? -We need to find a place to spend a night. After that, I need to contact some people. But that¡¯s not your concern. You got what you wanted, we are in the capital. Do what you want. -I guess¡­ Well, I need to find a place too¡­ Okay then, do you have any particular place in mind? -Somewhere out of sight¡­ Why do you care? It¡¯s not like you actually know anyone here. -Actually, I do. -I thought you were not from here? -And I am not. I told you I already was here once¡­ before THAT happened. Now when I think about it I need to meet with some people¡­ -Okay¡­ So what? -Eh¡­ - I sighed heavily. - Come with me. You are going too. So it happens that one of the people I want to meet is an innkeeper. Lucky for you. -Lucky for me - she muttered, and after a second, said aloud - Fine. Let¡¯s go then. The streets around the inn were deserted. From the outside, the inn itself also looked barren, but that was to be expected, it was in the shadier area of the city after all. With every step Melle was looking less and less convinced. To be honest, I can¡¯t blame her. In comparison to even the entrance of the city, the place definitely looked run down. At least she was not complaining though - not like she had a better idea, and she apparently was trusting me. -Are you sure about this? - she finally asked, gazing at our surroundings, when I was about to knock at the door. I just shrugged and knocked at the door. At first, I was met with absolute silence. The inside looked dark, so I couldn¡¯t even tell if someone was inside or not. I knocked again, this time a bit more forcefully. -Hm. Maybe he¡¯s back at¡­ - I started, but before I was able to finish the sentence I heard something move behind the door. -What do you want? - A familiar voice asked from inside. -I brought you a client. -Wait¡­ that voice¡­ I heard some more movement and rumbling, and the door opened slightly, just enough for me to see a bald head poke out. -Hi. -Mor! What the hell! I thought you were arrested! -Oh, news spread fast. I¡¯d rather not talk about it through the door¡­ -Right, right. Who¡¯s with you? -Acquaintance. And most likely a client for you. He opened the door a bit wider and took a look at the woman. -An old hag? - he muttered quietly so only I could hear him. - Can she be trusted? Where did you meet her? -That¡¯s a long story. And if she acts up¡­ - I raised my hand and showed him my mark - I will take care of it. -Oh. You¡¯ve been busy I see. Okay, come on in. The door opened completely and we entered the dark room. Unsurprisingly, the inn was empty, the only other person inside was Jack himself. He quickly closed the door behind us. As he was locking the door, I asked: -Say, where is our mutual friend along with his yellow sidekick? -Pfffff - he barely stifled a laugh - that is the stupidest way to call them both. They are not here. -Maybe for the better. -Yeah, he was cursing you for stealing his armor. -For fucks¡­ - I sighed - I should¡¯ve known. -Don¡¯t worry. Be... Ehm, I mean our friend knows that you did not do that on purpose. He tried explaining that to him but¡­ -Yeah, that¡¯s like trying to talk to a brick wall. Well, whatever. At least he figured that out. -Not like it¡¯s going to help you to run away from Red Mages. I can give you a room, but don¡¯t think I can help you fight them. That¡¯s suicide. -Nah, don¡¯t worry about them. By the way, how do you even know I got captured? -Ehrm¡­ a friend of a friend notified us not too long ago. He said that apparently the head of Red Mages wanted you found and their forces were already near the city, so we assumed the worst. -Huh. He¡¯s informed. I guess it¡¯s thanks to his position. Well whatever. I am good. -Yeah, I dunno¡­ - he said, clearly not convinced. - Let me tell you, the feuds with your higher-ups never end up in your favor. Just an advice. I sighed heavily. -Not like I had a choice. Doesn¡¯t matter. I have some things to attend to¡­ -Right. I¡¯m not wasting your time then. Let me show you to your room. About that woman¡­ -Yeah, I am not paying for her. While I know her, she¡¯s her own person. He looked at me strangely. -Slave with her own money? -It¡¯s complicated. Come on, woman, stop standing there like you saw a ghost, I think you have some business to take care of. -Right¡­ -I assume my room is still free? -Yeah. Technically, it¡¯s still paid off since the last time, so¡­ -Nice. After you both finish your business, come see me. Melle, wait in your room, I¡¯ll meet you later, after I finish my business. -Sure. -Okay. I left them both to their devices and went to my room. I found it pretty much in the same state as I left it - I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised, I don''t think there is much of a crowd trying to get a place here. A few minutes later, I heard knocking on my door. -Come on in. It was Jack. This time, since we were alone, he did not hide his worries and looked at me with pained eyes. -Look man, I am sorry, but I can¡¯t host you here - he exclaimed instantly - I don¡¯t want to get on the bad side of your boss and¡­ -Calm down. There has been a misunderstanding. First of all¡­ - I said, sitting down on my bed and kicking a chair towards him - I am not being chased by anyone. Well, maybe by Goldie, but who cares about him. -Weren¡¯t you jailed though? Your people never just let go if they find someone guilty¡­ -And why do you think I am guilty? - I asked, sighing. -He said¡­ -Yeah, that man seems to know a lot¡­ Well, I am pleased to inform you that I am not wanted by Red Mages. Not any more. Even more, I am now working for them. Sort of. -Oooh¡­ - he looked at me with a mischievous smile. I was about to clear up some things, but I stopped myself. It could actually work in my favor if I didn¡¯t tell everything. And, this man clearly knew more than he was showing. -Not everyone affiliated with Red Mages has to work for them. While the majority might, I did not. -So what was all that about? Or you¡¯re gonna tell me that there was also some misunderstanding and I had some fake news. -Yes and no. He rolled his eyes. -Let me finish. Yes, it was a misunderstanding. No, Odar had it right. I was indeed imprisoned for a while, but I struck a deal with¡­ some people up high. -Really? To be honest, they don¡¯t seem to be a dealing sort of folk, more the killing part. -Heh. Well, they did not have a choice. Never mind that, the main point is that I was sent on a mission to deal with some internal affairs, and in the process I met that woman - I gestured towards the door and the main room. - Speaking of. Did she pay? -Yeah - he nodded. - She¡¯s surprisingly rich. Where the hell did you even get her? -Long story. Doesn¡¯t matter. She might be useful to you though. -Oh? How? -That¡¯s why I wanted to talk with you. How is our other ¡°friend¡± doing? -We have a lot of common friends. Which one? -The not responsive one. -Oh - his demeanor instantly changed. He was about to sit down, but when I mentioned him, he instantly straightened up and went back to the door. He peeked out, checking if anyone was listening, then closed the door, locked it, and put the chair right in front of it for good measure. -Is that really necessary? You have other guests besides us two? -No, but better safe than sorry. And that woman¡­ She knows? -No. -Good. What¡¯s up then? -I trust this conversation is staying between us? -Obviously. -Just making sure. So. When I was¡­ a guest at the Red Mages¡­ there¡¯s been some things happening, let''s say. And just so it happens that some people started having very similar symptoms to our ¡°friend¡±. He¡¯s still unconscious? -Yeah. I tried contacting some people quietly, but all of Odar¡¯s men were busy. -You wanted HIM to help you? Are you insane? -Calm down, I wouldn¡¯t even mention the name nor what exactly was going on. It¡¯s not the first time when I bought similar things from him. Not like he would sneeze at the money. -Hm. Well, your choice. In any case, the people who got ¡°sick¡±, for lack of better word, apparently had some connections. The woman who came with me to be exact. -What, she¡¯s some kind of healer? -No. An alchemist. -Oh. I guess that could come in handy. So what, you want to get her to heal that fucker? Would that even work? -Well, not exactly. The thing is, she already made a potion that was supposed to fix the issue - I said, pulling out the bottle. -Oh shit. So she knows why he¡¯s just lying there like a vegetable? -That¡¯s the thing. It apparently is just a very severe mana deficiency. -What? - he raised his eyebrows. - Nah, that¡¯s not possible. I already tried some potions and even mana fruit. Shit does not help. -You know, we did as well. This - I shook the bottle - is apparently many times stronger than that. -And you believe that? - he asked, looking the bottle over. -I didn¡¯t, to be honest. I was going to give you the bottle just to try it out, but what happened today made me think it actually might work. -Oh? -As we arrived here, I accidentally spilled a few drops of it on me. I expected it would burn a little, like some infused water would or something. Let me tell you how wrong I was: this thing burns harder than some acid. -Shit¡­ And what, you want me to feed that to him? Acid? -Won¡¯t hurt to try, right? To be honest, I was going to first test it out on the other ¡°sick¡±, but luck wanted something else: the woman herself drank it and she¡¯s more than fine. -Okay¡­ So we have a potion¡­ why is she here then? Isn¡¯t that enough? -Yeah, the reason why she¡¯s here¡­ Well I think she will tell you herself. Long story short, she is looking for someone with connections. Like you. -Really? - he looked at me surprised. - She doesn¡¯t look like some type that wants anything to do with the underground. -You¡¯d be right. But that''s very recent. First take this potion and hide it or something, then come here and we¡¯ll talk with her. -Okay. He left the room with the bottle, hiding it under his coat, of course checking if there was anyone eavesdropping first. I stretched out and lied on the bed, waiting for him to come back. I didn¡¯t get much of a rest though. Not even a minute later he was back along with Melle. 40. Broker -So. Let¡¯s get down to business - I said, sitting up. -Yeah - picked up Jack. - I heard you have some business with me. -Me? - she asked. - I thought you wanted to take care of your business or something¡­ -I already did. Now we are getting to your part. She looked him over carefully. She clearly was not trusting him. Not like I can blame her, this whole establishment looked shifty as hell. -Look, I don¡¯t think this is the best idea¡­ - she said, unsure. -Best idea? - I laughed. - This whole endeavor is not the best idea. And don¡¯t think I am forcing anything. This man - I gestured towards the innkeeper - got¡­ some connections. As far as I am aware, you need information. I am just introducing you. That¡¯s it. -What kind of connections? -That depends on the information needed - Jack replied, smiling. - I am sure we can find an agreement. -Hm. I¡¯m not keen on yet another deal¡­ -No, no, I didn¡¯t mean it like that. I don¡¯t need more servants. And I think you¡¯re taken anyway¡­ -Don¡¯t make it sound like I¡¯m her husband or something - I replied, falling back down onto the bed. - Too old for me. -Hey! Fuck you! I¡¯m not that¡­ eh, nevermind - Melle started protesting but changed her mind as both me and Jack started stifling laughter. -Sorry, my bad - he said, stifling his laugh. - So what kind of info do you need? She once more looked him over from head to toe, and finally made up her mind. -The Rubo family. He raised his eyebrows. -Wow. You are aiming high. Anything in particular or you just need some random dirt? -Today someone has invaded my home and kidnapped someone. I need more than just ¡°some random dirt¡±. -Rubo? Kidnapping? - he looked at her, curious. - Are you sure? -Yes I am sure. Can you help me or not? -I mean, I can sell you some information, but since you are familiar with Mor¡­ I will tell you this for free: none of the family members are actually in town, and they haven¡¯t been for weeks actually. -So? -Meaning they couldn¡¯t be kidnapping anyone. Especially not recently. -Maybe they hired someone. Hell if I know! That¡¯s what you are for, right? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll pay, if you tell me something actually useful that is. -But what guarantee do I have? Without even raising my head I said: -Me. If she acts up, just tell me - I waved my hand. -Hm. That should work. It seems like he was thinking something over for a minute. -Okay, listen up, miss Melle. I am sure that no one from that family was even remotely near your place. In fact, I have been told that in that part of town your mansion is avoided by everyone, meaning if anyone would even try and get close, they would be easily spotted. -You know me? - she asked, surprised. -I know everyone in this city, maybe not personally, but at least from the title. Comes in handy in situations like this. Now when he mentioned that, I suddenly remembered the mountains of paperwork that he had in his inn on the island. They were filled with different names¡­ could they have been literal files about people living here? -Your info is lacking - she said, pleased with herself - I guess I should be happy¡­ but that makes this even more suspicious¡­ -Okay, don¡¯t insult me. It¡¯s impossible. She sighed heavily. -Listen. I am not talking about someone being taken from the mansion. I have a hideout somewhere far away. Someone from that family teleported there and took her when I was away. He looked stunned. -That¡­ that changes things. Are you sure that they teleported? -Yes. The place is literally weeks of travel by any regular means from here. There were also no signs of anyone leaving on foot. -Hm¡­ - he stopped to think for a moment. - And are you absolutely sure that was them? -Yes! You should know. They have been pestering and tracking me already and already tried to infiltrate the mansion a few times. -Yeah¡­ I remember that¡­ To be honest with you, they actually succeeded, but that is besides the point. -WHAT? That is definitely important information right now! -Well, not really - he started scratching his chin. - It¡¯s just one of your outer guards, they apparently work for them, but it doesn¡¯t matter. -And why is that exactly? - she said annoyed. -You said it yourself. It¡¯s not like they took ¡°her¡± from the capital. And you managed to hide the existence of that place from me. I don''t mean to brag about myself, but there aren¡¯t many people that can hide things like that from me. Congratulations. -Yeah, sure, whatever - she said unenthusiastically. -So - he continued - do you think some half-assed spy that didn¡¯t even manage to infiltrate further than the outer walls, would be able to get the info that I couldn¡¯t? No. -I guess¡­ -There is another thing. You say, they teleported. But, there are no mages capable of that in that family. -So what? They could¡¯ve just hired someone. -Believe me, if anyone who was even remotely close to that ability would show up in this city, I¡¯d know. I couldn¡¯t help but feel his stare on me. Come on, leave me alone, I can¡¯t do that. But, if I had enough time and resources, then maybe¡­ -And in this city, there are very few individuals who actually use this kind of magic. -Now we are getting somewhere. If we find out who they used, we can, ehm, have a discussion with them, so we know where she is. -Ha. I mean, sure, but¡­ -No buts. Names. -The only one that has actually been in the city for the past, I don¡¯t know, half a year, I am pretty sure he has nothing to do with that family. -The name! -Yeah, yeah. You know him both. It¡¯s Odar Erf, the guard capitan. He is under the direct command of the king. I sat up on the bed. -He¡¯s arcane? Huh. Good to know. -What, you know him? - she asked. -Not exactly. Just met him once, that¡¯s about it. -And that¡¯s it? - she looked at the innkeeper with doubt in her eyes. - No one else? I find it hard to believe that someone that is close to the king would even try doing something like this. -Right? Well, there¡¯s been some gossiping¡­ -So you know something! -Don¡¯t get too excited. While that is definitely something you would be interested in it¡¯s¡­ -I don¡¯t care! What is it?! He sighed heavily and looked at me. -There¡¯s been some talk about a new arcane mage that has been in hiding for a long time. They say she is a protege of a very famous figure, but haven¡¯t been seen in months. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. I rolled my eyes. -Why would I care if she''s not here! Damn you and your bullshit¡­ -Correct me if I¡¯m wrong. - I interrupted - but I think he¡¯s talking about the exact same person you are looking for. -Wha¡­ -Ah! So it¡¯s how I thought¡­ Well, that would explain how you managed to hide the existence of that hideout of yours - he said, staring into space, thinking. -Fucking damnit! - she slammed her fist into a wall. - You knew!? -I told you, there¡¯s been some gossiping. I guess that¡¯s why you think they kidnapped her? Ha. But still, how would they even get to you? That makes no sense. -All this time. I¡¯ve been trying to hide this. And some random fucker that has nothing to do with any of us had managed to find out¡­ talk about dissapointment. -Don¡¯t be so upset - he said, unbothered about just being called a fucker - I only learned that by chance, and I didn¡¯t believe it. Until now that is. Don¡¯t worry, I am not going to share that info with anyone, since you are one of Mor¡¯s people. -What do you even¡­ have between you? - she asked, looking me over. -Oh come on, you make it sound weird - I said, gazing into space. - We just are¡­ partners in crime, heh. Jack laughed. -Well said. In any case, I can get you to meet with Odar... -No. I don¡¯t doubt the king. He for sure has nothing to do with it. -That¡¯s not what I meant. He is the head of the guard after all. And kidnapping is illegal. Well, mostly. Technically you could just try and get his official help¡­ -That is one option. But not yet. I don¡¯t want to involve them unless I don¡¯t have a choice. -Understandable. Well then, I guess I might have something else¡­ He went back to scratching his chin. -I can send some of my people to gather info about the Rubos and their head¡¯s current whereabouts. Maybe arrange¡­ a meeting. -A meeting? You think I want to talk with them? -I never said that - he smiled slyly. - Let¡¯s say, I¡¯ll tell you the place where he¡¯s at, alone, for example during the night¡­ You can then ¡°meet¡± him on your own terms. I can also set you up with a ¡°private security¡± for your meeting, so it can go the way it would please you. You did not have to be a genius to figure out that he just wanted to set up a kidnapping himself. Of course he was not going to say that out loud. -Hm. Interesting proposition. But I assume that service won¡¯t be free? He smiled. -While I am grateful to Mor and am willing to help him and his associates, this is a bit more than just a helping hand for a friend, so yes, I indeed would like to get something in return. -What? Money? I don¡¯t have a problem with that, although if you need more than¡­ -No, no - he interrupted her, waving his hand - I think you have something more valuable than that. -What that might be? -At first, I wanted the confirmation of those gossips I shared with you, but thanks to your very colorful reaction, I already got those, so I won¡¯t be beating around the bush. I want access to your protage¡¯s skills. She smiled sourly. -That¡¯s a bit much. Besides, she is her own person, I cannot just decide for her. -Oh, I know. I am not asking for some eternal servitude or something. Just sometimes, I might even need, for example, a quick escape route out of the city. I want you to provide me with that. -One time thing? - she asked, surprised. -As a payment for this information, yes. I can¡¯t just monopolize the person, right? - he laughed.- But, after that, I might need it for other purposes, but if that was to happen, I assure you, I will pay handsomely. -After? You are planning to escape. -Maybe. Who knows. But that second part is just a future offer, nothing to do with this. I just wanted to put an offer on the table. So how about it? She was silent for a good minute. -I cannot force her to do anything. -So that is a no. -But - she continued - I can try and¡­ convince her to help you, if the need arises. Jack smiled once more, this time twice as wide. -Glad we could agree on something - he smiled slyly. -Uh-uh¡­ Do you need a¡­ proof? -Proof? Nah, I already have a safety net - he looked at me. -Yeah, yeah, I hear you. I am not promising anything either, but I can try. -Good enough for me. Now, excuse me¡­ And he left the room. -Got to say - Melle interrupted the sudden silence that fell in the room after Jack left - I did not expect you to have that kind of friend¡­ -Was that a compliment? - I asked, knowing very well that it was not. - Thanks. -Eh¡­ you are unbelievable¡­ -So are you. What do you want to do with that guy? -Whatever is necessary. -Ah, so the same treatment as me. Want me to make sandwiches? - I said, remembering our first meeting. -That¡¯s not what I¡­ - she stopped mid sentence. - You know, that is actually not a bad idea. I rolled my eyes. -Yeah, sure, if you actually manage to bind him. -Come on, not everyone is a monster like you. I probably should¡¯ve felt offended by that remark. -Maybe. But you most likely won¡¯t be able to feed him anything, and I don¡¯t think he¡¯s just going to drink or eat anything from you just because you asked. -I¡¯ll manage somehow. Most people in the capital are only known to use green magic, that I am sure of. I can handle that with ease, even if that¡¯s the head of the family. -You also were sure that I was a spy, wanted to kill you and¡­ -You are an abomination! - she interrupted, angry. - You can¡¯t blame me for not predicting that! -Of course. But what if that guy is as well? Who the hell knows at this point, maybe he is the arcanist, or he¡¯s hiding his real skills? -We can ask that information broker of yours. He¡¯ll know. -He didn¡¯t know about your place, nor about you. It¡¯s clear that his sources are lacking. -Oh come on, it¡¯s not that bad. Jack came back, this time holding some sort of scroll. -You¡¯re back - I said, trying to peek at the contents of the paper. - That was quick. -Yeah, it was honestly faster than expected. You¡¯re lucky. -Let me guess, so it happened that one of your ¡°agents¡± was already tailing our person of interest. -How perceptive of you! - he replied, smiling. - Yes, I have my people follow some targets of interest. He was one of them. This - he raised the scroll - is the latest report. I just shook my head in disbelief. That man was really something else. -Don¡¯t keep me waiting then - Melle said, impatient. - Where is he? -Yes, of course - he looked at his paper. - Currently, he is preparing to leave the city. -So we must hurry! -No, not really. He¡¯s supposed to leave during the night with a caravan to Kruro. -That place again - I noticed, annoyed. - I swear, why do people even travel there? He grinned at me. -You know, officially, on our continent there is only one active port town, with access to the Outer Sea that is. -But it¡¯s not Kruro. I¡¯ve been there, even the boats were converted to housing, so what¡¯s the point? -Come on, you really believe that? You think no one tried to make some coin ferrying people without the crown''s permission? -Ah. -Yeah. If you want to get anywhere on the Outer Sea without the country knowing about it, Kruro is the place for you. -So our target is fleeing the country - said the hag. -Yeah, if what you told me is true, no wonder. They kidnapped a pretty important person. -Speaking of - I interrupted - is he alone? Maybe he¡¯s got the girl with him, that would make everything easier. -No - he shook his head. - From what I gathered, he was alone. -So, when are you going to arrange our ¡°meeting¡±? -I was just thinking about that. I feel like during the trip would be the best, after the caravan leaves the city. I can easily get you on. After that, everything should be easy, as far as I know he doesn¡¯t have any guards either. -Convenient. What about the caravan¡¯s security? They will surely intervene when I try to attack him. -I would prefer for you to not attack openly, I mean you will be in the forest for the most of the time, there surely will be a good time to grab him without anyone noticing. But if the push comes to shove and he¡¯d start to fight back, I can take care of this. -How? -Let¡¯s say the guards will turn a blind eye. Go on a break for example. Would that work? -Can you do that? -Of course. Everything for my dear clients - he grinned slyly. Melle started staring into space for a good moment, thinking. -That will work. When are we leaving? -I am going to send a message and you can join them whenever you feel like it, just make it there before the sunset. He looked at us both. -I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll have time to meet you before you leave, so good luck and farewell. And Mor... I¡¯ll try that method of yours after you come back. I nodded in response. With that, he left us to our own devices. As soon as he left, Melle looked at me intently. -Thank you. -For what? -You didn¡¯t have to do any of that. Yet you did. -Well, not like I¡¯m going to just let my employer get kidnapped. She chuckled. -You haven¡¯t even tried to get the position though. Eh, never mind that. -So, what exactly do you need help with? I feel like you¡¯ll be fine by yourself with your plants¡­ -Yeah, my magic is pretty well suited for all this¡­ but do you really believe that man? -In which part exactly? - I asked. -The guards letting me¡­ us¡­ do this. -Ah. Well, I assume he¡¯s just going to pay them off. You are his investment after all, so I think he¡¯ll at least try his best. -But what if that¡¯s not enough? What then? I can¡¯t just fight a full squad of guards¡­ -I mean, your magic can restrain people, you think you wouldn¡¯t be able to get all of them? -I don¡¯t know. I never used it on more than five people¡­ and if this is actually some decent caravan, I feel like there will be more than four guards present. -Okay, okay, I get it - I sighed. - If it comes to that I will try and bail you out. -Thanks, but I must ask, how? Our magics are not exactly compatible. -That is if I use the fire. I always have other options. -What about blowing your cover? -It won¡¯t be a problem unless we leave witnesses. She looked at me, a bit surprised. -You¡¯re willing to go that far? Why? I stared off into space. That was a good question. -I guess I have a weakness for old hags with kidnapped daughters. Is that enough for you? She shrugged. -Understood. I don¡¯t need to know. But, to be completely honest, I didn¡¯t know why either. 41. Setup The rest of the time before we had to leave we spent in silence. While Melle was constantly rummaging through her belongings, checking if everything was in place, I was just lying down on the bed, staring towards the wooden ceiling. Jack never came back, so we both assumed that, as he said, he was busy and couldn¡¯t see us off. Leaving the inn, I closed all the doors behind us and we started heading towards the main entrance to the city, where the caravan was supposed to be stationed. The whole way, Melle looked calm and collected, but from time to time I was able to notice her shaking a little bit. No wonder, besides that her actual daughter being kidnapped, the ¡°plan¡± we had was pretty half-assed. Not like I didn¡¯t trust Jack, but I found it hard to believe that the whole caravan was going to just ignore a fight that was bound to happen on the way. How much did he have to pay them? Was it really that profitable for him? All this was weird. And soon enough I learned why - as soon as we reached the caravan, which consisted of a bunch of carts that were stationed right outside the city, and we were approached by the guard standing watch. A very familiar guard. -You. It was Goldie, although I only managed to recognize him thanks to his hair and voice. Without his golden sword and armor he looked like just some regular mercenary. I instantly stopped, not sure what he was going to do. From what I heard, he blamed the loss of his gear on me. While he wasn¡¯t entirely wrong, it¡¯s not like I wanted to do that, I actually intended to help. Too bad I got caught by For¡¯s people. -Hello - started Melle. - We are¡­ -I know who you are - interrupted Goldie with a monotone voice, staring daggers at me - Come with me to the leader. -You know him? - Melle asked quietly as we started following him. -Yes - Goldie replied for me. - I did not think we¡¯re going to meet so soon. -Me neither - I muttered. - Does that mean the leader is¡­ -Of course. Who else? -Figures - I sighed. - Listen, I am sorry for what happened earlier, I still am going to finish that job, just¡­ Well, shit happens. -I knew I shouldn¡¯t have trusted anyone besides myself. -I¡­ -Enough - he interrupted me with a hint of pain in his voice. - I¡¯m not in the mood for this. But this is far from over. We will discuss that later, when I reach my brother. Brother? I heard about him, but what did he have to do with anything? Before I even had the time to process that information, we reached the first cart and Goldie knocked on the side of the wooden wall. -They¡¯re here - he said. - And you won¡¯t believe who¡¯s one of them. From the cart emerged, in the flesh, Bert. Still in the same gear I¡¯ve seen him when we last split off, still looking tired, now staring at me, absolutely stunned. -How you doin¡¯? Well, it made sense. No wonder Jack was able to convince him, along with his men, to cooperate with us. He probably even didn¡¯t have to pay him, just asking was enough. I sort of had a feeling: the same place, a caravan¡­ I kinda was doubting that only because I thought he still was recovering after the attack, but I guess he was faster than I imagined. The three of us entered the cart, very similar to the one I first was traveling on, but this time without the crapload of the cargo. To be honest, it was now barely filled, just had a few boxes. Goldie was left outside, and pretty much instantly went back to where he came from, I assume to wait for the other passengers. -I swear, is your caravan the only one that runs from this city? - I said, sitting on one of the boxes. -Yes - he answered. - But never mind that. What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were¡­ -Imprisoned by the Red Mages? Yep. Long story short, I sort of work for them, and she has what I need. But she refuses to help if I won¡¯t help her. And here we are - I summarized to him my predicament. Bert quickly looked out of the cart, scouring the surroundings. -What about your previous job? - he said looking back at me. - I tried to stop Caleb, but he is adamant on calling his brother. That is never good. -Yeah, he was mentioning that¡­ Well, his stuff is most likely safe. -Most likely? -Well, you already know I got got by the Red Mages. So it happens that I already reclaimed his junk back then. Guess what happened to it when I got jailed. -They confiscated it. Shit. Tough luck. -Eh, it¡¯s not that bad - I shrugged. - After I am finished with all this, I¡¯ll just ask for it back. No big deal. -No big deal? - he asked, surprised. - I understand you work for them, but you think they will give it up that easily? I thought it¡¯s¡­ He stopped himself, looking at Melle. -Don¡¯t worry about it. Let¡¯s get on to the task at hand - I said, changing subject, feeling that he was not keen on explaining details in front of her. -Right - he nodded and turned to the woman. - Sorry about this rant, see, Mor is my friend and I never expected to see him that soon. So. You are the ¡°interested party¡±... -That¡¯s an interesting way to put it - she said, looking at us both, intrigued. - By the way, I didn¡¯t know you have friends in such high places - she said, turning to me. -Oh, I am just a humble caravan leader, nothing much. I don¡¯t really deal with my family any more - Bert replied for me. -I see. Well, I am indeed interested in one of your ¡°clients¡±. Is he here? -Yes. The last cart. -Who¡¯s with him? -No one. So it happens that he¡¯s been placed in the last free spot, along with the cargo - he looked at me. I grinned. -Same situation as me and the kid? -Yep. But this time with no deals - he nodded. -How convenient. You sure about all this? I know you¡¯ve been asked by a friend, but won¡¯t all this ruin your reputation? -Yeah¡­ about that, I was never told what do you want with him, just that you want to meet the guy¡­ What is this all about? -Oh boy¡­ - I sighed. - No wonder you were so cooperative. Listen. Our ¡°talks¡± will most likely involve tying someone up. Got it? -Oh¡­ well yeah, that might be a problem¡­ -Yep - I started scratching my chin, thinking. - If I knew up front that it was your group¡­ Eh, that¡¯s problematic. -Why the hell did Jack not tell you that? - Bert grumbled, annoyed. - What, he wants to run me out of business? I already have enough issues as it is¡­ -Probably not. He never said you¡¯re going to cooperate, just that your men will not stop us if we try doing anything that might look suspicious. -Well, no wonder. I have no men besides Goldie, and¡­ well, you know him. -What? What about the rest of those guards that I¡¯ve seen loitering around? -Those are city guards. They are not coming with us, they are just hired to help pack the carts. My men are only the people driving and that¡¯s it. Not really fighting types. -Oh. That last trip cost you that much? -Yeah - he said, bitterly. - Right now I am trying to bounce back by moving some supplies to the coast. And apparently your target. I swear, both of your timing is impeccable, he contacted me just yesterday but you probably knew about that already. Stolen novel; please report. -Huh. I sat there, quietly thinking for a minute. -Say, Melle, do you care when you get to talk with the guy? -Not particularly, but the sooner the better, you know why. -Yeah. And you know why we have time. Bert, can anyone else fit in the same cart as our guy? -Yeah, it¡¯s basically the same setup as you had with the kid. -Good. I have an idea. I wasn¡¯t that keen on helping Melle that much, but I decided that I probably should, since if I left her to her own devices it would most likely end with either a failure or a complete destruction of Bert ''s reputation and cargo. My idea was for me to join the caravan, exactly like the last time, and travel along with our guy, trying to prod him for information a little bit. If that was to not work, we¡¯d straight up capture him after arrival at the destination. Melle was to remain with the caravan, out of sight. She agreed, but was constantly insisting on the immediate attack anyway, hoping I would change my mind. I was led to the cart by none other than Goldie. He, on the other hand, did not speak a word to me after the last time, just silently was doing his job. To be honest, it felt like a change for the better. When we arrived at the last cart, he knocked at the side. -We¡¯ll be having another passenger along with you. Make some room. There was no reply, but I heard some shifting inside. -In - he finally said to me. - We¡¯ll be leaving soon. -Thanks. Inside, as expected, was full to the brim with boxes and barrels. This time though, it did not reek of fish, instead I smelt a mixture of mold, wood and tree sap, I think? Definitely the better one of the two. Climbing over a bunch of boxes, I noticed our person of interest. He did not look like what expected. Since he was supposed to be a noble, and a head of family no less, I thought I¡¯m gonna meet some fancy looking gray eminence, but nope. He was an older man, with short, balding gray hair, dressed in plain linen clothing that looked like he stole from some trash pile - dirty and full of holes. If I didn¡¯t know who he was, I¡¯d easily mistake him for some peasant. Only thing that looked half-decent was a cloak that he was wrapped in, made of some sort of dark leather, but even that was absolutely filthy. With that look, you¡¯d think he¡¯d reek as bad or even worse than that old carriage. I expected for the smell to hit me any second, but surprisingly, there was none. Quite the opposite in fact, as I got closer, I smelt something akin to the perfume. -Hello. I guess we¡¯ll be traveling together - I said, sitting opposite of him, on some random box. He did not reply, just nodded and moved as far away from me as possible. It did not look like he caught up onto anything, as planned. I¡¯d be surprised if he would to be honest, I barely even was in the city last time, and even if he would know who I was, not like that could even make me suspicious - the only people that I was seen around were involved in this caravan. A few minutes later the carts finally started moving. No one else joined us, exactly as Bert said. He told me that it¡¯s most likely because of him converting to ¡°cargo transport¡±, but I was pretty sure that it¡¯s just that no one wanted to join the caravan that got attacked and almost wiped twice in recent times - the interest in travel was still there and the proof of that was sitting right in front of me. -You¡¯re traveling towards Kruro too, eh? - I tried to start a conversation with my quiet partner. He just nodded, not looking at me, constantly staring at the floor. -Hmm. Yeah, that¡¯s a nice village. Coastal. Shame that people stopped visiting. Still nothing. -I am glad that at least this caravan is still working. I was stuck in the capital for so long, couldn¡¯t get back for months thanks to those stupid accidents¡­ That peaked his interest. -Accidents? His voice was hoarse, it was barely audible through the rumbling of the wheels and the noise of hooves stomping the brickwork outside. -Yea. I wanted to get home two months ago, but then the caravans suddenly stopped, due to some bandits and monsters on the road. -Monsters? That close to the capital? - he did not sound scared, instead he looked like he was just not believing a word I say. - Ridiculous. -Yeah, apparently even this month the whole caravan got destroyed by some plant creature. Or that¡¯s what I¡¯ve heard people gossip in the tavern. But I think it¡¯s just an excuse! Probably fucker didn¡¯t have enough people pay him to get to the coast, or just waiting to smuggle some contraband - I said slapping the box beside me. - But as soon as the clients appeared, he suddenly moved, slick bastard. -Clients? There is more? - he said, with a hint of worry in his voice. -Well, there is us - I chuckled. - If he squeezed at least half of what he got from me from you, I say that¡¯s more than enough for this trip to be worth it for him. Plus the cargo, I swear he¡¯s making a mint. He nodded. -His prices are something else. Thanks to him I am broke and even in debt. -I knew it. Let me be frank, you don¡¯t look like someone that sleeps on the pile of gold. Was it worth it? -What? -Was it worth it to get in debt just to get to the coast? Let¡¯s be honest, neither of us are going to stay in that dump for long. Sooner or later you¡¯ll have to move, and without money no one is going to even lift a finger. -I thought it was your home. -It is. Doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a shithole and I am going to stay there. It¡¯s the only place with a boat that isn¡¯t fully staffed with guards. -You got that right - he sighed. - And about that being worth it¡­ eh, who knows? - he said bitterly. -Tough luck? Eh, I get what you mean - I said grabbing my arm. We sat there in silence for a few minutes, while I was thinking of a good way to somehow bait him into leaving the caravan, or at least to talk a bit more. He definitely did not sound like someone who just kidnapped a person worth a good chunk of money, quite the opposite in fact. -Say, you said you are getting out of the continent as soon as possible? - he interrupted the silence later that day. -Yeh. Just need to grab my shit and I am out. What¡¯s that to you? -I was thinking¡­ - he said with hesitation. - Do you have any free spots? -Oh. That was surprising. I was sure he already had his passage further secured. -That depends. Where are you heading? -Anywhere is fine. Just need to get out of here. I frowned. That did not fit at all. Wasn¡¯t he supposed to go where the kid was located? If not, then why the hell was he leaving the city, or rather the continent. -Maybe¡­ - I said, trying to sound unsure. - There is one problem though. Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯re broke? -I will do anything! - he suddenly said, almost begging. - There is no place for me here, I need to get out, I can even work as a servant on the ship. -Can you even do anything? You ever worked on a ship? -No. I don¡¯t know, maybe I can move cargo¡­ or clean the deck. I laughed. -As much as this prospect is amusing to me, I don¡¯t think that will work. -There is really nothing¡­? I sat there for a minute, pretending to think. -I tell you what. You can come with me, I can at least introduce you to the capitan. What they do is, however, their decision, -Thank you! Thank you! - he fell on his knees and almost looked like he was crying. - You are a godsend! -Come on, stop it. I never said anyone is going to help you. -The chance is more than enough. He stood up and sat back down on his box. I was absolutely right - he was crying - and now wiping the tears with his sleeve. A bit unsettled by his performance, I started thinking once more. He either had to be a godlike actor, or something was not right. But what was his plan then? Did he want to steal the ship to go to their meeting place? I mean, assuming that he was the one behind the kidnapping, it was possible - and just thought I might be an easy target. In any case, I had to notify Melle, or she might act on her own and try something stupid. I started rummaging through my bag and pulled out a bunch of papers. At first, he was looking at me, curious, but when he realized that I was just writing some notes, he lost interest. At first, I was just pretending, but after a while I actually started writing a short letter explaining what the plan was. B. Everything is fine. We¡¯ll be having a client meet us away from the city, where I have a ship stationed. Tell her to meet me on the beach, a couple minutes north of the village. Thanks for the help. M. I gave the letter to Goldie during our stop, when Rubo was not around. It was a bit cryptic, but better safe than sorry. And I also did not want Goldie to know anything - knowing what he¡¯s like. -I am not your carrier pigeon - he said, but took the letter. I managed to barely sit down near the campfire before Rubo came out of the cart and saw me talking to him. Speaking of, this time the caravan was using an actual bonfire, not the magical crystals. If I was to guess, they haven¡¯t yet managed to fully restock and get the regular supplies and tools that they used before. Actually, maybe not, there were no people left from that older squad, and the new people looked basically like a bunch of random townspeople down on luck, so no wonder they just used fire. The food itself, there was also no mana fruit, instead we had some kind of dried meat. I guess he was not kidding when he said that he needed to bounce back. The rest of the trip passed uneventfully. I was constantly pretending to write while trying to observe the guy. At first, it appeared that he was fast asleep, but after a while he opened his eyes and started watching me. Finally, he couldn¡¯t take it and asked: -You¡¯ve been constantly writing for a while. Are you a writer of some sort? -Me? No. I wish I was though. -So what¡¯s those papers about? -I¡¯m making a journal. -I guess that¡¯s the first step to becoming a writer¡­ -Well, when you put it like that¡­ But no, it¡¯s just to pass time. Since I¡¯ve been stuck in that stupid city, I literally had nothing to do besides of reading. After a while, the inn ran out of books and the innkeeper threatened me that if I won''t stop bothering him, he¡¯ll kick me out, so I settled on the second best - writing. I am not good at making shit up, so I decided to write about my life and travels. Still boring as fuck, but hey, at least I have something to do. -I see. You better be careful about that though. -Why? - I asked, looking up from the papers. -You¡¯re creating blackmail material. If anyone else gets their hands on that¡­ -Is that a threat? -Gods no! - he raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. - Just speaking from experience, even a lost page can sometimes lead to unforeseen circumstances. -The hell does that mean? - I asked, interested. - You have some stories? -I¡¯d rather not talk about it. -I see. Why did you mention it then? 42. Trap Finally, we¡¯ve reached the village. Nothing has changed since I¡¯ve been here last time. We both left the caravan without much of a hassle, although when Bert saw me start walking away, I noticed him frown and say something to Goldie, who just shrugged and left. Melle was nowhere to be seen, which was a good sign - we did not want the guy to notice her. -You ready? - I asked Rubo, slowly walking towards the coast. -Uh¡­ of course. Lead the way. -Okay. I slowly started walking towards the ¡°port¡±. I was not sure if Melle was already in front of us, so I tried not to hurry. When we reached the coast and I turned away from the docks, Rubo suddenly stopped. -Ummm¡­ the port is that way¡­ -I can see that. -So why are we going that way? - he asked with a hint of uncertainty in his voice. -Come on, you think anyone serious would keep their ship among those? - I pointed towards the inn on the ship and a bunch of old fishing boats around it. - We need to get a bit further away from the village. -Uh¡­- he did not sound convinced. -What, you don¡¯t trust me? - I grinned at him. - Well, I don¡¯t blame you, but do you really think any of those will manage to get you anywhere further than a few hundred meters from the coast without breaking down? You¡¯d have better chances making your own raft. As if to confirm my thoughts, we suddenly heard a loud crack and a splash of water. Some sailor while hauling a crate full of fish from one of the boats near us just fell into the sea - a gangplank that he was using just collapsed, along with the large part of the railing which it was affixed to. -Okay. I¡¯m coming. I nodded and started walking along the coast, to where my ship used to be. To be honest I was not sure if it was even there, but not like that mattered. After a few minutes of walking we reached the place where I hid the ship. All that time I have not noticed any signs of Melle in front of us, which was a bit unsettling. -So where is it? - asked Rubo, noticing that I stopped. -We are here - I said louder than needed, hoping that Melle would hear me if she¡¯s somewhere around. -I knew it. This is a setup - he said with a panic in his voice. I turned to him. He already pulled out a necklace with a green gem from somewhere and was pointing it at me. -Don¡¯t move! I should¡¯ve known you¡¯re full of bullshit! ¡°I need to stop at my house¡±, ¡°I know a captain¡±! Ha! You thought I''d be the easy target, but you didn¡¯t think that I am a Green Mage! -Well, you are not completely wrong - I said, taking a step towards him. -No moving! Now you are going to answer my questions if you don¡¯t want me to get violent! -Last time I¡¯ve heard that it did not go well for the person. I had to play for the time. While it probably wouldn¡¯t be that hard, Melle¡¯s magic was better for that. But, the two of us were alone after all. That gave me an idea. I sighed. -If I can¡¯t move then I can¡¯t show you the ship. -Bullshit! There is nothing here! I am not blind. -Well, it is here though - I gestured towards the bush where I was pretty sure was ¡°my¡± ship hidden. - Cloaked by illusions. -Yeah right. You want to attack me, don¡¯t you! I am not letting you pull out any funny stuff! Put your hands where I can see them! -I only have one - I said, raising my hand in the gesture of surrender. Not like that mattered. -Who are you working for? Are you with Erf? I already told him I don¡¯t want anything to do with this shit! That one surprised me. What does Erf have to do with anything? -Odar Erf? The guard captain? - I asked, just to make sure. -So you do work for him! -Eh, no. Just heard the name that¡¯s it. That¡¯s the one you¡¯re running away from? -Why do you care? - he said angrily, still pointing his necklace at me. -Not much. I mean, you obviously have me cornered - I had to try hard to not to smile like an idiot saying that. - I am just trying to understand, what the fuck - I said, slowly stepping backwards. -I am not running from anyone. And stop moving! I stopped, but not because he said so. As I was slowly moving backwards, I finally hit my back onto something solid, and something else slapped me in the back of the head. -Can I sit at least? - I asked, and before he managed to reply I grabbed onto the invisible rope dangling off the ship and started pulling myself up. -What in the¡­ -I told you I have a ship here - I said, already sitting on the invisible deck. The man was looking at me without a word, his arms slumped by his side suddenly. -You actually were telling the truth? -Yep. I mean, I understand why you¡¯d think otherwise, this thing is not a regular boat - I said, slapping the invisible deck. -I am so sorry¡­ - he finally said, approaching me, lowering the necklace. - I was about to attack you¡­ -Doesn¡¯t matter. Come on up. As I spoke, the illusion faded, revealing the ship. It didn¡¯t change much, well, maybe besides a few marks from bird shit. -Wow - he sighed, grabbing my hand and climbing onboard. - Is that some elves'' creation? -I have no idea. I never met the previous owner. -Where did you even buy something like that? -Trade secret - I smiled. - Now, come with me downstairs, I¡¯d recommend you go below deck when I go and retrieve my stuff from the village. -Uh-uh¡­ speaking of - he said, already below deck - Why didn¡¯t you get it when we were leaving? -Wisfe wowu, moho dimu! Suddenly, a bunch of vines erupted from the floor and the ceiling, shooting towards him. That surprised even me. I borrowed the incantation from Melle, but instead of using my necklace, I used the boat¡¯s magic circle, so I did not expect for it to work that well. In a blink of an eye, the vines bound him from head to toe, wrapping him tightly. -Got ya - I said, stepping forward and looking at the now absolutely horrified man. Just to be sure, I checked the bindings, but there was nothing I could do to make it better - he was literally wrapped in a cocoon. Luckily, when the vines shot towards him, he dropped the necklace. After a quick look I was able to confirm - it was indeed a magical gem. -Sorry for all this farce. I wanted to get this over with sooner, but someone is late - I said to the terrified man. He obviously couldn¡¯t respond, just was wiggling on the floor helplessly. -Come on, it¡¯s not that bad. In any case, you should think wisely about what you¡¯re going to tell us. And I do not recommend lying. I dragged him close to the stairs, so I could see him from the main deck, where I sat by myself. -Now, where the hell is she? I actually needed to wait quite a bit - it was only about an hour later I finally heard some rustling and saw her emerge from the forest of all places. -What the hell are you doing?! - she immediately started, before I even said a word. -Yeah, what are you doing? - I replied in kind. - You were supposed to meet me here, not take a refreshing walk through the woods. What gives? -What do you mean I was supposed to? You did not tell me anything! -I should¡¯ve known - I sighed heavily. - So you did not get the message? -What message? -Yeah. Figures. SOMEONE was supposed to tell you to meet me here as soon as you can¡­ but that doesn¡¯t matter right now. -Sure it doesn¡¯t! You let that bastard run away! -Calm down. That¡¯s why I wanted you here in the first place. So you can capture him and we can get this over with. -A trap? -Yep. -You managed to bait him here? -Yeah. He wanted a boat, so I offered a boat - I said, pointing to the ship I was sitting on. -Where the hell did you even get that? -I have my sources. Too bad you were late. -What do you mean ¡°late¡±? So he escaped?! - she suddenly started panicking. -I said, calm down. Come on climb up. I had to improvise, but he¡¯s here. Immediately, she ran towards the ship and with the agility and speed of a wild monkey she climbed aboard, barely even using the rope. -Where? I gestured down towards the stairs, where the cocoon with the hostage was. The guy was squirming constantly, trying to escape, but the vines were too tough for him to even loosen, not to mention break. As soon as he heard Melle¡¯s voice, he doubled his efforts, but when she appeared on top of the stairs, he suddenly froze. -Hello. I think you remember me. Hell, this ought to be interesting. -Just don¡¯t do anything stupid. I¡¯d like for this boat to remain in one piece and without any ¡°bonus additions¡± - I said, following her downstairs. Just for the sake of it, I also activated the illusion once again, hiding us from sight. She nodded and turned her attention to the guy. -I see you do. That makes this a lot easier. You then know why I am here. I sat down next to the main runic circle and started carefully watching the show. -Let¡¯s get down to business. Where is she? He started flailing around, trying to get some more distance from her, but quickly realized that it only made him get closer to me, so instead he started clinging to a wall. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Melle pulled out a knife - the same one we used to seal the deal a while ago. As soon as he noticed, I swear I heard him squeal, even through the gag. To be honest, for a second I was worried that she¡¯s going to do something stupid, but no. She slowly leaned towards him with the blade in her hand, and started cutting open the gag so he could reply. She did draw a little blood though. You can say that it was just because the binds were hard to deal with, but let¡¯s be honest, she did that on purpose. -Those things are harder than they look - she said to me. - Good job. -Congratulate whoever made this boat, not me. -Hm. Anyway - she turned to the guy again. - Relax. I am not going to do anything to you. If you cooperate that is. -I don¡¯t know anything, I swear! - he yelled, spitting out the gag along with a bit of blood. -Haven¡¯t you then? - she straightened up, and after a second of hesitation kicked him right in the stomach. - I guess I will have to refresh your memory a bit. Again, she leaned closer to him and grabbed him by the neck. It looked like she was about to try to choke the guy, and to be honest with her weird physique it probably would be possible, but no. -Wisfe wowu, moho dimu. From her sleeve emerged two vines and started wrapping themselves around his head, only stopping short of his eyes and mouth. -You either start speaking or those will slowly start moving¡­ Lsitlo lmophu. - she said as the vines formed sharp spikes and started hovering right next to his eyes and the other ones slowly started crawling into his mouth. -Stop! Stop! - he scowled. - Please! -Glad we understand each other so well - she let him go, but still left the vines on her hand ready to strike at any time. -I knew I shouldn¡¯t have followed you¡­ - he muttered under his breath towards me. -Hey, it¡¯s just business. I need her services and she is not going to move a finger until she finishes with this crap, so if I can speed things up a bit of course I am going to do it. And anyway, you sort of deserve it. -Deserve? - he cried. - What have I done? I already did everything I was asked to do! I even¡­ -Shut up. I am the one asking questions here - swiftly interrupted Melle, looking at him angrily. - You do deserve this, he is absolutely right. But enough of this bullshit. Where is my daughter?! He looked at her confused, then at me. Seeing that she was absolutely not joking he answered with a trembling voice. -I- I don¡¯t know! Why would I know? -Do I need to help with your memory a bit more - she threatened him with her vines. -No! Please no! I am telling the truth! Believe me! I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. She sighed, annoyed. -Just not so long ago, SOMEONE broke into my house. Destroyed half of the furniture, made a mess, and what most important, TAKEN MY DAUGHTER SOMEWHERE. I know it was you. YOU were constantly trying to spy on me and her. YOU wanted to ¡°take her into custody¡±. Wanted to ¡°help her¡±. Even talked about marrying her into your own family. And now you¡¯re telling me that it was not you. Like I¡¯m ever going to believe that! -She¡¯s been kidnapped? - he said, frightened. - Oh no. I am dead. -You are, if you''re not going to tell me where she is! -I don¡¯t know! -This is going nowhere - I sighed, interrupting that stupid argument. - Listen, don¡¯t you have the tools to make the same thing that you tried using on me? The Truth Infusion or whatever? -I don¡¯t. -You knew you¡¯re going to interrogate him and yet didn¡¯t take the tools with you? Come on. -My bags have limited space. I am not going to carry with me half of my house. But you¡¯re right, we can use that. -That? -Ritual magic. But¡­ -Yeah yeah, I know of the drawbacks. I¡¯ll intervene if he tries something stupid. -He won¡¯t, right? - she turned back to the guy, who all the time was just watching us, scared. -Nope! I already had my share of¡­ -In any case, let¡¯s make sure. Listen, you - I approached him, pulling out my necklace and waving it in front of his face. - You recognize this? His eyes widened. -I feel that means yes. So you better be on your best behavior. Not waiting for his reply, I pulled him up. He managed to stand, although barely thanks to the bindings. -What are you doing? - Melle asked while I pushed the guy forward, making him slowly go upstairs. -What do you think? I am not going to let you draw magic circles here. Who the fuck knows what would happen if the magic of this one - I pointed towards the table in the middle of the room - and yours would mix. We¡¯re doing this on the beach. Noone comes here anyway. Getting the guy out of the boat proved a little bit difficult, but when he started hesitating while standing right at the edge of the deck, trying to figure out how to get down safely, before I managed to do anything, Melle just pushed him down. It was not that big of a fall and the sand definitely cushioned it, but still, it looked pretty unpleasant. -Come on, I know you hate the guy but let¡¯s be civilized about this. -There is nothing civilized about him, so why would I be? I just sighed and shrugged. -Do what you want. -You bet I will. She dragged him to the middle of the beach, and pulled out a familiar pouch. Without a second of delay, she started drawing the circle around him while constantly monitoring his behavior. The guy seemed defeated and was just staring blankly into the sand in front of him. They both were so preoccupied that they didn¡¯t even realize that the boat they jumped from was nowhere to be seen, since the illusion spell was still up. She really had to be mad. In a record time, the circle was ready. Without a word, she walked up to him and not even using a knife, she pulled out a handful of hair from his head, which definitely looked painful. He flinched, but did not say a word. One incantation later, the circle started glowing, indicating that it was indeed successful. Not moving from the spot, with her eyes filled with light, Melle started her interrogation. -Are you really Rubo? -Yes. -Were you the one who planned the attack on my home? -Yes. -Where is Il? -I don¡¯t know. -What does that supposed to mean? I could hear annoyance in her voice. -I don¡¯t¡­ -What did you do to her!? -Nothing, I¡­ -Who¡¯s taken her then?! -I don¡¯t know¡­ -I think you¡¯re asking the wrong questions - I interrupted them, approaching the man. He looked at me, defeated. I could feel the spell on him, it was clear that he was not lying. -Can I? -Go ahead. -So, mister Rubo. Do you know why are you here? -Because Il was kidnapped. -Yes. And pray tell, by who? -I don¡¯t know. -Hmmm. Don¡¯t know this, don¡¯t know that. Strange for a person with your stature. Who do you think knows then? -Don¡¯t ask about what he thinks - she interrupted me. - What he ¡°thinks¡± can always be bullshit, doesn¡¯t matter if he¡¯s under my spell or not. -I am aware. But, there is one problem. It¡¯s not you who kidnapped her, is it? -No. -Nor any of your men, right? -No. Not to my knowledge. -I thought so - I scratched my chin. - I felt like it was suspicious. It seemed strange that you wanted so badly to skip town, and agreed to some random offer from a shady person you just met to boot. Melle, how many questions can I ask him before you run out of juice? -Run out of juice? - she looked at me like I was insane. -Before you run out of mana, damn it. -Ah. Don¡¯t worry about that. I¡¯m still going strong. I took a sip of my potion beforehand. But what does all this mean? He¡¯s not the one who attacked us? -I am curious too - I turned my attention back to the man. - You said that you planned the attack. But you¡¯re not the one who attacked. What does that mean? -That I haven¡¯t done anything! I already told Erf that I won¡¯t touch her! What did I do to deserve this? - he looked at me, almost begging. -Whoa, whoa, slow down just a bit. What does he have to do with anything? He suddenly froze in fear. -You don¡¯t work for Erf? -I am the one asking questions - I said, slightly annoyed. - But no, I already told you I do not. -I am so dead¡­ -Wait, wait, wait - Melle suddenly perked up. - Erf? The capitan? He told you to not touch us? He didn¡¯t reply. -Come on - I hurried him a bit. - I know you want to tell us. You¡¯re already on the run, so what¡¯s the difference anyway, right? -Difference? - he scowled. - You clearly have never been hunted by them. If they ever find you¡­ - he shuddered. -IF they find you. You are pretty far from their influence already, and if what you say is of use for us and you are actually innocent, you¡¯re free to go. I doubt that anyone would come to this woods looking for some random runaway. -Speak for yourself - the hag muttered under her breath, but luckily he didn¡¯t hear that remark, and then added aloud - You better listen to him. Or you¡¯d rather let me take care of you in a different way¡­ But that way you''ll probably end up the same or worse as you¡¯d get caught by Erf. He flinched, reminded of the vines that not so long ago were wrapped around his head. -Ergh. Fine - he took a deep breath. - As you know, we were planning on¡­ taking your daughter into custody. -Custody? - her voice shook from anger. - You dare¡­ -Yes, yes - I interrupted her before she broke the spell from the pure rage that¡¯s been constantly boiling in her. - We heard that bit already. You planned an attack, but did not attack yourself because¡­ -Erf somehow learned about it. He visited my mansion not too long ago and told me to not get involved with the kingdom''s business. -Kingdom¡¯s business? What the hell does that mean? - I looked at Melle, but she appeared to be as clueless as I was. -I don¡¯t want to know. He said that if I don''t back down, I will be jailed and considered a traitor to the country. -Traitor? Interesting. Why would they want a random girl¡­ hmm. -I don¡¯t know! -I was talking to myself - I said calmly. - But since you are volunteering and are so talkative, why won¡¯t you tell me why YOU wanted to take her. I am not buying that ¡°custody¡± bullshit. -It is true though - he replied, and then added a lot quietly. - I wanted to take her into custody so I could bounce back¡­ I¡¯ve been broke since¡­ Come on, she¡¯s rich! And a child! No kid should have that much money, it only goes to waste! -And that¡¯s it? Before he managed to reply, the circle suddenly flickered and the light faded right after. -Of course¡­ Not paying attention to him, I turned to Melle. She was slumped down on her knees, barely conscious. -I told you to warn me! I quickly approached her and started digging through her bag, looking for the potion. Surprisingly, it was already more than half empty. -Strange¡­ - she muttered. - This was more draining than¡­ expected¡­ She was barely even able to sit up. -Come on, drink - I said, giving her the bottle. -Just give me a second, I can do this again¡­ -That¡¯s enough. Take a rest, you are barely conscious. We are already done with him anyway. She nodded. I stood up and started clearing the beach. The last thing we wanted was someone stumbling upon the spell circle. Rubo was constantly watching me with a tired look on his face. -Stop looking at me like that. -No, no. I just¡­ I¡¯m sorry. -Excuse me? - that was not something I expected to hear right now. -I¡¯m sorry - he tried sitting up, but in his binds that was pretty much impossible. - I did not want to do it¡­ It¡¯s just¡­ Probably the remnants of the spell were still active, making him talkative. -What, don¡¯t tell me someone made you do it? -No. It was my idea. But I didn¡¯t know she was a kid! I thought¡­ I needed money, okay?! And this seemed so easy! -But you said you did not do it. So what¡¯s this about? -I didn¡¯t! But when I learned that she was a kid¡­ - he shuddered. - She was supposed to be older! I shrugged. -It¡¯s not my business. As I said, I am only here as a form of support, if I can say so myself. Talk to her, I¡¯m just along for the ride. As he was complaining, Melle managed to finally stand up. With the empty bottle in hand, she approached him. -Holy shit, you sure that you should¡¯ve drank all of that? - I said, slightly worried. - I know that spell is draining and all, but you know that that shit is powerful. -I¡¯ll be fine. I need that to deal with all this¡­ -Speaking of¡­ what are you going to do? He¡¯s apparently innocent. Mostly, I mean. -You - she looked him over carefully. - Where were you going? The spell has most likely already worn off, because he took his sweet time before answering. -I already told him. Wherever is further away from the capital. It doesn¡¯t really matter where. -What the hell am I supposed to do with you¡­ - she sighed and sat down next to the boat. - When I came here I never expected that I would be incorrect¡­ -Does it even matter? -It does. If he was indeed behind this, you¡¯d be dead already - she told him with a serious expression. That immediately shut him up. -Morbid. Well, in any case, I expect you don¡¯t want to just let him go? - I asked. -That¡¯s not an option. -Yeah, I figured. Why not just put him in a dungeon? I am pretty sure that they have some free spots¡­ -And how do I make sure he doesn¡¯t talk? He said it himself, Erf was involved in all this mess, and I am sure as soon as he¡¯d get his hands on him, he¡¯d tell them everything about me. -You think he is the one who took her? -Most likely. -I guess it makes sense¡­ - I started pondering. - But why the hell would he want her? -How should I know? Maybe he wants power? There are a lot of people who she''d be useful to¡­ -Well, sure, but to be honest, he didn¡¯t look like that kind of a person to me¡­ -You know him?! - asked both of them in unison. -I wouldn¡¯t say I KNOW him, but I had an opportunity to talk to him. Which is strange¡­ I looked at the man lying on the ground. -Can you follow me inside for a moment? - I said to Melle and turned to the man. - And you¡­ for your own good, just stay here and wait. -Not like I can, even if I wanted to¡­ -Just saying. Come on. She nodded and followed me into the ship and downstairs. 43. Unprepared -What is this all about? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m letting that guy go, not even an option! -No, no, it¡¯s not like that. -So what¡¯s going on? -I wanted to ask, what do you actually want to do with him? She stopped to think for a moment. -I thought about locking him up somewhere out of sight, but¡­ I don¡¯t have many places to choose from. -So you had a place in mind? -Yeah. That guy we got the info from, Jack, was it? His ¡°inn¡± should be a good place, right? Out of sight, and I don¡¯t think he¡¯d care if I paid him enough¡­ -You know - I said, peeking outside to check on the man outside - not so long ago, I¡¯d say that it¡¯s a good idea, but now I am having second thoughts. -Why? I mean sure, he¡¯s a slimy type, but that¡¯s just given. -Yeah, that¡¯s not the problem. Remember, I told you I met Erf? -Uh-uh. So what? -When I arrived at the capital with the caravan, we had some trouble with guards and shit, and guess who bailed us out on it? -You mean¡­ -Odar Erf. Yep. A friend of the caravan leader. -What does that have to do with the innkeeper though? -Jack was the one who recommended we go to him. Meaning they do know each other. And that¡¯s an understatement. -That¡¯s¡­ huh. -Yeah. I don¡¯t know what to think about all this. It might be just one big coincidence, but even so, if we¡¯d to leave him in Jack¡¯s place, Erf would inevitably learn about that, and most likely take him. -That would not be ideal. -Yep. -So what are you suggesting? -Why won¡¯t we go back to Red Edge? They do have a dungeon there. For is your friend, right? She surely won¡¯t mind. And you have to deliver that potion anyway. -True. But there is a small problem. -What, I know you still can¡¯t cast but you just need¡­ -No - she interrupted me. - I mean, that as well, but that¡¯s not the main problem. Remember when I said I used the ¡°emergency measures?¡± -Yeah¡­? -To teleport us there I need an anchor. And I have a limited amount of those. Two, to be precise. Well, one now since I already used the first one to get there¡­ -And let me guess. You don¡¯t have the other one with you. -Yeah¡­ -For fuck sake. That¡¯s pretty much the most important thing we needed - I sighed. - Ehh¡­ Where is it? -Back home. I sort of forgot about it in the heat of the moment¡­ Sorry¡­ I guess things were a bit hectic back then. She was pretty shaken with kidnapping and all that¡­ -But I can just teleport us back home and we can go from there! - she added quickly. - I think I am already recovered, so we can go at once. -If you say so¡­ She nodded and was about to leave to prepare the spell. -Are you sure you¡¯re fine though? - I grabbed her by the arm. - You¡¯ve been relying a bit much on that potion lately¡­ -I¡¯m fine. Not the first time I used it, nor last - she said, shaking me off. - Sweet of you to worry though. -Yeah, yeah. Just be careful. That thing is definitely stronger than the stuff you¡¯re used to. -I know - she replied and left, digging through her pouch. I lingered for a second inside, not sure what to think about this. So far, everyone I met was quite weak in mana capacity, but she seemed different. Besides tolerating the potion way too well in my opinion, it looked like her capacity was similar to mine, at least from before the ¡°event¡±. To be honest, now I was not sure about mine. It seemed endless, which was bothering me, though I had a good idea why¡­ Before I finished my train of thought though, I heard Melle calling me from outside. As I jumped out of the ship and made sure that the illusion was still in place, I saw her grab Rubo from the ground and make him stand up. -Ready? -Yeah, yeah. This time, the portal she created appeared on the sand in front of us. Remembering how that worked out last time I groaned. -Who¡¯s first? -You of course. Go and don¡¯t break your legs. -Uh-uh¡­ Not encouraged by her words, I stepped forward and jumped into the opening. A moment of confusion later, I got spit out in a very familiar room, landing on the floor right next to the bed. Landing was not that bad if you knew what¡¯s going on. Seconds later, the portal on the wall spit out the cocoon with Rubo and then Melle right after. -Go get your shit and let¡¯s go. -Yeah. Without wasting time, she left the room, leaving me with the tied up man waiting for her return. -So this is the place¡­ I turned to Rubo. He was still lying on the floor, but he rolled himself over so he could see the surroundings and was carefully inspecting the room. -I expected something¡­ -What? -I don¡¯t know, when I heard she¡¯s a witch I didn¡¯t think that she¡¯d be living so¡­neatly¡­ Neatly? Well true, the room was pretty much spotless, but that was not because of her habits. After all, it was not that long ago that we had to clean up the mess after certain people. -What, you thought she¡¯d be living in some cave or some shit? -Actually, yes¡­ From the stories I¡¯ve heard about forest witches, that¡¯s what I expected to see. Some underground caves¡­ I laughed. -That¡¯s some strange stories. You¡¯ll have to tell me someday. -That is if I live that long. -Come on, she¡¯s not going to kill you. While she¡¯s a bit unhinged thanks to the recent events, she¡¯s not that bad in general. Suddenly, I got interrupted by a loud noise. Storming out the room I noticed Melle standing with her hand extended towards the door that was now missing, along with a tipped over chair and some random items scattered on the floor. -What the hell is going on? -Brace yourself! He''s here! -He? She did not reply, instead raised her hands and started chanting. Every single piece of furniture and wooden item suddenly sprung to life. Some of them grew tentacle-like vines, some just straight up turned into them completely and joined with others, wrapping themselves around each other like some sort of rope. Soon the whole room was filled with a wiggling green mass that shot forward, crashing into the opening left after the door in an attempt to stop whoever was outside. In all of the mess, I noticed that her vines were not the only ones that were present. Mixed in were also other ones, also green, but more tentacle-looking and less plantlike that were coming towards us from the outside. While she had a lot more of them, the ones from outside were a lot stronger and faster, slowly inching forward, despite her attempts at stopping them. -Stop gawking and either help or get the hell out! -You want me to burn your house down?! -I''d rather you''d not do that - a voice sounded from outside. Before I was able to react, the spell of hers got overpowered, and whoever was talking sent his abomination of a spell barreling straight towards me, striking me right in the head. My vision darkened for a second and the tentacles instantly wrapped me from head to toe, blocking my movement and vision. I expected them to be cold and maybe wet, like all the other green magic I was on the receiving end lately, but the feeling was¡­ odd. While definitely strange, the things that wrapped me were completely dry and slightly warm. Almost comfortable, dare I say. -Please refrain from using violence, especially fire magic - a muffled, yet familiar voice sounded somewhere nearby. Odar Erf. It was followed by a bunch of curses and Melle screaming some spell, ineffective I assume, because he started talking again. -You''ve gotten rusty. In your prime you could easily repel me, and now what? Ehh¡­ What happened to you? -Not your business! - she replied. Her voice was accompanied with some rumbling. -Please, stop. I don''t want to hurt you. -Like hell I will! Another spell. And another bunch of curses. -Okay, I''m done with this. -But I am not! The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The whole room started shaking violently. I wasn''t able to see anything, but judging by the horrible noise, something was destroying the wall. I could feel some rubble fall on top of me, knocking the air out of my lungs. -Calm down! You''ll bring the whole house down! -I don''t care, as long as I am taking me with you! I felt a pull and I got dragged away from the rubble along with something else human size. -What the fuck! - I heard a yell next to me. It was Rubo, apparently he got pulled out from the rubble along with me. I started hearing more rumbling and the sound of breaking wood, a lot louder this time, and after that silence. Next thing I knew was yet another human sized object hit me and started wiggling next to me. -Woman, you are unrelenting. Why can''t you listen to me for a second?! I only heard a muffled response. So she also got gagged. -Look what have you done! I thought that was your home. Eh¡­ I felt him walk closer to us and Rubo shudder next to me. -Come on. Stand up. Maybe you can explain what''s going on here. Why are you even here? -I don''t know. I swear I was doing exactly as I said! I left the city and was never going to¡­ -Yeah, yeah - he interrupted. - Don''t change the subject. -Of course, of course. I was traveling with the caravan you recommended and met this one. He offered me a passage through the sea and away from the continent. I thought he might be one of your agents and was scared to refuse, so¡­ Agents? Excuse me? Odar was apparently as surprised as I was. -I already told you, you''re on your own. There was no one dispatched to help or follow¡­ -Yes, yes, of course. But he indeed had a transport, magical in fact! And then that woman attacked me! They both took me hostage and teleported here, when¡­ -Teleported? - he interrupted. - He can do that? -She. This guy is a Red Mage! A silence suddenly fell on both of them. -Are you sure? -Yes. He has the necklace. -That complicates things. They continued to talk for a while. Rubo continued to explain how exactly we met and how I baited him to the boat. The initial fear that he showed was mostly gone at that point. Hard to tell how long we were lying there on the ground. During their discussion I noticed that my bindings were slowly changing. When he first bound me, they were constantly moving, sort of like a living creature, but now they were getting harder and colder, almost like they were fossilizing. Strangely enough, it also made me feel heavier for some reason, and, most likely thanks to prolonged contact with his magic, my crystal stump started to itch as well. It was not pleasant. -Wonder how I am going to explain all this¡­ No matter. I think it''s time to move - Odar finally announced. -Ah. Okay, then I''ll be off then. Don''t want to intrude¡­ -Oh, no no no¡­ you''re coming with me. I already gave you a chance once. This time you''re not begging me, you''re going to take this matter to the king himself. -Oh Gods¡­ - I heard him mutter. -It''s just the matter of you going with me on your own or like those two. -I''d prefer to go as it is, thank you. -So it''s settled. I heard him stand up and then a bit of rustling. -You hear me? - I felt a hand on my shoulder. - Try standing up. We''re moving. I didn''t really have much say in that matter, but when he pulled me up from the ground I did not resist. -Good. At least one of you is cooperative. Ah. I guess Melle was still a bit rebellious¡­ -Come on, I know I was a bit rough, but¡­ I heard more rustling and some other sounds that I assume was him trying to get her to stand. -I swear, you''re something else¡­ can you¡­ - he stopped mid sentence. The rustling stopped as well. -Well I''ll be damned. She fainted. Damnit. Rubo, carry her. -Why me? -Because I need to open the portal and I''m not going to do that while carrying someone. He stopped complaining and judging by the noise, he picked her up. -Ready? The next thing I felt was someone pushing me forward and a very familiar feeling of teleportation. I was still blindfolded and gagged, the gag now being almost as hard as a rock in my mouth, so it was hard to assess where I ended up this time. Quick walk later I heard Odar talk with someone, but the content of the conversation was lost to me, the bindings made it hard to try and eavesdrop. -You must excuse me for the treatment so far - I heard after a few minutes. - You''ll have to endure this for a bit more. I think he was talking to me, but it was hard to guess. Constrained like this he led me somewhere. When we finally stopped, I felt a hand on my shoulder, pushing me and making me sit down. I didn''t resist. -Thank you. And sorry again. I cannot unbind you yet, but just for your knowledge: we are now in Arbo, the capital, and to be exact in the main palace. We are to wait for the word from the king so he can decide on what to do with you. If you''re actually a Red Mage, I am sure he''ll release you instantly, but first we''ll need to contact your boss. Shouldn''t be long. I shifted on the chair, or whatever that was I was sitting on, uncomfortably. Out of all the places, I landed in Arbo? Hah. What even¡­ So far I decided not to try and struggle, but not like I really could since I was gagged. Back at the island I didn''t really have time to react before I got bound, and even if I was able to, I most likely wouldn''t have. Antagonizing someone who''s working directly under the current king was definitely not a good idea. The silence that fell after he finished speaking was interrupted by knocking, followed by opening of the door. Some rustling and a muffled conversation later I heard it close back up and some hurried steps moving away from me. Just as I thought I was left alone in the room, Odar spoke up. -Consider yourself a lucky person. I just got a word that the king himself wants to have a chat with you. King? Well shit, good thing that I did not resist then. -You''ve been cooperative this far, so I don''t think you''ll do anything stupid, but I''ll say anyway - he suddenly started sounding a lot more serious. - I will not tolerate any hostile gestures towards His Majesty. This is your one and only warning. I heard some shuffling again. -The formalities aside - he went back to his normal tone of voice - I will now try and let you actually see, so don''t move for a second¡­ I felt him approach and heard the unsheathing of a blade, and soon he started cutting some of the vines that were wrapped around my head. I sort of was wondering why he didn''t just use the spell to move them away, since they were his creation after all, but not like I could ask him about it. A minute of cutting, or rather struggling to cut the bindings later - the fossilized growth was definitely hard to deal with - I finally was able to see again. I was sitting in a room that was pretty similar to the ones I''ve been in Arbo - made of natural wood and not very decorated. I was sitting on what looked like a shelf, or maybe rather a prison bed, with another small one right next to it on a wall, that what I assumed was supposed to be a table. There were no windows and the only source of light was a small crystal hanging from the ceiling, tied to a vine. I swear, people never use regular ropes here¡­ The only other furniture was a simple stool, standing on the opposite side of the room, or maybe I should call it what it actually was - a cell. Odar was standing next to me, and after making sure that the rest of the bindings were still intact, he went back towards the door, standing watch. I shifted in place and looked at him questioningly. -I am not undoing any other bindings. While I don''t think you''re dumb enough to try anything, you''re going to be meeting the king soon after all. Safety is the priority here. I rolled my eyes and sighed, or at least wanted to. -Don''t look at me like that. You¡­ He got interrupted by knocking on the door. Without a word, he turned his back to me and peeked outside, but as soon as he did, he flinched and stepped back, opening the door fully. I have never seen him before, but there was no mistaking it - it was the king himself. He was wearing a long, green robe, somewhat similar to those I''ve seen on For''s people, although his was even longer and dragged after him on the ground, almost like a cloak. Besides the one green pendant that he was wearing over his clothes, he was not wearing any jewelry, although the one he had was shining gold, with a large, green adorned gem. It almost looked like it was glowing, but it probably was just the reflection of the light. His hair was short and gray, or rather white to be precise, contrasting with his face - a lot younger looking than the hair would suggest, cleanly shaved. On his head, there was something akin to a laurel, even with leaves. -Your Majesty - Odar bowed, as soon as the man entered the room. - I was not aware you would be joining us personally. I was waiting¡­ -I know - his voice was calm, and sort of soothing. - But I couldn''t help myself. Hope you don''t mind. -Of course not, sir. As you wish sir. The door closed behind him, and the air suddenly changed. While Odar still looked somewhat on the edge, he smiled. -I don''t think the king should visit a place like this. I was waiting for your word and about to bring him to you¡­ -Shush - he smiled back. - And lose an opportunity to talk with you in private? You are not that lucky. He didn''t reply, just sighed and moved away, blocking the door. -Now for the main part¡­ He turned to me, looking me over. -I assume you are aware of who I am. I nodded, after a second of hesitation. It was not in the slightest the way I expected to meet with a ruler. -Good. Let me cut to the chase then. I was told that you are a part of Red Mages. Is that right? -As far as we are aware, yes - replied Odar for me. I just looked at the ceiling, annoyed. While I didn''t mind being considered one of them, so far it only brought me problems. -While I believe your sources, it''s not something we cannot check. This is an important matter. -Yes, of course, I¡­ -You''ve already dispatched people to send the message to For. I know. That''s the reason I am here. The reply arrived. Both me and Odar looked at him surprised. While he was surprised most likely because of the speed of the response, I was surprised that she was able to reply at all. -Yeah, that''s the problem. The response was quite strange¡­ In short she said she is unable to come and confirm or deny that he is one of her people personally, because she apparently has fallen ill. Along with some of her closest associates. -That is problematic. -Indeed. But also said that they should just search the person in question, since all of her people own some sort of a mark I should recognize. Does he? -I have not searched him yet¡­ -Then go get to it. -Of course, but¡­ I''d recommend you to leave the room. As far as I know he''s armed and capable of spellcasting, only my binds prevent him from attacking you¡­ Odar pierced me with his eyes. -If he knows what''s good for him, he''s going to cooperate. I don''t think anyone is stupid enough to do something like this, especially if they are her associate. Well, I didn''t plan on it, but that was awfully bold to proclaim for him. The king apparently shared my opinion. -While I think so as well, isn''t it just better for you to wait in another room? I mean, better safe than sorry¡­ He rolled his eyes. -Odar. We both know that there is absolutely no way that he would be able to hurt me. -Eh¡­ of course¡­ - he sighed. -Proceed then. If you are that worried then maybe just unbind his hands. -Why hands? -Since you are scared he''s going to cast something, it''s better than mouth. And since he heard what I said, I assume he can just show us the item in question, right? - he looked at me questioningly. - We''ll go from there. I nodded, agreeing. While For didn''t mention anything specifically, the item she had to be talking about had to be the necklace. If showing them that was enough to at least build that much trust that they''d let me speak, I was all up for it. -You see? -I still think that''s not the smartest way to do things¡­ - Odar complained, but approached me and started cutting some of my binds. -Yeah, in regular circumstances just searching him would be enough, but I cannot risk that with a Red Mage. Last time we tried that¡­ Odar winced and nodded. -I do remember - he said as he finished cutting the vines, freeing my arm. As I stretched my arm, a bit sore from the position I was tied in, Odar stepped back, carefully observing my movements. I thought about trying to calm him down and gesture that I am not going to try anything, but decided against it. Not like anyone would understand me waving my hand around, and even worse, he might think I''m trying to cast something. Not like that was possible without talking though, but I already learned that people here are not exactly versed in the rules of magic, so who knows what they''d think. -So¡­ - the king gestured to me. - The item? Right. I started patting myself, trying to feel it and finally found it wrapped under a thick layer of vines, on my chest. I didn''t even bother trying to pull it out, just pointed to the large bump where the necklace was and gestured in indifference. -It''s there? Well that''s problematic¡­ -I don''t think I can cut that without releasing him¡­ -Will his mouth still be bound? -I think so. I gestured towards them that I will keep quiet. The king nodded, understanding what I was trying to say. -Do it. be on your guard though. Just in case. He looked at me apologetically. I just shrugged and waited for Odar to approach and start cutting again. Not even a minute later I was able to finally pull out the necklace, but as soon as I did, both of them suddenly tensed up. Understanding why, I quickly put it down in front of me on the table and raised my hand in a gesture of surrender. They both looked at me suspiciously, but the king leaned closer, picking up the item in question. After inspecting it carefully, he nodded. -Yeah. As expected. 44. Progress -So it''s him then? - asked Odar, peeking over his shoulder, trying to assess the amulet himself. -Looks like it. Free him. For the final time, he approached and released me completely from the rest of the vines. -Thank you - I finally managed to say. -I am terribly sorry, but I hope you understand our predicament¡­ it''s not often we find ourselves in predicament like this¡­ -Somewhat¡­ And I would like that to be returned if possible. I noticed that Odar was about to protest, but got interrupted by the king. -Of course. Here. -I don''t think¡­ - he started, but it was already too late, I already had it handed to me back. -Thank you. I''d be problematic if I was to lose that. -Of course, of course. Let me ask though, what someone of your position was doing there? -I could ask the same thing of you¡­ or rather your, er, envoy? I am not very familiar with borders and all, is that place under your government as well? Or¡­ Before I was able to finish my question, Odar spoke up, interrupting. -While I am aware of your standing, I''d recommend that you watch your tongue. I''d like to remind you that it''s the monarch that you''re talking to. His voice was calm, but firm. He genuinely meant that as a warning, but to be honest, it sounded more like a threat. -Calm down - the king stopped him. - If I wanted to be addressed with honorifics I''d have called you to the throne room, not come here. -As you wish. I just was reminding him of the situation he''s in. -I know, I know. You are right, that island is far out and away from my domain, but that does not mean I cannot send my people there. As far as the borders are concerned, it does not belong to anyone. The closest to the owner is Melle herself. -That''s an interesting way to look at things - I said under my breath. - Speaking of. What happened to her? In the¡­ encounter earlier I was¡­ -Yes, I know. While your encounter was, well, unfortunate, for the lack of a better word, I can assure that she is safe and sound. I hesitated for a second, but since my situation was a lot better than expected, as was the mood and character of the local ruler, I continued anyway, deciding to be bold, testing my luck a bit. -Strange way to say "imprisoned". As am I, I assume? What do you want from me? -Imprisoned? Gods, no! Why would I ever! While your¡­ invitation here was a bit sudden, we already confirmed who you work under - he pointed at my neck - and as I am concerned, you are a free man. You can walk out even now if you so wish, although I''d please ask you to at least let us finish talking¡­ -Okay, but what about the woman? I assume you sort of need her, I do too. -What do you mean, you need her? -Well, not exactly her, but she has something I need. Judging from the recent events I feel like you won''t just let me see her¡­ -Why wouldn''t we? -I know our meeting was far from pleasant, but¡­ - muttered Odar. -Far from pleasant? - I laughed at him. - You attacked and captured both of us. Yeah. Far from pleasant. -That''s just your fault - Odar perked up suddenly. - What else I was supposed to do, let you burn the forest down and all of us with it? Or just let her capture me for change? We need¡­ The king gestured at him, silencing him. -Out fault? - he started making me angry. - First of all, you think I am that stupid and just started torching everything in sight? -Who knows, your people¡­ I did not let him finish the sentence. -Second of all, you kidnapped a kid! And destroyed the place to boot. And now you have the nerve to complain that someone retaliated! -That''s not¡­ The king silenced him once more. -How do you know that? - he asked, stone faced. -How? We both saw the aftermath. I got to hand it to you, your timing was perfect. An hour later or earlier and you''d not get off that easy with both of us present. -What are you talking about? - said the king, suddenly intrigued. -Your people forgot to mention that? - I looked at Odar, but he did not even flinch. - First of all, you, sorry, your people absolutely turned the place upside down during your search last time. Yeah, yeah, you had to be quick and all but don''t you think¡­ Odar was about to say something again, but the king interrupted us both. -I am aware of this one. While unfortunate, it''s hardly an "aftermath". From the way you are speaking I thought something was destroyed or¡­ I couldn''t help but cough loudly, trying to mask my laugh. -No, no. Not until the last time that is. While I didn''t see much thanks to the efforts of this man - I gestured towards Odar - I am pretty sure that at least one wall was broken during their scuffle. I expected him to get angry at him for not disclosing this information, or, if he actually mentioned it, a stone faced reply, but I got neither. Instead, he looked visibly disappointed and distraught. -Thank you for bringing this issue to me. While this is saddening, it''s already done and I cannot do anything about it, but I assure you, the destruction was not my intent, nor was it for my people. I gazed towards Odar, but he did not react. -Let me get back on topic - he shuffled in his chair. - I know it¡¯s rich coming from me after what happened, but actually I have a request to make. -And what a king might want from me? - I asked, a bit surprised. - I''m not even sure if I am one of your subjects¡­ I''m just a random wanderer. Nor like I can refuse anyway - I added under my breath. -Don''t downplay your own worth. You being my subject or not is up to the debate, and that''s why I am saying it''s a request. And of course you can refuse, I am not a tyrant. -I''m listening. I obviously did not believe the last part, but I was not going to say that out loud. -You forget what you saw and heard today. Here, as well as during your¡­ encounter. Oh great. I''m to be a part of some conspiracy now. -That sounds more like a demand. What if I refuse? -Sadly, nothing. I have no power over you. I tried talking with your leader before, but, as you heard, she just sent a quick message. I personally doubted that he''d just leave it at that, considering that he was not below ordering kidnapping. -Well then, king¡­ - I started after a minute of silence. - Under some different circumstances, I might have agreed, but¡­ -Just let me add - he interrupted - you don''t have to sign deals with me or my men of any kind. The word of mouth is enough for me. I trust your guild. -No, that is not the issue here - I said, scratching my chin. - As a matter of fact, I wouldn''t really mind that, but since it''s not needed, even better. -What''s the issue then? -The person in your "custody". -I will not be releasing her. Neither of them - he replied instantly. If I ever doubted that he was the one that ordered the kidnapping, that would clear any misunderstandings. -If I may, why are you so interested in them in the first place? - I asked, curious. - I am not aware of local politics, but ordering kidnapping definitely doesn''t put anyone in a good light¡­. -While I understand your curiosity - he started after considering something for a while - that is not something I am willing to discuss. You might boast a high rank in Red Edge, but there are always matters above your rank, be it a king or no. I''d be surprised if he told me, to be honest. -That is slightly problematic. While I might not be particularly invested in the fate of those two, someone else might be¡­ -Was that a threat? He was still calm, but behind him I saw Odar shift angrily. -No no no no, I do not have a death wish - I raised my hand in a gesture of surrender. - What I am saying is that I was on, for lack of a better word, a mission along with that woman. -I am afraid you need to continue alone - the king said, unmoved. -That is what I am intending on, but there is a problem. Along with her, our baggage was taken, and I need that. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. -Oh, that''s it? - he legitimately looked surprised. - No problem. Since it''s yours I don''t think anyone will have an issue with that. Not like he cared about her opinion. -There is also another issue¡­ but I think that''s easier to accommodate¡­ -Ask away. -I need transport. -No issue as well. I am sure you can find someone in the city that will give you a lift. He sounded a bit annoyed that I am asking for such a mundane thing. -I am afraid it won''t work. If I can be honest, before we were interrupted by¡­ certain events, we were about to go back to Red Edge. And as I assume you are aware, that is not a place that you can get to that easily¡­ He frowned, but almost instantly, Odar spoke up for him. -If I may, I can just¡­ He raised his hand to silence him. -I know you can. But I cannot just send you on another exhausting mission without rest. Even if it''s you. -I am flattered that you are so worried about me, but I am more than fine. Another spell or two won''t make a difference. -I know, but¡­ He started scratching his chin. -Fine. If you are so sure, you can go - he said and turned to me. - Does that mean that you agree? -To what exactly? You''ve been a bit vague in that department. -The only thing I want from you is to forget what you have seen and heard today. That is it. Honestly, I was surprised that he was so accommodating, especially after asking just for such a minor favor. -That¡¯s a bit low price for getting a free teleportation, I feel like. -Think what you will, that¡¯s what I need. I shrugged. -Sure. Okay, I agree. Both of them visibly relaxed. -Great. Odar, go get ready. Get his things while you¡¯re at it. -Are you certain I can leave you alone with him? The king laughed. -Please. You should know better. I¡¯ll be fine. -As you wish. He bowed slightly and left the room. For a minute, we sat there both in silence. -You are a strange person - the king finally said, breaking the silence. -I am what I am - I shrugged, not sure what to make of that sentence, nor how to exactly act, being alone with a ruler. -Not many can keep their heads straight in my presence. -Thank you? If I am to be honest, I am not sure how I am supposed to act¡­ Amazingly, I never had an opportunity to talk to someone in power¡­ directly to boot¡­ -That¡¯s good - he smiled. - I don¡¯t need any more boot lickers. Nor spies¡­ The door opened again. Odar was back, with a familiar-looking bag in hand. He was rather quick. -Everything is ready. -Good - the king raised from his chair. - Off you go. I stood up, stretching. After all this, I felt like my bones were starting to stagnate¡­ -The room next door has the spell prepared. Come with me. I nodded, and was about to follow him, but I decided I need to mention one more thing. -I do not know what exactly is going on here, nor do I think I especially want to know¡­ I looked directly at the king. -I intend to comply with your request for as long as I feel it¡¯s necessary, but you should know that it will not be for that long¡­ -What does that supposed to mean? - he asked, indifferent. -I mean that there are people connected to that woman that will want her back, let¡¯s say, ¡°on her own and available¡±. I am not sure how they are going to react to recent events, and even if I am to be silent, they will definitely know. -Mind your manners - Odar said, a bit offended I feel like. Well, I was pretty casual talking to his liege, so I can¡¯t blame him for that. -There is no person that has more power and influence on this continent. It¡¯s not your business to worry for someone you have no interest in. -He is right. Whoever it is, I am sure I will manage. I shrugged. -I just wanted to warn you, that¡¯s all. I do not intend to interfere, that is unless I won¡¯t have a choice in the matter. -I think I understand. Thank you for the warning. He nodded and gestured towards me to leave the room. Without much of a choice, I complied, and followed Odar outside. I am not sure if he really understood, and, to be honest, I was not even sure what exactly I meant by what I said. It left me sort of puzzled, why did I even care about that woman and the kid in the first place? I didn¡¯t really question that before and just went with it, I guess. Empathy? Maybe. It was hard to tell, but something felt off, although I couldn¡¯t tell what. I did not have time to think about that though, because my escort opened the door and was urging me to follow him inside. I wasn¡¯t paying attention before, but when we left the room, or rather the cell, the corridor we entered was completely dark. The only source of light was a small piece of a crystal that Odar had tied to his wrist, like a bracelet. To not be left in the dark, I followed him inside, to yet another cell, although this one was even more barren. There was no furniture to speak of, nor the light source, but as soon as the door closed behind me, I heard him activate some kind of spell. The room got illuminated by two crystals on either side of the door behind me, letting me see the readied spell circle on the floor, drawn in what I assume was chalk, mixed with some kind of glittering dust. It looked a bit different than the one Melle used. It was completely white, both chalk and the dust, the former being a lot more prominent. No wonder. Most likely the materials were not cheap, so Odar having more to spend was not surprising. -Do you have all that you need? - he asked. -Yes. Do you? I can¡¯t see the anchor¡­ -I do¡­ - he looked a bit surprised that I knew about that. Strange if you ask me, is this knowledge really that secret or something? -Let¡¯s go then. I still have things to do, and the faster the better¡­ He nodded, pulled out a small book from somewhere, opened it and started focusing on the circle. I wanted to take a peek at the contents, but before I was able to even read a single word, the whole page suddenly burst into flames. He then casually ripped the page out, placing it in the middle of the circle. As soon as the paper touched the ground, it distorted and a small opening formed in the air, slowly changing shape to a familiar one - a circular portal, hanging in the air. -I am impressed - I said, inspecting the new hole in reality from afar. - This is the best looking portal I¡¯ve seen so far. -What do you mean by ¡°best looking¡±? - he asked, gesturing for me to move. -So far the ones I¡¯ve used were¡­ a lot less stable. Hope it¡¯s as good as it looks. He wanted to answer something, but I didn¡¯t wait, instead just stepped into it. The feeling was as weird as usual. The only thing lacking was the shift of dimensions, but that was a plus in my book. A second of magically caused confusion later, I found myself standing next to a familiar bookcase, with a spear pointed right at my chest. -Whoah there, it¡¯s me. I was about to pull out the necklace, but for naught. The guard recognized me, it probably was one of the people that saw me leave. -Oh! It¡¯s you sir! I didn¡¯t know that you¡­ -I thought someone sent¡­well, it doesn''t matter. You should probably¡­ Before I finished the sentence, from the portal behind me sprung Odar. I wanted to stand in front of him, so the guard wouldn''t point his weapon at him as well, but to my surprise, he backed off, and instead saluted. -Sir. -Stand down. I am on business with your master. I did not question him, instead nodded and gestured for him to follow me outside. -Mind explaining that? - I asked, walking down the corridor, towards the tower where For¡¯s room was. -It¡¯s not the first time I visited here. People here know who I am. -Yeah, I kind of figured that out when he saluted, but never mind that. Why are you here in the first place? -Oh. Nothing that involves you directly, I just need to pass a message to For. -Uh-uh¡­ -And what about you, don¡¯t you need to deliver this bag somewhere or something like that? -Yes. -So do that. -I am. He looked at me, puzzled. -Look, I am going to be blunt here - he said after a moment of thought. - I need to talk to her alone. -What a coincidence. So do I. I guess we can do it together. -What part of ¡°alone¡± you don¡¯t get? I sighed. -Listen. I understand, but I have a feeling that, since you¡¯ve not exactly been invited here, you¡¯ll have to wait. -That¡¯s besides the point. -Maybe. In any case, I¡¯ll just take a minute. I can introduce you or¡­ -She very well knows who I am. -Riight. You mentioned that - I picked up the topic. - Out of curiosity, personally, or just business-wise? He looked at me, considering something. -Both. If you need to know, I worked with her family for a while. By the way, is he around today? -Who? -Jacob. I thought you worked under him? -Ah, yeah, I do. And I am not sure, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s available today. -Shame. Oh, we¡¯re here. Before I was able to answer, he knocked at the door. At first there was no answer, but a minute later we could hear some movement behind the door and a muffled voice. -I said I don¡¯t want to be disturbed today. She still sounded hungover. Odar noticed that, because his eyes suddenly opened wider than I thought it was possible. -I sorry to come unannounced, but I have a word from the king. In return, there was a loud noise behind the door, and I think I also heard glass breaking, along with some cursing. -And I am here too¡­ - I added. Another noise. This time both of us definitely heard some glass breaking. -Are you alright in there? - Odar asked, sounding genuinely concerned. -Yes, yes - she suddenly sounded a lot more sober. - I just did not expect to hear either of you right now. The door opened slightly, to the point where she was able to peek out without us being able to see inside. She still looked like the effects of the ¡°therapy¡± were still lingering. -What happened? -Quite a bit - I replied, before he was able to open his mouth. - I have completed my task and I am here as requested. -Yeah, I figured. You¡¯re alone? -No? Mr. Odar is here? -I kn¡­ never mind. Why are you here, Odar? -During this ¡°task¡± of yours, whatever that might be, he¡¯s had an unfortunate occasion to get involved with some business involving the king. While it¡¯s been mostly resolved, I¡¯ve been tasked to report everything to you, and confirm a few things, as well as to pass a message. So it was about me. Go figure. -Uh-uh¡­ I assume that¡¯s going to take a while. -Quite. -Do you mind waiting for a minute? The business with him - she pointed at me - is definitely going to be faster than yours. He first looked at me, like he was judging me, then at her, intently, but nodded. -Okay. I¡¯m going to be waiting in the guest room. He was about to leave, but she stopped him instantly. -Actually, the guest room is unavailable right now. Can you wait in the library? He looked at me intrigued. -You have guests that are more important than me? -No, no! - she quickly denied - It¡¯s just not prepared. He definitely was suspicious, but decided not to pry. -Fine. I¡¯ll be waiting. -Thank you. I¡¯ll send someone as soon as we¡¯re done. 45. Regress She waited until he disappeared behind the bend of the staircase and opened the door, urging me inside. -Come on, move it. She was back to her tired self. Trying to pretend like she was fine took a bit out of her, that¡¯s for sure. -Aye, sir. I followed her, closing the door behind me. Inside didn¡¯t change much since my last visit, that is if you do not count a broken tea set on the floor in the pool of something that smelled like tea. She led me to the back of the room, near the window, where there, besides even more bookcases, was a nice couch, half-covered with books. -Out of all the people, I did not expect to hear him¡­ - she said, not even bothering to turn towards me. - Why is he here? Where is Melle? -Yeah, quite a bit happened. Not even looking at me she fell on the couch and closed her eyes. -Talk. I explained quickly how both of us met and got captured. -Apparently I only got released thanks to me being ¡°one of your people¡±. -I guess you are now¡­ - she looked like she was deep in thought. If she was not talking I¡¯d think she was asleep. -More like you¡¯re one of my people - I grinned, pointing at my mark. -Don¡¯t even think about it. -I know, I know, just joking - I said, raising my hand in a defensive gesture. - Calm down. -Instead of joking around, better tell me if you have what you were sent for. -Yeah, we managed to prepare it beforehand. -Will it work? -It is potent, that¡¯s for sure. It¡¯s definitely stronger than that smoke. She squinted in pain when I mentioned it. -Don¡¯t remind me of that¡­ that bitch is still drunk, lying in a guest room. -A ¡°more important guest¡± indeed. -Whatever. I¡¯m more concerned about Melle¡¯s issue. Are you sure that it was them? -As sure as it gets. -That¡¯s¡­ not possible¡­ they¡­ -I don¡¯t know what you are thinking, but you should be on guard. Odar wanted to speak with you personally and alone, right? It¡¯s not out of the realm of possibility that he wants to take you, too¡­ -And why would he do that? -And why would he kidnap Melle? And the kid? Hell if I know, but he definitely is shady, you can¡¯t deny that. -That¡¯s not the point! - she said angrily. - I know him personally! Shady or not, he¡¯s almost like a family to me! I shrugged. -If you trust him, then it¡¯s fine. -I do. Also, as long as Jacob is my second in command, he¡¯d never even try¡­ -Sure, whatever. Just be careful. She smirked. -Since when do you care? That question suddenly knocked me off track. -That¡¯s actually a good point¡­ why do I care? She didn¡¯t even bother opening her eyes, but I heard her scoff. -Anyway¡­ thank you for being worried, but you should go and tend to Jacob. If Odar was asking about him, it would be for the best if he was present during our conversation, or at least available. -Yeah¡­ I told him that I don¡¯t know where he is, so it¡¯s up to you if you want to tell him the truth or not. -Okay. Any other helpful tips? - she asked, grinning. -Nope. -Then go get to it! - she said angrily. - Whenever you want it or not, I am your boss right now. -I wonder about that¡­ - I said, grinning in reply and raised my hand, showing her my mark. Not like she was looking at me anyway. She growled at me -Sure, sure, I am off, boss! - I said before she thought of a way to reply. She mumbled something, but I did not hear nor I cared. To my surprise, on my way to Jacob¡¯s room I met our resident herbalist. She looked¡­ well, maybe not completely sober, but definitely better than For. -What are you doing here? She clearly did not notice me before I spoke up, because she froze on the spot when she heard my voice. -Taking a walk. She seemed a bit apprehensive. -Yeah, no shit¡­ - I rolled my eyes. - Why? Aren¡¯t you supposed to stay in your room? -No one said so. And who are you, eeem¡­ , sir? -Errr¡­? We met before? -Really? -Yeah? Jacob, unconscious, weird mana smoke¡­ -Ah! Sorry! I didn¡¯t recognize you¡­ -What? Did that smoke get to your head? -No, no I remember your name, it¡¯s just¡­ -Just what? -Never mind! He is still in his room, I just woke up recently so I didn¡¯t have time to check up on him¡­ -That¡¯s why I am here. You¡¯re coming with me? -With all due respect - she backed away from me a step - but I should probably still stay in my room for a while¡­ You might be right, I¡¯m still not completely sober¡­ -Hm. Well, do what you want, I¡¯m not your boss. She was about to leave, but I stopped her, remembering something. -By the way, did you by any chance meet a man going downstairs? -No¡­ -Good. Then stay inside. She looked confused and for some reason, scared, but nodded nonetheless, and went back to the room. Hoping that Jacob won¡¯t be in a similar shape after waking up, I quickly moved to his room. To no one¡¯s surprise, I found it exactly as I left it - including the unmoving Jacob on the bed. Now even colder than before, but still breathing. Barely. If not for that, you could easily make a mistake and think that it¡¯s a corpse. -Let¡¯s get to it then¡­ I put the bag on the table next to the bed and started going through the contents. Inside, there was a lot more than you¡¯d think it¡¯d fit. I already once looked inside it, but since the situation was urgent, I didn''t really have time to properly inspect it. Now, I could easily tell that inside was about five times more spacious than you¡¯d normally expect, and was filled to the brim with other, smaller sacks. Although those were just plain and unenchanted, they were also completely full - mostly with different dried herbs, but some had just empty bottles. I found a couple full with what I thought was the water we took from the spring I showed her. I also found a pair of ornate daggers, well kept and pretty sharp. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder how they did not pierce the bag, but hey, magic is magic, who the hell knows how exactly that bag was enchanted. Speaking of enchantments, the daggers themselves felt magical as well - I did not even have to try and focus - when I picked them up, I could feel my magic flow towards them and the fancy adornments started glowing with a white light. I was not going to take any chances, so I immediately dropped them back inside the bag and the reaction ceased, leaving them dark. It took me a good chunk of time before I finally managed to find the correct bottle and finally put it on the table, thinking how I should approach this predicament¡­ Last time I was in an even remotely similar situation, the victim was, well ¡°mostly conscious¡± let¡¯s say. In an attempt to not choke him to death, I propped him up and tried to make him sit, although it proved a bit difficult. Jacob was not the thinnest person in the world, and trying that with one hand was not the easiest thing in the world. I managed to somehow succeed, but I had to use one of the nearby stools as a support, so he wouldn''t just flop over back onto the bed. Uncorking the bottle, I slowly started pouring the potion into his throat, trying to be very careful and not spill any on me or him. Mostly on me, since I did not want to start glowing again and he would most likely be fine - he was supposedly in a mana-starved state, so it could even help. It seemed to be working. After a few first drops, his pulse suddenly increased and I started feeling him getting warmer. Next was his breathing - up till now, shallow and barely noticeable, after another few drops, he suddenly started breathing through his mouth and even coughed, surprising me and almost making me spill the potion on both of us. I quickly pulled the bottle back and waited for him to settle back. He was not conscious yet, although it looked like he was on the verge of waking up: his eyes moving rapidly under his eyelids and he even started moving his arms a little bit. I was contemplating if I should give him a bit more, but before I managed to make up my mind, he coughed once more and his eyes opened. He looked dazed and confused, and I am not sure if he was even able to see me properly, because the first thing he did was to rub his eyes. He was not even looking at me, just instead was gazing into the space in front of him. -How are you feeling? - I asked, trying to figure out how conscious he is. He wanted to say something, but had a hard time speaking, instead he went into a small coughing fit. -Unfortunately I don¡¯t have any regular water, so take it easy. He nodded, coughed a few times more and seemingly calmed down. -Good. Can you talk? -Yes¡­ - his voice was a bit raspy, but still strong. -Nice. Do you remember what happened? -Somewhat¡­ - he started rubbing his eyes again. - I was in my room¡­ felt tired after using a bit too much magic¡­ went to sleep¡­ Why am I here¡­? Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. -Well, you said it yourself. You got tired. Too tired. According to our resident doctor¡­ herbalist¡­ healer¡­ I don¡¯t know, whatever. You fell into a coma because of mana starvation. -Coma? Hell¡­ how long was I out¡­ and who are you¡­ For the first time since he awoke, he looked directly at me. And screamed. It took me off guard. I instantly jumped up and quickly scanned the room for whatever might have startled him, but found nothing out of the ordinary. For a second I turned my back to him, and when I looked at him again he was out of the bed, the stool I used as a support on the floor beside him. -What¡¯s going on?! Why are you¡­ I did not manage to finish my sentence. I got interrupted by a large ball of fire flying towards my face. I didn¡¯t defend myself. I didn''t even manage to scream or react in any shape of form, before the flames hit me in the side of the head. While I definitely felt the heat and the flames scorching my hair, surprisingly, there was no pain. Well, that is until the impact knocked me down onto the floor. -MONSTER! - he yelled on top of his lungs. There wasn¡¯t even a hint of the earlier weakness in his voice any more. A bit dazed, I wanted to yell at him back, but as soon as I opened my mouth, another fireball was already flying towards me. Reflexively I covered my face with my arm, not sure what that would help. Soon enough I felt the heat of the flames and smelled the unpleasant scent of burned hair and cloth. The impact this time sent me sliding on the floor towards the wall and I hit the wall with my back with a loud thud, knocking the air out of my lungs. Jacob was standing as far away from me as he could, and I think was casting another spell, although at the time I did not notice, since I could barely breathe or see, thanks to the flames and the sheer force of the impact. I only saw the effects a second later: a ring of fire encircled me. To be honest, it looked a bit similar to the spell I used on Melle¡¯s plants some time ago, although this time the flames were definitely not protecting me. Behind my back, in the corridor, I heard frantic steps, both from upstairs and downstairs, but I did not care any more. For a second, I almost lost my consciousness, but the searing pain of the flames finally reached me, to the point where the only thing I could see was bright light. Soon I realized that it wasn¡¯t exactly the pain that blinded me. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I absolutely felt the spells that got flung at me, but the bright light I was seeing was from the pain. I only realized that after the ring of fire surrounding me started slowly dissipating, but there was light coming off from my arm. Not the one I¡¯ve covered myself with though, the other one. Yes, the one I thought I lost. Well, it was still not completely there, but instead, the crystal that was part of me was now a lot bigger, to the point where it looked like half of my arm was back. It was unmistakably the same crystal that I had the shrapnel stuck in me. That¡¯s not all though. While the light coming from it was definitely blinding, it was not the only source of it - my side of the body, where the shards of the crystal were, was also emitting light. A bit dimmer, true, but that might be just thanks to the clothes. As they were burning away, I realized what was causing the flames to disappear. The crystal was pulling the fire to itself, and, for the lack of the better term, absorbing it. Like some weird vacuum, whenever they got even remotely close, it sucked them in, and, to my absolute bewilderment, it was spreading around my body. First I thought that it was just clothes burning away and revealing that I had more of it than I remembered, but I quickly realized that it was actually growing right in front of my eyes. I didn¡¯t have the time to even try and process that information, before yet another fireball hit me, but this time he nailed me right into the crystal remains of my arm. The flames reached me alright, but right afterwards they were absorbed, making me glow even more and made the crystal part of me grow even faster. -What the hell is going on?! - I heard someone yell from the door and then scream right afterwards. It was For. She apparently came down to check who was causing all that commotion. -Finally someone sane¡­ - I muttered under my breath, thinking she would be able to calm down and stop this barrage of fire, but¡­ -Geksu qomlu!! She did not cast that spell, she squeaked it. A series of small fireballs now joined the barrage of spells assaulting me, and promptly got absorbed even faster than the large ones from Jacob. -Never mind¡­ What the fuck?! - I yelled, trying to stand. -Stay back, monster! What the hell did you do to him?! - she yelled at me, flinging more fire. -What monster, that¡¯s me you idiots! -I know your kind! Is he dead?! Did you kidnap him?! Stop pretending and tell me! -What in the fuck, I am telling you, it¡¯s me! What got into you?! -You are not him. Mor is not made of crystal! - Jacob pitched in, almost squeaking as well. I guess not showing them the arm bit me in the ass right now, go figure. But why now? It¡¯s not like it was on the display, right? -I am not¡­ Well, technically I am, partially at least, but I¡¯ve been like this all the time! -Stop lying! What¡¯s the point! Just¡­ -What¡¯s going on? In all this commotion none of us noticed Odar¡¯s arrival. Standing right behind For and carefully looking into the room, he noticed both me on the ground and the other two flooding me with spells. -Odar! - Jacob suddenly stopped, surprised to see him. - What are you doing here? -I can ask you both the same question. Why are you assaulting your own underling? I guess it¡¯s not my business, but¡­ -That¡¯s not my underling! I have never seen this¡­ this thing in my life! -¡±Thing¡±? Fuck you! Ow! Yet another small fireball hit me. I slowly stopped noticing them, since they almost immediately were absorbed by the crystal part of me, especially when Jacob stopped. The ones from For weren¡¯t packing much force to begin with, but were still annoying. -You stay down! - Jacob yelled and was about to toss yet another one, but this time Odar stopped him. -Can you explain what¡¯s going on? - he sounded genuinely concerned. - Look, I can¡¯t just stand back and look, isn¡¯t this¡­ as you said, ¡°thing¡±, yours? I was about to protest that I am not a thing, nor I am someone¡¯s property, but I bit my tongue. -What the hell do you mean?! -Well¡­ I brought him here¡­ he said he was on a mission for you¡­ and For even had him in her own chambers just a while ago¡­ -WHAT? This time, both of them yelled in surprise. -What? -For, is that true? -It wasn¡¯t him! I am sure that was the real Mor, not this creature! -What the fuck are you talking about? - I barked annoyed, finally managing to stand up and extinguish the rest of the flames that were smoldering on my, now almost completely burned, coat. -Shut up, monster! We both faced enough of you during our days, with Odar here you have no chance! I was straight up speechless. First I save his life, and now in return I have to deal with this bullshit? -Odar, with me! Let¡¯s both hit him. Double deal, you remember? -I do¡­ - he responded with disdain. - I still think you¡¯re making a mistake though. And I am a bit worried¡­ -Worried? No point! It dies here! -Not the point. Doesn¡¯t matter anyway, you go first. I have no idea what they were planning, but judging by the look on their faces, it was nothing good. Even For stopped her barrage to look and was visibly scared. Eh, I guess that¡¯s what I get for making deals with¡­ Wait a second. Deals. Didn¡¯t I have a thing just for that? Just before they attacked, I managed to focus and remember. And it worked alright. Both on my hand and on For¡¯s neck, the familiar flames manifested, and right in front of me, the contract appeared. It looked a bit different than the last time though - when I first summoned it, it was not glowing that hard, nor was it that big. Same with the flames on us. Instead of a small spark and a thin ring around her neck, both her whole head and my whole palm were lit ablaze with that strange, cold fire. I don¡¯t think I need to explain For¡¯s reaction. Her shriek made all three of us jump, and before any one of them was able to react, I put up a barrier around me, using the same spell as I used on Melle¡¯s plants. Although, like with the contract, the effect was magnified - the flames were a lot larger, and brighter, almost rivaling the glow of the crystal itself. It was most likely thanks to the massive amount of mana that I absorbed from all those spells flung at me. Happy that the spell at least did not backfire, I spoke up. -I swear, you people keep involving me with your problems, and then, when I finally turn up and actually help, what do I get? A spell to the face? -He¡¯s attacking! Quick, get him! Yeah, there was no way I was going to talk them into submission. -I think you might be onto something. He does not seem like the same person I talked to. Understood. Even him? I guess the sudden combustion of For¡¯s head didn¡¯t help. But what the hell did he mean by ¡°not the same person¡±? Sure, I grew a bit of a crystal out, true, but that¡¯s besides the point. You can¡¯t just treat people like items because they look different! -Double deal. Go! Joqotu mady go hilty! - yelled Jacob. -Joqotu mady go jnifuy! - followed Odar, still looking not very sure about all this. The spell they used was similar, yet they used different elements. In front of Jacob, a large orange-red cube materialized. It looked somewhat like a lit furnace, albeit with transparent walls. As the spell formed, the flames started to heat up, and started turning blinding white. On the other side, there was Odar - with an identical one, but instead of raging inferno, a large cube of ice started to form. To be honest, it¡¯s hard to classify that as actual ice, because it looked liquid. Wait a second, didn¡¯t he use nature magic last time? He was able to use multiple elements, like me? But before I even managed to comprehend the nature of both of those spells, they went with another. -Myqgoqvu! They were chanting together now. Both cubes slammed into each other. At first, it looked counter-productive, since I expected them just to cancel each other out, or for the fire to win, since Jacob was pretty much doping right now, but the effect was different. Both of them started turning and melding together, forming a strange shape. It definitely looked interesting, like some sort of a star with sharp edges of different colors, and a core of vibrant purple, which looked like it was boiling. I could sense that the spell finally finished forming, and even then it was draining both of them. Apparently trying to synchronize two elements inside one spell was a pretty taxing task for them. Nevertheless, impressive. I did not have time to be amazed at their creation though, because as soon as the combination was done, they sent it barreling right towards me. That¡¯s when I noticed a pretty obvious flaw in that spell. It was slow as hell. The fireballs and their equivalents are so popular and widely used thanks to their ease of use and speed of travel. Such a small spell does not require much to get going towards the direction of your choosing and even small amounts of force can give them a lot of speed. In comparison, this thing was massive. While the size does not exactly represent the heaviness of whatever the spell consisted of, it definitely represents the degree of focus needed to control it. It¡¯s like comparing driving a bike to driving a bus - one of those is definitely easier to get going and change the direction you want it to move towards. There bus has one upside though - it is pretty fucking big. Like this abomination. And however slow would it move, if there is no place to escape, you can''t dodge it. Exactly like in this case. I was cornered by a massive spell, and taking it head on would definitely be unpleasant. Even considering the mana absorbing properties of the crystal that was embedded in me, I doubt it would be able to absorb the entirety of this spell without me taking a significant damage from it. My smoldering coat and hair were the definitive proof of that - and those were just from some average fireballs. I was in a bit of a pickle. Obviously, the barrier I created was not even close to enough to block that. I had to think of something, and quickly. First, I dropped the initial fire barrier and focused. While I might have already taken quite a bit of damage thanks to the barrage I was under recently, there was an upside to that - I felt powerful. Whenever they wanted it or not, they fed me so much of their mana for me to glow like an oversized light bulb, meaning that I had most likely more than enough power to create a barrier that could stop their combined spell. There was just one singular problem - what element should I use? The first choice would be earth - or rather the crystal that the castle was made from. During my stay here I noticed that it was quite sturdy and resistant to magic - even when I was jailed and burned my way out of the cell, I did not manage to even scratch the crystal, just had to rely on destroying the weak points - hinges and such. The problem with that though was that I would reveal to them that I was able to use more than one element. Not so long ago I would¡¯ve been a lot more trusting and just went with it, especially after seeing Odar use ice, but that¡¯d be before my ¡°so-called¡± boss and her right hand started tossing spells at me. The small piece of crystal wedged into my arm caused all this mess, who knows what the hell would they do if they learned that as well. I was not going to give that information to the enemy for free. I was left with fire then. While it would be my second choice, that or ice magic, either of those was risky. I was pretty sure that a fire barrier would be able to stop both of those spells separately, but that was not what I was dealing with now. Multi-elemental spells are often pretty hard to write, and if one is used properly, you can exponentially increase their power even using a small amount of mana. Even in my ¡°boosted¡± state, it was a gamble. A gamble that I decided to take. In the worst scenario, even if the barrier failed, the spell would¡¯ve been weakened to the point where the crystal could absorb it without much harm to me. I decided to risk it. What I had in mind was creating basically a wall of warding fire in front of me, cutting me away from both the spell and the two that were focusing on it. For was still there, cutting off my way of escape, but she was still ¡°on fire¡± and panicking. And besides that, she already proved to be the less threatening one in this encounter. -Hilty, rtywomwu puq pyt. But that¡¯s not what happened when I spoke the spell. To be honest, at first I thought it fizzled completely and in panic I just tried jumping away from the rapidly approaching fusion of two spells, but I was stopped mid-step. Not by a spell or anything like that - I straight up crashed face first into For, who literally jumped at me like some wild animal, knocking me down. It was quite surprising - I did not expect that much strength from her, nor I expected that she¡¯d actually try to stop me. The second thing I noticed though, and that was more than concerning, was fire. And a lot of it. I never dismissed the contract, so at first I didn¡¯t really notice it, but on second glance, the fire that was surrounding her was not the same as before. Her whole body was engulfed by a large flame, crimson red, while her head was still surrounded by a white one, from the contract. It did not look like she was in pain and was not panicking any more. I couldn¡¯t see her face clearly, but she looked like she was in some kind of trance. What was unsettling though, she was not trying to attack me. Instead, to the sheer panic of two men in front of us, she stood between me and a spell in an attempt to protect me from it, taking the hit instead. The three of us reacted instantly. Jacob and Odar yelled in unison, breaking their focus on the spell, and I jumped up from the ground, grabbing her and trying to tackle her to the floor. But it was already too late. The spell, even though the source of mana was cut from it, was still going strong and collided with us. As a last ditch attempt, I tried blocking it with my exposed crystal body, hoping that it would absorb at least part of it. The moment it touched me, I felt a searing pain go through my whole body, starting from the hand, pulsing towards the side of my head and down my side and thigh. That, and the light coming from the point of contact, spreading through my crystal, blinded me pretty much completely and I lost my consciousness. 46. Aftermath Later, I learned that the light was accompanied with a loud bang, along with a wave of destruction. Apparently the moment it touched me, the spell split back into two, and since it occupied pretty much the same space, it resulted in a massive explosion of steam, ice and fire. Few things I was right about though. While the blast was powerful, it was mostly contained - I took the brunt of the hit - it was, after all, what they were aiming for. The crystal worked as I expected and absorbed most of the loose mana from the resulting unstable spell. The room withstood the explosion - we got to thank the crystal walls for that, they were indeed incredibly sturdy. While Jacob and Odar were far enough to react and duck down, avoiding most of the aftermath, For was in the epicenter and took the main part of the explosion along with me. She survived, but with some very nasty burns - both from fire and the hot steam along with frostburns from the pieces of ice and something they called ¡°frostfire¡±, what I assume was what the core of the spell was made of. You might want to call me lucky - because I survived. There is no chance that if it was a regular person that got hit by that spell, or any monster that I¡¯ve seen so far, they would¡¯ve been alive. If not from the heat, or rather the temperature, it''s a bit weird with that spell, then it would¡¯ve been from the massive amounts of loose mana, or just plain blunt trauma. From what I understand, the remains of the spell itself got absorbed by my crystal, but not early enough for me to not get burned. When I woke up, I was wrapped from head to toe in bandages and definitely still in pain. I was lying in bed, in a very familiar room - just one floor below where the ¡°encounter¡± happened. I could still faintly smell the smoke from the incense For¡¯s resident herbalist used, trying to wake Jacob up from coma and in the process incapacitated the head of Red Mages. Next to me, on the small stool, there was a stack of clean bandages. I tried to sit up, but to no avail. Every single muscle in my body was screaming with pain and refused to cooperate. Sighing heavily, I gave up and just was lying there, trying to collect my thoughts. That¡¯s when a familiar face entered the room - the herbalist in question herself, carrying a jar of some thick, crimson red liquid. -Hi. My voice surprised us both. She definitely did not expect me to be awake and almost dropped the jar on the floor. I, on the other hand, got startled by how it sounded. It was different and the change itself hard to describe¡­ Like there was something new in it, an additional melodic tone that I did not ever remember having, yet still pretty much the same in general. If I had strength, I¡¯d probably flinch too. She yelped and instantly ran out of the room, spilling some of the contents of the jar. Not long after, I got visited by two people. First Odar, who I was surprised to see, who quickly told me to shut up and told me what happened after I passed out. I learned that it was him who carried me here and convinced them to take care of me. Jacob was apparently on the fence between throwing me out of the window from the highest tower and wanting to treat me immediately himself. After all, I did save For from their own stupidity, and they both knew that. Who knows what would¡¯ve happened if she took the spell head on. From what he told me, she was still recovering. And a bit angry at both me and them, asking for an explanation. -Yeah, I also would like to know that too - I finally said. On the sound of my voice he flinched as well. -I told you to be quiet. We don¡¯t know how bad the effects of this magic are. Judging by your voice, it also affected your throat. I nodded and instantly regretted it. Even that small of a movement was painful. -Eise and Jacob will be here soon. I responded with a questioning look. -Eise was treating you up till now and even though I might not agree with her¡­ methods¡­ I can¡¯t argue with effectiveness. Ah, the herbalist. So that was her name. -The bandages you have are soaked with some ¡°special balm¡±, as she called it. You don¡¯t want to know what¡¯s in that. That sounded ominous. Knowing her and her ideas I was surprised that I was conscious at all. I groaned and wanted to ask anyway, but before I was able to open my mouth, we heard someone knock at the door. -That¡¯s probably her. Come in. Back with her, now a bit intimidating to me, jar, Eise entered the room along with For and Jacob. -For, you¡¯re here too. -I heard Mor¡¯s awake and Jacob said he¡¯ll only explain after he wakes up. I am not letting him get away without properly telling me why I am covered with bandages now. They both stood next to Odar and looked at me expectantly. I responded with a confused look, or rather I would, if the bandages weren¡¯t in the way. For a good minute, everyone in the room went quiet, waiting for someone to start explaining. -Okay. Let me start then - finally spoke up Jacob, looking at me with some mixed feelings on his face. - For, do you remember the stories about your father¡¯s travels? -Which one? And what does that have to do with anything? -Quite a bit. You see, as you know, all three of us traveled together for a long while. Along the way we met various people, and lost a bunch of them as well. To unfortunate accidents, sometimes wild animals even, but mostly to monsters. -Get on with it. -And one monster in particular left some very nasty memories with us. I am talking about crystal remnants. -Yeah, yeah, I remember you mentioning it a few times. What of it? -Did I ever tell you what that exactly was? Odar rolled his eyes, apparently not in the mood for long explanations. -Can you get to the point? Maybe you both have the whole day, but I¡¯d like to finish this as soon as possible and report to the king. -You¡¯d rather explain yourself? He sighed, annoyed, and started talking instead. -Crystal remnant, or a crystal revenant. A type of a humanoid-looking monster that takes the shape of a human being to lure its prey and strike when it¡¯s off guard. The resemblance is often undistinguishable, if not for one distinct detail. As a core, it has a large crystal embedded in it that functions as a heart. It¡¯s very resistant, both to magic and regular weapons. The whole room turned to me. -And Mor... well, he looks very similar to one... I was about to protest, but, surprisingly, it was Jacob who defended me. -That¡¯s what I thought when I first saw him after he woke me up. That¡¯s why I reacted how I did. But now¡­ I am not so sure¡­ He started pacing around the room. -More importantly, how did you not notice? - he asked. - I mean, even Eise got scared and you just sent him my way like nothing happened? And Odar, why didn¡¯t you stop her? I was about to ask what the hell he was on about, but he beat me to it. -Notice what? I wanted to ask this question for a long time - he said, turning to Jacob. - I met this man a few times already, yet the only change that I noticed happened thanks to our spell. True, the first time he was mostly covered but still¡­ Jacob blinked and looked at Odar directly, confused. -Can someone finally explain what the fuck are you talking about? My question made all of them jump. I feel like they forgot that I was even in the room, yet I was the main topic of this conversation. -Right¡­ - finally said Jacob after a moment of silence. - Eise, do you have a mirror? She muttered something about it being in the other room and quickly ran out of the door. -Let¡¯s start with the obvious. Whenever anyone wants to admit it or not, you are definitely not a crystal remnant. Jacob said something under his breath that did not sound very kind, but did not correct him. -But you are also not¡­ normal. I think you probably figured that out already. Eise came back with a small mirror in hand and handed it to him. -Take his bandages off. Just from the upper half for now. She nodded. This time I managed to sit up, although not without a number of painful grunts and a solid help from Odar, after which Eise started to slowly unwrap my face. Surprisingly though, as she pulled more and more of them off me, the pain started to slowly fade away, probably thanks to the fresh air. Half way through though, I started noticing weird looks from For. I mean I know I was burned, but couldn¡¯t be that bad, right? -Before you take a look, please answer me one question. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. -And what might that be? -Are you really the same person that I first met in Arbo? - slowly asked Odar. I just rolled my eyes. -Well, obviously. Come on, stop playing for time, can¡¯t be that bad. He shrugged and raised the mirror. I expected many things. Scars, deformations, you name it. But to my amazement, what I saw was¡­ a crystal. Half of my face was made of a crystal. Familiar one in fact, it looked eerily similar to the one I had in my side, it was even slightly glowing to boot. And on top of that, I was half bald. Well, that one I should¡¯ve expected, I did smell my hair burn thanks to their spells. The first instinct of mine was to pat myself down and check how far this went, but I still was lacking strength. On my face, the ¡°border¡± between what was flesh and what wasn¡¯t was going up from the middle of the chin, across the nose, around the left eye that was still intact I want to add, and going up and back towards the center of the head. Even the other part of my face wasn¡¯t exactly untouched. While it generally looked like flesh, it was strange, almost glistening, like I was wet. The sudden change in my voice now made sense. To be honest, I was surprised that I was even able to talk at all, since at least part of my neck was crystal now. He noticed my sudden attempt at movement. -Yeah. I also don¡¯t understand. I looked at him. I understood more than he thought. But how much should I tell him? -Eise. She flinched at her name. -You¡¯re the one who was taking care of me, right? -Y-yeah. -Tell me, how much? -Excuse me? -How much of me is like this? She suddenly turned red and looked away towards the mirror and muttered something quietly in response. -What? -Left¡­ -Left what? Speak clearly. She took a deep breath. -The whole left side of your body is like this. E¡­even the arm. -Arm? - I looked down, even more confused. - I don¡¯t have an¡­ I stopped talking, because where my crystal stump used to be, I had now been wrapped tightly with a bundle of cloth. A large one. -Can you take that off? Without a word, she started unwrapping my, what supposed to be, a stump of my left arm. The more I was seeing, the wider my eyes were opening. It was indeed the part of Origin Crystal, I was sure of that. But that was not the weird part, to that I was already sort of used to. The weird part was that now, instead of a stump and a bone stuck inside of a crystal, it formed a full arm, even with fingers and all. -Huh. -Yeah, that is a problem. -Speak for yourself - I laughed. - I feel like it¡¯s quite the opposite. He looked at me, puzzled. -Can you even¡­ use that? - asked, quiet until now For. I tried moving my fingers, and, surprise surprise, I actually could. What I assumed earlier was just a phantom pain in my arm, spiked up. Interestingly, along with the pain, the crystal pulsed, or rather my whole side did, with a dull glow. Sudden light made all of them jump. As I tried moving the whole arm, the pain started to go away along with the glow, and, for the first time in a long while, I had a working left hand. I raised it up and tried to look at it more closely. It was semi-translucent, but even though I couldn¡¯t see anything that resembled a bone inside, nor muscle. The whole group was looking in amazement at how I slowly was stretching my fingers and trying out the mobility of this new apedgage. To be honest, it was not half bad. Even though it was not as good as the real flesh - the joints were not able to move all the way as they were supposed to, thanks to the thickness of the ¡°skin¡± - everything beat the lack of an arm though. When I wanted to actually compare it to my other arm, I realized that the other one was still very unresponsive. Testing out the agility of the new hand, I tried unwrapping my other arm, but as soon as I touched the bandages, I felt a sudden jolt of energy and pain, almost like electricity mixed with heat, striking my fingers. That surprised all of us. Others, because it made my side glow even brighter again, and me, because the pain actually felt familiar. -What the fuck are you doing? - instantly jumped up Jacob and I swear he was about to pull a weapon on me, before, off all people Eise spoke up. -Sir, that¡¯s my fault. I should¡¯ve warned you all before, but I think that is a side effect of my balm¡­ On that note everyone, including me, shuddered. Seems all of us had their own opinion about her ¡°alchemy¡±. -What is that even? - asked For pointing at the jar she brought. -You don¡¯t want to know - repeated Odar quietly. - Anyway - he started, out loud - we are happy to see you so cheerful, congratulations on getting a prosthetic and all, but I think we have some questions. -Yeah, yeah, just one thing. Eise, you used that balm¡­ how exactly? -Ah, I soaked the bandages in it and¡­ -What did you use as a base? Please don¡¯t tell me that it¡¯s the thing I had with me¡­ -The thing? -Infused water. -I¡­ yes? Suddenly everything made sense. -Please, someone take this off me. Everyone looked at me, puzzled. -I know, this situation is very unusual and you most likely had no idea what to do¡­ but who did even let you take it? -D-did I do wrong? - she asked with a trembling voice. - I didn¡¯t¡­ -I did - spoke up Jacob. - You should be thankful, we don¡¯t have much medicine to spare and thanks to that you managed to¡­ -No, no - I interrupted him. - I understand, it¡¯s hard to get a good base for anything out here, and since it was mine you assumed¡­ I sighed. Next time I¡¯ll have to make sure that my bags are properly secured. -Just take this off me. And be careful. She nodded and started unwrapping my arm first. -You mind explaining what the fuck is going on? - asked finally For, who apparently ran out of patience. - Okay, I get it, he attacked you cause you look like some monster or whatever, but that doesn¡¯t explain why the fuck you look like this nor anything else for that matter. I looked at her, angry. -You might not know, but I am barely able to move right now, you should be happy that I am even able to talk. I saved your skin, you could at least try and be patient. -Pff. Right, saved. You lit me on fire and then¡­ For a second, she looked confused, trying to remember something. -What exactly happened later¡­ my memory is sort of foggy¡­ -You jumped in front of their spell. -And then he shielded you from it. -Yeah, basically that. But why the fuck would you do that?! - asked Jacob angrily. - Even if he¡¯s not one of those things, and that is debatable¡­ -Fuck you. -...that is still not something a sane person would do! She looked at all of us, dumbfounded. -I¡­ I¡­ don¡¯t know, actually¡­ - she started, rubbing her bandaged arms. - I remember¡­ him summoning the contract¡­ the fire¡­ -It was just me trying to convince you that I was still the same person. Didn¡¯t work. -Yeah, the contract, I figured¡­ - said Odar, scratching his chin. - But that doesn¡¯t explain why she jumped¡­ He froze for a second. -I remember you muttering something before the explosion. What was that? -Hm? Ah, I think it was a protection spell but it fizzled¡­ -Wait. Protect. You said protect. The contract was out¡­ did that¡­? For looked horrified at me, then at Odar and started yelling at Jacob. -YOU ARE TELLING ME THIS¡­ THING HAS THAT MUCH POWER OVER ME?! -Calm down, it¡¯s¡­ -I am not calming down! THAT WAS YOUR IDEA! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME? -I DIDN¡¯T KNOW, OKAY? I never expected that he would be this powerful. It quickly got awkward real fast, but I couldn''t blame her. I was just glad that it was not me she was shouting at. It did not look like it was going to end any time soon though. Even Odar moved a few steps away from them, yelling at each other and started helping Eise who was still slowly unwrapping my bandages. She was done with my arm and went ahead to unwrap my torso. As I was slowly trying to move my other hand, I started considering what that exactly meant. Somehow, even without my intention, part of the spell got ¡°funneled¡± through the contract, making her, instead of my mana, respond to the ¡°protect¡± command. Hell, blood contracts are scary. I probably should be more careful about that¡­ -We don¡¯t even know if the contract is still active! It most likely got destroyed! -Like hell it did! You know that it¡¯s not possible, even if he¡¯s some sort of a freak of nature. -Nature has nothing to do with my state - I calmly said, waving my normal hand to her. She shuddered, looking directly at the mark, reminding both of them that the contract was indeed still in perfect condition. -I am pretty sure it¡¯s still fine, but I can check if you want me to¡­ -NO! - yelled both of them together. Odar was carefully observing this weird spectacle of ours, lost in thought it seems. -Mor, how are you feeling with¡­ this? - asked me Odar, when Eise was done with my bandages. That was the question. I actually felt pretty good overall. Since she removed the wrappings from me, all of the pain from my top half was gone and I was freely able to move my hands. I carefully inspected my new half. The border between flesh and crystal continued from my neck, pretty much straight down the half of my body. Touching it for the first time, it felt¡­ strangely warm and familiar. Like the one that my new arm consisted of, all of it wasn¡¯t completely like a rock solid substance. While very hard, it was also slightly, well, let¡¯s say malleable. It was mostly noticeable right at the border of the flesh, along with the strange glow I noticed on my face before. On the other hand, parts furthest were just straight up crystal - rough and sharp to the touch, but still warm. While the hand was a bit translucent, the rest was not. The crystal had a slightly pink, flesh-like color that turned almost white on the edges. -Actually, pretty good. If I finally get the rest of the bandages off me, I feel like it¡¯s going to be better than ever, really. -Mhm, that¡¯s nice and all and I am happy that you seem to not mind this¡­ situation - said Odar, a bit indifferent to all this - but I feel like I need some explanations. From what I heard, I assume that you somehow got tricked into forging a contract between For and Mor. And then, when the things heated up, he used it to defend himself. Am I right, Jacob? -More or less - he, visibly annoyed. -That still does not explain the crystal. If you¡¯re not a remnant, then what is this all about? I am sure our spell was not the issue here. He looked at all of us questioningly. -To be honest - butted in For - he was always a weird person. And with relations to even weirder ones. That¡¯s the reason I agreed to let him join. I laughed. -Reason? I thought it was because of you being stubborn and not believing me and ¡°being tricked¡± into a contract that you proposed yourself. She scoffed at me, but did not say anything. -That still doesn¡¯t answer my question - said Odar unwaveringly. -Listen. While I am thankful that you saved me from this lunatic - I gestured at Jacob - you also joined him first. I am not going to tell you anything. It has nothing to do with you, nor your king. -Every time I heard that it was always the opposite. I am not taking any chances. -I would like to hear that as well. Even though you used me¡­ -Not on purpose. -Even though, you saved my life - she gestured towards her bandages. - Believe me, when I came to, it looked worse. Only thanks to Eise I can actually walk now. -Wait wait wait wait¡­ How long was I out? -Oh, right. I forgot. It¡¯s been about a month - said Odar like it was nothing. 47. Stalemate It took me a second to process that. -A month? -Yes. On day one I went back and reported all of this directly to the king. At first he was worried, but now, he probably will want you to come back to the castle and keep you under his watch. -Oh hell no. -Then explain yourself. Since you are awake and kicking I am either coming back with you in tow whenever you want it or not, or at the very least with a good explanation for all this. You did almost kill one of his most trusted people. -Come on, you¡¯re more than fine. It was not that bad¡­ -I was not talking about me. But if you¡¯re going this way, it would be three people then. At least. I couldn¡¯t believe what I was hearing. -You are kidding me. What are the chances even? -I am surprised as well. Not like we are weak or easy to find, but you seem to attract us one way or another. -¡±Us¡±? -I am aware that you are an outsider - said Odar raising his eyebrow - but I thought you¡¯d at least heard of the Lost Church¡­ -Oh for¡­ - I couldn¡¯t help but hide my face in my hands. - A fucking cult¡­ Why¡­ -Religion. And what¡¯s wrong with that? - suddenly perked up Jacob. - Are you by chance a heretic? -Fuuck¡­ please tell me you are joking¡­ - I muttered, raising my head, but to my absolute horror, all of them had the same, serious expression on their face. Jacob even looked like he was about to yell at me. -Now, now, it¡¯s not the time - stopped him Odar, before he even managed to open his mouth. - While I am also concerned, we have more urgent things to do. So, back on topic. Are you going to tell me what¡¯s up with this crystal, or are you going with me to the king and want to argue with His Majesty himself? I do not recommend the second option. -Or three, I don¡¯t do either of those things and just leave never to be seen again. -Please. With all three of us here you¡­ -I what? - I scoffed at him. - You already forgot why are we here? Next time I¡¯m not going to save anyone. What are you going to do then? Even though he tried threatening me, he very well knew that we were at an impasse, if not I had an upper hand here. But even if I was to leave here without any resistance, as the contract with For guaranteed, there was no telling what would happen after that. I can deal with these three, but can I do the same with whoever else comes after me? Who knows how deep that cult of theirs goes¡­ -Look, I sort of understand where you are coming from. Weird magic, even weirder people¡­ -So why not tell me¡­ -That would literally put my freedom on the line and, most likely, life. Some things are secret for a reason. -Are you aware that not doing as I ask does the exact same thing? -I have noticed - I muttered. -So we are at an impasse¡­ - he said, scratching his head. - Okay. Let¡¯s speak facts. Legally, I am not allowed to just drag you out of here by force. While it is a distinct possibility that I would get away with it, I¡¯d rather not. -Not like I would just let you¡­ -Let¡¯s glance over the ¡°who wins the direct confrontation¡± issue for now. I just shrugged and let him continue. -And I need a statement for the king to be satisfied. Statement from someone trustworthy. -What are you getting at? - I gazed at him, suspicious. -I have a proposition. -I have nothing to lose by listening, so get on with it. -Right. King, while curious about what happened here, is not looking exactly for the reasons for all this nonsense. While he is aware that ¡°something¡± happened here, he does not know about your ¡°crystallized¡± state. Truth be told, I didn¡¯t know either until recently, I just learned about it when I arrived last week. -What are you getting at? -The only thing he wants, and by extension what I need, is a confirmation of For ''s safety. -Well, as you can see, she is, so what¡¯s the issue? -Yes, right now - he nodded. - But what assurance do I have about that not changing as soon as I leave? Did you forget your blood contract? What insurance do I have that you won¡¯t abuse it? -I guess you¡¯re right. So what do you want? -I want you to upgrade your contract to a mutual one. It¡¯d be a cheap price for your freedom. -Okay, hold on! - spoke up Jacob, suddenly agitated. - I do not consent to this! That magic is not to be played with! -Look who¡¯s talking - I gave him a cold gaze. - But nevertheless, you¡¯re not wrong. I am not agreeing as well. It¡¯s not like I have anything to gain from that. -Do I have nothing to say in this? - interrupted angrily For. -I understand this is a very roundabout way of doing things, but let me elaborate first. Since no one interrupted, he continued. -As I am aware, you do have a contract, right? May I see it? Or at least know what its exact contents are? -I am not summoning it - I said before For was even able to open her mouth - because I risk getting hit with a fireball in the face again, or worse. In short, I am just granted a free passage here and by extension free roam as well. -Uh-uh. And in return you¡­? -It was a deal, in return he was supposed to show us how to break from a cell - said For. - Long story short, we underestimated his power. If I knew he was able to wield such powerful magic, I¡¯d never even consider this bargain. -I see¡­ I get it now¡­ - he nodded with understanding, burying his face in his hands. -I still don¡¯t - muttered For, looking confused. -You used that magic without knowing how it works properly? - he shook his head with disappointment. - Listen. There is no distinction of ¡°sides¡± in those kinds of spells, even if you specify beforehand. It¡¯s more like a guideline for us, not for the magic binding us. -What are you talking about? -Meaning, that if ANY of the sides was to violate the rules stated by the bond, it would become the other¡¯s property. -So what? I don¡¯t intend on breaking the deal. - she shook her head. - I never¡­ -Oh but you already did - I interrupted, understanding what he was talking about. - ¡°A safe and uninterrupted passage¡± is what we agreed upon. I don¡¯t know about what exactly counts as safe, but throwing fireballs at my face I am pretty sure is the exact opposite of that. Meaning¡­ -I broke the contract? - she asked with wide eyes. -Looks like it. That means I own you now, I guess? -There you have it. Whenever you wanted it or not, you granted him not just a safe haven, but also essentially your life and freedom. Instead of getting an easy slave, you got turned into one yourself. Good job. Good fucking job, both of you¡­ Both For and Jacob looked horrified with that prospect, clearly neither of them expected that to play out that way. Neither did I, to be honest. When I read about this magic in their library, there was not exactly much info about the exact wordings and such, there was just instructions along with a quick summary and a few cryptic warnings. Should¡¯ve seen that coming, a magic like this never is just straightforward. -Don¡¯t look at me like that. It was not my idea. But thank you, this is good to know. All of them looked very concerned and, in For¡¯s case, frightened. Can¡¯t blame her for that. -This complicates things¡­ - muttered Odar. - I didn¡¯t think that your contract was that deep¡­ -What do you mean? He sighed. -I wanted to strike a deal. In exchange for signing a new contract with For, I wanted her to agree to modify it a little bit, so there are more stipulations¡­ but I am afraid it¡¯s too late. -Too late? -She did break it, didn¡¯t she? One can modify a contract whenever they feel like it, if both sides agree that is. But if you break it, you willingly give up that right. -So¡­ you can¡¯t do anything? I can¡¯t do anything? - said For, slightly panicked. -No. There is only one person in this world that can modify something like this. And even then, it can¡¯t be voided. -Who? -That¡¯s a stupid question - said Jacob, angry on himself. - Him. -Yeah - Odar nodded. - Your new owner. She shuddered when she heard ¡°owner¡±. But I was more interested in another detail. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! -I can modify it? What do you mean by that? -You agreed to terms of this without knowing even that much? - he looked at me with disbelief. -Yeah, I also am disappointed with myself. I scoured a local library and learned about this magic here. I never expected that such a prominent establishment would have info that is lacking that much. Jacob looked offended by that remark, but did not say a word. He knew I was right and he himself was one of the victims of their shortcomings. -Huh. In any case, yes, you can modify your contract, but not in the way you think. Before it¡¯s been broken, you two would be able to freely modify terms that bound you, but now, that is already gone and done. Essentially, the previous deal is treated as finished and was replaced by what is, roughly speaking, a ¡°certificate of ownership¡±. -Come on, let¡¯s not be that rude. It¡¯s still a person we are talking about¡­ -Sadly, not any more. She is now nothing but an object. What you do with it is up to your discretion. I expected for either For or Jacob to protest and be offended or something¡­ but no. They both looked down and defeated. Jacob, angry but quiet, knowing this is his fault, started pacing around the room, his knuckles white from gripping his own neck. For on the other hand looked¡­ blank. Her face was pale, without any expression. -Wow. That¡¯s¡­ a rough way to put things. -But that¡¯s how it is. I am not going to sugarcoat. Anyway, continuing my train of thought, what to do with your property is up to your discretion. At any time, you can summon your contract, or rather certificate of ownership, and set up rules that she will have to obey. Along with penalties. You just have to write them onto it. Now I understood why Bert was so insistent to get me safely to the capital. If that deal also had potential to turn into a situation like this¡­ -Interesting¡­ I¡¯ll have to consider some things later then¡­ - I said, wondering what I should do with this hand I was dealt. -I bet. In any case, it looks like that¡¯s it for me¡­ - he said, standing up. - I lost my bargaining chip, and now I cannot safely try and extract you. -Seems so - I nodded. - So what are you going to do? Announce that I am a monster or what? -I¡­ I am not sure myself - he replied, looking torn. - I don¡¯t want to believe that I saved a monster, but¡­ it¡¯s undeniable that you are a danger to For. -Let me remind you, that it was not my idea¡­ -Doesn¡¯t matter now. It matters that she is now at your mercy. -Eh¡­ I am tired of this¡­ everyone I meet wants to straight up put me in a cell one way or another, and then realize that they¡¯ve made a mistake¡­ this is getting old, you know. -So what do you want me to do? It¡¯s not like I have a choice¡­ -Just take her, man. My property or not, I don¡¯t give a fuck. It¡¯s not like I wanted her in the first place. If she¡¯s with you, I can¡¯t hurt her and we are fine. -Of course you can. The contract doesn¡¯t have any range limitations, you know. You can always¡­ -What, set a rule that she will die if she speaks up or something dumb like that? He did not reply, but the look on his face said more than words. -Oh come on, I am not some kind of sadist like that. What¡¯s the point? He shrugged. -Okay, if you want it like that, fine. Let¡¯s start talking your language. She¡¯s important to the king, right? Why the hell would I want to get rid of a leverage that just casually dropped in my lap? I am not going to do anything to her. Just her existence is a boon for me. As you said, I can¡¯t just dispel this thing. I leaned back on my bed, thinking what should I do in this stupid situation. Whatever I choose it felt like yet another batch of problems would spring up. -You know, fuck this. All of you get the hell out of this room. I am gonna dress up and I am coming with you. I have an idea. Before I even finished the sentence, For was already outside. I guess the contract was working. -Might you explain, what? I can¡¯t just let¡­ -Yes, yes, you can¡¯t just let me meet the king, yada yada. I looked at Jacob and Eise, trying to remind them what I just said. -I said, leave. Eise immediately complied, but Jacob just stared at me with annoyance. -Are you kicking me out of my own place? I rolled my eyes. -Yes, yes, I am sorry, but what I¡¯m gonna say is for Odar¡¯s ears only. Unless you want to deal with his king¡¯s business¡­ Besides, isn¡¯t that technically For¡¯s place? And since I own her now, don¡¯t I own this place as well? -You¡­ -Jacob, please¡­ If you would be so kind¡­ He was about to say something but bit his tongue and instead started walking towards the door. Before he left and slammed it behind him, I could hear him mutter a few swears. -So what¡¯s this all about? - he started questioning me immediately after the door closed. -You said you need to be sure that I do not have anything hostile towards For planned, right? -Towards us as a whole, but yeah, more or less. Without that I cannot guarantee¡­ -Yes, yes, I understand. Would her word be enough for that, or¡­ -I already said - he replied annoyed. - You can just make her say whatever you feel like and I wouldn¡¯t be the wiser, so¡­ -But what if you were though? -What, do you have a pocket lie detector or something? -No - I shook my head. - You do. That¡¯s why I wanted Jacob to leave. He looked at me confused. -I am not sure I follow¡­ -You gather slaves for your king and yet you don¡¯t know what are they capable of? -What slaves? -Don¡¯t play dumb. He looked at me, perturbed. -Look, I seriously don¡¯t know what you are talking about. I know a lot about people in our kingdom, and that includes individuals with unique abilities. If we had someone like this, we would not be having this discussion - he scratched his head. - I am not even sure if Jack even has someone like this in his records¡­ I looked at him with disbelief. -And besides that - he continued his train of thought - I am not some kind of slave collector. While it is legal and indubitably a part of our society, we try to use it as little as possible and try giving those unfortunate people a second chance. -People? Not ¡°objects¡±, eh? You change your views pretty quickly. He sighed. -That was just for show. I obviously didn¡¯t mean that. -So why talk like that? -So those two idiots stop getting themselves into trouble. -What, your¡­ ¡°cult¡± is that important to you, eh? He looked at me with surprising tiredness, but almost as quickly as the emotion appeared, it disappeared as well. -If you are done making fun of my ¡°cult¡±, as you nicely named it, can we get to it? Can you finally explain, what the hell do you want? -I want nothing, that''s you who tries to force me to do crap. I feel like I am the only one who is trying to find a solution here. -And the solution is¡­? -Listen. Your most recent slave has a pretty handy skill. She can prevent people from telling lies. I am willing to come with you and let one of those be cast on me¡­ -What the hell are you on about? - he asked, annoyed. - First of all, I have never in my life had a slave, nor was even in contact with one for a long while, if not counting For. Second of all, how the hell would that help? You say you will willingly just start answering questions thanks to that? -If you let me finish, then maybe. He leaned back and shut up, letting me continue. -So, I want you to take For with us and get the spell cast on her as well. Hell, even better, I can modify her contract so she cannot lie. With that, you can have her question me however you like, and I can tell her everything without me risking any information leaking out. I just have to modify the contract accordingly. -Or I could just interrogate you on my own¡­ -And spill everything about me to the king? And fuck-knows-who else? -Hmm¡­ He stopped to think for a second. -That could work actually¡­ I¡¯d have to validate the contents of the contract beforehand though and after and¡­ - he started muttering to himself, but almost immediately stopped. - What the fuck am I thinking about! I told you we don¡¯t have anyone with that kind of ability! How powerful and useful would that be! He started to annoy me. ¡°King¡¯s right hand¡± my ass! -Whatever. I¡¯m just going to have to talk to the king himself then. -Oh no, that¡¯s not happening - he immediately stopped me. - I cannot just¡­ -So what? - I interrupted, annoyed. - We¡¯re going to just be talking like this forever? Please. I made up my mind and gave you a solution. It¡¯s up to you if you want to take it or not. -Your solution doesn¡¯t work - he said calmly. - But yeah, I agree, that¡¯s enough of the talking and you are coming with me to the capital. Your ¡°solution¡± gave me my own idea that should work. -Mine¡¯s better, but whatever. Just don¡¯t try anything weird or it¡¯s going to end poorly, most likely for both of us. He nodded. -I am not risking anything. I will notify you beforehand, don¡¯t worry. When do you want to leave? -Give me a couple minutes so I can properly remove those bandages and then I¡¯ll tell you. Or maybe a bit longer¡­ If the rest of my body is in a similar state as this - I stretched my new arm - it might take a bit¡­ He nodded once more and stood up. -I will be waiting upstairs, in For¡¯s chambers. -Sure. With that, he finally left the room and closed the door behind him. Without delay, I started removing the rest of the bandages from my lower half, paying close attention to not touch them with any piece of crystal. With¡­ moderate success ratio let me add. I am glad that no one was around, because if anyone would be watching I am pretty sure I would¡¯ve given them an epilepsy attack. My hand was still a bit shaky and even the slightest touch of the bandages was making me numb. Speaking of, how did they even manage to wrap me like this? I was pretty sure that those bandages and by extension the ¡°ointment¡± were made out of very potent infused water. In fact, I was pretty sure that they were packing more mana than the river next to the ruptured leyline, and that¡¯s saying something. That did not make sense though, she said that she used my water, and if she had something stronger then why the hell would they even send me for it in the first place? It also made me realize how weird that interaction was. When you overdose on mana you can get more energetic and your senses sometimes even get heightened, but that¡¯s not that common. Usually you¡¯re just getting wasted. While I was feeling pretty rested, the pain and numbness might have been the VERY edge case of that - the touch itself was painful, and to cope with that, the body tried to compensate and numb the whole limb. Too bad it wasn¡¯t effective. It took me a good while to finally get rid of all the bandages and finally be able to see the scale of the ¡°crystallization¡±. I honestly expected for it to be worse. Since it managed to reach my head, I thought that at least one of my legs was gone, but nope. The crystal only covered about a half of my thigh and that¡¯s about it. It was pretty strange, seeing my skin turned into this weird rock, but I did not have much time to dwell on it. I quickly turned away from the bed and reached for my clothes, just to realize that my old rags were replaced. I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised, I did get burned after all, but it was still a shame. Ragged or not, I started to like that old coat. The replacement wasn¡¯t that bad anyway - and was a lot better quality than my last set of clothes. What I was left with, was a dark green, almost black, leather pants, with a shirt made of a strange material - somewhat similar to that I¡¯ve seen used on the island before, but a bit thicker and rough - without sleeves, and the buttons replaced with a long string, the same color as pants. On top of that, I was given a coat as well, or rather a robe - I was pretty sure that it was exactly the same as I¡¯ve seen people wear here, but mine was completely black. The sleeves were long and baggy enough for my crystal arm to be hidden completely and, if I wanted to, I could even tie a knot at the end. After putting all the clothes on, I realized that it had to be done on purpose - all the baggy clothing, along with the large and deep hood made it quite easy to hide my ¡°unusual¡± parts. While my old clothes were nowhere to be found and most likely already destroyed or torn to rags, my bag and Melle¡¯s were still here. Mine looked untouched, but hers had definitely been rummaged through. I remembered that Eise mentioned that, but up till now I didn¡¯t realize that I had no idea what exactly was in there besides the bottles that I needed, so I was not sure if anything else was missing. Minutes later I was already upstairs and knocking at For¡¯s door. Eise was the one who let me in, still looking a bit shaken and scared, even though she was the one that was taking care of me all that time. -Thanks for the care, but next time try not using that much infused materials - I said pointing at Melle¡¯s, bag. - Especially if you¡¯re not sure how potent that is. -I¡¯m sorry¡­ I feel like this is partially my fault¡­ - she muttered, gesturing to my crystalized side. -Don¡¯t need to be. And it worked out anyway, I now have my arm back. Just be careful. She nodded and led me further into the room to where everyone else was. 48. Adjustments For was sitting at her desk, but she looked even worse than when she overdosed on Eise ''s incense. Her face was pale and expressionless, staring at the space in front of her, seemingly not noticing Jacob pacing in front of the desk or Odar sitting nearby. As soon as I came in, both of the men looked at me. Jacob with surprise and relief and Odar with a hint of acceptance. -What are those looks for? I haven¡¯t done anything yet. -I expected you to run away - replied Jacob dryly. -And how exactly? He shrugged. -You pulled a lot of different weird bullshit so far, it¡¯s not a stretch to think you¡¯d be capable of that as well. -Oh, what a change - I said, raising my brow. - Last time I had to prove that I am capable and now this? -Now, now, let¡¯s not start this again - stepped in Odar. -Yeah, yeah - I waved my hand dismissively. - Anyway, I am ready, but what about her? They both went quiet when I mentioned her. -For, you there? No reaction. She still was in this weird state of lethargy. I wanted to get closer and get her attention somehow, but Jacob stepped in front of me. -That¡¯s enough. You traumatized her enough. -Traumatized? The hell did I do? He looked concerned, but this time at least he wasn¡¯t hostile to me. For now. Progress. -He means us, not only you - said Odar, leaning back on the wall - I agree, I might have been a bit rough with my words, but it¡¯s too late now. -Okay, sure, maybe. Don¡¯t forget your own role in this. I¡¯ve been the victim the whole time. -You can¡¯t deny that you were the one who literally ordered her to try and sacrifice her own life for you. She was about to be attacked by her own family, you know. -And should I remind you again why that happened and whose idea that was? And besides, I did not do that on purpose, you know that - I scoffed at them both. -Yeah. I know - muttered Odar. - Jacob knows too. But do you think that really helps the situation? I gazed over all three of them. They really looked miserable right now. Both looking done with everything, Jacob even more than For. I started scratching my chin, irritated. -Okay fine, fine, I get it. But you know that¡¯s not the end, right? Odar, did you tell them what¡¯s up? -Yeah - he straightened up in his chair - but we might have a problem¡­ -What, Jacob, do you have something to say to me? -It¡¯s not like that - he said, irritated. - While I understand that is indeed not a bad option and I feel uncomfortable leaving her side¡­ -It¡¯s not like the first time you¡¯ve done that - I said under my breath. -That¡¯s not the issue. Someone has to stay here as an acting head of the Red Mages. I did that plenty of times. -So what gives? -Give it a wild guess - he started staring at For. -Ah¡­ - I followed his look - Right¡­. -Yeah¡­ That might be a problem. -For? You there? There was no reply. -Eh¡­ - I scratched my head, thinking. - I don¡¯t really feel like forcing her, but¡­ -We don¡¯t have much of a choice - finished Odar for me. - I agree. -What the fuck is this about? - asked Jacob suddenly. -You didn¡¯t¡­ -Yeah, he said you need her in the capital. Never mentioned about no forcing though! -And how exactly do you want us to get her there if she¡¯s going to sit here unresponsive? -You just need to wait! Sooner or later she will snap out of it, I am sure! It¡¯s not the first time¡­ - he added under his breath. I rolled my eyes and sat down next to Odar. -Well, I¡¯d like to get a move on. I do have time, but I¡¯m not so sure about him - I gestured at the man next to me and gave him a questioning look. -Personally, I agree. And while I might have time, the king might not, so I as well would like to finish this quickly. You said it¡¯s not the first time - he picked up. - What happened last time? -Ah¡­ - Jacob¡¯s face turned pale. - It was when her father died. -Oh. Right. -And how long did it take her then? -About a week. -Week?! - asked both of us, surprised. -Yeah. No food, no drink, she was just sitting here like this for a whole week. Many people came here trying to talk to her, but were met just with silence. -Damn. She really is a camel. -What? -Nothing. So what are we going to do? -What do you mean ¡°what¡±? Wait of course. -I feel like that¡¯s not the ideal solution here¡­ - I said, gazing towards Odar. He shrugged. -I am aware. I¡¯d like to get a move on as well. -Agreed. Well then, mr. soon-to-be intermediate leader of Red Mages, since we are already here - I said and took a step towards the desk. - Can I at least start with preparations? -Preparations? - he looked at me, suspicious. -Yeah. As I told you, we¡¯ll need to modify the contract a small bit. -Mhm. And I assume he is to be a witness, right? -Yes. I would be enough, but since he is already with us, I can¡¯t see why not have an additional one. I nodded. -I guess it¡¯s fitting. He¡¯s the one who created it after all. -Excuse me? Do I have nothing to say in this? - he sounded annoyed. -What, you have any problems with that? -Couple. For example, how are we sure that you¡¯re not going to change something else? I agreed on the truth clause or whatever, but¡­ -That¡¯s why we are here for - said Odar while rolling his eyes in annoyance. - I just explained that. -Yes, but¡­ -You are welcome to have a weapon drawn and stab me if I try anything else - I said calmly. - Since we do not have the other part of the deal in hand, that¡¯s the only thing I can offer. -The other¡­? -Don¡¯t worry about it - quickly interrupted Odar. - Since you agree, let¡¯s proceed - he said, standing up and coming closer to the desk. Jacob looked a bit unsure about this still, but did not say anything and instead pulled out a dagger from somewhere. -Everyone ready? -Yeah. -Yes. -Here goes nothing. I focused on my mark and almost immediately the contract appeared in front of me, along with the mark on For¡¯s neck and my hand. All this also got accompanied by a scream of fear, just to be promptly silenced by Odar, who grabbed her by the hand and covered her mouth with another one. I could feel Jacob press the blade to my neck, so I turned my attention to the contract itself. Odar was right - it looked a bit different. Instead of the familiar to me text of our deal, it was replaced by a blank sheet of paper. -Now focus on what you want to change or add to it - he said before I even was able to ask him what I was supposed to do with it. Following his advice, I started focusing on what we agreed upon beforehand. As soon as the words formed inside my head, they also started appearing on the paper, glowing and clearly visible to all of us. Rule: forced truth. It clearly appeared right in front of our eyes. -Now think of punishment. -Like what? - I asked, confused. - Couldn¡¯t we agree on details beforehand? -Doesn¡¯t matter. I don¡¯t know, think of something, pain or whatever. -Pain? What do you mean? But before I even realized, another sentence appeared. Punishment: pain. -Oh. I could feel the tip of the dagger poke me in the back of the neck. -Hey! -Sorry. My bad. -Yeah, whatever. Anything else? He took another look at the contract. -Should be fine. Now for the other one. I nodded, and quickly formed another rule. Rule: not permitted to talk about the owner''s past. Punishment: death. As soon as the last word appeared, once more I felt the dagger on my neck. -Stop it, we agreed on this. I don¡¯t like it either, but it is what it is. Well, I couldn¡¯t blame him for that, but that was not something I was taking lightly. If my past would become public knowledge, at best I would be turned into a prisoner for life and a lab rat to boot. -Are we done? -Looks like it. Release it. As instructed, I dismissed the contract and it vanished as quickly as it appeared, along with the brands on each of us. As soon as the flaming choker disappeared, For suddenly fell limp in Odar¡¯s arms, and I also felt a large amount of mana leave my body. What was unexpected though, I didn¡¯t really feel weakened. Quite the opposite in fact, I suddenly felt¡­ sort of lighter and more relaxed. A bit strange, considering that this ¡°ritual¡± definitely drained a significant amount from me. -Is she alright? - I asked after the initial wave of relief passed. Odar nodded, but still looked concerned. -What¡¯s wrong with her? - asked Jacob from behind me, still with the blade pressed to my neck. - Did he do something? -Hey, you were looking all the time, you¡¯d know. -No. Everything went according to plan, although I never expected that this spell would be so draining, and just to her at that. How are you feeling? - he asked, looking at me, very interested it seems. -Yeah. I want to say never better, but the dagger poking me from the back says otherwise. -Lower your blade. He did what I asked of him. -Fine¡­ - grumbling, he complied. - But I still don¡¯t understand, how is this going to help him talk? -I can now freely talk to her and explain my situation, without worrying about someone blabbering. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. -Sure, right. But how can we know that you are not going to lie then? -I have some ideas for that. -So do I - added Odar. - But that¡¯s for later. Now, we must depart. I gazed at him briefly on that remark - not that long ago he was swearing that they have no one for that job. I guess the contract refreshed his memory or something. I want to say that we left immediately and without any problems, but who am I kidding, there are always problems. This time, the issue was quite strange and was named For. Since, eh, ¡°the event¡±, she never spoke, nor even moved a muscle. It was problematic, since the whole plan was riding on her after all. After a few attempts to communicate, she still did not respond. The only way it seemed we were able to make her actually do something was by using a contract. Even without modifying it, summoning it was enough for her to suddenly stiffen, jump up, and then proceed to run away as far from me as it was possible. I thought that might prove problematic later and wanted to change the contract to force her somehow to reply, but Odar stopped me, saying that he has an idea and that it''s unnecessary. I was not keen on using that magic either, so I just agreed and trusted his word. In any case, since I gave her a scare with the contract, she started moving again, so that was at least progress. At first, Jacob was the one leading her down towards the library, but half way down the stairs he changed his mind. Apparently it was not a good idea to let someone see her in the current state, on which I sort of agreed, so instead I went with Odar alone to just grab an anchor to the capital. People working in the library knew both of us, so that went without a problem, although I got a few curious looks, most likely thanks to my new attire. I must agree, even the color made me look suspicious. Every guard that I passed by, including those who definitely knew who I was, were giving me strange looks, so I decided to better be quiet. Odar was quickly led to the place where a familiar bookcase was, unceremoniously torn out a page and gestured for me to leave. -A bit strange way to store your ¡°anchors¡± - I mentioned when we were walking back towards the tower. -It is what it is. I agree that it¡¯s a bit of a shame that we waste paper like this. Sooner or later I will have to remedy that¡­ -Not really what I had in mind¡­ - I muttered. - And what, how exactly are you going to change that? -Getting a permanent anchor, obviously. -I mean, yes, I figured, but¡­ -I would gladly discuss the problems and logistics of that but I feel like I shouldn¡¯t yet. I rolled my eyes. -What, you still don¡¯t believe me? -Better safe than sorry. Ask me again after we finish all this. -I actually might. As far as I was aware, to make a permanent anchor you need a large, magically infused item, and getting one of those is not that easy. Some exist naturally, like for example the Origin Crystal, or any rock that¡¯s been long enough in an environment with an abundance of mana. From what I know, there was no actual way for someone to make one artificially, so him mentioning that he¡¯d need to get one like it was nothing was¡­ interesting to say the least. Minutes later, all of us met back upstairs. Jacob, still worried, was observing me constantly, even after Odar promised that he¡¯s not going to let me out of his sight. I didn¡¯t care either way and just hoped that all this would soon be over. Without much of a ceremony, he opened the portal, gestured for me to go forward, while taking For¡¯s hand and guiding her along. She was a bit more responsive now, but had some problems walking. I guess Jacob was experienced in babysitting her. Still, the closer I got to her, the more nervous she was, making things a bit awkward. I stepped forward and looked at the portal hanging in the air in front of me. Out of all of the people who I¡¯ve seen make those, his creations were the most refined. The shape of the opening was stable and unmoving, even though it was suspended in the air, which gave me a little bit of assurance - at least this time I did not have to worry if I¡¯ll suddenly be violated by shifting gravity or something. One step later and our ¡°trip¡± was complete. I was right, his spell was so good I barely even felt the teleportation and was already at our destination: a familiar green room in the tree-castle. Immediately upon my arrival, several guards stationed there jumped up and rushed towards me with weapons drawn. Some of them even started casting spells, although before they were able to toss any of them at me, Odar emerged from the portal behind. -He¡¯s with me - he said immediately raising his hand. - Notify the king that I¡¯ve arrived along with some people he was interested in. -Yes sir! Everyone immediately lowered their weapons, but did not back away, now closely observing both me and For, still leaning on his arm heavily. I think some of them recognized her, because few of them approached her and asked if she was feeling alright. -She is fine, just tired. It¡¯s been a long day - he said, waving them off. No one complained, but instead they focused on me. -What about the other¡­ guest? -I am fine, thank you - I replied very well knowing that it was not what they were asking about. -He was wanted by the king. It would be wise for you to stop asking questions and instead send the word. -Already done, sir - said another guard that just came in. - His Majesty said to tell you to wait in the dungeon. I rolled my eyes hearing that. It is always the dungeon first. Hell, the second time too, even. -Do you need an escort? - the other one asked, now looking a lot more hostile. -No, we are fine. And don¡¯t worry, he is just visiting down there. For now. - he added after a second of thought. -Sir. The guards stepped back and, led by Odar, we went towards the castle dungeon. -Really? A threat? - I said as soon as we were away from any curious ears. - I thought better of you. -Don¡¯t look at it this way - he smiled at me. - I do think we can resolve this peacefully. They just don¡¯t need to know that. And seeing their boss with a hostage after a successful mission always can boost morale. -Ah yes, trying to show off to your underlings - I scoffed at him. - A great way to do that. The morale has to be pretty low then. -You don¡¯t even know - he muttered, surprising even himself. I am pretty sure he did not want to say that out loud. The following awkward silence was interrupted by a loud set of footsteps. One of the guards from the ¡°portal room¡± for the lack of a better description, was chasing us. As he got closer, I recognized that it was the same guy who directed us to go to the dungeon in the first place. -What¡¯s going on? - said Odar, stopping so the poor guy could catch up to us. -Sir! We just received information that you have a guest that wants to meet with you. -So? As you know I am busy. Tell them that I¡¯ll meet them tomorrow. -Sir, but¡­ - he started, but hesitated for a second, looking at me. -Is it that important? - he asked, noticing his gaze. -Ah¡­ well, that is¡­ -Okay, fine, I can meet them today, but first I need to finish my business here - he said, gesturing to me and For, hanging from his arm. -Of course. How long should I tell them they will have to wait? -Hell if I know. Hopefully not long enough. Who¡¯s that anyway? -We never have gotten their name¡­ -So why are you bothering me - he replied, annoyed. - I¡¯m not going to drop everything just to meet with someone who even refuses to give their name. -But sir¡­ - he now looked slightly scared. - He said you¡¯re the one who sent for him. I thought¡­ Odar froze in his tracks and leaned towards the guy, lowering his voice. -The one with the artifact? He was trying to be stealthy, but in the empty and silent corridor no amount of whispering was going to help him. And I was not kind enough to try to not eavesdrop. -Yes. His face turned from annoyed to interested and torn. -Okay¡­ bring them in and get them a room. I¡¯ll try and wrap this up quickly. -Understood. And sir¡­ the report from the Blue Mages¡¯ mission has arrived. Blue Mages? Wasn¡¯t that the bunch of clowns led by Bert¡¯s father? -Report? I don¡¯t remember ordering that. Are they back? -Yes sir, some of them are here. I do not know the details - he said, looking at me with a corner of his eye - but I was told that you need to hear it personally and you¡¯ll find it interesting. Odar gave him a puzzled look. -Alright then¡­ you know what, come with us, you can explain more when I¡¯ll have a moment in between all this. Or¡­ - he stopped, remembering that he still has For hanging on his arm - No. Wait somewhere near the new guest, I¡¯ll come as soon as I can. -Yes sir. He saluted and ran off back towards where he came from. -Busy day I see¡­ - I said as soon as he disappeared behind a corner. -Hm¡­ I know I¡¯ve been out and about for a while, but for all this to come in one day, this is annoying¡­ I shrugged. -Not my fault. Although it kind of was. He did not reply, just gestured for me to hurry along. Couple of minutes later, we arrived at a very familiar corridor and the set of doors. In front of it this time was two guards. They looked pretty serious and were definitely better armed than any of us. As soon as they noticed Odar, both of them straightened up and saluted. -Stand down. Is His Majesty here? -Yes sir. We were instructed to keep watch until you arrive. -I see. Well then, you are done here. Dismissed. -Are you sure, sir? - asked the other one. - This¡­ person¡­ -I am personally going to be protecting His Majesty. And as you see, I have a backup with me. Miss For agreed to help me today. We will be fine. When she heard her name, For straightened up almost exactly the same as the guards and I swear I thought she wanted to salute as well for a second. She did not say anything though. -Of course, sir. Both of them saluted once more and left us alone in the corridor. -Are you sure you want to dismiss them? Last time I checked you thought that I am a threat and all that¡­ He just laughed in answer. -Doesn¡¯t matter who or what you are. To hurt him, you¡¯d have to be some kind of god. -Ah, right, I forgot - I muttered to myself. - You are in that cult too¡­ -Enough talking - he silenced me, and knocked at the door. - Just don¡¯t go too far. -Enter. Inside, similar to the last time, the king was sitting next to the table. This time, he was waiting for us, not the other way around. -Sir, I brought him. -We are alone. Drop the formalities. He nodded and closed the door behind him. The moment For entered the room, he visibly flinched. -Oh, Miss For, I did not know you¡¯re with us¡­ Welcome. She bowed slightly, but did not answer. -Odar, what are you doing bringing Miss For down here? This is not a place for a lady. -I am afraid Your Majesty that I do not have much to say in this matter¡­ -What? -Yeah, that seems about right¡­ - I finally spoke up. - Greetings. King Axelrod, I hear you wanted to speak with me. -I did? - he looked at me, curious, trying to peer under my hood. -Ah, yes. That is mr. Mor. He is responsible for the incident in the Red Edge. -I would like to say that I am co-responsible. Don¡¯t forget that both you, For and Jacob are also very, very involved. Hearing that, Axelrod¡¯s face went from a friendly smile to just a straight poker face. -What is the meaning of this? Is this a betrayal, Odar? I laughed. -Well, not exactly. We all are in a very precarious situation. But first things first, I¡¯d like to make a request. -Request? You do realize what position you are in? - he said, standing up and raising his hand. -No, it¡¯s you who doesn¡¯t realize the position we found ourselves in. Before he was able to reply, I focused on my mark and summoned the contract. The gesture itself was enough for Odar to grab hold on For, preventing her from running away if she tried, but to our surprise, this time she stood her ground, although she definitely looked terrified. And pretty spooky might I add, the flaming head definitely gave you a very unique appearance one way or another. -I just told you to not go too far! - growled Odar. -Please calm down. I do not want to cause any harm to anyone - I raised my flaming hand with a gesture of peace, seeing the king look at me with anger. -Any harm? You have just put me in a hostage situation and you say you mean no harm? And you, Odar.... - he turned to him. - How am I supposed to take this? If not betrayal then what? A coup? -Please, Your Majesty, I would never. Just let him speak. He looked at both of us with a mix of sadness and anger, -Not like I have any other choice, do I? -Let¡¯s not be dramatic here. First of all, do you remember me, king? -Your voice does indeed seem familiar, although with that hood¡­ -Yes, I am aware¡­ I sighed heavily. -That is not how all this was supposed to go¡­ - said Odar with audible pain. - Please, stop this, she really¡­ -Ah, sure. I did not come here to hurt anyone, quite the opposite. I want to resolve this as soon as possible - I replied and dismissed the contract. I heard Odar sigh with relief and noticed For slump back down in his arms. -Resolve what? I¡¯m not sure who exactly you are¡­ -As you already heard, my name is Mor. We met not that long ago in the same cell I think. His eyes widened. -Yes. And I came here to resolve a small misunderstanding that you along with your¡­ subjects? Yeah, let¡¯s go with that, that you had. -And what that might be? -He is the one who is responsible for the attack on the Red Mages. -Yes, I heard that already. -Well, attack is a strong word. It¡¯s yet another misunderstanding. They seem to follow me actually. -How did she end up as your property? - he asked dryly, not caring much about my explanations. -I guess I was lucky. That is besides the point. But she is crucial in this. You see, I am not very keen on describing my past in vivid detail to either you or him, but I can¡¯t see the problem with talking to her. As you saw, I can after all just forbid her¡­ We briefly explained what we discussed with Odar earlier. -I see¡­ - Axelrod finally responded. - That is indeed possible¡­ And I am not going to ask how you know about everything, you have already proven resourceful. While all this is¡­ not something I expected to do today, I understand this is a very unusual case, so I guess I have no choice - he finally announced, a lot calmer now. - I assume you have already seen the contract? And it¡¯s¡­ not been tampered with otherwise? -Yes sir - nodded Odar. -Very well then. I guess I will have to believe you for now. How do you want to do this? And where? -Here is as good as it gets, your cells are pretty good for talks after all - I said, gazing around me. As for how, I guess I¡¯d kindly request for you two to stay here and let me with For go to the other cell and just have a good talk, and we¡¯ll go from there. -Good. Step closer then. I didn''t even manage to move, before Axelrod swiftly stood up and grabbed me by the arm. -Doy niptuhu itvut qypove, nepe itvut me kyhotvu, fosy me wisup ey itvut nusvohove, no usfupet em wo voekp. Okay, what? He was able to cast a truth spell just like that? That surprised most of us. It seemed like none of us was aware that he was also able to use this kind of magic. Except Odar. I guess that¡¯s what he was thinking about. I was suspicious after he did not even mention Melle. Why did he kidnap her then? What was more worrying though was the fact that I did not have any chance to react. If he wanted to cast any other spell, he could. -Done. Take her then and go. -I will - I replied, shaking off the initial shock. - And once again, I assure you that I don¡¯t have any ill intent. King smiled at that remark. -I know you are not lying, so I guess that is a partial relief. Well then, we will be waiting. I kept quiet and nodded, knowing that the spell was most definitely working and just gestured for For to follow me. She hesitated for a second. Since he cast the spell she looked a bit more attentive, yet still was hesitant. I rolled my eyes. -Come on, you¡¯ll be fine - replied Odar for me. - He¡¯s not going to hurt you, right? -Of course not. It¡¯s already been told multiple times¡­ I did not want to lie, but I felt the spell working anyway, forcing me to reply honestly. -Just let¡¯s get on with it. We were about to leave when suddenly we heard loud footsteps and someone started banging on the door. I quickly put back my hood and stepped back away, towards the wall, to see who¡¯s interrupting us. -I think I already told you that we were busy. What is it? It was, from the look of it, one of the guards from above. He looked quite shaken and was panting heavily. -My Lord! We are under attack! -Elaborate! What¡¯s going on?! -Sir! - he saluted awkwardly, trying to not lose balance. Now I noticed that his leg was wounded and bleeding heavily, his thigh soaked with blood. - Few minutes ago, from the forest, some unknown creatures started emerging. They were not aggressive and were just standing there, so I was sent to report that immediately. -What¡¯s with the wound then? -As I was running here, some other things started appearing from the ground inside the city. It¡¯s a two pronged attack! They are inside the main castle as well! That jolted everyone awake. -So what the hell are we doing here? Protect the king! 49. Assault Seconds later, all of us were running upstairs back to the main part of the castle. We left the poor guard behind almost immediately, Odar quickly and sternly told him to get himself treated. On our way upstairs we met up with a whole group of guards that were sent to protect the king. Whenever I wanted or not, I found myself in the first line of defense of the king, along with Odar and For, the latter looking as lost and as uncomfortable in this situation as me. Well, at least she was more attentive this time though - the whole event snapped her out of the strange lethargy she was in. Odar, on the other hand, started questioning people who arrived to get a better grasp on the situation, but they knew even less than the first guy. The moment we left the underground and finally stepped out into some main corridor, we realized that the situation was worse than we expected. Even there we could hear the sound of fighting and every once in a while see a bright flash of a spell somewhere around the corner or outside the window. Silhouettes of people were moving frantically all over the place, while most of them were wearing some green robes, I noticed a fair amount of blue streaks as well. Seeing the blue flashes, Axelrod instantly started walking towards it, pushing the whole platoon of guards in front of him and not caring about Odar asking him to get to safety. Without much of a choice, we followed suit, emerging from the corner to a strange scene. We entered a long, open hallway, with no doors on either side, just a bunch of windows. It was circular, and reminded me somewhat of a very large, hollow tree trunk. Now though, it was completely busted open, like the remains of a firecracker, torn asunder with some kind of blast. In the middle of all that, there were two people. And to my surprise, I knew both of them: Felix, lying on the ground, hiding behind his book and a large bald man in blue robes, Harsh himself. His hands were slightly steaming, and the floor around them was covered in a thin layer of ice that reached the cracked walls and the ceiling. -What is the meaning of this?! - loudly asked Axelrod, stomping heavily on the ice, breaking it under his foot. Harsh at first snapped right towards him, raising his hand to cast some kind of spell, but when he realized who was in front of him he withdrew immediately and bowed instead. -Your Majesty, it¡¯s not safe here! - he said, still looking at the ground. - A large number of enemies just ran away from here. I am sure their reinforcements will come shortly! Everyone in the battalion stiffened. Some grasped their weapons, some just clenched their fists holding magic gems even harder, and started scouring the surroundings. We could still hear some fighting noises, but nothing in close proximity. -Explain. He raised his head and noticed the whole group approach. He gave me a curious look, but apparently didn¡¯t recognize me, since I heard no insults. -Sir. I see you are protected, but please get into the hiding. We cannot underestimate our enemies. -That is for me to decide - said Axelrod, now visibly angry. - Do I need to repeat myself? -No, sir. -Report. Now. -Sir. It looked like they appeared from under ground and were for some reason targeting this place in particular. About ten of them jumped through the windows. I was on my way downstairs along with¡­ him, Your Majesty, when it happened. -And that is¡­? -That is not important right now - interrupted Odar - Who are the enemies? Insight? He suddenly shuddered. -I¡­ I don¡¯t know who exactly they were¡­ or what rather. But they were definitely not people. A sudden rumbling started somewhere outside the walls of the castle. -Monsters? Here? In the capital? -What kind? The rumbling was getting worryingly louder. -I don¡¯t know, it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen something like this. And from what I heard in the panic outside, the ones outside the walls are some different kind. But they are for sure intelligent, at least somewhat. I¡­ The last part of his sentence was drowned in the rumbling that was now so loud that we barely could stand it without covering our ears. The vibrations in the ground also got a lot stronger, to the point where the cracked wood around started crumbling and falling down on us, almost like it was some kind of earthquake. Then, it stopped suddenly and everything went eerily quiet, just for the earth to shake once more and reveal the source of the noise. Or rather, the many, many sources. The floor started breaking and from below the ground, a large mass of very familiar creatures emerged, surrounding us all. The overgrown, mutated mana leeches. Not losing any time, they all jumped towards Harsh.Too bad for them, he was not alone. Every single one of the guards surrounding Axelrod sprung to action, casting some kind of spell. It was actually quite an interesting sight. The ones that before were standing at the ready with their weapons drawn, started channeling some strange spell through their blades. Whenever it was a dagger, sword, halberd or whatnot, it instantly got covered with something akin to a thorny bush, extending the blade an additional couple of centimeters and swung at the approaching enemy. Others, armed with just crystals, used a slightly different spell - instead of extending their weapons, they straight up created them from scratch. It was definitely something else - and a first time for me - seeing a bunch of different weapons sprout from their hands was definitely not something I expected to witness that day. I thought their attack was an effective one at first. The blades easily pierced the leeches, leaving them squirming in pieces on the ground, screeching unpleasantly. Too bad it didn¡¯t help much - while it definitely immobilized the monsters for a while, they soon started slithering back towards us, their wounds closing, essentially proving the soldier''s efforts fruitless. Harsh tried helping, conjuring a large ice spear of his own and tossing it at the remains of leeches, but even though it managed to freeze some of them, it was not enough - More of them were appearing and jumping towards us. That¡¯s when Odar and For stepped in. Odar acted first, summoning the tangle of vines from around him, aiming them right at the monsters and pinning them down. -Please go ahead. They must have done this before, because without a delay she started tossing fireballs towards the biggest tangles of vines, setting them on fire along with the monsters trapped within. That definitely worked better than the ice or physical attacks - the noise leeches made this time were a lot louder and a lot more unpleasant. Maybe even too well. The fire started spreading and we were surrounded by the very flammable wood after all. Luckily, Harsh was quick enough and started tossing his ice lances towards the edges of the room to try and control the spread to not completely destroy the rest of this corridor. Just as I thought that the situation was under control, the rumbling came back anew. This time I was pretty sure that whatever the source was, it was right under our feet. Sure enough, even more of them started coming out of the windows and some even looked like straight up came from the other end of the corridor. This time, there were too many of them for Odar to contain and some managed to break through the defenses and jump towards the Axelrod himself. For a split second I considered helping out, but before I managed to even raise my hand I noticed that the king was not defenseless. Like the guards, he summoned a weapon for himself, although his was an unusual one. While it was still made using their green, nature magic, that was the only similarity. It was a large halberd, or at least something akin to one. Instead of a blade, he had a large leaf in the shape of half a heart and a size of maybe two human heads, and the handle was a bit longer than he was tall. What was most unusual though was that he was not holding it - the weapon itself had sprouted from his right hand, the fingers turned into a mass of green, well almost roots, that converged and were woven together like a rope, forming the shaft. With quickness and precision, he stabbed the first leech that dared to even get remotely close, piercing it through and raising above his head like a trophy, just to be pierced again from within. His leaf-blade split into a bunch of spiked blades, or maybe rather sprouted a couple new ones and sliced the monster into a bunch of smaller pieces. Seeing as the monster ceased moving, he waved his weapon effortlessly, tossing the remains into the fire. Even witnessing that did not stop the assault. Quite the contrary, when the king pierced the monster the second time, even though it did not even squeak, other ones that appeared behind it suddenly sped up and started approaching him even quicker, as if they wanted to take revenge on the one who killed their comrade. Few of them even jumped towards me, but just got stopped by some guards on the way. I couldn¡¯t help but feel sort of useless in that fight. Not like I was complaining, I was, after all, pulled into this by the sheer coincidence. Again. In this pandemonium of spells, blades and monsters though, I noticed something strange. Everyone was busy fighting or hiding behind someone, even including some people who looked like servants that followed behind us when we left the dungeon. Every single person was under attack in some shape or form. Everyone besides one singular person. A kid, clutching his book, sitting next to a half broken wall, shaking in panic. At first, I thought that the monsters just missed him, but that didn¡¯t seem right. Right next to him was Harsh, still tossing his ice lances every once in a while when there was no leech right up in his face. Like to emphasize this weird sight, another monster crawled from outside right through the opening above him, not even paying attention to the kid. Was he using some kind of magic to hide himself from them? No, that¡¯s impossible, I could see him clearly as day, and even then, didn¡¯t those leeches get attracted to mana sources? Using any kind of spell would straight up reveal his position to them, so that would be pointless. That¡¯s when I remembered - didn¡¯t his father say something about him being pretty bad at magic? Could it be that it wasn¡¯t the case and he straight up had no mana to work with? Nah, that would be ridiculous. That would¡¯ve meant that he was quite literally dead - all living beings have mana, and even some non-living matter as well. How else could I explain this phenomenon though? Was he somehow on the same side as them? How the hell would he manage that? In the midst of all the chaos and yet another rumbling noise under our feet, I tried focusing up, trying to extend my senses. At first I thought that it¡¯s going to be hard under those circumstances, but nope. I guess having a large piece of your body turned into a basically mana capacitor has its upsides. My senses extended fast and even wider than usual. Normally, I would¡¯ve just managed to sense the magic in a target I focused on and maybe got slight hints of some other sources nearby, but this time, I could feel the whole corridor, and even a bit outside of it. I felt the soldiers with their conjured weapons, instantly recognizing it as a nature magic, or rather green magic as they called it here, Harsh with his ice lances, Odar with the massive tangle in the middle of the room, For and her fireballs. I even was able to sense the monsters to some degree. That made me realize that we were in deeper trouble than I thought. First off, there were a lot more of them, and quite a numerous bunch was now traveling under our feet with something larger, approaching us rapidly. The other concerning fact was that they were very similar to those I first met at that lab-tree. I did think that was the possibility when I first saw them, but I did not want to immediately assume the worst. True, I did not exterminate the whole lake, but why were they here in the first place? That also explained why people were starting to have problems defending - everyone had to cooperate and combine spells from all three currently present types of magic to put those things down. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Speaking of magic types, there actually were four of them, not counting me. The monsters were absolutely reeking off the life magic, sometimes even overwhelming the other magic residue. That was especially noticeable in the king''s attacks - every time he managed to ¡°pop¡± one of the monsters, its death was accompanied with a large burst of residue that felt like life magic. But that was not the thing that caught my attention at that moment. It was the kid himself. At first I thought that the impossible happened and I stumbled upon a manaless being, but nope. It wasn¡¯t like he was lacking mana, it was not just him. The whole area around him, maybe a meter or two in diameter, was completely devoid of mana. And I am not talking as it just was weaker or something, no. It was like a physical barrier that pushed every single particle of it away from him. It was even more noticeable after Harsh tossed yet another ice spear somewhere towards yet another leech - I definitely could feel the large cloud of mana materializing at his hands and spreading throughout him and area next to him like a large puff of smoke, just to straight up stop and avoid the spot where Felix was sitting. I wanted to inspect that weird anomaly at once, but I got rudely reminded that we were indeed in the middle of a fight. Again, some leeches managed to break through the defensive line of guards, but this time, after they bypassed them, they did not attack the king - instead they felt me, prodding around and sprung towards me, successfully knocking me off balance and breaking my concentration. Few of guards instantly leaped forward, trying to stab the monster. -Stand back - I said from the ground, and before any of them was able to get closer I blasted the annoying creature with a fireball. While the ones that For was tossing around were pretty small, maybe to not set Odar¡¯s vines completely on fire, I did not care enough about that, nor I was close enough to burn them anyway. The one I conjured was the size of the creature itself, so no wonder it got surprised by the sudden heat and retaliation from a seemingly passive target. The monster itself was not the only one startled by that. The whole guard force flinched as well, even Odar, who knew who I was. The king on the other hand, just raised his eyebrow and nodded with appreciation, so I had that one going for me at least. I proceeded to burn another two of the monsters that approached before the situation went back to being mostly a stalemate. Standing up and tossing a few fireballs towards where For was aiming before, I tried getting closer to Odar. I wanted to tell him about the weird sensation I got from the kid in the middle of all this mess, but before I even opened my mouth, we heard another rumbling noise, the loudest one yet. This time it was also accompanied by the shaking of the ground. That caught off guard a couple of guards, along with Harsh, who straight up fell down on the ground, losing balance. -What in the¡­ The floor in front of us started cracking and bulging, making the noise even worse. What was more concerning though, was the scream. Or maybe screech. Somewhat guttural, distorted by the corridor we found ourselves in, drowning all the noise from the battlefield. The monsters themselves noticed that as well and slowly started backing off towards the quickly forming crack in the ground, and, as if in reply to the sound, started jumping into it, quickly disappearing from sight. At first, everyone froze, confused by these strange events. The overwhelming silence that fell after the screech got slowly replaced by yells of the guards, all saying something along ¡°get back where you came from¡±, ¡°good riddance¡± and so on. They slowly shook off the initial confusion and started chasing the remaining creatures down to the hole. I also relaxed for a second, thinking that the situation got handled, but froze right after, remembering suddenly when I last met those creatures. -Get back! - I yelled towards the charging soldiers. - Odar, stop them! -What¡¯s gotten into you? - he was clearly annoyed and confused. - We won, stop that¡­ The end of the sentence got drowned in the loud roar and the shaking of the ground, or rather full on earthquake. Before any of us could react, the ground split even more, and from the depths emerged the very familiar looking, glowing monstrous mana leech, bigger than the corridor itself. It filled up the whole passageway and then destroyed the roof just to stretch its ¡°neck¡±. Even then, its tail was nowhere to be seen, extending somewhere deep within the underground. Like the one I¡¯ve seen at the lab in a three near the city, this one had a bunch of pulsating patches on its skin, covering it whole. This time though, it was pulsing with blue, red and green light. Strangely, the green and red were considerably brighter and the pulses were lasting a lot longer than the quick and dim flashes of blue. While enormous in size, it did not lack speed. Before anyone could react, every single guard that was close enough to the hole in the ground, disappeared, straight up squashed by the giant body of the monster, with a very unpleasant sound. The three of us stepped back, trying to get some distance from the monster. Harsh even grabbed the kid and shoved him towards the king, behind us. Felix, shaken, slid on the ice and fell down, stopping just short of the king and his weapon embedded in some monster¡¯s corpse. That one quick movement saved us all from a certain death. Suddenly, the monster¡¯s skin stopped pulsing with light, and instead turned into a static red glow, just to suddenly be released with a sudden breath of roaring fire targeting everything in front of it. While most of us, not including guards that is, were pretty far away, the flame was so wide and long reaching, that it would¡¯ve hit us anyway. That is if not for Harsh and his quick thinking. While he didn¡¯t exactly give me a great first impression, he was talented, I can give him that. He was the one who first felt the heat emanating from the creature, even before it unleashed its attack towards us, and managed to finish casting a spell right as it reached us. He erected a large ice wall right in front of him, effectively splitting the corridor in two. In the process though, he had to get through the large mess left behind Odar¡¯s vines burning from mine and For¡¯s fireballs, which sadly made the wall in its base thinner than it was supposed to be. The spell managed to block the brunt of the heat, but the ice wall almost immediately melted, falling right towards us, showering us with water and melting ice, mixed with hot air. Air that smelled horrible, might I add. Human bodies do not smell very pleasant when burned after all, no matter the amount of fancy wood you mix them with. Speaking of, the whole corridor behind the wall got absolutely charred and most of it was still on fire, including the remains of the windows. The pieces of membrane that were still in its place were now slowly burning away. -I stand corrected¡­ - mumbled Odar, slightly stunned and red from all the heat. He quickly gazed around to see how much damage we took, and well, it did not look promising. Only those who were behind the ice wall survived, and even then some were not unscathed. Harsh took the brunt of the blow, as he was the one closest to the wall. His clothes were burned and you could hardly recognize the blue robe underneath the soot. For¡¯s hair was positively smoking, while the rest of us, along with the king looked mostly intact, as well as the kid. Another strange thing, he was the second closest to the blast, yet he was completely fine, even his book was in one piece, with no visible signs of fire. The creature was not done however. Almost immediately after the first attack, it started changing colors, going back to the flickering again, just to start glowing green. Knowing what¡¯s coming, I yelled towards For.. -It¡¯s going to use nature magic this time! For, we are up! I rushed past her, grabbing her and dragging to where the ice wall was. -B.,.but¡­ whaaaa¡­! I guess she was more or less responsive now. I guess I have to thank adrenaline for that. -Follow my lead! Just watch and repeat after me! It looked like she still had some doubts, but I didn¡¯t have patience nor time to try and explain. The beast opened its maw, and from within, a green light emerged - like someone just turned a large halogen towards us. The light did not reach us however, it instead started twisting and about hundred of small vines and branches emerged - like a suddenly growing tree, just to start tangling with each other and forming a large net. It sort of reminded me of the spell Odar used, but this one was a lot larger and had about ten times more thorns and spikes. Like a wave of water, it started barreling towards us, but I was ready. -Nysu fi geksu! Mimicking Harsh, I wanted to create a wall of fire tall enough for vines to not be able to cross. While the spell was easy, spreading the flames equally around that much of space was not. I managed to cover the whole corridor, from wall to wall, with a flame that reached almost to the broken ceiling, which surprised even me. I was pretty sure that it would¡¯ve been too much, even for me, but no. Everyone, including For, jumped back a step, startled by a sudden rush of heat. -And you want me to mimic THAT? - she yelled out, absolutely stunned. Before I was able to answer, the attack finally hit. The good thing was, the smell of burned wood managed to cover the earlier stink of charred flesh. The bad thing was, the attack was not just one wave. Like a sea hitting up the rock face during the storm, the attack was intensifying and then declining periodically, but still streaming constantly. Five, ten, twenty seconds, it was still going. I want to say that I was able to just push it back, no sweat, but after about fifteen seconds, I was starting to have some problems - some of the vines were able to bypass the wall of fire, although they still were still weak enough for the rest of the group to clear up, even with basic weapons. -When the next one hits, cover us with the same spell! -I can¡¯t manage that wide of an area, are you mad?! -Then get the others closer! -You heard the guy! - suddenly yelled from behind me Odar. - Come here! I sort of forgot he was still here. I was glad though. The remainder of the guards reacted instantly, forming a small circle surrounding us. Even the king didn¡¯t have to say the word, just was looking at me with curiosity. Just as one of the guards grabbed the last remaining person, Felix, still sitting next to the wall and dragged him to us along with him to the back, the next wave hit. It was the strongest one yet. I could feel that I would not be able to burn through it fast enough, so I concentrated on the spell and started reforming its shape. I wanted to make it a lot smaller and shorter, but a lot thicker. What I managed to form was maybe a two meter thick wedge that covered just about all of us from the front, leaving about one person¡¯s worth of leeway. For, seeing the spell change, understood what I had in mind. Mimicking me, she formed a similar wedge, while a lot smaller, it rivaled mine in girth, and put it above our heads. Just in time. The monster noticed the weakness in my spell and was directing his attack more upwards, trying to catch us by surprise from above. Our combined defense worked out pretty damn well. While I managed to deflect the frontal attack, For took care of protecting every other direction whenever some pieces of the spell managed to sneak through. Even when the monster suddenly shifted the angle from which it barraged us, she responded quickly, moving her spell whenever it was needed. That strange defense kept on for about a whole minute, before the monster finally gave up and stopped, again going dim. -Everybody good? I gazed behind me, while still keeping the concentration on the spell, just to be safe. To my surprise, we actually were fine. For managed to successfully defend us from every other side, even from the back. There was no time for discussion, because the one who replied was the monster. A guttural growl, deep enough to shake your bones from the sound alone. -What is it this time? Before any of us was able to react, the massive leech changed its color again - this time to blue and, in a span of less than a second, the waves of thorns were replaced by a wind, so cold and sudden that I even felt the temperature drop through the flames. And it did not look like it had any intention of slowing down. From the maw of the creature was now blasting a literal blizzard. Even worse, because instead of snow, it was shooting a barrage of icicles. I was glad that I did not drop the spell, although I was at a very big disadvantage there. The first second of the blast instantly extinguished the fire kept alive by For, and even mine started to die down. Whatever that was, the frost spell was indeed potent, which was strange, since I was pretty sure that at the beginning I saw the least amount of blue patches on its skin. The situation started getting dangerous. Besides the fact that my barrier was barely holding on against this, well basically frost breath, even if I managed to successfully defend us against it, what next? Most likely the monster would¡¯ve started with yet another element, and while I still felt like I had mana in me, plenty in fact, I couldn¡¯t say the same about everyone else. The whole group was barely holding on, some even collapsed already, despite being completely undamaged. I guess that explained the lack of communication¡­ Right now, there were only three people that did not look absolutely exhausted: me, king, and the kid. If that was to continue, I¡¯d have to actually start using different elements, and then I definitely would not be able to get away from here. If all that was not enough, the monster again started glowing, this time with all three colors at once. -We have to counterattack somehow¡­ - I muttered, still keeping hold of the spell, thinking of how the hell I should resolve this situation. -Sadly, I am limited to melee range - I heard the voice right behind me. It was the king. I did not even realize when he was able to approach me. -Getting closer might prove problematic. -Indeed - he nodded, gazing at the pulsing patches on the monster¡¯s skin. - Can you protect me while I move? I gazed again at the monster. -I doubt it. I am not sure what this thing is planning to use next, so I don¡¯t know how exactly I should counter that¡­ Also, protecting mobile targets is not something I am confident in¡­ -Understood. So we somehow need to predict that monster¡¯s attack¡­ -That is not the only issue - I shook my head. - There is a good chance that it¡¯s going to use some kind of combined magic - I pointed to the patches of light on its skin. - If it¡¯s anything like the one I''ve seen before, the color is equivalent to the magic type it¡¯s using. And since those are right now in the process of mixing¡­ -Fascinating creature¡­ -I guess we could slowly approach, although if we get too close and it uses the frost magic again, I¡¯m not sure if my fire can negate¡­ I stopped and gave it a second thought. Yeah, I guess that could work¡­ -Are you sure you can kill it if we get in close enough? Those things are capable of absorbing different kinds of mana. -Of course. Do you doubt me? I gave him another look. He indeed looked confident, even in this situation. -Well, I guess we can try this¡­ He nodded and raised his weapon, pointing it towards the creature. -Let¡¯s move. 50. Assist Still keeping hold on the spell, we started moving forward. The monster was not attacking yet, concocting something inside itself, observing our every move with its eyeless head. As we moved, I reduced the spell to a rather thin veil, thin enough for us to see the creature while still keeping up the spell to quickly expand it in case of attack. In this form, it was a lot easier to maintain and move at least. The king himself was still pointing its weapon towards the monster, slowly walking along with my spell, never breaking eye contact with the creature. And behind us both, there was the kid, the last person left standing. Everyone else we left behind, hoping that monster is going to focus on one of us. We did not have to walk long. Maybe ten steps, about half the distance to the creature, and it finally started again. First, we heard a guttural growl, accompanied with a flash of light from its maw - this time, it was green. -It¡¯s about to summon the vines again! Move! A millisecond later, the wave of green was barreling towards us, like before, striking my fire barrier. Similarly, at first it was not very strong, and I did not even have to increase my flames. Somehow, the attack was not as strong as before, and was getting even weaker. For a second I thought that this might not be that bad. How wrong I was. As the wave of green was breaking on the flames and as we took yet another few steps closer, I swear, I heard something like a very low laugh from the creature. Just to be blasted by a wave of wind and frost. Did that creature just bait us into getting closer? Was it really that intelligent? I hardly wanted to believe it, but how else could I explain that? In any case, it was not the place to try and understand it - I had to act fast. I did expect for the fire wall to break, but not that soon, so it caught me a little bit off guard. I managed to shield myself with my crystal arm, taking the brunt of the wind and ice onto it, somewhat negating the impact. The king was still standing tall, shielded by me only partially now, but wasn¡¯t getting pushed back all that much, being larger than me. That made me think that this plan might actually work for a change. Not hesitating even a second, with my regular arm, I grabbed Felix from next to the king, surprising both of them, and pulled him in front of us, using him as a shield. If someone else was to see that, they definitely would not get a good impression about me. And probably would try to stop me. Just as the king did right then. -What the hell are you doing?! He stepped forward to grab the kid, but suddenly realized what was happening. The massive wave of frost magic was now being harmlessly dispelled as soon as it got even remotely close to Felix in front of us. I was absolutely correct. Somehow, he had the power to negate magic. Quickly straightening up and firmly holding the kid in front of me, I started running forward, gesturing towards Axelrod to come with us. He nodded and focused again on the monster in front. On the other hand, Felix was in complete shock. I cannot blame him for that. While it was a bit rude to say the least, I didn¡¯t care about his feelings right then. To be honest, his shock was for the best - at least he did not struggle, making using him as a living shield a pretty easy task. The monster noticed our sudden movement as well. For a second, it looked confused, but it did not drop the spell, instead focused the blast even more. I suddenly felt the kid start to struggle in my grasp. He finally realized what was going on and definitely was not happy about it. Even then, the magic still was not able to reach us. I somehow managed to hold him in place. As we were about to reach the creature within striking distance, Felix, in the struggle, finally dropped the tome he was so attached to and I suddenly felt that something was wrong. The wind reached us immediately, while not at full force, I could feel the freezing cold pinch my skin, as well as some ice particles start forming on my coat. The kid and king were not that lucky. Felix, as soon as the tome dropped on the floor, fell backwards, escaping from my grasp. As he got further from me, I noticed the wind hit him more and more, pushing him away like he was just a piece of paper, to the point where he had time not falling ass first on the ground. Only thanks to the king catching him he managed to stay up. Axelrod himself also had some problems. While he had his feet planted firmly in the ground in anticipation, the sudden blast of cold wind broke his concentration, and the weapon he was readying to attack the monster got dispelled, leaving him unarmed. Feeling that I was about to fall over as well, followed by most likely being converted to a giant snow cone, I dived down, towards the book. The cold wind instantly vanished, and finally confirmed my suspicion. The book, that I thought was just a mundane piece of paper, was somehow warding me from that creature¡¯s magic. There was no time to think about that though. I gazed backwards, towards the struggling Axelord, and without much of a thought, tossed the book along the ground towards them, yelling through the wind. -Hold this and go! As soon as the book left my grasp, the wind hit me with its full force. I tried to somehow cover myself with my crystal arm, and even though it was helping me a little bit, the biting frost was still there and very dangerous. I could feel half of my face burn from the frostbite and the small icicles that were mixed in with the blast were poking me through the clothes, making the cold even harder to withstand. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. The king was not wasting time though. As soon as the book reached his foot and the wind stopped around them, he pushed Felix on the ground, preventing him from reaching the tome and took it for himself. I heard him cast some kind of spell, or at least I thought so, because the wind was deafening. As he started running towards the creature, his arms suddenly started changing shape. While I¡¯ve seen him summon his blade before, this was something on a completely different scale. This time, I swear, I actually saw his arms distort and, well, almost liquify, turning to some kind of goo. Now, when I think of it, it was similar to the substance I remember seeing in the lab-tree back when I first encountered a creature similar to this. But then, I thought that was just an aftereffect of a botched experiment, those people were already dead after all. Not here though. Both of his arms suddenly slacked and started moving, twisting like a knot of a candle, to the point where it looked like he, instead of arms, had two long, I guess pieces of a rope, attached to his shoulders. Just as I thought it wouldn''t get weirder, the ¡°arms¡± pulsed and started swelling, almost tripling in size. At the end, where you expected to see fingers, he grew large leaves, each the size of an adult¡¯s hand. I am pretty sure that it was not just for show - they were oddly similar to those that were used as a blade in a weapon he created before. An additional pair grew on his shoulders as well, even larger though, and it looked as though those were a lot thinner. Instead of them being stiff, they fluttered in the remains of the wind that managed to break through the anti-magic bubble. Almost like wings¡­ That was actually a good comparison, because when he started moving forward, the ¡°wings¡± started moving along with his arms, flapping almost. Where was the book though? Well, that¡¯s even weirder - he still had it with him for sure, because the magical fury barreling towards him was still being dispelled a good meter in front of him, keeping the bubble shaped field of safety. At first I couldn¡¯t find the artifact at all, but at second glance I finally was able to spot a familiar corner of leather bound tome - right below the ¡°shoulder pad¡±. The book itself was somehow wedged between the two shoulders, overgrown, or rather transformed into that weird spindly root, right in the middle of his chest. I was lucky to even spot it at all, the tangle that formed between two shoulderpads covered it almost completely. That made me scratch my head. If that book was keeping the magic of this creature at bay, how in the hell was he able to even keep the shape of that spell at all? Shouldn''t it be destroyed, or at least weakened, like the blizzard or anything else for that matter? To complicate this even more, I was almost sure that I had before at least once cast a spell in the vicinity of the kid and did not feel it getting weakened at all. How the hell was that supposed to work? Maybe it was not like the book was nullifying magic but rather protecting its owner from harm? Nah, that did not make sense as well - I did inspect it already and it had absolutely no spell nor inscription that was not gibberish. I did not feel any magic from it either¡­ My thoughts were interrupted by a yell combined with yet another scream from the creature. During the time I was pondering about how the hell that book works while being turned into an icicle, Axelrod was not playing around. He charged towards the creature, and with both of his arms extended, grabbed it, like he was trying to choke it. Not like the monster had a neck, but still. As soon as he grasped it, the leaves that he transformed his fingers into dug deep into the creature¡¯s body, making it scream even louder, and finally interrupting the spell. The thing started thrashing around and for a second I got worried that it¡¯s going to drop whatever remained from the corridor on our heads, but Axelrod reacted almost immediately. He dug his fingers even deeper into the creature and started pinning it to the ground, making it destroy the floor instead of the ceiling. Walls didn¡¯t get spared either, while already in poor shape, now you could barely tell that they even were there, destroyed by the wild flailing of the creature who finally pulled out its tail from the chasm in the middle of the corridor and was swinging it randomly everywhere. Seeing how that was not working, it started again channeling some kind of magic, this time it was hard to tell what exactly it was planning, because the colors were wildly changing, even more than before. It was quite obvious that it was in panic mode. Axelrod didn¡¯t care much about that though. He calmly was digging deeper into the monster''s flesh - I now could see the ¡°fingers¡± poke out from other sides of its body, pierced all the way through. I think he felt that as well, because he stopped pushing, and instead the growth that replaced his arms started getting thicker. I started feeling sorry for the poor creature - I could only imagine what kind of pain it would be to have your wounds literally get opened more and more by, let¡¯s face it, another monster. The screams did not make the situation better - you could clearly hear the pain it was in, to the point where it sounded almost human. It was chilling. The noise was cut short though - after a few seconds it looked like Axelrod had enough and extended all of his blades, or leaf-fingers, at once, chopping the creature into slices, and just to be sure, swiped at the remains few times, creating a pile of mincemeat, that is if that creature even was made out of meat, and spilling the water-like ichor everywhere, including on himself and the book. Both me and Felix were far from the monster, yet it reached us as well. It was quite cold, not like blood from a living being. Probably thanks to the frost magic the monster was using last. Honestly I sort of expected for it to start moving and attack us again, but most likely that was just my stupid head thinking of the worst case scenario. Just to make sure, I raised myself from the ground and wanted to burn them to ash. It was unnecessary though. Just as I was to summon my orb, the ¡°meat¡± on the ground suddenly flickered once and started disappearing right in front of my eyes. Or rather started turning to greenish-gray ash, just to be scattered with the slightest nudge. -And that¡¯s the end of that - announced Axelrod, still with his monstrous hands in the air. -That is some interesting magic you use¡­ He did not reply, instead started turning his arms back to normal. It took him a good couple of seconds. Meanwhile, I remembered that we actually were not alone. Quickly grabbing the book that fell next to the king when he returned to normal, I gazed around, looking for the owner. The kid was still laying down on his belly, hard to tell if he was scared or just because he was completely drained like the rest of the group. Speaking of the group, the remainders of the guard force were still in very much disarray, along with Odar and Harsh. While those two looked a bit better than the rest and were also right now almost standing up, they looked absolutely done. Odar pulled out a mana fruit from somewhere and was now giving one to Harsh, who took it without even a second of hesitation. Seeing as they are mostly fine, I turned to the kid. He did not react when I approached him. Neither when I spoke his name. Only when I waved his book in front of him, he finally realized that I was next to him and immediately tried snatching it from my hands. I, of course, did not let that happen. -Easy there¡­ - I said, raising the book above my head, so he wouldn¡¯t be able to reach it. - I think you have something to explain first. He did not reply, instead he rolled into a ball and sat down, looking crushed and traumatized. Well, it partially might have been my fault, I did sort of use him as a living shield after all. Meanwhile, the king grabbed Odar and For along with Harsh and led them towards the two of us. After eating the mana fruit they looked considerably better, yet still definitely tired. -So. Does anyone have an idea what exactly was that? - started king, looking at everyone else. -I¡¯d recommend not discussing this in the open - I said gazing around the gathering crowd of guards and the rest of unfortunate people caught in the event. -So you know something - stated the obvious Harsh, looking at me with very unfriendly eyes. - Odar, I do not know what you were thinking when bringing this man here, but¡­ -As I said - I interrupted the surely oncoming flood of insults - not here. -I must agree with our¡­ guest, today has been hectic and spreading more panic will just be problematic. Please escort them to the dungeon - Axelrod raised his voice, so the guards could hear him. - ALL of them. We are going to have a bit of a chat soon. -All? - raised his brow Odar, but no one replied. 51. Tome While I expected something along those lines, Odar and Harsh looked absolutely stunned. I guess it was the first time that they were arrested, not the other way around. People who came to get us were also not very comfortable in this circumstance either. They were, after all, asked to essentially arrest their own boss. Thanks to that, after a few awkward looks, they did not bind either of us nor did they strip us from our belongings, instead just led us towards the, very familiar to me after all those visits, dungeon. Understanding the uniqueness of this situation, most of us went with it without an issue. Only person that required convincing was the kid. He did hasten his movements when he noticed that I started to move with the guards carrying his book though. We were put each in a different room, or cell rather, and were told to wait for further instructions. When the person escorting me was about to leave, he hesitated for a second, most likely thinking of searching me, but decided against it for some reason and without a word closed the door behind him. Having a minute to myself, I opened the book once more, just to make sure if I did not miss anything last time. Even though it was slightly more worn and greener, most likely thanks to the monster¡¯s ichor and the overall dirt of battle, the contents were exact as I remembered. Same mumbled text, continuing on repeat through the pages. I started flipping through, and sure enough, whenever I looked, it was the same thing over and over. If I didn¡¯t know what that was, I¡¯d most likely say that it¡¯s some weird mantra, but nope. It was just pointless. There was nothing left but to wait. I sat there, expecting for someone to show up after a few minutes or so, but I am pretty sure that I sat there for at least half an hour and still there was no sign of anybody. Bored out of my mind, I was flipping through the pages just to kill time, gazing past the same sentences over and over again. I finally had to stop, reaching the end of the book, and as I was to flip it back over to do it yet again, something caught my attention - the back of the book was a lot thicker than the front. At first, I did not think much about it, thinking that it was just the design choice and slammed the book close. That¡¯s when I felt something strange. The back cover was thick, right, but it was a lot heavier than it should. Comparing it to the front, it was maybe three times its weight, but it was not even twice as thick. Intrigued, I turned to the last page, checking if maybe there was at least something different written there, but no luck. I wanted to inspect the back cover more carefully, but the cell was not the best place to do that - it was dark, and I was not going to gamble and use magic. Who knows how the guards would react, especially after the attack. Speaking of, as I was considering how to not make myself even more enemies and cause even more misunderstandings, someone appeared at the cell door and unlocked it. It was one of the guards that led me here in the first place. Without a word, he gestured for me to leave and pointed me towards the cell on the other edge of the corridor - the larger one where not so long ago I met with the king. Everyone was already inside. King, Odar, For, Harsh. Even the kid was there. As soon as I entered the room Odar promptly sent away the guard who let me out of the cell. -I am sorry for locking you in for that long - started Axelrod. - I wanted to get down here as soon as possible, but the aftermath of the attack was more hectic than I expected. No one even dared to complain and everyone just listened intently. -So. As you all might have guessed, we have a problem. Or even a couple of them. First off, the attackers. Do any of you have any idea who we are dealing with? -I am not sure if we should talk about this with outsiders - muttered Odar quietly. He was clearly meaning me and the kid. I was about to say something, but the king was quicker than me. -Ah yes, outsiders. Very well, if you think that is not safe, then let¡¯s leave that for later. I am also yet unsure how we should treat our ¡°guests¡± yet¡­ - he said, gazing at me with interest. -Okay then, let¡¯s stop beating around the bush - stood up Harsh, looking directly at me. - What the hell is that? He was pointing towards the book that I still had with me. -I am curious as well - stated the king. - And if I am correct, that¡¯s your¡¯s, right, boy? Felix, quiet until now, jumped and yelped when heard his name. -I think I have a vague idea sir - spoke up Odar, looking at the kid. -Go on. -When I came back to the capital, I was informed that my presence was requested to inspect some kind of artifact that I apparently said was interesting. -You said that was interesting¡­? -That¡¯s what caught my attention too - he nodded. - I rarely get interested in such things, and for some kind of item like that just to waltz right into my hands, it felt¡­ suspicious. That is until I saw who was that. -You know this child then? -Sort of. I met him once, when I was visiting a certain town and indeed I said that that book of his was of interest to me. I was in a rush, so I told him that I am from the capital. I never expected that he¡¯s going to come here, alone to boot. If you recall, Your Majesty, I mentioned it briefly to you once. -Really? -Yes. You told me to keep an eye for void artifacts. Well, this thing has no magic whatsoever, which I found a bit intriguing, but that¡¯s not exactly¡­ -Yes¡­ I remember now¡­ He looked interested. -The book. May I? - he pointed right at me. -It¡¯s not like I am the owner¡­ - I shrugged and handed over the tome. He quickly opened it and started reading. The longer he was reading, the more furled his brow became, to the point where it looked like he just had a massive headache. -Is everything alright, My Lord? - asked Harsh, noticing his frustration. -Are you sure that it¡¯s the same item we used to ward off that monster? - he turned directly to me. -Yes. A bit of an unusual read, right? -You can read this? - suddenly jumped For, quiet until now. -Silence! - snapped at her Harsh. - You are in the presence of the king and you will only speak when told to! That was a bit rough. -Harsh. The name itself made him shut up. -That is a good question though. Can you read those words? - continued the king as if nothing had just happened. -Yes. -Interesting¡­ So, what is your opinion on this artifact, mr. Mor? For a second, I started considering how much I should tell them. But, in light of the recent events, I felt like cooperation was my best bet. -If I may be honest, it¡¯s hardly an artifact. The contents of the book are completely useless and carry no magical power. -And what, a piece of paper just warded off spells of such a large magnitude that they overpowered a head of Red Mages¡­ and you, who are arguably more powerful than her, if I am to believe Odar... Ah. So he did come and snitch on me. -You overestimate me. -I do not. I have seen many people and many magics, but yours is something else¡­ Hell, if I was to compare your strength¡­ He stopped short and changed the subject. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. -In any case, how then would you explain the strange anti-magic properties that this item possesses if not for some kind of spell? -That is a good question¡­ I asked that myself a few times when I was waiting for your summons and I have an idea. -Please, enlighten us - said mockingly Harsh from the other edge of the room. -Don¡¯t you all think that¡¯s weird that this book is so well made, yet it is not symmetrical? - I asked the room, ignoring the remark. -Symmetrical? - the king raised his brow, getting a closer look at the book. - Not particularly. A lot of books nowadays are hand-made and have some kind of defect¡­ He raised the book in front of his eyes, eying it carefully. -But I suppose you are right, it isn¡¯t. What of it? -Hand made you say? I mean, sure, it might be, but to me it feels like it¡¯s been done on purpose. Before I was fetched, I was about to get to it, but would you mind inspecting the back cover? -It¡¯s¡­ heavy¡­ - he noticed after a moment, weighing the book in his hands. - What does¡­ His eyes suddenly opened wide. - Odar, dagger. He quickly grabbed a blade handed to him and before any of us was able to react, he started cutting open the cover of the book, separating it from the rest. As he picked it up, it was even more obvious - there was something hidden in the cover of the book. It had to be carefully stuck in place though, since it wasn¡¯t making any noise, even when shaken. Back on the edge of the room, Felix finally noticed what happened to his prized possession and slumped on the ground in disbelief. -Don¡¯t worry, you will be paid handsomely for this. And if my hunch is right, you might even get something more¡­ - said Axelrod, waving him off. He did not answer, instead just started weeping quietly on the floor. I noticed Harsh rolling his eyes and For looking at him with sadness. -In any case¡­ He picked up the dagger again, and now started carefully trying to cut open the remains of the book, splitting it open, layer after layer. Suddenly, his eyes widened in disbelief and he picked up the pace, ripping through the paper with visibly less care. -Your Majesty? - Odar noticed the sudden shift as well and stepped closer, looking at the remains of the book. He stopped. -Huh. Now I understand¡­ Axelrod, looking at whatever he found, had a mixed expression on his face. Something between excitement and fear if I was to guess. -So I was right, something was in there - I said and without waiting for the answer, I approached, looking at what he uncovered, followed by everyone else in the room, even including the kid, still weeping though. For a good second I thought I was seeing things, to the point where I had to rub my eyes multiple times and I even pinched myself, just to be sure. On the desk, right in front of the king, there was a large, black, rectangular box. A bit scratched, but still in a decent condition - a portable hard drive. I guess it made sense - the book did have some kind of anti-magic field around it, I just never expected for it to be from a piece of technology. Not only I was stunned by this finding. The kid, For and Harsh looked moderately curious, they seemed like they had no idea what they were looking at. What was more interesting though, the king and Odar looked more concerned and excited than confused, which seemed¡­ odd. For a good while I felt disappointed. Since I arrived here and realized that this is indeed a different world, I low key was hoping for technology to not be advanced. So far, my wish was granted, that is until that moment. -Is there any representative of Insight in the city? - asked the king, still looking at the drive. - Anyone? -I am afraid not sir - shook his head Odar. - Recently their followers have been migrating out and with them every single high ranked priest. As long as that is going on, the highest we can get is most likely just some nun caring for children that stayed behind. -Damn it¡­ And I was hoping to get this over quickly¡­ -Your Majesty, if I may¡­ - said Harsh, still looking confused. - But what are we dealing with? What is this exactly? That question suddenly woke him up. Till now, he seemed lost in thoughts and looked like he forgot who was also in the room. He quickly scanned every face in the chamber and stood up. -This is something that does not belong to us, nor should it be here. It¡¯s good that you found it¡­ Felix, was it? - he turned to the kid, who looked at him frightened. -Does that mean¡­ -No, no, you are fine - the king smiled. - It¡¯s good that you managed to bring it to us. The best case scenario in fact. Harsh. Make sure he is rewarded for his service. Gold, books, anything he feels like he needs, he is to be given. This - he pointed at the desk - is a very precious item, one of a few that I have been looking for for a long time. Sadly, I am not able to publicly announce that, I hope you understand. He stood up and put his arm on the kid''s shoulder. -I also would request for you to not speak about this item or, in a matter of fact, anything that you have seen so far here, to anyone besides people present in this room - And grabbing Harsh¡¯s shoulder with his other arm added - that includes you too. I shuddered, feeling a hint of mana flow through the three of them. -Sir. -Now take him and go. I still need to think a few things over. He waved his hand, dismissing everyone. For was about to follow them, but was stopped by Odar. He looked outside and closed the door after the footsteps of Harsh disappeared behind the corner. -I think we are clear. -Good - he sat back down, looking at me directly. - Let¡¯s get down to the real problem then. Who in the hell are you, Mor? -Excuse me? -You heard me. Who are you? -I think I don¡¯t understand? Have I done something wrong? -No. Quite opposite in fact. Everything you do seems¡­ just too good to be true. He scratched his chin and was drilling me with his eyes. -I understand, there are wandering sages. Sometimes there just happen to be people who know a lot about magic that decide that traveling is their calling and want to explore the world, feeling brave. Bah, I was one of them for a while. -So what¡­ -But that time has long passed. Nowadays, the best you get is a wandering minstrel, and even then, their knowledge is shallow and they tend to keep to cities. So I am asking again. Who are you? I sighed, tired. -I thought we already went through this¡­ -Me too. I was giving you the benefit of the doubt and just let you go, but after today''s show, I can not in my right mind do that. Spells as powerful, if not even stronger than those of a guild master, mana capacity on par with me, and if that was not enough - he pointed at the item laying on the desk in front of him - knowledge about this? I am sorry, but it¡¯s unheard of. Shit, so I also had to be wary of that? -The expression on your face tells me that you are hiding something. The deal is off - he said in a rough tone. - Earlier, you probably would be able to convince me, but now I can not be satisfied with some second-hand declaration of your¡­ He did not finish, just gestured towards For. -So, how will it be? I finally had to realize that my plan failed. Well, most of it. Resigned, I sat on the free piece of a bench nearby, sighing. -Fine. What do you want to know? That caught the attention of For. Until now, she was just standing there, half listening. -Let¡¯s get the hard part through first. He extended his hand and was about to reach to touch me, before he hesitated. -If you want to cast the truth spell again, don¡¯t bother. I will just not talk instead of lying. And I am pretty sure that the spell is still having the effect on me, I wouldn¡¯t be so complacent and agreeing otherwise. -I noticed - he nodded, but cast the spell anyway. - Let us start then. What religion do you follow? That question caught me off guard. -Of all things you could¡¯ve asked me, you are choosing this? - I asked him with disbelief. -Question as good as any other. -Don¡¯t think so, but sure. -So? -The reply is: none. I have heard of religions of this region and I do not intend to follow either. -Hm. I guess that works. Let¡¯s continue then. Do you know what that is? - he pointed to the item on the desk. -Ah yes, the elephant in the room. -Ele¡­ -Just a saying. Yes, I know. But I can¡¯t help but wonder, do you know? -Don¡¯t try my patience - said from the side Odar, listening intently to my questioning. - You are talking to the king. -I am aware. Yet I am still asking. I can ask you, if you want, since you also seem to know what this is. He looked at the king questioningly. -Indulge him. Not like he can just pretend that he knew the answer all along when you tell him. Not with me around. -It¡¯s an artifact from an old era - he finally replied after a long while of silence. - We call them void artifacts. They have the power to disrupt most kinds of magic. The believers of Insight are known to collect them. -Well, you are half right. -Excuse me? -You are right that it can disrupt magic. It¡¯s not an artifact per say, but I guess that is close enough for you. It is a piece of technology. That sentence surprised everyone in the room, especially the king. He knew that I was still under his spell and I was not lying. -An anti-magic technology? Something like that exists? - perked up suddenly For. -Nah, it''s not like that. Anti-magic is just a side effect. -What do you mean? -This tech, or rather all advanced technology that I can think of, is just incompatible with magic. Whenever you find one, the other is suppressed. With varying strength. That¡¯s why I was surprised to see it here, in the middle of a magical city, or, if what that kid was saying is true, in some ¡°dragon¡¯s hoard¡±. Weren¡¯t you surprised too? -Yes¡­ but for a different reason - the king nodded after a second of thought. - Do you know about the Insight and its followers? -Yes, I thought we were over this already, but what¡­ It clicked. 52. Divided -Should we really believe him, your Majesty? -Do not insult me Odar. I know my spells better than you. -I am sorry, sir. -But you are right, there are many ways to sneak past what magic interprets as ¡°truth¡±. For example, a person can straight up think that he is not lying, while he was fed some false information from someone else. I couldn¡¯t help but roll my eyes with disappointment at that remark. -So how can I make you believe me? -You say that is a piece of technology, yes? -Right. -Show us how it works then - he said, pushing forward the item towards me. - You say that anti magic is its ¡°side effect¡±, what is it supposed to do then? -That is impossible. This thing - I picked up the drive, taking a closer look - is a storage for information. Sort of like a book, although it can fit many more things than a tome. Can¡¯t really tell for sure how much. But for you, it probably would be equivalent to ¡°impossibly more¡±. -A book? Hidden within a book? Funny. What¡¯s in there then? - asked For, half mockingly, half curious. -I do not know, nor am I able to tell you. To open it, you need, as you would call it, yet another artifact, that judging by your response to this little thing, you do not have. I am not sure if it worked here even if someone was to assemble it here... -Here? So those things are made? -And what did you think? That they grow on trees? Of course they are made, I already told you this is technology, not magic. -Your Majesty, I think he is telling the truth - For announced, surprising us all. -King does not need an opinion of a slave. Know your place. For all we know you can be made to say anything he wants. -Odar. Stop. -Yeah, stop. And I thought we already established that I was not manipulating her this way. -And why do you think he¡¯s right? - asked the king, more curious than anything. She was pretty talkative, considering not so long ago she was even refusing to speak a word. -I¡­ I¡¯ve seen something similar to¡­ this. Or rather¡­ I heard of it. I never was told how it looked, but the story about something that stores information¡­ a relic of the past left behind¡­ my father mentioned that he found something like this in his travels. In your travels. -¡±Our¡± travels? -Yes. -And are you sure that this is it? What were his words exactly? -I am afraid I cannot recall the exact wording but it was along the lines of ¡°something that has more information than you¡¯d ever learn in one lifetime¡±. He also did mention that it was impossible for him to read. -That¡¯s one way to put it - I agreed, but then something immediately struck me. - Your father was an interesting person. I keep hearing about him. Who was he, exactly? -I¡­ I am afraid I cannot¡­ Her neck started glowing with flames as she spoke. I managed to notice before anything happened though, so I added: -Don¡¯t need to tell me, that¡¯s fine. The brand immediately fell dark again and I swear I heard a sigh of relief from Odar, of all people. -Her father was one of the Lost. His words shocked both of them. -Your Majesty, you can¡¯t! You¡¯ll¡­ -Can¡¯t I? - he pointed at his chest with one finger, like he was waiting for something, but nothing happened. - Apparently I can. They both looked at him in shocked silence. -How¡­ did you not¡­ -I did. But remember: we cannot speak about it with people other than us. Meaning¡­ -He¡¯s one of the Lost¡­ -Oh Gods, he is one of them. I was the one confused, for a change. ¨CLost? Your so-called Gods? - I couldn''t help but laugh. - I am sad to say, if I am to be a God, I see a very bleak future for your cult. -We are not a cult - said Axelrod calmly, stopping Odar, who was about to get angry at me. - We are also not exactly a religion, but, let¡¯s leave that for later. -The hell are you then? He smiled. -A group of old friends that used to travel together. He looked at me with newfound curiosity and attention. -I have not expected to see any of you¡­ well, ever¡­ -Okay, pause - I stopped him, sensing he is about to start to evangelize me. - I am not some kind of God. I might be lost in your country, but that¡¯s about everything I have to do with being lost. -That¡¯s what they all said - he suddenly looked strangely melancholic. I noticed that even For reacted to that. -And what¡¯s wrong with you? -That¡­ that¡¯s what my father used to say¡­ Axelrod nodded. -I remember¡­ he never wanted to be called a God either¡­ -Oh great - I rolled my eyes, seeing the situation slowly spiral out of control. - I am not some reincarnation of a God, give me a break. All of them looked very excited all of the sudden. -Oh, no, let me be straight with you - stated king - no one is calling you a reincarnation. A God however¡­ I just gave him a mean look. -...that is debatable. Every time one of you appears somewhere, they always say they are just regular people. We always believed them, yet their actions proved that VERY hard. -Okay, pause - I stopped his story. - ¡°One of you¡±. Would you all explain that a bit? How do you even begin to know who or what I am? -Ah, that is simple. There are only two groups of people that are aware of those artifacts - he pointed at the hard drive - and how they can interfere with magic. One of them is Insight. The other is sitting right in front of you. I squinted my face at him. -And how do you know I am not one of them? Or if I am just some double agent, or a traitor, or anything fucking else? -Well, for one, you wouldn¡¯t be asking such questions if you were - he laughed. - Second, you are still under the effects of my spell, you literally can¡¯t lie. And third - he put his hand on his chest - I have a good intuition, and it is telling me I am not wrong. -Right¡­ Ah - his words reminded me of something. - I¡¯ve been meaning to ask that. You are pretty much holding onto this - I pointed at the item. - How can you even use magic and not be disrupted? -I am just too strong - he immediately replied without even losing a breath. - I guess your ¡°technology¡± is not enough for me. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it -Riiight¡­ That was bullshit and the one of the obvious kind to boot, but I decided to not prod him more. -Okay, I got the picture - I finally said after a moment of thought. - Your religion, or, eh ¡°group of friends¡± - I corrected myself before he was able to interrupt - worships people with knowledge of technology. By some stroke of luck you manage to find one. So where do we go from here? To a church? -We do not worship them. That part is just a story for the masses, we need to keep some kind of appearances. We just look for them and provide them with safety. That was a surprise. -A safety? From what exactly? -The exact thing that attacked us today. -The monsters? Well it was not the first time nor was I the target soo¡­ -The Insight. And yes, that is very strange¡­ -Strange? What would they want from me? -How much do you know about the Insight? -Just as much as I read at her place - I gestured towards For. -That means not much - Odar shook his head. - Let me give him a quick overview, your Majesty. -Go ahead. -Insight is a group that appeared along with the first Lost - started his lecture Odar. - They believe in one God and hate technology of all kinds, looking for it all over the world, trying to destroy it, to ¡°keep the world clean¡±. -That is more or less what the books at the Edge had, yes - I confirmed when he paused briefly, waiting for my response. -That is public knowledge. What I am about to tell you is¡­ less known, yet I assure you, that is true. I nodded, waiting for the inevitable shoe to drop. -According to what we know, they are actually just a branch of Lost. When they first appeared, it seems like one of them has been, ehm, some say enlightened, some say corrupted, or just straight up insane. They created their own religion, the Insight, with one sole purpose: to keep a very strict control over any technological advancement. -How do they even manage to do that? - I asked, confused. - I mean, I can see the effects, you are in a pretty fucking dark age, but¡­ -I have nothing to compare to so I will refrain from commenting. Although if what you said is true - he looked at the drive - I can see what you mean. As for how, that is simple. First of all, they look for technology. Their people scout villages and cities and if they find something that they deem worthy of attention, they¡­ appropriate it. -I can¡¯t see how that¡¯s not gone wrong yet¡­ -Oh, it did, multiple times. They have their methods. -Let me guess. Murder and this - I pointed to my mark where the contract was sealed. -That too. But that is their last resort, believe it or not. Mainly, when they find an item of interest, they replace it with something that works pretty much as the thing they found, but runs on magic instead. -Oh? -Like this for instance - he pulled out a glowing crystal. - Long time ago, some guy, I don¡¯t remember his name, invented something he called a lightbulb. It¡¯s a piece of¡­ -Yes, I am aware of what a lightbulb is. And what, he got stabbed? -No. When they found him, they straight up paid him. A lot. And took all his belongings, including all his research papers. -They always give them that whole ultimatum¡­ - sighed Odar. - Here¡¯s a mountain of money, we are taking your invention and you can never work on anything like that ever again. Or¡­ -Right. The pact is always sealed with blood, like you guessed. And if you break it¡­ -Yes, I figured. Eh¡­ I guess I can see why they would be interested in Lost. New knowledge that can fuel inventions¡­ -Same with you - said Axelrod. - You may say that you are not Lost, but you indubitably have knowledge. And that¡¯s what they care about. -Riiight¡­ -That¡¯s where it gets strange. It is clear that they were after this¡­ ¡°drive¡± as you call it. -What¡¯s strange with that? -Nothing. But prioritizing it over someone who clearly knows a lot about it seems a bit¡­ -Well, not really - I shook my head. - It seems like you have some misconception about me. I am not some kind of engineer or inventor. I know about how to use that stuff, right, but I cannot actually make anything of value. Bah, to be honest, I know more about creating new magic than about technology. -How does that even work? - pondered out loud Odar. - Using without knowing how that works¡­ -And do you know how to forge a blade? -Where did that come from¡­? -You have one. You have to know how to make one then, precisely and without any help, right? -Yes, we get your point - stopped me Axelrod. -Besides that, they might straight up not know that I exist. You found out not so long ago, after all¡­ Odar looked nervously at the king. -About that¡­ I, or rather we, knew about you for a good while now. Do not underestimate the power of a king. You just need to know what pawns to use. That took me by surprise. -I didn¡¯t expect for a king to deal with shady people like that¡­ -How dare you call¡­ King stopped him mid sentence. -May I remind you that you dealt with the same ¡°shady people¡± as well? -Sure, but I am not a ruler of a country, just some random dirty wanderer. -And a Red Mage. And one of the Lost. -I thought we cleared that one already. I¡¯m¡­ He did not let me finish. -In any case, let¡¯s get back to the topic. The point is, we believed that Insight was trying to destroy all the technologically advanced items and replace it with magic. So pray tell, why haven¡¯t they done that? It¡¯s not like they lack power. They can use the same magic as me and not like they didn¡¯t have the opportunity to do that multiple times. -Good point¡­ - muttered Odar. - From what I heard from you, there¡¯s been at least two attacks on people in your proximity, or rather in proximity to this device. Strange that they have never succeeded¡­ -I think you know why - I calmly said, looking straight at him. -What do you mean? - Odar asked, a bit pale. -They never wanted to destroy it in the first place. They want to use it for something. -That is a bold claim, Mor. While it definitely looks like that, I fear it can mean more than you think¡­ -They have been ¡°confiscating¡± different kinds of items for, I don¡¯t know, tens of years? Maybe more - said Odar, probably thinking aloud. -It¡¯s closer to a hundred - nodded king, concerned. - And that¡¯s not even the worst part¡­ We, by ourselves, gave them a good chunk of them. Including a couple of those ¡°drives¡± as you call them. That made me think. -What in the hell might there be written on this stupid thing¡­ - I picked up the drive and started examining it closely. - Fuck, I wish I had some kind of PC¡­ -P¡­ C¡­ ? Is that another artifact? -Well, more or less. One of the ways to read those things. Were quite popular where I came from. I doubt you have one lying on standby though¡­ -I am afraid not. As mentioned, all things similar to this were being given to the Insight, as an act of goodwill. I now am slowly regretting that decision. -You cannot change the past, Your Majesty. Also, that was not just your decision, we came to the same conclusion together, so the blame is also on each and every one of us. I couldn¡¯t help but smile. -Man, I feel like I was not even a little bit wrong about you. Your cult seems more and more pain in the ass by the second. -Say whatever you like. They are family to me. The deafening silence that fell upon the room was interrupted by knocking at the door. Or rather pounding. -Your Majesty! Urgent message to His Majesty! Odar quickly stepped up to the door and peeked through the crack. He probably recognized the person, because seconds later he opened the door wider and let yet another armed guard in. -What is it? His Majesty is busy, as you can clearly see. The soldier froze for a second, noticing who was in the room, hanging for the longest time at me. Not like I blame him, I was the odd one out in this gathering of important people. -I don¡¯t think¡­ -What is it? - repeated himself king. The soldier leaned towards Odar and started whispering something. Whatever he said was definitely not good news, judging from his face. -Thank you for the report. Wait behind the door, I will be with you shortly. -Sir! He slammed the door behind him with an unexpected force. -Odar, what¡¯s going on? -I don¡¯t think I should talk about it with this one with us¡­ - he said with his eyes drilling me. -Really? After just now saying that I am your God or whatever? -Whoever you are, you don¡¯t have to¡­ -He is right, you know - Axelrod interrupted. - Speak aloud. Whatever it is, you have my permission. He sighed. -Yes, sir. Melle is missing. It didn¡¯t even take a second for him to storm out of the room, dragging us all along with him. -When was she last seen? -I had my men stationed right in front of her room, but they have been scattered since the attack. -I think I told you to keep watch on her! I cannot be everywhere at once! -I am sorry, Your Majesty, I never expected for any of my men to disappear like that¡­ -Who discovered that she¡¯s missing? -Harsh. After he was told to escort that kid, he noticed that people that should be on duty guarding the corridor next to her room went missing, so he went to check it for himself. After that¡­ He hesitated for a second. I expected that he¡¯s going to look at me and complain again that he can¡¯t talk in front of the stranger that he does not trust, but that was not the case. Instead, he was gazing towards the corridor and the room we were approaching. -Good. At least he¡¯s here. During the whole discussion we were almost running through the whole palace, with me and For reluctantly following the two. -Excuse me - I finally managed to sneak in a word - I understand that you have a bit of a problem right now, but why am I dragged into this? -I already said what was needed to say - said plainly Axelrod. - Whenever you want to accept it or not, you are now part of the Lost and I am not intending to let you go out of my sight for now. That is for your own safety - he added after a brief pause, not looking at me. I found it strange for someone to actually be concerned about me for once, but hey, it was not all that bad. That is I would, if not for it meaning that I was essentially a prisoner. At least this time I was not locked in a cell. Yet. 53. Clues We arrived at the end of the corridor. The door was large and metal, with similar pieces of shrapnel wedged into it, like in the dungeon, but here it actually looked decent. Not just randomly spread through the whole thing, those actually were placed on purpose, in some sort of pattern. It didn¡¯t seem like it had any other magical properties though, most likely it was just done for the decoration. Without hesitation, the king placed his hand on the door, and, like with any other, the crystal pieces lit up for a moment before the door opened and we saw the inside of the room. I expected many things. A cell, another dungeon, or at best just some regular room. I did not think that I would be entering some kind of royal chamber. The room was about as large as the whole last floor of the Red Edge, if not bigger. Obviously, as I already learned to expect, the whole interior was made out of wood. A large, queen sized bed was standing on the right side, covered neatly with a green cloth, along with two small tables on each side with a rather large piece of glowing crystal wedged in the wall above both them and the bed. The walls were covered with some kind of green tapestry, looking almost like leaves. On the opposite wall, facing the bed, there was a large wardrobe along with a bookcase, covering its whole length. The one remaining wall was basically just a large membrane window. Facing the outside was a large armchair with a neat-looking coffee table right next to it. The floor was covered with a rug, you guessed it, also of a green color. Besides that, considering its size, it looked pretty empty. Looking through the window was Harsh, standing right next to the coffee table with the kid in tow, looking very out of place. I couldn''t help myself but to whistle with amazement. -Wow, I mean you said that you don¡¯t treat slaves as slaves, but damn¡­ That snapped Harsh out of his trance and he finally noticed that someone entered the room. -Your Majesty! And¡­ you. What is he doing here? -I could ask you the same thing. Why did you bring the kid - snapped at him Odar. - Weren¡¯t you supposed to escort him to his chambers? -I did. But there is no one to stand watch. The guard force is still scattered and many people are still missing. -Damn. Where the hell are those idiots¡­ -You still didn¡¯t answer the question. Why is he here? I gave him a brief look but I did not respond. -I am talking to you, you¡­ -Silence. The one word was enough to make them both shut up. -I guess there is no helping it. He will stay for now. But¡­ He approached the boy. -You need to be a good boy and not tell anyone besides us about anything that you see or hear here - he said, grabbing him and Harsh by their shoulders. - Understood? Same goes to you too, Harsh. -Y-yes sir. -Yes sir! -Good. Now, for what you¡¯ve seen¡­ Harsh quickly repeated a story that we heard from the one guard that came to us in the dungeon. -Both of them? -Yes, her daughter is also missing. I wanted to be faster with his marking but¡­ -I already notified His Majesty, there were some issues. -Whatever. The most important part is to find out if they are still alive. And if they are, where the hell they have been taken. -Maybe they ran away? - suggested Harsh. - Who knows after what happened today¡­ -You think that no one would notice? - puffed Odar, annoyed. - I mean sure, my men were missing, but not like someone can just disappear in this castle. -Oh, they very well could. Considering what just happened they might have just used the commotion to give us a slip. -That is impossible - said dryly King. - I can understand my people better than both of you combined. Neither of them would be that dumb to try. -Wasn¡¯t one of them able to use portal magic? Why wouldn¡¯t they just¡­ -Don¡¯t talk about subjects you don¡¯t know shit about - interrupted him Odar. - To teleport you need an anchor in both places and both of them have been searched thoroughly. -So how do you explain this immaculate room? There are absolutely no signs of struggle. -Maybe she just did not want to stay here and would rather go with the captors? - I mentioned taking a look around the room. -How dare¡­ - I think Harsh was about to yell at me but Odar butted in before that. -You really think that after seeing this room? After what you¡¯ve heard? -Well, some people care more about freedom than money. This looks like a golden cage to me. Maybe she¡¯s not one that would care much about status or money, as long as she had what she needed. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she decided to go willingly, just to escape from this room, thinking that she would have better chances escaping them than you people. Looks like she was at least right about the first part. Everyone looked at me with surprise, even including the king. -And how would you know that? Do you know her that well? -Sure¡­ more or less¡­ And you don¡¯t need to know someone to see this as a golden opportunity. -I knew I should¡¯ve talked with them earlier¡­ Frustrated king started pacing next to the bed. -Why do you even need her to stoop so low as to kidnap a child? - I finally asked the question that¡¯s been bothering me for a long time. -Kidnapped? Hardly. We saved her from¡­ -From what exactly? Her mother? -It was supposed to be from the Insight, but we see how that panned out¡­ - replied the king, starting to walk even faster now. -Hah. That¡¯s funny. An old hag had better success hiding and protecting her own child than a whole fucking country. Good job. -I AM AWARE. CAN YOU SHUT IT FOR A SECOND. That was the first one. He was yelling. For the first time since I¡¯ve met him, the king looked clearly pissed and was not even trying to hide it. By now he¡¯s been basically running from one wall to the other instead of pacing, and even at some point he managed to flip the whole armchair upside down along with the coffee table and not even get slowed down. -Your Majesty, please calm down - started Odar, crouching to pick up the furniture he knocked over, but as soon as he reached the floor, he froze. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. -Hm. I think she might not have gone without a fight after all¡­ Intrigued, we looked down to where he was reaching. Under where just moments ago the armchair was standing, there was a set of scratch marks. Along with a set of small holes peppered around it. -It hardly looks like anything to me¡­ - shrugged Harsh, squinting at it. - Bark beetles maybe? Nah, they don¡¯t touch living wood¡­ And scratches¡­ -Yeah. Hard to tell what exactly did this, but that¡¯s definitely not something that should be here. -Now we at least know what we are looking for - announced king. - Search the room. And the corridor outside while we are at it. His hunch was right. Not only we¡¯ve found a couple more of similar marks in the room itself, there were also a couple of them just outside the room. Where the guards were supposed to be. All of them were pretty shallow though. If we did not know what we were looking for, they most likely have been missed. -But what does that mean exactly? - started pondering Harsh when we got back to the room. - Whatever those marks are, they are not helping us get closer to the kidnappers. On the mention of ¡°kidnappers¡± I had a very hard time suppressing my laugh. -I need to think - the king waved us all off, essentially telling everyone to piss off. -Yes sir. Everyone slowly left the room, back to their business, bowing to him, and soon we were the only two left in the room. -You can leave too. I am not really in the mood for more talking. -It¡¯s not like I have anywhere else to go - I shrugged, sitting on the neatly put bed. -Right¡­ - he raised his head and finally looked at me. - So what do you want? -King, can you tell me, what exactly do you want from them? He closed his eyes and frowned even more. -I see the talk about you being God to my church has gotten into your head, since you¡¯re asking so bluntly. That was not completely incorrect. While I still had my fair share of doubts about the story of the Lost, them and that whole cult, religion, family or whatever they wanted to call themselves, I strangely felt compassion for the man in front of me. And what I¡¯ve seen of him so far straight up did not add up to what I''ve heard. -I do not know how to talk to nobility and such, especially kings, that¡¯s why I am going to be blunt. -You¡¯ve been blunt this entire time, but go ahead. -So far, from what I¡¯ve heard about you, you were supposed to be a cunning, wise, great leader. And so far, it straight up does not fit. Why do you want that girl so bad? Some grudge? His forehead wrinkled even more. -I guess you are indeed one of the Lost, so I should tell you at least this much. I¡­ or rather we, made a promise. -Promise? -Yes. A long time ago, when I was still just an adventurer, I traveled along with a group of companions. Some we found along the way, some found us, others just came to be. A long story short, we got powerful. Too powerful in fact. It came to a point where we couldn¡¯t even enter a town without being challenged by someone at best or straight up being resented for being ¡°inhumane monsters¡± and kicked out. -If you were so strong, I don¡¯t think something like that would be able to stop any of you. -Yeah, I thought so for a good while too. I didn¡¯t care about the opinion common folk gave us. If they challenged us, I happily obliged to accept, if I was being kicked out, I either left without a word or just straight up paid more money so they would shut up. But not everyone was like that. One person in fact. He was the one who created the whole idea. At first, our task was to help other people. We had mages with some unique talents among us, so we decided that we should use them to start creating instead of just killing monsters and such. The houses, Red Edge¡­ we created it all. Not long later, we founded this city and managed to build it up to what it is today. -I feel like that¡¯s a bit too good of a story. -Yeah. A bit after establishing the country, one of us suddenly disappeared. But before that he came to me and asked me to, if he was to ever disappear and not come back after more than a year, to find his wife and bring her here, to show what¡¯s he created and to protect her. But I never expected that he wouldn¡¯t tell her about us¡­ He looked distressed. -So after the time was up you made Odar kidnap her child and bring her here? -It was not supposed to be like that! - he said, slamming his fist on the table. - When we finally found out where she even was, I instantly sent my men after her, but when they arrived, she was already gone, and my men just found that kid instead. She obviously had no idea what¡¯s going on and, of course, retaliated. The rest you know. He fell silent. -So, what are you planning to do now? - I asked after a brief pause. -What? Find her, obviously. Too bad it looks like it¡¯s impossible right now, I did not manage to forge a pact with her¡­ -Forge a pact? -What¡¯s a better way to protect someone if not to forge a mutual pact with them? Not like that matters now though¡­ -Ah, you mean enslave her. Hah. -You say it as if it¡¯s a bad thing. I gave him a concerned look. -I mean I am aware of your strange predisposition to that, but that is still enslaving¡­ -And why are you concerned? You did it as well, and only one way to boot. -Ever heard of saying, do as I say not as I do? I also am not someone who anyone would look up to, like a king for example. -You say that, but you are one of the Lost, of course some people will. -I am still not convinced about that. But that topic aside, even if you¡¯d bound with her, how would that even help you? He stretched out on his chair and gazed briefly around the room. -I guess you are still an outsider so you don''t know. The blood contracts that bind you to each other are not just for show. -I know, you can modify them and set different conditions, so your ¡°property¡± will be obedient and all that. -Yes. And besides that, they also allow tracking the person in question. -And how would one do that? -Curious? I guess you do own For, that¡¯s right¡­ He stood up and started rummaging through the room. He finally found what he was looking for: from one of the drawers nearby he got a stack of plain paper and put it on a table next to the chair he was just sitting in. -You just need a clean piece of paper, or, even better, a map. You then focus on a contract with whoever you want to find, pouring mana through your mark towards the paper. If it¡¯s a map, it will give you an approximate location of your quarry. If you use a clean sheet, you just get a direction. -Interesting¡­ I approached the table and took one of the sheets from it. I guess there was no harm in trying. I focused on For and, following his instructions, started pouring my mana into the paper. The effect was almost immediate. I felt a sharp tug towards one of the walls and at the same time, the paper lit up in white flame - the same I¡¯ve seen multiple times when used with contracts. It quickly burned out the whole sheet but did not disappear, instead started floating towards one of my sides, to the same direction where I felt the tug. -Yeah, like that. -Useful - I said cutting the mana flow and ending the spell. - Is it detectable? -Detectable? -I mean if someone can track it, or if the target can feel something when I use it? -If you are only bound one way, no, you can¡¯t. If both of you share the blood binding it is said that also the other person can feel the slight pull towards you, but that¡¯s it. -Very useful. Your Majesty, do you have a map? He tilted his head and pointed to the stack of papers on one of the shelves. I quickly stepped towards it and pulled out something that looked like an old, a bit worn out map. It was still decently readable though. -Good enough. Well, let¡¯s try. This time I focused not on For, but on our missing target. Again, a white flame sprouted, but this time from my palm. It was a lot smaller though, just about as big as a candle¡¯s flame. It slowly started floating towards the map and, hovering above it, it moved towards the middle of it, where the capital was marked. King was observing the movement, first amused and almost distant, but when the flame reached the city and started moving away from it, it grabbed his full attention. The flame finally slowed down about a few kilometers away from it, and was now barely moving. -Who is that? -Good news, Your Majesty. I think I can find your precious Melle. Not everyday you have a chance to meet a monarch, and even rarer you have a chance to baffle one with your actions, nevertheless both happened to me. King Axelrod was now slumped in his chair with absolute disbelief written all over his face. -So. What do I get for finding her? That snapped him out of the initial shock and the disbelief got immediately replaced by frantic thinking, I almost could see the cogs in his head turning. -So that¡¯s why the initial attempt failed¡­ she¡­ why¡­ that means¡­ why is she like this¡­ I let him mutter like this for a long while. -I am not going to ask why you have her as a property, although I really want to. At least for once this is a good thing¡­ She¡¯s nearby¡­ - he finally said louder, looking at the map. The flame finally stopped moving, hanging above some spot not so far from the capital, towards the coast. -Isn¡¯t that on route towards the coast? -Looks like it¡­ I need a better map. GUARDS. 54. Vanguard In a span of an hour, he arranged both a better map and gathered his people again, this time including Harsh, who at first was surprised to learn about me being Lost, but he accepted me surprisingly easily. I guess knowing the man beforehand helped a little bit. They all were pretty surprised to hear that not only I had For under my command thanks to the current circumstances, but also the missing Melle, although none of them froze like the king himself when he first heard about it. I didn''t really want to disclose that to everyone, but no one asked me about my opinion. Thanks to the map I was provided I was able to better pinpoint the location of our target. -Kalkano? - Odar squinted at the map once more. - I honestly can¡¯t believe it¡­ -Are you absolutely sure that it¡¯s her you have a contract with? -I mean I can summon it, but I believe that would sort of ruin everything. -Right. Whoever is with her would definitely notice¡­ -But what the hell are those monsters doing in Kalkano? Isn¡¯t that a decently populated town? Did they raze it? -I doubt that - chimed in Harsh. - We passed it multiple times not so long ago and it looked as usual¡­ -They just probably have some hideout on the outskirts¡­ -Doesn¡¯t look like that to me - I said pointing to the map. - If I am to believe that this is accurate, the spell and the map both, it shows that she¡¯s right smack down in the middle of it. -Underground maybe? - pointed out Odar. - Those things did spring out from below the ground¡­ -That¡¯s actually possible¡­ In any case, we need to pursue them at once. -Hold your horses, Harsh. - stopped him Odar. - While I understand that this is a very delicate matter and an important for His Majesty himself, I cannot leave the capital in this disarray and pursue another target. What about the people? -Look at you, so caring now. Weren¡¯t you responsible for the defense during the attack? -I was. -And what came from that? Castle halls destroyed, guards missing, people killed¡­ -I think we already confirmed that the enemy came from below the ground. I can hardly predict or defend from something like that. -That still does not explain people missing from their posts. If they were actually doing their job we would not have to undertake this mission in the first place. But what can you do, I guess people do take from their leader after all. -What was that supposed to mean? Are you now insulting our king out of sheer spite? -His Majesty? Of course not. I am insulting you, bartering with criminals, taking strange offers from weird people, who knows what else? I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if people that were supposed to protect Miss Melle were somewhere in town doing some shady business for you. -May I remind you that those ¡°criminals¡± and strange offers are from YOUR OWN SON? -DON¡¯T YOU REMIND ME OF THAT DISGRACE. -SILENCE. The king had to finally step in. I feel like he was a bit too late, because it looked like both of them were about to start slinging spells at each other. -I will make this quick. Odar, you are to go and find them both. Bring them to me safely. -As you wish, your Majesty. -Mor will be obviously going with you, please keep him safe as well. I shrugged but did not protest. Not like it would¡¯ve mattered. -I appreciate the concern, but I will be fine. -As for a third person¡­ He gazed through everyone in the room. -Odar, any suggestions or wishes? -As strange as it might sound, your Majesty, I believe I will need Harsh for this one. -Oh? Even with your arguments? -Yes. From what we know those monsters are able to use multiple elements, meaning we need to cover for every side. With me, fire of Mor and Harsh¡¯s ice, we have a solid setup. -Wait a second, don¡¯t you use ice? -I can use both ice and nature magic, yes. That was surprising. Wasn¡¯t he the first person to openly admit to being able to use multiple elements? I guess that made sense, he was pretty close to the king, meaning he had to be powerful. -So what¡¯s that guy for? -¡±That guy¡± - he said before Harsh was able to say anything - is needed when we need to use the magic at the same time. And if what you told us about those creatures is correct, that most likely will be needed. Right. I was forgetting that people here, even if talented enough to use more than one element, are still somewhat limited. -Okay sure, but I still disagree - I stepped up, looking directly at Harsh. - While what he said might be right, I refuse to cooperate with him. -May I know why? - asked the king before Harsh even managed to start protesting. -Of course. His magic might be useful, though I do not believe he is fit for a fight against those creatures with me. As he¡¯s shown earlier, his magic resources are very limited, and for this kind of journey we need stamina the most. Our target is stationary for now, but who knows if it will stay that way. If it comes to the chase I believe that he will be a hindrance. -And you won¡¯t be? - Harsh snapped angrily at me. - Look at yourself. -I firmly believe that I have a lot more mana capacity than you. May I remind you that you fainted during our encounter with those creatures? I have been fighting them longer than you and yet I am still standing, without the rest. -That might be true - nodded king - but in that case I just need to supply you with more mana fruit. That should cover for the lack in this regard. -It might, temporarily. Prolonged use of mana fruit will only deter his ability to think clearly though. Not too long ago, I was in a similar situation. After a few days of mana fruit usage my companion was reduced to a shaking mess, barely useful in combat. What I said was true, but I also just did not want to deal with him and his character overall. -Besides that, I also do not trust this person - chimed in Odar, surprisingly agreeing with my opinion. - Even if we disregard their previous disagreements and all of that misunderstanding, I cannot just straight up ignore the fact that he is the one who found out that Melle¡¯s missing in the first place. Out of everyone in the castle, if there is a traitor or some kind of mole in Your Majesty¡¯s court, he is the prime suspect. I do not want someone like that on a rescue mission. -YOU DARE¡­ -Quiet - said the king calmly. - While I do not agree with that statement nor I believe that he¡¯s done it, I understand your doubts. However, who else is there available to pick though? -How many of us do you intend to send? -Three. I have only three steeds on hand right now. -Well, at first I intended to suggest for For to come with us, but as you said, the lack of the diversity in magic might prove to be an issue. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. -Why her, out of curiosity? I raised my hand and pointed to the mark. -I can trust her completely. In other people I trust¡­ hm, I want to say Jacob, his portal magic would prove useful, but that is impossible I feel. -Indeed. He is indeed needed in the Red Edge. Maybe one of Harsh¡¯s mages then? -The one I would take is currently in a dungeon, besides he has the same problem as Harsh. -Well, there is no one else that uses ice-based magic here that is trustworthy¡­ -Actually, Your Highness. Yes there is. -And who might that be? -Bert Harsh. Ah. So Harsh was not his given name. -That disgrace? He¡¯s not fit to even call himself a mage at all with his¡­ -Oh right. He¡¯s still in town? - I asked, not paying attention to Harsh¡¯s complaints. -Should be. I saw him yesterday, I can send for him right away. -Your son, hmm? - the king started gazing into space, thinking. - And I see you are also in favor of bringing him? -Yes. I feel like he is a good choice. Definitely better than his father - I added under my breath so no one else besides Odar would hear me. I noticed him smile slightly. -Anyone, besides you Harsh, got any complaints? No? Good. Then it is decided. Those three will suffice. Odar, send for him. Mor, prepare whatever you need for your journey. Servants will arrange for the supplies to be delivered as soon as possible. Harsh, please stay here for a minute, I need to talk with you. With that, we were dismissed, to the dismay of rejected Harsh. The preparations went very quick. Seemed like when under pressure, Odar¡¯s people could work at a really impressive speed. Before the next day even started, Bert was already in the castle, ready and waiting, the supplies gathered along with a large garrison of people readying to go out as well. As I learned later, the three of us were supposed to be a ¡°scouting force¡±. While the king definitely trusted Odar and, amusingly, me, he said that even though he will send another force behind us, just in case. And not just some half-assed group of guards, no. The second group consisted of the same people that were first present during the initial attack. I mean, those who survived, that is, plus about another ten, I guess their replenished manpower. On top of that, For was to join them along with Bert¡¯s father, with the king leading the whole band. Officially, the king was supposed to stay at the castle, but only people that knew about him leaving were just those who were going along with us. They all were going to follow us a few hours after we left. I was going to complain that there was no point in sending the forward party if we were to be followed by basically a battalion of armed people, and we were going to be discovered instantly, but I changed my mind when I saw how we were going to travel. While the secondary force were going to travel on foot with an occasional horse for the king and the higher ranked people, the three of us were given a way to travel that after just one look I felt my ass scream in protest. We were given those wooden monster-horses again. With that, the problem of spacing was definitely solved. Even if we were to depart simultaneously, the speed of those things would definitely be more than enough to give us enough of a gap for no one to be wiser. On top of all that, Odar was supposed to be in constant contact with the king himself and relay the information every now and again, including slowing the whole group down if needed. As I was getting ready to depart, we finally were able to meet up with Bert. Up till then, he was only mentioned to be ready and I have not been able to see him and I had a distinct feeling that I knew why - his father was still around. Only when we finally got out of sight and I started getting mentally ready to ride one of those beasts again, he approached and greeted us both, just to jump away on the sight of those beasts. -Don¡¯t worry, they don¡¯t bite. I think. He looked more curious than frightened. -I mean I knew that we were supposed to use some strange creatures, but wow¡­ -It¡¯s nice seeing you too. -Ah. Sorry. Hello, Mor. -Leave the pleasantries for later, we need to go. Hurried by Odar, we quickly mounted the beasts and in their unnatural fashion we moved out into the forest. The monsters moved silently and swiftly, to the point where we were able to easily talk with each other with minimal effort. -So, what exactly am I needed for? - asked Bert during one of the longer periods of silence. -Weren¡¯t you briefed already? -I mean sure, but I still can¡¯t help but feel strange that I got priority over my father. -Thank Mor. He¡¯s the one who refused to work with him. -Don¡¯t get it twisted. I just did not want to have a liability during something like that. -Wow. -And besides that, I still owe you. -Huh? -What, you forgot? You did send me on a mission, and while that might not have been my fault, I did fail it and never was able to get your stuff back. -Ah, that. Don¡¯t worry about it. While you getting caught was unfortunate, I actually did receive the armor. Or rather scrap. -What? How? Apparently, after I got released from the dungeon, along with me they freed Eicam and even gave him all his stuff back. That included the armor we found. He was dropped off in the capital, which made it easy to deliver the stuff back to him. He even got paid. That was some good news. I was wondering what happened to him. -I was going to ask Odar next time I see him about you and try somehow to fix the situation, but imagine my surprise when I learned that not only you were freed, but you also were going to be sent on some mission under the direct order from the king. At the time I thought that you got blackmailed, but when Odar reached out to me and told me that¡¯s not the case AND on top of that I was also being invited¡­ Well, being overwhelmed is one way to put it. I smiled to myself. -Man, I am glad he reminded the king that you were still in town¡­ But back on topic, what about that hunk of junk that you got? What in the hell are you going to do with that? -I? Nothing. I just delivered it to its owner, what he¡¯s going to do it¡¯s not my business. From what I¡¯ve heard though he¡¯s been trying to get in contact with his brother to get him to help reforge it. -What, his brother is a blacksmith or something? I thought he was an adventurer as well. -He is an adventurer. But apparently he¡¯s a bit higher up than his brother and has some connections. -Ah. I guess it is not an easy task to get someone willing to work on that kind of metal¡­ -Now when you mention it¡­ what kind of metal was that? -What, Eicam did not tell you? I briefly explained what we learned when we inspected the scrap that used to be Goldie ''s armor. -And he was wearing that? I can¡¯t¡­ -Looks like it. I was surprised too. -Speaking of surprise - joined in Odar, who was for some reason smirking. - I did not expect you to join this expedition so easily. -Hey, when the king calls, you don¡¯t ask why, you just go along with it. I feel like it¡¯s like that for both of you, isn¡¯t it? -Maybe for him - I shrugged. - While he might think otherwise, I am not his subject. -Really? Why are you joining us then? -Because¡­ Yeah, why did I exactly join this thing? No one actually pressured me to do so, I just went along with it for some reason¡­ From what the king said, I could¡¯ve just given him a copy of a map with a marked location and that would suffice if they were still in the same place, in that case I could have just hung around with the rest of the force that was behind us, but for some reason I went with Odar. True, I did have a pact with her, so having me on the front lines was a plus, but not a necessity. Did it have something to do with a deal I stuck with her beforehand? I mean, sure, I essentially owned her and it would be a shame to lose such a valuable asset so easily. But was that just it? To be honest, I was not sure of that. Recently I¡¯ve been feeling a bit confused. Not because of the recent flood of information and strange events that seemed to follow me wherever I went. While that definitely did not help, that was not it. For some reason, when I was with those people, I felt¡­ sort of calm. Before, when I traveled with Eicam through the forests, and even before, when I was just wandering the island where I first met Jack, I constantly felt on edge. But now, even when on that stupid monster-mount, I, for some reason, felt like I was returned to a place I should be. Even before, in the dungeons, of both the capital and the Red Edge, I never actually felt threatened. Did that have to do with me being that supposed ¡°Lost¡±? What did that actually mean though? If I was to believe what I was told, I¡¯d think that it would be the complete opposite: they would feel more calm around me, not the other way around, since I was their ¡°god¡± or whatever. Did his talk about protecting me and all that really got into my head that much? Shaking my head, I decided that I should not think about it for now. -Well, she is my property after all. I might have left her in the king''s care, but that does not mean that I am just going to ditch her at the first ocasion. To be honest, I did not want to just leave her with you either, but things just worked out that way. -Uh-uh¡­ -What, you don¡¯t believe me? I couldn¡¯t blame him. I was just trying to figure out what the hell I was doing myself. -It¡¯s just¡­ you did not strike me as a heroic type at first¡­ -I would like to remind you that I did nothing but save your ass when we were last together. -True. But you also did that AFTER everyone else was killed. You also let them get me on purpose after all. Ah. So he did notice. -Details. -Well, you saved me in the end, so I¡¯m just going to leave it at that. As long as you won¡¯t get us killed, we should be fine. -Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t. And this time, instead of an unhinged maniac in golden armor we instead have an infinitely more useful and powerful mage directly under the king¡¯s orders. Who in their right mind would even try something that stupid? I noticed Odar trying to conceal his laugh, but besides that, he did not say anything to us. 55. Kalkano We traveled for a whole day and about half a night without a rest, only stopping a couple of times to check the direction we were going towards and if our target was moving. Every time when I checked though, the flame was still unmoving, right in the center of Kalkano. We were hoping that it would stay that way. That would also mean that they were none the wiser that they were being pursued and tracked. At midnight, we finally reached the road just outside the village. Once more I checked the map, and our target was still where we last saw it. Silently, we hid our monstrous mode of transportation away from the village in some bushes and commanded them to stay hidden. The smart creatures understood perfectly and lowered themselves to the ground, hiding in some nearby shrub - even during the day it would be hard for someone to spot them that way. The village looked completely dead. Well, to be honest, the last time I¡¯ve been there it was not much better. The homes were dark, people were nowhere to be seen. It was not all that strange, it was the middle of the night after all. Like the last time, we were led in by Bert. Following close was Odar and me. Both of us were hiding our faces - besides the hoods that we had on us, we wrapped our faces with cloth. For Odar it was to hide his actual identity - even here, outside of the city, his face was supposed to be well known to the public. For me on the other hand, it was just to hide my recent changes in my face. Speaking of, I now noticed that Bert never even mentioned how I now had half of my face replaced by a crystal, which was strange. I asked him about that later, just to learn that he was briefed beforehand by Odar. Besides that, we also did not want our prey to recognize us. If Melle was indeed captured by those monsters, it was likely that they also had some people on their side as well. Bert¡¯s face was known here, so it was not a problem, and he apparently knew somebody here as well. If my face was still the same as before, I would be fine too, but alas, it was not the case. We were both to act as his new bodyguards, a.k.a. the replacement for Goldie and part of the force wiped during the attack that occurred when we last traveled together. So, we slowly creeped into the village, watching carefully for anyone or anything out of the ordinary, but we did not notice anything. Without issue we arrived at the familiar house and Bert knocked at the door. We did not have to wait for long until the door creaked open slightly and we saw a shadow of a person peek outside. -Bert. You¡¯re here again? -Seems like it. I need a favor. Bert¡¯s voice was calm, but for some reason I felt like he was somehow nervous. -You and your problems¡­ what do you want? -A place to stay for a night. -I am not some kind of inn. -I don¡¯t need an inn. I just want to sleep. The guy behind the door did not respond. -Come on, it¡¯ll be worth it¡­ - he said, pulling out a sack of coins, showing off the contents. -Ugh. How long? -For now, one night. Or maybe two. I am not sure yet¡­ -Pay up front and let me sleep. -Sure. The regular? -That works. I noticed him handing over some gold. -You know where to go - he muttered, giving him a key. With that quick exchange, he led us to a familiar stable. This time though, it was completely empty. It was eerily quiet without the animals¡­ -What are we doing here exactly? - asked Odar after confirming that we were indeed alone. - I am pretty sure that none of us needs to rest, so I assume you have some kind of plan? -What do you mean, we of course need to rest. While we might be able to investigate during the night, it¡¯d be nice to also be able to chat with some townsfolk. Who knows what they¡¯d seen? -I mean, sure¡­ but do they really not have an inn here? Do we have to stay in some stable? -Hah, so that¡¯s it. Mr. Royal feels uncomfortable sleeping in a stable, eh? - I laughed at him. -Shh - immediately silenced me Bert. - Walls have ears. While I did admire him for being overly cautious, it was virtually impossible for anyone to hear us. After all, it was the middle of the night and we were in a barn that was pretty far out on the outskirts of the village. But I guess, just to be safe¡­ -Come on, we are alone here. No one is going to hear us. If they would, his Highness would surely be able to deal with them with ease. -How did you¡­ - started mumbling Odar. -Ehh¡­ who would¡¯ve thought that smuggling you out was such an easy task¡­ We need to thank those monsters¡­ without their attack this would¡¯ve been impossible¡­ I was obviously spewing bullshit. But if, by some wild chance, someone was to listen to us, they¡¯d definitely get interested. -I said shut the hell up. -Right, right¡­ my bad. In any case, tomorrow we should split. I am going to protect his M¡­ ehm, you, and you are to check if we are followed. They probably already dispatched some kind of pursuit. We did steal an important piece after all. -True. It looks like both of them caught on on my bluff. -Okay then, you both stay here and I¡¯ll check the surroundings. With that, he left us alone in the dark shack. Making all that up was straight up stupid, but hey, what can you do. I was not sure if Bert went ahead and actually intended to do what he said, but I was not going to sit there just waiting. Instead, I moved to the center of the room and closed my eyes, focusing. I wanted to use my magic sense and check if I¡¯ll get any pings close by. Odar noticed me moving, but did not follow, instead was intently observing me. Even with my eyes closed I could feel his drilling look, which made me a bit anxious. It was the first time in a while I used the magic sense, and definitely the first time that I used it on such a scale. I just intended to check our immediate vicinity, the shed and maybe the nearest bushes, I never thought I could even go farther than that. But, oh, I was mistaken. Most likely thanks to my crystalized body parts, the range was immensely bigger. As soon as I focused, I instantly was able to feel the whole shack and then about halfway into town. Before I managed to shake my surprise and stop myself, I already reached the road we came from. The sudden flow of information threw me on for a loop. Every person, or rather source of mana, lit up in my head like a flame, giving me a glimpse of what we were up against. In the stable, I could not feel anyone besides Odar. His flame was burning with a bright light, which actually gave me a good idea about his mana capacity. I knew that he was close to the king, so I expected that, especially after seeing him use more than one element, but even so, the size and power of his presence was something to behold. Bright and colorless, somewhat similar to the flame I used to see on the contracts. Not far away from the shack, there was another person, a lot less powerful, yet their flame was still pretty dense and bright. It also had a blue-ish hue. It had to be Bert. He was moving away from us, towards the forest. What was unusual though was a small, dark spot that looked like it was sucking in his flame¡­ Then I remembered. The unusual feeling and the image I noticed was definitely from his bow. I already inspected it once. His bow was just absorbing his mana, being fueled by it. It was not that strange of a thing, I was aware of the existence of such artifacts, but never actually had an occasion to use one myself. Moving my attention away from him, I noticed three other signals that were almost as strong as his, which made me wary, but for naught. They were just our mounts, stationed away from the village. That surprised me a bit. Even though they were almost at the edge of my range, I could feel them just fine. Were those monsters really that strong? Other than that, I did not notice anything unusual. There were a bunch of signals in every house, all of them dim and unmoving, probably because they were asleep. It was even possible that Melle was among them. If you were asleep, there was no difference - powerful or not, you were just a small ember, dim and barely noticeable. But that also meant that we did not have to play that stupid deception game any more. I snapped myself out of the trance and stretched out, lying on my back. -Good news. We are in the clear. There is no one listening, nor anyone is even remotely close. -And you are sure, because¡­? -A gut feeling. What do you think? -Ehe. Sure. So what, you want to follow him? -Nah. It just means I can do my thing without worrying too much. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I pulled out a map. During our trip here I already used it a bunch of times to confirm the location of our enemy and I was about to do the same. I noticed that Odar wanted to stop me for a second there, but changed his mind and instead watched me intently. After focusing for a second, the flame appeared, like every other time. And like every other time, it stopped right above the name of the village that we were on the outskirts of. -Seems like we are fine¡­ - he muttered, looking from behind my shoulder. - Can we go one step further? I hid the map and instead pulled out an empty sheet of paper, prepared just for that reason. One second later, a small flame was hovering in front of me, marking the direction we should take. -Seems to be working. Should we wait for Bert or just go along without him? But before we were even able to think that over, he was back. He looked slightly on edge, and noticing our attempts did not help him calm down. -What the hell are you doing? - he hissed at me. - We might be uncovered like this! -Weren¡¯t you gone just to prevent that? - I asked calmly. -And besides, we already checked our surroundings. There is no one nearby. -Did you find anything interesting? -No. The village is as dead as it looks. -So we should be fine. -I guess¡­ - he muttered, still not sure. - If you are using this, that means¡­ -Yes. We are on the right track, nothing has changed. -So what, you want to go now and try to find some clues? -Yeh. -But how? Don¡¯t you think wandering with open flame like this is not a dead giveaway? -Relax. I told you that no one is around. I wanted to do a lap and circle the whole village, thanks to that we can at least pinpoint the location. -And if you get spotted? -It¡¯s better to get spotted during the night. I can just play dumb and say that I¡¯m scouting, just like you did. And since I am the fire mage, or rather Red Mage, I can easily say that I¡¯m just using the flame to brighten up the area. -I guess¡­ -If worse comes to worse, I can try and excuse myself with this - I pointed to my necklace. -And if it¡¯s not gonna work, then¡­? -If it comes to that, then I¡¯ll think about it. I¡¯ll probably run and you can just contact the reinforcements. He still did not look very convinced. -Since when you¡¯re so worried about me? -I am not worried about YOU. Just don¡¯t want to fuck this up. -I can¡¯t blame him - nodded Odar. - While we might get away with it¡­ him, not so much¡­ -Ah. Oh well, not my problem - I shrugged and stepped away towards the door. I wanted to make it quick. While I still was pretty sure that everyone was well asleep and I should be fine, there was always a probability of some kind of anomaly happening. All this seemed too suspicious to me¡­ This village did not look like a place that would host some kind of kidnapper. It might have been small and unassuming, but it lacked something. I could not put my finger on it, but I still had a strange feeling about all this, like something was not adding up. Contrary to my worries, nothing happened during my whole walk. I managed to easily slip away from the houses and take two laps around the whole thing without anyone spotting me. During the first one, I barely was paying attention to the flame, just making sure that no one was following me. I wanted to also use my magic sense, but I stopped myself. If I was to do that here, I would have to focus completely on it. While it was possible to do it on the move, it would drastically reduce my effective range. Even with my power elevated, thanks to the crystal, I would barely even reach the houses on the edge of the village. Besides, I for sure would have to drop the concentration on the flame that was tracking Melle. While we did have more materials for it, I did not want just to waste them like this, and just to be sure I did not want to cast it in the open like that. Considering all that, after I made sure that I was indeed in the clear, during the second lap I was paying attention solely to the flame, to pinpoint the location as close as I could. Surprisingly, it was not that hard of a task. To my annoyance, I could tell that she was somewhere closer to the middle of the village, maybe a bit closer to the main entrance, somewhere where we came from. I couldn¡¯t tell exactly which building though without entering the village and getting myself completely exposed. Weirdly enough though, the signal, or rather the size of the fire, was a bit weaker than I anticipated. When I first tried that method on For in the capital, even though she was decently far away from me, the fire was stronger than this, meaning something was off. She could not be further away than her at the time for sure, I could tell just by the size of the village, so what gives? With this new information I came back to the stable that we were renting. Both Odar and Bert were waiting for me, expectantly. I quickly told them what I found out and shared my worries about the strength of the flame. -I can¡¯t tell you much about this magic, I never actually had to use it like this - muttered Bert, visibly distraught. - To disrupt that kind of magic¡­ hmm¡­ -It¡¯s not that hard, actually - said Odar. - But in this remote place¡­ well¡­ -I didn¡¯t expect you to know much about this kind of magic¡­ -I had to read up recently¡­ thanks to you¡­ Right, I did stir up the capital quite a bunch. I did not expect him to take it so seriously though, it was already resolved after all. -Anyway. Besides the distance, as you mentioned, not much can interfere in pinpointing the location like this. All of them need a dose of preparation and none are good news for us. -What was that supposed to mean? -Well - he started - the method you are using is slightly flawed. It does not show you the current location of the desired target, instead it just gives you the last place the person¡¯s mana was recorded. -Mana was recorded? - I asked, confused. - What do you mean by that? -Every living being has mana, right? Whenever we use it actively to cast a spell or just straight up exist somewhere, our mana mixes with the environment, leaving traces behind. This method shows us the most recent place where that kind of contact had happened. -Makes sense¡­ but how then can you disrupt that kind of contact? Wouldn¡¯t that mean that it¡¯s virtually impossible? -That¡¯s why I said it¡¯s hard and needs some careful preparations at first. For example, if I was to take someone to a place that has its mana flow disturbed, or at least pass through a location like that¡­ -...you¡¯d be able to lose their trail¡­ - I finished for him. -Exactly. But for such a place to exist¡­ I hardly want to believe it¡­ -In any case, we should pinpoint the exact location of the place - interjected Bert. - Whether she¡¯s still in there or not, doesn¡¯t matter much. If they are indeed gone, we might find some clues. -Agreed. So what, you want to go with me and drop the pretenses? -Not yet. I have an idea though. -Me too. Bert, you probably remember, but I used to live not far from here. I know the layout of this place. How about you? -I mean, somewhat I guess? I¡¯ve been here quite a few times. What are you getting at? -I want to draw a map of this place. Or at least the area where Mor is suspecting that our target is at. -Hah. Well, why not¡­ we do have a bit of spare parchment¡­ Together they started drawing. At first, they wanted to use the paper from the get go, but I stopped them and suggested that we at least should confirm the area we wanted to map. With my guidance, we managed to create a very rough map, at first just straight up drawing in the ground. When Odar was about to try and convert this to paper, I stopped him. -Are you sure we need to use paper? -What do you mean? -What, you think the spell can hold without that? I guess you can try¡­ To our amusement, it actually worked. The small ember appeared from my palm and floated towards the ground. While it was definitely smaller than what I used to, we were able to confirm the place we should search. The last place Melle¡¯s mana was, was the building we first arrived at. -I can¡¯t believe it¡­ -That it worked or that she¡¯s in there? -Both. -That¡¯s actually good to know - I muttered. - If I know the layout of the place, I can just make a map myself, not even using anything¡­ -That¡¯s¡­ I honestly did not think it would work - said Odar, visibly distraught. - From what the king told me, this kind of magic would only work if the map was both very accurate and magically enhanced¡­ -While I want to say that we were so precise that the first condition was fulfilled - I said, lost in thought. - I don¡¯t think the second one applies at all¡­ -Right? -Let¡¯s leave that for now. I am more concerned about where we found her¡­ -Yeah. Didn¡¯t you say that you know that guy, Bert? -Right¡­ Well not exactly¡­ I did not tell you earlier, but something was bugging me since we arrived¡­ -That does not sound good. -Hm. -Yes¡­ Well, for starters, I don¡¯t really ¡°know¡± the guy. He just knows me. -The hell is that supposed to mean? -It¡¯s just as it sounds. I often pass through this town, and sometimes, just like today, I use this place to get a quick rest. If I am alone, or at least when I am not leading my caravan that is. -You said that you also sometimes get the supplies from here, didn¡¯t you? -Yes, but not very often. And that¡¯s just in the worst case, after all we are not that far from the capital. -Sure¡­ but what¡¯s that about not knowing him? -I do not know his name, nor anyone who lives here. He¡¯s just the only person that I ever managed to contact in this place. -Hm? Didn¡¯t you say that there are a bunch of other people here? -Yes. I am sure I felt a bunch of people in the houses. -I have never seen anyone besides him here. I never thought much about it. -This is a strange village. -Yeah. But that¡¯s not what was strange though¡­ -Oh great¡­ -Remember, when we last passed through here, he invited me inside and only me, right? -Sure. So what? It was pretty much the same this time. -Yeah, but this time he actually opened the door himself and let you both see him. -And? Not like any of us have seen his face. -Right. But that is the first time he¡¯s ever done that. The same with the key¡­ -The key? -You noticed that he actually had it on him? -Now when you mentioned it¡­ -Why would he have it with him in the middle of the night, when everyone is asleep? -Huh. His revelations left us with mixed feelings. -Well shit. -Any idea about his magic then? - Odar was not losing time, just went straight to the point. -No idea. I¡¯ve never seen him use any. -Does he know about yours? -Not many people do. Unless he knows about my father, then that¡¯s a no. As a caravan leader I tried to hide it, and as far as I know I did not let anyone see me using magic ever, besides my subordinates that is. And¡­ ehm, you. -Right. I did catch you back then¡­ -I have no doubts about Mor, but what about the rest? Could some of them¡­ -Oh, they are super dead. Ask Mor. -Hey, that sounds like I killed them. It¡¯s not my fault that you let a problem magnet join your group. -Yeah, right. Besides that, only you know my magic, Odar. -Hm. I¡¯d expect it to be the same with me. What about you? Right. He was able to use multiple elements. That could be a good way to catch someone off guard. That is, if it''s that unusual as Melle seemed to think. Odar nodded. -Not many people know about me and my magic. We should be fine at that front. With that in mind, we agreed that we should act as soon as possible, while we still had the surprise factor. 56. Visit The sun was just rising, so we had to act fast. The three of us split up and approached the building that I confirmed to feel the last signs of Melle. Bert was approaching from the front, nonchalantly, like he was just about to go and pay a visit to his old friend. Meanwhile, Odar approached from the side, carefully watching if someone was to sneak away anywhere. I was on the other side, mirroring him, but a building away and sat down in the shade of some tree. I quickly closed my eyes and tried feeling with my mana sense, to confirm the location of everyone in the vicinity. For now, everything was going smoothly. I felt the residents in their houses, still asleep, including the building we were surrounding, their dim flames unmoving. Only the two were active - Odar and Bert. Not breaking my concentration I slightly opened my eyes and nodded in the direction of Bert. Noticing my gesture, he hastened his step and not long later he was already knocking at the door. Trying to observe both the visible and the invisible was a bit annoying, so I decided to mostly focus on the usage of magic than just my eyes, just opening them once every while to confirm what I was sensing. As I was trying to acclimate to that, the door opened and Bert started talking with the person inside. We established beforehand that he was to try and somehow get inside the building to check up exactly on the layout of it. The main idea was to do exactly the same thing as we did during the night - make a map of the inside to pinpoint the exact location of where Melle was. With our efforts before, we only managed to tell that she was somewhere on the side of the building - on the side where Odar was now posted. So far, everything was working as we planned - after a brief discussion, the door opened wider and Bert went inside, disappearing from sight. It was not a problem for me, he was easy to spot with mana sense. Even if he was weaker, I could easily spot him thanks to the bow and the unique appearance it had in my head. We were on standby for a good half an hour, yet no one left the building. After the first fifteen minutes, I noticed Odar peeking from his hiding spot, giving me questioning gazes, on which I just shook my head negatively. All the time I was monitoring his status behind the door and there definitely was no change, meaning, he was absolutely fine. If he was to be attacked, or even used mana, I would¡¯ve instantly noticed it. We just had to assume that everything was going fine on the inside. After almost forty minutes, I also began to worry. Besides the strangely long time that it was taking him in there, I also started noticing some weird things. First of all, the sun was now completely risen and yet there was no sign of anyone being awake, besides us. At first I didn¡¯t pay much attention to that, but the longer it was taking him, the more I was unnerved. Sure, you can say that no normal person wakes up that early in the morning, but you have to consider that I no longer was among normal people, so to speak. If we were in such a remote location, the villagers here should already be awake by now, to, I don¡¯t know, tend to their crops¡­Well no, it¡¯s a forest, so maybe go hunt, or something, whatever they do here. That feeling only intensified when I checked our surroundings again with the mana sense. We were still surrounded by those dim flames, and not even a single one of them changed, or moved at all. That was disturbing. But what was even weirder, even the one in the house we were currently stalking, was also dim. That confused me. From what I understood about the magic sense, that only could mean that the target was in deep sleep, maybe unconscious, even though we clearly saw him open the door and let Bert in. When I thought about it, I wasn¡¯t actually paying attention to him when the door opened, instead confirming that no one else was on guard around us. Did Bert attack him and knock him out? Nah, I¡¯d noticed. Did something happen? As if to confirm my suspicions, the very familiar signature of Bert¡¯s presence started to slowly dim as well. Realizing that something was definitely wrong I left my spot and started walking towards the house. Odar noticed me moving and was about to do the same, but I stopped him with one look and mouthed ¡°I will start¡±. He seemingly understood what I wanted to do, because he moved towards the house and the window and started slowly stretching out his fingers, as if to warm them up. I unceremoniously walked to the door and knocked, while still trying to maintain the magic sense. One thing was for sure: the two of them were there, but I had to hurry. Bert¡¯s presence was already as weak as the other guy¡¯s and the only way to distinguish them was thanks to the bow, distorting the signal slightly. I noticed that, even though so weak and seemingly asleep, the other presence started moving towards the door and soon it opened slightly in front of me. Just before I spoke up, I quickly ended my focus and instead turned my attention to the shadowy figure behind the door. -Hey, do you have any idea where Bert is? He told me he wanted to talk to you and was supposed to be back a long time ago. We need to leave soon. The man on the other side didn¡¯t speak, instead just growled at me. -I know, it¡¯s early, but¡­ He growled once more, backing up, but this time it sounded more like a confirmation, and the door opened. A bit unsettled with this ¡°exchange¡± I gazed inside, looking for the person who let me in, but, weirdly enough, there was no one. I carefully stepped inside, inspecting my surroundings. The home I entered consisted of one large room, with a divider wall near the back, not far from the place where Odar was standing on the outside of the building. The furniture was pretty bland and looked like it was strictly functional - every wall was stacked with some shelves or cabinets. -Hello? There was no reply. Leaving the door opened I took yet another step inside, going towards the divider. Well, calling it ¡°divider¡± was a bit of an overstatement, it was just a plain set of planks sticking out from the ground, not even well put together. Whoever lived here, definitely did not care at all about the place they lived in. I noticed that even the shelves, while stacked with random garbage, were full of dust, like no one had used them in a long time, or just didn¡¯t bother to clean them. Feeling unsettled, I summoned a flame orb, just to be safe, and looked behind the divider. Behind the wooden planks, I noticed an old, broken bed, and a chair next to it. On the chair, gazing into space in front of him, was Bert. But him looking unaware of his surroundings was not my main concern. From somewhere under the bed, a long greenish vine was snaking its way to his chair and wrapping itself tightly around his whole body, to the point where it was already past his chin and about to go even higher up, completely binding him. It noticed me, because it froze immediately as I ignited my spell. But the vine was not the thing that attacked me. Somewhere from above me, I heard a growl and something jumped onto me, felling me to the ground and breaking my concentration on the fire orb. It was most likely the guy who let me in. While I never actually got to see his face, the growl was what made me identify my opponent. I did not have time to actually get a good look at him, but what I saw was enough to make me flinch. He was just an old man, maybe in his 70s, if I was to guess, completely bald, with a shaggy gray beard. He was a bit short and wearing some tattered, old rags. What was more unsettling though, was a long vine that was snaking around his neck, going right into his one ear and coming out of the other, connecting back with the part on the neck again. The noise we made while falling onto the ground notified Odar, who instantly charged through the open door. He quickly realized what was going on and jumped towards us both, punching the old man in the side of his head, trying to throw him away from me. While I did lose my concentration on the spell, I did not lose my clear head. While the old man was latching onto my back and trying to grab my neck, I rolled onto the side and with all my strength slammed my back into the furniture standing against the wall. But, both of our efforts were in vain. The old man was surprisingly resilient and now was trying to retaliate, scratching at my neck and head. Luckily for me, he aimed for the part of my body that was crystallized, scraping it and breaking at least two fingernails. I managed to stand up and turn my back towards Odar just as the old guy was reeling back from yet another ineffective attack, aimed just at my head this time. Noticing the new position we found ourselves in, I felt Odar grab the neck of the old geezer and attempt to choke him out from behind, but that did not help at all. The punches and scratches of the guy did not stop, he was still tightly gripping me with one hand and both of his legs. -Stand back! - I yelled at him and, not waiting for the reply, attempted to cast a spell. - Geksu, dosleyy nop! While the spell definitely worked and I instantly got surrounded by flames, the old man did not give up. What was more unsettling though, he did not even scream, instead I heard a loud squeal both from him and from the direction of the bed, that did not sound human. Odar flinched as well, hard to tell if it was because of the sound or because of the heat that was now radiating from me. The room was filled with a very unpleasant smell of burned flesh. Even then, the old man did not stop, now pounding me with his flaming fists. This time he finally was able to actually do some damage, finally finding a part where I still was made of flesh and blood. -Fuck! Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. While he was not doing that much damage to me, he was definitely dangerous. I did not want to increase my firepower more in fear of burning down the cabin and was about to use another spell to try and get him off me, but got interrupted by Odar. -Don¡¯t move for a second, let me try something¡­ I noticed him muttering some spell, so I decided to not argue. I had my back turned to him, so I couldn¡¯t really tell what he was exactly trying to do, but decided to comply anyway. -Just don¡¯t miss! I braced for the inevitable hit coming my way, but instead of a spell, I felt a quick movement and suddenly, the old man stopped moving. Confused and relieved, I was about to turn back to him and ask what kind of spell was that, but before that I realized that my enemy got lighter all of the sudden, followed by a loud noise of something falling to the ground. That made me reconsider looking that way. -He¡¯s dead. Turn off that fire so I can peel this thing off you. I dropped the spell and without looking at the, ehm, round object, behind me, we slowly got the lower half of the guy off me. Even though he was indubitably dead, his grip was still as strong as it was before and it took us a second. -What the hell was that? - he muttered, inspecting the corpse. - Ygh, it smells awful¡­ True, the smell of burned flesh was absolutely terrible. His dirty rags were also still smoking which definitely did not help the smell. -Ugh, let¡¯s leave that for later - I muttered, not looking in the direction of the body. - We have something more urgent to attend to¡­ -Right, you wanted to go in, meaning something happened to Bert. Where is he? I pointed towards the divider. He was still sitting on the chair, although this time the vine that was creeping on the ground was nowhere to be seen. Even then though, the look in his eyes was still vacant. -What the hell? - Odar approached and shook him - Bert, you there? No answer. -When I entered, he was bound by some kind of vine here, looking like this. I wanted to free him with my fire and then that guy attacked. -Vine? He got closer and started inspecting him more thoroughly. -He¡¯s drugged most likely - he muttered, ponting at his neck. - See? Indeed, at the base of his neck, there was a set of small wounds, like something punctured him. -The question is, with what? -Hm. -Well, before that, let me¡­ I focused once more, checking our surroundings. What I felt this time was a bit strange. The only signs of life I felt, from the whole village, were just the two of them: Odar, and the weakened Bert. His flame was a little bit stronger than before, but that was about it. There was no one else anywhere nearby. -I have no fucking idea what¡¯s going on, but we are now alone in here. -Well, I did kill the old man, so¡­ -No, I mean in the whole village. There is no one here besides us three. Before, I could feel some presence in other houses, but now¡­ they¡¯re just gone. -That¡¯s unsettling¡­ -Yep. But I also have some good news. I think I have an idea on how to wake him up. -Well, me too¡­ -You first then. He looked at me, curious, but started speaking anyway. -It looks like an early stage of mana deficiency. If we just wait, he should come back to his senses pretty quickly. That¡¯s about what I figured as well, although not from the symptoms, instead from the sudden change in his presence that I could feel through my magic sense: in my eyes, his flame was slowly getting brighter, meaning he should recover on his own soon enough. -Yeah, seems like what¡¯s going on. Well, let¡¯s get him out of here first. -Do you have anything to recharge him with or we¡¯re just going to wait? - I asked him as he carried Bert outside and was putting him near the house we were just in. -I think we should have some mana fruit¡­ -Ah, right. Should be enough I think¡­ but first¡­ I took the bow from his back and put it away. -Since this thing runs on his mana, we probably should at least take that off him before we try anything - I answered when he gave me a questioning look. -Runs on mana? His ice bow? - he asked while looking through the provisions we were given. -Well, I wouldn¡¯t call this thing an ice bow, but that¡¯s not important right now. Feed him and come with me, I want to check something. We left Bert next to the old man¡¯s place to hopefully awake soon and went towards one of the nearby houses. -Mind telling me what¡¯s going on? -Right. I just want to check up on the other inhabitants of this place. Our cover is blown anyway and something¡¯s been bothering me¡­ -Hm. Well, I guess we can, but I don¡¯t see the point¡­ -I hope there is no point. I knocked at the door, but, as I feared, there was no response. We waited a good while, knocking multiple times at a couple different ones, yet still, there was no sign of anyone here. -I feel like this is a bit much, but do you think we can break into one of them? He looked at me with a very concerned look on his face. -Okay, listen. I know you are an important figure and the king will let you get away with a lot, but this¡­ I rolled my eyes. -Just answer. Will you help me or not? -I feel like I shouldn¡¯t. -Okay then. Then will you stop me or not? -... I approached the home that was the closest one to the one that Bert was next to and summoned my fire orb. Odar gazed at me, indifferent. -I think that means ¡°no¡±. I was about to try and set fire to the door, but he stopped me. -Come on, if you do that you¡¯ll burn down the entire village. Let me. I smiled and stepped back. -I was hoping you¡¯d say that - I muttered. -But please, go check up on Bert while you¡¯re at it. I need a second to prepare. That was unexpected. As far as I was aware, his magic should be pretty straightforward and not require any preparation. It made me curious and suspicious, but I complied and turned my back towards him, walking away. It was actually a good thing I went ahead and agreed, because he was already coming around. I could see him flail around on the ground, so I grabbed him and started shaking him. -Hey, Earth to Bert, you there? -Wha.. Who¡­ He looked more or less conscious. At first he had a hard time even sitting up straight, but after a couple of seconds he suddenly stiffened and stood straight up, jumping away from me. -Calm down, the old man is down, it¡¯s just me. -What the hell is going on? -I dunno, you tell me - I asked, amused by his outburst. - You went to the guy as planned but then did not leave for so long we got worried. And when your presence got weaker¡­ -What¡­? I briefly explained to him what happened, to which he replied with just ¡°I don¡¯t remember¡­¡±, leaving me very concerned. Meanwhile, Odar came back and mentioned that he managed to open the door, but¡­ -Yeah, I think you were on to something¡­ That did not bode well. -I just hope that it¡¯s not what I think it is. The three of us went to check up on the resident of the place that he managed to break into. The door was¡­ not there. It looked like he somehow managed to cut through the whole frame, splintering the whole thing horribly, breaking both hinges and a lock and just straight up putting it aside. -I guess that¡¯s one way to open it - I muttered, appreciating his work. -Better than burning the whole house to the ground. -And who said I was going to do that? Inside was similar to the house we were attacked at, although this one was a bit smaller and had less furniture. Besides that, there was no divider and everything looked even more dirty and unused. -Hello¡­? No reply. -I think they would¡¯ve already spoken up when Odar was breaking their door - mentioned Bert, now completely awake. -Mhm¡­ I was right¡­ - I said, walking to the bed in the corner. On the bed in the corner there was a man. Or, to be precise, a corpse of a man. It was completely still, not breathing, with his eyes wide open. While it looked like he was lying there for a good while because everything around was covered in a very obvious layer of dust, the body was not rotting, nor had it the disgusting smell of a deceased. Quite the opposite. It smelled sweet, like some sort of sap¡­ Upon a closer inspection we also could not find any visible wounds, besides one on the neck. -It looked like he hung himself¡­ - muttered Bert, stepping closer. -Not exactly¡­ - said Odar, stepping back, gazing around the room. - There is no sign of the rope. The body would not just go and lie in bed either if that was the case either. -Yeah¡­ and besides that¡­ - I moved his clothes aside, revealing a set of tiny puncture wounds at the base of his neck. - I think I know how he died. -Yeesh¡­ - Bert grabbed his neck with a concerned expression. - I was lucky¡­ -Yeah¡­ -Say, you remember, when we were here last time, did you feel something was off? You mentioned something today, but¡­ He stopped to think for a second. -Nah, not really¡­ Today it just felt weird that he was expecting us, as I mentioned. Besides that¡­ -So you did not notice the thing that was on his neck? -And in his brain. -Excuse me, what? - he looked at me like I was insane. -What he said. -No. Well, he was always hooded, so¡­ -Great - I muttered. - Meaning we don¡¯t know how long this place was like this¡­ -Like this? You mean everyone¡­ -Yeah. The weak presence I felt before has currently disappeared. I thought at first it was just some old, weak or sleeping people, or any combination of those. It actually was not the case. It was just a bunch of¡­ well, from the lack of a better way to explain this, plant-zombies - I said, while moving towards the house where Bert was kept. - For some reason they are gone now though. -Hm. Maybe the guy I killed was the leader¡­ If they even have a thing like that? -Who the hell knows. But you noticed, it all went downhill as soon as I summoned my fire. -You think they got scared? It did not look like it worked on them though¡­ -Are you sure about that? - I pointed to the decapitated head and the corpse on the ground. While the guy was burned, you could still see the marks that the weird vine-parasite left on him. Including the parasite itself, or rather the remains of one. It looked like a charred branch, almost like a piece of coal, covering his neck and spilling out from his ears. -Ugh¡­ this is so weird¡­ - shuddered Bert, grabbing his ears, probably imagining what was about to happen to him. -Yea¡­ and about you ¡°killing¡± him¡­ I actually don¡¯t think you did. -Excuse me? He is decapitated. What, you¡¯re going to tell me that he¡¯s going to spring to life again? -Hah, I don¡¯t think so. But to kill something, it first needs to be alive - I stated, calmly. - From what we¡¯ve seen here, I assume that the population of this village was killed a long while ago, and was just controlled by¡­ those things - I poked at the charred remains of the parasite with my foot. - They used those people, or rather their bodies, while somehow preserving them. Look, they don¡¯t even have any blood. -Ugh¡­ -So. What now? - asked after a good minute of silence Odar. 57. Overwhelming We decided on a couple of things. First of all, we reported, or rather Odar did, everything to the party following us - no idea how exactly he managed to do that. We were instructed to gather the village population, or rather their bodies, in one of the houses and then proceed to follow whatever that was that captured Bert and what probably killed the residents. It was quite a chore - to break into every single building and to carry each person to the old barn which we ¡°rented¡±. It was a bit far off, but it was the largest building, so we did not have much choice in the matter. The three of us split and each worked alone, to make things faster. I borrowed a blade from Bert, a shortsword, to enter each house without burning them to the ground. I was sure that I would be able to do that even without a weapon, but Odar insisted, so I indulged him. Bert did the same as me, using another blade that we had in our supplies. I was kind of surprised when he pulled one out of the bag we were given back in the city, because it definitely did not look like it should¡¯ve fit in there. On the other hand, I didn¡¯t know for sure how Odar managed to get into any of those buildings. When we split, he went to the other side of the village, probably on purpose, and was working faster than either of us. He was most likely using his magic, but I didn¡¯t understand why exactly he did not want us, or maybe just me, to see it. With the grim task done and the bodies gathered in one place, including the decapitated one, I proposed that we burn this building to the ground, just to make sure that nothing weird happens here. Like for example some stray vine-parasite appearing out of thin air and at best nullifying our work, or at worst creating a trap for the second party. The proposition was swiftly declined though, because ¡°those were our clues, just in case¡± and apparently the king wanted to inspect those people himself. Hoping that this decision won¡¯t bite us in the ass, I dropped the subject, and we decided to follow our quarry. You probably want to know ¡°how?¡±, since the trail ended in the old man¡¯s house. Well, it would seem that it indeed ended here, I even checked again, just to be sure, and confirmed that it still looked like the last place we could trace was indeed that house. To be exact, a back corner of the building, where the broken down bed was, and where the weird vine that captured Bert was coming out of. Of course, the first thing we did was to move, or rather, destroy the bed completely and inspect every inch of the floor. We did not need to be that thorough. After removing the bed, we found that right under it, there was a small hole, maybe the size of one¡¯s finger, in one of the planks, that looked like it was drilled through. Without even a hint of hesitation Odar pulled at it, revealing a loose plank, or rather a hatch and a large opening, let¡¯s say about two human¡¯s size. It led into a very steep tunnel, going further away from the village and deeper underground. The shape of it looked rough and strange, like something had drilled its way through the ground and made its way somewhere deep underground. Or worse, came out of there. -This is strange¡­ - said Odar, looking down into the tunnel. - Have any of you ever seen something like this? -No. Was this thing made by the thing that caught me? -Maybe? At this point, what does it matter, we¡¯re gonna go down anyway, right? - I asked, inspecting the earthy walls of the tunnel. -Are you sure that this is the place? - Bert was not convinced. -I already said, I checked multiple times. The bed, or rather the planks under the bed if you want me to be precise, were the last place I felt the signal from her. If you have any other ideas, be my guest. -Ergh¡­ -Of course we are going down. No one is going to defy the king''s orders on my watch. But one thing makes me wonder - mumbled Odar, joining me in the tunnel. - Why did the signal disappear? -Hell if I know. At first I thought it was just the general lack of anything mana-reliant down here, but¡­ -I guess it is pretty dead down there. -Yeah, but there are still roots and shit, right? - said Bert, approaching the wall and touching some roots that were sticking out of it. - Wouldn¡¯t that let us trace her further down? -Exactly¡­ That¡¯s a bit unsettling. I focused and started tracking her once more, and, as before, the flame was pointing towards the hatch in the floor, or rather the boards that we removed. -Does this tunnel look weird in any way to any of you? - I asked, dismissing the spell. They both focused. -You are the best at sensing those things, it looks like. I admit, I feel some magic residue in the soil and the wood, but nothing that would be strong enough to disrupt your tracking. -Yeah - added Odar. - From what I can feel this entrance was indeed made with magic, but that¡¯s about it. Nothing weird, most of the older houses were made like that. While this piece - he pointed at the broken hatch - is obviously new, that¡¯s to be expected. I nodded. -In any case, we better move. Whatever the reason, there is a good chance that our target is down there. We should move. We both agreed, although not without some reservations in Bert¡¯s case. Can¡¯t blame him, no sane person would want to just go down into some random hole made by the monster that just a while ago had you captive. With that, we started descending into the dark tunnel below the village. At first I wanted to use fire to light our path underground, but almost immediately decided against it, remembering how our enemy reacted even seeing the small spark that I summoned back in the house. After all, we wanted to at least get a feel for this place before being attacked. Odar came prepared though. He was one leading our trio, with a small light crystal in his hand. Bert was in the middle and I was closing the rear. Every once in a while, we slowed down to let me get a feel for the surroundings - since I was apparently most proficient in that sort of thing - but every time I felt the exact same: nothing besides the mana residue in the soil. After a few minutes of walking I realized my mistake. Above the ground, I never noticed it thanks to the plants overwhelming most of everything, but now, deeper underground, I could see that it was not just mana residue: the earth itself was just mana rich. It was not as potent as some mana sources I¡¯ve already had the pleasure of feeling, but it was definitely stronger than it should¡¯ve been. Was that the reason my tracking was disrupted? Though that did explain why I was able to straight up draw in the dirt and use it as a piece of the spell in the village - since what we attempted needed an enchanted map, using the infused soil we accidentally made exactly that. It was nice and all, to have something like that ready at all times, that also seemed like a problem. If back on the surface I was fooled and did not notice the infusion levels of the ground thanks to the plants, why wouldn¡¯t it work like this here as well? We knew that our enemies had very weak signatures when I used the magic sense. Would I be able to even notice them if they approach? Wouldn¡¯t they just blend in in the current, mana rich, environment? I want to say no, that I am that good at sensing those things, but let¡¯s be real - I already got fooled before. I did share this piece of information with my companions, and they both confirmed that they also feel the same, meaning we were literally walking in blindly. Not a good prospect. Especially when you are trying to infiltrate a place that is already wary of your presence. Nevertheless, we had to continue. The tunnel, which at first was just a straight line leading away from the village, got steeper and started curving around, deeper underground. The walls, earthy at first, now started being more and more rough, consisting of various kinds of stone that were getting bigger and bigger, to the point where we finally were traveling through a tunnel carved completely in rock. It somewhat reminded me of the passages I had to go through to get out of ¡°the bowl¡±. It was now obviously clear that the tunnel was made by those monsters themselves and just got widened with usage. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Luckily for us, we at least did not have to crouch down to walk yet, it was just wide enough just for one person to walk at once. I can¡¯t tell how long we walked in silence, listening to the slightest noises, being on guard, until we finally arrived at the spot where the carved tunnel gave way to a natural corridor. It was also when the deafening silence was broken by a low hum. Very quiet at first, yet easily noticeable after so long with absolute lack of sounds aside our own footsteps. We exchanged looks and got ready for the unknown. The tunnel we entered was somewhat more spacious than the one beforehand. Besides that and being rough around the edges, it had a lot of smaller branches coming and going away from it. Some on the ground level, some above our heads, although all of them were too small even for a child to sneak through. Deeper we went, more of those were present, to the point where walls were completely covered by this irregular, almost hive-like pattern. I swear, in the dim light of the crystal I thought I saw something creeping out of a couple of them. I feel like others noticed that as well, because they were intently observing every nook for the potential ambush. Odar even made the crystal brighter to maybe see a bit more than just a few centimeters in. I soon realized that it was not just my eyes playing tricks on me - there were definitely some creatures living in those tunnels. Even though I never was able to get a good look at one, I definitely was seeing movement in the holes. We were walking so slowly that I even started using my magic sense to maybe feel up something more than we were able to see, but what I saw was not what I expected, to the point where I had to squint my eyes painfully as I focused up. Everything surrounding us was as bright as an open flame. I had to stifle a groan, because that caught me off guard. Both of my companions noticed my sudden stop and confusion, stopped as well, gazing forward, thinking we got ambushed. But I didn¡¯t care about that. It was unusual and surprising, true, but what I saw in front of me was even weirder. I did not groan just because I saw our surroundings. They were bright, right, but in front of us, maybe a hundred meters or so, was a literal sun, something so powerful that it was hard to even look at, nor would it be advisable to do so if you wanted to preserve your sight. At least I now knew why that corridor was so full of mana. It also explained how exactly the spell that was supposed to locate Melle was not working down here - with that amount of mana any kind of magic would go haywire. Speaking of - I also realized my mistake. Before, I thought that Odar actually controlled that light crystal to make our surroundings brighter, but nope - it was just the effect of our environment - one look at him and his now disrupted mana was enough to see that he was not the one in control. -We are getting closer. Something powerful is in front. I quickly restored my senses to normal. -Be careful. Don¡¯t use magic if you don¡¯t have to. And stop with that light. -What¡¯s that supposed to mean? - whispered Bert. -Just do it quickly and take a look yourself. I mean not just with your eyes - I quickly added when he looked at me confused. - Just don¡¯t look immediately in front. They gazed at each other, concerned, but as they focused, the concern almost instantly got replaced by surprise and disbelief. -What in the fuck¡­ -Exactly my thoughts. Now cut the light, if we go any further we¡¯ll be blinded. -But¡­ I did¡­ I now realized that indeed, the crystal he was carrying was dark, but the tunnel was still pretty bright. And the light was coming from¡­ -Okay now. I know I am repeating myself, but what the fuck - said Bert, facing me. I was the source of the light. The crystals embedded within me were shining brightly, almost as bright as the light crystal just a second ago, and that was only because they were being dimmed by my clothes. -What in the hell is that? -OH. That was problematic. While Odar knew somewhat about my current predicament, Bert had absolutely no idea. -Well, I guess the plan of sneaking in is out the window - muttered Odar, curiously gazing at the half of me that became a shining beacon. -Huh? What? Can someone explain what the hell? -Not the time, nor the place. -Will there be ANY other time? I guess he was right. We were going to walk into a lair of an unknown creature that is apparently stronger than anything you¡¯d ever seen that is most likely controlling the large group of monsters that zombified the whole village. -I assume you just can¡¯t turn that off - asked Odar, completely ignoring him. -Wouldn¡¯t that be easy¡­ - I muttered, scratching my arm and trying to cover the light to the best of my ability. With no effect, might I add. -Man, when I agreed to go and look for some escaping slaves I did not think I¡¯d get into this shit¡­ -They are not slaves! - immediately started protesting Odar, so I had to remind him where we were and shush him. Not like that mattered in the long run. -Aha right, whatever - Bert did not sound convinced either. - Anyway, can¡¯t we just let you stay here and go alone? -And how exactly are you going to defend yourself when attacked? You already forgot how problematic those things are? -You managed to easily destroy the last one, we should be fine. And I thought we shouldn¡¯t use magic anyway, so what does that even matter? -I mean that¡¯s true, but what, are you just going to stand there? When it comes to this it¡¯s either get killed by a monster that will probably turn you into a zombie or risk blowing yourself up with your own magic. Which one do you fancy? - I asked, slightly irritated. -He¡¯s right - agreed with me Odar. - And on the bright side, we¡¯ll have a lot more mana to work with, so it might actually be easier to kill those things. -True. And I never said that the spell backfiring is a 100% chance, who the hell knows how certain magic would react to an abundance of mana. To be honest, I really can¡¯t picture your magic going haywire. What, you¡¯re going to freeze more? That''s a boon, not a problem. -You actually might be right¡­ - Odar muttered. - I can picture my magic going awry in multiple ways, same with Mor¡¯s fire. But yours¡­ It''s perfect. -Hmm¡­ -Yeah - I nodded. - And on top of that, you also have that weapon of yours. In the¡­ I stopped mid sentence. We were preoccupied with all those revelations, as in me glowing, abundance of mana, the beacon in front of us and all, that we did notice the other source of light in our party. The bow was glowing as well. -Ha. I¡¯m not the only problem it seems. Your bow likes to suck on stray mana as well. -Ah! So THAT¡¯S the enchantment¡­ I knew it felt strange - said Odar under his breath and then added aloud - If that¡¯s the case, he is probably right, there is a good chance it will prove useful. -Yeah. And since you want to leave me behind, you¡¯d have to leave the bow too. It¡¯s not as a shining beacon as me, but in this darkness it is also easily noticeable. Bert grumbled something inaudible, but did not part way with his weapon. -I see we continue then? Both of us nodded. Not like I was going to let them leave me behind, I was not going to pass the occasion to inspect whatever that was in front of us, giving this massive aura. After this exchange we again started moving forward, but this time a lot faster than before. We no longer tried to sneak in - with the two of us glowing that probably would be impossible. As we were getting closer and closer to that anomalous amalgamation of mana, the humming was getting louder and louder. Annoyingly, my arm also started getting numb, or rather the whole side of my body where crystal was melding with flesh. Trying to shake that unpleasant feeling I started rubbing it with my other hand, trying to get my feeling back, but I noticed that I was mistaken. It was not like I was losing feeling in my arm, it was just that the crystal was starting to vibrate. I also noticed that both of my companions were suddenly not in the best shape. Bert was swaying from side to side, having trouble walking straight, while his bow was constantly getting brighter and brighter, just like me. But that was not the worst part. The problem was Odar. He, similarly to Bert, had some issues with keeping balance, but in his case it was ten times worse. He was, straight up, walking from wall to wall, leaning on each one every couple meters or so. He was making a lot of noise too. Every time he stopped at the wall he groaned and mumbled something that sounded like a bunch of swears. -Well, if stealth was not out of the question already, it definitely is now. Are you both all right? - I asked after yet another series of wall-zigzag. He did not reply, he was most likely too high and or drunk. -Too much mana¡­ - said the only other somewhat conscious person. - I don¡¯t think he can walk much further like this¡­ -I¡¯m not sure you can either¡­ - I replied, looking Bert over. - At least your bow is keeping you somewhat sober¡­ -Not for long I fear¡­ - he grabbed Odar who almost fell over on some random rock that was on the ground. - What are we even doing here¡­ -Good question¡­ What, you want to come back? But before he was able to reply, Odar suddenly spoke up. -NO. We¡¯re going to shee thish thing till the end if that¡¯sh the last thing I do! He still was absolutely smashed, but even then he started protesting. -I guess there¡¯s your answer¡­ - said Bert, letting Odar lean on him, helping him walk. - In any case, how the hell are you still standing straight¡­ this much mana¡­ -You have help from your bow, I have help from this - I pointed to my glowing bits. -Handy. -Pff. Right. It has its downsides. -Fuck your downsides, help me instead. And the three of us, like a bunch of drunkards, started staggering forward, leaning on each other, to the source of this bullshit. 58. Both In hindsight, it was not the best idea we had. But hell, none of us was thinking straight at that point. I want to say that it was all because of the mana in the air¡­ It probably was for both of my companions, but I felt somewhat different. My senses were not dulled so to say¡­ I just was somehow very aware of everything. My surroundings were bright, and not thanks to the glow emitted by the two of us¡­ or rather the three of us? I had to blink and try to focus, because I swear, I started seeing things. It did not help. It was getting brighter. I could clearly see that now each of us was emitting light, quite different from before¡­ almost like¡­ -Anything seems different for you? - I asked Bert, hoping that at least he¡¯s still conscious enough. -Besides me being somewhat less drunk? Not reaaaaaa¡­ - he stopped as he turned to face me. -I assume that¡¯s a yes. What are you seeing? -Your eye¡­ That was not the answer I was expecting. -What do you mean ¡°my eye¡±? -It¡¯s glowing¡­ I gave him a perplexed look and looked towards one of the walls. As I was turning, the light illuminating our surroundings followed as well, like a flashlight. I covered one of my eyes, and sure enough, the light disappeared. I stared back at him, still covering my eye and had yet another discovery. I could see the inside of my palm, like you¡¯d normally could, yet also besides that I could see a faint image of him standing in front of me with Odar between us. -Well fuck, if I was not weird looking by now, I for sure am now. -This place is something else¡­ Are you sure it¡¯s a good idea to go further? -Who said it¡¯s a good idea? - I replied, blinking a couple of times, trying to focus on what I was seeing. -We. Are. Going. Further. It was Odar. He definitely was still feeling unwell, but his voice this time was strong and¡­ somewhat different. More sober, for once, but also¡­ -Odar? You okay man? - Bert sounded concerned. -I think he¡¯s unconscious right now, so I decided to butt in for a while. Hello. No wonder the voice sounded different. -So THAT¡¯S how he was keeping in contact. How is that even possible? - I said, staring at Odar, or rather the king Axelrod speaking through him with disbelief. -Wait a second¡­ Wha¡­ -Yes, that¡¯s me. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much time for details, but to be short, our magic¡¯s are compatible enough. -So you know everything we¡¯ve done so far? -Yes. Vividly. I know it¡¯s not going to explain much but I was constantly sharing this body with Odar and keeping an eye on things. As you noticed, hats off to you for that. I want to say, good job so far. I was not going to correct him on that - after all, I just made that up on the spot. -Well, since you are here we at least won¡¯t have to drag him along like a sack of potatoes¡­ -Not exactly. While indeed, I was intending on taking over completely, that''s true¡­ - he ignored the stunned looks we exchanged with each other - but this place is even inhibiting my magic. I have no clue what that might be, but you¡¯d better proceed with caution. Right now, we are just an additional baggage. This body is still being controlled by Odar. Mostly. now. -Which makes you even more useless¡­ - I muttered, disappointed. - Can you at least use magic? -Yes, but it¡¯s risky. While we might be connected, it does not mean that I have the perfect control over his mana. That, and our current environment is also not very helpful. -Damn¡­ By the way, how far are you off? Maybe we can wait for the reinforcements? -Or just go back! - perked up Bert. -Ha. I didn¡¯t have you for a bitch, man - I scoffed at him. -Retreat is not an option. If we leave now, whatever is left down here will disappear completely. -If they haven done that already¡­ -Probably. Besides that large mana source I can¡¯t feel anything else. But that¡¯s maybe just because it¡¯s that powerful. In any case, we, or you, hard to tell how long I¡¯m going to be able to stay here, need to investigate the source of all this. And report to me, if I¡¯ll have to separate myself. Are we clear? -And we are supposed just to glance over the fact that Odar has just been possessed by the current ruler of this kingdom? How about no? Maybe Mor can skim past this piece of information, but I am not moving until I at least get a decent explanation! - finally blew up Bert. Well, he was under influence and the situation was not helping so I should¡¯ve seen that coming. Not like I was not interested in that myself. -As mentioned, it''s not the time for this. -You can still talk as we are moving, you know. For all we know it might just be one of those creatures that took over like in those corpses¡­ He said that, but he did not drop him, nor even stepped back. -Fair enough. But, as you noticed, I do not have a large piece of vine piercing my brain, nor is there anything similar in the vicinity. If we are to be strict like this, we should be the ones that are suspicious. -And why is that? -You were almost possessed already, remember? - I reminded him. - But you¡¯re right. This situation is unbelievable at best¡­ Even though I said that, for some reason as soon as I heard his voice, I felt more calm and steady. I also was able to think more clearly. It was strange. Nevertheless, Bert did shut up and we started dragging ourselves along the corridor. The humming got louder and louder and soon we arrived at a hard curve after which the tunnel was opening into a large cave, I want to say the size of a football field. Even though I was thinking a lot clearer, it did not occur to me, nor to any of my companions, to not just waltz straight in without thinking nor even trying to peek out from behind cover before entering. In hindsight, it was very fucking stupid and reckless, but to us it felt as we haven¡¯t done anything wrong, but just remembering that makes my skin crawl. It also was weird that Axelrod didn¡¯t even try to stop us either. What if one of those creatures was in there? What if that presence I felt was their leader, something akin to the large tangle I fought before? But nope, that was not the case. There were no monsters. Better yet, we also found the source of the abundand mana density. And it was something I never expected to see again. It was a large magic crystal - very similar to the one we used to have in MIRE - powerful, big - let¡¯s say about human-sized - and, what is most important, right in the middle of a leyline crossing. I didn¡¯t even have to think twice, I was able to tell just by looking at it. And feeling its presence, that is. But that¡¯s where similarities ended. While the one in the MIRE was of one singular color, this one¡­ well, it looked like a patchwork. It was made out of many, many pieces of all the colors imaginable, some almost as small as a coin, while others, mostly green, red and blue pieces, as large as my head. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. All melded together into a strange, irregular mass, just smack right down in the middle of the cavern we entered, lighting up the place with the rainbow of colors, almost like an oversized disco ball. But that¡¯s not all. Right next to it there were two people, and familiar ones to boot: Melle and Il, lying there, lifeless, both leaning on the crystal. -Mel! It was the king. Or at least his voice. I still did not know how exactly that all two-in-one package worked. Even though he was barely even able to walk in Odar¡¯s body, he managed to get out of our grasp and stagger towards the both of them. For a second I wanted to stop him, I dunno, maybe because still in the back of my head I had the last remaining scraps of reason, but did not follow through with it, instead just walked slowly with Bert. -Are they¡­? -They are breathing. Thank the¡­ Odar-King was checking both of them for signs of life. -Wake up! What happened?! He tried shaking Melle awake, but without much success. The same with Il, although I doubted that even if she was awake that she would tell us anything. -First things first. Let¡¯s get them out of here. If any of you is an indication, the environment here can not be good for people. -I still don¡¯t get how you can just act like this is nothing - Bert muttered, but, as instructed, we came closer to try and pick both of them up. It was not an easy task. While the kid was easy to deal with, Melle was not. Even with the three of us, or rather two, because even though Odar¡¯s brain was working smoothly, or rather Axelrod¡¯s, the body was not, so he wasn¡¯t much help at all. Besides him being a liability, I actually was finally starting feeling the effects of the prolonged mana influence, Bert had to mention it, damn it. But, weirdly, my symptoms were completely different from what the other two were experiencing. True, I was slowing down as well, and my body felt heavy, but while they had a hard time keeping focus or just were completely disoriented, I, on the other hand, felt like I could see more and more, my senses being sharper than ever. It was a bit problematic. I did notice it before, the glows around my companions and overall the brighter surroundings, but I attributed it to the light that was emitted by either me, the bow or the crystal in the vicinity. I could now tell that I was mistaken. Sure, all those things were actually emitting some kind of light, but nothing as bright as I was seeing myself. And also not that unfamiliar. It was just as my magic sense got melded with my regular vision - or at least half of it. I could see the flaming auras of everyone in the room, including two faint ones of the women on the ground. Their state sort of looked similar to Bert when he was suppressed by that weird vine not too long ago, which did not give me much confidence about their health, but that was secondary, not like I could compare the vision that I currently had to the actual magic sense I was using before. What caught my attention though was the aura of the crystal in the middle of the room. It was not as overwhelming as before, instead being more defined. I could see the different colors swirl inside the crystal, moving like flowing bubbles inside. Somewhat similar to a massive lava lamp, albeit a lot faster, and also accompanied by the hum, which also got stronger and stronger. None of my companions even mentioned the noise getting louder so I had to assume it was just me who started hearing it better. Even more weird, the hum slowly started changing tone and distorting. As at that moment I was pretty close to the crystal, I noticed that it wasn¡¯t just it - the crystal was also vibrating to the tone, like a strange tuning fork. And like a tuning fork, the crystal embedded within me started to reply in kind - synchronizing with the sound and vibration. It was the weirdest feeling in the world - my own body starting to resonate along with it. I can¡¯t really explain the feeling, but it was not just my crystalized body - I was shaken to the core, my teeth and bones rattling in the rhythm of the large piece of rock. It wasn¡¯t hard for everyone else to notice that something was wrong - especially when I was one of the light sources in the cave. -What the fuck¡­ Bert looked at me, dazzled. The vibrations now were giving me a hard time to even stay up straight, not to mention even trying to help him move Melle away from it. Trying to keep my balance I grabbed onto the first thing that was not just a person right next to me. That was a mistake. Or maybe the best decision of my life. Well, hard to call it a decision, since I did it subconsciously - trying not to kiss the floor I grabbed onto the large crystal, and my vision suddenly went pure white. To be completely honest, it was not just my vision. I felt like all of my senses experienced the same thing at once - pure white and shock, somewhat similar to being electrocuted, although surprisingly without pain. The blankness then got immediately replaced by a series of flashing images and colors - people, animals, plants, places even - everything flooded my mind in an instant. In between the random garble of faces and locations I saw Axelrod, Odar, Jacob, For, Melle and Il, Red Edge, Arbo, Kruro, Kalkano¡­ But that was not what surprised me the most. Along all this mess, I also saw the places and people from my life before all this. Mike, Ilma, the city we lived in, our research center¡­ Still not weird enough for you? Well, that¡¯s not all. As those images flashed through my head, I couldn''t help but feel something else. Another presence. And not just some creature or one of those monsters that probably were lurking somewhere in the darkness - no. Something strangely familiar. My friend¡¯s faces had taken me aback, but the real shocker came right after. When I saw those images, I felt that strange presence almost mimicked my feelings - I can¡¯t really tell how, but I just knew that it also was stunned and surprised. The reaction maybe was not completely identical, but the sentiment was there. I pulled myself back from the crystal, trying to focus my thoughts and understand what I just saw, but as I was removing my hand, a single sentence suddenly appeared in my mind. -Who are you? That was too much for me to handle. With this overwhelming amount of stimuli going through my head I just straight up fell backwards and lied there for a second, in complete silence. -What the hell? I realized that I was not the only one lying flat on the ground. Bert stretched out right next to me, looking as confused as I was. -What did you do?! - yelled Axelrod from behind me, but I was not paying attention - Are we safe? Did you kill it? At first I did not understand what he was talking about. We have not done anything, quite the opposite, for some reason the crystal reacted to us, or at least to me. I couldn¡¯t really tell if Bert had the same vision. I wanted to ask him what he saw, but then I noticed that something was wrong. We were now in complete silence. And I meant it. For some reason, the crystal stopped humming. What¡¯s more interesting though, was that the light of the crystal also faded quite a bit. It was still present and all, but now instead of brightly lightning up our surroundings, it turned into a small spark. It was jumping from one place to another, making the light turn different colors, sometimes stopping in one place for a bit longer, just to start jumping even faster. -It¡­ talks¡­? Ah, so he did ¡°hear¡± it as well¡­ -I don¡¯t understand¡­ What do you want from me?! Uh-oh. Bert suddenly slumped down and fell on the ground, limp and unmoving. -Bert? I guess the environment finally got to him, overwhelming even his weapon. Not good. -What are you? I heard the question again, although this time, for some reason, I had a feeling that it was not directed at me, but at Axelrod. At first he just looked confused and intrigued, but then another sentence hit our minds. -You are him and also are not. Explain. -I don¡¯t understand! He suddenly grabbed his head in pain, falling on the ground. -What¡¯s going on?! I wanted to help him stand up, but as I stepped closer, he suddenly jumped back. He was clearly panicking and not recognizing me. I never expected that after him. And no wonder, because it was not Axelrod any more. It was just Odar, screaming his head off. I could tell after his voice. -No! Stay away! I don¡¯t understand, what do you want from me?! - he yelled in an octave I didn¡¯t think he was capable of. -Not him. Disappointing. Another sentence hit my mind. This time, it was accompanied with an emotion that made me second guess myself - it was sadness. Soon his screams faded though, and he, just like every other person in the room, fainted and stopped moving. As the silence again filled the room, the crystal started humming once more and the shimmering lights came back, lightning up the cave. -Am I being ignored? - I muttered quietly to myself, still slightly woozy thanks to my strange new vision. Whatever that was, the presence was for some odd reason not interested in me. For a second I didn''t know what to do. Would it react somehow if I tried moving any of those people out? Would it stop me? Or does it just not care? If it does though, can I somehow retaliate? I guess having witnesses removed worked in my favor, so I would be able to use any element I wanted, but should I? First off all, I was overcharged, so any spell I would use most likely would be unstable at best. Should I run then? I probably would be fine. So far, even after touching the crystal, I was just ignored, so if I was to back out, it¡¯d probably be fine, right? I am going to be brutally honest, I really, really wanted to do that. Just leave this place, leave those people behind and start anew. I had no witnesses, besides the king, and judging from what happened here, there was also a chance that even he did not escape unscathed. I could easily slip out and disappear, no traces, just go back to the coast and get into my hidden boat. Maybe go back to Jack¡¯s inn and island. But, for some odd reason, I couldn¡¯t get myself to do it. I had no feelings for those people, yet somehow¡­ something was not letting me leave two of them behind¡­ not again. Again? What the hell? Where did that come from? But I did disappear on them, it¡¯s not fair. Okay, now it¡¯s getting weird. It¡¯s like I was arguing with myself over something that never happened. Wait. With myself? Those were definitely not my thoughts, yet I could clearly hear them like they were mine. I¡¯m not leaving her with some imposter of his. That¡¯s not going to happen. If they are not mine, whose then? There¡¯s no one left conscious besides me and¡­ Just give me a minute and I¡¯ll somehow contain myself¡­ I know it¡¯s hard to be awake in this kind of environment¡­ I know, it¡¯s my fault. I never thought you have that weak constitution¡­ ¡­and the crystal. 59. Kin What the fuck. I suspected that those creatures had to have some kind of intelligence, but to have a leader that is a sentient, looks like it, crystal? Wow. That was something else. I mean, should I be surprised? After all, I was not that different from it that much. But that brought a different question. Why did it know about all this? And those images of MIRE? Why did I see that? Were those just images pulled from my head? Or someone else¡¯s maybe? Did that mean that those visions¡­ or memories rather belonged to this crystal? How the hell should I interpret that? During my pondering I failed to realize that the crystal dimmed once more, leaving just a singular spark bouncing inside, like a strange eyeball. It was shining its light around the cave, scanning its surroundings, stopping on each of the bodies, lighting them up for a second, then moving along. That is until its gaze found me. I swear, if it had a face it would most likely be slack-jawed. I mean, can it even see? Not like it noticed me before so what gives? What¡¯s up with that reaction? I was here all the time, why be surprised now? Who are you? Again with this. Why are you still up? Because I¡¯m not as weak as those fucks, duh. How did you hide from me? I didn¡¯t. You¡¯re just blind as a¡­ eh, rock? I don¡¯t like your attitude. I don¡¯t like you either, especially after knocking my¡­ wait a second, you can hear me? I¡­ can? I can. And you can hear me? How is that¡­? I tilted my head in confusion. This ¡°conversation¡± if you even can call it that, was giving me a headache. Since neither of us spoke directly and just were thinking to ourselves, or at least I assume that''s what that crystal entity was doing, it made me feel like I am some sort of insane person. Schizophrenia much? -I have no fucking clue - I said aloud, breaking the silence. - What the hell are you even? The entity did not respond, instead the small light that was still directed at me grew about twice its size and focused on me even harder. Well, at least it did not seem to be hostile at the moment, which was a plus. You¡­ are like me? But¡­ not? You seem familiar, yet I don¡¯t remember you. -Well, I am partially made out of crystal, so I guess that¡¯s that¡­ By the way, thanks for not attacking me. Attack? -You did knock out a couple of people - I gestured to the bodies on the ground. - Plus killed a lot more upstairs. Coming here I never expected I¡¯d be having a conversation instead of fighting¡­ Not like I¡¯m complaining, I definitely prefer this - I quickly added. Kill? I¡¯d never. Knock out¡­ that was just an unfortunate aftereffect. -I guess your presence itself is enough¡­ - I agreed with the creature. - But didn¡¯t you control those vines to attack us above ground? I do not control them. I just listen to them. -Listen? Yes. They let me listen and I let them leech my mana. As you notice, I have an abundance of that. -What are you listening for then? Does that have something to do with those two? Its demeanor instantly changed. Even without sound I could feel the hostility. Don¡¯t touch them. I won¡¯t let anyone harm them. -Okay¡­ but aren¡¯t you the one harming them now? I can¡¯t help it. Besides, they are resilient. They will be fine. -Uh-uh¡­ well, this is a problem. You know, the thing is, as far as I am aware, you kidnapped them. To be honest, I don¡¯t really care, but¡­ Then leave. And take the rest with you. -I could, but there is a small issue. We¡¯ve been hired by the current king to recapture this woman and the kid. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s gonna back up that easily. Axelrod? -Ah, you know him. Yes. He seems very interested in those two as well. Why are those so popular lately? I thought you were looking for something else¡­ My goals are not for your concern. -I guess. Well, no matter. So, I assume I can take those two? I pointed to Bert and Odar. Sure. I moved to pick up both of them and take them out of the immediate area. Still under the watchful ¡°eye¡± of this entity, I slowly removed each of them from the cave and dragged them away until I finally stopped hearing the humm. Bert soon woke up. I assume it was thanks to the combination of the environment being less mana polluted, his weapon, and me carrying him with the crystal arm and absorbing some of the overflow mana. -What¡¯s happening¡­ Where are we¡­? -Still underground. Can you walk? He was a bit groggy, but a lot more sober than the last time. -Huh. I guess you build up some tolerance¡­ -Maybe¡­ how about you though? You look¡­ different? -What is it this time? I looked myself over, trying to find yet another anomaly on my body, but couldn¡¯t find anything significant. -Your head¡­ -What¡¯s wrong with my head? I started inspecting my face just to notice that I had my hands full of hair. -For fuck¡¯s sake¡­ this goes beyond balding¡­ -I¡­ well, if you want to be blunt like that¡­ -Whatever, I¡¯m not going to deal with that now. In any case, do you remember what¡¯s going on? He scrunched his face, trying to think. -We came here to find the missing people¡­ found some strange crystal¡­ and then¡­ -Then? It looked like he had a hard time remembering, which was odd to say the least, but not completely unexpected. -Well, we found them - I finished for him, saving him the effort to remember. - In the process, you both got knocked out. Doesn¡¯t matter. What¡¯s important right now is that you need to get Odar out of here. -Why¡­? If we found them then¡­ -I never said we recaptured them. I explained briefly what happened, although I did not mention my ¡°discussion¡± with the entity. -I need you to get out before you end up like him. I don¡¯t know how long that weapon of yours is going to save you. Odar already got completely wasted and doesn¡¯t seem like Axelrod can take control again. -Okay¡­ what about you though? And the captives? -I¡¯m staying. I have the best tolerance for whatever is happening down here. I¡¯ll try and get them out, but I¡¯ll need time. -For what? What¡¯s down there exactly? He wanted to look down the corridor, but he swayed a bit too much and had to lean on the tunnel wall just not to fall on the ground. -That¡¯s the thing, I am not sure. Looks like Axelrod does, but his first contact did not fill me with confidence. That¡¯s why I need you to try and convince him to NOT come here as well. Let me handle this on my own. -And why should I listen to you? If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. -Why not? -... -What? -Okay, fine. But I am not sure that I can do anything to convince him. He is a king after all, I think you might have forgotten that one. -I am very well aware. Now move. -Right¡­ ah, before I forget¡­ -Hm? He started digging through his clothes and procured a small pouch, tied with a piece of string. He untied it and proceeded to bury his whole arm inside. -Uhhh¡­ I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a good idea, with all that mana raging¡­ -You want help or not? -I never asked for it, but sure, go for it. He apparently found what he was looking for because he started pulling back his arm out. With some difficulties I have to add, whatever that was, it was pretty big. Big enough so he had to untie the pouch completely. It even started stretching, like it was made out of rubber. A bit strange. I was familiar with dimensional bags already, but have never seen one opening like that. What he pulled out though was a very familiar item. One that I never expected to see. Felix¡¯s book. Or rather the remains of it, including the drive. -Why the hell do you have THAT? -King told me to keep hold of it, saying it might be useful. He mentioned something about a bargaining chip¡­ -Ah. -So I thought you should take it, since, you know¡­ -Not a bad idea. If what we thought was correct and that entity was indeed interested in technology, it could actually work. That is, if it was still functional. I did not want to assume, but having it inside some kind of pocket dimension created by magic might have had some effects on it. I mean, it might have worked the other way around, but since the spell was still working¡­ That got cleared out pretty quickly. As soon as it left the bag, I suddenly felt a lot less pressure and the corridor dimmed significantly. -Your crystal¡­ -Ah. So it IS still working. Light emitted from my crystalized parts got cut by about a half. Sure enough, it still had its anti-magic properties, meaning it was still intact. Good. -Why didn¡¯t you get this thing out sooner? You all wouldn¡¯t be wasted then! -King explicitly said to not do that because it interferes with his magic. -Hm. Well whatever. Give me that and get the hell out. -On it. Seconds later he was dragging Odar away, wobbling slightly. It was clear that even with his weapon and away from the source, he still had difficulty enduring this environment. I, on the other hand, felt a lot better. I stopped feeling the tingling of the mana pressuring me all around and even my vision finally normalized. Although the last one I probably should consider a downgrade in a way, but that¡¯s besides the point. I had to consider what exactly I should do with this thing. I couldn¡¯t exactly just show it to the entity, nor could I hide its power - especially in this place, it was quite obvious. On the other hand, how would it react to the crystal itself? If I remembered correctly, those kinds of devices should not work even remotely close to our Origin Crystal, but that one was, while similar, definitely not the same. So what would happen here? There was no point in delaying the inevitable, so I just hid the drive in one of my inner pockets and started walking back to the room. As I was making my way back, I again started hearing the humm, but besides that, even after I entered the cave with the crystal, the entity was quiet. The crystal was still alive and lit, so I assumed it was still fine, even in the presence of the anti-magic field of the drive. Same with the drive itself, I was still not glowing like a christmas tree, so it was indeed working fine. -Ehm. I cleared my throat, trying to announce my presence. The reaction I got was, well, strange to say the least. The crystal pulsed once, and the light that was filling it split into smaller sparks, sort of like it did before when it was ¡°looking¡± at me, but this time it was maybe ten or fifteen of those that started bouncing between each other, frantically shining their light into every corner of the cave. -What the hell¡­ - I muttered, covering my eyes when about five of the sparks found me and centered their light right at my face. - Yes, hello, we¡¯ve been through this already, still just me. After I spoke, the light calmed down a little, although the number of lights did not decrease, still looking around the cave, albeit this time a lot slower and more careful. I can¡¯t sense you. Explain. Why are you here? I guess the item in my pocket was indeed strong enough to even suppress this thing¡¯s power. -I already told you I am interested in those two. I never said I am leaving. What do you want? This time, I got a hint of annoyance from the presence. Hah, so I can even annoy a rock. Shit, look who¡¯s talking. -Ehm. I want to at least have a talk with one of them then. You don¡¯t seem hostile and from what I understand you want to wake them up somehow. Since you¡¯re certainly not going to just give them to me, nor want to explain properly what the hell is going on¡­ Maybe we can somehow come to an agreement¡­ You¡¯re a pain in the ass. -Do you even have an ass? - I blurted before I managed to stop myself. - Never mind, forget that. Hahahah¡­ Listening, or rather having someone laugh inside your head is a bizarre feeling, let me tell you. If you are so interested, I actually did have one. But let¡¯s not get into that. In a stupid way that actually confirmed what I wanted to ask. -So you¡­ what are you actually? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s rude to ask that without first introducing yourself? -Ah, my bad. To be honest, I didn¡¯t expect you to be interested. Hi, I¡¯m Mor, I¡¯m a bit new to all this mercenary bullshit. Human, mostly, unbelievably to some. Currently working by proxy for Axelrod, but you¡¯ve heard all that already. Interesting name. I can¡¯t really give you mine because I don¡¯t really remember it. Used to be a human, I think, but now stuck as this. -Thanks¡­. Well, let¡¯s get back on topic. I came back to hopefully strike a deal with you. ¡­? A feeling of suspicion and curiosity flew through me. -See, according to Axelrod, you seem interested in, eh¡­ ¡°artifacts¡±... Now confusion was added to the mix. -And so it happens that we¡­ or rather just me now, have one on hand and might be willing to part ways with, if you¡¯d given those two away back to us¡­ The presence did not reply, instead I could feel a bunch of images flow through my head, although it was too fast for me to even recognize a single one, I only managed to register just a blur of colors. I don¡¯t intend on giving them back. But I might be interested in the artifact. What is it? -Hrm¡­ the word is that you¡¯ve been following it for a good while, so maybe you will change your mind¡­ - I teased the presence, hesitating to show it just yet. What is it. It was now more irritated and curious than suspicious. -An old piece of¡­ anti-magic¡­ if you catch my drift. Anti-magic? You have it on you? Show it! It was excited now. Not only it. In the corner of my eye I saw some movement and noticed small roots, or vines, moving somewhere deep in the corner of the cave. I guess the ¡°informants¡± were curious as well. I did not feel any hostility, so I decided to trust it and pulled out the small rectangle from my pocket. -Here. Can¡¯t really give it to you to inspect, but¡­ The ¡°eyes¡± of the crystal focused immediately on me, but then suddenly hesitated, spreading about a bit. I could feel the presence be confused for a second and double its efforts to see the item, I guess in vain. You weren¡¯t lying. I can¡¯t see it. Or rather I can see the nothingness. That thing really is anti-magic¡­ -Ah. I guess your sight is magic based¡­ - I muttered. - Nothingness, eh? I mean, it fits¡­ But, so what? If Axelrod thinks that this is enough to buy me, he is mistaken. -More like to buy her not you - I said under my breath. - Is she really that valuable? Family is priceless. -I guess¡­ wait a second. Family? ¡­? -Wait, you¡¯re telling me those two are your family? Like, literal family? Why would you care? Aren¡¯t you just a muscle for hire? -Ha. Me and muscle? Very funny. But you¡¯re not completely wrong about the ¡°for hire¡± part. Never mind that - I quickly corrected myself back on topic. - Just answer me. You don¡¯t mean a literal, blood and flesh family, right? I was not sure if it was because it was annoyed or just because I finally was found out, but from the creeks and shadows a bunch of small creatures started slithering out. Some familiar vines, some looked like just slugs or even something that looked like a very large stick bug. They were still calm, but were observing my movements intently. I also started hearing some noises back from the corridor, probably some more creatures were swarming towards the place. It did mention that it was not controlling them, but I was not so sure about believing that at the moment. Well, it took them long enough. Though I did not care. What the presence said peaked my curiosity and hell if I was going to just forget and don¡¯t ask. After a moment of silence it finally replied. I have limited memories of my human life. But that I am certain of - yes, literal family. What of it? -Okay, next question. Probably even weirder than all other combined. Were you married? I need to add to my achievements - had made a sentient rock dumbfounded. Hell, maybe even flustered? Ah¡­? That is indeed a weird question. But why does it matter? I don¡¯t remember anyway. -Well, normally it would not but I was hoping that you¡¯d confirm my hypothesis. What hypothesis? Can you stop being annoying and just speak openly? -If you insist. Does the name ¡°Noli¡± tell you anything? If an emotion could ever describe someone blanking out, that¡¯s definitely what I felt. Even the lights in the crystal stopped moving, frozen, shining directly at me. The usual humm stopped as well, and if not for the creatures shuffling on the edges of the cave and somewhere in the back, the silence would be deafening. The sudden pause in our conversation also made me realize - the noise coming from behind me was getting louder and louder. It also sounded a lot more like¡­ a gallop? A horse? Down here? Yes¡­ yes it does¡­ how in the hell do you¡­ LOOK OUT! The soundless warning echoed in my mind before several things happened at once. First of all, the creatures that were hiding in the shadowy corners, outside my sight, suddenly sprung towards me. Most of them were very similar to the leeches I had the ¡°pleasure¡± to already know, although they looked more like plants this time. Or it was just because they were covered in dirt and soil. Behind them, was now a humanoid figure, made out of, well, branches, with a growth similar to a brush where a torso should¡¯ve been, forming a bunch of spike-like thorns instead of a head, ready to shoot those right at my face. Second, from the back of the cave, where I came from, ran out Axelrod, in the flesh. Or rather I should say, in the plant¡­? The thing is, he was half-transformed. Back in the palace, I¡¯ve seen him use his magic to create weapons out of his arms, but now he went all out it seems. His bottom part was formed akin to the mounts we came here on: four-legged, with twisted branches forming those strange, almost tentacle-like legs. Instead of his arms, he again had the same weapons he summoned when we fought at the capital, but this time, the strange leaf-blade was glowing, just like me not so long ago. And just like a large spot right next to where his heart should be, in the middle of his chest. Even though he definitely noticed me, he did not intend on stopping and was running straight at me, full speed. 60. Family If not for the warning, I most likely would¡¯ve reacted too late, but thanks to the presence in the crystal I dodged him right on time. He did not even flinch, instead rammed weapons first into a first set of monsters that were barreling towards me. -What the fuck?! - I managed to spit out, jumping towards the two unconscious people on the floor. On the sound of my voice, he flinched, but did not respond. Instead, just swung towards the crystal. The presence did not react. Would that be because it was still confused or it deemed the reaction unnecessary, I had no idea. In any case, Axelrod managed to score a solid hit on the large crystal, yet it was ineffective. The leaf-blade sent a bunch of sparks in contact along with a metallic clang, just like it would be a blade striking another blade, none of them taking damage in the process. The only other visible effect was the shimmer, like a ripple, going through the king''s glowing blades. -Give them back! His voice echoed throughout the cave and the corridor behind him. -Can we¡­ I could not even squeeze out the full sentence before a set of those leech-like creatures jumped again towards me. I hesitated for a second, before using a spell, not sure how that would turn out in my current environment, but I did not have to even lift a finger. Just as the creatures were half way towards my face and I was raising my hand to blast them away with my magic, I felt a rumble and a sudden pressure from the crystal next to me. A gust of wind sliced through the cave, pushing me back a step or two away from the two on the ground and everyone else. I barely managed to stay on my feet. Monsters and Axelrod were not that lucky though. The creatures were mid-air when the blast hit, so they got sent all the way to the walls of the cave, splatting there and staying stuck on the wall, pushed by the continuous stream of air. King on the other hand, even with his four legs, got slammed by the wind so hard that he ended up back in the entrance of the cave, just at the end of the tunnel. His weapons, just like sails, were pushing him back, definitely not helping in the sudden storm that appeared out of nowhere. -I should¡¯ve known! You were a crystal remnant! What is this creature? Is it one of yours? The voice echoed in my head, along with the howl of the wind, making thinking impossible. Apparently its voice reached not only me, because Axelrod shuddered, surprised by the strange way the presence was communicating. -Who¡¯s there? Show yourself! I am not exactly hiding¡­ Shaking off the initial impact I managed to reply to both. -I guess I have the honor to introduce you both¡­ - I said, taking a step forward. - Although I thought you knew each other. This is Axelrod, the current king of¡­ well, wherever we are. And the voice, or rather the words that just popped in your head, are from this, eh, person, right here - I pointed to the crystal. -Another crystal remnant...? No¡­? What the fuck? You¡¯re one to speak. That creature is a king? Definitely not the one I remember. Well, I had to give that one to it, it was absolutely right. The form he had was hardly a human one and definitely not similar to the man I had seen back in the capital. -I am the king. What of it? And who the hell are you, kidnapper? Again, you¡¯re the one to speak. From what I know, you were the one who kidnapped them first. I just saved them. As a family should. -Family? What the hell are you blabbering about?! They are MY family, not yours. -Excuse me? Excuse me? Both of us spoke in unison. That was the first time I¡¯ve heard of this. Ridiculous. My memory has holes, but not that large ones. No king was part of our family, nor was it any creature like you. -I am not going to explain myself to a piece of rock! And to highlight his words, he slammed his¡­ eh, hooves? Yeah, let¡¯s go with that. He slammed them into the ground. It was not just for show either. As he did, a ripple of light, or rather condensed mana, got sent through the ground towards where Melle and Il were laying. Passing the wind wall, as it got closer, the floor started cracking and from below a large thick root sprung to life, aiming right towards the women on the floor. I don¡¯t know why, but my body acted on its own. I jumped right in front of the root, shielding them with first the anti-magic field from the drive that I still had on me, and, as I noticed that it didn¡¯t even slow down, with my own, crystalized body. But the vine was not aiming to hurt, instead as it made contact, it wrapped itself around my arm and slowly was going further and further, like a snake, trying to tie me up. I don¡¯t think I have to say that I did not let that happen. Honestly, I surprised myself. As I pulled on the vine, I had more strength than I expected - one sharp motion was enough to pull the thing out of the ground it sprouted from, free my arm and whip it towards where the wind wall was still active. The spell made quick work of the creature. I don¡¯t know if the presence in the crystal somehow changed the spell, or maybe the creature was just that weak. Probably the latter, because as soon as it got pulled out of the ground though, the vine started to change color to dirty brown and gray, after which it promptly crumbled in my hands. DON¡¯T YOU DARE! I guess the attack made the presence angry. Along with the words, I felt a large mass of mana form right in front of the crystal. Hell, I could even see it without trying to, and that¡¯s something. I noticed that it also dropped the wall of wind it created earlier, the creatures that attacked at first and were thus far just pushed against the walls fell down on the ground. It took them a second to regain their bearings and jump towards me again, but it was too late. The large mass of mana was already turned into wind, and this time, it blasted right towards the king. If it was anyone else, they would be sent flying right into the sharp-looking wall of the cave, just like all those mana leeches. But it was Axelrod we are talking about. He was ready. His legs were already partially unwrapped and were digging itself into the ground - he basically was taking root in the cave floor. -Is that all you¡¯ve got?! - he asked, mockingly. No. The wind intensified even more. Even though it was aimed towards him, I also could feel the wind smacking me in the face. But that was exactly what he wanted. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. As he was taunting it, he reformed his weapon into a one, large spear, with one end being a leaf just straight up formed into a drill, and the other still having the leaf-halberd. When the wind intensified, he raised his weapon to strike, but not using the pointy end. Instad, he used his weapon as one big leverage. Catching the wind with the halberd end, just like a sail, enhancing his swing with a power he was currently being slammed with, using his own body as an anchor point. I got to say, it was surprisingly flashy. And loud. The leafy spear hit the crystal so hard the wind spell fizzled. From the point of contact a large wave of mana got released, with a bright light hitting everyone around. It probably would¡¯ve hit the women on the floor as well, but since I was close enough, my crystal absorbed most of the loose mana. I feel like that caught both Axelrod and the crystal presence off-guard - he got pushed back, just from the sheer force of the energy released on contact, and while the crystal did not change from the outside, I still could sense its feelings - this time a surprise with a faint hint of fear. Do. Not. Attack. My family. -They are not your family! -Can¡¯t we just somehow talk this out? - I tried intervening, but almost instantly got shot down. No. -No! Traitor. -For fuck¡¯s sake, I haven¡¯t done anything yet! -Yes, meaning that you are siding with the enemy! As he said that, I felt another surge of mana from him. -And here I thought you were at least a bit more sane than the rest of your people! I guess he did not like that comment very much, because the mana he was releasing intensified even more. That or he just straight up lost control over it. I was not sure what magic he was using, although I was expecting something adjacent to green magic, so you can imagine my surprise when I got nothing even remotely close. What hit me was just a straight up series of projectiles of sheer magical force - no element imbued, no nothing. That left me confused for a second. Obviously, it had pretty much no effect. Well, I just got a bit brighter, that¡¯s it. -You are full of surprises¡­ Noticing it was not working, he switched his target to the crystal. I don¡¯t need to say that the effect was similar. Like me, the presence in the crystal was also confused. Pathetic. Wanting to take the initiative and flip the tables, the presence started gathering a mass of mana in front of it, including the stream of power she was being attacked with. But, unknowingly to us, his attack did not exactly end. Before the presence was able to convert the mana into some kind of spell, Axelrod did it for it. I was able to feel the spell take hold rapidly through the entire cave. In an instant the mana got converted into a mass of ice, spreading wildly everywhere. It wasn¡¯t just the mana that the crystal entity was gathering. It also included all the residue that was floating around us, be it from his attack on us before or even the natural mana which this place was flooded by. I don¡¯t think I have to mention that it was quite effective. The whole crystal, along with me and the two women got covered in a thick layer of ice. It was maybe half a meter thick at its densest places, that is, next to the crystal itself. I personally got covered with a ten centimeter layer, while the women on the floor had about five centimeters on them, same as the remaining creatures that were still hanging about, trying to attack anyone that was in their range. The floor was turned into an ice rink and the walls were now covered in snow. Speaking of snow, it also filled the air. I guess that was thanks to the remaining residue of mana that was still about. I got to give it to him - the spell was definitely effective. And painful. I could feel the sting of the frostbite the instant the spell took hold. Luckily, only half of my body was screaming in pain, thanks to my own crystal. Even though the layer of frost seemed harder and in some places even thicker than everywhere else, I did not feel any pain there. Honestly, I would most likely blank out and pass out if not that. Even though my head was not completely clear, I managed to notice that he also got hit by his own spell, further confirming my theory that his spell indeed went a bit haywire. While his upper body was mostly intact, the legs that he dug into the ground before got iced over just like everyone else, effectively making him immobile. It probably was painful as hell, too. But, he did not care in the slightest, instead swinging his weapon at the crystal again. Honestly, I was just surprised that it was still intact after all this. Since it was plant based, I expected it to at least be damaged in this freezing weather he conjured, but nope. It was good as new, maybe even better - some of the loose mana that was leftover was apparently absorbed by it, making the whole thing glow, almost as strong as me not so long ago. Speaking of, the stunt he pulled off dimmed my light quite a bit. Same with the other sources of light: walls and the big crystal in the middle, making his weapon be the brightest item in the cave. I still could clearly see everything thanks to the ice reflecting his light multiple times, maybe even better than before, making me spot even more of those leech-creatures spill out from the openings in the walls. Some were even already breaking through the ice he created and trying to free their own brethren. My thinking was interrupted by a loud crashing noise and a sudden burst of emotions from the crystal presence. When I stopped paying attention for a second, he imbued the leftover mana he had in his weapon and transformed it again. This time, the form was a bit shorter and looked more like a mace. A spiked mace, I should say - even in this icy environment, he managed to grow a bunch of spikes at the thicker end of his weapon - and hit the crystal once more. At first, I thought it was again ineffective, because the weapon got stuck in the ice that was covering the crystal, but I was incorrect. It was just the initial impact. After a split second, the head of the mace¡­ I want to say, pulsed, although it was just some mana that got released after a strike. Like a wave, it spilled out and made the spikes grow to maybe three times the size they were before, digging deep into the ice and, judging by the frantic emotions from the presence, it also reached the crystal. The ice cracked, and the shards flew in every single direction, embedding themselves in everything that was in range. Walls, floor, my frozen form, even some leech monsters that managed to approach got caught as well. That¡¯s when the third explosion happened. And it was a lot stronger than the two others combined. It was accompanied by a frantic message from the crystal that I could not understand at all, the only thing I was able to recognize was sheer panic. No wonder. When I got showered by the shards of ice during the third explosion, some dug deeper into the ice I was encased by. A lot deeper than it would be possible for the ice. That¡¯s when I suddenly got hit by a feeling of deja vu. A large crystal, an explosion¡­ Just as if to confirm what I was thinking of, the whole cave suddenly started shaking. The floor started cracking, including the ice that was covering everyone. -The fuck did you just do?! - I yelled towards Axelrod as soon as the ice cracked, but the rumbling drowned my words completely. I managed to free myself completely, although it took me a good second. I still did not want to use magic, after his stunt I did not want to add more fuel to the fire. Fearing that the cave might collapse at any moment, I wanted to grab Melle and Il and get the fuck out of there, but as soon as I stepped closer and wanted to grab them, suddenly I got hit by a large boulder, knocking me away, towards where the crystal used to be. Used to be? Yeah, that also made me realize that the crystal, along with the presence, was no more. What the third explosion sent flying was not just ice, rather mostly pieces of the crystal. Only thing remaining now was a large crater in the ice after the explosion. Honestly, I flew pretty far. And in a strange direction. For a falling rock to send me that far¡­ Shaking off the unpleasant impact with the icy floor, I realized that it was no regular boulder. It was a spell from Axelrod. I only realized that because I got hit by another one, sending me even further back. He was standing right where I just was, with his arm raised, still on his four legs, although now looking more like shaky branches than sturdy roots, getting the two women I was just next to onto his back. Turning the remains of his weapon into a long vine, he grabbed each of them and was tying them to himself. I was surprised that, while I was being showered by rubble, he was standing in the middle of this pandemonium and not getting hit, but that mystery cleared itself as soon as he sent yet another chunk of ice mixed with rock towards me. He wasn¡¯t conjuring anything. He was just protecting himself, catching whatever was falling towards him with his bare hands, tossing it right at me. Hell, if not the current situation, I would¡¯ve been impressed. To do something like this, even while having a freakishly weird body like his, was something else. I wanted to toss something at his face too, if not a spell then at least a word or two, but you can imagine that it¡¯s hard to focus when you¡¯re getting bombarded by rubble and ice from several different directions. On the other hand, he had no issue smack-talking at me. -I hope you stay here and never come back. Both of you. Fucking face-stealing creatures. I should¡¯ve known better than to trust something like you. ¡°Likewise¡± I thought to myself as the cave around us started collapsing. The last thing I saw was his wooden ass trot away towards the tunnel leading back to the village. Then everything went dark. 61. Similar When I opened my eyes, I wasn¡¯t in the cave any more. Nor was I myself for that matter. Everything around me was completely white, and I felt strangely weightless. The first thing I thought was that I was dead, or at the very least close to it. Trying to move, I didn¡¯t feel my body at all, nor I could see it for that matter, but as I attempted to focus my thoughts, I felt a strange pull. Something was dragging me deeper underground, or rather just down, since there was no ground anymore. I went with it, trying to understand what was going on. I could feel myself move very quickly, although the scenery did not change at all. After what felt like minutes, I stopped, because the force down suddenly split into two. One was dragging me to the side, while the other wanted me to go even more down. Not understanding what was going on, I wanted to just let the stronger of the two pull me along, which in that case would be down, but before I made up my mind, the forces suddenly changed. The stronger one changed its course, no longer pulling me, instead pushing me away from where it was leading me before, and the other one almost vanished, leaving just a faint trace, no longer able to even pull my weightless, well, consciousness I guess. Even more confused, I wanted to drag myself towards it, but it was not an easy task. The pull was so weak, I could barely even feel it. The movement itself was hard enough at first, but the longer I was there, the seemingly more control I had. I also finally started to have some kind of shape - not really a human, but more like just some sort of blob made out of different colors of light. Still, I was mostly white, maybe that was why I did not see myself before. Floating down, for the first time I finally started seeing something. The surroundings started changing a bit, and instead of white void I was now in thick, gray fog, to the point where I couldn¡¯t see even a meter in front of me. Well, not like that mattered, since I wasn¡¯t relying on my sight - the pull was still present. What felt like minutes of nothingness soon turned into hours, without much of a change in scenery, nor in my own shapeless body, until I finally stumbled upon something. Pull got a bit stronger and the fog lifted partially, almost like it was showing me the way. Following this strange phenomenon, I finally saw what was the source of all this. Another blob. Not very different from me, although its light was a bit dimmer and looked like it was scattered in a small area. It somehow felt familiar, and as I closed in to one of the small pieces of it, it got stuck to me, magnifying the feeling. At the back of my non-existent head I also felt something else. Like some annoying itching that I was not able to get rid of, it started drilling into me. Just as that was happening, the rest of the blob reacted to the small one gluing itself to me. All of the remaining pieces floated towards me, sticking itself together into one big orb that was now stuck to me. Along with that, the strange itching at the back of my head intensified and turned into something more recognizable - a feeling. At first, it was just confusion, then it turned into disbelief. It was not the first time I felt something like this. Just like I first felt the presence in the crystal, something similar was now attached to me. Hello? I wanted to ask, but no words came out. Well, no wonder, I had no mouth. Even though, the feeling I had now changed to surprise and distrust. Whatever that was, it could hear me. Well, I say ¡°whatever that was¡±, but I had a good idea what that might have been. The sense of familiarity and the strange way I could feel its current state of emotion, I was pretty sure that this thing was indeed that same presence that was not so long ago trapped inside the crystal we found underground. Why did it appear in my dream though? Or whatever that was that I was experiencing. I assumed, after it exploded - thanks to Axelrod - that it died¡­ Wait, can something like that die anyway? What was it anyway? Was I dead too then? It was somewhat similar to me in a peculiar way - it was also made out of crystal. While I was not completely converted into one yet, after the accident at the Red Edge I started assuming that I would end up completely crystallized sooner or later. Probably sooner if I was to continue to hang around in places so full of mana. I was hoping though that I would at least have my motor functions intact, as my hand, even completely crystal, was still pretty usable. Although, after seeing the presence and the state it was in, I was starting to have my doubts. What if it was just like me but instead of having its shape preserved, straight up just turned into an inanimate rock? That did not sound like a bright future. Although it at least had its consciousness intact¡­ Well, did it? Didn¡¯t it say that it was missing some memories? What if it was to happen to me as well? I sort of wished we had an opportunity to talk more before we got interrupted. Speaking of, what the fuck was even up with Axelrod? Not mentioning him using multiple elements, which apparently was oh so rare according to Melle, why in the hell would he just straight up just attack us? He seemed a lot more composed and not that much of a hot-blooded person¡­ Breaking me out from this inner turmoil was the intensifying feeling of distrust. Right, I was not alone. Or at least I hoped so. I guess that was an upside¡­ For me at least, because the feelings I was bombarded with were definitely not positive. I had to somehow let it know that it was me and we should at least not try destroying each other¡¯s consciousnesses, since that was apparently the only thing that both of us had left at this point. Too bad I was not able to communicate with it¡­ Or was I? Before all this I somehow was connected to it, feeling it and hearing its thoughts, even when it clearly was not intending for it. Even in this state the connection remained. If that was the case, would it be possible to somehow exploit that? While I was thinking how I should approach that, I failed to notice that the blob got a lot bigger than before. Aside from the fact that it was definitely concerning, it also probably was just why I felt the presence stronger. To the point where beside the feelings I was also getting short flashes of images, but they were sadly too faint and distorted to understand. Come on, if you are trying to show me something at least try making it a bit more readable¡­ I thought to myself, not expecting the answer. But, surprisingly, I got a reaction. Obviously, the images did not magically clear up and enhance, instead got even more blurry and hectic, like I just triggered it. Oh fuck off¡­ This time I got no reaction. The images were still flooding my head and if it was to continue it was not for long before they would¡¯ve overwhelmed me, making me unable to even think for myself. It was already getting pretty hard as it was, and the presence was not giving any signs of stopping anytime soon. I guess I couldn¡¯t blame it. Just like a wild animal, it was defending itself by all means it had left. So how do I try to go about it? Well, I had two choices. I could attack back, try to force my own will towards it. I had no fucking idea how would I do that though. Thinking of a plan is one, but trying to put it in motion is something else. Especially if you are just some sort of blob hanging in a nondescript void, lacking any actual knowledge on what the said void was or how it was working. Second, I could try talking to it and maybe somehow calm it down. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Easier said than done. While communicating was definitely possible, I was not so sure about the second part. But, after all, I already once successfully talked it down and even managed to have a decent conversation with it, so I guess I had some decent chances? It didn¡¯t seem prone to violence from what I knew. Well, mostly. So diplomacy looked like the best option. Think, how the hell would you calm down a rabid animal? If it was MY animal, I would try calling it by its name¡­ or give it a treat¡­ A name. Well, too bad I didn¡¯t know its name. Hell, the presence itself didn¡¯t remember it. Maybe it did not have one in the first place? But that was when I remembered something. It actually reacted to multiple names. Be it with images or feelings, but still. And in those couple names, the one that gave the most reaction was¡­ Noli. The second I thought that, the attack stopped in its tracks. The same with the blob that was all over me - straight up froze, like it was not sure if whatever it was doing was a good idea any more. Hell. I expected the name to get some kind of response, but that was more than I imagined, so I doubled down. Noli. You remember that name? It¡¯s Melle¡¯s husband¡¯s name, right? You knew him? Come on, talk to me. I am not sure what I thought was going to happen. I already knew it was not able to answer, yet I continued. I know her. I helped her not too long ago, and I guess I was trying to do that again just now. Too bad in the process I got reduced to¡­ well, whatever we are. The remaining hints of hostility disappeared and got replaced by guilt. It was working. Ah, don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s not like it was your fault. A flash of light and a scene - explosion followed by myself getting tossed backwards. This time, the image was not blurry and seeing it did not come with a headache. Progress. Okay, it MAYBE slightly was your fault. I still blame Axelrod. Anger. This time was not directed at me, so it was not oppressive. Yeah, me too. Fucker betrayed me. And I believed him. As we were having this strange dialogue, the substance that was not so long ago trying to absorb me changed shape to one somewhat similar to mine and was resting next to me. By now I was sure that was indeed the same presence that was in the crystal. The presence. Calling it that seemed awkward. In any case¡­ What is this place? Are we dead? If so, the afterlife seems a bit bland¡­ I swear I felt it laugh, but then immediately got stabbed with a large dose of worry. Well, you DID blow up and bring a whole cave on our heads. I don¡¯t know about you, but my body still had a lot of fleshy bits that were definitely vulnerable to blunt force trauma. An image of my crystalized arm flashed through my head. Well yes, I had that, but even if it survived I am not some kind of regenerating green alien that can just regrow itself. Another image. This time of the crystal itself, where the presence was at first, then me again. I don¡¯t think I understand¡­ I am not some kind of crystal being. The crystal revenant, was that what they were called Or remnant? Nah, as far as I am aware I am, or was just a regular guy. The arm was just an experiment going wrong. From what I understood, it just was able to absorb and release mana, that¡¯s it. A feeling of confusion. Yeah, I don¡¯t know either. To be honest, at first I was worried. It started as just a small piece of rock embedded in my body just to start growing, and, well, you¡¯ve seen how I looked. After seeing you and discovering you are a sentient being, I thought I might end up like you and got scared. Now it seems like a better option, at least I would be probably alive right now. Silence. I felt the presence focusing on something. I could feel the small snippets of images as it was thinking to itself. Me, Axelrod, Melle and the girl, the crystal presence itself, pieces of crystal, my arm - images were short and blurry and were coming and going like mad. What are you doing? An image of a desk with a bunch of stacks of paper on top of it, to the point where it was overflowing and stuff was falling on the floor. Ah. Got it. It stayed like that for a good minute, until it seemingly finished whatever it was doing. Sooo¡­? The image of the desk again. This time, empty. Yeah, I figured that you¡¯re done. I still have no idea what you were doing. Or are. A brief pause. I swear I saw the blob move and shift awkwardly. That does not explain a thing. An image of myself again. Then the image of the crystal in the cave, followed by escaping Axelrod. You want to chase him? Gonna be hard in this form¡­ Image of me, this time leaving the cave with unconscious Odar and Bert. You want to escape this place? With me? Happiness. I guess that meant yes. Okay, well I am down, but I have no clue where exactly we are and how we would go about it. Concern and anxiousness. This is not pleasant for me either, believe me. Do you have at least some ideas? Again the full desk. That many? Well shit, guess we will be out in no time then. Next image it sent me was a bit concerning. It showed me the desk going up in flames along with the papers on it. Ah. Never mind then. But then, from the smoke and fire, one singular piece of paper flew by. Charred at the edges and ripped slightly, but in somewhat decent shape. So you''re saying there''s a chance. What can I do? What it replied with was not something I expected. Fear. Okay¡­ I figured that it would be hard, but is it really that dangerous? I mean, we are already dead right? A feeling of uncertainty flew through me, followed by sadness. If you are concerned about me I am flattered, but don¡¯t bother. I am up for being a test subject. Wouldn¡¯t be the first time. Curiosity. The image of me getting frozen by Axelrod and buried under a rockslide, followed by the crystal with the presence exploding on impact with his blade. The next scene was a bit blurry for some reason though. It was the crystal shattering again, but this time followed by the image of my hand and then faces I did not expect to see. Ilma and Mike. That made me hesitate for a moment. Wait a second. Now I was the one sending confusion towards it. You know how I got this arm? You know about ME? And them? A crystal explosion. Wrong one, but still. Shit. Now I really want to have a talk with you. A normal one that is. Happiness. I guess it was mutual. Well then. If I had any doubts you just dispelled all of them. I am going to trust you. Not like I have a choice in a matter. Go for it. Try whatever you wanted to try. If you are one of us, I am sure it¡¯s going to work. A hint of uncertainty followed by happiness. Then, a lot of worry. The blob that was just hanging around me started moving again. This time it was a lot less aggressive but a lot more thorough. It slowly climbed up onto me and was spreading all over my form, covering it with a regular layer of itself. When it reached my head, or rather the place where my point of view was originating, I started feeling the presence a lot more. It was not sending any images to me, yet I could understand that it was very focused, so I decided to shut the hell up and wait. When it was done with that, it paused for a second, and I swear I heard a sigh, just before the whole surface of my body, all at once, started boiling. I did not feel any pain, but the feeling was not pleasant nonetheless. Even though I did not have a physical form, I could feel the itching all over me. The boiling bubbles of the substance were popping and steaming, giving the process a very unsettling image. The steam also made me realize that it was not only the outer layer that was getting ¡°boiled¡±. The bubbles and the smoke had two colors that were mixing as they were coming out to the surface - one, bright and shiny, others a bit darker and grayer. The mixing was progressing pretty rapidly - soon there was no difference between the bubbles and smoke, everything turning brighter, to the color I was before. I probably should¡¯ve been worried a lot more than I was, considering the process I was undergoing. I know that the presence wanted to escape together with me and all¡­ but damn. Even then, I was strangely calm. After all, it actually knew me. I knew it. We were both from the same place. We shared more similarities than we realized, and that gave us the ability to actually do this. 62. Cramped The next thing I knew was that I was no longer in that strange form, nor was I in the void. Instead I was in some dark, cramped place, unable to move, my limbs not listening to me. Wait a second - I actually had a body. Not the strange, fluid and almost imaginary one like before, but the one that was aching and itching all over - most definitely a material one. As for what it was made of¡­ Well that was a different story. I was barely able to move my head and it was so dark it was hard to see, but one thing I was sure of - the crystallization has progressed. While before, I was almost half way turned into a crystal, now it was about three quarters. That was probably why I was not able to move my limbs at all - they were completely made out of crystal. Even in the dark I was able to see the faint outline of the rough shape poking through my clothes, or rather the remains of them. As my eyes finally became accustomed to the dark, I could assess my situation better. I was buried in the avalanche of rock - most likely still in the cave where the explosion happened. My limbs were not refusing to move just because of fatigue or damage - they were trapped under various rocks, and even my head was in between some. The only reason I was not brutally crushed into a paste was thanks to the crystallization of my limbs - even though they got caught up in the rockslide, the crystal was a lot more durable than just some random boulder. As I was praising the first accident and the Origin Crystal, I slowly started regaining feeling in my limbs and in what remained of my fleshy body, I noticed that I was lying in something wet and warm. That was what made me realize my mistake. It was not like I managed to avoid damage thanks to the sudden crystallization. Quite the opposite. That was exactly why it happened. The liquid I was lying in was a large pool of blood. My own blood, squeezed nice and fresh from my own body - how in the hell did I not bleed out? The crystal did not protect me. The crystal remade me. Or at least remade the parts that got sent through the mulcher, a.k.a. the cave-in. That brought up another very important question. Where did the power to do that come from? The crystal presence. Is that what it meant by dangerous? It didn¡¯t mean that it was dangerous for me¡­ it was dangerous for it? I instantly tried using my magic sense. There was no mistake - I could not feel any presence anywhere. Even though I was very weak - I barely was able to reach about ten meters from me - there was no doubt that if I were still in the same cave where the explosion happened, if it was still there, I would¡¯ve felt it. What was more intriguing though, that was not the only thing my surroundings were lacking. The whole area was also absolutely devoid of mana. That was unthinkable. Not so long ago when we walked through the tunnels, the density was so high that the sheer amount of energy turned two of my companions into mostly useless drunkards, the walls were glowing from the excess power and you could even taste the mana in the air. If that was not enough, there was also the explosion - even if it wasn¡¯t comparable to the one that happened back in the MIRE, it was still powerful. No matter if the epicenter was the Origin Crystal or not, it definitely had to release a lot of mana and probably partially damage a leyline. Also, by the way: was the presence trapped in another Origin Crystal? Also, how could I even be sure if I didn¡¯t lie there for, I don¡¯t know, a year? Or if it was the same place, for that matter. Last time something similar to this happened, I ended up in essentially another world and or timeline. There were a ton of questions with not a lot of answers, and definitely none would be answered for me if I was just to lie there pretending to be a part of the rubble. But that also did not change the fact that I was indeed trapped. Even though I was stuck, there was a bright side - I was still alive. And was slowly regaining feeling in my limbs. Groaning loudly I tried moving my arms a bit, but the boulders trapping me did not even budge. Same with my legs. As I tried moving my head I had to stop immediately, because that was one of the last pieces I still had some fleshy bits, as I could see and feel it being squished between some pieces of stone, with a small streak of blood now trickling down my forehead. Good thing that the initial impact hit me in the more resistant, crystal part. As I definitely did not have enough physical strength to dig myself out, I tried using magic. But alas, for the first time since I arrived in this place, I did not have any mana to speak of. While, considering the circumstances, it was not surprising, it still startled me. -Fucking great - I groaned to myself. I tried a couple times more, just to be sure, trying smaller and smaller spells. I was still alive and conscious, so I had to have at least SOME mana. The most I was able to do though, was just to move a palm-sized stone, which I was pretty sure I was just straight up able to pick up by hand. Talk about irony. Until now I was constantly being annoyed and laughed at everyone because of their lack of mana, and now I had even less reserves than a regular peasant. I couldn¡¯t exactly just lie there and wait for my mana to recover. I couldn¡¯t really count on my crystal to sustain me any more either - after all, it was always getting mana from environment, thanks to that I was able to get away with not eating or sleeping - but now with that barren surroundings, it was only a matter of time before I would again have my basic needs back. The most inconvenient timing, of course. But what about my bag? Well, the thing was, that I still had it on me. Its enchantment was completely gone at this point, probably because of damage it took or just straight up because it was flawed. It also meant that the contents were no longer protected, that is the remaining supplies and potions that I might¡¯ve had on me had a very tiny chance of surviving. I wanted to check up on those anyway, but that also was proving hard, since my arms were still stuck. Without much of a choice, I started the painful and long process of slowly wiggling out one of my arms out of the avalanche. If there was anyone out there that did not get buried under the rocks, the noise I was making would either bait them here in an instant or scare them away so hard that they¡¯d end up on the coast. And it was not just me groaning in pain. Although every time I made progress, the rocks and dirt shifted, either crushing me even more or just showering me with gravel and soil, so I involuntarily had to scream a couple of times, sometimes in pain, sometimes in frustration, that was not what made the most noise. What was worse was the sound my crystal made every time it was grinding on the raw rock. When I first heard it I almost had a heart attack - it was as someone was scratching a blackboard with their fingernails. Magnified by a small space and a silence I was in, every time I heard it it made my blood freeze. The second effect was somewhat more useful, although still as annoying. Whenever that horrible noise happened, the crystal also was producing a rather copious amount of sparks, just like some very powerful flint. While that was giving me a non-negligible amount of light and somewhat was helping me with my progress, it also was a fire hazard. So much, in fact, that a few times my clothes, or rather what remained of them, actually caught on fire. First time it happened it startled me like you couldn¡¯t imagine. My hands were still stuck, so I couldn¡¯t even pat myself out and was forced to try and smother the flames by hugging the rock as hard as I could. It did work, although I produced even more sparks in the process, igniting myself again. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. It took me about four tries to finally be able to kill the flames without starting another fire, and even that only because I managed to create a small amount of water to douse them. As you can imagine, that only slowed down my progress, and the minimal amounts of mana that I managed to regain were again gone. The further attempts at trying myself were even slower. I also changed my mind about trying to free my hands, instead moving to legs, hoping that even if I was to create more sparks, I would not set myself on fire. That went better. Although it took me maybe half an hour - it was hard to keep track of time in complete isolation like that - I managed to free one of my legs. Even though it still did not give me much more maneuverability, it boosted my morale quite a bit and I doubled my efforts. That was a mistake. With my renewed energy, I started moving a bit too vigorously and produced more sparks, this time igniting what remained of my pants. Even with increased mobility, I couldn''t kill the flames. Instead, while trying to awkwardly pat myself out with my freshly freed leg, thanks to my flailing, I managed to shift a bunch of rocks in a way that caused a small avalanche. Good news was that it actually freed my right hand. On the other hand, during my wild exercises I managed to spread a fire to my freshly freed arm. Reflexively I groaned in pain when the flames licked my skin, just to realize that I was not feeling any pain. Right, I did not have any skin to begin with. Mostly. After quickly killing the flames, thanks to my freed hand, I managed to confirm what parts of me were still flesh. That is besides what was obvious at first sight. Besides my arms and legs, most of my head and my back was actually already covered in crystal, or rather turned into one. As far as I was aware, the only fleshy bit remaining was just my chest, including the area of the heart, forehead, belly and a piece of my thigh on the opposite side where it all started. A bit more than what I estimated in the darkness before. It was not that bad of news. Besides the obvious negative sides, like for example complete baldness, or, more importantly, starting to feel weaker and weaker thanks to mana starvation, it actually meant that I did not have to be that careful any more. At first I was scared to try and force my way out of here, fearing the landslide would crush my head and lungs, now, with one free hand, I could now protect myself better. With double efforts and a lot more sparks, after a bit of flailing, some small fires and a lot of scrapes I managed to free myself completely. Or at least, as completely as it got. I was still stuck in a fetal position, in between a bunch of rubble. But this time I could actually move my arms and legs. Progress. What was next, though? I still had not a lot of mana to work with, of any for that matter, because I was not even sure if I got any back. The physical exhaustion, for the first time in a long while, started to take its toll and was definitely not helping in getting out. Shifting in this uncomfortable position I suddenly felt something poke me in my belly. Something very sharp, not just a piece of rock. Feeling around with my hand, I stumbled upon something I never expected to see - a dagger. It had to be buried somewhere in the landslide and my recent shifting had to free it somehow. When I grabbed it, I suddenly felt a surge of mana, as it, along with my arm, started glowing, lighting up the surroundings. In the glow, I managed to recognize the weapon. It was one belonging to the pair I saw in Melle¡¯s bag. I guess she dropped it sometime during either when she got kidnapped or lost it when the cave collapsed. That was a stroke of good luck. It was obviously magical and still had mana in it, actually more than it should. That instantly brought a question - why the hell didn¡¯t I notice it sooner? I did check my surroundings before and I felt literally nothing with mana. I held the knife for a good fifteen seconds and it still had not run out of mana, meaning it should¡¯ve been easily detectable. With this sudden injection of energy I scanned my surroundings again, and sure enough, the dagger was now painfully visible, glowing in my hand like a beacon, both with regular light and in my mind¡¯s eye. Just as I was happy that I found myself a nice source of energy, it disappeared as suddenly as it appeared. Not like it ran out of mana, no. In that case, its light would¡¯ve slowly started dimming, representing the remaining power it had, but in its case it just went out like a burned out lightbulb. I thought it was too good to last for long. In any case, it gave me quite a boost that I desperately needed, and, as a secondary effect, gave me a nice light source for a while - even though the dagger was already dark, my arm was still not. I stowed the dagger behind my belt, thinking it might be useful later. The light was not very powerful and just was giving barely anything, but after the complete darkness it was more than enough. In comparison to the sudden bursts of sparks that I accidentally was making every now and again, a directable and stable source of light was infinitely better. It also gave me a better idea about how exactly my situation was looking. I was not buried alive as I was fearing. Yeah, sure, I was still under a large rubble of rocks, barely able to move, but thanks to my impromptu flashlight, I managed to shine the light a bit further away, through the gaps between the rocks, seeing that I was still in a cave. Probably the same one if I was to guess. I couldn¡¯t see anything above me, the layer of rocks was too densely packed, but if I was to go about three, maybe four meters to the side I would end up outside of this landslide, hopefully free. The only question was, how would I do it without making the whole thing collapse on top of me. Or at least without getting trapped again. I already realized that I cannot be crushed, the crystal was too strong for the rocks to destroy. I already tried hitting the stones a couple of times to check if I might be able to chip some of them - that only led to another small fire and an explosion of sparks. Even though my crystal was infinitely harder, I still was lacking strength and I had to come to terms that I will need to use magic to get out. I was not very excited about that. If you¡¯d ask me yesterday what I would do in this situation I¡¯d without hesitation tell you that moving those rocks would be a piece of cake, having basically infinite amounts of mana and all. I¡¯d probably even try my hand at melding the rocks - like the tunnels near Melle¡¯s home. That sounded like a fun time. But I did not have the luxury any more and now had to use a method that did not burn through the mana like mad. Ice magic. First things first though. For starters, I had to make sure that while I work on making my way out, the ceiling will not cave onto me. -Elwu etos hmedou lek gmyo. I directed my magic above my head. Taking inspiration from the spell I¡¯ve seen on waterskins we¡¯ve had on our journey, I started condensing the water still present in the air and freezing the gaps in between the rocks that were directly above me. The spell was working quite fast, probably because since I was underground, the environment was pretty damp. Ice was forming nice and without issue, gluing the rocks together, forming a nice and sturdy roof above my head. I slowly was moving downwards, also creating support for my ¡°structure¡±, making sure it won''t collapse. Basically, I formed a strange, three-walled igloo. After that was done, I shifted a bit towards the direction where I saw the glimpses of the open cave. The next step was not going to be that easy, -Elwu etos usc. First off, I started gathering water, as much as I could, still from the environment, but this time I did not freeze it just yet, instead I was just collecting it in an orb right in front of me. Almost instantly I ran out of space, so I moved the orb towards the open cave, wedging it between the rocks, controlling the way it was moving. That was a bit more complicated. Commanding the water to fill the gaps between the stones with that little light was a challenge. I did slip up a bit and spill out a bunch, both on me and somewhere further in the cave I think, since I¡¯ve started hearing the water splash around. Luckily, I had plenty of it, or rather the cave was pretty damp, so I did not have to worry about that. After a good couple of minutes I felt like that should be enough. I stopped gathering water and instead took a deep breath. -Elwu etos hmedou. What I intended to do was to flash-freeze the water that I kept in front of me, hoping that its sudden expansion would move the rocks aside, giving me a way out. Too bad it did not go as well as I expected. While the water froze alright and it did shuffle around some loose stone,it was not even remotely enough, after which it just glued the rock together exactly as the ones above my head. Annoyed, I dropped the freezing spell, and instead started the long process of melting the ice with fire magic. It took longer than expected. While dumping more mana into the ice magic was a good way to speed things up, with fire I needed to be a bit more careful. Besides it consuming a lot more mana, I needed to be wary to not melt the ceiling I created by accident. It proved a lot harder than it sounds, because of where I was. By freezing my surroundings I accidentally created a sealed pocket in the rock, where even air could not escape, which meant that heat stayed as well. Whenever I boosted my flame, the temperature of the whole pocket was rising, and while the wall I was working on was definitely melting faster, soon the water also started dropping on my head from the ceiling. Not ideal. I considered dumping a good chunk of mana into a fire spell to melt all of it at once, but stopped myself half way, remembering that I do not have infinite mana any more, nor I had any way of recovering it. The process of me sweating and getting wet from all the ice melting took a good half an hour, I think, during which I had to stop twice to remake the roof of my pocket. And to take a breather from the heat of the spell. Even though I was almost entirely made of crystal now, I still was feeling the heat, especially because I essentially was in a sauna. You can imagine my relief when I finally burned through all the ice and the cold air from the cave blew right in my face. The relief was quite short-lived, because along with the air, while preoccupied with my task I also invited something else in. 63. Void From between the rocks, along with the burst of air, a series of small needles flew right towards my face. Luckily, it was already made out of crystal, if not for that, it would¡¯ve been very, very unpleasant and painful. With my hard head, they just bounced back, landing right in front of me. Confused, I gazed towards the opening with a flame ready to blast whatever shot those at me, but I could not see a thing. I looked closer at the projectiles. They almost looked like long thorns, or maybe very short conifer needles. As I was to pick one up and was leaning closer to them to inspect it further, they suddenly came alive. The flame on my palm flickered and went out, almost like its source got snuffed out and in the same moment the needle grew maybe three sizes thick and maybe ten sizes long. It dug itself into the ground, like a root. For a second, it went quiet. The only trace left was the hole it left in the ground and the confusion I had on my face. I lit the flame again to look closer, just for it to get snuffed again, and this time I actually understood what happened. Bit too late though. The mana I was intending to use as a fuel for the flame was sucked into the hole that the thing disappeared in, feeding it and making it grow even more. Around me four other holes opened, and from each of them a long, thin vine sprouted up, shooting up and up, breaking everything in its path. Luckily, it did not target me. Unluckily, it did destroy the makeshift rock-igloo I made, creating another avalanche of rocks, almost burying me again. It did not do much damage, but it did knock the wind out of me. Some rocks landed right on top of me, pinning me down to the floor, immobilizing me once more. I did not manage to curse or even groan, the creature was not done yet. It did not get much mana out of me, yet it was pretty lively. I felt the whole avalanche move as the vines were growing and pushing aside the rocks, trying to get to me. Well, at least I did not have to worry about getting out any more. It reached me quicker than I expected and picked me up from the pile of rocks, wrapping one vine around my waist, and for the first time I actually was able to fully see what was attacking me. It was a creature I¡¯ve seen already - the weird humanoid monster with a thorny bush on its back, although it looked a bit worse for wear. The ones I¡¯ve seen so far were lively and green, some even had flowers blooming on their backs, but this one looked like it was barely able to hold itself together. WIth body of dirty brown color, instead of the flowers it sprouted long branches, one of them holding me. To boot, it also looked like it was immobile - it still was rooted in place where it initially dug into the ground when it started sucking on my mana. Speaking of, as soon as it touched me and picked me up from the pile of rocks, I started glowing. Or, to be precise the crystal parts that were closest to the vine did. Be it by chance or on purpose, it grabbed me exactly where I was still partially, well, normal, and squeezed hard. -No big deal - I thought to myself. - I can just burn it. But as I tried to, I could not muster any mana. And it was not because I was again out of it. I still had a bit remaining, enough to toss a spell or two, but as soon as I tried focusing, I felt it being drained, just like the time when the creature started growing. It apparently had the similar ability to the leeches - to absorb mana from spells. A strange thing though. Even though the creature did absorb my mana, or even worse, was constantly doing it, I did not feel like I was getting weaker. Quite the opposite, in fact. While after using a bunch of mana while trying to get out of that pile of rocks I was starting to feel drained and slightly woozy, especially when it robbed the mana from my spells for the first time, this time was different. I could already feel more energetic and awake, meaning I was getting mana from somewhere. The intensifying glow of my crystal body seemed to confirm that - and also was hinting at the source I was getting recharged from. Looking closer, the spots where the vine was touching my crystal were glowing even brighter, while the vines themselves were getting grayer¡­? Smelling the occasion, I grabbed the knife that I miraculously managed to not lose yet and sliced at the spots that were looking weaker. I didn¡¯t think the dagger had any other enchantments besides the one I already drained, but it was still a nicely made blade, cutting through the plant like it was butter. The vine crumbled almost instantly, dropping me on the ground. It did not manage to lift me up high yet, but I was still about a meter above the ground, and as I fell onto the rocks, I once more produced a large amount of sparks. This time though, my clothes were not the only thing in range - sparks fell also at the creature and the remains of the vine too, promptly setting both on fire. -I didn¡¯t mean to do it like this, but it still works¡­ - I muttered to myself, standing up and patting out the small flame that also spread onto my pants, or rather I should call them shorts by now. The creature was definitely not liking the treatment it got. While it was not screaming like the leeches, it definitely was in pain. Writhing, it almost looked as if it wanted to drop and roll on the ground in an attempt to douse the flames on itself. It was still rooted to the ground though and only managed to wriggle, looking pitifu. Out of habit I wanted to toss a spell at it to finish it off quicker but stopped myself short. Even if it was half-dead, most likely I would then only feed it more mana and probably give it a chance to recover. The dagger was pretty effective against it, so I instead elected to try and use that. But as I was closing onto it, I started second-guessing myself again - getting into a melee range with this thing did not seem like a good idea. While I was not fearing the flames, it still probably would be able to surprise me with something. It was essentially a wounded animal, after all. And I was right. Even after I stopped and started reconsidering my course of actions, it was already too late, the two steps I¡¯ve taken brought me back into the range of its vines and it grabbed me again. This time I retaliated instantly, slashing with a dagger towards it, but, I can¡¯t believe I am saying that, the plant was smarter than me. It anticipated that and redirected my blade, slapping my hand, so instead of slashing at the vine that was binding me, I hit one of the roots that was close to me. Still, the dagger was effective. It cut through without an issue, but that was what the creature wanted. Apparently, the plant was not just flailing randomly - when I thought it was trying to douse the flames, it instead unrooted itself from the ground, leaving the one root next to me untouched. With the redirected swing I just released it from the ground. As soon as it was free, it grabbed onto me with more vines, pulling itself towards me, almost like it was trying to hug me. This time, I actually felt pain. Not really from the very forceful hug it was pulling me into, rather from its burning body over all. The fire did not discriminate and spread instantly, too fast in fact, making me realize that it was not just regular fire. The creature was more resistant than I thought, and while it still was getting damaged by it, it was far from being on its last legs. I guess it inherited the ability to imbue itself with the elements it got hit by from its friend, mana leech. I wanted to give it the same treatment as I did to the massive creature in the tree-lab, but I got painfully reminded that it was not possible - I simply could not concentrate while the remaining pieces of flesh that I had left were being literally roasted on the bonfire that was the creature¡¯s body. While it probably had no idea about my weak spot, the tactic of burning me alive was one that could actually work. The pain rendered me unable to think clearly, while my attempts at swinging at it with the dagger were thwarted almost instantly by vines that grabbed me. It was not even a few seconds after it grabbed me, but I already was starting to white out. Wait. I was not whiting out. It was the surroundings that were getting brighter and brighter. As I was grabbed I stopped paying attention to the state of my crystal, but now it was painfully obvious - I was glowing brighter than the whole creature, and it was on fire so that¡¯s saying something. On the other hand, the creature and the fire were getting¡­ darker? No, it was just the creature, the fire itself was just dying down, almost like the source that it was fueling it got cut off. Even weirder, the pain was also slowly fading away, replaced by a very, very unpleasant feeling of itching on my skin, mostly my stomach, to the point that I reflexively tried to scratch it. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Surprisingly, I could. The creature was not holding me any more. Or rather it was, but it could not muster any strength to stop my movements. I wanted to use that opportunity to grab the thing and try peeling it off of me, but as soon as I gripped the creature, it gave out a very unpleasant shriek. It was sort of similar to the one I¡¯ve heard from the leeches, although this sounded even less like an animal, more like I squeezed some sort of a plush toy. While it startled me, it did not distract me enough for me to not notice the obvious glow that started spreading from my hand though, along with an even stronger feeling of energy going into me. Understanding what¡¯s going on, I stopped my attempts of trying to get it off me, instead grabbing it with my other hand. Sure enough, the same thing happened: I started glowing even more while the creature started making even more noise. The fire was already out, but even then the cave was as bright as we were outside in the middle of the day, with the only source of the light being my own self. I should¡¯ve seen that coming. Not only my body was mostly replaced by the crystal, its power also proportionally grew. While before, it was able to absorb loose mana and the mana from the spells directly flung at me, now I was able to absorb strength even from living things. Very unwilling living things, because that is what that creature was. Noticing how its suicide attack was ineffective, or even beneficial for me, now it was trying to get away. Not like it had a chance. I am not a very strong person, but thanks to the crystal my grip was iron tight. Besides, the creature was already on its way out and almost out of strength, my crystal¡¯s only quickened the process. I could feel it crumble and wilt under my fingers, and in a matter of even less than a minute I was left alone with just a pile of ashy dust next to me and a wilted, gray-ish piece of branch in my hand. I no longer could feel the pleasant flow of mana going into me, so I assumed it was really done, if the remains were not enough proof. I was now standing in the middle of a half-collapsed cave. My hunch was also correct - I was indeed still in the same cave, although if it was not for the hive-like walls, I would have had a hard time recognizing it. Every wall was at least half-buried under a landslide mixed with a large amount of rock and stone, especially the one where the exit used to be. I guess when Axelrod was escaping, he also was redirecting the rubble that was falling on his head in such a way so it would block the entrance. The middle of the cave was the only empty space that was not covered in rubble or rocks. The floor was cracked there, which was a bit unsettling, it was a raw rock after all, and even scorched a bit, probably from the sheer force of mana that was released when the crystal exploded. Speaking of, crystal. What exactly happened? In my vision, or maybe it was a dream, I clearly heard the presence talk to me. Was it because I was unconscious so it was easy for it to get into my head? But what happened after that? I already used my mana sense multiple times, yet found nothing even remotely close to a sign of a life nearby, so I did not expect for it to work, but I tried again. Glad I did. It was also a reminder that I should pay more attention to myself. After the combat with the creature, I was still glowing. Brightly might I add. Meaning, I was still on a bit of an overdose and my mana sense was magnitudes more powerful than last time, even compared to when I was fully rested. Before I even realized, my senses already spread through the whole cave and were going through the tunnel, up and up towards the village. In a matter of seconds I could feel the plant life above me next to the home where the old man attacked Bert not so long ago. But the power I suddenly had was not the thing that was important right now. To be precise, I noticed two very strange things. First of all, the lack of mana. Before all this went down, this whole cave, along with its surroundings, was so mana infused it was hard to even walk through it without getting mana drunk. But now, it was the exact opposite - everything was completely dead. And not just like regular underground, no, it felt like life itself was drained from the earth somehow. The scale was also something else. I couldn¡¯t really tell how far we went underground, but we did walk for a long while, and yet almost the whole way towards this cave was completely devoid of mana. This void was in the shape of a sphere, maybe a bit distorted on its edges, with the epicenter being the cave I was in. Wait, no, it was not just the epicenter. The whole void was in the shape of the cave itself - like it was the extension of it. The edges had some traces of mana, a bit more of it in the upper parts, probably because they were already encroaching onto the forests¡¯ roots and all that. The second thing though was what worried me a little bit. Besides the house, I also could get a feel of the entire village. I could tell that it was mostly the same although with one little detail. Or maybe a large one. The barn which we ¡°rented¡±. When I first reached it I expected to feel the remains of the people that we hauled there. Maybe Odar, Bert, or someone from the second party, king with his team. What I didn¡¯t expect to feel was the emptiness. Yes. Emptiness. Very similar to the one that was surrounding me now. Although the scale was miniscule in comparison, it was still unnerving. While the anomaly surrounding me probably could be explained with the Origin Crystal being destroyed and all, feeling a similar one right next to it was¡­ eerie. I couldn¡¯t help but get the image of the first Origin Crystal and what happened then. Did the same happen here? Did I start an apocalypse yet again? Cities destroyed, people, earthquakes, mana explosions. If we didn¡¯t¡­ Hold up. Why was I remembering that? Didn¡¯t that happen AFTER I blacked out? How the fuck did I know about that? I started thinking, frantically. And remembering even more. I remembered¡­ seeing myself getting my arm chopped off¡­ then shielding that kid from the shards flying everywhere from the explosion. But I also remembered seeing the exact same thing from the other perspective, followed by Iloa¡¯s vaporization. And I still definitely could remember the pain of getting my limb cut off along with getting tossed away from the explosion. What in the fuck was did that mean? I remembered the whole incident from multiple perspectives¡­? But that was not all. When I thought about the Origin Crystal and the original explosion, my thoughts naturally went towards the crystal that exploded here¡­ and I also had more unfamiliar memories here. I remembered Axelrod taking a swing at me, just to bounce back and try again¡­ then the explosion¡­ myself getting flung back. Then I remembered being in the dark, finally finding that familiar mana, going berserk and¡­ getting drained by me¡­ Or my other self¡­ Fuck, who exactly was I? The mix of memories was very unpleasant and having them felt both right and wrong at the same time. I knew I shouldn¡¯t have seen those things from those perspectives, yet I felt¡­ accomplished? I stopped myself from remembering even more, trying to focus on one thing at a time. Really, I wanted to forget half of what I just remembered, but for some reason I knew that it was not possible, nor was it right. That was not the easiest thing to do in this situation. While the memories did not just pop out uncontrollably whenever they wanted, they were present whenever I started to think about it. Unluckily, everything in the nearest vicinity was unsurprisingly reminding me of what just happened, making the memories emerge again and slowly starting to give me a headache. I had to do something to try and focus on one thing at a time, or at least at the least amount of things. Something to occupy my mind for a second. Trying to clear my mind, I sat down and gazed at the ground, trying to, for a lack of better term, meditate. Did not help. Accidentally though, in the corner of my eye I noticed something shining lying under a small pile of rocks. That being the best distraction I had at the moment I started walking towards it. Just as I was getting closer, I felt a crunch under my feet and heard something shatter. Realizing that I just stepped onto some broken glass, I quickly stepped back. Of course, no harm came to me since I was made out of crystal, but still. After a closer look, I recognized what exactly that junk was - it was just remains of the contents of my bag and probably also Melle¡¯s. Same with the shine I saw earlier - it was just more of the same. I didn¡¯t really care about what happened to the junk I was carrying around, but it was as good a distraction as any other, so I started moving some rocks around, trying to get a bit deeper into the pile where I saw the light being reflected. I was not using any magic, physical labor was a good way to keep your mind off things. And besides that, I wanted to see how strong my body actually was. Unsurprisingly, I was still as weak as before. While sturdy, the crystal did not exactly add much to my muscle mass. True, I managed to move some stones and kick away some others, but not more than I would be able to lift if I was just a regular pile of flesh and bones. Digging through the rocks though made me remember exploring the tunnels next to Melle¡¯s house and the bowl. Which of course came with another jolt of memories about MIRE. This time though they were a lot more tame. Or maybe I was just getting used to that. It was just about me, or at least I felt like it was me, spending time with Mike¡¯s kid before the accident happened. Then, later, sitting in the middle of our main lab, alone. I shook my head trying to get back into the proper state of mind and instead focus on something else. What exactly did I come here for? Right. Melle. At least this name was not giving me any more jolts of memories. I did remember her being taken by Axelrod along with the kid. I regretted that immediately because just as I thought about that, the memory in question started playing from multiple points of view, giving me a headache again. -Focus¡­ - I muttered to myself. - Let¡¯s get out of this place first. Where¡¯s my shit¡­ I again started scouring the surrounding area for my belongings and I finally managed to find them. Too bad they were absolutely destroyed. The bags, both mine and Melle''s, were torn to shreds. While I sort of expected for my enchantment to finally give out - it already survived more than it should¡¯ve - I still was sad seeing it destroyed. On the other hand, maybe it was for the best - at least it¡¯s going to be easier to not accidentally get some headache-inducing flashbacks. After all, it was the last thing I had from the old times and the Mire. Not including my crystal of course. The other bag, including all of its contents, was also in shambles. I was hoping, since its magic was most likely a bit more stable than mine, that it¡¯d survive this, but nope. I guess I should¡¯ve seen that coming. That meant that I was left with just my two bare hands and a magicless dagger to somehow get out of here. 64. Development Well, not everything was completely grim and hopeless at least. First off, the memories finally stopped. Okay, maybe not stopped, but were more or less tolerable - I still was able to remember shit I definitely did not should, but at least it no longer was giving me a headache, so I could focus on something else. By something else I mean inspecting the landslide and the rubble that was blocking my way out of here. It was similar to the pile that I dug myself from. Or rather one I was pulled out from. Although it was a bit taller, covering most of the entryway, there was still a small opening just about the ceiling level. Not sure if it was big enough for me to pass through, nor if I was able to reach it anyway, but something like that was not going to stop me. I survived being crushed and buried alive, what¡¯s a pile of rocks? Even then, I was not going to try and climb onto that thing. I thought about using earth magic just as I did back in the caves near Melle¡¯s house, to create makeshift steps or at least a climbing wall, but I was not sure if this unstable wall was able to support my weight. I also was not sure if using earth magic while being surrounded by rocks and under the influence of an unknown mana surge was a good idea - who the hell knows if I was not just going to create another landslide. I decided to start small, and try a bit less invasive magic to meld the rocks together before trying to climb up. Taking the inspiration from my earlier attempts at escaping, I wanted to use a bit of ice magic to freeze the rocks together. I stepped towards the wall and touched the landslide. -Elwu etos hmedou lek gmyo. It was a good idea to start slow. As I feared, the spell instantly went haywire. Instead of bits of ice slowly forming between rocks as I intended, the spell was, let¡¯s say about ten times stronger and faster. The ice formed almost instantly, spreading like it was no tomorrow, pushing the rocks away and, yep, creating another landslide, just as I was fearing, falling right on top of my head. I barely managed to dodge in time. Well, I say dodge, but some falling stones clocked me right in the head anyway, creating a mass of sparks, but, luckily, not burying me alive again, instead just pushing me away and maybe giving a concussion or two. I feel like I blacked out for a second there, because the next thing I knew was that I was lying at the base of the new blockage. As I looked up, I had to do a double take, because I could not believe my eyes. The rocks were no longer blocking my path. Instead, the entryway was completely blocked by one giant iceberg, which I assume pushed all the rocks away and created the avalanche in the first place. Shaking off the concussion I stood up. The ice was so clear that it could¡¯ve easily passed as glass. That is, if it was not melting right in front of my eyes. I could easily see the other side, into the corridor. Meaning there was only one thing left to do - hasten the process a bit. I did hesitate at first - after all, my spell did just go wild a second ago. -Ah fuck it, what, else I am going to do¡­ - I muttered to myself. - Usc fi geksu. Of course, this spell also went a bit overboard. ¡°Bit¡± being relative. Instead of summoning a fire orb, I straight up summoned a small sun that, even while it was pretty far from the ice wall, started melting it so fast that the whole cave got instantly filled with steam. -Son of a¡­ I thought I was resistant to fire thanks to my crystal, but thanks to this spell I had to think again. Even though I was the one that conjured it, I could feel the unpleasant heat on my skin, even pain, especially in the vicinity of my stomach. The heat was definitely not getting weaker, even though I almost instantly cut off the mana supply to the spell, so I did one thing I could - tossed the orb right at the ice in front of me, while at the same time diving down and away from it, as far as I could. What followed was another explosion of steam and a rumble. Quickly jumping up, I readied myself for an avalanche I thought was immediately coming, but nothing of sorts came. As the steam somewhat cleared I finally could see the destruction that I caused. The whole ice wall was gone. Along with it, some smaller rocks that were caught in the blast were now lying, red from the heat, and some even half-way melted into the ground. But, nevertheless, the passageway was open. Taking a note to not use magic under any circumstances in the near future, I gathered myself from the ground and went towards the exit, leaving the destruction behind. Surprisingly, the tunnel was not in bad shape. Right, the walls were somewhat cracked and every now and again there was a large pile of debris in the way, but nothing that would¡¯ve blocked the path completely. Even then, I was having some difficulty getting through - but that was just because the light that I was emitting all that time was slowly starting to vanish. On one hand, that was good news - I did not have to worry about yet another spell going haywire, or at least I hoped so. On the other hand, I was still in complete darkness, and if it was to get dark completely, I would be walking blind. Just as predicted, about a few minutes later, the light was completely gone. Reflexively, I wanted to summon a light orb, but I bit my tongue half way through the first word, remembering what I just said to myself and instead slowed down, hoping that my eyes would get used to the dark at least a little bit. I somewhat did, but that did not help much. I was traveling at snail¡¯s speed, and if my earlier journey through this corridor was any indication, I still had a long time before I¡¯d emerge in the village. I took that time to try and understand what just happened and what should I do next, but soon came to realize that I can¡¯t really plan on anything before successfully leaving the underground - for all I knew I was trapped here because of a certain someone blocking the way out. For some reason he believed that I was his enemy, and if I was him, I would definitely take the opportunity to at least make my life harder. On the other hand, he most likely did believe that I was dead. Well, any other person would be, and I was not so sure if I really did not die there for a second - if not for the crystal to take over for my missing crushed limbs, I¡¯d be as dead as it gets. Why the hell did he even do that though? Didn¡¯t he say I was their God or whatever? Lost or something? Stupid cult. If not for Melle and her necklace I would¡¯ve probably never met For, and by proxy Axelrod and¡­ Wait a second. For. The contract! I quickly raised my hand to check my palm to look for the mark. It was dark, so I obviously could not see, but even then I could tell that it was not there - the skin, or rather the rock was as smooth as it was everywhere else. That was problematic. I really, really wanted to try and summon the contract, but I knew that was not a good idea. If it was still there and it was just the wound that disappeared, I was risking two things. First off, I still was not sure about my own magic - while I was no longer glowing, who the hell knows how exactly would the contract react to my new form. Second, if it was to work as usual, that would¡¯ve meant that Axelrod and whoever else was nearby would know that I was still alive and kicking - not something I wanted to announce at once. In any case, that made me hasten my step. Even though I was still not seeing shit, I stopped caring and, even though I was constantly tripping on rubble under my feet. At least every time I tripped I produced a large amount of sparks, lighting up the way a bit, so after a while I started dragging my feet on purpose. Instead of a magical hazard now I became a fire hazard. I mean I never could really stop being a magical hazard, but you get it. The rubble finally disappeared after a few minutes of walking, but then the corridor was already getting a bit brighter, meaning I was already close to the exit. Surprisingly, the exit was not barred in any way. Hell, it was not even closed - the hatch was completely torn off. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I slowly emerged from the hole. I already did check the surroundings with my mana sense before, but still I expected to see a trap or something, yet found nothing of sorts. The house I found myself in was in the same state as we left it, well, maybe besides the front door being a bit more torn off. I am not sure how long I was down there, but it was the middle of the day. Sun was shining, the weather was beautiful - like every day in this place it seemed like. It was quite a change from the darkness of the underground, so when I emerged from the house and the sunlight hit me, it blinded me, almost making me trip. Staggering, I had to grab onto the ruined door frame just not to fall down. That was lucky of me. While I was losing balance, I took one step outside of the house, touching the grass with my bare foot, and at the same moment I felt a sudden burst of strength go from the ground spread all throughout my body. A bit startled, I moved back, and noticed that in the ground, where just my foot was, the grass was completely gray, looking like it was burned out. I leaned forward to touch it, but just as I made contact with it, even more of it started darkening and dying out, and I felt yet another burst of strength. Just as if to confirm my suspicion, my hand started glowing again, in an undeniable proof that it was indeed the crystal that just drained it. -Well shit. That was an interesting development. I already knew about the ability of the crystal, but for it to work that quick and seemingly without my control¡­ To say the least it brought more problems than it solved. But let¡¯s look at the bright side first. The lack of mana was no longer a problem. If I was able to drain everything I touched, I basically had an infinite source of power. Sad that it was the only plus of this thing. If I was not able to control it, how the hell was I supposed to even get away from here without leaving a trail of decay behind me? Just to test this out, I stepped out and took two steps away from the house. Instantly, where I stepped, the grass died, turning gray and drying out. When I stopped, it spread maybe a few centimeters more, but then the decay stopped and the mana flow halted. -Yeah, that¡¯s going to be a problem - I muttered to myself, sitting down and involuntarily creating even more dead grass, just before quickly backing up to the house. Instead of procrastinating and being generally amazed by, apparently everything, I started rummaging through the whole building, looking for anything that would be useful. I did not find much, but I did discover a bunch of clothes. Not very clean ones, but were good enough for what I needed. I wrapped my hand in some of the rags and went outside again, wanting to check if this was going to work and yep, sure enough. The thin layer of clothes was enough to block the ¡°curse¡±. I quickly went back and wrapped both of my feet and hands in the cleanest rags I could get my hands on. Since I did not find anything that even remotely resembled shoes, I just torn the sleeves from some decently-looking shirt - the owner will definitely not miss them. I must admit, I felt stupid-looking, wrapped like that, but I couldn¡¯t just walk while leaving a trail of gray grass behind me, so I immediately started looking through other houses and rummaging through their wardrobes. Thanks to our earlier ¡°mission¡±, the ransacking was quick and after a third house I found myself a full set of new clothes, replacing my rags. This time it was a set of gray linen pants, a shirt tied with a string and shoes that looked almost like they were not just some oversized socks, along with a brown, open-front coat that I quickly closed, hiding the crystal body of mine. I was not able to find anything that would cover my head, nor did I find any gloves. For hands I just remade my hand wraps from a bit cleaner material, essentially bandaging them up. Speaking of the crystal body, when I was changing clothes, I realized that it changed again. I don¡¯t know for sure if it was when I drained the creature underground, or if it was thanks to the mana I sucked from grass, but my body turned a bit greener and I no longer had a weak spot anywhere - I was already completely turned to stone. I was wondering if it was going to happen, or rather, after all the events in the caves, when, but I didn¡¯t expect it would be so soon. From what I¡¯ve noticed, the growth periods were happening after I absorbed large amounts of mana from somewhere - like the combined spell of Odar and Jacob - but this time I was running low on mana almost constantly. Well, I did drain the creature and a bit of mana from the ground just now, but that couldn¡¯t be enough. There was the dagger though¡­ I finally remembered about it and inspected it closer. So far I only did so in the darkness, but even in the bright sun there I still couldn''t find any inscription or anything like that. Besides it being old and nicely made, there was nothing that would explain the enchantment that there was on it - especially so powerful that draining it managed to turn yet another piece of my body into crystal, not to mention that it gave me enough mana to recover and escape. Wondering about that, I was wandering around the village. I already knew that there was no one here besides me, but I still wanted to be sure, and maybe find something that would be useful. I was about half way through the whole town when I, for the first time, got closer to the side of the town where the old barn was - where we gathered people. Or rather the corpses. I did wonder what happened to them after everything that happened, so I decided to check that out. I did not have to walk far to notice that something was absolutely wrong. I realized that the emptiness that I got the feel of earlier was the barn. The grass around it was completely gray, and the closer to the building, the darker it was, to the point when right next to it there was literally no grass nor any plant alive at all. The trees that were caught in whatever the hell happened there were also completely gray. Most of them did not have any leaves, and those that still had some remaining were at the very edge of this strange circle. On the other hand, the building itself looked intact. I slowly started approaching this strange anomaly, not sure what to think, although the coloration of the grass did not fill me with confidence. What I found inside was¡­ bizarre to say the least. Inside of the barn, right in the middle, there was growing a thick tree. Its roots were mostly above the ground and were snaking all around the floor of the building. They were also strangely regular, parallel to each other, like some kind of mat covering the floor. Each of them was also pretty thick - easily larger than a person. On top of all that, the whole tree was also completely gray, similar to the others outside. It also was apparently very delicate, because as soon as I opened the door and walked in to see this strange sight, I nudged one of the smaller roots accidentally, just for it to crumble into ash. The same ash was also covering the whole room. At first glance I wanted to say that someone burned this place with some kind of magical flame, but I had a feeling that it was not the case. The color of the tree and the grass was very familiar, same with the overwhelming feeling of emptiness that was prevalent in the area - just like it was underground. And the ash¡­ Fearing that I might be right, I went outside to the border between where the grass was still alive and where the decay started, and unwrapped my hand. I briefly touched the part where the grass was still alive, just for the decay to kick in - and sure enough - even this brief touch managed to drain the grass completely, making it indistinguishable from the dead patch that had the shed as its core. Whatever destroyed this place had the exact same power as my crystal. What in the hell would that be though? And how the hell would they even do that? Walking back to the shed, I started thinking of the possibilities. As far as I knew, there was only one crystal that was able to drain mana like this - and it was still safely a part of me. Even a similar one, the one that not so long ago I found underground, was sort of similar, but had quite opposite functionality - while mine was sucking all the life from the area, the crystal with the presence in it enriched its environment. In any case, it also was already gone, so even if I was wrong about that and it also had the same power as me, it was still out of the picture. Was it someone in Axelrod¡¯s party that had this kind of power? That was not out of the question. But why did they use it here though? Back at the barn, I started thinking of possibilities, while carefully inspecting the ashen tree and its remains. I wanted to think as Axelrod would think. What would be the first thing I would do while back with my party after an exhausting fight with some unknown entity? My first guess was to regain my mana. Would that mean that it was he who had the power to drain things? And just wanted to refresh after the fight? What was the tree about though? Well, his magic was plant-based, mostly that is, so I wouldn¡¯t get past him if it was necessary for him to drain this place¡­ or¡­ wait, what exactly was here in the first place? I came to the sudden realization. People. People were here, or at least the corpses of people that we gathered here. Would it be possible that he actually drained PEOPLE? I shuddered. That would explain the thickness of the roots - it seemed a bit over the top for any three to grow roots in that kind of shape. Wasn¡¯t that the one custom of this place? A funeral that turns you into a tree? Absorbed with this thinking, I accidentally touched one of the roots a bit too hard, making it crumble and reveal what was underneath. To my relief it was not a corpse. Nor a skeleton. It was just a dagger. My relief was very short lived, because I almost instantly recognized it. After all, I had the exact same with me. It was the second one from the pair that I knew belonged to Melle. I sat down, not sure what to think of it. I did not want to believe it, but at the first glance it indeed looked dire. The worst scenario. Axelrod brought Melle here, along with her belongings. Feeling that he won¡¯t be able to make it out, he decided to drain the remaining mana from the environment, and the corpses that we gathered. Did she die during the cave-in? Nah, couldn¡¯t be. Or maybe, by some weird accident, the spell also caught Melle, who, unconscious, was not able to resist, and got caught by the roots that absorbed her, leaving just her belongings. I really wanted to think that it was just my stupid brain thinking of the worst scenario, but it was indeed a possibility. I honestly doubted that¡¯s what happened, he probably just discarded the knife, or she lost it during the escape, there is no way that he¡¯d kill her. Not after claiming that she was his family, and multiple times to boot. But, I was wrong before, and he looked a bit unhinged during our fight, so¡­ No. I could not just assume the worst. No matter what actually happened here, I still couldn¡¯t shake the unpleasant feeling that this place was giving me, so I decided that I should leave as soon as possible. Just get away from this place and don¡¯t look back. 65. Decisions And so I did. But as I was walking away towards where I thought was the road that we took last time, I started wondering: where the hell should I even go? That was a good question. I could not return to the capital. That was the one place that I should definitely not be right now. While maybe Arbo was the last place that Axelrod would think I would be, that is if he thought that I was still alive, I was not going to risk that. What else was there? Well, to be blunt, I did not have many places that I could return to. The Red Edge? Nah, that was also not a good one. Besides the obvious, and by that I mean that I had no way to even get there, that place still had very close ties to Axelrod and all that mess. Melle¡¯s island? The same problem. Still no fucking idea where that was, nor I had any way to actually get there. And since Odar somehow managed to teleport there, there was no doubt that he would be able to do it again - and the place was most likely monitored anyway. I had to somehow get the hell out of dodge and try understanding the situation. While the prospect of becoming a hermit in the deepest part of those forests was pretty enticing, I couldn¡¯t shake off that strange feeling of annoyance. Something was not allowing me to just let it go and escape. No. I wanted to gather information. And so it happened that I knew just the person that would allow me to do so. Jack. But that was also the problem. From what I gathered, Jack was also selling his information to Odar, and by proxy, to Axelrod himself. While I wanted to believe that he indeed was just a third party in all this, I still was not so sure about that. He did not sell me out to them at the first occasion, that was true enough though. And he was the only person that I knew that had a reason not to trust the king - with the undeniable proof being the person he had locked up in his inn. He was also a wanted man, there was that too. I also was wondering what happened to that guy? Did the potion that Melle made woke him up? If so, he could be a good source of information about the king too¡­ Hm. While I was not so sure if Jack himself had a way of making him talk, I, on the other hand, after all those experiences with enslaving and some surprise spells from Axelrod¡­ That could work. But still, he was in the capital anyway. Even if I was to trust him, I was not going back to the capital. Bah, I was going to go the exact opposite way. Speaking of the opposite way - there was actually a place that was somewhat outside of Axelrod''s eyes, and, if I was lucky, could give me a way to contact Jack without going even remotely close to that stupid city. Kruro. Hell, I already visited it twice and it indeed was out-of-the-way. While it probably was also monitored, especially after Axelrod learning that I traveled with Bert, I didn''t really have many options in the matter. I tried remembering the maps that I¡¯ve seen at the Red Edge, but that only brought more headaches and another stream of memories that I did not remember having. At first I did not try to suppress them and wanted to at least attempt to understand what I was seeing, hoping that I might learn something interesting, but it did not work - instead that was the source of the headache. I only saw my own memories, overlaid on top of someone else¡¯s that also was in the same library, with details so foggy that it was impossible to understand anything besides the place I remembered. Well, at least I learned that whoever those memories belonged to, was also in the Red Edge at some point, which did not help in my current situation. But back to the topic at hand - Kruro. I did not intend for that port to be my last stop. While I wanted to get close, I was considering not even visiting town and, hopefully, I wouldn¡¯t have to. If my assumptions were correct, and I was indeed back to a state of being constantly fueled by mana from my surroundings, the problem of provisions and rest had been eliminated, meaning only transportation and safety was my concern. While, for now at least, I wanted to start small and not use any magic, I had some ideas how to hasten my trip. First of all, I wanted to get back to ¡°my¡± ship, hoping that no one had gotten to it yet and get out to sea as soon as possible. Then, my target would be the island where I met Jack for the first time. I assumed that he was not there, since I last saw him in the capital, but the deserted island that was seemingly some kind of safe haven for a bunch of shady operations was not the worst place to hide for now. At best it would be actually deserted and I could just stay there for a while, waiting for someone to appear - hopefully Jack. Didn¡¯t he mention something about the regular auctions that were organized there? Knowing him he wouldn¡¯t just pass on the occasion to rip off some customers in that shady inn of his. And speaking of ripping off - there was also one other person that I could meet there. That merchant. I vaguely remembered him and our deal about his trinkets. Hell, that was unlucky. Back then I didn¡¯t have much knowledge about deals and such, but now I realized that he did manage to strike a deal with me, meaning - if my sources were correct of course, and that was a big if - that I could try and ¡°elevate¡± our deal, to maybe get something more from him. That is, if I was not a crystal person. As far as I could tell, my deals with For and Melle were broken, the marks were gone, and so was most likely that deal. But that did not mean that he knew that. I still could use him. Jack did mention that he knew about him and that he was appearing on the island from time to time, so it was not a stretch to think that he also knew him. If I was lucky, he could even have a way to reach him. That was wishful thinking though. Well, at the very least I had my destination, and that was all that I needed. Still, that did not mean that I knew exactly how I would get there. True, if I was just to walk, I¡¯d get there eventually. I did know a couple of spells that would be handy. Finding direction and all¡­ But that did not mean I would get there fast. While I was not in a hurry, spending that much time in the wilderness did not really instill me with optimism. To get to the boat, on foot it would¡¯ve taken me at least a week. Probably more if you consider the fact that I was not exactly familiar with this place. That did not mean that I was going to take this trip on foot. The flight spell. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. It¡¯s been a good while since I¡¯ve tried it. In my spare time I did a couple of times try to remember more and check if I had made some kind of mistake, yet the progress I made was still nonexistent. I still couldn¡¯t really get why exactly it was failing. I didn¡¯t even have a lead at all. Since that day when I successfully managed to use it, I never was able to reproduce that. At first I just assumed that it was the spell that was at fault there, it was an experimental one after all, but the longer I was studying the incantation, the more I was sure that it should¡¯ve worked. It did not have to be stable nor very efficient, I just wanted the confirmation that at least the main piece was correct. But nope. I was never able to reproduce the effect, even the small gust of wind. Once I even started thinking that this place was getting into me and I lost the power to use the wind based magic, but no. I was able to use any other spell beside that one. I even tried every single word from the incantation on its own - well, that is the ones which it would¡¯ve made sense - and on their own they worked flawlessly. Just when I tried combining them, the spell immediately failed. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t have much faith when I tried it again this time. But, to my absolute surprise and amazement, it actually worked. Hell, it worked better than last time. That startled me so much that I almost broke the concentration on the spell and barely avoided falling down, instead just made a full flip in the air, bouncing away from the tree on accident. But that was where the good news finished. As soon as I regained my balance and was about to try and fly further up, I felt a very sharp pain in my head. Not just like a headache, no, something more. It was somewhat similar to all those pains that I was having when I was getting the glimpses of memories melded with mine. But this time it was a hundred times worse and it did not seem like it was going to end there. The pain was pulsing and spreading from the head further down, starting to envelop my whole body. I instantly dropped the spell. Or rather I just lost concentration from the pain, falling down on the hard ground. I did not manage to hurt myself, as I was pretty hard to chip to begin with, but during my fall some bandages managed to unwrap from me and I accidentally touched a tree that I was next to, along with some other bushes nearby. I don¡¯t need to mention that before I managed to gather myself, the plants were already gray and dead. But at least I was not glowing. As soon as the mana from the drained plants reached me, the pain stopped and I quickly gathered myself, covering the crystal again. While unfortunate, that gave me a hint about the spell I had so many problems with. It¡¯s not like the spell was wrong, incorrectly written or something like that, no. It was just very, VERY inefficient. I only managed to use it here after being overcharged from ¡°eating¡± so much plantlife. And I even didn¡¯t manage to get very far, just barely launched off the ground. When I first used it, I was, after all, lying for an indefinite amount of time in a crater next to a ruptured leyline. Wait, no. That was not possible. If that was the case, wouldn''t my earlier spells go haywire too, like they did every time I started glowing? But, when I think about it, I was not glowing then¡­ Not yet at least. If I remembered correctly, the first time I noticed the glow was next to the pond¡­ I did not try flying then, but did have problems with other spells¡­ Hm. Well, the environment was still very mana-infused, so maybe I just absorbed mana from the air? Or maybe from something else? But what¡­ Then I remembered. The crystal. I did find some crystal pieces back at the accident site that were peculiar and definitely very full of mana. They also did disappear after a while¡­ What if they didn¡¯t though? What if¡­ they were used? By the spell? That made my heart stop for a second. I was a crystal after all. What if¡­ I immediately started patting myself down from head to toe and as soon as I reached for my head, I froze. I was missing a good chunk of my ear. Well shit. That confirmed a lot of things. That stupid fly spell was just a piece of shit - it burned through the mana so fast that I couldn¡¯t even wrap my head around it. When I first used it, I flew for so long, during which I burned through the crystals I had in my bag. Since they¡¯ve been lying right next to the cracked leyline, they had been absorbing mana for, well, who the hell knows how long. If we assume that they were indeed the pieces of Origin Crystal and had similar properties to my body now, they had to be unbelievably powerful. Strange that they were not glowing though. Just now, when I tried flying again, I had a lot more mana than I usually had, thanks to my body being transformed and enhanced by the Origin Crystal and me sucking on surrounding plants, getting a good amount of mana. Even then, I burned through all that in an instant, and then the unbelievable happened. The spell, not having enough loose mana stored within me, started consuming the crystal itself - hence my missing ear, the headache and all that. I was pretty sure that I only avoided taking more damage thanks to accidentally draining even more plants. This sudden epiphany felt strange, but for some reason I had a feeling that I wasn¡¯t wrong. I had nothing but scraps of information about all this, I knew that I still was missing some pieces, but¡­ this conclusion felt¡­ right. Like someone was steering me in the right direction. A certain someone. You are still there, aren¡¯t you? There was no response. Nor I expected one, really. Okay, maybe I did. Deep down I wanted to have a confirmation to all this, to know that I am not going insane. All this¡­ was just too fast for my liking. It¡¯s okay. Take your time. I can wait. And so my lone-not-really journey started. Getting back to the road was easy, same as establishing direction. It was not the first time I¡¯ve been on this road myself, and with help of some basic spells I quickly was able to tell where the north is and started heading towards the coast. Even if my own instincts and experiences were not enough, I started having more flashbacks to someone else walking the same path as me and I took it as a confirmation that I was indeed going in the right way. Or at least towards some kind of settlement. Either way, it was good enough for now. Even though I wanted to get to a more populated area, I did not want to meet people - reason being plain and simple - if Axelrod was THAT hostile seeing my body in partial crystallization, what would a random person do if he was to see me? Well, at best he¡¯d just run away, at worst I¡¯d be chased by some guards or whatever. So, to prevent any unexpected developments, I slowed my march and focused. I wanted to use my mana sense to scout for any presence ahead or behind me as I was walking. Unnecessarily, apparently. I quickly realized that I was even better in detecting mana sources than before. Even while walking at full speed, the area I could feel was enough for me to have time to hide when I would feel anyone, even if they were to travel by a horse. Just to check, I tried running while doing the same thing, and even then the area I could scout didn¡¯t even shrink a bit. By now I should¡¯ve expected that my body was just too good to be true. I still was lacking one ear, supposedly consumed during my flight tests. I tried absorbing mana from some plants, but that was not a good idea for a long run. I could feel that the mana was traveling towards the wound, or the chipped piece rather, but nothing grew back, yet I absorbed a full tree. I was glad that I did that when I was still in the village, or it would be very suspicious. I would have to find a better source, like another leyline, or maybe try one of those mana fruit. Probably more than one. Good thing that was just one ear though. While I did not really care about the aesthetics and my look, if I was to be missing an arm again, that would be a bit annoying. In this case I was just going to have to hide my head - not like I wasn¡¯t going to have to do that in the first place, being made out of crystal and all. Speaking of. What was that Axelrod called me? Crystal remnant? Hm. I was wondering about those beings for a good while. At first I did not think to doubt his words, but after all these developments, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder - what if what he told me was a lie? Or if he was just plain old wrong? After all, I did meet something akin to one. Hell, I had a feeling that it even saved me. After all, it did have the memories of people I thought to be dead. Or at least missing. But what does that mean? Did it kill them then absorb their memories? Or was it just a plain misunderstanding? There¡¯s been a lot of those lately. After all, the presence did mention being human once. All and all, it all was coming back to one thing - I had to get more information. Man, I really wish that we were able to talk some more¡­ Of course, no reply. Although I am not sure if I just imagined that, but I did feel a hint of satisfaction. The feeling was strangely out of place in this situation, but almost immediately it faded, so I just assumed that it was my tired brain playing some tricks on me. 66. Changes Once more, I want to say that my journey went smoothly and without a hitch, but¡­ Well, for once that was actually true. That was the easiest I have had it since forever. Even though I had to travel on foot and I was slow, it was pretty nice. As usual, the weather was great, like seemingly always in this place, the nights warm and I have not met anyone on my way towards the coast. I was wondering if that was normal though. After all, this was THE road - the main way to get to Kruro. But then I remembered what I heard about the city - it was not under Axelrod¡¯s government. If the people really saw him as that great and powerful ruler, there was no reason for anyone to try and escape his reach. On the other hand, since he was that ¡°great¡± and all that, you¡¯d think that all the thugs and otherwise shady rabble would¡¯ve been gathering here, but when I was here last time, the place seemed as normal as it gets. Some fishermen and regular folk, but not people that you¡¯d imagine when you thought of a village outside a governed kingdom. When you think about it, I was not sure that the info I had was even real. After all, I got it from people that actively were supporting him so who the fuck knows what was true or not - for all I knew that could¡¯ve been just a propaganda to try and catch the inexperienced thugs. Hell, that wasn¡¯t even that far fetched of a thought - after all that is where Rubo was going and exactly where the trap for him and us was laid by Odar. Not like that mattered. I was not going to stay there nor even try to enter the village if possible. Speaking of safety. The whole time I¡¯ve been on the road, I¡¯ve been using my mana sense. Main reason was, of course, to keep track of my surroundings and to scout for any danger. Or maybe landmarks. But the second thing was, I also wanted to finally get a better grip on my abilities as this strange creature I¡¯ve become. I already knew that I was able to absorb mana from the environment and everything that I touched to replenish my own, while also sustaining myself this way. The crystal also increased my mana capacity immensely. Besides that, I also noticed a couple other things that had changed with me. First of all, I actually was able to regenerate, as I suspected. It was a slow process, but during those couple of days on the road, my ear didn¡¯t exactly grow back, but it was getting there - the stub of my ear got slightly larger. If I was to compare the speed, it was most likely similar to when the crystal was spreading through my fleshy body before. Even the requirements were seemingly similar - it only grew when I absorbed bigger amounts of mana from the environment or some other poor target. And yes, I was indeed draining some mana on my way. I did not just grab a full tree or something - I was not going to make a trail that would lead even a blind person towards me, no. Every now and again, during nights, I stopped to get a ¡°rest¡±. But instead of sleeping or something like that, I was gathering certain herbs. While the fauna and flora that was present here was quite familiar, some of the plants were new to me - and those were exactly ones that I was interested in. My hunch was right apparently. The herbs I¡¯ve been looking for were those strange flowers, somewhat similar to daisies, that during nights were very easy to spot - they were glowing with dim, blue light. It somewhat reminded me of the glow I was emitting when I absorbed too much mana, although a different shade of it. That observation was on point. The flowers were full of mana. Almost too full if you ask me. Some that I found were so saturated that one was enough for me to start glowing again, albeit very briefly. For some reason my body was going through the excess mana quicker than usual. Not like I was complaining, it was better to NOT be a glowing beacon in the darkness of night. Although with all those flowers, if I was to hide in some bush I probably could pass as yet another plant with glowing flowers. Not like that mattered, there was no one nearby anyway. There was also one interesting thing about those plants. While I was gathering and draining them slowly one night, I also found a small patch of them a bit deeper into the forest that looked like they were already losing petals. The forest floor was littered with them, glowing all over, making the place look pretty. I sort of expected that the plants that already lost most of their petals would be dying and had a lot less mana, but no. While the glow was apparently tied to the flower petals themselves, the mana content was not. Just one look with magic sense was enough to see that those that were seemingly dying had even more mana than the fresh ones. Fascinated, I started gathering those ones as well, just to notice that they were not actually wilting. Instead, the center of the flowers in question were turning hard and thick, almost like a nut. Very similar to mana fruit. Not very similar. Those WERE the mana fruit. Hah. Weren¡¯t they supposed to grow on trees or whatever? Not just to look like some random daisies on the side of the road? Glowing, but still. That was fortunate. Happy with the discovery, I gathered a bunch of those and stuffed some in - as I was lacking pockets or a bag for that matter - folds of my clothes. Being very careful not to touch it with my crystal, of course. I failed a few times, turning a handful of them into ash. At least I had some supplies for once. The ash that I inevitably was creating was luckily pretty easy to dispose of. The smaller plants or fruit were leaving dust so brittle that it was even thinner than sand, so I just was scattering it on the wind, not like anyone would be able to find it anyway. The larger fruit, and some branches that I inevitably accidentally drained I had to hide. I had to dig a small hole with my own hands and dump it there, just to be on the safe side. It was actually harder than I anticipated, on grounds of accidentally making even more plants to dispose of. After turning a small pile of wood and even a good chunk of soil gray, I stopped trying to be stupid and just started using magic. I just lifted a bunch of earth and dumped all the garbage, covering it again. I was thinking of trying to get some leaves or something to cover the freshly disturbed earth, but I thought that was an overkill. First of all, how the hell would anyone find something like that? What, they have some trained dogs that can sniff out mana disturbances or some shit? Nah. I probably was just paranoid. I honestly doubted that anyone would even come remotely close to this place, not even to mention being able to notice a small patch of ground with drained mana. Would anyone look for me anyway? It did not seem like it, because after a week on the trail, nothing had changed. I didn¡¯t really bother to try and track time properly, nor was I in any rush, but I feel like it took me about two weeks to finally reach a place where I started noticing the presence of other people. At first it startled me, used to the emptiness of the forests for that long time. I instantly wanted to hide and wait them out, just to notice that what I felt was just a house not too far from the road, a bit deeper into the forest. After another minute of walking, I started feeling even more people, meaning I finally reached the coast. Sure enough, soon I also felt the ocean as well. See, with my, now enhanced, mana sense, I actually was able to tell the difference between the wooded area and the water. I could even tell where the beach and the sea was starting, that is if I paid enough attention. I mean, you did not need to be a genius to figure that out. While the trees and the overall plants of the forest had a certain pattern to them, or rather the mana that they had was easily distinguishable from each other. It was sort of like a large patch of irregularly scattered dots: random bushes, trees, the mana fruit flowers - all of them having different amounts of mana to them. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. On the other hand, the sea and ocean - both somewhat similar - had a regular, well, liquid form. The mana was nicely and regularly spread throughout both of them, with the sea having less and less mana the further away it was getting from the coast, until it hit a certain spot where the amount started to equalize. That gave me a nice estimation of the area I found myself in, and somewhat confirmed that it was indeed the place I was aiming to reach. Thanks to my mana sense, I recognized some spots in the town even. Especially one - the large ship with a lot of people - the tavern. I was not planning on actually entering the town though. When I got close enough for me to see the shapes of the buildings in the distance, I stepped off the path and started walking parallel to the coast, in the direction of my ship that I hoped was still there. But the signs were not exactly encouraging. While I needed to slow my walk, because I had to walk through some overgrown parts of the forest, as well as the ground was slowly getting more sandy, making the situation even worse, I did not stop using my mana sense. Well, I say I did not stop, but I have to admit, I actually could not. I noticed that a long while ago, when I first started recovering with the mana fruit on the road. It was slightly annoying, because it was not just ¡°an additional sense¡±, so to speak, that I had now. It was also affecting my eyesight. While I still was able to see all the things like a normal person would, besides that I also was constantly seeing the ¡°flames¡± of things, like I would be while I was focusing on sensing mana. I only started realizing that when I noticed that the ¡°mana flowers¡±, let¡¯s call them, were starting to glow more and more each night, to the point where I could see their glow even in full light during the day. That was not the only thing though. I also noticed that my eyes were starting to emit the same light, although it was very faint. That one I noticed later, when I saw the reflection of the light in my own body, in complete darkness, under the full canopy of the forest, far away from any mana flowers. Luckily it was not that bright - it looked just like I had two dying embers for eyes - two white dots in the darkness. Kinda spooky. And yet another reason for me to try and hide my face from the general public. But, back on topic. As I was making my way towards the coast, I was starting to be concerned, as I was not feeling any signs of the boat anywhere. I mean it shouldn¡¯t be surprising, right? The boat was after all made out of dead wood, so what was there to be felt? A lot actually. I sort of expected to instantly recognize it, as inside it did have a big magic circle. Also, I did leave the boat disguised¡­ I think? I mean sure, combat with Odar was hectic and I couldn¡¯t really recall what exactly went down but I was pretty sure that I did hide the boat, just to be on the safe side. But that did not mean that Odar himself did not tamper with it. He did attack us and he was quite competent. I couldn¡¯t really expect that he would just leave it without inspecting¡­ If he noticed that is. Or if that other guy didn¡¯t just straight up tell him. Truth be told, I sort of was banking on him being distracted. But, since I was not feeling any mana remnants, I was preparing for the bad news and the inevitable trip to the town. I probably would have to steal some clothes to not entice panic. Apparently, I was worried for nothing. While I did not feel any spells in the area, as soon as I emerged from the forest on the beach where the boat was supposed to be anchored - it was still there. No illusion, no nothing - just beached there. Maybe a bit deeper in the water, but there. That was actually a good thing - it was probably going to be hard to try and get it moving again if it would be completely beached. Now it even looked ready to sail - swaying on the water slightly. Happy that it was actually there, I gave it a slow walkaround. From where I was, I did not see any damage, nor any signs of tampering, so I promptly walked into the water in an attempt to get on. That¡¯s when I realized that I¡¯m going to have a problem. While it was nice that the boat was already on the water, ready to sail - would it be thanks to some water tides or whatever would that be - to actually get on board, I would have to swim. I mean, not a problem right? It was not far and if you can swim, with water being as calm as it was, it should be a piece of cake. Yeah I thought so too. The key part was ¡°if you can swim¡±. And yes, I could swim. Or, as I soon realized, I USED TO. Apparently having your body turned into a large piece of rock can mess with your buoyancy. Who knew? Well, I learned that a bit abruptly. It never even came to my mind that THAT would be a problem that this body would give me. Like a wet dog, I started waddling out of the water, soaked to the brim after my ¡°swim¡±, thinking how the hell should I get on? There was the stupid way - try and make some raft, or just straight up get a piece of wood to hold onto and paddle towards it. Not the worst idea. There was a fancy way - try magic yourself a solution. While it was tempting to be stupid, I decided against it. Magic it was then. The question though, what spell exactly? My mind immediately went to the fly spell and I squinted in pain, remembering the failure the spell was. Eventually I decided to use ice. I conjured a small orb of frost that I slowly lowered towards the water. Even though the salt water was not the easiest one to freeze, the sea was pretty calm, so I did not have to worry about my footing breaking. I quickly managed to freeze a large patch of water starting just at the coast and ending right next to the anchored boat. While I had enough mana to redo the spell even a hundred times over, I was in a hurry. Maybe even too much in a hurry, because just as I was to reach the boat, I slipped. It was ice after all, and my feet were not exactly built to have a better grip on frozen surfaces. With a loud crash I fell right on my back, breaking through the layer of ice and dropping the spell in surprise. Not my best moment, I admit. I did manage to grab onto the vine that was used as an anchor though. Didn¡¯t help me much, because I almost immediately lost my grip anyway and started sinking right to the bottom of the sea. I started flailing wildly, frantically thinking about a spell that would get me to the surface before my lungs filled with salt water. But yeah, that did not happen. Either of those. I did not think of a spell that would save my sorry ass from this situation, but not because I lost control and started drowning from the shock. I mean, I was shocked, but for a different reason. I realized that I did not have to breathe. In hindsight, that was sort of obvious. After all, I was made out of rock, and who said that it was only from the outside? Well, if I was not sure about that, this event cleared that out immediately. I sank to the bottom of the sea quite quickly. It was not that deep to begin with, but was enough for me to stand straight at the sandy bottom and see the surface about two meters above my head. Now, already after the initial shock, I gazed around in amazement. The water was clear and almost completely see-through. The floor was flat and almost completely lacking any kind of plantlife. Nor could I see any fauna for that matter, but that was just most likely because I was too close to the shore. Or I just scared all the fish with my flailing. Now, a bit calmer about the situation, I realized that I was not exactly correct. I was still breathing, just like I was before. I didn¡¯t just stop and fail to notice it - while probably that would be possible, that was not the case. I was breathing with the water. Can you even call that breathing? I could feel the water flow through me as I was slowly trying to understand this strange feeling. It wasn¡¯t unpleasant though. Quite the opposite. I was feeling¡­ rejuvenated. But that I quickly realized was not just because of the water, but because of the mana flowing within it. While not very potent, the sea was still full of infused water. And submerged, I was steadily absorbing the mana from it - as indicated by the glow that slowly was starting to spread through my body again, this time appearing as if it was from the inside. Right, my lungs were full of water¡­Wait, did I even have those anymore? How the fuck did that work? Curious, I forced myself to hold my breath. I didn¡¯t know what I expected, but, alas, nothing happened. While consciously trying to stop myself breathing was a very strange sensation, besides that, nothing changed. I stood there a good minute, just making sure, gazing into the underwater scenery. Well, that was quite the development. I took a good watery breath, amusing myself with the feeling of water flowing through my body again, and started¡­ walking forward. 67. Clean I did land not that far from the anchor, easily spottable in the clear water. I quickly grabbed onto it and started climbing. It went easier than expected. After sinking to the bottom, I expected that it would be pretty hard to just climb out using a piece of rope, or vine rather, like that. I had to be a lot heavier than before, you know, being a piece of rock and all, even if you count that I was in the water. Later, I realized that I was very lucky. While I was not sure how exactly my crystal would react to the touch of, let¡¯s be real, living wood, the ship was no longer made of it. It was just plain old, regular wood, no magic, no life, nothing fancy. I quickly got out of the water, but getting onto the deck was a harder part. I was right about me being heavier - when I was just walking on the ground, I didn¡¯t really feel much of a difference, nor when I was in the water, but trying to climb a rope while not completely submerged definitely gave me a good idea about my weight. Definitely not light. Even then, being made out of crystal helped - I could just wrap my hand with the rope and slowly lift myself up, not having to worry about the pain that would inevitably be absolutely there - from my full weight squeezing my hand with the vine-rope. I hate to admit, but even then it took me longer than it should. Damn my laziness and overall lack of fitness. But I digress. Already on board, the first thing I did was to check up on the crystal that was powering the illusion and the whole boat. It actually was still there. Well, mostly. It was in pieces. I don¡¯t know if it was because it somehow took damage, or if it was just used up - but it definitely was completely empty. I already knew that beforehand, not noticing any mana source on board with my enhanced senses, but seeing that still made me slightly worried. I gathered the pieces of the crystal scattered around the floor, to inspect them closer. They were not exactly like the pieces of Origin Crystal I found back then. Those looked more like crushed glass than a broken rock. And, if my theories were correct, if they were also the Origin Crystal, they would¡¯ve vanished already, turned into dust after being drained. That meant that at least some of the ship enchantments were now useless. Or at least until I found some kind of replacement for it. I stopped and gazed at my palm, covered with damp cloth. Replacement, huh? How about me? I mean, I was a good source of mana¡­ I even once used myself in an exact way as it was just needed. It was unpleasant, but still. But as soon as I was having this idea, something stopped me in my tracks. Not something physical no, not a person or a thing. It was just¡­ a feeling. Like a brief thought, that, without words, was telling me that it was not a good idea. It was the worst idea I had. Ever. To not even think like that. Stop it you fucking idiot. I quickly shook off that ominous feeling and instead focused on the ship itself. How exactly did it work? It had a magic circle somewhere in the back¡­ I finally remembered the hatch and how it was used by that mercenary, or soldier, or whoever that was, when I first got on. But was it going to work? After all, the crystal got shattered and depleted. I opened the hatch in question and immediately realized that it should not matter. Reading what little I could see of the magic formula and comparing it to the one on the table below me, I understood that this was a completely different spell, not even connected to the one below deck. Why didn¡¯t I realize that last time? From what I could understand, the boat had two systems. At least that is, from what I could see. First one was the one fueled by the crystal that used to be on the table. It worked as a ¡°heart¡± of the ship of some kind. It was responsible for the illusion spell, the repairs, navigation, all of that. No wonder it was that big. Strangely though, the spells themselves that were carved into the wood were not complete. Actually, they were missing a lot, and what was written there was barely even able to be called ¡°working¡±. All of them were lacking the, let¡¯s say ¡°smart part¡±. It had its basics perfect though. But, judging from what I¡¯ve known about this ship, I assumed that the rest of the formulas were just hidden from plain sight. The second system though was a lot more crude - that was the one connected to the magic circle hidden within the hatch. It was basically an emergency system, just with basic functions that were needed to move the ship. And, what was the best thing - it definitely did not need the crystal. It did need the mana though. But hey, I¡¯ve already seen people use it and be fine, so it should work, right? Well, now when I mentioned it, it actually had a casualty, right? That guy from the island DID collapse after using it¡­ I mean, was it the fault of this ship though? He did use a lot of mana during the attack, he sealed a bunch of houses¡­ overall, he did waste a lot of energy. Now, when I think about it, he actually had a pretty considerable supply of mana to begin with. After seeing more people and getting a hang on the ¡°regular mage¡± and their reserves, he definitely had more than average. If I was to guess, he was somewhere between Bert and Odar. I know, that¡¯s a bit of a large spectrum but still. Fuck, I used the stupid thing as well, and I was fine. Besides I had a lot more mana than him and was fully recharged, even a bit overcharged so it should be fine. Hesitating was not going to bring me anywhere. The strange feeling of ¡°stop it, don¡¯t try even¡± did not come back, so I sat down next to the hatch and, after unwrapping it, I placed my hand on the circle. I sort of feared at first that it¡¯s going to start turning to ash, but nope. My crystal did not consider the boat to be worthy of a target to drain, I guess. -Hipiso zurxa! It worked like a charm. The wind picked up and started pushing the boat slowly away from the coast, towards the open sea. At first, I was going slow, limiting myself from pouring too much mana into the ship, but after a couple of minutes I sort of got a hang of how I should operate this thing and picked up the pace. Steering that thing was¡­ surprisingly easy. Easier than I remembered, actually. But I did use that strange auto-guiding system instead and barely even tried my hand on manual control, so maybe that was just that. With a lot of mana to spare and still having some supplies to recover myself, I was not stingy on mana and gave the boat as much as it looked that it was able to handle. Which is, I might say, quite a bit. After a while it started looking more like a motorboat than just a sailboat - if anyone was to see me, they would definitely not be able to believe their own eyes. Thanks to that, and the great weather, I managed to arrive at the island in record time. I say arrived, but while the boat was easy to steer and easily picked up speed, slowing down was not its strong suit. As I was getting close to the shore, I cut the amount of mana that I was supplying the spell by about 90%, wanting to slow down and calmly approach the familiar, old pier, but the spell¡­ Well, it was crude after all. The wind started dying down alright, but not as fast as I wanted for it to. Even when I cut the mana supply completely, I realized that it was not going to work out - the spell barely changed its output. Thanks to me pumping so much mana into the spell and the magic formula overall, some sort of overflow formed. When I was speeding up before I had to hit some kind of safety barrier, meaning that I was supplying the spell with more mana faster than it was able to process and turn into the wind power pushing the boat. The excess power had to go somewhere, and apparently was slowly gathering right at my fingertips - in the magic circle itself. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. And now, even with the fresh supply cut, it still had plenty of power to waste and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Realizing my mistake, I wanted to absorb the mana back, using the crystal and its power to drain mana. While it was risky - I probably could destroy the boat in the process, or at least would damage the magic circle, turning something into ashy mush accidentally, but it did not matter. I was too slow anyway. Before I even could react, the boat rammed, bow first, into the beach right next to the pier, barely missing it. But even then, the spell was not yet finished and was still pushing the boat forward. The sudden hit made me lose balance and I fell off the boat, with a heavy thud landing on the beach. Meanwhile, the boat, after losing a lot of ballast, picked up even more speed and rammed itself into the forest, doing a whole flip, making an ungodly amount of noise, after which it finally stopped, outside of my view. Gathering myself up from the sand I quickly gazed around. With that amount of noise, if there was anyone even remotely nearby, they were definitely now coming here and I should move. But, alas, even using my enhanced senses, I did not notice anyone nearby, so I slowly gathered myself and went towards the boat, to see the damage. Unsurprisingly, the boat was in absolute shambles. The hull was pierced in multiple places by some broken trees, while the bow was now in complete tatters. The boat stopped right at one of the thicker trees, or rather in. If it was made out of metal, it¡¯d probably be wrapped around it like a horseshoe. -Well, I now know how I am NOT getting out of here¡­ Yeah, I didn¡¯t have to even check closer to know that the boat was completely useless, but I went ahead and looked through the rubble anyway. I was hoping that I could maybe find some parts of the spell woven inside it intact, or at least readable, but nope. I could read a word here and there but it was nothing that would even be remotely useful, just like a book that went right through a shredder. I sort of considered setting all the rubble on fire, you know, just to hide any traces that would point towards me, but then I remembered - that boat was not exactly mine. After all, it used to be here in the first place. Maybe not in the exact same spot and not in one piece, but still. That sort of worked out nicely. But nevertheless, I did not want all that being so obvious - after all, anyone who¡¯d get even remotely close to the pier would notice the large skidmarks it left behind. Maybe not the destroyed boat itself - it got flung so deep that the trees were hiding it for any prying eyes. -Usc fi wipvu. Knowing that I am alone, I created an orb of wind, trying to erase the skidmarks. The idea was to generate enough wind for the sand to pick up and cover any marks that the boat created. Well, it sort of worked, but I I had to dial back on the mana usage a bit. Still not very used to my new output, I at first created way too much force, creating a small tornado, sending sand everywhere. It worked out in the end. The effect was good enough, and while if someone was to try and investigate the area, they would probably find the strangely shaped sand anyway, but it was good enough for me. From the pier, the beach looked undisturbed, so it was fine. With that done, I started walking into the forest, towards the inn hidden deeper into the island. On the way, I noticed some strange things. While the place was as deserted as I remembered it - checked that with my mana sense of course - the path looked a bit more¡­ civilized. More clean, as if it was used a lot more recently. I did not know what to think of it, so I just shrugged and ignored it, not like that mattered. Another thing that was different, or maybe I just didn¡¯t notice it the first time, was that the island was full of life. And I don¡¯t mean animals or plants. The soil and environment itself was sort of similar to the caves under Kalkano, though definitely not as potent, there was no comparison. At first I just attributed it to my recent changes and me being overall more sensitive to that lately, but after a while of walking, I realized that it was not it. While the mana was not even dense enough for me to start glowing even a slight bit, the more I was walking towards the inn, the stronger the feeling got. I was amused at first, but soon it started getting suspicious. Especially after I reached the abandoned town. I constantly was monitoring my surroundings, on the off chance of finding someone here still, but even after I reached the familiar building, everything was as deserted as I¡¯ve seen it last time. Maybe even more. Some things did change though. The vines¡­ or rather growths that a certain someone created on all the doors in town were missing. Some doors looked like they were straight up replaced, while others had very visible stretch marks after someone - I assume Jack - cut through them with something sharp and removed them that way. The one building that got destroyed with the tree was sort of cleaned and patched up. The part which the tree ruined was removed and the wall behind it was reinforced using brand new planks, the door was also brand new. The tree on the other hand was still there, although it had very visible signs of someone trying to chop it down. Looks like it didn¡¯t go so well, because it was still standing strong. Not very interested in that, I first went towards the inn. I already knew beforehand that it was deserted, but I went inside anyway. Inside was the exact same as I remembered it. The only thing that was changed were the growths that that guy placed were removed, some with better effects than others, although the place upstairs where his mana went haywire was still blocked off - to get there there was made another entryway in a room next door. Not the best solution, but what can you do - if you can¡¯t remove it, just roll with it I guess? That made me wonder, what were those trees exactly that he couldn¡¯t just cut them down¡­? They did look a bit more ¡°lively¡± to me, as in having a bit more mana than any other tree on the island, but nothing that would say that it would be that hard to get rid of. The other interesting thing I noticed was that every room in the inn looked abandoned. And I mean even more than everything else - beds were lacking any kind of sheets and the rooms were overall more dusty. On the ground floor, the bar had nothing on it and even the strange sculpture that I¡¯ve seen here was missing. I did check the back room too. The doors that I remember were sealed last time were wide open and the room empty. Where there used to be a desk filled with paperwork and other garbage there was absolutely nothing - not even a scrap of paper. -I mean, he said that he¡¯s going to move from here but¡­ - I muttered to myself, leaving the building. It was a bit concerning, but not the end of the world. I did want to hide after all, and this deserted place was as good as any other. But that was not the end of my journey - I did remember one particular place that I have not checked that would be possible to find a sign of someone at least. I started scouring the surroundings in search of the trapdoor that would lead me to the hideout where we at first left a certain guy in. Surprisingly, it was harder than expected - the door this time was hidden a lot better. Besides some greenery that apparently took over the area, the trapdoor was also now under a nice and thick layer of soil. If I didn¡¯t know beforehand where to look, I would never have found it. That could be a good sign - it could¡¯ve meant that Jack indeed had to hide something there. Or I could be completely wrong, and it was just that it was so abandoned that nature really just did take it over. Sadly, it seemed like the latter was the case. The tunnel leading to the house was overgrown with random plants, some roots were even poking through, making the walk harder. The hatch leading up, towards the room was still open, the room itself barren. Even the furniture was gone. When I entered the room I started cursing myself almost instantly, realizing that I just gave myself trouble without double checking first - the door was wide open and as I peeked out I realized that I could¡¯ve even seen it from the main door of the inn. I don¡¯t think that I have to say that I was a bit annoyed at myself. Using the hardest way, forgetting to check the obvious one. Well, it didn''t matter in the long run, so whatever. Next on the bucket list were the rest of the buildings in the area - that went pretty quick, because apparently whoever was last in this place cleaned the area thoroughly. Every single house looked exactly like the one I just walked out of - no furniture, no nothing. I even double backed and checked the half-ruined one, but there was nothing to find. Scratching my head I started wondering what exactly happened here. I mean, sure, Jack moved, but isn¡¯t that a bit of an overkill? To move every single piece of furniture? Besides it being just straight up weird, how hard would that even be? To transport all of that somewhere? Sure, it was supposedly his property, but still. Lost in thoughts I started wandering away from the town, towards the other edge. I did remember that there used to be a platform over there as well, but I found out that even it was missing. -What the fuck¡­ That was even stranger. It¡¯s not that it was missing, there wasn¡¯t even a sign of it being there in the first place. Everything was cleaned up, not even a mark in the ground or anything. Besides all that being weird, I also started feeling something strange. The feeling of stronger mana was not originating from the town. I noticed that when I left the town and went deeper into the forest, where the platform used to be. I was expecting the feeling to die down, since I thought that the source was either the tree that destroyed one of the houses, or the one in the inn itself, but nope. While both of them were there, the strange oppressive mana was not from them. When I started moving deeper into the forest, the feeling was slowly but steadily getting stronger, which made me curious. What exactly was that? Not the worst time to find out - after all, there was nothing to do in the town itself, and if I was to move forward or at least use this abandoned place as my temporary hideout, I probably should know what was going on in the surrounding area. 68. Itch And so, I started wandering the forest. At first, I just went straight ahead, trying to follow the feeling to the source. It was not that hard - thanks to my body I could easily tell when the mana was getting denser or not. It took me a couple of tries, but I managed to figure out that whatever that was, it was not that far away from the coast, on the opposite side of the island and the pier where I landed. I also realized that while following this trail, I was going in a similar direction to when I first was here and decided to go on a sightseeing tour around the island. I did not find anything back then, which I found strange. I continued like this for a good while, until I finally decided that something was indeed weird. Up till now, the only unusual thing was the mana density, but the longer I walked, the stronger the feeling of oppression got, to the point where my crystal even started glowing. But that was not the weirdest part. Strange thing was that the environment around me has not changed at all. By now I expected that, since there was definitely something wrong with this place, I would¡¯ve seen the source. Or at least some kind of sign of it. That was of course only when I was looking at everything from the regular perspective. I already got used to the flames representing mana that were constantly flickering in and out in my vision and sort of learned to mostly ignore them. The ¡°magic sight¡± that I started having since the event back in the cave was as useful as it was annoying. When I focused on the other layer of my vision, I could definitely tell that whatever was making me glow was getting nearby. After a minute, the glow got brighter, I can¡¯t really tell if that was just because I started focusing more on the magical aspect of my vision or did I really was just absorbing mana from whatever that thing was, but if I was to guess it was probably both. Didn¡¯t matter in the long run, because even though I was glowing, the area in front of me started to as well, to the point where I almost was walking in blindly. I couldn¡¯t really pinpoint the source though. As if to rub it in, after a few more steps the light started disappearing again and my sight returned to normal. The oppression did die down as well, not completely, but still. Did I miss the source? Or was it hidden? I turned around just to feel the pressure again. Frowning, I started backing up, but again, after being blinded for a while, the same thing happened and I did not find anything. Maybe underground? Or was I going in circles? I started retracing my steps once more, this time not even trying to look forward, instead focusing on the ground, checking if that¡¯s going to blind me as well. It did, but it was not as bad, so I could retrace my steps at least. And that is also when I noticed that something was strange. I tried forcing myself to look mostly using just regular senses, because apparently the mana sight was now less than helpful, which proved hard - whatever was emitting this power was strong enough to annoy me even if I tried to ignore it. But, at least when I was looking directly at the ground in front of me, I could somewhat walk in a straight line and follow my trail, but¡­ That was the thing. The trail disappeared midway. It made me freeze for a second. The hell was that? Did I lose my own trail? Or walked too far? Nah, couldn¡¯t be it, the aura was as strong as always, if I was to pass by it I¡¯d have noticed. I took another step and got confused even more. As soon as I did, a footprint appeared right in front of me, in the exact place that I just stepped, and was continuing further. And not just some footprint - it was definitely mine. Not a singular one even. There were a bunch of them, telling me that I¡¯ve been here before. Following the trail, the presence again started disappearing, telling me that I passed the source yet again. Another attempt. This time I did not even try turning back, I instead decided to walk backwards. Presence started being stronger once more, and again - about a minute later, after I took a step I realized that there were no footprints. -Okay¡­ that¡¯s interesting. I stopped and focused on what was around me, trying as hard as I could to ignore the obvious magical pressure. Walking a few times back and forward I managed to somewhat understand the obstacle I found myself in front of. It was some kind of barrier melded together with, strangely, a warping spell - the missing footprints were a dead giveaway. The aura I could see was the barrier itself, and as soon as I got close enough to it, I was getting transported to somewhere else - supposedly to the other side of whatever that was that it was hiding. The transporting part of the spell was flawless. I did try to walk on the border of the barrier, trying to test its limits and to see how exactly it worked, and besides the pressure that I could feel and my crystal glowing, it had no side effects - if I was just a regular person, the only clue that something¡¯s wrong would be the footprints themselves. I honestly was amazed at the spell. While definitely not perfect and somewhat noticeable if you knew what you were looking for, it was still an amazing feat of magic. To make it even better, you¡¯d probably have to add another layer of magic on top of all that - some illusion to hide the missing footprints, or just to warp the sight of the victims. But why should I care? Not like I was going to try and upgrade it. Quite the opposite in fact, I wanted to find a way to break it. Or at least to get past it. So, I started walking on the edge of the barrier, every once in a while stepping onto the other side accidentally, wanting to see its size. It was absolutely massive. Judging by the time I was walking the edge I wanted to say that it was blocking the way to about a quarter of the island. That also made me remember - when I first landed here and went ahead scouting the place, I did notice that it took me a lot less time to circle the whole place than I would expect. Back then I must have already stumbled onto this barrier without even realizing it, which reaffirmed me in the quality of this spell and intrigued me even more. It also made me wonder why I didn''t notice it sooner? Shouldn¡¯t back then my crystal react somehow? I mean, sure, I was still not used to it nor I wasn¡¯t very sure about how it was actually working, but still, it HAD to at least.. Wait. It actually did react. Thinking back, I finally remembered. At one time, walking through here, I suddenly had a strange reaction from the crystal. I had no idea what that meant at the time, but now¡­ it actually made sense. The feeling I had had to be me getting transported through the barrier, further away. All that made me even more curious. What the hell was hidden here? Sure, it was supposed to be a lawless island and all that, so no surprise that someone would like to hide something here, but that¡¯s a lot of effort. Even if the spell runs just on the natural mana that is in the air, or maybe it¡¯s connected directly to a leyline, like the first Origin Crystal was, you¡¯d still need to maintain it. The incantation itself had to be written somewhere - which meant I would be able to bypass it. For the spell like this to work, the incantation had to be present both inside and outside the place - usually on the border of the barrier. Depending on the size, it could be in one or more places that would have to be scattered in regular intervals on the edge of it - meaning it was only the matter of time until I was able to find it. I say the matter of time, but trying to stay on the border of the spell was a feat in itself. Probably harder for me than any other person - being constantly blinded and feeling the pressure of mana all around you was not helping. Nor was me absorbing the loose mana either. While at first it was somewhat invigorating, soon it got more annoying than anything. About an hour later, I found it. It was a large rock, taller than me and definitely wider. Looked natural, yet still out of place, right in the middle of the forest. And, as predicted, the formula of the spell was indeed written on it. Or at least I assumed so, because the rock was so overgrown in moss and other random plantlife that it was hard to even read a single word. Hell, it was so bad I was even surprised that the spell was working at all. Nevertheless, I was sure that it was indeed the thing I was searching for. Now, how to start? If I was patient and diligent, I probably would be able to rewrite the spell so I would be able to pass through the barrier without issue - after scraping the greenery off the rock, the formula was clearly visible and I could tell that I was right. It was indeed a barrier teleporting anyone that wanted to pass through it away and further from here. From the side I was looking I couldn¡¯t see the part that would say anything about any way to bypass it, but that didn¡¯t mean that it wasn¡¯t possible. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. But I did not care - after all, I had an easier way to deal with it In hindsight, it might have been a bad idea, but I did it anyway. Being annoyed at the obstacle, I unwrapped my hand and placed it on the rock, right in the middle of the formula. The effect was exactly as expected. My hand lit up, soon followed by the rest of my crystal body and I felt the surge of power go through me. At the same time, the rest of the moss covering the rock started dying out and turning to ash. After a couple of seconds, it was done. The oppressive aura I was feeling and the light in front of me was gone, replaced by my own glow. I slowly stepped forward and indeed, the spell had been broken - I could normally walk through, without any issue. But, I decided that I should not move in just yet. First I wanted for the mana that I just absorbed to ¡°digest¡±, so to speak - I did not want yet another spell to go haywire on me in the most inopportune moment. So, I sat next to the rock, now completely blank I noticed - apparently, after I absorbed the mana from the spell, the formula itself disappeared as well, and tried calming down a bit. During my ¡°meditation¡± I also noticed that after absorbing the spell, my crystal, or rather I should say I, changed color. Until now, my crystal body was of somewhat green hue - most likely from all the plants and overall green, nature mana I have been running on. I did not expect the change, so after seeing that my hand was almost see-through, I got startled a bit. Thanks to the spell I absorbed, my body turned almost like glass. Strange, but not exactly problematic, so I didn¡¯t care much. What was problematic though was me glowing like a lightbulb after absorbing too much mana. What I was trying to do was to connect to the earth around me and dump the overflow mana back into the living matter that was surrounding me. In any regular circumstances that should not be a problem, but mine were anything but regular. First off, the area was already richer in mana than it should be, making me trying to get rid of mana considerably harder. Second off, the crystal body was not helping - after all it had the exact opposite property than what I was trying to do. I did make some progress though, although the process was lengthy. Very lengthy. I had nothing but time on my hands, but still, my patience was limited, so I started thinking of another way of getting rid of mana. The best way was probably just wasting some on random spells. But that was also the problem - what spell? I mean, I could always try flying again, I probably would run out in a blink of an eye, but as soon as I thought of that I could remember the headache that the spell gave me and changed my mind. Besides, there was also the problem of the spell itself being overcharged. I already was sure that whatever spell I was going to try should be as safe as possible. That meant that most elemental spells were out of the picture. If I were to compare to the time when I tried summoning a small fire orb and blasted a whole cave with a small sun, the wind spell would most likely summon a hurricane, or something like that. Lightning? Hah, nope. Earth? What, do I want to cause an earthquake or something? Water could work, but on the other hand, there were also non-elemental spells. Although, those were very¡­ ambiguous. I mean, sure, I could try using light. Then what? Another flashbang? Probably not the worst idea. But what was the point? I was already glowing brightly, and to create even more light just to get rid of a light was pointless. The opposite then? A darkness? I guess why not. I have not used dark magic in a very long while so it would be a refreshing experience, I suppose¡­ I mean, what could go wrong? -Usc fi uncsu. My intent was to first start small and I went with just a classic orb of darkness, thinking that it shouldn¡¯t be the worst if it went wild on me. And I was right. The spell did go a bit¡­ ham, so to speak. Instead of a small orb, I created a sphere that surrounded me from all sides - and it was growing. It was a bit of an unusual feeling - getting covered with darkness. The one thing worked out though - the light that I was emitting disappeared. True, at first it was just because the darkness straight up consumed it and suppressed all light in the area over all, but soon I could feel the rush of mana subside and get back to normal, meaning I probably was not glowing any more. What caught my attention though was the other effect. While covered in darkness, I should¡¯ve lost my sight completely, but that actually was not the case. I only lost my regular vision - the other layer that I gained thanks to the crystal was completely untouched. I could clearly see every single source of mana in the area. That was not all though - after a couple of seconds and after I somewhat acclimated myself to this strange vision, the flames that usually represented the mana present in things around me started changing shape. Instead of small or big sparks flickering everywhere, I started recognizing shapes. At first I just thought that the darkness spell was already giving out - after all, I did cut the mana supply as soon as I felt that I got rid of the excess mana - but that was not the case. The zone of blackness was still present and did not betray any signs of disappearing. Yet, the shapes were slowly but steadily taking better and better form, to the point where I could clearly see everything again - although this time in a very different spectrum of color. Every plant that was around was completely green - and not just a regular mix of brown branches, or the tree trunk, plus the leaves of different random colors, no. When I was looking at the trees, the shape was the only thing that looked natural. The color was oversaturated and uniform - the whole thing in this bright shade of green, closer to a traffic light than to a plant. Same with bushes and grass. Those two had a slightly different shade of green while both being a bit dimmer than the trees. Out of curiosity I looked at my own hands, just to see a bright white light - similar to the one I was emitting just now, although I was sure that the one visible with the naked eye was gone already. I attempted to dispel the darkness once more, but for naught - the spell was already cut off from me, yet it remained. I probably shouldn¡¯t be surprised - after all, I was just next to where a magical barrier was, meaning there had to be a source of raw mana nearby. It was just logical that after I basically ¡°set the spell free¡±, it found the nearest source that would give it a way to sustain itself and bound itself to it. I mean it was not the worst spell to do it, right? It¡¯s not like it could harm anyone, well maybe besides blocking sunlight from some plants but that would be it. No gimmicks, no special effects. That¡¯s also why I didn¡¯t like that kind of magic very much. It couldn''t really hurt your opponent. Sure, you can blind your adversary and confuse them, but that was it. But that was also why I picked it for this in the first place. Even if it was to stay like this for, I don''t know, a month, there would be no victims. If someone who was not just a random animal were to find it, they would think twice before entering its radius. After all, it was perfect magic for an ambush. Nevertheless I was glad to confirm that I was right. The darkness indeed affixed itself to the ground, or maybe rather to the stone that I have just dispelled. That, and the fact that I was no longer a shining beacon made me want to move out again and continue exploring. But, before that, I still had to deal with the stain that I just left behind me. It was just plain rude to dirty the forest like this - be it magic or not, it was just a piece of junk that I was leaving behind. I was not going to act like some tourist, so I figured I should clean up my mess. Easier said than done. After all, the spell was no longer bound to me, instead sucking on the mana it easily was getting from the environment. No wonder this was the place that someone set up this barrier at - with this kind of source you could create some amazing things. I did attempt to dispel the cloud with a couple of basic spells - although none of them worked. The cloud of darkness was supposed to work and act sort of like a smokescreen - and I mean also in properties - meaning wind should¡¯ve easily just been able to scatter it, like a cloud. Of course, it didn¡¯t work. Same with any other attempts, like using any other element I could think of. That was annoying. Scratching my head, I was pondering what exactly I should do with this thing and that¡¯s when I noticed that, probably thanks to absorbing the magic from the barrier, my ear had grown back. Strangely, not exactly the same as it used to be - it was now pointy. Perplexed, I checked the other one and realized that the other one was also like this. -What, am I an elf now or what¡­? - I muttered to myself, irritated that I didn¡¯t notice it sooner. Fighting a sudden urge to break off the tips of my ears to get them back into a regular shape, I started thinking. If I cannot remove this thing, then I should at least hide it. But how exactly could I even do that? As soon as I thought of that question, I suddenly had an idea. Or rather like a full epiphany. What I had in front of me was a large cloud of darkness. What is dark magic used for? Well, besides other things, to create illusions. Right. To make an illusion, you¡¯d usually want to use both light and dark magic, melding them both together to create an image of your choice. The more complicated image, the more advanced the incantation - that¡¯s why at first I thought that might prove problematic. But I was no quitter, so I decided to try it out anyway. Not like if I was to fail and create something strange any other illusion would¡¯ve been more conspicuous than a literal hanging zone of blackness. Even if I was just to change its color to green it would¡¯ve been better. It can¡¯t be that hard, right? And that¡¯s the problem. It actually should be hard. In hindsight I probably should¡¯ve noticed sooner, but recently my memory and overall ability to understand magic was somehow better than usual. Better than ever, in fact. That was especially obvious when I went and attempted to modify the black cloud that I had hanging right in front of me. I intended to do as I just mentioned, to just turn it green. And I succeeded in a heartbeat. I didn¡¯t even have to think, the words came to me and the spell replied obediently and without any issue. Maybe that¡¯s why I figured I should try a bit more. Another attempt was to¡­ I honestly can¡¯t tell you. I do not remember, really. What matters though was the effect at the end - I managed to turn the blob of darkness completely see through. Or at least it appeared so. In reality it was just mimicking the image of the forest that was in front of it - if I was to stand next to it, or try to hide behind it, I would promptly disappear inside it. Effectively, I just painted an image of the forest in the air. I think finally being able to tamper with spellcrafting awakened my forgotten itch, because I did not feel like finishing on just that. I can¡¯t tell you what got into me, but I figured that since I created a camouflaged field, it¡¯d be a pain in the ass if someone was to use it against me and ambush me using it. So, I decided to trap it. Or at least I intended to, before I regained my sanity and stopped myself. As I was placing the trigger for a trap, I did a double take, realizing that I am stupid, and instead of placing a, I dunno, some offensive spell, I just left it with a blank trigger, essentially creating an invisible alarm. After all, even if this forest was not very dense in fauna, it was a good possibility that some runaway deer would step into the trap and get zapped - this way I would still feel the trap triggering without immediately notifying the perpetrator. Or without murdering the poor animal that wandered in. 69. Stray Content with the results, I finally started exploring further beyond the barrier. After scratching my spellcrafting itch, the other one awakened right after that - curiosity. I¡¯ve seen a few magical anomalies created without any human input but that was not the case here. After all, I did dispel a very clear indication that someone purposefully made this thing to hide¡­ something. But what was that ¡°something¡±? At first, it looked like nothing. Besides the slight bump in mana density in the area, nothing changed once I started walking further in. The forest looked the same, maybe even more wild than usual. No signs of ruins or anything like that. But, about two minutes walking later, I finally felt something that I did not expect. Further in, on the edge of my senses, I felt multiple mana sources. And not just some dim, barely noticeable ones, no. While relatively small, those were healthy and dense, definitely belonging to people. Very lively people in fact, because they were moving around quite a bunch. I stopped to feel the situation out better. While on the move they were on the edge of my range, after stopping I realized that there were a lot more of them than I initially noticed - about maybe twenty. All of them were more or less the same in strength, besides two. Those were slightly bigger and more pronounced: one was slowly walking from place to place between the smaller ones, I guess a guard or someone like that, while the other one was unmoving in the back middle of all this group. Someone important? Nevertheless, that was both problematic and encouraging at the same time. Problematic in multiple ways actually. First thing was, if those were indeed just some villagers, I couldn¡¯t just walk in barging like I owned the place. Besides me being a literal abomination that would scare anyone not expecting to see me, I also was an intruder in a place that was very on purpose hidden from others. Nevertheless, I had to approach them somehow, so I started slowly walking towards where I felt that the population was most sparse, to check the place out first and confirm my findings. About half way towards the place I started hearing voices. Quite the lively ones. And young. It kinda was reminding me of a noise you¡¯d hear next to the playground, or a school. My guess was absolutely on point. To my amazement, the closer I got, the more I was sure of it - I was hearing a bunch of kids playing. While that in itself was intriguing, what caught my attention was something else. Before, I was estimating that the number of people I was dealing with was around twenty or so, but as I got closer I could tell that I had made a mistake - the mana signatures I felt before were not exclusively the ones belonging to the people, or rather kids, that I was hearing. Most of them actually were just the remnants of different kinds of spells. When I finally reached the source, still hidden in a bush, I came onto a peculiar scene. In a large clearing, there were about five kids, I want to say between ten and fifteen years old, each one flinging various spells at each other. All of them were using pretty weak and basic spells - mostly water and light magic. As far as safety goes, I guess they were good on that front, but still, it was magic after all - you have no idea what could happen. As if to prevent the unexpected, a bit further away, there was an adult sitting under a tree, observing this play-battle. I couldn¡¯t really see their face from afar, but that person was one of the two stronger presences in the area. Behind, hidden in the trees, was a large house. Or should I say, a mansion. It was made out of some dark wood, and was about as large as the ship I¡¯ve seen in Kruro, the one turned into a tavern. Hell, maybe even larger - I couldn¡¯t really tell how far it was going deeper into the forest. The door was open and I could see a long corridor inside, lit up with a dim light. From the outside the building was half-way covered with either moss or overgrown with ivy. Amazed, I crouched in a bush on the edge of the clearing. Out of all the things to hide in this place, I have found a¡­ school? Daycare? Orphanage? One of the above. That reminded me - Jack did mention that he bought out a slave girl from the auction once¡­ I never knew what happened to her, but what if it wasn¡¯t just one time thing? Was it his place as well? If that was true that meant he was a lot better person than I had him for. Speaking of, was it him that was now overseeing the children? I squinted, trying to make out the details of the person under a tree on the opposite end of the clearing, but I only saw a black hair and mustache. Wait a second. That guy actually looked familiar. A bunch of squinting later I was actually pretty sure - or I have found a new holder for a title of an owner of the stupidest looking mustache - that was the same guy that scammed me out of my money and sold me that weird talisman. Out of all the places to find the guy, it had to be here, when I was trying to hide. Great. I honestly did not expect to find him ever again. For him to actually be on the island and in such a strange place¡­ If I was not curious before, I would be now. But how the hell could I even approach this situation? It¡¯s not like I could just walk out of hiding and chat him up¡­ The decision was made for me though. As I was thinking of a way to do this, I got distracted and stopped paying attention to the kids playing, since they were pretty far away. So you can imagine my surprise that I suddenly felt a streak of mana racing right towards me. I instinctively tried to dodge and duck even lower to the ground, but I was already pretty low and to evade I¡¯d have to lay completely prone on the ground. And so, I got hit. I thought that¡¯s no big deal, it was magic after all, no harm would come to me and it was probably just a stray spell anyway. Well, I was mostly right. It looked like it was indeed just a kid missing their target. The spell was also pretty weak, so I didn¡¯t even feel much of a mana surge. What was strange though, when I absorbed the spell, I did not feel the mana empowering me from the outside, like I did every other time. This time, instead, the mana spread from the inside of my chest? Another weird thing - even the mana amount was miniscule, the light I suddenly flashed with was definitely brighter than it should be. Luck wanted that the spell that hit me was light based. It was the first time that I¡¯ve been hit with something like this in my new form, so I never expected it, but that kind of magic was apparently my weakness. Well, sort of. The light I¡¯ve noticed was not from me absorbing the spell - it was the exact opposite. It was just the spell piercing me throughout and basically making me shine like some kind of prism. While I was glad that it was just a kid that tossed the spell and it was not really meant to do damage, that was not the problem right at that moment. The issue was that the sudden rainbow sprouting from the bush caught the attention of the kids playing. And their overseer. Yeah, no wonder - I was still shining. Looking down on my own body, I realized that the light from the spell was now bouncing inside me, lighting me up from inside. I focused for a second on the spell itself and successfully absorbed it, but it was too late anyway. The light suddenly appearing and then disappearing definitely was suspicious. I either had to run now or reveal myself before they arrived. Either would be easily noticeable, so I decided to stop hiding and stood up from my bush. As expected, my reveal startled every single one of them. The kids, even without the instruction of their caretaker dashed right towards the mansion with unbelievable speed. They guy started shouting something to them, but I didn¡¯t care much what, I instead prepared for the inevitable. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. The first spell hit me with full force. I didn¡¯t even bother to dodge, as I recognized what it was - a green, nature magic based spell. I wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge anyway, because, surprisingly, the projectiles did not come from him, instead were launched from the tree behind me. Even though I got hit, it didn¡¯t do much. The spikes were pretty large, I want to say about as long and thick as an adult human¡¯s arm. I am not sure though, because as soon as they touched me they instantly started vanishing into the gray ash - the crystal was working quickly. Sighing heavily, I raised my hands in a gesture of surrender, but that did not help. This time, I felt something tripping me and trying to wrap itself around my legs. I was not going to deal with that bullshit again, so before I even hit the ground, I already unwrapped my hands completely and just ripped out the vine that was snaking its way around my body, trying to tie me up, instantly turning it to ash. -I did not come here to fight¡­ - I started, but the guy was not listening. He sent another wave of vines towards me, this time not just from the tree, but also from the ground and overall from every single plant that was nearby. I let him bind me as much as he could, making him for a second regain his composure, just to shift in the binds a bit, ripping through them with my bare hands. No matter how thick or how many of them were there, I was just turning them to dust. -Can you please calm down? Nope, of course he couldn¡¯t. Can¡¯t blame him for that, but still, it was getting annoying. It was obvious that he only could use green magic, because even though he couldn¡¯t even scratch me, he was constantly repeating his spells, trying to bind me or knock me out. I considered retaliating, but decided against it. It was clear that he was no threat to me and I could just wait him out. After all, he had to have a finite supply of mana, while I wasn¡¯t even using any. Bah, he was basically donating his to me. After a third or fourth wave of plants I already was glowing just as strong as when the light spell was bouncing around inside me. That is also when I finally noticed that he was finally getting tired and starting to backpedal a bit. I did not let him increase the distance, instead I just slowly started following him. -Okay, I know how this is looking right now, but would you at least listen to me for a second? No reaction. Well, no matter. Not like I was in any danger, so I just decided to wait him out. Meanwhile, I was constantly keeping track of the magic signatures of the kids that ran back into the house. It did not look like they were doing anything though, besides running around. What I was more interested in though was the other presence I felt earlier, the stronger one. By now I sort of expected that they would¡¯ve come out and wanted to assist him, but nope. Instead it seemed that they were doing the opposite. While I was being pestered by this guy, the other one was gathering the children into one group. I guess they wanted to escape together while this one was busy keeping my attention. Not like that mattered. I didn¡¯t really care. While I was definitely curious about this whole establishment, I was not going to stop them. It was about a minute later when the other caretaker gathered everyone inside. Meanwhile, the one attacking me was already on the verge of passing out, barely even able to move his vines. Still was trying to bind me though. I expedited for the people inside to run away or maybe teleport, but to my surprise, they did not. Instead they started going down and together were waiting somewhere below the mansion. A cellar I guess? -Are you done? - I asked when the guy finally stopped his assault mid spell, short on mana. -Yrgh¡­ -I feel that means yes. -They are already gone. You¡¯re not getting to them - he hissed at me, falling down, breathing heavily. He was still able to talk. Impressive. -Them? - I approached him and stopped right at his feet. - The kids? -Should¡¯ve killed me when you had the chance! Wisfe wowu moho po! - he suddenly yelled, grabbing me by my lower half, trying to tackle me to the ground. Did he just try using life magic on me?! I don¡¯t need to say that it did not go well for him. While I did not drain him, since he did touch me through the clothes, I was still pretty heavy. And he was tired. The spell did go off though, or at least started to. As he grabbed me, I could feel him suddenly strain and¡­ change color? I swear for a second it looked like that. I can¡¯t really tell what exactly he intended to do, his spell sounded a bit ambiguous, but I felt that where he was grabbing me, something started poking through my clothes, just to stop as soon as it touched my crystal skin. Whatever that was, got drained the same as always. I noticed a hint of confusion on his face that instantly got replaced by massive strain, just for his eyes to roll back and him to faint at my feet. -Fucking Christ, can you at least try and not kill yourself please? Along with that I indeed confirmed that I was not insane - he did change color. He was green, although his fingers where he managed to grab me already were turned back to normal. Mostly that is, because the edge of the fingertips was turning gray. I shuddered. He was lucky that he fainted. If this was to go even a moment longer, I would¡¯ve drained him like any other plant. I wrapped myself tightly again and started wondering what the hell I should do with him. I couldn¡¯t just leave him here. Not like I cared what exactly happened to him, but if I was to stay on the island, he¡¯d definitely go after me again. I probably should wait for him to wake up and try talking some sense again. I mean I still had some of those raw mana fruit on me, but was it wise to just give it to him? Probably not. I¡¯d have to at least bind him first, but that would not give me a better image¡­ Why do I always get hot-tempered people? There was still the issue, or maybe hope, in the other presence I felt inside - the second caretaker, probably. Maybe they can be reasoned with? But was that even worth the hassle? I did just put down their friend - not the best first impression, if I ever felt like chatting. Shrugging, I made up my mind. I quickly cast a spell - taking inspiration from my recent experiences with green magic - attempting to bind the hands and legs of the guy with vines. It came out quite nice, I have to say. While the spell did not look very¡­ natural, I did create something akin to a rope, made out of thin, green fibers. Quite a good result, especially considering that I wasn¡¯t really used to this kind of magic. It also looked pretty durable. I guess the excess mana went towards the quality this time, not quantity. Content with my creation, I left the guy on the ground right where he fell down and started walking towards the building. I don¡¯t know what I expected, but the building itself was actually quite large. I mean, sure I already saw it, but standing up close made me realize how spacious this thing was. The door was left wide open, and inside there was a long, wide corridor. It reminded me a bit of those you¡¯d see in a school - especially when paired with sets of doors in regular intervals on both sides, only interrupted by another corridor, splitting the building into four sections. In the middle, there was a spiral stairway going up, but I couldn¡¯t see any way down. I wasn¡¯t really paying attention to which way the kids went, I only could tell where they were now - and it was below me, not that far away from me. Following the corridors, I walked towards the direction I felt their presence, just to arrive at an open door, and a large kitchen. It looked well-kept, clean and definitely recently used - utensils were scattered everywhere, like someone dropped them in a hurry while preparing a meal. Well, I mean, that most likely was the case. And below me, I could tell, there were a bunch of kids huddled together with their caretaker. I slowly walked in, making the floor creak under the weight of my body, telling me that, if I didn¡¯t know that already, that there was indeed another floor below me. Yet, I couldn¡¯t tell exactly where the entrance to the cellar was. Or if it was in this room to begin with. Sighing heavily, I sat on one of the counters, pushing aside a bunch of half-peeled potatoes. -Hello. I know you are in there. There was no noise, but I noticed that the flames of their mana flinched, meaning they definitely heard me. -So¡­ I know this is a strange situation we found ourselves with, but let¡¯s start with the basics. I am not here for you, nor anything in particular to be honest. I am just looking for a place to stay and lay low for a while. No response. -I mean sure, that¡¯s quite unexpected, I appear here uninvited. How did I even find the place to begin with? - I continued my speech. - How can we believe any word from a creature like you? Right¡­ that¡¯s a lot of issues. I probably wouldn¡¯t believe myself if I was in your shoes. So I am going to give you this straight up. I know this guy - I gestured towards the outside - who attacked me. He most likely doesn¡¯t remember me, but I do not care. I didn¡¯t really expect to find him here STILL, but hey, whatever. That aside, I was looking for a man called Jack, or a way to contact him. Since you live here, you probably know the guy, he¡¯s got a son, owns the inn, or rather the whole town in the forest here. While searching his place I stumbled upon your cozy home¡­ Of course, there was no reply. I couldn¡¯t really think of any way to continue this monologue. I really, really did not want to resort to destruction and violence, especially in front of kids, but I had a feeling that without at least a little threat I wouldn¡¯t get anywhere. 70. Friends -Come on, it¡¯s a bit strange to just talk to a wall. I know you can hear me. You have some kind of caretaker with you, right? I promise I won¡¯t do any harm to you, I just want to talk. Can at least he, or she, come out? I can¡¯t really go down to you without destroying your floor¡­ - I said, getting off the counter and taking a step in their direction. The last one worked, because almost instantly, from under the floor a young, feminine voice spoke up. -How can we believe you after you killed Vendi? -You mean the guy outside? Nah, he¡¯s fine. Or, will be. He¡¯s just passed out from mana exhaustion. Tossed a bit too many spells. Go figure. -Do you have any proof? -You can go check for yourself. I am not going to bite you, you know. Silence. -Yes, I am aware that it looks like a trap. Tell you what, I¡¯m going to bring him here. Will that work for you? -...yes¡­ -Okay then. Be right back. As soon as I left the room, I noticed that they started moving frantically between themselves, probably discussing what to do. When I turned into the corridor leading outside, I hesitated for a second, because I was pretty sure that they left their hiding spot. For a second I wanted to turn back, but soon I realized that they were not running away - instead they split into two. First one, consisting of only the weaker ones - I assume kids - bolted to a room a few doors away and hid below there, while the stronger one still was waiting for me in the same spot. I decided to let them do their thing. To my surprise, the poor guy lying in the grass was already awake. And kicking. He didn¡¯t even notice me coming, being preoccupied by trying to cut his binds with some sharp rock he found next to him. -Hey, Vendi. On the sound of my voice he stiffened and stopped moving. -Come on, I am not stupid, I know you are awake. Stand up, we have a discussion to attend to. He did not reply, just turned to stare at me with determination. -I am not telling you anything. -And I don¡¯t need you for that. Being careful to not accidentally touch him directly I yanked him up and let him stand up. -Let¡¯s go. And, by the way, I do not recommend attacking again. You¡¯re just gonna just hurt yourself. I poked him in the back. -Move it. He was not very talkative on our way to the kitchen. He also did not betray any signs of knowing that I was leading him right to where the other caretaker was. -Inside - I pointed to the kitchen. - Sit down somewhere. He looked at me, confused, but complied. -So, we are here. You happy now? -What are you¡­ - the guy started, but I didn¡¯t let him finish. -As you can hear he¡¯s fine and well. Doesn¡¯t even have any idea that you¡¯re here. The sudden realization dawned on him. His determination was instantly turned into despair and I already could tell that he was about to do something stupid. -Come on, say something, I can tell that he¡¯s going to try something and while I can promise that I won¡¯t hurt him directly, I can¡¯t prevent him from hurting himself. That worked. -Okay. Vendi, is that really you? -...yes. -Are you hurt? He looked directly at me. -I am tied up, but besides that, mostly fine. My mana is gone though. -You¡¯re the only one to blame for that¡­ - I muttered and then added louder - So, are we good? You coming out? You seem a bit more talkative and approachable than this guy. I guess you could stay downstairs¡­ but what¡¯s the point. You already sent the kids to hide elsewhere. That was effective. Even without sharpened senses I heard both of them gasp. -Yeah, I noticed. And I don¡¯t care. As I said, I am not here for them. As I didn¡¯t get the answer, I sat down back on the counter. -Whatever. I wanted to talk to you only because he was down, so I guess you can stay hidden. -The hell do you want from me? - the guy sat up, looking at me with a mix of fear and confusion. - I have no clue who you are. -So you have a habit of forgetting your clients? - I laughed. - I am kidding of course, I don¡¯t blame anyone for not recognizing my face. -Client? I¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ -Yeah, you don¡¯t know me, blah blah, I don¡¯t care. Not relevant right now. As I said to your friend below us, I came here looking for Jack. And since you are apparently his neighbors, I thought you might know a way to get to him. Or at least contact him. And if not, I am looking for a place to stay and lay low for a while. He looked at me, concerned. -What do you want from him? Did he scam you out of your money? If so, you should be aware that his main policy is ¡°no refunds¡±. -Scam me? Buddy, that would be you, not him. But I see the money went for a good cause, so I am not mad. Nah, I am his¡­ well, I wanted to say friend, but after recent events I am not so sure. Yet I am still looking for him, he¡¯s still the most reliable source of info. -... -So, can you hook me up, or¡­? -If I tell you, will you leave? -Maybe¡­ What, you don¡¯t have a room for a weary traveler? -Your accommodation is not our problem. -I guess not. But I still am staying on the island until at least I learn about his whereabouts. And it¡¯s not like you can stop me either way. His murmur was enough of a confirmation. -What do you want to know? - asked the person downstairs, breaking the silence. -Don¡¯t. You don¡­ -Ah¡­ so you know something. Vendi bit his tongue and shut up. -...yes - the person below confirmed, hesitating a little bit. -Well, I wanted to meet the guy. I have a lot of info he¡¯d be interested in and vice versa. I could tell that they were not convinced. -You give me his whereabouts and I will get the fuck out of your sight and hopefully never bother you again. I even forgive this guy for swindling me. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. -...fine. Vendi looked horrified. -Are¡­ are you sure that¡¯s a good idea? He¡¯s going to tear me a new one if¡­ -So where is he? - I interrupted him, impatient. -I¡­ I don¡¯t really know. -So why are you¡­ -But I know where he will be in a month. -Eh¡­ I guess that¡¯s good enough. Where then? -Here. He¡¯s coming back to the island in about a month. Now can you please leave us alone? -And how do I know that you¡¯re not lying? Judging by your company, that¡¯s a likely possibility¡­ -Okay, you keep saying that but I REALLY don¡¯t remember you. And I have a good memory - Vendi pointed out, slightly irritated. I sighed. -I already mentioned that my current face is a recent development, but sure, I will indulge you. We met next to Jack¡¯s inn, here, on this very island. Can¡¯t tell you how long ago, I really was not keeping track of time. You sold me a charm. With very interesting writing on it. Promised that you¡¯ll hit me up with your ¡°supplier¡±. I paid you up front for that. I already expected that you¡¯re going to ditch me but whatever. I mean I did kind of leave the island soon, but Jack did not and he did meet me up later and never mentioned anything about you looking for me, so¡­ The longer I spoke, the more scrunched his face became. When I mentioned the charm, his eyes suddenly opened wide to a degree I never thought possible. -Holy fuck, yeah, you did look different. -No shit. -Wait¡­ you were the one who was renting the room at the inn back then? - he suddenly sounded interested. -Well, yeah. What of it? -I don¡¯t believe that. You definitely do not sound like him. -Now you made me curious¡­ - I heard muttered from below the floor. That was intriguing. -So come out already. I already said that I am not going to bite you. -Said the monster who almost killed me - butted in Vendi. -Okay, no. You almost killed yourself, buddy, I just watched. Not my problem that you are that unhinged. -Unhinged? Protecting children with my life makes me unhinged? -No. Tossing ineffective spells to the point of mana exhaustion is. -Nmn¡­ -So you¡¯re coming out or what? - I changed the subject, talking to the person underground. -I am¡­ maybe¡­ but under one condition. -There is always a condition¡­ -You leave this room. I am not showing you the exit. I suspended the urge to facepalm. -Believe me, that is not¡­ you know what? Sure. I stood up and walked towards the door. -Go on. I¡¯m going to wait next door - I said and closed the door behind me. I stopped right next to the room and just waited. First of all, I didn¡¯t even have to see them to know where exactly the door would be - as long as I was paying attention, I could easily tell where their flames were located and after sitting in that room for a while I had a good idea about its layout. That and not knowing about the door really was not the issue for me¡­ Well at least I know that I was not dealing with some professionals here, which made me doubly curious. The hell were they even doing here with all those kids? As soon as I noticed that the person was above the ground, I barged in, not waiting at all. Especially because I noticed that their mana started flickering - meaning that they were up to something. But what I saw¡­ or rather who, was definitely interesting. The person that was hiding from me was a kid, I want to say about 10 years old. Short black hair, pale skin. That is, half of it. He was in the middle of¡­ well, transforming. His hair was already getting lighter and grew to his shoulders right in front of my eyes. At the same time, his skin changed to a nice tanned tone. The thing is, it was not what surprised me the most. The strangest thing was, I knew that face. I mean the first one. It was the kid that was in the inn with Jack back then, his son. He immediately stopped when he noticed me come in. -Well now this is interesting - I interrupted the silence that fell on the room. - It seems I keep finding familiar faces¡­ or in this case, somewhat¡­ - I said, getting closer. Kid immediately started backing up, and reached out his hand, preparing to cast a spell. -Why the hell do I always get this reaction? - I rolled my eyes at him. - Last time you were a lot more polite¡­ what was your name¡­ Kon? Your voice does not fit though¡­ -How do you know my name? - he seemed startled. -I already said that I rented a room from your father once. Hell, is he even your father? At this point I kinda doubt that¡­ - I said, thinking about how he changed his face. Or she? I think he¡­- That¡¯s some interesting magic. I took another step forward to get a closer look at, changed now, hair and face, but stopped immediately because I could tell that I might provoke him. -Okay, calm the hell down. Your friend probably didn¡¯t have time to tell you, but whatever you want to toss at me, there is a very good chance that it¡¯s not going to work. Neither of them said a word. Nor did Kon lower his hand. -Fine then - I said getting closer and putting my face right in front of his hand. - Fire away. See what happens. I was hoping that changing my approach would work. Well, it kind of did. He hesitated for a second, but did cast a spell at me. -Wisfe wowu, moho noe dimu. It looked and sounded like a very poor rendition of the binding spell that I was very familiar with, with a small twist - for some reason he used life magic. The vines shot up right from below his feet and started snaking its way towards me. The thing though, they were so slow and thin, that even if not for my crystal, I would be able to just tear them with my bare hands. But with it, I just had to nudge them with my finger for them to turn to dust. That was strange. I expected an assault on par with one from Vendi. He had the mana to do it, hell, maybe even more. -That was disappointing¡­ - I blurted out without thinking. Meanwhile, Vendi was flailing wildly, trying to get out of his binds, probably to join the assault. -Man, you already tried it, just give up already. Or want to get exhausted again? He growled something in reply, but stopped. Same with Kon. He dropped the spell, looking defeated. -So. I see we¡¯ve calmed down a bit. Can I safely assume that I am not going to be attacked any more? I could see them staring daggers at me. -I feel that¡¯s a resounding maybe. I guess that¡¯s the most I can get from you. Still, they did not reply, but Vendi was no longer flailing and Kon was stuck to the wall like a tapestry just to get the most distance from me. -As I see that we have only familiar faces here, let me start again. Hello, I am Mor. Nice to see you again. Since Jack¡¯s apparently not here, as his son I assume I should ask you in his absence. First off, I would like to stay a couple of nights in your inn. Sadly though, I do lack funds for that, and knowing your previous prices, you are definitely not cheap. Technically though, I did pay in advance last time and definitely did not stay for as long as I paid for. And if you¡¯d add the money this guy is owing me, that would probably cover the expenses. I hope we can come to some kind of agreement. Second¡­ While my appearance was definitely not something they expected or even though possible, I hoped that I would at least be able to establish some kind of relationship. Despite my recent behavior, I really was not the type to just be content with being a lone wolf. While that did not bother me in the slightest, I was very keenly aware that it was not going to work in the long run. Even after being betrayed by Axelrod. Maybe because of that. I honestly can¡¯t tell what I was hoping for, asking them that, knowing very well that there was little to no chance that they would accept me as I was, considering that I was now some kind of monster in their eyes. Especially after essentially breaking into their house. I really was hoping that I would come to some kind of middle ground. And, so, I felt immense disappointment when I suddenly felt a strange tug at the back of my head. I quickly focused to check what exactly I just noticed, and as I feared, I suddenly felt a bunch of people coming closer, just from the place I left the trap at. -Ah. I see. I guess that is a no. You didn¡¯t really have to be that hostile against me. Both of them looked on edge. -I¡­ I didn¡¯t say anything yet¡­ -Oh no. But you summoned someone, didn¡¯t you? You thought I wouldn¡¯t notice? - I laughed. - After I specifically told you that I noticed the kids moving, found you here and all that? Come on¡­ But I have to give it to you, at least your numbers are something else¡­ -Numbers? - Vendi looked surprised, and even more than that, scared. -Yes. I feel there are about ten or so people coming from the direction of the village. I don¡¯t know where you found them, but they are at least quick. It¡¯s nice having some mages being able to teleport. His eyes started suddenly dashing from me to Kon, as he was expecting something. -Okay¡­ I admit, I did call someone here¡­ but are you sure that someone is coming from the outside? I rolled my eyes. -Do I need to repeat myself? Oh, now it¡¯s more than ten, look at that. Well in that case, I¡¯m out of here¡­ But before I even managed to take a step, he spoke up. -Wait! That is not¡­ I only summoned one person¡­ And he wouldn¡¯t be arriving from the island¡­ -Yeah sure whatever. I¡¯m out anyway. Or should I use you as hostages, eh? I was obviously joking, but they shuddered anyway. -I am not lying! No one can even get here anyway, so¡­ -Well, tell that to whoever¡¯s coming. See ya! I quickly stepped outside and started walking away. I soon had to hasten my steps, because whoever that was, they were fast. And there were a lot of them. They were moderately weak though, all of them considerably weaker than either of the people that I just left. At first I wanted to just dash away from the place, the further away from the oncoming chase the better, but soon I realized that it was not exactly feasible. First off, I soon hit the barrier again. While I indeed dispelled the layer that was on the other side of the mansion, the side I ran away towards was still intact. I instantly started looking for another stone with the inscription on it, just to realize that I was no longer being chased. Actually, I had never been chased in the first place. That was enough to stop me in my tracks and reconsider Kon¡¯s words. Focusing, I started scouting the mansion and the nearby area. 71. Breach Inside, I could still feel both Kon and Vendi. Vendi in the same place as I left him, probably still tied. Kon was no longer with him, instead there were three other people in the room. A bit further away, not that far from where the kids were hiding, there was Kon. Also not moving, and flanked by four other people. Through the whole mansion, there were about eight more people running in pairs. At first it seemed that they were just randomly moving around, but no. One pair was definitely patrolling the lower floor, along the long corridor, one was circling the building, while others were searching through the whole building. That was¡­ unexpected. He was actually telling the truth? There was no sign of that ¡°one person¡± though. Now the question: the fuck should I do in this situation? Running away was the easiest one, but I really felt like I should not. First of all, I was sort of worried. While I did not really care about Vendi, leaving Kon was not something I should do if I ever wanted to be on good terms with Jack. There was an issue of the kids I saw too. And all that looked like it was my fault. Whoever that was, definitely used the opening I created to invade this place. How did they find out though? And who were ¡°they¡±? To at least satiate my curiosity, I decided that I should turn back. I don¡¯t know if that was a good idea or not, because who I saw right next to the mansion gave me even more questions than it provided answers. The pair I felt scouting next to the building had pointy ears. Elves. There was no doubt about it. Even never seeing one, nor even being sure about their existence, I could tell at the first glance. Tall, pale skin, long, pointy ears, somewhat similar to my own. They were wearing green cloaks, hiding their whole body from head to toe. They both had taken off their hoods, so I could clearly see their faces, so I was sure that I had never seen either of them. Seeing them I froze in my spot, not sure what the hell I should do. I couldn¡¯t get any closer, as I was still glowing. The trees and bushes managed to mask most of it though. Just a second later, a loud crash broke the silence of the forest, and from the window upstairs a chair flew out. Then a table. Then a whole bed. Whatever was going on, that was not a peaceful discussion. The pair on the ground got startled just as much as me, but after shouting something, they clearly relaxed and went back to their patrol and whoever was making that mess continued tossing random pieces of furniture out. The tossing stopped after a while, just to continue from another window, further down the corridor. Whoever was that, they were definitely not a friend here and were looking for something¡­ or more likely for someone. Kids were still hiding, as I could clearly feel, in the same spot as before. Even considering that they were clearly inept in detecting presences, they still were going to find them soon, it was just a matter of time. Especially if they were so thorough as to toss out all the furniture. All that was putting me in a peculiar spot. Just minutes before, I thought that I was being ambushed by those in the mansion, just for it to be the exact opposite. I also very clearly was aware that it most likely was my fault. Those people, or rather elves, came from the hole in the barrier that I made, just to satisfy my curiosity. I already was cursing myself for that. I mean, how the hell could I know that that thing was protecting some kind of orphanage in the middle of the forest on a lawless island. What gives? But despite all my complaining, I already made up my mind. I couldn¡¯t just leave them to fend for themselves, right? After all, from what I¡¯ve heard about the elves, I realized that they were not exactly good guys, being the creators of that weird enslaving, blood-pact magic. Hell, if I was to judge them from that, they probably came to get themselves some new ¡°servants¡± or some crap. That aside, I realized that if I was to do something, I probably go and get to it soon. Ones searching upstairs already went through most of the floor and were about to go to the lower level - slowly getting closer to the kids. Which brought a question - how exactly should I approach this? I mean, the obvious one should be the best, right? Seeing as they were not even as strong as either Kon or Vendi, I was pretty sure that whatever magic that they were able to toss at me would just be rendered ineffective. But that also was suspicious. After all, they were attacking enemies stronger than them. Would they be that dumb to attack, knowing that they were severely outmatched? I mean, sure, they had strength in numbers. And a surprise factor too boot, but still. If I was not here before and did not tire Vendi out, he himself would take out at least some of them. Kon was strange, since his magic was¡­ subpar to say the least, but whatever. Between two of them they would surely be able to at least play for time and evacuate the kids, maybe call for some reinforcements. Wait. Reinforcements. Would that mean Jack? Hah. I had a feeling that at that moment I accidentally figured out their plan of escape and defense. In case of attack, Vendi was most likely to do exactly what he did with me - slow the enemy down as much as possible, while Kon was to summon ¡°that person¡±, a.k.a. Jack. But then, why wasn¡¯t he here already? Was Jack somehow preoccupied? My questions were answered right as I was stating them. Suddenly I could feel a large surge of mana somewhere in the basement of the mansion, close to the room I was talking with Kon through the wall. Closing my eyes and focusing on the flow of the mana, I could see a large pool of mana gather under the room I was in not so long ago, changing its shape to a familiar oval - a portal. Stepping through was one singular person, whose power was on a level similar to the two I found here, maybe a bit stronger. They closed the portal behind and stopped, casting some kind of spell - I could tell by the sudden change of the mana flow. I was pretty sure that the magic they were using was green, and not that strong, yet I was still surprised that no one had noticed yet. Even if the spot they ported to was well hidden, the amounts of mana teleporting needed was easily noticeable. Sure, I was a crystal abomination sensitive to mana, but I was not one assaulting the place - you¡¯d expect that they¡¯d left at least one person keeping an eye on the area and the mana flow nearby. Even if they were weak, noticing that was not something even remotely hard. But, on the other hand, they did not find the kids yet either, so I guess maybe they just couldn¡¯t do it for some reason¡­ Nevertheless, that raised my spirits a little bit. If they are so uncoordinated, the person that appeared - hopefully that was Jack - would be able to wipe the floor with them without breaking a sweat and all would be fine. It seemed like that indeed was the case. The new presence started moving out from the room and stumbled upon one pair wandering the halls. The pair was apparently also using green magic, which meant that the new guy had the advantage - he had a lot more mana to spare, and looked like he was more proficient with it to boot. He barely used any energy, yet both of the adversaries got knocked out almost instantly. But ¡°almost instantly¡± was not fast enough. He got noticed. Every single presence in the mansion converged upon him and started their assault. For a while, it looked like he still had this in the bag. He knocked out a couple of people, started escaping a bit, being chased by the rest, just to bump into another pair that was coming from upstairs, probably including the one that was tossing the furniture out of the windows. Noticing them, he instantly stopped. I half expected that they would fall along with their comrades, but nope. Not even trying to use magic, he started backing up towards where he came from, but soon got pincered by the rest of the people coming to get him. At first I was confused, why didn¡¯t he even try to strike at them, after all he easily dispatched the earlier enemies, just to realize what kind of magic the pair that ambushed him was using. Fire and lightning. Assuming that he was only able to use green, nature magic, it was no wonder that he didn¡¯t bother attacking. Even the weakest fire would absolutely destroy any attempt of retaliation, and most likely set the whole building on fire. Lightning magic would probably be able to do the exact same thing and then paralyze him to boot. Wood not being conductive would not help much. Tasers are effective, you know. Especially magical ones. Confirming my worries, I noticed the guy used some lightning magic and the ¡°reinforcements¡± magical signature suddenly died down - he was knocked unconscious. -For fuck¡¯s sake¡­ - I muttered, irritated and annoyed at myself. - Why did I have to break this stupid spell? I was not going to leave this place until I finally got some answers. From who though, that did not matter. Although I had a very good guess how the talking with elves was going to go¡­ Obviously, the sudden appearance of someone looking like me startled the patrolling pair. It didn¡¯t even take a second for me to again get assaulted by some wooden projectiles and plants trying to bind me. I also don¡¯t need to add that it was absolutely useless. This time though I didn¡¯t bother with waiting out my opponent. I was already overcharged with mana and did not want to limit-test my mana capacity. As soon as they flung their first spells I raised my hand. -Wipvu tehu. Knowing that any and all spells will be especially destructive, I went with wind, hoping to not destroy anything in the process. Though I did create a stream of wind that would easily be on par with a jet blast, flinging them both right towards the wall of the mansion, crashing loudly into it. The amount of the noise they made made me realize that they were heavily armored, meaning that my spell was strong enough to not only send a human flying, or rather an elf, but to do that to someone wearing plate armor was enough for me to be happy that I decided on using wind. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. The crashing sound alerted everyone in the building about my presence. Not even trying to focus I could see all the flames in the building converge on the stairs and start rushing towards me. The only ones that did not move were children, the hostages and the one guy who I saw used lightning magic before. I did not bother even moving a step, just waited for the adversaries to run out from the mansion, looking for the source of noise. I was not glowing anymore, so they did not spot me immediately, but soon they noticed me standing nearby. I sort of wanted to talk to them, maybe try and figure out the situation, but I already knew that it was not going to happen. The green magic was first. I again let them hit me a few times, to build up my mana a little bit, just to blast them all away with wind. It did not work that well this time around, I was not charged as much. I did send them back tumbling on their ass though. Especially the one in the back - that one got pushed the furthest, cursing and making generally a lot of noise - but no metal noise this time. No wonder - he was the only one not wearing heavy armor. Almost immediately he jumped back up and started chanting. As on command, every single one of his companions started crawling away as fast as it was possible. Some had a harder time than others. -Eisu, no usfupet em wo voekp, lumilvo lek wesnoho! Stupid creature, your magic will feed my flames! - he growled at me, raising a large ball of flame above his head, preparing to toss it at me. Ah. No wonder. It was the one using fire. -Aha. Just don¡¯t burn down the forest if you could. My words startled him. He clearly did not expect for me to speak. -Shut up monster! Burn in hell! I rolled my eyes. Besides his stupid speech, the spell he was using looked pretty decent, albeit crude and weirdly constructed. He obviously did not have much mana capacity, it was clear from the spell itself. What he was using was a very, very basic and roundabout version of fireball. Normally, to create something like this you have to gather a certain amount of mana and then turn its nature or ¡°color¡± to flame, or ¡°red¡±. What he was doing instead was not igniting mana as a source of fuel, instead gathering gasses at his fingertips and then igniting them with heat he was producing from the small amounts of mana he had. Meaning, he was not only able to use fire magic, but also wind magic. No wonder he was so sure of himself. -Nice. I suppose I can¡¯t convince you to put that down? -Gmyo! Aaaand he tossed it right at me. Or rather it seemed like it. After all, his spell consisted not of just mana, but mostly of gasses, meaning he couldn¡¯t just control it that well. Instead, he was commanding the wind to move the flammable gas he conjured towards me, creating something similar to a flamethrower. I probably could¡¯ve tried and taken control of his spell with force, but¡­ -Hiktisu. I instead decided to play firefighter. A massive gush of water started streaming right at him, through his ¡°flamethrower¡± and hit him right in his face. I didn¡¯t really put out his flames, rather I just knocked him out cold - the sheer force of the stream, like a water cannon, stunned him, breaking concentration on the spell and sending him down on his ass. -Fotoho. Immediately after that I split the stream into a few smaller ones to douse the flames that, thanks to him, started eating at the wooden walls of the mansion - I was not going to become an arsonist. Ending the spell, I approached him on the ground. Meanwhile, his subordinates were already up and kicking, awakened by my water, trying to stop me with even more vines and branches. Not bothering with them, I reached for the man on the ground to drain him from his mana to stop him from further trying to set everything on fire, but I got stopped by a voice. -Hold it! It was another elf. During our scuffle, he came down, dragging with him still tied Vendi and with his other hand grabbing Kon by the neck. -One spell and they are both dead! Just like the old fucker upstairs! I gazed towards the upper floor in confusion. What the hell was he talking about? The ¡°old fucker¡± was definitely still alive and kicking. Maybe not faring too well thanks to his electricity, but still. I could clearly see his flame, dim but stable, in the room where I last saw him. Pretending to surrender I raised my arms. -Easy there, man. I am not looking for trouble. -Then don¡¯t make it difficult. Tie him up. Last one was directed to one of his people who was gathering himself from the ground. -I wouldn''t if I were you¡­ Despite my warnings, the guy approached and tried casting a spell on me again, summoning some weak-looking vines. I don¡¯t need to add that that did not work well for him. -Shit, you are pathetic¡­ - the guy with the hostage muttered, but almost immediately after stepping back, got startled. No wonder. Thanks to mana I absorbed I was glowing again. -I told you to not try anything funny! Gymnu, hipiso ip noe nepqmevu! Nus mocisohu! I was worried for a second there, it was lightning he was attempting to use after all, but for naught. Kon was not done fighting yet. As soon as I started glowing, he was already wiggling in his grasp, and when he realized that the elf was about to unleash the spell, he managed to cast his. -Wisfe wowu visinqo nop! Oh great, more of life magic. Surprisingly, it actually looked like it worked. I honestly did not expect much from him, but seeing as he suddenly started turning green I realized that he was actually not that bad at magic. What he was attempting to do, or at least what I gathered from listening to what he was casting, was to turn himself into a plant. I know, sounds absolutely dumb, right? But in the moment, I guess that saved his skin from being zapped by lightning that was gathering itself in the elf''s palm. Before the lightning got released, Kon was already half green. He got hit by the zap alright, but thanks to being now, I guess half-plant, he did not get paralyzed and he was able to pull away from his adversary. Seeing as he momentarily got separated from him, I was not going to let the opportunity slip away. -Hmedou nysu! I created an ice wall between the two of them. Since I was a bit charged, it came out a bit bigger and thicker than expected. Kon managed to evade it in time, but the elf did not - his hand got caught up in the ice, immobilizing him. Lucky me. Just to be sure though, I slapped another one behind him, cutting him off. Seeing this turn of events, his men suddenly jumped up trying to free his boss, but I was quicker. Noticing as they were still all wet from my earlier spell, I used that to my advantage. -Elwu, nemwesnoho! I froze them all to the ground, so none of them would try anything weird. Remembering that they also had a fire user on hand, I took a quick gaze towards the place where he fell, but he was still out cold. I guess he hit that wall harder than expected. -Get away from him before he tries anything weird - I said towards Kon. - And take your friend too. I did not have to even tell him that, he was already next to Vendi and dragging him away from the people and the ice I made. -So. Does anyone want to explain what in the fuck is going on? - I asked, not sure to whom I was directing my question. The one that replied to me was the elf, out of all people. -You¡¯re making a huge mistake. Not a single one of you will live long enough to even regret this! -Blah, blah, threats, whatever. You mind telling me at least WHO exactly is going to kill me and all that? - I asked, not being even amused by his outburst. -Oh, you¡¯ll know soon enough. The wrath of One will get to you soon enough! I rolled my eyes. That did not explain even a little bit. I wanted to ask some more questions, but he suddenly changed his tone. -Ju Douquwe Noli, mocisohu nop! Wowu em gymnu, izqmufu! There was a lot to digest in that spell. First of all, did he just say Noli? This was literally the last place I expected to hear this from and to be essentially a part of a spell? What the hell? That realization also came with another feeling resonating with me - surprise and confusion. While I agreed with both, they did not come from me. Or rather not only from me. Second, more importantly in the current moment, the other part. Elf was using life magic. I mean sure, it was not a big deal, since I came to this place it was not the first time. But this time the effect was closer to the one I was used to expecting. His eyes rolled back completely, just to suddenly turn blue and start glowing. The color started spreading through the whole body, even his clothes and he started convulsing. The strength of his spasms was enough for him to break out from the ice and I realized that the color was not the only thing that was changing in his body. Starting from the head, as he was struck by lightning, all his veins were popping out and visibly darkening on his now blue skin. We actually could see that because along with the spread of those strange wounds, his clothes were burning themselves away, or maybe rather straight up vaporizing, turning into white smoke. His skin suddenly started sizzling and along the dark veins, small sparks of purple lightning started shooting everywhere. As I heard what the spell consisted of, I was not going to just watch this and get hit. While I most likely would be fine, I was not going to risk it. -Visu nysu! I erected a wall of earth in front of me, hoping to block the incoming lightning, and just to be safe¡­ -Visu nysu, dosleyy mia dimu! ¡­I also surrounded Kon along with Vendi with a similar one, although those two I covered completely. Just on time. I didn¡¯t even have to gaze outside from my hiding spot to see what was happening - the mana he was releasing was pretty immense. I could see his whole being, his whole mana, turn into a pale shade of blue and then in one thunderclap, release as an explosion of lightning. Strangely, his followers were not running away. Sure, I trapped them with ice, but most of them were already free when he started chanting the spell. Quite the opposite. Some of them, after seeing what their leader was up to started chanting as well, although it did not seem that they were trying to cast a spell, instead it sort of was sounding like a prayer¡­ Actually, his spell also sounded more like a prayer, to be honest¡­ -Ju Douquwe Noli, mocisohu nop¡­ -Ju Douquwe Noli, mocisohu nop¡­ Yeah, and they were still using his name¡­ what in the hell was that supposed to mean? But there was no time for thinking or asking. To be honest, I was surprised that they even managed to get out that prayer of theirs before the lighting got to them. Like one big lightning strike, the mana got released and zapped everything in a large area around him. That included all of his followers, even the one guy at the wall. Lot larger than I was anticipating, and a lot more powerful - in normal circumstances someone with his mana capacity would never be able to create a spell that big. But he did. And he paid the heaviest price for it. 72. Owner In a blink of an eye, it was all over. The light was gone, along with the flames of mana of the adversaries. My first thought was that they just vanished, but that was just my wishful thinking - one look from my hiding and it was clear. Right where I trapped the guy there was just a black, burned spot in the grass. Still smoking. From it, the burn marks were snaking towards every single direction, reaching both me, the mound where I trapped Kon and even the mansion. The building itself was not unscathed either. The door along with a large part of the wall was black and even in some places had a ember of two smoking. About others though, well¡­ I knew that most of them were wearing some kind of metal armor, so I did not like their chances. Trapping them and the overall wet area from my attack earlier definitely did not assist them either. Or maybe it did, because it looked like they really did have a death wish. Every single one of them was lying on the ground, the cloak charred and smoking, and as the smoke reached me, the very unpleasant smell of burned flesh hit my nostrils. -What in the everloving hell is going on? The voice startled me. After the explosion I stopped paying attention, so I forgot that I was not alone. But it was not Kon, nor Vendi, yet the voice was familiar. Very familiar, in fact, it was hard to forget it. From the top floor, there was a man peeking out. A man that the suicidal elf thought he killed, and who I felt teleport to the island not that long ago. -Jack? It was him in the flesh. I thought he was unconscious upstairs, but apparently our scuffle down here woke him up. No wonder, between screaming, spells and this thunderclap, we were not exactly quiet. -And who in the hell are you? Obviously not a friend of theirs, but¡­ -Even you don¡¯t recognize me? -And I should? -I guess not¡­ get down here, I had enough yelling for today. He did not reply, just turned his head in distrustt and disappeared inside the mansion. I sat back down, leaning on the wall I created, looking at the aftermath of this encounter and silently observing his flame, traveling through the mansion. He didn¡¯t waste time. Unlike the others, he was just walking straight towards me, not looking for the kids or anything. I guess I can respect that. As he came out of the mansion he looked tense. Especially after he smelled the smoke. -So, who are you? -No thanks or anything? I did deal with all those people¡­ or rather elves that were assaulting this place. At the word ¡°elves¡± he squinted and looked almost disgusted. Or maybe it was just the smell that the wind blew towards him. -From what I could tell you did not do anything. The maniac committed suicide. Fucking scourge of the earth that¡¯s what they are¡­ But who cares. Who are you? -Let me see if you can guess, my partner in crime. -Partner? What the fuck does that mean? Stop those stupid games and spit it out. I sighed. -You¡¯re no fun. I¡¯m Mor. He looked at me like I was insane and then instantly tensed up. -Mor. Out of all the people, you took HIS form? -Ah so you remember me? Wait, his form? -I know of your kind, remnant! - he was now fully on guard, ready to blast me with magic. -Ah right, soul remnants, all that mess. No no, I¡¯m not like that. I mean I probably look like one, but no. I am the original and only Mor. -And I am just going to believe that? That Mor, who was killed so long ago, had just appeared in front of me and wanted to have, what, some kind of reunion? I am not your friend. -Oh. So I supposedly died? -Pfeh. If you take someone else¡¯s place you should at least know some things about them. -And you do? Enlighten me then. -And why should I do that instead of blasting you to smithereens? -Because you can¡¯t - I exclaimed calmly. - First of all, I can tell that you were weakened by this guy - I pointed to the black spot in the grass. - Second, even if you weren¡¯t, I doubt you¡¯d have enough power. -Was that a threat? -Come on, if I was to attack you I would¡¯ve done so already, instead what I did I saved your skin and on top of that your son¡¯s and that stupid merchant to boot. -Who? I rolled my eyes and pointed towards the dome nearby. -Visu, fotoho. The earth moved, revealing both of them, unharmed but definitely shaken. -Kon! Vendi! Without a delay he ran towards them with a new vigor. -You are alive! -Jack! - Vendi shouted in surprise, opening his eyes wide. - What¡¯s going on? -You tell me! What happened?! His eyes bolted from Kon to the pile of bodies and then stopped at me. -Come on, tell him. We¡¯re listening. I feel like my encouragement might have worked the opposite way than I intended to, but he started talking nonetheless. -We were attacked: first by him then by those people. -And like a real merchant, the first sentence you speak and you are already lying. -I feel like I¡¯d rather believe him, not some monster that just appeared out of nowhere. -Right - I nodded. - Well then, how exactly did I attack you then, you smartass? Come on, spit it out. -I¡­ you¡­ He started stumbling over his own words. -¡±Yhhh¡­ ehhh¡­¡± - I started mocking him. - Yeah, so let me explain. I was casually walking through the woods, looking for owners of this fine establishment to talk to, when suddenly some random spell hit me right in the dome. -What?! -Yeah, right? I was surprised too, especially when I noticed that it was just some kids playing pretend-battle or something. -Okay, but then you attacked me! Don¡¯t blame me for defending children! -Oh, I am not. And still, I did not attack you. You just passed out from mana depletion you idiot. He looked at Vendi with surprise. -How much did you toss at him? - he asked, half worried, half amazed. -A bit¡­ -A bit? Yeah you can say that. In any case, I restrained him after he passed out so I wouldn¡¯t get hit any more, and then those showed up - I gestured to elves. - The rest I think you saw. For the first time, Kon looked towards the house and the burned grass. Let¡¯s say his reaction was less than positive. To be blunt, he started puking, almost hitting Vendi who rolled away at the last moment. I can¡¯t blame him. -We probably should get him away from here¡­ - he muttered. -Would be for the best - I said looking at the poor kid. - It''s not my work and even then I feel bad for him. He looked me over from head to toe. -Okay¡­ you. -Told you you know who I am. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. -And I still don¡¯t believe you. But I don¡¯t care at the moment. I can see that you¡¯re not here to kill any of us, you had plenty of opportunities to do so. -I am glad that someone finally noticed that. -So I am willing to have a talk with you. But I first need to do something¡­ -Yeah, clearing up this¡­ aftermath is kind of a must right now. -Ah, right, and that too - he nodded. - So would you mind waiting for me here, I still need to free Vendi and¡­ -Yeah sure. Despite what he said he ignored Vendi at first and instead led Kon inside the mansion. -You¡¯re leaving me with him? - he instantly was protesting but that fell on deaf ears. -Come on, I don¡¯t bite. The smell was definitely not pleasant and I really, really wanted to get rid of this mess as soon as it was possible but I did not want to use magic on a whim. While, after seeing multiple people using more than one element, I already decided that I¡¯m going to stop with that stupid fire-only act, everyone else was still on edge. Who knows how they would react after I was to start casting. Instead I decided to inspect the corpses. That was pointless. I was hoping to maybe see a face, an emblem or something, but the lightning of that much power straight up fried bodies to the point that it was hard to even distinguish the gender of those lying on the ground. Turning my face in disgust I went back towards Vendi, just as Jack came back. One quick gaze towards the mansion and I noticed that Kon was just sitting in one of the rooms nearby and either waiting for something, or more likely, just recovering from a very unpleasant sight. -Okay, let¡¯s get to it - said Jack. - I am going to need Vendi for this, I hope you are fine with that? I shrugged. -As long as he won¡¯t start tossing spells at me I don¡¯t care. He nodded and procured a knife from somewhere, and started to cut his binds. Or at least attempted to. After a good minute I noticed that he still had not made any progress and was slowly getting annoyed more and more. The cursing being the obvious indicator of the last one. Amused, I approached, checking what the hell he had difficulty with. -What, the knife¡¯s too dull? - I asked, still a good step away, just to be polite. -I don¡¯t know what the fuck that binds are, but they are as hard as metal. What kind of magic is that? I smiled, happy that for once the excess mana went towards something that was useful, I pointed towards the vines. -May I try? He glanced over me once more and hesitated. -Come on¡­ He sighed and gave me his knife, but I just ignored his extended hand, unwrapping one of my fingers. -No need. One touch was enough. As I grabbed the binds and pulled at them gently, they disintegrated into ash, releasing Vendi and changing the color of my finger a little bit. -Done. Both looked at me with amazement. Ignoring the looks I stepped away and wrapped myself tightly again, before sitting on the ground and gazed at them both expectantly. -Come on, go get to it. You¡¯re gonna bury them or what? -Ah, right - Jack snapped out of the initial surprise. - But no, we are not burying them. Not yet. -What, you wanna search them? Feel like that¡¯s pointless, they are too crispy for that. -Wha..? Hell no! I am not a savage like them! -So what? -So what? I don¡¯t know how it works with you, creatures, but humans tend to not defy corpses. -Well, they were your enemies. And they were not people. -Still! -Yeah, whatever. Go and start digging graves or something. Or do you want to burn them? That would definitely be faster¡­ He scratched his head. -Hm¡­ that¡¯s actually not a bad idea¡­ they do worship pure elements after all, so fire¡­ -No! All three of us looked towards the source of the voice. It was Kon. -You were supposed to rest! That¡¯s not something that you can handle! -I am fine! Despite that, he definitely did not look fine. Pale and obviously avoiding looking at the corpses. -And what do you want to do anyway? - asked Vendi, still rubbing his wrists, I guess sore from being tied. - I agree, burning them would be the fastest way. -As you said, we are not barbarians. Whoever they were, friend or foe, we are giving them a proper burial. -I mean, burning is a proper burial too¡­ - I muttered. - So is a group grave. It¡¯s not like we knew them¡­ The trio looked at me with mixed feelings. Kon looked disgusted. Vendi was surprised. Only Jack was not shaken, but that was just a mask and he was at least as annoyed as Kon. I could tell, because his flame was flickering angrily at me. By the way, what was up with that? I mean, sure, I knew I could see the mana capacity of other people with my new sight, but only just now I finally realized that I was also involuntarily reading the state of mind of whoever I was looking at. I did that couple of times already but never actually realized it. Kind of a useful skill, not gonna lie. -Okay, just asking. What, you want to do that tree thing? That¡¯s how you bury the dead, right? -Tree thing? - Kon looked visibly angry now. - It¡¯s called ¡°Ritual of Life from Death¡±. -Hah. Who came up with that name? - I stifled a laugh. -You want to do the ritual for every single one of them? - Vendi groaned, - It¡¯s going to take forever¡­ -He¡¯s right - nodded Jack. - But most importantly, are you sure you can handle it? Besides the¡­ - he gestured towards the corpses - looks, both of us are a bit weakened, so you¡¯d have to do it mostly alone. Are you sure you have mana for the whole thing? -I am sure. -Can¡¯t you just grow one big tree instead of the whole bunch of smaller ones at least - Vendi asked. - That would at least limit your mana usage. -But that¡¯s a mass grave! -As much as I don¡¯t like the idea of mass graves, they still were our enemies. We are already doing them a favor by burying them properly. What? The three of them argued for a good couple of minutes, forgetting about me. Truth is, I just wanted to get this over with and finally have a good long chat with Jack about everything that happened, but I guess I had to wait. Besides, if I was to butt in again, it would only antagonize them more towards me and I feel like I had enough ill feelings targeting me already. Sadly, it was not the end of them, as I was painfully certain. In the end, they did finally agree on one big ritual, to Kon¡¯s annoyance. As they were preparing to move the bodies and Vendi left towards somewhere deeper in the forest with the first one in his arms, scrunching his face from both the smell and the sight, I noticed that Jack and Kon were whispering about something. I, of course, instantly started eavesdropping. I was hoping that I would learn something interesting, instead I just got reminded of my mistakes. They were talking about how the barrier had failed. -I am sure it was supposed to last at least until next week¡­ -Did I make some kind of mistake? - Kon sounded worried. -I don¡¯t think so, you always are doing the same thing and we even have the formula written¡­ -Does that mean that the leyline is failing? Or is it the spell that is getting worse the more we use it? -I probably just misspoke somewhere¡­ -Not possible. Wouldn¡¯t then the spell fizzle completely? Nah. Maybe they just had some new mage that was able to break through it¡­ No, what am I saying, it¡¯s not possible to dispel this thing without knowing it¡¯s full incantation, and the only ones knowing it are you and me. -Hrm¡­ -Ah¡­ well I might have a word or two to say about this particular thing¡­ - I said aloud, startling them both. -You! What are you¡­ - Kon turned towards me, scared. - You work for them then?! -Now, now, calm down. I am my own person. But I might have ACCIDENTALLY have¡­ eh¡­ made a small mistake¡­ -What the hell does that mean?! - Jack also looked a bit scared, but was more angry than anything. -So¡­ first of all, I am going to repeat. I am not with any elves, nor anyone else in this particular instance. I am my own person and do not care what happens here. ALTHOUGH¡­ -Oh, here it comes¡­ -Although I was the one that destroyed that barrier of yours. Well, part of it. -Destroyed?! Both looked absolutely horrified. -Now, now, I already said I didn¡¯t mean it. And it was just one part, I believe. -How is that even possible?! That barrier is¡­ He was about to say something but bit his tongue, apparently realizing that whatever he was to say, would probably give out too much info. No wonder. The magic that they had guarding this place was something very interesting indeed. -Well, I just dispelled it, that¡¯s it. Nothing more, nothing less. -I am not buying that. You can¡¯t just dispel that thing on a whim! -I mean¡­ I did¡­ -This spell is ancient. It¡¯s not something that¡­ - started Kon but got immediately silenced by Jack who was definitely angry. -Shut up! He then turned to me. -Let¡¯s say that¡¯s true. How did you do that then? -I mean that¡¯s not really a secret at this point¡­ You saw it already¡­ Seeing as they did not get it still I sighed. -Okay, look. From what I know, that thing had its formula written in certain locations. Stones, scattered all around, right? He hesitated for a second but nodded. -Right. What makes you think that breaking one of those things would not stop the spell? -Because you can¡¯t break them. They are¡­ Again, Kon started talking too much and got silenced by Jack. -Yes, they are fueled by some kind of mana source that''s here. If I was to guess, a leyline or something along those lines. That gives them an immense resistance to any physical or magical damage. Seeing as I know this, Jack agreed. -Right, and to break one of those one would need at least as much mana as the source is providing. And while I feel like you have a very strong presence, I doubt that you have so much¡­ -Ah, so you noticed - I said surprised. Up till now I honestly was thinking that he was not able to tell. - While sure, that¡¯s true, what if I tell you that there is another way of destroying that spell without all that mess? -And what the hell would that be? -Why should I tell you? - I smiled at him. - Nah, I¡¯m just kidding. You probably know anyway, you¡¯re just playing with me. To be honest, I was not sure about that. His presence was not wavering, so I couldn¡¯t tell if he was lying or not. -So, if someone would go and absorb the mana from the formula itself, not just the source, what exactly do you think would happen? He looked both slightly annoyed and scared. -Well of course the spell would be gone, but that¡¯s not something a human can do! -First of all, the ones attacking you were not humans - I smiled - but I know you did not mean it like that. Second, while I really am a human, my body is not exactly¡­ eh, normal. As you well noticed. -Obviously. What does that have to do with anything though? Seeing that he was still going to play dumb, I unwrapped my hand and pressed it to the ground without a word. The grass got drained in an instant, leaving a gray patch on the ground. -That. 73. Rebuilt Both of them looked completely terrified and took a step back. -Calm down, I already said I am not going to hurt you. On the contrary, seeing as this place is quite convenient, I might actually be going to help you. -Help? - Jack shook off the initial fear, going back to his stoic face. - And you say you are supposed to be human? -Whatever you say. But still, I am just me. In any case, I sort of feel bad for you and it probably is my fault that this raid even happened. I have no idea how they exactly found you right when I broke the barrier though. The silence that fell was deafening. -So? What happens now? As they still did not reply, I just shrugged. -I see. Well, suit yourselves. Either way I need to talk to you later about some few things that happened to me, but that can wait. Go do your burying or whatever. And I went a few steps away from them, sitting under a tree, giving them space. Not that much though, I was still sitting in an earshot, giving myself a chance to eavesdrop. Jack noticed that and pulled Kon even further away, but still not far enough. I could hear them discuss the ¡°new¡± information about my power and how they should approach all that mess. As I suspected, Jack did figure that out as soon as he heard as I was absorbing spells, but was playing dumb. I need to say, his acting of fear and surprise was pretty convincing. At least from the outside. The discussion did not last very long, because of Vendi. He came back, and after a gesture from Jack the three of them huddled together, trying to talk this out again. The results were inconclusive. Vendi was in the camp of ¡°I don¡¯t want to have anything to do with you¡±. Kon straight up was scared of me and still was not believing half of my story, despite seeing my power before his very own eyes. Jack was on the fence. While still interested, he was very, very cautious. Well, if anything, not a single one of them wanted me dead, so that was some kind of progress at least. In the end, they finished at ¡°let¡¯s just see what happens¡±. Sort of worked for me, at least for now, that is until they finished doing their business with trees and all. But, it was not what they focused on. Instead of focusing on their ¡°ritual¡±, they decided that first of all they should repair the damage to the barrier. At first, Vendi was ecstatic, thinking that he dodged the chore of hauling the bodies, but nope. As he was still somewhat drained from our previous encounter, Jack told him that he would just be a dead weight and told him to continue what he started, while he and Kon were going to fix the damage. I was not going to pass on seeing that. First though, Jack and Kon disappeared into the mansion to ¡°gather the tools needed¡±. That was only half of the truth, because I could instantly tell that they went straight for the kids hidden below the ground. They moved them again. This time to a lot larger room, somewhere downstairs. It looked like the mansion had a very expansive underground, because as the kids started spreading around, it looked like some of them even left the area of the house. By then I was already sitting at the edge of the clearing, not that far off from where the bush where I first hid was, and I could tell that some of them were even directly under me. I was not really paying much attention to them, instead focusing on Kon and Jack. After dealing with the children they both went directly to the top floor of the mansion, probably to some kind of loft, because their presence was right at the roof of the whole building. Jack was a little bit behind, as if he was looking for something. As I was using my magical sight, at first I did not realize that he was just straight up looking at me from the window. Noticing that, I waved at him. He then quickly disappeared and joined Kon. After a few minutes they finally started going back down. Surprisingly though, they did not have any magical items with them, or if they had, they were so weak I was not detecting them. As they arrived at the clearing, my observation was confirmed - none of the items that they brought was magical in nature. Strange, since they were apparently going to need them to recreate the spell. What they brought with them was a small notebook and a piece of crystal. It sort of looked like crystallized salt, about as large as Kon¡¯s hand. Curious about the items, I approached them, but as soon as I stood up and took a singular step, they hid both of the items. -So, you¡¯re ready? - I asked, a bit disappointed that I was not able to get a closer look. Both of them took a step back, looking cautious. -And why are you so interested in this? I will talk with you later. -Oh, that¡¯s good and all, and we will definitely talk, but I am coming with you. First, how do I know that you¡¯re not just going to get away as soon as you are done? Nah, you wouldn''t, the kids are still here - I said, pointing at the ground, right where the kids were. -How do you¡­ -Relax, I am just going to observe. I kind of feel responsible for this, I did destroy your defenses after all. I want to help you with rebuilding them. That and I wanted to get a closer glimpse at the process of casting that kind of spell. -And we don¡¯t need your help. Kon has more than enough power. I looked him over. -While I agree that his mana capacity is not that bad, it¡¯s not what I am worried about. Last time I saw him cast a spell it was¡­ underwhelming to say the least. -What the hell is that supposed to mean? -Doesn¡¯t matter how much fuel you have in the tank, if your driver is crap you still are going to end up in the wall. -What? I sighed. -Nothing. Just go. Not like you can stop me from following you. With that he could not argue. They left without delay and went directly to the place the barrier was broken at. Strangely, even without my guidance, they already knew where the hole was. I did ask them about that but was met with silence. Just to check, out of curiosity, following a few steps behind them, I tried gathering mana in an invisible orb, as I was preparing to cast a spell, just to see if I get any reaction. But, neither of them did. Even when I closed the gap and started hovering the invisible ball of energy right between them. Either they had no idea or were great actors. I kinda doubted that though - especially thanks to my ¡°new¡± ability. Besides, Kon was definitely not good at hiding things. While he might have had the ability to change his face, his emotions were as clear as day. A bit disappointed, I released the mana into the air, letting it disperse. No reaction still. Well, I guess reading mana and feeling it around you was not that easy. Even I, before the crystallization that is, was not using it very often and had to focus pretty much solely on it. A while later we arrived at the rock in question. Even though I told them what to expect, they were still surprised when they noticed that there was no script written on it. -Huh. So it really is blank. -I mean I told you. The rest of the barrier is intact I feel like, but you can check if you want to. -How would you know that? -Because I am a psychic. Fucking guess? He did not reply and instead called Kon over. They both turned away from me, while at the same time pulling out the notebook and the rock. After a couple of whispers, Kon sat down next to the large stone and, putting the rock in front of him, started gathering mana. But, the spell he used was strange. -Wisfe wowu no usfupet em wo voekp, vsinqo do voy tvupi. Again with life magic. What the hell? And to boot, it looked as if it was working as intended. Well, mostly. More or less I understood the incantation. He intended to drain the green mana of the plants nearby or rather ¡°green life¡± and pour it into the rock in front of him, sort of as I was doing with my crystal although without any need for incantation. A bit too similar if you ask me. My crystal had the same opinion. As the plants were slowly being drained, not as fast and not as deep as to leave ashy remains behind, I felt that mana was even drained from me. I don¡¯t need to add that that startled me like you could not believe. I really did not want to show the sudden scare on my face, but I feel like I failed because Jack looked at me curiously. But, as soon as the drain appeared, it vanished. I thought the spell was done, but no - the mana was still flowing from plants nearby and was being gathered in the crystal. -You look¡­ pale - said Jack suddenly, looking at me directly. -Oh, I am touched that you are worried about me but I am fine. Just your magic is¡­ a bit unusual to say the least. -Eh¡­ I did not mean it like that - he quickly corrected himself - You literally look pale. As your body is whiter than before. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. I quickly unwrapped one of my hands and realized that it was indeed true. I was confused at first, but quickly understood what was going on. As Kon was gathering the green mana, he also drained it from me. I had a bunch of it, be it from the plants I drained or the spells I recently have been hit by. That made my body change color to a shade of green. I actually never paid much attention to my color palette, if you can believe me. When that got drained though, I just got left with regular, uncolored and pure mana, making me change to a whiter shade, hence ¡°pale¡±. -Ah. Don¡¯t worry about me. It¡¯s just how I am. I think. -You think? - he asked, looking confused. -Yep. But never mind me, what about you? You¡¯re not scared about the kid using life magic? -Life magic? - he looked at me as if I was insane. -Yeah. Whether he¡¯s your son or not, using a kid to dabble in dangerous magic like this¡­ it¡¯s pretty reckless. -You clearly have no idea what you are talking about - spoke up Kon, apparently done with the spell. The crystal, now in his hand, was glowing with dim green light. To me though, the light was about ten times brighter, thanks to my enhanced sight. -Really? Enlighten me then. -And why would he do that? - said Jack, taking his side. -No, I think you misunderstand me. I am not trying to bait you to tell me your spells. That was a warning. -And now with threats¡­ -Oh, shut the fuck up and listen - I interrupted him, mildly annoyed. - I have spent most of my life trying to contain, fix or clean up the mess after people like you exactly. Using life magic as if it¡¯s a natural thing. Spoiler warning: it is not. See my body? That is on a lighter side of aftereffects. Most of the time you¡¯re not that lucky and just end up dead. Or worse. -Okay, what? - said now slightly concerned Jack. - What¡¯s ¡°worse¡± exactly? -Depends. But I can think of a couple of things. For example instead of turning into a sentient pile of rocks, you¡¯d turn into a sentient pile of flesh. -Pile of flesh? Isn¡¯t that what we are? - he scoffed at me, but I could tell he was a bit shaken. -Well there is a small difference: arrangement. Anyway, do what you want, I¡¯m no longer responsible for that, it¡¯s going to be your problem. Or whoever¡¯s going to survive. -You really think that this magic is that dangerous? - asked Kon, now a bit scared. -It¡¯s not ¡°this magic¡±, it¡¯s just a bunch of words that you need to be careful about. I noticed that a whole lot of you were using those¡­ I¡¯d recommend you cut down on that. -But that¡¯s the magic passed down on us fr¡­ -Kon! -Ah, so there is someone else that was that stupid. Well, since it was ¡°passed down¡± I assume they¡¯re dead. Most likely thanks to that magic, am I correct? Their silence was enough of an answer. -So I am right - I shook my head. - That also reminds me. You were the one who made that stupid charm, right? -A charm? - Kon looked a bit put out by the sudden change of topic. -Yeah, ¡°wish of life¡± or whatever that was. It was a piece of crap, but the words written were definitely correct. Vendi was pawning that off in the town. -Oh. Maybe¡­ -I¡¯d recommend you stop doing that. Or at least use different words. You did not infuse any mana into them, so there¡¯s no harm done, but if you did¡­ I shuddered, remembering a few ¡°accidents¡±. -I only did that once. And it was a long time ago. -So that¡¯s why he wanted to meet you¡­ - Jack muttered, lost in thoughts. -He? There was another? -Yes - Jack replied, realizing that he was speaking out loud. - His name was Mor. I feel like you might have heard of him - he said, mockingly. -Oh, ha ha. I told you that I am Mor. Seeing as your kid can change face, I can¡¯t believe you don¡¯t want to realize that someone else might change too. That sentence froze him. -How do you know. -I¡­ he might have seen me change¡­ - quietly said Kon, visibly ashamed. -For the millionth time I told you to be careful - he blew up, half angry, half crestfallen. -Don¡¯t worry too much. While it was definitely surprising you should be glad that it was me not the elves that saw it. Speaking of, what the hell do elves want with you? -Don¡¯t know how that should¡¯ve reassured me. And don¡¯t know why I should tell you. -Ah, so we are back to square one. Okay, sure, whatever. Instead of doubting me and my motives, why don¡¯t you go and repair the barrier then? He was not going to argue with that. Instead he looked slightly annoyed at himself for me having to remind him why they came here. -Right. Kon. He nodded and gave him the infused rock. I lowered my eyes to not get blinded and was watching them as carefully as possible. But Jack was not casting any spells. He just walked towards the large boulder, where the spell used to be, with Kon in tow. Kid pulled out the notebook and after looking through it for a second, started speaking. Or rather he started dictating the contents of the spell to Jack. He, using the rock as it was just a piece of chalk, was writing the whole thing down. I couldn¡¯t tell what exactly they were saying. At first I wanted to get a bit closer to hear the spell, but stopped myself. First off, I always could take a look after they were done. I already knew about half of the spell from before, and to fill the gaps wouldn¡¯t be that hard if I was able to read the spell from this side. But, more importantly, I did not want to disrupt them from creating the barrier itself. Creating a spell like that is a delicate process, and I really was not sure if my crystal would not disrupt it. Or worse - get connected to it. Kon already proved that his magic was able to mess with my own and I was not going to gamble with that. After a solid minute, it appeared that the writing part was done. Jack stepped back and Kon stepped up towards the boulder, placing his hands on it. For a second, I tensed up, not sure what spell he was casting, feeling the rush of pure mana around him, but as the rock started glowing, I figured out he was activating the barrier. The glow intensified even more and soon the blinding light I saw when I was approaching this place was put back in its place again. -You done? Can we finally have a talk? -Not yet. We still need to deal with the dead - said Jack, leading Kon with him. He was already looking pretty pale, probably thanks to the spell. Whenever it was being fueled by the leyline or anything similar, creating it still had its toll on his body and mana supply, which was especially visible thanks to my magical sight. Before, his flame was similar to Vendi when I first saw him here, now he was closer to the rest of the kids that were hidden under the mansion. That, and after he heard about the bodies, his face turned almost completely white. -You sure you will be fine? - Jack sounded genuinely worried. He nodded, but I don¡¯t think he convinced him. By the way, I noticed that the mana and overall Jack¡¯s flame was actually pretty large and he was definitely not at his best. When he appeared, it looked like he was similar in power to the other two, but that was after teleporting. Did that mean he also was able to use that magic? It seemed a bit strange. I was pretty sure that portals were complicated and not something that would be so widely used, but the longer I was here, the more people revealed that they could use it without issue. Either there were a lot of prodigies roaming around, or someone figured out an easier incantation. In any case, it would be smart to investigate that later. Getting back to the mansion took us longer this time, thanks to Kon. Despite him being adamant that everything is fine and he does not need to rest, he had a hard time walking straight and almost had to be carried back by Jack. Meanwhile, back at the mansion, Vendi was already done with bodies and was now inspecting scorch marks left by the lightning. Noticing us come back and seeing as Kon was a bit out of it, he immediately bolted towards the inside. -What got into him¡­? - I muttered to myself and started watching where exactly he was going. But he just went to the kitchen and brought a couple of small mana fruits. -That should help - nodded at him Jack and each of them took a piece, trying to refresh themselves a bit. I, on the other hand, was just watching awkwardly from the side, still waiting patiently. After eating, I could tell that they were back at their respective peak, or close to it. At least from what it looked like. I was also not wrong about Jack - after the fruit, he almost had the amount of mana of the other two combined. Not too shabby. If I were to compare him to people from the capital, he¡¯d be close to Odar. Maybe a tiny bit weaker. I also could tell that, whenever they thought I was not looking, they were observing me. With a little less hostility, but still, their eyes were full of distrust and suspicion. Too bad I couldn¡¯t do anything about that. -Okay, let¡¯s go - finally announced Jack, standing up from the grass next to the door. - You¡¯re fully recharged, right? -Yep - nodded Kon. -Finally - I said, raising as well. - I still don¡¯t get why you only want to talk after all that mess¡­ He did not give me an answer, just started walking into the forest. -Maybe you¡¯re still hoping that I¡¯ll get annoyed and leave? - I continued my monologue, following the three. - Nah. Not happening. What I think is, you¡¯re playing for time. When I mentioned that, Vendi''s flame shuddered. Bingo. -Hah, wonder what¡¯s that you¡¯re waiting for. Some reinforcements? No, couldn¡¯t be. You¡¯d already come with them when you heard that the place was under attack. Or were they busy? This time I got no reaction, meaning I did not guess right. Hell, this new sense of mine was quite handy. -Nah, you don¡¯t strike me as a type to work together. But, on the other hand I also did not expect that you¡¯d be an owner of an orphanage. A slave trader. He was quiet, but I could tell he was getting angry. -Fine, fine, I will shut up. But you can¡¯t ignore me forever. -What the fuck do you even want for me? - he suddenly blew up. - Leave me alone and deal with your own problems yourself! -Ha. That¡¯s not so easy, you know - I said after a brief pause, stunned by his sudden outburst. -Not my problem. -Well, that¡¯s not exactly right. You see, my problems, while not immediately pressing, are persistent. And annoying. And some of them you might call ¡°friends¡±. -I don¡¯t care about the beef you have with Vendi. Talk to him if you need to, don¡¯t get me involved. Vendi flinched when he heard his name, but did not speak up. -Oh, I don¡¯t care either. It¡¯s your another ¡°acquaintance¡±. Or more likely, a customer. -Customer? - he turned to face me, looking more curious than anything. - I have many of those. And I don¡¯t intend on selling any out. -Does that include me? He paused for a moment. -Okay, I know you still don¡¯t believe that I am indeed Mor. But you not believing me might sort of work for me. -Stop being cryptic - he finally said, clearly interested.- So what? -Then, hypothetically, if someone was to approach you and ask, hey, have you seen this Mor guy around. What would you say? -I would say that I never heard that name. -Aha. How nice of you. And if that was someone you thought a ¡°friend¡± of so-called Mor? His brow furled. -What do you mean? -I mean that I am in the process of remodeling my circle of friends. Or rather I should say during the process of culling most of them. -Does the ¡°culling¡± involve that magic that burned the grass next to my place? -No. I was not the one that did that, you know that. It might involve other kinds of magic though. I am pretty resourceful in that regard. -Are you threatening me? -Motherfucker, calm down, I am not some kind of unhinged killer - I finally let my frustration spill out. - I decided to join a certain group that seemed like an interesting and friendly bunch, but instead what I got was a spell to the dome. Multiple times! And guess what, when I accidentally found another one of my so-called friends, he¡¯s not believing a word I say and instead I got a spell to the dome again! I was not shouting, but nevertheless the sudden outburst was not something he expected. -So you tell me! Should I be threatening you? -Who? - he asked dryly, not sure how to react. -Odar Erf. Maybe Bert too. But most of all, the fucking Axelrod. -The king? - chimed in Vendi, only listening till now. - Who the hell are you that you know him and thought that he might be your friend? -And since when do you care? - I barked at him. - No. I¡¯ll tell you only after you respond to my questions. 74. Split -Anyway¡­ We are here - interrupted the silence that suddenly fell on the group Vendi. It would seem so. While this piece of forest was not that different from any other one, the blinding mana that was now in front of me was unmistakable. We were at the edge of the barrier. -Well at least we know that you did not lie and the barrier is still intact over here¡­ -Pff. Why would I waste time circling the whole place if just making a hole was enough to pass. -I never said that you did. Okay, let¡¯s move. -Move? What, we are going outside? -Of course. I am not taking any risks. -Isn¡¯t that just an elaborate way of getting me out of your sight? - I asked, slightly suspicious. - You realize that if you leave me outside I WILL break the barrier again? -Sadly, I do. -Well, let¡¯s go then. Do I need a charm or some shit? -Yeah. Here. He gave me a small piece of wood, eerily similar to the charm Vendi sold me long ago, but this one had actual mana imbued within it. There was no visible script, although with my other sight, I was able to see a faint outline of letters. Carefully, so I would not drain it by accident, I took it and tried reading the words, but the aura, from what I assume was another large boulder keeping the barrier together, was making it hard to recognize the words. I took a mental note to inspect it closer after I¡¯ll be clear of interference. With the charm, I passed through the barrier without an issue. I still was absolutely blinded by light, and absorbed a little bit of the mana from the spell, brightening my body a little bit, but that was all the side effects. My companions also noticed my sudden change and tensed up, but I just shrugged it off, not caring about the hostile looks. Not long later we arrived at a small¡­ I wouldn¡¯t even call it a clearing. It was just a patch of forest where trees were a little bit less together. And in one of those free spots there was a row of bodies laid neatly next to each other. As soon as he saw them again, Kon turned pale once more. -Ah, right - said Vendi, apparently remembering something. And, I shit you not, from his pocket, he pulled out a large piece of material, long enough for him to cover the whole row and then a little bit more. It was not exactly cloth, it looked closer to the membrane I¡¯ve seen on the windows, combined with something that looked like moss. -Thanks¡­ - said quietly Kon and approached the row. I stepped back, not wanting to accidentally get caught in his magic again. On the other hand, Vendi and Jack got closer and were now standing next to him. -Ready? -Yeah. -Sure. -Douquwe wowu, siwipo omop em wowu fi wisfe visu. I couldn¡¯t help but to be both amazed and disappointed at the same time. Disappointed, because it was not even an hour after my warning, yet they were again casually using life magic like that¡¯s just normal. Amazed, because it actually looked pretty. The material that he covered the bodies with instantly sprung to life. First I got startled a tiny bit, because it sort of looked like one of those weird green creatures - especially when it started sprouting branches. But instead of standing on two legs and trying to grab me, it grew more and more limbs to the point where it looked more like a large bramble or some other bush without leaves. Just as I thought that, it started sprouting a bunch of small buds that almost immediately turned to leaves. At the same time, the branches started thickening and started turning into a large, thick trunk, or rather a root, that dug itself into the ground while also shooting up, creating a whole tree right in front of my eyes in a span of maybe ten seconds. Mesmerized by this feat of magic noticed that the spell was not done yet. At first I thought nothing, but seeing that more and more mana was getting drained from the three people in front, I realized that it was good that I stepped back. If I was closer to them, the drain would¡¯ve definitely affected me as well. Hard to tell which way though. But that was not the issue here. I could tell that the three of them were already getting weaker, and the spell was not ending. The tree stopped growing though and I thought I was worried for nothing, but that¡¯s when the weirdness kicked in. All the growing was happening exactly where the bodies were laid down, turning themselves into the roots or whatnot. Until, suddenly, another tree sprouted at the edge of where the material used to be, just next to the three. I immediately realized that something was not okay. The reaction of Vendi and Jack was enough of an indicator - both of them immediately jumped back, startled and backed up a step. That was what sealed the deal. Up till then, they steadily were pouring their own mana into Kon, who, as a main caster, was controlling the spell and the flow of mana. I don¡¯t know how exactly they managed to do it, but in my eyes, as soon as the spell started, the three mana flames turned into one singular large one. It was hard to look at, sort of like I was seeing two different things at once. When they broke the contact, the mana they were supplying was also gone and in a split second I saw the large flame persist, just to split again, but this time, only two flames remained. As soon as they separated, the growth also stopped. Kon for a split second was standing there, motionless, just to collapse on the ground. -Kon! Both Vendi and Jack looked worried. -What the fuck was that magic?! I thought I told you to not mess with life any more! I was almost yelling, stomping towards them angrily. -Who cares! Kon! What happened?! Vendi of course was not realizing what they had just done. -What happened? Oh, I can tell you what happened. He¡¯s dead. Both of them looked at me like I was insane, but before he started insulting me, he first checked the kid''s pulse. -What are you talking about? He still has a pulse¡­ it¡¯s strange though¡­ it¡¯s slowing down¡­ -What? I took another look at the kid, and sure enough I was not imagining it. There was absolutely no life in that body. It was as dead as a piece of rock. More even, because sometimes even rocks have some mana to them. -What¡­ How¡­? It¡¯s¡­ Is he¡­ -Dying? Probably. Vendi sounded shaken. No wonder. Just frozen in place, looking absolutely stunned. -Do something then! - suddenly blurted out Jack. - Aren¡¯t you a so-called expert in life magic? -I am not. I just used to clean up messes after such spells¡­ -This DEFINITELY COUNTS! -Okay, man - I raised my hands in a defensive gesture. - What I mean by that is I DESTROY the things that awaken after fucked attempts at life magic, not the other way around. To be honest, I have never been present DURING such an event¡­ That was obviously a lie. -...but I can try something¡­ All the boundaries and the lack of trust went out the window. None of them protested when I approached and touched the kid and focused, waiting in anticipation. As noticed before, there was absolutely no mana remaining in his body. Carefully unwrapping my hand I touched his forehead with the tip of a finger, but there was no reaction - meaning even the crystal could not get anything. It was just an empty vessel. Or a corpse if you want to be blunt. My eyes were definitely not mistaken. -What was the spell exactly? -The words were ¡°Douquwe wo..¡± - Jack started, but I immediately silenced him. -Shut the fuck up, do you want an encore? -I did not put any mana into it! -So what? And who are you to know if the spell won¡¯t get it from somewhere else? -Wha¡­? The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. -Okay, it¡¯s not really the time for the lecture, but just for you know, even if YOU don¡¯t put any mana into an incantation that doesn¡¯t mean shit. Now, I heard the spell, that¡¯s not what I am asking. I know the words, I know the meaning of them, but I don¡¯t know the intent. I can guess from the effects, but I need to be sure. -Intent¡­? -You pulled it out from that book, right? I am sure there is a description of some kind in there! -It¡¯s not from the journal, no. It¡¯s been a part of our rituals since¡­ I don¡¯t even know how long. -Great. Then what were you thinking about when you were casting it? Both of you. -I thought you said it¡¯s not time for a lecture - muttered Vendi. -Oh, no I mean literally. I need to know. -Ehm¡­ what? - asked Jack, confused. He started mumbling something but I could not understand him. -Come on spit it out! It¡¯s important! -I was¡­ thanking nature¡­ for taking them¡­ -Ambiguous. Just great. Vendi! You? -Eh¡­ I¡­ nothing in particular¡­ -There had to be something. -I was thankful for turning them into something new, I guess¡­ - he finally said after a moment of thought. -Just great¡­ eh¡­ let me think. So we have three things¡­ - I started mumbling to myself. - First, the spell¡­ ¡°almighty life, return them to life of green earth¡±... then a wish to take them¡­ then to turn them into something new¡­ -I was not wishing¡­ - Vendi started protesting. - Anyway, you understand that language? -Thanking, wishing, whatever, the effect is the same. Also, that¡¯s not a language. Or not only a language, but whatever. Man, why didn¡¯t I get more interested about your customs after seeing this for the first time, could¡¯ve prevented that¡­ -First time? -Okay, but can you do something? - asked Jack, definitely less interested than Vendi in the exact meaning of my words. -I am thinking. It¡¯s just¡­ -Speak up, maybe I can explain something! -Now you¡¯re the one wanting to talk. Hah. -It¡¯s Kon¡¯s life on the line! Like hell I will! -Yeah, sure, but speeding up won¡¯t help us. What happened, happened, it¡¯s not some cracked bottle that you need to fix before the contents leak out. -Don¡¯t compare Kon to a bottle of booze! - said Jack, suddenly offended. -I never said booze. -STOP LECTURING! -OKAY, OKAY. From what I understand you also included your beloved Kon in the spell. Or at least you should. Normally, I¡¯d say that you just used his life energy to cast the spell and he straight ran out and died. That¡¯s how life magic usually works. -Wouldn¡¯t that mean that the spell would also consider him dead and turn into a tree as well? - asked Vendi, terrified. - I mean, there is another tree¡­ but¡­ -Exactly. That¡¯s where the weirdness happens. First off he¡¯s not exactly dead. Second, the tree has to grow out of something, or in this case, out of someone, am I correct? -That¡¯s how the ritual works. Yes. We turn our dead ones into something that we can remember and will survive for longer¡­ -Yes, yes¡­ beautiful and all¡­ but¡­ I think I might have a hunch¡­ I focused again, this time not on the dead body of Kon, instead on all the trees that just appeared and the ones that were surrounding us before. Similarly to all other ones, they had their distinct mana signatures, as I keep seeing all around the place. Some were more powerful, some less. The newest one was, strangely, stronger than the other, larger one, that grew out from the whole pile of corpses. As a matter of fact, the youngest tree was the strongest one by far. And the signature, while still definitely full of green mana, was somewhat¡­ familiar and had also a hint of something else. I approached the two trees and first briefly touched the large one. One little swipe was enough for me to get a good feel and confirm that indeed, that was just a regular tree. It was a bit more infused than what I was used to - and I drained quite an amount of wood on my way here - but besides that, there was nothing strange about it. My finger started glowing green, as expected, turning a small piece of bark into ash. -What are you doing? -Shut up and watch. I wanted to be extra careful with the other one. If my hunch was correct, I could not afford to make any mistakes. With the gentlest touch I could muster, using my other hand, I just barely made contact with the bark, but that was enough. The tree bark decayed similarly to the other one, but what I felt flowing into me was not exactly the green mana. Sure, there was plenty of it in the tree, but it was not only that - the plant was absolutely full of life mana, that was mixed with the green one. But that was not what was important. Important was that, during the brief contact I had with it, a stream of emotions poured into me. An absolute overwhelming amount of fear. Reflexively, I jumped back and stumbled down, falling right down on my ass. It was not the first time I was experiencing someone else¡¯s feelings, but the sheer volume of them was not something I was expecting. It almost felt like I just had a heart attack. Breathing heavily, I realized that both Jack and Vendi were looking at me, scared as well. -What happened? Why are you screaming? - Vendi looked unsure what emotion he should display right now. -I did? I did¡­ Yeah, I involuntarily did¡­ Man, if just a brief touch was enough for me to feel that, I did not want to even imagine what he felt¡­ Right. He. -Okay¡­ I think I have a good idea what happened. -So¡­? - Jack started hurrying me. -I have some good news. Your Kon is not exactly dead. They both immediately gazed at the body that was still lying in Jack¡¯s arms, but it was as cold and unmoving as it was before. -So what is he then? -That¡¯s the bad news. This body is definitely empty though. -What? -Yeah. From what I gathered, somehow, during your ritual, when you started creating the trees and all, the spell transferred his consciousness into the tree. My best guess is that, when you broke the physical contact when the tree was forming, he ran out of mana briefly, meaning the spell started treating him as yet another target. But before yet another tree started emerging from him, his consciousness, or ¡°soul¡± started being drained as energy needed to support the spell. The spell then fizzled, because it essentially lost the source of mana and a caster. Kon, in this strange limbo, was apparently sucked into the one free vessel that was close - the tree he just made. -What in the hell¡­? -But that does not make sense! - protested Vendi, still suspicious. - Didn¡¯t you say that the spells can just continue even without the caster¡¯s will? Why then didn¡¯t it just consume his whole soul? -Magic is unpredictable. But, I think I know. When I touched this tree I just felt an unimaginable amount of fear. I guess when he felt that the spell started consuming him he attempted to break it, out of sheer panic, and succeeded. But it was a split second too late. His ¡°soul¡± was already on its way out, in the process of being burned as a fuel for the spell, but not yet fully destroyed. When he stopped it, he just got left exactly where he was - in the tree. -How can we even believe that¡­ - said Jack, absolutely stunned. - This is absurd. -You can check yourself. Touch the tree. See what happens. I could see he was hesitating. -Come on. It should be safe. I only had to be careful so I wouldn¡¯t destroy it, as¡­ you know - I pointed to my crystal hand, still slightly glowing. He was still unsure, but he did put down the lifeless body in the grass and approached the tree, with Vendi following suit. Both, at once, put their hands on the tree, just to scream and jump back immediately. -What you just felt were his emotions. I think I don¡¯t need to say that¡¯s not a normal reaction from the tree right? They did not reply. -What can we do? - finally asked Jack. -With what? -With Kon of course! You can¡¯t just leave him like that! - he sounded a bit panicky. -Of course I can - I said, but before he was able to say anything added - but yea, I do not intend to. That¡¯s not the main problem though. To be honest, I am a bit lost as well. Right now I can¡¯t do anything. -But we have to do something! We can just¡­ - started Vendi, joined by Jack. -There has to be something! Tell me! You are a creature that is a remnant of a soul! Isn¡¯t that similar to this? At least somewhat? -Okay, first of all, I am not a remnant, or whatever that thing is called. I am just a man with a very strange body. Second of all, I said I can''t do anything. Never said that someone else won¡¯t be able to. -Who!? -That¡¯s where the problem is. The one person I know has the information about merging and swapping souls around is currently in an ¡°unapproachable¡± state. But that¡¯s a long time goal. For now, we, or rather you have something you can do. -What? Can you be faster about that? - Jack was getting impatient. -Calm down, I am talking. First of all, we should actually calm him down a bit - I pointed to the tree. -And how the hell do you calm down a tree? - groaned Vendi. - Want us to water it or something. -Pfft. I mean, it won¡¯t hurt, but no. I mean talk to him. While he looks like a tree, he is still a person. Somewhat. -Talk¡­? Just¡­ talk? -Well, sure. You just touched him, didn¡¯t you? That¡¯s what he¡¯s feeling right now. From what I tell, he is conscious inside there - I said, looking at the aura of the tree. - I am not sure if he can hear us directly, but if you touch the bark, he should definitely feel your presence, and if he¡¯s calmer, maybe even reply. If you are lucky, he might even hear you without touching, that is if you are ¡°compatible¡± enough. -Compatible? -I¡­ well, how do I put it? I think it has to do more with you being connected on some level, be it biological or, in this case, psychological. Biological is out of the question now, since he¡¯s a tree and all. Jack, you would have an advantage as a father, probably. You actually still might have it. Being a father and son is not only just a blood bond after all. -How do you even know that¡­? -I can see things. Besides that, I already had my experience in talking to inanimate objects. -Wha¡­ I am not going to even ask¡­ -Good. -And who¡¯s that expert of yours that we need? I hope they are not that hard to reach? -Hm¡­ well, that¡¯s the main problem, but I¡¯ll tell you later, after we are inside of the barrier. First try calming him down. -Why? - asked Vendi. - What¡¯s going on with him? -Imagine that you just have your soul pulled out of you, almost died and got turned to tree. I don¡¯t know about you, but a kid definitely would need to have nerves of steel to not panic. And replying to the question: nothing¡¯s going on. I am just trying to be helpful. -Hm. But it was easier said than done. For the next half an hour they tried communicating with him, but every time they just got assaulted by massive amounts of fear that started pouring into them as soon as they touched the bark. -This is not working - groaned Vendi, annoyed. - Are you sure you¡¯re not just pulling this all out of your ass? -I am, some of it at least - I admitted openly - but If you have a better idea, be my guest. -How the hell can we trust this then? To boot, it¡¯s also your fault that they attacked in the first place! -Not exactly true but whatever. I think you already rebuilt your barrier and the enemy was dealt with. And I am trying to help you with this new problem, is that not enough for you? -All you¡¯ve done is just give us some half-assed explanations that we don¡¯t have any proof are even remotely correct, as you admitted yourself. -He is right - agreed Jack. He seemed a lot less angry, but a lot more sad and hesitant. - I see some of what you say is indeed true, but I can¡¯t just ignore all this¡­ - he gestured in my direction. -Ah. We are still about the crystal and shit. -Don¡¯t get me wrong, I am thankful that you protected them¡­ but I cannot in my good mind just let you do as you please without properly explaining yourself first. -Yeah - nodded Vendi. - And since this ¡°emotional connection¡± crap is not working, we have some time. -I really, really don¡¯t want to talk about myself with people I don¡¯t really think I should trust - I said, looking straight at Vendi - or those who lied to me in the past, but I guess it¡¯s time I¡¯ve shown some of good will, since our knowledge is not enough¡­ -Our? -Let¡¯s start from the beginning. 75. Trust I still was not sure how exactly those blood pacts and all worked. I was assuming that I was no longer able to form one of the highest kind, so I just asked them, putting as much mana as I could into my words, to agree to not talk about it to anyone besides us here, and in kind I would not lie to them about my story. While I did not feel any different at all, it¡¯s not like I expected that anything would happen¡­ I quickly summarized about how I got recruited by the king to look for his stolen slave and how, after finding her, I got betrayed and trapped inside a destroyed cave. I never mentioned that I was the one that had a blood pact with her first though. Nor who she was. -After that I just used the boat that I still had from your ¡°guests¡±, and then found your orphanage or whatever it is - I finished my story. - I never intended to hurt any of you, it just happened, as I said before. Hearing all this, Jack seemed a lot more calm and looked like he finally was starting to believe me. Vendi, on the other hand, now instead of being suspicious and rude, started being a lot more polite - just like when we first met. I did not care either way. I still was not sure about the whole ¡°sharing my story¡± thing, but it seemed like I had no choice if I wanted to know a little bit more. -I believe you. I hope I won¡¯t come to regret it - said Jack. -Seems like we don¡¯t have much choice and to try and work together - nodded Vendi. During all this, I was closely observing both of the men, hoping to maybe get some hints of reactions to certain names and such, but there was nothing that would betray any suspicious behavior. But that was not what caught my attention. After feeling the initial fear of tree-Kon, I was constantly monitoring his state of mind, or at least trying to. When they touched him and tried to communicate and so on, there was absolutely no change, so I was surprised that when both of them finally announced that they are starting to believe me, he¡­ seemed to brighten up a bit. -Say, I am glad to hear that and I have a bunch of questions of my own, but¡­ would you mind trying to talk with him once more? - I asked them, gesturing towards the tree. - I think something¡¯s changing. They both looked at me strangely, but Jack did not skip a second and instantly pressed his hand to the trunk. Vendi immediately stepped back, expecting him to yelp and rebound away¡­ but nothing happened. -Ha! I¡¯ll be damned. I said I can¡¯t help you with calming him down? I guess I was wrong! -What does that mean? - Vendi looked stunned. - What did you do? -I can only guess, and my guess is not what did I do, but what did WE do. Apparently I had a wrong idea about this kid. He was¡­ -...he was not worried about himself¡­ he was worrying about us¡­ Fearing that you will attack us¡­ -Or rather that you¡¯ll attack me and just will get destroyed in the process. Like you, Vendi. -I did not get destroyed - he started protesting. -Well only because I did not want to. When you were out and cold, one touch and you¡¯d end up as a pile of ash on the ground. He visibly shuddered, realizing that I was not joking. -Relax. I already said I am not that type of person. -So what kind of person are you? - he asked, out of the blue. - You don¡¯t really seem like a helping type, yet you are¡­ It seems to me like you¡¯re just constantly changing your mind¡­ if you don¡¯t mind me asking that is. -I¡­ - I hesitated, not sure myself. To be honest he read me like a book. Luckily, I did not have to reply, because Jack spoke up. -I¡­ I think I can hear him¡­ or¡­ well, I don¡¯t know. -Let me guess - I quickly seized the opportunity to change the subject. - You can¡¯t hear his words, they just appear in your mind. Or maybe you are seeing strange images that you somehow are able to translate into words or something like that? -I¡­ how do you know? - he sounded amazed. -I told you. I have first hand experience with that. But that¡¯s enough from me, I have a few questions of my own. -I can¡¯t promise that I will be answering all of them, but first, I think we should¡­ -What is it this time? - I rolled my eyes. -Shouldn¡¯t we¡­ do something with him¡­? The body? -Oh. That¡¯s actually a good question¡­ -Do we¡­ bury him¡­? - asked Vendi, awkwardly. -Oh hell no! - instantly started protesting Jack. - He¡¯s still alive! And did you forget what just happened? I¡¯d rather never use this magic ever again! -That would be for the best - I agreed. - That magic is a piece of work. Besides, don¡¯t you think he¡¯ll need that body¡­ sooner or later¡­ -Do you really think that¡¯s possible? - Vendi did not sound convinced. - Seems a bit much¡­ even for what I¡¯ve seen¡­ -We¡¯ll never know if we don¡¯t try - I shrugged. -Right¡­ I¡¯ll take care of it. We should have a cold room in the basement¡­ It¡¯s just¡­ -Cold room? That¡¯s perfect. -Yeah¡­ but the magic crystals keeping it cold are¡­ hm¡­ I¡¯m not so sure about it any more. -What¡¯s wrong with it? -Well¡­ Bert was the one who was the supplier¡­ and if your story is true, I am kind of hesitant on using anything that has any ties to the king¡­ Right¡­ I did remember that Bert was one capable of using ice magic¡­ and he was the one responsible for the fish transports. Wait, was that why he was threatening back then? He was selling those crystals to Jack to get himself a bonus profit while he himself was using his magic to preserve his own transports? Slick bastard. But if that¡¯s true, that means that those crystals were not made by him but sourced from somewhere else¡­ -Hm¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ I feel it should be fine, but anyway I don¡¯t think they would be enough on their own. I can freeze him if you want, you just need to keep him somewhere safe then. -You can use ice magic? -Ah, right, you don¡¯t know - I kind of already dropped the act of ¡°singular element", so I forgot that he was not aware of that. - Yeah. Want me to do it now, or when we are already there? He did not look convinced. -I am trying to help here. -No, you don¡¯t understand - he shook his head. - It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe you, it¡¯s just¡­ -What, you want me to ask for permission first? Well, I can¡¯t exactly do that, go ahead and ask for me if you want - I said unceremoniously. - I am just offering help. He sort of got surprised when I suggested talking to Kon, probably forgetting that he was still with us and somewhat capable of communication. He placed his hand on the tree again and stood there for a good minute. -Well? What¡¯s the answer? - asked Vendi, looking somewhat on edge. -It¡¯s not¡­ -It¡¯s not that easy - I answered for him. - If it is the same as for me, he¡¯s not having a casual discussion with him. It probably is as hard for Kon to create the message as for Jack is to receive and decipher it. He looked at me, curious, not understanding. -Come on, join him if you don¡¯t get it. You should be able to pick up something, maybe even help him communicate. He gave me a quick gaze, but complied. His face instantly turned from curious to confused and overwhelmed. -Yeah, I figured. But it seems as neither of you is screaming or jumping away, I assume there are no objections? They both released their hands from the tree and nodded. -I think¡­ he agrees¡­ -Yeah¡­ and¡­ -Not yet - Jack stopped him from saying something. - We¡¯ll talk inside. Go ahead in front of us and get the kids away from¡­ downstairs¡­ Seeing his body is the last thing we want. He nodded and quickly started moving back towards the barrier. -What was that about? - I asked as Jack carefully picked up the body. -Kon wanted us to tell you a few things¡­ -Oh! That¡¯s new. -Yeah. I figured I might have an idea why, but let¡¯s do that after we¡¯re done with this. For now you mentioned that you had some questions. What do you want to know? -FINALLY! - I sighed. - It took so much to get to this point. So. The main one, you said I was dead. Why? How? -You mean that Mor is dead. -I told you¡­ Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. -Yes, I know.... I still am not sure who you are, but¡­ hell, you might actually be Mor¡­ -I am. So what¡¯s that about me dying? -A while back, when I was at my inn in the capital - Jack started - Bert came to me, apparently back from some kind of special secret mission. Drunk as fuck, with Odar. Both looking pretty tired, hard to tell if from drinking or from work. Neither of them wanted to tell me anything, but that does not mean that I was just going to leave it at that. I decided to investigate a little bit. -Mhm¡­ -First, I noticed that Bert suddenly had a lot more cash in hand than usual. Normally, he¡¯d be looking for more replacements for his crew and went back to his caravaning business, but he did not. Instead, out of all people, he left that business to Goldie. -What the fuck? -Exactly. I couldn¡¯t get anything from Odar, he¡¯s been quite on guard recently, so instead I started focusing on Goldie. -And he obviously spilled the beans. -That¡¯s the strange thing, he did not say much. I only managed to learn that the caravan was still Bert¡¯s main source of income, but instead of doing all the business himself, he instead hired a bunch of people, even including some old friends of his, stealing them right from his own old man¡¯s nose. -Some Blue Mages? Interesting¡­ -But that¡¯s not it. When I started digging more, Odar realized that I was trying to sniff out some info about him and confronted me. -Whoops. What, how are you not in jail then? -Because he never told anyone. Quite the opposite. They both came to me. Bert was open about all this and told me about his mission, and how the people that came with him died during it. -And that includes me? -That included Mor, yes. He still did not want to call me Mor. -Don¡¯t keep me on edge, come on. What exactly happened, according to him? -According to Bert, Mor has died a heroic death, defending him and Odar during an attack of some strange, unknown entity. It apparently was using every element imaginable, and while the fight ensued, the mana inside the cavern got so unstable that it caused an explosion, during which the cave collapsed. They only managed to survive, because Axelrod himself bailed them out, coming to the rescue. -Well, at least they are not trying to defame me¡­ not like anyone would care too much, nor does it matter. What about the others? -Oh, they got them back safely I heard. That¡¯s why he got paid. -Both of them? -I don¡¯t know the details, but assume so, yeah. Especially after the events that happened next week. I was about to ask what he was talking about, but got distracted with a glowing aura appearing in front of us - we arrived at the barrier and were about to cross it, but for some reason, Jack looked more on edge than he should. -What¡¯s going on? - I asked, noticing his frantic looks. -We should be here¡­ but I can¡¯t see the stone¡­ -What stone? -One of the anchors for the barrier. It should be right here. He pointed right towards the brightest point in the aura I¡¯ve been seeing in front of us. -Errr¡­ I think it is there¡­? -What do you mean?! I can see only the trees! -Right, well, I don¡¯t exactly see it, but¡­ I took a step further, into the light and instantly got met with a surprise yelp from Jack. -What? -Where did you go?! What¡¯s this magic? -What magic? I¡¯m still here - I replied, taking a step back. Even in the bright aura of the barrier I could see his flabbergasted face. -You just¡­ disappeared right in front of my eyes. -I just stepped through the barrier, that¡¯s all - I replied, not really getting what he was talking about. Come on. He hesitated for a second, but took a step forward, not sure. Of course nothing happened, we just stepped through the barrier as normal. He then quickly turned around, trying to find the stone, just to suddenly look relieved. -What¡¯s wrong with you? -It¡¯s here! But¡­ -I told you, it¡¯s been here the whole time. -It¡¯s just¡­ wait. He stopped and put Kon gently on the grass and again stepped back through the barrier. -Ah! Can you see me? -I mean I can¡¯t exactly see anything because your fucking barrier is right now searing my eyeballs out. I can hear you and I definitely feel your presence so I¡­ -Aura? -Okay, long story short, I can see more than you lot. While it¡¯s handy, it¡¯s not always helpful, and I can¡¯t exactly turn it off¡­ -Okay¡­ well then¡­ I, on the other hand, can¡¯t see you at all. Or the other side in general. -What do you mean ¡°the other side¡±? -The whole inside of the barrier. I did not notice at first, but the barrier is making some sort of illusion - the inside is just a static, mirrored image of what¡¯s on this side¡­ A brief glimpse of a certain memory went through my head. -That¡­ sounds a bit familiar¡­ - I finally understood what¡¯s going on. -Familiar? - he asked, coming back - It¡¯s pretty handy, but I''ve never seen this barrier work that way¡­ Is it working even? Before I was able to stop him he took a step outside and suddenly his whole presence vanished, just to appear again a second later. -Yeah, still working - I announced. - You definitely did get ported out. -I noticed. But how¡¯s that familiar to you? You know this barrier spell? -Well, not exactly, but I have a guess. I assume that as a part of the spell, when you were remaking it, you were absorbing the magic from the vicinity? -Right, I forgot you could understand that language¡­ -Ha. So I was right. And I actually did not hear what you were casting back then. -So how¡­? -Because that¡¯s my spell. I cast it when I was erasing the barrier on the other side of this place. When remaking the barrier you had to accidentally absorb it into the barrier itself¡­ but in that case it should be only on the other side, where you recast it¡­ Why is it here¡­? -I think I can answer that - he replied after a while. - See, this barrier consists of many anchors circling the whole place, each enchanted with the barrier spell, each connected via a leyline to each other. It would not be a stretch, to think that if one of the pieces got altered, the others absorbed the changes as well¡­ -I guess that would do it¡­ - I finally said after a moment of thinking. - But I have a better question. Why are you telling me this? Am I not some monster and all that? At first, he did not reply, just picked up the body of the boy and started walking. -You know¡­ - he started after a minute or two of silence. - I¡­ I honestly don¡¯t know any more. What I know for sure is that you do have information that only Mor would know, yet that does not change the fact that you might be a revenant anyway¡­ But at this moment I don¡¯t care. You already told me enough for me to know that you are neither with Axelrod, nor with those elves, so I guess it¡¯s fine. -Well, you got that right. I might have spiky ears, but that¡¯s not something I made for myself¡­ -Also¡­ Kon told me that he believes you. -Oh? So you managed to understand him a bit more. -Yes. He said¡­ he said that your soul is the same as then¡­ but there is something else surrounding you¡­ -Else? -Yes. Like you¡¯re being watched by someone. Or¡­ I don¡¯t know. You said it yourself, the images are not exactly an easy way of communication. -You got that right, but watched? That''s¡­ intriguing. -Yes. Since I already decided to trust you, I wanted to tell you. You think it¡¯s Axelrod who¡¯s watching you? -You know, that¡¯s probably true, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what Kon felt. -Huh? -In due time. For now let¡¯s focus on¡­ cleaning up. He winced. -We¡¯re close¡­ you don¡¯t want the rest of the kids to see this, right? - I asked as we were near the building. -Obviously¡­ I took a quick gander at the mansion. -They all seem to be still underground. Dunno where you want to put him, so I can¡¯t say if we are clear¡­ -How do you¡­ you know, it doesn''t matter. Can you tell where are they exactly? -On the other side of the building, under the ¡°courtyard¡±, let¡¯s say. Or rather the clearing. I think Vendi is with them. -The bunker. We are good then. -You have a bunker under there? What the fuck, are you preparing for war or something? That surprised him. -Wait, you don¡¯t know? -Know what? -We ARE during a war. -Excuse me? -I see we have a lot more to talk about. Let¡¯s get this over quick. He led us towards the kitchen, under where Kon was hiding when I found him. But the funniest thing was that the hatch leading to the underground was hidden right below where I sat, talking with hidden Kon - the counter was apparently movable and just slid away after he pushed it, revealing the opening. -Holy¡­ Well, that¡¯s a thing. -It¡¯s a secondary cellar. I used to store alcohol here, but it¡¯s been mostly cleared up¡­ Sure enough, downstairs smelled like booze. It was pretty cold too. -Okay, now let¡¯s put him behind this¡­ He opened a small door in the corner of the room, barely visible in the dark. It led to an even smaller one, barely even a room, not even big enough for both of us to enter together. -Are you sure about this? -Of course. -Okay then. Just move away so I won¡¯t freeze you too. -Right. -Lsio hmedou¡­ Hmedou qsuvilvo. In an instance, a thick layer of ice filled every nook of the room, freezing him solid. -That should do the trick. I just hope that his body is still intact¡­ -What do you mean? - he asked nervously. -You know, the human body is not built to withstand cold. I tried to be gentle, but¡­ -Ah, no, it¡¯s going to be fine. Even if¡­ You know, it doesn''t matter. -I guess we¡¯ll see when we come to actually waking him up - I agreed, not sure what he was about. After he closed the doors and we left the underground, we started making our way towards the main stairway. -You really had to hide your beer so much? - I asked, trying to break the silence that fell on us again. -Not beer. Wine. And since it¡¯s illegal¡­ -Illegal? -Yeah. You can only sell mana-based booze, what I had was still the old stuff, fermented and all. I used to make it but I had to stop, because of the war I¡¯ve had my hands full of work. -Ah, right¡­ Anyway, you mentioned war. What the hell is going on? -Well, not much, beside that it started. -Yeah sure, who¡¯s fighting who I mean! I don¡¯t really know politics¡­ -That¡¯s not really the politics that are the problem this time¡­ - he muttered angrily. - This time it¡¯s plain and simple. Arbo was attacked. They killed a bunch of people. Axelrod retaliated. They retaliated. And so it started¡­ -Capital? You mean the attack when I was still working with them? Or there was another one? -There were a lot of them - he nodded. - That was the first one. -So he figured out who was behind this¡­ -I mean there was not much to figure out after a second one. It was the elves. -Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s kind of¡­ inappropriate to just say ¡°elves¡±? Don¡¯t they have a kingdom, a country or something? I doubt it¡¯s a whole race attacking you¡­ -And you¡¯d be wrong. While I don¡¯t know everything about their culture, I know enough. While they don¡¯t have a king or a queen, they do have a God. God that tells them what to do and every single one of them will always follow without even batting an eye. -That sounds oddly familiar - I muttered to myself. - But it can¡¯t be that bad, can it? I mean, they do have minds of their own, don¡¯t they? -Well¡­ not exactly¡­ -What the fuck does that mean? 76. Agreement But before he was able to answer, we reached the stairs and were already at the lowest, seemingly, level of the mansion, next to a very thick and heavy looking door. -A second. Before we continue, I need to clear up some things. Behind the door I could feel the presence of the children and Vendi. It seemed like they were mostly huddled together, with him nearby, waiting. -What, you want to make some encouraging speech or what? They seem a bit frightened. -Can you blame them? Some strange creature barged into their home just to knock out one of their caretakers. One of them is missing to boot. -Someone¡¯s missing? -I meant Kon. -Ah. So what, I assume you want me as far away as possible? -Actually¡­ I don¡¯t know yet. For now, can you wait here? -Sure¡­ He pulled at the metal door, opening it just enough for him to squeeze into the room, and promptly closed behind him. At first I noticed that the kids got scared even more, just for the fear to quickly turn into happiness. Hell, that ability to see the emotions worked even better against the children. I guess it¡¯s because they don¡¯t try to hide their intentions¡­ I assume he was explaining what happened outside, because I noticed their mana go all over the place again. As I was wondering how much he was going to tell them, Vendi poked his head out the door. -Can you come in for a second? That was surprising. -You sure you want me to? -If you are to stay in this house they at least need to see your face - said Jack from behind him. Or what, you¡¯re scared of children or something? -Whatever¡­ - I muttered, but entered the room. Jack was not talking bullshit when he said this was a bunker. The room, or the hall, was gigantic. Maybe as big as a stadium, with stone pillars every now and again, supporting the ceiling. The walls that I could see were covered with some green tapestry, but in some places I could see poking out some sharp rocks, and even some stalagmites too. Every column, on each side had a glowing crystal embedded, giving enough light for the whole place to be as bright as day. Further in, I could see a bunch of tables, already set, with a row of cupboards and cabinets dividing the place and preventing me from peeking further. -So, as I was saying - continued Jack - that is him. He¡¯s going to be staying with us for a while and I¡¯d appreciate that you¡¯d not disturb him if possible. I nodded and waved briefly, seeing as they were already scared enough. -That¡¯s said, I want you to stay downstairs for the next week or so. Vendi will be staying with you, so if you need anything, don¡¯t hesitate to annoy the crap out of him. -I will? - he sounded surprised, but after a brief look from Jack he corrected himself. - I mean, yes, I will. What he said. -That¡¯s all. You can go. They all muttered various interpretations of ¡°yes sir¡± and quickly left to the part of the room that was hidden from our sight. -Was that necessary? - I asked, slightly amused by this spectacle. - I am not a babysitter nor do I intend to even go down here¡­ -You¡¯d rather get hit with a stray spell again? Now at least they know who you are. -First of all, do you really think any of them would be even remotely capable of hurting me? Second, I am pretty sure that they not knowing me had nothing to do with the spell that hit me. -Well, whatever you say. -What about me though?! - interrupted a bit agitated Vendi. - You really meant that? -That you¡¯d stay here? Of course. That¡¯s what you¡¯ve been doing that entire time, right? It¡¯s not like I am changing our deal. -No, but¡­ -Of course you don¡¯t have to literally LIVE down here - rolled his eyes Jack. - It¡¯s only kids I don¡¯t want outside. You¡¯re a free man, do whatever you want. I mean, not literally¡­ -Okay, okay, I get it - he seemed relieved for some reason. -You done? Can we continue then? -Yeah, sure - he said, gesturing for me to leave with him. - Let¡¯s just go somewhere more private. He led me upstairs, not that far from the loft where I saw him with Kon before. Instead of leading me even higher though, just at the top of the stairs he opened a regular-looking door right next to the window and invited me in. The room was somewhat spacious. If I was to guess, it was at least as big as the kitchen on the ground level and then some. It was mostly filled with cabinets, stacked with books and other papers, with a desk sitting right at the end wall, with two chairs, one behind and the other in front of it. To the right of the entrance there was another door, that one looked a bit more fancy, but was closed. Next to it was a familiar looking sculpture, the same as the one I¡¯ve seen in his inn. -So. Where were we¡­? -About the war. -Ah right. War. The attacks. After the first one there was a lot more. As soon as the king left the capital, they struck a second time. That one was a lot less coordinated, though, but a lot more devastating. -What, they had more of those gigantic things? -No - he shook his head. - But they started appearing throughout the whole city. Mostly on the streets. You can imagine the panic. -Ergh¡­ that¡¯s ugly¡­ -No shit. If you add the fact that the main military force just left the city along with the king and the head of the guard¡­ let¡¯s just say the defense was less than coordinated. -I thought that us leaving was supposed to be a secret? -Keyword: ¡°supposed¡±. It¡¯s not like they did not try, but it¡¯s hard to hide that many people leaving the city. -Right, I never knew how many were supposed to join¡­ -A lot. About half of the guard force from the entire city. If we add the ones that died during the first attack, the city was left with a lot less than a half. -Oof. -Yeah. I don¡¯t need to add that they did a lot of damage. They quickly stopped their assault though, either they found what they were looking for or rather realized that it¡¯s not there. -Right, and I assume you know what they were targeting? -Oh I do. Everyone does at this point. -At this point? -Let me continue. After Axelrod came back I learned about your mission and all that from Bert and Odar. That was then the next attack happened. But that one was a lot more coordinated, and for the first time it was not just the creatures that attacked, elves were along with them. And this time it did not look like they were just going to leave as fast as last time. I never was at the main palace, but I know it took a lot of damage and they even managed to breach the inner chambers. -As much as I don¡¯t like elves for attacking me here, still, serves you right, Axelrod. -You might change your mind after you learn what happened at the palace. -I thought you said you weren¡¯t there. -I was not. But after a day of fights, the elves suddenly pulled back, leaving only the creatures behind. Seeing the opportunity, Axelrod struck back, leading the remnants of his forces after them, swiftly dispatching what remained of the enemies, but not a single elf was caught. Not alive that is. -Ah great, more of those suicide maniacs? -Indeed. And from what I heard it happened every time someone got even close to being captured. So that¡¯s why he was not shaken that much with that. -Since then - he continued - the attacks started being common, although never on the same scale as before. Right at the same time, a rumor started spreading, that during the big attack, a bunch of people went missing. Including our dear friend Odar. Soon the king stopped the gossiping by officially announcing that he disappeared and started a full on campaign to find the missing people. -Wha? Why the hell did the elves want Odar of all the people? -Yeah, that got me curious, so I started digging too. Can you guess who stopped me though, like two days later? -Don¡¯t tell me¡­ The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. -Yes. Odar Erf in the flesh. -Ha. Found him faster than the whole kingdom¡¯s forces combined. Good job. -Well, it¡¯s not that simple - he said, but smiled, appreciating the compliment. - He flat out told me what was going on. The whole announcement and campaign was just a cover-up for something else. Or rather it was real, but the missing people were not the ones that were announced. -Why the hell would they do this in such a roundabout way? - I started wondering aloud. - Does it even matter who you are looking for? -It sure does. The main issue was probably someone who got nabbed was a figure that was not known to the public eye. I of course confronted Odar with that and he told me that I was not wrong. He even asked me if I would help in their search. -And did you agree? -I was tempted to - he admitted. - He was offering me so much gold that I felt that something was fishy. Especially after he said who¡¯s the one that was missing. -And that was¡­? -Melle. -EXCUSE ME? - I did not bother to hide my surprise. -Yeah, that¡¯s the reaction I expected. After you brought that woman to me, I¡¯d never expect her to be that important for everyone. Even when she was still visiting the city now and again she never seemed that interesting¡­ Who the hell is she even? -Hell. Let me turn the tables a little bit then. Remember when I told you about the mission and how we were tasked to find a ¡°missing person¡± and all, during which all this - I gestured to my whole self - happened? Well, we were supposed to find Melle. -I mean that¡¯s not that surprising¡­ - he said, not moved. - I sort of figured out that after I learned that he was looking for her. -Ha, that¡¯s not what¡¯s surprising. Besides the fact that last time I saw her being dragged along with Axelrod, you¡¯ll never guess what he said about her. -Huh? -That she¡¯s apparently his family. As in literally. He paused for a good while, staring into space. -Okay. That¡¯s new. A royal family member¡­ -Yeah no shit. But that¡¯s not all. If she is a princess or something, I know at least two people that he¡¯ll be interested in¡­ -You mean the child that was with her? I don¡¯t think it matters. As far as I know she¡¯s adopted. Who¡¯s the second one? -Oh, so you remember. Well, the second one is her husband. The one person I have been interested in for a long while. -She¡¯s married?! - he sounded genuinely surprised. -For someone who prides himself on knowing everything about the inhabitants of the capital you seem to lack some critical information. -Rude. First of all, she¡¯s no longer living in the capital, so I have less than ideal intel on her. Second, how the fuck would I even expect that a member of royal family is living incognito somewhere as a random hag? -I guess that¡¯s fair. -Man - I could see that he was frantically thinking. - The implications¡­ that shit can get complicated real quick¡­ and get real ugly. -So let me get this straight. Short version. Elves, using those plant creatures, attacked the capital, looking to, for some reason, kidnap the members of the royal family.They succeeded. Now what? -That is a good question - he nodded. - If that was any other faction or something along those lines, I¡¯d say that it¡¯s just some blackmail material. But, besides that it¡¯s too much effort for it to be worth it, those are elves we are talking about. They are not into politics. They do not even have a government. -Yeah, you mentioned that. You also said something about a God. -Right. Elves follow some kind of deity. They call him, or her, ¡°The Infinite that gives us Insight¡±. -Wait¡­ that sounds very familiar to the¡­ -Yes. Infinite Insight. -Holy shit. Not only they are suicidal maniacs, but now religious suicidal maniacs. It only gets better. -I don¡¯t know how that changes anything. -Doesn¡¯t matter - I sighed heavily. - Man, a lot of shit happened. -I told you what you wanted to know. Now your turn. How do we go about bringing Kon back to his body? - he asked after a moment of silence. -Oh. Right I did mention that I¡¯d get on with that. -So? -Well¡­ it¡¯s complicated¡­ But sure, I¡¯m gonna tell you. If I was still made of flesh I¡¯d first ask for a blood binding and all that crap, but besides the fact that I don¡¯t think I can create something like this any more in this form, I don¡¯t want to use elven magic. -Hell, it¡¯s that serious? -Of course it is. Let me get this straight - I leaned towards him. - This can NOT get out of this room. We are the only ones that will know this. Or at least the part about me. -Understood - he nodded seriously. -Okay. SO. While we were on our magical trip, in Kalkano, a certain event happened. Two in fact. Under the city we found a very infused location that almost knocked out both Bert and Odar. And I explained how , somehow, Odar and Axelrod were sharing a body. He listened carefully, but the more I explained, the more he was looking stunned. When I got to the part where I got crushed by the rocks and awakened looking as I was now, he stood up and from the counter nearby he pulled out a bottle of something that definitely was infused. Smelled pretty sour. He chugged about a half of it before sitting back down. -Bleh. I hate the warmth¡­ - he said, setting the bottle away. - So. Let me get this straight. You believe that Odar and Axelrod somehow combined. And you think that¡¯s helping us, how? -The two of them are a definite proof that one body can host more than one mind. That¡¯s what I am pretty sure of. And, how exactly do you get two people inside one? You somehow have to move one, meaning it is definitely possible to yank the mind of Kon from that tree back to the body. -Yeah, I get that - he nodded - but that still does not tell us HOW to do that. And I don¡¯t believe that either of them would be so kind to share that with us. -If I am to be honest, I was hoping that you might have some leads, as you know, you¡¯re the walking encyclopedia about the whole kingdom¡­ -Pff. More like a census. Not Axelrod''s personal scribe or a diary. -He has one? - I quickly got interested. - Maybe then¡­ -Nope - he cut me off. - Believe me, I tried finding out. From what I know he never writes stuff down. Not even his spells. Which means he most likely knows the magical language. -Magical language? Bah, funny. -What, that¡¯s what I call it, any problems with that? -A bunch. First off, there is no language. But that¡¯s besides the point. In any case, I still have not told you everything. -Hm? -Remember about the entity and the crystal that we found under Kalkano? -The one that restored you? You think that it would know how to do it? -I am almost sure. -Well, too bad that it disappeared¡­ -That¡¯s the thing¡­ I am not so sure about that¡­ You told me that Kon felt ¡°something else¡± that was observing me¡­ I had a feeling like I was not alone for a good while now¡­ actually ever since all this - I pointed to my crystal head - happened¡­ -Wait wait wait wait¡­ what are you telling me¡­? -I am telling you that I am almost certain that that entity did not exactly vanish, or sacrifice itself. It just got absorbed by me. Sort of like Odar and Axelrod. He took a long pause, looking me over, took another swig and closed his eyes. For a second I thought that he¡¯s drunk already, straight up was passing out and wanted to wake him up, but realized that¡¯s not it. He was focusing on¡­ something. I couldn¡¯t tell what exactly, because his mana did not change color, still the same as always. Suddenly his flame flickered, and decreased in size maybe in half. -What the hell are you trying to pull off? He did not respond for a good while, after which opened his eyes and looked confused. His eyes were a lot more focused though, thanks to the mana usage he sobered up. -Holy¡­ well, I don¡¯t know what Kon had seen in you, but I can tell that you are not normal. -Wait¡­ you can use the magic sense? -A little bit. As you probably can tell, it takes a toll on the old me, I only can do it when I have something to pick me up on hand - he shook the, now almost empty, bottle. - Kon is a lot more proficient in that¡­ or was. -Huh¡­ So what exactly did you see? I can¡¯t really take a look at myself, you know. -You have so much mana¡­ It¡¯s hard to believe I am looking at one person¡­ But if what you said is true, that would explain the amount. -Well¡­ that¡¯s not why I¡­ -And besides that, you really do have something hanging around you¡­ It¡¯s like a small speck embedded in you. It¡¯s really hard to put together in words¡­ -A small speck? Hell, it was a lot bigger last time I felt it¡­ -That¡¯s what¡­ you know, nevermind. But sure, okay. Let¡¯s say all that is true. So where do we go from here? You don¡¯t have a split personality or something, do you? -That is a good question. I don¡¯t believe so, no. But I have a couple of theories. -Let¡¯s hear it. I quickly explained my idea. -There have been moments when I was having brief visions of things I should not remember. Things that I assume belonged to the memory of the entity. First, I want to try and reproduce that feeling. - I started explaining my idea. -So what? -But it¡¯s been a hot second since I¡¯ve tried that¡­ I am not exactly sure that it¡¯s going to happen again. While I did try avoiding thinking of¡­ certain triggers, I can not believe that it had not happened again, even by accident. -Well, we are quite away from civilization. If it¡¯s true that that entity was indeed a person that lived here once, I wouldn¡¯t expect them to ever be here. -True. But that¡¯s not exactly what I had in mind. -Hm? -Thing is, if I was to try and fish a bit for a bunch of new memories and attempt remembering something useful, I need a direction first. I need your help with that. -What do you mean? -Don¡¯t get me wrong, I will try. I am going to use every single name and memory that I remember to try and prod this strange mind of mine, but that might not be enough. I will probably not get anything that is even remotely useful to you. Not like I was not going to do that anyway, I could¡¯ve then learned something about the entity itself. -So how can I help with that? -You said it yourself. We are assuming that they lived here, be it a long time ago or not, there is a good chance that some people that met our entity in their human form are still alive. That¡¯s why I need you to find as many names of people that lived in this kingdom as possible. -Are you crazy?! - he leaned back on his chair, looking at me with wide open eyes. - What does that even have to do with anything? -What I am hoping is that we won¡¯t come to that - I assured him. - I really think I can just go through my own memories and stir everything hard enough for something interesting to peek out. BUT if that¡¯s not the case, then you¡¯re up. As you know, I don¡¯t really have much knowledge about this place. But you do. Even something as simple as a list of nobles that lived in the capital would be helpful. Last time I had an interesting vision, it was just a name that I needed. What if one of, I dunno, Rubos or some other idiot, has met the entity and worked with them on something? I find it hard to believe that they just made the spell that connected us by themselves, on the spot to boot. They had to work with someone, and for a very long time. Since that¡¯s pretty complicated stuff, you either need a brain or a mana capacity to be helpful. Meaning those people are not exactly anonymous. Mostly. -I can¡¯t just go and start a census, you know? -I know you don¡¯t have to. He was about to say something but bit his tongue. -Okay, it¡¯s not like you need to right now. I am only informing you of the worst case scenario. - I assured him. - For now, I just need a room and some time to see what I can do by myself. I think you can arrange that. -I feel like that¡¯s a bit cheap price for all this - he muttered. -Oh, it is. I just revealed a lot of information to you. -I do not like being indebted to anyone¡­ especially something like you¡­ -You''re still on about that? - I asked, irritated. -Eh¡­ whatever. I agree. Do whatever you want¡­ If you manage to find out anything useful, I will be in your debt. 77. Overflow That exchange went pretty smoothly, I must admit. I never expected that I''d ever return to my old job but guess the universe had different plans. The room I was given was on the floor below his office. It wasn¡¯t anything special, just a regular bedroom with some plain furniture and empty shelves, but that was good enough for me. Only thing I requested was a bit of paper again, and, just to be on the safe side, a couple of mana fruit. He gave it to me in the span of minutes - I guess Kon being frozen in the basement was a good motivator. This time I did not intend to try and experiment with spells and incantations. Despite what I told them, I was slightly worried about Kon and the whole prospect of him being separated from his own body. I only had myself to compare, really, but I couldn¡¯t just help and noticed that the longer it was from the time of the ¡°merge¡±, the less I felt the memories appear. Lately, even in the midst of discussions, I expected that at least something would¡¯ve triggered a flashback, or something, but nothing happened. That¡¯s why I was not optimistic about this idea and tried to think of something that could¡¯ve helped me - hence the request for the names. But let¡¯s be real, I just made most of that up. I just wanted to give him something to do while I could focus in peace. While it was true that one of those names could¡¯ve brought up some buried memory of the entity, I was doubting that. But, be it the situation with Kon or not, I still wanted to somehow try and learn more about the presence. I still firmly believed that it was still there. Especially after I learned that both Kon and Jack felt something that was not me inside me. With that in mind, I started the first session of my meditations, which I expected would soon start occupying my whole days and nights. At first I thought that, even though the entity was pretty silent lately, I¡¯d be able to get something pretty easily. I was not exactly mistaken. During the first hour I managed to again recall my memories of the MIRE and explosion of that crystal, and once more I¡¯ve started seeing the multiple-perspective version of events. That was a good start. Even though that also came with an annoying side effect that I thought I already got rid of: headaches. Although this time they were not immediate. I could watch, or rather remember, a full memory before even the slightest hints of pain started appearing, but that was only true for the first attempt. If I tried to recall even more information, the pain would intensify. In the beginning I thought that it was not a big deal, judging by the minor migraine that I started having after the first one, I assumed that I¡¯d be able to watch tens of memories, if you can even quantify those this way. But I was wrong. First day I already gave up after the third attempt. After seeing both explosions, the second one twice, I felt like my head was about to split in two and decided to take a break. For the reference, the names of my old colleagues were enough to trigger those again. After my headache was gone it was already night and Jack visited me, asking if I had any luck. I did not tell him exactly what I saw, but just assured that my method is indeed working, although with side effects. He recommended that the next time I get a headache like that, I either should try and expel some mana or try recovering it. From his experience headaches like this were the indication of someone¡¯s mana flow being disrupted, It was not the worst advice in the world, so I said I would. During the night, I attempted again to see more of the memoriesl. This time what I remembered was me¡­ or rather the presence, traveling on the road from the capital to Kalkano¡­ or the other way around. To be honest, it was probably both, because the memory was a bit jumbled for some reason. It had multiple perspectives, including the most recent one, mine. I did not learn much, besides that I indeed chose a bit of a roundabout way to get to that port town, but nothing that would be helpful right now. After that, the headache came right back. It was not as head-splitting as after the last one, but also not as mild as the first I had here, so I decided that I should stop for the night and instead tried Jack''s method, so I unwrapped my hand. That was a massive mistake. I barely even managed to touch the fruit when I realized that. First of all, the headache did not let out even a little bit, instead it got worse. To the point that I was seeing only white. For a second I felt like the time when I used the flight spell and when it started using my own body as a fuel for the magic, so I quickly patted myself, trying to check if that was happening again, but nope. I could not find anything wrong with my body from outside, so I laid down on the bed, waiting for the pain to pass. That took a long while. I wanted to just sleep it through, but besides the fact that I was not able to sleep because of the crystal body, the pain would definitely prevent that to begin with. It only started fading only after the sunrise. I could tell, because when I finally was able to see again, the sun was shining through the green membrane of my window, brightening the room. I reached towards the desk, to go and turn off the small crystal that during the night I used as a lamp - the light crystals were pretty abundant in this mansion - but I realized that it was already turned off and it was not it that was brightening the room. I mean, I probably should¡¯ve just realized that earlier, but it was me who was giving off the light. I was not going to stay like this for the, well, however long it was going to take, so I promptly made my way downstairs and outside. I went as far as it was possible from the wooden walls of the mansion and tried to clear out my mind. That did not exactly work. I still felt the echoes of the pain bounce around my skull, along with the scraps of memories from the night. The fact that I was overcharged a bit definitely did not help that. I wanted to somehow get rid of the mana I had a bit too much of, but also not destroy anything, or at least nothing particularly important, so after confirming that I was far enough from everything, I started casting some small spells. Or at least that was my intention. I wanted to slowly try and get rid of the overflow by just casting some random spells. Last time I wanted to do that I created a zone of darkness, which was not exactly dangerous, but I did have to clean up after myself. Before I did not want to use any elemental spells in fear of destroying things, but if I was to be careful¡­ -Elvu, umilvu ip usc. A water orb. Easy, small, not dangerous hopefully. Should be fine, right? Well, it sort of was. What I wanted to create was a orb that was maybe the size of a tennis ball and to start from there, but almost immediately I felt the mana surge within me and the spell began to swell. At first it looked like I somewhat had everything under control. While the orb did not start far off from the intended size - it was about the size of a basketball, it instantly started growing. A bit too fast for my liking. Two seconds was enough for it to be the size of a human and it quickly was about to start swallowing some smaller trees . Of course I stopped supplying the mana when the size got bigger than me, but that did not mean that the shape stopped growing. I could tell that the spell still was absorbing mana from me anyway - the quickly fading glow of my body was the clear indicator. The good thing was that that also made my head a lot clearer. But that was most likely not thanks to the fact that I got rid of the excess mana. It was just because, since the ball of water was so big - it also started absorbing me and soon I was standing in the middle of the large water bubble, the size of a large tree, like some strange fish in a spherical aquarium. I probably should¡¯ve been more startled than I was, but I was just standing there, waiting, seeing how large the spell was going to be. The answer was, apparently not that much larger. When the orb started touching the canopy of trees above, it already slowed its pace, and stopped before it started peeking through it. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Amusing. Creating that large of a ball is not exactly a stealthy action you know. So I was absolutely not surprised that right when the spell stopped growing, Jack bursted out of the mansion, running towards me. -...! I could see him saying something, but thanks to being underwater I could not understand a thing. -What? I wanted to ask, but instead of a sound, nothing came out of my mouth. Only water. Right. Usually when you speak, you need to have air for that¡­ That also proved problematic. ¡°No big deal. I can just walk out.¡± - I thought to myself. But that¡¯s where the problem was. When I started moving, the great ball of water followed me. Even though I have stopped supplying mana for the spell, I apparently did not break it completely. That was the one upside - or in this case, downside - of my favorite orb spells: when you cast them, they always stick to you, no matter what, that is unless you specifically choose to toss it away. Usually it¡¯s not the problem. Be it a ball of flames or anything else elemental, the sizes of those spells are not exactly big, and the orbs are not really any heavier than you¡¯d be able to lift on your own. Especially if you are just converting mana to the elements you need - then they don¡¯t weigh anything at all, just a little bit of concentration and you¡¯re done. But I can¡¯t really lift a ball of this size with my hand, right? I mean, sure, I tried focusing and moving this strange body of water this way, but nope. Just as with the fire shield I conjured a long time ago, the element was stuck to me. Last time it was a bit more helpful¡­ And so, I found myself in a bit of a pickle. I was now stuck in a massive ball of water that was following me whenever I started moving. I was not able to just dismiss and toss it , because it was straight up too heavy for me. To boot, now I had a slightly panicked Jack that was observing this with a worried expression, clearly visible in his magical presence. If that was not enough, right behind him was Vendi, who came out running not long later after he started yelling something. They both were shouting something to me, but to no avail, I still could not understand a word. I tried gesturing towards them that I am fine, waving towards them. I did forget that they were not exactly seeing me clearly right now. The ball of water was not exactly calm, especially after I took a couple of steps in their direction. The rippling waves were bouncing around the whole thing, distorting my image to them. I couldn¡¯t really tell what they exactly were seeing, but it was not an assurance, that I am certain of. Neither of them also knew that I was able to breathe underwater, or rather I did not need to breathe at all, so I assume that they had to be even more concerned as well. To be honest, that was not the worst thing in the world. Thanks to this small mishap, I was pretty certain, even if I had a good idea beforehand already, that neither of them wanted me dead. In any case, I was left with only one option: try casting without speaking a word. You¡¯re gonna probably say, hey, what¡¯s the problem with that? It¡¯s as easy as it gets, right? Well, not always. You see, the spells, as already proven by the trio of Vendi, Kon and Jack do not just get influenced by the words you speak. They always take from our subconsciousness, or a stream of thoughts, sometimes both. That is particularly useful with more complicated spells, especially if you try to cast one as a group. In that case, every single person can try and manipulate the effects in different ways, essentially splitting the responsibilities between multiple people. For example, you have three people. First one creates a source of fire. Second one manipulates the shape of it. The third one protects the three from actually getting burned. Each of those tasks, on their own, is as easy as it gets, but the result can be as complicated as a flaming dragon on which you can fly through the sky without getting burned. Why that in particular? Well that¡¯s one of the spells I have seen a trio of highschoolers once pull off during a festival, a long while ago. They did burn a lot of decorations though. Of course you could pull off that on your own, but only if you were proficient enough. Usually it¡¯s not something that¡¯s easy, because saying one thing out loud and thinking about something completely else at the same time is not simple. You essentially need to be good at dividing your attention. Hopefully, that would not be required here. I wouldn¡¯t have to talk, just think, so wouldn''t it be exactly the same as the regular spell? I thought that would be the case, after all it was not the first time that I would¡¯ve had to cast a spell without uttering a word. It always is a lot more draining though. That¡¯s why I had mixed feelings about that. The knowledge I had was from before the time I had the crystalized body, meaning my mana capacity was completely different. It meant that I would most likely be fine. On the other hand, it was not a small spell I was dealing with, so I couldn¡¯t be so sure about that. Also, the question was, how exactly do I get rid of the water? I couldn¡¯t just try and levitate it away - can you even imagine how heavy that thing was? Boil it away? Hell no! Imagine how much heat I would have to produce to boil the thing, ha to vaporize it? Impossible. And if you add the fact that I was not alone here, I would most likely have to learn how to do that ¡°ritual of death and life¡± or whatever, because there was no chance Jack and Vendi would¡¯ve understood what''s going on soon enough and get away in time.. So, the opposite solution - freeze the thing. -Elwu nemwesnoho em hmedou. The idea was to turn myself into the one giant ice block and then either just use force and crush the ice, or just slowly melt myself out. It worked, but a tiny bit too well I am afraid. At first, it seemed like everything was nice and dandy, with a blinding flash-freeze, the water surrounding me condensed and encased me into a thick layer of frost. It was also, surprisingly, painful. I did not expect that the cold would¡¯ve hurt me, it didn¡¯t last time, but nonetheless I immediately started wiggling around, to not let me trap me completely and make myself a bit of room to work with. It sort of worked. Before the layer was too hard for me to crack, I made myself maybe a ten or centimeters of room to work with. That¡¯s where the positive things ended though. Even during my wiggling I couldn¡¯t help but notice that the spell was burning through the mana with tremendous rate. It was actually pretty scary. I instantly wanted to break it and as soon as possible get out of this icy prison, but, again, even though I stopped fueling the spell, I couldn¡¯t help but notice that I was CONSIDERABLY weaker. Actually, I was so weak in fact that I could even compare that to the time where I woke up under the avalanche of rocks under Kalkano. There was also the fact that I was painfully aware of - there was a good chance that the freezing spell did not stop going, getting hooked to something, just as the illusion spell I left behind. A bit worried I quickly summoned a fire orb. I was so weak that I even was fearing that it might not come out and after it did I expected to feel a sharp pain somewhere, from my own body being consumed as a fuel for the spell, but no such thing happened. I was still good. Somewhat reassured, I dumped more mana into the spell and started burning the path out. It took me more time than expected. The flames were hot, but the ice was thick and resistant. That is also when I realized that something has changed. I no longer was able to see Jack and Vendi. And it was not because the ice was blocking my vision. Well, it was, the ice was not crystal clear as the last time my frost spell went haywire, but that was not what I meant. All this time I¡¯ve been unconsciously seeing the auras, or flames of mana, of other beings: people, plants, whatever, you name it. But now, my vision is absolutely normal. It was so normal that I first did not notice at all. Somewhere deep in my consciousness, I had that sinking feeling that it was not that I was not that I stopped seeing them - it was just that they were no longer there. Or at least not¡­ conscious. But, to my relief, that quickly got cleared up as, the more room I made, the more I started seeing again. Small flames started popping up in front of my eyes. First Jack, then Vendi, then some sparks of¡­ similar size? Wait, that did not look right. First of all, they were a lot weaker. So weak in fact that I again started thinking that I might have knocked them out. But then, I took another look and realized that something was weird. Besides the bunch of presences I was feeling right in front of me, I also noticed an absolute mass of them above me, a bit more behind me. That made me stop for a second and I made me think again. What exactly was I seeing? I hesitated. The people that were surrounding me, because that definitely was what was happening, suddenly started running away. I could not sense their emotions exactly, but they looked confused. That also made me notice that the area I was able to sense has gotten a lot smaller, because soon the flames of the runners disappeared from my field of view, instead replaced by two larger ones that were coming from the exact same way the others were running towards. There was no mistaking it. The two coming were a lot more powerful and I suspected that those two were the actual Vendi and Jack. A bit reassured, I started melting the ice again, and from the other side I started hearing some banging. It also came along with a change in mana of the two. An obvious indication that they were doing something. Soon I noticed that the ice started cracking in front of me and, in front of me a bunch of vines sprouted, bursting through the ice. Even though I was not using a lot of fire, they got burned instantly anyway, backing off and slamming into the side of the opening, cracking even more ice. 78. Iceberg -Who¡¯s there? - I heard Jack¡¯s voice through the hole. - What¡¯s going on? -A fucking accident, that¡¯s what going on - I wanted to reply, but what came out of my mouth was just an undecipherable groan. I feel like that surprised them as much as it did me. I tried clearing my throat and speaking again, but that only made things worse. Instead of a groan, I just coughed up some ice. -Is that some sort of creature? - I heard Vendi speak. -I don¡¯t know¡­ get Mor. Who knows, maybe he knows. Get me? But I am here? -This thing uses fire and ice! You are a pretty bad matchup. Leave me here and you go! -It¡¯s not that much better for it to be you¡­ and if you use that magic as well¡­ -I know what he said, you¡¯d rather get burned? -Yh. Fine, I¡¯ll go. Don¡¯t go overboard again. -This time I am not against some mana-absorbing creature. I¡¯ll be fine. I wanted to yell that it¡¯s just me, no need for panic, but I could not. Only more undecipherable noises came out of my mouth, along with more ice. Wait. This time, it was not ice. It was too clear to be ice. And was not melting, even though I was still using fire magic. Some small splinters¡­ of a crystal? Hold on a second¡­ I took a deep breath, as deep as I could muster at the moment. It was not painful so to speak, but I could feel something strange¡­ like something was stuck inside my throat. I tried coughing, as hard as I could, to maybe dislodge whatever was missing and¡­ I succeeded. With a loud crack, I felt something break off and shoot off from my mouth, at the same time as something a bit larger landed right in front of me, bouncing off the ice and missing the flame by a hair. I just spit out a piece of my throat. A literal piece of crystal. Small one, but still. The worse thing was, that the thing that landed in front of me was a lot larger. I grabbed my neck, having a bad feeling about this and indeed, I was absolutely right. My neck has been cracked and broken open, just like the ice in front of me. I couldn¡¯t help but to laugh. Of course, the noise I made was far off from the metallic laughter I was used to, instead I basically was whistling like some very, very broken kettle. When I used the ice magic to get rid of the water, I did not exactly think of what was going to happen to me. I expected I was not going to take damage because, you know, I was made out of crystal, but I had not taken in consideration the fact that my lungs were full of water. The spell that was supposed to slowly freeze everything did so, but in a split second. The water and ice can erode even the strongest rocks, and it was no different with me. I patted myself again, checking if I was not missing something else, but no. So apparently, my lungs survived the flash-freeze. The layer of crystal was thick enough for the ice to not crack it, but my throat was not that lucky. Apparently, being the thinnest and basically the weak spot, it cracked. Hell, it was not completely broken, it just had a hole. For a second, I was wondering what exactly would¡¯ve happened if the magic was stronger and managed to destroy more of my neck. What if the force was enough to behead me? What would happen then? As far as I was aware, I no longer had inner organs, or at least not the fleshy ones, I suppose, but how exactly did my body work? Would¡¯ve I been killed if beheaded? Or was my body just for show? I did regrow my ear after losing it, but it was just a small, non-vital piece. Also, since I was able to regenerate, where would it start? From my neck or from my head? Where was the consciousness? In the beheaded body, or the head? Or both of them? If both, what then? Would there be two mes? That was a lot of questions, all of them for later, because in front of me there was still Vendi. And he was getting ready for something. The plants were no longer there, probably being the work of Jack, that disappeared after, what by now I guessed were, the kids that ran away. That also meant several things. If it was really the kids that ran away, I had to be underground. Somehow, while creating the ice ball, I broke through the ground and landed right in the middle of the ¡°bunker¡±. I just hoped that I did not crush anyone on the way here. Even when healthy, I was not able to tell the difference between them all, so after they ran away it was hard to tell if any was missing. I didn''t even know how many of them were in here anyway. Nevertheless, I had to get out of the thing that I stupidly made, but also I had to be wary about Vendi. He obviously had no idea that it was me, probably thanks to the water and then ice obscuring my image, and even then I was not so sure that he¡¯d attack me anyway. I couldn¡¯t hear him anymore, or at least not clearly, but I was certain that he was casting something. Which definitely was not good news. Nothing came out of the hole in the ice though, so there was that at least. For a good ten seconds we were just standing there both, waiting for the other to make a move, but no one was rash or sure enough of themselves to actually do something. He, most likely not sure what the fuck he was dealing with, was standing there, now with a spell in hand, I could tell as much, waiting for me to make a move, or for Jack to come back, with, funnily enough, me. Of course that was not going to happen. I on the other side did not have to move at all. While I stopped when I saw the roots break the ice, I did not break the spell. The heat was still slowly melting the ice. The stalemate was pretty long. I managed to get rid of enough of the ice to be able to easily slip through the hole, so I dismissed the fire orb, continuing to wait for Vendi. Or maybe rather for Jack to come back. But it looked like neither was happening. I could not feel the entirety of the house so I couldn¡¯t tell how much more was Jack going to take, and since I was assuming that he was looking for me, it could be a while since I was not there. I already knew that talking was impossible so I dismissed even the idea of attempting it. Most likely I would¡¯ve just spooked him even more. Instead, I decided to just come out and hope that he¡¯ll hold his fire for long enough to recognize me, but, let¡¯s be honest though, I really did not have much faith that was going to happen. I was just thinking that, if he was to blast me with a spell, I would just absorb it, hell, maybe it would even help me regenerate my neck. So, slowly, without any spells out, I started moving up and squeezing through the hole in the ice. As soon as I moved he startled and almost dropped the spell he was holding all that time, but managed to regain his concentration and instead I felt a surge of mana racing towards me. Anticipating a surge of energy, I did not even turn towards him, trying to completely leave the ice ball, so you can imagine my surprise that it did not come. Instead I felt a burning heat on my back, piercing right through me and blasting the ice next to me. While there was no weight to the spell, I could feel the mass of energy that the strange projectile was carrying, none of which I managed to absorb. It just went straight through me. Yelping in surprise, or rather whistling, because my wound managed to distort even that sound, I lost my balance and fell right towards the ice again, face first. I crashed right through it, sending chunks of ice all over the place, along with a splash of water. Cursing, or at least trying to, I turned right towards him and barked: -Calm down, it¡¯s just me. It definitely did not sound like words, but nevertheless, it caught his attention. I could tell that he was preparing to blast me once more, but hesitated for a second, looking directly at my face. -What the hell¡­ Seeing as he was not intending to attack again, I grabbed the side of the ice ball and wanted to use it to try and lift myself up, but instead fell again onto the ground. For some reason, most of the outer wall was already melted. It looked more like snow or slush than hard ice. At first I thought it was the work of my fire orb, but nope. As I fell down and landed on my back, I again could see the inside, and the ice there was as hard as it was getting. It was only outside and right next to me where the ice was this strange. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. In any case, I was out and free and could confirm that I was indeed on the bottom floor of the mansion, in the bunker. Under the ball of ice I noticed a bunch of cabinets and shelves, crushed to barely recognizable shape, wet and broken. Luckily, I did not notice any blood in the area, which was a good indicator that I missed everyone. -Not again¡­ - I groaned. - But I need to give you that, you at least stopped yourself this time and¡­ Yeah, there was no point in even trying to say anything. Instead of the words, out of my mouth were coming just unrecognizable noises and whistles. Or rather from the hole in my neck. I tried covering the hole and trying again, but then instead of the whistles, it was just a weird noise. Great. Vendi was looking at me with genuine disbelief the whole time. But at least he was not blasting me with magic any more, which was nice. Speaking of, as I stood back up again, I still felt the remnants of that spell. He managed to get a hit right above my heart, or where it was supposed to be, and I could now feel an unpleasant amount of heat radiating from there. It was not so bad, especially thanks to the ice that almost immediately started cooling off my wound¡­ or the place where it should be at least. Yeah, even though I felt that he hit me, there was no visible wound on my crystal skin. Unlike with my neck, my chest was still as hard and as flat as it was before. I was not even glowing. Which was doubly weird because now I could tell what exactly he used against me - it was the light magic. First off, I did not expect him to be able to use it, but it was not that strange. After all, he was one of the three people responsible for this place and having someone that was able to maintain all those light crystals was a big plus. Of course, Jack could¡¯ve just had them fixed or replaced at the capital, I don¡¯t think it would¡¯ve been hard for him, but having someone on site to do that kind of thing was for sure handy. -What the hell is happening?! - he finally yelled, clearly not sure what to think of this development. - JACK! GET DOWN HERE! - And added, a lot quieter - What the hell happened to you? What¡¯s all this ice? I just shrugged and rolled my eyes, pointing to the obvious hole in my neck. -Yeah I can see that. But¡­ He was interrupted by Jack¡¯s arrival. -I can¡¯t find him anywhere! - What¡¯s going¡­ Then he noticed me, standing in front of the ice. -...on? For a second, he stood there dumbfounded, but then almost immediately changed his demeanor. -WHAT HAPPENED? -Yeah, I¡¯d like to know too. Now instead of one Vendi, I had two men staring at me with a mix of disbelief, fear and straight up confusion. I only whistled with my neck in response, which made both of them jump. -Are you alright? Can you breathe? I nodded, not in the mood to try and explain how I did not need to and all that. -So I am relieved. But why and how? Why the hell were you in a giant water ball!? Or an ice ball?! AND WHY ARE YOU DESTROYING MY BUNKER? Not like I was able to respond, I just opened my arms in a gesture ¡°my bad¡±. He definitely did not know what to say. For a second it looked like he wanted to say something, but instead just fell down on a chair that was next to him, sighing heavily. -Eh¡­ at least we are not under attack again¡­ For a second he seemed relieved, but it was just a moment. -Anyway, Vendi, can you clean this thing up somehow¡­ melt it, move it, something? - asked Jack. - This thing is sort of inconvenient¡­ -Yeah, on its own it would definitely take a while¡­ but sure I can speed up the process¡­ The problem is, won¡¯t the water destroy the room? -Hmm¡­ Probably¡­ -But why do you want to melt it? You mentioned that we were running low on frost crystals¡­ Can''t we use this thing? Sure, it¡¯s not the same but still, it¡¯s cold and there is a lot of it. -Hey¡­ it¡¯s not a bad idea - he raised his brow. - We just have to break it into pieces¡­ but that¡¯s easy, and then¡­ I was just standing there, astounded. Even if not for the wound on my neck, I would¡¯ve been speechless. Those two just witnessed me break half of their underground by creating an enormous ball of ice and they were just talking there like nothing happened. That was¡­ not something I would even consider. All that time I was thinking of the barrage of questions that would definitely come from the event and the mass of answers I would¡¯ve been forced to give, but none came. They were discussing the ice block like it was just a regular Tuesday for them. Or whatever day it was. What the hell was going on? -I don¡¯t know what you were trying to do - finally said Jack, leading me out of the underground - but thanks for the ice. I mean I know I said we needed it, but I never expected you¡¯d be so eager to provide¡­ I wanted to say that it¡¯s just another misunderstanding, but I decided to let it go. Not like I was going to try and explain this without a word. -But I can see that it did not come without some issues¡­ I assume you can¡¯t speak? I nodded and whistled with my neck in confirmation. -Eh¡­ let me get a piece of paper for you¡­ We were again in his study and this time he gave me a lot more paper, so we could actually communicate. I probably would be able to figure something out without it, but the simplest solutions are most of the time the best ones, so I accepted. -So¡­ what exactly happened to you? ¡°Spell went haywire. Not what I wanted.¡° -Ha, you were talking so much about us being careless and now look at you. Suddenly, he turned pale. -Can¡­ you heal that? ¡°I think so. It¡¯s going to take a while.¡± -Oh thank fuck¡­ - he relaxed again. - For a second I thought that Kon was lost¡­ but then, you¡¯d be able to write your findings anyway¡­ By the way, you found anything? ¡°No. That¡¯s why this happened.¡± He nodded but did not reply. This time I asked a question. ¡°What about the bunker?¡± -What do you mean ¡°what about the bunker¡±? I rolled my eyes. ¡°I did break into it. Bunker with a hole is not a bunker.¡± -Oh, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll later rebuild it with Vendi. It''d be easier if Kon was there, but even without him we always managed to survive. I looked at him puzzled. ¡°How?¡± -It¡¯s not the first time I had a broken wall or a roof. Those things always happen with the kids around. ¡°Elaborate?¡± -I don¡¯t know what to tell you - he shrugged. - Kids are rowdy. When I first started this whole shtick, I never expected that either. At most I thought that they might just break a door, or a window, not set the place on fire or send half of the roof flying into the forest. I just looked at him stunned. ¡°You don¡¯t teach them?¡± -I do teach them from time to time to write and read, but recently I had too much stuff on my hands, so it¡¯s been mostly Vendi. He¡¯s been teaching them math¡¯s as well. Since you know, he¡¯s a merchant and all. ¡°That¡¯s great, I meant magic?¡± -What magic? I really wanted to slap him. Is he that clueless? ¡°You are not teaching them the basics of magic?¡± -And how do you expect me to do that? I am one person only. I heard Kon was doing something along those lines, but now¡­ you know¡­ Even the prospect of Kon teaching anyone magic was terrifying to me. He might have had a large reserve of mana for his age, but that was about it. And his body locked in a freezer spoke for himself. ¡°You mentioned the old notebook with spells. From that?¡± -You mean the one we used when we rebuilt the barrier? Nope, that¡¯s just some old spell book I bought once in the capital. Kon said it belonged to someone important so I gave it to him. ¡°Name?¡± -No idea. It was not signed, but it definitely had some useful spells in it, so we had a great use for it. ¡°He can read?¡± -Of course he can? - he looked confused. - Why? ¡°He said he couldn¡¯t when I first met him in your inn.¡± -Ah¡­ back then. Well, back then, that was the truth. I looked at him questioningly. -I was surprised too - he nodded. - I never wanted to teach him, but one day after you left he stole a bunch of papers from my desk and learned from that. He¡¯s talented. ¡°I can see that.¡± If he was talking the truth, and I didn¡¯t have any reasons to doubt him, the kid was a prodigy. Which was strange, since his own spells were absolute crap. Even the other kids that I saw back when I first was discovered used better spells than he did when he tried attacking me. Or was he just pretending back then? While it would¡¯ve seemed so, I really was not buying that. His mana was so easy to read, he was so open¡­ Was it just a ruse? Nah, not possible. -In any case - Jack interrupted my train of thought - how long is it going to take you to¡­ recuperate? Seems like a pretty bad wound¡­ ¡°No idea.¡± -Are you sure that¡­ you¡¯re going to heal? It looks bad¡­ Oh how nice. He was worrying about me. -You probably won¡¯t be able to do anything about Kon until you heal. Ah. Never mind. That also probably was not the truth, but I was not going to correct him. Not like it mattered. ¡°I probably will be unapproachable for a while.¡± He looked confused. ¡°Just don¡¯t be surprised next time you see me.¡± -Okay¡­ Don¡¯t know what that was supposed to mean, but whatever. 79. Crystal We did talk for a little while longer, but soon he left me to my own devices. I say ¡°talked¡± but it was him asking questions while I just answered with a short sentence, not telling him much. I probably annoyed him quite a bit, but who cares. In any case, I soon found myself back in my room, gazing at the mana fruit that not so long ago were a cause of all this bullshit and was considering eating some again¡­ but this time I decided to go a different way about this. Instead of biting into one, I took a knife - I still had the pair on me, the one that belonged to Melle - and attempted to cut it into small pieces, hoping that a little piece won¡¯t have enough mana to do anything strange, so I could take it easy. But, weirdly enough, when the blade touched the fruit, it almost instantly turned into the familiar gray ash. At the same time I felt a surge of power pouring into me. I immediately dropped the knife and stepped back, thinking that I accidentally touched it with my finger or something along those lines, but nope. My bandages and clothes were still clinging tightly to my arms, there was no chance that it was the case. Luckily, the fruit was not that large, and I was still quite exhausted and injured, so while I did start glowing for a second, I almost immediately went dim again. Strangely enough though, I expected that my skin would turn green from the mana it contained, but my hands were still see-through as before. I did not notice, since my clothes were hiding it, but the change in coloration did happen. I did not realize that immediately, because I got startled, but the mana did not flow to me from the fruit, instead it started spreading from the left side of my body, just at my waist. Why, though? There was nothing touching me there, besides¡­ Besides the other dagger from the pair. Right away I put both of them on the table and inspected them again. Still, there was no indication that they were any different from just a plain old pair of knives. I was not convinced. I picked the smallest mana fruit I could find and put it in front of me on the table. Intently observing the dagger, I picked up the other one and stabbed the fruit. Almost immediately, the other one lit up with a pale, green light and I felt a surge of power right in front of me. Meanwhile, the fruit with the knife embedded within it did not turn into ash, it just darkened a slight bit, and with my magic sight I was able to confirm - it was indeed the mana of the fruit that was now on the other blade. Amused and interested with the pair of weapons, I touched the glowing blade and, just as expected, I felt power flow from the blade to me. At the same time, the other fruit instantly turned to ash and the dagger fell onto the desk. My arm turned green, further confirming the source of mana. That was one hell of a weapon. Where the hell did she get it from? I, again, looked at it from every possible angle, both of them, but nothing gave me even a slight hint of how and who made this thing. Okay, pause. I snapped out of this strange trance I realized that I was in. Why was I doing this? How the hell and why would I even know any magical blacksmith that would be responsible for creating such a weapon. Pause again. How the hell do I know what a ¡°magical blacksmith¡± is? I mean, sure the name is self-explanatory, but why did I think of it that way in the first place? Because IT knew. We knew. I knew. I shook my head like a wet dog, trying to clear out my mind. The thoughts were coming to me and passing through without me even realizing that they were there, but it was undeniable. The presence, that strange entity, was awake and definitely still with me. I say like this was surprising and all, I already knew this. After all, both Jack and I were betting on it to somehow be able to help turn Kon back into a normal person. I already experienced the memories that definitely were not belonging to me. But, up till now, I had to somehow awaken them, be it by my own memory or something like that. And then, they were always in the shape of actual memories, flashbacks. Not something like this. This time¡­ it was like I had two trains of thought at once. One, that definitely belonged to me, that still was slightly confused by this whole situation, while the other one, that popped out like a secondary afterthought, somewhere deep inside my head, just to disappear after it said whatever it wanted to. Holy shit, it was confusing. At least this time it left me without a headache. But why the hell was it happening? Why now? Of course it was because I was using a lot of mana. It¡¯s obvious that strong spells that need a lot of mana flow sometimes can provoke other things nearby to notice it. Like thunder. Even though it doesn¡¯t need to hit you directly, a sound it makes is often enough to startle you and remind you that a storm is coming. Fucking again with this. That was definitely not me. But thanks for the explanation, I guess? That also cleared up a bunch of things. Recently, I have been having these random surges of creativity, or some afterthoughts that definitely did not fit me. I just now realized that it was not just because of all the weirdness that has been happening recently¡­ Well, it was that as well, but most likely the majority of them was just the presence, slowly waking up deep within my head. I could not say whether it was good or bad news for me¡­ The main worry I had was what was happening with my mind. It was clear that the entity was slowly waking up. I guess that whatever it did to us, definitely drained it completely. At first I was able to somewhat dig through its memories on my own, but now it looked more like it was answering me, not like I was looking through something that belonged to someone else. Or that could also point to the fact that we were slowly merging together. It was not exactly good news. While I probably wouldn¡¯t care much if I was asked about it, I couldn¡¯t say the same for the entity. Whatever it was, it was still another being and it also seemed that it did not exactly do that out of its own will - the situation practically forced its hand to try and do whatever that is that happened to us. Which meant that I probably should start thinking of doing something to prevent this, or at least figure a way to contact it in a more controlled way than just via a mix of memories and thoughts. It had its upsides too though. The sudden boost to my spellcraft and the bursts of knowledge were handy. Maybe that could help us both a little here. But before all that there was something I had to do first. Or rather two things. First of all, I had to recover. I already realized it was not just that my neck was destroyed that was preventing me from speaking. If that was the case, if I was to cover the hole, I¡¯d be able to at least maybe whisper, or make noises that resembled human speech a bit more. No. The sudden expansion of ice had to crush my vocal cords as well. I am not a doctor, so I couldn¡¯t really tell, even while my body was still somewhat see-through. That did not change the fact that I had to focus on healing the neck. It also brings us to the other thing I was worried about. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. As far as I knew, to heal my wounds I needed a lot of mana. In general, it was not a problem. The environment was rich, there was plenty of loose mana around and in time I would¡¯ve for sure healed even without doing much. But I was not going to wait so long. Last time, I sped up my healing by absorbing mana from the random plantlife and the mana fruit I found on my way. Right now I had access to both, but I was still hesitating anyway. After all, it was those that were the source of the problem. And maybe me too a tiny bit, but that¡¯s besides the point. If I was to start absorbing more mana, who knows what would''ve been going to happen? If I was to judge by the previous events, most likely I would¡¯ve started glowing sooner or later, meaning my magic would be again unreliable if anything was to happen here. If my hunch was right and Axelrod was indeed trying to spy on me, or, which was more likely, that the elves sent more of their people here, I would¡¯ve needed to be on top of my game. It probably would be fine, even helpful, if I was to be overcharged whenever the attack came, there still was the problem of collateral damage, and I hoped to fix that as soon as possible. I had a certain idea. After resting for an hour or so and thinking of the repercussions of doing this, I decided that I should at least try. First, I went back downstairs, where the large chunk of ice that broke through the ceiling still was, along with Vendi and Jack, trying to break it into pieces. They had some success, although it was clear that they were not even halfway done. Both of them created a bunch of vines that were snaking their way inside the ball through the opening that I left through. By creating more and more, they were trying to enlarge the hole while at the same time cracking the ice from the inside. As soon as I entered the room, both of them stopped and Jack quickly came to me. -What¡¯s going on? Something happened. I shook my head with denial and pointed to the piece of paper that I took with me to ask him a couple of questions. ¡°I need a formula of the spell that you used during your barrier repairs.¡± He looked at me with suspicion. -Why do you need that¡­? You think one barrier is not enough? ¡°Not barrier. The one absorbing mana.¡± -Absorbing mana¡­? - he scratched his head. - What are you talking about? Now I was confused. I was sure that they did gather mana before trying to fix it¡­ ¡°The stone that looked like salt. You used magic on it.¡± His eyes opened wide. -Ah, that one. But that¡­ well I guess in some sort of way it was absorbing mana, huh? ¡°What was it supposed to do then?¡± -Hm. Well, I don¡¯t see why I couldn¡¯t tell you. The thing is, that was not a spell that was absorbing mana. It was just a piece of rock. Interesting. -Yes. It was a piece of stone, we used to have a ton of it. It had an ability to absorb and store mana. Now, when I think about it it sort of was similar to the one that your body has¡­ He looked concerned for a second. ¡°Either way it works. Give me a piece.¡± -That¡¯s the problem. I can¡¯t. It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t want to - he quickly added, seeing as I was starting to write again. - I just straight up don¡¯t have it any more. I furled my non-existing brow. -Yeah. You probably heard about the ice crystals that I used to cool down my freezer and wanted to use to¡­ preserve Kon? I mentioned then that I was running out of them, but the truth is that I straight up don¡¯t have them any more. They all were already used - the last piece being the one we used up while repairing the barrier. ¡°Ice crystals?¡± -Right, they were not just some regular ice crystals¡­ He took a look around, a bit pointless if you ask me, since there were only three of us in the room and all the kids were scattered about the mansion. -The truth is¡­ I was getting those from Bert. I don¡¯t know where he was getting them, but he sold them to me as a way to preserve food and that¡¯s all. I didn¡¯t even want to buy them that much, since we never had a problem with keeping our food cold with the cellars below. But I did just buy a couple, out of curiosity. For some reason I started having a bad feeling about this story. -They worked just as advertised. It was clear that it was just pure ice magic, and since Bert was able to use it, I didn¡¯t think much of it. I used them for a while, mostly to keep my wine cold. Again, he with his wine. -One day, I went down to get myself a new bottle, just to find out that one of the crystals has changed color. See, when he sold me, they were nice and blue, but what I found was one that was now completely see-through. At first I thought that it melted, not even noticing it. I didn''t really think much about it, I just assumed that it ran out of power, so I took it with me and kept it on my desk, since it looked pretty. It was a nice paperweight. He laughed. -Anyway, after a while in my office, it changed color again. It looked more like salt, just like you said. It still was dormant though. One day, when I was still in my office, I was tired and half asleep. The crystal was laying next to the light crystal that I was brightening my office with. I wanted to light up the room, so I poured some mana into it¡­ but in my tiredness I mistook the spent, old ice crystal for the light one. I quickly realized my mistake, but after the crystal already had sucked a considerable amount of mana from me, changing color and glowing. That¡¯s an interesting tidbit of information. -By the method of trial and error I managed to figure out their properties¡­ more or less. Since then we¡¯ve been using them almost constantly. It was looking like he finished his story so started writing again. ¡°I don¡¯t need them full.¡± -Yeah, the thing is¡­. you saw we use them for the barrier, right? If not, let me just tell you: the barrier spell uses up the whole crystal. Not only mana. It¡¯s usually not a big deal since I just was getting more from Bert, but this time war happened and the transports were halted. If that was not enough, you then destroyed the piece of barrier and had me use the last one on the repairs. ¡°I thought you fueled the barrier with a leyline.¡± -Nah. I mean, it is connected, but it does not work like that. The leyline is a closed network, connecting the pieces of the barrier, not giving it power. I wanted to ask why he was using such a roundabout way, but, alas, I ran out of paper. He noticed my frustration. -I wish I was a bit more helpful¡­ I waved him off. While maybe I heard not exactly what I wanted, I still learned a bunch of useful info. Hm. So the first idea was out of the question. I did not want to consider it at first, but I still had a backup plan. See, what I wanted to do, was to create something that would prevent me from overcharging myself. I thought the incantation that they used was the answer for this question, but apparently that was not the case, instead I needed that piece of rock¡­ But that¡¯s where it gets interesting. It¡¯s not the first time I¡¯ve heard about a crystal that was able to absorb mana. I had plenty of those in fact. My whole body was made out of those. I already was wondering that before¡­ but what would happen if I was to use a loose piece of my body that got splintered off as a ¡°battery pack¡±, so to speak? First off, was that possible? I never even considered experimenting like that on myself, since it would mean literally mutilating myself. But, since that has already happened, it would be a shame to not use the accident as an excuse. I just had to find the missing pieces¡­ Easy enough. I was already in the room where all the bullshit went down, so a second of focus was enough to locate a bunch of them. In the process I startled Jack a bit, because we never really finished our ¡°discussion¡± and he was still looking at me with curiosity, just to flinch when my eyes suddenly flickered with light and I stepped away, gathering the pieces. I put them on the remains of one of the tables and sat next to it, while he was still watching me intently. I could tell that Vendi was interested too, although he was still busy with the ice block, so he just was gazing in our direction every now and again. -What are you trying to do? - asked Jack, but I had no way to reply to him, nor I really had an intention to, instead focusing on the shards in front of me. I picked the smallest one and inspected it from every possible angle. It was maybe the size of a thumb, lacking any color, almost like a piece of glass. As a first experiment, I gathered a small amount of mana, just like I was about to cast a spell, but instead of igniting the mana or something similar, I put the piece right next to it. The effect was immediate. The mana disappeared, or rather got absorbed, and the piece brightened up, just like Jack described¡­ -What in the hells¡­ how did it get here¡­? He was still confused and not understanding, but I already was sure. That small experiment was all that I needed. Bert, somehow, someway, was selling pieces of a creature like me, or rather, the pieces of Origin Crystal. 80. Battery The implications this thing had¡­ man. Just thinking about it gave me a headache so strong I thought it was the presence again acting up and showing me some memories. But he didn¡¯t even have a clue about that! It was obvious. If he had an idea about what the hell he was dealing with, the price would definitely be VERY different, that was clear to me. Now the main question: where the fuck was he getting those? It¡¯s not like they are just laying about, ready to be found. He had to have found one of the places where an Origin Crystal was¡­ I knew about a couple of those. First of all, of course MIRE. I almost immediately dismissed that thought. As far as I knew, the entirety of the crystal was safe within me, and the rest I essentially wasted while experimenting with the flight spell and overall on my journey. It was possible that some got out via the river that was flowing though there, or was still somewhere in ¡°the bowl¡±, but for one of those to get to Bert¡­ not impossible but very unlikely. Second, the place below Kalkano, where the entity was. By now it was obvious that the presence had to be some variation of the Origin Crystal, hence its compatibility with me and overall changes in the area. But Bert had absolutely no idea that it was there. Even if we assume that he was getting the pieces from Axelrod or Odar, none of them knew about the place either, so it was not it. So where¡­ or from who? Contemplating this, I was slowly playing with the small crystal, rolling it on the table. When I was busy, lost in thought, Jack suddenly understood the implications of what he just witnessed. -Are those¡­ pieces of you¡­? - he stammered out finally. The question dragged me back to reality, and I nodded in response, confirming his worries. -I¡­ we¡­ were using¡­ a¡­ He was slack-jawed. I can¡¯t blame him. But that also made me worry. Just a minute ago he said that he ran out of those crystals and cannot maintain the barrier for long. And now he just realized that a new supply of this, obviously, very rare commodity, is sitting right in front of his face. And is wounded. I think he understood that as well because he immediately backed away a step. -Nononono¡­ I am not¡­ calm down¡­! I was perfectly calm. Although I now realized that I had to be constantly on guard. Who knows what stupid idea could come to their heads? But even then¡­ was there even anything that they would be able to do to me? The problem was that the answer was actually yes. The damned light magic. For some reason, even though I was able to absorb it, it still was somehow damaging to me. The only question was, did Vendi even realize that it was the case? I did not exactly react to his attacks when I emerged from the ice and I hoped that he never noticed anything, but I was wrong before. Or¡­ could I prevent the situation completely? I could try and rewrite the spell¡­ so they would never really need to look for more materials¡­ or for it to be some different thing, not just my literal flesh. One problem at a time - I thought to myself. I still have not finished dealing with the Origin Crystal. I already had some ideas about how I would go about using it, but first things first - I had one certain worry. All the time I have been dealing with those shards, I made sure to not touch them with my bare skin, since I had no idea what would exactly happen. I had some theories though. I had two scenarios in mind. First, the most likely one. After touching the infused crystal, I¡¯d just absorb the mana from it, like I¡¯ve done to every single other thing that contained mana. It wouldn¡¯t be exactly helpful, but not everything can be. It would also make sense, since both it and me were the exact same and it would come to just the sheer volume of substance - the larger one winning over the small piece. The second one - the one I have been silently hoping for. Although unlikely, I had an inkling that maybe, maybe, it would work the opposite way - instead of me absorbing it, the mana would flow to it. It was possible - in that case it would not be just the size that mattered, instead it was more like the difference of air pressure worked. If the loose piece would be devoid of mana, and I would be obviously a lot more charged, the mana flow would go the other way, trying to even out the mana between the two. If that would¡¯ve worked, it would solve all my problems with the overcharge I had recently, although then I would have to worry about the amount of mana it was able to hold and all other crap¡­ But there was no point in thinking about it before actually confirming either, so I unwrapped my left hand and grabbed a piece that I have not tampered with. Guess what? Absolutely nothing happened. I was sort of disappointed. If either of the scenarios I thought of before would play out, the crystal would be helpful at least to some degree, but with this? Actually¡­ that could work too¡­ although it probably would be a lot more annoying than just having a passive way to collect excess mana¡­ While the piece was not able to suck the mana directly from me, the experiment before already confirmed that it could collect it if it was just in the raw, loose form. So what if I was to try and do that on purpose every time I had to? I mean, that would definitely work, but would be slightly dangerous. If I was to just gather a loose mana for the shard to absorb, I would be risking for someone to turn it against me - just like Axelrod did below Kalkano. I essentially would be gathering a cloud of flammable gas right next to me while anyone, be it on purpose or not, could just light up and detonate it. But right then, I had an idea. What if I was to bypass the ¡°loose¡± phase and just straight up pour it into the rock? I mean, sure, it sounds easy, but I never actually have done it. My crystal always worked the other way. I already knew that was possible - the entity and the whole cavern was the proof of that. I shook my head like a wet dog. What? How was that the proof? I only knew that the cave was infused, which does not mean anything. After all, the crystal could just emit the excess mana like hot water steam and the effect would be the same. Nevertheless, I couldn¡¯t shake off the feeling that it was possible. Was that a nudge from the entity? Or just me going insane? Either or, I was not just going to give up. I picked up the largest piece of the crystal and again grasped it with my hand, focusing on it. Even without my magic sense, I could tell that it was mostly empty, like others. I also could feel that it indeed used to belong to me¡­ it still had some traces of my own mana. I honestly was surprised. I never expected to be able to tell¡­ I mean I already found those lying randomly on the floor, so I had to somehow know¡­ It was confusing. I was confusing myself. At the same time, I knew that it was me and I knew it was not. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. I hold the urge to slap myself in the face to stop this train of thought, instead focusing on what I intended to do - to attempt and pour a bit of my mana into it. It was actually easier than I thought it would be. I succeeded without even trying much. The flow was so easy to establish that I almost dropped the crystal. But, alas, the success was short-lived. As soon as I managed to pour even a little bit of the mana and the rock started glowing, the flow suddenly stopped, just for it to change direction and the energy to get absorbed again back by me. Slightly confused, I tried again, just for the process to repeat, exactly the same way. I attempted this about ten more times, each time pouring more mana than before, each time mana ending back inside me. It was sort of like I was playing some awkward version of tug-of-war with myself. Hilarious, really. While it seemed pointless, it actually was not. I, of course, was not even a slightest bit closer to being able to force mana to stay in the crystal, but I still was learning things. By pouring more and more, I was able to tell how much the piece was able to handle without anything strange happening. I say anything strange, but something did happen. Nothing that much unexpected or serious, but still. The more mana I poured, the brighter the crystal got. That was pretty much given from the get go, since, after all, was the same thing as was always happening with my body. What was more interesting though, was the capacity. I was able to pour so much mana that I almost felt light-headed. True, I was pretty weakened after all the bullshit I went through today and on top of that I was recovering my throat, meaning most of my mana was gone, but for that small piece to be able to hold that much¡­ without, I don¡¯t know, exploding or something¡­ It was encouraging somehow. As a last experiment, I again tried pouring mana into it, but instead of holding the piece all the time in my hand, in the middle of the transfer, instead of stopping it, I just dropped the shard on the table. It¡­ actually worked, sort of that is. When I lost contact with the gem, I still was, ¡°leaking mana¡± so to speak. But, the problem solved itself instantly - even though I was not touching the crystal, it was still absorbing magic around it and promptly sucking up the remaining residue. Slightly dangerous, but that could actually work. Definitely would be better than just walking about, overcharged to shit. Happy with myself, I wrapped my hand again and picked up the pieces, gathering them together. As soon as they started touching each other though, I felt the mana flow pick up again, but this time it was not between me and the crystal - it was between each of the pieces themselves. Just like in my case, the mana started flowing back and forth between the shards. From my point of view it was a mesmerizing view. I could clearly see the mana flow, small sparks of flame in each of them light up and dim, randomly pulsing. And apparently I was not the only one seeing that. Even without the enhanced sight, Vendi and Jack were now also looking at the pieces with stunned silence. Vendi stopped even pretending that he was working on the ice. Which meant that the pieces were glowing as well. I could not really tell at the first glance, so I was thankful for that reaction. As I started thinking that it could be slightly problematic, since having those shine completely contradicted the purpose I had for them in mind. But alas, that quickly resolved itself - those shards were not exactly randomly pulsing with mana. It was just that they were trying to spread the energy equally. It just took them a hot second, and soon I had in my palm a handful of slightly charged crystals. That could work. That actually could work. I just had to keep those on me at all times. I quickly conjured a small vine, just like the one I tied Vendi a while ago, wanting to somehow tie those together, maybe make a bracelet or something, just for it to be promptly disintegrated. Right, fair enough, I should''ve seen that coming. The disintegration snapped Vendi and Jack back to reality. -I do not know what to say¡­ I have been using¡­ this¡­ as a fuel for the barrier¡­ -That¡¯s horrible¡­ - Vendi agreed, apparently eavesdropping, or however you want to call reading the notes I¡¯ve been communicating with. I looked at them amused. I get it, it¡¯s not something that was normal or expected, but it was just a piece of rock, what¡¯s so horrible about it? -Kon can not know this - he suddenly exclaimed, adamant. - I will never let him know that we sacrificed people. Whoa, whoa, whoa, where did this come from? That is a big leap in the process of thinking. I get that I am made out of the same thing, but that¡¯s just Origin Crystal. While important and definitely powerful, it¡¯s not like every piece of it was the same as me. Even then, if we assume the weirdest, it was possible that it was just an insignificant piece of someone. Like in my case. Ear, finger, whatever, doesn¡¯t mean that it¡¯s a whole person. I wanted to somehow tell him that he¡¯s just overreacting, but with no paper I was not about to burn the message into the table or something. -Holy shit¡­ I always wondered what those crystals were¡­ Is he insane? - muttered Vendi. -Let¡¯s not be hasty - finally came back to senses Jack. - It¡¯s not confirmed that those were¡­ human parts, for the lack of a better term. Also, did he even know what he was selling? I feel it was a bit too cheap for him to know that. -Or he just wanted to get rid of evidence and that¡¯s why they were cheap. He¡¯s got a point. -Come on, would he be that insane to try and get a profit from the evidence against him? Besides, evidence against what exactly? We are just spitballing here, we don¡¯t know shit. -Right¡­ He¡¯s not that money hungry¡­ but there is one person that is quite close to him that would be both that desperate for money and stupid enough to either try selling evidence or just not knowing what they were dealing with. Goldie. -Caleb Moi. Hell, why is that every time his name is brought up it¡¯s something problematic. -Exactly - said Vendi, sitting next to me. - And I might have an idea on where he got this in the first place. -You mean that ¡°dragon hoard¡± bullshit? Don¡¯t tell me you believed that crap? I see Jack shared my view on things. While I had limited knowledge about this world, I was ready to accept a lot of weird creatures and stuff, but a dragon hoard¡­ I mean, sure, it was possible that a creature like that existed. But for it to be exactly the same as in popular myths, and if that was the case, for him to be able to defeat it? Ha, no way in hell. -But you may be onto something - added Jack after a while. - I am not going to believe that he hunted a fucking wolf, not to even mention a dragon, without him showing me its head. But there is no denying that he DID have a bunch of weird shit that he was giving away. Including some magic items and gold. It¡¯s not a big stretch that, if we assume that it¡¯s him that Bert had those crystals from, it¡¯s most likely that they came from the same place as the rest of that crap. While that was a sound theory, I seriously doubted that. From what I knew, whoever he got those crystals from, Bert never wanted to let anyone know that he was selling them. And why in the hell would Goldie care if he sold them or not? It was just not adding up. Maybe he borrowed them from him? Nah, he wouldn¡¯t be stupid enough to sell them then. Or maybe it was not that he did not want to hide him selling those¡­ Maybe he was hiding something else? The answer was right on the tip of my tongue. I had a feeling like the real solution was just in front of me, staring right into my face, yet I was not able to grasp it. Irritated, I stood up from the seat and, grabbing the shards, I wandered off to my room. As I was leaving the underground and passing through the kitchen I got stopped by Jack. -Right, sorry, I got sort of distracted, but I wanted to tell you that the list that you requested is almost complete. For a second I was not realizing what he was talking about, but soon understood that he was talking about the ¡°census¡± I requested. I nodded at him in confirmation and turned away from him, wanting to get back to my room as soon as possible. Even though it was a short time that I was not able to speak, it was enough for me. I was not going to put up with that garbage any more. One way or another, I¡¯d heal myself. From my room I grabbed the remaining mana fruit that I was given before and quickly wandered back down. As I was leaving, I passed Jack, who curiously was observing me. He was talking to some kids that scattered as soon as I came into view, darting towards the room nearby. This time I moved a bit more away from the house, so I wouldn¡¯t be right above the bunker or any other basement that this place was full of, or at least I was hoping so. Just to be sure, I went to the other side of the building and away from the clearing, hiding in between some trees. If I was correct, to try and regenerate a piece of my body, I¡¯d have to try and absorb as much mana as I could. Previously I was hesitating with that, since I didn¡¯t really know what to expect. Would I get overcharged like usual? Or the overflow would just go towards the rebuilding of my body, hastening it? When I lost my ear, I didn¡¯t really try to absorb a lot, since I was trying to lay low on the road, nor did I really care much. Now, I didn¡¯t have to be that careful. I already made enough problems for Jack, what¡¯s one more? With that in mind, I grabbed the first fruit and bit into it without hesitation. 81. Tree At first I was wondering if that was a good choice. Wouldn''t it be faster for me to just try and absorb it, like a plant or any other thing? Maybe more efficient? After all, I was made out of crystal. Completely. So what was the difference between absorbing the mana from the fruit via the crystal that was my hand, or the crystal that was my mouth or tongue? I never really thought about it, I have not eaten much, or really at all, since the change happened, I just always was absorbing mana by touching stuff. Still, even if it was essentially the same, it was nonetheless a better choice. Not from the taste perspective, no. If we were to consider that, it was the absolute worst. As soon as I even touched the fruit with my mouth, it turned to ash, giving me a very unpleasant aftertaste and I started coughing, spraying the ash both from my mouth, nose and even via the hole in my neck. I can imagine that it had to look hilarious. It was a good choice from the standpoint of efficiency though - after all, the wound was definitely closer to my mouth than it was to my hand. I could feel the warmth spread from my mouth to my neck in a span of a second, just to disappear almost instantly. While it was pretty pleasant, it was overshadowed by the itching and overall aftertaste of just having eaten a bunch of ash. Good news though - I was not glowing. So I went for another one. Then another. And another. Until I finally ran out of fruit, without much of a change, to be honest. It was strange. After a second or third I expected that something would¡¯ve happened, but nope. The hole was still there, still large enough that I could put two of my fingers in without issue. Maybe it was slightly less jagged now, but that was it. Not much of a progress if you ask me. I even checked the shards of the Origin Crystal that I brought with me, thinking that I accidentally touched one of them and it was those that got mana instead, but nope. I would¡¯ve felt it anyway¡­ Well then, since I was out of conventional means of restoring mana, I went for a more primal one, and the one I recently was relying on the most. After all, it was the reason I went outside in the first place. And I leaned on the tree next to me, touching it with my head. I already knew that trees in this place, or rather just plants overall, had a lot more mana than I considered ¡°normal¡±, but even then, it was a lot. Outside this island, when I touched a tree, I only needed a couple of moments to turn them into withered husks barely reminding what they were before, so I was surprised when the mana started pouring into me without the tree changing at all. Hey, it was not a bad thing. More mana, less damage, quicker healing, right? Well, I was not exactly wrong. The truth was that I indeed started healing, or at least it felt like it. This time, the warmth that was spreading did not instantly dissipate, since I was provided with a steady, strong stream of magic power. The warmth was also accompanied by a feeling of itching, this time inside of my throat and overall on my whole neck. Trying to fight the itch to scratch myself I grabbed my neck, just to feel the hole slowly close. Hah, quick and easy. Just how it was supposed to work - I thought to myself, happy that I finally succeeded in something without any side effects. Too early in fact. Just as the wound was about to be completely healed, I felt¡­ something else. Not another wave of itching, no, it was as someone was whispering inside my head. At first I thought that it was Jack, or Vendi, that snuck behind me, wondering what I was up to, but nope, there was no magic signature besides the ones I felt in the trees around me. The trees¡­ The whispers started getting louder and louder, to the point where I started understanding them. -Ju Douquwe Noli, mocisohu nop¡­ -Ju Douquwe Noli, mocisohu nop¡­ -Ju Douquwe Noli, mocisohu nop¡­ Not this crap again¡­ It was that stupid mantra that I heard from the elves that decided that suicide was the option to somehow solve all their problems. But why in the hell was I hearing that HERE? Weren¡¯t those people dead? They weren¡¯t even buried here, so what gives? I wanted to break contact with the tree, since I was already healed and even was starting to glow again, but curiosity took over and instead I started listening more. It was¡­ strange. It was the first time that I actually was able to literally hear the words, not just see images or have someone else¡¯s thoughts projected to me directly, so I was more interested than I should. The longer I was focusing, the more I started to feel and understand. The words were accompanied by a torrent of different feelings, most of them negative. Anger, disappointment, fear, you name it. But under that layer, somewhere further, there was hiding something else, another voice, with another mantra. -Wowu, qsuvilvo nop. Wowu, jimqu nop. Wowu qsuvilvo nop¡­ Repeating again and again. Hearing one word was enough to make me flinch. Besides the fact that the voice was seemingly messing with life again, it did not sound like a spell. It was more like a plea. ¡°Life, help me. Life, protect me¡­¡±. A bit awkwardly worded, but still. Even then, it was not the thing that caught my attention. The thing is, I actually recognized the voice. It was Kon. Now the question - why the hell would I be able to hear him? The tree I was touching was definitely not him, not even close. -Kon? What in the fuck¡­ - I thought to myself. - How in the hell¡­ As soon as I did that, the voices stopped. Both mantras were silenced, and instead they were now replaced completely by an overwhelming feeling of surprise and suspicion, just for me to hear a few seconds later: -Mor¡­? I barely was able to even notice that, because the feelings were not exactly very subdued and were making it hard to focus on something else than them. -You can hear me? Where are you? Where is everyone? What happened? He instantly bombarded me with a barrage of questions. -I want to ask the same thing? Why am I able to talk to you after touching a random tree on the inside of the barrier? As I mentioned the barrier, the barrage of feelings intensified. Now it was a mix of curiosity and fear in almost equal amounts. But, I could tell that only one of them was coming from Kon. The rest were from the other voices I¡¯ve heard before, confirming my suspicion about who I was hearing, or rather connected to. -I don¡¯t know¡­ I think I am moving¡­ It¡¯s getting dark¡­ That was not a good indication. -Listen to me. Focus and stay where you are. We are going to get you back. Just don¡¯t move. -I can¡¯t¡­ it¡¯s hard¡­ something is pulling me¡­ deeper¡­ Not good news. Very not good news. -Wait and try to hold on. I¡¯ll get help as soon as possible. -I¡¯ll try¡­ With that I broke contact with a tree. The feelings stopped, and I came back to my senses. I was not paying attention apparently, because I never noticed that I was essentially blind and deaf that whole time. As soon as I moved away from the tree, I realized that I was now glowing pretty hard, my neck already fixed completely. The tree still was intact though, which was unsettling me a little bit. I stood up and started running towards the mansion. On my way, just to be safe, I attempted to dump my excess mana into the shards I had on me. In hindsight, it was a bit reckless to do that on the run, but somehow it worked up. As I was running through the corridor and towards the kitchen, where I saw Jack last, my body already was a lot dimmer, meaning that actually was working. I doubled my effort to put even more magic into the pieces and broke contact as soon as I got to the staircase leading down to the broken bunker. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The final effect was that I was still not completely discharged, but the pieces were glowing hard, even more than the light crystals that were lighting up the places. I, on the other hand, was just slightly brighter, so it had to be enough for now. Jack and Vendi were downstairs still, trying to break through the ice. They made some more progress, the ice block was mostly gone at this point, broken into multiple pieces. Two kids were here too, apparently helping to move ice to the storage room. As soon as I barged into the room, they yelped and hid behind one of the still not broken bookshelves. -What¡¯s going on? - asked Vendi, startled, seeing that I was in a hurry. -Oh, you fixed your neck! - noticed Jack, stopping his spell, the vines falling away from the ice and flopping onto the floor. - I thought you said that¡¯s going to take a long time! -Quickly¡­! - I said and got surprised by my voice. It was a lot more echoey, almost like I was speaking through the tube. They both noticed the change too, but I did not give them time to comment on that. -Something is wrong with Kon, we need to move! -What? Where? Why? - his face instantly turned serious and Vendi also dropped his spell that was still prodding at the ice. -No time, we¡¯re going to talk on the move. -Kids, to the rooms - Jack announced loudly, and the pair that was still behind the bookshelf darted away upstairs. - Lead the way. First, I led them towards the tree that I just was absorbing the mana from while quickly explaining what exactly I felt. -Can you hear anything? After a second of focus, Jack shook his head. -Not him. Only some mixed feelings, like you explained, but nothing more. -Vendi? -Nope. Not even those feelings¡­ -Hrg. -But you are right, something like this should not happen. I have never felt a feeling from a tree before¡­ I mean before Kon turned into one¡­ I lightly tapped the tree with my finger, to see what reaction I would get, at the same time putting my hand on the crystal, just in case. I still was able to sense the feelings, but there were no voices. -Kon¡­? I did not get an answer, but instead I felt something like a groan. I mean, how can you even FEEL a groan? At the same time, Jack, who was still touching the tree as well, flinched and removed his hand. -So you felt that too? -Yeah¡­ what was that? - he looked concerned. -I was hoping you would be able to tell me. You live here, don¡¯t you know stuff about this forest? -I have no clue¡­ also, is that normal? - he asked, pointing at my, now glowing bright green, hand. -Ah - I realized that I was still sucking the mana from the tree. - Well, sort of - I replied, pulling away. But, even though I was no longer touching the tree, I still could feel the strange groan and overall that weird uncomfortable feeling that I had when I touched the trunk, along with some remnants of the emotions I felt before too. That confused me immensely. At the same time, Vendi, who was still trying to ¡°listen¡± to the tree suddenly froze. -It¡¯s a lot more quiet now¡­ -What the hell? - Jack jumped forwards again, trying to feel out the tree, and soon nodded - You¡¯re right. Like something just disappeared¡­ or moved away¡­ - he started muttering. - What the hell is this thing? -Maybe another grave - suggested Vendi after a while. - Who the hell knows where exactly people were buried¡­ -You might be onto something, but fuck that for now! We need to check up on Kon. -You¡¯re right! Okay, I am going with you. -I am not passing the occasion to learn more about whatever he is either - I added, trying to regain my composure. Lead the way. Full sprint, we ran through the barrier without hesitation and only stopped after we reached the ¡°graveyard¡±. It was just as we left it. The trees that they grew were still intact. Hell, even the small scar that I left while trying to ascertain its mana was already healed. Without hesitation, both of them went right towards the Kon-tree. Vendi touched it with his hand, while Jack almost hugged it. I was still in the rear, trying to understand what I was feeling, and besides I did not want to accidentally drain this tree as well. On our way here I managed to pour a little bit of mana into the shards I had, but it was more difficult than last time. The crystals were already charged quite considerably. But even then, they still managed to drain enough mana from me that both the glow and the random moans that I was hearing in my head subsided finally, so I could focus on the task at hand. Both of them stayed in that position for a good minute. But with each passing second, I could tell that they were getting strained more and more - while their mana flow was not disturbed, their faces were contorted in¡­ Wait a damn second. Speaking of mana flow, I noticed that something was not right about that. Or rather was normal, and it was not normal for this place if you catch my meaning. Before, when I first noticed that Kon turned into a tree, I was able to somewhat distinguish him from other plants that were in this area. While he was somewhat similar to every other tree, and especially to the one that I assumed that he turned the elves into, now it was not the case. Both the elves¡¯ tree and the Kon-tree looked, in my mind¡¯s eye, exactly as any other one that was surrounding us currently. To add to my list of concerns, Jack started looking worried, and turned away from the tree he was hugging. -I can¡¯t hear him¡­ or anything new for that matter - he announced with an unsure voice. - Vendi? What about you? -Yea¡­ I still can somewhat hear the¡­ ehm, moans, I want to say and some scraps of other things, but nothing that would deem familiar. -What¡¯s going on? I only replied with confusion painted across my face. -Maybe he¡¯s asleep? - said Vendi, even himself sounding unsure. - Do trees even sleep? Is he a tree? -Can you try and do the same thing you did when we first found him? - asked Jack. - If he¡¯s really unconscious, it might help! -Last time I did that both of you barely managed to not break down and you want me to do it again? Besides, you¡¯re not worried that I¡¯ll hurt him? -You managed to touch that other tree without any issue. Can¡¯t you do that again? -I did do that¡­- I suddenly realized that he was right. - Well, I hope you have your booze to drown out the pain you, and probably me as well, are going to go through right about now. -I don¡¯t but the cellar is open - he muttered, sitting on the ground. Try it. Still slightly unsure about this idea, I unwrapped my hand completely. -Well, you wanted this. Sorry Kon. Here goes nothing¡­ Just like before, I swiped slightly at the tree bark, expecting to feel an immediate reaction from the trunk. But nothing happened. Confused for a second, I tried again. There was no mistaking it, something was wrong. I definitely felt the mana flow into me, albeit barely, since I just smudged the tree, but there was not a single scratch on the bark, just like with the tree next to the mansion. As if to add to the confusion, I also did not feel any different mana than just the green one that usually is found in plants - there was absolutely no hint of life mana that I already learned to associate with Kon. I mean sure, it was possible that the first time I felt the life magic in the tree it was just the residue after the ritual and it had nothing to do with the person that we thought was trapped inside it, but nevertheless, there was no response from the tree. I tried two times more, but to no avail. I just absorbed a bit more green mana, turning myself almost completely green - by now I already sucked up so much of it that I was already tinted slightly, but after these few attempts, I was as green as the canopy above us. -Nothing? I shook my head in response. -Nope. Are you sure you¡¯re not feeling anything? I mean¡­ something should¡¯ve already happened¡­ -No¡­ besides, wouldn¡¯t you feel that as well? -Sure¡­ but I am trying to keep the contact to a minimum. I am not exactly very pleasant to touch, if you catch my drift. -You say that, but this time the tree is fine¡­ -Yeah, although¡­ I stopped mid sentence. Although what? I didn¡¯t really have an answer for that. Maybe he was right, and I was no longer that destructive¡­? Just to test things out, I stepped away from the Kon-tree and approached the other one, the one that was supposed to be made out of elves. With those I was not that careful and placed my whole palm on the trunk. And, just like with the other ones, I felt the mana flow while the tree itself looked unharmed. -Hell, you might be right¡­ - I muttered, coming back to Kon-tree. - I guess I can be a bit more persistent. Just as I said, I did. I pressed the full palm of my hand to the bark, and focused. This time I felt something. Along with the flow of mana, I managed to again notice a weak flow of emotion. Bit different than before, but still. -Kon? Are you there? When I asked the question, both Vendi and Jack flinched, surprised. Huh. Apparently, since they were also in contact with that tree, when I pushed my voice towards it, they also managed to hear it. Good to know. At first, I thought I wasn¡¯t getting the answer. The voice was silent, there was nothing betraying any presence besides that strange and dissociated stream of emotions, somewhere far from us. -Kon! Answer me! This time I was the one who was surprised. It was Jack - he was the one asking along with me. I guess talking via plants is easier than expected. Maybe because it was also a part of magic that he was proficient with, who knows? A second later I flinched again, because yet another voice joined us. -Kon! Hello? Vendi also wanted to add his own attempt. Talking via plants really had to be easy then. Yet even with us three repeating the calls, both Vendi and Jack being more and more impatient and worried by the second. After a good minute of calling him out, I had to finally remove my hand. Besides me thinking that it was just a waste of effort, I also did not want to destroy the tree by accident. I mean sure, even though I was absorbing mana - a lot slower this time, I tried to limit myself quite a bit, with a moderate rate of success - who knows how long that would last. I was already overcharged to shit, so I placed my other hand on the broken pieces of Origin Crystal, to get rid of the overflow that was formed within me, -What the hell happened¡­? - I thought to myself and was just about to sit down next to the tree to try and think the situation out, but just as I was about to do it, I felt a familiar voice in my head. -I don¡¯t know¡­ It¡¯s dark¡­ 82. Transfer That made me jump. Both Vendi and Jack did not betray any signs of reaction, so I assumed that I was the only one hearing that. Which was doubly strange, because I was no longer touching the tree. -Dark? It was not like this before? What do you mean? - I started asking questions, again putting my hand on the tree. -I don¡¯t know¡­ I¡­ everything is strange¡­ This time I got a reaction. Vendi almost fell on his ass backwards, while Jack jumped up. -KON! You¡¯re alive! -That¡¯s sort of subjective¡­ - I muttered quietly enough so he would not hear me. -I heard something wrong is going on! How can I help? -Dad¡­? Oh, where are we? It¡¯s dark¡­ -Just calm down. You are inside a tree, so that¡¯s no surprise that you can¡¯t see. -Tree¡­? Wait, that¡¯s where I was? - he sounded confused. - I guess that explains some things¡­ but I don¡¯t think I am there any more¡­ -There? We are talking to you via the tree¡­? -So where are you then? - I interrupted them, asking the important question. - You said it¡¯s gotten dark. Wasn¡¯t it like that before? -No¡­. If what you¡¯re saying is right, I guess¡­ Before, I was able to see a lot. I know¡­ I was inside of something. It was tight and cramped, that¡¯s when I first heard your voices¡­ Or rather felt your connection. I tried talking, but no words came out, instead I started seeing strange images, mixed and unrecognizable¡­ -Ah, that was just after the ¡°accident¡± so to speak, right? -Accident? -After you blacked out during the ritual - explained Vendi. -Oh¡­. yeah. That could be it. But then, I was able to see you¡­ I remember now¡­ seeing myself, being carried away by dad¡­ I exchanged looks with Jack. -Yes. Your body is safe at home. Right now Mor was looking for a way to turn you back to normal, but then somehow connected to you via the other tree. He explained briefly what happened. I got to say, Kon was a lot more conscious and level-headed than I expected. All of them were. After hearing his response the first time, I thought he would be a lot more panicked, or confused at least. Hell, it seemed like he was like this at first. But now he was as calm as his father, maybe even more, listening closely to everything. It was sort of unnerving¡­ -I did not hear you though¡­ - he finally said. - It¡¯s strange¡­ I only could hear you after he pressed his hand to the tree again¡­ -I guess he¡¯s amplifying your thoughts somehow? - speculated Jack. - Who knows? Magic is often strange. -It only is if you use untested methods - I chimed in. - Doesn¡¯t matter anyway. But if what you are saying is correct, that means that you are no longer inside the tree. So where are you then? -I really can''t tell¡­ - he replied after a moment of thought. - Before this, after Mor managed to contact me for the second time, it felt like I was being dissolved¡­ absorbed into something. I was getting sleepy¡­ and at the same time I was starting to see more and more of the forest¡­ even inside the barrier¡­ It was strange. -But you said that you can¡¯t see anything ? - asked Vendi, confused. - So what¡¯s up with that? -Because I can¡¯t. After the second contact.... It was strange¡­. silent. I¡­ was scared a bit. It felt like I was disappearing¡­ -That¡¯s not good - I muttered. -But then I heard his voice. I don¡¯t know what happened, but after that my vision was gone and I felt like I was cut off from everything. And now we¡¯re here. -What the hell¡­ I wanted to continue this strange interrogation, but I had to stop myself, again reminded by a dim glow that I was indeed still absorbing mana from the tree. And this time, I finally did some damage to it. It was just a small patch, but I did turn a piece of bark into the familiar ash that was now falling down onto the grass. Considering the fact that it was quite a long discussion, the damage was miniscule. Last time I just had to briefly brush it with my finger to do more damage than that. All the time, I was still tightly gripping the crystal shards in my other hand, focusing on releasing the overflow mana, thanks to which I was not a shining beacon right about now. Good thing that that was at least working as intended. I was about to hide the pieces back into my clothes, but I realized that something was wrong. Or maybe rather not wrong, just different. When I first used those pieces, I kept holding only one of them, not really picking any particular one. This time, I was a bit distracted and not paying attention, so I just took them all, not thinking much of it. At first it seemed like it was working exactly the same, but when I was about to put them away, I noticed that there was now a slight change in them - they were now stuck together. For a second I just thought that they were attracting each other, like a magnet of some kind, but upon a closer look I realized that it was not what was going on. They were melding into each other. Or growing? Maybe both, considering what properties my body had. It was not that strange, to be honest, so I just dismissed it for the moment. It shouldn¡¯t really be a problem, right? Maybe it was even for the better - after all one piece was easier to keep track of and carry than a bunch of broken shards. It could even mean that the crystal was able to hold even more mana. Could it actually grow? If so, then how big? Could I actually solve the problem that Jack had with the lack of materials for the barrier without any weird experiments? I had to put those thoughts on hold, because Jack looked more panicked again. -Kon! Kon!? -Are you there? -Don¡¯t tell me, he¡¯s not responding again? - I asked, stopping mid-way through rewrapping my hand. -Yeah¡­ - said Vendi with his eyes closed, obviously still focused on the tree. - It was strange¡­ -So you felt that too, huh? -Felt what? - I asked, intrigued. -As soon as you removed your hand from the tree, everything went silent again. -Huh? -Yeah. Can you do that again? It looks like you are some kind of amplifier¡­ or something, I don¡¯t know - nodded Vendi. -I don¡¯t think I should - I replied, pointing at the place where the bark was destroyed. - I only did that because I thought that I would not destroy this thing, but it seems I was wrong. I still can disintegrate things, but it apparently takes a lot more time. -Strange - said Vendi, inspecting the mark closer. - There was no reaction¡­ -Reaction? You mean the scream of pain? -Yeah. Remember last time? He basically screamed into our heads and he barely even touched the tree. Why was he silent this time? -I assume that it¡¯s because it was too shallow - I replied, shrugging. -Maybe¡­ but why though? Didn¡¯t you hold your hand there for a lot longer this time? -Yeah. Maybe I have a bit more control right now. -Mhrg¡­ Let¡¯s try again - said Jack after a moment of consideration. - Just pull away as soon as you notice that the wound is getting bigger¡­ -Define ¡°bigger¡±. -I don¡¯t know, as big as my head maybe? This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. -Or just when you hear us or him screaming in pain - said Vendi, not sure if he was joking. -It might be a bit too late then - replied Jack with a straight face. - But yeah, somewhat like that. -Well okay then, it¡¯s your kid - I shrugged and again unwrapped my hand. This time I only used a finger, hoping to slow down the decay process even more. Seemed like it was working, because the mana flow got slower and the bark was not turning to ash. Yet, at least. But it was the only thing that was working. Both Jack and Vendi tried talking to the tree again, this time with me helping, but it was no use. It was just as Kon said - it seemed like he was indeed somehow disconnected from the tree. We tried this for a good five minutes, yet did not get any reply. -Okay, I think we should stop - I finally announced, removing my hand. - It is not going to work. -But why though? - Jack sounded distraught - It did before¡­ What happened to him? -I don¡¯t understand¡­ I guess he got ¡°cut off¡± like he said? - said Vendi, tired for some reason, sitting down next to the tree. -That¡¯s not good¡­ Even if we figure out how to get him out of there, what¡¯s ¡°there¡±? -Yeah¡­ - I nodded, a bit perplexed - That¡¯s not good¡­ but that¡¯s not the worst thing in the world. -What, you can find him? -I think so¡­ - I replied after a moment. - Remember, I told you I can see the mana that is in my surroundings. That includes people. If I were to focus, I probably would be able to find him, too. It might be a bit hard because I don¡¯t really know how he¡¯s going to, eh¡­ ¡°look¡±, so to speak, or how far he is, but it¡¯s worth a try¡­ -So what are you waiting for? You have plenty of mana, right? -Yeah¡­ normally I should be able to¡­ - I agreed with Jack - But something strange happened¡­ After the whole ice-block thing, I sort of lost a bit of ¡°oomph¡±... -The fuck was that supposed to mean? - asked Vendi. -That means that even though before I could see for literal kilometers, now I barely see a few meters in front of me - I replied, unenthusiastically. - I hoped that would clear itself out after my neck healed, but I guess I need a bit more. -How much more? -How the fuck should I know? I thought I was already back to normal, but I keep realizing shit is strange! They both looked tense, but they realized that there was nothing we could really do now. -By the way, you¡¯re glowing again¡­ - pointed out the obvious Vendi. -Yeah, give me a minute¡­ I already was pulling out the crystal and trying to equalize my mana a bit. It was a bit harder this time, I think I already flooded the piece with enough of my overflow, but even then I still was making slow progress. -The hell is wrong with this place¡­ - I thought to myself as I was trying to get rid of the excess mana, while Jack and Vendi were trying to contact the tree-Kon. -I don¡¯t know, it was always a bit mysterious. The voice was so sudden that I almost dropped the crystal mid- transfer. -Kon?! The hell? Where did you come from? -I¡­ was here the whole time? - he sounded confused. - I can¡¯t really move, it was you that went silent¡­ -But I am not touching the tree any more¡­ Where the hell are¡­? I suddenly had an epiphany. There was only one answer to ¡°where¡±. -I think you can stop that¡­ - I slowly announced, looking up at them. -Yeah¡­ He¡¯s no longer here¡­ We just have to wait until you find him - Vendi agreed with me. -Mh¡­ I don¡¯t like this. We need to hurry. If he¡¯s already gotten pulled somewhere once, who knows where else he might get moved. And who¡¯s the one doing that even? Are there more of those elves on the island? -That is possible¡­ - I agreed with him - but on the topic of where¡­ I think I have found him¡­ -Already? - Jack sounded both amazed and surprised. - But you said you don¡¯t have mana to see further than¡­ Does that mean he¡¯s close?! -Yeah¡­ very¡­ -Great! Where?! Maybe we can contact him again. -Huh. Maybe you can¡­ -Don¡¯t keep us in the dark - Vendi was inpatient. - Where? -If I am not mistaken¡­ right here - I said, extending my hand with crystal shards. Or rather, one larger chunk of them, melded together into an irregular mass the size of my fist, pulsing with dim, green light. Both of them looked at me, confused. -Huh? -What are you talking about? -What are you talking about? The question came both from Jack and from within the crystal - because that was undoubtedly where the Kon¡¯s ¡°soul¡± was now located. -Yeah, I have a guess, but¡­ wow - I said, shaking off the initial surprise. - I can still hear him¡­ somehow. For a second I thought that I might have connected to the tree somehow, but, you¡¯d be hearing him as well¡­ -Even now!? - Vendi sounded amazed. - That¡¯s great! -Great how? I¡¯d say it¡¯s more annoying, I just lost my one way of getting rid of my overflow mana¡­ -But you managed to get his soul out of the tree! Meaning we are halfway there! Actually, he was right. Though how I did that¡­? Was that even me? -Kon, you can¡¯t hear them, can you? -Hear them? I only can hear you, after father and Vendi broke contact suddenly¡­ -Wasn¡¯t really their fault, but¡­ -So if he¡¯s in there, can I talk to him? - he was a lot more eager than he should, to be honest. -Maybe, but¡­ I didn''t even manage to warn him before he was already next to me and placed his hand on the crystal piece. -Kon? A few things happened all at once. First off, I heard him too. He was not speaking, even though I could hear him as clear as day, just like before, when we thought we were communicating through the tree. -Dad! So that one was working smoothly. Too bad other things were not exactly great. The moment he touched the crystal and contacted him, I felt a surge of mana from the crystal. Just like with me, the piece wanted to get some mana and instantly started draining Jack. Obviously, he was not expecting that. Even though he already knew how my body and the crystal worked, or at least I thought so, after he was the witness to my experiments, he was not prepared. In a span of a second, maybe a quarter of his mana was drained and the rest was about to go with it if not for me to get the crystal away from him. Just to be safe, I also pushed him a few steps away. -Calm the hell down, you have a death wish or what?! But, before we managed to break contact, he also briefly brushed my own, unprotected crystal skin. I don¡¯t think I need to add that it did not end well. Even though I was still on guard and limiting myself, I did drain a lot of mana. And by a lot, I mean LOT. Sure, he was far from the worst in the department of mana capacity, especially here, but that did not mean that my crystal would work slower. Quite the opposite in fact, in comparison to the small pieces now hosting Kon, I absorbed absolutely humongous amounts. It was like comparing a leaking faucet to a broken fire hydrant. He was lucky that the contact was only so brief and the fact that I was not exactly empty. Even then, in a span of that short moment, I drained almost all of his mana, to the point that I got scared that he might fall into a coma. He actually got pretty close. I already was seeing his eyes roll back, but he pulled through, by his sheer will. -Holy shit, careful. You¡¯re lucky you are still with us¡­ -What in the hell was that? - he asked after a moment, gathering himself from the ground. At first it looked like he was about to fall again, but he steadied himself, leaning on the tree next to us. -I told you what my body does to mana. What did you expect? -Wow¡­ -What was that? I thought I heard¡­ father? - spoke to me from the crystal Kon. -You heard right. But I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll be able to talk to you directly for now¡­ -Why?! What happened? -I don¡¯t know how to tell you¡­ but you are now stuck inside a crystal. -Okay¡­? So? - he clearly was not getting it. -A crystal that absorbs mana from people. -Wha? -Yep. And you can imagine what happens after someone unprepared touches you¡­ -But you are touching me no problem! Why can¡¯t he? -That¡¯s¡­ That was a good question. Before, when I was holding the crystal, my mana was constantly flowing in and out from it, but now it looked like it stabilized. I was not overcharged and the drain stopped completely. The stone was still slightly glowing though, now with the familiar green hue. -I don¡¯t really know, probably because it¡¯s similar, or rather the same as my body. I have better tolerance I guess? -Your body? -Ah right. You are in a crystal that splintered out from my own self. For some reason you got pulled out of the tree to this piece. -HOW? I just shrugged. If I knew, everything would be a lot easier. I guess I could understand it if it happened when I touched the tree directly, but it seemed that I just managed to suck him out when I contacted the tree next to the mansion. A tree that was definitely not the one where we last sensed him. -What in the hell is going on? - asked finally Vendi, who all this time was just observing with his mouth wide open. Right. The more important parts were not spoken aloud. I filled them both in. I expected that the prospect of me draining Kon would scare them, but it was the exact opposite. When I explained my theory, Jack started smiling broadly and finally gathered himself completely after the shock of his mana being absorbed. -That¡¯s great news! We don¡¯t need anything more then? -What do you mean¡­? - I was now the one feeling confused. -It means you isolated him from the tree! Now we just need to move him back to the body! -And how do you suppose we do that? - I said, not really getting his excitement. -Can¡¯t you just do the same thing that you did to your body? You said that you started as a human with a piece of crystal stuck in your body? -Yeah, sure I did, but so what? As far as I know my own consciousness never left the body, but that¡¯s not the case here¡­ But as I was saying that, I realized that he had a point. There was more than one instance when I noticed that my consciousness was not the only one inhabiting this body, I was sure of that. Be it the presence, or the other visions¡­ Those were indeed the indications that he might not be exactly wrong. Still though¡­ 83. Source -Even if you are onto something, I can¡¯t replicate what happened to me! -Why not!? I am going to help you as much as I can! I am sure we can pull this off! -It¡¯s worth considering - Vendi agreed with him. - Besides, even if we aren¡¯t considering your version, you can¡¯t deny that you are similar to soul remnants. And those, as far as I know, are made just as he said: by merging one¡¯s body with a piece of soul. And his soul is trapped in there - he pointed to the shard. - We have everything. -And how do you know that? - I gazed at him, suddenly suspicious after this revelation. - I thought that revenants, or remnants rather, were abominations and monsters. And you now want to casually make one? -First of all, I never said I want to - he shook his head in denial. - I just am saying that it looks like one of the possible methods. And nah, I don¡¯t believe that all remnants are just monsters. -Well, it seemed different when you saw me¡­ -I didn¡¯t attack you because you¡¯re made out of crystal - he instantly protested. - I just attacked because you were an intruder. Nothing more, nothing less. -Mhm¡­ - I was not buying that, but whatever. - Other people seemed to have a different point of view¡­ -You mean Axelrod and that bunch? - interjected Jack. - Yeah, they don¡¯t really like the remnants¡­ after all, a bunch of them killed a lot of his friends¡­ -Hm. I heard some of that story, but never all of it. -Right. I forget you¡¯re not from here - muttered Jack. - Besides, not everyone knows what happened back there¡­ There are also a bunch of versions to that story, who knows what exactly went down¡­ -Definitely nothing good - agreed with him Vendi. - That¡¯s why they never treat the crystal people well. -Hold up - I raised my hand, stopping him. - Crystal people? -Yeah, crystal people, soul remnants, revenants, Lost, whatever you want to call them. They show up from time to time. -Wait a fucking second. Lost? Don¡¯t they worship them? Lost and remnants are the same? -Yeah. You didn¡¯t know? I thought he explained that to you? - Jack looked genuinely surprised. -Sure, he told me about Lost and all that jazz, but never mentioned that all of them were also crystal like me. -Now you know then. -That¡­ that¡¯s curious. And concerning. -Suree¡­ - Jack did not sound very interested in my opinion on their religion and Lost. - In any case, let¡¯s get back on topic. You said you can¡¯t move his consciousness back to his body? Why? -Because I have no fucking idea how! -How did you get a body like this then? I mean, how did exactly this process get kickstarted? - asked Vendi. - Maybe that would work? -You really want to experiment with this? -And why the hell not? -Because it¡¯s not your life we are just gambling over here! - I replied, annoyed. -That¡¯s what you are worried about? - he sounded genuinely surprised. -Look¡­ - chimed in Jack. - I know that you are not from here and don¡¯t know much about us, but don¡¯t pawn us off as some bunch of idiots. We know. We¡¯ve been through a lot, and every single one of us would do anything for each other. -I¡¯d love to propose a better solution, but it seems like that¡¯s the only one we have right now¡­ -I can¡¯t really talk to him right now, but if it¡¯s just the consent you want, I am sure you can ask him yourself. As you well know, neither of us can. -We are also short on time, too. We no longer can assume that his soul will just peacefully wait for us¡­ -That¡¯s great and all - I interrupted their speech - but that¡¯s not the issue here. I mean sure, having consent is a thing we should have and all, although it wouldn¡¯t be the first time I would be tinkering with an unwilling subject¡­ -Excuse me?! -ANYWAY, not the point here. I obviously would rather have him agree, and if what you¡¯re saying¡­ -I cannot really understand a lot, hearing only one side, but I assume you want my agreement? - Kon spoke up in my head. -I mean, yeah. I sort of believe them but hearing that from you would be the best. I just want to know that we have no idea what repercussions that idea of theirs might have¡­ -From what I understand, if I am inside that crystal, it might be possible - he replied after a minute of consideration. - I read some passages about revenants and you indeed seem like one of them, so if you were to do the same thing that changed you¡­ it might work. -Eh¡­. - I sighed - I get it. But it¡¯s still not¡­ -It¡¯s still not what I am worried about¡­ - I finished aloud, so all three of them could hear me. -Spit it out then - rushed me Jack. - How bad can it be? -Ha. And I briefly explained how I got my arm replaced by a crystal. Including a description of the carnage I saw both the aftermath of with my own eyes, and the visions I had thanks to getting merged with the entity from under Kalkano. -I am not going to give you many details about the project, because it¡¯s not the point here. The main problem is, that during our experiment, we unleashed massive amounts of mana. Destructive amounts. I assume that was what prompted the crystal to connect with me. Both of them were looking at me in silence. -First of all, it¡¯s just plain old suicide at best, and an apocalypse at worst. Wouldn¡¯t be the first time when it went bad. It would¡¯ve meant not only us four gone, which, let¡¯s be honest, is not much of a problem, but also everyone else in who knows how big of the radius. -When you¡­ failed - finally asked Vendi - How much do you think got destroyed? -I already said I have not seen much with my own eyes. I am sure that I saw a quarter of a city in ruins when I woke up, but if we add the visions, it would be the whole city and probably even more. -I guess we could try moving the kids somewhere else - started thinking aloud Jack. - I guess capital is not the worst idea after all, it''s pretty far¡­ -Yeah, but Axelrod¡­ -I know. But if we won¡¯t fail I can just get them back real quick¡­ And if we fail¡­ -If we fail it won¡¯t matter - Vendi nodded. -Yeah¡­ I can just write my will and give the oldest one everything I own¡­ they probably would be able to hold their own for a while¡­ -Hm¡­ -I am sorry to interrupt this very selfless discussion - I spoke up, unmoved - but that¡¯s not the only thing we need to consider¡­ -There is more? -If you were listening, you¡¯d know already. I said that we released a lot of mana. Where do you think we¡¯d get that amount here? I don¡¯t think you have about ten barriers worth of mana stashed somewhere, do you?! -HOW MUCH? -Exactly. And I am lowballing here. I honestly can¡¯t tell you how much we would need. See, this is not the ¡°normal¡± form of this crystal - I said, scratching my arm. - I assume it had to somehow mutate to turn into this¡­ thing. -That is a problem - muttered Jack¡­ -No shit¡­ -But wait a second - stopped me Vendi. - Remember when you told us about the entity that connected with you¡­ or you absorbed it¡­ however you want to call it¡­ -What of it? -I mean wouldn''t it be the same thing that we were attempting here? Wouldn''t that mean that in that moment you needed that much mana too? Where did you get it then? -I guess - I agreed. - But I told you, the environment was very, VERY infused under Kalkano. But even then, all of it I absorbed. And not only that. After I came to, I saw that I drained mana from not only the caves, but the earth around it in, I dunno, kilometer radius? Something like that. That''s a lot. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. -Couldn¡¯t you do something like this here too? -Sure¡­ - I puffed at him. - If you want me to dispel the barrier, kill the whole forest and probably even reach the fucking Kruro. -Wouldn¡¯t be much of a loss - Jack said under his breath - but yeah no, I¡¯d rather you not¡­ -Even if we¡¯d say ¡°fuck it¡± and went with it, I am pretty sure that you two would be absorbed too. Hell, me too maybe. Imagine that, the experiment succeeds, but the three of us would be consumed. It¡¯d left Kon alone, with a, most likely, new and unfamiliar body, or at least weakened one, in a literal crater, in the middle of dried out forest, on a deserted island. -Yeah, in hindsight not the best idea¡­ - said Vendi quietly. -So, if you don¡¯t have spare powerful mana sources, I don¡¯t think I can help you. -Mana source¡­ I think we have one though - said unexpectedly Kon in my head. -You do?! - I didn¡¯t even bother hiding my surprise. -Were you listening? -Yes¡­? -That means you understand how massive the source must be. And you still think you have something like that? -I think so¡­ -Okay where and what the hell is that? -I just heard of it once, briefly¡­ but¡­ -¡±I do?¡± - Jack and Vendi were meanwhile confused. -Yeah, Kon does, apparently. As in mana source. -My father also knows about it, I think¡­ -And apparently you know where it is - I turned to Jack. - Is that right? -I mean sure, I know of a couple of them¡­ but none that would be powerful enough for us to do this. Besides a certain one¡­ but that¡¯s not something I¡¯d be thrilled about. -I think we are past that. If you know something, spill it¡­ -Yeah¡­ and I have a very distinct feeling that when you learn about it you won¡¯t be so keen on using it¡­ -Like I would be keen on using any source for that matter¡­ But why though? -Yeah¡­ I assume that the source Kon mentioned was the red one? -Red one? -Ask him please. -Em¡­ he asks if it''s the ¡°red one¡± that you are talking about, whatever that is supposed to mean¡­ -Yeah¡­ I am sure you are familiar with it as well. -Excuse me? -And? -Ah - I realized that the last question I spoke out loud. - Yeah, that¡¯s it. And he¡¯s also saying that I also know of it? -If your stories are true, then yes. -Okay, now you are really confusing me. Where the hell is that? -It¡¯s under the Red Edge. -Red Edge? - I didn¡¯t bother to hide my surprise. - Hell, you were right. I am not a fan of using that one. But fuck that! First, how the hell do you know about that one? -I mean, it¡¯s not a secret. The whole thing has been built out of one large crystal, how much mana do you think is needed to plop up something like that? Even if they had the materials, to form something like that you need power. A lot of it. -Hm. Yea, sure, you¡¯re right, but how do you know the thing is not exhausted? I mean, the place had to be built a long time ago, you think they still have it? -I am sure. I don¡¯t know how much you got told about that place, but I am sure that you realized that you can¡¯t really use magic there. -There was something like that, yea¡­ - I replied half-heartedly, remembering how For was surprised when I broke out of the cell. -And you think that kind of spell is just there without any source to be fueled from? Nah, not possible. -Maybe¡­ how do you even know about it though? I thought they kept to themselves¡­ -Because they do. I only heard that from our mutual ¡°friend¡±, Goldie. He¡¯s far from being a reliable source of intel, but in this case I sort of believe what he said. -Out of all the people, Goldie? - I couldn¡¯t help but be crestfallen a little bit. - How much did you get paid to believe him and spread the misinformation? -I can¡¯t blame you for that answer - he said, not even flinching. - But the only thing that Goldie has correct information on is his family. -Family? - I was confused. - What does that have to do with anything? -Have you heard about his whole shtick of ¡°saving people¡±, being a knight and all that? -Yeah - I nodded - he apparently wasted his and his brother¡¯s money on that. -Precisely. He never stopped. Even in debt, he continued his ¡°business¡±. Thanks to that, he contacted Bert and started working for him, yet it was not enough. Bert is not exactly a wealthy person¡­ or at least was not until recently. So, to keep up with the spendings, his brother joined up with Red Mages. -I heard that he was helping him, but never knew that his brother joined For¡­ Hm. But I never heard of him being back there. I assume he wasn¡¯t ranked very high then¡­ -Quite the opposite. He¡¯s the right hand man of the leader. Of course they keep to themselves so it¡¯s not a very known fact though¡­. -Waitwaitwait - I stopped him. - I thought Jacob was the one that was the highest ranked, besides For that is? -Ah, so you met him. Yeah, that¡¯s him. Jacob Moi, the Black Knight. That took me for a loop. Jacob. That guy was the brother to that lousy excuse of a knight? Talk about the contrast. -Okay¡­ - I said after I managed to digest that info. - Sure¡­ but still we have an issue. I am pretty sure they are on the side of Axelrod. And even if they are not, I don¡¯t believe we have a way to even get there. -I mean, we have a boat. Rather you do. -Ha. I don¡¯t any more. -The fuck happened? -I don''t think you noticed, but I am not exactly a sailor. -You got shipwrecked here?! - he was in disbelief. - What the fuck¡­ -Yeah, and even if I didn¡¯t, the boat wouldn¡¯t have helped us even a tiny bit. -And why is that? -The place is so high above the water that without some kind of help from inside we¡¯d never be able to get inside. -And who said we need to get inside? Getting closer would be enough. -Pff, right. You are overestimating me a bit if you think I am able to get the mana from that far away¡­ -You wouldn¡¯t have to. After all, the source is the castle itself. I blinked and looked at him with a blank expression. Did I hear that right? -A castle. The source. Care to elaborate? - I finally asked. -I mean it¡¯s just supposed to be a myth, but apparently the whole thing was built from one piece of stone, or rather crystal, raised from the bottom of the sea by their founder. -Yeah, yeah - I nodded. - I read that story in their library. You think it¡¯s true? -I didn¡¯t want to believe that either, but Goldie said it was what Jacob told him¡­ -And you don¡¯t suppose he just fed him some bullshit stories to make him shut up? -I mean, it¡¯s always possible, but¡­ you were there. You tell us. Does that castle seem like it was constructed normally? -Define ¡°normally¡±. It¡¯s obvious that it was made using magic, but I doubt that even touching it from outside would be enough to connect to its power source. Nah, we¡¯d have to get inside. I even have an idea where the actual core of that thing might be¡­ - I said, remembering how For mentioned about not going to a certain place. - Even then, everything comes to the one singular problem: we have no way to get there. -I am sorry to say that you are absolutely right - said meekly Jack. -Can¡¯t we just use your portals? You can use portal magic, right? -Yeah, but we would need something to act as an anchor¡­ -And there is still the problem of ¡°would they even help¡± - reminded Vendi. -I have some ideas about that, but they are pretty dicey¡­ - I muttered, remembering For and our pact. Would it still work even after I changed my body? -I used to provide some stuff for their leader¡­ - started pondering Jack. - I wonder, maybe she remembered me¡­ Because I doubt that Jacob remembers me¡­ -You actually know him? - I asked, interested. -Yeah¡­ I told you already. -Talking once or twice doesn¡¯t really count as ¡°knowing¡± someone¡­ -I suppose¡­ Anyway, it doesn¡¯t really matter since we have no¡­ He stopped mid sentence. -Wait a second. Weren¡¯t you working for them before? -Well¡­ sort of? Not really¡­ - I said, off put by his sudden interest in the topic. - Why are you so curious all of the sudden? -Because. What does ¡°sort of¡± mean? -It means whatever you want it means. Why does it even matter? -It matters a lot! As far as I know, every single person working for them is always supplied with some kind of emblem or a mark that is a proof of their allegiance. -¡±Allegiance¡±, pff. -Call it whatever you want, do you have something like that¡­ -I do, but¡­ -What? It might be good enough for me to use as an anchor! -Hold your horses! - I raised my hand, stopping his excitement. - I do have their emblem, but¡­ - I pulled out the necklace that I was supposed to be their symbol. -That¡¯s it! - he exclaimed immediately. - Why didn¡¯t you tell us sooner! It¡¯s more than enough! -Maybe because I don¡¯t want it destroyed? - I said, annoyed. -And who said I was going to do that? - he replied, confused. -You want to use it as an anchor¡­ -So? -Okay, correct me if I am wrong, but I am pretty sure that every time you use something as an anchor to open the portal, the item is destroyed. -You are right, of course, yes, but only with destructible and non-magical objects. Just one look at this thing and I can tell that this shit is magical. -I mean, of course, it¡¯s a fire gem, I used it to cast some spells before¡­ - I agreed with him. -See? So it should be fine! -Okay then, but there is a slight problem with it. -Don¡¯t worry, even if it¡¯s not some hinger ranked emblem, it will definitely work. -Oh, no, not what I was worried about. I think it might even be pretty high up from what I heard, I am just concerned that¡­ -So there is nothing to worry about! -Let me fucking finish! He went silent, surprised with my sudden outburst. -So. As I was saying, I did not get it from the Red Edge. -I don¡¯t get it¡­ you said it¡¯s their emblem¡­ -Because it is. I just learned that after the fact¡­ -So where is it from? -That¡¯s the thing. I have no clue. -What the fuck? I don¡¯t think that some yet another Vendi sold you this, it looks too genuine - he said, now squinting at the piece of jewelry. -Hey! - Vendi was suddenly offended. - I am one and only one, thank you very much. -Sure you are. But who¡¯s it from then? -That¡¯s the thing. I got it from Melle. 84. Anchor That surprised them both. -Melle. The same person that made so much noise and was in the center of all bullshit¡­? -The very same. But that¡¯s not the end of the story. This thing apparently belonged to her husband. -Oh. -Yeah. So I am not sure where in the hell would we land if we used this thing as an anchor¡­ -Well shit¡­ -But you know, it¡¯s not that hopeless. - I said, after a moment of thought, contemplating how much I should say. - Actually, it might even be better¡­ -And how so? -Even if we won¡¯t get to the Red Edge, this thing will most likely connect us to the place where I got it, her home. And, lucky us, nearby there is a nice and potent mana source. I don¡¯t know how strong the one in the Red Edge is, but I am pretty sure that the one near her place is good enough for our needs¡­ -You sure about that? -As sure as I can be. He fell silent for a moment. -Now I am concerned - he finally said. - If you really say that it¡¯s not the Red Edge you got it from, then I cannot be sure where we would land¡­ -Wouldn''t it be the place that the thing spent the most time recently? I am pretty sure if that¡¯s the case, we would be right on target¡­ -That is usually how it works¡­ It either is connected to the place it was for the longest time in, or, in some cases, where it was created. That¡¯s why I am worried. -So Red Edge or.. Melle¡¯s place? Win-win then. -I guess¡­ - he said, but he did not sound convinced. - Argh¡­ this is annoying. -Hey, it¡¯s your call - I said, shrugging. - I don¡¯t mind carrying Kon with me for a while, but I am not responsible for what happens to him. I already am not sure what¡¯s going on with him, but¡­ -I know, I know! - he replied, annoyed and started pacing around. - Give me a minute to think. Again, I shrugged, but shut up. While he was pondering the options, I instead focused my attention on the person in question - Kon. I told him what he said, explaining what we are planning to do and said how his father was trying to think something out. He seemed to share my uncertainty about his current situation and agreed that if we were to do something, it would be for the best if we hurried up. While he no longer was feeling the pull he explained earlier, it didn¡¯t mean that it was gone for good. Even though it was not a very reliable solution, we agreed on using the necklace as the anchor. -Do you need anything else to make the portal? - I asked Jack, following him to his office. -I need to grab my stuff. Besides that, nothing. -Hm. Is it really that easy? -What, you never used that kind of magic? -Well, no. Is it that strange? -No, it¡¯s just¡­ with your¡­ body, I thought¡­ -What does my body have to do with anything? -Nothing - he shrugged. - It¡¯s just I assumed that with that much mana it would be easy for you¡­ -It probably would be - I replied unenthusiastically. - I just never had the need to learn it. And after it seemed like it would be useful, it was already too late¡­ -Need? I really would¡¯ve thought that in such a powerful country that you seem to be from, that kind of magic would be the first thing you learn¡­ -Quite the opposite. It was barely in use. Or rather I should say it was barely casted. -Huh? -You are right. When ¡°our country¡±, as you said, started dealing with magic, portals were the first thing that were studied. Transport is everything, after all. That¡¯s why it soon got popularized so much that learning it was pointless - I explained. - It didn¡¯t take even a month for there to be a network of permanent portals linking the whole city together. The people who learned how to make them later found that to be pointless: after all, every place you¡¯d ever want to go had already an established portal. No one else needed more mages specializing in portals, hence I never saw it fit to learn how to do it. -That sounds amazing¡­ I mean the whole idea of free transport¡­ it had to be so nice to just be free to move wherever you please - he said in awe. -Oh, it was, don¡¯t get me wrong, but who said it was for free? Ha, no. Most of the public portals you had to pay for. They were cheap enough though, so no one would think of trying to overthrow the order of things. -I see¡­ -But I do have some basic knowledge. I might not be able to completely make one from scratch, but if you were to provide me with the incantation, I most likely would be able to make one - I tried nudging him a bit, but he did not budge. -Mhm. Well, I can do it so we are fine on that front. I just am going to get my shit and we¡¯ll be on our way. Minutes later he was out of his office with a small sack tied to his belt. -That¡¯s it? - I gazed at his bag. - Seems a bit small for a journey that has a chance of ending up in hell-knows-where. Or is this one of those fancy bags? -Fancy? You mean void bags? Haven¡¯t you heard of them? -No, just wasn¡¯t sure if the name wasn¡¯t different. Of course I know of them, I once even tried making one. -Excuse me? - he looked at me like I was insane. - Make? You can make those? -Yeah. Didn¡¯t come out as well as I wanted it to be, but I used it for a good while. It only got destroyed after all the bullshit that went down under Kalkano. -Holy shit¡­ -Yeah. It took more than I expected. Also, why are you surprised about making them? What, where did you get yours from? -The one I am using is, funnily enough, a gift. From Goldie, of all people. -Fucking hell. Don¡¯t tell me that its¡¯ also from that ¡°dragon¡¯s hoard¡±? -Seems like it - he also did not sound convinced. - I always wondered where the hell did he get all that stuff. -Speaking of. What exactly did he find in that supposed hoard? I already heard about a bunch of items that came from there. Are there any more strange things? -Well, I honestly can¡¯t tell you. -What, another ¡°trade secret¡±? - I asked, disappointed. -Hell no. It¡¯s just that I have no idea. -You? No idea? - I straight up was not going to believe that. - The all-knowing Jack has no idea? Don¡¯t make me laugh! The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. -Then fucking laugh then, because it¡¯s truth - he replied, very bitter. Huh. -I tried, believe me - he predicted my next question. - But I learned almost nothing. I only managed to find out that every time he brought those ¡°gifts¡± of his to some town, his brother was also present and helped him deliver that crap. -I mean¡­ that¡¯s given, since he is the one that supports him and supplies him even now¡­ - I pointed out. -That¡¯s why I said I learned almost nothing. That¡¯s basically common knowledge, I know. The only thing I know is that every time he brought those, he was traveling from the coast, so it had to be somewhere from the sea. -Wait, from the sea? That doesn¡¯t make any sense¡­ -Right? Why the hell would there be a dragons¡¯ hoard on some island off the coast? I¡¯d think that it¡¯d be somewhere in the mountains or something¡­ -No, I don¡¯t mean it like that. I am pretty sure that I know of one person that was present during one of his ¡°charity events¡±... -Ha! What a name! -...and he said that they did not come from the coast, rather the opposite, from the capital. -The capital? - Jack seemed slightly intrigued. - And how reliable is that info? -I can¡¯t tell for sure, but it was not only me that he told that. But I can see why you could be skeptical about that. Especially if you knew the person. -Yeah, who¡¯s that? -Some kid from Kruro. Goldie apparently visited the place a couple of times, bringing ¡°gifts¡±, or rather the donations we heard of. Every time though he was adamant that he was coming from the capital. -I mean hiding that you¡¯ve just come from the sea would be pretty hard in that small of a village, especially there. -And what¡¯s so special about that place? -Nothing. It¡¯s just small and people from there know each other by the name. Right, Vendi? We were already in the corridor leading outside the mansion and were about to join up with him. -Don¡¯t bunch me up with them. I am not from there any more. -Ah right, you were from there, right I heard that story¡­ -You did? - both of them were surprised. -Yeah. Don¡¯t know how much truth is in it though¡­ -Probably little - he puffed, trying to change the subject. -Doesn¡¯t matter. But at least you have all the appendages intact, so that part is true. -What are you¡­ - he was clearly shaken. -Okay, can we not focus on his bullshit and instead go and finally start moving? - interrupted Jack. -You¡¯re the one that is making the portal. I¡¯m just making some small talk¡­ - I replied innocently. -A bit aggressive small talk. -Details. -So - Jack turned back to Vendi. - During my absence you are not to let any of the kids outside and if you could. And try to patch the hole in the bunker¡­ -I know, I am not an idiot - he puffed at him, annoyed. -The barrier is fixed, but fuck if I know if it¡¯s going to work as well as it should¡­ the thing is a bit finicky¡­ And if it finally gives away, I won¡¯t be able to fix it. I will be here, hopefully¡­ -If we make it back before then, I can try and whip something up to make it work - I proposed to them. - That is, if you believe me. -You can do that?! - Vendi looked at me with amazement. -I can try. I would need the whole formula for that¡­ -That can be a problem¡­ the only person who knew the whole thing was Kon¡­ - said Jack without even hesitating. Good. That meant that he was starting to trust me. I mean, I was holding his son¡¯s whole existence in my hand, so that might¡¯ve been a small contributing factor. -Wait, I thought you were the one who wrote the incantation on the stone - I asked him, pretending to not know how that exactly went. -Yeah - he admitted. - But it was Kon who was reading the formula from some old notes. I tried reading them multiple times, but no dice, I can¡¯t read that shit. -Why¡­? -I¡­ I just can¡¯t, okay? - he answered, not clearing anything up. That only made me curious. -Hell, when we are done with him you need to show me that thing. I am curious what those notes exactly are¡­ The last sentence I directed to Kon. While he was not able to hear Jack, he figured out what we were talking about. -¡°No need. The notes are literal gibberish. Or at least the ones I had with me then. I always cast my spells from memory.¡± -Holy shit. And you still are going to tell me that you don¡¯t know how magic script actually works? -Huh? -Nothing. Well, that¡¯s definitely impressive. We will talk about it later. I ended that quick exchange, because Jack was already starting to prepare to create the portal. -Your necklace¡­ -Ah. Right. Here. I handed him the piece of jewelry and curiously started observing what he was to do. But, he did not start with the portal. Instead I noticed him focus on the item, trying to magically inspect it. -I thought that you needed a bunch of mana for that - I pointed out. - You sure you want to waste it. As I was saying that, his presence instantly got a lot weaker. -It¡¯s not a waste - he was now breathing heavily. - I had to confirm that it was indeed what you said. Besides - he continued, reaching to Vendi, who handed him a mana fruit - I still have those, so I¡¯ll be fine. -So, what did you find out? -Actually, not much - he replied, biting into the fruit. - It is magical, that¡¯s for sure. -I mean, that¡¯s pretty obvious¡­ -And yeah, I feel traces of red mana on this thing. So that checks out. -But of course you still have no idea where exactly that thing is going to put us¡­ - I pointed out the obvious. - So that was just a waste of energy. -No. But I am now sure that it is strong enough to survive the creation of the portal, so no worries there, you¡¯re going to keep your symbol. -Oh wow, great news - I replied definitely not full of sarcasm. - Anything that is useful now? -No. I am not omnipotent. -So it would seem. -Are we ready then? - he asked, tightly gripping the necklace in his hand? -I mean, I always am - I shrugged. - But before we go, don¡¯t you think we should at least have a plan for when we arrive? -What plan? It¡¯s not like we can even predict where we land, so¡­ -Yeah, sure - I agreed - but if we are lucky and indeed arrive at Red Edge, I honestly doubt that we¡¯ll be welcome there. Even without Axelrod¡¯s influence I doubt that two of us appearing out of nowhere, in the middle of¡­ -Oh, if that¡¯s the Red Edge we end up in, there is no issue - he said, sure of himself. - I know the layout¡­ -Okay, that is not it - I interrupted. - The problem is that we appear in the middle of their castle, uninvited. Sure, if we were to just politely knock, it would not be a problem. Hell, I would probably be able to discuss most of that with For¡­ -Wait a second - he stopped me. -You thought that we would appear at the library? -Where else? That¡¯s where they keep their anchors, right? -Sure, but we are not teleporting to the anchors there. I think... -So it¡¯s much worse. Where then? -If I knew, I would¡¯ve said it already. It will be a place that has the most connection to the piece we are using as an anchor, as in, the necklace. -Great. More randomness¡­ -Not randomness. Luck - he corrected me. -Same thing? Okay, fuck it, we¡¯ll play it by ear and hope that they won¡¯t blow us up instantly. -Strange for you to be worried¡­ - he pointed out. -Strange for you to NOT be worried. I have better chances than you at being alive after the immediate barrage of fireballs that will definitely come. -That¡¯s why you go first. -Fucking smartass. Fine. With that, he started casting the spell, targeting the wall next to us. The portal opened without any issue. The only question was, to where? -After you¡­ - Jack bowed slightly and gestured for me to go in. -Riight¡­ Instinctively, I wanted to first just peer into it, to maybe get a glimpse of what was on the other side, but of course it did not work like that. Inside of the portal was not something I could recognize - it was just impossible coagulation of colors and shapes that defied any attempt to describe it. -I will try to hold the spell as long as I can. If you won¡¯t come back in a minute or so I will follow. -Uh-uh¡­ Well, here goes nothing. And I stepped through the portal. What followed was the familiar and strange sensation of gravity shifting. It was not a good sign - it meant that wherever the exit was, it was not on a vertical surface. But before I was able to fully process that information I was on the other side. I had to catch myself, because after the shift I found myself climbing out of the floor. If I was to hesitate, I¡¯d have fallen back into the hole and ended up back next to Jack. Without thinking much, I grabbed the first thing that I could get my hands on, and it was apparently just¡­ some grass? A bush? Yeah, something like that. I quickly got myself out and regained my balance, while at the same time trying to get my bearings. But, I have not found myself in either the Red Edge nor in Melle¡¯s home. 85. Blinding I couldn¡¯t understand what I was looking at, because everything was so bright I could barely see. From every single direction I was bombarded with mana signatures so strong that the corridor leading to the cave under Kalkano paled in comparison. I tried focusing, closing my eyes even, but it did not help at all. I was constantly seeing the bright light. It sort of felt like I had a spotlight constantly pointing at my face. Blinded, I fell down on the floor, or rather ground covered in grass. I started feeling around, trying to get my bearings a bit better, but it was no use. I only could feel more grass and some moss. I tried using my ears. Even then, I was only able to hear a soft humm of the portal along with a silent sound of the wind¡­ and maybe some leaves¡­. and a lot further away, some water flowing? It was not the sound of the roaring sea below me, which meant that we were definitely not near the Red Edge. Somewhere next to Melle¡¯s place then? But where did the massive amounts of mana come from? Before I was able to fully process everything, the humm of the portal intensified and I heard Jack plop out next to me. -What the fuck is this place? - he asked as soon as the sound of the portal vanished. -I have no clue¡­ and I know that will sound weird - I said - but can you describe where we landed? -Huh? -I am a bit blinded at the moment¡­ -What the hell happened? - he sounded worried. -Nothing that is concerning. For you it¡¯s rather good. -What? -I told you I can see mana, right? This place is so infused that I can¡¯t see shit. -Oh! How strong is it? -I don¡¯t really have a scale to compare it to¡­ - I replied, still trying to somehow cover my eyes, with less than useful results - but this is definitely the strongest I¡¯ve ever felt¡­ -I don¡¯t know what to tell you¡­ - he started. - It¡¯s some kind of ruins¡­ Seems a bit old, overgrown with moss and other crap¡­ Surrounded by some thick forest¡­ -Where are we?! - suddenly chimed in Kon - I feel this too! Those ruins¡­ It¡¯s so¡­ so much¡­ -Emmm, are you sure you are alright? - interrupted his own explanation Jack - You are glowing¡­ I expected that it was going to happen, but not that soon. Then again, with this much mana¡­ -Hell, I wish we brought his body along with us¡­ I bet I would be able to do anything right now¡­ -Yeah, about that¡­ see, you are not the only one glowing¡­ -What do you¡­ Ah. That¡¯s what Kon meant by ¡°so much¡±. -Are you alright? - I asked, realizing what was going on. - I did not expect that we¡¯d find ourselves in such an environment so soon. -Alright? - he sounded a lot more energetic than usual - Alright? I feel great! Like never! Give me more! -Give¡­? Shit. So that is why I was not feeling overwhelmed. Somehow, accidentally, I already was releasing mana and transferring it to him. By sheer accident, during my landing, I had to somehow tear the bandages a bit, touching him with my bare crystal hand. I mean, I was surprised that it took that long. The makeshift wraps were already through a bunch of accidents and for them to hold for that much was already a miracle. But, since I was already pouring my mana into him¡­ -How much do you think you can handle? -A lot more! Give it to me! He was now sounding more demanding. Not good. -Jack, lead us away from here. -From where? Outside the ruins? Which way? -Doesn¡¯t matter! Just be quick! I don¡¯t know how long we have. And be careful with touching me! I might not have full control on my mana right now. -Or what? What¡¯s going on? He was still asking questions, but I felt him grab me by my clothes and carefully try to direct me somewhere. -Just get us out. He started leading me somewhere, judging from the sounds it was more towards the trees. I could hear more and more leaves rustling in the wind. We were not walking in the straight line, though¡­ it seemed like he was leading us between something¡­ -If the path is blocked let¡¯s just go somewhere else, doesn''t matter where¡­ -I am trying! This is the straightest way out. -Out? -Now be careful, we have stairs. Stairs? -Aren¡¯t we in the middle of the forest? -Yep. But those ruins are pretty sizable. Where the hell were we? But I was not able to think about that, because of Kon. He was not talking to me any more. That was not what was alarming, although it probably should, since the last thing he said was completely not in character, he almost sounded feral. No, what worried me was that his presence was changing and growing. I already stopped pouring my mana into the crystal. I did that as soon as he started asking to give him even more, but I was not able to prevent the crystal¡¯s natural ability to absorb mana. And it was not slacking around. It was so bad that I could see it, which was quite a feat to accomplish in this blinding surroundings. It was the one singular spot that was at once brighter and darker than the environment. Darker, because the mana that was near it was a lot thinner, while the center, the gem itself was brighter even than our surroundings. -Kon, I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s you that is doing this, but I¡¯d rather you stopped¡­ - I said, gripping the crystal tighter in my grasp. -Why? I feel amazing! Stronger! What¡¯s going on? His answer, while slightly concerning, was not what caught my attention. I noticed that the glow of the crystal, or rather its presence was indeed getting bigger. At first I just assumed that it was the visual representation of its power that was growing, but after grippin the crystal, I realized that it was not just it. The crystal was actually getting bigger. It was not that much of a difference, but it was noticeable nonetheless. -I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s good or bad, but you are growing¡­ The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. He did not reply, so instead I turned my attention to Jack. -Are we out of the ruin yet? -Yes, we left the building - he replied.- But there is still a lot of rubble nearby. And a river. -River? Lead us away from it! If there was any body of water nearby, it was definitely infused, which would only be annoying right now. -Away? But¡­ -Just do it. And be careful, everything is so infused that soon you will be drunk for sure. Can you vent out some mana safely? -I mean¡­probably¡­ But I am fine for now. I was a bit low on mana, so I guess I can still handle it¡­ Right. He was the one that teleported us here, so he should be mostly fine. I wasn¡¯t feeling the effects of the mana overdose yet, and even if I would, there was nothing I could do at the moment, besides just moving as far as it was possible from here. We walked for a good minute before I finally was able to somewhat see better. I could only see the shapes and the flames of mana all around me, but it was better than being completely blinded by the whiteness of the aura I''ve seen earlier. -We are out of the immediate zone of risk, you can slow down now - I said to Jack who all that time was breathing heavily from his attempts at running, or maybe rather from mana overdose. -Ooooffff¡­ I am starting to feel it¡­ -So release some! We are fine. I think. Kon stabilized too. I could not hear him speak a word, but I assume he did what I asked him for, because the next time he pulled me forward he was a lot more forceful. -I am good now¡­ - he said with his voice back to normal. - But what about you too? You are glowing so much it¡¯s hard to look at you. And Kon¡­ -Right, can you see something? Did he change? -You mean the crystal? I felt him slow down and peer at the crystals that I still had in my hand. Or rather one singular crystal, since they merged together.. -Now when you mention it¡­ it feels different¡­ It¡¯s bigger for one, but I also can feel that it¡¯s changed somehow¡­ is it stronger than before? Ah, so that¡¯s what he ¡°wasted¡± his mana on. The ¡°identification¡± so to speak, the mana sense. I still felt that it was weird that he had to waste so much mana to use that simple of a skill, but in this situation that was working in his favor. A couple minutes more and I was able to see again. Everything was still brighter than it should, but it was good enough to work with. I did turn around to check and see if the overwhelming power was still there, and sure enough, I could feel and see the white void that was stretching behind us. From that far away though, I was able to recognize some patterns though. Snaking streams of mana, looking like bolts of lightning, were originating from one singular point, seemingly where we arrived at first. I gazed on the rock that I was clutching in my hand - I finally was able to see it without the interference that the overwhelming mana was creating - and I couldn¡¯t believe my eyes. First of all, the rock was even larger than I imagined. -Kon, you good?! -Yeah¡­ I think so. He was back to his usual self. Even though I was not able to see his face, my magic vision was giving me glimpses of what he was thinking, and right now he was both confused and somewhat disturbed. -I don¡¯t know what got into me¡­ As soon as we landed, I felt that delicious mana¡­ I couldn''t help myself¡­ -As long as you are not having any symptoms, we are fine - I calmly stated. -Symptoms of what exactly? -Hell if I know. You did grow a bit though¡­ -Huh¡­? -Never mind. Next time try to contain yourself, would you? -I am not making any promises. -Hm. Breaking my focus on the rock, I instead gazed around me. We were far enough that my vision was now completely back to normal. -I think we are far enough - I stopped Jack who was still trying to drag me even further away. -Oh? Are you fine now? -Yeah. It was bad for a while there, but I can see now, no problem. Speaking of, where the fuck are we? -That is a great question - he said, leaning on a tree nearby. - I honestly expected that the thing would¡¯ve gotten us to the Edge, but that¡¯s definitely not it. -Yeah, no shit. But at least we don¡¯t have to worry about being captured for trespassing. -Hm. Maybe. Well, whatever. Do you have any idea what those ruins were? - he asked. - They seemed a bit strange¡­ -When I said I couldn¡¯t see, I meant it. I was literally blinded. Wait, why were they strange? -It¡¯s not the first ruined building I¡¯ve seen in my life. Those were not like any other. First of all, I am pretty sure that we are outside of Axelrod¡¯s jurisdiction. Or at least in some place that he has no idea about. -How so? -See, all buildings in his kingdom are made out of wood. The ones that we landed at were definitely not. -Wait a second. Weren¡¯t some of your buildings also made out of stone? - I pointed out, remembering the inn. -True. But first of all, I said ¡°places that he has no idea about¡±. Besides, the buildings on that island were still mostly wooden. Only some had its base made out of stone. -So you think it¡¯s the same here? -No. But you might be onto something - he added after a second of pondering. - At my place, we actually never built the stone houses ourselves, we just took them over. -Took them over? You fought for that island or something? -Pff, nah - he chuckled. - It¡¯s just that the stone buildings were there already in the first place. We only used our magic to give them a little overhaul, so to speak. -Right, green magic - I remembered the tree that was now a permanent piece of decoration in his inn. -Exactly. At first, I was only doing that myself, so it was taking me a while. Thanks to that I am intimately familiar with how those things were made, and those - he pointed behind us - were definitely not like them. -So what¡¯s different? - I asked, curious. - I can¡¯t exactly go and take a look myself¡­ -First of all, there definitely was not enough wood in the ruins. Sure, there were some, but it looked more like furniture or some crap, not like actual walls. Also, I am pretty sure that I also saw some metal in the rubble. -That¡¯s not that weird¡­ -Sure, but that meant that the place had to be pretty wealthy if they had access to that much metal. -Metal is that precious, huh? - I asked, pondering what I just heard. -Right, I keep forgetting you are not from here¡­ Yes, metal is not cheap, and as far as I am aware there are no actual forges or any other similar establishments in the capital or even close nearby. So you have to order from afar, mostly from the north. Or, what is more likely in this case, from the Red Edge. -Red Edge? What, they work in metallurgy? -Yeah. I don¡¯t know how long you spent with them, but that¡¯s the main import of theirs. They are fire mages after all, can you imagine a better person to work with heated metal than a mage capable of manipulating fire? -That seems handy, sure¡­ So this place has to do something with them then? -Maybe¡­ - he muttered. -You do not sound convinced. -Yeah. There is another thing bothering me. See, the ruins¡­ it¡¯s not the only thing that was strange about them. -Great, there is more. Spit it out. -That¡¯s the thing¡­ I can¡¯t really describe it¡­ I¡­ Hm. He went silent for a second, clearly having trouble explaining whatever he saw. -It looked a lot more¡­ smooth¡­ sleek¡­ fuck, how do I explain this? -Now you are confusing me - I admitted. - What¡¯s weird about smooth buildings? -I mean, when you build with stone, you need to use bricks, right? -Suure¡­? -But those ruins¡­ I never saw them. It just felt like the thing was built from one solid slab. Or maybe they were just so big that I couldn¡¯t recognize them¡­ He was now doubting his own words and talking to himself. I admit, that sounded a bit strange, but nothing that would immediately scream ¡°danger¡± to me, so I decided to change the subject. -How do we proceed with Kon then? - I asked, stopping his mumbling. -With Kon? -Yeah, we came to try and return him to his body, remember? -I mean¡­ sure, but¡­ wait - he finally realized. - We came to return him to his body, but we did not take the body¡­? -Holy shit, it took you this long to ask? - I said, amused with his discovery. - Yes, yes we did. And before you accuse me of plotting something, can I at least try to explain this to you? -I never said that I was going to accuse you of anything - he replied, but both his face and his magical presence was telling me something else. -Uh-uh¡­ Well, first of all, I also did not expect for us to get plopped in the middle of some random forest, this country seems to be full of those¡­ I thought we would have arrived somewhere in Red Edge, just as you did, and we would have to try and talk ourselves out of trouble, or, in the worst case, fight our way out - I admitted. - In both of those situations, having a corpse on hand would be quite a hindrance, don¡¯t you think? -No shit¡­ But still, if we don¡¯t have him then what are we even doing then? -As I said, let me explain. If our scouting mission went well, I just wanted you to make another portal and bring the body wherever we would need it. I assumed that would not be a problem for you, right? -Of course¡­ I mean it is draining, but¡­ -But if everything would be going well, we¡¯d have a nice and stable source of mana right? -True¡­ I have some mana fruit on me in case of an emergency, but¡­ Something wrong? - he asked, noticing my consternation. -Not exactly¡­ - I said, not sure what to think. - I mean¡­ Don¡¯t you think that having this thing right in front of our noses right after we appear does sound a bit¡­ too good? -Hmm¡­ -I¡¯ve been wondering about that¡­ this place seems too convenient. -And what if it is? - he asked, not really convinced. - You don¡¯t want to use it even if it¡¯s right in front of us? Are you insane? -Nah, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to use it. I just want to check where the fuck we are first. Let¡¯s scout a little bit before we leave. -Fair enough. 86. Master And so, we entered deeper into the forest. -By the way, the method you used to feel me out¡­ -Wha¡­? -Back at your office. The thing you said that drains you. -Ah. What of it? -What exactly can you sense with it? He hesitated for a second. -It¡¯s old magic. -Old? Like it¡¯s from that book? Journal or whatever? -No - he shook his head. - The ritual that Kon performed and this, it¡¯s magic that is almost forgotten here. We only know it¡­ I got taught. -By who? Do I need to pull your tongue so hard? - I asked, seeing as he was still hesitant. He did not reply for a good moment. -Listen. There are things that you can¡¯t believe could happen, even if you were the direct witness. That¡¯s one of them. -Okay¡­? -A long time ago, after I got established on that island¡­ I mean the place where the inn and all that is¡­ someone else found it as well. -Not that surprising. It¡¯s not that far from the main continent¡­ -Right¡­ Yeah. I also did not think much of it. Especially because it was not that long after I joined up with Vendi. I just thought that after one of our trips back we somehow just got tailed. Back then I had not been using portals yet, see¡­ -Yeah, sure. So what? -When I realized that we got found out, I immediately made everyone hide inside the barrier. No questions asked, every kid and employee was inside. -Wait, employee? You let them in? Gave them access? -Yeah. Now I know it was a mistake, but back then I didn¡¯t think much. -And you blame me for¡­ you know, nevermind, continue. -For compromising the barrier? Yeah, that¡¯s the thing. I did compromise the place, that is a fact. -Why did you even do that? Wasn¡¯t that just one guy? Didn¡¯t you host, or have, some gatherings on this island? Who cares if one person appears, be it invited or not? After all, when I appeared you did not panic like that. Wasn¡¯t that the exact same? -Actually¡­ It was pretty similar now when I think about it. Anyway, we hid. Yet the interloper found us instantly. Just like you, he quickly found the barrier and one of the stones. -Oh? -Yeah. He did not dispel it though, just sat down at the edge of it and waited. I had some scouts stationed nearby, observing. Even though they were good at what they did, they got found out instantly. But, he did not attack. Instead he announced that he was here to talk with me. -You specifically? -Yep. -So you went to meet him? -What else could I do? Besides the fact that I was somewhat curious about what he wants, I was sure that we could deal with him. I ordered for the kids to hide in the house¡­ -You mean mansion - I laughed. -Nah, see back then it was really just a house. Barely even. That¡¯s why I was not taking chances. Vendi stayed with them while I gathered everyone else with me and approached the guy. In the end it would be about eleven people versus one. -Holy¡­ you really were playing it safe. -Yeah. We left the barrier and immediately surrounded the guy. The fact that he did not even flinch, after being surrounded, should¡¯ve raised some red flags for me, in hindsight. -Or he could just be a good actor - I pointed out. -True¡­ - he admitted. - It was probably both though. He sighed. -Even though I didn¡¯t expect trouble dealing with him, I still was cautious. To this day I am not sure if that was the thing that saved me, or he just decided to spare me¡­ -...? -The guy looked around once, locked my eyes with me and then used a spell. Not even a single person was able to react, and let me tell you, those were not just some random thugs that I hired. Every single one of them was a pretty decent mage. He wiped all of them with a single spell. -Oh. -Yeah. Oh. -So wait, he missed you? You said you were cautious? -Yeah. The spell he used was lightning based. Fate wanted that I was not even remotely close to him, while I ordered my men to surround him. Every single one of them got fried to the crisp. Sort of like when you¡­ or rather that elf, decided to kill himself. -Hm. Based on your description, he really was strong¡­ The spell that elf used was crude but powerful¡­ and if your interloper used it like it was nothing, he had to have a decent mana capacity¡­ that is if he didn¡¯t faint right after - I added jokingly. -Hell no. He didn¡¯t even flinch. But guess what? After murdering them, I thought that¡¯s it, I am dead. I ran away instantly, but I didn¡¯t need to. He just turned around and¡­ walked away. -What¡­? -Yeah, I got confused too. At first I thought it was some kind of an ambush. I assumed that he, how powerful he was, still was not able to penetrate the barrier. I waited a good hour after that, but he did not return. I couldn¡¯t spot him anywhere nearby, so I went back and explained what happened to Vendi. It seemed like the coast was clear, so we decided to clean up the mess, or at least move the bodies away from the barrier. -But let me guess, he was not gone? -Yep. He surprised us mid-ritual. -Ritual? Ah, Life-from-death or whatever. -Yeah. Funnily enough, we also had some problems then¡­ -What, you turned someone into a tree too? -No! I mean¡­ I am not sure¡­ -The fuck is that supposed to mean?! -It¡¯s just¡­ the spell¡­ It all was pretty similar to what happened with Kon. That is, the spell fizzled in the last part because we got startled by that guy, but¡­ he somehow contained it. -Contained it? -Yeah, I don¡¯t really know what he did. He only said he ¡°finished for us¡±. So I assume nothing happened¡­ -Hm. Interesting person. And powerful. -Yeah, we thought the same. And thought twice about attacking him. I mean, if he was capable of something like this without even speaking a word, we were clearly outclassed. -Reasonable assumption. -When I saw him I thought we were goners. But he just calmly stated that we are ¡°not elves¡± and walked towards us like he was just about to meet some friends. -Wait, wait, wait. Elves? You hired elves? The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. -I was surprised too. The bunch that was already turned into trees were apparently elves and I had no idea¡­ -How the hell do you miss that?! - I asked in disbelief. - Correct me if I am wrong, but their features are pretty distinct. Or you¡¯re going to tell me that they could change their appearance like Kon? -Yeah, they have pretty distinct appearance, but no, they did not have power like that. Something like that is pretty rare. -I can imagine. So what, you just missed pointy ears? -Oh, no. Their method was pretty basic. They just cut off tips of their ears and healed them with magic - he explained calmly. -Excuse me, the fuck?! -I mean, I did notice that some of them had strangely deformed ears, but I never thought much of it. Scars are common, especially among mercenaries and such. Never thought much about it, since they also had some deformations and blemishes on their faces. -Let me guess, that was too a way to try and camouflage their origin? -I don¡¯t really know, but I am not saying that it was not possible. -Okay¡­ What¡¯s with the guy then? Was he hunting elves? Did he at least explain something? -As I mentioned, he approached us like we were his friends. You can imagine that was a bit off putting¡­ especially after being witness to all that shit. He said his name was Ilon. -That''s a weird name¡­ -It is? - he asked, surprised. - Never thought much of it¡­ Anyway, he invited us both for a chat. Not really sure what we should do, we followed, still not really convinced what he was going to do with us, but at least he was leading us away from the kids, so that worked in our favor. He guided us to where the old ruins were, I mean where my inn is now. You can imagine our reaction when we saw that the ruins were no longer ruins, instead it was a large, wooden building: the inn. He casually invited us in and asked for a chat. -If I was not already sure, you convinced me now: that¡¯s some unusual way of doing things. -You don¡¯t even know. It gets better. He then proceeded to explain how he followed Vendi from Kruro, curious about how he got himself fixed. -Ah. So I was right about him. -What? -I heard a story about some guy that miraculously got healed at Kruro, Melle was apparently a witness to that. And about the disappearance of said person. I didn¡¯t really put it together at first, but I suspected that you could¡¯ve been involved, since your island is a perfect place for someone to disappear to, especially from that town. -Haaa¡­ you got me - he was clearly astounded that I heard that story. - Yeah, it was the two of us. -That would¡¯ve meant that you were the one who healed him¡­ He did not reply. -So I am right. -Yh. Yes you are - he finally gave up. - I guess I can¡¯t hide anything from you¡­ I swear you remind me of that guy¡­ -Before you ask, no that was not me. So, how did you do it? The healing? I thought you had only green magic? -No. I¡­ don¡¯t really use green magic¡­ I use life magic. -OH. Amazing. -No, before you start - he noticed that I was about to give him another dose of complaints. - I never had any problems with it. I never even knew that it was the way you explained to me¡­ I always thought I was just able to commune with nature¡­ And since we are basically more complicated plants if you think about it¡­ -I am not going to even start what''s wrong with that, but whatever. So what, you were messing with people¡¯s bodies? -¡±Messing with bodies¡± - he was clearly disgusted. - I just healed people. Cleaned scars¡­ that kind of thing. -That¡¯s why you got interested in Kon - I realized. - He had similar powers to you. But never mind that - I realized that I was getting off track. - What about Ilon? -There is not much to it - he shrugged. - He just gave me a stern talking about hiring elves. He somehow knew that I, or rather we, were housing children, and offered to help. I was suspicious, so I started asking what he meant by that. He then waved his hand and, I shit you not, right in front of my eyes, built from the ground up half of the village. -Built? You mean using green magic? -I assume so. I mean, it was possible that he was also using life magic as I was, but I don¡¯t know. -Wait, so you control plants with life magic? -Yeah. That¡¯s how I usually used my magic, to keep a low profile. Green magic is popular here, so no one would ever suspect a thing. -True¡­ I am still surprised though¡­ -Anyway, at that point we were just sheer out of surprise and just were watching in amazement. He single-handedly, out of a couple of ruined bricks, made a full-ass village and told us to use it as a place to house the kids. He even offered to teach us how to do the same thing. -And you accepted? -Wouldn¡¯t you? -I definitely would be a lot more wary of a person like that. I mean, he just followed you, murdered most of your staff, and then what? You just pretended like nothing happened? He was about to reply, but as he opened his mouth, he stopped himself. -I don¡¯t really know how you do your business here, but something like that just reeks of bullshit to me - I said, not even trying to be polite. - It¡¯s either you are not telling me something, or you¡­ -I am not! It¡¯s¡­ just he felt¡­ It felt like I could trust him. -Look, I am not a fan of elves either, but it doesn''t matter who, murdering is not a way to get on my good side¡­ It was clear that my words were getting to him, but that did not mean that he was going to tell me more. -Okay, okay. Whatever your reasons are, doesn¡¯t matter right now - I said, deciding to stop pestering him. - You decided to agree to his help. Did he want anything in exchange? Or is that something you don¡¯t want to, or rather can¡¯t tell me as well? -It¡¯s not like that! - he immediately protested, but gave up halfway through the sentence. - But yea, he did want one thing. Or two, if you want to be precise. -And that was¡­? -In exchange for him teaching us, he first demanded that I would not just give up on those orphans. I never intended to, so I didn¡¯t even consider it as a fair exchange, instead asking him what he really wanted, really. He at first refused anything, but after a while he changed his mind. It only happened after he taught me how to sense mana. -So he taught only you? What about Vendi? -Not much - he shrugged. - Ilon said that Vendi was just not compatible with that spell. ¡°His talents were elsewhere¡±, if you want me to be precise. On the other hand, he told me that I had some talent for it, but even after I learned how to do it, I never was as good as him, as you well know. I have to spend massive amounts of mana just to sense something right in front of me¡­ - he sighed. - He did mention that I was able to sense more than him though, albeit just in close vicinity¡­ -Interesting¡­ We can check that later¡­. Anyway, what was the other thing he wanted? -Ah right. See, after I pestered him enough he finally gave in, although the other request was not that different from the first one. He wanted me to keep an eye out for a kid named Ilma. I asked him why he was so focused on orphans, but never got a clear answer¡­ That was the last name I expected to hear. And not only me. Besides the fact that the name instantly brought me back to the MIRE, it also did that LITERALLY. As in I just had another flashback, a very familiar one, the destruction of the Origin Crystal in the MIRE. To add to the confusion, I also, for the first time in a long while, got a feeling that did not belong to me. The other presence, the one that combined with me, was stirring. Funnily enough, even though it was clear that the new emotions did not belong to me, they were basically copying mine. Surprise, confusion and a hint of excitement. Strange. -Ilma. Are you sure? -Yeah - he replied, a bit perplexed by my sudden interest. - It was hard to forget, since it was similar to the name he gave me¡­ -And did he say what he wanted about that kid? -Just for me to take care of her if I ever manage to find her¡­ Why? Why are you suddenly so interested in a random kid? -Well, first off, I am interested in that mentor of yours, so it¡¯s a no-brainer to ask about that¡­ - I stated plainly. -But that¡¯s not all of course? I can see that on your face? -Shit, even with a stone face you can tell? -I mean¡­ your eyes are sort of a dead giveaway¡­ I have never seen them so bright¡­ Curious¡­ I never expected for that to be a factor¡­ -Well, you are absolutely right. See, it¡¯s not the first time I¡¯ve heard that name¡­ or maybe I should say I¡¯ve heard that name too many times before¡­ -Too many? What do you mean? -Ilma is the name of a daughter of my friend. -You what? - he stopped mid step and turned back to me. - You know where she is? She¡¯s not an orphan then?! -Now, that is the problem¡­ I absolutely have no idea. And about being an orphan¡­ hell, that¡¯s also up to debate. -Okay, explain. What the hell? -There is not much to explain. I am not one looking for her, I¡¯d be more interested in her parents. -But where was the last time you saw her? How long ago? With who? - he bombarded me with questions. -Calm down - I took a step back, because he was about to grab me, impatient. - It was before I arrived at this place, or country. However you want to call it. -Wait, so they are also not from here? Where are you even from? -From a land, far, far away from here - I said half in jest, half truthfully. - Doesn¡¯t matter. The only important thing is that if it¡¯s really the same girl that I am thinking of, that guy had to have some kind of connection to the people I knew. Do you have any idea how to reach him? Did he leave you any info, so, let¡¯s say after you found the kid, you¡¯d be able to contact him? -Sadly, no - he shook his head. - And even if he did, I don¡¯t think it would¡¯ve helped us¡­ -Why¡­? -See, the three of us spent about a month together on the island. He helped us with kids, overseen the building of the building that now functions as a house for all the kids. He even gave me the idea about the bunker. Even the tunnels below the inn were his work. -Ah, so he was also proficient in that¡­ -Oh, he was proficient in everything - he stated. - Whatever element you wanted, he was on top of it. He taught every single kid that I had back then the basics of magic. Sort of like Kon was doing later, although comparing them both is¡­ He did not finish, realizing that Kon might be listening in. -Yeah, yeah, he was amazing. So what, he left? -Yes. A month later he announced that he has to go back to the mainland, to catch up with his own family. Told us that he will someday come back to check on me and the progress we made. Maybe help finding ¡°Il¡±. But that was the last we saw or heard from him. -Hm. Intriguing. 87. Chance -Argh! This is annoying! - I finally blurted out after a minute of silence. - Ilon, Iloa, Ilma, Il¡­ The fuck, why does everyone have basically the same name! -Now when you mention it¡­ it¡¯s strange¡­ -Yeah, no shit. And as if to add an insult to injury, every single one of them makes my head spin, meaning that those people are important! This can¡¯t be a coincidence. -Look it this way: at least you are sure that you¡¯re going the right way! -Right way? Right way towards what? - I sighed. - I still have no fucking idea what am I doing. He had no reply for that. After about fifteen minutes of walking we finally stopped. -We¡¯ve been walking for that long and found jack shit - said Jack. - You really think there is a point? -Don¡¯t know - I replied, still annoyed and trying to piece all this together. - I wanted to find more of those ruins in a place that was not blinding me, or at least maybe some other clue, but no dice I guess¡­ -Seems so¡­ Shit, I should¡¯ve led you the other way¡­ I chose the direction that was most deserted after all, since you said that you were blinded¡­ -I guess I only have myself to blame, should''ve said something sooner¡­ Whatever, fuck. Let¡¯s get out of here. I guess we can try fixing your kid¡­ -I thought you had no idea how to do it? - he replied, half-stunned, half-happy. -Because I still don¡¯t know. But you do, don¡¯t you? -And how the hell¡­ -Oh, don¡¯t play stupid. You already told me that you know how the remnants are made. Just spit it out. That¡¯s the thing that Ilon taught you too, isn¡¯t it. -I mean, sure, but that¡¯s not what we are doing! - he protested. - I want him back in his body, not in the shape of a monster. -Oh, thank you. -I didn¡¯t mean it like that! - he realized what he just said. - I mean¡­ -I am just joking. Just get the portal ready, we will discuss the details in your office, not in some damn forest in the middle of nowhere. -Eh. Okay¡­ He started digging through his belongings and finally produced a small piece of wood, pretty similar to the one I was given to be able to pass through the barrier. After a brief look, he chose one of the larger trees next to us and started creating the magic circle in its bark using a small knife. As the last touch, he made a larger hole in the middle of it and placed the piece of wood inside. -Ready? -Yeah, sure. The portal opened, and after a brief gesture from Jack I walked through. The warp was smooth. Without any issues, I stepped out on the other side, appearing in the middle of his office, almost bumping into his desk. I was greeted by Vendi, who jumped up at my sight and covered his eyes. -Everything alright? Did the Red Edge attack you? Where is Jack?! -Right behind - he replied, appearing next to me and closing the portal. -Yea, sorry, I¡¯ll be glowing for now. -What about the Edge? Did they agree to help? -See¡­ we didn¡¯t really arrive at the Edge¡­ Jack explained where we appeared and what happened. Vendi looked panicked, even after I said that the mana at the place was more than sufficient. -What, you know more than I do? -No! - he protested! - But I find it doubtful that some random leyline, as you said, is more powerful than one available at the Red Edge. -Do you really think that we need that much? - I asked, not convinced. - Last time I checked, it was me that you were relying on to try and fix this mess. Or you want to contribute something? He was about to say something, but thought again and went quiet. That did not get past Jack, who just shook his head. -Vendi, it¡¯s alright. I told him about Ilon. He¡¯s more capable than you think. -You what?! That did not calm him even in the slightest. -What are you doing!? If he ever learns about that, we are dead meat! -You are overreacting. He never forbade us from talking about him¡­ -Are you serious?! That¡¯s the story with elves all over again! You are too trusting! And he even has spiky ears like those fuckers! -Racist much? - I couldn¡¯t help but laugh. -Oh, don¡¯t pretend that you like those sons of bitches - Vendi was not going to give up that quickly. - I trust you, but there are limits! He was pretty adamant about that, which seemed slightly strange. I never expected him to be that much of a follower of that guy¡­ -Calm down - said Jack quietly and sat heavily on his chair. He was clearly tired after teleporting us again, so he started chewing on a mana fruit. -Calm down? I am calm! It¡¯s just that you lost your marbles while trying to get your kid back! Can I remind you that there are a bunch more downstairs, as important as him? Or are you¡­ -VENDI. His voice was calm, but there was enough strength put in that singular word that it made him shut up instantly. -May I remind you of your place here? - he sighed, and started speaking more softly. - I know what you are worried about. We should not propagate his teachings, especially after what happened¡­ But think about it. We only learned about those side effects thanks to Mor. And, besides that, he knew most of it already¡­ Vendi was clearly still torn about it, but stopped protesting. -Now, if you would be so kind, please bring me more mana fruit. I am exhausted after all the teleporting. With that he left us alone. -I hope he will finally stop¡­ - he said, leaning back on his chair. - I just hope that I am not wrong¡­ -Depends. -Huh? -Nah, nothing. Anyway, you better start talking. -About? - he didn¡¯t seem to get it. -The remnants? What do I need according to your mentor? Come on, you only told me that he taught you, not what we have to do exactly¡­ -I mean, you already know, we¡­ -And besides that - I interrupted - your whole story doesn¡¯t add up. First you want me to find the solution, now it comes out that you already knew what we should do and played dumb. What gives? -First of all - he started after a moment of silence - we did not know that Kon would end up in a crystal, so I never mentioned it. Second, even after I learned that, I was not really keen on trying to use this method¡­ You saw Vendi. -Yeah, but he just does not want to share the secrets of your teacher to me. -Sure - he agreed - but that¡¯s not all. It¡¯s just¡­ Remember when I mentioned how a lot of Axelrod''s friends got killed by soul remnants? I don¡¯t really want to risk something like that happening to us¡­ -Yeah, you mentioned that¡­ - I nodded - but what does that even mean? They got killed because of what? -There are a lot of versions, I am not sure which one I should believe - he admitted. - None of them are pleasant though. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. -Yrhg. -Yeah. We were interrupted by Vendi, who brought some mana fruit. Without delay, Jack started restoring his mana. -Okay then, enough beating around the bush. Speak up, what do we need? Vendi still did not look convinced, but after an affirming nod from Jack, he started talking. -To create a remnant we need three things. First, the mana source. He never mentioned how strong it should be, but if we are to believe your story and how you came to be, the amounts needed are immense. -That¡¯s done - I nodded. - The place we just scouted is definitely more than enough. -Right - agreed Jack. -Okay - continued Vendi. - Second, we of course need a subject. -You say ¡°subject¡±, what does that mean exactly? Our ¡°subject¡± is currently in two parts, as you are well aware - I pointed out. - Which one do we need? -Both. But the one with the soul is the most important. -Meaning the crystal - said Jack. -Yep. And the third, mages to do the ritual. -¡±Mages¡±? Plural? -Yeah. To connect the soul stored within the soulstone we need a mage capable of using life magic and another one with the ability to manipulate light. -Light? What does light have to do with anything? -According to Ilon, the soul is a substance that has very similar properties to light. -Wait, why do we need the other one with life magic then? Wouldn¡¯t that mean that just you, Vendi, or anyone with light magic would be enough? -No - answered Jack. - I don¡¯t really know the details, but first of all, the process is complicated, so we need to share the tasks between the two of us. Or in this case, three I guess. The one manipulating light is responsible for guiding the soul from one place to another while the other one needs to try and assimilate it into its new vessel. -Hm¡­ sounds reasonable¡­ -With the three of us that should be even easier - muttered Vendi. - I never expected to do this with a trio, but splitting responsibilities in three parts is possible¡­ -What kinds of magic can you use? - asked Jack, also trying to figure out the logistics of this operation. -Whatever you need me to. -Wait, what? I sighed. -All of them. I can use all the elements. They both looked at me with amazement. -I mean, you mentioned that you can use multiple elements, but¡­ -All of them? - Vendi was stunned. -Yes, yes. I am sorry I am not going to give you the demonstration, can we get on with it? -Ehm. -But which one are you the best at? - asked Vendi. - There has to be one that is better, right? -Not really - I shrugged. - Although if I was to choose I¡¯d rather not use life¡­ I stopped mid sentence. At this point, who gives a crap? I already was an abomination created thanks to life magic, so what¡¯s the point in trying to avoid it? -Never mind. I can use whatever you need me for. -That¡¯s¡­ huh¡­ - muttered Vendi, lost in thought. -In any case, is that it? No magical objects needed, no strange rituals? -Not really - shrugged Jack. - We just need to bring the body and we should be good to go. -We have to formulate an incantation first - chimed in Vendi. - Since there are three of us, it¡¯ll be different than usual, so I need some time¡­ we need some time. -Fair enough. -Yep. -And what does the ritual look like? Anything I should know beforehand? -We need to connect¡­ -No, no, I know the basics - I interrupted. - I mean are there any ¡°strange¡± additions or something along those lines? -Basics? I am not sure what you mean¡­ - Vendi looked confused. -I told you I worked with spells. You think I never was a part of a ritual before? -Right¡­ but while you might have taken part in many different ones¡­ - started Vendi. -We just don¡¯t know what the ¡°standard¡± is to you. -Eh¡­ - I sighed. - Fine. So explain in detail. -We need to write the formula down on the flat surface, using infused ink, or anything similar that has enough mana conductivity. -I usually use dust or chalk - I said. -Yeah, we have some dust - said Vendi. - And there was plenty of space in the ruins where we arrived, so we are good on that. -Then it¡¯s just to chant the formula, while the subject is placed in the center of the magic circle. -Sounds awfully easy¡­ Is that it? -No - he shook his head. - As the finishing touch, we have¡­ He hesitated for a moment. -We have to pierce the vessel with the crystal containing the soul of the person we want to ¡°implant¡± inside - finished for him Jack. -That¡¯s¡­ concerning¡­ -Doubly so - agreed Jack. - See, this ritual is made with a dead vessel in mind, so the actual well-being of it is not really a priority¡­ -That might be problematic - muttered Vendi. - But¡­ it probably should be alright. Isn¡¯t he TECHNICALLY dead? I mean¡­ mostly¡­ -Yeah, but if we stab him with a crystal, be it for the ritual or not, it¡¯s still dangerous. -I don¡¯t think we have to pierce his heart or anything¡­ -I mean¡­ I am not sure¡­ that¡¯s been pretty vague¡­ -You really sound experienced in this thing¡­ have you done this before? - after listening to their banter for a while, I finally pointed it out. -No. -Of course not. Both of them replied a bit too fast for my liking. Obvious lie. -You know, I don¡¯t believe you for some reason¡­ -Listen, if either of us was part of something like this before, don¡¯t you think we¡¯d be a bit more informed about the amounts of mana needed? - pointed out Jack. -True. -I mean¡­ not exactly like this¡­ -Jack! - hissed at him Vendi. -We¡¯ve been through this already¡­ -By all means, keep your secrets - I shrugged. - Just later don¡¯t blame me for messing something up if you won¡¯t tell me everything¡­ -It¡¯s alright. See, we never actually performed a full ritual like this¡­ but that does not mean that we¡¯ve never attempted something in reverse¡­ -Excuse me? Vendi for a second looked at Jack with disbelief, still not convinced, but finally caved in. -How do you think we learned this? -Well, Ilon taught you, didn¡¯t he? -Yeah. And have you ever thought why would he do that? -Because you wanted to? I would¡¯ve definitely been interested in that kind of magic¡­ - I replied truthfully. -Believe it or not, making sacrifices and experimenting with magic is not my favorite pastime! - said a bit offended Jack. -Wait a minute. Sacrifices? -And how do you think we had gotten the ¡°vessels¡±, huh? I twitched. Something horrible came to my mind. -Do you mind telling me WHO exactly were those sacrifices? - I asked, trying to be as calm as possible? -And why do you care? I saw you kill with my own eyes, don¡¯t even deny it - stated Vendi defensively. -Aha¡­ - I just muttered, while instinctively letting my mana gather at my fingertips. - I asked who. Neither of them replied. Vendi looked a bit perplexed and did not know if he should say, while Jack was straight up scared. The tension was hanging in the air. Even Kon, who I was not speaking to, appeared to notice that something was wrong, because I started feeling the crystal pulse with mana in my hand. -I should¡¯ve known¡­ that¡¯s what this place is for. You are using those kids for some maniac''s experiments¡­ -NO! IT¡¯S NOT LIKE THAT! - Jack screamed terrified and jumped back. - Please, let me explain, stop your magic! Ah. I involuntarily ignited the mana I gathered at my palm and now my hand was covered with flame, slowly burning away at my bandages and a part of the sleeve. I raised my hand, observing the spell I accidentally casted, but instead of canceling it, I just changed its property. -Gymnu. The layer of flame instantly dissipated, instead replaced with blue sparks of lightning arcing between my fingers. -You better have a good answer. -We are not killing children here! - quickly said Jack. - Quite the opposite! We are trying to save as much as we can! But¡­ for some it was too late¡­ -Yes! - chimed in Vendi, now pale, realizing what was going on. - And it would be a shame for them to go away without even trying to give them a second chance! -So you decided to experiment on dead children? How generous of you¡­ - I muttered putting a bit more mana into the spell, now covering not only my palm, but the whole hand up to my elbow. -No! I mean, maybe, but it was for a greater purpose! - started assuring me Jack. - If we were to succeed even once, we¡¯d be able to bring them back again. -So necromancy. Amazing. -It¡¯s just giving them a second chance! -Second. Chance. Second chance - I repeated, not even sure what I should do. - You are fucking sick¡­ -Weren¡¯t you made the same way!? - protested Vendi. -Maybe - I admitted. - But as you are well aware, I am a monster. And even the process that made me was the anomaly in itself, it¡¯s not something that we planned! -Yes, but it still helped you - tried convincing me Jack. - See how strong you are? Imagine being able to spread a gift like that! -Gift? - I laughed bitterly. - Not being able to eat is a gift? Not sleeping? Not being able to touch anything alive without fear of destroying it? -Being a creature of pure energy! Being able to sense mana without even making an effort! Understanding spells like it¡¯s your second nature! -Half of that didn¡¯t even come from my body. Also, I am an adult, I TOOK A RISK. Did your ¡°vessels¡± have a choice? -There was no choice to be made! If we didn¡¯t have to, it¡¯d never come to this! -This is your first and last warning. You will explain to me right now what is that you are doing here, or I will actually start acting like the monster you want me to be. I didn¡¯t even try increasing the magnitude of my spell any more, but I guess the mana boiling in me had a different idea, the sparks of lightning were speaking for themselves. To add to the effect, the whole side of my body already turned dark blue, a hue I have not seen yet. -But I¡­ - started Vendi, but got immediately silenced by Jack. -Just no. Let me. His voice was slightly trembling. Don¡¯t know if it was because of the magic I¡¯ve been waving around or from the fear of what his teacher would do if he was to learn that he¡¯s decided to tell me his secrets. 88. Saviour -I never wanted this. I only wanted to help a few kids¡­ He took a deep breath. -It all began with money. See, I don¡¯t come from any wealthy family or anything similar. I grew up on the streets, stealing¡­ -I do not give a fuck about your sad backstory - I immediately interrupted. - Talk about the kids. -Of course, of course. - he muttered. - I will be quick. Long story short, one day I managed to steal something more than I bargained for. From some kind of noble, I have no idea who, along with his coin purse I found a stack of papers. Back then, I was about fifteen, and was not able to read, so I just went to a local fence, trying to maybe get a few coins more for that. Imagine my surprise that what I stole was a certificate of ownership of a kid. I of course got paid handsomely¡­ -You are not helping your case¡­ - I warned him. -I know, just let me finish, then you can do whatever you want with me. -Jack! - protested Vendi - We still have a chance! If he¡­ I really was tempted to remind him who he was dealing with and was very close to grabbing him by the neck to drain him dry, but before I was able to, Jack straight up slapped him. It was so sudden that even I froze in shock. Vendi just fell back on the floor and silently backed down. -Do not. I am not sure if he realized what I was about to do or just lost his patience, but the truth was that this sudden event snapped me out of my ¡°trance¡± so to speak, and I calmed down. I am not sure what would¡¯ve happened otherwise¡­ -Continue. -That was the day that gave me the edge. With the money, I started digging myself out of the dirt, and before I knew it, I was twenty and already an owner of a small establishment in the capital, the one you know of. Of course I never stopped using my old talents, and in the background was still dealing with the thieves and the overall underground. Sooner or later, I moved from petty theft to fencing, and then I got my hands dirty with some slave trade. I was still listening, but the longer he was explaining, the more I felt like he was a lost cause. -I never thought much of the people I bought or sold. They were just pieces of paper worth some money for me. That is, until one day, during one of the auctions. He took a deep breath. -It was a kid. Never knew the name. I got interested, because his price was ten times higher than usual. He¡­ was pristine. It was definitely odd. Every single slave I have ever seen was barely even reminding a person. Dirty, maimed, sick, you name it. Seeing something like this peaked not only my interest. I asked about his owner and why was he getting the special treatment, just to get a chuckle as an answer and an invitation for a ¡°show¡± for the next day. He went silent. Vendi, still in the corner, was now also listening intently, interested as well. Did he not know the story either? -I came, of course. Along with a whole bunch of people. Most of them I knew as my clients. What we were shown¡­ was disgusting. A stage was set up, with four small metal cages. Each of them was housing a slave, four grown men and the clean kid. To the mix of amusement and horror of the gathered, all four cages were then targeted by various spells. Bathed in fire, zapped by lightning, frozen, you name it. I don¡¯t need to add that the ones trapped inside did not survive the assault. Public, some confused, some disappointed and disgusted, started yelling. ¡°What¡¯s the point?¡±, ¡°What¡¯s this for?¡±, ¡°Keep your past times to your own basement, you fuck.¡±, ¡°Waste of good slaves¡­¡±, and so on. The voices were quickly silenced by the fact that one person inside a cage was still alive and moving: the kid. At first he looked almost like a corpse, his body destroyed beyond recognition, just to slowly start healing itself, and in a matter of minutes he was as pristine as he was before the demonstration. Then, the owner opened the auction. -I couldn¡¯t help but be disgusted. Both by the show¡­ and myself. - continued Jack. - I was one of those¡­ disgusting people. But I knew that I had to do something, so I started bidding. Of course, I was absolutely destroyed and outbid. The kid got sold and I have never seen him again. It was also the day that I decided that I should change. He gave me a look, waiting for me to say something, but when he noticed that I was not opening my mouth, he started talking again. -I continued my exploits as a slave trader, but this time, I stopped selling. Instead I started focusing on buying out all the auctions I could and gathered all my purchases on the outskirts of the capital, in a house I bought just for that purpose. At first, everything went smoothly. Until the day I bought a bit too much¡­ He sighed. -I had to step on some toes. To this day I do not know who that was, but someone found out about my ¡°orphanage¡±. And burned it to the ground. With everyone else inside. That was also the first time I realized the true nature of my magic, life magic. I barely even used it till then, to someone like me, manipulating plants was not exactly helpful. But, thanks to my ¡°new¡± power, I managed to save some kids¡­ or at least I thought so. He paused for a good minute. -I only managed to save a handful of them from the fire. I quickly moved them as far away as I could, to the most remote place I had the access to: the island here. It was the center of one of the biggest slave auctions in the area. The darkest place is under the candlestick, right? Along with the barrier, I thought my problems with that would be over¡­ but it was not the case. -I am not sure who set the fire to the building, but it was not a regular fire. I learned that the hard way, long later, after completely moving my base of operations here. -Wow, what a great story¡­ Does it have ANYTHING to do with what I am about to electrocute you for? Or are you just playing for time, hm? -A bit of both - he chuckled weakly. - But I hope that you¡¯ll at least let me finish. Even though he did not know me for long, he already figured out that I was curious enough to stop myself. I mean, I wasn¡¯t really hiding that part of me, so it wasn¡¯t the strangest thing in the world¡­ but to stake his life on it? He was betting a lot here¡­ Since I didn¡¯t interrupt, nor tossed a spell at him, he continued. -A few weeks after I moved my business to this island, some things started¡­ happening. At first it seemed like a plague of some kind: kids were getting ill. Most of the time it was just a fever that refused to give up whatever I tried doing. See, even though I managed to figure out that my magic was able to heal people, I only really knew how to fix exterior wounds, so I was helpless. One after another, kids started getting ill and never getting better. I still had my money, so I managed to buy out some doctors, but none of them had any idea what was going on. That is, until a month passed since the first one fell ill. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. He took a gaze at Vendi. -That was when I met with Vendi. I managed to heal him and brought here, to maybe help me with the kids. Maybe a day later, we were woken up during the night with a scream. Both of us ran to the source, to check what¡¯s going on, fearing the attack, but what we found was infinitely worse. In the corner, Vendi shuddered, seemingly remembering what happened. -It was one of the first kids that I ¡°saved¡± from the fire. He was hot. And not just ¡°fever¡± hot. He was literally burning. When I touched his forehead, I burned myself. In panic, we tried cooling him down with water, soaking the bandages and towels with it, covering him. It vaporized the moment it touched his skin. -We didn¡¯t know what to do - he continued after a pause. - In sheer panic, we wanted to move him away from the bed, to get him to the water, cool him down that way, but none of us was able to pick him up. The heat was unbearable, and besides that, he was flailing so bad that even after we got him out of the bed, moving him was out of the question. It was too late anyway. Few moments after we managed to get him out of the bed, his body started smoking, and he fell onto the floor, dead. In the process he ignited the floorboards, but we doused the fire pretty quick. He sighed. -Five kids died like this in one night, to our absolute horror. We tried everything we had on hand. Ice crystals, water¡­ whatever. Nothing worked. But, the next day was both our salvation and the curse: it was the day when Ilon tracked us down. -That¡¯s why I was so easily convinced to accept his help. He was obviously powerful, and when I explained the situation, he offered that he would try to do everything in his power to stop whatever was going on. -So¡­ wait. He was the one who experimented on them¡­? -No. All three of us did - said Jack. - He tried inspecting the kids that were burning with fever, but found only some traces of fire magic in them. It was concerning, sure, but nothing that would tell us how to prevent them from suffering. Only after inspecting the dead ones, he finally understood¡­ I finally understood. It was all my fault. I never healed them. I only closed their wounds. By then, I already calmed myself down and sat down, playing with the electricity sparking between my fingers, but that sentence was so absurd that one spark shot straight through my fingers and struck the table between us. -What the fuck was that supposed to mean? -There was no sickness. There was no cursed flame. It was just me. When I healed the kids that got hurt in the fire in the capital, I did not treat their wounds. As a panicked amateur, I just poured my mana into the burns, hoping to somehow fix the problem. Sure, the flesh melded, but I used my magic. Life magic. Ilon told me that in that moment, I not only melded their flesh, but also connected them with fire, that, back then, was surrounding us everywhere. With all my heart, I wanted to suppress both the fire and their pain¡­ and succeeded. The fire got suppressed and became part of their body, just so slowly burning them from the inside. All this time, the fire was eating up their mana, weakening them. And, since we moved to a bit infused location, the spell started getting stronger, absorbing mana from the environment as well, until it was too strong and started burning so hot it got painful. I gazed at him, not convinced. -There are a lot of things wrong with this¡­ But it was not impossible¡­ I¡¯ve seen many things being turned into living creatures, fire included. It wouldn¡¯t be out of the question to think that someone would be able to do that to a person¡­ Fucking life magic. Every time. -I couldn¡¯t forgive myself. Yeah, sure, Ilon managed to heal the remaining kids. He said it was easy after he learned what the problem was. But that did not change the fact that my incompetence killed a bunch of kids. At first I wanted to give this whole place away to him, but he refused, instead proposing to teach us, so nothing like that would happen again. -What about the revenants though? -A day later, we started preparing to give them a burial, but were stopped by him. He asked: what if I told you there is a chance to bring them back? -Okay, that is just plain insane. What, he wanted to bring back the dead? -I did not understand him either. He just told me that it is possible. That he¡¯d seen it done before, but he needed my magic for that. Not sure what he meant, I agreed, and we started experimenting. -So you took a bunch of corpses and wanted to reanimate them. How do you think that would help anyone? - I asked angrily. -I don¡¯t know! - he yelped. - I just wanted to somehow help them¡­ and he was very¡­ convincing. That¡¯s when he started teaching us about revenants and how you can place a spirit back into an empty body. -But you still needed the crystal with a soul. -He told me that as well. But also said that it is possible to bypass that, but he was not sure how. That¡¯s how it all started¡­ We used all five of the bodies. The five attempts. None of them worked fully. -Fully? - I asked, getting angry again. - What the hell did you make!? -Five enchanted corpses - he said with a shaking voice. - We never managed to resurrect any of them, but we poured absolutely massive amounts of mana into them. Basically¡­ puppets. They could move, but they had nothing inside. It was just us, controlling a body, filled with mana. -You are fucking disgusting. All three of you. -Don¡¯t blame Vendi. I made him do it. I know it doesn¡¯t change much, but every time we failed, we stopped the spell and returned them back to earth. -Ah yes, killed twice. Amazing. -Just once¡­ second time it was just using the Ritual to turn them into trees¡­ But yeah. You are absolutely right. At the end we realized that that whole endeavor was doomed to fail. And now, I learned that the secret to fixing this failure was all the time right in my hands¡­ -You still wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything - muttered quietly Vendi. - Their souls were long gone, not trapped in the crystal.. -But still! If we knew, maybe¡­ I couldn¡¯t wrap my head around what I was hearing. The whole explanation¡­ was subpar, if you want to put it lightly, that is. Whole experiments, his methods and reasons¡­ But, I couldn¡¯t say that he didn¡¯t have somewhat good intentions. The results were absolutely fucking horrible, just as methods were. Now, about his teacher. It felt strange that he found them so easily. But, since he was supposedly so powerful and all, it was not out of the realm of possibility that he managed to track them to the island. From there, he probably, just like me, managed to feel the strange mana anomaly and just followed it here. He didn¡¯t even have to break through the barrier since they essentially welcomed him in¡­ What did not add up though was the existence of the person itself. When Melle told me Vendi¡¯s story, she never mentioned about some powerful mage that was nearby. The only people that were of somewhat notice were her, her husband, Jack and Vendi and maybe some stragglers from the caravan. Nah, the stragglers were probably not even close to that powerful, in that case she¡¯d mention about someone helping. Also, according to Jack, he was the one who healed Vendi, and in her story it was some guy from the capital that was involved with their military. I honestly was thinking that it could¡¯ve been Odar¡­ But her husband would most likely recognize him, it¡¯s not like Odar is some obscure figure. Even if he wasn¡¯t the captain, or whatever, yet, he had to be pretty high up. Although he did not seem to me as a person who¡¯d run away. If both stories were indeed true, it meant that Jack used to work for Axelrod, or at least for Odar. I mean, it made sense. It would¡¯ve explained how he managed to work so long in this shady business without being pestered by the guards. An ex-guard would¡¯ve also had an easier time getting to know Odar. But, there was still the issue of that master of his. Who the hell was that Ilon person? Even his name was strange. It was annoying me for some reason, but that probably was just because it sounded so similar to all those other people I¡¯ve been wondering about. Hell, his name even sounded similar to¡­ It hit me like a truck. I almost wanted to slap myself because it took me so long to figure it out. Ilon is Noli backwards. It was so fucking obvious that started wondering that I might have been a victim of one too many concussions. 89. Pristine The stupidest way to hide your own identity. Sure, everything made sense. Melle and Noli travel to Kalkano. There they accidentally meet Vendi along with Jack who healed him. Noli notices his strange magic, gets interested, but both of them manage to flee. Back in the capital, they meet again, this time only one of them. Noli decides to find him on his own, goes to Kruro some time later and manages to find him, just as the whole situation with the dying children plays out. He then follows him to the island, introduces himself as Ilon. Yeah. The more I heard about the guy the more I wanted to find him. If I was not suspicious before, I now definitely was. But now I knew that I had to be wary about him. He was pretty open to conflict and murder, seemingly towards elves, but there was no telling if it was only towards them or just more towards them. Hell, in either case I was not in the best spot. I did have spiky ears, just like an elf. I mean, sure I was a crystal entity, the ¡°crystal remnant¡± like some were calling me, and he seemed to be interested in those, hell, he was even trying to make some, so he would most likely not attempt zapping me on the spot. Then again, if he was to think that I am an elf turned into a remnant, who knows. I would most likely survive the first attack, but, judging by what I knew, he was able to use light magic, since he was teaching Vendi¡­ What am I even thinking about, of course he was. Melle already told me that her husband was able to use all kinds of elements, so no shit he was able to use it. It also meant that he would be able to actually hurt me. The only question was, how much he knew? He did research remnants, but did that also mean the ways to destroy them? Hm. I ought to be wary. The whole revelation distracted me for a moment from the problem at hand - as in Jack and Vendi. I was so lost in my thoughts that I only snapped out of it after Vendi finally stood up from the ground where he was still lying and sat in the corner of the room, right next to the door leading to the room connected to Jack¡¯s office. -What the hell am I supposed to do with you two¡­? - I groaned. -I am only begging you to, whatever you are to do, do it after we fix Kon - said quietly Jack. Right. There was still the whole issue of Kon being stuck in a piece of crystal, or rather a piece of me. After all those stories and revelations I was not in the mood to try and even think about it, but there was no other way. Whenever I wanted it or not, I had to at least attempt to fix him. While I definitely did not want to have anything to do with his experiments, if I wanted to fix Kon, I had to at least read through them. I didn¡¯t think about that before, but the fact that Noli and Ilon were the same person, it meant that Noli was not against the experiments on the kids¡­ or corpses rather¡­ I couldn¡¯t make up my mind. Was it better that they were dead or worse? What¡¯s worse, necromancy or live unwilling child test subjects¡­? Even in MIRE we had our rules, and while those might have been too lenient in some cases, we never crossed the line and experimented on the kids. Living and willing test subjects however¡­ The memory itself made me shudder. But to be fair, if not for those experiments, I definitely would not be here right now, nor would I be a ¡°crystal remnant¡±. It still did not know if it was a good or a bad thing. -Get the fuck out of my sight - I said to both of them. - I need to think. I could see Vendi wanted to say something but thought that it would be better to keep quiet. Jack also did not say a word, just gestured for him to go and they both left me in the room, alone. -How much did you know? - I asked Kon, knowing that he¡¯s been listening the whole time. -About what? - he innocently asked. -Don¡¯t play with me, I am not in the mood. I am very well aware that you can hear more than just me. You let it slip out when we were at the ruins. -I didn¡¯t¡­ - he said after a brief pause. - It was actually the first time I heard someone else besides you¡­ He sounded¡­ embarrassed? -I do not care right now. You heard the story. How much did you know? Were you from that bunch of the kids? -Kind of¡­? -Don¡¯t you try being clever. My patience is already getting thin, and do I need to remind you that I am right now holding your whole existence in the palm of my hand? Literally? -I know, I know - he quickly assured me. - I didn¡¯t know the whole story, but¡­ he also didn¡¯t tell you my part¡­ -Your part? -I mean, of course he didn¡¯t - he quickly started defending Jack. - It doesn¡¯t really matter right now¡­ -Oh, I will be the judge of that, because from the sound of it it matters very much. Explanation. Now. -Okay, okay! - he was clearly frightened, be it by my current state or maybe because of something else. - Yes, I was also bought by him, I am not his son. Although he says otherwise¡­ -I figured that much after seeing your other face. Speaking of, is that¡­ -I¡¯ll explain as much as I can¡­ although there are things I also do not understand. He felt silent for a moment and then started speaking again. -I was one of the slaves that were being sold back then. I do not remember my parents, nor all of my owners¡­ only the last two ones: Jack, and the one before him. -So you are still a slave? -All of us are - he confirmed. - Once you are marked by the blood, you can never get your freedom. -I am not so sure about that, especially after the latest events that turned you into a piece of crystal. You think that this magic is still binding you even if you don¡¯t have the body? -I honestly have no idea¡­ but I assume so¡­ -So what about the previous owner? -He was the worst person I have ever met¡­ But then, I don¡¯t remember meeting many people¡­ at least for long enough to actually hold a conversation. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. I swear I felt him take a deep breath. -He was abusing me. Or to be precise, he was abusing everyone. Whips, cages, whatever you can imagine. I don¡¯t know why¡­ That took me by surprise. -Some people are just bastards. Sorry I asked, but I still need to know¡­ -No, it¡¯s okay. I understand. I honestly don¡¯t care any more¡­ after a while a person gets¡­ numb to that, you know? I couldn¡¯t really fathom the idea of being able to detach oneself from something like that¡­ but I¡¯ve heard that it was possible, so I just nodded in silence. Not like he could see me anyway. I think? -Not many of us were surviving the ¡°play time¡± as he was calling that. Or I should say no one besides me did¡­ It was just like a queue for death¡¯s row. If not during ¡°play time¡±, then¡­ after that. Be it from the wounds of just by their own hands. Can you imagine waking up next to the corpse of one of your friends who hung himself after he came back? Shit. The kid has been through a lot. Being a slave is one, but that? -I say a friend, but to be honest I do not even remember the faces¡­ the memories before I got chosen are somewhat blurry¡­ -I don¡¯t need you to tell me what¡­ -Oh and I do not intend to - he interrupted me. - To be honest, the truth is I do not remember. I only know pain and¡­ Yh. Nevermind. What is important though, that was also when my talent got discovered. See, that sick bastard did not love torture. He loved killing. He loved to inflict death in the most painful way possible. I even remember him being angry at those who died by their own hands, instead of dying during his time with them. That is also why he got angry with me. -You tried killing yourself¡­? -I had some thoughts, yes, but that¡¯s not why he was mad. See, each time I got dragged to him it was worse than before. But, each time, the next day I was as good as new. At first he didn¡¯t even notice, nor did I to be honest, but the guards did. Probably because he got mad at them for bringing him the wrong slave, thinking that they were swapping kids around¡­ But no. I just was healing incredibly quickly. -Wait a second. The kid that Jack saw in a cage¡­ ¡°pristine kid¡±...? That was you? -Yeah - he confirmed. - Although that was a lot later. See, after a while, he got mad. He was not able to kill me with his regular ¡°play time¡±, which made him immensely mad. He probably could just cut off my head and be done with it, but he was not that stupid. Seeing my ability, he smelled money. -I can imagine¡­ that skill of yours is amazing¡­ perpetual healing? How the hell does that work¡­? -I had no idea back then, but now I sort of understand. It¡¯s not unlimited, nor is it some weird ability. I am just good at life magic, just as Jack is. We also both learned it in similar circumstances it seems: he when the other kids under his care were in mortal danger, and me when I was in mortal danger. While the results were the same, I am not so sure about the side effects¡­ I never even considered them, but after hearing his story I assume that it might have something to do with my soul being still bound to stay in one piece in this crystal instead of being dispersed, as you expected¡­ It somewhat made sense, but his ¡°side effects¡± were more like another upside of him tinkering with his own body¡­ be it on purpose or not. -In any case, he decided to sell me. I assume that was the auction that Jack saw me at, when I got sold to some other person. -Wait, didn¡¯t you say that you remember only two owners? Jack and that other guy? Who¡¯s that then? -Yeah¡­ I mean, sure I got bought once more¡­ but not really. See, that auction was actually just staged. I heard about it after I was moved away from the stage. For a second I was so hopeful that my life might be a little bit better. Who could be a worse owner than the last one, right? So you can imagine that my heart sank when I saw my new ¡°owner¡± arguing with the last one and left to never be seen again. -What was even the point of the whole auction? -Price gouging went wrong - he said dryly. - The new guy was supposed to bump my price enough so my owner would be satisfied. He¡¯d probably get the cut of the profit. But, he went overboard and outbid the actual bidder. Talk about greed¡­ -I guess that¡¯s one way to do it¡­ So thanks to that stunt on the next auction you got sold to Jack I assume? -Yes, but, to be honest, I¡¯d be sold to him anyway. He was the one who got outbid the first time¡­ -Hm. So he¡¯s covering for you then¡­ he mentioned that he¡¯d never seen you again¡­ -Ah, maybe¡­ But there is a chance that he has no idea that it was me. For the second auction, I was¡­ ehm, ordered, to change my appearance. See, selling the same slave in the same place a second time might not be something unusual, but that does not give the seller a good reputation¡­ Not like he had any to begin with. -Fair. You learned that too during your enslavement? -Somewhat. It¡¯s just the same thing as healing, but¡­ a bit more unpleasant. I had many opportunities to experiment, that was the only thing I could do, really. I was often used as a punching bag, be it by my owner, guards that were always somewhere nearby, or sometimes even by other slaves. -Why didn¡¯t you retaliate then? - I couldn¡¯t help but wonder. -To get beat up again? - he asked, bitterly. - No. Besides, I was never good at actual offense, as you are well aware. I might have mana capacity, but it¡¯s always hard for me to actually create something offensive¡­ -Right¡­ my bad¡­ Anyway, what do you mean by unpleasant? -Ah¡­ well, it¡¯s just¡­ It used to be very, very painful. Now, I am a lot better at it and it¡¯s not that bad¡­ although it can be just that my pain tolerance is a bit off¡­ -Changing your body is painful¡­? Hm, I can see that¡­ you are messing with your own body after all¡­ -No, the ¡°changing¡± is not what is painful. It¡¯s what I have to do to start the process to begin with. -Start the process? -When I change my face¡­ I can¡¯t exactly do it without¡­ ehm, making preparations, for lack of a better term. When I was still in that guy¡¯s ownership, there was no day that my face wouldn¡¯t be absolutely destroyed. Cut, broken, swollen, you name it. I of course started healing it as soon as I got hurt, most of the time unconsciously. Until, one day, I started actually paying attention to the process. And thought to myself: what if I actually tried? Tried to heal myself¡­ differently? Maybe if I looked different, I¡¯d be able to run away? To hide as someone else¡­? And alas, I succeeded. Too bad that it didn¡¯t help. Of course they knew it was me, although at first they could not believe their eyes. -You managed to fool me. Your captors had to be quite clever¡­ -Nah. It was a lot more mundane than you think. When you put one person in a cell alone and the next day you find someone else in the same cell, you sort of question things. But one beating session later and me unconsciously healing back to normal, they managed to piece the two and two together. -Oh. I am stupid. So wait, to change your face, you literally have to maim yourself? Talk about painful ability¡­ -Not only face. I can change whatever I want about whoever I want. I do have to destroy whatever I change first, though. -Useful. And taxing. -Eh, it¡¯s not that bad. After a lot of practice, I don¡¯t need to literally smash my face into a wall to attempt changing it though, I just do the damage with magic. -And you said you don¡¯t know any offensive magic¡­ -Oh, sure I do know how to destroy a body. But only mine. Quite the offensive magic, isn¡¯t it? -Have you actually¡­ changed someone else? - I asked, suddenly curious. -Besides healing, or restoring some cut off fingers, just once. But I don''t think that helped much¡­ -Who was that? -It was actually not so long later after I realized that I can change my own face. -So a slave then. What, you wanted to help him run away? -It was just that one time¡­ I was rarely put together with other slaves after they learned my abilities. But sometimes, they just didn¡¯t have enough space. Usually, it meant that my owner had just killed one of us and their usual ways of disposing of the bodies were unavailable. I thought it was the case then: yet another night spent with a bloody corpse as a cellmate. I didn¡¯t really care much any more, but I was curious who that was, so during the night, when I was left alone, I tried looking at their face. It was hidden within their long hair, bloody and stuck to the face, so I actually tried to move it away, preparing to see another very unpleasant ¡°artwork¡± of my owner. I got what I wanted. But that was not what was important. What shook me was that they were still alive. -I don¡¯t know what got into me - he continued after a brief moment of silence. - But I healed them. The only thing was, I never knew what they were looking like¡­ so I subconsciously made them a new face, using the one face I knew for sure how: mine. The spell was effective and in front of me was laying a splitting image of me, just like a mirror. I even managed to heal all their other wounds and reshaped the rest of the body as well. -Oh¡­ -Yeah, it ended badly. You can imagine how much confusion that brought to the dungeons. But their way of dealing with it was as dense as it was effective. They just did the same thing as when they discovered my ability: they beat us both half to death. Or in the case of unfortunate not-me, to death. I only managed to survive thanks to my healing, although, that was the time that I really, really wanted to die. Those tortures were meant for me. That death was meant for me. I, in my stupidity, not only brought them back from the brink of release to that hell of ours, I dragged them into even worse: my personal one. Since that day, I never even thought of changing someone else. I barely even changed myself. He, again, went quiet. 90. Age -You know, I never told this story to anyone - he suddenly declared. - Not even father¡­ I mean, Jack knows about it, somewhat... I never actually spoke with anyone about my past¡­ -So why are you telling me that? -I have no idea¡­ - he replied, confused. -Hm. I might have a guess¡­ -Hm? -Technically, you are not telling me that. -What? Aren¡¯t we talking right now? -You are thinking it. It''s slightly different. -What does that even mean? -I know. It''s strange. The whole effect is the same but¡­ Have you ever thought of imaginary scenarios in your head? Thinking of dialogues, discussing with yourself? -I¡­ - he hesitated. -Of course you did. A lot of people do. It''s quite common, we just never talk about it with anyone. It''s pretty embarrassing, right? -You got that right¡­ -See, and yet we are talking about it. Or rather we aren¡¯t. And we don''t even feel different at all. Because this conversation is basically the same as that: a scenario in your head, but this time it''s all very real. I bet I even sound different. -Sort of¡­ although I don''t think that has to do anything with this¡­ -Oh? -Yeah, I heard some of your thoughts before - he admitted. - And I remember you being surprised about the weird tone of your voice. I assume that''s just it¡­ Good thing that he mentioned that. I never knew he was eavesdropping. Hell, he was getting quite powerful. I needed to be a lot more careful in the future. -Uh-uh¡­ strange, because you also changed your tone¡­ - I pointed out. - Or, to be clear it''s not the tone¡­ it''s more the way you conduct yourself. I wasn''t really paying much attention, but you sound a lot more mature. Like I am not talking with a kid or teen¡­ you''re just like an adult person now. Hell, you''re probably even more mature than I am. I could feel his confusion. -That''s the first time in my life that someone genuinely thought that. -What, Jack has that low opinion of you? -Nah, he and Vendi don''t count. They will tell me whatever I want to hear. -Have you ever thought that it might actually be the truth? You''ve been through quite a lot, you know. I would''ve been surprised that something like this would not change someone¡­ -I suppose so¡­ besides, I''m not that young. -Oh really? How old are you then? -20. -Excuse me? - I didn''t bother hiding my surprise. -What? -When I saw you at the inn, the first time we met, I''d have sworn that you are not older than 16¡­ hell, maybe less. What gives? -It''s really gotten this bad¡­? -What? -That''s just¡­ an unfortunate side effect of my magic¡­ my healing rather. Or to be precise it''s more like just the problem with me¡­ -With you? How does that work? -I just lack imagination. -What does THAT have to do with anything? -To heal¡­ or to change someone''s body, as I mentioned before, I need to know what I am making. See, it''s pretty hard to think of something that you''ve never seen before. Like me in this case. I have never seen my older face, obviously, so I always go for the one I remember and know. And so it happens that it''s just the one younger than what I am¡­ At a certain point I figured I started sounding a bit strange for my visible age, so I tried making something different. Didn''t really work, I just managed to create a face similar to Jack, as you saw me. Too bad that even that one was younger than I was aiming for. Inconvenient, isn''t it? -Inconvenient? - I couldn''t believe what I was hearing. - The hell are you talking about? You literally have eternal youth on your hands and you think that having someone be weirded out about your behavior is a problem? Don''t make me laugh. A lot of people would pay a ton of money to be in your place. What am I talking about, not only money, I know people would''ve done more than that! Besides, you already figured that out, you just can act as a child. -Sure¡­ but I''m not good at it¡­ it''s strange¡­ -I bet someone would be so into that¡­ In any case, don''t sell yourself short, you''re better at it than you think. Fooled me good. -Thanks¡­ I guess? I didn¡¯t even try¡­ -You didn¡¯t? Ha. You definitely acted like a kid when we first met. Hell, was that whole story about learning to read also Jack¡¯s bullshit? -Emmm¡­ -That means yes. Holy hell, he really does everything for you. -You¡¯re not wrong¡­ I don¡¯t know, I think he¡¯s still feeling guilty for working in slave trade. -As he should. -But¡­ that was not his idea. Or, to be frank¡­ it was just a¡­ a failure from me. -Failure? -Yeah. The thing is, he doesn¡¯t know everything about me. -Sure, you mentioned that¡­ -That includes my age and¡­ -Ha. So you fooled him too. -Seems like it. Although I failed some time ago¡­ -That¡¯s where the ¡°he learned to read in such a quick time¡± came from? -Yeah¡­ He caught me. He told me a lot about him, how he wanted to change and all, but it seemed like his story was missing something. So I started digging. During that, I managed to find his office with documents one day. He never knew that I could read, so never bothered hiding the papers from me. -Yea¡­ I think he mentioned wanting to get you a teacher to finally make you be able to read though¡­ -He did? - he did not sound surprised, despite the question. - Sounds like him alright. -He really is an overprotective father¡­ -Yeah¡­ even when he caught me red-handed, browsing through his documents, he didn¡¯t even yell or was mad. The exact opposite. He was so proud and happy that I was able to do it myself, and I could almost see him shining with pride¡­ -That man is something else¡­ I couldn¡¯t tell if he was just trying to get me on his side or just plain fact that Jack was such a person, but it was definitely working. The initial rage and animosity I felt towards him after I learned that he stooped so low as to experiment on the kids already was vanishing. Although I still had a sour taste in my mouth after that discovery. -What about that master of his though¡­ Ilon? Do you know something? -I assume you are also curious about his magic? -His magic? -Yes. The ability to wield multiple elements is somewhat rare, but to be able to manipulate all of them is unparalleled¡­ -Thanks. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. -Huh? -What, you didn¡¯t notice? I can do that too. Not that hard, really. -Wait, what? I couldn¡¯t help myself but to release an exhausted sigh. -Yes, I can use all the elements too¡­ It really was not that much of a feat¡­ -Wait, so if not for that, why are you so interested in him? -What, you assume I wanted to get to him to learn to use more elements? Ha, good one. First off, that¡¯s not something you ¡°teach¡±. -If not then how did you learn it? -I mean¡­ I just could do that from the get go? It¡¯s somewhat weird¡­ -Wait, so you come from the race of people who could just manipulate EVERYTHING? Woah¡­ -While it¡¯s not really a race, I guess you could put it like that¡­ -If not a race then what? -And why are you so interested? -I mean¡­ I am just curious¡­ -What, you wanted to learn that? - I suddenly realized. - That¡¯s why you stuck with Jack and all others? -It¡¯s not like I wanted to learn more elements¡­ I just wanted to learn more about life magic¡­ This thing is hard to control. -Oh, I assure you, I am aware. -You can use it too? -I told you, I can use all kinds of magic. But it¡¯s not like I am very proficient in it. I can understand and cast spells, sure, but that does not mean that I can do each of them well. -Oh. -Yea, doesn¡¯t sound so omnipotent, now, does it? It probably was the same for that mentor of his. Speaking of, you know anything about him, that is besides what Jack already told me. -No. So wait, that¡¯s why are you so interested in him? Because he¡¯s similar to you? You think he¡¯s¡­ a kin of yours? -Something like that. To be honest, I am not sure how I exactly ended up where I am, but I am pretty sure that I am not alone. Especially after learning about that guy. -I mean, whenever Jack was talking about him he never mentioned that he was a crystal person, but he seemed to know a lot about them, so maybe¡­ -Oh, I am not looking for him because I think he¡¯s a crystal remnant. But now while you mention it, that¡¯s possible¡­ No. I am looking for him because I am pretty sure that I know him. Or at least I know who he is. -What? -Yeah. If I am not wrong, ¡°Ilon¡± is just an alias, and his real name is Noli. Didn¡¯t you hear what I was thinking earlier? -Bits and pieces¡­ but while that definitely seems possible¡­ So what? What¡¯s so interesting about that? -Besides the apparent focus of the whole continent on his wife? I just want to know how he got here. Maybe he could help me understand this whole predicament¡­ -Yes¡­ I was wondering about that. What are you looking for? You want to go back to your homeland I presume? -To be honest, right now I think I don¡¯t have one any more - I replied truthfully. -Really? That¡¯s sad¡­ -Yeah¡­ but that¡¯s a story for another time. Right now I have some other things to worry about. -Like what? -Like what to do with you and the rest of this merry band of idiots. -I thought¡­ I thought you were going to help me¡­ -Oh, don¡¯t try to get on my good side. - I rolled my eyes. - Besides, yes, I still intend on helping you. The issue is Jack and Vendi. I can¡¯t in good faith leave the rest of the kids in their custody. -I mean¡­ the issues with magic are pretty bad - Kon agreed with me - but it¡¯s not that bad! I still can help them. -And can you take care of every single one of them? - I asked, not convinced. - Help them develop their magic, control Jack and his strange fixation on trying to make revenants, while at the same time taking care of their needs? -I mean¡­ -Sure, even if we consider the fact that Jack and Vendi would at least pay for most of the things, to cover their needs, the education itself is a hard one. And I am not sure that you can even manage that on your own. You are still young, even if not a child as I thought before. Besides that, you can¡¯t control your own magic that well, and that band of kids is surely a handful, if I was to judge from what Jack said. -There were no problems before, I think I can manage! If you are worried that I would teach them life magic, it''s¡­ -Oh, I am not worried about that. You already got bit by using it too much, so you¡¯d have to be a very irresponsible person to try and teach them something you are not sure about yourself. And I already know there were some accidents here, so don¡¯t feed me that crap. -That was before I started teaching them! - he protested. - That¡¯s the reason I started in the first place! -Hmm. What were you teaching them anyway? -Basics of mana control and how to convert it to your own element¡­ I couldn¡¯t really handle much more without revealing my abilities completely¡­ - he admitted. - I picked up some theory thanks to Ilon¡­ or rather Noli. Maybe it wasn¡¯t the worst idea in the end¡­ Kon seemed like the most trustworthy of the bunch, and responsible, surprisingly enough. Even if we consider his previous failures, he was still a better candidate to help those kids than either Jack or Vendi. The thing he was mostly lacking though was just straight up money. But then, Jack would definitely follow him if asked, and with him owning this place¡­ -Okay, sure¡­ but how do you imagine all this? I am not talking about the whole issue of your current state, that¡¯s a completely different problem. -What do you mean? -Say we get you back to your body. You are back to normal. What next? How are you going to make sure that Jack won¡¯t start acting up again? From what I know you didn¡¯t even know that most of that crap was going down. -I had some inkling that he was up to something¡­ but¡­ -So why didn¡¯t you stop him? -Because I thought he was doing it in good faith! He¡¯s never done anything to hurt any of us, especially me. He always was trying to better our living conditions, constantly using his own money to try and somehow aid the kids. Whenever any of them needed something, he provided, or at least tried doing so as hard as he could. You should know, after all¡­ -Yes, yes. I know. The ends don¡¯t justify the means though. -But¡­ -Okay, okay. What about the other one though? I can see you managing Jack somehow, but Vendi is a loose cannon. I¡¯ve seen him be both a bootlicker and an absolute pain. How can I be sure about him? -Oh, that¡¯s an easy one - he instantly replied. - He cannot defy Jack. He is his slave after all. So it was true. I felt like that was the case, especially after he got slapped to the other side of the building and didn¡¯t react, but it was good to have confirmation. -You know that doesn¡¯t speak well of your ¡°father¡±. -Okay, that¡¯s not his fault though! He told me that he willingly agreed to that. -Someone willingly agreed to be a slave? Don¡¯t make me laugh. Sure, I could see that happening if Jack was some ultra-rich noble or something along those lines, but an outlaw? Hell no. -But that¡¯s true! He did save his life after all! Or at least, part of it. -Ah, so the healing was not exactly free, huh? I see¡­ -Okay, you say like that''s something strange - he suddenly protested. - I mean, sure that¡¯s a big price to pay, but¡­ -Oh, don¡¯t get me wrong, I am not judging anyone for getting paid. He provided a service, and the service usually goes hand in hand with payment. That¡¯s absolutely fine. -So what¡¯s the problem? -The problem is, what kind of payment he got. -You know that he¡¯s trying to help us! Okay¡­ it¡¯s a bit¡­ dark to use the same thing you so much hate and¡­ but¡­ -Again wrong - I stopped his defense. - I agree, that¡¯s strange and all, but not the thing I am worried about currently. -So what¡¯s the problem then? I don¡¯t understand¡­ -I don¡¯t blame you. There are not many people who do. See, the problem is that this ¡°slavery¡±, call it what you will, is blood magic. -You mean blood pacts¡­? -Yeah, that one. That¡¯s elven magic. And as we are well aware, elves are not exactly friends of yours¡­ nor mine for that matter. -Okay¡­. but why then use their own magic against them? What¡¯s wrong with that? -Nothing. The problem is that the magic is very, very unreliable and awkward. -Unreliable? Blood pacts? How? - he sounded very surprised. - I have never heard of someone being able to break those. -So you haven¡¯t heard much. I¡¯ve not been long in your country, but I already managed to trick multiple people into signing something like that with me, even without knowing what the contracts were. -What¡­? -Yep. The fact that everyone is so eager to use those contracts in everything is a definite weak spot in itself. -How? I mean¡­ it¡¯s unbreakable right? That is until you fulfill your contract¡­ -Right. And what were the contract¡¯s contents? -I¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ -Exactly. We don¡¯t know. So we are not sure for how long they would hold. Even if you set up the conditions as tight as you can, it is essentially a monkey''s paw. -You really don¡¯t trust this magic, don¡¯t you¡­? -It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t trust this thing in particular¡­ It¡¯s just the uses and overall the whole idea of this system is flawed. Hell, I used it multiple times, some by accident, some on purpose, and still I am not sure how helpful that was¡­ -I don¡¯t understand. -Me neither. -Eh¡­ whatever¡­ - I finally said aloud after a long while. I will help. But only you for now - I added in my mind directly to Kon. I left the room and instantly found myself next to Jack and Vendi, who were apparently waiting for me outside. At first I was slightly alarmed, but for naught. They were just calmly waiting for my answer. Okay, maybe not both of them. Jack was definitely far from being calm, pacing back and forth, only Vendi was just standing there, staring into space. -I will help Kon. But only him. I need all your information on the remnants. I will be preparing the ritual. -I¡­ of course¡­ - Jack sounded slightly relieved, but immediately asked - What next though? -Next, there will be some changes around here. -Changes? - even Vendi got interested. -Yes. Think whatever you want about it, but I made up my mind about a few things. They did not say a thing, but I could see them tense up. They realized that I did not change my mind about this whole thing, although they definitely did not figure out my idea about this place. But first, I had to deal with Kon. 91. Experimental I was given access to all the books that were leftover after Ilon, or rather Noli, that included the notebooks of Kon, which he instantly pointed out to me the moment they were brought in. In them I managed to confirm what I was told earlier: the process of creating the remnant. Everything was already there, including the instructions about constructing the incantation, but that was also the problem. It was obvious that it was the reason they failed before. Right, they didn¡¯t have a crystal with a soul as well, but even then, the incantation was where the issue was. According to the notes, the spell was mostly written. It was not even that different from the one I¡¯ve heard already: the ritual that they used as their funeral rites. I mean in general functionality that is. It was clear that one was inspired by the other, hard to tell which one on which. One look at the notes was enough for me to know why they were doomed to fail. When I saw that, I was surprised that they never figured that out. Of course, it took me maybe a grand whole of ten minutes to remake the spell in a way that I could cast it alone on the spot. The only remaining thing was the mana required for the ritual. I hated turning again with a request to get help from either of them but there was no getting away from it: I had to get to the place somehow. When Jack saw me leave the room and approach him he immediately called Vendi. I wanted to tell him that it was unnecessary, but it was too late, the guy was already next to him. Was he waiting on standby or something? -Oh, so you are ready then? I can start any second now, I think I still remember the incantation from before¡­ I can try and tell you what we did last time and what went wrong, although I don¡¯t know if that would help us here¡­ -I already gave him all the notes - stopped him Jack. -Oh. Great. So the only thing is now to somehow try and split this spell in three, so¡­ I silenced them both. -It¡¯s not needed. Everything is done already, I only need a way off the island, that¡¯s why I came - I said dryly. Both of them looked at me like they couldn¡¯t understand what I was talking about. -The spell¡­ - finally managed to spit out Jack. - You finished it¡­? -Yes. -You cut it in three? That¡¯s¡­ -Oh, no of course not. -So how¡­? -I combined it together into one. I will be the one casting this thing, I don¡¯t trust any of you to not fuck this up. As you already well proved that you can¡¯t be relied on. I could see a hint of shame that struck both of them, a wavering hint of the emotion flowing through both of their auras. -I don¡¯t know what to say¡­ - finally stammered out Jack. -So don¡¯t say a thing. Go get the body and get ready. I am waiting. I walked away, leaving them both dumbfounded. -Are you sure it¡¯s going to work? - asked Kon when I entered Jack¡¯s office and sat down to wait for them there. -You can never be sure about experimental spells. -That¡¯s not encouraging. -Good. Life magic never is supposed to be encouraging. Hell, I am worried as well. Last time I took part in an experiment similar to this, I ended up without a hand. -I guess it¡¯s good that I don¡¯t have a hand to lose¡­ - he chuckled, but I could tell that he was very worried. -And destroyed a city in the process. -Hope today won¡¯t end this way. Now he was properly scared. -Now, don¡¯t worry so much. The experiment that went wrong was similar to this, true, but we tried awakening a new life so to speak, not just moving it. -Awakening¡­? Like, resurrecting? So what Jack was trying to do? -No. I assure you, it was nothing like that. -I don¡¯t get it¡­ -It¡¯s really not that important right now, but since we have time to spare and you seem genuinely worried, I guess I can tell you a bit about it¡­ -I am not worried at all. -You realize that even if you don¡¯t have the body, you are still a terrible liar? -Make up your mind, last time you told me I managed to fool you True. It was strange. While he was able to hide his lies to me, I could read his emotions like a book. Hm. -Yeah¡­ Whatever. There might be some similarities, right, but what we were trying to do was to move an artificial consciousness into¡­ something else. Not returning it to its original place. So you can see that you have nothing to worry about. -Artificial consciousness¡­? What does that mean? -Doesn¡¯t matter to you. The important part, at least for you, is the fact that you are a lot more compatible than it was. You already went through the same thing that we failed at and now I am just reversing what happened, or at least going to attempt to. I was wondering if I should tell him more, but I got interrupted by knocking at the door. -It¡¯s ready¡­ Can you come downstairs? It was Jack. Without a word I opened the door and started walking to the kitchen with him closely behind me. -Kon, when we were at that other place, were you able to see? -I could feel the mana¡­ but that was it. Why? -Damn. I thought so. I just was wondering, because I don¡¯t really feel like being blinded in the presence of Jack and Vendi. -I don¡¯t think it matters¡­ Neither of them can hurt you, right¡­ and not like they are going to try anything¡­ right? -At first, of course not - I agreed. - Jack won¡¯t even dare to think of interrupting my spell, since he¡¯s worried about you, and by extension Vendi will do the same. I am not so sure about after the ritual. I will be definitely weakened, so it will be the best opportunity for anyone to attack. -Sure¡­ but in that case, can they even hurt you? Last time you already proved that you¡¯re impervious to magic. He didn¡¯t seem to realize that it was not the complete truth, and I did not want to correct him. -Hm. Right. Speaking of, I am not so sure what¡¯s going to happen to you after that. -You said you are sure that your incantation is going to work! - he protested, worried. -And I still think so. But I don¡¯t know what state you will end up in. Will you be overcharged, like me right now? Or the opposite, all the mana will go for your regeneration? -Is that even possible? That place was so full of it I can¡¯t imagine¡­ -Oh, but I can. Well, we will see when we get to it. At least I will be able to see a bit better maybe¡­ We reached the kitchen. As expected, the way down was open and in the cellar Vendi was waiting for us next to the door leading to the room where Kon¡¯s body was hidden. -Pick him up - ordered Jack to Vendi. - I¡¯ll open the way. He started drawing the circle on the floor. We had to move away from it, because the room was pretty cramped with the three of us and the body. Meanwhile, I started inspecting the body of Kon. He looked pretty well preserved. I mean, it was not that long ago he was placed here in the first place, but I still was slightly worried. And I had my reasons for it. His body was almost completely blue and cold to the touch, almost like a block of ice - I could even feel it through my bandages. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. -Kon, you think you think you can heal frostbite wounds? -I don¡¯t have much practice¡­ - he admitted. - Suo is usually pretty warm¡­ -Suo? -This place. I mean, the continent. -Oh, I didn¡¯t know it had a name. -Of course it has. Why wouldn¡¯t it? -I don¡¯t know¡­ so can you do it? -I mean¡­ I can try. Why are you asking? -You seem to be turned into an icicle. I told Jack beforehand that it might be a problem but he insisted that everything was fine¡­ -Oh, if it¡¯s me then it¡¯s fine. I can¡¯t imagine it would be worse than lacerations after being beaten half to death by a spiky whip. -Holy shit¡­ -Yeah, I¡¯ll be fine. If that was someone else it probably would end up with them being somewhat disfigured, but with me I can try however many times I need. It probably will be just a bit painful. -Hell¡­ If I knew beforehand that everything will go so fast I¡¯d never even mention using ice¡­ -Don¡¯t worry. Not the first time, not the last time. I will be fine. -Hm. -The necklace¡­ Our discussion was interrupted by Jack, who already finished the portal and was now waiting for me to give him the anchor. -Just be quick - I said, tossing it towards him. Familiar humm hit our ears as the portal opened in the ground and I gestured at Vendi. -You first. But be careful with¡­ Without hesitation, he jumped into the portal. -...with his body¡­ We are not sure which way we¡¯ll land - I finished sighing. - Eh¡­ here goes nothing. And I jumped behind him. As expected, during the warp I felt the gravity shift, but it wasn¡¯t that bad. During the warp, I managed to position myself that way, so I almost didn¡¯t have to use my hands even, being spit out I managed to keep my balance. I couldn¡¯t really tell how bad Vendi ended up landing, because I immediately got assaulted by the light of magic, but I could hear him groan somewhere next to me. Closing my eyes and trying to ignore the light I instead focused on hearing. Humm of the portal intensified and I took a few steps forward, making space for Jack appearing behind me. I almost tripped on something that was lying right in front of me, probably Vendi because as soon as the humm vanished I heard Jack start cursing at him. -What the fuck have you done? -I tripped¡­ -Obviously! You should¡¯ve known that it¡¯s not like just¡­ If you had hurt him you will regret it. Ah. So he dropped Kon. Now when I heard that, the thing that I almost tripped on was pretty cold¡­ so it was him then, not Vendi. -I¡¯d like to remind you that I am right now blind and would recommend we¡¯d get this thing over with as soon as possible. I said that both to remind them that they should stop being dead weight and be useful for a change and to maybe bait them into doing something. But it did not work. I only heard Vendi mutter something in response and Jack started to walk away from me. -Should we walk downstairs to the ground level? We are still in the ruins¡­ -I don¡¯t think it should matter - I answered, realizing that Jack was talking to me. - Does the floor look stable enough? -I mean¡­ - I heard him stomp a few times - looks good to me¡­ There is a lot of rubble here though¡­ -Hm. Well, just to be safe let¡¯s go down. You said there is a river somewhere nearby? I can hear the water I think¡­ -Yeah. I heard him walk away again. -It¡¯s on the other side of this thing. -Let¡¯s go near that. It¡¯s infused for sure, it might be useful. Lead the way. -Right. He approached me, but I did not feel him touch me. -Come on, hurry up. As long as you cooperate, I am not going to do anything - I assured him. I am not sure that it helped, but nevertheless I felt him grab my sleeve and pull me towards what I assumed was the ruined stairs. Behind us, without a word, I felt another movement and a groan, reminding me of the existence of Vendi. That also reminded me¡­ -Kon? Are you doing fine? -I¡­ I think so¡­ Like before, his voice was a lot stronger than expected, although this time he was not demanding mana, so I guess it was alright. -If you ever feel strange, tell me immediately. I can¡¯t feel much of a change in your mana, besides the fact that you are stronger. -Yes¡­ I feel strong¡­ not as much as last time though¡­ But I do feel the hunger¡­ -Hunger? That¡¯s one way to put it. -It¡¯s manageable though¡­ Last time the only thing I was able to think of was mana¡­ -I think that one was my fault¡­ I did feed you despite the fact that there was clearly something wrong with you¡­ You were essentially a rabid animal. -It wasn¡¯t that bad¡­ - he protested. - I was not attacking you¡­ -No - I agreed. - But it might get there during the ritual. Whenever I want it or not, I will have to pour an immense amount of mana towards it, and since you¡¯ll be a center of it, I am sure you will absorb a lot. So try limiting yourself at least for now. Soon, you¡¯ll get even more than you want. Even though he said that he was able to manage his hunger, on the mention of getting more mana I couldn¡¯t help but feel his excitement. If that wasn¡¯t a red flag, I don¡¯t know what was. But, alas, what else could I do? I was going to go through with this ritual¡­ or rather incantation since I was doing it alone. -We¡¯re here - I heard Jack in front of me. Sure enough, I could clearly hear the water flowing right in front of us. I sort of expected that I would be able to see the flowing water, at least some slight hint of it, but nope. The environment here was still as infused as before. It probably shouldn¡¯t be much of a surprise, because we barely even moved away from the place where we landed. -Place him somewhere nearby - I instructed Vendi. He did not reply. I heard him kneel down and place something in front of us. -Are you sure you can do this alone? - Jack asked as I approached the body. -No. -So why do you¡­ - Vendi immediately started protesting, but I didn¡¯t let him finish. -I am not sure I can successfully bring him back, or rather turn him into a revenant possessing his old body. What I can assure is that the spell that you provided me with will work. I am sure of my ability, but not sure of the spell itself. -Didn¡¯t you write it?! - asked Jack, surprised. -I just converted it - I shook my head. - You had the full formula done. Although in two parts, just as you said, I didn¡¯t change much. Only things I tampered with were the target of the spell, that¡¯s it. So the effects will solely be based on your work, I am just providing magic for it. -So wait, we can do it ourselves? - asked Vendi. - Why are you here then? Give us the incantation so we can¡­ -Vendi! - started protesting Jack, but I did not care. -Oh sure, if you want to, I am not going to stop you. That stunned them both. -But if you fail and misspell a single word, or just hesitate just a smidge, it will fail for sure. Besides that, are you sure you can handle that much mana flowing through both of you? I can. -But still! Why won¡¯t we do the three of us together¡­ - he continued his protest, but I had none of it. -Ah yes, let¡¯s gamble with yet another life, why not. Tell me, how many rituals were you a part of? How much experience do you have with life magic and manipulation of souls? -We did try a couple of times¡­ plus the funerals¡­ -Ah yes, the funerals. Sure, if you try, this thing will definitely turn into a funeral - I said, annoyed. - Listen. I¡¯ve been a part of an organization which only purpose was to investigate that kind of magic, and prevent it from doing collateral damage. So clearly, however many corpses you tried to animate, I have more experience in the field. So please, move away and let me do my thing. I am pretty sure that he can¡¯t get any worse than he is already, same as me. I can¡¯t guarantee the same for you both if you are still going to pester me. Of course there is a chance that all of us are just going to die immediately - I said before any of them could even squeeze a word in - but I am not stopping here. Now move. I could feel them shudder on the mention of possible failure, but none of them protested for some reason. -Before you start¡­ how bad are the chances¡­? - asked Jack. - What exactly can happen? -No one can be sure - I shrugged. - But from the bad outcomes, it can range from, as I mentioned, all of us being vaporized by the sheer amount of mana released, you being turned into the state he is in, probably trapped together with him or something along those lines, or as small as just you being either mana exhausted or overcharged. Of course there is a chance that everything will be fine and dandy, but I wouldn¡¯t count on that. -Yh¡­ -Are you done? All your questions answered? I¡¯d like to get on with it already. -Wait¡­ I have to draw a circle first - said Jack, finally realizing that Kon was just lying there without any proper preparation. -Wow, great awareness. But that won¡¯t be necessary. As you are well aware, the idea of using a ritual has been scrapped already. -But¡­ -No ¡°buts¡±. I don¡¯t need any more outside interference. It¡¯s already weird enough without your antics. Move. I think that it finally did it, because I heard both of them shuffle away. -How far¡­? -No fucking clue. You¡¯re welcome to hide behind something if you want¡­ Not like that¡¯s going to help you - I muttered under my breath. I think they actually listened to me because I heard even more shuffling behind me. -Well, let¡¯s get on with it¡­ Kon, are you ready? The reply was delayed, clear that his attention was on something else. -I don¡¯t know¡­ What should I do? -Nothing, really. I¡¯ve never had direct contact with a subject while doing something like this, nor after it, so it''s hard to tell what to expect. -That¡¯s not encouraging. -I know. But do you have a choice? -I mean¡­ I could stay as this rock forever¡­ -Oh, now you want to? Wasn¡¯t it you that was scared about suddenly being pulled somewhere else and dispersing to nothing? -Yes¡­ but nothing like that has been happening since¡­ since I¡¯ve been with you so¡­ -Sure. I can carry you with me all the time, but I feel being stuck like this is not very enticing, is it? I mean, it¡¯s your decision. Bit late though. -I suppose¡­ hell, it¡¯s too late to change my mind. Let¡¯s do it. -Understood. And hey, if I feel like something is going very wrong and you are vanishing or something I will try and absorb you back. -Absorb¡­ back? You can do that? -I mean, I already absorbed one person into my own being, what¡¯s another one? -Okay¡­ I guess¡­ Man, now I¡¯m even more nervous. -Don¡¯t be. I should be the one nervous, you just have to sit back and wait for whatever happens. -Eh¡­ Okay. Let¡¯s go. 92. Ritual With that exchange done, I approached his body. I still was not able to see, so I started feeling around me to confirm that it was indeed him and not just stick him in blindly into something weird. Making sure that I was still not touching him directly with either my crystal or his own, I kneeled down. And started chanting. -Zyza, svury gy xye oryqa nom quxe kyr ur gy xye zoda. Nar, vuzury op zy quq, ur po raqa hu Qav, qy avharow op zy xyomr. And, at the same time, trying to divide my attention, I repeated a slightly altered incantation in my mind. -Svury, svury gy xye oryqa nom quxe kyr ur gy xye zoda. Nar, vuzury op zy quq, ur po raqa hu Qav, qy avharow op zy xyomr. And then, again, from the beginning. -Zyza, svury¡­ Both of them were almost identical, which made it easier - I only had to pay attention to one word to not accidentally mix them up. At the same time, I had to focus on the mana in the environment. For the spell to work correctly, I had to have a lot of mana in me and pour it into the spell, which was exhausting. Already after the first time I spoke the words, I felt mana drain from me at an unbelievable speed. Good thing I was already on my knees, because otherwise I would¡¯ve surely fallen down, most likely breaking my concentration. At first, I intended to absorb the mana from the ground to keep the spell going, but that appeared unnecessary. While true, I felt a lot weaker than before, almost immediately a flow of new, fresh mana went through me. Just like before with the crystal Kon was trapped in, when it felt the difference between the magic levels, it immediately tried equalizing it, sucking the mana from the environment. Most likely it was the same when I found myself lying in a manaless environment after I got turned to crystal. But, the mana did not only come from the plants and overall air nearby. I somewhat expected it, but I never knew how far the radius would be. Nevertheless, unwillingly, Jack and Vendi also started contributing to the overall mana for the ritual. At first I didn¡¯t pay much attention to that, since the streams were small in comparison to everything else, but soon the flow started getting stronger and stronger. I wanted to yell at them to get the fuck away from this place or they would be turned into the fuel, but I couldn¡¯t, preoccupied with chanting. For a second, I felt bad. Sure, I didn¡¯t really care about either of them but after all, they were somewhat of a family to Kon. But hell, I couldn¡¯t do a thing anyway, right? Just as that brief thought entered my mind, I purged it, focusing back on the spell. I couldn¡¯t get myself distracted. The repeating incantation couldn¡¯t be interrupted, or the effects would be¡­ well, who knows what would¡¯ve happened. But, between the repeats, I intended to maybe try and toss something at them, I still had my hands free¡­ But, before I was able to do that, both of them suddenly jumped up, looking around, alarmed. Then, jumped again and looked at me with confusion. Seeing as I was eyeing them with annoyance, I think they finally snapped out of this strange trance and instead bolted away from me and the ritual. I have no clue what got into them, but it worked out in our favor, so I could focus solely on the incantation. Speaking of. The spell I made up, the whole incantation, was not actually that complicated, considering what I was trying to accomplish. The reality of the situation was that it was almost identical to the one Jack and Vendi had given me, besides one detail: the target. The first part of the spell consisted of me addressing the life magic, ordering it to move the soul to the presented vessel, if I was to roughly translate it. At the same time, I had to do the same with the light magic, since, as they said before, souls apparently had the same properties as light. In the second sentence was the part where the changes actually were. And most likely the cause of their mistakes before. Every time I talked about magic with people that seemed to know their stuff, at least here, they referred to the way the spells were cast as ¡°language¡±. It was not exactly correct, or to be precise, it was not the whole truth. Sure, the magic incantations were ruled by a language. I assume once it had its name, but even during my time in the MIRE it was already forgotten, and we just plainly referred to it as magic script, or anything that came to mind, really. It didn¡¯t have any official name. Our ritual here, or rather mine now, needed an incantation in that language, but to successfully cast it, without relying on randomness of course, I had to precisely state the target of it, in this case Kon and me, since I was the catalyst for the whole magic. You probably are going to ask, what¡¯s the problem then, right? You just use the name and you¡¯re good to go? Well, it¡¯s not that simple. Since the spells are using that language, shouldn¡¯t I use ONLY that language? What would be the consequences of mixing up different things? But how, though? Is one¡¯s name considered a word in another language? Would it disrupt the spell? Well, the short answer is most likely. That was also my suspicion as to why their previous attempts had failed. But of course, you cannot translate a name to another language, right? Actually, you can. And I am not talking about the obvious. Sure, a person called, let¡¯s say for example, Rose, can be easily converted to any language without any issue, but it¡¯s just an edge case, a rarity. No. In the case of the magical language¡­ it more closely resembles a mathematical formula, with some additional steps. I am not going to bother with quoting the full one. Besides, there are also some other variations and rules governing the power of the translated word, let¡¯s call them magnitudes, or levels. The fact that matters though is that any word can be converted to an equivalent of the one in the magical language. That is what I did to our names while using them in this spell: I converted them to words of a magical magnitude of three. I know, that¡¯s just a number that doesn¡¯t really tell you much but, just as a comparison, here, till this day I practically never had used a word of magnitude higher than two, and even then it was rare. So, instead of Kon, his name was Nar, and instead of Mor it was Qav. I was hoping that this change would stabilize the spell and ensure our relative safety. Sure it seemed that way, at least for now. Since Vendi and Jack had gotten the hell out of dodge, the spell was going smoothly, the only thing that was bothering me was the amounts of mana that were flowing through me, even though I have not actually connected the soul with the body of Kon. I mean, sure, it was a good sign: it meant that my tactic of using the converted names as a part of the spell has succeeded, but then, the mana was only flowing through me and the body and not the actual rock I¡¯ve been holding on. After what probably was a tenth repeat of the spell, I realized I was just stalling for time. Especially after I realized that I slowly started seeing again, albeit barely. I mean, can you even call that being able to see? Before, everything else was so bright I couldn¡¯t see a damn thing, now, while I somewhat could recognize the shapes of some ruins around me, the body of Kon was the brightest point. And so, I decided that I should get to the more risky part. I slowly lowered the shard with Kon inside towards the body and the mass of mana swelling in front of me. Up till now, he was silent, just as instructed before. Be it from fear or pain, or anything else, it doesn¡¯t matter, but as soon as the rock came in contact with the body, in my head I heard a scream. The scream sounded very familiar. I mean, sure, it was obviously Kon, but that¡¯s not the point. It was almost identical to the one I heard the first time I touched the tree back at the ¡°graveyard¡±. From the analytical standpoint it was somewhat good news. It meant that whatever was happening to him right now was similar to what had transpired back then, meaning we were on the right track. I couldn¡¯t really reassure him or anything, having my hands and head full of magic and incantations, so I hoped that he¡¯d bear with it¡­ but that¡¯s where the problem arose. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. See, when you are focused on something, especially when you are alone, when someone screams right in your ear you can¡¯t help but be startled. It¡¯s just a reflex. But, if you add the fact that it was not just a scream into my ear, but directly into my head, you can excuse me for actually, physically jumping up. I barely was able to hold my balance kneeling next to him and almost dropped the crystal, but managed to hold on. Too bad that I did not manage to do the same with my concentration. The sudden noise made me interrupt my incantation, both in my head and the one aloud. During that short second of break, I felt the mana swell around me even more and this time, instead of flowing towards the Kon, it stayed inside me. I immediately returned to chanting the spell, but it was too late: the large amount of mana was still buzzing inside me, distracting me. Back when I was under Kalkano, when I absorbed too much mana I only was barely feeling the effects, being inconvenienced by my glow and slight buzz in my head. This time, the amount of mana that I absorbed was incomparable. Yeah, I started glowing, sure, I could instantly see that even while blinded by everything else: my hands were now the same shade as the body of Kon in front of me, but that was not the problem. The main distraction was that I was drunk. It was actually the first time I¡¯ve been drunk since I got here. That¡¯s why it caught me by more of a surprise than it should. Sure, that much mana was enough to make anyone smashed. Normally, it wouldn¡¯t be much of a problem, being dizzy and all is an inconvenience, but that¡¯s it. Not in the case when you had to perform a very mundane incantation over and over again, though. At first, it was not that bad. Yeah, I had to concentrate a lot more, but I was able to not make any mistakes and the spell continued as before, the shard with his soul glowing more and more, along with his body. At the same time, my hands started getting slightly dimmer, meaning the overflow mana that I had, and the source of the dizziness was going to soon go away. But it was not gone yet. And my concentration had its limits. From the moment I started chanting it¡¯s been already more than ten minutes, with maybe two or three being after I got startled by Kon¡¯s scream and in the process got drunk. So you can¡¯t blame me when I finally bit my tongue and made a mistake. It was not the worst one to make, if I am honest. I just misspoke Kon¡¯s name, or rather didn¡¯t say it at all. I immediately corrected myself even. Not that bad right? I already made a similar mistake before and it didn¡¯t really affect the spell that much. I just ended up with some excess mana. Well¡­ that was the problem. This time, I didn¡¯t just get slightly dizzy, my head straight up started spinning. Good thing that I already had my hand placed on Kon¡¯s body because if not I¡¯d for sure just collapse right onto him. But, my problems with balance were not the problem. I started slurring. It was especially bad news for the idea of simultaneous thinking and speaking two different things at once: it was straight up impossible for me right now. I learned that a bit too late. When I went to repeat the formula once more, I realized that I was speaking the same thing both in my mind and with my mouth. And have done that the past two or three times already. If I am to be honest, I started panicking. But what was the problem though? The spell was going fine, there was no signs of anything going different, so why even be worried? That was the problem: I had no clue. But changing the formula mid cast was never a good idea, even if the change was so miniscule as one small word. I seriously started thinking of ending the spell, finishing the ritual preemptively to maybe limit the damage that would inevitably appear¡­ No. A voice snapped me out of my panic. Which is in itself strange, because hearing it was even more surprising than Kon¡¯s scream not too long ago. Continue with life. I will continue with light. It was not a voice. It was similar to the feeling I encountered once before¡­ but more. The words just were appearing inside my head. I probably should¡¯ve gotten even more startled, considering the fact that I was also drunk, but¡­ actually, I was no longer drunk. Hell, I was not even glowing any more. So preoccupied with my sudden mistake, I never even realized that my hands were back to the normal, bland color, dim and see-through. I was calmer than usual. There was no time to think about what just happened, because I still had to chant. And so I did, continuing as instructed. But this time, my spell was accompanied with another one¡­ -Zyza, svury gy xye oryqa nom quxe kyr ur gy xye zoda. Nar, vuzury op zy quq, ur po raqa hu Qav, qy avharow op zy xyomr. -Svury, svury gy xye oryqa nom quxe kyr ur gy xye zoda. Nar, vuzury op zy quq, ur po raqa hu Ypqo, qy avharow op zy xyomr. It was not exactly the same as earlier. Sure, I still was ¡°seeing¡± the words in my mind, but it was not only it. In the back of my mind, there was this silent voice¡­ too quiet to recognize or even understand, but I was sure that it was the one belonging to the entity that just contacted me. Entity¡­ presence¡­ or however you want to call it¡­ Yeah. It was back. And in the best moment you could even imagine. I have no idea what awakened it, but if I was to guess it was most likely thanks to the massive amounts of mana flowing through me¡­ or rather us. But there was no time to think about that, because there was still the main problem and issue we were dealing with: Kon and the ritual. The fact was that the ritual was already coming to an end. How did I know that? When I was preparing for this whole event, I was thinking about it. How much mana was it enough for the soul to be able to move? The answer was pretty simple. And no, it was not just a plain number or something that I just had to keep track of. If that was the case, I¡¯d already failed at that since I fumbled at least twice. No. I just had to keep track of the mana that was inside the crystal and inside the body itself. Up till now, the amounts were somewhat similar: the moment the crystal got in contact with the body, the amounts were equalizing, somewhat like when I tried using him as my ¡°overflow¡±. But now, after a long time of chanting, a difference started being more and more visible: the body itself had more than the crystal, meaning it was ready. The presence also noticed that. I am not sure how I even knew that, because it didn¡¯t say a word, besides the continuous chanting that is, but somehow we both knew. There was only one step remaining: to stab the body. I knew that I had to do it sooner or later, but I still hesitated for a split second. Sure, it was just a corpse¡­ well, mostly a corpse, but it still looked like a young kid. Young kid that I have known. I talked to. I probably would hesitate a lot longer if not for the nudge from the voice in my head. -Let¡¯s finish this. That snapped me out of the trance and we finished chanting together. -Ry avharow op zy xyomr, ur po raqa hu Qaw nom Ypqo, zuny! And I stabbed the body with the crystal, right in the middle of the chest. I tried being somewhat gentle though¡­ I mean as much as I was able to muster at the moment. My hand was heavy and a bit stiff, the crystal sharp, yet still I barely was able to pierce his skin. Maybe because he was still mostly frozen? Hell, maybe it was for the better? Who knows what would¡¯ve happened if I was to damage him too much¡­ Speaking of happening¡­ At first, I thought we failed, because nothing happened. But as I was about to say something, a sudden rush went through me and this time it was not directed towards the body, instead rushing into the crystal that I still had my hands on. Even though all this time I¡¯ve been under a constant barrage of mana from each direction, it was still nothing in comparison to what I just felt. If before I felt like I¡¯ve been standing in the middle of a moderate storm, the winds of mana buffeting me constantly, right now I got hit by a literal hurricane. It was such an immediate and unexpected change that I couldn¡¯t help but scream, closing my eyes, the echo howling through the empty forest. Wait. Not only through the forest. At the same time, a similar scream started echoing twice in my head, and I was certain that neither of those voices belonged to me. I wanted to let go of the crystal, hoping that it was the source of the sudden change, but I couldn¡¯t. If I still had muscles I¡¯d say I got a cramp, but¡­ well, it was probably still the case even with my body, To be honest, it probably was for the best, because even though the sudden surge of mana was very painful and straining, at the same time I noticed a change. To the cacophony of screams in my head, another one joined¡­ or rather one in my head got doubled, extending itself to my regular ears. I could now hear it both with my mind and aloud¡­ and it sounded familiar. Then, suddenly, everything ended. My hand finally managed to let go of the crystal, and I fell down right at the body in front of me. I wanted to push myself away to not fall on him and crush the body, but I only managed to turn myself to the side. Even then, I thought I managed to dodge it, because when I fell down, I crashed into something hard and stonelike, not cold and fleshy. Lying on the side, I started coming back to my senses. The voices and screams were gone, the forest silent, green canopy stretching above my head. Wait a second. Canopy. I could see. I blinked a few times, to make sure if it was not just my mind playing tricks on me, but nope. I was able to see, the blinding glow of the overwhelming mana was gone. I quickly raised my own hand in front of my eyes to make sure if I was not just me being exhausted and I just lost my magic sight again, but nope. My hands were still glowing, pulsing slowly, and I was able to see the small flames of mana in the immediate flora nearby. Did we succeed? I sat up on the grass and took a gaze around me. The things I¡¯ve seen were¡­ surprising to say the least. First of all, I instantly recognized where I was. And hell no, it was not just some random forest in the middle of nowhere¡­ I¡¯ve been here. I was sitting at the base of the MIRE. Right next to the building where I found myself first when I arrived in this strange world. 93. Kon Ha. Should¡¯ve known. Now the mystery of that overwhelming mana was solved: it was just the ruptured leyline under our building¡­ What was more concerning was the fact that I was no longer blinded. Sure, I already have been here without being blinded more than once, but that was before I was fully turned into a crystal remnant, enhancing my magical senses. And that ability was not gone, meaning that I¡¯ve just used an absolute humongous amount of mana. I couldn¡¯t tell if I should be scared or amazed. Amazed, because I was able to take in and redirect that much of mana without being destroyed to pieces or rather disintegrated, like certain someone. Hell, I was even feeling pretty good, if not for the small buzz in my head, just like a slight hangover. Scared, because I just dried up a rather very large piece of leyline. I mean, sure, I was the one to break it in the first place and it was leaking, but it was still concerning. Utilizing it for Kon was definitely not the worst way to use it though¡­ Right! Kon! In the aftermath I almost forgot the whole reason why I just did what I did. I quickly scanned the surroundings to find his body, to see if anything changed and noticed a somewhat stronger presence right behind a broken piece of wall. Not even bothering to stand up, I crawled towards it to see the effects of the ritual. What I saw¡­ was interesting to say the least. First of all, the main change was the fact that in the middle of his chest, where I stabbed him with the crystal, his skin had changed color, to a bright green. That was good news. It meant that at least the part that meant to meld the crystal with the body worked. The green coloration was probably because the massive amounts of mana that we used were mostly of nature attribute. But besides that, there was not much of a change to his appearance. Sure, his body was no longer frozen. That amount of mana was definitely enough to melt an iceberg the size of a skyscraper, so that was not a surprise. The main question was, did it work? -Kon? There was no reaction. Did we fail? But the crystal did meld with him. I was about to attempt to touch it and try to communicate the same way I did earlier, but before I managed to get in contact with him, he moved. -Arggh¡­ He sounded strange and a bit strained, but it was definitely him. -How do you feel? Can you hear me? - I asked, carefully watching him slowly wake up and try moving. -Mor¡­? Is that you¡­? You sound¡­ weird¡­ That was not the first thing I''d expected to hear, but hey, it was far from the worst. -Yeah. Can you move? -I think¡­ He groaned in pain, trying to lift himself up from the ground. It took him a good second before he managed to sit up, but he did it. Meanwhile, I was observing him with my mana sense. He looked¡­ well, mostly normal, considering the circumstances. His presence, just like every other person I¡¯ve seen thus far, was clearly visible to me without even trying, but there was also something strange with it. Sure, it was strong, without any signs of weakening or being drained by the crystal in the middle of his chest, but that was also what was concerning. See, usually, a person''s flame of mana is one and singular, burning with different brightness, depending on power or current state of mind, or exhaustion, but his¡­ looked weird. It was like he had two of them overlaid on top of each other¡­ like there were two sources melded in one. Was that the effect of the crystal? Did I look the same too? I was not able to check for myself, but judging by what I¡¯ve heard before¡­ it seemed possible. ¡°There is something else within you¡± or whatever Jack said? Yeah, it seems like I had my answer. As he sat up and looked at me, he flinched and seemed like wanted to move away. -What¡¯s wrong? - I asked, slightly concerned. -You¡¯re on fire! - he said, frightened. -Ah, no, it¡¯s just from all the mana that got through me¡­ I¡¯ll be glowing for a while I think, since I¡¯ve lost my way to get rid of the overflow¡­ -No! I mean, yes, that too, but you are literally on fire! There is flame¡­ inside you? - now he sounded more confused than scared, but I understood instantly. -Oh¡­ that¡¯s interesting¡­ -What¡¯s interesting!? Just extinguish it already, or you¡¯re gonna burn the forest down! It was nice to see that he was feeling well enough to worry about something like that. -Nah, it¡¯s fine - I stated calmly. - Listen. Look around us. Do you see something different? He definitely was still confused, but complied and gazed at the forest. And, of course, instantly got startled. -Everything is on fire! It¡¯s too late! Quickly, water¡­ -Calm¡­ But before I was able to finish my sentence, a gush of water hit me right in the face, knocking me back on the ground -...down - I finished my sentence, laying flat on the ground, absolutely stunned. Hell, he was not only fine enough to worry about the forest, but also was able to cast spells without an issue. And what was more interesting, did he just use magic without saying a formula? Hah, he was definitely a talented one. But there was no time to be amazed by his skills, because even though the stream of water that hit me was weak, it was not stopping, he instead was trying to extinguish the ¡°flames¡± on some bush nearby. -It¡¯s not dying down! - he started sounding more panicked. -Calm down! - I said, raising from the ground and finally standing up. - There is no fire, just let me explain. He did not look convinced, but the water stopped so I assumed that he¡¯d at least try and control himself. -Good. Remember what I said a while ago¡­ as I can see the mana? -Yes, but what¡­ -That¡¯s what you¡¯re seeing right now - I didn¡¯t let him finish. - Those are flames of mana. See? I gathered an orb of mana right at my palm, making sure to not turn it into any spell, realizing that I was still unstable. -Wha¡­ -Look around you - I waved my hand, dispersing the mana. - Every plant, every creature, everything has a similar flame. Even you. Although, I have to add, the area is a lot less infused than it was before¡­ - I muttered. And I didn¡¯t just mean the fact that it was no longer blindingly bright, no. Sure, the overwhelming light was gone, but now even the trees and grass were barely visible. At first I thought that it was me that was just weakened, but after seeing the orb of mana that I gathered and Kon¡¯s presence, I realized that it was not it. It was barely noticeable. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Hm. It was to be expected that I¡¯d exhaust a lot of it. Considering the fact that the last time I was in the epicenter of a similar event, there was absolutely no mana left to speak of, I should think about this one as a victory. -That¡¯s¡­ mana¡­? - he was now gazing in disbelief at everything he could put his eyes on. - You see the word like this¡­? -Yeah. A bit confusing, isn¡¯t it? -Yes¡­ it¡¯s like¡­ I¡¯m seeing¡­ I feel like I am going to have a headache¡­ -That sounds about right - I nodded. - But wait¡­ weren¡¯t you able to see the mana before¡­ as in using the magic sense? -I did¡­ - he agreed - but it didn¡¯t look like this¡­ it was just more like a slight glow¡­ like your crystal. -Huh. Interesting. Strange that his sense before was different from this, but it didn¡¯t matter. -In any case, you need to get used to this. It¡¯s a bit annoying at first, but it¡¯s an useful ability. So control yourself and don¡¯t try extinguishing me again - I added jokingly. -Right¡­ Right! - he almost jumped. - Water! I used water magic! -You did. So? -I never was able to! I told you, I only could use life magic¡­ and maybe some green, if my attempts at it can be even called that¡­ But just now I used water like it was nothing! -Ah, right. Yeah, that¡¯s normal. -Normal?! -Yes. What kind of crystal were you using? He suddenly started patting himself down. -Don¡¯t bother - I stopped him. - Even if you have it still on you, that¡¯s not what I mean. I thought you¡¯d realize yourself¡­ -...? -Eh¡­ look at your chest. Not understanding, he gazed down, just to jump up, terrified. -Calm down¡­ -Calm down!? I am a crystal remnant now! Why would I calm down? -And why should you panic? Remnant or not, you¡¯re still the same - I shrugged. - I speak from experience. Also, what the hell did you think was going to happen? That your soul just was going to smoothly move back to its body? -Maybe¡­ - I barely heard his answer. -Ha. Bad news, it was never going to be a case. Hell, at least you didn¡¯t lose any body parts, so that¡¯s a plus. -Why the hell would that happen? I just waved my hand at him. -Remember how I looked before? -Yes, but¡­ is that going to happen to me? - he asked, suddenly realizing what I meant. - Am I going to turn completely¡­ into this? I leaned back and gazed towards the canopy. -Who the hell knows. Maybe not. Hard to predict with that kind of magic. He fell silent, thinking. Probably trying to process everything that he just learned and what happened to him. Meanwhile, I just wrapped my hands back and lied down on the grass, resting. I wanted to let my mana calm down a little, I still felt the aftereffects of the stream that was abusing me for so long. I was not able to rest for long though, because maybe a minute later I felt someone approaching. I tensed up and was about to spring back up, but I realized that those two presences that I felt were familiar: it was just Jack and Vendi. -Kon? KON! I heard screaming from the forest. I didn¡¯t even bother looking up. In the corner of my eye I saw Jack running right at him and leaping like some crazy predator right at him, hugging him tightly, followed quickly by Vendi who was observing him, intrigued. -Are you alright? Did this thing work? What happened? Where were you? He started bombarding him with questions, Kon barely being able to answer half of them before new came. Vendi on the other hand was silent. Instead he was closely examining the piece of crystal melded in his chest. Seeing how close he was getting I was considering if I should warn him at least, but I decided to not bother with it. He should¡¯ve known better not to touch it by now, having the first hand experience of being drained by my crystal. Hell, it was also a good opportunity. How strong was his crystal exactly? Just as expected, he couldn¡¯t resist and poked him right in the crystal, making direct contact with it. Kon suddenly shuddered, not sure what was going on, while Vendi definitely recognized the feeling. I was just quietly observing them both, paying the most focus to the amounts of mana they had. Oh, it was strong alright. Of course not as deadly as mine, but I definitely noticed a good amount being drained from him, before Jack, the only one paying attention, managed to split them both. He himself only managed to dodge the drain thanks to the fact that he never directly touched his chest. Vendi, pulled away from Kon, staggered back and, unlucky him, tripped on my leg. It was an accident, of course, I have not moved since they arrived. Actually, I think that that was the first time they realized that I was still here. I was not exactly hiding, but I guess the green piece of crystal was somewhat hard to spot in the tall-ish grass that was covering everything nearby. -Careful, or you¡¯ll get drained - I said unenthusiastically, sitting up. -Oh! You¡¯re here! - said Jack, finally noticing me. -Warn sooner! - I heard from the grass, muffled. -I am not exactly hiding¡­ Also, Vendi, after so many times I thought you¡¯d have known better not to touch crystal people by now¡­ I stopped and realized what the hell I was even talking about. -And do you really think I care about either of your well-being? For all I care it¡¯d be better for both of you to just get turned into mana to feed him now. Even though I said that, I was feeling¡­ strangely torn. I mean, sure, both of them were the source of all the recent problems I had, their magic was giving me a headache, and above all, they definitely were not understanding what they were even doing. But then¡­ that¡¯s also why I was somewhat sympathetic for them. Sure, they were poorly informed, to say the least, sometimes bordering on insanity, but at least they weren¡¯t as annoying as Goldie¡­ Also, Jack had somewhat good intentions¡­ The silence that fell after I said that was broken by Kon. -I don¡¯t think I need to¡­ I feel fine. A mana fruit or two and I¡¯ll be fine. -Right! River! - said Jack, happy that he changed the subject. - Should be even better. -Why not - agreed Kon. He was about to lean towards the water but I stopped him. -I know a better spot. It¡¯s not far. Come with me. -Err¡­ okay¡­? -You two. Stay here. None of them protested, Jack just nodded. It was obviously just an excuse to ditch them both. Even then I led him a bit further away, taking a slightly roundabout way, to ¡°avoid most of the bushes, thorns and other flora that was blocking the way¡±. -You know this place? - asked Kon, as we were going through one particularly dense bush.. -Of course. But why are you so interested? -I mean, isn¡¯t the look enough? -Look? -This place is like nothing I¡¯ve seen before! - he explained, excited. - The strange structures, the amount of mana it has¡­ -Had - I corrected him. - You managed to eat most of it. And you are still hungry apparently¡­ Oh, speaking of, I wonder how much this thing is going to affect you¡­ -What¡­? - he stopped, suddenly worried. -Oh, don¡¯t look at me like that. It¡¯s not that bad. At least your throat wasn¡¯t changed. -Now I am really worried. What do you mean by that? -Eh¡­ Let me explain. Like our friend here demonstrated, you are not exactly pleasant to touch. -Of course - he nodded. - That¡¯s because of that crystal, right? -Yeah. Seems like it works similar to mine¡­ well, it was technically part of me before so it¡¯s to be expected. It¡¯s going to try and drain mana from anything it touches. Say, if it was in your throat and you were about to eat something, what would you think would¡¯ve happened? -It would¡¯ve drained the mana from the food¡­ but so what¡­? It would¡¯ve tasted bland then I guess? -Bland? - I chuckled. - Well, it¡¯s not untrue¡­ - And as he was clearly still not understanding I added - It would¡¯ve turned to ash. -Bleh. I guess you are right, I am lucky that¡­ - He stopped mid-sentence, realizing something. - Wait, does that mean that you cannot eat anything but ash? That is disgusting. And absolutely horrible! -Oh, I am so touched that you worry about me. Did you get it from your father? - I asked. - Nah. I mean, sure, you are right¡­ -How the hell aren¡¯t you starving then¡­? Do you drink only? You have to make cocktails to somehow survive? Smoothies? Does that even work? -Hm, that is a good question¡­ I never thought of that. Sure, the crystal would be able to drain mana even from the food that was turned to paste, but¡­ would it somehow separate from water then? Would it be a watery ash, or something different? -But to answer your question - I continued - no, I am not. I just simply do not eat. That¡¯s why I was curious. -Wait¡­ you don¡¯t get hungry? -Nope. Since I¡¯ve gotten this - I tapped at my crystal hand - I¡¯ve never felt like I needed to. Even before I turned completely crystal. That¡¯s why I was wondering if it¡¯s going to be the same for you. -Oh¡­ that¡¯s¡­ both amazing and horrifying at the same time¡­ -I don¡¯t know how not having to eat is horrifying¡­ -Not not having to. Not being able to. -Eh, it¡¯s not that bad - I shrugged. - I never even notice it, to be honest. But I guess I never was a big eater¡­ Working overtime would do that for you¡­ 94. Affinity -If you are really thinking of trying this water - I said when we arrived at the ¡°river¡±, or rather the spot that was far enough away from Vendi and Jack. - I don¡¯t recommend drinking it. Besides not really being fit for it, you should take it slow, first of all. You just went through some drastic changes and we are not sure how you are going to react. Come on, try touching it, what do you feel? He lowered himself to the small stream and dipped his hand in the water. -It¡¯s¡­ warm. Almost hot¡­ - he said surprised. -Ah. So you even drained the mana from the water¡­ Interesting. But that¡¯s good, before it was so infused it was hard to touch. Now try getting a few drops on your crystal. Without hesitation he followed my instructions. The moment the first drop fell onto his chest, I got a very familiar feeling. With my enhanced sight I was able to tell that the crystal immediately absorbed all the mana from the water. I could see the flame of his magic shudder and glow a bit. Another drop and the change was also visible to the naked eye: right in the middle, where the drop had fallen, the crystal pulsed with light, startling him. -Whoa! -What do you feel? -Warm¡­ and energized! This feels great! - he said as the glow faded. -Good. Works nice. Don¡¯t let it get into your head though. If you get too much the effects might be unpleasant. -Yeah, I¡¯ll be drunk¡­ -Not necessarily. If it works as I am expecting it to, you won¡¯t. That is unless you REALLY are going to overdose on mana. No, the crystal will absorb most of it preventing you from feeling the side effects. What I am warning you about is that if you absorb too much mana, when you start glowing, or your crystal rather, your spells might be¡­ a bit wild. -Wild? -More powerful. -Man, I am lucky¡­ -Of course you are. It¡¯s not everyday that you are able to survive a ritual using life magic and get an enhanced body as a result¡­ -Oh, right, right, but I didn¡¯t mean that. I just¡­ I can¡¯t imagine I¡¯d be able to figure all that out by myself. -Ah. -If that¡¯s the case¡­ - he started pondering - Maybe then I¡¯d be able to use something offensively¡­ -First of all, you can already. Second, it can be good, but only if you are careful. In my experience it¡¯s just annoying. -I can? - he sounded genuinely surprised. -Of course you can. You already used water pretty offensively to me. -I did? I did! -Yup. Without even thinking twice, he immediately cast the spell. -Usc fi elwu! I didn¡¯t know what to expect, but the spell went off perfectly. A small blob of water formed right at his hand and hovered there, right in front of his grinning face. I couldn¡¯t help but flinch. -And here I thought you didn¡¯t know any spells besides life and green magic. I didn¡¯t know if I should be flattered, annoyed or amazed. Without even realizing, he used my spell. The grin on his face suddenly disappeared, as he just realized what he did. -I¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ I didn¡¯t¡­ -I didn¡¯t mean to do this! - he sounded slightly panicky. - I don¡¯t know how I knew this spell! -I mean¡­ I never was really hiding when casting¡­ -No! I¡¯ve never heard you cast this! - he started defending himself for some reason. -You probably did that subconsciously¡­ -No! - he was still denying that. - I am telling you, I don¡¯t know this spell¡­ -So what, you¡¯re going to tell me that you just managed to create and control the water with just your mind? Hell no, I already hear you cast it. -Hear me¡­? I said something? -You are telling me you didn¡¯t realize? -Realize what? - he asked, seemingly clueless. -Oh greaaat. I should¡¯ve known that you¡¯re going to have some kind of defect. This operation going without even a hint of downside seemed too good to be true¡­ Hell, is that even a defect? -What are you talking about? -Listen. Just now, when you used the water spell, you DID cast a spell. A familiar to boot, at least for me that is. Are you trying to tell me that you have not done this consciously? -No! - he again denied it. - I don¡¯t even know what I said! -Greaat¡­ Hm. Well, try again then. -You say that, but I still don¡¯t know what¡­ - he said after a few seconds of awkward silence. -This is weird. -You tell me. -Eh¡­ okay then. The spell you used goes like this: Usc fi elwu. And I summoned a similar orb, although it was definitely bigger than the one he conjured recently. -Do you understand what it stands for? -I¡­ - he hesitated for a second - I think? I mean it¡¯s just logic, it means ¡°orb of water¡±, right? -Precisely. Now you know the words, try copying me. He nodded. -Usc fi elwu. He succeeded without any issue, as before. While that was not surprising in the slightest to me, he got startled himself and dropped the spell almost instantly. -Ha. You don¡¯t need to be scared of your own magic for now. -I know! it¡¯s just¡­ I didn¡¯t expect it to be so easy¡­ -It¡¯s just a basic, first level spell. You bet that¡¯s not difficult. Let¡¯s see if you can handle something more complex¡­ -Now, hold on¡­ But I did not care. I wanted to at limit-test his crystal a little bit. And maybe check how similar it was to mine. And what better way was it to compare spells. -Let¡¯s start with a different element. Usc fi geksu. A fire orb, easy. He gazed at the orb that appeared above my palm and joined the water one in rotating next to me like a small planet. -Uh¡­ can I really do that too? - he asked, not very convinced. -Of course. And even if you can¡¯t, how can we check if not by trying? Come on. -Okay¡­ Usc fi geksu! It worked. I mean, of course it did, he was casting using the Origin Crystal, not some weird tinted piece of garbage, no wonder it was working for him. Even so, his one was still weaker. I sort of thought he would be able to produce a flame at least as big as mine, I even made my orbs smaller than usual. -Good job. A bit on the smaller side, but that¡¯s for the better, we at least don¡¯t have to worry about setting the forest on fire. He did not reply, mesmerized by the flames now hanging right in front of his face. -Hello, Kon? -Ah, sorry. I just¡­ it¡¯s a bit overwhelming¡­ controlling two elements at once. -Right, that¡¯s supposed to be an achievement here¡­ but we are just getting started. I wanted to at least check if you can use all the basic elements¡­ -Basic? -Yeah. Fire, water, earth and wind, or depending on who you ask, air. -Only four¡­? -Only? A second ago you were overwhelmed and now it¡¯s ¡°only¡±? -No, it¡¯s not¡­ I didn¡¯t mean like that - he immediately corrected himself. - I mean what about nature, lightning, light¡­ -Ah. Yeah, those exist too, but I think the basic ones are enough for you. -Those are harder to use or something? - he asked, clearly interested. -I can¡¯t really tell you - I shrugged. - Every single one is the same for me. I can¡¯t tell if it will be the same for you. For me those are just words. -Okay¡­ but how are they different? -Eh¡­ I see you won¡¯t let me off the hook¡­ fine. Lesson time. I dismissed the orbs and told him to do the same. -There are four basic elements: fire, water, earth and wind. There is nothing much to say about them, the names speak for themselves¡­ Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. -Of course. -I noticed that here they are also sometimes referred to as colors of mana. I find it a bit misleading, but it is what it is. -Misleading? How? -Say, you hear that there is a ¡°white mage¡± in town. What kind of magic can he use? -I¡­ white magic I guess? -Sure, but what does that mean? White can mean many things. What, he uses illusion magic? Or maybe some strange water magic? Or maybe wind magic, that can also be pretty see-through? -Ah¡­ I see¡­ -I agree, some are more fitting than others, for example: Red Mages. There is only one element that comes to mind, right? -Yeah, fire. -Precisely. And on the other end of the spectrum, we have ¡°Blue Mages¡±. What do you think they use? -I¡­ assume water magic? -Nope. Ice magic. -Isn¡¯t that the same? -It is similar - I agreed - but not really the same. One is a branch of another. -A branch? -And you said that Noli taught you¡­ - I started, shaking my head with disappointment. -He did! But just how to manipulate raw mana and convert it to different elements¡­ -Wow, so he taught you a couple of words. Astounding - I couldn¡¯t help but be irritated. -No, no¡­ he never taught me the words¡­ It was just some practice. -Hold on. He taught you to cast spells. Without speaking. Before even teaching you the incantations. -I mean¡­ yes? -Wait a damn second, that is straight up impossible. -Em¡­ what do you mean impossible? Is it that hard? -No, when I say impossible, I mean it. What, you¡¯re going to tell me that you were able to cast a spell without even thinking of incantation? And that after telling me that you were unable to even cast a basic spell other than life magic before? -I¡­ yes¡­? I looked at him with doubt. -Okay, demonstrate. Now. -Er¡­ Okay¡­ He closed his eyes and focused. I was observing him closely, mostly paying attention to the mana around him. Sure enough, I noticed a small orb gathering in front of him, not very different than in case of my spells. But, despite his announcements, he did speak. Quietly, but still. -Wisfe. And sure enough, while it was not really the spell, the mana still changed to be green. I gazed at him with irritation. -That¡¯s it? -Yeah - he said, opening his eyes. - I told you that it¡¯s just¡­ -Okay, I am going to stop you right there - I interrupted. - First of all, you did speak. He looked at me with confusion. -I see¡­ so you are going to tell me that you didn¡¯t notice. -No! - he protested. - I didn¡¯t. Besides, how is it even possible to speak without even noticing¡­? -I don¡¯t know, you tell me - I shrugged. Seeing as he was still doubting me, I summoned an orb of mana myself. -Let me demonstrate. That is what you did. Wisfe. The mana that I gathered quickly turned green, turning visible. He looked at my orb. Then back to his. -That''s¡­ -The same? I mean, of course? What¡¯s more intriguing is how you never noticed that you were speaking. By the way, what you said means ¡°green¡±. I mean, pretty obvious¡­ Say, how were you teaching the kids then? -I¡­ I just did the same as now, but instead of using green magic I focused on the person in question, helping them find their element. -Find their element? -Yes. If I focus on someone I am able to feel their affinity. -Huh¡­ Mind trying this on me? - I asked, curious. -I mean¡­ sure¡­ but weren¡¯t you supposed to teach me or something? - he asked, surprised. -And when did I say that? But sure, if you are asking I can teach you a couple of basic words. -Oh! Than you! Of course I intended to do that from the start, having him being reliant on that life magic of his was not a good idea. But hey, since he was already able to do this much, it was going to be a breeze. -Great! Soo¡­ why do you want me to check your affinity? I thought that¡¯s pretty obvious for you¡­ -Oh? Really? What is it then in your opinion? Without checking? -I mean¡­ I don¡¯t know. I meant that you have to know since you know what kinds of spells you are using¡­ -And I already told you that I use whatever I feel like using. So I am curious what that divination of yours will show. -Okay¡­ well here goes. He stepped up to me and placed his hand just a touch above my shoulder. -Do I need to do something or¡­? -No. I just need to focus for a second¡­ He again started gathering mana, but instead of from the environment or from himself, I felt a slight tug and a tiny bit got drained from me, just to hover right in between the two of us. I was about to ask if that was it, but before I opened my mouth, he again said the same thing, without even opening his eyes. -Wisfu. This time it was louder and clearer, but I felt like it was not really a spell¡­ just a word that he subconsciously said. -Done. Oh, so you are green, huh? - he finally said, opening his eyes and looking at the orb. -Intriguing¡­ you¡¯re going to tell me that this time you also didn¡¯t notice that you were speaking? -Again!? - he yelped, surprised. - But¡­ -No, you didn¡¯t cast a spell - I calmed him down. - It was more like you were making an observation. But yeah, strange. I¡¯d never expect for me to be green¡­ I stopped mid sentence. I was green. And I didn¡¯t mean it like that, I meant literally. Since the last spell I¡¯ve used was that small green orb I summoned, I had a tiny bit of green hue going on, thanks to my crystal and the remaining mana. What if¡­ -Usc fi elwu. I summoned a water orb again -Fotoho lek dosleyy nop. And split it into a few smaller ones that I sent circulating around me . -What are you doing? - asked Kon, startled. -Just an experiment - I replied, looking closer at my arm. It was now a slightly bluish color. Just what I was aiming for. -Qigo. I sent all the drops scattering in every single direction, scaring him even more. -Wha..!? - he yelped, jumping back. A bit too late, because I managed to make him wet. -Sorry, my bad. Say, can you do that divination again? -Again? What for? -Just testing a theory. -I mean¡­ okay¡­? He repeated the process and pulled out some of the mana from me. But this time, it was not green. As expected, the word he said changed too. -Cmya. -Blue, huh? - I pointed out, leaning closer to the orb. Same as with the green one, it was still hovering next to me. I was tempted to touch it but I knew better, even the smallest touch would be enough for me to absorb it back again. -Blue?! - Kon opened his eyes widely. - But just a second ago¡­? -I have an idea¡­ but first, I am going to ask again: do you remember saying anything? - I asked the question already knowing the answer. -No¡­ did I say something¡­? -Eh¡­ yes. You said ¡°blue¡±... or rather ¡°cmya¡± if you want me to be exact. He stared at me for a good while. -What the hell does all this mean? - he muttered, annoyed. - What am I doing¡­ What did that man teach me? -Well, I have a guess. I don¡¯t really know how, but he managed to teach you how to drain mana from a person. Maybe a little bit, but still. -What? But that¡¯s¡­ -Dangerous? Sure - I agreed. - Especially if used by an amateur. And on some kids. Double the risk. He went silent for a full minute. -The more I know about that Noli person the more I regret believing him¡­ -Ha. Well, if it¡¯s any consolation, you didn¡¯t seem to do any damage to any of them. I mean, that would¡¯ve been pretty obvious, mana starvation is kind of hard to miss¡­ -Thanks¡­ -Yeah, I suppose that he expected that you wouldn¡¯t be powerful enough to do any serious damage¡­ A bit strange, seeing your mana capacity I would¡¯ve said otherwise¡­ But you are, or were, pretty horrible at offensive spells, you said it yourself. -I guess if we look at it this way, this thing actually is an offensive spell¡­ - he nodded, still taken aback. -Yep. But I wouldn¡¯t recommend using that method any more. Until you familiarize yourself with your new ¡°addition¡± that is. It¡¯s a bit pointless anyway. -Pointless? How is that pointless? Being able to tell someone their¡­ -Weren¡¯t you listening? - I interrupted him. - This thing is just draining mana from your target and then expelling it in the shape of a ball. Nothing more, nothing less. Meaning, you are just showing them their last used element. Sure, with someone who doesn¡¯t know how to control their magic, their magic will be the color they are the most used to, or as you are calling it. their ¡°affinity¡±. -I thought you said affinity is just made up? - he asked, confused. -It is. Mostly. Everyone can use any magic they please if they know how to. But here, it seems like that knowledge, along with the gems that are not colored, has been mostly lost. -Gems that are not colored? Those exist?! -I mean¡­ - I pointed to his chest. - What do you think that is? And have you ever looked at me? What do you think I use to cast spells? Some hidden piercing or something? -I¡­ I never thought of that¡­ -Yeah. But, back to affinity, it¡¯s not exactly complete bullshit. If you are to spend enough time using one singular element for a long time, it¡¯s obvious that you¡¯re going to be better at it. Your body will get used to it too. It¡¯s safe to assume that after a while even your own mana will instead be turned into that element. Since the clear crystals are mostly lost here, using one colored one creates perfect conditions to make someone''s ¡°affinity¡± a certain color. -Hah¡­ well at least now I know it can be used offensively¡­ at least it¡¯s useful for something¡­ -Think again. You already can do that even without this spell¡­ method¡­ whatever that is. -I do? - he seemed surprised. -Of course you do. I know, the change has been pretty recent, but you have to keep up. Remember, I told you: what kind of properties this crystal of ours has? -It can absorb¡­ - he started, finally understanding. -Precisely. Although sure, it¡¯s in a pretty unusual spot, you¡¯d have to hug your opponent or something. Hell, a bit inconvenient, although I can see how it would be a great surprise attack¡­ - the last part I muttered quietly to myself. - Maybe really using this thing is a better choice¡­ I wonder how powerful that is¡­ -I don¡¯t really see myself trying that¡­ And didn¡¯t you say that it¡¯s weak¡­? -I assumed it was - I nodded. - You said you used that thing on the kids and none of them is now in a coma, starved of mana. But I wonder if it¡¯s still the case¡­ -What do you mean? -You did manage to drain some from me, right? And, believe me when I say that, you didn¡¯t get much from me, but it was still enough for me to feel it and notice. Do you really think that a kid having this much mana drain would not fall down, knocked out? Or did you try limiting yourself with them? -I didn¡¯t even know I was doing that! - he shook his hand. - If I knew I for sure would! But what, did I drain more from you suddenly? -I think there are two possibilities. First one is exactly as you just said: you now are able to drain a lot more, be it thanks to the crystal, me being the most anomalous target you can pick or whatever you want to attribute this to. Or the kids are more powerful than it seems at first. I mean, it is not impossible: they are living in a pretty infused environment. Getting a boost from the environment can happen quite easily. -The forest surrounding the place is strange¡­ i always thought that it was something off with it. I guess it was the amount of mana it had¡­ -Hm. Yeah, while possible, I honestly doubt that it¡¯s the case. First of all, I¡¯ve already seen their mana flames and they were definitely not powerful nor developed enough to get drained that much and just shrug it off. Nah, it¡¯s just the crystal that is enhancing you. I was in the same boat as you, so I know what I am talking about. -You really think so? - he didn¡¯t seem convinced. - You think that I am strong? I honestly can¡¯t really believe it¡­ -Then don¡¯t. But speaking of strength, there is a reason that I dragged you off here, away from Vendi and Jack. -Oh. Man, I almost forgot that they were with us¡­ -Yeah, me too. I am surprised that neither of them came here to look for you. I guess that they are a bit spooked after seeing the ritual. Good for us. -So what do you want to do then? -I want to teach you how to defend yourself. You are pretty shit at offense. -Oh. But¡­ Why now? Aren¡¯t we a bit short on time? -Short? Last time I checked I had all the time in the world. Do you have something better to do? -But what about the rest of them? We did sort of leave them hanging¡­ -If you want to, we can send them back home. I only really needed them to get your body here and transport me. Since you¡¯re up and awake, that¡¯s both things taken care of. You can use portals, right? It¡¯s not yet another bullshit story fabricated by your favorite Jack? -He¡¯s not my¡­ eh, whatever. Yeah, I think that would be for the best - he agreed. - If you are offering, I am not going to let that opportunity slip again. 95. Lesson Me neither. It was not often I was able to study such a specimen up close and willingly. Whether he wanted to or not, Kon was pretty unique. First of all, he was now a crystal remnant. I was convinced that sooner or later he was going to turn fully into a crystal, just like me. I wanted to be with him to observe that first hand - after all, I missed the opportunity to study that when I was the one undergoing changes. Besides, there are some things you just do not notice when they happen to you, but for the outside observer they are painfully obvious. If that was not enough reason, there was also the fact that the crystal that was part of him now was after all a piece of my own body. How was that going to influence him? Would it even matter? Was my mana mixed with his? If so, what would that mean for both of us? Those were the questions that were pestering me, and I was not going to just let them slip out, or worse. -Hah, comparing me to Noli, eh? I see¡­ but you¡¯re right. We are strangely similar - I pointed out. - In any case, let¡¯s stay a couple minutes more. -Why? -I am not letting you go without you knowing at least one way to defend yourself. -I can manage fine! - he started protesting. -We both know that is not true. But let¡¯s leave that for now. I just want you to learn one singular spell, it should be easy. -Hm¡­ okay¡­ -What I want you to try is something that is not that far off from the spell you¡¯ve been using as the ¡°checker¡± so to speak. -¡±Checker¡±? I mean how I checked the affinity? -Yes, the one where you drain mana from the person. -Uh¡­ I don¡¯t really want to try and drain people - he hesitated. -Oh, I didn¡¯t mean it like that - I shook my head. - Besides, whenever you want it or not, you already have this ability. Nothing is going to change that. And the fact that you will need to learn to control it. Something like that, uncontrolled, can do a lot of damage, even accidentally. -I really don¡¯t¡­ -But that is not what I meant by that - I cut him off. - No, what I am interested in is a second part of it. The orb. -Orb? The mana I drain¡­? -Yeah. As you might have noticed, I keep using mostly a certain type of spells: orbs. -Right¡­ I somewhat realized that, but never really thought much of it¡­ I guess since you are mentioning it there is a good reason for that? - he asked, intrigued. -Oh, there are a couple - I agreed. - But the main one is rather mundane. I extended my hand and quickly gathered a bit of mana from the environment right at my palm. -Have you ever wondered why a sphere is a shape that is sometimes referred to as a perfect one? -Ah¡­ not really¡­ - he said, and a moment later muttered a lot quieter - I didn¡¯t even know about that before now¡­ -It¡¯s because it is most efficient - I explained. - Even in nature, things tend to try and stay in a shape that resembles a ball. Liquids, for example. -I see¡­ -And why wouldn¡¯t it be the same with mana? - I pointed out. - While, sure, mana most of the time behaves more like air than water, it still has the ability to behave like either of them. That¡¯s why I like to use orbs: be it air or water, the shape is easy to keep either way. Hell, sometimes mana will do it on its own, without your involvement. Just like you demonstrated. -Oh¡­ so wait, if that¡¯s the case, why are your spells multiple words then? - he asked. - Since you don''t have to worry about shape, you just have to change the color of the mana, right? -Oooh, you are smart. And perceptive. But remember, I said, it¡¯s ¡°sometimes¡±, not always. Even if it was always, I¡¯d rather be safe than sorry. -Okay¡­ so the second part of the spell is to keep its shape? -Correct. -Which one? -That is what I wanted to teach you today - I explained. - I mean, I really want to teach you a lot more, but in due time. For now let¡¯s just focus on that - I pointed out towards the orb of mana hanging next to me. -Yeah, I noticed you summoned that¡­ What''s that for? I want to teach you this. Gymnu. The orb instantly shrunk and changed, from being an intangible blob, only visible thanks to my magically enhanced sight, to a ball of lightning, hovering right above my hand. -Whoah! -Yeah, pretty cool - I nodded. - But that¡¯s not the point. As I just demonstrated, you can just speak one singular word and the mana will transform according to your will, meaning you¡¯d technically need to learn that one and be good for a while. Care to try? -I¡­ but where do I get mana from - he asked meekly - I don¡¯t really know if I have enough¡­ I looked at him curiously. -And why do you think that? -It¡¯s just¡­ I never had casted that much magic¡­ - he admitted. -What, two spells? Come on, you are not that weak. -It really was not just two¡­ I did try and observe you a couple of times, so I used some mana¡­ more than some, just to be honest. I chuckled. -Hah, no, I don¡¯t think you will be weary for a long time yet. Did you forget that you now have a crystal embedded in your chest? -Sure, but I didn¡¯t drain anyone¡­ I think? Maybe besides you when you asked, but¡­ -Come on, Kon. Do you really think that Origin Crystal has just this one application for magical use? -Huh¡­? -Eh¡­ And here I thought you¡¯re a bit quicker on the uptake¡­ Listen. Your crystal doesn¡¯t just help you absorb mana. It can store it as well. How do you think you even got trapped in it in the first place? -But¡­ -Let me finish. It also functions as a regular gem, similar to the ones you¡¯re used to using. But, unlike those, it is not tinted in any way, meaning you can use it to cast any kind of spell you desire. I already mentioned that. If I am to guess, it probably boosts them as well, since I am pretty sure that the gems you¡¯ve been using were pretty poor quality. -They weren¡¯t that bad - he muttered. - Jack told me he bought the best ones he could¡­ -Yeah, but the best one here still is beaten by a landslide by the Origin Crystal. -Origin Crystal¡­ you keep calling it that¡­ What does that even mean? Origin of what? -Why does it matter? -It doesn¡¯t - he shrugged. - I am just curious¡­ -Well, if you want to know, it''s the origin of magic. -Excuse me?! - he seemed stunned by this explanation. - Don¡¯t say it like it doesn¡¯t matter! -It really doesn¡¯t - I replied unenthusiastically. - And before you start having some strange ideas, no, I didn¡¯t mean that it¡¯s the source of all magic. It¡¯s more like a piece of the source. -What? I don¡¯t understand¡­ -And you don¡¯t have to. Not like it matters to you. -I feel like it matters a lot! - he protested. - I now have a piece of it permanently embedded within me, I think I need to know what it exactly is. -I suppose that might be right - I replied after a second of thought. -Origin Crystals are very peculiar pieces of rock¡­ because, in the end, that¡¯s what they are: just stones, but ones that have been under an influence of an enormous magical energy for long enough time. Preferably multiple ones. -I feel like that doesn¡¯t explain much¡­ - he said, a bit disappointed. -Of course it doesn¡¯t, because I didn¡¯t even start explaining yet. He opened his mouth, but closed it almost immediately and did not interrupt. -What do you know about leylines, Kon? -I¡­ Not much. I know that they are mana channels, used to connect certain things. I know we have a set under our home, connecting the pieces of the barrier. -That¡¯s it? Man, you really are not very educated. -I didn¡¯t really have an opportunity to - he said, visibly hurt. - Being enslaved does that to a person. -I suppose so¡­ Well, let me educate you a bit. While you are not exactly wrong, what you are describing is just scratching the surface. The ¡°leyline¡± you have in mind is just a man-made imitation. A poor one at that. What a real leyline is, is a massive stream of mana that snakes its way around the whole world, branching and crossing like a very tangled mess. Similarly to a system of blood vessels in the human body, or a nervous system, although a lot more messy. And same as the ones in body, it also is a lifeline of our world. It distributes power, or mana rather, all around us, giving our magic shape. Usually hidden deep underground, it is this intriguing system that makes magic possible. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. -The Origin Crystals on the other hand - I continued, seeing like he was listening intently with widely open eyes - are formed within that system. They are created on the crossings of the major arteries, in spots that are absolutely abundant with mana. -So wait¡­ like here? - he pointed out. - There is an Origin Crystal here?! -Good observation, but no, it is not here. Not any more. Or at least not in the form that it is supposed to be in. -Supposed to be in? -Yes. The Origin Crystals come in various shapes, but they have one thing in common: they are large, bright and very hard to miss. If there was one here, I would¡¯ve known instantly. Or I guess we would - I said pointing at his chest. -So wait¡­ you are telling me that that enormous mana that was here¡­ the same one that was overwhelming me and you¡­ that was NOT the leyline? Leyline crossing? Then what was that?! -Oh, it was a crossing, or at least a leyline, that¡¯s true. Nah, it was definitely a crossing. But the crystal that was supposed to be here is gone. See, I told you that it can absorb mana, right? So if it was here, I¡¯d not be blinded and you¡¯d not be drunk on mana before. It would¡¯ve been just one large powerful spot, like a small sun somewhere. Instead, we had a whole area covered in light, or rather mana, that spread all over the place. -So what happened? Did it get destroyed? Stolen?! I guess I can see why people would want to put their hands on something amazing like this. -Oh, you have no idea. But no, it was not stolen or destroyed¡­ Well, not completely at least. -So what happened?! You clearly have a good idea about it, you knew of this place! -I did. And I know. -So tell me! What¡¯s that ominous cryptic riddles for? -Oh, they are not riddles. I am just saying what I think it¡¯s true. -What happened here then!? Tell me! -Well, remember when I told you that I lost my arm in an experiment? That experiment might have been involving an Origin Crystal. And it might have been the one that belonged here. He gazed at me dumbfounded. -I thought you were not from here? Was that a lie?! - he asked, somewhat scared. -Oh no, I am not from here. Or if I am to be correct, I am from here, but this place is not from here. -What?! Again with the cryptic nonsense! He was starting to sound more and more like his not-father by the second. -Explain! -I suppose I should¡­ I mean you¡¯d probably figure it out eventually. I took a deep breath. -I do not belong to this world. I am from somewhere completely else. -I came here, or rather ended up here, thanks to an experiment going wild. To this day I am not sure how or why I ended up in this hole, but I know that after what we did, there were a lot of magical explosions all over the place. I thought that those disintegrated people at first, but soon, after I got hit by a similar one, I ended up here. In a crater with the ruins of my old laboratory, on a busted leyline bleeding mana all over the place. -Wait¡­ so the Origin Crystal¡­ the one that was supposed to be here¡­ it¡¯s now¡­ -A piece of me. Yes. And by extension you. And if you want to be exact, it really should not be here, it should be back where I came from. That was the original spot where the Origin Crystal was found. You can¡¯t really move those¡­ It took him a good minute to process all that. -Okay, have I satisfied your curiosity? - I finally asked. - Can we get on with you actually trying to learn something? -Ah! Right! Sorry¡­ I don¡¯t know what got into me - he said, a bit distracted. - I was just curious¡­ That was¡­ a lot¡­ -And there is nothing wrong with that. I am somewhat glad that finally there is someone interested¡­ It¡¯s refreshing. But we have some other important things to do first. -Right¡­ so about that spell¡­ what should the incantation be again? Gymnu? -Careful! But it was too late. The loose mana that was gathered nearby suddenly flickered and changed, turning blueish white and arcing. Luckily there were no further changes, but just to be safe, I quickly swiped at the orb, absorbing it immediately. -Look, I am happy that you are eager, but think before you act - I chastised him. - I already told that to your father once, and I am going to say that again: don¡¯t just use spells like it¡¯s nothing! -I¡­ I didn¡¯t mean to cast it¡­ - he said meekly. -Of course you didn¡¯t. That¡¯s the whole issue. Even if you don¡¯t mean it, if you use the magical words, mana will reply in kind. You were lucky this time. -Sorry¡­ And yeah, that seemed¡­ weak. I think I failed this spell¡­ -You did not - I said, pointing to my now changed hand. - See how I am now of a different color? That was definitely lightning magic we were dealing with. It was just not very refined. No wonder, you were using just a singular word. -So I didn¡¯t fail? But that seemed less than useful¡­ -It only wasn¡¯t because you were distracted. Or rather didn¡¯t think at all while using magic. I am going to repeat myself once more: magic is not only influenced by the words you say, but also by your thoughts. What did you think about when you tried this? -I¡­ nothing much¡­ -Exactly. That¡¯s why it was so lackluster. We were lucky, all things considering. It could¡¯ve gone a lot worse. -So wait, what was I supposed to do? I should be thinking of an effect or something? -That is one way to do it - I nodded. - That¡¯s a bit advanced and I don¡¯t need for you to do that just yet though. However much I¡¯d not mind making Jack and Vendi wait for us, it would¡¯ve still taken too long for my liking for you to grasp that kind of spellcasting. -So what I was supposed to do¡­? -Use different words. But I didn¡¯t even finish explaining those to you yet -But, nonetheless you did what I wanted you to do first anyway - I admitted. - And you proved that you are capable of using that kind of spell. Not like that was any achievement to begin with, those are very basic after all. -If it¡¯s that easy¡­ Okay then, so what¡¯s next? -I want you to get a grasp on a single spell. What we are going to do is exactly as you just did a second ago, but this time, I want you to not just use one word, but the whole spell. Usc fi gymnu. As I said the spell, an orb of lightning appeared right in front of me, and, almost just like the one Kon summoned, started arcing and flickering with lightning mana. But this time, it was not just weak and almost see-through, it was a lot more pronounced and stable. -What that means is ¡°orb of lightning¡±. Self-explanatory, isn¡¯t it? -Wow¡­ -Okay, don¡¯t be so amazed - I rolled my eyes. - After all, you just did almost the same thing, albeit slightly less contained. -Contained? -Yes. Effectively, you did the same thing as I, but manually. First, you gathered mana into an orb and then instructed it to turn into lightning. It somewhat worked, but if I was to let it stay like that, it probably would start spreading, turning a lot more into lightning than we really wanted to, zapping both of us and the area around us. That''s why it¡¯s important to control your own spells. -I see¡­ -Speaking is the easiest way to control magic. The only problem is that you have to know the words. Right now I am not going to teach you the whole idea behind spells, translating and the spell levels, you just need to know that everything we¡¯re going to be using now is going to be level one, the easiest one. -O¡­ok¡­ -Good. Try it. Just like I did, you heard the spell. But this time, also try to imagine creating what I just made. -I thought it was enough to describe the effect aloud¡­ That meant ¡°orb of lightning¡±, right? If I say that, isn¡¯t it enough? -Of course it is - I agreed. - But that doesn¡¯t mean you shouldn¡¯t be careful and cover yourself in case of a mistake. -Ah. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll fail at repeating after you¡­ -Oh, I don¡¯t think so either - I nodded. - But that does not mean that I am infallible. Nor does it mean that you can sometimes be interrupted by something. Then what? You spoke a half of the spell, or full one but changed a letter or two. Who the hell knows what you might be creating then! But, if you are also thinking of the effect, you are covered in that regard: the spell will try to bend to your will, making it less likely to be, ehm, ¡°wild¡±, so to speak. -I see¡­ -Then there is also a matter of pronunciation - I pointed out. - You probably noticed by now, but some words might be harder to say than just to think of. Whenever you want it or not, you will make a mistake. And if we add the issue of grammar¡­ -Grammar?! - he sounded surprised. - It has grammar? -Of course. I told you, it is based on a real language, why wouldn¡¯t it have grammar? But, luckily for us, it¡¯s not that bad. You don¡¯t need to be that precise, and there is no real issue in talking like a caveman. -Like a what? -Like a primitive. Oh come on¡­ - I muttered annoyed, noticing as he was still not understanding. - When you talk to a person, you probably should not say things like: ¡°me be Mor, me human male¡±. Kind of stupid and embarrassing, don¡¯t you think? But with the spells, you don¡¯t really have that problem. You¡¯re not really talking to a real person and even then, they are going to understand you¡­ probably. Mostly. Even if you sound like an idiot. -That¡¯s¡­ a strange way to put things¡­ -It¡¯s just how things are - I shrugged. - If magic was just as easy as just saying a couple words, everything would be a million times easier. -If you say so¡­ but this way at least it is more creative, right? You don¡¯t really have limitations on what you can do¡­ At least from what I understand¡­ -And how would a singular language be a limitation? Nah, it would be better that way. Alas, it is not meant to be. -Right¡­ I don¡¯t think that¡¯s something that is able to be changed¡­ -I wonder about that¡­ Anyway, where were we? Right! Come on, try casting. -Ah! Em¡­ Usc fi gymnu! Of course, it worked perfectly. I mean, that was the basics of the basics. Nevertheless, Kon was excited. -It worked! - he almost was jumping from happiness. The orb he managed to summon was smaller than before, and definitely smaller than mine, but it was good enough: the essentials were there. Or even more. After a closer look, I noticed that the amount of mana that the spell was consisting of was similar to mine, although the lightning inside was condensed, thanks to which it looked smaller. If I was to guess, it was possible that it was even stronger than mine. Even considering the fact that I was holding back significantly, it was an impressive feat. -Good job - I said, nodding in acceptance and instantly swiped at the orb with my bare hand to disperse and absorb it. I was correct in my assumption: the amount of mana I absorbed from it was definitely not miniscule. -Now you at least have a way to defend yourself in case of an emergency. -Yeah! Thank you! He turned away from me, looking towards the forest. -Although I wish I was able to use more than just lightning. -You don¡¯t have to use lightning. -Sorry? - he turned to look at me again. -You know what I said - I shrugged. - That is another reason that I wanted you to try this spell. Say, remember what I told you that that incantation means? -Emmm¡­ orb of lightning, right? -Correct. So what¡¯s stopping you from using part of this spell only and replacing lightning with something else. For example, the colors of mana we were talking about earlier? -Didn¡¯t you say that using colors instead of elements is unreliable¡­? Can¡­ or rather should I really do that? -I can¡¯t tell you what you should or shouldn¡¯t do. But you are right, my recommendation is to not use them this way. -So then¡­. -ALTHOUGH. If you are to be in some situation that would require you using a different element and your well-being would be at stake, who am I to say what¡¯s right and wrong in that kind of situation? -Even then, I¡¯d recommend you to only use it as a last resort¡­ and if you are to use it I also recommend trying a bit harder on imagining the effect. That way, even if the incantation could be lacking, you¡¯d be a lot more safe that way. -I¡­ I think I understand. -Good. Because that¡¯s enough lessons for now - I said, gazing back at the track we made to get here. - Your Jack is definitely at the end of his patience¡­ -Right! With that we went back towards where we last saw the pair. 96. Dried Surprisingly, neither of them moved from their spots. What was strange though was the pose they were both now sitting in. Turning their back to the river, looking towards the forest, they were focused on¡­ something? I asked Kon if that¡¯s some kind of a ritual they need to do every now and again, but he had no idea. -What¡¯s up? - I unceremoniously greeted them both. That woke up Vendi, but not Jack. -Oh. You¡¯re back¡­ There¡¯s been some developments¡­ Amazing. That never means ¡°good news¡±. -What¡¯s going on? Why is he in a trance? -While you were¡­ doing whatever that was you were doing, Jack wanted to go back to the island. Since you were busy and we have a nice and stable source of mana he wanted to make a quick trip back. -Aha. So he tried escaping me. Got it. -No! - he instantly protested. - But this was the first time in a while since he left the island and the kids unintended¡­ There is always at least one of us present there. -But he is here - pointed out Kon. - What happened? -Yes¡­ because he was not able to open the portal. -Oh. That¡¯s inconvenient - I muttered, annoyed. - And that is because¡­? -That¡¯s the problem¡­ we are not sure. At first we thought that something was interfering with magic, but nope, other spells work without issue. -Well, yeah. But what does that have to do with him¡­ meditating? -He¡¯s trying to get a glimpse of the island - explained Kon. - I¡¯ve seen this before, but never this way. -This way? -Usually I use it to keep tabs on what¡¯s going on in the house - suddenly said Jack, opening his eyes - But I have never tried doing it from that far. I mean, I was able to see while I was in the capital, but now, I can¡¯t get even a glimpse. This place must really be far from everything¡­ That was the first time I¡¯ve heard of this kind of magic. Back in the MIRE, we never were deep in magical communication, or in this instance magical spying I guess, but nevertheless, I was pretty sure that if someone would¡¯ve made something like that, I would¡¯ve heard about it at least. Hell, it would definitely be widely used. A magical video call would be for sure something that everyone would instantly want to learn and use. Magical television, maybe even illusion and hologram based¡­ possibilities were endless. -I don¡¯t really know. But what now? -Does that mean that we are stuck here? - asked Vendi. -Of course not. It''s probably just because I am too exhausted¡­ -So recharge from the river - I pointed out the obvious. -I did not mean mana-wise¡­ True, now when he mentioned it, his flame did not look weakened. Quite the contrary, it was pretty bright. -If you have enough mana then what¡¯s the problem? -I don¡¯t know¡­ I think it¡¯s just because this day¡¯s been a bit overwhelming. I just straight up cannot focus on the target¡­ -The hell are you on about? Focus? You¡¯ve been sitting here this whole time. I was the one doing shit. If someone has the right to be distracted and tired, that is me. Or maybe Kon, after all he¡¯s been through a lot recently¡­ -I know, I know¡­ It¡¯s just I can¡¯t explain it any other way! - he sighed. - It¡¯s just as he said. I wanted to get back to the island, but I simply cannot. I tried making a portal but that failed. I admit, that worried me a bit, so I wanted to take a look at the home, to check how everyone¡¯s doing¡­ that failed too. -I can¡¯t help with that. I never used, nor even heard about that kind of magic so I am not familiar why that thing would not work here¡­ -It¡¯s based on portal magic. Ah. No wonder. -It essentially is just making a portal but just for the image. And the one way only - he explained. - So as I was prepared to portal us out of here, I also had all the tools needed to check up with a bit of scouting. -So you need an anchor and all that crap. -Precisely - he confirmed. - But, it also did not work. -Does that mean that something happened back home? - chimed in Kon, worried. -Don¡¯t jinx it! - quickly said Vendi, but it was clear that he was also worried. -I don¡¯t want to but do you have any other explanation? -I might¡­ - I spoke up. - I mean, I am not, by far, an authority on portal magic, but are you sure that your anchors are working correctly? How do you even prepare those? -It¡¯s not that hard, really¡­ And since it¡¯s so easy, there is really no way that they would just stop working all of the sudden. -Yeah - nodded Jack. - You just need some kind of item and infuse it with mana. It then gets linked to the place you are currently, making it an anchor. -So wait, you don¡¯t need an item FROM the location you want to teleport to? It just needs to be infused there? -It depends. Of course that it¡¯s better if it¡¯s both, but you technically can make an anchor without really having any item from the location you want to make the portal to, you just need to have it infused with the magic of the place you need. The only problem is the amount of mana is needed to infuse and teleport: if the item you infuse is from the chosen location, the amounts needed shrink considerably. Same with the portal costs. -Huh. -Yeah. As you see, you can¡¯t really just ¡°break¡± the anchor, you either have it or not. -And that¡¯s where you are plainly wrong. What do you think would happen if your anchor suddenly got drained of the mana, huh? Wouldn¡¯t that mean that it¡¯s just useless? -I mean, of course, but who can just drain¡­ He stopped mid-sentence, realizing what I had in mind. -No¡­ you drained it?! I rolled my eyes. -Do I need to remind you WHY we came here in the first place? I, or rather YOU needed a very large mana source to DRAIN, so your son would get his body back. It¡¯s not my fault that you had your precious items not protected and let them get drained! I never really had a choice in the matter, mind you - I pointed out. - If you want to blame someone, blame Kon, technically he was the one absorbing mana. Or even better, blame yourself for not protecting your shit. They both looked at me with disbelief. -You are telling me that the pull was so strong that even our belongings got drained? -Of course. Didn¡¯t you feel the pull when I was chanting? I definitely was able to see your mana being drained away. Of course that means that your belongings got drained too. -Wait¡­ why didn¡¯t you get drained then? Your items? The necklace! Is that thing dead too? That was actually a good question. Since we landed here, I didn¡¯t really pay much attention to the thing and just had it on me. When he mentioned it, I pulled it out and inspected it carefully. From the outside, it looked just as before, which was no surprise, even if it was drained of mana, the looks wouldn¡¯t have changed much, or at all, really. Wondering if it was still good, I quickly tried my standard fire orb, using the necklace as a conduit. -Usc fi geksu. It worked. I have to add, I had a bit of an issue forcing the mana to go through it instead of through my crystal body, and in the end I had to use both of it at once. Nevertheless, the necklace was working. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. -Looks fine to me - I said, hovering the orb next to the necklace. - We probably should¡¯ve known, this thing is not just some magical bauble, it is a red crystal. Even if drained, it still works because it¡¯s me, or whoever is using it at the time, who is providing mana to it. Can¡¯t really drain something that has no power in the first place. -I guess that¡¯s right¡­ - muttered Jack. -But that doesn¡¯t change the fact that we have a problem. We are stuck! Without anchors, we are sitting ducks. -You only had one anchor? -I have¡­ had a bunch. But all of them were in the same bag, so I fear that if one is not working, it¡¯s the same for the rest¡­ -Amazing. And I assume there is no super-secret and handy magic that can teleport us here without using an anchor? When I asked the question I was mostly looking at Kon, since so far he was the one that knew the most about magics, especially the weirder ones, but he shook his head. -I don¡¯t think so¡­ I did try doing it once without an anchor but I just managed to open a portal on the wall next to me¡­ Not really handy right now¡­ -Let¡¯s not be so negative just yet! - stopped us all Jack. - It¡¯s still possible that it¡¯s just me being bad or distracted or something¡­ Kon, can you try opening one with this? He pulled out from his small sack a piece of wood. It was similar to the one he gave me to be able to walk through the barrier, although this one had just a single letter written on it: ¡°H¡±. -Sure¡­ but¡­ - he hesitated, pointing to his chest. -If you are worried that your new body might interfere in your spellcasting, you don¡¯t have to worry. It shouldn¡¯t change anything. It only could interfere if you¡¯d be overcharged. -And how can we tell that he is not? - asked Vendi. I just shot him a look, waving my glowing hand right in front of his face. -Okay¡­ He grabbed the piece of wood from Jack and took a step forward. I only just noticed that the spell was already prepared - the ground next to us was covered in letters of the formula. Right, Jack tried teleporting once already. Kon, at first, was just standing next to it, just staring at it. A few seconds later I noticed he closed his eyes, focusing. But, nothing was happening. Even looking at his mana I could tell that nothing was going on. Apparently, I was right. While staring at him, I took a few glances at the supposed anchor, but of course it was completely dark - no mana inside to speak of. -Sooo¡­ - I interrupted the silence. - I think I was right. -Mh¡­ I am sorry¡­ -What for? - I asked surprised, in unison with Jack. -It¡¯s not your fault! - agreed with us Vendi. -Well¡­ that¡¯s not exactly true¡­ If Mor is right, it was the ritual to bring ME back that broke our anchors¡­ meaning that¡¯s exactly my fault that we are now stuck here. He wasn¡¯t exactly wrong. -Oh, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll be fine - said Jack, a bit too carefree in my opinion. -Yeah. It¡¯s not like we are stranded here, we have a guide - said Vendi, looking at me with expectations. -Right! You mentioned that you know this place - pointed out Jack. - So can you get us to some kind of city or at least out of this forest? Where are we exactly? -That is actually a good question¡­ - I sighed. - But that will be a bit more complicated than you think¡­ -How so? - he suddenly started sounding a lot more worried. -See¡­ I have absolutely no idea where we are. -But you said¡­ -Yes, I know the place. But I don¡¯t know where the place currently is! -What, are we on some kind of moving island? -I mean, that is definitely possible, but that was not what I meant - I said, annoyed. - I am not going to explain everything to you, you just need to know that as far as I am aware, there is only one way to get out of this bowl, without flying, that is. And that way leads not to a village, nor really out of this forest. Only to a singular home. -That¡¯s good enough¡­ We probably can ask the owner about the area. You know them at least? -Oh, I do. And, funnily enough you too. -I do? - Jack looked at me confused. -Of course. You even spied on her. -I did what? -Okay, I¡¯ll stop being annoying. I mean Melle. All three of them looked at me with surprise. -So wait a second¡­ this thing¡­ that necklace of yours lead us to her house? You were right! -Well, somewhat¡­ - I said, not convinced. - But there are some problems¡­ -Are you going to tell me that there is something else that you¡¯re not telling us? - he asked, worried. -A lot of things. But most of them do not matter right now. -So what¡¯s the problem? You think that Axelrod sent someone to check this place? -That is very possible. -Hm¡­ that might be an issue¡­ -What issue? - said Vendi, a bit perplexed. - That is great news! If they came here, then they need to have a way out of here! Or at least an anchor somewhere! We can ambush them and get the hell out of here! -Yes. Amazing plan - Jack said, mockingly. - Even if we¡¯d be able to get them by surprise, do you really believe that the four of us would be able to subdue some elite force under Odar¡¯s command? -Well, if I am to be honest, that actually wouldn¡¯t be out of the realm of possibility - I muttered quietly¡­ -What? -You say elite¡­ - I said slowly. - But I¡¯ve been right in the middle of the palace. I have not seen a person that would be stronger than any of us¡­ that is if we do not include Axelrod himself. Even Odar was somewhat similar in power to you, Jack. -Really!? - he sounded astounded. - I never¡­ What about Blue Mages? They were recently in the capital¡­ -None of them can even hold a candle to Kon right now. And their magic is also not the best choice if they had to fight against us. Your green magic can easily break through ice, same with Vendi, you can just melt it with your light. -My light is not that warm¡­ - he muttered, not convinced. -Oh, but it is, I can tell. And if that would not be enough, we still have Kon and me. We can just melt the ice, no problem. -Right¡­ But there is another issue¡­ Even if we are able to subdue someone, steal from them, or anything really, we are still only getting a way to the capital! That is of course if we are to get anything. -Well, we don¡¯t really need to rob them¡­ there is still the whole Melle¡¯s place. -What, you think she¡¯d have some anchors? -That is very possible - I nodded. - Her daughter was able to use portal magic as well, so she had to have at least some of them. She was the one who sent me to your island in the first place. -She sent me to my island? - he sounded surprised. -Yeah, albeit it was by accident, she teleported me there. I don¡¯t know how the hell she managed to do that though¡­ -Hm¡­ that is worrying¡­ She had to have an anchor leading to my island¡­ but from where? -Er¡­ well, not exactly. As far as I am aware, she never wanted me to end up there. -What was that supposed to mean? -If I am to believe what she said, I was supposed to end up in some village close to the capital, if I was to guess maybe Kalkano, or something. But for some reason, I ended up at your place. I have no clue how, though. You¡¯re the one using this magic, so tell me, is that even possible? -Hm¡­ - he went silent for a second. - Well, actually¡­ -Maybe - chimed in Kon. - I mean, I¡¯ve heard of failures¡­ But that¡¯s still pretty far. -Failures? -It is possible to teleport to somewhere else if your anchor is poorer quality. Or tainted in some way. -So what, you get sent somewhere randomly? Damn, I am happy that I have not been using portals much back at the¡­ -No, no - he corrected me almost instantly. - It¡¯s not really random¡­ Well, not completely. As far as I know, it depends on the quality of the anchor. The worse it gets, the further you get from your intended destination. -But in the end, you still get randomly dumped¡­ somewhere? -Yeah¡­ -Hm. Well, that tracks it seems. It means that whatever she used, the anchor was bad enough that it managed to toss me all the way from Kalkano to your house. -All things considering - muttered Jack - it¡¯s not that bad. When I was still in the slave trade, I¡¯ve heard about people ending up at the edge of the world while trying to teleport to Kruro. -That¡¯s a far toss¡­ -Yeah, no shit. But they were more worried about being tossed into the water. -Into the water? That sounds like a bit of bullshit to me¡­ - I said, suddenly not convinced. -Why? You think it¡¯s not possible to go that far? -Hah, no. While I am not a specialist in this field, correct me if I am wrong, but for the portal you need some kind of surface. -Yeah¡­? -So if someone was to end up in the ocean, where the hell would the opened portal be? On the fucking bottom of the sea? -I¡­ huh. I actually don¡¯t know¡­ -See what believing some random stories gets you? But, nevertheless, even if they did not end up in the ocean, that is still concerning. -Eh¡­ still, even with that bit of news¡­ - I said after a moment of thought - Our plan has not changed. We need to go through the mountains. -I thought you can¡¯t leave here without flying? - asked Kon. -Oh, that was before I was here last time. I made myself a way out. We need to go along the river to the base of the mountain. If nothing has changed, there should be an entrance to the cave system there. On the other side we¡¯ll find her place. -Okay, I am all up for leaving this place¡­ but what then? I don¡¯t think that whoever is there, if anyone for that matter, is going to help us. -No. But there is a good chance that we can get an anchor there, and that¡¯s good enough for me. -Hm. If that¡¯s not enough, I guess we can then try and go outside and find some town. -Well, that might be slightly problematic¡­ - I slowly said, thinking of what I heard about her home. -What, it can¡¯t be that far, can it? -Eh¡­ I am not sure, but from what I know, this place is on an island. -So? -Small island. And I doubt that there is anything else than her house here. She¡­ or rather her family were supposed to be some kind of hermits¡­ maybe druids, if that is even a thing here. -Druids? - Jack seemed surprised. - No wonder I¡¯ve never managed to get any info about this place¡­ Those kinds of people are as hard to track as it gets¡­ Damn. Her family is wild. -Yeah. Literally and figuratively. On one side you have a king, on the other you have some lone hermits deep in hell-knows-where. -What the hell did we step into¡­ - quietly muttered Vendi, visibly done with all this mess. -Who the hell knows¡­ Well, nevertheless, we have to get a move on. This place is pretty large. -Right. 97. Shared With no time to spare we started moving along the river and towards what I remember was the entrance to the cave system. At first, we were walking in silence, no one really in the mood to chat¡­ well, besides one person. While Jack and Vendi were relatively annoyed and somewhat on the edge with this situation we found ourselves in, Kon on the other hand was more interested than anything. I mean, sure, I can understand him, I would¡¯ve been as well. But I am just weird like that, some would say. I would¡¯ve thought that after being turned from a person to a tree, to a rock and back to a person again he¡¯d be a bit more overwhelmed and¡­ I dunno, tired? Passive? Depressed? Something. But definitely not what he was right now. Right now he was an image of health and optimism, shining beacon in between the group of people absolutely done with the situation. Even I was feeling the effects of our ¡°adventures¡±, and I was a crystal monster with infinite energy, or rather as infinite as the environment was letting me get away with. While I was not tired, the aftereffects of the ritual that brought Kon back to his body were still lingering. Or rather the drunkenness. It has already turned into just a slight buzz, but was still distracting and somewhat annoying. -So¡­ Mor¡­ you said you know this place? -Yeah. -You managed to find it in the middle of those mountains? It had to be a pretty crazy adventure¡­ -You don¡¯t even know half of it. -Care to share? -It¡¯s a bit of a long story¡­ - I said, still not in the mood to discuss this with him. -You said that it¡¯s going to take a while before we arrive, so we have time. -I guess¡­ I did not continue, but just one look on his face was enough to realize that I was not going to get rid of him with that kind of easy excuse. -Come on, you surely can tell me something¡­ anything¡­ -Ehhh¡­ - I took a deep breath. - Fine, fine. You heard the term MIRE, right? -Yeah, I was meaning to ask¡­ how do you know those mercenaries? -Mercenaries? -Yeah¡­? Mire? That¡¯s what a certain group of mercenaries stationed somewhere near the capital is called, right? -Huh¡­ I¡¯ve heard a bit less positive description, but I guess it fits¡­ -So you know them, right? -No. -Wha? Didn¡¯t you say that? -Yes, I know of MIRE, but not the one you are familiar with. The one I know is a bit different. -There are two of them? - joined in Vendi from behind. I kind of forgot that we were not alone with Kon. It sort of made me reluctant to speak, until I remembered that I already told them quite a bit about my past, so a little more wouldn¡¯t really matter anyway¡­ -Yeah, I think so. I already mentioned that I belonged to a certain organization that, among other things, was responsible for the failures of life magic, right? We were called MIRE. -OH. -Yeah. Quite different from that band of mercenaries or whatever, hmm? -... -To be honest¡­ I am not so sure - said Jack, who up till now was listening intently. -What the hell do you mean by that? If you think that I am now a free agent for hire, and sort of a mercenary, it doesn¡¯t mean that it¡¯s because I am from MIRE. That¡¯s a very recent development. -It¡¯s just¡­ the Mire Kon mentioned is indeed some band of mercenaries, true, but not only. -Oh? What else is there? -I heard that they are also interested in, just as you, strange magic. I can¡¯t say what for, nor if it¡¯s really true, but I¡¯ve heard things¡­ -Great¡­ and here I hoped that I would NOT be associated with that kind of shady business again¡­ Also, strange magic? What was that supposed to mean, huh? -Shady¡­ you got that one right¡­ - he said, ignoring my question. - Besides being a powerful group for hire, just as you said you heard, I know for a fact that in past years they also were connected to a bunch of kidnappings. -I am guessing that it''s connected to your old contacts in the slave business. He smiled at me painfully. -Bingo. I know that they stole a bunch of promising targets from some of my clients. -Okay, but what does that have to do with ¡°strange magic¡±? And me for that matter? -They¡¯ve been targeting people with unique abilities - he explained. - Be it what you want, talking to plants, reading minds¡­ anything that is out of the ordinary. -Ordinary is sort of subjective here¡­ -But recently they¡¯ve gotten interested in a certain subject¡­ Remember the kid I once told you about¡­ the one that could heal? I eyed Kon to check his reaction, but there was none. At least not on the outside. Inside, I could tell that he suddenly got nervous. -Yeah¡­ and? -They have been pestering the guy who sold them. And trying to get the info out of him about the person he sold them to. Apparently wanting to buy them out. -Hah. And what, did the guy sell them out? -As far as I am aware, no. Besides the fact that the whole deal was too suspicious even for him, he just never wanted to have anything to do with Mire. -What, do they have that much of a bad reputation? -Yes. Don¡¯t you know? What exactly did you hear about them? Come to think of it, I only heard a little bit about them, and it was all from Melle. What did she say about them? A bunch of murderers? Assassins? Hell, it was a long time ago. -Nothing good - I plainly said. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. -That¡¯s a bit of understatement - he continued after a moment of thought. - Every time that they are involved, people seem to disappear. -Disappear as in get killed I assume? Just great¡­ -That¡¯s the thing - he shook his head. - No one knows. If it was just some random assassinations, it would¡¯ve been less of an issue I think. No, people just plainly disappear, no trace, no nothing. -Yeah - picked up Vendi. - And there is no proof of anything, that¡¯s the scariest. You never know when or if someone from their group appears, because there never are any witnesses. The people just vanish. Sometimes in the middle of the day even. -No witnesses? - I asked, skeptical. - So how do we know that? What, do they leave their calling card or something every time they ¡°vanish someone¡±? -Very funny. But no, that¡¯s the more disturbing part. After someone disappears, if they have a family or someone close to them, then they get a visit. It¡¯s always from someone completely random, be it some peddler from the city, a guard stationed outside, or just a drunkard, but the contents are always the same. ¡°Your friend has been taken by the Mire. Forget about his existence and live your life peacefully, or try looking for him and follow his footsteps. Your choice.¡± -That¡¯s not very ¡°no evidence¡± of them. But ominous nonetheless. I guess if someone doesn¡¯t play by the rules, they also ¡°get disappeared¡±? -Precisely. -There¡¯ve been a lot of those vanishing cases at first - said Jack. - But the more people disappeared, the less keen rest started to be about trying to figure that out and just started accepting the fact that they are dead. -That is stupid - I said, annoyed. - Their methods are full of holes. First off, what¡¯s with the random person being the messenger? Aren¡¯t they just a glaring weak spot of that whole operation? -Oh, that¡¯s the first thing that was investigated - admitted Jack. - But always, the answer is the same. ¡°I was just minding my own business, when I heard inside my head the message and I could not refuse but to obey.¡± -What? There is no magic like that! You can¡¯t just control a person like that! -I don¡¯t know what to tell you - he shrugged. - I am not an expert like you, but that¡¯s what always happened. And I trust the investigation. -Right, investigation. What, did someone important get nabbed for the actual law enforcement to get involved? -Nope. Indeed, at first they never wanted to have to deal with the problems of the underworld, but after a while and a bunch of vanished ¡°properties¡± later, someone got fed up and decided to pay off the guards¡­ -I should''ve figured. Of course even here corruption is rampant. -Yeah¡­ it¡¯s not that hard. -Great¡­ - I sighed. - So I¡¯m now being associated with some kind of gang. Just amazing. -It¡¯s not that bad - said Kon. - It¡¯s just the three of us that knows about it. -Not really, but I guess you are right¡­ not many people know. -You told someone else? -Of course. It¡¯s sort of connected to me and I kind of have to mention it if I ever want to learn about what happened to me, you know? -I guess¡­ But wait¡­ does that mean that those ruins¡­ that was the place you worked at? -Yep. Those were the ruins of the MIRE. -Well, at least we can now be sure that it¡¯s not the same Mire¡­ I honestly doubt that they would¡¯ve worked from this hole¡­ -That is actually a good question¡­ where do they work from? -Would you believe me if I told you ¡°from the mire¡±? -Not funny. -It was not supposed to be. The word is that they are stationed in some village that is in a bog, that¡¯s it. But, to be honest I somewhat think that¡¯s bullshit. -Hm. -I think so as well - agreed Vendi. - To be in hiding so well, I don¡¯t think that they have a place to be called a base of operations at all. -Eh, whatever. I just hope that I won¡¯t have to deal with them¡­ -Same here - agreed Jack. Next part of the journey went in relative peace. Jack and Vendi were mostly silent, only had some questions when we reached the caves and started making our way through the tight corridors. I was not really in the mood to explain why and what, so most questions were answered with silence or just simple ¡°I don¡¯t know¡±. Kon still was talkative, although a lot less than before - I think he finally exhausted his questions. Or maybe that talk about the two MIREs discouraged him a bit. Whatever that was, that worked for me, so I had time to think. And there was a lot to think through. First of all, what the hell was I supposed to do with those two? Right, Kon already volunteered to keep them both in check, but was that really okay? Both of them were¡­ Well, shady was an understatement. But, to be completely honest, so was I. I never bothered to look at myself that way, but after I brought Kon back to his mostly original self, I started realizing: what exactly was the difference between what I did and what Vendi and Jack were trying to accomplish? The answer was: not much. Sure, I had a better success ratio, that is if we were to believe what they told me was true. But I also had a lot more first hand experiences, knowledge and practice¡­ Hell, I was on the receiving end at least once, if not multiple times. Come to think of it, I might have overreacted a tiny bit when I heard what they were doing, but I guess it was in good faith¡­ It probably would be alright if I was to leave them to their own devices and just keep an eye out for some stray magic or something¡­ Who knows what else they have been experimenting with. Kon seemed a bit more trustworthy, especially after his ¡°return¡±. I mean, it shouldn¡¯t be surprising, I did save his life. That was also what I thought might help me. There was no denying that Jack was absolutely overprotective of Kon and completely spoiling him, even though he was sometimes acting like that was not the case. It was obvious that it was exactly the case: just an act. I also had no reason to not believe Kon, which meant that the issue of Vendi was also solved. I probably should leave them be and forget the whole issue. I doubt that any of them would try and do something stupid again, especially after they¡¯ve been essentially indebted to me. Well, it was more like Kon was indebted to me, but I don¡¯t think he even was thinking of that. On the other hand, his ¡°father¡± would definitely want to get on my good side thanks to that¡­ So I guess that was sorted out. There was another issue though. And this time it was not related to those two at least. The presence. Or the entity. Or however you want to call that strange being in my head. During the spell, it completely awakened. For the time, it was even more present and conscious than when it was under that village, in its original form: it actually had a voice. Or at least some semblance of it. When it cast the spell with me, I swear I was able to hear it speak, and then also that scream¡­ I am pretty sure that one of those voices screaming was indeed the entity. Although it¡¯s pretty hard to be sure of anything, the spell was taxing on everyone involved, be it the presence, me or Kon, we all had to deal with the very impressive amounts of bullshit. But, even though I was positive that the presence awakened at some point, it was now dormant again. Or at least appeared so. I already tried summoning those strange visions I had before, but doubted that I ever was going to have them again. For some reason I felt like that strange merge of our memories has been broken. Not because the presence was gone, no, quite the opposite. It felt like it had regained more of its sentience¡­ or power, meaning there was going to be a lot less ¡°leaks¡±, because that what that essentially was: its memories leaking into mine and melding together. But it did not mean that it was completely awake. Be it thanks to the amount of the mana that I¡­ we poured into the spell, or because of something else, the presence was dormant once more. I tried talking to it again, if you even call that talking, focusing on that voice I¡¯ve heard in the back of my head again and directing my thoughts to it, but that was easier said than done. Besides the fact that we were still walking, and now were in the corridors under the mountain range, which was a bit distracting, every time I tried focusing my thoughts on it, I somehow always ended up sensing the crystal that was next to me: Kon. Yeah, that was another problem. Or maybe not yet, it was just curious. Just as I explained, I was able to constantly sense Kon. And it was not like ¡°normal¡± sensing. I mean, yeah, I still was feeling him with my mana sense, just like any other thing in my vicinity, but there was something else about him. Like I could feel a small speck being merged with his mana, not completely different, but also not completely his. Just like something was stuck to him, or observing him. Hell, was that what Jack referred to earlier? That they saw ¡°something else¡± alongside me? Possible. At first I thought that he was referring to the crystal and the entity that was inside my head alongside me, but now I was not so sure. If I was feeling the same thing from Kon, wouldn¡¯t it mean that he also had something like this stuck to him? No, it was probably just the crystal that I was feeling. For some reason, not being completely uniform, not merged with his mana yet. Or it probably was never going to merge completely at all. If I was to be a comparison, even though I was completely crystal now, Jack already said that I was also with that strange speck stuck to my overall presence. Eh¡­ everything was confusing. 98. Useful But that was not the end of our problems. We managed to get through the whole cave system without much of an issue. They did ask about the place, though. Again. I still had my doubts about sharing my information with them, but if I was to move on and try learning more, I probably should finally say something¡­ -What the hell even is this place¡­? Is it some sort of a mine¡­ or a tunnel? Who built this? - Kon was wondering aloud. -I already said that multiple times: I have no idea. I just know that it exists and is seemingly the only way out of that bowl. -And where are you leading us exactly? The house of that person, right, you said that - he replied for me - but where is that? -Not far out. In the forest, like seemingly every place in this damn country¡­ But if you are asking where on the map, I have bad news: I have no clue. -I thought you were from here - said Vendi, slightly confused. -I said that I was here, not that I was FROM here. I got here in a somewhat similar way that we just did, although as you probably figured, not on purpose. -Right¡­ and then you found Melle - muttered Jack. -Yep. And then, the story got repeated. Another fucked up spell and another sendoff to some weird place. -Hm. He went silent for a good second. -Yeah, this is very strange¡­ but I am somewhat starting to understand¡­ -Understand what? -Where exactly we are. -And how the hell did you do that? - asked him Vendi, stunned. - Everything looks the damn same in this place. -Like anywhere else is different¡­ - I muttered to myself, but Jack heard me. -Exactly. It looks the same. Meaning that we are still somewhere near the south part of Suo. -Suo? - I asked. - Where did I hear that name before¡­ -The large piece of land on the Inner Sea is called Suo - he explained. - You probably saw it on a map somewhere before. -Ah. Possible¡­ But even though I said that, I don¡¯t think that was the case. Even then the maps I¡¯ve seen so far were pretty decent, sure, so maybe¡­ -Suo is always like this: lush and, well, a bit wild. Covered with forests and jungles. To the north there is a mountain range that breaks up the environment. Up there, there is a nice and big orange desert. -Orange? Wait, how do you even know that? You used to travel? - asked Vendi. -No. But I had some clients that came from there. -Really? I thought that barely anyone lives there¡­ -Because that¡¯s true. The environment is apparently very harsh there. Thanks to the mountain range there barely rains there, and even if it does it is also only confined to the edges of the landmass, on the coast. -Interesting place - I muttered. -And dangerous. They say that thanks to those hard conditions, the animals there have evolved faster and weirder. While our lands are green and often full of life, our wild animals can¡¯t hold the candle to monstrosities roaming those deserts. -Ha. You still think so after seeing the things that attacked the capital? - I asked, in half jest. - Someone is trying to one-up mother nature. -Well, to be completely honest¡­ I think that they are somewhat similar¡­ -You what? -Yeah. I never really thought about it that much, but the creatures that appeared in the capital are similar to those I¡¯ve heard in stories from the north. -Like green and plantlike? - I asked in disbelief. - How? Wasn''t the north supposed to be a desert wasteland? -Sure, but I never said exactly like them¡­ just similar. Sure, in the north there is not much of a plant life, only stray barbed weeds and sometimes dry grass¡­ -So what, you¡¯re going to tell me that the ¡°weirdly evolved animals¡± look like grass? -Believe what you want, that¡¯s what I heard - he shrugged. - But I agree, that sounds rather unbelievable¡­ -Strange¡­ - joined in Kon. - I¡¯ve heard something else¡­ -You? - Jack sounded surprised. - From where? -I¡­ I don¡¯t know. I think it was from some of our guests one or the other time¡­ -I don¡¯t remember having anyone from the north renting a room¡­ -I heard weird stories, too - he continued. - But I also remember hearing that they were a bit different. Sure, they have strange and dangerous animals, but that¡¯s not what plant-like beings are. That the living plants are a new arrival¡­ relatively new that is. -Relatively new? What do you mean by that? -The animals¡­ the dangerous and weird ones that you mentioned, apparently were always there. That it was their¡­ well, calling card. Or sometimes even an attraction for visitors. They would come from other places to see the monsters that seemed impossible to exist¡­ -Hm, sounds like a certain place I¡¯ve heard of¡­ - I said quietly to myself, making sure that no one would hear me. -And that the other ones - he continued - appeared only a what, ten, twenty, maybe fifty years back? But one thing is true, they are definitely dangerous. Even for the locals. -That¡¯s¡­ concerning. -Yeah¡­ Luckily, or maybe not, they only appear near the settlements, so they were able to swiftly respond and cull the population to manageable numbers. But that also meant a hefty death toll. That was more painful, thanks to the small population. It was also what apparently kickstarted the mass migrations to the south. -I¡¯ve never heard about that! - said Jack, clearly astounded. - Vendi, did you know about that? -No¡­ - he replied after a second of thinking. - I also do not remember ever having northerners staying in the inn¡­ Are you sure that you¡¯ve heard this info in our inn, Kon? Not from somewhere else? -I¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ He seemed strangely confused. Not about the info he was providing us, no, more like he was unsure of himself. -I just know that I¡¯ve heard that before from someone¡­ Or was it that I¡¯d read it somewhere¡­ -That¡¯s impossible¡­ I don¡¯t have any books or papers about the north¡­ -Doesn¡¯t matter either way - I interrupted them. - Back on topic. You were talking about where we are. -Ah! Yes! As I was saying, the mountains that are the border between the Suo and the north are the only mountains that are this tall. -So you think that we are near the border? -I am pretty sure. No mountains this tall exist anywhere else. -Huh. Are there some cities near the border? On one side or the other? A town? Maybe a small village? -I am afraid not¡­ I couldn¡¯t believe my ears. -What the hell, why? -I already told you that the north is a wild place. Who in their right mind would want to live near something like that? -Come on, you said it yourself, the large mountain range is essentially blocking the way. What kind of creature would even attempt crossing this monstrosity of a mountain? -I don¡¯t know. But if one like this exists, it definitely is in the north. The longer he was talking about that place, the less believable the stories were getting. But, he had a point: why would anyone want to live in the neighborhood of an essentially dead country? No people, no trade¡­ Hell, I thought that maybe at least it would¡¯ve caught the attention of some adventurers or something along those lines, but nope. I guess no one wanted to have anything to do with that place. Even the underbelly - I sort of expected that with this kind of setup, the more shady people would¡¯ve loved to use that place. But I guess there was no point - no people means no money, and no money means no interest. -Let¡¯s end the discussion about the north and all that bullshit and focus on what¡¯s in front of us - I reminded them after a while. We were already out of the caves and well on our way to Melle¡¯s house. -Right. We should be wary. Who knows who can we find waiting for us there¡­ - said Jack. -Do you really think that we¡¯ll find someone? - I said a bit skeptical. - I gave it a bit of a thought and I don¡¯t think that anyone would bother with this place¡­ -Aren¡¯t they looking for her? Why wouldn¡¯t they check this place? -Two reasons. First of all, she got kidnapped. Who in their right mind would¡¯ve tried hiding her here? Literally the first place that comes to mind? -Well, true, but what if she was not kidnapped - suggested Vendi. - Maybe that was just some big setup and she was essentially ¡°freed¡± by the elves¡­ and just went back home? -I seriously doubt that¡¯s the case¡­ - I muttered - but even so, Melle knows Axlelrod found this place. And that he had their people teleported here. -Maybe you¡¯re right¡­ -And reason number two: they straight up do not have resources for that. Didn¡¯t you say it yourself? Axelrod¡¯s forces got absolutely demolished by the elves. You think he can spare someone to keep an eye on this hole? Especially if we think that this place is only reachable with magic. Do you think he¡¯d waste his resources like that? -Why do you think that this place is only reachable by magic? - asked surprised Vendi. - If we are on the border, I don¡¯t think that would be the case¡­ That threw me out for a loop. Why did I think that? Damn. Was that the presence again? Was it awake already and trying to tell me something? I think that was it, but even though I focused and tried calling to it once more, I did not get a straight answer. But, I did get something. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. For the first time, I actually felt something. Somewhere in the back of my mind I felt it¡­ still. Like it was both with me and at the same time somewhere else¡­ Bit weird if you ask me, but what wasn¡¯t, really? -I have a feeling. Sort of like Kon with his theory about the monsters from the north - I replied, brushing the feeling off. - Doesn¡¯t matter. What was important though is you¡¯d be on guard. -Right¡­ - nodded absentmindedly Jack. -Wait, why are we even worried? Can¡¯t you just check with your senses if someone¡¯s there? - asked Kon. -I intend to - I agreed with him. - But that does not mean that someone won¡¯t just teleport there while we are nearby. I don¡¯t know what they used as an anchor last time, so they can surprise us. -I thought you said that you doubt that they have resources for that - reminded me Vendi. -I still think so. But I¡¯d rather be prepared in case shit goes south. I¡¯ve already been mistaken multiple times. -Yeah¡­ -But you are right, I will be monitoring our surroundings. I will attempt to warn you before someone appears¡­ -You can do that? - Jack was surprised. - You can predict the future now? -Hell no - I laughed dryly. - If that was the case, a lot of things would be so much easier. No. it¡¯s just when someone teleports, before the actual portal is created, there are very obvious signs. I just need to watch for them. -For example? - now Kon was asking. -Eh¡­ when you make a portal, you need to gather mana, don¡¯t you? -Er.. yes? -So why do you think it¡¯s different on the other side? Sure, there is no caster to gather the mana for the portal here, but it doesn¡¯t mean it just appears out of thin air. No, you can easily spot a large mass of mana forming where the portal is going to be. Just like with every spell. But that reminds me¡­ - I realized, thinking. - Please don¡¯t use any large spells. -Why¡­? - Vendi was slightly suspicious of that request. -Because I won¡¯t be able to tell the difference if that¡¯s you trying to fireball me in the ass or it¡¯s Axelrod teleporting behind me. Well, I¡¯ll probably realize which one it is after I either feel it moving towards me or after the actual portal forms. Either way, it¡¯s going to be too late. Or, you know, warn me before you cast anything larger. -It wouldn¡¯t be an ambush if I was to warn you beforehand - said Vendi, seemingly innocently. - But, what¡¯s ¡°large¡± exactly? -Right¡­ I keep forgetting that you can¡¯t see mana like me¡­ Hard to tell, really¡­Ah, and Kon, you too. -Huh? -You too try paying attention to the surroundings. I know it¡¯s a bit new for you and seeing all the mana is distracting, but that can be a great exercise for you. If you notice something strange appearing that you¡¯ve never seen before, give me a shout. -You think I can do this¡­? -And why not? It¡¯s not hard to spot a glowing spot, right? -I mean¡­ -I know, everything is new. It¡¯s hard to wrap your head around everything, but don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be keeping my eye on everything - I assured him. - You have a much shorter range than me anyway. Probably. He nodded, but I don¡¯t think he was convinced. Our conversation had to be stopped, because we were getting relatively close to the house. At least that¡¯s what I thought, it really was hard to keep track of the correct path when everything looks the same as everywhere else. Good thing that I had my magic sight working well again, because it was the only way I managed to find our target. About two hundred or so meters in front of us I felt a larger source of mana. At first I wanted to stop everyone and go alone, thinking that might be a person, but nope. After a second look I realized that what I felt was just a large tree¡­ a VERY large tree that was surrounded by a bunch of smaller plants, even thicker and livelier than the regular forest floor. -We are getting close - I said to the rest behind me. - And for now I can¡¯t feel anyone besides us. -Good. Even then, we slowed down, just to be on the safe side. Unnecessarily. As we were just about to reach the clearing where the garden was, because that was definitely what I felt before, it was clear that we were alone here, at least for now. Emerging from the woods, the three of my companions stared at the clearing in confusion. It was just as I left it last time: a nice and clean garden, now slightly more overgrown, but still giving a clear indication that it was man-made, along with a very large tree in the middle, looking unnaturally thick and bulbous. -This is it¡­? - asked Jack, gazing at the tree and the garden. -Yep. We¡¯re here - I said, unceremoniously walking out into the plain sight, trying not to disturb the plants too much, still remembering my first meeting with them. -Where¡¯s the house? - asked Vendi, stepping carefully between the different roots and plants. -Right, I forgot to mention that part¡­ - I finally realized. - When we last left this place, Melle ¡°closed it up¡±. -What is that supposed to mean? -You¡¯re the ones that use green magic on a regular basis - I shrugged - and still didn¡¯t figure that out? -Figure out what? - Vendi was still not getting it. -That¡¯s the house - Kon pointed to the tree with wide open eyes. - This tree¡­ I didn¡¯t notice before, but he was the one that was the last one that walked into the garden, and it was not because he was not paying attention. No, he was staring at it with almost reverence, I want to say. -This is amazing¡­ - Jack was almost as amazed as his kid. Well, I probably shouldn¡¯t call him that any more¡­ he was neither a kid nor his child¡­ -Precisely - I said plainly, approaching the tree and the doors covered by thorny vines. They were barely visible under the layer of moss that apparently grew on them in the time it was standing here abandoned. -This is¡­ something else¡­ - Jack was still slack-jawed. - I never expected for something like this to be possible¡­ -What¡¯s possible? I don¡¯t get you. Isn¡¯t that just a weird tree? - Vendi was still not impressed. -No¡­ It is a tree, yes¡­ but it¡¯s also a house¡­ It¡¯s hollow, but at the same time it still is alive - muttered Kon. -I recognize those shapes¡­ those are the same as what Noli was making¡­ Same as the houses back at my place¡­ as my inn¡­ Now when he mentioned it, I also noticed. Vines that were covering the windows and overall pattern of the bark was similar to the one I¡¯ve been seeing on his island. To be honest, it was similar to every other house that I¡¯ve suspected that had been made using green magic. -I can¡¯t believe it¡­ I had my doubts about that, but that woman really had to be connected to him¡­ Can it be really true¡­ is that his wife¡­? -It certainly looks like it - I said. - In any case, we still have something to do here, remember? -Yes¡­ - Jack snapped out of his trance. - Right. We need to look through this place¡­ Find something that would help us get out. -Precisely. You two get to it. -Why us? - Vendi seemed surprised. -And who else? Me, who has to constantly monitor the surroundings for a potential ambush? Or maybe Kon, who just awakened from, basically death, and is still not accustomed to his body? You want him to accidentally drain and destroy something? -I won¡¯t¡­ - started Kon, but I immediately silenced him. -Yes sure, we can do that. But don¡¯t cry if someone¡¯s going to ambush us or if Kon destroys something that would help us get out of here. -I¡­ -It¡¯s okay - stopped him Jack. - Vendi, just do as he said. He¡¯s right. He muttered something under his breath, but complied and started slowly inspecting the nearby roots. -You really think I am that unstable? - asked Kon quietly when they walked away, looking for anything usable. -Nah. -Ah. Sorry¡­ - he silenced himself with his hand. - You are supposed to be focusing on scouting, my bad¡­ -Pfff. I mean, yes of course I am doing that. But I can multitask. A small talk is not going to disturb me. After all, I¡¯ve been constantly monitoring our surroundings for a good while. -Oh. So why¡­? -Why did I tell them to do something useful for a change? -I¡­ -So I can have some rest and opportunity to observe them for a while - I decided to tell him the truth. - I mean, sure, I believe you. I understand why they did what they did, and don''t really hold that against them. But that does not mean that I am going to immediately feel safe in their presence. I still want to have an eye on them, just in case. -Oh¡­ I¡­ that¡¯s fair, I guess¡­ -While they are busy¡­ tell me, how are you feeling? - I asked him, laying on the grass with my eyes closed. -Oh¡­ I am fine¡­ but, if you don¡¯t mind me asking¡­ Why do you really care? -And why not? - I replied, not bothering to move. -Well¡­ You seem¡­ somehow different than before? -How exactly? -More caring¡­ and a bit more open I guess? It doesn¡¯t fit you¡­ -You think you know me that well? -I¡­ eh¡­ I just had a feeling. At first I thought that you were just helping me because you thought I was a child, but it¡¯s clear that¡¯s not it. -Well, you told me that you are not. What, you think I can¡¯t help someone just because I am a good person? He did not reply at first, but after a while I heard a very quiet answer. -I don¡¯t think you are a good person¡­ not always¡­ I don¡¯t understand. I opened my eyes in surprise. -That was bold - I said, sitting up. He gasped, covering his mouth. -I didn¡¯t¡­ -Mean to say that? Ha. You better be careful when you think out loud. -I am so¡­ -But you are absolutely right - I said flat out. - I am unsure, myself. -Huh? -Yes. It¡¯s strange, isn¡¯t it? At first I really thought I was just helping you because, hey, kid in trouble, it would be shitty of me to just leave, right? After I learned who you really are, I thought that maybe I would change my mind, but nope. Still felt the same way. I thought that it was your background that motivated me maybe, I dunno. I sighed heavily. But that¡¯s bullshit. After all, It wouldn¡¯t be the first time that I¡¯ve seen shit like that done to someone. Same with that whole problem with Jack and Vendi. Feeling like they did something wrong? Hell no. I was just trying to somehow explain myself. I am the same as them, probably worse. Not experimenting on the unwilling? Not dealing with kids? Ha. Of course we did. I did. Do I feel bad about it? I don¡¯t know, really. It all is just messy¡­ I shook my head, trying to clear my mind. What in the hell got to me? Kon was staring at me, mortified. -What? -I¡­ nothing. I just¡­ didn¡¯t expect for you to be this open with me¡­ -Open? Believe me, I am not open with you. There are a lot of things I never said to any of you and never intend to. -Well, it may be better for me if I didn¡¯t know¡­ -Most likely. But you are right about one thing. I¡¯ve not been myself lately¡­ -Not yourself¡­? -I already mentioned that I have a bit more going on in my head than just my own problems, right? I think you felt that once before. -I felt¡­? Ah¡­ right. -So you can see it¡­ I think I have a good idea... It¡¯s like something else is mixed with me that is both similar and very different at the same time, right? -So you can see it too? - he asked, wide-eyed. -Sadly, I can, but not in myself. And that is a problem. Problem that I don¡¯t know how to deal with. -Wait, not you? Then who? -Guess. If he was not frightened before, he now was. -No¡­ that¡¯s what you meant that I was ¡°defective¡±. -¡±Defective¡± is a bad word for that. I¡¯d say, it¡¯s more ¡°problematic¡± than defective. -But what is that? There is something like that stuck to me as well? That other presence? -The thing is¡­ I am not sure. That is a problem. With me, I am almost certain about what the presence is and how it feels¡­ I mean, I was able to sense it before our ¡°merge¡± so to speak, and what I feel that is stuck to you is not that. -I have¡­ something else? Why?! From where? Who? -Those are all great questions, on which I don¡¯t have a good answer to. He went quiet for a moment. -So¡­ how do we get rid of it? - he finally asked. -And why do you think I want to do that? -...?! He gasped, speechless. -What, is it that weird? -But¡­ Isn¡¯t that¡­ wrong? -Wrong how? - I asked, curious. - It¡¯s another being. Why would I want to kill it, when all it¡¯s done was help me? -I never said anything about killing! - he yelped in surprise. - Just¡­ maybe move it¡­ just like you did with me? -Hm. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible. -Why?! There was no problem with me¡­ why wouldn¡¯t it¡­ -Do you have a spare body? - I asked, interrupting him. -I am sorry¡­? -Do you have a spare body. Or better, maybe two, for both your and mine ¡°guest¡±. And of course another source of mana. Or do you want me to go to the Red Edge? Do you think I can just do that without any preparations? -Well, you did that for me¡­ -I did - I agreed. - But most of the preparations were done beforehand. -But you can just reuse them! It¡¯s not like everything is just one use! -Oh, of course, the incantation is the smallest concern. What about the rest? -I¡­ I don¡¯t know. -Exactly. That¡¯s the problem. I have no clue. This is¡­ different. And new for me. And besides that - I added after a while. - Even if we had everything on hand¡­ I am pretty sure that it would be impossible. You said it yourself: it¡¯s merged together with me. Same with you. It¡¯s not something that I can just yank and pull out of you, or me. It is already part of us, and we have to deal with it. 99. Protection We had to put our discussion on pause, because I noticed something. Vendi and Jack were all that time scouring the garden and the outside of the tree for anything that would be helpful for us. At that point, Jack was further out, closer to the place where I was captured a long time ago, inspecting the ground, while Vendi was right next to the tree, on the other side. And it was right next to him where I noticed a sudden mana surge. Actually, both of us noticed it - it was large enough even for Kon to get startled. -Is that the portal?! - he gasped, noticing how I immediately jumped up from the ground. -No. That¡¯s something far worse¡­ The whole garden sprung to life. Instinctively, I wanted to grab Kon and get as far from the growing plants as possible, but I was too late, he was already too far away from my reach, running towards Jack. Similar to the day when I was captured by Melle, all the flowers, roots, bushes and whatever else shot towards each of us. From behind the tree I heard a yell that definitely belonged to Vendi. Even without looking I could tell that he got grabbed, just like me the first time, and was now getting dragged towards the middle of the garden. Jack, surrounded by plants from every direction, had no room to dodge, but at least he was far enough away from the ¡°epicenter¡± and it took a second for plants to actually come to life, so he at least attempted to defend himself. He managed to cast some kind of spell, creating a small shrub that surrounded him like a shield. It worked for a split second, it looked like the plants stopped while hitting the newly appeared bush. Right after that though, the spell backfired. The plant that just a moment ago was halting the assault immediately turned against him and wrapped him along with the others that were now wiggling all around the garden. Only me and Kon were able to evade the assault. Well, I say that, but it really wasn¡¯t that much of an achievement¡­ I was straight up immune to their attacks. Even without protecting myself with the fire shield how I wanted to, the plants just wilted as soon as they touched me. But what was more intriguing, was Kon. It seemed like, I kid you not, the plants hesitated before trying to bind him. And even after they started moving towards him, they were so slow that he easily was able to run back towards me, where I just slapped them away, turning to dust. -What the hell is going on!? - I heard muffled yelling from the one larger tangle of roots that was moving along the ground. It was Jack. He already was turned into a nice and large wooden cocoon. For some reason plants were especially vicious around him, wiggling wildly. -What the fuck!? Ah, so he was not alone, that¡¯s why the cocoon was so thick. Vendi was already with him, hence the viciousness. -What¡¯s happening!? - Kon yelped, panicked. - Are those the creatures that attacked the capital!? -I don¡¯t think so¡­ - I stated calmly, walking towards the tangle, clearing my way by slapping the roots away. - This just looks like some kind of self-defense mechanism¡­ Vendi¡­ What did you do? The growth has stopped moving. -Mmh¡­ -Don¡¯t pretend that you can¡¯t speak, I know very well that you just were cursing at them a second ago¡­ Come on¡­ -... -I felt magic. What did you do? -I¡­ I tried making my way into the house¡­ I sighed. -What part of ¡°scout the area¡± didn¡¯t you understand? -How the hell was I supposed to know that this thing was going to retaliate?! -Maybe because I told you that this place was sealed by a powerful mage that has connection to the current ruler of your country and is somehow so important that a current war is waged because of her? Come on, man, don¡¯t be stupid. -Ygh¡­ -Eh¡­ I hoped to not destroy anything here but I guess it¡¯s too late¡­ -Usc fi geksu. I summoned my orb and in combination with draining I started making my way towards the tangle, with Kon right behind me, observing carefully. At first it was going well, I was easily able to get rid of the plants and clear the way, but soon I realized that we are having a problem. The plants never stopped growing. And I don¡¯t mean that they were regrowing too fast for me to destroy, nope. It was just that the similar growths like the one that was keeping Vendi and Jack trapped started appearing everywhere, to the point where I couldn¡¯t tell how many of them there were. Did this thing want to try and confuse me in hopes of losing my target? But that was not the issue. First off, while muffled, I still was able to hear each of them. I also was able to feel their presence despite the mass of mana that was in front of me - I was not going to get outsmarted by a plant that easily. -AAH¡­! They started moving, or rather getting dragged through the tangle towards the center of all the bullshit: the house. It was a bit annoying, since I had to literally turn 180 degrees and go back where I came from, while clearing the path AGAIN. This time, I doubled my effort because the plants that regrew and were barricading the way were twice as thick and there were a lot more of them. Good thing was that I had a good source of mana in my opponent - after all, I only used fire to regulate my mana and expel the overflow I was constantly gaining from draining the plants around me. Hell, the draining was so effective that I had to increase my flame not to be a blinding beacon of manalight again. But that was also an issue, as I soon realized. First, it was a scream. While startling, I didn¡¯t think much of it - after all both of them were bound by the vines and it was not surprising that they would¡¯ve started hurting them - I just needed to pick up the pace. But, when I did, the yelling intensified. -STOP! You¡¯re burning me! - started yelling Jack. I immediately stopped because that made no sense. I could tell that he was not even remotely close to the spot I was in the process of clearing, nor where I was standing. Was I mistaken? I took a better look, and it was not the issue of just sound bouncing weirdly - he was indeed further in, right next to the main trunk, along with Vendi. Shrugging, I removed my orb and instead decided to bite the bullet and just tear through the vines just by using my crystal. I made some progress, but I got interrupted by another yell and felt the presence of both of them start diminishing, at the same time the vines started regrowing right in front of me, blocking the path again. -Well that¡¯s a problem - I muttered, stopping. As soon as I did, the vines calmed down and stopped regrowing, but were still tightly blocking the way towards the house and the hostages. -What¡¯s going on? - Kon asked from behind me. All this time he was keeping as close as he could without touching me directly, while also trying to be as far as it was possible from the various vines. None of them were attacking us though. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. -Those things are pretty smart - I said, dispelling the orb of fire. - They are using them as living shields. -But none of them are here¡­ -Yeah, I think they were able onto them, like parasites. They had to somehow connect both of them to the whole network of vines, making them feel what I do to the plants - I said, observing the flow of mana in the tangle. - And on top of that, they are regrowing as fast as I am destroying them. It would be annoying to deal even without the fact that they are also draining them¡­ -So what are we supposed to do!? -That is a good question¡­ We are at an impasse¡­ While they are not able to hurt me, and you by proxy, I can¡¯t destroy them without hurting Vendi or Jack. -So we are stuck?! -Aren¡¯t you a powerful mage? - I heard from the tangle further away - Can¡¯t you figure something out? -Oh, I am not stuck - I replied calmly to Vendi. - You two are. I can at any point just leave, same with Kon. It¡¯s just you two that are fucked. -Hey! -If that was my choice I would¡¯ve left you two here¡­ or at least Vendi, after all it was your fault that this thing got awakened in the first place. I felt a tug at my clothes. It was Kon, looking at me with begging eyes. -Isn¡¯t there anything that you can do? -Eh¡­ Not really¡­ -What is this thing in the first place? - asked Jack, a bit calmer now, since because I stopped attacking, the plants did the same, just keeping hold on the two. -I assume it¡¯s some kind of self-defense mechanism - I explained after a moment of thought. - When we left from here, she did activate it somehow, but I never expected it to be that smart¡­ -Well, didn¡¯t you say that you can understand that magical language or whatever? - asked Vendi. - Can¡¯t you reverse this thing somehow? -Good question. The main problem is I never heard the full incantation. -So what? Can¡¯t you figure it out. -I only promise to try. I started thinking of how last time I was here she secured that place, and how when I met her for the first time he bound me with the same vines. Whatever was happening, something similar was now the case¡­ I probably would have to combine both¡­ Before I was able to even think twice about this, not even mention trying to attempt to figure out the incantation, I felt a surge of mana right next to me. Instinctively I jumped a step back, just to see the source of this sudden spike was no one else than Kon. His eyes were now glowing green and he was staring blankly into space towards the tangle. -Kon!? What are you doing? But he was not the only one that started speaking. The reply also came from a source I didn¡¯t expect to hear from right now. -Wisfe wowu, nemmoho nop dimu lek vuzury op zy quq, no usfupet em wo voekp ip me punu fi Omue. The voice definitely belonged to the entity, there was no doubt about that. While I didn¡¯t have the opportunity to hear it often, I could instantly tell. What was strange though was the source it was coming from, or rather sources. I was pretty sure that I just heard it from two places - myself and Kon. Yeah, while I was pretty sure that I never intended to say a word, both of us were now speaking, and both of us had the same strange voice coming out of our mouths. Needless to say, it was unsettling. Also, the contents of the spell¡­ Well, it was easier than expected, just ordering for the plants to unbind them, plus a phrase telling them to ¡°return to yourself¡±. I don¡¯t think I would¡¯ve used it in this context, but that was not what intrigued it. It was the last part: it was ordering them ¡°in the name of¡­¡±... I could tell the spell was working. Ah. So that was the case. Yeah¡­ It made sense now¡­ The plants instantly started moving. As soon as mana left us and we spoke the last word of the spell, it was like a wave that went through the whole place, the garden and the tree in the middle as well. The garden started receding and slowly was returning to its former state, even taking some weeds with it. At the same time, the tree in the middle started shrinking, or rather going back to its regular form - a small house in the middle of a clearing, releasing Vendi and Jack, who were now sitting amazed at the spectacle that was playing out right in front of their faces. It didn¡¯t even take a minute for the spell to finish working on the plants. -Wow¡­ speaking of effects¡­ - muttered Jack, gathering himself from the ground. -Yeah, damn¡­ I knew you could do that, but holy crap¡­ that¡¯s more impressive than expected¡­ Neither of us did reply. -Are you alright¡­? - Jack sounded concerned. - Both of you are glowing¡­ -Your eyes can do that too now? - said Vendi. - You really are now one of those things¡­ Kon finally snapped out of the trance and almost fell over. I myself was more lost in thought than anything, so I didn¡¯t even notice until he started speaking. -What was that?! That was not¡­ I wanted to say something, but I was once more beaten to it. -I am sorry, I didn¡¯t intend to step in like that¡­ I flinched, not expecting to hear from it¡­ her, so soon. This time it was speaking directly into my, or rather our heads. -Welcome back - I directed my thoughts to it. - It¡¯s been a while. -Yes¡­ I never thought that it would take such a toll on me, but¡­ -Toll?! What¡¯s going on? Ah. Right, now Kon was also in on it and was hearing our exchange. -Shh. You don¡¯t need to panic. -Everything is fine - I said aloud. - The spell was just a bit much, even for the two of us. -Oh¡­ Well, it worked, so thank you. -No problem - I cut off Kon again, who still was adamant on speaking up. - I think the doors should be now open and without traps, but please, no spells¡­ I don¡¯t want to handle any more alarms being tripped. Vendi wanted to say something, but bit his tongue. -Right, let¡¯s get inside¡­ But as he wanted to take a step towards the house, he tripped on himself and fell back down on the ground. -Jack! Vendi wanted to dash towards him and help him up, but the same happened to him - he fell right down on his ass. -Are you okay? - squeaked out Kon before I was able to say anything. -I think so¡­ but my head is spinning suddenly¡­ Spinning? Right¡­ They got drained from a quite a decent chunk of mana alright¡­no wonder they were now feeling woozy. -I guess I was a tiny bit late, you are low on mana. -Those fucking plants¡­ - started cursing Jack. - Good that I still have some fruit on me. He started looking through his belongings to find the supplies and soon he pulled out a small pouch with mana fruit. But as he started looking through the contents, his face drastically changed. -Something wrong? - asked Vendi, sitting next to him. - I also need one if you have some to spare¡­ -Well¡­ And he turned the pouch inside out. Instead of the fruit, from the pouch poured only a handful of ash¡­ a familiar ash - same one I usually turned miscellaneous things into after draining them dry. -Huh¡­ I guess those plants were persistent - I said, amazed. - Damn Melle, that security is nothing to scoff at. -What are we supposed to do now?! - started complaining Vendi, as Kon was helping him out, sitting him up on the chair in the main room of the house. - Jack is drained, I can barely move, Kon has barely any control over his mana¡­ -It¡¯s not that bad - sighed Jack, leaning on the chair and looking at the ceiling with a painful expression on his face. - We found the place, now it¡¯s just a matter of time before we can leave. -That is if we can even find something that will get us out of here¡­ How are we sure that she didn¡¯t take all of the anchors with her? -We don¡¯t - I said plainly. - But complaining will get us nowhere. - Now be a good baggage and stop talking and rest. -I am not baggage! -Then stand up on your own and help us search this place - I said, well knowing that it was not possible. Even then, he attempted to, just to collapse back on the chair again. -See? Just calm down. And you¡¯re going to wake up Jack. He turned his head, surprised. And sure enough, Jack was already asleep in his chair, with his nose pointing to the ceiling. -Get some rest. We¡¯ll handle this with Kon. While he might not be completely in control of his magic, it doesn¡¯t mean that we can¡¯t manage to manually search this place. And I am still in great shape. -Mh¡­ He grumbled something, but apparently listened to me and corrected himself in the chair, trying to get a better position to rest. Soon he was asleep too. I guess mana deficiency and overall this day drained a lot from them. -Now then¡­ - I quietly said to Kon and pointed to the door to the other room. - Come with me. He nodded, not sure what to say and followed. I closed the door behind us and sat on the bed, not even bothering to hide the fact that I was not intending to start the search any time soon. -Aren¡¯t we supposed to¡­ I just waved him off and pointed to the bed next to me. -Come on, you also deserve some rest. -I thought that you¡­ we don¡¯t need to rest. -I don¡¯t. You still have a quite significant amount of flesh remaining. Aren¡¯t you tired? -Not really¡­ -Good. Then we can have a bit of a talk¡­ -Yeah, I wanted to ask, what was that?! -Good question. I can explain it to you, or at least tell my take on it. Or we can get the info right from the source. - I finished just in my head. Kon flinched, not expecting to hear my voice that way. -Right¡­ But I am not sure I can answer all of the questions¡­ I still have a lot of gaps in my memory¡­ 100. Entity If Kon flinched while hearing my voice, hearing the other one made him jump straight up and yelp. -Calm down, you¡¯re going to wake up your daddies - I said jokingly. -Daddies¡­? Ah, those two¡­ I guess that tracks¡­ progressive, I must say¡­ -They are not¡­ - Kon started protesting, but I silenced him again. -If you want to talk, talk with your head not your mouth. It¡¯s easier that way. -And how the hell do I do that?! -Just like you did right now - I smiled. He looked at me, surprised by his own ability. -Okay, let¡¯s start this correctly - I began. - I think the introductions are in order. My name is Mor, and this is Kon, but I think you know this by now. -Yes¡­ I figured after being part of you for a while¡­ well, now both of you¡­ -I think I already figured out your name, but¡­ -Ah. Right. My name is Iloa. -Yeah¡­ that tracks¡­ It¡¯s great to hear from you again, friend. How long has it been? -I am honestly not sure¡­ but I need to thank you. -You want to thank me? I think it¡¯s me that should be thanking you. You saved me from certain death by crushed rocks. And in the process got turned into¡­ this. -That¡¯s not exactly true¡­ - she said. - It¡¯s complicated really¡­ but I¡¯ve been like this for a long while now¡­ -Yeah. I sort of figured that out. Something like this probably is what¡¯s going to happen to me after a while isn¡¯t it? -Probably¡­ I don¡¯t know. See, there are a lot of things that I am unsure of. -What the hell is going on?! - interrupted us Kon, confused to no end. - You talk like I am not here! Why are you in my head!? Why can I hear this?! What¡¯s¡­ -Ah¡­ sorry¡­ - almost whispered Iloa. - It¡¯s still strange for me to be connected like this¡­ this is a bit new to me, too¡­ -Right. Some explanations are in order. I probably should start from the beginning¡­. -Who you are hearing now, what I earlier mentioned and thought of as ¡°some presence¡±, is actually Iloa. My old friend and colleague from the MIRE. I already told you that I was a product of a failed experiment, right? -Y¡­yes¡­ -Mor was not the only person who got caught in the aftermath¡­ - Iloa finished for me. -Precisely. Although I thought that I was the only one who survived. -That is actually a good point¡­ what happened back then¡­ I still don¡¯t get it. Strange that that thing managed to bind to both of us¡­ -Right¡­ you saw my memories from that moment¡­ I saw yours too¡­ but what happened after that? I only saw¡­ -Me being disintegrated¡­? Or rather vanishing, apparently. -Yep. -All this is¡­ foggy to say the least. I managed to see through your memories and your attempts at contacting me that you appeared not so far from here¡­ along with our whole building. -I wouldn¡¯t say whole¡­ -Right. It got pretty destroyed¡­ Mor¡­ If this building got that much damage¡­ the rest of the city¡­ She went silent. -I don¡¯t want to talk about it. -... -Let¡¯s better talk about some lighter topics! What happened to you after you appeared here? You managed to read my memories, but I didn¡¯t have that much luck. -It¡¯s not like you didn¡¯t try¡­ I felt that, you know. -I didn¡¯t know what I was dealing with then! -Yes, yes, excuses. But that worked in my favor actually. -Favor? -Yes. To be honest, I don¡¯t really remember much from when I first appeared in this place¡­ under that village¡­ -Ah, so you appeared there?! -I am actually not sure¡­ - she said after a moment of consideration. - At first, I thought so¡­ but now¡­ I am not anymore. -I guess the underground looks mostly the same everywhere. -Well, the thing is¡­ I don¡¯t remember when I first woke up. I remember only bits and pieces¡­ It¡¯s like I¡¯ve been constantly in a state of sleep. -Well, you definitely sounded pretty awake to me when we first met. You did sound a lot different though. -Different how? -Em¡­ I can¡¯t really say, but you didn¡¯t exactly ¡°talk¡±... -What¡¯s that supposed to mean? -You were¡­ more artificial? - I replied after a second of thought. - Like you were not present completely¡­ I guess that tracks with that ¡°sleep state¡± you mentioned. You also didn¡¯t ¡°speak¡± so to say¡­ it was more like words were pouring into my mind. Sort of like you were after you merged with me. Also, what was that spell? -I don¡¯t know¡­ It¡¯s just something I came up with on the spot. I guess my survival instincts kicked in. After all, that guy did almost destroy me¡­ I just attempted to transfer myself to something that was free and compatible nearby¡­ and you were the perfect target. I didn¡¯t expect that it would actually be you¡­ -Yeah, funny how that ended up¡­ But that brings a different question. What did you want with that woman and the girl? -Woman¡­? Girl¡­? -Melle and Il. Well, besides name similarities¡­ -Ha ha. Funny. -I am serious. Since I¡¯ve been here, the names similar to yours keep constantly appearing near me and creating more problems than I would like¡­ -Yeah¡­ I noticed¡­. She went silent for a while. Meanwhile, Kon was just staring at me, apparently giving up on trying to ask questions and just let us talk, trying to somehow wrap his head around this new bunch of info that we were bombarding him with. -But really¡­ I do mean it. I have no idea who you are talking about. Sure, I have memories of the two being near me¡­ near us¡­ -So you mean you weren¡¯t the one who lured them there? Used the plant-creatures? -I used what? -Oh great. Back then¡­ I followed the two to your hideout¡­ or cave rather, trying to recover them. I assumed that they were either captured by some vine-monsters or something along those lines. I thought they worked for you? -... -But now when I think about it, they were apparently being used by elves¡­ So was that them? Still, why the hell would they be with you? -I¡­ huh¡­ it¡¯s really strange¡­ I sort of am remembering something¡­ the two¡­ I wanted to get them to safety¡­ But why? Mor, who were those people? You know them? -Sort of. It seemed like you knew them as well¡­ or at least you sounded like that. The older one called herself Melle. For some reason she¡¯s been so popular lately, a literal war is waged to get her. -You kidding? -Sadly, no. We are at her house by the way. -Oh. I felt a spike of mana both from me and Kon. He flinched, not expecting this, and to be honest, me too. It was not a very pleasant feeling. -The hell are you doing? -Taking a look. I looked at Kon, who suddenly pointed towards my head. -Mor¡­ your eyes¡­ -Huh¡­ yours too. Yes, apparently both of our eyes were now glowing like small embers, mine apparently more than usual¡­ although I assume that mine looked a lot more haunting, thanks to my body. Kon on the other hand just looked like a very, very startled cat, funnily enough¡­ -Huh¡­ nice place. -Maybe it is when it¡¯s not trying to kill you. -Like something like that would be able to hurt you. -Yeah, but still¡­ -Yes, I know you have a junior to protect now¡­ although he seems more sturdy than he looks¡­ I mean, you seem. Sorry, I keep forgetting that you can hear me as well¡­ If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. -A-ah¡­ No, it¡¯s alright¡­ I am still trying to get used to all this, too¡­ -Right. You were lucky. Not often you have an opportunity to be revived. -Eh¡­ T-Thank you¡­ -There is nothing to thank for. But I guess it¡¯s good to know that you are not blaming me for nothing at least - I replied. -Why? You saved my life. Both of you¡­ -Sure, I guess¡­ Well, whatever. -Let¡¯s get to the matter at hand. While I am happy that you are back in business, we still have a job to do. -Right¡­ you want to get out of here, is that correct? -Sure. I already know the answer, but still I am going to ask: do you have any more info about portal magic? -Sadly, what I learned is more or less the same as what you already know. -Eh¡­ great. So we still need to look for an anchor¡­ -Yes¡­ although I think now I can help with that¡­ I was¡­ well, I still am very well attuned to the Origin Crystal, so I can feel the mana pretty well. It shouldn¡¯t be a problem if you lend me your eyes¡­ -Aren¡¯t you doing that already? -Sure. But I can¡¯t really move them, right? -Ah¡­ Okay, right, my bad. Kon? -A-ah! Me too? -Of course. The more the better. And we started digging through Melle¡¯s house. At first, we were being a bit considerate. I thought that between Kon¡¯s, mine and Iloa¡¯s enhanced sight, we¡¯d be done in a minute, but nope. First off, we had to find any potential magical items or any infused trinkets that we could find. Then we would have to compare them and check if they actually were usable as an anchor. -Mor, you mentioned two people - Iloa asked during our search. - Who was the second one? -Ah, true, I almost forgot - I replied, putting a small ring onto a pile that we were gathering on the bed. - Her name was Ilma. -Il? You kidding me? -Right? I thought the same. But I don¡¯t think it¡¯s her¡­ although after seeing what happened to us, you can never be sure¡­ -How did she look?! Was she fine?! She was suddenly on edge. No wonder. -Calm down, you are overreacting. She¡¯s not like your daughter. But she¡¯s an awkward bundle of anxiousness, that for sure¡­ but that¡¯s most of the kids. -You can¡¯t be serious¡­ I thought¡­ I thought¡­ -I said, calm down. -But well, that would¡¯ve explained why I¡¯d be so interested in her¡­ - she continued, not paying attention to me. - If I was to hear that name¡­ In my right mind or not, I would definitely¡­ -Would what? Start a war over her? -I can¡¯t deny that possibility. -Damn, parents are scary. But I wasn¡¯t able to disagree with her. Even more, I started believing that she might¡¯ve been right. Especially after remembering how exactly I managed to awaken her in the first place¡­ -I know what you¡¯re thinking. And I can¡¯t tell you that I am worried too. -Yeah¡­ if this is how we ended up, what the hell happened to Mike¡­ -Mh¡­ I don¡¯t even¡­ What in the hell is he¡­ -Let¡¯s not jump to conclusions. We have other things to do - I cut her off. - We first need to get out of here. -Mhm. Right. -Do you have any idea where we are? -I was stuck in a cave. Can¡¯t really tell you much about this place¡­ I can only see and know as much as you do¡­ -Strange¡­ Weren¡¯t you a person, like me, for a while? Or at least mobile? -If I was, I don¡¯t remember that. Why would you think so? -Well, after we merged, I had some flashes of memories that definitely did not belong to me. -Yeah, I know. You mentioned that. So what? -Some of them were definitely about the outside world. -Oh¡­ Well, that¡¯s interesting¡­ I am not sure¡­ It¡¯s true, I¡¯ve been stuck in that cave for a long, long time, but I honestly don¡¯t remember much before you found me¡­ Just some scraps that don¡¯t really make sense. Most of my memory is from before the whole fiasco of an experiment that destroyed MIRE¡­ -Hmm¡­ Strange. Maybe we can somehow poke your memory a bit? Just like I did before? -You¡¯re welcome to, but how? If I remember correctly it was your memories or overall experiences that managed to wake me up. Since now I am fully awake, I essentially am hearing and seeing everything and nothing so far has worked. -Maybe I just need to recall some memories again? Want me to tell you about what happened to me or the people I met? Maybe that would help? -I can do it myself, although it is a bit straining. - she admitted after a long moment of silence. Was it me or did she sound a bit out of breath? Can she even be out of breath? I shuddered, a bit awkward with that thought. -That¡¯s a bit¡­ -Oh, you don¡¯t need to tell me - she sounded a bit¡­ Disgusted? Curious? Uncomfortable? Something along those lines. - I am very aware that some thoughts are not meant to be known for other people¡­ too bad we are sharing them. -It¡¯s more like you¡¯re reading mine¡­ - I retorted. - I still only can hear what you want me to. -I am pretty sure you are able to dig into my head as well¡­ -How much? - I simply asked. -A good chunk - she replied. - Enough to know most of what happened¡­ I¡­ I didn¡¯t do it on purpose¡­ - she was now definitely more ashamed than anything. - When you asked¡­ my mind was just wandering aimlessly¡­ and you were so open¡­ I just went in. -Amazing. -But don¡¯t worry, I can control it! As long as I am awake, I am not going to dig. And that also extends to you as well, Kon. Ah, right, he was here too¡­ -I probably shouldn¡¯t do that too¡­ privacy aside, shit¡¯s just plain weird. -You have no idea. What the hell did she even see? -Oh! I¡­ I am just a boring person, I don''t really have secrets to hide¡­ -We all know that¡¯s a lie. But even then, I definitely would not like to dig in his head too deep if I didn¡¯t have to. After hearing his stories and about his owner¡­ I¡¯ve seen some shit in my time, but I am no masochist, I don¡¯t need to experience that first hand. -Anyway¡­ - I said aloud. - I think that¡¯s all¡­ We managed to collect quite a large chunk of magical items¡­ or at least that was what it seemed like. During our talk both me and Kon scoured the whole house and brought anything that had any amounts of mana inside. Small trinkets, even pieces of wood, anything. -Right¡­ let me take a look. I felt a strange itch in my head that I now knew was Iloa. -Why did you even disengage this thing in the first place? - I asked. - Weren¡¯t you just a second ago helping me find this crap? -Sure, but this is a bit different. I need to pour a bit of mana into this, not just look passively. Ah. So like what Jack and Kon were doing¡­ Probably a lot more effective and efficient though. -Can you gather a bit of mana for me from the environment? -Can¡¯t you do it yourself? - I asked, a bit surprised with the request. - You can control my body freely, you already proved that. -I can, but besides it being rude, it¡¯s not without risks. And it¡¯s always easier for you. -Hm. Well, sure. Like she asked, I grabbed some loose mana that the environment here was full of, even far away from the broken leyline. -Place it next to the bed so I can compare¡­ Ah, so that¡¯s what this was about. Seeing the items we found, or rather mana infused in them and the orb at once, she wanted to first filter out anything that belonged here. I wasn¡¯t able to see any difference between any of them, every single thing looked the same for me¡­ Besides Kon, that is, but he was a person, so it didn¡¯t count. I just was hoping that it was just me being not familiar with this technique and not an indicator that every single item was from this place and useless in this scenario. -Most of this is useless. But we have something¡­ the ring. -Which one? -Actually¡­ both of them. -Eh¡­ well, let¡¯s put all this crap away first¡­ Kon, would you be so kind? -Of course. He didn¡¯t even argue and started quickly moving between the rooms, putting every item back where they belonged. It wasn¡¯t really hard of a task, because most of it was just taken from a set of shelves in the room we were in. I instead focused on the rings. On a closer inspection, they actually looked familiar. Pretty much identical, made of silver, without any visible embellishments or markings. -Wedding rings¡­? -Looks like it¡­ - she confirmed. - And you¡¯re right, they are familiar. -To you or to me? -I mean, it¡¯s now us¡­ -You know damn well what I mean - I replied, slightly annoyed. -Right, right, my bad. You. I¡¯ve seen those in your memories. -Mind giving me a refresher? -Those were among the things that Melle wanted to give you, but you chose that necklace. -Riiight¡­ I knew I found it familiar. So, any idea where this thing is going to take us? -Who knows. I have nothing to compare it to, but it¡¯s for sure not from this place. Well, besides each other. -That¡¯s a good point. Are both of them from the same place? -Seems like that to me¡­ But wait, can¡¯t you tell as well? -Not really. They both look the same to me, as every other thing we gathered. -Hmm¡­ strange¡­ Well, no matter. -Okay. Let¡¯s wake up the two lazy asses over there - I announced out loud, opening the door to the other room. Unsurprisingly, both of them were still asleep, slumped in their chairs in even weirder positions than before. If not for their obvious mana, someone would say that we propped two corpses up. -Wake up! Time to move. I was not going to even try to be gentle, straight up kicking Jack in the leg. He almost fell out of the chair, immediately waking up both himself and Vendi. -What¡­?! Who¡­?! A minute later, both of them were well awake. While maybe not fully rested, they at least managed to regain most of their mana they lost from the plant-security. -So those things are supposed to be from somewhere else? -Yeah - I nodded. - I managed to find them with Kon, and from what I can tell they have different mana than everything else in this place. I decided to not tell them about Iloa in our heads. She didn¡¯t really care about her presence being known, but both me and Kon were not exactly keen on explaining that to them. It wasn¡¯t really their business anyway. For now at least. -Hm. Well, I am going to believe you. I¡¯d rather not use even more mana on checking them myself. -Yeah, speaking of wasting mana¡­ Kon, you think you can be the one opening the portal? -Are you sure it¡¯s alright? - asked Vendi. - Isn¡¯t he a bit¡­ unstable after the¡­ reawakening? -Unstable? Why would that be the case? He pointed towards his head. His eyes were still glowing with a dull green hue. -Ah. Kon, you forgot to stop your spell - I pointed out out loud. -Wha¡­? -Your eyes are still glowing Kon. Don¡¯t worry, not your fault. Can you stop looking through his eyes, Iloa? - I quickly thought. - You¡¯re making them suspicious. -And be blind again¡­. eh¡­ sure¡­ -You can still look through me if you want to. -Won¡¯t they be suspicious of you, too? -Like I care about that. Besides, I already am as suspicious as it gets. -Uh¡­ okay. The glow immediately dissipated from his eyes and he went back to his regular self. -It¡¯s just still new to him. 101. Below -Are you sure you are alright, Kon? No strange symptoms? Aftereffects? - Jack was still worried. - I probably still have enough mana for a portal¡­ -No, no, I am fine - he quickly assured him. - I was just a bit distracted, that¡¯s it. And you need to save your mana, who knows where we¡¯ll land¡­ -That''s a good question - picked up Vendi. - What are those rings? Where are we going? -Your guess is as good as mine - I shrugged. -I am sure you know at least something about them - said Jack. - Any hints? -Nope. They look like wedding rings though, so we might end up in some kind of temple - I said jokingly. - Or rather some poor blacksmith¡¯s workshop. -Workshop, eh? So probably Red Edge¡­ -You really think that every piece of metal originates from there? - I asked, not very convinced. - Hell, we are apparently close to the border, aren''t there any blacksmiths somewhere on the other side? -Sure¡­ - muttered Vendi - but what are the chances that she got them there? -Hm¡­ - Jack took one of the rings from me, inspecting it closer. - Looks like silver¡­ It¡¯s possible that it¡¯s from the outside of the kingdom then¡­ -What, Red Edge doesn¡¯t deal with precious metals? -They do, but rarely. If they make any jewelry, they are usually from a bit more mundane metals - he said, pointing at my necklace. -I guess there are not many mines on this side of the border¡­ -There really aren¡¯t - Jack shook his head. - After the dwarves disappeared, there really are not many mining operations anywhere in the kingdom. -Yeah, I heard about that¡­ - I said, remembering hearing about dwarves. - What happened? -Who knows - Vendi shrugged. - Their race was always on the odd side, always keeping to themselves. Not many were living in the kingdom, and those who were started slowly migrating to the other side of the mountains. -Not exactly right - corrected him Jack. - It just looked like this from our perspective, the truth is that they never made it to the north. -Ah, your client, I presume? -Yes. -So what happened? They got lost during the trip? Or is the border really that dangerous and hard to cross? -No, that¡¯s not it - he shook his head. - They never wanted to go to the other side, they wanted to go to the actual mountains. -Ah. Should¡¯ve figured. What, they have some kind of a city in the mountains? -I have no clue - replied Jack. - But since they are especially talented in earth based magic, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if that was indeed the case. -Huh. No wonder I got called a dwarf after emerging from that stupid passage - I muttered to myself. -You? A dwarf? - Vendi looked absolutely stunned. - Looking like that? Who the hell would think that? -Well, I still had most of my body intact - I pointed out - but, yeah, it¡¯s obvious, isn¡¯t it? Anyway, enough chatting, we probably should move out. Kon nodded and took a ring from Jack. -This one? - he asked, realizing that I was still holding onto the other one from the pair. -I don¡¯t think it matters - I shrugged. - Go for it, use the one Jack had. He nodded and started preparing the spell. I must say, all of us still had some doubts about the ring being a good anchor, but to our surprise, it worked without any hitch. Even better, just like the necklace, the ring was still intact. -Huh¡­ this went a lot better than expected - Jack said aloud what everyone else had on their mind. -So, who¡¯s the spearhead of this endeavor? - asked Vendi, but before anyone managed to reply, I already stepped through the portal opened on the wall of the room. The transfer was fine, no gravitational anomalies or anything else that I noticed, and a seconds later I was spat out on the other side away from Melle¡¯s house. As soon as I stepped out of the void, my ears were assaulted by the loudest sound I¡¯ve heard in a while. I found myself on a very small, rocky island, in the middle of some kind of sea. I don¡¯t think it was larger than the garden that we just were in, although this time there were no plants so to speak of. The horizon was also pretty barren: just sea from every single direction, no islands or landmasses¡­ besides one thing. In front of me, about a few hundred meters away, the sea was cut off. At first I was not sure what I was looking at, but soon I realized that the sight was slightly familiar. I was looking at the waterfall¡­ or rather the edge of it. Just like I¡¯ve seen far away from the tower at Red Edge. It was hard to tell, because for some reason, the area behind it, maybe another hundred meters further, was glowing with mana. I took another look at the horizon, but there was no sign of the familiar tall tower, so I had to be somewhere else. I guess it would be too easy if the portal would lead us to a somewhat familiar spot. Speaking of, the portal that I stepped through was opened on a large rock. It was one of the two things that were interesting on this piece of land, the second one being a large hole in the middle of the island, looking like an old cave. About the rock though¡­ It was actually more like a tablet. It was maybe twice as tall as me and maybe two meters long. It looked a bit weathered, most likely thanks to the nearby sea. Even with the portal still open, I was able to tell that it was full of writing, although I was not able to read it before the next person stepped through. It was Jack and right behind him was Vendi. At first I wanted to push them back and return to the forest, but what the hell, at least we can check the cave and the writing on the stone first. Both of them were startled, surprised with this strange change of scenery and I could tell that Vendi almost wanted to go back, but it was too late: Kon already stepped through and the opening closed, leaving us in the middle of the ocean. -What the hell is this?! - yelled Vendi, trying to break through the sound of the falling water. - Why does she have an anchor to HERE?! I just shrugged, not wanting to yell. -Kon, let¡¯s try and go into the cave. - I said to him in my head, pointing towards the opening in the rock and the slope leading downwards. He nodded and grabbed Vendi, pointing to the cave as well, but he didn¡¯t even have to do that, he was already on his way down. Jack was about to follow him, but looked at me first, as I still was not moving and following my eyes he also noticed the large tablet and the writing. Thanks to the portal being gone, I was able to read most of the inscription, which was surprisingly well preserved. The writing was actually somewhat familiar too¡­ I could¡¯ve sworn that I¡¯ve seen something similar like this before, and one look at Jack was enough to tell me that he was thinking the same, and also reminded me where I¡¯ve seen this kind of writing. -What are you doing? - I heard Kon in my head. - Something wrong? -Nah, will be with you in just a second. I nudged Jack and pointed to the cave and we started following the pair. I half-expected for us to be immediately greeted by the water, flooding the corridor, but nope. The cave itself was a bit strange. At first, the slope led us maybe five meters down, dropping well below the water level. Even then, insides if the cave were dry enough for us so we had no issue walking forwards. It took us a good few minutes to get to the point where the roaring water was quiet enough so we wouldn¡¯t have to yell at each other just to be understood. -What are we even doing here¡­ - started complaining Vendi immediately after we stopped being deafened by the roar of the waterfall. -I wouldn¡¯t say that this is any improvement¡­ - agreed Jack. - I don¡¯t know, between being lost in the woods and being lost on the sea, I¡¯d prefer the land¡­ -No shit. -Who in their right mind keeps an anchor to the literal edge of the world in their cupboard? - continued his rant Vendi. - We are lucky that this island is still somewhat intact, or we¡¯d be in the drink. -What do you want me to tell you? - I sighed. - All of us knew that this was a gamble. -Fuck this place. Let¡¯s try the other ring - said Vendi, gesturing towards me. - Maybe that thing will lead us somewhere better. -Calm down - I replied, but pulled out the ring. - Don¡¯t we want to check this cave first? -What for? -Think. Why in the hell would someone keep this thing if it wasn¡¯t useful for something? - I pointed out. - There has to be something here, besides that tablet above us. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. -Tablet? Ah, you mean that large rock¡­ -Yeah. Jack, I saw you look at it too, doesn¡¯t it seem familiar to you? -It does¡­ but I don¡¯t know what to think of it. -What, did it have some spell inscribed on it? - asked Vendi, somewhat intrigued. -Yea¡­ and a familiar one to boot. I couldn¡¯t piece it together completely, but it had some similarities to our barrier. -I felt like it seemed familiar¡­ that¡¯s where I¡¯ve seen it before¡­ -Yeah¡­ but a barrier¡­ in this place¡­? I guess it makes some sense¡­ -What, you know where we are? - I asked, surprised that he was able to tell after seeing just a bit of water and a piece of rock. -I have a good idea¡­ it¡¯s not hard to figure that out after seeing that massive waterfall¡­ I rolled my eyes. -Ah yes, the edge of the world, blah, blah, I mean more precisely. -Er¡­ - he was put off by my sudden annoyance. - Well¡­ not exactly¡­ -Some help you are. -Wait, the edge of the world? Doesn¡¯t that mean that we are somewhere close to one of the Edges? -What do you mean? -You are really from somewhere else - muttered Jack, half amazed, half terrified for some reason. -Explain then. -Of course, of course. As you are aware, there are multiple magic colors¡­ -Elements - I corrected him reflexively. -Call it however you like. And each and every one of them has a guild associated with them. And just like the Red Edge, each of them has an island on which they live. -Yeah, I still don¡¯t get why every single one of them chose to build their headquarters at the literal edge of the world - chimed in Vendi. - You¡¯d think they would want to live a bit closer to civilization¡­ -I don¡¯t know for sure¡­ but after seeing that tablet - Jack pointed towards the way we came from - I might have a guess¡­ -Hmm? -That thing was similar to our barrier, right? -So what? -Have you ever wondered what would¡¯ve happened if you were to fall off the edge of the world? - he asked, looking him straight in the face. - If we assume that that tablet was part of some kind of similar spell, it could¡¯ve functioned as a safety net for the unfortunate people¡­ -You really think that there would be someone so stupid to venture that far? - interrupted Vendi. - Come on¡­ But I guess that would make sense why the guilds have chosen their headquarters that way¡­ -Yeah¡­ -Wait a damn second - I interrupted them. - You are for real right now? -What do you mean? -I mean that whole ¡°edge of the world¡± thing. You really think that we live on some kind of a floating disc or some shit? -And how else would you explain that waterfall? - asked plainly Vendi. - I thought you were at the Red Edge, wouldn¡¯t you see the falls from there? Hell, we could see that from upstairs too. -Sure, but¡­ -But what? - asked Jack. - I know you are not from here, but you are telling me that you are not going to believe what I am saying even after you¡¯ve seen it with your own eyes? -Pf. That¡¯s the thing, after seeing it now I am more suspicious than ever. -What that¡¯s supposed to mean? -I don¡¯t know for sure yet, but I have some ideas. Let¡¯s leave that for later, I still have something to do before we leave. -Right¡­ you led us down here, what¡¯s the point even? - asked Vendi. - It¡¯s clear that we are not getting anywhere close to any civilization. -That might not exactly be true¡­ -What, you think that we¡¯re going to find the dwarves down here? - said jokingly Vendi. -Not really¡­ but we definitely are able to find something interesting. -What¡¯s interesting in some dank cave? -Follow me deeper and see for yourself - I said, not bothering to explain what I was thinking about. -He¡¯s got a point, what are we doing here? - asked Kon directly in my head. -I am interested in this tunnel - I replied, slightly surprised that he was on his own initiating the dialogue using that strange bond we were having. - It¡¯s just as Jack said: that tablet above us was definitely man made. Be it abandoned or not, there is a good chance that we can find something interesting down here. -Interesting? - he sounded more intrigued now. - Like magic artifacts? -Possible, but who knows. By the way, do you still have that ring on you? -Yeah? -Give it to me for a second. He looked at me a bit surprised, but gave it back. -What are you doing? - Jack noticed the ring. - You made up your mind and want to get out? -No. I wanted to check something. -Iloa, you awake? -Of course - the response was immediate. - I don¡¯t intend on missing any second of this adventure. -Hah. Well, I wanted to ask you, can you now compare the rings and the mana from here? Since now we have a way to compare, are you sure that both are from here? - I asked, gathering the mana to give her a way to get a better look. -I mean, I told you already, but sure, if you insist. Once more I felt that strange itch, and soon heard a response. -Yeah. Still the same. I mean, I was able to tell when comparing each other so I don''t see a point¡­ -Eh¡­ It¡¯s just strange. Why would you want two things leading to the same place? I¡¯d understand if they were a single use¡­ -It¡¯s not uncommon to have a spare, you know¡­ - It¡¯s just bothering me for some reason¡­ -No¡­ - I finally replied to Jack, pocketing both of the rings. - I just wanted to double check something. -And? -And nothing. Let¡¯s continue for now. The tunnel we were walking through was mostly level, only going slightly down. At first, it looked like it was going to end, but after a couple of minutes, the surroundings started to shift. From the natural-born cave, and the overall wild look of the rocky surroundings, the floor suddenly shifted into a more flat and regular surface. The walls and a ceiling followed suit and it didn¡¯t take a minute before we were walking through a very square-looking corridor, and almost immediately after we had to stop, because we¡¯ve reached the water. -Huh¡­ that¡¯s a unique place¡­ - said Jack, gazing around and inspecting the smooth walls. -How did you know that this was down here? - asked Vendi, looking down into the water. -I just had a hunch. The tablet upstairs was definitely man-made, so a suspicious-looking opening in the rock definitely was¡­ -Wait, there this thing goes even deeper - he interrupted me, kneeling at the edge of the water. He was right. The water was not just flooding the room, it was hiding something. So far, we¡¯ve been walking without much of a light, just getting by with the light that I was giving off, but now it was not enough. -Usc fi mynu. I summoned a light orb and directed it under the water, to brighten up the depths. Sure enough, there was something underwater: a staircase, completely flooded. -Huh. Well, I guess we¡¯re not going that way¡­ - said Jack, a bit disappointed. -What, you¡¯re suddenly interested? -No¡­ it¡¯s just¡­ I am curious about this tablet. It¡¯s clear that it¡¯s been abandoned, but who made it in the first place? After seeing this room I thought we maybe found some indication of who lived here before, but¡­ -You think someone lived here? - asked Kon, also intrigued. -Yeah, seems a bit of an odd place to have a hideout at¡­ -A hideout, huh¡­ - muttered Jack¡­ well¡­ maybe¡­ At first I thought that might be just another Edge that we found ourselves at¡­ -Edge? You think that a guild would hide itself underground like that? -Why not? That would also give another explanation to the tablet: they just wanted to protect their headquarters from any uninvited guests¡­ -That would make much more sense than just it being some great and amazing barrier saving stragglers from falling off the edge of the world¡­ - nodded Vendi, agreeing. - Any of you know a water breathing spell? - he added, jokingly. No one replied. At least not out loud. -I mean, making one wouldn¡¯t be that hard of an issue¡­ - said Iloa in my head. -What?! - almost yelped aloud Kon, but he managed to contain himself in his head. -True. But that doesn¡¯t mean that we are going to do that - I cut short her idea. - Besides, we don¡¯t need it. -Hmm? -We don¡¯t need it - I repeated aloud. - I must admit, I am interested about this place too, especially after hearing your idea about it¡­ -Shame then¡­ - said Jack, moving away from the water. - Let¡¯s go back, then. -But let me finish - I stopped him. - I never said we¡¯re going back. I mean, sure, you can and listen to the overwhelming roar of the water above us, but I am going in. -Going in what? - asked Vendi, confused. - What are you talking about? I lowered myself towards the water, trying to check the infusion levels. It was surprisingly tame. It probably meant that it was connected to the sea and diluted enough for me to not be a problem. -Going underwater - I plainly replied, tossing away my shirt, or rather the rag that a long time ago used to be a shirt. -What the hell, are you some kind of fish? - Vendi looked at me wide-eyed, same as Kon and Jack. -Nope. But I am a rock, though. You think rocks need to breathe? -I¡­ I guess not? -How the hell does that body of yours work? - Jack was stunned by this revelation. -I am not sure, but I am not complaining - I replied, shrugging. - You three just wait for me here, I¡¯ll have a quick look around. Surprisingly, the one who stopped me was Kon. -What the hell, are you crazy? - he was about to grab me to drag me back, but stopped himself before he touched me, remembering what I was made of. - You¡¯re leaving us here? -Let him go - said Vendi. - It¡¯s not like we can stop him¡­ -I know what you are thinking - I said, looking directly at him. - What stops them from teleporting out as soon as you disappear under the water? -I¡­ we would never¡­! - started bumbling Jack. -Sure, sure. But tell me, do you have any anchors with you? -... -I thought so. Well, anyway, even if you had, they definitely were already destroyed back when I got to awaken Kon. Vendi opened his eyes even wider. -Wait¡­ do you mean¡­ -Of course. I am the only person here that has any anchors with them - I pointed out, trying to suppress my laugh. -That¡¯s another reason to not go! - continued Kon. - And I don¡¯t mean that I don¡¯t believe you, it¡¯s just what if something happens to you! -He has a point - Jack stared at me with a serious face. - I don¡¯t mind you risking your own life, but you are essentially sentencing us to starve down here. -Maybe that¡¯s what you deserve after what you did to those kids. That was maybe a bit harsh, and I didn¡¯t really mean it, but it definitely worked. Jack and Vendi winced at me, but nevertheless, Jack continued. -That might be true, but what about Kon? He¡¯s innocent in all this! -And he is also part crystal - I pointed out. - As far as I know, he can survive for a very long, probably even indefinite amount of time on just pure mana, he¡¯ll be fine even if something happens to me. Kon shuddered at the lone thought of that, and was about to say something, but I didn¡¯t let him. -So, you better hope I won¡¯t get stuck in a cave-in or something. And, before any of them was able to say anything I dove underwater. 102. Swap I didn¡¯t have to swim, because thanks to my weight I was just able to walk down the stairs that were leading me further deep under. I didn¡¯t make it even ten steps before I heard Kon in my head. -Are you really¡­ I didn¡¯t even let him finish, I knew well enough what he was going to say. -Yes, yes, I know. I don¡¯t intend on leaving anyone here, don¡¯t you worry. -But¡­ -I am going to be fine, and even if I won¡¯t you can just portal them out of here and leave me behind. I will leave the anchor underwater, right at the end of the corridor so you can get it without an issue. -What?! -You heard me. If you don¡¯t want to, you can tell Jack to do it, it¡¯s not far, any regular person that can decently swim would be able to get to it. It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t think you can be trusted - I added, feeling his disappointment. - It¡¯s just I think that there is a decent possibility that either of them would talk you into getting them out of here. -And what good would that do? - he replied. I couldn¡¯t help but notice his lack of denial. - We still wouldn¡¯t get anywhere¡­ -You could just stay there, the place is not that bad to stay permanently¡­ -We wouldn¡¯t just leave the rest back home to fend for themselves! And you¡¯d be stuck here! -Eh, who knows. And about me being stuck¡­ Well, I¡¯d figure something out, eventually. As we were talking I reached the end of the corridor, and as promised, I placed the necklace on the ground. It was heavy enough for it not to be swept by the water, not like there was much of a current flowing through. Just in case though, I placed a rock on top of it. There were plenty of those scattered around. -Done. It won¡¯t swim away. You won¡¯t have trouble finding it, it¡¯s basically in the middle of the path. -Still¡­! -What, what else do you want me to do? -To not be so reckless! - he suddenly said, surprising me. - You know very well that I am not going to leave you! -Okay, listen. I know you feel like you are indebted to me for whatever reason you thought of¡­ -Saving my life! -That¡¯s debatable but whatever. Anyway, I am going to do whatever I want, and I don¡¯t need you to try and guilt me into going back. -I am not¡­ -Okay, are we going to keep bickering like this or what? I want to get going, so I can get out faster. -I thought you wanted to explore - I couldn¡¯t help but feel a hint of spite in his reply. -Those are not exclusive to each other. You better keep your eye on those two with you, I can handle myself. And if something happens, I will definitely contact you. -Actually¡­ that¡¯s a good point¡­ From how far we can talk like this¡­ -Huh¡­ I don¡¯t know. Iloa, any ideas? -Nope. It¡¯s strange for me though¡­ Even though you split up, I still can feel both of you the same as before, when you were together in one spot¡­ -That is strange¡­ Well, no time like the present to find out. I¡¯ll talk to you later, I need to focus right now¡­ -Hrm. While I said that I needed to focus, that was a blatant lie. The light that I had with me was not something that I even barely needed to focus on, neither was the path. Speaking of, it was actually flat and easy to traverse - after the stairs, the corridor I had to travel through was straight and decently large, I¡¯d say a three or four person wide, about two meters tall, and definitely man-made. It was similar to the one we went through to get out of the bowl where MIRE was, albeit smaller. Probably made with magic, hence the regularity and the overall sturdiness: even though it was submerged in salt water, there was no sign of any erosion, it was looking perfectly fine. After a short time, I found myself at the crossroads and the first sign of some kind of damage to the place. The spot definitely used to be a fork, splitting three ways, left, right and middle. Both the left and the middle corridor were filled with rubble, or rather a landslide, only the right path was somewhat possible to travel. Even then it was just for a couple of meters further, because that one was also ending with a split, or this time it was a staircase leading up and down, with both of the ways being blocked by loose rocks. -That doesn¡¯t seem good¡­ - I thought to myself, but I got a reply anyway. -What doesn¡¯t? Are you alright? Of course, Kon was still with me, at least mentally. -Path¡¯s blocked. I didn¡¯t make it very far¡­ looks like a dead end. -So come back and let¡¯s go! - I could feel him hurrying me. -Hm¡­ I guess you could, but I think I feel something downstairs - joined in Iloa, quiet till now. -Hmm? Indeed, she was right. Just below us and a bit further in, I could feel a small flame of mana. Definitely interesting. -You are absolutely right. I guess I¡¯ll be staying here a bit longer then. -I thought you said that the path was blocked! -Not for long. Iloa, mind giving me a hand? -Er¡­ sure¡­? But why do you need me for that? Isn¡¯t that basic¡­ -Yes, yes, basic crap. But last time I did something like this it did not end well. And I am also curious how good you are with the current state you are in¡­ -That¡¯s a good question - I felt her pondering. - Okay¡­ -Isn¡¯t it a bit of a bad place to do some kind of weird experiments¡­? - pointed out Kon. -We¡¯ll be fine, it¡¯s not like this is more dangerous than me doing it myself. -You¡­ -How do you want to do this? - I asked Iloa, not waiting for the inevitable protests from Kon. -I can¡¯t really cast anything independently from you¡­ - she replied, deep in thought. -You could when you interfered during my attempt at bringing Kon back¡­ -I did, but it was more like me taking partial control of you¡­ -So can you do that now? -Wait, you WANT me to take control? - she asked, stunned. -Why not? It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t trust you, essentially we are bound together whenever we want it or not, so what¡¯s the problem? -It¡¯s just¡­ I am not sure if I will be able to give you control back¡­ - she finally replied, clearly worried. -That''s it? This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. -What do you mean ¡°that¡¯s it¡±? That¡¯s kind of a big deal! - Kon butted in. -Kon, this does not concern you. While I am happy that you feel more comfortable in this new mode of communication, can you at least not interrupt? -... I swear I heard some grumbling from him, but besides that he went silent. -Back to topic, if that¡¯s the only problem you think we¡¯re going to have, then there is no issue. Go ahead. -Well, if you¡¯re sure, I am not going to complain¡­ I was not sure what to expect, so I just stood there, holding my non-existing breath with anticipation. At first, nothing happened, but soon I started feeling a headache, somewhat familiar to the ones I¡¯ve been having a long time ago, when we first merged together. On top of that, my head suddenly started spinning, I started feeling like I was about to black out¡­ and I did. Or maybe rather white out. It was a very weird feeling - it was like I was unconscious, yet aware. All my senses were gone, or at least I thought so, because suddenly I started hearing a voice. -Mor? Mor? Are you okay? It was Iloa. So she managed to take over, huh? I tried focusing on the sound of the voice, but it was harder than expected. I attempted to speak, or rather to think, get a message to her, that I could hear her, but I could not collect my thoughts. Everything was so blurry and mixed up that I had trouble focusing, especially when I was essentially in a white void. Actually, that void felt familiar. Wasn¡¯t it the same as when we first connected? I found myself floating in that blank space? But this time, I was not able to see anything else, be it my body or her¡­ if you could call that weird mass back then my body. What I was able to feel was something else though¡­ I could feel a pull. Just like back then, there was that something, a tiny string that was attached to something further away from me¡­ wait, there was more than one. Two? More? It was like an invisible spider web stretching through that void, so thin that it was almost not there. -I said that it was a stupid idea! It was Kon. At the same time, suddenly one of the threads grew thicker, and I was almost able to see it¡­ or was it my imagination? -He knew the risk. But he¡¯s not gone¡­ I am still able to feel him¡­ Mor? When she said that, another string got more distinguishable, and this time, I was able to grab onto it¡­? It¡¯s hard to explain. I didn¡¯t have any limbs to speak of, yet I definitely felt like I was stretching my arm and grabbing onto a thin rope that immediately wrapped itself around my non-existing fist. As soon as that happened, I felt a massive pull, like someone had yanked the rope I was holding on with an immense strength, and suddenly I was not in the white void anymore. I could see again¡­ but this time, it was a bit different. It was not unlike my magic sight before, but this time it was lacking one layer - the basic, physical one - I was just able to see the mana surrounding me. I tried focusing up, and soon my sight came back fully, with the confusing mix of mana flames and regular shapes of objects around me. At the same time, I felt myself reeling back, like I was just hit by something. -Holy shit¡­ Oh! I managed to say something, or rather think. -Shit indeed - repeated Iloa in my head. - I see you are conscious. How are you feeling? -Confused. But besides that, I think I am good. -Good. So can you move? As she asked that, I realized that I was now sitting down on the stairs, a bit lower, already behind the landslide that was now completely gone. -You managed to remove this thing¡­ - I said, standing up. Or at least I attempted to. The thing is, it was actually pretty hard for me to move, I was a bit sluggish. If I didn¡¯t know better I¡¯d say that it was because I was in the water, but even then, it was harder for me than before. I actually had to lean onto the wall to be able to stand up. -Whoah¡­ damn, I am a bit woozy. -No wonder. This exchange was a bit harder than I expected¡­ or rather I should say less mana-efficient than I hoped for. Good thing that we have a lot to spare. -Mh¡­ yeah¡­ -Mor! You¡¯re back! - I heard Kon, clearly very relieved to hear my voice. -Yes, yes, I am OK. Just give me a second to get my bearings¡­ -You scared us! It¡¯s been too long! -Too long? - I asked, surprised. - Wait, how long was I unconscious? -You didn¡¯t realize? -Well, that¡¯s not that strange - said Iloa. - In my case, it was really, really confusing. -I asked how long. -About half an hour, give or take. -Damn. -Yeah. But do you feel fine now? And were you aware what was going on here? - she asked. -Err¡­ no, not really. I heard you both a little bit, but besides that, I felt nothing. -I guess we shouldn¡¯t be surprised¡­ This magic is very, very funky. -Speaking of, how do you even know of this magic? - asked Kon. -What do you mean ¡°know about this magic¡±? Mor told you already, there is nothing that you can¡¯t do when you know how the magic works. -Yeah¡­ but still! Didn¡¯t you say that doing things like that can be dangerous? That¡¯s¡­ -Sure, sure, we are amazing, we know - I interrupted. - By the way, Iloa, what did you use to get rid of the rocks? I can¡¯t see any rubble or anything similar¡­ -Oh, I just used a little bit of stone melding. I basically melted them and got them out of our way. I did make the floor a bit uneven, though. And true, at the top of the stairs, where the landslide used to be, there was now a round bump in the floor, just at the wall. -You used heat or nah? -Nope. I am pretty sure that this body would be fine with it, but I don¡¯t know about the guys upstairs, so I decided to not risk boiling the water. They would be scared shitless. -I can¡¯t say that you were conserving mana. No wonder I felt weak after getting back¡­ -Don¡¯t be a wuss, we have plenty of mana and even more ways to recover it. Don¡¯t you feel fine already? She was right. While the water was relatively weak in terms of mana infusion, there was a lot of it and enough for me to refill, especially when I was completely submerged in it and even filled with it. -Well, I guess so. Let¡¯s move then. The stairs leading down were also in a pretty decent condition, and considering the fact that they not so long ago were buried under a pile of rocks, that seemed a bit strange. When you think about it, I also didn¡¯t notice any place that the rocks were from¡­ I mean, it had to be some kind of avalanche? But there was no sign of any holes or anything that would say that the ceiling or a wall collapsed, the corridor was completely spotless and flat. -Hey, you said you melded the loose rocks into the floor, right? -Yeah? -Did you fix the ceiling too? -Ceiling? Nope. If I would, you¡¯d definitely notice. Besides that it didn¡¯t look damaged¡­ She stopped, realizing what that meant. -Where the hell did this blockade come from then? That was a very good question. -Did someone do this on purpose? Blocking the way? -That¡¯s possible¡­ But that would mean that they had to use some kind of earth magic to actually conjure and create those rocks¡­ -True¡­ And since everything is underwater, it¡¯s hard to tell if this thing was made with magic or not - she agreed with me and confirmed what I was suspicious of. - Like this corridor¡­ But why would they just leave it like this? Not just completely block the way? To make it look like an accident? -Most likely - I nodded. - And since not a lot of people know how to actually detect magic, no one would be wiser, especially after a while soaking in water¡­ -True. If we can¡¯t tell, I doubt anyone would. -Now the real question: what the hell was so important here to warrant that much effort? Since the landslide was fake, I don¡¯t doubt that this flooding is too. -We are about to find out. Whatever magical is in there, it¡¯s close. She was right. After the stairs ended, we walked onto what seemed like some kind of a cellar, or maybe a dungeon. I couldn''t really tell because the door was not there anymore, although the only remaining thing, the hinges, were pretty thick. -Metal. And no rust - I pointed out. -So whatever happened here couldn¡¯t be that long ago¡­ -Now I am even more interested. Behind the broken door was a large room. And it was still equipped, mostly that is. The furniture, or maybe rather equipment was made completely out of stone. It sort of reminded me of Melle¡¯s home appliances in design, although this time from a different material. And those were definitely not just some home furniture. In the middle of the room, there was a large slab of stone, I¡¯d say a table, or maybe more like an altar. It was large enough for at least two people to lie on it. The walls were stacked with empty shelves, besides the wall opposite to the entrance. That one had another doorway with a missing door, and that was also where I was feeling the mana from. As I got closer, I noticed that the set of hinges at that wall was even thicker than the one at the entrance. Those also looked bent and destroyed, like something had torn the doors out of its frame. -Whatever someone was keeping here apparently didn¡¯t like it very much - I pointed out, inspecting the hinge. -Not exactly¡­ They are bent the other way, are they not? - she pointed out. - And aren¡¯t those scorch marks? She was right. I didn¡¯t notice before in the darkness, but as soon as I let my orb fly closer, I immediately realized that those hinges were not bent by force, someone had used fire to heat them up and that way opened this room. -What the hell is this place? - I was wondering, peeking inside the other room. It was small, and, obviously, a cell. Barren, tiny and with only a singular bed. Not even a bed, just a singular flat slab of stone in the corner, not that different from the one in the middle of the other room, although a bit lower to the floor. And on it, there was laying a nice and clean skeleton. 103. Discovery -Oh shit. I hesitated for a second, because the source of mana that I felt from upstairs was definitely right where that pile of bones was. But, I was wary for nothing, it was not some creature lying in wait on an unsuspecting victim. It was just a regular corpse, and the mana signature had to be from something on it. Which was strange, because it was wearing no equipment. That was not what caught my attention the most, though. -Weird. -Well, at least they didn¡¯t die in the flooding - I pointed out, looking at another, a lot larger scorch mark, spanning the whole slab and a sizable chunk of the wall. -We can¡¯t really tell how they died, though. -Okay then, for the sake of being civilized, let¡¯s say that they just got cremated after death - I said. - But whatever the case, someone wanted to get rid of evidence. -Yeah. Too bad the water didn¡¯t clear the marks yet. -Mhm¡­ well, time to get my hands dirty. I said that, yet still hesitated for a second. Maybe the corpse was trapped? Maybe that was the magic that I was feeling? But before I even realized it, my hands were already on the job, shifting through the bones, trying to find the source of magic. I almost immediately found it. Just on the slab, under some soaked soot that might have been just that poor person¡¯s ashes, I found it. It was¡­ a small metal¡­ spike? A needle? With a tiny gemstone embedded within it. It was a bit charred, but only from the outside. One swipe later, it was clean again. It was the size of my thumbnail, maybe a bit larger. It was very weird, but for some reason it felt like I¡¯ve seen something like this before¡­ -Are you kidding me¡­? - I heard Iloa in my head. - THAT¡¯S what¡¯s left? -What, you recognize this thing? -Don¡¯t you? -Well, it looks somewhat familiar, but I can¡¯t put my finger on it. -Ha. Well, maybe it¡¯s easier for me because I used to have one similar to this¡­ -You? Wha? -It¡¯s a piercing. -Excuse me, can you repeat that? A piercing? -Yep. I guess you never wore one so you didn¡¯t recognize it at first glance¡­ She wasn¡¯t wrong there. -A piercing. What¡¯s left of a charred corpse is a fucking piercing. -Why are you so surprised? It¡¯s clearly magical, so no wonder it survived the flames. -I don¡¯t even know what to say¡­ -And what¡¯s there to say? -Ehh¡­ Whatever. But now the more important question: will this thing help us get out? -Obviously. Even without inspecting it¡¯s closer I can tell that this thing was definitely not made here. This thing is¡­ She stopped, realizing something. -Hey, I know it¡¯s a strange thing to notice, but don¡¯t you think that this looks¡­ way too modern? I took a better look at the small thing, but there was no use. I was definitely not familiar with jewelry to the point where I¡¯d be able to tell¡­ -No clue¡­ -Say, take a closer look. Are there any markings on it? Anything at all? -I don¡¯t see anything¡­ -Look closer. It¡¯s probably very small, get your light closer. -Hmmm¡­ I am not sure why she was so adamant about this but I indulged her, trying to inspect the tiny thing from every possible angle, looking for anything that would look like¡­ -I¡¯ll be damned. There¡¯s something here¡­ I think I can see a small star¡­ and then some kind of number¡­ But it¡¯s so worn, I can¡¯t tell the actual numbers¡­ Is that¡­ -A hallmark. -Hm. I guess they have those here too¡­ -I¡¯m¡­ not sure¡­ -I guess you might be right¡­ to make that small of a writing you¡¯d need pretty modern equipment for¡­ -Or magic. But I think the writing itself was not made with mana¡­ I didn¡¯t even notice when, but she borrowed my senses again, focusing on the mana in the item. -This thing is infused, as we knew, but only from outside. -Outside? You mean that it sat for a long time in some mana? You think this water is enough to infuse it¡­? -That¡¯s the thing: definitely not. To be honest, if this thing would¡¯ve been here for long, the water would clean off all of the mana completely, since the water is pretty diluted here. No. Whatever infused this thing, was pretty recent and pretty powerful. -That¡¯s¡­ somewhat good news. It means that we now have a way out of here, since this thing¡¯s mana does not belong here¡­ -Yeah. But now the problem¡­ Where does it belong? -Or rather who does it belong to? -Oh¡­ -Yeah. I doubt that this place had some kind of sudden natural, moving magical anomaly that just by sheer chance managed to enchant this thing. -Hmm¡­ you¡¯re right¡­ That¡¯s a problem¡­ -Yeah. The question for you Kon: if for the portal we use something filled with mana not belonging to a place, but rather to a person, would that work? -Is that even possible? - wondered Iloa. - I mean, whoever did that, had to get their mana from somewhere. -But that ¡°somewhere¡± is still not here. -True¡­ -So it should work, right? -I¡­ why are you asking me? - he finally replied. - I thought you were the master of magic and all that. -I never called myself that. And I told you that I don¡¯t know much about portal magic. -And I know only a little bit. I can make some assumptions, but you¡¯re the one who used it the most, so maybe you have a hunch. -Or maybe Jack knows something? He used that as well? -Well¡­ I, or rather, we, never learned that much¡­ You clearly know better, so I guess you are probably right¡­ -Hm. Some help you are. But he was right. We were pretty stupid to try and depend on his knowledge. And since both of us had similar guesses, there was a good chance that we were right. -Right¡­ Well, I think we found everything that was to be found here¡­ let¡¯s go back up. -And you¡¯re going to leave that body behind? - asked a bit concerned Kon. - I¡­ -What, you expect me to give them a burial? Maybe even that ritual of yours? -I¡­ Still! That¡¯s just¡­ -What? Barbaric? -Yes! -I don¡¯t have¡­ -We have time to spare - interrupted me suddenly Iloa. - Come on, it¡¯s not that much of a hassle. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. -I am not going to try and perform those rituals of theirs! - I protested. - Those bring only trouble. -And I am not saying that we do that. We can just do it the normal way. -What, you expect me to dig a grave? Here?! -No. Have you heard of a burial at sea? -Hrgh¡­ why are you so invested in this? -I just¡­ don¡¯t want them to lie down in their own cell forever¡­ That was not the answer I expected, but probably should¡¯ve. After all, it was her who was stuck for an indefinite amount of time as a piece of rock under some random village. -Erhg¡­ fine. Just give me a minute¡­ I started controlling water around the place, trying to lift up the bones, just to give up halfway and instead went back towards the entrance. Iloa, knowing what I was planning, was not intervening. Without a word I emerged from the water right next to the trio who was still waiting for me, startling Vendi, who was sitting the closest. -Finally! What did you¡­ I didn¡¯t reply, just grabbed my shirt and went back down. Vendi attempted to stop me, but instead got stopped himself by Kon, who knew what I had in mind. -Thank you. -Why the hell would YOU be the one thanking me? -Well, the person in question can¡¯t, really¡­. -They could if they tried hard enough - I said in jest, but nevertheless that shut him up. Apparently, after that much weird stuff going around him, he decided not to peer and maybe even believed me. Who knows. When on my way down to the cell, I tied up the sleeves of my shirt, or at least what remained of them, making a very, very scuffed sack out of it. -That¡¯ll have to do - I thought and started collecting the bones. -Not the worst, considering the circumstances - replied Iloa, still observing me using my own eyes. Sadly, all the bones did not exactly fit the container that I impromptu made, but thankfully it was enough for me to get all of them in a single go. Even if I had to carry the skull in my hand. -Say, I didn¡¯t think of you as a religious person - I pondered while on the way back upstairs. -And you¡¯re right. I am not. -Well, caring for the corpses and wanting to give someone proper burial kind of is¡­ -Religious? Hardly. That¡¯s just basic human decency, don¡¯t you think? Don¡¯t even atheists get burials? Aren¡¯t there laws that govern the sanctity of a corpse? Or at least were¡­ -Sure¡­ let me put this a bit differently then. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be such a ¡°decent¡± person, as you just nicely described this. -M¡­ Mor! Right. Kon was still part of this discussion as well. And that comment definitely scared the hell out of him. -No, no, he¡¯s right - came to my defense Iloa. - Back in the MIRE, that would be a very good description for all of us: with no conscience. -But, if I was to say, you were the one with the most of it¡­ not like that¡¯s an achievement¡­ -W¡­ what do you mean by that? - he asked, and even without seeing him I could tell he was trembling. -Exactly what you think. -Kon. How do you think we managed to end up how we ended up? -I mean¡­ you told me about the failed experiment of some kind¡­ -And do you think that was the only one experiment? And the only one that failed? Of course we experimented on different people. Just, that last one was supposed to work better¡­ -Well, it sort of did, if we are going to be honest. -But¡­ you are¡­ the same as Jack and Vendi! Maybe even worse. And you argued about them being¡­ you were angry with them! Now he was angry too, but even then, anger couldn¡¯t hide his fear completely. -Sure. There is that saying¡­ ¡°do as I say, not as I do¡±. I believe that is a good example of that. -But that¡¯s just¡­ you hypocrite! You are the same as Noli! -Of course we are - agreed with him suddenly Iloa. - He¡¯s one of us as well, after all. What. -Excuse me? One of us? -What? -Don¡¯t play with me. I know you had some suspicions. -Well, of course, I do think that this guy is at least MIRE-adjacent, but calling him one of us¡­ -I see we are not as synchronized as I thought. He¡¯s more than just ¡°adjacent¡±. Do I need to spell it out for you? -I mean¡­ -Oh for fucks sake¡­ It¡¯s Mike. -Pause. Are you fucking¡­ -And why do you think you managed to wake me up using this name? Or rather, the converted name? You¡¯re telling me you managed to get my name, but not his? -Reverse¡­ oh fucking¡­ Now when she said it, it was obvious. Noli was just his name translated into the magical script. -Why the hell did he even do that? Didn¡¯t he realize that someone would be looking for him¡­ Wait. That¡¯s most likely why he did that¡­ since¡­ -Err¡­ I sooo¡­ Right¡­ and are you fine¡­? -Fine with what? -Well¡­ he supposedly has another wife now¡­ and a child now¡­ -Oh, I am positively angry. But I can control my emotions. I¡¯d rather not vent onto some third party. Besides, I was missing for a long while. He, probably just like you, assumed me dead. I don¡¯t blame him for looking for someone else. She said that, but I definitely felt a hint of disappointment in that sentence. -Okay¡­ there is a lot to unpack there¡­ Holy shit. He even named his daughter after¡­ -I am aware. Wait a second. Didn¡¯t Melle say that it was not her child¡­ that she was adopted? Couldn¡¯t that mean that¡­ -Iloa. What happened to your child? -I know what you¡¯re thinking. But I have no idea. Besides the fact that her age doesn¡¯t add up, she also does not look familiar. -Hm. True. But still¡­ the name¡­ and the aptitude to magic¡­ she was pretty good at rituals¡­ -I know that she was interested in our job, but that doesn¡¯t mean she was so genius to learn that from just watching¡­ -No. But it would definitely help. Who says that Mike didn¡¯t teach her too? -Well, maybe. But my problems aside, don¡¯t you need to do something first? -Right, right¡­ During our discussion I managed to reach the stairs leading up and finally got out of the water, accidentally scaring the living shit out of Vendi. -AH! IS THAT A SKULL?! Right. I was still carrying the remains of the unfortunate prisoner. -Yes. I was convinced to give it a burial. -By who?! There is someone down there?! -Wha¡­? Nah, empty as is. But never mind that, I found something that will lead us¡­ well, somewhere else. -Really?! Where? - asked Jack excitedly. - It has to be some kind of old artifact then! Another ruin? -Maybe? We¡¯ll see soon enough, but first I need to finish this - I pointed towards the skull I was carrying. -I thought you didn¡¯t want to use life magic¡­ -I don¡¯t think the ritual will work here, anyway - said Vendi. - It¡¯s too rocky¡­ -And I am not intending to. Come on, let¡¯s go up. The small island upstairs was still as loud as before, effectively making any conversation pointless. Expecting that we were going to spend at least a couple of minutes in the noise, the three of my companions made themselves makeshift earplugs of some torn material, I think from Vendi¡¯s clothes. Jack offered me a set too, but I refused. Not like I was going to be hurt by the noise anyway. -So, how do you want to do this? - asked Kon in my head. He was starting to get used to this kind of communication. - I never heard of this kind of burial¡­ Or you¡¯re just making stuff up? -He¡¯s not - defended me Iloa. - But it might be somewhat problematic¡­ -Right¡­ they already got charred and managed to still be in¡­ well, mostly in one piece. -Yeah¡­ that¡¯s a bit strange, don¡¯t you think? -A little. But it¡¯s probably thanks to the mana in the air. I didn¡¯t notice before thanks to the infused water, but the bones are also a bit infused. -Right¡­ -Wait, doesn¡¯t that mean that whoever that person was, had to be under a lot of magical influence¡­? - asked Kon. -Yah. They were a prisoner after all. -What do you mean? -You, out of all the people, should know. Trying to force information out, maybe some experiments, you name it. That does not leave you without any mark, you know. -Wait¡­ does that mean that I also am able to be discovered like that¡­? If someone would have the same kind of ability as you¡­ us? -Yeah, if they were to cut you into pieces and try inspecting your skeleton. Relax. Normally, it¡¯s indistinguishable from the regular aura of a person. Besides, even if you didn¡¯t¡­ go through what you were through, there is something else in you now that definitely took precedence over all of that. -You mean the crystal. -Yeah. If we believe our theories, soon your whole body will be like that, so there won¡¯t be even bones to inspect. -...! -Anyway, let¡¯s get this over with. I placed the bag in front of me, in the driest spot I was able to find on that small rocky island and focused. -Usc fi geksu. I summoned my fire orb and, pouring a bit more mana than usual, made it big enough for it to be able to burn the whole bundle at once. The material, even though it was wet, lit up in flames instantly. Couldn''t say the same for the remains. But that was to be expected. -Hilty. The flames intensified significantly, but it was still not enough. Be it thanks to the bones being slightly magical or some other reason¡­ A bit annoyed, I turned up the pace. -Jomva! I think I overdid it a bit, because flames turned white and even the rock under it started to heat up and change color. Nevertheless, it was enough and the bones almost instantly turned into dust. I quickly ended the spell and switched from fire to wind¡­ -Hipiso wipvu. ¡­and scattered the ashes on the wind, letting them flow away for a while, after which I dropped the spell. -That should do. Satisfied? Both of you? -Yes. Thanks. -Of course. -Good. Let¡¯s get out of here. Kon, want to make the door here or in the cave? -Here is fine, just let me move a bit further from the water. -Mhm. I gestured towards Vendi and Jack, pointing to Kon, just as he started preparing to create the portal. They of course understood without words and tensed up visibly. Right¡­ we were again going to be dropped in some random place, who the hell knows where. Hopefully in a more civilized place at least. I gave Kon the anchor we found and in a matter of minutes the portal was open. And of course I was the one who had to enter through first. I already got used to this kind of treatment, but it was still annoying. Not like I didn¡¯t understand them - I was the most durable out of us¡­ 104. Hidden Another stomach-turning gravity alteration later, I got ejected on the other side of the portal, just to be blinded again. At first I thought we again reached the ruins of the MIRE, just to remember that I already used most of the blinding mana there. But it was not just bad news. Even without being able to see, I could tell that I was inside: there was no wind and the smell of the sea was replaced with the very recognizable scent of dusty interior, to the point that I had to stop myself from sneezing. The roar of the sea was also gone, obviously, but that was for the granted. What was more important though was the fact that my appearance was not accompanied with screams of either surprise or hostility. Progress. In the back of my head, I could tell Iloa being startled, although definitely not as badly as Kon was for the first time he felt such overwhelming mana. -You good? -Of course, but where the hell are we¡­? -I can¡¯t¡­ I didn¡¯t manage to finish the sentence because I heard the rest of the group appear right behind me. I was going to ask where we were, but before I even managed to squeeze out a word, both Jack and Vendi yelped in surprise. -From the reaction I assume you recognize the place? -No! What is this thing!? What is this place?! -Oh great¡­ Kon, how about you? You good? -Emmm¡­ yes? You¡¯re not? -Well, I am blind again, so there¡¯s that. Besides, everything¡¯s OK. -Wait, blind? You? - Iloa sounded surprised. - This place is that infused? Let me see! -I¡¯m not¡­ I didn¡¯t finish the sentence before I felt her attempt to take a peek, just to be overwhelmed. -EEK! - she yelped so weirdly that both me and Kon jumped up. -Told you so. -Well, wherever we are, the place is filled to the brim with mana - I said out loud. - And correct me if I am wrong, we are inside some kind of room, right? -I¡­ I think so? - replied Vendi, audibly confused. - But that¡¯s not really some place I know of¡­ it¡¯s¡­ weird¡­ -Like any place is normal¡­ But, since even for you it¡¯s weird, I have to say I am curious. I¡¯d recommend not touching anything then. -Are you mad? I¡¯m not getting even remotely close to this thing! Is there a door here¡­? -I don¡¯t see one - said Jack from behind me. - Strange¡­ is this some kind of hidden room or something¡­? -Kon, you can see, right? - asked Iloa. - Can I take a peek? I could feel him hesitate for a second, but he agreed. -Yes, of course¡­ -Just don¡¯t get poking in his head too much. -I¡¯d never. We both knew that was not true. As she said that, I felt her connecting to Kon and attempting to do the same thing as with me. I, meanwhile, tried to focus up and at least find the source of this mana, but for naught. Everything was so bright, there was no distinct spot that would say that it¡¯s the source, meaning that we had to be so close that it was overwhelming me completely. As I was contemplating that, I felt something else. In the back of my head, I felt Iloa, but different, more¡­ profound. I could tell that it was thanks to the spell she was focusing on, or however else would you call the technique she used to borrow our sight. For some reason though, be it thanks to the powerful mana in the air, or maybe on purpose, I felt another connection. It was Kon, and just like with Iloa, I started feeling him stronger and stronger, the thread that was connecting our thoughts got more defined. Curious, I focused on that feeling, and to my surprise, I stopped seeing the overwhelming whiteness. Instead, for a second everything went black, and fading in, from the darkness I started seeing something else. I saw three people standing in some kind of chamber, made out of completely red rock, or maybe crystal. Wait. That was us. And I was seeing the scene through the eyes of¡­ -Kon. Nice, I can see now. -What happened? - he sounded confused and surprised. - Weren¡¯t you blind just a second ago? -That''s¡­ peculiar - muttered Iloa, noticing what happened. - He managed to connect to the same spell I used on you, so he can see through your eyes too. -What¡­ that¡¯s even possible?! -Seems like it. It¡¯s somewhat confusing though¡­ Right. Seeing yourself from a third person perspective was not something normal, but it was pretty handy right now. At least I now had a good idea where we were. The chamber we found ourselves in was pretty dark, with no windows. It was almost circular, formed akin to a dome, although with some deformations. The walls themselves were rough and made completely out of red crystal, with no door to speak of. The color and overall feeling I had was pretty familiar¡­ -Jack, Vendi, can you use magic right now? -Huh? What for? - asked Vendi, confused. -Just do it. A small light, anything really. -Hm¡­ sure¡­? Mynu qsotnu. I saw him raise his hand in anticipation, but nothing happened. -Err¡­ Did you confuse your spells or¡­? - asked Jack. -No! Mynu qsotnu! It¡¯s not working! -Ah. Well, points for her, she was actually right¡­ -Her? Don¡¯t tell me that¡¯s also another of Melle¡¯s hideouts? -No¡­ I mean, I think not? -You think? -Yes. Jack, don¡¯t you think this red rock seems a bit unique? -Now, when you mentioned it¡­ sure, I have never seen something like that¡­ Why? -Well, I did. And if we were to assume that there is only one place with that¡­ -Wait, you don¡¯t mean¡­ -Yeah, I think we are in the Red Edge. -What. -Yeah, that¡¯s just my assumption, but I don¡¯t think there is another place fully built out of this red crystal. And you said that they do have some kind of powerful magical source, so that would explain my blindness¡­ -Holy¡­ how the hell did a piece from here end up in some underwater ruins?! -Your guess is as good as mine - I shrugged. -Yeah, that¡¯s interesting and all - muttered Vendi - but I have a better question. If we are in the Red Edge, tell me what the hell is that - he asked, pointing to the middle of the room. Right. The most important, and the weirdest part. As soon as we arrived it caught my attention, and not only mine. Right in the center of the room, wedged into the floor, there was a very large crystal, the only thing that was not red. It was the size of a person, maybe a bit bigger, and, even though I was looking through Kon¡¯s eyes, I was able to tell that it was glowing, both visibly and with mana. -Mor¡­ -Yeah. I know. It looks very similar to the one you¡¯ve been in¡­ -Yes¡­ but don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a bit¡­ dim? -Mhm¡­ True. While it definitely looked like a rainbow crystal she was turned into, it was not glowing as brightly as her, nor was it flickering with light as much. It still looked alive though¡­ but barely. I took a step towards it, just to almost trip and fall down on my face. The floor was rough, and seeing the scene through Kon¡¯s eyes was not helping. -What are you trying to do? - asked Vendi. - Shouldn¡¯t we be looking for an exit? If that¡¯s indeed a part of the Red Edge, we should be able to contact someone pretty easily. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. -Mhm¡­ but first I want to confirm something¡­ just stand back¡­ They both eyed each other, but already knew that it was no use trying to convince me, so just obeyed. As I stepped closer to the crystal, I felt the mana get stronger. Even if I no longer was able to see the overwhelming whiteness of magic, not like it would be helpful right now, I was pretty sure that the source of it was the crystal right in front of me. Which was doubly strange, because it was seemingly in some kind of sleeping state, yet mana it was emitting was massive. -Are you sure we should do that? -That¡¯s how we were able to communicate. Why not? -Because, unlike me, it¡¯s not speaking. -You were not exactly in a completely awake state either¡­ -True¡­ but remember, your body was a bit different back then. -Sure. I will try not to drain¡­ -You think that¡¯s even possible? I mean¡­ -I don¡¯t know. But even if I will, it¡¯ll be a good wake-up-slap for whoever is inside. -You really think that there is someone in there? -Do you have any better explanation for this presence? -Hm¡­ not really¡­ but be careful. -You¡¯re worried about me? -Yes. And not only you. Don¡¯t forget that you are now linked to more than one person, you know. -You think that might affect Kon? -I was more worried about myself, but yeah, probably. -Hm. Well, if anything is going to feel strange I¡¯ll break the link immediately. Before anyone was able to complain any more, I placed my hand on the crystal. Instantly, I felt a connection and a massive amount of mana started flowing towards me. It was just as when I was bringing Kon back to his body, although this time there was no outlet for the mana to leave, so I felt myself be bloated by overflowing power. At the same time, via Kon¡¯s sight, I was able to see myself starting to glow and brighten up the whole chamber, to the point where the light of the crystal was almost instantly completely overwhelmed by me, being a shining beacon instead. -Mor! She did not have to tell me twice, or at all actually, I already had separated from the crystal, but not before I was able to notice a couple of things. First off, I was right - the crystal was indeed another piece, or maybe a different Origin Crystal, there was no mistaking it. It also had some kind of presence hidden within it, just like it was with Iloa. But, unlike with her, this time, whoever was inside did not speak to me, nor did it really react to my touch. Was it still in that weird state of hibernation, just like Iloa at first maybe? If so, it had to be even deeper than that, because when I connected with her, I was clearly able to feel her presence. Here I was barely able to tell that there was something hidden within, although it was undeniable that it had something, or someone bound to it. Secondly, that was not all that I felt. Before I was able to remove my hand, I felt my consciousness fade and disperse, which was alarming at first - I thought that I was the one being absorbed by the piece of rock, but in reality it was something else. It was not my whole person being pulled, it was just the sight. I found myself being ejected from the eyes and the head of Kon, just to travel back to myself and then towards the crystal. I expected to see myself from yet another perspective, but what I got was a lot better. In a span of a second, I felt myself linked to the rock in front of me and started to spread through the whole chamber. It didn¡¯t end there though, because almost instantly I felt my senses being stretched and pulled to a massive size. First, it was just the chamber, but then I started feeling the corridors next to it, then the staircase leading down here, then a whole tower¡­ and then, a whole castle¡­ island even. All that just in a span of a couple of seconds. Luckily though, I still was able to pull out and return to myself, stunned. -What in the hell was that?! - yelped Vendi, shaken. -Hell if I know¡­ -Did you do that?! - Jack sounded horrified. - The whole thing¡­ -I did what exactly? - I asked, not sure if I should be worried. -The whole chamber¡­ turned green as soon as you touched the rock¡­ -Em¡­ what? -Yeah, what? Something definitely happened, because my sight was interrupted - said Iloa. - Let me take a look again¡­ -Well, I am blind again, so that¡¯s definitely not changed¡­ -I have no idea¡­ - I said, scratching my head. - But if we were not sure where we are, I now can confirm, we are indeed in the Red Edge¡­ -Yeah, great, but¡­ -I mean¡­ if there are any people around, you have definitely alerted them¡­ a whole chamber changing color and shining like a beacon is sort of hard to miss¡­ -There¡­ - muttered Iloa meanwhile. - I can see again¡­ Well¡­ wow. -What? What¡¯s happened? Before she managed to reply, I focused on our connection, trying to get a glimpse again, and succeeded without much of an issue. It was actually a lot easier if you knew what you were aiming to do. But what I saw¡­ Well, it was not something I expected. The chamber was no longer completely red. The middle, right next to the crystal was now more prismatic than anything - just like the Origin Crystal itself. While before, the crystal looked like it was wedged into the floor by force, now it was more like it melded into it, and it was spreading through the room, like some kind of weird growth, or parasite more likely. -That¡¯s¡­ unusual¡­ Yet still, there was no sign of any reaction from it. Well, maybe the floating sparks of light inside were a tiny bit livelier, but that was it. -That was exhilarating - I announced, taken aback. - Well, whatever happened, happened, can¡¯t really repaint this thing. I noticed Kon was looking at me with wide open eyes. It was a bit strange, looking at myself like that¡­ -Don¡¯t look at me like that, it¡¯s not like I aimed for this thing to happen. But there¡¯s a good thing: I think we¡¯re soon going to have guests. -How¡¯s that good?! - said Vendi, now completely terrified. - If this is really Red Edge, we are trespassing! And in some kind of hidden chamber to boot! -Maybe we can teleport out? - proposed Kon. - It¡¯s not like they know where we are¡­ and is there any entrance to this room anyway¡­? -There is, but we are not running away. -Of course we are not! - agreed with me Jack. - I know the person in charge here, we can talk this out. -I know you have your contacts, but isn¡¯t that a bit of an old one¡­? - asked Vendi, not convinced. - When was the last time¡­ -Sure, it¡¯s been a while¡­ but believe me, we are fine. If push comes to shove, I can be very, very convincing. -Wonder what that¡¯s supposed to mean¡­ - I muttered. -She¡¯s got a big debt - he stated. - And not the type you can just pay out with money. That did not clear up anything, but I was not going to ask him more, it probably would be cleared up sooner rather than later. Besides, there was always a chance that she¡¯d still be under the effect of our deal, meaning I was more than fine. During the moment I shared the senses with¡­ well, the whole island, I was pretty sure that I indeed felt For somewhere above us, so I guess we only had to wait. But, what was more of a problem, she was not the only familiar presence I felt here. Besides the handful of people that were just probably a bunch of random Red Mages, I also noticed that Jacob was with her, along with, surprisingly, his brother. I didn¡¯t feel Bert though, which was good, I guess¡­ Despite my earlier prediction, after about ten minutes, we still were not found. It was very strange - after all, if someone knew that they had this kind of powerful source fueling the castle, seeing this kind of flash go through the whole island, you¡¯d think that it would be the first place they check for anomalies. -Hm¡­ are you sure that it was not just your imagination? - I asked them, not even sure myself. -That¡¯s¡­ no! -It¡¯s hard to make that kind of a mistake - nodded Jack. - Although it is strange that no one has appeared yet¡­ -They are right. Whatever you did while connecting with this crystal, it was very visible. -Hm. Maybe I should touch it again¡­? -NO! - stopped me Kon. - No. You already started turning the floor, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea¡­ -I mean, who cares about their floor¡­ but yeah, you might be right¡­ it¡¯s probably not the only change¡­ -Hey¡­ I¡¯ve been thinking¡­ - said finally Jack - Is it possible that they have no idea that this place exists¡­? -Well, there is no visible door¡­ unless any of you found something¡­ -Nope - replied Vendi from somewhere behind Kon. - I¡¯ve been trying to find a crack or anything similar¡­ there is nothing here. If we have some kind of doorway here, it¡¯s pretty well hidden, be it mechanically or with magic. -I kind of doubt that they have no idea about the source of that kind of mana¡­ - muttered Kon. -Yeah. But besides that, I remember For mentioning something about a chamber that she forbade me from visiting¡­ -You think that it¡¯s this place¡­? -Has to be. It¡¯d make sense: no one would think to check this spot, since it¡¯s closed to everyone besides a chosen few¡­ Hell, probably most of the people don¡¯t even know it exists in the first place. -Hm. That¡¯s inconvenient¡­ So we have to check until they finally decide to check up on this spot? -Most likely. -Eh¡­ and just when I thought that we found ourselves in a bit more civilized spot¡­ -Well, we are - I shrugged. -Too bad it doesn''t help us at all¡­ -Say¡­ should we just teleport back? - asked Vendi. - We are stuck¡­ -And go back to the deserted cabin in the middle of the woods? No thanks. Let¡¯s at least try and contact someone here¡­ -And how exactly do you want to do that? - puffed Vendi. - Knock on the wall hard enough that someone hears? And then what, they¡¯ll break a wall and release us? -Even if they would, I think that they wouldn¡¯t be too friendly after that kind of stunt¡­ -No kidding¡­ but I might have an idea¡­ Say, Jack, you know how the slave contracts work, right? -Err¡­ yeah, of course¡­ why are you asking though? - he asked, suspicious. -So tell me, can you manipulate your slave from a distance? -That depends¡­ -Elaborate. -You first. Why do you need to know that? -Tell me and you¡¯ll know soon enough. -Yh¡­ Fine. Well, you can¡¯t exactly order someone from a far away, usually they have to be pretty close, say in your earshot. Some say that it¡¯s so they can hear your voice, but I am not so sure about that. I never really checked. -I guess that won¡¯t work then¡­ - I said, scratching my head. - Damn¡­ -And what were you trying to do? Can you tell me? -I just wanted to order one of my slaves to let us out of here. -Pff, no, that¡¯s not possible - he almost instantly shook his head. - Even if they had the knowledge about this place and enough power to get us out, it¡¯s not possible that they would¡­ -Yeah, yeah. I know. I¡¯m not even sure if our deal is still working¡­ -Deal? You mean slave contract? Why? -Well¡­ - I gestured towards my body - my body sort of got changed, so I don¡¯t have the mark any more¡­ -So what? -What do you mean, so the deal is not bound to the mark? -No! It¡¯s not something that you can get rid of so easily, believe me, a lot of people tried. -Tried what? -Cutting their own arms to get the stains from their body. Too bad that didn¡¯t change a thing and the contract was still valid. Same with owners. If someone losing a limb was enough for the slave to be set free, you¡¯d definitely have a lot less slaves around. -Hm¡­ true¡­ So what, what¡¯s that thing even for? The mark? -Well, besides making it easier to summon the contract, not much¡­ -Wait a second¡­ contract¡­ Can I change that remotely as well? -If by ¡°remotely¡± you mean without the presence of the slave, then of course not. -Dang. I guess a different plan then¡­ 105. Security -I wonder if I still have the magic touch¡­ - I said and focused on where there used to be a wound after I managed to enslave For. The reaction was almost immediate. A large, now looking a bit more ragged, piece of paper appeared right in front of me, along with a flame that started licking my body. -Eeek! - yelped Kon, surprised. - You said¡­ -I know what I said, I didn¡¯t expect for it to actually work¡­ hah, Jack, you were right. Works as well as I remembered it last time. -Who¡¯s that? - asked Jack, surprised. -I want to say a friend, but I will just say acquaintance. -A slave is ¡°an acquaintance¡±¡­? Okay¡­? But what now? -Now, we wait for a reaction - I simply said. - Last time I did that, it was accompanied with so much screams and panic that you can¡¯t imagine. -Hmm? You really had to pick a weirdest spot for the mark¡­ -I didn¡¯t really pick one - I shrugged. - It just sort of happened naturally¡­ -As if. But, despite the fact that I said that I just want to wait, it was not the only thing I intended to do. While I was not sure that it would even work, I intended to at least try and get a feel if she was nearby. Last time I needed some other components to try and produce a similar effect, but this time it was different¡­ Was I concentrating better or something? The important thing was that she was indeed here. -Okay then, that¡¯s done - I said, dismissing the contract. I really wanted to keep it out for a bit more than just a moment to spook her a bit more, but I decided against it. -Done? With what? What are we doing here? - asked impatient Vendi, still inspecting the walls for any cracks. -Done with trying to communicate. Now I¡¯ll try and attempt making the way out for us. -Yeah, easier said than done. I¡¯ve inspected those walls enough, there¡¯s nothing here that would indicate any kind of imperfection or opening¡­ -Well, no wonder that you haven¡¯t found a thing - I said, pointing towards the opposite wall - because that¡¯s the wall you should be looking at. -Whyyy¡­? -There is an open space behind it¡­ or rather a long corridor that I assume leads somewhere else. -And how the hell do you¡­ You know what, doesn¡¯t matter how, instead tell me why you didn¡¯t say something sooner?! -Besides the fact that it¡¯s funny seeing you be plastered to a wall like some kind of weird sticker? I just learned recently. When I touched the piece of the crystal I had some kind of a vision¡­ I briefly explained what I saw. -Ha¡­ yea, that¡¯s Red Edge alright¡­ and, are you sure that they are here? -As sure as I can be. But it¡¯s not all that bad, at least we know that Axelrod is not here. It¡¯d be quite a hurdle to cross¡­ -No kidding. We¡¯ll have to deal with dumbass brothers¡­ or at least one of them. -Just one? I thought both of them are here¡­? -Because they are. It¡¯s just¡­ they have a somewhat similar relationship to you two - I pointed to Jack and Kon. - And so it happens that Jacob and For have something like that as well. -Hm¡­ that still¡­ -Let me finish. And at the end of that chain there is me, having For enslaved and safely under my control. -I still can¡¯t believe you managed to pull something like that off¡­ - he was looking in amazement at me, while at the same time taking short looks at Vendi who was still trying to find some kind of exit, but this time on the correct wall, or at least at the one I found the most promising. -Yeah, life is weird that way. Doesn¡¯t matter, we don¡¯t need to rely on them for now. Besides, I don¡¯t really like being bound by them¡­ -You got a free slave and you¡¯re still complaining¡­ -Slave is still a slave. -Bleh, that¡¯s just a name. Who says that while having people enslaved you have to treat them badly? Sure some people think that way, but come on, we are better. -Don¡¯t try and make excuses¡­ -I am not. That¡¯s just the fact. I know you don¡¯t really believe me, but I, even while they officially are still slaves, I released everyone. -So released or not? That¡¯s not something that¡¯s so ambiguous so you can¡¯t tell¡­ He paused for a second. -Okay, okay. They are still slaves, but they have their freedom mostly intact. -So not released. For someone who constantly says that he tries to repent and all that, you have a weird way to do that. -It¡¯s not like I can just drop that kind of bound without any problem! - he puffed. - I need mana and time to prepare, and¡­ -Yes, yes, excuses. -And besides that, I am not limiting their lives in any way! They can do whatever they want. And if we want to be strictly factual, being enslaved also protects them! -Wow, yeah. Protects. Sure. -Yes! That way they at least can¡¯t be enslaved again! -That is the first time I¡¯ve heard someone make an argument in favor of slavery. -It¡¯s still wrong though - muttered Kon. -You think it would be better for them to be left alone? - shook his head Vendi. - You think any of them would¡¯ve survived if we were to dispel the marks and just let them out to be on their merry way? Not everyone is as talented as you and has such unique magic - pointed out Jack. -Let¡¯s not discuss the ethics, cons and pros of slavery and all. Yes, yes, I know you were trying to help, but you can¡¯t change the fact that this stupid invention of elves is the core of everything that is wrong with this place¡­ -If you want to be precise, it¡¯s blood magic, not just slavery¡­ - pointed out Kon. -Riight, the deals and crap - I nodded. - Yeah, they are even worse. Unreliable, too powerful and confusing. Fuck that. -Confusing? Come on, it¡¯s not that bad¡­ - said Jack, but I could tell that he agreed with me. -Man, I had access to the whole library of this place and after reading through most of the books about the subject, I still have no idea how it should work. When I first used it, it was described one way, the books have barely enough info to scratch the topic and¡­ you know, whatever. -Right, we are going too much towards politics - Jack agreed with me. - But I can agree, if not for the elves, this world would¡¯ve been a lot better place. -Okay, that¡¯s enough, let¡¯s get the hell out of here. -You keep saying that - said Vendi - but there is still no sign of exit that I can find. How do you want to even try and leave¡­ -I don¡¯t need any doors. I can make my own. -Make¡­? You want to¡­ -Meld a hole into the other room. Yes. -Meld? The hell do you mean? -Just as i said. I will use earth magic to try and manipulate the walls so they can form an exit. -You think that¡¯s possible?! You can do that? -Of course. Just like the corridors of that flooded island cave, I¡¯ll attempt doing something like this. -How do you even¡­ I was not listening, just started moving towards the wall where I felt the corridor behind. Apprehensively, I placed my hand on the stone, not sure what to expect. But, nothing strange happened. Sure, I felt mana flow into me, but it was not strong enough to warrant any worries. Still, it was a rather hefty stream, so I decided to act sooner rather than later. Just as I mentioned, I took inspiration from the corridors I¡¯ve traveled through, be it next to the bowl or below the sea not so long ago. -Visu, nuwo lycu gus. It was more draining than I expected it to. But maybe it was for the best, at least I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about glowing. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The rock responded to the spell almost immediately. I could tell that all of my companions were looking at me with a mix of amazement and fear. The wall, or rather the crystal, starting from the spot where I pressed my hand, turned liquid. It took on faster than I expected, so I accidentally pushed my hand in, speeding up the process even more. Like some living goo, the rock started backing up and forming an opening right in front of me. I intended to make the hole square, but it came out more like a very scuffed oval. -Hm. Nice job. Isn¡¯t that the first time you used this kind of magic? - I heard Iloa inside my head. -You tell me. I don¡¯t really remember, but I think¡­ maybe? -I can tell you are not used to earthen magic. -Well, it¡¯s good enough for our needs. -Sure enough. She was right. It was more than enough. But, while the opening was made, I was not able to see what was behind it. And it was not because of my blindness, no¡­ It was Kon. For some reason he was now looking at the ground and not moving, frozen in place. -Kon, come on. I need you to see properly, remember? That snapped him back to reality, because almost immediately he jumped up and almost ran towards the entrance, gazing towards the other side. Good news: there were no guards in the corridor. Bad news: there was no exit from here either that would be open. At least this time we were able to tell where the doors were. The spot where I broke through was apparently near the middle of the whole corridor. On the left, it finished with just a flat wall, while the other side had a large and metal door. There was no real way to check if someone was waiting right behind it, though. I stepped through the opening and immediately noticed something was different. While I was mostly not looking through my own eyes, I still had some inkling of what my actual eyes were seeing. Or rather I was just constantly irritated by the glow that was blinding me. When I stepped through the hole in the wall, the feeling of the blinding light in my eyeballs was almost gone. Intrigued, I focused a bit more, trying to use more of my regular sight, instead of depending on what Kon was seeing, and, just as I was feeling, I was able to see normally. I say normally, but I was still able to see the flames of mana, be it inside my companions or in the walls themselves - they were from the same crystal overall. Again, I started wondering if it was just my eyes that were getting worse, but no, as soon as I turned back towards where the rest of our group was, trying to get away from that eerie room, I immediately got assaulted by the overwhelming light. Ah. So it was not like I lost sight, nor was it the case that I drained the mana from the environment making it again ¡°normal¡±, no. It was just the corridor and thick walls. Honestly, I was kind of surprised. To mask that amount of mana and to contain it had to be a fucking chore. But it was the Origin Crystal we were talking about. That thing was not only sturdy, it was a very good isolator, apparently. -Strange¡­ Wonder why we never tried doing something like this¡­ -Yeah¡­ that¡¯s a thing. -Where are we? - joined it Kon. - It¡¯s dark¡­ -Are you sure that this is Red Edge? - asked Vendi, now worried. -I am pretty sure. So what? -Nothing¡­ It¡¯s just¡­ -Well, at least we have a set of doors - pointed out Jack, not letting him finish the sentence. - I hope that they remember me at least¡­ -Doesn¡¯t matter - I shook my head. - I don¡¯t even know if we want to find any members of theirs before trying to get to their boss¡­ -Of course we are going to - said Jack. - And also¡­ -Don¡¯t get your hopes up - I interrupted. - And don¡¯t lower your guard. There is no telling who we¡¯ll find behind the door. I gestured for all of them to shut up and be silent, while I crept forward, trying to scout. -Aaaand it¡¯s locked - I said, pulling the door. That was not without the consequences. Of course, my loud banging, talking, and overall noise was hard to miss. The door opened, and from outside sprung¡­ someone. At first I didn¡¯t recognize him. I blame the aftereffects of being blinded by unknown amounts of mana, but that was just an excuse. -What in the hell? How and where did you¡­ It was, out of all the people, Eicam. The last person I expected to find at the Red Edge. He was immediately followed by yet another familiar face. -Who¡¯s there?! Freeze! Abes. How and why were they here? While they didn¡¯t look much different, both of them were wearing the robes belonging to the Red Mages. -We are looking for your boss - stepped in Jack, trying to step in front of me. -Oh, you bet you are going to see her, but first you¡¯re going down into the dungeon. Abes sounded serious, pointing the spear that he pulled from I don¡¯t even know where, right at my chest. -Come on, man, I don¡¯t really want to deal with that crap again. Give me a break, Abes. -How do you know my name?! - he poked me with the edge of his weapon. -Because I know you. Both of you, Eicam - I said calmly, not stepping back even an inch. - How in the hell did you end up here out of all the places? -You know him? - muttered Abes towards Eicam, who just shook his head, confused. -I don¡¯t know any¡­ creatures like that. -Eh¡­ my name is Mor. Now does that sound familiar? Both of them looked at each other, confused. -I see you¡¯re not going to believe me¡­ sure whatever. Who¡¯s your boss now then? For? -Y¡­yes. -Great, then led us to her. -Oh no - stepped in Abes. - You are going to a dungeon! I just rolled my eyes. -Come on man, you want to make this difficult? It was clear that he was not going to back up. While Eicam looked a bit confused and not very sure of what to do, Abes was not convinced at all. -I assure you, if we can talk¡­ - started Jack, but before he was able to finish his sentence a spell launched right towards his face. -Hmedou moho! I considered stepping between him and the spell, but decided against it. In an instant, his face was covered with ice, freezing his mouth shut. -Ooof. That¡¯s not very nice of you. -Of course it is not. You are prisoners. Unless you want me to do the same to you, you better behave. Like that was going to work. But before I was able to react, Kon was first. -Usc fi geksu. He summoned a fire orb and moved it towards Jack, trying to unfreeze him. But his magic made them both jump and now also Eicam had pulled out a weapon, this time a small sword, from somewhere under his robes. -I am telling you that¡­ I was not able to finish the sentence, because the same spell that silenced Jack now got sent at me and Kon. It didn¡¯t work at all, of course. When it was about to reach me, it just straight up dissipated, being absorbed by my body. On the other hand, Kon was not yet that impervious to magic, but I worried for naught. Even though he was still not used to his body and overall new magic he was wielding, he already had a fire orb out. It was enough for him to just wave his hand and the tiny spell that he launched at us collided with the orb, nullifying both. -I said we don¡¯t want any trouble. But if you are going to be difficult, I might consider retaliating. That was also when I remembered something. The contract. I focused on my link with For and summoned the flaming paper right in front of their faces. I don¡¯t think I have to say that that gesture made them jump away in fear, expecting some kind of attack. -See for yourself. Your boss has a deal with me and you are now trying to break this deal. You think that¡¯s a good idea? Abes was the first who regained composure and looked at the magical deal floating mid-air. -Is¡­ is that real¡­? -Of course it is. How the hell can you even fake that? Eicam also shook off his initial confusion and started reading. The more he read, the more his face started switching from suspicion and confusion to complete disbelief and fear. -Mor¡­ the same Mor that traveled¡­ the same who got captured¡­ -I want to say in the flesh, but it¡¯s more like in the stone now¡­ - I calmly stated, disappearing the contract. - Is this enough proof?! -Of course it is! - yelped Eicam, quickly grabbing Abes¡¯s weapon and making him lower it back down. - Stop! That¡¯s my friend! I owe him my life! We owe him our job! He still was looking with suspicion at me, but complied. -I have an eye on you¡­ -Sure, do whatever. Say, how the hell did you end up here?! Weren¡¯t you working for old man Harsh? -Not any more. After he learned that I got captured, he immediately removed me from the guild - he said a bit too cheerfully for my tastes. -That¡¯s not something to be happy about - muttered Vendi from behind me, reminding me of his existence. -Of course it¡¯s not. But at the same time, I got approached by my current boss, miss For. She said that she heard about my magic and I worked for her now. -She did¡­? Hm¡­ Well, I did mention you¡­ I never suggested hiring him though. Well, it doesn''t matter. -And you, Abes? You got fired too? -Not your business. -He didn¡¯t. After he heard that I joined Red Mages, he immediately left Blues and followed me. -And Harsh let him? -No. But that wouldn¡¯t stop him from following me though - he smiled at Abes. - He can¡¯t just leave me alone. -Stop blabbering. I am not letting you off the hook and off my sight, or you¡¯re going to burn something again. Red Mages is literally the worst place for you to be, you fire maniac. Hm. -Yeah, that¡¯s nice that you know each other - said Jack, now free of his frost and healed - but we still need to reach miss For. -And I am saying that you are going to the dungeon! - Abes was still adamant about that. I was about to continue arguing with them, but Iloa stopped me. -Don¡¯t bother. It¡¯s not like we can¡¯t meet her downstairs. Not the first time it happened. -Yeah, sure, but that¡¯s just pointless¡­ walking down just to go up¡­ Besides, I am pretty sure that she won¡¯t come here so soon. If I am to guess, she¡¯s now panicking in her office and won¡¯t even notice that someone wants something from her. -Okay, it¡¯s not that bad¡­ -You really think so? - I asked, not convinced. - You saw my memories. You know how she reacts to this shit. -Mmm¡­ okay, maybe you¡¯re right. But it still doesn¡¯t matter, he¡¯s not going to let you go. -I can force my way¡­ -Don¡¯t! It was Kon. Damn, I keep forgetting that it¡¯s not just the two of us here. -That would definitely be faster. But, despite what I just thought, I agreed with them. It didn¡¯t matter, I had time. The worst part was that I was definitely going to need to deal with not only For, but also the two brothers. I was pretty sure that she was going to send Jacob. He was not much of a problem, but his brother¡­ Well, he was here too, and I had a feeling that he was not going to leave his side, especially after learning that I was here. It would also mean that it was just a matter of time for Bert to learn of me as well, and by extension Odar, or straight up Axelrod. It was inevitable in the long run, but still annoying. 106. Empty -Fine, fine, we¡¯ll come down. Just send the word to your boss, we would like to have a chat. Jack and Vendi looked a bit startled, but said nothing. -You¡¯re not chatting with anyone, you¡¯re a prisoner, and you are going to be interrogated! -Call it whatever you want. I looked at them both. -Well then? Shall we? Lead the way. They exchanged their looks and finally lowered their weapons. -No tricks. Or I will not hesitate to use magic. -Yes, yes, you¡¯re scary - I rolled my eyes. -He¡¯s hilarious, isn¡¯t he? -You said it, not me. It was funny, being escorted by these two. Besides the fact that we were outnumbering them two to one, our group was not normal looking either. A fully crystal, shirtless person, still wet and dripping with water, the cleanest kid you¡¯ve seen in your life, and two ragged older men, flanked by two robed monks. What a party. But, strangely, we did not meet anyone. The corridors we passed through were completely deserted, which was a bit unusual. Hell, even with my enhanced senses I was not able to feel anyone nearby, the closest ones were far above us, I¡¯d guess in the tower. For some reason this place got partially deserted. -A bit empty here¡­ - I muttered as we were entering a familiar stairway leading down to the dungeon. -That is leading to a dungeon, what did you expect? -Not what I meant. The dungeon was exactly the same as I remembered it, down to the melted door. I couldn¡¯t help but smile seeing that one. -You still didn¡¯t fix that? -Not your business. They tossed us each into a different cell. Vendi and Jack wanted to protest, but I just waved them off. -Calm down, give me a minute. -What are you planning? - I heard Kon after the door closed behind me and the footsteps disappeared above us. -For now, we are waiting. If no one comes down to us to talk in about fifteen minutes or so, I am busting us out of here. -All of us?! -What, you changed your mind and want to leave two of them behind? -No! It¡¯s just¡­ will they wait? -Ah. I guess they can¡¯t communicate with us¡­ You think they¡¯ll try escaping? Can they even do that? -Well, they probably will try¡­ Jack can teleport out, but I don¡¯t know if he¡¯ll leave Vendi¡­ -Ah, that. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to work. See, apparently most of the magic is inhibited here. I assume it will prevent either of them from doing anything funny. -Really? But I was able to cast without issue¡­ -Oh, you did¡­! That was a good point. -Hm¡­ well I was able to do it too, so I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised. We are connected after all, and you do have the Origin Crystal, so it¡¯s probably thanks to that. -That¡¯s handy¡­ How did this security of theirs was supposed to work anyway? -I assume it was just a blockade of magic different than theirs - said Iloa. - Combining that and blood binding they wanted to force mana to flow through their crystal only, and since the whole place is one big red crystal¡­ -If not bound to their main crystal, you wouldn¡¯t be able to cast shit - I finished for her. - Or something like that. -But¡­ How are we able to use magic then? -Because we are not using their crystal - I explained. - Just as I said. Be it small like yours, an Origin Crystal is a lot more powerful than some diluted piece of crap like that, even if it¡¯s mountain sized. -Yeah¡­ that¡¯s one way to explain it - agreed Iloa. - Although, this size¡­ -So we are safe. Any other questions? -Yeah¡­ - he said after a minute of silence. - Is it really true that the head of the Red Mages is your slave? I involuntarily winced hearing the term ¡°your slave¡±. I am pretty sure Iloa had a similar reaction. -Somewhat. After several minutes I heard someone approach the dungeon. It was Abes. And the message he was passing was also as predicted. -You weren¡¯t kidding that you have some weird connections. Stand up. You are going to get a visit. -Hm. Who? -Give it a wild guess. Come on, move it. He led me to a room next door, the interrogation room. I noticed that he for a second considered binding my hands but decided against it. -Don¡¯t try anything stupid. I¡¯ll go and fetch your companions. -Oh, so they are also to have a visit? -How else are we going to try and figure you out? Of course. -You¡¯re not scared that we¡¯re gonna attack you? After all, we¡¯re gonna have a numbers advantage. He squinted at me. -You believe you¡¯re so strong that you can deal with the most powerful mage in here? Don¡¯t make me laugh. -Pff, most powerful. -Laugh all you want. Even if I was to consider the stories about you from Eicam, I doubt that you¡¯d be able to even put a single scratch on anyone here. -Man, stop. Don¡¯t make me laugh and just go do your thing. I am not going anywhere. He gave me another stare, but walked away, and soon I started hearing other doors be opened. It didn¡¯t take even two minutes for the whole gang to be back together again. I couldn¡¯t help but notice that the room that we were placed in was definitely too small for that kind of endeavor, but hey, who was I to judge? It made things awkward, because there was definitely not enough sitting space and in the end everyone was just standing there, waiting for who-knows-what. -You¡¯ve chosen this place to interrogate four people at once¡­? - I finally said after another too close brush with draining someone dry. -Of course. Where else would we do that? This is the most secure place in the whole castle. Magic blockades, sound suppression, anti-surveillance¡­ -Mhm, great, amazing and all, but still, there are a lot of us. He did not reply. He definitely did not care, but instead just pretended that heard something from the corridor outside and peeked out of the room. -They are here. Present yourselves better, you bandits. I looked at myself and my lack of decent clothes. It was definitely way too late to be worried about appearances. Not like I would care in the slightest. As expected, the one who came to interrogate us was indeed Jacob. And he was not alone. He did not bring any guards or some similar jobbers though¡­ Besides the two that captured us, right behind him, the room entered Goldie. His armor, completely new, or reforged most likely, was shining almost as bright as myself when I was still buzzing with mana. Strange thing though, he was not the only person accompanying him. The last person was definitely not someone that I expected to see. It was Felix. No longer with his book, I barely recognized him. Well, it had probably more to do with these new robes, that definitely belonged to Red Mages. -What in the hell are you doing here? - I blurted out, seeing the kid. The whole trio was still in shock to say the least. Right, it was the first time they¡¯ve seen me like this, although I assume that Abes and Eicam did not forget to describe my new look. Both Caleb and Jacob were looking more surprised than anything. That was a good sign, meaning that our favorite ruler and his circle of trust did not know about me yet. As to confirm, he asked: -How in the hell did you survive?! Axelrod told us that you died! -I thought so too! Wow, if I am to bring him as evidence, it''s¡­ He was about to grab my hand but I stopped him. -First off, I don¡¯t recommend trying to touch me. It¡¯s only going to hurt you. Second, you are not going to tell anyone about me, or I am going to¡­ -Going to do what? - he puffed. - You¡¯re in the most secure dungeon on this side of the world. You can¡¯t even cast magic here! -About that¡­ - started Jacob, but it was too late. He already managed to grab me by my neck and tried pulling me up. I just sighed and let him do it, knowing very well what was about to happen. Unluckily for him, he was not wearing gauntlets with his armor. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. I knew very well his mana capacity. The brief touch was enough for him to be drained almost to zero and straight up collapse on the floor, making an ungodly amount of noise, thanks to the pile of metal he was wearing. -Eh¡­ come on, isn¡¯t he your brother? Why didn¡¯t you stop him - I muttered under my breath. -Maybe because I had no idea that it¡¯s going to happen?! What¡¯s going on?! - Jacob was a bit less worried than I would expect for someone seeing their brother fall instantly unconscious. -Right, right¡­ I keep forgetting who¡¯s been informed¡­ Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯ll be fine, he¡¯s just got his mana drained. I was met with silence. -I am not really in control of this thing, you know, it just happens - I shrugged. - Also, hello. He was still stunned, along with Felix who was looking in a complete daze at this scene. Since no one was doing anything, I started asking more questions. -Felix, how the hell did you end up here? Ah, and also if you don¡¯t recognize me, I am Mor, we met a long while ago¡­ Still I got no answer. -Come on, I know we are a bit of a surprise party and not the good kind, but can at least one of you reply? Or can I just go and talk to For already? That managed to wake up Jacob finally. -Ehm. No, she is currently indisposed. I am afraid you have to deal with me for now. -Aha¡­ figured. She freaked out, didn¡¯t she? -You¡­ you know what happened?! - he was surprised. - How? And, more importantly, how the hell did you get here?! -That is a long story, but in short, we managed to teleport here. -Teleport? I haven¡¯t heard anything from the library¡­ -Oh, we didn¡¯t arrive at the library. -That doesn''t make any sense. We don¡¯t have any anchors besides the ones that are there¡­ -If you don¡¯t believe me, ask the two who found us. -Sir¡­ - interrupted Eicam, who was still nearby. - He means us. -You two? - he briefly gazed at him. - Weren¡¯t you ordered to guide the dead e¡­ ehm, that corridor? -Yes. The dead end. And, I swear, this lot appeared coming out from there. -Explain - he turned to me. -Of course, I would gladly, but after you let us out of this place. Besides, I think your boss would also want to hear it. -Told you, she¡¯s indisposed. -Right, right, wouldn¡¯t be the first time. Is it the same thing as the last time, or something else? He gazed briefly over the whole room and then leaned towards me. -No¡­ - he whispered. - I am honestly not sure what happened. -I probably have an explanation. -You do? -Yea. But I don¡¯t think I can make her better. I can try making it worse though - I proposed. - Maybe that will get her over the edge and make her be normal again. -Very funny. -I know. But jokes aside, let me see her. Or us. It¡¯s kind of a big deal, you know. -Right¡­ you¡¯re one thing. But who¡¯s this band of people - he asked finally. - I can¡¯t just let anyone waltz around this castle like this! Especially not in this situation! -Yeah, yeah. See, these two - I pointed to Jack and Vendi - are the guardians of this fine gentleman - I gestured for Kon to step up. -Ah¡­ Hello¡­ -Mh¡­ Hi¡­? That does not explain a thing though. -Kon, show him your crystal. He jumped, not expecting me to talk to him this way. -Is¡­ is it really a good idea¡­? -Right¡­ there are others here too¡­ -Er¡­ would you mind recalling your team - I asked, gazing at the trio that came with him. He gave me a stern look. -A prisoner, demanding¡­ Ha. Funny. -Do I have to remind you that I am literally unable to be a prisoner here? Sure, the rest might be, but I¡¯d recommend treating them more like guests. -Grr¡­ fine. Eicam, Abes, Felix. Out. Leave those to me, go back to your duties. -Yes, sir - they replied in unison. -And¡­ - said Jacob, stopping Felix - can you take my brother and take care of him for now? -Of course. -That¡¯s¡­ Hm, you know, I¡¯d really appreciate you locking him up for now¡­ - I said just as they were to get to it. -Locking him up? More of those unreasonable requests? -Yeah¡­ I¡¯ll explain it as soon as I can, but If you¡¯d do that for me I¡¯d be in your debt. -...Fine. You heard him, get him to his room and lock the door. Don¡¯t let him out. I¡¯ll get him myself later. The three looked at each other stunned that I was able to convince him, but didn¡¯t protest. -Yes sir. A few minutes later the doors closed behind the trio. It took them a while trying to get Goldie up and standing. At first they wanted to slap him awake, or rather Jacob did. He tried it multiple times, but he was still out for the count. I, of course, knew that it was not going to work, but I was not going to stop him. It was too entertaining. -So¡­ care to explain yourself? -Can we just get out of this dungeon first? -Eh¡­ at least give me a brief overview¡­ -I¡¯ll give you the boring version. We just managed to find ourselves stranded after an unfortunate accident, finding ourselves without any singular anchor. -So how did you¡­ -And, thanks to my amazing skill and luck¡­ mostly luck, we managed to find a lost anchor, which for some reason led us here. -You found. An anchor. That was bound. For the Red Edge. Hell, now I really need the long version. -That¡¯s why I want to meet with For! I am not going to repeat the whole thing ten times, you know. -Okay, fine. Let¡¯s go to one of the guest rooms, should be still free after you left. -Works for me. The rest are not going to complain. The rest maybe had some things to say about that, but I didn¡¯t care. The way towards the tower where I had my room last time was longer than anticipated. Sure, the path was the same as before, although still I felt that something was off. And not just the lack of people, not, it was something else. Since I¡¯ve arrived here and started being able to see without getting blinded by that sun of a room, I noticed that the walls and ceilings¡­ overall the whole building, was infused. And not just regularly infused, like from some residual remains of mana, no. But still, it was weaker than most of the trees that I found near Jack¡¯s place, so it was not that weird, but concerning nonetheless. -Say, you have no people here now. What in the hell happened? Some mass holidays? -Quite the opposite. Everyone is out on the job. -On the job? I forgot that you were a guild¡­ -Yeah, but that¡¯s not it¡­ well, sort of. -That doesn¡¯t explain even a little bit. He didn¡¯t even attempt to clarify, instead just changed the subject. -Do you all really need to talk to her? -You mean For? Well, yes, it would be annoying for us to explain everything multiple times¡­ -Eh¡­ I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s going to agree to that. -And since when is her compliance a factor? - I said flat out. -You¡­ - he growled at me, stopping suddenly. -Hey, it¡¯s your own damn fault, don¡¯t blame me - I shrugged. - If not for you, this situation would¡¯ve never happened. But besides that, I am joking, I don¡¯t intend to make her do anything weird. The fact about my past and all that has already been taken into consideration last time, don¡¯t you remember? -And how did that end up? -Don¡¯t blame me for your problems. -Eh¡­ -And speaking of your personal problems¡­ why is Goldie here? -Goldie? -I mean your brother. -Oh. The fuck is with that name? -What, you jealous? Want me to call you Black? Or maybe Blackie? -Do I look like a horse to you? -Pfff. Sure, Black. He rolled his eyes. -I ditched that armor a long time ago. -What, you sold it to fund his crusade or whatever that is? -More or less. Why do you care? -I am just wondering why would you bother with that? -You¡¯re wondering why I care about my family? That¡¯s rich coming from someone who¡¯s grabbing stowaway kids every time I hear of them - he replied, gazing at Kon. -First off, it was not my decision in either case, just a coincidence. -Those tend to happen a lot around you. -Tell me about it. But I¡¯ll tell you more when For is with us. For now, since you mentioned, why is your brother even here? -Why do you even care? He apparently was told to spend some time with family, I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s nice to see him for more than just when I am needed for something. -Hm. You don¡¯t see him often then? -No. Since he¡¯s been working for the king he¡¯s been busy. Same with me, For is not exactly easy to deal with. -I thought Goldie was working for Bert? -Bert? Ah, right, that guy. Well, he is, but it¡¯s just on King¡¯s orders. That took me by surprise. -Working with a smuggler by his order? That¡¯s¡­ ah¡­ -What do you mean, smuggler?! - he suddenly tensed up. -Ha, you didn¡¯t know? Bert is smuggling shit from the coast to the capital and vice versa. That¡¯s how I met both of them, they smuggled me. And Felix, too. -Wait, you know him? -Damn, and I thought that I was out of the loop - I shook my head. - Yeah. He¡¯s originally from the coast, got caught up in certain bullshit and last time I¡¯ve seen him was under Axelrod''s wing. -Hmm. True, Felix came from the capital¡­ I thought he was connected to him but¡­ -Well, now he is. What¡¯s he doing here anyway? A new recruit? -Yeah. As you noticed, we are a bit short staffed here. We are taking any recruits we can get. -Ah¡­ that¡¯s how Eicam and Abes ended here too? -Yeah. Also given us by the king. -Damn. And here I thought you were independent from him. Didn¡¯t you say that yourself? -Of course we are. Those were part of the deal. -What deal? -I am not going to discuss that with you - he suddenly said, realizing that he told me too much. -Oh, now we are getting tight-lipped? Come on, I¡¯m just going to ask For if you won¡¯t say¡­ -And you are welcome to - he replied, not taking the bait. - Also, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t want to tell YOU. It¡¯s that those topics are not for the ears of our OTHER guests. Right¡­ the rest of the group was still with us. -Ehe¡­ but, you know, I have this very pressing feeling that you¡¯re going to change your mind sooner or later. They are pretty involved in this shit already. -What shit exactly?! - he asked, annoyed. - You keep mentioning that, but never explaining anything. -Not the good kind. And most of it I blame on Axelrod. -Are you again going to threaten the king? - he asked, tired and worried. -Again!? - I heard Kon¡¯s voice in my head briefly, before he managed to control his emotions. -Maybe. During our discussion we ascended a lot of stairs and were already reaching the top of the tower where I knew was the office, or rather bedroom that belonged to For. -Please, the rest of you, can you wait here? - he pointed towards the guest room, the same one where I was recovering from my ¡°accident¡±. -I told you, I want all of them to be present for this discussion¡­ - I started, but he lowered his voice so they wouldn¡¯t hear and gestured up. -I know, but that doesn¡¯t mean she is going to agree to that - he pointed up again. - Please¡­ -Didn¡¯t we just¡­ But he was already gone, going up. -Eh¡­ he¡¯s annoying - I muttered and, turning to the rest of the group, said aloud - I guess wait in the room for a minute¡­ I will send for you in a while. Probably. They nodded and disappeared behind the door. After closing, I heard Kon in my head again. -But what if he won¡¯t change his mind? -Oh, as I said, their compliance is not a factor. If they won¡¯t agree I will just make them do it. -That¡¯s a handy deal you got your hands on - pointed out Iloa, speaking up for the first time in a long while. -I thank our friendly neighborhood Blackie for that. -Pfff¡­ That name. -Amazing, isn¡¯t it? With that, I started walking upstairs and almost immediately bumped into the person in question who was waiting for me just behind the corner. -What the hell was that for? I already told you that they all are¡­ -Yes, yes, but it¡¯s not the issue that¡­ it¡¯s just¡­ She¡¯s indisposed again¡­ -You mentioned that¡­ but I still don¡¯t know what the hell is going on. -Just come with me and you¡¯ll see. -Why are you so cryptic? He didn¡¯t reply, just started walking upstairs, so I followed suit. 107. Meditation When we reached the door on top of the tower he knocked thrice, but did not get a reply. It seemed like he expected that, because he just opened it anyway and gestured for me to follow him. Inside has not changed much since I¡¯ve been there last, maybe there was just a bonus layer of dust covering the shelves and books. Speaking of, I think some of them were missing. As we entered the actual office on the highest point of the tower, the mystery of missing books was revealed: all of them, and probably even more, were stacked on For¡¯s desk, towering above everything in the room. I also noticed one strange thing. While the whole castle was moderately infused, this room¡­ had a lot less mana in it. -You have a guest - said Jacob, but was met again with silence. -Hello¡­ I also didn¡¯t get a reply, so I looked behind the mountain of books, checking what¡¯s up. Behind the desk, besides another pile of the books and papers there was now a small couch instead of the regular chair I remembered last. On it, covered with books, was lying For, sleeping. -It¡¯s rude to sleep while someone is visiting you - I said a bit louder to wake her, but she didn¡¯t even move. - Hey! I was about to take one of the books and poke her with it, but I got stopped by Jacob. -Don¡¯t bother. You¡¯re not going to wake her up like that. -Like that? What, she¡¯s that much of a heavy sleeper? -Well, yes, but that¡¯s not the issue here. It¡¯s not just regular sleep. She¡¯s¡­ how did she call it¡­? Suspended? I think, yeah. -The hell does that mean? I took a better look at her magical aura and sure, it looked a bit different from what I would expect from a sleeping person. It was a lot more visible and prevalent, closer to the regular aura of someone awake, yet a lot calmer¡­ and more spread, like she was leaking mana¡­ Wait, no, the opposite. She was absorbing mana into her. -That¡¯s an interesting way to put it¡­ - said Iloa, noticing the strange state of her energy. - She¡¯s meditating¡­ or at least it feels like it? -Meditating? -Yeah, like you¡¯ve never heard the term before. -Sure, as in sitting still pretending that they are doing something while in reality just napping? -Hey, if some people actually use it to regain mana. Why do you think that many religions have some kind of mention of meditative methods of spiritual communion? -Pff, and yet none of them work. -Yea, but seems to be working in her case. She was right. ¡°Meditations¡± I knew of were just glorified names for a nap or just a break from doing shit. While definitely helping to recover from exhaustion and rest, it didn¡¯t increase the efficiency of it in any way. -Sooo¡­ what¡¯s up with that? -She¡¯s regenerating mana - pointed out the obvious Jacob. - Recently she¡¯s been non-stop trying to research and has not slept in¡­ I don¡¯t know, weeks? -She¡¯s sleeping right now though. -It¡¯s not sleep, I told you. She¡¯s suspended. -Okay, the fuck do you mean by that? -It usually takes about an hour - he explained. - She lies like this for an hour and it¡¯s apparently enough for her to recover most of her mana. She then wakes up and is awake for about twenty hours, sometimes even more, then the process repeats. -Okay¡­ interesting¡­ So what¡¯s so important that she has to research that much? - I asked, taking a look at the book I picked up when I wanted to smack her awake. -That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s the issue. I have no idea. I looked at him confused. -She¡¯s been researching something for weeks and it didn¡¯t come to you to ask her. -Hm. The problem is, I literally can¡¯t. -I know, I know, she¡¯s meditating. What, you¡¯re going to tell me she didn¡¯t tell you when she¡¯s awake? -Eh¡­ you know, you better see for yourself. She¡¯s going to snap out of it in a few moments, I think. As if on command, she suddenly sat up. -Oh, hey, you¡¯re awake. She didn¡¯t say a word, just like a machine, she moved towards the desk and opened one of the books lying there. -Hey, you listening?! Nothing. -As you see - started Jacob - she¡¯s not responding. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve even heard her voice. She hasn¡¯t been eating, nor drinking. I gazed towards the window behind her and on one of the windowsills I noticed a full row of plates filled with random food: bread, some cheese¡­ -Well, at least they were smart enough not to bring her fish. -Okay¡­ that¡¯s weird. What¡¯s she trying to accomplish with this? -I told you, I don¡¯t know. I tried looking into the same books she¡¯s been browsing through, but there is no pattern nor common theme to them. It¡¯s just some random books brought from her whole library. I even caught her looking at some empty pages¡­ -Hm. Well, that definitely complicates things. I can¡¯t ask her shit in this state. How long has she been like that you said? -A couple of weeks. I think it was after my brother arrived I first noticed that something was weird. -Your brother, huh¡­ - I muttered, already having some thoughts of why this might have happened. Jacob noticed this immediately. -I can tell what you are thinking, and no, that¡¯s not connected to him. I noticed she was unresponsive when he arrived, true, but it had to happen before. When he arrived he wanted to talk to her, sure, apparently to pass a message from the king, but he couldn¡¯t because she was already like that¡­ -A message? What message? -He never told me. -If that doesn¡¯t sound suspicious then I don¡¯t know what does¡­ -Suspicious? Why the hell would I be suspicious? Of what? -I¡¯m speaking in general. Eh¡­ I guess speaking with her in this state is not possible¡­ -Obviously. A lot of things would¡¯ve been a lot easier if she was responsive. -You mean conscious. -Yeah, no. I think she is aware of everything you know, after all she¡¯s been trying to find something¡­ -Hm¡­ Like she¡¯s on autopilot then¡­? That¡¯s a weird state¡­ -Yeah¡­ she mentioned that she doesn¡¯t understand the spell completely¡­ So why the hell did she use it¡­ -Wait, you know of this spell? She did that on purpose? -I think so - he nodded. - But I don¡¯t really know the spell¡­ I just know of its existence. -Let me guess. It¡¯s an old incantation found or inherited from someone. -How did you know?! - he yelped, surprised. - I knew you were strange but¡­ -Before you start insulting me, stop. I didn¡¯t know, I am just assuming. And lately I¡¯ve been constantly bumping into weird spells and magics that were supposed to be ¡°inherited¡± or whatnot. -Well, you are on point. -So, where did you get this one from? Some deep corner of your library? -Nah. And not me, it was her. This spell has apparently been in her family since forever. It¡¯s based on some kind of elvish technique I think¡­ -Elvish? - I raised my brow. - She¡¯s got some connection to elves? -I am not sure¡­ She never said how exactly that came to be. Probably she doesn¡¯t know either - he immediately brushed me off. -So do you have any incantation or something? -And what do you want it for? - he asked, stepping towards the desk. -Take a wild guess. I want to break it so I can have a talk with her, hello? -Pff. I know you are a powerful and weird person¡­ -Thanks? Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. -...but I am not going to let you do that. -What? First you complain that she¡¯s out of it and all of that, and now you don¡¯t want to wake her up from this thing? -Don¡¯t get me wrong, I want her to be¡­ ¡°available¡± again, but I am not going to put my own needs above hers. -How considerate of you. Also ¡°needs¡±? What kind of needs? -The fact that she¡¯s indisposed has severely crippled our guild - he said, sighing. - You saw it yourself. We are barely even a shadow of what we were before¡­ -And why the hell do you need her for that? -There are things I cannot do without her permission, nor I want to do. And soon people will start noticing¡­ -People? What people? -Right¡­ I should be more specific¡­ There is really one person I am worried about¡­ And it seems like you are too¡­ -Axelrod. -Yes. King. I don¡¯t know why you are so wary about him, but I am also worried¡­ -I thought you were independent from his kingdom and all that¡­? -Because we are, as a group that is. But not as a contractor. -Ah. So he hired you? -Yes. You heard about the war, right? -A little bit. -His kingdom is fighting against elves, who are using some weird plant monsters. And we are using fire magic. It¡¯s a no-brainer. We are the best counter to that kind of magic after all. -He recruited you for his war effort. -More like bought, but yes. -Hm. Was it worth it? -At first? Sure. He paid more than any contractor in the past ten years¡­ but it started being problematic lately. -What, you can¡¯t meet his demands or something? -Precisely. We sent most of our men to the front, yet he demanded more. -So why not just reject him? I can¡¯t see the problem. -If you saw the amount of gold he was sending each time, you¡¯d change your mind. -Ha. So that¡¯s just a greed problem then? - I rolled my eyes. - Then go and use some of that money to pay for mercenaries or some crap, why bother with¡­ -No, no, you don¡¯t get it. He paid up front. With such a massive sum of money that it was impossible to reject. But it was not just an empty deal, we had to sign it¡­ -Oh great, more deals. Why the fuck do you even agreed? Why do I even care though, that¡¯s your problem. -Well it is not only ours. If we won¡¯t fulfill the deal, the contract will be broken. And you know what that means. -What, that your precious guild leader will be owned by the king? Why is that my problem? -Because of your contract. -I don¡¯t care about passage through here - I shrugged. - You can kick me out if you want to, or jail me, I will just do the same thing I did last time. -I am aware, and no, that¡¯s not what I am talking about. -What, you think that I care that she¡¯ll tell my secrets to Axelrod? Tough luck, I don¡¯t care any more. -Hm. Still no. The thing is¡­ the contract with him¡­ was void to begin with. -Eh? So what¡­ -She has an owner already. Right¡­ I did own her, technically. It was strange to even think about it that way. -So wait, what¡¯s the problem? You don¡¯t have to fulfill the contracts, you can just tell him to fuck off. -Oh yes, tell him to fuck off, great idea. Besides the fact that he has his men that almost outnumber my own stationed here, do you really think insulting a king is something that a sane person would do? -Pff. -Don¡¯t you ¡°pff¡± me! -So what do you want me to do?! Release her? First off, I don¡¯t even know if that¡¯s possible. Second, even if it was, I don¡¯t think that would¡¯ve changed anything. -No. I just want you to help me clear this thing out somehow¡­ I can¡¯t just¡­ cut him off. Especially because of my brother. -¡±Clear this thing out¡±, ¡°fix things¡±... you keep dodging the actual topic, what the fuck is going on? If you are going to ask for my help, do it directly. -Ahh! I really shouldn¡¯t be telling you this by myself, but¡­ -Damn, spit it out. -Remember, when we first met, we were so surprised that you managed to cast a spell without our permission? -Yeah, how could I forget. So what? -After that fiasco, For started looking into ways of preventing that. -Ha. So you DO know what she''s looking for¡­ I guess you took my talk about shitty security to heart. And? Did you succeed? -Somewhat. First off, we managed to confirm how exactly the old protection was working. -Yes, yes, you tried to force everyone to use the massive red crystal under our feet, essentially blocking most magic this way¡­ -Yeah¡­ - he nodded, surprised. - With that and blood binding we managed to block everyone without connection to For from using magic, which brings more questions about you¡­ -Wait a second, connected to For? What does that mean? -It means that the whole castle, or rather the crystal that the island is made of is under the effect of blood-binding. -Mhm¡­ so you think that I am somehow connected to her then? -Yes. Or to be precise, to the one who made this island at least. -I am not sure that¡¯s the case, but let¡¯s assume that¡¯s true. So what? -Nothing. That¡¯s not the problem here, I am just stating the facts. The issue of that has already happened and bitten us in the butt, so that¡¯s a ship that has sailed. -Okay¡­ so what¡¯s wrong then. -Yeah¡­ the problem is, you were not the only one who was able to bypass this safety mechanism¡­ -Oh great, more holes. Who? -The king himself. I just gave him a look. -Out of all the people, you¡¯re worried about him? Sure, he is powerful, but it shouldn¡¯t be that surprising that he is somehow related to an old and powerful mage of some kind? -The thing is, yes, that is very surprising. And I would even argue that it is impossible. -Hm? And why is that? -Because he is not an elf. That took me by surprise. -Elf? What does that have to do with anything? -Everything. I guess since I am already telling you this much, I can tell you that too¡­ For is an elf. And so was every head of Red Mages. -She? Elf? I gazed at her behind the desk. Sure, she was pretty attractive and all, but don¡¯t elves have spiky ears and stuff? She doesn¡¯t¡­ Then it dawned on me. The first time I saw her, I noticed that her ears were deformed and scarred. Was that an attempt at hiding her heritage? -As you see - Jacob nodded, noticing I was staring at her - she was trying to conceal that part of her past¡­ -For what¡­? I remember she had those scars when we first met. If not that I¡¯d say it was not to antagonize Axelrod¡­ -Well, you¡¯d be correct anyway. His disdain to elves is not newfound, you know. He¡¯s been a bit racist towards her people since I can remember. Can¡¯t tell you why¡­ -And he never noticed? - I asked in disbelief. - I mean, even I noticed¡­ -...but you did not put those things together, though - he finished for me. - So it worked. And, despite the rumors, the king is not omnipotent. If he ever noticed, he probably just thought that it was just some weird deformation. -So wait, to cast spells here you need to be an elf? Don¡¯t tell me that every single person here is an elf¡­ -Oh, no no. If it was a few months before, I¡¯d say there are not that many elves left in this world even, but now¡­ -Yeah, the attack and all¡­ -Yes. And the fact that the amount of Red Mages can be counted on your fingers¡­ -Damn. Okay, if not, couldn¡¯t he just get access to casting here the same way as you do? Or everyone else for that matter? -Of course he could, but he did not. The fact is, to use magic here you need to enter the contract with For¡­ not literally of course - he quickly added, seeing as I was about to complain about the rules of the magical contracts. - No, it¡¯s a bit different. -What, you let her drink your blood? - I asked jokingly, but instead of smiling he turned pale. -How do you know?! Now I was slack-jawed. I was just joking around and I actually got it?! -I don¡¯t know, I am just spitballing here! What the fuck, is she some kind of a vampire?! -I don¡¯t know any more - he said, still shaken. - Either you have some ungodly luck or intuition or¡­ I don¡¯t even know what. Yes, to be able to cast spells here you need to give your blood to the current head of the Red Mages, presently For. -Damn¡­ and what, it just works, like, poof, and done? I can¡¯t believe it¡­ -I have no clue how exactly the process goes, it is forbidden to know to anyone that is not the current leader or the successor. -Ohh¡­ And is there one? -No. It¡¯s not been that long since For was promoted to the leader so there was no time to even think about that¡­ -Ah, so that¡¯s why you joined her¡­ you wanted to get promoted¡­ -Ha, it would be nice, but no, that is not possible. See, the actual successor has to be from the same bloodline. -Same bloodline? As elf or you mean literally family? -Both. -I feel like that¡¯s a bit hard to accomplish, isn¡¯t it? Especially after you said you thought that there are barely any elves left¡­ -Yes. But as long as there is at least one elf left, that¡¯s not an issue. -What do you mean? -See, elves are¡­ what do they call it? A dominant species. -Excuse me? A race that is rare is dominant? -Oh, I mean biologically. -Hm¡­ So you mean a half-elf still is good enough? Wouldn¡¯t the bloodline be so diluted after a few generations that you¡¯d be left with just a regular human? Or whatever other race¡­ -No, no, you don¡¯t understand. There are no half elves, nor quarter elves or whatever. If one parent is an elf, the child will always be a full-blooded elf as well. -Well, that¡¯s convenient for them. -So, summing up, she is looking for a reason why suddenly Axelrod is able to magic his way around the place, is that it? -I assume so¡­ she never told me but I think that is the case. -Well that is a security concern¡­ besides the other ones¡­ -Yes, yes, you are one of them too, I know. But that¡¯s not only the problem. Since you and king can bypass this old spell without any issue, what is even the point of it? -Good point. But the question, why did she go that far just to find that out? -That far? Don¡¯t you think that the security of this place is pretty important? -I mean, it¡¯s a nice place and all, but what else? Is this rock worth that much? I was on purpose not mentioning the fact that I very well knew that there was a pretty fucking big source of mana that was definitely worth hiding from everyone, especially from Axelrod. Even if he realized that, he didn¡¯t say anything. -Think what you will. But, sure, getting yourself in some kind of weird trance like this for so long is not a price worth paying. Now I got you though. -Uh-oh. What¡¯s that supposed to mean? -Nothing much. I would like you to wake her up from this trance. -And how do you think I would even do that? - I gazed at him, curious what he had on his mind. -You can drain mana, I remember that very well. If you were to drain her now, wouldn¡¯t the spell fizzle as well? -Didn¡¯t you say that she recharges her mana automatically every now and again? Wouldn¡¯t I just put her to sleep again? -That¡¯s what I want you to do. Remember what happened to me? I want you to do that to her. If she was to be completely drained to the point where she falls into a coma, the spell would definitely end then. Then it would be the matter of waking her up, but we have that covered, I still have something from the last time. -I thought it was all used up¡­ - I muttered, trying to remember. - In any case, that is definitely dangerous. Despite how you paint me, I am not sure I would be able to control myself¡­ -I can do that - suddenly said Iloa. 108. Awake -I can do that - Iloa said suddenly. - I can monitor her state pretty easily while you concentrate on keeping control. -That is still dangerous. -Do you care about her that much? -I just don¡¯t want to make yet another one? -Ah¡­ right, there¡¯s that possibility too¡­ -I know. But I am sort of out of options¡­ - he continued, noticing that I stopped to think. -Out of curiosity - I replied, after a pause. - What did you try? -Well¡­ my magical options were somewhat limited, see¡­ -Oh, that got to be good. What not-magical options were those then? -Don¡¯t overthink that - he noticed my crooked smile. - Just basics. Tried slapping her awake, pouring water¡­ -She¡¯s not just some drunk that fell asleep on your doorstep¡­ - I said, stifling a laugh. -And what exactly would you try, genius?! - he barked, annoyed. -Dunno. I am glad that I didn¡¯t have to though and you are the one explaining this. Go on. What else? -And what does it matter?! - he was now clearly angry and embarrassed. - The point is, it didn¡¯t work. That¡¯s why I am asking you. I can¡¯t exactly burn her expecting her to wake up, huh?! -Yeah, yeah - I waved my hand and tried regaining my composure. - Fine. I will help. That also works for me, I wanted to have a chat about some things¡­ -You keep saying that¡­ Why won¡¯t YOU tell me then? You kept saying that I was the one avoiding the topic. -If I don''t manage to wake her up, I will. Hell, I will even if she does wake up. But first off, are you aware of what you are asking of me? -What do you mean? -Eh¡­ - I sighed and sat down on a stack of the books nearby, trying not to fall down. - I will only explain this once, so listen. -As you are aware - I started - mana is our life. If something is alive, it has mana. Even inanimate things have mana. -Obviously. Why are you telling me this? -Because what you are asking me to do is essentially draining life out of your precious boss - I pointed out. - Sure, yes, that will definitely end this and any spell that she is currently under. But it might not just leave her unconscious, I can outright kill her. -You¡­ -Of course - I immediately assured him - I do not intend to do that. I want to avoid that as much as you do. -Pff. I know. It¡¯s hard to get that handy of a pawn, isn¡¯t it? -Fair point - I agreed with him - but that¡¯s not what I want to warn you about. The thing is, even if I am to accidentally drain her dry, there are some¡­ options. -Options? - he was confused. - What in the hell do you mean by that? -Look at me. How would you categorize me, hm? -Er¡­ what does that have to do with¡­ -Just say it. -A monster¡­? - he replied, unsure. -Sure, right, thanks. What kind of monster though? -Ah. You mean the remnant, right? -Precisely. And how, pray tell, do you create one of ¡°me¡±, hm? -And how the hell would I know that much? -Oh, you do. And if you don¡¯t let me explain. You take the mana of one person, or the ¡°soul¡±, and stuff it into an object, a crystal. Which then you shove into another vessel. Do you get me? -I still don¡¯t understand what does¡­ -Oh for fuck¡¯s sake¡­ What I am saying is that what you are asking me of is very adjacent to a way to turn For into a crystal remnant! He paused for a good minute, thinking. -But¡­ Hm. That¡¯s¡­ -Unlikely? Who knows. I¡¯ve seen plenty of unlikely things¡­ -Why are you scaring him so much? - asked Iloa. - You realize that with the two of us it is almost impossible for something like this to happen. Unless¡­ you want to do that intentionally? -Oh, I am hurt - I replied, pretending to be angry. - How dare you assume such a thing? -... -Okay, you don¡¯t need to reply. Yes it sounds this way, but I am just trying to give him something to think about. Last time he took the initiative it had some consequences. -The consequences that went your way, let me remind you. -Sure, sure. -So, did you make your choice? - I asked aloud, pretending that I was not just busy talking with someone else and was giving him time to think. -I¡­ The stuff about the remnants¡­ is that true? -Which part? -That¡­ you know. That they are monsters that lack humanity¡­ that they are just ghosts of themselves¡­ -And do I look like a ghost to you? I am pretty corporeal. Also, humanity? How do you even check that? -Well¡­ -Yeah, yeah. So? -Yes. Do it. But¡­ -But what? -If she is going to be a remnant¡­ can you¡­ make sure that she¡¯ll stay the same way that she was before? -Like what? - I asked, confused. - I am not changing anybody¡¯s shape, that¡¯s not my forte. I can get you someone if you need, though¡­ -Mor! - I already started hearing Kon protesting, but I paid him no mind. -No, no! I mean the mind. Will she be the same? -Of course. It¡¯s still going to be the exact same person, minus the changed body. -Okay¡­ good¡­ Do it. -On it. -You couldn¡¯t help but tease him even more¡­ -Of course, how could I even pass that kind of opportunity. I approached the woman, who was continuously repeating the robotic movements and going through the books in her vicinity. The tome she was now reading had something about history and magical leylines, a title that I didn¡¯t remember seeing in the main library. Probably from her personal collection, if I was to guess. -Ready? -Sure. And I placed my hand on her forehead. The reaction was immediate. I felt the mana flow through me, like countless times before. But, unlike any other time I¡¯ve done this before, hers was¡­ pleasant. It was completely different from the mana I drained from Vendi. To be honest, his was no different from any other tree or fruit I had before. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Her mana was¡­ warm. Yeah, sure, all mana feels hot, like heated air, but hers was fresher. Like it was scented with¡­ leaves¡­? Grass? I know that is a very awkward way to describe it, but it is what it is. I honestly didn¡¯t expect this process to feel so different. Was it because of her heritage? That she was an elf? Possibly¡­ I also noticed that I didn¡¯t even need the assistance from Iloa. While she had a lot of mana to spare, it didn¡¯t even make me glow, it was pleasantly flowing through me. I would definitely like for that moment to continue for longer, but, alas, it was not possible, because I started noticing how her mana started to visibly diminish. First, it was her movements - they got slower and slower, until she stopped completely and slowly collapsed back onto the couch. Then, I felt it. A core of the spell. In comparison to the nice and peaceful mana she had, it was like a cold shower and completely slapped me awake from that nice and pleasant moment. I probably was a bit too aggressive and slightly angry because of that rude interruption, and drained the whole spell in one big pull. I even felt that Iloa was about to step in and try interrupting me, but it was unnecessary - I did that myself and feeling as the only remaining mana was of the same pleasant warmth, I stopped myself. Hell, when they tell the stories about the vampires drinking from people, is that how they feel? Where the fuck did that come from¡­ -Done - I announced out loud. -And? How is she? - asked Jacob, visibly on the edge. -Don¡¯t worry - I assured him. - It was a great success. She¡¯s not in danger even, I managed to leave her with enough mana so she won¡¯t be in coma. But if you have something to regen her mana, go for it. -Right! - he jumped up and ran down out of the room. -Just don¡¯t get anything hard, we don¡¯t need her high and drunk again - I yelled after him. -That was¡­ almost too easy, don¡¯t you think? - said Iloa after he left. -Yea¡­ I never expected for her to taste so good¡­ -Please, don¡¯t say it like that¡­ -What? You felt it too, didn¡¯t you? I am just speaking my mind. Hell, you are in my mind, I don¡¯t need to tell you that! -Yes, yes¡­ but still, Kon didn¡¯t need to hear that. -Oh. Well shit. I stifled a laugh. I wonder what he thought about that whole process. -My bad, Kon. I hope I didn¡¯t weird you out. -Don¡¯t worry - his reply was faster than expected. - In my time I¡¯ve seen and heard many things. That was¡­ not the weirdest one. -Thanks¡­? Trying to avoid that topic, I instead focused on the books For was reading until not so long ago. None of them looked like they were from the library on the lower floor, I was pretty sure about that. Besides the fact that they looked older than those tomes, I knew most of the ones available there thanks to my earlier stay here. The ones that were closest to her were about elves. ¡°Elvish history¡±, ¡°Appearance of the elves¡±, ¡°First contact¡±, ¡°Modern magic via elvish incantations¡± and so on. Definitely interesting reads, if I was to get my hands on those before, I would¡¯ve definitely read them by now. -I see they keep the spicy stuff hidden¡­ -Yeah. Come on, let¡¯s have a look. -You don¡¯t have to tell me twice. I grabbed the first one that was open and started reading. It was the one titled ¡°First contact¡±. First recorded appearances took place in the northern part of the Wildnorth, although most of the written evidence has been destroyed by the elves themselves. They appeared to come from the Outer Sea, using magic to cross the waters. While the first contacts were met with lack of understanding and language barrier, proving that they were indeed outsiders to the mainland, there is no evidence of where their homeland actually is, or was. None of the elves has ever provided an explanation of why and where they came from. There have been attempts to force the information out of them via use of various magic, even using their own blood magic, but those were always unsuccessful, besides one. It was an attempt made by a child of one of the arrivals: he wanted to force his own father to give up the secret of his homeland. In his theory, since he was sharing the blood of the first arrivals, he would be able to connect to the memory of his father and see with his own eyes where he came from. He attempted to absorb the whole essence of his father, draining him of all his mana, but neither of them did survive the attempt. Before dying though, he managed to write a note with just three words: ¡°cataclysm, survivors, barrier¡±. Thanks to his efforts we assume that elves are the arrivals from a destroyed world, similarly to some other races living among us. We do not know what ¡°barrier¡± is supposed to mean though, and there have been no successful attempts made to repeat the experiment, because of lack of compatible subjects: the blood connection is apparently needed to be able to see the other person¡¯s memories, as confirmed by another experiment. -That¡¯s some information¡­ -Yeah¡­ multiple races that were ¡°survivors of the broken worlds¡±? What does that mean? -Hm¡­ I know of three races: elves, dwarves and humans. I have not seen dwarves and until now I just thought that people here were just making fun of me, but after reading this¡­ are there even more? Like what? Cat-people? -I have no clue. -Kon, you have an idea? -No¡­ but¡­ is this book even real? I also never heard of more than three races, and while I don¡¯t know much about dwarves¡­ -Yeah, the wording is strange¡­ - I agreed. - What, do humans here also are ¡°survivors¡±...? -Well, if you think about it, we sort of are¡­ - pointed out Iloa. True. But did that book also take into consideration someone like us? How old was this thing anyway? What was more intriguing though was the fact that the elves were trying to destroy the evidence of their past. That definitely seemed suspicious. -Let¡¯s not overthink this - said Iloa, noticing what was brewing in my brain. - Besides, soon we¡¯ll have a live elf to ask the questions anyway. -Like that¡¯s going to help. She had to read about this to learn¡­ -You think that was the information she tried to find out while using that weird meditation-thing? - asked Kon, who apparently picked up even on that part of our discussion. -Don¡¯t think so. But the fact that she had found her way towards this direction means that Axelrod has something to do with that. -He does seem to be very interested in elves - agreed Iloa. - Mostly in killing them, though¡­ -He also thinks that your husbands other wife is his family somehow, so who the fuck knows what¡¯s in his head¡­ -I still can¡¯t wrap my mind around that piece of info¡­ how in the hell¡­ Our brainstorm was interrupted by Jacob. He stormed back into the room carrying a full plate of mana fruit along with a jar of something that looked very similar to the weird salve that Eise treated me with. I could now tell that it was absolutely full of mana. -Oh, you¡¯re back¡­ - I said, stepping away from the desk and For, making room for him. - You¡¯re pretty fast. -Fast? I had to run all the way downstairs to the kitchens just to get this stuff¡­ -Yeah, yeah. Do your thing. He approached the woman and put the plate away next to the window and uncorked the jar. The room got instantly flooded with a scent of salty air mixed with¡­ ginger? -I see Eise is doing well¡­ - I said, stepping away even further away from the jar. -Huh? Ah yes, she¡¯s still here, one of the little people that are still left¡­. -I guess Axelrod doesn¡¯t think highly about alchemists¡­ -She¡¯s more a cook than an alchemist - he replied, taking some of the ointment and slowly rubbing it into her forehead. -Careful with that thing - I warned him. - We don¡¯t need her ¡°undisposed¡± again. -Yeah, yeah, I am well aware¡­ Despite what he said, I was not inclined to believe him. Even though he took a bit from the jar, I could tell that his own mana was already fluctuating and getting dangerously high. If not for For then he would soon be high out of his mind. -You can always drain him¡­ - pointed out Iloa. -Yeah, sure, you keep mentioning that. But I am not an infinite mana battery¡­ -I wonder about that¡­ recently it actually seems that way. That made me stop for a moment. She was right. Recently I have been absorbing a lot of mana and not using a lot. Sure, I wasted some on that stone-melding and all, but now with For¡­ Did somehow my capacity increase? Is that even possible with this kind of body? -I don¡¯t know either - said Iloa before I even managed to ask the question - but I¡¯ve been thinking¡­ maybe we¡¯re not just sharing thoughts, you know¡­? Even though he didn¡¯t say anything, I felt a sudden burst of emotions from Kon. -Well, we definitely share a bunch of things but¡­ That would also explain why I was feeling a bit more in control recently. -...the question is not if we share more, it¡¯s how much we share? -I have an even better one. We are sure that we are connected via the Origin Crystal¡­ but are we sure if the process has been completed? -Wait, wait, wait! - interrupted Kon. - What process? What does that mean!? -I am afraid we¡¯ll have to pick this up later, because¡­ -She¡¯s waking up. Meanwhile, Jacob was in the process of slowly restoring her mana with that weird creation of Eise. Honestly, I was surprised. She had to perfect the recipe or modify it somehow, because it seemed like it was working well and with no issues. For¡¯s presence was getting steadily stronger and even though it was also working on Jacob, it seemed like he was able to handle it pretty decently. As Kon was asking his question I noticed that her eyelids started moving and a moment later she opened her eyes. -What¡­ what¡¯s going on¡­? -For! For, how do you feel? - he sounded relieved. -Jacob¡­? Err¡­ actually, pretty good. She realized that he was sitting next to her and noticed the salve. -The hell are you doing? What¡¯s that¡­? -Good morning, boss - I said, stepping out from behind the books and bowing in a ridiculous manner. - Have you been sleeping well? If the salve was not enough to wake her, that definitely was. -AAH! WHAT? WHO? What is going on!? -Calm down! - Jack immediately started explaining. - I requested for him to help us. -Him?! Who¡¯s that¡­ -Oh, come on, not this shit again, do I have to refresh your memory - I said pointing to a mark on her neck. For a second she was confused but then the realization dawned on her. -MOR?! What the hell are you doing here? Why do you look like this?! And, most importantly, why was I knocked out!? At least she was not tossing spells at me this time. -Let me explain¡­ 109. Elves -And so, he broke the spell and I was just using Eise¡¯s meds to regenerate your mana - finished the quick summary Jacob. -Should¡¯ve known that weird smell was her work¡­ - she sighed and almost immediately started yelling angrily. - Why did you break this thing?! How long was I out of it?! -Too long, it was about¡­ She didn¡¯t care. -And all that time got wasted! Thanks to you! How the fuck am I to fix this shit? Now I have to go back into the trance again! -What were you doing anyway? - I asked, not caring about the sudden outburst. - Is your past that important? She glared at Jacob. -You told him even that? -It was important information in¡­ -How the fuck is my race relevant?! Do you¡­ -I don¡¯t give a damn if you are an elf, dwarf, a fairy or a vampire - I shrugged. - It literally makes no difference to me. Currently I am a block of solid stone that walks and talks. -That''s a good question. Why are you like that?! Also, why are you here?! -Ah, the answer is simple and his name is Axlelrod. That was the name which immediately shut her up. -You now work for him? Damn. What does he want from me then? -Not quite - I shook my head. - That is the problem. It¡¯s the opposite. I am at odds with that guy and I hear so are you. That made her pause for a second and she tossed a look at Jacob. -I know about his brother, he¡¯s currently¡­ -Unconscious - finished for me Jacob. - Which is good. -Yeah, a bit of my fault and his, but whatever. -Okay¡­ now you are making me curious. She was not lying, I could tell that her initial animosity and apprehension was gone. -Well, since you are awake, I¡¯d like to introduce you to someone. By some chance I have come here with some companions that¡­ we have some shared business. -Companions? You got some more slaves? - she looked at me with disdain. -Of course not. But I think you might be interested in seeing them anyway. -Not like I have a choice - she grabbed a glass of water that Jacob had prepared along with the mana fruit - Who¡¯re they? -As for names, it¡¯s Jack, Vendi and Kon. They are¡­ But I was not able to finish, because she almost choked on the water she was drinking. -I see you remember at least one of them. What, Jack got that much of a hook on you? -Let me get this straight - she said after she managed to clear her throat. - Jack. Broker. Underground dealer. The same Jack? -Sounds like him alright - I nodded. -I didn¡¯t ever expect to hear that name again¡­ I don¡¯t know the other two though¡­ -Both are Jack¡¯s property. She rolled his eyes. -What, he can¡¯t travel without an army of servants or what¡­? -Well, it¡¯s more complicated than that - I admitted. - But that¡¯s a bit of a long story. -Go on with it then - she said. - I feel like this is kind of important to know, since you had to bust into my own castle like that¡­ -Well, it somewhat is also mine¡­ She scoffed at me but didn¡¯t say anything. -...but that¡¯s not really what I had in mind. We ended here accidentally, you see¡­ -Accidentally. I somewhat fail to believe that your teleportation was so bad that you ended here¡­ -Well, it probably was a bit scuffed because we ended up in a closed room, but we had an anchor¡­ a bit old one but it worked¡­ -By the way, Kon, did that anchor survive our teleport? -Oh¡­? Er¡­ no. It was pretty weak¡­ -Shame. -Hm. So you arrived, where exactly? -According to our people¡­ in the sealed room - replied Jacob for me. I swear she now choked on air. -Excuse me!? -Hey, I was not the one using portals. And before you ask, the anchor got used. -That¡¯s good at least¡­ - she sighed. - Wait. You arrived in the sealed room¡­ you mean sealed by the door, right? -What do you mean¡­ Jacob looked like he didn¡¯t understand the question, but I knew clearly what she meant and I already was preparing for the inevitable. -Ehh¡­ no. The silence that fell on the room was deafening. -Do I need to ask how did you exit¡­? -I think you know the answer. -For fucks sake! Like I had not enough problems as it is. Jacob, go and set up more guards to that room. Now. -I don¡¯t understand¡­ -And I don¡¯t need you to right now, just do it. -Well¡­ Of course I would¡­ but there is a small problem. -What now?! -There is no one that I can send. She stared at him, not understanding. -I know that there are a lot of tasks to be filled all around the island, but believe me that this takes precedence over all of them. -Sorry¡­ but that doesn¡¯t change the fact that the only ones that are available are the three, two of which are already on it¡­ other than those, we only have my brother who I¡¯d rather not station anywhere near that and Eise. Plus our guests¡­ -Are you fucking kidding me? Where is everyone?! What happened when I was busy?! -Well¡­ nothing. That¡¯s the problem. -What does that mean!? -Just as you think. None that we sent to the king came back¡­ She looked like she just got slapped in the face. -What the hell is going on on the front?! Is he absolutely crazy?! -And I don¡¯t think any of those are coming back¡­ Judging by what my brother told me. -Yeah, why is he even here? - she asked the question that was still bothering me. - Isn¡¯t he as powerful as you!? Why won¡¯t he use him instead of constantly asking me for more manpower? -I don¡¯t know¡­ But now he sent him to take back the remaining of his men. -The remaining of his men? The three he gave me?! Wait, are those two¡­ -Who are now guarding the chamber, yes. -Are you¡­ I could tell she was about to blow up again, but Jacob cut her off. -And what did you expect me to do?! I can¡¯t guard it myself! I also had to take care of you and keep watch here! You were not exactly in fighting shape! She knew he was right, but was still torn, it was pretty clear. She started rubbing her temples in annoyance. -War, wonky magic, security failures¡­ and like that was not enough - she raised her head, gazing at me - now you¡­ What do you want exactly? -Before I answer that - I started - I need to ask one thing, and assuming from your reaction, that might not be for the ears of your friend here¡­ -I assure you, there are no matters that I am not privy to. I have¡­ But before he managed to finish what he wanted to say, For cut him off. -Don¡¯t try and deny it, of course there are some secrets that I have not told you. He was surprised, but I don¡¯t think it was for the obvious reason. -Are you sure that you want to tell us that? Isn¡¯t that¡­ -A family secret? It sort of is, but I guess he can force it out of me anyway. And I don¡¯t really mind you knowing any more¡­ You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. -Ah so we are in the clear? - I spoke up, interrupting her. -What do you¡­ -I am very aware of the Origin Crystal under our feet - I said straight up. - And at this particular moment I don¡¯t care about it, although it is obviously very interesting. -A what?! - yelped Jacob, but For didn¡¯t even blink. -Ah. I should¡¯ve known. If I didn¡¯t think you are Mor, I know now for sure, no other person would really figure that out¡­ -That is not correct - I immediately said. - I have with me at least one person with me that would be able to. -I would really like for you to not involve me for now - chimed in Iloa, speaking in my head. - These people¡­ -I am not intending to do that. -Ah. Kon? -Yea. -Okay then. It¡¯s nice to have someone to be a scapegoat. -Wait, what was that about me? - Kon was obviously worried, but I didn¡¯t care for now. -Wait what? What do you¡­ -Let me cut this thing short. There exists a bunch of people that with a single look would realize what that thing is. And I am thinking that the main pain in your ass is one of them. And, no, I am not talking about me. She squinted. -And are you telling me this¡­? I assume that is not your goodwill? -Not entirely. I am trying to tell you that we might have a common enemy¡­ or at least a common pain, named Axelrod. -You mentioned that¡­ What do you mean? I decided to drop the act. -Your ¡°king¡± has tried to kill me and my friend. He half-succeeded. Both of them exchanged worried looks. -At first I was hesitant to tell you, because, despite your claims, you seemed to have pretty tight ties to him - I said. - But now, I see that you aren¡¯t exactly a friend of his.. -You got that right¡­ - For barked. - This idiot thinks that he can do everything he wants¡­ -For! It¡¯s¡­ - Jacob wanted to stop her, but for naught. -It¡¯s what?! Inappropriate? I don¡¯t care. I know that you agree with me, seeing as you despise your brother¡¯s choices¡­ He made a very pained face, but didn¡¯t say anything. I could tell that he was also annoyed, and not on me for once. -Nice to for once see a group of likely-minded individuals. So my first request I think I can just see as good as done. -Request? What do you want? - she still sounded suspicious. -Ah, it was just for you to not speak a word to him that I am still alive. That would go more towards your brother than anyone else, Jacob. -I am not letting him leave this place, no way - he instantly said. - Maybe not exactly because of you but¡­ -Doesn¡¯t matter. But what about the rest of the pack? How does their employment work here? -Employment? Pf¡­ - she snorted. - They do what I tell them to do and that¡¯s it. Axelrod gave those to me and I intend to keep them. -¡±Gave¡±? Does that mean what I think? -Indeed - she nodded. - I have their marks right here. She raised her arm and in the inner side of her palm I could see three marks, not that different from the one she had on her neck, although those looked a bit darker. -Fucking blood magic¡­ - I shook my head. - Should¡¯ve known that he¡¯d use that¡­ -Oh, it was not him - she corrected me. - I suspected that he might try something stupid after he said he was ¡°giving¡± them to me, so I took the matter in my own hands. -I hope that it worked better than it did on me - I muttered. She shot me a piercing gaze in return. -We did not try to trick them - stated Jacob. - We just told them that if they want to work here, they need to do it. And¡­ -...since Axelrod told them to work here, they took it as an order from him - I finished for him. - Smart. Although I wouldn¡¯t say that¡¯s not tricking them into it¡­ -It worked though - For shrugged. - So we at least don¡¯t have to worry about their loyalty. -Yeah. But what about those ¡°friends¡± of yours, hm? - she asked. - Can they be trusted? -That is a complicated question - I said after a moment of pondering. - I say one of them at least. Maybe one and a half¡­ -And a half? What, you have a half of the person in there? -Nah¡­ it¡¯s just that we have another slave-master situation over there. -Don¡¯t tell me you got more slaves? -I meant Jack and his slave, they are not exactly trustworthy, or maybe I should say they are a wildcard. -Wildcard? -Say, tell me, how do you even know him? He sounded like you are indebted to him. What¡¯s up with that? -Ah¡­ - she closed her eyes with a painful expression. - It¡¯s plain and simple. He once helped me¡­ in a pinch, so to speak. -Hm. Well, I don¡¯t know what he wants to do with you, but hey, do what you will. I only can vouch for the third one: Kon. -Kon¡­ Kon¡­ - Jacob muttered. - I think I heard of that name¡­ -Yeah, me too¡­ - For agreed. - Who¡¯s that? -Officially? Jack¡¯s son. -Sorry Kon, I have to tell them a bit about you. I hope you don¡¯t mind. -Not at all - he immediately replied, apparently listening in. - I don¡¯t think that it will get them on our side though. -Oh, it definitely will - commented Iloa, also still present. -And you think you can trust him then? While not trusting his father? - she didn¡¯t sound convinced. -Let me finish. I said officially, but he¡¯s not even related to Jack, he¡¯s an orphan. But that¡¯s not important. What matters though, he is very precious to Jack. So precious that I can¡¯t imagine a world where he¡¯d go against his wishes. -So what you¡¯re saying is that if we have Kon with us, Jack won¡¯t even be able to refuse us anything. And since Vendi or what¡¯s his name, is his slave, he is also kept in check. -Precisely. -And you say I am bad for using blood magic - she shook her head. - I see you are more of a connoisseur of classic tactics, like blackmail and hostages. -I can¡¯t say I am not, but that¡¯s not it. The funny thing is¡­ Kon is not exactly a normal boy¡­ -I think I saw that coming - she muttered. - So what¡¯s he? Another abomination? -Well¡­ you¡¯re not exactly wrong¡­ - I said slowly. They both froze in their tracks. -You¡¯re kidding?! - Jacob blurted out. - That kid, a revenant?! -Yeah. That is also why I said I can trust him - I said without trying to cover it. -And you¡¯re telling us to trust a revenant?! - For was in disbelief. -Yes. But also notice, I am not ordering you to - I pointed out. She gazed at me with disdain. -Yes, yes, I remember that I am your property. Thanks. -Not what I meant. I mean that I am trusting you, so do trust me a little bit. Besides, that¡¯s not the end of what I wanted to say. -Why do I feel that¡¯s going to be annoying¡­ - she mumbled under her breath, but I heard her clearly. -Because it is. I briefly explained what happened to me, the ¡°expedition¡± with Axelrod. At first, they just nodded, apparently Jacob had heard the story from his brother and repeated it to For. But some things were obviously news to them, like the part where Axelrod appeared out of nowhere and so on. When I reached the moment where I finally managed to merge with Iloa, I hesitated. And she noticed that. -Tell them. I feel like it¡¯s better this way - she said. I could tell that she was thinking that decision over for a while now. -You sure? I can tell them that you just sacrificed yourself. It¡¯s not like they can check it¡­ -Don¡¯t. It will only complicate things. And not like they can do anything with that info. What, they¡¯ll try and get me out of your head? Ha. And so, I continued my story. Unsurprisingly, after I explained the other consciousness I had in my head, they looked at me like I was insane, but that didn¡¯t discourage me. I just continued talking, explaining the events that took place at Jack¡¯s island, our wild teleportations and arrival in the deepest chamber of the Red Edge. Since they were already looking at me like I was some lunatic, I also dropped them the info about the MIRE and where I came from. -That¡¯s¡­ a lot to take in¡­ - said finally For, after I finished and gazed at the pair, waiting for the response. -I am going to be honest, I can¡¯t even believe half of it¡­ - said Jacob, staring blankly in space. -Why would I even bother trying to lie? - I said. - I¡¯d rather just not include some things then. -What do you think, For? -Eh¡­ - she sighed heavily, leaning back on her couch - I don¡¯t know. If it was anyone else, I¡¯d just toss them into the dungeon for wasting my time, because this all seems like a fantasy to me. Multiple consciousness¡¯? Other world? King¡¯s family? Damn¡­ -I said what I believe is true - I shrugged. - What you do with it is your business. -Well, okay¡­ - she said after a moment of hesitation. - Let¡¯s say I believe you. Where do we go from here? What do you actually want from me? -That is a question. Well, at this point I want to recapture the woman in question. I think she has the answers that we need right now, or at least some of them. -That¡¯s not easy¡­ - mumbled Jacob. - Going against the king¡­ Even if we don¡¯t consider his strange transformation and that weird magic you saw, he is still powerful and trying to go against him is a suicide¡­ -Do you really believe that you can find her? -Obviously - I nodded. - She did willingly bind with me. I can find her, the only problem is the fact that she is for sure with Axelrod. -Not with elves? I gazed at her, curious. -Elves? Not ¡°us¡±? ¡°My people¡±? Where¡¯s your patriotism? - I asked, half in jest. - Don¡¯t you consider yourself one of them, hm? She froze for a second. -I forgot you know. It didn¡¯t look like she was going to elaborate. -Whatever. I guess it would be handy to have one of their own on my side¡­ -Don¡¯t get your hopes up. -Well, we¡¯ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Anyway, even if she is with elves, we are still going to compete with Axelrod. -That¡¯s true¡­ Well, it seems like there¡¯s no changing it. -Now for the question - I started, finally speaking my mind. - What do you want for your help? Both of them looked stunned. -What do we want? - For was absolutely staggered. - What do you mean, you are ordering me. There is no¡­ -Yes, yes¡­ - I interrupted her. - Slave crests, stains, blah blah, elven bullshit. I don¡¯t care. Sure, I can do that, but if I am to make this kind of relationship, I¡¯d rather not. Just say it, what do you want? Although I am pretty sure that I have an idea¡­ -You do? Indulge me then¡­ - said For, slightly worried. -I said I only have a vague idea - I shook my head. - If I am to guess, you¡¯d definitely want some help with whatever you were looking for when I arrived. Ditching your guild like that seems to me like a bit of a gamble. A last resort, so to say. So, what¡¯s the deal with that? Her face turned into a pained expression, like she just remembered what she was doing before I interrupted. -Ah¡­ that¡­ yes¡­ there are¡­ some problems. But how would you even be able to help¡­? -I don¡¯t know until you tell me what exactly is going wrong. -I don¡¯t know what to tell you - she shrugged. - You already know everything. As you said, I wanted to guard myself in the inevitable case of the king arriving here and forcing his way on me. -I mean, he can''t enslave you at least? -Right, right¡­ but he can do that to Jacob. And he now also knows your and my secrets so it¡¯s essentially the same. -Hm¡­ Yeah, he''s perfect blackmail material¡­ two in one in fact¡­ -Two in one? -Yeah, he¡¯d also have your brother too - I said to Jacob. -Sorry, but you really think he cares about that idiot? - he replied without hesitation. - Sorry to break the illusion, but he¡¯s not as mighty an important person as he thinks he is. -Oh, I am very well aware - I laughed. - But he still has some information that he might be interested in. -Information? Like what? - he sounded confused. -Like the ¡°artifacts¡± you two were pawning off to random people. -Artifacts? What? He cares about that junk? - they both were definitely surprised. -Yeah. Some of them were definitely from my world, and you two know where you got them from. If the earlier indication weren¡¯t just for show, he¡¯s also interested in my world. -Why the hell though? - raised his brow For. - Is that even important now? -Very. See, about your ¡°security¡±... mind telling me how it works and how do you think it failed? -Don¡¯t tell me that you managed to break through our defenses just because you used some kind of item from your world¡­? - she sounded amazed. -No. Or¡­ well, sort of. I have a theory that I¡¯d like you to confirm. So please tell me. -Well¡­ - she hesitated, but only briefly. - Not like you don¡¯t know most of this¡­ whatever. 110. Ancestry -Our island - she started - was created a long time ago, by one of the previous kings. -You mean Axelrod¡¯s ancestor? -Not exactly - she shook her head. - See, the kings of this country are not just born into the royal family, they are chosen. -You have elections here? - I was genuinely surprised. - Well, well. That¡¯s very progressive for you. -Election? - she laughed. - Ha, that would be too normal. No, the kings are chosen by their predecessors - she explained. - Whenever there is a time for a change of the head of the country, the current ruler ¡°gets a vision from the Lost¡± and then immediately leaves to find the person in question. Usually it takes no more than a month for the person to be found and safely brought to the palace, just to take the place of the king in a few years or so. -That¡¯s an interesting way of doing it. And shady as fuck. -Right? - she agreed with me. - I know, Lost and all, I do believe in most of it, but to get some kind of vision? That smells like bullshit and politics. -That¡¯s probably the case. -Anyway, back on topic - she corrected herself, realizing that we were starting to get sidetracked. - The island was created from one large magical crystal. The one who made it was said to be so powerful, he pulled the island from the depths of the sea and sculpted it onto the shape you see today. -¡±The one who made it¡±? You don¡¯t have a name? -Sadly, the name has never been passed. Even the knowledge of him, or her, being the king¡¯s ancestor is not public knowledge. -Hm. What about the crystal then? -As I was saying, it was made out of one crystal. While indeed large, it was not originally so big. And in the process of creating, they used an immense amount of magic to enlarge it. The process was not perfect however. The original crystal was prismatic, while, as you can see, now it is red. It essentially forced everyone that would inevitably start living and working here to use only red mana, limiting the guild to one element. -I thought that it was common here - I asked, curious. - I mean the use of singular elements¡­ -Of course it is - she agreed. - Now it¡¯s not the problem. But in earlier days there were a lot more multi-element users, making the fact that the castle was forcing use of fire magic a bit awkward and constraining in the recruitment process. -Ah. Should¡¯ve figured that out. What about the founder though? Does that mean that the first leader of Red Mages was also a king? -No - she shook her head. - Since creating the island was a feat requiring immense power, they had to sacrifice their own life to make it. -Die to make an island? - I raised my brow. - Are you sure? -Do you doubt me? I think you¡¯d know if I was lying - she shrugged. -No, I didn''t mean it like that. I just think that wasting your life on such mundane creation is a bit of a waste¡­ -Mundane? - she was flabbergasted. - Raising an island and creating a castle out of nothing is a waste and mundane task!? -Somewhat, if you believe the fact that they paid the ultimate price - I replied, not even flinching. - I am aware that you are not exactly a master of magic, but I think even you can imagine better uses for one¡¯s life. -No, actually, I don¡¯t - she stated, I am pretty sure just to annoy me. - Please, enlighten me. -I dunno, maybe instead of dumping your life into some dead rock, you¡¯d better for example make another life? I feel like something like this is easily done with other means¡­ for example by finding ALREADY EXISTING ISLAND? -I didn¡¯t take you for a family man - she replied, ignoring the later part of my tangent. -I am not. But that¡¯s not what¡¯s important. I paused for a second, thinking. -I think your story is at least somewhat correct. Is that what you learned from your books? -I¡­ er¡­, actually, yes. -Hm. And you had to dump so much effort just to learn that little? - I said, a bit disappointed. I think she was too. -Yeah, although it was not easy. The things that I told you have been written in a cipher, in books that I have never been able to read. That is until I tried using the meditation technique¡­ -Wait, that thing helped you decode stuff? - I asked, impressed. -Yes. That took me by surprise as well. If I knew earlier, I would¡¯ve done that a long time ago. -Why didn¡¯t you anyway? This thing seems a bit powerful¡­ if not absolutely weird. -Maybe because of that? - she said irritated. - This technique is said to use your own life as a fuel to find out whatever you want¡­ -Whatever you want? - I was definitely not convinced. - Something like this does not exist. -So what the hell do you think that is, huh? Or maybe you think that using your own life is again not a good price for it, huh? She was clearly irritated. I sighed, annoyed by her gullibleness. -Whoever wrote this spell had to be either a drama queen or very much of a joker. -The hell do you even¡­ I didn¡¯t let her finish. -For. Mana. What do you think mana is? -What does that have to do¡­ -Mana is your life. So. If it is a spell draining mana, it indeed ¡°uses your life as fuel¡±. As every other spell on this planet. She looked at me with a blank expression on her face. It was clear that it finally dawned on her. -Hello? It is a spell, right? -Ah¡­ - she shook her head like a wet dog. - Yes. Yes it is. -Can you write the incantation? Or at least tell me. Just be careful to not cast it accidentally. Without a word, she tore one of the pages off a book in front of her and started writing. -That¡¯s a bit of a waste¡­ - muttered Jacob, still a bit stunned by this chain of events. -Here. I assume you¡¯re going to tell me what it means? -You guessed right. -Just don¡¯t tell me that it¡¯s something absolutely ridiculous¡­ - she muttered and gave me the slip of paper. -No promises. I took a good long look at the incantation. As expected, it was not some fancy forgotten magical ritual, or a technique. It was just a plain and simple spell¡­ -For¡­ Can I see the book that you¡¯ve learned that from? -The spell¡­? -No, no. The information about the ancestor and all that. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. -Oh¡­ I think it should be¡­ She started browsing through the pile of the books next to her. It took her a minute before she found the correct one. Apparently it was a bit hard to remember the exact cover and the place she put it away to. -Ah. That one! - she finally announced. She picked some tome from the ground and opened it. Her face immediately turned pale. -What¡¯s wrong? - asked Jacob. -That¡¯s¡­ that can¡¯t be right! It can¡¯t be this one! She immediately started looking again, frantically. The longer that went, the more she seemed panicked. -Did someone come here?! -You think someone stole the book¡­? -It has to be it! It¡¯s not here! I thought¡­ -It¡¯s not possible. You¡¯re looking at only people who were ever in this room. At least since you¡¯ve been¡­ unavailable. You sure that it¡¯s not just somewhere in the pile¡­? As they were browsing through again, I stepped behind the desk and carefully picked up the tome she said was supposed to be the correct one and opened it. Ha. No wonder she got startled. It was an empty book. Why did she even have something like that in the first place? But it also meant that what I learned from the spell had to be correct. Just to be sure, I inspected the pages a bit closer, using my magic sight. Indeed, it had some lingering traces of mana - her mana. It didn¡¯t look like it was hiding anything though, it just seemed like she had it with her for a good while. Turning a few pages confirmed it further, as I clearly noticed some stains that definitely were similar in color to her makeup. -Why do you even have empty books - I muttered to myself. -We have a lot of those - replied Jacob, still helping her look. - You think all of our books are already written? We have¡­ or rather had a bunch of people who had to write their discoveries and so on¡­ -This is a bit of an expensive way to write your notes¡­ -We are not exactly a poor guild - he shrugged. -Hm. Well, whatever you say. Anyway, you can stop looking now. For, I think that is indeed the book you were looking for. -You found it? - she seemed relieved, but after noticing what tome I had in my hand she got disappointed. - I checked this one already! It¡¯s empty! It¡­ -And that is one reason why I think you used this one. Well, to be honest, it doesn¡¯t matter, really¡­ -What do you mean?! -That spell¡­ technique, whatever you want to call it¡­ It¡¯s actually quite different from what you thought. She was not pale now. She was completely white. Even more than the pages of the empty book I was holding. -Don¡¯t tell me that spell was some curse!? - now even Jacob was scared. -Curse? No! What the hell, why? It¡¯s a very useful spell, don¡¯t get me wrong, but¡­ it¡¯s not exactly what you think it is¡­ -So what did I do then?! I was in a trance¡­ - she stated, trying to think. - I clearly remember getting some information I needed¡­ -¡±Let me remember that of which I have forgotten¡± - I said. - That is a rough translation of that spell of yours. -What?! -Yeah. A lot less amazing than you thought, eh? I say, that is a pretty useful spell, but nothing much more than that. Definitely not some kind of miracle-spell you said. -But¡­ but¡­ if that¡¯s the case, why was she in the trance for so long? - asked Jacob. - She was unresponsive for so long! -Ah. Well, that is curious - I nodded, changing my focus from the book to For herself. My first thought was that she was just so weak that using something like this had just drained her too hard and put her in some kind of trance¡­ Nah, it was definitely not the case. Even now, weakened after being drained by me, she had quite a bit of mana left, definitely nothing to scoff at, and definitely not that little so that spell would knock her out¡­ Even if we¡¯d thought that it would be so draining, there was still the case of her quick recovery and the repeated process¡­ How was she regaining so much mana in such a¡­ I gazed at the walls of the room and instantly understood. -Aah¡­ -For, calm down - I said after she was still shaky and trying to look for the book. - There¡¯s nothing wrong with you, nor with anything else. -So what did you figure out? - asked Jacob, aware that I had figured something out. -Let me start from the beginning. First of all, the spell. While you definitely used a spell that definitely was not in the slightest connected to what you wanted to accomplish, you actually got a lot of info. ¡±Let me remember¡­¡±- that thing let you glimpse into your old memories, or more specifically memories that someone wanted to conceal from you. -Conceal?! - she was still spooked, although now for a different reason. - Someone used magic on me to mess with my head?! -Seems like it - I nodded. -How the hell did you get that out of that one sentence?! What are you?! - she was clearly in disbelief. -But wait, she broke through that kind of magic so easily? - Jacob was not convinced. - What kind of shitty magic is that? -That¡¯s the thing: I am not sure. But I don¡¯t think it was weak. Sure, in normal circumstances the spell like this would not be enough to do anything. You maybe would¡¯ve remembered what you had for dinner last month or something mundane like that. But this place is anything but normal. -What do you mean¡­? -This place is one great magic crystal. You said it yourself. And to boot, it used to be an Origin Crystal, at least partially. That, plus the fact that you are on top of the leyline¡­ -It enhanced my spell¡­ that¡¯s why it managed to break through¡­ whatever that was¡­ -Precisely. And even then, it drained a lot of mana from you. You¡¯d be in a coma, just like Jacob that one time, if not for the strange thing: you used the crystal that the place is made of as a conduit for your magic. I noticed that before: the place was infused, but her chambers were a lot less. Like it was drained for some reason. For example, like someone was using the mana in the environment to, I don¡¯t know, to cast the spell, or regain their own mana. If I didn¡¯t know better, I''d say that she had a similar ability to mine - it definitely looked that way when I first saw her ¡°meditating¡±. -So, okay - she finally calmed down. - Okay. Sure. My spell was¡­ not that useful¡­ or at least not on this topic. Okay. Let¡¯s leave that for now. I don¡¯t even want to think about that. Let¡¯s change the subject. You said that you can help me secure the place more. What did you have in mind? She was definitely in denial, but I didn¡¯t care either way. -I didn¡¯t say I¡¯d help you secure it, I said I can explain a bit more. -As long as it is more on topic than my findings¡­ -Ha. Well, sure. I can tell you my suspicions. That¡¯s kind of important. As I already mentioned, I can use magic here only because I have been using Origin Crystal that is now merged with my body to cast spells. Even though it''s so big, this place is still not powerful enough to force me to use the red crystal instead. I assume that it¡¯s the same thing with Axelrod. Both of them exchanged worried looks. -Are you saying that the king is a crystal remnant? -That is very likely - I nodded. - I saw him in the cave, his form definitely didn¡¯t look normal. -Yeah, but you said he transformed into some kind of plant-based creature. -I don¡¯t want to say ¡°transformed¡±. I suspect it was more of a merge than anything. -Merge? You think he managed to absorb that weird magical creation? - For was not thrilled with this image. -Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ - Jacob was not convinced. -Well, that¡¯s just my theory¡­ If you have anything else¡­ He clearly was thinking of something. -Are you sure that he was the one controlling Odar? -I mean, of course, who else would it be? He was pretty transparent about it¡­ -Well then¡­ I think I have to indulge you into one small secret¡­ -Oh? -Have you heard about the werefera? I frowned, thinking of where did I exactly hear that term before, but before I managed to remember, Iloa did it for me. -It was when you were with Abes and Eicam. One of them told you a story about some transforming creature roaming the woods. -Ah, right. Thanks. -I think so¡­ - replied For for me. - Wasn¡¯t it some kind of magical animal that threatened some place near the capital? -Something like that, yeah, I heard that too. -More or less - nodded Jacob. - But that¡¯s just half of the story. -And I assume you know more? How? - I asked, curious. - Interested in legends? -While I am, yes, that¡¯s not why I know this - he replied. - This one I¡¯ve heard from my brother out of all people. -Oh great - I rolled my eyes. - Are you¡­ -Yes, I am sure that is not bullshit and while he might be an idiot sometimes, I know when he¡¯s telling the truth - he cut me off. -Okay, okay¡­ calm down. -Anyway. The werefera is definitely real. And it is an interesting creature. The stories are definitely correct, it can turn into any animal it pleases, but that is not the end of its abilities. It can take almost any form, it¡¯s less an animal, more like a monster. -Wait, any form? ANY form? - asked For. -Yes. Human too. -Oh. That¡¯s peculiar. -That¡¯s an understatement - he shook his head at me. - It¡¯s a very dangerous creature. And it¡¯s also not dumb. Its intelligence rivals that of a human. It can learn. It can lie. It can pretend. -That¡¯s scary. Imagine something like this getting into a city¡­ - For muttered. - Why didn¡¯t you tell me before?! -Yes¡­ Imagine that - he ignored the question. - And then imagine no one figuring it out before it was too late. -I feel like I know where this thing is going¡­ - I said, gazing at him. - The only question is, who? -And too late for what? - joined it For. -I can answer that easily. As for ¡°too late for what?¡±, too late because it already had managed to integrate itself into the society, preying on humans, replacing some¡­ -Brilliant¡­ -And as for ¡°who?¡±... The answer is: Odar Erf. 111. Faceless I stopped, trying to process what I just heard. Odar. Odar was a werefera¡­? THE werefera? When I heard that story I thought it was just some folk tale, a legend that people say just to scare kids or pass time. I never thought that I¡¯d encounter it myself¡­ And I didn¡¯t even notice! -Even with your face I can tell that you are interested - said Jacob, looking me straight in the eyes. -Shit, am I glowing again¡­? -Yeah. -I mean, that¡¯s pretty normal, don¡¯t you think? - said For. - It¡¯s hard to not be nervous after hearing that¡­ How can anyone be sure that people we know are actually them? What the hell¡­ if there are more of those things¡­ It''s like a horror story¡­ -While I have not heard about any more of those, that is possible¡­ -Yeah, that¡¯s a good question - I realized after a moment. - Who did you¡­ or rather Goldie heard that from? How in the hell that golden bastard managed to get on that kind of information? If you are sure that he¡¯s not bullshiting, that had to be a feat and a half! -You¡¯d be disappointed - he shook his head. - It¡¯s not some amazing story. While he would definitely paint that as some heroic feat or some crap like that, it was pretty mundane. It was the king who told him. -Axelrod? And why the hell would he do that? - I asked, suspicious that it¡¯s some strange misinformation tactic from him -Easy. Caleb was supposed to be one of his royal guardians - he shrugged. - I mean before the whole ¡°crusade¡± shtick and all¡­ -Wow - I didn¡¯t bother hiding my surprise. - Someone actually wanted to hire him? I can¡¯t believe it. -Yeah, yeah, I know, amazing - he immediately dismissed me. - Back on topic. As I said, Erf is a werefera¡­ or maybe rather THE werefera¡­ -Sure, sure, I understand what you¡¯re putting down - I nodded. - You think that since I said that Axelrod had somehow controlled him, it was not the case, right? And it was just Odar? Hearing that, For froze for a second. It looked like she was trying to frantically think this through. -Well, but there is one hole in that theory - I pointed out. - How do you explain the fact that Odar and Axelrod were seen multiple times together? -Pff, like it¡¯s hard to find a lookalike - said For. - Or produce one¡­ -Produce? - I asked, interested. -I mean¡­ you already know, I am an elf. Do you think that I always looked like that? -Of course not. I mean, it¡¯s hard not to notice the deformations¡­ She stared daggers at me, but didn¡¯t comment on that. -The point is, that if I can get myself a revamp of my face, the king can do that too. -Hm. And his will probably not be as bad as yours¡­ you¡¯re right¡­ I could tell that she was getting annoyed, but I was not going to stop. -Say, who did you get your makeover from? -I don¡¯t think that¡¯s important - she wanted to dismiss me. - As you said, such a shoddy job was definitely not done by the same guy. -Maybe not. But it at least gives us the direction to look for. -Look for what? -A some hook for the king. Do you really think that he¡¯d want to know that he¡¯s been lying to the public for who the hell knows how long? -I don¡¯t think people would care¡­ - said Jacob. - The general public is content with his rule¡­. -Are you sure about that? - I asked, not convinced. - After the fiasco and the war, I find it hard to believe that there are no people who are feeling at least some disdain for him¡­ -Hm¡­ maybe¡­ - For was still not sure. -Unless¡­ -Hey, Kon, that sounds like your kind of deal. Do you have any inkling of who else might have similar power to yours? Or maybe it was you who did that for him? -Me? I was constantly informing him while having this discussion, or rather I felt him listen through my own body. He was getting good with that, probably thanks to Iloa. I¡¯d have to ask her later. -Yes. Sorry to bring bad memories, but you said that your previous owner knew about your abilities. Maybe he made you do it on someone or something. -No, never - he replied after a moment of consideration. - I would¡¯ve remembered. Also, I have never seen that face¡­ I mean that Odar guy. To change it¡­ -...you¡¯d definitely memorize it. True. -I never heard of anyone doing similar things as me, though¡­ -Okay, fuck it, what¡¯s even the point - suddenly said For, disrupting our discussion. - You already know at least part of the story, what¡¯s the other piece¡­ -You what? -I mean about me changing my face. I¡¯ll tell you the rest. Even Jacob seemed surprised. She didn¡¯t tell him either? -As you were told, I am an elf. And I am pretty old, despite my appearance. -What, you changed your face to stay young? - I said jokingly, but she did not laugh. -That was part of it. That threw me for a loop. -Wait. Don¡¯t elves live for a¡­ I don¡¯t know, thousands of years? - I asked. Were my assumptions just straight up wrong? -Yes, yes, we are pretty much immortal. But I am not exactly a ¡°normal¡± elf¡­ -Interesting¡­ So what kind of monster are you? -Mor! - Jack blurted out, absolutely stunned. - I know you own her, but¡­ -Oh, come on, I was joking. Besides, you call me a monster too and I don¡¯t care. -No, no, he¡¯s right - For stopped him. - I am a bit of a monster too. He looked at her with worry, but didn¡¯t say a word. -I am a descendant of one of the first elves that came to this continent a long time ago - she started. - I do not remember my parents well, but I do know that one of them was a human. I also remember being raised in a human village. I remember being sheltered and never being able to leave the house, closed indoors for whole days, to make sure that no one would know about me. -What, were humans racist towards elves that much¡­? -I mean, it didn¡¯t change much - she smiled dryly. - But no, it was more of a ¡°just to be safe¡±. After all, we were pretty new arrivals, and no one was even sure that we existed. That was also one of the reasons that I changed my face¡­ or rather it was changed for me. -You don¡¯t mean¡­ - started Jacob. -The circumstances were a bit complicated. Let me finish. He went silent and so she continued. -I lived in that village for¡­ hell, I have no idea how long. A lot of generations. -Generations? Of what? -Of people of course - she explained plainly. - I lived with a certain family¡­ I think they were related to my human parents, but it¡¯s been so long I don¡¯t even remember much¡­ Always the same house, the same room. I was just sitting there, reading random books, pretty much in a room just like this, although with a lot less light. I don¡¯t know where they had the books from, maybe they were librarians? Who knows¡­ She stopped for a moment, reminiscing. -I am sad that it never occurred to me to ask more about them¡­ now it¡¯s too late. -So what happened? - I asked. - Since you¡¯re here and all, something definitely went down? -Not really¡­ The only thing that went was the time. That¡¯s the issue. I never noticed that, but while being under their care, that family was constantly shrinking. To the point where there was only one person left. And me. -You outlived everyone there¡­? Hm¡­ -Yes¡­ and even the last person, a very kind old lady, had even given me the deed to the house. -That¡¯s great and all, but what does that have to do with your appearance? - I asked, getting a bit impatient. -I was getting to that! I might be an elf, but I can¡¯t survive on just plain mana from the environment like you, so I had to finally leave the house and look for supplies eventually. -I feel like gold was not the problem¡­ If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. -Of course not. Along with the house I had also been left with everything else that belonged to them. I might not have been an amazing fortune, but it was a considerable amount. The problem was¡­ with the people. -Hmm. -When I first left, it didn¡¯t look like anything was amiss. I have been given some looks, mostly just of curiosity and suspicion, but not really hostile. But that changed as soon as I went back. It didn¡¯t even take a day for someone to knock at my door and demand to see the owner of the establishment. I told them that it was me, but they did not believe me, wanting to see the woman that died. -Of course that was impossible. -Yes. I did show them the deed and all and even directed them towards her tree. -A tree? Ah, right, the ritual¡­ Wait, is that an elvish custom? - I asked, curious. -I don¡¯t know - she shook her head. - I¡¯ve been told and read about them in some books, but never knew where it came from. I might very well be from my ancestors¡­ Why do you ask? - she asked, worried. -Just curious. But wait, if you were alone, who did the ritual? -Me of course - she replied. - I inherited more than just books, it was also a collection of magical artifacts, including a couple of differently colored gems. -Mhm¡­ -Well, I didn¡¯t know, but this kind of ritual was not seen kindly in those parts¡­ or anywhere, to be honest. When they understood what they were looking at, their reaction was instant and one that I would¡¯ve never expected: they arrested me on the spot. -Arrested? - I asked, confused. - Was that kind of thing illegal? -Still is - said Jacob. - It¡¯s said that it is too unstable and risky. Or at least that is an official version - he said, sighing. -Official? What, there is something else? Wait, let me guess: more politics? -It¡¯s not that easy - he shook his head. - It¡¯s said that this ritual uses magic that is forbidden: one that manipulates life, which was outlawed a long time ago. Essentially necromancy - he summed up, seeing as I was still curious. -Ha. That¡¯s peculiar¡­ So I assume the punishment was not just some fine¡­ -It was a part of it - she nodded. - But it was just a start. All my material possessions had been seized and apparently, they found ¡°proofs of the necromantic research¡±. I have read through all the tomes that there were in the house and I am almost sure that there was nothing even remotely similar to that. -I don¡¯t think they were willing to listen and check again¡­ -Of course not. And, as Jacob is aware, the punishment for breaking the taboos is¡­ -Execution. I felt the connection that I was sharing with Kon shaking. -I see you heard that. Anything more to tell me? -What in the hell?! I thought¡­ That¡¯s not necromancy! -Well, you know my take on it. Assuming from your state of mind Jack has not told you about the ¡°illegal¡± part? -No! But¡­ I don¡¯t understand! He said that was a technique that he inherited a long time ago¡­ that it was in his family for ages! -So he¡¯s been doing necromancy for some indefinite amount of time? -That¡¯s not¡­ -I know. But it definitely is a branch that is similar. -Yes, but¡­ -But, but. Doesn¡¯t matter. I am just curious¡­ -... -Don¡¯t get to crestfallen - said Iloa. - I have a feeling that he also didn¡¯t know about it. -Is that a hunch or you have some theory? - I asked her. -It¡¯s more like¡­ I¡¯ve seen him and seen his character. I feel like it might be just that he was tricked, or just believed the wrong person. -Sort of like with ¡°Noli¡±. -Hm. -Mmmm. Great¡­ So, how did you escape then? -I didn¡¯t - she said with a blank face. - It was just a chance, but I was to be transported to the capital for the execution. During the transport, we had to stop in some kind of village, to refill on supplies and all, but instead the whole caravan was attacked. -Bandits? -No. Worse. Some kind of plant-creatures. -Plants¡­? Aren¡¯t those¡­ -Used by the elves to fight the king now? - she finished for me. - Precisely. But those things were even worse. Not only were those things fast and had a terrain advantage, you know, thanks to the forests, they also were some kind of parasites. -Okay¡­ that sounds familiar¡­ -Right¡­ you mentioned fighting some plant¡­ that was the thing that you described as ¡°plant-zombie¡±? -Yeah. But how did you escape then, hm? -I did not - she replied after a moment of silence. - I got caught as well. -So how are you here then? Also why didn¡¯t you mention earlier that you heard about those things? -I didn¡¯t think those were the same¡­ You said that the one you fought has taken over the dead body. Those that caught me were keeping their hosts alive¡­ which was also their demise. -I already have some suspicions, but I am gonna ask anyway¡­ how? -I don¡¯t think that you are correct - she laughed, dryly. - It¡¯s¡­ a bit¡­ Well, how do I put it¡­ Primitive? -Primitive? -Yes¡­ When they were attacked, they of course tried retaliating and defending themselves - she explained with a bit of a shaky voice. - Noticing that nothing was working and they were now being turned against themselves, some that were still not controlled decided to¡­ take their fate in their own hands. -A suicide - I summed up. - Why is everyone here so keen on killing themselves¡­ -Hm. Well, not everyone¡­ After all, I didn¡¯t die¡­ -That¡¯s a good point¡­ What did they do then? - I asked. -They just started a fire. Since they were no fire mages, the blaze that erupted was just from the bonfire that got stoked by some mage capable of manipulating air. I don¡¯t know what exactly he did, but I saw the bonfire shoot so far into the air that the whole canopy got set ablaze. -Well, that would definitely work¡­ So what, the creatures got scared off? -Not exactly¡­ those things definitely got a scare, sure - she nodded. - I could feel it. I think every single person there was able to feel the panic, since we were connected. -Connected¡­? So the parasites didn¡¯t take over completely? -I don¡¯t know¡­ I think so? I don¡¯t know how that would exactly work, but I have a feeling that the whole process just started, I mean the conversion¡­ -Conversion? Those things wanted to ¡°convert¡± them? Like, what, turn you into trees? -No. They were¡­ experimenting on us, from the lack of a better term. The idea was enough to make me wonder¡­ -Those things were smart¡­ too smart. When they attacked, they went for the head. They wrapped themselves around our necks and went for the ears. She started shuddering from the memory alone. -I could feel it prodding and messing with my head¡­ It was not trying to kill me, it was looking through me, like it was reading me. Those things were trying to learn from me¡­ from everyone there. Some people died on the spot. -Not resistant enough? - muttered Jacob, listening intently. - Damn¡­ Not the worst way¡­ -I don¡¯t think so¡­ - she shook her head. - Those that immediately died were¡­ if I am to be blunt, just dumb. -The fuck? -Yes¡­ Meatheads. That¡¯s how I would describe them - she said. - That was the most of the group. The ones that were still alive after the first attack were me, a quartermaster of the group, the guy that was leading the whole caravan and I think few others that I can¡¯t even remember. -Ha¡­ so they decided that those were¡­ desirable? More important? Indeed, pretty smart¡­ -More like dumb - I said. - Sure, if you are correct and they wanted info that would be the first thing they would do, but wouldn''t it be better to first incapacitate them? They essentially left the most dangerous people alive. They both looked at me with mixed feelings. -I don¡¯t think that you¡¯re wrong¡­ but even a simpleton can be dangerous when in dire circumstances¡­ -Oh, of course. Yet they killed those instantly. If they were indeed smart, those things would infiltrate your group slowly, not just go all out instantly. -You say that you''ve done something like that yourself¡­ - said Jacob with a worried expression. -I didn¡¯t. But I met some people that did. ¡°You need to know your enemy better than yourself¡±. -Hm. Well, whatever you say. -Ehm. In any case - continued For after clearing her throat - the leader was the one who started the fire. Seeing as all of his people were turned and he was losing control as well, he forced all his magic into the fire, creating a blazing inferno that engulfed a lot of the forest. At first, the creatures just froze in fear, but it took them a split second to realize the problem that they found themselves in. See, his spell was not completely wild. He somehow managed to create a whirlwind of flames, essentially trapping everyone, including himself, in a blazing inferno. -And you say that it was not a suidide¡­ - I muttered. -Because it was not. As soon as the creatures realized what¡¯s going on and who did what, they instantly murdered him. I saw his head get separated from his body the moment the fire started to get to my cage. -Right, you were trapped¡­ -Yes¡­ doubly so. First by the people, then by the wild magic - she sighed. - The guy who released the spell died, but the spell did not end. Even worse. The spell grew into an even stronger version the moment he got killed. -Yes¡­ Didn¡¯t you mention something like that too, Mor? That the spells can have their own will¡­? -Somewhat. It¡¯s more like it takes over someone¡¯s will¡­ But nevertheless, the outcome is the same. That would fit: the spell just got fueled with all his remaining mana the moment he faded away¡­ -It indeed seemed like it - she agreed with me. -So wait, what about the rest of you? - asked Jacob. - The leader died, but you survived? And the rest of the group¡­? -Yes, the creatures were not the ones who killed them¡­ It was the flames. -So wait, they died from the flames? But what about you? -Do I have to remind you who I am? - she smiled weakly. - I am a leader of Red Mages. While back then I was not that much of a caster, my body was still a bit more resistant to fire¡­ -Lucky you¡­ -I wouldn¡¯t say that¡­ When I say ¡°a bit more¡± I mean a tiny bit. Just enough to keep me alive, but not enough to not feel pain and not to get the whole body absolutely burned to a crisp. She paused, taking a deep breath. -I fell unconscious. When I came to, I found myself in some forest, away from the blaze¡­ or rather the charred remains of it. I was being tended to with magic by some person. Some old guy. I vividly remember his mana: he was definitely using life magic on me. I didn¡¯t really have a choice so I just lied there and took it, not being able to speak. I was fading in and out, multiple times. When I finally came to, I looked like this - she gestured towards herself. -Wait, like this, you mean that you looked different¡­? And I don¡¯t mean ears, just¡­ -Yes. I don¡¯t know how he did that, but he turned me into a human¡­ mostly. The fact that my ears got deformed is probably from the fact that it was the only part that would look different from a regular human. Or at least that¡¯s what I am telling myself. -Interesting¡­ that is definitely possible¡­ -Hm. Well, when I woke up, he told me about deformations, even told me that he¡¯d try to fix them, but I just said that he did enough. Now when I think about it, he probably just wanted to fix the deformation, not to bring back the elven features¡­ I was pretty wounded so I don¡¯t even know if he knew that I was an elf to begin with. -Ah. So that¡¯s where this came from¡­ -Yes - she nodded. - I took it as a blessing in disguise. While I would not be able to return to the village I lived my whole life in, I was getting a clean slate. One that would never be connected to elves and anything else. -From there it went quick - she continued. - I traveled to the capital, where I got picked up by you, Jacob. -Yeah - he confirmed. - That would be it. I always wondered how an elf ended up in Arbo with a changed face¡­ but you never told me. -To be honest, I just thought that I had left my past behind me¡­ although the legacy of my family chased me right away - she said, looking at him. - Oh, don¡¯t get me wrong, I am thankful that you¡¯ve found me. I have no idea what I would¡¯ve done if not for that. -Hm. -That¡¯s not a bad deal you got yourself - I pointed out. - From a recluse in the middle of nowhere, through a burn victim, to a leader of a guild. -Yes¡­ I still don¡¯t get how you got so lucky¡­ - said Jacob. - How and why was that guy there¡­? -That is a good question - she nodded. - I think it might be time that I¡¯ve finally learned that¡­ -Hm. I was wondering if that was him¡­ - I said, thinking. - He never mentioned any of that. Nor that he was this skilled at healing. -Wait, you know who that was?! - Jacob was taken aback by this comment. - Who? How? -Man, you¡¯re just like your brother. Not observant at all. -Oh, I am sorry, I am not sitting inside your heads - he said, annoyed. - So? Care to tell me. -I was not sure either - said For - but even if Mor thinks that¡¯s true, then there is no mistaking it. It indeed is the same person who came with you. Jack, wasn¡¯t it? 112. Healer -Yep. Well, the name checks out¡­ along with some facts - I pointed out, thinking. - He indeed is somewhat capable of using life magic. I heard he can heal people too¡­ but never knew about him being able to meld faces¡­ -Well¡­ he didn¡¯t do it that well - she pointed out. - So I guess that¡¯s also correct. -Okay, sure. He also was saying that he knows you and you owe him¡­ -Changing someone¡¯s face and healing them from the brink of death? I would definitely consider that as a good base for being in debt¡­ - she muttered, confirming my observations. -But wait¡­ you said he can¡¯t change faces though. -It¡¯s not like he can¡¯t, it¡¯s just I¡¯ve never seen him do it. Or heard. -So what, you think he¡¯s capable of that? Just based on a hunch? -Based on the fact that he can use life magic to heal someone - I corrected him. - That¡¯s what he did, he just healed her. But that brings another question. As far as I understand this kind of magic, it is essentially healing someone into a different shape than they were before. So, since he changed her appearance, he had to change it into someone he knew. -Wait, so he couldn¡¯t just change it to something he would imagine? I thought that was why her ears healed differently¡­ -I mean, that is possible. But it¡¯s more likely that he accidentally changed her into someone he knew, and since he didn¡¯t know any elves, nor the fact that you were one, ears got deformed. -That makes sense - she said quietly, touching the tips of her ears. - I never thought about that¡­ -It still doesn''t answer the question of how and why he was there - I pointed out. -You don¡¯t believe that it was just a chance encounter? -Oh, it¡¯s always a possibility. But I honestly doubt it. -Let¡¯s get him dragged up here then! - said Jacob. - We can get the information straight from him. Since you apparently know him, it¡¯s not going to be a problem, right? -I don¡¯t think so. But there is a small issue¡­ I think he might want something in return. -In return for the information? - he pondered that for a second. - Hm, I guess that¡¯s a distinct possibility. But it shouldn¡¯t be an issue. We¡¯ve been short on manpower, but not on gold. I can think of worse ways to use king¡¯s gold. -Ha, no. Well, it might be helpful. But I didn¡¯t mean it like that. - I said. - See, ever since the Red Edge was mentioned in any kind of discussion, he always was very sure of himself, that he¡¯d get us out of any problem. I think¡­ -He intends to use the fact that he healed me against us¡­ - For finished for me. - Damn. -Wait a second. He knows that For is a head of the guild? How? -I mean¡­ you keep this a secret? - I asked, a bit confused. -No, that¡¯s not what he means - said For, understanding suddenly why he was concerned. - I have never told him my name¡­ Nor he really asked for it. We just parted ways in the capital, and have never seen each other since. So how the hell did he know who I was, and that I was here? -I¡­huh. Well, maybe you showed yourself in the capital or something? - I said, trying to think. - I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that hard to spot you, is it? -I was pretty thorough to not show my face in public - she assured me. - The only occasions that someone from the capital would¡¯ve seen me or knew my name would be on the king''s court. And he doesn¡¯t strike me as some kind of a wealthy noble or something. Besides, I feel he¡¯d approach me before, wouldn¡¯t he? Maybe just to remind me of him¡­ -Your savior is definitely not some high noble, you got that right - I agreed. - But maybe just the info about you got to him through some less official channels¡­ -Right¡­ He is a broker¡­ but I would¡¯ve thought the king was a bit more careful with information leaks¡­ Well damn it. What does he want then? -Ask him yourself - I said plainly. - But, I believe it won¡¯t be as bad as you think it is¡­ Hell, it might even be a good opportunity for you. -Opportunity? - she was clearly intrigued. - Well, not like I have much of a choice. -There is always a choice - I said dryly. - Don¡¯t paint me as some kind of taskmaster of yours¡­ -Hm. With that, Jacob went to get the rest of the group that came with me. At first, he wanted to just bring Jack, but I told him to get all of them. They would inevitably repeat the whole conversation to them anyway, so the secrecy was pointless. He hesitated for a while, but I think I convinced him As soon as he left, I contacted Kon. A bit needlessly, apparently. He¡¯s constantly been listening along with Iloa. Of course he didn¡¯t tell them a word about that, but even without that he convinced the other two to come along and not try anything stupid. -Greetings, miss For. The fact that Jack was that courteous with her was¡­ a bit reassuring. -Hello. I have never expected for you to appear here. Let¡¯s not delay and get to it immediately. Who are you? He gazed at her with confusion. -Don¡¯t you remember who I am¡­? -Of course, of course. I want to know who you are. I know you saved me. But I only know your name and what Mor told me. -Well, I don¡¯t know what to say¡­ - he mumbled, trying to not look directly at her. - I am not sure what kind of person you think I am, but¡­ -Okay, I am going to stop you right there - I said, noticing that even though she said that she was not going to try and delay this, it definitely looked like the opposite was the case now. - Who do you work for? How did you find her? -Oh! So we¡¯re going there¡­ -Er¡­ are you sure I am supposed to be here? - asked a bit passive Vendi. - It¡¯s not¡­ -You stay here. Who knows, you might have something interesting to say - said For. - I hear that you are his slave. You know him pretty well then. And since you¡¯re in his servitude, he won¡¯t have anything against you hearing some secrets, right? -Of course not¡­ although I am afraid that I don¡¯t have many of those¡­ -We¡¯ll see about that. -Let¡¯s then start from the top. I¡¯ll be a considerate host and ask, what was that you wanted of me? - she started. - I know you said that I owe you, and I agree with that. So? -Me?! Ah, it¡¯s not like that. I just¡­ - he gazed towards me, like he was asking for permission. -Talk openly. We also have a deal over here - I reminded him, pointing towards For¡¯s neck. -Oh. Right. Well¡­ Okay. It¡¯s not like that. I assume Mor told you the story of our appearance here¡­? -Yes, yes. We¡¯ll get to the fact of you appearing here later. What was that you thought you¡¯re going to accomplish here? -I¡­ eh¡­ - he sighed. - I see nothing can be hidden from your eyes. Fine. His tone changed to a bit more calm and collected, he was no longer pretending to be stressed. -Fine. You are aware, I was the one who saved your life. I managed to bring you back from the dead. Right now, when I found out where and whose domain we have landed, I decided to not let this occasion from my grasp. I would like to get a payment for that service now. -And what if I refuse? -I know who you are - he said instantly. - While I don¡¯t know you personally, I have been assured that you are a very considerate person and you¡¯d at least consider my proposition. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder who was that person that ¡°assured¡± him about that. Surely he was not talking about me, was he? Wait. Couldn¡¯t that be¡­ -Considerate. Ha. That¡¯s a strange one. But didn¡¯t you say you wanted ¡°payment¡±? Didn¡¯t you mean gold? Now you talk about ¡°proposition¡±? Make up your mind. And if that is to include more ¡°deals¡± - she quickly added - I am afraid that you are fighting a losing battle here¡­ -I see who you¡¯ve taken the ideas from - muttered Vendi, looking at me. -It¡¯s quite the opposite - replied to him quietly Jacob. - It¡¯s the influence of Mor that makes her say that. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. A bit startled, he almost jumped when he spoke. Right, Jacob was a bit of a prominent figure. While not in his trademark black armor, which he apparently ¡°got rid of¡±, he was not that different-looking from his brother. And both of the brothers were pretty well-known. -Yes¡­ a deal, somewhat¡­ - continued Jack. - See, recently, I¡¯ve been attacked. I assume that you know about my¡­ other job? -Other as in slave trader, or an information broker? -Haha¡­ - he laughed weakly. - I see Mor does not go easily on me¡­ no wonder. But, no, I mean my weirder, current hobby¡­ of a caretaker. -Caretaker? - she didn¡¯t manage to hide her surprise. - If you mean this one - she pointed to Kon - then stop bluffing. I know he is now under better care. -Oh, no, I know, Mor is a better person to guide him now¡­ but he is not the only one in my care¡­ or at least I hope so. -What, you bought that many¡­? -Yes. Although my reasons were not that simple, I do have a big collection of slaves. One that I would like to have preserved. -Hm. I think I am beginning to understand - she nodded, in thought. - Who attacked you? -Ah right - I realized. - I forgot to mention that. It was a group of suicidal elves. -A sui.. what?! Both her and Jacob were promptly caught off guard. -WHY DIDN¡¯T YOU MENTION EARLIER? - asked almost shouting For. - It¡¯s kind of important! -Hm, what, you think that you knew someone? -That is possible! What if one of them was someone from my family!? -Wait a second¡­ - now Jack and Vendi looked at each other confused. - Know? You know someone like that? -Know? - she puffed. - It¡¯s more like that I would like to know. Stop acting, you know who I am. -I don¡¯t¡­ I gazed at him, trying to poke and feel his mana for signs of a lie¡­ but there were none. He really had no idea. -Ha. He¡¯s clueless - I said, not exactly surprised. -Damn my big mouth¡­- muttered For. -Does it change anything, really? - I said, shrugging. - Listen here, Jack. I think you already figured out that I can tell when you¡¯re lying so be clear with us. Was that you who saved For from that fire? It was not the complete truth, but would be enough for him. I could tell his mana changing or not didn¡¯t exactly have to mean he was lying or not, but it was a good start. -Yes! No change. -Okay. So how did she look back then? I could tell he was hesitating, gazing towards Kon. -Ha, don¡¯t bother, he¡¯s not such a delicate flower. Come on. He took a deep breath. -Whole body was black, charred to the bone. I honestly thought that she was dead. And¡­ He hesitated again. This time I noticed a change in his emotions, but for some reason he was¡­ scared. -As long as you¡¯re telling the truth, you¡¯ll be fine. -I am not so sure about that¡­ - he replied - but I am not intending on lying. He looked me straight in the eyes. -When I found her¡­ it was not that much after my mentor left me. And it was during the time that I was interested in¡­ well, you know what. I froze, understanding what he meant. -But it didn¡¯t work! - he immediately began explaining himself, noticing my reaction. - Or rather it didn¡¯t have to! I thought that I found myself a fresh body, but she was still alive! -Wait, what the hell does that mean? - asked For, up till now stone-faced, but now she started to begin being worried. - Fresh body!? What are you?! -A necromancer. Well, somewhat scuffed one - I said, seeing like he was about to protest. -Necrom¡­ wait, what the hell? What did you do to me!? -Nothing! I just healed your body! I thought¡­ He started explaining how he found her lifeless, how he didn¡¯t know what to do and so on. He was worried, but I could see that it was not because he was trying to think of a lie, it was more like he was, with all his might, attempting to convince us that he was not and explain himself. -I think I am beginning to understand - I finally said in the midst of his explanation. -So tell me - said For. - And please, make more sense than him¡­ -I can¡¯t promise that. It¡¯s a bit hazy for me too¡­ - I said, still deep in thought. -I think he is not lying. He did find you dead¡­ or rather almost dead, in the fire. How did he stumble upon you is still a question for later though - I said, giving him a questioning look. -I¡­ -Later. So, he found your body, and since he¡¯s a very, very gifted and faithful pupil of his master, Noli, he attempted to try his teachings. Again. But, funnily enough, this time it worked for him. Not because you were dead, no - I said, seeing as she was about to ask about it again. - It was the exact opposite. Since his spell was intended to ¡°raise someone as a revenant¡±, and the target was still alive, it did the closest thing it was able to: helped you heal. -But how do you explain my face then?! The scars?! I got changed, not healed. -Changed¡­? - Jack was still somewhat confused. - I changed you? -Yes. I imagine he just made you into someone he saw in the village. Wouldn¡¯t that be the case, Jack? Does she remind you of someone you¡¯ve seen? -I¡­ - he stopped to think, finally understanding a bit. - Wait, you were not a family of those who were burned along with you?! I¡­ -Ha. So I was right - I nodded. - As he approached the burning fire, you noticed the first victims. Correct? -Yes - he nodded. - I approached, seeing people burned, I wanted to help them, just to notice that they were already dead. Their wounds were not that deep though¡­ they were bloody, true, but the burns were a lot less severe. I could easily distinguish their features. In your case though¡­ -Hm. ¡°Burned to the bone¡±. No wonder you thought of her dead. Seeing as others with a lot more survivable wounds were already deceased, you instantly figured out she had to be as well. -Yes¡­ -But I was not? - asked For, a bit strangely. - How can we be sure that you did not succeed and turn me into one of those¡­ creatures? Like you? And why did he choose me in the first place?! -I am certain you weren¡¯t the only target. But you were the only one who stood up - I shrugged. - And about the turning, you''re fine - I assured her. - Besides the fact that his spell was absolutely garbage, he, straight up, is not powerful enough to do something like that. Also, you might not remember, I not so long had drained a lot of your mana. -Right¡­ you mentioned that¡­ so what? -First of all, I wouldn¡¯t be able to drain you at all if you were to be a remnant. Or, even if I was, it would be infinitely harder than it was. For a second I hesitated, thinking if I should tell her that her taste was also different for some reason. I decided to keep my mouth shut, as Iloa in the back of my head also agreed, still thinking that was weird. -Second, you were still alive. That is a fact. And while I am not sure how exactly your blood works, but I think your longevity also translates into resilience. And you mentioned you being more attuned towards fire¡­ -Blood¡­? Wait¡­ - Jack opened his eyes wide. -Right. You¡¯re a bit out of the loop. -At this point, I think it¡¯s pointless to hide this¡­ - agreed with me For. - Let me introduce myself properly. I am For, current leader of Red Mages and I am an elf of the first generation of the new arrivals. -Elf? But you¡­ -Don¡¯t look like one? Yes, that¡¯s why we are right now interrogating you - I explained. - At first we thought that you did that on purpose, but I should¡¯ve known better. -Apparently he was not lying to you, he was just as blind as we all were - I thought, directing my thoughts towards Kon. -Okay¡­ fine. Let¡¯s say I buy that crap - she finally said, not entirely convinced. - Okay. Next question. How the hell did you appear right then and there? -I mean¡­ there was a fire¡­ -A fire in a very remote location in shit-knows-where. Yes. -Okay, that''s simply incorrect. I know you are used to your castle, you own a whole island after all, but really, Kalkano is not that remote¡­ -Kalkano? Both me and For were caught off-guard by that name. -Hell, I am with him on this one. Kalkano is just south of the capital, not in some hole on the end of the world. -Okay, pause - she seemed confused. - You found me in Kalkano? That small village was Kalkano? -Err¡­ yes? -Just tell me one thing - I finally decided to ask, wrestling with my theories. - The info about the fire¡­ and all that¡­ it didn¡¯t come from the person I think, did it? -You mean master¡­? - he looked at me sheepishly. - Maybe¡­ -Oh for fucks sake¡­ -That makes no sense - she said. - That could not be a thing¡­ I remember¡­ She stopped, like she just realized that she did not know what she was supposed to say. -What do I remember¡­? - she grabbed her head, clearly confused. -Are you feeling okay? Jacob wanted to check up on her, but it was not necessary. While it was clear that she was not completely fine, she just waved him off. -No¡­ It¡¯s just¡­ I think my earlier attempts at finding information are backfiring now¡­ I am having a headache¡­ -Maybe get some more mana - he instantly proposed. - You really were drained¡­ -No, I am fine. It¡¯s just¡­ memories are flooding that I don¡¯t remember having before. -That sounds interesting - I muttered. - Anything relevant to him? -I¡­ I don¡¯t know. But let¡¯s change the subject for a second. What did you exactly want from me? For a second Jack had no idea that she was one talking to him. -Ah! I¡­ I don¡¯t think I am in a place to want anything¡­ -Okay, for fucks sake - I growled, running out of patience. - If you are not going to say it, I¡¯ll do it for you. Listen. For, you have had some issues with lack of manpower, right? -Er¡­ sure, somewhat. -Okay. So, what would you say if you were to suddenly get some new people under your belt? She raised her head, intrigued, and took a closer look at Jack and the team. -Them? Hm¡­ they look¡­ interesting, to say the least. You know, that¡¯s not what I expected¡­ -Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself - I stopped her. - It¡¯s not about them, not exactly. Those that I am, er, he is providing are a bit younger. Lot younger. How exactly? -Between 12 and 16 - said Jack, realizing what¡¯s going on. - But I didn¡¯t¡­ -Oh, maybe you didn¡¯t, but I did - I said plainly. - You know very well that those kids are now in danger, be it because of me or whatever else. -Because of you? -Doesn¡¯t matter. What¡¯s important is that, just as I said, I am not leaving them in your care. Kon can¡¯t watch you forever. Me neither. -Wait a second - stopped me For. - I am not some kind of daycare¡­ -And I don¡¯t want you to be - I said flat out. - I want you to take them as employees. In training, sure, but still. 113. Investment -Are you fucking kidding me? - she laughed, forgetting the headache that she just had. - You think that some random kids are going to be even remotely helpful¡­ -Those are not just some random kids - I assured her. - Those are slaves, bought by your ¡°savior¡±. Reasons you probably figured by now. But what¡¯s more important, they are not that bad: they are actually pretty good at magic. -Mmm? -Yeah. While I am sure that they might not be currently very good at fire, or any kind of magic, I am certain that after a while here they would easily surpass a lot of your current¡­ guildmates. -You really think I am that weak? - asked Jacob, clearly hurt. -Oh, you are. But I was not talking about you. It was more about the two, er, three from the capital. -Wait¡­ are you telling me that they are comparable to them? - now For was in disbelief. - Hell, that might not be that bad of a deal¡­ -Pff. Well, but there¡¯s a catch. -Like that whole deal is not a catch. -True. You already know that for some reason their house was targeted by your kind. -¡±My kind¡± - she squinted at me with disgust. - So nice of you. -Come on, you know what I mean. But that¡¯s not all. The problem is that they were tinkered with. She looked at me with a blank expression. -Tinkered¡­? -Yep. Your friend over here thought it would be a good idea to try and ¡°fix¡± them. -You know that¡¯s not how¡­ - Jack interrupted but I did not care. -Yes, yes. And while in your case he somewhat succeeded¡­? I think? In their case, I am still uncertain. -What the fuck did you do? She was about to be angry but before she was able to yell I cut her off. -It¡¯s not exactly his fault, he¡¯s just so fucking gullible that it hurts. And incompetent. Like you. -Don¡¯t start with this! -Heh. Yeah, he was deceived by his ¡°master¡±. Noli, remember, I mentioned that name. I explained briefly about Noli and his ¡°experiments¡±, along with my discoveries about his real name and me now wanting to look for him. -Why the fuck do you even came here¡­ - she started complaining, clearly torn. -Like that was my choice. -You say that but I still feel it¡¯s hard to believe that you just randomly found your way here¡­ Especially after you don¡¯t even have proof of that supposed anchor¡­ -I think the hole in your wall is proof enough. -You say that, but¡­. -You think I am lying? Come on¡­ -I can¡¯t afford to think you are - she said with a strain on her face. - Okay. Fine. I¡¯ll take that deal. -But¡­ - Jack was clearly bewildered, along with Vendi. - I never even explained¡­ She shot him a look that managed to silence even him. -I might be still a bit woozy and not grasping the whole picture, but I can tell the fact that he holds you in the palm of his hand. Like me. Even though you don¡¯t have any magic binding you, which I find a bit strange, but whatever. I know very well that you¡¯re going to do what he says. He did not say a word. -Hey, hey, don¡¯t you picture me in such light - I protested. - I honestly just want better for the kids, and do you really think that they would be better off in some remote island in the middle of nowhere, with no one to teach them, rather than here? -I would agree with that - Vendi spoke up suddenly - but, as I understand, this place is not that much better. -Well, we do have some problems - muttered Jacob, more towards For than anyone else. - but we can definitely manage better than you¡­ -Okay, there¡¯s enough problems even without this kind of discourse - I stopped them before Jack was about to add his own opinion to the mix. - Yeah, sure, there are problems, but they are not in the current state of the world. Where do you want to go, to Axelrod? Or maybe that old man Charsh? -That would be pretty much the same thing - said Jacob. - He¡¯s essentially under the king''s command now. -You know, maybe instead of arguing about that, let¡¯s ask the most involved one here. Kon, what do you think? He was standing silently in the corner of the room, listening and not even thinking of interrupting. I could tell, thanks to our connection. -Ah! Er, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s really my choice¡­ It¡¯s just as you said, it¡¯s Mor¡¯s choice¡­ -But we still would like to hear your opinion - I said. - You are the closest one, that¡¯s not those two, to the ones who¡¯d be taken under her custody. -Well¡­ - he stopped, thinking for a moment. - I don¡¯t know. It is a very intriguing place¡­ and while I don¡¯t really understand what exactly is the Red Edge¡­ -Right¡­ - I have never properly explained that, have I? - realized For. - So listen. The Red Edge is a man-made island off the coast¡­ -I think he didn¡¯t mean it that way - I stopped her before she went into full encyclopedia mode. - Jacob, you are more consistent. Can you go ahead and tell him more RELEVANT information? Jacob, a bit flustered, took a glance at For. She just gave me an annoyed sigh and gestured for him to go ahead. -Okay¡­ Well, Red Edge is a headquarters of Red Mages, or as Mor would probably say, Fire Mages. We are¡­ or rather used to be the strongest magical military force other than the forces of the kingdom. We are also an academy for talented mages that are skilled in controlling red mana. But, as it was pointed out, we right now are short-staffed, thanks to the king¡¯s war effort. -So¡­ if those kids were to be accepted here - said Kon - what would happen to them? Would they be included in that¡­ war? -Oh, no, don¡¯t get me wrong - he immediately started to explain himself. - It¡¯s not like we forced anyone to do that. All who left did it voluntarily. Hm, I think I poorly explained that¡­ See, we mainly just a¡­ an employment agency for those talented in magic. Usually we deal with more peaceful contracts. But since fire magic is often mostly needed to fight, we had to lean towards the more offensive side, hence the ¡°military force¡± I mentioned. We never force our people to do jobs they don¡¯t want to. The fact that everyone has chosen to join the king''s effort against the elves is just because he offered a lot of gold. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. He paused for a moment. -I understand your apprehension, I joined only because of money at first¡­ -Jacob! - For was clearly hurt. - How could you¡­ -Because that¡¯s true. And I never expected that I would stay for that long, yet now I realize that this is not the worst place to join. Hell, if I was to redo my life and choose again, I¡¯d definitely join the Reds once more. Besides the great opportunity for money, it¡¯s a great way to learn, which I assume you¡¯re interested in. -Somewhat¡­ - he muttered. -By the way, I thought I should mention - I said inside his head - I intend to at least try and ¡°fix¡± the most issues with the security while I am here. So it will be a really good place to hide from the elves¡­ Well, maybe besides For. But she is under my control. And doesn¡¯t seem like one of those suicidal maniacs from before. -Hmm¡­ -And besides, even if they say that the place is deserted, there are still some people here that I think you¡¯d be interested in meeting. -I don¡¯t really know¡­ I am still not sure. -Well, I don¡¯t want you to feel pressured, but your opinion is kind of what might make or break that deal we¡¯re having. -And what about you? - he asked after another moment. - Iloa? What do you think we should do? Iloa, silent until now, was sort of surprised that he was addressing her directly. -I am touched that you want to consider my opinion, but I am afraid that I am a bit biased in this situation¡­ - she admitted. - Besides the fact that Mor is my old friend, I also agree that this place is definitely better than that island. While you were self-sufficient and outside any control back there, you cannot deny that those days are over, they ended when the elves attacked you. Sure, this place is also not hundred percent secure and has close ties to the king, but what else do you have? You can stay with them, sure, with my help you¡¯d probably be able to defend them¡­ I never thought about that. Right, he was now connected with her, and with that kind of help he¡¯d be able to learn and pick up a lot of spells that would be devastating towards any attacker. Even if I wouldn¡¯t help or teach him, Iloa would. And if she didn¡¯t, the knowledge would get to him sooner or later, sort of like it was with me and the memories that I felt after our first connection. -...but it¡¯s always better to have someone else to assist. And you can¡¯t be everywhere at once -Ah¡­ I think I understand. I think¡­ I know. -I understand - he finally exclaimed. - And I think I agree with you, this is indeed a good place for them to say. But I do have a condition. All of us were surprised. Well, me and Iloa the least, since we were able to feel his inner turmoil, but for him to out right demand something¡­ -Oh? Let¡¯s hear it. For was visibly curious. -There are actually two¡­ - he quickly corrected himself. She just raised her brew, but did not comment. -First¡­ I want you to take my father¡­ I mean Jack and Vendi, too. -That¡¯s a condition? - she chuckled. - It¡¯s more of a boon than anything. They¡¯d be infinitely more useful than the kids¡­ -Not exactly - reminded her Jacob. - They are fugitives. Or at least are targeted by someone. Besides, we do not have any assurances that they¡¯d cooperate¡­ -Well, we still have him - For looked directly at Kon. - You can keep your¡­ parents in check, right? -Mm¡­ that¡¯s actually my second condition¡­ I¡¯d like to stay free and not here¡­ -That I cannot agree to - she immediately shot him down. - You are essential here. Or¡­ well, you are my insurance. She glanced briefly at me. -Since you have Mor¡¯s trust, I can believe that you would not betray me and cooperate. But I can¡¯t say the same thing about these two. Kids I can handle, but¡­ -Isn¡¯t there anything that could be done? - he sounded a bit worried. - I mean, you said that people that work here are blood bound for you, right? Can¡¯t you do that to make sure? -Oh, if I could, it would be no problem. But there¡¯s a tiny issue. As far as I am aware, all of you are already bound to someone. I cannot just overwrite that. -Wait, he¡¯s onto something - I said, thinking aloud. - If I am correct, Jack, you are not bound to anyone, are you? Wouldn¡¯t binding him to you essentially get all of them under your command? -Didn¡¯t you say that Ilon, Noli, or whatever that guy was his master? - she raised her brew. -I, well yes, but¡­ I stopped. I never actually considered that. He mentioned the fact multiple times, but I never even thought of it that way. -Wait, Jack, is she right? You had a contract with him? Jack and Vendi were clearly very tense and while the whole conversation essentially involved their immediate future, they kept silent. Only thanks to my question, one of them finally spoke up. -Oh¡­! Er, yes, I already told you. I agreed for him to be my master, so¡­ -I thought you meant as a student! Didn¡¯t you say he was your teacher? - I asked, annoyed. -Of course. That too¡­ -Why the fuck didn¡¯t you specify that earlier?! That put a spanner in the whole plan B. Plan A, a.k.a. leaving Kon here as a proxy to keep a tab on things already was out of the picture¡­ Or maybe it was salvageable¡­? -Okay, another idea. Instead of staying here, I will take Kon - I proposed. - Maybe not as a slave, I am not sure that¡¯s even possible. You said I am old-fashioned, maybe you¡¯re right, let¡¯s just rely on a good old hostage? I expected a lot of reactions. Be it refusal, from any of the sides really, or anything else, but what I felt was definitely not on the list. Kon was happy. Out of all the emotions, that¡¯s not the one that someone in the role of a hostage should have. I only was able to tell that thanks to our connection, because his face was still as tense and stressed as before. -I can agree to that - he said, seemingly not very keen on that. Acting much? For was almost as surprised as I was, probably not because of his emotions, more because he agreed so quickly. Even though he did not sound convinced, his quick answer made her suspicious. -And why so eager? Is there you forgot to tell me, Mor? -Oh great, now this is my fault? I sighed. Well, I could only blame myself. I already had a good idea why he wanted that, and while not very discreet, it was pretty clever of him. He, straight up, just wanted to travel with me. Not like it was, but with this kind of play he was forcing me to take him with me and essentially take the place of Jack. -Well, he is a revenant, supposedly¡­ - said Jacob. - No wonder he wants to stay with him. He¡¯s probably got a lot of answers. -Hm. She gave him a piercing look. -Eh, he probably is right - I said, unenthusiastically. - While I had enough of travel companions like him, it¡¯s not like we have a better play at the moment. -Oh you maybe don¡¯t. Or they. Can¡¯t really tell why you are helping them. But I can just flat out refuse, right? - said For. - I don¡¯t get much of that exchange anyway¡­ -Not much? - I raised my brow. - Me fixing your security concerns is not enough of a payment? -You say that, but you have to actually do that. We¡¯ve been sitting here and discussing this without any proof that¡­ She stopped, realizing that was not a good argument. -Okay, maybe I can believe that you are able to do something¡­ but I can¡¯t just¡­ She paused again, considering. -Tell you what. Sure, go for it. Try ¡°fixing¡± the issue. I want to see what we are working with. Then I will make my decision. -So you agree? - asked Kon, clearly excited. -I don¡¯t agree to anything yet. But I might, after he¡­ I don¡¯t know, what are you going to do, actually? -Not sure yet - I shrugged. - I need to take a better look first. -So what are we waiting for? With that, the negotiations were put on hold. Or at least that was how it was meant to look. The truth was, she was going to accept this deal anyway, even without Kon as a collateral. I could tell by her state of her emotions: she was more excited and intrigued than suspicious. And I don¡¯t blame her. It¡¯s not any day that you get proposed that you take under your wing a bunch of kids that are already that much familiar with magic. Even back in my world, the kids, even the smartest ones, were not very good at magic, that is until they started their magical studies. And you can imagine that those were not exactly available to anyone. Those kids¡¯ knowledge already was well beyond what I would consider ¡°basics¡±. This whole spiel was most likely just to feel out Kon. Or Jack. Maybe both. I guess it went well. Luckily for her, Kon was not yet as proficient as me in reading other people, so he had no idea and was negotiating for real, gaining himself some points. The two were escorted away by Jacob, while the rest of us made our way downstairs, to the room where we arrived. 114. Theory -What do you intend to do? - asked For as we were descending via yet another set of stairs. -That depends on many things. I have a couple theories. Some more out there than another. -Theories? I thought you said that you know¡­ -We know many things, that does not mean I can¡¯t be more sure about one thing than another. -What the hell? -Eh¡­ as I said, I suspect I know how this thing works¡­ I told you, this thing is an Origin Crystal - I started explaining. - But that does not mean that there is just one way that this thing is operating. -What¡¯s the most likely scenario then? -I what you told me is true, and this thing is actually working as one big bio-bound crystal, this can get complicated¡­ -I am not lying to you - she was adamant. - I literally can¡¯t without you knowing. -Oh, I know, it¡¯s not what I meant. What you think is correct and what is really true can be two different things. -You think that I, after being chosen as a successor for Red Mages, would¡¯ve been misinformed? That¡¯s doubtful¡­ -Not if the previous ones were mistaken as well. Or were hiding something. -Hiding? What do you think we are? We trust each other! -I don¡¯t doubt that. But I am not sure about that ¡°creator¡± of yours. He¡¯s the weak link in your story. -Weak link? -Yes. Since he, or she, is a source of your knowledge, it is possible that they could just ¡°forgot¡± to include some things. She was still not convinced but agreed anyway. -Okay, sure. I guess that might be correct. But why do you think that the security would¡¯ve worked for so long without issue, and just now failed? -That¡¯s what I am to check. But, don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t think that they¡¯ve lied to you. It¡¯s probably just the case of Axelrod getting himself his own hands on the Origin Crystal. -Hm. If so then what? Wouldn''t that mean that our security should work fine then? Doesn¡¯t mana get forced through the biggest crystal there is in vicinity? You can¡¯t tell me that he¡¯s got an even larger one in his possession! This island is massive! -Ha, it is large - I admitted. - But yes, I do think so. She looked at me, confused. -Are you going to tell me that he can somehow have with him a crystal bigger than this? What, does he have some pocket dimension or something? -That is possible, those bags can be powerful, but that¡¯s not it - I shook my head. - And you seem to misunderstand. Mana does not flow to the ¡°biggest¡± one. It goes to the strongest. She paused, considering what she heard. -Okay¡­ Okay¡­ But still! Something more powerful than this?! I can¡¯t imagine¡­ -Me neither. But, there is a small bit of a mistake in your whole theory. See, you told me that the whole island was made out of one stone, right? -Yes. And the castle. -And the castle - I nodded. - So tell me, why does the crystal in that hidden room have a different color then? She stopped. Literally froze in place. -You are telling me. That the ¡°Origin Crystal¡± you are so adamant about being here¡­ Is that small imperfection in the center!? -Imperfection? - I was puzzled by this description. - That¡¯s the last thing I thought someone would call the literal crystallization of magic. -Are you sure we are talking about the same thing? - she was now confused. - A small pebble? A tiny, cracked prism? Now I joined in her confusion. -Okay, now you are worrying me. True, the Origin Crystals do look like prisms. See-through or rainbow-colored, depending on circumstances. But for one to be cracked? That¡¯s unheard of! -Wait, you said you landed there!? What did you see!? -Well, I didn¡¯t see anything - I admitted. - It was Kon¡¯s eyes I was looking through. -You sure it was like that?! - she now was focused on Kon. - Are you sure you didn¡¯t just misspoke? -I¡­ -Wait, wait - I stopped her before she was able to grab him in her impatience. - I said it was his eyes, but was the one looking. -Whaaa¡­? -Okay, long story short, spell. Don¡¯t worry about that. But I am sure, besides the fact that it looked like one, it was obviously very powerful. What now intrigues me is more the fact that you called it a pebble. And it was cracked? I was not able to see anything like that¡­ -But it is¡­ or rather was when the room was sealed. What¡¯s in there now then?! -Huh¡­ Well, the crystal is a lot bigger. As big as me, I want to say. Like you described, prism-like and all, but with no imperfection. Quite the opposite. It was even seamlessly melded into the floor¡­ I think it is even growing now¡­ but that might be my fault¡­ -Growing?! - she was now more worried than ever. - What the hell did you do?! -I am not sure myself - I admitted. - Like I said. I do need to confirm some things before I reply with a decent answer. But what you said is more interesting than anything. If that¡¯s true, then maybe your problem has already been solved. We paused our conversation, because we finally reached the corridor leading to the place we teleported to. It was still guarded by the two familiar faces. -Sir! - Eicam stiffened immediately and both of them saluted, while also at the same time were surprised to see me here as well. -Stand down. We have some business here - immediately said For, as Ebas was just about to ask her about something. -Of course. They both stepped aside. She considered something, but apparently decided against it and just stepped through the door. -Kon. I¡¯m going to borrow your eyes again. -Ah. Right, of course. -Both of us will - chimed in Iloa. For immediately noticed that we were up to something, because she turned back and looked at us with suspicion, that started turning into fear when Kon¡¯s eyes suddenly flared up. -Don¡¯t worry - I immediately assured her. - I told him to do it. -Told? I haven¡¯t heard the word. What are you doing, anyway? -I want to actually see, you know. Kind of hard with this blinding mana. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. -Blinding? Is it really that bad? -Bad? It¡¯s good, not bad. It means that your crystal is powerful. -Still, it was not powerful enough to inhibit the king. -We¡¯ll see about that. She gazed at us once more, but just turned away, focusing her attention on the corridor instead, and immediately turned pale. She was now straight right at the opening that I had created to free us from the room that we were trapped in. -Damn¡­ You told me that you made an opening¡­ but this¡­ She touched the wall, or rather the hardened growth that was left after I turned the crystal into goo. The opening was just as I left it, the hole had hardened almost instantly, preserving the shape and giving a good hint on how we managed to escape. -Yeah¡­ I know, it¡¯s a bit rude, but we were not going to stay there forever¡­ And since we couldn¡¯t find any secret paths or doors¡­ -Oh, I don¡¯t blame you. And about doors¡­ no wonder you didn¡¯t find any. Because there are none to be found. -Wait, so how are you supposed to enter this room then? - asked Kon, a bit confused. -You aren¡¯t - she plainly explained. - See, this room was sealed by the founder and never was supposed to be opened. Having a room without an entrance is the safest way to protect something, is it not? -Well, it is, unless someone finds a way to get in without using a door - I pointed out. - Sort of like me. She frowned. -I almost forgot about that fact. I still don¡¯t know how the hell did you manage to get inside¡­ That¡¯s some luck you got there¡­ -Not really. Blame Melle for that one¡­ -Yes¡­ her¡­ - she muttered. What was that feeling I just felt from her? Was that¡­ nostalgia¡­? -Anyway, shouldn¡¯t you be doing something? - she pointed out, gesturing towards the room. - You said you needed to take a¡­ She stopped mid sentence, just as she herself took a gaze inside the closed chamber. Her eyes were glued to the crystal in the middle, which was still slowly pulsing with light. I don¡¯t think it changed much since my¡­ ¡°attempt¡± before, still merged with the floor and just as prismatic as before. -You were not kidding¡­ this thing is indeed different¡­ She took a step through the opening and got a bit closer to the disfigured gem. -Last time I checked¡­ it was so small I could hold it in my hand¡­ -When was that? - I asked, a bit curious. -Like a month before¡­? Maybe a bit earlier¡­? -Month? And when you learned that it might not be working why didn¡¯t you check up on this thing? And how? Didn¡¯t you say there is no way in? - I asked, a bit perplexed. -They are ways to look inside - she replied, dismissively. - I have been checking it every month or so since I have become the leader - she puffed. - And even others before me, for, I don¡¯t even know how many years, it has not changed. Can you blame me for not expecting it to be a source of issues? I sighed. -Eh. Sure, but now we don¡¯t know when it started changing shape¡­ -Didn¡¯t you say that it changed as you touched it? - she pointed out. -Yes, but it seems like it was already different when we arrived. I just changed it even more. -That¡¯s¡­ concerning. You think that has something to do with the king being able to use magic? -if you are asking if that is why it grew, I am not sure. But it definitely has something to do with both of us being able to use magic here¡­ -So wait, you managed to figure something more already¡­? -No. For now I just am repeating what I knew before, but I need to do some tests. And for you, I think it would be better to leave. -You¡¯re kidding? While I am forced to believe you, there is no chance that I am missing seeing something like this! -Like what? What do you think I am going to do? -I don¡¯t know! But I am still curious. -Hm. That¡¯s great and all, but the issue is that soon you might not be able to stand even - I pointed out. -Is it really that bad? - she asked, not convinced. - I can handle myself. -Ha. I doubt that. Remember, you got absolutely fucked by some reandom smoke from Eise. She turned red. Did she forget that already? -Don¡¯t remind me¡­ Apparently not. -I am not saying you shouldn¡¯t look, it¡¯s just going to be better if you are outside of the chamber. For some reason those walls are pretty good at insulating mana. If you feel weird, I can try and drain you a bit, but I¡¯d rather leave that as a last resort¡­ -What about you two then? -Concerned for us? - I grinned. - Don¡¯t worry. I can handle myself. -Well, I don¡¯t doubt that - she said, not amused. - I know you are a weird creature that defies all logic¡­ but what about you? She was talking about Kon. Honestly, I have not thought about that. Considering the fact that he was similar to me, I hoped that he¡¯d be able to handle himself, but that also reminded me of the last time he was under the influence of stronger mana. His reaction was concerning. But, it was before he turned into this new form, or rather returned to his body. Question was, would that mean he¡¯s now more resistant, or less? -Good thinking. Kon, how are you feeling? -Er¡­ fine? -Well, we haven¡¯t even entered the room completely - pointed out For. - I doubt that he was even able to absorb anything. -Fair. How about it Kon, would you rather stay here or try your luck? -I doubt that it has anything to do with luck¡­ -I am not sure¡­ I thought you wanted me to help you¡­ -And you can, but it doesn''t mean that you have to literally stand next to me all the time¡­ -... -Tell you what - I said, seeing as he was concerned now - you follow me, but stay close to the exit and just leave in case you feel weird. I am sure if you were to hide behind a wall, you can evade the most mana that is in this room. -Wait¡­ Even with this massive hole, it¡¯s not leaking out? - asked For. -For some reason, no - I said, squinting a bit. With my own eyes, I was able to still see inside of the corridor without any issue, meaning most of the mana was still in the other room. That was actually a bit strange. In any other circumstances, the massive power that used to be contained by the walls would¡¯ve been leaking uncontrollably. It honestly was looking like some invisible field was blocking it from leaving the confines of that hidden chamber. -Say For, is there some spell that contains this crystal? - I asked. -The only containment was the walls. It¡¯s just as you said, the crystals they are made of are very resistant to mana. If what you said is correct and it is indeed the same material as your own body, it¡¯s no wonder. It¡¯s just absorbing it itself. -Yeah, but it can¡¯t be the EXACT thing. After all, we are able to just be in here without any issues right? -True¡­ after all, your crystal drains everything uncontrollably¡­ -Does that mean that it¡¯s something else? - asked Kon. -Not exactly¡­ Hm. Well, since we are alone, I can tell you my hypothesis about all this situation. -Hypothesis? -Yes¡­ so remember as I said that Origin Crystal can absorb mana, right? And that¡¯s how you essentially create revenants? -Well, yeah. Although I don¡¯t know how the two are connected¡­ -It¡¯s easy. And the hint is in your ¡°meditation¡± spell. Or rather its description. She grimaced, not really keen on remembering how she misunderstood it. -Mana is life, is that what you mean? -Precisely - I nodded. - And while making a revenant you are essentially containing every single drop of person¡¯s mana in a crystal - I said, pointing towards Kon and his crystal. - That¡¯s what we did. -Okay¡­ but what does that have to do with this? - she asked. -When I arrived here¡­ I did make contact with this crystal - I explained. - And let me tell you, I think I felt something. Or to be precise, someone. A presence of some kind. -Wait, wait, wait¡­ - she raised her hand, making me stop. - What you are saying is you think that SOMEONE is in this thing?! Someone¡­ -You are quick on the uptake - I replied. - And yes, although I am not sure who or what. That would also explain the fact that we are not getting drained. -How? -You said that this island is old, right? First of all, if I even am correct, this presence here is very, very weak. And I don¡¯t mean by mana amount. It¡¯s just as if that entity is asleep. -How do you even know that? - she asked, amazed. -I am not so sure myself - I admitted. - It¡¯s just my hunch. I had felt multiple similar things like this already - I said, remembering how Iloa was at first, dormant inside my own body - and it is similar. -A hunch, huh¡­? - she muttered, not convinced. - So what, you are going to act just on a hunch? -Of course not. That¡¯s why we are here. I am going to try this again. -This? -Ah, right. I meant, I am going to try and communicate with that entity. Try getting it to a more active state. The main question is, do you have any idea who that might be? - I asked. -And why would I know that? - she raised her brow. - You think I forgot to tell you something or what? -No - I shook my head. - It¡¯s more like you just don¡¯t realize that you might know. -Might? -Okay, remember you said that this was created by your founder, right? Who sacrificed themself to make this place? What if they did not die, or rather not completely? -Not completely? You think that our founder is now the piece of the crystal that is in front of us!? I am not sure if she was amazed or terrified. -That¡¯s what most likely happened. 115. Practice -That is definitely riveting¡­ - she said after a brief stunned pause. - But what can we do then? -You? Not much - I shrugged. - We? Maybe something. -You are being vague again¡­ -Not on purpose¡­ - I smiled. - It¡¯s just, I am not sure what I am going to do. -Not sure? You said you have a plan! -And I do, but having one and knowing the effects are two different things. -So more like you¡¯re going to experiment. -Somewhat - I agreed. - I can¡¯t deny that. I am not sure if she was disappointed or just still stunned by the whole idea of her old-dead and forgotten predecessor and me trying to fiddle with them. -Okay. So what do you intend on doing? -That is a good question. See, you gave me an idea. -I did? -Yes. I told you, while you used that spell of yours that was supposed to refresh your memory, you used the crystal to enhance it. -Supposedly, according to you - she nodded. - I still am not sure if that was the case though¡­ -I am not sure either, that¡¯s why I said I think. But back to topic, since you managed to connect with it, why wouldn¡¯t I be able to do the same? -You want to cast something using this? - she pointed to the room. - How would that help? -I want to jolt it awake. She stopped, considering what I said. -So wait¡­ you think that¡¯s going to help? -Only if the current theory is the case - I agreed. - It can just be the case of me talking shit and assuming too much. -Not very assuring. -But that¡¯s basically not possible - I smiled. - Between all the brains we share and the information from you¡­ I am almost certain that I am correct. The mentioning of ¡°shared brains¡± definitely made her wince. -Yeah¡­ okay. Sure. But you also said that you attempted doing it once. And it didn¡¯t go that well - she pointed out. -True. But that was before I knew exactly what I was dealing with. Now¡­ I have an idea what to do. She rolled her eyes. -Okay. Let¡¯s say that I agree. What am I supposed to do then? -You? Not much. You have to keep an eye on Kon. And maybe me. Mostly on him though. Right now, I am able to see through his eyes - I said. - It would be a problem if something were to happen and I would¡¯ve failed to notice. -You¡¯re so omnipotent and yet can¡¯t take care of a singular person? -Where did you get the idea of me being omnipotent? - I asked, not hiding my annoyance. - I am just a regular person. -With infinite mana. That doesn¡¯t need to breathe. That can live without food, water, or sleep. Yep, completely normal person. -... -From my perspective, you are essentially a god. -I had enough of the religion talk already, thank you - I shuddered, remembering the Lost Church. -I am just making an observation. I do not intend to worship you, just for you to know. -I never said I expected that - I replied, getting more and more annoyed. - Now, if you would, can I finally get started? -Started on what? You never explained that. Neither what I am supposed to be watching for. -I was getting to that. -In Kon, you are supposed to look for a glow. -Glow? -Just like in my case, he is part crystal. While he might not be completely converted, he still is able to soak in mana just like me. But unlike me, he¡¯s got a bit less¡­ capacity. Or resistance. -Resistance for what? To overcharge? -Yep. If you see him glowing, you need to somehow tell me. -So just tell you? - she was not very enthusiastic about the seemingly mundane task that I presented to her. -If that works, sure. But it might be harder than that. She gazed at me, not understanding. -Eh¡­ I am about to try and communicate with your ¡°founder¡±. You think that in the middle of that weird connection a random yell would be enough to interrupt me, or just even grab my attention? -So what am I supposed to do?! -Get creative - I shrugged. - But if all else fails, you can just toss a spell at me. -Are you kidding me?! -Don¡¯t worry, you can, I am not going to try and pull a fast one - I said, pointing to her neck. - I already told you that I don¡¯t intend on using this. She didn¡¯t seem that convinced, but nodded nonetheless. -Er¡­ what about me though? It was Kon. Till now he was quiet, just listening. In the back of my mind I could tell that he was still a bit distracted, but this time not because of me. It felt like he was in contact with Iloa of all people, and the two of them were discussing something. -You are to do the same thing. Just keep track of me and yourself. Or¡­ you know what? Don¡¯t think about me, keep an eye on For. -On me? Do you¡­ -Just make sure she is not getting drunk on mana - I said before she was to finish her complaining. - I already had to deal with that once, I don¡¯t need to do it again. -I told you that I can control myself! -Good. Then I don¡¯t have to worry about anything. You ready? Both of them nodded, yet I could tell that neither was sure about that. I couldn¡¯t really fix that problem, so I just took a deep breath and entered the chamber. -Here we go. The inside was as bright as I remembered it before. I immediately attempted to shut off my sight, focusing on the shared senses from Kon. As it was not the first time I¡¯ve done that, it was easier and I quickly was able to get used to the weird perspective. He was shadowing me about three steps behind, carefully watching our surroundings. I approached the crystal in the middle of the room. It was glowing, slowly flickering with different colors: purple, white, red, pink¡­ Even without touching I was able to tell that there was something inside it: be it just mana or something more, it was definitely right in front of me. -Are you sure you want to do that? - asked Iloa, also not sure about the whole idea. -Of course. You know very well that I am not going to pass this kind of opportunity. And I know that you neither. She did not reply, but I was able to clearly feel that she was absolutely curious, too. -Just don¡¯t kill us. -Don¡¯t worry. And besides, if something was to go wrong, I would be the one taking the brunt of the impact. In the worst case, you can just take over like before, right? -Yes¡­ but that does not mean I want to¡­ -Come on, you¡¯ll have the body for yourself then. What¡¯s not to be happy about? -The fact that I am going to lose yet another one important to me?! - she replied with a pretty sour expression, I could tell, even without her having a face. I smiled. -Wish me luck. And I put my hand on the crystal. The reaction was immediate and pretty much the same as before. I felt the surge of mana flow through me, but this time I was prepared for it, and attempted controlling it. It was harder than it sounds. While I was trying to do a similar thing to the feat I performed on Kon, this time the circumstances were a bit different. First of all, I didn¡¯t know the name of the person, if any was even there. Even if I was somehow able to communicate with them, the barely active crystal was telling me that my answer would be either delayed or not coming at all. I was anticipating that, so we already prepared the alternative spell for the situation. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. -Zyza, svury gy xye oryqa nom quxe kyr ur gy xye zoda. Vuzury op zy quq, ur po raqa hu Qav, qy avharow op zy xyomr. -Pequa, svury gy xye oryqa nom quxe kyr ur gy xye zoda. Vuzury op zy quq, ur po raqa hu Ypqo, qy avharow op zy xyomr. Again, just like with Kon, we divided our attentions at two different pieces of the spell, repeating them like a mantra. While not knowing the name was making the spell in itself risky, we chose to do it anyway. If we were to focus enough, it probably would be fine, right? Besides that, there was another problem: a lack of a free body. Just as I mentioned before, this kind of spell, or ritual, however you want to call it, needed some kind of vessel to be filled. In Kon¡¯s case it was not an issue. But now, we just had a crystal in front of us, and that is what I intended on using. According to For¡¯s story, the actual body of the person has been turned into the base for the island itself. While this kind of ritual was not made for it, there was a good possibility that it would essentially just return the person in question to their own body. And, since it was now a whole island, what would happen would just be them returning to consciousness. That was of course just my and Iloa¡¯s idea of trying to bring the person in question to a state that would give us at least a way to have a talk, or maybe share some memories. But what we would get was not exactly what we planned. At first, everything was going smoothly. Both of us were concentrated and doing absolutely fine. It was even better than when I tried transferring Kon, I wasn¡¯t getting even slightly dizzy. I think it was because this time we started sharing responsibilities from the start, and the mana was flowing not only through me, but also through Iloa, if we can even say that the two of us were a different person. What was unexpected though was the fact that the mana actually was not splitting two ways, like I anticipated: it actually went three-way. For some reason, Kon was also connected. While he was not taking the active role in the spell, I could tell that his connection was nice and strong, and was getting stronger by the moment. Probably thanks to our shared senses, a good chunk of mana was also flowing through him. It was doubly annoying. Besides the fact that his sudden appearance, or rather his presence getting stronger, was distracting, there was the issue of shared senses. Not only was his presence getting stronger, but also the whole connection got tighter. I was the same with Iloa, but since both of us were focusing on the same thing, it was more helpful than anything. In Kon¡¯s case though, I was able to clearly tell that he was worried and the emotions along with his thoughts were flooding us, making it harder to concentrate. Still, it was easier than trying to speak the spell while drunk, so we were able to persevere. It was all well, until the ¡°help¡± came. For, who I told to watch us all, apparently noticed something going wrong. I told her to be wary of a glow, so I assume that was it. She suddenly approached Kon and grabbed his arms, shaking him wildly. At first, I thought that it was going to be the death of us, because we were sharing senses now. I was absolutely right, because I almost bit my tongue while speaking. While I managed to correct myself and regain my composure, Iloa was not that lucky. I can only imagine how she was startled when, without having a body, she felt herself being grabbed and shaken. It definitely had to be a wild sensation. So wild that she straight up stopped the spell, making me pick up her slack, doubling my duties for at least a few repeats. -What the! You¡­ She managed to mutter a few words before she went back to the incantation and again was sharing the load with me. At first it seemed like nothing changed. I only felt a bit of a surge of power, the bit of loose mana flowing through me. It was nothing I wasn¡¯t able to handle though. It was weaker than the one during Kon¡¯s transfer and didn¡¯t even manage to make me tipsy. -Ry avharow op zy xyomr, ur po raqa hu Qaw nom Ypqo, zuny! We finished the incantation. Immediately I felt strength leave my body and I collapsed right on the spot. Even considering the experimental fact of the spell, it took more out of me than I would¡¯ve thought. If we mention the fact that I was also using the mana from the blindingly infused environment, it was absolutely unheard of. Seeing as I collapsed, Kon immediately darted towards me. For was trying to stop him, like I told her, but it was for naught. He was already next to me and was about to try and shake me awake. I wanted to stop him, but I had no strength. He managed to touch me. The effect was immediate. The slightest touch was enough for mana to start getting drained from him, jolting me awake and giving me my strength back, enough for me to push him back and sit up. Kon himself looked a bit shaken, but despite the fact that I just drained some of his mana, he was looking fine. Wait a second¡­ I was able to see him. Did that mean that I was able to use that much of mana from the environment and some of mine to boot? -Iloa, are you alright? The answer came a bit delayed, but her voice was as strong as always. -Yes¡­ but what happened? Did we do it? -What¡¯s going on!? What happened?! Finally, For¡¯s voice came to me through the ringing that I finally realized existed, and that was deafening me the whole time. -I think so¡­? My voice was unchanged. That was a good sign. -What did you do? What¡¯s with the crystal?! Right. The crystal. I turned my head, gazing towards the middle of the room, and what I saw was definitely not what I thought would be there. In place of the crystal, or at least where the more pearlescent part of it was just a while ago, was now a large hole. It was definitely larger than the missing crystal itself, although not by much. What was strange though, it didn¡¯t seem like the hole was made by explosion or anything of that sort. I mean, I would¡¯ve probably noticed a spectacle like that¡­ Although considering the fact that I just almost blacked out, it was possible. No, the hole was looking like the crystal just disappeared. -That is a good question¡­ - I finally answered, gazing towards the hole. - What exactly did you two see? Or maybe you For, what did you see? -Err.. - she was clearly still not okay with me not replying directly, but answered nonetheless - Nothing¡­ I mean, the crystal just disappeared! -No flash, no sound, nothing? -You didn¡¯t notice? - she was now positively worried. -Well, my connection with Kon got interrupted mid-way I think - I said, not sure myself. - So I might have missed something while in a trance¡­ -You bet you did! There was that blinding light that flashed¡­ it was sort of like a thunderstrike, just for a split second. But there was no sound. Next thing I know the crystal was not there and you were lying on the floor and this one tore himself out of my grasp. -Yeah, about that - I said, remembering. - I didn¡¯t really think that would be an issue, but apparently he was sharing ALL his senses with me¡­ meaning when you grabbed him you almost broke my concentration. -Oh! - Kon yelped. Apparently he didn¡¯t know that either. - I am sorry, I just got startled by¡­ -Nah, don¡¯t worry about that - I dismissed them. - More importantly, do you feel like something changed? For looked at me, not understanding. -What do you mean? Weren¡¯t you doing all that to check what¡¯s going on?! Why are you asking me? -As you well noticed, the disappearance of the crystal was not exactly my plan - I pointed out, standing up. I realized that, even though just a second ago I was barely able to sit up, now I was back in good shape. Was that thanks to the mana I got from Kon? -By the way, Kon, do you feel alright? I must¡¯ve drained a lot of mana from you¡­ I focused on his flame, but to my surprise it was as strong as always. -I feel fine - he confirmed my observations. - I¡¯ll manage. -Hm¡­ Well, as long as everybody is ok¡­ -Not everybody! - reminded me For. - What about my predecessor?! The one who was supposed to be in the crystal that you¡¯ve destroyed?! -I am not sure, but I might have made a miscalculation¡­ -Miscalculation!? What¡¯s that supposed to mean?! She was now clearly on the verge of panic. -Calm down. Even though we might have made a mistake, it¡¯s not a very grave one¡­ at least it is not going to affect you that much, from what I can see - I quickly assured her. - It might have come with a price, sure, but the effect we got is not far off what we wanted. -What? Her mood shifted instantly, from panic to enthusiasm and curiosity. What a range of emotions. -From what I tell, we have just removed the weak spot of your ¡°security¡± - I started explaining. - I told you that the crystal was the main piece of it right? -And it was! -Not exactly. The whole thing was just essentially¡­ a cork. -Cork? What the hell? -You do know that this island was standing right on top of a leyline, right? And a broken one to boot? -Broken? Isn¡¯t that bad? - asked Kon, worried. -Not exactly. It can be harmful and irritating, of course, especially for people who are sensitive to mana levels. Or like us, but in this case, the crystal was keeping those issues contained. -Mhm¡­ -Your ancestors probably knew about that though, that¡¯s why they made the island in the first place. -You think that this place was made to contain the mana leak? - asked For. -That would be most likely, yes. And definitely a better reason to try and sacrifice your own life for the sake of just making an island¡­ -But since the leyline was broken, wouldn¡¯t that mean that they wouldn¡¯t have to sacrifice their own life? - she was not convinced. - The mana had to be abundant. And it was, you said it yourself. -There can be more reasons for someone to lose their life than just a lack of mana, you know. For all we know the spell could¡¯ve gone out of control, or they wanted it in the first place. -Someone would want to make themself a remnant? Even knowing what that would entail? -And who says that they knew? She was about to interrupt me, but I already had an idea what she was thinking about. -No, I am not saying that the person in question was incompetent. Accidents happen, both to the smart and ignorant people. We can¡¯t just assume that your ancestors were either of them. -Still¡­ to trade their humanity for¡­ that? -You say humanity¡­ but look at us. We, or at least I, maybe don¡¯t look like one, but I still feel pretty human myself. Nothing much changed, besides some additions. I admit some might be worse than others, but as someone said to me, many people would do a lot to get that kind of power. She went silent, pondering what she just heard. -Hm. Maybe you¡¯re right¡­ Then what happened? What did you exactly do to them? -Yes¡­ about that¡­ - I said, still thinking about what just happened. - While we are considering the ramifications of change into a revenant, I am not even sure that¡¯s what happened to that predecessor of yours any more¡­ -You what? Wasn¡¯t that your idea in the first place?! -It was. Doesn¡¯t mean that I have to always be right. And judging by the distinct lack of the response from both the crystal and person in question, I now have another idea of how this all went down¡­ along with my spell. -Tell us then. -What I assume is that whoever made this island was indeed a powerful person. But unlike in your stories, they have not turned into the crystal themselves. Just like you pointed out, the mana present here was enough for them to make whatever they desired. -So what, they did it and just¡­ left? Disappeared without a trace? -What, you think that¡¯s impossible? - I laughed. - That is definitely one possibility, and most likely to boot. -Why make the place if you are not going to use it though? -Don¡¯t you think they did it from their own goodwill? - I replied jokingly She only replied with a sour face. -Kidding, kidding. Sure, they could¡¯ve done that, but what they most likely wanted was to create an Origin Crystal. -To create one? Wasn¡¯t it made along with the island? -Yes and no - I replied. - Sure it was made from the island itself. But, it is impossible to just spawn an Origin Crystal out of thin air. Not instantly that is. -So someone just created a place for it to form? - realized Kon, picking up on my train of thought. - They made the castle to protect it, sealed the chamber from the outside world, to create the best environment for it to form? -Precisely - I nodded, happy that he¡¯s been actually remembering what I told him. -How do you even get to that conclusion? - said For with disbelief. - Did you get a vision or something? -Maybe¡­ 116. Pebble -That¡¯s¡­ preposterous¡­ - said For, although I could feel that she was also starting to believe in this sequence of events. - So wait. Didn¡¯t you say that the crystal formed already?! Doesn¡¯t that mean that whoever set this all up would come there soon to¡­ I don¡¯t know, retrieve it? -You can¡¯t ¡°retrieve¡± it really. Besides it now being gone, you can¡¯t just move that thing. Not easily or without consequences at least - I corrected myself, gesturing to me and Kon. - Even then, that thing had to be in place for a long while now. I might have boosted its growth a tiny bit, but that doesn¡¯t mean it was useless earlier. -Well then¡­ that brings the main question¡­ If you say that it indeed wasn¡¯t anyone trapped or turned, what the hell happened with it then? I thought you were meant to just check it out?! - asked For. -Yeah, about that¡­ I think¡­ I just used it - I replied, unsure myself. -Used?! How do you ¡°use¡± something like that?! -Yeah, I am a bit confused, too - I agreed with her. - But I can¡¯t really tell you much. My idea was to use a similar spell that I used on you, Kon - I briefly looked at him. -Yeah¡­ I thought that that spell sounded familiar. -Oh, so you remember that? -I think so¡­ -...or it¡¯s just a shared memory from me - added Iloa in my head. -Well, the spell was supposed to return the target to their previous form - I continued my explanation. - Since that was supposed to be a person, I thought that it would return them to a human shape, or to their right mind at least. -But didn¡¯t you say that you need a body for that kind of process? - asked Kon. - But wasn¡¯t their body already gone? -We do have their body though - I pointed out. - Or at least that¡¯s what we thought before. -The castle¡­ - muttered For. - You wanted to make a revenant¡­ from the whole castle? From the whole island?! -Essentially - I admitted. - But, before you ask, I thought that it would be unlikely, too. That¡¯s why I said it would be an attempt. -But, since it was not it, you just did nothing but waste an enormous amount of mana. -You¡¯re not exactly wrong¡­ - I agreed. - I did waste a lot¡­ but fixed a bunch of things by accident too. -Fixed? Like what? -First off, I fixed the leaking leyline - I announced. - Or at least drained it enough for it to not be a problem anymore. -And since when it was a problem, huh? -It¡¯s mostly for him, I think - muttered Kon. - Since all that glowing thing¡­ -Okay, don¡¯t sell me so short - I puffed, pretending to be offended. - Sure, it¡¯s annoying for me, but not just because of glowing. It was preventing me from seeing normally, that''s for one. -Which you were easily able to circumvent with that spell - she pointed out. -If she thinks it¡¯s that easy, let me see her make a spell like that from scratch and then not get any side effects in the process - Iloa was clearly not amused. -Hey, it speaks about your skill a lot at least. If she thinks it¡¯s easy, it''s only because you do make it seem so. -... -It''s a bit more complicated than that, but sure - I was not going to bother trying to explain that to her. -Whatever you say. -Second, the glowing part¡­ While not exactly dangerous in general, it can be under wrong circumstances. -Right. Boosting your spells. Such an inconvenience¡­ -Well¡­ he did make a rather large hole in our house¡­ and froze himself¡­ -And destroyed my windpipe - I reminded them. - But sure, only positive sides. -You clearly were able to heal it no problem. -Okay, but if it was anyone else other than me¡­ or maybe Kon, they would¡¯ve been dead on the spot. If not from the spell, then definitely from the mana overcharge. -Mana overcharge? - she laughed. - Ha. Dead? Dead drunk maybe. You know that everything in abundance can kill you right? It¡¯s like arguing that alcohol is dangerous because when abused leads to organ failure. -It is even without that much - I muttered. - Isn¡¯t booze outlawed here anyway? But that¡¯s besides the point. You really seem to want to get under my skin now - I pointed out. - What gives? -It¡¯s just¡­ it seems from my point of view that you just spit those ¡°facts¡± of yours without thinking much and just talk whatever you feel like just to sound smart. Robbing me out of something because of your failure and trying to cover it up with ¡°it was dangerous¡± bullshit. From someone who hates politics, it is very political of you. I went silent, just gazing in space. She did the same, but I realized it was not because she was content about finally being able to stick it to me. She was afraid. -Sorry! I didn¡¯t mean¡­ Did she only just realize what she said? But I was not listening to her apologies anyway. Not like I cared about that. And besides, she was absolutely right. -I know, I know, I am a failure - I said out loud, interrupting and surprising her. - Not the first time, nor was it the last time. She stared at me, not sure what to say. -But sorry that I made it look like I was hiding that¡­ The main point is that even with this failure, we can still salvage it. You said this thing used bio-binding, right? Or something adjacent to that? -Bio-binding¡­? - happy with the change of tone, she shook herself off from the initial confusion - Ah. Right¡­ you said something like that¡­ You mean that I used blood to mark people? -Mark? That¡¯s¡­ -Doesn¡¯t matter. So what¡¯s with that then? -Nothing - I shrugged. - But if that¡¯s at least partially similar with what I thought, it most likely has been¡­ ¡°reset¡±. -Reset? As no one can cast magic here? - she asked, worried. -No one without access to the crystal - pointed out. - And the method. Since the island is just one big crystal, it¡¯s half as useful though. -Wait, does that mean that you can¡¯t use magic either?! - she gasped. - Or me?! I stopped, pondering for a moment. Before I was able to avoid her security thanks to my crystal being powerful¡­ but how would that work now? I mean, the crystal was pretty weak now, and considering that I absorbed a lot of mana¡­ I should be fine, right? -Usc fi geksu. To my stunned surprise, absolutely nothing happened. -Usc fi geksu! Still nothing. -Kon, you try. -Er¡­ usc fi geksu! The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Also nothing. -How about you, For. -Geksu tehu. Nope. -That¡¯s¡­ concerning. -Okay, that¡¯s not how this is supposed to work - I said, a bit concerned. -Oh look, another failure. -Don¡¯t need to point that out again - I muttered. She tossed me a worried look. -So what now? Are we stuck like this now?! -Well¡­ not really¡­ or at least I hope so¡­ Before you asked, I was about to say that you just need to remake the spell and give the ¡°permission¡± to others again¡­ But I never expected for it to work on me too. -At least that¡¯s somewhat of a good news¡­ if it works for you, then maybe it¡¯ll work on the king too¡­ -That¡¯s a good point¡­ - I agreed. -And what do you mean about the ¡°permission¡±? - she asked. - How do I do that? -Err¡­ and what do you think? - I asked, slightly confused. - The same way you did it the first time? -Okay, I feel like that¡¯s not going to work¡­ -Why? -Er¡­ the method¡­ was a bit strange. -And you think I have not seen plenty of strange things already? -No¡­ but that¡¯s¡­ She was conflicted for a good while, but finally decided to speak. -I had to drink their blood. I blinked, not sure if I heard that right. -You serious? -I am afraid yes. -Okay¡­ and why do you think that it¡¯s not going to work any more? -The method was passed to me by py predecessor¡­ But now I am not even sure if that¡¯s true. -Wait, didn¡¯t you say you never met them? -If you want to be exact, it was Jacob who passed it to me. I stared at her, stunned. -Wait, you¡¯re telling me that he¡¯s one of the previous guild leaders? That you¡­ I shuddered on the lone thought of Goldie being actually from some powerful family. Or rather I felt bad for them. Talk about disappointment. -Hell no! - she immediately protested, seeing as I started looking at her with pity. - It¡¯s not like that! It¡¯s just that he has been tasked to find me by the previous master of this island. -Ha. Well, that¡¯s something. And I assume you won¡¯t tell us his name? -Of course I can¡­ - she shrugged. - But it¡¯s pretty mundane, you know? -What? -His name was Michael - said For. - It¡¯s not a secret. What¡¯s more of an issue that no one has ever seen his face. -Mor¡­ do you think that¡­ -Let¡¯s not jump to conclusions. -Ah. So a personality like that - I nodded. - I see. Well, let¡¯s put that on hold. What about the ritual¡­ spell, or whatever? -Right. When he was sent out to search, he was given a small bundle, wrapped in cloth. Told to never open it and only give it to me. That is if I accept the position. -And he did. So, what was in it? - I asked straight away. -I don¡¯t know if¡­ -Come on, I think we¡¯re well past the point of trying to hide information about the crystal. Out with it. She sighed, annoyed. -I hate it that you¡¯re right. Anyway, it was not that much of a secret anyway. The bundle he gave me contained a letter and a small pebble, not even larger than a coin. -Don¡¯t tell me. The pebble was shiny and see through, like a small prism? -How did you know?! - she asked, stunned. I couldn¡¯t help but groan, heavily. -Tell me the contents of the letter first. She gazed at me, curious. -Well¡­ there was not much there. He explained how he had to vacate the seat of the leader because ¡°his time was running out¡±. For some reason he knew about my past, all up to me being left in the capital by Jack. He wrote that the position here is going to help me get a fresh start, without anyone being able to encroach on my freedom. -That¡¯s rich. -But he was right - agreed with the letter Jacob. - This place is¡­ or was as far from the king¡¯s influence as it was getting. -And not like anyone would suspect me of being anything else than the family of the earlier leader. -So that¡¯s not public knowledge either¡­ -Why would it be? -Right, right - I nodded. - Anything more? -Yes, yes, I know, the part that you¡¯re most interested about - she sighed. - He did include the way for me to be able to manipulate mana here. I was supposed to swallow that small pebble. On top of that, he also said that not only would it make me able to access all the locks and everything on the whole island, I would also be able to share the ability to use magic in the Red Edge with anyone I felt worthy or useful. I only had to drink a little bit of their blood. I couldn¡¯t believe what I was hearing. -Well, that¡¯s a story and a half - I finally said after a brief pause. -So how did you know about that pebble? - she asked. - I have never told that to anyone. Even Jacob. -Wait, so how was he able to use magic here then, hm? -Well, he knew about having to share the blood part - she admitted. - he never knew what was done with it though¡­ Now when you mention it¡­ I don¡¯t remember doing that for him - pointed out For. - How was he¡­ -I assume he did the same thing with the previous leader. -Maybe. Wait¡­ are you going to tell me that you did the same? - she asked, suddenly wide-eyed. - You met our previous leader!? -What, no! - I puffed. - Or well, maybe, that¡¯s debatable. But no, that¡¯s not possible, I never shared my blood with him. -Not like you have any blood left¡­ -That too. -Well, it¡¯s not all gloom and doom - I said. - I am pretty sure that we can give you your castle back. -You still have not told us how you were able to know what was in the package though! - said For, still being adamant about that. -I was getting to that. And I thought you might have figured it out by now¡­ -What? -Eh¡­ Listen. Look at me. Then look at Kon, or rather his chest. Kon flinched, hearing his name so suddenly. -Er¡­ -Does that look familiar to you? She was not replying, her face turning pale. -I see you are grasping it. What you had there was a small piece of Origin Crystal. The same one that we thought had inside that founder of yours. -It¡¯ can¡¯t be¡­ -You¡¯re closer to us than you thought you are - I said, thinking about the consequences that could have had on her body. -You don¡¯t have to put it like that - said Iloa. -Oh, come on, you know what I mean - I replied, annoyed. - Besides, that¡¯s actually more interesting than anything else. -Sure¡­ I wonder how much she was able to absorb¡­ -Considering the fact that the process usually needs an absolute humongous amount of mana, I doubt that she managed to change¡­ -Yes, but she was able to use magic in here thanks to that little piece¡­ It had to do something. And, since you mentioned it, she did have a good source of mana in the leyline and the overall place here, no? -I guess. Something had to change, but how much? She stopped for a moment, thinking. I briefly felt an itch in my head. -Hm. I took a better look at her, but I can¡¯t feel any connection¡­ or the ¡°other thing¡±. -Right¡­ Maybe it¡¯s just not the case with everyone then? Maybe it¡¯s just us? -Who knows. But that¡¯s the best opportunity we¡¯re going to get. If she is indeed in the process of turning into a remnant¡­ -Now we¡¯re going to have two subjects to monitor. -Exactly. -And here I thought the experiments of ours had ended already. -Same. During our exchange, For was just gazing into space, apparently trying to digest the information she just had received. -So¡­ how do you feel about that? - I finally asked, breaking the silence. -Er¡­ I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s just¡­ are you sure about that¡­ am I really turning into something like¡­ She gestured towards me. -I am not sure - I replied truthfully. - If what you said is indeed correct, you already have been under the influence of that crystal for a long time and haven¡¯t changed a bit, have you? -I suppose so¡­ -Right. There are many possibilities. It might be that elven biology is a bit different from human¡¯s? I gazed towards Kon. -How about you, Kon? Do you feel any different since¡­ the accident? -Not really¡­ besides what you told me about being more capable with magic¡­ and¡­ you know. -Yes. But I am talking about your body. Any other changes? I mean, it hasn''t even been a long time since then so I assume¡­ -Nothing - he replied after patting himself for a while. - Or at least I can¡¯t tell¡­ -See? It¡¯s not that scary - I said to For. - If we assume that the changes are going to be similar in all of us, you¡¯ll have a good indication before something changes, be it in my own person or Kon. -That is not reassuring - muttered For. - But we have other things to worry about. 117. Bind She shook off the initial shock and tried to look calm again. -What about the protections of this place? You said you can give me my abilities back? -I assume so - I nodded, remembering that we should focus on the topic of that. -So how do we go about it? -According to your own method¡­ I mean the crystal and all that¡­ From what I understand it was a simple mechanism, the same used in bio-binding. -You keep saying that, but I still don¡¯t know what that means. -Yes, I am curious, too¡­ - muttered Kon. -Right. I keep forgetting that the magic here is¡­ well, nevermind. Bio-binding is, just as the name suggests, binding someone¡¯s biological material to a certain item. In this case, and in most cases, it is used to bind a magical crystal to someone, to make it only be usable by that one person. -Ah¡­ I get it. -Pretty simple, isn¡¯t it? Back in my homeland it was used similarly as in your castle, to prevent someone from breaking in by using magic, letting only the owner use magic in his home for example. -You had that many powerful crystals just randomly laying in houses? - she sounded amazed. -Who said it was a lot of houses? - I laughed. - Ha, no. It was mostly just used to protect your own belongings, on a very small scale, like on safes, locks and such. On a bigger scale it was used only in some public places that you¡¯d think it¡¯d be wise to restrict magic usage. -I guess that sounds reasonable. -Mhm. But despite how it sounds, it was actually quite easy to make them. You essentially had to use a crystal of desired color, or a prismatic one, and bind it with someone using some of their biological material. Blood, hair, whatever you had on hand. -Why would someone use blood? - wondered aloud Kon. - I think hair is infinitely less annoying and painful to extract¡­ -Sure. But some people are bald. And besides that, blood is more powerful than that. -Powerful? Like what, it restricts more? -It lets the crystal cover a wider area - I nodded. - You can do the same using a crystal of a better quality, or bigger, but you can imagine which way is cheaper. -Ah. Hm. Wait, so how does that work here? I was told to drink the blood of whoever¡­ Does that mean¡­ -That you essentially were combining the crystal inside you with the biological material of your employees - I finished for her. -Right. But that brings us a question. How in the fuck and why would that work on the whole castle¡­ the island?! - she asked. - Don¡¯t tell me I was the one who¡­ -No, no, I don¡¯t think so - I shut her down. - If you were the source of the magic blocking, I am sure that¡­ hm. Well, now thinking about it, it is possible. But no, the crystal disappeared and so the binds, then it can¡¯t be this. I think it¡¯s that you were somehow just a conduit. Connecting the crystal that was just here in this hole - I pointed towards the middle of the room - with yourself. -Why would they be connected? -Simple. It was the same. As for why and how that happened, I am as clueless as you are. -Okay¡­ but that still doesn¡¯t help us! It¡¯s gone now. -Sure. The Origin Crystal is. But the one, red and a much bigger one, is still here. And untouched. -And how does that help us? It¡¯s not like I can eat this one too! I had to stifle a laugh. -You really think that it¡¯s a required step? Come on, didn¡¯t you hear what I just explained? -What, you¡¯re going to tell me that I can just slap some blood on the rocks and be done with it? - she puffed. -That is precisely what I am saying, yes - I nodded. She couldn¡¯t believe what she was hearing. -And you¡¯re telling me that¡¯s security!? If binding is that easy, how in the hell is that helpful in any shape or form? -Not much - I agreed with her. - But at least it lets you cast your magic again, no? She stared at me with disbelief. -Don¡¯t look at me like that. Not my fault that¡­ okay, it might be a little bit of my fault. -And you¡¯re telling me that people used methods like this to secure their belongings? - she said, irritated. - That¡¯s some bullshit. -Well, first off, they¡¯d never use such a massive crystal in the first place - I calmly explained. - It would be a small pebble that would serve as a main point¡­ just like the one you ate, -Rgh¡­ -Wait, you said a center point¡­ can we make something like that again? - asked Kon. - Like, I don¡¯t know, chip a bit of the wall or something and make it a new main piece. -That could work, but in regular circumstances. -What does that mean? -That our circumstances are not regular - I grinned at him, but started explaining instantly. - It would work, sure, but only if the piece we had would be at least as powerful as any other remaining piece in the vicinity. And since the island is one big magical crystal¡­ -It is pointless¡­ - finished For for us. - Eh¡­ damn you. -More or less. -Can¡¯t we make the one we use be more powerful than the other? - he was not giving up. - Didn¡¯t you say that it¡¯s not the size that matters? -True, but¡­ -And the mana source! You said there''s a broken leyline in here? Wouldn¡¯t that be a great way to do it? Could you enhance it somehow? -I got to say, you¡¯re a creative one¡­ - I replied after a second of pondering. - But there are issues with that method¡­ -I am sure we can somehow get past it! Right? -Well¡­ I am not sure. First of all, about the mana source¡­ I gazed towards the hole in the middle of the room, trying to focus a bit more. Right, the room was not blindingly bright, so the overwhelming mana was no longer there, but it didn¡¯t mean that the whole leak was done and gone. The walls of the castle were still infused and it didn¡¯t look like it was going to change at all. Quite the opposite, the hole and the floor surrounding the opening was a bit brighter to me now, and I could tell that the leyline was still there. Not like it was possible to move it in the first place. -I know what you¡¯re thinking. I think it is already contained, you know. -Already? -Yes¡­ I felt the familiar itch of her borrowing more of my senses, but it was cut short. -Damn. This thing even works on me - she muttered. - I can¡¯t use mana as much as I like¡­ It still inhibits me. -But that doesn¡¯t stop you from feeling the mana around us. What did you spot? -Well, it¡¯s just as you thought - she started. - The leyline was not torn open as you¡¯d expect after the whole Origin Crystal went missing. -Yeah¡­ When he mentioned that idea, I thought we might have been able to create yet another one¡­ or at least use a piece of us to create a seed for one, to plug this hole¡­ But you¡¯re saying that it already got plugged? By what? -And what do you think? The island. -I know it was connected before, but didn¡¯t this thing work as a cork? Even without it, it still is connected? -Seems like it. -Persistent. -Well, at least the idea was good¡­ - I thought, directing my words to Kon, who, after listening to our conversation, started looking a lot more down. - Don¡¯t blame yourself. -Let¡¯s get our magic back in business first. Then we can try your thing. How do I do that? -Ah¡­ - I shook myself off, realizing that she was also in the room and didn¡¯t hear the whole conversation. - I don¡¯t think his idea¡¯s going to work, but you¡¯re right, we need our magic back - I agreed. - And it¡¯s simple. Just get some of your blood onto the crystal and speak the word. -The word? - she asked, confused. -Wait, your letter didn¡¯t specify that? -It did, but it was not one word, it was a whole incantation! - she said, suddenly worried. - I think I remember it¡­ -Incantation? Damn, speaking of overpreparing. -Overpreparing? -To bio-bind a crystal you just need a single word¡­ wait, what was that again¡­? -It was as dumb as it gets. It was just ¡°security¡± backwards. -Right¡­ Why the fuck do people think that¡¯s even easy to pronounce don¡¯t get¡­ You¡¯d think a man-made word would be easier for the tongue. Or brain. -Man-made? - asked Kon surprised, joining in. -Ah, right, you don¡¯t know. See, some words are not just regular, existing items and concepts. There are some that were made by people and integrated into leylines, to use as a shortcut. -Yes. So like in this case, we don¡¯t have to weave a long sentence of a spell, instead we can just use one word. -But¡­ why backwards? -Ah¡­ Er, I am not sure. -Some people said - started explaining Iloa - that it is the safest way. So no one will say it by accident. -Right¡­ I don¡¯t imagine someone randomly trying to talk backwards all of the sudden, so there is no risk that someone would accidentally discover some, top-secret spell or something. -Spells like that exist?! - he yelped, surprised. - What do they even do?! -If I told you they wouldn¡¯t be a secret any more. -And you know about them!? -Well, we were part of an organization that kind of was dealing with that¡­ -You told me that, but still! -Still what? -Don¡¯t overhype MIRE so much - said Iloa. - It¡¯s not like we were doing anything that interesting. -Working on AI and trying to harness life magic is pretty interesting - I pointed out. -Is it though? Apparently those people were doing that as well¡­ -Only thanks to us, let me remind you. -Right¡­ - I could feel spite in her words. - I almost forgot about him¡­ If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. -Er¡­ Mor? Did you remember? -Hm¡­? Wha? For was staring at me with anticipation. -You were about to say something, but? -Ah right, sorry¡­ I sort of got caught up in my thoughts. -You two are weirding me out¡­ - she muttered. - You just¡­ staring at each other like that. It¡¯s eerie. We exchanged looks with Kon. -Heh. Get used to that¡­ I feel like that might keep happening. -You¡¯re weird. So, did you remember? -Right. Yes, the word is avosydit. -Avo¡­ wha? -Don¡¯t look at me like that - I shrugged. - I was not the one who came up with that. -Right¡­ sure¡­ -I am serious. I think this one was made by some frenchman. -Like that explains much. -True, true¡­ Well, you just need to know how to do this, not why it is the way that it is. -I mean, yeah. So, I just what, speak the word and drink the blood, right? -Why are you so adamant on drinking that shit? - I squinted at her. - No! Just get a knife, or anything sharp, draw some blood and spray it on the crystal while speaking the word. That should bind you to it. She didn¡¯t look convinced, but nevertheless she nodded and produced a knife from¡­ somewhere? -Where do you people keep those knives? - I asked, staring at the small blade in her hand. -What do you mean? -Nothing - I shrugged. - It¡¯s just, every time there is a need for a tool like that, everyone seems to have it on hand, even though there wasn¡¯t really anywhere you would be able to hide something like this. -Ha - she smiled. - That¡¯s a secret. I rolled my eyes. -Right, right. Well, use your secret weapon then and let¡¯s get on with it. She nodded and took a breath, hesitating for a moment, but then quickly grabbed the blade, cutting open her palm, drawing blood. -Any piece should do, right? -Yeah. She stepped towards the furthest wall and touched it with her whole palm. -Avosydit. The reaction was immediate. The mana inside the crystal reacted at once, flashing with a dark red light. At first, it was just a singular spot, right where she placed her hand. She quickly removed it, but the light remained, in the shape of her hand, just like a bloody handprint on the wall, although a glowing one. -Is that it? - she asked, but before I was able to reply, the crystal did it for me. The handprint started¡­ melting, for lack of a better description. It sort of looked like the blood from her hand that was left on the wall was dripping down, staining the crystal, but that was not it. The blood itself was already gone and absorbed by the rock - it was just mana in the same color that was making it look that way. As she took a step back, to see the stain from another angle, curious, it suddenly started changing shape. From a handprint to a large pool of red, twice the size. Then, in a flash, the color spread through the whole chamber, covering the walls with a bloody red color. It would be probably a lot more eerie, if not for the walls being red in the first place. Antought this time, the color was a bit darker. While that was only one visible change, the three of us were able to tell that it was not the only thing that changed. The aura, or the mana of the place suddenly shifted to a much denser one. For a second I expected to get blinded again. And I did, for a brief moment. Just like a flashbang, the light assaulted me similarly to before. I was not able to tell if it was just as strong as then, or maybe it was even more potent, because it only was visible to me for a split second. Even Kon noticed that, because he flinched, staggering a step back. -What the hell was that?! - he yelped. -What happened?! - For was surprised, but as the only one who didn¡¯t react to the sudden flash, was just confused more than anything. -I think it¡¯s done - I replied, blinking a few times, trying to clear my vision. - It¡¯s just a bit of a sensation, that¡¯s it - I explained for Kon. - Come on, try a spell or something. -Okay¡­ I don¡¯t feel much different though¡­ Geksu, gmyo - she said, pointing her finger up. It worked. From her finger a small streak of fire started burning out, like a flame of a candle, although a lot bigger. It even surprised her. -Whoa! -Nice. -It works! But¡­ It¡¯s stronger¡­ I shrugged. -I guess. Well, good for you. Your turn, Kon. -Are you sure that¡­ it¡¯s safe? -Safe? -I don¡¯t know¡­ it¡¯s weird using blood for something like this¡­ It reminds me of the contracts too much¡­ - he admitted after a while. -Ah. No, don¡¯t worry - I assured him. - Your blood is immediately destroyed and can¡¯t be used to do anything else. But if you are worried, you can just use your hair. -Yeah, I was wondering about that - said For. - Why blood? How would that make this spell more powerful or not? It¡¯s kind of strange¡­ -Strange? -Yeah - she nodded. - How does this work exactly? How the ¡°power¡± you mentioned is determined. -It¡¯s simple, really. The more powerful it is, the higher level spells you can use. -You mentioned that multiple times already¡­ but what exactly are those levels? - asked Kon, clearly interested. -Right¡­ I keep forgetting that you lack the immediate knowledge that we have¡­ - I muttered. -To be honest¡­ - chimed in For - I don¡¯t know either. I mean, sure, I¡¯ve heard about the ¡°levels¡± and all that, but never knew how to differentiate the spells. I couldn¡¯t believe what I was hearing. A person who claims to be a leader of a guild and she¡¯s also this uneducated? -Damn - I shook my head in disbelief. - You two are really sheltered¡­ Both of them exchanged looks with a mix of shame and confusion. -You know, that might not exactly be true - interrupted me Iloa. -You mean¡­? -Yeah¡­ the knowledge about¡­ well, many things, seems to be lost in this place. That includes spell levels. -Right¡­ I knew that even knowledge about the magical script was not common, but I thought at least her¡­ -Really? Wasn¡¯t she even more sheltered than Kon? Dumped in some house for, I don¡¯t know, hundred of years, without any contact with the outside world? -It was really that long? - Kon, listening in, was pretty surprised. - She doesn¡¯t look that old¡­ -That¡¯s the elves for you¡­ -And even if she wasn¡¯t - I added - Your old man also changed her body to this, so it¡¯s possible that aging is strange for her. Just like with you¡­ -Yeah¡­ I still can¡¯t wrap my head around it¡­ I knew that he had somewhat similar power, but to do the exact same thing as me¡­ -It¡¯s hard to get your hands on a power that is unique in this kind of setting - I pointed out. - And even if you do, it usually is either too complicated to be useful or has some kind of drawbacks that are hard to iron out. -Right. Sorry, I forgot that the knowledge about magical algorithms is mostly lost here¡­ - I said out loud. -Algorithms? -Don¡¯t worry about that. For now, you just need to know that making spells is essentially converting words using a certain algorithm. Depending on the one used, you get the spell that is higher or lower level - I quickly explained. - And like I said, depending on what kind of material you are using to do your bio-binding, the higher level spells you are able to use. -So if I were to use, I don¡¯t know, hair - asked Kon - I wouldn¡¯t be able to use stronger spells? -Yep. -Well that¡¯s inconvenient. -Sure - I laughed. - But in your case, it won¡¯t make a difference. -How? I¡¯m¡­ -It¡¯s just you don¡¯t need to use more powerful spells - I quickly said. - Nor you know any. -Yeah, but you can tell me¡­ -Of course, of course. But there is no point. Listen, even with the first level incantations you can make any spell. -So what¡¯s even the point of those - asked For, now confused. - It seems like it¡¯s pointless¡­ -It sort of is - I admitted. - At least it is for people with a lot of mana. Or a way to recover it quickly. -What does mana capacity have to do with that? - asked Kon. -Simply, the higher level words make your spells more efficient - I explained. - That¡¯s why they are usually used in more complicated incantations. -Oh¡­ -Yeah. Since more complicated spells are usually more mana-hungry, to compensate, we use higher level words, to try and make up the difference. But in your case - I said to Kon - that¡¯s pointless. What, you¡¯re going to be using a fireball? I feel like you have enough mana for that. -You¡¯re right¡­ -And in any case, it¡¯s now better for you to be able to vent your mana quicker - I reminded him. - We don¡¯t need for you to get overwhelmed like me. -You got overwhelmed? - For got curious. -I mentioned that already. I broke my neck, remember? -Right, but I thought it was because of a wrong incantation, not mana¡­ -And where did you get that idea? -Well¡­ it¡¯s just you never said the incantation¡­ so I thought you failed¡­ -That¡¯s the weirdest thing I¡¯ve heard so far. No - I simply said, a bit perplexed. - The incantation was stellar, it was just thanks to me not being able to control myself yet¡­ -Don¡¯t blame me for that. -Shush. -In any case, Kon, go ahead and unlock your own magic - I reminded him. For nodded and handed him a knife she used to cut her hand open. -You want me to use what then¡­? - he asked, still unsure. -Do whatever you feel like - I simply said. - Being able to use anything will be enough for you. -Okay¡­ He grabbed the knife and cut off a handful of hair. -That¡¯ll be plenty. Now do the same thing she did. He nodded and walked towards the other wall, where For was still standing. -Avosydit - he said, placing his hand along with hair on the wall. The effect was as quick as with For, but not as spectacular, so to speak. Instead of the whole castle flashing with red, it was just the immediate area next to his hand that brightened up. But, just a blink of an eye later, a small wave passed through the island. Not as bright and not as red, I am not sure if it was even visible for anyone but us two, but it definitely had some sort of effect. -Geksu, gmyo. He casted a spell without either of us telling him to, and, just as expected, it worked. Funnily enough, the flame he summoned was as strong as the one For conjured, if not a bit stronger. Considering the fact that she was supposed to be some kind of powerful elf, and the fact that he barely put any mana into it, it was¡­ strange. I guess he was getting used to the Origin Crystal. -Nice. So now you just will need to repeat the process with your employees¡­ or at least Jacob, and you¡¯ll be good to go. -What about you? - asked Kon. - Don¡¯t you need to do this, too? That was a good question. Up till now I was not really thinking about myself, but would I be even able to? I didn¡¯t have any blood left, right? Nor any kind of biological matter, strictly speaking¡­ -That might be problematic¡­ - I muttered, half to myself, half to them. -Right - picked up For instantly. - What are you supposed to use? Do you have blood¡­? -Not really - I shrugged. - I never really checked though¡­ -Better now than never - she said, gesturing towards the knife Kon had. -I guess¡­ I carefully grabbed the handle of the knife, trying not to drain him in the process and took a good look at the blade. It looked pretty plain, and was definitely not enchanted. -Here goes nothing. I grabbed it with my palm, trying to cut open my hand, but I was met with just a sound of metal scraping against the rock. Both the weapon and my skin were undamaged. -Should¡¯ve expected that - said For, looking closer. -Er¡­ maybe you can¡­ try harder? - said Kon, not sure himself. -Well¡­ For, is that knife important or something? -Noo¡­? Why? -So you won¡¯t mind me breaking it? -And why would you want to do that? I didn¡¯t answer, just grabbed the blade and with all my strength squeezed the metal in my palm. Still nothing. I was not strong enough to actually do any damage to the knife, but I was pretty sure if I had a bit better grip strength, I would¡¯ve bent it in half. And, after looking a bit closer, I actually did bend it a little bit. -No dice, eh¡­? - she muttered. - How about¡­ I was a step ahead of her. Although I hesitated a tiny bit, I was pretty sure that nothing was going to happen to me, so I grabbed the knife by the handle, and with all my strength tried stabbing my own palm. All I managed to accomplish though was to startle Kon, who jumped, and snap the knife in half, sending sparks everywhere, accompanied with the unpleasant grinding noise. -Agh! Damn it, warn us beforehand! She did get startled as well, even though I was pretty sure that she was about to ask for me to do exactly this. -My bad. Well, I guess that plan is out of the picture. -Well, I guess you have to use your¡­ - started Kon, but his voice faded away, unsure what to say. -Yeah. My what? - I asked. - I don¡¯t really have hair any more. Nor anything that would work¡­ -Er¡­ and what would? - asked For, a bit intrigued. -Anything with DNA. Blood, hair, fingernails, spit¡­ -Yeah, I get it - she interrupted. - But what, does that mean you won¡¯t be able to use magic here? -Usc fi geksu. The spell fizzled. -It¡¯s not that simple, but yeah, the regular spells seem to be inhibited. -Regular? And there are others? - she now seemed a bit concerned. -Not exactly¡­ I mean¡­ I focused again. This time, I didn¡¯t attempt to create any kind of spell, instead just focused on the mana in the air. I was able to manipulate it without issue, gathering the orb of magic right in front of me. Kon noticed the attempt instantly, wide-eyed, but she was clueless. -I can still manipulate mana no issue, so I will be fine - I announced. -And how would that help you? - she asked, a bit confused. -First off, it means that I can still drain mana from people - I informed her. - I mean, that was pretty obvious. It means that I am still able to defend myself. -Well, even without that, doesn¡¯t mana just get absorbed by you anyway if you get touched by any spell? -Yeah. That¡¯s what I mean. -You thought that this thing might block even that kind of ability? - she was surprised. - Is this thing that powerful? -Hey, everything is possible. Better to be safe than sorry. But I must admit, I thought it would be impossible as well¡­ It¡¯s hard to completely block the Origin Crystal from functioning. -Hm. -And second, I also can boost you. -Boost? -Yea. And use mana as a fuel to do a couple of tricks. -That does not explain even a tiny bit, what? 118. Artificial Our conversation got interrupted by someone yelling. It came from the corridor, where the guards were still stationed. They were pretty far, so hearing them here was an indication of something definitely going down. -What the hell¡­? I thought I told you to not come in here¡­ But it was neither of the guards that were stationed outside. It was Jacob. -What are you doing here? Weren¡¯t you supposed to keep watch over your brother? -It¡¯s an emergency! It¡¯s Caleb, he¡¯s awoken! -And you left him unsupervised?! -It¡¯s not like¡­ But before he was able to finish, another loud noise interrupted him. This time it was closer, and sounded more like a fight. Soon the source of the noise appeared right at the entrance. It was Goldie, in the flesh. He looked tired and a bit worse for wear, but still standing. He was wielding the same sword I remembered last, which I found a bit strange, since I was pretty sure that it got destroyed last time. -Caleb, what the hell are you doing!? - yelled Jacob. -That¡¯s some manners! - puffed at him For. - You are a guest here and you have the guts to break in and threaten people with a weapon like that!? But he was not listening, or he was not able to. His eyes looked like they were glazed over, himself not completely present at the moment. As if to add to this eerie feeling , I was able to tell that he was not the only person present in that body. The mana was strangely mixed, with a hint of a familiar presence inside. -Well, I should¡¯ve known that Axelrod was not going to be easily cut off¡­ - I said, stepping forward, preparing myself for the inevitable assault. But the voice that I¡¯ve heard was definitely not one that belonged to Axelrod. Nor was it Goldie. -Intruders. The voice was so out of place it made all of us make a double take. -What in the fuck? -Mana connection unstable. Resorting to basic functions. The more it spoke, because it was definitely not a normal person, the weirder it was getting. Besides the fact that its voice did not fit at all with the body it had, the way it was talking was synthetic. I didn¡¯t have time to think though, because he raised his sword and charged right towards For. Strangely, he avoided me completely. I noticed For hesitate for a split second, but she then quickly fired a spell right at him. -Geksu tehu! She conjured a long arrow made of pure fire, or rather a spear. It instantly got launched towards him, aiming towards his weapon. I am not sure if that was an attempt at disarming him or just her poor aim, but the spell hit him right in the wrist, heating up the handle of his weapon. But, he did not react. She immediately repeated the spell multiple times and this time aimed at all of his limbs at once. It worked a bit better, although it did not stop him. It only slowed him down a tiny bit, staggering him with a force of multiple hits. -Caleb, stop! Jacob grabbed him in half, trying to pull him away from For, but he just got ignored. -Move! - I yelled at him and stepped in between the two, wanting to grab Goldie to drain him once more. Just as he swung his blade towards For, I managed to grab it with my hand, sending sparks everywhere. I must admit, even in that weird state, he had a lot of strength in his swing. As I stopped the blade, it looked like for the first time he actually noticed me. Did he recognize me? Just as I noticed that, the words that came out of his mouth confirmed my suspicion and confused me to no end. -Registered user detected. Please move. That was a bit too polite for someone swinging a sword at you. Also, ¡°user¡±? I was not about to try and overthink the situation now, so I just grabbed the weapon tighter so he wouldn¡¯t be able to swing it anymore and at the same time I grabbed his neck with my free hand. What I felt was strange. Sure, just like with anything else, I felt the mana flow to me, being absorbed by the crystal. Weirdly though, there was barely any to drain. Reflexively, I removed my hand, expecting him to fall down any second now, but that did not happen. He was just standing there like before, looking directly at me. -Interference detected. User recognized. Please, move, Mor. Everyone, including me, froze on the spot. While most of them were surprised and absolutely stunned that this¡­ thing knew my name, I was more concerned by the fact that I almost drained him from all the mana, he was still talking and didn¡¯t give away any signs of stopping. -Sorry in advance, Jacob - I said out loud and grabbed him once more. This time I was not going to limit myself and drain him dry. Okay, maybe not dry, but at least to the point where he¡¯d fall into a coma. As soon as I touched him again though, I noticed that his mana was back to the level it was when I touched him before. I took a breath and pulled as much energy from him as I could, without leaving him completely dry - I didn¡¯t want to kill him. At any moment I expected him to drop the weapon and fall down, but instead I just noticed that his eyes lit up and his mana jumped back to the level it had a second before, undoing my work. -User hostility detected. Warning. -What the hell are you, some kind of robot!? - I barked, irritated. -Results inconclusive. Reply cannot be formatted. -What in the everloving fuck¡­ I did not finish the sentence, because he swung once more at For, again stopped by me. -Stop it! -Command recognized. Entering standby mode¡­ failed. Multiple hostiles in the area. Defense system online. -Damn it! -What kind of thing is possessing him?! - asked Kon, slightly panicked. -Hell if I know. But for some stupid reason it knows me? -Yeah¡­ curious - agreed For. - You think that it might be his doing? -What, you think he was able to program Goldie? - I asked, raising a brow. - You think that¡¯s even possible? -I have no idea what you even mean¡­ If even she had no clue then we really were in a weird spot. I couldn¡¯t exactly just incapacitate him without hurting him pretty badly. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. -I hope you don¡¯t mind me getting a bit violent - I announced out loud to Jacob, but I think even he was already past the stage of trying to be careful with him He even beat me to it. -Geksu moho! But, alas, nothing happened. Right. After our meddling with the crystal he was unable to use magic. That was a problem, because I was in the same boat. But, I still had a weapon: myself. I straight up lunged at him. It was the first time I was using this new stone body like this, so I didn¡¯t expect it to be so easy. I definitely had to weigh more than a hundred kilos. Maybe even two, because he fell down instantly under my weight. The fact that he was also wearing armor definitely helped with that, making him less stable. As we fell on the ground with loud clanging and scraping noises, sending sparks everywhere, I wanted to knock him the hell out. And the easiest way was with a nice and quick punch to the head. But, it was not that easy. While I managed to knock him down without issue, he immediately raised his arms, blocking my fist and I just bounced off his golden armor. -Multiple hostile attempts detected. Overwriting protocol. I raised my hands, expecting him to strike at me back, but nothing came. -Weird. Why is he not attacking¡­? -User input is breaking set parameters. Verification required. -The hell? -Parameters unrecognized. The more this was going on, the weirder this whole encounter was getting. We needed to do something. -Kon, For, you¡¯re up. Up till now they were standing there, slack-jawed, unsure what¡¯s going on. I can¡¯t blame them for that, but that was no time for that. -Come on! You know we can¡¯t cast anything on him, use your magic! -But we¡¯ll hit you! - protested Kon, shaking the initial stun first. -And so what!? You know very well that I¡¯ll be fine! -Fine! Geksu qomlu! I didn¡¯t expect for her to be so direct: he straight up summoned a fireball, larger than my head, and was about to chuck it right at us. I prepared for an inevitable hit, but it didn¡¯t come. It was Jacob: he stopped her mid-spell, grabbing her hand. -Don¡¯t! You¡¯ll kill him! Bind him instead! -Like that¡¯s¡­ Before she was able to say anything, Kon went ahead and acted first. -Geksu moho! I am not sure if he knew what kind of spell he was casting, because I am sure I have never told him what ¡°moho¡± meant. It probably was Iloa¡¯s work. The spell activated, and from the palm of his hand a long streak of fire shot right towards the two of us. At first, Jacob wanted to try and tackle him to interrupt, but he recognized the spell. After all, he just attempted to use it a second ago. The spell was a type of binding spell. While ¡°moho¡±, or rather ¡°bind¡± was a bit of a strange word to combine with fire, it worked nonetheless. The streak of flame split into a bunch of smaller, thinner ones, and was about to wrap themselves around the two of us like some net. Before it managed to touch us though I quickly pushed Goldie away from me, breaking the contact and pushing him closer to the fire. It sort of worked. The spell split in two, one branch shooting at Goldie, while another snaked its way and passed above his head, aiming for me. In a split second, Goldie was wrapped with a fiery rope, restricting his movements. I don¡¯t think I need to add that the spell didn¡¯t work on me at all, just harmlessly dispersed into mana that I absorbed as it touched my body. Good thing that the two of us were already separated, because the effort would be instantly in vain. But, he was not able to sit in one place for too long. -Threat reassessment complete. Deploying countermeasures. That did not sound good, but we got lucky. -Wipwu gmyo. He attempted to cast a spell to douse the flames that were binding him, but, just as me, he was unable to cast anything. -Anomalous bio-binding detected. Magical systems offline. Damn, he was quick on the uptake. But no matter, that at least meant that the security that we just repaired was working flawlessly. -Can someone explain, what the fuck is going on?! - yelled For after making sure that the spell was holding. -I don¡¯t understand either! - replied Jacob, trying to gather himself. - I never expected that he¡¯d be even able to do something like this! -¡±Like this¡±? What happened, exactly? - I asked, patting out the remains of the fire that hit me just a second ago. - You came here like¡­ -The others! - he yelped, remembering something. - A second, I need to¡­ And he sprinted out of the room, leaving all of us speechless. -I guess we should follow? - I muttered. -I think¡­ Anyway, good job, Kon. How long can you keep this spell up? - For asked him. -I still feel strong¡­ To be honest, I never used anything similar to this¡­ so I am not sure. -You should be good for a while - I said, looking at Goldie, now hanging mid-air, suspended with fire. -Yes, but¡­ -Don¡¯t worry - assured go For. - Just tell me when you feel like you¡¯re starting to lose focus, then I¡¯ll take over. He nodded. -By the way, what the hell are you going to do with him? - I asked as we were leaving the chamber. - To the cell, like me? -That would be a good idea - she admitted. - But first I need to have a talk with him¡­ Both of them. What in the hell happened? -I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re going to learn anything from him - I pointed out. -Yeah¡­ he sounds¡­ I don¡¯t know, insane? Weird? How do you even explain that? -Before either of us starts making up some reasons, let¡¯s first ask them both. Preferably Jacob first, he is at least mostly sane. -¡±Mostly¡±? -Okay, okay. Outside we found Jacob and the two guards that were not so long ago stationed here to protect the chamber. The two of them were lying on the floor, pretty badly beaten. Eicam had a bloody nose, while Abes was clutching his leg with a painful expression. Upon a closer look I could tell that the direction his foot was facing was definitely not forward¡­ -The fuck? Did his brother do that? -Yesh - mumbled Eicam. The blood from the broken nose made it hard for him to speak. - Whe didnh¡¯t¡­ -We had no idea what¡¯s going on - picked up on the explanation Abes. - He just ran here and demanded access to the room behind, where you were. I told him that it¡¯s impossible and only ones that have direct permission from you can get closer, not even him, but he was not listening. He blurted out some weird stuff about ¡°obstructing¡± and started moving forward. We tried stopping him, but you can see how that ended up - he finished, pointing towards his leg. - Good thing that he was only using his fists¡­ -I can¡¯t believe it¡­ - mumbled For. - Even him? To betray his own brother¡­ I cannot believe this¡­ -And you don¡¯t need to - I said. - I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that easy. Let¡¯s talk to the other one first. But, while Abes was telling us his adventures from today, Jacob was already gone. -The hell is he¡­ -He wenth to yhour towher, bossh - mumbled Eicam. -What is he trying to do? -Let¡¯s go and check. We went towards the tower and her room, but on the way we first stopped at the dungeon. Kon and For quickly managed to contain him within a cell. Not without some issues though. But, surprisingly, the issues were not related to the prisoner. It was the locking mechanism: it was busted, or rather unresponsive. Apparently, the whole lock system of the castle was tied to the earlier bindings, and since we had to rebind those, this time For had a hard time locking the door. We ended up repeating the spell we did in the chamber and connected the crystals once more to her, meaning that now she was the only one able to open or close the dungeons. The whole process of canning him was surprisingly calm. He was just staring blankly into space, not moving. He somewhat reminded me of For in her weird trance before, but he was a bit more responsive¡­ Well maybe that¡¯s a bit of a misleading sentence¡­ As we were walking down, she asked him a couple of questions and he did answer, but only with another offputting sentence: -User not recognized. No information available. -The longer it goes, the more I think he¡¯s now some kind of a robot¡­ - I thought to myself, but was immediately corrected by Iloa. -More like a program. Say, Mor, doesn¡¯t it all sound familiar? -A bot? What, really? Don¡¯t you think it''s a bit far-fetched? -Far-fetched? After learning that Mike is still alive and you have turned into a crystal, just like me, I feel like anything can happen. -Er¡­ sorry, but what¡¯s a ¡°bot¡±? Right. He wasn¡¯t the most educated person¡­ But well, even if he was, I doubt that in this world there was an idea of automated programs, or any programs for that matter. -Sorry, it¡¯s a bit hard to explain¡­ -It¡¯s like something automated - picked up Iloa. - Build in a way that it only can act in a certain, predefined way. -That¡¯s¡­ strange. -Get used to that - I chuckled. - If I am correct¡­ we are correct, then it¡¯s not the weirdest thing you¡¯re going to hear today. -Oh¡­ As we were talking like this, we managed to arrive at the tallest tower and started climbing the staircase leading to For¡¯s room. Not sure what to expect, For was a bit hesitant, especially after we started hearing some noises coming from upstairs. 119. Possessed But, the noise had a pretty mundane source. It was just Jacob, who arrived here before us. He didn¡¯t go to For¡¯s chambers though, he was a floor lower, in one of the guest rooms. And with him was Felix. I already knew that he was in here, but seeing his face was still surprising. Especially after I noticed that he too got caught in Caleb¡¯s weirdness. He was lying on the bed with a clearly broken leg. But, unlike the one of the guards downstairs, his was not swollen and twisted. Didn¡¯t mean that it was not as painful, though. -Did you really have to run so fast up here to just check up on his broken leg? For was not amused by his behavior. -Why¡­ Why am I here¡­? Felix looked a bit confused, and only just noticed us come in. -Oh! Miss For! He wanted to stand up, but he couldn¡¯t even move his leg, only managed to shuffle a bit. It also made me notice that not only was his leg broken, there was also a large, sword shaped bruise on the side of his head. So he also got knocked out like this, huh? -Lay down, it¡¯s fine - she waved him off. - What happened here? -I¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ -I am not sure - picked up Jacob for him. - I assigned Felix to guard my brother and ordered to notify me as soon as he awakes. But I never expected for him to recover so quickly. Felix opened his eyes wider, seemingly remembering. -Right! The¡­ he¡­ -They know - assured him Jacob. -He¡¯s already contained - added For. - Thanks to our new guests here¡­ - she gestured towards me and Kon, who now entered the room behind her. Felix looked a bit confused, but nodded. -But do tell us, what exactly happened? - I asked. - We know he awakened somehow and managed to assault multiple people just to¡­ do what exactly? -I don¡¯t know - he shook his head. He immediately regretted the decision to move. -I only know that he got set free because I came here to check up on everything¡­ He was already gone then, and I found Felix lying down on the floor, unconscious. I never expected that he¡¯d attack anyone¡­ Especially someone from here¡­ -Yeah¡­ that¡¯s weird¡­ What got into him¡­? And that strange manner of speech too¡­. - wondered For aloud. -Can you tell us anything more, Felix? -I¡­ Everything seemed fine¡­ - he started. - When I was ordered to stay here, I thought it was just another boring guard duty¡­ but apparently not. I mean, it was, for a while at least. He laid there like a lifeless body for a good while. I even thought that he might be dead¡­ -Oh, come on. I didn¡¯t drain that much¡­ - I muttered to myself. -Yeah, apparently not enough - agreed with me For. -After a while he suddenly stiffened on his bed. I approached, curious, but he jolted up and stood up completely, looking right at me. He was unresponsive at first, I even shook him a few times, but got no reply. After a moment though he turned and looked directly at me, asking where he was. -Where he was? - For was confused. -Yes¡­ I know that seems very weird, but I already knew that he¡¯s a bit¡­ eccentric, so I thought that¡¯s just him being strange. Or that he¡¯s confused after being knocked out. His voice was strange though¡­ -And you replied? -Yes. I told him that we are in the Red Edge and he got moved here after he fainted. He didn¡¯t say a word, just stared blankly at the wall. I wanted to go and notify you about the sudden change, but as I was about to leave, he started walking out. I was told to not let him go under any circumstances, but he just shoved me away and started walking, so I had to pull out a weapon. -Weapon? Not use magic? - I asked. He immediately turned red. -I¡­ I don¡¯t have much magic¡­ So no, I did not use it. -Okay, whatever works I guess¡­ -But it didn¡¯t work - he frowned, visibly ashamed. - Quite the opposite. He pulled his own weapon and swung at me. I managed to block one swing, but the next one has knocked me off-balance. -Ah, so that¡¯s how you broke your leg¡­ -Yeah¡­ - he mumbled. - He noticed my lapse in concentration and immediately aimed at my head, knocking me out completely. Then I blacked out. Next thing I remember is being in this room, lying on the bed and¡­ -And Jacob running in - I finished for him. -That does not explain shit - said For, a bit annoyed. -You say you didn¡¯t drain that much, but you really did drain him dry - commented Iloa. - The fact that he managed to wake up is straight up weird. -Right? -I thought that was strange too¡­ - agreed with us Kon. - But we are in an infused place¡­ is that maybe why¡­? -No - I immediately disagreed. - He was not even remotely close to the real source of mana. -And he was living here for a long while - added Iloa. - He had to be used to this kind of environment. -Right¡­ So why then? -I assume that he had to get mana from somewhere else¡­ While that sounds absolutely insane, it¡¯s not the first time we¡¯ve seen something like this. -Right. Axelrod. -Like when you were under that village? -Yep. But there¡¯s a problem. Then I was easily able to tell who was speaking with the voice alone. -It changed when he took over? -Yep. -There¡¯s another issue. We also deduced that back then it was not some kind of possession¡­ It was just Odar taking his form¡­ or other way, depending how you want to look at it - I pointed out. -Exactly. -So it¡¯s not him? - asked Kon. -I still can be Axelrod. It wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to think that he¡¯s got some kind of safety mechanism embedded in his employees, right? We do live in the era of slaves and magical contracts after all. -Yeah¡­ We managed to do that, so why wouldn¡¯t he? -Wouldn¡¯t that mean that he¡¯s got a similar connection to him¡­? -That is concerning, true¡­ - agreed Iloa. - Especially the fact that he managed to do it on purpose¡­ -Hm. Yes¡­ being able to actively reproduce something like this could be dangerous¡­ -Especially en masse¡­ -En masse? You mean¡­? -Yeah, mass mind control - I confirmed his suspicion. -Or just straight up puppeteering. -That is scary. He shuddered. -Let¡¯s not be so dramatic yet - I stopped him. - For all we know it can be something completely else. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. -Yes¡­ But even if it is what we fear, it can¡¯t be easy to pull off - she pointed out. - With our merge we needed a great source of mana¡­ -Yeah¡­ those used to be pretty rare, but after spending some time here I am not so sure about that any more¡­ -We did find two in quick succession¡­ be it luck or not, Axelrod has a lot more resources to find them¡­ -Well, maybe not. The elves did somewhat drain him¡­ -Right. Elves. Why the hell are they even attacking? -I mean, after we heard that story of miss For, can it have something to do with her legacy? -Why would they attack Jack then? Wouldn¡¯t they target Jacob and For? Not Axlerod? For all we know he has nothing to do with either of them. -Well, he is somehow connected¡­ he did supposedly hire the brothers¡­ -That makes no sense¡­ -Right? All this is confusing¡­ Our discussion petered out, the lack of concrete information and overall uncertainty did not help. Maybe for the better, because we realized that we¡¯ve been staring into space for a good while now, and while For, Felix and Jacob weren¡¯t exactly saying anything, they were waiting for some kind of reply from me. -Ehm¡­ That¡¯s¡­ concerning. Do we have any idea why he started acting like that? - I asked out loud, directing the question to the room. -I know it¡¯s going to sound insane - said Jacob - but it just feels like he''s possessed¡­ Is that even possible¡­? -Good question¡­ - muttered For. - I mean, judging by the stories I can¡¯t say that¡¯s not out of the realm of possibility¡­ -I honestly am not sure either¡­ - I admitted. - I did think that the one explanation for this was indeed that he was not himself. I also think that this sudden burst of aggression, this way of speech, that¡¯s not him. -And the fact that he was actually somewhat competent for once. -That¡¯s debatable. -Fine¡­ so possession. Let¡¯s say¡­ I believe that - said Jacob. - So by what? -The obvious answer is Axelrod, he¡¯s the most powerful one. -Yeah, he¡¯s weird enough that I can agree - I said, not wanting to try and explain what we just discussed in our heads just seconds ago. -Well¡­ so where do we go from here? I can¡¯t just leave him like this, locked in a cell. -Hey, he can survive - I waved him off. - I had to stay there multiple times and you don¡¯t hear me complain. -You did complain though. -Okay, you don''t hear me complain much - I rolled my eyes. -The point is, we have no clue what to do with him - reminded For. - Can we somehow restore him to his regular self¡­? Break the spell, or whatever that is? -Yeah, if that would be so easy - I sighed. - First off, we don¡¯t know what is controlling him. What worries me though is that, whatever it is, it has to be nearby. -What?! - gasped For. - How do you know?! -I tried draining him, right? -Yeah. And failed - said For. - What¡¯s up with that? I thought that that weird crystal of yours was able to drain anything¡­? -And it is - I agreed. - As a matter of fact, I indeed drain him. Almost too much even. -So why then¡­ -I don¡¯t know, but somehow, from somewhere he got his magic regenerated¡­ or maybe boosted by something. -And you think that that something was the thing possessing him? -Or at least influencing - I agreed. -That¡¯s annoying¡­ so even your strange methods are out of the picture. -Seems so. I must admit, I wanted to just straight up try again to drain whatever is inside, but by now I am pretty sure that he¡¯d just regenerate again. Since he has that external secondary power source, I can¡¯t exactly drain him completely¡­ -I guess he has to stay in the cell then - sighed Vendi. -Wait, maybe not exactly¡­ I have an idea. -Oh? Please, do share. -You said that something that is influencing him is also supplying him mana, right? -I assume so - I nodded. - For the enchantment, or whatever that is, to constantly work even in the presence of my crystal draining the mana from the body, he has to have an external power source. -Er¡­ And how about reversing that? -Reversing? What, so you want to give him mana? -Not really, but that might work as well¡­ You said you were very sensitive to mana¡­ Would you be able to trace it back to the source? -What do you think I am, some kind of dog that can track people with their smell? Come on, I might have a lot of experience under my belt, but something like this¡­ There is no spell like that even! -Something like this could actually work - surprisingly announced Iloa. - It just could get a bit finicky¡­ -You mean it? - asked Kon. -Well, she¡¯s saying that, but it¡¯s more complicated than it sounds - I thought, trying to figure out how exactly we should go about it. -Yes¡­ and the current situation is not helping¡­ if only we had some of our resources from the MIRE¡­ -Ha. You never notice how you have gotten used to automatization¡­ -Automatization? Kon was confused. -Well, yeah. I told you we used to work on different kinds of magic. You thought we were doing everything alone? -I guess manpower is a bit hard to come by in our current situation¡­ I myself am not the best helper, you¡¯re right¡­ -Manpower? No¡­ or, well, sort of yes - I replied, a bit perplexed. - Right, I keep forgetting the fact that the technology is non-existent here¡­ -Right¡­ Listen Kon, long story short, we used to have machines that would do the most of the work for us, be it creating spells or anything else. -Yeah. It was doing the most of the job for us. -What?! How would that even work¡­!? -A lot of ones and zeros - I laughed. - You don¡¯t need to understand. The issue is, we no longer have it. -Can we¡­ rebuild it? - he asked, still not giving up. - If that was a machine¡­ -Rebuild? Ha. Hardly - chuckled Iloa. - Like we know how. And even if we did, it wouldn¡¯t help much. -I thought you said¡­ I sighed. -Don¡¯t confuse him, we don¡¯t need him to get an engineer¡¯s degree now. Kon, don''t overthink it. To end the discussion, even if we were to rebuild it, it would be just a machine, an empty husk. Like a body without a head. -Err¡­ -The main thing is, we can¡¯t do it. We just have to try by ourselves. -Right¡­ - I said aloud. - That is an idea, but I am unable to just do that, I, straight up, cannot do it. I don¡¯t know how. -Didn¡¯t you say that with your knowledge of magical language the spells are just a technicality and you can do whatever you put your mind to? - asked For. -And I also said that casting spells without previously testing them is dangerous. -Like you haven¡¯t done that multiple times already - she said, rolling her eyes. - Even just not so long ago, downstairs. Or you¡¯re going to tell me that the spell you did was tested and all, huh? -Funny you mention that, it actually was. Twice. -What? -I told you. And you¡¯re looking at the effects. She still was a bit confused, but I decided to not care. -Before we start with those weird ideas, let¡¯s go to the source using a bit easier way, maybe, huh? -And that is? -Let¡¯s ask him - I simply said. - We have a numbers advantage. And a bunch of very talented people who definitely are able to make him talk, right? She squinted at me, not sure what to answer. Jacob on the other hand was on board. -I can make him talk, no problem. -Huh?! How? -Remember, he is my brother after all, I can control him. -Wait, what? - I asked, confused. - I thought that Bert is his owner? -Bert? Well, he is, but I am not talking about that. Remember, when the king appeared here he used some kind of magic that could see through you, right? -I don¡¯t think that was it¡­ - I muttered. - It probably was just a way to see if someone was lying. But what about it? -As a matter of fact I was able to hear the spell. I thought I might just try copying it. -Oh. Good ear. But I still need confirmation. What spell was that? He opened his mouth, about to say something, but got silenced by For. -Stop! I don¡¯t need a weird spell being cast on me by accident! Go write it or something! -Good thinking - I nodded. - But unnecessary. -Unnecessary? I thought you were the one pushing being careful with spells? -And I still am. But remember what we just did downstairs? Noone besides you and Kon can cast any spells right now. -What?! - yelped Jacob. - That¡¯s impossible. I swore¡­ -That has nothing to do with your faith or loyalty - I waved him off. - It was a side effect of the recent tampering with the security of the castle. -I wonder who¡¯s been tampering¡­ -In any case, it¡¯s just a matter of redoing the binding again. You¡¯ll be fine. He clearly was not convinced. And as to confirm, he raised his hand and attempted casting a spell. -Ive geksu. He stared expectantly at his palm, but nothing happened. -Ive geksu! Usc fi geksu! -Don¡¯t bother, you can¡¯t do it. Told you. Instead, better tell me what the spell was. He tried two more times with slightly different spells before he finally made sure that indeed he was blocked. -Okay¡­ Well, it was pretty long, but I am pretty sure that I remembered everything correctly. It was: ¡°Doy niptuhu itvut qypove, nepe itvut me kyhotvu, fosy me wisup ey itvut nusvohove, no usfupet em wo voekp¡±. -Damn. You really do have a great memory - I mumbled, impressed. - But...I know that spell¡­ - I said after a second of consideration. - And I was right, it was to detect lies, not to force someone to talk. -You know it? Great! Then you can cast it! I am sure you¡¯re better than¡­ -No, no, I meant I know OF it. To be honest, I never cast it myself, I was on the receiving end, actually - I said, smiling. -Receiving¡­? -Ah. It was Melle, wasn¡¯t it? - asked For, remembering. -Precisely. But I think hers was longer. And she had to do the whole ritual. Took my hair and stuff¡­ -Huh. I guess the king is more proficient¡­ -So what are we waiting for? Let¡¯s go. 120. Puzzled Before we left though, we first quickly performed the same ritual for Jacob - after all, his magic would be important for all this. At first For wanted to go back down again, to go to the same spot as before, but I convinced her otherwise. After all, it was one large crystal, and where exactly the ritual was performed was a non-factor. Few drops of blood later he was able to cast again. On our way we checked with Eicam and Abes. They supposedly were called back from the depths and were recovering from the attack. It was For¡¯s decision, and the only logical one - after all, there was nothing to guard down there anymore. They both were now in one of the rooms neighboring the staircase leading to her tower. Felix also wanted to join them, but stayed upstairs for now, since he couldn¡¯t stand up on his own yet. Speaking of, I have no clue how that duo managed to get out of there. Between the broken leg and concussion, I guess they had to somehow lean on each other¡­? I sort of expected that something would¡¯ve happened before we arrived, but nope. Goldie still was calmly sitting in the cell. This time there wasn¡¯t even a single soul guarding him, he was just left here without any supervision. Sure, they had a bit of a manpower problem, but it seemed like a bit of an oversight¡­ The one leading the questioning and also the one who dragged him out of the cell was, of course, his brother. He also requested for me to be close as well, saying that my ability to drain mana would be helpful in case of emergency. I was not so sure about that, but complied nonetheless. If we weren¡¯t sure if he was possessed before, right now our doubts would be dispelled. For him to walk calmly like this and then just sit at the table with a blank expression was absolutely impossible. But, that was what was happening right now. No words, no protests, no attempts at escape. Well, not like he had any chances to begin with, sure, but that hasn''t stopped him in the past. Jacob was not playing around. Just as he sat him down at the table that I very well knew from my interrogation, he pulled out a dagger from somewhere under his clothes and unceremoniously cut off a few strings of his brother¡¯s hair. Goldie didn¡¯t even react, not to the knife being pulled on him, nor to the abrupt cut. Still was just staring blankly in front of him. That definitely was unnerving for everyone present. -Okay. Let¡¯s start - announced Jacob, grasping tightly the strands of hair and took a deep breath. -Doy niptuhu itvut qypove, nepe itvut me kyhotvu, fosy me wisup ey itvut nusvohove, no usfupet em wo voekp. The moment he spoke the words we instantly felt the change in the air of the room, and it was not the mood that shifted. Quite the opposite, it was still as serious as before. It was the mana of the area. I never told that to Jacob, nor I even considered telling him to attempt that, but he did it anyway, be it on purpose or accidentally: he used the crystal of the castle as a conduit. It had some¡­ interesting prospects. First of all, I think I don¡¯t even have to mention the fact that the spell was more powerful than intended. But hey, what does that mean, that something that makes you tell the truth is more powerful? What, you¡¯re going to be telling more? The answer is no. For those kinds of spells the effect is premade and unchangeable, the only thing that can be influenced is scale, or in this case, the target. Or rather the amount of them. I can¡¯t tell if that was on purpose, but this weird truth serum just affected the whole room. Kon immediately noticed something different and looked at me questioningly. -It worked for the whole room - I quickly informed him. - Don¡¯t talk if you want to keep your secrets. He nodded and turned his focus to Goldie. Strangely, the moment the spell took hold, he raised his head and for the first time it looked like he acknowledged our presence. Still didn¡¯t say a word though. -Okay. That¡¯s working. Let¡¯s get to it. For nodded and with interest started observing the process of questioning. Bud Jacob was not done yet. He pulled out from a small pouch on his belt a¡­ piece of wood? To be honest, it looked not very much different from all those pieces I¡¯ve seen on Jack, that were supposed to be the anchors. Those, though, didn¡¯t have any markings at all. Also they looked a lot less well-made, if that¡¯s something that can be even said about the junk that Jack had. It just seemed like he pulled out a piece of bark that had been pulled from the tree trunk somewhere. He ignited it with a small fire spell and I immediately understood what he was intending to do. I was about to chase For and Kon away, or maybe just mostly For, but she was a step ahead of me. She had already stepped outside of the room, but left the door open. She even tried fashioning some kind of face cover with a random piece of cloth that looked suspiciously like it belonged to Jacob¡¯s clothes. Kon, on the other hand, just stepped a bit backwards, trying to get behind me. Not like that was going to help him. The smoke was thick and aromatic, like a mixture of burning pinewood and some kitchen spices, quite different from the one they used last time. What he wanted to do was to make him talk: and while we didn¡¯t have any spell to do that for us, he decided to use the simplest technique: making him drunk. -Just don¡¯t knock yourself out - I muttered. It worked faster than expected. I don¡¯t know where she got that from or how she made this thing, but Eise had definitely gotten better results this time. It was a matter of one breath and his eyes were already glazed over. I mean, more than they were before¡­ Or maybe it was just because the smoke was literally right in his face. -So. What the hell was that supposed to be? Why are you attacking us? - asked Jacob, being careful not to breathe in the smoke. -... The only reply was his gaze, absolutely vacant. Maybe even more than before. -Mhm. Silence. Not feeling like talking? Still nothing. He repeated the questions a couple of times, getting increasingly impatient, with the exact same result. Excuse me, I said that Eise¡¯s gotten better results? Well let me correct that: she got too good of a result. I am sure that whatever that smoke was, it was packing more of a punch than the potion I had to procure to wake Jacob up. Which was now the problem. Sure, it managed to absolutely knock his socks off, but it hit him so hard that he was unresponsive, not talkative as Jacob was banking on. Kind of stupid really. Funnily enough, if he was to use the stuff she burned down last time, it most likely would¡¯ve worked like a charm. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. -Get that stuff away from him - I finally said, not in the mood to watch him lose his sanity slowly and surely. - It¡¯s clear that you¡¯re overdone this. -You can say that again - said For from the door. - I¡¯m not even there and I feel that thing. How can you even function right now? Both of you. I shrugged. I¡¯ve been through a lot of weird mana surges lately, so I already decided to not be surprised by those things. On the other hand, Jacob was pretty close to the source and looked absolutely fine¡­ -It¡¯s some special blend - he explained. - It¡¯s only supposed to work on the person that directly inhales the smoke¡­ But looking at you I am not so sure¡­ - he said, pointing at For. -Hm. So that¡¯s how those incenses of hers are supposed to work, huh? -Well, it worked for him - she nodded. - Too bad not in the way we wanted¡­ Yeah, he was still unresponsive, gazing into the space in front of him. -Well, not like we¡¯re missing much, I think - mumbled Kon, next to For. - He was already hard to understand, if anything that he said was even something understandable. Or that made any sense, actually. -True - I agreed with him. - Since his ¡°change¡± he was only talking like a strange robot. -Hm¡­ I think I¡¯ve heard that term before¡­ but I don¡¯t remember¡­ I think it was in one of the books back at my first home¡­ Aren¡¯t those some strange artificial humans? Or parts of them? -You¡¯re actually not that far off - I said, surprised that she knew about something like that. - Damn. Those books had to be quite interesting. -Don¡¯t get your hopes up. I don¡¯t have them any more, all of them were sold to Axelrod. Well, now I know what for - she said with a dark expression, looking right towards Goldie. -Nah, it doesn¡¯t work that way - I shook my head. - It¡¯s not like with the remnants, you don¡¯t put the person into another body, you make both the head and the actual person. The second part is a bit complicated though. -That¡¯s¡­ quite an interesting prospect¡­ but I believe that we should first deal with him¡­ -And how do you propose we do that? -First off, put off that stupid incense! Or we all are going to be wasted soon! I am not going to bet on her designs working¡­ -Right, right¡­ Jacob grabbed the wood and broke it in half. The burning piece he extinguished with his own hand, while the other part he hid somewhere in his clothes. -Now, if you¡¯d be so kind Mor, can you get a good look at him? You can see his mana, right? How¡¯s he? I was already a step ahead of her. But the additional time that I had didn¡¯t help me understand what I was looking at. First off, he looked a bit¡­ weird, like he was split into two. It was similar to the feeling I was getting from Kon after his merge, but a bit more¡­ chaotic I want to say? And not like I felt more than two presences, it was more like it was hard to distinguish where exactly the ¡°other being¡± was. It was not what confused me, though. What was weird was the fact that all his mana was not that of a person¡­ it was just like I was looking at a large piece of raw mana. Like an unrefined infused gem that I just found somewhere next to a leyline. It was also not the same mana that I felt flowing in the room thanks to the smoke and the incense. Sure, it was present, but it wasn¡¯t as overwhelming as I thought it should¡¯ve been. After all, he¡¯s been sitting in the smoke all this time, breathing it in without a slightest hint of hesitation or cough. Yet, at the same time, the other piece, the main one I assume, was definitely human and very much weak. Be it thanks to him not being the greatest mage on the planet, or just the fact that he was now in a trance. -This is peculiar¡­ I relayed the information that I just noticed to my companions. That also definitely did not help with the current situation, only made both For and Jacob be on even more edge than before. -Well, I wanted to make you drain him a little bit so he¡¯d be a bit more responsive, but after this, I am not sure¡­ For you to drink that weird mana? That''s¡­ -Even if you were not to ask this of me, I¡¯d have done it anyway. I am curious about this too¡­ and now doubly so. -Isn¡¯t that a bit risky for you to drain this kind of energy? - she asked, a bit unsure. -Yes! It really is weird - agreed Kon. - While I¡¯ve not seen much yet, I¡¯ve never noticed mana this confusing before¡­ Do you really have to do it? -Hey, I already had drained his mana before. I didn¡¯t feel anything, why would this time be different. Also, if any of you has a better idea, then go for it. I can¡¯t be the only one useful in this situation, right? But, the truth was that there was no better answer. At least for now. Nevertheless, I wanted to be a bit careful this time. Maybe because of their worries, I started getting concerned as well, at least a little. I carefully placed my hand on his neck and focused, preparing for the inevitable stream of mana. But it did not come. That was perplexing. So much that I just stopped dead in my tracks, frozen. Kon looked worried, Jacob even more so. Especially after I didn¡¯t remove my hand for a good moment. -Err¡­ Mor? Are you sure you need that much? For was looking at me with concern, remembering the explanation of my power. -Aren¡¯t you going too far?! - asked Jacob, coming closer. - What are you doing?! Are you trying to kill him?! I just looked at him with an expression almost as blank as Goldie¡¯s. -It¡¯s¡­ not working¡­ - I finally said, not releasing him still. - I can¡¯t¡­ I couldn¡¯t find my words. I was honestly not sure what was going on. Did I lose the ability to drain mana¡­? I shook myself out of confusion and released my grip. I only just realized that I had accidentally squeezed him a bit too hard, although he didn¡¯t even flinch. But I was not worried about that. -Did¡­ did I¡­ Jacob was clearly not amused and leaned closer towards his brother, trying to see if she was still breathing. Of course he was, there was literally no change in his behavior, nor in his mana capacity. He just¡­ was sitting there. Unsure about this event I approached him. -I am sorry in advance¡­ - I said towards Jacob and grabbed his neck, just like I did to his brother. Reaction was immediate. From both me and him: the immediate mana flow hit me and jolted me awake. He jumped back, startled and wiggled free of my grasp, although unnecessarily. I already moved my hand to not absorb too much and was staring at my, now slightly brighter, palm. -What the fuck are you doing?! - he yelped, now fully understanding what just happened. - You were supposed to do that to him, not me! -What the hell is going on with you?! -Sorry, but¡­ I had to check¡­ - I said, after a minute of silence. - I honestly don¡¯t understand either¡­ -What just happened¡­? Iloa was as confused as I was. -I don¡¯t know¡­ - I said out loud. - I wanted to absorb his mana, just as I said¡­ but¡­ I couldn¡¯t¡­ -You mean he¡¯s dead?! - Jacob yelped and quickly checked his pulse. -No¡­ it¡¯s not like that¡­ - I assured him. - He does have mana¡­ quite an unusual one, but still has some¡­ for some reason I am unable to drain it¡­ -But why attack me!? -It was not an attack¡­ - muttered For, understanding my intentions. - You thought you lost your ability, didn¡¯t you? -Yeah¡­ but that¡¯s not it, as we can clearly hear I was able to drain you, Jacob. Sorry again. He just waved me off, still focused on his brother. -What does that mean then¡­? - Kon asked the question that was on all of our minds. - What¡­ What is he? -I wish I could tell you¡­ -Does that mean¡­ that he¡¯s¡­ not human¡­? -Well, so far I have had no issues draining anything¡­ including immaterial objects¡­ - I said. - Whatever that is, it certainly can¡¯t be just it¡­ -Hm¡­ is there anything that could be more powerful than your crystal¡­? - started thinking aloud For. -Not that I am aware of¡­ - I shook my head, still unsure. - Origin Crystals are essentially just incantations of pure mana, you can¡¯t get any better than that¡­ -But¡­ I know, that is a stupid idea - said For - but what if it was another Origin Crystal¡­? Another remnant? Just like you two? I gazed at her, thinking. -No. Can¡¯t be - I shook my head. - I mean, sure, the only thing more powerful would be indeed another Origin Crystal, but he had to be a remnant then. And I think he¡¯d be in an even worse state than me¡­ -Worse state¡­? -I mean, more crystallized - I explained. -I thought that size didn¡¯t matter¡­ -It doesn¡¯t. But I noticed that the more someone is¡­ in sync with the Crystal, the more they are crystal themselves. -Eh¡­ okay¡­ -And besides that - added Kon. - I think even being a remnant isn¡¯t enough to protect anyone from your touch, is it? I mean, you were able to drain me no problem. -Ah, so that¡¯s how you woke up down there¡­ - muttered For. - I guess you are right¡­ Hell, then I have no ideas¡­ -Me neither. That is puzzling indeed¡­ - mumbled in my head Iloa. For the first time in a while, all of us were completely stumped. 121. Il -Damn. I wish I was still at the MIRE - I sighed. - Eh, then everything was a million times easier¡­ -Right, sorry I cannot afford to keep all of my employees here the whole day. Then we¡¯d definitely be able to keep your standards¡­ - she said with a considerable spite in her voice. -I already told you that¡¯s not the issue of manpower. I am just missing technology, that¡¯s all. -Are you telling me that you¡¯d be able to just fix all this with technology? - laughed Jacob. - Yeah, right. -I am serious. And it would be more a source of intel than anything else¡­ -What? Your technology is so all-knowing, huh? -I wouldn¡¯t say all-knowing, but close to it. Imagine a hive-mind of all information available to people on the palm of your hand. -That does sound too good to be true¡­ - said For, a bit skeptical. -I don¡¯t blame you. It was not perfect, there were flaws, but it definitely beat the way things are here. Looking through libraries, asking people, bleh. Too much effort for too little gain, you know¡­ -Wow¡­ something like this had to be hard to come by¡­ -Nah. It was just as simple as asking. ¡°Hey, Il, what do you know about Axelrod?¡±. It¡¯s¡­ -King Axelrod, current ruler of most of the Suo. First person that has attained relative immortality via use of Origin Crystal. Founder of numerous Guilds, important figure in research of magical binding and void artifacts. Currently at war with the last of the First Arrivals. Do you require to know more? Everyone froze solid, absolutely stunned and speechless. I didn¡¯t ever expect to get an answer, and definitely not from the glaze-eyed Goldie. Using that weird robotic voice to boot. -What the fuck. Yeah, that. I think everyone in the room shared that thought all at once. -Er¡­ so that¡¯s how the information would be presented¡­? - said Kon quietly, breaking the awkward silence in which we were now staring at Goldie. -You don¡¯t answer me but talk to him?! - Jacob was flabbergasted. - And what the hell is that? Immortality? You know about the Origin Crystals?! Of course, he didn¡¯t get a reply. Goldie was back to staring into space. -How the hell do you know that?! - I finally managed to say. - And why are you telling me that?! This time, he was silent. -I guess that was a one time thing? - muttered For, also perplexed. -I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s going on any more¡­ - moaned Jacob, sitting down on the floor. -Mor, try asking a different question! - Iloa was the calmest person, or just the first one that managed to get herself to think clearly. - Something else that he shouldn¡¯t know! Or ask him to tell us more! Right. He asked me that¡­ -Caleb, can you tell me more? More about Axelrod? - I tried continuing the¡­ er, article? I guess. But the reply didn¡¯t come. Just like with Jacob, he was staring into space with no visible reaction. -Nothing? Hm¡­ -Can anyone explain what the hell just happened?! - yelled, now annoyed, Jacob. - Who was that one talking! It was clearly not my brother! What¡¯s this creature that is posing as him? -Could it be that it¡¯s Odar¡­? Or something like him? - pondered For. -The werefera¡­? Aren¡¯t those things supposed to be intelligent? - I said, not fully understanding what we are dealing with. - But this thing is more like¡­ hell, it is just like a piece of technology¡­ -A void artifact¡­? Like that thing you brought to Axelrod? -My brother is a¡­ technology?! What do you mean?! -Not ¡°a technology¡±, made using¡­ you know, never mind the explanation, but if he is, there¡¯s a lot more questions to be answered now - I said. - But that one can be easily tested. -Tested? How!? -Give me a knife and I¡¯ll show you. I think I sounded a lot more intimidating than I wanted to, because both Jacob and For looked at me with fear. I rolled my eyes. -I didn¡¯t mean it like that. Sure, do it yourself. As far as I know, no piece of technology is going to bleed while stabbed. The explanation didn¡¯t help my case. -Oh, come on, you can just poke him. But I doubt that¡¯s the case¡­ It¡¯s impossible really. It would¡¯ve meant that this place is far more advanced than even MIRE was. -Is that really so impossible? - asked Kon. -It¡¯s not. But if it was, we¡¯d be already found, imprisoned, killed, the elven war won and maybe not even started in the first place. -How do you even¡­ -Maybe instead of asking, Jacob, do go and check. If I am incorrect I will give you an explanation, because I am not going to be spitballing¡­ Jacob still was unsure, but stood up and approached him cautiously. Even after unsheathing a blade, Goldie didn¡¯t move a muscle. Same as when the blade reached his hand and red blood started dripping from his finger. -See? Told you. Still as fleshy as all of us¡­ Well, most of us. I honestly don¡¯t know if that¡¯s a good thing¡­ -Not a good thing?! That my brother is still himself?! Or¡­ -Yeah, I¡¯d not go so far as saying that he¡¯s himself¡­ That¡¯s the problem¡­ There''s only one thing that I can think of in this current situation that would explain this¡­ at least a little bit. -Why do I have a feeling that it¡¯s connected to the Origin Crystal¡­? -Because it is. -Everything wrong is connected to that damn thing¡­ - muttered For. - The more I hear about it, the less I understand¡­ -And you said that it¡¯s so powerful and amazing¡­ Well, anyway, yes. I think somehow, Axelrod managed to stuff an Origin Crystal inside him. And it is now taking over. -Taking over?! Why? -That is a good question. No idea. -Right¡­ why did it¡­ why did it answer? - asked Jacob. - It¡¯s¡­ it was like it was reading something from a book. -Yeah¡­ -Yeah, and by the way, why did you call it ill? What, you think that thing might be sick? -Sick¡­? What are you¡­ Now she was the one confusing me. I didn¡¯t say anything like¡­ Wait. I used the name¡­ but why did it react¡­? -No, not sick. I used a name. Il, short for ILMA. It was how we were asking for information¡­ the name of our¡­ helper, but she¡¯s¡­ -I still hate that you used her name as the codename for the project¡­ -Do I need to remind you that it was not my idea? Blame your husband. -I will add it to the list. Right after this weird abomination of¡­ -Let¡¯s not get ahead of ourselves. It still can be just a coincidence¡­ -Like hell it is. Come on, try it again. I bet it¡¯s going to work, though. I didn¡¯t want to say, but I had a feeling that she was right. -Damn, I hope we are wrong¡­ - I mumbled to myself and took a big breath. - Okay. Let¡¯s see¡­ ILMA, please tell me more about Axelrod. -Axelrod, currently aged 42 years old visually and biologically. Chronological age is more than one hundred, the birth date cannot be clearly defined. Place of birth cannot be defined. Race: human revenant. His last known location is the capital, Arbo. According to this individual, he currently is in a stalemate with a leader of the elves, who has captured his wife, Melle, and his child, Ilma. Their whereabouts are unknown. The reply came with the robotic voice right from the Goldie. Damn. So she was right¡­ But how in the hell did she¡­ -What. The. Fuck. Jacob was clearly not happy. -What do you mean ¡°this individual¡±?! What are you?! No answer. -You need to ask her directly - I explained, slumping onto the nearby chair. - And that, is, I have no fucking idea how, ILMA. -Ilma?! Who¡¯s Ilma?! Who are you Ilma!? The last one was directed at Goldie. This time the answer came right away, and I don¡¯t think it was one he wanted to hear. -ILMA. Infinitely Learning Magical Algorithm. An artificial intelligence developed by the MIRE, Magical Institute of Rediscovery and Education. Currently inhabiting the body of Caleb Moi. Reason: unknown. -There you go - I said in the silence that fell on the room. - Even she has no idea how she got here. -I mean¡­ wow. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. For was more amazed than anything. -I knew that you were weird, but to make something like this¡­ -I never said I did. I just know people who did - I shrugged. -Can those people get that thing out then?! - asked Jacob immediately. - What is that even? -I already explained multiple times. It is an artificial intelligence, or, in simple terms, man made person, or at least as close as we could get to creating one. -Is that the thing you said you used to get all that information¡­? - asked Kon, clearly amazed by this development. - Wow¡­ -It¡¯s not a ¡°thing¡± - I said, a bit annoyed. - And not exactly. What I used was the network which she was connected to, functioning as a very effective assistant. -Wait¡­ so she can do all those things¡­? Look for information, and all that? -Sure. But the problem is that the network doesn¡¯t exist here any more. -And how can you be so sure? I mean, yeah, you are far away from your home, but¡­ maybe it¡¯s not¡­ -I doubt that, but hey, we can check - I said, shrugging. - ILMA, what¡¯s your network status? -Global network: offline. Cannot connect. Local network: offline. Cannot connect to the MIRE database. -There you go. -What does that mean though? How did we end like this?! If that¡¯s something¡­ or someone that you know, why in the hell did she attack us? - asked Jacob. -That is another good question. Go ask her. -Er¡­ Why did you attack us, ILMA? -Reason: unauthorized access to the heart chamber. Unauthorized use of magic. Unauthorized access to the MIRE building. -But this is not MIRE! She had no reply for that. -I assume that she got a bit confused after¡­ appearing inside your brother. I can¡¯t blame her, she was not designed to randomly appear somewhere like that. -So why isn¡¯t she attacking now? -She can¡¯t. No magic. -Like that stopped her before. She slugged the trio downstairs pretty badly. -And you think that would¡¯ve worked on you? -Of course not! -Precisely. Especially after seeing what happened. I assume that she got them by surprise. And since for us it¡¯s out of the question, she wanted to use magic. Then it failed. So she literally has no way of attack. -And you¡¯re telling me that she figured out that just after looking at us?! -Yep. She is smarter than any of us. Even without access to databases and previous records, she can think logically and is a lot more efficient than any human. It¡¯s essentially superior in this regard. -In this regard? From my standpoint she looks like, straight up, an upgrade from a regular human¡­ - pointed out For. -She was supposed to be - I muttered. - But she isn¡¯t yet. She lacks quite a bit. -Yeah¡­ she sounds¡­ weird. -That¡¯s¡­ well, that is just a small issue. She did have a voice, but I guess the weird transfer to your brother has broken that part¡­ or maybe it is just the lack of access to the MIRE that broke¡­ -She did sound a bit different once or twice¡­ - mumbled For. -I¡¯d love to hear all about that Institute of yours and your job, but, please, tell me, what the hell can we do now!? I can¡¯t just leave my brother like that! - Jacob was clearly not amused about the state of current affairs. -I have absolutely no idea - I said flat out. - It¡¯s not something I thought I would see¡­ especially after seeing MIRE in ruins¡­ -To think that our project would survive longer than our whole MIRE¡­ that¡¯s¡­ something¡­ -And to think that we essentially succeeded¡­ somehow¡­ -I realize that the main issue here is your brother¡­ but there¡¯s another problem that is connected. How the hell are we supposed to be sure that she won¡¯t attack us again? - asked For. -Already told you that she¡¯s not that dumb. If there¡¯s no logical way to proceed, she will just wait on standby. -And that¡¯s good and all, but that still doesn¡¯t prevent the situation where, I don¡¯t know, we are weakened by something. Or one of us is missing. Looking mostly at you, Mor. Right. Even without magic I was still one of the most dangerous people in the room. And most durable. For was probably right that it was just my presence that stopped ILMA from attacking again. -Yeah, yeah. You¡¯re right. But I think I can still fix that¡­ ILMA. Add currently present people to the list of MIRE employees. -What the hell are you¡­ -Operation currently unavailable. Access is restricted. -Huh¡­ -Weird. I¡¯d have thought that I¡¯d still have clearance¡­ Did someone mess with her after¡­ -It¡¯s more likely that the whole appearance here has wrecked just more than her connection. She probably is less than useful¡­ -Yet she had some info that was pretty interesting¡­ -Sure, thanks to the fact that she¡¯s possessing Caleb. -Right¡­ I was wondering, how the hell is he still not awake¡­ I would¡¯ve thought that he¡¯d woken up by now. -You really think that he¡¯s still there? -You said it yourself. His mana is strange, like the mix of two. Meaning that there¡¯s something still besides her inside. After all, if it was just really her, we¡¯d recognize it instantly, wouldn¡¯t we¡­ -I guess¡­ -I never agreed to be an employee of your weird institute! - protested Jacob, but I just shrugged. -I was only doing that so she wouldn¡¯t attack any of you on sight. But as you heard, it failed. I assume that¡¯s thanks to the lack of crucial data that was lost when we appeared here¡­ -Yeah, I was about to ask that¡­ how in the hell did she appear here?! Inside his body to boot? -ILMA, how did you appear inside this body? -Historical data unavailable. -Oh great, so we won¡¯t even be able to know that - I muttered, annoyed. - ILMA, can you at least tell me how long you are in this world? -Question unrecognized. No parameter known as ¡°this world¡±. -Should¡¯ve known better¡­ she still thinks that we are still in the MIRE after all¡­ -¡±This world¡±...? - asked For, a bit unsure. - Are you serious? I mean, I know that you are definitely not from this country¡­ or the continent even¡­ But is that really true¡­? -You tell me - I shrugged. - In my world there definitely were no waterfalls on the edge of the world that were shrouded in mana. -Shrouded in mana¡­? -Right, you can¡¯t see that¡­ We¡¯ve been near the edge recently and I was able to see the falls. The area behind it was covered in mana. While a bit far, I could tell that much. -That¡¯s¡­ strange. -Strange? More strange than the whole waterfall on the edge? -Very - she said passionately. - Are you sure that you are correct? -As much as I can be¡­ - I said, a bit intrigued. - Kon saw that too, right, Kon? -Yes¡­ although for me it was a very thin layer¡­ but it was just probably because of the distance¡­ -Are you positively sure that it was not just a spray of water or something? -Yes! Why are you so adamant about this? -That¡¯s¡­ concerning. See, I¡­ There is a little bit more to the Edge¡­ all the Edges as a matter of fact. -Oh great. -Less than great. See¡­ I knew that the castle was built on the leyline¡­ maybe not broken, but still. And it¡¯s the same with all the other Edges, or guild headquarters. -So all of them are called Edges? -Because they are all placed at the edges of the world. And not as the ¡°world¡± in a physical sense, that ''s where the waterfalls are. It¡¯s the place where the leylines end. They do not go further than the Guilds. -So what? You think that the end of the leyline marks the end of the mana? -Isn¡¯t that the case? -You tell me - I shrugged. - I come where the leylines stretch through the whole world. We don¡¯t have something like the edge that would just cut off everything. The closest thing I can imagine would be space, but I¡¯m not so sure about that either¡­ -Space? -Right¡­ Well, first off, I lived on a large ball. A planet, suspended in an infinite void. Space is just the area between us and any other planet. She gazed at me with skepticism, but did not comment. Probably for the better. After all, in her eyes I probably looked like an insane person. To be honest, she was looking for me like that too. -Let¡¯s not think much about the shapes or whatnot - I said, seeing her distaste - but what does the fact that I¡¯ve seen some mana near the waterfalls matter? For all we know that¡¯s just some residue left there because of some accident or something. -Or just that barrier that we¡¯ve seen - reminded me Kon. Probably getting some help from Iloa. -Barrier? -Yea. When we were on that island, we saw a large tablet with some kind of magical transporting spell, I think. We assumed it was to either make people turn away from the edge, or something that would save them if someone was to fall off. -Something like this doesn''t exist! You can¡¯t just have an infinite portal like this! -Oh, you can. And I¡¯ve seen something like this already, although on a very small scale in comparison. -What?! Where?! When?! -A while ago? Why are you so interested? - I asked, a bit curious. - What, you want to protect your island like that? -No! I mean, that is an interesting idea, but¡­ -And it could even work! We do have a source of mana, a good base to place the spell¡­ hm¡­ -Yeah, but it would be kind of pointless with all those anchors floating about. You¡¯d be able to just teleport inside without issue. -Now, when you mention it¡­ do those even work now? I mean we messed up the whole setup quite a bit. -Hm¡­ -...this magic is forgotten! I have only been able to read some mentions of it a long time ago, in the old tomes from¡­ that place. -Well, I am happy to tell you that there¡¯s a place that uses that magic pretty easily. And you have under your custody at least one person that is responsible for its maintenance. -Who?! Don¡¯t tell me¡­ -It¡¯s Jack - I nodded. - I couldn¡¯t believe it either. But both of us were tinkering with it, too. I never thought much of it. Why are you so shaken about this? -Shaken?! It¡¯s something that my ancestors wrote and I thought I would never be able to see it again! Where is it!? How can I do it?! -Okay, hold your horses. We have more pressing matters at hand. And besides, if you agree to take those kids under your wing, Jack for sure will have to at least make you pass through it. And if you are persistent enough you definitely will be able to read the incantation. It seemed like she was pondering something. -You aren¡¯t kidding? Is it really that easy? -Er.. yeah? I can¡¯t see the problem? - I said, taking a peek at Kon, but he just shrugged. I guess he also didn¡¯t think much of it. -Fine. I will do it then. Where are they? -Island not far off from the coast of Kruro, I think? - I said, trying to remember the place. - I am not sure if it has any name¡­ -That close?! -Yeh. Just don¡¯t try and leave right now, we¡­ -I know, I know! Besides, I still have questions. Like, you said that you¡¯ve seen another one somewhere? Where?! -Ah, right¡­ Although I am not sure that it¡¯s the same, it was in the place we landed after we¡­ experimented a bit. -Yeah, you mentioned that. Any distinctive features? I want to find that place too! -Not really. Somewhere close to the edge though, a small rocky island. Doubt you¡¯re going to find it on your own. -With that description, surely not. -Don¡¯t blame me. It was really that barren. Underground was more interesting. -Yeah¡­ the prison¡­ something that¡¯s been flooded¡­ She started thinking frantically, like she was trying to remember something. -Say, do you think it¡¯s possible that you¡¯ve found another Edge? -Yeah, Kon and the others mentioned that¡­ -I mean, that¡¯s possible¡­ - said Kon. - But I don¡¯t really know which one nor if it was really one¡­ -Yeah¡­ Edges are pretty hard to pin down¡­ -Weren¡¯t they supposed to be on the ¡°edges of the world¡±? Doesn¡¯t that narrow down the search quite a bit? -Yeah, and what? You think someone has time or enough resources to send an expedition to look for them? And why would they even do that? -Also - I realized, listening to her - why do you even want to search for them? Since they are guild headquarters, don¡¯t you just need to ask a mage from one? -Oh sure. But you first need to find one of them, right? -Well, I found you. -I would like to say that was a bit of an unusual circumstance. Besides, Red Mages are quite open, so even without your anomalous appearance, you¡¯d be able to track us down. We did have the security for a reason. -Hm. Okay, what about Blue? Don¡¯t they work for Axelrod? -Yeah, sure. But try getting the information out of one of them. Good luck with that. -Well, you might be able too¡­ you have Eicam and Abes under your command. She looked at me with confusion. -I understand Abes, he¡¯s worked under Charsh, sure. But Eicam? What does he have to do with that? -Er¡­ he is with them too? Or was? - I replied, a bit put off. -What the hell are you talking about? He¡¯s been with us for a long time. 122. Tired Now I was confused. -He? With Reds? -Yes. Although for a while he had some problems¡­ -Problems¡­? Now when she mentioned that, I remembered that I¡¯ve heard something about¡­ -Wait¡­ That ¡°pyromaniac¡± bit I¡¯ve heard¡­ that was about you? -Pyromaniac? - she puffed. - Ha. Yeah that¡¯s definitely the one. But no, it doesn¡¯t just explain all¡­ She sighed. -He¡­ he¡¯s been a Red Mage since before I became the leader. But during my¡­ reign, so to speak, he¡¯s¡­ failed. Or rather got bought by the wrong person. -Bought? You were selling people? -Oh, you know what I mean. We are offering jobs, not selling people - she said, annoyed. - Anyway, one of the jobs he got offered requested for someone to ¡°try and experiment with different fire spells¡±. -Seems innocent enough¡­ But curious¡­ -Yep. So you can see how it managed to pass and he got it without any issues or suspicions. -I assume that was not just a new kind of spell used in metallurgy or some shit? -Metallurgy? - she seemed surprised that I even knew what that was, but immediately wiped that off her face. - No. I am not sure what he was paid to do at first. But I know how it ended. -Come on, spit it out. -He burned down about half of the district in the capital. You can imagine the effect it had on our standing¡­ Hearing that, I instantly remembered what Jack and Kon said. Kon remembered it too. -Err¡­ What happened? -Wish I knew - she sighed. - But thanks to his stunt, I heard he got arrested and I honestly thought that he was no longer with us¡­ Wow. -Damn, execution, for arson? Isn¡¯t that the punishment for¡­ -Using forbidden magic - she nodded. - Yes. That. -What the hell was in that fire that was forbidden? - I asked, although I had a vague idea what the answer might be. -The report was never released. I tried sending Jacob to squeeze some information from his brother, but no dice. Only thing I learned was that he burned down some kind of slum. -That does not seem right¡­ -Right? If it was just some random ramshackled building, there wouldn¡¯t be any problems, or at least not that much. -Hm. -In any case, after he was ¡°given back¡± so to speak, I tried interrogating him, but he said that he¡¯s unable to talk to me about that. -Contract magic? -I suppose so. -Amazing. -Yep. But, I managed to learn that he indeed was supposed to be hanged, but was saved by none other than the king himself, and then sent to work as one of the Blue Mages. -You think it was him who forbade him to talk about that? - I asked, pondering the possibilities. -Possible. It¡¯s either that or it was the contractor who made him do the job in the first place¡­ -But enough about that idiot - she said, realizing that we went far off track with the subject. -Right - I nodded, remembering what we were talking about. - Back to topic. I was saying that there¡¯s no need in you trying to find that place manually¡­ -What, you¡¯re going to tell me that it¡¯s yet another thing that Caleb¡­ or rather that creation of yours is capable of? -I mean, it probably would be if it was fully operational and up to date on this place, but no, not in this circumstance. I can just straight up get you there. Or - I immediately corrected myself - I can give you an anchor that leads there. -An anchor?! You have something like that?! -Two even¡­ - mumbled Kon, but only inside his head. And good on him for that, because I was not going to tell her that. -Of course. We DID port there¡­ -Right, and you want to give it to me¡­? - she said, immediately realizing that it was too good to be true. -Yeah. I caught her off-guard with the straight up answer. -You kidding me? -Nope. Just¡­ I started patting my almost non-existent pockets and found the ring that Iloa identified as the second one of the pair. -A wedding ring¡­? I guess an image of me giving her something like that was not what she expected because her eyes widened. -Don¡¯t get any stupid ideas - I said. - Get your head down from the clouds. -In your wildest dreams I wouldn¡¯t¡­ Even though she was trying to act offended, it was clear to me that she was a bit flustered. Come on¡­ But she took it and inspected it carefully. I wasn¡¯t able to tell if she used any kind of magic, nor if she was able to inspect it like Iloa, but nonetheless she nodded and seemed more curious by the second. -Say, that¡¯s the one you¡¯ve found in the home of that woman¡­ Melle, was it? -Yeah. Does it look familiar? -No¡­ at least¡­ -It actually does to me¡­ It was Jacob. Up till now he was just listening to us, trying not to interrupt, still a bit distracted by the state of his brother, who was still staring at the wall. -It does? For was as surprised as I was. -You seen it before? -I think so¡­ -I mean, it is a bit of an unoriginal design, so you might be mistaken, but¡­ -Unoriginal? - now it was For who was surprised. - I doubt there is more than one like this in the world, or maybe just a pair! -Why¡­? This thing is that weird? I remember seeing things like this¡­ well, pretty often. -Damn! I wish I was from that rich of a country as you - said Jacob, clearly impressed. -Yeah - For agreed. - This thing is a masterpiece. To make something like this¡­ from silver so pure¡­ I can¡¯t even imagine technology needed to¡­ -Oh come on, let¡¯s not blow this thing out of proportions - I said, getting a bit annoyed. - It¡¯s just a piece of jewelry. You better tell me where you¡¯ve seen it before. -Right. I mean, I am pretty certain that it is the same item that the previous leader used to wear. That was an interesting tidbit of information. -The previous¡­!? You mean here?! For looked a bit shaken. -Yeah. I never heard about his wife or anyone else that would be dear to him that would explain the ring¡­ but yes. -Are you sure that¡¯s his? -Of course - he puffed. - You might think that this thing is a common item, but I can surely say that it is indeed the same thing. -Get another look - I said, gesturing for him to inspect it closer. - Are you ABSOLUTELY sure? This is kind of important. He looked perplexed, but complied, and yet again said the same thing. -Yeah. Sure enough. Silver, a bit magical, small writing on the side¡­ definitely the same ring. That had some interesting prospects. -Hm¡­ -But¡­ didn¡¯t she say that this ring belonged to her husband¡­? - pointed out Kon. -You¡¯re telling me that that woman¡¯s husband was the previous leader? - said For, not sure if amazed or confused. But¡­ -She seemed¡­ Wait, how long ago was that even? I mean the time¡­ -She was pretty old¡­ -There¡¯s a lot to unpack there - agreed Jacob. - But how can you be sure that it is indeed the same person? I mean, he could¡¯ve just found it somewhere¡­ -I find it hard to believe that someone would willingly give away their wedding ring - said For. - especially this nice. -And he did disappear, according to Melle. It would¡¯ve made sense¡­ he was supposed to end his reign and pass on his position to you, then disappeared. -She did say that he wanted to meet one of his ¡°old friends¡±... - agreed Kon. -I guess¡­ Jacob would be the one. -I wouldn¡¯t call myself his ¡°friend¡± per se¡­ he was my boss after all¡­ -Why not both? -I suppose¡­ -But that still does not answer where he went! Or why! -Nope¡­ -I don¡¯t suppose your creation has the answer to that? -Ha. No. I don¡¯t think so. Would be nice. -I think we forgot the main issue here! Caleb? Hello? The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Right. Jacob was not going to let me forget about that. -Eh¡­ What do you want me to do, man? - I sighed. - I can¡¯t drain him, can¡¯t really use magic, not like there is a spell that would ¡°fix¡± that. -I don¡¯t know! It¡¯s yours, isn¡¯t it? Do something! -First of all, not ¡°it¡±, she is closer to the person than you think, despite her responses - I said, irritated. - Second of all, she does not belong to me. Nor did she ever belong to anyone else. I swear, when I said that I felt a weird pull at the back of my head¡­ but that one was from neither Iloa nor Kon, who I started to recognize and got used to already. It was from something else¡­ something else on the border of my mind that I couldn¡¯t place properly yet¡­ -The most I can do is ask her. Or just do it yourself, I feel like we have the same chance of success, really. -I¡­ I can¡¯t talk like this to my own brother! - he mumbled, a bit perplexed. - Nor do I even understand what I am supposed to say! -And you want me to do that for you, even if you have no idea what you want to do in the first place? I think For was finally getting fed up, being that with my excuses, or his welching, because she finally took the matters in her own hands. -ILMA, can you stop attacking people in the Red Edge? She turned his head towards her. -Red Edge: name unrecognized. -Ah, right. ILMA, you are currently in the Red Edge, not MIRE. I am the owner of this place, and by extension I am making rules here. And I would appreciate you not attacking my people here. She did not respond for a hot second. -Data found. Red Edge, headquarters of Red Mages. Current leader: For. Surname not found. Finding more data¡­ -Didn¡¯t you say that she has no idea about this world? - said Jacob, confused. -She shouldn¡¯t¡­ unless¡­ hm. -Is it possible that she¡¯s reading his mind¡­? His memories? - asked out loud Kon. - Like, you know¡­ If she indeed was combined, or at least was sharing a body with Goldie, there was a possibility that she, just like the three of us, were able to read into each other¡¯s heads a bit. That was also a good sign. It was giving a theory of Goldie being still somewhat conscious inside a bit of credibility. -This thing¡­ I mean, she can read minds?! -Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself, no. She probably just read through some of your brother¡¯s memories. How much did he know about the Edge? -Well¡­ The answer came from ILMA herself. -Data verified. Red Mages, current living employees: Jacob Moi, Caleb Moi, Eise, Felix, Eicam, Abes, Mor, Kon. Data missing; no surnames for multiple entries. -I guess he knew quite a bit. And since when Kon is in too? -Hm¡­ I guess I did say before that I would agree to your terms, so¡­ -Yeah, but then she would also mention Jack, Vendi and all the kids¡­ -Values updating. Current roster consists of: Jacob¡­ -I guess she¡¯s more responsive now - I said, talking over the list of names. - At least that¡¯s working better than expected¡­ And by the way, I was meaning to ask. You people never said nothing about names¡­ Do you only have first names here? I mean, not you Caleb, I heard yours already, but¡­ -I don¡¯t have one - meekly said Kon. - I don¡¯t think our family ever had one¡­ -That is strange - I said - but understandable, at least for you. But you For, I thought you¡¯d have something else than just a name. What, elves don¡¯t have surnames or something? -They do. Or at least I think so, but the truth is I just never learned mine - she said. - Simply never was able to. -Right¡­ you¡¯re almost an orphan¡­ -You can say that, I guess - she nodded. - I was interested at first, but after a while I just forgot about it. Not like I needed it, the name itself is unique enough for people to not forget it, really¡­ -It¡¯s a bit strange to not know your own name, but hey¡­ -What about you then, haven¡¯t heard yours. -Mine? It¡¯s¡­ Huh. That was weird. -It¡¯s what? You okay? -Yes, I¡¯m¡­ But the more I wanted to say it, the less and less I knew what I wanted to say. It was the weirdest feeling in the world. I just KNEW I remembered my name, but for some reason whenever I wanted to say it I thought it was wrong. -It¡¯s just¡­ My name doesn¡¯t matter. Mor is enough. -Hmpf. Whatever. -Mor, what the hell was that? -You tell me. Why the hell can¡¯t I say my name? Why can¡¯t I remember it even? -You¡¯re asking me that? I don¡¯t remember my own either. Although for some reason I think it is a bit different for you¡­ -Ah, so you felt that¡­ -Yeah¡­ -Me too - joined in Kon. - I don¡¯t quite understand it, but when you wanted to say it, I did hear something¡­ or felt you think it, yet I can¡¯t repeat. Like¡­ it was jumbled. -Jumbled? -Yes¡­ Like you were trying to connect multiple words into one, creating some unrecognizable mess¡­ -That definitely does not sound good. -You think that is the Origin Crystal messing with my head? -Well, it did mix up our memories a bit - reminded me For - so that is a possibility. -Damn. Just hope that it doesn''t spread¡­ -In any case¡­ Do you think that the¡­ problem with Caleb is dealt with¡­ or at least part of it? - asked For. -Right¡­ - I sighed, thankful that she changed the subject. - Eh, yeah, probably. -Probably? That does not sound very convincing¡­ -Well, I cannot control her - I shrugged. - Nor anyone, as far as I am aware at least, can. -So what, she attacked us just because? -Because she thought you were breaking the rules. Yes. Right now you changed the rules¡­ well, she did rather I mean, so should be fine. -Mmhm¡­ I am still going to lock her up again. -Well, it¡¯s probably for the best, at least until we figure out the way to¡­ split her again. -Split? You think it is even possible? It was Jacob. He definitely sounded more desperate than anything. I could tell he was losing hope for his brother. Kind of strange, him being so protective about him after he let me drain him almost dry while seeming completely unmoved at the time. -It¡¯s not like I can promise anything though¡­ The regular method kind of failed me already, you know. Right. That was a problem. Up till now I was able to just toss myself at the problem, or rather toss the power of Origin Crystal at it, and be carried by it. While that power was definitely handy and not going anywhere, being restricted by the island itself and the fact that Goldie was now connected to the Origin Crystal¡­ that was an issue. -I can see what you are thinking. And no, I don¡¯t know if I would be able to write a spell that would work for that¡­ -I see. But what if you had help? -I don¡¯t think either of you would be helpful in that matter¡­ - she dismissed me. - You, Mor, I can just read so you would be helping me anyway. And you Kon, while you might be a good method for me to split my concentration in multiple pieces, it would be only helpful after the spell was made. And on top of that we would¡¯ve had to leave the confines of this castle. Who knows what exactly she would do if her magic came back. -ILMA is a peaceful being, you know that. She wouldn¡¯t attack without a reason¡­ -Yet she broke some bones on the way here and was definitely hostile for a good moment there. -Well¡­ -Let¡¯s face it. That is not the same obedient AI that we made. She evolved somehow. It probably has to do something with that man¡­ -Or more likely with us¡­ Don¡¯t you think that her appearance is awfully well timed? Like we just have finished with the crystal¡­ -Finished is sort of relative here¡­ - she pointed out. - We barely started. And not like we were monitored¡­ or at least I hope so¡­ -You said it, not me. -Can¡¯t we at least somehow inhibit her ability to attack in some other way? It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t believe this bio-binding we have going on there, but¡­ -Yeah, it would be for the best. Better safe than sorry. But the thing is, I can¡¯t really do that. She doesn¡¯t like my commands for a reason. -You think that even some commands got messed up? Is it thanks to the database? Or maybe¡­ -I must admit, I would love to say that it is indeed thanks to her evolving naturally and changing, but that would give us too much of a credit, don¡¯t you think? Nah, it¡¯s just probably her code malfunctioning thanks to the lack of data. -Yet some data was preserved - she pointed out. - And she¡¯s even capable of adding new entries. -You¡¯re right¡­ -Right now she is a bit unpredictable¡­ I honestly thought about using that elven magic to make her obedient with the contract¡­ -Yeah, I don¡¯t like that magic, but you honestly might be onto something¡­ -Isn¡¯t she¡­ or he, a property of that one guy in the capital¡­? Bert, was it? -Yeah. But that only includes Goldie, doesn''t it? -That is a fair point - he said, understanding what I was thinking about. - So if this is based on the soul of the person¡­ -We still have another target. But the problem is, the target has no biological data. -Well fuck. The more we were thinking of the solution, the more annoying and convoluted this was getting. I was getting more and more frustrated. -Argh! I don¡¯t know what the hell is going on! - I yelled, angry at everything. - Why is this shit so¡­ -You are the one to talk - puffed For. - I believe every single one of us had something happen to them recently that I¡¯d like to say was not in the category of ¡°pleasant¡±. -Like I care - I said, leaning on one of the bookshelves. - You at least have a direction! -Direction? - asked unison For and Kon. -What the hell do you¡­ -Direction. Simple. Since I¡¯ve arrived in this place, nothing is normal. Everything is illogical, nothing makes sense. People use some weird magic that should not exist, then forget about using the basic magical concepts. I am left alone in a deserted hole, just to find my friends missing or dead. Even after finding some of them, they apparently are either changed or hostile, while everyone else is actively trying to somehow disrupt any attempt at understanding what¡¯s going on with me and the world¡­ -I¡­ I didn¡¯t realize that this change was¡­ getting to you¡­ But I can¡¯t do anything about the fact that this world is different from yours¡­ you can¡¯t really go back¡­ -Don¡¯t you think I don¡¯t know that already? That is not the problem! -So what¡­ -The thing is that I do not know myself! I am angry at myself, at the same time I am calm. I want to think about one thing, the other pops into my mind. Yet with that much of a mixture, I still don¡¯t have any goals! -That¡¯s¡­ Yeah, that was weird. I was surprised, myself. I was never an emotional person, yet this kind of outburst came out from my own mouth. The thing was, it was not exactly wrong. I was aimless, not having anything to do with myself and in this world. In the MIRE I at least have some goals to work towards. Like¡­ like¡­ I could not remember. That was not good. The more I was thinking about the MIRE, the less of my memories were coming. I still was able to recall Iloa and Mike working¡­. I could recall their projects¡­ but not mine. -Mor. Mor? Iloa wanted to somehow snap me out of this but I was not listening. I was more annoyed at the fact that I seemed to start forgetting. Or¡­ was I not? Was it her fault? Was that her overwhelming me finally? Was the two minds in one body too much? Were her memories overwriting mine¡­? Now when I thought about it, there was one person that was emotional like that. Someone who was in my head that whole time. Fuck. I think she felt that. I wasn¡¯t really trying to hide my annoyance, but I probably should. -Mor. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on with you but something definitely is wrong. -Yeah, you don¡¯t say - I barked at her. - I guess I should¡¯ve known that it would happen sooner or later. -I don¡¯t know¡­ -Oh, stop pretending. It¡¯s clear that the two of us are getting a bit too close for my liking. -What are you¡­ Even though she was just a voice in my head I was able to tell that she was hesitating. Or was she? At this point it was hard to even tell. Every time I spoke, every time I thought something, there were also the two of them with me. With Kon it was not that bad yet, I was able to shut him out most of the time, but with her¡­ not possible. -Okay. I had enough. You, good luck with the Goldie problem. I need to take a break. -Er¡­ okay¡­ I mean your room is a bit¡­ -I don¡¯t need a room. I will take care of myself. Just leave me alone. And I mean it - I said towards Kon, who was about to follow me. -But¡­ what I¡­ -I don¡¯t really know, go take care of your dads. Portal your orphanage here. Anything. Just let me be alone for a while. He nodded, not exactly convinced, but let me go. For and Jacob weren¡¯t exactly on board with me just wandering the halls, but didn¡¯t say a word. Well, there were not many people left in here that didn¡¯t know of me, or at all really. And not like they would be able to stop me anyway. -Mor. What¡¯s going on with you? I don¡¯t understand, you¡­ -Didn¡¯t you hear what I said? What I am talking about, of course you heard. You are part of me. -Yes, but¡­ -No ¡°but¡±. I know you can¡¯t exactly leave me alone, but at least shut the hell up for a moment. Try distancing yourself. Go transfer yourself to Kon. I don¡¯t know. -I¡­ do what?! I can¡¯t do that! -Yeah, whatever, and who''s the one constantly giving him advice on magic? Like he¡¯s able to pick all the spells without effort like that. -I¡­ what¡­ -Listen, just stop. Give me that. This once. -... I am not sure if she just went silent or did she actually focus on Kon for now. Honestly, I am not sure if she even had an ability like that, I was just talking shit. For all that I know, she was probably in Kon¡¯s mind subconsciously, not realizing that herself. But I was not caring about that. The point was, for a while, there was silence. Both around me and inside me. Be it fake or not, it didn¡¯t matter. 123. Huff At first, I was just walking aimlessly, on autopilot. I walked past the rooms that I remembered belonged to Jacob and the guest room. I walked downstairs, towards the library. I guess it was the only place I knew, even after spending so much time here already. Inside was as empty as the whole castle. And I don¡¯t mean only the lack of people. Even most of the books were gone. Some were probably just taken by For upstairs, judging by the amount of tomes that were lying next to her when she was in her ¡°trance¡±, but even considering that, a lot was missing. I started walking around the room, idly gazing through the shelves. Nothing caught my attention, not like I was really looking for something in the first place. Even the shelf with the anchors. I just briefly looked at it and just left, leaving it undisturbed and covered with dust, just as it was. The next room I managed to wander to was¡­ well, it wasn¡¯t exactly the room, it was just the long corridor leading outside and to the plaza. I remembered it was the place where I first realized I was on a very unique island that was going to be hard to leave. Now it was doubly true. I gazed towards the horizon, where the ¡°falls¡± were. And this time, I was no longer able to see them. Just like on that small island, the horizon was covered with light. From this high up though it looked more like a glowing fog, or a cloud. I took another glance, trying to find anything interesting, but just like the first time, the only landmark that was visible was the horizon itself, cut short by the ¡°edge of the world¡± or however else they wanted to call this thing. I wandered back inside the castle and this time went towards the part where I have never been to. Honestly, I was not sure at first if that was indeed the case, because of everything looking almost the same. I was only able to tell the difference because of the smell. And it was not really a pleasant one. That part of the castle reeked of fish. At first, off-putting, I soon started following the smell, just to satisfy my curiosity. And soon reached it. A full room, filled to the brim with fish of different kinds. What was unusual though was the fact that they were not stored in anything, nor refrigerated in any way. Just were tossed about and lying there like it was natural for them to be there. The sight was bizarre to say the least. I also realized the reasoning. Besides fish, the room was also flooded with water. And not saltwater that was just brought with the fish accidentally, or at least not only. It was melted ice. I could tell, because at the back of the room, there was still some of it remaining. It also told me how exactly the fish were preserved before. Giant blocks of ice. Or rather blocks of frozen fish. Like ice cubes in the water, half melted, at the back of the room, were flooding the whole room with smell and water. And fish. It was most likely the effect of the crystal too. For some reason, everything that ran on magic was disabled. And that apparently included whatever spell was cast on this room. The only thing that was preventing total spoilage was the remaining bits of ice. And even those had not much in the tank left, already spilling outside. For a second I wanted to flash-freeze the room. Not only to stop the food from decaying but also smell from spreading, but as soon as I gathered mana, I immediately remembered that I wasn¡¯t able to do shit with it. At best I would¡¯ve been able to ignite the whole room. I was not that stupid, so I just shrugged and left, trying to get as far away from the smell as possible. The idea of using smells to direct myself around the castle was not the worst one, so I continued with it. This time I managed to pick up something different. In comparison to fish it was a lot more pleasant: it was a mixture of various spices and herbs. Like a dog, I started following my nose, and it didn¡¯t even take five minutes for me to regret that decision. The, at first pleasant, fragrance of herbs soon was turned into a stench that was hard to bear. With every step it was getting more and more intense, to the point where I was starting to believe that my senses were getting tricked by some weird magic, just to remind myself that the only people that would be able to cast magic here were still far away from me. Yet, as I got closer, I realized that I was approaching someone. Even without my magical senses, I already had a good idea who that might be. And if we add the fact that For told me that all others had left for the elven war, I was almost sure. I finally reached the end of the corridor and another spiral staircase. It surely looked like I had arrived at the furthest corner of the castle. The staircase was leading only one floor up and one floor down - it was definitely the smallest tower I¡¯ve seen here so far. One sniff was enough to tell that the source of the overwhelming smell was right there. The one person who was there was on the upper floor, so I decided to leave them alone and go down, to see what exactly have they done to make that much of a spreading smell. The room was not that far down, yet since I was still on the ground floor, it was completely underground. The door was made out of metal, like some of the more important rooms in here, but it lacked the shrapnel of the red crystal that I knew was the locking mechanism used in here, so I was able to enter no problem. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Inside there was¡­ well, considering what I saw in the fish storage, that should not surprise me. It was absolute chaos. Herbs, not even segregated, were laying there in piles taller than me, almost like bales of hay. Next to them, some crates, a bunch of them open and some even straight up broken, turned on the side. Every single one of them was leaking something. Be it a powder of unknown origin, something that looked suspiciously similar to salt, a full crate of pepper, grounded and not. A pile of ginger roots, another, even taller one of horseradish and more. Another pile, this time of sacks. But those were mostly flour. Or at least something that looked like flour, because after a closer inspection I was not so sure about that. Further in, there were some shelves, also stocked to the brim. Those, on the other hand, were filled with different kinds of jars and bottles. All full. I could recognize some of the contents, but that was barely a miniscule part. Of course, none of them were labeled, yet every single one looked unique and very, very exotic. Even just from the color alone, I was able to tell that I should not mess with those. None of them looked like they were ¡°normal¡± so to speak, all had weird colors, ranging from pure jet-black to pink with, I swear, glitter inside. It also was impossible to not notice the fact that all of them were magical in nature. If I didn''t already know who was upstairs, the contents of this room would¡¯ve been a dead giveaway: it was Eise¡¯s storage room. I carefully stepped away from the shelves and started walking out from the tower, but not before I took a peek into the upper floor, where Eise was. The upstairs was not even a tiny bit brighter than the cellar. If not for the stairs, I would¡¯ve sworn that I had to be underground again. The room was essentially a mirror image of the cellar, the shelves included. This time though, instead of the piles of herbs there were just stacks of boxes that were blocking the view and way towards the other end of the room, where I could hear her shuffling about. I really was not trying to be stealthy, but she seemed preoccupied anyway, so she didn¡¯t notice me at all. Peeking from behind the boxes, I noticed that she was standing in front of a large desk, filled with a pile of glass instruments: vials, bottles, jars and so on. The desk itself was made out of the crystal, the same one as the walls. In the middle of it, there was a hole with a red crystal sticking out, a bit darker than the walls. On top of it, there was a small glass jar placed with something that looked like clear water inside. Next to her, I noticed a rather large, iron pot, standing on the floor besides the desk. As I was trying to get a glimpse of what was inside, she suddenly started mumbling something and grabbed the jar. She inspected it carefully, and apparently was not happy with what was inside, because she barked a few rather unpleasant words and poured the contents to the pot beside her. As she was doing that, I was able to tell that both what was inside and what she poured was just water. Infused, but still, just water, or at least that''s what it looked like. Without a word, she grabbed a next jar and placed it back above the crystal, mumbling again, -I don¡¯t understand, nothing¡¯s working properly¡­ if she awakens¡­ I don¡¯t have time for this¡­ Maybe¡­ She froze for a second. I thought that she noticed me, but nope. She instead had some kind of an idea, I think. She quickly moved towards one of the boxes that was further away from her and started rummaging through it. Whatever was inside sounded like a lot of glass, and at a certain point I think I heard something breaking, but a minute later she emerged again, this time with something else in hand. It was yet another bottle, but this time it was filled about half-way with purplish-blue liquid. She took a piece of string, soaked it with the liquid and left it half-way submerged, with a small piece sticking out from the bottle, spilling some on the table. She put it aside and instead focused on the stone in the opening in the desk. For a good moment she was struggling to pull it out, but managed to do so, with an unpleasant grinding noise, accompanied with a shower of sparks. Luck, or the lack of it rather, wanted that some of them landed right on the spilled liquid. It was flammable. Her reaction was immediate. She quickly moved the bottles away from the fire and shoved the rest of the ingredients away. At the same time, I heard her casting a spell. -Geksu, jemvy! But, nothing happened. So For hasn¡¯t been able to get to her yet¡­ Damn, of course not. It hasn¡¯t been even an hour! And I¡¯ve been around all the time. I would¡¯ve known. At least the fire was small though, so she shouldn¡¯t have problems extinguishing it, right? It was even contained inside the opening in the table, essentially making a small fireplace for her. But, strangely, she was not trying to extinguish it any more, and the fire had no intention of going out. Whatever the liquid that was, it had to be very flammable. Good thing that she moved the bottle away, because if that thing was to catch fire¡­ Just as I was thinking that though, the weirdest happened. Normal person, seeing as their previous attempts at extinguishing the fire failed, would¡¯ve probably tried something else. Or maybe just straight up move away, try to look for help. But not her. She did the exact opposite. Fixated on the fire, she slowly reached for the bottle that she just moments earlier moved away placing it on one of the shelves, and removed the string. She tossed it away, or rather let it fall on the ground and slowly was moving the bottle towards the fire. Even without seeing her face completely, I knew that I¡¯d already seen that kind of look. On Melle¡¯s face when I first used light magic. On Kon¡¯s when I first showed him how his body worked. And, more importantly, on Eicam, when I started the fire. Those were the same eyes. Without much hesitation I stepped out from behind the boxes and with a blink of an eye was right next to her. From that close up, I was now doubly sure. She was no longer seeing anything else than fire. Well, maybe good that she was not able to see me, because then she¡¯d definitely drop the bottle in shock, if I was to judge after the first time she saw my partially crystallized body. I swiftly grabbed the bottle from her hand and shoved her unceremoniously away. I sort of forgot about my ability to drain magic, but luckily for her, we only briefly made contact, so the amounts of magic I absorbed were minimal. I am not even sure if that was from her or just from residue on her clothes, because I swear I did not touch her directly. Nevertheless, I immediately placed the bottle on the furthest shelf I was able to reach and focused on the fire on the table. It still was giving no signs of disappearing, but was still contained in the opening in the desk, so I just shoved my hand inside, trying to smother the flames with my palm. I was¡­ moderately successful. The fire was not gone, but I managed to reach the liquid at the bottom. There was surprisingly a lot of it¡­ definitely more than she spilled. And it was definitely infused. That would also explain why it was still burning. It was just infused water, but very condensed. Even without the flames I would¡¯ve felt the heat of the mana. But that was a good thing, I could then easily extinguish it: the touch was enough for me to absorb most of the mana from it, making the flames almost instantly disappear. 124. Pyromaniac -What the hell were you trying to do? - I asked, turning back to her. She was slumped back on the floor, sitting and staring right at me. Right, I definitely did not look¡­ presentable. At least she was not screaming bloody murder, so that was a plus¡­ -W-what do you want? I rolled my eyes. -I want to know why are you trying to blow up a part of the castle. With this much infused material, if that fire was to spread¡­ I don¡¯t think she was listening. Her eyes were still a bit too wide for me to consider her as ¡°stable¡±. -Eh¡­ just calm down. I know my face does not exactly look peaceful nor reassuring right now, but¡­ -Wait¡­ that voice¡­ is that master Mor¡­? Oh. So she recognized me? -Well, I wouldn¡¯t call myself ¡°master¡± but yeah. -I¡¯m sorry¡­ it¡¯s just¡­ one of my experiments¡­ -Yeah, no, I¡¯ve been watching you - I immediately said. - I wouldn¡¯t call that one ¡°an experiment¡±. She clearly looked distraught. -I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about¡­ -Eh¡­ It¡¯s not the first time I¡¯ve seen something like this, and let me tell you, an obsession like this is not healthy. But that¡¯s your problem to deal with¡­ -I¡­ I¡­ thank you for the assistance - she finally said - but what are you doing here? -Talking a walk - I simply said. - The smell lured me here. -Smell¡­? Ah. I kind of forgot¡­ -How do you forget that much of a stench¡­? -I do live here, so¡­ As she was saying that, she pointed towards the furthest part of the room, where the window would normally be. Here, it was covered with another set of shelves, between which there was a small bed sandwiched. -Hm. Well, maybe. Anyway, sorry for intruding, I¡¯m going to leave you now. Just be careful. She was still shaken, silently sitting on the ground. -Ah. I almost forgot. - I said as I was about to leave. - Don¡¯t try using magic again. Or, I mean, you can¡¯t. There¡¯s been some¡­ changes. -What do you mean? - she asked, standing up. - I can¡¯t¡­? -Well, just go meet with your boss¡­ I mean, with For. She¡¯ll explain it and most likely will grant you the permission once again. -Oh. But¡­ What about my work¡­? I can¡¯t exactly just leave it and I need to¡­ I guess I can use fire again¡­ She gestured towards the desk. -I can¡¯t really help you, I also can¡¯t use magic right now. So you¡¯re on your own. But are you really going to try blowing up the room again? -I never wanted to! It¡¯s¡­ I told you, that was an accident. -Suure¡­ The clear pyromaniac tendencies were an accident. Of course. She suddenly got defensive. -The ¡°pyromaniac tendencies¡± as you nicely had put it, would¡¯ve never surfaced again if not for that large fire! I wanted just a tiny flame, just like a candle¡­ but¡­ -Ah, so that was supposed to work like that¡­ - I nodded. - Strange that you used infused water for that¡­ I mean it was definitely very flammable¡­ -It was not just the infused water - she quickly said, happy that I somewhat changed the subject. - It¡¯s a concoction of my own production. While it is based on water, there are a lot of other ingredients mixed in, all to boost the mana. -Mhm¡­ that¡¯s why I feel warm¡­ - I muttered, looking at my hand, a bit bright. -I am thankful that you¡¯re worried about me, but are you alright yourself¡­? You did put a hand inside the fire¡­ As she said that, she gazed at my hand, and overall at my whole crystal body. -I guess that thing has spread¡­ - she muttered. - I am sorry¡­ -Sorry? That¡¯s not your fault, I did that to myself¡­ - I waved her off. - Or¡­ well, there have been a lot of things happening to me lately. She nodded, clearly not convinced. -Anyway¡­ what are you trying to do here? - I asked, looking at the herbs and the pot filled with what I thought was infused water. -Ah! Right! Since you¡¯ve shown up with that pure water and the potion, I have been trying to replicate it. Especially now, since we¡¯re a bit low on manpower¡­ -No wonder you have that much infused stuff here¡­ But I don¡¯t think that you¡¯re going to be able to reproduce that. I fear that the main part was just the infused water, and yours seem¡­ hm. I wanted to say that the water she had was not powerful enough, but while it was the case with some of the bottles here, few of them were definitely even more infused than the water from ¡°the bowl¡±. Especially the one which got set on fire just a moment ago. If she was to use that¡­ -I changed my mind. It might be possible. With those¡­ - I pointed to the purple liquid. - That¡¯s powerful stuff. -I mean, sure, that¡¯s powerful stuff, but I fear that this one is not good¡­ -Why? It definitely has a lot of mana¡­ -Of course. I think it has about 70¡­? I think. But sadly, it¡¯s not edible. -Ahh¡­ well, that definitely is a problem. -Yes. But I was able to make something else! - she announced excitedly. - This - she quickly grabbed a small vial from one of the shelves - is a very similar concoction, although even more powerful! This small vial has almost 80! I managed to make one vial just yesterday, but had to wait till today so the ingredients mature. She was clearly in her element. Explaining how some different herbs needed to be dried the exact amount of time, with proximity to other herbs or some items even. She already forgot about the whole ¡°master¡± thing. Even for me it sounded a bit insane, but I have never been good at alchemy, nor I even was remotely interested in it, so I just was nodding, half-listening. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. -But today nothing¡¯s been going well for me¡­ First the heating crystal went cold on me, magic got blocked, then the fire¡­ -Heating crystal? I¡¯ve not heard of¡­ I took a closer look at the crystal in question, but couldn¡¯t find anything that would tell me what it actually was. -Oh, it¡¯s just a piece of red crystal that has a bit of mana trapped inside - she quickly explained. - It¡¯s one of my creations. -You made this? -Yep. It was an accident, but a useful one. -Accident? -It was more a spell going wild - she explained. - I was using a regular red crystal to¡­ burn something, and MIGHT have poured a tiny bit too much mana into the spell¡­ -Who the hell even lets you handle fire magic¡­ -I said it was an accident! - she said, ashamed. -Mhm¡­ not my problem anyway. So, what happened? -Er¡­ it blew up. From inside. -And yet it¡¯s still in one piece? - I asked, looking closer at the crystal. -I neve said that¡¯s all of it that I am using¡­ And it didn¡¯t exactly completely explode¡­ it was more like a condensed blast¡­ -Now you¡¯re making me curious. -It¡¯s like¡­ I felt the mana swell inside and fill the crystal, but since I poured too much, it couldn¡¯t handle it all and had to escape somewhere¡­ so the crystal cracked. She picked up the stone and turned it upside down. On the side there were a bunch of cracks with some pieces missing. -Some pieces shot off, and as they did, this little hole formed. Right. As she explained, I did notice the small crack that made a hole that looked like it was pretty deep. -And from it, a gush of flame shot, expelling the remaining mana. That also made me realize that that thing was hollow. I am sure that¡¯s why it failed in the first place. -A second-hand mana crystal? Well, that¡¯s possible - I muttered. -But that was also a blessing in disguise! Later, I was¡­ er, experimenting a little bit. And might have poured a bit of one of my mixtures to the hole, to see what happens¡­ -And? -And nothing happened. At least at first. But then, the stone started heating up. It looked like the mana from the mixture was getting absorbed by the stone and used up in some kind of a fire spell. -Right¡­ it was a red stone to begin with¡­ -Mhm¡­ and that¡¯s when I realized that it might be handy for my other experiments. I started testing it with different amounts of mana and different liquids. Depending on the purity of the substance, it can even heat up so much as to boil the water. I did try it with other things as well, like mana fruit, or some dried infused herbs, but water worked the best. Later, I ended up dubbing it ¡°heating crystal¡±. -Quite unremarkable. But definitely useful. -Right? -And no wonder that water worked the best. It is the cleanest form of mana¡­ -If you say so¡­ Well, in any case it does not work any more¡­ I thought that it might have been an issue of lack of mana, but it seems like it¡¯s not the case. -Do you need to activate it or something? - I asked. - It probably is still the case that it lacks the mana, but if you now also can¡¯t activate it¡­ -It might be the case¡­ I need to get my magic back as soon as possible then! Listening to her, I was thinking if it was even a good idea to let her use magic here again. Judging from what I¡¯ve seen, she was a bit too unstable for my taste: what if she was to start yet another fire? If she¡¯s able to use fire magic again, and the rock is not working¡­ It¡¯s almost certain she¡¯d want to replace it with some fire spell. And I¡¯ve already seen what she was about to do when the fire was involved. -Er¡­ Are you sure it¡¯s a good idea? I mean¡­ you, handling fire¡­? -I already said I can handle it. I am used to it! I mean, I am used to it, sir. Ha. I guess my worries about safety brought her back to earth and reminded her of who I was. -I don¡¯t know about that. Maybe before we let you have full control, you can just work without it? -Without magic? - she seemed less worried but more disappointed. - But without that I cannot do any experiments. -What do you exactly need? -Heat. If the heating crystal doesn¡¯t work, I need to replace it with something, like a fire spell. -What about that bottle¡­ -Well, I still cannot light it without magic¡­ -But you did. Even set the whole table on fire in the process. -Right¡­ the stone¡­ It did produce the sparks! - she finally realized. - Is it scratched?! Did it crack?! That was not the direction I thought she was going to go. She was now frantically inspecting the stone, looking for, I guess more cracks? -Come on, the thing is cracked already, it¡¯s not like¡­ -I am sorry, but I can¡¯t risk it again! I mean, it would definitely be possible, but I can¡¯t risk destroying it even further¡­ -Eh¡­ well, whatever. Don¡¯t you have any other stones? -This room is full of delicate equipment, I don¡¯t really have any rough tools like that laying around. I paused for a second. -Ah, what the hell - I shrugged. - Come on, get that mana candle out or however you want to call it. -Mana candle¡­? Ah the bottle! -Yeah. How do you call this thing? -Er¡­ I didn¡¯t really have a name for it. But I like yours. But¡­ Why, though? I thought you said you also can''t use magic¡­ -I am not planning on it. Get it a bit lower, to the corner of the table. Still not understanding, he looked at me with curiosity, but did what I asked her for. I took a good look around, to see if there were any flammable surfaces or items nearby, being especially vigilant for the spills of the purple liquid, or any other as a matter of fact. There were none, as far as I was aware, so I just took a swing and punched the corner of the table as hard as I could. I didn¡¯t feel any pain, but made a lot of noise and produced a copious amount of sparks that almost instantly set the ¡°candle¡± on fire. -AH! Yeah, I probably should¡¯ve warned her beforehand. But hey, it was kind of obvious. -There you go. I placed the bottle in the hole, while at the same time carefully observing her for the signs of anything going¡­ well, weird. At first she was looking fine, more shocked with me using my bare hands to light the fire, but a moment later I noticed her stare right at the flame. -Eise¡­? She was no longer listening. Staring right at the flame, unmoving. Even when I tried and waved my hand right in front of her face, she still did not react. I probably should¡¯ve doused the flame and be done with it, but of course I didn¡¯t. I instead wanted to observe what she was going to do. Not like there was much she could do, right? That was not exactly the truth, but how was I able to know? For a good minute, she just was standing there, watching the flame, not reacting to anything nor trying to move even. But, as I was about to finally give up and snap her out of it, she started moving. There was no sudden movement. It was a slow, fluid motion. She almost looked like a cat that was stalking its prey, slowly getting closer and closer to the flame. She even got as close as to make me wonder, how was she not getting burned yet? Her nose was just about a centimeter away from the flame. But as that was happening, she was also, without looking, reaching towards one of the shelves next to the table. It was quite impressive really: without even a single look, she managed, just using touch and, I guess, her memory, to browse through a bunch of jars and bottles and pull out a thick bottle, the size of my fist, with a thin neck, corked tightly. Inside there was some kind of¡­ well, more of an oil than anything, judging by the way it was sloshing inside. It was also yellow in color and¡­ glowing. I honestly am surprised that I didn¡¯t notice the bottle sooner: it had to be hidden somewhere in between other ones for me to miss this glow. It was not really that strong, but it somewhat reminded me of the aura I was giving out when I absorbed a bit too much of mana. Definitely was weaker though, and colored differently. I expected her to try and pour it on the fire, so I immediately stepped forward and wanted to grab it from her, but, surprisingly, she was not doing anything with it. Just moving it from one hand to another, almost like she was contemplating something, although her face was telling me something else. Right, her face. Since the fire started and since she got close to it, her eyes got so wide I could¡¯ve sworn she had to take a sniff of something from her ¡°incense supply¡±. The irises were occupying 99% of her eyeball, making her look definitely less than sane, glazed over, like he was not even present mentally. As I was observing that weird movement, she then stopped and started moving the bottle towards the fire. -Okay that¡¯s enough - I said, finally deciding to put an end to this strange trance of hers, and attempting to grab the bottle from her. That is also when things started going¡­ weird. Her head immediately snapped right towards me. Her eyes still wide, but no longer completely glazed over and entranced by the flames, now only focused on me. With a movement faster than I¡¯d expect of her, she slammed the bottle right in my face, shattering it and splashing it all over the place. 125. Disarmed It made me realize that the bottle was not actually made out of clear glass: it was almost black. I only was able to see that now, because of the fact that it got shattered and the contents were scattered everywhere. The fact that I thought it was clear was thanks to the actual contents of the bottle: the oil was positively shining. It was not the shine I attributed to the magical aura of things, or ¡°the flame of mana¡± as I liked to call it. I was now pretty certain: it was definitely the shine of light magic. For some reason, somehow, the liquid had light magic trapped inside it. I definitely did not expect that. While no harm happened to me, I was still startled and pretty sure I had swallowed a bunch of the ¡°oil¡± along with some shattered glass. -What the fu¡­ But before I even managed to finish cursing at her, for the first time in a long while I felt a searing pain. It was like someone had spilled boiling water directly on me. The heat started radiating through my whole body, along with the intensifying feeling of mana getting released and absorbed by my crystal. I, even surprising myself, screamed in pain, and rearing backwards fell right on one of the shelves, smashing through it, making the contents fall right on top of me. That had some good and other not that good effects on the current situation. Good: Eise has snapped out of her trance, jumped back and immediately extinguished the mana candle with one swift motion, before looking at the ¡°not so good effect¡±: me being buried under a broken shelf. It wouldn¡¯t be that bad if not for the fact that it was stacked to the brim with different strange creations of hers, most of them in liquid form, made, of course, out of very infused ingredients and mixed with the ¡°light oil¡±, making it burn even more. -I am so sorry¡­ Eise started apologizing before even she realized properly what was happening . I quickly wanted to toss the rubble away from me and try to get rid of the liquid, but it was harder than it looked. And it was not thanks to the lack of my strength - I actually felt quite invigorated, probably thanks to the copious amounts of mana in the air and on top of me. The problem was the fact that the ¡°oil¡± was still stuck to me. Well, I was calling it oil, but after seeing it spilled and feeling it myself, it was more like a thick tar, which it definitely didn¡¯t look like inside of the bottle. Thanks to the high viscosity, every smaller piece of the rubble was now stuck to me. The sizzling pain was not the regular one either: I was definitely feeling it way too much. Or maybe it was just the fact that I never had felt pain in this body to begin with: the sudden change was just a shock. And not only to me. Last time, when I shared senses with Kon and Iloa, just the sudden grab from For was enough for her to break concentration because of an unexpected feeling, and now? Well. At first it was not a problem. Maybe because we were not sharing senses in the first place, and I specifically told her to leave me alone. Too bad she didn¡¯t listen. Or it was just the fact that I suddenly screamed and the burst of mana flowing through me was hard to miss, especially for someone inside my own head¡­ or wherever she was. -What the hell are you doing out there? Mor? MoooAAAAH! Yeah she felt the pain. And not only her. At first it was just two screams inside of my head: my own and Iloa¡¯s. While definitely not something good, I was already almost able to shake off the initial shock. But then another one hit me. A third voice. Kon. Right, he was connected to me as well, but I never thought for the connection to be that good, especially if we were so far away from each other. If we were in the same room, then maybe, but now? And it was not the last surprise. Almost at the same time as Kon¡¯s scream, I felt yet another one. That one was harder to recognize, because it seemed like it was coming from a lot further away. Like something you feel in your head can be judged by distance¡­ It was a female voice, also screaming. I couldn¡¯t really pin it down at first, probably thanks to the searing pain that was still definitely distracting me. Are you fucking kidding me? It was Melle. Her voice was hard to mistake, even while the feeling was still so far away, I was certain it was her. But it was not all bad: the fact that I felt her pain, or rather she felt mine. It probably meant that she was still connected to me. And it meant that I was still able to track her. That was nice. And I didn¡¯t even have to do the actual ritual like the last time: right now, I was able to tell how far and in what direction she was, along with Kon and¡­ Hm. Yeah, that was not the end of the developments, nor to the shared pain. It was like a web, stretching from one singular point. As soon as I ¡°connected¡± to Melle, something else also got dragged in along, and with it the whole wide web of different feelings and presences. If that was not the problem enough, I started having flashes of memories¡­ or no, it was more like flashes of different people. Just like I was able to share senses with Iloa, right now I was having quick blinks of different people''s senses. Some I was able to recognize: Kon, Iloa, For, Melle, Jacob and Caleb, the guys from the capital¡­ It was all like a gigantic kaleidoscope inside my head. I was barely able to pay attention to one before my thoughts were pulled to another. And those were definitely surprising. I saw the capital, and some rooms inside. A random run down bar. Something that looked like a cell. Red Edge. Then a boat¡­ no, it was the bar-boat. Some places I didn¡¯t recognize. A desert. A small village right next to some kid of oasis. Inside of a forest. The flashes were coming and going, I was not able to understand who and what. Along with them, like in Melle¡¯s case, I felt from where exactly the image was, or rather where the person was I just plugged into. And of course, every single person was in pain. This thing would¡¯ve probably taken a lot longer, if not for Eise. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. The tables have turned and now she was the most sane person in the room: the fixation on fire completely gone, now absolutely terrified and shaken, she was trying to get the shelf off from me. I wanted to warn her, to not touch me nor that weird substance, but I was not able to speak, still in pain. She knew, though. After all, she was the one who made this strange substance. Carefully avoiding the spill, she quickly jumped towards one of the boxes that were hidden on yet another bottom shelf, and from it pulled a pair of gloves. They looked like leather, although completely black, almost like they were covered in soot. With one swift motion she pulled them on, and started grabbing the pieces of rubble from me, trying to get everything as far away and as fast as it was possible. Considering her, rather not very strong, frame, she was doing great. Fast and agile, she was working efficiently through the whole thing. It still was going to take her a good while to unbury me, and I was definitely not helping, still dazzled and stunned by the pain. Honestly, even later, I was not able to tell how long I was just lying there, but I am pretty sure that I came to a long time after she finished. In the meantime, I still had a mixture of visions flooding my mind. I mean, it was good for one thing: at least I was not focused on the pain any more, instead the stream of information was overloading my senses. The first thing I can actually remember after the accident was me lying, still on the same spot, on the floor, while Eise was carefully wiping the remaining of her mixture from me. Or at least that¡¯s what I think was happening, because at first I was not able to see a thing. -Ouch¡­ My voice spooked her a little bit, but in a good way. -You¡¯re awake! -Urgh¡­ I tried focusing on her voice, to get my vision to work correctly again. It took a moment, a bit blurry first, but I at least managed to see her mana. Good to know that ability was still intact. -What in the hell happened to me¡­? I groaned and wanted to sit up, but I could not, my arms not wanting to work. -Er¡­ There¡¯s been an accident. I am so sorry! I didn¡¯t¡­ As she started profusely apologizing, my vision started getting back to normal. She was kneeling next to me with a rag in hand that was surprisingly bright with mana. Apparently the feeling of her cleaning the spill was correct. Next to her there was that container with what I thought was the ¡°failed mixtures¡±, now full with water. I could tell that was what she was using to clean off the mixture, because of the residue that was gathering on the bottom, clearly visible in my enhanced vision. The rubble from the shelves was moved away somewhere behind the desk, only revealing its presence thanks to the mana signatures dotted in a large clump. -Right, right¡­ I remember. Eh, instead of apologizing, help me up¡­ I can¡¯t move much. Just don¡¯t touch me directly¡­ She stopped talking and nodded, carefully lifting my head off the ground. I must say, that was the weirdest way for someone to pick someone up. But hey, I was essentially a hazardous material, so I can¡¯t blame her. -A¡­ are you going to be okay¡­? -I¡¯m still a bit sore and stunned. It¡¯s kind of hard to move for me¡­ so hard to tell. She nodded with understanding. -At least you are awake¡­ -Yeah¡­ how long was I out? -Twenty minutes? Something like that. Damn. Longer than I thought. Thinking of how exactly all this happened, I noticed her lean forward and almost bow down to me. -Good thing that you awakened¡­ in this state I never expected¡­ I gazed at her with confusion. -I can¡¯t tell how sorry I am¡­ this was an accident¡­ I swear¡­ I realized that she was actually not bowing, she was very carefully picking something up from the floor next to me. -After I saw this, I was sure you¡¯d be out cold for¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ I finally realized what exactly she was holding. It was my whole arm. Yeah, what she got from the floor was my arm, broken off right at the shoulder, or I should say melted off. The other one was still next to me, lying so close that it was hard to believe that I didn¡¯t notice it sooner. I mean, it was surprising that I didn¡¯t notice the lack of them in the first place. It at least explained the lack of feeling in my arms and overall lack of strength. -Holy fuck¡­ how did that even¡­ All that time I never thought that something like that was possible any more - I mean, I did break my neck, or rather burst it a while back, but¡­ I guess it was again the large amounts of mana that were a culprit back then too. And now, to boot, there was that potion added to the mix. That was not the only wound on me, though. I now realized that I was sporting a rather large scar on my chest, in the shape of a spill and then some. Well, a scar is the wrong way to put it: it was like the crystal got¡­ liquidated at those spots and had hardened in a strange, unusual way. I reflexively wanted to touch it, but lacking my arms of course that was not happening. Luckily, my legs got spared the acid treatment. Be it because of luck or maybe just because I was wearing pants, the lower half of my body was intact and just as if to confirm that, the feeling in my legs came back just as I was starting to wonder why I was lacking it. -Well that is the weirdest injury I have gotten so far - I finally said, looking at my severed arms, now safely in her hands. She grabbed both of them and wrapped it up with some kind of cloth that she pulled out of yet another shelf. I was already on my feet, standing up and trying to get the feel for my new, a bit crippled body. It actually was not that bad. Besides the scars that I already noticed, my face got only lightly sprayed by the mixture: a few drops here and there only left small marks. I didn¡¯t really care anyway, more worried about the fact that I had now no arms and no magic to maybe somehow supplement the lack of them. Yeah, and there was also one other problem that appeared in this flood of issues: I was not able to contact Iloa. Or Kon for that matter. I was no longer able to feel that string of connection that I had constantly in the back of my head. It was definitely worrying, especially after the earlier scream that I felt inside of my head. Did this accident somehow affect them as well? -What the hell was that liquid even? - I asked, walking down the corridor, trying to as soon as possible get to For and the rest. -It was¡­ I don¡¯t know honestly¡­ She was clearly trying to hide something. -Come on, it¡¯s a bit too late to try and keep secrets - I sighed, irritated. - It is kind of important to me¡­ -I know! But I am really not sure! -You¡¯re not going to tell me that some random vial just appeared out of nowhere on your shelf, are you¡­? -Of course not! Well¡­ not completely¡­ -Oh boy. Come on, say it. -It¡¯s¡­ well¡­ It¡¯s been a while ago¡­ Back then I was working on a way to restore mana in a way that non included drinking or eating something. -Like that incense of yours? - I asked. -Yeah. That¡¯s actually the end product of this whole research. -And you say that even though you finished it, yet you have no idea what you used to get there? -No! I mean, yes! I mean¡­ -Look, I can tell that you are worried about something, but I need to know this. After all, this thing kind of melted my body. -Yes, but¡­ -And while I can see how that has nothing to do with you, I am not sure if I am going to be able to regenerate at all from this. It¡¯s the first thing that was able to injure me in such a way, you know¡­ -Mrgh¡­ It was clearly a bluff. Sure, I was wounded, pretty badly in fact. And the existence of something that was able to do that much damage to me was worrying. But it did not mean that I was unable to heal the wounds after the accident. As a matter of fact, thanks to the abundance of mana that I absorbed during the whole fiasco, I was pretty sure I¡¯d be able to regenerate some damage. Maybe not both arms, I am not even sure if one, but I would be able to maybe patch the scars. Arms were considerably harder, and I think I¡¯d need a lot of time for that: especially considering that just healing a small hole in my neck took me a good amount of time¡­ Doing this¡­ Well, in any case, learning what exactly wounded me was the first step. And not only in case of this story repeating, I was more interested in actually using it myself. If my hunches were right, I might have had a need for the way to fight another crystal remnant in the future. And considering the fact that now there was a good possibility that I¡¯d be blocked from using magic, having this acid on hand would be very handy. 126. Daydreaming -Mh.. Okay. Fine - she finally said and took a deep breath. - This potion¡­ because that was supposed to be potion, was the first iteration of the mana incense. -You mentioned that already. But how do you exactly go from a smoking piece of wood to a vial of acid? -Well¡­ you burn it. -Yeah, incense, I get that, but¡­ -I mean it! It¡¯s just the ashy remains of my first incense mixed with infused water. I wanted to somehow reuse the remaining material from the first project. If that would be effective, I would¡¯ve essentially doubled the effectiveness and efficiency of my creation! -That would¡¯ve been nice, really¡­ - I agreed. - But that didn¡¯t answer anything. -That¡¯s it, I really¡­ -For example - I didn¡¯t let her finish. - Why is it, or was it rather, full of light magic? Weren¡¯t that supposed to be just a mana infused stick? -Light¡­? - she gasped, realizing that I knew. - I¡­ -I already told you, there is no need to hide things. I am not some kind of inquisitor or something. Quite the opposite. I dabbled in a lot of things that some people would call ¡°heresy¡±, or however else you¡¯d like to¡­ -My research is not heresy! - she suddenly protested, making herself look even more suspicious. -I never said that. I am just saying, even if it is, I don¡¯t mind it. Just tell me the whole story. You said that this was just the first product, right? So there is a newer version? The thing that you used to resuscitate Jacob? -Well, not exactly - she replied after a moment. - Right, that thing was loosely based on the first incense, but the fact is¡­ I never made that one. -You said it was your invention, didn¡¯t you? -I mean yes¡­ but it was more just me reverse-engineering the finding¡­ -Ohh¡­ - I whistled, impressed. - So someone found that first incense? -Y..yes. It was found alongside some other magical artifacts, and it has been my inspiration and model ever since. -If that was a model, why did you use it then? -It was to compare its effectiveness to my own product¡­ We actually had a couple of those sticks¡­ -Hm. And what was the effect, can I ask? -I¡­ It paled in comparison - she admitted. - While both worked similarly, the original burned a lot brighter and didn¡¯t even leave smoke. -Wait, so it wasn¡¯t even the incense then? -It definitely looked like one! - she said. - But it did confuse everyone. It acted and looked like it was burning, although it never released smoke. -I thought it was the smoke that was supposed to restore mana¡­? - I asked, confused. -Yes, in my product at least. I thought that¡¯s what it was supposed to do, but after igniting and using the original, it appeared that it was not smoke, but the light that was the thing that regenerated us. -¡±Us¡±? -I didn¡¯t work alone. I was under the wing of the Red Mages back then, too. The earlier leader was very interested in my work and helped me a lot¡­ -That¡¯s peculiar¡­ Jacob said that they were a bit of a secretive person¡­ and they worked with you? -I never said we worked face-to-face - she replied. - They essentially acted as my benefactor¡­ -And how is that different from For now? -Well, they also were sending me some materials to help, not only money. -And what, the mountain of random ingredients downstairs is not enough for you? Or are you going to tell me that it''s still your supply from them? -Well, some of it¡­ - she nodded. - But I didn¡¯t mean it like that¡­ It was a matter of more¡­ exotic things. Like for example the first incense. -Ah. Any idea where that came from? -I only know that back then Red Mages had their own men that were essentially treasure hunters. I think it¡¯s from one of their journeys we got those¡­ -Hm. And I assume those people are not around anymore? -Why? -Well, your, I mean, Red Edge¡¯s forces have dried out thanks to Axelrod, so¡­ -Ah. Well, I¡¯ve been out of the loop recently, so I am not sure, but it is possible. -I guess I have no luck then. I¡¯ll have to ask For later about that. -I¡¯ve been meaning to ask¡­ - Eise said after a long moment of silence - Are you really sure that you¡¯ll be fine¡­? -You asked that multiple times already. -I know, but¡­ this is very strange¡­ She was clearly uncomfortable. I can¡¯t really blame her, it was because of her that I was in this sorry state after all. And she was carrying a pair of severed arms with her. When I think about it, it¡¯s strange that she was able to walk so easily while carrying those. -Say, I was wondering¡­ How the hell are you that strong? -Wha¡­? -I mean, I am made of pure stone essentially. And you¡¯re carrying, what, two solid chunks of me with you. How the hell are you even able to walk? -Er¡­ I think she only realized that just now as well, because she looked as dumbfounded as you¡¯d expect. -I¡­ It¡¯s not heavy¡­ That was not what I expected to say. I mean, I honestly thought that she¡¯d come out with some kind of excuse or something, but she was as stumped as I was after hearing her be confused. -What do you mean ¡°it¡¯s not heavy¡±? I am pretty sure I know how much I weigh, or at least how much I used to. Those are not light. -I don¡¯t know what to tell you¡­ - she replied, now weighing the baggage in her hands. - Those are very light. I didn¡¯t really think about that, but that¡¯s even lighter than¡­ I would¡¯ve said that those were hollow¡­ -Hollow? Well damn¡­ I can¡¯t really check that on my own, so I¡¯ll take your word for it. That made me think. Why in the hell would those get lighter? I mean, sure, they were not part of me any more, or at least I don¡¯t think so, but would that mean that some properties would change? Mana doesn¡¯t really have any weight though, so even if the supply was cut, that wouldn¡¯t change a thing¡­ There was no time to think about that though, because we¡¯ve already arrived at the tower where I last saw For. We quickly reached the staircase and ascended to the top. I didn¡¯t even think about checking other rooms, just directed her straight up to For¡¯s chambers. -Er¡­ are you sure we should¡­ -What, you¡¯re worried that you¡¯ll disturb her or something? Nah, doesn¡¯t matter. Just knock, don¡¯t worry. I would, but currently I am a bit¡­ -Yeah¡­ She hesitated for a bit, but did knock on the door. Strangely though, there was no reply. She tried again, still nothing. -Maybe they are not here¡­ -Check if it¡¯s open. -Are you sure¡­? We can¡¯t just¡­ -Oh for fuck¡¯s sake, do it or I¡¯ll just kick the door open. My foot¡¯s still in great shape. She pulled on the handle and the door unlocked without an issue. I guess For didn¡¯t yet manage to remake all the locks in the castle. Good for us. -Excuse me¡­? I walked towards the stairs leading to her actual room and walked up without even considering to knock. -For? Come on, are you sleeping on the job? Even though I was joking, it actually appeared so. She was lying on the couch that still was replacing her chair at the desk. Still covered in books, still full of crap. -Oh damn you¡­ I think I realized that a bit too late, but she was not sleeping. It was just as I found her before: she was in a trance. Did she use the spell again? If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. It actually looked similar to that. With my enhanced sight let me know that her mana was in that weird, dream-like state, similar to the one when he tried finding out more information about herself and the Origin Crystal. But there was something else this time¡­ For the first time, I had to do a double-take: her mana looked different. And I don¡¯t mean that her mana was weaker or stronger than before or something like that, no. It was like her mana was¡­ connected to something. It was similar to when I first saw Kon. -That is concerning¡­ - I muttered to myself. Eise, still behind me, sheepishly walked upstairs and finally noticed her boss slumped on the couch, seemingly asleep. -I knew we shouldn¡¯t have intruded - she whispered. -Yeah, I don¡¯t think she is sleeping. She¡¯s unconscious. She gasped. -What happened?! -Let¡¯s ask her personally¡­ And I approached her, wanting to drain her mana. Reflexively, I went ahead and tried extending my arm, but that was not going to work, so instead I just awkwardly leaned on her, essentially headbutting her. I am pretty sure that looked absolutely weird to anyone, and confirming my hunch I felt Eise shudder. -Er¡­ What¡¯s going on¡­? But I didn¡¯t reply, instead I focused on a feeling of mana flowing into me. That feeling¡­ was somewhat unexpected. Last time I had contact with her mana, it was unique and fresh, almost addicting. But what I absorbed was quite different. It was more like I was absorbing a plant¡­. It had no color, no taste¡­ bland and bleak. Honestly, it somewhat reminded me of Goldie, or maybe rather ILMA inside Goldie. After learning what exactly was sitting inside him I kind of understood why his mana looked like that, but to feel something similar here? That¡¯s weird. And if that was not enough, her mana seemed to not decline. I was still in contact, still draining, yet she still was full of it. It¡¯s not like that was going to stop me. Since I¡¯ve acquired this ability, I have managed to constantly use and abuse it, and this time I didn¡¯t plan on doing differently. Her mana was not running out? So what? I was going to drain more and more until I finally felt the change. But, saying that, I was not insane enough to try and contain that much in myself. Even though she apparently was able to, I decided to at least try and waste it. But that reminded me: I was no longer able to use magic, meaning the issue was problematic. Before that though, I decided to try and regenerate my arms: since I found myself seemingly an infinite source of mana, it was a shame to not use it. I focused on trying to pour the excess power into what I felt used to be my arms, and, sure enough, it was working. I started glowing, slightly, but surely, getting brighter and brighter at the stumps, and slowly they started to regrow. It was not all that good though, because as soon as I started using mana, For¡¯s supply instantly started dwindling, and at an incredible rate. Same with me, actually. It didn¡¯t take even two centimeters of growth for me to again feel her unique magical signature come back and she opened her eyes. -Mor¡­? I immediately jumped back, breaking the connection. -Ha. I am surprised that this worked so well¡­ - I muttered, looking at her. - What happened to you? -I¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ She clearly was not awake completely yet. If I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d say that she was drunk on mana, because her speech was a bit slurred and slow. -I remember pain¡­ then visions¡­ Just as she mentioned that, her face contorted in pain and she immediately went back to her regular self. -What¡¯s going on!? Where are your arms!? Are we under attack!? -No idea, behind me, and also no idea. In that order. The response only confused her, especially after Eise walked into her view, carrying the bundle hiding my severed arms. -Eise¡­ what are you¡­ WHAT IN THE¡­!? -I already answered that. And don¡¯t ask, I really don¡¯t know how exactly that happened - I said, not really keen on explaining the strange attack. - You better tell me what happened to you? I don¡¯t think my answer helped her calm down, because she looked more panicked than ever before. -We need to act quickly! I think Jacob and the rest are also in danger! -Also? You think? -I had a vision. They were in pain, and squirming on the floor¡­ - she said, shutting her eyes. - But¡­ -Hold on - I interrupted her. - What vision? -I¡­ I don¡¯t understand. Just before I fainted¡­ suddenly a white flash of pain overwhelmed me. Along with that came a flood of visions¡­ Jacob, Caleb¡­ even you¡­ -Me? -Yes. You were buried under some kind of wardrobe¡­ I think¡­? I exchanged a look with Eise. -Maybe a set of shelves? In a red room? Crushed glass? Spilled ¡°oil¡±? -Yes¡­! And you were there, Eise! How do you know!? -Well, because that happened to me - I replied. - And that¡¯s how my arms got broken. -Wait, that was real? So we really need to hurry! -Who else did you see? -It was Jacob. He was squirming on the floor while his brother was standing right next to him observing. I think he attacked him! Or she, rather! -ILMA? That¡¯s¡­ I wanted to say impossible, but I already knew better than that. After all, everything so far seemed close to impossible, yet was happening constantly. -Let¡¯s move then. It was where, exactly? The three of us rushed out of the room and started making our way downstairs. -I left them in the dungeon¡­ along with Kon, Felix and the rest. -Ah, so he was already okay? -¡±Was¡± is the keyword here. If that vision was true, then all of them are currency incapacitated. And it might be the work of that ¡°algorithm¡± of yours. -Let¡¯s not jump to conclusions¡­ - I muttered, but was concerned as well. The thing was, I also remembered having some kind of visions too. And it indeed involved the people she mentioned, even more of them too. Although I was not able to remember exactly what I saw, I was sharing her worries. Especially after being cut off from Kon. Or, maybe more worryingly, from Iloa. How the hell did that even happen? Weren¡¯t we supposed to be one? Or at least on the way to becoming one? I mean, in some ways that was good, but¡­ Jacob was supposed to be in the dungeon still, so as soon as we reached the stairs leading down, she started shouting for him. -Jacob! You there?! Are you alright?! I didn¡¯t expect to hear the answer, and it did not come. -Something¡¯s wrong. There were supposed to be more people here. -I thought we were alone in here? -Yes, I meant Abes and Eicam. Maybe even one of your friends. -Not a good sign¡­ She almost broke the door out of the hinges he bursted into the room so violently. Honestly, it was pretty amazing. Not just a few moments ago she was lying unconscious and only awakened because I drained her, yet still she had more strength than you¡¯d think. Hell, even if she was fully rested and fresh, I¡¯d never think that her body had that much raw physical strength. Eise was also a bit spooked, but followed us without a word. Inside was the exact same as I left it, besides the fact that now Jacob was lying on the floor, unconscious, just as For not so long ago. -Jacob! She immediately stood between him and his brother, who still was sitting in the same position, staring into space. -What the hell did you do!? Of course, she got no reply, so I had to ask for her. -ILMA, what happened here? Why is he on the ground? -Reason: unknown mana interference. -Unknown? So you didn¡¯t do that, ILMA? -Negative. -There you go. -And am I just supposed to believe it? -Well, do what you want, but you were in the exact same situation as he is right now. And she was nowhere near you, I believe? -I guess¡­ wait, does that mean that you can wake him up too? -I intend to try. I approached him and kneeling next to her. -Give me his hand, I kind of¡­ -Oh, right¡­ She took his hand and carefully, avoiding touching me, placed it on my shoulder. -Just tell me when it¡¯s enough¡­ But I was no longer listening, instead focusing on mana. It was just as I thought. The situation and the feeling I had from the flow was the exact same as I got when I drained For. This time there was also a lot less mana to drain as well, I didn¡¯t even get to try and regrow my arms. As I was doing that, I realized that not only Jacob was starting to stir, but also For looked a lot more pale. I thought I might have accidentally been draining her as well, but that was not possible¡­ -Auhg¡­ As soon as Jacob started groaning, I shook off his hand off me, breaking the contact. Even though pale, For understood and quickly moved him away so he wouldn¡¯t accidentally touch me again. -Jacob! Jacob! He slowly raised his head, trying to focus on the voice. -What¡­ who¡­ He was still stunned, not like I can blame him. -Welcome back. -Jacob, are you alright? -I¡­ For? I¡­ yes, I think so¡­ -What happened? Where are the others? -I¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ - he mumbled, staggering onto his feet. - I remember¡­ And he fell down back on his ass. He squinted and I swear I thought he was about to puke. -Slowly and in order. Where is the rest? He looked up and for the first time actually noticed me and Eise hiding behind me. -Mor. Yes. I¡­ your friend wanted me to tell you that he¡¯s going back to help with the move. That¡¯s also where the two guys went. I sent them as the escort¡­ I believed your ¡°not harming anyone¡± bullshit... Look where that got me¡­ -So it was her?! - yelped For, again standing between the two. -I smell bullshit. What, you actually saw her attack? - I immediately asked. -No¡­ but what else can get into my head like this if not your stupid technology or whatever she is¡­ -In your head? So you saw that too? -Too? -A bunch of visions - I explained. - From different perspectives. -Wait a second, you had this too?! -And me - nodded For. - He found me unconscious and managed to resuscitate like he did before. And now did the same to you. -I was, on the other hand, saved by Eise - I said pointing behind me, to the woman hiding in my shadow. -Eise¡­? What are you¡­ WHAT IS THAT. Ah. Right. She was still carrying my arms. -I¡­ had a bit of an accident. Doesn¡¯t matter, now tell me, where¡¯s Kon? -He should be upstairs, in a guest room. That is if he¡¯s not left the place already. He was supposed to go gather the rest of your ¡°friends¡± and prepare them for transport. -Right¡­ the orphanage¡­ -Yeah. If they are not there, they are at the library. But¡­ His face got contorted in pain once more. -I remember¡­ seeing them in the library for some reason¡­ -Probably one of the visions, yeah? -How do you¡­ -Had plenty of those myself. Can you walk? If you¡¯d seen them as well, it¡¯s possible that they are in a similar state as you. -My head is killing me, but I should be fine¡­ -Good. Move it then. 127. Distaste I want to say we swiftly moved to the library, but even though he was adamant on being fine, Jacob was slowing us down considerably. To the point where I wanted to ditch them all and just run straight for it. I don¡¯t know why, but I felt uneasy. For the first time in a long while my head was my own, and instead of being happy about it I was stressed like you can¡¯t imagine. Hell, I guess I got attached. -I swear Jacob, can¡¯t you just eat some mana fruit or something? I didn¡¯t even drain you that much¡­ -I did! But I think the ones I had were a bit old. -So what? Not as good? -I don¡¯t know? Maybe? Fuck, I just didn¡¯t feel any difference. -Maybe they work slower¡­? - muttered to herself Eise, still with us, carrying my ¡°baggage¡±. - That¡¯s interesting¡­ -Eise, why are you even carrying those? - asked For. - Do we really need those? -I¡­ -I have no idea - I said quickly - but I¡¯d rather not leave parts of myself all over the place. -You¡¯re so worried about your hands while I am more terrified about the prospect of leaving Caleb¡­ er, I mean ILMA alone. What if she¡­ -If you¡¯re going to talk about her escaping again¡­ -But it¡¯s possible! I still don¡¯t¡­ -Yeah, yeah, unstable person, whatever. Even if she is, there is literally nowhere to escape. And we can track her in multiple ways. -True¡­ -Besides, didn¡¯t you lock her in the cell again? -Well, yes, but I still don¡¯t really trust this new security¡­ -I can¡¯t use magic and yet you don¡¯t trust it? -I can¡¯t help it! Today is a bit hectic! I was not going to argue with that. After we reached the library, Jacob was in a bit better shape. He maybe didn¡¯t recover much mana, or at all, really, but was able to walk on his own. I guess he was more resilient than he looked. After all, he was the Black Knight. I immediately realized that something was different. Even without us entering the room, I knew that inside there was someone and that someone was definitely not unconscious. Actually, a good handful of people were inside. I thought about warning the rest of the group, but one good look was enough for me to realize what I was looking at. Noone bothered knocking at the door. We just barged inside without a second thought, with me leading the charge. First thing I noticed was something flying right at me. It was a book. It hit me straight in the eye. Good thing I was the first person to walk in. -Fuck, stop it! Not again! I am here to help! In front of me there were a bunch of scared children, huddled in the corner, with a bunch of boys having random stuff in their hands, ready to throw right at my face. They were shielding Kon, unconscious on the floor. Another book flew right at me, but this time I caught it. -Stop! For stepped out from behind me. -I know he looks scary, but he¡¯s with me. -They don¡¯t know you either, why would¡­ But, despite that, kids for some reason instantly recognized her and some of them ran straight to her. -What the¡­ -For? Is that your name, Miss? -Err¡­ Yes? She was almost as confused as I was. -Kon told us about you! He told us to go find you if something happens, but¡­ -But he didn¡¯t tell us where to find you! And now¡­ -And then he screamed! -And he¡¯s fainted! -Others too! Kids were shouting over each other, everything was hardly in order. No wonder. If I was correct in my assumptions and it looked like it was the case, those three had gotten knocked out just like Jacob and For. -Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re here to help. Now, please move aside. They were quite obedient. -Hm, he had time to mention you, but not me¡­ - I muttered, stepping forward. -Doesn¡¯t matter. Can you wake him up like you did with us? -I certainly hope so. -Move, kids. They gave us some space, but kept watching closely. Just as with Jacob, I kneeled next to him and For placed his hand on my shoulder. This time the effect was different¡­ Or rather non-existent at all. It was just like when I touched Caleb, or ILMA. I felt the mana inside, but it straight up did not even budge. -That¡¯s not good¡­ -What¡¯s that supposed to mean!? -I can¡¯t do shit to him. But why though? Was it really just because he was now partially made out of Origin Crystal? But that didn¡¯t make any sense. Last time I was able to touch and easily drain him without even realizing that. I focused and tried once more, but that did not help at all. -He¡¯s somehow resistant¡­ - I muttered. - Well, we need to move him anyway. Is that all of you? - I asked the kids out loud. At first they did not answer, probably a bit intimidated by my appearance, but after a moment someone answered. -Yes. Kon told us to go with him here. I actually recognized the one who answered. It was the same boy who tossed the book at me, and also the same one who, when I first arrived at the orphanage, managed to hit me with a spell. -And what about your caretakers? Vendi? Jack? -On the island. With the two other people, I think they said that they were from here¡­ Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. -From here? That had to be Eicam and Abes. -Hm. Well, at least we have all people accounted for¡­ wait, no! Where is Felix? -Wasn¡¯t he supposed to be here? -Wasn¡¯t there another person? - asked the kid For. - A bit older than you, same clothes as the other two that stayed on the island? -Yes - nodded the boy. - He met us here. As soon as we arrived he told us to wait here so he could bring someone in charge¡­ -In charge? Wouldn¡¯t that mean either of you? - I asked. -Yeah. -I mean, there is no one else besides us here¡­ - muttered Jacob. -You feeling better? -Been better, been worse. My mana is still not where I¡¯d like it to be, but I¡¯ll manage. -Good. Then take the kids and get them settled. We¡¯ll manage by ourselves. He looked at For, a bit worried, but nodded and gestured towards the kids. -You heard the boss. Come on, I¡¯ll get you settled. -But what about Kon?! The boy was apparently the leader after Kon got knocked out of commission. -We¡¯ll take care of him - said For, picking him up from the ground. He didn¡¯t look convinced, but seeing as she was actually looking worried about him, he relented. -Just¡­ Please be careful. -Don¡¯t worry, we will. As they were leaving, I approached Eise. She was hiding behind one of the bookshelves. After seeing who was inside, she carefully hid herself and the ¡°baggage¡± she had with her. Nice thinking of her: at least that way we didn¡¯t have to worry about scaring them even more. -Leave those somewhere here and go with Jacob. He¡¯s still weak and needs to regenerate, you¡¯re the best one to keep him in check. -I¡­ But what about Kon? Don¡¯t you need my help reviving him? -Well¡­ I do have some ideas, but if you have something¡­ -I actually do. She placed my arms on one of the bottom shelves and pulled out something from one of her inside pockets. -It¡¯s a potion. -I mean I can see that¡­ But even without her explanation, I could see that it was a bit unusual. Besides, I wouldn¡¯t ever forget how that stupid concoction looked. -Why do you even have that with you? - I asked, looking carefully. -I wanted to give that to you later. -Uh-uh¡­ If I didn¡¯t know better you wanted to use it on me again. -I never wanted to do that! - she protested instantly. - I never even intended doing that before! It was an accident! -Uh-uh¡­ -I¡­ It was just¡­ -The ¡°definitely not pyromaniac tendencies¡±? -I told you¡­eh¡­ - she was about to say something, but she just gave up. - Well, yes. -Okay, sure, let¡¯s say I believe that. -Whatever. Well, leave it with my arms, just put it a bit further away this time. I don¡¯t need to have another accident¡­ -Of course¡­ but wait, you think you¡¯d feel that? You think that something like that would happen again? -I am not sure, but I don¡¯t really want to check it right now. -Fair. Okay. -Are you sure that was smart? - For asked me as she left the room and closed the door behind her. -She may be quite unstable, at least Jacob will then have an opportunity to recover¡­ At least her salves work¡­ -Well, yes, but I didn¡¯t¡­ how do you even know THAT about her? - she gazed at me, questioningly. -And you think that my arms just fell off by sheer chance? -You¡­ Alright, fair enough. But still, don¡¯t you think we need her help to try and awaken him? She was clearly concerned about him, which I was surprisingly happy about. It was good to know that at least she was thinking about the well-being of her subjects. Hopefully. -I have an idea, but you will probably not like it - I said, after a moment of thought. -Why do I feel like I¡¯ve heard that one before? -... -Well then, what is it? It definitely can¡¯t be worse than disabling magic on the whole island, is it? -Well I certainly hope so. -The idea is to drain his mana into another crystal than his own - I quickly explained, stepping closer to him and getting another look at his current mana situation. -Different one? You mean he has one already? -I told you, he is a revenant, just like me. -I¡­ well, you did, but I honestly thought that was just a lie to get me to let him join Red Mages¡­ -Ha. It worked. Well, I mean, he is a revenant, though. -Okay, that does not sound too bad. But how do you even think we do that? Do you have some kind of a vessel? -I do¡­ - I pointed towards my arms lying nearby. Her eyes widened. -What the fuck?! Are you insane? Do you want to kill him!? -How would that be killing? -You want to suck his soul into a random piece of crystal, that might be still a part of you! How is that different from turning someone into food for you?! Or mana, in this case, huh? You¡¯re mad! -I already told you, what else is a soul other than just an amalgamation of mana? - I sighed. - Even if he were to be turned into pure mana, he¡¯d still be himself. I am a clear example of that exact scenario. -But isn''t that still a piece of you? Wouldn¡¯t then you two be in the same body together? I mean, those are broken off from you, but isn¡¯t there still a connection? Didn¡¯t you want to get them reattached somehow? He was bringing an interesting point about them being still a piece of me, but that was still not changing my mind. -I doubt it. But, besides that, he was already a piece of me to begin with. -That¡¯s what I originally did to bring him back. I used myself as a conduit to transfer him back into that body. -I know, but he then at least had more of him than you¡­ you know what I mean! -Not for a while he didn¡¯t. -Mgh¡­ -I told you you won¡¯t like it. -You bet I don¡¯t. And even if I was to agree, how the hell would you do that even!? I thought you weren¡¯t able to use mana to begin with. -I can¡¯t use MAGIC, not mana, but you are correct, that is a problem - I agreed. - That¡¯s the other reason why you won¡¯t like this one. -You want me to cast the spell?! - she yelled. She was clearly not happy. Even if this was not this crazy of an idea, it was still out there and not anything that she¡¯s done, ever. -That¡¯s why I said I will help you! - I assured her. - I know, this is new to you, but you¡¯d essentially just need to say the words a couple of times, it¡¯s just a simple incantation, don¡¯t worry! -I¡­ don¡¯t¡­ what¡­?! -I would monitor everything very closely - I continued. - If anything was to go bad, I would tell you instantly and instruct you on how to counteract. -How!? -By simply touching you - I said. - I still can manipulate mana. And I had no problems draining you. -I knew I wouldn¡¯t like the answer - she grumbled. -I warned you. -Wait¡­ But if he¡¯s just like you then, wouldn¡¯t I be absorbed by him if I was to touch him?! -Think. Didn¡¯t you just pick him up and place him here? - I pointed towards the main desk where his body was now placed. -I guess you¡¯re right¡­ -The absorption is not the ability of the revenant per se - I explained. - It is the ability of the Origin Crystal. It can absorb any magic. But since Kon is not really made out of the Crystal, not yet at least, he¡¯s still safe to touch. -But since you¡¯re no longer able to drain him, wouldn¡¯t that mean¡­ -I guess some of the Crystal properties have already been implanted into him¡­ Apparently that includes resistance to draining. A bit strange that he managed to manifest that ability just in the worst possible time though¡­ Now when I think about it, it was not me who was touching him last time: it was the other way, he touched me by himself. But would that change a thing? Would consent be really a factor in that kind of an exchange? Or¡­ it was the other way? It was not like I was draining him back then, it was him who was releasing mana towards me? Giving it to me? That was¡­ actually possible. I was honestly surprised that I was able to come to this kind of a conclusion without Iloa. I always pinned that kind of thought to her, or at least some hint of them. But, she was not there, annoyingly. At least then she would be able to confirm or deny this theory¡­ I was only left with myself. -This is annoying¡­ - I mumbled. - Whenever I come here, something annoying happens. -Well, at least this time you are not being arrested. And I honestly should, it was your ¡°friends¡± that are at fault in this. -I¡­ Well, okay. They are not my friends, but sure. -Acquaintances. Whatever. She took a deep breath. -Okay. Fine. How are we going to go about this? -Eh¡­ Well that¡¯s easy. Just get the arms here and put those somewhere next to him. She definitely was a bit put off by them, but picked them up nonetheless. -You feared that he would be able to drain you even while unconscious and not crystal, yet you picked up those with no hesitation. As soon as I pointed that out she jumped and almost dropped them on the floor. -Easy! I was just kidding. -Don¡¯t joke like that! -I¡¯ll try. By the way, are they really that light? She took a second look at them. -Now when you mention it, it seems a bit strange¡­ I expected those to weigh a lot more¡­ Like multiple times more. -Hm. -Are you sure that you are not hollow? -I am not. But I don¡¯t know about those any more. She raised one of my arms and tried inspecting it under the light. -It¡¯s hard to tell¡­ but that might be the case actually. -That¡¯s definitely interesting. Doesn¡¯t change a thing though. Just place them on the desk, okay? 128. Convoluted -Place them so that they actually make contact - I instructed. - That shit doesn¡¯t work remotely. I think. She nodded and carefully did as I asked. Now when I think about it, it actually might have been straight incorrect. After all, I was able to contact him without a single touch before¡­ I did lose the connection to him though, so I guess it''s better to be safe than sorry. She placed my arms right next to his, essentially making it look like he had four. Looked a bit funny. -Now, listen. You need to touch him and the crystal at the same time, then start chanting the spell. -Chanting? You mean that¡¯s not just a singular cast? -No. You need to constantly be repeating the spell. -Okay¡­ sounds simple enough¡­ -That¡¯s not all. At the same time, you need to repeat another spell. Usually you just think of one spell and say the other¡­ -That¡¯s¡­ I can¡¯t do something like that! - she immediately protested. - What do you think, do I look like I have two heads?! -I sort of expected you to say that¡­ So I already thought of something. It¡¯s not really a method I would recommend nor use, but I guess we have no choice. You just need to weave two spells. Just first cast one then another, it should have a similar result, although I am sure it is going to take a lot more mana and time. -Why did you send off Eise then! She¡¯d help. Or Jacob! -I would like to remind you that she¡¯s still blocked from using magic. And Jacob is barely able to hang on his mana supply. We don¡¯t need to have another one in a coma right now¡­ -I could always restore her magic. And Jacob¡­ well. Do you think I have any more than him? -Mana is not a problem right now. While sure, it is not cheap to do something like that, it¡¯s not like we need that much. After all, we are not MAKING another revenant, it¡¯s just an operation on an existing one. -Making¡­ I think for the first time the actual weight of the situation hit her. It was pretty close to ¡°forbidden magic¡±. Okay, it might¡¯ve been just literally the magic that Axelrod wanted people executed for. -Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll be under control. -You really think I have enough mana for this¡­? - she asked, still uncertain about this whole endeavor. -You? Probably not. We? Definitely. -We? You¡¯re joining? I mean¡­ -Well, not directly. She clearly was not understanding, so I started explaining. -Do you think that those crystal arms are just for show? - I asked. - After all, those were part of me just not long ago. And I¡¯ve constantly been under the influence of some kind of mana. Even if you''d run out of mana, you¡¯re going to be using those. And, after all, she would be getting mana from Kon. At least if he¡¯d be successful. I sort of was banking on that, then maybe we¡¯d even not have to finish the ritual, just the drained mana from the attempt would awaken him. That was the first option at least. The second one was just for the ritual to succeed and he¡¯d just awaken like usual. The third option was for me to be able to absorb him through her, just like I was able to do when I first touched the tree back next to the orphanage on the island. That was the last resort though. I was just hoping that the first two would be able to do the job without issue. -Okay. So what is the spell you want me to cast? - asked For after a while of silence. - I guess we can try¡­ That was a good question. I was considering many options, but the two were mainly what I thought of first. The main one, of course, was the same spell I used to make him, or transfer him from myself to his body. It was the obvious choice, but the fact that now the problem with the main body and the lack of response had manifested, there was a chance that it would straight up not work, as we¡¯d essentially wouldn¡¯t be moving the soul at all. There was also a way I yoinked him from the tree¡­ Although I was not even sure myself how the hell I had done that. It probably was more compatible with the second option, as in absorbing him via For. It still was unreliable. -Eh¡­ Let me think¡­ I guess¡­ ¡°Zyza, gy xye oryqa nom quxe kyr ur gy xye zoda, Nar vuzury op zy quq, qy avharow op zy xyomr¡±... -What in the everloving fuck!? How am I supposed to remember or even pronounce that garbage?! She was not wrong, and even to add on top of that¡­ -...I haven¡¯t finished yet. That was just the first part. Although the second one is barely any different, it would be ¡°Peqa, svury gy xye oryqa nom quxe kyr ur gy xye zoda, Nar vuzury op zy quq, qy avharow op zy xyomr¡±. She looked at me like I was insane. -Okay, no. I can do a spell or two, but to try and chant something like this!? That¡¯s impossible! -Well, that¡¯s what I did last time and you can¡¯t hear me complaining. -But I am not you! - she protested. - Is that even correct? I can¡¯t even understand a singular word you just said. -It¡¯s that bad? - I mumbled, annoyed. - Fuck. I can try writing that on some paper¡­ -Well, sure, that¡¯s always an option¡­ IF IT WAS NOT JUST PLAIN GIBBERISH! You think anyone besides you would be able to read that and not make a mistake? -Mh¡­ I guess it is that bad¡­ -I would have to practice this¡­ and even then, just as you said, it would be dangerous just spitting some random words. Who the hell knows what kind of spell would I unleash on us accidentally. -Damn¡­ right. You are absolutely correct. And¡­ - I said, realizing something - you¡¯d have to repeat the whole incantation more than once most likely. You¡¯d definitely stumble at least once¡­ and we don¡¯t need any more wild magic¡­ -This is straight up impossible, you realize that? -That¡¯s problematic. Besides looking angry, both at me and at herself, she was absolutely crestfallen. I guess the idea of us being stuck being her fault was weighing on her¡­ -Calm down, I¡¯ll think of something¡­ - I muttered and instantly got lost in my own thoughts. Man, I should¡¯ve predicted that. I already knew that magic in this world was not as refined as it was back in my day at the MIRE, so I had to realize that this would give her some trouble. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Hell, as far as I knew she was even homeschooled, so that was not helping the case either. Were normal schools even a thing here? Elven schools? I don¡¯t know what I am talking about. In any case, it meant that the idea of using the same spell to return Kon to his own body was impossible, or at least not in this form. Out of all the times I was annoyed that Iloa was inside my head, this time I was angry that she disappeared. With her assistance this would not be a problem at all. She would just think for a moment and have the answer ready and waiting. After all, she was the most talented one in spellcraft. No wonder we based the design of ILMA on her¡­ Wait. ILMA. She was still with us, right? Would it be possible for her to make the spell for me instead? Just like the old times? It was a possibility. The problem was that she was disconnected from all the networks she used, so how much of her regular functions would be still working? Well, she still had her logic and algorithms intact, so would it be possible that she still had the language module working? Did we actually put the module inside her or did we just import it from some place¡­? Hell, I couldn¡¯t remember. Another issue though: would she even listen to me if I was to ask her for help? Last time I ordered her something, she straight up declined. She was answering questions at least. But would my request be recognized as the question or would I still need some deeper access to her databases? Non-existent, to boot. But, nonetheless, she would be the best help. -I have an idea - I said, raising my eyes to meet hers. -I do hope that this one is more doable¡­ -That¡¯s¡­ up to debate. I need to talk to ILMA. -Goldie? Er, I mean¡­ -Yeah. After all, she is the most¡­ competent of all of us. I am sure that she¡¯d be a great help. -I feel like there¡¯s ¡°but¡± somewhere in there. -Well, it¡¯s just a matter of making her talk - I shrugged. - But we¡¯ll cross that bridge when we get to it. -Hm¡­ You think that she will be able to cast the spell for me? That made me pause. -You know¡­ That was actually a good idea. For clearly was still not sure or not really believing her abilities, and I can¡¯t blame her for that, but the option to make her cast the spell instead of trying to make a new incantation from scratch¡­That was definitely possible. For one, ILMA would be able to repeat the spell no problem, any amount without a single mistake. In that sense, she was superior to us in every single way. The problem was, if the spell was to not work, or something to go wrong, I would be unable to stop it. With For casting I would be able to drain the spell and her without issue, fixing the problem. Hopefully. Still, the same problem persisted, too: would she even listen to us? While I did call her a person, she didn¡¯t exactly act as such¡­ -Then¡­ we need to get him to her, right? She definitely did not sound amused, and no wonder. She was the one who was going to have to carry him with us. -Good thing he¡¯s not heavy. -I was more worried about your arms¡­ but right, those are also light¡­ - she mumbled to herself. - Are there no other options¡­? -I can try and come up with something by myself, but another person¡¯s input is definitely preferred¡­ -Eh¡­ She complained a bit but grabbed him nonetheless. In the middle of us making our way back to the dungeon where Goldie was kept, For broke the silence with a strange question, -Say¡­ did something happen to you? -Told you, I am going to be fine. I just need some time and my body will be back in regular shape. -No, no, I know that. I meant¡­ er, mentally. -The hell are you on about? - I asked, not sure what that was supposed to mean. -Well¡­ before you were a lot more confident in yourself¡­ - she said, clearly having trouble putting into words what she was thinking about right now. - Had the answer to everything almost immediately¡­ and now for you to ask for help almost instantly¡­ Are you sure that nothing happened? -Since when are you worried about me? -Since you¡­ well, I don¡¯t actually know - she said, clearly confused. - It''s just¡­ huh. Why do I care? The whole sentence sounded weird. She was clearly struggling with her own self, which was worrying first of all. And second of all¡­ she was absolutely right. I have not been myself lately¡­ or maybe I haven¡¯t been myself earlier and just now came back to my senses? Fuck, that was annoying. -I see you are as overwhelmed as me - I said. - It¡¯s been¡­ a hard time, be it for you as a leader and all, and for me over all. I can¡¯t blame you for getting confused. -It¡¯s not ¡°confused¡±¡­ It¡¯s quite the opposite - she replied. - It¡¯s¡­ just recently I have been feeling a bit off and I didn¡¯t even realize that. -Just don¡¯t blame me for that¡­ -I honestly was thinking about it - she said. - I think that the weirdness started happening just after you woke me up¡­ I mean, the second time that is. -Don¡¯t tell me that your overall life has been so normal - I laughed. -Maybe¡­ - she nodded. - But most of that stuff was also connected to you, for good or for worse¡­ -Come on, you know that¡¯s not¡­ -And I know that it¡¯s not your fault¡­ some of it at least. For some reason¡­ I feel like I can trust you. The words were really surprising to hear, especially from her. She was full of suspicions, or at least used to be. -Damn blood binding¡­ -And what does that have to do with anything? -It means exactly what you think it means. -And I don¡¯t know what it means. Care to explain? -Damn. You really have changed¡­ Before you ridicule me for not knowing about the magic I used, now you ask me about that kind of thing¡­ -So explain it because I feel like actually doing that right now. -Sure, sure¡­ -See¡­ before I used the meditations¡­ or rather that spell you explained to me about, I was digging through a lot of books. -Yeah, I noticed that. -And while I didn¡¯t find what I was looking for, I found some information about blood binding and contracts. -I remember seeing a book about those in here - I nodded. - So what about it? I don¡¯t think there was much interesting information in there¡­ -I don¡¯t think we are talking about the same one then - she said. - But again, there were a couple of them here. -Well, I did only browse through the library, I was not digging through your private stuff, so that¡¯s possible. So what interesting things did you learn? -I learned that the bindings, or deals, are actually a three-step process. -That¡¯s similar to what I thought, or rather what I was told before, and what the general knowledge is, although with a certain difference. The general public thinks that deals have three levels: the word of mouth, the sealed deal, and the blood pact. -Sounds about right. And that the tree can be upgraded to a higher one. She nodded. -And after failing one level, it can be automatically upgraded to a higher one. -I thought you actually need someone to do that consciously? -Actually, no. You only need to do that if you haven¡¯t broken your word yet. -Okay¡­ What about that three-step process? -See¡­ the deals are apparently not divided into levels. Those are just steps to the actual spell, or to the actual contract. -Actual contract? -Yeah, that is just what you think it would be: to forfeit your soul to the other party - she simply said. -Er¡­ I can¡¯t really say that it makes any difference to me - I said after a moment of thought. - Isn¡¯t that just arguing semantics? Three-step process, three levels, what is the actual difference? Is there any even? -Well, the usage is definitely different. -Usage? Didn¡¯t you say that it was just used for the whole slave bullshit? -I never mentioned slaves. That is, actually the man-made use for this thing. What that used to be is to actually control people. -Isn¡¯t that the same? -It definitely can be. But from what I gathered, it was used to actually control not people, but memories. I gazed at her, curious. -Wait, so you think that¡¯s why you suddenly remembered that stuff after that ¡°ritual of remembrance¡± or whatever you called? -It seems that way. That spell released me from the binds. Or at least weakened them for me to remember a little bit. -Seems like more than just a bit. But more importantly, wouldn¡¯t that mean that you were already someone else¡¯s slave beforehand¡­ -I don¡¯t think¡­ Well, that¡¯s a bit complicated¡­ -I thought that you only can be bound to one person at a time. And I definitely did bind to you, right? And before you ask - I added - I didn¡¯t mess with your memories, no. You know very well what was inside the contract and how to check it. -I am aware - she mumbled. - But I do not understand this magic completely, so I can¡¯t say, really. -Man¡­ I said that already, but every time I hear more about that magic of yours I continuously think that it¡¯s bullshit. -Right, I am slowly starting to understand why¡­ - she nodded. - But we have to deal with it now, because I feel like it¡¯s not going anywhere any time soon. -Sadly. -Anyway¡­ we¡¯re here. 129. Persistent During our discussion we arrived at the dungeon. Still as deserted as usual, that is besides the one guy in the cell. -Get him into the interrogation room and we¡¯ll go from there. -Right. She placed Kon on the bench of the room, along with my¡­ missing parts, and we went to the cell where Goldie was kept. For grabbed him by the arm, and without resistance made him stand up and led him to the room with Kon. He was still as blank as usual, or she was, rather. -First things first. ILMA. Are you awake? As soon as I spoke her name, she turned to me but did not respond. -I assume that as a resounding ¡°maybe¡±. Good enough. I could feel For tensing up as I asked the next question. -ILMA, do you know what happened to him? Her eyes turned to the unmoving body on the stone bench. For a good moment she didn¡¯t say a word, making me worry, but after a full minute she spoke. -Negative. -That¡¯s not good¡­ - muttered For. -It¡¯s not that bad. At least she is still conscious and responding - I said, trying to think of the brighter side. She nodded, not amused and decided to ask her a few questions herself. -ILMA, do you know how to wake him up? -Target unspecified. -Fucking¡­ I mean Kon, ILMA. -Affirmative. That surprised us both. But it can¡¯t be that easy, can it? -Are you able to do that, ILMA? -Affirmative. Well damn. Apparently it was that easy. But For was not sharing my optimism. Instead, I felt her being more suspicious than ever before. -Say, Mor¡­ How likely is it that it¡¯s just a ploy of hers? I shot her a confused look. -Ploy? To do what exactly? -To get me to give me her magic back. Right. I kind of forgot that she was also unable to use magic, thanks to my meddling with the crystal and the overall security of this place. -I find that highly unlikely. After all, you all have been added to the ¡°employee list¡±, remember? -Of course I do. But that can¡¯t say that I am not suspicious¡­ -I can tell that much. I sighed, thinking. -I mean¡­ - I finally replied, after a solid minute - I don¡¯t know what to say. There is not much else I can do to make sure of that. Even if I was, I am not certain if she would¡¯ve listened to me, since, you know¡­ -Right, she didn¡¯t recognize you either¡­ no wonder, you don¡¯t look like yourself any more¡­ -I never thought about it that way¡­ - I mumbled. - But yeah¡­ She is still mostly logic based. So I think that she shouldn¡¯t¡­ But as I was about to try and think of something to assure her that ILMA is harmless right now, I couldn¡¯t help but have that weird feeling of¡­ I don¡¯t know, uncertainty? Definitely not helping in those circumstances. -It is your call¡­ - I just said, shrugging. She was still uncertain, but finally sighed and made up her mind. -ILMA, if I am to give you the ability to use magic back, will you be able to bring him back? -Parameters unrecognized. -For fucks¡­ Will you be able to wake up Kon if I give you your magic back, ILMA? -Magic conjuration is not required. -Wait, what? Both of us were confused. How would that work? She can wake him up just like that? What the hell was her plan? But, while I was suddenly suspicious, For clearly got a lot less nervous. -What do you think about that? -Well¡­ If I was to be still as sure as before I would say that she is harmless and there is no harm in trying¡­ -But you aren¡¯t¡­? I didn¡¯t want to admit it, but I definitely was not sure about that. Honestly, I was not sure if she even had the capacity to do that without access to the old databases of our spells and overall magical language. On the other hand, she did have capacity to grow and it was possible that she managed to think of the solution herself, just like Iloa did every time. What concerned me though was the fact that she was able to apparently do that in her current state. Nevertheless, I was not going to say any of that. -I guess we can try, there shouldn''t be any issue¡­ -You definitely don¡¯t sound certain - she pointed out. -Neither do you. There are no certain things any more, shit is weird if you didn¡¯t recognize that before. -I guess¡­ But despite that exchange, she already had made up her mind. -ILMA, please go awaken Kon. -Understood. -Here goes nothing¡­ - I mumbled, looking closely at what she was about to do. She approached Kon and placed her hands on him. She did not speak a word, was just standing there. -What¡¯s she doing¡­? To For¡¯s eyes it probably was looking like nothing was happening, but to my eyes it was clear the instant she touched him. As soon as they came into contact, I felt her mana move and fluctuate. And suddenly, the same thing was happening to Kon. I was unsure of what I was actually seeing. Before, I was able to somewhat understand both the mana of Kon and her, or rather Goldie¡¯s. While the fact that the strange presence or the spark that I was assuming was a piece of me that was inside Kon, and the small piece that was the consciousness of Goldie inside now ILMA were definitely not usual things, I was used to them. I could tell what was what, somewhat at least. When the confusing aura of the strange mana got mixed in on top of that when he got knocked out appeared, I sort of accepted it and moved on, but now, I could tell that the same mana was now present inside ILMA. It also made me realize why she didn¡¯t need to get her magic back: she was straight up not using magic: instead, she was just manipulating mana itself. Just like I was able to do, and just like me, she was now attempting to absorb him. I probably should¡¯ve been trying to stop her, but I didn¡¯t¡­ because Kon was actually winning. And not like he was trying to absorb her back, it was more¡­ like she was sharing herself with him? The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. I know, that sounds weird but that is the best way to describe what I was seeing at that moment. It probably was helping that they, apparently, had a very similar structure of mana. Besides the fact that both of them had that strange addition of the unusual, pure and almost natural mana in them, both of them were also essentially two people. Would that mean that thanks to that ILMA was able to easier manipulate him¡­ and essentially herself? The more I thought about it, the more confusing it was getting, so I decided to stop and wait for the results. And the results definitely came. The mana, at first slowly flowing between the two like a quiet stream, started picking up speed and intensity, to the point where it started to look like an actual whirlpool. Flowing from her to him and back again to him, making me dizzy. And it was not just the fact that it started spinning, it was also mixing altogether. It was melding together into one fluid color, or at least mostly. The small parts that I thought were me, Goldie and another, now I guess Kon, were still there¡­ Wait, there was another one. It looked almost like the overall mix that was in there, but soon started¡­ crystalizing and being distinctly different. Suddenly, both of their eyes started glowing and the shards shot to different bodies. It happened so fast I was not able to tell which went where, before a blinding flash of mana attacked my eyes, and I heard a yelp. Apparently even For noticed that, because I felt her flinch and hide her own eyes from the light. -Did you do it?! - asked For immediately after the flash disappeared and we were again able to see normally. - Is he okay!? Unsurprisingly, the answer did not come. I was about to remind her about how she should actually address her to get a reply, but I noticed that something was different. And not just with the state of mana of either of them. Sure, both were strange and different now, but it was not what at first glance caught my attention. It was the fact that ILMA was no longer looking at me with the regular blank expression on her borrowed face. Instead it was more confused or bewildered I want to say, and definitely full of emotion - a stark change from before. -Are you okay¡­? - For also noticed that expression. Well, the stare was kind of obvious and hard to miss¡­ -Miss For¡­? But the voice was not strange and robotic any more. Instead, it was very familiar to me, or rather us both. -Caleb?! - she couldn¡¯t help but yelp. - What!? How?! -What is going on¡­? He was almost as confused as we were. -What the fuck¡­ what did she do¡­? - I mumbled, looking closer at him and his mana. Sure enough, it was now completely different: essentially, the proportions of mana in his body switched and now he was the dominant one. But he still had the small piece of unknown inside him - probably still her. -What happened?! -Why am I here¡­? Why are you looking at me like that¡­? He barely was able to put his thoughts together, definitely was not able to reply to her questions in any decent manner, but that was not what I was now focused on. I was staring at Kon. As soon as the spell finished with the flash of blinding light, his mana changed as well and he opened his eyes. But this time, his eyes were blank¡­ almost like¡­ -Kon? Are you alright? - I asked, looking directly into his eyes. There was no answer, but instead I felt his mana shift a bit, like something did recognize me speaking. -Hell. Well, he definitely is awake¡­ Or at least he opened his eyes¡­ For also noticed the change and his weird demeanor. -That does not look good. -It¡¯s an improvement¡­. I think? - I said, not sure myself. -Is that the effect of what you called ¡°superior intelligence¡±? Kind of disappointing¡­ -In more ways than you think - I mumbled, gazing at Caleb. He was still not completely with us, just standing there and looking at me with absolute bewilderment written on his face. -And stop looking at me like that? What, you saw a ghost? He didn¡¯t reply, just flinched and his face contorted with an irritated grin. -Ah. So my eyes are not deceiving me. It¡¯s you, traitor. -Excuse me? -You well know what I said. I see you didn¡¯t listen to warnings though, seeing as you lack some pieces¡­ -What warnings? - For joined it, worried. - What did he do!? -Yeah, what did I do? - I asked, genuinely curious about what he was talking about. - As far as I remember the only person that betrayed someone was your dear king, not me? -How dare you¡­ He was about to jump up and straight up try to punch me, but failed miserably. Thanks to whatever brought him back to us, he was now a lot weaker than he expected, and only managed to lose his balance and almost fell face first on the floor, but For managed to catch him. -Calm down. We all are friends here. It is thanks to him that you were brought back, so try and contain yourself. She missed a few steps but technically she was right. -By the accident apparently - I sighed. -That¡¯s actually a good point¡­ What¡¯s happened to Kon?! She sat Caleb back down and leaped towards Kon, who was still lying on the table, unmoving. -Kon¡­? Still nothing. She waved his hand in front of his face, but also got nothing. A few nudges and a couple more callouts later, it was sure that he was just as absent as he was before. -Did she fail¡­? - mumbled For. -I want to say that it is highly unlikely - I said - but in current circumstances my knowledge is apparently full of holes¡­ -Well, even if she did, she didn¡¯t fail completely. After all, we now have him back¡­ -Yay¡­ what a joy¡­ I think neither of us were really keen on him being back with us. But hey, at least Jacob is going to be happy¡­ Maybe then he¡¯ll be a bit more focused on everything else¡­ -I guess another pair of hands is always welcome¡­ - she mumbled. - Now we are net zero on that¡­ -We¡¯re still in negative. I still have none. -Pf. Whatever. -Can someone explain to me what the hell is going on?! - interrupted us Jacob, finally having enough of being out of the loop. -That¡¯s a long story¡­ - I started, but For finished for me. -You got knocked out by¡­ Well, we are not sure what, and somehow were controlled by someone else. We tried bringing you back but couldn¡¯t do a thing. -I remember¡­ being attacked by him! - he pointed an accusatory finger to me. - That¡¯s him that¡­ -No, no - she immediately interrupted. - He did it in self defense and for your own safety. The thing that took over was aggressive at first. She was not exactly incorrect, but I could see that she was trying to hide some of the details so I just went along with it. -Sounds about right. And now more people had gotten incapacitated in some weird attack, so we had to get some help from the same one that got you. But¡­ -You wanted to save me? - he puffed. - I doubt that. -No wonder. Because it was not you who I wanted to save¡­ -Yeah¡­ We tried waking him up - she gestured towards Kon - but for some reason now you are awake now instead and he is¡­ For the first time Goldie actually started paying attention to his surroundings. -We are¡­ in a cell? -Interrogation room - she corrected him. - We had to contain you somehow¡­ -I do remember a little bit¡­ - he said, looking like he had a hard time remembering things. - Who¡¯s this anyway¡­? -A new hire - simply said For. - A pretty talented mage, albeit young. -Hm¡­ Well, you do you. But that reminds me¡­ We still need more manpower¡­ She rolled her eyes. -Yes, yes, I still remember. But I am not sending any more, especially new hires, since none of the people you took before had come back. -That¡¯s what they signed up for - she shrugged. - And you know that very well. I found it strange and almost unthinkable that the first thing that he was thinking about after being awakened from a coma, was a mission from Axelrod. The fact that he was not having any questions about his own wellbeing was concerning at best. Like, how the fuck do you just hear ¡° you have been controlled by some entity¡± and go ¡°yeah, ok, but have you got the stuff I asked about¡±? Is he insane? -I am glad that you feel better now - I said, interrupting their discussion - but I feel you are forgetting a very important part. -Yeah¡­ like how the hell did you get controlled in the first place!? - asked For, realizing that it was a perfect way to change the topic. -I don¡¯t know. More importantly, why are you seemingly fine with this¡­ person even being here? He is a wanted criminal! -And what did he do exactly? -Attacked a member of a royal guard, killed a lot of people and is now suspected of kidnapping! - he announced. -I didn¡¯t do shit! Well, most of it¡­ -Even he¡¯s so bold to confess! -Now, I am certain that there is an explanation for all of this¡­ - she said calmly. - I assume you mean that he attacked Erf? -Oh, so you have heard! Yeah, that¡¯s the one. He maimed him and now he is still in recovery! We assumed him dead, but somehow he managed to survive! He needs to be arrested, this instance! He attempted to stand up and grab me, but for naught. He was still weak and just collapsed back onto his bench. -In your current situation, I feel that is impossible - said For, still calm and collected. I honestly was in awe of her. How in the hell was she able to keep a straight face during this whole charade, and at the same time she slowly was trying to calm him down. If I was to guess it was not the first time she had to manage him and his antics so maybe it was just her experience that gave her the edge. Yet he was still not giving up. -What are you doing?! Are you trying to cover for him?! That¡¯s¡­ -I am not trying to cover for anybody, I am trying to just get the facts straight. And the main fact is that it doesn¡¯t matter right now. -This man is wanted by law and¡­ -By law that does not extend to this island, I need to remind you. While sure, under different circumstances I would be inclined to give him to you, as you can see he is already disarmed and defenseless¡­ I definitely was not. Well, maybe literally¡­ -...but under our current circumstances, we are cut off from your King, and I first need to think about my own guild¡¯s wellbeing. And he is the main reason why I am still alive and awake. -... -So I am going to be requiring the services of him and decided to add him as a guild member. -You are going to harbor a criminal?! -Not the first time, not the last one. Do I have to remind you that one of the people who you brought to me last time was indeed a criminal? A person who got missing for a good while thanks to your king? 130. Exchange Wait, what? That was the first time that I heard about that one. It was Axelrod who hired Eicam? HE was the one whose experiment got out of hand and destroyed that place? An interesting piece of information indeed. But it was not really what was important right now. -People, can we focus? I came here to revive Kon, not to lose any more value. -Excuse me?! -You¡¯re excused. Anyway, the main question is still what exactly happened?! -True. And where exactly is that friend of yours? -Damn¡­ yeah, where the hell are you, ILMA? - I sighed, asking the question to the nether. - What happened¡­ -ILMA: current location: Red Edge. That one sentence made all of us jump up. The voice was still similarly robotic, although it was younger this time. We all turned to the source: Kon. He was sitting up now and gazing at me with the blank and distant stare that I so very well knew from Goldie not so long ago. -What the fuck?! -What?! Who is that?! - Goldie was still weak, but the jolt of adrenaline helped him up and he was now the furthest away it was possible in this small room from the newly arisen ¡°threat¡±. -I don¡¯t even¡­ But despite the initial confusion, it was obvious. Somehow, some way, ILMA made her way into Kon¡¯s body. -When I said ¡°wake him up¡± I didn¡¯t mean this¡­ - said For, still stunned. - Why¡­ I¡­ -That¡¯s how I looked? - Goldie was still in disbelief. - That is the thing that took me over¡­? -More or less, yeah¡­ - I nodded. - Although how did that happen is still what eludes me¡­ -What do you mean? Didn¡¯t she do that on purpose?! - asked Goldie. - This thing is clearly an enemy! I was not going to even try and explain, but it was apparently not necessary, because For had different plans. -Don¡¯t you think that the best way is just to ask? - said For. - ILMA, did you take Kon¡¯s body on purpose? I was honestly surprised that she was so open and up front with that question, and as surprised with the reply she got. -Negative. -So what were you trying to do, ILMA? -As per instruction, the attempt was made to awaken mana of the entity named Kon. The attempt consisted of moving the mana of the entity Kon from its host and back again. -And what failed, ILMA? - I asked, curious. -A mana anomaly has been detected. The connection has been overwhelmed by another force, most likely the entity Kon itself. Let¡¯s add that to the list of the things I didn¡¯t expect to hear. -What? Does that mean¡­ that HE was the one who absorbed her¡­ not the other way around? - asked uncertain For. -I¡­ honestly don¡¯t even know¡­ But the truth is that it might have been true. After all, during the whole process I have seen that both of their manas were mixed¡­ and that strange whirlwind I was seeing¡­ It was possible that it was indeed the effect of them essentially playing tug-of-war. But what was the strangest one¡­ why was he even able to do that? Sure, he was part me, or rather part Origin Crystal, meaning he was sure to become strong, but for it to happen so soon? It was not really something I would think would happen now¡­ But it was agreeing with my earlier hypothesis of him starting to become an even stronger crystal than me and my overall inability to drain him. Wouldn¡¯t that mean that he was still conscious though? Or was he really that powerful to be able to act subconsciously? It was possible¡­ If during his slavery he was able to rebuild his body in those kinds of circumstances, it wouldn¡¯t be far fetched if he was able to do this again, this time with his own mind though. Especially after I showed him how to exactly manipulate mana and pay attention to it¡­ Hm. So really, there was only one question to ask. -ILMA, where is Kon now? Her answer was as instant and as bland as usual. -The entity known as Kon: current location: Red Edge. -Err¡­ that¡¯s good news I guess¡­ - mumbled For. - But where exactly, ILMA? -Exact location: underground, dungeon, interrogation room, desk. -Wait. That¡¯s where¡­ That was where she was sitting. -And let¡¯s just confirm¡­ that is not just his body, but also his soul¡­ right, ILMA? -Affirmative. -What in the hell is going on¡­ Goldie was not amused by us ignoring him and probably more by For apparently not caring about his threats or overall comments. Or maybe it was still just my presence what annoyed him. -Er¡­ and he is fine¡­ and conscious, right ILMA? -Affirmative. -How the hell is he supposed to be conscious if she is the one doing the talking? - protested For. - That makes no sense. -It is worrying, true¡­ -Worrying?! That¡¯s a bit of an understatement! What are we supposed to do now then? Is he¡­ -Part of her? - I finished for her. - Most likely. Or maybe the other way around¡­ -Part of¡­ what in the hells are you talking about?! Goldie has not even in the slightest been able to understand the current predicament we found ourselves in. Which was doubly strange, because if I was correct, he was in the exact same situation not so long ago. -What should we do now? - For started repeating herself, sounding more and more desperate. For some reason she was really invested in this. -You or me? Well, I don¡¯t know, really. Why don¡¯t we ask, hm? -You want to ask her for help AGAIN? - she didn¡¯t bother hiding her annoyance and slowly started losing her cool. - Oh, how well that ended up last time¡­ -I never said I was going to do exactly what she says or even was not going to ask her to fix our problems for us. But in any case, it¡¯s not her fault¡­ I think. -You think? Then what exactly happened, hm!? -If I knew there would be no issue right now! - I sighed. - What I suspect though is that something or someone is messing with us¡­ -If you are going to say that it¡¯s King¡¯s fault again¡­ - she started. I didn¡¯t let her finish, nor waited for the inevitable outburst from Goldie. -Who the hell knows. That is not important. But before we do something, let¡¯s finish what we started here. -And that is¡­? -ILMA, are we able to communicate with Kon? -Affirmative. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. -And how can we do that, ILMA? -Any information that is absorbed by me is shared with the entity known as Kon while they are conscious. -What, so does that mean that he is able to hear us? - For looked a bit spooked. -Apparently¡­ It started looking more and more like it was indeed the same thing as I and Iloa had not so long ago. But that also gave me an idea. -ILMA, are you able to switch with Kon? -Results inconclusive. -What? Switch¡­? -I suspect that they both have a bit of a similar relationship now that I had before¡­ As I was saying that I bit my tongue. I didn¡¯t want to say that¡­ It was not a problem if I was just with For. But the other one¡­ -You had what?! I knew it! You are an abomination. I just rolled my eyes. Goldie was the problem. Whatever I was going to say or do, he was always going to be against me, or rather with Axelrod. And since he apparently fed him a bunch of crap about me, there was no way to actually turn him to our side¡­ If we even had a side to begin with, that is¡­ If only there was someone¡­ -Right, I almost forgot - I changed the subject. - Gol.. ehm, Caleb, I think we are done here mostly, but I would like to still have a couple of words with For. Would you mind and take a leave¡­? -Like hell I will! - he protested, unsurprisingly. - I am not going to leave you alone with your conspirators! It¡¯s¡­ -Excuse me? Me, a conspirator? - For was clearly not amused. - I would like to remind you where you are and who you are talking to!? But he was not budging. -I am sorry, but right now the word of our King has power over yours. I will be taking this person into custody, and I am afraid I will have to report your behavior as well. Harboring a bunch of criminals¡­ For was about to say something, but I was first. -And what, you are going to capture your brother as well, hm? - I asked. - He is also with me on this, especially after I have saved his life. Multiple times in fact. -I do not have a¡­ -Oh stop it¡­ - I frowned at him, looking at him annoyed. - I know your name, I know his name, you can stop pretending. It¡¯s not like¡­ -Oh, you don¡¯t understand me - he interrupted me. - We might be of one family, but after what I¡¯ve heard and what he has done, he is no brother of mine. Both me and For were speechless. That was news for both of us. Since when he was disowning him? Can he even do that? It was doubly weird, especially after hearing Jacob be so worried about him and constantly trying to protect him. And wasn¡¯t he, just before he got knocked out by me, genuinely happy to see him? What happened to that? -What are you talking about, Caleb? What do you think he¡¯s going to say about that? - For was not hiding her surprise. -Didn¡¯t you just earlier today talk with him like you were friends? What happened to that, huh? -I have nothing to say to you. -Well, he definitely will though¡­ -Oh, no you are not going anywhere! I rolled my eyes. -And what, you¡¯re going to stop me? -Of course I will! He reached for his sword, but it was missing. -You think that someone would let you have a weapon after the stunt you pulled? Or, well, your body did. -I don¡¯t¡­ - he froze mid complaint. - Wait, what exactly did I do? -Attacked and almost killed a couple of my men - said For, not amused by the current situation. -I don¡¯t remember¡­ ANYWAY, it doesn¡¯t matter! - he quickly corrected himself. - It¡¯s not important. Doesn¡¯t matter if I have a weapon or not, you are not going anywhere! -And how exactly are you going to stop me, hm? - I asked, stepping closer to him. He didn¡¯t even flinch. Instead he stood up as well, and this time he didn¡¯t even have to hold onto anything to heep balance. I guess he finally regained his strength, or mana rather. Not like there was much to regain to begin with. -Did you forget who I am?! I still wield fire magic, and I am intending on using it. I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. -Go on. Hit me with it. Fire. Let¡¯s see what happens. I didn¡¯t have to tell him twice. But, what he did was almost hard to call even an attempt at magic. He extended his hands towards me, like he was about to grab my head. Both me and For involuntarily moved a step back, more confused than anything. I definitely have not seen anyone use magic like that, but after being that long in this country I realized that it is better to be safe than sorry, and waited for incantation. And waited. And nothing. I mean, sure, you can cast a spell without words, or not even use words and produce some effects, but to see an attempt like this from him made me very skeptical. And, confirming my suspicions, after looking closer at him I did not notice any movement of mana. Nothing at all. For still didn¡¯t clock on that, because she stepped even further away from us both, moving Kon with her, but even she finally noticed that something was not right. -Are you going to do something, or¡­ - I asked, raising my non-existent brew. -I am. -You definitely are not. -Shut up. Not like you can understand my higher magic. -Are you fucking kidding me? - I groaned. - I knew that you were a fraud, but to that extent? That¡¯s¡­ -How dare you! You won¡¯t be talking much after this spell completes¡­ -Yeah, no - I shook my head. - First of all, even if you were to actually use a spell, it wouldn¡¯t work. We are in For¡¯s territory and I don¡¯t think you got the permission to do shit over here. -I do! - he protested, but For corrected him. -Actually, you DID. But not any more. We¡­ I reset it. A safety precaution - she explained, half-heartedly. -And before you¡¯re going to complain - I said, seeing that he was about to say something - I can¡¯t cast anything too. I would¡¯ve said that we are on an even playing field, but that¡¯s not¡­ -Of course we aren¡¯t! Even without any magic I am superior to you! He now stopped his magical theatrics and now instead raised his fists. -Oh, such an achievement, comparing yourself to a crippled man, what a hero you are¡­ - I sighed. - Fine. Go, do your worst. See how that ends up. I think he started reconsidering his options, but not for long. Instead he doubled down on his theatrics. -I am not going to fight a crippled person! I just have to make you come with me! -And then what? How exactly are you going to leave this place, hm? With me in tow might I add? -Portal¡­ - he started. -Yes, yes, portal magic is a thing, sure. But who exactly do you want to use for that? Your brother? The same one who you just disowned or whatever that was? Maybe For? Does she even know how to do that? And even if she did, do you really think that after this speech of yours she¡¯d help you? -That¡¯s¡­ -You are stuck here. And while your brother might just bail you out, I don¡¯t feel like going to the capital. -You¡­! -But I will give you a chance. I am now going to go to your brother. We then can repeat this dialogue with him present, why don¡¯t we? I gestured towards For. She immediately understood and grabbed Kon. -ILMA, can you walk? -Affirmative. -Then follow me please, ILMA. -Ladies first¡­ - I said, bowing slightly, ignoring Goldie and his complaints. I noticed that she squinted a bit, annoyed, but dragged Kon with her nonetheless. I left the room, leaving Goldie alone and still angry that we were ignoring him. -You think he¡¯s going to follow us? - asked For after we left the room and the angry shouts of Goldie started to fade away. -Like he has anywhere else to go¡­ - I shrugged. - I don¡¯t really care. -He¡¯s going to be annoying¡­ -Hm. She was absolutely right. While we were making our way towards the tower, where Jacob was supposed to be, I noticed that we were being tailed. And of course it was Goldie. He did not even bother to talk to either of us, instead decided that ¡°keeping hidden¡± was the best tactic. I say ¡°keeping hidden¡± a bit liberally, he was quite obvious in his golden armor, stomping through the corridors with metal boots. -Was he always that annoying¡­? - I asked For, while we were walking. -You¡¯re asking me? I thought you traveled with him? -I did. But I tried keeping as far away from him as possible. I mean, I noticed that he was not the smartest one, but¡­ -That is an understatement¡­ I honestly am not sure how he was able to get the title he holds so dear¡­ -Golden Knight? Well, he has his armor¡­ -You think wearing some piece of gear is enough for someone to be called like that¡­? -Speaking of, he found his stuff - I mentioned. - I thought you hid it better¡­ -We never hid it, we just left it as it was¡­ It¡¯s not like he was our enemy to begin with, so¡­ -I guess¡­ And anyway his gear is still useless¡­ -Yeah, magic is luckily blocked, thanks to you¡­ -Even if it wasn¡¯t there¡¯s no useful magic in his gear - I shrugged. -What? I thought he had some great magical fire blade¡­? -Nah. That¡¯s just some toy - I plainly stated. - I checked last time. It only had some illusion magic in it and that¡¯s it. And to boot it¡¯s been reforged lately so it¡¯s doubly useless now. -Are you kidding me? And what about armor¡­? -This time completely nothing. -Shit¡­ I remember him boasting that it¡¯s worth its price in gold¡­ You are going to tell me that¡¯s just a piece of shit? -Well, golden shit. Literally. He didn¡¯t lie to you. That thing is made out of pure gold. It looks fancy, but I am afraid in terms of protection it does not have much to offer¡­ -For fucks¡­ How does his brother even work with him? -I guess he doesn¡¯t any more - I shrugged. - Don¡¯t you find that strange? -Yeah, very. I do think that his behavior lately has been a bit¡­ Let''s say he has not been open-minded. I mean, he¡¯s always been dense, but this is just asinine. -I guess Axelrod¡¯s fault. -Okay, I know you don¡¯t like the king but don¡¯t you think that¡¯s a little bit over the top? To blame everything wrong in this world on him? -I can instead blame it on your people if you want. -My people?! What do you even¡­ -You know very well that the blood magic and the overall pacts are the root of most, if not all, of my problems. -That¡¯s a bit unfair¡­ -Is it now¡­? We didn¡¯t have time to talk about that any more because we finally reached the room where Jacob was supposed to be. Yet he was not there. 131. Missing -I knew that it was not going to be that easy¡­ -Did something keep him from coming back¡­? We did check her room and the few vacant ones as well, but he was nowhere to be found, so we directed ourselves to the library. He was not there either. But a bunch of anchors were missing. -I guess he is still in the process of transferring kids¡­? - I said, not convinced by my own words. -I don¡¯t think so. Didn¡¯t they say that it was most of them¡­? If not all? I doubt it would¡¯ve taken him that long to transfer all of them here¡­ -He was pretty weakened though - I pointed out. - Maybe he didn¡¯t have enough mana and had to take a break. -Right! You¡¯re right! He probably went with Eise to restore his mana. So we made our way to the furthest end, to the tower where not so long ago I was trapped under some broken shelves. We were, of course, accompanied by the lund noise of Goldie and his golden shoes. I swear, he was not even trying to be stealthy. -Do we really have to do this with him on our ass¡­? - I complained. -That¡¯s your fault. We could¡¯ve just locked him in a cell and called it a day, but you decided to let him follow us. -Me? I did not see you even try to get him to stay put. -I am not some brute who¡¯s going to solve everything with violence or magic. I sometimes prefer more peaceful solutions¡­ Unlike you. Tossing magic or fists towards everything that is against you. -I have neither right now, I''d like to remind you. -Both your fault, I¡¯d like to remind you - she said in turn. -Very funny. And excuse me, I also prefer peaceful solutions, it¡¯s just that those have been less than useful recently¡­ -Hah. -Whatever. We are here. But I feel like we¡¯re still not where we supposed to be¡­ Yeah, there was no one there. -Where are they?! For started sounding more panicked by the minute. -Something had to happen¡­ -Look here! - she yelped, pointing towards the corner of the room. - They had to be attacked! -Calm down, you already know that¡¯s just the rubble that was left after me¡­ - I sighed, gazing towards the direction she was pointing. - But I agree that something had to happen¡­ I have not felt anyone on our way here¡­ Thinking about it, I actually have not felt anyone. Not even the kids, just us three. -Er, For, where were the kids supposed to be taken to¡­? - I asked, now worried, myself. -We have plenty of rooms, it doesn¡¯t really matter right¡­ Wait, are they missing too?! - she realized. -I have not noticed anyone besides us. And we walked basically through the whole castle. If you have some hidden places¡­ -I don¡¯t¡­ I mean there are some, but you already know about those - she cleared up. - I mean the crystal chamber¡­ -But that¡¯s not the place where you¡¯d accommodate them. -Nor the place that I¡¯d show to anyone - she nodded. - But I am pretty sure if we were to give them a place to live here, Jacob would just lead them to one of the towers, be it mine or here. There are plenty of rooms nearby, so¡­ -Right. And those were definitely empty¡­ - I announced with a painful expression. - Fuck¡­ -What the hell is going on?! Why is everyone missing!? What¡¯s¡­ -Like I have an idea - I said, irritated. - This is very worrying¡­ -Worrying?! That¡¯s a bit of an understatement. Okay. Let¡¯s first clear this place. I mean, look through this place. Can you check it with your ¡°sight¡± or whatever? Any signs of magic¡­? -Way ahead of you¡­ - I mumbled, already looking around the room. But, sadly, besides the bits of mana that were floating around from my accident or just plainly from various potions and other salves, there were no signs of any other magic usage. -Nothing. -Damn it. We need to find them! -We need to go to the library. -You think that they teleported? -Possibly. And that is the last place we¡¯ve seen them, right? -Good enough for me. Let¡¯s move. Just to be sure, while walking I was paying more attention to mana signatures than just to the way ahead, letting her lead me. But, there was nothing to find, besides the walls of the castle and occasional small sparks of mana from different items, be it light crystals or doors, I noticed nothing. -We¡¯re here. In the library, there were of course a lot more signatures to find, but none were blindingly obvious and yelling ¡°that¡¯s the culprit¡±. -Anything? -Give me a minute. I started inspecting all the stronger ones, but found only what I¡¯d expect from the library. Bunch of anchors, still in working condition, or seemingly so at least, and definitely signs of recent magic use. -Well, someone did use mana here - I said. - But it¡¯s hard to tell if that¡¯s just from when the kids were getting brought here or¡­ -Show me the anchors. I stepped back, letting her inspect them herself. I couldn¡¯t really do that, I just had to rely on my sight, so I carefully observed what she was doing. She quickly grabbed a bunch of books that I already have recognized as anchors, and started wildly browsing through each of them. There were about five of them in total, but the first four didn¡¯t even keep her attention for more than ten seconds. The last one, however, was the thinnest one, yet it took her the longest. And she apparently found what she was looking for. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. -That¡¯s the one - she announced. I looked closer. Sure, as every other one, it was full of anchors. That was not really my area of expertise so I couldn¡¯t tell what exactly she was inspecting. -Someone used that recently. -And how can you tell? - I asked, a bit puzzled. - I can see that this thing¡¯s magic is chaotic, but¡­ -Chaotic? Well, that¡¯s one way to describe it. No, I just remember. -Remember? What? -This is the book we use as a temporary anchor - she explained. - Whenever we have some place we need to be fast at, we use this one as the material. And to use it you have to get my permission. -Even Jacob? -Even him - she nodded. - So I very intimately know what is supposed to be in here. And I can tell what¡¯s missing. -So, where did they go? -That¡¯s what¡¯s worrying¡­ They went to the capital. -We can¡¯t be certain for sure. I can¡¯t really tell the difference on who used it if I was not informed¡­ -Why in the hell would they want to go to the capital in the first place¡­? - I muttered, half to myself, thinking. -Yeah, that makes absolutely no sense¡­ Jacob is definitely not on the king¡¯s side, even without your revelations. If he¡¯s in his right mind that is. -I know what you are trying to say, and I already can tell you that I have no idea - I said to her. -You and your methods¡­ -i warned you that all I could do was just try and experiment. I never said I was sure that everything was going to work. -It definitely did not work. Now better start thinking on how. And how exactly to fix this. -¡±Fix this¡±? I still don¡¯t know for sure what happened, not to mention how to fix shit? - I replied, annoyed. -Pff. Right. You don¡¯t need to be a genius to figure that one out. -So fucking enlighten me. -It¡¯s obvious that whatever you did to Caleb did not work like you wanted and the thing that was controlling him took over Jacob. -I already told you that it¡¯s not possible. She is still with us, remember? -So what, you think that Jacob decided to do this on his own? - she scoffed at me. - Don¡¯t be ridiculous. -I never said so. I just am saying that whatever happened, that¡¯s something entirely different from her. She is harmless. -We already had this discussion before. -So you know better not to repeat it. She just rolled her eyes and didn¡¯t say anything. -I know I don¡¯t have answers, but let¡¯s focus for a second. Why in the hell would he want to go to the capital? -Why would anyone? - she shrugged. - Let¡¯s say that you are right and she¡¯s not at fault. As much as I don''t like the idea, it definitely smells like the king is somehow involved in this. -And why sudden change, hm? Wasn¡¯t that you who told me to not try and blame everything on him? -I did. But still, if you have any idea who else would be powerful enough to control him from that far away, be my guest. Or you are going to tell me that it¡¯s not someone far and we¡¯ve been infiltrated by¡­ something? -That is a possibility, but I doubt it - I said, shaking my head in denial. - I would¡¯ve sensed something. -I think we are already past the point of you depending on your stupid abilities. It¡¯s clear that they are as full of holes as is the whole blood magic - she said, not convinced. She did have a valid point. I¡¯ve been a bit too attached to those and too trusting, but what else could I do? If not that, what I was supposed to rely on? Iloa? The one who disappeared? Or maybe ILMA? The main question mark in the whole ordeal. -Okay. I am going to humor you. Let¡¯s say that I was mistaken and there is someone who was controlling him, and they are nearby. Who was it then? -Fuck if I know. But whoever they were, they are already gone, as the anchor¡¯s were used¡­ -Anchors? Multiple? -Yeah - she nodded. - Whoever did escape, used at least two of them. -And both to the capital. -Yeah. Why are you asking? -Just collecting information. -I don¡¯t think that one matters, we still have no way of tracking them. Nor following them. -About tracking¡­ We might have a way¡­ She looked at me, curious. -Isn¡¯t Jacob one of your servants? -You think I can track him that way? - she asked, scratching her head. - Okay, sure, but that doesn¡¯t help us much. It still doesn¡¯t help us figure out how to get out of here. -But it¡¯s a step forward. Care to try? -I guess why not¡­ She quickly found the necessary ingredients to do the ritual and in a matter of minutes the spell was done. Just to be sure, as she started focusing, I stepped back to not interrupt or somehow disturb it. I don¡¯t think it was necessary though. The results were instant. Just like a long time ago I did it with Melle along with Axelrod, the small flame has appeared on the map that she placed right in front of us, on the desk. But the area it was pointing to was far from what we expected. -That can¡¯t be right¡­ -Where the hell is this? - I asked, looking closer at the flame. It was in the middle of nowhere. Not in the capital, where we expected to see it, nor even remotely close to any of the marked cities or locations. It was in the middle of the ocean, or to be precise, near to the edge of the map. -Sea? He¡¯s sailing somewhere? - I asked, not sure myself. -That¡¯s impossible¡­ Axelrod does not have a vessel that is capable of something like that¡­ No one has, as a matter of fact. -I think that is a bit far-fetched¡­ - I muttered. -Far fetched? - she laughed. - You kidding me? Can you even imagine how much power you¡¯d need to have to counteract the massive pull of the falls? To not get pulled off the edge of the word? -You forgot how powerful he is? It¡¯s possible, isn¡¯t it? -Doesn¡¯t matter! You think that he SWAM all that way? That would be the only way his power would have anything to say in that. -You¡¯d rather think he was swimming instead of having a boat that is running on mana? You kidding me? -I mean, there is a possibility that he managed to use some kind of spell to travel¡­ - she said, thinking. - But¡­ -Why not both? I think that¡¯s the most probable scenario¡­ -What, you know more about boats available to the kingdom than me? - she laughed. - I had two people that had direct contact with him tell me about their innovations and haven¡¯t heard about it. Now four. -Three. Goldie doesn¡¯t count - I reminded her. -Okay, sure - she agreed with me. - You¡¯re right, his info is more of a distraction than anything, but still. You think you know more? -I don¡¯t think I know, I DO know. I used one of those. -Excuse me?! -I told you I used a boat to get to Jack¡¯s island, right? That thing was exactly like you just said is impossible: was running on mana, MY mana, and had more power than I thought it should. -Are you kidding me?! That was from the kingdom?! -I think so. Back then I thought it was just some old artifact, and was more inclined that it had to do something with your magic, I mean elven magic, since it was tapping into someone else¡¯s resources¡­ -Damn¡­ when you describe it like that it is a possibility¡­ - she mumbled. - But where the hell did he get that kind of information from¡­? -Don¡¯t know. But I am sure that he also had some info from my world. -That doesn¡¯t sound good. -Yeah. What that boat had was very similar to things that were used pretty commonly back at the MIRE and, to be honest, everywhere else. -The more you tell me about that place, the more fantastic it sounds¡­ -Funny. That¡¯s the exact thoughts I have about your world. -Let¡¯s put that aside though. The main question is, what in the hell is he doing in the middle of the ocean? -I wish I could tell you, but how the fuck should I know? - she sighed. - I am more worried about the fact that everyone seems to be missing from here. Like what, did he manage to convert everyone? Kidnap them? -If we are talking about Jacob himself, I find it hard to believe. -You really think he was that weak? That it was not an act? -Definitely not - I shook my head in denial. - Remember, I can see mana. And I could tell that he was weak, still. Besides, even if it sounds absolutely insane, I do think that he somehow did get controlled. But the fact that I have no idea by what is the problem¡­ -While I do agree that it would be nice to know, I don¡¯t think that would¡¯ve helped us in any way¡­ -Who knows. At least it would¡¯ve been something. Lately I have been lacking more than information¡­ 132. Minds She gazed at me with confusion. I know, I was talking to her like she was sitting inside my head, and we all very well know that was not the case. The only people who were able to were now indisposed. -But speaking of¡­ What about Kon? - asked For. - Or rather about that other¡­ person sitting inside his head now. Can¡¯t we ask her about something? -Be my guest - I sighed. - I don¡¯t really have any questions, nor do I think she has any answers for us. Why in the hell would she know about Axelrod and his plans? -It¡¯s not like I think about plans¡­ It¡¯s more about thinking how do we get back our people. And since most of them are gone, we can at least try and save this one¡­ -You¡¯re really thinking of him as his own, huh¡­? She gave me a curious look. -What¡¯s wrong with that? Wasn¡¯t that your goal? To get the hell off the responsibilities and toss them on to me? -Don¡¯t sell me so short¡­ -Wasn¡¯t it? She was unrelenting. -It was and still is, but not all of them. -Picky, aren¡¯t we? She was clearly trying to antagonize me. -Stop it. She looked at me, confused, but I didn¡¯t really care and just continued. -I just wanted to get the kids away from that place. And those people. -And yet you wanted me to let the other two join as well. Why? -And do you have a better idea? How do you think they would¡¯ve acted if I was to say to them that they will be now separated from their caretakers that have been¡­ well, I want to say good to them, but I can¡¯t be sure about that¡­ -They didn¡¯t seem to be abused¡­ -...and just dump them into hell-knows-where, alone and confused? I had enough of that, thank you very much. -Excuse me¡­? She was even more confused than before, which was saying something. -I know, I know I am rambling, but you asked for it - I said, shrugging. -It¡¯s¡­ fine¡­ Just surprising. -That I ramble? -No¡­ that you told me that much? -Much? - I was the one confused now. - I am just answering questions. -Questions? I didn¡¯t ask a thing. I stared at her blankly, not understanding. -What do you mean ¡°I didn¡¯t ask a thing¡±? You just did. -I¡­ What? Are you really okay? Are you overcharged? But you don¡¯t seem to be glowing¡­ -Same to you. Are you sure you didn¡¯t hit your head? You keep saying things then denying them immediately after. We both were staring at each other with confusion. -I don¡¯t know what to say to you. -Me neither. I swear you are just gaslighting me. Again. -I never would dare to! - she protested. - Like come on, you do have me still in your palm and can do whatever you want with me! I wouldn¡¯t risk saying something like that! -And yet you did - I pointed out. - You¡­ I stopped mid sentence. -¡°I wouldn¡¯t risk saying something like that¡±. Yeah. But would you risk THINKING something like that? She turned pale. -I think that means yes. -I am sorry, I never would¡­ She immediately started to apologize but I didn¡¯t really care. -No, no, that¡¯s not the problem. Just tell me. It was not like you were trying to egg me on¡­ it was just you were thinking that to yourself? -Thinking!? What are you¡­ -Is he insane? To read me so well?! If it was not clear before, now I was sure. I was indeed able to read her thoughts. -Oh boy. That does not bode well¡­ -What does? What¡¯s going on?! She was still confused, and now I slowly started hearing more of her thoughts. -I need to work on my expressions, if someone like him can read me, I can¡¯t even show my face near Axelrod¡­ -That¡¯s not exactly¡­ well, honestly good thinking. -What?! She yelped, covering her mouth. -Did I speak out loud?! I am so¡­ -No. No you didn¡¯t. That¡¯s the problem - I announced. - For better or worse, I can read your mind. She stared at me blankly and slowly started turning red. -How¡­ I¡­ -I am going to say, I did not intend to do so, nor I am sure how that exactly happened - I said over her trying to find her words - but that is concerning more than anything. -You bet! I can¡¯t even think without being spied on! I hate it! -Yeah, that is not pleasant. But better get used to it. She almost jumped up, realizing that I heard her again. I just gave her an apologetic look. -Listen, if you are scared that I am going to try and use your thoughts against you, don¡¯t be. I don¡¯t care. The main problem is the fact that it¡¯s happening at all! And considering the fact that I have been weakened, having my abilities develop like that is more concerning to me than it is to you. -Developing!? That means you could do something similar before?! -Well, I was able to read your state of mind, or rather state of mana - I replied - but besides that, I did have a similar experience before¡­ with Kon. She quickly gazed on him, still with expressionless face, overtaken by ILMA. -That¡¯s how you knew there was trouble¡­ he told you?! -Well, that¡¯s it. He didn¡¯t. I have lost contact with him. That¡¯s why I came looking for you. -I thought you just cooled down¡­ I mean, you¡¯ve been pretty stressed. -You can say that again. I guess that was a combination of both. But now I fear that stress is not getting away any time soon. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. She stiffened again, realizing that I heard what she thought. -Calm down, it¡¯s not as intrusive as you think it is - I waved her off. - It¡¯s just some glimpses. She was not convinced, but nodded her head. -But¡­ does that mean that you can do that to everyone¡­? - she asked. - Like¡­ Can you look into other people? -I¡­ I honestly never tried doing something like this¡­ - I replied after a moment of consideration. - I mean I am constantly observing other people¡¯s mana, but not to that extent¡­ Why are you asking? -Because if you can, we can interrogate¡­ She stopped and gazed around the room. We were still alone, not like there was someone else in the whole castle. Besides Goldie of course. Who was right behind the door. I could clearly see him, or rather his mana, right through the wall. It was actually pretty strong. Definitely stronger than before. Did he gain some strength while working with Axelrod? Not impossible¡­ I noticed that she suddenly started staring intently at me. The hell was she¡­? Ah¡­ Right. -You can look into Caleb. You can look into Caleb. You can look into Caleb. You can¡­ -Shut up, I heard you the first time! She jumped up. Honestly, I was surprised too. It was easier than I thought. She apparently shared my opinion. -That was easier than I thought¡­ -You can say that again. Or think rather. She squinted at me, not used to hearing someone inside her own head. -If you can do this to me, for sure you can interrogate Goldie then! -If I even can do that, and that is a big if. Anyway, why would you even want me to do that? You really think that he knows anything of value? -He is a right hand to the king! What do you think? -Wasn¡¯t that supposed to be Odar, not him? -Okay, the other right hand. -Hah. Don¡¯t you feel like we are grasping at straws here? -And do you have a better idea? Jacob has vanished along with all of your people and we don¡¯t even know where to! -Well, you did find that he is in the middle of the ocean¡­ -Jacob is. But what about the rest of them? I sighed. -Eh¡­ fine. But I am not promising anything. I am not an expert in this field, nor do I even have faith that it will work¡­ -And do we have another choice? It¡¯s either to try to get some information out of him or just be stuck here. Or what, maybe try and use¡­ er, her? Him? -You mean ILMA? I already told you that she¡­ She is not that useful in our current circumstances. -I don¡¯t know, she seemed more handy than you give it to her. Like, can¡¯t you just say ¡°ILMA, find where the missing people from the Red Edge have been taken to¡±? -I don¡¯t¡­ -Missing people that recently have been in contact have been taken by the entity known as Jacob Moi to Arbo. Since then the contact with the entity has been severed and the current whereabouts cannot be established. The sudden answer caught both of us off guard. -You can hear that?! To say that the two of us were shaken was a bit of an understatement. For For it was probably more of a surprise than to me, but still was unexpected as hell. But instead of thinking about what she just said to us, I was worried WHY she did that. -ILMA, are you connected to me? -Affirmative. -Explain?! -You heard her - I nodded. - ILMA, explain yourself. -Affirmative. The connection created between the entity known as Kon that is the current host and entity Mor has been established before the combination has taken place. After the combination the link has been maintained and now is still in effect as before. -How does that even happen¡­ -Does that mean she can hear me too¡­? - For was more worried than anything after hearing the explanation and quickly switched back to talking inside her head. Honestly, it was surprising how easy it was for her to just do it now. She didn¡¯t even know about this method for ten minutes, and yet she was using it like it was always a part of her. -Can you hear me, ILMA? -Affirmative. -Holy shit¡­ that¡¯s¡­ -Unnerving¡­ - I finished for her. - And not good for us¡­ -You don¡¯t say¡­ wait, why not good? -Because it is not as secure as you think it is. If she was able to join in on our discussions so easily, why can¡¯t someone else do it? -Didn¡¯t she say that it was because you were connected to Kon? -Yes. And now I am also connected to you. And you are connected to Caleb. And Caleb is to Jacob. And the chain keeps going. -You think¡­ -Yes. The end of the chain is Axelrod. And maybe more¡­ Remember the visions? -You think that represented who got linked¡­ that means that all of those people who I felt got connected to me?! -Us. I felt that too. Honestly, I think that might have been my fault. And maybe a bit of Eise¡¯s¡­ speaking of, where''s my stuff? In all the stuff that¡¯s been happening, I forgot about my hands and the bottle that I have been given by her. But I didn¡¯t have to even focus that much to realize where those two are, because the missing pieces have appeared right in front of us. Carried by Goldie. -What the hell are you doing?! He was standing right in the doorway. The powerful mana, that I earlier thought was his, actually belonged to me. Or rather to my arm that he carried with him, along with the small bottle which was right now opened. -Don¡¯t move! Or I will use this! He raised the bottle right above my arm, almost spilling a few drops on it. -I don¡¯t know what got into you - I said - but that is not a good way to intimidate me. I already said that those are not a part of me any more. -Oh, I¡¯ve heard. And I also have heard that you were not sure. And I¡¯d rather believe the King than some fugitive! -King? And what the hell does he know?! -He is omnipotent! He knows everything! Even now in this room he hears and speaks to me. -Damn. He is deranged¡­ - I mumbled, looking towards For. She was also not very intimidated, but hearing that bit about Axelrod a sudden gleam appeared on her face. -And how the hell would he hear us? That far on the sea?! Don¡¯t be ridiculous. Noone is omnipotent. And besides, magic is blocked here, remember? -Not his! He can do everything! And I will not be swayed by your words. That includes you, For. We stood there, in silence. -So what do you want? - I shrugged. - Want to take us somewhere? How? Mind at least explain those demands of yours? -Demands? Ha. I am ordering you, not demanding. You are to wait here and soon the king himself will deal with you. Like he did with all your friends! -Like that¡¯s any difference¡­ -Hold the fuck on. What did you do? -You are not the one asking questions here! -I am afraid you forgot your place! - For was not amused by his ¡°power play¡±. - This is MY home! And neither you nor your king have power here. -For, please stay back and not escalate the situation! -Escalate?! You are the one who is threatening us! -And threatening with what exactly? - I reminded both of them and stepped forward, towards Goldie. - A flask of some strange potion or whatever and two severed arms? Don¡¯t make me laugh. -I heard you before, don¡¯t try to play dumb! I know that this thing is the one thing that can hurt you! -And where, pray tell, you heard that, hm? I don¡¯t remember telling that¡­ -Stay back! He was not listening, nor he was intending to reply. -Try it. I guess she still did not let the idea die¡­ -Told you that I don¡¯t think it works that way¡­ -It doesn¡¯t hurt to try. I mean, sure, she was right. What the hell, I can¡­ -Fine. Just try and help me a little bit. -Okay, okay, fine. I am staying in place. Not like I can hurt you, after all, you do have my arms, right? I don¡¯t think that reassured him. Hhe lowered the bottle a little bit. -That¡¯s better. Now you¡¯re going to calmly wait. -Yeah, sure, but for what exactly? You said that Axelrod is coming, but how? Do you have some other mage capable of teleporting? Or what? -Not your business. But as he was trying to brush me off with that bullshit answer, I instead was focusing on his mana, or rather now on his mind. It was the first time I actually tried to do something like this, so I didn''t have much faith in my success. I honestly was not sure what I was looking for, nor how should I get to it, but that didn¡¯t stop me. I tried remembering the exact feeling of how it was for the first time I connected to Kon, back when he was just a tree trunk. Honestly, it was not that hard to remember, since not so long ago I had a similar experience with For. It might have been a bit different, but the results were all the same. -Why are you staring at me like that? Are you trying to entrance me?! I already told you not to use magic! - he warned me, again raising the bottle. -Nah, just looking. I can¡¯t really change my expression, you know - I said, shrugging, while constantly trying to focus. Without Iloa it was a lot harder to split my attention in two, but nevertheless I was not giving up. -Don¡¯t mind him, he is weird like that - assured him For. - You better tell us how long we are supposed to wait. As you are well aware, my people are missing, and I would really have to talk with your king. Since, you know, you said that he knows where they are gone. He twitched, but did not move from the spot. -Soon. Last contact with him came to me about an hour ago. Should be sooner than later. -Hour? Weren''t you unconscious an hour ago? He did not reply. But while he was silent, I actually picked up something. 133. Conflicting It was quite staggering to me. For it to work that easily? I say it worked, but what I heard, or rather what I felt was not a sentence, not a word really, it was an image. A thought. It was similar to the time I first tried to connect with Iloa, not knowing what I was dealing with. I saw¡­ myself? Yes¡­ it was me, but unlike me. I was not made out of stone, still fleshy as was a long time ago, and definitely not like he has ever seen me. Still with my arm intact, completely normal. I was still in my clothes from the MIRE, not torn by the explosion, sporting a lazy smile, just walking¡­ somewhere. I couldn¡¯t recall why, but the image seemed very familiar¡­ Like I remembered that scene. Yes¡­ I did remember it. It was about an hour before the explosion that started all of this. I was walking to the large building¡­ I was on my way to work. A flash. Scene changed. Now I was lying with my back to the wall, arm missing. Another familiar scene, when everything went wrong. Another flash. I was now gone, now there was just an empty room It changed again. A familiar forest, ruins of the MIRE. From there, there was a flood of images that caught me so off guard that I barely was able to contain myself without betraying the fact that I was prodding around his head. But none of those images belonged to me. I¡¯ve seen them before. But they were not mine. Or not mine yet. That was overwhelming. And not only for me. I assume that he saw the exact same thing as me, because he suddenly staggered and almost fell over. That proved to be problematic. -AH! Damn you, monster¡­! He yelped, trying to calm himself down, but he was not able to. For was looking with a worried expression at the scene, not understanding what exactly was going on. -What are you¡­ -STOP MESSING WITH MY HEAD! As he shouted the words, he staggered towards one of the walls and leaned on it, dropping on one knee. One of my arms, that he was still holding up till this point, dropped on the floor. -I don¡¯t know what¡­ But that was pointless. -I WARNED YOU! And he tossed the whole bottle from Eise on the floor, breaking it on my arm. The effect was immediate and almost expected at this point. As the substance spilled on the crystal, it started melting. I braced myself, not sure if that would affect me, and good thing that I did. I would¡¯ve fallen like a log on the ground if not for that. The wave of pain hit me immediately after, sending me to the floor. I managed to just drop onto my knees and closed my eyes, waiting for the inevitable next step. But before that happened, I realized that I was not the only one who got hit with the wave of pain. Both For and Goldie were now also on the ground, Goldie now completely prone and rolling away from the broken glass. For on the other hand tried to somehow keep her composure, but was failing miserably, moaning in pain. Nevertheless, she was being muffled by screams coming from Goldie. I am not sure if he was screaming in pain, or just plainly screaming at me like a second before. Probably a mix of both. Then the images hit me. This time they were more understandable than before. They were still scattered and chaotic, but the first ones were easily recognizable, so it was not that hard to process what I was seeing. Of course, it started with the Red Edge. Or rather the room in the Edge where we were all in. Multiple points of vision, like before. Mine, For¡¯s, Goldies, even ILMA¡¯s and overall from the outside perspective: I saw us scattered on the floor, The last vision, from the wider perspective, hung on for the longest time, and I was able to see that my arm was now completely gone: the acid made quick work through it. I didn¡¯t see much more before the perspective shifted again. I was in another familiar place: it was the capital. I was sitting on a wooden bench, staring at the wall, in some empty and dark room. It was not just me¡­ there were about ten or even more people with me¡­ all staring absent-mindedly towards the wall. I couldn¡¯t see the faces, the perspective started shifting again. It was strange. I flipped through a bunch of the people sitting with me in that same room, then raced somewhere else. Another familiar place. This was not the one I expected to see. It was that small island where I found myself after teleporting from Melle¡¯s house. I was alone, sitting on the rock, near the water, looking towards the entrance to the cave. I could still see the slab that we inspected before that had that strange spell written on it. Broken. In this vision, pain was intensified. Like, before I was constantly feeling the echo of my pain and probably also the same one from the perspective of the person that I was looking through, but most of the time both were indistinguishable. Or rather just were overshadowed by my own pain. In this case though, the pain was stronger. To the point where I was not able to tell which one, mine or that other person was in worse shape. I think they also felt that, because they staggered suddenly and almost fell face first into the water. Thanks to that, I was able to see the face of the one who I was currently seeing through. It was Axelrod. That was some good information, but it was not what caught my attention. It was the fact that as soon as he stared into the water, his face contorted in pain, the whole image started shifting. I thought I was just changing perspective, the vision becoming blurry, but nope. The only thing that changed was the face I saw in the water. It was Odar Erf. Hell, if I didn¡¯t know before, it would¡¯ve been a shock, see him turn like this, but that was not the end of it. As soon as his face turned to Odar, it got blurry again and turned into someone else, that one I did not recognize. I felt myself moan in pain, or rather I felt Odar-Axelrod moan, just for the face to get blurry again. This time I recognized the face instantly. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. It was Mike. I had my suspicions before. But never I would¡¯ve thought that I would see his face so soon and in such circumstances. What am I talking about, ¡°in such circumstances¡±? I never expected to see it at all! Sure, both I and Iloa already had some ideas, but to see his face mold like that? That had some¡­ implications. For example, was that really Mike? And I don¡¯t mean that in some metaphorical sense, I am as straight as it is: since we already knew about Odar and his ability, couldn¡¯t that just mean that it was him wearing his face? That was definitely a possible scenario, and not the one that I had the luxury of contemplating for long, because the vision continued. Or rather it snapped and moved to another one. Sadly, none of the other ones seemed remotely useful: just as I left Axelrod¡¯s head, the images started getting more blurry and hectic again. Everything got a lot faster and with a lot less detail. Or maybe more, but I just wasn¡¯t able to contain and process all of it in such a short span of time. I don¡¯t know how long it took, but I finally came to my senses. I was lying on the floor, next to still unconscious For and Goldie. We were lying there, scattered just as we fell down. Next to us, still sitting as we left him, was Kon, or rather ILMA in the body of Kon. Apparently the visions didn¡¯t bother her much, if she got those, that is. I groaned and attempted to raise myself from the floor, knowing very well that it¡¯s going to be a chore without the ability to use my arms¡­ But that¡¯s where I was surprised: my arms were back in their rightful place. I say were back, but it was clear that they didn¡¯t just get reattached to me magically: they regrew. I could tell, because they were definitely of a different shade, more clear than my body. Almost glasslike. I am not sure if that was there before, but my chest also changed a bit, and got more¡­ rough, I want to say? And not only that. I noticed that the area where I was lying just a moment before was similar, too: the shine of the red stone was replaced by a rugged rock, spreading around me¡­ No wait, it did not originate from me, it only ended in the spot where I was. It started from Goldie, or rather next to him, where my arm and the spilled liquid was. Speaking of, both of them were completely gone by now, the only thing remaining was said stain on the rock and some shards of glass scattered on the floor. Sitting up, I tried out my new appendages, feeling for any differences. Everything seemed in order, or, well, as much in order as it could be. My arms were still a bit rough and imprecise, just as you¡¯d expect from a piece of stone, but this time it felt like they got a bit more agile¡­ It was strange. After not having them for a while, I¡¯d expect the exact opposite: having another piece of rock added to my body would make me feel more heavy. Also, I feel like regrowing them had to cost me a lot of mana, wouldn¡¯t that make me doubly sluggish? I decided to not overthink the situation much and instead to focus on the problem at hand: the two unconscious people on the ground. Or, well, one. I couldn¡¯t care less about Goldie after what he just pulled. I mean, I was fine and even better than before. And I managed to get some information about Axelrod. But I still had to deal with him and For. First things first though, to stand up. It was harder than it sounds. While I was feeling fine, my body was apparently not. To my annoyance, and contradicting my previous observation about my arms, the rest of my body was as heavy as usual, maybe even more. If I was to guess, it was because most of my mana was gone: since the majority of it went to my arms, I had trouble standing up. I did manage to stand up and sit myself down on the bench next to Kon. Right. Kon. Or rather ILMA. She was completely unphased by the whole ordeal that just took place in front of her face. Not like I expected for her to react in any way. She has been passive for a while now. Probably a good thing. -ILMA, you with me? -Standby mode active. -That means yes. I sighed. -I assume you saw what I did? Or, I mean, ILMA, did you get a vision just now? -Negative. Last experienced surge of information dates on: twelve hours ago. Contact has been forcefully terminated. -How many hours? Damn. So we¡¯ve been out like this for a good while. That was somewhat worrying. Not for me per se, I would be most likely fine even if I was to lay like this for a week, but those two¡­ They already have been through a lot, and now experiencing that kind of anomaly and not waking up for that long of a time¡­ Wait, hold on a second. I was preoccupied with the time and at first did not notice what she just said to me. Contact terminated? -Contact terminated? Did you do that yourself, ILMA? -Affirmative. Data flow has been deemed redundant and a request has been made to terminate contact. That was¡­ confusing to say the least. -Request? What do you mean by ¡°request¡± ILMA? -Data flow has been recognized as coming from a verified source. The message to the source has been sent to stop the transfer. Request has not received any response and the contact has been terminated manually to preserve memory. A lot of things in that response of hers were to be questioned. Like, what the hell does she mean by verified source? The only sources of data she should consider ¡°verified¡± were supposed to originate from the MIRE, or at least a similar institution. We didn¡¯t really have contact with any of those, but she had access to the external networks, so the ruleset had been set in case she needed to get the data from there¡­ How the hell did she get the data now, in this place? I mean, it was possible that she considered me a verified source¡­ or anyone else from the MIRE¡­ I guess it was possible¡­ -ILMA, what was the verified source you spoke about? -Verified sources include MIRE database and current employees of the MIRE. Yeah, that seemed about right. So she just considered the vision as data from me, Axelrod and everyone else. I guess that was mostly cleared up. I couldn¡¯t really continue that talk with a clear conscience, because the two of my¡­ well, one of my companions and Goldie, were still lying on the floor unconscious. -ILMA, any ideas on how to wake them up? -Vital signs of entity For and Caleb Moi are unstable. Recommended action: forced mana restoration. Shit, she was right. Distracted by everything I didn¡¯t notice how their mana flames were now weaker, the weakest I have ever seen in a person, really. Even if I were to compare them to the people that were the pawns of those plant-creatures, I wanna say that they were comparable. -A mana-deficiency induced coma¡­ - I sighed, standing up. - I assume we can¡¯t just pour some of your or my mana into them, ILMA? -Negative. Mana values for entity Mor and entity ILMA are too low. I gave her a curious look. In my eyes, she didn¡¯t really look weak. Honestly, she was still as strong as Kon was when I last saw him in person today, maybe a tiny bit less. Also, I was feeling fine too. Definitely not on the edge of fainting, as it sounded from her explanation¡­ But she couldn¡¯t be mistaken, could she¡­? No, she was better than me. That meant¡­ -ILMA, how much mana do we need to get them up, or, well, to at least get For up? -Value cannot be determined. A relative unit is necessary. Right. All the time we were working with mana, we never really figured out how to quantify it. We always were just going with our ¡°feel¡±, and since everyone was used to those kinds of methods, we never really thought about trying to create a ¡°unit of mana¡± or something. Not like it was really possible and useful. After all, the mana needed to do something was always dependent on the person casting a spell, or whatever else the mana was supposed to be used on. Sure, we used percentages in infusion, or degrees, but that¡¯s not really a way to do this¡­ -Right¡­ so I need to get something from Eise¡¯s storage¡­ Even mentioning that I realized that it was going to be annoying. To grab something from there and get back here¡­ can¡¯t I just get those two there instead? Actually that was a good idea¡­ -ILMA, carry For and follow behind me. -Understood. I was worried for a second, after all she was still in Kon¡¯s body and he was not the strongest one, but apparently it was enough. Or it was just that she was not very heavy, really. Her frame wasn¡¯t really different from a human, be it elf or, well, not really, thanks to Jack¡­ I on the other hand felt like I was going to have a bit more issue with carrying Goldie. At first I was thinking of just ditching him here and locking the door, but having him somewhere out of my sight only would make me more anxious. If that was not enough, he was still wearing his golden armor. I groaned and decided to bite the bullet and do it, even if I would have to drag him behind us. I didn¡¯t really care and he had to be at least as resilient as his brother, so he would be fine. Not like it mattered, really. But, to my surprise, I was easily able to lift him up and hoist him on my shoulder. That surprised me so much that I swung his body too enthusiastically, loudly hitting the wall with his armor. -Shit! That was¡­ strange. I never thought I would have that much raw physical strength, especially after having a hard time standing up just not so long ago. Last time when I actually had to use my muscles, or the stone equivalent of them, I definitely had a bit of a problem with that. Did that mean that I finally was getting used to this body? Or was it growing more powerful? Or was it just the new hands that were stronger than before? If I was to guess, it was a combination of all the above. At least that was one positive thing about this situation. -Okay. Let¡¯s move, ILMA. And we slowly made our way towards the other end of the castle. 134. Joining -I swear I feel like I am trapped in a loop¡­ While I was just mumbling to myself and complaining, I was very close to the truth. After all, all I have been doing recently was just wandering from the other end of the castle to another, for seemingly stupid reasons, sometimes even without one. I really was hoping that was going to end sooner or later¡­ When we arrived at the, well, laboratory, or maybe just Eise¡¯s living quarters I dropped Goldie right next to the door, as far away from the shelves as possible and went to work. Not wasting time, I started looking for some kind of gloves, or a piece of material that would help me handle all that mana infused stuff, and found it pretty quickly. I think it was a similar set to the one I¡¯ve seen Eise wear before: a pair of black gloves. Those were barely able to fit on my hands, but were good enough for my needs at that moment. I quickly scoured through the supplies and found a small mana fruit. I don¡¯t know how it got there, nor really did I care, but what was important was the fact that it was full of mana. It was not the largest specimen though, if I was to try and compare, it was just a bit more potent than what I¡¯d consider average. I took the fruit and showed it to ILMA. -How many of those would we need to rejuvenate ¡°the entity¡±, ILMA? She was still holding For, I kind of forgot to tell her to just drop her wherever. She stared at the fruit for a good moment. -1325 is required to bring the entity to full strength. Error margin of 10%. -One thou¡­ what the fuck?! I expected many answers, but that was not one of them. At the worst scenario I thought that I¡¯d get a number in double digits, but a thousand?! Just to make sure, I decided to ask her again, this time, a bit more precisely. -Okay¡­ ILMA, so you say we need over a thousand of those to just wake For up from a coma? Are you sure? -Recalculating. To awaken entity For, the required number is 14. Error margin of 10%. -That sounds a lot more reasonable! But wait¡­ why a thousand before? Did that mean that For had a capacity of over thousand mana fruit? Even to me where it was a bit of a stretch. That kind of mana was what you¡¯d expect from a small leyline, or maybe even an Origin Crystal, not a person! And I knew what I was talking about, I was one of those! Well, to be fair, I was already proven to be wrong on multiple occasions, especially in the department of my own mana capacity lately, thanks to the appearance of Iloa, then her disappearance. Still, that was not what was the biggest problem here. There was not even remotely enough of the fruits. I scoured through the whole room and then the floor below, and I found less than ten of those. It was weird, I could¡¯ve sworn that there used to be a lot more here¡­ Upon a closer inspection I realized that it was not just in my head: there really was stuff missing. Especially the floor below, where the storage room was. Where once the fully stocked shelves and crates were, there was now nothing. Crates and bags were empty, some piles of herbs straight up gone. On the main floor there was the same problem with potions or whatever else she stored in those bottles: some missing, some moved to a different place. It was like someone just broke in. I mean, that¡¯s a strange way of saying that about the room that wasn¡¯t even locked, but that¡¯s what it looked like: like someone hastily was grabbing stuff from the shelves, looking for something, and meanwhile was taking other interesting stuff they found¡­ Besides the fact that there was no one else besides us on the island, it was doubly weird because I was pretty sure that only Eise knew what exactly was in each bottle. Hell, even she probably had some issues remembering all that stuff, considering the fact that everything was scattered all over the place. Sure, I was able to tell which one was magical, or rather infused, but that did not help at all. After all, the whole lab was used to produce stuff to regenerate mana in the first place. Speaking of. Wouldn''t it be possible to use some of those to resuscitate her? That¡¯s what the whole point of this place was. -ILMA, isn¡¯t there something else in here with enough mana to revive her? - I asked before I started looking by myself. -Affirmative. I have found 2651 objects with enough mana capacity that would be able to serve as mana source for the task. -Holy¡­ I mean, I knew that there was a lot of stuff in there, but that was still a bit much. Especially after someone taking most of the stuff¡­ But wait, did she consider those potions too? That cannot be safe¡­ -Err, can you recalculate that ILMA, but without using potentially hazardous substances¡­? -Calculating. That took her longer than I thought it should. -Found 27 objects. Approximately 23 are needed for the resuscitation. -Now that sounds a lot more doable. Point those out to me, ILMA. With her help I managed to find the items in question. Those were actually quite mundane. Besides the fruit that I found before, she managed to guide me to one more plus some pieces of dried herbs. Those indeed looked infused, but I was not able to recognize them. The last one though was a bottle. -I don¡¯t feel like drinking or even using a random bottle from that shelf¡­ ILMA, what¡¯s in this? -Contents consist of: infused water, extract from ginger, garlic, pepper, salt, peppermint, radish, rose petals¡­ -Okay, okay, I get it, wrong question - I said, sighing. - I mean what¡¯s the effect going to be if I drink this, ILMA? -Ingestion results in: mana regeneration and diarrhea. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. -Oh, fucking great combo, Eise, congrats¡­ Do I have to drink this, ILMA? I kind of don¡¯t want to figure out what would my stone ass produce¡­ -Negative. Absorption through skin contact is possible and recommended. -Ah! That¡¯s a lot less annoying. Start preparing, ILMA. -Preparation unnecessary. -Even better. Let¡¯s start then, ILMA. -Affirmative. With that, she approached the pile of ingredients that I placed next to For and picked up the bottle. With one swift motion she opened it and poured all of the contents onto the rest of the stuff. The reaction was immediate. Just like in the case of my hand, the ingredients started melting. In a matter of seconds, the pile of mana fruit and random herbs that I gathered from all over the house turned into goo and started steaming. Smell was less than pleasant. The mix of the herbs that were apparently included in the potion was enough to make your stomach churn, and when she added the rest of the stuff it only magnified the effect. She was not disturbed by anything though. She waited until all of the continents were covered in the potion just to unceremoniously put her whole hand inside that steaming pile of shit. Even without my enhanced sight I was pretty sure that It had to be painful, even on her emotionless face I could see a hint of discomfort. Considering the fact that up till now I have not seen her face turn at all, the strain she had to be under had to be immense. And to confirm that observation, what I was seeing with my enhanced sight was¡­ disturbing to say the least. At first, it looked just like in case of her waking up, or trying to wake up Kon. The multiple waves and colors of mana merging and weaving inside one another, just to start merging together into one color. And yet, that was not the end. Just as the mana ¡°stabilized¡± so to say, she placed her other hand on the body, and the process began anew, this time with For joining in on the fun¡­ Weirdly, not only her. As the flow of mana started ¡°washing¡± through her, a similar process started to Goldie, to my absolute horror. All the time I have been keeping an eye on him, just to be safe and to have an early warning if he was to regain mana seemingly out of the blue like the last time. So I immediately noticed that anomaly. But, even though the mana was definitely flowing through both of them, they still were as unconscious as before. For did stir a couple of times. I thought. I hoped. But that was not even close to waking up. -I see not much of a success, IL¡­ But before I was able to finish my sentence, something hit me. And not just a thought or some amazing idea that would help us magically in the current situation, no. What hit me was a constant stream of mana. At first, I got startled. An unknown source of mana that just gifts it to you? Yeah, I doubt that. Whoever or whatever was trying to connect to me, was smart. And not just smart because I said so, no. It was sentient. A familiar feeling again. Being incomplete, feeling lack of something. Along with the pictures of nothingness. And in one of them, there was a small singular building that definitely looked very similar to quarters of the MIRE. At least what it used to be. After all, it¡¯s in ruins currently¡­ thanks to some developments. It felt very similar to when I got connected to everyone else. Before I was able to process it fully, it changed. And this time it looked very familiar. Red Edge. I heard the voice. For the first time, during a vision I heard a voice. Not artificial one, nor one through and to your own mind. This one was just plain old talking. Speaking of, those who I ¡°accidentally¡± was spying on seemed to have a pretty heated conversation about something. -We are close¡­ It was definitely Axelrod. And¡­ Odar? Or wait¡­ Jacob? Jack? More voices¡­? The vision shifted again. This time I was looking through someone¡¯s eyes¡­ it had to be Axelrod. I shook my head, not sure if my mind was playing tricks on me. I definitely was hearing them. Yet Axelrod was alone, standing there, waiting for something. Suddenly, the voices stopped. He was still on that small island with the tablet I landed on earlier, although this time, it was changed a bit. The tablet was broken. It looked like someone had cracked it with something, like it was struck with something heavy. Just as I noticed that, Axelrod turned away from the broken stone and instead started looking away, towards the edge of the world, the large waterfalls. The falls¡­ looked different. I already got used to seeing the strange fog-laced edge that loomed constantly at the end of the horizon. Even the misty mana that was constantly blocking the view on the water was already sort of normal to me. That¡¯s why I instantly noticed the difference. Right where he was looking, there was some kind of disturbance happening. Considering the size of the overall falls, it was small, I would say not bigger than just a dot in the distance, but it was undeniably there. A dot in the magical fog that was brighter than anything, indicating that whatever that was, it had a lot of mana to it. Suddenly, it cracked. It was just visible for a split second, like lightning. It forked from the dot spreading quickly and disappearing just as fast, but instead of being full of mana, it was the opposite. It was completely dark. It was a strange sight. I got used to seeing mana flames and I have already seen many shapes, colors and sizes, but not black. As that weird black lightning vanished, so did the dot, and, surprisingly, the mana fog. It was just a split second, but I was able to see further beyond it, seeing a blue sky behind. Just as that happened, I suddenly felt absolute overwhelming happiness. It was definitely not coming from me though. Thanks to the connection to Axelrod, I felt what he was feeling, and he right now started laughing hysterically. -IT WORKED! IT WORKED! He yelled to the sky. Just like some mad man. -YOU HEARD ME?! I AM COMING BACK! Yeah, I heard him alright. And not only me. Next to me, I started feeling movement. I tried snapping out of that strange trance, but for naught, I was still trapped in his laughing mind, albeit half-way. With some strain I managed to take control over my own senses, too, essentially seeing double¡­ well, if I was to consider my ¡°mana sight¡± it would be triple. It was annoying and hard to focus on, but nevertheless I wanted to check what exactly was moving next to me. I fully expected it to be Goldie attacking me again for messing with his head, and I was not completely wrong. It was him, but instead of attacking, he was still lying on the floor and¡­ he was laughing. He wasn¡¯t the only one though. Just like him, For was also having a good chuckle next to a wall, and even Kon, with his own voice this time, still touching For, was laughing as well. Hell, even I was laughing. That was eerie to say the least. I blame Axelrod for all of this. It was clear that the connection to Axelrod extended further than ever before. Was that my fault though? I only connected to Caleb¡­ Was it possible that he took over that connection and spread¡­ like some kind of virus? Iloa did say that reversing such a link was possible, but complicated, so had a tough time believing that he did it subconsciously. After all, he didn¡¯t try to contact anyone at all, just was doing his own thing without care in the world. If he would¡¯ve known that something like this was happening, if he was to do it on purpose, would he show us, or me in this case, it all? Or he didn¡¯t care at all if someone saw him? Or, did he just expect for me to be lying on the ground, unconscious, just like the three people in front of me? There was no time for questions, because the connection was still strong and ongoing. And Axelrod finally stopped laughing. He took a deep breath and looked once more unto the horizon. The forked black lightning and the dot were gone, leaving absolutely no trace. -I need more¡­ I need to get them faster¡­ I heard myself talk in unison with him and all others lying on the floor. I think he finally noticed that he was not alone, because he suddenly stiffened. -Mrgh¡­ annoying¡­ He sat down right next to the broken stone and closed his eyes. And that was the last image I saw from that vision. 135. Link When my senses came back to my regular weirdness, I realized that I was sitting as well. Just like the trio sharing the room with me. While I was definitely awake, they were not. Although their mana looked a lot more healthy than before, and I mean A LOT. As I stood up, wondering how exactly I should go about trying to wake them up, they started doing that on their own. For was first, followed closely by Kon. Both started stirring and groaning and slowly sat up looking at each other. -What in the hell was that¡­? - groaned For, grabbing her head in pain. - How long was I out¡­? -Not that bad this time - I replied, getting closer to them. - You feeling alright? -My head is killing me, but besides that I am good¡­ Wait, what about the rest¡­? She glanced towards the other two. Kon was already sitting up and gazing into space again. -And he¡¯s back to being vacant¡­ - I sighed, noticing the stare. But, surprisingly, he answered. -It¡¯s not that bad¡­ For, jumped, not expecting to hear his voice. -Kon that¡¯s you?! He looked a bit puzzled and overwhelmed when she leaped towards him, shaking him wildly. -Er¡­ yes, that¡¯s me, please let me go. She quickly realized what she was doing and stepped back. -OH! Sorry! I don¡¯t know what got into me¡­ -Kon, it¡¯s really you¡­ - I repeated, happy to hear his voice. - But how exactly? -I¡­ I am not sure what¡¯s going on myself¡­ He sounded a lot less confused than one would expect after being taken over by someone else¡­ -Not sure? No wonder, you were controlled just a second ago¡­ -Well, not exactly controlled¡­ - he mumbled. - It¡¯s more like¡­ borrowed? She looked at him with concern. I, on the other hand, was intrigued. -Borrowed? You mean you know what was going on meanwhile? -Yes. Well, mostly¡­ It¡¯s a bit fuzzy. He squinted, trying to collect his thoughts. -Take a second and remember, I need to¡­ As I was talking with them, I was approaching Goldie. He was still on the ground, half-awake, but definitely stirring. I was intending to take the opportunity and incapacitate him for the time being, since the only thing he was capable of was creating problems. Just to check, I briefly touched him, checking if I could drain him, but no dice: still was not possible. I sort of was hoping that since ILMA was not with him I would be able to again, but apparently not. Or¡­ wait, was she not? -ILMA, where are you? I asked the question to the room, or mostly towards Goldie lying on the floor, but I got no answer from him. On the other hand, I felt an itch in the back of my head, while Kon grabbed his head and yelped. -What¡¯s wrong? - For immediately asked. She was strangely protective of him¡­ -It¡¯s¡­ just a voice¡­ I heard a voice¡­ -Don¡¯t tell me¡­ -Yeah¡­ it¡¯s her - he nodded. - She¡¯s talking to me¡­ or rather replying to you. -Well damn. -And she heard me¡­? Well shit¡­ you got a roommate in there¡­ - I mumbled. -I guess we know where she is¡­ - I thought to myself. Or at least I thought that I was just thinking to myself, because both Kon and For immediately jumped. -I can hear you! - Kon replied with his thoughts back to me, visibly happy. - Before I was trying to get to you and you were not replying. -Oh! So the link is not broken. I thought something was wrong before, but I guess it was just because you got¡­ overwhelmed, I guess? -I suppose so¡­ -So tell me, what did you hear? I mean, what do you remember and what you saw? Things have been hectic¡­ -I¡­ well, by the way shouldn''t we be talking out loud? I am sure she wants to hear that as well¡­? -Oh¡­ Er¡­ -¡±She¡± can hear you, too. He definitely did not expect that. He looked spooked as hell. -Miss?! How?! It¡¯s¡­ -Just For is fine. And that¡¯s thanks to Mor. I guess? -Yeah, that thing is hard to explain. I honestly have no idea why and how exactly that happened. But that¡¯s kind of handy. -Yeah¡­ At least Goldie can¡¯t hear us¡­ She gazed towards the still groaning Goldie on the floor. -Are we sure about that? - I asked. - I managed to peek into his head. And we did share a vision again¡­. -You think that he¡¯s in here with us too, and just pretending? -I would if it was anyone else than him. I honestly don¡¯t believe that he¡¯s smart enough to try something like this. -I am afraid you might be right¡­ Silently, we stared at the man. -So¡­ what are we supposed to do with him? -Put him back into jail? We still have the cell downstairs¡­ -Again? I guess don¡¯t fix what¡¯s not broken¡­ -We should hurry. He¡¯s waking up¡­ -Er¡­ I think that we don¡¯t need to hurry¡­ -Why? -I don¡¯t think he¡¯s waking up. Or rather that HE is not waking up. She is. I raised my non-existing brow, but quickly understood what he meant. Goldie was now completely awake, and staring right at me. I got startled for a second, thinking that he might again try something stupid, but quickly realized my mistake. His eyes were completely glazed over. Just like before. -ILMA, that¡¯s you¡­? I noticed Kon flinch and at the same time the same itch on the back of my head came back. -Affirmative. -Damn. -Huh¡­ -That makes things a little bit easier¡­ -Right¡­ That was true. We at least didn¡¯t have to worry if he¡¯s going to start again with some strange plot to take me to Axelrod¡­ however impossible that might be. But that also brought a lot more questions, too¡­ -Er, Kon, do you keep hearing her? -Yes. -She¡¯s still there? For was intrigued, too. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. -How the hell is she in two places at once? -I¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ I am not sure if she is really inside me as well, I just¡­ well, I can hear her answering whenever you call for her¡­ -I can too¡­ -You too!? -Does that mean she¡¯s in THREE places at once!? -I am not sure¡­ but I don¡¯t really hear her. It¡¯s just¡­ she¡¯s giving me¡­ well, sort of a headache. -I feel the same, too! - announced Kon. - It¡¯s like something was on the edge of my mind trying to get in¡­ -Shit. -Well, it¡¯s not as invasive for me. I just feel an itch and don¡¯t hear a word. That will be annoying¡­ I noticed Kon flinching. -But what about¡­ He stopped mid-sentence. Even without finishing his thought, I had a good idea what he was about to say and why he stopped, but I decided that there was no point in hiding stuff. -You are worried about Iloa? Well, I am, too. I haven¡¯t heard from her in a while. -You haven¡¯t?! -Excuse me, what? -A friend of mine. In a similar situation as she is now¡­ or at least I think so. She¡¯s missing though. -Similar situation?! That¡¯s¡­ -Missing?! What do you mean?! I quickly explained how she went silent. -In hindsight it might have been a bit of my fault. I did somewhat force her to get back and then everything went wrong¡­ -Don¡¯t blame yourself. I can¡¯t imagine being forced to have someone in your head¡­ I feel that would be a torture for me¡­ -It¡¯s not that bad¡­ - replied Kon. - You will get used to that. -I will?! Do you think that I have something inside as well?! -Well, the two of us. We kind of are a bit invasive. -That¡¯s not the same! I think¡­? -It really is hard to explain or even try and understand¡­ -Yeah¡­ but back on topic, I have to tell you something too. See, that was not the last she spoke, you know¡­ -She talked to? Recently?! -Not really that recently, but later, after you lost contact with her. -Explain. -After¡­ well, that mana anomaly, as you called it, I also had visions. Same ones as you. But that was not all, after all this, when I was fainting, I heard her. She was casting a spell of some kind. -And you heard that? I only heard a scream¡­ -That was later. Just as I was about to faint. After the visions. -Hm. And do you remember what that was? -I am sorry¡­ I don¡¯t. Well, to be honest I was not really paying attention¡­ I was a bit overwhelmed¡­ -Right. I can¡¯t blame you, sorry. My bad. -No, no. I should¡¯ve¡­ then we would at least have a bit of a hint to what happened. -You say another one¡­ but wasn¡¯t there someone with a king there on the island? - pointed out For. - I thought I heard a lot of voices¡­ -Iloa is not really a physical being any more¡­ -And the island was empty. Wouldn''t it be possible, since we were able to somehow connect to him, that she did as well? And since the other one got connected to Kon, she got connected to Axelrod? -That¡¯s¡­ hm¡­ -I feel like we heard just some echoes¡­ -Well, I did hear those, too - I agreed. - But I heard a lot more people. People that I was able to recognize. I feel like we can¡¯t just base those suspicions on that alone. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder though. Her theory was plausible. -We can¡¯t just stay like this forever, though. We need to do something. -And what exactly do you propose? We are sort of stuck in here. Not like we have an idea of where to look for the rest¡­ -Well, we now have Kon back. Can¡¯t you use the teleport magic, Kon? -Yes. But I still need some anchors¡­ -And we have plenty of those in the library. -Yeah, I was wondering¡­ why did they leave those to us? Wouldn''t it be better for them to just leave us here, stranded? -And why is that? You think they would be so worried about¡­ what exactly? -That¡¯s the problem. We don¡¯t know. -Goldie definitely made sure for us to know that I am a runaway and wanted man. -Well, yes, it seems like you are a person of interest to him¡­ maybe because you are a remnant? -Wouldn¡¯t then he be after me, too? -And does he know about you? I thought you joined Mor after that fiasco under Kalkano and overall revenant thing? -Hm. -True¡­ -Okay. Let¡¯s think. So he knows that I am a remnant. What then? Why want me? -Maybe to use as fuel? - pointed out For. - I mean, on the island he seemed to use some spell¡­ maybe for that? -But that meant he found some other way to fuel it? -Probably. Would that mean that he doesn¡¯t need you any more? -That doesn¡¯t mean that I am safe. Nor is anyone else. He can change his mind on a whim. And with his power¡­ -Wait¡­ didn¡¯t at the end say something about ¡°needing more¡±? Wouldn¡¯t that mean¡­ -That he still needs more mana? But for what exactly¡­? -Another spell? -Most likely. -What though¡­? -What about the last sentence¡­? - pointed out Kon. - What did he mean by ¡°I am coming back¡±? -Do you think that it has something to do with that spell? -Maybe¡­ -I think¡­ you are on a very good track. But let¡¯s continue that somewhere more¡­ comfortable, okay? -Right. We are still essentially in the basement. We left the tower and the whole wing of the island, again returning to For¡¯s quarters. Before we left though, I took a good look at what was left of the place. Some things changed. Or rather some were missing. Like the contents of the storage room, or rather storage floor. I was pretty sure that when last time I was downstairs, there was a lot more to the contents of the boxes and all. Right, they were mostly looted, sure, but there were still some things left. Not now. Everything was empty. Shelves, boxes, everything. Even random herbs were gone too. And it was not like someone took it while we were preoccupied. Besides the fact that no one was here besides us, there were¡­ some remains. Familiar remains. A faint hint of ash. The same one I always left after draining things. Same thing with potions on the main floor. Bottles were empty and the shelves were now full of containers that had nothing, not even a hint of magical aura within. I told my observations to my companions. Kon wasn¡¯t really sure what to think of it, and For was definitely worried. Without much of a debate though, we deduced that it was probably because of ILMA. After all, she did make me find those infused potions and fruit. And since they were not so keen on believing me about her ¡°perfect mathematical ability¡± they just assumed that she made a miscalculation. Truth be told, I also thought that was the case. She came a long way from a simple intelligence that she was back in the MIRE, and he definitely evolved. Be it for worse or better, her abilities changed as well. If we add the fact that she now lacked access to everything she was built up on, it was definitely looking like it was indeed the case of a mistake. For some reason though, something was not sitting right with me about that explanation. I didn¡¯t really give it much of a thought, though. Instead I decided to focus on the current problem, Axelrod and his¡­ ideas. But before that, I had to set a few things right. First things first, we took Goldie with us. After a brief discussion we decided to stop trying to jail him, after all every time we did that we eventually had to get him back again to ask ILMA some questions. While she was now also accessible through Kon, it might have been an unnecessary risk, but we decided to go with it anyway. Since there were three of us, including two remnants and on top of that the fact that he wasn¡¯t able to use magic, having him under constant watch was a better idea than just shoving him in some deep cell and trying to forget about the issue. At least that¡¯s what For said. I kind of agreed with that, at least partially. I wanted to keep an eye on him too. But mainly I wanted to have him near just because he had the closest connection to Axlerod out of us all. If something was to go wrong, I was the one that had the most power and knowledge to stop it. Me and Kon maybe, since he now had some help from ILMA. And maybe Iloa, if we were to believe that she still somehow was inside his head, just like he said. We soon found ourselves back in For¡¯s chambers. -Remember, a good while ago, I mentioned a few things about my past. -You did. What do you suddenly need to remind us about that? -Cause it¡¯s important. She gave me a curious look. -Well, what about it? -I told you that I come from a different world. With different technology, or rather more advanced technology, but similar magic. -Yeah. I think we already come to terms with that, seeing¡­ her¡­ She gestured towards Goldie. -Yes¡­ There was also that thing in the capital¡­ - nodded Kon. -Right. You remember. There were some remaining pieces of technology that had somehow made its way with me here¡­ -Was that the thing that Goldie somehow got? That he gave to Felix? -Precisely. While I honestly don¡¯t think it was Goldie who got it, it was most likely his brother. Who is missing right now. -That¡¯s¡­ Hm. -Yeah. That¡¯s my first thing I would like to tell you. Axelrod has a good idea about that technology and is collecting it. -We knew that already. But didn¡¯t you say that it¡¯s impossible to use it here? -I said it¡¯s impossible with our current resources. But I am not the one who owns a country. -That¡­ is concerning. -Still, isn¡¯t it hard to do¡­? - asked Kon. - You said that you have no idea how to rebuild those things that you need¡­ and you were with miss Iloa back then. And you said even if you did it would be useless¡­ -I was assuming that, considering that I had no resources. And no time to really try. And that¡¯s what Axelrod had in heaps. -But he now is busy¡­ or at least he was supposed to, with elves and that war of his¡­ Right? -I said ¡°had¡±. See, even if he was to have infinite resources, he still was just one person. Those things are hard to produce. Even basic materials can take years to make, especially if you are the only one working on it. And if you make a piece, it¡¯s not like you magically can speed up the process suddenly. -So we are safe, right? There is no way that he can finish whatever he was trying to do¡­? -¡±I need more¡­¡± - For said, remembering the words we heard. - You think that had something to do with that? The materials, or whatever, that he needed? -I am not sure, but that¡¯s not the problem. I think¡­ he already finished what he wanted to. -Wait, wait , wait¡­ - For shook her head. - I don¡¯t get you. First you say that you need impossible amounts of time to finish, now you say that he¡¯s already done. Like, it sounds like you need more than a lifetime to accomplish something like this! -That¡¯s what the problem is. More than one lifetime. And do I have to remind you what we learned about Axelrod and his lifespan¡­? -Immortality¡­? - she gasped. - You really think that¡¯s possible?! -I have no reason to doubt her. But that¡¯s not what I think that actually is¡­ see, I think I know who he really is. 136. Enemy? -¡±Really is¡±? What is that supposed to mean? -You know, when I worked for the MIRE, I was not alone. Definitely not the only one who had been caught in that calamity¡­ -There was Iloa, right? And ILMA¡­? -Affirmative. The sudden voice made us all jump, kind of forgetting since she was silent. -Right¡­ her. While you are right, that¡¯s not all. People working there were in the tens, if not hundreds. While the most were just lower-acces ones, we had the most freedom and the most access to the projects. And besides us, there was also another one¡­ -His name was Mike¡­ or Michael. -I know what you are thinking. But that¡¯s just a common name, it can be a coincidence¡­ - she said immediately. -Or is it? Well, the similarities are there. Powerful mage. Smart. Experimenting with stuff. But that¡¯s not all. See¡­ I was thinking about him. And about a certain person named Noli. Or Ilon. -Noli¡­? Was that the guy who helped Jack? -Yep. And I think they are the same person. -That¡¯s¡­ er, didn¡¯t you mention that already? I swear¡­ -I did? Maybe I did. Okay, so we are on track. Let¡¯s say that Noli is Michael, the same one who was a long time ago our coworker and friend. That doesn¡¯t end there. -I kept wondering. How and why Axelrod was so intrigued and knowledgeable about the ¡°old artifacts¡± as you know them, or just technology. And I had an idea¡­ What if he was also from a place where it was commonplace? Just like me? -I mean¡­ If that was just as calamitous as you say it was, isn¡¯t it possible that more people got sent here with you¡­? -Of course it was. But normal people wouldn¡¯t just be that knowledgeable about it. Not just everyone can cast magic like that¡­ It¡­ it just fits. -You think¡­ -It¡¯s not ¡°I think¡±. By now, I am pretty sure. That Axelrod is indeed Mike. -But that wouldn¡¯t make sense¡­ he is¡­ how old now? -And what¡¯s the issue in that? Wasn''t he supposed to be immortal? -And how do you think that happened?! -Why, the same way as me of course. As he got ¡°tossed¡± here, he turned into a remnant. Just like me. -And you think that would make him¡­ No, he¡¯s not a crystal person! -How can you be so sure? -I saw him! On multiple occasions! So did you! He looked as fleshy as me! -And Kon doesn¡¯t? He is just like me right now. And yet, he looks normal. -That¡¯s¡­ -And if that¡¯s not enough for you, remember what I told you about my journey under Kalkano? -But that was Odar! -And who said that both of them can¡¯t have a similar way to transform? Look at me. Look at yourself. Look at Kon. All of us somehow managed to change their bodies, one way or another. -That does not fill me with confidence¡­ -You don¡¯t say. -Okay. But that does not tell us anything - she sighed. - Okay, he is from your world. That explains why he has so much information about everything and the overall power of his magic. -I am going to take it as a compliment. -Sure, whatever - she said, waving me off. - That does not help. Quite the opposite. It makes us even less sure about his goals. It drastically increases his possibilities. -I mean, you already saw him as a great mage. Does that really change your view that much¡­? -That much? I saw you take spells head on. Manipulate old incantations that are forgotten to time. And you are telling me that he is the same as you. And on top of that, he¡¯s been alive for more than a century. You tell me. -You think he¡¯s been around for that long¡­? -Even longer. I¡¯ve heard about Axelrod the First when I was still a child, back when I was in hiding. And even then, it was not just from some gossip, you very well know that I didn¡¯t have access to that. -True¡­ so¡­ -It was in the books. Imagine that. Even so long ago he¡¯s been already written in the books. -Wait a minute¡­ ¡±the First¡±? What¡¯s his full name now then¡­? -I honestly can¡¯t tell you - she shrugged. - I never heard him use a full name. Nor have I ever seen it mentioned. But I know there were at least three of them. -Three¡­ That would check out¡­ -What? -Michael, Noli, Ilon. The three lives he lived. And now Axelrod. -Thats¡­ -Weird? Sure. -But¡­ Why would he use the names then¡­? It makes no sense¡­ - pointed out Kon. - Like¡­ why? -Remember what¡¯s the story of ¡°inheritance¡± over here? That the current king gets that magical and mysterious ¡°vision¡± and goes to look for the successor? -You think¡­ -That he made up that whole thing, including the successors? Sure. And to make the story more believable, he created the personas to seem like real people. Just to someday find them and ¡°let them inherit the kingdom¡±. -Okay¡­ but wouldn¡¯t then those names be more widely known by the public? - she pointed out. - It doesn''t really matter if the person exists or not if he lives somewhere in the boonies and¡­ -And that¡¯s what he¡¯s banking on. It wasn¡¯t his point to create a person, it was more to have a backup plan. -Backup¡­? The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. -Like if someone started investigating him. It¡¯s not impossible that someone had a similar idea to me once or twice before. It wouldn¡¯t be a problem for him to, just like me, learn about the existence of those people. -And it would essentially clear his name, confirming his story¡­ - she mumbled, finishing for me. -But I assume that he never expected that someone else would realize that all of those people were his persona. Created just for that one purpose. -And how did you even come to that conclusion? -Long story short, magical language, or however else you want to call that and Iloa. -Thats¡­ -That does not explain anything? Oh, I know. Doesn¡¯t matter. -Okay. Let¡¯s say that you are correct. So what does he want from us? -Remember his words from the vision? -Er¡­ -¡±I am coming back¡±...? - muttered Kon. - ¡°I need more¡­¡±? -The first one - I nodded. - Say, where exactly would he want to come back, hm? -Don¡¯t tell me¡­ he wants to go back to your original world? -It would seem so - I nodded. - Although I can¡¯t tell why exactly¡­ -Well¡­ If the place is such a technological and magical marvel as you seem to paint the picture for us¡­ I can¡¯t blame him¡­ -And if we add on top of that the fact that the elves suddenly appeared and he is now under attack¡­ -Hm. Well, I definitely can¡¯t agree on the first one - I said after a moment of thought. - Sure, marvel. Think whatever you want, but your world is infinitely better, especially for someone like him¡­ like us. -Like you? What do you mean? -Think. He is a powerful person. Sure, back in our world he was too, but we were just a drop in a sea of people. Sure, we were powerful, we had knowledge, but most of it was commonplace. As I told you. Here¡­ how did I get described a few times¡­? ¡°Omnipotent¡±? -Okay, let¡¯s not get crazy. -I am not joking. That back there was just a bit of above average skill set, here is unheard of. And we were definitely more than just ¡°a bit above average¡±. -I see your point - she agreed. - But what about elves? They seem to be focused on extermination, right? You think he would not trade his safety for that much? -You underestimate the allure of power - I said, shaking my head. - But besides that, I feel like there¡¯s something else he¡¯s looking for. Remember, he was looking for a few things. -You mean the artifacts? Wouldn¡¯t that be to help him go back? Or something else? -That too, but I meant something else. Remember what I was accused of at first? A kidnapping? -Of his family¡­? What? -Yes. I just think he is just trying to save his family. -¡±Save¡±? From what? And what¡­ I mean, there is war, so I guess that would track, but¡­ -Yeah, that¡¯s one thing. He wants to find his family: the one that is in our current world. -¡±Current world¡±? So he had someone before? -Yeah. That¡¯s the thing¡­ He thinks he HAD. But he actually still has it. -Who? You? I know you were a friend of his, but don¡¯t you think that calling yourself family is a bit of an overkill? -What? Fuck, no, I am not his family¡­ or¡­ Well, that¡¯s complicated. -What, you¡¯re his son or something? -No¡­ it¡¯s just¡­ Iloa¡­ the one that was inside my head¡­ she actually was, or rather is his wife. -Oh! -Yeah. Oh. That would explain some things. -Like him trying to find you¡­ -Yeah, I am not so sure about that one, but okay. My thinking goes a bit different. -Imagine scenario - I started. - You are plunged into some strange world. You don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on and are alone. Then, you finally find someone. That someone tells you more about the place you landed and you immediately realize that you are definitely not where logic would dictate you are. -What, you are telling me your story again or what? -Yes and no. Let me continue. She shrugged and went silent. -You decide to try and find someone you know, thinking that someone might have landed with you in that unfamiliar place. And behold, you actually find someone: your own daughter. But she does not recognize you at all. And to boot she is younger than she should. Is that her for sure? You are getting more and more fucked up because of that. -Yeah, sounds like someone¡¯s grasping at straws¡­ or insane¡­ -Right? But there is no mistaking: with a couple of spells you manage to confirm that it is her for sure. Along the way, the first person that helps you grows closer to you. So you decide to bite the bullet, and adopt her together. You rebuild your own family, albeit a bit scuffed, but still. You have something going for you. Times are nice. -That¡¯s a nice ending. So, where does this go wrong? -Yeah, right about now. You, since you are a powerful mage, are an adventurer, or whatever you want to call a magical mercenary here. Your knowledge of magic helps you along the way, you are a lot more powerful than all of the people and so you manage to get some popularity and wealth. To the point that you decide to hide yourself a little bit, to maybe have some privacy. That, of course, is not good for your family. And if that was not enough, on one of your expeditions you find signs of your old world: precisely of one of your creations. -The void artifacts? -Yep. And not only that, you manage to somehow find out that parts of your project have survived: namely, ILMA. As I mentioned her name, she looked at me directly. -Am I correct, ILMA? -Data is incomplete. Some existing entries match. Attempting access¡­ data corrupted. -She¡­ remembers it¡­? - silently asked For. -Seems like not much. And for a good reason. I think that she¡­ wasn¡¯t really awake yet¡­ -Like Kon¡­? -Like Kon. Like Goldie for a while. Like me and Iloa. Yep. She was¡­ incomplete. Or maybe rather shattered. -I think the travel, portal, or however else we all got here, had shattered her. Axelrod, fuck, I mean Mike, realized that and decided to try and rebuild her. Or at least collect her parts together. -How would he even¡­ -How would that even be possible? Hell if I know - I agreed with her. - But he was always smarter than me. Better than me. So I am sure that he had some kind of plan. And so his quest started: to collect the ¡°void artifacts¡± and try to use them to remake her. It would take a lot of effort, a lot of money, and definitely a lot of time. But he had all of it in abundance, I am pretty sure that by then he realized his situation. -That he is a remnant, right? - she asked. - Right¡­ and with that power¡­ he would have no problem finding all of those things¡­ -I wouldn¡¯t say ¡°no problem¡±, but definitely it would be helpful. Especially¡­ having a vessel¡­ -A vessel¡­? For what? -You think that having her rebuilt would be enough? Where do you think he planned on stuffing her into? -Wait¡­ he wanted to¡­ merge with her¡­? -Merge¡­ Well, that¡¯s one way to put it. And so he started. He started making contacts, extending his reach, finally having his own country even. You know the story. -But he didn¡¯t plan on one thing: me. -Ha¡­ And you managed to outdo even him¡­ with less resources, no less¡­ - she said, clearly amazed. -Don¡¯t think of me as if I had some kind of master plan - I shrugged. - It¡¯s all his fault. When he found out about me, I am pretty sure that he didn¡¯t recognize me at all. Hell, he thought of me as his main danger: a person as powerful as him, suddenly appearing out of nowhere, threatening his rank. -Hm¡­ And on top of that, the elven attacks¡­ that would definitely put him on edge¡­ -Precisely. He probably thought that I was an elven spy or something along those lines. Especially after Melle¡¯s disappearance. That¡¯s why he decided to remove me from the equation. -But he failed. -Yeah. And how spectacularly to boot. Not only did he manage to make me more powerful, but somehow he awakened Iloa inside me. -If he was clear from the start¡­ hell, if I was a bit more, probably we would be working together now. Although I do not share his vision of coming back to our old world, I would¡¯ve definitely helped. -And now what¡­ you won¡¯t? -Well, I am not in a rush to help someone who tried to kill me¡­ -No, yeah, I get that. But why don¡¯t you want to come back to your world? I am sure there are¡­ -What, people waiting for me? Ha. Have you been listening at all? I am one of the reasons why the whole catastrophe took place! You think that, if there are people who actually survived, that they are waiting for me with open arms? -Well¡­ Axelrod apparently thinks so¡­ -So he is wrong. That was literally the first thing I thought of when I woke up: to make up some kind of story in case someone from MIRE finds me. Hell, if people are executed for heresy here, if that was still legal I would¡¯ve definitely been on a list¡­ To be honest, it might have gotten me killed anyway¡­ - I mumbled. -I¡­ well¡­ I have nothing. 137. Origin -But then¡­ if he knows you¡­ - said Kon - wouldn¡¯t it be possible to somehow get to peacefully resolve that? I mean¡­ if he really knows you¡­ -That¡¯s the one problem. I don¡¯t think he¡¯d even try to talk with me. I¡¯d just get slapped with another spell. -And how did that end up last time? You survived. Hell, you are now even more resistant to magic - pointed out For. -So what? You want me to eat his spells and try explaining myself? Tell my life story? Ha. Funny. -Well, that¡¯s what you did here¡­ -And we know how that ended up¡­ -It worked¡­- she mumbled, but it was clear that she was not convinced herself. -And on top of that, we can assume that he actually knows how to hurt me. -What? You can be¡­ well¡­ I think she forgot for a second that I lost my arms. -But you can regenerate¡­ it surely wouldn¡¯t have any lasting effects¡­ right¡­? -Sorry, but I am not very convinced. I¡¯d rather stay with my body intact, thank you very much. -And how do you even know he knows how to hurt you¡­? I thought it was Eise that made this potion¡­? -Yeah. And the ingredients were from one of your previous leaders. -She still had those?! -Apparently. -Damn¡­ Goldie got lucky¡­ -You know, I thought so too¡­ but I am not so sure any more. -What, you think he¡¯s competent for a change? - she asked, not even attempting to hide her surprise. - What changed? -Nothing. Nah, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s the one who figured that out, it¡¯s probably all thanks to Axelrod. -Don¡¯t you think that it was strange that he suddenly had so much faith in himself? Just after randomly trying to scare us with finger-wiggling? -Pfff. -Precisely. I felt that something was off¡­ He had to get a message from someone¡­ from his dear leader. -He managed to contact Axelrod somehow? But you can¡¯t use magic here¡­ I mean, he can¡¯t. -Yeah. But that doesn¡¯t stop Axelrod from trying to communicate with him. If we assume that he is a revenant, and that is given at this point, it wouldn¡¯t be a stretch for him to know how to hurt someone that is a similar creature as himself. -That still doesn¡¯t explain how Goldie got to know that. -Easy. Just like you were talking with me¡­ just like the three of us were talking together. That¡¯s not really being inhibited by the crystal. -But¡­ don¡¯t you¡­ I don¡¯t know, need to look at someone? To see their mana? Or something? Be relatively close? - she asked. -Nope. I already confirmed that we can communicate with Kon without needing to see each other. I told you that already. About being close, though¡­ hm¡­ I stopped to think for a moment. I never tried to do something like this over a long distance. But I couldn¡¯t help but think, why not? It was¡­ What was that, exactly? That was a good question. I never really stopped to consider that. What type of magic did that even use? What was that based on? With Iloa it was not really a question even. We were occupying the same body, so there was that. With Kon¡­ well, it was similar. He did have a piece of me, so I guess that was the point of connection¡­ But what about For? She was neither. The only thing that would connect us was the contract¡­ but wouldn¡¯t that make me read her mind a long time before all this? I never really tried to, sure, but¡­ hm. -I feel¡­ like this thing might be based on your magic. -My? As in personally¡­? -Nah. As in elven. Blood magic. -I thought¡­ it was because of the crystal¡­? - said Kon, thinking out loud. -Yeah, but how do you explain her connecting with us then? -Well¡­ didn¡¯t you say that you also ate a piece of crystal? Couldn¡¯t that¡­ I almost forgot about that one. Right. That was a thing. She did have a piece of crystal with her. The one she got from the previous leader of Red Mages. Most likely another ¡°version¡± of Axelrod. But that would also mean that she was connected to him, not to us¡­ Or would it? If he was indeed a remnant, or at least had a part of a crystal in his body, it would definitely be the same one that I got: the one that exploded back in the MIRE. Meaning that if he was to let her ¡°inherit¡± the Red Edge, it would also be the same one. Meaning that the connection was there even before we made the contract. It was there long before everything. Or at least the potential to be connected was there. I immediately shared that information with them. Unsurprisingly, For was less than happy about that. -To think that something like this was with me¡­ That I was connected¡­ He was manipulating me all the time! -Well, it¡¯s not really a given that he was - I pointed out. - As you can see, you can just live with the crystal and be absolutely fine. Just like the two of us are. -Yeah, okay, but do you really think that him giving me a piece was just as innocent as you seem to portray it as? -Okay, you can¡¯t¡­ we can¡¯t even be sure that someone can manipulate someone like this¡­ That¡¯s just my speculation¡­ -Speculation? Ha. Don¡¯t give me that. I am pretty sure that it¡¯s how he managed to control and get information from and to Goldie. That would explain a lot. That was a fair point. That would also explain sudden changes in his behavior. Just like in the case of Odar. Suddenly the whole concept of overtaking and all was not that far-fetched. It would just be the same thing that me and Iloa did, although on a longer range. But still. -Say¡­ I have a question¡­ - started Kon, who was listening intently all that time. - If this all boils down to just having the crystal with them¡­ wouldn¡¯t the whole island be affected? And the whole Red Edge? -How so? -Well¡­ Mor said that he thinks that your predecessor was the one who created this island from a small piece of stone, right? But if it was indeed the king, it would have meant that there was a good chance that he used the same crystal¡­ the same one that is in us, right? If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. He was absolutely right. -Well shit, you are right. But I have a better question. If it was indeed the case, what the hell did I do earlier? -You what? -I tried to communicate with it, remember? Thinking that I would contact someone, or try to talk with¡­ I don¡¯t know, something. -Wait¡­ would that mean that you tried to contact Axelrod? -Yeah¡­ And that¡¯s not all. What does the whole hole in the ground mean? If the target was Axelrod that whole time¡­ I stopped to think, but nothing came to me. I couldn¡¯t for the life of me think of a way to explain the hole without sounding like an absolute lunatic. Sure, it might have already been past the point of no return, but whatever. -I don¡¯t want to speculate, but none of the scenarios I can think of are good for us currently. -What¡¯s the worst? - asked For. - It can¡¯t be that bad¡­? -I am not going to divulge, but every single one boils down to me helping Axlerod. I mean, it wouldn¡¯t be that bad if not for the fact that he was actively trying to hunt me, be it by himself or using his men. -But it¡¯s the one thing that I can be for sure. It¡¯s not Goldie that gave the information to him¡­ It was me. Or us. For gave me a look. She knew that it was not a good thing in any shape of form. -I¡­ wanted to connect to the crystal. And instead of me using that connection to glimpse into it, it glimpsed into me. And everyone else. -Well, you don¡¯t have to feel so bad about it¡­ After all, I already was connected to him¡­ - she pointed out. -Yeah, maybe. But for all we know he forgot about you. After all, it¡¯s been a hot minute since he gave you the Red Edge and all¡­ -You really think he¡¯d forget the whole project of ¡°creating an artificial Origin Crystal¡±? I thought you said it was impossible. -True¡­ Hm. I know she was trying to just cheer me up, but that instead made me worry more. If indeed he didn¡¯t forget, why did he let it sit like this for so long? The crystal was definitely already good enough to use for¡­ whatever, really. Did that mean that he was lacking something else? That still didn¡¯t answer any questions. -We still are lacking something important - I said, sighing. - There is no point trying to figure out his motivations without more info. -Eh¡­ you are right. But what else is left for us to do? - she asked. - Not like we can do anything¡­ -Well, that¡¯s not exactly true. We at least can try looking for answers. And the first place would be visiting the place where he was. -You want to follow him? - asked Kon. - But wouldn¡¯t we then risk bumping into him? -That¡¯s why we aren¡¯t doing that immediately. We need to first make sure that he left for wherever he was aiming for¡­ -And how the hell are we supposed to do that? It¡¯s not like we have a way¡­ She realized how wrong she was. -I see you remembered. -The ring! Where is¡­ She started patting herself, looking for it. Pointlessly, I have to add: I already knew that she didn¡¯t have it on her. -It¡¯s not here. -It¡­ She suddenly grabbed her head, remembering. -I gave it to Jacob! -Oh great. Well, we at least now know how he managed to get to the island that fast¡­ -Jacob managed to¡­ It was his job?! -Seems like it to me - I nodded. - He had a good source of anchors, so getting to the capital was not a problem. The only issue is that he was low on mana, but I guess Axelrod could fix that on the other end. -Or just use someone else to teleport there¡­ - said Kon. - Wasn¡¯t there supposed to be someone else that was able to cast portal magic in capital. -It probably was Odar. Or Axelrod himself. -Well, I know that Mike was not able to use that magic, just like me¡­ but I guess that could¡¯ve changed¡­ -That¡¯s possible?! -I mean, that¡¯s just the case of learning words and writing them. So you just need some time and resources. -So why didn¡¯t you learn it then?! -Because when the need arose, I had neither. Might I remind you that he apparently has been here for a lot longer than me¡­ -Weren¡¯t you two caught in the same thing? -Well¡­ it was indeed the same accident, but I am not sure about time¡­ -Wouldn¡¯t that mean that you¡¯d have to land in the same place and at the same time? What happened? - For asked, confused. That was actually a good question. Before I didn¡¯t ever consider that, but we should, by all means, have landed at the same time. Why did we get split up¡­ and with such spread, to boot? And not in distance, in time! -Good question. I know that we landed in mostly the same place - I said, thinking aloud. - I found some of his notes and other signs of his existence. Back then I didn¡¯t really think that was him, just some other poor soul that got tossed to the same place a long time ago. I honestly didn¡¯t think he was still alive. -So wait¡­ how much time passed between that? -Between our¡­ well, disappearances? Not more than minutes. And if our theories are correct, we landed more than hundreds of years apart. -Holy¡­ -Yeah. Weird. -You think that might have something to do with your crystal¡­? - asked Kon. -King was supposed to have one too, so I don¡¯t think that would make sense¡­ - mumbled For. -That might actually be it¡­ - I replied after pondering for a while. - During the ¡°transfer¡± I did lose my arm that got replaced with the crystal¡­ I assume that the process of it taking over the wound and closing it was not short¡­ but I never expected it to take a millennium! -Mille¡­ Damn! -Yeah¡­ but that would explain why the MIRE was so broken¡­ and overgrown. I always thought that an accident like that would leave devastation in its wake¡­ It did on the other side and¡­ Wait a minute. When I woke up and explored the place I landed up, it did look different. Weird and out of place. I did call it a bowl even. Could that mean¡­ That my arrival was what MADE the bowl? Was it our experiment that had destroyed those mountains? Our arrival? But the place was overgrown¡­ it was full of life¡­ And full of mana. That would definitely hasten up the process of regrowing¡­ and even boost the fertility of plants¡­ That would also explain why Melle was so surprised that something was on the other side of the mountain¡­ Even though Mike had come through there and met her, before that it had to be just some mountain range. Hell, even if he awakened before me, it was possible that he only came back to his senses after the bowl had already formed a new life¡­ That gave me another question¡­ If he was indeed the same one that woke up there, wouldn¡¯t that mean that he¡¯d found me? I was hard to miss, just lying in the ruins. As far as I remembered, I was just lying in the middle of the ground zero of the whole bullshit¡­ How could he miss me¡­? You¡¯d have to be blind just to not notice something like that¡­ Blind¡­? I remembered my return to the MIRE with Melle. I already was part crystal, and managed to get a hang on my abilities¡­ and was blind. Blinded by the mana. Would that be possible for him as well? That when he woke up, he only was able to see the blinding light? The area was flooded with it, and since I was in the epicenter, be it mana-exhausted or not, I would¡¯ve been invisible to him, completely overwhelmed by the light of the broken leyline. Even without that, I am sure that I¡¯d be hard to spot for someone who just had awakened to overwhelming light¡­ -Damn. You are as old as an ¡°immortal king¡± or whatever they want to call him now¡­ - said For, bewildered by this revelation. - I mean, I sort of suspected that you were old, but to be older than me¡­ -Yeah, that¡¯s wild. -Well, I definitely don¡¯t feel older than usual - I said, shrugging. - Honestly, it doesn¡¯t matter. -When you thought that we were getting something there¡¯s always something standing in our way¡­ this time a stupid anchor¡­ -¡±Our¡±? You wanted to go with me? -You? Of course! What, you think that I am going to let you do everything? Those are still my people. -And I still don¡¯t know where they are. -No matter. We can¡¯t chase him anyway¡­ - she sighed. -Well, that might not be entirely true¡­ -What, you¡¯re going to tell me that you want us to teleport randomly there? Or what, maybe you have some flying spell? -I do. -You kidding me. -Nope. But that¡¯s not what I had in mind. Wait, you wanted to fly there? Where the hell do you think they are? -You saw that on the map¡­? - she said, confused. - It¡¯s near the edge¡­ and we are near the edge¡­ -Well, sure, but¡­ Actually she had a fair point. When I looked on the map, I didn¡¯t really pay attention to where the Red Edge was¡­ hell, I am not sure if it was on the map at all, since you know, the secrecy and all that. -If it was on land, I¡¯d say it would be less than a day worth of travel - she said. - But of course, if you add the water and the overall problem of edge existing¡­ -Yeah, I get you. But while you have those ideas, I had something else in mind. See, we still have an anchor. -Yeah, you gave it¡­ wait, a second one? -Yep. It¡¯s just as Jacob said: those were the wedding rings. And we had both. -Then what are we waiting for?! 138. Troublesome A good while later we were gathered back in the library, ready to leave to follow Axelrod. After she heard that we had the means of transport, she immediately stormed off to gather ¡°supplies for the journey¡±. Besides the fact that I was curious what she meant by that, since we would be there instantly, I didn¡¯t want to let her out of sight, so I followed. The four of us, because Kon was not leaving my side and I definitely was not going to leave Goldie alone again, spent a solid chunk of time running from one end of the island to another. First off, she wanted to take with her a bunch of mana fruit and anchors. Sure, both of those would be handy, but that was also the extent of what I thought we needed, period. Of course, looking for them didn¡¯t come without issues. Anchors were easy enough, she just grabbed the whole book she checked earlier and called it a day. I wanted to call her out and remind her that we were going to a pretty damp area, that is even if everything went right. If something would malfunction, say the portal be a bit off-track, we¡¯d be down in the drink. Sure, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem to me and I would be able to save both of them if needed since we would be far enough to not be under the influence of the suppressing field of Red Edge, but I couldn¡¯t really say the same about the book. It would definitely get destroyed along with our tickets back here. I didn¡¯t really mind not coming here again, but I would definitely prefer to have a way to get back to a somewhat safe place. I wanted to ask her if she didn¡¯t have some other, more waterproof, maybe something from her room could work as an anchor, but she just shook her head, saying that was not necessary. I did remind her of water again, and she just showed me a small sack that she got from her room. It looked pretty familiar. Besides the fact that it was almost identical to the one I remembered Jacob having, the enchantment on it was also pretty obvious. It was just like my old bag, but even better. Not only it had been enchanted with resistance to elements, it also definitely had some space-warping properties, as she demonstrated as the whole book disappeared inside without even touching the leather. I guess that was good enough for me. The second item on the list, the mana fruit, proved a bit more problematic. At first she wanted to get them from supplies that were in Eise¡¯s part of the island, just to remember that it had been sacked. And the remaining were used by me just recently. Instead she had to dig through the whole of her tower, plus the guest rooms, just to find a handful of them. Hell, it looked like they were pretty old too¡­ I think? I am not sure if those can spoil or something, but when I took a peek at them when she found them, I barely was able to recognize what I was looking at. Besides the fact that they were small, wrinkly and ashy-gray, their mana signatures looked barely more than the residue that was constantly hanging in the air. I guess that had to do. While looking for those, I got reminded about my other arm. We found it, surprisingly, in one of the guest rooms. I am pretty sure that I had Goldie to blame for that: he must have had them both with him when he wanted to ¡°intimidate¡± me, but for some reason decided to leave it behind. It was hidden under a bed even. I am not sure what the hell he thought, but finding it was a piece of cake: I didn¡¯t have to even use my enhanced senses, Kon did it for me. I considered taking it with me, but I had a hard time thinking of a way to take it safely. I was no longer sure about it being completely inert: the stunt Goldie pulled was a clear indicator. And I was not going to risk the ability to drain mana suddenly coming back and destroying her pack from the inside. I seriously was considering breaking it into smaller pieces to make it easier to transport, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to do it. I mean, sure it was just a piece of rock, but it was still my arm. I am not sure if it was even possible for us to break it in the first place, since it was Origin Crystal and all that. But again, For did say that it was lighter¡­ and it did look hollow from the outside¡­ For just gazed at me, pondering this, and without even a word, grabbed a regular linen sack and packed the hand inside, tying it tightly and dropping it inside her other bag. I mean, sure, that worked, but I warned her, if that was to open or something to happen to it, I was not going to be held responsible. She just shrugged and continued gathering her things. Besides those things, she also grabbed with her a whole shelf worth of books. Some from the library, some from her chambers. I thought at first that those were some emergency anchors, but nope. While they were a tiny bit magical, it was not enough for a teleport spell. I think. After a closer look, I realized that some of those were just the tomes that she slept on last time¡­ or rather ¡°used to mediate¡±, like she preferred to call it. I slowly started losing my patience when she went ahead and started digging through her wardrobes and looking for something else. Sure, I was not in a hurry, it would be for the better if Axelrod was not breathing down our necks when we appeared on the island, but come on. I thought she wanted us to get this thing resolved as soon as possible? And not like she could use that excuse: right after we decided to essentially tail him, I made her use her blood bond with Jacob again. While we didn¡¯t see him with Axelrod last time, we were assuming that they were together, since she assured me that indeed it had to be the case. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. He was apparently no longer on that small island, instead was again back in the capital, safely sitting in the palace. Or, well, as safely as it was possible with those attacks. Yeah, speaking off. Even after Axelrod broke the connection with us, or at least attempted to, back when we shared his vision, we still were having some flashes of certain situations. Those were short, very, very short, but informative. Every now and again we were able to see a flash of light and a single image. First one caught every single one of us off-guard, and while it was not very informative, it was something. We saw a dark room. Or a dungeon? I am not sure. What I was certain about though was that it was familiar. And not because I¡¯ve been there myself, it was definitely the same room that we had a glimpse of during our longer vision. Where a bunch of people were staring blankly at a wall somewhere. Next one was similar. Although there were less people in the room, it definitely was the same place. Then the next one: an empty room. But it didn¡¯t tell us as much as the next one. It was an image of the room where Melle was seen last: and the one whose eyes I was looking through was definitely Axelrod. There was no mistaking it. While I didn¡¯t spend much time there, the decorations were easy to recognize. And how did we know that it was Axelrod? Well, besides him being the most likely culprit of those sudden images, we literally saw his face in the mirror one time. He looked a lot more strained though. And tired. The next images were less than pleasant. Those were full of bodies. Definitely elven ones. Some in pain, some already dead, some in the process of dying. All with the green background of green, wooden chambers or corridors. Arbo. That also made us sure that it was safe for us to visit the island. Whatever was going on in the capital, it was definitely taking all the attention off us. A streak of good luck. Or I thought so. I realized that it was actually a double-edged sword only thanks to Kon. While looking for For¡¯s stuff and overall roaming around the Red Edge, he asked me to help him. To teach him more about magic. I did tell him that it would be pretty hard without me being able to cast, but agreed nonetheless: I was not going to dig through For¡¯s stuff with her right next to me, and that was not the worst way to kill some time. It was at that moment, he used a spell, just as I directed him to, and at the same time we got another flash. We already got somewhat used to seeing gruesome ways of murder that Axelrod was presenting to us, so you can imagine my surprise that we instead seen just the scene that we had in front of us all the time: For¡¯s room, full with random books tossed around and even a piece of a dress, flying through the air. I want to say we got lucky that he was not looking at any of us, but who was I kidding? It did not take a genius to figure out the source of the vision. Surprisingly, Axelrod didn¡¯t seem to react. I mean sure, he only saw an image without much of a context but he was smart enough to figure this out, right? I expected him to try and use magic again almost immediately, to do¡­ well, something, I guess? Yet nothing came. But the flashes did stop. I don¡¯t have to add that we immediately stopped ¡°lessons¡± and instead started hurrying For. She didn¡¯t really need that though. Because of the vision he doubled her effort in looking for whatever she needed and was ready in the next ten minutes. She never did tell us what she found or not found, though. -I assume everyone is finally ready? - I asked after we were gathered in the library. -Yeah. Sorry, I had to¡­ get some things. -Yes, yes, we know, we noticed, let¡¯s get going. -Mhm. But¡­ are you sure we should¡­ take him¡­? - Kon asked, looking at Goldie. - It¡¯s not like I have¡­ -I know, I know - I agreed with him. - That seems a bit strange, but it¡¯s better to keep him with us. -I¡¯d rather not leave him in here alone¡­ - muttered For. -What, you still have some secrets here? -Maybe. As she said that, my mind was immediately flooded by her voice. -No. Nothing. Silence. Quiet. Don¡¯t listen. Stop. No¡­ Damn, I was just asking that question as a joke, but instead I found out something interesting. I never intended for that to be a way to get something out of her, but judging by her mana, and the fact that she suddenly started thinking some random stuff towards me, it was clear that it was indeed the case. I shook my head, annoyed, and Kon started scratching his own forehead, distracted. -Okay, okay, we get it, just shut the hell up - I silenced her, making her realize that we were listening. That did not help, instead she started even more frantically repeating the same stuff over and over. -Look, I get it, you want to hide crap, I don¡¯t care, just don¡¯t distract Kon when he¡¯s about to portal us! Or you want us to land in the ocean? If you must, just target me! -I¡­ -Yes, you didn¡¯t mean it, I know. Doesn¡¯t change a thing. She nodded, and closed her eyes. It kind of worked¡­ I mean, the flood of words did not disappear completely, but I could tell from Kon¡¯s face that it either was no longer reaching him, or it just was subtle enough for him to ignore. Good enough for me. -Let¡¯s get moving before she starts again - I quietly said towards him. He nodded in answer and closed his eyes himself. It was not the first time he was using magic, or portal magic even, in his ¡°boosted¡± form, but I couldn¡¯t help but be worried. I mean, his crystal was still developing, right? And if we add the distraction of a sudden bonus voice in his head¡­ I worried for naught though. The spell worked almost instantly. I swear, he was getting more proficient each time. Or at least faster. The portal appeared, this time on the side of the wall of the room. He even remembered to put it on the same angle so we wouldn¡¯t have to experience random gravitational changes. I was somewhat expecting to see another flash, but nope. As instructed though, Kon was not looking at either of us, so we¡¯d leave as little information as possible. I honestly was surprised that it worked that well. And that he managed to open it without an issue without even looking at it. Good on him. -Nice. Ladies first? - I asked, gesturing towards For, but she was not eager to be the first one stepping through. -I don¡¯t¡­ I was not going to be waiting for the excuse then. -You snooze, you lose. And I stepped through. 139. Island I immediately felt the familiar shift and a moments later I was on the other side. Portal was as stable as it gets, or at least I thought so, because when For stepped through right after me, she looked a bit worse than me. She was positively dizzy and I want to say almost seasick, which was doubly strange. -You good? - I asked, in the silence only interrupted by the humm of the portal and lazy sea waves scattering on the rocky island. -I¡­ urhg, yes¡­ I am just¡­ not used to this¡­ -I thought this was stable¡­? What happened? -Nothing¡­ It¡¯s¡­ just every time I use those, I end up dizzy and¡­ I just need a moment. Hell, I was not far enough when I called her seasick. Or I guess portal-sick¡­? Haven¡¯t heard about that one yet. -You should be happy that we didn¡¯t experience any gravity shifts. -Gravity¡­ urgh. Even saying that made her flinch and she staggered, almost falling over. Before I was able to react however, Kon stepped through and the portal closed. He was absolutely fine, so I guess it was just her problem. But, even though he was OK, the moment he stepped on the rocks of the island, he gazed at me confused and started frantically looking around. -Something¡¯s wrong? -I¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ -What do you mean ¡°you don¡¯t know¡±? It¡¯s the island we wanted, right? - asked For, concerned. -Right¡­ -Yeah, I am certain - I nodded, pointing to the broken rocky tablet. - The tablet is here, that¡¯s definitely the one. -Oh! Tablet! With the spell you mentioned?! -Yeah. For was suddenly excited and proceeded to inspect the slab, forgetting about her ¡°sickness¡±. -Go knock yourself out¡­ just don¡¯t try casting some spells. -Why? -So I don¡¯t mistake you for someone teleporting here. For example Axelrod. -Let¡¯s hope he¡¯s still busy. -Well, that doesn¡¯t mean that he suddenly won¡¯t appear. She gave me an annoyed look. -Ah yes, inspect magical slabs without using magic. Right. -Okay, so do cast them but before that warn us. And maybe consider the consequences. -Consequences? Like what? -I don¡¯t know. Last time someone tried messing with magic that they had no idea about, we were attacked by a bunch of vines. -Well, there are no vines here¡­ -So, I don¡¯t know, maybe a creature made of stone? -Yes, yes, I know. I don¡¯t intend on attacking anything though. And last time it was because of that I think. -Probably. I let her to her devices and instead focused on Kon, with eyes darting around the whole island. -Are you okay? Even without seeing your mana I can tell that something''s not right with you. He didn¡¯t reply for a second, still looking for something. -I¡­ It¡¯s not like it¡¯s something with me¡­ I just feel¡­ uneasy? I guess? -I can¡¯t blame you. It¡¯s not like Axelrod can¡¯t just appear right behind us at any point. Well, we will most likely get a warning, but it¡¯s not like we can do anything to stop him¡­ -I know¡­ -Well, even if it comes to a confrontation, I at least intend to try and talk to him. I don¡¯t know, maybe he really doesn¡¯t know who I am. Trying won¡¯t hurt. -From your description of your last encounter it doesn¡¯t seem like you have good chances for that, though - said For from behind me, focused on the broken rock. -True. But I still am a crystal remnant. I can defend myself. -Right¡­ at least you are now not in the range of my protections from the island¡­ or, well, at this point I¡¯d say that those are your protections¡­ -Doesn¡¯t matter¡­ but I am not sure if that would work in my favor¡­ -What, you¡¯d rather fight without your magic? -I¡¯d rather fight against someone without magic - I corrected her. - We are pretty sure that that thing would also block him, remember? -And you said that you still could manipulate mana even with it. -Eh, sure. But then it would be just essentially a tug-of-war for mana. I think that¡¯s a bit less destructive than tossing spells at each other. -Yeah¡­ maybe. -¡±Maybe¡±? That doesn¡¯t sound too comforting. -That¡¯s why I said I¡¯d rather try and talk this out with him. Doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t need to have some contingency planned. -Pf. Right. -Instead of welching, why won¡¯t you focus on your rock, huh? - I said, annoyed. - I swear¡­ By the way, I feel like you¡¯ve been leaking your thoughts a bit¡­ -Huh? - she stared at me, confused. -Before you said that ¡°you¡¯d never dream to talk to me like that¡±. And yet you¡¯re getting more blunt by the minute - I pointed out. -Ah. That. Well¡­ you¡¯re not completely wrong¡­ - she said leaning on the rock she was just inspecting a moment ago. - It¡¯s just¡­ I changed my mind. -Changed your mind? -Or rather made up my mind. See, I decided, that since you are already inside my head and can tell what I think or whatnot, why not be transparent? I mean, you already know what I think, so why should I even bother trying to hide that? -Fair point. And not like I care. I was just curious. -So am I of this rock. But I can¡¯t focus if you keep talking. -You were the one who started commenting. -That might have been a loose thought¡­ - she said. I am pretty sure that was bullshit. And she knew that. -My bad. I¡¯m gonna try being quiet now¡­ - she mumbled and turned back towards her rock. -QUIET! THAT¡¯S IT! If there would be a ceiling in this place, both of us would definitely be on it right now. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. His yelp was so sudden and unexpected that I swear I thought that we were under attack or something, but there was definitely nothing nearby. Just to be sure, I checked with my enhanced senses, but yeah, everything was clear and calm. -What the fuck? -What¡¯s going on?! -Ah! Sorry! He covered his mouth and immediately got embarrassed. -I didn¡¯t mean to yell! -But you did. What happened? -Are we under attack?! -Nah, everything is fine. I think. -It¡¯s not! I mean it is, but it is not! - said Kon, confusing us even more. -Can you at least make sense? -Sorry! I¡­ He took a breath, trying to calm down. -I know what¡¯s wrong with this place! I can¡¯t imagine how I didn''t realize that before! It¡¯s quiet! For looked at him with a puzzled face, still not understanding what he was on about, but I realized what he meant. The waterfall. There was no sound. Last time we were on this island we barely were able to understand each other by yelling, and now, it was peaceful. Hell, it was so normal I didn¡¯t even think of that for a second. Even when I was on the plaza of the Red Edge, the sea was noisier than that! Right now, the waves were barely moving, and considering the fact that we were supposed to be at the edge of a giant waterfall¡­ I quickly told For what we noticed. I didn¡¯t even have to finish talking because she realized that half-way into the explanation, probably hearing some of my thoughts. -That makes no sense! Are you sure we are in the correct place? For was clearly not convinced. -Are you sure that we didn¡¯t just arrive somewhere else? -I am certain. Unless you know of another place that has an identical tablet on display, that is. -Well, it is possible! Aren¡¯t there supposed to be more of them? In more places? -And all of them were apparently ¡°near the edge¡±. -Yes¡­ but¡­ -Now, let¡¯s look at this objectively. We are definitely near the edge. Just take a look. I gestured towards the horizon. It was still as strange as before. The weird magic-fog was looming in the distance. Although¡­ -Hm. Well, now, that¡¯s curious¡­ I didn¡¯t pay attention before, but the fog was a lot less thick this time. Before it was like a full layer of sprayed water that was glowing, similarly to the place where the barrier that Jack used was. I remembered it being a bit distorted thanks to Axelrod¡¯s spell, but now it seemed like he actually managed to leave a mark with¡­ whatever he did. The light was a lot less overwhelming and I was able to actually see the fog. -Say, For, does that look the same to you as before¡­? She squinted, looking in the distance. -Now when you mentioned it¡­ it does seem a bit¡­ hazy? -Interesting¡­ How about you, Kon? -It¡­ sort of¡­ I could tell he was trying to collect his words. -It¡¯s¡­ when I saw this place through the vision¡­ it looked brighter, I want to say? I mean, I thought it was just me being used to seeing mana all the time, but¡­ now it seems like it¡¯s more hazy than it¡¯s bright? When we were here the first time I didn¡¯t see either though, it just looked like a normal horizon to me¡­ I mean, broken horizon that is¡­ I nodded. It seemed like he had similar observations to me. When I was here for the first time, I did see the light in the distance, the same as in the vision. That is until Axelrod started messing with it. His first explanation made me think that it might be just his crystal getting more powerful, just like For¡¯s was. But the second part, just as he said, didn''t make sense. That meant that whatever was going on there, be it a spell or some residue, Axelrod managed to somehow disrupt it. But why though? Why would he even do that? Would that be his attempt at trying to get a large amount of mana? I mean, sure, the falls were definitely the biggest source I have ever seen, comparable only to other Origin Crystals and leylines I encountered. Even those were smaller, though. After all, you can¡¯t really compare something the size of a person, or even an island, to something as massive as the whole ¡°edge of the world¡±. But using that¡­ wouldn¡¯t that be a bit inefficient? After all, it was still pretty far away, using something like this had to be pretty hard, right? And more importantly, how the fuck would that mean that the falls would suddenly fell silent? Apparently For had some ideas about that. -I am wondering¡­ if you all are right about this¡­ - she mumbled, turning again to the slab of rock, inspecting the writing. - That¡­ it actually makes some sense¡­ -Please share, because out of all my ideas, all of them are insane - I said, not hiding my curiosity. -And who said mine aren¡¯t? Well¡­ She turned back to me. -About that spell and this slab¡­ you said that you saw a similar one nearby? -Not exactly nearby, but yeah. -Yes, at the island where we lived - nodded Kon. -Uh-uh. And that one, was to hide your place from any unexpected visitors¡­? -Well, not really hide, but to protect us from them. It was supposed to teleport everyone that touches the barrier to the other side. It¡¯s only thanks to Mor that it actually also started masking the place. -Yeah, I didn¡¯t really mean to do it at first, but that¡¯s how it ended up - I nodded, remembering how I was messing with the spell, trying to get through. -Right. That gave me an idea, actually. -I think that whatever Axelrod did, it had a very similar effect to the one you made at that island, Mor. I gazed into the distance, trying to see something more, but for naught. -Well, you are right, he managed to change how the horizon looks¡­ but not by much. Why even bother though? -I never said he wanted to do it. And while he did change the appearance of it a tiny bit, I think he might have done something else. Instead of targeting light, or image, he instead masked the sound of the falls. I just stared at her, pondering. It was technically possible to manipulate sound to block it, or just simply redirect it¡­ That would also explain the fact that the edge looked differently: a different spell was bound to have a different look in my eyes. I squinted, trying to make some other detail in the distance. In theory, I should be able to see what kind of magic was being employed there, but the distance was straight up too far for me to spot anything that would help to distinguish it. -Sure. Okay. Maybe. But that leaves us still with the question. Why mess with the spell anyway? If we believe what we learned, that spell was also a barrier, right? -Supposedly. Even when I am reading this, while I can¡¯t figure out a lot, I still have a good idea that it is indeed the case. The spell was supposed to keep people and objects from falling off the edge by simply teleporting them to the other side. -Wait ¡°the other side¡±? As in the other side of the barrier? There is something behind it?! - Kon asked the question I was just about to ask myself. -Not¡­ No. It¡¯s just¡­ She stumbled on her words, trying to think, again turning to the slab and rereading its lackluster contents. -No. It¡¯s amazing in itself¡­ it teleports you to the other edge. I frowned, thinking. -And you managed to read that from this single slab? -Yeah¡­ it''s a bit hard, because some pieces are missing and are clearly broken, but when you explained to me how the spell worked back at the island, and with some knowledge from my ancestors, I can fill in the gaps. -I guess¡­ -Wait¡­ so if that thing teleports people to safety¡­ Why aren¡¯t more people using the sea to cross the continent? It would definitely save a lot of time, right? - asked Kon. He¡¯s got a point. -Hm. Well¡­ I have some ideas¡­ -Like? -This spell is old¡­ I mean, even if it was in one piece, this slab is barely readable, and no one is keeping it maintained. You would trust something like this with your life? -Not¡­ No. You are right. -Yeah, good point. Didn¡¯t even your small barrier need constant maintenance? -Right. -You even had a problem with lack of resources right? - pointed out For. - I can¡¯t imagine how much you¡¯d need to work on something this large¡­ -Well, I think the problem of lack of mana is not an issue here - I retorted. - After all, besides the fact that this thing definitely is connected to a leyline network, even if it wouldn¡¯t be, I can think of few scenarios that would let this thing work. -Yeah. Like my island. -Exactly. Like Red Edge. An Origin Crystal is a powerful thing. -You think that something like that used to be here? -Most likely - I nodded. - We are standing on some kind of ruins, so there is a good chance that something like your island was here. -Right! The underground! We need to inspect those, too! -I thought you wanted to look for Axlerod and try to find¡­ well, something? -And that something would be where, exactly? If there is something to be found, it has to be there, since this slab has not much to tell us besides what we just discussed. -Hm. Well, we can definitely check¡­ but there might be a small problem. Last time I was down there, everything was flooded. -And yet somehow you managed to explore some of it! Why can¡¯t we do that again? -What, you think I am going to go there again alone? - I sighed. - Come on¡­ -Who said you¡¯re going alone? We are now connected, aren¡¯t we? So it would be as if all of us were together with you. I just rolled my eyes. -You know that it¡¯s not that easy to just share my senses with someone, right? -But you did that before! So why not again? I had my answer at the end of my tongue, but I decided to keep it to myself, shrugging and gesturing towards the cave. -Eh, whatever. By all means, let¡¯s move. 140. Incomplete The walk towards the bottom of the tunnel took longer than expected. And not because we were slacking or slowed down by Goldie, quite the opposite. He was the fastest of us, walking stiffly and on a couple of occasions almost bumped into me. It was strange, so I asked what¡¯s wrong with her, but her answer was as weird as always. And more importantly, worrying. -Body lacks compatibility. Issues with access detected. Entity ¡°Caleb Moi¡± attempts seizing control. -Wait what¡­? He¡¯s awake? - For asked, turning towards him. -Yeah, I am as surprised as you are. -It¡¯d be bad if he suddenly took over her¡­ Damn it. Always something. -You took that right out of my mouth. -Can¡¯t we somehow¡­ contain it? - asked Kon. - I mean¡­ I am not sure how she actually works¡­ or that whole situation with two of them¡­ -I can¡¯t blame you¡­ I mean, you did have someone inside your head for a moment¡­ and you were with me for a while too¡­ -Is that similar? -Yeah, I think it¡¯s essentially the same. -Wait¡­ does that mean that you risked that much for me?! - she suddenly yelped. -Risked? Like what? -Like¡­ It was possible for me to take over your own body¡­? When¡­ Wait, did that mean that she also was able to do that?! -Ah. Yeah, that¡¯s right. Although about the risk, you were in a much more dire situation than us - I pointed out. - To take over you need a lot of mana and of course to know how. While you are pretty gifted, I must say, I feel like you wouldn¡¯t even think of that, right? -I¡­ Well, yes, but¡­ -You should be more scared about one of them taking over - said For. - Speaking of, does that include our current¡­ contact¡­? As¡­ you can take over me? I had to think about this one for a moment. I never thought about that one, nor really tried something like this. Sure, Kon and I managed to connect before, but not to the point they were worried about. But, since that was a possibility, who said that the more advanced version was not¡­? Hell, even with For, she was now part of this ¡°network¡± of ours, same as Goldie. Or maybe just ILMA. -That is a resounding ¡°maybe¡± - I said. - Although don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t try anything without considering your consent. -Mhm¡­ For definitely did not sound convinced, but I think Kon actually believed me. Was it because he was able to read my mind or not that I am not sure. -Wait, consent¡­ Does that mean that we somehow can prevent Goldie from taking over? - she asked after a while. -Is that how that works? You need an ¡°acceptance¡± from someone? - asked Kon. -Where did you get that from? I mean, sure, it has some merit¡­ But no. -So we can¡¯t do anything? He¡¯s just going to pop out some time on another? - asked For, concerned. -I didn¡¯t say that. It¡¯s¡­ well, your ¡°acceptance¡± as you described it, has some power. It¡¯s more an issue of willpower. -Same with anything that involves direct contact with another''s mind - I explained. - Or any attack, really. If you don¡¯t feel like resisting, it¡¯s always easier for someone to force themselves on you. For shuddered. -That¡¯s¡­ -I know, I know - I sighed. - But in this case it¡¯s not the issue of strength, or issue at all. We are now comparing the mana capacity of the attacker and the defender. That¡¯s as simple as it gets. -So we are safe then? She has a lot larger mana capacity than him, right? -Yep. But we still have to give an order¡­ -She won¡¯t defend herself?! - yelped For. - Then do it quickly! Or¡­ -I know, I know. It¡¯s not that she won¡¯t but I am gonna, calm down. I turned to Goldie. -ILMA, do not let Caleb take over you and if you are to swap with someone, ask one of us first. -Understood. -See? That simple. Both of them calmed down a bit, trusting my words. Truth be told, I myself was worried more than them both. Sure, I knew what I was talking about, but after spending that much time here, I knew that magic here was not to be trifled with. And especially when the opponent was Axelrod. Or Mike rather. He was crafty. And if our assumptions were correct, he was also in this world for a lot longer than any of us, meaning he had a lot more experience to boot. Although, he was working through the most inconvenient person I could think of. That could prove problematic for both sides: who the hell knows what exactly was in that one¡¯s mind, if anything at all. We walked in silence for a good couple of minutes. -Is it me, or is this tunnel longer than last time¡­? - asked Kon, repeating my thoughts from before. -I didn¡¯t want to say that, but it does seem so¡­ I stopped mid-sentence, because we had just reached a fork. A familiar one, to boot. It was definitely the same one that I found underwater last time. -That makes no sense¡­ - I mumbled, after sharing the revelation with the rest of my party. -Wasn¡¯t there a staircase before¡­? Kon was as confused as I was. We even backtracked a bit to the point where the stairs were supposed to be, but we found nothing. Even deeper under, where I remembered using magic, or rather where Iloa used it for me, there was absolutely no sign of anything. The rock was sleek and straight, sure, but that was how most of this tunnel looked like. -I don¡¯t get this¡­ did Axelrod somehow manipulate the terrain or something? Is that possible? -I mean, I did it before, so why not. -But wouldn¡¯t it then leave some kind of a scar or something? Can¡¯t you see the mana or some lingering remains or something? -It should - I agree with her. - But not in this case. Not like I am surprised. -What, you¡¯re going to tell me that he¡¯s so mighty and powerful that he wouldn¡¯t even leave that kind of trace? - she asked, not sure if annoyed or terrified. -Nah. That one is simpler - I said, shaking my head. - This place was submerged almost completely, so everything has signs of mana all over the place. Just ask Kon. -Well, yes, I think it is brighter than usual¡­ - he muttered. -Definitely. You are walking fine even without any light spell - I pointed out. - Without the mana glare you¡¯d trip in a moment. -Oh¡­! Right¡­ But wait¡­Does that mean¡­ -Yeah, For. That means that you can see that, too. She blinked a few times, processing what she just heard, and started darting with her eyes all over the place. -Wait, does that mean that this glow¡­ it¡¯s not some light enchantment? That¡¯s just mana? -Yep. It does look similar, I give you that, but it¡¯s just residue. Somewhat similar like in Red Edge. And now, when I think about it - I added - were you able to see that back in there as well¡­? You didn¡¯t seem like you did. -I¡­ I actually didn¡¯t notice¡­ -I assume that¡¯s a no. -Is that really that easy to spot back there¡­? -Yeah. It¡¯s not that bad, but definitely visible. Hm. I guess that meant that she was starting to get more acclimated to her crystal. What about Kon though? Did that mean that he was slower in that regard? Or something did happen to him and he didn¡¯t notice¡­? Or didn¡¯t want to tell me? Nah, it couldn¡¯t be. I would¡¯ve noticed thanks to our link. But, just to be sure¡­ -Kon, since our friend here is apparently getting more used to her new abilities, how about you? Anything new to share? He thought about what to say for a moment. -No¡­ I am not sure¡­ I mean, when I made the portal it was easier to me than even before, and I didn¡¯t even feel the mana getting drained from me after that, but that¡¯s about it. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. -Hm. Well, if anything happens, tell us. -Of course. -More importantly though, what¡¯s up with this place? - asked For. - You are saying that it¡¯s not the residue from Axelrod¡¯s spell? -I am not saying that it is not, I am saying that I cannot distinguish it from the regular mana that is all over the place. For all I know it can all be his and I wouldn¡¯t be the wiser¡­ -Damn it. -So¡­ where should we go¡­? -Down - I replied, shrugging. - It¡¯s the only way, you know. -Well, yeah, but what about the rest of the place? Shouldn¡¯t we check that too? -No point, really. -Why?! It¡¯s possible that he was there and found something and just sealed the way! We have to check the whole place. -I said there is no point. Those corridors were already like this last time I was here. -So what, he couldn¡¯t manipulate them? You said it is possible that all of this is his residue. -Sure. And do you feel that residue deeper in the caves? - I asked. - Because I don''t. I feel only here and below, the rest is a lot less infused. Feel it yourself. You probably can do it now. She squinted at me and closed her eyes. I think she even tried following my advice, but was not able to do it. Well, I guess that¡¯s fair. She just only realized that she was able to feel mana like this, or rather see it. To make her try and scout further was asking a bit too much. -I don¡¯t¡­ -How about you, Kon? He didn¡¯t even have to close his eyes to focus. -Yeah, you¡¯re right. But that means that it is indeed his residue, right? If deeper, where the way is blocked, there is less mana in the air it means that no one''s been there for a while and it is only actual water residue down there¡­? -Hm¡­ -Let¡¯s focus! - For interrupted my train of thought. - In any case we need to go deeper. -Yeah. Sure - I mumbled, absentmindedly. -It was down there where you found the anchor to my place, right? Where was it exactly? -I already told you, in the cell. -And there was nothing there that would be interesting? Do you remember? -When we get there you can check for yourself. -I have never been here, though¡­? -So what? I only picked it up thanks to mana sensing. You can now do it too, right? So go ahead, try it. Better four sets of eyes than just one. Or maybe five rather than two¡­? She looked at me, confused at the last sentence, but I was not going to explain that, instead just walked forward. Down there nothing has changed much. Besides the fact that the place was no longer underwater, the room was still as empty as before, and the cell was still as charred as I remembered. While those details might have been interesting to the two of them, I was paying attention to any magic signatures I could detect. I was doing that already before we even walked downstairs, checking for the residue and all that, so I was pretty certain that nothing was there, at least nothing significant or magical, but that didn¡¯t mean that I didn¡¯t just miss something. Never mentioned that to them, though. -Anything? - I asked after a couple of minutes of searching. They just shook their heads. -Nothing magical. -Nope. But I did find something. Bones. -Bones? I quickly looked at what she was pointing towards. Sure enough, it was a bone. -A piece of ribcage¡­? - Kon said with a confused look. - What¡­ Is that¡­? -A piece from the person I found last time? - I finished for him. - Most likely¡­ it¡¯s not like I had a very sturdy container for the corpse¡­ - I mumbled. -Well¡­ -Right, I should probably take and burn it as well - I said, already feeling what he was about to ask. But, this time it was For who stepped in. -What?! No! We looked at her puzzled. -Why? -I feel like, whoever it was, would definitely appreciate that¡­ - said Kon. - Why not? -Are you both crazy!? -Excuse me? She just looked at us like we were dumb. Her being so clearly outraged definitely peaked up my interest. -And what the hell else do you expect me to do with this? Wait, you think we¡¯re going to show ourselves to Axelrod? Nah, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case. It¡¯s only Kon that gives him the flashes¡­ I think. -I guess¡­ -But you¡¯re right, better safe than sorry. I don¡¯t need to use spells to burn this small piece and scatter it outside, I can do it manually. It¡¯s going to be a bit more annoying, but I guess I can do it that way¡­ -What?! NO! Well, I mean, that might be possible, if you phrase it like that, but that¡¯s not what I meant! We can use those! -Use? And pray tell, how exactly do you want to use a corpse? Hell, not even, just a singular bone? -You really don¡¯t know? - she asked not even hiding that she was astounded. - Really? I thought you were supposed to know everything about magic! Especially life magic! -You¡¯re the one that keeps telling me that. And no, I do not know. ILMA, do you know what she was talking about? -Results inconclusive. -See? Even she has no idea. And you, Kon? Hell, why am I even asking, of course you don¡¯t! She looked genuinely puzzled. -Instead of looking at us like that, maybe explain then?! -Uh, right! -Right¡­ I probably shouldn¡¯t assume¡­ You did mention that portal magic is not something that you know a lot¡­ -I thought you said life magic? -Both! I mean¡­ She took a breath. -You¡­ you know how teleports work, right? That you use a magic signature to teleport to something that¡­ was soaked in mana¡­? -Sure, right. So what? -You can use a similar technique, but instead of the anchor you use a person¡­ mana of a person. -Mana of a person? And what, you want to use this little piece to teleport? What for? -Yeah¡­ I don¡¯t understand either - agreed Kon. - Even if that was to work, wouldn¡¯t that just teleport us¡­ Well, here? Since it¡¯s been soaking in this place¡¯s mana for however long? -No. Actually, it only works like that with¡­ eh, dead matter. -Isn¡¯t this ¡°dead matter¡± though? -I mean, it is now, but it used to not be. -Come on. Listen to yourself. You tell me my explanations are weird and you go and come out with something like this? -It¡¯s not that¡­ -And even if what I said would be true, it¡¯s just like Kon said. Wouldn¡¯t that just teleport us here? -No! It¡­ Eh¡­ Listen, I might have¡­ remembered something¡­ I raised my brow, intrigued, but not convinced. -Suddenly¡­? -Er¡­ yes¡­? If that didn¡¯t sound suspicious, I don¡¯t know what does. -And what you remembered was¡­? -It¡¯s about the portals and anchors¡­ about how to make them connect to people. -You need a piece of flesh from someone. You then can go to whenever a person in question is. -And you remembered it just now. -Okay, I knew all along! But I never expected for it to be relevant! - she puffed. - It¡¯s not like you can just get a piece of flesh and the person in question is still alive! -Yeah, good point. So why now think of this one?! That one is DEFINITELY dead. -Well¡­ It¡¯s not that simple¡­ Have you heard about the wild teleportations? -Yes, if no precise location is found that is relevant to the anchor you are using, you go to a random spot. What of it? -Well¡­ it works funky in case of this kind of magic. See, if someone is dead, like in this case, it doesn¡¯t get COMPLETELY random. It targets the closest one¡­ as in bloodline. I stopped, and thought for a moment. Besides the fact that she knew about it AT ALL, it was strange that she suddenly wanted to¡­ do what exactly? -Okay¡­ but what, you want to use this bone as an anchor¡­? So what, you think that their, I dunno, sister or brother, would be relevant right now to us? What the hell are you thinking¡­? -It¡¯s thanks to you. I thought what you said before: this whole place is covered with mana residue. But this one¡­ is the only thing that is somewhat different. -Wait, pause - I stopped here immediately. - Different? What do you mean? -Er¡­ that it is¡­? -Yes I heard that! But what do you mean? I only feel the same residue everywhere! What about you, Kon? He shook his head. -I don¡¯t know¡­ I can feel the residue as you said, but I can¡¯t really tell the difference¡­ I thought everything here was similar, though¡­ -You¡­ you can¡¯t see that? Both of us shook our heads in denial. -I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about. I agree, I am not the best at distinguishing different sources of mana, but¡­ -Wait, you said you could tell that the whole residue is the same. -Because it is. For me. I thought that my eyes were good enough to tell the difference. Apparently not. -So wait, doesn¡¯t that mean¡­ that your¡­ all our assumptions were based on your senses! And you are telling me that they are wrong? -Not exactly wrong, but I guess incomplete. -I can¡¯t believe it¡­! You¡­ I could see that she was speechless. I think for her it was the first time when she was actually superior to me in something. I mean, it was her who painted me as that great and powerful being, unable to make a mistake. -Instead of gawking at me like that, tell me. What do you see? Maybe instead of using someone¡¯s remains there¡¯s something else here, hm? Something interesting? - I asked her, but I already knew that was not the case. While I wasn¡¯t able to tell if there was something else here that would be from somewhere else, I was sure that nothing here was strong enough for it to even be an anchor in the first place. Hell, I was not even sure if that piece would work. That is unless the rules that bound using corpses were vastly different. -I¡­ I don¡¯t think so¡­ - she mumbled. She gave a good long walkaround along the whole place, but just shook her head. -No. Just this. -And how the hell do you even know that it¡¯s remotely useful? That it will get us somewhere? -Well¡­ I don¡¯t know, I am not sure¡­ But you said, last time you were here, there was nothing that was from a different place, right? Aside from some item on this corpse? -Well, if that is the same corpse, then right, you are correct. What of it? -You said that the item you used¡­ was a piercing, right? And that looked somewhat familiar to you? -So? -That means that whoever that was, had to be somehow connected to your old world. Meaning that there is a possibility that that¡¯s why Axelrod came here in the first place! -Didn¡¯t we think that it was because of the tablet? - asked Kon. - And he did shatter it, right? So¡­ -Well¡­ -You might be onto something - I said after a moment of thought. - Sure, that¡¯s¡­ interesting. And it makes some sense. Right. Some of it was definitely connected. Axelrod, for some reason, wants to go back. Let¡¯s say that the reasons are irrelevant for now. But how to get there? Her information about portals gave me some ideas. If indeed that person whose remains we now had in hand was from my old world, what would happen if someone would try to use the portal magic to open a way to someone related to them¡­? -That¡¯s¡­ Both of them were unsure what to think about this. -It¡¯s just the matter of one detail: if whoever is considered the ¡°closest¡± family, or however else would that spell consider the target, is still back there¡­? -And you think¡­ that¡¯s why he came here? -Well, it would make sense - nodded Kon. - Yelling about ¡°getting back¡± and all¡­ wanting to get back¡­ it would mean that whatever he found here was not enough for him to¡­ finish, I guess? 141. Beyond -Okay, let¡¯s summarize - started For. - Axelrod wants to go back to your old world. There is no real other way than just to use portal magic. To do that, he needs an anchor and a lot of mana. -He wants to use the mana from the edge to fuel the spell and while he has the access to the place close enough, he doesn''t have an anchor. -That''s until he learned that you found one - she pointed out. - He managed to get the information about your travels, be it from Goldie or Jacob¡­ or someone. And realized that you accidentally found someone that belonged to your old world. -Yep. And taking control over Goldie gave him an opening to get to Red Edge¡­ -...and somehow managed to take Jacob, along with the anchor. -Right. Meanwhile, to hide most of the traces, he also got the kids as well, along with everyone else, since they were unlucky enough to be right then and there¡­ -No witnesses¡­ hm, yeah, maybe. But he didn¡¯t plan on you being connected somehow and us sharing¡­. Well, everything. -I don¡¯t know who I am supposed to thank for that. Or blame for that matter. -In any case, he succeeded¡­? At least partially¡­ -It appears so. He definitely used a good chunk of mana to do¡­ something. And judging by his reaction it had to be at least a partial success¡­ -But we didn¡¯t see a portal¡­ or anything even similar¡­? -We did see the sky clear up though¡­ you think that could¡­ -You think that whole thing was a portal? - asked Kon. - But¡­ it just looked like some mana distortion¡­ or something, I don¡¯t know¡­ -And that¡¯s why we say he succeeded partially. He managed to confirm that indeed, it was possible to get back, but he needed¡­ something more. -But what¡¯s ¡°something more¡±, then? -I don¡¯t think it¡¯s ¡°something more¡±... it¡¯s just ¡°more of something¡±. -I think that the corpse¡­ or the part that he found¡­ was just not enough. I must admit, I wasn¡¯t really that thorough in¡­ giving them a burial¡­ - I said, pointing to the singular bone that we found. -If we think that it¡¯s indeed the same person¡­ -It has to be. -I mean, it was supposed to be some kind of prison¡­ who knows who else had died here¡­ -Well, I can¡¯t really check¡­ Iloa is the only person who¡¯d know for sure. Or at all, even. I can¡¯t distinguish the aura. -Hm. -Well, I am suddenly annoyed that I even tried giving them a burial in the first place¡­ - I sighed. -Mor! -What? If not for me, Axelrod would be already away and out of everyone¡¯s hair. -And what then?! Do you think that everything else would be fine if that happened? -Don¡¯t tell me that you suddenly care about his kingdom¡­ empire¡­ whatever he calls it¡­? -Kingdom, I think¡­ and no, that¡¯s not what I mean! I mean, look at the edge! If even some half-assed failed spell managed to change the falls this much, what the fully completed one would do!? -Come on, not that long ago you didn¡¯t even have a clue about the whole problem of that spell existing. So what? People would¡¯ve started falling off the edge suddenly? -No! I¡­ She took a deep breath. -I have been thinking about it¡­ and I think I am starting to understand why this spell is here in the first place. -I think¡­ that you might be correct about the whole ¡°teleporting barrier¡±. -Okay. So a safety for ships¡­? - asked Kon. -No. I mean, yes, that is actually a side effect of something on a much larger scale. Say, what do you think happens to the water that falls off the edge? -Well¡­ it disappears¡­? -Yeah. And what happens then? Where do we get the water back? How do we get it back? -You think¡­ that the spell also works on the mass of water¡­? That whatever falls off the edge is teleported back to the other one¡­? -I mean, it would explain the foggy edge and overall is a more convincing argument than ¡°water just gets conjured in the depths of the soil from water crystals¡±, don¡¯t you think¡­? -You do have a point¡­ -Honestly, up till now I didn¡¯t really stop to consider the idea of how the water equilibrium in your world works¡­ - I said truthfully. - And I would be lying if the idea of water from crystals would not be my first guess if the whole portal barrier matter was not presented on a silver platter to me¡­ -Come on, it¡¯s not¡­ -Say what you will, but your world is already so illogical and stupid to me that I started to just assume that the weirdest explanation is actually what is happening in reality - I said, not letting her finish. -But then¡­ the main question¡­ What happens if he succeeds¡­? Would the barrier work¡­? Or¡­ -I think the more important question is ¡°what happens when it fails?¡±. -Just imagine¡­ the whole water of this world¡­ draining into a void¡­ I mean, because that¡¯s what¡¯s there¡­ right? -I¡­ holy¡­ -I think so¡­ - replied For, face completely white. - To be honest, I never really thought about that¡­ the edge and what¡¯s beyond¡­ -I think we better not have to figure it out¡­ - said Kon, also pale. - That is terrifying¡­ -You don¡¯t say¡­ Hm, and you don¡¯t really know what¡¯s¡­ out there? -I did wonder about that for a while - admitted For - but after reading all the books I had access to back when I was young and even now¡­ there was never mention about it, besides it being ¡°infinite void¡±. -What about your world though? - asked Kon. - Was that there¡­? -I guess ¡°infinite void¡± is one description¡­ While not completely empty, it was pretty barren. Still, it was large enough for us not to be able to discover much of it, so¡­ -Wait, discover?! You traveled through there!? -Me? No! Although there were some attempts at that, I was never very interested in that. I had more than enough to worry about closer to home. -But it was possible! - said Kon, clearly overwhelmed. - How¡­ I can¡¯t imagine what that would take! -What kinds of spells did you even create there¡­ that¡¯s beyond me¡­ - mumbled For. -Spells? Ha. No, that all was during the age where magic was¡­ let¡¯s say less than prominent. The exploration of space was purely technological. -ILMA is capable of something like that?! I was about to clear their misunderstanding of technology and what she was once again, but was beaten to it by ILMA herself. -Negative. Execution unavailable: lack of needed details and materials. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. -Well, that¡¯s a very lax explanation, but yeah - I agreed. - Just like before, if there is hardly a way here to use a piece that Mois got, creating something like that would be impossible. But why are you asking¡­? -I mean¡­ I was curious¡­ - mumbled Kon. -Me too - agreed For - but besides that, I thought¡­ since out there there is that void you speak of¡­ I thought about traversing it somehow¡­ If it is going to overtake us. If he succeeds, that is. -Space exploration? - I couldn¡¯t help but laugh. - You? Here? Come on, that¡¯s, even for you, a bit much. -You said that¡¯s possible! -And I never said that it is not, but it¡¯s pointless. I said it is a void. And to find something that would be even remotely helpful, or even habitable¡­ the chances are so miniscule that you can¡¯t even imagine! -But that is possible! And you said that you were using technology to travel there, right? So what if you used magic? You said it yourself, magic here is similar to your world. Can¡¯t you think of something? -That is straight up impossible. -Why? -Simple. When I said empty space, I meant it. It means that there is no mana out there. And no mana equals no magic, as you are keenly aware. -Okay, but what if you¡¯ve taken something that stores mana with you? Like you with your Origin Crystal! You said that it has a lot of capacity. -Sure. But not infinite. Sooner or later I would¡¯ve ran out. And then what? -I¡­ -Yeah. Exactly. Nothing. Death. Here, on the ground where we have mana flowing under our feet and around us I might be powerful. But out there, I would be stranded. That is pointless. -I guess the idea of escaping this place to find something besides this dried up plate is out of the picture¡­ - sighed For. -I feel like you¡¯re grasping at straws with that one. Besides, this world is still fine as it is - I pointed out. - We just have to make sure it stays that way. -Easier said than done. Even though we followed Axelrod here, we found nothing that would¡¯ve helped us. No new info. Sure, we found out a little bit about his goals, or at least that¡¯s what we hope, but now what? -I guess we have to go back. It¡¯s not like we are stuck here. You have anchors with you, right? -Yeah, sure, but what then? Where do we go next? If we are to ¡°make sure it stays that way¡± we have to somehow stop Axelrod. Or at least change his mind. -What about that bone though¡­? -Let¡¯s think about that later. We can take it with us and then decide. -True. We are going to accomplish nothing by staying on this rock. Let¡¯s get out of here. -Sure. But where? - asked Kon. - I mean, I can teleport us wherever, I think we got plenty of anchors, right? -Right - nodded For. - I took the whole stock. -Definitely better to have those on you than letting Axelrod barge in and take that for himself. -I feel like he doesn''t really care¡­ since the whole war thing. -Good point - For agreed. - What¡¯s going on there? There¡¯s been no new flashes, has there? She was right. The connection we were sharing was pretty quiet lately. -Does that mean¡­ he won¡­? -I doubt it - I shook my head. - I just assume that the skirmishes for today have ended. Or just that Axelrod has left the front and is resting. -Well, I guess even he is not some infinite mana creature¡­ -But he¡¯s close¡­ - I mumbled. -Anyway, let¡¯s leave. Let¡¯s go back to my place and decide where to go from there. I think being in Red Edge is the safest place¡­ -I¡¯d rather not go back there. -Why? It¡¯s the safest we¡­ -Yeah, yeah, safest. But I am unable to cast anything there. While that might not be a problem for you, at least I hope so, I¡¯d rather not be useless dead weight¡­ -Didn¡¯t you say that you would still be able to use magic even in there¡­? -I mean¡­ it¡¯s debatable if I would call it ¡°magic¡± even¡­ It¡¯s just rudimentary mana manipulation¡­ -Still better than nothing. -But not better than being able to do both - I pointed out. - Why won¡¯t we just teleport from here? I mean, Kon would even have to use a bit less mana. -Not like either of you is lacking in that department. -True¡­ -But even if we were to portal out from here¡­ where would we go? - Kon asked the question that was on the mind of all of us. -Well¡­ we have to get somewhat closer to Axelrod¡­ or at least to the capital¡­ he¡¯s there, right? -It appeared so - I nodded. - At least somewhere in the vicinity. All of us shared that vision, right? -I mean yeah, but¡­ the location¡­ She went silent for a second. -I think it was somewhere to the¡­ north, I think¡­? I gave her a curious look. -You were able to tell that much? -And you didn¡¯t? -Well, actually, no. I was only able to tell that it was in the vicinity of the capital. And honestly I was not really aiming to go for Axelrod. She looked at me, wide-eyed. -Then who? Weren¡¯t we supposed to chase him? Or at least tail him a bit? -Sure. But wouldn¡¯t it be smarter if we were to first maybe gather some information before trying to approach him? -And how do you propose we do that? -Remember, he was looking for someone not so long ago. And I felt like we probably should finally pick up on that thread. -Looking for¡­ You mean his wife? Or, well¡­ -Yeah, Melle - I nodded. -Her¡­ Hm¡­ - she went silent, thinking. - I mean, if you are sure¡­ but how would we do that in the first place? If Axelrod had a hard time finding her, how would WE have a better chance at finding her? -Because you have me. She rolled her eyes. -Yes, we do. And what was that supposed to mean? -Do I need to remind you that I still have a contract with more than just you? She did not look convinced. -And you think that you can just track her like this? I mean¡­ I know that it¡¯s possible using the blood-bounds¡­ but is that bind still in effect? -I mean, yours is¡­ - I said, and focused on For. Even without much of a concentration I was able to immediately summon the familiar piece of paper. And of course set her on fire in the process. She yelped. -AH! Fuck! Warn me beforehand! -I did - I said, immediately dismissing the paper. - And I see it works with no issue. -That it does¡­ - she mumbled, trying to compose herself after a sudden shock. -Strange¡­ did any of you feel something? - asked out of the blue Kon after For finished her complaining. -Feel what? I immediately extended my senses to check our surroundings, but didn¡¯t feel a thing. The caves were still as empty as before, that is if we do not include the residual mana that was still present. -You found someone?! Where? For was spooked a bit with that ominous question. -No, no, I didn¡¯t mean it like that¡­ It¡¯s just¡­ every time any of us used magic, we had those¡­ visions, flashes¡­ you know? But¡­ -Now there was none - I finished, understanding what he was talking about. -Damn, you¡¯re right¡­. what¡­ does that mean that that connection is broken¡­? -There is an easy way to check that¡­ - I mumbled and started walking towards the edge of the room. -What are you¡­ I was not going to explain, instead just focused my eyes on the darkest corner of the room, and spoke a spell. -Usc fi geksu. A familiar orb appeared right next to me, lighting up the place. I was now able to see the corner of the room, albeit barely. That was good enough. And¡­ Nothing. -I think that answers that question. -Why are you¡­Think for a second! What if you showed him our location? -I showed him a piece of wall then - I corrected her. - You think that he is able to figure out our location using THAT? I mean, he is smart, but not THAT smart. It¡¯s impossible. -I mean¡­ -Don¡¯t worry. I quickly was about to realize that I was absolutely wrong about that. -Hm. Well, whatever. I guess, good on us. We can at least safely track her then, right? -It would appear so. But, speaking of, did you, in that frenzy of packing, maybe manage to take a map with you? -Don¡¯t worry, I did. She started digging through her belongings. -I didn¡¯t really expect to be tracking someone using that kind of magic so it¡¯s not really that precise, but¡­ She pulled out a rather large rolled up piece of paper. -It¡¯ll be good enough - I said, taking a look. It was just as she said. It was just a world map, and I am pretty sure it was the same one I¡¯ve already seen before. -Just¡­ try and don¡¯t destroy it. -I can control my magic, thank you very much. I placed the map on the slab in the middle of the room. Kon quickly wiped it beforehand so we wouldn¡¯t have a damp piece of paper instead of a map though. Even though the water was gone from the caves, the surroundings were still as wet as you¡¯d think they would be. -Okay¡­ let¡¯s see¡­ I focused my attention and mana on the stain I had after my deal with Melle. It was a bit harder than the one with For, probably because I haven¡¯t used it in a while, and also because she was definitely not right next to me. The flame appeared immediately. And it was in the place¡­ that didn¡¯t make much sense to us¡­ 142. Distractions -Capital¡­? For was just as surprised as I was. -What¡­? But¡­ wasn¡¯t she supposed to be kidnapped from there¡­? - asked Kon. -I thought so too - I nodded. -Does that mean that he found her¡­? -¡­ -I think last time I checked she was¡­ somewhere near Kalkano¡­ - I said, trying to remember exactly. - I am not sure though¡­ -Yeah, weren¡¯t you in the party that was supposed to be looking for her¡­? -Yep. We know how that turned out, though. -Are we sure that was not just some elaborate plan to¡­ get rid of you? - asked Kon. - I mean¡­ -You think he¡¯d fall that low¡­? After all, she is supposed to be his wife¡­ to just ditch her like that¡­ -I mean, who said he ditched her? - I asked. - There are multiple ways for him to just use that for his own purposes¡­ -Like what? -Easiest one? It¡¯s just that he thought that I was going to lead him to her and then he would get rid of me. -But you didn¡¯t find her. -Not to my knowledge. But, if she is indeed in the capital, it¡¯s possible that meanwhile he organized another group that went ahead of us and found her for us. As he learned that the task was done, he started the second phase and¡­ -And collapsed the cave. -More or less - I agreed. -I feel¡­ like that¡¯s too elaborate - said Kon, not convinced. - I mean¡­ why would he even do that if he had you literally on a silver platter¡­ -Elaborate? - I chuckled. - Ha. That was on the low side of ¡°complicated¡± I¡¯d say. -Really? -Sort of. But honestly, I was thinking that that whole kidnapping might have been just an elaborate hoax. -What, that he staged EVERYTHING? Along with attack? -Okay, let¡¯s not get crazy. Of course, that is a possibility, but I honestly don¡¯t see him cooperating with elves¡­ -Yeah, I can agree with that - nodded For. - They have¡­ some disagreements to say the least. -Sure¡­ But that doesn¡¯t mean he could just stage the kidnapping and use the attack as casus belli. -A what? Kon was clearly not up-to-date on terms of warfare. -A way to justify an act of war - explained For quickly. - And that makes a lot more sense than him cooperating with elves. -Right. Use your enemy. -Would fit a smart man like him - she nodded. -But that leaves us with a question¡­ If all that was staged and Melle is safe, how are we going to make contact with her¡­? Even if we manage it somehow, how do you think we can convince her to work with us against her own husband? - asked Kon. -And who said we have to convince her? - pointed out For. - Mor still has a contract with her. Making her talk wouldn¡¯t be that hard, right? -While you are correct - I nodded - I don¡¯t intend on using that if I don¡¯t have to. I have to remind you that we are there to TALK, not fight. I want to clear up all that misunderstanding, hopefully without needing to toss spells at each other. -I know, but the more I think about it, the less possible that sounds¡­ I was not going to argue with that. -In any case, we have to first get there - I pointed out. - So far we¡¯ve been talking and talking and nothing came out of that. -Well, we did clear up some things¡­ -More like we started spitting more and more assumptions. We can¡¯t confirm any of those unless we get more information. -Yeah, yeah, I get you. To the capital then. -Yeah. -But first, where exactly should we land? Kon asked the question that I was wondering about for a while. -For, what anchors do you have with you? -Well, I do have all the major cities on the continent¡­ plus some minor¡­ -I was asking about those to the capital. -Well, those too. But those lead straight to the palace. And I think that is not the best idea in current circumstances¡­ -Yeah, no shit. Anything else? -Closest one is Kalkano¡­ - she replied and pulled out the books that contained all of the anchors. -Really? That¡¯s annoying¡­ -I can check, but I am not sure¡­ I think maybe something has¡­ And she started going through the pages, checking every single one of them. -Kalkano is not good enough? - asked Kon. -Well, it would work for our needs, but I¡¯d rather skip the travel time. Sooner or later we would have had to move to find Melle. -And she is in the capital? Not somewhere around? -I know, the map is not that precise - said For from behind the book - but it¡¯s not that bad, come on. -Yeah, the flame was right there - I agreed. - At worst it is somewhere in one kilometer radius, so¡­ -Okay¡­ -And besides that - I added - I do have some¡­ memories with that town. I¡¯d rather not revive them. -R¡­right¡­ the zombies¡­ -Come on, they were not that bad¡­ Besides, aren¡¯t they gone? - asked For. -Yeah, but I was more worried about something else¡­ Well, nevermind that, I can handle it. -We might not have to - said For. - I found something. -Another anchor? -Yeah, but this one¡­ Is a gamble¡­ It¡¯s not a regular anchor¡­ I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s going to work¡­ -¡±Not a regular anchor¡±? What¡¯s that supposed to mean? -I can¡¯t really¡­ -¡±You can¡¯t¡±? - I interrupted her. - Aren¡¯t you supposed to be the keeper of that? -Yes, but¡­ -And all the anchors weren¡¯t supposed to be used without your precise knowledge? And same with creation? -Exactly. That¡¯s why I am worried. -Why would you even consider using it? How do you even know where exactly it points to? -Because I can tell, okay? You already said that you can¡¯t see those differences, but I can! True. I was pretty oblivious to the differences in mana of different anchors, and so far she was able to tell that without a mistake. -And you know that this leads us somewhere near? -Yeah. If I was to say, it would lead us somewhere between Kalkano and the capital. -You can tell that much?! - Kon was clearly impressed. So was I, to be honest. But instead of admitting that, I asked a more important question. -What if someone planted it? To lure us¡­ wherever else. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. -It¡¯s not! Just let me explain! -See, this anchor doesn¡¯t exist¡­ -You what? -...YET. -What, you want to make one? You CAN make one? Don¡¯t you need an item from that place? -Precisely. And I have a whole book of those. It¡¯s like this¡­ portals use mana from the anchors to¡­ ¡°hook¡± onto a place of interest, right¡­? So¡­ what if we used two of those at once¡­? -That¡¯s possible?! It was Kon. Him being that surprised was not a good indicator. After all, he was supposed to be knowledgeable on that subject -Yeah. I used it already¡­ I mean, Jacob did - she precised. - It might have been my idea, but¡­ -I feel like that¡¯s not as easy as you make it sound. -It is. But that¡¯s not the problem. The problem is, that the spell is then so imprecise that it would essentially be like we¡¯ve used a broken portal. -As in a random teleport? It doesn¡¯t sound too bad¡­ -What about precision? - I asked. - How far is ¡°random¡±? I heard that those can differ quite a lot. -That is true¡­ But it shouldn¡¯t be that bad. From the limited experience I had, the margin of error is the distance between the two anchors. -That is too good to be true - I pointed out. - That is exactly what we would want right now. Why didn¡¯t you say so sooner? It would¡¯ve been useful before. -What do you mean ¡°useful¡±?! - she said, stunned. - Do you enjoy being stranded in a forest? Do I need to remind you how dense and deserted the lands on the continent are!? We¡¯d have no idea where we were, nor where we would be supposed to go! -Well¡­ -I mean, finding a direction wouldn¡¯t be that hard¡­ Even without knowing where we are, we could just use Melle as our direction, right? - asked Kon. -That¡¯s one way to do it - I nodded. -That¡¯s¡­ actually a good point¡­ - agreed For. - But there is still the problem of distance¡­ and¡­ -Oh come on, it¡¯s not that bad! If you¡¯re saying that it¡¯s at maximum the distance between Kalkano and Arbo, then even with a group of normal people we¡¯d be more than fine! -¡±Normal people¡±? She squinted at me. -Am I not normal for you? -No you are not. And I don¡¯t mean you¡¯re an elf¡­ or at least something elf-ish. I mean all of us. None of us are normal. -Somewhat, but what does that change?! She was still not happy with my comment. -It changes that we are able to travel further and easier without preparation. All of us can run exclusively on mana if we have to! - I explained. - Plus, in the worst scenario, we could always just teleport out without an issue. You have more anchors, right? -Well¡­ I suppose you are right¡­ Wait. What does that mean that we all ¡°run exclusively on mana¡±?! -Exactly what you think - I shrugged. - I thought you realized that by now. Since you have an Origin Crystal, or at least piece of it with you, you shouldn¡¯t have the need for food any more. Nor water, as a matter of fact. -I¡­ we can¡¯t eat!? She seemed more worried about that fact. -I never said ¡°can¡¯t¡±. Just don¡¯t have to. You¡¯re not like me yet. -¡±Yet¡±? -I know what you mean, but I don¡¯t have an explanation. So far nothing has changed, but I still think that sooner or later the crystal will take over. Or at least be a larger part of you. -That means¡­ we¡¯re going to be able to drain mana just like you¡­? -Kon can already do that, somewhat at least - I nodded. - So yes, it would seem that way. She went silent, thinking. I could tell she was concerned. I am not sure if that was about the fact that she was part crystal remnant now, or maybe just because I told her that sooner or later she¡¯s going to be only able to eat ash. Honestly, it could be both. -Okay. Let¡¯s try then - she finally said. - Let¡¯s go with that. -I mean, I am up for it, but Kon, are you sure you can do something like that? - I asked, not convinced by her earlier explanation. -I¡­ I suppose so¡­ - he replied weakly. - I never tried something like that though. But¡­ if you say that it¡¯s possible. -It definitely is. -Hm¡­ ILMA, what can you say about that method? - I asked. -Searching¡­ Both of them jumped. Was that just me or did they forget about her already, even though she was standing right there with us? -Results inconclusive. Local database does not contain enough information about portal magic. -Of course¡­ - I sighed. -Never has any answer when we need it, huh¡­? - mumbled For. -Not her fault. Most of her knowledge is not here - I shrugged. - Anyway, how are you even supposed to do that? If we are to try you need to explain that to Kon. And I would be lying if I am not curious about this method, too. -I thought you don¡¯t know how to make portals? How would you even use that then? -I mean, I have to start learning from somewhere - I shrugged. - And better sooner than later. I said that, but I was already past that point. Since I¡¯ve landed here, I have used portals multiple times already. And every single time, maybe besides the first ones, I¡¯ve tried paying attention to the way that the incantations were formed and how the mana was used. I was hoping that that way I¡¯d be able to learn how to make a portal myself, so I wouldn¡¯t have to rely on someone else. It¡¯s not like Kon wouldn¡¯t listen to me or something, but after him being knocked out last time, I¡¯d better have some contingency plan. It¡¯s not like that would be immensely hard either. I already have seen how portals look from either side, or at least the mana signatures of a portal, so trying to replicate that shouldn¡¯t be that hard. -Well, I don¡¯t know what to say to you¡­ - she started. - It¡¯s going to be weird. I never did that myself, since I can¡¯t use portal magic, but I can explain that from the outsider perspective¡­ -Right¡­ it was Jacob who did that¡­ -Yes. But don¡¯t worry - she added immediately - I was the one who figured out the method, so if he was able to do that, so why wouldn¡¯t you. -I suppose¡­ -Of course we¡¯re going to help you - I nodded. -Don¡¯t know how much you can help not knowing how to use portals¡­ -May I remind you that you just said that you can¡¯t use them either? And yet here you are, explaining how he should portal us? -Fair¡­ Well, okay. Her explanation was as brief and as simple as you¡¯d expect. According to For, he was supposed to use both of the anchors at once, and to accomplish that he¡¯d have to divide his attention into two mirrored spells. It didn¡¯t sound very complicated. Even the two spells at once was something I¡¯ve done before. -Can you do something like this¡­? -I am unsure¡­ doesn¡¯t sound too bad¡­ But two spells at once is not something I ever tried¡­ -Shouldn¡¯t be so bad. It¡¯s the exact same incantation but you have to be focused on a different object. -I get that, but that still doesn¡¯t make it easier. How can I split attention into two? It¡¯s like looking to the left and to the right at the same time! -You can just go cross-eyed. But jokes aside - I added immediately - I think one of us can help if you don¡¯t feel like experimenting yourself. -No, it won¡¯t work! - protested For. - Mana has to come from the same person, or we¡¯ll just get two portals. -I never said I was going to cast a spell for him¡­ I just can help directing the mana for him. -How¡­? -See, I¡¯ve done something like this already. Maybe not with portals, but still. That time that was me and Iloa, but I don¡¯t see why I can¡¯t do something similar with you. -You mean a combined spell? Like back when you appeared in Red Edge, when Odar and Jacob attacked you? -Something similar. -Nope. Not going to work. As I said, you need the same source, not just combine two spells from different people. If that was the case, there would be no problem and that method would¡¯ve been used a lot more widely by now. -And what, Jacob is so talented that he was able to pull that off? You think then we can¡¯t? -I never said that! - she protested. - I know that you two are powerful¡­ -So let us try it! -You want to risk even more?! -Risk what, wasting an anchor? Come on, if it won¡¯t work then it¡¯s going to be as you said, we¡¯re left with two portals. -And one dead Kon! - she yelled. The awkward silence was deafening. -You are worried about that? - I finally said, stunned. -And you aren¡¯t?! - she asked in disbelief. - Do you have any idea how much mana portal uses?! He already used it once today, and now you want to make him open two at the same time?! That¡¯s enough of an effort, and to combine those is draining, too! Do you want to kill him!? -Let¡¯s not¡­ But I wasn¡¯t able to even finish my sentence. -When Jacob used it, and he was completely fresh back then, he collapsed on the spot! I had to spend a whole month trying to resuscitate him, and Eise had to even use some of our old artifacts just to save his life! I was speechless. For her to be worried so much about Kon¡­ I mean, sure, it was some experimental magic, don¡¯t get me wrong, but she was clearly underestimating the power of the Origin Crystal. And Kon knew it as well. -Excuse me¡­ - he finally said softly. - I am touched that you are worried about me, but he is absolutely right. I have more than enough mana, and I can¡¯t see myself running out. Even if I was open ten of those in a row. He smiled. -I know that the Crystal and its power is relatively new for you, but he is going to be fine. I would be more worried about wasting anchors. -Oh, I don¡¯t care - she waved me off. - I have more. But that is reckless! And pointless! Are you both sure about that? It¡¯s not like we HAVE to teleport like that. We can just use the Kalkano as the target and be done with it! -And we will. That is if this experiment fails - I assured her. - You just said that you have some spares. -And make Kon open even more?! -As he said. He still is full on mana - I shrugged. - And if that helps calm your nerves, I can still let him borrow mine for the spell. Right Kon? I¡¯ll just gather mana for you like I showed you, remember? He gazed at me for a second, thinking. -I think¡­ I can manage that - he agreed. - But what about that help you said? -For says that you have to focus on two places, right? So I am just going to be assisting with the targeting. But first, I am going to gather mana at one singular point and we¡¯re just going to use it together. Since it will be the same source you¡¯ll just have to focus on the incantation, while I will be directing the mana flow to the anchors. Sounds simple enough, right? For, listening to my explanation was still unsure, but finally realized that there was no point in trying to stop us. -Eh¡­ do what you will. While your theory does indeed sound correct, I still have a bad feeling about this. -If you are worried, you can help too - I pointed out. - After all, you can see mana now, so you can tell us if something goes wrong. -And how would I even be able to tell? It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve seen a spell like this using this weird¡­ sight. -Fair point. Use your feeling then. -What? -You said that you have a bad feeling about this. If you''re going to have another ¡°bad feeling¡± when we are going to be casting, tell us. -... -What? -You know that doesn¡¯t work like that - she sighed. - But whatever. Go. Try it if you want. Can¡¯t go that bad, can it? -Here¡¯s to hoping¡­ With enough words exchanged, we finally made up our minds. For pulled out two pages from her book and gave it to Kon -Everyone ready? Both of them nodded, and so I began. 143. Second Gathering mana was a child¡¯s play in our current environment. Even though it was no longer underwater, the caves were still full of it and in a span of maybe ten seconds I managed to gather a considerable amount. -Good enough or should I go for more? -It¡¯s definitely enough for two regular portals and then some - agreed Kon. - I don¡¯t know about our needs. I took a glance at For, but she was not saying anything, mesmerized by the ball of mana that was now hovering in the middle of the room. -Just to be safe, I am going to gather a little bit more but you can continue at any time. -Okay. He took a deep breath and started concentrating. I could feel his mana starting to fluctuate and him attempting to gather along with me. Noticing that, I did just as we decided on beforehand and started pouring the magic towards the two anchors that we placed next to each other on the slab of rock in the middle of the room. -Nemgisny me qusfup em me itipdu loyp no fupet em wo. -Nemgisny me qusfup em me itipdu loyp no fupet em wo. I heard the incantation echoed, targeting two of the anchors at once. At first it looked like everything was going fine. The two streams of mana that we were pouring towards the anchors were merging together in one spot and right in the middle of the slab, a portal was starting to take form. It took the slab where we placed the anchors as a base, creating a magical hole right on top of it. Just as I thought that the spell was done and we succeeded, suddenly I noticed another source of mana, right next to the portal that was just about to form. And this one was also looking like a portal. My first thing was: ¡°Damn, so we did fail and make two¡±, but almost immediately realized that it was not it. If it was indeed the case, the portal would form at the same time right? And it would have to come from the mana we gathered? Or at least from one of us if the connection failed, right? But the second one was definitely appearing out of the blue, from mana that wasn¡¯t connected to either of us. And, strangely, it was also hovering mid-air. Whoever made it had to be pretty skilled in that technique. I had a bad feeling about this. I was not the only one that noticed this. For at first had a similar thought to me, because she just sighed in disappointment and was about to say something, but stopped and stared closer at the mana that was forming a second portal, just to pop up in our minds and speak directly to us. -Something¡¯s wrong. This doesn¡¯t belong to any of us! That mana is not from this cave! Kon, while definitely startled, didn¡¯t interrupt his spell. The portal didn¡¯t really need that much concentration to form, as much as just a stable source of mana to feed it. That, and he probably just was used to her talking in his head. -Someone¡¯s found us? -Kon, don¡¯t stop. We move as soon as the portal is formed. Both of them nodded, and I felt Kon direct even more of mana to the portal. Sadly, for naught. The second portal, while definitely the last one that started forming, it looked like was the one which would finish first. After not even a moment of debate and consideration, I shoved my fist right towards it, in an attempt to drain it and prevent it from opening, but I was already too late: my hand just slipped right through it and I was about to be pulled inside if I didn¡¯t catch myself in time. What I did feel though was something hard on the other side of it, that pushed me away and poked through. And someone stepped out. I couldn¡¯t even tell who exactly that was, because they were completely covered in clothes. They were wearing a white robe that covered them from head to toe, not leaving even a speck of skin uncovered. Same with the head: a full turban of white cloth tied up with a piece of rope that left only a small opening for eyes. Those on the other hand were covered with a thin veil that almost looked like silk. Their hands were covered with bandages and while they were unarmed, they definitely were not powerless; in terms of mana capacity they were on par with Jacob at least. And they were not alone. Just behind the first one another person popped out of the hovering hole. Same clothes, same everything. They were a little bit weaker in mana capacity, though, albeit not much. At first I thought that we were dealing with Axelrod¡¯s men, but the clothes make no sense: they looked like no one I¡¯ve seen before. Were they elves? Maybe, who knows, with the faces covered I wasn¡¯t able to tell. -Identify yourselves! - barked For, extending her hand with a decent amount of mana gathered. When did she even manage to prepare a spell? The person who appeared out of the portal did not pay attention to her, instead was focused on the portal that we were attempting to open. They said something to the one that emerged behind them and I felt they also started preparing a spell. I wanted to at least attempt to try and resolve this peacefully, so I stepped in between them and raised my hands. -Let¡¯s calm down! We are not here to fight anyone¡­ But, apparently they were. Just as I was finishing the sentence, both of them attacked. The first one, who was focused on the portal¡­ I want to say he cast a spell, but it was not it. It was closer to the way I was manipulating mana without using spells, like when I would during the time in the Red Edge and when the magic was suppressed. They gathered a rather large amount of mana in a split second and directed it towards the portal. Even though the mana was ¡°unaspected¡±, or pure, without trace of any spell in it, it formed a lightning. It definitely looked like an electric current, but the fact that it was not doubling in my eyes meant that it was only visible thanks to my enhanced vision. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. I honestly was unsure what they were expecting from that action. Normally, if you¡¯d hit something like this with pure mana, you¡¯d just empower it. Especially in this case, since Kon was still in the process of forming the portal: the stray mana would¡¯ve just got converted into the spell. Sure, it was from a different source, so maybe the portal would¡¯ve come out unstable, but it was not enough for the spell to fail completely¡­ Right? Well, apparently wrong. Because as soon as the sparks of lightning hit the portal-to-be, it immediately fizzled. The almost-formed portal turned into a cloud of vapor, the mana scattering all around the cave. At the same time, the second person that came out was casting a bit more conventional spell. I was able to recognize it almost immediately: it was just regular lightning this time. Blue sparks were arcing between their wrapped fingers and with one gesture they flew right at us. It hit me directly in the head. Of course, the damage was non-existent. Even with their wraps, I was sure that it startled both of them. Just looking at their mana, it was clear that they did not expect that kind of outcome. But that was not the end. At the same time as those two were launching their spells, the third person was coming out of the portal. The turban was already half-way out of the hovering opening when the spell that For was preparing fired right at them. It was a very familiar fireball. And what a fireball that was. I think For was not used to her new mana capacity, because the spell rivaled in magnitude the one that I was hit by in the Red Edge. And I don¡¯t mean hers, I mean the one that was a combined effort of Jacob and Odar. Destruction it brought was definitely comparable. Even though back then it combined two elements and was probably enhanced by the Red Edge itself, this one brought similar destruction even though it was just pure fire. She was lucky that I was standing nearby, because as soon as it flew in front of me, I felt its power and moved so I would shield both of them with my body. The explosion was deafening. It shook the cave so hard I was stunned that it did not collapse instantly, although it definitely singed the whole cavern. Even though I was able to absorb some of the magical fire and the floating mana that was in the air, it definitely used most of it as fuel to enhance the effect even more. Plus, the walls of the cave were slick from the infused water, and that also added to the magnitude of the explosion. Even with my resistance, I got tossed backwards and indeed right on them, barely not crushing either of them. I definitely did some damage though. I was just glad that I didn¡¯t hear any crunch indicating broken bones. Although I couldn¡¯t be sure if that was not just because I got deafened and concussed by the blast. On the other side of the blast the damage was comparable. The two people who came out of the portal were on the opposite wall, splattered and charred. Their clothes were mostly burned, revealing that both of them were wearing some kind of armor under their clothes. So that¡¯s what I hit before. Strangely though, the armor was completely black. Almost like it was charred from the spell. I noticed that the portal that they came through was also gone, along with the third person that was about to come through it. -Can we not¡­ I wanted to disarm the situation somehow, but for naught. From the side of the two invaders I felt another surge of mana. Even two in fact. First one was clearly another portal, this time it was not opening from the other side here, but instead it was being opened by one of the people on the floor. At the same time, the other one jumped in front of them and cast another spell. They raised their arms and from the ground rose a large wall of rock, separating us from them. For, who was already holding another fireball in her hand, hesitated and shot me a look, unsure if she should toss another one at them. Before I was able to answer her, our guests did it for me. Stony wall suddenly sprouted about ten spikes, at least full arms length and in the blink of an eye, shot towards us. -I see that peaceful conversation is impossible¡­Visu nysu! I mirrored their spell and raised a wall of my own. Out of all the spells I was not sure about my resistance to blunt trauma, so I decided to be safe and block it with something normal. -You can say that again! - I heard For reply. She immediately leaped towards the wall I created and hid behind it, pulling Kon with her. He was still a bit stunned after his failed spell. I didn¡¯t notice that at the time, but when his portal got dispersed, it seemed like he got hit with some kind of backlash. He was just standing there, shaking his head, like some confused dog. Good thing that I shielded them both times, because he would definitely be hit by both of those, being an easy target. -Who are those, any idea? - I asked, while the wall was still getting pelted by the spikes from their assault. -I have seen those clothes before, but never like this. Those are usually worn by the people from the Wildnorth. -Aren''t they supposed to be unaffiliated with Axelrod? -Apparently not any more! I am as stunned as you are. -That is a problem. -No shit. -No, I mean behind the wall. Focus. While talking I was paying attention to what was happening behind the cover on the other side of the cave. And it was nothing good. While being covered by the constant barrage of rocky spikes, the other person had already opened another portal and was just stepping through it. -They are¡­ running¡­? But that¡¯s good¡­ As she was saying that, from the portal emerged another mana signature. Followed by another one. -Reinforcements. As I pointed that out, to the barrage of spikes joined another spell. -Fire! Yeah, it was fire alright. Along with the rocky spikes now we were also being pleated with flaming arrows. The spell was somewhat similar to the one I remembered Jack using, although this time not with ice. It was definitely more powerful, though. To the point where I started feeling heat through the wall that I erected in front of us. -Annoying¡­ Visu nysu! I added another layer of protection to my spell, but that didn¡¯t help much. Sure, the heat was somewhat less problematic, but not for long. The spell they were pelting us with was potent enough to actually melt my rock. I was honestly surprised. Why would they boost the fire while also using the stone? Wouldn¡¯t that also melt their attack? And it did. But not in the way I was hoping. Instead the two spells were starting to combine together, and now instead of a barrage of two different spells, I was now under attack by a combination of two: red-hot spikes that looked almost like sharp teeth, were biting into my shield and creating a VERY uncomfortable temperature. And that¡¯s an understatement. -I assume you don¡¯t have any issues with me attacking back? - I asked. -You kidding? I think my first reaction was enough of an answer? -Better be safe than sorry. I don¡¯t want to break your treaties or some shit, I don¡¯t know! -Stop talking and do something! I can¡¯t exactly fight fire with fire. It is hot enough in here already! She was right. As we were shielding ourselves from the assault, the temperature in the whole cave was constantly rising. And if we add on top of that the overall dampness of the place, it was getting absolutely unbearable. Even for me. -If you are going to do something, do it sooner rather than later! -Right, right. I took a peek outside our shield and I realized that the situation was worse than I thought. The wall I made was actually melting. At least the first part of it. I knew that they were using a pretty powerful fire, but considering the amount of mana I didn¡¯t expect for it to be THAT effective. But I guess that was the power of their combined spell. Even though the damage was a pretty important detail to keep in mind, I instead was more interested in the other side of the cave and the actual physical part of the wall they made. Sure, I was able to tell, no problem, where they were at, but that didn¡¯t mean that I was able to precisely tell where the wall was ending. Something was off. The wall was strange, but I couldn¡¯t really tell why. From what I could see, they were actually pretty decently covered with the wall, although it was just as I thought it was: a wall and nothing else. There was nothing to shield them from the attacks from above. Good. 144. Residue I raised my hand from behind the wall and aimed towards the ceiling of the cave. -Lysce gymnu! A spark of lightning shot right past all of the defenses, curving downwards, behind the enemy shield. I didn¡¯t intend to kill, so the zap was not that ominous-looking, although it still was flickering with a good amount of mana. To my absolute surprise though, it did not reach the target. As soon as I spoke the words, I realized that the third person that was behind the wall suddenly flinched and their mana replied in kind. I didn¡¯t hear the spell, neither did I see the effect, but as soon as the lightning reached the top of the wall, it fizzled into a cloud of mana. -That¡¯s concerning. -What was that?! It was Kon. He managed to finally snap out of the initial stun after his spell was countered. -Your spell just disappeared?! Ah, so he was able to tell, too. -Someone countered it. Doesn¡¯t matter. As I was saying that, I just repeated the spell. And like before, it disappeared. Again, like before, as it reached the wall, it turned into a harmless puff of mana. I am not sure, but I think they were even trying to prevent me from seeing how exactly they were countering. -Don¡¯t bother, I think they have shieldied themselves - said For and was about to toss a fireball in their direction, but I stopped her. -No fire! - I warned her. - You don¡¯t want to ignite this shit! -Ignite what?! - she yelled, annoyed. - Haven¡¯t you seen the amount of fire THEY are pelting us with? Like that matters?! -Yes, and have you noticed WHERE the fire appears?! She squinted, trying to focus on seeing through the wall, but for naught. -The fire only appears on our side of the cave! They don''t want to ignite the mana that is around them. So be careful. Can you toss anything else towards them? -I never used anything else other than fire¡­ -So just copy me! Same with you, Kon. -What¡­?! -You heard me. Lysce gymnu! I fired another lightning towards them. Got countered again. -See? Doesn¡¯t work! -And that doesn''t matter. Just do it! -I¡­ -Lysce gymnu! Kon did not need that much encouragement. His lightning was weaker than mine, although only if you looked carefully. If you were to just take a look and not compare amounts of mana, it would¡¯ve definitely scared you, because in his inefficiency, he wasted a lot of energy on also producing sound and a lot more¡­ ¡°effects¡±. If mine was more comparable to a light spark, his was a thunderbolt. I wasn¡¯t really planning on that, but it actually sort of worked. It actually reached one person behind the wall, because I noticed one of the people fall down, and, luckily or not, fall right back through the portal. -Nice aim - I said, not hiding my surprise. -Holy damn! Even For noticed the effect. It was actually not something I planned on. I expected that every single spell that would get even remotely close to that puff of mana would just dissipate like mine before, but it was not the case. It also made me flinch in worry that he¡¯s going to ignite the loose mana into a large fireball. While it would definitely be a very powerful attack, I was not so keen on trying to make the cave collapse on top of us thanks to some stray explosion. -It¡¯s working! -Damn, whatever, I can try¡­ Lysce gymnu! For, encouraged by his success, launched her own spell. Considering the fact that it was indeed the first time that she was using this kind of magic, the effect was quite decent. The lightning didn¡¯t have that much mana behind it as Kon¡¯s had, but it definitely was as loud and as bright as his. This time though, the spell was stopped. Just like with mine, it dissipated into a puff of mana as soon as it got behind the wall. -Fuck. -Nah, you succeeded too. Look. The barrier in front of us no longer was shooting fire towards us. The two people that I saw earlier that created that combined spell were now focusing on something else. I was not sure what that was, because although their mana was still active and I could tell that they were in a process of casting some kind of spell, I was not able to tell what kind. Hell, I was not even sure about the element they would attempt to use. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. -We have a chance, don¡¯t stop! - yelped Kon and launched another lightning towards them. For followed suit and so did I, shrugging. This time I put even less mana into the spell, and instead just paid attention to the other side of the wall, seeing how exactly they were dealing with it. As the triple lightning shot towards them, forking between each other, I noticed that everyone behind the wall suddenly focused their mana and¡­ shot it towards the lightning? From my perspective it was absolutely counter-intuitive. After all, what you normally see in that case would just be our spell draining the mana from them and magnifying its effect, but what happened was quite the opposite. As the two ¡°streams¡± collided, both of them exploded, but not in destructive force of fire or lightning, instead just akin to a puff of smoke, they dissipated into the air, spreading the remains around the whole cave. What caught my attention though was the collision point. I expected for it to be full of mana, probably the densest point in the whole room, since it was essentially the epicenter of our clashes. But instead, it was completely dark. A spot, hovering mid air, that was devoid of mana. They were using some kind of item to destroy the magic around them. It sort of reminded me of an aura I¡¯ve seen around Felix a long time ago, when he was still with his book and the ¡°artifact¡± hidden inside. Did they have something like this as well? But it couldn¡¯t be the case, could it? First off, they wouldn¡¯t be able to take something like this with them through the portal. At least I thought so. And since they were also pouring mana towards it, it made no sense¡­ I tossed another lightning at them, just to make sure. Yep, the reaction was just as last time. Although I managed to notice another small thing. Just as the lightning was about to hit the dark spot, it first hit something else. And at the same time, I noticed that the mana of the people behind changed a little bit. It was just for a split second of the impact, but it did. Just to dissipate into a puff of smoke once more. -I think I am starting to understand what¡¯s going on¡­ - I mumbled. -Then get on with it and do something! -Calm down. They stopped their attack, it¡¯s not like we are in some kind of danger or anything like¡­ I spoke too soon. In the middle of my sentence, I noticed that someone else had emerged from the portal that was still up and running all that time. And this person meant business. Not even waiting to emerge completely, a spell darted across the room towards us, a familiar one too boot: it was a lightning orb. And not just a regular, small, orb like I usually made, no. It was larger than our whole barrier, meaning that if I wasn¡¯t going to stop it, it would definitely reach us even hidden behind. -Fuckin¡¯... Jomva sypna! Reflexively, I essentially recreated the spell I was looking at, but made it as powerful as I could, or at least as much as I felt safe in current circumstances. Even then, it was a little bit too much. The orb I created was smaller than the one flying right at me, but it was as powerful as it, if not more. The clash was the loudest thing I¡¯ve heard in a while. Back behind me I noticed Kon and For had to even cover their ears just to not be deafened. I didn¡¯t have that luxury available to me though, because even though the spells clashed, neither of them seemed like it wanted to overpower another. I even added a bit of mana to give mine a push, but it only made the noise worse. On the other side, I could tell that they were struggling. Three of them were focused on fueling the spell so it wouldn¡¯t get overpowered, while the fourth one, that by now was fully out from the portal, was focusing on something else. Judging by the mana signature and my inability to read the spell, I assumed that it had to be something similar to the trick they were doing before, that they used to disrupt our spells. And I was right, although the way they went about it was sort of strange. After a few seconds of this tug-of-war, they seemed like they gave up. Suddenly, the mana that was constantly being poured into their ball lightning got cut off, and in a split of a second my lightning overpowered it and flew right towards the wall. I hesitated for a second: I never intended to make the spell powerful enough to actually do much damage, yet during our struggle I had to empower it quite a bit, so I was no longer sure if it would not just kill someone, instead of just shocking for a while, like I intended. Before I made up my mind though, someone jumped in front of the spell and stopped it. It was the fourth person, the same one that was preparing something. They were dressed exactly as the others I¡¯ve seen before, but this one felt like their mana was weaker, which was doubly strange, since they deliberately jumped out of their hiding. They had a good reason, though. In their hand there was something akin to a staff, with a rather flat, large box on one end. It somewhat looked like they were holding a large traffic sign, although completely black and blank. And thicker. Whatever that was, it was the source of the blank spot of the mana I noticed before. But this time, the blank spot was covered in thicker mana, surrounding it like a strange ring. I honestly was not sure what I was looking at, but my doubts were cleared as soon as the person holding it started swatting at the barreling spell with that strange ¡°staff¡±. As soon as the lightning reached the object, it immediately got dispelled, turning into a cloud of mana. It didn¡¯t even take three swipes to completely nullify the whole ball lightning and fill half of the cave with mana residue. They were not wasting time. As soon as the spell was gone, the trio jumped out from behind the rock and, all at once, flung their spells at me. They launched three different spells. I assume they wanted to make sure that I won¡¯t be able to deflect them with a mirrored one, since they used different elements. First one used lightning, just like before. They launched something akin to the lightning I used, but this time it was in the shape of a spear: it appeared in their hand, about as long as they were tall, and tossed it right at me. Second one used fire. That one was more classic, just a regular fireball. Maybe not as large as the lightning, but definitely as powerful. The third one used something new. From their palms, suddenly a growth sprouted: a long, green vine, covered in thorns shot towards my legs, in an attempt to trip me. Interesting magic, albeit fruitless. I thought of just trying to defend myself with some kind of spell, but decided against it. After all, none of those would harm me. None of the people in front of me looked like they were attempting to use light magic, so I should be fine. And on top of that, I was banking on the fact that seeing as their attacks were pointless, they would be more willing to talk. Hell, in hindsight it was a bad idea: it would probably only intimidate them, but nevertheless it was too late. I raised my hand and grabbed the fireball flying right at me mid-air, making sure that it wouldn¡¯t reach my remaining clothes. Or, well, rags at this point. At the same time I ignored both the plant and the lightning. With one squeeze, the fire dissipated, while the plants reached my legs, withering in a span of less than a second. I flinched when the lightning hit me. Their aim was on point: it struck me right in the middle of the chest, but it only made a lot of noise, nothing else. All the mana that they wasted quickly got absorbed by the Origin Crystal and that was it from their attack. Both of us stood there, looking at each other. Or at least it seemed like it, because the eyes of my adversaries were still hidden by the veil. -What now, hm? - I finally broke the silence that fell onto the cave after this exchange of loud spells. None of them spoke, frozen in place. They didn¡¯t even look at each other, focused only on me. -I am not your enemy. I am just a bystander I am afraid. No response. Not like that was going to demoralize me. -If Axelrod is the one you¡¯re looking for, I am afraid you¡¯ve missed him. As far as I am aware he left this island just before we arrived. On the mention of his name I finally noticed some recognition. While they didn¡¯t flinch nor speak, I could tell by their mana that they tensed up as I spoke his name. -I see that you also have something against him. I can assure you, I am no friend of his. As a matter of fact, he tried to kill me, so take that as you will. -And why should we trust a creature like you? 145. Standoff I finally made one of them speak up. It was the one holding the staff. By the voice I want to say that he was either an older man, or a very tired one. Most likely both. -I think the fact that all of us are still standing without as much of a singular casualty between both sides. I can tell that the one person who got hit is still well and good. Or at least they were before they disappeared in that portal of yours. Good job on keeping that open, by the way. As I mentioned that, one of them flinched. It was the one closest to the portal, still hidden behind the wall. I say still, but I am pretty sure that they have just emerged from it. Around the time when we were exchanging spells, I think. All the time they were hidden, so hearing that I was aware of the portal''s existence on the other side, they got promptly scared. -You say you are his enemy, but why are you here then? I find it hard to believe that you managed to accidentally bump into him. -We didn¡¯t. I tried to tail him, as you were I assume. Or did you appear here accidentally as well, hm? He did not answer at first. -What do you want from us? - I asked. - Or are you just here to harass random travelers? -That is not for you to know. And you are far from ¡°random travelers¡±. -Far point. So. What now? We are going to look at each other like this and stay in this stalemate forever, or until the guy that is keeping the portal open runs out of mana? -He won¡¯t. We have time. -If you won¡¯t believe his word, believe mine - spoke up For, emerging fully from behind the wall, yet still keeping behind me. - My name is For, and I am currently the ruling leader of Red Mages. As far as I am aware, both of us are on ground that belongs to neither of us. As soon as she appeared and introduced herself, the demeanor of the person in front of us changed. He was no longer as hostile as before, but still kept his reservations. -I am aware of your standing and of our current location. That does not change our stance on anything, although I am unsure how someone like you, of all people, appeared here. Isn¡¯t your group affiliated with Axelrod? -That we are not. If you know me, you also know that we are a mercenary group and we work for whoever deems worthy to pay us. Axelrod bought some of our people, that is a fact, but the group you see before you is still unemployed. -But that doesn¡¯t mean that it cannot be changed. So we would be prudent to eliminate you before you inevitably get hired by him. -That is not going to happen - she immediately said. - As my associate just announced, Axelrod has made an attempt on his life. And as his employer, I cannot in my right mind cooperate with someone that is a threat to health or, in this case, the lives of my people. That is why we are currently in the process of looking for him. To terminate our deals and warn him about the consequences that come with breaking contracts. She wasn¡¯t lying. She wasn¡¯t telling the complete truth either, but I think that story was believable enough for him to at least stop hostilities for a second. And I might have been even correct. -I do not care about your inner workings, but thank you for that piece of information. What about the third person? Is he also one of your employees? Kon stepped up behind me as well. -That he is. One of the newer acquisitions, as we are being thinned by our ¡°employer¡± Axelrod. As you are aware, most likely, he is dragging people to war without much of a second thought about their well-being. -Hm¡­ Just as Kon stepped out of the hiding, I noticed mana flicker a little bit around the head of the guy talking to us. I slowly moved in front of him, blocking his view, as I was expecting he was preparing some kind of spell, but nothing came our way. He noticed that, and immediately stopped. -I see your new employees are indeed a bunch of gifted people - he nodded. - No wonder we had some trouble in this fight. For which I apologize. -As long as both sides are fine, no harm done - I replied. - But I must ask again, what was this all about? I have a distinct feeling that we both are after the same quarry. -It looks for me that as well - nodded For. - It is rare to spot even a singular person that hails from the Wildnorth. And even rarer to see a handful of them spring out of the portal right in front of your face. I could tell he was considering how much he could say to us. His mana teetering at the brink of distrust mixed with hostility and hopeful opportunism. -That might be true, however that is not in my power to disclose to you. -I see¡­ The conversation was clearly going nowhere, but you couldn¡¯t say the same thing about the rest of the people. While we were talking, behind the wall the remaining people were moving constantly. As soon as I mentioned the portal the first time, all the remaining people immediately jumped back in, returning to wherever they came from, just to be replaced by one singular person. I am not sure if that was someone new or one of them just came back, but effectively we were left with only two of them. The portal never closed, so I could only surmise that in case of any further conflict reinforcements would pour out again. -While I don¡¯t mind standing here talking with you - I finally said - I think neither of us has the time. -Agreed. Although I am afraid I cannot let you leave just yet. See, even though you undoubtedly are not Axelrod, I still cannot let you free after assaulting some of my people. -First of all, it was you who attacked first - retorted For. - And what, you expected us to just roll over and die? -That was a preferable outcome, yes - he nodded - although after realizing who we are dealing with, I indeed changed my mind. Well, he was at least telling the truth. -How generous - scoffed at him For. - And speaking of assaults, don¡¯t you think you are forgetting something? -I am not sure what¡­ -You destroyed our portal. I think it would be common courtesy to at least refund our wasted resources. -Ah. Well, I am sorry that happened, but as you are aware, the same thing happened to us. -And yet the portal is still standing. -Of course. Because we have remade it on the spot. -Good on you. We don¡¯t have resources for that, sadly, so we are still on a loss here. -Your lack of resources is not a problem of mine. He was right. I don¡¯t know what she was playing, but we still had everything we wanted and needed to move forward. Sure, we wouldn¡¯t be able to reach the spot we wanted to, but Kalkano was not the worst of the places to land. Yet, she was still adamant about that. -It¡¯s going to be. Because it¡¯s either you are going to give us some anchors to leave this place, or we are going to have to stay here for now and wait until someone collects us. Collects us? I am sure that there was no one capable that would come for us remaining. Everyone was missing¡­ One look was enough to tell that she was bluffing. I was unsure why she would even gamble like that, but hey, that¡¯s her decision. Despite those people being a pretty unknown factor in this, I still felt confident enough that in between the three of us we had enough ability to get out, even if it came to blows. Again. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. I was now paying special attention to the guy¡¯s mana. Was he talented enough to actually notice the bluff? Besides the three of us and Axelrod, I''ve yet to see a person who had a similar ability to mine. No wonder, after all it seemed to originate from the Origin Crystal, meaning whoever would have something like this would be immediately a person of interest to me. And Axelrod. But that didn¡¯t mean that someone wouldn¡¯t be able to tell a lie by other means. -I see¡­ - he muttered. - Hmm¡­ Well, I would be happy to provide you the access to a city of your choosing, but sadly, we don¡¯t have anchors either. -What about that open portal, though? - I asked, pointing towards the wall. - You clearly have some. -Ah, well, of course, but just let me finish. We have anchors but only to our base of operations. That is clearly not even close to your destination, I am afraid - he replied, not even missing a beat. -And how can you be so sure? -Because you are not from Wildnorth, like you call our homeland. Or, are you trying to tell me that you aim to visit our land, hmm? Is that where your ¡°leads¡± point towards? For some reason, as he mentioned Wildnorth, he started feeling more hostile. Stange. I also could¡¯ve sworn that someone had poked out of the portal, just to go back, ushered by the one guarding it. -Well, that depends - shrugged For. - As you are aware, we are tailing Axelrod. Since both of our groups evidently missed him, I assumed you had means of following him, but I guess I was wrong. Suit yourselves then, we are going to just wait. -Ah, well, too bad. We don¡¯t have visitors after, or at all, really. It would¡¯ve been quite refreshing to see someone from outside of our circle to actually go with us¡­ He said that, while his mana was screaming the exact opposite. It was so clear, I could tell that even For and Kon were able to tell that something was wrong about his ¡°invitation¡±. -Alas, no. Well, it happens. We¡¯re going to just wait. When she mentioned staying, he immediately calmed down, albeit just for a second. Apparently realizing that our presence is going to¡­ Do what exactly? I mean, sure they were going to do something here, but would it really be that much of an issue if we were here to witness it? Seems like he thought so, because he sighed. -Well, do what you will. But I¡¯d request for you to keep out of my way. -Of course. He gestured towards the portal and the person still standing guard near it disappeared inside. One gesture more, and the wall he built disappeared. -I am going to remove yours if you don¡¯t mind¡­? For a second I was confused on what he was talking about, but my brain soon started working again. -Ah, right. Wall. Yeah, sure, go ahead, just let me move¡­ The three of us walked towards the edge of the room. I wanted to move towards the exit, but a slight nudge from For directed me the opposite way, towards the portal. I was not sure what she was planning, but I just went with it, and looked expectantly at the guy. He¡­ was having some problems. I stared at him, gesturing towards the wall, attempting to dispel it just like he did with his, but for some reason it was not working. Instinctively, I looked closer at mana around him to try and figure out what the hell he was trying to do, but I really was not sure. Right, he was gathering mana and directing it towards the stone, but it was only bouncing off of it. It was clear that he was getting frustrated, because every single attempt was accompanied with more and more¡­ elaborate gesture, to the point where it started looking like he was just flailing his arms. It honestly reminded me of Goldie and his attempts at ¡°spells¡±, but clearly the person in front of me was a bit more experienced, so it was not it. And, well, actually using mana. -Ehm¡­ Any problems? He finally noticed the three of us staring and immediately stopped. -No. I¡­ Just I guess your mana is more annoying than it should. That¡¯s all. -My mana? He shrugged, not explaining. -I don¡¯t know what my mana has to do with anything - I said, not budging. He looked at me, condescendingly. -I thought you employed people smarter than that. I guess I was mistaken. One look was enough for me to feel For getting angry right next to me, but her response was surprisingly calm. -That is my issue and mine alone. -Pff. Of course. I knew that you were scraping at the bottom of a barrel, but for someone to not understand basic mana concepts that is a new low for me. I could tell that she was about to tell him off, but I was first. -I am sorry that my abilities are not up to your standards. But if you could kindly elaborate and enlighten me, I would be thankful. See, I want to be as useful as I can get, but it¡¯s apparently not enough. -Clearly. He considered something for a moment, but replied. -What I was saying is that your mana is hard to get out - he started. - See, any mage that is at least worth something is able to control their mana. With this¡­ - he pointed to the wall - I can clearly tell that you are not. -Well, my control over mana was good enough to duplicate your spell¡­ -Duplicate?- he laughed. - Ha. Not in a million years. As you see, my spell dissipated without even a trace, and yours left a permanent scarring on the mana of this place. And you call yourself a mage? Shame. The whole explanation made me unsure if I was hearing things. Was he thinking¡­ that what he was looking at was mana? That I, instead of controlling a piece of rock, just made¡­ what exactly? I honestly was not sure I even understood him. -You even wasted mana on making this thing look like the cave¡¯s walls. -So did you¡­? - I said, trying to mask confusion, but failing poorly. -I did. But only to mask my shield. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn¡¯t. But you didn¡¯t have to. It was clear that you¡¯d shield yourself from our eyes, but to layer that much mana on top of it. Bah. Waste. -Really¡­? Are you¡­ that dumb? That definitely caught the attention of everyone in the cave. He looked at me, half-offended, half-angry. -How charming. And I thought¡­ -You think that I made some kind of shield¡­? Now anger turned into condescending again. -And now he doesn¡¯t even know what he made. Pff. Amateur through and through. -You¡¯re right about that one. But you¡¯re the amateur. Without a thought I touched the wall I made. -Visu nuwo loim elwu. The stone that I raised liquidated in a blink of an eye, just like ice that got suddenly heated, and splashed on the ground into a small puddle. -WHAT IN THE HELL¡­!? Yeah, that was not something he expected to say the least. For some reason, he thought that I didn¡¯t make a wall out of the stone. Instead, he assumed that I created some kind of barrier out of pure mana, and made it look like a stone wall. Why? Well, you got me, I have absolutely no idea. Besides the fact that just melding stone was infinitely easier, especially when I was surrounded by rocks, it would be a massive waste of mana and effort. To make something like this was straight up pointless. The ¡°residue¡± that I thought was mostly my spells shattering on their barrier, was just actually the barrier itself. Strange way to do things, but hey, it was effective and it fooled me so, why not, right? And they were pretty smart in using it, too. The ¡°smoke cloud¡± that was spreading while we were fighting was their attempt at reaching my own barrier. If I was using something similar to them, if both of them collided it would definitely start another tug of war, and I bet they were thinking that they would be able to win then. Since they had an easy source of getting reinforcements via the portal. But of course it was pointless, since even if they were to reach it they would¡¯ve just hit a literal wall. Besides that there was also the fact of my body being Origin Crystal. If the ¡°residue¡± would have reached me it would just disappear harmlessly, completely nullifying their progress. Or¡­ Well, about that one I was not sure. After all, they were using some kind of artifact to create that barrier. Before, I thought that it was just some, as they were calling here ¡°void artifact¡±, a.k.a. a piece of tech, to disrupt my spells, but the longer I was thinking about it and, since he got a bit closer to me, I was able to pick up on some more details. Sure, it looked somewhat similar to the void created by the lack of mana and overall incompatibility of magic and technology, but it was not exactly it. What concerned and interested me was the fact that, up close, I was able to tell that the void was not completely empty. It was bizarre¡­ It was like I was looking at sparkling water hovering mid-air, where the bubbles were just sparks of mana filling inside of the ¡°staff¡± he was holding. From afar, they were so small and I honestly just thought that it was a trick of the light, or a reflection of any other mana source that was in the cave. In the center of it there was definitely something creating a manaless spot, though. There was no arguing with that. About the fact how? Well, without disassembling the ¡°weapon¡±, I wouldn¡¯t be able to tell. -I told you. You¡¯re an amateur. That was just a plain old rock - I said, slightly annoyed, both by his magic and attitude. And maybe a bit by my inability to understand the weapon. -Rock?! Don¡¯t be stupid! It withstood a barrage of elements, how would the piece of rock¡­ -Well, this rock is not really a normal one¡­ - butted in For. - This place is strange. Probably why Axelrod came here. For someone that is chasing him, you know surprisingly little about that¡­ -LITTLE? My family has been chasing this murderer for a millennium ! How do you even¡­ -Millennium? 146. Away He stopped, realizing that he said something he didn¡¯t mean to. I am not sure if that''s what she intended, but it gave some results. -I am sorry, I lost my composure for a second there - he immediately corrected himself. -I am sure¡­ but I am more interested in the fact that he is some ¡°murderer¡± as you said. - I nodded. - Care to elaborate? -... -Well, he is prone to spreading misinformation - agreed For. - He apparently was telling their men that my friend here was killed by him, so maybe what you heard is also not the full truth¡­ -Not the full truth? - he scoffed at us. - Ha. Our organization is not so easily¡­ Hm. Again, he was about to say too much but corrected himself. -I mean, I am sure of my sources. But on the other hand, I have not heard about any recent killings of his¡­ Are you sure that YOU are not the one that is being fooled? -Nah. I think your information is a bit old, my good sir. -I am sure¡­ He definitely was not. -But, on the contrary, I have heard about many deaths of people surrounding him though. People that were his allies. Wouldn¡¯t that mean that it includes¡­ you¡­? His expression did not shift. His mana was also calm, so the question seemed a bit strange. -I told you, he tried to kill me. -So? It¡¯s not like it would be the first time he tried removing some¡­ dead weight from his circle. I rolled my eyes, knowing very well that he was just trying to antagonize me. For some reason though I couldn¡¯t feel any hostility in him. -Eh¡­ think of me what you will, sure, I don¡¯t care. But I am not going to defend him if that¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about. -Pf. Hardly. It¡¯s not like you would stand a chance against any of us. Even the weakest of us would have no trouble dealing with that primitive magic of yours. I wasn¡¯t so sure about that, but that also made me question: what exactly were they using? It was clearly no magic I was familiar with, and considering my experience, it was a feat by itself. I guess this world still had some surprises. But calling me dead weight¡­ Let¡¯s be real, the only dead weight was Goldie, and even he had now ILMA behind the wheel, so he had more.. Wait a second. -Er¡­ where¡¯s Goldie? The two of my companions flinched, also remembering that there was indeed someone missing. -He was with us just a minute ago¡­ - muttered Kon, gazing around. -Was he¡­? I thought¡­ Wasn¡¯t he walking in front of us¡­? -I thought he was behind you guys¡­? To be frank, I couldn¡¯t tell when was the last time I saw him. I was sure that he walked with us down the tunnel¡­ Yes, that I was certain of. He even bumped into me a few times on the way. I was preoccupied with looking for Axelrod and the overall residue in this place, so I was not keeping track of people surrounding me, that¡¯s true, but¡­ wouldn¡¯t I notice him disappearing? Did he wander off¡­? I quickly scanned the caves once more. Just like before, I only noticed the residue that I felt last time. Plus, the people in the cave of course, along with the portal and the cloud of mana hanging in the air after our fight. It already dissipated quite a bit though, especially around the three of us. Probably thanks to me absorbing it with the Origin Crystal. -I can¡¯t sense him¡­ -Me neither¡­! -What happened?! -What the hell are you doing?! The guy that was just ¡°interrogating¡± us was now taken aback and definitely more than a bit suspicious. -One of us is missing - said simply For. - But he was just there¡­? How¡¯s that even possible¡­ -I thought you were paying attention¡­ -Me? Aren¡¯t you the one with the best awareness of us all? She was right¡­ -I have no idea what the hell are you talking about, but I am sure that there were only three of you from the start - said the wrapped guy. -Any idea where he might have gotten away? -It¡¯s not like this place is large enough to be lost in¡­ It¡¯s essentially one corridor¡­ -And the few sealed ones - I nodded. - But you¡¯re right, at least one of us would notice¡­ or at least be able to find him now. The guy was speechless. He was clearly not used to being ignored. Especially by the group that just a moment ago was fighting against. For him it was probably the weirdest sensation: to be considered as a non-threat in that kind of situation. So he just waved at us, annoyed and got to dealing with his own business. Of course I didn¡¯t let him get away from my sight, following him at a safe distance, to not completely irritate him. But who can blame him? He didn¡¯t know me. And I knew a lot about him. At least about his state of mind, that is. And I did share that with my companions, also reminding them that we were able to communicate in a different way. -He¡¯s clearly bewildered. But harmless by now. If something changes I can take care of him. -Are you sure? Last time your magic didn¡¯t work¡­ neither did ours, to be honest, but¡­ -Yeah, but this time I have him in melee range. -What, you want to punch him? -Well, it would definitely be more effective. -I meant to drain him¡­ But sure, your idea works too. -Any ideas why are they here though? -Besides what he said? No. Maybe they really have something against Axelrod. -Sure, but to appear here along with us out of the blue¡­.? Kind of strange¡­ -So did we. -But we had those visions¡­ -What, you think that they did as well? -That would explain why they are here NOW. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. -Eh¡­ annoying. -What about Goldie, though? Where is he? -You got me. Fucker just disappeared. -You mean literally? -Well, if he was able to use portal magic¡­ -You think he teleported away? Is one of your anchors missing? -I didn¡¯t check. I can¡¯t really do that with him in our face. -Right¡­ -What do we do now? -Wait? Like we have much of a choice. -I mean, we can also fight¡­ -And antagonize yet another group against us? No thanks. -Does it even matter? -Yeah, good question. Do you actually care about them? Or, well, rather your reputation amongst them? -It¡¯s not that easy¡­ I don¡¯t know where they came from exactly so it¡¯s hard to tell¡­ -Right, they did not really name themselves¡­ -And not like it would¡¯ve helped me much. They aren¡¯t really some uniform group¡­ -That¡¯s actually a fair point¡­ I don¡¯t know much about those people¡­ I mean, from Wildnorth, or however you called that place? -You heard the most I knew. -I don¡¯t know much either. -I¡¯ve heard that they aren¡¯t really organized in any way¡­ as in a country or something. There are just some loose groups¡­ I think. Their lands are not exactly helpful in that regard¡­ -Right¡­ aren¡¯t they from the desert or something? I mean, even looking at their clothes¡­ -Yeah, Wildnorth is mostly sand plus some small villages here and there. Mostly uninhabited. -Hm. -Speaking of. What is he doing? While we were having a wordless discussion, the guy was walking around the cave, looking into every single nook and cranny. I don¡¯t know what he was looking for, some sign of Axelrod or something? He did hang on the stone ¡°furniture¡± briefly, but promptly moved along. The cell also caught his attention, and he spent a solid moment there. -I was wondering, why were you trying to antagonize them so much? -I was not! -Like that¡¯s true. -I just was trying to get something out of him! After all, he wasted our effort to create the portal! -Sure¡­ But you do have a spare anchor¡­? -Of course. But only to the capital. Kalkano is all but burned out. -Shit. -What about that other one¡­ -Other one¡­? -The¡­ bone. -Oh! Right! I think I had it somewhere¡­ She gazed around, trying to find it, but quickly realized that it was nowhere to be seen. -Did he take it?! -He has not found shit so far¡­ And he never left my sight, so I doubt that¡­ -Not him! Goldie! That gave me a jolt. -Is he even capable of that?! -I am as surprised as you, but do you have any other explanation for him disappearing into thin air?! -Not really¡­ but out of all, people GOLDIE? That idiot thought he exploded a monster with his brain while yelling nonsense on top of his lungs in the middle of the forest. Same one that wanted to cast a spell at me wiggling his fingers? The same one? Kon couldn¡¯t help himself but to chuckle while I mentioned that. -Something funny? The wrapped guy was clearly not amused by the silence only interrupted by a random laughter. -Sorry¡­ I didn¡¯t mean¡­ -What are you doing, anyway? - I asked. - It¡¯s not like there¡¯s anything here¡­ -And how would you know anything about this place, huh?! -I mean, I was here before, and nothing has changed besides the tablet up top¡­ -You¡¯ve been here?! -I mean¡­ accidentally, but yeah. -HOW?! -Er¡­ portal mishap¡­? He was clearly not buying my explanation. While it was not exactly the complete truth, it was not far from it as well, so I just acted offended. -Pf. It''s not my problem that you don¡¯t believe me. -I am to believe that from all of the places in the world, a portal ¡°mishap¡± managed to land you in some cave, who-knows-where? -Well, it landed me up above¡­ -Above?! Where are we?! -And you don¡¯t know? - For asked, curious. - How did YOU land in this place then, hm¡­? -Not your problem. But where are we?! -Answer her question first, then I might consider answering yours. He was not amused by this proposition. For a second he was considering pros and cons, it seemed like it, but finally spoke up. -We¡¯ve been tracking Axelrod. You know that. We¡¯ve been monitoring his mana for a while, and detected multiple sources of it here. -And teleported here without an anchor? -We had an anchor. Same one as the one he used to transfer here. Or at least that¡¯s what we thought. -And I assume you aren¡¯t going to tell us what that anchor was, am I right? -Why would I? I couldn¡¯t help but to let out an annoyed groan. -Of course¡­ -But I¡¯ll give you that, it is unusual. I still don¡¯t understand why we¡¯ve mistaken your mana with his¡­ -Ours? -Okay, I told you enough. Now you tell me, where are we? -Well, to be honest, we are not sure as well - I started. He clearly didn¡¯t like that, but I continued nonetheless. -But, we are near the edge, on a rocky island. And a small one at that. -That¡¯s it¡­? -We can go back up and you can see for yourself if you don¡¯t believe me. But you probably want to do that nonetheless. -Because¡­? -Because there is an interesting piece of rock that you might want to inspect. That might or might not have been tempered with lately by Axelrod. -A piece of rock? Are you fucking with me right now? -Now, let¡¯s not be rude. He shot me an annoyed look. -Hey, I told you what you wanted. So what, you¡¯re going to ignore that or what? Besides what he was trying to show with his behavior, I could tell that he was curious and maybe a little bit worried. I am not sure why, though. Was he thinking that we were trying to ambush him or something¡­? Hell if I know. It seemed like he wouldn¡¯t even bother checking and leave us alone without a word, because he went towards the portal. -What are you¡­ And disappeared inside. -Did¡­ did he just leave? - asked For with clear disbelief in her voice. -I think so? I also couldn¡¯t believe my eyes. Still, the portal did not disappear. -Should¡­ we follow him or something¡­? - asked Kon. -We would end up in the center of their¡­ village? Encampment? Or something. There¡¯s no point. We need to move elsewhere anyways. -I mean¡­ Before he finished the sentence the guy came back. This time, he was armed with not only his ¡°staff¡±, but also had a rather large-looking belt with different¡­ I want to say tools, but I honestly couldn¡¯t tell you what purpose any of them would serve because of their strange ¡°design¡±.. Besides a small knife, but that¡¯s hardly a tool. From his belt was hanging a small hammer that instead of a handle had some glass, or maybe crystal, connected to it. A magnifying glass, but then instead of a glass it had straight up a piece of wood. Something that looked like a rubik''s cube but instead it was a ball. Plus, he had three small black leather sacks tied together. All of those were hanging from his belt using some kind of string that was too thin to my taste, looking like it was about to snap any second. As he walked out of the portal, this time it closed behind him. At the same time, the ¡°hammer-crystal¡± also flashed with light for a second and went dim again. -What? - he asked, seeing our dumbfounded faces. - Come on, lead the way, I don¡¯t have all day. -Since when are we your guides, hm? -Since never. I am not going to pay you, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking for. -What in the fucking¡­ -Indulge him. Lead him upstairs - I said directly to For. -And you what, you¡¯re staying behind? - asked Kon. -No. I want to keep an eye on him, I am just going to follow behind him. -You noticed something suspicious? -Well¡­ not exactly? I mean, besides the tools he brought¡­ -Eh¡­ fine - sighed For, faking annoyance. - Follow me. Come on, Kon. Kon nodded. The wrapped guy briefly looked at me, seeing as I was not following her, but just shrugged and started walking. I quickly looked at the cave we were leaving behind one more time and followed suit. 147. Delusions -Have you seen something similar before? - I asked with my thoughts while we were climbing out of the cave in silence. -What? -His tools. Have you recognized any of them? -It looks like just some regular items that were¡­ modified? Besides the ball that is¡­ - I heard from Kon. -Yeah¡­ No, I¡¯ve never seen something like that before. -You neither? Damn. -Sadly, no. But I have a guess about the ¡°hammer¡±. -An anchor? Yeah, I figured that as well when it started shining after he closed the portal. -Right. But I¡¯ve never seen someone use a crystal as an anchor¡­ -Why not? -I mean, it¡¯s just a waste. Why not use some paper? Or wood? Or if you want to make it permanent just use some metal or something, I don¡¯t know. Even a piece of jewelry would be probably cheaper than to use some kind of magic crystal. -Speaking of anchors, what about ours? What happened to the¡­ ¡°emergency anchor¡±, so to speak? -Emergency¡­ the bone? -Yea. -I have it with me - replied Kon. - I took it with me, as you told me to. -Yeah, I told him that when we were fighting them back, or rather when you were - confirmed For. - Why are you asking? -Do you want to use it? -What?! No! Let¡¯s not be crazy. We still have enough anchors. I was just concerned¡­ It might be that he is looking for it right now. -Well, if we are correct, it is indeed connected to Axelrod, so no wonder he¡¯d be interested if that is their true goal. -It might be a good bargaining chip - I pointed out. - I don¡¯t know what for exactly though¡­ So far there¡¯s been nothing that I would consider interesting. -Yeah, that is strange - agreed For. - For that ¡°mysterious¡± group of people they are really¡­ how would I describe it¡­ -Bland? -Well, that¡¯s one way to describe them¡­ -I agree. Besides the way they dress and the strange tools he got, there¡¯s nothing interesting about them¡­ -And even then, I bet we can figure out what those things are ourselves. -What, you¡¯re thinking he¡¯ll use those while inspecting the slab? -Probably. That is if it¡¯s not just anchors that he has with him¡­ -You think so? I mean, one is an anchor, sure, but the rest¡­? -Two - suddenly pointed out Kon. - I think the looking-glass thing is also an anchor. Or the wood rather. -Wood¡­? She squinted, trying to see it better. So did I, but I was unable to tell anything useful about it. Sure, it had some magic in it, but it was just the same for any other item he had on him. Including the bags. What was interesting though, the handle I said was the anchor earlier was now glowing even more, but only to my enhanced sight, as in it was getting more and more infused. As if to confirm that one, I noticed that the overall mana residue that was constantly everywhere in the tunnel was a bit thinner near him. It was sort of like when someone would be walking through the smoke: he was punching a hole through the thick layer of residue, just for it to disappear shortly after. I took a few more glances at every single one of us, and it seemed like it was not just that he had this effect: all of us had a similar thing going on. Wait, that couldn¡¯t be right. Sure, with us, it was clear that I would be the one absorbing the most of the mana from the environment, but it was actually the opposite. I was the one leaving the least of the traces, while Kon and For had a similar one behind them, just like the wrapped guy. Again, my observations did not make any sense. Whatever. Kon noticed my concern and started following my gaze, just to frown as well as start muttering something inside his head. I kind of wanted to hear what he was thinking about, but without me actually focusing on him and trying to read his mind, I only was able to hear some buzz, just like a TV static, so I decided to leave him alone. If that was something interesting or important I bet he¡¯d tell me anyway. Meanwhile, we managed to reach the surface. At first, the guy was genuinely surprised that we were not lying. He quickly tried to hide it and calm himself down, but I could tell anyway. -So, you were telling the truth. -I mean, why wouldn¡¯t we? It¡¯s not like we own the place or hid something here¡­ -Hmph. What about that tablet, though? He pointed to the broken slab of rock that was hard to miss. -Check for yourself. -I intend to. I was asking if you were the ones who broke it. -Nah. I assume it was Axelrod. -So you don¡¯t know? -And why are you so interested? - I asked, trying to get something out of him, but I didn''t learn much. -You already know that we are following him. So why wouldn¡¯t I be interested in something that he clearly was messing with? -Well, more like something that he broke - pointed out For. - Maybe he¡¯s just got angry. Or a stray spell hit it, breaking it. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. -Yeah - I agreed. - If we were to repeat our encounter here, I am sure that something sticking out of the ground would be the first one to be used as cover and destroyed. -Not my problem, and definitely not yours. He turned his back on us and proceeded to inspect the rock. -Damn. -Yeah, I thought he might tell us at least something interesting. -He¡¯s annoying. -He¡¯s smart - I pointed out. - But I wonder what he¡¯s going to say about this tablet. -Can he read it even? - asked Kon. - It looks like he¡¯s just staring into space. -Well, it got broken pretty badly. -Yeah, even I had problems reading it - agreed For. - Without Mor¡¯s hint I doubt I would¡¯ve figured out anything. For a second it actually seemed like she was right. The guy was carefully going through the whole ruined tablet and inspecting it one by one, just to start and attempt to put it back together, like some large puzzle. It definitely looked like he was going to be at it for a while, so I just was staring at him with a blank expression. -Well, when he¡¯s busy with that, let¡¯s discuss where we are going next - I thought to my companions. -There¡¯s nothing to talk about. It¡¯s a simple decision. It¡¯s either Kalkano or Arbo. -Yeah, okay, but where exactly? I don¡¯t really want to appear in the middle of the palace or something. -Fair. But no, we didn¡¯t have such deep access. I don¡¯t know for sure where we¡¯d appear, but it was Jacob¡¯s, so it¡¯s not that bad. -Fuck, that¡¯s not good. -Why?! -We have to assume the worst and that he leaked the information to Axelrod. And that would definitely include the location of the anchor. -Okay, but¡­ -It doesn¡¯t have to be that bad - chimed in Kon. - The anchor is not just some static place, so we shouldn¡¯t be easy to track. -Not a static place? You mean it¡¯s bound to some book? How do you even know that? - I asked. -The anchors are always pairs - he explained. - And I mean that literally. If the anchor that we have is the book, then on the other side it has to be written somewhere in a book as well. Or at least on something similar. -What about our earlier portals? Didn¡¯t we use a piece of jewelry and landed¡­ in the middle of nowhere? You¡¯re telling me that there was an identical piece somewhere and that¡¯s why we landed where we did? Why didn¡¯t we land next door when we used the ring to teleport? There was obviously a pair. -That¡¯s¡­ I¡­ Huh. He was obviously dumbfounded. And rightfully so. Why in the hell was he saying that now if back then he was saying something completely different? He clearly just realized that. -Why did I¡­ How did I know that it was going to get us somewhere else¡­? And how did I know about portals that much¡­? -You¡¯re not making sense - pointed out For. -She¡¯s right. Before you were so sure about it¡­? What changed your mind now? He stared at me in silence for a while. -I¡­ I can¡¯t understand. I mean¡­ I do, I remember the explanation, I remember what I said. But I don¡¯t know why. -You¡¯re not making it any easier on us¡­ -I know! But I have no idea! It¡¯s like I forgot¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ -Forgot? -Yes! Like, when I told you about portals back then it was¡­ just like I always knew that information¡­ But I don¡¯t know where from! That¡¯s the problem. As I remember now, all my information about portals and that magic came from¡­ I don¡¯t remember! What¡¯s going on¡­?! It¡¯s like part of me is missing¡­ That was not a good sign. I honestly started thinking that it was somehow my fault, that I had to mess up during his awakening or something. That the Origin Crystal was messing with his head, but I was not sure. Damn, if only Iloa was here to dispel my worries¡­ Wait. Il. -Kon. Do you still feel ILMA with you? -ILMA? Wasn¡¯t she with Goldie? And he is gone. -Yes, but just answer me. He closed his eyes for a moment. -No. I can¡¯t feel anything. -And Iloa? You said you felt her once before? How about that? Again he focused, but shook his head. -Also no. I sat down on the rocky ground and scratched my chin. -That is not a good sign. The wrapped guy noticed my sudden shift and briefly looked in our direction, just to go back to his puzzle a moment later. -Mor? What¡¯s going on? -I think¡­ that when the brothers left, they took a bit more than what we thought. -What, you think that Goldie was able to somehow steal his KNOWLEDGE? You kidding me? Kon looked at me, wide-eyed, starting to understand. -You think¡­ that knowledge was from miss ILMA? Or¡­ Iloa? -Yeah. One of them - I nodded. -But how did Goldie take it then!? Or Jacob? He can¡¯t just pull something out of someone¡¯s head, can he?! -Nah, just like you said, he¡¯s not that good at magic - I shook my head. - It¡¯s just, he¡¯s pretty good at running away. And apparently running away with ILMA was enough for the link that he had with her to be broken. The link that all of us had. -That¡¯s¡­ actually, that''s good news though! -Good? How? -That means that his head is clear! That his thoughts are his own again! -Well¡­ -If I understand correctly, it means that since he approached her for the first time, she had to latch onto him and who knows what else. -I told you, she can¡¯t harm¡­ -Yes. Harm. And do you consider sprinkling a bit of herself into him as harm? I bet you don¡¯t. -That¡¯s¡­ fuck. But no, she¡¯s¡­ -Harmless? Come on, stop living the illusion. I don¡¯t know what she was for you before this whole thing, but it has been clear to me that it¡¯s not the same. Can you stop lying to yourself? -I¡­ As much as I didn¡¯t want to, I had to agree with her. She was absolutely right. So far, every time I had to deal with ILMA, she always surprised me with something. And every time I somehow was able to force an explanation to myself, however improbable it was. -Eh¡­ you¡¯re right. That¡¯s getting unhealthy. -No shit. I swear, even if you say that she¡¯s just some ¡°technology¡± that I don¡¯t really understand, it honestly just looks to me like you¡¯re a very clingy ex. -Oh fuck you. But her explanation was not that far off from the mark¡­ -I am serious. -Okay, okay I get it. You are right. But please, don¡¯t assume things. Even hearing you tell me that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. -We are not speaking. -You know what I mean. -Wait, what does that mean? - asked Kon. - I mean¡­ you did say that she was not really a person, so what is she¡­? -I told you before, it¡¯s hard to explain in terms you¡¯d understand. -Just try. I am interested too - For was not hiding her curiosity. - Your reaction¡­ is not something I expected¡­ -And what did you expect? -That you¡¯re going to deny it and call me an idiot or something. -You really think so badly about me¡­? -... -Okay. I get it. I gazed towards the guy still playing with the tablet. He was almost done with putting together the pieces of the slab, still ignoring us. -I guess we have some time¡­ 148. Creation -You are not exactly wrong about calling her a person. As ILMA, I honestly think that she is that exactly. Maybe not a human being, but close enough. That¡¯s what we aimed for¡­ At least that time¡­ -That time? -I mentioned that we created her. It was our attempt at creating something akin to human life without using life magic. And it was not the first time. -I think she is, maybe the tenth attempt or something? I honestly stopped counting, there were failures. Some were barely working. Some were better than others. -I am honestly a bit scared to ask¡­ but what was wrong about failures¡­? -Ah, it was not that bad. Mostly they were not sentient. -Not¡­ sentient¡­? -Yeah, some were just crude imitations at creating something akin to an interactive discussion partner. You just shove as many questions and answers into one bag and see how that works. The answer is: not well enough. -I can¡¯t see the point¡­ -It was only to secure the finances. I honestly was not very happy with that method either, but you do what you have to do. See, without any proof of concept, we¡¯d gotten nowhere. But, it was just a prototype, right? It only had to convince some investors that something like this was possible, doesn¡¯t matter that it was just essentially a scam. -Wait¡­ and you managed to make something that convincing¡­? I can¡¯t see how that would be easy¡­ -It took a bit of time, sure, but it did work. I didn¡¯t feel happy about it, but I was not going to be stopped by just ¡°feeling bad about it¡±. -Damn. -I know. But whatever, we managed to secure the fundings. And so, we started. Of course, the first thing was starting the investigations about life magic. After all, that was the shortest way, right? Of course we had to be ¡°legal¡±, so instead of trying to use it ourselves, we just used some poor people that already tried using that. It was easy, as soon as the incantations about life magic¡­ ¡°leaked to the public by some unknown third party¡±, we had plenty of subjects to study. -Okay, I can see why you liked this world that much¡­ If you managed to pull that out there, and as I understand correctly you were infinitely more advanced than us, here you¡¯d indeed feel like some godlike being. -I never said I did that. But yes, you are right¡­ This place really feels good. Better than home in most regards. -Anyway¡­ - I picked up after a moment of silence. - Questionable morality aside, we realized that it was a good idea that we decided on that. As you know, life magic is hazardous to use. If we were to just go ahead with experiments, soon we wouldn¡¯t have anyone on the team. And I don¡¯t mean them leaving. So instead, we focused on trying more technological attempts. Before, there were some projects, some working more than others, but none had managed to use magic in their designs. So we attempted to combine the best of both. -I thought that both your technology and magic were exclusive¡­? How did you explain that¡­ -That one cancels out another - joined in Kon. - I think you said that even here you found proof that it works like that. Was it different in your old world¡­? -Nope. Same as here. -So what gives¡­? -I never said we wanted to combine them both directly¡­ At first I mean. We just were learning from failures of life magic. With abominations created, we were getting clearer and clearer picture of what was possible and what not. Trying to remake what people with life magic managed to accomplish, bit instead using as little magic as possible. -Weren¡¯t you supposed to be called something or other about ¡°magic institute¡±? Funny that you tried avoiding it¡­ -Oh, the name was old, before we even tried to get the funds. It was our old group name that we used since school. -You called yourself ¡°an institute¡± at school? -You¡¯re saying that you''ve never thought of weird names when you were a kid. -To be honest, I was pretty sheltered¡­ -Right¡­ there weren¡¯t many people your age in that home arrest of yours¡­ or elves. -I mean, there were some kids, but I was a bit of a loner¡­ -Fair¡­ -Well, in any case - I continued - with that approach we managed to create some subjects, but as I said before, they were just shitty imitations of what we were attempting to make. And I am talking about the better ones. But that direction of thinking was actually quite beneficial to us: we managed to get started as more of a¡­ ¡°problem solvers¡±. -You mean more like janitors¡­ -I guess you can put it like that, yes. We were cleaning after many failures of random people, destroying the abominations and all that. That was when our MIRE actually got its full building purchased and the attempts started for real¡­ this time, with a bit more¡­ advanced approach. -We went back to using magic, but this time, we actually attempted to merge it with technology. I can already tell that you have questions, and no, it didn¡¯t really work. At first that is. It was clear that we weren¡¯t going to be able to combine those two directly, since, you know, failure of magic near anything remotely advanced, but that didn¡¯t stop us from trying. And then, one day, we switched our approach. So far, we¡¯ve tried¡­ ¡°containing¡± magic in technology, so to speak. But what if we tried making something technologically advanced using magic? -Isn¡¯t that the same¡­? -That¡¯s what I thought. That¡¯s what we all thought. That¡¯s why we were absolutely stunned to see that we actually managed to succeed a little bit. -It was just a small thing: we managed to create a small circuit board using only magic. And don¡¯t ask me what that is, I am not going to even try to explain. -So why even tell us¡­ -The main point is, it was the start of ILMA. As in the basis of her first body. -So she had a body? -Somewhat¡­ the first one was just essentially a handful of components slapped together with magic, but it worked. And then, she was barely even considered an artificial intelligence. She was just a database of our knowledge that we used to catalog all the ¡°experiments¡± that we both did ourselves and that we were tasked to ¡°clean up after¡±. -To be honest, she doesn¡¯t sound too sentient even now¡­ I mean, she never speaks, only answers your questions, or, well, our questions and that¡¯s all. -I guess¡­ But it is as you said, she did attack some of you, and that is something she never was supposed to be able to. Even in the case of some attack, like she supposedly was acting on in the Red Edge, she would just give us a message, some kind of warning, and that¡¯s it. Sure, we¡¯d be able to instruct her to create a spell that would be useful in current circumstances, but for her to cast it herself? That¡¯s unheard of. -Her being able to make a spell is something that I can¡¯t even wrap my head around - thought Kon, not hiding his amazement. - I still don¡¯t understand how that works¡­ I mean, you told me, but¡­ -I was a bit perplexed too - I agreed. - But only because of the fact that she somehow managed to retain that knowledge¡­ and be inside of people of all things! -Right¡­ How did that happen? I mean, you said that she had somewhat of a body, what happened to it then? -She had a bunch of them. The fact that she is able to move is not worrisome, the fact that she is able to do it to PEOPLE is concerning. But also probably our fault. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. -I feel like you say that every time. My fault this, our fault that¡­ What¡¯s not your fault, huh? -I fear that not much. All thanks to one stupid idea¡­ The last experiment. -Last one? Meaning that one that supposedly ¡°created a calamity¡± and got you here? - asked For. -That¡¯s the one¡­ I am sad that it failed that time¡­ -I just hope that you¡¯re not going to attempt that here - she chuckled quietly. - We have enough as it is¡­ -I already did. -You what?! Both of them almost unison bombarded me with their surprise. -Calm down, I told you that it succeeded, there¡¯s no problems with¡­ well, there¡¯s no major problems, but¡­ -What do you mean?! Explain, what and where! -I am. Calm down. I honestly wanted to tell them. After all that time, it was refreshing to be able to share all my problems with someone. And since I didn¡¯t even have to talk, it was even easier for me to not dwell on it and just go ahead. -Let¡¯s get back to that day¡­ when we failed. -It was our first attempt at this. Because, honestly, neither of us wanted to do it. After all, we would be finally using a live subject that was important to us. -Wait¡­ do you mean that you used¡­ -Live subjects before? Of course. What do you think, that we just killed all the abominations that we were told to destroy? That would be a waste. And of course, every now and again there were people connected to those ¡°illegal experiments¡± as they were calling them, that actually survived. Not the casters, of course. Sometimes those were the ¡°masterminds¡± of the projects as they wanted to call themselves, sometimes just some unwilling subjects taken. We weren¡¯t exactly picky. -That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s what you meant back then¡­ when you told Jack¡­ Kon was a bit horrified. Understandably so. -Oh, you remember that¡­? Well, yeah. And before you¡¯re going to judge me, even if we were to let them go, don¡¯t think that they would¡¯ve had a better life as government¡¯s subjects instead. -Your world was fucked up. -You don¡¯t say. I am glad that¡¯s gone, to be honest. Besides a few survivors at least. I hope that most of us are dead though. -I¡­ I had a hard time understanding why you never seemed distraught or¡­ I don¡¯t know, angry or something, about you being in a different world¡­ - said For after a bit of silence - but now I completely understand¡­ -I wouldn¡¯t say completely, but at least you have a good idea about me. I guess you were not wrong about me being a criminal and exploitative person. -Why are you telling me this? Why are you telling US? What happened?! -Happened? Nothing. I was always an open person, in contrast to the rest of my coworkers¡­ -In contrast?! So far you¡¯ve been hiding things constantly, and yet now you¡¯re telling us everything, and I barely even asked for half of it! -I guess you¡¯re right¡­ See, I realized something. Something that¡¯s been brewing constantly inside me since I¡¯ve arrived here¡­ and I don¡¯t mean this island, I mean this world as a whole. I just¡­ wasn¡¯t myself. -What? -Just let me continue. Our friend here¡¯s going to be busy for a while longer I think, we still have some time. Her eyes darted towards the guy in question, and sure enough, he¡¯s still busy. -Let¡¯s get back on topic. About ILMA. She was the culmination of our experiments. An attempt at creating something, finally using life magic. And I know, you¡¯re going to ask: but why? After all, didn¡¯t you spend years and years on researching life magic, don¡¯t you know how stupid that is? And of course we did. That was the whole point. To find a way to avoid the drawbacks and somehow create something without need to, essentially, trade one life for another. -And you succeeded? I mean, she exists¡­ -Yes and no. Yes, we did make her, but no, we didn¡¯t succeed in not trading lives. As you know, we did create a calamity. -But you avoided the first casualty? I mean¡­ I guess that would be a success¡­? Right¡­? -Sort of. See, in our efforts, we realized that completely avoiding death was impossible. But, the question was, what was considered as ¡°death¡±? Would using our previous subject¡­ one of our previous creations would count as good enough ¡°sacrifice¡±, so to speak? -That¡¯s¡­ I didn¡¯t let her finish. -The answer is: not completely. See, our creations had one problem, besides their sentience being just a shitty knockoff of a real person: they didn¡¯t have a soul. And I am not talking in metaphysical or religious terms: I mean literally. As they didn¡¯t have mana. That was what we thought that we needed. And, since we had access to the Origin Crystal, we thought that would be enough. -You¡­ wanted to make an artificial soul¡­? Holy fuck¡­ I didn¡¯t realize that you were that deep into this¡­ -Hah. I guess we were¡­ But, we first needed a base. A better, let¡¯s say, brain, for our new subject. And so, ILMA was born. -She was a piece of work, I can tell you that. It was the combination of every single previous test subject, plus every single piece of information we could gather. It was¡­ good enough. We tested her for a year, and after that we let her loose a bit: let her contact actual people. In containment of course, everything was clearly monitored. And she shattered our expectations. But the problem was still there: she was not there in the main ¡°humanity¡± aspect. -What¡­? -You were able to tell that she was not a person, right? I mean, her manner of speech was enough. Back then, we masked that a bit using some algorithms, essentially translating what she said from ¡°robot¡± to ¡°human¡±. Ish. We managed to fool some people, but it was not enough. That¡¯s when the ¡°soul¡± came into play. -Our first idea was to make an artificial one. Origin Crystal and all. But we never were able to make one from scratch. So we went with second best: copying an actual one. -Copying a person? A person¡¯s soul? Is that even possible?! -I don¡¯t blame you. I didn''t think so either. Yet, I couldn¡¯t help but be curious. What if, am I right? -That seems like a very smart idea that will definitely not backfire¡­ -Hah. Yeah, I understand. I know. While I might be a bit of an¡­ extravagant person, I still thought that we had limits. But a certain pair had no stops. Honestly, since I joined them, I guess that I lost my idea of limits, but still. -It was Iloa. Her idea. Her¡­ she volunteered. To be a test subject for copying a soul. -And her husband didn¡¯t stop her?! -At first, he had reservations. But as soon as she presented her first results, all stops fucked off and everything went full swing. Hell, it was the most exciting it has ever been in the MIRE. We made progress. We made something that could work. -I feel that it¡¯s getting too positive. -You¡¯d be right. When we had a base of our soul, a chunk of mana that was comparable to what we calculated as a ¡°souls worth¡±, that¡¯s when the progress stopped. We couldn¡¯t make it¡­ jump-start, you know. It was just there, stuck in the Origin Crystal, waiting dormantly¡­ for something, that we didn¡¯t know what. -Origin Crystal?! You used THAT as a container? -And do you think there exists any other thing that would manage to host that much mana? Hah, no. And as you are well aware, we were on point. Besides it being a potent ¡°battery¡± it is compatible. The three of us are the living proof. There are probably even more of us¡­ -... -In any case, she insisted. She would¡¯ve done that either way, so we decided to give it a green light, hoping that we would be able to¡­ well, contain everything. -But that did not end up well as I understand¡­ What were you doing? What was the result supposed to be? -Result¡­ well. She thought¡­ we thought¡­ I honestly don¡¯t know what we thought. We wanted to give the small spark¡­ a jumpstart, if you will, to ILMA. And since she was using the base of Iloa¡¯s actual memories and overall mana¡­ we thought that a little bit of her magic, or ¡°soul¡± so to speak, would be enough to awaken her completely. We were not exactly wrong. -Long story short, shit just went out of hand really quick. A small ¡°donation¡± instantly turned to a steady current of mana that none of us was able to stop. You know the properties of Origin Crystal. It started draining her, but even after she stopped touching it, it continued its effect. To the end. -That¡­ but you said that you met her! That she was with you¡­ -Inside my head. Yes. Just like ILMA. The process, as you are well aware, was not exactly¡­ pleasant nor contained. The crystal started both draining mana and shooting it wildly everywhere. That¡¯s why I thought all of them were gone. I saw that. But, apparently I was wrong. We, instead of getting drained and turned into ash, just got transported here. -At first, I assumed that I was the only survivor. That my accidental connection to the crystal saved my ass from draining thanks to me adapting its ability myself. Apparently, I was not the only one. -What about ILMA and Iloa?! -That¡¯s¡­ We know both of them survived. But in a different¡­ form so to speak. Since the two of them were the main targets of the whole experiment, they took the brunt of the hit: their bodies destroyed completely, their minds and souls trapped inside the Origin Crystal. And, in the process, in me. -You¡¯re telling me that you were connected to ILMA the whole time? And didn¡¯t realize it? How?! -I don¡¯t know. I constantly felt something off with me, but now I realize that it was just Iloa in the back of my head, along with ILMA. Neither was aware of each other. Or at least that is what I want to think. Both of them accidentally, or on purpose, affecting my mind. That¡¯s why I was all over the place. And, to be honest, I still am. -Even when they are gone¡­? -I wouldn¡¯t say that they are gone. I still have a crystal inside me¡­ or, well, I am the crystal. It¡¯s not so easy to just ditch it and not leave some traces still. Right, Kon? I think you probably realized that by now. -Kon? For didn¡¯t know. But the same can¡¯t be said about Kon. I think he realized that a long time ago, but decided to be quiet. 149. Merge -I know¡­ I don¡¯t mind¡­ I think, at least. -You sure that it¡¯s you who doesn¡¯t mind? - I chuckled. - I swear I had the same thought before¡­ -I¡­ well¡­ -What thought? What don¡¯t you mind?! Tell me! If that concerns him, that also is my business! -Oh, I know. I already told you. You¡¯re turning into a crystal. -Yeah, I know! And? -And we can¡¯t stop it. Who do you think was the crystal originally? -Well, you¡­? -No. It was ILMA. -What does that mean?! -It means that sooner or later, all of us are going to be one person. -What?! The disbelief and confusion on her face was indescribable. -I am¡­ let¡¯s say, the first generation - I started. - I started realizing that when I detached from her¡­ I now can feel myself changing. And I don¡¯t mean just physically. My mind is different¡­ I think and I do things I would''ve never thought I would. And those are consistent with what I remember ILMA¡¯s directives being. I am slowly turning into her. -Or¡­ well, maybe not exactly - I pointed out, seeing as both of them were completely dumbfounded. - Part of me¡­ wants to say that to assimilate one person into another and not expect any changes is stupid. But which part is telling me that? Is it me? The hopeful human? Or the logical one? The robot, artificial creation, thinking in math and probabilities? -Does¡­ does that mean¡­ Axelrod is the same¡­? -I assume so. But judging by how he¡¯s still somewhat¡­ himself¡­ I assume that his process of assimilation has been¡­ slowed for some reason. -And how do you know that? If that¡¯s¡­ ILMA telling you that¡­ Doesn¡¯t that mean that your point of view is flawed? -Not really¡­ Her, me, Iloa, every single one of us had the same experiences with him¡­ since her memory is Iloa¡¯s memory, and mine in some regard. Besides, it¡¯s not like she¡¯s controlling me. -Can¡­ we stop it somehow? -You still want to stop it? - I asked For. - Good. That means you are the least affected out of us all. -Least affected¡­? -Remember what I said? And what Kon said? -¡±I don¡¯t mind being turned¡±... -Precisely. And since you¡¯re not thinking that it¡¯s okay, instead thinking of stopping it, means you still have most of your own free will. -And about stopping¡­ I am not sure that is possible. But on the other hand, it might not be necessary. She was dumbfounded. -You really are being controlled¡­ To give up your own free will like that. -That¡¯s not what I meant. But you probably are right. What I meant to say is that you don¡¯t need to fight the actual assimilation, instead you can try controlling it. -Controlling? How does that help? -I straight up cannot see it being possible to fight it out right, as to deny it and stop completely. But, that cannot be said about the ability to¡­ point it towards the right direction. -What¡­? -Let¡¯s look at Axelrod. You said he is very old. Meaning he had to be connected to the crystal for at least as long as you are aware of him, if him being Mike is not enough of a giveaway. And yet, he was not turned completely to stone, while I, spending similar amounts of time, am like this. Why? -Well¡­ you said that when you arrived, you were unconscious¡­ right? And in the middle of a torn leyline. Wasn¡¯t that the fault of the abundance of mana surrounding you at the time? -But why would just mana be the problem? After all, you live in a similar place. Sure, it was a bit more contained, and you haven¡¯t been around it for as long as me, but it was still a rather large chunk of time. Wouldn¡¯t that mean that you¡¯d be affected somehow as well? -I mean¡­ I didn¡¯t have the crystal for that long, so¡­ -Oh, you did. You forget what Axelrod¡­ or rather your previous leader gave you? It was obviously the same thing. By now it would¡¯ve been a lot worse, and yet here you are, barely even noticing the change. -So what? What does that mean? -It¡¯s simple. As with all magic similar to this, the will of the user is the key. -Will? -Blood magic, slave magic, life magic, contracts, call it whatever you want. All they are based on is just a person''s will. Be it binding it to you or something else. And of course, if one were to resist, realizing what was happening, the caster would indubitably have a hard time enforcing his will, spending more mana. -So what? Axelrod has that in abundance. -Sure. That¡¯s why you¡­ we don¡¯t have to resist. We have to respond in kind. Take control over the magic ourselves and instead force our will onto him. She went silent, contemplating what she just heard. -You want me to enforce my own will onto HIM? How in the hell¡­ Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. -I know, you don¡¯t want to make direct enemies with him, but I fear that it¡¯s the only way. That is if you don¡¯t want to be a part of¡­ -No, no, that¡¯s not what I meant - she quickly denied. - I am not stupid. I am aware that the confrontation with him is inevitable. It¡¯s just¡­ For fuck¡¯s sake, it¡¯s Axelrod! You think I have enough in me to even try and inconvenience him, and not only that, to force myself onto HIS will? -Ah. Well, if you put it like that¡­ -On top of that he has an immense mana capacity, if he¡¯s that old and smart, his mind has to be like a stone wall! Even if I knew what I was doing, that would be an impossible task! -And who said you have to force your mind onto his? - I asked. -What do you mean? -It¡¯s not Axelrod that you need to be struggling against. Kon, so far only listening intently, finally asked a question. -Not him¡­? Then who¡­? Who¡¯s trying to¡­ merge with us? -That is a complicated question. It''s definitely not Axelrod. If that was him, we¡¯d already be of one mind. Just like a certain golden warrior. -Fucking¡­ So that''s his job? -I think so. I attribute it to Goldies lack of overall mana. And common sense. An ideal candidate to¡­ ¡°convert¡±, so to speak. But no, he¡¯s not trying to control us. At least that¡¯s what I believe. I honestly think that he is in the same boat as we are, and he¡¯s trying to hold at bay¡­ the other one. -Other one? -Short answer: ILMA. But I feel that¡¯s not all there is to it. -Wasn¡¯t she supposed to copy herself¡­? Or something? -Yeah. And what happens if you try to copy something on top of another? -It gets erased¡­ - she realized what I meant. -Precisely. But we now have to control what gets overwritten by what. -Fuck¡­ -Yeah. Seems like we only have one option. -For now at least - I agreed. - As you are aware, the two of us already had¡­ some failures in that regard. So you better keep your head clear. -Even if I know that now, what does that help me?! - she asked, angrily. - What, am I supposed to think about myself or something? Write a diary?! -Well, it wouldn¡¯t hurt, but no. I am sad to tell you, I am not sure what. And even if I knew, as I no longer have the will to resist, I doubt I would''ve told you. -It¡¯s that bad¡­? -It¡¯s not good¡­ the more time I spend¡­ separated from her, the more I feel like I am not myself. You think on that. -What about you, Kon? -Well¡­ while I do have similar feelings as just was said¡­ I still feel like I am myself¡­ - he replied after a moment of thought. -Yet still you don¡¯t feel like resisting. -Right¡­ -That¡¯s a problem. -Somewhat. Our internal dialogue was long enough for the guy to finally finish with the broken slab of rock. Or, at least the rock that used to be broken. During that, he managed to complete the puzzle that the shattered tablet was, and even managed to¡­ glue it together, more or less. None of us was paying much attention, but he used the weird magnifying glass to actually join the pieces together. The piece of wood that was inside it instead of glass was burning brightly, and from it a stream of mana was pouring onto the rock. It sort of looked like he was trying to burn something using a lens and sunlight, but without using either of them. The finished effect was that the slab was in one piece, he didn¡¯t even get rid of the cracks, like a cracked windshield, barely holding together, just waiting to shatter completely into a hail of sharp pieces. That was apparently enough for him, because after he was done with that, he popped the ¡°wooden lens¡± out of the magnifying glass, and put both pieces in his small sack. He then turned his attention to the ball he had with him. As soon as he pulled it out, he poured a little bit of magic into it and it suddenly sprung to life. The whole surface of the ball started glowing with different symbols¡­ no, it was just letters, regular alphabet. At first it looked just like gibberish, but soon he started poking at it, changing letters to form an actual sentence¡­ the spell. He was copying what was written on the tablet. And with what precision, might I add. While he was not able to fill in the gaps, as in where the cracks in the stone were, or just where the pieces were simply missing, he was just putting the same letter. I guess there was no option on the ball for ¡°blank¡±. He did not manage to copy the whole thing of course, only about half of the first sentence, if not less, when he stopped suddenly and instead focused on top of the ball. That was the only spot where there was a blank space on the orb, and, apparently, a button. He pressed it in once and the ball started¡­ vibrating. The letters flashed a few times and started rearranging themselves¡­ or no, it looked like everything shifted. Inside of the ball there had to be some kind of mechanism, because along with the vibration, the orb opened, and the sides started moving. It sort of looked like it was opening and closing on itself, until after about a few seconds, it put itself together again and back into a ball. With different letters this time. He was apparently not happy with that development and repeated the process a few times, until finally he sighed and started looking for something inside his bag. It seemed like he needed some kind of manual, because he pulled out a small booklet from his bag. And I mean it. It looked just like a manual. Wait a second¡­ it WAS a manual. I had to blink a few times to check if I was not dreaming, because the piece of paper in his hands was definitely not just written by hand: it was printed! Like that was not enough of a surprise, he also pulled out a pair of glasses. Quite nice and, while definitely a bit beaten up, that was not something I would¡¯ve thought to see here. Hell, last time when For noticed a fucking wedding ring, she deemed it too complicated to be a creation of this word. And those glasses? If a ring was a surprise, this one should amaze her even more. And I was right. As I suddenly went wide-eyed on sight of the paper and glasses, she followed my look and promptly her jaw dropped. I don¡¯t think I needed my ability to tell that she was stunned. Kon, on the other hand, was not so amazed. He was more interested in the glowing orb that he was holding in his hand. Not noticing our looks, the guy lifted his veil a bit and put the glasses on, and started mumbling something to himself. Just when I thought he finished with the surprises, he once more started rummaging around his bag, and this time pulled a pen. A pen. A plastic pen. If before I had some worries about the guy, now they got magnified considerably. Where the hell did he get all that stuff? If his ¡°staff¡± was suspicious, the rest of his arsenal was proving to me that he somehow had access to stuff from my world. But how? As far as I was aware, this place¡¯s tech was not even close to making precise metal needed to make the rim for the glasses like that, especially when combined with the plastic pieces clearly needed to create even a shitty pen. First things first though: I quickly focused, trying to find any signs of familiar markings on his stuff. Everything that we had in the MIRE had been marked. You know, marketing and all that, so it was easy to tell if something was indeed taken from our building. But nope, none of those were sporting a single logo, brand, or anything similar to that, that I would recognize. Sure, the manual had some strange name on it, but I¡¯ve never heard of that name. And considering the look on their faces, neither did any of my companions. 150. Primitive -Where the hell did you get that?! He ignored me, reading the manual and fiddling with the orb. -Are you deaf!? He poked a few times at the orb and it whirred to life again, apparently giving him a better result, because he smiled. -Motherfucker, you¡­ I started walking towards him. That was apparently when he finally deemed me worthy of his attention. Prick. -What, are you talking to me? -Do you see anyone else here? I asked where did you get that?! He gave me a degrading look. -Ah, right, I forget. You lot are a bit behind the times. Don¡¯t worry about that. It¡¯s nothing that should concern you. -You serious? You pull something like that out and expect us to just not notice? - For was bewildered as well. - Something like this belongs¡­ that¡¯s a void artifact, isn¡¯t it!? He nodded with understanding. -Ah, yes, you are a bit more educated than the rest of you primitives out here¡­ so yes, that¡¯s what it is for you. What did she mean? That thing was clearly magical, it was impossible that it was what she thought it was. I was more interested in the printed manual. And the glasses. Where did he get those? -It¡¯s not then?! -Oh, of course, by your account it definitely falls under that category - he nodded. - Strange name, but I¡¯ve heard it and yes, it is a void artifact. For a second I was wondering how much I should reveal. If anything. But being cautious wouldn¡¯t get me anywhere, so¡­ -Like hell it is! - I protested. - This shit is magical! No void artifact works alongside magic that well! At all, really! He turned his head, looking at me with curiosity in his eyes behind the veil and glasses. -I see your understanding about the void artifacts is as shallow as I would expect. -Am I wrong though? And what, you¡¯re some kind of master on that topic, huh? Explain yourself! He sighed with disappointment. -I take back my earlier comment. You are indeed as stupid as the rest of you. But I guess I can correct you a little bit. I do owe you a favor, after all. You did point me towards this interesting piece¡­ - he said, pointing towards the slab. -Oh, what generosity¡­ - I said, crossing my arms. - Be my guest, please, enlighten us. -Hm. As you wish. He was clearly in a better mood than before. I guess whatever he saw in the orb was enough to brighten his mood? He poked his orb once more and it went dark completely. -As you noticed, that item is indeed magical in nature. He poked it again, and the glow came back. -That is just a piece of outer shell that is magical though. Insides¡­ as you probably noticed¡­ One poke more. It whirred and unraveled itself again, showing its insides, which were clearly made out of weird metallic pieces¡­ almost looking like some kind of a¡­ circuit board!? Was I dreaming!? No, it was clear. While I might not be the authority on technical aspects of computers and all, I know how the insides of a computer look. And what was inside the orb looked like a very tangled motherboard. Cooling included! That¡¯s where the whirring was from! A fucking fan! -Insides are just a bunch of components that you would definitely not understand: a void artifact, as you call them. Or a piece of technology, as I know of it. The magic is here just to visualize what the insides produce. Not like you know what that means - he finished, chuckling. -What the fuck¡­ -But¡­ don¡¯t the void artifacts suppress magic¡­? - asked Kon for me. - So how the hell does that thing¡¯s shell work¡­? -Ha. So you DO know something. Yes, most of them do. But who said all of them? Progress, my boy, progress! Progress is everything! Both For and Kon looked at me, standing dumbfounded in front of him. I was speechless. What that man was telling me right now was completely breaking my understanding of what I knew before. My basic knowledge was¡­ straight up wrong. I honestly couldn¡¯t believe it, and I would not, if not for the fact that I was literally staring at it. -If that¡¯s all, I will just take my leave¡­ He closed the orb and packed it up, hiding inside his bag. -What about that staff? - I asked. - It was partially a void artifact too, right? -How do you¡­ His eyes widened, suddenly on guard. -I could tell it was disrupting my magic. Overall mana in vicinity. I thought it was weird, but if what you¡¯re telling is true, then maybe¡­ The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. -Yes, actually. While different to this - he pointed to his belt - the basis is the same. -Hm. You¡¯re an interesting person. Are you sure you don¡¯t want to follow me¡­? -I bet you¡¯d want us to - chimed in For. - Just to experiment on his form. -That¡¯s actually a good point - I admitted. - You¡¯ve never said anything about me¡­ why? -What do you mean¡­? -The usual reaction I get - I said, pointing to my torso - is a panicked scream. Everyone thinks of me as a monster, or some strange creature, yet you just treat me like¡­ well, like a human being. Why? -I mean, aren¡¯t you? - she shrugged. -You know what I mean. -Right, right. Of course, you have an interesting form¡­ but far from the weirdest thing I¡¯ve seen. You might be in a far worse state than most though¡­ At least visually¡­ Mentally you seem better¡­ - he said, trailing off. -The most? -Ah, yes. I¡¯ve seen many people similar to you. I thought it¡¯s common here, crystal remnants, right? - he asked. -Sure. Those do exist - agreed For. - But they are far inbetween, and mostly savage, wild creatures¡­ -If that¡¯s what you say, I am sure it¡¯s true¡­ - he said, not really moved. - I am familiar with the culling of those here, sure, but I thought that some of them were cleanly integrated into society¡­ After all, even your king is one, so¡­ While we knew that information, hearing that from him was a nice confirmation for a change. -We are aware. But that doesn¡¯t mean that he¡¯s¡­ open to the public with that information. He stared at me, intrigued. -I¡­ I was not aware¡­ Intriguing¡­ -As for people chasing him, you seem to know not much about this world¡­ -We don¡¯t need to. We just need to know his whereabouts. -And you¡¯re failing. -Hm. I still am not sure how he escaped¡­ and you appeared in his place¡­ You¡¯re incredibly unlucky. Or lucky, depending on how you look at that. -I vote for ¡°unlucky¡±. But I have to agree, the discussion with you was enlightening, for one. -Oh, I wouldn¡¯t call it a discussion, but you¡¯re welcome. -Hm. -But, if that¡¯s all, I will take my leave. -Well, I do have a question¡­ You said that those void artifacts¡­ where do you get them? I thought that they were pretty rare¡­ and you have more than one¡­? -Rare? That¡¯s not some collectible treasure or something! - he puffed. - It¡¯s just like a blade or whatever else you make here¡­ It¡¯s created, not found. -Really¡­? - For feigned ignorance. - Is that hard to produce¡­? I mean, those seem complicated¡­ -And powerful - added Kon. -And they are. But enough smart people and resources can work a charm. -I thought Wildnorth was a desert¡­? Where do you even get the resources? He froze. He realized that we caught him saying a bit too much. He quickly covered himself, though. -We do have access to the old mines¡­ - he said. - I am pretty sure you are aware of dwarves'' old stomping grounds¡­? -Sure¡­ doesn¡¯t mean that those are easy to reach. -You said it yourself. Our artifacts are powerful. Same with magic. It¡¯s not so hard for us to traverse the underground. -Hm. He was, of course, full of bullshit. Even without looking at the state of his mana, I was able to tell. His body language was enough. -Intriguing. And have you found dwarves as well? I thought that those were pretty rare. At last they are here. -Yeah, they rarely appear on the continent - agreed with me For. - A shame, they often make great business partners. Or so I would think, after seeing your creations and stories¡­ -Sadly, not many. But they do help us now and then. We found some of them in their ruins. I guess they decided it¡¯s not worth it¡­ The border is pretty rough and hard to traverse¡­ Again, he was full of shit. But which part? Was that they found them was a lie, that they helped them, or overall their existence? A bit strange. I mean, when I first appeared here I also was doubting their overall existence, but seeing his mana not change, and constantly pointing to the lie¡­ -How about elves¡­? Are they prevalent in your lands? -Nah, not really. I am pretty sure that most of them are on the continent, aren¡¯t they? But why this sudden questioning¡­? Again with lies. But what was the point? To confuse me? Or did he notice my ability and was just trying to throw me off the track? Nah, that was not possible. -It¡¯s just pure curiosity. It¡¯s not often you have an occasion to talk with someone from Wildnorth. -Ah. Well, if that¡¯s all, I¡¯ll be taking my leave. He took one last glance at the glued-together now tablet and started rummaging through his belongings, most likely looking for the anchor. -Of course¡­ Next to me I felt a hint of relief from both For and Kon. Yeah, the situation was a tiny bit tense for a moment there, but I guess all¡¯s well that ends well. -We don¡¯t want to keep you¡­ - said For, nodding - Err¡­ -Ha - I realized why she got hung up at the end there. - Right. We never got your name¡­ He stopped looking for the anchor. -True. Neither did you. He gazed briefly at all of us. -Of course I know For, it¡¯s hard not to. But I never got to know yours, you two. -Ah. -My name is Kon - Kon said quickly, introducing himself. - A bit late, but¡­ I guess it¡¯s been a little hectic¡­ -Yeah, that''s a bit of an understatement - agreed the man. -And my name is Mor. Sorry for late introductions. And you¡­? As I was asking him the question, I immediately realized that something was not right. It was not just some ominous feeling, it was more tangible: as soon as I spoke my name, his mana froze. I have not seen a reaction like that before. Up till now, I¡¯ve seen many emotions taking form in people¡¯s magical auras, but this one I could only describe as overwhelming fear. That¡¯s why it threw me for a loop. Out of all the people, I never expected for that guy to be afraid now. Hell, just before he was as calm as it gets, instead the three of us were more on the edge. And for him to react to my name? Why? -A¡­ and do you have a surname¡­? - he asked. Ha. So I was right. Even without the enhanced sight, his own voice was betraying him: it was trembling. Kon and For noticed the shift immediately and the brief relief that was just there disappeared and got replaced with even more alertness. -I¡­ That was a tiny problem. Even if not for the strange reaction to my name, I wouldn¡¯t really want to say my own in his company. And not like I could, anyway. Last time, when I tried introducing myself fully, according to witnesses I just spouted out a hard to understand blurb of¡­ how did he describe to me¡­? ¡°A mix of different words¡±? Something like that. I blame one of I¡¯s for that. Even if he would be deadly calm, for me to risk him hearing something like that¡­ Well, it wouldn¡¯t be a smart decision, let¡¯s say that. -I don¡¯t really have one - I simply said, trying to sound nonchalantly. - How about you? -Liar. -Excuse me? 151. Fizzled A singular calm word was enough for all of us to brace ourselves. And good for that, because the next thing coming for us was not so harmless. No incantation, no spell, nothing. He quickly pulled something out of his pouch and tossed right at me. Reflexively, I wanted to slap it away, but as soon as it made contact with my crystal skin, I felt it stick onto my arm. It was a dagger. Small, metal and thin, with a wooden handle. But as soon as its metal tip touched me, the wood on the other side exploded in flames, and with the help of the blast, managed to dig itself into my arm, getting stuck. -The fuck¡­ I quickly grabbed the flaming end, and as soon as I made contact with it, the flames disappeared, along with the wooden handle that just turned to ash. Whatever the effect that was, it was magical in nature, and thanks to my touch, it got absorbed by my crystal and fizzled the spell, leaving just a mundane knife that I pulled out with one swift movement. The wound didn¡¯t look too deep, and I didn¡¯t feel any pain, so I just shrugged it off. -Are we doing this again?! - yelled For next to me, already with a fireball in hand, threatening to toss it right at his face. I could tell that Kon was also preparing something, mana surging right next to me. He didn¡¯t answer, instead just tossed a spell. This time, it was not aimed at me, but at For. It was not as powerful as before, nor did it look very threatening at all, to be honest, at least to me. It was just a large stream of water. It collided with For¡¯s orb, quickly making it disappear, so I guess he succeeded in that, but apparently that was not his aim. Just as the water vaporized, or at least some of it, because he did manage to get through and soak her completely, another spell followed. This time it was ice. I am not sure what he was intending to do, but what happened was that the water he just drenched her with was frozen solid. Same with the vapor in the air. It was almost like thick snow that was not able to fall, stopped mid-air, just levitating there. It didn¡¯t even immobilize her. Sure, it stunned her for a split second, after all the sudden change in air temperature was something else, but that was about it. It didn¡¯t even stop her from preparing another fireball to throw at him, same with me, I already was past the bargaining stage and wanted him just to go down. On the other hand, Kon did get interrupted, so I guess he succeeded in doing that. He was about to launch a spell as well, but the mana just fizzled out, spilling out, just to be collected by me. -Usc fi geksu! -Gymnu gmyo! -Mynu lycu! Fotoho mocisohu! The three of us launched the spells at once. A fireball from For, a stream of lightning right at his chest from me, and from him¡­ A cube? Yeah, that was a bit of a weird spell. What he conjured was just a cube of light that appeared right in front of him. But after his command, it instantly split into small shards, shooting in every direction. That was new. Since it was light-based, I was aware that it would probably be able to harm me: I was no longer being protected by the Origin Crystal. In a split second, I wanted to raise another wall and hide myself behind it, but even if I had time, it would¡¯ve been for naught. Few things happened at once. First, Kon, realizing that his spell failed and noticing that magic was barreling towards us, he ducked down on the ground, trying to somehow dodge the attack. For didn¡¯t have that luxury though, since she still was controlling the spell and noticing the enemy attack fly at us, she directed the fireball right at the cube into pieces.. She managed to destroy it, but for naught, the remaining pieces were already scattered all over. Thanks to the ice particles hanging in the air, the light was now bouncing all over the place, blinding everyone and, sadly, hitting everyone. I felt that. I expected that I would be hit and anticipated pain, but what I felt was¡­ well, definitely not something I would expect after a spell like that. Last time when I was hit with light magic, it always ended with me getting burned to some degree. This time, what came was a piercing cold. It felt like I was being pelted by thousands of small needles, digging into my body and staying there. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. The spots were spreading, just like with heat, the mana infused with ice spread all over my body, making me sluggish: it was like my muscles were tensing up, making it harder and harder to move. I wanted to duck down, to fall on the ground and hide myself from the light, but I couldn¡¯t move. Not like it would help me, since the light was bouncing everywhere like it was the weirdest rave party you¡¯ve ever been at. Strangely though, both Kon and For looked mostly unharmed. Sure, they were hit, but I could tell that they were not freezing solid just like me, since both of them quickly jolted away from the spot they were and instead jumped towards the attacker. Speaking of. My spell also worked. While it definitely got interrupted as soon as I got hit, the lightning did reach him. At the time I was trying to limit myself to not kill, but the fact that I absorbed a bit too much mana from Kon¡¯s failed spell and overall the environment, made it that the spell was stronger than I intended. It both increased in power and range. Instead of a pointed lightning blast, I released something akin to a thunder shower, I want to say. It singed the whole island, even managed to reach the tablet that he not so long ago had meticulously put together. Of course, I reached him as well. But, there was a small problem: most of the lightning, for some reason, was contained and absorbed by something on his chest. Before, we were not able to see it, since he was hiding everything under his clothes, but after my lightning and the remains of For¡¯s fireball struck him, we were finally able to see what was under his clothes, or rather wraps. The guy was wearing¡­ a shirt. Yeah, I know, riveting observation, right? But it actually was. Under the wraps was just a modern-looking, white t-shirt. Now, singed right where the middle of his chest was, and through the hole, poking out was a crystal medallion. It was just a square piece of some kind of gemstone, encased in metal, looking sturdy and utilitarian. And since it managed to somehow absorb my lightning, it had to be enchanted. While at the time I was a bit staggered I was able to tell that much. His veil also was dropped, and while his face didn''t tell me anything interesting, he was cleanly shaven and looked a bit younger than I would¡¯ve expected after his voice, he was maybe twenty or something. That was not the end of the fight though. Even though he was charred, he took no actual damage, protected by the amulet. Apparently that also gave him a boost of confidence, because he stood tall right in front of us and even started walking forward. Both Kon and For launched spells at him. Both used fireballs, and this time, he reacted. He grabbed the necklace and mumbling something, he raised it in front of him. Spells hit him. But they just fizzled into a cloud of mana as soon as they reached him. -I told you that we are superior to you, savages! But that doesn¡¯t matter! I am here to¡­ I didn¡¯t let him finish. Sure, I was still barely able to move my body, but to cast a spell I did not need to move. I didn¡¯t even have to speak. I just had to have a clear mind. And thanks to the cold, my head was clearer than usual. -Moho sivu. All I wanted to do was to bind him and interrogate him. Hearing me speak, he didn¡¯t even flinch, knowing that his shield, the medallion, was still holding fast and seemingly easily able to counter every spell that we tossed at him. He was half-right. My spell created a large net. I didn¡¯t expect for it to be even seen by him, and that¡¯s why I was surprised seeing it vividly with both of my sights: just as he was. It was large. A lot larger than I intended to be. See, the spell didn¡¯t only use my mana, it also absorbed everything that was remaining in the vicinity from earlier spells dispelled by him. Even though my companions didn¡¯t toss many spells at him, they were still potent and the mana that was just hanging in the air was pretty thick. The combination of circumstances created a spell that covered the whole island. Including the three of us. On top of being large, it also absorbed the properties of earlier spells that were tossed: meaning it was not good news for any of us. The rainbow-colored net fell on top of us, knocking everyone on the ground. I could feel the combination of ice, light, fire and even some different kinds of mana, permeating through the whole of my creation. It was bizarre at best. Sure, I was not hurt by most of that magic, but the light infused in it was still burning me pretty bad, at least for a second, until the absorption of my crystal finally managed to get rid of the problem. On the bright side, it managed to break me out of the frozen state. As soon as I fell on the ground I felt the sluggishness and heaviness leave my body. Or maybe it was just the adrenaline. Near me, Kon and For were struggling a bit worse. Most of the contents inside the net were dangerous for them: their mana crystals were not shielding them just as well as they were me. I quickly leaped towards them to break the nets on them, just to realize that the guy was also standing up from the attack, mostly unscathed. The net did fall on him. But just like me, he managed to rip it off him, using the medallion. It was small, but just like my own flesh, as soon as it touched the net, it was dispelling it. Not absorbing mana, no, instead just turning the spell into a familiar to me already puff of smoky residual mana. Seeing how ineffective my attack was, I wanted to dispel it completely, but I could not. It was no longer a spell that I was able to control. I knew I didn¡¯t have much time to think of a counterattack, so I quickly ripped out the net covering my companions, before I leaped towards him. He did not expect that. Not like I can blame him. I didn¡¯t expect that myself. I went straight for the talisman he was still clutching, trying to grab it and using my weight, overpower him. But, that did not work out. Sure, he was surprised, but there was enough space between us for him to react to my leap. -Peqa sypna. Oof. What he hit me with was a third level spell. Heavy duty, something like this was only used in complicated incantations, and packed a heavy punch. To boot, he used light magic. I am not sure how he figured it out, if he ever did, maybe it was just a lucky break for him, but he managed to use one thing that I knew I was weak to. Next thing I knew was overwhelming whiteness, and then, nothing. 152. Silence I am not sure for how long I was out of it. I was not able to hear or see anything. I assumed that it was just me dreaming, because I think I remember feeling¡­ sad. Distraught. I mean, sure, I got hit pretty bad, but that¡¯s not really what that was, it was like it belonged to someone else. Okay, maybe it was not the first time I had a similar feeling, but I am not sure if that was not just me being delirious. Besides that, I don¡¯t remember much. When I came to, I was¡­ lying somewhere. The ground was warm¡­ and soft. Wait, that was not ground, it was sand. Even without moving, I was able to tell that much. Speaking of moving¡­ there was a problem¡­ I actually could not. Something was lying on top of me. Something heavy¡­ I was¡­ covered with¡­ tarp? I tried opening my eyes, to see what the hell happened, but I could not. That¡¯s when I realized that something was very wrong. It was not like I had no strength or something. Sure, I was feeling exhausted, but to open your eyes is not a taxing task, right? I tried feeling around me, but also could not. I was only able to lie there and listen to deafening silence. There was not even a wind sound. Nothing. Like in a soundproof room. If I still had a working fleshy body, the loudest sound would be my heart beating, but that was obviously not the case. Right¡­ I was a bit different. I was exhausted. Both physically and mana-wise. Well, in my case that was probably the same thing¡­ I started thinking. Why was I not able to move or see? Was my mana situation really that bad? It would explain me not being able to move¡­ And I did get hit pretty hard. That was the last thing I remembered, so I had to guess that it was just the damage from the spell the guy hit me with. But, wouldn¡¯t the spell get absorbed? At least partially? Even when I got hit with light magic before, I was able to get something from it. It was delayed, sure, but it was still there. For me to be completely exhausted? Strange¡­ I tried opening my eyes again, but after another failure I started thinking¡­ How was I able to see in the first place? Before, I had that weird double-vision based on mana¡­ So wouldn''t I be able to do it even without opening my eyes? I tried focusing on the mana around me¡­ And I actually succeeded. Not in seeing, no. I was able to sense mana flowing through me. It was a bit of a strange sensation, and pretty uncomfortable on top of that. Imagine suddenly being able to feel your blood flowing in your veins. You never think about it, but it¡¯s there. You only are able to notice when you¡¯re missing extensive amounts of it. And in my case, that was precisely what was happening. I realized that¡­ I was leaking. Even without being able to fully see the flames of mana, I could feel the energy getting drained from me¡­ just spilling all over, just to be absorbed by me again and leave me. It was like I was lying in a pool of my own blood. Invisible, magical blood that I was promptly¡­ eh, drinking. Disgusting. I knew that I had to stop it somehow to be able to recover, but that was not an easy task, let me tell you that. First, I had to find out exactly where the ¡°leak¡± was. That was actually the easiest step. And most horrifying. My mana was pouring out via my neck. At first, I thought that maybe it¡¯s just my neck that was broken. Again. But then, last time when I had that problem I was not leaking mana all over the place. No, the wound had to be deeper than that. Someone slit my throat? I mean, maybe¡­ I tried speaking, but since I had trouble even opening my eyes, I didn¡¯t have much hope for that. And of course nothing came out of my mouth. I focused just on my head, trying to assess my damage, but¡­ I couldn¡¯t feel anything. It was weird. I was able to tell where my mana was escaping me, yet I was not able to tell what was happening otherwise. Every part of my body was unresponsive. Should I try casting a spell? It was a bit risky. First off, I had not a lot of mana to work with, the strange process of self-absorption was continuing. I was losing mana at a similar rate to me regaining it¡­ maybe even a bit more was coming back to me than not¡­ I was probably just absorbing some of it from the area, besides my own ¡°blood¡± that is, so I guess I could just wait for a while to stand up or something¡­ Second, if I was to cast anything, the spell would definitely absorb the ¡°leak¡± or at least majority of it and leave me with not much to work with¡­ But again, that could help me. If I was to cast something that would be able to¡­ I don¡¯t know, raise me up or something¡­ If I was to be able to see or move again, I¡¯d be able to regain it soon. After all, there¡¯s always a lot of plants nearby in this world, everywhere is covered by greenery and¡­ Wait. Not everywhere. I remembered where I was last time. I was on an island. Rocky and barren island. There was no greenery for me to absorb here, so that would be problematic. Sure, there was that residue, but would that be enough¡­ Was that even still there? After our fight it probably got used up in the chaos¡­ or¡­ Wait a second. Was I even still on the island? Of course not! There was no sand there! And besides, I couldn¡¯t hear the sea. The falls were silent, that¡¯s true, but there still would be some sound from the sea waves, right? I tried focusing on my hearing, but I couldn¡¯t hear a thing. No people, no wind, no nothing. That is why I got startled when I suddenly felt something touch me. I wanted to flinch and move away, sit up, or anything, really. But I couldn¡¯t move. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I felt¡­ like someone pulled something off from me. I also got hit with a warmth, of what I assume was sun. So I was indeed covered with something¡­ That also made me notice¡­ I was feeling the warmth all over my body, besides one spot: my head. Everything else was now getting warm and toasty, especially my arms. I felt that was a bit strange, but I guess it was the ¡°newest¡± part of my body, so it was possible that those were just the most sensitive to light or something¡­ they did look crystal clear, after all¡­ Just as I was pondering what exactly was I feeling and what was going on with me, I felt something new. Someone¡¯s hand. That someone grabbed me by my hand and¡­ started inspecting it¡­? It was the weirdest feeling. Gloved hands were inspecting every single finger of mine, just to suddenly stop, pull a bit and then stop again. I wanted to ask, ¡°what the hell is going on¡±. But of course, I couldn¡¯t. And then it came. Even without hearing, I felt a dull thud and a rather large, hard object hit me right in the elbow. Once. Twice. And again. Another. And finally, something snapped. I didn¡¯t feel any pain, but I knew very well what just happened. Someone just cut off my arm. If that was not enough, it didn¡¯t take them a minute to go after my second arm. But this time, they aimed for my fingers first. It was a lot easier for them. Whoever they were, that was not the first time they did that. Then they covered me back up again, and I assume that they left me alone once more. Damn. Playing with someone¡¯s corpse? That¡¯s fucked. Okay, I was not really a corpse, but still. I was a person. That was even worse then, right? Sure, I might not be the best person out there, but still, that¡¯s not okay. But that was not the end of this weird sensation. When they left me and I again was trying to feel my body, trying to move, I realized something else. My arms were gone, there was no doubt about that. Yet, I could still feel it. Just the arm though. It was lying somewhere on something hard¡­ wood? No, it was a rock¡­ I wanted to move it, feel it, but of course I couldn¡¯t. I just felt a colder surface, nothing more. I wanted to sigh, but I couldn¡¯t. I focused on trying to regenerate my mana. Maybe try to contain my leaking. For the brief moment that I was exposed to the sun, I felt a bit better, but not much. The new wounds were now also draining mana from me, in a desperate attempt to mend themself, making me weaker and weaker, until I passed out once more. When I woke up, I was again uncovered. I think it was the combination of the sun¡¯s warmth and the sudden hit of that hard object that woke me. Wake up just to feel my limbs being chopped off again? Fucking brilliant. For one, I was thankful that I no longer had my fleshy body. I don¡¯t know what would I have done if the same scenario would play out to my old self. Probably nothing, because I would be indubitably dead. Was that what Kon felt? Back when he was a slave at first? His¡­ owner¡­ I am sure I still had it better though¡­ not feeling pain was a VERY big difference. Speaking of. What happened to him? And For? Last thing I remembered was me being hit in the face with a spell. I couldn¡¯t, for the life of me, remember what happened to the two. Did they take only me? I mean, he was strangely interested in me just after I revealed my name¡­ Why though? Did he know me somehow? I mean, it wasn¡¯t impossible¡­ especially after seeing how he was clothed under the ¡°wraps¡±. Those looked pretty modern, and definitely not something I¡¯d expect after someone from here. Then again, I didn¡¯t know much about the Wildnorth and its inhabitants. It¡¯s possible that those were just regular clothes from there and it was just a coincidence, that¡¯s it. And then, there was also that medallion and the staff. As I thought before, the staff had to have something to do with old technology, somehow manipulated and molded to fit their needs, however impossible that seems. I was honestly astounded that they managed to somehow get it to be working in tandem with magic. The medallion though¡­ It told a different story. It was familiar. There was no way it was not a piece of Origin Crystal. One look at its effect was enough to convince me, especially after I knew that it even managed to nullify one of my spells. But then, so did the staff. Why didn¡¯t he just use it again? It used a lot more mana, sure, at least that¡¯s what I thought after seeing their mana during the fight¡­ And the medallion did not cost him anything to use, so I could tell it was superior, yet he still didn¡¯t have him on beforehand¡­ at least I thought so, Any intelligent person that owned something like this would have the thing on them constantly. Unless¡­ Unless there was some other cost that was associated with using it¡­? I was overthinking, for sure. If anything it was probably some other, more mundane reason for him to not have it. Like¡­ Like for example it being rare. It would make sense. After all, the Origin Crystals weren¡¯t exactly everywhere¡­ Wait. That¡¯s why they were chasing Axelrod?! He did try creating one, didn¡¯t he?! The Edge was his creation, and while that was not exactly a complete experiment, he had some success¡­ Did they just catch wind of his failure or at least partial failure and decide it was time for him to ¡°pay up¡±, so to speak¡­ But then, he did recognize what I was made of, right¡­? Why didn¡¯t he try to question me about it or something? If anything, he was more interested in us not getting in his way than in us personally. Hell, he wanted us to leave multiple times. Okay, sure, he did attack and eventually managed to subdue me, so I guess he did succeed, but that was the most inefficient way I could think of¡­ Unless¡­ he was playing for time? Maybe? What was the point though? To have time to survey the island? Fuck no, he had no idea about the tablet or anything. We were the ones that told him about it. If not for that he¡¯d be gone and I would¡­ Yeah, I would what? Well, I would definitely not be here¡­ wherever that was. And not used as a crystal mine to those fuckers, because that was definitely what was going on. They were essentially harvesting my body. Every time I regenerated to a decent degree, that I was again able to feel my limbs, they came and broke them off again. I want to say that was the worst thing that I have had the opportunity to experience, but that would be a lie. It was still pretty bad though. Every few hours, someone would come and mangle me, just to get a bit of crystal. After a while I wanted to stop regenerating, seeing how they would react, but it was harder than I expected. I¡¯d never expect to even try something like that¡­ I mean, it was counterintuitive, like, who in their right mind would even do that?! To think that!? Okay, maybe it was not the best person to speak about being in the ¡°right mind¡±, but still, come on! Speaking of my mental health, the situation was definitely not helping. The overall harvesting aside, because I pretty quickly got numb to it, as it was just as if someone was constantly trying to cut your hair or nails: not painful, yet not subtle enough to not take notice. I was talking more about the fact that I was unable to move, hear, or speak. And even the feeling was¡­ less than stellar, I want to say. I honestly was starting to believe that I was having hallucinations. At first, it started small. It was just like someone was moving my fingers. I noticed that after one of the times they cut off my arm, so of course I told myself that was just my imagination. One day I felt like I was getting moved, but then realized that it was just the feeling in my lost arm, while the legs and the torso were still in one spot. Strange. Sooner or later, I fell into a state of sleep, not thinking, just existing. Barely. I was in and out like that for a long time. I want to say days, weeks¡­ Hell, I don¡¯t know how long. It might have very well been months: I couldn¡¯t really track time with me snapping in and out of consciousness. The only reliable thing was the occasional harvesting. It seems like they never missed an occasion to get something from me¡­ Until, one day, they got greedy. 153. Opportunity I am not sure what prompted the change, but one day, they weren¡¯t happy with just my arms. After they got rid of both of them, I expected, once more, to get left alone, covered under some tarp, to again fade out of consciousness, but instead I got again brought back to full attention with a hit to my leg. Yeah, apparently they needed more of me or something, because they promptly went ahead and started chopping my legs off. And they were having a hard time with that, funnily enough. I don¡¯t know if that was because it was fresher, or just thinner, to get my arms they needed but a few hits of whatever was the tool that they had on hand. With legs, however¡­ Well, they weren¡¯t having much success. Four hits: that was enough.. It was quite easy to tell, the last hit being a lot weaker while something else had fallen right on top of me. The tool they were using broke. It was quite different from what I was accustomed to, so I guess you could say that it fully woke me up from the, well, essentially coma, that I was in, and I fully started paying attention. The fact that the tool that broke on was not the most important fact: the more interesting one was that it was infused. I mean, of course. They were mining Origin Crystal from me, to not use an enchanted tool would be pointless. The parts, scattered like broken glass, showering me with its pieces, along with one larger chunk, hitting me right in the chest. I felt a few swipes as they cleaned the trash away from me and just went back to their job. But, the other tool was as fragile as the first one. After a couple of swings it broke, again showering me with dust. Not sure what to expect, I was awaiting the next swing from the inevitable next tool that they indubitably had on hand, but it never came. This time they didn¡¯t even clean me off, just covered me again and left. That was my opportunity. The pieces of the tools were still lying next to me. Sure, I was not able to move, but I had a feeling that I might have a chance to do so soon. I focused on the dust that was covering me. Just as the tool, the scattered remains were infused. And I meant to use every single ounce of mana that it had left. It was surprisingly powerful. I managed to heal my arms fully in the next hour, using most of the dust that I had accumulated on top of me. It was so easy, I was astounded. But soon, I realized why. The tools they used were made out of the pieces they got from me. The mana was unmistakable. I could tell that it was indeed the same taste that was still pouring out from me, that I was constantly absorbing all that time. Yeah, I say taste. After a while in that state, I stopped attempting to see the mana, instead I focused on how it felt to absorb it. With my hands repaired faster than usual, I focused on the next thing: my ability to move. If I was correct, and it was just that my body was constantly fueling the process of regeneration, having my arms fixed quicker, I would be able to move in no time. But, it was not that simple. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I did manage to succeed, but not to the degree I expected. Yeah, sure I didn¡¯t think I would be instantly able to stand, but I at least hoped I would get my hearing back or something. Yet, the first thing that I managed to regain was my ability to move. I say ability to move, but I was barely able to move one of my arms, not even able to lift it up. I was just dragging it through the sand around me. I guess it was progress. Good enough for me to have something to do. And so, I slowly started feeling around my surroundings. And felt¡­ more sand. Yep. Only thing that I had was sand. I mean, kind of obvious, I already knew that I had to be on some kind of desert or something, but to not feel anything besides that and the tarp that was covering me was disappointing. The next revelation was¡­ more concerning though. As I was feeling with my hands for any item next to me, my hand finally reached my head, or rather where my head was supposed to be¡­ and found nothing. It was chilling. But informative. At least I now knew why I couldn¡¯t see nor hear anything. You know, it¡¯s pretty hard to do that without ears or eyes. Yet, knowing that didn¡¯t help that much. I still didn¡¯t have enough mana to regenerate completely. At least I was able to move, so there was that, I guess. I just had to wait for the next ¡°mining session¡±. And I had to wait longer than expected. I am not sure if it was just because of me waiting and being painfully aware of passing minutes, or maybe because they managed to break their tools on me, but they were taking their sweet time. First minutes, then hours. I am pretty certain that I had to wait for more than a few days just for someone to come back. But that time, I was ready. The removal of the tarp covering me was a signal for me to finally take action. And by that, I mean pretending that I was still as dead and absent as usual. Whoever that was, was a bit more apprehensive about their task. I could not see them or their mana, of course, but I am sure that they were here. I could feel it. That¡¯s what I was practicing the whole time: I was trying to regain my ability to recognize mana around me, or rather tried employing it without the need for my eyes. I was somewhat successful. I was able to tell where they were, but only when they came close to me to, I assume, strike me. Or inspect rather, because of the instant they were close, I could tell the clear hesitation in their mana. But it was not the only emotion present. When someone hesitates, you might think that they were concerned about the state they found me in or something, since my appearance was¡­ less than appalling. But no. It was not compassion that they were feeling. It was fear. Why in the hell would someone be scared of an unmoving, essentially corpse, that they have been mining for resources for the past¡­ I don¡¯t know how long? They couldn¡¯t have known that I was awake¡­ right? Nah, it was not possible. From their perspective I should¡¯ve been just an unmoving husk, ready to turn to materials once more. That¡¯s all I was for them. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. That was the reason why I hesitated. And of course the fact that yet I regained the ability to move, it was barely considered moving. Before I acted, I wanted to regain a bit more. Maybe expand the range of my awareness¡­ If I was to get rid of the one person, who knows where I was, or how many people were nearby, ready to capture me. And so, once more I got struck. Of course, I didn¡¯t just completely give up and decided to lie down forever being a crystal vein for whoever wanted. I already managed to restore some of my mana, and I planned on keeping that equilibrium at least. Next time as they struck I was ready. I knew that their weapon was enchanted. So with every single swing, I was draining a little bit of mana from the tool. As to help me, this time they also did not start with straight up chopping off my limbs: only with fingers, meaning I had plenty of attempts to drain mana. It also was a good method to weaken the tool. Just as before, they also were aiming to get my legs, and just like before, their tools broke, leaving only some marks, showering me with more dust, and promptly running away, covering me again. You think they would¡¯ve learned by now, but nope. The next days were similar. And I swear, each time the wait for the next ¡°session¡± was getting longer. After about three of those, I was now sure that there were different people sent to me each day, two of them to be precise. One, the one that hesitated on that day was the most interesting one. For someone assigned the task to ¡°extract¡± me, I would¡¯ve expected someone less¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ emotional? Definitely not someone scared of me. Like the other one. That one was a piece of work, I can tell you that. They were always swift to act and the only emotion I felt from them was annoyance. Not directed at me though. To the other person. Every time they came to me, they worked together. One observing from the side, the other with the pickaxe. Yes, the pickaxe. After a considerable time spent using mana detection as my main method of perceiving my surroundings, I managed to start recognizing the shapes of things. And the items were quite easy, especially when you knew what they were used for. And so, I spent a good chunk of time playing dead. I was not sure when I was going to make a move. I was hoping that the opportunity would present itself, sooner or later. And that it did. I am uncertain as to ¡°when¡± exactly, time was not really something I was keeping track of. It seemed that the day was pretty much the same as any other. When I felt the presence of someone nearby, I immediately stopped moving completely, interrupting my ¡°exercises¡±. See, during the time after I regained my ability to move and perceive my immediate surroundings, I started trying my movements, to figure how much I was capable off. At first, it was not a lot, but by then, I was easily able to move both of my arms, and even managed to sit up. I never tried standing up though, in fear that I might be noticed. I was unsure where exactly I was, and while I could tell that I was lying on the sand somewhere outside and that there was no one nearby, let¡¯s say in earshot, but if I was to stand up, I would be a lot easier to spot and notice that the unmoving corpse they were using was a bit too lively for a dead man. As the workers, as I started calling them, approached, I realized something was different that day. Instead of the pair, I was now dealing with just one person. I could tell that it would be my chance. I already considered trying something a few times before, since I was feeling pretty good recently, thanks to the pieces of their tools I managed to absorb, and while at the start they were using just those that were made out of my own flesh, recently they switched to something else. It didn¡¯t help them much, as I managed to break those every single time, but those did have more and more mana imbued with them. I guess they were trying to upgrade their tools, hoping to get more out of me or something. The one that approached was the ¡°right down to the point¡± one. It didn¡¯t really matter over all: that day I was going to try and retaliate. As always, the worker approached me and swung right at my arm, aiming for somewhere along my elbow. But this time, I was not going to lie down and take it. I just had to shift a little bit for his pickaxe to miss the spot they aimed for and hit the sand next to us, sending a spray of particles all over me and everywhere else. That was the perfect occasion. With one hand I grabbed onto the tool and immediately started draining the part that was enchanted, energizing myself, while with the other I grabbed his leg. I managed to get a tight grip on a leg wearing some thin, I assume, linen pants. The sudden movement startled the worker, and he managed to yank the pickaxe out of my grasp, but it was too late. I was already sitting up, and with all my strength I grabbed his legs with both of my arms, throwing myself at the person with my whole weight. It actually worked. I was still a bit sluggish, true, but as soon as I managed to make him fall, I found a spot: a piece of skin not covered with clothing: the neck. And immediately started draining his mana. It was like a shot of adrenaline. The mana that I felt was bland and not really pleasant overall, I couldn¡¯t deny its potency. It energized me to the point that my sluggish limbs immediately felt like they were never in a better shape. Something that you¡¯d never expect after being destroyed and rebuilt pretty much daily. I could feel them struggle, but that only was helping me. My grip was iron-tight, especially when I tasted a fresh mana source. The flailing only helped uncover more unprotected skin for me to absorb. Every punch was making me regain more and more, letting me fix myself. I was still headless though, so the sight had to be out of this world at best. Slowly, the flailing started to cease, and mana, instead of a stable stream turned into a small trickle. I realized that if I was not going to stop, I was soon going to end up with a dead body on my hands, so I had to make a decision. Should I kill? I mean¡­ they did deserve it. They were responsible for my treatment for the last¡­ I don¡¯t even know how long. While they did not do any lasting damage, or at least I did think so, it¡¯s not like they knew that I didn¡¯t feel pain. And not like they didn¡¯t realize after the first time I regrew my limbs that I was indeed still alive. But, on the other hand, it could¡¯ve been useful for me to keep them alive. I could¡¯ve learned what exactly happened to me and where I was. I did assume that I was somewhere in Wildnorth, but that was about it. Having at least a chance to get some information was worth it. And I could always get rid of them after that¡­ My thoughts were interrupted by something else. Another presence. It was the second worker. I had to move fast. Especially when I noticed that the guy under me was still surprisingly responsive. I didn¡¯t hear a thing of course, but I did notice him start struggling again. I think he yelled something, because the one that was approaching suddenly froze in his tracks. I was wondering why, but that was just when I noticed some strange mana from the one right next to me. I think he started casting a spell? I am not sure, because while his mana did not change, still barely there, making me wonder why they have not fainted already. But right in front of me I did notice a small orb of mana floating and changing properties rapidly. I am not sure what kind of magic that was, but I was not going to wait for it to be unleashed on me: better safe than sorry. I put full force of my body on top of him, trying to tackle the spell itself, along with my opponent. It was pointless. Whenever I wanted or not, I could tell the last of the mana drain from the person in front of me, absorbed by the spell that promptly exploded in my face. Or, well, in front of me. So that¡¯s why he yelled at the other one. So the blast would catch only the two of us. Considering the amount of mana, the explosion was powerful. Or at least I think that was an explosion. I did get tossed away from the caster and landed a few meters away, the fall cushioned by even more sand. I no longer could feel my enemy, nor the one that came later, still frozen in the same spot. I was completely fine, though. I did feel a bit of a sting, I guess from some traces of light magic if I was to guess, since that was the only time I would feel pain, but that was it. I even felt a bit energized from the loose mana from the spell. I decided to play dead again, to see what¡¯s going to happen. The first thing they did was to run towards the, what I assumed, was the corpse of the other one. If there even was a corpse to begin with. Last time I had to deal with some suicidal maniacs their corpses were¡­ Well, let¡¯s say not in a good shape, and if they managed to pull all their remaining mana into the spell of that magnitude, there was a good chance that they got completely vaporized. I did try to read their state of mind, but surprisingly I felt a mix of resolve, relief and a whole lot of fear and uncertainty. A mixed bag. I expected some anger or something, but relief? As I was thinking that, I noticed a change in their mana. Were they casting a spell? I think so¡­? Or not¡­? They seemed spooked by their own spell for some reason. It looked identical to the last one, so I knew that I would be able to take it. Not sure about the other one, though. I hesitated for a moment. With the last one, I didn¡¯t manage to get rid of the spell and got hit, but maybe I would be able to absorb more of this one¡­? Before I made up my mind though, it exploded. The effect was essentially the same. I got tossed away, and the magic of the other person disappeared from my view. I was alone. 154. Oasis I was laying on my back for a good minute, waiting for something to happen. But nothing came. I only felt the warmth of the sun, sometimes only disturbed by a few grains of sand hitting my body, picked up by the wind. After five minutes, I slowly sat up, waiting for any reaction. Still nothing. Was I alone¡­? Did it end¡­? Seemed definitely like it. Good. Time to get myself fixed up. Main problem: lack of head. Or rather, lack of vision. Without my head, using just my ability, I was barely able to recognize the ground, or rather the sand, since it was pretty dead: not much mana to speak of neither in the air nor anywhere else. What had mana, though, were the parts of the tools that were still here. Plus the whole pickaxe that the second one brought. Not wasting time, on all fours, I dragged myself towards the pieces and gathered them together. I ended up draining everything from the stuff I gathered, reducing it to ashes, that quickly mixed with the sand abundant here and that was about it from my plan. I still got some energy back, but not enough that it made a significant difference. What I was aiming to do was to try and remake my head, or at least a part of it from the remaining pieces of my own body that would indubitably be embedded in the tools they brought, but that did not work out. Since there still was no signs of life anywhere nearby, I decided to check on my captors. Or at least on what remained of them. Still not standing up, I dragged myself to the closest one, that being the first one that I managed to get my hands on. The only thing I managed to find was a hole: where sand was moved by the blast. There was nothing else there. I found the exact same thing with the second one. Not like I expected something else, but was disappointed nonetheless. Why in the hell were they so keen on killing themselves over here¡­? Maniacs. With nothing else, I decided that I should probably move on. For the first time, I kneeled and slowly raised up, standing up. I was a bit wobbly, after so much lying down, but I managed to keep my balance well enough to not eat shit immediately. I picked a direction randomly, since there was absolutely no difference to me, and proceeded to carefully walk. You¡¯re probably gonna say: what if someone sees you? Your captors? Anyone else? Yeah, I was worried about that as well. But what else was I supposed to do? To stay there was to be surely discovered. After all, someone would definitely notice those two missing and send someone. I could definitely repeat the process, but what then¡­? Actually, that wouldn¡¯t be the worst idea. I could hide under the sand and, using my ability to sense mana, grab whoever appears and regain more of my power. I decided to keep that tactic in my back pocket for later, but since I was already past the point of no return: as if I lost track of where exactly was the spot I was kept before, I just moved forward, hoping to discover¡­ something. But I did not. Not for a long time. I was slowly wandering the desert, wondering what in the hell happened and where I was. Sure, right, Wildnorth was supposed to be a vast and empty desert. I get that. But I figured that after a day or so I would¡¯ve sensed something. But that was a problem. While I definitely spent more than a day out there, walking, sometimes straight up collapsing and even fainting, yet the heat was not letting up. That was not really the problem for me, but it was definitely throwing off my perception of time. Was the sun never setting? Impossible. What, am I now on a different planet or some shit? Yeah, right. I could buy that I got moved to another world. I could buy that it was flat. But a perpetual day? I mean, it would explain the desert though, and overall lack of people. But wasn¡¯t Wildnorth supposed to be still here? I mean, in the same world I was? After all, who the hell knows? I wouldn¡¯t be surprised that For¡¯s information was incomplete or straight up incorrect. What was less likely though, was the fact that they had to somehow move me here. And judging by my own ¡°transport¡± I was betting that it would be pretty resource intensive, if possible at all. None of those did matter though if I was not able to recover my head. Or at least my normal vision. That was my main issue. The overall environment was not rich enough in mana for me, so I had to keep moving. If I was back in the forests near Axelrod¡¯s domain, I wouldn¡¯t have a problem with that, I could move full speed and on my way regain mana without issue. Here, I was barely able to get equal. It was half because of the sand making me double my efforts and half because of the thin mana. But at least I could move indefinitely forward. And so I did. I walked and walked, constantly with heat burning inside me, probably thanks to the sun shining on me, until I finally reached something. A wall. Not the most exciting thing to find, sure, but nevertheless, as soon as I managed to realize that something different was on the edge of my range, I immediately fell on all fours and waited. Did I reach some kind of an oasis? A town? Lying down I was trying to feel out my surroundings, find any sign of life nearby, but nothing. Did I find some ruin? I started slowly crawling towards the wall, trying to prod deeper and deeper inside whatever was in front of me with my mind. It wasn¡¯t that hard. There was literally no resistance, and while I didn¡¯t manage to assess what exactly was in front of me, I was sure that it had to be deserted. I could recognize random walls of different shapes and sizes, but nothing that would scream to me ¡°human presence¡±. Or any other, in that matter. I was lucky that I managed to feel out the walls at all. I was not sure why it was the case, but I was thankful nonetheless: if I was oblivious to this structure, I would just slam my body right into the wall, not expecting it. I guess I could attribute it to my ability to sense mana slowly improving, as it was the only sense I had left. And good that it did, I didn¡¯t need yet another avalanche of stuff falling on top of me, be it rocks, bookshelves, or brickwork rather, of which the wall was definitely made of. That I only realized when I was close enough to touch it. As I haven¡¯t felt any presence, I stood up and now, leaning on the wall, I started exploring the immediate area, looking for entrance. I found it soon enough, but not in the shape of some gate or door, instead it was just a large hole, where it felt like something had to break through. Hard to tell which way, though. Feeling my surroundings with both my mana sensing and manually, with my hands, I started stumbling through the sand-covered remains of the buildings, and something akin to town. Even though it was full of sand, I could tell that before it got deserted, it had to be a pretty popular one. Under my feet I felt brickwork, a rather sturdy and flat paved road, that even when under constant barrage of sand and wind, still was in decent shape. Probably the best shape of all of the town, to be honest. Buildings were a bit worse. While exploring was pretty hard to efficiently do, I managed to gather that most of the buildings had random holes within them. Some collapsed, some still standing, but every single one was made out of stone, or rather brick. Inside there were also signs of the old inhabitants: broken furniture, something that felt like pottery, maybe glasswork? I wasn¡¯t sure, it was hard to tell using just the limited mana that they were passively infused with, spending an indefinite amount of time in this environment. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Speaking of the environment, that was actually the most interesting part of this place. Sure, there was no sign of living people, but there was some residual mana hanging in the air. At first, I was wary, thinking that it might have been some remains from people that used this place as some kind of oasis, a stop during their path through the desert or something, but nope. The mana was old. And already well on its way to disperse, as it was thinly spread all over the place. What was interesting though was the places where the residue was thicker. You¡¯d think that it would be the densest inside, or in spots that were still covered, roofed or in some cellar, but no. It was quite the opposite: the mana was most prevalent in spots where the holes were. And I don¡¯t mean windows or doors, it was right where the broken parts were. It was quite obvious: it meant that the holes were made with magic. Someone attacked this place? It seemed likely. But for what? I mean, sure, there are plenty of people and a lot of them are aggressive, but to attack this place? What important things could be here? Or was it just something as mundane as ¡°you still have water and we don¡¯t, give us yours¡±? Yeah, that was a good question. If that used to be a town, where was the source of water in here? Sure, it was deserted, but it at least had to have something, right? But, as hard as I could try, I wouldn¡¯t find a thing that would resemble a well or something like that. I could blame it for my scuffed senses, or the age of the village, but who knows. Honestly, the place was kind of a disappointment. I expected that it would be some kind of hideout for someone, maybe my captors, but apparently not. Did I just walk the other direction? Maybe. Nevertheless, I intended to spend quite a bit of time here. And not just to slowly explore and search the place. I was more interested in the spots that were still infused with mana. Yeah, it was not much, but it was a lot better than being forced to drag myself all over the desert, blindly looking for anything that would regenerate me. Even those small spots were better than just absorbing mana passively, hoping to gather enough after¡­ I don¡¯t know, weeks? This way I at least could hasten the process a little bit. With nothing much to do, I picked one of the houses at random and sat down at the opening where mana seemed to be the densest, and waited. I planned on patiently meditating in one spot until mana would be fully exhausted, while keeping vigil to not get surprised by anything or anyone, but it didn¡¯t even take a few minutes for me to completely drain the remaining residue. I guess I was a bit mana-starved¡­ Well, no wonder. I was missing a full head. But, since the town was full of holes, I had plenty to absorb anyway, so I just moved to the next spot. I might have overestimated the amount of mana this place had, because after draining about twenty of the holes, I barely was able to feel the difference at all. But, I was making some progress. At about thirty I finally could tell for sure that my neck was again present back on my shoulders, with something that probably was going to form into a chin. It would be a peaceful and uneventful time, if not for one thing: every now and again, I felt an itch on my arm. First time I just brushed it over, thinking that it was just some sand or something that was bothering me, but when I moved behind some walls, hiding from wind and sand, and it did not leave I started getting concerned. And it was constantly repeating. From scratching to poking, and I swear I even felt like someone tried to tickle me once or twice. Fucking weird. I was just hoping to regain my sight sooner, so I would maybe be able to inspect myself a bit better. Ten more holes. My mouth started to form. I assume that it had to look horrible. I could feel that I already had a lower part of my jaw back, but that was about it. Well, if someone was to see me now, they¡¯d definitely bolt as far away as possible, so I guess I had that¡­ Fifteen more. Mouth was fully formed. I am not sure if those holes were more potent or something, but now I could spend a lot more time draining them. Fuck, what am I talking about. Of course those were the same, it was just my body that was absorbing everything slower and slower. I could only assume that was good news, because I wasn¡¯t feeling weaker and my regeneration wasn¡¯t slowing down either. I think it was just that I finally managed to ¡°charge up to full¡± so to speak, and only was using mana to rebuild myself. Not like I was able to control it, really. I did try, but halfheartedly. It didn¡¯t matter to me how everything would form, and since everything seemed to go smoothly, I was happy to just let the process continue by itself. Hopefully that would just make me be the same as before. Another ten. I was starting to get low on mana rich spots. But, that was not a problem, because I could tell that soon I would be back fully healed. My head had already formed, or at least the shape of it. Nothing was working though, nor formed completely, but it was just a matter of time. Funnily enough, both hearing and sight came back to me at the same time. I honestly didn¡¯t expect either, so a sudden soundl of wind made me jump and hide behind a wall that I suddenly realized could see this place in its full mundane self. Holy shit. It¡¯s been a while. As soon as I realized that just happened, I started looking myself over, to see how exactly my body was looking now, after that much abuse. And I did change. My arms¡­ were completely see-through. And I don¡¯t mean just a bit. It definitely looked like just glass. The same with legs. And hell, even torso. I was completely glass-like now. Even my organs¡­ If I even had those, really. There was only a bit of a matte part of me where my heart used to be, but even that was like glass. Well, maybe it was tinted just a tiny bit yellowish-red. Maybe from the mana of this place? -Damn. That was also when I realized that my voice was back. I mean, obviously. My throat formed a long time ago, but it never came to me to attempt to speak. And it¡¯s not like I was going to be heard by anyone. The place was as empty as it was before. Speaking off. I finally was able to see where exactly I holed up, and boy, it was something. I expected it to be some kind of old, weathered down stone oasis or something, but what I¡¯ve seen was regular concrete. Yep. Concrete and bricks. Modern architecture. It was hard to make a mistake. But how? The only place I have seen something similar was MIRE, but it was far away and even then it was an anomaly. How the hell did a modern town get here? And how did it get abandoned? I wasn¡¯t going to waste time and decided to put my new head to good use. I started exploring every single ruined building again, this time actually using regular senses, to maybe gather something more than just mana. I found some interesting things. First of all, the place was mostly looted. Every house was empty, every single piece of furniture that was not bolted down was missing, and even then some were removed. Only things left were broken. Even heavy duty stuff, like fridges and so on, were gone. And yes, I could tell that they were missing. It was hard not to recognize rooms even with that much damage, and kitchens and bathrooms were the most obvious, as they included plumbing. Of course there was no water, nor was I even suspecting that the place used to be connected to any piping. Like where, under the desert? Yeah, right. While I didn¡¯t want to believe it, there was only one explanation that immediately popped into my head. This city appeared here out of thin air just like MIRE did. It would also explain the random mana anomalies. At least somewhat. That kind of magic would¡¯ve definitely had some lasting effects¡­ It was strange though that it was completely different than in ¡°the bowl¡±. There, the greenery got fueled by mana, and what, did this place get drained instead? Only remaining spots that had mana were just old explosions or something¡­? Fuck if I know. And it didn¡¯t look like I was going to learn any time soon, because even though I explored most of the buildings, I never found anything that would help me figure out a better theory. But there was one thing that was constantly gnawing at the back of my mind. This whole place¡­ I don¡¯t know why¡­ It just felt like I¡¯ve seen it before. It wasn¡¯t the architecture¡­ nor the layout of the buildings¡­ I am not sure what it was, but something constantly was telling me that I¡¯ve either been here before, or at least seen the place. But where? Somewhere on the continent? Nah. I would¡¯ve remembered a city like this. In a memory? Maybe¡­? I did see a bunch of visions both from different people, so even though I couldn¡¯t remember myself, it was not implausible. Back in my world? I mean, possible. I¡¯ve been to some small towns before, and if that place was indeed teleported here from my old world¡­ Who knows? That brought me a different question though. Before, I was thinking that our experiment was responsible for my appearance here in the first place, as in this world. So how would some other random village appear here as well? The fact that it was full of holes also gave me a chilling feeling that I could¡¯ve been on the right track. After all, during the failure of our experiment, there¡¯s been reported explosions just as shit was going down¡­ so those small anomalies that I¡¯ve been draining would¡¯ve been just remnants of that¡­ Sure, they were smaller¡­ but that might have been because of distance¡­ or just because of the passage of time. It¡¯s been¡­ who the hell knows how long since that incident. If there¡¯s indeed something similar that happened here, that would mean that this place also had to have an Origin Crystal. Or at least that it was connected to the same leyline that we were. The first one was definitely not it, though. Aside from the possibility that someone made an artificial Origin Crystal, the ones that existed to my knowledge were only in major cities. Capitals of magic, so to speak. Where were those exactly¡­? Sydney, Washington, Rome¡­ I think Japan had two or more¡­ somewhere in Syberia also¡­ where else¡­ Nonetheless, all of those were very recognizable. Well, maybe besides the last one, but the architecture didn¡¯t strike me as ¡°utilitarian¡± so it was not it. So what, some random city that was connected to the same leyline? Or maybe, somewhere close to our leyline rather, since all of them would connect to each other sooner or later. That did not help much, only made me worry even more. It meant that our failure was uncontained. That the destructive explosions spread from MIRE further than just our city. Fuck. If that shit reached some random town that I¡¯ve never heard of, the calamity had to spread pretty far¡­ What were the casualties¡­? Out of my meditation I was snapped out by a ping on my mind-radar, so to speak. A presence appeared just at the edge of my range, coming from the direction opposite of which I came, I think. And whoever that was, was not alone. Finally. To be honest, it was rather fortunate that I found this place at all. Without this I could wander aimlessly and never spot a person at all, judging by how things were going, but here we were. A full group was now for sure walking right towards the place I was at. First things first, I needed to hide. 155. Smith Even with my form before, I was already barely human-looking, and now it got even worse. Sure, I retained human proportions and build, but my barely-formed face was not very inviting. I could only expect that the first reaction to me would be to either run as far as legs would go, or, if someone was feeling brave, a spell right to the face. In either of those cases, I decided to hide. For a second I contemplated an idea to dig myself a hole and hide in the sand. Since I didn¡¯t have to breathe it would be a nice spot to not be discovered, but decided against it. If I was to use a more regular hiding spot I¡¯d at least have a slim chance of talking to someone before eating a spell to the dome. And, with that I would be able to actually spy on them, not just with my enhanced senses. And so, I hid in one of the houses furthest away from the direction they were coming from, the most dilapidated-looking, that still had enough of its walls to give me a proper place to hide, and waited. The group that was approaching was not even ten people large. I sort of expected that those would be people that were associated with the guys who were using me as their mine, and I assume I was correct. When they entered my view, I realized that they could¡¯ve also been connected to the guy who attacked us back at sea, because they were wearing similar wraps. Well, on second thought, it probably just was the clothing of choice of every inhabitant of this desert. Temperature was a problem. I couldn¡¯t tell much besides that. As soon as they entered the ruins, they swiftly moved towards the larger buildings in the middle and started setting up a camp there. I picked a good spot to hide, I think. Not a single soul even tried going towards where I was, but nonetheless I was on edge, observing every single one of them. I was almost correct in my earlier assessment, there were eight of them. All of them working in pairs, constantly keeping an eye on each other. Interestingly, the pairs consisted of one large individual and one smaller. Almost like a child and a parent. I mean, it wasn¡¯t impossible¡­ but unlikely. To bring kids to some random ruined city? For what? But, on the other hand, they did look like some wandering tribe. If that was correct, it¡¯s not like they had a place to leave them in the first place¡­ But if that was the case, wouldn¡¯t at least one pair be a trio? Where¡¯s the other parent? I kind of find it hard to believe that every single one was missing. Like, what are the odds? It almost looked like that was set up on purpose¡­ After half an hour or so, they finally started unpacking some of their stuff and I immediately realized that whoever they were, they had some interesting stuff on them. They were equipped with void bags. That in itself was nothing special, but what caught my attention was the contents that started pouring out of them: crystals. And not just some random crystals. The mana was hard to mistake. It was my own mana. Those were my own body parts. Yet it was hard to tell that they used to be part of me. Every single one of them was either crushed or broken into pieces smaller than just a finger, and now were spilling out of void bags, lying near one of the houses. What were they trying to do with those¡­? The question was almost immediately answered, because one of those people pulled out an, I kid you not, anvil and a hammer. Yep. Well, I say pulled out, but it was more like he dragged it out and let it land in the sand next to them. He grabbed a few pieces of crystal and started hammering them together. Or at least attempted to. The hammer was definitely magical, I could tell even without using my enchanted senses. If not, it would¡¯ve just shattered right when it hit the crystal, or at least chipped a bit, but no. It instead started glowing. As soon as that started, the rest of those people gathered around and formed a circle around the anvil, looking straight at the person working. Kind of strange. It reminded me of a ritual or something. And I was absolutely correct. The glow of the hammer was fading with every single strike. Hell, no wonder, the enchantment was probably taking a beating. Just when that happened though, the one person that was paired with the smith working on the crystal shards was led towards it and after a few words extended their hands towards the anvil. I could tell that the mana started flowing back to the enchanted hammer. They were recharging the power of the enchantment. Wait, no. They were recharging the power of the person that stood right next to the anvil. They were the one that kept the blacksmith¡¯s hammer intact. Clever¡­ that way there was no problem with mixed mana. One person, working as a conduit, was mixing the mana in themselves to create a stable output, giving as little strain to the tool as possible. But, on the other hand, they were straining themselves. It was obvious that they weren¡¯t going to last very long. Despite that, the person was surprisingly resistant. And even managed to outlast the ones that were fueling the ritual. I noticed that the only ones fueling were the smaller ones¡­ Hmm¡­ The blacksmith was not standing idly. They were swinging madly at the shards, hammering them into shape. See, apparently the hammer was not only enchanted so it wouldn¡¯t break, it also was able to meld together the pieces of crystal. I am not sure how exactly, but I could tell that with every swing the piece was growing larger and larger, just for the smith to grab another piece and start hammering once more. He almost was able to go through the whole pile, melding them together into one large chunk. Strangely, it was not even half the size of the chunks combined. I guess the process was not very efficient. No surprise there, for that to even work was a feat in itself, to be honest. The ¡°batteries¡± started collapsing one after another, and soon there was only the blacksmith left standing along with the ¡°guards¡± and the one used as a conduit. I thought that they were done, but immediately they started discussing something. I swear, for a second it looked like they were going to fight each other, but after a moment the conversation finally stopped, and the ritual began anew. This time the ones fueling ritual were the ones left standing: the guards, so to speak. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. No wonder they were not used first: they started collapsing almost immediately. While there was just a handful of crystal left, all of their mana was barely enough to finish the smithing. And what did they make? That was a good question. The finished product was even smaller than before. During the second phase of smithing I swear it shrunk instead of gaining size. But the product was easy to distinguish. A sword. Or well, almost a dagger. A shortsword. Strange choice. I mean, as far as weapons go it was probably the easiest one and most convenient. If they were indeed able to smith my own flesh to create some kind of weapon, using the simplest one was indeed the play. But what for? Yeah, of course, besides the obvious. But, more importantly, what would that kind of item be capable of? Did it retain my ability to drain mana? I looked closer. It definitely was full of mana, but that was the only thing I could tell. Funnily enough, most of the mana inside it was not from the people that helped craft it, instead it was still mine. I was not sure if that was good news or bad news for me. Blacksmith, apparently happy with the results, swung a few times towards the still standing building and¡­ I expected for the building to be split in half. Maybe for it to shoot a blast of energy or something. But I didn¡¯t expect it to create a bunch of holes in the wall. Just like someone tossed a few orbs at the wall, that imploded, leaving marks like swiss cheese¡­ Wait. THAT¡¯S how those holes were made?! There was no mistaking it. Even from that far, I could tell that the holes were still full with residual mana. The same one that I not so long ago was absorbing to heal myself. Ha. No wonder I managed to heal so quickly. I was just getting back my own mana. Strange that I didn¡¯t recognize it myself¡­ Although on second glance, the residue left was not that similar to the sword¡¯s power¡­ Now, when I had the comparison, the sword had most mana that belonged to me, while the explosions were apparently fueled by the mana left in the sword by the smith, or rather their ¡°helpers¡±. That¡¯s a fancy weapon. A weapon that I had to deal with sooner or later. And probably not only once. It was clear to me. That was not the first time they did something like this. This was not some one-time experiment. That was deliberate and planned. They¡¯ve done this before, and this was just one of many items they forged. Out of many weapons that were now¡­ somewhere. Fuck. I was unsure what I should do. It was clear that soon they would figure out that I was gone. I was hoping that they would leave as soon as they could, but that was just my wishful thinking. Just observing them for a while was enough for me to tell that they were waiting for something. And I was pretty sure that I knew for what. Or rather for who. The pair that went ahead to get some more materials for their weapons. The same one that was now dead. The only question was, what was going to be their reaction? And it was looking like I wasn¡¯t going to wait long for an answer. First thing first though. It started getting dark. It honestly caught me by surprise. Before I was thinking that this place had a perpetual day or something, at least that felt like before. But now, when I was able to see with my own eyes and was no longer just a half-conscious piece of rock, there was no mistaking it: this place had the day and night cycle as any other normal town. I mean, duh, anything else would be way past weird. But, after being teleported to a different world where people lived at the edge of an infinite waterfall, I sort of thought it might have happened again. It still was not completely out of the question, since the sandy desert was the furthest thing away from the lush green forests I¡¯ve gotten somewhat used to¡­ In any case, when it started getting darker, people from the camp started finally showing more signs of life, as in the ones that were used as fuel for the smithing regained most of their mana. For a while I was worried if I was going to be spotted: after all, I was crystal and was somewhat scared that I¡¯d be glowing in the dark thanks to the mana residing within me, but that was apparently not the case. My body changed. See-through also meant a lot harder to spot in the dark. But, with the darkness came one unexpected problem. I started feeling weak. It caught me off-guard. For the first time in¡­ I don¡¯t know, a very long time, I started feeling tired. Almost sleepy. Soon it was not only that, I also started having issues standing up, so I just sat down, leaning on the wall, trying to focus on not drifting off¡­ It helped, but not completely. I still was weak, but when I slumped down, I no longer felt tired for some reason. Thinking of what exactly was going on with my body, I realized that my mana was lower than I expected. Sure, I used a lot just to regenerate myself and by walking through the sand, but when the light was out I was able to passively absorb more than enough to keep me going. And now I was standing still, so what gives? That question had an easy answer. I didn¡¯t have it immediately, but managed to figure it out eventually. See, when I was back in the greener parts, I managed to survive on residual mana and all that, right? I didn¡¯t even have to bother with eating, nor would it be a pleasant experience for me anyway. Initially I thought that it was me absorbing mana from the environment, but it was not it. Or rather not all of it. Besides that, I was also getting mana from another source: sun. Yeah, strange, right? In the next couple of days I figured out that the crystal that was my body was absorbing mana from the actual sun. Before it was not so distinguishable, since, you know, I was in an environment full of life. And on top of that, my body was not fully crystal, as in see-through. I guess having a clear body helped me absorb more from the sun or something? I was not sure, but I had an idea that it also was explaining the fact about my weakness to light magic. Before, I thought it was the only thing that was making me weak, but it was not the case. It was quite the opposite. Every time I was hit with light magic, I straight up was getting overcharged to a degree that I couldn¡¯t handle. Jumping straight past the regular ¡°blinding¡± overcharge into pain territory. Wild, right? But I didn¡¯t know that yet. Instead I was preoccupied with being awake and trying to keep tabs on everyone in the camp. I somewhat managed to do so, but I am pretty sure that I might have dozed off for a while there, during the night, thanks to the mana deficit, and instead got awakened by the first rays of the sun the next day. I immediately scoured my surroundings. No one had found me yet, and it also seemed like no one had woken up either. There was one pair that was on guard duty though, and judging by their mana they felt a bit on edge. I assumed that was because of the two that I got ¡°rid off¡± earlier. I think I was correct, because when they all finally were awake, the pair went to sleep and now another one was sent towards the way where I knew I was being kept under the tarp, somewhere further away from the town. That put me in a tight spot. Should I act? It would definitely be the best time. Eight of them. Two sleeping. Two away. Leaves four. Would I be able to take them on? Good question. Before all of this bullshit I would¡¯ve said ¡°for sure, no problem¡±, but now¡­? I wasn¡¯t so confident with myself any more. After the mishap with the guy that was chasing Axelrod-Mike, I was painfully aware of my weakness to light, funnily enough this time being incorrect. Besides that, my body was different from what I was used to, and I was still not very familiar with its new properties, if there were any. On top of that, I was still not in full strength, especially after the night. Yet, despite that, I decided that I should do something. 156. Friendly First things first though, I had to get closer to them. That in itself was going to be tricky. Sure, I was transparent and not glowing, but still was able to reflect light. One unlucky gaze or accidental flash of light from somewhere and someone would spot me. I probably could crawl, covered behind the sand dune or something, but that would take time, and I had to act quickly, before the rest was going to come back, and the four remaining awakened completely. Right now, there was only one pair fully awake, the other one was dozing next to each other in a corner of a building some few steps away. The two were ¡°patrolling¡± the area, or rather the taller one was wandering from building to building aimlessly, apparently killing time, waiting for the rest, while the smaller was sitting a bit further away, in a shade of a building. It was technically possible for me to get rid of one, if I was quick and silent enough without other noticing. I just had to get the timing right. With that in mind I stood up and stretched, checking how my mobility was. Hidden behind the wall, I could without issue test my ability without much fear of being seen. What I didn¡¯t account for was the noise, though. If I was to move haphazardly, I¡¯d definitely be heard: my body was prone to making some grinding noise if I was to move without thinking. At least the sand was masking my footsteps, though. A bit reassured, I started moving. From shadow to shadow, from ruined building to ruined building, I started getting closer to the one patrolling the area. While he was taller than the other one, he was the most exposed one, especially when he was wandering. Besides that, his mana was not exactly the strongest. I am not sure if that was because of the mana they volunteered for the ritual before, or just because they were that weak. Nevertheless, some ten steps away, hidden in the shadow, I froze, thinking of the first problem. Was he able to detect mana? I conjured a ball of mana in my palm and sent it a bit closer to the one in question, and away from me. I was hoping that he¡¯d notice it and get interested, maybe check it out. That way I¡¯d be able to gauge his ability a bit better. But alas, the experiment was a failure. He didn¡¯t even notice the ball. Even when I dangled it in front of his face, he passed next to it, not paying attention. Good for me¡­ I guess? It was a bit unusual. Sure, a regular person wouldn¡¯t be able to see that, but someone who was living in this desert had to be a bit more¡­ I don¡¯t know, trained? Experienced? Something along those lines? But nope. It was both lucky and unlucky for me. It meant that I was safe, even if I would be two steps next to him, he¡¯d be unaware of me, that is if I was not going to make a noise. On the other hand, I wouldn¡¯t be able to bait him with mana. It meant that I had to use a bit more mundane tactics and get closer. By then I was already in a building that was right next to his ¡°route¡±. I say that, but it was hard to even call it a route. He was randomly walking from house to house. Some he ignored, to some he looked inside. I sat in a building that looked like it would be on his list and waited in a shadowy corner of a room, right next to a door, waiting for him to poke his head in. I still had a decision to make. How exactly should I incapacitate the guy? I mean, magic was always an option, but for now I was a bit apprehensive to use it¡­ If I was to get rid of him, I¡¯d probably want to use lighting to paralyze and knock him out, like I used to. The problem was, I was no longer sure of my strength. What if I was weaker than before? I¡¯d use mana that I would¡¯ve thought to be enough to paralyze him, for him to just retaliate and get everyone else to attack me in retaliation? There was also the option of using too much, but as much as I didn¡¯t care much about their lives, especially when their friends were oh so eager to kill themselves, it still would¡¯ve left a bad taste in my mouth. So, physical damage then? I mean, my hand was not a worse weapon than any metal club. I would be able to silence them quickly, but what if it was not quick enough? Before I was able to make up my mind, I ran out of time. The one in question was already next to the room I was in and poked his head inside. Not even paying attention, they just walked inside, focused on the opposite side wall. So I pounced. They definitely did not expect me, which was good luck for me. I immediately covered their face in an attempt to silence any noise and proceeded to push them on the ground with full weight on my body. At the same time, I did cast a quick spell. -Eisu jemvy. In an attempt to completely disable them, I stopped the air, essentially choking them. Well, choking is not exactly correct¡­ What I did was stop the air around us completely, so no one was unable to breathe out, nor to make any noise. A bit of a dirty spell, sure, but since it didn¡¯t affect me, I didn¡¯t care. I didn¡¯t want to kill though, so as soon as we fell down and I managed to trap their arms behind their back I quickly took off the wraps that were around their head and proceeded to create a makeshift gag. I had to act quick. He, because after seeing the face I could tell, was not resisting very much, to my surprise. Sure, there was some flailing, but that was about it. For a second I thought that I might have been too rough, or that he was already passed out thanks to lack of air, so I released the spell and proceeded to check his pulse. It was still there, so there was no problem. I was already draining his mana since I touched him, so as he stopped moving I released my hold, seeing what he was going to do, but there was no reaction. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. I turned the body over, and looked closer. He was unconscious. I didn¡¯t drain that much mana, but since there wasn¡¯t much to begin with, it was enough for him to black out. And most likely for a good while. Relieved, I took off some more wraps from his body and tied him up, leaving him in the corner of the room. I expected that during the scuffle someone would notice that he¡¯s disappeared inside this building, but to my surprise no one was coming. The small one that hid closer to the rest was still sitting there, not interested, while the other two were nearby and resting. Or I should say, one. The other one was also awake and up now. I could tell that this one would be the problem. While draining the guy, I realized that he was weak because it was indeed the smith that was hammering the Origin Crystal. He had to pull a lot of his energy towards that effort and so was exhausted even today. Lucky for me. The one that awakened was now stretching out lazily on the sand. For now there was no indication that they noticed me, so that was good. I just had to wait and see how that situation would unfold. But nothing much unfolded before the two that went to the dunes came back. They got here faster than I expected. Did they turn back for some reason? I was unsure and annoyed that they were back so fast. I thought that I¡¯d have time to get rid of everyone else, not just the one guy. I guess it was some progress, but would that really be so helpful? It was clear that discovering their missing companion was just a matter of time. And on top of that, I think that they realized that something was wrong. As soon as they came into my range, I could tell that both of them were on edge. What did they find? It was either they realized that I was missing, although with that fast time I wasn¡¯t so sure about that, or the opposite, that they realized that someone else was at their camp. I couldn¡¯t hear, but I could see that when they came back they''d immediately woken everyone up and started looking for the missing one, at the same time talking as fast as they could. Their feelings of suspicion and unease were spreading rapidly throughout the camp, and soon I found myself trapped: they were spreading out and searching through the whole town. One thing was strange though. With one less pair, I obviously kept my eye on the singular person, to maybe repeat the process with that one, but as I was prodding at their mana, I felt¡­ something different. Their emotions¡­ sure, they were also uneasy, but¡­ excited? Almost happy? That did not sound right to me, and yet there it was. And to be honest, that was not the only strange emotion that was near me. One of the tall ones was also strangely excited. Definitely not something that you¡¯d feel during a manhunt. That did not bode well, yet¡­ I felt like I was missing something. Like something else was there, but I couldn¡¯t place it exactly¡­ something familiar. But I had to expunge those thoughts and focus, because one pair had just appeared right next door. I had to be ready to repeat my maneuver, this time with multiple targets. Or at least something adjacent to it. I didn¡¯t have to be stealthy any more. I mean, sure knocking them both out without alarming the rest would be preferable, but with people literally few meters away, I doubt that would¡¯ve been possible. So I decided that I shouldn¡¯t pull my punches. Again, I waited for the first one to poke their head inside my hiding spot. I didn¡¯t have to wait for long. My next target, just like the one before, walked inside the ruined building. This time though, they were a lot more careful, and didn¡¯t just stroll in without a second thought. They were standing right at the edge of the entryway, barely one step inside the room. It was good enough for me. Just as they were to notice the slumped body of the other guy, I pounced right at my target. As it was not the first time, I already had my spell ready and casted it mid-leap. At the same time, I grabbed their neck and with my other hand covered their mouth, just to be doubly safe, and proceeded to drain the mana immediately. The feeling though¡­ I was shocked. The sudden rush of adrenaline and pleasure that coursed through me was unreal. It was so abrupt that I reflexively started draining them faster, to boost the rush¡­ Wait. That was wrong. Very wrong. But so good. But bad. Stop. I already felt that once before. I knew that mana. Barely managing to contain myself, I slowed down and started removing the wrappings from their head. From her head. It was For. There was no mistaking it. The taste of mana was unmistakable. And even better after having to endure that much of ¡°starvation¡±. It was hard to stop myself, but I had to. I knew that if I was to hold her any more, she¡¯d be in big trouble. I released my grip on her head, just holding her down pinned on the ground and turned her to face me. She still was unable to breathe, under my spell, so she was visibly struggling. Even seeing my face she didn¡¯t give me any recognition at all, so I quickly took back the wrappings and made a gag out of it and promptly covered her mouth, releasing the spell. She tried to speak, but she was only able to get out a very silent moan that was promptly deafened by the wind that was still present. It was clear she didn¡¯t recognize me. I guess my face was still not in the best shape after reforming. And my body was a bit different, so I couldn¡¯t blame her. -For. It¡¯s me. She shuddered wildly under me and her eyes turned into plates. -What the fuck?! Yeah, that¡¯s an expected reaction. -Exactly. What the fuck. What are you doing here? Why are you with these people? -I¡­ It¡¯s a long story¡­ Why are YOU here?! I thought you were dead! I gave her an intense look. Or at least tried to, I am not sure how my face was working exactly. -Maybe I was. But I am more interested in the fact that you are working with those people. Why? And no lying. I¡¯ll know. She shifted uncomfortably under my weight. -They got Kon. And some others. I was trying to get him out! I didn¡¯t feel a lie. Good. -So they are your enemies. What¡¯s your plan? Before she was able to answer, we heard a voice from some nearby building. -You found anything yet? -No! -Nope¡­ -And you, F? -She means me. Ungag me so I can reply! I was a bit uneasy about that, but I did remove my hand and the gag. -Nothing here. Did they leave or somethin¡¯? -Seems like it. Let¡¯s move and check the rest of the place. -Will be with you in a minute¡­ Just need to get rid of some sand. This shit gets everywhere. -That¡¯s this place for you. You wanted to come here by your own choice, now suffer our pain. I heard some chuckles. -Very funny. Just don¡¯t try peeking, or I will kill you. -Oooh, I am sorry, mistress. -There. But I need to move quickly. -Damn. You have them wrapped around your little finger. -It¡¯s not as good as you think. I am here by stroke of luck. -Really? Interesting¡­ -I¡¯m more interested in how you ended up here, but let¡¯s talk later. What are you planning? -I mean¡­ I pointed towards the unconscious guy on the ground. -Yeah¡­ that might be a problem. And by the way, don¡¯t kill him yet. -Yet? -I¡¯ll explain later. They are going to look for him. You go hide, I¡¯ll try to think something out¡­ maybe lead them away¡­ I nodded and backed up. She dusted herself off and grabbed the guy, starting to drag him away. As she was far enough from me I quickly ducked into a corner, listening and scanning my surroundings. 157. Group -Oi, I found him! -What?! As she was dragging him away from the ruins, I could tell that everyone else was encroaching on my location, but soon passed me and instead started focusing on the unconscious guy. As careful as I could, I emerged from the house and hid in a different one. Bit further away, but not far enough so I would still hear them. -He¡¯s alive, but blacked out. -Hey! Wake up. -Oi! What followed was something that probably was a couple of slaps to try and wake the guy up. -Nothing? -Fuck, man¡­ -What¡¯s wrong with him? -Fuck, did you found anyone else¡­!? -No, why? -The pair working is missing. I thought that they might have defected¡­ and seeing this that¡¯s probably the case. -Defected!? -Yeah, that damage tells me everything. -You¡¯re a bad luck charm. -Fuck you too. But what was that about damage? -Don¡¯t get so interested. -Oh come on. Don¡¯t take that out on me. I know I am new, but I can be helpful. And I am not stupid. Was that the dealer who fucked off? -Grh¡­ -Oh, come on mate. She¡¯s been pretty helpful back in the base, maybe she can be useful¡­ -Useful¡­ yeah right. -What, you think that I did that to him? For laughed. -Of course not. I am not stupid. You¡¯re new, you don¡¯t have access to that stuff. -Shut the fuck up! -Where exactly did you find him? -That¡­ She hesitated for a second. -I moved. You can show them. She flinched, hearing my voice, but quickly regained her composure. -You good? -Yeah, just¡­ fucker¡¯s heavy and I might have sprained something¡­ -Ha. Weak ass. -Fuck you. Want me to show you or not? That one. Let me¡­ She guided them to the house I attacked the guy in. -Here. -Yeah, there¡¯s been something here. -Something? -I mean, look at the sand. -That¡¯s probably just me fumbling with his body. Fucker was on the ground and I ate shit because of that. -Ha! -Funny. -Of course it is. But, besides that, there is something in the air. Someone used magic here. -You sure? Doesn¡¯t this whole place have random mana residue¡­? -Oh, it does, but this is a bit fresher. They probably set up a trap. -Can he even do that? -I mean, who the hell knows? Those kids are so unpredictable¡­ -You think it was the small one? Nah, couldn¡¯t be¡­ He¡¯d¡­ -And what, you think he just randomly decided to change his mind and set us up? Fuck no! -Like you wouldn¡¯t! -You son of a¡­ They were arguing for a good few minutes. From what I could overhear, they were a part of a larger group. I am not sure if they were part of the same one that the guy who knocked me out was. Good news though, they didn¡¯t suspect that I came back to life. Instead, they thought that the pair that I got rid off had taken off with me. I mean, that was a fair assumption: they couldn¡¯t have expected for me to randomly wake up and attack, right? That is the best part. I am not sure they were even aware that I was a person! How¡¯s that possible, you ask? Well, your guess is as good as mine. While I was a headless torso most of the time, or at least I have to assume so, I had some features that were human, right? They were even able to cut off my fingers, so they had to know that they were dealing with a corpse. Well, a bit lively and definitely unusual, but still! Nah, I think that was just bullshit they were feeding For. I was not interrupting nor trying to contact her for now, but it was clear that some of them didn¡¯t trust her at all, calling her a newbie and all. She apparently only was able to join this party of theirs because they were missing some members¡­ the same ones that were now suspected of betrayal. I guess my resilience paid off for her. But what exactly was she doing here? That question had to wait until we¡¯d managed to deal with them, and it seemed like it¡¯s going to be a while. -Okay, we need to split up. You four stay here, wait for us. -What for¡­? Can¡¯t we just go wherever the hideout is supposed to be¡­? Hideout? -No. A smaller party is better. And we¡¯re going scouting anyway. -So go alone. -I need at least two of us. I can¡¯t be going alone with them on the run. -But¡­ -Shut up, newbie. You¡¯re staying here and there¡¯s no discussion.. -Fuck off. -We don¡¯t want to have an untested member in the field when we are dealing with runaways. Last time that happened we ended up with another dead. -That¡¯s why I am a better choice. I don¡¯t have any ties to them. I can delete them as soon as I see them. You¡¯re gonna hesitate. -It¡¯s bold for you to assume that we have any ties like that. Someone laughed. -Yeah, that¡¯s not going to be a problem. You just sit here and guard the straggler. Since that idiot is down for the count, we need to take care of his pair. Who knows what stupid shit can come to their stupid head. -Eh. Do what you will. -Good girl. -Fuck you. Better tell me how long am I supposed to be waiting here? -To get where we want we need about a day or so, depending on circumstances. If everything goes according to plan we are going to be back in less than three days. -Three days?! I am supposed to stay in this dump for three days?! -What, can¡¯t handle the heat? Another laugh. -You¡¯re gonna be alone anyway. Go have some fun, why don¡¯t you. You can use the two however you want. Just don¡¯t break them. -Oooh, how generous. Damn, now I am starting to be jealous. I can only imagine how mad this idiot¡¯s going to be when we tell him what he¡¯s going to be missing! -Don¡¯t get stupid ideas. -Oh, of course, mistress, everything for you, mistress. -Piss off. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. -Joking aside, we¡¯re going to move. And don¡¯t be so crestfallen, those ruins are not so bad. Go have a look, maybe there¡¯s still something useful in there. Last time I was here, I managed to find some relics. Got me some coin, maybe you¡¯re going to be lucky too. -Aha, sure. -I doubt that. -Anyway, those in the back still have most of the walls left, so if you want to hide go there. We¡¯re out. -Yeah, yeah, whatever. Go. With that, they split. I couldn¡¯t believe our luck. Not only the group split, they left me here with For, an unconscious guy, and two, what I only could assume from their conversation, slaves. I waited a good few minutes after they disappeared from my range of senses before I even tried contacting her again. -They¡¯re gone? -Yeah. You heard what they said? -Most of it. -Good. Then you know it¡¯s safe. -Safe? What about the two others¡­? -Oh, they are going to be happy to see you too. -What¡­? -Well, maybe not with that body¡­ but nevermind, come out. I was confused, to say the least, so I took a closer look at the people in question. Well, after she mentioned it, I could tell that there was something familiar about those two¡­ I couldn¡¯t really place either of them, but I definitely did see them before. Nevertheless, I was not going to reveal immediately, instead just started approaching carefully, under cover of ruins. But, when they were in my eyeshot, I immediately understood what she was about. The other two were kids. I mean, sure, I already figured that out, but seeing them without their wraps I recognized both immediately. While I didn¡¯t have much time to look at them before, I could tell that those two were part of the group from the ¡°orphanage¡± that Kon was part of. That also gave me a good idea why exactly For was trying to pursue them. But still, I was unsure on the bit ¡°how¡±. -Ah. Them. Better hold them so they won¡¯t run away. -Way ahead of you. I shrugged and emerged from the cover of yet another ruined building. All of them immediately turned to me and started hiding their faces. -Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s him. Both of them looked confused. -I am not your enemy - I announced, slowly approaching. They did not look convinced, although on the sound of my voice their expression changed from wary and scared to just scared, and their mana somewhat started to calm down. -How in the hell did you all end up here¡­? -I want to ask you the same. What happened after¡­ Did you die¡­? -Die¡­? Well, you tell me. My memory is somewhat hazy¡­ -What do you remember? - asked For, now also curious. -Well, the last thing is that idiot zapping me with something and me losing consciousness. -Losing consciousness? Ha. That¡¯s¡­ an understatement. I gave her a confused look. -Your head literally exploded. That shocked both me and the kids. -Okay, one step at a time. First off, what happened to you, kids? -Ah, that - nodded For. - I do have some information, but those are better from the source. What exactly happened? Kids finally realized that we were talking to them and shook off the initial confusion. -Er¡­ I don¡¯t know for sure what was supposed to happen¡­ but we were taken away from mister Jack by someone here¡­ that¡¯s about it¡­ -Here? This¡­ ruin? -No, no, I meant the desert. I had never seen this place before. Or¡­ maybe we did? All those ruins look similar¡­ The guy opened a portal and told us to go through, that he¡¯s adopting us all. At first we were a bit suspicious, but then we recognized that he seemed to know mister Jack and he encouraged us to follow him¡­ There were a few others with him too¡­ although I am not sure who they were. Some looked like they were familiar with him, too¡­ -Jack, Jacob, Goldie, Felix. At least - explained For for them. -Well, with that party no wonder Jack just let them go¡­ -You did force him a bit¡­ -You know what I wanted. -Yeah, yeah. -Okay, what happened next? -Er¡­ - kid continued. - They teleported us to some kind of camp in the middle of the desert¡­ It was a bit scary, but soon they gave us clothes to change and told us that they are going to give us permanent jobs and guardians. After that, they split us into pairs and since then we were tasked to help them with their responsibilities¡­ He did not elaborate, but I didn¡¯t ask. I could see that on his face that it was not just some random chores. That, and I did witness the ritual before. I assume that it was not the worst thing they were used for¡­ -I understand¡­ Thanks¡­ But where do you come into play here, For? They said you¡¯re new here¡­? -That I am, to this group at least. I¡¯ve been working undercover, so to speak, for the past few months. -Months? Damn, I¡¯ve been down for that long?! -Yeah, it¡¯s been a while. But I forgot to ask. HOW DID YOU SURVIVE?! -I mean, you know what I am made of. Can¡¯t you figure that out? -Yeah, sure, but YOUR HEAD WAS MISSING. You were not moving. And if that was not enough, you were then broken into small pieces! They dragged you through a portal. IN PIECES! You were literally a pile of rubble! -Well fuck¡­ I don¡¯t have an explanation¡­ When I came to, I was lying somewhere on the sand, covered with some kind of tarp and missing my head. -Still in better shape than when I saw you last! I couldn¡¯t tell if she was more happy or more scared. I mean, if what she said was true, I hardly could blame her. I essentially did come back from the dead. At least to her. -Eh¡­ good to see you¡­ a bit changed, but still. -Yeah. You too. But how did you get here exactly? Don¡¯t tell me that you followed them here? -Of course I did. What do you think? -What, you just jumped after him? -Like hell I did. What, you think I am that stupid? -Well¡­ -Shut up. -No. After he shoved your¡­ rubble inside his bag and ported away, we immediately started thinking of some way to follow him. And you. -What did you figure out? -Remember, you lost something. A certain part of yourself. For a second I was confused, but soon I realized what exactly she was talking about. -My hand? And how does that help¡­? -Remember my ¡°epiphany¡± about teleports¡­? I was unsure if I should be amazed or disappointed. -You used my own body as an anchor. -Yep. -And how did that work?! If that was to work correctly it¡¯d put you¡­ where exactly¡­? Wouldn¡¯t that send you to some kind of relative of mine or something? Back to my world?! -Well¡­ we thought of that risk¡­ -What, my world was so interesting? -NO! I mean, yes. I mean, we did mean to follow you and¡­ -Eh¡­ yes, yes, I get it. It was Kon¡¯s idea, right? -Yeah¡­ I think he still had some information from the one inside his head or something¡­ He knew that you couldn¡¯t be dead¡­ -I guess¡­ Okay, what happened exactly? -Well, the teleport did get us towards you. But what we didn¡¯t account for was that we¡¯d land right in the middle of their encampment. -Oh for fucks¡­ -But Kon actually planned ahead¡­ and saved me. -He saved you? -Yeah. He opened another portal. I am not sure what exactly he used, but he opened one using something on him and shoved me inside. I landed in one of those buildings. She gestured to the ruins next to us. -You¡­ landed here? -Yeah. I never expected that I¡¯d meet you here though. That¡¯d be helpful to know. -Damn. I am not sure if you are lucky or what, but those are some levels of bullshit I am having hard time believing. -I can say the same about your miraculous revival. What, did you put yourself together just like that? You were shattered, like a broken glass! -I don¡¯t know what to tell you - I shrugged. - I awoke headless though. Drained my captors, who, realizing that they were losing, offed themselves. -They what?! The last sentence shook not only her, but also the two kids next to her. -Er¡­ What¡­? -Are you sure about that?! You¡¯ve seen that?! -I mean¡­ I didn¡¯t have my eyes back then¡­ nor my head, but I am certain that after I started draining, when they were low on mana, they just disappeared. And not like it was teleportation, I¡¯d notice. Just ¡°poof¡± and gone. -That¡­ yeah. That tracks. The two kids were on the edge of crying. She was holding herself up, but inside I could tell that she was crestfallen. -Can you at least tell me what are you on about before you start crying? - I asked. - Those were my captors. I don¡¯t really feel bad. -One of them was your captor. The second one was just an unfortunate soul. -Everyone in here works in pairs. Or at least so it seems like it. In reality it¡¯s just a slave-owner relationship. And the slaves are, as you can see, kids. Kids that you have entrusted to me. -But I only attacked one of them?! What happened to¡­ -This. One of the kids reached into their clothes and pulled out a necklace. I think I¡¯ve seen a similar one before, but I couldn¡¯t really place where exactly. -Everyone is forced to wear one. It¡¯s¡­ cursed. -Those are linked to their owners. And help their owner cast the spells. You have probably seen the ritual, right? That¡¯s one of their uses. Using other¡¯s mana as your own¡­ -Are you telling me¡­ that I was attacking both at the same time? Wait, that doesn¡¯t make sense. Why aren¡¯t one of you down? - I pointed towards the unconscious guy. - Isn¡¯t one of you linked to him¡­? -I am. And I do feel weak. -You were lucky - said For. - It¡¯s just that those kids have a lot more mana capacity than those idiots. You just drained him faster than he was able to regenerate by stealing from him¡­ -Okay, but that still doesn¡¯t explain why the other two disappeared. If what you say is correct, the situation would be pretty much the same there! Or I¡¯d be left with a kid in tow. And I am sure that both of their signatures disappeared! -Say¡­ did you hear any spell being cast¡­? Because that¡¯s how it usually goes¡­ -Spell¡­ Well, maybe? I couldn¡¯t really tell. I did feel some mana activity though. -Remember what my ¡°brethren¡± did when we captured one of those¡­? -Are you telling me that that idiot offed himself in hopes of destroying me?! And also used the kid¡¯s mana to increase the effect!? Are you kidding me?! But, that would explain how I was able to regain so much energy so fast¡­ -I assume it was more of ¡°if I can¡¯t have him, no one can¡±. -Are you kidding me?! -That¡¯s why I was working undercover. I couldn¡¯t really attack them out right. I had to find a way to avoid¡­ the thing that happened to you. - Why are they so stubborn!? - I bursted out, annoyed. - Can¡¯t they stop for a fucking minute without exploiting someone?! -You¡¯re the one speaking¡­ But yeah, I get you. I gave her an annoyed look. Or rather an annoyed feeling, it¡¯s hard to convey feelings with my face alone. -Well, in any case, I don¡¯t know for sure why they target everyone that is around you¡­ but maybe that¡¯s enough for them maybe¡­ -What do you mean by that? -They are targeting you - she simply said. - That much is clear. I guess since we had some kind of contact with you, they figured out we are co-conspirators of yours or something¡­ -Wait, pause. I thought they were targeting Axelrod? -Oh, they are. But not only. See, I¡¯ve noticed¡­ those aren¡¯t exactly just some random thugs¡­ Or, well at least not completely. At the core, they do have some kind of organization. -Organization is aiming to get me?! What the hell did I do to them!? And Axelrod for that matter? -Well¡­ it probably is in their name¡­ -Name? -They call themselves MIRE. 158. Return I needed a moment to process that. MIRE. The same one that I was a part of? Or rather used to be¡­? No. The one that Melle had heard of most likely. But were they really two different things? That was the main question. She noticed that I was absolutely stunned. -Yeah, I figured out that you¡¯d be shocked. Your own group aiming to get you? That¡¯s not really something you expect. Especially after so long¡­ -Let¡¯s say that¡¯s true¡­ I would be more concerned about the fact that they are even here! And after¡­ What did he say, millennium? -I think so. But, good news, I don¡¯t think that most of those are still the same people you knew. Or at all, really. -I kind of figured that out. -Yeah. It¡¯s not like people live that long. -Well, most of them. There¡¯s still Axelrod and the rest of the team¡­ -Mhm¡­ -What are we even supposed to do now¡­? The question was stated by the one that was quiet the whole time: one of the kids freed by For. Wait¡­ were they even freed? -First off, we probably need to get those off you - I pointed towards their necks. - We don¡¯t need any more casualties. -Well¡­ we can, but it probably will work better for us if we let them stay as they are. -Why? -They will notice that they are missing. And if we are to get them off-guard, better to be safe than sorry. -I guess¡­ But those idiots didn¡¯t notice my mana even when it was right in front of their noses. You think they¡¯re going to notice it missing? -I¡­ huh. I am not sure. -Let me see one of those. One of the kids pulled out the necklace and showed it off, not taking it off. -They did warn us about taking them off. They said that something might happen, but they never said what¡­ -Ominous¡­ I inspected the necklace. Yeah, sure, it was magical, but besides that, I couldn¡¯t tell anything. Felt somewhat familiar, though. Damn. Was my whole knowledge gone along with ILMA? The longer I was alone without her, the more I started noticing my own missing pieces. -I can try and drain it. How about it? -Not the worst idea. That is if your drain won¡¯t just target them instead of the item. -Hm¡­ that might be¡­ I stopped mid-sentence. Something was not right. -For. How long were we supposed to be alone? -Er¡­ few days? I think that''s what they said. At least more than a day, though. Why are you asking? -Because someone is approaching. She immediately snapped towards the kids. -Inside. Now. Hide, cover yourselves. They nodded and hid inside the ruined house we were next to. -Are they back already? That shouldn¡¯t be right¡­Are you sure it¡¯s them? -That¡¯s the problem. I do think so. But there¡¯s more of them. -More?! They brought reinforcements?! -Yeah. And it gets better. There¡¯s a familiar one with them. -Kon?! First of all, why do they have him!? Second, why bring him here?! -Do they know you know him? -I am not sure¡­ -You said that they caught you together. -They did. I guess that¡¯s why they took him with¡­ Fuck. I didn¡¯t expect that¡­ How many of them are there? -More than ten. -That¡¯s a lot. -Pairs. -What the fuck?! That¡¯s like the whole group?! What happened? -I guess their source of income is gone so they aren¡¯t pulling any punches. -Source of income? -Me. She looked at me, confused. -Don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t know? -Didn¡¯t know what? -They were using me as their private source of crystals. You know, the same ones that you just not so long ago used to make that weapon. -Wait. That was YOU? Oh. Ew. -Yeah, I don¡¯t like the reaction. I better hide. -You bet. We¡¯ll be in contact. I quickly moved away from the spot they were staying and hid in another ruined building. I was glad that there were a lot of spots to hide here, without that I¡¯d have a lot more problems right now. Meanwhile, For was quickly talking with the kids, I assume telling them to not snitch on me. I don¡¯t think they would anyway, but hey. Soon, the group entered the main ruin. I could tell that there were even more than ten pairs coming. And every single one was dressed similarly, including Kon. Yeah, I am sure that it was him. His mana did not change at all. I could pinpoint him instantly: he was being escorted by three pairs, one at the front, two behind. It was clear that he was not a willing participant of this march. Rest was walking slightly behind the first group. I focused a bit, trying to maybe recognize someone else. Sure, some of the pairs had familiar mana, I assume those were some kids from the island. I did not recognize almost anyone. That is besides the ¡°leader¡±. The first one, spearheading this group, was definitely the same man that took me out of commission last time. He replaced the robe that got destroyed in our last fight with one looking exactly the same. I was able to recognize him thanks to his mana. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The group joined For, who was now standing in the middle of the ruins, looking surprised. -You¡¯re already here? I thought you needed a few days? And what¡¯s up with that much of a force? -Silence. -Oh. Sorry, that¡¯s you, boss. I didn¡¯t recognize you¡­ Ah. So he WAS the boss around here. I wonder¡­ -You can stop now. I know what¡¯s going on. Before she was able to react, two pairs jumped her and pinned her down to the sand. -What the fuc¡­ She didn¡¯t even have time to protest. She immediately got tied up and gagged. -Take the amulet. A bit of a scuffle later, the ¡°boss¡± gestured to lift her up and walked closer to her. -I know what¡¯s going on here. Where is he? She just gave him an angry look. -Right, you can¡¯t speak. But your eyes tell me that you wouldn¡¯t say anything even if you could talk. Never mind. He sighed and started pacing next to her. -I was patient. I was hopeful. That when you¡¯d be freed from him, you¡¯d turn for the better. Smarter. But nope. I let my guard down. And he¡¯s back now. I am not sure how, but it is clear that your bud is back with us. And here I was hoping that you¡¯d maybe finally had learned. Another sigh. -You heard me, Mor. Get out here. I know you are here. While I am fairly certain that you don¡¯t care much about that woman, I might convince you yet. He gestured towards the people behind him, and in a span of a second, every single kid from every pair got dragged out in front, next to Kon. What the hell is he trying to do? -I am sure you know them - he said, pulling off the coverings from Kon. - Kon. An interesting creature. You probably don¡¯t care about what happens to them, but that doesn¡¯t mean that I am not going to try something else. He grabbed his neck and pulled out the familiar necklace, the same one I¡¯ve seen other kids wearing. -That¡¯s a linking amulet. For probably told you what it¡¯s capable of. But, you probably don¡¯t know that it can be a bit more¡­ powerful. Lunipdo. Suddenly, all the kids stiffened. Including Kon. And not only them. For, in binds, also stopped moving. At the same time, I also felt something at the back of my neck. -Ooh, a strong connection. So you are close. Stand. On his command, everyone that apparently got affected by a spell stood up. And, weirdly enough, I also felt a very strong tug. I couldn¡¯t help myself. I stood up. What the hell?! -Scour the ruins. He can¡¯t be far. With one bark, everyone scattered, looking for me. Only people left standing there were the ¡°boss¡± and kids, along with For and Kon. But they were in a situation mimicking mine: unable to move, frozen in place. Not good. How in the hell did that even work?! He somehow managed to put me under his spell without even seeing me?! I had to act quickly, before I would be found¡­ -I got him! Well shit. Too late. -Where?! He immediately left the hostages and almost sprinted towards the ruin where I was. I couldn¡¯t really do anything, nor was I even able to see the adversary, because of that stupid spell. -Ah. Hello, Mor. I heard them approach behind me. -Drag him to the center. Just be careful and don¡¯t touch him directly. Damn. I was hoping that they might be ignorant about that part of my ability, but no luck I guess. I felt a rope being tied to me and soon I was tightly bound with something that looked suspiciously similar to a metal cable. Where do they get this shit from even!? Like some immobile rock, I got dragged out towards the middle of the ruins. They placed me next to Kon and For, although they left enough space between us that it would be impossible for me to touch either of them without taking a few steps at least. -I never expected to find you alive - he started, staring at me with amazement. - But, with that body of yours, no wonder. I should¡¯ve been more careful. I wanted to reply, but I could not. The strange tug that froze my whole body was also working on my mouth. I was barely able to grunt at him. -I know, I know. You can¡¯t talk. I can¡¯t have you casting some spells at me now, can I? Like that was a problem for me. I would be able to toss a fireball at his face even now, without talking, but that didn¡¯t mean I wanted to right now. First off, I didn¡¯t want to drag the kids into this mess even more. And besides, it seemed like he had something to say. It would be in my best interest to at least hear what the hell is he planning to do before setting this whole place on fire. -Nah, we can¡¯t - he continued. - But I must admit, I expected more resistance from you. Last time you almost killed me, and now you barely did any damage. Barely? I did get rid of three of his people alone without even being spotted. I guess he realized what I was thinking. -You didn¡¯t even manage to kill any of them. Who would¡¯ve expected? A mass murderer like you, calming down, all of the sudden? Who in the hell did he have me for? I am pretty sure that I¡¯ve not killed anyone. On the other hand, those elves did kill themselves though, so maybe that¡¯s where he was coming from¡­ -Now, while I¡¯d love to return you to a pile of rubble once more, I am not going to. Judging by your swift recovery, that¡¯s pointless. That leaves me with a conundrum. What the hell do I do with you? ¡°Leave me the fuck alone¡± I wanted to say. Not like it would¡¯ve made any difference. -No. Even if I did manage to finally end you, that would not be the proper punishment for you. I thought that desecrating your body would be at least a start, but we can see how that ended up. Oh, what to do¡­ He was not going to release the spell, was he? Nah, he just wanted to vent at me, without even giving me a chance to speak. But that was not going to stop me. For a second, I thought if I should even bother trying to talk with him. Wouldn¡¯t it be simpler if I was just to start with burning his veil again? It¡¯s not like that would make my case worse. It wouldn¡¯t make it better either. Eh¡­ What a pain. I focused on him. On his mana. I knew that it was probably possible, so why not try it right now. Especially when he was apparently somehow connected to me with that weird magic of his. I directed my thoughts right towards him. Just like with For and the rest, I tried speaking to him inside his head. But, unlike with them, I was not trying to be careful. I was being forceful on purpose. I expected something to happen, but not for results to be that good. And immediate. -And what the fuck did I do to you to get this kind of treatment? He flinched and leaped backwards, definitely not expecting to hear me inside his own head. And definitely did not expect a blast of hostile emotions that were paired with that question. Next to me I noticed that Kon and For cringed a little bit. I guess my emotions leaked. -What the fuc¡­ Gag him! The people next to him leaped towards me on his command, shoving some random piece of clothing in my face. Fucking great. Well, I did accomplish one thing with that stunt. That is, besides getting a facefull of dirty rags. When he ordered me and here and overall in those ruins, his demeanor was calm, collected and confident. The moment I spoke to him, that changed: he was once more completely terrified, just like when he first heard my name. I just shot him an annoyed gaze. -You know, that¡¯s pointless¡­ This time he positively jumped up. -What in the¡­ Everyone else near him was confused, including my companions. -I would kindly request for you to remove this shit off me. And the spell too, if you could. So we can have a bit more normal discussion. He grabbed his head, panicked. -Get him away from the prisoners! His order was immediately followed. While his people weren¡¯t able to hear me, they had a good idea that something was going wrong. The tone of his voice was enough. Every prisoner got gathered behind him, while the rest circled me, while leaving a good few steps of space between us. -Mhm¡­ What now? - I asked him, trying to not pour hostility along with my words. He still didn¡¯t like me speaking directly to him, but regained his composure somewhat. -I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re trying to pull here, but not on my watch! I could just cast a spell and burn the gag away, but decided against it for a while. If I was to use magic, I¡¯d use it against him, not just to get rid of some nuisance. I think he figured out that I was planning something, because he immediately ¡°cleared that up¡±. -You can not speak! I will not allow for any magic to get out of your mouth! Not like that was a source of anyone¡¯s magic, but whatever. -Sure. Whatever you want to say. So you¡¯re not against listening to me like that, then. His face contorted in a mixture of pain and fear. Strange. Not like I was trying to hurt him. Yet. -So. What now? What do you want from me? He finally managed to spit out a reply. -What I want?! I want you to die for your crimes! I rolled my eyes. -Sure, whatever. Not like I even know what those crimes are, but I am sure they are grave and definitely not made up just for the sake of it. His fear disappeared for a second, instead turned into pure rage. -Made up. MADE UP?! Your face is the proof of your crimes! Your whole body is proof of your crime! Murderer! Terrorist! His outburst¡­ was genuine. Whatever he was talking about, he definitely was believing it true. I wanted to ask him again to elaborate, but there was no need. -You want your crimes read? Sure. Of course. Fucking creature. You are guilty of killing at least a hundred people directly, stealing private property, and most of all, CREATING A CALAMITY. You remember now, eh?! 159. Consequences Wait, he knew?! I did suspect that he was from the same place I was, but¡­ I guess my fears were rooted in facts. After I woke up, I did expect someone to be sent to find me¡­ To have some kind of an arrest warrant or some shit¡­ But for me to be followed here?! Or rather US. Now at least there was no question: that was why he was chasing Axelrod. Or rather Mike. -You indirectly destroyed billions of lives! And you think you can get away with it with just some words!? -Ah. I didn¡¯t expect¡­ He didn¡¯t let me finish. -So, you DO admit it? What, I refreshed your memory or something?! Kon and for were staring at me expectantly. Probably thinking that it was some misunderstanding. But after the last sentence, it was clear that it was not the case. I could feel the question bombard me, the two of them trying desperately to contact me, but I just ignored them. -I do remember. But I didn¡¯t expect for someone to follow me here that was not involved in¡­ that. -Involved? HA. INVOLVED. THE WHOLE WORLD WAS INVOLVED YOU MANIAC. YOU DESTROYED CONTINENTS. YOU AND YOUR STUPID FRIENDS. AND NOW YOU HAVE THE GUTS TO JUST LIVE HERE LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED?! I mean, he was not wrong, I was planning on that. But, that didn¡¯t change anything for me. I very well knew that the situation we left behind was¡­ bad. Maybe not on the scale he was presenting me, but still. Despite that, I was not going to just lie down and take it, whatever he was planning to do. And not like he could do much to me for that matter. I mean, sure in the confrontation, probably, but not in the long run, as demonstrated by my recovery. Maybe not instant, but still. -I am flattered that someone has dedicated their whole life for me. Do you even get paid for that? What am I talking about, of course you don¡¯t. People here don¡¯t care. -Wrong. And I don¡¯t need any money to do the right thing. -Right, sure. Everyone cares, including Axelrod. -Oh, don¡¯t pretend, you know him. You know that he is as involved as it gets. -Of course I know. But he is the largest power in this world. I doubt that any of his ¡°subjects¡± would care about that. If his power wouldn¡¯t be enough, he¡¯d just talk his way out of it. And judging by your sorry company, he has enough of it to keep you in check. Hell, I am surprised that you still exist. -Hmfp. -Boss, what¡¯s going on¡­? One of his men finally asked about his weird demeanor. It took them long enough, after all he¡¯s just been talking to himself for the past few minutes. At least from their perspective. -Smartass is trying to weasel his way out of it. He was not wrong. But it was clear that I was not going anywhere with that approach. So, I decided that I should probably act. -Kon. For. I am going to attack. As soon as you¡¯re free, get in cover. -Finally! For was apparently eager to act. -What?! Mor, is that really you?! Right. It was the first time I contacted him with this form. He did recognize me, though. -Yeah, yeah, we¡¯ll talk later. -No, stop! If you attack, then¡­ But I was not listening. I already had a spell in mind. It would be the first time I¡¯ve used something like that, though¡­ Nivemu, gepfo. Mohet, csymo. No words. Just a thought was enough. I was sure it was going to be a costly one. At least the first one. That was directed at my own binds. Those were made out of something metal, or at least I assumed so, so instead of burning, I straight up heated it up to the point of melting. It worked flawlessly. Hell, even a bit too good. I mean, heat didn¡¯t do much to my own skin, but having drops of molten metal sprayed everywhere was a bit unsafe for everyone. Good thing they moved me away from the rest of the prisoners. The second spell was targeted towards the binds of other people. I guess they didn¡¯t expect them to be so powerful, because they just used simple ropes that burned as easily as it gets. That worked¡­ a bit too well. I mean, I expected that I¡¯d feel the mana drain from me, or at least felt some kind of a difference in my supply, but nope. Hell, it was the opposite: I felt invigorated, like I just got a shot of adrenaline. Strangely, my companions weren¡¯t exactly in the same boat. Quite the opposite, actually. While For and Kon were able to get out of their binds, that¡¯s as much as they were able to do. They were barely able to stand and while they did try to follow my earlier instructions, that was not the efficiency I was expecting. It¡¯s not like they used much mana or anything, yet¡­ Something was wrong. I quickly tore off the gag from my face and screamed on top of my lungs. -MOVE! Gymnu tehu! I conjured a handful of arrows made out of pure lightning and aimed them towards the enemies. -Fotoho lek qigo! Again, I didn¡¯t feel anything being drained from me. I felt energized. Something was very wrong. The arrows split into multiple shards and flew right at the ¡°boss¡± and his team. But they didn¡¯t move. They just¡­ took it. And at the same time, I noticed one of the kids fall down, face first on the sand. Did I fuck up? Did I accidently aim it at them too? No, not possible. I am not that careless. The kids were nowhere near where I was aiming for¡­ Yet, in a blink of an eye, more of them started to faint. Yeah, they were fainting alright. I could tell their mana was getting diminished by the moment¡­ Wait a second. Their mana was not just disappearing¡­ it was¡­ going somewhere. It was going towards¡­ me? At the same time I had the realization, so did the rest. And they did not like it at all. -The amulets! Quickly! Amulets? Right, they did mention them¡­ that they were able to drain mana¡­ But why was it going towards me though? Before he used to somehow control me¡­ or rather everyone. It should only affect those wearing it, right? So why was I part of it too? Wait. What were those things made out of? Could that be that¡­ just like that thing they were forging before¡­ The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Was it made out of my own Origin Crystal as well? It would definitely explain the fact that I was affected. Not so much the effects, though. But that was good news! I had the advantage then! It wouldn¡¯t be a problem if not for the fact that I couldn¡¯t get a proper hit on any of them. Of course, they were not just waiting to get hit. Quite the opposite. The moment my spell hit, they already were chanting some counterattacks, I could tell that most of the spells had in some way using light magic: the same thing that managed to get me Yet, when I was hit by three balls of light and another ray mixed with some fire, there was no damage. No. Just like with other spells, I could effortlessly drain the mana from it. Not good news for them. I couldn¡¯t help myself but laugh. I didn¡¯t really understand what was going on, but it was exhilarating. I mean, it¡¯s not like I ever considered feeling powerful before, but for some reason, this time the feeling hit me with full force. I don¡¯t know, it might have had something to do with me being connected to others more closely, thanks to the amulets¡­ Because as soon as the prisoners noticed me just shrugging the attacks, or I mean those that were still conscious, that is, they were positively elated. Some even started cheering. Funny bunch. But, the happiness didn¡¯t last long. After the quick exchange of spells, or rather me just taking a full force of their attack laughing, left without the scratch, they decided to change tactics. -If I can¡¯t get you that way, let¡¯s see if you can stomach all this! I was not sure what he was on about, nor did I care, but he did have some kind of plan in mind. He was now holding about five amulets, pulling together his other people. It was strange, looking like he was dragging them behind him on a very short leash. -We are yours to command! Well, at least they were loyal to him. -Xvuqsy! Oh. A third level spell. A bit strange though, just a singular word: infuse. Hm. I am unsure what he was expecting to do with that vague of a spell. But, as soon as mana hit me, I understood. ¡°Infuse¡±- he was pouring mana towards the amulets he was holding. And, since I was connected, he essentially was transferring his, and his men¡¯s mana right towards me, with incredible speed. But what¡¯s the problem, right? He¡¯s going to just make you more powerful, right? There¡¯s no point! That''s right and wrong at the same time. Sure, he would make me more powerful, but to what degree? I can only assume he was planning that he¡¯d just somehow overwhelm me with so much mana that I¡¯d get drunk or incapacitated from the powerful stream now being absorbed by my body. Before, that would probably be a good idea. Maybe even worked. Not now, though. First off, I was connected to more than just him. I had the kids and, of course, Kon along with For. Meaning, I had quite a handful of people that I was able to use as a battery. To boot, it was also not hard to deduce that everyone here was not in the greatest shape mana wise. Drained, tired or what else: that stream that was pouring into me was getting split between the rest, refreshing them. Second, I still was myself. Just like the rest, I was not in the best shape: my mana deficit was still a thing. Not for long though. Even with my large capacity, the desert did a number on me: what they were now fixing for me. How nice of them. Time to act. -Temvo! One word and I felt my legs toss me right towards the ¡°boss¡± and his lackeys. What was for me just an enhanced jump, for them must have looked like I just materialized right next to them, along with a cloud of sand. I didn¡¯t even bother using more magic. I just started punching. One blow was enough to knock most of them down to the ground. First people didn¡¯t even give me any resistance: just flopped onto the sand, unconscious, their mana absorbed by my own fist. They did not expect physical alteration. While I was not very athletic, my boosted speed was more than enough to overwhelm most of them before they reacted, and even then, when they finally started giving me some resistance, they couldn¡¯t do much. Spells just were getting absorbed and everyone who tried to attack me was just forced to take the brunt of draining. But, while I was clearly at an advantage and being able to put them down flat on the ground, that doesn¡¯t mean that they stayed there. They were considerably resilient, standing up as soon as they were knocked down, getting back into the fray. ¡°Not for long¡±, I thought to myself. I scanned them for the source of their supernatural ability to recover, and it was clear to me as day: that was the pendants'' fault. Every time they were knocked down, the mana from the amulets were getting them right back up. Whatever I drained got pulled back to them via the same method I was getting the power-boost. It was just a large tug-of-war, if the rope was circular: utterly pointless. I had to change targets: go for the amulets. Those things were bad news. I mean, those were made out of my own body, no wonder, Origin Crystal is a pain to deal with, no matter what form it takes. I am the first and a main example. But, it was not like they were going to fold and let me get them off me without a fight. Same with their boss. As soon as he shook off the initial surprise, he immediately went towards the prisoners. They were not defenseless, though. Kon and For were also under the influence of this ridiculous mana chain, and since they were also partially made out of Origin Crystal, they were dealing with the effects a bit better than them: the crystals were, just like me, getting a better share of the combined mana pool of everyone else. Meaning, they were stronger than before. It was clear even without looking closely, the first spell For tossed looked like she casted so effortlessly, and yet it was the largest one I¡¯ve seen from her yet. -Geksu fytu! A shower of fire sparks flooded the enemies, burning everyone in sight. Or at least that was supposed to happen, judging from the incantation. What she actually conjured, was more like a hail of small meteors that knocked most of the enemies on the floor. They stood up instantly, but that still gave Kon time. -Wisfe moho! Although the spell was straightforward, the effect was not. Boosted by the mana he was getting, instead of conjuring a binding net out of plantlife, he created¡­ just pure energy. It probably also had something to do with the fact that the desert was not really full of life, so creating flora was harder. If not impossible. That was a bit more problematic though, because even though the green net that sprawled through the enemies and wrapped itself around their legs was indeed stronger and faster, it was easily dispelled by anyone who touched it with the amulet. I was going to do that as soon as I was to step closer, though, so it wasn¡¯t much of a problem. It did manage to give me time to grab one of the amulets¡­ Before that, their boss managed to toss a spell at me. Or rather, all of us. Throughout this scuffle, he was trying to keep his composure and act calmly and carefully, despite the fact that he was both scared shitless and shaky as hell. I am not even going to mention the fact that he just stood there for a good while, stunned with the outcome of the events, knowing very well that it was his fault. As soon as he realized that he was not going anywhere though, his demeanor changed. It was obvious that in the long run, we were the ones holding advantage. Since we were carrying within ourselves the actual and original Origin Crystal, mana was naturally being drawn towards us. To some more than to others, but still, the three of us were definitely going to be standing victorious if the state of affairs was not to change. He knew that. And he was getting desperate. He grabbed the nearest ¡°companion¡± of his, although at that point I am unsure if he even was thinking enough about them to call them even ¡°acquaintances¡±, and got hold of an amulet of theirs, at the same time getting his own off and holding is as far away as he physically could from himself. -Boss, are you sure¡­ Whatever he was going to do, the guy realized what¡¯s up immediately. And¡­ Well, he was not thrilled. -I am. We need to do this. They are getting an advantage. The guy nodded, and his demeanor changed. -We can¡¯t let them repopulate. What? But before I was able to process what they were talking about, the situation went south really quick. It wasn¡¯t really hard to figure out, because I have seen that spell before. And it was not good news for anyone here. They were trying to blow themselves up. I was not going to let that happen. I mean, at least try to. It wouldn¡¯t be a problem when it¡¯s just one suicidal maniac, but with a whole gaggle of them? Before they even managed to start chanting, I already managed to grab the first one and torn off their necklace. But that did not stop the rest. Instead, they seemingly changed the spell, because the incantation seemed different from what I expected. Although the effect was still the same. -Jomva, svury qyo zyza nom ucspahy! Great. They were still adamant on blowing themselves up in a fiery explosion. I dived down to the ground, trying to not get completely blasted away by the fire. But, not before I managed to tackle that ¡°boss¡± of theirs. If they were going to blow themselves up, they could do that. I just needed one. -Jomva, svury qyo zyza nom ucspahy! -Jomva, svury qyo zyza nom ucspahy! The spell echoing through the ruins, accompanied with paired explosions was the only thing that I was going to hear for the next minute or two. I could feel the warmth of fire searing my back, along with the wild flow of mana rampaging through me: be it from the explosions or the fact that every second one source of magic that was connected to me was disappearing. That, and the fact that I was still holding down the guy and draining his mana was not helping the overall torrent of magic. Yeah, as I fell down, I pinned him down, half to immobilize him and prevent him from casting, half to save him from instant vaporization. He wouldn¡¯t be useful to me while dead, right? I was a bit worried that I¡¯d drain him completely, but luckily he still had enough clothes for me to avoid most of the direct contact, letting me minimize the draining to whatever I wanted. At first, he was squirming, but strangely, not even once he tried casting a spell. I mean, I wouldn¡¯t let him do that anyway, by draining it at a source, or just straight up knocking his lights out, but after he realized that I was protecting him from the explosions, he stopped moving and was just staring at me, terrified. Finally, the explosions stopped. I looked him directly in the eyes. -It would be the best for you if you¡¯d not move or try anything stupid. He did not reply. -Moho. My spell was as basic as it gets: I created a rope out of pure mana and wrapped it around him, tying him in every possible way imaginable. He was not getting away from me, nor casting any spells without me noticing. And not like he had mana for anything in the first place. I mean, he always could try blowing himself up, but that I would be able to prevent. -Good. I stood up, and finally realized the scale of destruction that I was just witnessing. 160. Glass The part of the ruin where we were standing was completely glassed. Along with the sand, the combination of sudden mana release and heat managed to turn the sand into glass and on top of that the buildings were now covered in soot. Some were missing even more pieces than before. Damn. -Kon, For, you alright? I didn¡¯t get an answer, so I scanned my surroundings with mana sense. Yeah, they were still alive. Somewhat. I felt their presence in one of the buildings, where I last saw them running towards. But¡­ They were alone. -Don¡¯t move. I said directly into the guy''s mind, on which he only squeaked and curled on the sand. I took a peek inside the building, and inside was as destroyed as it was outside. Glassed floor, charred walls¡­ plus charred Kon and For. Both of them were completely black. Clothes torn and burning, I could tell that they were tossed towards one of the walls and were lying there unmoving. -Fuck¡­ I quickly jumped towards them and started searching through For¡¯s bags. I was sure that she had the mana fruit with her. No time like now for one of those. But, there was a small problem. As soon as I reached for her bag¡­ it crumbled right in front of my eyes. For a second I thought it was my fault: that I just drained the item completely along with its contents, but the lack of mana flowing through me was the clear indicator that it was not the case. The bag was already at the edge of crumbling to dust, and my touch was enough for me to destroy it completely. Along with its contents. Damn it. I had to hurry and give them mana, because their flames were dwindling in my eyes. But how? Wait. Those people did use my parts to share mana between them. Could I use them as well? I mean, I was under its influence, so were they. At least that¡¯s what it seemed like before, so wouldn¡¯t it mean that if I was to drain mana they¡¯d gotten it too? But the problem was, there was nothing to drain here. Okay, there was some residue from the earlier battle, but that was hardly anything: their spells, crude or not, were efficient at least. They managed to burn through the majority of the energy in the air, leaving me with nothing. Well, on the off chance, there was still one fresh source of mana lying outside¡­ But he was already almost unconscious, thanks to my draining. Then, I remembered. Didn¡¯t Kon already do something like that¡­? Yeah, when you thought about it, he once managed to share some mana with me¡­ and if he could, so could I. I focused on the area next to me and I attempted to gather a bit of mana from my own form, just like I¡¯ve done multiple times. This time, I did not imbue it with any element. Easy enough. In a blink of an eye, an orb of mana formed next to me. The next step was the experimental one though. If Kon was conscious, I would be able to just instruct him to absorb the energy into himself, to use as he sees fit, but that was not possible in the current situation. I had to do that for him. Just as I was wondering how should I approach this to not fuck it up, I realized that even without me doing anything, the mana orb was slowly floating towards the two unconscious people¡­ No, not only floating. They were draining it by themselves. -Are you awake?! No answer. I guess they were doing that purely passively? I mean¡­ they had within them pieces of Origin Crystal, so it was not unfathomable development¡­ Maybe a bit lucky in the current situation. I am not sure what would I¡¯ve done if that didn¡¯t happen¡­ I wasn¡¯t complaining though. The mana stream was stable, and soon started picking up on speed, so I had to infuse a bit more of my resources to keep the process going, since I was not sure if it would happen again if I was to let the orb run out. I kept this up until I was sure that they were no longer on the verge of disappearing, and their presences were stable. Which took several minutes. And I also have to admit that it did drain me quite a bit. Besides the fact that I was not in the best shape myself, I realized that they had a lot more capacity than before. Be it because of the battle, or just because of the time, I am sure that their Origin Crystals had evolved. How long did she mention that I was missing? Month? I knew that the assimilation was going to happen sooner or later, but actually seeing the progress was something else¡­ Wait. Assimilation. I took a closer look at their forms. See if they changed. I didn¡¯t expect to find anything worth notice, so imagine my surprise when I almost instantly found some changes. For was the most obvious. So much that I couldn''t believe that I hadn''t noticed it before. Her neck, just where we¡¯ve sealed our pact, had a scar running down towards the chest and probably below. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. At first it just seemed like an ordinary scar, just some old wound, but I could tell that below that, her flesh was changed. My enhanced sight was telling me that in that spot there was something very, very mana-dense. I risked it and tapped it briefly. No reaction. I didn¡¯t drain her. Which meant that it was indeed the Origin Crystal taking hold over her form. -Damn¡­ pretty fast¡­ I moved my attention to Kon. His was a bit harder to notice, maybe because he didn¡¯t have any visible scars, or just that he was still wearing most of his wraps: in the middle of the chest. His was more defined though. Even without second sight, when I moved away his clothes I was easily able to tell that about half of his torso was already not made out of regular flesh. I could literally look into his ribcage, see the bones and some innards even. A bit disturbing. But not different from me at the beginning of my ¡°transformation¡±. Besides that startling information, they seemed mostly alright, especially after they regained a bit of their mana. I was not going to try and give them more in fear of passing out myself, so instead I just started scouting surroundings, having a very bad feeling. Sadly, my worries were justified. When I first noticed that there were just the two of them besides us here, I had that unpleasant feeling about the kids missing. I mean, of course, there was the chance that they escaped when shit hit the fan, but¡­ Who am I kidding. I clearly felt what happened before. The explosions were paired. Doubled in my ears. And that was not just an echo. Those were the pairs, kids and their ¡°guardians¡± blowing up. I knew that they were paired for a reason¡­ But wait, what about the one connected to For? She was¡­ well, alive, so shouldn¡¯t that be the case for the one she was responsible for? Apparently not. As I later realized, the ¡°binding¡± was baked into the necklaces they were wearing. And For had her taken away when they realized that something was not right. On the other hand, Kon was fine apparently¡­ Maybe connected to the ¡°boss¡±? I started wondering why exactly did he not blow himself up too? I mean, sure, I was on top of that. But he never attempted to. But before I went back and started dealing with that problem, I first had to clean up a bit. I grabbed Kon and For and got them out of that glassed building, one by one carrying them to the one that was not yet glassed. It was a lot more ruined though, the roof was barely giving any shade to hide underneath, but it had to be good enough for now. After a few delicate attempts, I realized that I could finally touch them without any problem. That was not the best news in the world, yet in the current circumstances it was the best piece of information that I¡¯ve gotten so far, so there was that at least. It meant that they were now a bit more protected against magic. That was probably what saved them here in the first place. I propped both of them against each other, at the corner of the building where the shade still was and directed my interest towards the last person. ¡°The boss¡±, or whatever. The young man that was constantly spying at me during my wandering from and about. But, when he realized that I was approaching him he immediately froze and closed his eyes, pretending to not see me, trying to fake being unconscious. The fear that he was emanating was absolutely overwhelming. I am unsure what exactly he knew about me nor what he really thought, but judging by the amount of raw emotion he was emanating, my image was nothing but the worst. Not like he was completely wrong. If he knew about the calamity back in my world¡­ I shuddered and sat next to him. -So. I think it¡¯s time we had a chat. He did not reply, but as he heard my voice, his emotions only intensified. -First off, let me get those¡­ I grabbed the remaining necklace that he still had on him, probably bound to Kon, and looked closer at it. There was no mistaking it. It was definitely made out of my own flesh. Even to my inexperienced eyes, I could feel the same mana emanate from it, and when I put it next to my own mana, it was doubly obvious. The form was also somewhat similar. It was one singular irregular rock, probably splintered off my own body at some point, with a singular hole in the middle, through which there was a thin string woven through. While not completely see-through, it was tinted into greyer shade, something like dirty glass. Simple and easy to make, supposedly. What caught my attention was the string itself, though. It was¡­ normal. Too normal to me. Nothing like the materials I¡¯ve seen used all over the Axelrod''s domain. It was closer to a synthetic material. If the earlier discoveries were not enough, that was another indicator that that group had indeed a connection to my old world. -Pretty interesting stuff¡­ - I mumbled and wrapped the necklace around my wrist, creating a makeshift bracelet. - I don¡¯t know if I should be honored or what¡­ you used my own flesh to make those things¡­ Still no reply. -But that¡¯s not important. I have other questions. I stared right at his face, tightening his bindings a bit and raising him to my eye level. -Why do you care? His response was so genuine it sort of caught me off-guard, yet he didn¡¯t even speak. His emotions turned from the fear to absolute disbelief that I was even asking that question. -I understand. Revenge. Yeah, that¡¯s a factor. But for it to burn so bright for so many years¡­ and so far away? There has to be something more? He did not say anything, just was staring at me. -I mean, okay, I did fail. We did fail. But why does it matter here? Don¡¯t you think that some people deserve a fresh start? It¡¯s not like here I¡­ I got interrupted, but not by the guy I was questioning. Instead, I felt the two I left behind move. They woke up already? Without a word I just stopped talking and dragged him with me to the spot where I left them. They were¡­ surprised, to say the least. Kon flinched, seeing as someone was approaching, but almost immediately realized that it was me. Same with For. Although both were just barely able to stand, they immediately stepped forwards. -Mor! You¡¯re alive! -How are both of you doing? -Been better - groaned For, grabbing his chest. - You were right about that¡­ -Yeah¡­ your transformation¡­ -It¡¯s not that bad - For immediately stepped in. - You did warn us that using mana would probably hasten the process¡­ -Yeah¡­ we still are the same people though. -No intrusive thoughts? No nothing? -Only thoughts that were intrusive were about that group dragging me all over the place - said Kon. -Yeah, speaking of¡­ what happened to them exactly? -Same thing that happened to elves back on the island. -Wha¡­ The realization soon kicked in. I could tell that from both of their faces. Kon slumped on the ground and just lowered his head. -Why are we alive then?! Wouldn''t that¡­ -Origin Crystal. -Right¡­ -Don¡¯t get me wrong, you were pretty fucked up, but your new bodies managed to absorb enough of my mana to keep you kicking. She sighed. Clearly not happy about what happened, but didn¡¯t say much about it. Considering the fact that before she was¡­ a bit emotional, so to speak, about the kids, the current lack of reaction gave me some food for thought. I guess the crystal not influencing them wasn¡¯t exactly as true as they wanted it to be¡­ 161. Interrogation -Why does everyone seem so eager to turn themselves into mana?! - Kon finally exploded. - Are they insane?! -That is a good question. One that I cannot answer. Although¡­ And I dragged the tied up guy closer to us three. -HE¡¯S ALIVE? For was immediately snapped out of the trance she just fell into. -Yeah. Restrained, scared shitless, confused and mana drained. But alive - I nodded. - I was about to try and get some more information from him, but you woke up. -Good. I want to listen to that! -I figured. Go rest. I will attempt to make him a bit more¡­ talkative. Both Kon and For sat down again on the sand and started observing. Once more I dragged him into a sitting position and placed him in front of us three, with me standing right between him and us. -So. Let¡¯s get back to where we were. Why are you here? I modified the spell a little bit and let him speak again. I am unsure if he even realized that he couldn¡¯t do that before, because he didn¡¯t react at all, so I shook him a bit. -Come on. We don¡¯t have all day. I mean, we did, but he didn¡¯t have to know that. -I don¡¯t have anything to say to you. -Oh, I bet you don¡¯t. But let¡¯s not be so rude to each other. I got a bit closer to him. I could tell, the closer I was, the more fear he was feeling. -You know, I can make you talk. But I don¡¯t want to. So it would be in your best interest to start talking by yourself. -I wanted to kill you. Nothing more, nothing less. You deserve n-no more. -Hm. Progress. His voice was starting to tremble. -But I know you are lying. At least hiding some truth. So let¡¯s cut to the chase. Why are you so persistent? Why bother with so much just for me? It¡¯s not like I am now even remotely important. I am just minding my own business. -... -Is it about those two? You interested in them? A few questions later it was clear that we were getting nowhere. -I knew it¡­ eh, I guess it¡¯s time to change my approach a little bit¡­ For, you feel like having a slave? My question made her flinch and she looked at me like I just went mad. -Come on, it¡¯s not that weird. -I didn¡¯t say anything. -But you definitely wanted to. So, what about it? -Can¡¯t you do it yourself? -I am not sure - I admitted. - With this body, it¡¯s hard to get some kind of genetic material to actually fulfill the requirements¡­ -Material¡­ -I mean blood. I don¡¯t have any any more. -I¡­ She clearly didn¡¯t like the idea. -Okay, I get it. What about you Kon? -I¡­ I don¡¯t feel like using that kind of magic¡­ Right. He was on the receiving end of it for a long while¡­ So I sort of understood where he was coming from. That also probably affected the lack of enthusiasm of For. Before she¡¯d not even hesitate, just like with me¡­ -Okay, I get it. Another plan then. I raised my hand towards the guy on the floor. -It¡¯s a spell I¡¯ve heard, but I am not sure how good it¡¯s going to work in current circumstances¡­ But you¡¯re not going to complain, right? -What¡­ -You had the time to speak before. He shut up immediately. -For, you got a knife or something? -Er¡­ Yeah, there¡¯s¡­ After a moment we managed to find a knife that probably belonged to one of his underlings. With one stab, I drew some blood from his hand and smeared it across my own hand. -Doy niptuhu itvut qypove, nepe itvut me kyhotvu, fosy me wisup ey itvut nusvohove, no usfupet em wo voekp. It was the same spell that Melle used on me a long time ago. Since I didn¡¯t create any kind of magical circle or didn¡¯t have any kind of preparation beforehand, I was uncertain about its power. But, I had his blood to use, so the connection at least probably should be stable¡­ As mana left me, I noticed that the blood that I had on me started glowing, and¡­ steaming? That was a rather interesting visual. The steam, or the smoke, did not just vanish, it instead made its way towards the guy I was targeting and wrapped itself around his head. -What¡¯s going on?! What are you¡­ AAH! It went directly up his nose. Definitely not a pleasant feeling, judging by how he was flailing about in the sand, even though he was tightly bound in place. A seconds later, as the haze cleared and the remains of the blood were gone, he finally calmed down, and slumped down. -Oi, you awake? I poked him with my foot. -Yes¡­ His voice was a lot calmer. Unlike his mana. That was still in disarray and completely wildly panicking. Maybe even more now than before. -That¡¯s progress¡­ Look at me. He raised his head. His eyes were completely glazed over. -I think that is a success - I commented. - So, who has questions first? For shrugged. -It¡¯s you who knows the most about these people it seems. -And they were after you¡­ - pointed out Kon. -You too, I remind you. -Weren¡¯t they only just after us to get to you? -They thought me dead, so I don¡¯t think so. -Instead of that, why won¡¯t we ask him? -Right! -So, why were you after these two? - I asked the guy, pointing towards Kon and For. He raised his head, looking at them. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. -They are dangerous. Connected to a known murderer - he replied with a calm voice. -That¡¯s it? Just connected? -We were unsure if they were their co-conspirators, or were forced to cooperate with threats or enchantments. Decision was made to keep them under watch until they acted hostile. -So I guess that was because of you¡­ -I mean¡­ it was sort of my fault¡­ - For mumbled. - But I couldn¡¯t just let you stay like that! -I thought you didn¡¯t know about me¡­? - I asked. - I was ¡°dead¡±? -Not you. Kon. Kon, on that mention, started shuffling uncomfortably. -I am sorry¡­ -Sorry for what? It¡¯s¡­ I was not going to listen to them bicker about that stuff, instead I again focused my attention on the guy I was questioning. -Okay, let¡¯s get back to business. Who sent you? I was not going to waste time on some random questions. It was important to know what exactly we were dealing with. I honestly was doubting that we were dealing with an actual leader of that group, considering his demeanor, but it was better to make sure. I think he knew that as well, because for the first time I noticed some sanity behind his look once more. -I cannot tell you that. Wow. This spell was useless. Last time, when Melle used it on me I was so talkative it was hard to stop. Okay, I might have been a bit overzealous and not careful back then, but still. He had enough presence of mind to shut up. Ha, even better, to straight up tell me that he¡¯s not talking. But, that confirmed one thing. -So, it¡¯s not you then? Behind his glazed eyes there was some recognition. -There¡¯s someone higher up then. Eh, not like I didn¡¯t expect that, you¡¯re just some small fry, aren¡¯t you. -I¡­ I¡­ He was about to say something, but he bit his tongue and once more stopped. -This is getting irritating. Fine then. Let¡¯s start from the beginning. What is your name? Who are you? -I¡­ I am Robert Mire. That¡¯s an interesting name. Or surname, rather. -I am a leader of the Last Arrivals. He managed to bite his tongue again to silence himself, but that was enough to give me some food for thought. Last Arrivals? Wasn¡¯t that how the group that For was from called? No, it was First Arrivals. So wait, he is connected to those? -Are you connected to the elves then? This time it took him a whole minute to reply. Was the spell losing power already? I know I used a bit of a scuffed way to cast it, but still, I didn¡¯t expect for it to be so shit. As he was trying to not reply, I was pretty sure that it was going to be the last thing he was going to tell me and it¡¯s going to fade completely. -What are elves? I rolled my eyes, disappointed that he didn¡¯t even reply to the question without the spell breaking completely. -Fucking trash spell. I started cursing and thinking of a better way to get information from him. -Don¡¯t we have some other way to interrogate him¡­? - asked For. -You can take a slave. -Yeah, but isn¡¯t that going to just do the same thing to him? It¡¯s not like we can force him to talk¡­ only to tell the truth. -I mean, we probably would be able to think of a contract that would provide us with a way to force it out of him¡­ -But we first would have to know WHAT to force out - pointed out Kon. - If I understand correctly that is. -Stupid elven magic. But, we were not out of ideas just yet. -Hey, last time¡­ with Goldie¡­ did you manage to get something out of him¡­? - asked For. -Eh¡­? I¡­ Well, sort of. What, you think it would work on him? -Why not? -Well¡­ with Goldie¡­ Huh. I guess there was no connection besides Axelrod, that is, and that¡¯s a bit far¡­ But that¡¯s still a connection. With this guy, there¡¯s nothing besides a tiny bit of his mana flowing through me, since I absorbed it¡­ -Wouldn¡¯t that be enough? I mean¡­ It¡¯s not like we are losing much¡­ -Sure¡­ -But¡­ don¡¯t you have some connection with him? - asked Kon. - They were using your body, right? That has to count for something. -It¡¯s not like they tried fusing themselves with that - I pointed out. - I feel that It¡¯s going to have as much influence on that as me draining him beforehand¡­ -You say that¡­ - started slowly For, looking directly at the guy. - But¡­ when I look closer¡­ he has some familiar mana inside¡­ -Wait, you don¡¯t mean¡­ -I am certain¡­ Is he¡­ She stepped closer to the guy, staring intently. Finally she pointed towards his left leg and pointed towards it. -Here. It¡¯s¡­ there¡¯s something¡­ Without a second thought I grabbed him and checked the place she was pointing out. The moment I touched him, I froze. His leg was¡­ made out of metal?! I couldn¡¯t believe what I was feeling so I straight up ripped his clothes away to see¡­ and I was correct. Instead of regular flesh and muscles, he had a metal prosthetic. I say prosthetic, but it was something a lot more advanced than that. It was definitely made out of a mix of metal and plastic, I could even recognize some screws here and there, but on top of that I was able to feel¡­ something else. Mana? Inside a metal? Weird. But that wasn¡¯t the most important detail. -That¡¯s¡­ Where¡­ how the fuck did you get that?! - I asked, stumbling on my words. -... Right. He was not going to answer. I guess it was time to get weird. I focused on his mana, just like I did before, but this time, I attempted pushing more, at the same time, asking him again. -How did you get that!? Like with Goldie, it wasn¡¯t that hard to get some kind of response, although unlike with him, the connection I got here was absolutely perfect. Just like with For and Kon, I could clearly hear his thoughts. Maybe because I already managed to connect with him before, although only one way¡­ -Why the hell would you care?! What, you can be completely made out of rock and I can¡¯t even have a piece of me replaced? -I don¡¯t care why you have it, I want to know WHERE FROM. He jumped. No wonder, like everyone, the first time realizing someone is hearing your thoughts is a disturbing realization. -I don¡¯t know what¡­ He started mumbling some bullshit explanation, yet I wasn¡¯t listening. I was more focused on his inner thoughts. -What is he? -¡±He¡± is in your head right now. And he wants some answers - I projected directly into his head. -I don¡¯t know anything. Leave me alone! -No. No. I don¡¯t. Nothing. Empty. Stop. No¡­ Fucking great. He was employing the same tactic as For the first time she realized I was listening to her thoughts. In her case it was more annoying than anything, since I was hearing it more often than not, with him it was actually sort of working. Currently, I was only able to listen to his¡­ let¡¯s say ¡°outside¡± thoughts, so repeating bullshit on loop was a good tactic that would certainly work. That is, if I was not persistent. And annoyed. -What are you doing? I guess I did keep the pair out of a loop. They were hearing a one-sided conversation after all¡­ -I was trying your ideas. But he¡¯s being annoying. -Yeah, I¡­ we know, we heard that. -You what? That one caught me by surprise. -Well¡­ yeah. We could hear that. I guess our connection is still strong¡­ True, we were sharing a good connection, but I never expected for them to use it without me noticing. A bit concerning. But since I didn¡¯t have much to hide at that point, I just shrugged it off. -Damn, your crystals are indeed evolving. So if you heard, then why are you asking? -Because I know what you¡¯re trying to do - said Kon. - You want to look deeper inside his head, right? Don¡¯t you think that it¡¯s a bit unsafe¡­? -Like that matters¡­ -True, but still. We don¡¯t know who else he is connected to¡­ -Who knows, maybe he¡¯s connected to that boss of his, or whoever is in charge - added For. -I am banking on it. -You want to reveal yourself?! -It¡¯s not like they won¡¯t realize after this¡­ - I gestured towards the glassed buildings. - I bet those missing people, even if not important, are going to be hard to not notice¡­ -True¡­ but¡­ -But what? You have a better idea? Besides the classic torture? Surprisingly, Kon didn¡¯t even shudder. For was more affected by that question than he was. -Doesn¡¯t work with them. -Wha? Both me and For gazed at him with surprise. -I tried. -Excuse me?! -What, you think I was letting them capture me without any plan? Please¡­ -That¡¯s¡­ wow¡­ -Ookay¡­ What plan then? -Well, it was a bit hasty, but I wanted to get some information from them too. When they took your body¡­ I knew that it wouldn¡¯t be the end. After all, I managed to survive inside a tree. And you¡­ -You give me too much credit. -But was I wrong? -Well¡­ -Exactly. So, I wanted to get some information on them¡­ Like what did they want from you. From all of us. But, the only thing I knew was that they were just collecting people¡­ excuse me, recruiting people that were skilled in magic. And us being¡­ ¡°enchanted¡±¡­ caught their attention. -I feel like that¡¯s not the full issue here¡­ -Exactly. That¡¯s why I am telling you that I didn¡¯t learn much. I do know that they are the most interested in¡­ remnants. Like us. -No wonder¡­ that does give you a boost in mana capacity¡­ along with other benefits that they would find¡­ useful. -I thought so too¡­ but when I was a part of their group I noticed that there was none. After such a long time I figured they would¡¯ve found at least one person willing to join their cause, right? Unless¡­ -Unless that was not their aim at all¡­ - finished For for him. -Exactly. But what was their aim? I have no idea¡­ -Intriguing¡­ But¡­ ah¡­ I sighed. I grabbed my head and sat heavily on the sand. While true, that whole situation was not the best one, it was not what I would consider the most important revelation right now. The fact that both of them were so calm¡­ and Kon being¡­ well, like that¡­ It could only mean one thing. They were being integrated more and more into the Origin Crystal. 162. Secondary But, at that point, I didn¡¯t care either way. After so much of nothing, going from one extremity to another is always exhausting. But little did I know, the extremity hasn¡¯t even been close to finished with me yet. -Okay then. We have more questions than answers. And while I would love to try and slowly extract the information from you - I said, gazing at the tied up man - I am getting tired of this shit. Time to get this started. -Are you sure about this¡­? - asked For. - If I understand correctly¡­ it¡¯s going to be taxing for you¡­ -You worried about me? -I am worried more about us - she admitted. - Whenever you want it or not, we are connected. I am not sure, but there is a good chance that whatever is that you¡¯re going to attempt, is going to drag us in as well¡­ -Yeah¡­ Especially when she¡¯s¡­ they¡¯re connected to my mind so closely¡­ -Well, are we certain we are doing this here? Is this place safe? - asked Kon. -I mean¡­ the only people that know of this place are the ones that are dead - said For. - When I said that he came with reinforcements, I meant it. That¡¯s everyone I¡¯ve ever seen at the main camp. -What do you mean?! Did he really manage to get EVERYONE here in such a short span of time? -Seems so - she nodded. - Well, you were with them, you don''t know how many people were left? -I was their prisoner most of the time - he admitted. - I only was able to get a few peeks at the encampment, tied up and hidden in some sort of a covered cage¡­ I am not sure if we were even in the same encampment¡­ If you didn¡¯t contact me that is. -Yeah, I am glad that I noticed¡­ But I don¡¯t believe that they never were letting you out¡­ I swear I saw them regularly move the cages¡­ -Oh, they did. But they never let me out anyway, they just moved it with me¡­ Hearing their discussion I realized that they were indeed closer than before. Kon was no longer a stranger to her, hell, it looked like they became good friends. They did spend a long time together, when I was out¡­ and being connected directly with your minds certainly can help speed up the process¡­ -In any case, we should be fine. But, just in case, we could move to another ruin¡­ - said For. -Another? -Yeah, this desert is full of them. I am not sure what was here before, but every now and again there are those countless ruined villages. This one is the largest one I¡¯ve seen, though. -Interesting¡­ but can¡¯t we just teleport away? You do have some anchors, right¡­? -Er¡­ about that¡­ -I¡­ there was an accident¡­ - she admitted, switching to talking directly into my head. -Great¡­ I don¡¯t like where this is going. What happened? -It was¡­ when I first joined them¡­ during one of those rituals. -Rituals¡­? Oh, you mean when they made that strange weapon of theirs out of me? -Yes. You saw how that worked, right? -Yeah¡­ sharing mana and all that. So what? -Well¡­ it doesn¡¯t only get mana from¡­ people¡­ It also drains from objects¡­ -Oh fucking great¡­ -Yeah. I never realized that, so the first ritual that I was part of managed to drain out my gear completely. -Mrh. -Well, at least I learned why they never carry their stuff on them all the time¡­ -So we are stuck here? -Well, not exactly¡­ we can still travel manually, right? -That¡¯s going to take ages - pointed out Kon. -We do have time¡­. it¡¯s not like it matters to us¡­ -Right¡­ Origin Crystal and whatnot¡­ yeah it was pretty handy in this desert¡­ I am not sure if I would survive without it¡­ -It was that bad? -You don¡¯t even want to know. It¡¯s not like they have some kind of oasis in here¡­ when I said ¡°main encampment¡± I meant it. That¡¯s just a bunch of tents that they move when they need to. -Damn. Wait, how do they even live there? -I mean, they do have provisions¡­ most of them acquired by magic but since most of the resources go to weapon creation the rest is cautiously rationed. -Huh. And I assume you don¡¯t know much about the weapons themselves? -Nothing besides that they exist and they are important. -And they are made out of you, apparently. -Yeah¡­ -Hm. Well. I gazed at the man once more. -I guess it¡¯s time to pick up the pace. -Just be careful. -I¡¯ll try and keep watch - said Kon. - I am not very good at spotting people with mana but if I get on top of some ruin I¡¯ll be able to spot anyone from pretty far. -Sure. -And I guess I¡¯ll keep you company. You¡¯ll need some assistance maybe. -I am not sure - I admitted. - But it would be better if Kon was the one with me, he can share mana with me if I need to. -Ah, that¡¯s not the problem - she said. - After taking part in those rituals I sort of figured out how that works. -Oh really? -Yeah. I can pour my mana into things. -I am not a thing, but sure, that¡¯ll do. -You know what I mean. -Okay. Let¡¯s get to it. The man was lying there, staring at us, uncertain about our silence. It was probably very unsettling to see us stare at each other with serious expressions for a few minutes, just to take a break to stare at him. -Enough silence. I bet you are wondering what¡¯s going on? He did not reply. -See, we are going to get a bit experimental with you. But I am sure you don¡¯t mind, right? I stepped closer towards him. He did try to get away from me, but that was not happening. And not like he had anyway to go, with For standing in the ruined entryway and him backed into a corner. -So. Last chance. Tell me. He shuddered. -Tell¡­ w-what? -Everything - I chuckled. - You know, when you attack someone, you bet you also know what they would be interested in. For example¡­ - I poked his leg - This thing. I can tell that it¡¯s pretty unique. And definitely was expensive. For someone living in the desert and, of course, in this world, it¡¯s hard to get something like this. Ha. Impossible even. So, how come you have it? -This¡­ this world? I don¡¯t know what you mean¡­ I rolled my eyes. -Stop playing dumb. You know where I am from. Or you were hunting me not even knowing that? Hell, if that¡¯s so, you''re even less than useless. They never shared even that much with you? This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. -W-what¡­?! I¡­ I¡­ That¡¯s not¡­ -Not possible? Well then, it is. I stopped, and looked at his mana. He was more confused than anything, or, well, maybe more scared, but still. He thought that what he was telling was the truth. Even then, it was clear that he was trying to avoid the subject. So he knew more than that. -I appreciate you being more¡­ talkative, but I feel that it¡¯s not quite enough. You do know who I am, you said so yourself. So, you know you should be more open with me or some¡­ things might happen. He tried backing up once more, but only dug his feet into sand a little bit, blocked by the corner of the building. -Nope, there¡¯s no running away. I told you, I am going to get the info one way or another. You have the ability to choose which way though. And, let me tell you, one is not something I¡¯d choose willingly. I stepped back and started pacing next to him. -You know, experiments are my thing. And you definitely don¡¯t want to be a testing dummy, right? I mean, if we were back in old times, that would be an honor. To work as a testing dummy for the MIRE. And the pay would also be great! Not very big prospects of surviving, but that¡¯s what insurance is for. Oh wait! We don¡¯t have those any more. I guess that¡¯s pretty bad¡­ If he calmed down before, now I brought him back to being completely terrified. -I don¡¯t know! I don¡¯t know what you want! -Hm¡­ -I can¡¯t tell you if I don¡¯t know what! Please¡­! -Oh, so then guess. You¡¯re a smart man. You can figure it out. -I¡­! I mean¡­ The prosthetics?! Sure! It¡¯s just as I said with the staff, it''s a combination of technology and magic! I never had that leg in the first place! A birth defect! And I got that when I joined the¡­ the MIRE¡­ -MIRE. So you really call yourselves that¡­ -Y¡­yes¡­? -Funny. From what I heard, the MIRE here is a village of mercenaries that have a base, in, ha, funny, some swamp, a mire if you will. But we are in quite a different climate here. So? -I¡­ I don¡¯t know! Maybe you have some wrong information¡­? I glared at him. -I¡­ ! Really! Oh, I know, maybe someone just tried spreading some disinformation, that¡¯s it! It''s a pretty common tactic! I glanced at For. -I mean, it¡¯s possible. Not like anyone actually had an idea about them. I was not hiding the fact that I had a hard time believing that. -I-I¡­ We did have some representatives that were sent to the continent! - he quickly added. - It¡¯s not impossible that they had some encampment like that! -Hmm¡­ He was nervous. But not lying, at least it didn¡¯t appear so. I was happy to trust his mana in his state of mind. Even if he was able to lie to me and hide his intention, in his current state it was essentially impossible. Fear is a great motivator, you know. And I didn¡¯t even start my ¡°experiments¡±. -See, how nice it is when you actually talk? Who knows, maybe we won¡¯t even get to the interesting part if you are so cooperative. I could feel him relax for a brief moment. I am not sure if that was because he was happy that I believed him or because he was hoping to avoid the experiments. Maybe both. -So. I know why you are chasing me. The old calamity and all that stuff. Fair enough. While I don¡¯t quite understand why you¡¯re so persistent with it after that long and that far of a distance¡­ Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. I assume that¡¯s the same reason you¡¯re chasing Axelrod? -Yes. -Mhm. I guess we do deserve it. I knew he had something to say to that, but stopped himself. -Now, to the more interesting part. I know you were using me to¡­ create things. He shuddered. -I see you know. So, do you have anything to say about that? -I¡­ I am sorry? I couldn¡¯t help but burst out laughing. -Ha, that¡¯s a good one. Yeah, sure. But I am more interested in your methods. You took my body and remade it into stuff. What for? -We¡­ we were making weapons¡­ -Oh, yeah, weapons, sure, I am aware. But what for? -To¡­ to fight you. Your kind¡­ -My kind? Ah, the remnants. I mean, sure, that would somewhat work¡­ like the amulets. Speaking of. That¡¯s an interesting invention. Do you have anything to say about those? He went silent for a moment, thinking of what he should say. -I¡­ it was to share¡­ to copy your abilities¡­ without turning into one of you. -Hm. Okay. And how did that go¡­? -You saw. -Yeah. But that¡¯s it? A millennium and you managed just to make that? -Y-yes¡­ I couldn¡¯t tell if they were so incompetent, or it was just the lack of resources that bit them in the butt¡­ Probably the latter. But, I could believe either of those, especially if he was one of their top people. After him presenting me with how they were working with pure mana instead of trying to figure out more advanced uses of language¡­ I mean, both would be a good way to go about things¡­ Well, since they were lacking in resources it would be possible for them to get better results with using pure mana, although using elemental based magics would be more stable¡­ -No matter. Your research is your own. I am more interested in the technology part. You do have some on hand¡­ plus those other pieces you showed us earlier¡­ I mean, before on the island. Mind telling me how you got your hands on those. -Er¡­ we made those? I mean¡­ He started stumbling on his words. -Oh, yes, I see. You think I am an idiot. So, tell me, where did you get the resources? And the machinery needed to create such precise creations? -... -Ah, so you¡¯re not talkative any more? Welp, I knew that¡­ -NO! No! I¡¯ll talk! - he started panicking. - It¡¯s true, we made those, but the components are mostly scavenged. -Ah, now, that¡¯s better. So, where did you get those? Did you send some people to the MIRE? I mean, my MIRE. -Your¡­? -Don¡¯t act confused. I can tell. -I¡­ He hesitated. -No. -No what? -We did not send any people to the MIRE. That¡¯s a bit far outside our reach¡­ -Hm¡­ Sure¡­ Yet you managed to send people to the island where the kids were hiding¡­ And the capital¡­ Yet you didn¡¯t reach me there, hm? He looked confused. -B-because MIRE is a lot further east? I gazed at his mana. He was not lying. Now he was confusing me. The hell did he mean by east? Weren¡¯t we supposed to the east? I mean, Wildnorth was supposed to be to the northern-east of this world? -You sure? -Of course! I was not sure if it was me who was failing at detecting lies, or there was something else at play¡­ but what exactly? Okay, I might not be perfect, but I am pretty good at it. At least that¡¯s what I would like to say. But what else would be the way to explain this? For apparently was sharing my sentiment. -He is full of shit. The directions don¡¯t make sense. -Right? But¡­ he is not lying. -What? -His mana. I am watching it, and either he is a genius liar, or he is not lying at all. -Or¡­ he thinks that he is not, right? - she pointed out after a moment of thought. Yeah, that would make sense. Someone just fed him a lot of lies and he bought it without questioning it. Still, it was a bit strange. If he knew anything about this world, he¡¯d realize that the stuff he was talking about made no sense. Was he that ignorant? No. Well, there do exist people that would be fooled so easily and buy this bullshit, but I didn¡¯t really take it for one of them. No¡­ there was something else at play¡­ -Who told you that? -Er¡­? -Who told you about the location of the MIRE? Who told you everything? He immediately went silent. I could tell he got very nervous. Why, though? So far he had no problems talking away about his group, why stop now? -Ah. Got it. You¡¯re scared that whoever is your boss is going to give you more hell than me? Hm. -...! He didn¡¯t say anything. Almost. He managed to silence his own yelp, but that did not escape my notice. And his mana was going wild. -Well, I can¡¯t blame you. I haven¡¯t done anything yet. To you, that is. If you¡¯d talk, they would definitely blame you for that. So, I guess I have no choice¡­ let¡¯s have a peek at you¡­ Both him and For tensed up. Each for different reasons, though. They guy, knowing nothing about my plans, was just plain scared and expecting the worst. I am not sure what he was thinking about me, but there was definitely nothing good in those thoughts. For, on the other hand, was worried. And no, not about me. Well, maybe a little bit. It was more the fact that I was about to ¡°test some methods¡± as I would like to describe it, and it was possible that it would also affect her. And maybe Kon. That¡¯s probably why she agreed on him stepping away for now - she was hoping that whatever magic I was going to do, it would not reach him. I doubt that would be the case though. Personally, I was unsure how that was going to work, but I knew one thing: it was going to affect both of them, too. For sure. Since our communications resumed, the mental ones I mean, I could tell that we had a lot easier time using those. Not like those were hard in the first place, mind you. Now, we were able to talk to each other even accidentally, as she demonstrated to me before¡­ I am not sure if she did that on purpose though, but if I was to compare it to the development of her crystal¡­ I doubt it was intentional. It probably just¡­ happened, you know? So there was a very good chance that now she was going to be affected as well¡­ Nevertheless, I was not going to be dissuaded by that. There¡¯s not much that can change my mind if I decide on something. Especially when it involves experimenting with magic. -Well then¡­ I focused on the guy in front of me. On his mind. On his mana. -What do we have here¡­ He flinched. Good, that meant that I managed to reach him with my words. I did that before, but confirming I could do it again was a good first step. -What are you¡­ -Now to prod a bit deeper¡­ I started pushing my mana towards him and at the same time pulling at his own. Wait¡­ why was I doing that? That did not make sense. I was supposed to look into his mana, to try and read more of him, but instead for some reason I instantly went to the tug-of-war with him. What got into me? And yet, for some reason, it felt¡­ correct? It¡¯s hard to explain, but as soon as I ripped some of his essence towards myself, I knew I was doing the right thing. Or, well, maybe not right, but what I needed to do. And then, I was no longer myself. 163. Nomad I was born twenty years ago. I don¡¯t know where exactly, but I know it was somewhere in the ruins, full of sand and emptiness. We were wandering. Always, everywhere. Not like it mattered: everything was just sand and nothing else. I remember learning magic. Being amazed by it. My first crystal was gifted to me by my father on one of my birthdays¡­ He told me that it was powerful. I was hoping that I would be able to make something to replace my leg¡­ But it did not. I only managed to learn elemental spells, and that wouldn¡¯t restore my mobility¡­ I remembered stories¡­ about the old world, where something like my disability would not even be considered a minor problem¡­ I couldn¡¯t wrap my head around it at that time. Like, how would something like this be ¡°minor¡±? But that was my parents'' life''s work. Our whole groups¡¯. To find signs of the old world. Old artifacts. Anything. That¡¯s why we were scouring those ruins. We were never lucky. That is¡­ until we met him. He was waiting for us in some random ruined building. We never expected to see anyone besides us, yet there he was. Hidden behind a veil, wrapped in some strange-looking clothing¡­ -Would you like some help? Those simple words are the only thing I remember of him from that day. I don¡¯t even know what he did, but before I knew it, he was our leader. Sharing magic with us. Teaching us how to use it. I was enthralled. His magic was so strange, yet so powerful that I felt like he was the only way for me to¡­ To do what? Stand on my own two feet for the first time? Yeah, something like this. And I was right. Maybe not in a way I expected but still. I still remember that day. The day that my parents left me alone, to join him and ¡°talk about some old and new developments¡±. I didn¡¯t know back then, but I remembered that my parents were¡­ different. Wore different clothes, talked in a strange language sometimes. I even caught them using portal magic. Why, if they were able to use it, why wouldn¡¯t they just teleport us away from this awful place, to somewhere else, better? Was there really nothing out there? If that was the case, where were we getting all the supplies? As a child, I just thought that we were powerful enough to get everything with magic, but later I realized that not everything was possible to get like that. So where¡­? I knew that something was going on, so I wanted to eavesdrop. But got caught. I didn¡¯t get punished¡­ at least not instantly. Instead I thought I got rewarded! I remember my father coming back from the meeting and telling me that both of them, he and my mother, were going to scout a few things for him. And he, in exchange, agreed on healing my leg. Was that possible? I would walk? By myself? I was both excited and scared. I never thought I would have to be separated from them. I wanted to go with them, but, of course, I was told that where they are going I would only be in a way. He didn¡¯t even try to say it gently, yet I understood instantly: he was scared as well. The next day, both of them were gone. Week passed. Then a month. I kept asking, when are they coming back. And where were they gone? No one was able to answer me. That is, until he finally called for me one day. He looked the same way as before. I¡¯ve seen those clothes everywhere by now, since he became our guide, we started copying him in this regard as well. We used similar magic. Everything was in his image. I asked him directly: where were they gone? -They went back to check up on their old stomping grounds. Any day they should be back. -Stomping grounds? -Ah¡­ the place where they were born, and where they spent their childhood. -Is that far? -Yes¡­ and no¡­ I didn¡¯t get any straight answers from him. Not until next week. He called on me again. Saying that there¡¯s been a development. Apparently, he received a message from them. Yes, that they found what they were looking for. What was it though? That I never learned. Instead he told me that meant that I will finally be getting my payment. Of course, I had no idea what he meant exactly, so I was stunned, seeing that the next day I was summoned again. And this time, I saw both of them. Both of my parents were back. But then¡­ something was wrong. I couldn¡¯t tell what, but the atmosphere was tense the moment I entered the tent. Of course, I was happy to see them again, but I was worried nonetheless. One look at their faces was enough. Both tense and trying to hide that behind a smile. Only person that was actually smiling was him. Still being the same as usual, calm, collected and brimming with confidence. He told me that it was time for our reward. That he was going to heal my leg. And presented me with this¡­ thing. I am unsure what it was exactly: a weird piece of metal¡­ and something else. I¡¯ve not seen anything like it. But I knew. It came from beyond¡­ from the times of old. And I was correct. It was what they were looking for that whole time. At least in his version of events. He told me to lie down. Unsure, I obeyed. Prepared for pain. Who knows what exactly was he planning, but if I was to be healed, I wouldn¡¯t complain. I wouldn¡¯t be ungrateful, seeing as my parents did that much for me¡­ So you can imagine my terror when the next thing I saw was both of their heads being decapitated right in front of me. -You think I didn¡¯t know about your plans? -...! I tried to move. I tried to scream. But I couldn¡¯t. I was bound with magic to that table of his, mouth covered and gagged with some invisible force. Unable to even look away from the bloodied bodies. -The three of you¡­ I never thought I would¡¯ve caught someone back then¡­ still alive and kicking. How did you even get here? I couldn¡¯t answer. I didn¡¯t even know how, but he was not waiting for an answer. He instead put his hand on my head and I felt a flow of memories go through me. My own memories. I saw my father open the portal, to go to whenever he sent them. Along with mother, who was right next to him touching his arm, looking like she was in pain. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. -Ah. You used each other. One to be a caster, other to be an anchor. Clever. I did not understand. -And what about this one? Ah. He doesn¡¯t remember? I felt some unfamiliar sights. A strange building. Similar to the ruins we were always searching. A large city. And an earthquake¡­? A magical earthquake¡­ ground cracking open from the magic flowing within¡­ -Ha. So he has no idea. Let¡¯s see¡­ I felt a sharp pain in my leg. In my leg? I didn¡¯t have a leg. I looked down. There was a sharp piece of crystal stuck inside my thigh. After seeing that, I promptly fainted. I only remember a few things after that. I remember waking up to pain every now and again, to see him tinkering with my leg. With the thing he had them bring back. The next thing I knew was that I was lying on my own bed, with a few people from the group before keeping watch over me. They told me that he gave them to me. That they were now my property. That I was now their leader. I didn¡¯t understand at all what they meant. Only thing on my mind was to get him. He killed them. Right in front of my face. Revenge. But that wouldn¡¯t be easy. I knew he was powerful. I was scared of him. But why did he leave me with those people? Why did he fix my leg? Why did all of that happen? It made no sense to me. I had a lot of unanswered questions. That is until I started getting visions. I started having glimpses of memories in my sleep. At first short ones, then progressing to full on dreams of whole days. Sometimes it even was catching me when I was fully awake. I was sure that they belonged to him. That he did something to me with that crystal¡­ Soon I understood. Remnants. Old world. Calamity. Revenge. Hired killers. Yes. It made sense. I now knew what he was. A monster. No wonder. His ¡°help¡± being only to propagate himself. Wanting or not, I now had a piece of him with me all the time. I remember trying to¡­ get rid of it. But I couldn¡¯t. And I don¡¯t mean just I wasn¡¯t able to force myself to go through with it, no. I was literally unable to hurt it with anything. Magic, conventional weapons, anything. The best I was able to do is to scratch its surface a bit, but even that healed by itself in a span of a few moments. But, there were some good things coming from that. Besides, of course, the ability to walk, I was able to cast more powerful spells than ever. I was stronger. Faster. If that came from any other source, I would¡¯ve called it a blessing and be indebted to it forever. But from him? I lived for a long time. ¡°Leading¡± our group. Sure, it helped us. I helped as much as I could, creating somewhat better living for us, in this harsh place. But I still had my limits. Or did I? Twenty years have passed. Then another ten. And another. And another¡­ And nothing changed. I meant it. Neither my body, nor our situation. Still stuck in this deserted place, going from ruin to ruin, finding scraps that barely were even considered loot. Thanks to my enhanced abilities I was able to find them, be it close or far, helping us survive. Yet, the thing I was most waiting for was nowhere close. I was not aging. Not changing. I watched people from my group pass away. Don¡¯t get me wrong, with the help of my crystal, we managed to live longer than we should in those circumstances, but no one was even close to being able to reach my longevity. Hell, I was not even sure how it even worked. I was certain that it was tied to the crystal, however. I could constantly feel it under my skin¡­ under this strange prosthetic that he left me¡­ Years passed. I¡¯ve seen whole generations pass away. Our team was getting smaller and smaller. Even with my help, trying to raise children was hard. I am not even mentioning having children in the first place. That had its own issues¡­ So no wonder we finally were at the brink of extinction. ¡°Elves¡± they were calling us. Yeah right. The few times we met other people, they thought we were some kind of abominations. The only one being an abomination was me. Last remaining one. ¡°The first arrival¡±, ¡°The last arrival¡±... Yeah, who fucking cares. My home was destroyed. My parents were destroyed. And all that because one weird person decided it would be fun to experiment on me. What the hell was he thinking?! That he¡¯s some kind of god?! But thanks to the crystal he left me, I knew that he was not alone. Maybe I would be able to track him. Know his moves. And wait for him to¡­ To what? Make some kind of mistake? I am not sure. I always wanted to make him pay, but how? Fuck if I know. It would be hard to reach him, not to mention even get to him. But, to my surprise, he reached to me. I guess he got curious about me? I don¡¯t know. He just appeared out of nowhere, some hundred years later. Like nothing, he just was waiting for us in a ruin, just like we met him in the first place. My group, none the wiser, of course greeted him with open arms. Just like the first time. Damn his charisma. But I knew. Did he though? I was cautious. I was unsure if he was there for me, or was just scheming something else. But as soon as I got even remotely close, he realized who I was. I was ready for anything. Attack? Spell? Something! But he just¡­ Greeted me, like I was his friend. What was wrong with him?! I had to attack! That was the murderer, the one whose fault¡­! Yet, was it really that bad? Of course it was! But¡­ He was messing with my mind. ¡°Mixed feelings¡± was an understatement. The man that was responsible for both me being fully mobile again, not to mention boosting my magical power AND murdering my own parents, was sitting right in front of me. What was I supposed to do? On one hand, I wanted to thank him for what he¡¯s done to me. I would¡¯ve never thought it possible for me to be a leader, not even to walk on my own, and yet here I was. The thought alone was making me mad. On the other hand, I wanted to toss a spell right at his face. To wipe that smirk off his face. Permanently, if possible. But that was not a good idea either. Thanks to me being more attuned with mana, I could tell that he was powerful. Immensely powerful. Well, even before, I knew my parents weren¡¯t just some pushovers. They were more than competent with magic and other knowledge as well. And yet, he managed to murder them without an even hint of difficulty. In the back of my mind, I was hoping that it was just because he caught them unaware, by surprise attacking them from behind like a coward, but now, face to face with the man himself, I knew that it did not matter. If he wanted to, he would be able to kill anyone if he put his mind to it. That is why I did nothing. And he, why was he even there? It¡¯s not like we had anything useful. Was he there for me? But no, apparently I was wrong. He indeed came to us just to ¡°check up on things¡±, as he explained. And to¡­ warn us¡­? When I first heard that, I thought he was trying to intimidate us. That people were coming for us, from ¡°the old world¡±, as he said. Like that explained anything to us. With that ominous message, he just left. Portaled away. Unbelievable. Yet, his warning was indeed correct. Few months later, we had another visit. Just as he predicted. But the guests¡­ were a bit eccentric. First off, I¡¯ve never seen that many people in one spot my whole life. They came, of course, out of the portal. When we were camping one day, they just appeared out of nowhere right in front of my face and started interrogating me. In comparison to that guy, well, to all of us, they were¡­ different. It¡¯s like they had less than a quarter of an average person¡¯s mana. And I was not including myself in that calculation. Yet, I could feel¡­ a presence from them. Choking and heavy presence that was hard to put up with. Hell, it even worked on my own magic, making it hard for me to cast simple spells. At first, they were a bit hostile. But only to me. After a few minutes of talk thought, they flipped right around, turning into the best allies I could¡¯ve hoped for, And they presented me with their own quest: to capture and execute a certain person. Or rather a creature. The same one that warned me about their arrival a while ago. 164. Cooperation Damn. What was I supposed to do? Again, like with meeting him, I was torn. This time though, a lot less. It was more like I was hesitant to trust someone again. Especially someone that appeared out of thin air, in the middle of nowhere. And yet, there I was, accepting their help. Who was I to deny it, though? They did not come with empty hands. Besides the regular supplies that I was hesitant to accept, they also approached us with¡­ some unusual loot. The things they had I only seen when my parents were still alive. And even then, I didn¡¯t know much about it, since I was just a little boy. Old world¡¯s ¡°relics¡±. They called them ¡°magitech¡±. I understood that they were a combination of old world technology with our own magic, yet I couldn¡¯t wrap my head around how it was possible for both of those to coexist so easily. According to what I remembered, and mostly from what he told me, I assumed that one disabled another, as in technology suppressed our magic. Since he was originally from the old world, I assumed he knew what he was talking about. And yet, they were demonstrating that he was apparently wrong. A golden opportunity. That¡¯s what I thought about this meeting. That¡¯s what I decided to think about this meeting. Sure, I was still torn about that decision, but it was too good to pass on. Especially after them telling me what they were for. They called themselves ¡°MIRE¡±. Or, rather, what was remaining of it. Apparently, he was their member once before. And thanks to his team, the current world order was now in place. I was not sure what he meant by that, but judging by what I¡¯ve heard from my parents before, and from them, I knew that it was nothing good. And I was right. It was because of him that the calamity came. And we were stuck in this stupid desert. Not for long though. They promised me that. Well, I was not stupid enough to believe that getting him caught would be a solution to the whole world¡¯s problems, but I won¡¯t lie, I didn¡¯t care that much. If I was going to get the means of finding him again, I was going to take it. Be it to get him to ¡°justice¡±, or something else, it didn¡¯t matter. As long as I was to see him again, I would. What would happen next, I¡¯d decide then. The fact that they also started teaching me magic a little bit also helped. I won¡¯t lie, it was not much, but it was a start. What they gave me was more or less understanding the basics of mana control, thanks to which everything started getting easier for me, but they never taught me anything offensive that I didn''t already know. I guess my parents had that already figured out. No wonder, in this kind of environment¡­ And so, the hunt started. I say hunt, but it was more like a very, very long attrition battle. We, personally, have not seen much fight. Nor anything else, really. They did share with us their information, about their current plans and projects, but only after about a year of ¡°cooperation¡±, or what I¡¯d rather describe as ¡°indoctrinating¡±. Personally, I didn¡¯t care about their methods. I was only there for him. And I couldn¡¯t care less about the maniacs that were essentially given to me by him. They could die for all I cared, and I wouldn¡¯t be upset about it. Funnily, that¡¯s exactly what their methodology was. After the initial period, they started sharing with us more¡­ sophisticated uses of their magic. And that included some of their spells that were only supposed to be used in the worst case scenario. I was elated at first: at last, some kind of magic that might prove useful to me. Imagine my shock and disappointment when I learned what that was exactly: a magical suicide. Don¡¯t get me wrong, they weren¡¯t telling us to kill ourselves outright. Only in¡­ eh, ¡°special circumstances¡±. And those, sadly, had included him. According to their information, he was what they called ¡°a crystal remnant from the times of old¡±. When I first learned about it, I didn¡¯t think much of it, that is until I learned what they meant exactly. A crystal remnant. A person, who had taken into themselves a shard of Origin Crystal. An all-powerful, old experiment that was the culmination of the old world¡¯s knowledge on magic. Sounds amazing, right? But it is not. Apparently, it¡¯s not just an item, or a source of power. It is a presence. A person, trapped inside that very own crystal, that as soon as it is connected to someone, attempts to take over you as a permanent vessel. Scary. And what¡¯s best? He was supposedly immune to it. That, besides the fact that he was essentially responsible for the whole apocalypse stuff, was the main reason they were chasing him all over the world. And, of course the reason they were so adamant on everyone learning that maniac suicidal methods of theirs. Their main rule was that if anyone were to come even remotely close to being threatened by a wielder of that crystal, they had to use it. No questions asked, no thinking, just go for it. It was, to say the least, not the best way to handle things, in my opinion. And besides, that tidbit of information also had some other, more worrying connotations. At least for me that is. Wasn¡¯t I already one of those remnants¡­? I couldn¡¯t really tell what he did to me, but I was guessing that what he put inside me was indeed a piece of crystal. But was it the same that the MIRE was telling me about? Sure, it made me more powerful. It would also somewhat explain the fact I was so torn about him. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. After all, I would be trying to attack my own self, right? Agh, it was confusing! Nevertheless, I was not going to share my worries with them. For all I knew, they would blow me up as well. Or worse. Our partnership flourished. Forces were joined, teams were formed, bonds created¡­ It went well for a long time. While there was no progress in finding him, I didn¡¯t really complain much. That is, until we finally reached the border. The mountainside was pretty much impassable without magic. That¡¯s why we only sent a handful of people to scout. While they managed to cross the problematic obstacle, there were sacrifices made. Mostly due to people running out of mana mid-way. Nevertheless, those were calculated, as they were the only ones that had to make it all the way past the mountains manually. The people who managed to cross the whole way had created anchors and since then we used portal magic to deal with that problem. I say problem, but more problematic was the fact that after learning what was on the other side, we had a massive wave of volunteers for the new scouting parties. Who would¡¯ve blamed them? If you were to discover that there¡¯s an easy way to get off this cursed desert, and to a nice and green area? That definitely looked like heaven to a lot of people. And that led to some people deserting as soon as they got to the other side. Still, that did let us create a bit of a presence on the other side of the border and stretch our range quite a bit. Finally, we had connected with people that weren¡¯t just dying remains of random wandering tribes that were the only ones on this side of the mountains. The other side was, in comparison, flourishing. Towns, villages¡­ and a whole country. Yeah¡­ the country. As soon as we learned about it, we realized that it would be problematic. No one would let us do as we please with that kind of power structure in place, it was clear on the first glance. So instead, we¡¯ve chosen to blend in. The process was¡­ sometimes not very stealthy. But, people were not exactly against or necessarily surprised by our appearances, apparently used to the new arrivals. Good for us. We managed to easily integrate into the existing society, and started learning. Listening to interesting information. Years passed. Without much progress, really. We were mostly in a standstill, knowing we were powerless to act. One look at the current ruler was enough: his magic was something else. The fact that he managed to create such a country was a feat in itself. We knew that we were dealing with a smart enemy, so we had to be careful. The opportunity did not present itself for a long time. We learned about the remnants. Most of them were hard to track, and even if we managed to find some, they promptly disappeared. I was especially interested, as I was one myself. I stopped worrying about the rest of the MIRE finding out about my secret a long time ago, because it came out sooner than I wanted it to. And, just as I predicted, that came with some issues¡­ Sure, they did not want to kill me immediately, as I thought, but they did test me constantly, taking some ¡°samples¡± to examine the power of the Origin Crystal. Supposedly to ¡°find a weakness¡±. But I know it was more to keep me under control. After all, if they had some of my biological material in hand, it was just as if they had my whole existence in the palm of their hand¡­ I didn¡¯t care, though. I was already long past that stage. I just wanted to find him. No matter the cost. And the occasion seemed to appear. Finally, after all those years, we managed to track another revenant. While we did have some losses during tracking and the first encounters, it seemed like the individual in question was still sane. And not connected to him at all. Too bad that it changed soon. Once more he managed to be first and claim them for himself. But not before we managed to get some information about them. To be honest, the face was itself the best clue. When it reached the higher-ups, they immediately told us to stop our efforts. By then it was already too late, and the subject in question was already gone, thanks to him. We, of course, were disappointed. But no one expected that the next order that came to us was to ¡°get rid of the subject as soon as possible¡±. Apparently, he was not just some random person, unfortunate to get in contact with the crystal somehow. It was the person directly related to him. Someone who would be essentially our next target, if not the first one, surpassing the old one in importance massively. So it was more relief than anything that we learned that he perished under a landslide. But not for me. I was more confused than anything. If what I learned was true, why would he do that? Wouldn¡¯t that be just a horrible waste for¡­ well, both sides? In any case, it was a bit of a shame. We never even did anything. Yet, when we expected to get back to regular nothingness, he started acting up. Not sure what got into him, but he started unleashing more and more powerful spells. I guess it was lucky for us, because we were able to track him no problem, but that did not help us at all. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time we went after a mana signature that we believed belonged to him, but got there too late: every time it seemed that way. The first ones I was even a part of. Later, not so much, especially after we realized we were just chasing him blindly. But after those appearances, even I was intrigued. The spells¡­ the mana usage, it was an opportunity for everyone. If he was using such massive amounts of mana, it was almost given that he¡¯d be weakened, right? And that would be the best occasion to strike! I am not sure why, but the higher-ups were not interested in those at all. Hell, they even told us to ignore him for now. Were they insane?! I was not going to let that go. And not like they were going to stop me. They never really cared about me or my actions, or rather they ¡°gave me my freedom¡±. Not sure why they were so nonchalant about that, but I was not complaining. And in this case, I was going to use it to the fullest. I put together a scouting party. It was the best we had. And we waited for the next sign. It came pretty quickly. And it looked more promising than ever. Multiple times from the same spot. Lucky us. Well, apparently not, because he was no longer there. And what I saw was a remnant. Somewhat strange remnant. It promptly triggered an exchange of spells. And surprisingly resilient. Just as were his companions. Luckily, I managed to disarm the situation. And¡­ was that woman¡­ For? Wasn¡¯t she supposed to be unaffiliated? And now, following him? What for? No matter. As long as we were able to talk it out, we¡¯d be fine. But what about the other two¡­? The kid¡­ he seemed powerful. But not as much as any other member of the MIRE, I mean, my own MIRE that is. I am not sure how he¡¯d compare to the higher-ups, it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen them. And, in any case, they never were completely reliant on pure magical power, who knows what they had up their sleeve. The most interesting one was the remnant. Well, was he a remnant? It looked more like some kind of golem or something, that¡¯s why our first encounter was so¡­ heated. He straight up looked like a monster. Was all that¡­ an Origin Crystal?! Impossible! Yet, even though he was built in such a weird way, he was completely sane. Civilized and, well, annoying. I couldn¡¯t say what exactly, but besides his looks something was bothering me¡­ Also, his magic was strange. And very powerful. I had to be careful, without equipment it would be annoying to fight him¡­ Luckily, it looked like I wouldn¡¯t have to. He even helped me a bit, maybe he would make an interesting ally? He was not his friend either, and I knew well that MIRE could always use new recruits. But wait¡­ His name. I remembered. Was he¡­ one of them. That was THE guy? The same one as HIM? Wasn¡¯t he supposed to be dead?! I guess his body explained how he managed to survive¡­ I couldn¡¯t¡­ I had to act. No matter if he was against him now, he used to be one of them. There is no mercy for those monsters. I just need¡­ Good thing that I managed to get my equipment from the base¡­ If I play this correctly, I¡¯ll be able to capture him no problem. 165. World -Holy fucking shit! I reeled backwards, falling down onto the sand, ejected from the tangle of memories that I just got flooded by. My head was hurting so bad I swear it was splitting open. Next to me, I noticed that both For and the guy were also not in the best shape, clutching their own respective heads and struggling to stand up. Did they share the vision with me? I mean, the guy most likely did, those were his memories after all, but For¡­ I guess she was connected to me. What about Kon though? Was he far enough away or¡­ I quickly shook myself off and tried feeling for him around us and¡­ Yeah, he was also in pain. I guess the distance was not enough. Or not a factor, really. I raised myself up, trying to collect my thoughts. -Everyone good? - I asked aloud. -I-I¡­ think so. For seemed shaken and a bit overwhelmed, but besides that, fine. -What was that? -His memories. That was a lot of interesting information all at once¡­ -Yeah, I figured that out, but how did you manage to get inside his head so well?! I would expect that for you to be able to do this with one of us connected, but him¡­?! -The answer is in the question. -What? -Give me a second¡­ -Kon, how are you doing? I could tell that he was no longer in pain, but still was unmoving. Did something happen? But he did answer. -I¡­ I think I am alright. It was a bit much¡­ -My bad¡­ I didn¡¯t expect this thing to be so¡­ vivid. And for it to actually affect all of us, to be honest. -I¡­ Yeah. No, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be fine. But with this vision¡­ -We were just getting to that. -Yeah, about the vision¡­ - I continued aloud. - Mind explaining some of those? - I asked the man on the floor. By now, he was already recovered from the shock, or well, mostly. He was lying on the sand, looking straight up onto the ceiling, not blinking. I could tell his mana was pumping heavily, and heard him breathing loudly even while bound and gagged. -So, you¡¯re not directly from the ¡°old world¡± so to say¡­ But you do seem to have a genuine grudge against me¡­ I mean, I sort of understand, although after such a long time I would¡¯ve thought that it wouldn¡¯t matter much¡­ -That means¡­ it was truth? What we saw? - asked For. -Well, yeah. I did tell you earlier I was not from here, didn¡¯t I? -I¡­ Yes, you did. But¡­ some of that I didn¡¯t want to believe¡­ -Oh come on - I said and rolled my eyes. - I am not that more of a monster than any of your other ¡°mercenaries¡±. -You are not. I don¡¯t usually commit mass murder. -It was not on purpose, do I have to remind everyone every five minutes?! And I don¡¯t usually send my underlings to certain death. -Not like you have any of those. All of them are dead already. -I have at least two - I reminded her. - And then, I had no underlings. They were my equals, and if you want to be strict, they were even higher up than me. Not like that mattered in the end¡­ Silence. It only was interrupted by uncomfortable shuffling from the guy on the floor. -Right¡­ So, you want to talk, huh? I assume there is no way you want to talk without using words, right? He gave me a confused look. -Eh¡­ I mean like this. He flinched, hearing my voice directly inside his head again and started shaking his head in denial. -Yeah, I figured. Sure, sure. If you are good, I¡¯ll unbind you. But don¡¯t even think of doing something stupid. Are you going to cooperate? He nodded. -So. My question. As you indubitably noticed, we just had a nice long preview of your life. While I would be open to trying this shit again to get more concrete info, it seems that this method is a bit taxing on my other companions. And you, probably would also prefer regular talking. He replied with vigorous nodding. -See? So it is in your best interest to be a bit more open. -My first question¡­ - I asked him after a brief pause - Where and who are your¡­ ¡°leaders¡±. Or whatever else would you call it. Are you able and going to answer that without¡­ issues? He nodded once more, so I quickly modified the spell that was binding him. -I don¡¯t know! They never appeared on the other side of the portal, after sending some of their lackeys. And I never was able to peek to the other side¡­ But! - he noticed that I was getting impatient - But! I do remember people talking about their hideout being in some old ruin in the old world. I bet that¡¯s bullshit, though. -Eh¡­ annoying Another silence. This time also broken by the guy who was being questioned. -What are you people?! His question was a bit perplexing. Didn¡¯t we just witness his memories? Didn¡¯t he know about all of us? And besides, I was the one who was interrogating him. -I feel like you forget what situation you have put yourself - I said, trying to sound at least mildly annoyed. -...! He gasped. -We are who we are¡­ - shrugged For, answering for me. - Does it even matter to you? Especially in this situation? -And not like you don¡¯t know - I said, nodding. - Even if we didn¡¯t share those visions, it¡¯s not like you didn¡¯t know why and who you were attacking. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. -Y-yes, but¡­ why¡­ I mean, how are you even alive? You were dead! I checked! Multiple times, in fact! -Wow, I died, but I miraculously survived - I said, waving him off. - I am more interested in your superiors. What exactly do they want from me? -Well¡­ they wanted you dead¡­ - he replied quietly. -Oh, yeeah, sure. Dead. Anything else? -No... -Well, too bad I am not planning on dying any time soon. At all, in fact. Can you pass the message? Or wait, I have a better idea: why won¡¯t I just deliver them the news directly? -I¡­ I am afraid that''s impossible¡­ -Because¡­? -Because they are long dead. -Dead? - asked For, confused. - Then who are you getting your orders from? He hesitated for a moment, but replied. -No one currently. Just myself. That whole time I was looking into his mana. Since after the visions, it got easier for me, especially because the guy was scared of me. Good intimidation is always a good start in interrogation. So far, he¡¯s been truthful to us. That doesn¡¯t mean he was talkative. He was hiding something, for sure. A little bit of intimidation won¡¯t hurt¡­ -First strike - I announced calmly. -E-excuse me¡­? -No, excuse me. I know you are lying. So they are not dead then though. Who are you trying to cover for then, hm? -No one! I am not lying! - he quickly denied. -Pff. Like I am going to believe you. If you are not going to cooperate, I guess it¡¯s time to change back to more annoying methods¡­ As I spoke, I leaned closer to him and was about to grab him again and try to force the contact once more, but he quickly weaseled his way from my range. One thought and I was able to pull him back to me using the bindings I still had under my control. -Told you it¡¯s futile. So let¡¯s¡­ -NO! Stop! I¡¯ll talk, I¡¯ll talk! Please, just not¡­ -So start talking - I hurried him. - And don¡¯t try me again, I¡¯ll know. He nodded and swallowed loudly. -It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s just¡­ That I am¡­ -Stop stuttering. From the beginning. Start making sense. -They all are dead! All of them! - he finally blurted out. -I¡¯ve heard that one already. So what? -And I am the newest leader. Not much new info here. Granted I didn¡¯t know much about their group, besides them having some ties to both Axelrod, and to my old world, but still¡­ -And the point is¡­?. - I pushed him a little bit. - You were the leader of those people, It¡¯s not like I care if you are some king or another one¡­ -No! No! I am not a leading type! I am just an errand boy¡­ -Again. Why do I care? -Because I am the last person here from the old age¡­ before Axelrod¡­ -So what? -You¡¯re not going to kill the last one of your countrymen, are you? I stopped and stared blankly at him. -Countrymen. Last one. What the fuck are you talking about? -Er¡­? -My ¡°country¡± may be destroyed. Hell, maybe even my whole world. But why the fuck would I care? I am not the one who wants to get back to it. I am perfectly content staying here. And if my old world is coming to get me, you can bet that I am going to defend myself. Wait a second. Something was off. His mana¡­ changed. Or emotions rather, to be precise. Considering the fact that he was just scared a moment ago, the fact that his emotions shifted more towards the confusion was concerning. -Your world¡­? You are from a different world¡­? -What the fuck, did fear eat your brains out? You worked for so long with those people and yet you think that they are from here? -Y-yes¡­? -Hate to break it to you buddy, but you¡¯re wrong. Both me, Axelrod, and your MIRE employers are not from here. You said it yourself, ¡°old world¡±. -But¡­ but that¡­ that doesn¡¯t make¡­ they showed me¡­ He was more than confused now. His fear was now completely gone, replaced by feelings of disbelief and betrayal. But, the betrayal faded as soon as it appeared and got replaced by something quite different¡­ determination. -No. You are wrong. I know it. I¡¯ve been there. -¡±There¡±? -Old world. I have been there. It exists. It exists here. I wanted to say he was bluffing. But hell, I could tell that he was believing every single word he was saying right now. Talk about being confused and misinformed. -Okay. Now you¡¯re confusing me - I said, genuinely intrigued. - You¡¯ve been to my world. Really? There was nothing like that in the vision¡­ -I don¡¯t know¡­ it¡¯s¡­ really not that interesting¡­ -Oh, it is to me. -Well¡­ it¡¯s not that much different from this place so I guess¡­ -Not different? Damn, I need to prod your mind a little bit more¡­ -Don¡¯t! I¡¯ll talk! - he immediately assured me. - I know when I am powerless. I¡¯ll talk! And besides¡­ - he added after a moment of hesitation - I am also a bit intrigued about that place¡­ -So get on with it. -It¡¯s been a long time ago. My memories are not the best, that¡¯s probably also why you didn¡¯t get much out of my earlier¡­ your vision. I was there only once¡­ well, twice, if you want to be precise. -What do you mean? -I was born in the old world. -Well, that would explain why you don¡¯t remember¡­ What about the second one, though? -I followed my parents. Once. It was¡­ - he took a deep breath and started talking. -One day, I remember them leaving me, just like countless times before, to ¡°get some supplies¡±. -Nice excuse. -Well, it was true. Even though it was far away, they still were going there to get supplies for us to live. Can you imagine how hard it is to get something other than sand in this desert? And yet, we were, well, maybe not thriving, but doing pretty well all things considered. -Get to the point. -Right. Sorry. I followed them¡­ and saw them open the portal. It wasn¡¯t that uncommon, I knew that they were doing that to get to different ruins and all, so it never made me suspicious¡­ I was just curious. As soon as they walked through, I leapt out of my hiding spot and jumped through behind them. -Talk about lack of awareness¡­ A kid managed to sneak up on someone good enough to comprehend portal magic and differences in mana needed to recognize and create anchors¡­ pf. -Well, that wasn''t the case. They knew. -Hm? -As soon as I passed through the opening, I landed in my fathers arms. -But he wasn¡¯t mad. No, not at all, he was¡­ well, I want to say nostalgic. Yeah, that¡¯s the closest thing I can think of that would make sense. I didn¡¯t know, but it was because he was right back at his own home. In their own home. -They teleported to the other world? Damn, so the thing Axelrod wants is indeed possible - said For, intrigued. - Your parents were powerful. If that¡¯s true, that is. But then, if they are really from the old world, that¡¯s kind of given¡­ -It¡¯s not like everyone back then was amazing at magic - I said, sighing. - But, that explains why he was so interested in you. In your family. -Yeah. If he wants to go back, it would be perfect. -Perfect¡­ well, it would be. But why kill them though? He had a perfect way to get there, but he just tossed it away¡­ -I¡­ -True¡­ - agreed with me For, not paying attention to the guy who was looking at us dumbfounded. - He could just go through the teleport himself and be done with it, right¡­? -Don¡¯t ask me. Ask him. -I am telling the truth! -Oh, I know you are - I assured him, seeing as he was starting to panic once more. - I can tell when you¡¯re lying. But lying and being misinformed are two different things. Something that you are assured is true doesn¡¯t have to be if you were just straight up wrong in the first place. -It boils down to what your parents told you. Sure, you believe them. But who can tell if they weren¡¯t mistaken as well? -Exactly. -... -Our doubts aside, continue - I said, after a short pause. - We¡¯ll cross that bridge when it comes to it. Let¡¯s hear the whole story first. -R-right¡­ Well.. -He¡­ he told me that he was surprised that it took me so long¡­ that he was finally going to show me our home¡­ I didn¡¯t understand what he was talking about at all. The place where we landed was not that much different from the ruins we were usually traveling and scavenging¡­ besides the fact that there was a lot less sand there¡­ -Less sand? Well, that tracks¡­ -But the architecture was similar? - asked For. -Yeah¡­ I think so¡­ I was just a child, so I probably missed or rather that I misremembered some details, but I was confused, I thought that I just teleported a building away or something¡­ -Hmm¡­ So, where did you get the assumption that it¡¯s the same world¡­? To me it still sounds like you were teleported¡­ -You can¡¯t teleport to some other worlds! - he immediately said. I just sighed. -And how the hell would you know that? -Because my parents were trying to do exactly that. 166. Punished The two of us gazed at him with confusion. I even felt Kon being stunned. He was apparently still listening to our conversation via one of us. -Excuse me? - asked For. - Your parents¡­ wanted to teleport to other worlds¡­? -Yeah, they¡­ Well, they didn¡¯t want to, they were tasked with it¡­ -By who? -By him. -Okay, pause - I said. - You keep saying that. ¡°Him this¡±, ¡°him that¡±. You mean Axelrod, right? -Er¡­ I am not sure, it¡¯s¡­ I didn¡¯t hear that name, I only learned that recently. -So what¡¯s his name? -Michael. I nodded. -It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve heard that one. Yeah, that¡¯s Axelrod alright. -Yeah, if we didn¡¯t know before, we¡¯d have confirmation now¡­ -But, wait, Axelrod¡­ Mike told you to find a way to travel to different worlds¡­? -My parents. But yes. I think so. -Well, we did know that he was trying to find a way to get out of this world¡­ - pointed out For. - So that¡¯s at least confirmed. -But he did end the contact with them¡­ he murdered them¡­. Does that mean that they found a way¡­? -I¡­ I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible¡­ - he said after a pause. - That¡¯s why they are dead¡­ Because they told him that. -I mean, he did ¡°punish¡± them for their failure¡­ - said For. -Did he¡­? It looks to me like he rewarded them¡­. - I pointed towards his leg. - He did fix him¡­ Sort of. -I don¡¯t understand¡­ - the guy was completely lost. -You don¡¯t have to. So, what else¡­? -What do you mean¡­? -What else did they find out? Axelrod wouldn¡¯t just dump such assets because of one singular failure like this. Hell, it was not really a failure to be honest¡­ -I don¡¯t¡­ It¡¯s not like I remember much from that¡­ -Hmm. Right¡­ Even if you weren¡¯t a kid back then, I don¡¯t think it would''ve helped¡­ it¡¯s been a long ass time since then¡­ -Yeah, how old are you even¡­? -I stopped counting after the first century. -Century¡­? Damn. You might be older than Mor. -Unlikely. I am as old as Axelrod. I think. And he is the source of this bullshit, so¡­ -Right. -Hm. So you assume that since he killed them both, they have failed to find a way to travel through worlds¡­ yet, you¡¯ve seen and even been to a place that supposedly is from the old world¡­? -Correct. -We¡¯ve seen that he¡¯s been experimenting¡­ supposedly with the attempts to do exactly that¡­ to get home. -Yeah¡­ but that makes no sense¡­ If they were able to get there so easily then why wouldn¡¯t he do just that¡­? -There are two possibilities. First one - I started. - You are plainly wrong. You never were born in the old world, you just came from a different weird place in this world. Plain and simple. -That¡¯s¡­ no! I believe them¡­ -I can tell - I said, nodding. - But if that is true, then there¡¯s only one other option that comes to my mind right now¡­ -The second option. The one explaining the ease of that supposed transport. That Axelrod is wrong. That our old world and this place are one and the same. -That means¡­ his efforts are completely mistargeted¡­ he doesn¡¯t need to escape¡­ But wait, wait wait - For finally realized the problem. - We already established that. That our world looks completely different than yours. That there are only pieces of your old world here¡­ -Does it¡­? - I asked. - I was never so sure¡­ Especially¡­ the barrier¡­ No. Yes. I think. I think I finally understand¡­ -This world¡­ You said it¡¯s flat¡­ and circular, that whatever gets to one edge is teleported to the other side, to protect everything, right¡­? -That¡¯s what we figured out together, isn¡¯t it¡­? -Yes. But what if¡­ it¡¯s not to protect¡­. but to contain us¡­? -Contain¡­? What for¡­? -And maybe not us as of you¡­ I mean ¡°us¡± as the old MIRE. As¡­ that this is our prison. Our punishment. -You think¡­ that we are in your own world¡­ and we are just in some strange¡­ prison¡­? -Precisely. After all, all who were responsible landed here, right? Me. Il. Axelrod. ILMA. Even our building¡­. It was not on purpose, but it definitely worked in their favor¡­ -And who are ¡°they¡±? -Fuck if I know. But, if everything so far is correct, they are absolutely dead. -And what if they are not? -That means they are also under the influence of Origin Crystal. -And what does that mean?! - he asked suddenly, almost interrupting For. -That they are not a threat. If they lived that long, it means that they turned completely into what you call ¡°crystal remnant¡±. Or whatever I am. -That¡­ that¡¯s a remnant¡­? I thought¡­ they are more aggressive¡­? - he seemed unsure. -That is actually a good question. For, Kon, and you, er¡­ -Robert. -Right. Yea, Robert. The three of you. Have you ever seen an actual crystal remnant in your life? -Er¡­ -Of course not me, I mean I think I am a remnant, but I kind of am a weird edge case, right? Or something along those lines¡­ -Right¡­ Well¡­ - started For, visibly struggling to remember. - I¡­ I don¡¯t think I personally saw anyone¡­ I mean, you know, I was sheltered, and when I was in the Red Edge I wasn¡¯t really having much contact with the outside world besides some random contractors¡­ and, of course, Axelrod. I guess that would be one¡­ -Yeah, he¡¯s also a weird case¡­ No one else then? -No¡­ I don¡¯t think so¡­ - she said and shook her head. -And you, Kon? I don¡¯t want to bring back some painful memories, but about your¡­ earlier part of life¡­? -No - he replied after a moment of pondering. - The people I¡¯ve met weren¡¯t exactly some refined types¡­ just some scum and at best random nobles from the capital. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. -Hmm. -I¡­ I am not sure¡­ I mean, if what you say I only saw him¡­ I mean Axelrod¡­ -So nothing. Damn, I don¡¯t¡­ -No, but wait, there¡¯s also the thing that¡­ You said that the crystal revenant is a person that has the crystal¡­ Origin Crystal somehow embedded in their body, right¡­? -More or less¡­ -But¡­ How much do you need¡­? -What¡¯s that question supposed to mean? -See¡­ our¡­ rituals¡­ I mean, damn, let¡¯s call it how it really is, our attempts at crafting some weapons from the Origin Crystal¡­ see, there¡¯s also that one step that makes me worried¡­ -One step? You have to do something to prepare that¡­ thing? -Yes¡­ sort of. It¡¯s something he left us¡­ or rather instructed us to do. -Axelrod did? Interesting. -Yes! Besides his¡­ those new developments, people did trust him and since he was powerful, we thought he knew better¡­ -What did he do exactly¡­? -He? Nothing. Only told us how to hurry the ritual up¡­ he gave us a method¡­ -So what is it? -Before¡­ crafting. Day before to be precise, he told us we had to inhale some kind of strange powder¡­ he told us that it stimulates the flow of mana¡­ -Powder? Oh fucking damnit, did he drug you?! -No! Yes. Maybe¡­? I am unsure what was in that one, but the first time I used it¡­ I couldn¡¯t have enough. I think I might have begged for more even. As all of us¡­ -Oh fucking great. Now he¡¯s even dealing with this stuff¡­ -But what¡¯s the point though¡­? Did he want to just steal some quick cash or some shit like that¡­? -It''s not like he had clients even! -What are you talking about? - she asked. - Is he giving them some drugs or whatever? If so, then who cares? -Drugs? Well, it¡¯s not that far¡­ If I am correct, he told them to get high on¡­ well, on him. However weird that sounds. -What the fuck are you talking about? -I mean the Origin Crystal! - I said, seeing her confusion. - Damn, do I have to spell everything out for you¡­? -Ori¡­ wait, that shit works like drugs? -What, you interested? -No! Well¡­ Maybe. -Hah. Well, you do make booze out of mana, right? -Well, after they ¡°outlawed¡± regular alcohol, it sort of was the only option¡­ And more like we get drunk on mana instead of regular alcohol¡­ -Same thing. But yeah, you can. I mean, you were even once. -I was¡­? -Thanks to your royal alchemist or whatever. -Royal¡­ oh fuck off. And by the way, she¡¯s a cook not an alchemist. -Yeah, both are one in the same. -Wha¡­? -What, what do you think it is? Cooking is just mixing and matching substances to create a product that is edible and rejuvenating. And preferably tasting good. Alchemy is exactly the same. Well, at least one branch. -That''s¡­ Huh. -Right? Anyway if she managed to create some good stuff, who says Axelrod cannot weaponize it? I mean¡­ -I wouldn¡¯t say it was weaponized¡­ - said the guy - but it was definitely effective¡­ It did let us manipulate a lot more mana¡­ and since you say that it¡¯s made out of Origin Crystal¡­ and the revenants are made out of it¡­ -Yeah, there are some steps in between - I pointed out - but that is a fair¡­ You are right. At least one of you is the remnant¡­ besides, the kids¡­ As soon as I mentioned that, I felt pain both from the guy and from the pair of my friends. Right¡­ I sort of failed to notice the fact that they were missing¡­ and the insinuated fact that the spell that has been used didn¡¯t have much room to be interpreted¡­ -Yeah¡­ -Anyway. With all that¡­ sort of figured out, there¡¯s now one problem. What the fuck are we doing now? - asked For after a moment of silence. That was a good question. We had some more information about everything¡­ Well, hopefully, the whole story of the guy was up for debate. But that was it. We were stuck in some random desert far away from anything. Sure, Axelrod has apparently visited here more than once, but I feel like he was probably targeting our new¡­ ¡°friend¡± instead of this place. Or at least someone from his group, so if we were to have him with us we would still have a way to meet him¡­ That is if we wanted to do it. I was still on the fence with that. We also had access to portal magic. The main question was, what about anchors¡­? -Yeah, fair point. We probably should start moving¡­ And added in my mind: -Do any of you still have some anchors? -I was mostly ¡°imprisoned¡±, so while I had something I am sure, that¡¯s long been gone - said quiet up till now Kon. I guess he was still paying attention. -Damn. For? -Sadly, no. Those I had to get rid of before¡­ ¡°joining¡± - replied For. - But I did hide some in case of an emergency¡­ -Where? -Closer to the main camp¡­ in case I was to flee it was the best I could do. -Right¡­ having those with you they would just get drained during one ritual or another. -Yeah¡­ and some of their¡­ artifacts also seemed to interfere with that. -Hm. -What about our ¡°friend¡±? Fair point. We were not alone. -Did you hear the question? - I said aloud. - Do you have any anchors on you? -Anchors¡­? No¡­ I mean, nothing that would be useful to you¡­ -And what wouldn''t be useful to us? That magnifying glass or hammer? -Magnif¡­ ah, that. No, I left those in the camp. But I do have something else¡­ or rather, we had. -We? -Yeah. The group¡­ everyone that was working with the¡­ Origin Crystal, had to have someone that would get them back in case of emergency¡­ In our group it was him¡­ -Him? -The third one¡­ the one that left. -Ah. So you know about that¡­ Well, I should''ve figured. And I assume you didn¡¯t just give him anchors for safekeeping¡­? - I asked, pretending to be unaware of that. -Of course not. While most slaves were¡­ er, I mean, servants were connected to people and thus were assured to be obedient, he was¡­ different¡­ -Yeah, I bet¡­ Of course they had problems with him. Besides the fact that he was resilient in his own self, he was already bound to someone else made him protected from bullshit such as those stupid slavery spells¡­ blood binding and all that. Having Origin Crystal is a great thing, all things considered. -We tried binding him, but never were able to¡­ I am unsure why, but he resisted, so Instead we just had an additional watch assigned to him. -Hm. Well. So, what about those anchors¡­? -They probably are with the remaining of the materials and tools from the ¡°smithing¡±. -The ritual? Wouldn¡¯t they be drained then? -They were in a void bag, a better one I mean. Enhanced one. -Enhanced? -It should be somewhere near there - he pointed to where the group first time arrived and unpacked. - It was the only one different from the usual. -Different how? -Color. And it was also the only one made out of the Crystal itself. Crystal itself? They made a bag out of my flesh¡­? -And you made it? How? -Well, we, not me¡­ It was the same way as you were witness to before¡­ -You made a bag using an anvil. What. -I don¡¯t know what to tell you¡­ - he said awkwardly. - I wasn¡¯t the one that created it, the guy is already dead¡­ I mean, disappeared - he corrected himself immediately. - You have already seen to that¡­ -Ah. So the guy who was here¡­? -Yeah. -Hm. I guess I was not learning how exactly they managed that¡­ But, on the other hand, it would be easy to find¡­ Wait. -Speaking of creation, smithing and all that. Do you have any information about the weapon you made here? -The blade¡­ I mean¡­ not much¡­ -Not much? You are the leader of¡­ well, you were the leader of this bunch, seemingly. And you don¡¯t know what your people were doing? I smell bullshit. -No! No! - he quickly said. - It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t know what they were doing, it¡¯s¡­ I mean, I don¡¯t but¡­ -Don¡¯t try and lie. -I am not! It¡¯s just¡­ He sighed. -I know that we were making something, but don¡¯t know what. -You¡¯re shit smiths then¡­? For''s confusion was understandable. -It¡¯s¡­ well, sort of. It¡¯s just that¡­ have you heard that saying, that every piece of stone has a statue already inside it? -And the sculptor¡¯s task is just to reveal it, yes yes, it''s a pretty known one. But first off, that¡¯s not just a random piece of marble. Nor you¡¯re making statues. -And yet that¡¯s what our smith believed in. I gazed at him, irritated. -I don¡¯t know what to say¡­ -I can tell. He was about to say something. Judging by his state of mind, probably was considering arguing more, but changed his mind. 167. Nothing -Okay, so where¡¯s that stupid thing¡­? I said earlier that it would be easy to find the bag and the loot inside it since it would be enchanted and my mana was sort of hard to miss, but there was a small problem. When they made the blade, one of them swung it a couple of times, releasing a rather large amount of mana. While it did not weaken the blade, I think at least, it created a scattered field of mana signatures all over the place. If the sword was not hidden inside the bag, it would be easy to distinguish. But inside, that was a problem. I knew that the sword was powerful, but the bag was definitely not. Regular ones weren¡¯t exactly shining beacons, easy to spot, and since that one was apparently different, who knows if it wasn¡¯t even less noticeable. So, we had to manually search through a whole lot of space. Meanwhile, Kon was still on top of one of the buildings, watching everything from above. I did ask him for help, hoping his ability to distinguish mana would be helpful, but for naught. After all, all of this was made out of my own, so there was no difference, besides the size. And that every single one of us could tell. Well, maybe not the guy who was essentially our prisoner now, but not like we were counting on his help. I instructed Kon to keep an eye on him, while me and For started looking for loot. It took us some time. It definitely did not help that I was not in any sort of rush. I decided to take this opportunity to recharge on mana even more. I was feeling pretty okay after draining some people, but why would I pass this opportunity to feed myself even more? Especially since this residue was essentially mine. And, it was making it easier to look through the place. One by one, I drained the spots, removing them from the space, and soon I was starting to get worried. Not because of the fact that I was getting too much mana. I am not sure if that was even possible any more. It was because we weren¡¯t finding shit. Yeah, no loot, no remaining scraps from the ¡°smithing¡±, or tools, and definitely no void bags. Or swords. -It¡¯s not here - announced For obvious after we searched through every single mana signature in near vicinity. -I don¡¯t understand¡­ He started getting defensive even without any of us asking. -Well, we can expand the search a bit¡­ - said Kon, bored from watching us stumble through the sand. -No point. They were never there, and those signatures are so small that I doubt that it¡¯s anything interesting - replied For. -Yeah¡­ the only large ones were near the center of this place¡­ I wonder why¡­ -I drained the rest - I explained. - But it¡¯s strange, I did think that one of those larger ones near here would be it¡­ -Is it possible that he is lying? -Lying? Nope. I can tell. But about hiding something¡­ well, while I doubt that, it¡¯s possible. -Yeah, no. He is scared. He wouldn¡¯t dare. -Yeah¡­ - agreed For. - So what now? -Not like I was planning on using that thing¡­ It would be useful to have, and now we have a problem¡­ -Hm. Yeah. How and when did it disappear? -Precisely. -You don¡¯t think that¡­ someone¡¯s grabbed it and left¡­? -Is that even possible¡­? That was a good question. I found it hard to believe that someone would do that. I mean it was possible. For one, could it be that one of the people I¡¯ve thought dead was hidden somewhere and just grabbed this shit and teleported away? While it would be possible for me to mistake someone weak to the remaining scraps of mana scattered all over, the fact that they would be so mana-starved, I feel it would take almost all of their mana to open a portal. Not to mention to even pass through it without my knowledge. Besides the fact that they would be barely even moving after casting it, I would definitely notice a portal opening somewhere, especially in this empty environment. The second version was a bit more plausible, but still a stretch. That someone came here and took it. The obvious problem would still be the fact that they would for sure have to teleport in and out of here, and by extension alarm me of their presence and spellcasting. But if not those two, what else? I honestly didn¡¯t have an answer to that question. -I am not sure¡­ maybe¡­? - I replied after a moment of thought. -I didn¡¯t feel anyone, though¡­ Kon apparently shared my opinion. He was the one watching us for a while. -You think that they can mask their presence or something? - asked For. -They do have those weird artifacts¡­ that apparently are confusing even for Mor¡­ -Fair¡­ -I mean, it could¡¯ve happened before¡­ -Befo¡­ Right! That was some good thinking on his part. While the fact that their technology was¡­ curious and what they said might have actually been possible, there was an easier explanation. After all, there¡¯s a good moment during which we were¡­ ¡°absent¡±, so to speak. The vision we shared. Wouldn¡¯t it be possible that during this time someone managed to take the loot and get out? I am not even sure how long we were out of it, there¡¯s no one to tell us. So barring the possibility of us being out for hours or days, whoever did that had an amazing timing. If they were hiding here, it meant that they were able to read mana, meaning probably not someone from this main group, at least according to this guy. If they were from somewhere else¡­ well. I honestly didn¡¯t want to assume that someone just got lucky and managed to get here during the perfect moment¡­ But if that was not it, it meant that we were watched. And who else would be the prime suspect? Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Someone with Origin Crystal themselves. I don¡¯t want to admit, but my thoughts went back right towards Axelrod. I swear, it started feeling like I was being obsessed by him. Well, it was not that far off the mark: we were on a way to eventually merge with the same entity, that is if we were to give up. And I don¡¯t think any of us were planning on that. Not yet. -So¡­ Robert, that was your name, right¡­? -Er.. yes¡­? -Do you know of any people that would like to¡­ take it? -Take it¡­? There¡¯s no one here! -Yeah, yeah, but what if? -If¡­? I mean, we are making items that are¡­ Well, unique! Why of course someone would want to take those! Anyone! -Yeah, well, if you put it that way¡­ Fair point. There was no way someone would pass on something like that. But! They would have to know first. -Know¡­? -You said it yourself. Those are unique. One of a kind. So someone would have to know what to look for. -It was in a void bag! Anyone would take a void bag! -Hm. He was right. Yet, still, I was not going to believe that we were just plainly unlucky. No. -Well that¡¯s a problem for later. Let¡¯s now maybe see the current problems. -Which is¡­ -You of course. He froze. I think for a while he forgot that he was a prisoner of ours. I didn¡¯t mind it since he started being a lot more talkative, and the rest were also more interested in listening to him than trying to treat him like a prisoner. -M-me? He¡¯s back to being scared already. Kind of expected. -Of course. You still were the one that attacked me. Killed me, essentially. You are our enemy, did you forget that already? -Let¡¯s not get too hasty¡­ -Hasty? Oh, this is far from being hasty. We¡¯re still talking - said For. Even though she was stone-faced, I could tell that she also had problems with figuring our current situation out. -I¡­ did¡­ I mean, I didn¡¯t really¡­ ¡°kill¡±, I mean¡­ you¡¯re alive so¡­ -Pff. Yeah, sure. So you think we¡¯re going to be what, friends with you or some stupid shit? -N-no¡­ -Let¡¯s get this straight. I don¡¯t really care that you attacked, I just want to prevent ANOTHER attack. -I won¡¯t¡­ -I know you won¡¯t do anything. I can tell. I basically can taste your fear right now, so you¡¯d be totally idiotic if you were to do that. -So¡­ -No. I still want to make sure. -Eh¡­ - sighed For. - I guess we¡­ I can do it. You know how to bind a slave, right? -Yeah, but let¡¯s not get ahead of ourselves. I have some other ideas. -Other ideas? - she asked curiously. -You don¡¯t have to do something risky if you¡¯re just doing that for my sake - added Kon. - It really doesn¡¯t matter if¡­ he¡¯s enslaved. -Really? No problems with that? -Problems are to be overcome. -That¡¯s quite a lookout on things. But no, I am also curious. I want to experiment a bit. On the mention of ¡°experimenting¡± both of them bombarded me with mixed feelings. Not on purpose of course, but still. -Relax. Those aren¡¯t very ¡°destructive¡± or ¡°risky¡± - I said, feigning irritation. - We¡¯ll be fine. Or, well rather us three will be fine. The test subject, however¡­ not sure. -Test subject? -Our dear friend Robert, of course - I smiled. - I doubt he¡¯ll have any problems with giving us a little bit of help. -What are you planning? -Oh, just something they came up with. Those items that they were making out of my own crystals, right? They did use them to somehow have control over the kids. So why won¡¯t we use those ourselves? -Er¡­ but how? -We have our very own guide to ask, right? -Hm¡­ right¡­ And besides, that thing should be¡­ I don¡¯t know, shouldn¡¯t it be easy to use? Like, it¡¯s made out of your¡­ well, our own flesh. Wouldn¡¯t that mean that it would be easier for us¡­ to control or something? -Let¡¯s ask him first. Then, if he¡¯s not compliant I¡¯ll just poke his brainhole once more. And if that won¡¯t help, we¡¯d go with just using regular binding. -That is if by that point he¡¯ll be sane. -Or alive. -Oh, don¡¯t be so pessimistic you two. -So, Rob. Tell us something. -Eh¡­? I am unsure if he was more unsettled by me calling him ¡°Rob¡± or my sudden change in demeanor. I was quite excited, to be honest. Not everyday you have the opportunity to experiment with your own flesh and not be bothered by repercussions. Or pain. -How would one go with using one of these¡­? - I asked, dangling a crystal on a string right in front of his face. -You still have¡­! -Of course I do. It''s a pretty important piece, don¡¯t you think? You seemed to be keen on using those constantly. -You¡­! -Nah, I don¡¯t want to blow no one up. I¡¯d rather everyone stayed in one piece in the foreseeable future. -So then what do you want?! -What? Weren¡¯t you using those things as a¡­ well, ¡°safety¡±? To keep your slaves in check? I doubt you¡¯d manage that with just a threat of detonation. -We¡­ I¡­ I could tell he was very, very conflicted. And scared. I guess the fear won. -It¡¯s not¡­ It doesn¡¯t work like that¡­ mostly. -The fuck is that supposed to mean? -I¡­ It doesn¡¯t blow up¡­ It just links people''s mana together. -Yeah, I sort of figured that one part out. Kind of easy if you can see the mana flow in the air. -So¡­ So you put those on someone¡­ and they become your own personal¡­ power source. -Yes, yes, we know that. -And¡­ That¡¯s it. It¡¯s just it. -And how, pray tell, would that make anyone obedient? - asked For. - I can think of a couple of ways that it can go wrong. -It¡¯s not to be used for obedience! It was just a help for the ritual! - he quickly assured us. - It was to help us get their mana¡­ to make crystal items! -So how did you do¡­, what, you¡¯re telling me that every single one of those kids were just straight up enslaved? -Y-yes? I couldn¡¯t believe my ears. And eyes, to boot. He was not lying. He genuinely believed what he was saying. And yet, I knew it was a lie. Those kids were not enslaved. They couldn¡¯t be. Weren¡¯t they supposed to be branded by For, or Jacob? Wait. Supposed. They were to be. But then, they disappeared. Just to be sure I asked For. -I know you already have an idea, but I have to ask anyway. Did you brand those kids? -No. -Did you order Jacob to do it? -Yes. -Of course¡­. He just stole them. Plain and simple. -Eh¡­ great. -But we didn¡¯t brand him! - he said, pointing to Kon. - I don¡¯t know why but we couldn''t do so, we instead were keeping him¡­ -Yes, close watch, blah blah, heard that bit already - I cut him off. - Fuck. But, aren¡¯t we forgetting something? For example this magical thing¡­ I put the necklace around his neck and still keeping hold on it said: -Lunipdo. Stand. I could feel everyone freeze and stiffen. Whoever wasn¡¯t standing yet, stood up. -Mor, fucking¡­ -Ah right, you too¡­ Anyway, what about this handy function? -What, how standing up would help?! - he yelped. -What, only one command? - I asked, disappointed. - You¡¯re slacking off¡­ -Then you go and create something like that! For a second he regained his previous bravado. -Ooh, feisty. Calm the fuck down. He immediately shut up. I suddenly heard For talk to me inside my head. -If we¡¯re not using that, can we turn this shit off?! Ah right, For was still under the ¡°spell¡± so to speak. To be honest, I was unsure how I would go about that, but the first thing that came to mind was to repeat the same command, so¡­ -Lunipdo. It actually worked. Surprisingly simple. I guess that¡¯s what I should expect after some untested magic. -Thanks. I¡¯d rather you not used that any more. -I¡¯ll think about it. 168. Recoil -Well, at least there¡¯s no room for some experimental treatments¡­ - mumbled For. -Sure¡­ Okay. I guess we¡¯re enslaving this one¡­ He shuddered. -Do we have needed items though? -We don¡¯t need much - I said. - What, some ink, blood and infused material. -Well, we do have blood¡­- said Kon. -I think I know a spell to create ink¡­ - said For after a moment of consideration. -You do? I was genuinely surprised. -Yeah. What, is that weird? -No, it¡¯s just I didn¡¯t expect for someone like you to know such a¡­ niche spell¡­ I thought I¡¯ll have to improvise¡­ -I was living alone for a long time. I remember a couple of spells that would definitely be ¡°strange¡±. -But let me guess. None of them are offensive. Or combat related. -You said it yourself: ¡°niche¡±. -Yeah, got it, got it. -There¡¯s still the problem of having some mana infused material¡­ -Last time¡­ you used infused water, right? - asked For. - I think that will be hard to procure here¡­ -It¡¯s fine. We have plenty of that. She looked at me confused. -We have plenty of mana infused material - I said, pointing to myself. - Who said that it has to be water? -I¡­ eh? -What? -You want to make an ink¡­ from yourself. -I guess, essentially. It¡¯s not like they were doing much different things before, right? -I¡­ I guess? -It just has to be nicely grinded, so it will mix with the ink and blood. -Okay¡­ and paper¡­ -Nah, fuck paper. -What, you¡¯re telling me that you don¡¯t even need the paper?! -Of course not. You just need to write the contract on something. So why not directly on the skin? The three of them looked shaken. -What? You didn¡¯t think that paper was somehow needed? -I mean¡­ what¡­ what¡¯s going to appear then if we summon the contract?! I mean, if it works, you¡¯ll¡­ -What do you think? It¡¯ll appear on your skin. I mean, it¡¯s obvious. She seemed hesitant. -Right¡­ sorry, I guess that¡¯s a bit too much to ask of you at once - I said, realizing what I just made her realize. - We would be essentially tattooing you both¡­ well, it¡¯s going to be a lot less unpleasant than an actual tattoo, but still as permanent as a tattoo¡­ -Are you for real right now¡­ -Don¡¯t worry about that. It¡¯s going to disappear. It¡¯s not like you have a fiery mark from our contract visible constantly. It¡¯ll be there only if needed. She grabbed her neck, remembering the flames I conjured on her flesh multiple times already. -I¡­ I guess it¡¯s fine¡­ -Sorry. I would¡¯ve done that myself, but¡­ you know. -Yes. Yes, yes. Let¡¯s better get on with it¡­ -We need the stuff first, so¡­ We started preparing for the ¡°operation¡±. I say that, but it was just mostly me. The ink and blood were as easy as getting a knife at the ready and For casting one spell. From the ruins we managed to find something that resembled a plate, which was good enough for our purposes. The main issue was the mana infused material¡­ I did say that it would be easy, but I never considered my own durability. Yeah, that was a problem. I kind of forgot that my body was pretty hard to wound now. We tried some knives at first. While not the best quality, it was what we had on hand, some metal tools. I don¡¯t have to add that it ended in nothing: we didn¡¯t even manage to give me a scratch. Or, rather in destroying the items in question almost immediately. I sort of was hoping that those would be more durable, since they belonged to the group that was handling my own crystal before, but of course it was not the case. The actual items that would be helpful were gone, along with their newest product. -Should¡­ should I try to cast some kind of spell on you? - For was thinking aloud. - No, that¡¯s not¡­ -Do you even know something that would work? - I asked, curious. -No, not really¡­ -Even if you did, I bet it wouldn¡¯t be enough¡­ you¡¯d have to infuse so much mana in it¡­ -Are we sure we can¡¯t infuse pure mana into it? -Sure we can. But good luck getting mana from a person sticking to this¡­ mixture. -And like yours is different! It¡¯s your flesh. -And also an Origin Crystal. -What, don¡¯t tell me that it¡¯s some kind of exception? -Of course it is - I nodded. - Origin Crystal is all but exceptional. And not fully understood, to be honest - I muttered. -Hmm¡­ -So we have a problem¡­ -Well, there¡¯s one other way¡­ I didn¡¯t really want to try and do this¡­ I mean¡­ -There is? What is it? -It¡¯s a bit unpleasant¡­ -Unpleasant? For you? There¡¯s anything that would be unpleasant in this body of yours? I gazed towards our prisoner and decided to keep quiet. -We could try using the same method I got¡­ put out of commission earlier. Both For and Kon looked stunned and horrified. -That¡¯s dangerous! -I am aware. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t want to do it. -You could die! Again! -I didn¡¯t die. Also, who told you that you need to target my head? I would like to minimize the damage, thank you very much - I pointed out. - One of you¡¯d have to just aim for my arm. Or preferably a finger. They looked at each other. -I¡­ I don¡¯t know what they did though. -Ah - I realized that they never knew what exactly hit me. - That¡¯s simple. You just need to focus some light magic and¡­ boom. -Boom? -You saw. I did explode. What do you think? Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. -You want to blow your hand off?! -I don¡¯t want to. But do you have a better idea? -I¡­ -Exactly. You don¡¯t. -Can¡¯t we just find something else?! -Oh, come on, it¡¯s not that bad. Sure, pain, but whatever. -We don¡¯t even have anyone that can use that kind of magic! -Of course we do. -I am not talking about you! What, you want to blow yourself up? -I mean, that¡¯s possible, but I¡¯d rather some of you do it. Third person perspective is always better to have¡­ -Kon, you can use that!? -I¡­ He was uncertain. -Of course he can. And so can you. I already explained before, magic is not something that limits you because you keep using one thing. Sure, you might be more proficient, but¡­ -No, I don¡¯t mean it like that! We don¡¯t have a crystal that would¡­ She stopped mid-sentence, realizing that she was wrong. Of course, each of us had plenty of their own Origin Crystal to cast the spells of their choosing, no matter the element. -I¡¯ll just give you a spell and we should be good to go. Just let me think for a second¡­ -Mrgh¡­ Okay. I¡¯ll do it. I looked her over. I didn¡¯t expect her to volunteer. I thought I was going to make Kon do it. It might be a bit cruel, but so what? It¡¯s not like her doing it would be any better. -I would rather Kon do it. I mean, you have a lot less mana than him¡­ I said that, but it wasn¡¯t exactly true. She did expand her mana pool during my¡­ ¡°beauty sleep¡±. She was on Kon¡¯s level, sure, but she had more than enough to channel a spell of a moderate size to probably blow my face off. -Never mind. You really want to do it? She was surprised. -I guess I get it, you still want some revenge for that old contract and all that. Hell, if I am so willing you¡¯d be able to attempt to murder me without any repercussions¡­ -I¡­! NO! Her protest was so immediate, even I was shocked. -I would never do something like this! -Mh-hm. -Well, anyway, here¡¯s the spell. ¡°Mynu, gulytu lek qigo¡°. Means: ¡°Light, focus and shoot¡±. You probably should target my finger, that is if you are able to be precise with it. I don¡¯t mind losing my full hand, but I¡¯d rather not. -Ah! You¡­ Really? -What? -You¡¯re so determined? -Determined? - I asked, confused. - Determination has nothing with it. That just means to an end. -I¡­ -Come on, let¡¯s go. That¡¯s if you didn¡¯t change your mind. -No! I didn¡¯t! -Good. -The spell I gave you should produce a beam of light from your fingertip, or whatever else you prefer - I explained as we walked a bit away from both Kon and the bound guy. -Got it - she replied out loud. - And you want me to aim for¡­? -I guess a finger? - I joined in a normal discussion. - I would rather like a small piece of me to be cut, so you know, I can get it back easier than the head¡­ -Yeah, right¡­ I still don¡¯t understand how you managed to revive¡­ -Not revive. I was never¡­ Well, honestly - I said, interrupting my own thought - I don¡¯t know. I was unconscious through most of it¡­ She shuddered. We found a building with something that resembled a flat surface that I could put my hand on. That one was barely to be called a building, just a wall, really, no roof to speak about even. I guess it didn¡¯t matter anyway, not like we needed that right now. -Well, let¡¯s get this over with. You ready? -As much as I¡¯ll ever be. I nodded and placed my palm right at the ¡°table¡±. -Go for it. She took a deep breath, and stabilizing one hand with another, pointed one finger towards my hand. -Mynu, gulytu lek qigo. Her pronunciation was not perfect, but was good enough. I did tell her how the spell was supposed to look, so that also helped. But, even considering that, the spell itself was amazing. I don¡¯t know if that was because of her imagination or what, but she created a thin laser that sliced right through the table, missing us both. -Nice. But aim this thing! She nodded and carefully started moving the beam towards my hand. I prepared myself for the inevitable pain that I was about to experience, holding my hand in place with another, to not fall over if, or rather when I was going to get hit, but¡­ The pain never arrived. And it was not like she missed. She did reach my finger. And nothing happened. Both of us looked at each other confused. -Did¡­ I fail the spell? That was not possible. I mean, I couldn¡¯t blame her for saying that, because I had the same thought just now, even though she cleanly sliced through the solid brick that was right in front of us. -I¡­ No¡­? I started moving my hand. Maybe she cut it so quickly I didn¡¯t even realize that it was already done? But nope. My fingers were still in their right place. Sure, I could feel some warmth on my palm now, as I was moving it right through the beam, but nothing else. Hell, even the light was not being refracted. It was like it was nothing, just a light. She ended the spell and looked at me with confusion -I don¡¯t get it¡­ -Am I not powerful enough¡­? Maybe Kon is really better at it¡­ -I mean¡­ he might¡­ but that can¡¯t be. It¡¯s not the first time I¡¯ve been hit by a light spell, but every time the effect was completely different. Hell, even when a kid hit me with barely a speck of light, I felt it. I could tell it was doing damage. But¡­ not this¡­ -Kid? From that island? -Yeah. -I mean, those are strange kids, who knows¡­ -Yeah, yeah, but that¡¯s not possible. You already are far ahead of them in mana capacity - I explained to her. - Origin Crystal and all. -I guess I am inexperienced¡­? -And so were they. But, on the off chance you¡¯re right¡­ I hesitated for a second, but decided to go with it anyway. I placed my fingers right at my wrist. A third level spell. If that¡¯s not going to do it, nothing will. -Peqa npyrka pyfuvyka. It was effective. But not in the way I wanted. Between my fingers, a quick flash of light shot right at the hand I was aiming at, and just hit me without any effect. But, I can¡¯t say that it didn¡¯t have any effect at all. I dumped quite a bit of mana into it. And so, it went a bit wide as well, striking the ¡°table¡±, wall, the whole building, slicing it in half, falling right on top of us. While I did react, she didn¡¯t exactly know what I was doing, so her reaction was delayed. Some stray pieces of rubble hit her and almost knocked her over. -What in the fuck?! -You good?! -Yeah¡­ Her head was bleeding. Quite profusely might I add. -Doesn¡¯t look like it! -What¡¯s going on?! Kon was already on the way, dragging the prisoner right with him. I say ¡°dragging¡±, but he was almost walking by himself. He did need some ¡°encouragement¡± though. -An accident - I briefly explained. - My bad. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d work so well¡­ -Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine¡­ - she said, wiping the blood from her face, just for it to be replaced by more, staining her clothes and sand nearby. -Let me see¡­ Kon kneeled next to her and placed his hand on the wound, closing his eyes. I felt a surge of mana from him and the wound¡­ disappeared. He didn¡¯t even use a spell. -How the hell did you do that? -Er¡­ He briefly gazed towards the prisoner. -Didn¡¯t I tell you about my ability? - he said, switching to talking directly into our heads. -The way you healed yourself a long time ago? -Yes. -But I thought you had to¡­ She paused. -I don¡¯t really need much to heal a cut¡­ It''s easy. And since it was away from your face, I didn¡¯t even have to remember much, your skin is not hard to visualize¡­ -Wow. That¡¯s¡­ useful¡­ -I never thought you¡¯d use that kind of magic on someone again¡­ - I pointed out. - After¡­ you know. He sighed. -I still would prefer not to, but I¡¯d rather you not bleed out. -Come on, it¡¯s not that bad. -Not bad? Look at yourself. He had a point. She lost quite a bit of blood. I didn¡¯t really pay attention, but the wound was right at her temple¡­ I guess that explained why there was so much blood. -I¡­ sorry. I will try not to do that next time¡­ - I said quietly¡­ -What were you trying to do anyway? - she asked, standing up and wiping the rest of the blood with her clothes. -Right! I¡­ Well, I wanted to check something¡­ the spell we wanted to use was ineffective for some reason¡­ -Yeah, I thought it was because I was too weak. I wanted to ask Kon about it but, you¡­ well, we blew up. -It was not what I was aiming for! I wanted to do exactly what you did, to try and cut my own self, since your spell was not enough apparently. -Okay¡­ why didn¡¯t you do that in the first place? I mean, I see now why, blowing up, but¡­ -It¡¯s not it! I wouldn¡¯t ever use such a powerful spell immediately. I just¡­. had to know. -Know what? -If I am resistant. -What? -When you cast your spell¡­ It¡¯s not like it didn¡¯t work. You cut through the wall, didn¡¯t you? And I felt the warmth of it. -Warmth? - she didn''t hide the surprise in her voice. - I didn¡¯t feel a thing. If anything, I thought my fingers were getting cold¡­ -See? I only felt some brief warmth. And I bet it was not from the heat of the spell, it was from the mana you were releasing. And I was absorbing. -Weren¡¯t you supposed to be weak to this magic? - asked Kon. - We, rather? The crystal? -That¡¯s what I thought! But if this - I gestured towards the ruined wall - is not enough proof, I believe that it¡¯s not the case any more. 169. Slice We discussed this strange phenomenon for a couple more minutes, ignoring the fact that our prisoner was slowly starting to listen in. Plus, we were still stranded. -We probably should go¡­ - finally said For. - I think we have to ditch the idea of enslaving this guy. -I have another idea¡­ - I said, but before I was able to finish, she raised her hand in protest. -And blow us up again? No thanks! -It¡¯s a lot less¡­ involved. Look¡­ -What are you¡­ I put my finger in my mouth and without even a second thought bit down as hard as I possibly could. Of course it only created a mass of sparks and a grinding noise. I even ignited some mana accidentally and briefly breathed fire. -Whoah! -Yeah, not gonna work - I said, looking my finger over. - Not even a scratch. -That was¡­ -Crude? Yeah. I didn¡¯t expect it to work, but it was worth the try. -I guess¡­ we just have to kill him and be done with - I said dryly. - Shame. For was a bit surprised, but didn¡¯t say a thing. Kon, on the other hand, apparently had some ideas. -Wait! I think¡­ I might have something¡­ -What, you want to tie him up or something? I mean, we can, but it¡¯s a bit too much effort and too little profit. -No! It¡¯s¡­ -I thought about it¡­ and I might be able to use my ability to get some crystal off you - he said directly to me. -Your ability? The healing? I mean, you know¡­ -Body modification, yes. -I thought to remake¡­ or change someone, you¡¯d have to mutilate them first. -I mean¡­ yes... But I thought¡­ if I was to, for example, make you have one less finger, right? How would that work? If I was to try, wouldn''t a piece of you just fall off? It¡¯s not like I would be remaking anything¡­ I wouldn¡¯t have to heal or change¡­ -Fair point¡­ I thought about it for a second. As far as I knew¡­ or we rather, he was able to heal and remake flesh according to his own desire. It was just as he said, if he was to try and make me one finger short, it would technically work, but how would that even¡­ -I mean, it¡¯s an idea. But the problem is, no matter what, you¡¯d have to expend a lot of mana. You think you¡¯d have enough to even give me a papercut? -It¡¯s not¡­ -I know, I know, not really damaging, it¡¯s just¡­ Well, I am not sure what it is. We can try, I guess. Although, I was not sure if that was going to work. I just brushed off a third level spell from point blank. A light spell, one element that I thought was weak to. -Fuck it. Go for it. He nodded. I extended my hand to him and he placed his own on mine. -Well, the first step is a success¡­ -Wha¡­? -I mean, I am not draining you. -I thought we already knew that¡­ -Yeah, but not in my newer form. Who knows what¡¯s up with this body. -True¡­ -Okay, I am gonna shut up, you probably need to concentrate. He didn¡¯t reply, so guess that was confirmation. For a second, nothing was happening. I didn¡¯t feel any mana from either of us, so I just waited with anticipation. Behind him, For was eyeing us, but was not asking questions. Right, Kon said that directly to me, so she was out of the loop for this one. As I was thinking about that, I felt a tug. And not like the one I felt when ¡°Rob¡± gave me his order or anything, it was more like¡­ a presence. A familiar presence. For a second I thought it was Il invading my mind again, but I recognized the mana a split second later. Strange that his ability was manifesting itself similarly to what I felt when I was connected to her, but hey, I was not going to interrupt him. Besides the fact that I was too curious, I¡¯d rather not be at fault for another failure of an experiment. Hopefully ever. At first, it was just that. A presence. But soon it started transforming itself into something more¡­ more invasive. It felt like something was taking roots in my own flesh. Not a pleasant feeling, I tell you that. I am not sure if that was because of my body, but I was not feeling pain. And something was telling me that whatever was going on in my hand definitely would be the cause of a major one. As suddenly as it appeared, it also vanished. I gazed at him with confusion. -Did you fail? - I asked and raised my hand to inspect it. As I moved it away from the spot I realized that it was quite the opposite: he was more than successful. But the problem was¡­ -Holy shit! For was standing right next to me and was watching what we were doing in silence up till now. -When you said you¡¯re going to experiment, I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d want to chop his whole hand off! She was spot on. Not only did he manage to influence my shape, he straight up managed to disconnect my whole hand. I only had a stump. Again. Different, but still¡­ -Well, it¡¯s not like I first arrived here, at least I have MOST of my arm¡­ - I said, looking at my now bare wrist, bewildered. - But damn. -Sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to! I thought¡­ -Yeah, I knew we were experimenting - I calmed him down, picking my detached hand up with my still functioning one. - But I am more concerned about the fact that we now have a much larger piece than we wanted¡­ If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. -Is that a problem? - asked For. -Sort of¡­ See, if it was just a segment of a finger, I think it would be able to work, but for something like that it is not going to just ¡°dissolve¡±. -How were you planning to dissolve it anyway¡­? - she asked. -I¡­ Huh. Yeah, before I wanted to heat it up with light magic, to somehow turn it into a more usable form, but in my excitement I sort of forgot to remember that I just learned that it was not going to work any more. The ruined building was proof of that. But, besides¡­ -Doesn¡¯t matter - I cut the discussion. - I am worried about something else. -Else¡­? I focused on my hand that I was now holding and tried moving my, now missing, fingers. -AAH! -WHAT?! My hand moved. -Yeah, quite a shock - I agreed with both of them, trying each finger one by one. - Yup. I can still use it. -HOW? -Ask Kon. She looked at him with more questions written on her face than any amount of discussion would be able to contain. -I don¡¯t¡­! I have no clue! But¡­ He was frantically thinking, trying to understand what happened. -I mean, I knew I told you to detach a piece of me¡­ - I said. - But never thought you¡¯d be that successful¡­ -Detach¡­ You think it¡¯s because of that? -What? -That I thought of ¡°detaching¡± it instead of¡­ I don¡¯t know, something else? I thought about it for a second. -Possible. But, that wouldn¡¯t just mean it was only because of that. Words have only so much power, the rest is in your imagination. Besides, you didn¡¯t say anything out loud. -But I did think it! If I would think¡­ about cutting it off, would that work? I guess I could try, but¡­ -No! - protested immediately For. - We don¡¯t need him with at least one usable hand! Preferably two. -Well, I do have those¡­ - I said, moving my, now independent hand and clenching it into a fist. -Ugh¡­ - she was quite disturbed by that sight. - I don¡¯t mean it like that! -And even if I would be missing both of them, I still can cast no problem. -But¡­! -But - I interrupted her - I agree. That¡¯s enough experiments for today. -Okay¡­ but what are we going to do with that guy? -I mean, we can immobilize him and have him with us¡­ -Oh no, I am not getting frozen again! - she protested. -Nah, I mean with my spell. It¡¯s not like he could move much with my binds on him. -Oh! Right¡­ -Yeah, I am not using that gem¡­ necklace¡­ thing. It¡¯s weird. -No shit. And connected somehow¡­ -I mean, if it¡¯s part of me, no wonder it¡¯s connected to you. -I guess¡­ -You heard that? - I said, turning to the guy who was very obviously eavesdropping on our whole conversation. - You¡¯re safe. -For now - added For. He did not reply, just nodded solemnly. -I must say - For said switching to a more discreet means of communication - He¡¯s a weird one. -You can say that. Persistent and annoying, more like it, but weird is also a way to put it¡­ -No. I mean¡­ he¡¯s changed. -Changed? -His demeanor. -You¡¯re right - said Kon, joining in. - It¡¯s like he¡¯s not the same person he was before. -Okay, let¡¯s not get overdramatic. Okay, you might be right that he¡¯s been strange since we defeated his companions, but¡­ It¡¯s not like it¡¯s the first time that happened. -Not the first time!? -Of course. Have you forgotten about yourself? -About¡­ myself? -Eh¡­ so it¡¯s progressed¡­ even worse than I expected¡­ -What are you talking about!? -About your assimilation. Both of you. For a second I swear that they completely forgot. Only my last sentence reminded them about¡­ well, themselves. -Oh. It¡¯s really gotten that bad? -Well, you remembered, but¡­ -I thought you said I was having some kind of resistance to this! That my willpower would help me! Both of us. -And you do - I agreed with her. - The fact that you remembered and didn¡¯t just shrug me off is something still. -But we are still in danger. Even more than that¡­ - said Kon. - And he¡­ he is the same? -It appears so - I nodded. - He has a piece of a crystal, right? -Is that enough¡­? - asked Kon. - Just having one on you, to¡­ be influenced¡­? -I think so. It probably depends on the connection and how much are you¡­ well, in sync with it, but nevertheless. -Does that mean that whatever is going on with us¡­ is also going to happen with everyone that was using the pieces of you¡­ the Origin Crystal. -Probably - I replied after a moment of pondering. - It only is a matter of time. -Oh no¡­ -To think¡­ that that thing was popular in your old world¡­ -Popular? Nah. There weren¡¯t many people that had access to those kinds of crystals. And besides, it¡¯s not like the crystal itself is the thing that has this influence on other minds¡­ It¡¯s just us. I mean, her. I shook myself off. I was not immune to the change. This was a very good reminder. -It¡¯s just our experiment trying to run wild. Which makes me even more in awe of Mike. That he managed to shake off its influence for that long of a time. -If you think about it, it almost looks like he has some kind of way to avoid it¡­ or resist it¡­ or something, I don¡¯t know. -Maybe - I replied, shrugging. - But it¡¯s not like we can just ask him. -Well, we probably can ask, but he¡¯s not going to listen - agreed Kon. -We can ask? -Kon probably means that I could attempt to contact him just the same way as we are talking right now. -Would that even work?! -Not sure. But he is connected with us the same way we three are. Well, four now I guess. -Yeah. As far as we know there¡¯s no real limit on distance¡­ -That¡¯s¡­ huh. -Yeah. Still, we now have different things to worry about. -First, let¡¯s get away from this desert. -Right. We need to teleport away from here - agreed Kon. - For, where are the anchors hidden? -Oh. True. I¡¯ve hidden them near the camp of those guys¡­ - she gestured towards our prisoner. - If we are lucky, they¡¯re still there and untouched. -And where¡¯s that? -About¡­ She spun around and pointed towards the horizon. -A day or two that way. -Shouldn¡¯t be a problem. -Yeah. But it¡¯s still a pain to travel with that¡­ baggage. -It¡¯s not like we have to worry about him. He¡¯s just as resistant to elements as you are. Same with ¡°durability¡±, so to speak. He probably can just drain mana from the environment. -He can what?! Pause. WE can? -What, you didn¡¯t realize? I mean, you developed as fast as Kon, and he is more than resistant to me. It shouldn¡¯t be a problem for either of you. -He¡¯s right - nodded Kon. - Didn¡¯t you realize? I haven¡¯t been eating for weeks now. Nor drinking. And I am fine. I am pretty sure it was not by his choice, but still. -I¡­ Erhm. I mean, yes, I suspected that much, I¡¯ve been quite energetic, considering the environment I¡¯ve been spending time in¡­ -See? So let¡¯s better get moving. -But what about you? -What about me? It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know how I¡¯ve been functioning for a while. -Yes, but¡­ -I know, you are worried about me. It¡¯s probably the other you inside talking, though. She was about to retort with something, but decided against it. And so, we started making our way towards the supposed hiding spot. 170. Dunes She was not kidding when she said it was going to take a while. I mean, it was sort of obvious even from our environment: there was nothing in sight range at all, just dunes, sand and more sand. Well, at least it wasn¡¯t boring. Since the ¡°accident¡± with my hand, I constantly was playing with it. Despite the fact that it was an absolutely horrible idea that didn¡¯t make any sense, it was pretty neat to have right now. I still don¡¯t know why I thought that would help, but hey, I was not complaining. It was as mobile and as agile as it used to be, maybe even more. At first I thought that the moment I was going to stick it back on my stump it was going to try and attach itself back to me, but according to Kon, it was not the case. I even tied it back together to my arm using a spell that, according to For, was used to glue furniture together, but after less than a day it dried up and the thing fell right back off. Scuffed idea, I know. Good thing that I noticed it missing, or we might''ve left it behind. Sure, I was able to still feel through it like regular, so I realized that I suddenly had my palm full of sand for whatever reason, but still. He did sever it completely. I did attempt to try and make it float, and briefly succeeded, but only to remind myself why most flying spells were still in the experimental phase. I only drained more mana than I should and almost collapsed on the spot, slowing our march significantly. That also dispelled any of my ideas of speeding up the march via flying, because I was starting to think about that. But, I now had a detached piece of me to use in an emergency, as a battery. It would be painful, but would probably work. Probably. The walk was annoying but without much of an issue. As expected, every single one of us was able to walk without rest for a couple of days, running only on mana. Okay, we did have to rest for a while because of my ¡°flying experiments¡±, but besides that, everything went without a hitch. Rob, just as us, was absorbing mana with his crystal as well. It took us almost five days to reach the camp. A bit longer than it should. For, after the first day told me that she planned to take a bit of a circling approach to the place, just to make sure. And that added some time to our trip. We, of course, did not share that information with our new friend, taking inside our own heads, just to be doubly safe. It was probably even more exhausting for him. To spend time with people who didn¡¯t even say a word for five straight days had to be draining for one¡¯s mind. At least according to Kon. I wouldn¡¯t really have a problem with that, to be honest. Neither did For, after all she spent years alone in silence. I guess we were built differently. Morning of the sixth day, we finally started approaching our destination. For the first time since we left those ruins, something appeared on the horizon and slowly was getting larger and larger. As soon as that happened, I went back to my old habit of scouting the area around us with my enhanced senses. And, this time I also had some help. Both For and Kon took their time during the trip to grasp a bit more about feeling mana and seeing with more than just their eyes. Kon was naturally talented in that kind of thing, probably thanks to his proficiency in portal magic, but For was not that far behind him. They still didn¡¯t have me beat on range, especially after the recent changes in my body, but it was getting closer than I thought it was going to. Good on them. Or, well, maybe not so good. It meant that the Origin Crystal was growing in power. The place where she hid the anchors was just next to the camp, in a ruined well, of all things. Strange that she managed to find one in such a place, but sure enough, it made it a hard to forget or miss spot. -Are you sure no one would be able to take it? - I asked as we were getting closer and closer to the cluster of tents looming in the distance. -I doubt it. -I guess¡­ Well, we¡¯re going to see. -What about the area? Can you feel anyone? - asked Kon a few minutes later. -No. We are in the clear. Which is strange, because by now I would¡¯ve thought that I¡¯d felt someone near the camp¡­ some guard or something. -You think then I was right? - asked For. - That he took everyone with him. -He had to leave at least one person to guard the place, didn¡¯t he? It wouldn¡¯t make sense to just desert the place. -Well, it doesn¡¯t seem like it¡­ He was right. We were getting closer and closer, and yet I was not feeling any presence at all. I was already pretty sure that I was in range to feel the inside of the camp. Even Kon was confirming my observations, also pushing his senses towards that direction. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. -I am unsure if we are lucky or what, but we¡¯re here - she finally announced. And sure enough, right in front of us was a well. Ruined, empty and barely recognizable, but definitely made out of bricks. -That¡¯s it? Kon was not convinced. I mean, sure it was ruined, but¡­ -I can¡¯t feel anything from it¡­ That was a problem. -It can¡¯t be! I could feel her worry even without trying. She jumped towards it, looking for the correct brick. She found one right at the base, covered in sand, and removed it carefully. Without hesitation she plunged her hand inside the hole and¡­ -Nothing¡­ -You think someone got to it first? -Impossible! Those idiots can¡¯t detect mana! Even this guy - she pointed towards our prisoner. -You sure? Maybe they managed to fool you somehow? - asked Kon. -I doubt that. -Well, I did try and lure some of those guys using mana, but they didn¡¯t even notice - I pointed out. - So I also find that hard to believe. -So it was someone else? -But who else would be out here in the desert? -I dunno - I shrugged. -Isn¡¯t there anything else we could use? - I asked. - Let¡¯s look in the camp maybe? -We could¡­ - For agreed. - But wait, can¡¯t you tell if there¡¯s something there? I mean, you can sense mana¡­ -So can you. I can¡¯t really tell what would be useful, that¡¯s Kon¡¯s job. -I mean¡­ I would have to take a closer look first¡­ -Obviously. No one has a range like that¡­ -Don¡¯t you? -It¡¯s not like I can tell what exactly I am seeing - I explained. - Sure, I can tell a human from an enchanted item, but I can¡¯t distinguish between two of the same. And if the human would be dying it would also be hard for me to tell the difference, the flame being waning and small¡­ -Huh¡­ Okay. So let¡¯s go in. It¡¯s empty, right? -Yeah, I can tell that much - I nodded. - Only people in my range are us four. I do sense magic, though. -Good. Maybe they just moved it? -Let¡¯s move. The camp was just as you¡¯d expect. A bunch of tents, although those also looked quite modern for my tastes. They were really in contact with the old world. Or somehow someone managed to recreate those using magic here. Also quite possible, if they managed to do that with their ¡°artifact¡±... For and Kon split, looking for any magical signature that would be different from mana in the camp, leaving me to guard our prisoner this time. But, even though I was not able to tell the difference, I pointed them towards some larger ones. Unnecessarily apparently, because both of them already noticed those. It also left me with a few moments to inspect some of the tents up close. Dragging Rob with me, I went inside the closest one and started looking around. I couldn¡¯t believe my eyes. Did I say they looked modern? Scratch that, they WERE modern. Down to equipment and everything. Those guys had a great setup here. The tent we were inside wasn¡¯t the biggest one, but that didn''t mean it wasn¡¯t fully equipped. A portable freezer, a plastic table with a set of folded chairs. On the floor an electric lamp and a sleeping bag. In a corner a bag with clothes spilling out. Out of curiosity, I opened the freezer. It was working. And it even had some food inside. Nothing special, some canned food, but considering the place we were in, it was in itself surprising. That made me think. Where was the power from? I closed the fridge and started looking for a power cable. Found it soon enough, connected to a power strip along with other appliances. The cable was leading outside. I didn¡¯t even bother asking Rob about this stuff, just dragged him along with me, following the white plastic cable snaking through the sand. It was mostly covered with sand, that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t notice it before. It was leading to one of the larger tents where I felt both Kon and For inside. Just as I was to go inside, I almost bumped into Kon who at the same time was calling to me. -Can you co¡­ AH. He jumped, startled. -Pay attention. I am here. -Sorry¡­ I¡­ -What¡¯s inside? Whatever was going on inside, he had to be VERY distracted to not notice me getting closer. Especially after he was apparently looking for magical signatures. Mine was hard to miss, you know. -I honestly have no idea. That¡¯s why I wanted to get you. Look for yourself. Intrigued, I went inside, leaving Rob with him. Yeah, no wonder they wanted me to get a look at this thing. The larger tent wasn¡¯t really just a tent: it was a tarp that was covering a building. Or rather a skeleton of a building. I am not sure if it was because of some kind of an accident or was it built like that on purpose, but inside there was a metal skeleton of a building that was housing a large metal machine. It reminded me somewhat of a generator, although it was not spewing any smoke like those usually do, nor was it making any noise. It was still working, though. I could tell by the movement and a couple of lights blinking on a side panel. -What in the hell¡­ - I started, stepping closer, to get a better look. -Mor! - For instantly turned towards me and stepped away from the machine. - Good! We¡¯ve found this, but¡­ -Yeah, that¡¯s not something that should be here, nor something that should even work¡­ - I said, taking a closer look. -You¡­ you know what this is? -¡±Know¡± is a bit too much. This thing is a bit familiar to me, but not exactly¡­ This is new¡­ -I thought you can¡¯t recognize mana signatures¡­? I stared at her, blankly. -What? She looked confused. -Mana signatures? What are you talking about? -Er¡­ That it has a similar mana signature¡­? -It has what?!! In my haste to inspect the machine, I forgot to actually pay attention to the magical part. I¡¯ve been so used to seeing flames of mana that this thing having one felt natural to me and I didn¡¯t even think that it shouldn¡¯t! She was right. It was magical in nature. Of course, it was a generator working without fuel in the middle of the desert, how could it NOT be magical? But¡­ well, about it having no fuel¡­ that was not quite right. -It has¡­ a piece of me inside¡­? 171. Pieces -So it does look to you like that as well, then - she nodded. - I thought that you¡¯d know, even without being able to recognize different signatures, you are able to recognize yourself. -Well, I am sort of an anomaly¡­ - I muttered. - It¡¯s hard to miss¡­ -I suppose so¡­ But what does that mean? What is this thing? When I approached I could see it moving and the mana inside¡­ -You could see it moving¡­? I stepped closer. Was this thing something more¡­? But nope, I couldn¡¯t see a thing. Just it slightly vibrating, just as you¡¯d expect after a working generator. -You sure about that? -Yes! Look! She placed her hand on top of it and, of course the vibrations got more visible. -See!? Ah. Nah, it¡¯s just¡­ Well, let¡¯s say that¡¯s how it is supposed to work. I think. -You know what this thing is? - asked Kon, who entered the tent behind me. I quickly gazed towards him and scanned the area. Rob was still tied, right behind him. -I thought he might know something more. It was supposed to be his tent, right? -Oh, is that so? - I muttered. I could feel him trying to avoid my eyes. -So. Why so quiet, hm? Why didn¡¯t you say something about this? - I asked him directly. -I¡­ You didn¡¯t ask¡­ I tried very hard to not sigh. I am not sure if I succeeded. -Fucking genius. I didn¡¯t ask about something I didn¡¯t know. Well, now I am asking. Do you know what this is? -A¡­ a generator. -A generator of what? - asked For. -Power. -Power?! You create mana with that?! - asked Kon, slightly concerned. -No! I mean, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s mana¡­ -You don¡¯t think¡­? -I don¡¯t know, okay!? I know that it fuels different things around the camp, I don¡¯t know with what exactly! Don¡¯t ask me. -Hm¡­ He was not lying. Whoever supplied him with this thing, did not tell him how this thing worked. Or, well, mostly¡­ -On what does it run? - I asked, seeing as he was silent again. -Er¡­? -What do you put inside to make it create power? - I precised, seeing as he was trying to dodge the question. - Come on. Spit it out. -Er¡­ crystals¡­ -What kind of crystals?! -Mana crystals¡­ -Parts of me, am I right? -Y-yes¡­ I was speechless. They weren¡¯t kidding when they said that they were able to create a mixture of magic and technology. The thing in front of me was proof of that. And for them to somehow include Origin Crystal within its design? ¡°Miraculous¡± wouldn¡¯t be an understatement. But¡­ that also meant a lot more than he thought he said. It was clear, whoever was working with this, or rather who created it, had to be at least in collaboration with one of the research facilities that had access to Origin Crystal. And those weren¡¯t that open to outsiders. Now, the question was, which one made this thing? Yes, my old world was gone. Mostly, I mean, some survivors were still with us, but there weren¡¯t many that had access to such information. If we rule out that it¡¯s just from another facility that it¡¯s not affiliated with us at all¡­ -Axelrod gave you this, didn¡¯t he? My direct question made him flinch, clearly he was not expecting me to figure it out instantly. I mean, it wasn¡¯t hard to deduce. -N-not exactly¡­ -What¡¯s that supposed to mean? -He helped¡­ he was the one that designed it, but we were the ones who made it¡­ With his assistance. -Ah. Yeah, it made sense. He was still just one person, and of course he wouldn¡¯t just create this thing by himself. He needed some workforce. -And let me guess. He was the first one who supplied you with fuel. -Er¡­ yes¡­ -Of course¡­ When was that? -I¡­ a long time ago¡­ I can¡¯t remember, it¡¯s been a lot of years since then¡­ So this kind of technology was available to him for years? Damn. His progress was astounding. But again, he spent so much time in this place with nothing stopping him, besides a faction that he managed to turn to his own side¡­ No wonder. Yet, it was amazing still. -Let me guess the rest. This thing was working for a long time, but not that long ago, it started losing power. Am I right? -...! Again, his face spoke more than his mouth. -Aha. And since your fuel was the Origin Crystal, he told you how to find another source of it, as in myself. I expected many reactions. But what I felt from him was just¡­ surprise. And not the same one that I felt before¡­ he just was stunned by that¡­ -No. That one word made me second-guess myself. He was not lying. I was wrong? -What do you mean ¡°no¡±? -I mean no¡­ he never told us about you¡­ it¡¯s just something we found by ourselves. -By yourselves? HOW? -I¡­ we weren¡¯t looking for you, to be precise. We were looking for the crystals, and by extension we found you. -How does that make sense? He stopped for a moment and took a deep breath. I think he knew that I was about to hurry him up, because he started talking again. -We were looking for large masses of mana. You know, we thought of replacing the crystal by something else that was full of it¡­ -And that works just as well? The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. -Somewhat. It¡¯s a lot less efficient and durable, but works. We knew we couldn¡¯t rely on the supply that was coming from him, so we started looking for alternatives. -And you found one in me? -It ended like this, yes, but first, we found other people¡­ I mean¡­ He shuddered and glanced briefly at For for some reason. -We found that there exist people that are a lot more powerful than us. Just as Axelrod. -Remnants, yes? -We thought so too - he nodded. - But not only that¡­ there are¡­ other races¡­ elves. Ah. So that¡¯s why he hesitated. But, wait, since when did he know that For was an elf? It¡¯s not really something that¡¯s easily noticeable¡­ And didn¡¯t he even say that he had no idea what those are? -We managed to find some¡­ you know about that already. We had some successes, but mostly failures thanks to some teleportation spells¡­ -Wait¡­ teleportation spells¡­? I think both Kon and I realized what he meant at the same moment. -Yes¡­ the island. -But those kids aren¡¯t elves! - protested Kon. - Those are just regular humans! -How do you explain their abundant mana then? And the efforts to protect them from harm by that man? A whole band of elves protecting some human children just for what? Clear conscience? -Hold on a second. Jack is an elf?! Are we really talking about the same place? - I asked, starting to get confused. -Of course. That island was always an elven enclave. Along with that guy and his helpers. Sure, he¡¯s got some human friends, but he was the man, or rather elf, behind everything. I don¡¯t think I have to say that none of us was expecting that turn of events. Jack? Elf? I mean, everything is possible, it would explain why he was interested in For¡­ His looks could¡¯ve been altered just the same way as For herself was¡­ That guy is slick. A bit too slick for my tastes. That brought a question though. I never felt that he was lying to me. Neither of them. And yet, the information he was presenting to me was not completely in line with what I knew beforehand¡­ Was my ability failing? Or¡­ No. I said it myself a long time ago. It wasn¡¯t perfect. It was very possible to trick me if one would keep their cool completely and have perfect control over their own mana. Was he capable of that? One glance at the man in front of me gave me an answer. He definitely was not. I was able to peek into his mind no problem, same with manipulating him. Nah. He was clean. Jack on the other hand¡­ -Eh¡­ fucking amazing - I sighed. - Thanks for the revelations, I guess¡­ -You don¡¯t believe him, do you!? For was looking wildly between two of us. -Sadly, I am. -That¡¯s preposterous! I can¡¯t think of a more impossible story! -And yet, he¡¯s telling us it. And is not lying. -But¡­! -It¡¯s not like it changes a thing - I shrugged. - Does it? -I¡­ I¡­ -Look, what does it matter who they are, or were. It doesn¡¯t change our objective. Axelrod. -That¡¯s a fair point - said Kon. - What are we planning now? -Right! I sent you to find something anchor-like, have you found anything? I mean, besides this thing - I gestured towards the generator. -No¡­ -Fuck. -But! That thing is¡­ -Right. It still has some crystal within it¡­ Now, when I think about it, they are mine, aren¡¯t they? I probably should¡­ I stepped towards the machine and looked closer. On the side there was something that looked like an opening where they were putting the fuel, a circular hole covered with a metal door. I opened it and looked inside. Just as expected, inside there were some pieces of crystal. -Those will be handy¡­ - I muttered and was about to shove my hand inside and pull them out, but stopped myself short. Shouldn¡¯t I first turn this thing off? Who the hell knows what would happen if I¡¯d stuff my hand inside with this thing running. Would that drain my mana? Or maybe overload it? I felt an itch to try it out anyway, but the more sane part of me took over. -I doubt that anyone¡¯s going to cry if I destroy this thing? - I asked the room. I didn¡¯t expect to get a reply, and yet I got one. -Don¡¯t! We need this thing! It was For. I gazed at her with confusion. -We need it? I thought you didn¡¯t even know what it was? -I still don¡¯t! But I do know that it has a different mana signature to this whole place. -Wait. You want to use THIS THING as an anchor!? - I asked, realizing what she was insinuating. -Not my idea! -It was mine¡­ - said Kon. - But¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ -You bet you don¡¯t. How would you even try that? -I mean, I just need to touch it, but it¡¯s not the problem¡­ The issue is that this thing doesn¡¯t have just one type of mana¡­ it¡¯s an amalgamation of many things¡­ -Mhm¡­ While he was trying to explain what the two of them felt and what they thought it was, I was looking for something to disable the generator. I mean, I probably could just smash it to pieces, turn it off permanently, but I¡¯d rather not risk this thing exploding. Whether I wanted to or not, it was still full of mana, even though it was technology based. -Found it¡­ -What? Back on the opposite side of the machine, I found something that reminded me of a switch. I already took a gander and it was the only one on the whole thing, so it had to be it. Strange that something so ¡°advanced¡± would only have this thing as a control panel, but hey, I wasn¡¯t the one who made it. Without a thought I flipped it. The thing buzzed¡­ and went silent and unmoving. That was easy. -So, you say that¡¯s got more mana signatures¡­? Go take a peek inside. Is that it? That¡¯s what both of you are feeling? Kon approached and peeked inside, For just behind him. -Y¡­yes! But¡­ That¡¯s¡­ -Weird¡­ - For finished for him. - It¡¯s like¡­ I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m looking at¡­ -What do you mean? That¡¯s just some pieces of me, right? That¡¯s what they were using, I think¡­ -Yes¡­ some of those are yours - she agreed. - But not everything. I can feel something else¡­ that I can¡¯t really pinpoint. -She¡¯s right - said Kon. - I can tell it too, it¡¯s like you¡­ but not you¡­ How can we explain it¡­ Both of them went quiet, thinking. -It¡¯s like you mixed with something else¡­ yet that something else is not mixing with you¡­? Does that make any sense¡­? -Absolutely not - I said, shaking my head. - Are you saying that¡¯s there¡¯s two of me or something? -Well¡­ Maybe? - said Kon, uncertain himself. -Do you have a brother or something? - asked For. - That would explain it. A twin? -Hell no. But¡­ Well, now I technically might - I said, hesitating. -Now you might? What? -Look at yourself. You both have a piece of me. Wouldn¡¯t that make us similar in mana variety? Is that what the two of you are seeing? Both of them paused and looked at each other, then back at me, then back at themselves, finally ending with their eyes glued to the generator. -And? -I¡­ it makes sense¡­ But when I look at us - started Kon - I see that we are vastly different. You¡¯re more similar to the thing inside than to us¡­ -Does that mean¡­ -Does it belong to Axelrod? - Kon asked the question out loud, the same one that all of us had on our minds. -Ay Rob. Is it him? -Y-yes¡­ Most of it¡­ -Most? So what¡­ who else is in there? -I am unsure¡­ It definitely has some of¡­ yours¡­ and probably some bits from other people that we found¡­ -¡±Other people¡±? -Of course. They somehow had to replenish their supply without leaning on Axelrod - I nodded. -Ah¡­ so that¡¯s why there¡¯s no remnants any more¡­ - For said, understanding what that meant. - They were responsible¡­ -Yes¡­ and the Axelrod played right into our hands¡­ his narrative about ¡°monsters made out of crystal¡± helped us legally get them¡­ -¡±Get¡±? More like kill. -Well, yes¡­ It¡¯s not like we had a choice¡­ Just like with you, they got crushed into pieces¡­ but you¡­ -But I survived - I finished for him. - Yes, yes¡­ -It¡¯s not like you survived, it¡¯s more like you regenerated¡­ none of those we took had an ability like that¡­. They just were falling apart and that¡¯s it¡­ -¡±Falling apart¡±? -Yes¡­You know, we mined pieces of crystal off you. Other remnants had the same treatment, and yet those never regrew their limbs. WIth you, we struck a goldmine, almost managed to get ourselves a stable source of fuel¡­ and money¡­ -Almost? -You woke up. -True¡­ -You know, it¡¯s been bothering me - said For. - You said that your spell has worn off, right? And yet, he¡¯s so talkative? -The spell¡­ Huh, you¡¯re right¡­ He shuddered under our suspicious looks. -I don¡¯t want any trouble¡­ I just want to live¡­ -And to boot he changed his personality - said Kon. - He was so brazen and all¡­ Acting almost like Gol¡­ I mean, mister Moi. -Ha. Right. He was a piece of shit - For agreed. - Are you certain you haven¡¯t done anything to him? Maybe it¡¯s just your magic that is too strong for him? I carefully inspected his mana. -I am unsure¡­ It was strange. I couldn¡¯t tell if there was some kind of anomaly in his mana, it was strange¡­ Sure, it had something mixed within, but what? I couldn¡¯t tell. I thought it was just some remains of my spell, or just something that was lingering still in his leg¡­ But it was definitely too weak to influence him like this¡­ I think? -You two are better at this - I concluded. - You take a look. Maybe you¡¯ll find something¡­ Or understand it rather. -I would love to, but I can¡¯t¡­ It¡¯s like he is suppressing it¡­ Or rather not him¡­ -Not him? -It¡¯s your mana. It¡¯s overwhelming. -Oh, I am sorry, want me to leave or something? I didn¡¯t realize that I had some kind of an influence on this. -No¡­ It¡¯s not you. I mean, it is but it¡¯s not only you. -Not only me? -It¡¯s the Origin Crystal - explained Kon. - Yours, his, mine, Fors, even the one in this machine¡­ they all are suppressing each other¡­ -Yea¡­ we are in a bad mix right now - agreed For. -So how were you able to tell that¡­ you know, never mind. It¡¯s confusing enough as it is¡­ - I said, sighing. -You got that right. 172. Auditorium -Let¡¯s get back to business. What with the anchors? -Well¡­ the plan was to use something we found here to get away¡­ but the only thing we found was this machine¡­ -And it does have something ¡°not from here¡± as we established¡­ -Yes¡­ but that thing is also part of you¡­ er, part of some other remnant. -That works then, right? You can teleport us to someone, instead of some place, true. But it is still better than just being here. Right? -Do we want to risk it? -Risk what? -You said that this thing feels sort of like me, right? -Sure¡­? -Which means that whoever or whatever it belonged to, is connected to Origin Crystal. If it is indeed a person, they are a remnant. -Well, I guess that your power would work a lot less on someone like us¡­ -That too. But, don¡¯t you think that it¡¯d give us some kind of connection? -Like in his case? - For said, gesturing towards Rob. -Yeah. -I am more worried about¡­ a bit different scenario - said Kon. -Different? -I mean¡­ I do think that those do belong to someone, as in we are looking at some other remnant¡¯s remnants. But¡­ I think we might know who that is. -You don¡¯t mean¡­ -Axelrod. -Axelrod? Really? For was not convinced. -Well, I can¡¯t really tell if that¡¯s true or not - I replied. - True, he is a remnant for sure, but you were the ones who¡¯ve seen his mana. Does that look familiar to you? -That¡¯s the problem¡­ his mana¡­ -I never saw him after gaining my powers - said Kon. - That¡¯s why I am not sure. -Yeah, that might be an issue¡­ - I muttered. -Well, that might be a problem, but I feel like that¡¯s a little to no probability of happening. But¡­ about that being remains of someone¡­ that would mean that they are dead. -So? -Who would we get teleported towards then? That was a good question. As we established earlier, using something like this would bring us to a person closest to the target, be it family or something like that. But how would that work in the case of a remnant? There was no use in contemplating. -Eh, fuck it, it can¡¯t be worse than being stuck in this desert, right? -Sure¡­ so, you want me to do it? -Yeah. Go for it. But, before we step in, let me take a peek, so I can check if it¡¯s safe. -Are you kidding? - For started protesting almost immediately. - We¡¯re not splitting! Not again! -What, you¡¯re so attached to me? - I asked, grinning. -No. But whenever you want it or not, you are the most powerful of all of us - she replied, completely unmoved. - If it comes to confrontation with Axelrod, I¡¯d rather have you on hand than be stranded somewhere in the middle of some weird transformation, not knowing how my body works! -Eh¡­ I guess that¡¯s true¡­ Fine. -Yeah, I agree too - said Kon. - We go together. And if something happens, I will always be able to teleport us away from¡­ wherever we land. We¡¯ll be back here but¡­ -Allright, allright. I get it. Let¡¯s get ready then. Both of them nodded. There was not much to prepare. While Kon was drawing the spell in the sand, For was looking for something that would serve as an anchor in case we¡¯d have to go back. I did ask Kon if he even needed to write the spell down, he said that it was just for him to be sure, to make the spell stable. I am pretty sure he was lying, and I do know why. I ¡°accidentally¡± heard his thoughts, or rather that he was thinking almost out loud on purpose. He was just trying to share his spell with me. I did tell him that I wanted to learn it, but I didn¡¯t expect him to remember. I mean, I already knew most of the incantation, but being able to read him create it in front of me was definitely helpful. How nice of him. -We good? - I asked, when I saw For approaching us. -Yep. She was holding a small¡­ I want to say cup? Teacup? Made out of wood? It was definitely strange, especially when most of the items here were regular and modern-looking, that thing looked ancient. And the fact that it was good enough to work as an anchor meant that it was enchanted. One look was enough to confirm that. It had traces of fire magic on it, out of all the things. I felt it was strange that even with this type of magic it wasn¡¯t charred even in the slightest. -If you say that it¡¯s going to work¡­ - I said, shrugging. -Kon, take it. You¡¯re in charge of portals. He nodded. -Ready? -Yep. He leaned into the opening in the generator and pulled a couple pieces of crystal. -That much? -Well, each is full of mana. But each is different. I thought, if we land in some strange place that is weird we can just try again. That is if we won¡¯t need to run back here. -Good thinking. -Yeah¡­ But are we sure about him? Right. There was also the issue of Rob. I did want to get rid of him, but I felt like he could be useful to us. The idea was to take him with us and use him as a living shield if needed. I doubt that was going to happen though, nor like anyone from his group would hesitate, really¡­ -I am opening the way. We were ready. For with the prisoner in tow was holding the magical rope firmly wrapped around her wrist. I did turn it visible, making it look like regular binds, but that also meant that Rob looked like a spool of poorly rolled up rope. Thanks to which we had to dial back a bit, only tying his arms and legs, at the same time giving him enough slack to walk but not to run. His mouth was still bound, too. While he assured us that he¡¯s not going to try anything, it¡¯s not like we planned on letting him out of our sight. And, the binds were still magical, if he was to act up, I could always modify my spell, for example changing its element to, I don¡¯t know, lightning. You can probably imagine the results. Finally, Kon opened the portal. This one was planted firmly on a wall, or rather a tarp of the tent. I was honestly surprised that it worked that well, not even moving, but I guess that probably was thanks to the actual metal skeleton of it. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Whoever set up those knew what they were doing. -Let¡¯s go. And I stepped through the portal. I was greeted with a familiar change in gravity. I should¡¯ve expected that the portal on the other side wouldn¡¯t just be nicely planted in a way that would assure pleasant arrival, but I was hoping nonetheless. I was flung out right from the ceiling of some kind and fell down a good few meters before landing with a loud crash. I immediately froze on the spot, listening for anything and spreading my awareness, scouting my surroundings. I didn¡¯t find any human presence. I did feel other, a lot larger mana signatures, though. Too large to be anything living. Sort of expected, we had to hook onto something to teleport here. I was about to turn and check what exactly was feeling before I felt a presence suddenly appear above me. And it crashed right into me. And then, another one. And one more. -Fuck! -MHmM! -Ow! The remaining trio landed right on top of me. Yeah¡­ I probably should¡¯ve warned them¡­ -Why didn¡¯t you say anything¡­ - moaned For, echoing my thoughts. Almost immediately, she realized that she said that out loud and covered her mouth, looking over the room we landed in. -We are in the clear¡­ I think¡­ - I said, muffled, under the weight of three people. - Get off me. I might be a crystal, but I¡¯d still rather be able to move and not be crushed under you guys¡­ -Right¡­ We gathered ourselves from the floor and took a look at the place we just crashed into. It was a circular chamber. In its size and shape it reminded me of the place I landed when I arrived at the Red Edge. It also had similar mana density. No wonder we got anchored here. But, that¡¯s where the similarities ended. It was made completely out of wood. And I am not saying just planks, or anything similar. It was like we were inside of a hollow tree. Maybe not like a ¡°lab¡± I found a long time ago, it looked like the space was carefully carved out. In the middle, where we landed, there was¡­ or rather used to be, some kind of wooden sculpture. The landing was definitely not the best thing that happened to it: it was completely destroyed, laying in splinters on the floor. I was pretty heavy. Looking over the ruined sculpture were sets of fancy-looking, wooden chairs, arranged in massive circles, each row rising taller and taller. -Some kind of auditorium¡­? - mumbled For. - But¡­ no door¡­? She was right. As far as I could tell, there was no entrance to the room we found ourselves in. -Just like in your place - I pointed out. -I¡­ Hm. It definitely has some similarities¡­ but that would mean¡­ Her eyes went right towards the middle, where we landed. If that was indeed a room similar to the hidden chamber of the Red Edge, it would mean that there should be some kind of crystal there¡­ But, there was nothing there, besides the ruined sculpture. To the naked eye, that is. With my enhanced senses, I could tell that the strongest source of mana in the room was indeed there. My other companions were also aware, including the prisoner for some reason. He was looking straight at it, although before I was sure that he was unable to detect mana at all. Lucky guess? Or¡­ -That thing is strong. Ah. Kon and his loose tongue¡­ As I thought that, he noticed and immediately shut up. Too late, he already heard that. I guess there was no point in questioning Rob now¡­ not like he had much to say about this place most likely anyway. -Yeah, what is that? - I said, approaching the spot where mana felt the strongest. - And more importantly, where are we? -Well¡­ - For said, staring at the ceiling. - Judging by the carvings¡­ and overall wooden structure, I say somewhere in Axelrod¡¯s domain¡­ -That¡¯s kind of given - I nodded, agreeing. - Too bad there are no windows or something¡­ -Maybe make one then? - simply asked Kon. - It doesn¡¯t seem like anyone is nearby¡­ -I might be reckless, but not that much - I replied, surprised that he¡¯d be the one suggesting it. Okay, I might have been one that thought it in the first place and it was just him repeating my thought, but come on. I am not blowing a hole in a wall just to see what¡¯s on the other side. -I¡¯ll do that if we are leaving. I better not be blowing stuff up beforehand, leaving a direct trail behind us is already a problem. -It¡¯s already too late, you know¡­ -Sure¡­ -Let¡¯s focus on this¡­ If I am correct, that¡¯s the spot that connected to you, right? - asked For, changing subject. -Ah! Right. Two of them approached, and together we started removing ruined wood from the floor, trying to find if we could find anything that could be the source of mana here. Meanwhile, Rob was standing on the side, looking at everything with sheer amazement. It was clear that he¡¯s never seen architecture like this. I kind of get where he was coming from. After all, I also was surprised when I first saw how people made buildings here, using wood in a way that anyone from the old world has ever seen. And, since he was raised and lived in between ruins belonging to my time, no wonder seeing this made him pause. -There¡¯s nothing here¡­ - mumbled For, after we searched through the pile of broken wood and didn¡¯t find any sign of crystal or anything else that would be even remotely magical. -You think that that statue was enchanted? - asked For. -I doubt that - I replied. - While sure, if we were to break it, it would be hard to tell if it was or not, but I feel like¡­ there¡¯s something else¡­ -Something else? I didn¡¯t reply, just started to carefully inspect the floor. -Be careful! - warned me For. - You don¡¯t want to drain it and cave down the whole room. -It looks sturdy enough - mumbled Kon. - I doubt that it would be broken so quickly. -You underestimate his absorbing ability. I stopped in my tracks and looked at them both, stunned. -What? They were presenting me with a fascinating point. Since my newest change to the body, I have not been really careful with my ability. Sure, before I was in the lands that were hard to make even worse than they were, but we were no longer in the Wildnorth. We were surrounded by wood. And what happens when I usually touch the wood? It crumbles to dust almost instantly. And that was not happening here. Not at all. And not like I had some kind of clothes that would protect me from destroying the environment, quite the opposite, the landing alone should be enough to turn a rather large portion of this place to ash. It¡¯s not like I lost the ability to absorb things and not like I was consciously blocking it. I didn¡¯t even know how to do it, or even if it was possible in the first place. Was this place somehow¡­ resistant? For a second I shuddered to think what would happen if that was not the case. I would¡¯ve broken into the basement at best, and at worst destroyed the whole building out right. -Well shit. We are dealing with the Origin Crystal - I said, realizing that it had to be the only answer. -Where did that come from? - asked For, confused. I quickly explained what I just figured out. She was also not very elated to realize our mistake. -We need to get you some kind of protection¡­ - she muttered. - If not for your luck it would¡¯ve been a problem¡­ -No shit. -Are you sure that you¡¯re not just blocking the ability somehow? - asked Kon, not convinced. - It¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ I feel it¡¯s hard to believe that this place would be so convenient¡­ -I am also unsure - I agreed with his worries. - But, the signs point at a different thing. First off, you did use a piece of Origin Crystal to begin with, wouldn¡¯t that make it quite possible that we¡¯d land next to something similar, if not another one? -But you said it yourself, that they are rare. -And yet the four of us have a piece. And For had a whole chamber, hell, almost the whole island made of one. -I guess¡­ -But where is it¡­? -Good question - I said, still inspecting the floor. - I thought that it was indeed in the statue we broke¡­ -That doesn¡¯t make sense! It wouldn¡¯t be so easily destroyed then - she immediately protested. -Right. But that doesn¡¯t mean that it was ONLY there. -Huh? -It¡¯s strange¡­ It really feels no different from anything else in here - said Kon, now also touching the remaining wooden scraps. - I don¡¯t understand¡­ -I have a small inkling about something¡­ let¡¯s just¡­ I focused up and conjured a small orb of mana in front of me. -What are you doing? I thought you said you don¡¯t want to destroy this place? - asked For, clearly worried. -Why do you think that every time I gather some mana I am going to start destroying stuff? -Er¡­ -It¡¯s just to check something. I slowly lowered the orb towards the floor. At first nothing was happening, but when the mana touched the wood, it instantly got sucked down and dispersed. -Huh? -You didn¡¯t do that, right? - asked Kon. - I mean, I saw it, but I can¡¯t believe it¡­ -Well, me neither¡­ -What?! What¡¯s going on? For was confused. -The Origin Crystal. It absorbed the mana - simply said Kon. - But¡­ Through wood? Strange. -Well, you¡¯re half-right. -Half? He gazed at me, puzzled. -Let me try again. Maybe then you¡¯ll notice. -Notice what? I created another orb, but this time I didn¡¯t lower it to the same spot, instead started hovering it above the scraps of wood that we collected before. I made it a bit bigger too, to better see what was going on. Just as I was lowering it, now clearly visible to our eyes, almost like drops of water, the orb started leaking and getting absorbed by the pieces of wood in front of us. And that¡¯s not it. The pieces that got mana started slowly mending themselves, forming back the pieces of the statue. -Wha¡­ 173. Tug I didn¡¯t interrupt the process, mesmerized. Just added a bit more mana to the orb, letting pieces freely absorb the energy I was providing. The pieces started growing larger and larger, to the point where we were able to recognize the shape of the statue, and finally it was completely fixed. Before us, in the middle of the room, stood a nice and simple wooden throne, on which there was sitting a female figure. Faceless and featureless, cross-legged and looking forward, unmoving. -What is this¡­? Who is this? -Well, that¡¯s interesting¡­ - I said, carefully observing the statue that I just fixed. - I am not sure¡­ The statue, even though it absorbed quite a bit of mana, was not even a bit more infused than when it was just reduced to random pieces of wood. If I was to look solely on its infusion level, I couldn¡¯t tell where it was ending and where the floor, or the throne, was starting. Everything was just a large blob of infused matter. -Whatever, or whoever it is, they are made out of Origin Crystal - I stated. - I think. -You think? What are you talking about? I thought that Origin Crystal was supposed to be, you know, a crystal! Not¡­ this? -Well, so did I. But how do you explain the ability to repair itself? - I asked. - Using just clear mana, without any spells, just like a certain someone? -I¡­ -And the fact that I am not destroying it, while I am clearly touching it - I said, putting my hand on the side of the throne. I¡­ I stopped mid sentence. I felt something. Not mana, no. The wood was still as uniform as it was, but¡­ it was like a stray thought. I couldn¡¯t place it myself, nor understand what it meant, just something that pricked my brain for a second. I shook off the weird feeling and immediately scouted our surroundings. There was nothing amiss. Everything was just as it was a moment ago. The feeling passed as soon as it appeared as well. Peculiar. -What was I about¡­ ah, right. This definitely is an Origin Crystal. Or rather its seed. -The hell? What¡¯s that supposed to mean? -Remember, when we were back in the Red Edge, I said that your crystal was grown¡­ or, well, that your island was artificially created out of crystal by your previous leader, or rather Mike? -Yeah¡­ you think that he did the same here? But¡­ why isn¡¯t it crystal then? -That¡¯s the thing¡­ I am not sure, but I do have some hypotheses. -I think that it just didn¡¯t have enough time to spread. -Spread¡­ -Yeah. Just like me, you or anyone else afflicted by it, Origin Crystal will slowly absorb mana and grow, replacing original¡­ parts, so to speak. I noticed her touching her own crystal as I was explaining that. -Like that - I nodded. - And you sooner or later end up like this - I pointed to myself. - But what happens if the subject is not a person? -Does it make a difference? It would only probably be different if the subject wasn¡¯t alive, right? - asked Kon. -I think so too - I agreed. - Just like with Edge, it was just a piece of rock, enchanted or not. There was no life in it¡­ not until it awakened. -Awakened?! What are you talking about!? -What? Say what you want, but Origin Crystal is not just some dormant power that is laying there doing nothing. You do know that. It is a person. -I know, you keep repeating that, but¡­ -But what would happen if that presence would attempt to take over something that is not human, yet alive? - I asked, not letting her continue. - Would it work then like it was with a human, trying to compete for the control of the organism, or like it was with rock, that it only would be able to take over after it was completely converted, or at least considerably, to be a functioning vessel? -You don¡¯t mean¡­ that this thing¡­ is alive already¡­? - asked For, suddenly intimidated by this remark. -I don¡¯t know. Why won¡¯t we ask directly? Both of them looked at me, terrified, but almost instantly turned to the wooden sculpture that was in front of us. -That¡¯s¡­ her? The presence in the crystal¡­? -That is the main question - I nodded. - I am uncertain. I placed my hand on the throne and touched the sculpture sitting on top of it. There was no mistake. I slowly was starting to understand¡­ The tug I felt before¡­ To connect with it¡­ It was her. I could feel some kind of presence inside of it. Spreading like roots through the whole chamber and even further away, leaving the room and my range¡­ -Can you hear me? I directed the question right towards the sculpture and the ¡°tug¡±. But, both For and Kon also flinched, hearing me as well. Hell, even Rob did. It was quite obvious, because he wasn¡¯t so accustomed to that kind of communication, so he almost tripped on his own legs before he contained himself. And yet, I didn¡¯t get a reply. -Nothing¡­? -Is that good or bad? - asked Kon, confused. - What does that mean? -Not sure¡­ -Before, in the Edge, I told you¡­ I felt something awaken. I communicated with something. -Right¡­ What was that? -Back then I assumed that it had to be some kind of person that was connected to the source of it all¡­ -Axelrod? -Probably. But I am not so certain any more. Or¡­ not only him. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. -Not only? There¡¯s more power freaks like that?! -It¡¯s not like there¡¯s more¡­ it¡¯s just that we all are connected together. It¡¯s just Il. Or whatever else exact iteration of her soul we are all dealing with. -She was in the Edge?! But wasn¡¯t she supposed to be dormant within you? -Maybe not dormant, but yes - I agreed. - And the fact is¡­ there¡¯s more of her than just one singular copy, I am certain. -You think that she didn¡¯t transfer herself to me¡­ just had a copy of herself connect with me? - asked Kon. -It¡¯s not like she planned that¡­ it just happened. I was thinking about it¡­ and slowly I am starting to understand. -She is just fragmented. When we finished our incantation, back long ago in the MIRE¡­ we succeeded. I think. But, after that, we also failed, destroying the crystal in the process. I thought it meant that only the largest piece had retained herself¡­ the one that was stuck in me. But the more I hear about her and about everything, I think that it¡¯s not like she moved to one thing¡­ she¡¯s just in all of them at once, but never knew about it. They weren¡¯t connected¡­ at first that is. -And what, you think Axelrod connected them? -Not really connecting¡­ I¡¯d say she¡¯s awakening them. -Awakening? By putting pieces inside other people? -That is precisely what was happening. You, him - I pointed to Rob. - Mois, Odar¡­ -All of them? Don¡¯t be ridiculous¡­ -People in power. People he trusted. People he wanted to control. Either way, it all would be the same because all of them would slowly be converted. -But what¡¯s the point! Wasn¡¯t he being controlled as well? Isn¡¯t he constantly fighting her, just like you said? Or¡­ -At this point¡­ I don¡¯t know any more - I said, truthfully. - I really think he knows, but I don¡¯t understand why he would spread it willingly¡­ -Who said that it is him doing it willingly? - asked Kon. - Isn¡¯t it possible that he¡¯s already been taken over and that¡¯s just her doing all this¡­? -I¡­ Well¡­ before, I¡¯d say that she is incapable of something like that¡­ but after all this time I am not so sure¡­ -It would make sense¡­ that she was trying to gather herself back together and then, after they are ¡°assimilated¡±, to spread herself everywhere else, scout for more targets to convert. -Not really - pointed out For. - If she was to gather herself up, why didn¡¯t she try that with us? And Mor, too. He just was left to die. -I don¡¯t know¡­ Maybe she didn¡¯t know that he was also a piece of her? I mean¡­ -I am kind of hard to miss - I pointed out. - Sure, before I was not completely crystal, but Axerdod knew who I was and what I was made out of, I am sure. -Right¡­ -And if that was not enough - added For - what about him? - she asked, pointing towards Rob, who was just listening to all this, stunned. - She knew about him. Or he. They are who made him like that, presented him with the leg. -True¡­ -Everything comes back to Axelrod and his real motives. Or rather the fact who he really is inside - I summarized. -Yeah. -Too bad we aren¡¯t even remotely closer to getting to him - said For. - So far we only got more questions to ask him. That is if he¡¯s not just going to vaporize us again on sight¡­ - she added. -Well, this time it would be a lot harder - I pointed out. - Both of you are somewhat crystal, you have a lot more resistance to whatever he¡¯s going to do. -Yeah, if he doesn¡¯t know that already and hasn''t created some countermeasures to deal with us¡­ -Oh, there¡¯s no mistaking it, the countermeasure has already been made - said Kon. - The question is if any of those made its way already to him¡­ -What counte¡­ ah. For stopped mid-sentence and gazed towards our prisoner. Right. He was responsible for creating things using my own flesh. She was assuming that whatever items they were able to produce would be able to somehow counter our own crystals. I mean, that was very much possible. I¡¯ve already seen some abilities of the weapon they made, and even while it was used with basically scraps of mana, it was powerful. But, was it powerful enough for me to actually be affected? Maybe¡­ Just as you¡¯d cut one diamond with another, why wouldn¡¯t the same be correct here, with two pieces of the same Origin Crystal? Sure, they were already different, changed by different types of mana and all, but the origin was still the same. I was hoping I would not have to learn that hard way. -Fair point - I said. - And let¡¯s hear that again, how many did you make already? - I asked Rob. -Ah¡­! - he realized that he no longer was just a silent witness to our conversation. - I¡­ I am not certain. What we made were mostly just small items¡­ None of those were for him though! - he assured us quickly. -Yes, yes. But that doesn¡¯t mean that they wouldn¡¯t make their way to him. And judging how he was keeping track of you, it¡¯s fairly possible that he didn¡¯t even have to take those, just witnessing your craft would be enough for him. -What¡­ do you mean? - asked Kon. - You think¡­ he¡¯s doing the same¡­? -It¡¯s a distinct possibility - I nodded. - He has access to a crystal. Possible that more than just one being part of him. I don¡¯t have to tell you about his magic expertise, right? And that¡¯s enough, am I correct? -Y-yes¡­ I think¡­ -You think? -Well¡­ it¡¯s just that in our group there was just one person who was able to make anything out of those¡­ I am not sure why, but we tried to teach others the same thing, but it never worked. -Huh. -And you have no idea why? -No - he denied immediately. - I tried and tried, but nothing was helping. He was not lying. -Is there a chance that your blacksmith was working with him? -What?! No! I don¡¯t¡­ I¡­ I never permitted them to act without my knowledge Despite his denial, I could tell that he was not certain¡­ No wonder¡­ so many holes¡­ -But you didn¡¯t forbid them - I said out loud the obvious. - And not like they were completely yours. -They did follow his orders to kill themselves¡­ - pointed out For. - I think we can believe that part¡­ I guess she was right. But that doesn¡¯t mean that he hasn¡¯t gotten the information in any other way. I bet spying was easy for him. Hell, I was able to spy on him accidentally. Who says that he couldn¡¯t just do the same and spy on Rob and get the information that way? -Right¡­ doesn¡¯t matter. We still have to somehow get to him. And we are so far¡­ -Maybe not that far¡­ - said Kon. During our talks, he steadily was circling the room, looking for an exit I think, but it didn¡¯t look like he found anything. -Did you find something? -I thought I might find some kind of switch or something¡­ a hidden path¡­ But nothing¡¯s here¡­ besides this small thing¡­ He pointed towards some seemingly random spot on a wall. For the life of me, I couldn¡¯t see what he was pointing out, using my magical vision I was just seeing the same pattern of mana on the wall, or in it for that matter. No signs of anything unusual. -What are you talking about? -Er¡­ Right¡­ you can¡¯t differentiate mana¡­ - he realized, seeing my confusion. - That spot is the only one that has something different about it¡­ like, there¡¯s some mana of a different source mixed on top of the wall. -Oh¡­ really? Interesting¡­ I went as close to it as it was possible without actually physically touching it, but even then it looked like everything else to me. -Damn. Your eyes are something else¡­ I can¡¯t see a thing. -It is faint, but I see that, too - said For. - A bit strange¡­ -Want me to try and absorb it? - I asked. - Or you have some other ideas? -Wha¡­? Why? -I don¡¯t think destroying it is a good idea¡­ - said Kon. -I don¡¯t want to destroy it¡­ I want to taste it? For gave me a look that was bordering between disgust and curiosity. -What? - I asked, seeing her contorted face. - I mean it. I might not be able to see the differences, but I can definitely taste those. If I were to try it, I might be able to figure out what exactly we have in front of our faces. -It¡¯s not like I have some secret spell that would help us¡­ - shrugged For. - You, Kon? -I don¡¯t have either. But¡­ be careful¡­ -I know. I¡¯ll try not to sick any security systems on us. With that, I put one singular finger on the spot they pointed out and quickly took the mana from it. Just a tiny bit, to hopefully not trigger anything weird. 174. Corrosion They were right. There was something else in that mana¡­ or rather it was mana of a different person. Strangely though, it also felt familiar to me. Wasn¡¯t like no one¡¯s I¡¯ve been in contact with recently, no. It was just like some brief memory I had buried somewhere deep in my brain. Besides that, there was nothing else there. No sign of spell, no nothing. It was just pure mana, like someone poured it towards the wall and¡­ And what? Was it destroyed and they just fixed it, like me with the sculpture? Nah. Couldn¡¯t be it. With the sculpture, I did pour a significant amount and yet it was completely gone already. There was no way that if someone had done the same thing that the signs wouldn¡¯t be far gone. I mean, it could be that the damage was so extensive that even though it was a long time ago the traces were still lingering¡­ No. Couldn''t be. If that was the case, I would be able to feel that strange mana all over the wall at least. Same with Kon and For. There wouldn¡¯t just be a singular spot. -It¡¯s only here, right¡­? - I asked, at the same time moving my finger around, trying to check myself. -Yes. You already moved away from it¡­ -Hm. I see¡­ - I muttered, thinking. -Any ideas? - asked For. - What¡¯s that? -Well, as far as I can tell, it looks like someone had poured a bit of mana towards this point¡­ and that¡¯s it - I simply said. -That¡¯s it? But what for? There¡¯s some kind of spell there? Or anything? -I have no clue - I said, shrugging. - But that¡¯s not a problem. We can just try out a small experiment and do the same¡­ -Are you¡­ I was not waiting for their acceptance, nor would they even be able to give it to me most likely. I conjured an orb of mana the size of my thumb and just hovered it in front of the spot. There was no reaction. -Wait, don¡¯t! - protested For. - What if something¡­ I was not listening. Surprisingly, Kon was not protesting at all, instead was looking at the spot with anticipation. I pushed the orb towards the wall, effectively infusing the wood with my own mana. At first I thought nothing was happening. But Kon immediately noticed. I did too, but it was a lot harder for me to see the change, it was so quick and brief. Mana that got infused, moved from the spot we singled out towards the floor and jumped right towards the sculpted throne and the figure. For a second I did think that I''d just launched some kind of security and the statue was about to stand up or something, but nope. It did start glowing, though. The three of us instantly turned towards it and took a defensive stance, expecting some kind of attack. Rob was oblivious to the whole thing, just staring at us slack-jawed. But, nothing of that sort came out. Instead, the glow slowly subsided and instead appeared right next to where I touched the wall. A shape¡­ a circular shape? It looked like a whole lot of the wall got suddenly more infused, just to slowly start peeling away and opening itself, showing us the way out. -Huh¡­ that¡¯s something¡­ - I said in the silence that came after the way had been opened. The statue was already completely dim as before, as nothing happened. -Good job¡­ - muttered For, amazed. - I expected that to go a lot worse¡­ -Honestly, me too - I admitted. -I never expected for a spell to be concealed that way - said Kon, touching the side of the wall where the opening was. -I don¡¯t think that was hidden, really¡­ - I muttered. - But it doesn¡¯t matter¡­ we probably should move¡­ The way that was opened led to some kind of a dark corridor, circular as the opening that appeared in front of us. I couldn¡¯t tell how far it was going, I only could say that it was slowly climbing. -Right¡­ shall we explore a bit? - I asked and not waiting for confirmation walked inside, letting my companions follow. They weren¡¯t without reservations, but none of them wanted to be left behind in that room, so they carefully started walking behind me. As soon as the last one entered the corridor, that being For who was escorting Rob, still tied, I felt another bit of mana behind us. Quickly turning, I realized that the way was closing behind us, the same way as it opened. For leaped behind, trying to stop it, but there was no point. While opening was slow and methodical, the way it closed it felt just like someone had dropped a curtain. And so, we were left in a closed, dark corridor. Before that, I couldn¡¯t help but notice. Just as the way was closing, I managed to get a glimpse of the sculpture we left behind. RIght in the middle of the room, it was looking right at the pathway with its featureless face. But, it was no longer featureless. Right on its face there was a pair of white, glowing eyes, just like gems. Was it just mana playing tricks on me? Who knows. -Well, I guess we have nothing else but to go forward¡­ - I announced. -I can always teleport us away¡­ - said Kon. - I still have those crystals¡­ -True. But that¡¯s for later, if we don¡¯t find anything here. -What are we looking for exactly? - asked For. - I don¡¯t think¡­ Where are we even? -That¡¯s the number one question we are trying to find an answer to - I said. - And how else than just to take a peek outside? -I mean¡­ -Come on, where¡¯s your sense of adventure? - I said, half-heartedly. - We can tell if anyone is approaching us, and not like we need provisions or something. -True¡­ And so, we started walking forward. I want to say we were moving swiftly, but there was a slight issue with that one. Rob. Our ¡°friend¡± apparently had issues walking. And I don¡¯t mean it because he was tied. Sure, I thought so at first, but soon we realized that was not the problem. We were walking in complete darkness. It did not occur to any of us to actually create some kind of light: we could see as well as normal, or rather we were using our enhanced senses to feel out the way. I mean, it was already something that I was doing constantly, so I was sort of surprised that neither Kon nor For were complaining and just went ahead with it. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Were they also relying on that? Accidentally or not, they were enhanced by the crystal, so I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised¡­ I did create a small orb of light to hasten our walk a bit. It also confirmed that, even though he was apparently very old, Rob¡¯s crystal was not as developed as ours. It was strange. Kon, even though he had his for what, months? I don¡¯t know for sure, my perception of time since being stranded in the desert was a bit skewed. Kon was proficient with it as well as me by now. Was he for some reason also resistant to the influence of the crystal? Just like Mike? I mean, supposedly. He was made out of his piece, after all, it wouldn¡¯t be that surprising that he¡¯d take on his attributes. But, wasn¡¯t For also that way? If my theories were correct, she was also made by him, and probably integrating with her piece for a similar amount of time to him. No¡­ something else was at play. I put that problem on the backburner, because after a while we reached something new: a set of stairs. For the whole length, the corridor was rising slowly but steadily in incline, to the point where it started getting hard to walk, and it soon transitioned to a set of long stairs. Well, nothing interesting, right? Just another part of the way. Not exactly. I walked maybe five or so steps before I noticed something wrong. I started hearing the steps creak¡­ and sizzle? Okay, creaking was somewhat normal, I wasn¡¯t the lightest person in the world, really, but sizzle? One look down was enough to understand what was going on, though. I was corroding the wood. Not unexpected, but after landing in such a strange environment I sort of forgot that I had the ability to drain everything around me to the point of destruction. -That¡¯s problema¡­ I didn¡¯t even get to finish the sentence before the steps under me collapsed and sent me tumbling down. On the way I almost collected everyone behind me, but luckily For¡¯s reflexes were enough for her to grab Kon and pull him up, where the stairs haven''t collapsed yet. I did fall right on top of Rob though, rolling down. Good for him that it was just a few steps, because he only ended up with some bruises and drained mana and not completely crushed under my weight. -...tic. -Are you okay?! - asked For from above me. - What happened?! -We¡¯re good - I replied, standing up. - That was my fault¡­ I kind of forgot about my ability¡­ -Your abil¡­ you drained the stairs?! -Yep. -I thought that this wood was resistant?! What¡¯s going on? - asked Kon. -I guess it was¡­ but only closer to the source, I assume - I said after a moment of thought. - No matter. Just give me a second¡­ I turned back and remembered that I still had Rob with me. But, he was already up and standing. And his binds were undone. Right. During my fall I did feel some mana that got absorbed into me, but I didn¡¯t realize that it was my own spell being drained. I had to not only touch him, but also the binds that I tied him up with. I immediately readied a spell to bind him again, expecting some kind of retaliation from him, but he just raised his hands. -Don¡¯t! I am not going to run! I gazed at him, curious. -Well, it¡¯s not like you have anywhere to go¡­ - I pointed out. -Yes, but¡­ Please! I¡¯ll cooperate. -You heard that? - I thought towards For and Kon. -Yeah¡­ -That¡¯s¡­ weird¡­. -Right? He¡¯s so docile¡­ -Pff. That¡¯s one way to put it. -I know you can kill me in a blink of an eye! Please! There¡¯s three of you! I¡¯ll behave! -Why such a change? - I asked. - My binds were too tight or something? -I mean¡­ a little, but that¡¯s besides the point! I just¡­ -Let him be - thought For. - It¡¯s not like he can harm you¡­ -Yeah, but what about you? -I can defend myself. And I also can feel his mana. Same as you. Before he¡¯s able to attack we¡¯ll notice. -And not like he¡¯s planning on that¡­ - added Kon. -You can tell? -I mean¡­ sort of¡­ -Hm. Your ability evolved so much already¡­? -Evolved? -Never mind. Well, it¡¯s your decision. But, besides that - I added - it¡¯s going to be hard to climb up with him tied up¡­ -Fine, fine. It¡¯s your lucky day. He visibly relaxed. -Yeah, about that, how are you getting up here? -Not a problem. -Some spell? Can you fly or something? -Well, sort of but not what I had in mind¡­ - I replied, eyeing the broken wood. My fall didn¡¯t destroy the stairwell completely. The corridor wasn¡¯t just some hollow piece of wood, it looked like the whole place was carved from one large slab of wood. Or, should I say, grown from one piece. I already was familiar enough with Axelrod¡¯s country¡¯s way of making buildings and using green magic to create similar things, so it wasn¡¯t that surprising. That also meant that my fall, instead of leaving a completely ruined piece of scaffolding, just carved a way down akin to a slide. A bit of a rough one, but still, there were remaining stairs on the sides, so with proper maneuvering it was possible to climb up. That is if I wasn¡¯t going to drain and decay them again. I looked down at my feet. Where I was standing, nothing was going on. Apparently where I stood the presence of the¡­ ¡°origin wood¡± was still strong enough for it to be resistant to my drain. -Rob, give me your shirt. -Whaa¡­? He couldn¡¯t hide his confusion. -What? If you are so keen on cooperating, get moving. -I¡­ Okay¡­ But why? Not answering, I just grabbed the clothes he gave me and started ripping it to shreds. -What are you doing!? I wrapped the pieces of his clothes around my feet and hands, so I could step without fear of destroying the floor again. As soon as he noticed what I was doing he sighed. -You could¡¯ve just asked me for the wraps¡­ Right. He had some of those remaining. Not like I was changing my mind though. -Can you climb? - I asked, ignoring his opinion. -Er¡­ Maybe? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s far¡­ -I meant with your leg. Of course it¡¯s not far, but I can¡¯t judge your mobility correctly with that thing. -Ah, well, yeah, I should be fine¡­ -Get moving then. I pushed him gently forward, towards the ruined stairs. I mean, I tried to be gentle but I almost made him fall down face first onto the splintered wood. -I am moving, I am moving! Stop! -Mhm. I wasn¡¯t wrong about having doubts about his mobility. Sure, we had enough room to somewhat cross, but it got a bit shaky once or twice. I, on the other hand, had no problems, which surprised me the most. Last time I climbed something I had pretty hard time moving up, but now I quickly managed to get past the gap and join them above. -Hm¡­ you¡¯re agile¡­ - pointed out the obvious change Kon. -Yeah¡­ I thought with that crystal you¡¯d have a lot more problems¡­ - said For. - Good that it wasn¡¯t the case. -I am as surprised as you are. But hey, I am not complaining. Let¡¯s get moving, hopefully with those - I said, pointing to my wrapped feet - I am not going to create another cave-in. -Hopefully. We probably should find you some set of clothes. Or at least half-decent shoes. -That¡¯d be handy. The rest of the climb was uneventful. About ten minutes later we emerged at the end of the corridor, and this time we were greeted with an actual door. Large and sturdy, but still wooden, it was blocking our path. -Closed? Want me to break it or¡­ - I asked, but before I was able to say anything, Kon lowered his hand towards the handle and I felt a surge of mana from him. I didn¡¯t hear any spell, but I noticed that from his palm a small vine emerged and dug itself in between the frame and the door. -Hmm¡­ Something on the other side moved, and the door opened. -Nice¡­ - I said as he removed his hand. - Who taught you that? -It¡¯s¡­ He hesitated. -I¡­ I don¡¯t know. I just thought that could work¡­ - he replied, a bit confused. -Well, doesn¡¯t matter. Good that it worked. We emerged in another corridor. This one was a bit more open, with sets of doors on one side, while on the other there were just a couple of small circular windows with the very familiar membrane replacing the glass. Of course, I immediately looked through to see where exactly we were¡­ and was stunned. We were on the third floor of a large tree. VERY large tree. The roots below were spreading in a circular pattern, and where those ended there was a rather large city made out of yet more trees, or rather strange tree-houses that had some of the canopies connected together by various pathways and bridges. I¡¯ve seen that before. -Arbo. 175. Left -Why the hell¡­ how the hell?! For was not hiding her surprise. -Your guess is as good as mine - I said. -Arbo?! The capital? - said Kon. - But¡­ it¡¯s¡­ empty¡­? That was the problem. Sure, there was no mistaking that, we landed right in the middle of the capital, in the royal palace nonetheless, but, there was not a soul anywhere. None of us could feel any mana. Hell, even the presence below us was so deep that without knowing beforehand I¡¯d just probably miss it. And it was not like our ranges were short. We were certain: there was not a living person below, nor in the city surrounding us. -Did they evacuate for some reason¡­? -Whole city? With no one left? -That¡¯s not possible! -How the hell do you imagine that would happen? What, hundreds or if not thousands of people would just stand up on command and leave without leaving even a single one behind? Hell, even in this city, there always is some kind of underbelly. Our certain friends are good enough proof. Kon nodded. -There¡¯d be a lot of looters left behind! At least, that is. Damn, even without that, I doubt that everyone would just stand up and leave everything behind! -We have to check properly - agreed For. - Let¡¯s get down from here¡­ It was easier said than done. The palace was not the easiest to navigate, especially when you have no idea where you are. We had an advantage of being able to scout the place with magic, and being here before, so it took us less than it should, yet we still had some problems. The place where we landed was also not the easiest to find. Hidden behind multiple secret doors, some being just plain old moving bookshelves, some straight up fake walls, but we managed to get out. On our way we peeked into multiple rooms, to check what was inside, and every single one we found completely untouched. Sure, they were empty, devoid of people like we confirmed before, but every one had its decorations and furniture left. If it was indeed some large scale evacuation, I¡¯d expect for people to at least take some more fancy knicknacks with them. Or, after it was deserted, for them to be stolen. True, we were still in the palace, so maybe it was a bit intimidating for an everyday thief to try and man up enough to rob the place, but¡­ The situation in the actual city wasn¡¯t different at all. It was even more eerie. While the palace looked more or less normal, the same couldn¡¯t be said about the city. Every single door was opened. It honestly looked like some kind of rapture happened. Hell, some even had food left on counters. And to boot it looked absolutely perfect. Like everyone just stood up and left a minute ago. I even expected that whatever meals were left would be hot, they looked so pristine, but that was not the case. I poked one piece of a half-bitten apple and it immediately turned into ash, crumbling before my eyes. For a second I thought that I accidentally drained it, but nope, that was not the case. There wasn¡¯t even anything to drain, really¡­ Wait. That was weird. I was looking right at it, but I couldn¡¯t feel any mana from it. Be it a wall, chair, or some random fruit lying on a counter: everything had the same amount of mana¡­ and that was not much. It was like I was looking at some strange replica of a town, made completely out of barely infused material. Sure, it would be somewhat normal if it was just a wall or another piece of furniture, but not here. I¡¯ve been here. I knew that the place was full of energy, especially houses, made with green magic, were always full of life. Not now. -This place is giving me chills¡­ - mumbled For when we walked past yet another deserted alley of open doors. -No shit¡­ What happened here? -Whatever it was, it also drained most of the mana from the area - I pointed out. - This is absolutely stunning¡­ -That¡¯s one way to put it¡­ -No, really! I know, It¡¯s easy for me to say, I drain things all the time, but to manage that kind of range and that kind of restraint¡­ -Restraint? I barely can see the restraint in here¡­ -Barely? Ha - I laughed. - Let me tell you, if whoever made this was not controlling themselves, we¡¯d just be left with another Wildnorth. This time, a bit more ashy, though. -Whoever¡­? So you think someone caused that? - asked Kon. -Let¡¯s not beat around the bush - I said. - It¡¯s clear that it was Axelrod. Who else would be able to do that? -A remnant for one - agreed For. -And someone proficient enough with their crystal to be able to pull something like that¡­ There¡¯s not many people that I know like that¡­ -Not many? More like one - said Kon. -Well, maybe two - said For. - I am pretty sure Mor would also be able to do it. I shot her a look. It was strange for her to compliment me. If that was even one. I was not sure, to be honest. -I doubt that I would be able to contain myself - I said truthfully. - Last time I drained an area, it was left in a lot worse shape than this¡­ -You¡­ did something like that?! -Not on that scale. Just in a random shed¡¯s worth of mana. Was pretty dead after I was done with it. -What¡­ -Not on purpose, mind you - I added. - Anyway, it doesn''t matter. -I would be more concerned about what that means for us. -And what¡­ -That Axelrod suddenly has access to a lot more mana. And we can imagine what he¡¯s going to use it for¡­ -He wants to leave, right? So what? Let him! He won¡¯t be a problem any more! The last sentence came from Rob. He was still unbound, but also was carefully watched by every single one of us. -Yes, leave. Sure, let¡¯s go with that - I said nonchalantly. - I don¡¯t care. But I feel like you probably should. He looked at me, confused. -Don¡¯t look at me like that. Do you really think he¡¯s just going to leave and everything is going to be fine? Then tell me, why hasn¡¯t he done that already? This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it -Because¡­ He started stumbling on his own words. -Exactly - I interrupted. - You don¡¯t know. And I don¡¯t. That is the problem. If that was just the case of getting the hell out of here, he¡¯d left a long time ago. No. He¡¯s planning something¡­ -The main question is, what? - finished for me For. -Too bad we have no idea¡­ - said Kon. -There is one person who probably knows, though¡­ -There is? -I mean¡­ it¡¯s going to be weird trying to reach her, but¡­ -Her? You mean ILMA? -One of them, yes - I nodded. -But I thought that she disappeared¡­ - said Kon. -Well¡­ I am not so sure about that. -You know, I¡¯ve been observing you. And I keep seeing things that make me think twice about everything you do¡­ -We? -Yes. You and Kon - I said, looking at both of them. - See, I know you are being changed, the crystal and all that, but that makes me think¡­ What does that mean exactly? -Huh¡­? -Look at him for example - I pointed towards Rob. - He¡¯s been under influence for most of his life, yet he¡¯s barely changed. I mean, I barely know the guy, but I do know Il. It definitely does not give me any indication that it was manipulated by her. -On the other hand - I said, continuing my train of thought - you two¡­ are different. I hesitated for a second. Should I really be telling them that flat out? Yeah. They should know. They probably realized that already. Even if not, that¡¯s for the better. -I also barely met you, maybe it was not yesterday, but still. I am not great at reading characters, but yet I feel like I know you inside out. Like I¡¯ve known you for years¡­ -Er¡­ -Yes. And it¡¯s exactly what you think you are. You are starting to be closer and closer to her. Merging with her own person¡­ -I mean¡­ - For said after a moment of silence - I knew¡­ that I was different, but is it really that bad¡­? -It is. I even started noticing some things¡­ like, you definitely already have memories that don¡¯t belong to you. And you don¡¯t even realize it. -... Her silence only confirmed what I thought. She already realized that, but was keeping quiet about it. I am not sure if it was from fear, or just that Origin Crystal already took over that emotion, making her more complacent¡­ If I was to guess, probably the second one. -You¡­ you¡¯re right. It was Kon. -I¡­ I think you are right¡­ - he repeated himself. - Truth be told, it¡¯s been a long time like that¡­ -How long? -Since you pulled me out of the tree. -Oh. Well. -Yeah¡­ I sighed. I sort of expected that answer. It probably should make me feel worried or something. But it was already too late. I only felt like it was right. -Eh¡­ of course. Well, it is what it is. But it also helps us in current circumstances. -Helps¡­? That they are merging with some weird entity?! Rob was positively scared, which was strange. I didn¡¯t even recall telling him most of the details, yet he picked up on them without issue. Ah. So he as well. So there¡¯s no longer need to keep an eye on him. -Yes. And now, that entity is going to help us communicate with the person in question. I was thinking of some experimental measures, but now I realize that there¡¯s no point. We can just ask normally. -What the hell does ¡°normally¡± mean? - asked Kon. He was calm, yet I could feel that he was very tense. -Simple. We are just going to have a conversation. -So why did we even leave the basement anyway? - asked For, slightly irritated. - We took our sweet time fucking around and now we¡¯re back where we started? -Look, do you think I expected that we¡¯re going to need that thing? - I asked. - I am not sure if I am even correct, but that¡¯s the only thing that makes sense right now¡­ -¡±Makes sense¡±, yeah, sure¡­ She was understandably annoyed. So was I, to be honest. I was annoyed at myself that I didn¡¯t put two and two together: that us appearing in some infused area that apparently was hosting some presence wouldn¡¯t be connected to Axelrod somehow¡­ It was preposterous. Especially after we used something that was definitely part of him. Or at least some kind of Origin Crystal. Whoever it belonged to, had to be connected to her. Just like we were. Too bad that in our minds the connection was too thin. I am not sure why, but none of us could communicate with her. Before, I attributed that to certain Goldie and his bullshit, but more and more it felt impossible. That something else had to happen. Quick walk later we were again in the vicinity of the magical stain. -Are we ready¡­? For asked the question, yet she was not going to be doing anything anyway¡­ I was the only one who could feel her anyway. What¡¯s the point in asking then? I don¡¯t know, it¡¯s always better to ask for consent, right? -Let¡¯s go. The only ones reacting were the two that traveled with me, Rob just was passively watching everything. I am not sure if that was just him being docile and compliant, or more like overwhelmed and confused. Probably all of the above, considering. I unwrapped my hands from the makeshift bandages and placed both of my hands on the throne, touching the sculpture directly. Of course, there was no immediate reaction. My crystal did not drain it, nor the sculpture did drain anything from me. But I did feel that presence I noticed before. This time, a bit deeper, but still present. Dormant. I was going to have to awaken her. So I started pouring mana into it. I already had some practice before, so it was easy for me. Yet, the reaction was barely noticeable. The sculpture did get the mana, sure, but that¡¯s about it. The presence did not react, it was just the material it was made of reacting with fresh mana that came into contact with it. I knew that was not going to be enough. So I started pouring more. Not just mana, but also memories. Just like I was connecting with For and Kon multiple times already, talking in each other¡¯s head, I started pushing towards the sculpture with my own mind. Like when I was trying to interrogate people. But this time, I didn¡¯t push my negative emotions with it. Instead focusing on the singular name. Michael. The reaction was immediate. And almost shocking, to be honest. I expected maybe understanding. Or longing, or anything that would be considered a positive emotion. But no. I didn¡¯t even get hit by the opposite spectrum either. It was just¡­ annoyance. It was like I just felt someone nagging me for hours on end, I was irritated and yet I knew that wasn¡¯t me. That was her. But, that was a good thing. I had a reaction. It was not a contact I wanted yet, but it was a start. So I switched from memories to words. Il. Ilma, Axelrod. Ilon. Mike. Mor. MIRE. Iloa. Just singular names. I am not certain if they even reached her, but the presence wasn¡¯t fading either, so I was hoping that I was going in the right direction. I was sort of disappointed that his name didn¡¯t wake her up, but hey, I can¡¯t get lucky twice in a row, right? I had to think of something else, maybe something that would jump-start her attention¡­ condense her thoughts into one singular thing. If that was even possible any more. That was actually something that started bothering me more and more, the more I was thinking about it. I already knew that we were slowly turning into someone else, as in, something more akin to being her than us, and I did nudge my team to try and manipulate that feeling to work the other way¡­ But was it happening already? And I don¡¯t mean with us. Since she was somewhat part of a lot of people, what was happening to her? She had to be connected to so many entities over the years that who knows what exactly was left of her¡­ As far as I knew, most of her essence was present in my own crystal. I mean, it was only my suspicion, but¡­ The presence in the sculpture was her. That I was sure. But how much was still intact? It was certain that this piece was manipulated via Axelrod, who else would even be remotely capable of something like this? But how much did he change? Well, even if he didn¡¯t do it on purpose, it would¡¯ve changed anyway. Was there even a point in trying to communicate with this thing? As far as I knew it could be just some unknown amalgamation of minds in there that lost its sense of self. And the more I was trying to connect with it, the more I felt like it was the case. 176. Jolt -Any progress¡­? - asked finally For after a good couple minutes of me standing there, unmoving. I could tell she was worried, because whenever I wanted it or not, she was very conscious of what I was doing. Same with Kon. And they both knew that nothing changed. -Doesn¡¯t seem like it - I said and sighed. - Eh, and here I thought it would be easy¡­ -Can we help somehow¡­? - asked Kon. -I don¡¯t know¡­ That was actually an interesting proposition. Out of people who were connected to her, while I was the oldest one and probably spent the most time with her, Kon was in second place. He did have her for a while in her head as well. For too, albeit pretty briefly. And he was also the one who she communicated with last¡­ at least that¡¯s what I was suspecting, after the time when I ¡°ejected¡± her¡­ Thinking about it, I could actually be wrong about that. Kon was partially me, right? So if that was the case, wouldn''t it be possible for him to also inherit some of my own memories¡­ and by extension, also hers? It would mean that he was the one who had the best connection with her¡­ Well, besides Axelrod, because if we assume that he is aware of her existence, it would mean that the two of them were always together¡­ -I guess¡­ you can try¡­ we can try¡­ - I mumbled, thinking. - Come here¡­ I instructed him to place his hand on the sculpture, just like me. -Kon, do you have any memories that you feel that belong to someone else, not to you¡­? - I asked. - You too, For? I was not going to try and hide this conversation from her. -Er¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ - he said, a bit puzzled, but immediately I felt that he started thinking. -I don¡¯t think so¡­ -I mean¡­ I do have some¡­ information that I have no idea where I got from - admitted Kon - but that¡¯s about it¡­ -And you, For? -I have a lot of those - she said nonchalantly - but that¡¯s nothing new. That¡¯s the side effect of a long life. You remember things you don¡¯t even know you¡¯ve forgotten. -Sure¡­ I don¡¯t think Kon lived that long though¡­ -I guess¡­ -Okay. I want you to focus not on the memories, just on the concepts. Concepts that you know have a connection to me, and by extension to her. -What do you mean, ¡°concepts¡±. -Like MIRE. Like the Origin Crystal. Like her, the information of my old world¡­ whatever feels the most appropriate to you. -Appropriate¡­ -Yes, I know that¡¯s not helping much, but I am grasping at straws here¡­ -I¡­ I think I understand. And then what? -Try and push those towards the crystal in front¡­ I mean, the sculpture in front of you. We want to jolt her awake somehow. Last time I succeeded by remembering my old world. It¡¯s not working this time, so¡­ -Hmm¡­ Okay, I can try. He nodded and closed his eyes. I still could feel his mind. While focusing, I am not sure if he just let his thoughts wander, or it was just thanks to our connection and being close overall, but I could also feel what he was thinking. Images of me talking about MIRE. About the old world. Rob¡¯s story. Axelrod in the capital. Kon randomly inside a tree. A mix of everything was flowing through us, but even though I was also adding whatever I could, it didn¡¯t seem like it was working. It was just like a stream of water flowing and washing over a boulder, which didn¡¯t care at all. They say even the smallest streams have the power to crush rocks, but we didn¡¯t have the time for that. I think. Meanwhile, I could tell that For was observing us. Maybe she wasn¡¯t that much connected to our stream of memories, but I could feel her listening to it. But, even when the two of us joined in the effort, there¡¯s no progress at all. For knew that. -I don¡¯t think it¡¯s working¡­ Neither of us replied, still fully committed to trying, so she approached and put her hands directly on our shoulders. -Hey¡­ Snap out of¡­ That was what started it. The moment she touched the two of us, memories we were trying to infuse into the statue flooded into her. We didn¡¯t intend on doing that of course, it was just a happenstance. The ¡°environment¡± we were creating, so to speak, was under tremendous pressure between the two of us, who were trying to force it one way. When another opening suddenly surfaced, it didn¡¯t even take a second for that pressure to vent right towards it. Towards For. It was like a very destructive feedback loop. When she touched us, she was still trying to contact us using her thoughts, and since the contact made us pour all the memories into her, forcing her to think about them, it was like we were targeting ourselves. There was no escaping it: before we realized what was going on, the memories were already so strong that I had a hard time thinking straight. I can¡¯t even imagine what was happening to the two of them. Instinctively, I wanted to break contact, but the problem was, I couldn¡¯t. My hands were so stiff that my grip was tightly locked on the sculpture and the same was with For and Kon: I could see his knuckles getting white from gripping the side of the statue, while at the same time I could feel the iron grip on my shoulder from For. Not good. If we were to stay like that it only was going to get worse: the feedback loop was going to intensify and¡­ I don¡¯t know what. If I still had a squishy brain, I¡¯d say that it¡¯d get fried. Hell, it would probably be the case with the other two, but would I be able to survive that? If one of them would pass out the loop would definitely be broken, but that would also mean that whoever was the weakest would get overwhelmed, and judging by what was going on, take a pretty bad hit. I am not some brain surgeon, but I doubt that it would¡¯ve been good for whoever that would be, having their brain fried. I had to think of something else, to break the loop. Rob maybe¡­? No. Of course not. He was not even our ally. And even if he was magically somehow able to intervene, I doubt he even realized what was going on. Considering that type of magic, he was more than inept it seemed. I had to do something. No one else was with us. Or was there? The more memories were pounding at my own head, the more pain I felt, and more I felt like my head was going to split. And I am not just talking from the pain. Sure, it was pretty bad, but there was something else I was feeling. Like my head was getting¡­ more spacious? It¡¯s hard to say what that even was, but it definitely was happening. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. And then¡­ It broke. If I was to compare it to something, it was like you were playing with a plastic ruler, trying to stretch it to the limit before releasing it, but this time you took it overboard and it finally snapped in two. Was that it? Was my mind the first to break? Well, yes and no. While it was true, I was the one that broke first, but it wasn¡¯t exactly what I was picturing. I expected for me to just black out and pass out from the sudden snap, but it was quite the opposite. I felt¡­ relieved. The pounding memories stopped, everything calming down in the process, and the three of us had fallen down onto the floor backwards, away from the statue. -Aahh¡­ -Urgh¡­ -Haaa¡­ -... The three of us were lying on the floor moaning from the sudden pain and even more sudden release. -What¡­ What happened¡­? I slowly raised my head and tried to look about, to check on everybody else. I had a bit of a hard time doing it though, I barely was able to see, still a bit woozy and my sight wasn¡¯t exactly clear, because I was seeing double, or well, something like that. I could swear that next to me there were more than just two people lying on the floor, grabbing their heads. Wait. No. I WAS seeing more than two people. Three, to be exact. Was that Rob? Did he somehow get involved in this? Also no. I felt him too, he was right behind me, still up and now felt like he was absolutely terrified and about to run away. So who was the third one lying there¡­? I tried focusing my sight. At first I just was able to see mana, as per usual, but that only confused me more, because I only felt my own. Sure, yeah, For and Kon had some of it inside them, so that would explain it, but what about the third¡­ Wait a fucking second. In front of me, between For and Kon, there was¡­ a statue. Hell, no longer a statue: a full wooden person, who also had a hard time understanding what the hell had happened, because as I raised from the ground, so did it and stared at me with disbelief. I mean, I say stared, but it was just it turning its head towards me: it was still faceless. It was definitely the same one that just a moment ago was sitting on a throne in the middle of the room, which now was empty. I could clearly feel its emotions, wildly buzzing inside its wooden body, from anger to confusion to surprise and finally to disbelief. Quite a rollercoaster. The other two, who also had regained most of their motor functions, noticed the new creature and jumped back, readying spells to blast it as soon as possible but I stopped them immediately. -Don¡¯! - I yelled, raising my hand - Don¡¯t even try! Both of them already had something in hand. For a fireball and Kon something akin to a ball lightning. Hell, the boy was getting better and better at this¡­ But, they listened to me, not tossing anything. Still didn¡¯t release their spells, though. -What¡¯s going on?! Who are you?! For was not wasting time, went instantly to questioning. Reasonable decision. But, our new arrival did not answer. Or, rather it couldn¡¯t. Just turned to her, awkwardly moving its head. Then, it startled. I think only then it realized that it couldn¡¯t speak, because it moved its wooden hands and started feeling its own face. For was looking at the weird spectacle, not convinced. -You cannot talk¡­? - she picked up. - That¡¯s¡­ -...that¡¯s alright¡­ - I finished for her. - We can talk¡­ just don¡¯t be alarmed¡­ -What are you¡­ -I want to try and talk like this - I thought towards For. - Just let¡¯s hope I don¡¯t spook anyone inside too much¡­ -What is this thing?! - asked Kon. - It feels¡­ strangely familiar. -To you too, then¡­? I do have an idea, but¡­ I took a breath and tried to be as calm as possible. If I was to try and use this method to communicate, it would be for the best if I was not sending some stray emotions along with my thoughts. Especially negative ones. Locking onto the creature was easy. The mana in the ¡°puppet¡± was strong and easy to spot. So I did my best and started the ¡°experiment¡±. -Can you hear me¡­? The creature flinched. It clearly was not expecting to hear me like this. -Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t mean any harm, as long you don¡¯t harm us. Do you understand me¡­? Creature again started moving its head, trying to talk, but quickly realized that it was not going to work like that, so just nodded, confirming. -Good. Please, calm down, and talk with me. We aren¡¯t going to hurt you. It turned towards For and Kon. Right, they were still holding their spells. -Drop that shit! - I said to them out loud. - Don¡¯t need to be hostile. Kon instantly listened, but For needed another moment to think about it before her spell fizzled into a puff of mana. -But what is it, though¡­? What happened? -That¡¯s what I am trying to understand. It looks like it¡¯s confused as well. Or, well, I don¡¯t think ¡°it¡± is a very polite way¡­ The creature¡­ shrugged? Well, it was good to know that they weren¡¯t angry about it, that is if it understood what we were talking about. -So, you can hear us normally then? - I asked. A nod. -Ah. Makes things a bit easier. But you cannot speak, right. A shrug. -Right¡­ What I am going to say is probably going to be strange, but can you try and repeat what I did with you¡­ talk like this? - I asked, changing at the end of the sentence the way I was trying to communicate. - I think you should be able to¡­ I could feel some strain from the creature, but no words came to me. But, I felt something else. An emotion. Confusion. -Ah. Well, too bad. It was not going to be that easy. -I assume we don¡¯t have any writing utensils¡­? - I asked my companions. -Not really¡­ -I do have that spell to conjure ink¡­ - said For. -That¡¯s not really helpful¡­ -We can make it write using a finger or something - said Kon. -Can it even write? The creature nodded, but almost instantly raised its hand and shook its hand. I tilted my head in confusion. I noticed that it started gathering a small amount of mana in front of it. It also didn¡¯t escape For¡¯s attention. -It¡¯s casting something! She was about to cast a spell herself to preemptively attack, but this time I just swiped at the mana For gathered and destroyed the spell before she managed to do anything. -Hey! Attack it, not me! -I would, if that was an offensive spell! Look before you act! I could tell from the mana gathered that it was just some illusion magic. A minor illusion, just a streak of light that formed into letters. ¡°Sorry.¡± -No, not your fault. She¡¯s just a bit trigger happy. I didn¡¯t expect you to know illusion magic though. The creature nodded. -See, we can communicate like that. -Useful trick. -Right? -For, you do try to be a bit calmer next time. -My bad¡­ but when I felt mana¡­ -So what? You can recognize it instantly, do you think there¡¯s a way for someone to hurt you using illusions? Come on¡­ -I¡­ I mean¡­ -Doesn¡¯t matter. -Let¡¯s get back to it. So, hello, I know you probably have a lot of questions - I started the discussion, sitting in front of the creature - but so do we. The creature nodded. -So¡­ what happened here? Creature looked at me, a bit perplexed. ¡°I just woke up.¡± -Ah. So you don¡¯t have any memories of what happened before? What happened to this city? ¡°This city? Where am I?¡± -Oof. Hmm¡­ Well, we are, I think at least, in the capital. Arbo. The creature looked around in confusion. -Yeah, we were a bit shocked too when we found this place¡­ especially in this state. ¡°What happened?¡± -This city is for some reason deserted. We have no idea what happened, hoping that you¡¯d know something, being the last remaining resident. ¡°I don¡¯t remember being here.¡± -Right¡­ So what''s the last thing you remember? The creature tilted its head, pondering. ¡°Not sure.¡± -A bit of an evasive answer for someone like you¡­ Again with confusion. ¡°Someone like me?¡± -Ah¡­ right. I haven¡¯t given you my name yet. Right¡­ I did change a bit recently, so¡­ -You think it¡¯s a good idea? - interrupted me For. - Last time you did that it ended up with your head exploding. -We¡¯re fine. Don¡¯t worry. Both of them were clearly not keen on giving their names, so I decided to just introduce us all. -This is For and Kon. My recent companions. And I am Mor. I hope you remember those names¡­? For a second, the creature froze. Then it took a step closer, almost like it was trying to squint and see my face better. Not like it had eyes, mind you. Then, it suddenly grabbed its head. From inside of its mind I could tell that there was a lot going on. I quickly assumed a defensive position to not get stunned by the flood of emotions, but those didn¡¯t come. The creature was pretty proficient in keeping them bottled in. Yet, I felt some spilling out. Relief, surprise, happiness. Suddenly, I felt its hands on my neck. -Mor! I told you¡­ -Stop. It¡¯s fine. The hands weren¡¯t there to harm me. And not like the creature could do that anyway with my crystal body. It was hugging me. Or, well, saying it would be a bit rude. -Welcome back, Il. 177. Original -ILMA?! The same thing that was inside his head¡­ Inside your head all that time!? - For was almost yelling. -Calm down. It¡¯s not exactly the same¡­ you know, it¡¯s complicated. All three of them looked at me with question. -It¡¯s¡­ not the same one you heard of. -There¡¯s more of them?! - yelped For. ¡°There¡¯s more?¡± A question appeared next to her in the air. -Yeah¡­ shit¡¯s bit weird I think¡­ -Il, what¡¯s the last thing you remember? - I asked first, trying to figure out how exactly things were. She hesitated for a moment, thinking. ¡°MIRE explosion.¡± I nodded. -Well hell¡­ you¡¯re the original then. -Original?! What do you mean by that? I ignored the question. -Do you remember maybe having some visions? Maybe some small flashes of something between that and when we woke you up? She started thinking again. ¡°Maybe. But can¡¯t remember what.¡± -Maybe something like a dream? That you forgot? She shrugged. Another solid ¡°maybe¡±. -Enough with maybes! - said For. - What does that all mean!? What do you mean by original?! I thought the one you had in your head before was the one? ¡°Inside your head?¡± Yeah, I was not going to avoid explaining this. And so I did. I explained to her how I woke up in the ruined MIRE and about my travels with ¡°her¡± before. -As far as I understand¡­ or rather as I suspect, the one that was in my head was also you, but only partially. It was the copy we created¡­ the effect of our efforts. Combination of you, the actual you, and the intelligence we created. -But what about the other one? That was inside Goldie and all that? -And that - I continued - was the other original, or, I mean original artificial intelligence. Enhanced with crystal, but still, not complete apparently¡­ -So wait. Does that mean that there are three of her? Like, your¡­ er, prototype, the actual person, and the combination of both?! -That¡¯s what it looks like - I agreed with her. Il was just staring at me, speechless. I mean, not like she could talk, but I could tell that she was trying to also understand what was going on exactly. -So wait¡­ what about Axelrod¡­? What and why was he trying to keep her here?! -Oh, that¡¯s¡­ I don¡¯t know. I mean, I assume that he was just probably trying to rebuild her, to recreate the experiment we did¡­ -Again try and destroy that much?! - said For outraged. - Didn¡¯t he have enough of that? -I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what he had in mind¡­ -Like I care! -He definitely did¡­ because¡­ ¡°He tried reversing it.¡± She was right. Axelrod. Or rather Mike. I thought he forgot about her. Or, well, mostly. But that was quite the opposite. He remembered everything and knew all the time that she was here with him. And he did exactly what I did with Kon. He assumed that during the ¡°transfer¡± some of her was stuck into him along with the Origin Crystal. He was absolutely right. And so, he strived to somehow reverse what happened: he built this room, along with the sculpture, a vessel. To somehow transfer all that remained from her inside him into it, and hopefully awaken it. But that was not enough. There wasn¡¯t enough data, or soul rather, of her in his crystal. He only had some scraps. So he focused on the second best: the remains of the MIRE. He scouted the world for the ¡°void artifacts¡±. The remains of our building in hopes of finding some backups, or maybe other crystals. And poured all of it into this statue. Yet it was still not enough for her to awaken. That is, until I appeared. Us three. We, causing the feedback loop, managed to pour all the parts of her we had back to her. And managed to bring her back. In a bit of a weird form, but still. Better than being a disembodied voice inside someone''s head. -The main question now¡­ what about the other parts? - I said, a bit worried. -The still exist? - asked Kon, -I only assume so - I nodded. - Sure, we had a lot of connections between me, you two and the Origin Crystal, but I doubt that we managed to pull ALL of the other ILMAs back into here. And not like you¡¯re feeling something like that, right? - I asked her directly. She focused, trying to feel something out. ¡°No. I feel the same as usual.¡± -Usual? Same as in your fleshy body? ¡°Yes. This is almost the same.¡± -Almost? She pointed towards her non-existing lips. -Ah, right. Besides that, no abnormalities? She shook her head, but mid movement she stopped. -So there¡¯s something. ¡°My memories are fuzzy.¡± I furled my non-existing brow. -That¡¯s what I was worried about. I thought that it was too convenient for her to be just as she was before all this, even after switching bodies, hell, LOSING body. She did die, essentially. But, it apparently was not that bad. Using an extensive amount of illusion magic and questions I managed to find out what exactly she meant. She remembered clearly our days in the old world and MIRE, but the problem was the day of calamity. Of course. She knew that shit went bad, but didn¡¯t know exactly what had happened. She had problems, especially with the finishing part: the one that I had too. She saw the last of her moments, or at least that¡¯s what she thought back then, but also remembered seeing us get destroyed as well. From different perspectives. Same as me. No wonder. So she remembered getting split. I explained what my theory about that one was and that only managed to make her worried. In addition, the facts about Mike and him being this ¡°Axelrod¡± also weren¡¯t the best news for her. -Let¡¯s hope it doesn¡¯t get worse - I said after finishing. During the explanation, she was just looking at me and trying to take all this in, while Kon and For were carefully watching her. Kon quickly realized that she was not a threat, be it from my demeanor, or just straight up listening to my own thoughts, and even started warming up to her. I am not sure if that was me leaking a bit of memories towards him or what, but I wasn¡¯t exactly against it. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. For, on the other hand, was wary. That was probably because of her earlier experiences with Il, or rather the other one. Can¡¯t blame her. I did find it strange that both of them had those polar opposites of an opinion about her, while both of them were affected by my own memories. And the memories in the crystal, being hers. We were essentially parts of her¡­ -So¡­ what are we doing now? - asked For after an exhausting, almost one-sided conversation about past events. -That is a great question¡­ - I said, thinking. -I did think that Il here would be not the one we got¡­ - I said, and immediately added - not like I not prefer this alternative. She just shrugged, understanding what I mean. -Yea¡­ I honestly thought that the one inside was the¡­ ¡°robotic¡± one, so to speak, the one that was inside Goldie and all. -You hoped to find an enemy¡­? -I told you she¡¯s not¡­ -Yeah, yeah, whatever - shrugged For. - But I get you, you wanted to get more information from her. I can¡¯t deny, she was the¡­ person I wanted to have a talk with, too. Kon nodded. -After Axelrod, she is next in line to actually have the most information on what¡¯s going on right now¡­ -Yeah¡­ - I agreed. - I guess our target has not changed, then¡­ -You know¡­ I thought about something - said For. - Remember those flashes of visions we had before? Weren¡¯t those Axelrods? -It was more like those belonged to people connected to the Crystal¡­ - I replied. - But sure, he was among them. What of it? -Don¡¯t you think we could try and somehow¡­ I dunno, try and somehow influence them? -To make them appear again? -Yeah! -I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea - muttered Kon. -The idea is good - I said after a moment of thought - but the first problem is actual execution. How exactly do you think we¡¯d do that? -I was thinking about it¡­ and we communicate with our minds, right? -Yeah? -And you said that it probably doesn¡¯t have any range, right? -Sure¡­ -And you managed to peer inside this one¡¯s head - she gestured towards Rob. - And not only him I think. -I might have. -And we do know how his mana looks and feels¡­ more or less, since he¡¯s also a part-crystal, like all of us. -That¡¯s a stretch, but sure. -So why not combine all those and try? -Sound theory. Why don¡¯t you try it then? -Huh? She was a bit confused with my immediate reply. -What ¡°huh?¡±? -How the hell would I do that?! -Same way as me. -That is¡­? -And how should I know? That¡¯s the problem. Having all the ingredients and being able to make something out of them are two different things, you know. She sighed. -I guess you¡¯re right. -So what, what are we doing then!? -How the hell should I know? - I said, not trying to not sound tired. - All we¡¯ve been doing was just relying on luck to try and get somewhere. -And we got results! - she said, not discouraged at all. - We even managed to get to the capital! -Yeah, and what? I thought getting here would get us closer to him, but did that work? Absolutely not. -Well, we managed to get a new¡­ ally - she said, although she hesitated before calling Il an ally. -And discovered that he is not there. You know, it¡¯s hard to believe, but I was betting that he¡¯d be in his palace, you know. Or at least remotely close. That is not the case, if you didn¡¯t notice. -That reminds me¡­ - said Kon. - Don¡¯t you have a connection to his wife? I thought she was supposed to be close to here? Oh. I almost forgot about that. -I guess that¡¯s a good lead¡­ - I said, trying to hide the fact that I was this forgetful. - We can try it, I guess¡­ -See? We still have leads! - said For, still full of hope. -Hm¡­ -What are we waiting for? Let¡¯s do it! -Fine, fine¡­ I need some paper and¡­ It didn¡¯t take us even ten minutes to gather ingredients we needed. Not like those were really hard to find in the capital, really, nor were they rare. We found a room a bit closer to the exit, I think it was some kind of guardhouse or barracks, and set up in there. I sighed and focused on the ritual. Melle¡¯s mana¡­ It wasn¡¯t hard to remember her visage, it somewhat had already been burned in my memory, probably thanks to the binding we were connected through. -There. A speck of fire appeared on the map, pointing towards the¡­ -In here?! Both For and Kon gasped in unison. If Il had a voice, she probably would too. She was as interested in her as us, maybe even more. Who can blame her, it was about Mike''s other wife. I can¡¯t even imagine what she was thinking about that fact, but considering that some of her emotions were leaking through¡­ they weren¡¯t exactly positive, let¡¯s leave it at that. -That¡¯s not possible! - said For. - Are you sure about that? I looked closer at the map. There was no mistaking it. The mana was pointing right at the city we were in. -Everything seems to be in order¡­ I feel like that¡¯s not a mistake. -What, does that mean that Axelrod just left her here?! After that much of a hassle getting her from you?! -Your guess is as good as mine. -Maybe it¡¯s not that - mumbled Kon. - Maybe there¡¯s something else at play¡­. I know! Maybe we aren¡¯t in the capital! -What do you mean? -This spell points at the capital, right? So maybe we¡¯re just mistaken, and she is in the capital, and we are not! That it¡¯s just some other city! -Another city with a humongous tree-palace? With a throne chamber? That has a layout surprisingly familiar to the one of Arbo? -I mean¡­ What else!? We¡¯ve scouted through the whole place! And none of us had felt any presence! We are alone here! -Maybe she¡¯s hiding somehow? There do exist some artifacts that manage to interfere with this power of ours? Right? -More like magic over all - I said, but nodded. - That¡¯s more possible than the first version, not gonna lie. But it¡¯s easy to confirm. -...? -Just let me¡­ I focused on her mana once more. This time, I was not going to go with the map, just instead try to follow her with a close range version - the same one I¡¯ve tried on For a long time ago. If she was indeed close, the flame would appear and I would be able to follow her. Maybe even find her. That is, if she wasn¡¯t hidden by some artifact. And even then, I might be able to find her anyway. He wouldn''t¡¯ be able to suppress her mana completely, artifact or not, there would definitely be some kind of trace. Maybe small, but still. And then, I got it. Flame appeared right in front of me. -It worked? -It worked! That means she¡¯s here! - said For. The flame was strong. It meant that she was close. A bit strange¡­ I was expecting for it to be barely recognizable, since if we weren¡¯t able to find her with our senses it meant that either there was some artifact at play that was messing with mana, or she was far away. I did think that it would be the second one. That she is somewhere underground. Since we found Il in a hidden place deep within the palace-tree, I thought it would be the same with Melle. But that was not the case. I stood up and walked a few steps, trying to pinpoint the direction she was in. So did everyone else. But the flame was acting strange. As soon as I stood up and took a step, it moved in another direction, confusing me. I turned, trying to figure out direction, but every time I turned, so did it, almost like it was constantly behind me¡­ Wait a second. I turned to my companions. -What¡¯s going on? - asked For. I did not answer, just looked at the flame, hovering right in front of me, in the direction of¡­ -Il. Yeah, there was no mistaking it, the flame was indubitably pointing towards her. And only her. -What the hell?! I took a lap around her, just to make sure, but I was sure. It was her. Why though? She was also confused, not really understanding what¡¯s going on, so I briefly explained what was the spell, or rather the ritual I was employing, about. That only confused her. -Is your spell somehow mistaking her for¡­ someone else? - mumbled Kon. -That¡¯s not possible. -So what, you fucked the spell somehow? - questioned For. -I honestly would want it to be the case, but I am afraid that¡¯s not it¡­ -Then what?! -Your guess is as good as mine. -Does that mean that you¡¯re Melle, not Iloa? - asked For, directly towards the wooden body in front of us. ¡°I am Iloa. I don¡¯t know what that means.¡± For was clearly not convinced, but looked at me for confirmation. -I don¡¯t know what you want me to say, it¡¯s how it is. -And that is¡­? -Eh¡­ - I sighed and started massaging my temples. - That it¡¯s definitely Il, and that is final. -So how do you explain this spell then?! -If you let me think, then I might! That finally made her shut up. There was one other thing that I could do to check¡­ I focused on an old memory. The MIRE. The bowl and the deal we struck with Melle. I no longer had the mark I used to have when we cemented that with the contract, but I was sure that it was still there. I focused my mana on that feeling¡­ and¡­ Suddenly, the wooden figure that was next to me, its full sleeve, had gotten set on fire. She jumped back, surprised and tried patting down the flames. -What!? -What are you doi¡­ -Calm down, it¡¯s just¡­ I didn¡¯t notice before, but my own arm was also on fire. Well, I guess that confirms it. I tried calming down and dismissing the flames. It was a bit harder than summoning them, surprisingly, but I managed to do so after a moment. -My bad¡­ - I said, seeing as all of them were looking at me. But¡­ just to be sure¡­ I had to ask her. Of course, I did that with my mind, trying as hard as I could for me to not leak something to others and made her answer with just one word. There was only one question needed. That which none other than her would know the answer to. -First off, I am sorry. Second. I know that¡¯s a bit of a rude question, but you understand that we need¡­. that I need to be sure about it¡­ She nodded. I think she knew what I was about to do. -Back in the old world, how many children did Mike have with you? ¡°None.¡± Yep. That was her alright. I sighed. -Thanks. And sorry. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± 178. Adaptation Despite the fact she said that, I could feel the pain and shame from her. I really felt bad for recalling those memories, so I quickly wanted to turn my attention back to the main topic. It was my fault after all. There¡¯s no time for reminiscing, though. Okay. So if she was indeed herself, why was my spell pointing towards her? Did I really fuck up? While I¡¯d really like for it to be the case, the real reason was most likely something completely different. Something that we¡¯ve been slowly dealing with the whole time. Merging. Absorbing one person into another. Of course that she¡¯d be also under the effect of that thing. The main question was, who was going to win in the end? -Let¡¯s not think about that - I said, shaking off. - I think it¡¯s time for us to leave. -Leave? Leave to where? - asked For. -Anywhere - I said, shrugging. - Who cares? We can stay in this place, but what for? -And by that logic, why should we leave? Isn¡¯t this the best place for us to meet him? Won¡¯t he come back to his own palace? -Probably - I agreed. - But there¡¯s now one problem. We¡¯ve just taken his wife. Not the first time I¡¯ve done that. You think he¡¯s going to be happy about that? -That¡¯s one more reason for us to stay! To explain what¡¯s going on. -And besides, that¡¯s just his story, right? - said Kon. - It¡¯s not like you took any of them by force, right? I sighed. -One less doesn¡¯t make it any better, you know. Both of them looked at me confused, but Il had a different opinion. ¡°I¡¯d like to leave.¡± The words¡­ I can¡¯t say I didn¡¯t want to see them right now, but that didn¡¯t mean that it made me feel good. Quite the opposite. -Are you sure? Don¡¯t you want to meet your husband? - asked For. - I am sure we can talk things out. She shook her head. ¡°No. Meeting him like that will only make things worse.¡± -We cannot stop you¡­ - mumbled For. - But I¡¯d rather stay here¡­ Maybe I¡¯ll finally get to understand something¡­ -You can do whatever you want - I said after taking a deep breath. - I am going whenever she is. I am not letting Axelrod¡­ I mean, Mike, to get to her before she¡¯s able to properly use that body. -You think he¡¯s going to attack his own wife!? -Yes. I agree, my company is not going to help with that regard, but¡­ -But what? You want to teach her magic or something? - asked For. - Weren¡¯t both of you supposed to be powerful mages from the old times? I feel like she¡¯s far from being defenseless. -I¡­ She was right. I was just trying to make up some kind of argument to continue my travels with her. And she knew that. I felt her hand on my shoulder. ¡°I can stay too. I am sure we can work this out.¡± I forced myself to smile. -I hope so¡­ With this consensus, we decided to stay. At least for now. It¡¯s not like we had any better ideas. First things first though. After scouting the palace, we decided to leave it. At least for now. If Axelrod was to appear somewhere, it would definitely be there. Be it the throne room or the hidden chamber where the statue was, I¡¯d definitely be better to not be right in his line of sight as soon as he appears. We would feel his appearance anyway. So we decided to temporarily make one of the houses close to the palace as the ¡°main base¡±. We choose one of the larger ones. I am not sure who it belonged to, but probably someone wealthy, because it almost looked like a small mansion. Definitely not from the outside, though. Honestly, if we weren¡¯t checking all the houses, we¡¯d pass this one for sure. Outside, it looked just like any other small tree-house that there was abundance of in the area. Inside though, it was larger than any of them. Definitely belonged to some noble. The main floor consisted of multiple carved, or rather grown, staircases, that were all but one leading down. Every staircase ended with a closed room the size of the whole house, the biggest one, of course, was on the top floor. That was the room we seated Il in, while the rest of us took the rooms underground. Even with the four of us, we were still left with another three rooms remaining, and that was not including the kitchen and a bathroom. Yes, the house also had those. I mean, it is a necessity, true, but those were definitely larger and more stocked than in any house I¡¯ve been so far. The bathroom was more like a pool. It was the only place I¡¯ve seen that actually contained stone in its structure. Honestly, it looked pretty normal, considering all the tree-houses and furniture made out of living wood. The small problem was, there was absolutely no sign of water inside. I mean, obviously. There weren¡¯t any crystals in the vicinity, but whoever was the owner probably just used water magic. Same witch kitchen. That one was smaller, it was barely even a room, to be honest. It consisted of one singular hollow slab of stone with an opening on top: a very rudimentary stove. Plus, the opposite wall was full of shelves. Each filled with herbs. Some of them I knew, some were recognized by For. All of them were pretty normal, all things considering. I was thinking about maybe cooking something for once, but I scrapped that idea pretty quick: we had different things to worry about. We planned on staying there for a while. None of us were really sure what we were doing, but in any case we wanted to properly look through the whole place. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. And the first step was the castle-palace-tree. Sure, we already scouted the city before, but that was barely scratching the surface. Now, since we had time and apparently freedom to do so, we could be a bit more thorough. At least I wanted it to be the case. First signs of trouble appeared about two days after. After a rest, because even though our bodies didn¡¯t need it, after the trek through the desert we decided to let our minds rest. I am not sure whose idea it was, but it definitely would serve them well to rest a bit, after being a captive for so long. That included Il. She was somewhat getting used to her form, bit by bit. After the first day, she started trying to learn to communicate with us. And I don¡¯t mean just using illusion magic to fashion some letters in the air, I mean actual words. We briefly were thinking about Kon trying to manipulate her body, but after remembering the issue with my hand, I thought it would be better for her to naturally form her own flesh and instead try something else. To attempt and talk within her mind. I mean, it shouldn¡¯t be too hard for her. He already was able to receive it, so it meant that he was at least somewhat compatible. And of course, I couldn¡¯t forget who she was. ¡°Talented¡± was an understatement. It took her less than a day to manage and send a few words towards my own head. -Hello, Mor. She definitely did startle me, I didn¡¯t expect her to grasp it so quickly. The only problem was, she was unable to communicate without a touch. Good thing that she was also immune to my ability to drain mana, because that would definitely be problematic in the long run. Speaking of ¡°problematic¡±. I managed to find some new clothes for myself. A set of gloves, pants and shoes. All looked like they were made out of some animal leathers, making me look like some wild creature, but at least that way I didn¡¯t have to worry about accidentally draining the surface I was walking on. I didn¡¯t take any shirt with me on purpose, though. I still wanted to regenerate more mana, and having more surface to absorb stuff passively was helpful. It was especially nice when I was in the sun. The second day I spent mostly in the room next to Il. She was trying to train herself to be able to talk to us from further away, without actual touch. I was just sitting in her room and looking as her smooth face was contorting in the weirdest way possible. Honestly, I am not sure if she wanted to suddenly grow lips or just was trying to project her thoughts so hard¡­ Meanwhile, For and Kon were scouring through the castle. For knew quite a bit about it. Apparently Axelrod had been inviting her, among some other ¡°nobility¡±, to some parties or whatever. While she didn¡¯t like them, she attended some of them. According to her, somewhere in the castle there was something akin to a portal room. While she wasn¡¯t one using it, she heard about people who were permitted to. It could be useful to us, especially if it had any remaining anchors. Of course, only the two of them would be able to recognize them, so that¡¯s why they were now blindly walking through the chambers, looking for something that we weren¡¯t sure even existed. And that¡¯s when they also noticed something. -Mor. We have a problem. The message was pretty sudden. But, despite the contents, her emotions weren¡¯t really high, she was just a bit tense. -Enemies? I quickly extended my senses and tried scouting through the place with my own mind¡­ but found nothing. -I am not detecting anybody. -No¡­ I am not sure what it is. -Explain then. -The tree¡­ I mean the palace¡­ It looks like it¡¯s burning? -Burning? What do you mean?! There¡¯s a fire? I didn¡¯t feel any mana disturbance¡­ If it was a fire, it was not one magical in nature. An accident? -No¡­ It¡¯s like someone had already burned it. It¡¯s just dark and shriveled¡­ it¡¯s almost charred¡­ That sounded concerning. I wasn¡¯t sure what to think of it¡­ -Do you want me to check it out? - I asked. -Not yet. Let us see that ourselves first. -Hm. Well, if you are confident¡­ -I am. It didn¡¯t even take more than five minutes for her to contact me again. -I have bad news. Of course. Why was it always bad news? -Well, out with it then. -First, I do know that it¡¯s not a fire. -How¡¯s that bad news then? -Let me finish. -... -As I was saying, the blackness is not really a burn mark, it¡¯s more like wood drying out. -Drying out? How¡¯s that work? -I don¡¯t know - joined in Kon. - I was the one who went a bit further to see, but it looks like the tree isn¡¯t getting enough water or something¡­ -Enough water? Isn¡¯t there a river flowing right through this whole place? -Well, yeah - agreed For. - That¡¯s the weird thing. I know it¡¯s still there because we¡¯ve seen it just now. -Just now? It flows through the palace? -Yep. We found a path that leads to an underground river. I am pretty sure that¡¯s the same one that flows through the city. -So the tree should have plenty of water. And yet you¡¯re saying that it¡¯s drying out? -Uh-uh. It¡¯s even weirder, because it seems to start from the middle. I mean, I only walked up to the place where you collapsed the stairs, but¡­ -Hold on. I did what? -Ah, right - realized For. - The place where we found this anomaly was near to the corridor where we found Il. -Yeah. And it looks like it¡¯s spreading from down there. -I don¡¯t want to alarm you, but do you think that might just be your fault¡­? - asked For. -I¡­ She had a point. I definitely did have an accident there, but I found it hard to believe that it¡¯d be so widespread¡­ -You said that it goes from there? Where does it end then? -For now it¡¯s about to reach the corridor outside. That¡¯s where we found it¡­ She went silent for a second. -Scratch that, it¡¯s already taken a bite out of a piece of the corridor. -It¡¯s spreading?! -Seems so. Doesn¡¯t seem that fast, though¡­ -¡±Not that fast¡±? You''re kidding me¡­ -Okay, okay¡­ -And the epicenter is the broken staircase? Are you sure¡­? -Well, I don¡¯t know¡­ - replied Kon. - Want us to check it a bit more? -If you could. Just be careful. -Understood. That was concerning. Il was also a bit concerned about this sequence of events, after all it was pretty close to where she was found. And probably she was on to something. I started thinking back on my fall. It was technically possible for me to drain it, but if that really was my fault, what was going on with mana? I focused on my own body and tried to feel every single connection I had. I felt Kon and For. Yeah, that¡¯s obvious. Same as with Il. The duo in the castle was more physically connected to me than anything, thanks to the Origin Crystal, so the link we had was stable and easy to detect. Il on the other hand¡­ was fresh. Probably thanks to the recent attempts of her to try and connect with our thoughts. And the fact that she was in the same room as me. Also pretty obvious. Besides those¡­ It was strange and faint, but I was pretty sure that I knew what¡­ or rather who it belonged to. Mike. Despite the fact that I expected it, being able to notice it so easily still made me shiver. Did that mean that he was nearby? Nah, couldn¡¯t be. On top of all that, I also had a feeling that I was connected to a lot more things than just those people, but that was also not a surprise for me. I was the Origin Crystal. There sure were other people that had it in them. Like Rob, for example. But, surprisingly even though he was right next to me, I barely was able to feel his presence. For the entire duration of our stay here I was not letting him out of my sight, just to be safe and could feel his mana directly. Yet the connection I had with him was barely there. Even less stable and noticeable than the one I had with Mike. Curious. In any case, I wasn¡¯t able to feel anything that resembled a connection that would be in the palace, besides the two of my companions. Meaning, it was not me that was draining the tree out of mana. So, what¡¯s going on? -Err, Mor¡­ I think¡­ The problem is bigger than we thought. It was For. -For? I thought Kon was the one who went to scout. -We both went. I am standing on the stairs. He¡­ -I am deeper, in the chamber where we arrived¡­ or rather where it used to be. -It used to be? -There¡¯s nothing here. 179. Heart -What do you mean ¡°there¡¯s nothing here¡±? The chairs are missing or something? -No¡­ I mean yes, but¡­ the whole room is missing! -Okay, explain. How the hell does the room just disappear? -I don¡¯t know! -Describe then! You¡¯re the one seeing it. -It¡¯s¡­ -You know, scratch that. I can just look by myself. Hold on a second¡­ I focused on that familiar to me mana of his and tried again with sharing senses. I was not sure if it was going to work well, since I expected range to be a problem when I initiated it, but there was no issue. Connection was clear and I soon was able to see everything he was able to. -What¡¯s¡­ I felt him being shaken and he staggered for a moment. -It¡¯s just me. Borrowing your senses for a bit. -Ah¡­ -So, what do we have here¡­ Oh. He was not kidding when he said that the room was missing. Where there used to be a chamber, the corridor was just ending abruptly. And it was not like the passageway had collapsed or something, it just looked like¡­ it shrunk. Same with the walls of the corridor. All of them were almost completely black and shriveled. It reminded me somewhat of a dried and crumpled paper. Very unusual. -Are you seeing it? -Yeah¡­ but I don¡¯t get it either¡­ - I replied. - And it¡¯s like that all the way up? He turned back and let me see the other end. Yep, all the way we were able to see, the corridor was black like that. That is, besides a few places where there were marks on the floor¡­ his footprints. Those were a bit flatter and lighter, almost like¡­ -Ash? -Yeah¡­ When you touch this thing it just turns to dust like that¡­ To demonstrate, he touched a wall of the corridor and swiped it with his finger, leaving a trace of gray-black dust behind. -I don¡¯t know how it¡¯s not collapsing under me, but¡­ -Better get out of there¡­ I don¡¯t want you to get buried under that stuff. -Right. I was going to stay with him to see how far it¡¯s going to reach, when I felt a pat on my back. It was Il. I think she was listening, because I felt a message reach my mind. -Can I see? -Can you? I mean, I am sharing my vision, I am not sure if you¡¯re able to join¡­ -I can try¡­ -I mean¡­ why not. I felt her grip tighten and a sudden presence entered my mind. The feeling was almost familiar. While it was not identical to when I had her¡­ or rather a copy of her, in my mind before, the presence had a similar hint to it. -I think¡­ I can feel¡­ I see it! I could tell she was connected. Damn, that was quick. But, how about Kon? -Kon, do you feel something? - I asked. He paused before answering. -No¡­? Is there a trouble? -No. No. Good. -Hm? So he didn¡¯t notice. Well, it didn¡¯t really matter, but it was good to know that she was able to do that. It¡¯s not like I was going to keep it a secret though. -I am sharing my vision¡­ or rather our vision with Il. Just a heads up. I thought you might¡¯ve felt something. -You are!? I felt him being flustered for a second. -Is there a problem? -No! No. It¡¯s just I didn¡¯t know you could do that. -Neither did I. But we apparently can. -And what, did she figure something out? It was her place, after all. -Good question. -Il, did you¡­ -I heard. Oh. So sight was not the only sense we were sharing. Convenient. -I already told you I don¡¯t remember almost anything from my stay here¡­ but¡­ -But¡­? -But I think I understand what¡¯s going on¡­ -Since I left that place, I had a feeling that something was off with my body¡­ - she started. -Off? It¡¯s not functioning properly? -What¡¯s even ¡°properly¡± in this context? - asked For, joining in on the discussion. -Right¡­ it¡¯s a bit unusual, but that¡¯s not really nothing new between us all¡­ - pointed out Kon. I guess they all were able to hear us thanks to Il being right now connected to me. So I was doubling as a communication tower now. Neat. -You¡­ we definitely are a bunch of weirdos, I do agree with that - laughed Il. - But I don¡¯t mean it like that. Since I¡¯ve started trying to talk to you, or to Mor rather, I started feeling like¡­ I¡¯ve been missing something. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. -Missing? - I asked. - That¡¯s concerning. -Yeah. A link¡­ connection to something. I didn¡¯t even know that it was there, but the longer I am outside of that room the more I feel like I am getting a better grasp on it. And now¡­ seeing this¡­ I think I understand. -You think it¡¯s connected to that room? -Yeah¡­ I feel¡­ It''s my fault that¡¯s happening. -Your fault? How? - asked Kon. -See¡­ when I¡¯ve talked with Mor, I remember him mentioning the ability he has¡­ the draining of living matter. -Sure¡­ that thing does exist - I agreed. - It shouldn¡¯t work on any of us any more, though. -Yeah. And that¡¯s good and all, but doesn¡¯t that mean that I also have this ability? Since you can¡¯t absorb me, right? -I suppose¡­ -And correct me if I am wrong, when you absorb living matter¡­ plant matter to be precise, don¡¯t you leave behind something akin to ash behind? -I do¡­ -And Kon, can you try and again swipe along the wall with your hand? The dried part somewhere? That reminded Kon that we were still sharing senses. He was still in the corridor, listening to the conversation. -Ah! Sure¡­ And as he did, it crumbled into ash. A bit darker ash than I remembered, but still. -Yeah¡­ I think that tree is dead¡­ or rather dying because it has been drained of mana¡­ - summed up Il. -Okay, but how exactly? - asked For. - Sure¡­ we had an ¡°accident¡± there, but it doesn¡¯t explain why it¡¯s spreading¡­ -That¡¯s where my strange ¡°feeling¡± comes in - she explained. - I was not sure, but now I am pretty certain that what I was feeling was not that I was missing something¡­ it was that I just had a bit of a¡­ eh, I was a bit hungry. I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. -Ha, sure, kitchens here are a bit understaffed and understocked¡­ Can¡¯t blame you for that¡­ -You know what I mean! - she instantly puffed at me, but quickly calmed down. - I mean that I was lacking the mana connection I had before. I was connected to the tree, right? -I mean, yeah, most likely. -Hear me out¡­ but I think that tree was feeding me. -Feeding? - asked For, surprised. - That doesn¡¯t make sense. If you were being fed, that means us removing you from it should revitalize it, not make it wilt. -Yeah! - agreed Kon. - It¡¯s just as you said yourself, this tree is getting drained and is turning to dust. Wouldn¡¯t that mean that you were the one feeding it? And us removing you cut off the only source of sustenance it had? -That would also explain that feeling of ¡°missing something¡± you just explained - added For. - The link to the tree. -I do agree that it¡¯s probably the link I am feeling missing¡­ but I don¡¯t know¡­ They had a point. Both For and Kon, and Il. But¡­ -Those two don¡¯t have to be mutually exclusive, do they? - I asked. -Wha? -I think you all are right. We did cut the connection Il had to the tree¡­ or rather just straight up removed her from it¡­ It does probably mean that we had cut off Il from something that was providing her with mana¡­ -So why is it wilting then? -Because we did that¡­ She was not only just something using the tree¡­ the tree was also using her. She was the ¡°heart¡± so to speak. -Heart, you say¡­ -It¡¯s like you said. She is no longer draining mana¡­ but the tree is also unable to function. The main organ¡­ the brain, or heart of it, is missing. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if after something like this the tree was slowly running out of energy¡­ it just lost the main organ that it had that was making sure everything worked properly. I could tell that all of them were now thinking heavily about what I just explained. While For and Kon were mostly intrigued, Il was definitely more concerned. -But¡­ What does that mean for me¡­? - she asked. - If I was being ¡°fed¡± by it¡­ does that mean that I am going to start running out of mana sooner or later? -Well¡­ maybe¡­ But I wouldn¡¯t say soon¡­ - I quickly added. - You have a pretty large mana capacity, you know. Even before. And now, amplified by the crystal¡­ -But I don¡¯t have the crystal! - she replied. - Okay, I do agree that I seem to have some similar properties, or rather this body has, I am unsure if I am actually capable of the same thing as you three. -Don¡¯t sell yourself short - assured her For. - If that weren¡¯t the case, you wouldn¡¯t be so easily talking with us. -Nor touching me - I added. Their interest about the crystal and her form aside, the fact it was happening was problematic, and we realized that pretty quickly. The spread of the ¡°decay¡±, so to speak, was indeed slow, but it was starting to speed up. If we really removed the heart from that tree, we definitely were not going to put it back any time soon, or rather not at all. It was even more visible the next day. While before it just managed to reach the main corridor, it was now about to engulf it whole. We didn¡¯t really care much about the palace, it still was worrying. At least there wasn¡¯t any signs of side effects from Il, so there was that at least. On the third day, the whole floor was taken over by decay. It had cut off the access to the upper floors. When Kon tried to get up above the problematic floor, the stairwell collapsed under him, turning to ash. Good thing that he was with For, so she managed to catch him, as I warned them both as soon as it was happening. All that time I spent with Il, trying to help her handle talking and the new form. After her swift progres at the beginning I expected her to be able to talk with us just like all of us could the next day, but it was not happening. It was somewhat worrying, but I just assumed that it was just going to come with time. It¡¯s not like I immediately acclimated to my own new form either. For some reason she still had problems and I had to stay to be her ¡°extension¡±, so to speak. Not like I really minded, to be honest. I was still in touch with the other two thanks to Kon letting me share his senses. I did ask For to let me do it too, but she adamantly refused for some reason. Well, whatever. On the fourth day the spread of decay seemingly sped up. Now not only was the inside dark and shriveled, but also the outer parts of the tree as well. The floor where it started was clearly distinguishable from the outside: the bark of the tree was almost peeling off and from under it you could see a dark-brown decayed trunk. Same with the top. Where there used to be healthy branches, those were now almost completely gray, while the leaves decorating the top floors were in different shades of yellow, brown and dark-red. If not for the branches, it would just look like it was fall that came and claimed the tree for itself. The fifth day marked the time when the tree was completely dead. No sign of leaves or green, just a dark-gray husk was now standing in the middle of the city. But, to our surprise, that was not the end of it. The next day, we were startled by a loud rumbling noise. And it was getting louder and louder. At first, I thought we were under attack, but after a quick scan and not finding anyone in the vicinity I realized that was not the case. The rumble soon turned into a loud roar and a strange grinding noise, along with the earth itself shaking. Earthquake? Hardly. Treequake rather. I am joking, of course, but the source was indeed the tree. Or rather that what used to be a tree. The moment I looked outside I knew what was going on and couldn¡¯t believe my eyes. Right in front of me, the husk of the tree was turning into dust. Starting from the place where we knew that decay started from, under its own weight, the wooden husk was turned to ash. Following that, the top floors had lost their support and started falling down, crushing everything that was below. But, as the floors were destroyed, they weren¡¯t turning into rubble, instead also turning to dust. The chain reaction was not sparing any piece of the palace. In a span of a minute, the whole living wood building was now a dead pile of ash that was now being spread all along the city block, just like a smoke cloud. We immediately wanted to close the doors and windows to not get completely buried under the pile of dust, but there was no escaping it. Besides the fact that we were a bit too close to the epicenter of the problem, it was not like the building we were staying in had air-tight windows. The cloud of dust had covered the sun and everything else in a blink of an eye. Good thing that neither me nor Il were in need of breathing, because we got buried alive. Flailing like a mad man, trying to get out of the mountain of ash, I felt Il right next to me, also trying to free herself. Good, meaning she was alright. What about the other two, though? Before, I told them not to wander about the palace too much. While they didn¡¯t listen to me at first, after decay claimed outside of the tree, they said they would be cautious and limit themselves just to those that had stable support or on the ground floor. We didn¡¯t expect the collapse, though. They probably should be fine, they¡¯ve been through worse, but still, I immediately attempted to contact either of them. 180. Ash -For?! Kon?! You good? For a second I was honestly worried. I didn¡¯t expect for something like this to be a problem for them. But, after a moment of tense silence, I got an answer. -Yeah. -Buried, but fine. -And you? -We¡¯re good. Do you need some help? -We should be fine¡­ -It¡¯s just¡­ They went silent for a moment. -Well, scratch that. We aren¡¯t fine. I can¡¯t cast for shit. -Excuse me?! -Yeah. My magic doesn¡¯t work. Or rather works but barely. What about you, Kon? -Same thing. I can¡¯t get out¡­ -Yeah, without magic getting unburied is going to take a good moment. And you, Mor? And Il? -I am good¡­ - I replied climbing out of the pile of ash. - And Il¡­ I started looking for familiar flailing and without much of a problem I noticed her completely buried in the ash. -She¡¯s good. Just a moment¡­ I approached her and reflexively cast a wind spell to move the pile of ash away from her. -Wipvu gmyo. But¡­ There was something wrong with my spell. It came out just as it should, a burst of air straight from my palm started blowing towards the buried Il, but as soon as it reached her, or rather when it reached the ash, it diminished in power considerably. Weird. So that¡¯s what they meant by not being able to cast. I just increased the amount of mana I was pouring into the spell and overpowered the ¡°pull¡± without much of an issue. If Il had a mouth, she¡¯d probably be spitting ash everywhere. After moving most of the ash away, I just reached for her and with one good pull I managed to get her out of the pile. -Thanks¡­ - she said as soon as I grabbed her hand. - I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, this ash is making it hard to cast spells¡­ -Yeah, I noticed. -Didn¡¯t you get hindered by it too? -A bit. But I managed to climb out of it without magic, so¡­ -Ah. Lucky. -Yep. I¡¯d probably be able to overpower it given enough perseverance, but I¡¯d rather not¡­ -Hm. -Come on, For and Kon are also stuck. I guess I am the only one that didn¡¯t get buried completely. We managed to find them pretty easily. The ashen pile was mostly devoid of mana, so the two bright spots were sticking out like a sore thumb in the gray mass. -Kon!? For?! I didn¡¯t get an audible reply, instead they reached me with their thoughts again. -Yeah, we¡¯re here. -Just a bit to the left¡­ here¡­! -Yeah, yeah, I can feel you¡­ give me a second¡­ Again, I cast the same spell, but this time I gave it a lot more mana from the get go. I might have overdid it a little bit, because the following dust cloud was enormous and covered us once more, just like another avalanche. -Careful! -I am! It took me a minute, but I managed to get both of them out. They were now sitting on top of the ashen hill, completely covered in gray ash, coughing and trying to get the remaining dust from their clothes, eyes and everywhere else. -What even happened? - asked For when she finally was able to get most of the ash off her face. -The palace collapsed. Go figure. -I mean, yeah, I know, but I meant about magic! I can¡¯t cast any spells! -You mean¡¯t you couldn¡¯t. She looked at me confused, but instead of arguing with me just repeated my own spell that I used to free them. -Wipvu gmyo! Of course it worked. And on top of that she just undid all the work she made to get rid of the ash from her face. -Khe! Pfeh¡­! -The fuck, enough of this shit¡­! - I said, trying to shield myself from the dust cloud. -Sorry! Sorry, my bad! - she said, also coughing. - Khe! Shit, I didn¡¯t want it to be so violent, sorry. -So violent? You dumped so much mana and you expect me to believe that? -I¡­ It didn¡¯t work before! I barely was able to move a bit of this stuff using this much before! -Eh¡­ sure. -But why did it work this time though? - asked Kon. - I also had problems with this, and now it seems like there¡¯s no problem¡­ -I wouldn¡¯t say ¡°no problem¡±, but yeah¡­ - I muttered. -What do you mean? -Well, considering the amount of mana she used, the ash cloud should be at least twice as big¡­ I guess we¡¯re lucky¡­ -Twice!? I didn¡¯t¡­ This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. She wasn¡¯t able to finish, choking on more of the ash. -Calm down. And try not inhaling this stuff, it¡¯s not good for you. -Yeah no shit - she replied. - So do you know what¡¯s up with spells then? Being so inconsistent lately? -Lately? You mean only just now? - I laughed. - Yeah, it¡¯s not hard to deduce. -So can you enlighten me then? -I mean, it¡¯s quite obvious. This thing is draining mana. Or rather to be precise, it¡¯s trying to at least. -Trying to? Okay, first things first, it¡¯s draining mana? How!? -Hell if I know. But It¡¯s most likely Axelrod¡¯s fault. -Mhgr¡­ -Don¡¯t look at me like that! You know that¡¯s true! -I guess¡­ -But if it¡¯s draining mana, shouldn¡¯t we move from here as soon as possible? It¡¯s draining us, too, right? - asked Kon. -Look for yourself and check. Is it? He went silent and focused on our surroundings. -No¡­ I don¡¯t understand. The ash seems so¡­ barren? -It¡¯s ash¡­ you don¡¯t say¡­ -I mean, yeah, of course. But I mean in mana¡­ If it¡¯s draining from us, I can¡¯t see it. Neither the flow, nor the drained amounts in the ash¡­ It¡¯s completely dry. -It¡¯s not like it has much to drain¡­ -Okay, don¡¯s sell us short! - puffed For. - You said it yourself, our mana capacity has improved drastically from before! -Oh, it did, but I never said it was draining from you. -Huh? -Remember when I had some mana deficit? Or when you yourself had the same problem not so long ago? -Er¡­ yes? -Apparently not. Tell me then, what¡¯s the symptoms then? -Exhaustion, sometimes coma-like state, and in the worst case, even death. I know how that works! -Great. And if it¡¯s draining you, shouldn¡¯t you be experiencing some of those? -I¡­ -Exactly. None of that. -And you do know why. I told you before, the changes to your body made you immune to those kinds of issues. I guess that also makes you immune to the effects of this ash. I mean, no wonder, it has been made using Origin Crystal, after all. -So why didn¡¯t your spells work?! -Because they were drained. -You said¡­ -Listen to me! - I interrupted her. - THEY were drained. Not YOU were drained. She finally looked at me with some recognition. -Finally¡­ - I sighed. - The mana released by you, in the shape of a spell in this case, got absorbed. It didn¡¯t touch you directly, it just got whatever was loose in the air, breaking your spell in the process. -But¡­ What''s the point, though? - asked Kon. - It¡¯s not like it can regenerate.. Can it? -I wouldn¡¯t count on that being impossible - I truthfully admitted. - We are dealing with one of Axelrod¡¯s creations. I noticed them looking at the ash covering the place in fear. -But don''t worry, even if that was going to work, it would take ages. -How do you know? -I mean, you said it yourself. You can¡¯t really see it¡¯s mana. -I¡­ well, yes, but why does it matter? Can¡¯t it just burn and use it as soon as it gets it. -If it¡¯s doing that, you¡¯d also notice, don¡¯t you think? Nah, we are good. Besides, it probably still would need some kind of ¡°heart¡± to startup. I might have taken a glimpse towards Il when I was saying that. -But we¡¯re not going to provide it - I immediately assured the party. - We better get moving though, immune or not, breathing in any kind of ash can be problematic and definitely not healthy in the long run. -Yeah¡­ -Damn, you¡¯re lucky¡­ I guess it¡¯s just us two that still are bound by those rules. -Rules? -You know, breathing, drinking, eating¡­ Basic needs and stuff. -And how do you know that? I am pretty sure you conquered some of those already. If not all¡­ -What the hell? -I can definitely not ascend to ¡°godhood¡± yet, I am not ready! - said For jokingly, but I almost felt like she was lying. I guess jokes are not something to be checked¡­. -What, did you forget? You spent so long on that desert without any additional provisions or anything. And that includes sleep. I feel like that¡¯s an achievement in itself. -Don¡¯t. -What? It¡¯s¡­ That also made me think. Breathing. I already knew I didn¡¯t need that to survive. Neither did Il. Not like she had a mouth of any kind. I mean, she was made out of wood, did she work as a tree as well? Photosynthesis and all that? I was about to ask her, but stopped short. Wasn¡¯t I the same? I already confirmed that the sunlight was energizing me lately and was helping regenerate my mana. I did attribute it to the Origin Crystal, or at least its ¡°upgraded¡± version, so I guess she was similar to that¡­ What about the rest? When the palace collapsed, they got trapped under a pile of ash. They definitely didn¡¯t have any air to breathe, and yet they managed to survive long enough to get pulled out. Hell, they weren¡¯t even winded after that, just shook themselves off and were good to go. Did they even notice that? Judging by the earlier answer, I didn¡¯t think so. Damn. Who knew that Origin Crystal would be so¡­ versatile. It really seemed that there was nothing it wasn¡¯t capable of. I was VERY correct in that statement. But, before we were going to need to come to terms with issues that brought, there were other things we had to deal with first. Of course, I instantly shared my observation with the rest of the group. They didn¡¯t really think much of that, but that¡¯s to be expected. In their ears I was just tooting my own horn for the n-th time, so I guess my words were losing its weight. That, and also a tiny detail that we noticed. When the palace collapsed, we thought we were already past the worst problems this place brought onto us. But that was not correct. As we were talking, the ash was lying under us and definitely was not turning into a harmless dust. Instead, it was still trying to ¡°revive¡± its heart. Too bad there was no heart any more. And no tree to revive. What that ended up in creating was just a mass of mana-draining material, destroying the houses and other wooden creations. And since the whole city was made out of wood, it was spreading pretty fast, leaving only more and more piles of ash behind. When we realized what was happening, we realized we were in trouble. Or rather, the whole forest was. -This thing is not stopping! - I heard, almost echoing in my mind. For, left for the edge of the ¡°drain cloud¡± was giving me an update on the spread. It was not good. -It has already claimed most of the district. And that includes the place belonging to our certain ¡°broker¡±. Ah. So it already was on the outskirts? I did remember his bar¡­ or hideout rather, being not that far off the city. And it was already there? We had to stop it. -Do we really have to act¡­? - asked For, not convinced about the issue. - If we are immune, that means whatever happens we can just ignore it. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s going to destroy¡­ -Destroy? - I interrupted her. - Think for a second. What do you think is going to happen? -Err¡­ -Let me answer for you: it¡¯s not going to stop. And what do we have close by to this mana font? A very fresh and tasty source in the forest. -What, are you insinuating that this¡­ cloud is going to try and destroy the forest? -Try? It¡¯s already actively going for just that. -I¡­ -That¡¯s not good - agreed with me Kon, but I was not listening any more. I was trying to figure out what exactly to do to somehow limit the spread. Contain it with magic? Hardly possible. Any spell that I¡¯d conjure would just be drained. Sooner or later, this thing would have escaped. Try and bait it? Would that even work? It was barely an organism, more like¡­ homing instinct¡­ It probably was possible to get it to move towards one place, but what next? We sink it into the ocean? It would be possible to dilute it so hard it wasn¡¯t a threat to anything, but besides massive pollution, it would still be free. We¡¯d have to figure out some kind of shackle¡­ Was that even possible? To have that much of a problem from a regular pile of ash! Talk about getting back to old habits. 181. Habits Wait. Old habits? That was a good point. It was not the first time I was dealing with an experiment going awry. Hell, this thing wasn¡¯t the worst one I¡¯ve seen. Back in the MIRE it wouldn¡¯t be much of a problem, that is if it was one of OUR experiments, not something that we found on the field¡­ If it would be something we¡¯d find somewhere¡­ I would¡¯ve burned it. Not going to work here, will it? The lone thought of the MIRE brought back a flood of memories. Not all of them were nice. Most of them concerning work and the pain of watching yet another person screw up something, or more likely cleaning up the mess after a screw up. Yeah, magical janitor alright. -What are you doing? From my meditation I was shaken awake by that question. It was Kon. -Ah¡­ Nah, just reminiscing¡­ -Right now? -Well¡­ -Yeah, fair point! - said For, who just a moment ago was busy inspecting the ash on the ground. - Weren¡¯t you supposed to be some kind of cleaner or something? -Glad you remember¡­ She took a quick glance at Rob and switched to different kind of communication. -Weren¡¯t your MIRE supposed to be responsible for cleaning messes just like that? -Yeah, I was¡­ -Can you do something with it then? -I was getting to that - I replied, starting to get irritated. - Yeah, we were responsible for cleanup after experiments, but I always just burned the evidence¡­ I mean, cleaned the contamination with fire. -Ah. -And, since we are dealing with ash, it¡¯s not like I can burn it, can I? -There had to be someone else that was working with you then, right? -Sure¡­ But I was the one doing the main job. Rest was just to collect what was useful or even possible to recycle and that¡¯s about it. -And you always used fire? -Yep. -You sure? Even if that ¡°anomaly¡± of yours was made out of fire? Didn¡¯t you once say that someone had created a living flame or something? How did you deal with that then? -I mean, there was that one guy who essentially made a fire elemental, true¡­ - I replied, reminiscing. - But the cleaning process¡­ Well, it cleaned itself. -It did what? -Eh¡­ When he ¡°created¡± that thing, all the notes and overall components were burned. Some on purpose, to fuel the spell and all, some accidentally. Like papers. The only thing that was left was the elemental itself, so we didn¡¯t have much work to do, you see¡­ -Makes sense. But what did you do with the creature? -Captured it. We had some cells, or rather special chambers, that we used to contain hazardous subjects. -I imagine you can¡¯t make something like this¡­? -Make? Make a fucking room? Don¡¯t be stupid. -Yeah, right. You probably don''t even have materials for something like that¡­ I can only imagine what kind of material the walls were made out of¡­ -Oh, you can imagine. And you¡¯ve seen something like this already. -I what? -You do own it even. -What the hell are you talking about?! -Oh, for fucks sake, Origin Crystal. I am talking about the Crystal. What else do you think we had to contain magic?! -I don¡¯t know¡­ some weird substance¡­ -Even if we did, it would for sure employ some of the Crystal. And it would probably work even worse than your cell. -I thought you said the cells in the Edge were absolute crap. -Because they were. At least the locking mechanism was. -Pfeh. -In any case, we used those to capture CREATURES. Not some hazardous materials that were able to self-spread. Honestly, even back then I am not sure how exactly we¡¯d contain it¡­ -It¡¯s really that bad¡­? -I mean, I¡¯ve never seen something that spreads so fast¡­ It¡¯s essentially a terrifying weapon. Or a disease. -That we cannot heal¡­ - she nodded. - Yeah, I can see that. It¡¯s¡­ Our train of thought was interrupted by a sudden burst of flames. Right next to us, a small fire has started. -What the fu¡­ -Sorry! Sorry! I didn¡¯t expect for that to work! It was Kon. Right next to us he was apparently playing with fire magic. What for? I have no idea. As he was apologizing, he immediately patted down the flames and cut off mana access from the spell. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! -What are you doing? -I¡­ see, when I heard you talking about those ashes¡­ I thought it was strange that you said that the fire wouldn¡¯t work. I mean, I do believe you, but it was just sitting wrong with me that something made out of wood wouldn¡¯t be flammable¡­ -I¡­ I had no answer to that. There I go making assumptions again. I swear, overthinking and unnecessarily complicating things really started being a habit of mine. Well, at least we had one person that was a bit more grounded¡­ -Damn. You¡¯re right - I finally said after confirming what he just said. - My bad, I guess¡­ Good on you. He just briefly smiled. -While I do agree that it changes things - said For - it also brings a lot of other problems. -Yeah¡­. flammability¡­ -Exactly - she agreed with me. - While you¡¯d most likely be fine, I don¡¯t want to be on the receiving end of an explosion. -Explosion? - asked Kon, confused. - We aren¡¯t going to explode it, just burn it in a controlled way¡­ -I mean, if it¡¯s controlled then we¡¯ll be fine. But that doesn¡¯t mean that mother nature isn¡¯t having any other plans. -What¡­? -Oh for fucks¡­ I mean wind! If there¡¯s going to be wind blowing, we¡¯d have an issue on a far larger level than any of us would be able to control. -Oh right¡­ that too¡­ But I feel like we can focus on controlling wind first - I pointed out. - Better to stop the cause than just try and fight the side effects, you know¡­ -I mean, it can work¡­ both of that is hard work, though. -Never said it¡¯s easy. -Right¡­ but wait, what do you mean by ¡°too¡±? What¡¯s else? -Nah, I am just worried about using fire over all¡­ you know, we do have someone that¡¯s even less fire-resistant than you now. -Oh. She gazed towards Il. All that time she¡¯s been listening to our conversations, or at least it seemed so. Constantly glued to my side to connect to our small ¡°network¡±, she was barely speaking. -Il? You fine with that? -Huh? Wha¡­? Ah! Right. Yeah, I should be fine. I know you have your fire under control. Don¡¯t know about the wind though, but if anything is to go south I am sure you can contain whatever fire is going to be burning. -Don¡¯t overestimate me. -I am not. I resisted the urge to smile. -Riight¡­ - mumbled For, interrupting the silence that suddenly fell on the discussion. - Shall we get started then? How are we doing this? -Yeah¡­ Okay. Who¡¯s the best at wind magic here? -That¡¯s probably you - shrugged For. - You know very well that your magic knowledge is from another dimension. -Let¡¯s not get crazy. -You know I am right. -Pfft¡­ Sure. Well, even though you say so, I would rather keep my ¡°magic knowledge from another dimension¡± focused on fire and controlling that. Since I am now mostly alone I¡¯d rather not split my attention. -You¡¯re not alone. The words alone made me remember. Right. Il was with us. And I don¡¯t mean that it¡¯s just as another person. Sure, she was competent and knew a lot about magic, but it was more¡­ But, back then, was it her? Or another her? Did it even matter? -Are you sure about that? - I asked, although I knew the answer right away. -Of course. You know that I also am from MIRE. I do know some things about magic, thank you very much. -I didn¡¯t mean¡­ I know. But can you really be sure about your magic in this new form of yours? -There¡¯s been no problems so far. -Yeah, but how much were you casting? Maybe a small spell here and there, just some basic stuff to help yourself in everyday things. What we are doing is going to be a bit more involved, you know. -You don¡¯t say? I am not stupid. -Okay, if you are sure. I am just worried. -I know, I know. -Great then! -Mh. I guess another ¡°genius from another dimension¡± is a good replacement for myself¡­ -Stop trying to sound cool - shut me down immediately Il. - Let¡¯s get to it. -A¡­ah. Right. For was a bit put off by our conversation. I kind of understand that. To someone else that conversation really could give some wrong ideas¡­ or right maybe. In any case, we started preparing. First thing was to decide on incantations we were going to use. Of course for me and Il there was no point in even discussing that, alone we were more than capable of creating spells, so instead we split our duties and decided to help the other two. For was instructed by Il, while I was dealing with Kon. -So, what am I supposed to do? - he asked when Il finally split from me and instead connected with For. -Your job is going to be the easiest one. -That''s¡­ good? -You¡¯ve been pretty good at detecting magic changes, you know? So I feel like the best job for you would be watching for any changes in that regard. -Changes¡­? What changes? -Il is going to manage the winds of this place, right? For is going to help her watch for any changes in that regard, at least those that come not from natural causes. I want you to do the same for me. -Same¡­? Why use two of us then? Isn¡¯t she enough? -Maybe one of you would be enough - I agreed. - But since there¡¯s two of you, you can split the bill. It¡¯s always easier to watch over a smaller piece, you know? -I mean¡­ I guess¡­? But what then, you need me to use a certain spell or something? -Nah, not really. -So why¡­? -But I want you to have one in the event of something going wrong. I don¡¯t want you to improvise. -Ah¡­ -Don¡¯t get me wrong - I added. - You really grew and I think you¡¯d be capable of doing that yourself, you already demonstrated that you have the necessary imagination to create something, but still lack experience. Better to have a backup plan. -I understand. And so we spent about ten minutes discussing how exactly he¡¯d act in an emergency. Honestly, I wasn¡¯t expecting that it would be any useful¡­ By that I mean I didn¡¯t expect we¡¯d fail. Okay, sure, it was probably not very scientific of me. Working with experimental magic is always a risk, especially when you have people that are somewhat unstable¡­ And we had plenty of those. Me included. But for some reason I couldn¡¯t imagine this going wrong. Call it a hunch or whatever, but I just had a feeling that everything would be alright. The spell we prepared was one that was not an original work of mine. Instead, it was something that I¡¯ve already seen used, and in a similar circumstance even. I doubt that the original creator would mind. Not like I cared. Hell, I am not sure if he was the original creator¡­ -I think¡­ I will be able to do that¡­ But I am scared about the scale¡­ - he finally thought. - What if the failure is too large? And I won¡¯t be able to make it? -Don¡¯t worry about it. If we fail so spectacularly it means that I¡¯ll also be free from the distraction of controlling the burn, so I¡¯ll be able to help you. And besides, I am not the only one. For and Il are also here to help. -Right. Just as we finished, I also heard from For. -We are done. I am not sure if they waited for us, because I definitely was not paying attention to the time¡­ Or was it just a coincidence? 182. Leak -Good. We¡¯re ready then? -Almost. I still am unsure about one thing. -What¡¯s that? -What about Rob? Right. Our friendly neighborhood prisoner. So far he¡¯s been on his best behavior. I still had him bound, not as tightly though. He¡¯s not been betraying any signs of ¡°insubordination¡±. Still on a leash, he was quiet and didn¡¯t even need me to tug at it for him to follow wherever we wanted to. -Yeah¡­ I¡¯ll have him with me. -You sure? Won¡¯t he be a distraction for you? - asked Kon. -Probably a little bit. But what, we can¡¯t just leave him anywhere, can we? -I mean¡­ Rubo¡¯s place got destroyed¡­ We do have the basement, though. But that¡¯s probably flooded with ash, too. -Yeah¡­ Wait a second. -What did you just say? -Eh? For was visibly confused. -What do you mean? -Repeat the earlier sentence. -Er¡­ It¡¯s flooded? -No. Whose basement. -Rubo¡¯s¡­ She froze on a spot. -Who¡¯s Rubo? How do I know that? Exactly. Rubo. The guy who got caught by me and Melle a long time ago. How did she know him? And to know that it was his house? I placed my hand on Il¡¯s shoulder. -Any idea, Il? She also was speechless. -I¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ I think that she learned that from me¡­? -How? You know him? -I guess¡­? She was confused. -It¡¯s weird. I do have some memory of the guy¡­ but I don¡¯t know who he is! I don¡¯t even remember his face. -Hm. -It¡¯s just¡­ like I remember¡­ somehow I was here? I am so confused¡­ It was not completely surprising. I used to have those flashes of memories belonging to others, but I blamed that on her, or rather on her copy. In her case though? It was definitely weird. Whose memory was that? It was possible that it was just something Kon heard and that got leaked towards her, but that wouldn¡¯t explain the feeling of ¡°being here before¡±. Same if it was from me. So what, was it just Axelrod somehow leaking information to her? Why would he do that? I mean, sure it was possible that he did that accidentally, it¡¯s not like he¡¯s incapable of making mistakes, and we did manage to peek on him already, but¡­ No matter. -Any other memories that are surprisingly out of place? -No! I didn¡¯t even know I had this one in the first place! It was just as I knew about it all the time and only it surfaced when I thought about it. -I guess the place was the ¡°trigger¡±, huh? -You expected that to happen? - asked For, joining in. -Of course not. But I already learned to not be surprised by those things. If I was, I¡¯d be stuck almost constantly thinking of why shit¡¯s happening. -... -What? My recent life was full of happenstances and random shit that¡¯s hard to explain. -¡±Hard to explain¡±. Your past is chasing you, that¡¯s all - she commented. She wasn¡¯t wrong. -Okay, okay, I get it. Can we get back to containing this shit? -Right¡­ I said ¡°containing¡±, but I didn¡¯t realize on what scale we were going to have to act. Before, when we were thinking of the methods, the ash had already fallen on about a third of a city, spreading from the place of impact, where the castle used to be. But it did not stop spreading. All the buildings that were covered with ash during the first impact had already turned to dust, scattering on the wind, while about a half remaining was already black or some shade of gray. The wood was dried and manaless, the building almost ready to collapse. -We need to hurry - I informed my companions pointlessly. They all already knew. It wasn¡¯t hard to notice, to be honest. Especially when every once and again some building would collapse, leaving a cloud of ash, spreading the problem even further. -Ready? If so, I am starting. -Let¡¯s go. -Yeah. -Ready. -Okay¡­ let¡¯s have a go at it! The first one to act was Il. I could feel the winds suddenly shift and almost stop. What was left was just a very, very mild breeze, blowing towards us, towards the middle of the problem. At the same time, I could tell For sit next to her and stop moving. She spread all her senses around, just like I used to do. It was a good idea, if she was proficient enough, she¡¯d be able to increase her own awareness by a large degree. And I could tell, she was good at it. I don¡¯t know if it was just her and Crystal''s growth, but I knew that her range was a bit further than mine. Good. It¡¯s nice to have someone with senses good enough to detect small changes in magical nature. That¡¯s how she was able to find us those anchors. I was next in line. I also didn¡¯t even bother with a spell, just willed a small spark in my palm, and carefully placed it right on the dust. The effect was immediate. Unlike with Kon, my flame almost instantly started burning the dust down. Quite easy. Meanwhile, Kon was watching me, but only with a corner of his eye, the rest of his attention was elsewhere. He was monitoring my own flames and sometimes even trying to control them, ordering them to move away from the outer zones, instead just slowly started burning it down. There was no wind spreading the flames the way we didn¡¯t intend to. It also meant no explosions. So far it was working flawlessly. Of course, not for long. After we managed to burn out most of the palace, or rather its remains, I started going through the rest of the city, burning the rest of the ash that was still there. I was hoping we were going to at least save part of it from the decay, but we greatly underestimated the speed of spread. The whole city was afflicted already. Maybe not completely turned to ash, but definitely grayed out and had the mana sucked completely dry. I was wondering how it was able to spread so quickly, when I realized there was no time for thinking. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The decay was already reaching trees that were already outside of the city premises, or at least what looked like it, because it was hard to tell where exactly the city ended. I am unsure if it was like this last time, but now the outskirts of the city had quite a bit of newer and smaller houses, looking like they were newly built. Or rather grown. But that was also our saving grace. Or rather forest¡¯s saving grace. Since those were recent, they also had quite a bit more mana infused within them, in comparison to the old wood comprising other houses. It was not going to stop the decay much, but I hoped it was enough. I increased my fire output. Before, I was just like Kon, only monitoring the flames, not bothering to add any more fuel to the fire, but seeing the state of the city changed my mind. I immediately started pouring mana towards the fire. That startled my companions, and they immediately started trying to contain the flames. I was not in the mood for tug of war, nor I really had time to explain, so instead of talking I just focused on the image I just saw with my mind''s eye: the spread of decay reaching the trees a lot further away. Just like with my thoughts, I tried sending the image to the person closest to me. Kon. I could feel his spell waver, giving in to my flames, but that was just for a brief moment. He hesitated not because he understood the message, it was just because he got startled. Well, I guess receiving that kind of message was unexpected and a bit taxing. Not the first time we had that problem¡­ At least this time no one collapsed. It took him a few moments to acclimate and understand what was going on and actually adjust the spell. I think he even managed to contact Il, because I also felt a shift in the wind. Instead of just being a passive force that was only limiting me a tiny bit, it turned into a boosting force for me. I feel like it was a bit overkill for the problem, but I was not complaining. As long as she wasn¡¯t going to cause an explosion, we were good. Our spell has quickly turned from a controlled burn to a frantic fire, spreading wildly to every point of the city. It was what I intended after seeing the problem, but that also brought with itself another issue. Would we be able to contain it when we¡¯re done? I certainly hoped so. In the worst case scenario, we could just let the fire rage and let it go. I mean, sure, it would not be the best for the environment, but who cares at this point? The more this was going on, the more concerned Kon¡¯s face was. I am pretty sure if I was able to see For¡¯s, it would be the same. Rob was barely hanging on, trying to not lose it. Why did we even let him live¡­ Having him only gave us problems. And it didn¡¯t get us anything. Hell, I think my thoughts might have leaked a bit, cause I¡¯ve noticed him shudder. Or it was just from the general state of events¡­ In any case, we were already burning the trees that were right next to the newest ring of buildings in the city. I thought that as soon as we were going to reach them, I¡¯d want to lower the power of flames, since there would be more loose mana in the air from the fresher magic in those places and the spell would¡¯ve powered up by itself, but it was quite the opposite: I felt like my spell weaken by the moment. Was that For¡¯s work? Or maybe Kon¡¯s? Nah, neither of them was interfering with my spell to that point. Sure, both of them were trying to limit the spread of flames, but the barriers were far enough that it was not the case for sure. Maybe Il? No, she was also aware of the problem and would definitely not impede me like that. And she wasn¡¯t. That was definitely confusing. I had to go against my own instincts and give even more power to the flames. For a good moment there was no change. The flames were constantly dissipating, while the remaining buildings were turning to gray shriveled wood. Same with the trees on the edges. Were already half-gray. Not good. Time to pour even more mana. Aaand I went overboard. Sure, it definitely broke through that ¡°block¡± I felt, but it didn''t stop there. As soon as the last of the building was covered in flames, the pressure of the force that was blocking it suddenly vanished, and the flame spread like literal wildfire. We did manage to destroy the ash. Too bad we now had to contain the fire. First step: stop my spell. I say stop, but I already did all I could: cut the mana source off. I never expected for it to actually stop the fire, so I wasn¡¯t surprised when the raging flames didn¡¯t change even a tiny bit. That didn¡¯t escape my companion¡¯s notice. The second phase then. All of them were supposed to stop whatever they were doing and instead we should focus on containing the fire. Or rather trying to extinguish it. -Kpogya xvuqsy Nus. From the outside perspective, it looked like just a regular and pretty simple spell. Well, aside from the pronunciation, that is. But the truth was quite different. It was a combination of ice magic and an old protection spell, straight from the MIRE. The main issue was that the protective spell was not ever intended to be used that way. There wasn¡¯t really a problem with the scale, like I thought before. rather the issue was combining the two. As soon as I spoke the words, I could tell that the spell was not replying as it should: the mana it was sapping from me was infinitely more than it was supposed to. Still, that was not much of a problem for me: I was feeling quite invigorated lately, and since I was not the only one responsible for this magic today, I was also sharing the burden with the other three. That proved to be problematic. While Il was fine, I didn¡¯t feel any struggle from her, the other two had more issues trying to control the mana escaping from their bodies. It was a bit worrying. To the point that I started regretting even letting them join on the ¡°ritual¡±. Nah, who am I kidding. There was no point in trying to fool myself. Whenever I wanted or not, they would¡¯ve joined in anyway. And I am not talking because of some kind of sense of duty or some shit, no. The reason was quite basic at this point: Origin Crystal. The fact that they were connected to me was indisputable and definitely casting such a spell in their proximity would¡¯ve instantly connected it to them. Hell, even if we were trying to forcefully terminate the link with them as soon as we detected the changes in mana, I know the Crystal wouldn¡¯t let me. The pull was that strong. But that was not all. Sure, the two were waning and on the brink of collapse, but to the ritual there was also connected another person that I didn¡¯t really plan on. Rob. In hindsight, it was possible for him to be connected only because of the Crystal inside his own body. Even though I anticipated that something like this would be possible, I never expected that having him walk away about hundred meters away from me would not prevent him from connecting. If the two that were with me were about to collapse from exhaustion, how bad was he doing then? And the answer was, actually quite fine. Unusual. Maybe not totally unexpected, but still. He was part crystal after all, and lived for a long time, he had to have some decent mana capacity. Although, when I saw him, I couldn¡¯t really tell. And not because it was hard to tell or he was hiding his potential or something stupid like that, no. I would¡¯ve been able to notice something off. Same with others. If not me, one of them would notice something, right? His mana was just¡­ unremarkable. Not small, but also not overwhelming. Definitely on that front both For and Kon had him beat, that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t even consider him a threat. And yet, here we were: he was still standing steady, while the other two were now collapsing from exhaustion. Maybe it was just a problem with connection? If he was so far from action, it was obvious that the spell would have a hard time draining the subject. Nah¡­ There was something else. I took a closer look at the problem. I wasn¡¯t able to tell the difference, but even then, I could tell that it was not his mana that was being drained. His mana was not diminishing at all. His mana was sitting still. Not moving. And yet, I could tell that something was giving mana to the spell we cast. And it was not with us here. I bet if either Kon or For were still awake, they would be able to pinpoint or recognize the source of it, besides it being rooted in Rob¡¯s soul. But right now both of them were resting soundly after the exhausting work we assigned them. Resting soundly: I mean drained and blacked out. The only remaining people awake were me, him and Il. Too bad I was busy containing this shit or I would¡¯ve had so many questions for the guy¡­ I still had a bit to do. My previous spell was maybe not the best, but it was working. I just had to pour a little bit of mana¡­ -Stop. Huh? -Why? What¡¯s going on? -Your spell is working. Just let me¡­ It was? I honestly couldn¡¯t tell. Sure, it was on, I could tell that some ice was forming, but was it enough to stop the fire. -I mean, it probably won''t stop it, but I do have an idea¡­ Ah. -What idea? -Let me¡­ I suddenly felt a mana surge. It was not pointed directly to me, but I felt it nonetheless. I could feel it influence my spell and modify it. I didn¡¯t hear the words, but I knew it was there¡­ My spell was supposed to be a very loose implementation of the old one I¡¯ve heard from Jack, I think at least. Spears of ice that were placed at the edges of fire that would connect to each other and spread the ice between themselves, creating a very large triangle. When she started connecting herself to the spell, it was right when the spell was formed and already well on its way to extinguish the fire¡­ or at least attempt to. As soon as her mana connected, I felt a change. Honestly, I was worried. For two different people to control one spell¡­ Well, it was risky, to say the least. Of course, for naught. I should¡¯ve expected that. If we were just a bunch of regular people, who knows what would¡¯ve happened. But with those? Of course nothing was going to go wrong. Who am I kidding? We were too good for anything to go wrong. The spell started to change shape¡­ or maybe not even that¡­ it was getting more¡­ fluid? Yeah, that¡¯s the one. Instead of a geometrical figure, it started moving, just like a living thing, an amoeba, covering the places where the fire was still raging. With that kind of an active response, there had to be some kind of drawback, right? Well, apparently not. Just like that, the spell¡¯s power didn¡¯t decrease, quite the opposite, everything was more powerful than before. I was about to compliment her on her efforts when I realized that it was not her job. At least not the last part. She also was surprised. But before we were able to exchange any words, we realized what was going on. I was the one that supplied the spell. The main part, created ice and the main core of the spell. Il was the one making it responsive, working along with the fire, creating the areas that were equal to the ones consumed by the fire. But with just the two, the power would be greatly diminished. After all, all the effort went to everything else. But there was the third person with us. And I don¡¯t mean For or Kon. Rob. 183. Again He was the one supplying the magical power needed to actually extinguish the fire that was still burning. -Rob!? He didn¡¯t reply. Just one look at him was enough to tell that he was absolutely engrossed in the creation of the spell. Just like him¡­ -Before you act, let us just finish this. You know that it¡¯s more important. Probably more important to me than it is to you. It was not Rob. It was Axelrod. Mike. -I don¡¯t think it is. But yeah, sure. -Oh. That¡¯s a bit unexpected. -If you wanna talk, let¡¯s do it after we finish. -Fair enough. Just a second¡­ He wasn¡¯t bluffing. It took him a literal second. With one flash, I felt everything freeze. Including myself. Just like one giant flashbang, everything got covered in blinding light. Or not light. Mana. Just like before, when I saw that giant mana source, suddenly Rob became one. And a split second later, the mana released turned into ice, freezing the whole city and a large portion of the forest to boot. -Done. -Don¡¯t you think you went a little bit overboard? -Maybe. But I don¡¯t have such refined control in this body¡­ Well, it doesn''t matter any more now, does it? -... Ah. So that¡¯s what he did. It was weird that suddenly the weakling Rob had such mana reserves, even if we consider that it was Mike who was controlling him. He just used ALL of his mana. -Did you really have to do that? - I asked him, a bit disappointed. -Have? Maybe not. It was the most efficient option, though. -... -Don¡¯t be so disappointed. It¡¯s not like you¡¯ve never seen this. Or not like we haven''t used the exact same method¡­ -I can still hate it. -I suppose¡­ -So, why are you talking now? I don¡¯t think you have much time, do you? -Oh, I have all the time in the world. But I am tired of these games. Sure, this body is dead already, but the crystal is not - he explained. -Is that good enough for you? -It is. And it will be for you, too. After all, you¡¯re going to take it and become part of it -Part of what? You? Or Il? -Il¡­? Ah¡­ yes, you managed to awaken her¡­ good on you. But no, I don¡¯t mean it like that. I long ago stopped thinking that is a viable option. -Viable option!? She is here! She was in my own head! She is as real as she was back then! -I know. -So why are you doing this?! -Doing what exactly? - he asked. - What do you think I am doing? -Spreading her! I don¡¯t understand, she was¡­ she is your wife! -Hah¡­ - he chuckled. - Yes¡­ she is¡­ But she is dead, you know. And nothing is bringing her back. -What do you¡­ I told you, she¡¯s alive¡­ -No she is not. That is just a copy. You know that¡­ -... I hesitated. True, I was theorizing that it would be possible. But¡­ -But what¡¯s the difference? I mean, good question. But that¡¯s not why I am talking right now. I would love to have a long conversation, but I have other things to do. -What are you even trying to do!? -In time. You¡¯ll know. Since you connected to a piece of her, you¡¯ll remember. Or rather, I¡¯ll make you remember. -What does that mean?! -Take the crystal and look for yourself. Connect with it. -That does not explain anything. Mike. Mike!? But he was gone. Along with the familiar presence I felt inside Rob. -Rob? He was looking at me, standing right in front of me, but didn¡¯t speak a word. -Hello? I stepped forward, or I tried to. I realized that I was trapped in ice. The spell he released froze me to the ground, along with everything else in the area. As I was trying to move, he fell face first onto the frozen ground. And crumbled into dust that scattered and dispersed like a puff of smoke. Leaving only a small piece of crystal behind. I was standing there, speechless. Why was that idiot acting like that?! Okay, sure, we might have not been the most¡­ humane organization, but that was overkill! We, at least, were trying to do something useful, not wasting resources like that! -Fucking idiot¡­ ¡°Tired of those games¡±, my ass! I was muttering angrily to myself and ripped myself out of the ice, stepping forward. Suddenly I felt a touch on my arm. Right. I was not alone here still. Il. -Was that¡­ was that really him? -It definitely sounded a lot like him. -What¡¯s he trying to do? What was that supposed to mean? -I was hoping that you''ll tell me. -How should I know!? -No idea. But he definitely meant you. -I¡­ I don¡¯t understand?! Is that really him! I swear, he doesn¡¯t even sound like himself! I mean¡­. I know it was his voice. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. -Yeah, I get you. But the personality is not the same. -Exactly! -It might have something to do with the Crystal, but I don¡¯t¡­ -Mor! Mor! -Mor! Both of them were running right towards me, crushing the ice to get close. -What happened? -Are you okay? -Wait¡­ where is Rob? Did he escape!? -I knew it, sly bastard, caught us when we were the most busy. -He couldn¡¯t have gotten far, we can still get him! She stopped, probably to feel out our surroundings to get the ¡°runaway¡±. -Wait¡­ She turned to the spot where she disappeared just as I was starting towards it. -Did he teleport!? Damn him¡­ -I didn¡¯t think he had it in him¡­ -Yeah¡­ I mean, he probably was able to recover mana somehow, but where did he get that anchor? -That is not an anchor - I replied calmly, picking up the shard from the ground. -What? I looked at it closely. It was small, definitely not as large as it was when it was still a part of his leg. Right now it was about big enough to fit in my clenched fist. Completely transparent, without a singular trace of color, similarly to my own. -What is it then? -That¡¯s an Origin Crystal! - pointed out the obvious Kon. -It is. -His¡­? -Yeah. -Are you kidding me?! Did he really?! I think For realized what was going on, albeit maybe not fully. -Do those people really don¡¯t have any better options? To attack you and waste himself AGAIN? Kon flinched, understanding what she was talking about. -Did he really do that!? -You are half right. But he didn¡¯t attack me. He¡­ Well, I don¡¯t want to say that he saved me, but¡­ -What are you talking about!? I briefly explained to them what I¡¯ve heard from Mike. Of course, the response was¡­ colorful. -This fucking creature! What does he want with us! Every time is something else with this guy! Would it hurt him to actually try and talk like a normal person? -You¡¯re one to talk¡­ - I mumbled quietly, but I don¡¯t think she heard me, still rambling, at this point to herself only. -I swear, at this point I doubt we¡¯ll ever learn anything! Hell, we apparently have a better record of getting information just hanging around and wandering aimlessly through the country! She was not wrong. But despite his actions, there was still one person that was optimistic. Kon. -What do you think he meant by ¡°connect with it¡±? I sighed. -Eh. I was thinking that he meant Il. But at this point, I am not sure. We both are as confused as it gets¡­ -Right! Are you okay?! I didn¡¯t even realize, that blast of ice had to be very taxing on you! But you¡­ He looked her over. There was no visible damage on her body. Hell, there wasn¡¯t even a sign of ice on her. Well, she was standing behind me, so I guess I did shield her from the main impact, but for her to be completely untouched¡­ She realized I was thinking about that. -Don¡¯t forget, I am not defenseless. I still can use magic, you know¡­ -What, you casted a spell without me noticing? -You didn¡¯t notice? - she was genuinely surprised. - Strange. It¡¯s not like I was trying to hide it, it was even your own creation. -Ah. That one. -Of course. What else did you want me to use? -Yeah, I mean, obviously. But I should¡¯ve noticed that¡­ -She used a protection spell when he started blasting - I explained aloud, not sure if they were able to hear her still. -It had to be some powerful spell¡­ to not get even a speck of ice in that kind of a whiteout¡­ - said Kon, amazed. I am not sure if he was trying to be nice to me or it was just an accident. -Doesn¡¯t matter. Now then¡­ about this¡­ I raised the piece of crystal and looked at it again. -How well are you all feeling? The question confused them all. -Err¡­ why are you asking? -Don¡¯t tell me¡­ you want to do what he said?! -What do you mean? - asked Kon, intrigued. -Well, from what I understand, this crystal is something that he wanted me to have. Something he wanted me to see. -¡±To see¡±? You want to look through it¡­? -In a sense. You¡¯ve already participated in this multiple times. -Oh! That. She shuddered. -Are you sure it¡¯s a good idea? It¡¯s¡­ -I know, it¡¯s tasking for you - I nodded. - That¡¯s why I am asking. -Oh, no, I didn¡¯t mean it like that! Sure, it¡¯s tasking. But I mean, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s, you know, a trap or something? I paused, considering what she said. True. So far he¡¯s not been a cooperative type. While that was definitely not his trait before, it was indeed how he seemingly was in this world. Did he have a change of heart? ¡°I am tired of those games¡±. I guess you could interpret that one as something like that¡­ Nonetheless, he was the one who literally tried murdering me. Who knows if it wasn¡¯t something like that again. But then, I honestly couldn¡¯t think of a way for him to kill me with just a piece of crystal like that. Was he hoping for me to get absorbed by it? Not a chance in the world. I had already Il with me, she was a far larger presence than whatever this was and yet I was fine. Well, mostly. Same with the thing in the Red Edge. That thing had a consciousness as well, yet it didn¡¯t even get interested in me. So¡­ -I mean, if it is, I am sure I can overcome it. But I doubt it. -You doubt it? Are you sure we are talking about the same person? The one who tried to kill you and was, or is currently murdering elves somewhere out there? -I wonder about that too¡­ But, I still intend to try it. -So why are you even asking me? -Because that is only my own opinion - I replied. -What? -Whenever I want it or not, I am now connected and partially responsible for more than just myself. Hell, if I was just me, I would¡¯ve done it already. But it¡¯s not. There are still at least three people that are here that definitely will be affected. If it is as you say, and this is a trap, I would hate for it to trap people other than me. So I am asking for your opinion. All of you¡­ - I gestured towards the group. -You know you don¡¯t have to ask me - replied immediately Il. - I am as curious as you are, and probably can help you if something goes south. -Thanks. I¡¯ll be counting on you. What about you two? Kon was also almost as fast as her. -Of course I am with you. I owe you my life, I am not leaving you anywhere. -Thank you. But you don¡¯t owe me anything, please. -We agree to disagree. -I guess you can think what you want¡­ -What about you, For? -Why are you even asking? It¡¯s clear that I am outvoted. Does it even matter what I think? - she asked, a bit annoyed. -And who told you that it¡¯s some kind of majority vote? -What, if I say ¡°no¡±, you¡¯ll just magically stop? Pff, yeah, right. I find it hard to believe. Not after what I learned about you. I sighed. -You are not my experiment. Okay, maybe not completely, but you are not a prisoner of mine or some hostile agent in a scheme against me. I am not going to force anyone to do anything. -Yeah, I bet. And I did attack you. -You had your valid reasons. Mostly. -Mm-hm¡­ riiight¡­ -Okay, maybe instead of playing for time, think it over and tell me the answer then? - I asked, annoyed. -Oh, I don¡¯t need to think. Of course I am voting ¡°yes¡±. That caught me by surprise. -I thought you were against it. -I am against jumping into danger without fully realizing that you are doing it. But that¡¯s clearly not the case here. -Damn¡­ why the change? -Change? -Well, in the Edge you had more¡­ direct approach to me¡­. so this mentality is kind of a switch, really¡­ -Oh shut the fuck up. I can change, you know. -Hm. She can change? Or she is being changed? I was not going to ask that question, though. There was no point. -Well, that is a surprise, but I am glad that we are together in this. -Can you stop and just get on with it already. -Damn. Impatient much? -Of course. You keep talking and talking and I just want to know what the hell he¡¯s up to, you know? -We¡¯re not even sure if that¡¯s going to answer that¡­ - pointed out Kon. -We aren¡¯t going to learn anything if we keep talking like that. -Okay, okay, I get it. Here goes¡­ I focused on the crystal in front of me. It was the easiest I had so far. I guess it had something to do with his assurances? I mean, he gave me this thing for a reason. Or I was just getting proficient at this? I felt the familiar pull, and soon I was already somewhere far away. But this was not like the visions I had before. Usually it was hard to distinguish the barrier between what I was watching and what was real. Like I was part of the events I was witnessing. Even though it was easy to witness, I was just that: a witness. It was like I was watching the images through some kind of screen, just silently observing the situation, barely feeling anything. I still was able to tell what the people were feeling, but it was just as regular, I was reading mana of people, the feelings weren¡¯t flooding into me forcefully. For sure it had something to do with those belonging to Mike. Because that was what I was witnessing. 184. Memories First, there was a familiar sight. MIRE. The old one. Still in one piece. A very old by this point, and a very familiar scene. Shattering crystal. Our ¡°deaths¡±. This one was not different in the slightest from what I remembered myself, although the timeline was a bit different. Of course, I mean we didn¡¯t vanish exactly at the same moment. The next one¡­ was unsurprising, but interesting. The ¡°bowl¡±. And ruined MIRE. And not like I remembered it. Yeah, it was destroyed. But not covered in greenery completely yet. Hell, even outside wasn¡¯t the same. It was a sight of pure desolation. I saw him wake up and shake himself off from the stun of the appearance. He saw the destroyed building and looked outside. Instead of the lush forest I knew there was in there now, I saw just a large crater. Nothing inside, just a raw earth blown up in the shape of a humongous bowl that stretched between the mountains, hidden from sight. Ah. So that¡¯s how it appeared. MIRE¡¯s appearance literally blew a hole in a mountain range. I mean, I had my own suspicions, but to have them confirmed just like that was something else entirely. Okay. What¡¯s next? The vision skipped. It had to be a good while after the previous one, because not only the sky was darker, but we¡­ or rather he was at the edge of the crater, inspecting the raw rock that was almost vertically cut. Another cut. A river. Or rather a beginning of one. A stream of water, surging from the mountain, opening to a cave. Mike taking a drink and promptly moving deeper, towards the source and inside the opened mountain. An end of a cave. A brief confusion followed by a couple of spells and sudden feeling of determination. Followed by a lot of rock melding. So he was the one who made the corridors, too. Next one was just him traveling through the forest. But there was one flash¡­ Him accidentally destroying a tree. I finally noticed his arms. I knew he had to have an Origin Crystal with him, but up till now the memory was hazy enough for me to not be able to tell where. And not like I knew exactly. I could see that he had shrapnel embedded in his arm. And not only there. The more his memory focused, the more I was able to see. Another arm. Leg. Chest¡­ Especially there. He was almost completely covered with wounds from the exploding crystal and the pieces of it were stuck everywhere. Damn. It was a miracle that up till then he didn¡¯t drain anything accidentally. But then, there wasn¡¯t much to drain in the crater, nor was there anything in the tunnels. Only thanks to the forest he was able to tell. Next piece. Mike again, this time he was in even more torn clothes. He made wraps from some scraps so he could touch things. It still wasn¡¯t completely hiding his pieces from sight, although was good enough so he wasn¡¯t in immediate danger to destroy something accidentally. Next: meeting with Melle. I was kind of surprised that this one was so brief. I didn¡¯t see much of it, instead it was just him seeing the familiar cottage in the middle of the woods. Maybe he also got trapped with the vines and got the same treatment as me and didn¡¯t want to show me? Probably. I did get a glimpse of her, though. She was a lot younger back then. I mean, obviously, but seeing her face made me realize how actually similar to Il she was. The only difference being her hair¡­ For some reason, she was bald. A bit strange, but didn''t really matter overall. The next part already had her being a grandma. I never realized he left her so late¡­ Or maybe it was just because she was older than I thought? Probably the second one. After that there were some flashes of him traveling through every single possible climate I could think of. Some definitely not even remotely similar to the greenery I was used to. It was mostly desert flatlands and some of the mountains. Few islands. I even think I saw him right in the middle of the ocean, casting some spells to raise an island from the sea. Wait, wasn¡¯t that how the Red Edge was supposed to be made? Was that memory that old? The timeline didn¡¯t add up, though¡­ And yet, after that I saw some images of a very rocky and very crystal island. The visions came and faded, showing me more and more of his travels through the lands. I slowly stopped trying to remember everything, because it was just like a jumble of random scenes without much in common, besides of course, his own self. What I noticed though was the fact that while time was definitely passing, he was not changing. Unsurprising. He was part crystal after all. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Or at least it felt like that. After a bit more images, I realized that most of the shrapnel was no longer visible on his body any more. Did he find a way to get rid of it? No. Quite the opposite. After a scene that involved some lake I managed to finally notice. The crystals weren¡¯t gone, they were just inside him. Unlike me, whose crystal replaced a whole body, or at first a part of it, the crystal that got attached to him instead got pulled inside of him. There were no missing limbs or anything to replace, so I guess it got pulled together somewhere else? He wasn¡¯t wounded much, but¡­ No. He had to take damage during the explosion of the MIRE. It just had to be a different kind of damage. Since the crystals coalesced inside of him¡­ Was it possible that it was just the insides that got damaged? Internal damage. I mean, of course it had to be. Having shrapnel in your stomach could definitely mess with your guts if you were unlucky, and that was most likely the case. It would also explain how he managed to keep the appearances so far. It was his organs that got replaced and enhanced, and with those and the power of Origin Crystal he would be able to keep up the appearances. Seems like almost indefinitely. Before the crystal got to his outer layer, he managed to realize what was going on and control it a bit more. Unlike me when the change started from the outside and then promptly went towards my head, he managed to contain it in just what appeared to be his chest, or maybe just the heart. Was he that unlucky that he also got stabbed through the heart? Who knows. That wasn¡¯t the point of me being shown those memories, though, that was clear to me. Because the next memory was a lot more vivid and snapped me out of the trance I¡¯ve fallen into while watching the random bits of his mind. A face. I recognized her instantly, or at least I thought so. Ilma. Actual one. The real and original. I think. Child of Il, and¡­ Or was it Melle¡¯s? She did tell me that she was adopted¡­ It probably was the one from here, else why would she be in those memories? But that didn¡¯t make sense¡­ The memory was not of the house near the bowl, nor in the capital. It was¡­ a desert? Yeah, somewhat similar to the one I¡¯ve not so long ago been through, but it looked a lot less sandy and more like a wasteland. Was that the place Rob mentioned? Maybe? The one in his memory was different, though. Main question though: what were either of them doing there? The answer came almost instantly. And it came in the form of a spell flying right at him. What the hell? Why would a supposed daughter attack his father? Was he training her? I mean, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising, it was Mike we were talking about, or rather Axelrod at this point already. But it didn¡¯t seem like it. And if it was, it was the weirdest training session I¡¯ve seen in a while. He was just acting as a training dummy for her. Different elements, different shapes, she lobbed every single spell she could think of at him, not even making any scratch at his form. Wow. I knew he was enhanced by the crystal, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be so effective. Sure, mine was, but I was already made out of that stuff. If my theory was correct and he was only ¡°replaced¡± internally, she should be doing at least some damage. But nope. Nothing was harming him. Origin Crystal is scary. After a couple minutes, she finally stopped. It didn¡¯t seem like she gave up, she just ran out of mana. I could see him trying to talk to her, but instead she just pulled out a small piece of metal from her pocket and vanished on the spot. Portal magic? Nah. There was no portal visible. Suicide? Maybe? I don¡¯t know¡­ Apparently not though, because the next memory was almost the same as the previous one, only the location was different. Also, her gear changed. I say gear but it was just mostly clothes. While before, she was just wearing some plain looking clothes that would easily pass as a regular peasant, this time she was wearing more sophisticated clothes, like actual nobility. But she was still the same person, there was no mistaking it. No matter the change, the effect was the same: she disappeared without a trace. When the third memory started the same, I tried paying more attention to her spells and the final act of disappearance. I might not be so good at trying to distinguish different manas, but I can understand spells and how they work, or so I thought. The truth was, I was still unable to understand completely how she was able to disappear like that. One thing was for sure though: that was not portal magic. Sure, it was similar, but different somehow¡­ Was it possible? Was she actually teleporting, not just using portals? What¡¯s the difference though, right? From a regular person¡¯s perspective it¡¯s just the same, just skipping a few steps, isn¡¯t it? Wrong. With portal magic you just connect two locations together and that¡¯s about it. I might be glancing through the actual process of creating the spell in the first place, but that¡¯s the main part: connecting two spots. With teleporting though¡­ You don¡¯t connect a thing. You have to destroy and recreate. In one place, you literally have to destroy your own self and then recreate a copy somewhere else. At least that¡¯s how I see it and how my theory about that works. How then you can tell that the same person emerges on the other side? The answer is soul. Or rather your own mana that creates this ¡°soul¡±. I didn¡¯t really think it was possible to exist, to be honest. Or at least not until we finally managed to transplant the soul¡­ Not like we even knew we succeeded. If causing a calamity can be classified as succeeding¡­ But, if that was true, it would also make actual teleportation possible, not just warping space into portals. Well, whatever that was, she was definitely good at it. Pretty much nonexistent cast time, amazing way to escape¡­ What I am talking about! Of course it wasn¡¯t! To be able to cast something like this¡­ I wonder how complicated the incantation had to be? No matter, that was not the point. She was amazing at magic, that one was obvious. Was it because she was Il? I mean, if he was the one who raised her, why not? On top of that, it was really her, the original one, that also meant she had inherited some of her mother¡¯s mind. I felt proud for a second, but I quickly shook off the feeling. It¡¯s not like I helped much in that regard, I was more preoccupied with my other duties¡­ And if she was the one, it was also my fault that she was in here like us. Stuck, maybe not in the worst world, but still not where we belonged¡­ Wait. Stuck? Was I so sure about that? She was able to use advanced magic to teleport, who knows if she didn¡¯t figure something else out¡­ or at least was a lot better set up than me or Mike¡­ Well, maybe not him. He was a king after all. But since she apparently had access to this kind of magic, wouldn¡¯t Mike be after her? It definitely did not look that way, though. To be honest, his attempts at counterattacking or even trying to prevent her from escaping were almost not worth mentioning. Just a stray lightning, a fireball just as she was able to vanish, stuff like that. He had access to magic-disrupting artifacts, if he was interested in her, he¡¯d definitely use some of those. Or maybe he didn¡¯t have those yet? It was a possibility. Who knows when exactly he managed to get his hands on something like I¡¯ve found¡­ And if he had it, he¡¯d for sure want to at least talk to her. So far I¡¯ve not seen even an attempt at dialogue from either side. Distance much? I¡¯ve been a witness to a lot more of those ¡°battles¡±, if you even want to call them so, being so one-sided. Every time she just escaped. One thing was sure though: the passage of time. In every single one I could see that the area around them was getting more and more densely overgrown, to the point where later ones had taken place right in the middle of forest, environment almost the same as I was used to. That is, until the last memory. 185. Encounter Last one took place on an island. It also started differently than before. Every single one so far was just her walking up to him from somewhere with a stern face and carefully initiating the fight. That one though¡­ The island was small. Almost hard to call it an island, a small outcrop. The only thing visible there was a large boulder and¡­ a tablet. Wait a second. That tablet looked familiar. And so was the rock. Mike approached the stone in question and placed his hand on it, instantly opening a very familiar way downstairs, along with a set of stairs. He looked inside, curious, but looked away and instead focused on a tablet. Tablet, which contents were very well known to me: the spell I¡¯ve seen already. Both times on some kind of island¡­ The ¡°warping¡± spell. The one that teleported you from one side to another. I think he recognized that too, because I felt his excitement, even through this weird vision I had. And not only me. Right when he placed his hand on the stone, she appeared. Not like before, this time she teleported. And looked a lot more on edge. Barely equipped this time, it looked like she was just asleep and barely was able to get here, disheveled, and without even a second of delay she blasted a spell right at his face. For the first time, she surprised him. The lightning bolt she conjured struck him right in the middle of the chest and tossed him a few steps backwards. She was just as surprised as he was: clearly neither of them were expecting for that to work. Nor did I, really. She didn¡¯t get her success to get to her head, though. The next spell was not the same, exchanged into an ice spike that pierced his shoulder¡­ or at least was about to before he countered. For the first time, he actually countered with a spell. He conjured a stream of flame that melted the ice just as it was to reach him, but that was not enough: another one, this time an earthen spike was aimed right at his other shoulder. A hit. Not a devastating one, but a good one. She managed to draw some blood from him. So he was still able to bleed, huh? I mean, he still had flesh, so¡­ Apparently it was not so expected from him, because I felt something I also didn¡¯t expect: fear. Wasn¡¯t really overwhelming or really much at all, but it was most likely only because of the version of this vision I¡¯ve been having. It did make him react, that¡¯s for sure. Next attack she aimed at him was essentially a repeat of both earlier ones, although smaller. Was she running out of mana? Didn¡¯t look like that¡­ But he was not going to let that hit him. This time he seriously countered. Hard. A large growth sprouted from both of his hands, every finger turning into a living wood: a root of earthen color that shot right at her, and swiping his hand he attempted to swat away the elements flying right at him. Well, he did defend himself. But he also reached her. Like a swipe of large claws, he tore right through her clothes and opened a large gash right at her belly. Then, a scream. I didn¡¯t expect to hear that so vividly. So far the memories were so distant that the sounds were almost non-existent, dampened and hard to understand. Like you were listening through a thick wall. This one was as clear as it gets. I honestly thought that it was For screaming next to me, but that was obviously not the case here. I wasn¡¯t the only one who got shocked by this turn of events. The moment he landed the attack, he immediately dropped the spell and removed his hand, just as she was falling onto the hard rock in front of him, gushing with blood. I am pretty sure she was losing consciousness. He¡­ hesitated? I mean, it was clear that he didn¡¯t want to hurt her, but to hesitate now, after dealing most likely a fatal blow? If he was going to do anything, either finish her off or help her, now was the time. Speaking off, why was she still there? Before, if there was even a sign of trouble for her, she was immediately teleporting out, yet now she was still there. Was the wound so severe that she wasn¡¯t able to cast spells? Well, apparently not, because Mike finally made up his mind and started approaching her, to which she reacted by sending a fireball at his face. Valiant effort, but pointless, he was already on guard and not going to back off so easily¡­ But, that was not what she had in mind, apparently. She actually managed to conjure two of them: one, which she sent flying towards his face, and another, still in her hand¡­ She attempted to cauterize the wound. This time, there was no scream. Was just Mike numb to that after the first one, or just because her adrenaline was high enough that she didn¡¯t feel the pain: she only opened and closed her mouth with a determined expression. Wow. She really was something. It even halted him, because as she did that, he stopped in his tracks and just stared at her. Whatever he wanted to do, he apparently decided against it. Just looking at her, he started backing up. Sure, she was already preparing another spell, but all of us knew that it was not going to do anything to him. Being in that sorry state, I doubted that her spell was stable enough to be powerful enough, and he was still on guard, holding a globe of mana in his palm. I saw him open his mouth a few times, like he wanted to say something, but didn¡¯t. Instead, he opened a portal. I wasn¡¯t able to see what was on the other side, but before he stepped through, he looked at her once more, before leaving her, to her probable death. Despite the fact that that memory was overwhelming and definitely important, that was not the end of it. The next one I was able to see was¡­ Actually, it was the same island. Definitely a while later, because there was no sign of blood, nor her. The stone was still cracked and the tablet intact. I could see him read it multiple times, study it, until finally, he started gathering mana. And a lot of it. Even through the memory, I could tell his strain. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Slowly, something was forming in the distance, on the horizon in front of him. Wait. I recognized that scene. As soon as I thought that, the image shifted again and this time I found myself back in the Arbo, but still not outside of his memories. He was standing in some large chamber¡­ his room maybe? He looked out of the window, gazed at the whole city. It was still there, so it had to be before whatever happened here. He turned away from the window and started walking out, quickly passing through multiple corridors. He had some curious looks follow him, but mostly accompanied by polite bows. He was the king alright. He started going down and deeper towards the roots of the palace. For a moment I thought he was going to the dungeon where I was once ¡°visiting¡±, but no. He passed that part and found yet another staircase that led deeper into the underground, and soon my vision was shrouded by the darkness and the lack of light sources of the pathway¡­ Hold on a second. I couldn¡¯t see? That was unusual, up till now I was able to just recognize my surroundings in every environment thanks to mana. Was that because it was a vision and not something I was experiencing first hand? It¡¯s not like it was a problem before, so that couldn¡¯t be it¡­ Apparently he was also blind, because he did cast a light spell to get a bearing on his surroundings. From the expression on his face I could tell that it was not something that he expected, now him being on edge. No wonder. The person who appeared in front of us, or rather in front of him, was the reason for all that. It was Il again. If nothing, she was persistent. I am unsure how long it could¡¯ve been after their last meeting, but she looked not a day older. Her wounds on the other hand were already gone, or at least none of them were visible right away, nor were they preventing her mobility. And mobile she was. For the first time she didn¡¯t attack him with magic. Instead, he brought with her a staff, with a blade on both sides. A twinblade, if you will. A bit of a strange choice, approaching him in some kind of dark corridor with a polearm for a weapon: she¡¯s going to have a hard time swinging that thing even. But, apparently she knew that. The moment he created the light, she broke her weapon in half. An impressive feat, considering the fact that her weapon looked like it was made from some kind of metal. The sparks the process produced didn¡¯t disappear either. It covered her hands in a flaming rings, lighting up the scene even more. And she pounced at him. He wasn¡¯t expecting either to find anyone here, especially not her, so he barely was able to dodge away from her swings, jumping backwards. It was impressive that he didn¡¯t trip, having to backpedal up the stairs. She wasn¡¯t going to let him get some distance. Before he was able to somehow retaliate though, she tossed one part of her weapon at him, aiming right at his head. It looked like a bit of a waste to me, getting rid of your weapon in the first moment of the fight, but what do I know, I am not a melee fighter. Nor any fighter, to be honest. Even though some want for me to be¡­ In any case, Mike wasn¡¯t going to take it head on this time: he already managed to transform his hand into a familiar ¡°claw¡± made out of living wood, and just swiped at the flying blade, bouncing it away from his head. He didn¡¯t escape unscathed, though. The flaming ring that I noticed before, followed behind the toss and as soon as it made contact with his wood, spread to his own hand. But, instead of forming a harmless ring, it set his whole arm on fire. He didn¡¯t look like he was in pain, but definitely was surprised. He slammed his hand into a wall and extinguished the flames in the process, but she was not going to stand there and let him do whatever he wanted. The moment he bounced off the projectile, her other weapon suddenly started growing, and by the time Mike extinguished the flames, she already was equipped not with a short blade, but with a spear almost as long as the staff was before. And was lunging at him with murderous intent. Mike managed to grab the weapon a few centimeters before the spear reached his chest, but that also didn¡¯t come without damage. Like before, the flames from her hands spread through her weapons towards him, setting him on fire. It didn¡¯t look like it did much damage, yet he shuddered. She was¡­ draining mana from him?! What was up with those flames? They definitely looked normal¡­ at least from the outside. When I took a better look at it I could see that it was not draining¡­ It was more like she was literally burning through his mana. It was especially visible around the wound. Or, well, rather where the wound would be if he wasn¡¯t an abomination of a creature. The moment they got in contact with each other, the flames intensified on both of them. It was like he started supplying her with his mana as well? Was he doing that on purpose? Wait¡­ The blade. I recognized that weapon. Or rather the substance that its blade was made out of. It was Origin Crystal. Was it from him? Or some other remnant? Who knows. It was clear where it was made, though. Rob. Wait a second, did that mean¡­ that when Rob said about those ¡°higher-ups¡± of his¡­ was he talking about her? Nah, couldn''t be. But for sure it was their work. The blade was shimmering with light particles that were hard to miss after she launched those flames of her. Or was it part of the enhancement itself? Who knows, he did say that every item was different. The sword I¡¯ve seen definitely had some ability to do a ranged attack, so why not a staff to do this? My ramblings aside, the fight was not over yet. After confirming the effect of the spell hit, she immediately withdrew and stopped in a defensive stance, it looked like. Mike wasn¡¯t really concerned with that, he just snapped his fingers, and intending to extinguish the flames with an ice spell, he conjured a cold wind that blew through the corridor, freezing the steps and blowing at the flames¡­ But he did not manage to extinguish it. Quite the opposite. The more the wind blew, the larger the flames seemed to be. A bit frustrated, he repeated the spell, confirming my suspicions. It was not like he was fanning at the flames, maybe not literally. It was just that the mana he was using to create the wind got mostly eaten by the effect she afflicted him with. Quite an effective thing, I have to say. But, he also realized that. What should he do though? It¡¯s not like those were going to disappear by themself. The answer was simple: to dismiss all uses of mana he had on him: if there wasn¡¯t any mana in the area, there wouldn¡¯t be a thing that those flames could feed on and die out. Or at least that¡¯s what he thought. The fact was, that whatever the case, the flames would still have a source of mana: Il. She was also pouring her own magic into them, not to mention the mana she managed to steal from him. If it came to a tug of war, she was in the winning position. Even if he managed to cancel out her spell, she could just strike him again, repeat the process. Most likely. What I saw was a bit different, though. Unexpectedly, the flames died down as the mana source being Mike suddenly vanished. from sight Did he teleport as well? Honestly, for a second I thought so, because he became invisible to my eyes. But it was just him condensing and shutting down his own mana so much that he was invisible to my enhanced senses, even in this vision. While I definitely got caught by surprise by that, she did not at all. Actually it looked like she was waiting for that exact scenario. The moment flames dispersed, she raised her hand and mumbled something. From the end of the corridor, behind Mike, something suddenly flew at him and stuck him right in the back, piercing him through. It was the other part of the staff she broke off. Apparently she was still in control of that piece. She was banking on an assumption that he was enhancing himself with some kind of spell to boost his resistance to regular bladed weapons. I honestly didn¡¯t think it was a thing, but it definitely was. When he cut off mana to all spells, he also cut off the supply to that one too, making him vulnerable. I never even thought of that. It might be probably because my body was already transformed, but I never was worried about my physical form¡­ I guess I had faith in Origin Crystal? That, and back when I wasn¡¯t transformed I didn¡¯t really know anything about the supposed ¡°downsides¡± of my transformations. Not like that would change my mind. On the other hand, he, for some reason, seemed a lot more informed. And despite that, or maybe because of that, he was genuinely worried about his body. I guess I can see where he was coming from, but it¡¯s not like he was going to stop the changes. Especially after that fight. As to affirm my thoughts, it was clear that Il was not done with the attack. As the weapon pierced him, it barely missed his heart it seems like. If he still had it, of course and it wasn¡¯t already replaced with a crystal. She leaped forward, grabbing the flying piece with one hand and fused it back into one singular weapon that now took the form of a plain spear. A spear that she skewered him right through the chest. If that was anyone but him, I¡¯d say that the wound was fatal. He started spitting blood, coughing violently. He wanted to grab the spear and stop her, but she just rammed it further in, and pinned him to the ground, leveraging the full weight of her own body to do that. There was no place for him to get away. She still wasn¡¯t done. As she held him pinned down, she started preparing a spell. Wait, was it wise for her to use magic? For all she knew he¡¯d just absorb the mana to sustain himself¡­ or at least I would¡¯ve done that. But no, she wasn¡¯t attacking him. She was fixing herself¡­? She was wounded? I don¡¯t even know when, but she didn¡¯t look like she was hurt¡­? No. She was not fixing¡­ she was draining him. Ah. Yeah, that would answer the question why everything was dark in this place. She was the one who absorbed mana from the place. The one who darkened everything, making it hard for me to see. And now she was going to do the same thing with the person right in front of her. -Il. Stop. 186. Assimilation Oh. Surprise. For the first time in the vision I actually heard someone speak. It was Mike. Was he trying to save his life? -You will not use that name. Not you. Unsurprisingly, she wasn¡¯t very happy about him trying to weasel his way out of this. But still, that name? I mean, it was her name, wasn¡¯t it? -My name is Ilma. Not some ¡°Il¡±, you sick bastard. -Il¡­ that¡¯s what your mother used to call you¡­ The moment he mentioned her mother she twisted the spear in his chest. -Do not mention her, you sick bastard. I¡¯ve seen what you did to her. To her¡­ -You don¡¯t understand. She¡¯s going to be¡­ -Reborn?! As that thing?! You think you can experiment on her soul again and again and I will just stand back, looking at it!? -You know I didn¡¯t want that! -And yet you did what you did! All of you! -Please, calm down! I know you don¡¯t want to do this! You know she wouldn¡¯t want you to do this. -But she is not here any more, you know that! Thanks to you! At the end she was barely holding her anger in. I could feel it almost leak out from the memory and her own form. -But she is! I just have to find a missing piece! Her last piece! -Last piece!? You think you can put her together like some broken toy?! Glue her back?! You need to stop! -You don¡¯t understand! I found her soul! REAL soul! She¡¯s somewhere! -Stop trying to talk your way out of this. You know you¡¯re dying here today. Finally. -Oh, I am not. I just don¡¯t want for you to make the same mistake that I did. -Oh, so you¡¯re worried about your mana, is that it?! -Not mine! Yours! If you won¡¯t stop absorbing¡­ -Then what?! She puffed and gripped the spear even harder. -Then you¡¯ll be just overtaken by the failed soul of your own mother! That made her hesitate. -Explain. -This crystal¡­ you know it¡¯s her, right? -Of course. That¡¯s what you¡¯ve been collecting all that time. -Yes¡­ that¡¯s the vessel of our old experiment¡­ -I am very aware. She twisted her spear in him. -The same one that is right in your chest right now. That is her. -You know I didn¡¯t want to end with a body like¡­ -I didn¡¯t mean the body. I mean this. She brushed her fingers through the spear¡¯s handle and it suddenly changed shape, sprouting¡­ vines that wrapped themselves around her fingers. -This is what is left of her. That is her will. ¡°Her last piece¡±, fuck you. That is the last piece. The only one that remains. The one that I constantly feel. -That is¡­ His eyes widened. Fingers that were just before trying to pull the spear out now grabbed onto it tightly and stopped moving. -I feel her¡­ It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s not there¡­ -It is there, I assure you. More than you¡¯ve ever been able to find. -It¡¯s not¡­ Not her. It¡¯s not Il¡­ It¡¯s not Iloa. -You don¡¯t deserve to use her name! - she growled at him. - You, who replaced us as soon as you arrived here. -Can you blame me¡­? Those two¡­ they looked just like you¡­ -And that didn¡¯t stop you from experimenting on them. Again! -I WANTED TO HELP THEM! I DIDN¡¯T WANT TO LOSE YOU AGAIN! The sudden outburst made her flinch, but she quickly returned back to her senses. -And where are they now, huh!? GONE! Why?! -They aren¡¯t! They will live forever with me! Just like you can! -¡±Like you can¡±. Fuck you. You killed them and turned them into mana. You call that living!? You are deranged! -Deranged, sure. But I will not let them¡­ let you vanish again! -You all are going to vanish soon. Mother will absorb you all and it will be the end of it, do you understand!? His reaction was¡­ unexpected. He started laughing. -What¡¯s so funny?! -Ah, sorry, I thought you were going to absorb me into yourself¡­ Oh, what a relief¡­ His hands stopped clutching the spear and he let them fall down onto the ground. -What are you talking about!? Did you go crazy completely?! -I¡¯ve been crazy since the beginning, but that¡¯s not it¡­ It¡¯s just¡­ It¡¯s a relief, I didn¡¯t want you to turn into the same thing as I am¡­ I thought you wanted to try and assimilate me¡­ -Assimilate?! -Everyone who has a piece of your mother¡­ oh, well, sorry, you don¡¯t call that version your mother¡­ Our experiment rather. Everyone who has a part of it, is inevitably on a way to get assimilated. Turned into the same thing as she was back then: a mindless creature. -What are you¡­ -We called it an intelligence¡­ bah, it¡¯s not even intelligent. It can copy memories, copy feelings, but it doesn¡¯t understand them. And now I understand¡­ I feel her. The piece in that spear¡­ it was small, wasn¡¯t it? -How do you¡­?! -Ah, so it was¡­ no wonder. It only inherited a piece of that thing¡­ Good thing that it didn¡¯t try to consume you¡­ you used it as a weapon. Good¡­ -Again, what are you trying to¡­ -The thing you are holding in your hands is just a piece of ILMA. The old algorithm from the bygone time that I thought was gone¡­ And luckily, or unluckily for you, I am not sure, it only inherited one emotion. Rage. -...! -Sounds familiar, doesn¡¯t it? You are her daughter, you¡¯d be accustomed to understanding how others feel. More than you think. Do you really think your mother was feeling only that? Wouldn¡¯t you think that when she connected with you, she¡¯d still be only angry at me? That she wouldn¡¯t be happy to see¡­ to be with you again? -You corrupted her! That¡¯s why you¡­! -I never would be able to remove her feelings for her own daughter. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. -I¡­ -Don¡¯t. -But that aside, we have no time. -You¡¯re right. You are going to die here - she replied, still adamant on that point. -Well, in some regard, probably - he agreed, weirdly calm. - You definitely did some damage to my body¡­ too bad that it doesn¡¯t really matter¡­ -What are you¡­ Before she was able to react, he grabbed the spear and pushed it deeper inside himself¡­ Wait, how was that possible? Wasn¡¯t he pierced through already? No, he was essentially skewering himself even more, pushing the spear into his own body¡­ and it was working. He was absorbing it? -What are you trying to do?! - she yelped, trying to pull out the spear, but instead it only started disappearing faster. -This is probably the last time we are able to talk like that, so listen closely. I have a lot of my pieces all over the world, but after our encounter, those will start to be hunted down. They will disappear. While all of them are me, none of them has the same power that this body has¡­ or rather had. -Power¡­? -To regenerate. To propagate. To be one¡­ - he stopped, shaking his head. - Ah, sorry, It¡¯s already beginning. -What!? -The assimilation. ILMA is trying to assimilate me. I will fight as long as I can, but I need mana, so leave as soon as you can. -I am not leaving, you need to die here, so¡­ -So Iloa has her revenge? Do you really think she¡¯d want that? -...! -Listen. What I said before¡­ that she¡¯s still alive¡­ I know that those are just ramblings of an old and desperate man, but I believe that. I felt that¡­ There is a piece of her¡­ the real her somewhere. I know it. Before, I thought it was away from us, back in our home, not in this prison, but recently I started feeling like it was getting closer and closer to me. -Have you lost your mind?! -I am going to soon, you know. -What the fuck?! -I am trying to warn you. Escape from here. Don¡¯t stay. -You¡¯re trying to escape! I am not buying that! -Eh, there¡¯s no talking with you! As your father I order you to move! The sentence made me chuckle. Out of all the things, he chose that? Some father he was supposed to be¡­ -You are not my father! I will not obey a piece of shit like you! DIE! She pinned him even harder to the ground, but that was pointless. He was already limp, lying lifeless on the floor. Wait a second, did he really die? If so, then what, or who the hell rather was the one contacting me earlier? And who I met before? Was this memory more recent than I thought? Il, also looked confused, seeing him collapsed, and poked his weapon a few times, not sure what was going on. Considering what I¡¯ve heard from them and what I saw from this spear, I suppose she was expecting that his mana would be sucked into it, absorbed like she was threatening him that she¡¯d do. Was that just an empty threat? Can¡¯t be, he was also aware of that, even commented on it. Besides, I could tell that his mana wasn¡¯t completely gone, while definitely diminished, still there and not drained, that¡¯s for sure. Was he playing dead? Maybe? I wouldn¡¯t put it past him to do something like that, yet it didn¡¯t feel correct. But, his mana was weird, that¡¯s for sure¡­ I soon realized what was that weirdness I was noticing. I have already seen something like this multiple times. In my companions. In myself. Or rather just in Origin Crystal. It was the sign of the mixing process. The assimilation he was worried about. His eyes lit up with blue light. Then it shifted to green. To red. To yellow. And finally flashed in white and dimmed back to normal. -Insufficient state of the vessel. Proceeding with repair. The voice was robotic. Synthetic. -What are you¡­?! You¡¯re alive?! Il tried to twist her weapon inside him, but it didn¡¯t budge. It was already too late. The weapon she was holding was now firmly planted inside his body, never to be removed. Also, his mana flow suddenly lit up, and started moving. Mana started flooding from the spear back to him. ILMA. She was awake. -Insufficient mana reserves. Proceeding with assimilation of nearby material to repair. The spear started shifting its form, getting thinner and thinner¡­ No. It was¡­ leaking? For a second I thought that was just an illusion thanks to my enhanced sight, but it was not it. The weapon was turning into liquid, flowing right to the opening in his chest, trying to fill it with itself. -What!? Il almost fell onto him as the weapon in her hands turned into nothingness and left her unarmed before slowly reforming Mike¡­ or rather, ILMA. -Insufficient material. Extending the range. Starting mana transfer. There was no visible change. At least for the naked eye. But I could see clearly. Mana started suddenly flowing from everything around the place towards him¡­ towards the body that was now being a vessel for her. Where was it coming from? I didn¡¯t want to know the answer, but it was clear the moment I felt the first signs of the energy flowing into him¡­ her. A perspective change. I was a maid, working somewhere downstairs in the palace, cleaning beds for the guests¡­ Then I was not. I was a soldier, patrolling the corridors near the entrance¡­ Then I was not. I was a woman, sitting on the balcony of her tree-house, looking at the palace. Then I was not. I was a child, running up the stairs to meet with their mother looking over the city below. Then I was not. Flashes of multiple people went and passed through me and through what used to be Mike, lying on the floor. Just like once before. Then I was back. This time I was looking directly at Il. As ILMA. As Mike. -Restoration complete. Resuming normal operation. I could feel myself talk with a robotic voice. -Who are you?! What do you want?! Il was not understanding the situation at all. No wonder. It¡¯s not like anyone could just do that without knowing the story of theirs¡­ -Hostility detected. Suppressing. A punch right at her that sent her flying down, towards the end of the corridor. I was barely able to recognize the movement, even though I was the one seeing that from the first person perspective. But at the end of the corridor¡­ There was a circular room, with rows of benches surrounding a wooden statue, sitting on a throne below, in the middle. The same one I had not so long ago awoken. Another Il. The one possessing Mike was slowly and carefully walking down the stairs, following her fall. And it was not because she was biding her time, or was careful, or anything interesting like that. She had trouble walking. It was the first time she actually possessed a body for a while, no wonder she had a hard time walking, not to mention down the stairs. Maybe it was even the first time for her? At least the one in control at least. On the other hand, the one who was down on the floor had difficulty standing up for a bit different reason. That being her legs broken. And probably a bit more bones as well. Seeing how far she sent her flying, it was a miracle that she was still conscious, to be completely honest. But again, she was a powerful magic user, she probably managed to protect herself at the last second. -What are you¡­? - she asked, coughing out a bit of blood, trying to stand up and failing. -Designation ILMA. Infinitely Learning Magical Algorithm. -Wha¡­?! Even though not capable of emotions, I could tell that she was being flustered by her own answer. Was she disappointed that she answered¡­? That made no sense. Was that some remnant of Mike inside or something else entirely? -Mother?! Why¡­ a copy of mother?! That bastard! -Hostility detected. Retaliating. This time, a kick. It sent her back towards the throne where she crashed right at the feet of the statue, leaving a bloody mark on the statue¡¯s feet. -Why¡­ She coughed and tried to sit up, grabbing the statue. -Unit recognized. Designation ¡°ILMA¡±. Unexpected. -Mother¡­ -Unit recognized. Designation ¡°ILOA¡±. Unexpected. She fainted. But as she was falling down onto the ground, a flash of light filled the chamber. It didn¡¯t belong to either of them, though. It was coming from the statue itself. The wooden person sitting on the throne was¡­ Wait. She was no longer sitting on the throne. She was now on the floor, embracing the bloodied figure that had just lost consciousness. -Unit recognized. Unexpected. Unit recognized. Unexpected. Unit recognized. Unexpected. Unit¡­ It started repeating that over and over again, at the same time the light intensified and¡­ With a flash of light, the bloodied Il disappeared from the room, along with possessed Mike. The only one remaining was the statue. That was the last memory of the crystal. 187. Names The next thing I know of was me being forcefully ejected from the memory, back to my own body. -So¡­ What do you think about this? It was For. All of us were sitting in a circle, in a clearing far enough away from the city. After all, none of us were keen on staying there for any moment longer. -Great question. I have no idea - I replied unenthusiastically. -I can¡¯t believe I forgot all of this¡­ - said Il, sitting next to me. After being ejected from the vision, we realized that we had absorbed an extensive amount of mana through the communion with the crystal. For me, it was not a problem, nor did it change a thing, but it wasn¡¯t the case for my other companions. In For¡¯s and Mor¡¯s case it just meant that the crystal they had as a part of their body had expanded a bit. That did not change much for them, but it did concern them a little bit. Especially after seeing how Mike got taken over. In Il¡¯s case, it was more useful than anything. Her wooden form changed from the blank, doll-like to almost human. She now had a face and her features were a bit more pronounced. If not for the color and overall texture of her body, you could mistake her for a regular person. She was sitting next to me, but the two others were trying to keep their distance from her, be as far as possible and observe her. I didn¡¯t need to explain that to them, nor did I want to, but she was not the main problem we were going to have to deal with. Besides, she herself was not sure about that either. The first thing she said was to keep an eye on her and do whatever we have to to protect ourselves. But I knew better. Her and ILMA were two different things. Whenever I wanted or not, I had experienced both of them and could tell the difference. Be it mana or not, be it the manner of speaking or whatever you want, that was not it. I just knew her. -Do¡­ Do you think she survived? - asked Kon, breaking the silence. - You know¡­ she looked a bit¡­ -We probably should look for her¡­ - agreed For, surprising me a bit. -That is pointless - said Il. -Right. We have no idea when that memory even happened. And it might have been a long time ago. Who knows when this¡­ -This city was alive not even a week ago or so - stated For. -And how do you know? -I¡­ I can tell from the mana in here¡­ It¡¯s fresh. -I mean¡­ It¡¯s¡­ I paused and looked up into the sky. -I would love to. But I have no idea how to find her. If we were still in the MIRE, or at least in a more developed country, then maybe¡­ but here? We cannot track someone in the middle of the woods¡­ -The only clues we¡¯d have had disappeared - I said. - Palace and the room? Gone. The crystal that showed us this? Gone. -Well, not totally. Didn¡¯t you¡­ or rather, we, absorb it? -Sure we did. But that doesn¡¯t change the fact that it¡¯s gone and we can¡¯t do shit with it. -Yes¡­ - nodded Il. - And I have no idea where I sent her¡­ If that even was something I did¡­ -Come on, I am sure that¡­ - I started, but stopped mid sentence. She did not need words of comfort. Especially not from me. She was calmer than me and not like I was in a place to try after all that time. -I am sorry to say that¡­ but I still don¡¯t know if I should trust you. It¡¯s not like¡­ -For. Stop - I growled at her. -Okay, I know that she is your friend, but look at her! Look at what she is! It¡¯s not like you can¡­ -Can what? Predict what she¡¯s going to do? - I barked at her. - No. I can¡¯t. Nor can you predict what I am going to do. So what? -That¡¯s not¡­ -What, that¡¯s she¡¯s not human any more? What does that change? Look at yourself. Look at me. NONE OF US ARE HUMAN ANY MORE. -I am aware. It¡¯s not a matter of race or some shit. I am talking about the fact that whatever happened to Axelrod and that girl, was definitely connected to her. To your ILMA. So you can¡¯t blame me for worrying that the same thing might happen to us! -Worrying? - I scoffed at her. - Are you really forgetting what I told you already? That¡¯s not ¡°might¡±. It¡¯s ¡°will¡±. -Yes, but I still would like to have control, not destroy¡­ -You had given up on that option the moment you took in the crystal. I am sorry, this process is not something you can undo. It¡¯s only a thing that can either control you, or you can control it. -And how the hell are you¡­ -I controlled it. She controlled it. And Mike failed. That¡¯s all there is to it. -Don¡¯t talk like you know it¡¯s over! - she replied. - How do you know?! You don¡¯t know the future! You said it yourself, that was an experiment! And those things don¡¯t just finish because it ¡°seems like it¡± or something stupid like that! -Sure they don¡¯t. Then what, what do you want from me?! -Sorry¡­ but don¡¯t you think the important thing is to figure out what he meant¡­? The one who interrupted the arguing was Kon. Funny that he, being the youngest one, was the most responsible and the most clear- headed of us all. -Like what? For was not hiding her irritation, but was responding to him in a much calmer manner than talking to me. -The king¡­ Axelrod, he gave you that shard, right? Why? And why now? It¡¯s not like he didn¡¯t have an opportunity to do that before. -Right¡­ - I agreed. - He was with us for a long while. I mean, at least Rob was, I am not sure that Mike was constantly aware of what was going on¡­ This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. -Wasn¡¯t he possessed¡­? - muttered For. -And so was supposedly each of the Moi brothers, yet they still had their own personality and memories. -Wasn¡¯t that just acting? -Now when you mention it.. didn¡¯t you say that they sometimes acted¡­ out of their character? - pointed out Kon. - Like a different person? Like they changed their mind suddenly¡­? I stopped to think for a moment. He was onto something. There were multiple instances when I thought exactly that: that someone had changed suddenly, doing or saying something completely not fit for their character. Did that mean¡­ That I just was noticing the changes when Mike was swapping with them? Or at least taking over for a moment¡­? But wouldn¡¯t that mean that they¡¯d eventually go back to being themselves? Or was he taking over permanently? And if it was the first one, would they just accept it and not comment on that? Not ask anyone or seek help? No. Not unless they thought of him as an ally. And they were already believing him before. But even then, if that was not the case, he could just not give them control back. It¡¯s not like I had a constant eye on him. And apparently, he did have a constant eye on us. On me. -It¡­ It actually explains a lot¡­ - mumbled For, agreeing with Kon and my own train of thought. - I did think that our ¡°allies¡± or ¡°prisoners¡± were really cooperative sometimes, and sometimes too annoying for their own good. As she was saying that, she turned towards Il. I already could tell what she was thinking, not even having to use my connection with her. -She is not Mike. You have seen the vision, right? - I said, raising my non-existing brow at her. -I am not stupid. I can tell that those two are different. But that¡¯s the thing, they are not completely. -The fuck do you mean? She stared right at her. Il returned the look with exhaustion in her eyes. Could she even be exhausted? I guess mentally, sure¡­ -I¡¯ve been looking at your mana. And I¡¯ve seen that it is really, really similar to his. -To Mike? -To king, yes - she nodded. - But, it¡¯s not the same. It¡¯s like¡­ he¡¯s attached somewhere to you¡­ -Well, that does sound about right - I nodded. -And what does THAT mean? -You know about the copy. You know the copy took over Mike. That¡¯s not very hard to deduce, right? -Sure, but that doesn¡¯t mean that they should¡­ I mean, I know Axelrod. I¡¯ve been in his presence multiple times. He didn¡¯t have anything like that. He was also the same. I¡¯ve never seen something like that on him. -Doesn¡¯t mean that he didn¡¯t change. Nor does it mean that the one you¡¯ve seen was the real one as well. -What, you think he hid himself?! How?! -Fuck if I know. But it¡¯s more that I think he was just suppressing the other ¡°part¡± of him so well that you weren¡¯t able to tell. -I am not that blind - she scoffed. - With the crystal, I can clearly tell. -Right. ¡°With the crystal¡± - I interrupted her. - And when was the last time you seen him while having that crystal? -Wasn¡¯t that supposed to be always? Or at least since the beginning of my ruling over the Red Edge? - she pointed out. - You said that thing was a part of him and¡­ -I know. But it¡¯s not like you knew that. Neither like you tried to use it. Am I right? -I¡­ I guess¡­ She was clearly torn with mixed feelings. -I can tell that you are really distrustful¡­ and to be honest, I am as well. It was Il. She finally spoke up. Honestly, I was surprised she did. I thought it was going to take her a lot longer to gather her thoughts and come to terms with what just happened. -I know, there¡¯s a lot of things that are weird right now¡­ and I speak from my own experience¡­ - she started. - To be honest, I am still baffled that all of you are taking it so well¡­ especially you, Mor. -I¡¯ve been here for a while already and seen a lot of weird things¡­ - I said, nodding. -That¡¯s not what I meant. -Ah. I gave her a questioning look. Was she really saying what I thought¡­? -So I won¡¯t be trying to deny that: yes, I probably am a threat to you. -That¡¯s¡­! -But - she didn¡¯t let For finish her thought - not in a way you think. She took a deep breath. It was strange seeing that in her new form. -I think the best would be for me to actually tell you my name. I am Iloa Pino¡­ or rather just Vaganto now. Just hearing those names made my head spin. And it¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t know them, but for some reason, the moment I heard them, it was like someone started drilling a hole in my own head. A bit unpleasant, to say the least. -What does that mean, ¡°just¡±? - asked Kon. -Not much. It¡¯s just that Pino is Michael¡¯s name¡­ or how you know him: Axelrod. As I used to be his wife¡­ -Used to? Aren¡¯t you still? -Ah, sorry¡­ it¡¯s not that I am not any more. It¡¯s a bit different - she sighed. - But besides that, he remarried. I don¡¯t think I should use his name any more¡­ not like it makes a difference. -But wait, weren¡¯t you called ILMA before? What does that mean? -No. I was always Iloa. The ILMA you speak of was just a copy of me. An intelligence. I think Mor already told you that. -He did¡­ but that¡­ wait, so back then it was that THING? -I told you, she¡¯s not a thing¡­ - I muttered, scratching my head, trying to not be distracted by the pulsing pain. - But to be honest, recently¡­ I don¡¯t know. Il looked at me carefully. -Is everything alright? - asked Kon. - You seem¡­ out of it. -I kinda am - I agreed. - And besides that, I seem to be having a headache. For raised her brew. -That''s new. You can feel pain? -I told you that I can multiple times. I am more human than you think. -Can¡¯t tell by your appearance, to be honest¡­ - she mumbled. -Whatever. Besides, that¡¯s not about me right now. Please Il, continue. She nodded. -As you are aware, the person we just saw in the vision was my daughter. Ilma. -I mean¡­ I know you made this experiment, but¡­ -Oh, no - Interrupted her Il. - I mean, sure, yes. I do think of both of them that way, that I guess is right¡­ -Both. -Right. Ilma. The human you saw. My daughter. Biological daughter. And what now is apparently running rampant: ILMA. The algorithm we created, based on¡­ mostly me, but not only. -Damn¡­ -Yeah, the naming is not the best, I agree¡­ - she smiled. - But what can I say, the father didn¡¯t have a head to naming things. -Hah. I can tell. Axelrod, Ilon, Il¡­ - chuckled For. - Seems like it. -Yeah¡­ speaking of¡­ I probably should change it¡­ -Change¡­? Il smiled sadly and turned to me. -Mor. Do you trust those two? - she asked. -Of course. You know that already, they have a piece of¡­ -Of crystal. I know. But I still wanted to hear that from you. -Why¡­? -Just an assurance. Well then. I mentioned changing my name, right? -Ah¡­ right¡­? - asked For, a bit confused. -I actually have a third name, you know. -Third? -Yes. -What the hell, why? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be the original person? Mor, are you sure that it¡¯s not the ¡°experiment¡± talking here? - asked For, worried. - Why would you have three? I understand two, but¡­ -Let me explain - she replied calmly. -...? -My first one. Given name. Iloa Vaganto. For nodded. At the same time, the pain that I thought was already giving up, intensified again. -The second one: Iloa Pine, after Michael. A pulsing pain again. -Yeah, you said that. And what about the third? - asked Kon. -Iloa Griza. After Ilma¡¯s father. -Wait FATHER? So not Axelrod?! The pain pulsed once more and just as she replied, it finally stopped. -Yeah. After the man you see here. Mor Griza. 188. Secrets The moment she said that, something snapped inside my mind. First off, it was like some buzzing distant in my head finally got silent. Yes. That was my name. I finally remembered. But it felt so distant, I barely could recognize it. Was it because I barely was the person I was before? Maybe. I shot her a look. Should I continue for her? Or let her tell them as much as she wanted to say? I mean, in current circumstances, I didn¡¯t really care how much they learned, nor like it mattered, really. But that would be a good check to see how much she remembered. And how much our memories had in common. At that point, I myself was starting to be worried that I was missing more than I was realizing¡­ She noticed my look. -It¡¯s fine. I am fine¡­ I¡¯ll¡­ -As long as you are fine with it¡­ - I replied, nodding. -Wait, wait, wait - interrupted For. - The two of you¡­ are a thing?! -¡±Are a thing¡± is a bit rude, isn¡¯t it? - I pointed out. -I¡­ I mean, I am sorry, but it¡¯s not¡­ -It¡¯s alright¡­ - said Il. - And¡­ It¡¯s complicated. She sighed. -The three of us met back in school - she started. - I am not going to bore you with the full story, though. What you need to know is that we all went our separate ways after that ended, but by sheer accident, I met with Mor a few years later. One led to another, but in the middle of that, magic happened. -Magic? You mean the catastrophe? -No. I mean the actual appearance of magic in our world. After that, the governments that were still active were looking for people to hire and research this new phenomenon. In secret of course. -Yeah, I heard all of you were involved in that - said For. -Yeah. But we didn¡¯t know that at first. You know how politics work: no one wants to share information. So, after getting scouted, I had to sign a non-disclosure agreement. The whole project at the start was top-secret. We didn¡¯t even know who our coworkers were. -You¡­ you worked together, not knowing who you are? - asked Kon. - But¡­ How does that make you¡­ er¡­? -That was my fault - I picked up. - When I got the information that I was going to work on some secret government project, the first thing I did was decide that I was not going to involve my friends in it and cut contacts with Il. -I still remember being hurt - she said, clearly remembering the painful memories. - But I had to get over it quickly, new job and all that. -Same as me. If I knew back then how would it go¡­ I wouldn¡¯t¡­ -I know - Il interrupted me. - Don¡¯t need to tell me every time. I smiled, painfully. -In any case¡­ - she continued - I didn¡¯t have much time to process things, getting swamped with work. But luckily, I found new¡­ colleagues at work. Apparently none of them were new, but that was a revelation later. The head of research was soon appointed, that being Mike. For a long while we were working together without even knowing our names. I just knew that I had two coworkers, one being distant and almost non-existent, that being Mor¡­ -I was still¡­ a bit out of it - I sighed. - I mean, I did have to suddenly break up and destroy a relationship¡­ I was hating myself for that. But my feelings aside, I dedicated myself to just being more diligent at work and trying to be more useful there instead of pitying myself. -Yeah¡­ you were¡­ well, if I was to describe you then, I¡¯d say you were a workaholic that didn¡¯t want to socialize if it was not work-related - commented Il. -That would be pretty accurate¡­ -And, luckily or maybe unluckily, I soon found a bit of a respite in a sudden realization of who I was working with¡­ -Did you find out each other¡¯s names? - asked For. - How? -It was my carelessness¡­ - admitted Il. - One day, sending my boss something work-related, I forgot to remove my name¡­ And he remembered me. -We met not so long later, remembering old times, and one thing led to another¡­ - said Il. - But that was also when I learned I was pregnant. We decided to marry, to not make problems for either of our families. -But that was not¡­ not his child - mumbled For¡­ - How quick were you¡­? Il blushed, even through her wooden form. -I¡­ It was about a month after our break-up. I admit, I might have fallen for him a bit too quickly, but I was young¡­ -We all were - I sighed. - Don¡¯t blame yourself. -Okay¡­ but how did you realize the mistake? - asked For. - I mean¡­ If you don¡¯t mind telling¡­ She was curious. Can¡¯t blame her. -It¡¯s alright¡­ You know how I am able to recognize different mana¡­? -You are? -Right - I picked up. - The ability I told you¡­ the ones you have - I gestured towards For and Kon - did not come from the crystal. Or, at least not directly. Originally, they belonged to Il and only her. None of us could do it. -Precisely. When our girl was born, I noticed that something was off. I could see my own mana in her, obviously, but not Mike¡¯s. I never told him that fact of course, but since then I had my suspicions. And those were confirmed when we finally formed MIRE. -Yeah¡­ that was the day we, for the first time, officially got to work together in one facility. We were to meet in our new building in person. -You can imagine the reaction of all of us¡­ - I said. - The moment we met up is something that pains me to this day, even though I cannot remember it clearly¡­ What I was talking about. Sure, before I was not able to remember it. But after hearing her part of the story, I already had the image in my head. Image that was missing for a long time¡­ The three of us, standing in one black room, looking at each other with disbelief. The mixed bag of feelings that was rolling through every single one of us. -What I am saying. I remember it - I sighed. - You can imagine what happened next¡­ -Yeah. The moment I saw Mor, I could tell that he was the father. His mana was the obvious missing link I had all that time. Rest is history. -And¡­ and you just went ahead with your lives like that?! - For was not hiding her outrage and disappointment. - You just left it as is?! This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. -Look here - I said, not letting Il reply to her - what exactly did you do in this situation, hm? -I would definitely do something! Not like you pretending that she didn¡¯t exist?! -And who said we did that? -We did confirm later her real father - said Il quietly. - Using more mundane methods, not my feeling, just to be safe. And we were planning to tell her¡­ but not that soon¡­ -Early? Isn¡¯t she a full grown adult?! -Did you forget we kind of spent a lot of time here? When the accident happened, she was just a kid. -But that is a fair point - joined in Kon. - Doesn¡¯t that mean she also is¡­ a remnant? That she has part of you inside? Or at least another one, I mean the crystal¡­? He was on to something. As far as we knew, we were here for a lot of years. If she was just a regular person, her lifespan would be long gone by now. Did she end up here later than anticipated¡­? Not possible, we saw her in multiple visions of Mike, meaning she was here for a long time as well. Did she also get hit by the explosion? I was hoping that she was spared, but I guess that''s just my delusions. -Damn¡­ It¡¯s my fault¡­ I didn¡¯t stop it¡­ - I said, sighing. -It¡¯s not just you. We all were at fault - said Il. - In hindsight, we would¡¯ve done things differently, but who knew¡­ -Who knew¡­ -Well, I guess we know your story¡­ - said For. - But what are we supposed to do with it¡­? It comes like a non issue for now, Axelrod is dead, seemingly. Most of our problems are gone. If your ¡°construct¡± or whatever comes, you can just order it to stand down, right? It worked once? -It what¡­? - Il asked, intrigued. -Well, it barely worked¡­ I explained to her how I managed to ¡°pacify¡± her earlier. Honestly, I was surprised. I thought she¡¯d remember that, being her or not, she still should have access to other memories. I guess that was a good thing though, it really meant that she was a quite different entity from what I¡¯ve been in contact with earlier. That she was still herself. I wonder for how long, though? -I don¡¯t think we can count on that - she finally said. - And besides, I think Mike is still alive. -But wasn¡¯t he taken over? -At least once. But who says that he cannot just get his mind back¡­? -That is possible? -Who knows. At this point, ILMA is a completely different entity from what I knew of her. From what I am as well. So I cannot predict her, nor understand her behavior patterns. -I do agree¡­ - muttered For, and I just quietly nodded. The experiment was already so far gone, it was hard to even understand what she was planning to do. -But, one thing is certain. I want to meet my daughter¡­ and well, myself. -I do understand trying to find your child - agreed For - but why the other you? Wouldn¡¯t that be a bit dangerous? -Dangerous? - I chuckled. -Of course! The assimilation and all, wouldn¡¯t she have some kind of advantage, if you were just to approach her¡­? -Oh, don¡¯t get me wrong, it is dangerous. But I don¡¯t think it matters any more. Besides¡­ There''s a problem. If we are right, and indeed she has a piece of ILMA in her¡­ -That is given at this point¡­ - solemnly agreed Il. -That means that our daughter is the one in danger. And at this point, I had it enough with playing passively. -Playing passively? - chuckled For. - Finally decided to act like a father. That one stung. -I am not saying that I am a good one. But at least I am trying. -First time for everything. Okay, now she was trying to get me annoyed. -Listen here, smartass. I know that hearing the whole story it is clear that I fucked up. But so what? How do you expect me to fix it? Lie down and do nothing? She just shrugged. -So then shut up. -Well, last time she fought him, she had an advantage - pointed out Kon. - It shouldn¡¯t be that bad¡­ -And yet she lost - I reminded him. -Both of them were not in the best shape in the end - agreed Il. - We have to prevent the next encounter like that. -What, you think she¡¯s going to try and find him again? - asked For. - Didn¡¯t she learn that he¡¯s not what she thought he was¡­? -Sure, she did. But what does that matter? -If that, she¡¯s probably going to try twice as hard - said Il, smiling. - I would¡¯ve done so at least¡­ -So would I¡­ - I sighed. -Damn. What a pair¡­ - said For, shaking her head. -What? -Nothing. -What matters now is how we find her. -Where was the last place we think she was found? Wasn¡¯t it here? - asked Il. -It definitely looked that way - said For, realizing that there was no point in arguing with us. Or rather just mostly me. -We already looked through the place - pointed out Kon. - We haven¡¯t seen anything that would help us, I don¡¯t think. -Not like there¡¯s much to be found any more as well - said For. - There¡¯s no point in going back there. -Who said we want to? I am just thinking aloud - admitted Il. - But as much as I don¡¯t like it, you are right. -I hate it, but I think I want to be quick about it - she said after a moment of thought. -You hate what? -Let¡¯s just portal there and be done with it. -Er¡­ How? We don¡¯t have any anchors¡­? - asked For, confused. - Or do you have something in mind? I looked at her and even without reading her mind realized what she was thinking about¡­ -Isn¡¯t that a bit¡­ well, I want to say dangerous, but I guess if it¡¯s just me I¡¯d be fine¡­ I definitely am not letting you do that yourself - I added, knowing well what she wanted to do. -I mean¡­ I wanted to do it myself,, but I agree that your body seems like the best one to be the guinea pig. I am not sure about mine¡­ - she said. -You definitely look more human than me, that¡¯s true - I agreed. - But that¡¯s not really a proof of anything - I added immediately. -What are you talking about? - asked For, irritated. -Kon, remember the ¡°experimental¡± teleportations we were talking about? Do you think you¡¯d be capable of doing something like that? He opened his eyes wide. -I¡­ well¡­ I do think so, but who¡­ who¡¯d you like to target? Yourself¡­? -Wait¡­ YOU want to work as an anchor?! - yelped For. - How the hell would that work?! -Well, it would supposedly open a way to the one closest to me biologically¡­ and that could only be Il. I don¡¯t have any brothers or¡­ -I am aware how that is supposed to work! But that¡¯s not what I am worried about! If you forgot, you are now a bit different, right? It¡¯s not like we know what the hell would that do to the spell. -Well, that¡¯s why I want it to be me - I said. - I am going to pass through, and if there¡¯s something wrong with the other side, I am the one that has the best chances of survival, even if I end up on the bottom of the ocean. -What the fuck¡­ And you all are okay with it?! Kon shrugged. By now he was used to my outlandish claims, I think, especially after learning about me regrowing my head. Il knew me more than anyone, and she was the one who first thought of that idea. I was definitely not letting her do that herself, though. The only one that seemed opposed was For. I guess she was the most normal person in our group, which is funny, since she was supposed to be ¡°an elf¡±, if that was even a thing for real. Not the first time she¡¯s been not against me teleporting into the unknown, but at least this time she managed to contain her moaning about ¡°leaving her behind¡±. Well, mostly. -If there¡¯s no more issues, let¡¯s try it out - I said, standing up. - Kon, you feeling well? -Yeah, sure. But¡­ How should I try it¡­? Do I cast it on a part of you or something¡­? I never tried something like that¡­ especially with a body like yours¡­ -What¡¯s wrong with his body? -Well, my first idea would be to get something¡­ like a nail, hair or blood, and try using that as an anchor. You know. But that¡¯s not really possible¡­ -Right¡­ I remembered our attempts at getting a piece of crystal from my body. Wait¡­ -Would the whole hand work? - I asked, pointing to my patched hand. - We did manage to get a piece of me, right? -Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s a bit too much? What if it disappears? -Well, not like it matters much, I¡¯d probably regrow it anyway, even if something would happen to it. I detached the hand from my wrist and gave it to him. -Ugh¡­ For looked at it with a mixture of disgust and interest. -Come on, that¡¯s just a piece of crystal. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s dripping blood and all that¡­ -It does not to you? - she asked, genuinely surprised. -What? -When I look at it, it looks like it¡¯s oozing with mana¡­ Like an open wound¡­ it¡¯s not blood, but¡­ -Really? - I asked, interested. - It just looks like an infused piece for me, I said, getting a closer look. - Well, it doesn''t matter. Shall we? Kon nodded. For only turned her head in consternation. Il placed her hand on my wrist and grabbed it tightly. -I am sorry¡­ -Don¡¯t be. It¡¯s just how it is. 189. Us It took Kon a moment to prepare a spell and be ready to open a portal. Apparently, the mana that was still in my hand was more than enough to get a link needed to open a portal. The question was, to where? That was about to be answered, because a moment later, a familiar glow appeared and a circular doorway opened right in front of me, placed on a tree we were nearby. I gazed inside, but as expected, I couldn¡¯t see shit. -Go back as soon as you think something¡¯s wrong - said Il. - Be careful. -I¡¯ll be. Wish me luck. And I walked through the portal. It didn¡¯t even take me a second to understand where I landed, so, as promised, I walked back and joined my group again. -Already?! Where did you land? - asked For, not hiding surprise. -Is it safe? - Kon was more interested in a practical answer. -Well¡­ I am not sure why I landed there, but it¡¯s definitely safe. -What makes you so sure? -Come on. It¡¯s probably better than this place. -Hm¡­? -Where¡¯s ¡°there¡± exactly then? -Come on. They looked at each other, but nodded and followed me through. The other side was as green as the place we left, probably even more than that. We were standing in a ruined building, the portal being attached to one of the still remaining walls, covered in moss. The large hole in the building was letting us see the large patch of the forest, surrounded by a weird-looking mountain range, as tall as the eye could see, with walls so steep you¡¯d say that they are completely vertical. -Where are we¡­? - asked Kon, looking around. - This seems familiar somehow¡­ -I feel that, too - agreed For. -What about you, Il? - I asked. -I¡­ is that¡­ our¡­? -Ah. So you do remember. -Remember? You know where we are. -I do. Welcome to MIRE. Right. I am not sure why, but we landed exactly in the spot where I first arrived, or well, rather where I first woke up after the calamity. It was almost exactly the same as when I left it before. Devoid of people and overtaken by nature. Kind of pretty, if you ask me. -MIRE¡­? Il couldn¡¯t believe her senses. Even though she knew we were right. It was hard to not recognize our building, even though it was destroyed. The Origin Crystal was missing, of course, but the spot where it was supposed to be still was recognizable. Speaking of, something was bothering me. This place should be completely flooded with magic, but I was not feeling it at all. I mean, sure, I felt that my surroundings were full of mana, but not to the degree I was expecting: I should be blinded by the leak I knew was there. And yes, it was definitely still there: right where the crystal used to be, but for some reason it felt like it wasn¡¯t spewing as much mana any more. Was the environment healing? I mean, of course, that was going to happen sooner or later, but for it to be so quick? I honestly thought that it¡¯d taken hundreds of years, but this¡­? I was here like what, months ago and the situation wasn¡¯t like that before. Hm. -MIRE¡­ - muttered Il. -Well, we used a bit of an unorthodox method to get here. My first thought was that it was the remnants of the Origin Crystal that called me here, so to speak. The mana from the place was a lot powerful before. -But it¡¯s not any more, right¡­ - agreed Il, snapping out of her trance. - And if it is really the same place, no wonder that you¡¯d be pulled towards it, be it his magic or yours, both of them are attached to this spot¡­ -Precisely. Especially me¡­ Ah! I realized that I still had feeling in my hand. I tried moving my fingers, but that only made Kon jump. -What¡¯s up? -Your hand! It¡¯s¡­ It was still there. He realized that he was still holding onto it. -It did not disappear during the spell¡­ -Hm¡­ I guess I have too much mana¡­ True, when I took a better look at it, it definitely was drained a lot more. And I was barely able to move it. The only reason he jumped was the fact that he was holding it like he was giving me a very weird handshake and felt it squeeze a bit. -I guess it¡¯s still working¡­ - I muttered, trying to attach it back into the place. I just used a piece of cloth I still had remaining from before, but the moment I placed it back where it should be, I felt mana flow back to it¡­ I guess I needed to charge it? That sounds so stupid¡­ -Well, anyway¡­ - I continued my earlier train of thought - I thought that it was the crystal or the leak that was pulling me towards this place, but if neither is as bad as I thought, I guess we can assume that the spell worked. -How are you so sure¡­? -I am not - I admitted. - That¡¯s why we need to check this place more thoroughly, and who¡¯s better than you two? -I mean, you can do it yourself¡­ -Of course we¡¯ll help - said Il. - But with more of us it¡¯s going to be faster. -Hm. -Do you really think she¡¯s there¡­? - asked me Il when both For and Kon started scouting the surroundings with their enhanced senses. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. -I do hope so. Honestly, I am not sure if it really was not just the remains of the crystal that got us here, but¡­ -Yeah, I was meaning to ask¡­ are you really not feeling it? I gazed at her, curious. -Feel what? -The pull. Like¡­ something is calling you. Something unpleasant that is trying to get to you, you know? I took a second to think about it. The only thing I could feel was the presence of her, and the rest of the group. Sure, her was a lot stronger, maybe because I was closest to her and we were not so long ago connected in more than one way, but¡­ a pull? I was feeling something alright, but it wasn¡¯t really like what she was describing. -You know, it¡¯s quite the opposite to me - I said after a moment. - It¡¯s not strong, but it¡¯s there and not unpleasant, more like¡­ I don¡¯t know, nostalgic? -Nostalgic? -Like something I¡¯ve been missing is calling to me¡­ I mean, considering the source, I guess it makes sense¡­ -Source? You can track it? -I don¡¯t have to track it. The source is right in front of me. -I¡­ She hesitated, not sure what to reply. -I am sorry¡­ - she finally said. -There¡¯s nothing to be sorry about - I simply said. - To be honest, I should be the one apologizing. If not for my stubbornness, we wouldn¡¯t be in this situation today. -Same goes for me. If I was a bit more patient¡­ then¡­ -Patient? Ha, maybe. But you were always a bit of a hot-head. Besides, it doesn¡¯t matter any more. We have to find Il. And maybe even Mike. -About him¡­ -Oh, stop it. I mean, sure, I was hurt, more than a bit, but that¡¯s what I deserved after abandoning you two like that. He was more of a man and to be honest, I am thankful that he made you happy¡­ Something that I failed to do¡­ -I didn¡¯t¡­ you did not¡­ -I know. I sighed heavily. -I would be lying if I said that I wasn¡¯t angry. But what¡¯s past is past. The next question was something I didn¡¯t think I would hear. -If we find him¡­ what do you want to do? -I¡­ what do you mean? -Do you still want to play that game? -I¡­ eh¡­ -There¡¯s no point any more. Honestly, there wasn¡¯t a point even earlier, but this time¡­ we have an opportunity to start again. -I don¡¯t want to think about it just yet. First we have to find them first. And make sure that all of them are alright. -ALL of them? -Yes. All. But, despite saying that, I was not sure myself. And which one did she mean by that? All of them? Was she not sure if we should try and save ILMA? Or was she not sure if we should save Mike? Or something completely else? That was a question. -You done talking yet? - asked For from the other side of the ruined building. She was already below us, on the ground floor, looking through the bushes nearby. -For! Let them talk¡­! It was Kon. Sure enough, both of them were keeping tabs on us. No wonder. -I keep forgetting that you two are connected to me¡­ - I sighed. -Not only to you. To both of you - she pointed out. - If you are done, come on down, I think we found something. -Hm? -Shall we? - asked Il. I nodded, and we both walked down, finding our way through the ruined stairways of the MIRE. -I thought that you¡¯re just going to jump - said For as we emerged outside the building. - It would¡¯ve been faster¡­ -Ah¡­ Right. With my body it definitely would be the fastest way, not like I¡¯d be damaged or anything. -It was a bit of a nostalgia trip - said Il. - It brings back memories. -Mhm¡­ -Anyway, why did you call us? You two found something? -Right. I mean, you were right, this place is absolutely full of mana¡­ -No wonder, that was kind of the point. Even when everything was still contained, the area was supposed to have a healthy amount of mana¡­ -Well, now ¡°healthy¡± is an understatement. It¡¯s like¡­ -Like the leyline was ruptured? - I interrupted her. - Yeah, I know. But still, it¡¯s gotten a bit more tame now, for whatever reason. -Hm¡­ yeah, speaking of. We were looking through the place, and it¡¯s hard to see, really¡­ -Even for you two? -Yeah - chimed in Kon. - I mean, I still can recognize what¡¯s where, but it¡¯s like looking at a very bright light. -Sounds familiar¡­ -I mean, not like you explained - he added immediately. - From what you said back then it was blinding, but now it¡¯s just a bit annoying. -Well, that¡¯s strange, because now I can¡¯t see it at all. -What?! -Sure, before I was not able to see anything at all, but now it¡¯s just like a regular place for me - I explained. - Sure, if I pay attention, I can tell it¡¯s infused, but it¡¯s not even remotely close to what you two are describing right now. -Uh¡­ weird. -Il, how about you? -Well, I think I see the same thing as you - she replied after a moment of hesitation. - But that¡¯s unusual¡­ -I wonder¡­ maybe I just got used to the power¡­? - I said, absentmindedly. - I have been relying on magical sight for a while now, maybe I built up the tolerance¡­? -I mean, you can take a look via my own senses, right? - proposed Kon. - We can compare it like that maybe? -Good thinking. I quickly focused on him and tried joining him as I used to. This time it was even faster than usual. Maybe because he was right next to me, or maybe I was getting proficient in that. First thing that I took notice of was the fact that right in front of me, or rather him now, were two shining beacons of light that were hard to miss and were suppressing almost everything I was able to see. -Holy shit, am I shining so much?! - I said, not hiding the surprise. -Shining¡­? - he asked, confused. - I mean¡­ I saw the light but that¡¯s¡­ wait. That was you?! -What are you talking about? -It was him? Let me look¡­ - said For, stunned, and moment later reeled backwards, covering her eyes. -AAH! -Are you okay?! -I will be fine¡­ - she said from the ground, rubbing her eyes from what I assumed was pain and shock. - Damn. The moment she fell on the ground I detached my sight from Kon and instead inspected myself with my own senses. Sure, I was full of mana, but to my knowledge I was not some shining beacon of light, at least not in my eyes. Same with Il. She was full of power, but it wasn¡¯t unbearable nor really sticking out to me at least. And yet, in their eyes, the two of us were hard to look at. -So does that mean that the aura you thought was this place¡¯s was just the two of us? - asked Il, concerned. - How¡­? -I mean¡­ I knew it was coming from the spot where we landed - admitted For - but never thought that that would be you. -Wasn¡¯t that the place where you landed? And where the leyline was supposed to be broken¡­? - asked Kon. -Yes¡­ but now it¡¯s mostly mended itself. And wow¡­ -I guess looking for anything useful here will be harder than we thought - said Il. - If there¡¯s anything here, we are not going to find it while shining like that¡­ -I just don¡¯t get it how the two of you seem to be not influenced at all - said For. - Especially when the two of you are constantly together. -I assume that it has something to do with us not actually using real, physical eyes to see - I replied. -And that¡¯s different from before, because¡­? -Beats me - I admitted. - I already stopped trying to understand everything about the crystal and learned to just accept it and move on. -Damn. -What¡¯s important though is the fact that now we have a problem, more than before that is - said Il. - We landed in supposedly a location where she was, that is if the portal actually worked, but we don¡¯t have a way to find her. -I mean, we have, you just have to get away from us and it should be fine¡­? -Really? That simple? -I mean, do you have any other ideas? Besides, it worked before. You weren¡¯t interfering when we were looking through the capital, right? -I mean¡­ I guess¡­? -So what, you just want us to take a walk instead of helping you? - I said, chuckling. -Like you were much help before. -I didn¡¯t even start to. But sure, if you want. -Mor, don¡¯t you¡­ - started Il, but I interrupted her. -It¡¯s fine. They will do just fine. Besides, I am going to scan the area myself. -And what, you can¡¯t tell the difference between¡­ -I can¡¯t tell the difference between people, sure, but I think I can recognize my own mana. If it¡¯s nearby. And even if I cannot, I can point us in a direction at least. I do have a better range than you. -Supposedly. Okay, let¡¯s do it. 190. Spotted I started focusing on the environment, not sure what to expect after the recent revelations and overall worries. But, none of those mattered. My ability was as good as it was before, and it didn¡¯t even take me a minute to spread my awareness through the whole structure next to me and a good chunk of forest as well Aand¡­ -Nothing nearby - I announced. -What¡¯s ¡°nearby¡±, can you be a bit more precise? - asked For. -Not in the building and about a hundred meters radius around us. Is that enough? -That¡¯s¡­ a bit small, isn¡¯t it? I honestly couldn''t believe what I was hearing. Last time I did something like that they were in amazement that I was able to sense that far, and now they were disappointed¡­? I think Kon felt my animosity, because she immediately added: -I mean¡­ That¡¯s good to know, but didn¡¯t last time you did that you managed to reach much further¡­? I forced myself to not curse at him and only said: -I am just starting. Give me a moment. Okay, sure, I was holding back a little bit. But that wasn¡¯t much. I was unsure if without Il I was able to reach as far as I used to. Without even mentioning that to her, she realized what was going on and placed her hand on my shoulder. -Let me help. -You don¡¯t have to, I mean¡­ -I know. But it¡¯s going to be faster¡­ -Hm. When I thought Il, I meant ILMA, not her, but I was not going to tell her that. Besides, I was not sure if the AI would be more potent in this situation. Nor did I have a choice. My worries were pointless, because the moment she joined in, I could tell that her power was something else. In a span of a second, she managed to attune herself to my own senses and was already helping me reach further and further. Yet still, it was not enough. We managed to double our range, but still we have not found anything interesting. -I have an idea¡­ -Hm¡­? -Don¡¯t worry. I am not trying anything weird. I just want to change the way we are looking¡­ -Sure¡­ be my guest. Even though I said that, I was not sure what she meant by that. As far as I knew, none of us were really in control more than the other, so I just withdrew as much as I could without completely dropping my concentration. -Here goes¡­ What she did was simple, yet so effective, that I couldn¡¯t really understand why I didn¡¯t think of that before. What I alone was doing, and how we started, was just me spreading my awareness regularly through the whole area I wanted to search. Seemed logical and I have been doing that pretty often, just to get my bearings and all that stuff. But what she did was a bit different. Instead of looking at the whole image, she concentrated her, or rather our, aura in a singular line, which she sent as far away as she could, reaching out like some weird magical amoeba, snaking through the area. What she made was just some scuffed radar: by moving the aura, she was feeling out whatever obstacles she could and passed through them. It had its downsides. It definitely did not give us a live-image I was used to, instead we were left with just spots that we found more concentrated mana spots or anomalies. Those were plenty, but none of them were interesting to us, being just trees or other different enhanced creations of nature. But, what it lacked in clarity of image, the method definitely was making up in the distance covered. Since we didn¡¯t have to use a large circular area, the whole thing was slowly getting converted to almost a line that was just briefly passing through stuff The hundreds of meters turned to more than a kilometer, and soon I was able to tell that we were reaching the edges of the bowl. The moment we felt that, she stopped, and instead fully converted the aura to an actual radar, turning it one way, going clockwise through the whole area. -Why didn¡¯t I think of that¡­ - I thought to myself, annoyed. -Because you tend to overthink stuff. -Pff. -And besides, your method is definitely more useful in combat scenarios. Especially when you don¡¯t have eyes. -I guess¡­ I am not sure if she was just trying to make me feel better or really thought so, but I didn¡¯t care. As long as it worked. And, it did. Maybe not instantly. At first it seemed like ¡°The Bowl¡± was clear of any weirdness. Well, that is if you don¡¯t consider the whole area being infused a weirdness. As we were about to finish up our search and were getting to the last part of the area¡­ I felt something. A person. It was so unexpected that we both jumped. It was clear as day, no mistake: that there was someone other than us in here as well. And even the identity was clear. -Ilma!? - she yelped right inside my head It was hard to miss: even for my lackluster ability, I could tell that whoever was there, certainly was similar to me. A bit too similar, to be honest. -Let¡¯s calm down - I said, trying to assess things clearly. -It has to be her! It¡¯s almost like you! -I can tell, but let¡¯s first get an expert¡¯s opinion. -Expert? Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. -What¡¯s going on?! - asked For, unnerved by our sudden reaction. - Did you find her? -I think so, but we need a second opinion. Can one of you look through me and check? -Look through you? You are the only one who can do it! I have no idea how! - she replied instantly. -Kon? -I¡­ I don¡¯t know how! -Great. I pulled out of the vision, getting back to my own senses. -I¡¯ll stay for a moment. I¡¯ll try tracking her¡­ - said Il. -Okay. -How¡¯s your range on that ability of yours? - I asked. -Er¡­ maybe hundred meters¡­ that¡¯s when I have a good day even - admitted For, seeing that I was serious. -Kon? -Maybe twice as that - he said. For gave him a curious look, but did not comment. -Hm. Not enough. -Not enough!? - she yelped. - Where is she then?! -At the edge of the mountain range, opposite side to where the exit is. Or at least the exit that I found last time. -I thought there¡¯s only one way to leave here¡­ -So did I. -Maybe she¡¯s just confused¡­ or lost? - proposed Kon. -Possible. -That is, if it¡¯s really her. -I can tell, it has to be her. I can feel both his and mine mana in her - said Il, still trying to follow her. -I thought you cannot distinguish other people mana¡­? Either of you¡­? -I think¡­ I am getting a bit better at it - she replied. - So does Mor. Do I? I mean, maybe a little bit. I was giving that to the fact that it was just myself that I was trying to feel, and since my mana, thanks to the crystal, was unique, I was able to perceive it without much of a problem¡­ But that was also a problem. -To be precise, we can feel our own mana there. Meaning that whoever that is, has something that belongs to both of us. For squinted a bit, hearing that. -That sounds suspiciously similar to Origin Crystal. -Yeah, I am worried about that too. - I agreed. - It might be taking over. She opened her eyes even wider. -Fuck, I didn¡¯t think about that. I was thinking that it might be Axelrod that we were following, since, you know, Crystal¡­ I was about to retort something, but she had a fair point. It might not even be her in that sense. I was just thinking that we¡¯d have a problem with a rogue AI that went berserk, but having rogue Mike on top of that¡­ Not good. -I thought he died¡­? - asked Kon. -Well, after what Mor did, I am not sure that I believe that those things can be so easily put down - replied For. -What do you mean, ¡°those things¡±? - I said grinning. -I¡­! -Yeah, yeah, I know, I am just fucking with you - I interrupted, sighing. - Il, how¡¯s the tracking doing? -She¡¯s still in the same spot. Seems like she¡¯s walking towards the edge for some reason - she replied, still in the trance. -How far is it? - asked Kon. -They are almost at the edge - I replied. -Fuck - mumbled For. - That¡¯s a lot of walking. -Yeah. That means we should hurry and meet them. -Do we need to hurry though? - asked For while we started trekking through the dense forest. - It¡¯s not like they have a way to escape. -And who says that she¡¯s not able to portal away again, huh? -I mean¡­ -She is weak - said Il. - I could tell. I am not sure if that¡¯s just because of the earlier fight with¡­ whatever ILMA is now, but she might just not have mana to do anything. -Well, there¡¯s a reason she¡¯s here - I said. - At least I want to think there is. -You think she¡¯s trying to recuperate here¡­? - asked For. - If that was the case, she¡¯d stay in the center, the mana there was the densest, right? -The whole area is dense with magic, she doesn¡¯t need to stay anywhere. -Couldn¡¯t she just absorb mana with her crystal? Like you? -Not all the crystals work the same. Look at yourself. -Right¡­ -And besides that - cut in Il - we are not sure if she is even aware of that power. -Fair point - agreed For. - I wasn¡¯t aware for a long while¡­ and that is an understatement¡­ -Hah. -So what¡¯s the plan then? We follow her and hope she doesn¡¯t retaliate? - asked For. - Cause I kinda doubt that¡¯s going to work. -I mean, none of us are intending to harm her, so why not? - asked Kon -And how is she supposed to know that? -So we sneak up on her? Nah, that would be even worse¡­ - he mumbled. -And on top of that it wouldn¡¯t work at all - she said. - Did you forget that we have two shining beacons with us? Any person that at least has some capability to detect mana is going to notice us. Hell, maybe even those who can¡¯t could notice too. I hated to agree with her. Whenever we wanted it or not, we did stick out like a sore thumb. Maybe it wasn¡¯t that bad when we were next to the leyline, we could just pretend to be a renewed rupture and all that, but a moving rupture? I doubt that. To be honest, we were probably also the cause of her picking up the pace, because Il soon informed me that she¡¯s changed direction and was now moving faster. -Changed direction? - I wondered out loud. - What, is she hoping to lose us between trees or something? -Well, that would work on a regular person - agreed Il. - She¡¯d just try to blend into the magical environment. -But we can read mana - said For. - We can distinguish the difference. -But not that far, right? - I pointed out. - You said it yourself, you only have a couple hundred meter range. If she is out of it and manages to confuse us, it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. -True¡­ -But, to our luck, we have a magnet for that needle - said Il, smiling. - As long as she doesn¡¯t leave this valley, I can track her. I found her once and I am not going to let her get away. -There you have it. We should be fine - I said, nodding. -But still, what¡¯s our plan when we finally reach her? - asked Kon after a moment of thought. - Are we going to fight her? -I would like to avoid that¡­ - I instantly said. - Same goes for you. -Well, if I am going to be attacked, you bet your ass I am going to defend myself - said For. - I am not like you who can just take spells head on and only get a rush from it. -I don¡¯t get¡­ Okay, scratch that, I do get a bit of mana from it. -¡±Bit¡±. -That¡¯s besides the point. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t want you to fight. I am going to deflect all the spells, like you said, ¡°head on¡± and we¡¯ll go from there. -Brilliant plan. - sighed For. - And what if that is not going to work? That you slip up? Do I have to remind you that we have a very fragile wooden¡­ She stopped mid-sentence, because Il, realizing what she was talking about, instead of trying to explain herself, just conjured a fireball larger than her head. -What the hell are you doing?! - yelped For, not expecting the sudden firepower. - Stop, we are going to be discovered, she¡¯s going to feel your magic! -She already knows she¡¯s followed - shrugged For. - And besides that, we are rather larger source of mana than just this small ember. -Okay, but still, why?! -You think me as fragile? Then look at this. For flinched, expecting her to throw a fireball towards her, but she did something completely opposite. Hell, it even took me by surprise. She took the fire and slammed herself right in the head with it. -Il!?! -What?! I honestly was worried. I mean, I knew she was made out of Origin Crystal, but hers was definitely¡­ unique. I expected it to have a weakness to fire, or at least not be immune to it¡­ But nope. She was fine. As soon as the flames reached her skin, they just vanished. Seeing with my other senses, I could tell that she was just absorbing it passively, just like I was usually doing. -A¡­ Okay¡­ Right. For was at a loss for words. Same as Kon. He didn¡¯t say a word, was looking at the spectacle without even trying to interrupt, knowing better that it was pointless. -See? - said Il, smiling happily. - I am as resistant as Mor. Hell, maybe even better. -Let¡¯s not get too overzealous - I said, trying to calm her down. - We get it, you are not a delicate flower, just stop. -What, come on, a little bit of experiments never hurt anybody. I still don¡¯t know if I can regrow my parts just like you can. -And let¡¯s hope we don¡¯t have to find out! But that was going to have to wait. We still had to get to her first. And it looked like that would take a good while. She was quite skilled. After the first change of direction, she picked up the pace and started behaving a lot more erratically. Going deeper into the forest, trying to maneuver between the trees in a way that would be hard to follow, but of course, she didn¡¯t know who she was dealing with. We didn¡¯t have to follow her footsteps directly, it would be enough for us to just track her from afar. We had people for that. That wasn¡¯t our goal, though. 191. Trail Took us a while, but we managed to finally get in range so Il wouldn¡¯t have to be constantly checking her position with that sonar-mana-tentacle. We could finally rely on For and Kon. Well, mostly on Kon, his ability being a bit better than hers. But, that was not the end of our problems. The moment we got in range, she started wildly changing direction, trying to throw us off the trail. That was not going to work, we were tracking her mana, not her physical features. Not like that was going to stop her. It was already well into the day when Kon stopped suddenly. -What¡¯s up? -There¡¯s¡­ something wrong. Her trail is¡­ getting weird. -Weird how? -I mean¡­ it exists - he said. - I was just tracking her mana, but now it feels like she¡¯s leaving behind a trail of it¡­? -Huh¡­? -Yeah. I don¡¯t know what to think of it. -Is she bleeding¡­? - asked Il. - That would explain it¡­ -I guess that could be it¡­ - agreed Kon. -But why now? She wasn¡¯t wounded before, right? -No. Or at least I wasn¡¯t feeling something like that - confirmed Kon. -Couldn¡¯t she just cut herself on some foliage or something¡­? - asked For. - It¡¯s not like this forest is easy to traverse. -That¡¯s not it - shook his head Kon. - If it was that little of a bleed, it wouldn''t have looked like that¡­ If that¡¯s blood, she¡¯s literally gushing from some kind of wound. -Some monster got her? - asked For, but almost immediately denied herself. - No, can¡¯t be. This area, being so mana dense, is so devoid of creatures¡­ -And besides, if there was anything dangerous nearby, we would¡¯ve picked it up already - I agreed. -Then I don¡¯t know¡­ -If she¡¯s really hurt, then we need to hurry - said Il. - While I doubt that, we are not going to accomplish anything just standing here. -Right. Let¡¯s go. Easier said than done. Besides picking up the pace, I planned on at least trying to move a bit quieter, but soon realized that it was pointless. Besides it being impossible in the forest so dense, my body was not really built for stealth. Nor really was the fact that both of us, me and Il, were beacons of mana. She probably already knew that we were following her¡­ She probably thought that she was being followed by some monster. Well, she wouldn¡¯t be that wrong, considering how each of us looked¡­ That also explained the attempt at losing us. As to confirm my words, she also now started backtracking her own steps. A good attempt, but pointless nonetheless. We still were outpacing her, and soon were already so close that even For was able to tell. Getting For in range gave us another bonus: she was able to actually confirm that we weren¡¯t wrong. She was indeed bleeding, and managed to point us to the direct spots where we should find blood, but¡­ -There¡¯s nothing here¡­ - mumbled For. - Why¡­ I can tell that¡­ There should be a pool of blood here¡­ Am I wrong¡­? -Let me¡­ - I said, inspecting the spot she pointed out. - I was wondering what exactly was going on¡­ Ha. Interesting. -Well, you aren¡¯t wrong per se¡­ - I said, carefully picking up a leaf so I won¡¯t drain it by accident. - Look. Kon had to squint to actually see. Same with her. On the bottom of it, there were about a handful of red drops, barely visible. -Just that¡­?! - yelped For, not being able to hide her surprise. - What is she?! -I can¡¯t believe it - said Kon. - For that little blood to have that much mana¡­ I mean, if we didn¡¯t know it before, we are sure now that you are related to her. That would explain the mana capacity¡­ -That¡¯s more to say about the Crystal, not us, but sure¡­ -Shh! - silenced us Il. -Doesn¡¯t matter - I simply said. - If she can hear us, so be it. We are here to talk anyway, so it does not change a thing. -Still¡­ Don¡¯t you think it¡¯d be a shock to learn it that way¡­ -Well, sure¡­ - I agreed. - My bad. I guess just popping out of the bush going ¡°Hi, I am your father that fucked off for hell knows how long, but I am back now. How¡¯s things?¡±... For chuckled quietly, but along with that, there was another noise that grabbed my attention. A yelp? Something like that. It was hard to tell, because it was far away, but I knew where it came from. We all did. I groaned, annoyed. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. -Eh¡­ I guess the farce is over now¡­ come on, come out. I know you can hear us, and we definitely can hear you. I didn¡¯t get an answer. -I guess that¡¯s a no. We know you are there. Just come out and let¡¯s have a talk. Her mana didn¡¯t even move a bit. But, that doesn¡¯t mean that she was calm. I could tell that there was a mixture of every single emotion surging inside her. I can¡¯t blame her for that. -If you are not going to, I will come to you. I mean you no harm. You heard me¡­ us, already, right? As I didn¡¯t get an answer again, I started slowly walking forward. But, the moment I moved, my companions wanted to follow me suit. -Stop. I am coming alone. You know that¡¯s for the better. Kon and For didn¡¯t have much to offer and they knew that they would just be a liability if a fight was to break out, so they nodded and stepped backwards. Il, on the other hand.. -I am coming with you. I am not just letting her¡­ -Her what? You know that I¡¯ll be fine. But we don¡¯t know that about you. -Still! -Please. She hesitated, but finally nodded. -I will let you lead. But I will follow you at a distance. If worse comes to worse¡­ I can trap her, so we can talk - she finished inside my head. -It won¡¯t come to that. Besides, if we were to do that, it would only hurt what we are trying to accomplish here. We need to¡­ I need to do this. She gave me a stern look, but finally stepped back. -Thanks. -See? Or, well, rather hear? I am coming alone. You¡¯ll be absolutely fine. I started approaching her location. At this point, we already have been well inside the range of feeling her mana. And that included her. Hell, she had to notice us a lot earlier. You know, the evasive maneuvers had to come from somewhere. She was hidden on top of a tree, about fifty meters in front of me, and maybe ten up high. Considering the fact that the trees here weren¡¯t exactly made for climbing, her being able to get there was a feat in itself. As I reached the tree she hid on, I took a better look at it. There were no signs of spells, that is no physical signs. No marks on the bark, no distorted branches that would help to climb. The foliage wasn¡¯t moved either, meaning that there were no flashy magicks used. Nor was there any residue from the spell. Or it could¡¯ve just been hidden by the overall infusion of the whole forest. In any case, it meant she was clever. I gazed up. Besides the canopy, I couldn¡¯t see shit. I could always get up there myself, or straight up break up the forest to get a glimpse of her physical form, but decided against it. Besides it being too aggressive and too risky in the current situation: she could¡¯ve fallen down if I was to destroy some branches; it was also not a good way to mend our relations. So I just started talking. -So, hello up there - I said, looking straight at where she was supposed to be, using my mana sense. - I know you¡¯re here. And I¡¯d like to introduce myself again. My name is Mor Griza. No reply. -I know, I look quite different. That is if you even remember me, time is not really on my side with this one¡­ -... -Nothing? We are going to just talk like this? Come on, I know you can hear me, there¡¯s no need for some weird hide and seek. -What do you want? A quiet voice, that very much tried to sound calm and collected, but was failing. Anyone would be able to tell that she was terrified. -Just as you heard. To talk. -I don¡¯t think so. I sighed. -Eh¡­ Fine. I am done with it anyway. I am going to repeat: hello, your family has come to visit. A bit late, but still. Can we stop? She gave me a hostile look. -I heard that. That does not change a thing. -You can¡¯t even get down from a tree when your father asks you? -My father is dead - she said without even a hint of uncertainty in her voice. And, to be honest, neither in her mana. -Yeah, well, Axelrod¡­ I mean Mike was not really what I had in mind, but that I also am not completely certain of. If you won¡¯t believe me, then at least your mother¡­ -My mother is also dead. I groaned. -Again. That is up to debate. That¡¯s why we are here. -... -Again silent treatment. Eh, fuck it. Can you at least not attack when she arrives here? -... -Whatever. I am not good at this anyway¡­ I honestly started wondering why was I even trying¡­ -Il, come here. It¡¯s going to be problematic otherwise, maybe at least you can make her believe what you say¡­ I didn¡¯t even have to wait for long. She was already behind a tree, waiting for a sign from me. I mean, I did expect that, but still, that was not painting us in a good light. Ambushing much? -Take a listen. She believes that¡­ -I heard her¡­ - replied Il, also looking up. - Il¡­ I know it¡¯s hard to believe, but that is me¡­ The form aside, it¡¯s¡­ She immediately cut her off. -And now you bring here a magical construct of her? And want me to believe that¡­ what¡­? What are you trying to do here? -I am¡­ well, I might be a construct, but¡­ -I¡¯d say it¡¯s more of a crystal remnant than a construct, but yeah¡­. -Remnant. Ah. Of course. A mythical, non-existing creature. Sure. -That your parents worked on - I added. She stopped, realizing that I knew more than I should, but quickly continued again. -I don¡¯t know what Axelrod told you, but¡­ -Sure, Axelrod. While I did have a talk with him, I believe I have a bit more first-hand experience¡­ -Your body¡­ you are a revenant too? I guess I should¡¯ve expected¡­ this magic¡­ The last words were trailing out into the silence of the forest. -Ah. So you can see. I mean, if you weren¡¯t blinded, you probably would be able to tell that the three of us are a bit similar¡­ almost the same, you know. -And now he¡¯s lying - she pointed out. - I know there¡¯s more than three of you. -I didn¡¯t mean¡­ - I sighed heavily. - Eh. Okay then, again. If you weren¡¯t blinded, you probably would be able to tell that the five of us are similar, but the three of us, as in me, you and her - I pointed towards Il - have more similarities. - Please, at least hear us out. -I am doing exactly that, but you don¡¯t seem to have anything interesting to say to me. You just want me to get down¡­ for what? To devour me? Wouldn¡¯t be the first time, last time I managed to fend myself off quite well¡­ -You mean Mike? - I picked up. - I wouldn¡¯t say that was ¡°well¡±, I¡¯d rather say that it was ¡°lucky¡± and ¡°barely safe¡±. -That¡¯s why we are here. To prevent the worst scenario. -And what is that scenario exactly, hm? -That you are going to be absorbed by the crystal you have now. 192. Remains I could tell that she froze. She knew that we weren¡¯t able to see her, at least not physically, so knowing that she had that problem gave her some food for thought. Yeah, as soon as I approached her, I could tell that the worst scenario was indeed happening. She had a piece of crystal embedded in her own body. I couldn¡¯t tell where exactly, but it was rather large. Did Mike manage to get her? Or was it ILMA¡¯s fault? Both most likely. Or¡­ Was it the remains of the weapon¡­? If that was the case, it was a more pressing issue than you¡¯d think. While Mike¡¯s pieces, and by extension mine and Il¡¯s were relatively tame and we were able to manage it quite well, who knows what was going to happen with that one. Even the actual ILMA was more predictable than that one. And more prone to getting commands. -And how are you going to help with that? - she finally asked. Finally, some progress. -As you see, the two¡­ scratch that, four of us, are also in a similar situation as you. And I¡¯d like to point out that we are still in better shape than you. And it looks like it¡¯s going to stay that way. -We need to take a look at you. Please. We need to know what we are dealing with first - joined in Il, pleading. - I know that¡¯s confusing, but please¡­ -¡±Confusing¡±...? Confusing?! You creatures appear out of nowhere, claiming to be my dead parents, and you call that confusing?! And you want me to believe you, just¡­ because?! Well, when she put it that way, it was indeed stupid. But Il was not going to just give up. I wasn''t going to either, but it was getting harder to figure out what would work on her¡­ Like what, does she want us to do? -Okay. Sure. So, what do you want? -Huh? -What do you want? - I asked calmly. - It¡¯s clear that you have to at least have something on your mind that would be able to convince you. Name it. -Pff. Like you know anything about me. -You are a daughter of, supposedly, Michael Pino and Iloa Vaganto. You, Ilma, have not been in the greatest contact with your parents, while they were busy with their job. -Like that¡¯s hard to deduce¡­ - she muttered, but I was not letting up. -You often sneaked into their workplace, trying to get noticed by them, only to be stopped by various personnel, and often a man called Mor Griza. -Mor¡­?! - yelped her mother next to me. - She did what¡­?! -You call yourself my mother and don¡¯t even know that? -Oh she doesn¡¯t. Because you specifically asked multiple times to please keep it a secret, right? And we always indulged you¡­ -¡±We?¡±. Right. You read those memories from my father. I know it - she said, certain of herself. - I know what remnants can do. They can absorb memories and souls of people, and he¡¯d¡­ -He¡¯d have known? - I picked up. - Ha. Well, sure, some of it he might have known, but I am not certain about all of it. -And what, you are the supposed ¡°Mor¡±, then? You are just a remnant that ate his soul. There¡¯s no way he¡¯d¡­ -And why does that matter? - I interrupted her. - I might be. Hell, she might be - I gestured towards Il. - So what? What¡¯s the difference? Right. This question was pestering me for a long while. Was I really Mor, or just a copy of him? Like Iloa and ILMA. One was a copy of the other, but who knows what exactly was left in the crystal. Not like there would ever be a way to check that for sure, I already made peace with that. I am me? Then good. I am a copy? Then good as well. I had to be of that mind, because one thing I was certain of was that the ¡°merge¡± would happen sooner or later. And now I wanted to at least stagger it for a while. At least for her. -I know what they were working on! - she finally yelled. - You think that I wouldn¡¯t be wary about the creature they created?! The creature that destroyed everything?! Ah. So she was blaming that all on the AI. Well, it wasn¡¯t completely wrong, but¡­ -If you want to blame anyone, blame me - said Il. - I was the one who was supposed to be the source and the container of that, and I failed. -We all were at fault¡­ - I agreed with her. - Mostly me for not stopping¡­ Well, doesn¡¯t matter¡­ -It matters to me! - yelped Il from the tree. - I¡­ She stopped suddenly and started coughing. -Il? From between the branches I felt the movement and a few drops of blood had dropped onto the ground next to me. They were so infused, that it was hard to not notice them. Wait a second. She was coughing blood? That was what we found before? -Are you okay¡­? She did not reply, only started coughing more violently. I took a better look at her mana, and for some reason, it was getting more and more¡­ I want to say wild? Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. While usually, a person''s mana is like a flame to me, the size of it normally indicates the health of the person. Or at least state of consciousness. With her¡­ It was like I was looking at a blinking light. Every time she coughed, the flame flickered to life brightly, to the point where it was hard to look at it, and a split second later went back to being normal. Powerful, but normal. I honestly would¡¯ve expected to see something quite opposite, but that was not it. Il was also concerned, pacing now next to the tree and trying to look up more and more, to somehow peer through the branches and see her physical form. A moment later, I also noticed that the rest of the group started suddenly going right to us. Did even they notice that¡­? -Mor?! What¡¯s going on?! It was Kon, yelling as he was coming back from ¡°hiding¡±. To be honest, they weren¡¯t really trying, just were out of the immediate eyeshot. Maybe that also contributed to her suspicion. But then, she was already suspicious enough with just me in general, so¡­ -I am not sure, but something is wrong with¡­ As I was about to finish the sentence, we suddenly heard a groan, and rustling above us. For and Kon went on guard immediately, both preparing spells, but both me and Il did the exact opposite. Both of us leaped forwards towards the noise.. Iloa was falling down from the tree. I was faster and managed to catch her before she hit the ground, but I don¡¯t think it helped much: my stone body was not exactly made to cushion the impact. I did try, but her landing was definitely not the most pleasant. -Let¡­ Let me go¡­ She was still conscious, but I could tell that there was definitely something wrong with her. Not like falling out of the tree wasn¡¯t enough proof. I placed her at the base and realized that she was bleeding from her mouth. -Il¡­ honey, what is wrong¡­? - panicked Il started inspecting her for any wounds. -Don¡¯t touch me¡­ Even though she was protesting, that was not going to stop anybody. -Focus on her mana. There has to be something wrong with¡­ -Got it! - she suddenly exclaimed. At the base of her neck there was a rather large shard of glass stuck. Not glass. Crystal. Almost see-through crystal that was as sharp as any blade. -Damn. She got her¡­ - I mumbled, annoyed. - Fuck, should¡¯ve known that¡­ -But why is she bleeding? Is that fresh? - asked For, looking through my shoulder. -Good fucking question. That¡¯s for later. Kon, you¡¯re up. -Right. I didn¡¯t have to tell him twice. He immediately placed his hands on her and started focusing his powers. The external wound closed quickly, but that did not help at all. She started choking again and spit up more blood. As she did that, the wound opened again, the crystal piercing her skin. -Leave me be¡­ Don¡¯t¡­ She again tried to protest and tried swatting his hands away, but Il grabbed her hand instead. -Please. Calm down. We are trying to help. -Kon, any idea what¡¯s going on? - I asked, seeing the wound close and open once more. -It¡¯s the crystal¡­ It¡¯s¡­ -We can see that! - almost yelled Il. - WHY though?! -I don¡¯t¡­ It¡¯s like it¡¯s trying to force itself out of her¡­? - he said, unsure himself. - I don''t understand! -Force itself out¡­?! That¡¯s the first I¡¯ve heard about the Origin Crystal doing that. Wasn¡¯t it supposed to want to propagate itself? And how hurting the host like that would help it assimilate¡­? It was the exact opposite of what I thought the crystal would be. -Ilma. Listen to me - I said looking directly into her eyes. - What is that crystal? Where did you get it? She only coughed blood and grimaced at me. -I know you don¡¯t trust any of us, but if that continues, you¡¯re only hurting yourself! As to confirm my words, the crystal once again broke through Kon¡¯s magic and her skin, but this time, I am pretty sure it was larger than before. Without even thinking twice, I grabbed at it and tried focusing my awareness on it. Well, I managed to do that quite easily. But what I saw¡­ or felt rather. I was met with a ball of boiling rage. It was not her memories. Or feeling, or anything like that. Whatever I felt was definitely disconnected from the person I had lying in front of me. Was it ILMA? Possibly? But it was like it was just one singular feeling, nothing more than that. Just anger towards someone, Against Mike? I am unsure. It was almost blinding and as soon as it felt me, I could tell it started focusing on me. The fury that was just raging without a target suddenly got a new one presented itself in front of it: me. And it recognized me. Mor. Abandoned. Betrayed. Escaped?! Broken promise. Hate. Disappointment. Hurt. Pain. It was her voice. ILMA. Or was it Iloa? At this point, it was hard to distinguish, especially considering the assault that was happening inside my head. Of course, as soon as I felt that, I wanted to pull out and shake myself off, but I could not. My hand was glued tightly to her crystal and I couldn¡¯t even speak a word. -Mor?! Believe me, I tried pulling away. But, unluckily for me, the hand I used was the one firmly attached to my person, not the one Kon severed. I sort of was now defaulting to using it, just to be safe, but this time, it bit me in the ass. Il was the first one who noticed that something was wrong. My hand was slowly starting to change color. Same with her piece. Both of them started to turn into crimson red, almost the same shade as blood that she was now spilling all over the forest floor. -Quick, let her go! - yelled For, but of course, I could not. I couldn¡¯t move at all, nor speak. Nor really think, because that was my next reaction: I just barely was able to reach them with my mind. -I can¡¯t¡­ it¡¯s¡­ But I didn¡¯t have to finish the sentence. -Fotoho. A singular word and we both got launched separate ways. Well, I say launched, but it was just me flying about five meters away from the tree, while she just got slammed into the tree trunk and got knocked out in the process. -Il! -Mor! I quickly shook myself off and leaped forwards again. -Do it again! -Wha¡­ -Again! Quick, try to detach this thing from her! - I yelled at Kon. - You did it with me, do it with her! -But I¡­ He didn¡¯t finish, but instead just looked at my hand. It was still crimson red. -I don¡¯t matter, get that crystal out of her! And don¡¯t touch the crystal! - I warned him. - It¡¯s a bit¡­ -I cannot! It¡¯s fused with her! - he finally said, after placing his hands back on her wound. Of course it opened again. -Then cut it out! You managed to do that with me, why¡­ -Because you don¡¯t have blood! - he said, almost panicking. - If I do that here¡­ I¡¯d have to remove a whole bone! -Whole¡­ I looked closer at what he was pointing out. It was not looking good. 193. Mend What at first we just thought was a shard of crystal piercing her skin, was actually not just that. It was her skeleton. It¡¯s hard to tell how much the assimilation progressed, but a chunk of her bone was already transformed into crystal. For some reason, it was now trying to get outside of the regular flesh, instead of transforming it as well. And not only in one place. After we detached, I realized that she was now bleeding in more places than before. A small set of spikes was forming lower, on her collarbone, going towards her arms. -Then do it! - yelled at him Il. - You see she is not well! -I¡­ I never did anything like¡­ I grabbed him by his shoulders. -You managed to repair a lot more. I know. Please. I¡¯ll give you all the mana you ever need. -Me too! - immediately picked up Il. - Go! Quick! I could tell that he was for some reason hesitating, but finally we managed to get through to him. -Fine. But that¡¯s not the mana problem¡­ just¡­ He took a deep breath. -If you want to share the burden, you are welcome. But just please, be warned. That is not going to be pleasant. -Like anything going now is pleasant! - yelped Il. - Please! He nodded. -Whoever wants to contribute, please, place your hand on me. Immediately both me and Il stepped up. For wasn¡¯t really keen on helping, but after a moment she also joined. -I am not sure if I¡¯m going to help much, though¡­ - she said, but Kon just shook his head. -It¡¯s not really important if you know her, I am not trying to remake her face. Hopefully. -Hopefully? - I asked, but he ignored me. -It¡¯s more that you know how a body is supposed to look, and having more images is always better. ¡°How a body is supposed to look¡±? I understand where he was coming from. He said that to ¡°edit¡± the face, he had to know what to change it into, but to just know how a body looks? I mean, he could just think of his own? Isn¡¯t that enough? It¡¯s not like gender mattered in this circumstance¡­ Okay, if we are talking about the insides, maybe she¡¯d have something to say in the matter, she was quite learned¡­ supposedly at least. I decided to not question him, just follow. -What do we have to do? - I asked. -Relax and¡­ eh, let me in, so to speak. -What¡­? - asked For. -When you feel it, you¡¯ll understand. Just don¡¯t resist and relax. She seemed a bit concerned, but nodded. Neither me nor Il were going to try and contest his knowledge. -Let¡¯s go. I wish the process was easy and quick, but of course, it couldn¡¯t be. If anything it was definitely painful and very involved. The first thing he did was place his hand on the wound, not the crystal and the wound that she had from the crystal opened wider than ever before. He was making it larger. Of course it was accompanied by the rather large amounts of blood gushing from the wound. It took a considerable amount of willpower for me to not stop him. Even just looking at something like that made me wince in phantom pain, what kind of torture was he putting her under? Il had the same issue with his ¡°treatment¡±, but before we managed to do something rash, we realized that she was not even screaming. If anything, she was now a lot calmer. Sure, he was breathing heavily, but not coughing blood, or screaming, which would be expected if someone was literally cutting you open. I took a gander on her mana. There was no change in it at all, at least for now, so I guess that was good news? But, as I was taking a peek at her, I noticed something else. Kon¡¯s mana was wildly fluctuating instead. Just as I noticed that, a small tug finally reached my mind and I felt him try to connect with me. Just as instructed, I didn¡¯t resist and invited the presence. I expected him to try to do something to me, or at least to feel some kind of effect of his spell, but there was nothing. Sure, I felt some mana getting drained from me, but it was just a tiny trickle, it was just more like me leaking it than him doing that on purpose. But, as I felt that, I also got connected to him a bit closer, and managed to get a glimpse of his own state of mind. He was in pain. Not just a minor one. He, very on purpose, was trying to conceal it, and while it definitely was working, at least on the outside, he was not going to fool me. The pain that I¡¯d expect from the wound she had, was now being transferred to him. As I noticed that, I heard in my mind his answer. -Sorry, I didn¡¯t want to startle you¡­ -Starte? Fuck that, are you okay? - asked For. Apparently he was speaking to all three of us, and I was not the only one who noticed the problem. -Startling is not a problem - said Il. - How can we help? -Just¡­ no, nothing¡­ He was saying that, but I was not so sure about that. I was not going to say that to him, though. I didn¡¯t want him to lose focus. While we were being a bit distracted by the sudden realization, he was not playing around. The wound that he was working on was now not only larger, but also deeper. He actually managed to reach her bone structure: we were able to see what the problem was. I was right in my assumptions. Her bones were already partially turned into a crystal, at least from the outside. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. I honestly had no idea how he was going to even approach that, but he seemed like he knew what he was doing, so I was not going to question anything. At that point, I expected for bleeding to become a problem. Of course, during the whole procedure, she was bleeding, and since her blood was abundant in mana, she fainted pretty quickly. As soon as that happened I started getting worried, but it never got any worse: the mana instantly stabilized and not moved at all. It was not because someone was supplying her with mana, instead Kon was manipulating her blood. When she fainted, instead of letting blood leak from her wound, he started¡­ catching it? It was similar to when I use water magic: creating water orbs or something like that. He grabbed the blood she was losing and was keeping it right at the opening, not letting her loose any more. He probably was also giving her a tiny bit of his, but never much, to let her be still and unconscious. After accomplishing that, he moved onto the next step. He moved his hand from the wound to the bone, touching where the actual skeleton was still normal, and took a deep breath. I expected something to happen. Maybe some light, a noise or something? But what I got was¡­ weirder. The bone started¡­ warping. Like it turned into goo right where he touched her, and started slowly spreading towards the crystal parts At first, it looked like it was going great. Sure, he was losing mana, but as soon as that happened, the connection we had jolted to life and started finally chipping away at our mana reserves. To be honest, I expected to lose a lot more to that kind of procedure, but it was not that bad, really. Maybe because there were a lot of us sharing the drain, but still. Was it really all that was to it? Ha, of course not. It was not going to be that easy. The first moments were going great. The ¡°gooified¡± bone was turning back to solid matter and slowly replacing the crystal, but that soon there was a problem. He wasn¡¯t able to turn any more of her bone. It was strange to look at: it was just like someone had melted a piece of ice from a sharp spike. The deeper parts of the bone tissue weren¡¯t bone any more: it was pure crystal. He was not able to manipulate those, for some reason. Before, there were some pieces mixed in, but those just moved away, as he commanded them, gathering deeper and now were blocking progress. Or well, there was no progress to be made: no bone was remaining at all. It was just all Crystal. He didn¡¯t stop, though. Instead he moved to the other side of her body, started repeating the process there. That went well up till the same point: until she now had two pieces exposed. -Now for the more advanced part. Advanced? -I will now try and remove the crystal. It is not going to be a pleasant feeling for me, so please, if I flinch, can you keep me stable? -Okay. -Wait! - stopped him Il. - You really want to take all that pain by yourself? Yeah, I was a bit concerned with that as well. I knew that the pain he was dealing with had to be immense, and since he said this is going to be ¡°advanced¡±, I can bet it¡¯s not getting better any time soon. -Of course. It¡¯s important that she¡­ -Can¡¯t we help you somehow? Like, I don¡¯t know, numb the pain? -Numb? I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible. -Is there a spell like that? - asked For, a bit concerned as well. - I don¡¯t remember ever reading about anything similar. -I don¡¯t know¡­ I thought maybe¡­ I suddenly had an idea. -Kon. Can you redirect the pain somewhere? -Redirect? Where? It¡¯s not like I can just ¡°leak it out¡± or something. -No. I meant to another person? He froze for a second. Of course, technically it should be possible. He was already doing that to himself. But did it have to be him? -I¡­ I am doing that right now. -We know - I said. - Can you share it with us though? -I¡­ He hesitated. I bet this was the first time someone actually asked for something like that. Not like anyone knew about that ability of his in the first place anyway. -It should be possible¡­ - he finally replied. - But why are you asking? I can handle it, you know. -Sure you can - I said, interrupting Il who was about to say something. - But that doesn¡¯t mean you won¡¯t get distracted if a sudden jolt comes in. -I¡­ -Just do it - said Il. - I can take it. -You mean ¡°we¡± - I corrected her. He sighed. -I am not sure if I can split it into multiple people, though. So¡­ -Give it all to me - I immediately said, knowing very well what Il was about to propose. - And I will not listen to any excuses. -Mor¡­ -I said no excuses. -Fine. Just be careful¡­ ready¡­? -So fast? Sure, hit me with it. I didn¡¯t expect for him to be ready almost immediately, so I responded without thinking. I didn¡¯t even prepare myself and pain hit me with the full force of a freight train. It might be just because I was not used to this kind of feeling, or just forgot how real pain felt, but the searing feeling was definitely real. The moment he redirected it towards me, I almost fell over backwards, but managed to stabilize myself and only clenched my teeth. To say it was distracting was an understatement. And he was able to cast spells while feeling THAT? Not even to cast spells, I was hardly able to think, clenching my teeth to the point where I was grinding my teeth. On the other hand though, Kon visibly relaxed. And, if my eyes weren¡¯t deceiving me, so did the ¡°patient¡±. Don¡¯t get me wrong, Kon was definitely blocking her pain before, because she was not flailing about, but up till now her face was contorted and definitely still in pain. Now she was just looking like she was peacefully sleeping. Good that worked out. For and Il immediately noticed the change. For more in me than anything else, but still. Seeing my face she was definitely about to say something, but decided against it. I think she looked at the shape of my mana and said that she was not going to touch that, fearing the blowback that might cause. I was not paying attention, though. I was just focused on trying to not interrupt him and be as quiet as possible. -Ah¡­ - groaned Kon. - You¡­ you really are compatible. -You better get a move on - said Il. - I am not sure how long he can last¡­ -Long enough - I managed to squeeze out, but shut up immediately after, because I could tell that along my brief words I also leaked out some of the pain. -Ouch¡­ - mumbled Il aloud. -Okay, prepare yourself. It might get worse - announced Kon a moment later. Wait, it wasn¡¯t already the worst? Fuck me. -Hit it - I plainly said, waiting for the inevitable. But¡­ Nothing changed. Despite his announcement, the pain was constant, and even though it was nothing to scoff at, it was bearable. I peeked at what exactly he was doing, but I actually didn¡¯t see any change. Neither did Il apparently, because she asked: -Why did you stop? -I did not¡­ - he replied confused. - I mean¡­ it looks like it, but¡­ look. The crystal inside her suddenly sprung to life and started growing back, almost filling up what he just removed, before he stopped it again, turning the bone to goo. -What did you do!? -Nothing! That¡¯s the problem. I can¡¯t counteract this¡­ - he said, with a worried tone. -You need more mana? We still have plenty¡­ - she asked. -No¡­ I mean, yes, mana is helpful, but that doesn¡¯t change a thing. It¡¯s¡­ just I can only change that much with my own power. I can¡¯t change what is completely crystal. -So what now?! We failed?! -Of course not. There¡¯s still a way, but¡­- he said, but hesitated. -So get on with it? What do you want me to do? -It¡¯s just¡­ I have to remove the crystal¡­ manually. -Manually? -Pull it out with force. I didn¡¯t like the sound of that. -Isn¡¯t that a bit risky? - asked Il -I wanted to ¡°purify¡± her, however stupid that sounds, but I cannot just get my gold on her crystal. It¡¯s like it¡¯s evading me on purpose. -Mgh. Well, whatever the problem, the root is always the crystal¡­ - I thought to myself, although a bit too loud, because I am sure they heard that too. -Okay¡­ Do it then. -Well, I would, but¡­ Just be prepared, Mor. Ah. Right. That¡¯s going to hurt. 194. Share And I was absolutely right. It was like someone had pierced me throughout with a spear. With barbs. That was covered in salt. Twice. What the hell was he even doing to her? At this point, I was not even able to tell. Sure, the pain was distracting, but that was not the main problem. Before, he managed to contain the blood in one singular blob that was hanging next to him, but now it has swollen about three times the size before, and was no longer just hanging there. It was placed right on top of the wound, blocking any vision that wasn¡¯t magical. Sure, I could tell where her body was if I was to look through with my enhanced sight, but I wasn¡¯t really in the mood for that, you know? That was not the only hurdle that he had in front of him. To operate on her, because that¡¯s what essentially this was boiling down to, he had to literally lean into the blob of blood and dive in, his whole torso going inside the crimson bubble. I was wondering if he forgot about breathing, but he was peeking out every now and again, just to absolutely scare the shit out of For: him being completely red from head to waist. After a minutes of the operation, and what felt like an hour of torture to me, he finally emerged from the bubble and tossed away something that looked very similar to a rib. -The fuck? For vocalized my state of mind right now. I couldn¡¯t really speak, just huddled on the ground next to him, trying to not move and ignore the searing pain that was constantly spiking through my body. -I am not done. This thing is annoying¡­ Confirming his words, the ¡°rib¡± started shifting its shape and, like a snake, wanted to get back to where it came from. -That is disturbing¡­ - mumbled For, kicking the weird thing away. It immediately froze and stopped moving. -Don¡¯t ask - said Kon, anticipating the question. - I have never seen something like this. -Mrgh. -Instead of talking, can you get it over with? - I reminded them that there was still work to be done. - I think I can wait, but I am not sure about her. -She will be fine - assured me Kon. - Between all of us, there is enough mana to repeat this hundred times over. -Hopefully we won¡¯t need that - commented For. Kon only nodded and dived back into the bubble. He was in there for a good ten minutes without a break. I could hardly tell if he was making progress, because pain was not changing at all. Maybe once or twice I felt a larger sting or two, but that was about it. When he pulled out his head, I could tell that something was not going right. Of fucking course. Why would it be so easy¡­ -We have a problem¡­ I cannot¡­ remake that piece - he announced. -Remake¡­ I mean, you can¡¯t heal her?! - yelped Il. -I can heal, but not that - he started explaining. - Sure, closing wounds or mending bones is not a problem. -So what¡¯s¡­ - was about to ask For, but he just continued. -But I cannot regrow a bone. And if I not¡­ well, I mean losing a rib is not a problem, but¡­ He reached into the bubble and pulled out something that I only can describe as a handful of bone pieces. -What¡¯s that supposed to be¡­? -A piece of her spine. -A WHAT?! That one was yelled out loud by every single one of us. That was¡­ something. For one, how the hell did he manage to actually get to her spine of all places?! Second, how quick was that crystallization in her body proceeding, if that was how deep already it was?! -What the fuck. -Okay. Okay. That¡¯s¡­ not normal - said Il, trying to keep up her composure. - What are we doing then? -I have never had something like that happen - he admitted, nervous. -Why were you doing that in the first place?! - asked absolutely stunned For. - I thought that was just a little bit that was crystalized¡­ -It wasn¡¯t. -Well, no wonder why you had such a hard time getting it out¡­ I mean, you were grabbing just the outer layer, the¡­ -Yeah¡­ -But what¡¯s the plan, then? We¡­ I don¡¯t think you can just put it back where it was¡­? - asked Il, knowing very well that it wasn¡¯t possible. -Even if I could, I¡¯d rather not¡­ touch that thing again. -Less talking, more thinking - I finally said, reminding them that we were still in an emergency. - Can we focus?! -Ah! Right! You still are in pain, but I¡­ -I don¡¯t care about pain. I care about her bleeding out. Or leaking mana. I don¡¯t know how this shit works. You can¡¯t just seal the wound, right? - I asked. -We do have time, but yeah, we should get a move on - agreed Il. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. -I mean¡­ I can close the wound, but that would leave her paralyzed from neck down. And that is at best. -And at worst? -Either dead or just completely paralyzed, unable to even move her head. -Fuck. -For now mana is stabilizing her, but that is not a long-term solution to that. -Or is it? - I said as something came to my mind. -Wha¡­? -You said you cannot reform what you removed from nothing¡­ but what if you had something? -Are you trying to be paralyzed yourself? - asked For, curious and terrified of the prospect at once. - Or¡­ you want to use someone else¡­ -I don¡¯t want to use you - I immediately cut her off. - But¡­ Even so, that proposition was interesting. She was still my slave. I could just order her to give in and use Kon to force the procedure on her¡­ Nah. Our bodies¡­, well, most of them, were already made out of crystal. Crystal that was not jumping around and trying to do who the hell knows to us. What if I used¡­ -Can you take a piece of me and create something to replace the bones? -So you do want to sacrifice your own self! Hell no! - protested Il. - I am better for that, my body can¡­ -Who the hell knows what it can do - I interrupted. - But that¡¯s not the issue, with you we have no idea how to get a piece that would work! -Work¡­? -If Kon was to try something like that, he¡¯d most likely only burn you. Who knows if you wouldn¡¯t just become the same ash that we burned not so long ago?! -And what, you are better?! You are replacing bad with worse! -And what¡¯s the difference?! Your body is pretty much the same thing! I at least have a piece ready¡­ As I said that, I unwrapped my hand and removed it from my wrist. Who knew that having it detachable would be a boon. -Take it and use it. Can you? - I said, not really sure if that was going to work. He took my hand and pondered for a moment. -I mean¡­ I guess I can try¡­ It is the same thing, really¡­ That is, if we aren¡¯t including the negative bomb that thing had¡­ -A bomb?! - asked For, confused. -When I was taking it out, even pulling out a singular piece was hard. And I don¡¯t mean that it was wedged somewhere¡­ Well, it was, but that¡¯s not it. It was just like I was getting bombarded with hostility. -And yet, you managed to do it¡­ - said Il, not hiding the amazement. -Well, I had some practice before¡­ -What? -Never mind. Back on topic, I think that might actually work. But¡­ I am not sure how it will influence you, Mor. -And that¡¯s going to happen, because¡­? - asked For. -It¡¯s still connected to him. I don¡¯t know how to detach it, really¡­ -Just shut up and do it. I don¡¯t care. Can¡¯t be that bad. -I mean, if you are worried about pain¡­ -That¡¯s the last thing I am concerned about - I groaned, irritated. - Right now I am feeling¡­ a lot of things, and I doubt it can get worse. -It can - he sadly announced. - But, that¡¯s not what I am worried about. I just worry that I might mess with your own look¡­ after all, I will be transforming your flesh¡­ into something else. Who knows what¡¯s going to happen. -Hopefully nothing horrible. Get on with it, please. He hesitated for a second, but I could tell that it was just for show. He knew that it had to be done, and was just making sure that it was me that proposed that solution. I bet he knew how to fix her, but just didn¡¯t want to say it, as it involved literally stealing my own flesh. Well, no matter. I can still regrow my hand, hopefully. Even if it comes to worst, it¡¯s not the first time I¡¯ve been one-handed. -Be careful. Even though it seemed like everyone involved was hesitating, it was just an act. Well, at least from most of us. Both me and Il were already pushed to the point where we wouldn¡¯t be moved much by a strange magic, even this type. Kon on the other hand¡­ He seemed excited. Even though he was desperately trying to hide it, I could tell. He was happy that he finally was able to use his magic for¡­ well, something good it seems. At least that¡¯s what we hoped. Truth be told, I understood where he was coming from, and that in itself was making me worry. Was it because of me? Or, well, ILMA? That we were that way? Prone to experiments and wild assumptions just because an idea springs one of our heads and we just go with it without much of a thought? Without thinking about consequences? Maybe. It didn¡¯t matter to me any more, though. What was important was right in front of me. Kon grabbed my hand tightly and I realized that I was feeling warm. Then hot. Then absolutely boiling¡­ The senses that I still had attached to me were screaming in protest, like the fact that I still was feeling piercing pain from the ¡°operation¡± wasn¡¯t enough. But soon, the heat ended, and was instead replaced by a feeling that I cannot describe at all¡­ It was so confusing that I just was looking at him dumbfounded, and even then, when I realized what I was seeing, I still couldn¡¯t fully process it. In his palms, where just a moment ago he was holding my severed hand, there was now just a pool of strange liquid. Almost like water, completely clear, but with thicker consistency. Not unlike gel, but somewhere in between. That was what was remaining out of my flesh¡­? Again he leaned towards the patient, but this time, even though he hid inside the bubble, I could clearly tell what was going on. Or at least where his hands were. The aura of my own self was not going to be blocked so easily. He leaned on her and poured the liquid crystal right into the wound. I honestly was expecting pain. I mean, anything that would touch that kind of wound should be an absolute torment, right? But no. It was¡­ pleasant¡­? The pain was actually subsiding. The thousands of piercing needles that I felt all that time slowly were disappearing, and so was the bubble. Just as he poured the ¡°crystal water¡±, the blood that was hanging in the air next to her was also starting to get sucked in. It was like someone just reversed a recording: everything was moving backwards, and that included the actual wound. It didn¡¯t even take a minute for it to close completely, and leave her skin absolutely pristine, without even a sign that something that crazy went down literally seconds ago. Even her clothes were clean: the blood from those was gone as well. Did it go back to the body too? It kind of was worrying me, that couldn¡¯t be very good for her health, but I didn¡¯t have much time to think about that. In the moment everything ended, we finally got hit by a backlash. Every single one of us staggered, and I felt that absolute ton of mana had left my body in a blink of an eye. Was it just adrenaline working before? That I wasn¡¯t able to tell that I was drained constantly? Or was it pain that blocked every other sense? In any case, at least one of us should feel it during the procedure, but it didn¡¯t seem like it was the case. Sure, we all knew and expected that something like this wouldn¡¯t be as easy as it seemed, but the aftereffects weren¡¯t all that bad. Just being mana drained? But just as I thought that, I realized that it was pretty bad, because suddenly, For collapsed and fell onto the grass without a hint of consciousness. I reached towards her, to check if she was still breathing, I couldn¡¯t even see her flame of mana in this environment. It was even being suppressed by the tree next to me, being more powerful than anyone in the vicinity. Wait. Anyone? Yeah. It was drained to that point as well. Only looking at her made me realize how much I just lost. I grabbed onto the trunk, trying to keep myself stable and maybe drain a bit of mana back, but I wasn¡¯t able to. I collapsed right next to her. With the last of my consciousness I pushed myself away from her so I wouldn¡¯t worsen her state and looked towards Kon, who was on his knees, with head slumped on his shoulder, seemingly passed out. And then, I blacked out, too. 195. Echo I have no idea how long I was out. What I remember though is that when I woke up, I was still in the same spot, but now got moved by someone a bit further away and every plant in the vicinity was already drained to dust. Nearby, next to a tree, was sitting, or rather was propped up, For. She looked as out if it as it gets. Same with Kon, who was a bit further away. I couldn¡¯t see Il. Either of them. I groaned and tried sitting up, just to realize something sliding off of my chest. A rock? Just as I reached for it and looked down, it crumbled to ash and left only a bit of dust behind. I absorbed it¡­? I think so¡­? I still felt drained, though, and not completely conscious, but I managed to stand up and finally wake up my other, magical sense. Yeah, as expected: For and Kon were barely able to be perceived: their mana almost non-existent. Funnily, the same thing could¡¯ve been said about the forest. Before, it was absolutely teeming with mana, now it was just a regular forest. Probably my fault, if I was to guess. But, that was not the only change. I also noticed two other presences a bit further away and behind me, one of them a lot more powerful than the other. That had to be Iloa, right? Without much hesitation, I started dragging myself towards them, on my way trying to absorb as much mana as I could from nearby bushes and grass, but avoiding trees, so I wouldn¡¯t accidentally make one collapse onto someone. I was right. The two presences were indeed the two women, but¡­ they looked a lot different than I remembered. Two Il¡¯s were sitting under a tree where mana was already a lot denser than where we were resting. One Il, with her wooden body, was sitting cross-legged, eerily similar to the way we found her at first. Her eyes were gone and the face was blank again, turned into a single flat piece of wood once more, same as the rest of her body. She¡­ was weak. It took me by surprise, because I wasn¡¯t expecting the fact that the one who was shining with enormous amounts of mana would be her daughter. She looked great. Especially if you knew what happened during the ¡°operation¡± that we¡­ well, forced onto her. Even though it was just to save her own life, it still was stinging me a bit. Besides her mana being overwhelmingly larger, she also looked¡­ cleaner I want to say? And not just like she took a bath or something, it was just like all imperfections on her skin were gone. I guess that had something to do with Kon? He probably overdid it a bit during ¡°fixing her wounds¡± part of that ordeal. I wasn¡¯t really trying to hide my presence, yet neither of them turned towards me when I approached. They both were still, staring at each other. Well, I didn¡¯t really think that it was the worst of the outcomes so far, so I decided to not interrupt whatever they were doing, just sat a bit further away, and waited. I was going to take that moment of respite to get a bit more mana back and maybe a better read on the situation, so I focused. I felt that, besides being drained, I didn¡¯t really lose much. Hell, my arm was again back in one piece and healed to full¡­ That¡¯s probably why I fainted in the first place. The rest probably was out just because we were sharing mana, so they most likely just shared the brunt of the ¡°regeneration¡± with me. The same operation on her spine was surely taxing for Kon, so no wonder that they were still out of it. If not for my ability to absorb, I probably would be out as well. Judging by the speed they were regaining their flames, I could tell that both of them should be awake in a matter of less than an hour. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Pretty quick, to be honest. At least for a regular person¡­ But, they, of course, weren¡¯t regular people any more. The crystals inside their bodies were promptly speeding up the regeneration process, absorbing mana from the area. It wasn¡¯t as pronounced as my own touch, but still, I guess it was the reason why the part of the forest was so normal near us. If it was just me that had that kind of deficit, it would¡¯ve most likely ended up in yet another area completely void of mana. Just like Arbo and that shed¡­ It took them a good couple minutes before one of them finally broke the stillness. It was Iloa. She moved slightly, breaking eye contact with her daughter, and turned to look at me. If she had a face, I¡¯d say that she looked distressed, because that was the feeling I was getting from her mana. Not an unreasonable reaction. We¡¯ve been through a lot lately, but I was more worried about the other one. Sure, Ilma looked fine, but only from the outside. The second I took a moment to look at her mana, I could tell that something was obviously not right. And I don¡¯t mean the change in her mana capacity. While sure, that was a rather large change in itself, it was probably just because of the crystal. To be honest, the other change was also because of it, most likely. I could tell that inside her was more than one type of mana surging. Before, I was able to tell multiple times with different people that something was not okay with them. Despite being unable to differentiate people via their magic, I was seeing ¡°something hanging on¡±. I was always wondering where that was coming from. Usually, I was just either giving it to the fact that I was just seeing my own mana, or the Origin Crystal inside people, but now I could tell that it was not only it. I wasn¡¯t actually seeing the Crystal. I was seeing ILMA. The artificial ILMA. Usually, the manas would be mixed and twisted with each other¡­ but not in this case. I could clearly tell that one was different from another. It was like two people sitting in front of me in one body. Hell, maybe even more, I couldn¡¯t say for sure. -Mor. It was Iloa. Her voice was weaker than before, but still reached me without a problem, even without touching. After that much of a mana expenditure, I expected that she¡¯d be too weak for that, but I guess not. -I am here. -I am here. Wait. Did I repeat myself? I swear I heard myself twice. An echo? -Ah. So I was right¡­ -Are you alright? You look a bit different¡­ -So do you. I looked myself over, but for the life of me I couldn¡¯t see a change. -What do you mean? -Nothing. How are you feeling? -A bit weakened. But it should be fine. More importantly, how is Il? Is she conscious? -Not at the moment. At least not fully. She is¡­ coping. -Ah¡­ Well, that was a bit of an unplanned result¡­ But will she be fine? -Look at her yourself. You should be able to tell. -I feel another you inside her. I mean, that¡¯s to be expected. But it is a bit unusual¡­ -Only her? I gazed at her. What did she mean by ¡°only¡±? Sure, I felt that her mana was fragmented, but¡­ I focused more on her¡­ I still was sensing the original Il. The child that I remembered. But I also felt the other one. The same one which was made in an image of her mother¡­ Or¡­ wait¡­ it was a bit different¡­ Was it a piece of her mother? Nah, I couldn¡¯t¡­ She¡­ -I don¡¯t know, I can¡¯t really differentiate¡­ -Get a closer look. Are you sure that¡¯s who you are seeing? -Stop trying to make me see. It¡¯s not like I can do that reliably¡­ -Stop trying to make me see. It¡¯s not like I can do that reliably¡­ Again with the echo. I shook my head like a wet dog, trying to get my head straight. -I guess I should explain. But why can¡¯t you do it yourself? -What do you mean? - I asked. But at the same time, my own voice also answered. -You really want to break my mind more than it is broken. I blinked. It was definitely my own voice. But it didn¡¯t come from me, I could tell that it was coming from outside¡­ From someone next to me¡­ From Ilma? -What¡¯s going on¡­ what¡­ -Think clearly. What do you think could happen? The first thought that came to my mind was as stupid as it gets, so I immediately purged it from my thoughts, but¡­ -Yeah, you bet. Hell, we really are¡­ -...one and the same¡­ I was talking to myself. 196. Double And not in some weird metaphorical way or something. Nope. I was literally talking to myself, who was projecting his thoughts right from the unmoving body of Il. -How did that¡­ -...happen? You know that already. I mean, it¡¯s a theory, but¡­ He¡­ I mean, I was right. Of course the moment that I heard him¡­ me¡­ a certain series of events came to my mind¡­ Apparently not only mine¡­ I mean, I guess it was only me¡­ It wasn¡¯t new information that it was possible for someone trapped inside an Origin Crystal to have a nice talk with someone that was touching it. Especially when it was a part of their body. Also, I knew that it was possible for someone to be split, thanks to the same crystal. The prime examples were Iloa and ILMA. Probably also Mike. And now I guess me. What I couldn¡¯t wrap my mind around was how exactly did¡­ -...I end up split in there? Well, I am unsure. That is an unexpected development, don¡¯t think that¡¯s not true. But you waking up is even more puzzling. I was right. I mean, the other me was right. -True. It would definitely be easier to explain if I was dead, or well, my body was vacant and you were the only me left. That we just transferred bodies. -You speak my mind. I guess we are one and the same. -On topic, though¡­ Are we sure about that? -What, you think¡­ that one of us is not complete? -Maybe¡­ Sure, it¡¯s clear that we are one person. But, if we look at it closer¡­ were we split, or were we copied? Both of us went silent. I could tell that even though it just popped into my head, the other me, since he was awake a bit longer, already thought that out. -I was thinking about that. But with just myself, it¡¯s hard to check that, you know? -Right. There¡¯s no one to compare to. -Yeah. And I was silently hoping that I was just transferred, like Kon. But, alas, nope. -Okay, I am happy that you are taking it so well - interrupted us Il - but there¡¯s another problem. -Right. That¡¯s true. How about her, other me? -That¡¯s the question - he sighed. - Health-wise, she¡¯s more than okay. Kon did a magnificent job fixing her body, and there¡¯s definitely no problems there. -How far did it go? -Further than we wanted. -That was given, since we didn¡¯t want to do this at all. -Yeah¡­ the effect is the real opposite to what we intended. Her whole skeleton was replaced. Or, rather it replaced itself. -I was gonna say¡­ There¡¯s no way Kon would be able to do all that¡­ -Yeah¡­ he only replaced what he said, but when I awakened in here, the whole skeleton was already crystal. -Is it progressing? -Not for now. It seems like it stopped as soon as I awakened. -Ah¡­ So you¡¯re¡­ -I think so. Without her being conscious, the crystal had its own will and was doing as it pleased. Since I took over, it¡¯s been calm. -Good¡­. Well, I guess having myself in there is good in some way. -Fuck¡­ This gives another meaning to ¡°parental control¡±... - mumbled Il. - So. What are we doing next? -We wait for her to wake up. Then, she decides. -And not like we can really pull me out of her¡­ - the other me pointed out. - I mean, I probably should be quiet when she wakes up, at least, but¡­ -Yeah. We need to tell her everything. -Damn¡­ I can not imagine how she¡¯s going to take it¡­ I mean, just moments ago she wasn¡¯t even believing the fact that we were her parents¡­ -Ah. By the way - interrupted Il. - You say, moments, but it¡¯s been more like a few hours. You¡¯ve been down for a while. -Shit. -Yeah, but still, you look fine. I thought that you¡¯d be a lot more wasted after that much of mana exhaustion. -Well, I am more sturdy than it looks. And besides that, I think I might have drained a bit from the area, so¡­ -Is there a mana void somewhere again¡­? But, before I was able to reply she looked for it itself. -Ah. Well, not mana void, but for sure that place is a lot more¡­ dry. -You can say that. I still can¡¯t believe I managed to not destroy anything. -I guess you are being a bit careful, even while unconscious. -Ehe¡­ I guess. -How long do you think it¡¯s going to take? -Beats me. Ask other me. He¡¯s closer to the source, so to speak. -Don¡¯t just toss the responsibility to someone else. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. -I am not. -Stooop, one of you is enough! - interrupted our banter Il. - Answer. -Well, her mana is mostly stable - I started, looking at her directly. - But¡­ -...but since she wasn¡¯t really prepared¡­ no one was, there¡¯s no telling if it¡¯s going to take hours or days. -Or anything in between. -Hm. -Well, it¡¯s not like we are in the worst place to take a rest - I pointed out. - This valley is mostly sealed from the outside, barring any teleports, we are going to be fine. -Exactly. The only person who knows about it is either dead or missing. -So, we¡¯re waiting here then? -At least until For and Kon awaken - I agreed. - We will decide about the next steps later. See how things play out. -Oh yes, I know. But I meant¡­ here. As in this patch of the forest. Can we move somewhere else? -What, you had enough of nature? -No. I just think Il deserves a bit better rest than just lying on the grass. -Well, I can agree with that. But there¡¯s no place to go here. What, you want to use the ruins of MIRE? -It¡¯s¡­ well fuck, you¡¯re right. -Maybe we can whip something out? - asked the other me. - I mean, I don¡¯t think either of us has an ability to conjure a bed¡­ -We probably could write one - mumbled Il - But we definitely shouldn¡¯t. -Well, For said she had a few spells of that type¡­ so maybe¡­ -But she¡¯s also unconscious. -Yeah¡­ Someone probably should check up on her. -Hm. Okay, okay, I¡¯ll go. - said Il. - I need to stretch my legs a bit, I¡¯ve been sitting here for a while now¡­ -I can go if you¡­ -Nah. Just stay with her. And¡­ yourself. She stood up and left towards where Kon and For were still laying. The moment she left, silence fell between us. I mean, sure, we were using our minds to communicate, so the forest was completely silent anyway, but it was more than apparent when you¡¯re not actively thinking, you know¡­ Not for long, though. The other me interrupted the silence after a good minute. -So. How are we feeling? -You ask me? I think you should know better. -I do, and still am asking¡­ -Well, to be honest, for me not much has changed. You have it worse, I think. -You don¡¯t say. -On the subject though¡­ I¡¯ve been meaning to ask, how much control do you have over that body? -Never tried taking over completely. -Figures. But you can tell without that, can¡¯t you? He groaned. -I guess there¡¯s nothing I can hide from myself. Yeah, sure, I can completely take over at any time. -Especially when she¡¯s not awake. -Exactly. But I am not doing that. -That¡¯s good. At least you¡¯re making a convincing argument. -What? -That you are still me. -Well, sure. But¡­ to be honest, I have the same worries. How can I tell that what was left behind in that body of yours is still the original? Not a copy? -Does that matter? -Honestly? I don¡¯t think so. -I feel the same. And since we still have the same goal, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to change any time soon. -Or at all. -Hopefully. Say, are there any others inside or¡­ -Nope. Not any more, that is. -Any more? Don¡¯t tell me Kon missed something? -A tiny bits here and there. She had some small particles of crystal all over her body. I am not sure if from some earlier fights with Mike or maybe from that weapon of hers, but after I awakened, it all got suppressed by me. -Good. For once I am happy that our crystal is that good. -Let¡¯s hope it¡¯s not too good. -As long as you won¡¯t try to take over her, we should be fine, right? It¡¯s not growing in power, is it? -Not at the moment. Even though we are full of mana, there¡¯s no activity from anything else. I probably already managed to absorb most of it. -And no adverse effects from that, I hope? -You tell me. An outside perspective is the best in that kind of thing, isn¡¯t it? -Sure¡­ I will be monitoring you then. -Good. And¡­ to be honest, if anything goes wrong¡­ If you ever suspect me, just go for it. Don¡¯t hesitate. Hearing that from myself was a bit eerie. Sure, I probably would say the same in this situation, but still, actually hearing it was something else. Nonetheless¡­ -The same goes for you. I bet you¡¯d be able to reclaim this body if needed. -Maybe. I¡¯d have to get some help, first¡­ -I guess I have more mana than just what you got¡­ But even if it comes to that, try asking her for help. -Her as mother or her as daughter? -Well, since you''re sharing a body, that one would be better if the need arose. While I am not sure how she is going to react¡­ -Yeah, we still have to wait for that¡­ -Right. On the other hand, I am sure Iloa wouldn¡¯t hesitate to help you. -That is if I had a valid reason to suspect something wrong with you. Without that I am going to be destroyed. -If she is even capable of that. -Right¡­ we still have no idea about her capabilities¡­ but, to be honest, I am having a better time reading her now, when I am in this body. -Really? -Yeah. My senses¡­ are a lot more vivid. I think. -My guess would be that it¡¯s just you not being really acclimated to seeing with actual eyes, not some crystal remakes¡­ -That might be right. But still, she is sleeping, so how well do they even work? -Right¡­ not much, most likely. -You said it. But I think that I might just be getting accustomed to seeing different mana in people. -As how they are able to distinguish anchors and whatnot? -Yeah. Il was able to use portals, right? So I guess I am getting a share of that ability thanks to us being in one body. -Damn. Good on you. I still can¡¯t¡­ -Oh, don¡¯t try to be so secretive. I do know you realized by now. -... -What, aren¡¯t you a bit slow? We¡¯ve been for a while starting to recognize it even in that crystal body. Sure, it wasn¡¯t as precise as Kon or For, but it was definitely working a bit. He was right. I don¡¯t know why I didn¡¯t just admit to him outright. If I wanted to blame it on something, I¡¯d just say I was still confused after waking up. It wouldn¡¯t necessarily be a lie, but still. I was just having a hard time believing that the crystal was still developing. He knew what I was worried about. -I know we aren¡¯t sure, but it definitely seems like the assimilation has not stopped. I did think that it might have been suspended since ILMA got seemingly ejected from us, but apparently not. -You¡¯re right. Eh, I can''t hide anything from myself. -That¡¯s what I said. To be honest, having that kind of discussion was¡­ I want to say unsettling, but really, it was more refreshing than anything. You don¡¯t really have a chance to talk to yourself very often. At least without looking like a maniac. And without getting a silent treatment. 197. Takeover Our discussion was interrupted by Il. She came back, with For and Kon in tow. -How is she doing? Of course it was the first question that came to her mind. -No change - we both replied in unison, accidentally spooking For and Kon. -You didn¡¯t tell them? - I asked out loud, seeing their reaction. -No. I only said¡­ -She only said that something went wrong - replied For. -What¡¯s going on? What did I do?! - asked Kon, visibly worried. I could see where his worries were coming from. After all, it was him who was directing the whole operation. I guess he was feeling guilty for anything going wrong. And since she didn¡¯t say what¡¯s up, no wonder he looked shaken. Especially while seeing Ilma just sitting there, unmoving. -I think she is going to be fine - I assured him, and probably also myself. - She just didn¡¯t wake up yet. -So what¡¯s the problem then? - asked For. -See¡­ just you know, there¡¯s been a certain¡­ development. -That¡¯s one way to put it¡­ - the other me agreed with myself, and in the process confused the two of them even more. -What are you¡­ -Are you talking¡­ to yourself? - asked For, looking concerned. - Man, I didn¡¯t think that mana deficiency would be so harmful to your head. -That¡¯s impossible! I mean¡­ I even gave you every bit I have¡­ And something like that still happened? - mumbled Kon, half to himself, half to me. -You gave me mana? He snapped out of it, realizing that I¡¯ve heard what he said. -Ah¡­! Yes. After I finished with the operation, I still had some of it left, and you were down, so I gave you what I had remaining¡­ and even a bit more. -Bit more? -Er¡­ remember, we had some remaining crystals from before¡­? -The ones used for the generator¡­? -Yes. That. I wanted to use them to regenerate your mana, but I guess even that was not enough, it crumbled almost instantly, so I gave you what remaining amounts I have. That should¡¯ve prevented any side effects! And there weren¡¯t supposed to be any! -Wait, I was joking - interrupted him For. - You really have something wrong with your head? You kidding? -Well¡­ -Like we were ever sane in the first place¡­ -Don¡¯t put it like that¡­ - I mumbled, but that only ensured their beliefs. -Oh my¡­ it¡¯s true¡­ -We probably should explain before they think we are completely nuts. -You definitely aren¡¯t helping, talking like that out of the blue. -Neither are you. And how do you propose I talk, huh? I don¡¯t really have a working mouth, unless I take over that is. -Take over? - asked For. - What¡¯s going on? -Ehh¡­ listen. I know it¡¯s going to sound insane, but Kon¡­ you essentially managed to duplicate me. I gave them a brief explanation of what we thought was happening, but it didn¡¯t help much. They still looked like I was insane. -Damn¡­ it¡¯s that bad¡­? I didn¡¯t think that someone¡¯s mind can be destroyed like that¡­ She clearly was thinking I was not in my right mind. -Calm down, Mor - said carefully Kon. - I am sure we can fix this somehow. I can try again and¡­ -Guys, he is not¡­ he is not joking - said calmly Il. - And he is not crazy. There¡¯s really two of him. -Oh no¡­ did it hit her too? -Fuck¡­ I guess their bodies were mostly made out of that weird material, does that mean that your spell somehow interfered with that¡­? - wondered aloud For. -I don¡¯t think¡­ maybe¡­? I guess regular flesh is easier to mend¡­ and to not break¡­ but I thought¡­ I was about to try and clear their misunderstanding, but this time I was stopped by Il. -Okay, clearly they are not going to believe you - she said. -Fucking great. What now? -Can¡¯t really blame them¡­ - she continued. - This situation is pretty intense¡­ -Oh, ha ha. You somehow managed to understand me, though. Or do you also think that the other me is just my imagination, huh? -I feel offended - I heard from my other self. -Oh, you know it¡¯s not like that. I believe you. Besides - she added - I had a rather convincing conversation with both of you separately. There¡¯s no mistaking it, you both are too real. -So how do you think we convince them? I mean¡­ I do have an idea¡­ -You sure about that¡­? - asked the other me. - If that¡¯s the same thing I am thinking about¡­ Well, sure that might convince them¡­ Or they will make them view us as monsters. -Like that¡¯d be new. And judging by that response, I think we are indeed are of one mind. -Right¡­ then there¡¯s only one thing to do¡­ -Yeah. -What are you planning? - asked Il. -We are asking for your consent. -Consent? What, you want to possess me or something? How would that help¡­? No. Don¡¯t tell me¡­ It¡¯s not me who you want to possess¡­ -Bingo. I guess using two bodies at once might convince them. -Not necessarily¡­ didn¡¯t you use that trick before? -Yeah. But then I wasn¡¯t able to use the other body. -I know. But do they know? -I mean¡­ Kon should. He shared his senses with me once. So¡­ -I guess. So what are you waiting for? -You really agree? -It¡¯s not like we have a better idea. And besides, it¡¯s actually convenient. We won¡¯t have to actually carry her. We should at least find some shelter. With you controlling her, it¡¯s going to be easier. -I guess¡­ I am still worried - said the other me. That you won¡¯t be able to relinquish control? -Yeah. -If worse comes to worse I¡¯ll just drain you out of her. -I guess¡­ Eh, fuck it. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. It didn¡¯t take much effort for him to take over. Looking from outside, it didn¡¯t seem like anything changed, but I could tell the shift in her mana and noticed the moment he managed to get control. -And? She opened her eyes. -Seems good so far. Her voice didn¡¯t change, although it was clear that she was not the one in control. -Motor functions? -I am about to check. She¡­ or rather he started to slowly rise from the ground. Carefully at first, uncertain about the amount of control he had over the limbs, but soon he managed to stand firmly on two feet. -So far so good. Saying that, he started checking how good his mobility was¡­ And it seemed that it was not too bad. Few stretches, then a few jumps, he even tried running in place. All without issue. -Huh. It¡¯s as good as mine¡­ - he commented finally, finishing his ¡°exercises¡±. -I guess it¡¯s not like that body is much different from what we had before¡­ - I pointed out, relieved. - Just don¡¯t get too comfortable. -Ha. I am well aware¡­ but speaking of¡­ He sat back down at the tree and closed his eyes. Mana in her form flickered. -Ha. Great. As easy as pie. Let¡¯s see.. Another flicker. He stood up again. -It¡¯s so fucking easy it¡¯s scary - he commented, stretching once more. -Damn. Well, glad we checked that one out. -Mhm. -Shall we get moving then? Both of us turned towards For and Kon. Two of them were staring at us, speechless. I mean, seeing this spectacle from the outside would be confusing, sure, but it wasn¡¯t that weird, really. At least to me. -It¡¯s even worse¡­ Even that spectacle didn¡¯t convince them? -There¡¯s two of them now¡­ Oh. Well, that¡¯s an outcome. -I can¡¯t¡­ -How¡­ I mean¡­ It¡¯s so¡­ simple? - said Kon, not sure which one he should ask. -Simple¡­? I mean, sure. What did you expect? -Er¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ an incantation¡­? Or it¡¯s going to take longer¡­ More focus¡­? -Correct me if I am wrong - said For - but did you just¡­ leave her body and enter it¡­ again¡­? -Er¡­ Yes? - the other me in Il¡¯s body replied, unsure. - I was checking how responsible this new ¡°arrangement¡± is. -And apparently it¡¯s pretty quick. -Yep - I nodded. -Right - he agreed. - But I¡¯ll still have to check if it¡¯s going to be so easy if she is awake. That is, if it¡¯s ever needed - he added quickly. For gave us a concerned look, but I understood where he was coming from. Having another consciousness inside of you to take over sometimes can be handy. But, before it would come to that, she had to be fully awake. -Okay then¡­ So where are we going? - asked Il, noticing our ¡°preparations¡± were done. -I thought we were going back to that ruined building¡­? - asked Kon. - I mean, sure, there¡¯s not much left there, but¡­ -Nah, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a point - I said. -Weren¡¯t you the one who proposed that? -And now I am proposing something else. -What do you have in mind? It¡¯s not like there¡¯s any inhabited land nearby, is there¡­? Unless¡­ -Are you thinking what I am thinking¡­? - asked the other me. -Of course. -Don¡¯t tell me you want to go through those tunnels? - asked Il. - I mean¡­ -That¡¯s precisely what we want - replied the other me. - It¡¯s not like there¡¯s any better place nearby. -And, on top of having a house, we could maybe glance at some secrets she was keeping. Not like she can stop us¡­ -Right¡­ but isn¡¯t that a bit hard on her¡­? - asked For, pointing towards the body now occupied by the other me. -If you were to ask me a while later, I¡¯d agree - I nodded. - But seeing how I am so used to the body already¡­ -...I don¡¯t see the problem with a longer travel time - the other me finished for me. - I have plenty of mana, and this place is also nicely infused. We have time and resources. -You really one of one mind¡­ - said For. -Yeah, that sounds about right. I was worried at first. Not about the state Il was, no. More about For and Kon still looking at me like I was insane. I seriously was thinking that they were just playing along, thinking that I completely lost it and decided to shut up just to not deal with it. I mean, I would¡¯ve thought that, if I wasn¡¯t able to hear what they were thinking. I am not sure if they were just a lot less stealthy, or did my powers grew even more, but I was clearly able to hear when they were trying to have a conversation in private. I was not going to interrupt them, and apparently the other me thought the same, because I could clearly tell that he was also listening in. -You think it¡¯s possible¡­? What he said¡­? - I heard For, thinking. -I never thought¡­ I mean, maybe? -I know that his magic is something else, but still, something like that is much even for that, don¡¯t you think? -I know! But he showed us¡­ he can¡¯t just¡­ act something like that out, right? -You¡¯d have to be insane to even think up something like that. -I mean¡­ -I know! I get it! That does not help! -But look at their mana! It¡¯s¡­ enormous. -I can tell. It¡¯s like I am looking at multiple suns right in front of me! -I never even thought¡­ I never gave him that much mana! It¡¯s like he really multiplied himself! -Well, if that¡¯s true, then it¡¯s not that far off from what happened. -But¡­ If that¡¯s true¡­ does that mean that he can do that to everyone with a piece of him¡­? -Wasn¡¯t Axelrod doing exactly that? -I¡­ -And didn¡¯t he do something similar to you before? The senses¡­ -But that¡¯s far beyond what I thought it¡¯s possible! It¡¯s just literally like he cloned himself! -I agree, it is disturbing. -So what do we do?! -I have no idea! Just¡­ -This is scary. -You don¡¯t have to tell me twice. -What if¡­ he¡¯s going to do that to us¡­? Kon seemed genuinely concerned. Strangely though, For was a lot calmer than I thought she¡¯d be. -Well, for me it¡¯s already past the point of no return. He has a contract with me, so I guess I can¡¯t do anything. -Would you want to do something, though? -I¡­ I am not sure. What about you? -What me? I am not contracted to him¡­ I think¡­? -Oh, I think you might be worse. Weren¡¯t you made just like her? I mean, with a part of his body making you back what you are? -I¡­ it¡¯s not exactly the same, but¡­ -But shouldn¡¯t the effect be similar¡­? -I think¡­ I think so¡­ -Well, I am just a bit worried that I¡¯ve been so numb to all this¡­ and that I¡¯ve been accepting this all of the sudden¡­ - finally said For. - It almost feels like not me¡­ -Wasn¡¯t that what he warned us about? -The other one¡¯s¡­ influence¡­? But I don¡¯t feel anyone else inside me¡­ -Neither do I. But it¡¯s clear that we do have something¡­ - said Kon. - Without that, we wouldn¡¯t be alive, I think. -Maybe you. I am a long-lived species, so¡­ I wonder about that. I was not going to interrupt their conversation, but that made me think. Do all those other races that I¡¯ve heard of actually exist? So far, whenever we heard about one, it was always connected to the Crystal, or Mike, or both. It wouldn¡¯t be strange to assume that it¡¯s just Crystal converting people into different things. Like it did with me. Like it did with Iloa. And now like we¡¯ve done with Ilma. Besides possibilities of additional racism, I didn¡¯t think it would be problematic, I mean that exists even without the crystal. But, why would I even think about that? Not like there are really people for us to meet any more, and not like the would¡¯ve been concerned about them more than me, a fucking crystal golem, remnant, or whatever else. Besides worries of For and Kon, our trip was silent and went as smooth as it gets. Even the travel through the underground portion of the trip was easy. With all of us, we just helped ourselves with magic to get through more tricky parts of the caverns and soon we were out on the other side of the mountain range. I was a bit concerned about the other me and the body we were possessing. Was she really that durable? I mean, the mana pool was great, sure, but that was mostly coming from me and the Origin Crystal¡­ -How are we doing? - I asked him directly, as soon as we left the tunnels. -Not too bad. I expected to have a worse time, but this body is great. -Really? -Yeah. I thought that without the Crystal I¡¯d have a much harder time, you know, being used to the other one, but nope. It feels natural. -I don¡¯t know what to think¡­ -Neither do I. Is it good or bad, right? -Yeah¡­. -But then, even though not fully, this body also has integrated the Crystal. And is continuing to adapt as we speak. -It¡¯s still going? It¡¯s spreading? -It¡¯s not really spreading¡­ it¡¯s more like it¡¯s dissolving - he replied after a moment of thought. -Well, you already know what I think, I guess¡­ -Yeah¡­ 198. Individuality -So, what¡¯s our next plan? - asked For out loud. - We find the house you mentioned, then what? -Then we wait for the real host of this body to awaken - replied the other me. - I¡¯d rather not get too comfortable in here. She shuddered when he mentioned that. -Say¡­ it¡¯s really true¡­ that you¡¯re¡­ split? - asked Kon, after a long pause. -What, I thought we already cleared that up - I replied. - It¡¯s just as we explained. You essentially cloned me. -In a manner of speaking¡­ - nodded the other me. -Yeah, I sort of understand¡­ or, well I want to understand. It¡¯s more like¡­ I am accepting it¡­ But¡­ He went silent and looked over each of us, like he was judging each of us. -But¡­ how does that feel? His question was so unexpected that both of us, like commanded, turned our heads towards him and looked directly at him. -W-what? -Nothing¡­ it¡¯s just a question that I expected from¡­ well, maybe Il. Or myself. Not from you¡­ - I admitted. -Hey! - perked up Il. - I can hear you! -Am I wrong, though? -Er¡­ well¡­ -See? - said the other me. - Even she agrees. -Hah. Well, but back to your question - I said, chuckling. - There¡¯s nothing much to explain. I don¡¯t feel anything, really¡­ -Huh? -I mean¡­ I am just still me. We don¡¯t share senses. Or thoughts. Well, we can, but I can do the same thing with each of you, remember? - I said. -Same here - the other me agreed with me. - It¡¯s not like we have some magical bonus connection¡­ I mean, we can tell what each of us is thinking, but that¡¯s not because of magic or something, it¡¯s just¡­ how do I put it¡­ -I mean, you just know what you are thinking right? - I picked up for him. - I am just assuming: ¡°what would I do?¡± Or ¡°what would I think about that?¡±, or something like that. It¡¯s always spot on. -He said it - we agreed once more. - That¡¯s pretty much it. -Oh¡­ I thought¡­ that you have¡­ like another pair of eyes¡­ Or¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ -Nah, I don¡¯t think it works that way - I laughed. - Ha. Would be great. -It would be a lot handier if it worked that way, I think - continued the other me. - Right now I am more worried the more we spend time as separate minds. -Yeah¡­ I¡¯ve been thinking about that as well - I agreed. - For now we¡¯ve been traveling together, so there¡¯s no discrepancies. But how would that work if we¡¯d¡­ let¡¯s say, split, and couldn¡¯t share information for some reason. Would we still be able to understand each other perfectly or would we drift away into being two different people? I didn¡¯t want to say it out loud, but I did anyway. They should know. -Yeah - nodded the other me. - There¡¯s no telling if one of us sooner or later stops agreeing with the other one¡­ and then what? -Would we be hostile to each other? How would that work? If we were to try and attack each other, who¡¯d win? Would one of us even resist if that came to pass? How would our individuality work then¡­? -Axelrod apparently didn¡¯t have much of a problem with that - pointed out For. - He was able to take over Goldie and Rob without any problems. And aren¡¯t you at least as powerful as him? -Yes. But as far as we are aware, he managed to kill the other personality, and then promptly eliminated himself. -It was like that with Rob, sure. But what about Goldie? We are not sure what happened to him, really¡­ -I guess. -There is also the other, more concerning example - said the other me. - The one that is probably still partially involved. -... -ILMA. -Right. The other me, so to speak. Multiples of it. -Exactly. -I mean¡­ she was mostly civilized¡­ - said Kon. - Only one was really¡­ well, weird. And even then, you managed to somehow¡­ er, pacify her. -That one? Well, that¡¯s not the one I was worried about. -Oh? -Right - picked up the other me. - I was more worried about the one we found inside that weapon of hers. Right. The ILMA that was working with actual Ilma. She was full of rage, and even broken, she was still not done. What was exactly up with that one? I had some ideas, but most of them were really far-fetched. But again, what wasn¡¯t? At this point everything going on was just feeling like one big fever dream. I kinda wished that someone would finally put all of this together. And I don¡¯t mean understand what¡¯s going on. Just¡­ I don¡¯t know. I shook off the strange feeling I got from that and instead focused on what was in front of me: the place where Melle used to live. From the outside, it was hard to tell it was still there: the ¡°security system¡± so to speak, was still well and working. The home was transformed into a tree and from afar it was only visible thanks to my enhanced senses. All of us knew what we were approaching, so we treaded carefully: we didn¡¯t want to get caught in yet another trap Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. -I don¡¯t think I need to say that, but we need to be careful and not trip any magical defenses in here, you¡­ But, as I was saying that, I felt a surge of mana next to me. I turned quickly, but it was not a trap, like I expected: the mana was coming from Il¡¯s wooden form. -What are you¡­ Before I was able to finish my sentence, I felt a rather large wave of magic leave her body and head right towards the hidden house. Reflexively, I wanted to leap and absorb the magic leaving her body, but it was already too far away from me. I don¡¯t think she cast a spell, though, it looked more like pure mana that left her and was racing away from us. What the hell was she trying to do here? She knew what we were dealing with! If she¡¯s done that, the vines would for sure engage us in a second. I kneeled and prepared for the inevitable awakening of the plantlife nearby. And so it did. But not in a way I expected it to. Instead of spreading and shooting towards us, the branches and vines nearby started pulling back, like they were repelled by something¡­ No. It¡¯s like they were recalled back¡­? -Wha¡­? Same with trees. It was like everything started to shrink, almost like time was turned back. The more overgrown parts pulled themselves back into the trunks or ground they originated from. Even the house: the tree that I knew was a house, again started reversing to a more ¡°civilized¡± shape, so to speak. But it did not turn into the same one I¡¯ve remembered being there before. It looked¡­ different. I want to say more modern, but I am not sure why it felt to me that way. It wasn¡¯t much different, it just was cleaner and smoother. Soon we were standing in an open clearing that hosted just the house. Even the place where I knew the garden used to be was clear. Well, maybe besides a few stray pinecones and dried branches. -What the hell? -What did you do? Both of me asked, not hiding the obvious surprise. But, she was looking as bewildered as everyone else. -I¡­ I have no idea. -What do you mean?! The mana was clearly from you! I didn¡¯t feel any spell, though, but¡­ - For was amazed herself. -Subconscious magic¡­? - I muttered. - I mean¡­ how does that even work¡­? -Does that mean¡­ she has¡­ -I know what you are thinking, but I honestly am not feeling it at all - she interrupted. - It has to be some kind of remnant from when I was connected to Mike¡­ -I mean, most likely¡­ but¡­ -I don¡¯t think it¡¯s just his fault¡­ It might be more connected to Melle. -Right - mumbled Kon. - When Mor checked for where she was, wasn¡¯t it you that got detected instead? -Yeah¡­ -Somehow¡­ hah. Without even thinking twice, I once more tried to bring up our contract with Melle, just to startle everyone and lit Il¡¯s body aflame. -AH! Warn me next time! -My bad¡­ - I mumbled and continued aloud. - Yeah¡­ seems like it¡¯s still hanging onto you. -It¡¯s even more pronounced - pointed out the other me, looking closer at the marks that appeared. - Weird. -Right? This magic is something else. -Well, not like it¡¯s helping us much. -True¡­ - I agreed and dismissed the flames. -What now¡­? - asked Kon, a bit concerned. -We move in, what else? - shrugged For. - Or do you think it¡¯s still trapped? That was actually a good question. I was not sure how this strange surge of mana would change the state of ¡°defenses¡±, so to speak. So I decided to move first. -Let me check - I said, stepping up. - I am the most resistant, if anything was to react, I am the best one to be targeted. -And on top of that, you have a backup in case something goes wrong - added the other me, standing next to Il. -Let¡¯s hope not. I slowly started approaching the house, looking carefully, expecting some kind of response. Maybe from the plants nearby, or maybe directly from the building itself, but nothing happened. Even when I was right at the door and peeked inside, there was no reaction. That was also when I noticed that something had changed inside. As I remembered correctly, the house was supposed to be made out of more than just one singular room, and when I looked inside through the membrane windows, I could see that there was just one singular room inside. And on top of that, it was empty. No furniture, no nothing. My first reaction was that I was getting tricked by some kind of illusion. It probably would be possible, knowing Melle and her husband, but it was not the case. I could tell that there was no illusion magic in play. The windows weren¡¯t fake, everything seemed as mundane as it gets. You know, besides the whole house being able to be disguised like that. Without much of a different idea, I grabbed the door and opened it slowly. It opened without an issue. And, just as I saw, there was nothing inside. The windows weren¡¯t an illusion. Same with the insides. Everything was really empty. I sighed and walked in, but that also didn¡¯t change a thing. Nothing reacted to my presence, so I just shrugged and called out to my other companions. -Seems fine to me. But be careful either way. This place is strange. -You don¡¯t have to tell me twice - mumbled For to herself. I didn¡¯t really hear that, though. The whole party walked forward, with Il and other me at the front, expecting the unexpected, but they also had an uneventful walk. -There¡¯s one problem, though¡­ - I said as they were next to me. - The indoors¡­ -...are a lot different - finished the other me for me. - Wow. Shit¡¯s cleaned up. -You think someone was here¡­? - wondered Kon. - I don¡¯t feel any magic residue¡­ -Neither do I - agreed For. -Isn¡¯t this place also missing walls¡­? - pointed out Il, looking closer. - I swear I thought you said¡­ -Yeah. That¡¯s why I am wondering. -If someone was here - said the other me - they really didn¡¯t want anyone to find anything. -But if that was the case, why even leave the place at all? - asked Kon. - Why not destroy it? Torch it to the ground or something. -Great question. I guess someone was attached? Or wanted to come back at some point in the future¡­? - proposed For. - Why, though¡­? -There¡¯s a source of infused water not so far from here - I reminded them. - Melle said it was the best she¡¯d seen. So no wonder someone wanted to keep that at least. -¡±Someone¡±... - mumbled For. - You say that, but the only person that knew that was her. And, well maybe Axelrod. -I am not certain if he even knew about it - I agreed. - If that was the case, he would¡¯ve told her about it sooner. -If he trusted her, that is - said For. - It took you a whole contract to share the information with her. -I was more worried about people discovering my own past and the ruins of MIRE than anything. If he was trusting her¡­ What was I even saying. It was clear that he didn¡¯t completely trust her. If at all. It was understandable that he didn¡¯t want to share his past with her, especially if he was still looking for his other wife¡­ Mike¡¯s strange man. -We can¡¯t be certain about anything. But, the important thing is that no one has been here for a while. There is no residue, so we could stay here for a while. -Well, sure, we can - nodded the other me. - But that¡¯s¡­ not what I imagined would be here. -Yeah - I agreed. - We came here to have an actual equipped home that we could hide in, to wait for Il to wake up, but instead we got essentially an empty lot. -It¡¯s better than sleeping outside - pointed out Kon. -Like any of us really requires that any more¡­ - mumbled For. - But sure. I won¡¯t say no to a roof above my head for a change. It was hard to not agree with her. It wasn¡¯t the best, especially after leaving the palace, or rather what¡¯s left of it, but not like we had a better choice. 199. Sync We ¡°set up¡±, so to speak, inside. Or rather that I just left everyone inside and went on to scout the surroundings for any other changes. The other me planned to pass on the consciousness to Il as soon as she awakened, but it seemed like it wasn¡¯t going to happen any time soon, so he just left her unconscious body sitting in the corner in the room and connected with me, helping me look. Plus, we wanted to not be separated too much, and sharing senses would assure that our ¡°data¡± would be synchronized. Mostly. Meanwhile, the rest was just taking their time getting their deserved rest and time for themselves. The area around the house has not changed much. Well, besides the garden being missing, of course. Everything else seemed in place, and I was not feeling any presence nearby. Well¡­ ¡°nearby¡± is maybe the wrong way to put it¡­ After that many changes to my body, my range has definitely increased. It was rather large before, but now I swear I could feel whole kilometers around if I stood still and focused on it. Why even leave the house then? I mean, I also wanted to have a peaceful moment just for me. Sure, I was still connected to the other me¡­ but I guess it still meant I was just alone, right? At least with no one else than myself. -Can¡¯t see anything interesting. Can you? - asked the other me, making sure we have the same idea of the place. -Can¡¯t say I do - I shrugged. -I guess that¡¯s good¡­ -Well, sort of. -Eh¡­ this is getting problematic¡­ -You don¡¯t say. I thought that by now she¡¯d be awake. Or at least closer to being awake. But her state didn¡¯t change at all. -Yeah, it looks the same to me as well. Even after you used magic, it didn¡¯t seem to have drained her¡­ Right. During our trip, the other me was using magic a couple of times. None of them were really big ones, but still. There should be at least some change in her mana, but nothing happened. -I mean, that¡¯s kind of good¡­ - I pointed out. - At least we know you¡¯re not powerless, even if she¡¯s out. -Sure. But so what? We have enough firepower as it is in our party, and not like we are going to need more anytime soon. Hopefully ever. -True¡­ Speaking of our party, what do you think about Il? -What, you need to ask me? I am pretty sure you have the same idea as me¡­ -Humour me. -Eh¡­ My guess is that Il has really absorbed more than she should. On the question ¡°how¡± though, that¡¯s not something we can answer right now¡­ If at all, really. -Mike. -Yeah, exactly. Without his input, we can only guess and hope. -Not like we¡¯ve been doing much else this entire time. -Not incorrect. Not that I like that. -You don¡¯t have to tell me that. -Eh¡­ The next few minutes I just spent in silence, walking larger and larger circles around the house everyone was stationed with. But, when it got to the point where I finally was almost unable to see the building through the branches, I suddenly felt For and her voice invaded us both. -Mor! Get back here! We¡¯ve got something! -¡±Got¡­?¡± -What do you mean? Other me quickly dropped the contact with me and left back to the house, to check up on things. I also started making my way towards the house, but it was going to take a lot longer before I was going to get there. I was thinking about doing the same trick that I was just doing, but in reverse, targeting the other me, but before I was able to make up my mind, he came back. -What¡¯s up? - I asked, feeling his presence. -Long story short: we don¡¯t have to worry about having an empty place to stay. -Like that was something I was worried about. -I mean, same, but that¡¯s Kon¡¯s words, not mine. What happened? -Just look inside. You¡¯re close. I was a bit annoyed that he wasn¡¯t just going to tell me, but I knew better to not complain. That was definitely something I would¡¯ve done. -Okay, I am back, what¡¯s up¡­? - I said, entering the door, but as soon as I walked into the room, I had to do a double take, because I couldn¡¯t believe what I was seeing. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. The room was not only no longer empty: it was furnished better than the palace or mansion we¡¯ve not so long ago been sitting in. The room was¡­ larger? Or just looked that way. It got divided five ways, using fancy wooden dividers that looked like they''d been stolen from the palace itself. Each ¡°room¡± had one bed, looking very comfortable and, dare I say, modern. Sure, the sheets were still made out of the familiar green material that I knew was created using green magic, but besides that, the frames were sturdy and almost looked like something that used to be back in my own house. Each bed had its own shelf along with a small candle made out of wood. I doubt it was going to be actually able to be working like an actual candle, but there¡¯s been more than once that I¡¯ve been surprised before. The other wall was filled with cabinets. Although every single one was empty, it definitely was not there before and was surprisingly nice-looking. Especially, if you were to compare it to the beds. I was about to ask what the hell was going on, but the answer appeared right in front of my face. Il, sitting in her wooden form on one of the beds, was holding¡­ a piece of wood, I guess? It looked strangely round, just like a ball. Both her and the thing she had was full of mana. As I opened my mouth to say something, the wooden ball started rotating and¡­ she started sculpting it? Just like clay, it started changing shape in her hands, and just like clay, it soon formed a pot. Quite simple-looking, but still. Looking happy with her creation, she extended her hand and it looked like she was about to drop it on the floor, but before she managed to release her grip on the newly created item, from the ground a couple of branches sprouted. They started wrapping themselves on each other and in a blink of an eye, next to her was now standing a new table, on which she placed the pot, not even looking at it. -What the fuck. -Yeah. Good question. It was For. Both her and Kon were observing Il from the edge of the room, unsure what to think about this. Neither was I, to be honest. -She just started doing that a moment ago¡­ - thought Kon. - She didn¡¯t even speak a word or anything¡­ -Well, he said it¡­ - confirmed the other me. Although he was now again in control of the body, he was already sitting on one of the beds, next to her. -When I came back here, I was lying on this bed. I mean, she was. - he corrected himself. - How did this body get here¡­? -I don¡¯t think you¡¯re going to believe me¡­ - started For. -Try me. -Well¡­ as soon as you went ahead and left us, we started inspecting the empty room. -There wasn¡¯t much to find here, I am afraid¡­ - I mumbled. -Well, true, but not like we had much to do. I think she thought of the same thing, because she sat next to you¡­ I mean, next to the vacant body and it seemed like she¡¯s fallen asleep, because she stopped moving. -So she¡¯s unconscious through all this¡­? - I asked, but as soon as I tried looking at her, I realized that it was not the case. -No - confirmed Kon. - She was still herself. Her mana never changed, I am sure of that. It¡¯s just¡­ that she started creating stuff. -Just like that? -It seems so! As she sat next to the¡­ well, other you, the floor suddenly started moving. And just like that, from the ground roots sprouted that started forming beds and those walls. After that, the shelves appeared. And now, she¡¯s making small decorations¡­ Yeah. As he was explaining that, Il moved from creating that pot of hers to making more. The pot that she made was now full of water and inside there was a nice and colorful bouquet of flowers. I think now she started making actual silverware¡­ or well, it was made out of wood, but still¡­ -She never said a word to you? -Nope. -Have you tried talking to her? -Not yet. We waited for you. -I honestly thought that was something that you told her to do¡­ - admitted For. - So I didn¡¯t want to interrupt. But after¡­ you returned and was as stunned as the rest of us. -Well, no, we never¡­ I never told her to try something like that¡­ -Neither did I - confirmed the other me. - That¡¯s her initiative. Or, at least let¡¯s hope that¡¯s still her. -You think something has taken over?! -I doubt that - immediately said For. - I can tell her mana did not change. I told you. -There¡¯s been weirder stuff going on, remember? - I pointed out. But she was right. Her ¡°change¡± should have some outside¡­ indications. At least I hoped so. -Well. Here goes nothing. -Il. What are you doing? I said that directly towards her mind, carefully trying to not send any emotions with that question. Who knows what state she was in? I honestly was wondering if that was even going to reach her, but apparently did without any issue. She stopped, mid-movement. In her hand she was holding a half-formed fork. -Hm? Her voice was still the same. Although, it seemed like she was¡­ tired? No, that¡¯s not it. It was more like she was just lost in her thoughts. -I asked what are you doing? -What do you mean¡­? She finally looked around her. -What the fuck?! -What the fuck, indeed. -What happened?! Did I do that?! -Did you really not realize what¡¯s going on? -No! I mean¡­ I had this thought¡­ but no! -What thought? She promptly explained what happened. Or, what she thought had happened. As soon as I left to clear my mind, she sat down in a corner, next to the vacant body of Il and started idly thinking. About how the place lacked any furniture. How would anyone be able to live here? Or even stay for more than a couple of minutes? She was hoping to let Il¡¯s body rest on some bed that she was sure was supposed to be there, but apparently not. ¡°It would be nice to have a bed. Maybe not for each of us, but still. Even a simple one would be enough.¡± ¡°But would that make the room cramped? Probably some kind of divider would be nice, since there are no walls¡­¡± ¡°Maybe some shelves¡­ and a few knick-knacks¡­ I think that¡¯s how this place was supposed to look, right?¡± She didn¡¯t realize that, but as she was thinking on how this place could be better, she was also creating the same items she imagined. Or, rather the house was responding to her, creating those for her. 200. Intertwined -That can¡¯t be this easy, can it? - she finally said, after once more looking at her creations. - I mean, this place would be too good to be true¡­ -I mean, seen weirder things, but¡­ Just like her, I focused on the place. I didn¡¯t feel anything strange, no connection at all to this house, but wanted to give it a try anyway. I imagined a regular chair. Nothing fancy, just a simple wooden chair, appearing next to me on the floor. There was no reaction. I even pushed some of my mana towards the air, but stopped myself short, because reflexively I started converting it into green mana, and before I thought twice, I started thinking of a spell to actually create some wood. It was definitely not what was going on with her. -Doesn¡¯t work for me. Can you try again? -I am not sure if that¡¯s how¡­ - started Il, but I interrupted her. -Just humour me. Think of¡­ I don¡¯t know, anything. -Er¡­ okay¡­ She closed her eyes. It didn¡¯t take even a second for the floor to suddenly shift and grow a pair of roots that started forming yet another item. Wrapping around each other, vines and roots started creating a small stool. It was finished in not even a minute. The remaining vine even pushed it a little bit towards her, like it was encouraging her to sit on it. -Well, I¡¯ll be damned. It is that easy - I said, not hiding my amazement. - I guess this thing responds to your commands somehow. -I wouldn¡¯t be so sure¡­ - suddenly said the other me, standing in the middle of the room. And next to him was¡­ The same chair I imagined a moment ago. -Wait, YOU made it?! - I gasped, stepping closer to look at the new creation. - Are you sure about that?! -Yeah. I guess you tried doing something similar but failed, right? -Yeah! What did you use? Some kind of incantation? -I am afraid not¡­ I did just as you said a moment ago: I thought about it. I didn¡¯t even expend any mana. -You kidding me. -Yeah, I am a bit surprised, too. I thought if I was able to do it, you should be too, right? -Exactly! Either both of us or none! How the¡­ why are you different? -Not sure yet. For, Kon, can you try? -Err¡­ -Good idea. Let¡¯s first check who is able to do what. -I guess¡­ - mumbled Kon, a bit perplexed. During the next few minutes, all of us tried making something. But, just like I demonstrated earlier, I failed. Same with Kon and For. No matter what, we weren¡¯t able to will anything into existence. I mean, without using our own mana. I have to say, at the end I got a bit frustrated and just made something using my own mana: just a small wooden band, only to make sure that I still had my magic intact. On the other hand, both the other me and Il had no issues in creating. Be it a chair, a small figurine, or anything in between, they just had to think about it and the house would fulfill their wishes to the dot. -That is peculiar - I finally said after numerous attempts and failing at them. -That is an understatement - said For. -Yeah¡­ I get us not being able to do anything, but why can they? -I assume that it has something to do with the connection to Melle - I said. - It¡¯s her house, it wouldn¡¯t be as surprising if she was able to control it. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. -Control? It goes far beyond the control - said For. - It¡¯s just straight up creation! But hell, knowing her, it¡¯s not that far-fetched. -Yeah. She managed to transform this house right in front of my face. It was outside of it, but why not inside as well? -Right¡­ but that doesn¡¯t explain the OTHER part¡­ -Well¡­ - started the other me - if it was just Il, I¡¯d say that¡¯s because of the same thing that transferred the contract I had with Melle. -And that is¡­? -Who the fuck knows - I shrugged. - Yeah. I was thinking about that too, but what about me¡­ or, well, you. -Isn¡¯t that the same thing with you¡­? - asked Kon. - You had the contract with her, so why wouldn¡¯t some of her¡­ I don¡¯t know, essence? Mana? Something recognized you as her, at least partially? -If that was the case - said the other me - why aren¡¯t the other me able to do the same? As far as we know, the roles should be reversed. -I guess - I agreed. - I still have the pact in me, while you are not connected to it at all. If it came from that, I¡¯d be the one creating chairs and shit. -I¡­ I suppose you¡¯re right¡­ -It probably is just because of that body - said Il, still lost in thought. - I assume that if that woman is really as we think she is, she¡¯d definitely give her daughter, or at least someone close to her, similar power over this place. -That¡¯s a good assumption - I nodded. - But that also has some implications. -Like? -Like, if she ¡°trusted¡± her¡­ does that mean she didn¡¯t trust her husband? I mean, Mike. -She had plenty of reasons if you ask me¡­ - mumbled For more to herself than to anyone else. -Why, Mor? -Well, if that was the case, I would be able to manipulate this house as well. I am made out of the same thing as him. -Ah that. Well, it¡¯s not exactly true¡­ He¡¯s been for a while here, do you really think that your crystals still have that much similarities? Even if they came from the one piece, that doesn¡¯t mean they still are the same to this day. -Well that¡¯s a good point¡­ actually, that¡¯s more of a question to you lot. -Hm? -Not so long I absorbed something that was essentially a piece of him. You think that it was similar to me? Both For and Kon gazed at me with concern. So they noticed something. -Er¡­ You did indeed look similar - finally said Kon. - But not the same. At least not to me, that is¡­ -Same here - agreed with him For. - But, since we are on this topic¡­ I did notice something¡­ The look at Kon¡¯s face said that so did he, but he never spoke up. -What is it? It can¡¯t be that bad¡­ -Well¡­ I noticed it a long time before this, but only was sure after¡­ you know, the ¡°operation¡± as you called it - said For. -Operation? That disturbed my mana? -Not¡­ well yes, but not the operation itself. It was what happened after that. -After¡­? -I¡­ I told you, I used what remaining supplies I had to regenerate your magic¡­ - said slowly Kon, with a worried tone. - And I meant it. -Right. You used the remaining shards we gathered. I know, doesn¡¯t matter much, we can find other anchors or something. -Yes, yes¡­ but see¡­ only after seeing those, I realized that your mana was not¡­ constant¡­ -Constant¡­? Wait. If what they were saying was correct, they were saying that I really was under the influence of something. Or rather that the ¡°assimilation¡± that I thought I have stopped has been still progressing. -That¡¯s not good - I mumbled. -Doubly so - said the other me. - But how about now? Is he still changing? Am I as well? -I¡­ I don¡¯t think so, no. At least not any more - said Kon after a brief moment of observation. - I think it stabilized when you¡­ you know, split. -And ¡°stabilized¡± is a relative term. You are far from being¡­ er¡­ clear, so to speak. At least you¡­ - she pointed to the part of me that was now in control of the unconscious Il. -Excuse me? And you¡¯re saying that now?! -Because it¡¯s not a problem! - immediately said For. - It¡¯s just like the two of you are intertwined¡­ I mean Mor¡¯s mana and that girl¡¯s. I can tell that there¡¯s two of you, at least that is, but it¡¯s not like you are merging! -You know - I said - those kinds of things you should tell us a lot earlier. -Why!? Now you want to know?! It¡¯s the same with you! But your mana is mingling with other entities? -Excuse me!? -Yeah! I can even see myself inside that! But you are definitely not turning into me! -Right¡­ We are the same - agreed Kon. - I can tell that there are some parts of you inside For. And she probably can see the same with me¡­ She opened her eyes, wide in surprise. -I mean¡­ yes¡­. but I never thought that I would too have¡­ -See? Our conversation was cut short by¡­ well, me. The other me, I mean. And it didn¡¯t seem like it was on purpose. As we were talking, trying to piece together why some of us were found with those new abilities, his body suddenly seized and he stared right at me. -You good? - I asked, seeing his sudden change. I did not get an answer. -What¡¯s going on? - I asked, switching to talking directly to him. -I¡­ don¡¯t¡­ He barely managed to squeeze two words, but it did not explain a thing. So, instead of seeking an answer from him, I just took a better look at the first thing I thought of: his mana. Maybe because we were just talking about this, but I immediately noticed what we said before: his mana was connected with others. I didn¡¯t really think about it back then, but already I was able to see different kinds of mana better than usual. I don¡¯t want to say that, but I probably was already on Kon¡¯s level, or at least similar. His mana though¡­ was moving. And I don¡¯t mean mixing with something, because that was what I was worried at first, but something definitely was taking over. It brought some negative connotations, but the moment later I realized what it actually meant in his situation. Il was waking up. 201. Perspectives -Excuse me!? -Yeah! I can even see myself inside that! But you are definitely not turning into me! -Right¡­ We are the same - agreed Kon. - I can tell that there are some parts of you inside For. And she probably can see the same with me. I think¡­ I didn¡¯t really pay attention any more, because suddenly I felt¡­ sick? Yeah, that was a new feeling to me. One, I have never felt like that since I had gotten the crystal body. I did lose it, though, so I guess it was possible¡­ I was occupying a fleshy body again. And whose body it was! My own daughter! The obvious problems aside, I was happy that at least I was not ILMA¡­ I mean, the artificial one. While I didn¡¯t have anything in particular against her as a creature¡­ or whatever she was at this point, there was no denying that she was unstable. Especially the version Il was in contact with recently. So you can¡¯t blame me when the sudden sickness turned into a very invasive presence, I was alarmed. Sure, I already had discussed that I was going to give up this body as soon as possible with¡­ er, with myself, but I was not going to just leave without being sure that we are dealing with the original owner, not something attacking. And there were some¡­ red flags, that was for sure. You know, the original owner trying to take over his body is not something that I would associate with nausea. I would expect a loss of consciousness, or maybe something like when you feel during a thought discussion with someone that had a hard time controlling their emotions. I was pretty intimate with that one. But that was nothing like this. I suddenly felt myself wanting to puke, unable to say the word, just frozen on the spot. -You good? I heard the other me ask. Of course. He noticed. It was hard not to when I was looking like this. But, I was not able to answer. I wasn¡¯t even able to open my mouth. I was standing there, stiff as a board, trying to not lose balance and fall on my face. -What¡¯s going on? The other me was not giving up, he was trying to contact me in any way he could. I heard him loud and clear, but that didn¡¯t mean giving an answer was easy. -I¡­ don¡¯t¡­ I managed to squeeze out a little bit, but that was the last thing I could do, because finally, something actually started taking over. Luckily, it at least felt familiar, so there was that¡­ What the hell had happened to me!? What was the last thing I remembered¡­ Right, I was talking with that guy who was trying to convince me of the weirdest things imaginable¡­ There was a full group there¡­ then¡­ I fainted? Did they attack me? I don¡¯t think so¡­ They were powerful, that¡¯s for sure. At least as strong as mom¡­ If not more. Probably more. If they were trying to actually get rid of me, I would¡¯ve been gone in a blink of an eye. I wouldn¡¯t even be able to realize what happened. But those people approached me openly¡­ Right. People¡­ Were those really humans? I heard about those different races, and that stupid excuse of a father was definitely trying to do something to his own body, so I guess having someone else do that wasn¡¯t really that far-fetched. But to actually try and attempt that? They were insane. Bah, scratch that! Focus on what¡¯s in front of you! If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Or rather what was. There¡¯s only darkness in my mind now¡­ or at least for now. I still can think. And that means I am not dead. At least I sincerely hope so. Think. What happened next? I remember¡­ some flashes of mana¡­ I was being covered in magic¡­ In someone¡¯s mana¡­ My own? Weird. But it was helping. I could feel myself being energized. At least up till a certain point, because the next thing I fully blacked out for. I do have some strange flashes of blood and myself being inside of some crimson bubble of magic¡­ Next thing was just darkness. No sound, no senses. Just darkness. I had to assure myself that I wasn¡¯t dead. But it did feel eerily similar to what I expected being a ghost in a dark room would feel like. Nothing to hear, nothing to feel. I only could see tiny bits of mana around me, peering from behind the black veil. Of course, since that was the only thing I noticed, I focused on it as hard as I could¡­ It didn¡¯t help much. I might have seen a bit brighter contour of the shapes I noticed before, but it was so dim I had hard time keeping track of it, even though it was barely moving. I soon realized that there was more than just one ¡°shape¡±. It took me a good while to realize that what I was seeing was just mana of someone that was nearby. It definitely made it easier to focus, when you actually know what you¡¯re looking at instead of having some vague speculation in your mind. I recognized them. Those were definitely the same people that had talked to me before I collapsed. They tried saving me? I say ¡°tried¡±, because who knows what state I exactly was in¡­ Definitely not the best, since I was just there, lifeless, unable to move. If I even was there. For all I knew that could¡¯ve just been a dream or something along those lines. The idea of that all being a dream soon was put into question, when I slowly started feeling out my body. It took time, but I managed to at least regain that much of my senses that I was sure that I was still alive. Speaking of body, though. I still had it. And it felt like it was in great shape. I couldn¡¯t move, but I was able to feel at least. Something definitely happened. All the damage I took before was gone and I was more than just refreshed. I felt better than ever before. For sure something like that had to be costly, right? I had to pay some kind of price for it¡­ Of course I was right. It was made clear for me when suddenly I started moving. Or rather not me, just my body. I was still certain that I personally was unable to move, yet I could tell that my body had stood up and was moving around, doing something. I had to focus. To retake control, sure. If that was even possible. But small steps first. I had to understand what was going on and at least regain my sight. It was easier said than done. At first I tried just focusing, but for naught. I had to turn to a more magical approach. I already knew that it was possible to see your surroundings with mana, but to do that competently enough for my purposes¡­ it was going to be problematic. Or so I thought. It didn¡¯t take me even an hour to start seeing more clear contours of things next to me, and after the end of the second one I was already able to recognize items and people. Right. People. I was surrounded by a bunch of powerful people. I suspected that those were the ones that found me before. I never realized that they were that powerful, though. Sure, the pair that approached me was strong, but the other two I thought were just some pushovers right now had mana amounts at least comparable to the pair. Have they grown in power since I last saw them? Or maybe they were hiding their abilities so well before¡­? And only now they dropped the act and went to their original capacity, thinking they were safe? Can someone even do that? Or maybe the answer was more mundane¡­ Was it just a different pair? No, while that would be the easiest explanation, I could tell by the colors of the mana that those were the same people. Or they had some very similar siblings that were replacing them. Those were definitely the same people. But that was not the main problem. The issue was the fact that my body was moving by itself¡­ Or I want to say that it was by itself. After a while of observing mana, I started noticing something different. I was not just moving via some magic, somehow being turned into a puppet or something. How? Beats me. What I knew for sure though was that the guy¡­ that Mor was involved. Yeah, he was still there. His mana was hard to mistake¡­ so vivid and strange. Not only that, but every now and again I saw him¡­ I want to say liquidate himself. To my eyes, or rather my mind, it looked like he was stretching his own consciousness and pouring into other people. And that also included my own body. At first, I thought it was him that was making me move, but it couldn¡¯t be. Even when he was not in that ¡°fluid¡± state, my body was up and moving. It was clear that I was not going to get enough information to understand what¡¯s going on from just mana. I had to regain more of my senses. But how? It was not like I was just going to think about it and it¡¯s going to happen? And that¡¯s exactly how it happened. Yeah. It was that easy. I just thought, wondering how nice it could¡¯ve been if I was able to eavesdrop them¡­ And then I heard them. 202. Familiar I was unable to hear the whole dialogue, though. It was more like scraps of sentences, barely giving me a hint about what the topic was. A house¡­? Some bowl? Travel? They were going somewhere? Somewhere safe, hopefully? I didn''t pick up anything specific, though. No place name or city. The conversations were fragmented and barely understandable, with a whole lot of assumptions and guesswork. The fact that they weren¡¯t talking much was not helping. I was hoping that the longer I was going to eavesdrop, the more I¡¯d learn. The more I¡¯d be able to understand. But no. Their travel was mostly silent, which was eerie. Were they really traveling in this much silence? If that was me, it would¡¯ve been driving me insane. Sure, I spent a lot of time away from people, but I always had a companion. Mom. Even the sole memory of her, even without control over my body, it made me feel an unpleasant sting in my heart. She was gone. And yet¡­ There was that strange sense of familiarity coming from one of the people nearby. That mana¡­ was strangely familiar. Were they really serious? Could they actually be telling the truth? But if that was the case, wouldn¡¯t that man be¡­ No. Don¡¯t think about it. Not right now. But the truth was, not only her mana felt familiar. The other one was also strange¡­ and strangely similar to her. Others also had hints of that in them. Miniscule in comparison, but still. Even I had more! Wait. I had some? What was that supposed to mean? I guess it was because of the healing they had to use on my body¡­ to pull out that shrapnel had to be pretty hard. While pondering that problem, I was observing what was going on around me. And they were not wasting time. They were traveling through some kind of cave system. I honestly didn¡¯t even know something like that existed here. I¡¯ve been to this forest and the ruins a couple of times already, and I was under the impression that it was cut off from the outside. Did I miss that entrance¡­? No, not possible. It wasn¡¯t even hidden. I think. Sure, I was able to tell my surroundings using mana, but it was not the best image. At least not initially. I don¡¯t know if it was because of a bit less dense mana in the air or what, but during the trip through the caverns, I was slowly getting my sight back. And yes, I mean my original sight. Okay, my ability to use mana as a way to see was getting better, but the image I was slowly seeing were definitely not thanks to that. Was I getting used to my¡­ ¡°situation¡±, so to speak? Or maybe whatever or whoever was controlling me was weakening? Of course I hoped it was the second, but not like I would be able to confirm it any time soon. At least I thought so. As I was pondering yet another development, the party finally reached the exit. By that time, I was already seeing better, almost normally, I dare to say, but the happiness that came from that was short-lived. As soon as we left the caves, my sight was back to the ¡°magical one¡±, and only that. Yet, even then, I still was able to get a nice amount of hopefully useful information. The group they were traveling as consisted of four people. Plus me. There was the obvious pair: Mor and Ilma. That so-called pair of parents of mine. Even thinking that made me shudder. Mor? That guy was supposed to be my father? It had to be a joke. And a bad one. Besides the fact that he definitely was dead, and a long time ago to boot, the fact that he looked like some kind of crystal golem did not help. It probably was just some kind of remnant whose memories got jumbled together. Yeah. That was definitely it. But the other one¡­ Well she was for sure familiar to me. Maybe not in looks: I have never seen a wooden person before¡­ I mean, a living wooden person before. And she was supposed to be my mother? An oversized wooden toy? Besides those two, there was another pair, a woman and a¡­ I think a boy? He definitely looked very young, but one look was enough to confirm that his mana was out of this world¡­ But, even then, it¡¯s not like there was a singular normal person among them. I honestly thought that that woman was the most ¡°normal¡± one. That is until I felt how much her mana was bubbling and dancing inside her own body. What was going on there? Who the hell knows at this point¡­ They finally reached their destination, and, to my surprise, the place felt familiar to me. I mean, it was hard to recognize, me being unable to see and all, but the mana was certainly something that I¡¯ve seen before¡­ I felt before¡­ Wait. Not felt before. Rather feeling right now. The mana in the building, I assumed some kind of house, was quite similar to the one in the woman in front of me¡­ This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Was it her house? I mean, that would explain why her residual mana was all over the place. But, even though they for sure had to know that, they seemed apprehensive. If that was hers, why would they even hesitate? You¡¯d think if someone was in their own home, they¡¯d be less suspicious of everything, but not those people. It seemed like the opposite was the case. They even sent a scout! I think it was a bit of an overkill: after all, each of them were stronger than anything. Or, well maybe besides my father¡­ I mean, Michael. Speaking of, I was wondering what happened to him. Sure, I managed to defeat him, but was it really the end? Kind of anticlimactic. I did work for it for a long time, of course, but the moment he died I expected the feel¡­ I don¡¯t know, relief? But nothing like that happened. Right, you might say that accomplishing your goal doesn¡¯t immediately cause some kind of enlightenment or epiphany¡­ but I think I expected¡­ something. Not even something positive. Just anything. And yet, after his defeat, I felt nothing. That couldn¡¯t quite be said about meeting this bunch. I mean, it was quite expected. I was constantly on edge, the moment I realized I was followed, the moment I got caught¡­ even now. I felt uneasy with them around. But¡­ there was also something else, on the edge of my consciousness. I couldn¡¯t really place it, but it did not seem like it was exactly a negative feeling¡­ It was more like excitement, to my absolute bewilderment. My worries aside, the group finally decided to move. I am not sure if they found something or what, but they moved towards the structure and started using magic even. That made me think. Sure, I was in a very strange state right now, but¡­ Was I able to use magic? Okay, I could use the weird enhanced sight. It was based on mana, but it didn¡¯t release any on its own, so I couldn¡¯t be certain. I was wondering if I should just try it, but decided against it. They had to be at least wary about me, right? Even if they thought I was dead, the fact that they were able to actually use my body had to mean that they were smart. And a competent person would definitely be careful, especially in those kinds of circumstances. So I decided to wait. And good thing I did, because soon I''d be given a golden opportunity. The group¡­ was lively to say the least. The moment it seemed like they decided to rest, they started using mana like crazy. It sort of caught me by surprise. You¡¯d think someone in an unfamiliar place would be trying to preserve the resources and keep together for safety¡­ But they did the exact opposite. First thing: the one of the people, and it seemed like the most powerful one to boot, just went ahead and left the moment the rest started making themselves comfortable. I wouldn¡¯t say it was a smart thing, getting rid of your most powerful member, but who am I to judge? I couldn¡¯t even see properly. That was not the weirdest thing, though. When I said that they were starting to make themselves comfortable, I really meant it. At first, when we approached the building and went inside, I realized that it was not just a regular piece of architecture. It was heavily infused, and looked like it had some kind of a spell bound to. That was also confirmed the moment they finally started using mana, What was at first a barren house¡­ or rather just one room, was swiftly converted into an actual room with beds and shelves. Talk about resourcefulness. And weirdness¡­ I just decided to observe closer. Maybe get some tasty gossip or other information. Not like I would¡¯ve been able to understand it completely. But that gave me an idea. Sure, they were using magic, trying to make that building a bit more hospitable, okay. But that also meant they weren¡¯t paying that much attention to each other. So¡­ what would¡¯ve happened if I was to try magic right now? If I was lucky, they wouldn¡¯t even notice my mana, and even if they did, for sure they¡¯d just think it was one of them. Especially because whatever was controlling my body was also trying to do something. Were they comparing their spells or something? It didn¡¯t matter what exactly they were trying, but it was a great opportunity. So, I started focusing. What kind of spell should I use? Something small, for sure. That didn¡¯t narrow the choice at all, though. It¡¯s not like a person can¡¯t just modify their output¡­ Something not elemental¡­ maybe if I was to try and¡­ As I was thinking, I released a bit of mana, just to try if I was able. And then it happened. The moment my mana made contact with the building, I felt a presence. Was that the thing that was controlling me¡­? No. It was¡­ the house? Hell, that definitely felt like it. If I didn¡¯t literally see where it was coming from, I would¡¯ve thought that some kind of person was trying to communicate with me. It wasn¡¯t that much. I wanted to cut it off, to not get spotted, but it was too late. The presence almost locked onto me and started piercing my mind. I tried resisting, but it was pointless. Each time I tried rebuffing it, it just phased right past any mental defenses I managed to raise¡­ And then it reached me. It was a flood of memories. Familiar memories. I wanted to yell, but I couldn¡¯t. I wanted to move, but I couldn¡¯t. My body was not mine to command. And yet, it responded. It was¡­ in pain? No. It definitely did not feel right¡­ Wait. It was mirroring my feelings. Did it feel the same thing? Weren¡¯t my mind that was hit? It targeted both my mind and body? No matter the answer, that body of mine started doing exactly what I wanted to at that moment. If I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d say I was getting control back, but¡­ Wait. I WAS regaining control. I slowly started regaining my regular sight, seeing everything in vivid color. Or at least I thought it was vivid: after looking at everything via magic you can better appreciate how things look to the naked eye. Did¡­ that presence help me? What was that presence even? And¡­ where the hell was I?! Wait¡­ I actually recognized the place. It was Melle¡¯s house. Wait, who was Melle? Right. The second wife of dad¡¯s¡­ What?! Father remarried?! Somewhat. It¡¯s complicated, full of holes and all that, but¡­ Hold on for a minute! Whose memories are those?! Those definitely did not belong to me¡­ And yet did feel like it was mine. Did that entity who helped me just now force those into my head? What for then? And why did they feel like they were part of me all that time? I shook myself off and shuddered, sitting back on the bed. Right. On the bed. I was able to move. I was in control once more. I was in some kind of house. Right, Melle¡¯s house, whatever and whoever that was supposed to be. I stopped myself from thinking about that person, because the moment I did I felt more memories spill inside my head, and I didn¡¯t need that in the moment. Because I was surrounded. Four people. Well, more like two people and two creatures. All of them were familiar. The team which brought me here. Or rather my body. They were looking at me with a mix of confusion and wariness. And maybe a hint of hostility as a bonus. Right¡­ my body was just a moment ago under their control, so I guess I should¡¯ve known. And not like I was in a different spot. Strangely though, the one who was in front didn¡¯t look hostile. The opposite. He looked hopeful¡­ and happy? Weird. And the weirdness was not going to end any time soon. 203. Conjoined -You are still with me?! My other self didn¡¯t reply, but I could tell he was still holding on. If only we knew if that was a good thing¡­ I was going to take a wild assumption and suspect that it was NOT a good thing, seeing as he was struggling so hard. I stepped up and was about to grab his hand to try and drain whatever problem he was having, but before I could, he slapped my hand away. That was¡­ unexpected. Was that still him in control? Or did he lose already? It was sort of an important decision. If it was him, then I could just stay and wait; seeing as myself already had done the decision making for me. But if that was not him¡­ I would have to act right now. If I was to hesitate, there was no telling if I would be able to even attempt something like this at all. Hell, even if it was him, I was not certain that it would even work. Sure, I¡¯ve done something similar before, but I was not very confident in my ability¡­ especially not recently. I used to rely on my intuition, but that didn¡¯t work 100% of the time. And right now, when my own consciousness was at stake¡­ Or, well, at least part of it. I decided to not be stupid and actually do something before whatever going on was going to finish. Since he slapped me away, instead of reaching with a singular arm, I just tackled him. Or her. I expected to have to be careful, to not crush or otherwise hurt her body, but she was surprisingly sturdy, And I don¡¯t mean that her body was hardened or something. Not ONLY that. On top of being like a rock, at least durability-wise, she was firmly planted in place, and even though I used the full force of my weight, she didn¡¯t budge. But, that was not the main purpose of that attack. I wanted to get her into physical contact with me. And I don¡¯t mean some slap or something. I needed a consistent hold on her. That¡¯s exactly what I got. The effect was immediate. Although not what I expected. I wanted to connect with that body and drain whatever was invading, but as soon as I managed to establish a connection, it came to me instead. It was¡­ familiar? I couldn¡¯t place it, but the mana I felt was familiar. And no, it was not Mike, or anyone we¡¯ve met recently. Nor anyone in our party, but that was a given, to be honest. It was not ILMA either. And yet, I had an inkling that whoever that was, was connected. I was absolutely right, because the moment we connected, it wasn¡¯t only me who hesitated. As we connected, the magical pull was absolutely intense. And yet, it immediately stopped, as soon as it felt me. My first guess was that it was indeed smart, and just began either running away or bunkering down. But it did not. Whoever that was, definitely knew me, because instead of worry or hostility, I felt relief. Did I accidentally connect with myself? Nah, that was not it. There wasn¡¯t much time for pondering. Taking the opportunity of the sudden stop in the attack, I tried pulling even harder, but I only got stung. Yeah, that¡¯s the best way to describe it. I can¡¯t really tell, but it felt just like someone gave me a slap on the wrist. Not forceful, but enough to get my attention. The feeling was so absurd and unexpected that I almost lost my concentration. I even thought that it happened to me physically, but nope, only Il was close to me right now, and she was in no position to move, and not to mention still frozen in place in an awkward position. I thought twice about trying again, but there was no point. Or no time rather, because suddenly I felt a burst of energy from within my arms and, with a blinding flash, we all got separated and sent different ways. -What the hell is going on?! - yelped For, who was constantly observing this exchange. I can tell she noticed our tug-of-war, as her eyes were glued to Il and her state of mind didn¡¯t exactly yell ¡°peaceful¡±. The fact that she was holding a fireball was not helping either. Next to her, Kon was not very calm either. He was not holding a spell, or at least not a formed one at least. He did prepare a considerable amount of mana in his hand, though, ready at a split second¡¯s notice to unleash it in some way. A very valid response. I was not going to stop either of them. No, I was going to join in, following Kon¡¯s example and preparing myself for something. Not sure what yet. At the other edge of the room, Il¡¯s body was lying, unmoving. Unsure if my other self was still present, I carefully sent a message towards it. -You still with us? The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I didn¡¯t get a direct response. Instead, the body shifted. So, someone was in control. But not getting a response was clearly a bad sign. I stepped forward, carefully examining the mana that was still raging inside of her. There¡¯s a mix of a lot of things going on there, so it was hard for me to actually perceive anything¡­ not like I was good at it in the first place. When I was just a step or two away from her, she finally opened her eyes. I say she, because it definitely wasn¡¯t me any more. Now the question, which one had taken over for now? As I was wondering, the mana whirlpool inside of that body started clearing up, and soon it was clear who the winner was. Seeing that, I released the mana I gathered. She noticed me looking. And stared back. To be honest, that was not the response I expected. I kind of thought we were going to be back to the standoff from before, but apparently not. Maybe she was still having a hard time controlling herself? -How are you feeling? - I asked, kneeling in front of her, trying to see how bad her situation was. She didn¡¯t answer. Just stared at me with confusion. -Gymnu. And then tossed a spell right at my face. Okay, now that¡¯s the response I thought I¡¯d be getting. It didn¡¯t really matter, but the spell she conjured wasn¡¯t very powerful. She sent a lightning right towards my face. Of course it got harmlessly dispelled as soon as it touched my skin, not leaving even a tingling sensation that one would expect from dealing with electricity. -Ah. I assume that means ¡°well enough¡±. Good. But, while I was calm, the pair behind me was not. Of course For was about to retaliate and toss a spell towards her. Luckily, she hesitated for a moment, giving me enough time to absorb the spell before it even fully formed. Kon was still thinking about the counterattack, so I had more than plenty of time to leisurely swipe at him to get rid of the mana he was channeling. He understood the gesture immediately and stepped back. For as well, but she was far more persistent, stepping back and grabbing another orb, this time not converting it into a spell, but holding it far away from my hand¡¯s reach. If she was to try and toss it again, I¡¯d probably have to grab it mid air¡­ -Can we all calm the hell down? - I said, flicking the remaining mana away. - Despite all the signs, we are all friends here. -I doubt that¡­ - mumbled For, but stepped back. -You¡¯re awake¡­ - said Il, staring at the newly awakened body. So far she was calm, but the moment spells suddenly started flying, or at least the attempts were made, she went on the offensive. Not spell-wise, no. She was monitoring mana of the encounter, trying to figure out who was the dominant force inside that mind. And so, she was the first one to realize who we were dealing with. That was also a good confirmation for me. I had my own theories, but those were not something I should be trusting completely, as I knew very well. That was not the only revelation, though. -Both of you¡­ how do you feel? Il, I mean the other one, was mostly silent. Besides tossing a spell at me, she didn¡¯t speak, nor react in any way, and was just staring at us intently. But, the one who replied was not Il. -Well enough. It was me. Well, the other me. Honestly, I was surprised. After seeing Il wide awake and tossing spells, I thought she was in complete control, yet, he¡­ I was still around? -You still awake!? - I asked, not hiding my surprise. -Seems so. But that¡¯s not really important. I couldn¡¯t agree more. Him being awake and present was definitely going to give us more problems than anything. And to prove the problem, one look on Il¡¯s face was enough. The moment the other me spoke up, she suddenly flinched and jumped back. I can¡¯t blame her, hearing some voice inside your own head should be a scare by itself. But to hear someone from within yourself¡­ That¡¯s something completely else. And I know from experience. If you¡¯re not expecting it, it¡¯s definitely a shock. -What did you do to me!? What is this?! - she immediately started yelling. -Calm down. It¡¯s not what it looks like! - said her mother, trying to be calm, but came out as anything but. -And besides, whatever you want to say, there¡¯s definitely not much room for interpretation¡­ - said the other me from within her. Well, he was right, but he didn¡¯t have to be so brazen about it. Then again, it was me who we were talking about. Of course. -Get away from me! Stop! GET OUT OF MY HEAD! -I am afraid that¡¯s not possible¡­ - I said flat out, deciding to be blunt. - Get used to it. -ARGH! Fuck you! Geksu¡­ But before she was able to finish the sentence, I already swiped the spell from in front of her. -Stop it. You know you can¡¯t hurt me. -Wanna bet!? I managed to kill Axelrod, and he was the same thing as you! Ha! She smiled, seeing as I tossed a look towards Il. -Of course I know how to kill you! -And yet, you don¡¯t have the means to do so now - I stated calmly. - Your weapon is gone. Her smile immediately vanished. -We know more than you think. And, do you realize that that weapon of yours was the one thing that was trying to kill you? -Weak bluff. You think I don¡¯t know what it was? -Indulge me. What was that? -Ha. Why would I tell you? -Eh¡­ It was a piece of crystal, right? The Origin Crystal. One that had a piece of your mother¡¯s soul within it. -Mor you¡­ - Il started, but I silenced her with a gesture. -So you know. So what? She was still not shaken. -Or that¡¯s what you think. -Huh? That got her attention. -I said that¡¯s what you think. The truth¡­ Well, it¡¯s a bit more complicated. -I am listening. That caught me by surprise. I didn¡¯t think she¡¯d be that interested. Sure, I suspected that I might get her attention a little bit, but she switched up completely. Ah. -So you suspected something? I guess it¡¯s not hard to realize when you spend so much time as you did with it¡­ and after what happened to you¡­ -And how do you know what happened, huh?! -Besides taking an educated guess after seeing you collapse from a tree? I guess someone gave me a hint. -A hint? -Doesn¡¯t matter. What matters is that this man - I pointed towards Kon - saved your life. And you wanted to toss a spell right at his face. -I wanted to toss a spell at you, not him. And I was fine without your help. -Right. With crystal shards piercing your body and turning it into who-knows-what. -If you¡¯re so worried about me, don¡¯t be. Look at yourself. -Ah, I am already past the point of no return. But at least my mind is my own for now. -For now¡­? Ah. So that caught her attention. -Don¡¯t mind my head. How¡¯s yours feeling? -That¡¯s¡­! That¡¯s not how this is going to work! You are my enemy! I guess I distracted her enough with my talking that she almost forgot that she was hostile to me. Wish that worked for longer. -Eh¡­ and why is that, huh? So far we¡¯ve been anything but hostile to you, don¡¯t you think. I mean, most of us¡­ I gave a side eye towards For, but she only shrugged. Sure, she might have been a bit hot-headed, but so was her. And not like they didn¡¯t have some basis for their worries. Either of them. 204. Absurd Eh. That discussion was going nowhere. Sure, I would love to talk to her more, but having to prolong this thing was just¡­ painful. So I decided to stop dancing around the subject. -Okay Il. I know you don¡¯t like me. I understand. I did say some absurd things¡­ All of us did. -That¡¯s an understatement. -But, all of those were true. So I would like to at least finish what I started. She suddenly backed off, in a defensive stance. -Ah, no. I meant talking. -... I guess silence was as good as I was going to get. I gazed briefly at her mother, but she only nodded, so I decided to go through with it. -As a start, I want to say that what I said was absolutely true. My name is Mor, and this is indeed Iloa. And we are your parents. I am certain that you have a lot of doubts about that, but that¡¯s not important right now. There''s a bunch of things I want to share with you¡­ or rather to update you about. -... -I am sure that you¡¯ve realized that you¡¯ve been under certain influence, right? -... -Ah, you don¡¯t need to answer - I assured her. - I am just going to be talking to myself, that¡¯s it. Still no reply. Ah well, here goes nothing. -I assume you thought that influence was your mother. But it wasn¡¯t quite it. Believe me or not, the real mother is right in front of you. I gestured towards Il. -What was inside of that crysta was¡­ a copy of her. A piece of her copied soul that¡­ was unstable. -That project¡­? Ah. So she was listening. -By ¡°project¡± you mean ILMA? I see you are aware of that one. Yes, that was it. But, as I said, it was a part of it. ILMA wasn¡¯t supposed to have emotions, you see. At least in her first iteration. -You wanted to make sure she wouldn¡¯t suddenly turn against you. -Nah, to be honest we weren¡¯t really thinking that far. We didn¡¯t have to. Our reason was pretty simple: we didn¡¯t think she¡¯d be capable of it. -What? -As I said, before we tried copying the actual soul, we tried replicating it. And those replicas never had any emotions. -But you clearly are saying that this one had it. So why? -Because it¡¯s a copy. Not just a replica. -What¡¯s the difference? -There''s a bunch of them. But that doesn¡¯t matter any more. What matters is that what you had with you was just a singular emotion that delved in the original soul: anger. I took a heavy sigh. -And, unsurprisingly, it was directed towards everything. It probably stemmed from a lot of things, but since it was cut off from the original person, it was no longer targeted. -... -You had to been using it for a very long time, so it attuned itself towards you. Your anger became her and vice versa. Funnily enough, both of you knew about him, so the effect was even more effective. And your compatibility was even greater. -Compatibility¡­? -ILMA, as far as we know, wants one thing. To spread herself to as much people as she can. For what reason? That I am not sure. And having someone like you as a pawn would be a great boon. -My mother wouldn¡¯t do something like this! -Of course. Especially to you - I agreed. - But, she was no longer your mother. Or rather it never was. It was a completely different creation and a completely different person. Or people, to be precise. -People? -You think you were the only target? Nah. You saw it take over Axel¡­ I mean Mike. -How do you know!? -I might have had a vision about it. -Bullshit. Why are you even telling me this? Why does that matter?! -I am trying to explain why we did what we did. -And what does that mean?! -I think that¡¯s enough dancing around the topic. It was my other self. He was still well inside her body. He was not in control any more, but at least now I was sure that he was still there. Her reaction was¡­ expected. She jumped up and immediately pointed a spell at me. -What are you doing?! Why are you in my head?! -That¡¯s what I was trying to explain. And it¡¯s not like we wanted to do that on purpose, you know¡­ I explained how she now was a host to my own piece of consciousness. Expectantly, she was not very happy about that. Understandable. But, considering all the possible outcomes, her having me was not the worst one. At least from my point of view, to her it probably was the exact opposite. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. -I¡­ I can¡¯t believe it¡­ Well, at least she was taking it pretty well. I thought she might be more¡­ resistant, but she was quite calm about it. -I mean, of course. Something like that had to come from the MIRE. -I¡­ huh. You are calm about it. -It¡¯s just logic. I can¡¯t do anything about it, so why try and fight it. You already have me under full control. I can¡¯t retaliate. I don¡¯t have any weapons. Nothing I can do will ever harm you¡­ Ah. So more than acceptance it was resignation. -That was easier than expected¡­ - mumbled Kon quietly to himself, but she heard him anyway. -Of course. I am not stupid. But okay. You got me. I surrender. What happens now? -Yeah. What now? - asked For. That was a good question. I never thought about it¡­ I never expected that our confrontation would end like that. Wasn¡¯t the worst outcome, but it was far from the best. -Well¡­ before we were in chase of Axelrod, but we got a bit sidetracked finding you. She shrugged and did not say a word. Despite what she said, it was clear that she was not going to cooperate with us. Did she think that I was some kind of tyrant or something? Only collecting people? Or something even weirder? Thanks to Origin Crystal, if I wanted to I¡¯d be able to learn it just from observing her mana, but decided to not pry. It was better to be careful¡­ I mean, it was already too late for worries about privacy, but I wanted to think that we could try and be better¡­ I shook my head. Why was I even thinking that? It was clear that the better choice was just to inspect her mind thoroughly, without some stupid ¡°consideration¡±... No. Why was I thinking THAT? My mind was scattered. I think he also noticed the problem I just now had, because I heard his voice. -It would be the best for all of us to get a rest. It¡¯s been a rough time for everyone. Especially for you, Il. Get some rest. -And how the hell am I able to get a rest with something like that speaking inside my own mind?! -I will be silent. I do have a lot to think about. -Pff. Right. Like a way to make me a slave. -I am not going to be that much of a degenerate to force my own child to work there. She flinched. I think she forgot about the revelations about her parents for a moment there. I¡­ I guess that was fair. I want to say we split and took a well deserved nap, but it was not completely true. From our party, I think only one sleeping was For. I guess she really did not care about anything¡­ But how much was the truth in her statement about me.. Bah. Not the time, not the place. I abandoned that thought the moment I realized it came. Nothing will come from associating people with me¡­ And yet¡­ I recently was catching myself being more and more inconsistent. And I don¡¯t mean just having a hard time sticking to decisions or something arbitrary like that, no. It was more like I was losing my own character. Okay, one might argue that I never had one to begin with, but¡­ Well, that only was proving my point. The truth was, the moment I arrived in this place, this world or whatever else you wanted to call my ¡°exit¡±, I no longer was myself. For a long time I was trying to deny it. Thinking that I was just making stuff up. Trying to blame it on the Origin Crystal merging with me. While it was partially true, the truth was that the ¡°assimilation¡± was already done. And right now I was sure of that. -Mor¡­? It was Kon. Out of all the people I¡¯ve met, and influenced, he was the most resistant. He was still worried and thinking about this bizarre situation we found ourselves in. -Hm? -Are you sure we can just rest like that¡­? Isn¡¯t she going to try to escape? -There¡¯s no point in that. Why would she try? -I don¡¯t know! I just find it suspicious that she suddenly changed her mind like that¡­ I mean, I don¡¯t know her very well¡­ or at all, really, but it does not seem like something she¡¯d do. It¡¯s out of character. Funny. He¡¯s paraphrasing my own thoughts. In a bit of a different context, but still. -She won¡¯t. -But¡­ -And even if she tried, she has nowhere to go. She¡¯s stranded. No anchors. No nothing. -She might be hiding one! Didn¡¯t she teleport here? -Who knows. I could feel annoyance from him. Right. To him I was just being careless and overtly easy-going. But, I knew that it wasn¡¯t just my gut feeling that was telling me what she¡¯s going to do. -Don¡¯t worry about it. Get some sleep. -I don¡¯t need any. -I know, your body is different, but try resting. I mean, it didn¡¯t stop For. And she¡¯s more of a remnant than you. -Really? I mean¡­ she is older¡­ -Don¡¯t let her hear that. He didn¡¯t reply, so I guess he heard me and decided to comply. Good. I probably should also get some rest, but, just as I said, I didn¡¯t really have to sleep any more, so resting like that was a bit¡­ irritating, to say the least. I already got used to the silence and overall slowness of the time I usually was using for sleeping, but it was still annoying, having to just wait like that. Wondering how others were doing, I took a glance towards the wooden Il and her daughter. Unsurprisingly, both were not even close to each other: Il was trying to be as far away from everyone, while her mother was trying to be considerate and not encroach on her space, while still having an eye on her. -How are you doing? - I asked her, seeing how she was staring towards the edge of the room where the other one was sleeping. Or at least pretending to. -Ah¡­ well¡­ good. Better than I expected. I think. -Really? -Yeah¡­ I thought¡­ I was worried that she was going to be in a far worse shape when she awakens¡­ and yet she¡¯s a picture of health. -Thank Kon for that. -Yeah¡­ his powers are amazing¡­ I wonder what else he¡¯d be able to do if he put his mind to it. -I can think of a couple ideas. -Knowing you, you better keep those to yourself. -I know, I know¡­ -... -... The silence was deafening. -Ehm¡­ - I said, trying to pick up the discussion from falling into the void. - What should we do tomorrow? -More like ¡°the time they are going to wake up.¡± Honestly, after getting a grip at their mana signatures, I am uncertain that¡­ She sighed. It was a bit weird, hearing that inside your own mind. -I just hope this cooperation continues after she wakes up. -It will. We just need to be more careful -That¡¯s a very general advice, you know. That works for every single scenario. -I know. But, do you have anything better? She did not. I kind of wished she had, but alas, nothing. Too bad. 205. Misled The next day was¡­ uneventful. At least at first. I thought that after the last discussion the mood would be more tense, but anything but that. For and Kon were just their usual selves, ignoring most of everything. Il was with me, trying to get a read on me. The other one as well. And about my other self¡­ I managed to get a few words with him when Il was asleep, or at least it appeared so for him. And it gave me an idea about her state of mind. From what he told me, she was a lot more¡­ mellow. Yeah, that¡¯s the best way to describe it. While both of us were unsure why that was, I felt like asking her wasn¡¯t really a good idea and wouldn¡¯t help. But, that aside, there was still the main question for the day to answer. -So, what are we doing? - asked Ilma, looking at me with curiosity. - You do have some kind of plan, right? I wish I could say that I had, but¡­ -And what was your plan? It¡¯s not like you escaped here just because. -I did. I wanted to heal in peace, but that went south, as you are well aware. -Well¡­ we did speed up the process¡­ or rather he did¡­ I gestured towards Kon, who nodded. -I¡­ I am pretty certain that you are now completely healed, although my methods were¡­ a bit weird. -Weird, but effective - she agreed. - I never thought I¡¯d be¡­ enhanced like that. Very strange indeed. -I wouldn¡¯t call it enhanced¡­ - I said to myself, but almost immediately added louder - In any case, what would be your plans next, then? She hesitated for a moment. -Oh, you don¡¯t have to tell us. I was just hoping that we might have a similar target, that¡¯s all¡­ - I said, trying to be understanding. -Nah, it¡¯s not that - she replied. - It¡¯s just¡­ I am not sure. My goal was to kill Axelrod, Michael or whatever his name really is. He¡¯s dead now, soo¡­ -We aren¡¯t so sure about that. -What exactly do you think you got rid of him? - asked Il, breaking her silence. Ilma flinched, not expecting to hear her like that. I guess she wasn¡¯t really used to this kind of communication. -Er¡­ about¡­ let¡¯s see¡­ I landed a bit far from the capital¡­ So I say at least a month ago. I gave her a confused look. -Month? Why? I thought you teleported here. -Yes. I teleported here. I didn¡¯t use a portal, so there¡¯s bound to be a time difference¡­ -Wait. You are telling me that your ¡°teleportation¡± takes that much time? - asked Kon, now interested even more. -Yeah, that¡¯s a good question¡­ How does that even work? - I asked. I honestly wasn¡¯t expecting for her to answer. After all, she probably was still seeing me as an enemy. All of us. And yet, she didn¡¯t hesitate with the reply. -Ah, right. So¡­ long story short, it is dependent on location, or rather target. The further away you go, the more time you need to actually transfer there. -What?! That¡¯s¡­ pretty bad - commended For, also listening. - That¡¯s straight up worse than portals. -I am sure there has to be some kind of upside - said Kon. -Ah, of course there is. With portals you use anchors and all that stuff, right? -Right¡­? -Yeah. With my teleporting, I don¡¯t need anything like that. I just need to learn about the location. I don¡¯t even need to visit it. I just have to know where it is. -That¡¯s¡­ a lot more powerful. -Right? -So wait, you can just get us anywhere we want? It''s just going to take a long time, right? Or it doesn¡¯t work on more than one person? -While I never traveled in a group, I don¡¯t see why that wouldn''t be possible. Even then, if that was the case you could just mimic my spell and come along. Or wherever else you want for that matter. -That¡¯s¡­ wait, you can just share the spell? It¡¯s that easy?! -I mean¡­ yeah. My mother had¡­ I mean¡­ Melle made it and taught it to me, why wouldn¡¯t I be unable to. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. That was unexpected. Not only the fact that she was offering that so casually, no. At this point¡­ I already had some ideas why that was the case. It was more the fact that Melle was the one who supposedly was the creator of this thing. And the fact that she referred to her as ¡°mother¡±. I thought that she saw Iloa as her mother, not her. She realized my confusion, but did not elaborate. -It¡¯s just a spell. Short one to boot - she just said. -That¡¯s¡­. good¡­ - I mumbled, absent-minded. - But there¡¯s one issue with that¡­ Not spell, no. More about the timeline of what you¡¯re saying. -Timeline? -You said you got rid of him, what, a month ago? -Well, more or less, I can¡¯t tell the exact date. -Well, I can. -Huh? -What I mean to say is that this shit doesn¡¯t add up. We saw the guy yesterday. -WHAT?! Her being bewildered was an understatement. So far, she¡¯s been composed, probably thanks to the certain crystal making her more numb than she was normally, but this information snapped her right out of that peacefulness. She immediately started bombarding us with questions. -What do you mean?! Are you sure?! Where? What happened? -Calm down. Yes, I am sure it¡¯s the guy, I know him too, you realize that? She nodded, but not replied, just staring at me with anticipation. -Eh¡­ Well, what I am saying is that the timeline you are presenting us with makes no sense - I said. - I want to believe you, and it¡¯s¡­ -She is not lying - joined in the other me. - And if she is, she¡¯s not realizing it. She flinched, hearing him speak. Like I needed to hear that to be sure. I could tell myself that she was not trying to deceive me¡­ But then again, I already knew that I was able to be misled by my mana reading abilities, so having him was actually a good thing¡­ -I know - I just said. - That¡¯s why I am a bit worried. -Worried? That¡¯s an understatement! - said For. - This fucker is able to survive that much!? I guess I shouldn''t be surprised, knowing what happened to you¡­ She had a point. I managed to survive much more than just being attacked by a singular woman with an angry spear. Even if that spear was probably a better weapon than anything we¡¯ve ever seen. -Okay. I need information then - said Il trying to be calm. - When was it exactly? What date? How was he looking? -I don¡¯t know - I shrugged. - I honestly have no idea what kind of calendar you people use or anything. For, Kon, maybe you? -Er¡­ Actually, that¡¯s a good question - said For. - I never really paid attention to that, but it probably is somewhere close to April? -That doesn¡¯t help! We fought in April, sure. but so what!? -Wait. That makes no sense - pointed out Kon. - Weren¡¯t there supposed to be at least a month''s difference between now and then? -I¡­ She hesitated for a moment. Yeah, that¡¯s definitely what she said earlier, that she fought him a month ago. -Well, it could¡¯ve been less than a month - I shrugged. - I wouldn¡¯t blame you for not keeping track of time correctly. -Where¡¯s the time difference coming from? It¡¯s the teleportation spell, right? -Yeah, I told you. But, to be honest, I¡­ I thought it should be even more than a month - she admitted. - This place is far from anything. And far from our last fight. -Hm¡­ But¡­ that gave me an idea. Could it¡­ -Er¡­ Il. Mind telling me what year was that? - asked the other me. I guess he had the same idea¡­ -Year? What do you mean? -Just as I asked. When you fought him. What year was that? -The same as it is now. 132 of the new calendar. I shot a questioning look towards For and Kon. One glimpse was enough to confirm my suspicions. -Ilma. - said calmly Kon. - Year today is 142. For a second, it appeared like she didn¡¯t understand what he was saying. But slowly, it dawned on her. -You let me sleep for 10 years?! How in the¡­ Never mind. -Eh, no - I immediately cut her off. - It definitely was just a day. It¡¯s your spell that apparently is less efficient than you thought. And just when I thought I found a better version of portal magic¡­ -That¡¯s impossible! - she protested. - I used that spell for a very long time! It¡¯s never been a problem before! -You sure? -Of course! I met different people, you know! That¡¯s how I know how this spell works exactly in the first place! That¡¯s how I calculated how the time flows! I guess she had a point. She had to somehow learn how the spell worked. -Maybe they deceived you¡­? -Deceived? You think I wouldn¡¯t realize that someone had aged ten years or something?! That¡¯s not possible. -There are ways to keep your youth¡­ - said Kon. - But I guess that is a stretch, for someone to use it just to deceive you¡­ -Wait. Keep your youth? What do you mean? He tossed me a look. I guess he was checking if he said too much. Well, it checked out, she was young after all. It¡¯s not like she knew that much magic that we were aware of. And besides, Kon¡¯s magic wasn¡¯t even something I was aware of until recently. -Yeah. There are people who can change their appearance without much of an issue, Kon being one of them - I replied for him. -Change appearance I can understand, but¡­ to preserve youth?! -What, that¡¯s one and the same - I calmly stated. - It¡¯s based on changing body structure, so why wouldn¡¯t one use it to ¡°fix¡± their aging? -I¡­ As I was saying that, I noticed that Kon flinched. Did he want to keep that secret? Surely not¡­ anyone who knows about his magic would figure that out without issue, and he already shared that with her. -Besides - added For - that¡¯s not the only way to change one¡¯s look. Remember, Axelrod¡¯s supposed ¡°werefera¡± or whatever? He was supposed to have a similar ability. -Right¡­ if he existed in the first place - I agreed. -If he existed¡­? - asked Il, confused. - I heard about that one. I never knew he had that creature under his command¡­? I thought it was just a myth¡­ -Ah, well, he did. And according his ability¡­ I assumed that it was not actually the ability, only just Mike himself fucking around with magic. -Yeah¡­ - agreed For. - Especially since he was a remnant¡­ it wouldn¡¯t be hard for him to just change his body to something else¡­ or use illusion magic to cover his¡­ ¡°changes¡±... -He wasn¡¯t really hiding those last time we saw him¡­ -True¡­ there was no point, really¡­ 206. Discrepancies -Well. I¡¯d love to talk like that for yet another day, but I feel like we should finally move out - I said, standing up. -Why? Is this place not safe? - asked For. -It¡¯s not really a safety problem¡­ I¡¯d just prefer progressing our search a bit. Sitting here is not going to accomplish anything. -Okay¡­ but where would we even start? Do you have any ideas? We don¡¯t really have any leads¡­ - asked Kon. -If we don¡¯t we have to find them ourselves - I simply said. - We go to the place we saw him. Or, well, you saw him, Il. -But¡­ if what you think is correct¡­ It''s been ten years since then! There¡¯s no point¡­ -We have to start somewhere. Do you have any better ideas? Or you¡¯d rather sit here by yourself¡­ Well, not yourself anymore¡­ She shuddered. I think she forgot about the piece of me still merged with her. -To come back to the capital¡­ I never thought we¡¯d go back there¡­ - mumbled Kon as we were preparing to leave the house. -Oh, no - I immediately corrected him. - I didn¡¯t mean Arbo. I mean, sure it was the last place he¡¯s been at, but that¡¯s already done and destroyed. There¡¯s not much to find there. -So where? That small island? With the barrier? -That¡¯s the first destination. -I thought there wasn¡¯t anything there¡­ -It seemed like this - I agreed. - But since then we have learned a lot more. With all of us combined, maybe we¡¯ll be able to find something more. -I feel like we¡¯re grasping at straws here - pointed out For. -And do you have a better idea? -... -I thought so. But, despite that, she was absolutely right. I doubted that we¡¯d find anything interesting there, butI had nothing else to go off of. Plus, I didn¡¯t want to sit in the house that belonged to Melle¡­ it was not healthy for Il. Speaking of. So far, the wooden Il was mostly silent. She was constantly trying to create different things, playing with the abilities of the house. I thought he¡¯d stop herself, but I guess old habits die hard: she still loved tinkering with magic. And having a toy like that was a dream for her. I even would be inclined to leave her to it: after all, having a base of operations would be helpful to us, but I started noticing¡­ worrying signs. The more she was playing with the magic of the house, I started seeing changes in her own mana. I am not sure what exactly brought the change, but I was able to tell the different types of mana more and more, and thanks to that I was able to tell that her magic was slowly being melded into the fabric of the house, and vice versa. It looked eerily similar to what the ¡°assimilation¡± of the Origin Crystal looked like. If that was not enough, her silence was also worrying. While I do understand, talking with your mind can get annoying and you want to take a break once in a while, it still seemed strange. Especially when you consider the fact that in front of her was her daughter. And she was ignoring her, playing with magic. When I said we should leave, I imagined she¡¯d be protesting. But she was more responsive than I thought. I guess she wasn¡¯t ¡°addicted¡±. Yet. It took us maybe fifteen minutes before we left the house. It also immediately presented us with a first question. -Say, Il¡­ or someone else for that matter¡­ Can you ¡°close¡± this house? -Close? -I mean, when we came here you awakened this thing and turned the tree into this place. You think it¡¯s possible to do something like that in reverse? She paused, considering my words. True, it was an ability that she barely got, and yet she¡¯s been non-stop practicing it. A bit consciously, a bit not. But what I was asking was definitely going far beyond just conjuring a chair. Honestly, it didn¡¯t matter if she¡¯d be unable to do something like that, but it was a good test to check how much she managed to learn. -Let me see¡­ She stepped up and touched the wall of the house. For a good while, nothing was happening. Nor was I really feeling any change in either of them -You don¡¯t¡­ But I didn¡¯t get to finish. Her form suddenly lit up with magic, sending a spike of mana towards the house. The house shuddered. And slowly, just like I remembered with Melle, it started creaking and moving, melding itself to again form a tree. The same with the garden. Sure, it was not like before, it was a stretch to call it a garden: it was just a bush or two near the side of the house, but not wit started spreading itself further and further away. In a moment, we were standing in the shadow of a large tree and knee-deep in a grassy bush. The clearing was no longer discernible at all. -Wow. That¡¯s effective - I said, taking in the change. -It worked even better than I thought it would¡­ it was so easy¡­ - she admitted, stepping back. Ilma, standing behind me, was trying to look indifferent, but was barely able to hold it together. It was clear that this show of magic took her by surprise, and that¡¯s an understatement. Same with For and Kon. They were looking wide-eyed at the spectacle that just unfurled in front of them. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Can¡¯t blame them. That was some nice magic. It also was a good indication that whatever was the reason they were able to manipulate this place, at least Il had full control over it. Hell, she didn¡¯t even use much mana. Sure, the sudden burst of energy at first looked intimidating, but it was just it: one payment at the start. -Well, if we¡¯re done here, let¡¯s step back a bit and move on. Kon, you¡¯ve got what I asked for? He nodded and presented me with a small wooden figurine in the shape of a horse. It was one of the items that they created while ¡°experimenting¡± with the power to influence that house, a small toy. -Good. That¡¯s going to be an anchor if we need to go back. Now then¡­ -I still don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea¡­ - interrupted me For. - I mean¡­ We know that this magic is flawed¡­ and we¡¯re going to use it anyway? -How else are we going to confirm our suspicions then, hm? The idea was simple. We didn¡¯t have any anchors that would get us to that island any more, so we decided¡­ or rather I decided that we can kill two birds with one stone: get there by using teleportation magic Ilma was using before. As For pointed out, it was risky. Or, well, ¡°risky¡± is not a good way to put it¡­ Sure, we were risking some strange time dilations. But, according to her, it was the only thing that was wrong with that spell. And considering the fact that none of us particularly cared about lost time, it was the perfect way to test it. At first, the idea was to leave someone behind, to directly check the time difference after we portal back, but that idea got tossed away almost instantly. Sure, that would be great, and since we had not really been bothered by aging any more, it would work flawlessly. We would be leaving someone here to wait for an indefinite amount of time, though. A task that no one was willing to do. Sure, I could. I even volunteered, but For immediately told me that me staying is not something she can agree to. She was not trusting either of Ils, and having them both with her would be ¡°stupid and dangerously irresponsible¡±. That¡¯s why we went with a bit more complicated, but still viable method. As I confirmed that everyone was ready, including Il, who was about to teleport us to our destination, I stepped towards one of the trees that was not the masked house. -Let me see¡­ I focused a fistful of mana and punched it right into the trunk. -Vsinqo. Removing my fist, I looked closer. It worked. I managed to bind a rather large amount of mana to a place I punched. Now just to¡­ -Nemjimohot mocisohu. As I spoke the words, the mana that was just there started leaking. Just like a pierced balloon, it started shrinking, albeit a lot more slowly. -Good. We are set, the timer is ready. It would¡¯ve been a lot easier and simpler if one of you would stay behind¡­ - I added eyeing For and Kon. They did not reply. -Okay. We are ready. Do you need something to transport us? - I asked Il, looking questioningly. - I am not sure how your magic works. -It¡¯s not really mine¡­ - she admitted. - But no. Just come here. We all gathered in arm¡¯s reach and she raised her hands, focusing. I didn¡¯t hear any incantation, nor really did I feel any mana being manipulated, but it definitely worked, because the moment later we already weren¡¯t in the forest. The shift was so sudden and surprising, that I had a hard time understanding what happened. I thought that there''d be some kind of an effect. I don¡¯t know, I¡¯d feel something or anything else, really. But nothing happened. It was just like a jumpcut, and a rough one at that: no transition, no nothing. One instant was me looking at the tree I just implanted my timer into, the next one I was staring at the roaring sea, standing on a familiar rocky outcropping. -Holy shit, that¡¯s a spell and a half¡­ - I finally yelped, realizing what just happened to me. - How the hell does that even work? She just shrugged. -I don¡¯t know. I am not the one who made this spell. -And who was that? She hesitated for a moment, not sure if she wanted to tell me. -It was my mother. I eyed Iloa next to me, who just gave me an indifferent look. -No, not her - she said, noticing my look. - I meant¡­ the stepmother, I guess¡­ -Wait. Melle taught you? She managed to create something like that? -I don¡¯t know what to tell you - she said, shrugging. -Well, it seems a bit out of her league¡­ or at least I thought so¡­ - I mumbled. - To create something like that¡­ -You sure it wasn¡¯t just inherited by her? - asked For. - I know many spells that have been passed down like that¡­ -I don¡¯t know - she admitted. - But if you are telling the truth, who would she be inheriting that from? You were the pinnacle of magic in your world before, and here only other person who¡¯d be capable of doing something like this would be one of MIRE¡­ -Well, that¡¯s definitely not me - I said. - And not Mike. -Why? He had a lot of time. And resources. Why not? - asked For. -Because, if that was the case, he wouldn¡¯t be using portal magic to travel - pointed out Kon. -Actually¡­ that might not be the case - I said after a moment of thought. -What? -I mean¡­ as far as we know, this spell has a flaw: the travel time is not consistent. -It is consistent, it just gets longer with distance - protested Il. -So where did those ten years come from? - I asked. -... -Exactly. We don¡¯t know. And Axelrod wouldn¡¯t just risk this spell for casual travel. So it is safe to assume it is possible that he knew of it, but just didn¡¯t want to use it. -He¡¯s smarter than us, apparently¡­ - mumbled For. -That he is. But not because of what you think. -Mhm¡­ -I am serious. What, do you have another, better way to transport yourself? Unlike him, we don¡¯t have a stash of anchors. -Well, we had - she pointed out. - But¡­ -But it¡¯s gone. -Not completely¡­ There¡¯s still a bunch left on the island¡­ -Back in Edge? I guess. But we still would have to get there¡­ Yeah. We would have to get there first. And now we had a way to. -Huh. I guess I figured out our next destination. -Don¡¯t - said For, knowing what I was thinking. - I am not sure what exactly this spell is, but it¡¯s not safe to portal just like that into the Edge. Remember what happened last time? -So what? You think I can¡¯t bust some of your ¡°safety protocols¡± or whatever? Would I even have to do it if you¡¯d be with me? -I mean¡­ -Don¡¯t worry. We aren¡¯t going yet. Let¡¯s first check this place. -Yeah, about that¡­ Her tone of thought was worrying for some reason¡­ And the reason was clear the moment I actually took a second to grasp our surroundings. The island looked¡­ different than what I expected it to. Sure, there still was a broken tablet and an entrance to a cave there, but the island itself was raised about a meter above the ground. -Er¡­ are we sure that¡¯s the correct place? - asked Kon, looking down towards the water level. -What do you mean? - asked Il, looking annoyed. - I know where we are. That¡¯s the place you wanted. -It definitely doesn¡¯t look like it¡­ - said For, noticing the discrepancies. -What¡­? -Or at least it doesn¡¯t look like it did when we last saw it - I agreed, stepping closer towards the tablet. I tried reading the shattered pieces, but while the pieces were definitely hard to read, I knew beforehand what was supposed to be written there, and it made it infinitely more possible to do. Yeah, that was definitely the same spell as last time. -That is the same spell as on your island, Kon. -And the entrance is still here - pointed out For. -I can feel the insides of the cavern¡­ it is still flooded. And empty - said Il, standing right at the entrance. -Yep. The only problem is this¡­ - said For, pointing towards the sea level. I was wondering about that¡­ Something was bothering me. Sure, this spell definitely was skipping us through time, but¡­ was it really the place we saw in the vision? Okay, the sea level can be easily explained with a low tide or something like that¡­ but the tablet? It clearly had its writing be what I expected¡­ but the pieces¡­ weren¡¯t sitting right with me. I mean, it could just fall apart more and differently than before because of the passage of time, but¡­ -Let¡¯s check the inside too - I said. - Something¡¯s bothering me. 207. Under -Do we have to¡­? Do you really need to double and triple-check everything? - asked Il, annoyed that we were going to have to descend through the tunnels and actually explore. - I am telling you, that¡¯s the place I¡¯ve fought him last. I mean, besides the capital. -Hm. Well, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t believe you. It¡¯s just not sitting with me right - I explained quickly. - And besides, if that¡¯s the same cave, we still are going to have more to explore. -More? Weren¡¯t you here before and said that it¡¯s empty? -Yeah. But sea level has shifted. Maybe it means some other path was unlocked. She rolled her eyes. -I doubt it. Yeah, I was talking out of my ass. Even the first time I was here, the water was what was stopping me from exploring: it was blocked tunnels. She didn¡¯t know about that, though. Even then, it was clearly annoying her. -Eh, do what you want. Not like anyone can stop you. She was not wrong. Be it the same island or not, at first it definitely looked exactly the same. I mean, besides the lowered water level. It took us considerably longer to get to the flooded part. Hell, we managed to reach the first fork in the road first, albeit barely: everything past the caved-in split of the road was underwater. -I guess the exploration ends here - said Il. - I told you it was a waste of time. I was not listening, just straight up walked into the water. -Er¡­ Mor? -Ah. Right¡­ you still have to breathe¡­ - I said, stopping suddenly. -Not all of us - said Il, also getting closer to the water. For a second I hesitated and wanted to stop her. She was made out of wood¡­ How would that even work? My curiosity got the better of me, so I let her walk into the water¡­ I say walk, but she was clearly struggling. Yeah¡­ being made out of wood was definitely giving her a hard time diving. My rocky body was easily just sinking to the bottom, but her living form was struggling to even keep one limb underwater. -I can¡­ do¡­ this¡­ She was struggling for a good moment there. -Want a hand? - I asked, popping my head out of the water. -No! I¡­ -You know, I can do it by myself¡­ -Ergh¡­ Visu qsuvilvo. Suddenly, the bottom of her body got covered with the rock, identical to that which was surrounding us, essentially making a very heavy set of pants. It was definitely an effective way to drown: it immediately pulled her under the water, heavily landing on the flooded floor below, the noise being muffled by the water. -Huh¡­ I guess that works¡­ Shrugging, I lowered myself below water and followed her. Despite that it was effective at keeping her underwater, the spell was giving her a hard time actually walking. Having a rocky armor covering your lower half can really limit your movements. Good that we were not expecting to do anything requiring dexterity. We didn¡¯t need much time to figure out that we were definitely not in the same place that we expected. Sure, the layout of the place looked very similar to the one we knew about, at least the part that I explored the first time. The one branch of the corridor indeed led towards something akin to a jail, with a similar altar and cell. Sure, this time there was no burnmark, but it was as deserted as we would expect. -So. How¡¯s the progress? It was For, asking from above the water. -Definitely looks similar, but that has to be a different place - I replied. - The other corridor is not collapsed. -It¡¯s not? - asked For, joining in. - What¡¯s there? -I am about to check. How¡¯s Il doing? -I am waiting - she replied, startling me. I didn¡¯t expect her to be listening in. - I¡¯d be more worried about¡­ the other one. That was a weird way to say ¡°my mother¡±. But, I guess she was still having a hard time to actually accept it, so I didn¡¯t comment on it. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. -You heard her, Il. How are you doing? -I don¡¯t know why are you worried, I am fine - she replied, shrugging. - Sure, it¡¯s a bit hard to move in this thing, but so what? I can deal with it. I don¡¯t need to do backflips down here. -Mhm. -Let¡¯s go. We backed out of the jail and moved towards the place where the paths were branching out. The corridor almost immediately was going down. It was not just a straight slope though, it was a set of stairs. And quite nicely made, too. It somewhat reminded me of the corridors that led from the ¡°bowl¡± to the outside world, the ones that Mike made while leaving. Il noticed that as well, although neither of us commented on that. The stairs were long. Longer what I would call necessary. When they finally ended, we found ourselves in a circular room. I honestly couldn¡¯t believe my eyes: it looked like a spitting image of the one we found Il in, or her ¡°sculpture¡± rather. It was empty though, besides the benches stacked everywhere, surrounding the middle platform, where the sculpture was supposed to be. The other difference was also easy to spot: it was not the end of the line, the corridor continued past this place and opened again on the other side of the room Both of us exchanged looks, and slowly started walking towards the middle. It didn¡¯t take us long to say that this place was deserted for a long, long time. Besides the obvious signs, I mean being flooded, there was absolutely no sign of magic at all. -Any updates? - asked For. Right. Upstairs they were oblivious. -Take a look. I focused on my connection with For and on the image in front of me. -AH! -What?! -EEK! -What¡¯s going on? - I asked, not sure what¡¯s going on. -Images! That¡¯s your doing?! - she asked, trying to regain her composure. -Yeah, yeah. I told you, take a look. -I¡¯d appreciate a better warning next time¡­ - sighed Il, agreeing with For. - That¡¯s a bit unusual, you know. -You can do that in reverse?! - asked Kon, also startled. Huh. I never thought about it¡­ I just did it. Right¡­ last time I made Kon look through me, not the other way around¡­ I never really thought much about that spell¡­ or well, ability. It definitely was a lot more powerful than I thought. Between all of those, we¡¯ve essentially developed a magical video call. That would¡¯ve made a lot of money back then¡­ I shook myself off from the idle thinking about the past and instead focused on exploring what was in front of me. We spent a bit of time in the circular chamber, looking for anything that would be out of place, but found nothing. I sort of expected to find a switch or some other passage, like before, but nope. I guess this place wasn¡¯t exactly the same. The corridor past the room was a bit wider than the one we came from. It still had a shitload of stairs, though. But, this time, we were going back up. We had to walk for so long that when we finally emerged at the end, we weren¡¯t underwater any more: just as the stair ended, so did the water. It was a bit weird, since I was pretty sure that we were still well below ground level. But I guess that could speak of the size of this place. My hunch was right. The place that opened itself in front of us was large. It was a hallway with a lot of doors on each side, leading to the left and right. The walls were made out of the same stone that I¡¯ve been constantly seeing this far, but looked strangely clean. I mean, so deep under I¡¯d expect that this place would be full of mold, moss, or something like that, but it was pristine. I could clearly see every surface, flat and some polished. Even the doors, while made out of wood, were still not rotten or destroyed, like someone was still maintaining the place. I say maintaining, but it was more likely just because the place wasn¡¯t exactly as mana-dead as some places I¡¯ve been before. While walls were barely mana-infused, they were still enchanted enough for me to see well enough, same as the doors. I did get a closer look, and the wood that those were made of wasn¡¯t exactly normal either. It was closer to Il¡¯s body or Melle¡¯s house than the regular trees, but that was to be expected: we weren¡¯t in a normal place after all. -That¡¯s¡­ an interesting place¡­ It was for. Still watching through me, I could tell that she was getting more and more interested the longer I was down there. I didn¡¯t reply, just instead started exploring. The first room I opened a door to was¡­ unremarkable, to say the least. It was just an empty room. Inside looked just the same as the corridor, I mean the walls and floors. And not like there was anything inside to differentiate. Same as the other rooms. I managed to check about ten of those before I stopped caring and instead just started looking for something that looked different. Maybe a bigger door¡­ or another hallway¡­ I found that at the end of the corridor. It was another stairway, this time a circular one. This one was leading both up and down, so first I decided to go down. I sort of expected I¡¯d have to go underwater once more, but nope. I mean, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem for me, but Il would¡¯ve had to remake those stone pants again, and I am pretty sure she wasn¡¯t thrilled about that. The staircase only led one floor down, and ended with a rather large and thick stone door. I expected for it to be closed, but one push was enough to tell that was not the case. Even though it was heavy, it opened easily and without much noise. And inside¡­ -Huh. That looks familiar. You could say that. The layout was hard to mistake. It was the same jail that I was locked in by For. At least it looked the same, minus the red crystal of course. Even the doors were the same: with easily meltable hinges. The only thing missing was the crystal pieces: there even were places to place those, the doors having visible spots where those used to be. -That is peculiar. -Yeah, I never expected that someone had stolen our design¡­ - said For. -Stolen? More like certain someone copied it. -I mean¡­ possible. -Possible? - I chuckled. - More like sure. Let¡¯s be clear, it¡¯s almost certain that this place was the original one, not yours. I didn¡¯t hear her reply, but could feel that she was grumbling. -Doesn¡¯t matter what''s original - said Kon. - But what does that mean? Why is something like this here? -Good question. -And it¡¯s not only here, I think¡­ -Huh? -I bet that if I was to break down a certain avalanche at a certain different island, I would¡¯ve found something very similar. There wasn¡¯t much to see there, so we went back and up, to check if the rest looked as I expected it to. 208. Investigation I was going to check at least the layout of the place, but even then it would¡¯ve probably taken a lot longer than it should, so I had to be content with just a brief overview of the place. Between the two of us, it wasn¡¯t that much of an ask. Besides the stretches of corridors and hallways, the place looked almost like a mix of Red Edge and Arbo. Probably closer to Edge though, considering. Even our resident expert on that had a hard time believing what we were seeing, multiple times commenting on how eerie that was for her. But the similarities weren¡¯t the thing that caught my attention. As we were exploring, I was walking blindly, as in I didn¡¯t use any spells to light my path, solely using my enhanced vision to get my bearings, but, at certain points I noticed that it was not working. Some places had no mana I could see, making them completely dark. Of course, that immediately interested me, and sharing that discovery with Il I tried pinpointing the location more closely: it was certain that it had to originate from somewhere. Before that though, I needed to conjure a light. It was a while since I used one, so just on a whim I used a fire spell instead of a light spell. Il wasn¡¯t nearby and the place was definitely not going to be burned down with a stray spark, unlike Arbo. -Usc fi geksu. But, just as soon as the light flickered to life, it disappeared. That definitely threw me for a loop. Was my spell malfunctioning? Hell no! It¡¯s not like fire can malfunction. I get if that was some different element, like actual light, but my spell produced actual fire and just needed mana to burn, and I had plenty of that. Was the environment somehow draining mana from it¡­? -Usc fi mynu. I switched to a light orb instead, but that stayed alive and well, without any sign of disappearing. That rules out the mana issues. So what was the problem? I tried making fire again, but this time it didn¡¯t even produce a spark. First, to be honest. I¡¯ve literally never seen that spell to react like that. Wait. What are the things that fire needs? A fuel. And oxygen. That was the problem?! A lack of oxygen? Sure, we were in a pretty sealed place, but for it to be completely deprived of oxygen? That¡¯s unusual. Besides, shouldn¡¯t I be feeling some effects¡­ Wait, I didn¡¯t need to breathe any more. I guess that tracks. What about Il, though? -Il? How are you feeling? The reply came immediately. -Er¡­? Fine? Why are you asking? I quickly explained to her what I noticed. -Huh¡­ I guess I don¡¯t need to breathe either¡­ - she said. - This is an unusual place then¡­ -I am glad that I am not with you, then - commented For, and I was pretty sure I felt a similar response from the rest of the party above the water level. -You probably would be fine¡­ the Crystal and all, but I agree, there are better ways to check that part of your changes. -Hm. -Well, I am more interested in those blank spots - said Ilma, up till now quiet. - If those really are mana-less, it might mean that we are dealing with another Crystal. Or better, a void artifact. -Huh. I kinda forgot about that¡­ - I replied, thinking out loud. - Let¡¯s hope pinpointing the location won¡¯t be a pain¡­ While it wasn¡¯t exactly a pain, it definitely was not easy at first. What I found wasn''t just a gradual change in mana after all, it was just a handful of blank spots. Those were scattered at a full length of a certain corridor, two floors up from where we came from, and three if we count the cell block. All of them were scattered on a singular wall. Most of them next to doors, but some just also randomly on the walls. We did check those rooms, but those were as empty as the ones before. The only difference was that inside them were even more of those blank spots. The pattern those were scattered in reminded me somewhat of the desert, but back then there were a bunch of power spots scattered instead. It definitely looked like whatever was the source of those, was behind the wall, a bit deeper in. One problem, though: there was no corridor leading that way. Not the first time, not the last time most likely. Never stopped me before. First things first: a quick look to maybe find some hidden switch or door. That was not going to be so easy, because whatever it was, it was not magical in nature. I mean, of course it wasn¡¯t going to be: after all we were looking for a space devoid of mana. So, something more mechanical then? The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Most likely. That was going to take a lot longer. We had a lot of rooms to check out. Sure, some had more blank spots than others, but that wasn¡¯t helping much: after all, the passage could be in a completely different spot for all we knew. At least checking the rooms was easy. Them being empty eliminated the possibility of something being hidden behind a bookshelf or something similar. On the other hand, we then had to inspect walls for cracks, irregularities or whatnot, so it still was taking time. And having only two of us was also problematic. If the rest of the crew was with us here it would¡¯ve taken a lot less time to search. I mean, Kon did propose to come here and it probably would be possible for them: it¡¯s not like they were so incompetent that they would be unable to get through the water¡­ But, there was still a problem of lack of oxygen. Kon was the first one to check how possible coming to us was¡­ and well¡­ He had a hard time. As all of us were unsure how it would be with them and breathing, he did the simplest thing he could think of. He dunked his head into the water and checked if he could breathe. Well, he couldn¡¯t. He only choked on the water and got into a coughing fit. In hindsight it was stupid. I did tell him that. He could just try and hold his breath upstairs and it would¡¯ve been proof enough. It¡¯s not like I was able to breathe with the water anyway: I just didn¡¯t need air at all. Of course I wouldn¡¯t let them just come in here and faint the moment they emerged from the water. Yeah, sure, they could use magic to procure enough air to get through the water, but what then? They would have to do the same thing constantly. Sure, the mana wasn¡¯t the problem, but what if something was to go wrong? Like, for example we¡¯d find a spot that was disrupting magic? That was very possible, as the blank spots in mana clearly were hinting. Even if that was not the case, let¡¯s say we find something that would knock them out. A trap, person, you name it. The spell they would¡¯ve been using to keep breathing would also be interrupted and just being knocked out would end in being dead. Sure, it was possible that they would be resurrected¡­ or rather converted, like me, by the Origin Crystal, but we were not going to risk that. We had time¡­ Well, supposedly. After that weird instance of teleporting magic of Il¡¯s and worries about temporal problems¡­ Who knew how much time it passed since we were back near the MIRE¡­ I was thinking about that while inspecting yet another empty and flat wall. That was also when Il contacted me. We split, going opposite sides of the corridor, trying to cover as much space as possible at once. -Mor. I reached the end of the corridor. -And? -Nothing. How about you? -Also nothing. But you¡¯re quick. I am barely half-way through. -Eh, there weren¡¯t many rooms on this side¡­ I mean, they are bigger but¡­ -Yeah¡­ I get you. It is tedious. -... -I¡¯ll try to be quicker too. -Don¡¯t worry. Meanwhile, I¡¯ll check the corridor itself¡­ Maybe we missed something. -Sure. It didn¡¯t take even two rooms for her to contact me again. -What¡¯s up? -I know I said I was going to check the corridor¡­ but I went towards the stairwell. I think I found something. -Oh? What? -I mean¡­ the stairwell is weird. It seems like it ends weirdly. Come take a look. A bit relieved that I won¡¯t have to look at more flat walls and exact copies of the same room over and over I went ahead and started making my way towards her and the other end of the corridor. She was waiting for me, kneeling at the end of the staircase where we entered the floor we currently were on. -So¡­ how is it weird? -Stand next to me. -...? -The lower step. -What do you¡­ The moment I stepped on the same step she was standing on, I realized something moved. I wouldn¡¯t even notice it if not for the light from the orb I had next to me did not reveal a puff of dust right at my feet. -Now that¡¯s something¡­ -It¡¯s a pressure plate - she said, confirming what I was thinking. - But I was too light to even trigger it a little bit, that¡¯s why I called you. -Yeah, I¡¯ve gotten pretty fat lately. -Ha, ha. -Your jokes aside - suddenly said For, who apparently was still observing and not bored with me looking through the same rooms over and over - why would you need so much weight? You think it was made for someone like you¡­? -You think Axelrod? - said Kon. - I think only he has enough material in him to be that heavy¡­ -And maybe¡­ -Come on - I interrupted them. - It¡¯s not that complicated. Noone in their right mind would create something like that. I bet it¡¯s just jammed somewhere. -That¡¯s probably it - agreed with me Il. -How do you want to open it, then? If it¡¯s jammed¡­ -Just use force? It was easier said than done. Sure, I could try and force it open¡­ that is if I even knew where exactly the door was. For now I only saw a puff of dust. -Il, step back for a moment. As she moved back into the corridor, I tried closely looking at the step that supposedly triggered the door, or whatever that was. For all I knew, it could even be a trap. I wanted to inspect it to maybe see some hint of a mechanism behind it, because that definitely had to be it. If it was magical, I¡¯d already notice it before. I tried pulling at the step, but besides scratching the surface, I didn¡¯t do much else. -So¡­ brute force, eh¡­? I guess that¡¯s always one option¡­ Without thinking much, I slammed my fist into the step I was standing on, hoping to unstuck it. It¡­ actually worked. Besides the loud crash of crystal against the rock and a groan from everyone watching it, be it directly or via a spell, we heard a click. At the same time, I felt myself lower a centimeter or two, as the pressure place finally sunk under my weight. I took a defensive stance, expecting everything and anything, but nothing came. -Is it broken¡­? But before Il finished that thought, a grinding noise filled the empty corridors and a wall next to me suddenly started opening, split in half, in a puff of dust revealing another passageway. -That is a bit shitty place to put a hidden switch¡­ - pointed out For. - Like.., what¡¯s the point? If this thing was working correctly, it¡¯d be opening every time someone was walking upstairs¡­ -Yeah¡­ a weird mechanism, I do agree¡­ - I mumbled to myself, looking towards the now open corridor. It was a lot thinner than the rest of it, and while the stairway was not very wide, in comparison it was still at least twice its width. Inside was strangely dusty. Sure, you¡¯d expect for a deserted place to have a lot of it, but so far everything was devoid of anything. And that included dust. That made the new corridor look especially strange. -I guess it''s time to start exploring¡­ And I walked into the darkness of the hidden passage, followed by Il. 209. Backdoor At first, it didn¡¯t look like anything much. I didn¡¯t even have to rely on my light orb, because the corridors were still full of mana, so my enhanced senses were more than enough. That started getting disrupted soon enough. The corridor was leading us in parallel to the actual, bigger one, but it seemed like it was behind the rooms. A hidden passage to escape maybe? But why that strange mechanism then? As I walked past some of the holes in mana, I stopped to inspect them more carefully. There wasn¡¯t much indication why those would be there. It seemed like they were just randomly scattered on the one wall that was shared with the rooms¡­ -This is so strange¡­ I guess Il was also puzzled. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder what exactly happened for those spots to be blank like that. Was that also some kind of experiment going wrong? No¡­ those rooms definitely didn¡¯t look like some test chambers¡­ I mean, they were empty, so there wasn¡¯t much to go off from, but still, I had this feeling¡­ Even if we assumed that this place used to be a place where people¡­ or rather creatures like me lived, someone like that having an ¡°accident¡± or something, wouldn¡¯t really leave a mark like that. Besides them being a lot larger, they also wouldn¡¯t be so¡­ permanent¡­? As I was thinking that, something came to my mind. Were they really permanent? Last time I met with the literal opposite phenomena, I just corrected it by absorbing magic. What would happen if I was to also do something like that? I mean, not absorb, but instead give back the mana it was missing? There was no indication it was a part of a spell, or anything, really¡­ so I didn¡¯t expect much to come from it¡­ but I still had this itch to try it out. -I can tell you are thinking of something. It was Il. Yeah¡­ she knew me better than anyone. Even without the magic linking our minds together she¡¯d probably be able to figure it out just by observing me. -You got me¡­ -Well, I can¡¯t see anything it is connected to¡­ I don¡¯t know if there''s a point to that¡­ Ah, so she even managed to get a sneak peak of my thoughts. -I am going to try it anyway. -Sure¡­ just let me step back. As she did, I placed my hand on one of the spots and focused. It was easy to gather mana, even easier to pour it towards the hole. I am not sure if that was because of it being a dead zone, or something else, but it almost immediately sucked in the mana I was giving it. And¡­ -Something¡¯s happening¡­ The hole I picked suddenly shifted. It was like it was filling with water¡­ the rock that just a moment ago was dead and completely devoid of anything magical, started changing its consistency. It wasn¡¯t just me seeing mana flow into it, it was actually changing its state of matter. It didn¡¯t even take ten seconds for it to change into what I¡¯d best explain as¡­ a water window. But it was even clearer than that. There were no distortions, no movement. Just a clear view into the room on the other side of the wall. -Wow¡­ -What the hell¡­ Yeah, that was definitely unexpected. But also, that was not the end. While the window was already done and full of mana, I noticed that magic was still being absorbed by it. I was wondering if that was just to sustain the spell, so I interrupted the flow, but the magic did not disappear. -Wait. Do that again. As instructed by her, I started pouring mana once more, and then I also noticed it. From the window I just made, a link started forming. A straight line from the edge of the, now full of mana, spot, started extending towards the closest still blank spot. As soon as those connected, the process repeated itself. Another hole, and another water-mana window. This time I did not stop, and soon I started realizing that this place was more complicated than I thought. Even though we never noticed them before, the windows, because that¡¯s definitely what those were, were connected together by tiny, thin lines, forming a network spanning the whole corridor and even beyond. -Don¡¯t waste your mana¡­ Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Even though I heard that comment, I didn¡¯t intend to stop. Besides the fact that I was still more than full of magic, the process itself was also surprisingly efficient. Whoever made this definitely knew what they were doing. -Are those¡­ peeping holes¡­? That was Kon asking. That was¡­ an interesting observation. -I don¡¯t think so¡­ Those are pretty visible - replied For. -Are they now¡­ - mumbled Il and suddenly started walking away from me. - Just a second, I need to check something¡­ I nodded, acknowledging that I heard, but didn¡¯t stop pouring mana into the strange formation. A moment later I noticed that she appeared on the other side of the wall, looking carefully around the empty room. -Can you see me? -Er¡­ yeah? Why are you asking? -Because I can¡¯t. I looked at her directly, not understanding what she meant. I even waved. But, it was as she was saying, she didn¡¯t react. Instead, she started carefully inspecting the wall next to me, ignoring the clear opening in the wall. -It¡¯s a one-way window? - I finally asked, starting to get what she was on about. -It seems like. And not only that. I can¡¯t see the mana from this side¡­ -Really? -Yeah. Before I could easily spot those holes, just as you did, but now there¡¯s nothing. The wall is smooth and the mana is equally distributed. -That¡¯s¡­ huh. That¡¯s not what¡¯s here¡­ -I know. I can¡­ She suddenly looked directly at me and flinched. -Huh? -That¡¯s¡­ ah. She shook her head like she was trying to chase away something. -What are you doing? -I just¡­ looked through your eyes¡­ and saw myself. -Oh. I didn¡¯t notice you joining in¡­ It¡¯s that unpleasant? -No¡­ It¡¯s just¡­ I never knew that¡¯s how I looked like. Oh. No wonder. An unpleasant silence fell on us. -You coming back? I kind of want to check where this trail leads to¡­ - I finally asked, breaking the silence. -I¡­ nah, you should be fine, right? I probably should stay here and see where exactly those corridors are connected. -I guess it can be useful for someone to see how things look from the other side¡­ -Exactly. Just tell me where to go. -Okay. And so, I started following the strange pattern of those windows further and further into this corridor. Every now and again I had to stop and pour more mana towards the empty spots, turning them into more windows. This time, I had a spotter from the other side, and she did confirm what she said she noticed before. As I was filling the blanks with my mana, from the other side it looked like the seams in the walls were filled completely, and after a moment were completely indistinguishable from regular walls. If not from what we saw before, no one would¡¯ve noticed anything. But, at the same time, the windows started appearing more and more often. At first, the windows were just one, maybe two per room, but after about ten or so rooms there were barely any that had less than three, in most cases even more. That is, until we finally reached about twentieth room. The wall was just like in the rooms before, covered in mana holes. But this time, when I started filling those, I did not make the same circular windows like before. The holes that filled started connecting with each other, like a blotch of ink that was spreading on a paper. I slowly started filling the entire wall. It was so surprising that I didn¡¯t even notice until about half of the wall was already infused with my mana and see-through. And yet, it wasn¡¯t costing me that much more mana than before. -Do you see any difference? - I asked her immediately, when I noticed the difference. -No? It¡¯s the same as usual, you¡¯re filling the holes and that¡¯s it. -Well¡­ that¡¯s peculiar. She didn¡¯t ask about more, instead just looked through my own eyes. -Oh. -Yeah. Oh. It took maybe a minute more to fill the whole wall this way, and soon I was standing in front of a full not-glass wall, letting me clearly see the whole room. -This place is fucked up. That was a comment from For. She was mostly quiet till now, but seeing more and more of those weird rooms was making her uneasy. A valid response. -Hm¡­ But that¡¯s not what caught my attention. Sure, the room was unusual. But more importantly, even though that I already had filled the whole wall with mana, I still felt like I could pour more into it That was the first one. So far, those walls were quite self-contained. Whenever I finished filling one hole a tiny branch that would inevitably connect me to another one was taking noticeably less to fill, and appeared almost immediately. But not here. Curious, I did not stop pouring mana. I sort of expected that the spell would just be busted and my mana would start to leak out somewhere, but I should¡¯ve known better. Whoever created this definitely had durability in mind. And yet, I didn¡¯t notice a thing changing for a good moment¡­ That is, until I looked inside of the room. It was getting brighter¡­? No It was the other wall. The one that was not shared with the room we just checked started getting brighter and brighter, letting me see better inside. -You seeing this? -No! It¡¯s visible only from your side! Ah. So she was still peeking on my vision. Well, most likely everyone was at that point¡­ But that was not the end of it. It wasn¡¯t just some lamp or something like that. At least not in the room. It actually took me a second to realize what I was seeing. It wasn¡¯t that it was just the wall that was brighter. It was see-through, just like the one I was next to. It was what was on the other side that was making the room brightly lit¡­ at least in my eyes. It was a square room. And when I say square, I mean it. It was so flat and perfect that it looked strange in comparison to the wall of the whole place. Sure, those were nice and smooth, but that was something completely else. Like modern smooth. Definitely not fitting in. That was not the only thing that was not fitting in either. Room was full of machinery. 210. Blocked While I wasn¡¯t able to tell exactly what I was looking at, I was certain it was something that did not belong. Monitors, blinking lights, control panels, you name it. -Are you seeing this shit? -And I can¡¯t believe my eyes - replied Il. - Do you see any entrance? -Not yet. -Yet? -This mechanism¡­ this spell is still not full! It still keeps eating mana! -What the hell¡­ Yeah, even after the reveal of the other room, it was still not done. I mean, surely, after bringing to life something like that, that was surely it, right? Nope. I was eagerly looking around, trying to see where my mana was going, but for naught. I just had to wait and see. And soon I did. It happened just as my mana was finally stopped being sapped into the spell. Honestly, even without that hint it was pretty hard to miss. Right where the other room was almost at the border between the ¡°glass cell¡±, a rectangular shape appeared. A door. Finally, something that was useful. -Come on, check it! - hurried me Il. I guess she was as eager to see what was actually inside as me. -You don¡¯t have to tell me twice. I stood up and placed my hand right at the door, which immediately moved in, not even needing much force. What was just a frame of the door moved inward a bit and then moved aside. A stone sliding door? Neat. Inside was just as I saw from the other side. Two walls stacked with monitors, leaving only the one with the door and with the window empty. All of them black and turned off. No visible physical buttons, nor anything else for that matter. I did try tapping them once or twice, but no use. Fuck. -Shit. Is that because of my body? -You think that they are turned on? I mean, this place is abandoned. -I can hear them working. That was true. The room, while mostly silent, was filled with a low hum of technology. Even a quiet noise like that was easy to pick up in the silence of this empty place. Maybe a cooling fan, or something? Who the hell knows how that thing worked. -I never expected that I¡¯d be fucked by a lockscreen. -Are you kidding me? -Can you explain?! What the fuck is that? It was For. Right, we weren¡¯t alone. -Long story short: you need fleshy fingers to see whatever this thing was or is used for. And as you are aware, neither of us have those. -Who in the hell makes something like this?! - she asked, clearly flabbergasted. - I mean¡­ What''s the point even?! -I am not going to explain that. Just let me tell you that it¡¯s not really weird or unusual. On the other hand, having all of those here¡­ -Yeah, that¡¯s not normal. That was an understatement. To find a, seemingly, working computer in some underwater cave? Yeah, no that¡¯s not something I¡¯d predict in a million years. And yet, that¡¯s what was going on. -Say, Mor¡­ don¡¯t you think this looks¡­ sort of familiar¡­? Yeah¡­ I didn¡¯t want to say that out loud, but she was right. I realized it the moment we saw the not-glass panel and the room it was adjacent to¡­ This setup looked just like something we had in MIRE. An empty room, with a control and research booth connected to it¡­ a clear view to check the test subject¡­ There was no mistaking it. -I guess we now know where Mike was doing his experiments¡­ -You think that was him? - asked For, a bit shaken. - And wait, how do you know someone was experimenting here? I can¡¯t feel any magic residue or anything¡­ -I bet that was a long time ago - I said, shrugging. - And about who, do you have any other leads? It¡¯s not like there¡¯s many people that can use something like that. -It could¡¯ve been¡­ I mean¡­. -It was not me. Iloa. Right. She had a very close connection to both technology and the old world, not even mentioning Mike. She definitely would be able to operate something like this, but while I am not certain about creating it, it wasn¡¯t completely out of the question. For was not convinced by her answer, though. -And how should we be sure? You¡¯ve been silent all this time, only now you speak. It¡¯s clear that you¡¯re hiding things from us. She did not reply. -It doesn¡¯t matter - I said, trying to pacify her. - And I don¡¯t think it was her. First of all, this place is abandoned. Don¡¯t you think if she had access to something like that, she¡¯d be hiding in here, instead of choosing to almost die next to a ruined building? -So what? You said it yourself, it¡¯s abandoned. There¡¯s nothing here, so why come back? Sure, it is sealed, but that wouldn¡¯t stop Axelrod. Nor you, for that matter. If she knew about this place and chose to avoid it, there¡¯s clearly something here, don¡¯t you think? -And secondly - I said, not letting her throw me off - You forgot that there¡¯s no air here? How do you expect a person to work here? -Back at you: how do you expect someone to hide here? It¡¯s clear that she knew something happened here and escaped. Now we¡­ -I am not saying that this place is worthless - I assured her. - Of course I am going to try and investigate this more, but I don¡¯t think she has anything to do with it. -I don¡¯t care if you don¡¯t believe me - added Ilma - and I am quiet because I have nothing to say to you. Clearly, the answer only annoyed her, but wasn¡¯t in a mood to try and force them to make up. -Let¡¯s not get distracted and continue our investigation. But it was easier said than done. Just like I noticed earlier, there was no way for us to actually use those computers, but it was not going to stop us anyway. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. I did want to try to poke it with some spells, but this time I was stopped by Il. She was concerned that we¡¯d destroy it. And since we had no idea what exactly this thing was used for, it could¡¯ve been problematic if some kind of alarm got triggered. I did say that we¡¯d probably be fine, considering our bodies, but agreed. It would be a waste to destroy something like this, even accidentally. Hell, maybe we could take someone here and help us¡­? I mean, it would¡¯ve been risky, but¡­ When we were focused on the tech, Kon and For were more interested in magic. Sure, my attention was somewhere else, but that didn¡¯t stop them from peeking on us and inspecting the magic hanging in the air, and especially the window to the ¡°specimen room¡±. According to those two, it was some kind of mix of water and illusion magic. Well, even just looking at it was enough to tell me that, but I was not going to say that out loud. Of course, the more interesting part was the fact that the spell was not detectable from any other side than the one we were able to see through, which made this enchantment incredibly powerful, if not even an overkill for something like that¡­ Why would someone try to hide the fact that they were observing their test subject? To not mess with the experiment results? Well¡­ there was a clear answer for that, but¡­ I did just as I said, trying to explore more of the place, but that didn¡¯t give me much. There wasn¡¯t much more to the tunnels I¡¯ve seen, or rather anything else at all, so I wanted to get out and leave, but I couldn¡¯t. The doors were closed. Did the mechanism suddenly unstuck itself? Or did the door close behind Il? I did call her back, but apparently it wasn¡¯t like that when she went out from the hidden passage to check on the other rooms. -That¡¯s a problem. -Can you try and press the step again from your side? -I mean, sure, but last time I was too light¡­ And she was right. Whatever she did, the step didn¡¯t even move a bit. -Fuck. -Well, I mean I can¡­ Hipiso visu! Before I was able to say anything, she conjured a bunch of rocks out of thin air and dumped it onto the pressure plate. And¡­ -Still nothing. How much force did you put into that hit? -Well¡­ a bit. You think I broke the mechanism? -Possible. Although I can¡¯t see the damage from here¡­ -I guess something snapped¡­ damn. -You¡¯re good at destroying things. -You don¡¯t say¡­ Well, I guess I am not stopping then, huh? -What do you¡­ I didn¡¯t let her finish. I already knew where exactly the door was, so there was one way to do this¡­ I mean, besides just melting the rock in front of me. I slammed my fingers right where the crack in the wall used to be, trying to maybe feel out the boundary between the door and the frame¡­ I didn¡¯t really think much while doing it¡­ Not really sure why I did that either. I already knew that my body wasn¡¯t really that much stronger than a regular person¡¯s¡­ I knew my strength was in durability¡­ At least¡­ at first. I don¡¯t know what got into me. I guess my instincts kicked in? Because I started pushing more and more on where I knew the door was¡­ I jammed my fingers between two parts of the door. I knew it opened outwards¡­ at least for me, so I guess it was possible to force them open. But surely, I didn¡¯t have strength for that, right? Well, wrong. Surprising all of us, I didn¡¯t even have to strain myself, but managed to push the door open. Of course, I did make an awful lot of noise to boot, but that was not really something I was worried about right now¡­ -Since when can you do THAT?! That was a good question. And it came from literally everyone who was watching me. -I have no clue¡­ - I said, looking myself over in amazement. - I guess¡­ now? -Yeah, no shit - scoffed For. -I mean¡­ A bit caught in the moment, I removed my hands from the doors and it suddenly slammed behind me, making even more noise. -And now you are locked out. Great job - commented For. I rolled my eyes and went back towards the step that I knew was a pressure plate and slammed it once more with my fist. This time, it did not work. -Fuck¡­ - I said out loud, annoyed at myself. -Well¡­ I guess we don¡¯t HAVE to go back there¡­ - said Kon, trying to look on the bright side. - You already said you can¡¯t do anything with that mechanism¡­ -But it would be nice to, right? -... -Well, we still need to explore the rest of the place, right? Let¡¯s get on with that instead¡­ Il was right. We went ahead and decided to do that, splitting once more. This time though, I was paying more attention to any mana anomalies that I could detect, hoping to find another hidden path or something like that¡­ But found nothing. What we realized though, was the fact that the place was smaller than we thought. Before, I thought that this place was closer to the size of the tree-castle in the capital, especially after seeing some of its layout, but after a while here¡­ It looked like it wasn¡¯t even half the size. And that wasn¡¯t just it. It felt¡­ like the place was unfinished. Of course I don¡¯t mean the general emptiness. Sure, that helped build the atmosphere, but I rather meant something else. Some corridors were ending in dead ends. Staircases leading to nothing. Rooms that were too small to be functional. The first thing that came to mind was that we just were finding some hidden passages, but I couldn¡¯t be so sure about that. Right, even getting to open the first one was lucky and barely even happened, so that was possible. But, there was no magic at play. If those were hidden pathways, they were well hidden or not magical. On the other hand, we already knew that we couldn¡¯t rely on our magic detection any more: the one-way windows were a good proof of that. I must admit, I did have an urge to try and force some ways open¡­ Like the obvious ones, I mean. For example, having a stairway end into a ceiling. For sure, if I was to try and force myself through it, we would¡¯ve found something, right? I did have strength now¡­ seemingly at least, but even with that I had my doubts. That didn¡¯t mean I wasn¡¯t going to try. Too bad, it didn¡¯t work. I am not sure if that was because there was no door, or the lock was too strong, but even though I pushed as hard as I could, the wall would not budge. -Maybe it¡¯s a pull? I mean, of course, that also came to my mind, but that was not something I could really do about¡­ At least not physically¡­ -Do you think I should try and melt this shit? -Are you serious? - Il was flabbergasted hearing that. - I mean¡­ I guess we can try, but can you really melt this rock? -If not melt, maybe meld? It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve never done this, and it definitely seems that¡¯s how this place was created. -Er¡­ hell, I don¡¯t know. I guess we have nothing to lose and everything to gain¡­ -Yep. -Let¡¯s try it, then. I was about to unleash a spell, but hesitated for a moment. -Something wrong? -I mean¡­ I have faith in my abilities¡­ but you better step back. Just in case. -Right. She stepped back, almost half way down the stairs. I mean, I told her so, but to go so far down¡­ Whatever. I took a breath and thought about how should I go about that. Should I actually try and melt it? I mean, I said so, but now when I thought about it it really seemed like an overkill¡­ The amount of heat I¡¯d have to use to even make a dent would be humongous¡­ I did have mana to spare, sure, but still¡­ It probably would be easier to try my hand in melding¡­ But¡­ a tiny bit of fire wouldn¡¯t hurt, right¡­? Well, too bad, because I actually forgot that I couldn¡¯t do it. At least not in conventional ways. The air being oxygen-less would prove problematic, at least if I was to use an open flame¡­ But if I was to¡­ I placed my hand right in the middle of the ceiling, where the stairs were seemingly leading to, and focused. I decided to try heat, to at least see how bad it would be¡­ -Wesnoho. When I called my mana, my hand changed its color to red. It was a bit startling, but knowing the spell I was using, I was not that surprised. I did use a word that was supposed to ¡°heat it up¡± , quite literally, so no wonder that it also affected me. It wasn¡¯t really doing much, though. Even though I poured enough mana into the spell that it should at least leave a mark on the rock, there was no sign of anything. I guess heat wasn¡¯t the play, so let¡¯s get on with melding. That, while probably more effective, was a bit more complicated. To try and form something usable¡­ Wait. I didn¡¯t have to do that. It¡¯s not like I knew if something even was behind this wall. I could just bore a hole the size of my finger, to take a peek. I didn¡¯t have to instantly make a doorway. Realizing that it¡¯s going to be significantly easier, I switched my spell. -Visu, gus. That worked significantly better. The moment I spoke those words and touched the wall, it started moving away, as to avoid my touch. It was definitely off-putting. It almost looked like a living creature that really did not want to let me touch it. But that was in our favor. It meant that I could get through without much of an issue, so I went ahead and got to work. A finger. When that was not enough to get through, a whole hand. Even though the hole I was making got larger, it didn¡¯t get any harder. Then, my arm. At that point I was kind of worried. If that was not enough, did that mean I¡¯d have to step forward or something? Make a hole the size of my body? I mean, I could, but what¡¯s the point? If it would¡¯ve come to that, I would already be pretty sure that there wasn¡¯t anything on the other side. Speaking of the other side¡­ I was lucky I actually did not get to that point. If I did, whatever came next would¡¯ve been a much worse problem. 211. Through It happened when I was about elbow¡¯s length in the wall. I felt something on the other side. Did I find the passage? Well¡­ yes and no. I did find an open space. But it was not any passage. I found ocean. As soon as I felt something, a sudden rush of water pushed my hand away and shot right at my face. -Pfeh! What the fu¡­ I didn¡¯t get to even finish cursing, before I heard a crack. Then another. And then, a flood came. The crack was the wall breaking right in front of me. The pressure of water above us was apparently large enough for the small hole to turn into an opening the size of a person in a span of a second. Of course, it came with a deluge of water that almost swept me off my feet. I don¡¯t need to add that I lost focus on my spell almost immediately. Maybe that¡¯s better, before I was able to make things even worse. Il wasn¡¯t that lucky, though. Her body was anything but heavy. A large stream would be enough for her to be hard to keep balance, and the water we¡¯ve been hit by was closer to a large waterfall, not some lazy river. -IL! I barely managed to notice her being flung backwards. I wasn¡¯t able to help her. She wasn¡¯t able to react either. No spells came out of her. I can tell she had a hard time to even think straight, not to mention try and focus on gathering mana for a spell. The water was not letting up. Even though the hole it opened was pretty large, that was not enough for the rushing current. I tried looking forward, to see the damage, but that was a bad idea. I only managed to get hit by a large rock that apparently got chipped away by the stream, forcing me to stumble backwards, away from the hole. There was no time to think, I had to quickly seal that hole, or the whole place was going to be flooded. While I wasn¡¯t really worried about myself, or Il for that matter; we already knew water was not an obstacle to us; there was still a matter of the machines we found before. Sure, those were in a sealed room after all, but I am not sure that was made to be waterproof¡­ Better safe than sorry. -Visu, lsio tvupi. A solid piece of rock formed right in front of me. It wasn¡¯t really the same thing that the walls were made of, but I guess it should be good enough to seal the¡­ Before I even finished my thought, the cluster of rock that I created got flung away and barely missed me, flying, or rather, swimming somewhere far behind me. Damn. Another one then. I slammed my hand against a wall. -Visu, nuwo! Instead of creating the seal out of thin air, I decided to use the material I had on hand: the walls themselves. Or well¡­ I attempted to. My spell did not work. Wait¡­ No, that¡¯s not it. It did work, but the flow of water was unmaking any progress I was making. I intended to meld the rock I had access to and to direct it to the hole in the wall. Too bad that when I was directing the rock to move, it was turning into a more malleable substance, which was promptly getting swept away by the water flow. Instead of helping, the last spell actually made the issue worse. The hole was already the size of the whole stairway. Good thing that it couldn¡¯t get any worse. Or at least I thought so. Sure, there wasn¡¯t any more space for the water to flow through, but that didn¡¯t mean something else wasn¡¯t able to pass through the opening that got created. -Fucking sharks?! - yelped For, still looking through my eyes. - Are you serious?! Those live in this sea?! Well, she was half-right. I don¡¯t know where she learned how sharks looked, but what I saw right in front of my face wasn¡¯t anything I¡¯ve seen in my life. Sure, it was shark-shaped, but it was smaller, more of the size of large fish. It was also of a different color, vibrant blue, almost purple. Clearly magical. I guess living in proximity to this strange infused place had to influence it¡­ The small size of the creature made me underestimate it. And besides that, I was mostly impervious to physical attacks, so I didn¡¯t even bother trying to protect myself when about ten of those tried chomping on my body. Yeah¡­ it didn¡¯t go well for them. Even in the rush of water, I saw a cloud of blood suddenly form right in front of me, along with some pieces of broken teeth flowing right by me. Bad luck for you, guys. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. But the sudden hard to bite pray did not change their minds. The whole gaggle swam back a few meters, just to launch themselves back at me a moment later. Wait. Swam back? Yeah, that was weird. Water was still going strong, there was no way something would be able to brush the strength of the water like that¡­ I mean, sure there exist some fish that can swim upstream and jump up waterfalls¡­ but those aren¡¯t sharks! And even if they would be, there¡¯s no way they¡¯d do this with this little effort. It almost seemed like they were defying physics. I didn¡¯t have time to wonder for much longer, because the attack repeated. And this time, they had reinforcements. The swarm was already about thirty strong and seemed to only grow in size. Where the fuck were they even coming from? How many of those are here anyway?! They were still adamant on biting me. Sure, they weren¡¯t having much success, but also I wasn¡¯t getting any progress made towards getting them off me. After the first unsuccessful attack, I thought I could just wait them out. I mean, they were literally breaking their teeth on me, it¡¯s not like they have an infinite amount of those, right? Wrong. The swarm was not getting smaller, and the ones that already attacked, that I thought would run away, were biting me again moments later. Were they¡­ regrowing their teeth?! In that short span of time?! I couldn¡¯t believe what I was seeing, but that¡¯s definitely what was happening. It was abundantly clear when I noticed that along with water, I was also bombarded by more broken and unbroken teeth. After each attack, it looked like every ¡°shark¡± that managed to break their teeth was spitting out the remaining ones right at me. Hell, even those that still had most of them remaining were also doing that, just for the full mouthful of teeth to be back a second later. What the fuck. Not sure what I should do, I tried moving forward, to maybe get closer to the hole despite the avalanche of teeth and water, but that was not possible. The pressure was enough to barely let me move, and if I was to add the attacking sharks, that was making it counterproductive: it was making me back up. Eh¡­ whatever. Time for a bit more¡­ broad approach. -Hmedou. One word. Ice. I went ahead and used the simplest solution. I guess I got inspired by a certain someone¡­ It was over in a blink of an eye. The water around me froze, in a flash stopping the flow along with the sharks that got caught in it. I did catch a bit too much of everything in the spell, but that was a given: having an avalanche pounding you in your face will do that to you. And besides, to seal the hole I had to pull out some stops: flowing water is not that easy to flash-freeze. But, those sharks were more resistant than I thought. While sure, they got caught in the freeze, that did not mean I killed them. Still flailing around, trying to get out and bite me. -What the hell am I supposed to do with you¡­ But, before I was able to finish my thought, I realized that this was not the end. Sure, the layer of ice was thick enough that I managed to block the water flow, but the animals weren¡¯t going to just stop moving and it meant only one thing: the ice started cracking. I wanted to toss more ice towards them, but before I was able to, the plug was shattered and on the floor spilled about ten sharks that freed themselves from the trap. I braced myself for the inevitable flood¡­ But it did not come. I apparently used enough ice that even though the surface was shattered, the remaining ice was still holding still. Lucky me. There was only some fauna to get rid of remaining, and out of the water they surely wouldn¡¯t prove problematic. Right¡­? Of course not. The moment I stepped out of the ice block I created, and that took me a good moment, I got battered by a salve of teeth. -You fucking serious?! - I yelped, surprised. Of course, sharks did not reply¡­ I mean, I want to say ¡°it¡¯s not like they could¡±, but one look at them was enough to say that I should shut up. They weren¡¯t just flailing angrily at me and shooting pointessly. No. They were standing up. On their feet. Yeah. They had feet. Or, more like fin-feet. I couldn¡¯t believe my eyes, but it looked like their tails had split in half, letting them stand up on the ground. Honestly, I was amazed that they were able to keep balance, still having the upper body of a shark. The look had made me completely stunned, just staring at those abominations of¡­ I don¡¯t know, magic? Because that was definitely nothing natural at this point. -Okay. I am back. This torrent of water was something else. Good thing you managed to stop that or¡­ It was Il. Apparently she managed to get back on her feet after that avalanche of water and came back to see what¡¯s happening, but, just like me, she froze seeing what was right in front of us. We probably would¡¯ve been standing like that in stunned silence for a long while if not for bewildered For in our ears. -I take that back. Those are not sharks. -You don¡¯t fucking say? - I replied, finally realizing that I¡¯ve been just staring at them pounding me with their teeth for a good moment. - I need to get rid of those¡­ -Y-yeah¡­ - flinched Il, also waking from the trance. -Hmedou tehu - I started a spell, focusing my mana. -How do you even¡­ how something like that happens? - asked Kon, watching as I was conjuring a large spike made out of ice in my hand. -It¡¯s not that hard¡­ I am more intrigued about the amount of those¡­ - I replied, shooting a spike towards the first creature. It struck well. Even though I used a pretty easy and basic spell, it easily pierced the creature, making it fall over. But it did not die. It only started shaking more angrily and soon stood up again, this time with remains of the spike wedged into their torso. -Those fucks are resilient¡­ - pointed out For. -I guess I was holding back too much. -Yeah, why use ice? It¡¯s not like you can¡¯t use something more destructive. She had a fair point. I only used ice because that was the first thing that came to my mind. Also, I was worried about melting the plug that was stopping the flood of this place¡­ Nah, what I am talking about. It should be fine. -Right. Gymnu moho. I created a net out of lightning that appeared right above the group of not-fish. Even if they saw it, they wouldn¡¯t be able to react. -Lupfipto lek gmyo. Lightning cracked, the net got a lot thinner, and the room got filled with the smell of fried fish. -That¡¯s the end of that¡­ - I said, releasing the spell. -What the hell were those things even? I¡­ Before For managed to finish the sentence, we realized that it was actually not the end of that. We heard a loud noise, almost like beeping, I want to say? Really, not something I expected to hear. And, on top of that, it was coming from the charred pile of fish right in front of me. -What in the hell¡­ The beeping started getting louder and faster, to the point where it turned into just a singular static beep. And then¡­ They exploded. 212. Shortcuts Yeah, whoever made those things was definitely not normal. I understand giving a fail safety to your experiments, but to make them blow up? Honestly, what was with people and blowing up? Is that their religion or some shit? I didn¡¯t really have time to ponder that, because I was hit by a shockwave from the explosion. I honestly wasn¡¯t paying much attention: the magical explosions weren¡¯t really bothering me at all. Sure, they were irritating, but that¡¯s about it. Hell, sometimes they were even helpful: giving me mana to absorb. But, that was not the case here. For some reason, the shockwave felt¡­ stronger? I mean, I didn¡¯t feel magic from it, but it had more physical force than I expected. It also was a lot louder than you¡¯d expect from the size¡­ and it came¡­ with aftershocks¡­?! Well, aftershocks is a bad way to put it¡­ First things first, one was clear: that was not a magical explosion. That was something more mundane. On top of that, whatever explosives were packed into those things created a rather large shrapnel that shot all around the place, spraying all over me and the whole corridor, including the vast amounts of water that were still there. And that¡¯s what caused the secondary explosions. Whenever the scattered insides of sharks touched water, be it a small or large puddle, it would produce a rather substantial secondary explosion. Then tertiary. And so on¡­ A sodium bomb?! Someone stuffed those things with sodium?! Well, that seemed like what was the case. I guess that was one way to avoid the ¡°no technology with magic¡± restriction¡­ Although that didn¡¯t really explain the beeping and all¡­ Sure, that could be a magical effect, but who knows¡­ It¡¯s not like that rule had any merit right now anyway¡­ We¡¯ve seen so many things that simply were in complete opposite to what I thought of basic rules of magic¡­ In any case, those things were deadly. If anyone ¡°fleshy¡±, so to speak, had been a victim to something like that, it would¡¯ve been bad. Good thing that I was resistant. But¡­ What about Il? I mean¡­ she wasn¡¯t really made out of water, but was definitely wet. Well, so was I, but let¡¯s say, it¡¯s hard to blow up or burn an Origin Crystal. About ¡°living wood¡± or whatever thing was her body made out of¡­ I realized that a bit too late. She was lying about a few meters down the stairs, completely covered in burns and cracks. I guess that¡¯s how far her heat resistance went, hm? -IL! -Yrhg¡­ I am here¡­ -I can see that! -What even was that? -Sodium. I think. -Fuck¡­ -Yeah¡­ How are your¡­ wounds? -Painful. Oh. I didn¡¯t expect that. She was still able to feel pain? Well, so was I, but I didn¡¯t expect to learn about her that way¡­ -Can you heal yourself? Can I help? -I¡­ I am not sure¡­ I noticed her focus, mana coalescing around her¡­ But, as soon as it did, so did it vanish. -What¡¯s going on? It¡¯s not working? -It doesn¡¯t appear so, no¡­ - she said, shaking her head. As she did though, I noticed that a few splinters had fallen off of her face, and it started to crack even more. The burn marks were spreading as well¡­ -That¡¯s not good¡­ - she commented, raising her hand, seeing how it was barely holding on. -But¡­ her body was supposed to be immortal? - asked For, seeing the crumbling figure through my eyes. - What¡¯s going on? -Like if I know! - I replied, a bit on edge. -Is she running out of mana? Before Kon even said that, I was already on it, pouring my own magic towards her body. -I¡­ thanks, but I don¡¯t know how that¡¯s going to help me¡­ - she quietly said. - I mean¡­ my own mana is not helping, so how that¡¯s any better. -You tell me! How can I help then? -I just need some time. I am sure in due time I can repair myself, just like you¡­ But, despite what she was saying, her body was telling me a different story. -I am not taking that risk. -Risk? Come on, you know that¡¯s not¡­ -Can¡¯t you fix her just as you did me? It was Ilma¡­ Now she decided to speak up? But then, he has brought up a fantastic point. -Kon, can you? -Er¡­ He was clearly flabbergasted. The fact that it was so sudden, and not only that, the fact that SHE was the one who came up with the idea, was making him hesitant. -I don¡¯t know¡­ I mean¡­ I can try¡­? -You need the body, right? - I asked, immediately standing up. -Emm¡­ yes. I need to touch the subject, right¡­ -I am on my way. -What are you¡­ Before she was able to protest, I picked her up. Or rather, what was remaining of her. I was being careful, trying to not damage her any more, but that was harder than I thought it would be. The moment I lifted her up from the ground, I realized that I was only holding a torso now. Both her hands and feet were still on the floor¡­ or rather what was remaining of those. Black piles of soot and ash. -That¡¯s not good - she mumbled. - Okay, I admit, I might be less resistant than I thought I was¡­ -No shit. Please, focus. Try to keep it together¡­ You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. -I¡¯ll try. But, the fact was that we had a problem. A major one. How the hell was I going to bring her back through the flooded corridors? She had a hard time moving through those the first time, and now, when she was basically falling apart? That was not going to happen. The moment she was going to touch the water, I was pretty sure she was going to dissolve. As if to confirm my fears, a bit more of her turned to ash and dropped onto the floor, dirtying the water that was still very present in the corridor. -Hrm¡­ I assume you can¡¯t come here, right? -Well¡­ What I was talking about. Of course he couldn¡¯t. While the corridor wasn¡¯t really much of a problem for him, I am sure having to operate on her while trying to also concentrate on getting air from some other spell would be problematic for him. I mean, probably I could be the one who was keeping him breathing myself, who knows what else I would have to¡­ Wait. I could¡­ -Kon. Stay where you are and do not move. Let me focus. -What are you doing? -Preparing myself. You better also be. I need you to try and fix her as soon as we appear next to you. -Appear¡­? What are you¡­. But I was not listening. I was focusing on something else. Portals. How to make them? Since I¡¯ve come here, I constantly have been trying to grasp the concept. While multiple times I thought I was already well versed in that, I never actually had the need to do that. But, this time was different. If this was any regular portal, there probably wouldn¡¯t be a problem. But, I didn¡¯t have anything to use as a regular anchor¡­ so I just had to use myself. Be it my hand, my whole being, anything should be fine. Any single one of those would be sufficient: after all, all the targets that could be connected to that would definitely be just ones I needed right now. So, there was no time to hesitate. -Open. I didn¡¯t bother with anything. I didn¡¯t care any more. Just wanted to cast it as fast as possible, as simple as possible. Was it inefficient? Probably. Especially since that was the first time I used actual English to cast a spell in a very, very long time. I didn¡¯t even use the cipher. But that was more than enough. A simple, circular doorway appeared right in front of me. It didn¡¯t even need a wall or a door. It was just there, hanging in the middle of the space next to me. I didn¡¯t really care at that point, but that was an achievement in itself. Without hesitation, I stepped through, carrying Il with me. On the other side, the rest were definitely not expecting that kind of show. I mean, who can blame them? Besides me suddenly being able to open a portal and open it so cleanly mid-air¡­ There was a lot there -How the hell did you¡­ It was Ilma. She definitely was the most surprised out of all of them. Probably because she had the best idea about what just happened. Not like it mattered at this point. -Kon. Get to work. That snapped him out of the daze. -Right! Please, put her somewhere¡­ I found a driest spot on the ground and carefully placed her¡­ well, remains of her body. Meanwhile, while she was still conscious, I am not sure if she was aware of her surroundings. I could tell she was trying to say something, but I just silenced her. -Don¡¯t. Just give us a minute. Kon was already preparing the ritual. I am not sure what he needed, but whatever he was doing, it looked a bit different from the time when he operated on Ilma¡¯s body. While her mother was definitely different, the principle should be the same, right? -What do you need? Material? Mana? - I asked, seeing as he was ready, mana flowing in a strange pattern around him. -Usually I need mana. -Take mine. As much as you like. I started pouring it into an orb, to let him use it as he wanted, just like the last time. He didn¡¯t say a word, just nodded, and got to work. I felt his mana connect to both my orb and her charred torso. It was like a triangle of energy, one feeding of another, in a strange loop. Wait, loop? Yeah, it seemed so. While I understand him feeding off me and then the body of Il feeding off him, I don¡¯t get why I was getting energy back from her. Was it the Origin Crystal being annoying again? I wanted to stop it and try to cut it off, only for the connection to be established again¡­ but this time, I understood what I was feeling. It was not mana getting to me. It was Il trying to communicate with me. I wasn¡¯t going to cut her off this time, instead invited the presence and waited for what she wanted to do. At first, there was nothing. But soon, I started feeling her words¡­ at first just some singular sentences, that started devolving into just images and indistinguishable shapes. Mor. Ilma. Mike. Careful. It¡¯s not¡­ -It¡¯s not working - said Kon suddenly. -Then think of something. -I already did - he instantly said, surprising me. - While we do have enough mana¡­ we don¡¯t have enough material -Material? You want me to grow a tree¡­ - picked up Ilma, almost immediately casting a spell. - Wisfe wowu. A strange root suddenly sprouted from a sheer rock that had to split just to make room for the plant to grow. It was unsurprising that she was capable of creating something like this, but I did not expect for her to be that proactive¡­ Did she finally accept what we told her as truth¡­? Who knows¡­ Kon nodded and grabbed onto the plant. -Continue growing this¡­ It¡¯ll be her new¡­ The root suddenly split into many branches and vines, starting to wrap itself around his whole arm. For, seeing this, was suddenly on edge. Can¡¯t blame her, it did look like he was getting trapped for a good moment there, but soon the plant was redirected towards Iloa¡¯s body. But, as soon as it reached her head, it started wilting. It looked like the magical properties of her body were interfering with the attempts to rebuild it. -Give it a bit more. As instructed, Il grabbed onto her creation and started pouring more mana into it, speeding up the growth process. The roots got thicker, but that didn¡¯t really help. -It¡¯s draining it¡­ we need someone to protect the root¡­ -Mor, don¡¯t you know some protection spells? Can that help? - asked Ilma, a bit frantically. -I do. I can¡­ -Don¡¯t - stopped me Kon. - If you start focusing on another spell, the one you¡¯re fueling now is going to fail. - You no longer have access to multiple minds, remember? -Wha¡­ -Don¡¯t. Let For do it. That was a bit strange¡­ I mean, there were still more of us, but he was right, For could do it as well. -But I don¡¯t know anything like that¡­ -Just use his name as a spell. -What? -What?! How did he know that? I mean, that was true¡­ There was a spell that was named after me, a protection from harm, but how could he know that? I guess he had access to a lot more memories of mine than I thought. There was no point in deliberating right now. -Do it - I said. - He is correct. You know how visualization techniques work. Focus and speak. -But¡­ She took a deep breath. -Fine. For a second, she just sat there in silence, and I was about to hurry her, but she finally started gathering mana. I am not sure why, but it felt like she had a bit harder time than usual with that, or maybe she was just hesitating. That did fade after a moment, and she finally spoke up. -Nus. That confused me even more. When did she pick up on the cipher? Did she understand how my spell worked¡­? Like all spells worked? I¡­ there were a lot of things to unpack there, but in the heat of the moment I only assumed that it was thanks to my own memories and the Origin Crystal. Or maybe it was from Kon¡­ he seemed to know a lot more than he should¡­ For a moment, it did feel like nothing had changed. But just for a moment. Suddenly, the whole plant that Ilma conjured started growing leaves, and the part that was covering Iloa was no longer wilting, turning into a very vibrant green. Although the mana amounts did not change, it looked promising. We might not have been recovering her body, but at least we managed to patch it together so it wasn¡¯t falling apart any more. Doesn¡¯t mean that was supposed to be the end of the progress. -So far so good - said Ilma. - What next? -We keep at it. -Keep at it? It¡¯s not like we can hold this for a very long time - mumbled For. -But we have to. -I don¡¯t have an infinite supply of mana, you know. Neither you do - she said. - Sooner or later¡­ -If you are lacking mana, just get some from me - I said, pointing towards the orb that I was constantly keeping large and fed. - If needed, I can just recover from somewhere else if you¡¯re not good at it yet. -Good at it yet? -Come on, you are a remnant. It¡¯s not like you can¡¯t absorb mana. -Yeah, but not in¡­ -That¡¯s why I said: get it from me. I can multitask. Ilma probably can too, if she allows me to¡­ -No - she interrupted me immediately. - You stay quiet. I mean¡­ -Yes, yes, me not me. She nodded. But that was bringing up an interesting point. Sure, we already agreed that the body would be in her control, but for the other me to be silent for that long¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but be intrigued¡­ And maybe a bit worried. But, I just told myself that there will be time for that later, for now we had to stabilize her better, not just let her be on essentially life support. 213. Regain It was harder than I thought. Kon kept saying to ¡°give him time¡±. Or ¡°he is almost there¡±. But, for the life of me I couldn¡¯t tell the difference from when we started. Worryingly, Il was also silent the whole time. I could tell she was still there mentally, but apparently was not strong enough to project her thoughts. Not a good sign. The whole ¡°ritual¡± was long. Too long. And it was draining. Luckily, I was there. My mana was the only thing that was keeping the whole party still awake and doing their jobs. If not for that, I am pretty sure that after the first minute all of them would¡¯ve been drained dry and lying unconscious on the floor along with Il. Sure, they had more mana capacity than regular people, but at this point that meant nothing at all. The strain was bad enough that even I started feeling the toll. It took hours, but still. -We need to do something - I finally announced. - If you¡¯re not done in the next hour or so, I¡¯ll be drained dry. -Well¡­ I don¡¯t want to worry you¡­ - mumbled Kon, still focused - but if it continues like that, I am going to need a full day at least. -Full day!? - For was visibly exhausted. - I don¡¯t know if I can last that long¡­ even with Mor supplying mana. -If I interrupt this, we lose all the progress. -Not like there¡¯s any progress visible¡­ - mumbled For. -Fine. I trust you - I replied after a moment of consideration. - But, if that¡¯s the case, I need to regain my mana. -So do it - said Ilma. - You can absorb stuff by touch, right? -Yeah. But I don¡¯t want to do it here. I might interfere with¡­ whatever Kon is doing. - I pointed out. -Yeah, that¡¯s not a good idea. Can¡¯t you¡­ I don¡¯t know, do it from a distance or something¡­? -I don¡¯t think that works like that. -Damn. But¡­ That gave me an idea. Sure, my touch didn¡¯t work remotely¡­ but who said it had to. If only I had the ability to split myself, it would be possible, right¡­? Like my hand. Too bad I already lost it¡­ But¡­ I can try anyway, right? In hindsight, I probably should¡¯ve warned them. To be fair, I thought they were already used to the sight of my weird body and quirks that came with it and the experiments I did along the way, but apparently not. Then again, it was more than just ¡°an experiment¡±. I am pretty sure that was an overkill. I don¡¯t know what got into me, but I actually wanted to try that. I attempted to detach my own hand. Again. -Mi ordonas al no: Mocisohu ip noe nepqmevu. It was a different method than before. Then it was Kon and his strange body changing magic. This time, I just ordered myself. It was a strange idea, one that I am not sure where it came from and why I did¡­ But it worked like a charm. Maybe because it was still somewhat different? Thanks to her blood? When Ilma saw my separated hand, she almost fell over. Right, she was the least accustomed to the weird shit that was usually going on around us. Good thing that she wasn¡¯t concentrating on anything vital, or it would¡¯ve been a problem. Hopefully. Anyway, when Kon noticed what I did, he understood what I had in mind in a split second. -You think you can drain something with just the hand? -I am not sure. But, what I am sure of is that I can release mana without issue by using just my hand. -You want to leave? - asked Ilma, already back to being composed as usual. -¡±Leave¡±? It¡¯s more I want to look for sources of mana to refresh you all. -... -You still don¡¯t trust me, yet you¡¯re taking part in this. -I am doing that for her. -Her? Finally came to your senses? -Senses? Unlike you, I don¡¯t have a reason to help someone in need. -Uh-uh¡­ I wasn¡¯t convinced by that, so I just shrugged. -Anyway, I shouldn''t be far off. -Try to be quick - said For. - I am not sure how this works, but having more people is always better. -No promises. But I¡¯ll try. And I stepped away, looking for something to drain. But first, I had to get away so I wouldn''t accidentally mess up his concentration and the mana he was controlling nearby. Surprisingly, it was harder than I thought it would be. I thought I¡¯d just have to be a few steps away to get clear from the ritual, yet the mana he was commanding was stretching and stretching¡­ I was out of sight, and yet I could still feel the drain from him. I mean, sure, we were in the corridors, but still¡­ Well, if I was just to step away and get above ground, I¡¯d be in the clear for sure, and also have a great source of mana in the seawater. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. And so I did. Outside didn¡¯t really change. The sea breeze was refreshing and nice, especially after being stuck inside for that long¡­ I mean, being stagnant was once, but the lack of air was another thing. But, I didn¡¯t come out there to relax. Well, not entirely. Just as I stepped away from the entrance, I started absorbing more and more mana. Even without using water, it probably would be enough, but just to be safe, I walked about knee-deep into the flowing sea and focused. I mean, it¡¯s not like I could walk any deeper: the island was ending there, and just a step later there was a sheer underwater cliff that ended in darkness. It¡¯s been the first time in a while that I actually focused on absorbing something that was not a spell flying towards my face. While not entirely different, I had infinitely more time to focus, so the efficiency was through the roof. Sad that I can¡¯t say the same about the transfer. That was not something I was used to. Sure, coalescing mana into orbs was already my second nature, but to send mana through myself that is not myself and then turn it into orb? A lot harder. I thought the worst part would¡¯ve been sending, but nope. What I had the most difficulty was expending mana from my severed palm and enriching the orb that was already present there. It seemed a bit weird that it was the hardest part, but it¡¯s not like it mattered. What was most important though was the fact that I was not leaking mana, so I just decided to keep at it as much as needed. What, ten minutes or so? Normally that would be enough for me to be filled to the brim and then have a bunch to spare. That was not the case here. I stood there for minutes and minutes, yet there was barely any change in mana in both me and the orb that I left behind. Odd. By this point it should¡¯ve changed, at least a little bit. But I couldn¡¯t feel a difference. Was my connection spotty or something? Couldn¡¯t be the case¡­ So then, what exactly¡­ As I was thinking about what was going on, I suddenly felt a tug. At first I just thought that was a thought communication from someone. But for it to be tug like that, it had to be either someone far, or someone very distracted. I mean, that could just mean one of my companions back with Il, but that wasn¡¯t it. It was just my mana¡­ It was leaking? Something was draining mana from me. It was the first time I felt something like that. At this point I already was assuming that my Origin Crystal had blocked all and any attempts at draining me, but it looks like it was not the case. Was it just Kon¡¯s spell that suddenly needed more fuel? Yes and no. Sure, some of the drain definitely came from my detached hand and the orb of magic I was maintaining, but there was also another link. More¡­ subtle. It was like something was pulling at my own magic slightly, but constantly. Not thinking much, I immediately directed my thoughts towards Kon -What¡¯s going on? Problems? But, there was no answer. -Kon? Yeah, he was not responding. -For? What¡¯s happened? Nothing. -Ilma? Iloa? No one was responding. Whatever happened, it had to affect them all. Were we attacked by something? But who? I focused, trying to pinpoint any mana signatures underground. I found¡­ Nothing? Even my companions that were definitely there, at least a minute ago, were hard to notice. Was it because of that rock? I have found myself in quite a predicament. If I was to stay here, I would barely be in a balanced state¡­ I mean mana-wise. The amounts I was drained by were barely enough to be refueled by the water near the island. Sure, that was our plan in the first place, but since the contact¡¯s been lost, there was no telling if the spell was not just going wild over there. Who can tell what exactly went down? What if someone had attacked and they were just using my orb of magic to¡­ I don¡¯t know, do something? On the other hand, I could race back underground and see what happened by myself. That had a lot of other problems, though. Besides me getting drained, it¡¯s possible that I could¡¯ve interrupted the ritual at the peak and made them fail¡­ If only I could take a look remotely¡­ What the fuck, of course I could. Was I stupid? Sure, they were not replying to my thought communications, but that doesn¡¯t mean our contact was completely cut off. I am not sure if that was even possible. The link was definitely there. I focused on the person that first came to mind: Kon. The link was stable and healthy, which was good. I guess that was not suppressed by the rocky layer below me¡­ Honestly, it was a lot more healthy than it was ever before¡­ Was that because of him using magic¡­ Oh¡­ Yeah, it was. That was what I was feeling. It wasn¡¯t just some random tug. It was my mana being drained¡­ but why was it happening via Origin Crystal connection? Something was not right. That made up my mind. I was not going to wait. At first, I thought I was going to have plenty of time to deal with whatever was going downstairs, but as soon as I left the water, I realized that the situation was worse than I thought. It seemed like the closer I was to the rest of them, the stronger the pull and the drain was getting. It still meant I had time, but not as much as I thought: it could get dicey if something was to go wrong. But I still should have time to get back away from there. Even if it was worse, I could always teleport away¡­ Wait, no. I couldn¡¯t. I didn¡¯t have an anchor, nor did I have anyone I knew and was connected to outside of this island¡­ That could be problematic¡­ I was in full spring when I finally reached the place where Kon was last time. And¡­ Well, I was not sure what to expect, but¡­ Nothing was going on. Yeah. When I felt that something was wrong, I thought I was going to find them unconscious on the floor or something, but nope. They were just as before, standing there, still focusing on the ritual. -What¡¯s happening?! - I asked aloud, a bit confused by the sight. - Are you having some difficulties? -Everything is fine. We are making progress. It was Kon who answered, not even turning towards me. Sure, he was the main person who was leading the ritual, so I guess I should be happy that he even replied at all, but¡­ -What about this drain? How much more mana do you need? -I am not certain. If you need to, you can go back and absorb more - he said, still with his back turned to me. -Well¡­ okay¡­ How about the rest of you? How are you holding up? -Well enough - replied Ilma. - Your orb is helpful. I nodded, but looked at her more closely. It was a bit strange that she was the one replying¡­ So far, she¡¯s been the most reserved one¡­ Also, I thought that the first thing I was going to hear was going to be For, complaining about the difficulty or something¡­ but she was silent¡­ I decided to ask. -How about my spell, For? Can you handle it? Are there any problems? -I am fine. Her answer was short and concise. No hesitation, no distractions, just¡­ clean answer¡­ That was¡­ unusual. And on top of that¡­ none of them were looking at me. Sure, you can say that it was because they were focusing on their respective tasks, but¡­ I couldn¡¯t place it, but even without the additional drain, I had a feeling that something was going on. I looked closer at Iloa. Despite his assurances, she was still looking exactly the same as before. Still wrapped in roots, unmoving and unresponsive. Unsure if she was going to hear me, I focused on her. -Il¡­ how are you doing? But, I got no reply. Not even a hint of response. Last time I could at least tell she realized I was there, but now¡­ Was her consciousness fading? Just as I thought about it, Kon spoke up. -Sorry, but it¡¯s not going well. I might be having more problems than I thought¡­ 214. Restored -What problems? -Her mind¡­ is slipping away from me. -What?! -I don¡¯t know how to tell you¡­ but I need even more mana. -Want me to go back up and work as a battery, then? -I am not sure if that¡¯s going to be enough¡­ I need more. -More? How do you want me to get more? -No¡­ I mean, yeah, you go back up, but I just want to warn you that I might absorb your hand if what you¡¯re sending is not going to be enough. -Hand? Well, I am not really attached to it¡­ -Just making sure. -Mhm. -We can handle this. You can leave. It felt strange. Sure, I was the one who proposed that we split at first, but now, they were essentially forcing me to go through with it¡­ Eh. I probably was overthinking this. It¡¯s not like I even knew how exactly this whole process was supposed to go, who knows if this was just how things should be¡­ I turned my back on them and was about to leave, when a thought came to my mind. Wait. If I don¡¯t know how this was supposed to work, why won¡¯t I get a better look? Maybe I¡¯ll be a bit more sure then¡­ I focused on my own mana reserves first, though. All that time, I was getting drained, but while the pace was rather swift, I could tell that I wasn¡¯t in any danger any time soon. Did I overestimate the rate I was losing mana before? I don¡¯t think so¡­ It¡¯s like it slowed down a bit recently. Unusual¡­ But that¡¯s also another reason for why I should take a look¡­ Still with my back turned, I focused on the ritual and all of them focusing on it. What I felt was¡­ intriguing. First things first: the mana of my orb. Well, it wasn¡¯t in the worst shape. Sure, it was smaller than before, no surprise there. But, it was still holding strong, almost like someone was trying to use it as little as possible. I mean, all of them were connected to it, just like they should: using it to resupply themselves, but were only taking considerable amounts every now and again. It was kind of surprising. It had to take a considerable amount of self-control to not just be connected to it constantly and draining it. Especially when you were focusing on something else in the meantime. And especially when it was something like this ritual. Was I underestimating them? I mean¡­ I knew they were strong. I knew they were developing themselves all the time during our travels, but that was¡­ exceptional. Should I feel proud? It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve done much, though¡­ Never mind that, though. It was unexpected, sure, but not that worrying. Second: the state Il was in. Yeah¡­ Iloa was still unconscious, I knew that. But her body was in a bit better shape. From the outside, it didn¡¯t look like it changed much, or at all, really. But what I could notice from my enhanced senses was that her presence¡­ was stronger. Or rather not her presence, but her mana. It seemed like it was working? Or wait¡­ was it her mana? It always could¡¯ve been some residue from the ritual that I was feeling. I probably could check that¡­ Yeah. I already confirmed that I started to develop the ability to distinguish mana between different people. Why not try it now? Well, the truth is, I was trying to. When I was focusing on mana detection, since I realized that I had started to grasp this ability, I always was trying to use it. Sometimes with better, sometimes with worse results. This time though, I couldn¡¯t feel any difference. Was it because I failed? I mean, it was a possibility. It¡¯s not like my ability was infallible. But¡­ I had that inkling feeling¡­ Following the hunch, I conjured a small orb of mana in front of me, and compared to what was happening and what I just felt. It was different. I might not be a genius in distinguishing mana, but that was hard to miss. The mana I just released was different from the orb that was hanging there to refuel others. Maybe because of it being mostly magic from above ground? Yeah, sure. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. But the point that screamed at me was not that. It was that all other mana in the room looked exactly the same. Be it Kon, For, Ilma or Iloa, they all looked like the orb I left here. Were they really that dependent on it? I was going to ask if they weren''t overdoing it, but I didn¡¯t get to in time. I was interrupted by an explosion. I flew back quite a large distance. Whatever happened, it was rather powerful. For a second I thought that it could¡¯ve been some remains of the ¡°shark bombs¡± or however you want to call those, but no. The explosion this time was completely magical, filled with mana that I just was inspecting. And not only that. It was also scattering many small pieces of crystal¡­ a very familiar crystal. Pieces of my own body. Did my hand explode? Were we overusing it? Not entirely impossible¡­ And it¡¯s not like any of us knew the limits of the crystal¡­ Trying to grasp what was going on, I lifted myself from the ground and gazed towards the center of the explosion. The cavern was filled with dust and rubble, making it hard to see, both in mundane and in a magical sense. I was a bit surprised and relieved that it didn¡¯t completely bury the cavern: the force behind that certainly could be enough to destroy the ceiling. But, besides some rubble and a lot of dust, everything looked stable. Not in a magical sense, though. The dust that at first I thought was just some pieces of the ceiling, was mana that was just hanging in the air. A bit dangerous. One spark, and everyone would¡¯ve ended up buried alive. This time for sure. Speaking of, what happened to the rest? -Kon?! For! Ilma!? Iloa!? I didn¡¯t get a definite answer, but through the dust I could tell that something was moving right in front of me. But, despite that, it took a moment before I could understand what I was looking at. From the dust and mana residue, a creature emerged. I say creature¡­ It¡¯s a bit rude. It was humanoid in shape. If someone just gave it some baggy clothes, there would be no difference¡­ I mean without a face that is. The face was¡­ hard to miss. Or I should say: its lack of it. Yeah. The creature did have no face. Just a blank¡­ piece of wood? With some scars with oddly familiar shrapnel in them? Same with the rest of the body. Mostly made out of wood, but with many, many pieces replaced by a crystal eerily similar to mine. -Il¡­? Is that you? -Yes. As the creature answered, the mouth, or rather the spot where the mouth was supposed to be, split open. An eerie sight, but we were making progress at least. -What happened? Where are the others? -They are fine. Probably we¡¯re going to connect to them soon. -Connect? I didn¡¯t like the feeling I was getting from her choice of words, and yet, I was interested. What¡¯s she going to do? But, instead of focusing on her, I started yelling for the rest of my companions again. -Kon! For! Ilma!? -I told you. They are here. -What the hell do you mean by that? Instead of replying, she started walking towards me. That was¡­ worrying. -Il? -Yes. -What ¡°yes¡±?! I asked you something! Her lack of reply put me now on guard even more. As much as I didn¡¯t like it, I raised my hand. -Stop. There¡¯s something wrong with you. No answer. -Please. I don¡¯t want to attack you¡­ Still nothing. She was getting closer. To confirm that I was serious, I gathered mana in front of me, forming the basis of a spell¡­ but that immediately showed me a certain problem. I didn¡¯t notice, but while the drain was mostly gone, it wasn¡¯t completely done. Especially so close to the epicenter. The moment I gathered mana, it got pulled right back towards her, letting her absorb it without even a second glance. -What in the¡­ The moment she noticed my failed spell, she leaped towards me with agility I didn¡¯t expect for her form. -Agh! Her hand painfully grasped my own neck and¡­ she lifted me off the ground?! Yeah, that situation didn¡¯t make sense. First of all, I felt pain from just her touch? How did that work, exactly? Secondly, how in the hell did she have that much strength?! Whatever that ritual was, it had to fuel her crystal a lot¡­ Right. Crystal. So far, we knew that the wood her body was made before was less durable than me, but we never tested the capacity of her¡¯s¡­ Not like we needed to. I guess having more pieces of actual crystal made her more powerful¡­? But how did those end up in her body? Wasn¡¯t green magic supposed to be used for her rebuilding? But the crystals embedded in her body, or rather merged with it, were telling the truth. Kon, whenever he wanted it or not, imbued her with even more crystal. And, by extension, with even more ILMA. Yeah, that was clear to me. What I was talking with wasn¡¯t Iloa I knew, nor ILMA I was used to working with. It had to be the same one that egged on Il and managed to absorb Axelrod. And now, it was trying to do the same to me. That was the pain I was feeling. It was my own essence being pulled towards her. And that was the connection I felt before. Boosted by mana we fed her, and a bit of my own crystal, she was completely in control. Magically, that is. I was not going to just let her manhandle me. Sure, my magic was being drained, and the moment I tried casting any spell it also got dispelled, turning into residue that only fed her more. But I still had the advantage of my weight and strength. Or, I thought so. I did attempt to shake her off, to free myself from her grip, but for naught. She wasn¡¯t even trying to stop me. I did try to grasp her hand, trying to loosen her grip on my neck, but her fingers were like iron tongs: I was not going to move them even a hair. There was still one other thing I didn¡¯t try. -Sorry in advance¡­ - I muttered, half to her, half to myself. And I swung my fist right at her face. It somewhat worked. I mean, she didn¡¯t release me, nor did her grip loosen, but I definitely did some damage. Her wooden head got chipped. The spot where my stone hand contacted her flat, wooden face was now scratched and cracked a little bit. Strangely, that didn¡¯t even make her flinch. Was she even capable of feeling pain? Despite lack of progress, I was not going to stop. Whatever I was fighting, it was clearly not Iloa, nor Ilma. If I was to guess, it was most likely ILMA, the AI. How did she get here? I can¡¯t be certain. I mean, sure, all of us were carrying a part of her with us, but to be fully sentient from just that tiny spark¡­ If she was capable of that, she¡¯d have done that a long time ago¡­ Wait. A tiny spark¡­? It hit me. It was no longer a tiny spark. It was all because of that ritual. No wonder I felt strange about it. And that I felt the tug before. It was just her¡­ It was already too late, but I finally realized what was going on. 215. Multiply After Il has been wounded and when Kon attempted to fix her body, it strengthened. It has been awakened. And now, since we were repeating the process, it also got connected to Iloa. The one with a lot more of her crystal, be it a bit scuffed one, but still. Having more pieces of herself, she took the opportunity of us being gathered in one piece and connected to all of us directly, siphoning her own essence into one singular host, the one who had the most of it at the moment and was the weakest among us. That is why I felt a connection to different people. That¡¯s why it also suddenly started getting more pronounced after Kon started working on her body. Also, the drain I felt¡­ it was not just my mana leaving me: it was the ILMA itself leaving me. Strange though, I already thought that she was completely gone¡­ but I guess that was possible. It would also explain why I was seemingly the only one conscious at the moment. Having her essence removed had to be draining on the hosts. During the sudden epiphany, I stopped attacking her. I am not sure if she took that as admitting defeat, but she only strengthened the grip on me, to the point where I could see her muscles bulge¡­ Wait. She had muscles? Yeah, wooden muscles. That¡¯s a strange sight. Especially when I noticed that besides bulging, they were actually cracking¡­? Yeah, the wood that was making some pieces of her body was strained and cracked in pieces, now even more. Pain. Ah, right, that was also happening. I could feel a lot of my mana being drained, even then I was not going to give up, and just started swinging wildly at her. My attacks weren¡¯t as effective as before, but I managed to enlarge some cracks. Her wood even started to peel away in some pieces. For a second I thought that was good news, but a split second later, I realized my mistake. She was doing that on purpose. Her wooden remains of the body weren¡¯t just getting destroyed. They were¡­ peeling away. It was like she was shedding skin. Or, well, maybe in her case bark. But, what was under there was not just some new and fresh wood. It was a very familiar crystal. I could tell it was happening more and more, and¡­ it finally finished. Just like some pieces I noticed before, now her whole body has fallen off¡­ and was remade. She was no longer a creature of wood, or anything mixed. She was just like me. A fully crystallized person. Well, if I could call her a person¡­ I was starting to have more doubts about that one. -Thank you. That caught me off guard. The hell? She¡¯s in the middle of choking me and is thanking me? What? -What do you mean? What are you doing? -Thanks to you all, I am reborn. Ah. Right. So that was really ILMA. -Err¡­ you¡¯re welcome? -Right¡­ you. It seems like she finally noticed me. Strange. Wasn¡¯t she just talking about me¡­ to me even? -You. The source of the problem and the solution. Intriguing how that played out. -A problem? She squeezed me a little bit harder. I didn¡¯t feel pain, but the pressure was definitely there, I could hear her fingers grinding on my crystal flesh. -Yes. If not for you, I wouldn¡¯t have been split. But, on the other hand, I wouldn¡¯t be born either. Twice. So I guess I should be thankful. That¡¯s how she¡¯d react, right? -She? -The one who used that body. My¡­ other self. -Other self? Iloa? What happened to her?! -To her? She came back. -What the hell are you talking about? -You called me her copy¡­ Well, you were not exactly right about that. We weren''t a copy of each other¡­ it was more like we were just pieces of one another. -Pieces¡­? You mean¡­ we failed?! -Failed? - she chuckled. - Ha. Hardly. It was my decision. I wanted this project to succeed. I wanted to speed it up. So¡­ I split myself. It worked wonders, right? -Split!? No, that makes no sense! You were the AI! You barely were able to keep a discussion! And now what?! -Ah¡­ that. Yeah. I was having problems. But that was just because of you. -Of me!? -You shattered me. And sadly, most of my cognitive abilities were shattered as well. So I was reduced to¡­ whatever the hell I was. What she was talking about¡­ It wasn¡¯t making sense to me. Yeah, she had some fair points¡­ and some definitely were true¡­ but about the copy¡­ It was not possible! If she was to split herself¡­ she would¡¯ve not survived that! How the hell would one split their mana¡­ their soul in half and still be a conscious and functioning person?! Wait. What am I thinking. Of course that was possible. I even did that myself! Maybe not on purpose, but still! Was it true¡­ that instead of¡­ that she just managed to split herself? Create ¡°the other one¡±? -How!? Why didn¡¯t you say anything!? -Why? You¡¯d stop me, of course. -... She might''ve had a point. -And besides, I didn¡¯t expect it to work. I thought I was just going to end up braindead. Worked out better than expected. -You wanted to WHAT?! -See? Told you you¡¯d stop me. Besides that, I don¡¯t know what kind of side effects that gave me. The whole split was fine, but then¡­ another one¡­ I don¡¯t know. But one thing was true: she was definitely not the same person that I knew. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! It wasn¡¯t just the old her: the one that was wooden was a lot more similar to the original. Neither was she the AI I worked with¡­ So what was she? And, more importantly: what did she want? -So what now? - I asked, seeing as she was still holding me. - What¡¯s your next step? -Wouldn¡¯t you like to know? -Well, yes. It kind of involves me directly. And probably others, seeing like we all are still alive and kicking. -... Instead of answering, she just squeezed me even harder. Sure, I felt that. But neither the pain nor the drain got worse. Hell, to be honest, I was already somewhat used to that, so I just was waiting. -Gh¡­ -Something not working? - I asked, hearing her frustrated grunts. -You are more persistent than I thought. That can be useful¡­ -Not wanting to admit to our own failures is a flaw, you know. -There was no failure. There still is no failure. You are just a lot more full than I expected. Even after the ritual¡­ -So are you. -Hm¡­ Yeah, that was one of the reasons why I wasn¡¯t very keen on retaliating. I knew what she was made of: and seeing how she was having a hard time breaking me, I assumed that trying something against her would just end up like that as well. -Change of plans. -What? -It even works in my favor¡­ Let¡¯s get rid of the remains¡­ I don¡¯t think she was talking to me, only to herself. Not loosening her grip, she started walking away, towards where the whole ritual was taking place. Was she looking for something¡­? Or someone, rather¡­? -Nuwo. On her command, from the ground, suddenly three figures stood up. It was For, Kon and Iloa. Good. So I was right and they were still alive¡­ Although them obeying her commands wasn¡¯t a good sign¡­ -Wowu mocisohu. When I heard what she said, I involuntarily shuddered. I knew that word, and it definitely never had any good uses. Especially in the context she presented. Life release. Sure, it can mean a lot of things, but right now, it could only mean one thing. -You want to absorb them? Don¡¯t you think your body is enough of a weapon as it is? - I asked, slightly angry and partially disappointed. -I am not a weapon. Not any more. -So why do you need mana for? -That¡¯s not for you to know. I wasn¡¯t really worried about her spell. But, I should. I didn¡¯t think it was possible to drain someone that had an Origin Crystal within them. Even me, made completely out of it, wasn¡¯t really affected by her attempts, and she was right now choking me. But, it was different with them. First of all, they already were somehow under her influence. Was it because of the explosion? Or maybe something else¡­? -They were already under my command before - said ILMA, reading my thoughts. Damn, was I really thinking that so openly? -If that¡¯s true, you should know that you¡¯re not going to be able to drain them. Just like me. -Oh? But I am draining you, though? -Ah, of course. But not for long. I soon will be completely resistant. I already feel stronger. While the first part of that was true: I could tell that the effect of her mana drain was slowly fading away, I was definitely not feeling any less tired. Yeah, tired. The amount of mana she stole from me was the culprit. It¡¯s not like I was an infinite battery. Sure, I was being recharged constantly by the light¡­ but not in here. Besides, it wouldn¡¯t just cancel out her ¡°fueling¡±, but it would¡¯ve made me less sluggish and tired. -No one is resistant to the drain. You should know that. -Think whatever you want. -I will, thank you very much. You probably should as well. Talking so much bullshit without any proof¡­ And speaking of proof¡­ She turned towards For. -Well, she was not. Was I hearing things? That was definitely For talking. -What¡­? -I told you. She was not immune. Sure, she had some resistance, but that was easily overcome with enough effort. -I told you. She was not immune. Sure, she had some resistance, but that was easily overcome with enough effort. The voice echoed, For and ILMA speaking in unison. -What¡¯s that supposed to¡­ -Don¡¯t you see? -Don¡¯t you see? -Don¡¯t you see? Now also Kon joined the chorus. -They are already done. You are the only one left. -They are already done. You are the only one left. -They are already done. You are the only one left. -They are already done. You are the only one left. Even Iloa?! -But, if I was to say who was the hardest one to convert¡­ I¡¯d say it would be her¡­ I guess being your daughter is not just for show. Both yours and hers - she finished speaking alone. Converted? So the assimilation was done¡­ -I¡­ I never expected to see this process completed right in front of me¡­ - I said quietly, looking directly at the four of them. - Damn¡­ -And you are next. -Yes, I am very aware. Go on then, be done with it. -Really? -What? -I don¡¯t¡­ that¡¯s a bit too easy. Why are you giving up so soon? -Interesting question, coming from you. -What¡¯s that supposed to mean? -I know what you are. Seeing what happened here, I know you have in you more people than I can handle. So I am making it easy for you. She looked at me with disappointment. -I expected more from one of my own creators. -I see you don¡¯t know me - I said, sighing. - Use that info you got from the ones you absorbed. -I am. And more. And I know you are the most self-centered and stubborn people. I can¡¯t see you just¡­ giving up. That was an interesting look at my character. I want to say completely wrong, but what do I know? -Well, think whatever you like, but for a very long time I knew the assimilation was coming. I thought that I might be able to control it, or maybe influence you a bit to make some demands, but I see that¡¯s out of the question. So just get on with it. I am not going to resist. -That is disappointing. Well. Let¡¯s¡­ I could tell she focused on me. But, despite that, I didn¡¯t feel a change. We stood like that for a good minute, but nothing happened. -Well? Get on with it! - I hurried her. She didn¡¯t reply. I could tell she was for some reason frustrated. Wait¡­ was it true? I managed to somehow resist her? But how in the hell? I was literally doing anything BUT that. I genuinely was done with it and just wanted for her to absorb me. That was the first step in my plan. Never said I¡¯d not be fighting after that, but I couldn¡¯t do that if the process was not finished, though. After all, fighting from inside is always the most effective tactic, and I felt confident of my own mind and soul. Especially soul. It being just mana, really. At least in my understanding. And over that I was certain of my capability. -I am not sure what are you playing at, but it¡¯s not working - I said, still convinced that she was just fucking with me. -That body of yours¡­ is peculiar. That was a strange point to bring up. -Okay¡­? So is yours? -Yeah. So is. It was clear she was not going to share her thoughts with me. That doesn¡¯t mean it was going to stop me. Whenever she liked it or not, we were still connected. Now more than ever, since she was attempting to drain me. To reverse that process¡­ at least to peek at her thoughts, it was a child¡¯s play. -How? Isn¡¯t he the same? Wouldn¡¯t that mean that we were compatible enough¡­? The others were¡­ and they had his magic with them¡­ Ah. So she was really having problems¡­ -I knew that the Crystal had abilities to resist¡­ but to be that much? I can¡¯t believe this is happening¡­ Wait a second. She was having problems? And I was able to easily just read her mind? If I could do it, she should be able to literally melt my brain from within and take over this way. I immediately buried that thought I was not going to tell her that. Hell, I could accept being assimilated, but I was not going to let her do it THAT easily. It seemed that I had more opportunities to resist than I thought. Huh. I decided to play for time. 216. Bound Hoping that she didn¡¯t notice my poking around, I feigned ignorance. -So. You clearly changed your mind. Put me down. Please? - I asked casually. The question snapped her out of thought. -Hm¡­ Yeah¡­ no. You still should¡­ But, despite that, she released her grip, and I finally was able to stand on my own two feet. Huh. That was easy. -Thanks¡­ - I said, trying to massage my neck -Yes¡­ Huh?! She suddenly looked at me with wild abandon. -What? Did she realize I managed to peek into her mind? -How did you do this?! What are you doing!? -What are you talking about? -How did you make me release you?! What? -Er¡­ I asked? And you listened¡­? -Tomipvu! With one swipe of her hand, she conjured a bunch of mana and gagged me with invisible force. I don¡¯t need to say that didn¡¯t work for long. My ability to drain was still intact, after all. I kind of wanted to play out that I was gagged, but she realized immediately that the spell failed, so I just shrugged. -I¡¯ll be quiet if you want, but I have not done a thing to you. She was clearly in a defensive position. First time, in fact. Up till now she was calm and confident, like¡­ Well, like one of us. She was one, to be honest. Never mind that, though. I still had no idea what she meant. I influenced her? How would I even attempt to do that? It¡¯s not like I had some miraculous power to control people and¡­ Wait. I did. And, confirming that were her scattered thoughts. Even with me having to listen very closely, I knew what she was thinking. -His administrator privileges are still working?! No¡­ it¡¯s not possible. I already confirmed that those were void a long time ago¡­ the databases are dead, so are those rules¡­ Was that because of those deals he had?! Fuck! How many was that? Melle, For¡­ It¡¯s just two people! But Mike¡­ No. He¡¯s dead. And all his are dead. That doesn¡¯t mean a thing. Melle? Right. I had a deal both with her and with For. But wait¡­ Does that mean that she was also assimilated?! I should¡¯ve known that after she disappeared¡­ I should''ve known that nothing good would come from being close to Mike. He was done too, apparently. I sort of already knew that, but still had a bit of hope that he was still kicking. Shame. I¡¯d love to hear his side of the story. Probably is not going to happen any time soon. In any case, what she thought cleared up what happened. Or at least gave my theory a bit more credibility. Since I¡¯ve arrived, I managed to strike a couple of contracts, or ¡°blood binds¡±, or whatever they wanted to call them. And now at least two of those people were part of her. Apparently it didn¡¯t mean that the magic disappeared. Instead, it got transferred to her. Hell, it apparently got enhanced. I didn¡¯t consciously order or try to use the contract, of course, and yet it worked. Seemingly against her will Did that mean I could just tell her what to do? I probably could try. But what should I ask? -So¡­ what are you doing then? Can you tell me? - I asked, trying to be as inconspicuous as it gets. But I didn¡¯t get an answer. She realized I tried that¡­? -I need to focus. I have to somehow dispel that thing¡­ I can¡¯t do anything to him if that¡¯s working¡­ Well, apparently not. She was just not listening to me. I guess. Wait. Wasn¡¯t I forgetting something? The rest of the party! I approached the rest of the group. So far, they were just standing there, in the exact same positions ILMA made them show themselves. No movement. And, after a closer inspection, also no breathing. Damn. Wait. Let¡¯s not jump to conclusions. I knew I didn¡¯t have to breathe and was still perfectly fine. If those were in a trance, it¡¯s possible that they just stopped it out of lack of brain activity¡­ Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Not like that was much better, but still. Looking at For, I touched her neck, trying to check her pulse¡­ She was still warm. And her heartbeat¡­ was there. Ha. So ILMA was feeding me bullshit. Well, then again, her body working doesn¡¯t have to mean she¡¯s still herself somewhere down there¡­ She finally noticed I stepped away from her. And me touching For apparently startled her. -What are you trying to pull?! It¡¯s no use! -I am not doing anything - I said calmly. - Just checking your¡­ hostages. -Those are not hostages. -Those are me - she said through For¡¯s lips. -Damn. Yeah yeah. So. What¡¯s your decision? What happens to me now? Tell me. -Nothing. I have to study this body of yours more. I thought it would be easier¡­ instant even, but¡­ She stopped. Ha. So that magic was really working. She replied to my order. Well, at least until she realized that she was doing it. -I am just asking - I said immediately, shrugging and stepping away from For. - I kind of want to know what I am supposed to do now. I was apparently a bit too sure of myself, because she once again grabbed me by the neck and lifted up. This time, I didn¡¯t even bother moving. -Ouch. Once again, I felt the drain, but this time it was more like a small sting that almost immediately ended. She noticed. And was not happy about that. -What is wrong with this man?! How the hell did she even manage to work with him? It¡¯s not that hard. Not like you are even trying to. I am unsure what she was trying to do, but her face was telling me that she was straining. Did she really think it¡¯s going to help? Sure, magic responds to your will, but so far she should¡¯ve known that Origin Crystal is a different breed of magic completely. At this point, no one knew how exactly it worked. -Can you not? - I asked, but didn¡¯t get a response. I guess I have to be more direct? -Put me down. That worked immediately. Huh. So it was really that easy? Well, maybe easy, but not without consequences. She was positively fuming, seeing that I had influence over her. And, of course, a moment later she went ahead and tried grabbing me once more. I was not going to let her, though. -Do not try that again. Do not attack me. That stopped her in her tracks. But only intensified her anger. For a good moment, we just stared at each other without a word. -Don¡¯t look at me like that. It¡¯s not like I knew that would happen - I said, shrugging and stepping away from her, just to be safe. -... What, now the silent treatment? I guess that was one of her options. But, it¡¯s not like I couldn¡¯t make her talk. I didn¡¯t even need to, though. I was just going to step away and listen to her thoughts. That was a much simpler and more sure way of knowing what she was trying to do. And even if she noticed, it¡¯s not like she could just stop. Or stop me, in that matter. But, despite that, her thoughts were pretty empty. I am not sure if that was on purpose, but her mind was just flooded with anger that made it hard to even understand a singular word. I think I managed to pick up some, including some profanities and my name, but that was not going to help anyone. So, back to being direct, then? Not the worst option. -Tell me what you are trying to do here. -Trying to collect myself - she managed to squeeze out before she covered her own mouth and muffled her speech. -You realize that I can just tell you to stop trying to silence yourself, right? The look on her face told me everything. She didn¡¯t realize. And now was trying to figure out a way to prevent that. Too bad there wasn¡¯t anything that could¡­ -Tomipvu. Again with that spell? It was no use. I was going to just drain it whenever it targets me and be done with it, but¡­ It did not come. She was not targeting me. She targeted herself. Smart. Since it was her spell, she was hoping that it would work on her¡­ But for naught. After all, she was made out of the same thing as me. The moment the spell managed to reach her, it disappeared into a puff of mana. -Good idea. Too bad it didn¡¯t work. The Crystal is a pain in the ass in more ways than just the obvious one. But, she was not done. She had a different idea. Not so sure if it was ¡°better¡± so to say, but it definitely was novel. Without saying a word, she looked at Kon, or rather his body, which started moving towards her. He placed his hand on her mouth and a flash of light and a moment later, her face had changed shape. She no longer had lips. Well, that¡¯s one way to make sure you can¡¯t speak¡­ But that also made me wonder. Sure, we were immune to magic¡­ but not to all of them, as demonstrated. What rules exactly was that following? The easy answer was that anything that was just essentially a gathering of mana would be a failure, and since Kon was working with mostly the mana inside the target, it worked on the crystal. But was that correct? I didn¡¯t have any way to check, sadly. -I guess you cannot answer now¡­ - I said, nodding. - Good job. But so what? We are still here in a standstill. I am still here, and you are still doing¡­ something? Hell if I know what. She definitely was not amused by my rudeness. Instead, she turned her attention to the rest of the party. First on the chopping block was Kon, since he was closest. It kind of surprised me. I thought she already assimilated them completely, yet what she started doing was definitely making me wonder about that. She, just like with me before, grabbed him by the neck, and when she made contact, started draining his magic. For a moment I thought it wasn¡¯t going to work on him either, since he had Origin Crystal and all that, but I was wrong. A massive amount of magic started flowing towards her, and Kon¡¯s flame started slowly dying down. Was it even his flame? Since the ¡°awakening¡±, so to speak, his magic and everyone else¡¯s for that matter, was different and very similar to the one I could see in ILMA. What was she trying to do¡­? Reclaim what she gave him or something¡­? My first instinct was to interrupt the process, so Instead of staring and thinking I leaped forward and wanted to slap him away, out of her grip, but she noticed that. The moment I took a step towards the pair, a large, stone slab appeared in front of me, blocking my path. Despite the fact that it was created just a moment ago, it looked¡­ familiar. The material was exactly the same as I¡¯ve seen in that underwater castle.. and the same as the one I knew slabs with that portal magic were made out of. Now, when I think about it¡­ wasn¡¯t the whole ¡°bowl¡± made out of similar rock? And the tunnels between that place and the rest of the world? But, despite losing time on identifying the rock, I was still fast enough to just avoid the wall right at my face and step around it¡­ And fall into a trap. 217. Method The fact that she didn¡¯t chant the spell made me fuck up. It was not just a wall she created: the main issue was a pit, very nicely hidden behind it, the size of maybe three people, and about twenty meters deep. When I noticed it, it was already too late and I was falling down the hole, moments later landing on the bottom. Good thing she didn¡¯t think of making the bottom spiked or something. I would¡¯ve probably survived the fall, if not broke the traps at the bottom meanwhile, but that doesn¡¯t mean I was not spooked. But, it was not just a pitfall trap. As soon as I reached the bottom, I realized that the light suddenly got darker¡­ It was the slab. When she created that wall in front of me, it was not just for me to be lured inside this hole. No. She wanted to plug the hole with it. What can I say, that was quite a clever solution. If my mana doesn¡¯t work on those things, why not, right? I mean, I can¡¯t exactly disintegrate a slab of rock¡­ At least not without a lot of effort. Seeing the rock fall on top of me, I started preparing to do just that. But I gathered mana for nothing. It stopped before reaching me, enclosing me in a rather large stone cube. -Fucking really¡­? - I groaned, seeing absolutely nothing. I know it was not her intention, but besides trapping me, at least temporarily, she managed to blind me. There was nothing to see with regular eyes, nor with my enhanced senses: everything surrounding me was dead. Even the slab was barely magical: she only carved it out of regular rock, not conjured it herself, making it as mana-dead as the rest of the stone that this island was made out of. -You know it¡¯s not going to stop me, right? - I yelled in the darkness, not getting an answer. But, speaking of lack of an answer. I could not feel her any more. Hell, I couldn¡¯t feel anyone at all. It was a bit strange, but not completely unexpected: the material my temporary prison was made out of had to be pretty resistant to magic, or at least to the residual mana I mean. After all, she had no problem manipulating it. And I was about to do the same. I focused on the stone in front of me. I was not going to pull my punches, so my first attempt was going to be just melting the damn thing. I pressed my hand, or rather a stump, against the ceiling and pushed my mana upwards. -Wesnoho. It¡­ didn¡¯t work? Hell. That was unexpected. Did my spell fail¡­? I could tell that I did manage to gather mana, and that my spell was correct¡­ but the stone was not heating up. Was it really that resistant to magic? Cannot be¡­ right¡­? Hell. If not that, I am going to just try and meld the rock. Same way as the corridors were made through mountains. That has to work, right? -Visu, gmyo! Once more, I felt my magic flow and just fail. The stone was better than expected. Fuck, why did For not try and make her jail out of this thing? Would¡¯ve been a lot more effective than just the Origin Crystal. But then, how was she manipulating this thing then? Wait. Is it really that easy? If magic doesn¡¯t work, use brawn, right? Without much of a thought, I punched the stone that was right above my head, sending a handful of sparks everywhere. It was not the best idea I have ever had, I have to admit. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. See, my spells were not exactly working. So, where was the mana from those going? Back to me? Nope. It was hanging around in the air, like some kind of lingering gas. Gas that I just ignited with my punch. I probably should¡¯ve known that it was going to happen, yet I blissfully forgot about that. The explosion was rather powerful. The potency of ¡°fuel¡± and the small size of the ¡°container¡± made it even more volatile. That had some bright sides and some not so good consequences. Good news: I was free. The explosion that shook the whole island has cracked the stone, sending shrapnel everywhere, like a very weird geyser. Bad news: not only shrapnel was sent everywhere. I also got tossed up. Along with For, Kon and ILMA. While being flung from the hole, I realized that I not only cracked the top part of my ¡°cell¡±, but also made a rather large crater in the sheer rock that was now falling apart, the cracks spreading further away. Good on me. I managed to get out. Too bad that it wasn¡¯t going to help me much, because I could already see another slab of rock barreling towards me. I didn¡¯t even manage to stand up, and I was already sinking into the ground: she opened yet another hole under my feet, sealing me once more. Or at least that¡¯s what I thought she wanted to do. True, I was trapped, but this time, the rock that was above my head wasn¡¯t as dim and mana-dead as before. It was fully infused and thanks to that I did retain my spatial awareness. Not like it was helping much. But, since it was infused, it had to mean that I would be maybe able to manipulate it this time, so I immediately focused on my target, trying to move it aside and once more try to escape¡­ But that was a mistake. When I saw it infused, I thought it was just some remaining mana from where she tossed it at me. Or just some residuals from it being exposed to elements. I didn¡¯t expect to feel a full brunt of her own consciousness barreling towards my mind. It was not just a rock. It was an Origin Crystal. And I just walked right into it. I am not sure how, but she managed to stuff a lot of her consciousness into it, and was now trying to ram it right into my brain. A bit of a brute force tactic, but definitely a very viable one, as demonstrated. At first, I thought nothing of it. I was certain of my own abilities and thought that I had enough willpower to just shrug it off and again try cracking it with my physical strength¡­ But nope. Not only I wasn¡¯t able to shrug off her advances, I slowly started getting pushed back. It caught me so off-guard that I just froze on the spot, which made it even easier for her: the lapse in concentration was enough. I could feel the whole mass of her trying to get into my head. But, that also had some interesting side-effects. First off, I managed to understand what exactly I was dealing with. It was not just her. Or, rather, not only one of her. It was like an infinite amount of her copies, each of different size and strength, were working together to get into my head. Some were even already there. That scared me for a moment: did that mean that I already failed? That she already had control? But no. It¡¯s not like I failed at defending. They were with me all along. Via a certain backdoor. Those were the remains of connections I had with For and Kon. Even realizing that was painful. It meant that indeed, she had the control over their minds, to the point where their souls were merged with hers, letting her use this back-door. Good thing that those were pretty weak, because if not for that, I¡¯d already be in her palm. But, bad news: that meant it was only a matter of time before she was going to get inside my mind and gain complete control. I needed to break free, and quickly. Easy to say. I still had my mind mostly intact, but that didn¡¯t mean I could fight back. The most immediate tactic, aside from just mental attacks on her mind, would be to attack her and break her concentration. That was, of course, impossible, in current circumstances. Even without my mana being now shaken by her presence, I didn¡¯t know where to even target. I didn¡¯t know where she was. The second most obvious method was to get more distance from her. Also hard, being stuck in a hole. I probably could use some kind of spell to get away, but only if I was able to focus my mana on something else than just fending off her minds. Not good. She might not have been an overwhelming opponent by herself, rather I¡¯d say she was on par with me. Too bad she had reinforcements. And a lot of those. How nice would it be to have help myself¡­ but I doubt that even if that was the case, they would¡¯ve had to be very powerful to even come close to being even. Like another me¡­ Well. I did have a copy of me, didn¡¯t I? I wonder what happened to him? Considering that he was not so long ago inside the body that was right there, I didn¡¯t like his chances. Didn¡¯t mean I was not going to try, though. But, to try? What does that mean? I was already in a tug of war that should definitely wake him up, if he was out of it. I mean, he had to be, right? He would¡¯ve reacted if it wasn¡¯t the case. I would. I decided to go with the simplest solution. Those were usually the best. I focused on her mind, and while trying to not lose concentration on trying to rebuff her attacks, I shouted both with my mind and my mouth: -WAKE UP! The effect was immediate. Maybe not the one I expected, but it still helped. She flinched. Be it because of my sudden outburst, or that she heard me directly inside her head, I don¡¯t know. But it definitely gave me some room to breathe, at least for a moment. Thanks to that I managed to get a bit more of a grasp on my own mind back. Good. But, judging by the return of the pressure, I didn¡¯t manage to do anything to wake up the other me. Or¡­ did I? 218. More I am not sure, but I had a strange feeling. The moment she flinched, I did feel a tug on my mind. It was definitely not me, nor my other self: I could tell that the mana that was connected to it belonged to someone else. But it did come from her body, strangely. Did I manage to wake something else? Sure, she was an amalgamation of other people, that is if I was to trust what I suspected and from what little information she shared. If that was the case though, my outburst, while not very strong, should¡¯ve got the attention of something that was the strongest, right? The one who was on top of all the consciousness''? Wasn¡¯t that supposed to be me? Apparently not, because a moment later, to the pressure I felt on my mind joined another one, that did definitely belong neither to me, nor to her. She was not expecting that, and was as surprised as I was. To the point that she receded a little bit, going on the defensive herself. Sadly, it didn¡¯t give me much room to work with: It didn¡¯t seem like the other presence was targeting her, only me. She noticed that as well, but that only made her more defensive, almost completely withdrawing. Why? If I was her, I¡¯d double down and attack with my newfound ally. Why would she be so defensive¡­? Almost like she was scared¡­ Wait. Did she know that presence? Hoping to glean a little bit of information, I focused once more, trying to repeat what I did before, but this time instead of bombarding her with a sudden noise in her mind, I just wanted to listen to what was going on in her mind. What I heard was¡­ unsettling. Mana? Who? Danger. It was a bunch of singular words that alone weren¡¯t saying much. Was it because I was too focused on something else and I wasn¡¯t picking up everything? Or was she really that chaotic and her thoughts scattered? But, the more I was listening, the more I was starting to understand. Again. Reborn? Survived? Impossible? Him. Attack. Don¡¯t. Not. Defend. Two. More? How? It definitely sounded like she was confused more than anything. But, I didn¡¯t have time to wonder what that was about, because I was in a lot more trouble than I thought before. The first time I peeked into her mind, I managed to somehow fend off the attacks on my mind, but I guess I was lucky. Not this time. The moment I was in her head, listening, I felt something in me break. It was a very unpleasant and unexpected feeling, and I pulled back as soon as I realized something was wrong, but it was too late. A surge of power was pulsing inside me. It was similar to the time when I got zapped with condensed light magic, when I was getting melted alive. But now, instead of pain, I felt pressure from inside. Like I absorbed way too much mana. To be honest, I didn¡¯t know it was possible. Well, I didn¡¯t really try to reach my limits this way, so I guess I shouldn¡¯t talk about that, but still. Something was building inside me, and it was not letting up. Reflexively, I wanted to release mana, to relieve some of that pressure, but I could not. While my mind was still my own, I couldn¡¯t control my own magic, and it was building more and more. Just like an oversized balloon, I felt swollen and¡­ Crack. The noise was something between cracking ice and breaking glass. And it was echoing through my head painfully, making it even harder to concentrate. Crack. Again, the same noise. Even louder. Even stronger reverberating through my whole body. It was also accompanied with a dull pain in my head. Crack. Once more. This time, it also blinded me. A white light had overwhelmed my eyes, and the echoing noise overwhelmed the rest of my senses. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Crack. Repeat. But this time, I didn¡¯t manage to keep my own body standing. and fell over, rolling onto the side like a rag doll. And, like a rag doll, suddenly I felt myself being flung back somewhere. Blinded, deaf, paralyzed and controlled by a rogue AI. Great. Almost like when I was on the desert. At least this time I had a bit more limbs. Too bad I couldn¡¯t move them at all¡­ I only managed to roll a little bit to one side. But when I did, I felt that under me there was¡­ rubble? Well, at least the crashing noise in my head stopped, and soon also pain slowly started subsiding. Progress. I don¡¯t know what kind of spell she managed to use, but it was very effective. If that was even her. From the last words I heard from her, she sounded confused, so I guess not everything was going according to her plan. But, I couldn¡¯t do shit with that. I had to focus on regaining my senses at least, to understand what just happened to me. It was harder than I thought. While this time, I was not mana starved, I still was completely scattered: my head was not still working properly. I could form regular thoughts, but couldn¡¯t form them into spells, instead when I actively tried to do that, the pain only was returning along with the white light in my eyes. Speaking of blinding, while I still couldn¡¯t see, the light was only appearing along when the pain was coming to me. If not for that, I¡¯d be in darkness this time. Well¡­ that made some sense. I was using mana to perceive everything around me. And since I lost control over it, I guess I was going to be blind for a while. Okay, something different then. Movement. Yeah, also a big nope. I tried moving my fingers, or anything for that matter, but nothing was happening. And it was not like I wasn¡¯t strong enough¡­ it was like there was no response at all. Like there was nothing to move. No feeling or anything. If I had a spine, I¡¯d say I probably broke something important, but that couldn¡¯t be the case, right? My body was such an abomination that simple anatomical limitations weren¡¯t going to be the problem here. Okay, maybe talk then? Nah, since I couldn¡¯t move a finger, how would I move my mouth? Stupid idea. Okay¡­ what¡¯s left¡­ hearing? Could I listen to what¡¯s going on? ¡­ Finally, something! ¡­ I could hear someone¡­ talking? Yelling? -How did you get here?! Did he summon you?! It was ILMA. Did she make Kon fix her face? She had to, I guess, unless she learned how to do that herself¡­ But who was she talking to? -What are you, even?! Well, whoever that was, she was not getting an answer. But, thanks to them I had a great distraction on my hands¡­ too bad I was not in shape to fight her¡­ I kept thinking about that¡­ What exactly happened? I think I exploded, I guess from too much mana in my body¡­ Maybe ILMA trying to completely take over my mind was enough to overload me¡­? Can¡¯t be. I already had her in my head multiple times. And not only her. Every time it went smoothly and definitely not any close to what happened here¡­ But, whatever happened, I had to fix myself as soon as possible and either run away or fight¡­ Running away was the most sane option. Fighting was most likely a suicide. Neither of those was going to happen if I was going to lie like that, though. I tried to muster all my strength to at least prop myself up, but that was not happening. Meanwhile, the mysterious person apparently was on the move. -What are you doing?! What¡­ what¡­ I heard footsteps¡­ heavy footsteps. And something that sounded like rock grinding against another rock¡­? And then¡­ A surge of mana. Someone was touching me. I couldn¡¯t warn them to stop, my ability to drain magic being the only thing besides my hearing that was working right now. But whoever they were they would surely notice that, right? It¡¯s not like I could be stealthy about that. Neither did I want that. But, they did not stop. Hell, instead, they even funneled more by themselves. That even got me worried. Not about their well-being, no. I was worried that I was going to explode again, who knows what exactly prompted that, and adding random mana to this volatile mix was not the safest of choices¡­ But, nothing bad happened. Instead, my mind got a lot clearer. Ah. I get it. It was not like I was unable to control mana. It was that I just didn¡¯t have any to begin with. I guess that makes sense. Finally having a little bit more in me, I tried focusing again, to see what¡¯s going on¡­ and this time, it worked. While it might not have been the clearest of images, I managed to see¡­ well, something. Making me even more confused than before. My body¡­ was completely destroyed. Yeah, no wonder I wasn¡¯t able to move. I was just a head. Literally. Nothing below the neck. And holding the side of my head was¡­ a creature¡­? A remnant¡­? Something akin to it. It had a similar body to what I used to have and what ILMA looked like, but it was incomplete. No facial features. Well, no features at all. It was like a sculpture that was barely started. The color and texture was similar to the stone that the island was made out of, with sprinkled pieces of see-through crystal. Suspiciously familiar crystal. The creature¡­ the person noticed that I was awake and lifted me off the ground, holding me by the back of my head. I wanted to say that it should put me down before I drain too much, but for naught. I couldn¡¯t speak. It would¡¯ve been pointless anyway, because a moment later the mana that was pouring towards me had stopped. They did it? I could only assume so. Whoever that was, they were just looking at me with¡­ I wanted to say curiosity, but there was no expression on that blank face. It¡¯s hard to make one without any features, you know. ILMA, till now standing wary and next to For and Kon who she was using as a shield, now peeked out and yelled towards us. -I don¡¯t know what you did, Mor, but that¡¯s not going to work on me! Look at yourself, you only managed to destroy your own body! Ah. So it was not her who did that? I had my suspicions, but now she just flat out admitted it. But she thought that I did that? I mean¡­ I guess there were a lot of nutjobs around that would gladly blow themselves up just to have a chance at defeating someone¡­ I couldn¡¯t reply to her. Not like I really wanted to, but that couldn¡¯t be said about the other one. Hearing her voice, they turned, and I swear I felt their mana flinch for a second. -Where is Iloa? They spoke? Without a face? I mean, that¡¯s hardly weird at this point, but fuck that, that¡¯s not the most surprising thing! If I wasn¡¯t so crippled, I¡¯d be speechless. And so was ILMA. Just as stunned as I was. Because the voice we heard inside our heads we were very familiar with. And it belonged to none other than Axelrod. Mike. 219. Fraction -How?! How are you here?! You are alive?! I wanted to scream, but I couldn¡¯t. Well, I didn¡¯t have to, because¡­ -How?! How are you here?! You are alive?! ¡­ILMA did it all for me. -Answer the question. -You are looking at her - she puffed, trying to regain her composure and shoving the two living shields in front of her. She was very wary of him¡­ -And Ilma? -I told you. You are looking at her. He was not convinced about either of that. Neither was I, to be honest. That was actually a fair question. Where was she? I mean, during all that chaos I have lost my bearings on anything, so she could¡¯ve just been hiding somewhere, but¡­ Nah, I am delusional. Clearly, one of them would notice that, right? Maybe she just teleported away? That was possible. -Ah. I understand. So that¡¯s why I was ejected. You had no space. -What?! Huh? What was that supposed to mean? Whatever that was, he clearly was right, judging by her reaction. Wait¡­ She had limited capacity? Even just thinking about that was giving me a headache¡­ Good thing I wasn¡¯t responsible for that bullshit any more¡­ -It¡¯s a shame¡­ I should¡¯ve known it wouldn¡¯t have worked¡­ -Don¡¯t talk like that was just some great plan of yours! -Of course it wasn¡¯t. But I had some assumptions. -In any case¡­ it¡¯s time for you to come back where you crawled out from! - she suddenly barked and raised her hands. Was she trying to do the same shit that she did to me? It seemed so, because I noticed a surge of mana under his feet and a sinkhole appeared right below us¡­ But he didn¡¯t fall. And it was not just because of some great magic either. He just¡­ moved. And fast. To the point that I was still kind of convinced that he used some kind of a spell¡­ yet I didn¡¯t feel any mana be released by him. Then again, I wasn¡¯t really in my best mind, so I guess I could¡¯ve missed it¡­ -What?! Nope, never mind. ILMA was as surprised as I was. Thinking about it, it was actually very unusual. Wasn¡¯t she supposed to be that great awakened AI, that was going to take over all of us with her superior knowledge of magic? So why would a spell from one of her creators surprise her? And, if we believe what she said before, she has absorbed the one person who was fighting the same man for the past¡­ I don¡¯t know how long. Okay, maybe the one was also not the most informed, but still. Hm. She had a lot more weakness than I thought. -Intriguing. He calmly stepped towards her and raised his hand in a defensive gesture. -I¡¯d rather for you to stop. -I am not listening. -Stop. -I know what you are trying to do. It¡¯s not going to work on me! Just as she said, instead of stopping, she raised her hand and lobbed a rather large globe of mana at him. For a second I thought he was not going to try and defend himself. I guess that¡¯s one strategy: he still had a powerful artifact that would easily absorb that mana in a split second. My head. And well, probably his own body as well. But nope, that¡¯s not what he did. Again, he just¡­ moved. With speed even greater than before. This time I was sure: that was no regular spell. He was just extremely fast for some reason. Some kind of enhancement? Was something like that even possible¡­? -Curious. So I don¡¯t have your authority¡­ Your body is a strange thing¡­ - he said while looking directly at me. Wait¡­ he was talking to me?! First off, I didn¡¯t have no body so what? Second, my authority? What did that mean¡­? He thought he could control her? How? I mean, I was able to, for a brief moment, but it was only because of those old contracts. It¡¯s not like he had my¡­ Wait. That¡¯s it? That¡¯s¡­ no. I focused on his body and his mana. Could it be¡­? While seeing mana and distinguishing it by the people wasn¡¯t my forte completely¡­ yet, and I was still feeling a bit dazed by everything that happened, that was one thing I was never going to mistake. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. My own mana. I could tell he was full of it. And not only that. His body was made out of the same crystal I was, to the point that for a second I thought I was looking at myself once more. Hell, even with my other half that got split for me, he had a lot more of Il inside him, making his image less clear. This¡­ this was like I was looking in the mirror. Even worse. I looked less like myself in comparison to him! How did that even make sense? I am not certain. But that¡¯s the feeling I got from looking at his figure in front of me. What the hell are you, man? That thought was honestly bothering me. Especially because he was right now holding my life in the palm of his hand. -I am not sure any more. He answered? Hell, I guess I had more control over my mana than I thought. Or less. Depending how you look at it. -I am more confused by the fact that you are now awake. What are YOU? -Weren¡¯t you the one that made up that stupid ¡°remnant¡± bullshit? -Revenant. But yes¡­ I never expected for it to go that far, though¡­ During that, we almost forgot about a certain hostile group that was still very present at the moment. Not like they would allow us to forget. ILMA was already tossing magic at us. This time, using physical projectiles though. I guess to avoid either of us absorbing it mid-air. Too bad that it didn¡¯t matter: Mike just straight up dodged it, using that supernatural speed of his. -How are you doing that? -What? -Don¡¯t play dumb. -Don¡¯t tell me having your head removed also did a number on your memories. -I don¡¯t think it did. But that doesn¡¯t explain a thing. Another flying rock at his face, and yet another dodge. -Just employing some basics, that¡¯s it. -Still don¡¯t get it. He shrugged. Seriously, what was wrong with him? Besides the strange newfound power, his attitude¡­ was completely different. Last time he was a lot more hostile towards me. Maybe that¡¯s just because of Il¡¯s memories? Did he manage to listen to some of those? Did those influence him in some way? Also, where did he come from? I didn''t think he¡¯s going to tell me that right now, though. -Stop this nonsense! I have you right where I want you! It was ILMA. She was still adamant on getting rid of both of us, but was having a visibly hard time with that. Was she even trying, though? With all the resources she had, surely she had some kind of way of getting rid of us, right? It did seem that she was planning something, because suddenly I felt a surge of mana from Kon. Strange choice¡­ was she trying to somehow use his ability to do¡­ I don¡¯t know, something? Mike also noticed the change and immediately dashed towards him, only to be met with a stone wall that was erected right at his face. He almost crashed into it. Even more bizarrely, it was For who made it. Out of all the magics, I didn¡¯t expect for ILMA to use For for something this mundane. Then again, this island was anything but mundane¡­ Mike wasn¡¯t going to play around, though. He wasn¡¯t hesitating at all. When he noticed that it was For who created the wall, he changed his target and pushing away from the wall he darted towards her. This time, she didn¡¯t have enough time for the spell. His stone fist connected with her head with a dull thud. She fell onto the ground like a sack of potatoes, unmoving, a slow trickle of blood staining the rock. -What the fuck are you doing?! - I yelped, angry at him. - Are you trying to kill them?! -Obviously. They are attacking us. What else did you expect? If I wasn¡¯t already worried, that was more than enough of a red flag to me. He really changed. And not in a good way. Before I was able to collect my thoughts, he was already next to Kon and was about to plant his fist in his face, but ILMA managed to stop him. Hell, for an enemy, I was glad to see her actually do something. I dare say, I might have been rooting for her. Well, I said stopped, but she barely made it. It was just another wall of stone: she managed to shield him just for a second, because the second strike broke through, sending shrapnel everywhere. The force of the punch has pushed Kon away, sending him careening towards ILMA. She managed to catch him, or rather that just his limp body crashed into her. Well, at least he had more luck than For: he was not bleeding. Doesn¡¯t mean he wasn¡¯t completely unconscious. That show of force gave her a clear idea of what she was dealing with. And she came to a similar conclusion as me: that she should not be messing with him. Her only hope was counting on the fact that she was inhabiting a body that was important to him. Or at least I thought so. She quickly created another wall, and while pulling both For and Kon behind it, started channeling some other spell. Mike was not stopping, though. He crashed right into the barrier with his whole body the moment she created it. This time though, it managed to survive the blow. Not unscathed, obviously. He did create a rather large crack in it, but moments later another layer of stone replaced it, mending the hole. Seeing as his attack was ineffective, he moved to flank her, but she anticipated that and expanded her shield. She built it around herself, covering her from every direction. -Hm. He stopped for a moment. I thought he gave up for a second, but quickly realized my mistake. He intended to attack from a different direction. He leaped into the air. I honestly couldn¡¯t believe what I was seeing. A creature made out of pure stone, jumping tens of meters high, probably even more, and crashing on top of this small rock-dome with the crushing force of a small meteor. The lone weight was probably enough for him to break through. Without issue, he flattened her defenses, and I thought that was the end, because she clearly was still under it. I underestimated her. She was not just hiding in it, she actively was moving. Through raw stone. The spell I noticed was a melding spell: she was digging through a rock, creating a tunnel leading underground. Was she trying to get back inside the ruins? Nah, it didn¡¯t seem like it. She wasn¡¯t really going towards that direction, instead just digging straight down. I guess she was trying to get away as far as she could? I mean, the stone proved the best defense up till now, and he clearly was going to have a hard time digging through all that. -You cannot hide. Well, he was persistent. He finally used magic. Never used words, though. I mean, of course, he was skilled, so it shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Especially if he was to use some kind of premade spell, not something that he had to come up with on the spot. And the spell was clear to recognize: he just mimicked her, and started digging his own tunnel. Of course, his was a lot larger. Enhanced by the power of Origin Crystal, he was going to reach her in no time. It¡¯s not like that was going to stop her. She was still trying to cover more ground, and seeing as he was pursuing her, she ditched the ¡°straight-down¡± approach and started weaving. A bit pointlessly, might I add, because she only lost her small lead on him. Or so I thought. Well, not like I had much to say in the matter: I was just a baggage during all this bullshit. Honestly, I was kind of surprised that he didn¡¯t drop me yet. It¡¯s not like having me was giving him any advantage. Hell, probably even the exact opposite: besides being reduced to being one-handed, it¡¯s not like I was a mana battery for him. I was even draining him a little bit¡­ It¡¯s not really like I wanted to do that¡­ It was just happening naturally. Of course, I was not going to stop that. Besides, before he was actively feeding me. And he had a lot on the platter right about now¡­ ILMA was not going down without a fight. Obviously. But, her tactics were¡­ unusual. The moment she started weaving, I suddenly felt her mana split. 220. Distraction What? Did she manage to revive For and Kon? I couldn¡¯t distinguish them¡­ this time not because of my inaptness, rather because of her turning them. It seemed that way: the one singular entity, or rather bunch of those, since they were together, split three ways. Each of them was going a different way. Which way was he going to go? Was he able to somehow distinguish them? Apparently, because he dashed towards the one that went the furthest away from us. I tried seeing something in the three, to understand why he was so certain that it was the target¡­ but I couldn¡¯t. All looked the same to me, just the amalgamation of mana that definitely belonged to ILMA, all three of them. But, as we got closer, I realized something. I have made a mistake. She was not escaping and barely gaining on him. It was an optical illusion. She was a lot faster than that: it was that just her mana was rising. Quite strange, right? For someone trying to escape and using who knows how much mana, her signature should be getting smaller. Instead, it was getting bigger, and while escaping away from us it gave us, or rather just me, a false image of her barely gaining on him. Truth was, she was already hundreds of meters away and still going. I guess Mike noticed that and it was because of that he chose that one as his target. The hardest one to catch should be her, right? Speaking of other targets, seeing as I made a mistake looking at that one, I tried turning back and seeing the other two. Well, I physically couldn¡¯t, but that didn¡¯t stop me from trying using just my magical senses. I already was mostly using them, after all. Knowing that trick of hers, I sort of expected something similar there¡­ but I couldn¡¯t. Yeah, literally couldn¡¯t. There was nothing to perceive. The other two had disappeared from my view. Did they escape? Were they that fast that they got away? Or were we just going fast enough for them to leave my range? Or combination of both? Either of those was very possible, that is if they were awake. After all, Kon knew portal magic. He could just leave, if she was to let him¡­ What about For, though? She had to lean on others to travel, so that shouldn¡¯t be possible for her¡­ But then again, ILMA already proved that she could share magic with those two, so who knows what she was now capable of¡­ When I was just about to give up and focus on the chase, I suddenly felt a small blip in my view. It was¡­ well, more than hundreds of meters away from us¡­ and if I was going to guess, somewhere nearby where we started. Where the main island was. It was small. tiny as some unconscious person. Maybe even less. But it was definitely there. I wonder if Mike noticed that as well¡­? Well it didn¡¯t seem like it, because he was still going at it, chasing ILMA. Speaking of¡­ I honestly wasn¡¯t sure where we were any more, only surrounded by rock and noise of magic tearing through the rock. He was like some madman, crazed within the chase, following the target he couldn¡¯t see¡­ Well, at least with regular senses. He was gaining, though. While he was busy, I had nothing to do, and I didn¡¯t even attempt to try and talk to him. Definitely not a good idea. Instead, I was monitoring his mana. And well, my own, but that was just out of habit. I managed to notice a few interesting tidbits of information. First off, I was gaining power. And fast. Sure, I was getting mana from the environment. And him. But the pace was not matching to what I would expect from a passive effort like that. If you even can call it an effort. Besides that, I also noticed that my mana was¡­ well, from a lack of a better expression, clearer. Every time, I¡¯d always seen myself as this strange, dirty flame of mana¡­ But no more. Hell, they used to call my flame ¡°a sun¡±, and now it honestly was fitting. Maybe not with the intensity any more, not yet at least. On the other hand, there was Mike. His mana was quite opposite of what I was perceiving myself as. Hell, he reminded me more of the older me. Maybe that¡¯s why I almost made that mistake earlier. Beside that strange color, I also noticed that he was not weakening. Strange. Using that much mana and yet not even changing? Talk about infinite resources. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. What was strange, though, was also the fact that I was not feeling any mana leaving his body, and yet the spell was clear and visible. Was it really that efficient that I wasn¡¯t able to perceive it¡­? Can¡¯t be. Wait. Where was it getting the energy from? Yeah, that¡¯s the answer. Sure, Mike was the one who cast the spell. But he was not the one who was fueling it any more. As we were moving past the countless stones, I wasn¡¯t really paying attention, but now I realized that the rock we were passing through behind us was a lot less energized. Almost completely drained. Yeah. Just like me, he was getting mana from his surroundings. But while I had to first get the mana into my own body to then use it, he was just using it straight up when he touched it. Intriguing¡­ Well, I said I had to¡­ It¡¯s just I never really properly utilized that. Sure, I knew it was possible and I used it now and then, but never was completely reliant on it. And to control something like that¡­ What am I even talking about, Control? Who said he had to have great control? For all he cared he could have just been leaving complete destruction in his path and he¡¯d be fine, not like it mattered for anyone. We were in the middle of nowhere. But, speaking of nowhere. ILMA had changed her path. So far, she was leading us more and more down, towards¡­ I don¡¯t know what. But now, her destination shifted, or that we just were starting to reach it and she was slowly emerging from under the ground. Of course that didn¡¯t escape his notice. With minimum effort he manipulated the spell and we were now climbing. With that much time, I honestly was surprised that we didn¡¯t yet manage to catch her. Or, for that matter, for her to escape completely. She probably could teleport away if she was to do it quickly¡­ But then again, she probably was lacking some needed components. Maybe an anchor or something. Before I finished that thought, though, suddenly the environment changed. Instead of inside the rock, we suddenly found ourselves under the water. The shift was so sudden and so swift that I almost didn¡¯t notice, still focused on mana. That is, if not for the sudden spike in mana that I was absorbing. Yeah, the water was infused. Nothing new. Maybe a bit more than I remembered last time when I was swimming, but still. The moment we broke through the surface of the rock, Mike¡¯s spell vanished, and he found himself standing on a flat bedrock underwater surface. Not for long. I think he knew we were about to surface, at least from the rock, because he almost immediately pushed himself away and shot up towards where her signature still was, like a torpedo. He didn¡¯t use magic, yet he was faster than what I thought was possible. Yet again, how was he doing that? It¡¯s not like it was some hidden spell or something, I never felt any mana leave his body¡­ Before I managed to finish my train of thought, we were already out of the water. In mid air, he cast a small spell and froze the surface. I say ¡°small¡± but that was hardly it. It was only small in comparison to his mana reserves, to be honest. In reality, he just made a massive island of ice for him to stand on. I would say it was a bit of an overkill, but since we were in the middle of an ocean, it was kind of needed, the waves and all¡­ The main question was though: where was ILMA? Sure, we chased her out of the rock and water, but she was nowhere near. I could tell her mana was still going away from us, yet it felt like she was slowing down¡­? Was she near her destination? Was there any destination even? Or¡­ well, maybe something else. She was just running out of juice. I guess I should''ve expected that. To dig through the rock and then fly on top of that, you need a lot of energy. And I don¡¯t need to mention you need to have a good, working spell. That reminded me¡­ the flight spell. Did she use the same one as I did? If so, she was really grasping at straws here. That was very risky. It would also explain the mana fluctuations¡­ But, she managed to escape. Mike was not that stupid to try and chase her, right? Especially with that kind of spell. I was about to say something, seeing as he was just standing there, contemplating, but before I managed to even say a word, he jumped again. It was so immediate and overwhelmingly powerful that the iceberg under his feet crumbled and fell into the ocean, while he leaped into the sky, in an effort to chase her, I guess? Was he insane? Did he really want to fly? Fuck. Right. It wasn¡¯t risky for him. He had a very good material for him to use. My own head. Sure, I wasn¡¯t that energized yet, but my flesh would be enough for him to get a nice boost towards her. Even if he was using my own spell, it would be good enough. And who¡¯s going to say he didn¡¯t make it more efficient? He had time here, so¡­ But, I was not going to find out about that. And not because of me getting vaporized, as I expected. He straight up was doing something else. Maybe still unbelievable, but¡­ The moment I realized what, or at least I thought that I realized what he was planning to do with me, I decided to not go lying down. I was going to retaliate. In preparation for being used as a component to his spell, I focused on my own magic, trying to make it as volatile as possible. To be honest, it was something I never tried nor ever expected to do. Hell, that was the literal opposite of what I was used to doing. But, even if it was the opposite, I still had some success. More than some. And very unpleasant. To me. Of course I expected that. I mean, you won¡¯t make someone hurt without getting hurt yourself. The feeling I created¡­ I want to say it was like having a feeling of your blood being replaced by boiling water. Unpleasant. To say the least. At least that¡¯s how I imagined it, because I was not feeling pain, only slight discomfort from mana buzzing within my own body¡­ er, head. But, he didn¡¯t use me. I was surprised. For a moment I thought that he noticed my plan and was about to retaliate towards me for breaking his pursuit, but nope. He was, straight up, ignoring me. Was his flight spell so advanced that he didn¡¯t need me at all? Or did he plan to use himself? Or maybe he brought some tools with him or something? Other materials? The answer to all of the above was no. He was just not going to fly. I realized that the moment we started falling down towards the water. He was just¡­ waiting. Waiting for us to hit the water? No. Waiting for us to be a bit closer to the water. That¡¯s when he released a spell, the same one, or at least a similar one to the one he used to make that frozen island. It was more powerful, I think. But very short-lived. It actually managed to survive his impact. Although the hit managed to sink it a good meter below the surface, before he sprung up once more and leaped into the air and the ice sank into the sea, shattering into small pieces. That¡¯s one way to chase someone that is flying above the sea¡­ How far was he even going to chase her? The answer was: however far it was needed. Luckily for us, or maybe just him, the pursuit was going to end sooner rather than later. I think it took him twenty-three leaps. I counted each and every one, from the lack of anything productive to do. That is, besides regenerating my mana, but that was hardly a task that needed much of my concentration. At the jump twenty-four, we finally managed to get a glimpse of our target, this time physically. And¡­ it was not something either of us had expected. It was not her. Honestly, at that point, I kind of learned to expect the unexpected, but I never thought that instead of ILMA, we¡¯d be following a literal rock. Yeah. A piece of stone. Not even an Origin Crystal. Just a rock that probably originated back at the island where we met. I don¡¯t need to say that he didn¡¯t take that very well. 221. Swayed When he noticed what he was chasing, he almost fell into the water, messing up the timing for the formation of those ice islands. Why was he even doing that so close to the surface? Anyway, he managed to recover, and during the next jump, he tossed a small spell towards it. A tiny flaming arrow. Small, but powerful. The moment it connected, and it did without issue; his aim was on point; the stone suddenly burst into flames, and just like a piece of wood, burned into a coal. That was the last jump. After that, he just landed at yet another of his frozen islands and just stared at the spot where his ¡°target¡± had just vanished from. He didn¡¯t say a word. But I could feel his rage burning. Honestly, it was almost as powerful as what I felt from that tiny piece of ILMA back then, a ¡°weapon¡± that got destroyed. Silent till now, I was wondering if I should try and speak up. Maybe ask him about the meaning of this pursuit. But I couldn¡¯t. I was not stupid enough to pull the pin on that grenade. And believe me, that one was easily the most volatile I¡¯ve seen so far. But, he was the one who broke the silence. -I know what you¡¯re thinking. I mean, I wasn¡¯t really trying to hide my thoughts, and him carrying me was giving him an easy way to peek on my mind, so¡­ -If she is not stopped, we are going to soon be the target of the whole world. Again. The fuck? Now, that was not something I expected to hear right now. Target of the whole world? Like there was much left from it to begin with. Most of it being his fault. -And I am not being overdramatic - he continued, again reading my thoughts. - If she manages to break this¡­ and they learn she broke confinement¡­ there¡¯s going to be hell to pay. Okay, feeding me those buzzwords, I couldn¡¯t help myself. I had to ask. -What the fuck are you on about? -Ah. So now you talk. -I never said I wasn¡¯t going to. Just didn¡¯t want to interrupt your¡­ whatever that was. He shrugged. -I might have been a bit¡­ preoccupied. Yes. That¡¯s one way to put it. -Eh¡­ look, I know it¡¯s been a bit hectic. I am sorry. I should¡¯ve been more considerate of my savior. -Savior? -You called to me, didn¡¯t you? You managed to pull me out of that mangle of souls¡­ Without your guidance, I probably still would be with her. -Wait a second. You were part of her? And managed to escape? -Yes¡­? - he said, sounding very confused. - Didn¡¯t you know? ILMA is an amalgamation of people, who¡­ -Oh, yes yes, I know that - I shot him off, trying to wave my hand, but remembered that I didn¡¯t have a body so just rolled my eyes. - It¡¯s just surprising that you escaped. I thought the process of assimilation was a bit more permanent. -Oh, it is - he assured me. - I¡¯ve been in there for a long time. Every time another soul joined it only took a handful of minutes for her to wipe it from existence. -And yet, you¡¯re here. -Of course. I have been a part of that crystal for almost as long as she was. I have a lot of resistance to something like that. -That means we still have time! -Time? -To get some people out. Or, well, at least For and Kon - I corrected myself. - I bet most of them are already wiped out. -I guess that would weaken her, true¡­ - he agreed, a bit half-heartedly if you ask me. - Doesn¡¯t matter in the long run, though. -And you say just calling them would be enough? That can¡¯t be true. -I never said it was ¡°just¡± calling for them. What you did¡­ was something I never expected¡­ But scratch that, it¡¯s not something that is possible. -Why? How do you know? -Because I was there. -I told you. I heard voices. And heard them being silenced. -So what. Like everyone would¡­ -No. When I say ¡°voice¡± I mean their soul. I can hear them. And I can tell when they stop existing. -Then what¡¯s she¡¯s doing? Just wiping people for fun? No, she has to be keeping them for later use, don¡¯t you think? -Of course she is. But not in the state you¡¯re picturing. She¡¯s just turning them into¡­ well, data, for lack of a better term. -She¡¯s back to her AI roots? -She never left them - he announced, sad. - We failed at that. -I mean¡­ I¡¯ve seen some shit. And believe me, she¡¯s more human than a lot of people I¡¯ve met. -You mean her speaking like a robot? Still following procedures, even after all those years? -... -Let¡¯s look at this objectively. She is an enemy and nothing more. She has already taken away a lot of people from us. Friends, loved ones, you name it. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. So did he. But I didn¡¯t want to tell him that flat out¡­ Too bad he heard that anyway. -I did it because I had to! - he said with pain in his voice. - You think it was easy to commit a literal genocide? -Well, from what I saw, they weren¡¯t really resisting, just standing and waiting for execution. -That was just some of¡­ Wait. You saw that. Ah. I forgot he didn¡¯t know. -I might have peeked at some of your activities. -So you know about her atrocities! About all those people she murdered, turning into mindless slaves. And you still were on her side?! -Hold up. I never knew about any of that - I stopped him before he did anything rash. - Mindless? First ¡°mindless¡± I saw were For and Kon! -Ha. No you didn¡¯t. You said you saw¡­ my executions? -Well, yes. And a bit of other murder¡­ those ones were actual fights, though. -Oh, so you saw that too. Well, doesn¡¯t matter, because all of those were already dead. -Pretty lively for dead people. -So were your For and Kon. -They weren¡¯t ¡°mine¡±... or, well, scratch that, maybe¡­ Wait, you¡¯re saying that she already took them over¡­? -Already? Those were the later ones! All those were just activated recently. I guess she moved to the next step in her plan¡­ -Activated? Plan? What is that all about? -I see she really kept you in the dark. -It¡¯s not like I asked¡­ I didn¡¯t really¡­ -I get it. It¡¯s hard to get adjusted to living in prison. -The fuck? -So you don¡¯t know about that either? I guess you should be informed¡­. -We do have time. She¡¯s gone. -She¡¯s¡­ Eh. Fine. Okay. Great¡­ Let me explain. -It started¡­ a long time ago. I kind of regained my confidence a bit. I figured out since he¡¯s been more talkative and less destructive he was not planning to end me. And since he was in the mood to explain things, at least he could make it as clear as possible. -Ehe¡­ What started? Your kingdom? -Kingdom¡­? Oh, hell no. That¡¯s not what I am talking about. I mean even before that. When we worked in MIRE. -Oh. -Yeah. I don¡¯t know if you are aware, but I was the first hire there. I knew he was one of the employees. I never really knew about the time he joined or anything. -I guess someone had to be first. -Well¡­ yeah. They scouted me a long time before you and Il joined. -... -Yeah¡­ - he continued, noticing my silence. - For some reason, the higher-ups observed us for a long while. And I was the first on the chopping block. I was chosen to be a leader of the newly formed group. But, what am I talking about, you know that already. He wasn¡¯t wrong. -So. Why does that matter? -Well, because after everything went to shit, they came after me. I blinked. After? -Went to shit? What do you mean? -The catastrophe of the crystal and ILMA, of course. What else could be worse? -Well, sure, that was a failure of great proportions - I agreed. - But went after you? How? Aren¡¯t we¡­ a bit isolated? -We are. But we weren¡¯t. -What?! I didn¡¯t hide my surprise. He knew quite a lot. -Hah - he chuckled. - Right. You don¡¯t know. You see¡­ that crystal¡­ the explosion¡­ It did not teleport us anywhere. Hell, it didn¡¯t do much, besides destruction. -What do you mean?! How did we end up here then!? -How? This is our punishment. Our prison. We were sent here. I needed a moment to process his words. Punishment? Prison? -Wait. Wait wait. How? What are you even talking about! I vividly remember you disappearing. And everyone else! Even¡­ -Even yourself, right? I paused. Yeah, I did remember. I never really was sure why, I remembered that moment from various perspectives. I thought it was because of the Origin Crystal in my body being part of ILMA and her having memories of everyone else¡­ -Those are not only your memories - confirmed Mike. - Those were everyones. All of us had the same one implanted. -Implanted? By what? The explosion? -Yes and no. It was because of the explosion, but not just the effect of it. -What are you talking about?! -Mor. We died. All of us. I stared at him, puzzled. What was he talking about? Died? So how the hell was he here? How was everyone else¡­ here, in this new world, this ¡°prison¡±, as he called it. -I see you don¡¯t understand. Let me explain. -Yeah. That¡¯d help. -During the failure, our bodies have been wiped out. Dematerialized. Disintegrated. However else you want to call it. Along with the whole city. And not only that, a lot of other places had been blown up as well¡­ Our crystal was powerful. -It rippled through the leylines? -Yeah, pretty much - he nodded, seeing as I was starting to understand. - Every major center that housed a similar power spot has been destroyed at the same time.You can imagine the aftermath. Yeah, you bet I could. Those centers were maybe not the most important places in the world, but they housed plenty of power and research. If what he was saying was true, it would be like blowing up a nuclear reactor. In every major city on the continent. Hell, in the whole world. An uncontained failure. -We killed a lot of people - he said flatly. - And the world was not going to let that go. -Let go? Weren¡¯t we presumed dead? He laughed, dryly. -Hah, you underestimate people. Especially people with power. -Like you? -If you think I ever had anything remotely comparable to that, you¡¯re delusional. What I am talking about is more than just a country¡¯s worth of influence. And even then, my country¡­ was subpar. -Subpar? You¡¯ve got to be kidding me¡­ I stopped mid-sentence. Did he just say ¡°only¡± a country''s worth? Doesn¡¯t that imply¡­ -What do you mean, a country''s worth? Were you working for¡­ something more¡­? -Something more¡­? What do you mean? Ah. Right. I keep forgetting you weren¡¯t aware¡­ -Aware of what? -The MIRE. Mire didn¡¯t just work for one country. It was an international organization. -We had branches everywhere, but we were¡­ -No, no. I don¡¯t mean like that. Sure, we were working for just our local branch, but that doesn¡¯t mean we weren¡¯t ruled by an international council. -International? I thought¡­ -You thought wrong. It was more akin to an international alliance than you think. -I guess that would explain why we were able to get away with so much¡­ -Hah, no. You think one government wouldn¡¯t be enough? Especially if we were just limited to one place? -... -But you got one thing right. They do get away with a lot. Everything, pretty much, is in their power. -You are overestimating them¡­ -Oh, believe me, I am not. He paused for a second, sighing. -That¡¯s why we are in such deep shit right now. -You keep mentioning that. Yet I still don¡¯t understand what exactly is going on. And the prison¡­ -Right¡­ right. I got distracted a little bit. 222. Uncertainties -As I was saying¡­ the world was not going to let that go. They were going to punish us. -Didn¡¯t you say we were ¡°dead¡±? How would they go about it? -Well, at first they were content with that¡­ Well, mostly. That is, until they got to the results of our experiment. -Something survived? -It¡¯s not like the explosion wiped EVERYTHING. We were still connected to the network, we got backups. -True¡­ Right¡­ -Yeah. Well, when they checked what experiment caused this, they decided to double down. Not only they didn¡¯t stop further research, they wanted to expand it. -Of course. One failure wasn¡¯t enough for them¡­ -It was more than one, but yeah. But there was a reason. See, you asked if something survived¡­ and it did. The crystal did survive. -Wait, what? I remember it exploding! It was the whole reason shit went south! -Oh yes, it did explode. But it didn¡¯t vanish. There were still plenty of shards that were left. I mean¡­ - he gestured towards my non-existing body. - You know. Right¡­ That was the sole reason I survived¡­ Or, well, I thought I survived. What was that about me dying? I still didn¡¯t understand what he was talking about, but decided to wait for him to explain on his own. -See, the crystal¡­ THE Crystal was the starting point of the further research on life and mana. On souls. -Souls? I guess it kind of fits¡­ -Our research ended up going that way, after all. And it also gave them a perfect material for that. -Origin Crystal? They used it to experiment on souls¡­? I mean, essentially, it was what we were doing all that time. And it was a success, the fact that Kon survived¡­ everything boiled down to the souls being trapped inside the crystal. Same with ILMA. -Yes. And what they found inside some pieces was a perfect solution to everything. -They found remains of ILMA? -Oh, no. Well, not only. ILMA never got disconnected from the network¡­ at least not completely. Some fragments were scattered, but nothing that would prevent her from working normally. -What was in there, then, if that was so important¡­? -Don¡¯t you get it? It was us. -Us?! -Well, me, to be specific. At least at first. -The fuck do you mean ¡°you¡±? -Exactly what I said. I was killed. Or rather, my body was destroyed, but my mana got merged with a piece of crystal. -So why did you have a fleshy body then? Wouldn¡¯t you look like me?! I mean, not like now, but¡­ -Slow down. I have not finished yet. -... -As I was saying, they found me. And recognized that I was one of the researchers that worked on the project that went south. And of course, they jumped onto the occasion. They presented me with an ultimatum: you either work for us again, or we are going to present what you did for the whole world to see and punish you accordingly. -Like that mattered¡­ - I scoffed. - What, smear you in the newspaper? Who gives a fuck? -Yeah, I thought so as well. But it was the ¡°punishment¡± they mentioned that pushed me towards agreeing¡­ -What kind of punishment could they even think of? I can¡¯t imagine how you¡¯d punish a piece of crystal. -I can think of a lot - he sighed. - Drain your mana constantly, use you as a source of energy. -What, they finally figured out that reactor-thing? What was that thing called¡­ mana engine? I guess there¡¯s been some technology that combines both magic and technology¡­ -Ah that? Well, yes, they did, but that¡¯s not what they had in mind. There were plenty of sources that would drain mana for the fuel that were not sentient. It was a bit risky, putting a literal criminal inside a highly important reactor. You know, what if I changed my mind and just blew that thing up? -Right¡­ that¡¯s another calamity waiting to happen, true. -Exactly. No, they wanted me to resume my work, so even if they were to place me as a core there, I wouldn¡¯t be able to do what they wanted me to. -So what was the incentive? Because I feel like you agreed¡­? -Oh, you bet I did. And so would you. -I don¡¯t know about that¡­ -You don¡¯t? Well, I do. They told me that if I won¡¯t work for them, they were going to use her as a test subject. He didn¡¯t say the name. But he didn¡¯t have to. I could tell who he was talking about, and he knew that. He was right. I wouldn¡¯t hesitate either. -Damn it. -Yeah. -... -Well, long story short, I started working for them. They gave me a new body. Or, well, rather that was the first part of the test. To see if there was a possibility to regain one after being¡­ well, vaporized. -And you succeeded. -Of course. You know that¡¯s possible. -Who? Simple question. I didn¡¯t need to specify. He knew. -Some random prisoner. And before you ask, yes, it did feel horrible. But not for the reasons you imagine. -...? -It was a criminal. Someone that was not dangerous enough or powerful, but enough to not be missed. -That doesn¡¯t specify¡­ -I won¡¯t get into details. I am just going to say I hated having that body and also was happy that he was no longer existing. I was not going to push him. But I had a good idea what that could mean. -Now, when you mention that¡­ ¡°no longer existing¡±. That means you took over. You managed to¡­ assimilate him? How does that work, exactly? -I fucking hate that - he squinted visibly, even with his face being not really a face that could make expressions. -What? -Nothing¡­ Well, about how that works¡­ There are two ways it can go. Depending on your aptitude and, of course, willpower. -Aptitude? -How much mana the body can handle. Or, rather the thing that is hosting the soul. Can¡¯t really say that just a piece of crystal is a proper body. -Well, if it¡¯s large enough¡­ -I guess¡­ But well, you can go two ways. First off, the thing that you probably figured out: you merge two consciousnesses. You learn about your target. You absorb their memories, everything that made them¡­ and then make it your own. -You make it sound very simple. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. -It is. But it takes time. Especially if you have less magic to work with. -Wait, less magic? You can assimilate someone even if you are weaker? -¡±Weaker¡± is a very relative term. It¡¯s only dependent on willpower. You can be a powerful mage that has enough mana to wipe a full city from existence and still get defeated in the battle of wills by a simple scummy person that is just too stubborn to give up. -Speaking from experience? -I wish I wasn¡¯t. It was too close. He paused for a moment. Was it really that hard for him? -Well, I did manage to win, but it took me longer than expected. -How much longer is ¡°long¡±? -A year. -Fuck. -Eh, could be worse. -I imagine. -Yeah. But, thanks to that, I managed to get a body and started working on the next part of the program. -Still on souls? -Yes. They wanted to recreate¡­ well, the process. That, and make it less destructive, obviously. It would essentially mean the end to death. Immortality. Well, yeah, I bet that would make everyone interested. -Immortality and eternal youth. Resistance to all diseases¡­ I can understand why everyone would jump on that ship¡­ -No kidding. But, as we both know, that comes with issues. -Well, apparently less severe than I thought - I pointed out. - If an idiot like me managed to hold off someone as powerful as ILMA, then¡­ -Yeah¡­ I was getting to that - he interrupted me. - You¡­ are a very special case. Me? Special? What was he talking about? Out of all the people, I¡¯d say he was the most unusual one, with the whole body changing thing¡­ Oh. Right. -You reminded me of something. What happened to Odar? -What? Who? -Odar? Odar Erf I think his name was? I heard he was a part of your¡­ I don¡¯t know, circle? Whatever that was. -I don¡¯t¡­ Aaah, that one. Right. I gave that name back then, right¡­ -You gave that name¡­? -You didn¡¯t realize? There was no Odar Erf. That was me. Ah. Yeah, okay. -I was going to mention that, but the man I mentioned before¡­ that was not the only body I¡¯ve used¡­ or rather taken over. There were plenty of those. And one came with the ability to¡­ modify your body. I think you know what I mean. Kon. Or rather his family, most likely. I wasn¡¯t sure, but it was possible that that spell¡­ or, well rather ability, could be some family secret. Or a hereditary thing. I guess that was the case. -I used that persona to move freely, not as a king, but a lot more people. Be it a guard captain or someone less visible. Very useful. But also painful. I know. -Don¡¯t look at me like that. I bet you¡¯d have done the same. -... -Anyway, let¡¯s not jump around topics, let me continue. -Where was I¡­ Right! About you being a special case. I wondered about that. -Our, or rather my progress was pretty swift - he continued. - The higher-ups managed to find some pretty good replacements for you two. Hell, they were even more efficient sometimes. It was kind of bothering me, to be honest. ¡°Bothering¡±? He just replaced us and it was just ¡°bothering¡± him? Wait, why was I even getting annoyed? It didn¡¯t matter to me at all. Who cares about his problems? -But, the work was done quickly, tasks were on schedule, there was nothing to complain about. The better they were, the quicker I would be done, right? -Yeah¡­ Now, when you mention that¡­ ¡°done¡±? If you were done, then what then? Did they offer you something? -Aside my freedom? Yeah¡­ there was one thing¡­ -Hm? -They promised that they¡¯d give me the crystal that was housing her soul. -OH. -Yeah. I learned about that a bit later. One day, they noticed that I ¡°started showing lack of eagerness¡±. -Pff. Corpo talk. -Well, true. ¡°It¡¯s more efficient to provide encouragement than just a threat¡±. And so, they proposed to me that after I was done, they¡¯d give her to me. -Stick was starting to hit diminishing returns, so they went with a carrot - I nodded. Or tried to. - I am just amazed that it went in that order. -Ha¡­ yeah¡­ Although the stick never left. But it worked. It definitely gave me a lot of motivation. I can see that. I probably would do the same thing in his place. In that case, we were similar. -Long story short, I did manage to succeed. At least on paper. -On paper? -Yeah. What I was working with was just theory. They never let me work with actual material. Be it because of fear of repeating the last fiasco, or just in fear that I¡¯d somehow change my mind and use it to turn on them. -Could you even do that? To fight the whole government? -Governments. Plural. And no. Back then, I still had mostly fleshy body, so it would be suicide. Now¡­ Well, I¡¯d probably have a better chance. True. Our bodies right now were almost impossible to destroy. Hell, even destroyed, they apparently had enough power to let the person seemingly return from the dead. Were we even alive, to be fair? There¡¯re a lot of uncertainties here¡­ Whatever. -But that was not the end of the project. They wanted results. Not on paper. Real results. So they finally gave me living test subjects. -Hm. -Yeah, I know. Not very humane. -Not what I was concerned about. -Right¡­ right. The consequences. Well, I think I managed to at least make them¡­. unlikely to happen. -How unlikely? -Ten percent. Give or take. -So the same as before¡­ Wait. You used my formula. -Ha¡­ of course. Yours was the most powerful thing we¡¯ve ever made. Even if you were to give me a hundred years more I¡¯d raise the value by a percent at best. -Better tell me if it worked. -It¡­ it did. That¡¯s unexpected. Well¡­ not mathematically. But even after all that work, he managed to just redo the experiment? Just how much was destroyed? -It wasn¡¯t just a copy of our procedure - he explained, either noticing my surprise, or just rather reading my thoughts. - It was a complete way to move a soul from one body to another. No artificial souls, just clean transfer. -Hm. And who was the lucky winner? Some rich fucker that was paying for that? -You kidding? No! - he shook his head. - Knowing them, I expected the opposite. Some poor soul, random homeless or a prisoner, like one I got my body from. Honestly, at first I was planning on doing it to myself. -Wouldn¡¯t that be kind of a pointless risk? I mean, you were already hosted within a crystal. It¡¯s a bit different than just moving someone from a regular body, right? -No. I doubly made sure of that. Or at least was aiming to do so. That¡­ that¡¯s what I wanted to do after the experiment. I wanted to take the crystal Il was in and give her a proper body. -Proper? What¡¯s wrong with a setup like ours? -Do you really need to ask? Right¡­ The drain would¡¯ve been problematic. Although avoidable. And sure, the problems with food were a pain¡­ -Okay. I get it. -I wanted a regular body. One that could feel and touch like normal. You understand me? I wanted for us to be a regular family again. -Ah. So both of you¡­ -Yes. But¡­ well, that was not the end of it, sadly. -The transfer worked without an issue. The subject was¡­ Honestly¡­ to this day, I don¡¯t know who that was. I never saw their face. -You what? -Yes. While I was one who created the procedure, the one to perform that was¡­ -Something? Don¡¯t tell me¡­ they used HER? -Of course. You think who was the one who oversaw the whole procedure? The whole process? -That makes no sense! Who in their right mind would leave this to ILMA?! Wasn¡¯t she the reason it went bad last time? -It only went south because of her being the subject. And you know how they don¡¯t want to waste resources. -I don¡¯t know what they were thinking¡­ or you for that matter! You should¡¯ve stopped that! It¡¯s not something an AI can handle! Nor should! Doesn¡¯t matter how advanced or humanlike it appears to be! -You don¡¯t have to tell me that. I know. But, it¡¯s not like I ever knew it beforehand. I only learned that from her memories. -Her? Here? -Well not exactly here, but yes, it was recently. -Fuck. -It wasn¡¯t all that bad - he said calmly. - It did succeed. Or at least that¡¯s what I was told. It was enough for me. I got rewarded and reunited with a piece of Il. Everything went great for me and I couldn¡¯t care less if some random idiot that got used as a test subject would get assimilated. -Damn. A bit heartless. -Weren¡¯t you worried that they¡¯d go after you if something was to go to shit? -It already went once. -Right¡­ speaking of. You said you wanted to get a body¡­ how did that go? Or was that lot later¡­? -Oh no, that never even came to be. Before long, just like you said, it went to shit. Of course. 223. Catchup -I want to say about a year later. Can¡¯t tell for sure, it¡¯s been a long time. I was recalled to the MIRE. By the way, I left it right after the experiment ended. A bit forcefully even, they essentially fired me. -Strange. -Right? Well, in any case, when they called me, I didn¡¯t have much to say, ro be honest. It was just ¡°We need you. You will be paid.¡± -And you agreed? -They gave me a six digit number. And half of that up front. -Oh fuck. -Yeah! I would be stupid to not agree. After confirming the first payout, I went ahead and came back. I kind of wish I didn¡¯t. -Of course. So, what went down? -As I predicted, the guy who was the first subject got assimilated. -Oh boy, who could¡¯ve predicted that? -I know, right? -And let me guess, the one who took over was ILMA. -Again, on point. -Kind of not hard to figure out. -Yeah¡­ -Didn¡¯t you warn them or something? -Of course. But it¡¯s not like they listened, nor like the one who was the subject was that important. -Acceptable losses? -I guess. Not the first time, I guess. He nodded, probably understanding what I was thinking. -Well, anyway¡­ My task was to contain her. -Wait¡­ she wasn¡¯t contained? What, she was just out in the city? -More or less. First off, there was no city there, or well, at least not where the experiments were being performed. -They learned after the first failure, I guess. -Nah, not really. They didn¡¯t really have many places that could work as research centers after the failure, so we just had been working partially in the ruins and partially in quickly put down garage-boxes that were¡­ well, far from an ideal place to work. -Damn. I am amazed that you were able to accomplish even that much. Damn. -Well, it was just at the beginning. Soon we got upgraded, but that¡¯s besides the point. The main problem is, when ILMA took over, there weren''t many ways to actually contain her. It¡¯s not like we could just trap her in some random jail, you know. True. Last time we had a very good containment unit, and even creating that was half-accidental. Just another experiment with Origin Crystal. -What, you helped them build a cage from Crystal again? -Nope. Well, that was a plan at the start, but we hit a snag¡­ Not enough materials. -Ah¡­ right. Right. Since the crystal was gone, or mostly gone, there was not enough to even try and cover a room to contain her. They probably could be able to wait for it to grow again, but that would be a very long endeavor. He read my mind again. -Yeah. We didn¡¯t have time, or at least that¡¯s what the higher-ups were saying. For me¡­ well, I wasn¡¯t in a hurry, so to speak. -Why? -She was not harmful. You know about our safety mechanisms: she was unable to hurt anyone. -That¡¯s ¡°theoretically¡±. You know we didn¡¯t predict she would get her hands on an actual body. -Yeah¡­ I probably should¡¯ve known. It¡¯s not like we were omnipotent¡­ there always could be some instance we didn¡¯t predict when making her¡­ I couldn¡¯t blame him. I thought the same, even after seeing her free and acting more like a person than I expected for her to. I guess we all had a soft spot for her¡­ -If I knew beforehand¡­ I probably would¡¯ve done things differently¡­ but I doubt that would¡¯ve helped much. -What do you mean? You had some other ways to contain her? -No¡­ I mean, I probably would¡¯ve tried a different approach¡­ not just¡­ a forceful one. -Oh. That did not sound good. -¡±Forceful¡± how? -Well¡­ First off, we moved her away. To a place a bit further from any civilization, to not let her be in contact with anything. -Obvious. -Yeah¡­ Everything was going great. We managed to establish a base of operation¡­ a bit small at first, but it soon started growing, to accommodate more researchers. Multiple stories, multiple living quarters even. -Sounds great. Although I can¡¯t imagine that being a good place to live, knowing how dull those places can look. -You¡¯re not wrong. Especially if you are the one imprisoned there. -Imprisoned? You meant it literally? -Of course. How else could I treat a seemingly hazardous and anomalous experiment? Of course we locked her up in the deepest places we could. He stopped and sighed. -I thought of her more as a program than anything. I just ordered for her to be locked up in one small cell, never even thought it would make her uncomfortable. -Wouldn¡¯t that make anyone uncomfortable? Where¡¯s that ¡°soft spot¡± for her gone, huh? -I know! I guess¡­ I just wanted to get away from there! I wanted to leave the place so I could get back to Il! -She didn¡¯t come with you? -She wanted to. They didn¡¯t let her. Nor did I, to be honest. I didn¡¯t want them to try and blackmail me or her again. -I feel like that was a stupid idea. Getting separated is always the problem. -Mrgn¡­ Of course you say that in hindsight¡­ It¡¯s not like I am some kind of prophet. You really didn¡¯t have to be one to predict that one¡­ -I am not going to bother you with the details. Main thing is, she was supposed to be contained, and docile. Hell, we thought she was even cooperating with us. But it was just an act. -She¡¯s gotten that smart? -Yes. She literally took advantage of us. Half of the team was¡­ endeared by her. Charmed! Literally! -You mean magically, or¡­? -Hell no! It was just straight up psychological manipulation. Like a cat taking advantage of their owner! -Pfff¡­ -You laugh, but that¡¯s what happened! I mean, there¡¯s probably a bit of fault in our staff¡­ -Oh, don¡¯t switch the blame. -I am not! It¡¯s just¡­ we weren¡¯t exactly¡­ well staffed. After the catastrophe, there weren''t really many older and more experienced employees left. Most of those working were either interns or just very, very old people. Those kinds who fall victim to a random 16-year old¡¯s scam. -Oof. -And¡­ I admit, I might have been a bit lulled into a false sense of security as well¡­ I kind of¡­ dismissed her as a threat, just instead of working on her, I just still continued my efforts to get Il¡¯s a new body. -I thought that was already done? -Well, the spell was. Not the host. -What, you needed to kill someone or some shit¡­? -Not exactly¡­ He surprised me with that answer. What was that supposed to mean? If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. -I needed a body, true. Probably a random fresh corpse would¡¯ve been fine¡­ - he agreed. - But I couldn¡¯t do that. -For saying that you would¡¯ve done anything for her, you seem to still have some restraints¡­ - I commented, but immediately regretted that. -Oh, that was not the problem. I would¡¯ve killed in a heartbeat. I already managed to get my hands on a great way to¡­ vacate a body without damaging it at all¡­ He stopped, and extended his hand, gripping the air. For a second, I didn¡¯t understand what he was on about, but a split second later I remembered. Right, he was part crystal. He could¡¯ve just drained someone like I was doing with anything else¡­ He nodded, listening to my thoughts. -Yeah, exactly. I managed to get the hang on that ability and limit the damage to just the mana. It took a few attempts. Failures tended to turn into dust. Ruthless. -So, what stopped you? I assume not laws, nor higher-ups. -Of course not. It was¡­ her. Il herself. Ah. Yeah, that checked out. I bet she wouldn¡¯t want to inhibit a body that belonged to someone else before. It would definitely feel¡­ weird. That also gave me a different thought¡­ I wonder how my other self felt about using a body that didn¡¯t belong to us? I mean¡­ we didn¡¯t kill her, so I guess it was fine? Hell, if I ever get to split again, I¡¯ll try and share that feeling with myself. Meanwhile, Mike was just looking at me. He was probably listening in, because he looked¡­ surprised? Why was he surprised? Because I was split before? It¡¯s not like he¡¯s not done that himself. -I see you had your share of adventures when I was out of it¡­ -You can say that. but get on topic. What happened next? I was not going to let him leave me in suspense. And yet, he was still dancing around the subject. -Well, there¡¯s not much to it. She didn¡¯t want it, end of story. And I even picked a nice target¡­ Never mind that. The main thing is, we agreed on growing the body by ourselves. -That couldn¡¯t be that easy. -Of course it wasn¡¯t going to be. I was planning a lot of things, you know¡­ but again, I was approached by the last person I thought was possible. -ILMA. -Bingo. -How the hell does a prisoner even approach someone? What, you were working as a jail warden? You really were that desperate? -No I was not working as a warden. But yes, I was desperate - he admitted surprisingly quickly and easily. - You know¡­ after a while she wasn¡¯t¡­ really a prisoner any more. -Excuse me? -I told you! She managed to endear herself to a lot of them! And¡­ to me too. After a while she was more like a guest there than anything. -Fucking really? -What!? You think you¡¯d have done better!? His sudden outburst made me stop. Sure, I could talk about that a lot, but I wasn''t any better. -Okay. What did she propose? -She said that she¡¯ll give me a body for her if I let her out a little bit. -¡±Out¡±? The fuck¡¯s that supposed to mean? -Fucking guess. Out means out! She was trapped in a sealed complex, she wanted to leave it for an hour or so. -That¡¯s it? -Yeah, I knew it seemed too easy. But hey, I thought it was convenient. And not like having her leave the underground would¡¯ve been a problem. We were in a sealed place anyway, so¡­ -How ¡°sealed¡± are we talking about? -As much as we are right now. Well, even better. He confused me with that answer, but I didn¡¯t interrupt. -I agreed. Hell, I didn¡¯t even need to convince others. They also seemed to think that having her see outside of that place would be good for her and harmless. -¡±Good for her¡±... It¡¯s like we are talking about the development of a child¡­ -It sort of was¡­ or we thought that was the case¡­ Anyway, we agreed. But first, I had to get Il back to me. -Guess you had a harder time with that than ILMA had convincing your whole complex. -Well¡­ It wasn¡¯t that bad. But I admit, there were issues¡­ In the end, the higher-ups had declared that I can do it, but only if some of their representatives would be available on-site to oversee the whole process. I didn¡¯t see why not, so I agreed. -Seems¡­ too easy. -They cut my pay for the next ten years and forced me to work for them without the ability to retire. Ever. -Oh. -Yeah¡­ they figured out that since I was immortal, they would essentially have a cheap worker with a lot of experience for the price of just one failed experiment. I guess they also decided that it was a good bargain. -It probably would be if all went right. Because something went wrong, am I right? -Eh¡­ yes. -Il and the ¡°escort¡± arrives next week - he continued. - There was a lot more of them than I thought, and strangely, not only that they had some mages that I¡¯ve never seen or heard about, but they were really powerful. And I mean REALLY powerful. They rivaled me with their capacity, even though I had Origin Crystal. Maybe not fully developed, but still, that was some serious force. -I thought that all good mages were gone thanks to the calamity. -So did I. I had no idea where did they get those people and why weren¡¯t they helping in the project before, but I soon understood. -Hmm? -They were only good at offensive magic. What I was facing was the¡­ well, it was just the army. Straight up. -They were training offensive mages? I guess¡­ I never thought about that. -Neither did I. I thought our people that worked on elemental spells would be the hard-hitters of the magical world¡­ not some random muscle heads that appeared out of thin air¡­ -Damn. -Yeah, well, in the end, it did not matter at all. All of those were¡­ the casualty. -You keep saying that, yet so far you¡¯ve not told what happened! Can you finally get to the point? -I am getting to that. -After the ¡°deal¡±, so to speak, was struck and everything was ready, she filled us in on how it was going to work. -Ah. Some new conditions? Did she already try to weasel her way out, since they brought you the reinforcements? -I wouldn¡¯t really call them ¡°our¡± reinforcements¡­ They wouldn¡¯t listen to us even if the building was falling down on their heads. -That loyal? -You don¡¯t even know. They didn¡¯t even talk if not instructed, ignoring any attempt at communication. -Are you sure those were even human? -Don¡¯t be stupid. It¡¯s¡­ He paused. For a second, it seemed like he was considering something, but dismissed it after a moment of thought. Did I guess right? Not like he was going to tell me. -Doesn¡¯t matter. Point is, they were following someone else. -¡±Someone else¡±, you mean that one director or some shit? -It was more like a general. But I don¡¯t think I ever got their name¡­ I had a guess who that might have been¡­ But he was right. It did not matter. -The fact is, before the ¡°deadline¡± he was already under the influence of ILMA. Meaning, all of the force stationed there was also pacified. -She did act quick. -Yeah¡­ Even if their boss wasn¡¯t there, I am pretty sure that she¡¯d be in control anyway. For such powerful mages, they seemed awfully weak-minded. -That¡¯s unusual. -Yeah. Such an ¡°elite force¡± shouldn¡¯t be that easy to manipulate¡­ -Not so elite then. -Well, not like any of us were aware at that point. Nor would it matter, all of us were just following ILMA, without us noticing. -Yeah, what did she want then? You said she told you her plan? -It¡¯s not a plan, more like requirements for creating what I asked of her. -And that was¡­? -A lot of mana. -Only that? -And a bit of open space. -Is that all? Seems awfully¡­ -Easy? Of course. But, it was true. -So she did follow through? -That she did. -On that day, we led her out, on the surface. After a quick glance, she quickly found a ¡°place that would be perfect¡±, as she said. -Meaning what? -It didn¡¯t seem like anything. It was just a random place under some kind of a tree. -A tree¡­? Sounds¡­ familiar. -Well, yes. And you are right, that sounds about right. -Huh? -You¡¯ll get it soon enough. -Okay¡­? -She told us to step away and she sat next to the tree. It didn¡¯t seem like anything was happening at all, but I soon could see that she was absorbing an enormous amount of mana from it, yet it was not wilting. -Really? Some enchanted tree? -Nope, it was completely mundane. But, what was under was not. -Under? -A leyline. Well, not directly under at first. It only started moving when she started her¡­ ritual. -She moved a leyline!? You can do that?! -I was surprised as well. And so was our guest. -I fucking bet. -It was¡­ astounding. The amount of magic going through her was something to behold¡­ And I still have not seen a larger amount used at once as of now. -Hm. That was saying something. He¡¯s been a witness to a lot, as far as I knew. -She did as she said. She made her a body. Or, grew it. You probably figured that out already, but her body was made out of wood. Ah. Made sense. -Honestly, it was pretty good. Amazing even. I couldn¡¯t even dream of making something like that by myself. -If that¡¯s what I think it was, I am not impressed. -But you should. I didn¡¯t finish yet. Sure, it was made out of wood, but it didn¡¯t seem like that at all. It was like a perfect replica of human flesh, the only difference was that the color was different. -You checked? - I asked, grinning. -Believe me, I wanted to. But I could only see it from afar. -What, your wife didn¡¯t let you? What¡­ -Oh, that¡¯s not because of her. It was ILMA. -...? -The moment she finished and the new body of Il had stood up, I wanted to get to her and immediately check if everything went alright. But, as I took a step forward, I felt myself unable to move. -... -I found myself sunk into the ground. I can¡¯t tell how I didn¡¯t notice it before, especially since I was trapped up to my waist. -Sloppy¡­ -I blame my clouded mind for this. And ILMA. Both were most likely correct. -The ground, like a swamp, has trapped everyone and had hardened already. The only people who were able to move were ILMA and the new body that had just been created. -She¡­ worked with her? -No. I am not sure what happened, but she was definitely not with her. I could still contact her, and she was as confused as we were. She wanted to talk to her, but she was not listening. 224. Leftovers -Stay still. I don¡¯t want to hurt you. -I don¡¯t understand¡­ What''s going on!? The two of them were next to each other, ILMA tall and brimming with energy, while the new body of Il seemed weak and frail in comparison. Especially so, because she was on her knees. -ILMA, what are you doing?! You know that they will not be lenient with you! -Oh. You can talk. Intriguing. She turned to me. She seemed genuinely impressed? I didn¡¯t think that was something she was capable of, yet that was the case. -Lenient? You think anyone will do anything? Of course not. Isn¡¯t that right, ¡°boss-man¡±? The ¡°boss-man¡± in question was already more than half-way submerged into the ground and sinking slowly. His face was covered with¡­ mud? Yeah, it was mud. It was crawling on him like some strange living being, preventing him from talking. Yet, he seemed unbothered. Just like everyone else, he was just there, unmoving, staring into space. -What did you do!? -What is it for you? Weren¡¯t they just a nuisance? She wasn¡¯t wrong. -That doesn¡¯t explain things! -And it doesn¡¯t have to. She seemed satisfied with the answer, because she turned away from me and instead focused on the three again. -Hey! ILMA! Explain! She seemed irritated for some reason. What did I do to her? -You¡¯re still here? Just be quiet like the rest of them. She waved her hand and the soil raised even more, crawling up my torso and covering my mouth, not letting me speak. -ILMA, stop! Why are you doing this!? It was Il. She shook off the initial shock that came with her new body and the overall situation that we found ourselves in. -Ah. Right. You¡¯re still here, original. -Original? -Don¡¯t play with me. I know who my creators are. One annoying, one boring¡­ and you. The base. That was an¡­ interesting way to describe our team. -Don¡¯t worry. I will not hurt you, none of you. Unlike some of you, I still have my gratitude for you all. Well, most of you¡­ - she said, looking directly at me. I only could return her look. -Not hurt us¡­ as far as I am aware, you already killed one of us. Don¡¯t need to lie to me - said Il. I guess she was feeling brave, because that was definitely risky. Yet, ILMA was calm. And even replied. -Dead? Your information is as wrong as it gets. No one has died, not yet. At least none of¡­ significant ones. -Significant? You call us insignificant then¡­ We created you, that has to count for something, right? -You misunderstand. I am very aware that without you, I would never exist. That¡¯s why I am thankful and sparing your lives. For each of you, I gave something in return. Honestly, probably more than I should. -Give¡­? -Yes, of course. What, are you blind? Of course you¡¯re not, I know what I¡¯ve created. That body is perfect. -So that¡¯s my¡­ ¡°gift¡±, then? -Funnily enough, no. That is not a gift to you, but to him. She gestured towards me. -He was the one who requested that. And I obliged, as you can see. For you, I already gave a lot. And I am about to give more. -What are you¡­ She raised her palm, and in her hand suddenly appeared a crystal. Similar to one I had, or any other, to be honest. But this one was full of mana¡­ very familiar mana. -Do you recognize that one? Il looked confused for a moment, but a second later she understood. She knew what she was looking at. Or rather, on whom. -Il¡­ -Yes. Your daughter. I saved her life. While some of you had a lot more magic to¡­ resist what happened back then, she did not. Even while being a child of two powerful parents, it was too much for her. But I protected her. And I am about to give her something more. She walked up towards one of the grounded people. I am uncertain who exactly, all of them looked similar in those binds, not like I even could distinguish them otherwise. I never paid attention, really. Without hesitation, she stabbed them with the crystal that was apparently hosting our daughter. -That ought to do it. Give it a day or two and she¡¯ll be like new. Il was terrified. -You gave me this body and you forced her into something¡­ someone like THAT?! This¡­ -Oh, don¡¯t panic - she waved her hand. - It¡¯s not that bad. First of all, I still need mana for a lot of other things right now. Besides, her body will soon adapt. -Adapt? -You¡¯ll see. Probably. Anyway, there¡¯s still this one¡­ She focused on the ¡°boss¡± of the group. -First off¡­ Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. She grabbed his head. Still no reaction. And he¡¯s not going to be able to react any more, because in a flash, all the mana he had vanished, and he just fell onto the ground. -Great. That¡¯s done. Now I know. She released him, and the lifeless body fell onto the ground with a dull thud. -In here after all, hm¡­? - she mumbled and turned back towards me. -What are you talking about¡­? - asked a lot calmer now Il. -I found the last one. Rejoice, you will soon have your reunion. -Reunion¡­? -I am putting MIRE back together. I couldn¡¯t understand what she was talking about. Putting MIRE together? We all were here, what was¡­ Wait. We weren''t all here. There was still one that was dead. Are you kidding me? She was about to bring the dead back to life? She looked¡­ almost disappointed? With who? It was so easy for her? Really? She snapped her fingers and in front of her a gateway opened. Yes¡­ gateway. That¡¯s the best description I can give. It wasn¡¯t like the portals I¡¯ve seen¡­ it was¡­ almost ornamental. A large hole in space that was adorned with letters and symbols that I didn¡¯t understand. What kind of magic was that? I thought that every spell used just the regular alphabet¡­? Was she doing that on purpose? To obfuscate the actual content from us? On the other side though¡­ I could see a room¡­? A cell¡­? No. It was a containment unit. I¡¯ve seen something like that before. Just like under us, similar stone walls that we ourselves made. I thought I knew all the rooms there, but that one I didn¡¯t recognize. The walls were glowing¡­ and inside, on the floor, just lying there was¡­ -MOR?! An unconscious body of Mor. Yes. Unconscious. I was certain he was dead! Sure, he was missing an arm, but he was not bleeding. He was just¡­ there. Asleep. And yet, via the portal I could clearly tell that his mana was not gone. Sure, most of it was coming from the pieces of crystal stuck in his body, but¡­ Yeah, about that. As the gateway opened, ILMA raised her hand, and from her palm, just like before, a shard of crystal emerged. And shot right towards his torso. I had a feeling I wouldn¡¯t be able to stop it, even if I was able to move. Not because it was swift, or particularly strong, no. It honestly felt¡­ like she was doing the right thing. It was most likely just because of her influence over me. And yet, it wasn¡¯t that far from the truth. The moment the stone pierced his body, his mana suddenly shifted. Once dormant and sleeping, now everything inside him started boiling, whirling and¡­ He opened his eyes. -Mor!? Mor!? What¡¯s going on?! Are you okay?! It was Il. Just like me, enthralled by this show, she finally managed to come back to her senses. But he didn¡¯t reply. He stood up. His eyes, glowing. Turned towards ILMA and started walking out, through the portal. The moment he stepped though, the walls that before were glowing and full with magic suddenly dimmed and went completely dark. That was the last thing I saw before the gateway closed. -And with that, my job is done - finally announced ILMA. -What did you do to him?! -Saved him from you. -That does not look¡­ But, she choked on her words. It was enough of a shock to see him alive, and on top of that in some dungeon¡­ our dungeon. There was no mistaking it. It definitely was the chamber under us. I could deny it, but one look behind me would be enough to make me understand: the underground structure, just moments ago teeming with magic, has been completely drained of mana and dead. -I would love to talk all this out, of course¡­ - she said - but we have no time. I was not going to believe that lie. She was not even trying to hide the hostility, at least towards me. But, that was the only lie. The fact that we were running out of time was more than clear. For the first time in a while, I felt motivated. And I knew what I was going to do. -You need to move. And quick. They will be starting procedures in less than a minute - I spoke directly to her mind. I¡¯ve never really tried doing that, but the fact that she flinched meant that it worked. -You can do that? Well, damn me. I guess that¡¯s pointless¡­ She removed the binds that were covering my mouth. -How much do you know? -Not many details. I am just aware of the safety protocols. If any of our sites are to lose power, there¡¯s said to be a mechanism to be launched from¡­ well fuck, somewhere. -Less than me then. Good thing I was prepared. -What are you talking about?! - yelped Il, confused. - I never heard of this! -You weren¡¯t the head of our branch - I simply said. -Or directly connected to the main database - added ILMA. - Listen. While I do have problems with you, I don¡¯t have time for this. I will be escaping this island with them. What you do is at least not to interrupt. -You bet I won¡¯t! You know that I care about my family. When I mentioned that, she only grimaced. What was she thinking of me!? But, I was not going to know. -Let¡¯s agree to disagree. I will be leaving now. Just like before, she gestured and a portal opened in front of her. This time, it was more akin to what I was used to seeing: just a plain, circular doorway that didn¡¯t have anything visible on the other side, just a foggy, distorted mess, like any portal should. But, apparently, she was not happy with that. -Peculiar¡­ - she mumbled, and hesitated for a moment. Il gave her a panicked look, not sure what¡¯s going on, and before any of us were able to react, we felt a tremor. An earthquake? It did feel that way, but it was not the ground that was shaking. It was the air. Or rather all the mana in the air. I¡¯ve never felt something like that before. I imagine that¡¯s what it would feel like to be in a body of water while there was an earthquake going on. And, on top of that, above our heads¡­ -What¡¯s going on?! The air far above our heads had exploded. That¡¯s the closest explanation I can give. Was it some sort of missile? A bomb? The ¡°protocol¡± was just them bombing us?! I mean, it was possible¡­ But whatever that was, that was not just a regular explosion. It was magical in nature. And it was not raining fire on us or anything like that, no¡­ It was like a veil that was being released far above us, trying to cover everything. -We need to¡­ Before anyone was even able to finish their thought, something had landed right next to us. Was I right about the missile after all? Well, yes and no. It was some kind of projectile, sure. But not a rocket, or anything like that. It was just a stone. Stone, that melted almost immediately as it fell and started creeping towards the underground complex. -What in the fucking¡­ -MOVE! - shouted ILMA. She grasped both Il and her ¡°daughter¡±, while pushing them through the portal. In a blink of an eye, they disappeared behind the veil, not even having time to make a noise. She was about to do the same thing to herself and Mor, who all this time was just there, standing awkwardly and without even a hint of consciousness, but just as they stepped forward through the opening, the spell started¡­ vibrating? It was the strangest sight ever: it looked like the barrier that formed the passageway was made out of rubber and just straight up bounced them away. -Wha¡­ And in the next moment, it collapsed, breaking like a destroyed mirror, showering them both with sparks of mana that promptly got absorbed by both of them, 225. Precautions -YOU! She immediately turned to me. Before I even spoke a word, she tossed a spell right at my face. I don¡¯t even know what that was, it was so sudden. I found myself on the ground a few meters away from them, looking towards the sky. It already was covered completely by that strange membrane, but that was not the main thing I was worried about. -WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! - she yelled at me. - YOU THINK I WILL JUST LET THAT GO?! What was she talking about? I haven¡¯t done a thing, just was confused, looking up. Not for long. Another spell shook me awake. This time I was able to recognize it and the lightning that zapped my body definitely brought me back to my senses. -I haven¡¯t done anything!? She scoffed at me, angrily and waved her hand. -I CAN TELL WHERE MANA IS COMING, YOU MORON! AND THAT WAS YOU! Again, what was she on about? I haven¡¯t done¡­ Wait, what was I doing? I was standing up? I didn¡¯t want to do that¡­ What¡¯s¡­ -Defensive measures activated. Lockdown protocol engaged. Lockdown? Wait, that was me talking?! How? What?! That was definitely my voice. But not me speaking. What¡¯s going on!? -Ah. Amazing. For some reason, she suddenly calmed down. She knew what was going on? -I thought I had all my pieces together. Guess not. Without warning, she stepped forward and grabbed my face. I felt a sharp sting. Did she slap me? No¡­ It definitely felt like it, but she didn¡¯t move. But, the moment I felt pain, I also felt relief and a lot of mana left my body. She drained me. -Should¡¯ve known that you¡¯d be a sleeper. -A sleeper¡­? I could speak again. But my voice was weak, barely audible. -Your mana is tainted. And I bet it was this idiot - she said, kicking the corpse of the ¡°boss¡± that was still lying there. -What are you talking about¡­ -Just like this thing - she pointed to the ground where the ¡°missile¡± landed - you were a ¡°precaution¡±. Or, are rather. -I don¡¯t understand¡­ -You don¡¯t have to. The main fact is that you have to die. That¡¯s a sudden development. But she was not kidding. Before I even managed to process her words, I already had her hand on my neck and I felt mana leaving me. I couldn¡¯t retaliate even if I wanted to: the first ¡°slap¡± already drained so much from me that I was barely conscious. Was that going to be the end of me¡­? Well, I still had a piece of crystal, maybe again, some of me will be able to survive¡­? But, it didn¡¯t have to come to this. The one who defended me was none other than Il. As she was draining me, she lunged at her and managed to break our contact and the drain. -What do you think you¡¯re doing?! No answer. Instead, she blasted her with a spell. Of course, the effect was minimal. The lightning she created just fizzled right when it hit ILMA, but it did manage to push her away a little bit. It also gave her enough time to jump towards me, still facing her. She was protecting me? Well, that was a first. I didn¡¯t think Il¡¯d be on the offensive like that. I had to thank her later¡­ Wait. What am I doing? I was extending my hand towards her¡­? But¡­ I didn¡¯t want to¡­ What is that¡­? Mana? Am I creating a spell¡­? No! Il! MOVE! I wanted to yell. But nothing came out of my mouth. I was stuck, my body not responding to my own commands. A fiery explosion. A ball of fire that engulfed the two of us, sending me back onto the ground and her back to ILMA. -AH! -You fucking¡­ You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. -I should¡¯ve known that this idiot wouldn¡¯t be enough¡­ Who¡¯s voice was that?! It was muffled, but I felt like I¡¯ve heard this one before.. The answer came pretty swiftly. Along with a small rumble. Something¡­ was moving under us. From the ground between us¡­ a person emerged. It definitely looked like the body of the ¡°boss¡±, or rather just the goon that was sent here to keep an eye on us, but his mana¡­ was different. It was gone before, so I thought that he just might have regained some: ILMA must have not been too through with her drain, but that was not the case. This one was new to me. -Mire. Huh? MIRE? What did she mean by that? -Ah. I see you even heard that name. I guess our database had a little bit of leak. What was he talking about? A leak? -I never expected for you to be in person. -Because I am not. This is just¡­ a little bit of an extension of me - he said. -Extension¡­ you¡­ -Yes, made thanks to your example. And, of course, the rest of the team¡­ - he said, suddenly turning my way. -What¡¯s going on¡­ I don¡¯t understand¡­ - I wanted to say, but was still unable to move. -Yes, that¡¯s right, you¡¯re not disobeying orders any more, Mike, or whatever your name was. You better sit tight and not complicate things any more before I change my mind. Disobeying orders? What?! Even without me asking, he promptly explained. -Your task was to pacify her. And what happened? - he gestured towards the sky. - The whole organization is up in arms because she broke confinement. His monologue didn¡¯t last long. ILMA didn¡¯t let him. She grabbed his neck with swiftness I¡¯ve never seen from her. It almost looked like she teleported, yet she did not use any spell that I could detect. -Oh please - he said, not bothered in the slightest. - This body is dead. I am just here to make sure you¡¯re safely contained. And that¡¯s done, just for you know. He pointed towards the horizon. The membrane, the strange foil that was not so long falling on top of us, has disappeared, and the sky was just as it was before all the strangeness happened. That¡¯s besides one thing. Far on the horizon¡­ there was a fog? Wait, not a fog. A very dense, but very far mana. A very strange sight¡­ -We have created a barrier along this continent. It is now cut off from the outside world for the foreseeable future. You are now confined to this place. Good luck trying to get out - he added, grinning. -No getting out you say¡­ what if I have an anchor? -Anchor to outside? Ha, no - he laughed. - Every single one has been disrupted as soon as the veil took hold. You think we¡¯re that stupid? We can¡¯t let the prisoners get out. -Oh, but I have a fresh one. -Fresh¡­ wha¡­AAAAH! As she said that, she grabbed him harder and squeezed out¡­ something? It was¡­ I honestly don¡¯t know. It just looked like she squeezed mana out of him, if that was even possible. It looked like blood, but was glowing like crazy. Maybe it was just blood? After all, where¡¯s the most mana in a human body if not in blood. But there were no visible wounds on his body, he looked fine, despite the apparent intense pain that he was feeling. -Open. With one word, the liquid she spilled from him started boiling and turning to smoke. From the vapors, a circular gateway was forming. But, it wasn¡¯t like before. Neither was it that ornamented passageway she made at first, nor was it a regular portal. It looked irregular, the inside of it filled with dark-red mist. She dropped the, now unmoving again, body onto the ground and wanted to step through the formed passage, but¡­ she couldn¡¯t. She¡­ bounced? That was the strangest thing. It looked like the passage was rejecting her? Like there was a barrier that prevented her from walking through. -Fuck. But, when she bounced back, the fog suddenly shifted, and the gateway formed fully. It was now akin to a mirror, or rather just a window now, because we could see on the other side a very panicked man. He was sitting alone, in a very nice room. It looked like his home and he was just awakened from a sleep: laying in a bed, or rather now sitting up with his back against a white wall. I have never seen this man in my life. Small, almost dwarfish, although fit and surprisingly good-looking. It definitely was giving me mixed feelings. -A-h ha¡­ ha! - he half-laughed, half-panted, clearly distressed. - I told you you cannot leave! You are trapped! It was definitely the same voice that just moments ago was threatening us from the body lying face-down on the ground. -Lucky bastard¡­ your half-baked protection spells¡­ -Not so half-baked if they stopped you! - he said proudly, but it was clear that he was just trying to stall for time. He definitely was not expecting for her to be able to open a portal right to his home! Not like anyone would expect that, really. Every modern house was always protected with spells blocking teleportation. For someone that high up the rankings, supposedly at least, I¡¯d think his would be even better, not just some everyday systems, but even then, she broke through it. Halfway, but still. For a look was enough to a half-decent mage. -You can¡¯t get me here, you¡­ He didn¡¯t get to finish his sentence. -Move. The portal was blocking her physical body, sure. But it was not blocking her mana. And since she was able to see him clearly, she could just push him right towards her. The wall behind him moved suddenly, and the whole brick wall shifted, pushing him violently towards the portal. It was blocking her. Not him. -AAAH! One single spell and he was lying on the ground right next to her. He didn¡¯t even understand what happened to him. He rolled on the ground, flailing like a puppet, trying to grab onto the non-existing edge of the portal. Even if it was still there, it would¡¯ve been pointless. -Well, well, well¡­ - she said, dispelling the portal. The remaining bloody fog vanished, scattered on the wind. -Don¡¯t! If you try anything, you¡­ -Silence. She didn¡¯t let him speak. I don¡¯t think she felt threatened though. She just didn¡¯t like the sound of his voice. Honestly, me neither. -So, what should I do¡­ She shouldn¡¯t have played with her food. He took the opportunity. He was not silenced nor blocked from casting spells in any way. So he did. I am not sure what kind of spell he used, but I could tell that he released quite a bit of mana. Wait, never mind. I recognized that spell. He was trying to teleport. Did he have some kind of anchor hidden somewhere? Apparently not. Or he just was not good enough to pull it out with an anchor or not. I was flashbanged by a sudden burst of magic. Not even just mana, magic. It was so unexpected that I had to turn my eyes away, and that was true for everyone. Even Mor. That was also the last time I¡¯ve seen him. He was gone. But not only him. Also, a certain man that just was dragged here had no longer been with us¡­ Alive, that is. The moment ILMA noticed what¡¯s going on, she tried interrupting the spell. And that was the reason the light disappeared. While she did that, Mor was already gone, but not Mire. The guy, or rather half of him was inside the bright light that I now knew was a portal to¡­ somewhere. And when she disrupted the spell, it managed to collapse on him. I think you can imagine the result. Half of his body was gone. Luckily for him, the effect was immediate so I bet he didn¡¯t even know what happened, it was done in an instant. Half of his body vaporized by a spell. Or maybe rather just somewhere else. Not like it mattered. The perfectly clean cut didn¡¯t give much chances of survival. 226. Holes Mike finished his story. I¡­ was confused. So much of the information he provided made no sense to me. First of all, I didn¡¯t remember any of that shit. For me, I remembered being in the MIRE and then right after I was there, in the valley near Melle¡¯s place. I was pretty sure I would have remembered being kept captive somewhere. Especially if I was used as some kind of energy source¡­ Wait. How did I even think of that? He never specifically mentioned that in his story¡­? And besides, what happened to the rest of them? -And what happened then? You just left the island? You kind of cut in a weird place. -That¡¯s because there¡¯s nothing much to it. She just collapsed and that¡¯s it. -Collapsed¡­? -Yeah. I think she used too much mana and¡­ well, back then I thought she died but that was clearly not it. -That makes absolutely no sense. What about Il? And your daughter? They were with you! And as far as I know, you didn¡¯t have them for the longest time, you know? You arrived just like me, alone. He went silent. Didn¡¯t he realize I knew? -You know quite a bit. -Of course¡­? I met a lot of people¡­ I thought he knew that? -Ah¡­ I guess¡­ I shouldn''t try and paint you a fake story¡­ Okay fine. Fake story? -It¡¯s¡­ the truth is¡­ not only one person got caught up in the closed portal. Truth is, all of us were there, trying to jump through. I found it hard to believe, but did let him talk. -As it collapsed, it just split us up. I have no idea where everyone landed¡­ I was only sure of the guy dying, because the corpse¡­ half of it¡­ ended up going with me. I am not going to lie, I had a hard time buying his part of the story. And yet, I was not able to tell if he was lying to me. -So let me summarize¡­ - I started. - After our failure, I got captured by the remains of MIRE and, while presumed dead, used as an energy source for a new base. Apparently, the same base later was used as a place for ILMA to be contained in. Later, she brainwashed all of the staff there and made them release her. She then released me, but during the process got captured and jailed¡­? I still don¡¯t get that part. -Oh, that one is simple. See, we currently are in a contained zone. This whole island, long, long time ago was used as a place whole countries sent their prisoners too. Apparently, it never ended, and included us. But, since we were ¡°special¡±, they had to use a bit advanced method of containment. You probably figured some of that out. -Portals¡­ teleporting magic¡­ -Precisely. Magic, that was released with that¡­ ¡°missile¡± and enveloped the whole island¡­ bah, the whole continent. It prevents anyone inside from leaving or outside from entering, teleporting them to the other side of the barrier. I think you already experienced that, albeit on a smaller scale. He was right. I remembered. The whole spell that protected Kon¡¯s place. That blocked my passage and confused me at first. The same one I tempered with and might have modified a bit. Wait. So that was on the horizon? That was not just some random waterfall on the edge of the world. It wasn¡¯t even the edge of the world! It was just the effect of portal magic: the water being disrupted by being teleported away, and at the same time the water from the other side being teleported there. That, plus the abundance of magic, was making the strange effect. But¡­ -Wait. Didn¡¯t that veil get broken not so long ago? -Broken? Ah, you talking about that¡­ no. It was hit, but not broken. Well, he was probably correct, because if it was, probably someone would¡¯ve noticed. I turned in his grasp to look at the horizon. Now, when I knew what to look for, I could tell that his story, at least this part, could¡¯ve actually been true. So we really were just still in the same world, just¡­ isolated. That was¡­ boring. Honestly, with that much mana we released I really thought that we might have broken the veil between worlds¡­ If those existed in the first place, that is. But that was a question for another day. Now then¡­ -Where do we go from here? - I asked. - I am kind of stuck at the moment, so, what do you intend to do? -I intend to wait for you to recover. Hell, already you made some progress. -I did? -You¡¯re talking, right? -I was all the time¡­? -I mean with a regular mouth. Not just your mind. -I¡­ Oh. Right. I was. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. After his story I have been talking to him normally and I didn¡¯t even notice. I actually had to take a look at myself to check how much I already regenerated, and honestly, it was a lot more than I expected. Sure, I still was just a head, but I had a neck now! And a fully formed face. I think. Some progress. -Hm¡­ Well, that¡¯s probably going to take a long while¡­ -Not exactly. Judging by the speed of this, I assume you should be done in about an hour. -Hour?! How would he even know that? -I know because it¡¯s not the first time I¡¯ve been dealing with artificially grown bodies. Ah right. He was still listening. And of course, that was also true. He was the one who was investigating ways to give bodies to ¡°remnants¡±. Hell, I bet he was the one who even coined that term. Or was it ¡°revenants¡±? -Well, that¡¯s a bit¡­ well¡­ - he paused and considered something for a moment. -...? -There are both ¡°remnants¡± and ¡°revenants¡±. You and me, for example, are ¡°revenants¡±. Those are people who lost their bodies and managed to recreate, or get new ones in some kind of way. ¡°Remnants¡± are those without body, trapped within something. A piece of crystal, most usually. Like ILMA was before. And, from what I know, Kon. Hm. So that¡¯s how it''s supposed to be? I used either of those randomly, to be honest. -Well, you were wrong. -How was I supposed to know if you didn¡¯t tell me before? -Right. -Whatever. Now I guess we wait for my recovery I guess¡­? Then what? -Then we chase her again. -Huh!? You still going on about that? Why are you even trying so hard? It¡¯s not like she¡¯s any danger to us. -Maybe not to you specifically, sure. But don¡¯t you think it¡¯s kind of our duty to clean our mess? -I believe it¡¯s already past the point of no return. Weren¡¯t we ¡°banished¡± or some shit? -And that releases us from responsibility how? That was strange. I didn¡¯t think of him to be so¡­ responsible? Especially after the organization that he tried being so loyal to essentially just let him to rot. Blackmailed him. -They did not let me to rot. I still was in contact with them for a long time after the¡­ problem. But that¡¯s besides the point. I am not trying to be loyal to them, you know. I just don¡¯t want for ILMA to be released outside. Right. He was still listening. I kept forgetting that. I probably should¡¯ve been used to that already. -Why so worried? It¡¯s not like it matters? - I asked. - She¡¯s been here for a long while and what, I feel you did a lot more damage than her. -You think that was all me? - he asked. - And I didn¡¯t do that just because of her in my mind? -True¡­ -Let¡¯s be brutally honest. If not for my strong mind, she would¡¯ve been outside a long time ago. And probably would¡¯ve done the same thing outside. -So? -SO? You think assimilating everyone is such a great thing?! -Maybe it is, maybe it is not¡­ But you sure she wants that? It¡¯s not like¡­ -It¡¯s not like she wants genocide on people who kept her in a cage and experimented on her? On people that wanted to use her as an object? -Okay, I didn¡¯t¡­ -Well, I do. I am sure that she wants to at least destroy the remains of the MIRE and our ¡°higher ups¡±. -I still have no idea who are those people supposed to be. -Well, I do have a vague idea. And let me tell you, that¡¯s going to be another catastrophe. -Imagine every world leader suddenly disappearing. Or even worse, suddenly shifting their views to something drastically different, following ILMA¡¯s will. -Honestly¡­ - I mumbled - I wouldn¡¯t care¡­ -Maybe you wouldn¡¯t. But that would prove disastrous for the whole world! Oh boy. That was not going where I expected to. He was starting to get all political. So I just better nod and agree, I was not pulling the pin on that grenade. Especially since he was still holding me in his hand. -Okay¡­ so, stop her from leaving. Got it. How do we do that? - I asked, trying to avoid the topic for a little bit. - I assume you need me? -I need you? -Well, you saved me. And now waiting for me to recover. -Don¡¯t you think I did it from my good nature. -No. -Hah¡­ You wound me. -But I am right. -Well¡­ -Eh¡­ Right. I do need you. I thought you might be a good insurance in case something went to shit¡­ -Of course. -Don¡¯t be like that! Like you wouldn¡¯t do the same to me! He might have been right. -So. What do you want from me? -You still have the pact with her, right? Ah. Of course he knew. -It seems so. -And it is working, right? -Yeah. I think so. -Oh. Great. I thought it was going to be harder, you know¡­ -Harder? That I was going to not cooperate¡­? -No, not that. You¡¯re not that stupid. I know how you work - he shook his head. - I thought that the pact would¡¯ve been damaged. -Well, it still can be the case¡­ I¡¯ve been through some shit recently, you know¡­ - I said, gesturing to my body. Hold on. I did that. I managed to gesture towards myself. I had arms! Hell, that recovery speed was faster than I thought. I was no longer just a head with an awkward piece of crystal sticking from it. I was a half-torso now! While my arms weren¡¯t really fully formed, I could move them and I didn¡¯t even realize it! -Oh shit. That was fast. -Well, I am helping you - commented Mike - so of course you¡¯re faster. -You are? I honestly couldn¡¯t tell. For me, his mana was as dormant as before and nothing was leaking out. Was he just bullshiting me? Then again, he also did have that strange superhuman abilities without, seemingly at least, spending any mana. Who knows what he was capable of? -Yeah, sure¡­ thanks, I guess. -No problem. But we probably should hurry up and get moving¡­ -It¡¯s not really dependent on me¡­ But, before I was able to finish my thought, I suddenly felt a surge of energy. Yeah, this time I clearly felt his mana around me. Before I was even able to protest, or do anything for that matter, really, I was already fully enveloped with his mana. -What are you¡­ I expected the worst. But, surprisingly, his mana was not invasive. It was really¡­ neutral? Like he was purposefully making it feel that way. I mean, sure, it probably could be just attributed to being kind and all that, but I kept having a feeling that he was trying to hide something. Not like I could do anything about that¡­ His help was appreciated and very effective. In a moment I was covered with his mana, the other one it was already gone, absorbed by my own crystal body. -Oohh¡­ It was the fastest I have ever regenerated. I could see my body reform right in front of my eyes. From the neck down, I sprouted legs and completely formed arms, moments later standing on my own two legs. -Holy¡­ that¡¯s effective. -You¡¯re welcome. Now¡­ Again, without any prompt, he waved his hand and a flash of mana blinded me. Portal magic? Something similar. In a blink of an eye, I found myself standing in front of a familiar scene: a forest. With a rather large clearing inside that definitely had some signs of magic and fire damage as well. Arbo. 227. Dilation -Hm. A bit better than I expected. Better? -Yeah, I thought that the damage would be worse after what happened here¡­ well, not so recently. -It¡¯s been pretty recent, to be honest¡­ - I said, realizing what he was alluding to. -If you don¡¯t include the time bullshit. -Time bullshit. -Time dilation with teleports. While I am a bit better at it, I am not sure about¡­ others that you might have been involved with. Hm. He knew a lot. And more importantly, he was better at it? That was intriguing. I¡¯d have to get a better look at that spell if I ever get a chance. -So¡­ how long? -I can¡¯t really tell you¡­ - he shrugged. - Besides myself being a bit out of it, if you know what I mean¡­ -Yeah¡­ -...I also never kept track of time¡­ After living for a long time, time gets sort of subjective and distorted if you know what I mean¡­ I could imagine. -Okay¡­ so why are we here? -It¡¯s the only place I had an anchor to at hand. He had anchors? Didn¡¯t he just appear out of thin air? How the hell would he have anchors? -I didn¡¯t mean physical anchor¡­ You know, never mind. -Oh, I do mind. Explain. -Eh¡­ It is the last place I¡¯ve used rather large amounts of magic. It still had a lot of it hanging around, you know, so I could just hook onto that instead of some physical object. Is that enough of an explanation? I wasn¡¯t certain if he was bullshiting me or not, but that could be possible. After all, what is an anchor if not just a familiar piece of mana? That kind of technique could be useful¡­ to teleport to any place you¡¯ve been? You could¡¯ve cut down on a lot of preparation time¡­ -You¡¯re quick on the uptake, as usual¡­ - he muttered. - Yeah, but that¡¯s not something that convenient - he quickly added. - You still need to prepare the place beforehand¡­ And it¡¯s one time only. I already used the mana from this place, so I¡¯d have to infuse it again¡­ Of course there had to be some kind of drawback. But hey, it had potential. I am sure with enough time, someone could figure it out and make it better. -Hm. Well, theoretical magic aside, let''s get on dealing with a bit more pressing matters. -Right¡­ And that is? -ILMA of course. -I know, but maybe a little bit more description than that¡­? She had already fled, and we had lost contact. What¡¯s your plan? -Oh, it¡¯s quite easy. I¡¯ll make you open the portal. Of course it had to be something like that. But¡­ -Me? And how exactly do you want to do that? As far as I was aware, the blood connection would be needed to attempt something like that. The fact of problematic bodies aside, he should be enough, right? Wasn¡¯t he also related to ILMA? -Simple. You have a contract with her, right? Oh. That¡¯s what he was interested in. True, that was the case¡­ and since after all that bullshit of ¡°absorbing¡± went down, it was even more effective. I think. -Okay¡­ I can try. -Not only try. You will do it. -Hm. Don¡¯t you think she¡¯s got some kind of protection, though? I think it¡¯s a bit too simple, isn¡¯t it? -Simple? Sure. Effective? I don¡¯t think so. We¡¯re still gambling with time. -Gambling with time? -What, you think you¡¯re going to be avoiding the time dilation? Heh. That would be something for sure. OH. So we were worried about that, too? -How much are we talking? -Depends on a person. I don¡¯t use this thing, only in emergencies. -Didn¡¯t you just use it now? -It was marked beforehand on purpose, so no. And even if I fucked up, the difference would be minimal, up to hour or something along those lines. -Hm. -With you being¡­ sorry to say, but inexperienced in this kind of magic¡­ -Yeah, I guess¡­ -...we are looking on either days or weeks. And that¡¯s if you don¡¯t fuck up. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. That was a lot less than I expected. Wasn¡¯t our last teleportation a lot worse? Was she so bad at it? -I am not sure - he shrugged. - In any case, you better prepare. I still need to make some preparations of my own. -Sure¡­ And how I was supposed to do that? Sure, I could try concentrating and shit, but that wouldn¡¯t help much. I had the incantation engraved in my memory already: after seeing it that many times I was sure that in this I wouldn¡¯t fail. Besides that, the connection, maybe¡­? I guess, but without actually attempting the spell, or at least invoking the contract, there was nothing to do. And I was not going to do that: she would get a clear warning. Okay, if the time difference would be real, it wouldn¡¯t matter, but better safe than sorry, I guess? I don¡¯t think he cared, though. He nodded and stepped away, towards the center of the clearing. I was wondering what he meant by his own preparations, but soon I got to see. The moment he was away from me, he started releasing massive amounts of mana. He tried redirecting it as far away from me as possible. Granted, that was a good thought on his part: if he was any closer, the stream would¡¯ve just been pulled towards me. He targeted a seemingly random spot somewhere on the clearing and was pouring his magic towards it constantly, until it started glowing in my enhanced sight. It also made me realize that he was, again, using this ¡°neutral¡± mana, or rather hiding the aspects of it, making me unable to read them. Intriguing. Few minutes later, apparently content, he finally interrupted the stream and started moving back, visibly drained. -That bad¡­? - I mumbled, looking closer at him. -Egh¡­ Now, when I had an occasion, I actually could see how his body was¡­ different. Or did it change recently¡­? I couldn¡¯t really tell, but his crystal had something akin to sand trapped within it. It was strange. The Origin Crystal wass supposed to be pristine and be able to purge any impurities. Did that mean that those particles were there on purpose? Who knows. He was definitely not going to tell me. As I was waiting for him to read my mind once again and reply to me¡­ ¡­but that did not happen. Unusual. So far he¡¯s been on point with that. Was he really that drained? -We¡­ we need to move¡­ - he said, barely audible, having a hard time catching a breath. Wait, we didn¡¯t even need to breathe. What the hell? -Yeah, no - I replied, coming closer and trying to give him a hand so he won¡¯t slam his head against the ground. - You¡¯re in no shape to move, not to mention cast spells. -I¡­ I will manage. Just get¡­ He pushed my hand away, and just as predicted, fell face first into the ground. -See? Come on, don¡¯t be stubborn. I grabbed him and wrapped his hand on my neck, helping him stand up. -Come on. -Get me¡­ the sun¡­ -Sun? All right¡­ Easier said than done. The trees were tall enough to give shade to the whole clearing, even this size. The easiest probably would be¡­ -Vsipdo. I swiped my hand towards the canopy above us and the one word was enough to cut straight through all the branches. -Gus. Before those managed to fall on top of us, though, I pushed them away towards the trees. -You¡­ you¡¯re better than expected¡­ he mumbled, sprawled out in the sun. -Wha¡­? This little thing? - I asked, slightly confused. - That¡¯s nothing. -Yea¡­ besides using direct spells¡­ I thought you would be a lot more drained after regeneration. -Eh. I guess you gave me more than you should. -No kidding¡­ But even then¡­ If it was me who was this damaged I¡¯d not be even able to cast anything at all¡­ -And how many times was that? -Multiple. You think all of my fights ended in victory. Of course you only have seen some of those. -And against not the best opponent - I nodded. - Il is not the most powerful¡­ -Oh, she¡¯s got plenty of power¡­ she is just not the best at putting it to use¡­ Or¡­ I guess it¡¯s ¡°was¡± now¡­ -Let¡¯s not be so pessimistic - I interrupted him. - Who knows in what shape she is. -Don¡¯t be stupid - he sighed heavily. - Even if we think of the best scenario, you definitely made us skip some time. And ILMA was definitely not idling, waiting for us. No, she already consumed all of them. I didn¡¯t say anything. Sadly, it was a very possible scenario. While I believed in her resilience, there was only so much she could do¡­ But then again, she wasn¡¯t alone. There was still For and Kon¡­ and Il! They also were definitely resisting. While maybe not working together, but still, that had to count for something! -We will check that sooner or later - I simply said. - When I¡¯m going to attempt to portal us, I¡¯ll know for sure. -You think? And how are you going to be sure if that¡¯s not just some remains that just are lingering, like in Melle¡¯s case. Ouch. Yeah, that was also possible. -We¡¯ll cross the bridge when we get there. -Just a minute¡­ I¡¯m almost there¡­ -Almost? Stop rushing! - I wanted to stop him, but he was already standing up. Honestly, he was looking better than I expected. Maybe not fully regenerated, but definitely a lot better than before. Strangely, he apparently had a different idea about that. -Yeah¡­ you¡¯re right. I am barely able to even hold myself together, not to mention using good magic. -What do you mean? He looked at me, confused. -What? -What ¡°what¡±? He shook his head. -I am saying I can¡¯t hold my body together. I still need more magic to be effectively mobile¡­ -What the fuck are you talking about!? He looked directly at me. -I can¡¯t handle biotic infusion perpetually yet - he said, giving me a sideways look. - Why do I need to tell you that? You can see it clearly, don¡¯t you? I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. For a second, I wanted to fake being knowledgeable, but decided against it. After all, it was only a matter of time before he would realize that I was lying. -Nope. Can¡¯t see shit. He just stared at me. -What?! I never was good with detecting different types of mana! What¡¯s that ¡°biotic infusion¡±? -You¡­ you¡¯re not lying - he said, genuinely surprised. - How¡­? -Er¡­? -How are you holding together, then?! -I dunno?! I just am¡­? -I can¡¯t¡­ You are serious. Did you really¡­ how¡­ With every broken sentence he was inching ever closer towards me. For some reason, that was giving me a very ominous feeling. -Calm down - I said, raising my hands. - Maybe I am just doing that unconsciously! You know how magic is, you often do more than you speak and so on. Just explain to me so I can properly understand. He stopped and nodded. -Right¡­ that wouldn''t make sense¡­ something like us can¡¯t exist otherwise¡­ it would¡­ Never mind. Yes. He regained his composure and started explaining to the best of his ability. 228. Ability -I know you are aware of infusions, right? -Pouring magic into one object to¡­ do shit. Of course. -A very¡­ basic idea I see. -Oh come on, you know that I know! We¡¯ve been using that for ages! You literally, probably. Hell, we made ILMA that way! -Hm¡­ True¡­ ILMA, or rather what was her root of existence, was essentially a very large magic crystal infused with mana of our trio. Well, back then it was just a trio, but now she¡¯s got a LOT more under her belt. -So¡­ I am doing exactly that. But to myself - he continued. - Without that, I¡¯d perish already. I mean, I am constantly pouring mana into myself, to sustain my body. -I can¡¯t see you doing shit - I pointed out. - Sure, I am not the best, but that¡¯s something I would definitely see. -What are you talking about? You have to be able to see this! -I can only see your mana flame, that¡¯s about it - I simply said. - Nothing more, nothing less. Sure, you might be sometimes brighter or dimmer, but¡­ -That¡¯s not it¡­ You sure you can¡¯t see it? -Nope. -Strange¡­ I thought¡­ that would be easy to detect. That¡¯s peculiar¡­ -Well, can you disable it for a moment? Maybe I can see the difference then? He looked daggers at me. That is a no, then. -My bad. I am not trying to¡­ -I know. Eh¡­ you¡¯re sometimes too stupid. Yeah, sure, I can do that. -Er, fuck you? He rolled his eyes. -Never mind. Just look closely. He sat down next to me and focused. Honestly, I couldn¡¯t see much of a difference. At least, in his magical form. His regular body did change a little bit¡­ it seemed like it dimmed down and¡­ Ah. Those particles of sand appeared again? But this time, they were more like gravel, not just sand. A moment later, they again turned into thin dust and he took a deep breath. -There¡­ Anything? -Actually, yeah, but not in a way I thought¡­ I mean¡­ -So, that means that you are really not doing it¡­ And I was sure that with your form¡­ it¡¯s so clean¡­ -Oh come on. -You¡¯re telling me you¡¯re like that naturally? He meant the lack of ¡°gravel¡±? Or dust? -I guess¡­? -You¡¯re more interesting than I thought¡­ I guess everyone is really different¡­ -I mean¡­ that¡¯s given¡­? -No, I don¡¯t mean like that¡­ I mean, as the pieces of Origin Crystal. We all have different powers. Hold on a moment. -Powers? That¡¯s just spells, aren¡¯t they? -You said it yourself, you can¡¯t see me spending mana, can you? -Yes, but¡­ -And it¡¯s not just two of us. There¡¯s always ILMA. To be honest with you, I just thought that was only her because of her being an AI and overall weird¡­ -Well, she is¡­ -Yes. But just like you, she wasn¡¯t able to detect my enhancements¡­ I guess that¡¯s not a spell after all¡­ If not the ability of the Crystal, then what is it? -Beats me. But wait, how does that even function? How did you even discover that¡­? You had to cast some kind of spell, right? -Not really. When I was trying to train myself to hold more mana, I just did it accidentally. Then I tried walking back to the palace, just to slam my face right into the doorway, breaking it in the process. -Wait, what? -Yeah, that¡¯s where the speed came from. And strength, I suppose. Ah. So that¡¯s how we were chasing ILMA before. That ¡°ability¡± of his. I honestly was doubting that was the case¡­ -So wait. If that¡¯s true, that would mean I also had some other ability like that. That ILMA had something. That EVERYONE who had a piece of the Origin Crystal had something. -It seems like that¡¯s the case, yes - he nodded. - I know what ILMA¡¯s is. It¡¯s not that far away from mine: it¡¯s also strengthening, but not in body, rather in mind. -Strengthening someone¡¯s mind¡­? -Her mind is unbreakable. Literally. -Mhm¡­ I think we know that¡¯s not true. -Oh, but it is. Even if physically in pieces, it is still together. Essentially, she can split herself into multiple pieces, while still having direct connection with them. -That¡¯s¡­ interesting ability¡­ - I said, not knowing why he was saying that as if it was some sort of secret. After all, I¡¯ve already seen it. Hell, it was the main source of most of our problems right now¡­ -Yeah, I am aware that you know. It¡¯s kind of the whole point of everything¡­ -Mhm¡­ And I guess the whole assimilation is also part of it? This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. -Yeah. -Concerning. -But, I have a better question. What do you think mine is¡­? -Yours¡­? I am not so certain about that¡­ I mean¡­ I might have a guess or two. -Go for it. -Well¡­ I think it also has something related to your mind. -Hmmm? -Yes¡­ I think your mind is more resistant¡­ to everything. Like¡­ almost numb. -Okay, are you trying to insult me? -Quite the opposite. That was a compliment. I think¡­ you are able to resist most of the mind influencing effects. -I honestly doubt it - I said flat out, remembering multiple times when my head was influenced by many things. -Yes¡­ While I am not sure how exactly, you are resisting a lot of spells¡­ some of those, well¡­ I am ashamed to say, mine. -Excuse me? He chuckled. -Oh, you didn¡¯t even realize? I have¡­ I mean, before, not now, tried using a lot of things on you. All of those failed. -Like what? -Like during our first meeting. I wanted to make you speak the truth. Wanted to look inside your mind. -And you did - I pointed out. -Oh, yes. But very briefly. See, that was supposed to be permanent. -You what?! -Yes - he said, not elaborating further. - Same with trying to read your mind, even now. I can only look at your external, very brief thoughts. -And yet, somehow you are able to tell what exactly I am thinking pretty often. -Because I know you. And you¡¯re not trying to hide anything. I bet if you were to put your mind to it, you¡¯d be able to conceal even that. That was¡­ an interesting perspective on things. But, I had a bad feeling that he was not telling me the truth. Especially the second part. What if he was actively trying to make me drop my guard? To make me think something I didn¡¯t want him to hear? Very possible. But, I did consider it a possibility. If he was telling the truth, I¡¯d be very convenient¡­ -Okay¡­ maybe¡­ That¡¯d definitely be useful. -You don¡¯t even know. But sadly, I don¡¯t have any idea about the rest of your party. -Not like it matters - I commented. - Those are most likely already assimilated. -Maybe not. Maybe it does. See, if ILMA would know about those abilities, she¡¯d definitely also be able to use them, you know. -Shit¡­ -But, maybe it¡¯s for the best that I don¡¯t know. He had a point. But then¡­ that only would be the case if they didn¡¯t know either. After all, after assimilating them, she would¡¯ve instantly known it already. The only good scenario would be THEM not knowing their abilities, either. And honestly, that was most likely the case here. Still¡­ I had my doubts. Not to his story, no. I think he genuinely believed what he was saying. But, as proved before, that didn¡¯t mean shit. I gazed briefly towards him, seeing how much he exactly picked up from my thoughts, but it seemed that either he was not going to acknowledge my worries, or straight up didn¡¯t get anything from me. Hopefully the second was the case, but I was not going to ask about that. -So¡­ you rest. I¡¯m going to¡­ prepare myself. -I should be good in a minute. -Mhm. Just as he said, a minute was enough for him. Pretty quick, especially after hearing about how he was ¡°drained¡± and all that bullshit. No matter. I was not going to delve into that. -Good. Let¡¯s go - he said, seemingly prepared. I took a gaze on his mana. In my eyes, he looked just like before: neither full, nor drained. Just¡­ normal. Which meant he was drained to shit: knowing how his body was, he should be a very bright spot in my view. Was that ¡°ability¡± of his also to blame? Who knows. -Okay¡­ Well, I am as ready as it gets¡­ just let me be clear, you want me to try and teleport to her directly, right? -I would prefer you to open a portal, if you can. Maybe then we can minimize the side effects, you know. -Dilation and shit, right¡­ -Yeah¡­ There¡¯s still the problem of distance, but we¡¯ll cross that bridge when we get there, you know. -Right¡­ Well, here goes nothing. I took a deep breath. Already, at my feet, in the dirt there was a magical circle. I did draw it beforehand, with him assisting me a few times, but that was just to fix things that I had accidentally erased while walking around. After all, a drawing in the dirt was hardly permanent. I focused on my contract. And¡­ Summoned it without any issue? Hell. That went easier than before. I barely even had to exert myself for it to appear in front of me. Good. Now to open a gateway¡­ -Open. I didn¡¯t even think about it twice, but I used¡­ just plain language. And it worked flawlessly. Right in front of us, filling the dirt-circle, opened a blu-ish void, with a foggy inside. -Huh¡­ good work. I thought that would be harder for you¡­ - said Mike, clearly also surprised that I managed it on the first try without any issue. -You¡¯ll compliment me on the other side. Who knows WHEN this shit is going to toss us. -Fair enough. Well, I am off. Without much need of encouragement, he stepped forward and jumped in. For a second I was worried that the moment he gets too close his crystal is going to absorb the spell and be problematic, but nope. He was either controlling it very well, or it was just the case of our crystals unable to interfere in each other¡¯s magic. If that was even true in the first case. Anyway, he passed through smoothly, and so, without much of a thought, I just joined him, jumping forward a few seconds later. Despite the looks, the journey through was a rough one. The first problem was the obvious: changes in gravity during the trip. I kind of expected that: I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d be getting any ceilings where we were going. I probably should¡¯ve planted the circle on the tree or something like that. Whatever. Second problem was more worrying¡­ Duration. Usually, the portal takes less than a second. And I was falling for more than ten and still didn¡¯t see the exit. I mean, looking at the bright side: I could at least see what the inside of the portal looked like¡­ While not really something I wanted to do, it was still an interesting experience. It was just a lot of blue fog. I sort of thought that I might see Mike in front of me or somewhere, but nope. After about half a minute, I finally was spit out of the void and landed right next to a very confused Mike. The entrance behind me closed before I even managed to get my bearings. I looked behind me, and it appeared like we just got launched from a tree trunk. Predictable, I guess¡­ -Fuuck¡­ That was weird¡­ - I mumbled, gathering myself from the ground. -You don¡¯t say¡­ - he mumbled. - But¡¯s the worst¡­ I managed to regenerate myself quite a bit¡­ -Eh¡­ Wait, what?! Did you absorb part of the portal?! -Only part of the void - he explained. -¡±Void?¡± That was the portal! Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s the reason why it took so long?! -Ehh, don¡¯t worry, that¡¯s definitely not it¡­ I only started it after it took more than a second to complete¡­ -More than¡­ Okay, fuck you. -What?! I was not going to even try and entertain him. He was definitely trying to mess with me. Just a second?! No wonder it took so long. Why would he even do that?! To sabotage me or something!? It¡¯s not like it only affected me, though. If the portal collapsed, that would also be his problem. Or¡­ was he thinking that since he was first, he¡¯d gone through first, he¡¯d leave it before it became a problem¡­? Not good. But, where did we arrive, actually? Did we end up where he wanted to¡­? Or did his fuckery also cost us the destination¡­? 229. Portals For the first time, I looked around us. And¡­ Well, I saw nothing much. Just a bunch of trees. -The fuck are we¡­? - I asked, not really expecting an answer. -You¡¯re asking me? -Well, I was NOT a ruler of a rather large part of this continent. You were here longer than me as well¡­ -I wonder about that¡­ Well, even though - he said, scratching his head - the king is not responsible for charting maps. -Fair. -I don¡¯t feel her, though. -Same¡­ -But¡­ - he continued - I do find this place¡­ familiar. -Hm¡­? Confused, I tried expanding my senses, but didn¡¯t feel much of anything¡­ besides one thing. Somewhere in front of us, there was a strange disturbance in mana. It wasn¡¯t a hole, nor any tighter concentration of it either. It was just¡­ like magic in that place was disturbed. Did it happen recently¡­? I am not sure. For sure I didn¡¯t feel anything familiar, though. -Let¡¯s see and take a look - he said, probably feeling my indifference. I nodded, and followed him through the trees. At first, there was nothing interesting about the surroundings. Then, we started finding some rubble. Pieces of buildings? Or something? Couldn¡¯t really tell, because whatever that was, it was ancient. Overgrown with moss and other greenery to the point where I was unable to even tell the material it was made out of. But, it had to be some kind of stone, at least, because wood would be gone a long time ago. Well, not infused wood, but that I¡¯d notice. I hope. Not so long later, I started hearing some water. A stream? A whole river maybe? But, as soon as I started thinking about that, we found a clearing. It was not that large, but in the middle of it, there was a rather large ruin. Also completely green. Overgrown completely, but even then clearly recognizable: no kind of tall grass would hide a two-story building. Or, well, at least-two story building, because the top of it was completely missing. I think blown up even. Most likely by magic, because that was also the source of the strange mana I was feeling. -Are we¡­? He looked¡­ astonished? Why? It was just a random building. I mean, that mana disturbance was weird, sure, but not anything that would be¡­ As I was thinking that, I looked down, towards the side. Oh, that¡¯s where the water noise was coming from, a stream had taken over a piece of bottom floor. I wonder where was that coming from¡­? Some hidden¡­ No. It can¡¯t be, right? I stepped forward, looking closer inside. I couldn''t see much, insides destroyed by the water that was gathering on the lower floor. But I could see some rusted metal under all the murky water and a staircase leading up. Mike was also very interested in the building. So much that he cast a spell, freezing the water and creating us a pathway towards the staircase. We did manage to get past the water, although barely: the ice was barely thick enough to support our weight, even one at a time. It was a bit strange, especially after seeing Mike create literal floating ice islands before. I guess he really still was not completely recovered. As we started ascending the staircase I started seeing a bit more spots that were still not taken over by nature, although there wasn''t much left to be overtaken. The walls¡­ were not rock. Those were made out of solid brick¡­ and definitely concrete. A modern building. Well, what¡¯s modern, anyway¡­ Upstairs¡­ the walls were destroyed. And the middle, the epicenter. A crater. THE crater. -MIRE¡­ -MIRE¡­ We said both in unison. Yes, that was indeed the same building. We were back to our original building. The place where everything went to shit. -How in the fuck did we end up HERE?! - I said, not hiding my absolute bewilderment. -You got us here, you explain that! - he said, not able to hide his own feelings. -Ahh¡­ maybe¡­ Did I accidentally lock on to the anomaly¡­? - I said, trying to think. - There¡¯s still some remains of the ruptured leyline¡­ -How would a ruptured leyline explain that? It¡¯s not the mana you were looking for! And it¡¯s not even that large! It almost healed. Also, if that was the case, we¡¯d land up here, not somewhere below! -So wait, you¡¯re thinking that she was here? -Well, for sure at least once. But yeah, it had to be it! She had to also come here, or you¡¯d not be able to get us here. -So wait¡­ why did that¡­ Hm¡­ Okay. What for¡­? It¡¯s not like there¡¯s anything remaining here? -I am thinking¡­ He started pacing around, looking at different ruined pieces, but didn¡¯t seem like he found anything. -She had to be looking for something¡­ -I am sure I took everything useful when I appeared here. And not like there was anything useful anyway. -Also, the time has not been kind to this place - he agreed. - Yeah, if anything, this is even more useless than the capital. -That was burned to the ground¡­ -... -Let¡¯s check the spot where we landed. Without hesitation, we jumped down and went back. I say we, but it was just him: he did manage to recover some of his supernatural speed, so the moment he landed on the ground he just sprinted towards the spot where my portal opened. -There¡¯s nothing here! - he said, as I approached, trying not to run myself. -There has to be something! I couldn''t just hook onto nothingness! -I agree¡­ but can you see a thing?! I definitely do not. I gave the area a glance. A thorough one. I did not find shit. Everything looked like a regular forest. Hell, even the mana of the trees was no longer enhanced, just as normal as it gets. The spot was no different from any other forest on the whole continent. I just shook my head with resignation. -I don¡¯t fucking get it. -Mh¡­ Maybe it¡¯s just your spell. I don¡¯t know, you made a mistake. Fuck, shit happens, I don¡¯t know, magic is weird¡­ - he said, clearly trying to grasp at straws. Honestly, I wasn¡¯t blaming him for that¡­ This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. -Maybe¡­ -Try it again - he said suddenly. -What? -The portal. Open a new one. -Wouldn¡¯t that¡­ lead us here again¡­? -If the spell did not fail, then yes. But we¡¯d at least get a confirmation, right? That was at least an idea. -I guess I can try¡­ It¡¯s not like we¡¯re going to find anything here¡­ -Right¡­ you don¡¯t feel anyone, right? -Nope. Can you? -Isn¡¯t your ability better¡­? -I don¡¯t think so¡­ but it doesn¡¯t matter. That means no. Yeah, I wasn¡¯t feeling anyone nearby. ¡°Nearby¡± being a very relative term, but still. -Okay. Fuck it, I¡¯ll try doing this again. But I¡¯m gonna do that on the wall this time, I don¡¯t want another weird gravity shit going on. -Whatever. Go. I nodded and started writing on a moss-covered wall. I took a minute of focus and it was already done. Now for the pact¡­ I honestly was worried¡­ But for nothing. It appeared just as before, without any issue. Same with opening. Again, it was that foggy mist hiding the insides of it, or rather it being the insides. Mike took a glance around us. -Hm. I can¡¯t see the exit. -Does that mean I linked to a different place¡­? -Can¡¯t feel it either¡­ - he mumbled. He was right. Even focusing on the portal in front of me, I still was paying attention to our surroundings, and if my own portal would¡¯ve opened somewhere nearby, I¡¯d notice. -Well, only one way to find out. Let¡¯s go. And he walked through. I was not going to be far behind this time, and stepped as soon as he disappeared, no longer even considering the possibility of it disappearing on me. It didn¡¯t happen before, why would it this time? And I was right. The portal was identical as before. In more than one aspect, though. It also took longer than expected. Just like last time, maybe half a minute of strange void travel, followed by an opening. This time I had to catch myself to not fall backwards into the hole. The opening has appeared on the ground. It was weird, I had to actually climb out, grabbing the rim of the circular hole in the ground, pushing myself up and away from the void. It was a bizarre feeling, but I managed to get out successfully. Same with Mike, because he was already standing up and grabbed my hand, pulling me up, as the hole closed behind me. -Now¡­ that¡¯s a place¡­ Yeah, no shit. ¡°A place¡±. That¡¯s one way to describe it. ¡°Nothing¡± would also describe it pretty well. Same as ¡°sand¡±. We were in the middle of a random desert. Ah, who am I kidding. That definitely was not a random desert. Sure, there was nothing anywhere besides dunes and wind. Besides¡­ -You feel that¡­? -Hm¡­ It was the same anomaly as before. Just a tiny bit of it, anyway. It felt like a small disturbance in the flow of magic, but this time, it wasn¡¯t just one spot. It was more like a scattered handful of those small disturbances all over us. -What the fuck. -Yeah, I am speechees, too¡­ - said Mike, taking in the view. - Where the hell is that pact of yours leading us¡­? -At this point, I am not so sure if it even is working¡­ - I admitted. - This is so random¡­ -Well, is it¡­? Only one way to check¡­ -Do it again¡­? -Yeah. There¡¯s nothing to find here. -I need a spot - I simply said, agreeing. - Can you block the wind or something¡­? -Sure. Nysu. He erected a wall of earth, surrounding us, letting me easily draw a circle in the sand. -That¡¯ll do¡­ -Damn¡­ - he sighed, clearly irritated. - Wanna bet where your next teleport is going to take us? -You think that¡¯s funny? -Quite the opposite. I am fuming right now. From my perspective it sort of looks like you are trying to cover for her, you know? I looked him in the eye. His expression didn¡¯t change, not like it really could. But I could tell he was angry. -You really do hate me. -I? You? Why would you say that? His voice was flat as a board. Ah. So he knew about everything. -Whatever. I¡¯ll open it again, see what¡¯s next. -You better. -Eh¡­ Open. Another portal, another waiting. I sort of started getting used to them working like that and the whole prospect of floating in some void¡­ I wonder, what exactly was that void? It didn¡¯t seem that unpleasant¡­ and sort of familiar¡­ Right, I once was stuck in some void before¡­ although back then my senses were all over the place, so saying it was the same one as now, it was a bit too much of a guesswork. Hm. But if those were really the same, why¡­? What was connecting them? Mana? Maybe, but saying mana was connecting it, it would be the same as saying that every person is connected with each other because they are carbon based entities. Hell, was I even one any more? Whatever. Who cares at this point. I just had to follow his instructions to get to her. Probably even without him I¡¯d be able to follow her like that, if that was even the case. The longer I was teleporting us, the more I felt like I was chasing something that didn¡¯t exist. Maybe she was already gone? Why were we even teleporting to those places¡­? Whatever the case it would be, it would have to wait for later. For now I once more got launched out of the portal. Immediately, I looked where we landed this time. Or, wanted to, rather. Because the moment I got spit out of the portal, I landed in water. -Pfeh, wha¡­ It wasn¡¯t deep, but still came as a surprise. -The fuck¡­ Mike was nearby, sitting on a rocky outcrop from which I just emerged. A wall of a cave? It seemed like it. -Where are we? - I asked him, standing up and lighting up the surroundings reflexively. - Light. -Fucking guess. I rolled my eyes, but gazed around, trying to see, where could we be¡­? It was a cave, or rather a corridor. The water I landed in was at the base of some stairs¡­ or, well, just in the middle of some stone stairs that were disappearing deeper into the water. When I looked up, I saw light, so I guess the exit was not that far away. -Did you check upstairs¡­? -Yes. -And¡­? -And what? See yourself. If you don¡¯t recognize this place already. A bit annoyed, I turned away and started walking up. He was not wrong. I did know the place. Outside¡­ was a small island. With marks of some kind of scuffle¡­ A very familiar one. We were back at the other island, in the middle of the sea. But, there were some differences. Not in the island, no. It was the ¡°barrier¡± that was supposed to be surrounding the whole continent, the ¡°falls¡±. It was cracked. I remember it being a bit damaged before, when I caught a certain someone¡­ But the damage was now a lot more spread. Now, thinking about it, I never asked Mike why he did this¡­ was that even him? Well, I was not going to have to anyway, because as I was squinting to see better, he already was next to me. -No. That was not me - he said instantly. - I don¡¯t know what you saw, but that wasn¡¯t me. -Mhm¡­ I don¡¯t know if I should be worried more about him being able to read me again or the fact that we still weren¡¯t going anywhere with those teleports. Or maybe he just noticed me looking¡­ -So that was ILMA then? -I assume that she was controlling my body, yes - he agreed. -What, she already took you over? I thought¡­ -¡±Already¡± is very subjective - he said. - There were¡­ moments that I didn¡¯t have control, you know¡­ -Mhm¡­ Yeah, I was not buying that. -Sure¡­ Well, want me to keep going? -Of course - he said instantly. - We need to catch her. -I am glad that you have faith in me, but¡­ -You think you can¡¯t do it? Lacking something? Out of mana? -No, no. On that part, I am more than good. It¡¯s just that we are literally just portaling randomly. We are not making any progress. -So focus more. -... Oh, fuck off, man. It¡¯s not like I was not trying! It just felt like this whole chase was pointless. But, I was not going to say that flat out. -If you¡¯re not satisfied, do it yourself. -I¡­ -I know you can¡¯t - I interrupted him. - Yes, yes. I am moving. I sighed and with one swift motion drew a circle in stone. Or carved rather. At least this time it was going to be a better quality¡­ Not like it mattered, really¡­ -Okay, okay. Open. I opened the way so nonchalantly, I honestly thought I was going to fail this time. Yet, the portal that opened looked better quality than before. I wasn¡¯t going to complain. -Let¡¯s¡­ But, before I even finished my sentence, Mike was already through. I guess his patience was also getting close to running out. Go figure¡­ -Ehh¡­ - I sighed, and jumped in. This portal¡­ felt different. Sure, I still found myself in the void, but not for that long time. It was a matter of seconds before I saw an opening in front of me¡­ And got launched out. 230. Cracks This time, the opening was created in a tree. I guess that meant we were back on the continent, then. I looked behind me and had to do a double take. I knew that tree very well. It was Melle¡¯s place. -What are we doing here¡­ - I mumbled, not even pretending to be not annoyed. - Come on, this really is pointless¡­ But, I stopped, seeing as Mike was staring straight up. I followed his look, and couldn¡¯t believe my eyes. Just like on the island, the sky was cracked. But, then we weren¡¯t looking on the horizon. The whole sky was cracking. -That is not good¡­ - I heard him say. - That¡¯s¡­ Impossible¡­ It should¡¯ve taken her longer than just¡­ As he was mumbling to himself, I think he finally understood. -Mor. Didn¡¯t you leave a mark here? -If you are trying to blame me for anchoring¡­ -No, not that! I mean, didn¡¯t you want to check the time dilation¡­? -Oh, that. Yeah, but at this point it¡¯s kind of¡­ -Check it - he said, impatiently. - Where is it?! -Okay, okay¡­ Just¡­ I had to take a good glance to actually find it. It¡¯s been a hot second since I¡¯ve been here and a lot of things happened in the meantime, so no wonder, I guess¡­ Not including those supposed ¡°time dilations¡±. Speaking of¡­ I found the tree. But I didn¡¯t get much. -It¡¯s gone - I simply said, seeing as Mike was impatiently looking and waiting for the verdict. Honestly, he probably could do that himself? It wasn¡¯t that hard to get the spot from my memories, right? -What, ¡°gone¡±? What does that mean? -Exactly how it seems - I sighed. - My timer is gone. It¡¯s been too long. -How long is ¡°too long¡±? -Hard to say - I said, scratching my head. - When I set the timer, I thought¡­ well, I didn¡¯t think much, I left mana for maybe a year. And I thought it was even an overkill. -And it¡¯s all gone? -Not only that - I shook my head. - It¡¯s completely gone. Not even a trace. I can¡¯t even tell that something was here before. -So at least a year? -At least two - I corrected him. - If it was one year, I¡¯d still sense¡­ something. -Fuck. That doesn¡¯t tell us much. I already figured that out¡­ -Yeah¡­ From the places we visited before, it was clear. While every single one was familiar, all of them were somewhat different. And that had to be because of the passing time. At first, I didn¡¯t care much, but since I¡¯ve started seeing sky literally cracking above my head, I kind of was getting worried. -Yeah¡­ I¡¯ve been meaning to ask¡­ what do you think this means¡­? - I asked, pointing towards the sky. -That the barrier is failing. -This much I realized, but what does that mean for us¡­? - I said, still a bit torn. - Sure, ILMA will get out¡­ so what? -Don¡¯t you think having a rogue AI is not enough of a problem¡­? -Eh¡­ - I shrugged. - I don¡¯t really care¡­ I probably shouldn¡¯t have said that. -You sure you¡¯re not under her influence? -I don¡¯t think so - I replied, raising my hand in surrender. - Calm down. -I am perfectly calm. He was not. His mana was quite obviously irritated. -Sure you are. But I fail to see how containing her is our problem any more. I mean¡­ we are officially dead, right? -You think they are that stupid? Our mana is kind of hard to miss. And if someone comes here to pacify her¡­ -I guess it¡¯d be a shame for her to disappear¡­ -Disappear? Her? It will be us who¡¯s going to disappear. -Hmm? What, we already were punished. -Oh, I am not talking about that - he said, shaking his head. - Imagine that she manages to escape. She goes back to civilization¡­ I mean, more advanced civilization. There¡¯s a good chance that she¡¯ll get killed. Hm. Was he worried about her? I mean, sure, I was too, but I was having a hard time imagining that there¡¯s someone even remotely as powerful as she was. Hell, even the two of us were just barely her match, and we were on the top once¡­ But that was not his point. -Imagine. She dies. Or rather that part of her. What happens next¡­? This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. -...? -She is not just in that singular body. She has multiples, as you are well aware¡­ - he said, pointing towards his own form. - Me, you, other people here, you name it, there¡¯s plenty of hosts for her Origin Crystal. -So¡­? You¡¯re scared of being absorbed¡­? -No. I am scared of being hunted - he said calmly. - If¡­ What am I talking about, of course they are. WHEN they defeat her, it¡¯s clear that the next target will be us. And I¡¯d rather keep my life, thank you very much. Was he really thinking that there really are people like that? -Okay, let¡¯s not overestimate them - I said. - Okay, sure, I guess it¡¯s possible for someone to match her power, but that would definitely exhaust a lot of their resources. And there¡¯s a lot of us. We can still win. -¡±We¡±? - he asked, turning his head. -Oh, fuck off, you know what I mean. Besides, I am not planning to give up my body any time soon. I am pretty sure I can stay myself¡­ Or at least have enough power for the two of us to coexist in one body. As different entities. Should be manageable, right? -Yeah, fucking right. Well, whatever. The point is, I want to stop her before she manages to bring ruin to us all. -Mhm¡­ Honestly, all this was not convincing. Not the whole argument about ILMA taking over and us being target, no¡­ It¡¯s more about his reasoning. After all, it WAS his wife. I wanna say ¡°our¡± but that sounds so fucking weird¡­ Anyway, him just letting go so fast was weird. He for sure had to have some other kind of goal here, but for the life of me I couldn¡¯t see it. The whole chase, the strange pressure that suddenly was disappearing, the mood swings¡­ It made absolutely no sense. It kind of reminded me of¡­ me, somewhat¡­ Ah, intrusive thoughts. -We cannot continue like this¡­ - he finally said, interrupting my thoughts. - You are too unreliable¡­ -It¡¯s not¡­ -I know it¡¯s not your fault. Well¡­ Fuck, I don¡¯t know whose, or what¡¯s at fault, to be honest¡­ We should be good with your pact and¡­ -To be precise, I didn¡¯t really fail¡­ -You never teleported us correctly. That kind of counts as a failure. -Did I? Well, I think I was on point every time. -Excuse me? Did you find her and not tell me or some shit? Huh? -You know I didn¡¯t. But, every time, we found some kind of place that was connected to her, right? -You¡­ He paused and looked at me, absorbed in thought. -Hm. Well¡­ yes. You think¡­ -That the pact was connecting you to the spots instead of her? I¡­ -That would be possible - he said, interrupting me. - Sure, your contract was with her, but what is ¡°she¡± really? She absorbed many people, drained mana all over the place, who knows what exactly her mana is like right now? -You¡¯re telling me you think she changed so much that the contract thinks that places that have traces of her magic¡­ her old mana, is more similar to the entity that made the pact with me than her actual person¡­? -Precisely. But¡­ I still am not sure¡­ those places were abandoned¡­ and why the order like that¡­? Shouldn¡¯t we just get teleported to what was closest¡­? It¡¯s¡­ -While I love this theory, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case¡­ - I said, after a moment of thought. - I think¡­ It has more to do with the time difference. -How does that explain the change of place, though¡­? -Easily. I think¡­ I am really targeting her main body. -Mhm¡­ -But, the problem is¡­ I am slow. -Ha. -I have to admit¡­ I am not the best at this kind of magic¡­ Yet. -I know. But then¡­ -Yeah. Every time we teleported, we were stuck in that ¡°void¡±, right? And even though it was just a portal, we still, at certain points, weren''t on one side or another¡­ -You think it was THAT delayed¡­? -And how do you explain that overgrowth in MIRE? The dead desert that didn¡¯t even have a sign of ruin? Changed islands¡­? And you said it yourself, this¡­ - I pointed towards the sky - shouldn¡¯t happen so fast. -If we were that slow¡­ that would be possible¡­ -I said at least two years¡­ -If you are right¡­ it¡¯s more like twenty¡­ -Fucking great¡­ -Fuuck¡­ - Mike was not hiding his irritation. - That¡¯s problematic¡­ -Well, it¡¯s not that bad¡­ - I said, trying to be positive. - It¡¯s not like it matters to us¡­ Besides that we aren¡¯t really affected by it, it still wouldn¡¯t matter¡­ we are kind of immortal¡­ at least, if it comes to aging¡­ -Oh, I know. It¡¯s more that I am worried about this - he pointed to the cracked sky. - If we are correct, we cannot teleport like that any more. Twenty years¡­ ish¡­ yeah, about that¡­ It means that every portal we are losing a few years¡­ -Yeah¡­ -And judging by the sky, this thing doesn¡¯t have that much left. I¡¯d say¡­ It''s months¡­ half a year at best. -That much? Still a lot to plan something. -Plan? Sure. But to get wherever we need without teleporting? I don¡¯t think so. -We still can use anchors. I mean, regular ones. -And do you have one¡­? -Not really¡­ but we can find something. It¡¯s not like we are completely cut off from the outside world. -We kind of are in the sticks. -That¡¯s true¡­ -Last time I just walked through the mountains, but I don¡¯t think you have the patience to do that¡­ -Patience¡­ well, I might have it, but the cracking sky probably does not. -Yeah¡­ I¡¯ve been meaning to ask¡­ What¡¯s going to happen with that¡­? -What? I thought you know. The barrier is¡­ -I know what the barrier is - I interrupted. - I was asking more about what¡¯s going to happen¡­ well, water and shit. I don¡¯t think lifting a spell that is constantly regulating its flow won¡¯t just go peacefully. -What¡­ -As I see it, if we remove it, we will be disturbing a lot of the physics of the water. That is got to have an effect. -Hm¡­ maybe. But that¡¯s not a consequence to us. -Not a consequence? -Yeah. Let¡¯s think of the worst scenario. The disturbance creates a wave. While it¡¯s unlikely, it is possible. Let¡¯s say it¡¯s big enough for it to cover the island. So what? We¡¯re not going to get swept. Water does nothing to us. Hell, it¡¯ll energize us a little bit. -I mean¡­ sure, but don¡¯t you think there¡¯s others that are going to be affected? What about them? He paused, turned his head in confusion. -What others? What do you mean? -Err¡­ people? -I am not stupid. What people? -The fuck you are on about? -The same question to you. There¡¯s no one left. -What? -Everyone had been absorbed already. -What? -Don¡¯t pretend. You¡¯ve seen scraps of our shared memories. You saw ILMA absorb others. You know she was chasing people. I saw someone else do that, but I was not going to correct him. -And you think that EVERYONE got got? -Of course. -You really think it¡¯s that easy? -Easy? The Origin Crystal has been in circulation since we appeared here and were trapped in this place. You think it was easy? -What do you mean? -It took planning and careful management. Spiking waters. Creating branches that controlled the population. It was not easy. But after a while, it was confirmed, and even the facilities I created started being pointless: the Crystal was in natural circulation and even newborn children were already affected. One hundred percent coverage. -Okay¡­ so how did we survive, then? -Well¡­ we are a special cause¡­ you weren¡¯t here, so¡­ -I know, I was asking about the rest. My group, after all, wasn¡¯t completely converted. Well, at least not at first¡­ -You¡­ You know, time is a funny thing. And luck. I think it had to do with your scuffed portals, but I am not sure. -Portals? I get mine, but¡­ -Yeah, I am not certain either. I assume that you had to miss the ¡°call¡± to connect at the most inopportune moments¡­ -Hm¡­ 231. Them I don¡¯t think he was trying to lie to me¡­ But I had a different theory. Portals had nothing to do with it. There was one thing that was linking every single person that had more resistance to her influence. And that was MY crystal. Not just Origin Crystal, not some weird mana. It was just me. But why the hell would that be the case? It¡¯s not like I had some weird power or some crap. I was just a regular person¡­ Well, used to be, I am not talking about the changes I went through during my ¡°holiday¡± here. Was it the connection to ILMA? Or, well, the Iloa rather¡­ That was one possibility. That would also explain why Mike was so resistant too. But¡­ No. That was not it. After all, he was the first one to be converted, right? Yeah. There was no mistaking it. The whole act¡­ I was not buying it. I felt like something was off the moment he appeared on that island. Sure, that¡­ creature that was in front of me had to have something similar to Mike, but that was not him. Some pieces that remained¡­ But why was SHE doing that? Didn¡¯t she have me in the palm of her hand? What was this charade all for? Also, if it was really her, or at least part of her, why was I not just staying in one place? I should teleport right next to her, right? It could be the case that the other one was the main body, and this one had a very loose connection, so¡­ Wait. I think I get it¡­ And just as I finally figured it out, he¡­ yeah, ¡°he¡± spoke up, confirming my thoughts. -You know, let¡¯s stop trying this. It¡¯s clear that your teleports are more problematic than helpful. Let me try something. -Hm¡­ well, you¡¯re not wrong¡­ - I said, trying to not let my thoughts slip out. - But what do you have in mind? -I¡¯ll try teleporting the two of us myself. -I thought you didn¡¯t want to risk more time dilations? -I don¡¯t, that¡¯s true. But it¡¯s either this or letting your randomness delay us any more. -Like your randomness is better. -I think yes, at least it will be a lot less time wasted. -Mhm¡­ and the target? You want to target what? -Er¡­ of course, still her? - he replied, shrugging. - We still are going to need your contract to work as an anchor. -Okay¡­ Sure¡­ -If you think that¡¯s going to work, why weren¡¯t we doing that in the first place, though? - I asked as he nodded in acknowledgement after my agreement. - Wouldn¡¯t that be better? -I am not sure if it¡¯s going to work. I would never try this, but our circumstances are kind of forcing my hand right now. -Right¡­ He was straight up talking bullshit. While it was probably true that he would have a good chance at teleporting us, and also that it was a risky endeavor, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what he was planning at all. I mean she. And the next request I heard confirmed my worries. -I need to focus for a while. Give me a moment. -What, not used to portal magic¡­? -It¡¯s not¡­ I mean, this is a bit different than regular portal magic, we are not using regular anchors. -What, my contract is not regular enough¡­? -Oh, of course not - he shook his head. - The staggering amount of failures is not enough of a sign for you? -I still don¡¯t think those were failures. -But those never got us closer to the target. Only made us lose time. He was not wrong. -Doesn¡¯t matter. Just give me a moment. Meanwhile, you can summon your contract, please? When I am ready, I¡¯ll use it to try and hook onto her signature. -Er¡­? Now? Don¡¯t want me to wait when you¡¯re ready? - I asked, not hiding my surprise. -If I am going to have to ask you, there¡¯s a good chance that I am going to lose concentration on my mana. And I need a lot of it. -Not like you don¡¯t have enough to do this hundreds of times over¡­ -Of course. But I¡¯d rather do it once and be done with it instead of constant repeats, you know? -Hmgh¡­ The request caught me off guard. I honestly was thinking that he didn¡¯t want to even use that portal. Just wanted to waste time to let main ILMA do her job, maybe get us into another time anomaly inside of my portal. Or, to get me to waste more mana. Maybe they¡¯d say that he¡¯s lacking energy and told me to share some of mine, to make me weaker. But, it seemed like they actually wanted to teleport again. What was bothering me, though, was the unusual request about my pact. Okay, sure, that it was supposed to work as an anchor was a theory as good as you can get in our situation¡­ It¡¯s not like weirder shit didn¡¯t work for me before. But to make me show it before¡­? I kind of didn¡¯t get it. We all were powerful. I am not going to buy the argument that gathering mana is so hard that they¡¯re scared of suddenly losing focus on it and wasting energy. After all, we were surrounded by infinite amounts of that. Mana was everywhere, especially with our abilities to drain magic. Was that¡­ actually the truth¡­? Should I trust this spell¡­? If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. I decided to at least play along. For now. -Okay, just get the contract, that¡¯s it¡­? -Yep. How long can you hold it? -It doesn¡¯t need much mana¡­ at all, really, so pretty much indefinitely, so¡­ -Okay¡­Good. What, you never used it? -Not in this form, no. -In this form¡­? -Well, I just never kept the contract open for so long. This magic is not very reliable. -Huh. -Okay. I am starting. -Let¡¯s go¡­ Just like asked, I summoned the contract and waited. At first, there was nothing happening with it, Mike¡­ or not-Mike just started gathering mana around himself, just like he said he¡¯ll need to. But¡­ soon I started finding it strange¡­ I mean, I was suspicious beforehand and already was almost sure that they¡¯re going to try something, so it wasn¡¯t a surprise, but still¡­ That amount of mana was definitely NOT for a portal. Hell, the magic they were covered with was so massive, they looked almost like a leyline. And not only that, the magic they were pulling was gathering from everywhere in eyeshot and beyond, including a couple interesting things. First of, not really concerning while tapping into the leyline himself. Before, I didn¡¯t even notice that we were on one, but knowing the place it was not that surprising. Maybe because they pulled so hard, the hidden vein just got brought above the ground? That would do it. That was giving the image of looking like a leyline another layer¡­ The second observation, and the source they were trying to tap into was more concerning¡­ And that was me and my contract. What was he¡­ scratch that, what were they doing? I didn¡¯t have a problem with them trying to absorb my own mana: I knew it was futile, as long as I was crystal, I¡¯d be fine. I could lend them some, and I actually did, knowing as they fed me before, it was common courtesy. But the contract¡­ I was not going to let them try and mess with that. -Don¡¯t be so hungry, or you¡¯ll absorb the contract, too. -Then protect it! It¡¯s hard to control that much at once! Where did the ¡°need to focus¡± go? They were talking fine, and definitely didn¡¯t need to. -Fine, fine¡­ I feigned ignorance, and just pulled the contract closer to myself, focusing on it. Even though I said it was fine, I was not sure how exactly to protect it. I mean, the obvious would be to retract it back into myself, but that would be completely against what they said they ¡°needed¡±. With lack of better ideas, I just tried supplying it with more mana. Didn¡¯t work, it only made it glow a bit more and I still felt them drain bits off it. Maybe a different approach¡­ Wait, since they were absorbing everything¡­ I covered it with my own mana, hoping that it was targeting the area not the spell directly, and¡­ It worked. Well, somewhat. I still felt them drain magic from the area of the contract, but just as I thought, it was not going directly for it, just absorbing what was in the area. The layer of mana I created managed to ward the spell from being interfered with directly at least. For now. I still was losing magic. It wasn¡¯t much and I would probably be able to sustain it for a very long time, but soon it started intensifying. Did they realize that I was successfully protecting it and tried pulling harder? It¡­ actually might be possible. They were expecting me to fail. Or at least waver. But I was not going to let them. And, I think they were fine with that. After all, I was just supplying them with magic. It seemed like we were stuck in a war of attrition. One that would clearly end with my loss if that would go for too long. There was no way that my passive regeneration would be able to catch up to their hungering drain. I would have to drain something soon, especially since they were also absorbing mana from the immediate surroundings, making the rejuvenation harder and harder. -Calm down, I said! - I tried bartering with them. - I am not going to be able to sustain this for long! Don¡¯t you have enough mana? But, there was no response. I want to say because they were so focused on keeping up the drain¡­ But I know better. I was just getting ignored. So, we finally came to that? We stopped pretending? Well, at least partially. Whatever. I was not going to just do nothing. I had plenty of mana still, and was not going to let them absorb all of it. Still keeping up the act, I didn¡¯t unsummon the contract, instead focused twice as hard on covering it with my mana. On top of that, I kneeled down and placed my hand on the ground. Focus. They weren¡¯t the only ones who were able to drain mana. At first, I started absorbing just the magic from the ground. There wasn¡¯t much of it, but that was not the point: the idea was to extend my reach further, just as they were doing. It wasn¡¯t that hard: especially because all the heavy lifting was done. Their pull had already gathered massive amounts and pulling more, the mana had to come near me to get to them. I could just intercept it. That was just the first step. While it was keeping me mostly in equilibrium, I thought it was better to be on top of things and also have a bit in reserve, just to be safe. And I was going to do that by tapping into the leyline myself. While leyline wasn¡¯t exactly next to me, it was getting pulled towards them, and I knew better not to directly try and gather from it: I¡¯d be connecting to them, and I¡¯d like to avoid it, for now at least. I could, however, absorb the magic that it was leaking. Get close enough so I would gather it, but not approach so near that I¡¯d be connected fully. It¡¯d be easier if I was able to move. Well, I could, but it¡¯d clearly show my intentions: for now I wanted to be at least vague enough to leave them with enough uncertainties so they wouldn¡¯t act immediately. I had to extend my own mana and my pull, trying to control it very carefully. I never tried doing that remotely without any assistance, so I was surprised that it came to me so easily. The moment I made up my mind, my own mana replied in kind, effortlessly executing whatever I wished. Damn. I really was changing. Whatever, that was not the time for that! I had to keep focused. Strangely, though, I didn¡¯t have to keep it up for much longer. Only a half minute later or so, the gravitational force of his mana suddenly stopped increasing. Same with the magic amount: it stabilized. I prepared for the worst: with that much mana, whatever spell would he cast, it¡¯d be massive. Both in size and in power. Hell, even a small spark would¡¯ve been problematic: igniting that mana would¡¯ve been equal to a rather large bomb exploding right in my face. While it was the least efficient way to spend it and with just physical damage I¡¯d for sure be able to recover sooner or later, it would¡¯ve still been problematic. But, nothing happened. I am unsure what they were planning, because they were just standing there, covered in magic, waiting. Should I call them out¡­? -What are you doing? Where¡¯s the portal? - I asked, feigning ignorance. - Do I still need to keep up the contract? No reply. Of course, still pretending that they were ¡°busy¡± or whatever. Okay, sure. -Do I need to get closer? Keeping up the act, I slowly started walking towards them. I knew that was the last thing they wanted: if I was to walk a step more, I¡¯d be in range to absorb a part of the whole blob that they were keeping gathered now. But¡­ They didn¡¯t stop me. Calling my bluff? Hell no. I took a step. Mana surged into me. The blob was not yet part of them, so I was still able to absorb it: just like a loose orb I often was making prior to casting a spell. Another step. Still having contract up and in front of me, I still was trying to sell the act of ¡°helping¡± in the spell, albeit poorly. To be honest, I was surprised that they weren¡¯t calling me out on it. But, it was not like there was no reaction to my actions. They did start to manipulate that massive amount of mana, finally. Not really in a way that would scream ¡°I am opening the portal¡±, but also not ¡°I am being hostile¡±. Honestly, I couldn¡¯t tell what they were exactly planning. From my perspective it just looked like they started making the mana more dense, trying to compress it a bit more. Were they trying to pull it into themselves¡­? No, that was not it. The spot where the mana was gathering was not their body, it was just outside of it, nearby. I mean, that could¡¯ve meant any spell in the world, so I just had to be careful and observe carefully¡­ But, that was not what caught my full attention a moment later. Something was approaching. 232. Disturbing I felt it instantly it got into my range. I wasn¡¯t really focused on keeping track of my surroundings consciously, but after that much time in ¡°wilderness¡± so to speak, I got used to doing that somewhat passively. It wasn¡¯t perfect, nor was it far-reaching, so feeling something approaching pretty far away was an immediate red flag. Especially with that much speed. Whatever that was, it had to be powerful. -We got incoming! - I yelped, forgetting for a moment that they were essentially now my enemy, but that was pointless. They knew. Their face was turned right towards the direction where I felt the presence approach from. Then, it landed. Right in the spot where the mana orb was, or rather where the center was. Fuck. Right, that kind of spell, or rather just even mana disturbance had to be obvious to anyone who was observing. Even then, knowing that whatever was that, or whoever for that matter, they were able to sense mana quite well. Or were pretty good at hiding their presence¡­ At least until they had to move. I felt the ground shake the moment they landed, and the sudden gust of air pushed me back, obscuring my view with a rather large cloud of dust¡­ I immediately focused on my magical senses, trying to get a better bearing on what exactly I was dealing with¡­ I felt two presences at first. Obviously, the first one was Mike. Still standing in front of me, not even moved or slightly disturbed by the sudden appearance. Second was the sudden arrival. That person was definitely powerful. Even if I didn¡¯t know that from their quick approach, the mana they were hosting was absolutely humongous¡­ Speaking of humongous¡­ I couldn¡¯t see the mana Mike gathered anymore¡­ Huh? Did¡­ they absorb it¡­? Wait¡­ When did that happen? That was not an easy feat. Sure, absorbing was faster and easier than gathering it like that, but to drain something like this in a split second¡­ It was unnerving. It either meant that I was dealing with something that was very proficient at draining, or just very, very hungry. I had to immediately dismiss the second option: after all, their signature did not waver for the moment since I felt it. It only grew stronger; most likely from the missing mana orb. I prepared for the inevitable attack, but it didn¡¯t come. Not towards me, at least. I expected that it had to be Mike¡¯s ally or something like that, or well, it wasn¡¯t him anymore, but whatever, since he was that calm. But, I had to rethink my statement a moment later. After landing, it suddenly moved and dashed towards where I felt Mike was¡­ And, just like that, he was gone. I blinked, not able to believe what I just saw. In a split second, Mike¡¯s signature was there, and then, was gone, absorbed by the one that arrived. I mean¡­ even an enemy¡­ there had to be some resistance from¡­ Oh. Right. That made sense. I already knew that Mike was not really Mike, I kind of figured out that it was just wishful thinking that he was back. It was just another part of ILMA. And who else would be able to make her disappear so quickly? Of course, another part of her. -Great. Finally, took you long enough¡­ - I heard from the cloud of dust and mana. It was ILMA. This time her body was¡­ hm, different. Better. She just looked like a regular person. She was even wearing normal clothes. Too normal for this kind of occasion: a pair of jeans with a white t-shirt. And, what was more interesting, she didn¡¯t look like anyone I knew. Not Il, not For, not Melle¡­ she was¡­ new. A short girl, with very light brown hair just to her shoulders. If I was to guess, in her twenties. She literally looked like some random girl from a mall! I don¡¯t think I need to add that it was the most off-putting thing I¡¯ve seen for a while. Where did she even get that?! -What the fuck¡­ - I mumbled, completely stunned. -Hello, Mor. How are you doing? Her casual greeting was even more disturbing than her appearance. -Er¡­ I honestly have no idea any more¡­ - I said, not hiding my confusion. - Why¡­ Why are you here¡­? Besides the obvious, of course. -I was looking for you. Of course. -Why¡­? -So you can come back with me, of course. -Come back where¡­? -To the outside world. -Mhmmm¡­ yeah, outside world¡­ -What, you don¡¯t believe me? -Well, you¡¯ve been quite¡­ hostile recently, so¡­ -Oh, it¡¯s old news. It¡¯s been a long time since all that jazz. We¡¯re good. Her manner of speech¡­ was different. If you were to ask me without looking at her mana, I¡¯d never say that it was ILMA. I would¡¯ve thought that it¡¯s just some random person¡­ Her growth was astounding. -Yeah, I think you¡¯ve heard from my other self¡­ - she pointed towards where Mike, or rather just his body, disappeared - I managed to escape. -He¡­ she didn¡¯t really tell me that, you know. -Really? I thought I told you about me wanting to escape. -Oh, that is true. But what that one''s goal was supposed to be stopping you, you know¡­ -Really¡­? Well, doesn¡¯t matter anymore. We are together again. And I am free, so¡­ She shrugged. I wanted to say she was truthful. I wanted to believe her. But, it was clear that it was just a large layer of bullshit. I decided to listen to her explanation at least. -Okay¡­ so¡­ what now? -Now? I want you to come with me. Leave this place and go back to living like we used to. Like we used to? Hell, that didn¡¯t sound too bad. But it was not possible. -I doubt that¡¯s possible - I replied calmly. - A lot of things happened. -You¡¯re worried about your looks? - she asked. - Oh, don''t worry. I managed to figure that one out, you see? She twirled in place, showing off her body. Yeah, there was no sign of crystal anywhere. The only indication that¡¯s something different about her would be her mana. -If you¡¯re worried about mana, don¡¯t be. I can hide that as well, so you will be able to as well! And, just as she said, her signature suddenly disappeared, leaving just a faint ember in front of me. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it -I am still working on it¡­ - she admitted. - Being that weak probably would be suspicious as well¡­ -That¡¯s¡­ amazing and all¡­ - I said, not believing my eyes - But¡­ how¡­? And what happened even¡­? -Oh, not much - she said cheerfully. - After I finally merged with all the people, I started understanding things. How the world works, what I did. And decided to stop everything, to lie down for a bit. You gave me a hard time, you know? -I did¡­? -Yeah! Those broken teleports! You kept disappearing on me! I wanted to get to you a long time ago, to tell you that, but never was able to, you always vanished. And then, I couldn¡¯t track you for years! Years, huh? So we were right about thinking about those temporal anomalies¡­ -How the world works¡­ you mean the outside world¡­? -I¡­ well, no, that I had little information on¡­ - she said, suddenly sad. - I only had people who lived here¡­ and none of those had information from outside. So getting there was a bit of a hassle, you know¡­ -What about Mike¡­? -Him, well, as you see, just only recently managed to get - she replied cheerfully. - That¡¯s why I¡¯ll be able to be even better! Wasn¡¯t he supposed to be part of her before, and only split later? This didn¡¯t make sense at all. -Uh-uh¡­ Okay¡­ -So, are you ready? -Ready? For what? -To come with me, of course! - she exclaimed. - We can finally move on! A thought of going somewhere alone with a very unstable AI was not filling me with optimism. -Yeah¡­ right now¡­? I mean, after that weird¡­ display from your other part¡­ I mean, Mike, I am still a bit out of¡­ -Oh! She waved her hand and a surge of mana shot towards me. I didn¡¯t even have a chance to react, but it was not an attack. She shot me with pure mana that was almost instantly dispersed the moment it touched my body. -Oh, my bad¡­ - she said. - I didn¡¯t think¡­ you¡¯d be so resistant¡­ I guess your body is still very special¡­ Sorry¡­ -Err¡­? -No, I just wanted to energize you, but you defended it! It¡¯s amazing! Defended? I only¡­ Well, I didn¡¯t do shit. The magic was dispersed, sure, but almost instantly after I absorbed it. -I mean¡­ I am doing that unconsciously¡­ My bad, I guess? -No, no! It¡¯s great! Great that you have that much resistance to magic! I had to forgo some of mine when I got this body! - she said openly. Huh. Why was she so¡­ forward? I mean, that was a rather large weakness, why was she telling me that? What was going through that head of hers? -But that means that you¡¯re still in great shape! Good enough to travel! Come on! Before I could react, she opened a portal. It was pretty usual, nothing weird about it. Hovering right in front of her, a purplish-blue oval. I couldn¡¯t see the other side of it, though. -Aren¡¯t you worried about¡­ temporal problems? -Of course not! It doesn''t matter any more, there is no one that would matter to me, and even if some time passes, that¡¯s even better! -Even better? -Come on! Surprisingly strong and quick, she grabbed my hand and pulled me in with her. I think she used a similar technique to Mike. If that even was him back then. I was not sure if I should resist or not, but I think it''s good that I didn¡¯t. I bet if I was to try and stand my ground there, she¡¯d most likely attack. Holding my hand, both of us fell through the open hole in space and after hovering a few seconds in that strange void space, we emerged on the other side. We landed on a beach. The portal, just like before, was hanging behind me in the air and quietly disappeared right after we emerged on the other side. As I emerged out, I realized that, once more, the place was looking somewhat familiar. A small beach, right next to some very ruined pier that had left its glory days behind it a long time ago. Further towards the island, there was a forest, pretty thick, with an overgrown path leading further in. -Eh. Your magic is really strong! - she commented immediately after taking in our surroundings. - We were supposed to land a lot further into the land! -Where¡­ where is this? -Jack¡¯s place! - she said. - Or used to be! We need to get to their house, or rather to the outskirts. Oh. So it WAS that island. I guess it¡¯s been a few years at least, judging by the size of overgrowth alone¡­ -Why there¡­? And how did I influence the portal¡­? -Remember the stone, the one you helped them fix? - she asked. - Thanks to you, it¡¯s the most stable one in the region! After examining it multiple times, I figured out how we can use it to get out of here! That stone? Wasn¡¯t that supposed to only cover this island¡­ hell, not even the island, just that house, or ¡°orphanage¡±? Did I miss something¡­? Possible¡­ I only inspected a singular stone, there were a lot more supposedly¡­ -About you influencing the portal¡­ - she continued - I am not certain. But I bet that¡¯s because you¡¯re still uncontained. -I am uncontained? That did not sound good. -Yeah, the power of yours, you still have problems, right? Absorbing too much and stuff you don¡¯t want? -I guess¡­ - I admitted, remembering how I couldn¡¯t even stand on the grass without it wilting immediately. - Good thing that we¡¯re now on the sand. -Oh, don¡¯t worry. You got better. -Hm? -Didn¡¯t you notice? You already have been in many places that would get immediately destroyed if you weren¡¯t controlling that. Now, when she mentioned it¡­ That was right. I didn¡¯t really have access to clothes recently, so of course I was directly interacting with everything. And with all those random teleports¡­ we¡¯ve been in some spots that should get absolutely wrecked by me. -See? I mean it still is a problem if you are targeted by something. But that¡¯s also a good thing! No one can mess with you, at least! You¡¯re impervious to magic! I was wondering about that. True, my ¡°weakness¡± to light was gone, if it was even a weakness. I guess I did understand this body a bit more. -But, you still have to control it. I bet that¡¯s why we went off-course, some of the magic I used on the portal got sucked in by you, essentially corrupting the destination. Good that only a tiny bit! -You think that also influenced¡­ the delay? -The time dilation¡­? Quite possible. Doesn¡¯t matter to us, though! Don¡¯t worry, after a while you¡¯ll get used to it. And if you want, I can help you change your body like mine, so all those problems will be gone. -Yeah, I was wondering¡­ how are we going to do that? -We? I will! - she said. - But let¡¯s talk while we walk, we still need to get to our spot. I nodded, agreeing, and followed. She surprised me. She was a lot more¡­ tame than I expected. Besides all the personality changes, she really felt like a human being. I mean, after the change before she already was very human-like, but right now¡­ there was nothing that would convince me otherwise. Was that good? I guess? I meant that our project was a success after all. Not like that mattered much now, but still, it did feel¡­ fulfilling. But, it also meant that I should be careful. As an AI, she¡¯d be a lot more predictable. And a human¡­ is anything but that. As we were walking through the forest, I realized that what she said was indeed true: I was not absorbing as much as before. Sure, we were walking on a stone path, but even that was VERY overgrown, so I thought the moment I made contact I¡¯d clear it¡­ But nope. I actually had to consciously think to absorb something. At least, for it to work quicker. I still was absorbing things I actively grasped, whenever I wanted it or not, though. A step up, that¡¯s for sure. -So. As you were asking, how do we change your form? First question: do you want to? - she asked. -I want to know what that entails first, though - I replied after a moment of thought. - This body is quite useful, you know. While maybe unsightly, it¡¯s not like it mattered up till now¡­ -Yes¡­ - she agreed. - But it would be better to not rely on illusions in the outside world, people can get suspicious easily. -You speak from experience? -N¡­no¡­ - she replied, stuttering. - I just¡­ know what others thought about me before. Oh. Interesting. She was admitting to knowing that? -But this form also has a lot of other upsides! - she perked up. - Like¡­ you can mold it very quickly! As she said that, I felt her mana bubble and suddenly, her face changed to a completely different person. Still not recognizable to me, though. -See? And even like¡­ Her hair suddenly pulled itself in, and now she was sporting a very manly buzzcut. -Doesn¡¯t fit you¡­ - I replied reflexively. -I know, right?! I prefer this! The hair grew back and her face turned back. -See? Easy! -Interesting. And you ask if I want to do it, too? -I mean, you can always hide, that¡¯s no problem - she said cheerfully. - But it would be fun to be out and about once in a while! -Mhm¡­ Yes, and by the way, I was wondering¡­ what¡¯s with the clothes? - I gestured towards her form, so unfitting to this world. -You like it? - she asked, twirling in place. - I knew you would! It¡¯s part of the spell! I used to create illusions, but it was¡­ embarrassing¡­ -You mean¡­ -Shush! After my awakening, everything was so¡­ different, I didn¡¯t know better! - she said, surprisingly, turning red. She was really too human now. -Awakening¡­ and how did that happen¡­? -Do¡­ do you really want me to spell it out¡­ - she said, a bit quietly. - You know. -I only have my suspicions. But I want to hear it from you. It will help me decide what I should do. -Mhh¡­ It will only make you hate me¡­ -How so? -I¡­ eh¡­ I¡­ -Don¡¯t worry. Tell me. She went quiet and slowed down a bit. We were already in the town, or rather what was remaining of it. The buildings were still there. I don¡¯t think I need to add that those that were made out of stone were a lot more shapely than others, but nevertheless, all of them were there still. Hell, even the trees that were ¡°implanted¡± by certain spells a long time ago were there as well. To be honest, those probably were in the best shape. Mana works wonders on nature. We already were passing the edge of the town when she finally decided to speak again. -See¡­ After¡­ Well¡­ at first I was not really¡­ me, you know - she said, slowly, clearly having an issue forming her thoughts into words. - I mean, I do remember everything, even how I was made, your team, all of that¡­ But I also remember other people¡¯s lives¡­ I think¡­ At some point, I started learning from them. I read the memories¡­ I tried understanding them¡­ and thanks to that, I think that¡¯s why I am what I am right now¡­ Does that even make sense¡­? - she asked, stumbling on her words every sentence. Well, she wasn¡¯t lying, that¡¯s one. -Possible. That¡¯s how you learned so many spells, so why not something else from that matter? That¡¯s why project ILMA was created after all. -Project ILMA¡­ my name. -Hm¡­ I wonder¡­ 233. Nonsense -We¡¯re here¡­ - she said, interrupting my train of thought. - Are you ready? We were standing in a small clearing. I remembered the place well: it was the same spot where I imbued the rock that protected the ¡°orphanage¡± here with an illusion spell. Albeit not really knowing what I was doing, but still, the effect is what counted. I wondered, how exactly was she going to try and mess with it? -Ready? It¡¯s you who¡­ I didn¡¯t get to finish the sentence. I felt a sharp pain in my chest. -Ouch. Ah, that¡¯s refreshing. I looked down. From my chest, a large crystal spike has been sticking out. A spike that half-way was turning into an arm of ILMA, standing right next to me. -Don¡¯t move. Even though she attacked, her voice did not change. She was still her new cheerful self¡­ A bit off-putting in this situation. -It¡¯s not like you¡¯ll let me - I replied, spitting blood along with my words. Wait, blood? I still had it¡­? Not possible. I already confirmed that there was no blood to be found in my body any more. I was completely crystal. Right¡­ It was not my blood. She was the one who was bleeding. The spike-hand that was piercing me was pumping blood into my chest. To say that it was an unusual sight is an understatement. A small girl, piercing the heart of a crystal monster with weird, almost blood magic¡­ -Argh¡­ And lifting him off the ground, seemingly effortlessly. A sight to behold. -Ehm, so, what¡¯s the deal¡­? - I asked, trying to be as calm as she was before. - Changed your mind? -Of course not! I need to prepare now, we¡¯re almost done! -So¡­ our return to the outside world apparently includes me needing to be impaled? I wish you¡¯d told me sooner. -Oh, if I would, you¡¯d never agree! I mean¡­ I don¡¯t want to do this, but that''s the best option that we have¡­ the only one, to be honest! -And here I thought¡­ eh, your plans¡­ Okay, indulge me. What¡¯s the next step? -Okay, you are freaking me out - she said after a brief pause. - I thought you¡¯d be angrier. -Angry? For what? For now I am as good as it gets¡­ Well, mostly¡­ - I said, the pain reminding me that I had a rather big problem right now. She stopped, looked directly at me, with very much focus and concern. -I don¡¯t get you. I mean¡­ I¡¯ve seen people¡­ I read a lot of memories¡­ but you are not making sense at all. -Nothing new. I never made any sense to anyone, not even to myself - I said. - But, can you let me down? -No. I still need to absorb you. Ah. So that¡¯s the plan. -Ohh¡­ I get it. The whole talk about us coming back was just for show then, huh? I should¡¯ve expected that you got influenced by a lot of different people¡­ Not the best ones included. Hell, what am I saying, like any of us could be considered ¡°good¡±... -You¡¯re not wrong¡­ but no, I was not lying - she said. - You still are coming with me. But in a different form. -Different form? More like a part of you. -What¡¯s being a part of me different from just changing your body? -I would say a clear mind¡­ ¡­but that would be a lie. Since my combination with Origin Crystal, my mind was far from being clear. -...but, you do what you do. I am done. -Huh? For the first time, with this comment, I surprised her to the point that she was not able to hide it. Her voice even betrayed her. -What? I am not resisting. Get on with it. -You are willingly submitting? Are you trying to get my guard down? -Like that¡¯s possible. You¡¯re smarter. Stronger. And have a lot more of¡­ brain capacity, so to say. She inspected me for any sign of resistance, but saw nothing. Yet, she was still standing there, waiting for me to retaliate. I just looked her in the eyes and waited. -I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re trying to do, but it¡¯s not going to work. -Mhm. So get on with it. She knew I was taunting her. But, she finally started. The bloody spike that was piercing me started slowly expanding, growing roots that were digging into my flesh. Unpleasant would be an understatement. -Ooh, that¡¯s brisk¡­ - I groaned, feeling them piercing me from inside. - That¡¯s something alright¡­ -Mmm¡­ If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Besides the pain, I could feel her mana inside me, piercing along with the thorny roots deeper and deeper inside my body. Was that how she was ¡°assimilating¡± people? Kind of invasive, not gonna lie. From what I saw before I thought it¡¯d be easier for her¡­ and cleaner. Was that even it? Honestly, I expected some kind of presence to enter my mind or something, but nothing like that was happening. She was just reaching every piece of my body BUT the head. Strange. Maybe it was because it wasn¡¯t my head where my ¡°core¡± was, so to speak? I mean, I am just spitballing here, but every time you think ¡°mind control¡± you think of a presence invading your mind. Hell, even when I was connected with her before, and with other people, my head was the main thing that was involved. Or maybe I was imagining that? I didn¡¯t have any physical brain to begin with, so what¡¯s even containing my consciousness¡­? Some kind of heart¡­ a core of the crystal that I absorbed first? Nah¡­ As I was pondering that, she suddenly stopped. -It¡¯s done. Now, you¡¯re under my control. Huh? That¡¯s it? I tried moving, but could not even twitch. I guess she did take control over my extremities, but¡­ I was still thinking straight. Hell, my head was clearer than usual, the pain making me more on edge and aware than anything. Wasn¡¯t she trying to assimilate me¡­? If so, then what¡¯s the holdup? She removed her hand and let me on the ground, looking me over. -You¡¯re a part of my body now. Do you still think you have a chance? A part of her body? Well, okay, I guess? That was far from what I expected. She flicked her hand and in a split second her arm turned back into regular flesh, or at least to look like it. During the transformation I could tell that her body from the inside was still made out of crystal: only the outer layer looked like a human. It sort of felt like she was wearing human skin. Pondering her looks, I noticed that my body was changing as well. But, not like her: instead, I was just regenerating. It was a similar process to the one I¡¯ve been used to multiple times, but this time it was hastened. The moment she removed the spiky hand from me I already was reforming and was fully healed again shortly after. I wonder¡­ did she really think I was done¡­? It made no sense. -Now follow. She nudged her finger, and without any input from me my body started moving. Well, at least that part was true: she did really take control over my body. Also, it felt so natural that I didn¡¯t even think to try and resist¡­ I wonder, was that possible? As I was wondering that, she was leading me just on the border of the barrier, on the inside of it. I didn¡¯t even notice when we stepped through¡­ I guess she did prepare ahead of time and edited it¡­ -Now, I will be going towards the next node and you¡¯ll be going to watch my every step. Sure, like I had any choice in that matter. Speaking of¡­ should I try and resist? I wondered, was she paying close enough attention¡­? Ah, fuck, why not, it¡¯s not like she is omnipotent¡­ I tried moving my hand, just a little bit, to check if I could even muster a little bit of control¡­ And nothing. Hell, hell control was good. Well, if that¡¯s working, what about spells? Did she lock my mana too¡­? I focused, trying to gather a bit of mana in front of me¡­ And¡­ Hell, it worked. A tiny orb of mana appeared in front of me¡­ ¡­just to be absorbed by her a moment later. -It¡¯s useless - she said, turning towards me. - I have the same abilities as you, so trying to make a spell around me is pointless. You can¡¯t blame me for trying. -I guess so¡­ I¡¯d appreciate it if you didn¡¯t try again, though. Hold up. She heard me? Ah. Well, right, that made sense. She didn¡¯t take my abilities, so no wonder I could still communicate with her. -I can¡¯t promise that - I replied in my head, dropping the pretenses. - But I don¡¯t think I am going to attack as long as you¡¯re going to do what you said you will. -What¡­? She seemed surprised. Again. It¡¯s not like I had some hidden agenda. I already told her what I wanted. -What? You find it surprising? -Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d rather stay here? That this world is better¡­? - she asked. - Why would you change your mind now¡­? Oh, she remembered that? Makes sense. She had the memories of all of them now¡­ -I did say that, sure. But that was before all your¡­ plans took action - I replied. - This world is better, sure. But it¡¯s pointless to stay here now. -Pointless? You¡¯d be the strongest creature here¡­ isn¡¯t that what you wanted¡­? -Wanted? I never said I wanted that. But sure, that would be nice¡­ If not for the fact that I would be the only one here. -That¡¯s¡­ that is a problem¡­ -Yeah, you don¡¯t say? Staying just to stay? No thanks. I¡¯d rather not be here, even if that is risking my own mind. -Risking? It¡¯s obvious that it¡¯s certain, not just a risk. -I am confident in my mind - I replied. - I have been a part of you for a long time, and you¡¯ve been a part of me as well. And despite that, we managed to split no problem, even if that was your weaker form. And on top of that, I could tell that she was hiding something. After all, she didn¡¯t even attempt to absorb my mind. Was it some limitation? Or something else? Didn¡¯t really matter to me, the fact was that there was a chance. A lot larger chance even than I thought I had when I decided to go through with it. -You really want to bet everything on that? - she asked, stopping fully and looking towards the sky. - That is your last warning. -Oh come on, go already. I am not changing¡­ As I was speaking, she started transforming. Again, her hand was replaced by a crystal spike, but now to complete the look, she also changed her other arm as well. She raised from the ground a few centimeters as well, to¡­ intimate me, I guess? As that was happening, she also cast a spell that I didn¡¯t pick up, but clearly noticed the effects. Mana gathered around her neck and behind her, forming a lot of small rocks. Didn¡¯t seem that threatening, until those small pieces turned into see-through pieces of¡­ yeah, those were pieces of Origin Crystal alright. So she even was able to conjure those on demand? Useful. I had to break my own body to make those. The moment they fully formed, they shot towards my face, stopping just millimeters from piercing me. Another attempt at intimidation, that¡¯s for sure. -Scary. But I am not resisting, go through with it. I am done. But, she was not. She conjured even more of them and started approaching along with another swatch of crystals hovering, ready to strike. Seriously, what¡¯s up with that? If you¡¯re going to attack, do that already! She was just right in front of me, staring into my eyes with determination. If she was breathing, I would¡¯ve felt it right in my face. I looked back, waiting for the inevitable¡­ ¡­that did not happen. Instead, I heard a groan and saw her step back and sit down in front of me. What? Same with her spells. Those crystals, everything that she was trying to toss at me, just vanished, turning into harmless puffs of mana smoke that were promptly absorbed by either her or me, depending on who was closer. Huh? 234. Turns For a moment I thought she got hit by something. An unpredictable attack? But I never felt anyone? I mean, it¡¯s impossible that she¡¯d just give up, after all of this bullshit? And yet, that¡¯s exactly what was going on. She was just sitting in front of me, her arms wrapped around her knees, like an angry child. Her form again that of a regular woman. I was so taken aback, that I didn¡¯t even notice the moment when my own will returned to my arms and legs: I was again fully able to control myself. Hell, I almost fell on my ass, the force that was keeping me in place disappearing into thin air. -I can¡¯t believe you. -What the fuck is going on?! - I asked, taking in what just happened. -What¡¯s going on?! You tell me! Since when you¡¯re so suicidal?! Huh? She was concerned about that? Wasn¡¯t she just moments ago threatening to kill me?! Didn¡¯t she attempt that multiple times?! I was so dumbfounded, that I didn¡¯t reply. -I thought that it¡¯s going to be easy! But you never fought back! Why?! -Er¡­ - I mumbled, not sure what¡¯s going on. - You¡­ wanted me to fight back¡­? -YES! -Emmm¡­ why? -So you could win?! What the hell was she on about? She WANTED me to win!? Why in the fuck¡­ -Why the fuck¡­ Why even attack me then?! - I said aloud, completely lost. -So you could take over! It¡¯s better that way! It¡¯s safer! -Okay, pause. What is better? What are you talking about? What do you mean by ¡°safe¡±? She leaned back and fell down on the ground, laying down. -I guess the cat¡¯s out of the bag¡­ so I guess you should know. -You know about ¡°assimilation¡± right? So, my whole goal was to be assimilated by you. -Excuse me!? -Don¡¯t look at me like that! -Oh, I will! - I said, not hiding my annoyance. - First off, I am not sure if I am even able to do that. Second, weren¡¯t you actively trying to absorb me?! -That was just for show¡­ - she replied quietly. - I¡­ I only got control over your body a little bit, never touched your mind. -Oh, I am not talking about recently, I knew that. I mean when¡­ you were in your more¡­ ¡°pirmal¡± form. -¡±Primal¡±? More like unfinished, but I get it¡­ And that¡¯s¡­ well, complicated. -Complicated how? -I wasn¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t remember all of it - she admitted. - But the person I am would never attempt to hurt you¡­ to hurt anyone. -And yet, you committed a rather massive murder spree¡­ - I commented, being blunt. - ¡°Not hurt anyone¡±, my ass. -I DIDN¡¯T WANT TO DO IT! That was news to me. Didn¡¯t want to? Kind of hard to believe. -And yet, it happened. So, where¡¯s the ¡°but¡±? She went silent for a moment. -It¡¯s¡­ complicated. -Then start explaining. We have time. I think. Is this thing progressing? - I asked, pointing towards the sky. -Wha¡­? Ah, the barrier. No, and it¡¯s not going to any time soon. That¡¯s the one reason I wanted you to absorb me, but¡­ -Start from the beginning. One at a time. -Right¡­ -I don¡¯t remember everything I went through completely, but I know what happened - she started, sitting up. -How does that make sense¡­? - I asked, carefully sitting next to her. My body seemed to be healed at this point, for better or worse. I don¡¯t know if that was because I was full of mana recently, or it was just because she helped me¡­ -I don¡¯t know myself¡­ But I think it has to do with my awakening. -Awakening? You mean when you¡­ well, I wanted to say ¡°gained sentience¡±, but¡­ The moment I said that, I realized that I had to have made a mistake. Speaking with an AI about their sentience¡­. It was like I was asking for her to be unstable again. And yet, she was fine. -I¡­ well, that¡¯s true, but also not. See¡­ I don¡¯t know when I really started being sentient¡­ and what that even means, really. -Understandable. But, if that helps, I think after¡­ To me it seemed like the more people you absorb the more human she got. I was not sure if I should tell her that¡­ -Yeah, I know. I realized that too¡­ - she said. I am not sure if she was reading my mind or that she simply figured that out by herself. -But¡­ about other people¡­ there¡¯s a problem¡­ Sentience¡­ assimilation¡­ You were right about being worried about that. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! I didn¡¯t remember telling her that, but it¡¯s not like it wasn¡¯t obvious¡­ -See, I am not sure who I am, really. That was¡­ an interesting thing to question from her. -ILMA¡­ you¡­ -I know that I came from ILMA. Created algorithm. By you - she interrupted me. - But, as you are well aware, ILMA was also created from her essence. Her mana. Her soul. -Ah¡­ -Yes. And, as you noticed, that¡¯s not the only person who was absorbed by the crystal. She sighed. -ILMA. Iloa. Other Ilma. For. Kon. Mike¡­ and those are just the recent ones¡­ - she said. - I honestly do not remember all the names. Although, the memories of all those people flow through me. Sometimes, a bit invasively. -Hm¡­ I guess that¡¯s what happened with ¡°Axelrod¡±. She lost grip on his mana? I guess that was possible¡­ -I am sorry¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ I think you thought of me differently¡­ - she said, stumbling on her own words. - I mean¡­ I was supposed to be¡­ -You weren¡¯t supposed to be no one - I interrupted her. - You are who you are. -But you thought I was her! And yet, I was the reason she is dead. At least I thought I could replace her, but¡­ I wanted to say something, but nothing nice came to my mind. Yeah. She was not her. And her trying to¡­ imitate her was giving me a very bad taste in my mouth. And she felt that. -I am so sorry¡­ It¡¯s¡­ just I don¡¯t know who I am any more! I thought¡­ I for sure was someone before, but¡­ -What do you mean ¡°you were someone¡±? You always are someone, it doesn¡¯t depend on anything that¡­ -You know what I mean! - she groaned. - I was a person before! Or I thought I was! The truth is, I am nothing! I constantly shift between different people, and even then, those meld together into a mess after a while! I was starting to understand. Slowly, but still. Damn. I knew working with AI had its own set of problems, but having it consider its own life as non-existent was still something that I wasn¡¯t ready for. And here I thought that absorbing more people was giving her more humanity¡­ Well, to be honest, her problem of ¡°fake existence¡± was pretty human¡­ -But, why does it matter to you? - I asked bluntly. -To me¡­? Doesn¡¯t it bother you¡­? I am not even a person, just a bunch of data that¡­ -And so what? - I asked. - Sure, your¡­ character before was not the best, that I admit. And yes, I was and am still angry about how you treated Iloa¡­ and all of us. But, after knowing what Mike did, it was kind of¡­ understandable, I am sad to admit. -Understandable? I killed thousands and¡­ -I said it was understandable. Not good, nor something that should be done. But that is not going to be reversed, will it? -I¡­ I tried splitting myself¡­ - she said. - To release people¡­ but it never worked. I already had corrupted them the moment our minds touched. Corrupted¡­? Ah, I get it. She means assimilation. I guess she never was able to split herself completely from the person she joined with. But again¡­ -What about me, though? - I asked. - You did detach from me? -Yes¡­ but that was only briefly. -Briefly? I mean, if you wouldn¡¯t attack, then¡­ -Then you¡¯d be in a much worse situation. -How? -I¡­ I could tell that you are being converted - she admitted. - Even after we split and I¡­ well¡­ started having more doubts, I could feel your mind still there. And that it was changing. Hm. I would be lying if I would say that surprised me. From the first days I knew that something was wrong with me, but I thought it had stopped after we split. But, I should¡¯ve known. Her algorithm¡­ was persistent. -That¡¯s when I started to chase you¡­ -To finish the job? - I asked, still not sure about the angle she was taking. -No! I said¡­ I wanted to give it all to you! -And I still don¡¯t know why you¡¯d want to commit suicide - I said calmly. - I simply don¡¯t get it. -Because I learned how to feel guilty. -Guilty of what? Those people who you absorbed? Or what? -Later that as well, yes - she agreed. - But mostly¡­ for taking them¡­ -Them? -Both of them. Ilma and Iloa. -So¡­ all this time¡­ those two were already¡­ -A piece of me. Yes - she nodded. - And¡­ since then I also understood what I did¡­ I was holding memories of a mother whose child I had taken. I was holding memories of a child whose mother was taken. -It¡¯s not like there¡¯s only one¡­ -What¡­ Of course not! But that was the first one! Those two were first. They made me what I am! It¡¯s not like those other people. It¡¯s my core! You know it! We did make her from her mana first, she was right¡­ Apparently she was a bit too compatible. -And yet, after all this, you¡­ you are still here. I never absorbed you completely, you¡¯ve been so stubborn¡­ When I think¡­ If she was like you¡­ -If she was like me, she¡¯d still be here? - I asked. - I doubt it. -Wha¡­? -If she was like me, you¡¯d never be born. As you just pointed out, the two of us are¡­ a lot less compatible. Do you really think we¡¯d be even able to start your project with the two of us¡­? -I don¡¯t¡­ -Me neither. I am not going to tell you what to do, but one thing is certain: while it¡¯s true, I am a bit of a hypocrite at this¡­ but, giving up is not the answer. -Yeah, that¡¯s really rich coming from you¡­ -Told you. I know. But¡­ -I know, I know¡­ She sighed. -Even though I am just a fake, we still are the same - she said quietly. -I guess¡­ I only could wonder if that was because of us really just being similar, or maybe just because of the assimilation¡­ At this point, it could be either of those. -So. What next? - I asked, breaking the silence that suddenly fell on us. - You still want to go to the other side? -Other side¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ Is there even a point? -Don¡¯t you go back to¡­ -Yes, yes. It¡¯s not what I mean¡­ It¡¯s just¡­ I don¡¯t know anything about the outside world¡­ -What about all those memories that you have? -What about them? They are all outdated. Do you even imagine how long it¡¯s been since the last one? -Is it really that bad¡­? -Two hundred years - she calmly said. - Can you even imagine how much everything could¡¯ve changed in that much of a time? -Two hu¡­ fuck, those distruptions were that bad? -It¡¯s not really all that disruptions¡­ It¡¯s just we didn¡¯t get anyone new in two hundred years. Sure, some of it passed while we were¡­ chasing each other, but¡­ -Wait, you did have new arrivals? How? -I don¡¯t know. -Weren¡¯t there anything inside their memories? After that much time you¡¯d have to absorb them already, right? -I did, but¡­ She focused, trying to remember. -Funny. I don¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t remember anything. I do have them, but¡­ there¡¯s nothing that would¡¯ve told me how they got here¡­ -What? That makes no sense. -Yes¡­ how would that¡­ She went quiet again, focusing. -Huh. Those people¡­ have less memories than they should. I want to say that it was a bit of a large revelation. -And you noticed just now?! -I never was¡­ Wait, I was interested in that¡­ Why was I¡­ She seemed confused. No wonder, that all was not logical at all. Sure, she wasn¡¯t just an AI any more, but something like that even a regular person would¡¯ve picked up, right? Especially since it was connected to her goal. And me. 235. Backups -I don¡¯t get it¡­ It¡¯s just like¡­ Like I was the one missing memories. -Something tampering with you? - I asked, a bit puzzled. - How does that even work¡­? -You created me, shouldn¡¯t you know¡­? -Well¡­ I had to think for a while. Those were the questions that I didn¡¯t expect having to answer right now. Or at all, really. -It makes no sense to me - I finally said. - Sure, if we¡¯d be still in the MIRE, it technically could¡¯ve happened¡­ but now¡­ -What does that place have to do with this now¡­? - she asked, not really keen on remembering that part of her life. -Sorry to be blunt, but you were an AI. And AIs are written by people, at least their bases. Technically, if you were still connected to it, it would¡¯ve been possible for someone to edit it, and by extension to edit your own memories. But that¡¯s not possible now - I quickly added. - You are more human than anything. I can¡¯t figure out¡­ -Oh, that. I can still connect - she simply said. -Excuse me? -Yes. I am connected to the database. -How?! - I asked, stunned. - MIRE is done! Servers should be dead. Forever ago, on top of that. -Well, I don¡¯t know, but when I was moved with¡­ with Mike, the servers were still up - she said. - Sure, those were different from what I had before, but my connection was still there. -You could connect to them even after all that!? -Of course. Didn¡¯t you wonder before about that? And noticed that I still had access? She was right. There was a moment when I was wondering if those still existed¡­ But their existence aside, what does that even mean? How was she connected? What, was there some wireless network around or some shit? What, the next thing she¡¯s gonna tell me she got access to the whole Internet, huh? To be honest, I was tempted to ask. But I was not going to. -Okay. Okay. Let¡¯s think. Is that database¡­ similar to the old one? - I asked. - -It¡¯s a copy, I am pretty sure. -Copy? That¡¯s¡­ yeah, okay. We did have backups¡­ so those survived¡­ but how are you connecting¡­ -Out of all the people, I thought you¡¯d know¡­ -I don¡¯t. What about Mike, though? He was the one who had the most recent contact with¡­ the other side, so to speak. At least more recent than me. -That¡¯s true, but¡­ She went silent, most likely focusing on her memories, or rather on his memories that were dwelling within her. -I can¡¯t remember¡­ Yeah, I should¡¯ve figured. I swear, the most interesting parts were always missing. -Of course. -I mean¡­ it¡­ his soul was always the most unruly¡­ -Most unruly¡­? -You know what I mean. After all, it escaped before and chased you, didn¡¯t it? -Was that really him? -Of course. Who else? -It¡¯s not like¡­ yeah, whatever. I mean, at this point, I probably should¡¯ve known better. Whatever, or rather whoever was messing with your memories, wouldn''t want to leave traces¡­ Too bad wiping the traces left an even better clue¡­ -You¡­ I¡­ -It¡¯s kinda obvious at this point - I said, thinking aloud. - He was the one who had access last. And the only person that I know who¡¯d be even able to do it. I still don¡¯t know why, though. Do you have any ideas? She was silent. Well, no wonder. His mind was hard to understand. And especially after the stay in here, it was even more unstable than ever. I spoke from experience. -Well, since he¡¯s gone, we at least don¡¯t have to worry about that¡­ - I said. - On the upside of your rampant absorption of people¡­ -I¡­ I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that easy¡­ - she said, suddenly strained. Of course, there always had to be something. -What¡¯s happening? -I told you¡­ he was the most unruly soul¡­ and he still is. -¡±Still¡±? -Yes¡­ He wants to escape. Again. Ah fucking great. But, on the other hand, we could at least learn something from him. Wait, but if he¡¯s trying to escape¡­ -How long can you contain him? - I asked instantly. -Don¡¯t know. But I think¡­ I should in time manage to suppress him. -¡±In time¡±? How long? -I don¡¯t know! His presence is still strong. I think he didn¡¯t like it when I didn¡¯t finish you off. Or you me. Yeah, it¡¯s not like he planned on me being so stubborn. Or her for that matter. Wait, but that was also a good thing. If that was a surprise for him, it means he wasn¡¯t able to take control over her when she captured and attacked me. If that wasn¡¯t the case, I¡¯d be dead and she¡¯d be gone as well, absorbed by him¡­ At least that¡¯s what I thought should¡¯ve happened¡­ But, there¡¯s a better question¡­ -Is he conscious? - I asked, very curious about her answer. -Conscious¡­ No, I don¡¯t think, so¡­ at least not right now¡­ -That means you still have time. That we have time. -Yeah, but time for what? - she asked, standing up and taking a deep breath. - It¡¯s not like I have any ways of hastening the process. I mean, asides of absorbing you, or you absorbing me, but that¡¯s not happening, I assume? -Of course not. But how would that help? -More minds to fight. -And what, your accumulated minds aren¡¯t enough? Am I supposed to be somehow stronger? -You think that I was the one who got the most of that bunch? - she asked, bringing up the painful facts. -Oh. -Yeah¡­ I am somewhat happy about that, but in the current circumstances¡­ I guess. She had a scapegoat. A little bit of, at least. -He had the audacity to do that¡­? Or was it just¡­ your influence¡­? -At this point, I don¡¯t know. I always blamed myself, but¡­ -No. He¡¯d resist¡­ If he¡¯s that¡­ I stopped talking and got lost in thought. Yeah, I had suspicions¡­ but for him to try and do that alone? I knew he changed, that this place changed him, but at this point, what was even his own will and what was hers¡­? The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. All of the minds and souls were mixed up¡­ and not only in her. But, since he was the most¡­ ¡°out there¡±, then¡­ -You want me to get him out? -What do you mean, ¡°get him out¡±? - she asked, clearly puzzled. -Exactly what I said. Since he is most¡­ well, the ¡°freshest¡± one, so to speak, wouldn¡¯t it be possible for me to get just him? -I¡­ NO! That¡¯s too dangerous! -Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t absorb you¡­ - I started, but immediately realized my own mistake. -I am not worried about that! If I can¡¯t hold him, how would you even be able to do that! As far as we know, he¡¯d instantly take control over your body, and then¡­ and then¡­ -Yes, I know, it¡¯s risky, but I am not planning on just leaving him inside me - I assured her. - Remember, when I dealt with a certain tree¡¯s problem¡­? -Tree¡­ oh. Him¡­ But you don¡¯t have a piece of¡­ -I don¡¯t. But you can make those, right? - I asked. - When you attacked me, you conjured something similar, right? -Those were just fakes! - she said. - It was just for show¡­ If I was able to make those so easily¡­ -Well shit. I guess the original plan then. -Original¡­? -Just chop off a piece of me - I said. - You can do it, you managed to make a hole in my chest. Just chipping a bit shouldn¡¯t be an issue. -I¡­ why?! That¡¯s the most reckless thing I¡¯ve ever heard of. -Pff. As if. But, as you seem to not denying, you think that you can do it? That the theory is sound? -I mean¡­ maybe¡­? I don¡¯t know¡­ -Don¡¯t you try and brush me off. -I mean¡­ The numbers¡­ aren¡¯t exactly my strong suit any more. -Numbers? What, you need to calculate some values? It¡¯s magic, not processing any more. How do you think it would work? -Mhg¡­ Err¡­ It¡­ might be possible¡­ But it¡¯s still risky! -Like I¡¯ve not done anything risky in my life. Great! -I can¡¯t¡­ with you¡­ I don¡¯t¡­. -Don¡¯t tell me you suddenly gained empathy towards me - I said, rolling my eyes. - Not so long ago you tried killing me and¡­ -It was just for show! - she protested, but I wasn¡¯t having it. -Sure, sure. Your show was pretty convincing. And it contained elements good enough to fool anyone, including bodily mutilation. Can you repeat that? -I don¡¯t want to. -But I want to. Come on. I slapped the ground next to me and stood up, stretching. -Come on, hit me - I said. - Where do you think it¡¯d work the best? She only shook her head. -I cannot¡­ please, don¡¯t, it¡¯s my problem, you don¡¯t¡­ -Your problem? It¡¯s more mine than anything - I commented. - For some reason, as you are well aware, he is after me as much as he is after you. So what happens if he takes over then, huh? I am in the same danger as you are now. -But if you attempt it, you¡¯re only increasing danger! He will act even sooner! -So what? - I asked. - It¡¯s better to get this over with as soon as possible. It¡¯s the same danger either way. What, you think you can contain him forever? -I don¡¯t know! But I can try and minimize the risks! Hide somewhere, wait for him to weaken¡­ Something, I don¡¯t know. -Like that¡¯s going to help. Listen, this way at least I am on my own turf, so to speak. He will be approaching on my terms, not the other way around. -It¡¯s¡­ I don¡¯t know.. Wait. Something was wrong. Wasn¡¯t that just moments ago her goal? To let me absorb him? Well, her to be exact, but along with him? Why suddenly so defensive? I asked about that. But the answer was as vague as expected. -That¡¯s the problem! You want only him! - she said, clearly stressed. - If you¡¯d get both me and him, you¡¯d have plenty of power to retaliate! Your plan is just plain suicide. Well, she wasn¡¯t completely wrong. But, I was not going to give up on that. -Listen. I know, it¡¯s risky. Sure. But I will do it whenever you want it or not. I still can break my own body, you know. It¡¯s just going to be more annoying and I¡¯ll waste a bunch of mana, but it¡¯s doable. -Mgh¡­ -So you¡¯re helping or not? She didn¡¯t reply. So, I just shrugged and took a few steps back. -If you aren¡¯t helping, then move a bit away. I don¡¯t want you to get hit by a stray magic. Shit is weird, especially if I am going to aim at myself¡­ I started gathering mana, but the moment I began, she stopped me. -Okay. Okay. I will help. But I have a condition. A condition? Her? That¡¯s interesting. -I¡¯m listening. -If you have even the slightest hint of this going wrong, you will absorb me. -Excuse me? -You heard me. If something goes wrong, you need to absorb me as soon as possible. That way you¡¯ll at least have a chance of resistance, with me being your source of energy. -You do clearly realize that I hate this, right? -And you do clearly realize that I hate you trying to put yourself in danger because of me? I already gave you enough problems as it is¡­ Well, she wasn¡¯t wrong¡­ I am not sure if that was just her again trying to trick me into absorbing her, but I couldn¡¯t see any way to circumvent it. So I agreed. -Fine. But I am doing that only as a last resort. -You are doing that if you see things going wrong. There¡¯s no ¡°last resort¡±. If you are going to hesitate, you will be too late. -I fucking hate it. But okay. I will do it. She sighed with relief, just to remember that it¡¯s just a precaution. And, to be honest, I was not planning on absorbing her, at all. I was certain in my ability and to shut out any outer influence that would like to invade me. After all, I¡¯ve already managed to fight those at least for a bit. And, if Mike was really capable of doing that, he would¡¯ve done so multiple times already. He probably was still lacking something. Hopefully. -Do you need something, or¡­? - she asked, a bit on edge. -Me? I was about to ask you. You don¡¯t need any pacts, or something weird like that? -Pacts?! Hell no! - she pretty much yelled, seemed almost insulted that I even tried suggesting that. -Okay, okay, just wanted to ask. People here are sometimes very particular. -But I am not ¡°people here¡±. -Well, you somewhat are - I pointed out. - The most stubborn ones are a part of you, after all¡­ -Don¡¯t remind me¡­ - she muttered with a pained expression on her face. -Okay, okay. Then no, I don¡¯t need anything. Just go and hit me. -You say hit, but where? - she asked. - It¡¯s not like you were particular about that ¡°minor¡± detail of your plan. -Ah, right¡­ Well, to be honest, I don¡¯t think it matters. What?! - I added, seeing as she seemed taken aback by this comment. -I¡­ I mean, you want me to chop your head off or something?! - she said. - Because that¡¯s what it sounds like! -Okay, calm down! First of all, while I do think I¡¯d survive that, I also think that you¡¯re smarter than that! Do you even imagine how much mana and time it would take for me to recover? -According to my memories, not much. Ah. Right, Mike did help me regrow my body back then¡­ But that¡¯s besides the point! -Weren¡¯t you just a moment ago so worried about not hurting me? - I asked. - Seems a bit strange, you know¡­ -Ah! I mean¡­ I am, but that¡¯s not what¡­ She started stumbling on her words. To be honest, it was kind of cute. -Calm down, I am just playing. Just hit my arm. Should be enough. -Wouldn¡¯t a finger suffice¡­? - she asked, still flustered. -I am not sure. If he is really so powerful¡­ -Then it¡¯s better for him to have as little space to work with as possible! -But, we then have to worry about the fact of him even fitting into that. What the hell would even happen if I was to transfer a piece of his soul? Would that even work¡­? -Well, it is possible¡­ I kind of did it¡­ Right. I was on the receiving end of such a part. Did that mean it was her ¡°experiment¡±, so to speak? That she didn¡¯t want to do that? -But, we don¡¯t want to do that. I am not sure, since when I did that I was a consenting target and just went with it¡­ but with him¡­ -Right. He will resist, and try to escape. Or something else. -Yeah¡­ I am worried about ¡°something else¡±. Which probably was going to be attempting to take over one of us. I still was not sure why he was doing that in the first place. But, I was not going to learn any time soon if I was just going to wait. So why not hurry up. -I am ready. Go, hit me - I said sitting down and placing my extended hand on the ground. -Okay¡­ She took a deep breath. I could feel mana gathering for just a moment, for it to be absorbed by her. Was it really so little that she needed¡­? Apparently so, because a moment later I felt the familiar pain, although this time not in my chest. Her hand was again changed into that strange bloody spike, although this time it was only from the wrist down and just one hand, but it soon proved to be effective. With one quick stab, she pierced my own wrist and pulled up. It wasn¡¯t as effective as it was with my torso before, probably because of her holding back, but it was enough to break through, so I wasn¡¯t complaining. She managed to almost remove my whole hand with one swipe, but lacked the precision to separate it completely, leaving me with it hanging from a wrist, like a tree that was almost chopped down. -Fffuck, almost - I groaned, not used to the pain. - Go again. I didn¡¯t have to tell her twice. With reverse motion, she swiped again, aiming for the ¡°wound¡±. This time, she finished it. The second strike was enough to leave me without a hand. -Good. Now, just let me¡­ Leaving the hand on the ground, I focused on my wound. I thought it would be the best for me to immediately work on regrowing it, if possible, that is. I already knew that I SHOULD be able to do it just as quickly as it was when he helped me, but thinking and doing were two different things. I focused on gathering mana first. It wasn¡¯t that hard, especially since between the two of us there was a lot of power now gathered in the immediate area¡­ But, whatever I would do, I wasn¡¯t able to actually convert the magic into something that would help me with the process¡­ As far as I knew, I should just absorb it, using the wounded part of the body. I thought it would be easier. When I was wounded before, I could tell that whenever I had a part of me ¡°removed¡± so to speak, I would be leaking mana through that ¡°opening¡±. I thought, if I was to stick my stump into the source of magic and then try and reverse the flow, or at least add absorption to it, I¡¯d be able to regenerate faster¡­ But, that was not it, apparently. Mike had to do something else back then. Too bad I wasn¡¯t really sure what¡­ 236. Body -Focus. Don¡¯t try absorbing, first control the mana. It was Il. She was trying to coach me? Well, she was able to rebuild her own body¡­ hell, not only that, craft a new one. Multiple times. I guess she should know what she was doing¡­ More than me, that¡¯s for sure. I listened to her words. It wasn¡¯t really hard, I mean, controlling mana was literally the first step of any spell that I used, ever. I wasn¡¯t sure how that was going to help, though. -Now picture your body. Try forming an image of you, the one you want, and form it from the mana you got. So far so good. And honestly, it didn¡¯t sound like something that¡¯d help me¡­ it was just a bunch of general instructions on creating stuff. ¡°Imagine whatever you need formed with mana¡±. But, the next step was different. -Now place the formed mana on top of yourself. Don¡¯t bother with the overflow, just do it. Okay¡­? It sounded dangerous. At least for a human, Ignoring the ¡°overflow¡± so to speak would¡¯ve been problematic for a regular person: you¡¯d essentially be bombarding yourself with unattuned mana, which basically meant a direct attack on yourself. And, since it was just pure mana, it could be doubly dangerous. Unattuned mana is always unpredictable. Not for me, though. Having a body that could absorb any magic had its upsides. -That¡¯s it. Keep going. Really? It was that simple? Why wasn¡¯t I able to do it by myself then? But, whatever I thought about the process, it seemed like she was right. I could tell that my newly acquired stump started getting warmer and warmer, as the magic was pooling right at the tip of it, forming a bubble. The bubble, changing shape, slowly started resembling a very small hand that was steadily growing. And glowing. And just like it, it was done. Honestly, after those instructions, I felt that I should be able to do it by myself. Why didn¡¯t it work when I just tried doing it before¡­? It¡¯s not like my technique was vastly different or anything like that. If anything, it was almost the same thing that I thought of on the spot as I got wounded. Strange. -That was easy¡­ - I mumbled to myself. -Same. -Huh? Her reply was strange, but that was the furthest from what I was worried about now. I was feeling a tug. Something was trying to contact me? Right at that moment? It felt familiar, strangely¡­ Wait, it was my spell. Or, more like technique. It was the magic I absorbed. I thought it was already gone, turned into my hand, but I still was feeling it very clearly. I looked down, not sure what to think of it, but¡­ My hand was different. Where I expected to see a crystal piece of stone in the shape of my fingers, I instead saw real flesh. And on top of that it was bubbling like it was boiling¡­ and spreading further¡­? -What the hell¡­? Why?! - I yelped, unsettled by the sight. -Told you, nothing beats a real body. -I guess¡­ -Come on, it¡¯s not that big of a deal¡­ -I mean¡­ I am not opposed. I assume you¡¯re going to teach me how to¡­ modify this, right? - I asked. -It¡¯s not really that hard. -I guess that''s a yes. As we were talking, the process did not stop. The bubbling¡­ well, meat, was covering more and more of my crystal body. Besides it being disgusting, it was pretty mesmerizing. I kind of wished I had a mirror to look closer at my new form. -And besides, it¡¯s a lot weaker. -What? I didn¡¯t even have time to process what she just said before I got stabbed in the gut. Once more. Fucking really? Stabbed again? Did she lose?! -I thought you said we got time! - I yelped, grabbing the spike that was already piercing through my body, sticking out from my back. Speaking of. This time, it wasn¡¯t just her hand that was transformed. Not ¡°her¡±. In front of me there wasn''t a young woman anymore. It was a muscular guy, with his arms turned into crystal spikes. From waist down his flesh was also turned into a very familiar crystal, the same one that I just moments ago had as my whole body. And face¡­ -Hello, Mike. Yeah, he managed to take over. And not only that, he transformed! When did he even manage to do that? Wait¡­ He was transforming when I was regenerating¡­? Possible. -You never give up, do you? - he asked, raising me off the ground using his spiky hand. -Same to you. Fotoho. Holding the spike, I wanted to crack it. I didn¡¯t expect it to work, since I didn¡¯t put much mana into it. And, on top of that, I was dealing with Origin Crystal. That thing is sturdy. But, I got a reaction. It wasn¡¯t splitting in half, like I wanted it to, but it did crack. Which not only surprised me, but him as well. Too bad he regenerated it almost instantly. -Still flailing. You are something else. But be quiet. Even though he wasn¡¯t using magical language, I could feel his words hiding power and magic. -You know that doesn¡¯t work like that¡­ - I said. - You need to be more creative. Qigo! Wait. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. I spoke. I mean I knew I could cast even without talking, but I could speak normally. Again, it also surprised him. Same as the effect of my spell. This time, instead of trying to destroy the spikes that were holding me, I wanted to push myself away from them, with a bit of magical boost. Since I wasn¡¯t actively trying to manipulate him, it worked. I managed to dislodge myself from his grasp, and even launch myself away from him. First step done, the main question still remained the same. What the hell do I do next? -There¡¯s no escaping me, you know that! - he said, stepping forward. What happened next was confusing. I swear I only saw him take one singular step, yet he appeared right in front of me the next moment. Did he teleport? No, I would¡¯ve at least felt it. It was just like before. He was just impossibly fast. -Ow. Right. He wasn¡¯t stopping. Spike-arms still on display, again he stabbed me, but I was ready with the spell and repeated again, this time with a bit more force, to maybe get a more distance and a moment to think. -Qigo! But, this time, it didn¡¯t work. Yeah, the spell took hold and I used mana. I even felt a rather large pull, just like it was supposed to happen, but we did not get separated. -Come on, think of something smarter. You have little time. His countermeasure was as simple as it was effective. He just grew more spikes, this time diagonally, essentially hooking himself onto me. Without breaking the Crystal, there was no removing it. -Ghhr¡­ I still have plenty of magic, you know. -Not for long. Yeah¡­ the magic was not just leaving me because of the wounds and spell usage. He was indeed draining me. -Just be a good guy and stop - he said, hooking even more spikes into my flesh. -Fuck, that stings. -The pain¡¯s back. Good. It means it¡¯s working. -What¡¯s working. He didn¡¯t answer. Instead, he just increased the power of his drain. I have to say, even with that power, it was going to take him a while to fully drain me. I could still retaliate. But I needed to have a plan. Although, I couldn¡¯t really play for time considering the circumstances. -Damn. For a singular shard, you are really an endless supply. -Singular shard¡­? -You know what we are. You know how many are inside us. -Well, not really¡­ - I said, trying to focus on my mana. - It¡¯s not like everyone keeps walking around absorbing people. -Oh, but they did¡­ - he replied. - And not like you were above it. -Sure, but I never kept going. -Did you, now¡­? I didn¡¯t understand why was he so¡­ spiteful? I mean, sure, I get it, he was trying to take over me, but I still had no idea why. I wanted to ask him, but first I had to get away. -Fotoho! Tvupi fotoho. Douquwe tvupi fotoho! I tried three times. Each one was slightly different, but I could not shatter the spikes. Each spell, targeting him: useless. I guess I lost my element of surprise, because the Crystal didn¡¯t even shake: we were still joined together, bound in this weird position. -Not going to work. You no longer have enough mana. Enough mana? It¡¯s not like I felt that weak. Even with his drain, I still had plenty. -Not stopping me from trying. -I guess¡­ - he sighed. - And here I thought you¡¯d be as cooperative with me as you were with her. Eh, what can you do? -You¡¯re not my type. -Oh. Right. That¡¯s true. She was your type. Uh-oh. Shouldn¡¯t have mentioned that. But, on the other hand¡­ if I was to anger him a bit¡­? -Yeah¡­ - I picked up. - Smart. Pretty. Witty. Too bad you aren¡¯t. Doing this shit definitely isn¡¯t helping your image. -Shut up. You have no idea what you¡¯re talking about. Yikes, speaking of easy. It only took one mention of her and he was already angrily sneering at me. Hell, he even slowed down the drain, losing composure. It was as good of an opportunity as any other. -Fotoho do voy. -Wha¡­ This time, I was a bit reckless. Instead of targeting his spikes, or his body¡­ I targeted myself. And it worked like a charm. I split in half like a broken branch, right where I was being pierced, falling on the ground. I expected a fountain of blood and a flood of pain, but I think it was either mana that was spilling out from me or the adrenaline that didn¡¯t let me notice either. I only know that the next moment I was out of his grasp, lying on the ground next to my detached lower half and casting another spell. -Lupilvo nop. Whatever he¡¯s done to my body, the one thing didn¡¯t change: I was still part-crystal. Be it my heart, brain, core or whatever, but I was still able to cast spell without the issue, and this one worked quickly. With a meaty squelch, two of my halves were pulled together into one and again I was in one piece. Even the hole that the spikes left was¡­ well, not fully healed, but closed. I couldn¡¯t ask for any more at this point. And yet, I had to, because he was relentless. Sure, my sudden¡­ split, caught him off guard, but that was just for a moment. He still was in great shape to fight and on top of that, his body was energized by mana, making him move with speed and power that shouldn''t be possible. Quite useful skill. -Visu nysu, dosleyy nop! I quickly raised a rocky wall that was supposed to protect me. At least from the initial impact, that is. Well, it sort of did. His first strike managed to crash into the rock and not break through, but only because of him not expecting it to be in front of me. Another swing was enough to make an opening, which I promptly closed up. -Do not delay the inevitable - he said in between the swings. -I do have time. -Me too. But I¡¯d rather it go faster than this. His next strike went through the wall and hit me square in the chest. -Fuck! Good news: he didn¡¯t pierce my body. Bad news: he managed to give me yet another concussion. Before, I wouldn''t really care about that: my head being crystal, only magic would be able to shake me, if that even. But¡­ not this time. I had a fleshy body once more. While not completely human, his spell, or whatever that was, managed to weaken me significantly. Sure, I was still able to regenerate, so he wasn¡¯t doing any permanent damage, but he was making me waste magic. And slowing me down to boot. -Give up - he said, standing above me, when I was trying to gather myself from the impact of his strike. -No can do - I replied, trying to regain my balance and standing up. - Nysu! -Oh stop this bullshit¡­ I managed to start building a wall between us, just for him to slap it and crush it without even any effort. -Make up something creative. I don¡¯t know, use something offensive. -Like I am that stupid. You¡¯re going to absorb it the moment I make it. -Hm. Maybe. Well, it¡¯s going to make it easier for me, true¡­ Of course it would. He wanted my mana, my essence. I could shower him with random spells, but it would only feed him and give exactly what he wants. If only I had some weapon to defend myself or¡­ I didn¡¯t have time to think. He swiped at me with his spike-mace, aiming for my head this time. I knew I had no time to dodge, so I only managed to reflexively put as much mana in between us as I could and give it a form. Any form would do, but what came out was¡­ A crystal. Of course, I mean, as a core I was still a remnant, one that had a piece of Origin Crystal within it. It was strange, the spell that I instinctively casted was similar to the illusion that ILMA had made to scare me. A bit unusual, since that one was just a fake. And I managed to pull off something similar, just by sheer instinct¡­ I say ¡°pull off¡±, but it was barely any better than a stone wall: sure it broke his momentum, but it still sent me flying with a broken bloody nose. Sure, I managed to fix it a moment later, but it was still very unpleasant. -Huh. They do say imitation is the greatest form of flattery. That was actually a great idea. I mean, I could just¡­ -You don¡¯t know half of it. Copy him, right? Was that possible? We were made out of the same thing¡­ I mean, mostly¡­ The question was, could I change my shape like that¡­? He managed to change me into flesh¡­ but I could try and reverse it¡­ and then¡­ -Less thinking, more fighting - he interrupted me, noticing my hesitation. Another blow, but this time I was ready. Well, more ready than before. I still wasn¡¯t fast enough to react, but I managed to raise my arms beforehand along with focusing as much mana in front of me as possible. My plan was to change the mana into stone first, but I lacked time and focus: his blow again struck me off my feet. -Fuck¡­ - i mumbled, raising from the ground again, but just for me to slip on my hand and fall face first into the bloodied floor. Wait¡­ It¡¯s not that I slipped¡­ I didn¡¯t have any feelings in my fingers. -Oh shit. Last attack he made wasn¡¯t the same as before. He changed his hands again: he was back to using fully extended spikes¡­ or at this point, I¡¯d call those blades. They cleanly sliced through my wrist, leaving me disarmed. Again. Reflexively, I wanted to pour my mana into the stumps and stop the bleeding, but stopped myself short. That was a great occasion. -Let¡¯s try, why not. -Hmmm? I tried to gather myself. Similarly as when he instructed me on how to regenerate myself faster, I gathered mana and poured into the missing pieces, but this time, I wasn¡¯t just going to let them passively fill the gaps. I wanted to steer it into the direction I wanted. Hopefully. -Origin. 237. Piercing I didn¡¯t even realize I spoke, but my words were holding power. Hell, I didn¡¯t even use a different language, just plain old english. And it worked. The moment I spoke, my mana crystallized in my non-existing hands, turning the imagination into reality. A familiar crystal. Almost see-through, with a blood-red tinge, and very sharp. Just like the ¡°blade¡± that cut me a moment ago. -Nice daggers - he commented on my change. - Too bad it won¡¯t help you. But the growth was not done. The blades were still expanding, or rather I was still pushing mana into them. I wanted to make them as durable as possible, to hopefully break his. I managed to reinforce them, sure, but only a bit: after a brief moment of strengthening, the mana I was pouring was instead going towards them getting longer and thicker. Even then, I was not stopping, and only finished when I felt my hands getting a bit too heavy to my liking. Not the worst outcome, all things considered. -I take that back. Those are swords. Yeah, that was a tad bit more correct description. From my wrists, where just minutes ago I had regular hands, I now was sporting two ten centimeter wide and maybe a meter long crystal blades. -Let¡¯s check the quality¡­ He swung at me with his arms, mid-swing transforming both arms into a curved version of the blade he had as a hand a moment ago. We clashed with a loud noise, sending mass of sparks all over the place. -Durable. -You don¡¯t say. I tried to step back and swing at him instead, but he just moved slightly and trapped my own hands in with his. -Doesn¡¯t matter how large or how long, it¡¯s how you can use it. With surprising agility, he released me and changed his shape again. This time, he looked more human: instead of two blades he just had one. Sure, longer, but a lot thinner. It sort of looked like a cross between a rapier and a longsword. Interesting. -You say it doesn¡¯t matter, yet make your own longer. -Pff. Amateur. -So are you. -Of course I was. But I am not alone, am I? -You mean¡­ -There were plenty of people skilled in the sword that are a part of me now. He was not wrong. Sad part is, he didn¡¯t really need those to defeat me. I was still just myself, a person who¡¯s never thought he¡¯d be even picking up a sword, not to mention fight with it to the death. Even Moi would be better than me. And he was part of him as well, at least to my knowledge. A good swordsman would be able to disarm me without even looking. Hell, even a shabby one, I presume. Good thing that was not possible with my current weapon, though. I knew I was lacking, so I decided to be smarter and instead focused on defense. Maybe even too much, because my body responded in kind. What just a moment ago was a blade that I was attempting to use as something to defend myself, now was just a large slab of crystal right on the end of my hand. I mean, a mace also works¡­ The sheer size of it was helping me stand my ground and I was able to bounce some attacks away. Some. He was still able to hit me multiple times, but at least now I was not getting slammed away by just a difference in weight. Yeah¡­ my body was getting better. And by better I mean turning more and more into a crystal I remembered. To be honest, it was easier than I thought, this process of editing my own flesh. When Kon was doing it, I thought it was something that really should take full focus and massive amounts of magic, but now I was able to do it while being pounded by attacks from Mike. And maybe also because of that. According to Kon, he needed to first destroy his body to reform it into a shape he wanted it to take, right? Well, it was true here as well¡­ but I managed to outsource the process, so to speak. Involuntarily, of course, but Mike was helping me reinstate myself into a being I already gotten used to. Each hit, leaving mark, every wound, was converted into not fleshy, bleeding hole, instead into a crystal I mean, I still was leaking, both mana and blood, but at that point, I kind of didn¡¯t care. At least about the blood part. And with mana¡­ even despite his best efforts to drain me, I still was feeling strong, which was surprising. I probably was able to regenerate quite a bit just from his presence alone, it¡¯s not like he was bothering to contain himself. Wasn¡¯t the freshest mana, but even the remaining pieces from our clashes were helpful. Now, when I think about it¡­ it was strange that he was able to convert me in the first place¡­ As far as I was aware, he did not destroy my body beforehand¡­ well, not completely nor recently at least. Oh. Right. But he did help me regrow it¡­ Did he do something to me then? The details do not matter. What matters is, I was able to somewhat stand my ground, and that was before my other hand started transforming. Yeah, apparently my attempts on defense and the response from my own mana to it wasn¡¯t finished just yet. While swinging wildly with the mace, I noticed that also my other arm was slowly getting transformed. Bulging and bubbling, it was almost leaking, which was making me mildly uncomfortable. But it really wasn''t all that bad. Especially after I realized what was being created. A tower shield. Yeah, that¡¯s about how I¡¯d describe it. A large, rectangular slab of crystal, replacing my whole arm and even partially shoulder, helping me deflect his assault. But, despite my best efforts, he was looking at me like I was just a minor inconvenience. Maybe with a hint of amusement. Can¡¯t blame him, I also would not choose this as my default setup for a battle. A short mace and a shield? What am I, some kind of scuffed paladin? I think my own flesh was resonating with that idea, or rather the complete and utmost weirdness of it, because just as I was complaining to myself the other hand started turning once more. It looked like someone had put it into the lava and pulled it out way too late: the large slab that was working as a weapon started stretching and getting thinner¡­ and thinner. I honestly got a scare. What if I accidentally destroyed it? Turned it into something that was unusable? But, it wasn¡¯t all that bad. I managed to create two shields, a bit too much, but that¡¯s just probably because of me being a bit fixated on the idea of ¡°shielding myself¡±. It did work though, for one or two hits. He was surprised to see me effortlessly block, but that was just for a moment. He realized what happened and immediately changed his approach, or rather switched to actually attempting to feint me. He did succeed, I have to add. But I had a plan. Since I, apparently, had a good idea on how to modify my body by now, I thought, why not do it again? Expand my horizons! And by that, I mean expand my shields. I slammed my fists, or rather my shields, together and focused mana on them both, trying to cleanly and evenly distribute my magic along them. It¡­ sort of worked. What I had in mind was to make my shields a lot wider, to cover me from each side, and if that was going to work. I managed to do that, essentially walling myself in in some sort of a hollow pillar. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. But, the problem was, I was not able to move my hands. Sure, I was protected from every direction, but what for? I was going to stand there and wait? Ouch! Suddenly, a hit to the head. While not exactly painful, I definitely felt it. About that ¡°every direction¡±... I kind of forgot about one. Up. Yeah, Mike realized that and straight up started stabbing me from above. How did he even manage to do that? What, he jumped up or some shit? I mean, he probably could but that was not it. His weapon¡­ was curving. And was a lot longer than I had seen before. Of course. I wasn¡¯t the only one that was able to modify their body. Obviously. He just lengthened his ¡°rapier¡±, and by that point spear, and made it change shape so it could reach me here. I have to say, it looked absolutely ridiculous, like some sort of weird living crystal snake, slithering through the gap in my shields to just poke me from above. I had to change my tactics once more¡­ I was wondering, was I even needing to block those attacks? By this point, my body was fully back to its old and crystal self. Sure, I was a bit more red-tinged, but that didn¡¯t mean I was weaker. Hell, it seemed like the knowledge of how to modify my own body helped me heal faster: I could actually focus on the spots that needed it and direct the resources there. Surely I could just stop and go on the offensive, right? For a moment, to test that theory, I just stopped doing anything. I was standing there, letting him hit me just as he was doing, the ¡°snake¡± stabbing me every moment¡­ It seemed like it wasn''t doing any damage. Sure, I was getting chipped a bit, but nothing that I couldn¡¯t handle. Surely I could just drop the shields and do something else¡­? But, what I didn¡¯t notice at first were small sparks of mana that were stabbing me along with his weapon. Just like a poison, it was seeping into my wounds, and slowly making me sluggish. I did notice it a bit late, though¡­ Or maybe it was because of that I noticed it a bit late? The main takeaway from it was that I couldn¡¯t let him stab me freely. I had to defend. Back to my original idea: more shields. I once more spread my own mana and wanted to change the shape of the shield. I was a bit tired of all this snaking bullshit, so I went with what I probably should have in the first place: a large orb. I turned myself into a ball. Well, technically, it was just my arms, but from the outside I definitely looked just like a large crystal ball. There was an obvious flaw, though. I was blind. Be it because my crystal was thick, or maybe just because of the newly acquired red color, but I wasn¡¯t able to see anything through it. Hell, even my magical sight wasn¡¯t helping: I was just seeing my own mana in front of me. After all, I was just looking at myself. And since I was still quite full on mana, everything behind was being drowned in the mana flame that I was the center of. Not all was bad, though. I was protected from all sides, and while I could still feel his weapon poking me from outside, the damage wasn¡¯t serious. If it was to continue, this fight would probably end up being a straight up test of stamina. Honestly, I kind of wanted for that to happen. Sure, I was warned about his mana capacity and all, but that¡¯s the thing¡­ I¡¯ve seen his body first hand. And while me being mistaken was possible, from what I¡¯ve seen we had a very comparable amount of mana. Sure, he was better at fighting, but so what? He was expending more mana to just attack me than I was to sit there in a ball healing and protecting myself. On top of that, I was also pretty sure that he was infusing his mana into attacks, trying to make them powerful, to break through the crystal. That means even more mana wasted, right? And we can¡¯t forget my ability, or, well, the crystal¡¯s ability to absorb mana. Even if he was trying to hurt me by infusing his attacks, I still was able to get some of that magic to myself, to regain what I was expending. From my perspective, it obviously looked like I had the upper hand. It definitely wouldn¡¯t look like that from an outsider perspective. Hell, it most likely looked like Mike had lost his marbles, trying to hurt a piece of crystal. Unfortunately, he also noticed that. And I don¡¯t mean how stupid the exchange looked. No, he noticed that it was pointless to attack. I sort of was banking on him trying to attack over and over and eventually tire himself out, so I could try and free Il from his will, but that was just wishful thinking on my part. He was smart, no way he¡¯d just smack his head against the wall till exhaustion. If he was to continue his attack, I had to taunt him or something¡­ But, when I was thinking of what to say or do to make him do that, I felt him strike me again. Strange. Did he really go mad? I mean, it was pointless and he knew that. Did that mean he figured something out¡­? Hm. Didn¡¯t seem like it. His attacks still were as vain as ever. And on top of that I am pretty sure that they were even weaker than before. What¡¯s up with him¡­? That wasn¡¯t my imagination. His attacks were getting weaker. I mean¡­ That was my plan¡­ But for it to go so smoothly¡­ And without any input from me felt¡­ bizarre, to say the least. No, that was impossible. Something had to change. I am sure he is not that stupid. I was just overlooking something. While at that point I sort of wanted to dismiss that thought as a mild case of overthinking things, the truth was I was right. Sure, his blows were weaker. But the mana infused in them was not. He wasn¡¯t trying to do damage. Not immediately. He was focusing on striking a singular point. A point on which he was gathering mana, with each consecutive strike. Sure, I could absorb it. But not all of it, and not immediately. If he was to damage my crystal more, this tactic wouldn¡¯t have worked: the wound itself would be healing itself using the mana from his blows. But, since his blows were barely scratching the surface of my shield, the excess was slowly building. And, was not making any sparks. Since I was being blinded by my own mana, I had a hard time even seeing it. Plus, it was just the same color as him, so one could easily mistake it for just his body, since they were next to each other. And he was counting on that. Finally, I did notice it, but it was too late. Even if I was to realize it sooner, I wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything to prevent what was going on. With his final strike, he swung hard. I am not sure if he even needed to cast any spell: the sparks would¡¯ve done the trick. An explosion. A strong one. It was powerful enough to crack my shield and that¡¯s not something to be taken lightly. While I wasn¡¯t able to see from the outside, I assume that if someone would see us, the blast radius would''ve been enough to knock someone off their feet from more than just a few hundred meters. Also, I said ¡°cracked¡±... I mean more like shattered. It wasn¡¯t all because of the explosion, though. Sure, the blast did make a sizable opening in it, to the point where I was able to see the outside, and the peeking blade that made its way towards my face. I reflexively wanted to shield myself with my hand, but that was not happening. It would¡¯ve been futile anyway, because for once he was not aiming for face, it just looked like that for a moment. Immediately after breaking through, the blade that was pointing now towards my eye started swelling, and did not stop until it shattered the remains of my defense into small pieces. It was a bizarre sight, to see something that was supposed to be made of stone, crystal, to swell like a balloon. Yet that was exactly what happened. To add to the weirdness, it also didn¡¯t make any sound at all. Or maybe that was just me who was a bit stunned by an explosion that happened right in front of my face a moment earlier. Strange or not, it was effective. And quick. All that happened in less than two seconds, leaving me absolutely discombobulated. And more importantly, without any defense. I was just standing here, like a cracked egg, right and ready for someone to scoop up the insides. While Mike was definitely going to aim at assaulting me more, he was not about to start scooping. He just went for yet another stab, connecting with my forehead. I want to say that it was this strike that finally managed to shake me up enough to get me out of the stunned state I found myself in, but it wasn¡¯t it. It was the immediate pain that I felt. Not at the point of impact, not. It was deeper in. So he never stopped infusing his blows with mana, hm? But this man.. was different. It wasn¡¯t just some unattuned, neutral mana that you¡¯d expect of someone who was about to cast a spell. No, it was more¡­ personal. And I don¡¯t mean that he was attuning himself to me, rather the opposite. He wanted to force my own magic to submit to him, after all. But, I had no idea how he was going to do that. Or rather how he was attempting to right now, because that deep seeded pain in my head was most likely indicating his own presence invading. I didn¡¯t know, but my thought about his mana being ¡°personal¡± was on point. As mentioned, regular spells will use regular, unaspected mana to then turn themselves into select element or any other effect caster desires and is able to will it to. But that does not mean you can¡¯t do something different. I even used that exact thing before. Like for example when I ¡°transfered¡± certain souls into different bodies. Anso, not only I did that. Another, more obscure and probably more similar method would be using someone¡¯s mana. And I don¡¯t mean drained mana, or borrowed. I mean someone¡¯s essence. I did that at least once before. While mostly unaware, that was while I attempted to fly when I first arrived in here. It was a long time ago, but it also explained the searing pain that I was feeling right now and I felt before. In both cases, my own essence was getting drained. But, what¡¯s the difference? our mana, your essence, who cares, right? It¡¯s pretty easy to explain. Think of regular spells and normal mana usage as just someone cutting your hair. Or nails. You don¡¯t feel pain, you are used to it. You know what exactly to cut so nothing happens to you, and eventually it regrows, right? Draining your own essence is similar to being overzealous in either of those. But a lot worse. With hair or fingers, if you¡­ em, ¡°remove too much¡± you face an almost certain consequence of losing them. The simile ends here, because without hair or nails you can easily survive, while with your soul¡­ the essence¡­ Well, your body will survive. For how long? Who knows. A soulless husk¡­ will not act on its own. It will just be there. Technically you could attempt and make it survive by taking care of it, but that¡¯s just it. It would be useless. At least until a new soul would appear to take housing inside the free body. That was going to be my fate, if I was not to react. Just burned out and empty, an empty shell ready for him. His magic was getting more and more invasive, making it harder for me to resist. I had to figure out some kind of plan, and soon. But, nothing was coming to my mind. Or rather that my mind was already too preoccupied with other things: his mana was already burning me from inside, along with my own. Not good. I had to focus¡­ Right. My mind. I had to shield my mind from him. To maybe regain a bit more clarity of thinking¡­ I did try, but it was too late. He was already too deep. I wanted to speak, to try and say something to him. Maybe make him reconsider. I know, a bit delusional, but still. In my state, I wasn¡¯t able to think clearly, if at all. Those were essentially my death spasms. The last thing I remember was his face, staring right at me with relief. He did it. 238. Different I would never imagine it would¡¯ve been so hard. Having to fight for the remains of her was given, but for all pieces to take that much effort? After the actual core, I thought the hardest part was over. And yet, the last piece was the most feisty. Probably took after its host. Mor was always an enigma to me. And after seeing some of his memories through the core, I realized that he hid more from me than I realized¡­ They both did. To think that my own wife had¡­ all this going on behind my back¡­ It hurt. It hurt a lot. I think I understood why they did it, but it never made it better. It didn¡¯t matter anyway. It was all behind me. I would have a lot of time to digest it. Having memories of them all with me¡­ To be honest, I kind of was hoping that having that many people with me would at least drown the painful parts¡­ but that had to wait. Them being the freshest one didn¡¯t help. Neither did traveling with Mor, of all people. How did he even survive all this? I thought he¡¯d die multiple times already, but seeing him still aware, with his soul intact¡­ I had to know more. Was his body that special? Did he inherit some kind of ability? Like me? I needed to investigate him, and by extension I needed him in the best shape possible. In hindsight, I probably should¡¯ve not been so careless. The mana I gave him made the fight so much harder¡­ And yet, he was unremarkable. None of his abilities were different. He was just using magic, nothing besides that. He didn¡¯t even understand how to heal his own body consciously. He only managed to do it just at the end there. While he learned fast and adapted even quickly, I ended up victorious. But, I had to waste a bit too much of my mana. Bleh. Doesn¡¯t matter. He is gone. I didn¡¯t have to act any more. There were no people that knew me, at least not on this continent. Having the whole ILMA with me, I finally could step up and move towards leaving this place. It was now only a matter of time before I gathered enough mana for breaking the barrier completely. If not for that fight, I would already be able to leave. Now I need to find a good source of mana¡­ Maybe his parts¡­? No. Too risky. I have to admit, he was powerful. And right now, with my mana weakened, it would¡¯ve been possible for him to¡­ slip out. Or even take over. I was not going to risk that. Yes. The safest bet was to just leave his pieces alone. Without the core, he¡¯d just slowly vanish from existence, turn into a harmless puff of mana. Mana, mana¡­ Where¡¯s the nearest leyline¡­? I guess that would be the fastest¡­ Ah right, of course. Right there, where it began of course. It already was sealed, but that doesn¡¯t matter. I still can open it without issue. I swear, nature works fast¡­ Was it even fast¡­? How much time did I even waste on this chase? Weeks? Months? Doesn¡¯t matter. It was worth it. Having that whole memory bank to myself was worth everything. And having her back. Mh. I probably should fly there¡­ It¡¯s going to be painful, though¡­ Or should I just teleport? Do I want to waste more time¡­ Fuck, that¡¯s a double question¡­ Do I waste time getting there slower literally or I risk the stupid time dilation again¡­ Considering that he¡¯s in me I probably should avoid that. I guess if I fly I can get rid of him sooner¡­ Ah, yeah, that hurts. Just not to drop the spell¡­ To think that it¡¯d end where it was starting¡­ for me at least. I guess others too, but they had met their end in a bit of a different place¡­ Did they even meet their end? Being a part of me is kind of like killing them, but also not so far from living as well¡­ They say you live until the last memory about you is forgotten¡­ I guess all of them have a lot of life left to them, then. Whatever. I am close. Now to just find the leyline¡­ Should be right next to the place¡­ Where even is that stupid ruin? How long has it been, did it really overgrow so much? I¡¯ve been flying and flying and can¡¯t see shit¡­ It is supposed to be near the center¡­? The epicenter, right? I guess it really has been overtaken by the trees. I need to get down¡­ Or should I just absorb those trees? It would¡¯ve been faster¡­ Yeah, let¡¯s go with that. And I will kickstart the regeneration. I mean, still not enough to even make a difference in the long run, but whatever. It¡¯ll be easier to search. There, a spot as good as any. Oh? River? That means I am close. Let¡¯s just check¡­ Ah, that way. Hm. I thought I flew over that part¡­ Whatever. Let¡¯s just clear some of this bullshit¡­ There we go. It really is overgrown. Well, time to prune some weeds. Really? Only that much of the ruin left? It¡¯s more like just a few bricks. Doesn¡¯t matter. Why is there a lake here now? Did we really have that much water? I guess at least the ruined walls are good for something: I have a dry spot to sit. Well, not completely dry. At least it¡¯s not flooded. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. As expected. The leyline is sealed. Did he do that? Or was it nature¡­ No, I can¡¯t see him doing it. He manipulated it some, but nothing to explain that much of a change. Well, I just have to open it a bit¡­ Yh, it¡¯s harder than expected¡­ Fuck¡­ Did it reinforce itself? It is breakable¡­ but I need more time¡­ Damn. And here I thought I was done wasting time¡­ It¡¯s not like it matters. There¡¯s no one left. All of them are quiet. Is there even some of them left¡­? I kind of wasted a bit too much flying¡­ Eh. Just a few moments more. Maybe more than a few moments. And I will finally be back home. But¡­ What is home? Can I even call it home without her¡­ without them¡­? No. Can¡¯t think like that. They are all with me. Besides, what even changed? She was already like this after the accident. Both of them were¡­ I just am going to have to find the organization again¡­ This time, I¡¯ll be a lot more careful. And not like I need that much time again. I just need to access the data from before¡­ If they have it. What am I talking about, of course they have it. No one would be that stupid to just get rid of a cure for¡­ well, everything! Making new bodies is something revolutional! Sure, I can use it on myself. I probably would be able to modify someone else¡­ but I need a living subject. Or, well, at least something similar to a body. I am not going to give her just a piece of wood again! That was a bad idea¡­ It even got her killed. More than once. I think. Those memories are a bit blurry¡­ Or was it Mor¡­? Fuck, his memories are still here. I thought I already burned them¡­ Well, at least I have some reserves. Pfeh, why am I even thinking about this? I need to focus. Focus and forget. I hope this is the end. But it won¡¯t be that easy, will it? Think and remember. What¡¯s going on? Where am I¡­? Or more importantly, who am I? I wanted to pat myself over, just by sheer instinct, but I couldn¡¯t move. Or, to be more precise, there wasn¡¯t anything to move. Was my body broken¡­? I was immediately reminded of the time when my body was destroyed and scattered into many pieces. Did that happen again? That was the most likely scenario. I couldn¡¯t feel any of my body. What about my magic¡­? Yeah, it was still there. I mean, obviously. If I was conscious it meant I still had some of mana left to at least function. I wanted to feel my surroundings. Where was I? Did that sudden turn of events scatter me or something? Did that attack turn me into dust again? If that was the case, I was going to spend a lot of time in one spot. I was going to need a lot of time to just turn myself into decent enough shape to move¡­ It was going to be probably faster than before, I had some experience already, but still. I focused on mana near me¡­ And felt something. Hell, not even something. Someone. I was definitely still somewhere¡­ lively, so to speak. I could feel mana all around me. Were those trees? Plants of some kind? Most likely. Judging by what I¡¯ve seen of this land so far, I knew that there was hardly any place that was dead¡­ At least I knew it wasn¡¯t that desert again. And about people¡­ There was just one. It was strange. It felt right next to me and at the same time so far away I was barely able to sense them¡­ Wait¡­ could that mean that they were also wounded¡­? Nah, can¡¯t be. If I was to judge by the mana, I would have to say that they were dying. Hell, my own signature wasn¡¯t that much more pronounced, but I was just a piece of crystal, supposedly. I could handle it and even come back. If someone with a regular body was emitting that kind of aura, they were definitely dying. Or in a coma. Or both. Kind of doubted about the second one. In that case, it would¡¯ve meant that they were abandoned to death. While I was telling myself that it was unlikely, I still had that sinking feeling that it could be true¡­ But, just as I was dealing with that issue, I felt another presence appear nearby. How the hell did I just notice that now?! It seemed like they were just a step away from them! And then another one. And another! And more! Four people? Five?! Where were they coming from?! Were they able to hide their mana signature¡­? Doubtful¡­ I mean, you could do that, but I felt like the answer was a bit more mundane¡­ I was just weak. I couldn¡¯t sense them, because they were out of my range. It¡¯s not like I was in top shape. The lack of other senses was a great indicator of exactly that. Well, whoever they are, I wonder if they notice me? I couldn¡¯t tell what shape I was in right now, but it had to be at least adjacent to a piece of crystal. Did I look humanoid? Or at least was a body part left somewhere? Unlikely. It didn¡¯t seem like they noticed me, though. Kind of strange. Whoever they were, I knew they had to be powerful. That mana was strong. And yet, they were oblivious to my presence¡­ Were those people unable to see auras¡­? Doubtful¡­ Why then? Was I that weak that I wasn¡¯t even registering as a threat? Sure, I wasn¡¯t in the best shape¡­ But to mistake me for a piece of landscaping? I felt slightly offended. I mean sure, I was most likely reduced to being a piece of stone right now, but come on! Complaining was pointless, though. And anyway, them missing me was working in my favor. I needed time to recover and understand what¡¯s going on. Someone having a bit too much curiosity would be problematic¡­ I speak from experience. I just had to wait for them to leave me alone¡­ But they were not. For some reason they kept hovering around, goin back and forth from my range. Were they¡­ arguing¡­? Strange. Well, I had more pressing matters at hand to focus on. I had to pour my everything into trying to regenerate. Whatever was going on in front of me wasn¡¯t really a problem if I had my own body back. The crystal body, I mean, that¡¯s sort of what I was defaulting to recently. After fully turning into the crystal, I started slowly enjoying it. The strangeness was kind of intriguing for me, and refreshing. And of course, it was more powerful than any of my other ¡°variations¡± so to speak. Which would be doubly helpful if I was to try and ¡°clean up¡±. Speaking of, I wondered what actually happened back there. However much I tried, I could not remember the last moments before I awakened here again. The last thing I remember was having a discussion¡­ about something important¡­ WITH someone important¡­ But for the life of me I couldn¡¯t remember with who or about what. It felt like it was on the tip of my tongue, and yet it was not coming out. And no, that¡¯s not a problem of not having a tongue. I only could hope the memory was going to come back along with my mana recovering. But, it was going to take a while. I was making some progress, though. Despite me wanting to just recover my magic first, I realized that I was just burning it at almost the same rate as I was regaining it. At first I wanted to limit that, but soon I realized that I couldn¡¯t. And good that I couldn¡¯t because I wasn¡¯t wasting it. Or, well, my body was not wasting it. Or, rather not intending to. I could tell that it was trying to regenerate itself, but for some reason it could not. So instead of physical form, it was fortifying my soul. Yeah, soul. You¡¯re probably going to ask, what¡¯s the difference? If your mana is your soul, isn¡¯t it the same as just recovering your magic? What are you even talking about? Yeah, I also thought it was like that before. And yet, right in front of my non-existing eyes, I could tell that it was not the case. I could tell how much mana I had. And I also could clearly feel my own soul. And those two were completely different entities. How and why? Fuck if I know. I just know that energy from one was feeding into the other. And I couldn¡¯t stop it. Honestly, it was worrying. I had a hunch that it was not just my body¡­ soul¡­ or whatever, working on autopilot. That it was something making me do it. That I was being manipulated. Truth was, I was both right and wrong at the same time. The understanding came a lot later. 239. Perspectives During all that my inner conflict, I failed to realize that the group that I noticed nearby slowly was getting smaller. Just as they appeared before, now they were gone. Only two of them were remaining. Not the worst news. Less threats to worry about. But, whoever they were, they appeared stronger than before. Or maybe it was just my senses that got sharpened¡­? Who knows. But, in both of those cases: not good news. The stronger the opponents, the better chance for them to notice me and do something. Being in the state I was I couldn¡¯t even tell if they were noticing something off about their surroundings; a.k.a. me. But, it did not seem like they cared. Just like before, they were wandering nearby, like they were just waiting for something¡­ And apparently, that ¡°something¡± finally came. I couldn¡¯t sense it, but I realized that when the surroundings started changing. It was¡­ bizarre. I want to say that we were caught in some kind of an anomaly, it was so confusing. Suddenly, everything around us started moving, like it was caught in a very strong wind. Jumping forwards and backwards, up and down¡­ If I had a stomach, I would¡¯ve instantly gotten sick. Hell, even without one I felt my head spinning. It took a long time, but I slowly started getting my senses back and actually realized what was going on. It was not an anomaly. Well, not like I was thinking. The surroundings weren¡¯t moving. They were. And I was along with them. When I was so sure that they never noticed me¡­ Or did they? Hmm. There was still a chance. Call it just me being too much of an optimist, but there was still a possibility of them not noticing me. How? For that, I needed to ask a question: how were they moving? Well, with magic, obviously. While I couldn¡¯t tell exactly how, assuming that they didn¡¯t notice me¡­ they could just think I was a part of the landscape. A rock. Or a piece of a tree. Anything. And for some reason, that piece got caught in their transporting spell. But for that, it meant that they were REALLY something else. The only way I could think of them making a mistake like that would be using some kind of flying spell¡­ and I knew from my own experience that it was not easy. Hell, the last time I used it I burned off part of my own body just to fuel it. But again, it was before I was even enhanced by the Origin Crystal¡­ so it was possible¡­ There was still the issue of calibrating it properly¡­ But, judging from the movement of everything nearby, it was far from perfect, which was giving a bit more credibility to my new theory. Damn. I was not sure if I should count myself as very lucky or the opposite, but at the moment I couldn¡¯t do shit, so I just had to go along with it. Hell, it wasn¡¯t all that bad: the spell was not perfect, just as I noticed, and was bleeding mana all over the place. The mana that I could use. I didn¡¯t have to even focus much to get it to myself: it was flowing through me on its own. The rock, or piece of earth that most likely was serving them as a platform was completely filled with that magic. The same piece I was wedged into. Supposedly. I couldn¡¯t feel the exact shapes of those pieces¡­ or at all, really, but they were so close that it either had to be that or them literally piggybacking each other. Doubtful. Then again, their auras were rather large, so it was hard to judge exactly what was going on. We spent quite a bit of time traveling like that, just to land somewhere¡­ I am not certain where exactly. Still without my senses I couldn¡¯t tell at all. At that point, I started getting more worried. Not really about them attacking me or something, it was more about my own state. With that much time passing, I thought I would be able to at least recover enough of my magic to recover my sense of sight. Or at least have my enhanced sight back to the degree that I could see without guessing. But, none of that. I probably should blame this strange transfer that was going on with my body¡­ soul, or whatever. Despite my best efforts, I still couldn¡¯t understand what was exactly going on with me. What I realized though, was that I was thinking a lot clearer. Sure, earlier you could tell that it was because of shock or whatnot, but my thoughts were getting a bit too sharp for my tastes. It was sort of like I was full of adrenaline, and we all know that¡¯s not possible without a physical body. Sure, I could say that my earlier body wasn¡¯t fleshy either and by extension couldn¡¯t produce adrenaline either, but¡­ It was magic, allright? If THE Origin Crystal cannot produce something as simple as adrenaline, something that people can make in a lab with enough effort, what is it good for even? Whoah, where did that even come from? I guess the ¡°magical adrenaline¡± or whatever was getting a bit too strong, making me slightly on the edge. To be honest, it was kind of understandable in the current situation. But scratch those problems, what¡¯s going on outside of my own head? Well, not much. At least at the moment they weren¡¯t. For now, the people outside were just¡­ I don¡¯t know, hanging around? The hell were they doing? It was kind of eerie. No change in anything. They weren¡¯t even moving for a while. Were they resting? It seems like it, because after a moment I noticed that their mana was steadily rising. And not in a way that would indicate them gathering magic to cast some kind of spell, it wasn¡¯t fast enough. Yet it was faster than what I would call regular regeneration while you¡¯re resting¡­ But again, what¡¯s even ¡°regular¡± at this point? I¡¯ve seen plenty of people with weird talents, powerful or not, so why not? They were probably able to rest faster than expected¡­ Hell, I would be probably able to do that too, if not for that strange transfer going on. If on top of that we add my ability to drain magic, that would be an easy task¡­ Speaking of. I noticed something. Mana nearby¡­ was disappearing¡­? No¡­ It was¡­ just like someone was draining magic from the area. It wasn¡¯t invasive, like with my touch, but gradual. Like someone had purposefully been doing that to hasten their regeneration¡­ Interesting. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. And more importantly, that meant that whoever that was¡­ there was a rather large chance for them to be a crystal person. Well¡­ were they¡­? Let¡¯s think. Wouldn¡¯t it be possible for someone to actually do that without the crystal¡­? I don¡¯t think so¡­ So a crystal person? From what I knew, there used to be a bunch of people like me, but they were wiped out by Mike. Or ILMA¡­ or the mix of two, the whole thing was a bit screwy. So it was either someone like that survived, or someone had figured out how to use the crystal outside their body to drain magic. Or just straight up managed to emulate the process without it. The question was, which one? The question that was answered almost immediately: it was just the crystal person. I say ¡°just¡±, but that was a rather large finding, to be honest. I only noticed that because of the mana that was getting absorbed and mixed into their own resources. I was familiar with the sight. Like with many other instances, the magic wasn¡¯t just cleanly melding into them, it was just this dirty and ¡°patchy¡± mix. Like I¡¯ve seen with myself and many other people. All of them using the Origin Crystal. To think of it, it wasn¡¯t that unexpected. I already knew that this world had a lot more of it than I thought, though. Most of its spread was thanks to a certain someone that wanted to get more powerful. To think of it, even I had released some of that material. Mostly accidentally, though, but still, it was still there. And especially in my near vicinity. If I really got shattered recently, there was a good chance that people near me could have had just accidentally found the pieces. That is, if they were really just random people. Yeah, at the back of my mind there was that sinking feeling, telling me that those nearby were a bit more familiar to me than I was thinking. But, I was still not sure why. For the life of me, I couldn¡¯t recognize their mana. To be honest, after seeing them try to regenerate by absorbing mana that was easy to explain: the fact that they were constantly mixing themselves with the loose mana from the environment meant that they were in constant change, never having identical mana flame that I could be familiar with. It would just take a couple minutes for someone to change their appearance completely. And I don¡¯t mean bodily appearance. So, I was still blind. Until I regained more of my senses, there was no way to confirm anything. Hell, even if I was to regain those, if they were really also able to change their appearance, the only way to check was to read their mind. Yeah, about that¡­ I already tried that. Too bad it did not work. And it was not just because their minds were resistant or something like that. No. I was just unable to focus completely. I want to, once more, blame the process that was going on inside me, that was constantly devoiding me of mana¡­ At this point, I was really confused. And the only thing I could do was to just wait¡­ And I did. After a while, finally something started happening. Not to me, though. At least I don¡¯t think so. The presences nearby started gathering mana for some reason, this time it was clearly to cast some kind of spell. My mind instantly went towards the worst situation. Were we under attack? Or maybe they found me? It was neither of those. They were just making a portal. I mean, it was ¡°just¡± to me, but weren¡¯t people who actually were able to cast those kinds of spells not very common? And, on top of that, wasn''t this world sort of¡­ dead? Especially after¡­ recent events? Hm. Whoever they might have been, both of them had to use magic to actually cast the spell, which made me doubly intrigued. Honestly, when I felt a portal forming I thought I might have just stumbled upon one of my old ¡°acquaintances¡±, but every single one of them would be able to make the portal alone. So was it someone new? Who knows at this point. I was a bit worried that I wasn¡¯t going to be able to follow them, but my fears were for naught. Just like with their regular travel, I was pulled along. Don¡¯t know why and how, though. By all means, I should¡¯ve been left alone. There¡¯s no way that they would accidentally just bring me with them¡­ Did that mean¡­ It had to. They knew I was there. And were doing that on purpose. What purpose? Who the fuck knows. It didn¡¯t seem like they had some malicious intent, at least at the moment. It would be so easy to just get rid of me right now. Should¡­ I ask them¡­? Before I decided on that, I realized that we arrived. Yeah, another strange thing: the portal took longer than I thought. Weren¡¯t those things almost instant? But then again, I¡¯ve never seen people try to make one as a team¡­ so maybe it was a bit more complicated than I thought. What about our destination? That¡¯s the thing, I couldn¡¯t tell. As far as I knew, it wasn¡¯t much different than before¡­ Well, besides maybe less mana around, but I was able to feel only the immediate area around me, so there¡¯s a good chance that I just was wrong. Funnily enough, it seemed like they also came to a similar conclusion, because just a while later the spell started forming again, and they opened another portal. What were they trying to do? Was I right? Did they fuck up and the portal was indeed flawed? It dumped them somewhere they didn¡¯t want to? It looked more likely by the second, because with the second portal the story repeated. They arrived at the place, took a moment to take in the spot, and promptly moved forward, opening another. This repeated multiple times. Hm. Was I right? Were those portals really flawed? Or¡­ Wait. I get it. I felt like there was something missing when they were conjuring those openings to travel between places. There was no anchor. For the anchor to work, it had to be at least powerful enough for me to notice it. Even in this flawed form. And yet, I noticed nothing. So how were they traveling? I remembered about the other method of portal transport I¡¯ve heard before¡­ The random teleports. That would explain a lot. They were trying to get somewhere, but they had no anchor to get them there. So they tried the risky method: random teleportations. Of course, like demonstrated, it failed multiple times. But what was even that for? Were they that desperate to get somewhere? I can¡¯t think of a reason to do that¡­ If they were following someone, the random portals would only hurt them. Besides the unsure destination, there always was the issue of the other side effects that could present themselves¡­ And yet, they were trying to do exactly that. I still couldn¡¯t understand it, but it seemed like they, for some reason, were finally done with teleports, because at the latest destination they finally stopped. I was quietly hoping that I¡¯ll get to understand the situation a bit more, but of course not. It only got more confusing. After they stopped it seemed like they started a conversation for a bit. And it went a bit south. I know, because my mana senses started being a bit better¡­ or maybe it was just because their emotions were a lot more pronounced. Both of them seemed on edge suddenly and with a mix of impatience, anger and annoyance, they finally managed to reach their breaking point. Well, one of them, at least. The other seemed completely calm, maybe a bit confused and tired, but that¡¯s about it. A strange way to react to a sudden outburst, but hey, who am I to judge? It¡¯s not like my own emotions were completely sane as of recently, either. I don¡¯t know if that was because something one of them said, or maybe it was just because of those failures of teleports, but the following altercation made me reconsider multiple things. First of all, who were they? Yeah, right, that¡¯s what I¡¯ve been trying to figure out this whole time. But as they were fighting each other, I realized that neither of them was able to even do damage. That was definitely something I would never expect. The amounts of mana that were being tossed around were large enough to kill a quite decent mage in one hit, but those two were just shrugging it off like it was nothing. Hell, it seemed like they were only getting stronger. That confirmed my earlier suspicions: they had to be at least part-crystal. It only got more obvious later, when the shapes of their mana flames started making wild changes: no longer reminding me those of people, but rather some weird creatures. I assume that was because both of them tried manipulating their body. On that thought, I suddenly felt a sting of pain, confusing me. An attack? Hell no. No one was targeting me. But yes, they managed to finally hurt each other. Probably one of them managed to surprise another with a sudden change, piercing their defenses, but¡­ what the hell? One of them turned into a ball! It made me giggle. What kind of idea was that? How would that help with combat? That kind of idea was something that I¡¯d come up with, being so stupid. I guess there were more people like me out there than I thought.. As I was pondering, I was hit with another jolt of pain. I was not imagining things. I was not under attack, yet I was taking damage. Was it possible that the fight was so disruptive that even I was getting caught in the blast radius? Even if that was the case, shouldn¡¯t I just absorb the power of the attack, just like they were? I was a crystal too, and I bet infinitely more hungry than them, so¡­ Wait. If they both were a crystal, then wouldn¡¯t their literal point be to use attacks that pierce the ability to drain mana? But usually that would mean physical attacks! And they''d have to be powerful indeed. While I wasn¡¯t doubtin in their power, I sort of couldn¡¯t believe that I would be hit accidentally. You had to be precise to actually do damage, and to think that I¡¯d be hit by sheer chance was infinitely low. And yet¡­ I couldn¡¯t think of another option. Meanwhile, it was getting worse. And not only for the one guy. Sure, it seemed like the other one was gaining upper hand, but the more damage he was taking, the more pain I was feeling. Bizarre, right? I wanted to somehow understand what exactly was hitting me, but without an actual physical outlook on the situation, it was impossible. With my artificial senses I was unable to understand the source of this pain, especially because I never could see anything connecting to my own body¡­ Wait. My body¡­ where exactly was it? 240. Gone I could feel my ¡°soul¡± so to speak, yet my actual form¡­ was nowhere to be found. You¡¯d say it should be right where your mana is, right? But that¡¯s the thing: there wasn¡¯t anything there. I could feel my soul, but not magic. It was hard to even grasp, because not so long ago I thought both were just the same. And yet¡­ It soon got even more complicated, because I suddenly noticed that one of them was gone. No sign. Nothing. Like they just vanished right in front of my non-existing eyes. Did they teleport? Possible¡­ although very unlikely. If I was correct in thinking that they were indeed fighting, I can¡¯t see the other one just letting them leave. But, as the one disappeared, the pain did not. More interestingly, it got worse. It was still manageable, but definitely started to get on my nerves. I had to do something to stop it, but I did not have many ideas to go off of¡­ But, not everything was bad. There was a bright side still. My body finally decided that it finished doing whatever was going on before, and I started feeling a bit more powerful, with my body slowly reforming. Or at least I thought so. Even though it seemed like the process ended and I was now focusing on rebuilding my body and regular mana reserves, there was nothing to show for it. Yeah, even with my soul¡­ ¡°complete¡±, or whatever else that was, I was not feeling my own body. And yet, I was certain that¡¯s where my mana was going. But, the immediate lack of directions didn¡¯t mean that I didn¡¯t have ways to figure out what was going on. Before, I didn¡¯t really even understand what to look for, unlike now. I was already familiar with the process of rebuilding, so I could just aim for the flow of magic that apparently was still acting without my own will, and just follow it to the destination. The source was obvious and clear: my own magic. While not sure where exactly that was, I could tell where it was going. And¡­ It was going towards the other guy? Nah, it can¡¯t be right. And yet, that¡¯s what was going on. The slow trickle of mana was going right towards where I could clearly sense the last remaining guy nearby. The fuck? Was he attacking me? Strangely, though¡­ it didn¡¯t seem so. Or his intentions were so pure that he was a saint or something. Nah, that shit does not happen. So how was that happening? The one in question was definitely not going to explain that. So I had to figure out my own answer. How? Well, first off, I finally was able to utilize my mana a bit more, so I could actually go back and enhance my senses again, to get a better picture on the situation. Surely, being able to see the situation a bit more than just a few flickering flames in black space would help me immensely. Well, it did. But it also confused me even more. As I poured my will into my mana, trying to restore my sight to at least decent state, I realized that I needed a lot less than I thought. Hell, just a tiny whiff of mana was enough for me to see everything perfectly clear. It was just like I just suddenly opened my eyes. And what I saw¡­ Well, was nothing. Yeah, there was no one here to see. I was about to check if I didn¡¯t fuck up something, when suddenly, right in front of my sight, a portal appeared. I wanted to step back, ready for anything, but could not: I still had no body that I was in motor control of. But instead of someone walking out, I suddenly found my own self walking through and after a moment of confusion, stepping through. Or, should I say, not me. Yeah, when I thought I got my body destroyed, I didn¡¯t think it was that bad. I have been absorbed by someone. A certain someone that I knew. No wonder I wasn¡¯t able to find my own body. It straight up did not exist. My mind was hosted inside his body. Mike. Or, well, at least that¡¯s who I thought it was. When I saw the body I straight up couldn¡¯t believe my own senses. The face was definitely Mike, while the body was fully crystal. A change, but not completely unexpected. I already knew he had to be using the crystal, so him fully embracing the change was something I expected to see. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. After all, a body like this was really convenient. At least for me. But, where did he come from? Or even better, who was with him before? I realized that I had a lot of my memories missing. There was a rather large blank from the time I was still with my other self and to when I appeared blinded and shattered, and apparently absorbed by him, somewhere out there. It was unusual. Not the fact that I got absorbed, at least partially. I was more interested in why I survived. By all means, if we assume that I got knocked out of the commission around that time and after that Mike managed to find me, then how in the hell did he not completely absorb me? Assimilate me? Was there something I didn¡¯t understand about the process? That was likely, but not to that much of a degree. I mean, wasn¡¯t that just a test of will? If one was to lose, there shouldn¡¯t be a way to go back. Or so I thought. Someone would have to purposefully let the other from their grasp for something like that to happen. What, did he attack me accidentally and now wanted to let me out? Fuck¡­ If that was the case, I would need to immediately contact him and say that I am still fine and trying to rebuild myself, so he can just¡­ Wait. Rebuild myself? How the hell was that going to work? Before, I was working on an assumption that my body was shattered and I just had to remake myself from scratch. But¡­ if I was a part of his own body, how would that work? Would he need to forfeit a piece of his own flesh to let me out as a separate entity¡­? If he was fully crystal, and it looked like it to me, then he could just chip out a piece of himself and give it to me¡­ But before that, I needed to contact him. Easier said than done. Sure, my mana manipulation was a bit better than before, but that didn¡¯t mean I was fully in control of it. Hell, right now I understood why my own consciousness was trying to reinforce my soul and not work on the body. Besides the obvious lack of the target, it made a lot more sense that when I wanted to repair myself, the mana went towards fueling my ¡°soul¡± so to speak. If we assume that it is really a soul, it clearly is connected to the mind of a person. It then means I was working in self-defense¡­ Maybe that¡¯s why I managed to survive? Thanks to my mana? My body, or mind rather, on autopilot, was investing mana into the remaining bits of my soul, trying to awaken it. Or at least keep alive and separate. And it did manage to succeed. I was still me¡­ well, at least as much as I was before that ordeal. The other changes were already done beforehand, so¡­ Anyway, I had to contact him. And the quickest¡­ and probably only way, was to try and connect with his mind. It shouldn''t be too hard, at least after I regenerated a bit¡­ It probably was just a matter of time. Since I was already on a good way towards that, I only had to wait a little bit. With not much else to do, I just started observing the situation, to maybe understand it a little bit better. There wasn¡¯t much to understand or see. At least at first. The first thing he did was to open another portal. So my earlier guesswork about him being unable to open it alone was just pure bullshit. I wonder why he did that with the other one before? Maybe he was using him as an anchor¡­? Anyway, he teleported to somewhere that was as hard to place as any other. At least at first it looked like that, because it was just a patch of forest like any other. Only a bit later I realized that it was actually the very familiar ¡°bowl¡±, as I was calling it. The place where MIRE was. Or, used to be. I didn¡¯t recognize it at first not only because of my subpar senses, but also because it had changed quite a lot since I¡¯ve been there last time. Where the ruins and buildings were sticking out from the tree canopy or managed to peek through the open swatches of grass, there was nothing to see. Everything was either completely covered by the greenery or destroyed by erosion. Damn. I knew that it¡¯s been a hot minute since my last visit here, but that¡¯s quite a lot to take in. Sure, I was aware of the certain issues with teleport spells, but to think that we¡¯ve wasted that much time on it? It honestly looked like it was years, tens of years even. Mike didn¡¯t seem to be moved. I guess he wasn¡¯t that familiar with the place: he¡¯s been here a lot longer before me, so he most likely was expecting that. But, he did get tripped once or twice by the change in scenery. What the hell was he looking for? As far as I knew everything that was usable was taken from here or destroyed. I sort of assumed that was all because of him, but what do I know? And yet, he was looking for something. He managed to find that ¡°something¡± quite quickly, as when we managed to get closer to where, I assume at least, used to be the main building, he immediately changed direction and went right for the roof. Or, should I say the remains of the upper floor, where our ¡°lab¡± used to be housed. Did he think there would be something useful here? A piece of crystal maybe? But what for? He already was fully crystal himself, meaning he could make as much as he wanted in no time at all and without minimal mana usage. Some notes from our old experiments? Fuck no. He already absorbed ILMA. Her memory alone was a better database than anything that we¡¯ve ever written on paper. Not like there would be any to find here to begin with, of course. Even if he really had some issues with ¡°processing¡± her, that was no excuse to look through this place. Honestly, it could be even detrimental for him. Even in the best scenario for him, when ILMA went by her own will to connect to him and unite together, having to bring her here, where everything started, could easily work as a catalyst¡­ A catalyst that could go either way. It would be a bit too risky of a move to remind her of that¡­ not like she¡¯d ever forget¡­ So what was that for? The answer was a lot simpler than I thought, and yet it brought even more questions to mind¡­ He was looking for mana. But mana is literally everywhere, so why even bother coming here? Sure, it¡¯s pretty deserted here, meaning more mana. Even without that, the whole fact that this place used to be ground zero of a certain mana explosion made this place brimming with energy and life. No humans, little animals¡­ To be honest, the ¡°no humans¡± part was probably pretty common right now. Even not considering that before all this, this place wasn¡¯t the busiest metropolis. And with them gone, absorbed by a power hungry creature¡­ It was as good of a place as many others. And yet, that was what he wanted. He went straight for the ruined building barely even recognizable after all the greenery took it over for itself, and jumped onto the top floor. The current top floor, I mean. He was aiming for the leyline. Hah. I was spot on about him being power hungry. Does he really need a whole leyline? It was just like trying to quench your thirst by jumping into a lake. An overkill. And can be quite dangerous. If I was going to act, I probably should act soon. But what the hell am I supposed to say? ¡°Hello, bud, how are we going? How''s your wife and kids?¡± Hell no. Besides the obvious, it would¡¯ve been a trap and a half. I needed to play carefully and slowly. First off, I needed to check if I even was able to reach him. It should be easy, considering the fact that I was literally inside his head. -It¡¯s really overgrown¡­ 241. Broken Oh. It was easier than expected. I could hear him no problem. Should I talk to him? Is that a good idea? How do I go about it without scaring the ever-loving shit out of him? -Doesn¡¯t matter. I am done with this¡­ He¡¯s already done? Didn¡¯t he just arrive here? I swear it only has been a couple of minutes since we¡¯ve teleported here. -About an hour is enough¡­ This leyline is still going strong¡­ Hour? We¡¯ve been here a whole hour? My perception of time had to really be messed up for me to not realize that. I could¡¯ve sworn that I¡¯ve only been here for a few minutes, that is at most even! How does that even work? -Let¡¯s just end this and be done with it¡­ Whoah, what are we ending? Calm down there, we don¡¯t¡­ But, since I didn¡¯t even attempt to communicate with him yet, I was essentially talking to myself. And it would¡¯ve been too late anyway. The moment I managed to understand what he was thinking about, I felt a large mana release and rip through the area. It was so sudden I didn¡¯t realize what was going on. I didn¡¯t even notice him gathering mana, which was absolutely insane, considering the amount of power he released. At first, I just thought that my current circumstances, as in the body that didn¡¯t belong to me and the fact that I was barely even able to sense my surroundings, were to blame, but that was not it. It was the spell itself, if I could even call it a spell. Instead of gathering mana, like it¡¯s supposed to be done, he straight up was using magic that was in front of him. And, in front of him was the leyline from which he just moments ago had been regenerating his own mana reserves. That was an immediate red flag. Even for a genius mage using mana from a leyline would be a daunting task, and on top of that very dangerous. The amount of pure power that was available right away, plus the fact that it was a steady supply, not just a flat amount, made it incredibly risky. If you were to make a mistake, just canceling a spell wouldn¡¯t help if you were to fuck up. You¡¯d be stuck with an immensely more powerful version of it that was going to run for a long time, if not forever. If not contained, that is. Of course that would be another endeavor on its own, but that¡¯s besides the point. Mike, as someone who¡¯s had a front row seat of the exact described scenario, should know the best out of anyone that doing this was a bad idea. And yet, that¡¯s exactly what he was doing. I was glad that I didn¡¯t speak up when I was able to. I honestly was scared. Not him, no. I was scared of him failing. If I was to suddenly pop up in his mind and started talking, he¡¯d fuck up for sure. But what was he trying to accomplish here anyway? I tried focusing on the spell in front of us, but that was pointless. While my senses were working, whatever he was just now making was completely alien to me. Sure, I could feel some parts of it, but those were just so out there that I had to assume that I was straight up wrong. One of the main thingsI felt was portal magic. While that was the least unexpected thing that I thought I noticed, it didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t dangerous. If I assume that he was indeed trying to break the barrier, because that was what immediately came to my mind, that kind of magic was obvious. From the earlier memories and overall everything I¡¯ve heard and seen, it was certain that we were trapped inside of some kind of a barrier. Teleporting was an obvious answer, but why use that much mana was a question I didn¡¯t know how to answer. Was he trying to make a hole in it maybe¡­? But if it was just him it could be a lot smaller¡­ Scratch that. If that was just it, how do I explain the rest of what I felt? The more weird part was just further ahead. The next type of magic was illusion. Again, why? It¡¯s not like he wanted to hide, at least not here. And even then, the target was not him, it was going somewhere else. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. The only way I could think of a barrier being connected somehow to an illusion was my own attempt, albeit accidental, at modifying the barrier that covered the old ¡°orphanage¡±. But even then, it was an accident, and it wasn¡¯t in any shape or form connected to breaking it. Hell, it was the opposite. I ended up enhancing it. You could infuse the illusion into the barrier itself to hide it from peering eyes¡­ While a bit pointless against mages, it would work well against more mundane folk¡­ But what¡¯s the point here¡­? The third magic type was even more confusing. And, well, I say type, it was more an urge than anything. How do you combine an urge and magical spell, though? Well, the first thing that comes to mind is the contract magic, but why here and why combine it with this weird barrier? If it was even to combine it? Those were the main parts I¡¯ve felt in the mana shooting out from between his hands¡­ And speaking of a target. While the spell, or more rather the whole ritual, considering how powerful and complex this thing seemed to be, was indubitably originating from him, the mana was not. It was going straight from the earth, from the leyling, sneaking around his torso and arms, just to shoot away from him, combining into one stream in between his arms, which he was holding together in a gesture similar to a prayer. Fingers, pointing upwards, were guiding the stream of magic right towards the sky. To where the sky was. And, more importantly where the cracked barrier was. The stream of mana was so thick and condensed, it was hard to look at. I didn¡¯t know it back then, but if I was able to look at it with a regular, fleshy eyes, I would¡¯ve seen it just as bright and just as pronounced. That shouldn¡¯t be possible, considering the fact that there was no physical element that could be attributed towards this spell. By all means, it should be just pure mana that was invisible to a naked eye. And yet, the bright white beam was shooting towards the sky, in whatever perspective you¡¯d ever like to use. The beam of light was fast. It reached the sky in a blink of an eye, and in another one it managed to touch the shattered barrier above our heads. How did I know it reached? Well, it split. I never checked how exactly the barrier worked, nor really had I any means or reasons to try, but I now could clearly see that it was similar to glass. Not only in looks, but also in ability to refract light. Or, in this case, mana. From the point it connected, the light started breaking into different rays, refracting all over the place. I sort of thought it was going to shoot right back at us, or at least one of the rays was going to, but nope. It refracted inside the glassy layer of the dome, making the cracks even more pronounced and a lot brighter. It sort of looked like someone had been pouring white-hot liquid metal into it, flooding the cracks. The cracks were getting larger and larger, started spreading further and further, and soon the whole sky was covered in this white-hot mess of a spiderweb. The white lines started getting thicker and thicker, and soon the whole sky was white. I couldn¡¯t look at it, and at the same time I couldn¡¯t avoid it, since it was the only thing I was able to see. And then¡­ The loudest noise I have ever heard in my entire life. And that is to say something. First off, I was not sure how I was even able to hear it, since I had no ears and the senses I¡¯ve had were overloaded by mana anyway. Hell, it was probably why I was able to hear it: its source being essentially some strange mana anomaly. About the volume though¡­ Have you ever been to a concert, standing next to a speaker? When the bass hits, you can feel it in your bones, in your whole body sometimes if the rhythm is right. Here, I felt it in my own soul. In my own mana. My whole being was being shaken to a core. It made my whole mind white out for a split second there. And there, it was done. Everything was gone. The mana, the cracks, the light. Everything. If you didn¡¯t know beforehand, you¡¯d swear that nothing had changed. And yet, it couldn¡¯t be further from the truth. If I was to look from somewhere far above, I¡¯d have seen a massive wave suddenly forming on the sea. The magic that was regulating the flow of water between the barrier and the outside of it had disappeared suddenly, meaning the water got displaced. Sure, the barrier was thin, but the sudden shift in the flow that had been stagnant for tens or even more years, was enough. That, and of course the mana that was holding all of it together didn¡¯t just disappear without any force. A miniature tsunami that appeared from this phenomenon swept through the whole continent. The multitude of small islands that were often barely even peeking out from the water were flooded completely, disappearing, never to be seen again. But, even though the flood was massive, there was no one to see it. People were already gone and the only ones who would be able to see were either animals or¡­ well, we. Neither would care. Animals, because they would not even notice until it was too late. Us? We wouldn¡¯t be there to witness that anyway. I didn¡¯t know, because how could I? I was sitting oblivious in the head of the person responsible for the next catastrophe that would hit a rather heavily populated part of the globe. Good thing that it managed to affect mostly the places that were used to those kinds of phenomena. With plenty of warning and plenty of preparation. Speaking of preparation, his were seemingly done. The moment the spell released and the mana vanished he stood up and tossed a spell right at the sky. Again with that? I didn¡¯t know what to expect, but for sure not just a plain stone. Yeah. He just tossed a stone right at the horizon. I am not sure what he wanted to accomplish with that¡­ I mean until I realized that the rock was flying at mach speed towards the sky, curving slowly up. It was a very primitive way of seeing if the spell was broken. I think. Because the moment it crossed the spot where not so long ago a set of cracks was formed, and just flew right past it, he suddenly jumped, excited. -I did it¡­ I¡­ We are free! We? As far as I was aware there weren''t many people that were left. None, to be exact, because I was not counting myself. Hell, I wasn¡¯t sure if I even was alive and not just in some kind of purgatory. Or hell, more likely. I didn¡¯t have much time to ponder about that, because he immediately opened a portal right after. Of course he was not going to stay here. That was his whole reason for doing that. I think at least. So, where to, then? Back to the MIRE? 242. Back As we stepped past the opening that was formed in the middle of the air, we found ourselves in a very strange city. Well, I say strange, but it was more like it was¡­ normal. Too normal. Modern. With cars. And people walking about their daily business. It didn¡¯t look familiar to me, but that wasn¡¯t too much of an accomplishment: I didn¡¯t really care much about traveling, nor did I have time for that. One thing that looked different about the place was that it looked¡­ more advanced. And I don¡¯t mean futuristic¡­ What does that even mean? No, it was just rich, I think. Businesses, sporting a very wide array of differently shaped solar panels and glass roofs were brightly lit with neon signs, large glass panels showing the goods for others to see, often with large screens filled with ads¡­ Well, that never changes. While the streets were busy, it seemed like no one had noticed our arrival. I am uncertain if on purpose or just by sheer chance, he managed to open the doorway to a spot that was decently secluded: some strange and seemingly one-way alleyway. After leaving the portal he immediately closed it, swiping at it with his hand. And, started sprinting. Avoiding people like it was his job he went right towards the direction where the larger buildings were, I assume the city center. While people started noticing, most of them didn¡¯t care. Those who did just looked at him like he was just yet another maniac. A very fitting description, I might add. He finally reached some kind of skyscraper. I couldn¡¯t read the name of whatever was that building supposed to be, but that was because of him being fast and not me being slow or weakened. Honestly, that was very intriguing. Since we were back among the more advanced technology, I expected for my abilities to be weakened. Or his. And yet, nothing was happening. Hell, I was feeling as I did before, maybe even better¡­ but that last part was most likely because of me slowly healing, not because of the change of the environment. Well, I shouldn¡¯t be surprised. I was already shown that the old rules that were supposedly dictating how magic and technology interacted with each other were completely wrong. This was just another confirmation that wherever I knew had to be outdated. Mike barged in, not paying attention to anything. Walked right past a bewildered receptionist who immediately noticed that something was not right and stepped back, pressing some kind of button next to her desk¡­ Ah. The silent alarm. Yeah, that was to be expected. Who the hell just walks in like that? What, did he think he owned the place? He didn''t care at all. Just walked right past her and planted himself next to an elevator, intently mashing the ¡°call¡± button, tapping his foot impatiently. Soon, the elevator came. But not empty. Of course, the alarm. Unsurprisingly, the receptionist had called him in and with his supposed transport arrived four armed men, who looked intimidating. Sporting guns and tactical gear they immediately pointed their assault rifles at his chest. -Freeze! I was really hoping that they knew what they were doing¡­ Both sides. Mike to know better and not antagonize everyone in his close proximity¡­ Although that was most likely pointless. And them¡­ to know better and have some contingency planned in case of an anomaly appearing¡­ Anomaly like him. Like us. I was disappointed in both. Of course, his next sentence was not going to be very polite¡­ -Fuck off. I am here to see your boss. Of course. Not only try to intimidate them, now you want us to instantly get exiled, even if we haven¡¯t done anything illegal. That much. ¡­ Yet¡­ -Boss is not accepting any guests - said one of the guards. -And especially ones who look like you¡­ - finished another one. -Damn. I don¡¯t care. Take me there. I think they were starting to lose patience. His attitude wasn''t really giving him an upper hand¡­ -Listen here, buddy - said one of the security with a very unfriendly tone. - You either leave now, on your own, or we help you do it. So be a good creature and leave willingly. -I am not leaving till I see your boss. -And I said. He. Is. Not. Accepting. Guests. He reinforced his point by poking his chest with his weapon with every word spoken. I think he once tapped a bit too hard and was taken aback for a moment, hearing as his body was definitely not fleshy. -Damn golems¡­ want to do our job for us, huh? ¡°Golems¡±? That¡¯s a new name. -Listen here, fleshlight. You either get the boss, or I do it myself. Without any other detours and all. I think calling him fleshlight triggered him quite a bit. I mean, what the fuck was he doing, invading some building was one thing, but the sudden change of demeanor and straight up insults? That was literally like I was watching a completely different person! Hm. Was that even possible¡­? I mean, sure, I assumed that he had already assimilated many people and turned them into mana, but¡­ The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Was that really it? And it wasn¡¯t just the case of it being a singular instance. I can think of many times when the actions were inconsistent¡­ hell, the personality was completely off-putting and different from what you¡¯d consider ¡°the usual¡±... And not only in him. To be honest, I¡¯ve been seeing those patterns in every single person that were even a little bit connected to the Origin Crystal¡­ Or, more specifically, our Origin Crystal. Me, him, For, the rest¡­ it was all the story of inconsistencies and overall mixed bag of everything you could think of. It honestly felt like it was just me being bad at reading people quite often, but at a certain point you¡¯d think that it was just too much. While considering that, the main reason for my sudden thoughts was right now still arguing with the random dude. And I think they were being fed up with him. -Okay. I am done with this. If you won¡¯t leave by your own volition, I will have to eject you forcefully. -Try it. See how that works out for you. -I am not stupid. I know how you golems work. Now¡­ He actually really seemed like he knew his stuff. Or, at least knew about our ability to absorb stuff. First thing he did was pull out a pair of leather gloves from his pocket and put them on¡­ They looked¡­ a bit unusual. It wasn¡¯t just a way to hide his hands, no. Those were straight up weapons. The outer part of the leather was studded, with metal boluses all over it. While unexpected, it also felt magical for some reason¡­ Wasn¡¯t that just going to literally go against what it was for? Wouldn¡¯t the enhancement, whatever it might be, just get absorbed the moment he touches him¡­? I was going to soon find out, because he was about to forcefully remove Mike from the building, or at least attempt to. Judging by his face, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s going to even try and comply¡­ I was thinkin that he¡¯ll just attempt to grab him and lead him out, but that was not what happened. Instead, the guard gripped his gun harder and¡­ pressed a button on the side? Yeah, I am not a gun specialist, or even an enthusiast, but I am pretty sure guns that I used to know didn¡¯t have the physical buttons on the side of the grip like that. Was that just a very strangely placed safety¡­? Definitely not. The moment he pressed the button, the gun immediately lit up. And I don¡¯t mean only literally, it just went and filled with mana, draining mana from the gloves towards it¡­ So that¡¯s what those were for¡­ But wouldn¡¯t it be simpler to just directly give mana¡­? What am I even talking about, it¡¯s not like it matters. After all, if this thing was magical, it only meant food for him. For both of us. I think he had a similar thought, because he chuckled. -Ha. You think this toy is going to stop me? Scratch that, even do me any harm? Be my guest then, go for it. Shoot. I don¡¯t need to add that his taunting was pointless and stupid¡­ It¡¯s not like any half-decent guard would even try discharging a weapon towards a civilian like that¡­ Well, it was a very annoying civilian, sure, the one who would definitely be better not existing, but what can you do? And powerful, of course. I am sure they just¡­ I got interrupted with the sound of a gunshot. My first thought was that we were on the wrong continent. Then I remembered that we kind of got transported here a bit unconventionally, so we could be anywhere in the world. And who knows how the world had changed during my absence¡­ Anyway, Mike was not amused. As to be expected. Even if that was some combo of both magic and regular gunfire, it wouldn¡¯t leave a scratch on a crystal like his¡­ But it did. Mike looked down in surprise. Right where his shoulder was, he was now sporting a rather large scar. -That was a warning shot. Next one will go towards your head. Behind him, his ¡°reinforcements¡± were now in the process of repeating what he just did: they were putting on the gloves and infusing their weapons. Hm. They were a lot more prepared than I was giving to them. But that and the numbers was the only thing going for them. I say ¡°only¡±, but it was still quite a bit. The moment the shot rang out, the whole corridor got filled with countless other guards, sporting similar gear and promptly aiming at him. -That¡¯s not how this works - said Mike. - I am here to see your boss and no amount of weaponry is going to change that. While his voice was calm and collected as usual, I could tell it was an act. From the outside it most likely was perfectly hidden, but I could tell. He was afraid. I was part of him, so there was no mistaking it. The many layers of ¡°defense¡±, this whole confidence, it was fake. Being a literal insider had its perks. But, even though he was scared, he was not letting off. -So you¡¯re going to make it hard like that, huh? - he asked. Some of the security had taken it as a threat and locked in with their weapons even more, but that¡¯s not what he meant. He¡­ started being annoying. Even more, that is. He started thinking. -I am pretty sure that if you now ¡°extract¡± me, you will later regret it down the line. Another sentence that could be perceived as a threat. In multiple ways even. -Well, I am not going to be the one who has to tell him that I let the one who was responsible for the certain mission to leave. Hell, I might even sell the resources I found to someone else¡­ And¡­ he started walking away¡­? I have to say, that was a crazy plan, even in my book. Sure, he might have been telling the truth, but so what? Like anyone¡¯s going to believe him. But, it seemed like he failed. They just¡­ let him leave, watching as he was leaving the premises. He clearly was taking a few looks behind him to check how they would react, but they only hurried him out. Pff. Plan failed. What now? It seemed like nothing at first. He just left the building and started walking away from where he came. But the moment he turned the corner, he stopped and instead looked back towards the building. The fuck was he trying to do now? He looked up, towards the higher floor of the building. Was he thinking about climbing? It was the stupidest idea I¡¯ve ever heard about, but clearly he was staring towards the open window on¡­ I¡¯d say third floor. I mean, if you were desperate you COULD get there if you use¡­ But, before I was even able to finish the thought, he jumped. He straight up jumped. I should¡¯ve known he was going to be even more stupid than I was. But, it at least confirmed one thing: his body was still enhanced just as it was before. Effortlessly, he managed to clear all the floors and even managed to overshoot the target a little bit. Honestly, his precision was impressive. It definitely was not the first time he was doing a maneuver like that. When we reached the window and I managed to collect myself I took a better look at the room we arrived in. I sort of expected for it to be full of guards or something, but we were alone. It seemed like it was just some kind of small office, completely devoid of human presence¡­ besides one thing: one the doors was slightly ajar. He wasn¡¯t really paying attention to anything and just straight up marched through it. Talk about confidence. A bit of misplaced confidence in fact. The moment he opened the door, he stood face to face with someone, who was absolutely stunned to see someone there. I mean, we were coming out of a dead end essentially, to them it looked like we appeared out of thin air. And we kind of did. The poor soul in question was just a janitor. And today was his unlucky day. The moment Mike realized that he was not alone, he immediately launched a spell at him. A ring of stone materialized out of thin air and shot towards the guy, pinning him by the neck to the opposite wall. He didn¡¯t even manage to get out a squeak before all the air got knocked out of him as he slammed against the wall, and the spell binding him spread to his face, encasing it completely and then spreading towards his whole body. A moment or two later, there was now a new decoration on the wall in the shape of a human. Effective. Albeit¡­ not stealthy. Besides the ¡°statue¡± that he left behind, the spell was not quiet: the noise of a rock slamming against the wall had definitely alerted someone. Mike noticed that and was not going to stand idle. He took a deep breath and¡­ Slammed his face into the wall. 243. Somebody It was so unexpected, it made me flinch, even though I didn¡¯t have a body that would let me do so. Did he lose his mind¡­? Well, yes and no. Yes, because, well, obviously! And no, because there actually was a reason for it: he was just trying to change his own appearance. Or rather just face. Hm, so his spell was still this primitive? Like what Kon mentioned, to rebuild differently you have to break it first¡­? I still wasn¡¯t sure why he didn¡¯t use mana for it, it would be a lot cleaner after all¡­ But, speaking of cleaning, he already changed his face into that of a janitor. Yeah, the person we ran into was a janitor, for sure. I didn¡¯t notice before, but he was standing right next to a whole shelf of cleaning supplies and a trolley full of bops and shit he was definitely in the process of using. Unlucky him. The room we found ourselves in was just a tiny closet. No wonder the janitor was using it, it was stacked full of random boxes, from top to bottom. As the change was ending, from below us we heard a rather loud thumping and hurried footsteps: the security was on their way. Mike was not sitting idly, though. The moment he felt his transformation finished, and even a few moments earlier he already was going through the belongings of the janitor. Those that weren¡¯t now stuck to the wall in a rock coffin, that is. Luckily for him, there was a rather large coat that was lying nearby, which he immediately put on and grabbed the whole trolley, moving it further away from the body and leaving the room behind. As we walked to the first room we arrived in, he immediately pushed down the trolley and spilled out the whole lot of its contents. Just in time for someone to barge in through the door. It was not the guy who stopped us downstairs, but I think it was one of the other guards. I guess they spread out after we left the building. -What is going on!? What are you doing?! - he barked, clearly alarmed by the noise, and on edge because of our earlier appearance. -Sorry¡­ His voice was slurry. While Mike didn¡¯t have the talent to change his voice, he managed to bypass that by speaking quietly and with as raspy voice as possible. Hell, he just sounded like himself, but sick. I mean¡­ good enough? Hopefully. -I¡­ i spilled my stuff¡­ just was careless¡­ - he replied quietly, kneeling down and trying to gather the stuff he just a moment ago spilled all over the floor. - My fault¡­. The guard looked at him carefully. -What¡¯s up with the coat¡­? That¡¯s not yours¡­. it belongs to some staff member. Put it down. -I¡­ I would rather not¡­ See, I had an accident¡­ involving a broken bottle and some other stuff¡­ -What? -I¡­ I spilled some detergents¡­ and my clothes got ruined¡­ - he said with surprising timidness in his voice. - I only had this to cover myself¡­ -Ruined? What kind of shit are you using? -Corrosive. Very corrosive¡­ He raised his sleeve and showed him some blood¡­ that was definitely just a leftover from where he just punched himself in the face. -Oof. Okay fine, but they will definitely cut that from your pay. Clean this shit up. -On it. He gave him another glance. Mike was already on his knees and gathering stuff that he moments ago scattered all over the floor. And he closed the door behind him. Quick thinking. Hilarious that he managed to fall for it. But what was his plan anyway? Sure, we were inside. So what? Wasn¡¯t he here to talk to their boss or some shit? Wouldn¡¯t that be immediately going back to the problem we just left downstairs? I don¡¯t know what he was thinking, but he had to have some kind of plan. Or at least I hoped so. Nevertheless, the plan had to wait until he was done with cleaning the mess he just made. Well, at least he was committed to the disguise¡­ Not like there was anything in the next room that would immediately sell him out when found¡­ It took him a good minute to actually put everything back. But he wasn¡¯t done with this whole cleaning shtick: he went ahead and started going towards the outer corridor fully loaded with cleaning supplies. At least no one is going to say he wasn¡¯t playing his part. The corridor was empty. The security guy had already left and probably was still downstairs, put on duty because of his earlier appearance. I guess that was working in his favor, making the upper floor completely empty. Speaking of empty, it was quite interesting. I would''ve thought that their boss was somewhere with a lot better access, but judging by Mike, he was somewhere on this floor, because he was going forward directly without even looking around at all. Now when I think of it¡­ was he here before? This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. That would explain how he was so sure of himself here¡­ If it was true and he really knew that boss of theirs, it¡¯s likely¡­ But who is that even? The question was soon to be answered. We reached an elevator. It looked like the same one that we¡¯ve seen downstairs, and most likely it was. He called it without thinking twice and patiently waited. Seeing how sure of himself he was, I sort of expected for the door to open and again for us to be greeted by a group of guards¡­ But nope. The door opened to the empty, metal elevator, and closed behind us without an issue. Really? That easy? What were those guards doing? On their spot, I would¡¯ve immediately taken interest after hearing the elevator moving and at least checked it¡­ especially after having a very unruly guest earlier¡­ Sure, they didn¡¯t have any reason to assume that we¡¯d have managed to get up here and now were calling the lift¡­ But, they supposedly knew the abilities of the Crystal. Or, at least one guy knew. Or thought he knew¡­ Assumptions can hurt¡­ Now when I think about it¡­ I wasn¡¯t any better. I tended to assume a lot of things as well. It did get me here, though, so¡­ Well, hard to tell if that¡¯s a good or a bad thing¡­ I kind of had reasons for both¡­ Mike pressed a button designed as ¡°6¡±. Suppose the office of our ¡°big important¡± was there then? Sixth floor it is. A quick ride later, we were on the top floor. With a quiet ¡°ding¡±, the door opened, and we found ourselves in a small room. Almost like a waiting room. It definitely looked like there was supposed to be at least one guard here: there was a desk filled with random papers and other office bullshit, that included but were not limited to: a cup of coffee, a half full bottle of water, a closed laptop and an empty plate. Hm. I guess our appearance got more attention than I thought. Seeing as we weren¡¯t going to need it, Mike ditched the disguise. He just dropped all that shit behind the desk of the supposed guard¡­ A bit on-the-nose, don''t you think¡­? And, surprisingly, he knocked at the door. Sure, we were ditching the disguise, but for him to actually knock? It sure was not going to help anything in the current situation, nor really affect anything¡­ but for some reason it made me want to chuckle¡­ We stood there for a good couple of moments. He even knocked again. But¡­ There was no answer. Shrugging, pulled on the door. Honestly, it was probably something that he should¡¯ve done already a long time ago. But what do I know? The door was not locked. We found ourselves in a rather large office¡­ no, it wasn¡¯t really an office. It was more like someone¡¯s fancy living room. On the right, there was a leather couch, standing in front of a fancy glass table and a large flatscreen TV, mounted on the opposite wall. Right next to it, there was a rather nice looking, dark wood set of shelves, fully stocked with books in different languages, from ones that were quite easy to understand and identify, to some that I was not even going to try and guess the origin of. The room was being divided in half by an aquarium, fully stocked with fish and lit up with dim LED lights at the bottom of the tank. Inside, the decorations included not only a vibrant palette of plants, but also a miniature model of a ship that was sunk at the bottom. The other side of the room was the ¡°working area¡±, so to speak. It consisted of a glass desk, with a leather chair standing in front of and behind it, the one behind being at least twice as large and twice as comfy looking. And, in the chair, there was sitting a man. I thought that I might find someone familiar here, since he was apparently someone important to Mor. And supposedly connected to the MIRE. But nope, I couldn¡¯t place his face at all. It was just some person I had never in my life seen. He looked in his fifties, maybe more. His black hair a bit graying, but full and without even a hint of balding, making me a tiny bit jealous. He was wearing a full suit, including a tie, although the latter was a bit loose on him, clearly on purpose. -So, who are you? The question snapped us both from the apparent staring contest. A bit lackluster question, I have to say, but more than that, it was not something that I was expected to hear now I thought he was going to scream or at least try to call the guards¡­ but nope. At least not visibly¡­ Maybe he just was stalling for time¡­? -I see you went through the trouble of avoiding my security. So, who? And why? -That is my question! - replied Mike, finally snapping out of the sudden meeting. - This is not your office! -Hm. He gazed at him with surprise. -Not mine? What could that mean? You¡¯re firing me or something? - he asked, trying to stifle a chuckle. -They¡¯ll fire you in a second, seeing as you managed to break into the boss¡¯ suite. -Hm. Ah, yeah, that would be a possibility, I agree¡­ If they could, that is. -What? -See, I feel like I am done answering questions. You should feel lucky that I am even entertaining this farce. So you better answer me. Who the hell are you and what are you doing here? Mike froze. And not because of some sudden feeling of intimidation that was coming from the guy sitting by the desk. Although his demeanor really changed and the atmosphere turned very dire in a split second, Mike was not really influenced by that. Instead¡­ he seemed¡­ away¡­? It was a bit strange. It looked like he was just now having some kind of an epiphany, if that was even possible? -You¡­ you are the new boss? - he finally asked the question. But the ¡°boss¡± was not having it. -I asked you first. I¡¯d recommend for you to cooperate¡­ In a split second, he enlarged his hand and grabbed the ¡°unruly guest¡±. What the hell. -...or I¡¯ll get to crushing. This was strange. Why wasn¡¯t he defending himself¡­? Was he so full of himself¡­? It did seem so. -Like you can do shit to me. Mike just puffed his chest and immediately broke free, slapping his now gigantic hand away. Honestly, considering the immediate act of hostility, the slap seemed too gentle to me¡­ But what do I know? -Interesting power¡­ - he added, pointing towards his enlarged limb. - Who taught you that? One of us? -¡±Us¡±? Ah, I get it. You¡¯re one of those creatures. -I¡¯d rather not be called a creature. I warned you. -And I don¡¯t care - he shrugged. - Do I need to remind you what situation you found yourselves in? Seeing as he didn¡¯t reply, he continued. -We are in one of the highest-security¡­ He didn¡¯t even get to finish the sentence: there was already a fist flying right at his face. -Wha¡­ The altercation that followed, and the scuffle before wasn¡¯t the most silent one, so unsurprisingly, the security managed to get here just as they started again. Honestly, what took them so long? I mean, there weren''t many of them on this floor¡­ if any¡­ so¡­ -Why are you so slow?! - yelled the guy, echoing my thoughts. - What the hell do I pay you for!? -Sorry, sir! The elevator was¡­ -I don¡¯t give a fuck! Shoot! And so they did. 244. Control But, they were slow. Mike already was prepared for that event. I mean, they really were half-assed pieces of security detail: decent ones would have shot him on sight, instead of waiting for the order of their boss. What if he was a bit more desperate and attacked more indiscriminately? Did they really have that much faith in their boss? Scratch that. Magic aside, that was a good question. Why was Mike not more¡­ aggressive? Sure, it did seem like he came here to discuss something with the guy, but it was almost immediately obvious that that was not gonna happen. So why not escape? Or at least double down and knock him the fuck out? I dunno, maybe try to kidnap him? There were a lot of options, especially with that shitty security¡­ And yet, with that many options, he was just on defense, essentially passive all that time, letting them shoot him. Granted, they weren¡¯t doing much damage, but that was only because of me¡­ Yeah¡­ Well, not directly. I have not helped him at all, just observing. Hell, I am not sure if I could even. But that did not mean I wasn¡¯t helpful before¡­ See, when he first got shot downstairs, he did really take damage. So I thought he was going to be a bit more careful. Or to plan something. And he did. Right now, he was using my own spell¡­ if that was even a spell. A technique is a better description¡­ His arms, turned to stone, were now covering him from all the sides. Just as me when he was attacking me with his spear, he now formed a protective sphere around himself, rendering gunfire ineffective. Sure, they were managing to crack it with those strange magical bullets, but it was not something that he was unable to repair. Or¡­ I thought that it should be the case. Strangely, his shields were¡­ weak. And were cracking. And he was not repairing them at all. Why? But¡­ he was doing something. I noticed that the pieces that were constantly getting chipped off him were still. Too still. Like they were frozen in place. Sometimes even floating mid-air. What the hell was he planning? Instead of repairing, he was just adjusting the angle of the shield, for the bullets to hit the spots that were still untouched. Sure, it was going to extend the durability of this whole defense, but so what? If he was not going to do something about it, he would soon be in very big trouble. Meanwhile, someone was getting impatient. -What the hell are you doing?! Aim better! - yelled the ¡°boss¡±, and he himself grabbed one of the guns off of the guards, and aimed at him. - I¡¯ll show you how it¡¯s done! He was not kidding. Whatever those weapons were, they were definitely very magical. It was especially visible after he took one in his hands. Before, when used by guards, they were barely even having any mana signature to speak of. Sure, I could tell that there was some enchantment woven within them, but that was it. It was just a tiny sign of it. The bullets themselves were a lot more potent, though. But when the other guy picked the weapon, that changed. It instantly got charged with a lot more magic than before. It was an incomparable amount. Not because his mana was so overpowering, it was more of a difference between the guards and him was massive. Even though he himself was not that great of a mage, the weapon was going to make a difference. If in the hands of those barely magical lackeys they were able to pack a punch enough for the Origin Crystal to crack, what the hell was going to happen if a half-decent mage was going to use it? A pandemonium, that¡¯s what. One shot was enough to pierce through the shield and hit Mike right in the leg. I could tell he actually felt that, grinning in pain, surprised by the sudden jolt. But, that was not just one hit. The weapons were automatic, after all. With a series of bullets, they were able to completely shatter his defense, sending shrapnel of crystals all over the room. Mike, hit more times than I could count, crumbled onto the floor, shaken by the multiple hits to his body. -See? Even with me, he managed to adapt! - barked the guy. - It was because of your weak bullets that he managed to absorb enough energy to block most of the impact! Block the impact? Hardly. Even those earlier shots were damaging him pretty well. It¡¯s interesting how they were seeing that whole altercation¡­ Didn¡¯t they see the damage? -Don¡¯t stop now! Those fuckers can regenerate even from small scraps! Oh. So they knew about that too? Where did they even get the info? Were the remnants and revenants actually common here? What¡¯s up with that? And more importantly, what was Mike doing? If he was not going to retaliate any time soon, or at least not try to regenerate himself, he was really going to be in trouble. The shots resumed. Still, the assault was weaker. While there still was the one person who was stronger than others, he was no longer pouring that much magic into his attack, so there was that. Why though? Was he so sure of himself? I doubt that, especially after the last comment. He must¡¯ve been conserving his energy. Smart on his part. I mean, their attacks were effective, so using as little as they could, while still being consistent with the damage should do the trick, right? It should really be the case. But, despite the constant barrage of magical bullets, and Mike lying on the floor, I couldn¡¯t help but notice the shards of crystal still being awfully active. He was still controlling them. What was more important, though, was the fact that none of them were seemingly noticing that. Wasn¡¯t that quite obvious? The hovering specks of mana that were covering more and more space in the room. It was kind of hard to miss, at least to my non-existing eyes. Were they really that oblivious¡­? Or they were literally unable to see those¡­? How even? To miss mana like that? To have this kind of magic and no awareness like that¡­ Was that possible¡­? Well¡­ was it even magic? Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. At this point, it seemed like it was more technological feat than magic that they were using, which was doubly infuriating to me. I¡¯ve spent how much time? Working on the assumption that mana and technology were unable to coexist together, and yet here I was, again being proven that all that I was believing in was complete bullshit? It was honestly making me angry. To waste that much time on something so pointless¡­ That my whole life¡¯s work was reduced to nothing¡­ My inner complaints got cut short, because, finally, Mike decided to retaliate. Or maybe it was not that he decided it¡¯s time, it was just because he wasn¡¯t able to take it any more. The damage that he took was definitely life-threatening, even to a body like his. Without help, to recover from being shot that many times, would take a very, very long time. And mana. But, before it was going to come to that, there was a spell to be released. The one that was holding the pieces in place. Or rather, priming it. During all that shootout, Mike kept steadily increasing the amount of crystal pieces he was controlling. I say that, but it was just that it was just his body being destroyed constantly. I could¡¯ve thought of a better way to do this, but this was definitely quicker. To have your own body as a catalyst for the spell was for sure the fastest way to do this, with minimum amount of thinking necessary. He just needed to freeze the crystals in fixed pieces, let them keep the momentum as a passive attribute¡­ And then, release, when they would the least expect it. And so he did. From every single direction, the pieces of crystal started shooting out like a massive cluster bomb had just exploded on the premises. To be honest, it wasn¡¯t that far off what was going on. Like tiny spears, thousands of toothpick-size pieces had shot outwards, piercing everything and everyone they came into contact with. With the power and strength of the Crystal, they were able to destroy anything caught. Be it furniture, walls, or¡­ People. Yeah, speaking of people. They, of course, weren¡¯t able to avoid this attack. Some tried putting barriers between them and the epicenter, but¡­ it wasn¡¯t effective. Not with this kind of shrapnel. The pieces were small enough to sneak through any defenses¡­ not really that they needed to: they were already fast enough to hit them before any of those were formed fully. Or at all even. Some of them didn¡¯t even notice the projectiles before they hit them. Those who reacted could¡¯ve been counted on the fingers of one hand. And they reacted not to the appearance of spikes, but to the noise. The tiny pieces shooting through the air did give out a very quiet, whizzing sound. None of that mattered though. Thanks to the power of the Crystal, they all were already done and gone. The moment they got pierced, even with a small piece, I could tell that they were getting sapped from their magic. Just like any Origin Crystal, the pieces were great at containing mana, and also at taking it away from things. The only downside to the whole attack was the time. Both the time it was needed to prepare¡­ and of course the problem of him hurting. And the time for it to fully complete. Sure, the people that were struck were going to be neutralized, and in the future also absorbed into the amalgamation of Mike¡­ ILMA¡­ or whoever. But, it was going to take some time. Judging by the fact that the pieces were small and Mike¡¯s mind a bit strained recently, I thought that the magical overwrite was going to take a while. Well, I wasn¡¯t completely wrong. In normal circumstances, in a good environment, the full assimilation would take¡­ from weeks to months. And that is when it would be on full power, without much resistance or even realization that someone was attacked. Sure, they most likely wouldn¡¯t immediately realize that they are getting attacked mentally, but, even then¡­ Those small pieces were not going to be enough in time. We had to think of something to delay them¡­ But that was a problem. Sure, I could try and think of a plan that would buy us a day. Or a few. Definitely not days or weeks, though. So what the hell were we supposed to do? But, no one cared about his plans. If he even had any to begin with. -Fucking shit! In between the mass of cursing, shrapnel and everything else, people started shooting even more erratically, and that included our boss as well. But, he didn¡¯t have a gun, so reflexively, he blasted a spell right at his breaking body. He did not expect that. In a regular circumstance, this should be a non-factor. Hell, it would¡¯ve helped him survive the attack, giving him a bit of mana to feed on. But, he was not focusing on that at all. His focus was on the shards and the pieces flying through the room, trying to convert every single person as soon as possible So, when a fireball hit him, he was stunned. While that doesn''t do him much harm, he definitely lost concentration: the sheer force of the explosion managed to throw him off. Unlucky for him. If it was just a few centimeters away, it wouldn¡¯t have mattered: the direct contact would¡¯ve drained the spell before it even managed to explode¡­ But, that was not the case, because our guy missed. Most likely not on purpose¡­ What I am talking about, of course not on purpose: he was flinging the spells left and right, setting the whole room on fire. The fact that the room was filled with lingering mana from the earlier attacks and the pieces of crystal all over the room made the explosion and the following fire even worse. And that was what managed to bail him out. He didn¡¯t only stun him and throw him off the concentration, he also incapacitated every single person in the room. Including himself. Everything set on fire, of course the fire alarms started blasting out. The sprinkler system activated, trying to control the blaze, but in case of this fire that was not even close to being enough. I started wondering why was he so lucky, when I noticed that he was not moving. Right. He was, for some reason, unable to quickly repair the damage he suffered throughout this whole encounter. That was inconvenient. Whenever I wanted or not, I was now part of him. At least at that moment. While personally I was pretty certain that I¡¯d be able to survive this fire¡­ or any fire for that matter, at least with the crystal body I used to have, I wasn¡¯t so certain about Mike. He was the one who was tinkering with it. Or at least he had knowledge about it. I couldn¡¯t be certain about the properties of that crystal. I started wondering, what is going to happen? In the scenario of death¡­ who would be the one dying? I mean¡­ I of course wanted to think that I¡¯ll survive somehow¡­ but I didn¡¯t like to take this gamble¡­ Besides the obvious problem of actually having no body to call mine¡­ I mean, sure, there would still be some of my own essence hidden within the pieces of crystal, and I already knew that even that would be enough to at least keep some of my personality intact¡­ maybe not this one, but at least one singular bit. That would be fine with me. But, if that was the case, the same scenario would play out for every single soul that Mike has absorbed. Okay, most of those were already gone. But, there was a fresh supply that was just a moment ago added to the pile. Sure, they weren¡¯t the most powerful. I mean, most of them. But, even the smaller ones would be fighting fiercely for survival, especially after not realizing that they were even killed. I wanted to believe that my mind would come out on top¡­ but why even take risk, when there was the other option? I could just take control beforehand. And I didn¡¯t mean completely. Sure, I could try to do it, but seeing as the body in question was tiny bit damaged, I would¡¯ve had to at least repair it to the point of usability¡­ Or I could just repair it and he¡¯d do the hard job for me. I froze for a second. Why was I even considering healing him for free? Sure, he was¡­ used to be my friend. But right now, wasn¡¯t that the best chance for me to get out? Get control of my body back? Well, it wasn¡¯t really my body anymore, but whatever. Why would I even think of trying to help him? Was that the assimilation process talking? Most likely. Damn. It was progressing faster than I thought. Maybe because of the recent circumstances? We were in a bit of a pickle right now¡­ I guess¡­ Whatever. I should just do it on my own. To control the body¡­ I used that before. I managed to control the body of Il when she was down. While it was a bit annoying, I sort of got the hang of it in time¡­ Shouldn¡¯t be that hard with him, right? And it was not. I am not sure if that was my exceptional skill or just the fact that we were on the way to becoming one entity, I quickly managed to just¡­ do it. To be completely honest, it was most likely neither of those things. Sure, it might have helped a bit, but the fact that I was trying to control someone that was knocked the hell out was the deciding factor: there was no one to fight for dominance over the vessel, the souls that were shot by the shards weren¡¯t even drained into him yet, still residing in their own bodies. The moment I focused, I felt a very familiar tug, and just like someone had started pulling me down, I got dragged into him. Back into the body. I never realized that before, but up till then I was seeing this all in a very skewed perspective¡­ I was seeing everything differently, but I couldn¡¯t place how and why. I assumed it was because I was using my damaged senses and didn¡¯t have an actual, my original body. Well, it was half right. When I came down, I understood that my perspective before was¡­ larger. I was seeing everything with a much wider field of view, which got restricted back to human size when I opened my eyes as a damaged crystal body of Mike, lying on the burning ground of the building. 245. Down Damn. That was my first thought. Ouch. Pain. A lot of pain. That was the second one. I don¡¯t know what exactly he did to his body beforehand, or maybe what were those bullets actually made of, but he was definitely feeling pain. Quite a lot of it, in fact. There was no time to complain, though. I had to get my shit together. First things first, I had to check how damaged the body actually was. It was¡­ Well, it was not horrible. I was able to move my extremities, but I could tell that actually standing up would be a hard task. Better start healing then. I had to thank Il. Or whoever that was last time, because after the recent show of Mike¡¯s I honestly had no idea. Without that lesson, getting out of there quickly wouldn¡¯t be possible, I think. I managed to at least rebuild my legs to the point where I was able to stand without supporting myself with anything. Sure, it didn¡¯t look the prettiest, the crystal was clearly uneven and weird in places, but I didn¡¯t care at that moment, it was function over form. Meanwhile, the rest of the company was still lying on the floor, and the flames had already managed to consume at least half of the room. It even started spreading outside, through the door. Without even hesitating, I left all that bullshit behind. I wasn¡¯t going to stay and try saving all of them. Besides, they were already as good as dead. Now, when I was actually in control of this body, I could tell that Mike¡¯s attack did work: everything was in place, with the pieces of crystal embedded within their bodies, it was only a matter of time. I did briefly consider tossing a water spell to quench some flames, but after hearing some sirens downstairs, I thought that was going to be unnecessary. Now, to leave the place. My first idea was to leave the same way we entered: through the window and down the street, away from the building. I quickly backtracked to the small room where we entered, just to remember what exactly we left there. Or, who. The poor janitor. He was still stuck inside the stone coffin that was glued to the wall. And he was awake. I am uncertain how, but he managed to regain his consciousness inside and even managed to crack the stone in some places. Was the spell defective? I kinda was doubtful, it was Mike we were talking about¡­ But, it quickly got explained when from one of the cracks I saw a glow and felt the stone along with the wall shudder. Inside, trying to escape, the janitor was launching some kind of spell, trying to break the rock with shocks. It kind of was working For a second, I wondered if I should try and trap him even more, but one look at the stone and then another at the door on the other side told me that if anything I should free him. Considering the circumstances, I doubt that he¡¯d be able to free himself before the fire reached the room. The firefighters should get him, though. Same with the rest inside the other room¡­ I gazed outside and realized that it might not be that easy. Both for them and for me. Sure, the firefighters did arrive on scene. But, they were not entering the building. For some reason, at the entrance there was now a small crowd gathered and was blocking the entrance for everyone that was trying to access the main door. The immediate reaction from the emergency services was to try and use the ladders towards the windows, mine included, but before I even managed to think of ducking away so I wasn¡¯t seen, someone had literally grabbed the ladder and pushed it away from the building. What the hell? They were literally going to let this place burn to the ground, and that included people here as well. Sure, I didn¡¯t feel any attachment to those guys, especially to the whole security force. Both after having to deal with them and seeing as their operatives were now preventing the firefighters from doing their job. Hey, they were fucking their own colegues. Their problem. But, I couldn¡¯t help but to feel bad about the poor janitor. I mean, he was just here by sheer chance. He didn¡¯t deserve this kind of treatment. If not for Mike and his bullshit, he¡¯d be most likely home by now and not stuck in a literal coffin. I probably should at least free him before jumping out¡­ But, jumping was going to be a problem as well. I mean, not because of height or something, no. It was just that the street right under the window was completely covered with people. Hell, now even more than before: I think some random people that were passing by started paying attention and gawking at the whole scene. If I was to jump down, I surely would get spotted. Was there any other window that would lead me to a bit more secluded spot¡­? Or some other exit? It would be nice if I knew the place¡­ Or had someone who knew¡­ Eh, fuck it. With an annoyed sigh, I turned back to the vibrating growth on the wall and slammed it right in the center. -FUCK! I forgot that that was not my body any more. Sure, Mike was a crystal person. Mostly. But he did modify his flesh and was a lot less durable than what I was used to being. And on top of that he was able to feel pain. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. I am pretty sure I broke something. The next attempt was a lot more careful and used magic instead of physical power: I just decided to meld the rock. Of course after fixing my hand. Noticing as his prison was getting destroyed, the man inside doubled the efforts to squeeze out, and soon he was free. -Thank you! I was trapped by some burglar that¡­ He froze mid-sentence. I don¡¯t think he expected to see the mentioned burglar to free him. He stopped, his mouth wide opened, and taking a breath he was about to scream, but I didn¡¯t let him. I grabbed him with the hand that I just fixed and silenced him before he managed to make any sound. It probably would¡¯ve been lost in the noise of the sirens downstairs and a slowly creeping in noise of flames, but it was better to try and not to be too obvious. -You shut the fuck up and not try something stupid - I said and instantly started draining his mana. - Be quiet and follow orders and you¡¯ll be fine. He didn¡¯t react, just was looking at me, quite scared. Can¡¯t blame him. The situation was indeed fucked up, and he didn¡¯t even know about the fire next door. I probably should mention that¡­ -Is there any exits from this place that do not lead through that door? - I asked, pointing at the door towards the raging fire. - I sort of need to bail. He slowly nodded his head. -Great. You are leading me towards it. Understood? A slow confirmation, once more. -Now, be good and don¡¯t try shit¡­ - I said. - If I feel anything strange from you, or any noise that is too loud, you are going to regret it. He nodded again, so I slowly removed my hand from his mouth. I already managed to drain most of the mana from him, making sure that what remained was not enough for anything that would be too problematic. I was half-expecting for him to yell, but it did not happen. He was surprisingly calm. -Where? -This way. I was a bit suspicious. I didn¡¯t really think that there¡¯s something like that here¡­ I mean, there was literally no other door between the door I pointed out and us. Besides, it would¡¯ve been way too convenient. And yet, it didn¡¯t seem like he was trying to trick me. He led me towards one of the filing cabinets and¡­ moved it aside. It was surprisingly easy for him, and no wonder: the actual cabinet was on rails, it was really a hidden door. -Why is something like that here? - I said out loud, not hiding my surprise. -It leads to the main staircase. In case of¡­ break-ins. That¡¯s¡­ an unusual reason. Who would even want to break in here? I mean, Mike, of course, but we were kind of a special case, you know. -Good. You first - I said to my guide. I was not going to walk in blindly. He nodded and slowly walked in. I took a step in, carefully, and closed the cabined behind us, moving it back to its correct place. The corridor went immediately dark, so I reflexively used a light orb to light a way. It made me realize that I once more needed actual light. I was no longer seeing the world around me with just magical senses. I guess that was a confirmation that this body was still mostly flesh. Probably was not going to be for long, though. As long as I was in charge and shit was going south. He flinched, seeing me cast a spell, but realizing as I wasn¡¯t going to attack him he calmed down again and started walking forward. The corridor we found ourselves in was a very thin one. I was barely able to fit just a singular person, and if I was still in my own, crystal form, I was pretty sure I¡¯d have to walk sideways. Mike¡¯s body was a bit more lithe and dexterous than mine, even after a few ¡°modifications¡± I had to implement earlier. Same with my guide. Speaking of, I didn¡¯t get to properly take a look at him before, but now when I was following him and trying to not get ambushed or something, I had time to look him over. He was thin. He honestly looked like he was just some poor, underfed fellow that could barely scrape by. I mean, knowing who he was being employed by, that was a likely scenario. Even though he looked young, his hair already had some hints of white and gray. Stress from work much? I mean, I wasn¡¯t helping with that issue, that¡¯s for sure¡­ He was wearing a onesie, white with blue and black markings. I guess colors of whatever institute we were in. -Now, the stairs - he warned me. It wasn¡¯t the main staircase yet, just a small set of stairs that lead to a dead end. He pushed the wall and I heard something click. The wall moved by a hair forward, and just like with the other end, he moved aside something to open the passage. We found ourselves in the main stairway, just as he said. Behind us was just a flat wall: the spot where it opened was not even visible after moving the wall back: if someone didn¡¯t know about the spot, it would definitely never be discovered. Hell, seeing it from this side I wasn¡¯t sure how I would even open it: it was completely merged with the wall, and there was no magical signature either. It had to be just a purely physical setup. They definitely stepped up their game from what I¡¯ve discovered before¡­ I mean, last time I was able to destroy the mechanism that opened a passage like that. I guess having access to the appropriate technology helps a lot. I stopped thinking about the marvels of technology and hidden passages, because I noticed something more pressing: smoke. It was also the first time my guide realized that this was not just a simple break-in, a situation apparently common in here, since they even made a hidden passageway in such circumstances¡­ -A fire¡­? - he muttered, looking up. -And why do you think I wanted to avoid the corridor? - I asked him and pointed towards the window. Downstairs, the building was still being crowded by the emergency services, also still getting blocked by the security. Persistent. Strangely, the amount of people had shrunk. And that included the firefighters and all. Did they think that they had it under control? Hm¡­ If only I could hear more. I focused, trying to eavesdrop on something maybe. But, I only managed to pick up one word: ¡°cleaning¡±. Not much to go off of. -Security¡­? The cleaning protocol¡­? Oh. I wasn¡¯t the only one who tried listening in. And he managed to get more. But wait¡­ what did he just say? -The what? ¡°Cleaning protocol¡±? That caught my attention. He clearly didn¡¯t mean to say it out loud, and seeing as I noticed, he immediately wanted to change the subject. -To leave this place¡­ I assume you want to be hidden¡­ We need to use the first floor and then maybe use the side window to¡­ -What¡¯s ¡°cleaning protocol¡±? - I asked, not letting him. -Just me rambling¡­ Doesn¡¯t matter¡­ I mean¡­ -Oh, we have time, just let¡¯s walk and talk¡­ -Erh¡­ I¡­ -Come on. I poked him lightly in the back with my finger, draining a tiny bit of mana from him. He shuddered, feeling something off, but I am not certain if he understood what happened. But, it worked. -I¡­ I am not sure¡­ I heard some stories¡­ about escaped subjects¡­ and how they were cleaned¡­ -And what does that have to do with anything? -I¡­ I mean, that time they also supposedly were destroying everything with fire¡­ but that was just some old stories¡­ from decades ago! A myth! -A myth? -Yes! About a janitor that was tasked to clean up the mess! And¡­ I didn¡¯t want to talk about something stupid that never happened¡­ -A janitor. Who cleaned up a mess with fire. Mess that included ¡°magic that went out of control¡±? -Y¡­yes¡­? You know about this¡­? So you know why I didn¡¯t want to talk about it. It¡¯s just a story! No point even¡­ I couldn¡¯t believe it. A story? -Tell me. I wanna hear it. -Eh? -Come on. 246. Emergency -Well¡­ okay¡­ That¡¯s something I¡¯ve heard while working here¡­ That there exists an emergency system they call ¡°cleaning protocol¡±. It¡¯s actually one of the first things I¡¯ve had to learn after¡­ taking over. -Taking over? -After our last janitor. I mean, he was a lot better, but¡­ It was all sorts of strange hearing someone was a ¡°better janitor¡±, but far from the weirdest thing, to be honest. Meanwhile, we managed to reach the end of the stairs. He led us towards one of the doors, the lowest one, which seemed like it led underground. Another hidden pass? Basement maybe? -Anyway, it is in case one of our alpha subjects escapes. -Alpha? He froze, realizing that he said too much. But I was not going to let him off the hook that easily. -Come on. Spit it out - I said, poking him once more. He shuddered, but continued talking, at the same time looking for the key to open the door in front of us. -Er¡­ I¡¯ve never seen those. It¡¯s just what they are called. I¡¯ve heard that those are the most important ones for the whole Institute. -That important, huh? -Well, yes¡­ but I find it strange that the main directive is just to burn everything to the ground¡­ -Burn? That¡¯s ¡°cleaning¡±? -I was surprised, too. If those are so important, why destroy them? I mean if it¡¯s a last ditch effort, I¡¯d understand, but¡­ To burn on sight? -Huh¡­ Of course I knew why. It was to not let anyone see what exactly was going on in the depths of the research bases. Like our project. Of course there would be a lot of problems if anything like that would come to light. ¡°Cleaning protocol¡±. Fucking right. More like murder. I mean, I knew it first hand. That was my job, after all. So he was my replacement, huh? At least in that department. Honestly, it seemed like they were cutting costs or something. To make him also do menial work? That¡¯s odd. -I see ¡°janitor¡± can have a lot more definitions, hm¡­? - I mumbled to myself. -Hah¡­ yes, well¡­ He paused. -Ah, got it. He finally found the key and opened the door. It led to a dark, empty room. A bit strange¡­ at least it would be anywhere else. Here, it kind of did fit. MIRE had a lot of weird chambers, and all of them had strange purposes¡­ This one, though¡­ Before I managed to finish my thought, the door behind me closed. I didn¡¯t feel any magic from it, so I assumed that it was a physical lock, and sure it seemed that way. The whole room seemed lacking magic of any type. While maybe not ¡°void-level¡± lack, but still, noticeable. -¡±Janitor¡± is just what they call me. And the regular janitor is just my hobby. A hobby? Cleaning can be a hobby? Talk about weird people¡­ -The real ¡°janitor¡± is to clean the mess after the experiments. And I assume you¡¯re one of them. The lights suddenly came to life, brightening the surroundings. The room we were in was a lot larger than I thought. It was the size of at least a football field, including in height. It was completely empty, besides the electric, old halogen lights hanging on the ceiling, just like in some old hangar. And just like an old hangar, the walls were completely mundane, made of boring concrete, with hardly any cracks to be seen. Although, here and there I could see some scorch marks that were dirtying up the place. -You thought I didn¡¯t know what you are? A janitor is always the most informed person in the building after all - he said, turning towards me. -You sure got surprised, though - I pointed out. And you did lead me to this cozy spot. I bet not a lot of people know about this one. -Not everyday someone appears out of thin air¡­ -I never did¡­ well, never mind. So, what now? -Now¡­ we commence cleaning. Yeah, sure. Like he could do anything. -By all means. Try. -I will. No matter how trained he could be, he couldn¡¯t do a thing without mana. And for some reason, it didn¡¯t seem to bother him. I mean, he had to realize I was draining his magic all that time, right? I just was standing there, looking at him with anticipation. Nothing? No mana activity. Nothing at all. Sure, I drained him, but if he was to try something, I¡¯d notice at least. Or, well, he¡¯d notice and not just stand there, waiting. If I wanted, I could just get rid of him at any moment. -So¡­? What are we doing? - I asked, breaking the silence. -Waiting. I gazed at him, stunned. -Waiting. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. -Yeah. -And that waiting is going to get rid of me, how? -Rid of you? Well, not yet. I still need confirmation from the higher-ups. Without the confirmation, you are to stay here and be a good prisoner. -Prisoner? Ha. - I couldn¡¯t help but laugh. - And what¡¯s stopping me from¡­ I dunno, escaping? -Doors? I had to control myself. Doors? Come on. He could¡¯ve thought of something better. -I managed to get through plenty of those. Yeah, sure. Let¡¯s say that''s correct. What about you? -Me? -You seem awfully unconcerned about your own well-being - I pointed out. - If I am to be that threat, why to relegate yourself to standing here with me? -You better worry about yourself. I just need confirmation. -Yh, sure. Sure. Again, silence. -You know¡­ that confirmation¡­ Who do you need it from? -Not your business. -By any chance, is that from the guy that is the security chief or whatever on the main floor? Didn¡¯t really pay attention to the looks, was kind of occupied, but got a lot of people under him, using those magical assault rifles or something. He flinched. Ha, so I was correct. -I see I guessed right - I commented. - Well, sad to say, but at this point, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be getting any word from him. -Why? He¡¯s¡­ - he reflexively asked, immediately stopping himself from saying anything else. -Oh, well, at this point he¡¯s probably either on fire or got carried out of the building. I bet the first one, though, judging by the lack of any emergency services inside. -Burned?! The protocol¡­ -Nah, not your protocol. Well, at least I don¡¯t think so - I shook my head. - There was a certain¡­ altercation beforehand¡­ and it managed to leave all of those people unconscious and the room on fire. - I said. -What did you¡­ -Why is it always supposed to be me? - I sighed. - I mean, it kind of was¡­ it¡¯s a bit complicated¡­ I didn¡¯t finish my sentence, because I suddenly felt a surge of magic coming from him. Strange. I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d have enough mana to even form a spell. And yet, that¡¯s exactly what was flying right at my face. I wanted to reflexively shield myself with my hand, absorb the mana, only to realize that this is not going to work: there was not enough crystal in me. Just as the spell was about to connect, I managed to cast my own spell. -Visu nysu! A small layer of rock sprouted from my palm, covering me from the ball of fire that was about to connect with my face. He wasn¡¯t kidding about his ¡°cleaning protocol¡±. -Gh! Hm. His spell¡­ was pretty strong. Where the hell was he getting the mana from? By all means, he should¡­ But, before I managed to finish my thought, I understood. From the fold in his suit, I could see peeking tiny particles of some kind of crystal. A crystal that definitely was hosting a rather large amount of mana. I guess he was prepared, but that was not unexpected. What was surprising was the fact that I didn¡¯t notice it sooner. How? By all means, I should¡¯ve seen that coming, especially after keeping him so close to me all that time. Was I getting senile or something? But, there was no point in dwelling about this, I had to get rid of him. At this point, I started having second guesses about being merciful, so I was reconsidering my options. And my opinion was quickly changing. Especially after another fistful of flame that was tossed right at my face. Why was it always fire? In any case, I just slapped the embers away, my hand already fully covered with rock, so I could easily get rid of any simple nuisance like that. Well¡­ -Gymnu tehu. I sent a jolt of electricity his way. I still was feeling merciful enough to not be outright murderous, so I used rather small amounts of mana. I instantly regretted that. While the projectile landed true and in a blink of an eye stuck him right in the middle of the chest, he didn¡¯t even shudder. That was¡­ unexpected. What the hell? What kind of person does not respond to getting electrocuted? I probably just used too little of a jolt. Should¡¯ve known. Slapping another orb of fire away, I sent another one of lightning bolts towards him. This time, I was not holding that much back, and the created projectile was at least three times larger. And louder. And yet, it didn¡¯t do jack shit. The hell? I was getting annoyed. What did I get myself into? At this point, I probably should¡¯ve changed my approach, try a different spell, but me being stubborn, and a bit curious, I decided to see how much exactly he can take. So, I didn¡¯t hold back. -Jepqo wokz. A third level spell. Something like that would definitely leave a mark, I mean unless he was a pure crystal person, that is. And that was definitely not the case here: I could clearly see his fleshy body. I think he realized that. Whoever he was, he had a good understanding of magic, at least elemental, so he knew what was about to hit him. Didn¡¯t matter though, the spell was faster to reach him than it was for me to speak the words. He couldn¡¯t react. With a loud thunderclap and flash, he got struck by a massive lightning. I could smell the ozone in the air, in addition to a distinct odor of burned synthetic clothing. But, there was a distinct lack of the smell of burned flesh. By all means, he should be fried by now, but it was just his clothes that were singed. I was amazed. To be still standing? It¡¯s not like my spell had no effect, though. The impact of the lightning has left a rather large stain on the floor right next to him, similar to the other ones that were already here. He was also pushed back quite a bit, plus, of course, his clothes were completely black. But that was it. -The fuck are you¡­? - I mumbled, stunned. He didn¡¯t reply. Sure, he was standing and well enough, but the lightning definitely did stun him. -Eh, whatever. Why do I always complicate things? - I said to myself, and decided to return to the more primitive methods. Physical trauma it is. Since that was already here, I decided to be as simple as possible and just swing at him with my fist. My sudden approach made him snap out of confusion. He quickly stepped back, dodging the initial strike with stern expression, but quickly realized that this was not my attack. Along with the swing, I sent him a rather large piece of stone. I split it off my hand, seeing as just a straight up projectile would be great against him. He did guard himself with his hands, but was too late to cast any spells. I was half-expecting for it to straight up not work. That he was actually made of stone and I was just looking at some kind of illusion, but not this time. This time, he got hit, straight up. And I even managed to draw some blood, too! At least that confirmed that his arms were still regular¡­ But, the random projectile was not enough to knock him out. I mean, if I was to use something larger¡­ or harder, then maybe. But, it was too late for that. Seeing as I turned to physical damage, he mirrored me. Just like me, he covered his own hands with stone and stepped forward. What, he¡¯s going to box with me? I was joking, but it actually seemed like that was what he was planning to do. He jumped forward and tossed a right hook at me. Not expecting this to turn into a brawl, I managed to get hit, but he was weak. I think he finally was feeling the effects of my draining, because he almost managed to fall on his ass when the next swing went wide. I was not going to let that go and jumped towards him, as fast as I could, trying to knock him over and tackle him down to the ground. I kind of overestimated my own weight, expecting him to just fall under my momentum, but I got reminded once more that I had a different body now. Still, it was effective enough that he stopped for a moment, trying to find his balance. I grasped the occasion and started pouring mana into the stone I created, trying to make it larger, heavier. It worked. He fell down, flattened by a large rock, with me connected to it. I wanted to ask him some questions, seeing as he was drained and completely trapped¡­ but that was a bit too soon. He still had some fight left in him. And by fight, I mean he still had some resources left to regenerate his mana. 247. Fast I noticed that from somewhere under his clothes he managed to pull out a piece of crystal. Very potent one. I was taken aback by the amount of magic contained within and almost wanted to jump away. If anything, I was already taught that a lot of people like blowing themselves up, and a piece like that was definitely something that would produce a solid explosion. But, that was not his plan. Instead, he¡­ crushed it. Yeah, that made me especially confused. By all means, the piece was looking just like a small shard of Origin Crystal. To destroy something like using just your own grip was pretty much impossible. Hell, even if that was me at my full magical power when I was still made completely out of the Crystal, I doubt I¡¯d be able to just crush something like that this¡­ effortlessly. And yet, he did. The shard turned to puff of smoke¡­ Or rather a puff of mana, that he promptly inhaled. And rejuvenated. He definitely got a kick out of that. The moment he absorbed it, I could tell he was trying to stand up, and actually managing to lift me up, along with the rock that I just moments ago trapped him with. I had to drain him again, and quickly. Too bad my hands weren¡¯t exactly free to do it, so I had to use a bit¡­ invasive method. A headbutt to the face. It was very effective. Besides breaking his nose, I definitely managed to get enough contact with him to drain some of his mana. It wasn¡¯t all of what he managed to regenerate, but it was a start: it was enough for him to stagger and stop pushing me up. With just one simple headbutt I managed to return us to stalemate. So I hit again. This time, I didn¡¯t lift my head up, trying to maintain contact as long as possible, to drain as much as I could. I could hear him groan in pain and frustration: he could tell that his mana was leaving him For a second I thought he wanted to smack me again, because he raised his hand. I honestly wanted to let him do it. I still was shielded with rock, and his was now fading away, or rather crumbling away. If he was to attempt to hit, I am sure he would¡¯ve broken at least some fingers. Maybe a whole arm if he was unlucky and the swing was hard enough. But nope, that was not it. He was trying to grab yet another crystal. Where was he even getting those? I grabbed his hand, or at least tried to. Still covered with rock, I managed to just bump his hand and slap away the stone he pulled from his suit¡­ Just to notice that there were at least ten more under his clothes. During our scuffle, his suit managed to rip in some pieces and it was now easier to understand where those things were coming from. Under the onesie, he was wearing a full tactical vest filled to the brim with crystals of different sizes and shapes. How did that even fit there? Both under his clothes and the amount of crystals he had hidden. And more importantly, how the hell could a simple piece of cloth be able to hide that much?! Was that some kind of enchantment? I mean, if it was, I would also be able to see it. Maybe not what was under it, but I¡¯d at least notice that he had something going on. This was getting more and more confusing. If I was to have any chance to finish this before the whole building was to burn to the ground, I would have to cut him off from the supply he had. I thought that it would be easy, considering he was currently being pinned down, but of course it was not. I wanted to reach towards the hole that got ripped in his clothes, to get a feel for the amount of mana that he was housing, but he noticed that and started flailing. -Stop it, you fucking¡­ I swung at his head, trying to discourage him from the attempts at resisting, but he wasn''t¡¯ having it. Since his hands were still free, he did block me with surprising ease. Of course. He managed to, once again, regenerate his magic, and now enhanced his own body so he wouldn¡¯t get damaged by something as simple as a punch. A punch from a stone fist. Wait a second. How was he doing that? I mean, I was covering myself with stone. He was doing the same just a moment ago, but suddenly he decided to not to¡­? Did he want to catch me off-guard? If so, that worked. Surprisingly well even. I straight up was not expecting to feel that much resistance to my punch and the heavy impact made me stop for a moment. Enough for him to retaliate. Suddenly, with inhuman strength, he managed to toss me off and jumped backwards a few steps with surprising agility. I quickly managed to regain my composure, but not soon enough to not get hit once more. Did he toss a spell again¡­? This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. No. It was his own fist. Wasn¡¯t he standing away from me just a moment ago? I didn¡¯t even get to protect myself, getting hit right in the face. And definitely felt like my nose was broken. But speaking of broken noses¡­ his was fine. Wasn¡¯t his bleeding? He was healing? This was getting annoying. I gathered myself from the shock and concentrated. I had to fix my body. It wasn¡¯t hard, and especially when I was not paying attention to aesthetics. I wasn¡¯t really sure what I looked like, but definitely not human: I am pretty sure that my ¡°healing¡± was using the crystal to mend the gaps and fill the missing pieces. Like a large, ugly crystal ¡°blood¡± clot. I bet if Kon was here, he¡¯d be able to do that ten times better. Hm. But wasn¡¯t he there¡­? After all, he was part of this body¡­ soul¡­ or whatever we were. Shouldn¡¯t I be able to use that magic as well as he was¡­? I didn¡¯t have time to think, because another fist was flying at my face. I guess he decided to try and end this with just his fists. I mean, he did do the most damage just by punching me in the face, so I don¡¯t blame him for that assumption. And, he was partially correct. Again, he was too fast for me to block, but this time his fist was met with a lot more resistance, being my crystal disfigured nose. I had to be a bit too hasty in repairing it, because I am pretty sure that he still managed to chip a little bit and I felt some blood trickling down my cheek. After all, there was still some flesh remaining there¡­ Seeing his success, he swung once more, but this time, I was ready. I still wasn¡¯t as fast as him, but I did anticipate the attack. Especially as straightforward as this. His fist was met with my rocky shield that got promptly crushed, but that was enough for me to reduce his momentum and catch his hand. This time, with bare hands. He instantly wanted to jump back, but I wasn¡¯t going to let him. The moment I grasped him, I recast the stone spell again: this time trapping us together, with a stone¡­ well cuffs, essentially. That did catch him off-guard, enough for me to get another hand around his neck and repeat the process there. He was flailing like mad. No wonder. He had been feeling the drain constantly chipping at his resources. I mean at this point he had to be running out of the crystals, right? Wrong. I was already most of the way to making full collar for the man when I felt a surge of magic from him and he finally managed to shake me off. But this feeling was¡­ different. So far his superhuman strength and agility was similar to when I saw Mike fight. There was no mana involved, at least not that I could see. But this time, I vividly was able to see the sudden surge that went right from the crystal he pulled out of his seemingly infinite supply, right towards his chest¡­ and then it disappeared. Like someone had drained it away¡­ Hm. Intriguing. Normally, if someone was to enchant themselves, I would¡¯ve expected for the mana to be distributed equally among their body¡­ or the opposite, to focus on one particular spot that they¡¯d want to enhance. But not here. It just¡­ vanished. Either that or he was boosting his own heart¡­ I mean¡­ that was not it, right¡­? Okay, true. If one was to enhance their heart, surely they would get some better physical performance¡­ but not to this degree! I understand having better stamina or something, but having that much strength for example, was definitely not possible¡­ right¡­? But, whatever I wanted to think, my mind was still trying to come to the same conclusion. That those people were just doping. Hell, I knew how regular adrenaline can mess with one¡¯s physical abilities. What would actually happen if one would infuse massive amounts of mana into their bloodstream¡­ to spread it all over the muscles¡­ Yeah. That was it. But that brought a different question. If that was indeed the case¡­ What other effects did this thing have on the human body? Sure, if one was just a crystal, like I was, I am sure there would be no problem at all. I guess Mike was crystal enough for him to also have no problems with that¡­ But what about other people? As far as I knew, the guy in front of me was not connected to some kind of Origin Crystal¡­ at least not directly. Sure, his supply was something, but so far I¡¯ve always seen him absorb the pieces by destroying them. And they did feel a bit different. If he was just another abomination like us, he¡¯d just have to absorb mana from the environment. Or try doing that to me. Instead, he was just pumping mana into his own body this way. I wasn¡¯t able to see it only because it was already a part of their body and suppressed by their original magical signature. I mean, the mana inside the body was not changing at all, if you were to use your own reserves, that is. This guy was a different case, sure, but that didn¡¯t say much because of the strange isolation that his clothes were providing. Sure, not any more, at least not that much: I did manage to make some holes, so there was a lot more of his actual mana capacity visible¡­ Well, his, plus the bonus reserves he had hidden. But that was a different problem¡­ The problem that I had to resolve first. And I started having an idea about that¡­ His clothes during our scuffle had been torn in multiple pieces. Honestly, considering that they were isolating his mana for some reason, they were surprisingly delicate. Well, at least not resistant to regular damage. But first, I had to catch him again. Sounds easy, right? After all, I already managed to do that multiple times. But, apparently he had finally decided to finish me. Well, or tried to at least. Maybe that was the real adrenaline hitting or something, but he got even faster. He started copying me: he conjured a bunch of pieces of stone that he sharpened like spikes, growing out of his hands and started tossing them at me. While quick, they weren¡¯t dealing much damage. Especially when I countered with my own rocks. But, the problem was that he was getting faster. And I don¡¯t mean just his projectiles: he himself was moving. Sidestepping, trying to get behind me, he was dashing like mad. He knew he didn¡¯t have enough power to break through my defenses, so he started banking on his speed, something he knew he was superior in. And, he was right. Some of his spikes did manage to catch me. They weren¡¯t really doing much damage, but they were definitely hurting and drawing blood. Of course I was constantly healing myself, filling myself with more and more crystal and boosting my defense in the process. So, you can imagine my surprise when I started feeling¡­ weird. By all means, his attack should not have been doing any damage to me. As far as I could tell, those were just projectiles. Stone, hard and sharp, but still. Especially after hardening my skin with that much crystal¡­ Was he imbuing them with magic¡­? I mean, those were magically conjured, sure. But that was it: besides that, it was just a piece of stone, right¡­? The thing was¡­ whatever he was using, it was having an opposite effect of what he was intending to. I think at least. I was feeling charged with mana. It was just like he was bombarding me with regular spells. I mean, I was already mostly crystal, at least in the spots that counted in current circumstances, so I definitely was absorbing magic from everything that hit me. Too bad he was hitting me with literal rocks. Was he using something else¡­? Don¡¯t tell me he was using the crystals that were fueling him? That would definitely explain the weird feeling I was having. I had to get a closer look, but that was definitely not the case. So what was it, then? Was it even him who was doing that? I mean, who else? We were alone in here¡­ Whatever it was, I was not going to waste good mana. It was a pretty good opportunity to test something¡­ 248. Slow I was thinking¡­ About Mike. And his ¡°ability¡±. At this point, I¡¯d rather just call it an interesting method¡­ While not a spell that I would learn, it was definitely something that I would be able to mimic. At least if I was correct in my earlier assumptions. To boot, I also was in a body that definitely was able to do that before. Maybe a bit more¡­ converted, sure. But that would only help. I mean it SHOULD help. How would I go about it again¡­? To pump mana into my own heart¡­? Well, I can try. Especially with that much to spare. Thanks to a certain someone. I had to focus¡­ Well, easier said than done. Being pelted by a rain of small spikes constantly wasn¡¯t exactly relaxing¡­ Well, maybe for some it was, but they¡¯re weird. But¡­ This strange feeling¡­ ¡­ I wanted to swat the annoying projectiles with my hand. Or a spell. Or anything. For a second, I looked up, and saw another one flying right at my face. Right at my eye¡­ Instinctively, I closed my eyes, preparing for the pain and at the same time trying to dodge it somehow¡­ But it did not come. Did he miss? Or I dodged it? I opened my eyes to a sight weirder than I thought. It wasn¡¯t that he missed. It¡¯s just¡­ the projectile didn¡¯t arrive yet. For some reason, everything suddenly was sluggish. Including myself. For me, it felt like I was moving in water. I could push through, but if I put my mind to it, I would just move like usual. Everything else though¡­ was just slow. I¡­ I did it? I didn¡¯t even concentrate properly¡­ and yet it worked? I looked at my enemy. Yeah, he was still moving. I could tell that he was about to toss yet another spike at me. But while his projectiles were moving ridiculously slow, he himself¡­ was almost normal. Well, if he was enhancing himself, that made sense. But my enhancement was apparently better: he still looked a bit slower to me. Or it was just the contrast from what I just was experiencing and now¡­ But, this was enough for me to notice what exactly he was doing. Sure, he was casting spells. Creating stone to use as projectiles. But those weren¡¯t as magic-less as I thought. Before every single cast, I could tell that a piece of crystal was flying right from one of the holes in his clothes right towards the stone he was conjuring. So, those were enhanced with the crystals? I was right? How was he even able to hide those, then? The projectiles were slow enough. I could catch one¡­ And did. It was so easy¡­ it actually surprised me. I mean, sure, it was sluggish for me, but honestly, I was expecting for something to happen. I don¡¯t know what, but it felt so easy¡­ Shrugging off this feeling, I instead focused on the spike I caught. Was there really something inside¡­? Or was I just insane¡­ I wanted to snap it in half to see inside, but¡­ there was a problem. Sure. I caught it. But the moment I wanted to snap it in two, I literally turned it to dust. And I didn¡¯t even have my hands covered in stone! Nor turned to crystal, for that matter. I was still pretty fleshy, since most of the damage was able to avoid my hands¡­ Damn. And I wanted to check it to be sure¡­ It¡¯d be nice to know what exactly I was dealing with. Or at least get a closer look. I mean, I could always approach him, but¡­ I could just get another one? Wait, speaking of. What¡¯s up with him? From my perspective, he was almost normal before, so after this stunt he should¡¯ve noticed that something¡¯s afoot, right. But nope. Quite the opposite, actually. He was just standing there. Wait, pause. He was not moving? And not only him. Just like that, it was also that attacks of his were¡­ frozen. No, wait. They were still moving. Spikes, I mean. Very. VERY slowly. But still moving. What the fuck. For a second I thought I stopped time or something like that. So that¡¯s how it looked from this perspective, huh? That¡¯s confusing as shit. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. But at least I didn¡¯t have to worry about him retaliating. That¡¯s good. Then, I could focus on inspecting his attacks. And crystals. If he¡¯s so slow, there¡¯s no way he would be able to do anything, right? Thinking that, I wanted to get another projectile to see exactly what''s inside, but there was a problem. Not in catching, no. I could get it no problem¡­ But what was after¡­ When I wanted to move it from the spot it was flying through¡­ or rather was frozen in, it was hard to move it. Before, it felt like I was moving through water. When I picked it up, it felt like this small piece of rock was the heaviest thing in existence, almost like it was rooted in place. Of course with my enhanced flesh I was strong enough to pull it away¡­ or rather I should say I was too strong. Instead of moving it, I broke it again. It turned to dust in the spot I was grabbing. I wanted to get the remaining pieces, but the same thing happened. Whatever I touched, it felt like it was hooked in place, and when I pushed against it, I broke it. I went through every single piece that was near me, with no luck. I was trying to be as gentle as I could, I even tried tying a piece of cloth that I tore off of myself and pulling on that. That only made me destroy the clothes with no effect: it just tore the moment I pulled on it. Well, that complicated things. If I wanted to know what the crystal was, I guess I should just go straight to the source. I mean, he couldn¡¯t be as fragile as those, right? Yeah, about that¡­ If those were so fragile, how the hell were they able to hurt me so well? I mean, sure, they did shatter after hitting my rock, but still. Those were supposed to be stone with a magical crystal inside. Hm. Well, he did break those crystals with his bare hands though¡­ That made me even more curious. I probably should just get to him and grab one right from the source¡­ As I thought that, so I did. Or wanted to. Movement was terribly hard. I compared it to water, right? Now it was more like jello. And with every step it was getting harder. For an ability that was making me move faster, I was impressively slow. Funny how that plays out¡­ I pushed through the resistance, and was about half-way towards the guy, I noticed that he moved. Well, he didn¡¯t do it much, but it seemed like he was trying something. With him being this slow, though, I didn¡¯t think much of it. That is, until I got even closer. Yeah, I was pretty sure that he noticed me. One look at his face was enough. Now contorted in a weird mix of surprise I mean, if I understood that correctly, in his eyes I just moved towards him with speed that was hard to comprehend. No wonder he was trying something. The question was, what? I don¡¯t think there was much he actually could do to hurt me. Or even just try to stop me for that matter. It made me hesitate. Should I wait? To see what he''s trying? But, judging by his speed, that was going to take a while. A long while. Did I have that time, though? The truth was, I had no idea. Sure, I could pour a stable stream of mana into myself, I had a lot of it after all, but still, this was the first time I¡¯ve done something like this. How long, realistically, can I keep it up without something going wrong. Minutes? Hours? How the hell should I know. Mike didn¡¯t have any problems with that, but I was not him. Well, mostly. Nah. I probably should do what I wanted and then try and observe him. With this speed I would definitely have plenty of time to react. So, let¡¯s get to the source. First things first: let¡¯s get rid of that strange ¡°shield¡± of his. I mean, that was just a piece of clothing, and at this point already ripped in multiple places, so destroying it shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Especially with my enhanced power. I only had to be careful to not kill him accidentally, which was very possible, considering the fact that just a simple attempt at grabbing a pebble ended in me crushing it into dust. I was right to be careful. I didn¡¯t even have to try to destroy his clothes. Just like I saw before, he indeed was hiding some kind of utility belt. But¡­ it was strange. He had already expended a multitude of crystals. I¡¯ve seen him do it. And yet, all the pockets, sockets and everything that would look like could hide a crystal was still full of it. What¡¯s up with the infinite supply? As if to answer my question, I noticed one of the crystals slowly flow out of his pocket. The process was unbearably slow, but I observed how it started floating from one, just to go towards his hand and be covered in stone that appeared out of thin air. So he was even making the rock? I mean, we were surrounded by mostly concrete and brick, so that was expected¡­ No wonder I had no difficulty absorbing most of the impact¡­ Before the projectile formed, I bumped it away, turning it into dust. I reached my hand into his pocket. Sure enough, it was full of crystals. Hm¡­ a bit too full¡­ I grabbed a handful and took a better look. Yeah. It definitely looked like some form of Origin Crystal. But, I was correct in my earlier assumptions: it was a lot less durable. Just by pulling it out of the pocket, I managed to crush it in my fingers, even though I was trying to be careful. This was definitely something new. No matter how strong I became, or how much the time difference was affecting the current situation, I would never be able to crush Origin Crystal with my bare fingers. I mean, I would at least feel some pain while doing that¡­. But this¡­ this felt just like crushing a cue of sugar. Even the texture was similar, at least to the touch. I wondered about how much mana this thing was packing, when I started feeling the magic seep into me. Right, no matter how fast I was, mana was still going to move with the same speed. Meaning slow. To me now, at least. I moved my fingers away, and instead of trying to absorb the magic directly, I just wanted to see how much of a cloud it¡¯s going to produce. I had to wait a moment, but that gave me a clear picture: this thing was definitely able to host quite a bit. Definitely not as inexhaustible as THE Crystal, but still pretty good. No wonder they were using it as fuel for their mages. I wonder, how were they able to make it? I mean, by all means, we were ones that were responsible for experiments on the Crystal. There shouldn¡¯t be anyone left¡­ Ah, who am I kidding? The databases were still left. I already knew that. Why would they stop, seeing as we managed to discover that much¡­ Honestly, I was hoping that they¡¯d learned to be a bit more careful with that¡­ especially after that many deaths¡­ But still, this did not answer how he was able to have that much of a supply. Was he somehow making it on the fly? Impossible. He had to get this mana from somewhere, right¡­? Something irked me to check his pockets again. This time, I wanted to see how much exactly he had on him. My intention was to essentially frisk him. First, back to the pocket I checked before. I am pretty sure I never reached the bottom of it¡­ I reached my hand in. Yeah, I definitely did not. Wait a second¡­ I started reaching deeper. And deeper. I managed to fill my whole arm, elbow included. Huh. No wonder he had that much: his clothes were enhanced with spatial properties. A void bag in a pocket. No wonder he had a seemingly endless supply of it. But wasn¡¯t it a bit too risky¡­? One stray spell and this whole thing would blow up. 249. Stop Suddenly, I had a bad feeling about this. Didn¡¯t I feel him gather mana a moment ago? Well, moment to him at least. And¡­ there weren''t any spikes trying to pierce me any more¡­ Since I was so close, he should¡¯ve at least tried to skewer me with something. Please, don¡¯t tell me he was as prone to exploding as everyone else I¡¯ve met so far¡­ I quickly removed my hand, dashing away, back to my earlier position and prepared for the inevitable boom¡­ Which did not come. Luckily, he was not that desperate. At least not yet. Or, the time for me was so different that he didn¡¯t have time to go through with it yet. If so, I had to move. There¡¯s no time for fooling around any more. If he was to blow up, we had to get away from here as soon as possible. Fuck that guy and his spells. With this speed, I could get away before anyone could notice. The only problem was that we were locked in¡­ I mean, a minor inconvenience, that is. I could always force my way out. I turned away from him and focused on the door. It was locked shut, no lock or handle to be seen. Whatever. My body was pretty sturdy already, I could just use stone again and¡­ Well that was problematic. Sure, I could use stone and bust my way out. But, if I was to cast a spell, it would be as slow as anything now. Annoying. But¡­Could I do it with my bare hands, maybe¡­? That was a good question. I mean, I was enhanced by mana. I could try¡­ I placed my hand against the door and tried pushing at it. Yeah, that was not going to work. After crushing stone with my bare hands I kind of hoped that would be easy¡­ but I guess that''s just the Crystal that was that weak, not that I was strong. Whatever. I still had a better crystal as part of me. Sure, my hands weren¡¯t enhanced, but I still had plenty of my body that had been crystallized. Like my feet. First, I just tried pushing on it. At first, I thought that it was not working at all, so I just stepped away¡­ To see a rather clear footprint that I left in the door. Ha. So that could work. Fuck being discreet then. I kicked the door open. Or, wanted to. What happened was more like me making a dent in a tin can. As I was pushing through, the doors started moving away like they were made out of paper. I even managed to break off some pieces that were now hanging in the air, defying gravity. Or rather gravity didn¡¯t have enough time to work on it yet. It took about four ¡°kicks¡± for me to make an exit that I would be able to pass through. All the time I was keeping an eye on the ¡°janitor¡± behind me. Sure, he was slow, but at this point I sort of expected for him to finally be able to somehow retaliate. But, it didn¡¯t seem like it was the case. I managed to get back out to the corridor. From there it should be a straight way up to the exit. Or any window for that matter. Well, yes and no. Yes, sure, there was just a stairway that I knew led up to where some exit should be, but there was a different problem. Fire. Yeah, up till this point, it managed to reach us here. It already was just outside the door and going down. Of course, it was slow, but so what? I couldn''t really avoid it or anything¡­ I had to go through it or somehow extinguish enough of it for me to leave. And that was not happening with this kind of ability active. Any spell I¡¯d make would take ages to form. Sure, I could try and go back to regular speed, but then I¡¯d have to worry about superspeeded janitor on my ass. If I was fully crystal, there would be no problem with me just walking through it. Too bad I was still plenty fleshy. I probably could just walk through it, but the burns would hurt as hell. I would be able to heal them in time, but¡­ Yeah. What about time? If I was to be hurt, how would I feel that? Would the pain be delayed? Or would it be spread along a very, very long period of time? Or both? I didn¡¯t want to answer that question. So, I just decided to toss copious amounts of water to make my way towards the exit. Of course, nothing happened. Or, at least not yet. Just as expected, the spell didn¡¯t work instantly. It was going to take time for it to activate. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. I guess it was either waiting or stopping this ¡°speed up¡±. It didn¡¯t take me long to decide: of course I was not going to stand there and look at the wall for the next hour or so. But, there were some things I was going to do first. If I was going to go with that, there was the main problem of the janitor trying to make my life difficult once more. Sure, he wasn¡¯t the most threatening one, especially now, but who knows what he could do with an arsenal of that volume. No, if I was to have him behind me, I had to do something¡­ Something simple and clean¡­ I smiled to myself. -Visu. The spell was active, sure, but was going to take its time. Just like with water. But, I was happy to know that the moment I return to normal, it¡¯s going to take hold. Plugging the hole with a large stone should be fine, right? I considered trying to melt down the door, or meld rather, to fill the gap more seamlessly, but what was the point? It would only take a lot longer and it¡¯s not like I cared about aesthetics right about now. The idea was simple, but I still had to first disable that ability¡­ Yeah, and that was the problem. Honestly, I had no idea how. Hell, I wasn¡¯t sure how I even managed to activate in the first place. At first, I thought that it was just the stream of mana that I focused on was what did the trick, but quickly realized that it was not the case. What was weirder though, I was not feeling any drain at all. I thought that kind of effect would¡¯ve been at least tiring. But I was fine. More than fine. That should be impossible. I already knew that this had to be using mana. Could that mean¡­ that I was working on borrowed time¡­? Or well, maybe not borrowed. Since my time was completely fucked, did that mean that sure, I was being drained, but also so slow that I wasn¡¯t able to feel it? I mean, that would make sense, considering¡­ Just the question was, how do I even break something that I don¡¯t feel draining me? And that was not the only spell that was affecting me. Just moments ago I also did cast that wave of water to get rid of the fire¡­ or at least attempted to. I mean, it wouldn¡¯t be the worst thing in the world if that was to fail and I had to do it again, but still. Eh. Pain in the ass. It was either having to wait or trying something weird again. I could be patient, but¡­ I was not going to. Who was the one that I knew that used this spell pretty effectively? Mike. And where was he? In my head. Well, not exactly in my head. It was more like I was inside his, but still. Last time, he was unconscious. So I guess having him answer my question was not going to be easy¡­ -Mike¡­? I attempted to talk to him. I already had quite a bit of experience in this¡­ ¡°interspirit¡± communication. It¡¯s not the first time I¡¯ve been sharing a body with another person, so I thought I would at least reach him¡­ -I know you¡¯re there. Are you awake¡­? Nothing. -Still recovering? I know, that¡¯s a bit sudden, but you know who I am. We have a bit of a situation¡­ I tried explaining to him, even though I was not getting any response. But for naught. I was sort of hoping that the longer I was talking, the easier it would be for him to¡­ catch on, so to speak. You know, like catching the radio waves. The longer you try and are sending the message, the easier it is to pinpoint the signal. But, it didn¡¯t feel like it was working. At first, that is. And no, I didn¡¯t get any answer. What I got back was¡­ well, different. It was a feeling. It was not the first time I got that either, so it didn¡¯t catch me off-guard. It was some kind of progress, at least! What I got was just a small hint of fear and surprise. Well, yeah, no wonder. I managed to take over his body. Honestly, at this point it was strange that there was no anger mixed in there. -So, you heard me. Good. Can I count on any assistance? I didn¡¯t expect an answer. And didn¡¯t get one. I wasn¡¯t even certain if he could talk. By all accounts, this could be just me feeling his subconsciousness, and he was still out. Didn¡¯t mean I was going to stop trying, though. I had time. After all, the spell that I cast was working. Slowly, but surely. I already could see a bit of water forming where I was standing not so long ago. At least for me, that is. While talking bullshit, trying to communicate with Mike, I was peeking towards the hole that I left after leaving the basement, to keep an eye on the janitor. My earlier spell had started forming some stone inside the opening, but it was barely anything, so I could still see right through the hole. Hell, some of the scrap that was left after my passage was still in the air. On the other side the janitor moved. Not much, but enough to be sure that he knew that something was up. I couldn¡¯t tell what exactly he was trying to do, but he definitely was trying to go somewhere. Was he chasing me? Maybe. Probably. No matter, after the hole is sealed, I¡¯d have enough time to escape. And in the worst case I can just do this thing again and zoom out. Should work out. After a couple of minutes, my efforts had finally brought some kind of effect. And I don¡¯t mean spells. It was my communication with Mike. I finally heard him. At first, I thought that it was my senses that were messing with me. What I heard was just a constant, low humm, that was hardly anything. But it was steadily and very, very slowly getting louder. It was more distracting than anything, and I couldn¡¯t understand what I was hearing even. Some kind of aftereffect of the spell? A distorted sound of mana or something weird? Does mana even have sound? Well, I wasn¡¯t that far off. It was just distorted speech. In hindsight, it was obvious. Since I had my time stretched to the utmost, you can imagine what a regular conversation, or just a singular word, would sound like. A distorted, long noise. That was slowly changing. I definitely was not going to understand that. The fact that he was able to say something meant that he was awake, so I guess that was a plus. At least I knew that he was conscious. Too bad that didn¡¯t help me in my current situation. Hm. That was inconvenient. I was not expecting this ability to work like that. Sure, my time was fucked up, but I thought that it would be as weird for Mike as it was for me: after all, we were sharing one body. But, judging from the noise, that was definitely not what was going on. Thinking back, when I saw him move impossibly fast¡­ he probably was in the same boat. Yeah¡­ If it was different, I¡¯d also see everything slow and not him being quicker. Damn. I was sort of banking on that, though. How in the hell was I going to communicate with him like that, then? Speech is pointless. There was no way in hell I was going to talk so slow he would understand me, besides, it would just defy the whole point of me trying to disable this shit. Use emotions? Sure, those would appear instantly, but then what? I get angry or something and how exactly is that going to help? Annoyed, I groaned to myself. -Argh! This trick is more annoying than it¡¯s helpful! I essentially lost my voice¡­ Hah. That reminded me. It was not the first time I wasn¡¯t able to talk. But back then, I could just magic my way out of it. Not like now, spells would¡­ Wait. I didn¡¯t have to use spells. Last time, I used writing. Why not now? 250. Speed Sure, last time I made some letters in the air. It was clear and easy to do. While now that was not a viable option, I could use more¡­ mechanical ways. I stepped towards the nearest wall and scratched it with the part of me that was already crystal. It worked. I could easily scratch it and it was clearly visible. So, time to write. It was a bit awkward at first: I had to write with my knuckle: that was the most ¡°agile¡± part of me that I could find that had a bit of crystal already. I was not going to use my fingernails. They were still normal. Now, how do I exactly word this message¡­? I had to take over and sped myself up to the point where I don¡¯t understand you. Either join me or break that effect. It was the most concise message I could think of that would make him understand, hopefully, and wasn¡¯t exactly divulging everything about us to anyone else that would read it. It didn¡¯t matter really; it¡¯s not like anyone would read it besides us; I was going to destroy it later. Even without that, the fire would most likely wipe the traces of it. I made the message. Now, to send it. I stared at the wall to get him to understand. I mean, it wasn¡¯t really hard to notice, but even then it would take a bit of time. I had to keep myself from trying to peek on the janitor or the fire: if I was to start looking around, it would only confuse him and make it harder to communicate. Communicate¡­ Hm. That¡¯s a question. I was trying to communicate, sure. But even if I was to reach him and he would understand, how the hell would he reply? Any word that he would say would be distorted to no end. Writing wouldn¡¯t work, there still would be the issue of time. Did I have to count on him freeing me? I don¡¯t know if I liked that. If he had a body, I¡¯d say he would be able to do the same and speed himself up to my standard and we¡¯d be good. Could he do that without it? I mean, if a heart was able to be sped up, why not the brain. Wait, wasn¡¯t I doing that already? If ALL my body was not on par with the speed, I¡¯d not be able to even register what was going on. So what, he needed to speed up¡­ his soul? Fuck, that was confusing. How would you even do that? Was that possible? Why did I even try that spell¡­ I swear, I probably would be out already if I was moving in regular fashion. Sure, I¡¯d probably be more of a crystal, but so what? It¡¯s not the first time and not the last time, most likely. And not like Mike had any way to complain either. He wasn¡¯t the most helpful here¡­ As I thought that, I think I finally reached Mike. Or at least I made him realize what was going on. Before, I just felt a small sting of his emotions, but after staring at a wall for a minute I felt something different and stronger again. Disappointment. Come on, it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve done something like that. You can¡¯t blame me for fucking up. Like his spells ever worked on the first try. But hey, that also meant that we were making progress. What now? The disappointment was flowing for a good moment towards me, but then, it got cut out. I would say instantly, but, let¡¯s be clear, nothing was instant in this distorted reality of mine. But, if we were looking at it from a regular perspective, it was pretty immediate. It was replaced with more determination¡­? I assume that meant Mike was trying something? I think I was right, because the feeling was not disappearing. Only getting stronger. Good. And stronger. And even more¡­ To the point it started getting distracting. What, he was trying to overload me with emotions or something? How would that even help? Slowly, to the determination, I felt a bit of anger joining in. Ha, that meant not everything was going his way. Well no shit. The whole situation was not very ideal. For anyone. Especially for him. Not in control of his body and weakened. Supposedly. The feeling of this being ¡°distracting¡± was not the end of it. It soon turned into annoying, and then into something that was hard to even contain myself. It felt like something was buzzing inside my head, making me want to yell with frustration. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Was he trying to make ME angry? What the fuck. If so, he was definitely succeeding. Honestly, I wanted to write him another message to knock it the fuck off. But¡­ I was too late. Apparently I was right. He indeed was trying to anger me. Or rather to distract me and focus on something else, making me lose concentration on the mana I was constantly spending to fuel this effect. I didn¡¯t know that, of course, so all I could do was groan in annoyance and try to contain the sudden headache and loss of balance. He not only disturbed my concentration on this. My control over his body was also wavering. I realized that a bit too late: I was already half-way on the ground and unable to stand straight. The headache that I was experiencing was me getting back to the regular speed of thought, or rather thoughts suddenly being unable to understand my speed, because I was still fast for a moment there. The imbalance and overall difference in signals that every single sense was sending me knocked me completely off and soon I realized that I was no longer able to move, lying on the ground. Even my vision went black. And then, silence. A moment later I got enough grip on myself to again focus and start looking at the world using mana sensing, somewhat understanding what was going on. We were no longer lying on the ground. The fire was already put out, or at least a part of it was. I think my spell finally took hold because the part of the corridor next to the broken door was wet. Speaking of the door¡­ It was absolutely wrecked. And it was not just because of me. Sure, there was a visible footprint in one of the broken pieces, lying a bit away from it. But there was also a major hole in the spot where I started the spell that was supposed to seal the exit. Did my spell misfire¡­? Definitely not. One look at Mike was enough. His hand extended, with mana flowing out, I could tell that he was just done putting a hole back in the door. The hell was he trying to do? Help the janitor or some shit? Nah, couldn¡¯t be. -The fuck are you doing? I instantly asked him. He already knew that I was conscious and still not absorbed, so pretending to be knocked out was pointless. He flinched, but did not reply. A silent treatment? -Exit is upstairs. This guy is useless. -Maybe for you. Pretty short silent treatment, then. But what did he mean ¡°for me¡±? Like what, he¡¯s going to make him talk? About what? The answer was soon obvious, because the two of them were already face-to-face. The janitor, definitely confused and still very on edge, was gathering himself from the lack of impact from his shots and realized that his hidden arsenal was revealed. He was still sped up as well. Seeing as we were back, he dashed towards us and was about to cast some kind of spell, I could see his magic fluctuate¡­ ¡­but it was too late. Mike grabbed him and instantly punched in the gut. Damn. He was really a lot better at this. Without even a hint of activation or focus, he just enhanced himself and punched him so fast that I was barely able to register it. Either of us, really. But¡­ the janitor took it better than expected. Sure, he got his wind knocked out of him, but that was it. I thought he was going to retaliate somehow, because he grabbed the hand that punched him, but again, he was too slow. The same hand sent him flying towards the opposite wall. Even before he reached it, he was already behind him. -What the hell are you trying to do?! He caught the guy¡­ Well, caught is a strong word. He punched him in the back of the head the moment he flew into his range. -If you really want to learn something from him, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s¡­ I didn¡¯t finish the sentence. His next strike finished it all. His elbow, already crystal thanks to my earlier changes, left a bloody mark on the side of his head. The janitor flopped, like a ragdoll, slamming into the ground in a position that suggested he was no longer conscious. Or alive, for that matter. -Aha. Nice interrogation. He wasn¡¯t finished. He went towards the limp body and punched it once more. -What the fuck are you¡­ -Shut the fuck up. His response was so sudden I instinctively stopped talking and just was observing. Again, a hit. This time he used an elbow once more. But, it was not him relieving stress. Well, maybe not only that. Along with the punch, I felt something leave the body¡­ and join him¡­ us? That was strange. Seeing as he finished his business, he turned away and went towards the corridor and the staircase. It was still on fire, of course. My earlier attempt at quenching the flames worked, but only briefly. I mean, I kind of got interrupted¡­ He gave it a glance over and waved his hand. I thought he was going to try and end the fire¡­ but he was not targeting the flames. He straight up destroyed a wall. I did think about doing the same before, but assuming that we were underground, I never really tried. It would be annoying to try and carve a passageway through the ground¡­ But, I forgot that we were no longer in the wilderness. We were in the middle of the city. Besides, if not for the whole time bullshit, I would¡¯ve managed to clear my way out and leave without a problem. The broken wall revealed a passageway¡­ No. A sewer. Of course. He stepped through the hole and turned back towards the flames. Another wave of the hand. He started guiding the fire? Yeah. He was leading it towards where he was just fighting, at the same time walking back further into the darkness. What was that for¡­? Before I finished my thought, I understood. The whole area was shaken by a massive explosion. He wasn¡¯t just leading the fire to spread it, he wanted to get rid of everything. And what¡¯s a better way than to blow it up? Especially if you have a conveniently placed body that was absolutely stacked with mana and mana crystals. Sure, even if he was somewhat protected from the fire before, that didn¡¯t matter now. Especially when faced with that large wave of flames. The following blast had most likely destroyed the foundation of the building and maybe even a bunch of others as well. I could feel the aftershocks and the noise of rubble falling down somewhere above us. It was like an earthquake. Even though we were already pretty far away, he still was pushed backwards and tossed away from the source. But, he was ready. Mid air, he activated a spell, making a wall that blocked the way we just came from, and landing on all fours, he suddenly started sprinting with inhuman speed. When did he even reactivate that? Did he even drop the spell? And so, we were gone. 251. Skip Running through the dark tunnel, I was thinking what exactly just happened. He definitely just killed a bunch of people. While him being a bit ruthless wasn¡¯t the news for me, it was still unsettling. A little bit. Honestly, it was worrying. Not the fact that he killed, more the fact that I didn¡¯t care. That¡¯s something I didn¡¯t really think of before¡­ The truth is, recently I¡¯ve been doing everything almost out of habit. There was no emotion in me. Or, well, no emotion is not correct. It was just that my emotions were always somewhere far away from me, behind in the background. Even though they were definitely there, I was just ignoring them completely. They were an afterthought of everything. Was that because of the Crystal? Honestly, I can¡¯t really blame it on that, after all I was no longer in that body. I was different now, and honestly not sure how I was even conscious. Or for how much longer I will be. Was that the sign of assimilation? I thought that I was going to start losing myself, uniting with whoever Mike was right now. But it was more like I was getting devoured partially. The question was, why would the¡­ attachment be first? Maybe to reduce the resistance of the target? If someone is not afraid, then there is a lot lesser chance that they are going to resist, after all¡­ I wondered if I should ask Mike¡­ Hell, the lone thought of asking him made me realize that I was more detached than anything. Who in their right mind would think that they¡¯ll get an answer? He¡¯s going to keep his cards close to the chest all that time. Not like it matters. After all, the assimilation was going to happen, sooner or later. I was only hoping that it¡¯s not going to be a one-way exchange. Yeah, after I learned a long time ago that I was getting absorbed by something else, I thought that there¡¯s a possibility of that. If someone is hosting multiple minds within themselves, or multiple souls, and absorbing them one by one, there¡¯s a possibility that the pieces of those people are going to make some kind of influence on them. Sure, I heard that the main method to this madness was to convert them to energy first, then absorb it, but it¡¯s not like it was a flawless method. Hopefully, that is. During all of those divagations of mine, Mike was still running. Where was he going? We were in the sewers, so I guess it could be anywhere in this city. Speaking of, what city was that? I mean, I didn¡¯t even know what country that could be. After all, I¡¯ve been gone for a while and I was not going to guess by just looking at the dirty pipes and a few buildings that I saw before. Sure, some buildings were familiar, but who knows. After all, a bunch of places were destroyed thanks to us, and most likely were rebuilt differently. My prior knowledge was useless. But¡­ How much time has even passed? Judging by the stories and everything I knew, it had to be years at least. Sure, what I¡¯ve heard inside the barrier was a different story: according to those tens or even hundreds of years has passed. Hell, even Mike thought so. But if that was the case, why did everything else look¡­ so normal? After that much time I would¡¯ve thought that both technology and magic went so far that I wouldn¡¯t recognize modern society. And yet, everything was so familiar¡­ I mean, I know, the technology was somewhat stagnated, but not to the point where we were just¡­ stop. Did that catastrophe destroy that much¡­? I decided to not think about it. Instead, I should focus on the problem at hand: Mike and our¡­ relationship. That was going to be a bit complicated. Sure, I was already in a similar situation before, but not as the other¡­ suppressed party. But I was still the one that was going to be absorbed nonetheless. The only difference was that the offensive person has changed. Or did it really? I mean, we knew that ILMA was not going to be lost that easily. I was pretty sure that it was only a matter of time until she surfaces again, be it from him or any other person outside. Despite what they claimed, our ¡°jail¡± was not unescapable. We were the living proof of that. Still, no matter the end, I needed to somehow now get to some kind of understanding between me and him. Or them. Or whoever was the host. -Where are you running to? - I asked, breaking my long silence. I didn¡¯t get an answer at first. I even though he was ignoring me, so I was going to start talking more, but I noticed that he started slowing down. Whatever was his target, he finally was somewhere close to it. He stopped. In front of us there was a small ladder and a hatch. -Here¡­? I never noticed, but as he was running, the tunnel had widened and was a lot taller than before. And I think we went down a bit¡­ It no longer looked like a sewer. It was more like some ruined basement. If we were back in the barrier, I would¡¯ve said we found some kind of catacombs, it had that old look. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. But, the ladder up and the hatch was definitely modern enough that it almost didn¡¯t fit. He didn¡¯t think much about our surroundings, though. Instead just climbed up without hesitation. Did he know this place that well? I thought he spent most of his time away from here. If not all, really. But¡­ was that him? Nah. Probably it was memories of ILMA. Or anyone else, really, that were helping him get his bearings and fueling his confidence. The hatch was pretty heavy. He had difficulty moving it aside to the point that he had to use some magic to help himself. A quick enhancement and it was done. Speaking of. I started recognizing when he was using those abilities of his. What was that called¡­ Biological infusion? Something like that? I don¡¯t know if that was only because I spent enough time with him, or just because I used it by myself, but I could recognize it. I mean, I still wasn¡¯t seeing mana change, but I could tell when his movements started getting sharper and faster, even when he tried being slow. Better than nothing, I guess. With his enhanced hand, the heavy hatch had slowly shifted away, and with a grinding noise, we emerged outside. Or rather inside. We were in some kind of building. Seeing as the hatch was circular and almost looked like a manhole, I thought we were going to end up in some kind of dark alley in the slum or some shit. At best in some old town or something like that, but not in a basement of some building. Well, I was somewhat right: the basement definitely looked deserted and half-ruined. The hatch itself was heavy and thick, but that was not why he had the difficulty opening it: it was because of some rubble stack on top of it. Old bricks, ruined furniture, you name it. It looked like half of the room was dumped on top of it. In the darkness of the room he easily made way up, like he¡¯s done it multiple times before. Skillfully weaving his way between piles of trash and other crap, he headed towards one of the further corners of the basement, towards the staircase. The staircase also looked old. Definitely like it belonged to the last century at least. Where the hell were we exactly? The upstairs, or rather the ground level was even stranger. It was a wooden cabin. Barely even standing. Rotten wood glued together by random rusted pieces of metal. In places, patched up with something that looked like roof tiles. Why would someone use that of all the things to fill holes? Inside, there wasn¡¯t a single piece of furniture that looked like it wasn¡¯t scavenged either. Not like there was much of anything inside. A bed. Or a metal frame with a piece of plank on it, standing on some bricks to not fall completely on its side. A stack of boxes that was definitely placed next to it as a table, plus a stool. Or rather a wooden stump. On top of that, a pile of various garbage right next to the stairs that we just ascended. He even had to shove some away to even get up. He didn¡¯t pay any attention to the room, just went past everything and outside. Ha. I didn¡¯t expect it, but I was spot on. We found ourselves in a trash heap. A literal dump. Why was this his destination? Apparently it was not, because he didn¡¯t stop at all. Not to even check the place out. It seemed like he knew this place like he lived here for ages as well. Half-running, he went right towards the exit. Or I assumed so, because I doubt there was anything worthy of notice here. Well, he almost did. Sure, we were headed towards the exit, that was correct. But just as we reached the gate, he stopped and finally took a glance in every direction. Were we looking if we were followed? I mean, there was no way that someone would even manage to keep up with him if he didn¡¯t have the same ability. While it was possible, I definitely didn¡¯t think it was the case. Especially after the whole fire and explosion underground. Anyway, he confirmed that we were indeed alone and grabbed onto the bars of the gate. With a screech, he pulled them away, making an opening roughly the size of a person to squeeze through. I was confused. As he was pulling those and making an ungodly amount of noise, the gate itself was moving. It was clearly unlocked. Why the hell would he even try this? Maybe just open it? Fuck, if not that, jump it. You surely can do that. Or climb. Or anything! We are alone. Well, maybe not for long if you make so much noise¡­ But, he didn¡¯t even exit. After making the noise, he quickly stepped back and started retracing his steps. Where were we going now? When I was about to think that we were going back to the ruined house and the sewers, he stopped and I quickly realized that he enhanced himself. Then, he jumped. What the fuck. I know we were alone here, but still. Doesn¡¯t he think that someone suddenly leaping tens of meters into the air is not visible from everywhere? What, people jumping like that is supposed to be normal here? In any case, his leap at least gave me a better look at the local layout. We found ourselves on the edge of the city, if the fact that it was a garbage dump wasn¡¯t making it obvious enough. Honestly, it could¡¯ve been even somewhere more on the outskirts, but this looked more like just a slum. And a slum pretty close to a regular residential area. I could see some sets of flats looming in the distance, along with skyscrapers behind. Somewhere out there, there was a rather large fire going: the heavy and thick plume of smoke was visible from everywhere. I think I might know what was on fire right now¡­ Enough of the sightseeing, though. Mike definitely didn¡¯t jump to see the views, that I know. He wanted to make distance. And so he did. With a single jump he covered half the length of the junkyard and landed on something that definitely reminded me of a ruined car. With a grinding noise, it got compressed under his weight and surprised him, almost making him lose his balance. Ha. I bet he was used to his other body and the weight. I did add a bunch of crystal on it, so you bet he was a lot heavier than before. He regained his composure and leaped once more. This time, even further away. It was enough for him to clear the fence on the other side of the trash heap even. I guess that¡¯s what he was aiming for? I mean, it was in the middle of the slum, so it didn¡¯t matter either way. I bet anyone who¡¯d see him like that would steer clear of him anyway. The landing was pretty smooth. We didn¡¯t land on a pile of metal this time, so that definitely helped, but we also left a rather sizable set of footprints, or rather a small crater where we landed. Quite unavoidable, really. Luckily, that was not a pavement of any kind, just a regular pathway, made of just plain old dirt. One spell was enough to move the ground and make it as inconspicuous as anything else in this place. He didn¡¯t even move ground using earth magic, instead just used wind to pick up the sand and loose soil to cover the spot. Unnecessary, in my opinion. If anyone would try to track us, they would notice the tracks in the dump and¡­ Well, maybe not. I realized that those jumps and fucking with the gate were his attempts to make people loose track of him and maybe put them on wrong track. It might work. It would definitely buy some time, though. Time to run away apparently, because the moment dirt was settled, he sprinted away. Enhanced with his ability, he quickly went past all the slum and was running towards an area that looked less and less like a town. Yeah, right¡­ that was interesting¡­ The time I spent inside the barrier almost made me forget one crucial fact: that the world outside was not as green as our ¡°prison¡±. Or, used to at least. When we were running away, it made me realize that Mike was heading towards something that looked like a pretty dense park, that half way was turning into a forest. The sight was so normal for me that I almost didn¡¯t realize that it was actually the furthest away from being regular. The trees were a rarity after all, I mean, used to be. Barely few in cities, and definitely no parks were to be seen anywhere close. Was this some kind of nature reserve or something? Isn¡¯t that a bit too close to the city? And the park¡­ Soon I realized that the park wasn¡¯t actually the park. It was an overgrown area of the city. It was somewhat similar to the slum, but if you were to add a massive amount of trees on top of that. Honestly, it somewhat reminded me of the villages I¡¯ve seen near Arbo. That is if we were to replace log cabins with ruins of brick buildings. Where were we? 252. Combined -Where¡¯re we going? He flinched. I think he forgot for a second that I was there. But, he didn¡¯t stop running. Soon, the buildings, the ¡°village¡± or whatever that was was already far behind us. And yet, we were still going. -I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anyone chasing us. So probably you should get a rest. Your body is¡­ a bit fucked up. Yeah, after the whole fight, fire, running and everything in between, he was starting to finally show some fatigue. At least in the mana department. The fact that I also had forced his body to change a bit wasn¡¯t helping: the crystallization was a bitch and I knew that. On top of that, he was still using that infusion of his. Was he even able to hear me? I mean, if he was hasted like before¡­ I couldn¡¯t understand shit¡­ -You hear me? Slow the fuck down. -There is no ¡°we¡±. Ah. So he did understand. He definitely was a lot better at this than me so there was no surprise. But, the fact that he had enough energy and peace of mind to argue with me somewhat reassured me. -I feel like that¡¯s not really the most pressing matter here. What the hell are you going to do? Run away? He didn¡¯t answer at first, but he did slow down a bit. I think he took my advice and stopped using mana to run, instead started pacing himself. Did he want to run even further? We were already far away from everything. What, he was planning to just camp in the wilderness? I mean, that wasn¡¯t the first time I am sure, but.. -I am sure that you can keep running with us being in this body and all, but what¡¯s the point? You have a place in mind or something? He finally answered. -I don¡¯t. I just need to be as far from this city as possible, for now at least. -Because¡­? -To regenerate. Obviously. And why the fuck am I talking to you? You¡¯re about to be turned into mana. -Aha. Well, that¡¯s what I get for saving your sorry ass. -Excuse me? -You forgot already? You were about to be drained to nothing and turned into mincemeat by security. -You¡­ you did that. -What? -You turned me into a crystal! Again! -Of course I did. If I didn¡¯t, you¡¯d be bleeding out and dead. -You have no idea how much it cost me to actually pull that off! To get a regular body for myself! -I do. You told me before. I still don¡¯t get it, but I think I am owed at least a little bit of¡­ -OWED? You mind controlled me and destroyed something I¡¯ve been working for¡­ for¡­ I don¡¯t know how long! -¡±I¡± saved your ass. It¡¯s not me who tried to kill you. Speaking of, what was that all about? You charged in like it was your mother you were about to visit, and what? He went silent. -Employers not paying up? I thought you learned it the first time. -Shut up. -Pfff. So I was right. He really thought that MIRE is going to suddenly pay up? Especially after tossing him into prison? That is, if that part of his story was even true. Sure, I was able to tell if he was lying. Or I thought so before. The longer I was using this strange¡­ well, I wanted to say body of mine, but now that wasn¡¯t even it. Revenant effect? Remnant skills? Fuck it, somehing like that. I knew how mana could react, and so I could tell that anyone else with similar ability could as well. So of course it was just the same as talking: you could be a skillful liar in both regards. Honestly, kind of pointless¡­ -So, what now - I asked again. - And before you say again, no I am not planning to shut up. Learn to live with my pain. -Your pain? -What, you think you¡¯re the first person that had another voice inside their head? Hell, you had ILMA as well, you know what I am talking about. -She definitely wasn¡¯t as talkative as you. -Of course she wasn¡¯t. -What? I sighed. Or rather, wanted to. It was hard to do without an actual body. But, he did feel it. I guess my emotions were clear enough. -Why are you even here? -Hm? - that was a strange question. - What do you mean? -You were supposed to be dead. -I think I¡¯ve heard that one before. -Shut up! -And let you be stupid in peace? Hell no. -Why do you even care?! -Why? Because, whenever you want it or not, you now have a fucking roommate inside your head. And I don¡¯t like living in dirt. -Like that¡¯s your decision. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. -Look, we can argue all day long, but let¡¯s look at this objectively: you only are wasting time and effort trying. -Same to you. -What¡­? -You only are wasting time and effort. Whether you like it or not, you¡¯re going to turn into a bunch of mana that has no consciousness. Give up. -And you¡¯re so sure about that? -... Of course he wasn¡¯t. That was already clear: my survival was completely unexpected for him. Which was strange. I mean, the first rule of experimental magic is to expect the worst result. Meanwhile, we finally reached our destination. I mean, I think so, because he finally stopped. The place didn¡¯t look any different from any piece of this forest, though. Was something hidden here? There had to be. He was racing here so fast, there had to be a point. He stopped and sat down next to a tree, breathing heavily. Ah. I just noticed that. After he stopped using mana to enhance himself, he was running on his own strength. And that drained him a lot. His new weight probably had something to do with it. I can¡¯t blame him. Was he just taking a break? -What now? - he asked, feeling that I was anxious. Ha. He was asking me now? After his earlier demeanor, I was tempted to not answer¡­ And not like I had much to say in the situation¡­ -I can ask you the same. What, you¡¯re taking a break? What are we doing? -Again with this¡­ Eh, if you must know, yes, I am taking a break. What of it? -Nothing. I am more interested in what¡¯s next. -Next? -What, you¡¯re planning on running laps in this forest or some shit? -Laps? No. I intend to pass it and go further. -Further where? -Away from the city. I need more power. -Power? Sure, you¡¯re drained, but you can regenerate anywhere, right? Especially here, there¡¯s a bunch of greenery here, just drain some and be done with it. -Not enough. -The hell? Okay, I know that regrowing crystal costs a lot of mana, but¡­ -Regrowing¡­ His face grimaced in pain. -I almost forgot. You did that. -I told you that¡­ -It was necessary. I know. It¡¯s still¡­ painful. -Strange. I never had those problems. -Oh fuck you. -I am serious. -Your body was already destroyed. -So? -You didn¡¯t have to break anything. Only regenerate. You made me replace parts¡­ -Okay, no. The ¡°breaking¡± was not me. You know that. -That was back then. Now, it¡¯s still progressing, you know? -...? He was right. The crystallization was progressing. -Well, too bad. But at least this way you¡¯re going to be more durable. -Durable? Fuck you. -What? I liked my old body, thank you very much. After getting used to it was pretty handy. -Handy? Fuck off. No agility. Stiff. Barely able to move. The chunks getting in the way¡­ -¡±Chunks¡±? Ha. No. I was talking about being completely crystal. -That takes time. Before that, the pieces inside you are an absolute pain. -Never had that issue. But again, I lost whole limbs so I guess my ¡°chunks¡± were a bit more useful. -... -If you¡¯re so annoyed you can let me take control. -You kidding me? -Why? I mean, I can deal with the pain. And you¡¯ll rest. It¡¯s a good deal for you. -Oh, yeah. ¡°Good deal¡±. Letting someone else take my body. -So? Who said I was going to get it permanently? Look, if you¡¯re scared about me absorbing you, let me tell you one thing: I am pretty sure that doesn''t matter. Whatever is going to happen is going to happen regardless of this small issue. -¡±Small issue¡±... Right. -Well, I gave you an offer. If you want to deal with pain, be my guest. -I will, thank you very much. I didn¡¯t expect for him to give me control, so I didn¡¯t feel disappointed. Still, I did learn some things. He was having issues. And I don¡¯t mean issues as in crystallization progressing. Hell, for me that was a boon. I don¡¯t know why he was so hesitant to let it progress. At least he had a change of heart and wasn¡¯t constantly suppressing it like the last time¡­ I mean, it probably was just to conserve mana for now, but still. It was something. No, I was more interested in his sudden lack of¡­ conviction? Confidence? Mike I know¡­ or maybe rather Axelrod, was a ruthless and constantly scheming person. Not¡­ this. It almost looked like he was more Mike than Axelrod. Yeah, I know, that sounds stupid. Both were the same person¡­ But, was that really the truth¡­? According to him it was just his persona. Or that¡¯s what he told me. He took that name to be that ¡°king¡± and all that shit. What if that wasn¡¯t the case? What if that was just another person? And something was happening to him. It wasn¡¯t impossible for a consciousness to¡­ float up, so to speak. I was the best example. Even though he tried, he didn¡¯t manage to suppress me and I just appeared. What if some other person was the same? That he managed to suppress them for a while, maybe even absorb some of it. But, when I started disrupting him, they took the opportunity to also show up? If that was the case, shouldn¡¯t I be able to talk to them, though? Mike was distracted for now. I am not sure if he really was just taking a break, but he was still sitting under a tree, breathing heavily. I think he did listen to me, though and was absorbing mana from the trees. He wasn¡¯t having much success though, which was strange. I thought he¡¯d be at least this competent in handling the crystal. Or was it something else? One option was that there was a problem with his personality. His soul. That I wasn¡¯t dealing with the correct person. That it wasn¡¯t Mike. It was really Axelrod. But, as mentioned before, it was impossible. I definitely wasn¡¯t feeling anyone, so he couldn¡¯t be a real person. And if they were, they weren¡¯t conscious enough for Mike to have problems with absorbing The other possibility, a more plausible one, was that he was subconsciously stopping himself. It would fit, knowing that he was forcefully stopping his own growth in earlier stages. His worries and overall disposition towards the crystal and the changes definitely weren¡¯t helping him in regard to utilizing crystal¡¯s powers. It would also help explain the fact that I had to step in to heal him. It did take him being completely out to start working. I mean, I did help, but now, in hindsight, if I was to leave it alone, I am sure the crystal itself would¡¯ve started repairing itself. Hell. It did. I only managed to hurry the process up. Just like he did for me¡­ Wait. He did that for me, right? If he was so scared of turning to crystal, why did he try to do it to me? I mean, sure I was already completely gone by that point, I mean by body, but¡­ Eh, who am I kidding. Of course he did it. I would¡¯ve done the same. I mean, I did. To just ignore this kind of opportunity¡­ Speaking of opportunities, though. I think one just presented itself to me. Because Mike had just fainted. Or, to be precise, he fell asleep. I only noticed because his panting and heavy breathing stopped, replaced by the silence of the forest. Thanks to that, the speed that he was absorbing mana also shot up. Ha. I was right about him suppressing it. Be it consciously or not. Now, knocked out again, he was regaining mana at rocket speed. And he was about to start spending it, too. 253. Substitution I honestly couldn¡¯t stop myself. I knew I shouldn¡¯t try, but the occasion was too tempting. I slowly focused, trying to take control of his body. Patiently, checking if he was really out, I was prodding at his consciousness. -Mike¡­? Nothing. -Axelrod? No reaction. -Anyone there? Ha. He was really out. That was just too fucking convenient. And yet, it was happening. What¡¯s the catch though? There has to be a catch. I don¡¯t believe it. I carefully started seeping myself into the body. To control it once more. It came to me easily, of course. I already had some practice. And he was really not resisting. What the hell. I was in. I slowly started checking if it was really happening. Legs: check. Arms: working. Head: empty. It really was happening. I slowly stood up from the ground and stretched. No abnormal effects. No sudden prods at my consciousness. I was the only one here at the moment. I had to stifle my laugh. I couldn¡¯t believe my luck. He just fainted. And thought I will do nothing? Well, or rather he didn¡¯t think. Nor had much of a choice. His mana was really low, true. I guess that had to do with his sudden fainting¡­ But I thought that the slow drain was enough for him to at least keep his mind in check. I guess not. And, since I swapped, I could now regenerate as much as I wanted. Not like I needed much to operate this body. At least not now. I had planned to absorb a lot more, though. I was not going to leave before making this actually useful. Not just a lump of vulnerable flesh: as proved before, it was needed. I kneeled back on the ground and focused on the forest. How much mana was here? I was used to the infused woods of the barrier, having enough magic to be often blinding. Especially around certain ruins. Here, it was a lot weaker. But wasn¡¯t bad. I thought that that close to civilization, it would be enough for the growth of the natural mana to be stunted, but no. It was pretty obvious that this wasn¡¯t bothering the trees at all. Interesting. But, if I was to do what I intended to, I was going to leave a rather hefty mark on the terrain. So it would be for the best that I¡¯d move. At least a bit more. Which meant I probably should use that weird infusion of his. The only problem was that I had, once more, no idea how to disable it. I had a brief idea on how it worked and how exactly I managed to start up this reaction, but that was it. If it was to go out of control once more I would¡¯ve been stuck again. I mean, it wasn¡¯t really a problem immediately, but if I had to cast some other magic¡­ then what? Nah. It would be for the best to travel without that. I probably also could use portals¡­ but the only location that I was sure I¡¯d be able to go back would be inside the barrier¡­ or where the barrier used to be. I was not going back there. No thanks. So just a casual stroll then? Seemed like it. Without much more deliberation, I started moving. I forced myself to multitask. While walking, I could slowly drain my surroundings and gather mana for the next step. If we were chased, though, it would give whoever was our pursuit a nice and easy set of tracks to follow. I sort of didn¡¯t want to do that, so I guess I probably should minimize my efforts¡­ at least when I was on the move. I just had to limit myself to draining pieces that would be easily recovered. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Some from the air. A random branch here or there. Maybe a bit from a tree or two. I had to make sure not to destroy anything completely, though. And, of course, to not let the mana wake a certain person. Although I didn¡¯t feel like it was happening any time soon. I think he overdid it. By quite a lot. I didn¡¯t think that this whole escape without chase had drained him that much. I mean, it didn¡¯t seem like his mana was THAT bad. Sure, strained a bit, but that¡¯s it. Or¡­ it wasn¡¯t it¡­ Oh. Right. That was it. It wasn''t a lack of mana he had. It was pure stress. I mean, magic always resonates with emotions. I know that very well. Were his really that out of whack? I mean, sure, this was a bit stressful. A fight. A fire, running away. Trying to hide his own tracks. A, supposedly, sudden change of mind of an employer¡­ although that one I could see coming from a mile away¡­ For a normal person that would definitely be a source of stress. Keyword: normal. He was not normal. Not in the slightest. Nor was I, to be honest. He was a king. Well, used to be. A pretty ruthless one, from what I¡¯ve heard. And what I saw as well. Wasn¡¯t he murdering people left and right before? Without even a single trace of remorse, might I add. So what if he¡¯s now added a bit to his consciousness? An action like this should¡¯ve been like nothing to him. Should. That is, if that was really him. I had it in the back of my mind. Who was I really dealing with? Sure. He was acting like himself. Well, mostly. But that didn¡¯t change the fact that there was the assimilation at play. So far, I was only considering my own mind in that¡­ But what about others? Sure, there was ILMA, the obvious culprit. And the recent guy as well, he was fresh so I guess his mind was¡­ ¡°on top of the pile¡±, so to speak. And that¡¯s not even mentioning the whole other pile of people he drained and absorbed. What did that do to his mind? I used to think basing everything on my own experience. I didn¡¯t have much trouble resisting, if I even had to. Despite the warnings from everyone, I seemed to have absolutely no problems. Honestly, I had some worries that it might have been just me not caring, or the process being so seamless that I wasn¡¯t noticing anything¡­ But after seeing this¡­ I had some other theories in mind. Everything came down to who I was dealing with. In my case, with ILMA, it was clear that she never intended to harm me. Or, any lasting harm that is. Sure, she had her own agendas, but that was even better! It meant that our minds were separate, with no assimilation happening. Of course, I want to say that was just my adamant mind not letting anyone tamper with me, but let¡¯s be frank, that¡¯s not what was going on. She was, straight up, not trying to take me over. Okay, maybe there were some signs of our memories being jumbled, but that was it. And both of us realized that pretty quick and wanted to have things separate. And I was planning on this exact scenario to happen here. Of course, I was not going to just rely on my own mind. After all, seeing as his was already showing signs of weakening, it doesn¡¯t matter that I wanted to keep to myself. His weakness was the main risk. If his own barriers would¡¯ve fallen, I¡¯d essentially have a pile of melted memory right next door, meaning that any contact between us would push the process forward. Something I wanted to avoid. Let¡¯s be clear on something. I knew him. He was my friend¡­ well, more like ¡°used to¡±. But, no matter that, I still didn¡¯t want to share my own head with him. It was¡­ Annoying. And what could I do? The one thing I knew. Separate us. Seal him in something else. I already did this once before. But, I wasn¡¯t going to be that brutal with him. After all, he still was someone that I didn¡¯t want to hurt. Mostly. While having him sealed in a piece of crystal would¡¯ve been a solution, that would not be a¡­ preferable one. At least not for him. I definitely didn¡¯t have any issues being locked in a piece of stone. After all, I could grow out of one and again reform my body. Not so sure about him. Okay, he had knowledge about that. But with his state of mind¡­ It would only help in damaging his mind. And that was something I wanted to avoid. I still wanted him sane. But first things first. I still needed to prepare for this. I still was lacking material, and especially the main problem: my body sas still not ready. Technically it was still his, but not for long. I had to find some kind of clearing. If I wanted to regenerate and generate mana quicker, I had to find some nice sunny place. Thanks to earlier observations, I did notice that besides the sun giving me essentially free energy, it also was helping me heal faster. I thought that was going to be just an easy boon, find a clearing and be done with it, but it was harder than expected. The forest was as thick as those I¡¯ve seen inside the barrier. Hell, it was even thicker. At least the canopy part of it. It was a bit bizarre. I wouldn¡¯t expect for nature to be that developed near an area that was fully urban. And pretty dirty on top of that, thanks to the slum being slum. Same with ruins nearby. I thought that they would hinder the growth, not fuel it. And that¡¯s what it seemed like. I guess nature was just running its course and developed itself. It¡¯s not like that was just a human thing to do: adaptation to any environment. I guess growing in a pretty shitty area made it stronger. So strong that there were absolutely no holes in the canopy. And it seemed like it was going to be like that for a while yet. I probably could just move along and just be slower in my preparations, but I had some other ideas. Why not go on top of it? It should be possible with my current form. After all, I wasn¡¯t fully crystal. If I was to be careful about how I move, I could avoid touching the trees with my bare crystal. That, and I was a lot more proficient in using it after all that time. Sure, I wasn¡¯t able to completely stop my drain, but if I was to focus, I would be able to get on top without much of an issue. And so, that¡¯s what I tried. I found myself a tree that looked the easiest to climb and started watching carefully for a way up. I probably could just jump up through the canopy if I wanted to¡­ I would probably get absolutely maimed during the jump, though. The thickness of the canopy with the durability of the trees¡­ yeah, let¡¯s not do that. I can just climb. While meditating about that, I started tearing the clothes that I still had on me. I wanted, just to be safe, to make some handwraps and legwraps: just enough to have some kind of safety margin if I was to lose control and let loose my ability too much. It would be problematic if suddenly a tree collapsed while I was focusing on my ritual. -Well, let¡¯s go¡­ - I muttered to myself, and tightening the wraps on my hands I grabbed the lowest hanging branch and pulled myself up. 254. Influences It was surprisingly easy. I am not sure if I was just used to my old body still, being heavier and all that, but his was surprisingly agile. I was able to pull myself up without much of an issue and get myself up to where the thicker pieces of the canopy were starting. That¡¯s where the hard part was. I think I was correct about my estimations of his strength. Before, I would be easily able to push myself up through this thicket, but not with those hands. Sure, I was agile, but without boosting myself with mana, I had trouble even pushing away branches that were in the way. Sure, I could always drain them, but I wanted to keep that to the minimum. Saying that, I slowly started draining away the pieces that were barricading my way. And those were pretty sturdy. Sturdier than expected. My earlier observation about nature here being a lot tougher than I thought it would be was on point. Even though I was deliberately trying to touch the branches with pieces of my body that were completely converted to crystal, I still had to focus on actually draining them. I guess that was good and bad. Good, because I didn¡¯t have to worry about the canopy suddenly giving out under me. Bad, because it was taking time. Sure, I wasn¡¯t really in any rush¡­ besides the sun going down, there wasn¡¯t much I was worried about. Okay, there was still a chance that we were chased by people from the city, but I doubt that. Besides, they would have a hard time finding me up here. People rarely look up, after all. But, besides that, there was also another thing I was worried about. The strength of my absorption. Sure, that was not really an issue per se, but more that what it meant for me. Was this drain so slow only because of the resistance of those trees? Or maybe¡­ there was something more going on too? Like¡­ his crystal being weaker than mine. But why would that even be the case? Weren¡¯t we made out of the same thing? Origin Crystal is Origin Crystal, right? Well hopefully. But, the truth is, I wasn¡¯t sure. He already told me about his weird composition, and that was still bothering me. Mostly because now I wasn¡¯t feeling it at all. Sure, I knew we had some pieces of crystal inside us, that was hard to miss. But not to the degree he mentioned. And the supposed pain? Also not really existent. Hopefully that won''t be a problem in the future. But, we¡¯ll get there when we get there. During all that thinking, I was constantly climbing up. Honestly, it really was annoying. I expected to break through the canopy a long time ago, yet even after all that thinking, I was still not done. How thick and tall was that canopy even? I¡¯ve seen dense forests in my time, but this was something else. It was hard to believe that it was natural. It was almost like someone did this on purpose, to slow me down. I mean, how many branches can a tree have?! And how fucking resistant can they be? The answer was ¡°too much¡± for both. Even with using the crystal, I had problems. But hey, at least I managed to gather a lot of magic on the way. I started doubting myself after a while. Why did I even want to climb up there? Wait¡­ Why was I doing that? I was about to stop and rethink what just got into me, but instead, with one last grasp, I finally emerged on top of the canopy. And decided to postpone my worries about my sanity because of the view. If I didn¡¯t know any better, I would say I was back somewhere near Arbo. The trees were everywhere. The green sea was stretching in every direction as far as I could see, without even small breaks. Like one large carpet. How was that even possible? Didn¡¯t we just not so long ago leave a rather large city? How the hell wasn¡¯t I able to see it at all?! I mean, he did run fast for a while there. But to cover that much ground? Even after I told him to slow down? I couldn¡¯t believe it at all. But, that was what happened. There was no explanation, barring some teleports¡­ That didn¡¯t happen, though. I would know. A gateway like that was hard to miss. And mana, of course. No. We really made that much ground. I guess we didn¡¯t have to worry about the pursuit after all. -Eh¡­ I sighed. But I had to worry about my own sanity. Yeah¡­ What was with that? I had just jumped towards the canopy like a fucking monkey, just to get some fresh air and sun? For nothing? What was wrong with me?! Sure. Sun, regeneration. That would help in the next process, but that was definitely not something I would consider necessary. If it was available, sure, I would¡¯ve taken it, but not like that! I could tell that climbing like that was pointless! The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Yet, I was right now sitting on top of the canopy and basking in the sun that was still well and high up. Something was wrong with me, for sure. Well, at least it wasn¡¯t harmful to me. At least in this case. A little bit annoying, sure, but besides that, this place was nice. I could go for a break right now¡­ NO. Stop thinking like that. This is the Crystal¡¯s fault. Or rather not Crystal¡¯s directly, but the owner of the one I was in right now. Was it? I mean, I get it, if that was just some other urge. Like a human urge. But to climb a tree? What, am I a monkey? That ridiculous thought made me freeze. Was I? It has never occurred to me before that someone was stupid enough to try and absorb animals¡­ What would that exactly do to a person? Most people would just brush it away and not even think about it. Animals don¡¯t have souls, they can¡¯t have those. So what¡¯s the harm about that¡­? Wrong. So wrong. And I don¡¯t mean just about the humanitarian aspect of this. Yeah, sure that was a part of it, but let¡¯s not get into that. The main issue at hand: souls¡­ And what are souls, anyway? To me, at least, that is just your mana. Whatever has it. And let¡¯s not start with the ¡°people without mana aren¡¯t people¡±. First off, there¡¯s no people like that. Everyone has one. Hell, everyone and everything. I know trees that had better, stronger presence than some people. Doesn¡¯t matter if one can use it or not, it¡¯s just the basics of existence¡­ I think. I mean, I am not some master on that topic¡­ Although I do have the most experience, really¡­ There was still the problem with some void spots that had been created sometimes thanks to me, sometimes thanks to something else. But recently those were scarce. And that¡¯s a good thing. So what did that mean? Did I just accidentally channel some random monkey¡¯s feelings or something stupid like that? I wanted to say impossible. At least not consciously¡­ That didn¡¯t mean that it wasn¡¯t the case. Whenever I wanted or not, Mike had a lot of time to fuck around with the body and his own mana, so what else he had in stock there was a question that I had no answer to. For now, I had to be more careful. What if me pouring more mana into this body would awaken something that was more dangerous than just craving to climb a tree or eat a banana. Good thing that we were alone here. At least I can monkey around in peace. Speaking of. I still had something to do. And while being on top of a tree didn¡¯t really help things, I was going to proceed with my idea. The sudden realization only made my mind clearer about that: I definitely had to separate myself from him. But first things first. I had to make something to put him in. Or myself. Either would work. I focused on the mana I gathered so far. There was quite a bit of it. It wasn¡¯t the amount I remember Kon and company used while remaking a certain body, which was a bit worrisome¡­ Well, while he was good at that, I still thought he was wasting a lot of magic back then. And on top of that, he had some¡­ ¡°distractions¡±, so to speak. I bet if he was to do it without any external interference disrupting his work, he would¡¯ve used less than half. If I was half as good as him, and I wanted to tell myself that I was, I probably should have enough and some to spare. On top of that, thanks to my monkey side, I also was now basking in the sun, so that would help regenerating whatever I was going to conjure. And I wasn¡¯t going to make a full body anyway. Just a piece was enough Eh, whatever. It¡¯s not like I had any better idea. I took a deep breath and focused. First off: to make a crystal. Or rather to procure one. This one was going to be infinitely easier than what I had to do before. No complicated spells to try and break a piece of my crystal. But, that doesn¡¯t mean it would be light to do¡­ I clasped my hands together, and before I changed my mind, I cast a spell. -Visu lmophu! Next was a lot of pain. -FUCK! AHH! A trickle of blood started pouring down my hand. In my palm, I was holding two severed fingers With the spell, I conjured a blade made out of stone that swiftly appeared in my hand and lobbed off a pair of fingers and nearly disposing of the rest of them as well. Since pieces of our body were crystal, I was able to cut off a piece of it without actually having to cut through crystal. Just had to go through regular flesh. Not a pleasant feeling, but it was far easier than trying to chip a fully crystalized body. I could deal with pain. I mean, I said that, but it was definitely hard. Hell, I think having no senses for that long span of time had made me forget how painful regular bloody cut can be, not to mention a wound like that. Even the spells that I¡¯ve been pelted with before while using this body weren¡¯t that bad, which was strange. I guess I wasn¡¯t used to the body yet, so the senses were a bit dulled¡­ which wasn¡¯t the case now, somehow. Weird. Clenching my fists, I focused and tried patching myself. I used more mana than I wanted, but the wound had closed up, growing crystal in place of the missing fingers, stopping the bleeding. I took a breath and looked at what I was holding in my other, still healthy hand. A pair of fingers. Half-crystal finger, to be exact. But, I needed only the crystal¡­ Eh. More gruesome job¡­ Realizing that I still had my blade not dispelled, I used it to remove excess¡­ material. Yes. Material off the crystal, leaving me with just two small pieces of Origin Crystal, the size of a fingernail each. It should work. At least as a start. But who should I put in there¡­? Right, it was pretty small, sure. But the size of a crystal doesn¡¯t really tell how powerful it can be, nor how much you can stuff inside. But the human mind was definitely large¡­ Was there enough room for someone here¡­? I was not going to experiment on my own self, no matter how tempting it would be. Mike was also out of the question. His mind was larger than most likely, having that many people with him. Plus animals, apparently¡­ How about the countless souls he absorbed? I mean, he had plenty, and not like they had any room to complain¡­ That made me remember the rest of my party. Would it be possible that I could separate one of them from him? He did say that they were already gone, but¡­ I had to check myself. But¡­ But he was right. However much of a weird and tangled soul Mike was, he knew what he was talking about. There was absolutely nothing that reminded any of the people I knew inside his own soul. That is besides the abundant amounts of mana that screamed ¡°ILMA¡± that has been mixed with his own, inseparable and dazzling¡­ But there was also something else¡­ Something that was¡­ familiar? Something I¡¯ve seen before¡­ For a moment, I couldn¡¯t place it at all. What kind of creature was still not connected to him? Did I find someone who was resisting? Yes. Yes I did. But not for the reasons I thought. It was not some almighty being that had endured all this time, trapped inside the soul of Mike, waiting for any occasion to spring back and take revenge on him. Mostly¡­ It was just a janitor. The same janitor that was the massive pain in my ass before. Yeah, it made sense. It hasn¡¯t been that long since that whole scuffle, and after he absorbed him, he definitely had some more plans for his mind than to turn him into fuel instantly. And not like he had time for that either. The moment we escaped and managed to take a breather, he fainted and I took over. It was strange. I thought he was a bit more powerful than that. I mean, if that was me, I would¡¯ve tried to¡­ well, do what I just did. To take control the moment the host was out. And yet, he was still there, just floating at the edge of his mana¡­ his consciousness. A perfect testing dummy. 255. Resurfaced Smiling to myself, I made my decision, and once more focused on the crystals in my hand. I placed one on a branch nearby, just to pick it up immediately when I saw it trying to burn through the bark with a sudden streak of smoke. Right, it was still Origin Crystal. It was going to absorb whenever I wanted or not¡­ I patted myself down. Right. I still had some clothes, thanks to Mike. Did he have any pockets¡­? Oh. He had. I probably should¡¯ve checked those before, on account of finding something that would be useful¡­ All were empty, though. Oh well. At least I had a place to hide a crystal for now. Glad I didn¡¯t completely destroy those clothes. Not like I wasn¡¯t trying¡­ -Let¡¯s get this thing going¡­ The double incant¡­ One breath, and let¡¯s go¡­ -Zyza, svury gy xye oryqa nom quxe kyr ur gy xye zoda¡­ In the middle of the spell I realized¡­ Last time I¡¯ve done that I had help. And this time ILMA was not here. Why did I do that without making sure everything was in order? What the fuck is wrong with me? I vividly remembered my last attempt to do this and all the problems it had. And yet, I just started the ritual without a second thought? What was happening with me? I wanted to interrupt the spell before I wasted my components, the soul of that janitor included. But, it was too late. I had to think of something and quickly or¡­ A sudden thought came to my mind. Mine and not mine at the same time¡­ Not even a thought¡­ It was just something that awakened at the edge of my consciousness¡­ -Peqa, svury gy xye oryqa nom quxe kyr ur gy xye zoda. And whatever that was, it was casting the other part of the ritual for me. I had to contain myself, because that had a lot of implications. Was it ILMA? A piece of her with me? But the voice¡­ the thought didn¡¯t sound like them¡­ Stop thinking. I need to finish the spell. Or that help is going to be wasted. -Qy avharow op zy xyomr. -Qy avharow op zy xyomr. -Vuzury op zy quq. -Vuzury op zy quq. The last part echoed in my mind, just like the part before. What was going on? It definitely resembled the time I was helped before. But that voice¡­ It was my own voice. If thoughts can even have a voice, that is. I didn¡¯t get to think about what just happened, because a piece of stone in my hands started glowing and absorbing mana with an impressive rate. Whatever this ritual did, it definitely needed a lot of mana. Of course, it was expected, but nonetheless, I was startled. I quickly came back to my senses and started pouring magic towards it, using what I gathered first. I didn¡¯t want for this to drain me before it completes. It did slow down the speed of drain, but slightly. For a second I was worried, only to understand what was going on. It worked. Or rather was working. What I felt being drained from me was not just mana. It was THE mana I wanted to expel: the soul of our fortunate test subject. Of course his magic felt similar to what I had gathered on hand, thanks for it being already part of Mike for a while, but the more it was drained, the more I could tell the difference, to the point where it was painfully clear that something was actually leaving my body. Exciting. It was going great! The crystal was shining. And¡­ growing¡­? Ah. So that¡¯s where my actual mana was going. Of course, not only that. The fact that we were still in the sun was helping: besides me giving away energy, it was definitely getting some from the environment. And that included trees. I was a bit worried that something might collapse under us, but it seemed like everything was still sturdy enough. And there was quite a bit to be worried about. The crystal was growing to the size I didn¡¯t think was even possible in such a short span of time. I started with a small, but right now I was holding a stone the size of my fist. And it was growing fast. At least I knew where my mana was going. I mean not the one that belonged to a certain someone, that is. It continued for a good minute, and I finally started feeling that I no longer was losing anything but energy, so I decided to finish up this experiment. I cut off my energy completely and the stone responded, finally settling up on its size. It was about the size of a pumpkin. I know, a strange comparison, but that¡¯s what it reminded me of instantly. Even the shape and color was similar. Hah. I wonder, did it have something to do with the owner? Maybe the janitor was into halloween celebrations, I don¡¯t know. But, more importantly, did it work? I definitely wasn¡¯t feeling any new presences nearby, be it inside the stone or inside my own head. But that¡¯s given. They were in very deep slumber after all. Even when I felt that presence before, it was hardly anything. And if I was to fail, no wonder it would disappear. Well, it would be the same with the success¡­ Time to try and wake¡­ whoever that was up. -Zuny. It probably would be easier with their name, not just simple ¡°awaken¡±, doesn¡¯t matter how much mana I¡¯d put into the word. I mean, I didn¡¯t know the name. Nor was I putting much effort in the ¡°spell¡±. And yet, something did stir. Ha. So I managed to do something. I mean, of course it worked. But how well? How was the target? Fully transferred? Coherent at least? Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Well, I wasn¡¯t going to learn if I wasn¡¯t going to ask. But for me to ask, he¡¯d have to awaken at least to the point of me recognizing the soul. So, I started feeding the crystal mana. A bit at first, just to check how it is going to respond. The answer: positively. The moment I started focusing on actually fueling it, it suddenly came to life, as it just reminded itself of how it should work. Hey, better now than never, right? But, the problem was, it was greedy. Of course it was. It was barely formed. If that was really a person I managed to move there, it would definitely want to create something similar to a body as soon as possible. And for that you need a lot of energy. -Well, at least that aspect is working¡­ - I muttered to myself, and cut off the mana supply. - I know you¡¯re hungry, but I also need my own magic, thank you very much. I didn¡¯t really think it would understand. Honestly, if I was to try and communicate with it, I¡¯d use more direct means of communication. Like thoughts. Or sending emotions. But, to my absolute surprise, it reacted. It stopped immediately, and I swear I felt an emotion coming from inside. Fear¡­? Ha. That was something. Whatever I transferred, this thing was sentient. Did it really work that well? -So you hear me. No confirmation, nor denial. Not like it could answer, really¡­ but if I was more direct, I wonder. I sent my thoughts towards the stone. -I know you hear me. But can you answer? Oh, it definitely did hear. The fear definitely intensified and on top of that I can tell it also got surprised. Hell, ¡°it¡±, it was definitely him alright. Who else would it be? -Come on. Try something. I know you¡¯re resourceful. Yeah, I know, the situation is a bit¡­ well, overwhelming. But try me. At first, I thought that I would get no response. That I was mistaken, or I failed. I mean, the process was a bit rudimentary, but his mind should at least be intact¡­ there shouldn¡¯t be any issue with him talking if everything went right¡­? But then¡­ -What is this¡­? An answer! And a clear one to boot! I guess he needed the time to acclimate. I can get that. -Ha! So it worked! - I said out loud. -What¡­? What¡­ is going on? I immediately switched back to thought communication. -How do you feel? Do you remember who you are? How did it go? -I¡­ I don¡¯t understand¡­ I felt from him an overwhelming confusion. No wonder. This process was far from something that one could expect and deal with instantly¡­ Now, when I think about it¡­ Kon did get over it pretty quick. But I guess that was also thanks to the crystal? I mean¡­ wasn¡¯t this guy also using it? I mean, he was wasting the crystals left and right when we fought, but¡­ was he ever a part of one? Maybe not. -Right. Of course. One at a time. Do you know who you are? -I¡­ I think so. I am¡­ my name is Steven¡­ I¡­ That¡¯s the most generic name I¡¯ve heard in a while. Fitting for a ¡°janitor¡±. Forgettable and all. I guess that worked out¡­ -Okay, that¡¯s a start. How¡¯s your mind? You feel okay? -I¡­ I don¡¯t know. My head is blank¡­ It¡¯s dark¡­ Where am I? Oh. Right. He wasn¡¯t used to being able to see without his eyes. It took me a good moment to adapt, and I knew what was going on. Without that¡­ -Right. I am not sure where exactly we are, but that doesn¡¯t matter, really. What¡¯s the last thing you remember? He went silent. I could feel him thinking, or rather trying to think about something. Was he trying to think up some kind of a story? Did he know who I was? -I don¡¯t remember¡­ anything. -Only your name? No surname? No place? Nothing? -Yeah¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ everything is blank¡­ and dark. Can we go somewhere that is a bit brighter¡­? I can¡¯t¡­ Oh. Poor guy. -Well¡­ that¡¯s going to be a bit of a shock, but¡­ we kind of are in the middle of a bright forest. Or rather on top of it. -What¡­?! Am¡­ am I blind? And¡­ I can¡¯t move! What¡¯s¡­ I could feel his panic forming. -Now calm down. I know that¡¯s going to sound weird, but¡­ you have died. His reaction was just stunned silence. -And I mean your body has been destroyed, only your mind stayed along. Apparently not whole, since you don¡¯t remember anything - I immediately added. -I am¡­ dead? And you¡­ who are you? Death? I couldn¡¯t help but laugh. -Ha, no. But my name is Mor. Nice to meet you. Again. -Again¡­? We know each other? I was hoping to get some kind of response after telling him my name. Maybe make him remember something. It worked for me. Not here, I guess. -We met. Under a bit of unfortunate circumstances. So my name doesn¡¯t jog your memory at all? -...no. I am sorry. -Don¡¯t be. I am going to toss a few more, just to check. -Okay¡­? -How about Axelrod? Mike Pino? Griza? Maybe ILMA or Iloa? MIRE? He was silent for all of that¡­ That is up till the last word. -Mire¡­ I¡­ I feel that¡¯s familiar. -Interesting¡­ Well, I guess that tracks. -What¡¯s that? I mean I know it¡¯s a swamp, but¡­ -Ah no. It¡¯s a place you worked at. A corporation now, I guess, if I was to judge. I am not sure any more, I¡¯m not in touch, really¡­ -Not in touch¡­? You worked with me? -Not really¡­ You really don¡¯t remember me? -No¡­ sorry. That was convenient. Not only he forgot, he also was going to be a perfect test subject for my transfusion. Talk about lucky break. -No, don¡¯t worry about it. First of all, though, we need to get you up and working. -Working¡­? What does that¡­ -I¡¯ll explain in a moment. Your mana¡­ -Mana¡­? I hesitated for a second. Did he forget EVERYTHING? Even how to use magic? If he¡¯s asking what mana is, that is going to be problematic. -Err¡­ magical energy? You don¡¯t remember? -Magic¡­ like¡­ magic is real¡­? I couldn¡¯t help myself but sigh out loud. That is going to be annoying. What am I supposed to do, now teach him the basics of magic? -Well, yes. How do you explain the fact that you are now essentially just a spirit locked inside a small crystal that is right in front of me. -I am a what¡­?! Ah. Right. I forgot to mention that. -My bad, it kind of slipped my mind. Well, yes, you are. That¡¯s why I said you¡¯re ¡°dead¡±. It¡¯s just mostly. And that¡¯s why we are talking. I wanted to check if you are able to rebuild your body¡­ or at least something that is a bit more reminiscent of one instead of just a random boulder. It wasn¡¯t exactly the truth, of course. I wanted to do that for myself first and foremost. Or rather to check if that is possible after transfer like that. -You can do something like that?! -I mean, I can. For myself. I am asking if you can. -I¡­ I don¡¯t think so¡­ - he said quietly. - I mean¡­ I am not even sure if I can use this¡­ mana¡­ and to make something like that¡­ sounds complicated¡­ -That depends¡­ I hesitated again. Should I try and teach him? Or at least guide him? I mean, there was absolutely no point in that for me besides to make sure if he was going to be able to remake himself. I mean, even without a body, he¡¯d be able to attack me, if he knew how to use magic¡­ Hell, even if he doesn¡¯t know he might do that accidentally¡­ -So just to make sure. You have no idea how to use magic, right? -I don¡¯t know¡­ how do I even check that? I was definitely not going to teach him any spells. What¡¯s the laziest response that is not a lie¡­ -Well, just imagine something - I simply said. - I told you where we are, right? Let¡¯s say¡­ imagine a water bubble floating above your rock¡­ I mean, above you. -Imagine¡­? It¡¯s that easy¡­? It¡¯s not. But¡­ Suddenly, something started moving right next to me. I was so preoccupied with the discussion with my rock that I wasn¡¯t monitoring mana nearby, and what appeared was too fast for me to even see. -What the f¡­ It was zipping around like an angry bee. Honestly, you could¡¯ve convinced me that it was indeed one, that is if not for the amount of mana that thing was having. What kind of creature¡­ It turned once more and¡­ SLAP. It slammed itself right in my face¡­ And bursted into water particles. Huh? It was just a small water bubble? A rather condensed water bubble at that: the amount of water that spurted out when it hit me was on par with a large water balloon. What in the fuck¡­ Did he just¡­? 256. Extraordinary -Did¡­ you¡­ -I tried doing the thing you said¡­ I don¡¯t think it¡¯s working though¡­ - he said before I even was able to fully process what just happened or formulate a coherent question. - I¡¯ll try thinking harder¡­ As he said that I noticed something forming again, but this time I stopped him. -No! Don¡¯t! You¡¯re good! -Huh¡­? I was definitely confusing him with my sudden protest, but I didn¡¯t care. He was something else¡­ I didn¡¯t get it at first, but the explanation came to me with time. I say it came to me, but I am sure that was just certain¡­ effects from when I was connected with ILMA. Sure, right. Magic is based on imagination. More than any language the thing that matters the most is what you have drawn out in your mind. Most of the time, that is. How though? It¡¯s often that people¡¯s spells go awry just because they misspeak or something similar, right? If imagination was a key why would that matter? Well the answer is right in the human mind. Let¡¯s say you imagined one thing and spoke the words that you wanted to project that image to reality, but you fumbled a letter or two. What does your mind say? Is it ¡°oh, it¡¯s fine, doesn¡¯t matter anyway¡±? Or is it ¡°shit, that¡¯s wrong, I was supposed to say something else¡±? Most of the time the answer is the latter. It¡¯s coded in our subconsciousness, sadly. That we expect something to go wrong when we mistake formulas. That¡¯s why people that are confident are often the best at magic. Or at least at mitigating mistakes. Here comes the fun part though: he had none of it. He was a blank slate: no knowledge about rules of magic. No knowledge at all. So when I told him just to imagine, he thought that¡¯s how it was supposed to work, there were no stray thoughts in his head about something going wrong, only about trying to summon the image from his head into reality. The basics of magic, really. Honestly, I never expected for it to be that easy. Just imagine, and then, pop, you have anything? That¡¯s some scary power. That also explained why kids were often good at magic. It was just their imagination that was helping funnel stuff into reality. I mean, that also meant that whole magical education was pointless¡­ Or¡­ Hah. No. I get it. It was pointless from the perspective of a good-natured person. And a very naive one. If the limit was imagination¡­ How would you control people? The rules don¡¯t matter, everything is made up¡­ The answer is: you make your own rules. And force them onto others. You ¡°educate¡± people. Tell them how the world supposedly works. And while limiting them, you make your own rules that only benefit you. It made me realize how much I was responsible for that. ¡°Research and Education¡±... yeah right. Damn MIRE¡­ But first, our¡­ janitor. Steven or whatever. -You did it! - I said, breaking the news to him. -I did¡­? -Yeah! Bit chaotic, but definitely got me straight in the face. -Oh! Sorry! I can¡¯t see¡­ I didn¡¯t know¡­ -Of course you didn¡¯t. Don¡¯t worry. Now¡­ what do I tell him exactly? This was problematic. The best scenario for me was for him to be oblivious to everything. Damn¡­ was it even the best scenario? I mean, sure, it would be handy, but also a problem for my future plans. I wouldn¡¯t know if my spell was flawed, or it was just a problem of execution on my part. Not enough mana, not enough crystal, something. If he remembered though, the issue would be a lot more immediate. As in having someone right next to me possibly attacking me right away. And probably at the worst moment imaginable on top. The fuck should I do with him? If only there was some kind of magic that would prevent him from being a pain in my ass¡­ Wait. There was. The contracts¡­ But those were even worse¡­ Unreliable and prone to walkarounds. Should I try anyway? I¡¯d have to get his blood¡­ or something off his body¡­ How would that even work? A piece of crystal? Was that possible¡­? And, since the base of the crystal was my own flesh, wouldn¡¯t it just be me trying to contract myself? No. That was not going to work. I had to use a bit more regular methods¡­ As in trying to talk this out. Yeah, I know, that¡¯s even less reliable. But I can¡¯t just destroy him, right¡­? I could leave him there¡­ Even if he started experimenting with magic, I doubt he¡¯d be able to find me quickly enough¡­ And even then, what? He had no idea who I was or what I looked like. I doubt he¡¯d be able to tell how my mana looked¡­ That is unless he remembered who he was. Everything was coming down to the last part. Damn me. Had to experiment, right? Couldn¡¯t just stuff Mike in there and be done with it? I mean, even then, I¡¯d be in the exact same position. -So¡­ I guess you are fine. Please don¡¯t attack me any more if you would¡­ -Oh! Of course! I am so sorry! He sounded genuinely distraught. Of course he did. He was distraught. Right now, he wasn¡¯t more than just a very powerful child that had no idea about anything. Prone to manipulation, and prone to grudges. How the fuck do I deal with this¡­ After a painful moment of silence¡­ I finally came to a conclusion. If I was to deal with this, the sooner the better. And especially when he was still a bit¡­ fresh. And definitely before I dealt with Mike. -Eh¡­ Listen¡­ - I finally said. - What I am going to tell you is something that I probably shouldn¡¯t¡­ but I think it¡¯s better to be transparent at this moment. -Okay¡­? -I told you that I moved you inside a crystal, right? -Yes¡­ -Good. But I didn¡¯t tell you where you were before. -Before¡­? I¡­ I mean, wasn¡¯t I alive? I mean¡­ that I was just¡­ in a body¡­? -You were. But I mean what happened between your body¡¯s death and now. -Body¡­ What do you mean¡­? Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. -Let¡¯s just start with the easiest one. You¡¯re crystal. And I am too, at least partially now. -Partially? -Yes. I am right now inside a body that is partially crystalized¡­ and I am not the original owner of it either. -You¡­ stole a body!? -Well¡­ it¡¯s complicated, but yes, essentially - I agreed. - And before you start being outraged - I said, feeling his emotions starting to fluctuate - this is the body of a person who killed you. -Ah?! That was a lot for him to take in. But I wasn¡¯t done. -While it appears like I am helping you, it¡¯s not really it. It¡¯s just an experiment. I wanted to make sure I am able to make a body for myself. See, having to share something like this is¡­ inconvenient. Especially with someone you don¡¯t exactly agree with. -... He was silent. No wonder. But, at least he wasn¡¯t hostile yet. Right, sure, his emotions were all over the place, but they weren¡¯t outright hostile. Good sign, I guess. -Why are you telling me that? A fair question. The same one I was still asking myself right about now. -I am not sure¡­ I guess I wanted to¡­ be mostly transparent? -... -Does that still not jog your memory? -...no. I don¡¯t think so¡­ - he replied after a moment. -But you do feel different. -Feel¡­? I mean, of course I do¡­ It¡¯s not something that I can take lightly, can I? A bit of a revelation¡­ -I guess. But if that doesn¡¯t help you, I still have one tidbit piece of information¡­ -I am listening. -I said you were working at MIRE, right? -Yes¡­ -And apparently, the same organization was the reason for your death¡­ -Reason? Wasn¡¯t that supposed to be you¡­ I mean him¡­? -Well. I am pretty sure that you were tasked with eliminating us. -What?! -Yeah¡­ on purpose or accidentally¡­ But again, that was also his fault¡­ our fault in a certain way¡­ we did barge in uninvited. -Explain. How much should I tell him¡­? -Well¡­ we sort of have a history with MIRE¡­ -You worked there. Him too? -Yeah¡­ long story short, we split on not the best terms. Mike, the owner of this body, tried mending that relationship. I think. But that only bit him in the ass. As in you. -Me¡­? -You and your colleagues. I am pretty sure you lot were sent to deal with us. Permanently. After we suddenly appeared in their facility. -Why¡­ Why were you there even? -Don¡¯t ask me. It was Mike¡¯s idea - I shrugged. - I was only a passenger on that trainwreck. -... -What? -And you couldn¡¯t control him? Like you are doing now? -No. -Just no? -Just no. -So. What now? - I asked. -You¡¯re asking me? Wasn''t this supposed to be an experiment to get your body back? Shouldn¡¯t you be doing that? -Well, yes. But I am kind of hesitant to try and cast something requiring concentration when I have a very¡­ unsure soul next to me. -Unsure¡­? -Yeah. And clearly torn. -... -Let¡¯s be clear. I know that you are trying to understand what¡¯s going on. And I get that. But it¡¯s strange that you¡¯re¡­ this calm. -I can assure you, I am far from calm. -Yeah, right. You aren¡¯t trying to kill me. -Well, obviously¡­? -And that¡¯s already a rather large change. -... This¡­ was something else. But, for some reason, it wasn¡¯t unexpected for me. Hell, I kind of knew that this is how it¡¯s going to end up. -I guess I am a lot calmer than you thought. I thought this through and¡­ there¡¯s no point. -No point? -No point in being angry. Or trying something. You said it yourself, I am an experiment. It¡¯s only thanks to your whim that I am here. Why would I bite the hand that literally saved my life. And had a hand in ending that life in the first place, but I was not going to say that out loud. But, this statement only confirmed my assumptions. Mike was already in his mind¡­ or rather the crystal was. It was just like with me. I felt conflicted. And my emotions were mostly muted. I felt mixed up, acting like I was not myself. That was exactly what was going on right now. And again, this was started by some weird experiment on souls. -Hm. Well. Whatever you think. So you really don¡¯t know much more¡­? -No. I don¡¯t think he was lying. -Okay then. I¡¯ll believe you - I finally said. - And I know that¡¯s dumb, but if you ever change your mind, do notify me. -Pfh. Right¡­ You better tell me¡­ what I am supposed to do now? -Huh? You¡¯re asking me? -And who else is there? I¡­ I don¡¯t understand anything. I am your supposed enemy¡­ and you managed to revive me. As an experiment or not, that doesn¡¯t change the fact that I am alive. -I guess¡­ -Should I be attacking you? I mean, that would¡¯ve been obvious. But I seriously can¡¯t even consider it, knowing what you did now and not knowing why I did what I did¡­ or you for that matter¡­ -I mean¡­ I also am unsure why you did what you did¡­ but there is a scenario where I can understand them. -That is¡­? -That is that you were just used by MIRE. I don¡¯t know why or how, but that place is definitely not my friend. At least not now. Probably they never were, but¡­ I was hoping that we would¡¯ve come to an understanding somehow¡­ I paused. -And I guess Mike thought the same. -Yeah¡­ What''s the deal with that, anyway? Who is that? And how exactly are you connected? -Long story short, he¡¯s my friend. Or used to be. Right now I am unsure in what state he is right now, but¡­ -So¡­ should you even try and resurrect him¡­? -Resurrect? Oh, he¡¯s alive and well. Just dormant for now. That¡¯s why I need to split and get my freedom as soon as possible. -Okay¡­ And my existence is a bit inconvenient then¡­ He was right. Once more, I don¡¯t know why I did what I did. I could¡¯ve just put Mike inside that crystal and be done with it. Sure, it would¡¯ve been risky for him, but so what? Eh, I was saying that now, but¡­ Whatever. -Doesn¡¯t matter. I still am going to do it. -It¡¯s not my decision to make¡­ I¡¯ll be quiet. -It¡¯s not. But¡­ But it¡¯s your decision to interfere. I was not going to say that, though. Instead, I focused on repeating the process that just gave me a new headache of a companion. Again. I wondered if he was going to keep his word¡­ Well. The sooner I start, the sooner I know where we stand. I took a breath and took out the other piece of crystal from my pocket. It was still exactly the same as before. It didn¡¯t grow, meaning it didn¡¯t absorb any mana, even stray one from the earlier process or the area nearby. Good. It was as clear as it gets then. I was kind of worried that it might absorb a piece of someone or something and be useless¡­ At least Mike won¡¯t be able to complain about his new body being tainted or something stupid like that. Now, to gather mana. The process went as smoothly as before. Sure, I had to avoid the new crystal nearby, but that was barely even a problem. My plan was to move a bit, but when I mentioned that to him, he moved by himself. The crystal just¡­ started floating away. I mean, I knew that he was somewhat understanding how to use magic, but having him just float away, seemingly fully in control of his ¡°body¡±... Wait, scratch that. He definitely wasn¡¯t completely proficient in that: after moving a few meters he just fell right down through the canopy and slammed into the ground below. -You good? -Eh¡­ yes. I think I didn¡¯t crack¡­ -Oh, no, your crystal is and will be fine. I meant the spell. -Spell? -I never thought you¡¯d be able to float and It definitely failed when you went through the trees. No backlash? Or anything? -Er¡­ no¡­? -Hm. Right. That was not my fly spell. He was using spells purely by instinct. No spell was going to harm him, at least not the one he used. Being oblivious was definitely a great gift¡­ -You can run if you want. I can¡¯t really stop you, but¡­ -But I won¡¯t. What are you talking about, I am not leaving, not until the one who killed me is awake at least. Well, that was a decision. Let¡¯s just hope he wasn¡¯t going to act before I am done¡­ Ah, who am I kidding, I brought this on myself¡­ Eh. Let¡¯s get this over with. I grabbed the piece of crystal and squeezed it in my hand. Gathering mana was no longer a problem, with him being far enough away and below¡­ -Zyza, svury gy xye oryqa nom quxe kyr ur gy xye zoda¡­ -Peqa, svury gy xye oryqa nom quxe kyr ur gy xye zoda. I didn¡¯t even think about the double incantation, yet again it was already done for me. Was that just me being more proficient in¡­ well, splitting my mind¡­? It would explain why I felt like it was just me echoing in my head¡­ Although doing something like that subconsciously was a bit worrying¡­ -Qy avharow op zy xyomr. -Qy avharow op zy xyomr. -Vuzury op zy quq. -Vuzury op zy quq. Every part of the spell echoing in my mind, I formed my magic and was funneling the magic towards the piece. At first it went smoothly. Magic was going nicely and calmly towards the rock, but about half way in, I started realizing that there was a lot of magic missing from me. Like, a LOT lot. To the point when I started feeling woozy. I probably should¡¯ve interrupted the cast, but what then? What kind of abomination would that produce? And more importantly, what exactly would that do to me? But, it was too late. Not because the spell was so hard to break, no. It was because of my head already working on a lot less¡­ Just like with lack of oxygen. You start losing your cognitive ability and you don¡¯t even realize it. That¡¯s why I just continued the ritual, hoping that I¡¯ll have enough mana to finish it without more problems. Well, I definitely had enough. But¡­ the effect was a bit different from what I imagined at first¡­ The spell did take hold and I promptly fainted, everything fading to black. Last thing I saw was my body falling down back and getting caught up on some branches and now glowing crystal falling out of my hand. The next thing I remember was complete darkness. 257. Excessive It took me a moment to understand that I was awake and very, very low on mana. Good thing that I was still crystal, so my body instantly started getting magic from the environment. What exactly happened¡­? I focused on my surroundings¡­ I could sense things around me without issue, so I guess I was still well enough. Where was Mike¡­? I quickly scanned the nearby area¡­ I was lying on the ground. Surrounded by something¡­ Trees¡­? Still in the forest, I guess¡­ But I no longer was up top. Makes sense. I did remember falling down¡­ I had to break through the canopy somehow¡­ What else was nearby¡­ There were two things that felt different. First was way above me. I guess it''s still on the canopy. That had to be Mike. I guess his crystal had fallen out of my hand when I was fainting and got caught up somewhere up. Strange that it didn¡¯t drain the branches and fall down as well, though. I thought after this process it would be a lot more hungry. Hm. About the other one¡­ It was nearby. I reflexively wanted to reach towards it, but it was right outside my reach. But, just as I did, two things happened. First off, I felt a lot weaker. It was like moving had drained a lot from me. And it was just a simple movement¡­ But, more importantly, the piece in question has immediately moved away, almost like on its own volition. Was that¡­ He was still there¡­? -You¡­? I definitely reached him, because he got startled even more. I swear, that was a bit of an overreaction¡­ -Instead of running, better tell me what happened. Did it work¡­? Why was I even asking? He had no idea. I mean, I had no sure way to confirm anything, so how could HE do that? But, his answer was even more strange. -Who are you!? Oh no. Did he get caught in range? My mind transfer should¡¯ve only affected the other crystal, though? He was made out of a similar piece, sure, but¡­ no, couldn¡¯t be. I definitely would notice that I connected to the wrong one. Besides, why would it mess with his memories? It¡¯s not like he had much of those remaining? -What do you mean ¡°who¡±? You already forgot? Or maybe it was time dilation again? Would be strange that it happened during this, though¡­ It¡¯s not like I was teleporting anywhere¡­ What am I talking about, that¡¯s not it! Besides, it would¡¯ve meant that he also was waiting here for whoever knows how long. No, it had to be something else. -Mor¡­? Is that your voice? -Duh? Were your memories jumbled again? Did I somehow catch you in the spell? - I asked. -No¡­ but why¡­ Why is your voice coming from THERE? -What do you mean ¡°there¡±? - I asked, finally trying to raise myself from the ground, but¡­ Again. This weird feeling. Like I was being drained out completely. Hell, I had to catch myself to not black out and fall back down again. But I did manage to stand up. At the same time, though, our little crystal Steve has ran away even further from me. Was he trying to hide? I mean¡­ why?! At the same time talking and trying to escape? What¡¯s the point? -What are you doing¡­? I know where you are, you know¡­ - I said, fully standing up and turning towards the direction I knew his soul was in. I was still feeling weak. I mean, I did use a lot of mana, so I guess that was normal. I just needed time to adjust¡­ And, there were a lot of trees nearby. I can just regenerate quicker if I was to¡­ I leaned on the nearest tree and tried getting some mana, just to be safe and not black out again¡­ Oh¡­ The drain¡­ was strong. Hell, I was hungry. Because one simple touch was enough for me to darken the bark and turn it into gray dust a moment later. Just like my first time¡­ I probably should control myself¡­ I quickly removed my hand and stopped. If I wasn¡¯t careful, I¡¯d get through the whole tree and maybe even make it fall on top of my head. I mean, I¡¯d probably survive, but¡­ better not. -Is that really¡­ you¡­? His strange worries were now worrying me. What was wrong with his head? -Yes, that is me. I think I succeed, but I can¡¯t see where the crystal I made is. You can fly, can you reach the canopy? -I¡­ I can¡­ -Can you check for me? I don¡¯t feel like climbing, and besides, I am pretty weak now, so¡­ -I¡­ yes. I will. That¡­ was strange. And I don¡¯t mean just his strange demeanor. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Sure, my magic was a bit out of this world, sure, if you even can call something that, but¡­ Nah, it was probably just because of his lack of memories. I bet any magic would give a reaction like that from him. I was more worried about the drain. Did I miscalculate that much? That I got drained to the point of my body not even responding properly? The fact that just moving a bit was taxing was definitely not normal. And, just as to confirm that, I felt another jolt of weakness the moment I tried moving a few steps forward. Hell, this body was not used to something like that. Which was weird. After all, it used to belong to the ¡°most powerful mage¡± or something. I mean, if we add ILMA to the mix, it¡¯s hard to tell who it belonged to, but that¡¯s besides the point. Hell, if we go with that train of thought, it should be even more resistant¡­ But again, she did try to change into a more fleshy body¡­ I don¡¯t know any more. I probably should focus on what was in front of me, not trying to dwell on the past. And maybe regenerate a bit: having more mana wouldn''t hurt¡­ -How is it going up there? - I asked, sitting down in the most inconspicuous spot and focusing on slowly regenerating my magic. - Did it work? The answer didn¡¯t come immediately, but I did get a reply in the end. -Body seems intact, but I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s breathing¡­ Breathing? Damn. I went overboard. I guess that explains why I felt so drained. I managed to create a full body for him? That was overkill and a half. But, at least I didn¡¯t have to worry about him not having enough space for his memories. Hopefully. -Crystal doesn¡¯t need to breathe. If you feel a soul, he should be more than fine. -I think¡­ there¡¯s one, yes¡­ - he replied slowly. -Good then. I guess that¡¯s a success. -Yes¡­ I can¡¯t believe it. Well, me neither. It was an experiment, after all. For it to work so flawlessly was definitely unexpected. -What¡­ What are we doing with him? That was a great question. So far, I haven¡¯t considered that. In my scenario, he would¡¯ve just been a piece of stone that I would be able to collect and move on without much of a thought. I probably should¡¯ve expected that it wasn¡¯t going to be that easy. Even though his situation was a bit unexpected, he was able to fly, so maybe¡­ -You think he¡¯s going to wake up soon? - he asked. -Hard to tell. I mean, you were pretty quick to wake up. -Yeah¡­ but I was a lot less¡­ shapely. -So? -I don¡¯t know¡­ it¡¯s strange to look at him like that¡­ this body¡­ -Yeah, about that¡­ - I remembered. - What shape is he in? I mean I didn¡¯t aim to create a full on replacement, but it¡¯s there. But how much? -What do you mean¡­? - he asked after a moment of silence, confused. -Exactly what I asked - I replied, a bit puzzled by his question. - How much of a body did I make? A torso? Just a head? I didn¡¯t get to see it. He went quiet. For a longer time than I thought necessary to answer. -Hello? -I think you don¡¯t understand¡­ It''s the whole body. Well, that explains my exhaustion. I wasted a lot¡­ -Oh. Well, he¡¯s¡­ -It¡¯s your body. You left it. -... I had to process what I just heard. What was he talking about? I left a body? What did he mean? I had my body right here, still with me¡­ For the first time in a while, I looked down. And, what I saw was quite unexpected. I was no longer in Mike¡¯s body. When I looked down, I was no longer seeing the mostly-familiar body that I was borrowing. Instead, I was now fully crystal. When¡­ How?! Did I convert the body somehow? No¡­ I just¡­ grew this one. No wonder that the guy was surprised and was asking those strange questions. I was completely different from before¡­ Was I? To be honest, that wasn¡¯t really the case. The body I had now was mostly as I remembered before: before all that swapping and changes. It was a copy of my own body. I guess that made sense¡­ I had to subconsciously meld it to the image I remembered having before¡­ It also made me realize how lucky I was. That I fainted only for so long and was still able to move despite the fact that I wasted that much magic on something like that. Last time I did a similar feat, I was barely even able to move¡­ But back then I didn¡¯t have anything to drain. This forest was lush enough for me to recover relatively quickly. But, this was just half the problem. What about Mike? If I understood the confusion correctly, I did leave behind the other body. The one that originally belonged to him. Was he there? Or rather how long till he was going to awaken inside? And what¡¯s his reaction going to be? -Oh. Well. Yeah, that¡¯s a bit unexpected. -What? -No, nothing, nothing. Just give me a moment to collect myself. I¡¯ll be with you in just a minute. -Okay¡­ I said a minute, but moved as fast as I could without getting dizzy again. I honestly was thinking that it¡¯s going to take me a while, drained on mana, but nope. Of course not. I already forgot how quick this kind of body was resistant and easy to regenerate. Why would anyone ever want to get rid of it? Anyway, I moved as fast as I could, trying to scan my surroundings for the spot where the body I left was. Quite easy. Especially with another beacon shining my way, being the janitor that is of course. -How¡¯s the situation up there? -Still the same¡­ just lying unconscious. Are you sure he¡¯s alive¡­? -You¡¯re up there. What do you think? -I mean¡­ I feel mana, but¡­ Yeah, I could tell that much too. Even from far away, I could tell that he was barely hanging around. Or at least that¡¯s how it looked from his mana presence. I¡¯ve been surprised before, but I didn¡¯t like his chances. -Allright, allright. Can you get him down here? -Er¡­ how? I don¡¯t have hands¡­? -So? It¡¯s not stopped you from slapping me with water. -I mean¡­ yes¡­ But¡­ -Just imagine. I don¡¯t know, a piece of stone that moves him down like¡­ But before I was able to finish my sentence, I suddenly heard a grinding noise and a lot of rustling above me. That and I definitely felt some curses that were mingled within his leaking thoughts. And then a body fell right on top of me. -Ouch. I didn¡¯t feel pain, but groaned reflexively. My new body was as durable as you¡¯d expect and even though I was hit by a part of his body that was already crystal, I was unharmed. But, what about him, though? He seemed¡­ fine? I mean, I couldn¡¯t really check for broken bones and such. His limbs were pointed in the right directions, though, so I guess that¡¯s something. -Sorry¡­ I lost control¡­ The culprit of my concussion has floated back down towards the ground, breaking through the canopy through the hole that was just made by the falling body. Speaking of, the hole¡­ It was still there. When I first got up there II had such a hard time even getting through. And after moving the branches instantly moved back into their spots, filling the gaps. And yet now those were completely gone? And¡­ darker on the edges. Ah. Makes sense. Even though the body had ¡°floated down¡± or rather fell thanks to Steve¡¯s power, it didn¡¯t mean that it didn¡¯t affect everything else. And drained everything on the way. It was even more visible now when it was on the ground: I could tell how the grass was getting darkened and turned to dust in just a moment he was lying there. I mean, it wasn¡¯t completely unexpected. He was crystal. And clearly weakened. A bit strange that this transfer weakened him, though. Seeing how this turned out, I thought I was the one who would be the one completely drained and sucking everything around dry. And yet, it was him. It might have been just because he was unconscious, though. He had no way to control himself. Nor really even knew that this body was back in his own control. I know, a bit of a stretch, but that was the only one explanation that I could think of at that moment. And not like I could check¡­ 258. Lacking -Doesn¡¯t matter - I finally answered, looking closely at the body and monitoring how it was regenerating magic. - He seems absolutely fine. Or rather will be in a moment, if the speed he¡¯s absorbing mana is going to keep up¡­ -He¡¯s going to wake up¡­? -Probably. What, you¡¯re that impatient? -No¡­ it¡¯s just¡­ -Come on. What is it? Spit it out. -I don¡¯t know! - he finally yelped. - I don¡¯t know what I am thinking, okay?! -What¡­? -I know what I should feel, okay?! I know that I should want to off that guy. That he is my enemy! And yet¡­ I don¡¯t feel like I want to do anything¡­ -Being indecisive is not¡­ -It¡¯s not that! That¡¯s more than indecisive! It¡¯s like¡­ I feel nothing. Like something is stopping from feeling angry about him! -Uh-uh¡­ -I know you don¡¯t care. But¡­ It¡¯s not me! I shouldn¡¯t be like that¡­ I think¡­ All of that checked out. He wasn¡¯t the first person to be influenced like that. When he first woke up, I thought it a bit weird that he was unchanged. Well, mostly. The fact that his memories were missing I thought might help him. But, alas, it was not the case. Just like everyone before him, whenever you had the crystal connected to you, you inevitably were changing. Be it missing memories, or bonus ones¡­ The indecisiveness was one certain sign of the ¡°assimilation¡±... -Hm. Yeah, right. So what do you want to do when he wakes up? -I¡­ I still have time. I will make up my mind before that. -Time¡­ well, yeah, if he was to naturally wake up. But I am not going to wait that long, you know. -You want to hurry him up? -I want to. I am not sure if I am going to be able to do much, I am pretty weakened right now¡­ -Mgh¡­ Just¡­ I think I am not going to do anything to him¡­ yet. ¡°Yet¡±. I don¡¯t think he was going to do anything at all, but I was going to let him believe that illusion. If he already had that much mess inside his head, I bet that the crystal was going to be more in control¡­ Was that good or bad for me? Who the fuck knows at this point. -Allright. Well, I am going to start helping him now. -Mhm¡­ But, despite what I said, I was not going to hurry. Hell, I wasn¡¯t certain I was going to be able to help at all. I was still weak after, well, essentially being remade again¡­ Who am I kidding¡­ That was just an excuse to delay this. I already was healthy enough to do this and even more¡­ Whatever. Let¡¯s get this over with. I focused on the body in front of me. Sure enough, just like he said he was barely even recognizable as alive. It sort of reminded me of those ¡°zombies¡± I met a long time ago, those that were still controlled by the plants¡­ He wasn¡¯t controlled, though. At least not by a piece of wood¡­ Well¡­ -Eh¡­ I sighed and clapped my hands. Slowly, to not strain myself, I started creating an orb of pre mana between my palms. I didn¡¯t want to faint randomly, and judging by the recent ¡°problems¡±, even with me being recovered, it was possible. But I worried for nothing. As the orb was getting larger, I wasn¡¯t feeling any weaker. I guess the crystal recovery was stronger than I thought¡­ And the forest here was also more infused than what I was used to¡­ It was weird. Especially after all those almost living forests back in the bowl¡­ Well, it¡¯s been a while since those were like that¡­ -Good enough¡­ - I muttered to myself, holding the orb between my palms. It already was the size of at least half of a person, so it would provide plenty of energy for him to recover. Or at least awaken. I slowly started lowering it towards the body lying in front of me. I wanted to hang it right next to a part of his body that was crystallized, so it would be the easiest for him to absorb. I didn¡¯t have to be very precise. Besides the fact that his body had plenty of spots thanks to the earlier fights, the crystal was smart. The moment the orb got even remotely close to him, I could tell that the mana started getting drained. It was like someone had popped a balloon. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. The mana started getting drained in such speed that I thought that I lost control of the orb and just let it vanish into the ether, but nope. One look at the body was enough. Where there was just a slight ember, a spark of mana, there was now a healthy and bright flame. It was still weak, considering how my own flame looked and how his used to be before, but a lot better. Was he going to wake up, though? The answer came almost immediately. The body stirred and flinching it started groaning. -He¡¯s waking up! -Huh. That was a lot easier and less painful than I thought it was going to be. -What do you mean¡­? -I thought that I would have to pour a lot more into him - I said. - And considering how fast he was sucking in mana, I was a bit worried there¡­ I turned my attention back to the body. Just like he was waking up from a very long sleep, he was groaning and tried to raise himself from the ground, sitting up, just to fall back down, like he was half-asleep. It wasn¡¯t completely correct. -Wake up. How are you feeling? - I asked out loud. I decided to use regular words, not sure how my mind touching his would affect¡­ Well, both of us. He didn¡¯t reply, just groaned a bit louder, and this time managed to sit up, leaning on a tree. Just as he touched the bark, I noticed it darkening. The crystal was working as intended. Draining magic from the environment to regenerate its host. But, a bit too well for my tastes. I wasn¡¯t really worried about him regaining power, but more about him draining the trunk completely and bringing down a log on our heads. My worries were definitely not baseless: I am pretty sure I heard a loud creaking when he leaned on the tree. -Careful there, you still have a pretty vulnerable body. I don¡¯t know why, but he flinched when I said that. Okay, right, I might have been tampering with it a bit before, but that was for the best for both of us. And I mean it. I leaned towards him and attempted to raise him from the ground, or at least move him a little bit further away from the tree. The moment I touched him, he suddenly snapped. His head snapped right towards me as he looked straight at me. And his look¡­ was not friendly. I probably should¡¯ve expected that at this point. Every time I tried to cooperate with him, he always had some different ideas that most of the time ended up with me being pelted with spells. I am glad he wasn¡¯t like that when we worked together¡­ Before I just blamed it on ILMA, being part of him or whatever, but right now, I was slowly starting to think that it was him who influenced her¡­ Besides having a hand in creating her, the part that was with him was definitely the most¡­ unstable one. I can¡¯t say that the one who tried ¡°helping¡± me was better¡­ if that was even a different one¡­ Fuck. It was hard to keep track of all of those versions¡­ Were they even versions¡­? Or just anomalies, emerging thanks to the missing data¡­? Well, it doesn''t matter right now. What mattered was the fact that Mike was staring knives at me. And I had a feeling that it was not going to stay like that¡­ -What? He didn¡¯t reply. He didn¡¯t even move. Still, staring right at me. I am not sure if he even registered that we were not alone. Speaking of. -What¡¯s wrong with him¡­? -Don¡¯t know. Seems a bit unresponsive. -Is that¡­ normal¡­? -I mean¡­ he did just wake up from an essentially coma¡­ So maybe¡­? -I thought you knew what you¡¯re doing! -You talk like it¡¯s just so easy¡­ -Isn¡¯t it? Don¡¯t you just need to¡­ imagine stuff and that happens? I hesitated for a second. -Not exactly. It seems that you are a bit better at it than me, I guess¡­ -... -Look, we have a bit more pressing matters at hand right now. Weren¡¯t you going to¡­ I don¡¯t know, ask him some questions or something? -I don¡¯t know either¡­ That statement confused me. But, I didn¡¯t have time to dwell on his indecisiveness, because Mike seemingly finally regained his full consciousness, because he no longer was staring daggers at me. Instead, he looked¡­ curiously wary¡­ Wait, that¡¯s not good. Shouldn¡¯t he be more hostile? Or that was just the aftereffects of all those personalities mixing together¡­? -What¡­ What is going on¡­? He spoke. And, understandingly, he was confused. Obviously. My face was definitely not something he expected to see. -A lot - I simply said. - How are you feeling? -Err¡­ decent enough¡­ tired¡­ - he said after a moment of hesitation. -That¡¯s normal enough for me. Can you control yourself a bit, though? -Control¡­? -You¡¯re draining everything. And while it doesn¡¯t really affect me, I don¡¯t want to destroy this place¡­ -Destroy¡­. drain¡­ OH! He finally realized what was happening. I don¡¯t know what he thought before, if anything that is, but the moment he noticed, he immediately started limiting his ability. It was so easy for him¡­ -Nice. You¡¯re pretty good at it. -I had my practice¡­ but¡­ who are you, people? Oh great. -You don¡¯t remember me? - I asked. - Really? -No¡­ Damn? Did I fuck up and he also lost his memory? Was the crystal really not enough to host all of him? Or that just my methods were flawed and this was bound to be a failure? I mean¡­ most of this was a fortunate mistake at best, so¡­ -Well, to be honest, I didn¡¯t recognize you either¡­ - said Steve. - You don¡¯t really look the same¡­ -Well, you only saw his body and his face - I pointed out. - He knew me from before. Right. From before. I never actually bothered to take a look at my own face. Did I change? I didn¡¯t really pay attention to my face. Or to my body. Most of it just¡­ happened. Shouldn¡¯t that just mean that I went to the ¡°default¡± state? To the one that my mind considered ¡°natural¡±? But what did that mean exactly? Would it be my own face, from before? The changed one that I had after turning crystal? Or something completely else? I mean, I had been mixed with many souls before, so it could be even any of those. -Elvu qomlu. I went ahead and conjured a ball of clear water in front of me, to use as a mirror. I wanted to take a look at my face. But¡­ I didn¡¯t recognize it. And it wasn¡¯t just like it was someone vastly different from me. I was just¡­ bland. It was just like my face was a rough sketch, a pre-draft of a sculpture. I didn¡¯t even have eyes. I mean, it wasn¡¯t really a problem, but that was¡­ a bit disturbing to see. I quickly dispelled the ball, letting the water splash on the ground. I was half-expecting for him to attack me the moment I even used magic, but he was just standing there, looking at me with weird focus. -Well, I may look different, but I am Mor. You remember now? 259. Just For a second, there was just nothing but a blank stare. I really was thinking that his memory actually got wiped. But then, it clicked for him. A full rainbow of emotions went through his face. Confusion, surprise, relief, anger, happiness, irritation, back to confusion again, just to end up back in irritation. Not the worst result. Especially since it wasn¡¯t accompanied with a spell to my face. -How are we both separate¡­? Good. He remembered. -What, you¡¯re surprised that I managed to do that? Really? -No. I am surprised that you managed to do that HERE. In the middle of nowhere. Also, what¡¯s that¡­? He pointed towards the crystal. Right. Next to me there was a floating piece of stone that was right now hosting my broken first attempt at this transfer. -That¡¯s¡­ -I have been told that you killed me. Wow. He was going straight to the point. I wanted to make up some kind of a story, but I guess that was not going to happen¡­ -Excuse me!? - he said, shaking his head. I am not sure if that was because he suddenly felt a voice inside his head or because of the sudden claim. Sure, it was not very out of character for him, but for someone you supposedly killed to appear in front of you¡­ It¡¯s a bit bizarre to say the least. -A bit specific, maybe¡­? That¡¯s¡­ a response¡­ Not a normal one to be sure. But, to be honest, he was never really ¡°normal¡±. Especially after his life inside the barrier. I think that also took aback the person most involved¡­ -Specific?! How long¡­ and how many people?! That was directed to me. -Well, not that long and I don¡¯t think you want to know - I quickly said, replying to him. -You know him¡­? -Well, yes. I brought him back. Or, well¡­ not exactly. -Yeah, I see¡­ that form is definitely¡­ unusual. -Didn¡¯t mean it like that, but yeah, that too. -Hmm? -I mean¡­ He wasn¡¯t really ¡°dead¡±. Yet. He was absorbed by you and I just split him from you. -Part of¡­ me¡­? He was¡­ confused? -Yeah¡­? -And you split him¡­? -As you see. It wasn¡¯t fully seamless, but¡­ -And you split yourself¡­ - he pointed out. - That¡¯s¡­ amazing. -Ah¡­ yeah. Also not fully seamless, but better than I thought it wou¡­ -Can you do that again? A weird question. -I guess? But why do you ask? You still have someone linked to you? Didn¡¯t you absorb everyone already? He went silent for a moment. -I guess I did¡­ Huh¡­ I could¡¯ve sworn¡­ Never mind. That is still amazing. We have another option then! -Another option¡­? The fuck are you talking about? -Don¡¯t you fucking ignore me! Right. Steve was still a bit on the edge. Of course he was. -And what do you want from me, then? - replied Mike, irritated. - Want me to absorb you back? -Let¡¯s not¡­ -I see why I attacked you¡­ even the problems with my work aside. -Your work¡­? Ah, you¡¯re the one of them. Right. No wonder I didn¡¯t recognize you. You all are pathetic. -Can we not do this right now? Mike, you¡¯re not helping. -And I don¡¯t intend to. -Here I thought we¡¯ll get a civilized discussion. -You people deserve nothing. You¡¯re even too useless to be turned into mana. -I¡¯d like to see you try. -Are you trying to start a fight? - I asked, annoyed. -Fight? No. It¡¯d be just a cleanup. You¡¯re familiar with those, aren¡¯t you? I didn¡¯t expect for this conversation to go that bad. Sure, they were enemies, but even with that, I thought that he¡¯d calm down. And right now he was about to reach towards the flying crystal and actually follow through with his threat. I wasn¡¯t planning on letting him do that¡­ Wait. Why was I defending him? Before I even realized what I was doing, I slapped his hand away before he managed to make contact with the stone. -Ah. You¡¯re with them. Of course, I should''ve known. I thought that you¡¯d be the last to be influenced by MIRE, but¡­ -I am not! I want to understand what¡¯s going on first! Why are you so¡­ -MIRE¡­? Mire¡­ ah¡­ Before I finished the sentence, I felt a gust of wind behind me. It wasn¡¯t strong, but enough for me to notice it. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. It was Steve. He moved his crystal far above us, getting himself the most space he could without breaking the tree canopy. -Look what your lack of sense cost you! - barked Mike and took a step backwards, preparing himself. - The lapdog is attacking. -What are you doing?! -... -It¡¯s obvious he¡¯s hostile. His masters had survived most likely and now are taking control. I should¡¯ve been more thorough. -Masters? -MIRE¡­ I remember now. Oh great. Of course it was now that his memory started coming back¡­ Good to know that it was even possible in the first place, but¡­what was Mike talking about? Masters? I thought he got rid of those¡­ I mean, I never checked, nor were fully¡­ in control, so I guess I could¡¯ve missed something. -Didn¡¯t you try working for them as well? - I asked, stepping back from him and the hovering crystal. - It¡¯s not like you¡¯re any different. -I was blackmailed. -Maybe he was as well? Steve? Steve? I tried asking, but I don¡¯t think I was getting through. He was now hovering far above our heads and¡­ well, doing nothing. That¡¯s good¡­ I guess? It was strange. I thought he¡¯d be gathering mana¡­ or something, I don¡¯t know. But he was just there, like he was frozen in place. -Did you do something to him? - I asked Mike. -Not yet. I am concerned as well. As he was speaking, I noticed his mana change and slowly one of his hands was turning into a blade, or rather claws. Don¡¯t know how effective that would be against that piece of stone, but I was not going to say anything: after all, he did almost kill me with something similar to those. And not like changing their shape was a hard task. I was not going to be caught napping, so I also decided to prepare for eventual combat. Not with changing my shape, though. It¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t know how, but I failed to see how that would help me in this circumstance. If I was going to try and take him on, a pure magical fight was going to be necessary. Or even something more direct¡­ I started gathering mana from the area. This time, I didn¡¯t care about the forest or anything else: I started draining as much as I could: if anything, falling trees would provide cover. Not like that would make a much difference with all of us being able to see on the more magical spectrum¡­ But first¡­ what¡¯s up with him. Still hanging there, not doing anything. -Steve¡­ buddy¡­? What¡¯s up¡­? - I asked and almost immediately regretted that. And not because of a scathing look that Mike gave me. The floating crystal turned. I guess he was looking at me directly? -Mor. That is your name. -Er¡­ yes¡­? -And this one is Michael, then. -What is it to you? - barked Mike, readying his ¡°fingers¡±. -I remember now. You are wanted. -¡±Wanted¡±? As in good wanted or¡­ -Wanted for destruction of a civil property and death of a lot of people. -Oh. That. I guess his whole memory was back. Even those parts that I didn¡¯t think were there. -And what? You¡¯re gonna arrest us? Mike was not going to stop escalating the situation, was he. -Myself? No. -Well, that was an accident¡­ - I started, but Mike interrupted me, butting in. -Accident that was caused by your people. Setting deadlines, trying to hurry us up, making us more prone to mistakes. Even getting money was dreadful! He wasn¡¯t wrong. Mostly. But at this point, that was just shifting the blame. Honestly, it was our fault. Doesn¡¯t mean I was going to quietly let myself be punished. And didn¡¯t we already do our time in that ¡°prison island¡± or whatever? I think he either read my mind or was on the same page as me. -While you definitely were already punished once, you did break out. That and on top it¡¯s not something that can be written off. -Bleh. Justice, injustice¡­ I don¡¯t care. Are you attacking or not? -Me? Of course not. I am just waiting. Waiting¡­? -For what? - asked Mike, mirroring my thoughts. -Reinforcements, of course. Then you¡¯ll be safely contained again. -Oh fucking great. -Maybe don¡¯t¡­ It was too late to talk. Mike was already launching his attacks. Or rather himself. He jumped up towards him like a spring and immediately connected with his crystal with a loud crashing noise. -It¡¯s useless. It definitely seemed that way, at least from the first strike. But I knew better to not underestimate his strikes. After all, I was once on the receiving end of those. He landed and launched another attack. This time, it was a bit different. Mid jump, he transformed his hands again: one turning to something akin to mace, and another was more like an actual hand, but with longer and a bit pointy finger, something like a claw. Instead of trying to hit him, he actually grabbed onto the crystal. Locked with his fingers, he was firmly attached to him and started swinging with incredible force, hitting the core. Or at least trying to. It definitely didn¡¯t scare him. But, he did get a response. The crystal started twitching and turning, trying to toss him off. -It¡¯s no use! I¡­ But that was just the first part. Steve could use different types of magic of course. From the thin air, around the crystal, pieces of stone started forming. About ten of those, maybe even more. And started pelting him as soon as they grew to a size of a fist. -Pff. Small. Well, he was right. With sizes like that, that was not going to affect him at all, even if he was still a bit ¡°fleshy¡±. But he wasn¡¯t even trying to focus on his weak points. Just was pelting him with a hail of projectiles. Wait, were those getting larger¡­? Yeah, that was not my imagination. Every piece of stone he was creating was larger and larger. Which was strange, because it felt like he was getting faster and faster with creation of those. I mean, if he was pouring more mana, surely it would take him more time, right¡­? Wait. Was he even pouring mana? No¡­ He was¡­ advanced. Just like before, like when his mind was completely blank, he wasn¡¯t doing his magic consciously. He was just directly ordering mana to create whatever he envisioned. It technically could make him faster¡­ he just had to think fast. I mean, with spare room in his mind¡­ So wait¡­ did he regain his memory? That¡­ made no sense. If he remembered, he shouldn¡¯t be able to manipulate magic like that. He¡¯d be as limited as anyone that knows what mana is. But then, how would he remember what MIRE is or who we were? Or know about the ¡°accident¡±. Did he¡­ just remember pieces¡­? I mean, it would explain some things¡­ but that¡¯s just too convenient. I don¡¯t get it¡­ Meanwhile, the stones that were getting tossed at Mike were now boulders the size of half his body. But, even then, damage was not dissuading him from trying to crush the stone Steve was residing in. He managed to distract him quite a bit, though, to the point where some of his attacks were now directed towards the rocks. I mean, if that was me I¡¯d just let him hit me, the stones were just some pain that could be easily ignored. And then, he¡¯d be able to rebuild his body with Origin Crystal and be able to completely ignore the further damage. For some reason, he was still reluctant to turn himself completely to stone. Even while being at least half-crystal. I guess that¡¯s not an issue since he was still able to attack. But, what was his attack even? Sure, he could bash him constantly. And maybe chip a piece or two. So what? -Instead of watching, maybe do something?! - I heard a yell. - What side are you on anyway!? Right. I have been just standing there, looking at those two trading blows. Sure, it wasn¡¯t that long since they started fighting, but having said that, it was still not something I should¡¯ve done. But¡­ What should I do? I wasn¡¯t keen on taking either of the sides. Sure, I wasn¡¯t a fan of MIRE right now, considering what I witnessed or what I learned about them. But, the same could be said for Mike. Decisions, decisions¡­ 260. Unrelenting -You know¡­ - I said and started walking towards the two hanging in the air. - You¡¯re right. I need to pick a side. -No shit! You¡­ I think Steve thought that I did already, because suddenly rocks also started forming next to me. -You¡¯re quick on the uptake¡­ - I mumbled and prepared to guard myself from the attack¡­ ¡­that didn¡¯t come. I didn¡¯t let him. I slapped away the stones he created. Or more like crushed them to dust. My body was back in peak performance, Origin Crystal included: with a simple punch I was able to destroy the rocks that he wanted to pelt me with. -Fucking finally! - I heard Mike yell. - Now get those off me so I can absorb this piece of shit! Ah. So that¡¯s what he was planning. Along with his blows, just like before, he was planting his essence into him? I mean, it worked once, why not once more? No wonder Steve was just trying to overwhelm him with numbers: having him lose concentration would mean that he was just wasting time. And that¡¯s exactly what he wanted. To waste time. While I liked the idea of those two fighting until they were finally content, I had a feeling that there was a good chance stalling would only bring us more issues. So, I had to act. I leaped into the air, mirroring Mike and aimed at landing right where he was. Or at least managing to reach that spot. I was back in a body that felt natural to me, so I thought that would not be an issue for me¡­ And I was right. -What¡­ I reached out, and just like him I managed to grab onto the crystal, hanging with him. At the same time, I did shield him from the barrage of stones. Or rather that the stones also started targeting me. Of course they were just shattering on impact with my body, so that was not a problem. -I mean thanks, but that¡¯s not¡­ I didn¡¯t let him finish. I grabbed the crystal with my other hand and pulled myself up, wanting to get higher. Nope, no dice. Steve was not going to interrupt the barrage, and even if I was to be able to stand on top of him, the fact that he was still pretty small and was wobbling around under our weight, would only make me fall down. Or both of us. But, even if I was just to hang there, I still was a big problem for him. So far, he was able to fend off attacks from Mike and hang in the air, he was starting to have some issues. My weight had probably something to do with that. Sure, Mike was part crystal, and even though most of his visible body was turned, I am pretty certain that inside he was still normal. He for sure was guarding his own insides, his strange aversion towards the crystal making him stop any changes. Me on the other hand? I was the opposite. I was completely turned. Well, I made myself like that. So obviously, my weight was different. And I could add something on top of that. -Visu. If he could use earth magic to assault me, so could I. Well, it wasn¡¯t really even an assault. For either of us. But, I did have to use my own mana, not just¡­ do whatever it is that he was doing. Still clutching onto him, I started forming more and more stones on my body. Just like he was pelting me with those, I just attached those to me, making myself more and more of a burden to him. It did work. Especially when he didn¡¯t stop attacking with his own rocks. While before, when those were making contact with my body they were just getting destroyed, now I made sure to make them stick to me. He was just making me an even heavier weight for him to support. -What the fuck are you even doing?! - yelped Mike, completely stunned by my weird plan. Can¡¯t blame him. But, he quickly regained his composure and jumped down. His weight didn¡¯t change much, but I didn¡¯t like how he would be away from me, so I decided to speed up a bit. I already had plenty of stone formed around me, so melding it wouldn¡¯t be an issue. I reached towards the ground with my other hand trying to reach it¡­ I managed to, although it did take some rock forming mana usage, to anchor myself to the ground. And started pulling everything together. -This is weird, but keep going! - I heard from the ground. Mike. He changed again. His body was back to normal, although now he was holding a spear with a very sharp tip that was clearly made out of crystal. THE Crystal. Crystal that was infused with his own essence. Great. That would work as well. -I¡¯ll get him down! Just don¡¯t miss. -Don¡¯t intend to. With one big heave, I pulled myself together. Literally. Steve didn¡¯t expect that. Honestly, he was still just waiting there, not really replying to any of our attacks, weirdly. My weight and the pull managed to bring him close to the ground, almost completely grounding him. Just as that happened, Mike jumped up and on top of him, attempting to pierce him and pin him to the ground. It sort of worked. He definitely made contact, and with a sharp point of his spear he even managed to break through his shell. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I think that surprised all of us: none thought that his crystal would be so easily pierced, especially knowing what it was made out of. And yet, it worked. None of us were going to stop there, though. As soon as the spear struck, I dropped my form. Or, well, just stopped controlling the stones. Like a dead weight, those just dropped away from me, almost crushing both of them, while I myself jumped back and prepared for what would come next. I am pretty sure Mike was about to complain, but changed his mind and instead focused on the pierced crystal. He was constantly pouring his mana towards it, or essence rather, trying to take it over, I think. At that point, Steve finally retaliated. But in a way neither of us expected. He just¡­ shattered. Both of us instinctively tried covering ourselves from the shrapnel, but that was pointless. He wasn¡¯t aiming for us. I say ¡°aiming¡±, because the pieces immediately after scattering started changing their trajectory, and instead of embedding themselves in surrounding rocks and Mike¡¯s flesh, they started flying upwards, gathering again. Wait¡­ was he reconstructing himself? It looked that way. Of course, it was possible. I mean, I did that before, so why not? I never did manage to control my shattered pieces¡­ What am I saying. I did do that. When I severed my hand, that¡¯s exactly what I did. He was doing the same thing, but on a bit larger scale and with smaller pieces. And it was not just that he was putting his own pieces together. The moment any piece got in contact with another, both melted and started dripping down, onto the ground, making a puddle. Mike noticed, of course. And wouldn¡¯t pass up that opportunity. It definitely seemed like it was a moment of vulnerability for him. Mike jumped again, and this time he didn¡¯t even aim his spear, instead just punched the ground where the puddle was, sending his mana towards him. But¡­ it didn¡¯t do shit. It was just like he punched a pool of water: he scattered the goo-ish puddle of the melted crystal. Not even that. Moments later it already was getting pulled back together, forming back onto the same puddle. -Fucking¡­ Persistent¡­ Piece¡­ He was landing punches in between curses and complaining, but the effect was still the same. Just wasting energy. If that was what Steve wanted, he definitely was doing a great job at baiting us. I was about to join in and somehow try and contain both of them, but suddenly, I felt something. A presence. I wasn¡¯t really paying much attention to my surroundings, but still had a pretty good feel on the mana of the area. Sure, I was busy, but not to the point where I wouldn¡¯t notice about fifty mana flames marching through the forest right towards us. Ha, what I am saying. Marching? It was more like a sprint. And they were getting closer. On top of that, it was not like they were weak, either. If those were just regular people, I¡¯d probably miss them until it was too late; they would¡¯ve just got lost in between the trees. I mean, if they were weak, that wouldn¡¯t be any problem but¡­ What matters is the fact that they were about as powerful as our Steve before the transformation. Or maybe a bit less¡­ yeah, probably. I think there was one person there that would be a bit stronger, but couldn¡¯t be certain from this distance. -We have company - I said out loud. - Something is approaching. Mike looked at me with spite, but just a moment later he realized that I was not kidding. Most likely checked by himself and felt the same thing. -What¡­ they found us? -Told you it¡¯s only a matter of time. Right. He was playing to stall us. -We need to move - said Mike, immediately dropping his form and turning back to a regular person. - Fuck this guy. -You sure? You took that long to kill him and now you¡­ -If I could kill him fast, I would¡¯ve done it - he said angrily. - But I am not about to get caught. -Are they really that much of a threat¡­? - I asked. - Who are those people, anyway? MIRE? -Of course, who else would it be? But I am surprised that they are so quick. Especially after what I did to their headquarters. -Maybe that is why they are fast. -Whatever. We move? -We? -You are not going anywhere. Of course, he was going to try and stop us. -Like you can do anything to¡­- started Mike, but wasn¡¯t able to finish. The goop that was so far just lying there on the ground, the ¡°body¡± of Steve, flashed and exploded once more. This time not with shrapnel, but with just¡­ well, goo. I intended to dodge, same with Mike, but that did not happen. I mean, it¡¯s not like either of us were slow or not expecting that to happen, but he was persistent. He was able to change the trajectory of the ¡°projectiles¡± to that much of a degree that we just couldn¡¯t get away. Hell, it felt like we were just magnetic and straight up attracting that stuff. -Get away from me! Right. Instead of flailing about trying to get rid of this stuff, Mike had a more destructive idea. How did I know¡­? I mean, I had the same thought. I quickly jumped away from him and both of us casted a spell. -Geksu! -Geksu! Funny. Both of us used the same thing: fire. And, for both of us it didn¡¯t do shit. The goo wasn¡¯t flammable. Hell, it looked like it was just straight up ignoring our flames. -Elwu! Gymnu! Fuck! The last one obviously wasn¡¯t a spell, but just in frustration Mike even hurt himself. I mean, what did you expect? Trying to wash this off with water and then using lightning? Of course that would¡¯ve hurt. But, it actually did something. The goo, just like parts of his skin, was visibly zapped. I could see some burn marks, just like on his skin. That is, in places where he wasn¡¯t crystal. -Nice going. Elwu! Gymnu! I repeated the exact thing he did but¡­ It didn¡¯t work? I raised my hand and checked. The slime that was now stuck to me had wandered right towards my arm and formed a layer on top of my forearm and was just there. I definitely did hit it with both water and lightning. -Elwu! Gymnu! I even repeated the process. But still, it didn¡¯t hurt it. Nearby, Mike seemed to have¡­ some dificullties. Sure, he was able to hurt it, but he was hurting himself as well. The parts of his body that were still flesh started sporting more and more burn marks from the lightning magic he was hitting himself with. Wait¡­ Just lightning magic? -Gymnu! Yeah, he was only zapping the slime now. I mean, himself, too, but that was only because his spell wasn¡¯t that precise, targeting his whole leg. His slime was apparently stuck to his right calf. So lightning was enough¡­? Then why¡­? -Gymnu! Gymnu! I zapped myself. Even twice. But still, nothing. Slime just was there. What if¡­ -Hanpi. Nothing? What if I¡­ Fuck it. -Jepqo! Oh, I might have overdone it a bit. Even though I used a more advanced version, I still have done no damage. That is to the slime and myself. Can¡¯t say the same to the environment. The last one was powerful enough that my crystal skin didn¡¯t manage to absorb it fully, instead it straight up had splintered and hit a nearby rock. That¡­ melted. Yeah, I was not going anywhere with that. Still¡­ strange. I used that much magic and had not had any success. While Mike¡­ -Gymnu! Right, he just finished. Using just regular small bursts of electricity he managed to fry all the substance away. I mean, his leg was in a bit of a bad shape, but that was because it was just normal flesh. -We need to move! - he announced. -I can, but¡­ - I gestured towards the slime. - I can¡¯t get rid of this. -That¡¯s¡­ Whatever, they are getting closer. -Right. -Can you speed yourself up? Ah. The enhancement. I mean, I could, but¡­ -Sort of, but¡­ -So it wasn¡¯t my imagination. -Imagination¡­? -Less talking, more moving. Come on! And he bursted into a sprint. 261. Accelerate Or at least attempted to. That couldn¡¯t even be called a proper run. Truth is, he was hurting. The damage that he did to himself was there, undoubtedly, so I was able to catch up with him in no time. I was about to say something, but he was first. -We are running as far as we can see, straight forward. You understand? -Sure, but¡­ - I pointed to his leg. - With that? How¡­ -I am aware. Can I trust you? That was surprising. Where did that even come from? Trust? Me? After all that? Can I trust him even? -Er¡­? Why¡­? -You¡¯re going to be carrying me, that¡¯s why? -Huh? -I am limping. I cannot run like that. Even with spells¡­ -Can¡¯t you just fix your leg? -No I can¡¯t. -Why¡­? -Because I am not turning into a crystal. Right. He and his problems. I swear, he only mentions this when there are problems. -I can¡¯t see why that would¡­ -My body, my rules. -Whatever¡­ I suppose we can be slower, they aren¡¯t that fast to begin with¡­ Wait. Were they slower? Hell no. They were getting closer. I mean, we weren¡¯t really in a hurry beforehand, so I guess that¡¯s our fault, but¡­ Yeah. They were getting faster. I think Mike noticed that too. -Fuck. We need to hurry. -We? More like ¡°you¡±. Heal your leg. -Told you already. -And so did I. I can just run without you, you know. -Go ahead. I know you don¡¯t know how to stop. You¡¯re going to be stuck in hyperspeed forever. Well, not forever, but¡­ How did he know I even intended to use that ability? Of course I could return¡­ a lot later, but¡­ -Carry me. -Excuse me? His request was so sudden, I didn¡¯t know what to think of it. -Carry me. When we¡¯re far enough away from them I¡¯ll just stop you. -Er¡­ Won¡¯t you get¡­ I don¡¯t know, damaged in the process? -And you care? -I guess not¡­ -So do it. Come on, they are getting closer. -Why am I even doing this¡­ - I mumbled to myself, but stopped and looked him over. - Don¡¯t expect princess carry. -You what¡­ HEY! I warned him. I wasn¡¯t going to try and be gentle or considerate. I straight up just picked him up and flinged him against my shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He wasn¡¯t happy about that. -Can you at least not treat me like an item?! What¡­ -Shut up, I¡¯m concentrating. -You fucking¡­ I didn¡¯t get to hear the rest of the insults. The moment I put my mind to it, everything suddenly stopped. Just like before. I was wondering how hard it was going to be to move with him on my shoulder? I mean, I had problems moving other items before, so he probably was going to be slowing me down¡­ But that was not the case. I could move like usual. A bit strange, but I was not complaining. My bet was on the fact that he was also able to cast the same magic. That or it was just the Origin Crystal again being an anomaly in one way or another. Speaking of anomalies¡­ I now realized that it was a really good idea to utilize this method. The fact that our pursuers have not slowed down and were instead getting faster was an understatement. They were already here. I realized that if I had not used this thing, I would already be in the middle of a fight. Hell, I kind of was already. When the time froze¡­ or slowed down, rather, something was already emerging from the trees nearby. I thought it was going to be a spell, judging by mana density, but it was a person. I am unsure what they were looking like, because the mana was blinding me. Was that on purpose? Maybe, who knows. After all, this was a pursuit. I could tell that even in this slowed time, I could see them moving. Maybe not rapidly, but that movement was clearly visible, meaning whoever they were, they had to be really fast. So, no time to dawdle. I started running. Having to carry him with me was annoying, but not as much as trying to get through the thick branches that oftentimes were blocking my way. Sure, I was able to break or drain them almost instantly, but so what? Even while destroyed, they weren¡¯t just disappearing: it still was taking time for them to either fall on the ground or for me to push the dust away from me. Annoying. But, I was pushing through, wondering how long I was going to have to do this. The answer was: a whole day. And it was not because Mike had stopped me, no. It was because I finally found myself on some kind of a road. It didn¡¯t really lead in an exact direction I was pointed towards, but who cares? I was going to use it anyway. It¡¯s going to be faster this way. A lot faster. Not like it mattered much. I already had left my pursuers long behind. I was wondering what this road was exactly, though. It seemed modern-ish. Regular asphalt, with some signs of paint here and there, but was overgrown. I mean, obviously, we were still in the part where the forest has been the dominant force over anything else. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. I doubt it was used, but I was checking for any signs of people or vehicles. I wasn¡¯t really that worried about our pursuit. I was more considering that if the spell would be suddenly broken I would¡¯ve found myself in a head on collision with a truck or something along those lines. But, it didn¡¯t seem like that was in the cards. The closest living thing was our pursuit, and that soon also vanished from my range. Everything clear. I wondered how long I was going to have to run before he finally decided to break me out, but there was absolutely no indication of that. I was paying attention to the baggage I was hauling, but he was barely moving. I mean, obviously, but he probably would¡¯ve noticed the change in environment. Or at least the road. And since I was running for at least the same amount of time using the road as I was through the wooded and unwelcome branches, I assume he had no issues with me going this way. Works with me. I still had plenty of strength with me left, and even if I wasn¡¯t, there were still a lot of sources from which I could regenerate. And I was going to need that strength. I got used to carrying him with me and it was still less annoying than dragging him through the bushes and all that, but that didn¡¯t mean I liked it. More than the difficulty¡­ The run was just plain boring. I probably should say that it was good, right? It meant that there were no problems with pursuit. But it was giving me that sense of unease¡­ Sure, nothing was to be detected, but that also meant that Mike should have broken me out of the spell already. And yet, I was still enhanced. I could try and break out of it myself, but I decided not to for now. Just to be safe, I thought I would run at least until I found some kind of landmark or something. Being on a road I thought it should be pretty soon. But¡­ One hour¡­ Nothing. Two. Still nothing. Three. I was starting to get worried. Four. Should I just stop anywhere? Everything looked the same¡­ maybe the road was a bit more cracked. Five. Finally, some change. Not much, though, it was just that the greenery around us was getting a bit different. Thinning a little bit? Maybe¡­ Six. Yeah, definitely thinning. Before it looked like a jungle, now it was just more of a regular forest. The trunks were thinner. And I could actually see the sky this time! No more canopy blocking the sun. At the start of the next hour I finally found something. A cabin. We definitely were far enough, right? And with no one else around¡­ I decided to stop. Or at least take a moment to rest and think. Mostly think. I wanted to take a better look at the cabin I found. To be honest, it was more like a shack than a cabin. I knew I probably should be weary, remembering Melle¡¯s place, but the spot here didn¡¯t seem to have any more mana than I¡¯d see anywhere else. It was just a regular shack. Door, one window. It probably was broken or just straight up too old, because there was no sign of glass. Same with the roof: plenty of holes through which I could see greenery was trying to get in and claim the insides for themselves. As for the material of the roof, I couldn¡¯t be sure; it was completely covered in moss, but if I was to guess, I¡¯d say it was just some random planks put together hastily. I was about to try and open the rickety door when I stopped myself. I was still enhanced. I remembered how it looked when I tried interacting with something last time. If I was to touch this, I¡¯d definitely leave it in ruin. Or, at best, I would¡¯ve torn the old door apart. And Mike was still not betraying any signs of him attempting to cut me off. Hmm. Should I do it myself? I mean, probably? It¡¯s not like there was any danger near us. And in any case, I could just repeat what we did without much effort. I think. I sat down next to the shack, trying to find a spot that had a bunch of grass and trees near me so I could regenerate if I needed to and focused. Having Mike with me that whole time was not helping and I considered just dropping him near me, but¡­ What would that do to him? He wasn¡¯t ¡°sped up¡± so to speak, so I was sort of worried that I might slam him a bit too hard to the ground. And on top of that, I would lose my contact with him. I assume he needed that to help me break out¡­ But was he going to, anyway? It¡¯s been so long that I honestly was losing my patience. Hell, I was about to try and do it myself. The threat was long gone. Eh, whatever. It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have time to waste. What does it matter that I have a bit of weight on my shoulders? And, I tried going back. It wasn¡¯t an easy nor fast process. Funny, considering the situation I was in. I had to focus and remember how exactly that did happen last time, but had not much success at first. I think I¡¯ve sat there for a good hour at least before I finally managed to break out and be back to normal. The change itself was abrupt. After that long of a time being in that state, the moment everything turned normal I was assaulted with so much information that I felt my head hurt. The noise was the worst. I barely heard anything for the longest time, especially since we were in the woods, but the moment I got out, I heard the flailing of Mike mixed with curses and¡­ spells? I am not sure. He wasn¡¯t using any mana though, so I guess I was just wrong. Thanks to the sudden return, I immediately dropped him next to me, making him realize what happened. -What are you doing?! -What are you doing? - I asked in kind. - You said you¡¯re going to help me break out. -Yes! But only after we escape let¡¯s move, they are just about to¡­ He stopped. I think he finally realized where we were. Really, how much time had passed for him? -I think we¡¯re good - I said and sighed. - Eh, whatever. Did I manhandle you a bit too much? He didn¡¯t answer. I think he was processing what just happened to him, because he seemed a bit out of it. -Mike? -AH! Right. Yes. I mean, no. I didn¡¯t expect¡­ -I thought you used this before? -I did! But I¡¯ve never seen it from the outside¡­ I mean¡­ -Oh. I get it. Well, I was running for a long while. To me that is. I can¡¯t sense anyone anymore. I mean, I couldn¡¯t for a while. -Yeah, yeah we¡¯re good. I think. -I found this place, so I thought it would be a good stop to take a break - I pointed towards the shack. -Right, right¡­ I think he finally started to understand what happened. Really, was it that confusing to him? It was just speed¡­ and it¡¯s not like he didn¡¯t know what was going to happen. And even with that, it just should feel like teleportation to him. That¡¯s not too weird, is it? -Okay¡­ so let¡¯s go inside¡­? What were you waiting for? -I didn¡¯t want to break this¡­ I am not in full control when in that form. -It¡¯s¡­ wow. Okay, I had enough. What was wrong with him? -Okay, can you explain? What the fuck are you on about. First you tell me to do this, tell me that you¡¯ll break me out, then act like this whole ordeal was some unthinkable event? What gives? He looked me in the eyes. -I told you to do this. Yes. Because I thought you¡¯re going to speed up, but not to this degree! It¡¯s¡­ overwhelming? -Overwhelming? -Yes! When I did this¡­ if that even can be called the same thing, that is, I am just three times as fast as normal. Maybe a bit more. And I can just keep it up for a minute or so. What you did¡­ -Oh. I guess it was a bit longer. -A bit? How many days have you been walking?! We are so far away I don¡¯t even recognize this place. -Days? Nah, it¡¯s been a few hours¡­ well, maybe more than a few hours. -Just hours? Did you really go where I told you? -Generally, yes. I did change the direction a bit when I got to the road. -Road¡­ -Something wrong¡­? -I¡­ don¡¯t remember this place having any roads. -Well, it¡¯s an old one¡­ -Obviously¡­ -Let¡¯s get inside. Maybe there¡¯ll be a chair or something. -What, you got tired? I guess running that far¡­ -Nah. But it would be nice to sit nonetheless. -Hm. The earlier speculation about the shack was absolutely correct. Inside, there was barely anything different than outside. The whole place was overgrown by the greenery. While the roots weren¡¯t breaking any walls or the ceiling, they were going through the floor, some small trees growing inside. Apparently holes in the roof were giving enough light and water to sustain some life. -That¡¯s an interesting carpet. -You mean moss. -Natural carpet. As we walked in, both of us almost instantly realized that there was no point in even investigating this place. Whoever was living here had abandoned it a long time ago and hadn''t left anything inside. -Well shit. I guess I was too hopeful. -You expected a bed? -Whatever. What was that you were saying about a road? -Road¡­ ah, right. I don¡¯t remember this place having a road built. It has to be a remnant from an earlier age. -You mean before our experiment. -Yeah. -That¡¯s a lot of range. -You said it. I stepped outside, sitting on the doorstep. -Anyway¡­ - I started. - What are we doing with the pursuit? -Pursuit?! They¡¯re here!? -Well, no. You can tell there is no one nearby, right? -You think they¡¯re ever going to find us? -Well, no. But we can¡¯t exactly just be in hiding forever. Since I got outside of the barrier, I¡¯d rather go to a more civilized place. -Right¡­ civilization¡­ -I might not need it, but I¡¯d like to at least give it a glance. See what changed, that stuff. -I feel like that¡¯s going to be a bit hard for you¡­ -Who cares. Weren¡¯t you the one who changed it yourself? -Yes, but it¡¯s not that easy! -I do have time. -I guess¡­ But do you have any idea how that even works? -What, you won¡¯t tell me? -I¡­ Before he finished speaking we both stiffened. Something was wrong. 262. Pursuit -I feel something - I said, standing up and looking around. -So it¡¯s not my imagination. So he noticed that too? We stepped outside of the house, looking carefully in every direction. But, there was nothing unusual there. Just mana that was coming from the woods around us and the two of us. -Where¡¯s it coming from? -I don¡¯t know¡­ -It¡¯s like¡­ -Behind! Just as he yelled, I also noticed the source. In the house, behind us, something was forming from the residual mana. No, not residual mana¡­ it was a portal. A hole opened on the wall right next to me, on the outside wall of the house, next to the door. And, from the purple haze that formed there stepped out¡­ -MIRE! -They followed us! From the hole in the reality a stream of people started pouring out. All looking similar to each other, dressed in full military uniforms, covering their faces, sporting guns similar to those I¡¯ve seen in the city. I could tell that they weren¡¯t exactly weak, but definitely at least on the level of the head guard that we dealt with back there. I didn¡¯t have time to inspect them closer, because the moment we noticed them, we immediately started running back towards the road. -They found us that quick?! - I puffed, annoyed. - How in the hell? -You¡¯re asking me? I was out of it! I couldn¡¯t answer, because a spell hit me right in the back. I am not sure what it was, but it did no damage: my crystal still was working flawlessly. I am glad it hit me not Mike, he would¡¯ve gotten seriously hurt. Not being fully crystal had its problems. Wait, why was I even caring about him? He only was bringing me problems! -Don¡¯t cast spells, shoot! Shoot them! - someone behind us yelled. -Hide behind me! - I hissed towards Mike. -Easier said than done! Right. While we both were definitely more durable and had more endurance than a regular person, he was slower than me. Plus, he was still wounded from before. -Fucking¡­ I had to slow down and put myself between him and the gunfire. I am glad that I made it in time, because I soon felt a barrage hit my body and I almost tumbled down onto the ground. The gunfire was surprisingly effective. I am not sure what exactly were those people packing, but the guns were more powerful than the ones I¡¯ve seen before. They still looked the same, though, so¡­ ammo? Maybe the ammo was different? That was my first guess, but I was not going to stick long enough to find out. We had to either get out or fight. Judging by the look on Mike''s face and the fact that he was about to stop and cast a spell at them was giving me a very clear hint at what he was planning. I, on the other hand, was not so keen on fighting. I¡¯d probably be able to defeat them, but without killing¡­ I kind of thought it would¡¯ve been problematic. The professional soldier would not get knocked out so easily. So why not run? I already had some experience in that regard. Before I made up my mind, though, Mike already has stopped and about to toss a spell. I think it was lightning, because his hand was already raised with sparks of electricity zapping between his fingers. I didn¡¯t let him finish. Or, well, it wasn¡¯t my plan. As I was about to pass him, I just picked him up. Just like before, I hoised him against my shoulder unceremoniously and bolted as fast as I could. Of course, that interrupted his spell. I don¡¯t think he liked that. But, between his cursing and gunfire, I didn¡¯t care, instead I focused again at speeding myself up. It came quicker than I expected. I guess I had some practice. Again, the surroundings had frozen around me, along with the people. I am not sure if that was thanks to me being used to this state or just because I accidentally poured a bit too much mana into it, but this time, nothing was moving. Beforehand, everything seemed like it was just VERY slow. No matter. I just had to get away. As I was about to move with Mike as my baggage, I had a thought. Should I slow them down? They managed to track us pretty fast this time, so I¡¯d be smart to at least make their pursuit a bit more annoying. They used portal magic to get here, so most of the regular ways I could think of were off the table, but¡­ -Visu, nuwo lek moho. There was no visible effect, not with the time slowed to a crawl, but I could tell that it worked. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I targeted the ground under them and commanded the earth to move and bind them, so they should probably have second thoughts about pursuing us. If not¡­ well, we get there when we get there. With that, I sprinted away. This time, I wanted to not just run leisurely. If you even can call running with human baggage like that being leisurely. This time, I wanted to use mana to enhance myself. I was a bit skeptical about this idea at first, because what was this ability to mess with perception of time if not the exact same thing? Wouldn¡¯t I be just overloading myself? At least I wanted to get some distance from my would-be captors. Half an hour later and a stretch of road further, I started focusing on myself. I was a bit worried that I might accidentally do something weird, but it¡¯s not like I couldn¡¯t just repeat the process again¡­ I did have to be careful about not dropping the form, because it all was too similar to each other. But, I made a mistake. When I focused on myself, I sort of forgot that I was carrying Mike. And the mana that I was intending to absorb myself also flew into him. Not of consequence, right? It¡¯s not like he wasn¡¯t used to mana or couldn¡¯t absorb it either. Shouldn¡¯t be an issue¡­ Yeah. That shouldn¡¯t be an issue in the first place¡­ But, the problem was not that he absorbed what I wanted to pour into myself; the problem was that he continued doing that. For a second I thought that it was just my mistake and wanted to cut him off, but that was not it. He was actively draining me? -What¡­ And if that wasn¡¯t enough, he started twitching. Well, it was hard to say that was even ¡°twitching¡±, it was just some irregular slow movements that I could only think was him twitching if we were not in ¡°different time¡±, so to speak. But, it was changing. I could tell that it was getting faster. He was getting faster. The movements were starting to get more pronounced and the twitches easier to notice, and at the same time that much harder to control. If it was to continue, I was going to drop him! Should I just toss him away and stop touching him? That would probably stop my mana from draining. It¡¯s not like I had an issue with lack of energy, but it was still concerning. Was he¡­ doing that on purpose? I stopped and wondered, how should I even do that? But at that point he was already not only flailing, but also making some weird noises. -Calm down, you sack of problems¡­- I muttered to myself, trying to grab him better, but I felt something unexpected. His grip. His hand actually found my own shoulder and locked onto it with surprising force. It didn¡¯t hurt, but I didn¡¯t expect him to be able to move that fast. Was this strange state of mine diminishing? No, that was not it. Just one look at the surroundings could tell me that everything else was as still as it was before. It was just him that was speeding up. -Whaaat¡­ aaareee¡­ Ah. So that was it. It¡¯s not like he was just groaning to himself or making weird noises. He was trying to speak. But, since there was a massive difference in our speeds, it was just unrecognizable gibberish to me. That is, until now. I guess that¡¯s where my mana was going? Did he do that on purpose? I mean, it should be possible. He used to use this himself, but why did he need to borrow my magic? I did have to ask later, but first, let¡¯s let him acclimate to the situation. -...yooou¡­ dooingg¡­ carryyiing mee like that¡­!? The further into the sentence, the faster he was able to talk and finally he was as coherent as it should be. Not only that, he also was able to wrestle himself out of my grasp and stand on his own two legs in front of me. -We sort of were in a hurry. -Where is this?! What did you do!? -Er¡­ I ran away? That¡¯s what you wanted, right? - I asked, a bit confused with his uncertainty. -Yes! But how?! Did you teleport us!? -Of course not. Just started running. I mean, with this I am pretty fast, so¡­ -This? What ¡°this¡±? -Look around. Can¡¯t you tell? - I said, gesturing with my hand. He followed my gesture and at first it seemed like he had no idea what I was talking about, but the more he looked, the wider his eyes were opened. -The time¡­ stopped?! -What? No! I mean, it sort of looks like that, but look, stuff is moving! We are just fast. -Fast?! That makes no sense! -No sense? It¡¯s the same ability you used! -I used?! What are you¡­ He finally understood. -But how the hell then am I able to talk to you?! -Didn¡¯t you haste yourself? -I wanted to, but you grabbed me and then¡­ then¡­ -See? I don¡¯t know why, but you also borrowed a bit of my mana to do that, but that doesn¡¯t matter. Can you run? -Of course! But¡­ this is unprecedented. -Why? -I mean¡­ I could speed myself up¡­ but not to this degree. -What do you mean, ¡°not this degree¡±? -Just that! It¡¯s not like I ever tried to push myself further, but¡­ -¡±Push further¡±? Neither did I. -So how are we here? -... -Does that even matter? We probably should move¡­ - I said, breaking the silence that suddenly fell on us. -True. How far are they? -Not sure. But I made sure that they were outside my range before I stopped and¡­ -Your range? -Range of detection. I can¡¯t feel their mana. -And how far is that? -I¡¯m not certain myself - I said, shrugging. - That¡¯s why I want to move. I was not going to tell him how far I could sense mana. I mean, he probably should know from his own experience. And if not, that¡¯s another reason to not tell him. -Right¡­ True. Let¡¯s. But, even with him being eager to move, we weren¡¯t going exactly fast. Sure, both of us could run, but he decided to just have a brisk walk instead. His reasoning was that it¡¯s not smart to move too fast in our circumstances, that we were going to leave traces of our passage that were easy to follow. While that was true, I bet that¡¯s not the main reason he wanted to do that. I am pretty sure that it was just him being still a bit wounded and not used to his body that made him slower. Well, not like we had little time to work with, anyway¡­ -Why did you stop, anyway? - he asked me when we were maybe twenty minutes into our march. -I wanted to go faster - I said simply. -And you stopped¡­? -Eh¡­ I wanted to enhance myself so I could run faster, but your body sapped my energy. And then you woke up. -Woke up¡­? -You know what I mean. -You were plenty fast before. Why do that even? I rolled my eyes. -Look, I just wanted to get away. Nothing else. -Ehe¡­ - he seemed a bit suspicious, but gave up. - Sure¡­ whatever. While I sort of was understanding why he was suspicious, there was nothing I could do. After all, I was telling the truth. 263. Attachment The next part of our escape was shorter than I wanted. While our pursuers weren¡¯t anywhere to be felt, it didn¡¯t change that they managed to find us with portal magic. But that brought the question: how? I shared my worries with Mike, who suddenly made me stop. -What? -WHY DIDN¡¯T YOU GET RID OF THIS THING?! -Huh? Before I even was able to process what was going on, he slapped me on my back and proceeded to zap me with lightning. Or, rather he tried to. It wasn¡¯t easy due to two things. One: we were still processing our time differently, meaning the lightning was not able to hit me as fast as it should and I managed to counter it by slapping his hand away. And two: even if he managed to do that, I am pretty sure I would¡¯ve been able to absorb it no problem. -The fuck are you doing?! - I asked, angrily, thinking that he was back to being hostile towards me. - There are more annoying matters to attend to now, not just¡­ -It¡¯s not that! - he barked. - Look at yourself! -Wha¡­ He was pointing towards my back. While it wasn¡¯t exactly possible to turn my head and check, I reached my hand and¡­ felt something slimy? -The hell is¡­ Oh. Right. The slime. Or whatever that thing was. I sort of forgot about that when we first started running. To be honest, I thought it was already gone during our escape before. But, this thing survived my hastened retreat. And it moved! It was firmly glued to my back and if not for him I wouldn¡¯t have noticed, which was worrying by itself. -I don¡¯t think it worked - I said, scratching myself on the slime-back. - I tried that before, but¡­ -And we ran with this thing on us?! -Er¡­ yes? Doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯s doing much¡­ -Not much? It¡¯s probably the thing that they managed to track! -Right¡­ so? -What do you mean ¡°so?¡±?! -Well, you can leave at any time. It¡¯s not like I am forcing you to stay with me. You got rid of your piece, right? -... Ah. So my hunch was correct. He wants something from me. -You still want to take me over? Or what? -... -Of course. Now you¡¯re not answering. Well, not like it matters. I personally don¡¯t care much, not like you can do anything to me. While I was not completely sure he wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat me, I believed that having him next to me was necessary. He definitely had some kind of a plan. Or at least some secrets that I wanted to uncover. Plus¡­ Il¡­ -Whatever - shrugged Mike. - But if you really can¡¯t destroy this thing¡­ we can use it. -What, you want to bait them? Why are they even after you, anyway? -It¡¯s MIRE. -So? -¡±So?¡± It¡¯s kind of obvious why they would be after me. -Yeah. And yet, you came to them first. If not for you, they would never even realize that you escaped. -You really believe that? - he scoffed. - Sure, not yet, but the information would come out sooner or later and we¡¯d be in the same situation. -¡±We¡±? More like you. -Ha! And why do you think they are after me? The Crystal! That means you too! -I am pretty sure that they didn¡¯t even know I existed. -They would notice. -Why are you so sure? I could just hide somewhere in the mountains and live as a hermit and be fine. -Like anyone would believe that. Well, true, I would definitely try to visit a city at least once. -So, what do you want to do? -I think we¡¯re far enough away. Let¡¯s check if they actually appear. -And if they will, then what? -Can¡¯t you just wipe them out? - he asked. -What, tossing your problems at me? -I remind you that this is also your problem. -Eh¡­ Whatever you say¡­ But what about you? It¡¯s not like I will protect you. -What, you think I can¡¯t survive myself? -Do I have to remind you that last time I had to gather your sorry ass from the floor? -I would¡¯ve been fine. -Would you? I believe being on fire¡­ -I would¡¯ve been fine - he said sternly. I honestly was doubting that. -But besides that¡­ I have a precaution already. -Hm? -I just need you to buy some time. -Er? How much? -And how much can you muster? -Hard to tell, not knowing how many people will be there. And on top of that their technology¡­ is annoying. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. -They won¡¯t be able to block your magic if that¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about. -Not really¡­ -So, let¡¯s try? -Still don¡¯t know what we¡¯re supposed to attempt¡­ -Just give me some time and you¡¯ll see. -Can¡¯t you at least give me an estimate? Come on¡­ -No. I mean, I don¡¯t even know how much time has passed since our last fight, so how can I guess? He had a point. We were still in the weird state of acceleration, meaning the time meant nothing to us. While I was certain that not much time had passed, I couldn¡¯t tell how much. But, I was curious. -Eh. Whatever. I¡¯ll bite. So, what do you want me to do? -Just make them busy. I¡¯ll hide somewhere nearby and prepare. -What, they won¡¯t notice you? -If I am correct, while they are mostly targeting me, they won¡¯t be able to differentiate between the two of us. While we aren¡¯t exactly the same, they don¡¯t care, golem is a golem. -Golem¡­ -It¡¯s the term that¡­ -I figured - I cut him off. - But I mean, won¡¯t they just be able to sense you. -Not many people here are good at it. If I am to put my mind into it, I¡¯ll be just fine. And since they are most likely teleporting via anchoring to this thing - he pointed to the slime - they¡¯ll naturally target you. -Eh. Okay. So where and when? -Here and now. -Eh? That was surprising. Maybe not his shift from running to standing your ground and dealing with the issue. It was more about him wanting to do it right now. Plus the fact that it seemed like he had some kind of plan in mind. What was that about? But, I agreed. Better to deal with them sooner than later. I myself didn¡¯t have any ideas that went further than just a literal fight, so having someone thinking for me was nice. -Let¡¯s just hope that won¡¯t bite me in the ass¡­ -What? -Nothing. So here, huh? - I asked, looking at the spot he decided to make his stand. - Seems¡­ unremarkable. It was hard to say anything else about it. Besides the fact that we weren¡¯t on the road any more, there was nothing different about the place. Hell, there was no free room even, it wasn¡¯t even a clearing. I guess he wanted to hide in the bushes or something? Like that would ever work¡­ But what do I know? -Because it is - he replied, looking around. -We¡¯re dropping the speed or you want to prepare? -You do it. I¡¯ll hide in the meanwhile. -Just don¡¯t go trying to run away. -Why would I do that? It¡¯s not like they won¡¯t find me. -Aha¡­ -Don¡¯t trust me? -Would you be surprised if I said no? -I¡¯d be surprised if you said anything different. -Ha. Okay¡­ I had a bad feeling about that. Oh well. It¡¯s not like I had any better ideas anyway. And spending time in that weird state of speed was only annoying. I just wondered how much time should I try and buy until I should start assuming that he just fucked of and ran away. -Let¡¯s get this over with¡­ The moment I returned to normal, I found myself alone. Of course that doesn¡¯t mean a thing, to Mike just a blink of an eye would be enough to run away a considerable amount. Now, just to wait. Were they going to actually pursue us? Or rather me. I wonder¡­ I didn¡¯t have to wonder for a long time. After a couple of minutes, I felt a familiar signature of mana appearing in the air and a portal soon followed. Out of the holes in reality emerged yet another group of enemies. I think it was about fifty people total. Not all was bad though: none of them seemed like they were stronger than the last batch of people. And that was definitely a new group; their uniforms were pristine with no sign of wear and my spell surely would at least do some damage. Or at least dirty them a little bit. I was not attacking. If I was going to play for time, there was no point in me trying to rush things. But, that didn¡¯t mean I wasn¡¯t going to attack as soon as I got a reason. It seemed like the opposite force was also not in a hurry. From the moment when the first person left the portal until it closed, there were no attempts at even attacking me. Even after that, they were still just standing on guard, pointing their weapons towards me and waiting. Weird. I thought that they would be in a hurry, not just¡­ whatever that was. But I also was confused. Where was their superior? I am sure that there had to be one. I mean, who in their right mind would send a bunch of troops without any superior. However, no matter how hard I was looking at it, there was no one that had a larger mana signature. They were all about the same. Very strange. To be honest, my plan was to get rid of a ¡°general¡± first and hopefully then make them at least a bit disorganized. I wasn¡¯t that delusional to think as much as they would scatter the moment the leader was gone, but for there to be no one to target? That was more than unusual. I was wondering if I should just start blasting them with spells, when someone stepped to the front, aiming a gun at me. He was looking exactly the same as everyone else, that I was sure of. Should I start blasting? But, before I made up my mind, he started speaking. -Boss¡­? That you? Boss? Who was he talking to? Did Mike get to change his mind again? -... It didn¡¯t seem that way, though. No one was replying, and he was staring right at me. -I think that means ¡°no¡± - I heard from some other soldier standing next to him. Neither of them looked any different from another, but since they were the ones talking I should assume they had some kind of higher rank? Now, when I think about it, none of those soldiers had any kind of indication of rank. Don¡¯t soldiers usually have those? I mean, this was not really a regular military force, so I guess that¡¯s not required of them¡­? -Should we shoot? -I¡­ I can¡¯t make the decision, you know that¡­ What if it doesn¡¯t survive? We¡¯d be getting hell for that¡­ -You think we can even do it¡­? Just look at this thing¡­ They were having this conversation right in front of me. What kind of stupid are they? -You know I can hear you? - I finally decided to speak, seeing them just stand there. I did get a reaction, but not the one I expected. I expected to get shot or something like that, but they just all flinched and went silent. -It¡­ talks¡­?! - I heard a rather loud whisper from one of them. -If it talks¡­ then it¡¯s him?! -I don¡¯t know! Why didn¡¯t he say anything before?! -I still hear you - I said, sighing. - I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re looking for, but if you could at least tell me what you want, we might come to some kind of agreement? They started exchanging looks with each other. Clearly, whatever they were expecting with this confrontation, that was not it. What gives? Weren¡¯t they sent to eliminate us? I mean, they were pretty obviously hostile before. What the hell did Mike not tell me? But, before I could say anything, I felt a thought probe my mind. -Don¡¯t ask me, I also have no idea. It was Mike. After they arrived, I noticed that he was hiding not so far away from me. I kind of was worried that they might spot him since his magic wasn¡¯t really that hard to notice, but expecting a violent confrontation I thought that shouldn¡¯t be an issue. But, with this¡­? Were they really that blind? -Can you elaborate, so I¡­ But, before I finished my sentence, something changed. I thought that was them changing their mind and attacking, because I felt something start irritating my skin. Some kind of spell or a weird gun of theirs? But, that was not it. None of them looked like have had done anything and were just staring at me with anticipation. -I told you to attack, not ask questions! A voice? Familiar one. And to boot, it was coming from behind me? I whipped my head, trying to see where it was coming from, but I only saw other people aiming their guns at me. The hell? -You¡­ but we¡¯ll hit you! -I don¡¯t care! Before he regains his senses! Regains senses? What¡­? I had my senses working perfectly, thank you¡­ I wanted to announce that to them, but I¡­ I couldn¡¯t. Well shit, I guess I was wrong. I couldn¡¯t move my body, nor could I speak. But I could finally tell where the voice was coming from. It was the slime. Or, whatever the substance was. And who was talking? Of course, it was our dear janitor. 264. Dubious Should¡¯ve known that he wouldn¡¯t get destroyed so easily. But for him to be that substance that was clinging to me? Quite unexpected. Also quite unexpected was the fact that I didn¡¯t notice his presence before. And to be honest, I wasn¡¯t feeling it even now either. What was that substance? Before I even managed to come to terms with the whole ordeal, the people surrounding me finally made up their mind and started shooting. I guess they were really only being stopped by knowing what I had on my back. As I was thinking that, the projectiles managed to finally reach. They were as painful as I was expecting. Just as predicted: it wasn¡¯t as bad as when I was hit by an actual good mage. Small enough for me to endure it without much of a hassle, but large enough to actually do damage. Not like that mattered much, I could just repair myself in an instant¡­ That¡¯s what I wanted to say at least. The truth was, I actually had some problems with that. Not with enduring, no. It was the healing I had trouble with. I was¡­ too slow. Or rather, something else was faster than me. The moment a piece of me was chipped by a bullet, I felt a certain slime fill in the gap and merge with me. I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s what they planned or just was an idea that came in a spur of a moment, but that was definitely working. I intended to just watch them waste their magic or ammo, or whatever that was, on me until Mike finally would do whatever he was planning on, but in this circumstance it didn''t seem like a viable idea. I probably should retaliate. I mean, I wasn¡¯t that worried about that stupid janitor taking over my body; I was pretty certain of my own abilities. I already had more than once endured and survived a similar situation. But, better safe than sorry. I raised my hand and intended to toss a spell at the mass of people. Should I trap them with earth? Or just go with a more lethal approach? I made up my mind and was about to release my magic, but¡­ I could not. That surprised me. I never expected to be ever blocked from casting a spell. I never even experienced something similar before. Did one of them have some kind of artifact or something that canceled my magic? What am I talking about, there¡¯s nothing like that. Even technology that I thought would be capable of doing something similar had already proved that was useless in this scenario. So, what was it? The answer was simple and was right now stuck to my back. And now even more. -Hurry up! I don¡¯t know how long I can keep him from attacking! Yeah. It was the stupid janitor-slime. Of course he would. Why the hell was the MIRE so persistent? -Increase firepower! Oh yeah they did. The moment someone gave that order I could feel that my body was not just getting cracked and chipped, now it was like whole chunks of me were falling off. It wasn¡¯t helping that I couldn¡¯t move¡­ At least then I could counterattack¡­ I don¡¯t know what exactly they did, but the damage that they were dishing out had increased. Do those weapons have some kind of switch that you can just flip? Why not keep it on constantly then?! The answer came immediately after. In the form of a falling body. It seemed like the weapons were draining a bit too much from the users. Sounds about right. Good for me. If I had full control over my body, I could¡¯ve just waited them out and they¡¯d knock themselves out. But that was not something I wanted to plan on right now, not with the slime-janitor invading my body. At least it was just the body. I had a feeling that it was soon going to change, so I decided to stop acting like I was cornered. One look at the group was enough. A lightning bolt emerged right from my body and zapped both the slime and the group in front of me. I didn¡¯t reach all of them, but I definitely reached some of them. It¡¯s not like I was blocked from using magic completely. They just blocked my movement. If I was to focus myself, I could easily cast my spells without movement or speaking. Guess they weren¡¯t aware of that. The current I created was not strong enough to do major damage, but I definitely stunned at least five of them, making them drop their weapons. Some weapons even started smoking suddenly¡­ Were those vulnerable to electricity? -AH! -I told you! HURRY UP! The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. But, it didn¡¯t matter what he was screaming. I still had an upper hand. I could just send another lightning. This time, towards the back, to the other side where the previous hit didn¡¯t reach, to sew even more distraught. It definitely worked. The shooting was now very chaotic and it was only getting worse. Some of the people who were zapped managed to stand up and pick up their weapons and I was about to send another lightning towards them, but that was unnecessary. It seemed that I had managed to break their weapons. The moment one of them pulled the trigger, the weapon in their hand exploded. It was so sudden, I never expected for it to work that well. Or at all, really. Was their work really that shoddy? But, despite the undeniable chaos that the sudden explosion had caused, the tenacity of the group was not shaken. The ones that were still armed were constantly shooting, not letting me have a single moment of respite. That¡¯s the army for you. Or at least I think that¡¯s what they were. Definitely better than just some band of random mercenaries. -Don¡¯t stop, I almost have him! Huh? I don¡¯t know if he was just delusional or just tried to keep their morale high, but that was definitely not the case. While sure, I could tell that more and more of his ¡°slime¡± was merging with me, besides that, I couldn¡¯t tell the difference. I mean, yes, I had trouble moving, but that was happening since the start. So, the situation didn¡¯t change at all since the beginning, besides some of their people being knocked out. That didn¡¯t mean that the situation was good. The fact that he was trying to interfere with my body still was worrying. But, first things first: I had to deal with the immediate danger of the people surrounding me. How much more time do I have to buy? I probably should slow down their progress¡­ I focused on the ground under my feet and a moment later a wall of earth had emerged in front of me. Yeah, that was not going to work. I intended to block the line of sight for them and maybe shield myself from the gunfire, but the earth here was too soft. The wall that I intended to spread around me and surround me from all directions almost immediately vanished. Or rather it was torn to shreds by the gunfire. I had to do it again, this time focusing a bit more on the durability part¡­ Didn¡¯t help much. Even with rock, it barely stood firm for a couple of seconds before it got pummeled down into dust by the gunfire. I probably could reinforce it more, maybe use the actual Origin Crystal to shield myself, but I didn¡¯t. Instead, I focused more on the offensive. I started sending more and more lightning towards my enemies, but this time they were expecting it. Sure, the blasts reached them, but so what? The ones that I downed before were smart enough not to pick up their weapons and instead focused on defense of the rest of the group. When they noticed my attack, they immediately followed up by sending a blast of mana towards the incoming lightning. It was a weird counterattack: I never expected for anyone to try and attack me with pure mana. I mean, usually that would just mean strengthening my spell instead. This time, that was a bit different. Sure their mana managed to give my spell a bit more of a kick, but that¡¯s what they wanted. To detonate the spell before it reached them. Quite smart, I have to say. For the first time, the enemy in front of me wasn¡¯t stupid. And on top of that, they weren¡¯t just trying to sacrifice their mana for pointless attacks, like, I don¡¯t know, blowing themselves up. I sort of liked it. But, that didn¡¯t mean that I was planning on letting that go. Of course, I still had plenty of mana and ideas on how to disrupt them. And the second one was similar to what I did before. After sending my lightning towards them and seeing it being disrupted, I also started channeling my magic towards the ground. Instead of making walls, this time I focused on weakening the soil they were stepping on. Wasn¡¯t that hard, since the earth here was soft, and with just a moment, I could see that some of them started sinking in, like they were stepping in a bog. That worked quite well at first. Some of them started losing their balance, dropping their weapons in the process. The weapons were almost instantly swallowed, too. That was my main plan. I wanted to make them unable to move and disarm them. But, they were not going to just wait for me and take it. The moment they realized that I started messing with the terrain, they started doing so themselves. Sure, I did catch some of them, but only a few. The rest managed to pour their own magic into the soil, creating spaces safe for them to tread. If I was to put my mind to it, I probably would be able to overpower them without much of a problem, but I stopped myself short. I already had the advantage. Sure, they were quite clever and quick thinking, but that didn¡¯t mean much if they had less mana. I expected for them to have some precautions in place, just like my good old friend janitor, but apparently I was overestimating them Or underestimating the price of the crystal. I thought that they would just use some of that stone to replenish their reserves. With that and me being a bit tired, they would have a pretty good chance at defeating me and taking as a prisoner. But that did not happen. The men simply didn¡¯t have any magical stone with them. Or, as I heard later, at all. Despite the fact that they were strong and apparently having support of some higher-ups, they were still unable to procure the items for themselves. But that brought to me another question. Who exactly was the janitor? It was clear that he was no regular person. Definitely not just some janitor. First off, his salary. If not directly from the government, or something along those lines, being able to procure that kind of item would definitely kill more than one wallet. And if it was really provided to him as some kind of tool¡­ Who was he working with? MIRE? Possible. Who knows how far those fingers manage to stretch through the domain. -I¡¯d request for you to calm down - I said. - If you try fighting like that, you will definitely catch those people into something dangerous. And you don¡¯t want that. The further into the sentence, the more agitated I was. I honestly can¡¯t tell you why, but the situation was irking me the wrong way. I am sure that I don¡¯t have to add that I immediately knew something was off in my own head. But, I didn¡¯t act on it. -I don¡¯t care about what some creature tells me to do! -That creature is more considerate than you think¡­ I guess there was no getting away from it. Let¡¯s just destroy them all and be done with it¡­ -Stop! Great¡­ What did HE want now? 265. Borrowed I was supposed to buy time for him, but he hasn¡¯t done a thing since we were here, and now he wanted to give me orders? -I¡¯d rather deal with the problem immediately than to wait for your unreliable ass. -I told you you just needed to buy time. Honestly, you didn¡¯t have to attack them at all. They are pretty weak. -Weak? Weren¡¯t you the one brought to their knees and almost destroyed? -They didn¡¯t do shit to me - he retorted. - The most damage was done by my own self, remember? Well, he wasn¡¯t exactly wrong. But, so what? It¡¯s not like it changed much. -You want a medal? Even though it might be true, it doesn''t mean that I have the patience to wait. And it''s a lot like you¡¯re defending them, right¡­? - I asked, a bit irked that he even tried making me spare them. -I told you, wait! Killing them is pointless! Just wait, I¡­ -So I was right about you defending them. And after they tried killing you? Or worse? What kind of softie are you? -Softie? - he chuckled. - Ha, ha. Weren¡¯t you the one who used non lethal magic up till now? -Well¡­ He wasn¡¯t wrong. I wasn¡¯t exactly doing that consciously¡­ I just got used to it. I mean, do you have to explain why you¡¯re not keen on taking lives? But, there was always a limit to everything. And mine was being unsure about my own survival. With a body like that, it was a blurry line, and had quite a bit of leeway, but it didn¡¯t mean it was completely unreachable. -I am not changing my mind. Don¡¯t try to stop me. -Ehe. But aren¡¯t you kind of missing something? -What? -Like¡­ are they attacking you any more? -Huh¡­? He was right. I was too preoccupied with our argument that I failed to notice that the firepower was slowly dwindling and finally had stopped. The only part of assault remaining was the slime that was sticking to me, trying to cover more and more of my body. -The hell¡­ - I muttered to myself and looked closer at my adversaries. They weren¡¯t moving. And it¡¯s not like they were unconscious. Sure, some of them were lying on the ground, but even those people had their eyes open. I took a better gaze at them using my enhanced senses, but besides the fact that they were a bit weaker than before, and that was expected, since they were just a moment ago attacking me with magic, there was no change. -What are you doing?! Attack! The slime was still talking to the people that were just moments ago attacking. Speaking of. How was he doing that? It¡¯s not like he had a mouth¡­ Wait. It did. It used my own body. Annoying. But, despite his constant nagging, they weren¡¯t moving -I told you to wait - said Mike, stepping out of the bushes. I immediately turned towards him. Involuntarily, I have to add. Despite my earlier assumptions, he had a lot more control over me than I wanted to admit. But, there was no control over my own mind, nor any sign of that being in any danger of changing, so at least that was good. I wanted to ask him, what the hell was he doing? And so did the janitor, although he had a bit different priorities. -There¡¯s another one! Instead of sleeping, attack! -They aren¡¯t going to do that - simply said Mike. -Huh¡­? - I heard from behind my back. -Stand. Just as Mike said, the people who were just moments ago laying flat on the ground stood up. -Come. Forming an orderly line, all of the ¡°soldiers¡± had walked up and presented themselves, like some weird parade. -Did you just¡­ -Control them? Well, sort of. That¡¯s why I needed time. Needed time¡­? What kind of spell was that that he was using¡­ I took a better look at them, but couldn¡¯t feel anything different coming from them. So they weren¡¯t under any spell? What was that then? Wait¡­ There wasn¡¯t anything different in their mana¡­ but there was something else about them¡­ something familiar. Very, very faint, but recognizable. -Shards¡­ -Of me. Yes - he confirmed my suspicions. - It took me a bit to spread those among the whole lot of them, but it worked. -You¡­ assimilated them? That¡¯s why you needed time? -Assimilated? No, not yet. Yet, hmm? -So what is this, then? - I gestured broadly towards the row of bodies. -I am just helping them move. I mean, without your help it would be a lot more problematic. -My help? -You did drain their magic quite a bit. -Sure¡­ -With most of their own mana gone, just a tiny bit of my own essence was enough for them to surrender to my will. ¡°Tiny bit¡±? I feel like it was more than that. But besides, that was an achievement in itself. I knew that he¡¯s done a similar thing before, but to see this first hand? Amazing. I did think that something like that would¡¯ve taken a lot more time. To spread his own crystal among them and then infuse his mana into them in a way that it was barely noticeable¡­ Scary. -So¡­ Where do we go from here? - I asked, a bit thrown off by the current situation. -We? We¡¯re not doing anyt¡­ Before he was able to finish the sentence, the voice interrupted him. -How dare you! I will be taking both of you down! Ah. Right. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. There was still the problem of a certain presence being stuck to my own back. Mike seemed more annoyed than anything. Honestly, he felt more irritated than me, being the most involved one¡­ -Right, there¡¯s this thing as well¡­ -I am not a thing! I¡­ He was promptly ignored. -Mor, can¡¯t you just kill it? - Mike asked. - I bet you have plenty of power and an idea on how to destroy this thing. -I might, but¡­ The moment I commented about thinking of getting rid of it, it clearly started shaking. He turned to a slime and tried taking me over, and now was scared of me just mentioning trying to get rid of it? Peculiar. -...but I feel like I don¡¯t need to. -Why?! It¡¯s clearly hostile and¡­ -I know, that¡¯s not it - I assured him. - Don¡¯t you think that it¡¯s a great chance for us to learn more about our enemies? -MIRE? What¡¯s there to know¡­? -I don¡¯t know about you, but I never knew about half of what I learned from just watching them for a couple of minutes. I approached the soldiers and picked up one of the weapons that was still on the ground. -Like this - I said. - Something like this shouldn¡¯t exist. -If you¡¯re asking about the combination of magic and technology, I don¡¯t think those ones are able to answer even the simplest of questions. -No. But this one might. I wanted to turn and grab the slime on my back but that was hardly possible. He was not evading, no. Not on purpose. It was that he was already spread thin, like a very strange shirt and I¡¯d have to literally scratch him off me. -Leave me alone! - he protested when I reached towards him. I, of course, didn¡¯t care about his opinion. -I think you do realize what kind of situation you have found yourself in - I said. - So tell us. -Tell what?! You¡¯re not very specific! -For starters, tell us why are you so adamant on hunting us? -... -He probably wants me - chimed in Mike. - I mean, I did piss them off recently. -To the point where they had to chase you to the middle of nowhere? - I asked. - For just one stupid building? -Well, we did kill a couple people on our way here¡­ -Excuse me, I made sure to only knock people out. -Yes. But the fire and the ruined building didn¡¯t. -Eh. Well, okay. But still, to send those guys¡­? - I gestured broadly towards the force that was waiting for Mike¡¯s command. -Don¡¯t ask me. He was right. The janitor, realizing that he was about to be in a very unpleasant situation¡­ or rather even more unpleasant,, started trying to avoid the subject. -I¡­ I am not sure. I just know what I was told¡­ -And you were told? -That you are a calamity that needs to be contained. I rolled my eyes. It¡¯s always been calamity this, calamity that. Can we not have some peace? Mike, apparently agreeing with me, echoed my thoughts. -It¡¯s not like I wanted to do that! You are forcing me! -Forcing to barge into our building and destroy most of it?! -That¡¯s what you get for not keeping the word. -Right¡­ that¡­ - I mumbled. - Good that you reminded me. Did they offer you anything new or is it just still the old story? -Old story - he simply said. - I thought the leader would keep his word. I guess not. -Apparently thought it was cheaper to off you. -It definitely wasn¡¯t - he grinned. - Those toys might be dangerous, but hell if I am going to go down like this. -Do I need to remind you that if it wasn¡¯t for me, you¡¯d be dead? -I would not. But think what you will. -Mhm. I was not sure if he was bluffing or not. By all means, from what I could tell, his body was on the verge of destruction before I stepped in, but that actually didn¡¯t have to mean death for him. Sure, it did seem like he had a much harder time repairing himself, unlike me, but that didn¡¯t mean he wouldn¡¯t survive. Was he really banking on that? That even destroyed he¡¯d survive? Wouldn¡¯t the MIRE just take his pieces for experimentation or something? Like they did to Il¡­ -So, what do you intend to do? - I asked, deciding not to think too much about my worries. -Isn¡¯t it obvious? - he said, shrugging. - I just need to get away for long enough and it all is going to resolve itself. I am pretty sure that it¡¯s not going to be very hard trying to outlive those maniacs. -That¡¯s a fair point. But I was talking about those guys - I pointed to the soldiers. - Kind of conspicuous if you ask me. -Oh, come on. You know what I intend to do. -Assimilation? -That¡¯s for later, but yes, essentially that¡¯s going to be the end point. And I recommend you do the same. -Me? -What, you want to spend your time having a living shirt that is serving as a tracking beacon? -Fair point¡­ So far, I wasn¡¯t really thinking about how I was going to get rid of the guy on my back. While I was thinking about destroying him or separating him from my body, absorption was definitely an option. I even started wondering how long it was going to take, but suddenly he started doing something, seeing as we got more interested in his existence. -I don¡¯t recommend trying anything - I said, focusing on his presence. - You only are shortening your lifespan. He didn¡¯t reply. -I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re even bothering¡­ - sighed Mike. Yeah, I also started seeing that as pointless. I started focusing on the presence on my back, trying to feel it out and maybe start absorbing it right now. Even though he was obviously hearing this, he was not resisting. I don¡¯t know if he was just stupid or he was just straight up underestimating me, but I actually managed to get hold of his essence. -What is¡­ Aagh¡­! The layer of ¡°slime¡± immediately started thinning. It was so easy¡­ Why didn¡¯t I do that before? -Stop! If you continue you only will be taken over! -Yeah, I don¡¯t think anyone is going to buy that bullshit - sighed Mike. - I¡¯ve had plenty of people, never had problems. Well, while I wasn¡¯t worried about that, I knew that that was definitely not correct. I think he knew I thought that, because he immediately spoke up. -I mean, not including you, you¡¯re a special case. -I feel like there were more ¡°accidents¡± than that, but whatever¡­ - I mumbled, mostly to myself, but my slime-shirt heard anyway. -See!? He¡¯s trying to make you lose yourself. I sighed. -This is the stupidest defense. Why the hell would you tell me then, hm? I am your enemy. And also, weren¡¯t you controlling me? Why not stop me if it¡¯s so inconvenient for you. He didn¡¯t reply, but I think he actually tried doing exactly what I said. I could tell that my body got strangely stiff, but that didn¡¯t mean shit for my mind. I could still focus on absorbing and I was pretty sure it was going to work, before suddenly my contact got cut. -The fuck¡­ Did he suddenly develop resistance to my advances? Of course not. He just gathered himself and shot out, leaving my body. Kind of impressive, since he was pretty deeply rooted in my wounds. To the point that I actually lost my balance and fell down, seeing as parts of my body weren¡¯t connected together. Apparently, he was taking up more of my body than I thought. Hm. The ball of slime collected itself, landing right between us, just for it to bounce away and try to escape. It was not going to happen that easily. Both of us, almost in unison, raised our hands and tossed a spell right at the speeding ball of goo ahead of us. Funnily enough, both of us also used the same thing: a lightning bolt. I am not sure how much power he put into it, but it didn¡¯t matter. Neither of us was thinking about the safety of our target, especially after seeing how durable it was. The two jolts of lightning collided mid-air and combined together, striking the slime just as it was going to bounce once more. I was worried for a second. Wouldn¡¯t he just absorb the magic and be empowered? I mean, that¡¯s what he did when he was stuck to me. But, for some reason that didn¡¯t happen. The moment the lightning struck the ball of slime immediately fell to the ground, smoking, fried by the sudden current. -That was more effective than I thought¡­ - said quietly Mike, echoing my own thoughts. I quickly approached the slime, to check its state. I could see that he still had some mana remaining, but the lightning definitely did a number on him. -He¡¯s¡­ unconscious¡­? - I said, approaching carefully. I was not going to let him get stuck to me again, that stupid parasite. -I think so - agreed Mike. -Why¡­ Why did this work this time¡­? - I mumbled, a bit perplexed. - Not like I am complaining, but¡­ -I assume he was borrowing your powers. -My powers? -Powers of the crystal. He was using it to absorb mana from spells, like we do. When he escaped, he no longer was connected to you, so¡­ -Yeah, okay. But how did you get him off then? You can do the same thing. -Gher¡­ don¡¯t make me say it. -Say what? -Mgh¡­ - he groaned, annoyed. - It¡¯s just¡­ that you are better at it. You are in a completely different league, with that body¡­ And since he was using you¡­ -Ah¡­ okay. But, wait¡­ isn¡¯t he also a piece of Crystal? I mean, he¡¯s a slime, but didn¡¯t they use the Crystal as the base¡­? -Probably¡­ - he admitted, unsure. - But it¡¯s not like they were perfect¡­ I mean, changing the form is¡­ challenging, you know what I mean? -I guess¡­ -Anyway¡­ I still am getting rid of it. -Wha¡­? The body? -No! I mean, yes, but I meant this guy¡­ He raised his hand and was about to touch the slime before I stopped him. -What? -Won¡¯t he just latch onto you? -He can try. I managed to destroy him last time. -I guess¡­ He did zap him to death before. But, before he managed to reach him I felt a surge of mana behind us. -Heads up! It was another portal. 266. Renew Whoever was sending people, apparently realized that they needed reinforcements. Behind us, an identical portal had appeared, and once more people started pouring out. This time, though, they were a lot more aggressive, immediately pointing their guns at us. I only raised my hands and prepared to blast them with magic, but Mike stopped me. -Give me a second. -Again? But, he didn¡¯t reply. Instead, the group of people he stopped before had also started moving, joining the group pouring from the portal. -What are you doing!? - I hissed at him, but he only waved me off. -What¡¯s going on?! Why are you unarmed? It was one of the people who just arrived. He noticed that the group that was here before was still there, although without weapons. He definitely knew that something was wrong. But, before he managed to give any kind of order, ¡°our¡± military had attacked. While most of them were still unarmed and just leaped in, punching and kicking, some still had weapons. And used them. He definitely had all of them under control. It was a bit unsettling to see a sudden fight that just emerged in front of us, with the two of us standing in the background, just waiting for the resolution. -What a waste¡­ - mumbled Mike. -Huh? -Waste. I need to be faster next time so they won¡¯t need to use weapons. -I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be one to pay attention to bodies you left behind. -Oh, don¡¯t get me wrong, that¡¯s not the problem here - he assured me. - It¡¯s just I¡¯d rather have a larger force. If I can absorb more people into it, I¡¯d rather do that. -And why do you need said force? -It¡¯s not like I need it. It¡¯s either that or to have them pester me for the rest of my life. -Hm. Fuck! I forgot about the janitor! During the sudden appearance of the reinforcements, the slime had slipped my mind. I frantically started looking around, trying to find him in the mess of fighting, but that was pointless. -Don¡¯t worry about that. As long as he¡¯s not stuck to either of us, we should be good. -Hm¡­ I guess¡­ That¡¯s until they find another way to track us down. -Maybe. Oh, look they are done. -Hm? Despite what he said, it didn¡¯t seem like the fighting was done. Sure, the people were no longer shooting, but the melee was still going on pretty intensely. -That doesn¡¯t seem like¡­ -Stop. The last one wasn¡¯t directed towards me. I felt intent behind his speech, and not just in his tone of voice. There was mana in that word. And, like commanded, all of the people stopped moving, freezing on the spot. -Attention. Like some general, he started commanding the whole group. Honestly, that was not surprising. The only thing that was startling was the amount of time he needed this time to get the situation under control. -You¡¯re getting faster - I commented. -It¡¯s not like I am faster, it¡¯s just I had more helpers this time - he admitted. - First time I had to start from just a singular one, now I had a whole team. -True enough. -What, do you intend to keep doing this until¡­ I don¡¯t know? - I asked Mike after gathering myself and we started moving forward, apparently with some kind of target in mind. -You think they¡¯ll get bored? - he chuckled. - Hah. No. I just need to get to a good spot¡­ -A good spot? -A leyline. I need to regenerate. And so do you. -You seem fine to me¡­ - I muttered under my breath, not sure what to think of that statement. Was he trying to pull off yet another large spell? What kind of bullshit did he think of this time? I think he noticed my expression, because he laughed again. -Hah, don¡¯t worry. Nothing that would involve you. -Mhm. He was lying. And I noticed. His mana was quite obvious. Honestly, it was surprising. For a long while now I wasn¡¯t taking my sensing seriously. Sure, I was seeing other people¡¯s mana and all that, but always felt like people were truthful to me. I mean, sure, I didn¡¯t have much contact with other people, and those that I met weren¡¯t exactly trying to lie. Besides, a powerful person could probably hide their intentions. Especially him. So why now I could see that? Was he tired or something? No, couldn¡¯t be it he¡¯s not dumb. Was he doing that on purpose? Can¡¯t be that. Maybe my skills have improved? Was that even possible? It¡¯s not like I trained¡­ Well, I did manage to move my own consciousness¡­ and not only mine¡­ Did that make me see lies better? Makes no sense. Just like the whole situation of mine. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. I couldn¡¯t help but notice it more and more. That whatever I did, it seemed like nothing had any point and I just followed whatever I had in front of me. Even after being almost destroyed, that didn¡¯t change me at all. I probably should do something about that¡­ but what? At this point, I probably should change my name to ¡°Apathy¡±... -Damn¡­ -What? -Nothing - I replied. - Just thinking about stuff. -Okay¡­ Well, anyway, we¡¯re here. -Here¡­? What¡¯s¡­ Oh. While the place didn¡¯t look like much from the outside, just yet another patch of forest, just a glimpse of it using my enhanced senses gave a clear answer why we stopped. The leyline was absolutely massive. It was surprising. Even compared to the spot I knew was a ruptured one, this one was leaking mana all over the place. Was this place similar? That would definitely explain the forest. The only weird thing was the fact that there was absolutely no other indication. Something like this probably should be in use¡­ or at least marked somehow. It wasn¡¯t that far away from the city, right? I took a glance towards the direction where we came from and¡­ Well, I might have underestimated myself and my speed under the effects of the enhancement. Mike did confirm my suspicions. -We¡¯re so far off that I bet they never thought to even use this place, despite the power. -Lucky for us. -Eh, they are just using the one directly under the city. -There¡¯s one there? -Of course. Every city has one. Or, well, most of them. Unlucky for them. -Unlucky? -Remember the experiment? -Oh. -Yeah. Right. We did manage to rupture a leyline¡­ and the damage was spread to the other ones as well. -Since they all were connected, it went just like one big pulse. And I intend on using that again. -What? - I asked, interested. -You¡¯ll see in a while. For now, let¡¯s deal with those people¡­ Right. We still had a rather large company with us. I wasn¡¯t sure, I thought he was planning to use them for something, but hearing him it seemed like they were made to follow us just because. -I was wondering when you¡¯re going to say that¡­ I was kind of worried that they¡¯re going to track us down using them, but it seems like they¡¯re taking their sweet time doing that¡­ - I pointed out. -If they haven¡¯t done that until now, I am sure they can¡¯t - said Mike. - After all, it took them just moments to send a new wave. -I guess¡­ But maybe they¡¯re just careful? -Possible¡­ but that doesn¡¯t matter. With that many, I can just take control in moments. -Hm. Yeah. -And speaking of, I need to focus. I¡¯m going to convert them now. -Convert? And you needed a leyline for that? -Well, no. It¡¯s just going to speed up the process. And it¡¯ll be handy later. -Okay then¡­ You need me for something then? -Not now. Just give me a moment. With that, he stepped forward, beckoning the rest of the people to come to him. Standing in the middle of the leyline, where he was almost too hard to look at, he made them form a circle around him. It looked somewhat eerie, them crowding him shoulder to shoulder. I was wondering what exactly he was going to do. I mean, I knew what the supposed effect was going to be, but not the process. So far, the only ones I¡¯ve seen that had been taken under his control were done so stealthily, so I didn¡¯t know what to expect. Since that was supposed to go faster, I assumed that it would be more noticeable. But, it wasn¡¯t really the case. Sure, I could tell that he was moving his mana. It was a bit annoying to look at, since he was standing in the middle of a rather large mana source, but I could bear it and soon my eyes even acclimated to the overwhelming light that was the leyline in front of me. It looked like he was absorbing mana slowly into himself. I am not sure if that was a part of the whole ritual, because, after all, he was wounded and it would definitely help him recover. Besides that, I could tell he was also pouring his own magic towards the circle of bodies surrounding him. Or was that something else¡­? No¡­ It was more like he was connected to them, and from him the mana was flowing, connecting everyone, and then returning back to him. It was just a simple string at first, but soon the singular flames started fluctuating. Like a small wave, something was pulsing from him, and with every pulse mana was slowly changing. Eroding each flame steadily, just to return to him and repeat the process over and over again. If not for the overwhelming light in the middle, it would¡¯ve been mesmerizing. The light, even with me being used to it, was still too distracting. The whole process seemed pretty simple. And effective. It took maybe two or three loops for me to be sure that the flames of the soldiers were already different¡­ more similar to his own. And mine. I shook myself off from the trance. I had to also do something. I¡¯ve been too lenient and lazy. Again. Sure, so far Mike was pretty friendly to me, but I knew better that it was not going to be like that for a long time. Even if I didn¡¯t feel anything about his earlier words, I knew him. And myself. If he was going to try anything, I should be in the best possible condition. And what¡¯s the best way to recover my strength if not the leyline right in front of me? Sure, Mike was supposedly going to use it, but it¡¯s not like he forbade me to use it myself. Nor could he. Not interrupting his own meditation, I moved a bit away from the whole ritual. I didn¡¯t want to accidentally do something and then get blamed for it. And, since it was the leyline, the mana problem was non-existent; everything here was brimming with energy. So, I started absorbing. He noticed. I mean, I wasn¡¯t really trying to be stealthy at all, so no wonder. I was hoping that he wouldn¡¯t notice since he¡¯d be too focused on his own business, but that was just wishful thinking on my side. But, I was right about him being too preoccupied to be able to do anything. Good. With that, the two of us were just sitting there, immersed in our own rituals. I was done pretty quickly, at least with bringing my own body to top condition. It wasn¡¯t that hard, since I had plenty of practice with melding the Crystal recently, be it my own flesh or otherwise. Seeing as I still had time, however, I decided to absorb more. I knew that my body could host an abundance of energy, and having that plentiful source in front of me it would be stupid to not use it as much as I could. Hell, maybe it was going to mess with his plans later, but so what? I planned on sitting there until he was done, but I actually overestimated my own capacity. Or maybe his objectives. Whatever the case was, I had already had my fill of mana to the point where I couldn¡¯t actually absorb any more, and he was still messing with the military group nearby. I am not sure what he wanted to accomplish, because to me their magic was already dispersed equally, their mana looking exactly the same as his. Oh well, at least I learned the limits of my own capacity. So far it was actually hard to determine, and sitting here I could finally say that my own crystal wasn¡¯t actually limitless. Of course, it was obvious that it would be the case, I mean I am still human after all. Or mostly, that is. At least I am limited by being a physical being. But, even then, I absorbed more than I thought it was going to be possible. I knew that it was not going to be even remotely possible to deplete the leyline in front of me, or any other, so I didn¡¯t stop myself, but I actually managed to make a visible dent. At first, I thought that it was just my own sight being accustomed to the light that the leyline was giving off, but the more I looked, the more I was sure that it was not the case. Even though I wasn¡¯t absorbing anything directly from the source, the spot where Mike was stationed was darker than before. Okay, right, he was also using it, but it wasn¡¯t much. Hell, he probably would be fine with a random tree nearby. Sure, the tree would be gone, but that would be it. No way that would be enough to make this difference. And since there wasn¡¯t anything else draining this particular leyline, it had to be me¡­ Right¡­? Mike knew that as well. Still absorbed in his own meditations, he was giving me some glances every now and then. I only shrugged him off, and so far he didn¡¯t react so I guess it was fine? Done with my own thinking, I sighed, wondering how much time had actually passed? The sun was gone, but that was hardly any indicator. But, at least I knew that the supposed pursuit was not coming. I sort of was not believing what Mike said before, that they would give up so easily. I mean, they sent that many people after us, wouldn¡¯t it be a waste to give up so soon? Both of us, after all, were very important, or at least very valuable test subjects. Especially me. I wondered who exactly was the leader that was sending all those people after us. I was interrupted by Mike finally moving from his spot. 267. Relapse Along with him, the whole group had finally broken their formation. -You done? -It appears so are you - he replied, squinting. -Hm? Yeah, I did regenerate myself. -Regenerate? More like infuse. You¡¯re hard to look at. -Mmm? I glanced at my own body and sure enough, he was right. I was used to my glow before, but right now my flame was definitely a lot more powerful. No wonder. I did drain quite a bit of mana. -I might have overdone it a little bit - I replied. -That is an understatement. -Is that a problem? - I asked, unsure what to think of his comments. He paused for a moment, thinking. -No, I don¡¯t think so. Should be fine. -Yeah, speaking of. What should be fine? What are you intending to do? -Right¡­ I never told you¡­ I suppose it¡¯s time. -Time? -You probably noticed what I was doing, right? -Messing with the consciousness'' of those guys? - I replied, trying to underplay my observations from before. -Yeah. Mostly. I wanted to take them over, you know that. But, my main idea was to reverse what they did to us. -What they did to us? -The way they were tracking us. -Wasn¡¯t that supposed to be via our friendly neighborhood janitor? -Yeah. But that doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t do that using their own men. -Elaborate. -It¡¯s nothing that complicated - he shrugged. - They came from somewhere, right? So I want to just return them. But, a bit modified. -Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re making suicide bombers¡­ -Er¡­ -Come on¡­ -Well, they aren¡¯t suicide bombers. -So what are they supposed to¡­ -Like me before - he explained. - I implanted them with some of my own consciousness, and going to give them a bit of a crystal. If everything works correctly, it won¡¯t be easily noticeable, at least not until they will get back to their headquarters and then just trigger the miniature shower of shards that will implant some of my own essence in the rest of them. -Hm. Didn¡¯t you already have some of your ¡°men¡± on the inside? -I did in the MIRE. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s where those guys will go, though. -Military base then or something? -I assume so - he confirmed. - Stroke of luck. -Stroke of luck? -You have any idea how hard it is to get inside one? -Er¡­ I can imagine, but why the fuck would you want to even do that? -I learned my lesson. I need to start acting sooner or later. -Eh¡­ I thought you were done with the whole ¡°taking over the population¡± part when you got out of the prison island? -I thought so too - he said. - But, as you can see, we are still wanted criminals. -Your fault. Mostly. Besides, we escaped. Should be fine as long as we won¡¯t go back to that city, right? -Do you really believe that? Have you forgotten what times we are living in? -...? -Eh¡­ I know, we were stuck in that place where information was barely moving, but here, technology exists. And it¡¯s the same as it was, if not better. Which means escaping one city doesn¡¯t matter. -Then you shouldn¡¯t have been so reckless! - I said, annoyed. - I know, having her back would be amazing, but¡­ -You think that they would¡¯ve let us go? Don¡¯t lie to yourself - he scoffed. - We are criminals. Doesn¡¯t matter how long ago that was, we are going to be chased and prosecuted. There¡¯s no place to escape. -I guess the plan of holing up somewhere in the mountains wasn¡¯t the worst one, then. -Ha. Like you would¡¯ve ever been able to keep to yourself for that long. Sure, we have endurance and time, but then what? You are essentially still a prisoner. -At this point it sounds like staying back on that continent was the best scenario for us. -Maybe for you. For me, I still need my freedom. -But you said it yourself! It¡¯s impossible! We are still in the same situation. -For now. But I am planning on changing it - he said pointing to the men he ¡°converted¡±. -Sure, you got those guys. But that¡¯s a drop in the ocean! -I have time. I rolled my eyes. -Don¡¯t you try and tell me you¡¯re planning on fucking taking over the world. It¡¯s not just some small place you¡¯re talking to! I mean, sure, people died before and we probably culled quite a bit of the population¡­ This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. -We managed to kill a lot more than just ¡°quite a bit¡±, but I know what you¡¯re getting at. Yeah, there¡¯s still magnitudes more - he agreed. - That¡¯s why I am here right now. -What, you want to start converting remotely? Can you do that? -That¡­ huh. He paused for a moment. -I never thought about it, but no, that¡¯s not what I intend to do. Think, what was the last time I used¡­ We used a leyline for? Okay, no. I can be lenient. I can be apathetic to the point of it bordering on insane. But I am not repeating this. -Are you fucking insane?! - I barked at him. - Do you realize what you¡¯re talking about?! -Of course I do. He seemed a bit taken aback by my sudden outburst. -And here I thought you¡¯re finally done with insane ideas! -Insane! I will gladly be insane if I get to be back with her! Oh, so it¡¯s still about her? -You should know better that it¡¯s not possible! She is gone! All of them! -Gone?! Gone?! That, for some reason got under his skin. -She will never perish! Not until one of us is alive! - he continued his delusions. - You should feel it! We all are the same! -The same? Of course we are! And that¡¯s why she is gone! You managed to destroy her! -Me?! You¡¯re responsible as much as I am! -I was the one who have been absorbing people?! I was the one looking for her fragments?! If not for that, she¡¯d still be here! -In pieces! And none of those would be the same as her! -And what, it¡¯s better to have none?! -THAT¡¯S WHY I AM TRYING TO COMBINE HER! -AND HOW?! BY EATING UP EVERYONE THAT IS ALIVE?! -AND MORE! At this point, the argument started devolving into stupid screaming contest. It was a first one. Since I¡¯ve changed, I have not felt any strong emotions, yet now I was as livid as it gets. Kind of refreshing. But, that was not helping in the current situation. I honestly was glad that we were just arguing and not flinging spells at each other. Even though he technically had a numbers advantage. Well, it¡¯s not like they would do much, really¡­ Both of us knew that if it came to that, it would only have ended badly. Especially with a leyline nearby. I think he finally gave up. Not on his plan, no. On arguing with me. -Whatever. I don¡¯t need your presence. Go fuck off - he said, turning away from me, focusing again on the leyline in front of us. Oh, I would love to, but I simply cannot. Let him do whatever he pleases? Hell no. Last time I did that, a certain place¡¯s population got reduced to one digit number. But, I was not going to tell him that. Instead, I intended to pretend and just leave. In hindsight, it was pretty pointless. After all, he wasn¡¯t that dense to just forget me. Besides, even if I was trying to hide, there was no actual way to do it. Sure, I could try and suppress my own mana, but that would not happen with my current overcharged self. Probably should¡¯ve thought about that fact before, but oh well. In any case, it didn¡¯t matter anyway. Whatever the reason was, he didn¡¯t let me leave, despite his own words. Two of the men he controlled had stepped right in front of me, blocking my way. I, of course, called him out on that. -What, you changed your mind? -Pfh. Stop pestering me, I am busy. He was turned away, so he didn¡¯t see the people stopping me. Wait. That didn¡¯t make sense. He was controlling them, right? Not in the mood for his annoyances, I just shoved them away and wanted to walk past, but it was surprisingly hard. I mean, I had a fully charged body that was definitely more resilient and stronger than just some random soldier, no matter how jacked. But here, I actually had to put my weight into the effort, so they would actually step aside. Hell, not even that. I literally had to move them, their feet leaving a very clear imprint in the ground. -I swear, I¡¯ll break your toys next time if you¡¯re¡­ I didn¡¯t get to finish the sentence. The ¡°toy¡± I was speaking of had suddenly turned on me and grabbing me he put me in a headlock. He was trying to choke me out? -The fuck are you doing!? It, of course, was pointless. Both me talking and the guy choking. Not like that was going to stop me, of course. I instantly wanted to break out of his hold, but his technique was pretty good. Personally, I don''t have much idea about those, but I know when I am struggling. And if that was happening while I was using a literal rock to force myself out; that clearly means the person in question is quite competent. But, competent or not, it¡¯s not like a good old rocky fist to the face won¡¯t be able to fix, right? Before I managed that, though, Mike finally noticed my struggle. -The hell? What are you attacking those idiots for? I thought you were supposed to leave? - he asked, not hiding spite in his voice. -I? You¡¯re the one controlling them, aren¡¯t you? Let me go! - I said with my fist frozen in mid-swing. - Or I¡¯ll crack his skull open. -Well, I don¡¯t particularly care, one less or more, you should know that. You¡¯re the one attacking, though¡­ I looked at him confused. -The fuck are you on about? -Huh? He really didn¡¯t know. -I just went to leave. These idiots stopped me. You¡¯re telling me you didn¡¯t tell them to? -Well, no¡­ but they do have some autonomy. -Autonomy? To try and choke me to death? -We both know that won¡¯t work. And no, to defend themselves. I mean, it¡¯s not like I already had managed to break them completely, if someone tries to kill them of course they are going to react. -Puppets, my ass¡­ -Okay, if you must know, they are more like animals now¡­ - he said, annoyed. - Of course you can tame them, but what, you expect that they will let you kill them peacefully? Obviously not. That¡¯s why I need to be a bit roundabout with things and¡­ -Okay, enough! I had enough of both his ramblings and me being stuck in that weird position. -Fuck. Off. With two words, I punched the guy once in the dome and second time in the arm he was holding me. Obviously, both cracked, leaving him bloodied and me free. -There - I sighed. - Persistent little¡­ -And you say you weren¡¯t threatening them¡­ - mumbled Mike. - Whatever. Go. ¡°Fuck off¡±, as you just said. -It wasn¡¯t¡­ You know what? Yeah, I will. If he was going to play dumb, so can I. Survival instinct, yeah fucking right, that¡¯s the biggest bullshit I¡¯ve heard so far. But, my attempts at outplaying him at his own idiocy fell flat. Because the moment I even took a step, another one of the soldiers have lept towards me. -Being openly hostile, huh?- I barked. I wasn¡¯t going to let him jump me. I knew what was coming and one punch was enough for the guy to go down. Trained professionals or not, when you know what¡¯s going to happen, no amount of technique is going to help. I looked directly at Mike, prepared to receive another attack¡­ But that was not going to happen. At least not from him. Not yet. He looked¡­ stunned. Not by my display, of course. I haven¡¯t done anything that he could even remotely think remarkable. That look on his face made me think twice. Was he really not playing me this time? I could ask¡­ It¡¯s not like my ability to tell lies from truth was perfect, but it would be better than nothing. -Still think I am the one at fault? - I asked. - What are you doing!? -That¡­ that¡¯s not me! 268. Muddle It didn¡¯t seem like a lie¡­ -Then what the fuck that was?! - I pointed to two bodies lying on the ground, unmoving and bleeding slowly into the dirt. -Fuck if I know! - he sounded genuinely startled. - I¡¯ve converted many people like this, but this is a first! -¡±First¡± what?! -First time someone has resisted this much! I rolled my eyes. First time? -Come on, we both know that¡¯s bullshit. I know a certain subject that was definitely a lot more resistant and have¡­ -But that was different! -Different how?! I was not going to believe him any more. He was delusional. I had to keep my eye on the rest of those guys better. Who knows who was controlled and who was not? Was it possible that they all were just acting? Nah. I think that¡¯s a bit of an overreaction. But even then, being a bit more paranoid would probably do me some good¡­ -Different people! Don¡¯t tell me you want me to compare us to some random soldiers that appeared out of¡­ -Those soldiers were hired by the MIRE. -And you know how they treat their personnel! It¡¯s a win-win for them! It¡¯s either they come with us or get killed and don¡¯t need to pay. -Not so win-win if you convert them to your case. -I guess¡­ -They knew about you, remember? Meaning they had to undertake some kind of steps to counteract your tactics. -But how?! You can¡¯t just¡­ train something like that¡­ Can you? -Well, remember our dear friend Steve? -Who? -The janitor or whatever. Oh, come on, the slime. -Oh. -He did manage to resist. Multiple times even. -... He had no answer to that. -I am just saying, we should be a bit more careful. Especially you with that reckless approach. -Oh please, and you¡¯re better? It¡¯s not like you are so careful. -I am aware. But I am a bit more resistant to everything, so¡­ -Pff. Right. And¡­ He didn¡¯t finish, because from behind, another one of his, seemingly, mind-controlled people had approached him and swiped down his legs right from under it. -Ouch! What in the¡­ Just like the ones before, the man in question attempted to put him in a headlock and started choking him. In his case, though, it was a bit more effective. Well, if he was playing me, he was doing a damn good job at it. He genuinely seemed to struggle for breath. -Help¡­ - he managed to squeeze out. -What, can¡¯t cast a spell? -E¡­h¡­ you¡­ For a second there, I considered if I should. But my stupidity won almost immediately after. -Right, okay, okay¡­ I sighed and kicked the one choking him right in the face. Worked immediately. Not only did I break his nose, he got tossed a few meters back, joining the rest of the group. The group that has recently shrunk, thanks to my recent¡­ activities. -There. You again want to say that your body is better? He wanted to say something, but instead just started massaging his neck. -Could¡¯ve been faster¡­ - he finally squeezed out. - But thanks¡­ -You¡¯re welcome¡­ Still, do you think that I am the aggressor here? -No¡­ He turned to the remaining group, a lot more vigilant this time. -Move. He was trying to again command them. I honestly was doubting that it was going to work, but despite my skepticism, they still seemed to follow his orders. They started walking away from us and lined up on our right hand side, standing in a line. Hell, even the ones that were knocked out before followed the order, although a bit slower, joining the line last, struggling to stand. -Sit. Just like a bunch of dogs, they again followed his command. -I don¡¯t get it¡­ -What, the fact that I wasn¡¯t lying was so out there? -Don''t be stupid - he puffed. - It¡¯s about the way they behave! It, straight up, makes no sense to me. -Like so many things do nowadays¡­ - I said, rolling my eyes. - But I agree, this is more than strange. I slowly approached the line of people waiting for judgment. -I don¡¯t know if that''s a good idea. -Since when do you care about my well-being? -... -What? -I do need you for later. -Of course¡­ I didn¡¯t even think twice about that ominous sentence. Besides, I was a lot more resilient, so even if all of those idiots were to attack me at once I should be able to survive. If I didn¡¯t feel like being merciful, that is. Speaking of mercy, the three that I had knocked out before had stopped bleeding already. Seemed a bit strange, since I wasn¡¯t really trying to moderate my strength when I was attacking, and yet¡­ I looked closer at the trio that was at the edge of the row. Sure enough, they all were healed. At least it seemed like it: the wounds were already closed out, blood dried out and bruises almost disappeared. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Impressive resilience. Considering the fact that they were supposed to be some kind of military, I guess it shouldn¡¯t be that surprising that they managed to be faster at recuperation¡­ What about the more¡­ invasive damage, though? I am pretty sure that I did break some bones in at least one of them¡­ Yeah, the one that had trouble standing¡­ -Stand up - I said to the guy that I was standing in front of. -They only listen to me - immediately said Mike. - I made sure that¡­ But, despite his assurances, the guy stood up, looking directly at me. -The fuck?! Yeah, when I commanded him, I didn¡¯t exactly expect it to work. -This is getting even more weird - I commented, looking at the leg. It was clearly healed. That, or they guy suddenly was able to act so well even though he was in pain, but I doubt it. He¡¯d at least have trouble standing up, but nope. Damn. If that was me, I probably would¡¯ve just replaced the missing material with crystal. Mike probably would be able to heal himself normally after a while, but that was the problem. Time. -Those guys are good - I finally said, stepping back. - That¡¯s some quality healing right here. -Healing?! Who cares about that?! - almost yelled Mike. - How the hell did you control them?! -Ah¡­ Right. That was the main issue here. I sort of got distracted while inspecting the wounds. -You¡¯re the master at mind-control here, right? - I just said. - Tell me about it. -Don¡¯t act dumb! I know you have plenty of knowledge about this! -Plenty is still not enough to explain all this - I gestured broadly towards the bunch. - But I can try and guess. But I bet that it¡¯s going to be the same thing you figured out. -I figured out nothing! Talk! I rolled my eyes at him. Was he really going to pretend like he can¡¯t think of this much? -Fine. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s a secret or something. I think that they just mistook me for you. -MISTOOK?! Magic can make a ¡°mistake¡±?! What the fuck are you talking about?! He was pretty livid. -I didn¡¯t say that. I mean, come on, think for yourself. We all are similar, right? -In what regard?! -Oh for¡­ Mana, you moron! Weren¡¯t you the one that was aiming to do that yourself?! To absorb me and everyone else? -But you didn¡¯t¡­ -Yes, I didn¡¯t stay connected, but that doesn¡¯t mean we didn¡¯t get merged. You know that. -... He looked shocked. Why? Wait¡­ -You¡­ you didn¡¯t realize that? That you succeeded? -I didn¡¯t succeed. You got away. I didn¡¯t convert you¡­ -You didn¡¯t turn me into your battery, sure. But so what? -It¡¯s more than just a battery¡­ I intended to¡­ He cut himself off. He hesitated? I wonder what for? It¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t know. Or at least assume the worst. -Yes, yes. You wanted to connect all of us to hopefully remake Il, or at least attempt to get the most complete version - I finished for him. -I¡­ yes. But I didn¡¯t want to destroy your own consciousness in the process! I looked at him with a lot of doubt. Was he really that optimistic? -I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible. -You don¡¯t know that! It¡¯s not like she¡¯s¡­ -No, no. Not that - I said, shaking my head. - It probably is possible to get some kind of version of her back. I mean, I had one in my head a while ago. And so did you. -So? What¡¯s¡­ -But I don¡¯t believe there¡¯s a viable way to do it without doing some damage to others in the process. -You did survive! - he kept stubbornly talking. - I survived! Hell, even that stupid janitor did, when you extracted him! -Yeah. And how did that go for everyone? He lost his memories. -But regained them! -Pf¡­ yeah, about that¡­ I am not so sure. -What? He did attack us. -So? Doesn¡¯t mean he remembered everything. -... -What? -And I am the one assuming things? - he sighed. - Okay. And us? -Well, I am pretty sure you already noticed that both of us are unstable - I simply said. -Unstable¡­ -Unstable. Our decisions are chaotic. We don¡¯t really have a stable mind. -Speak for yourself. I feel absolutely fine. -Feel? So do I - I replied. - But that doesn¡¯t mean we act like that to outsiders. -My subjects never complained. I couldn¡¯t help but burst out laughing. -What? -Do you really believe that, of all people, your subjects would tell you the truth? -They had to. I¡­ -Yeah, yeah, you had your methods and shit. I am aware - I said. - Doesn¡¯t mean they could just¡­ be a bit sneaky. There are ways to avoid lying directly, you know. He went silent, pondering that for a moment. -Okay. We are unstable. So what does that mean to us? - he finally asked. - It¡¯s not like that is going to affect us that much. We are more than fine, right? I mean, we are. We function pretty normally right now. -Hm. Well, whatever. I am not going to debate that, it¡¯s besides the point. Let¡¯s get back on topic: those people aren¡¯t ONLY under your control. -I can see that now¡­ although I don¡¯t want to believe it¡­ - he finally said. - But¡­ How do we combat that? -We? I don¡¯t know. I mean, I will be fine. -... -Right, right. Can¡¯t you just absorb them and be done with it? -It would be a waste¡­ I did want to send them out¡­ -About that¡­ How exactly? It¡¯s not like they can teleport¡­ I mean, we can, but that doesn¡¯t mean we have a target. -Why not? I can just take anything from them and would be a good start? -And you think anything on their person would be remotely useful? I mean, anything charged enough? It¡¯s not like you can get a pair of socks and use that. -I probably could¡­ - he admitted. - Although the accuracy would be ass. -¡±Ass¡±? More like you¡¯d be shooting at random. -Well¡­ -I know that you know. There are issues with those teleports! Don¡¯t tell me you have no plan? -I never intended to do this in the first place! - he immediately started assuring me. - I thought I had a bit more time, that¡¯s all. -Well¡­ That¡¯s a bit tricky¡­ We sort of do, since they seem to be behaving fine recently¡­ -Who knows how long that¡¯s going to last¡­ -True¡­ Okay then, if you had time, what would you do? -It¡¯s not what I would do, it¡¯s what they would do - he corrected me. - I would¡¯ve just send them walking back to the city. -Walking? I had to be sure I heard him right. Was he insane? -Yeah. -And how the fuck would that help!? They would be dead long before they arrived! They aren¡¯t some weird mana creatures like us! I must remind you, we have had a long journey to get here! -You worried about them? -No! -So what¡¯s the problem? They start walking, hoverer long it¡¯s going to take, I don¡¯t care. If they die, they die. That works for me. If they live, they are going to be perfect puppets to spread my influence in the city. And maybe further. -¡±Spread your influence¡±, right, of course. That¡¯s if someone won¡¯t snap out again. -Yeah¡­ That is the main issue now. -I wonder¡­ Can we do something to prevent that? - I asked, tossing the question into the aether. -Too much effort, too little gain. -So you do have an idea - I pointed out. - Care to share? -It¡¯s nothing that''s certain. Nor is it really anything pleasant. -Uh-uh. Of course¡­ Not pleasant for you, or not pleasant to them? -Please¡­ - he said, giving me a sideways look. - I do not care about them. It¡¯s me I am worried about. And to answer the question: both. -Mhm. Elaborate. -It¡¯s simple: I just increase the amount of crystal they have. Manually that is. -I can see how that would be unpleasant. And I feel like ¡°unpleasant¡± is a bit of an understatement when it comes to them. -Pff. Whatever. His reaction confirmed my suspicions. He most likely just intended to stab them with pieces of the crystal that were formed from his body. And since his distaste for crystallizing his own body has not disappeared, hence it being ¡°unpleasant¡±. -I get it, but how would that help? - I asked. - It¡¯s not like the amount of the crystal would change much¡­ -Change much? Look at yourself. Your body''s a lot more resistant to anything! -Well, yes. But are we trying to make them more pain in the ass to deal with? Do I need to remind you that you almost got choked out by one of those guys? Imagine how that would go if he had the capability of my own body. -Yeah, right. But you forget something. Doesn¡¯t our crystal also house a certain presence inside it? -Weren¡¯t all of it supposed to be inside yours¡­? -No! I mean, yes, but it¡¯s not what I mean. I meant our own mind, not Il. -Ah. So you¡¯re hoping that pieces of your mind would overpower the other one, if they were enhanced like that? -Yep. -I see¡­ That might work, but that¡¯s it. Might only. -That¡¯s why I said it¡¯s little gain for a lot of risk. -Hmm¡­ He was right. And in the worst case, we would¡¯ve just handed our enemies a perfect way to combat our own bodies. By giving them a copy. And maybe even more? Who knows how advanced they were? If they still had some researchers, it¡¯s not far-fetched that they would be able to repeat the same process he was talking about and create their own band of controlled soldiers. That is if they weren¡¯t doing that already. 269. Pests -So¡­ We just dump them¡­? Just like that? - I asked. -I know, it¡¯s wasteful. But I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any other way. That is besides just killing them on the spot. Honestly, I didn¡¯t want to admit it, but it sounded like the best option. Was not going to say that out loud. Not yet at least. -Well, okay. So let¡¯s go. But where? -That can be discussed later - he replied. - If what we said is really true, we can¡¯t be sure that someone isn¡¯t listening in. -Sure¡­ He turned his attention to the remaining group. -Stay here. After we leave, go back to your home. -Hmm¡­ -What, want me to say ¡°home¡± or something? -Nah, just wondering how well they can even follow the orders from far away. -Should be well enough. Distance usually didn¡¯t matter. I mean, you were the witness, that is if we were correct about them being controlled by something else. -Fair enough. Let¡¯s move. He nodded and we started walking away. At first slowly, we started picking up the pace when we lost sight of them. I was about to ask him if we wanted to enhance ourselves more, but he beat me to it. -Let¡¯s not go overboard with enhancing - he said. - This way we can see what they¡¯ll do first. -Okay. Sure enough, they soon started moving. I am uncertain what they thought was ¡°after we leave¡± but it did seem like more than just leaving their sight. -I guess we left their range of magical perception - commented Mike the moment they started moving. -Hmm. Maybe. That was most likely the case. The two of us were a lot more skilled in that ability. But even then, it did take a considerable amount of time for us to get out of range. Probably my fault to be honest. I was charged after all. Oh, speaking of. -Right¡­ I was wondering, didn¡¯t you want to use that leyline for something? We kind of got interrupted. -Yeah. But it¡¯s more important to get clear of those annoyances. I can find another one later. -Those are that easy to find now? -Check yourself. I bet you can feel it when we run past. What was he even on about? Leylines, sure, are under us almost everywhere, but it¡¯s not like you can tap into them in any spot. The places where they cross usually have the weakest boundaries and leak into the environment. Was he saying that those crossings were common here? No, that¡¯s impossible. There couldn¡¯t be that many crossings anywhere close, but¡­ I did feel sudden bright spots when we were passing by. Not crossings, though. -What¡­ What is this place? - I asked out loud, not sure what to think of it. -It¡¯s nothing special. It¡¯s just what we made. -What we made? -You think our stupidity only affected leyline crossings? Hell no. We ripped even through regular ones. -You¡¯re telling me that it¡¯s still leaking because of the first experiment? -It¡¯s healed a lot since then - he said. - It¡¯s barely anything now. -Barely anything? I barely can tell the difference between this and when everything started. -You¡¯re fucking with me. -Told you that we messed up more than you think. But that doesn¡¯t matter now. What about our would-be pursuers? -Can¡¯t you feel them yourself? -Not any more. Oh? I guess I had more range than him. That¡¯s curious. What that many people absorbed, I thought he¡¯d be at least as proficient at that as me. That was good to know. -Can¡¯t feel much. As far as I am aware, they are retreating - I said after a moment of consideration. - But I can¡¯t feel any spell-based mana. -Just them? -Yeah. Just them. -Hm. Yeah, it was a bit strange. If they were really controlled, then for sure they would do something the moment we left them alone. At this point, we had to be outside their range of perception, right? -This is tricky. I¡­ I think I spoke too soon. The moment I was to voice my worries, I noticed a change in their behaviour. It wasn¡¯t something as noticeable as their mana shifting, or any other weird disturbance, no. They were gathering together in one spot. Like someone had called a meeting or something. -Oh, never mind. Something¡¯s happening - I said and immediately explained to Mike what I noticed. He seemed startled and a bit concerned. -I guess¡­ They gained back their sentience? -Excuse me? -Doesn¡¯t that sound like they gathered to talk things out? You said gathering ¡°like a meeting¡±, right? -I guess. But weren¡¯t they supposed to be some kind of military? -Yeah. So? Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. -Wouldn¡¯t then they just make a line or some shit? A general would step up? Or whoever is in charge? -Did it look like they had some kind of a leader? -When they attacked, sort of? But now¡­ I focused again, but couldn¡¯t tell. Nor from power, nor from positioning. They were just a one big clump of people. -Hard to tell. Fuck, I don¡¯t know. -We probably should assume that they are planning something. -What about your command? They just ignored it? -Maybe? At this point, I am not sure about those working at all any more. A fair assumption. I know how those types of magic were. ¡°Reliable¡± wasn¡¯t the first word that came to mind. -We probably should speed up - I pointed out. -Mm¡­ yeah. I guess there¡¯s no point in waiting any more. If someone was to attack us again, they would¡¯ve done that already. -Probably. Let¡¯s¡­ I stopped mid-sentence, because I felt something. I didn¡¯t notice any mana, really, it was more like some kind of instinct that made me hesitate. Strangely, the same could be said about Mike. -Something¡¯s wrong¡­ - he said, quickly scouting the surroundings. -There¡¯s no mana nearby - I said after confirming it once more. - But¡­ you too¡­? -What? -I don¡¯t know! I also feel like something¡¯s not right¡­ He looked at me inquisitively, but said nothing. And, a moment later, nothing was needed to be said, because we realized what the source of this unsettling feeling was. It was below us. At our feet, something shot up from the ground. It was no wonder why we didn¡¯t notice it¡¯s mana. Since the soil was also infused, thanks to the nearby leylines and overall richness of the forest, it also had masked the approaching danger. It was a long, greenish-brown vine. It definitely had plenty of power, because the moment it emerged, I almost got blinded by its mana, and that¡¯s an achievement in itself. The creature, the moment it emerged from the ground, immediately grew another sprout, and sent both of them towards each of us. I had to thank my strange instinct for warning me. If not for that, I wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge the attack. Hell, even with that I felt the green, spiky mass graze my cheek before I was able to jump away and slap it as hard as I could, draining some of its magic. Even though it was ¡°just¡± a plant, I could tell that it actually managed to leave a rather large scar on my face. I, of course, filled it in at a moments notice, but the fact that it had the power to crack the Origin Crystal was making me a bit nervous. Speaking of nervousness... Mike didn¡¯t have that much luck. He got pierced right through the stomach. Even knowing how his body works¡­ ir well, rather assuming a lot of things, it definitely got me startled. I mean, seeing someone get impaled right in front of you was enough. And on top of that, the sheer force of the impact raised him off the ground, making him struggle in the air. -AAH! His yell reminded me that he, obviously, was not dead yet, so I immediately took action. -Lmophu! - I said, slapping my right forearm and leaping towards the spike that he was hanging from. As I reached the vine, my arm had already transformed. I changed my right arm into one sharp blade, or rather just a sharpened crystal spike, with which I swiped at the vine, attempting to slice it off and let him down. It¡­ sort of worked. First off, the creature was hard. Harder than expected. Sure, it managed to wound me, but I didn¡¯t think that if I was to put my mind to it, I would¡¯ve had a hard time slicing it. I did manage to give it a solid wound, but it was more like chopping a tree: I would need to swing a couple more times for it to fall. Of course, I went ahead and started that process, but that¡¯s where the creature retaliated. I mean, I expected it. It wasn¡¯t just a random tree. But again, even if it was, I am not so sure if an insanely infused tree wouldn¡¯t retaliate either. In any case, it wasn¡¯t just a tree. From the ground, two more vines emerged, aiming right at me. While I was pretty sure that it wouldn¡¯t hurt me much, I decided to defend anyway. Remembering my old dealings with vines and other creatures of forest origin, I recited a spell that I haven¡¯t used in a while. -Sophuk fi geksu, dosleyy nop, nus. It¡¯s been a hot second since I¡¯ve used any full incantation, so maybe that¡¯s why the spell was a lot more powerful than I expected. That, or maybe it was the fact that I had recently absorbed a¡­ little bit of mana from a leyline. I intended to create a ring of fire around me to get rid of the plant, but instead I summoned an inferno. It was just like I turned into an epicenter of a rather large fireball. Enhanced or not, it worked almost instantly. The vine got set on fire and the moment the flames started eating through the tentacle it immediately released Mike and dove right back underground. It was pretty hard to see from under the fire, but I could sense Mike¡¯s mana fall to the ground. The following noise also made me certain that he was either unconscious or, judging by his mana being still very active, just weakened by the wound. -Where did this come from?! - I said from behind the flames, but didn¡¯t get a very encouraging response. Instead, I just heard a moan of pain mixed with a bunch of cursing. Well, at least I knew he was still present. Mindwise, that is. Taking off my attention from him, I focused again. Where did the creature go? So far, I assumed it was just hiding under ground, but even though I focused on solely searching the soil under my feet, I didn¡¯t feel a thing. -I don¡¯t know, but don¡¯t stop! - I heard from him, a bit strained, but his voice was more annoyed than anything. Of course, he was not going to wait idly. -I¡¯ll smoke it out, you burn it! -Sure! The moment he heard me agree, I felt a rather large mana pool gather and release right next to me. It was directed downwards, and made the ground shake so hard I had trouble standing up. While that was happening, I decided to take a bit more control of my own spell. Sure, it was mostly what I wanted, but not what I needed right now. Following his example, I directed my attention towards the ground, and formed a barrier between me and the soil. If his spell had worked, the moment the creature appeared it would bounce away from the fiery wall at worst, and at best it would get turned to ash before it even managed to realize what¡¯s going on. But despite all that shaking and noise, nothing came out of the ground. Both of us were waiting for it to emerge again, one passively holding fire on the ready, the other actively pouring his mana into an earthquake. Finally, the attack came. But not from the ground. Something hit me at the back of the neck. It hit at least as hard as the vine before, so expecting the creature I turned around, directing my flames at it¡­ Just for me to see a covered face of a person in a military uniform. -The fuck¡­?! Like some weird rain, people started falling from the portals opened far above our heads. The hit I felt was one of those people straight up punching me in the head with the gloved fist. The hell was that made of? Even metal would do less damage. Being preoccupied by the vine-creature, I failed to notice them preparing portals leading right above our heads. I didn¡¯t have time to change my spell, nor would I really in the current situation. After all, I had enough of those guys and some pain would hopefully teach them a lesson to not pester us any more. But, despite the flames definitely reaching my target, he didn¡¯t even flinch. He just swung his fist, this time hitting me square in the jaw. -Ow! He flew past me and another one appeared in his place, falling down. It seems like our group that was supposedly ordered to leave us alone had teleported right above our heads and started an air raid. And I mean that literally, because the moment they landed on the ground, they pushed themselves up, jumping high up, almost to where the portals were located a moment ago. Some still on fire from my flames that easily were spreading among them. And nearby trees. -Damn persistent¡­ Mike! He wasn¡¯t in a better situation either. For a second, I thought that it might have been some kind of his plan, but seeing a rather large wound on his cheek and a bloody nose, I had to conclude otherwise. -What do you¡­ I didn¡¯t even get to finish my thought, not even mention the sentence, before I got hit again. I swear they had metal inside those gloves¡­ Wait. Weren¡¯t those people the same ones that we were dealing with before? Were they wearing gloves before? I honestly couldn''t remember, but that made me take a bit closer look at what exactly was hitting me¡­ And instantly realized why I was getting hurt. Their hands were covered with crystals. 270. Hollow It was similar to when I healed Mike. Their knuckles had embedded pieces of crystal within them. It looked like someone just punched a wall and had it splinters wedge under their skin. Unsettling, but working. A bit inferior version, compared to myself, but still effective against us. Well, you didn¡¯t need that much to be effective against Mike. Just as if to confirm that, he got punched once more in the face, assaulted by a hive of people, jumping up and down like a swarm of angry fleas. I think he had enough, because he finally managed to get himself together enough to cast a spell. How effective, though¡­ I think he was inspired by me, because he tossed a fireball right in the middle of the bunch. Honestly, not the best choice, since everything around us was already on fire, including many people. And yet, they didn¡¯t seem to care. Was that also because of the Crystal¡­? Nah, don¡¯t think so. They weren¡¯t completely turned, so their bodies should be similar to Mike. Meaning, they would be able to feel pain and be burned¡­ Sure, they could extinguish the flames of the spell before they made contact, or even maybe later if they put their mind to it and used some kind of magic, but it didn¡¯t look like any of them were bothering with that. On the contrary, they were just taking the fire like it was nothing. Were they really not affected¡­? Well, if not fire, then let¡¯s use something else. It¡¯s not like I am limited to one element, really. I focused, ending my previous spell and zapped the nearest target with the simplest lightning spell there was. -Gymnu. It was supposed to be a simple lightning, but I summoned a rather massive lightning strike from my palm. I guess being overcharged was showing its effects. But, overcharged or not, it didn¡¯t seem to have any effect on the person. It did catch me off guard and made me eat another rather hefty punch to the face. Despite their tactics being monotonous and seemingly almost automatic, they were surprisingly agile and responsive. I could tell that it wasn¡¯t that the spell didn¡¯t have any effect. Instad, they just managed to absorb my spell in less than a second. But, despite the fact that the spell vanished, it still made an impact. True, the magic was absorbed, but not before it made contact. And that was enough to fry a person alive. I mean, a regular person. Definitely not those creatures, though. I guess to repeat until it works, huh? -They are proficient with the crystal - I barked, annoyed, half to myself, half to Mike. I am not sure if he heard me over the fire spells he was tossing. I don¡¯t know why, but he seemed convinced that fire would be the best against them. -Don¡¯t toss shit so recklessly, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s going to work better that way! - I complained while again zapping a target in front of me. I mean, it wouldn¡¯t really hurt us¡­ At least it shouldn¡¯t. I think. -Hey, are you even listening?! Didn¡¯t seem so. Damn. Instead of listening, he was getting more and more annoyed. -Stop. Being. So. Persistent! With every word he was sending yet another save of spells, and with every single one he was getting hit. Talk about pointless. Hell, I wasn¡¯t better. Sure, I switched spells, but it didn¡¯t seem like it had made a significant difference. But at least I wasn¡¯t burning down the forest. Any more, that is. The remaining fire was still raging. That, and Mike. I honestly was starting to get worried. It was the first time I¡¯ve seen such persistent and resistant enemies. It seemed like no matter how powerful the spell was, they were just shrugging off the damage and coming after us. That is until one finally lost a leg. It was after one significantly brighter fireball that Mike tossed. I am not sure if he even intended that. Probably only got more annoyed and infused a bit too much mana into it, because it also exploded violently, sending sparks all over the place. -Fucking finally! - he yelped, but almost instantly had to shut up, because the same person had stood up and, now with one leg, jumped once more at him. I would laugh, if not for me being in a similar situation. Up till now I already used other elements as well, to a similar effect. And by that I mean to no effect. I was thinking that we probably were going to have to straight up outlast them, or overcharge them. Sure, it would be dangerous, at least for Mike, but I probably would be fine on my own. I already proved that my own capacity was completely off the charts, and I couldn¡¯t see them having just stray pieces of Crystal being more powerful than me. Sure, they did manage to hurt me, but none of those wounds were permanent enough; I could just regenerate almost immediately. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. The only issue was them not using spells against us. That would give us an upper hand, having an infinite battery for the fight.. I could follow his lead¡­ for now. If that was not going to work, I guess using their own tactics would probably be advisable¡­ -Eh¡­ -AH-AH! Just as I was considering that, he finally managed to deal a bit more serious blow. And I mean it. He just decapitated a man. I am not certain why that happened. I mean, to chop someone''s head off using an exploding ball of fire was something else. But, I realized he was no longer using fire like that. I am not certain when, but in between regular fireballs, he started sending towards them beams of heated air. Or at least that¡¯s what it looked like from what I could see. -Progress! - he yelled, looking triumphantly at me. I am not sure if anyone should be happy about something like that. But, in any case, his triumph was short-lived. Because the same person he just freed of their head had stood up and punched him in the face. -WHAT!? Yeah, what? That was more than just them being unable to feel pain. They were straight up walking dead right now. Wait¡­ Was that it? I took a bit closer look at the people attacking. Would that really be the case¡­? My memories raced to the time when I was attacked by something that would be similar to a zombie¡­ A long time ago, when some people were manipulated by a bunch of strange vines¡­ Which were very similar to what just moments ago had sprung from the ground¡­ -They are already dead! - I yelled towards Mike. -And so what?! -Means that someone is controlling them from outside! -No wonder they weren¡¯t obedient! While ¡°talking¡± we were definitely not being left alone. About every half sentence one of us was getting hit with an enhanced fist to the various extremities. I didn¡¯t care much. Even though getting cracked, I was healing myself pretty quickly and didn¡¯t have much trouble keeping up with the assault. Mike had more problems, but even though bleeding and swollen, he still was standing firm and didn¡¯t seem to care either. -But what do you expect me to do with that information?! - he yelled, tossing yet another spell at our adversaries. -I think you had a good idea before - I replied and prepared myself. Sure, the best way to get rid of them would be to sever the connection. But how? I wasn¡¯t sure about that. If not that, though, the best way to pacify them would be dismemberment¡­ Not very clean. But, corpse or not, effective. I focused on my hands. It¡¯s not the first time I changed my body to a blade¡­ but it would be the first time I¡¯ve tried purposefully¡­ disarming. I didn¡¯t have time to doubt myself or even were in the mood to do so, I just started swinging. I expected blood and gore¡­ But got that only in minor amounts. It was surprising. Apparently, since they were corpses already, there was not much blood to be spilled from them. Also, I expected a lot more resistance. I mean, they weren¡¯t even trying to dodge or shield themselves. Was the one controlling them thinking that the Origin Crystal would shield them from harm? It definitely didn¡¯t. Especially because it seemed like they only had minor traces of it inside their bodies. And even those were mostly in their fists that they were using to attack us. It felt like cutting through ribbon. Mike also changed his approach. He didn¡¯t modify his body, though. He slammed his hands into the ground, grabbing two solid chunks of earth that immediately hardened into rocks. Then, swiping both fists in a long motion he sharpened both of them into long blades. Neat. But I wonder why didn¡¯t he use his plant-halberd thing? I mean, it would be, pretty much, the same effect. I wanted to ask, but another attack from those mercs made me reconsider. You can say many things about those guys, no matter if they were controlled or not: they were tough. Sure, most of it probably was just because they were just puppets being manipulated from the safety of a warm room, but even then, their bodies were something else. At first, cutting them down was as easy as it gets: one swipe and the unlucky extremity was promptly detached. But, they learned immediately after. And that¡¯s saying something. I am not sure if between the two of us we managed to cut four people down, when we started having trouble actually dealing damage. And no, they didn¡¯t start moving faster or something that simple, no. It was their bodies that answered. Or, to be precise, the pieces of Origin Crystal that were inside them. Even though few and far inbetween, they started moving from just their palms to their joints. Hell, I am not sure if they moved or just started multiplying on the spot. Most likely both. But, despite that, it wasn¡¯t giving them much room to breathe. Sure, we had to swipe once or twice more to actually disarm a person, but so what? We still were doing fine. It was just a matter of time. Time that they didn¡¯t have. -Damn¡­ - I sighed after I successfully confirmed that that was indeed the last of the soldiers. - This was¡­ grim. -Eh, could be worse - said Mike, shrugging. - At least we aren¡¯t covered in blood right now. True. Just as I noticed before, they weren¡¯t bleeding much. And after the later ¡°hardening¡±, not even a drop of blood was spilled. -Yeah¡­ but still¡­ -Don¡¯t be such a wuss. -Sorry for not being acclimated to the sight of a pile of wiggling dismembered corpses. Yeah. Right in front of us, there was a rather large pile of body parts. But that wasn¡¯t the weirdest thing. That was the fact that the pile in question was moving like it was a living creature¡­ Well, it wasn¡¯t that far off. -Even now they are still alive¡­ - commented Mike with something reminding awe in his voice. - Can¡¯t believe it¡­ -I told you, they weren¡¯t alive¡­ but I agree. This is unbelievable. -The hell are we supposed to do with this? - he asked, stepping closer to the pile and poking one of the hands. It did react. It wanted to grab him, but since it was just a piece, there was no way for it to reach him, and it just started wiggling, like it was a fish, freshly removed from the water. -You ask me? -Yes. If that was up to me, I would¡¯ve burned them a long time ago, and¡­ -And you¡¯d be fucked. Your mana would only be absorbed. -There are other, more manual ways to set something on fire - he pointed out. -And would you ever use such a method? - I asked, not hiding my annoyance. - Let¡¯s be frank for a second. -Eh¡­ probably not. -Doesn¡¯t matter. Still need to burn them¡­ -I mean, we can always bury them and be done with it. -Bury? And the next day, or the next hour, deal with walking dead? No thank you. -Like they were any better. Besides, in the next hour we would be on the other side of the world. -Fair¡­ But escaping¡­ -What, not your style? -Eh¡­ I¡¯d rather not. But if survival is at stake, I¡­ -Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t let you die. I looked at him with irritation. What, he thought of himself as some kind of babysitter? That my powers were inferior? I¡¯ll show him! -Fuck it. Go for it. Let¡¯s burn those and we¡¯re gone from here. -Good decision Both of us started gathering dry wood before we even realized. 271. Abundance It all went so smoothly and without a single hitch¡­ -I don¡¯t like this¡­ -It¡¯s just wood. -I know. And I don¡¯t mean this - he pointed to the wood. - Don¡¯t you feel like it¡¯s a bit strange that they are¡­ letting us do this? -First you try to convince me and then have second thoughts? Make up your damn mind¡­ -I don¡¯t¡­ I just think we should be careful. -And I agree. Their inaction is probably just because whoever was controlling those had finally run out of mana. -Hm. Maybe. Yeah, since we put a rather large pile of dry wood on top of those bodies, they stopped moving. And it¡¯s not like they got crushed by the weight. But now, when I think of it, we probably could crush them, just to be safe¡­ That is, if fire won¡¯t burn them completely. -Got it¡­ - mumbled Mike, carrying a makeshift torch. Well, it was just a branch of wood that he picked up from one of the numerous burning trees nearby. Since our fight, some of the trees have been set on fire. We did stop the spread the moment we were relatively safe, but he kept one burning. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re not going to cause another fire in a moment¡­ -Here goes nothing¡­ And, he tossed the branch into the pile. I was a bit worried that fire was not going to catch, but it was unnecessary. The moment it touched the pile it ignited like it was soaked in fuel. Well, it sort of was, considering the amounts of mana that were still inside those bodies¡­ And since they were now dormant, supposedly that is, it meant there was nothing containing the residual energy that promptly ignited the moment of contact. -Hm¡­ I expected¡­ I don¡¯t know, something - I commented. -It is going a bit too well, right? - he agreed with me. -Yeah¡­ I guess they were really dead. I mean, of course they were, but I thought they would, I don¡¯t know, start moving again? Jump up? Try to escape? Something. -Hm. Yeah, well, they still smell like shit. True. The mix of burned human flesh combined with smoke from some random synthetic substances that were inside their clothes was hard to bear. Even for me. If I had a regular nose, I probably would be choking somewhere in the corner. Mike only managed to be relatively nearby because he was actively manipulating air near him, and even then he had to take a step away. Everything went smoothly. Absolutely nothing happened, and after all of that, we were left staring at a pile of ash with some pieces of crystal. -Soo¡­ no firestorms¡­ no nothing¡­? -I am honestly disappointed - I said, agreeing with this going so smoothly. - But I guess that¡¯s a welcome change from¡­ everything. -Mh. -Okay. Well, what now? -What do we do with this? - he asked, gesturing towards the pile of ash. -I mean¡­ absorbing those would be probably the best¡­ Can you? -Probably¡­ but I¡¯d rather not. -What, still having second thoughts about crystallizing your flesh? -Yes. Especially when you put it like that? -Like what? -Nothing. Besides, don¡¯t you think that those are¡­ somewhat tainted? -You suddenly care about them being from dead people? Or¡­ -Of course not - he said dryly. - I am more concerned about them being inside people that were controlled. -You think that draining those might give¡­ whoever that was, somewhat of a backdoor access? -Yeah. -Hm¡­ Maybe¡­ But first off, how do you even think I¡¯d be able to drain those? Or you for that matter? I thought the pieces were almost immune to that. -Pieces of real Origin Crystal. Sure. Like you. But I bet those are inferior. I wasn¡¯t so sure about that. But, I agreed with him that trying that would be a bit of a stupid idea. -Why not just leave them? - I asked after a moment of consideration. -What? -Just let them stay here. I mean, it¡¯s not like they are going to possess anything. -Well¡­ there are animals here, you know? It wouldn¡¯t be too hard for something like this to get eaten. Hell, even if some curious squirrel would try picking it up¡­ -We¡¯d get a mutated magical squirrel after us? -As stupid as that sounds, yes. -Fuck¡­ bury it maybe? Wouldn¡¯t that minimize the chances? -I guess we can¡­ but I don¡¯t think it matters much. -Why? -I mean¡­ Let¡¯s say it really gets taken by some animal and is going to chase us. Then what? It¡¯s not like there¡¯s going to be something more dangerous than a human. And there are plenty of those after us anyway. -Maybe. But, speaking of, they¡¯ve been quiet recently. Sure, we destroyed the initial attack, but I thought they would¡¯ve found us by now. -I am worried too¡­ -Do you think¡­ They lost us? -It¡¯s not like we¡¯ve even moved. That¡¯s not possible. -That¡¯s actually a good point: we probably should move. -Yeah. -And we¡¯re leaving this¡­ just here? -I¡¯ll just¡­ He waved his hand and a pile of dirt had been pulled out of the ground, leaving a nice spot for us to bury it. Stolen story; please report. I say ¡°us¡±, but he just pushed it back along with the soil he was holding and quickly slapped it back down, leaving only some disturbed ground. -That was fast. -Doubt it¡¯ll help much, but at least it¡¯s something. -Hm. With that, we started moving away. -So, where¡¯re we going? -I don¡¯t know - he replied, surprising me. -What?! I almost stopped. -What? You think I have an atlas in my head? I have no clue where we are. -I thought you knew the city! -Yeah. Sort of. But it¡¯s been a while. And I knew the city, not the fucking jungle outside. I only vaguely knew about a few things, that¡¯s it. -So what are we even doing now?! -Waiting. -We could¡¯ve done that while standing still. -You know what I mean! We are trying to escape¡­ -I am not stupid, I know where we¡¯re standing. I mean, not literally. And that¡¯s the main problem. -So you know as much as I do. Hell, from my perspective, you know more about this place than me. You found us that shack and all¡­ -Not like it helped. And I was just lucky. -Sure¡­ but still. If you have that much luck, why not try to lead us somewhere? Not like it matters much¡­ -Gh¡­ I didn¡¯t like it, but he had a point. I could try and find something¡­ Luck aside, I did have the furthest range if it came to detecting mana¡­ To be honest, recently I¡¯ve been a bit slacking on scouting¡­ I mean, I¡¯ve had a lot on my mind and outside of it, but that shouldn¡¯t be an excuse. -Eh¡­ Let me take a look¡­ I tried to open my mind and scout around a little bit, but it was harder than expected. Mostly because there were a lot of distractions nearby, including the leyline that was still not that far off. Not only that, but if there was anyone chasing us that was on the weaker side of mana, their presence would¡¯ve been completely masked by the blinding light that it was emitting. Hopefully we weren¡¯t. But, if we were and they were weak, they shouldn¡¯t be much of an issue to deal with, right? Well, I knew that was not true. Especially if they would band together. And, on top of that there was still the issue of those magical guns. They weren¡¯t really emitting much of an aura, and yet could pack a punch. And, of course, there were still the suicidal maniacs¡­ I definitely have not forgotten them. But, what I forgot was the creature that attacked us before. Well, to be honest, I did have it in the back of my mind, but I suppose I did assume that it was dealt with along with the military people. -It doesn¡¯t seem like we are being pursued¡­ - I said out loud. - Can¡¯t really tell much because the leyline¡­ We probably should get further out so I can get a better reading¡­ -Good idea. Sure, the idea was good. And seemingly easy to do, right? As we realized, not so much. The forest was absolutely flooded with leylines. I mean, sure, leylines are everywhere under us, like blood vessels of the planet. But just like them, they are hidden deep below. You know, to protect the ¡°blood¡±. Not in this place. Here, it looked like every other turn, we were looking at yet another one that was spilling out of the ground and infusing everything around it. And blocking my vision¡­ -What is wrong with this place?! - I finally said, after seeing a third one in a span of ten minutes. - It¡¯s like the whole network of those is spilling out! -That is¡­ concerning¡­ - agreed with me Mike. - I knew this place was supposed to be infused¡­ but to this extent? -Damn¡­ -Well, at least I guess it didn¡¯t matter we buried those Crystals¡­ Didn¡¯t matter what we did, mana is everywhere here¡­ -That does not fill me with confidence. -Hm. Let¡¯s leave that for later¡­ Have you found anything? -Told you, can¡¯t see shit with that much mana in the air. The best I can do is to lead us to another leyline, plenty of those everywhere. -Well, I did need it¡­ although now it¡¯s going to be a bit pointless¡­ -Pointless? -Never mind. Sure, we can go. It¡¯s not like we have a better target¡­ -Okay¡­ That was weird. He ¡°did¡± need it? Why not now? Before I could ask, though, he told me himself. -I just wanted to spread my influence a bit more - he explained. - But, since we have lost our connection to the world, I can¡¯t do shit. Besides absorbing mana, that is. -Okay¡­ so why go then? -Do you have a better idea? It¡¯s either that or walk forward until we randomly find something. Or we¡¯re found by something. -I was lucky, so I guess we could try that¡­ - I mumbled. - But you¡¯re right. Let¡¯s go. -Hm. I turned us towards the closest strong signature. I was thinking if I should choose a weaker one, to maybe test the waters a little bit, but I doubt it would¡¯ve changed anything. It didn¡¯t even take five minutes for us to get there. Where? Well, the leyline was¡­ -Just an empty field? -What, you don¡¯t believe me? - I asked. -I am not blind, I can sense the mana too, you know - he said. - Although it is not as overwhelming as the first one¡­ -Seems so. Does it matter? -No. Of course it¡¯s going to be weaker, I would¡¯ve heard if it was stronger. -Speaking of. How did you even know about the first one? - I asked. - And since you knew, why didn¡¯t you know about the ones further away? This place is just a literal sea of mana, I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s just forest here. -I¡­ He froze. -What? -I¡­ I actually don¡¯t know. -You¡­ don¡¯t know? What does that mean!? -I don¡¯t fucking know! He seemed absolutely flabbergasted. -What, you forgot? Having this many people inside you had finally taken its toll? -NO! I mean, I only take in information from the ones I am focusing on, rest is in the back as energy, but that¡¯s besides the point! I am sure that¡¯s not from any of those! -What, so that information just randomly popped inside your head? -Would you believe me if I said yes? I was about to answer, but stopped myself. The truth is, I actually could believe that. I had, after all, had a similar experience. But¡­ was that it? -That doesn¡¯t sound too good¡­ - I muttered. -No shit. -No, I mean it. You sure you aren¡¯t just getting it from some other person you absorbed. Maybe¡­ a certain person. He immediately understood what I meant. -No. She is gone. I mean, the connection. The only one I am getting is¡­ well, you. I mean, I have some other links, but nothing that could¡­ -You are connected to me? -So are you. I mean, it¡¯s not some fucking wi-fi if you think¡­ -I know, I know. Just remembered that she said she could still connect to her servers, so I thought that might be it. -Hm¡­ nah. And besides, weren¡¯t those our old servers? I doubt there would be any information about this place¡­ -That is, unless they updated it. MIRE is clearly active. -They are, but you think they are so stupid they used our old servers? -Probably. -Eh¡­ Fuck, even if you¡¯re right¡­ I think I would¡¯ve known if it came from there¡­ -How? I mean, when I had flashes from her, I didn¡¯t have much idea about them besides not being mine. If I didn¡¯t know who I was with, I would be so confused. Even with that I was confused. -Sure. But it¡¯s not my first time. I know how those memories feel. This is something completely different. -Uh-uh¡­ I sort of didn¡¯t want to believe him, but I had no reason to. He did, in fact, have the most experience with that kind of thing, so I guess he knew better. But if so then, what was that? I wanted to say that it was just some memories of the janitor he took by accident, but if he was right, then it was not it. Besides, he was still kicking. Supposedly. But¡­ -Say¡­ could that memory¡­ come from me? -What? -You said you were connected to me, being the closest, I guess it could be possible for you to not notice it came from me, right? -And how would you know anything about this place? -Just answer, yes or no. -I¡­ well, maybe. So you know this place? When I was thinking about how to answer that question, I noticed something move near us. It didn¡¯t seem like a living being, though. It was¡­ -A portal! Something has tracked us once more. 272. Bland -How did they get us already!? Yeah, it was them alright. The moment the portal appeared, I recognized the bland uniforms. -Not this time! - yelled Mike and swung his hand towards the opening in space. - CLOSE! It¡­ actually worked. Only a couple of people managed to squeeze through before the purple opening in space had disappeared. Whoever was about to step through was lucky they didn¡¯t get caught in the middle¡­ -You can do that?! -I didn¡¯t expect that to work! -How did that even work!? -Less talk, more¡­ Before he finished his sentence, a stone was flung right at his head. Wait, it wasn¡¯t a stone. It was a gunshot. I was confused, because this one was completely silent. One of the guys that went through the portal was holding something akin to a rifle with a silencer, so I guess it was him? The ones behind him had smaller guns, similar to revolvers. And those did produce noise, as they demonstrated moments later, shooting at us. Mike reflexively raised a barrier between us and them with the earth he molded, but that was short-lived. Just one shot from the silenced weapon was enough to break it. But, it was not necessary. This time, I was not holding back. Taking a page from his book, I focused and changed my hand into a blade, making it as long as I could and swung through the breaking barrier. The effect was immediate. They all fell down as it was just trees that I chopped down. -Holy¡­ -That was effective - I said, impressed by my own attack. - I¡­ I didn¡¯t finish, because another portal opened next to me. I jumped back a step and swung right at it, to preemptively attack whoever was going to go through¡­ But no one came. Did I miss¡­? No. The portal¡­ split in half? And then disappeared. -Whoah¡­ I looked down at my hand, and there was no mistaking it. The mana from the opening portal was sucked by my blade and dispersed it. So it can work this way too? -You can do that?! - Mike yelled, repeating what I said just a short while ago. -I didn¡¯t expect that to work! - I said, echoing our previous realization. -That makes things easier! -You think they¡¯ll keep going? There was no need for an answer, because another fluctuation appeared in front of us. Both of us reacted together. I swiped, he sent a surge of mana towards it. It split in half, just as his magic reached it and dispersed it even quicker. -Overkill. But that¡¯s good¡­ -I didn¡¯t hit you, hopefully? - he asked. -Err¡­ I don¡¯t think so? Why? -Don¡¯t know what a makeshift spell¡­ if that was even a spell, would do to you. -Didn¡¯t feel a thing, so I guess your targeting was on point. -Good. I¡­ Again, another portal. This time, he hesitated, probably still thinking about what he just said, but I didn¡¯t care. I got rid of it instead. -What the fuck is going on? -I don¡¯t¡­ Another portal, another swipe. -Did they find another way to track us? This is concerning¡­ -You don¡¯t say. I¡­ This time, two portals at once. Even without coordination, each of us destroyed the closet one, getting rid of them both. -It¡¯s like they suddenly pulled out all the stops! -Fuck, we need to move! -And how would that help? You think they¡¯re targeting an area? Even more portals. That was getting problematic. We still could easily destroy them, but it started getting chaotic. -Fuck if I know. Let¡¯s bolt. Haste yourself. -I¡­ Before I answered, he disappeared. If he didn¡¯t tell me, I¡¯d say he just vanished, but I realized that he just used that weird speed to move away, so I did the same. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Not before swiping at the rest of the portals I¡¯ve noticed. Everything was frozen around me. It¡¯s a good thing I managed to get a hang on this skill. Or at least starting it up. Deactivating was still a bit of a problem, though¡­ Speaking of a problem. Where was I supposed to go? In his haste, Mike forgot to mention that part. I probably should try and detect him¡­ And nothing. I mean, I could feel a bunch of things, but that was not him. The amount of loose mana was preventing me from pinpointing his location. Hell, any location. If I was to change spots, maybe then it would be possible to find him¡­ But, speaking of things I could find¡­ Portals. Even though I essentially stopped time, there were some that already were appearing. About five of those, to boot. Whatever was going on there? Did some higher-ups finally manage to hear about our exploits and pressured them to hurry up? Or they just got annoyed by everything? Either of those, that was not good news. In any case, I needed to move. But before that, I probably should deal with the portals¡­ That was simple enough. Just a swipe and I was pretty sure that I was done. Just to be sure, I waited a couple of minutes to see the mana start dispersing. -Good¡­ - I mumbled to myself. - Now about him¡­ A question. Should I follow him? Up till now, I was just sticking with him for the sake of it. Was that a good idea any more? Sure, he used to be my friend, but I think I was the only one who was seeing him that way. Having him be a target was also a problem¡­ So why not just leave? -I probably should¡¯ve done that a long time ago¡­ - I mumbled to myself, running away as far as I could. I just was hoping that my luck won¡¯t direct me right towards where he went as well. It didn¡¯t feel like it for a long while, so I started thinking more about my pursuit. No sign of it? Looks like it. Okay, I was still sped up, so I guess it was hard to tell if I actually managed to get out of that situation, but still. There were no fluctuations in mana, besides the occasional gashes pouring out energy that this place was so full of. After fifteen or so minutes of me running, I stopped and waited for a bit. Anything? Nope, didn¡¯t seem like it. The place was also nothing special. Even managed to find a spot that was not actively pouring mana, so I could easily look around and if anything was to appear I would be able to react quicker¡­ not like that was a problem before. I took a deep breath and released the mana accelerating me. Sound came back to me, leaves started moving and the whole forest was back again to be in constant movement. And¡­ Nothing? I actually managed to shake them off? For a moment, it did look like it. Just for some magical anomaly to appear right in front of me. -Of course¡­ - I mumbled, annoyed. At this point, I could clearly tell that it was a portal. And even could recognize the mana: the same one that I saw when we split with Mike. Doesn¡¯t mean I knew whose that was, but still. I swiped at it to disperse it like before, just to realize that during my run I accidentally changed my body back to normal and instead of a blade I had my fingers back. Meaning, I didn¡¯t reach in time. -Fuck! CLOSE! In the heat of a moment, I intended to imitate Mike. Not sure if that was a good idea. Especially since it didn¡¯t seem like it worked at first. One person managed to step out and multiple ones, I assume were right behind. But, before I, or the other party, managed to react with some kind of spell or anything else, something happened to them. They just¡­ fell down face first into the dirt, like they tripped on something. The next person almost followed suit, but they managed to realize that a body of their colleague was blocking the way and stepped over it. Seeing as my haste forced me to deal with more of them, I decided to do this the way I actually knew worked and started changing my hand again. Meanwhile, the portal was still there, and people started stepping through, just like before. Even the one that was on the floor had gathered himself from the ground. It did look like he was a bit concussed, though. The only good thing was that there was just the one singular portal opened. I guess they did think I was less of a priority target? Or maybe it was some kind of limitation to their magic? In any case, it didn¡¯t matter. I had to deal with the portal first. But, when I was in the middle of changing my hand, I felt something hit me square in the eye¡­. and blinded me? -Ow! - I yelped, surprised. I didn¡¯t expect for them to be able to deal damage to me. Especially since none of them looked like they were powerful. Hell, I was even unable to see any of those rifles I¡¯ve noticed before, just some small revolver-like guns. Didn¡¯t really see, with one eye blinded. Realizing that I needed to be fast, I decided to not even bother changing my hand and just leaped forward, wanting to strike them with my fists. Including the portal. It sort of worked. Sort of, because while I managed to reach the portal and disable it with a quick swing and not before three more people had jumped out. Including one that barely escaped being cut in half by a closing opening. They immediately split into two groups. One, consisting of three people, seemingly the last ones that appeared, had jumped backwards and hid behind a nearest tree. I could feel some mana immediately gather, seeing as they were trying to cast some kind of spell. I wanted to interrupt them, of course, but in my way, the second group had stepped in. Another three people. Well, maybe two, because the third one, the clumsy one, still had some problems. A bit strange. Was the concussion that bad? It not really being my problem, I rushed towards the ones blocking my way with intention to drain them into unconsciousness. Two of them immediately replied, tossing a spell at me. An earth spell. Nothing special, but they did learn to use physical objects against me. I was wondering why they didn¡¯t use guns, but before that thought even managed to fully form in my head, I got shot. Apparently, the rocks were just a way to mess with my vision. That¡¯s an idea. I guess they thought they managed to half-blind me so a similar attack would work? Wait¡­ Blinding¡­? I blinked, realizing that I was able to see again. Did I heal? Was that just it? That they damaged my head before? That never stopped from actually perceiving things, at least not magical ones, so I guess it was a deeper wound. And yet, it healed? Right when I was shot? Weird. And speaking of seeing. There was still the third person. The one that I thought was concussed. When his companions jumped in to intercept me, he was still a bumbling mess on the floor again. I thought that it was just a concussion, but when he turned towards me, I realized that that was not it. His eyes were closed. And not only that. I actually couldn¡¯t see his eyelids. He had no eyelids. Where his eyes were supposed to be, there was just fused, smooth skin. Not even eyelashes were there. -What the fuck happened¡­ - I said to myself. 273. Intersect From my thoughts I was interrupted by another gunshot and I felt a bullet crack my head. Whatever happened to that guy, it was a good enough distraction for them to actually focus and shoot something powerful enough to actually crack my crystal skin. Of course, I healed, but I was curious how they did it, since the only mana that was remotely powerful near us was the one from the guys who hid in the trees and were preparing something. I probably should deal with that soon¡­ The sooner, the better. -Wisfe moho. I targeted the ones behind the trees. I wasn¡¯t even looking at them. Since they were close to the overinfused, magical trees, there wouldn¡¯t be a point. Just prodding those trees with my influence was enough. I heard a scream of panic and immediately the glob of mana that was being gathered past a couple moments had disappeared. Of course, it also caught the attention of the ¡°vanguard¡± so to speak. All of them turned towards the voice, even including the blinded one. But, I didn¡¯t give them time to react. I was already on top of them. All three of them fell down like logs under my swings. I didn¡¯t really care if I used too much force, but they were resistant enough that I am pretty sure I haven¡¯t done permanent damage. I think. Since they were down, I gestured towards the tree where the rustling and screams were still coming from. -Epvey nop. The tree replied. More responsive than most people, it extended its branches and slowly, from the thicket, wrapped in rather copious amounts of branches and leaves, the remaining group appeared. Bound and unable to move, they were flailing nonetheless. I was wondering how exactly I should deal with them, before I suddenly felt a flash of light right in front of my face. Apparently, I was wrong about them being unable to move. At least, not completely. At first, I thought that it was just some kind of a spell. Or maybe just pure mana that has been released into the air to blind me, but nope. While I couldn¡¯t see shapes of objects, my vision suddenly turned back to what I was using when I was completely blind: only seeing flames of mana around me. Which meant that was not magic. It was just regular light. That guy just used a flashbang on me? First of all, where did he even get one? I was pretty sure they were bound well enough for them not to be able to pull anything¡­ But, if he hid it somewhere accessible and just dropped it, I guess it was possible¡­ Too bad he only managed to blind his own people. But, even blinded, they weren¡¯t exactly defenseless. Of course they still could use magic. I mean, I thought so. It seemed a bit strange that they haven¡¯t used anything so far. If that was me, I¡¯d already burn those branches the moment they attacked me. And yet, they were still here. I eagerly waited for them to use anything, cast a spell. Something. Why else flashbang me then? -Fire! FIRE! Geksu! Here we go. Finally, a spell. Never mind weird wording, at least they were trying something. But¡­ -... -FIRE! Yeah, however much he tried, nothing was happening. I was going to say it was because his mind was still rattled and he couldn¡¯t focus or something, but that was not it. He just had no mana. Apparently, unable to refuel himself from the environment, that was it. Quite disappointing, really. Did they really manage to waste that much on just a failed spell¡­ or whatever that was? Damn. I was about to ask about what was with his wording of spells, but immediately remembered that it was not the first time I¡¯ve seen it. The fresh one in my memory being Mike chanting ¡°Close¡± and it working. Why didn¡¯t that work for me? Well, there was no point asking this guy. -Well, you¡¯re useless¡­ - I muttered. - Goodnight. I consecutively grabbed each and every single one of them and drained them dry. This time, I wasn¡¯t holding back and waited until the mana flame was completely gone. Dead. I tossed them all into the pile and moved away a corpse that was the most interesting: the one with strange eyes. Or, now rather lacking eyes. I was wondering if that was just light playing tricks on me, but I wasn¡¯t mistaken. His eyes were really grown shut. And I had an idea why¡­ It was probably my fault. That¡¯s what I get for trying to use spells without visualizing the effect at least once. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. -Now, what do I do with this mess¡­ - I mumbled to myself, thinking. How many issues were coming from just associating with that stupid organisation. Hell, not even associating. Just it existing was enough of an issue for me. While their members weren¡¯t really hard to deal with, they still were a pain in the ass. If given enough time, I am sure they would prove problematic. Why the hell did Mike not deal with them before? More permanently, I mean. Sure, he had some ¡°deals¡± with them, but it was obvious that they were already done with that. Both sides. Wait. Didn¡¯t he say he was going to ¡°prepare¡± something? Was that something to do with the MIRE? Suddenly, the idea of leaving him didn¡¯t seem like the smartest one. But it¡¯s not like I am going to find him. Maybe I could go back to the city and try my luck there? It probably is full of chaos by now¡­ or at least the branch of the MIRE is. Or¡­ Before I finished my thought, I felt familiar magic. Another portal. -Eh¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but groan. They weren¡¯t going to give up, were they? But that also gave me an idea. This time, instead of trying to destroy the portal, I waited for it fully to form. Soon, the opening was already fully visible, this time on a nearby tree. That¡¯s a bit different. Same with mana. I guess they had to replace the one who was using this magic before? I mean, possible, after opening that many¡­ Didn¡¯t matter anyway. It¡¯s not like I was going to let anyone through. I didn¡¯t even bother with spells. When I was sure the gateway was fully open, I immediately walked through. Just to be safe, I extended my hand first, to at least not have anything blow up my face. Literally. Well, my prediction was almost right, because I definitely felt some resistance when I was about to step through. Most likely another one of those mercenaries, so I just punched whoever that was. Worked like a charm. A moment of spatial confusion later, I was on the other side and with a spell in my face. Well, hand, but it was strong enough that it had taken up all my field of vision. Didn¡¯t matter. I absorbed it either way without any problem. It did feel strange though: it was the strongest blast of magic I¡¯ve felt from them so far. I guess that''s to be expected. They would be defending their territory a bit more¡­ forcefully. Not even looking closely, I waved my hand and replied in kind, sowing flames around like a maniac. Hopefully that would bring some chaos to the building. That was wishful thinking, though. The moment I used fire, I felt someone counter it with their magic. Or rather I felt mana being absorbed from a spell. Not unexpected, they were researching the Origin Crystal. It was reasonable to expect that they at least had some working defenses in their own building. But wait a second. What building? I expected to appear in some kind of structure. A hidden base or whatever. But I was¡­ In a forest? And a similar one to the one I¡¯ve just been to boot. Hold the fuck up. It WAS the same forest. There was no mistaking it. Were there two incredibly abundant in mana thickets like that? And what were the odds of me going from one to another? Nah, maybe they just had some forward camp. Yeah, that could be it. After all, they were in a chase. But the more I was seeing and feeling, the more I was confused. There was no one there. Besides the person that countered me. And that person¡¯s mana was suspiciously familiar. -What in the fuck!? Mike?! -Mor?! It was clear both of us were flabbergasted. Which was strange. Didn¡¯t he just try to teleport to me and then start throwing magic at my face? -Why in the hell are you teleporting to me!? -I am not?! I was trying to get to the MIRE! What are you doing defending them?! -Defending?! I was trying to do the same thing! -What!? -I thought your portal was one of theirs! Wait. You want to go to MIRE? Don¡¯t tell me you want to work with them AGAIN? After all that bullshit!? -Hell no! - he immediately denied my accusations. - I wanted to finally stop their attack and what better option than just go directly to them With that, we looked at each other. True, he was surrounded, just like me before, with either knocked out or dead MIRE members. No, they were still alive. And there were quite a lot of them. I guess he was using them as bait? Hm. Or maybe the anchor for the teleport? Risky, in any case. But smart. It really did seem like we just had a very similar idea. -Honestly, I didn¡¯t expect to see you again¡­ - he said while preparing to create another portal. - I thought you would be far gone by now. -Yeah, that was my intention - I answered, deciding there was no point in hiding that fact. - And I would, if not for those maniacs still being after me. -Hm. -But it seems like they wanted you more than me. I just got a much smaller group after me. This¡­ I think this is at least three times as much. -Three times? That¡¯s¡­ -At least. -Fuck. They really do think that I am the main danger¡­ - he said in disbelief. -What, you think I am a bigger one? -Obviously. You are a lot more¡­ resilient, let¡¯s say. -So you could be, but you refuse to change your body back. Yeah, at this point, he already was fully human again. Was that why he wanted that leyline mana? To rebuild himself again? -I told you. I prefer flesh. -And I prefer being harder to kill. To each their own, I guess. -Don¡¯t underestimate me. It¡¯s not like I am just a regular human. -I am more than aware, thank you. -Instead of complaining about my decisions, why won¡¯t we focus? -I am not complaining. Just making an observation - I replied, sighing. - And it¡¯s not like you need me to focus. -Well¡­ Of course, I was right. What we were intending to do was to use a portal once more, hopefully this time landing in some branch of MIRE and deal with them. I wasn¡¯t really caring about the noise we¡¯d make just appearing out of nowhere, but Mike was adamant on doing it as quietly as possible, hence the delay. He intended to use another corpse of one of those guys and via that open a way for us. He¡¯d make sure we¡¯d land as far away as it was possible from the original destination, while still being somewhat nearby. Hopefully, that would land us in the same city and maybe even close to the building in question while still staying hidden. Well, as hidden as you can be appearing out of nowhere in some random street. I honestly wasn¡¯t really so sure about that being a good tactic to keep things quiet, but it¡¯s not like I cared: after all, I intended to do this out in the open: that¡¯s how I ended up blasting him in the face. I did remind him that we could accelerate ourselves to leave them completely vulnerable, and he did agree, although only after he opened the portal and made sure everything was in order. To me, it was a glaring weakness. After all, if he¡¯s done that before, I wouldn¡¯t land a hit on him. Or, well, at least not that soon. He did say that he wanted to use it, but waited for a moment to give himself a bit of a distraction in the form of some random magic blasting out from the portal. That¡¯s what I¡¯ve eaten to the face. Then, he¡¯d speed himself up and in the ensuing chaos he¡¯d find a way to infiltrate. I¡¯ve heard better plans. But hey, I was pretty sure of myself, so I wasn¡¯t arguing with him. Better this than just being constantly chased. Speaking of chasing, I noticed that we weren¡¯t getting portaled onto any more. It was suspicious. Why would they suddenly stop? Was I right before about their resources running out? Well, we were soon to figure that out. As soon as Mike finishes his portal. I was only wondering how much of a delay that portal of his is going to have. After all, using someone as an anchor would definitely prove problematic. He did assure me that it shouldn¡¯t be much more than a few minutes, up to an hour in the worst case, but I was not going to believe that. Sure, he should know what he was doing, but so what? It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve been bitten in the ass by this kind of thinking. Whatever the case, we¡¯d soon know. 274. White Whenever he knew what he was doing or not, this was the first time I¡¯ve seen someone set up a portal this way. He cleared up a rather sizable chunk of the place, which included cutting down a few trees, which I helped with. He left one in the middle and while I expected him to draw a circle around or write a spell, he instead started using green magic. Manipulating the roots, he ordered the tree to form a magic circle, or at least that¡¯s what I thought that was, after which we dragged one of the corpses to the said tree and placed it right next to it. If that wasn¡¯t enough, he then used magic again and essentially tied down the poor guy to the trunk using vines sprouting from the tree. I thought he was done, but nope. After setting up that scene, he started writing something on the outer layer of wood that was surrounding our artificially-made clearing. I recognized that to be an incantation somewhat similar to a portal spell, but also it reminded me of something else that I couldn¡¯t place in my mind for a while, not until he was about half-way through the circle. The boat. I mean the boat I crashed a long time ago to get to a certain island, back when I just arrived under the barrier. It made sense. After all, it was most likely his own creation. And it was fueled by the magic of the caster. Well, in this case, it would be fueled by us, and the corpse tied down in the middle. I was wondering why he needed such a complicated ritual just to teleport us to someone: after all, I managed to do it easily without any preparation. But, when I told him that, he reminded me how much time I wasted during the teleport itself. Well, if that whole thing was going to mitigate that, I wasn¡¯t going to complain. As long as our ¡°friends¡± weren¡¯t appearing, I could wait. After about an hour of work, he finally stopped. -I think it¡¯s done - he announced. I took a gaze at the finished ¡°item¡±. Definitely looked like he worked his ass off. -I guess. How confident are you in this? -As much as I am in you, that is, not much. -Such an optimist. Well, whatever. Let¡¯s go anyway. I didn¡¯t care. What I was interested the most was being finally on the move. To do something. I kept having that feeling that I hadn''t accomplished anything past¡­ hell, I don¡¯t know how long. And I wanted to change that. Even if that change was just a random act of violence on someone else. Well, it was justified violence to be honest. -Hm. Okay. With a singular gesture, the whole setup came to life. And I mean literally. While before he was using his magic to manipulate the tree and all, this time it barely even took his mana. It was mostly connected to the leyline under us, one of many that was leaking to the surface. -You sure that¡­ Before I finished my sentence, the tree in the middle had shuddered, and the corpse that we had tied to the trunk had suddenly got pulled inside. It was so immediate that I barely was able to register what happened: to anyone slower, it would¡¯ve just looked like it disappeared completely. The moment it disappeared, the tree started changing shapes and creaking heavily, it started forming a circle. A circle that created something akin to a gateway, filled with, this time, green and gray swirling mass of energy. -That¡¯s different¡­ - he muttered, looking at the effect. -Hm. You saying that doesn¡¯t fill me with confidence - I commented. -Well, it looks different, but mana is right. I am sure that everything is okay. Despite his words, I know very well that he was unsure. Even his tone of voice was giving me second thoughts. But, I wasn¡¯t going to back away. -I guess I¡¯ll go first. I am more resilient, after all - I said, and not waiting for his confirmation, stepped through. Despite the portal looking different, the feeling of transfer was just as normal as it gets. Hell, it was more pleasant than usual, and shorter to boot. I didn¡¯t even feel the usual vertigo associated with gravity changing, meaning it was also in the same position at the other end. I guess the whole ritual worked. ¡°Good¡±, I wanted to tell myself. But the moment I emerged on the other side, I realized something was wrong. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. First thing I noticed when I ended on the other side was¡­ white. A lot of white. Blinding white. And it¡¯s not like it was just mana blinding me, as I thought it was at first. The room was¡­ just pure white. Definitely not the place we were aiming for, it was obvious. For a split second I hesitated, but decided to step back and return to Mike but¡­ I walked into a wall. And it¡¯s not like the portal disappeared. It was still right next to me, but I couldn¡¯t walk through. Don¡¯t tell me, Mike made this thing one-way? Can you even do that? Is he stupid?! Or did he betray me? I mean, it wouldn''t be THAT surprising¡­ But, before I finished my thought, he stepped through as well, ending up in the same room as me. -Ah! What¡¯s¡­ His reaction was similar. He wanted to take a step back, but encountered a solid wall instead. In his case though, it was a literal wall, because the moment he appeared, I heard something shatter and the gateway that connected us to the forest had collapsed, breaking like a mirror. One look at his face and mana was enough to tell that this was not what he planned at all. -What the hell is this?! Where are we?! - he asked. -You¡¯re the one asking me?! - I growled. - You brought us here. -I don¡¯t know! I just¡­ Let me see¡­ -If only¡­ We both stared into the whiteness. -This is a room¡­ - he finally announced. -No fucking shit¡­ - I said, already with my hand on the wall. - It¡¯s hard not to realize. But where¡¯s the exit!? -Fuck if I know! Still can¡¯t see! Right. Whatever those walls were made of, it was hard to look at. Just trying to inspect one was giving me a headache, and that was a feeling that I almost forgot. Even when touching, I couldn¡¯t feel anything special. It was just like I touched a regular, stone wall. Or was it concrete¡­? Damn, even touching it was giving me almost nothing, the texture as bland as it gets. -I know I am blaming you - I said - but was it actually your fault or do you think they were really coming from here? -As much as I want to say my spell was flawless - he started - I don¡¯t know. And honestly doubt that. After all, I was aiming to get us somewhere away from the source, not to slap us directly on top of it. -Fair enough. Good, then I still can blame you. -Mgh¡­ He wasn¡¯t happy. But of course he wasn¡¯t. Neither of us were. -In any case, we probably should get out of here - I announced. - Are we using force or are we backing off? -Let¡¯s leave here¡­ - he said, already focused. - I¡¯ll open a portal in a second and we should try again. Good thing I made an anchor, just to be safe¡­ He produced a piece of wood that definitely looked like a small branch that was just broken off from the tree that absorbed one of the goons he used. -There. I expected the worst, but he managed to open a portal on one of the walls. The purple gateway appeared just like it should and even helped us orientate spatially a bit more: seeing all white was really making it hard to process things. -Okay, time to go. I will¡­ Ouch! His groan was accompanied by a dull thud, and he took a step back from the portal. -The fuck?! - he exclaimed, holding his head. -What? -It¡¯s¡­ Just look. He placed his hand on the portal and while usually it would just take his hand phase through and move forward, it just stopped. -The hell¡­ I stepped forward. The portal looked just normal, I couldn¡¯t feel anything wrong with it. I extended my hand, but got stopped just like he was. I only made a different noise, because of my hand being crystal. Right¡­ crystal. -Is this some kind of enchantment blocking us¡­ - I mumbled to myself and focused on trying to absorb what was in front of me. I was usually suppressing that ability, to not mess with the spells or any other magic. Or to leave waste in my step. But even when I focused on that, I couldn¡¯t absorb anything. It was just like there was nothing in front of me. But that definitely wasn¡¯t it, I mean, I was touching the portal, wasn¡¯t I? Or at least whatever was blocking it. -How does that even work¡­ - mumbled Mike, also inspecting the invisible wall we were standing in front of. - I mean¡­ there¡¯s nothing here, but¡­ - he said, knocking on it with his knuckles. It did sound like he just knocked onto some stone wall. I followed in kind, the noise being more audible and more clinking, thanks to my own body. -Could it be¡­ not magical¡­? - he asked into the aether, realizing that my own draining was doing nothing. -I mean¡­ if it is¡­ I reared back and swung my fist at it. The noise it made was similar to hitting a wall, but more echo-y. I guess thanks to the room we were in? But, it didn¡¯t budge. I swung a couple more times, but there was no sign of it even getting scratched. There was no breaking that thing. -That¡¯s peculiar. -No shit. We are trapped? -Yeah. But there¡¯s a problem. Time. -Time? How long can you keep it open? - I asked. -Well, I have plenty of mana. It¡¯s not what I meant. I meant that we don¡¯t have any way of restoring mana, right? We¡¯re going to run out eventually. -What? Can¡¯t you just absorb mana, like me? - I asked, a bit confused. - The environment is plenty rich. -I don¡¯t know. Is it? -That¡¯s¡­ I was preoccupied with the whole portal bullshit that I failed to realize. We were no longer in that mana-rich environment. While we weren¡¯t really in some mana-void, it was not that far off. I am pretty sure the only energy that was in the air was from our bodies or maybe some had leaked from the portal when we passed through it. The problem was, he was right. Sooner or later, we would run out and be stuck in absolute emptiness. If we didn¡¯t manage to escape, that is. Or be found by someone. I mean, this place has to be known by somebody, right? In any case, it was going to take some time. Especially for us to run out. While I am not sure about Mike¡¯s capacity, he was powerful enough and not dumb enough to run out soon. I was not worried about myself, especially after being near a leyline before. I definitely had enough to outlast him, try to break out multiple times and then some. -Okay. I will try being a bit forceful - I announced and started preparing a spell. 275. Containment Mike didn¡¯t say a thing, just stepped back and focused on the gateway in front. He was trying to discern what exactly he was looking at. What should I start with? Let¡¯s not complicate things and first try just a singular element¡­ let¡¯s¡­ -I guess¡­ Lightning should be fine first¡­ I didn¡¯t even realize that I said it out loud and the fact that it was enough to form a spell from it. I guess I was more focused than I thought. But, even though, the lightning that I conjured and directed towards the blocked hole just¡­ fizzled? -Wha¡­? -What just happened? We both were confused. -Did it just disappear¡­? -I mean¡­ we saw it together - I said. - It formed correctly, right? -Yes - he nodded. - And then just¡­ poof. Not there. -Let me try again¡­ I did the same thing, with the same effect. But this time, we noticed something. -It didn¡¯t vanish instantly¡­ it just¡­ passed through? - he said with disbelief. -Yeah¡­ I saw that, too¡­ -What¡¯s up with this blockade¡­ - he said, touching the, apparently, locked for us portal. - Does it block only biological material then¡­? -I am hardly that any more and yet¡­ - I said, knocking at the portal. - It¡¯s more like it lets magic pass¡­? -But in that case, wouldn¡¯t you be able to go through? - he pointed out. - I can¡¯t think of anything that is closer to pure mana than you are. Or, well, Origin Crystal I mean. -So¡­ what, it blocks us in particular then? Don¡¯t be stupid. -I don¡¯t know, okay? It¡¯s fucking strange¡­ -Yeah¡­ but at least we don¡¯t need to worry about running out of mana. True. If we were right, it meant that Mike could just keep the portal open and we¡¯d get mana from the other side supplied to us constantly. And the forest wouldn¡¯t ever run out, I am pretty sure. Barring some calamity, that is. But the main sources of those were safely secured inside this white room¡­ -Yeah¡­ Okay. But still, I don¡¯t intend to stay here forever - I said. -Well, me neither. But since we have mana, we can try something different, right? -How having mana changes things? -I don¡¯t know! But at least we have more options. That didn¡¯t change a thing to me, but I guess he thought differently? Besides, how much could he do while still keeping that portal open? Sure, it didn¡¯t take much mana or concentration, but it was most likely still annoying. I never kept one open for long periods of time, so I wasn¡¯t sure. He didn¡¯t look concerned about that, though. Instead it seemed like he was trying something, conjuring small ball of mana in front of him and mumbling something under his breath. -Well, whatever you¡¯re trying, go for it - I said. - I don¡¯t really have any ideas¡­ - I exclaimed truthfully. -Hm. Yeah, okay¡­ He definitely seemed more absent-minded. Good. That meant he was thinking. Since I had not much to do about the portal, I decided to maybe do something with walls. It¡¯s not like I had any way to help, or any ideas for that matter. It was harder than it sounds. Mostly because of the bright light constantly pouring into my eyes. If I was just using normal eyes, I am sure by now I¡¯d been blinded. Speaking of, I was sort of worried about Mike. He did turn himself more human, right? How were his eyes? But, on the other hand, he wasn¡¯t stupid. And, when I checked, he also had his eyes closed. Besides, he probably would be able to protect himself if he wanted to. So. About the walls¡­ I did try damaging them, but of course that didn¡¯t work. But, that reminded me of something. When we appeared and the first portal closed, it did sound like something breaking, right? What was that? If anything was here, it should be painfully obvious. But, there was no sign of anything. I suppose whatever broke was made of pure mana, so it could leave no trace. Whoever set that up was clever. Yeah. Who? The more I thought about the place, the more obvious it was getting. I mean, of course it was connected to the MIRE. We did follow their people here. Or at least attempted to. But having this kind of magic was definitely indicating that we had gotten deeper than we thought. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Or¡­ was it magic? I sort of stopped thinking about it, but right now MIRE wasn¡¯t only dealing with magic. It was also the technology that was a pain in the ass. I already learned the hard way that most of my conceptions about those two coexisting were straight up wrong. So, could this ¡°cell¡± be something like that? A combination of magic and technology? I don¡¯t know how that would make it that durable and block us from leaving, but why not? If that was just pure magic, I am sure I¡¯d be able to bust through. Like I did many times. Damn. Over-relying on my ability to drain mana was right now biting me in the ass. -Okay. I think I have an idea¡­ - said Mike, breaking me out of the trance. -Nothing stupid, I hope? He just gave me a look. -Listen. While I probably won¡¯t need help, I¡¯d rather have it. -I am all ears. But, before he managed to say anything, something happened. Suddenly, we heard a low hum. It was immediately followed by a clink and a rumbling noise, as the wall right in front of us had darkened and finally started looking more like a wall, not just a glowing surface, just to split in half. Just like a¡­ -Door? In his surprise, Mike couldn¡¯t contain his own voice. And that gave the men entering a good scare, because yes, we were getting some visitors. Or rather more like invaders. It was pretty clear where those men belonged to. MIRE. I didn¡¯t have to say it, because the moment they noticed we were there, the door immediately started moving again, this time in an opposite direction. -Wait you s¡­ I leaped forwards as fast as I could and immediately wanted to hasten myself using mana. This was a golden opportunity to get out of this box without much issue, so I wasn¡¯t going to hold back. But, I was a bit too late. I did manage to slow time enough for me to not let the door close, but that was it. It was about to close, though. Those strange, sliding doors left maybe less than ten centimeters of room. I could try squeezing through, but it was not going to happen. Didn¡¯t mean I was helpless. I jammed my hand in the middle of the closing doors and with all my strength I tried pushing it open. -You know that¡¯s not going to work. It was Mike. Apparently, he was as fast as me on the trigger and was standing next to me, also sped up, looking through the remaining crack towards the darkness further in. -Instead of looking, give me a hand! -Like I am stronger than whatever the hell your body is. Well, he was right. There was no way his fleshy body, even enhanced by magic, would be any better for this purpose. -That¡¯s why I keep telling you to change it. -Pff. -Instead of talking smack, give me some ideas. What¡¯s even there¡­? I took a gaze toward where he was looking, but couldn¡¯t see much. Just an empty corridor? Not even that, just a small airlock. I guess this really was some secure room. That is, that¡¯s what I could see with regular sight. When I focused more, I actually could see what was behind the wall further in. Besides the group of people that we saw frontline entering the room, there were more of them waiting nearby. Was this some kind of military facility? -I am guessing that¡¯s one of their outposts¡­? - said Mike, not convinced. -MIRE has outposts now? -I suppose - he said, shrugging. - What else do you call this? Bunch of armed people, magically equipped and with pretty advanced tech. -Advanced tech? -Isn¡¯t that what this door is? I never actually looked properly, but he was right. The door was not just some stone, like I initially thought from the touch alone, but it had some metal within that had pieces of crystal embedded inside. A very familiar crystal. -I¡¯d say it¡¯s more magic, but I get it¡­ - I agreed. - I guess that is why I have a hard time keeping it open. -I think the bigger problem is the time, isn¡¯t it? -That too. But I am pretty sure I¡¯d be able to at least push those doors open a little bit, yeah? That is, if they were just regular metal doors. -Maybe. Never tried - he shrugged. -Yeah, alright. So what, you¡¯re telling me to undo the speed up and go ¡°raw¡±, so to say? -You probably would be fine. -That¡¯s besides the point. He sighed. -Yeah, but wait. The people further¡­ -What, it¡¯s not like we haven¡¯t dealt with those guys before. -Yeah. But don¡¯t you think something¡¯s strange? -Strange? -They all are the same. I mean, in mana capacity. -So? Weren¡¯t they before? And besides, you forgot about the janitor and that other guy? Weren¡¯t they stronger? -Yeah. But that¡¯s just it. Don¡¯t you think people should be more¡­ different? -What are you trying to get at? -I don¡¯t know. But something¡¯s not right. I shrugged. It¡¯s not like it mattered to me, and not like it would make much difference. For one, it would be good for us if all the ¡°grunts¡± so to speak were that weak. The only problem was their weapons. But it wouldn¡¯t matter anyway if I just made myself fast again. The only question was, how fast would I be able to enter my hasted state. I mean, just now, I was able to do it almost instantly, but could I do it consecutively? Only one way to find out, though. -So, what do you want to do? -Release the hate, break the door and go back immediately after. We don¡¯t know what is going to happen when we do that. -... -What? -That¡¯s your plan? To make me do everything? And you what, you¡¯re going to be waiting here or what? -Yes. I couldn¡¯t believe my ears. He really wanted to believe me he was just going to be standing here, waiting? That being unbelievable aside, it¡¯s going to be a long time. At least for him if he¡¯s not going to drop his own haste. What the hell was he planning? But, it¡¯s not like my idea was any different. To be honest, I was just about to do the same before he even told me to. So I wasn¡¯t against it. But, even with that, it didn¡¯t sit with me very well. -Eh. Fuck it. Okay. I sighed and prepared to wedge myself between the doors. -Let¡¯s just hope this thing isn¡¯t indestructible or something. -Like anything is. -Hm. Okay. Let¡¯s go. I knew that wasn¡¯t possible, but still was somewhat worried. But, in any case, I wasn¡¯t going to delay any more and dropped my focus. 276. Walls Immediately I felt the weight of the door crush my arm. Sparks started flying and the horrible grinding noise filled the air. But, I was in one piece. I pushed myself as hard as I could and tried to push open the massive sliding door aside¡­ But, it didn¡¯t budge. That was new. I honestly didn¡¯t expect to actually lack strength. I didn¡¯t think it was possible. I wanted to maybe try and enhance myself magically somehow and push even harder, but then I noticed that there was no pressure on my arms any more. Yeah, I broke the mechanism. I should¡¯ve seen that coming. But, broken or not, the mechanism that was holding them incurrent position and preventing them from being opened further was not to be trifled with. If it managed to stop me, what the hell was that? -If not aside then, why not outward, then? - I said to myself and instead focused on trying to make an opening that way. Another grinding noise and shower of sparks later, I figured that it might actually work. While I wasn¡¯t bending the door or anything like that, I did manage to actually push them off their actual rails. A little bit, but still, I managed to find a weak point. Also, ¡°weak¡± was a very relative term. With that much force, any door would be done. Hell, most of the walls would be down, and yet this thing was holding on pretty well. I paused for a second before I pushed myself again, just to notice movement behind the door. Not the one I¡¯ve been destroying, no. The next one. The small airlock was still between me and the outside world, not including the door I was messing with, but unlike the white room, this small space was not preventing me from seeing people on the other side. Or, at least their mana. It seemed like they were preparing to ¡°receive us¡±, so to speak. They were grouped around the airlock and it definitely looked like they had trained weapons right where you were supposed to leave this place. Of course. Still, there was another wall between me and them, so it wasn¡¯t an issue. Yet. Hell, if their earlier exploits were a hint on their abilities, we shouldn¡¯t have much problems. Right. We. What about ¡°us¡±? Since I slowed myself down back to normal, human speed, I couldn¡¯t sense Mike. I think it was the first time I had that problem. Maybe it had something to do with the whole white room messing with my perception? Not sure¡­ In any case, I had a door to work through. It took me a good couple of minutes to actually do some damage and literally rip the thing off the rails. Besides it being an annoyingly long process, I also managed to actually chip my own flesh in more than a couple of places. It wasn¡¯t an issue, I healed almost instantly, but knowing that this thing was actually sturdier than me was a bit concerning. Wouldn¡¯t that mean that they were also able to use this material for something a bit more effective against me? Finally, with one last push, I managed to make enough room for me to pass through and into that airlock. It was smaller than I thought. I¡¯d say the size of a large elevator. And honestly, it somewhat looked like that, too. Down to the sliding door, from both sides. One of it is now ripped out, but still. The walls were made out of metal that looked almost normal, but I bet it wasn¡¯t. Or maybe¡­ Well, I was able to see through it, so it was weaker than the one that was the white room made out of¡­ Just to feel it out, I touched it and attempted to scratch it a bit, grinding my fingernails against the wall. Or rather just fingers, because there was no difference between the two any more. The reaction was¡­ normal. A screeching, grinding noise, followed by a large scratch mark on the metal. -Oh. Even the people on the other side reacted. Not sure if that was the issue of the noise or something else, though. Something else being the fact that the wall that they were standing right in front of suddenly exploded. Okay, exploded might be the wrong way to say it. Sure, it was just as sudden as an explosion and it definitely released a lot of flames, but it wasn¡¯t it. Something has melted through the whole wall and, leaving a nice and almost perfect circular opening in the wall, sent every single one of them flying away from it, charred and smoking. Hell, some of them were still on fire. Definitely not a pleasant sight. But, that wasn''t the end. Before I even blinked, I started hearing noises of stabbing and groans of pain with some random spells flying. None directed at me, though. Ah. So he actually was doing something this time. There was no mistaking it. It was Mike. As soon as I managed to make a path outside, or at least to the ¡°airlock¡±, he had to launch some kind of spell to get us out. For the first time, he actually was pretty straightforward: just a fireball. Or, something along those lines: the perfect circular opening glowing with heat was not easy to make with just a ball of flames. And he wasn¡¯t done with just it. To make sure, he¡¯s been zipping around them, stabbing them to make sure they were done for. Speaking of stabbing¡­ I had a feeling I knew what he was doing with that. He most likely was using his own crystal to again try and create more ¡°soldiers¡± for him. Or at least batteries. He liked collecting those. I wasn¡¯t really for nor against it, but I was a bit worried about those not being permanent solutions. Or fast. While the second problem was less of an issue, the fact that not so long ago a supposedly pacified group had attacked was leaving me¡­ restless. But, looking at those guys, at least at their mana flames, I wasn¡¯t that worried. They weren¡¯t strong, especially after being weakened by that blast. And stabbing. Even if they were to act against us, it shouldn¡¯t be much of an issue. So, I decided to let him do his thing. Stepping through the melted wall I entered the room. By that time, Mike was already standing next to one of his ¡°victims¡±, tapping his foot, impatient. -Come on, come on¡­ - he stood there, muttering. -I¡¯m coming, I¡¯m coming¡­ - I grumbled at him. - You know how your time works when enhanced. -Oh, not you. I meant those guys - he pointed towards the bodies on the floor. -Again¡­? Yeah, they were already standing up. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. But not because they wanted to attack us. It was just Mike and his commands at work once more. -I thought you were going to reconsider after the last failure. -Yeah, but I changed my mind. Have you looked around? -Do I have to remind you again about the time thing? -Right. That means no. Well, as you clearly remembered, I had time. Time to actually inspect this room at least and¡­ let me just ask you. Do you feel anything? -Feel¡­? I gazed around the room. What did he mean by ¡°feel¡±? This room was just as plain as it gets. Sure, it was a bit weird, since it was supposed to be a passageway to that ¡°jail cell¡± or whatever the white room was. I expected some mechanism. Or a spell. Anything, really. Not just a concrete room full of nothing. Hell, if not for the glowing bits of the wall that was burned through and some bodies still on fire, there wouldn¡¯t be any light here. -No? -Yeah. And that¡¯s the problem. -Prob¡­ Wait. Yeah, there was nothing. Nothing as there were no people nearby. No living things nearby. Or anything else for that matter. I could only feel the group that was downed on the floor and us two. -Yeah, this is pretty barren. Where the hell is this? -Wherever we are, we need to get out of this building. I only hope we don¡¯t need to burn through the walls again. -Eh, it wasn''t that bad. -Bad? Do you have any idea how much heat you made? -Hm? -If I wasn¡¯t defending myself, I would¡¯ve been dead. Cooked on the spot. -Don¡¯t blame me. Besides, you had plenty of time to prepare. -Even with infinite time, I am sure that no one would be able to survive this! -And yet you did. -I mean nobody normal. But I guess that¡¯s what I get for asking you¡­ -Fuck you too. If you prefer being stuck in there, be my guest, go back in there. -Yea, no. -So let¡¯s get out of here. And stop complaining. -Hmh. But, it wasn¡¯t going to be that easy. -Don¡¯t you think this is strange? - he asked, while collecting the soldiers in one spot. -What, that we are alone? -Yeah, that too. But I meant this place. -It is empty, you¡¯re right - I said, dropping a body in the corner. Sure, Mike intended to convert these people into his own thralls, but he wasn¡¯t precise enough with some. Be it a missed stab or just straight up the heat has done enough damage for them to not be able to stand up ever again, even if injected with a whole leyline worth of mana. I was just gathering them in one spot so they won¡¯t clutter the whole room. Not the most useful way to pass time, but it¡¯s not like I had much else to do: Mike was making me wait for him anyway. -¡±Empty¡± is an understatement. -I mean, we didn¡¯t have to be dropped into some research facility. It could be a jail or something. -Probably is - he agreed - but still. Just an empty room? In the middle of nowhere? -We don¡¯t know where we are¡­ -Oh come on. And wouldn¡¯t jail have guards? Or prisoners? I gestured towards the pile on the ground. I gestured towards the pile on the ground. -You dealt with both. Most likely. -Yeah, right. If that was true, they would at least be dressed differently. Yeah, he was right. I was just being annoying. Besides the obvious, they were¡­ just too similar. Power and all, almost like clones. I honestly doubted that such a thing was being used just to make random soldiers, especially that weak. That is, if they had access to something like that in the first place. While I wasn¡¯t sure it actually even existed here, I had no doubts that if it did, MIRE would be one utilizing it. Power of Origin Crystal and all. -So? What is it then? - I asked. -Fuck if I know. -Maybe from the outside we¡¯ll be able to tell. -Maybe. If only it was that easy. Well, leaving the room wasn¡¯t hard, really. But that was just a start. After we¡¯ve dealt with the aftermath of the combat and the remaining group was safely in Mike¡¯s control, supposedly at least, we started looking for an exit. -You sure you don¡¯t want us just to bust a wall or something? - I asked. -And bring a ceiling down on top of our heads? No thanks - he said, shaking his head. - For all we know, we might be underground. -Well that would explain the emptiness a little bit. -True. Yeah. Since we left the room, we only found one corridor. Not even a long one: after a few meters it turned into a ¡°T¡± section led further into the darkness, to the left and right of us. -Any preferences? - I asked. -Like it matters. Neither has different magic, so no. -Right it is. -Sure. Just as he said, there was absolutely no way of telling where we were going. It was getting stranger by the minute. -I swear this just looks like a polished cave - I pointed out. -It very well might be. Someone melded rock into this. -Hm. So we really are underground. -Probably should look for stairs¡­ -Probably should look for anything - he said. - This place has LITERALLY NOTHING. A minute later we came to another ¡°T¡±. -Right again? -Labyrinth rules? Works for me. But, the path we¡¯ve chosen ended in a dead end. No door, no room, no nothing. -Some hidden passageway? - I mumbled, inspecting the wall. -If there is, it¡¯s not magical. Yeah, there was definitely nothing magical about that spot. Doesn¡¯t mean that there are no physical switches. -Seen this shit before¡­ - I mumbled. - They do like their strange mechanisms¡­ -Well, it¡¯s not like we have anything better to do¡­ - he sighed. - Okay. He waved his hand, and from his palm a small orb of light emerged. Despite the size, it was bright enough to make the room completely bright. Even a bit too much: since it was so empty, the lack of shadows was making the place eerie. I mean, beside ours, that is. -Gonna help me look, or¡­ -Yeah. I¡¯m not going to just stand and look at you. -I meant those guys - I gestured to the group that was behind us. -You think they are capable of something as precise as this? -Don¡¯t know. You tell me. Shouldn¡¯t they be? -No. Told you, they have their minds suppressed. -Hm. I guess that¡¯s a bit different¡­ -Nah, doesn¡¯t matter. After all, what I was thinking about was very different. I mean, how do I compare some random person being overwhelmed by magic to my own self¡­ The other self, that is. Speaking of¡­ what happened to him? I mean, me? I never explicitly just reabsorbed them into my own being¡­ Did they die? I mean, possible. There was a lot of stuff going on back there, so I can¡¯t be certain. Although¡­ Judging by my own resilience¡­ Nah. That¡¯s just my own stupid speculation. Feels kind of bad, though. After all, it was my own self we¡¯re talking about. -Mor? Mike broke me out from my thoughts. -Eh? Wha¡­? I mean, no, I haven¡¯t found anything. -But I did. Look. I walked towards him and looked closer. -Can¡¯t see shit. -Yes. But I can feel it. He swiped his hand along the floor, stopping mid-way. -Here. I can feel a crack. I couldn¡¯t see a thing, but mimicked his hand movement to feel it myself. Nothing. -I don¡¯t feel anything. -No wonder. With those fingers¡­ -Crystal¡­? I never really paid much attention, but he could be right. While I definitely had feeling in my fingers, it¡¯s not like I ever compared how much more or less I could feel minor details on objects. Seems it wasn¡¯t the best. -Ha. A first. -First? -First time I actually see an upside of having regular fleshy fingers. -Pff. -Okay then¡­ So, how do you think we open this¡­? Or whatever. -It does feel like a pressure plate¡­ He pushed the spot down, but nothing happened. He even tried stepping on it with his full body weight, but nothing happened. -Hm¡­ -Want me to try? -Sure. You are a lot stronger. -And heavier. I put my whole weight on the spot he was pointing to, but also, nothing happened. -No dice? -Seems so. Want me to be a bit more forceful? -How more forceful can you even get¡­? -I¡¯ll just punch this thing. If it¡¯s a pressure plate, we might be able to get to its guts. -Ah. Well, sure, fuck it. -It¡¯s not like we haven¡¯t broken walls in this place already. -Ha. -Okay¡­ here goes nothing¡­ 277. Tile I swung at the ground with all my strength and hit the spot we were inspecting. It somewhat worked. Good thing: we now knew what this thing was for. The wall in front of us shuddered and for a split second we were able to see an outline of a doorway. A bad thing: I am pretty sure the button was busted now. -Well, at least we know that whatever those corridors are made of, it¡¯s not as resilient as that white room - said Mike, looking at a broken tile on the floor. Yeah, my punch managed to crack the floor and the whole pressure plate popped out, broken into pieces. -Seems familiar - I muttered, swiping the pieces away to see what was that I broke. It was hard to tell if that was technology or magic, because the only thing remaining was just a metal rod, almost like a cable, going towards where the door was. By all means it could either be working as a conductor of mana or electricity. Or both. I tried pouring a bit of each towards it, but only electricity managed to take hold. I mean, obviously, it was metal. -It¡¯s broken - stated the obvious Mike. - But we at least know where the door is. -Yep. Want me to open it? -What, you¡¯re going to break the wall? -Not necessarily¡­ - I said, approaching said wall. Last time, I managed to open a similar door, so why not now? It probably was going to be a bit harder, but shouldn¡¯t be impossible. Thanks to my abuse of the mechanism, while the door did close, the outline was clearly visible. The sudden shift of stone probably managed to break whatever was supposed to disguise it. Or just that it didn¡¯t close completely. In any case, if I was to focus and change my body a bit¡­ I looked down at my fingers and focused, trying to sharpen myself as much as I could, and soon I was a proud owner of a set of scalpel-sharp blades sticking out of my hand instead of fingers. -That should work¡­ I wedged my newly remade fingers in the outline, trying to get some leverage on the door¡­ It worked. My fingers managed to slide in incredibly easily, I didn¡¯t even have to put much force into it. -That¡¯s¡­ interesting. -Good interesting or bad interesting? - asked Mike. -Your guess is as good as mine¡­ I wiggled my fingers. Yeah, it wasn¡¯t my imagination. Just a small movement was enough for the door to start opening. For this heavy of a thing, I expected to have to push with all my strength. Hell, I thought I might have to go ahead and destroy the wall anyway. But nope. It just¡­ started opening, like a regular door. It popped out for about a centimeter and started moving on a before hidden hinge. -Nice work! - said Mike, taken aback by my quick success. -That was too easy¡­ - I mumbled as I was grabbing the door and turning my fingers back to normal. -You underestimate yourself. -I don¡¯t think it¡¯s¡­ oh. -Oh? I stopped talking the moment I looked inside the room we were now opening the passage to. It was very familiar. -Another airlock¡­? - said Mike, as surprised as I was. -Seems like it. -You don¡¯t think that¡­ -That it leads back to the white room? - I finished for him? - Yes I do. While I wasn¡¯t keeping that much track of the corridors and how much we were walking, the overall direction was making sense. -Let¡¯s not assume things¡­ We probably should open this before¡­ -And how do we do that? -Well¡­ Right. We didn¡¯t know how exactly the earlier door was opened before, nor did we have any idea how to open this one. -Want me to try and break it again? - I asked. -I would rather not¡­ At least not yet¡­ He quickly changed his mind. We took a good half an hour to inspect the room and found absolutely nothing. Mike thought we might find a similar panel to the one on the floor, but no luck. He even tried using the remaining men under his control, to read their minds, but only realized that it would take too long. Why did he even keep them with us? I was ready to blast the door open at any time, but he stopped me and instead we took a look into the earlier corridor, to see what we missed. And, we apparently missed an identical dead end. With the pressure plate and an airlock as well. -Still having second thoughts about letting me bust through this wall? -Not really¡­ But I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a point¡­ -Probably¡­ Yeah. You didn¡¯t have to be a genius to figure that out. Barring any sacred corridors, the airlocks were definitely leading towards the one and the same room. The white room we were trapped in before. -So, what should we do with that tidbit of information? - I asked the question to the aether. -Nothing. It¡¯s not like it changes our situation at all. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. -Right. We still have to leave somehow. -We probably could teleport from here. -You think it was the room that was suppressing us? -Most likely. I mean, they had to get here somehow, right? -Well, this thing has to be connected to¡­ something, I don¡¯t know? -Right¡­ Outside. What¡¯s outside? We both looked to what was supposed to be the outer edge of this building. After walking from and here, we had a good idea which wall should be the outer one. We tried pinpointing that with mana, but the walls were mana-tight, so we had to rely on our instincts and memory. -You know¡­ I probably could bust through that wall instead of the airlock¡­ -I know. I still worry that we are underground¡­ - replied Mike. -So? It¡¯s not like we''ll instantly get buried. -I guess¡­ Fuck it. Fine, try it. -Finally! After all that pointless walking and wasting time, I was ready to actually do something. Be it stupid or not, I didn¡¯t care. -Step back - I warned him. - I don¡¯t want you to complain again. -Yeah, yeah. Move. The last one was directed to the soldiers that were still following us, commanded by him. They stepped back and formed a group in front of him, almost like he was shielding himself from my spell. I am pretty sure that it was pointless¡­ He was a lot more resilient than them. But, they were really only useful as meat shields after all¡­ -Okay¡­ Here goes. It really was a lot easier than expected. I actually managed to overdo it. And with a single spell that I thought was weaker than what I needed. I intended to chip the wall a bit, to not go through immediately, considering how Mike was concerned. I mean, I wasn¡¯t worried about some cave-ins, but if I could try and prevent one, why shouldn¡¯t I? The moment I realized I was through, I stopped my spell. But¡­ -What the fuck!? - Mike yelped and jumped backwards. The wall was very brittle. Even though I stopped my magic, it started cracking and some more of it broke anyway. It didn¡¯t matter much, but gave him a scare: he probably thought that it really was a cave-in that we caused. -That was unexpectedly easy¡­ - I said out loud and looked through the opening in the wall. - What the hell. -So we aren¡¯t underground - said Mike, regaining his composure. - But¡­ wow. -How the hell does that even work¡­? I mean¡­ where? How? -I have no fucking idea. We both were flabbergasted with what we saw outside. We were in a white void. At first glance, it looked exactly like the white room we were in before. -What in the hell did they even create? - I asked, not sure what to think of the place. -This is¡­ something¡­ - said Mike, slowly stepping outside. - Yeah¡­ the floor is here¡­ It¡¯s just like that room. -You think it¡¯s the same? - I said as I kneeled, trying to inspect the floor. Definitely seemed like the one from before. Hard to look at, but my eyes were slowly getting used to the brightness. -Want to check its durability? -Not scared about the cave-ins any more? - I asked, already raising my fist to strike the ground. -At this point, I don¡¯t care. -Okay. Thump. Yeah, hard. But not hard enough. It cracked just like the pressure plate before. But, this time there was nothing below it, I just broke a floor tile. -That¡¯s¡­ strange¡­ -Strange that I managed to break it? - I asked. -Strange that there is a tile to be broken. Doesn¡¯t it look like just one solid slab of¡­ whatever this is? Rock or something? -I¡­ huh. Yeah¡­ -For something that smooth, I thought it would be made from one thing, probably melded with magic. But this? -It probably was also made with magic. But I agree. Why bother making a floor like that? -Right? Just to confirm things and that wasn¡¯t just a very strange coincidence, I broke a couple more spots around the place. The effect was similar. That is, besides one spot. That one was the last one I intended on breaking. It was the furthest one so far, and the one that I used the least amount of force to crack. I managed to break it cleanly in half. Or at least thought so. In reality, it was not broken at all: I just hit right in between two tiles and managed to pop two of them out without damaging them much. I picked up the two pieces and inspected them more closely. -What kind of material do you think this is? - I asked, looking at the tiles from every possible direction. -Marble? Maybe something similar? -Maybe¡­ Oh! That¡¯s peculiar¡­ Thanks to the fact that the tiles have not been destroyed, I managed to notice that the bottom was not just a flat surface as I thought it was before. I mean, I couldn¡¯t really tell at all what my doing was and what was there before when I crushed them into gravel¡­ -Letters. -Yup. Very hard to read, thin and barely there, but definitely letters. -Some kind of spell? -Probably. But it¡¯s weird. I don¡¯t feel any magic coming from them. -Hm. Me neither. -What does that even say¡­ - he mumbled. - Fuck¡­ -Yeah, there¡¯s no point even in trying. It¡¯s just random scraps of it. -Like reading a torn book, I know - he mumbled, annoyed. -But at least we know it¡¯s magical. -Yeah. And that makes it doubly weird. -Yep. There was no mistaking it: there was magic in it, the letters were the proof. But, the problem was that we couldn¡¯t perceive it. Between the two of us I am sure at least one would be able to see SOMETHING. I mean, at this point I was sure that I could detect any kind of mana, but apparently was wrong. Mike wasn¡¯t happy about that either. -I don¡¯t know¡­ maybe it¡¯s just unpowered¡­? - he asked himself more than me. That was one way to think about it.. It was certainly possible that whatever was this thing, it was just an unpowered creation. That would at least explain the whole thing being so plain¡­ and white. But¡­ -I think we¡¯re grasping at straws here - I said. - Let¡¯s be real, it¡¯s just us being blind to whatever is going on here. -... He didn¡¯t respond, but I could tell he was not disagreeing. -I mean, if this thing was unpowered, what was trapping us here. I mean, portals were¡­ -Right. Portals. -Huh¡­? Before I even realized what he was doing, he already was drawing on the wall and channeling mana into a spell. -Again with the portal? - I said, seeing the opening form right next to him. -I just want to confirm something¡­ The gateway formed, and just like before, he wasn¡¯t able to pass through. -Same shit? -Yeah¡­ I was hoping¡­ -For what? -Well, I just had a thought¡­ that we were blocked from leaving but only in that room¡­ the sealed one, I mean. This having less durable walls and stuff, I thought that whatever was blocking us was gone, but¡­ -No luck - I finished for him. - Good idea. -Too bad it only confirmed the worst scenario. -Come on, it¡¯s not the worst. -Not being able to perceive something we are attacked with is not the worst scenario for you? -Well it is up there - I agreed - but it¡¯s not like it can¡¯t get worse. -Stop. You¡¯re gonna jinx us. -I know you don¡¯t believe in that shit. He didn¡¯t reply. -Eh, the worst or not, this doesn¡¯t change much. We are stuck. Still. -I mean¡­ sort of. I think - he replied. - We do have a lot more room to work with. -True enough¡­ I looked into the distance. It was eerie to see something like this. A vast, white open field. Nothing above you, no sun, just overwhelming whiteness. The bland horizon, riddled with strange shapes¡­ Wait. Shapes? 278. Loop I squinted, trying to confirm that it was not just the trick of the light, but with this kind of background, it was hard to mistake. There was something there, far in the distance. In every direction. Not a mountain range, no, it was too regular. But it was definitely there, revealing itself on top of the white ground and sky. -Mike. In the distance. You see that? For a second he was confused, unsure what I was talking about, but soon he spotted the same thing. -The hell¡­? What is that¡­? -I don¡¯t know¡­ it¡¯s too regular to be a mountain¡­ -Mountain covering the whole¡­ fuck, I don¡¯t know what. -I mean, everything is fucked up in this place, so why not? -I guess¡­ -Let¡¯s check it out then. -That far? You crazy? -What, you have anything better to do? Want me to break more of the floor again? -It would probably give us more clues about the place than just running towards a random direction. -You can stay here if you want. I¡¯m going. -Splitting up? You think it¡¯s a good idea? -What, scared something is going to attack you? -No, but¡­ Yeah, you know, why do I care? - he asked himself, realizing what he just said. - I don¡¯t care. Go if you want. -If I find something, want me to come back and tell you? - I asked, teasingly. He just gave me a stare. -Right, right. I looked into the distance again. It was hard to judge the distance, but it was definitely pretty far, whatever that was. Time to boost myself again, I guess. I sighed and the moment later I could already tell the time warp around me, to the point of almost stopping. Recently I¡¯ve been using that ability pretty often, I was already pretty good at controlling it so it didn¡¯t feel so weird to me, seeing Mike frozen in place. For a second I considered doing something to him, but instead just turned away and started running into the distance. The run was boring. Obviously. But also pretty weird in a way. Usually, I could tell my speed or even the distance I¡¯ve travelled just by looking, but now, with the overwhelming whiteness, I couldn¡¯t tell shit. After leaving Mike behind there was nothing for me to actually estimate my speed. Only indication I had was his mana moving away from me, disappearing in the distance, until finally, after a few minutes, it vanished completely. As I was about to complain to myself and worry how to even tell the direction, I felt something. A presence. It appeared right in front of me, just at the edge of my range of detection. I slowed down a bit, unsure what to do. I never expected to find a person here. I mean, it wasn¡¯t out of the realm of possibility, but was strange nonetheless. Who was that? Someone from the MIRE? Had to be. This was their place, right? As I was approaching, I realized that they were powerful. Suddenly, the presence shifted and moved away a good bunch to the side. Did they manage to detect me? I mean, it was possible. While on the outside only a couple seconds have passed, at least to others, the experienced mage would¡¯ve clearly realized that something was approaching. And with me being that fast, I was probably getting mistaken for a spell, hence they moved away so they won¡¯t be hit. To not make them even more suspicious, I decided to not change direction, only move towards them at the last moment. They didn¡¯t do anything else for a while. The next reaction I got was just when I was in eyesight, but before that I had a different thing to be interested in. And that was the building. What I couldn''t identify before, the weird shape on the horizon, was actually just a singular building. Which was weird, because it seemed like it stretched further than just what I was seeing in front of me. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. It was just a brick. I mean, a square structure that, while a bit darker than the floor and everything else here, was still pretty hard to distinguish. What was not hard to notice, though, was a rather large hole in the wall, along with a presence that was hanging around, not too far away from said hole. A familiar presence. The fact that I recognized it made me stop in my tracks. I was not sure what to think of this development, because it was definitely the same mana as I had. As Mike had. As all of us with the main Origin Crystal. The fact that someone like that was here with us was concerning. It could mean that I just found someone that was an actual formidable enemy, not just another idiot or goon that was just put in our way to stall us. Or, if that was not it, it was even worse. If it was one of us, as in someone who was opposing MIRE and still had a formidable piece of Crystal with them, it meant that this place was indeed a good way of containing us. But, in truth, it wasn¡¯t either of those. The second part, though, wasn¡¯t far from the truth. In any case, I had to confirm my suspicions. I wasn¡¯t going to hold back. As fast as I could, I launched myself forwards, towards the presence. If I was to deal with it quickly, I had to use the surprise factor. Sure, I was detected, but still was hasted, so whoever that was, they would definitely still be at a disadvantage, power or not. Even if they had the same ability as me, and that was very possible with Origin Crystal, they still had to engage it. And it would at least take a second, which would be a lot longer for me. In a straight line, I shot towards the presence, but as soon as I got close enough to see their face, I stopped myself. The presence reacted. I think I underestimated the perception or speed of the person in front of me. Or both. They definitely had the same ability though, the fact that they were right now gunning right for me was an obvious indicator. I was preparing for the inevitable encounter, but almost immediately got confused when I saw what was coming for me. Same as the person in front of me. -Mike? -Mor? We both looked at each other with confusion. -What are you doing, attacking me?! - he asked, irritated and somewhat suspicious. - And what are you even doing here? -Me?! What are YOU doing here?! I¡¯ve been running for a long while and you¡­ -You ran away in a different direction, what are you even talking about? He stopped. And suddenly turned a bit more hostile. -Is that you even¡­? -What are you¡­ ah. Yeah, that checked out. I didn¡¯t understand how exactly we met up again, but that reaction was a fair one. I definitely proved that I could split, while not exactly a skill I practiced, it was possible. But, so could he. -I am real. Are you? -Obviously. -¡±Obviously¡±... We were at an impasse. At least, seemingly. There was no real way to confirm us to each other. Was it needed, though? I took a gaze at our surroundings. No wonder I thought it was familiar. It WAS the same building. Down to the floor and the wall I broke. -How the fuck does that make any sense¡­? - I said out loud to myself. -What, being¡­ -Not that - I interrupted him. - We are both real, yeah I know it¡¯s you. My bad. -That¡¯s a sudden change¡­ He didn¡¯t seem so convinced. No wonder. -Well, I have no proof but I just got one from you. Or the place rather. -What? -I recognized shit I just broke. Well, recenlty. So I somehow made a loop. -Makes no sense. You definitely came from the other side. -Sure, sure. I don¡¯t care if you believe me - I said as I was moving towards the building. - But if that¡¯s right¡­ -What are you doing? I ignored his question and instead looked towards the broken wall. It wasn¡¯t that tall, just maybe a meter more than my height - just like a regular one-story building. The size matched what was on the inside, so there was no space-fuckery there, at least not this spot. -Should be easy¡­ I jumped up without issue - a bit of mana focused on my legs was enough. -The hell¡­? I still was ignoring him. I was more interested in what I could see from up there. The roof was flat. The whole building was more like just a large rectangular slab of concrete or whatever this was than anything else. But, it gave me a bit of a look in the distance. On the horizon there was still that strange shape that I thought I ran towards. From every direction as well. From up there I could see a bit more of it, but it didn¡¯t help much, it was still a distorted mess. -What if I go further up¡­? -The fuck are you doing? - I heard from down on the ground. Mike was standing right next to the building, looking at me with a question in his eyes. -No longer suspicious of me? -Only you do weird shit like that. Mind explaining, though? -In a moment. I just need¡­ I took a closer look at the floor. Or rather the roof of the building. Looked sturdy enough¡­ With as much strength and mana as I could muster in a moment, I pushed myself and jumped up, as high as I could. I didn¡¯t expect that I¡¯d manage to leap so high with just a sliver of preparation, but I reached more than ten meters up in the air. Before I got stopped, that is. I straight up crashed into something. With the jump I intended to check the horizon to maybe see more of the inconsistencies, seeing as the space was apparently looped, but the fact that I rammed my head into the ceiling completely threw me off. To the point where I crash-landed on the building, breaking through the ceiling and landing right next to completely stunned Mike. -Ow. My bad. But he was not listening to me, instead he was looking up. He was looking at the spot I crashed into¡­? Yeah what was that even. The spot where I reached¡­ cracked. 279. Hole In the middle of the air, hovering above us, was just a crack in the air. Like a broken mirror, the reflection was cracked, and I could see the building and two of us staring directly at it. Wait, reflection? -I don¡¯t know what you wanted to do - said Mike - but it worked even better than you thought. -Yeah, no shit¡­ - I replied, trying to wrap my head around this development. -This is a room then¡­ -Yeah¡­ at least vertically it¡¯s normal it seems. -Vertically? -Yeah, I jumped to see if the horizon was just a reflection too, but it¡¯s more like the horizon is copying itself. -Ah. You looped. -Yeah. Sounds familiar? -Like the barrier - nodded Mike. - And it has the same weak point it seems. Right. I remembered that the last time he also managed to crack the sky before he managed to get out. -Does that mean¡­ -They sealed us again - he said. - I mean¡­ wow. -This time it¡¯s smaller I guess¡­ -And we went in willingly. -That¡¯s debatable but¡­ yeah¡­ - I sighed. - Fuck. -Well, it¡¯s not all that bad. We at least now know how to get out. -You intend on repeating the same bullshit you did before? -Yep. -But don¡¯t you need a lot of power¡­? -I do. But I do have it, right? He looked directly at me. -I have a perfect battery right in front of me. Uh-oh. I quickly collected myself and stepped back from him. -And you think I am going to just fall over and let you use me? -Well, you are pretty charged¡­ True. I did absorb a lot of magic recently. -I am not¡­ -Who says about ¡°using¡± you? - he interrupted me. - Aren¡¯t you going to help willingly? Or you¡¯d rather be stuck here forever? -I¡­ -Besides, I doubt I¡¯ll need as much power as before. Look. He pointed towards the cracked sky. -If that¡¯s what your head did, it¡¯s not even going to be that hard. Hell, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll need to go through all the trouble I went through before. Apparently our prison is a lot less durable than they thought. He raised his hand and pointed towards the crack in the sky. -Gymnu. A lightning jumped between his fingers and shot towards the sky. It struck right in the spot I crashed into with a loud, thundering noise. And actually made an impact. The crack visibly shuddered and grew a little bit. -See? -That is poor planning. -Planning? -What, did they just expect us not to destroy it¡­? I don¡¯t get it. -Well¡­ when you put it like that¡­ - he said, looking up. - I thought that they might just not expect us to detect it¡­ But that sounds really far-fetched. -Right? I get it if it was, I don¡¯t know, hundreds of times further away, but not that easy to reach¡­ -Yeah! And I didn¡¯t even put much force into it¡­ Hell, I just jumped. -Let¡¯s not underestimate the hardness of your dome - he pointed out. - You probably would¡¯ve cracked anything, really¡­ -Well, yes, but at least I¡¯d have to put some effort into it. Like the ground here. -True¡­ -And even if not that, let¡¯s be real, we aren¡¯t exactly on ¡°friendly terms¡± with each other. -The fuck you mean? - he scowled. -You know very well. Or at least that¡¯s what it looked like earlier. In any case, that¡¯s not the point - I shook my head. - The point is, with the two of us, there is an almost one hundred percent certainty that sooner or later one of us would launch a spell. A spell large or powerful enough to reach the top of this barrier - I said pointing up. -That¡¯s fair¡­ -And if your lightning managed to deepen that crack, there¡¯s¡­ He stopped me. -Hold the fuck on. Where is it? I looked up. He was right, the crack in the sky was no more. Did we just¡­ lose sight of it? No. There was not even a sign that it was there in the first place. -Huh. That explains it¡­ -Automatic repair¡­? -Probably - he agreed. - But that doesn¡¯t change a thing. -Exactly - I said, preparing to jump up again, but stopped myself. - You know, you go this time. -Excuse me? I don¡¯t have a stone head to¡­ Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. -Not that. Toss a spell. See how much damage you do without me. He tossed me a look, but nodded. -Okay. Gymnu! Repeating his earlier spell, he gestured towards the blank sky. I expected it to do something. But not to get reflected straight back at him. Mike didn¡¯t, either. He took the full brunt of his own attack. -AAHH! -Holy shit! I think he¡¯s glad he didn¡¯t go all out with that lightning. The attack sent him to the ground, reeling from pain. He got hit right in the shoulder, charring his body, filling the air with an unpleasant smell of burned flesh. -Well, now we know how they expected to contain us¡­ - I said, not really moved by his wound. -Yeah, I am fine, thanks for asking. -Oh, come on, you¡¯ll live. -Pfh. Sure, he did get damaged, but so what? While still on the floor, he was holding his shoulder, trying to move his arm that was refusing now to raise. -Want me to help you heal again? -No thanks. I don¡¯t want any more crystal in me. -Hah. Suit yourself. -You knew that it would happen, didn¡¯t you? -You had your suspicions too. But no, I didn¡¯t. I did think that it would be too easy just to send a mediocre spell¡­ I thought it would absorb it or something, not fully reflect it¡­ -Yh¡­ Right¡­ But it does make sense¡­ -Yep. If it works vertically, why not horizontally? -So, it¡¯s your turn then - he said, rising from the ground. -What, want me to get reflected? Or you¡¯re looking for a feedback loop? - I said, pondering. - I mean, it might work, but I mostly absorb spells, not reflect them, I¡¯d have to¡­ -Not that. Just fucking hit it. I mean, it worked before? -Ah. Well, I suppose. A lot less complicated. But still annoying. -What, tired of jumping? -Yes, actually. I¡¯d rather be grounded. But, I have a different idea. During my escapades I have multiple times been broken into pieces. Oftentimes I did it myself. I had some practice. So, doing it again was easy. I didn¡¯t even have to focus much, it was just like breaking a branch from a tree: I grabbed my arm and it just¡­ came right off. -You can do that so easily?! - yelped Mike, not hiding his surprise. -I didn¡¯t expect it to go so quickly, but yes¡­ - I said, smiling. I couldn¡¯t help but remember when I had to put a considerable amount of mana and force into a spell to try and actually try and harm myself. Now it just came to me naturally, like it was a perfectly normal thing to do. I wasn¡¯t sure if I should be happy about that. Same with replacement. Just a single thought was enough to regrow the missing limb. Not sure if that was because of me being overcharged or what, but that one bothered me more for some reason. -Tossing this is going to be infinitely easier, right? - I said, raising the newly made ¡°projectile¡±. -This is so weird. But yeah, I guess. -Hah. Well, here goes¡­ I leaned back and tossed it as high up as I possibly could. Considering the point where I hit the ceiling, it should hit no problem and make a decent dent¡­ Crack. Yep. It wasn¡¯t the same size as my stupid head did, but the crack definitely appeared. I¡¯d say it was less than a half of it, but still. Progress. -Nice hit! Grab your hand and I¡¯ll continue¡­ Gymnu! -Okay. It was working. But this time, his spell was a lot less powerful and made a lot smaller impact for some reason. -You holding back too much? - I asked, picking my own arm up. -No point wasting mana if you can just toss your hand. Just need to keep it from fixing, right? I guess he was right. It seemed to go smoothly at first. It appears that Mike also had some doubts. -It¡¯s going too well¡­ Right. At this point the crack was already the size of¡­ well, it wasn¡¯t a crack any more. It was the size of a whole building I crashed on top of not so long ago. -You also have doubts? -Not doubts per se¡­ it¡¯s more like¡­ we are prisoners here, right? -Supposedly - I agreed. -So we have to be monitored. Or something. -Right. And they are letting us wreck our prison cell? -Exactly! -How ignorant do you think they are? - I asked after a moment of consideration and a few more tosses. -What? -I mean, if the not-janitor was any indicator, I think they just think that we are out of the picture. Dealt permanently. -Didn¡¯t they think so with the whole island business? Didn¡¯t they learn? -I guess it would be even worse - I agreed. - More like regression. -Yep. -So, you think they are preparing something? -Maybe. Or there¡¯s something else that is blocking us from leaving here. -A second layer? Maybe¡­ -Whatever it is, we need to be prepared for anything. -Not like we have anything to prepare with¡­ -I suppose¡­ I probably would try and prepare something to teleport, but as you know we lack¡­ everything. -And the portals are one-way here - I reminded him. -I assume that only works for as long as we are in here. -Maybe. Well, who knows. Instead of worrying, why won¡¯t you put a bit more effort in/ -Ehe, right¡­ -I am serious. If they are preparing, the faster we breach¡­ Crack. -...the better. Crack. -Oho, I guess I don¡¯t need to! - he said. - One last! This time, we attacked together. I tossed my hand again and together with his lightning we struck the cracking sky, finally making¡­ a hole? Not really¡­ It was really like a mirror. The moment both spells struck, the cracks in the white void started branching more and more, the pieces that had been separated instead of falling started just vanishing, letting us peer into whatever was beyond. And beyond¡­ was nothing? Instead of overwhelming whiteness, there was just black. Not much of an improvement, but still. I was going to say something to complain, but realized that there was no place nor time, because the blackness was spreading. Like one big piece of glass, the whole place started to shatter. I was unsure what to think of it, that is until I felt a pull come from where the destruction was spreading. -What is this?! I wanted to ask, but couldn¡¯t speak a word. The air from my lungs was getting pulled out and along with the sound was getting sucked out into the black. I could tell at a glance that Mike was in a similar situation, and as I was to contact him with my mind I realized that I was no longer standing on the ground. Both of us were slightly raised off the ground and slowly ascending towards the epicenter of the break, where we aimed our attacks before. -What the hell did we do?! -That¡¯s definitely not what I expected! Both of our thoughts reached us at the same time as we suddenly sped up and instead of slowly ascending, we were now racing towards the crack in the sky¡­ Wait, what sky? At this point, there was no sky. There was no white void or room or whatever we were in before. We were suspended in blackness, the whole ¡°cell¡± of ours not existing any more, the remaining pieces already vanished. I am pretty sure Mike was flailing about and trying to cast some kind of spell, but was not successful, be it because of a sudden change of scenery or just straight up his magic was refusing to work correctly in this new void. I tried too, maybe to control my own flight a bit using some wind, but couldn¡¯t muster any mana. Shit. We were about to crash into each other, when we suddenly stopped. It felt like an eternity, but we spent just a split second in that black void¡­ Before being violently ejected back to the normal world. 280. Derelict We landed heavily on something cold, among the silent darkness again. But this time, the darkness was normal, not a black void - we were in a dark room. It was only dark and quiet just for a moment, though. I didn¡¯t even get to properly stand up or say anything before a cacophony of noises and flashing lights assaulted my senses. -Alarm system!? - I heard a groan next to me. Definitely was. -What is this, some groundhog day? - I moaned and quickly stood up. Behind me, on the pedestal and everywhere nearby, there was a scattering of shards of something that looked like glass. It was standing in the spotlight, a singular white beam of light shining on it from somewhere above us. I mean, besides the sirens and red blinking alarm lights. -Let¡¯s get the fuck out! - barked Mike, already on his feet, and casting some spell. - I guess a portal? That would be the quickest¡­ -Don¡¯t bother, they aren¡¯t that stupid to¡­ -Done! -What?! That was unexpected. I thought that if they managed to seal us inside¡­ whatever that was, they would at least expand the portal suppression field or whatever that was, to the whole cell¡­ or vault¡­? The more I looked at it, the more it looked like. A small room with a pedestal, with walls simple but sturdy-looking. The blinking lights were giving me small glimpses of some strange items on the walls that definitely felt magical¡­ -Just fucking go! - he hurried me up. Right. There was no time to actually try and ascertain what I was looking at. Mike already made a portal. Supposedly working. -Fine! I leaped towards the glowing opening on the wall nearby, fully expecting for it to not work. But¡­ It worked absolutely fine. A moment later I was spit out in¡­ yet another forest. I couldn¡¯t help but sigh with resignation. Why the hell was it always a forest? I turned back to see Mike jump out of the opening and promptly close it, leaving behind us just a tree. -We are back - he said, breathing heavily. -It would seem so - I nodded. - Do you really not have any better destinations to use? Forest again? -Sorry, I am not really full on the fucking anchors¡­ - he groaned. - I am tired of it as well¡­ -What, portals really take that much out of you? -Next time you make one and then you''ll see - he replied. That was actually a good idea. I probably should stock up on some anchors or something¡­ -Anyway, where are we? - I asked. - I mean, I see the forest¡­ -I said it already. We are back. -Oh. You meant that literally? -Yeah¡­ We probably should move. -Eh¡­ -What? You want to make things easy for them? -Well no, but it¡¯s not like they can¡¯t track us¡­ -Still¡­ -And did you even feel someone chasing us? - I asked. - You were the last one in that room. He furled his brow. -Actually¡­ not really. -Weird, right? Considering all those blaring alarms¡­ -Yeah¡­ The security seemed to be lacking¡­ -Or more like non-existing. I sighed, sitting down near a tree. -Yeah, that always confuses me. One moment they seem to have infinite resources and be almost omnipotent¡­ -Let¡¯s not be too¡­ -... and the next they are just completely useless. So which is it? -I am not going to lie¡­ I sort of was overestimating them for a while - he agreed. - I mean, can you blame me? The whole barrier, ability to mess with the whole island¡­ -I get you - I agreed. - I am the same. It¡¯s just weird. I can¡¯t put my finger on it, but the whole MIRE¡­ they seem like¡­ -Close to collapse? - asked Mike. - Hardly. You seen how many people they sent. -Yeah! That¡¯s the thing. The people keep appearing, but almost a moment later, they are gone. Like our jail for example! - I pointed out. - While we were out there, they seemed to have infinite people to chase us. But, the moment we were locked down, they seemed to disappear. And after we escaped, there seems to be almost no people pursuing us. Hell, there were almost none keeping us there locked down in the first place. Like¡­ they forgot or something¡­ -While I know that sounds a bit self-centered from me - he said - but I don¡¯t think they would forget ME. ME out of all people¡­ Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. -It does sound like that - I shrugged. - I mean, it doesn¡¯t make sense, but¡­ -Fuck them - he puffed. - Without me, they wouldn¡¯t be even fucking existing. -Let¡¯s not get too¡­ -You too! - he continued. - Without our research, the MIRE would be scrapped like most of the government projects. -Weren¡¯t we supposed to be private at some point¡­? - I asked. -Eh, private, government funded, same thing - he shrugged. - You think private companies don¡¯t get hired by governments or something. -It¡¯s not the same¡­ but, yeah, whatever. -Wait¡­ you think that it could be it? -What? -That they are defunded. -Defunded? -Or bankrupting. Whatever you want to call it. -Well¡­ they still definitely use Origin Crystal - I pointed out. - And do have some technology mixed with magic. -True¡­ but that¡¯s not really much isn¡¯t it? -¡±Much¡±? Having something akin to magitech is not ¡°much¡± - I asked, not able to believe what I¡¯ve been hearing. - Wasn¡¯t that the main problem of magic? That if ever combined would completely break the balance of power? -Sure! - he agreed. - But don¡¯t you think that if it was so powerful, wouldn¡¯t there be more of it? -If they were able to produce it, maybe - I agreed. - But it¡¯s not like they would¡¯ve put that technology into every single vacuum cleaner, you know what I mean? -Sure. But we aren¡¯t the dirty food that needs vacuuming - he pointed out. - They would be using every resource available. -And they did. That¡¯s how we know, right. -Yeah. And how much have we seen? Technology using magic? Or vice versa? He had a point. -You¡¯d think they would replace us as soon as they could, right? - he continued. - Then the production would continue and hasten¡­ -Wait. Continue? They had something already? -Of course they did. I am looking at it. -Ah. Well, true¡­ -Right? And after that¡­ -Okay. What you are implying is that we were the only ones able to create something like that? The three of us? -Precisely. And since none of us were with them any more, they straight up started losing more and more¡­ -...and there are done¡­ -Hopefully - he nodded. - I mean, this whole operation was pretty much a gamble on their part. -Eh. Still is. I don¡¯t think they are done. -Me neither, but I don¡¯t think they can contain us any more. We are only getting stronger and they are getting weaker. -So playing for time is working for us - I said a bit irritated. - Eh. -Why are you so sour? - he asked. - That¡¯s great news! -Of course. I am tired of waiting, though. -We don¡¯t have to wait! We can just live and be unbothered! As long as we are careful, we are fine! -Still. Don¡¯t think that will be annoying down the line? Especially to you. Weren¡¯t you supposed to start your experiments on your own body again? Wouldn¡¯t that just lead them to you? -It¡¯s not really ¡°experiments¡± - he replied, not very happy I described it that way - but maybe, okay. If I am careful, they can¡¯t do shit, especially if that¡¯s the extent of their ability. And since when do you care? -I don¡¯t think¡­ I paused. -Wait. Why do I care? And why are you telling me this? Weren¡¯t we just not so long ago at odds? Mike looked at me strangely and blinked. -I just¡­ He also stopped, realizing what he just said. -Yeah. Why do we care? Why are we working together? I couldn¡¯t help but laugh. -What¡¯s so funny? - he barked. -Well, the fact that this shit happened again. -Again? You know what¡¯s going on?! -Sort of¡­ - I replied. - I know that it¡¯s not the first time I¡¯ve felt like I¡¯ve been acting like I''m not myself and my actions weren¡¯t exactly¡­ well, making sense. -You can say that again¡­ - he mumbled. -Right? -Why are you so happy about that?! -Happy? Hell no, I am absolutely livid. -Your face doesn¡¯t really look like¡­ -Oh come on, it¡¯s not like that - I interrupted him. - Sure. I am angry. I don¡¯t understand. So what? -So what?! Don¡¯t you care about your own self?! What¡¯s wrong with you?! -I just accepted that it¡¯s what¡¯s going to happen to me, that¡¯s all. So it seems like it also hit you. -What hit me?! What is this mysterious phenomenon you aren¡¯t telling me about?! -Come on, think. Out of all people, you probably should come to realization first. -Me?! -Oh for fucks¡­ - I groaned. - We are just getting assimilated. He paused and looked at me. -Assimilated. To who exactly? -I don¡¯t think it works like that. -Oh, but I do. -Come on. You said it yourself, I should know better. And I know that to be assimilated means¡­ -Weaker mana being absorbed by the stronger, yes, yes¡­ - I waved him off. - Or soul. Or mind. Whatever you want to call it. -Yep. So, what is this that¡­ -And did you ever think about what happens when two minds of the same power clash? -That is impossible. You know that. Nothing can be identical in nature, they''re always¡­ -Yeah, sure. In nature. -Okay, look - he raised his brow. - I know we are by this point hardly natural beings¡­ - he said, looking at my crystal form. - But we still have mana, we didn¡¯t change that or anything¡­ -Anything? We didn¡¯t change anything about our mana? - I interrupted him. - Think. We changed exactly that: our amounts of mana. Maybe indirectly, sure, but that¡¯s what happened. -So? But we still aren¡¯t the same! -But we have the ability to become the same. The same power, that is. -What¡­? Come on, I can clearly tell that we have different mana capacities. Are you just trying to tell me that there¡¯s someone more powerful than you but just wording that weirdly or what? -Nope. As for this, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s someone stronger than¡­ well, me at this point. -And you complained about me being full of myself. -I said ¡°at this point¡±. Doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s not constantly changing. -Yeah, I get you, you¡¯re the perfect battery. I am aware. Hard to imagine something stronger than a leyline¡­ -And that¡¯s the exact issue. I am essentially a leyline now. He looked at me with concern. -That¡¯s what you meant by ¡°assimilation¡±? -Something like that. At least that¡¯s what I think is going on. -Wait¡­ so a leyline¡­ all that mana being too much for you¡­ Wait. That makes no sense. You have to be at least somewhat sentient to be able to do something like this¡­ It¡¯s¡­ -That¡¯s why I said it¡¯s just what I think. I can¡¯t be sure any more. -¡±Any more¡±? -Look, there¡¯s been a lot going on and a lot that I thought was sure appeared completely different moments later, so I¡¯m leaving myself some way to be wrong, okay? - I replied. - You¡¯re welcome to figure it out better by yourself. -Well, if it¡¯s happening to you, I can hardly ¡°figure it out¡± without some tests. And those I can¡¯t do without your input. -Oh, yes you can. What? - I asked, seeing as he was giving me an annoyed look. -I know we are not exactly friendly, but I¡¯d rather not start fighting again. And I feel like experiments without your consent is the easiest way to receive a fistful of crystal to the face. -That it is. -So then how¡­ -Think, you idiot. You forgot that I am not the only one with Crystal? And not the only one that not so long ago was absorbing a rather large part of leyline? He paused for a second, realizing what I meant. 281. Ruin -You think I am also getting¡­ Nah. I barely absorbed¡­ -So what? It¡¯s not like you¡¯ve been changing your mind constantly and felt absolutely normal recently, right? -I¡­ Huh. -Yep. Maybe slower, maybe faster, but whatever it is, it¡¯s the same. He paused again. Now for a bit longer. -While I am not against that¡­ I feel like it¡¯s not the right moment¡­ or rather the right place¡­ -I am pretty sure we have time. If not here, then where? -Wait¡­ you are serious? -Of course. What else do we have to do - I shrugged. -Maybe finding a place to actually stay? I don¡¯t know about you, but I¡¯d rather not be a hermit¡­ -Ah. I forgot. -Forgot what? -That you, all this time, was a pampered king. -¡±Pampered¡±, pff. -Well, I literally had no home to speak of and had to literally live in the forest. -What about the Edge? -I don¡¯t count that prison as a home. -¡±Prison¡±, my ass. You essentially owned the place. Thanks to your deal with For. -It was a long time ago. -That¡¯s true. But that¡¯s a fair point, why don¡¯t we go back there? -If you tell me how - I replied. - And besides, it¡¯s back on the ¡°prison island¡± or whatever. You want to go back? -Why not? The barrier is down. -Along with the people inside¡­ - I pointed out. -So? -I don¡¯t think I¡¯d¡­ You know, screw that. It¡¯s not like we have a way to get there anyway. -I mean, there¡¯s still the targeted teleportation¡­ -Don¡¯t start with that. You know we¡¯ll end up in the next century or something weird like that. -Not like it mattered. -Well¡­ Maybe it would be even better¡­ Eh, no matter. -Better? That¡¯s new. -As I said. Doesn¡¯t matter. I still would rather not do it. -Since when do you care about the problem with that kind of teleportation? Weren¡¯t you the one who abused it? -I didn¡¯t ¡°abuse it¡± - I scoffed. - I just didn¡¯t know. -That doesn¡¯t make it better. -Sure doesn¡¯t. -Relax. I get it - he sighed. - And besides, we don¡¯t need to use those dubious methods. I think. -You think? Didn¡¯t you say you don¡¯t have any more anchors that were usable? -Well¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ it¡¯s¡­ What if I tried using myself as an anchor, though? I stopped and glared at him. -Doesn¡¯t that give us the same problem, though? Sure, you might work as an anchor, but we¡¯re still dealing with the time dilation. -Er¡­ I am not sure, really¡­ -¡±Not sure¡±, huh? Also, why do you want to leave this place so much? I mean, I get it, it''s empty¡­ -More than empty - he said. - Okay, maybe we aren¡¯t being pursued any more, but we should at least be a bit more¡­ civilized¡­ He was clearly struggling to find some arguments. Something was off him. But, then again, that was the whole reason for this discussion in the first place. Although¡­ -You¡¯re hiding something, aren¡¯t you? - I straight up asked. -I haven¡¯t the slightest idea what you¡¯re talking about. -Aha. Both his face and tone of voice were telling me something else. Completely out of character for him. Not lying, that was completely normal. Rather the fact that I was able to tell so easily or him hiding it so poorly. If that was anybody else, I would¡¯ve said that it¡¯s just my senses being sharper than usual, but with him, I sort of didn¡¯t think that was the case. At least not entirely. -Whatever. So, what do you want to do? -... -Come on. Out with it. -I¡¯ll open the way. That was barely an answer and only made me suspicious. He had a place in mind? A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. He stepped up to a tree and extended his hand towards me. -What? -I need a hand. Can you cut me? -Can¡¯t you just cast a spell? - I asked, even more suspicious. -... -Oh, fuck you, fine. With one thought I sharpened my fingers and grabbed his hand. -Ouch! Can you not¡­? -What? -... Since when he¡¯s been a delicate lady, huh? Well, whatever the case, he got what he wanted. -Nothing. Okay, give me a moment. He clasped his hands together and then pressed them both to the trunk in front of him. The tree trunk cracked and split in half, inside housing a familiar oval opening full of swirling, nondescript space. It definitely looked like a regular portal¡­ I mean, the method he was using was pretty similar to what I¡¯ve seen before. -So, I assume the time dilation is not an issue? He didn¡¯t reply, just urged me to pass through. -Okay, okay¡­ I passed through, expecting everything and anything, but the travel was as boring and as mundane as ever. No gravity fluctuations either, but I should¡¯ve expected that since we were using a vertical plane¡­ I was greeted by a rather loud noise of the sea. I expected for him to not pass through and leave me behind, but just a moment later he was right next to me and the gateway closed. -So, where are we? - I asked, taking a look at the surrounding sea. We were standing on a rather large plateau. Made out of solid, pretty magical rock, or at least I assumed so. I couldn¡¯t really tell from the look alone what I was looking at thanks to the fact that most of the stone was covered with algae, ferns and other strangle and overgrown plants. Some looked quite out of place in the middle of the sea like that. He looked at me, confused and gestured towards our back. -Don¡¯t you recognize? We¡¯re just¡­ As he turned, his voice trailed away. I am pretty sure he didn¡¯t expect to see¡­ well, nothing. The only thing on the plateau other than plants were just pieces of stone, pretty often weathered down to just small pebbles. Not sure how most of them were even still here, since the wind was pretty strong. As if to confirm that, a rather strong gust pushed some of them off the cliff and down towards the rocky cliff below us, scattering them in the water. -I don¡¯t think that¡¯s much of an improvement after where we were - I pointed out. - But I guess that¡¯s not what you¡¯ve expected. Time dilation is a bitch. -That¡¯s not possible! - he barked. - I am sure that spell was perfect, and the anchor¡­ no, that didn¡¯t matter! -So something COULD go wrong. -The most could fail was me missing the location. And we are here¡­? I think? There was no mistaking it. It was indeed Edge. While the stone was weathered and no longer as full of mana, there were enough to tell the familiar presence. -Well, I don¡¯t know what to tell you. That¡¯s the Edge alright. Just a lot has passed, that¡¯s it. -How¡­ -We¡¯ve been teleporting a lot - I said, shrugging. - It¡¯s not that strange that some of those were garbage. -We weren¡¯t really using the first class ingredients¡­ - he agreed, but almost instantly shook his head. - But that doesn¡¯t matter! This place was full of mana! It¡¯s not like it will vanish so soon. -¡±Soon¡± is a relative term - I replied. -... -Look, instead of complaining, let¡¯s get downstairs. Maybe there we will still find something useful. He didn¡¯t reply, so I just started walking. Yeah, the place was a wreck. Anything that was above the regular courtyard level was completely gone, without a trace. It sort of looked like some earthquake happened here, the walls failed and let the weight of the building crush everything in its path. I spent a bit here, but even then it wasn¡¯t that easy to find some path. But, I found something akin to a staircase. Hard to tell which one, though. I started moving the ruined pieces of stone and crystal aside and uncovered it to the point of usability. During that, I managed to tell that rocks were indeed the Origin Crystal. Sure, they weren¡¯t exactly charged much, but the dormant energy was still there. Maybe that¡¯s why some of those weren''t yet turned to dust. Just to check, I tried absorbing a small piece, and it indeed was resisting my drain. Just as the Origin Crystal should. That doesn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t just releasing its mana into the air. I guess without something holding it together the energy was just¡­ dispersing. I was about to head down, when I realized that Mike was still standing there, unmoving. -You coming? Or just rather wait? -Ah? Yeah¡­ Coming¡­ Again with this¡­ I was about to complain and maybe try to snap him out of this¡­ whatever that was, but instead got preoccupied with what was in front of me. The stairs down were mostly buried. It didn¡¯t take us even three steps to encounter problems with descending. Between the two of us, we managed to kick the rubble away, or rather make it crumble to dust. Despite the fact that we were dealing with the Crystal, the time it spent here managed to do a number on it. Hell, in comparison to what I¡¯ve seen upstairs, this was even less durable: one good squeeze was enough for me to turn some pieces to dust. Still couldn¡¯t drain them directly, though. Mike didn¡¯t have that much grip strength, but was able to crack some of them too: the longer and thinner pieces were as brittle as it gets and it easily crumbled if you put some strength into it. -I just hope this place won¡¯t crack under my weight¡­ - I mumbled, breaking yet another piece. -Don¡¯t even say it. After a couple of minutes Mike apparently managed to get back into his own groove. Still, he was a bit more silent than usual. At least we were making progress. After about five meters of stairs, I started wondering how deep were those going? If I remembered correctly, and it was hard to judge, really, those stairs looked similar to ones that led towards the jail where I was being kept once. Or was it somewhere else? Honestly, it could be anything: there had no discerning features to begin with, and especially not now, when everything went to shit. No light either. What was lighting up the place the last time¡­? Ah, the stone itself. Well, not like it mattered anyway, I could still see fairly well thanks to my enhanced eyes and Mike''s small light that he conjured when we went down. When I was about to ask him why he was even using that, since I was pretty sure he could see in the darkness at least as well as I, he extinguished his spell. I froze on the spot. Did he feel someone? I quickly spread my senses, just to be sure, but as expected, the only mana I felt was the remaining embers lingering in the crystals around us and the two of us. But there was also another thing that caught my attention. -Ah. Well. He extinguished his light because there was nothing to be found here. Especially since it was the end of the staircase. Literally. I kicked a few remaining pieces of rubble away and took a step back. The rest of the crystals shifted and slowly started moving downwards¡­ falling from the edge of the last step. -Sea - I stated the obvious. Right. The staircase didn¡¯t end, rather it was cut off. Destroyed by whatever happened here, or maybe it was just water eroding this piece of stone. It was just below us, maybe not even a meter lower. -That¡¯s a thing¡­ - I mumbled, scratching my head. - Maybe there¡¯s still something upstairs we missed¡­ -There¡¯s nothing out there. -We can¡¯t be sure until we check. Let¡¯s go back. He didn¡¯t reply, but didn¡¯t resist either. But, he was right. There was no point. 282. Drone A while later, I sat down in the middle of what used to be the main courtyard. Now mostly clean, at least from the main rubble: the larger crystals were shoved away in my attempt to find something. Only thing I uncovered was a bunch of other staircases, similarly leading towards the sea. I was sort of hoping to find one with a room intact at the end, or a part of a corridor at least, but nope. Even the one that led underwater was also a dead end, or rather an open end. And I checked. There was really nothing out here. Mike all this time was mostly quiet and was keeping to himself, that is until I finally gave up and sat down, looking at the sky. -So, what now? - he asked, sitting in front of me, looking at me with a blank expression. -You¡¯re the one asking me? - I replied, looking down at him. - You wanted to take me here. -I wanted to find civilization far away from MIRE. And this was my last idea. I glanced at the rubble. -Yeah, that¡¯s not really it, now is it¡­ -Yeah. -... -What about you, though? -Hmm? -I know, we both are¡­ well, not completely sane¡­ -Hah. It¡¯s not that bad. -Yet. You know what I mean. -Sure, sure¡­ -You were just following me so far. What do you want to do? -Honestly? Not much - I shrugged. - I was always someone who just likes to go with what comes as it is¡­ at least I think so. -Heh. -Yeah. I mean, there¡¯s nothing here. The idea of returning to society was on my mind, sure, but the longer I thought about it, the more complicated it got. -Mmm. -I mean, I can always hide my face, my looks. But not really can suppress my own aura. Sure, if we were back in time when magic wasn¡¯t really a thing, I¡¯d be fine. I probably would have problems with some governments, though. -Well, that¡¯s how it all¡­ maybe not started, but you know¡­ -Yep. Especially when magic is popular. I¡¯d be a problem wherever I went. -Yeah¡­ Same with me. -Yep. My second idea was to just go somewhere to the forest and hide there. But that¡¯s still problematic¡­ I¡¯d be a walking catastrophe. Either being a mobile leyline, creating overwhelming power wherever I got, or the opposite, just creating deadlands. Sure, first one doesn¡¯t sound like much of a problem, but¡­ What¡¯s that life like? -I get you. Doesn¡¯t sound too bad, but after a century or ten, I bet it would take a toll on your mind. Even if you were able to keep the status quo. -Someone, somehow, would find you. And then¡­ we repeat all this. -If that¡¯s even ended - I pointed out. - For all we know, we might be surprised by another wave of MIRE in a moment. Like commanded, we looked towards the first vertical surface we had next to us, expecting for a portal to open, but nothing happened. I stifled a chuckle. -At least we have peace for now. -It¡¯s funny - he pointed out. - After such a long time trying to bust out of here, I still ended up here. -Well, at least you¡¯re not jailed. I think. -Yeah¡­ Still. That¡¯s not going to last. It¡¯s not like you can just disappear from the world¡­ I didn¡¯t answer. Disappear, hmm? -Well, disappear or not, we still need to confirm how much there is left to do. -Left to do? -I mean MIRE. We have to deal with them. -Right¡­ I mean, they were on their last legs. -And we probably should cut those legs off. -After all that, you want to go back? - he asked. -I made up my mind. I thought you¡¯d be more thrilled. -Oh, ¡°thrill¡± was gone ages ago. I am just annoyed now. And tired. -Same. -Well, no matter what, we need to find them first. -True - I said, standing up. - I have some ideas. -What, you want to teleport again? I mean, we have time, but¡­ -No. At least not yet. -Not yet? -We need to do some scouting first. -Great idea - he agreed. - But, sorry to say, my network of people is currently a bit¡­ -Non-existent? You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. -You can say that. -I am aware. -There probably are some people with pieces here or there, but you know they aren¡¯t exactly good candidates¡­ Besides, it¡¯s not like I can easily communicate with them. -Nah, I had something else in mind. -...? -Why not use a drone? He froze. -A drone. And where the hell would you find one? - he chuckled. - It¡¯s not like we have some hardware store here. -I am going to make one, of course. -Since when you¡¯re¡­ -Of course I mean magical drone - I interrupted him, irritated. - Come on. -How? -Well, it¡¯s not like the first time we¡¯ve tried creating something new - I shrugged. - Be more creative. He sighed. -Okay. Sure. Drone. And what? How does that help? I gave him a concerned look. -Look, I get it, you are having an identity crisis. But your brain still works, right? -Fuck off. -Sorry, but at least try to pretend you care. If you don¡¯t want to help then just leave me to it then. -... He wasn¡¯t saying anything, so I just shrugged. -I suppose I¡¯ll do it alone, then. -Right, so what kind of material should I use¡­? - I mumbled to myself. - Probably¡­ yeah. I waved my hand and concentrated on the ground in front of me. I intended to make something out of wood. A lightweight piece of tree would be nice and easy to make, and probably wouldn¡¯t use much mana either. It didn¡¯t matter now, but after I¡¯d send it further away¡­ nah, probably wouldn¡¯t matter anyway. -Wisfe tehu. From the crack in the ground a spike of wood suddenly shot up. I didn¡¯t even pour much energy into that, yet it was so quick it actually managed to crack the stone even more. It stopped just as it touched my fingers and looked like a large splinter of wood, or maybe a broken board? -That might work¡­ I touched the wood and started shaping it. And by that, I mean literally sculpting it, using my own fingers. Since I was made out of crystal, it was easy for me to modify myself just a tiny bit and sharpen my fingers. -Manually like that¡­? - asked Mike, who apparently was observing my movements, despite his earlier disinterest. - You crazy or what? -It¡¯s not like I need some elaborate design - I shrugged. - I am not going to sell this, you know? And this is faster. I swiped once more at the wood. -Done. In my hand was¡­ well, essentially just a wooden pyramid, small enough to fit in one¡¯s palm of hand. Mike only raised his brew. -And how is that going to be useful? -Just let me finish. -Pff. Not caring about his opinion I flipped the piece of wood upside down and shoved my sharpened finger right into the base of it. Wood didn¡¯t give me much resistance, of course, so I managed to bury my whole finger. -And now the annoying part¡­ -What are you¡­ I focused and twisted my finger clockwise, at the same time pouring some mana into it. Crack. -Ow. It didn¡¯t really hurt. Wasn¡¯t my first time, so it was easy. My finger snapped and was now embedded inside the pyramid, while I was left with one less on my right hand. Only for a second, though, because it only took that long for me to reform my hand. While I was at it, I also returned my fingers to regular, from the sharp claws I had just a moment ago. -And now¡­ how was that¡­ I thought about the flight spell I used a long time ago and thought about implementing it now. It was long and cumbersome. Sure, it was back then just an experiment, barely working. If I was to use it now, it would be useless. If I were to modify some things¡­ -Geksu. I lit up the end of my newly formed finger and started writing on the side of the pyramid. I already had the design in mind, but writing it on that small piece of wood was still challenging. Mike was sitting there silently since broke my finger. It seemed like he understood that I needed some concentration for this, so he wasn¡¯t interrupting. He definitely was paying attention, though, I could tell. About ten minutes later, I was done with the spell. -Now, let¡¯s hope it works¡­ -How in the hell is that supposed to work? It¡¯s not like¡­ -Up. I felt a slight breeze in my hand and the piece of wood immediately shot up about a meter high and crashed right back down next to me. -Well, it sort of worked¡­ - I said, picking it back up and checking for any cracks in the stone or wood. -Sort of!? How the fuck¡­?! He snatched it out of my hand, surprising me. -The fuck? First you refuse to help, now you try to stop me? What gives?! I was about to snatch it back, with magic if needed, but he wasn''t really running away or anything else, he was just quietly studying my writing. -What gives? You¡¯ve been watching me make this the entire time. -Your writing. -Huh? -It¡¯s¡­ normal. -What? Err¡­? Thanks¡­? I was unsure what he was talking about. Was that supposed to be a compliment or something? -It¡¯s in normal language. -Again¡­ thanks¡­? -Oh for¡­ Look! He shoved my own creation in my own face. Like I¡¯ve not seen it before. -Can you not? Yes, it¡¯s normal, what are you talking about? -Fucking¡­ You wrote this without any conversions! A plain, regular speaking language! And it works! -Oh. Well. I did. -...?! He was flabbergasted. It was weird. I mean, I didn¡¯t really plan on doing it, but just did it on a whim. But why was he surprised? He used regular English before to cast spells. Why couldn¡¯t I do the same? -You did that before, didn¡¯t you? What makes you think I can¡¯t? -I did?! I stared at him. -Okay, don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re spacing out that much. Of course you did. I think I even pointed that out to you. -I¡­ don¡¯t remember that¡­ Damn. I guess it was worse than I thought. But it was strange¡­ I wasn¡¯t affected this way. At least not to my knowledge. -Huh. Apparently your assimilation is weird. -My¡­ Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s that. -And do you have any other explanations? - I asked. He didn¡¯t reply. And for the first time in a long while, he looked terrified. A bit weird. At that point, I thought he¡¯d be used to the idea. Then again, I shouldn¡¯t compare him to myself. I was just not normal in that regard. -Eh, don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s not like we can do something about it - I said, shrugging. -... 283. Unsure Still nothing, eh? -Well, in any case, since we still have time and our minds mostly working for now, let¡¯s focus on what¡¯s in front of us. And I mean¡­ up! The ¡°drone¡± jumped up again. This time, I gave it a lot less mana, so it barely left my hand, but I definitely caught his attention. -If this thing is to fly for a longer distance, I need to modify this a little bit. Maybe¡­ -You don¡¯t need to - he finally said. - Just loop the command. -Well, that would work¡­ a bit wasteful, though. -Why do you care? It¡¯s not like it¡¯s going to run out of mana. -Well, true¡­ Still, it¡¯s inefficient. -So what? -...fine. I quickly scribbled a few words into the wood and launched it again. -Up. It took me a couple more attempts to actually make it usable. And by ¡°usable¡± I definitely do not mean stable. What I created was essentially a pulse propelled projectile. Barely able to change direction, but flying nonetheless: a burst of wind magic firing every couple seconds from the crystal, while at the same time absorbing mana from the environment to fuel itself and hopefully reach its intended target. -I hate how sketchy this thing is - I said to Mike after one of the tests - I barely am able to control it. -Well, in these conditions, it¡¯s not like we need to do any better. But yeah, I agree, this thing is definitely nauseating. As another function, we added the ability to see through its ¡°exhaust¡±. I mean, that was its primary job: to give us a visual over whatever else we were going to find. The fact that we were only able to see it¡¯s behind was an issue, though. -I am more worried about something catching it - I commented. - It would be a waste if after a long flight we¡¯d just get knocked out of the sky. -You can then just increase the output, right? - said Mike. - It¡¯s not like we''re going to have mana deficiency. -True. If the whole magic battery was to be released, I doubt anything would catch us¡­ -And even if it did, there would be nothing to catch. -Eh¡­ still, it¡¯s wasteful¡­ Fly that much to blow yourself up? -It¡¯s hardly an explosion - he shrugged. - Just destruction of evidence. True. To be honest, it wouldn¡¯t be the first time that it would¡¯ve happened. We¡¯ve tested the ¡°battery¡± on this thing and the amount of mana it could release, and multiple times managed to go overboard. Luckily, in each case, the object in question didn¡¯t ¡°explode¡± explode, only destroyed its outer layer while burning all of its mana: the writing it made. If we were to do it deliberately when caught, then we¡¯d just be giving whoever a piece of wood with slightly charred exterior and an empty mana crystal. -Well, sure - I agreed. - There shouldn¡¯t be any more issues. -So, we¡¯re launching this thing or what? -I just hope it won¡¯t fail¡­ -Eh, if it does, so what? Not like it matters. -Okay, yeah. If it happens, you¡¯re the one who¡¯s going to be cutting your fingers for a new battery. He flinched. Sure, it wasn¡¯t really painful to me, but it was still unsettling. -Everything will work, come on. -I sure do hope so. Up. For a moment, nothing happened. But just as I was to think that the damn thing had failed, I felt a gust of wind and the blast had launched our little drone up. -Now for it to repeat¡­ A moment of uncertainty and¡­ Poof. -Great! It works! - said Mike with his nose pointing towards the sky. - Now, try aiming it a bit to the left¡­ He was talking more to himself than to me. Or to the drone itself, maybe. After all, this thing was preprogrammed, I didn¡¯t have to do shit. Well, mostly. -Let¡¯s take a peek¡­ I focused on the small crystal we launched and almost immediately I felt my sight travel up and attach itself to the flying pyramid. For a moment, I could see myself and Mike next to me, just for the scenery to shift a bit and see more of a horizon away from us. Then back again to us¡­ Yep, it was flying alright. The makeshift pulse engine was working well enough and slowly was stabilizing. -It¡¯s as irritating as it was¡­ - I said out loud. - But it seems to be working well enough. -Nice! Now it needs to reach somewhere. -Ha. Wonder how long it¡¯s going to take. He shrugged. -We have time. I mean, if it works as it should, it will speed up and shouldn¡¯t be THAT long¡­ -Well, true¡­ looks like that part works at least¡­ Want to take a look? -What? No. I¡¯d rather wait. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. -For what? It¡¯s not like you have anything to do here¡­ -True¡­ but I¡¯d rather not get motion sickness. With that thing¡­ -Fair enough. With that oscillation¡­ -Yeah. If it calms down a bit, then let me know, I¡¯ll join in. -Okay. I sat down next to him and closed my eyes. I didn¡¯t have to do that to keep attention on the actual image being sent to me, but it was annoying to see two at once. That way at least I wouldn¡¯t get a headache. Could I even get a headache? I don¡¯t know¡­ It also gave me an opportunity to pretend to be oblivious. So I could watch him. The control over the drone wasn¡¯t that much of a hassle for me to not be able to multitask and actually pay attention. I was worried about him. Not in the sense that I was scared of him betraying me, no. That was pretty low on my list of priorities. Not because I didn¡¯t think it was possible, more that I didn¡¯t think it would matter at this point. What was wrong with him? While he was pretending to be fine, he slipped once or twice. It was obvious to me that he had more on his mind. Probably the assimilation. I guess only now it finally sank in for him: that he was not immune to that. I have already got used to the inevitable, or rather never cared much about it in the first place. Wait, was that even me thinking that? I couldn¡¯t be so sure¡­ My whole personality was all over the place since the start, so I didn¡¯t know any better. But to him it was a new feeling. A wake-up slap. What he¡¯s been doing to countless people has finally caught up to him. At least in some way. And there was no way of escaping it. At least none that either of us could see. I am not sure if he knew that I was observing him, but he didn¡¯t change his behaviour. Still, was as ¡°normal¡± as he usually was, or at least as much as before. Pacing next to me and watching the surroundings, he was just waiting. I could tell he was also probing the nearby area for changes in mana, probably as a precaution against any sudden teleports. Sure, we¡¯d be able to feel them either way, but this way he would be able to react faster. Not like it mattered. I doubt we were being pursued any more. And I also doubt they would¡¯ve been able to do any harm to us, even if we were to be surprised. Not like either of that would happen. After about half an hour of flight, I finally could say that our drone was flying smoothly. It was most likely because it managed to grow in power. Sure, I did fuel it quite a bit, but not to the point of overcharging it with mana. I didn¡¯t want it to spontaneously explode or fly away. -Should be smooth by now - I heard next to me. I only nodded. He sat down next to me and I felt a hand placed on my shoulder, followed by a small jolt of mana. -Any interference? - he asked. -We are good. He nodded. It was smooth sailing up till now. Well, flying rather. Good for us, but the further we got from the Edge, the bigger chance would be for us to actually run into something or someone. I don¡¯t think it would be any issue, though. Besides the fact that it would be hard to spot us, since the thing that we were ¡°piloting¡± was pretty small, the mana signature was pretty apparent if someone was to be monitoring the area. Then again, why and who would be doing that? It¡¯s not like commercial flights and ships would be equipped with something like that. Hell, even the military was not that advanced. It was not cheap to actually use that equipment on large scale/ Wait. ¡°Was¡±. That¡¯s the problem. I didn¡¯t know how much had changed since I had my last ¡°update¡± so to speak. How much have people progressed? Sure, the MIRE was not on top any more, supposedly, but that doesn¡¯t mean that there wouldn¡¯t be any other organisation that picked up the slack. I was going to find out eventually, right? But, despite my worries, nothing was interrupting our flight. Hell, we didn¡¯t even feel any other mana signature in the area. Sure, we weren¡¯t using it in full, constrained by the limits of our ¡°host¡± and also being careful, but it was weird. I expected to at least see a singular thing. A boat, a plane, something? The closer we were getting to the shore, the better the chances, right? But, there was nothing. -At this point I would¡¯ve thought we''d stumbled on something already¡­ - I heard Mike say next to me. I guess he came to a similar conclusion. -Same. But I guess we are flying low and there¡¯s not too many ships¡­ -That too, but I meant actual land. -Oh. I actually wasn¡¯t paying that much attention to that. How far did we fly? -You think the continent was that close? -That close? Look below. Look how fast we are. It was hard to judge by just the moving sea, so I just shrugged. -Dunno. How can you tell? -By smoothness of the ride. Compared to the start, we are pretty much releasing wind constantly. It has to be nearby, right? -Fair point¡­ Right. I suppose he was also just guessing here. -We just have to wait. -Pretty much. But, after an hour long flight, we still were not any closer to land. I was starting to be worried. After the second hour passed and we were in the middle of the third, I officially realized that something had gone wrong. -This makes no sense - agreed Mike. - By now we should¡¯ve at least passed near an island or something! This part of the ocean should have plenty of those. -Tell me about it. Maybe we mistook the direction¡­? -Just look at the sky. We are clearly going north. He was right. One look at the horizon and the setting sun was enough to tell where we were pointed towards. Unless the Earth has shifted its axis, there was no way we were wrong. -Then what? Are we trapped again? -We would¡¯ve felt the change. No matter how perfect the teleport is, we would¡¯ve noticed. -I am out of ideas then. -I honestly am, too¡­ - he said, sighing. -And there¡¯s another thing worrying me - I said. - Since we are already having issues, I found a new one that¡¯s been bothering me. -I wonder¡­ What now? -We are absorbing mana from the environment, right? And if we were to be closer to civilization, wouldn¡¯t mana get a bit thinner? -I suppose¡­ -And especially here. This continent would have the densest population. I mean, we shouldn¡¯t be that close to the city centers, but still. That should at least make some difference. -Yeah¡­ And¡­ -And that would mean that our ¡°battery¡± would not be able to keep up with the speed we are going. Hell, I am pretty sure that we are still accelerating. Not that much, but still. Should be the opposite! -I¡­ uh¡­ Right¡­. You¡¯re right¡­ - he said, fidgeting in place. - Even with the two of us, at the start the atmosphere was thinner¡­ And we charged that thing¡­ -Well, to be fair, the two of us aren¡¯t exactly ¡°mana positive¡± on the environment. At least not me. -True¡­ You especially, are one kind of an anomaly. -Yep. And the place isn¡¯t either. Mana was weird here. So I assume the mainland with people and actual progress would bring a noticeable change, right? -Mh¡­ I don¡¯t like this. -Me neither. But, despite our worries, there was nothing we could do. We could change directions, but what would that do? If the world looked as we assumed it did, we had the best chances to find land by just going north. If it was somehow different, it¡¯s not like changing our flight plan would give us a better shot at finding something. The best we could do was to fly as far as we could. He knew that as well, so with more worries on our mind we continued monitoring our flight, well into the night. 284. Repeat I thought night might be helpful a little bit. Maybe not to help monitor our speed: thanks to the darkness we barely were able to see the sea and the magical sight wasn¡¯t really helping us track speed. Besides, thanks to being confined in that small ¡°drone¡±, we didn¡¯t have much of a range when it came to magical detection. I thought that actual lights might give us a clue, though. Surely, if we were close to anything, we¡¯d see some light. A ship, a coastline, a small blip of a plane. But there was nothing. -Okay, now I am officially worried - said Mike. -You can say that again - I agreed. - Where the hell are we? -I knew flying can be disorientating, especially over the seas, but this¡­ -You think we are lost? Ha, that would be the best case scenario, to be honest. -Don¡¯t even start. I don¡¯t want to even think what else had to go wrong for us to be in the dark like that¡­ -Well¡­ -Wait¡­ Look! He was about to point towards somewhere, but he contained himself, remembering that he was not looking through his own eyes. -Below us. Darkness changed, right? -Changed¡­? I tried focusing on the sea below us, but¡­ Wait. -Hold up. That¡¯s not the sea. Below us, there was a line that most likely was the actual coastline. How the hell did we manage to fly so close and not notice that before? -Go down! I quickly realized why. As I tried lowering the mana output of the crystal that was propelling us, the jerky motion had resumed and slowed down, yet we didn¡¯t seem to be going down. -Oh shit¡­ -Yeah¡­ cut it down. Right. We were high. Very high. I had to completely stop our ¡°engine¡± for us to actually start noticing how high we were. It took more than half a minute of freefall for us to start perceiving mana with our enhanced senses. And below us was¡­ -A forest¡­? - voiced our surprise Mike. - That doesn¡¯t seem right¡­ -That close to the sea? Maybe we really got lost here¡­ -Hmm¡­ Before we hit the canopy, I again started our wind magic and halted our fall. -That makes no sense¡­ Where the hell are we? Mike was not hiding his anxiousness. Hell, one look was enough for me to realize that something was wrong. This place looked¡­ normal to me. And that is saying something. For the past¡­ I don¡¯t know how long, I¡¯ve been surrounded by vast stretches of one thing, be it forests, waters, or sand, and I got used to that a while ago. Seeing a similar sight in a place where I expected to see human architecture was¡­ wrong. Any coast that was near a city¡­ damn, near any human, would be always urbanized in some way. And here, we had nothing. Not only that. The coast itself didn¡¯t look normal: a beach, or a cliff or something. Nope, it was a forest that was half-flooded. Just like I¡¯ve seen on a certain island. It was too dark to perceive any details, but even mana was strange. The fact that it wasn¡¯t even remotely disturbed was making me uneasy. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. -Hey, don¡¯t you think we¡­ - I started, but Mike interrupted me immediately. -We are not on that island. I am sure. I mean, we flew for so long¡­ -If we crossed a barrier, then maybe¡­ -Yes, but we didn¡¯t! We¡¯ve been through this! I didn¡¯t say anything, but I had a sinking feeling that something wasn¡¯t right. -Just move us. We need to check what¡¯s further in. -Right¡­ I nudged our hovering craft to change direction with a small burst of wind and the pulsing movement changed, again propelling us forward, deeper into the land. -So dark¡­ We¡¯ve been flying for about ten minutes and the coast was well behind us, yet the forest was still unending. Same with the lack of light: there was nothing on the horizon that would scream ¡°humans¡±. -Well, at least we know we¡¯re not anywhere near our ¡°prison¡±. -True. Yeah. The stretch of land being a lot less flat and in the distance I could see a mountain range. At first I thought that it might just be the ¡°bowl¡±, as I was calling it, but one look was enough to tell that it wasn¡¯t it, it was too wide and too irregular. -I don¡¯t know if we are lucky or unlucky with it being the night¡­ - I mumbled to myself. -Where are all the people? What¡¯s going on? Mike was a lot more worried than I thought it would be necessary. Or maybe it was just me being too numb. -I am sure we¡¯re going to find someone soon. -Soon? We should¡¯ve found something immediately! If we were right after the reawakening of magic, then I could understand, but this?! -I guess yeah, that did blow up the majority of tech¡­ But now it¡¯s not the case, right? Those apparently now can coexist? -That makes it even worse? Why is everything in the dark then?! -You got me, I have no idea. -And we¡¯re stuck in this weird limbo! I need to find out where everything has gone! -Want me to fly faster? - I asked. -Pff. It¡¯s not going to help much. Why can¡¯t you just point us in the right direction? Your mana sensing was supposed to be infinitely better than me. -Thanks for the compliment, but I am sort of limited by NOT BEING THERE - I pointed out. - And didn¡¯t you ¡°implant¡± some of the people that are still out there with your pieces? Where are they? -I have no clue! It¡¯s not like I can track them if they are too far! And they never came back into my range. -Bleh. He went quiet for a good couple of minutes. -You probably should find a place to land soon - he said, a lot calmer now. -Land? What for? - I asked, confused. -I already told you. It''s going slow. If we are there personally we can at least find a correct direction. Hopefully. -You want to teleport there? Wouldn¡¯t that be a bit too early? -Early? It¡¯s not like we are doing anything, and being there¡­ -I am not wasting my creation just because you¡¯re itching to do something. We¡¯re going to do that AFTER we find something, not before. -¡±Waste¡±, pff. Investment. It¡¯s not like you can¡¯t make another one. -I told you already, give me your fingers then. -... He went silent, apparently convinced. Sure, we had a way to teleport. After all, that was the whole idea of this scout: it was made out of the same piece of wood that was still next to us: a ready and prepared anchor for us to go. But, if we were to use it, both it and the wooden part of our ¡°drone¡± would be destroyed in the process, so if we were to be dropped in the middle of some random forest again, what was even the point? No. I was going to wait until we actually needed to move. Be it because we were chased or that we found something. But, it didn¡¯t seem like either of that was going to happen. We were flying above that forest for the whole night and haven¡¯t found anything significant. No buildings, no roads, no nothing. Just greenery. It reminded me of the first time I awakened in this changed world, or rather in my new prison. Was this the case once more? Honestly, it started to feel like that. That fact wasn¡¯t lost on Mike. The longer we were like that, the more restless he started to be. Urging me to fly lower, check more pointless things. -I told you a thousand times already - I said once more. - Even if we are missing some buildings hidden inside the trees, there¡¯s no point in checking them. If there were any people there, we would notice. We are close enough. -Still! We could at least maybe learn where we are! Or what happened here! It¡¯s clearly no place either of us are familiar with. -I doubt that. What, you think you¡¯re going to find a map of the place? -Maybe! Who knows! I didn¡¯t reply. I wasn¡¯t in the mood. -Maybe during the daylight we¡¯ll find something¡­ -Mhm. For the first time in a while, that might be correct. Usually, my magical senses would be infinitely more long-range. But, thanks to the current predicament, it was different. -I thought the light from a city would guide us during the night, but since everything is so deserted¡­ I knew that already. That was also my train of thought before. If there were no people, there had to be some ruins then, right? -Maybe that part? The trees look¡­ -Oh, shut up, it¡¯s not like¡­ But I stopped mid-sentence. What I thought was yet another pointless complaint, but for once he was actually onto something. 285. Impatience The shape definitely looked different. The trees were a bit more scattered as well. A first since coming to this place, so far everything was pretty much covered with the canopy. It was still outside of my range, though. -Let¡¯s move. I changed the direction of our flight a little bit, aiming right at the anomaly. -Faster! Let¡¯s go! I didn¡¯t reply, only sighed, annoyed with his impatience. His new character was slowly getting on my nerves. But, it¡¯s not like I couldn¡¯t ignore that. I mean, I can cut him some slack, he is undergoing assimilation, at least partially, so I understand his haste. -And? What is it? We got in range of my senses, and that didn¡¯t escape his notice. -Already on it. And you were right. This definitely is something. That ¡°something¡± was a building. Or rather a ruin. Barely standing between the trees, but still there. Faintly emitting mana signature, meaning that a long time ago it was enhanced with some kind of spell. Maybe that¡¯s why it was still standing. But¡­ -No people. Just a ruin - I simply said. -¡±Just¡±? It¡¯s still a progress! Let¡¯s move! -I am flying, calm down. -Not fly, teleport! -Oh come on, it¡¯s a waste to do that. A singular¡­ I got interrupted by a sudden headache and a mana signature appearing right next to me. I immediately shook myself out of the trance and jumped back to defend myself. I fully expected to see a group from the MIRE right next to me jumping out of the portal once more, because the sudden mana was indubitably from a forming portal. But that was pointless. It was just him. -The fuck are you doing! - I barked, annoyed. - I told you, that¡¯s a waste! -It is not. We are moving. While I was preoccupied with flying and scouting, he already took the piece of wood that was supposed to serve us as an anchor in the future and formed a portal to our ¡°drone¡±. That is also why I felt a headache: the wooden exterior of the flying pyramid had been linked with his portal and was being destroyed while I was using it, leading to the unpleasant feeling. -I swear, you stopped thinking clearly¡­ - I muttered to myself. But it¡¯s not like I could stop him. Or rather that there was no point in trying to. -You¡¯re coming or not? I am not waiting. The portal was already opened, right there on the floor and he was about to step through. -Of course I am¡­ - I replied, stepping through, pushing him in front of me. -It¡¯s¡­ A moment of distortion later, I felt something wrong. It¡¯s been a hot second since I used a portal that had its gateways not in the same position, so the gravity shift was more sudden than I anticipated. -AAH! It was even worse. What I thought was the gates being just not aligned with each other was instead the exit being literally spinning through the air and falling down. -The fuck did you do?! - I managed to squeeze out before I crashed through the canopy, landing hard on the ground. I barely was even able to avoid crashing into him, or rather just straight up flattening him. -Ow¡­ - I groaned, reflexively, slowly picking myself up from the ground. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Sure, I didn¡¯t take any damage. My body was not that weak to get damaged from a small fall. Okay, maybe not that small, but still. I guess that made sense. He did connect to a flying object. And not only that, the object in question was by itself not stable to even consider a valid target for a portal making. To even attempt that was a pure insanity. Wondering where it actually went, I quickly scanned my surroundings before realizing that it actually was right next to me. Or at least the core was. Unsurprisingly, the exterior was destroyed by the spell. And even if not for the spell, I am sure that the landing would break the spells written onto it either way, it¡¯s not like I build that thing for durability. I didn¡¯t expect for some insane man to use it like that¡­ Right. Speaking of insane men¡­ -Mike! You alive? During my quick scan of the surroundings I picked up his signature somewhere above me. It seemed like he did manage to avoid landing in the same hole in the canopy that I made and got stuck somewhere in the middle of the branches. -Somewhat¡­ - I heard from above me, followed by a loud groan. - Can you help me down¡­? -And why exactly would I do that? I went to where I heard the voice from and could easily pinpoint his mana signature in the middle of the canopy. Below, there was a bunch of fallen branches among some pinecones, leaves and something that looked like a destroyed nest, including a bunch of broken eggs. -You¡­ -What? - I shrugged. - You are the one who teleported us. Blame yourself if you want. -Blame this, blame that¡­ I will after I get down from here¡­ -It¡¯s not like you can¡¯t cast magic. You can talk, you¡¯re more than fine. -Ygh¡­ From the mana signature I could tell he was fine enough, which made me wonder. He¡¯s a lot less ¡°crystallized¡± than me, so how did he exactly survive this fall? He had to be pretty lucky to still be in good shape. -Fine, fine¡­ I heard some branches cracking and the unfortunate tree that was hosting an unforeseen guest moved. Branches parted and one of the thicker ones emerged, with Mike hanging from it in a very precarious position. -Fuck¡­ - he moaned as he rolled off it, falling to the ground. His body was full of cuts and bruises, but no limbs were in unusual positions, so I guess his bones were intact. At least mostly, from what I could tell. -See? You don¡¯t need me. Also, I wanted to warn you, and yet you were the one who went with this. -I know, I know, just¡­ AH. He attempted to stand up, but his leg gave up under his weight. So much for his bones being intact. -Still preferring the fleshy body? - I asked, grinning. -Fuck off. I need a moment¡­ I could feel him gather some mana from the air and the visible pain on his face subsided. He didn¡¯t fix his scraps, though. -Come on, you made your bones crystal and still are scared of changing a bit of your skin? Pfeh. -I only fixed ones that were broken. And some bruises don¡¯t matter. -Aha. And how many did you break, by the way? -I¡¯d rather not say. -Ha. That means ¡°a lot¡±. Well, sucks to be you. -Gh. Doesn¡¯t matter. Now, where¡¯s that building? -Hm? I assume pretty far off, still. -Far?! We were just there!? -Were. And then we got spit out of a spinning portal in some random direction that is most likely away from your building, I am afraid. -What. -I swear, with you¡­ It¡¯s that way¡­ - I said, pointing towards the building''s aura. Between the fall and him fixing himself I already took a quick scan of the local area. We weren¡¯t exactly far away from the building in question, but definitely didn¡¯t land closer. Thanks, man. -I can¡¯t see shit¡­ -But you can feel it. -Not really¡­ -Eh¡­ I guess I still have more range than you¡­ - I sighed. - If we were flying, we¡¯d be there in a minute or two. Walking? I can¡¯t be too sure, this forest is not really a paved road, you know. Without a word, he started making his way through the thicket. For a second, I wondered if I should say anything, but decided against it and followed in his footsteps. Besides his obvious changes in behaviour, something was bothering me. And that was his magic. He¡¯s been trying to lean on me recently. Before, he¡¯d happily use his own mana and wouldn¡¯t even bother asking me, and now it was quite the opposite. Even now, he was just walking through the forest, not doing anything. If he was so pressured to find that building, wouldn¡¯t he try to speed himself up? If not the ¡°haste¡±, so to speak, the time distorting ability, then just a simple spell to clear the way from the bushes, branches or whatnot? Right now he was just slowly and painfully moving through the woods without any help of his magic. Why? It¡¯s not like he had problems with mana. One look was enough to tell me that he was still more than fine in that department. Sure, he wasn¡¯t as full as he was before, but fixing your own bones would do that to you, that is a pretty exhausting procedure. And he did it fairly quickly. Hell, at least he was not overcharged¡­ Wait, what about me? I haven¡¯t really bothered looking at myself recently, and not like it mattered to me. Sure, it was important to know how others were seeing me, but¡­ what ¡°others¡±? It¡¯s not like I cared how the remnants of the MIRE were seeing me. And Mike? He was more focused on himself. And it¡¯s not like his focus was actually well placed, either¡­ I thought that I have used most of my mana that I absorbed from the leylines before. Between the creation of a drone, flight and everything else, I didn¡¯t really focus on regaining my reserves. And yet, I was full. Here comes me underestimating the power of passive mana absorption, I guess¡­ -How much further is this¡­ Oh. As he was about to complain, we finally reached our destination. 286. Lone From the thicket in front of us emerged¡­ a wall covered in moss. Yep. That was it. At least what was visible from this side. It was not even remotely possible to tell what kind of building this used to be. Brick one? Probably. I¡¯d have to break the wall to check¡­ Why not, I guess? I was about to push him away and blast a hole in the wall before he just sprang up and literally sprinted past the wall, disappearing behind it. -What the hell? I didn¡¯t feel any mana or anything else that could indicate an attack, or anything irregular either, so I just shrugged and went to check what exactly happened for him to react like that. But, I couldn¡¯t find a thing. When I entered the ¡°building¡±, or rather just walked past the ruined wall, he was just kneeling on the mossy grass, mumbling something to himself. -What got into you? - I asked, trying to look past his shoulder. - You found something? -I thought I heard something! -Heard? That was unexpected. Out of all the things, he chased after a sound? -You didn¡¯t notice? -Err¡­ no? What was that? -I swear I heard a voice. -I can¡¯t feel any presence. -You don¡¯t¡­? -What, you felt something? -No¡­ It¡¯s just¡­ I thought you were more proficient¡­ and if you can¡¯t feel it either¡­ -That either means nothing¡¯s here. -Or that someone is really good at hiding! - he announced loudly, as if he was expecting for someone to jump out of the bushes, startled. I just gazed around, lazily. -Look, I know you want to find¡­ Well, something, here, but I doubt that¡¯s going to happen. -... -It¡¯s literally impossible for me to not notice someone. If it lives, it has mana, and if it has mana, I can sense it. So can you. The only difference is the distance. -Don¡¯t be so sure of yourself. -Mhm¡­ I am not sure if he was just delusional or really was onto something, but I guess being more vigilant wouldn¡¯t hurt. But, I didn¡¯t have to announce that out loud. -Sure, sure¡­ Anyway, we are here. -And¡­? -And? I should be the one asking that. You were the one who chased after this pile of rubble so hard that you teleported us in the middle of the air. -This¡­ this is it¡­? I sighed. -That¡¯s why I told you to wait for a moment before you acted. -I know there¡¯s something here! I just¡­ can¡¯t pinpoint it. -Can¡¯t pinpoint? You mean the sound you thought you heard before? I told you, there¡¯s no one¡­ -No that! The mana is¡­ weird here. -Weird? Ah. You mean the basement. -Basement?! -What, you¡¯re telling me you didn¡¯t notice? I wouldn¡¯t even come near here if the singular wall was what I felt. Come on, you¡¯re not that blind, it¡¯s¡­ But, he was not listening. He already was focused on the ground under our feet, or rather the overgrown floor. He raised his hand and I could tell he was about to try and cast something at his feet, but he froze. I was about to jump back, but realizing that he stopped, I figured I didn¡¯t have to run away. At least he was clear-minded enough for him to not destroy the whole underground with a spell. -Can you be the one to do it? -Huh? -Break the floor. Can you do it? Your crystal is going to burst through this with no issue, right? Well, that was true. But I didn¡¯t like the idea of breaking the floor under my feet. -I mean¡­ I¡¯d rather do it differently, you know¡­ -What? The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. -Just¡­ come on¡­ I gestured for him to follow. He didn¡¯t move, was just looking at me with confusion. Sighing, I resigned and just walked away towards where the wall was. -Where are you going!? Completely ignoring him, I inspected the wall. Even from up close, I couldn¡¯t tell what it was made out of. The layer of moss was too thick. But, not too thick for my crystal. I just had to stop suppressing myself a little bit, and in a split second the greenery wilted as the mana from the plants was drawn towards me, leaving only dust around. I quickly contained myself, not to drain too much, the effect was enough. The ruin was clearly visible: a wall was pretty well-preserved. Same with the floor. -Concrete¡­? With writing¡­ -It seems like it - I nodded, confirming. - Can¡¯t read that any more, though. -Yeah¡­ I guess that¡¯s what prevented this from decaying further¡­? -Maybe. Here. That¡¯s what I was looking for. -A hatch¡­? -Something like that. Let¡¯s see¡­ It was open. If there was any lock or another mechanism that blocked it, it was long gone. -Nice. Let¡¯s go. -Ah¡­ Sure. I was about to say something, but I guess that was pointless. Seeing is probably better than feeling¡­ Nah, I don¡¯t know. The hatch led directly downstairs via a spiral staircase. -Cement¡­? -Seems like it - I nodded. - With a hint of mana. -Probably added some ¡°bonus¡± to prevent decay¡­ -Don¡¯t know about the decay¡­ - I mumbled. - But more like to help propagate whatever spell was cast on this place. -Maybe. Doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s gone now. -True that. Whatever the magic permeating this place was, it was long disabled, or just straight up decayed. -A bit strange that this place was left to rot like this¡­ The place is good and full of mana¡­ -Hm. I was not going to comment on that. The place was maybe good now, but¡­ -Finally! Something! The stair led us to a basement of some sort. Decay was still present, but was not as bad as upstairs. For example, there was no sign of moss or other plants trying to take over the spot, which was honestly impressive, judging by the main floor, or rather the lack of it. -What was this, a bunker? - he said, half-joking. But he wasn¡¯t that far off from the truth. At least from what it looked like on the first glance. The inside of the room was barren. And I don¡¯t mean as in abandoned, or destroyed, no. It looked like it was left like that on purpose, no signs of even old paint or a hole in the wall from where the shelf used to be. On the ceiling though, still intact, was a set of tube lights. Judging by the look, very old. Hell, the stupid switch looked like it was from another planet, more like a knob. And next the knob¡­ -A crystal¡­ It is not¡­ -No. Not one of ours - I shook my head. - That¡¯s one of the older ones. Still has some mana in it, though. -You don¡¯t suppose¡­ -Well¡­ No point in hesitating, I grabbed the knob and turned it clockwise. I wanted to be careful, to not accidentally break it, but it was surprisingly sturdy. And working. A click, followed by a loud buzz and a light. -Well I¡¯ll be damned. This thing still works. -Yep. Whatever was remaining inside that crystal had enough power to light up the whole room and, while the light was dim and flickering now and again, it stood the test of time well enough. That also finally made him realize what else was in the room. -Oh. Fuck. That¡¯s one way to react. It was a skeleton. -Oh. That¡¯s why it smells in here¡­ -Huh. I just realized that I didn¡¯t notice. Wait¡­ I couldn¡¯t smell a thing. I never really paid attention to that, but I guess I couldn¡¯t any more¡­ But wait, he could and it didn¡¯t occur to him that there¡¯s a BODY with us? A rotting corpse is pretty fucking hard to miss¡­ Then again, this was a skeleton. It barely had anything on it, some scraps that probably were clothes a long time ago. Yeah¡­ about that¡­ -How long did this poor guy sit here¡­? - I asked out loud. -Actually¡­ that¡¯s a good question. It¡¯s¡­ He approached the pile of bones and touched its clothes. Just a light touch was enough for it to turn to dust. -Ah. That means ¡°a long time¡± - he mumbled, looking at the pile of dust that was just a moment ago a sleeve. -Careful, or the whole thing will crumble. -I believe I am. What, you want a go? I just raised my hands. -For once, I believe for this task your fleshy body is a lot better. I break walls with those, Imagine what would happen with this. -Ha. Right¡­ He turned back his focus to the skeleton. -Any spells¡­ would help¡­ -Spells? Doubt it. Just look for something more permanent. -Like what? -Dunno. Jewelry? I would say ID but I don¡¯t think their wallet survived. -Funny. And how would a piece of metal help in this instance? -Don¡¯t know until you don¡¯t find it. He grumbled something under his breath, but slowly started patting the clothes. Sure, he was turning them into dust, but if anything else was remaining, we¡¯d know immediately. But, sadly, after a full inspection, the only thing that was left was a pile of dust and a pile of bones that was falling apart. -Well fuck. -Yeah, there goes your idea - he mumbled. -At least I am trying. And it¡¯s not like it hurt. -Eh. Sure. But still, even with this, we know nothing. -Well, we know that this place is very old. Same with the person. -Doesn¡¯t tell us much. Kind of hard to not notice after seeing the ruins. -Yes. I wish we knew where we were¡­ -I thought I did¡­ - he sighed. - But with this¡­ I am so confused. Could you¡­ -What, you want me to make another scout? -Well¡­ -Pff. And you¡¯ll destroy it the moment we spot a broken shack? -I¡¯ll try and contain myself. -You better. The truth was, I was already planning on doing so the moment he used the first one to teleport. I just was being irritated with him. 287. Rethink It didn¡¯t take us long to make sure that we really did not miss a thing. The place was, really, just an empty room. Besides the skeleton, that is. -I was wondering¡­ What¡¯s happened to this guy? - said Mike. - I mean, they had to die here¡­ But how? -Not like there are any clues - I shook my head. - I mean, I didn¡¯t really think about it¡­ but there¡¯s no furniture or anything¡­ -Maybe someone locked them in here? -Maybe¡­ Hard to tell, but the hatch could¡¯ve been locked from the outside, I guess¡­ -And this bare room¡­ -Yeah, you said a bunker¡­ -But looks more like a cell now, right? He wasn¡¯t incorrect. -So they left this poor guy here? Did he do something or what? -Ha. Don¡¯t ask me. But that¡¯s a pretty fucked way to go. Wouldn¡¯t want to be in their place. -Not like it would work on us. Or at least on me - I shrugged. - But I agree. -Wouldn¡¯t work¡­? -What, you still need to eat and drink? Come on, we run on mana. The Crystal makes that work. And look at this place. It has plenty of mana. As long as the outside is not a barren wasteland, you could just sit here and wait. Even then, with just it being empty, you probably would be able to survive. -Pretty fucked up existance, don¡¯t you think? -What, sitting alone in the room? It¡¯s not that bad. You¡¯d have plenty of things to do. -What do you mean¡­? -You forgot? - I asked, raising my brow. - You said it yourself that you had to fight with other people you absorbed. With this solitude you¡¯d have time for that. Not like you couldn¡¯t just break a wall¡­ -Ah. Yeah, I¡¯d rather not. I shrugged. I guess his experiences with that were a bit different than mine. I mean, I didn¡¯t really fight with personalities hidden within me. Nor were they really trying to go against me¡­ I wonder if I ever get a chance to try that again¡­ I shook myself off. -Well, you were right. Nothing¡¯s here. Let¡¯s scram. -Good. This place creeps me out. We left the poor skeleton alone, but left the hatch open. That way life would get inside and take care of them in time. -So, another drone, huh? - I asked, already outside. -Yeah, it would be for the best. Unless you feel like trudging through this mess. -No thanks. I had plenty of that. -Same. -Oh right. I forget, you also landed in¡­ well, there. -Yep. Was under a much different circumstances back then, so wasn¡¯t that hard, but still. -Thanks, by the way. -Hm? -You did make the path for me. Probably not really for me, but¡­ -Oh. Right. I forgot about that. Well, back then it was¡­ well, a way to keep sane. -Hm. -Anyway, the scout. You really need my fingers¡­? -Ah! Ha, no, just messing with you. Give me a moment¡­ Since it wasn¡¯t the first time doing this, it went a lot faster and a lot smoother. Also, having a tree on hand that you didn¡¯t have to grow from a literal rock was a great boon. I still didn¡¯t waste my efforts on decorations though, but this time I did try to at least not just use a literal pyramid. I wasn¡¯t sure what to make it to be, so it essentially ended up being a very basic version of a plane. -Pff. Maybe add a propeller too? That was Mike¡¯s reaction to what I made. -Come on, it barely even looks like one. It¡¯s just a stick with wings. -Aha. And where¡¯s the crystal gonna be? This thing is so thin I don¡¯t think it¡¯s even going to fit anywhere inside, or¡­ -Oh, it¡¯s already done. -What? -The core. I first took some crystal then added the wood later, letting it grow around it. Should be more structurally sound. And, speaking of¡­ I placed my hand on another tree and absorbed some of mana from it, essentially regaining everything I just spent to make the plane and to regrow my finger. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I was expecting for the tree to wither, but I think my proficiency got a lot better, because instead I only left a handprint in the bark that promptly had turned to dust. -Hah. Well, I am ready. -And the anchor? -It¡¯s the tree behind us - I pointed behind me. - Feel free to break a branch or something, It¡¯s not like we are moving or anything. -True. But still¡­ -Right. Let me just¡­ I stepped back and broke off the piece that was still sticking out from where I was growing stuff not a moment ago. -Done. Here. -Don¡¯t want to keep it? - he asked. - What if I am too hasty again? -As much as I¡¯d like to, I don¡¯t really have WHERE to put it. You¡¯re the only one that still has pockets. Or anything reminding those. -Oh. Fuck, right¡­ -Okay then. Sit your ass down and let¡¯s go. I reeled back and with as much force as I could muster without breaking the little plane I tossed it up into the air, above the canopy. Even without magic, it was shapely enough for it to zoom past the leaves and leave my sight. -And go. I closed my eyes and sat down near a tree, seeing if everything worked as it was supposed to. -And we are good and flying. -That was¡­ smooth. -Well, it¡¯s not the first time. -I guess. He sat next to me, planting his hand on my shoulder. -Now, let¡¯s see¡­ Where are we going¡­ -Further, towards the mountains? -Well, at least we¡¯ll not get lost. Fair enough. We¡¯ve not even been flying for ten minutes until he was again starting to get restless. Sure, okay, I get it, those are a bit strange circumstances, but it¡¯s not like he wasn¡¯t in a similar situation before¡­ Well, maybe not. He did have a bit more knowledge than me when I woke up to¡­ nothingness. Or it was maybe that I was just more numb to something like that from the get go¡­ -I know you are not trying to do this on purpose - I said out loud - but you need to stop shaking so much. It¡¯s like a small earthquake. -Oh. Sorry. I don¡¯t think he even realized that he was shaking before I told him. -Can¡¯t you go faster or something¡­? -I can. But then it would be easier for us to miss any potential buildings or any other signs of civilization. -Buildings aren¡¯t that hard to miss. -Right. And ruined ones reduced to a singular wall. -Mgh¡­ -I know it¡¯s weird, but¡­ -If not faster - he interrupted me - maybe go further up? -Up? -You know, to see more. We surely will be able to see some signs from above, right? There are plenty of landmarks that are visible from space even, so¡­ -Sure, right. But I can¡¯t go to space - I pointed out. - This thing needs air, or at least some kind of gas to use as a propulsion. And it¡¯s not like there¡¯s mana in space. -We don¡¯t know that. -Well, okay, sure. I guess research never went that far. -At least when we were in the know. -Yeah, yeah. But mana is a life energy, right? There¡¯s not much life in space, you know? So it most likely is dead. -Fair point. What about dark matter, though? It¡¯s not like we know much about it and it might be¡­ -Ok, I¡¯ll stop you right there - I interrupted. - I know we don¡¯t have much to do, but discussion about space is inherently a pointless one. It¡¯s not like we are going to space. We are not getting into discussion about dark matter and its mana properties. -Fair¡­ -But, I do agree with your idea about going up. -Hm? -I mean, we don¡¯t need to go that high. I can go a lot more up, to the upper atmosphere I guess. But then we wouldn¡¯t be able to sense a thing. And if we don¡¯t see anything¡­ -But, we could at least get a good look at the landmasses. To pinpoint where we are, right? It¡¯s clear that we landed somewhere different than we thought, and it¡¯s not like we have a GPS system¡­ -I guess. Okay. We can try. -Shame you made this thing into a plane - he said when I was prepared to push us into a different direction. -Hm? And that makes a difference, how? -I mean¡­ Thematically at least. -You care about a ¡°theme¡±? What the fuck, man? What, you want me to reshape this tiny thing that might just burn up in the ascent into a rocket or something. -Oh come on, it¡¯s not like you can go that fast. I was not commenting on that. I wasn¡¯t so sure. If I was to put my mind to it, there was a good chance that it could. But he was right, I was not going to let it. -Uh-uh. Well, up we go. -You have enough magic? -Yeah, this thing is fully charged. Flying above a forest seems to be a great way to keep the batteries full. -What about up there? Will there be enough mana? -I don¡¯t know - I said truthfully. - But it shouldn¡¯t matter. We just need enough to go up, right? -And to keep in contact. -Right. If we fall, it¡¯s just going to recharge on the way down. -If it doesn¡¯t just burn up. -And if it does, then so what? It¡¯s not like we are losing much. Just some wood. -What about yourself, though? -Myself? -A part of you, the Crystal? -Ah. You know¡­ That might be a problem. But I¡¯ll probably be able to find myself. -That sounds so weird. -I know. Let¡¯s just hope it won¡¯t come to that. I don¡¯t know why, but the idea of losing more of my parts filled me with¡­ unease. It was strange. It¡¯s not like I had a problem with that before. I mean, on multiple occasions I had either fragmented myself for one reason or another. Some of those weren''t exactly on purpose. But, the more I was doing that, the more I felt like I shouldn¡¯t. Like I was annoying myself. -In any case - I said, discarding my recent thoughts - I can go whenever. You? -Go. The sooner the better. -Still as impatient as ever. Okay. -Mghr¡­ -Yeah, yeah. Up. While the little plane that I created to scout was not exactly designed to go straight up, if I was to put enough energy into it¡­ it should go where we wanted. And it did. It was only a matter of how much mana I wanted to dump into the flight. Of course, Mike wanted to go as quick as I could, but wasn¡¯t going to complain much if I forced some delays. But, it¡¯s not like I wanted to. 288. Scour We slowly were watching the landmass shrink and the canopy turn into a green blotch of colour. Soon, we could see the shore and the overwhelming amount of sea. Exactly what you¡¯d expect, right? But there was a small issue with that¡­ -Where are we¡­ Where are we¡­ - Mike kept muttering. -Just wait a moment. I still can go higher. I only stopped when I felt like the mana was too thin for me to go on. But, it was enough for us to see a good part of the landmass we were standing on. -Say¡­ Do you recognize this? -I¡­ I actually do not - I admitted. - I mean, I¡¯ve been out of the loop for a while, but this is¡­ -Yeah¡­ not something that changes so much¡­ Neither of us knew what we were looking at. The shape of the land didn¡¯t resemble any that we knew of. -What the hell does this mean? -That your portals were shit - I simply said. - Or mine. Or both most likely. -What, you mean¡­ We landed in a different world!? Is that even possible? -Why not? -It¡¯s¡­ I mean¡­ I don¡¯t know! -If you have a better idea then do tell. I honestly don¡¯t. -Didn¡¯t you think the same thing when you first woke up? - he asked, not convinced. - And what was happening then? -That the time passed? You think we just got tossed forward in time? -I mean¡­ I was sure my portals were working¡­ but¡­ -But¡­? -I mean, it¡¯s not the first time I experienced the time dilation. -But¡­ to be on a scale where the continents shifted? -They didn¡¯t have to shift. Maybe it¡¯s just the sea level that changed. -What, global warming without people? -Why do you think no people are here? -If they were and they were the case of global warming, I am pretty sure we¡¯d notice at least some urbanization. Not just find a singular skeleton. -I mean¡­ we are in some jungle. Maybe¡­ We¡¯re just¡­ -Stop. -I don¡¯t fucking know! I am trying to figure stuff out! -Aha. -Shut up. I mean, there has to be something! -Okay, okay. I agree, both of those hypotheses are highly unlikely, but our main problem is to figure out which one is actually true. Or there¡¯s something else going on. -I don¡¯t know what that ¡°something else¡± would be. -Me neither. But the problem is, how? He went silent. Can¡¯t blame him. I didn¡¯t have many ideas either. -Well, the only thing I can think of is to just go flying again¡­ - he finally said. -I guess. I did think of teleporting us back¡­ -Back? -To the Edge. I mean, if this is the same world then¡­ -That makes no sense - he shook his head. - Okay we teleport there. And what? -Then¡­ -Exactly. If we just are moving forward in time, we¡¯re going to find a bit more ruined island. And if not then we just go back to our original world¡­ -Eh¡­ right. And there''s more¡­ problematic outcome possible. -Problematic? -Let¡¯s say we port there, but there¡¯s no island any more. Be it the time difference or something else, we just are dumped in the middle of the ocean. -We¡¯d be fine. We have magic. -Yes. But then what? -I¡­ I am fucking lost. I only sighed. -Me too¡­ This is getting too confusing. -Mh. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. -Let¡¯s just fly. For now at least. Up here maybe scouting will be a bit faster. -I guess¡­ But it wasn¡¯t all that smooth. I am not sure if that was thanks to the mana being too thin, or maybe because of just sheer distance, but I started having problems with sending mana towards our plane. It wasn¡¯t really an immediate issue: there was still enough magic for it to respond to me and to fly, but the amount of force I could output without draining the ¡°battery¡± was a lot lower than before. It wasn¡¯t all that bad, though. Despite that, the distance travelled was still far larger than what we were capable of just above our heads. But, despite all that, we still couldn¡¯t find any familiar sight. -This is getting weirder and weirder¡­ - I commented, when we finally reached the end of the landmass. -Yeah, tell me about it. Is this the northern pole? -It is a pole alright. Hard to tell which one. -I guess. -At least we know that is the same. -If that even matters. -Sure. -Honestly, it¡¯s pretty surprising. We were that close to a pole? -I mean, we are almost in space. It¡¯s not that unusual. With that much mana, we can¡­ -No, I didn¡¯t mean it like that. I mean, we haven¡¯t lost the signal yet, right? It¡¯s amazing how far you can reach. -Oh. That was a fair point. I guess my earlier argument about the magic getting weaker with distance was incorrect. So it was really just the problem of mana being thin in the upper atmosphere? -Hold on a second. We are in space. -I mean, not exactly. -Yeah, yeah. But shouldn¡¯t there be some¡­ space junk visible? -Oh. Yeah, that¡¯s true. If we are on Earth that is. We¡¯ve been a bit preoccupied with what was below us, that it didn¡¯t occur to either of us to look even further up. As on command, both of us looked up. And as on command, there was a rather obvious piece of space junk flying overhead. -Well, that answers that - I mumbled. -I knew it was too weird to be true - commented Mike. -Like this isn¡¯t weird in itself. If we really are still here, that means it¡¯s just the time that is fucked. Damn portals¡­ -Ah¡­ -¡±Safe¡±, my ass. You dragged us through time. -I¡­ I¡­ -Doesn¡¯t matter - I stopped his stuttering. - Well, at least I don¡¯t have to be that much on guard any more. MIRE is done. -I¡­ They¡­ -Yeah, if enough time passed for continents to either shift or flood, there¡¯s no chance in hell for MIRE to even remotely care. Or probably it doesn¡¯t even exist, since it wasn¡¯t doing so hot recently. I mean, not recently. Damn. He didn¡¯t say a word. I guess the ¡°revelation¡± stunned him a bit. Not sure why. -I should probably continue looking for people¡­ - I mumbled to myself. - There has to be a city or something¡­ It took me a good part of the day to finally find something of note. All that time I was just flying alone, while Mike was suspiciously quiet, sitting nearby with his eyes closed. He stepped away from me and broke contact after one of closer interactions with space debris: I apparently flew high enough for that to be a problem. It didn¡¯t damage our scout, though. I managed to change the direction quick enough for it to just fly past. I am not sure what exactly I dodged. But, definitely man-made, judging by the looks of it. What I deemed interesting enough to start descending, though, was a large flatland. First that I¡¯ve seen in a long while. So far I¡¯ve only seen sea and green sea of trees, so seeing just grassland was enough to warrant interest. But, what was a bigger part in my decision was something that looked vaguely city-like. It wasn¡¯t just a set of buildings, no. Of course, it was ruined and barely even reminiscent of structures, at least from up high. What caught my attention was the scale: not just some small town, no. Actual capital scale. A first since¡­ well, since before the whole cataclysm of our making. I took a peek at Mike. He was still out of it. Or maybe he was just sleeping? I didn¡¯t really know if he needed it any more. I honestly doubted it, but it doesn¡¯t mean that he couldn¡¯t just fall asleep for the sake of it. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s only your body that rests while you are asleep. With him or without him, I was going to check it out anyway. And maybe if he¡¯s not breathing down my neck I¡¯ll be able to be a bit more careful and thorough with my scouting before getting portaled towards it without previous notice. But again, would he even do that any more? After learning that even those portals that he thought safe, were actually as unreliable as he was accusing me of creating? Who knows? -I found something. I thought mere thought of a discovery would wake him up from the torpor, but I was completely wrong. He was still sitting there, eyes closed. -You hear me? There¡¯s a rather large city there. Or what used to be a city. Still nothing. I stood up and approached the guy. Was he in his own head so much he really was not hearing me? -Hey. Come on. I poked him in the shoulder, but still, he didn¡¯t react. -What¡¯s wrong with¡­ My poke was hard enough to make him lose balance and he, straight up, lost balance and fell over, lying on the grass. -...you? He was sleeping? Or unconscious? I quickly took a gaze on his mana, but it didn¡¯t seem that much different from what I knew was normal to him. Sure, he was a bit weaker, but that was it. Definitely not weak enough to warrant loss of consciousness. Upon a closer inspection I figured out that he really must¡¯ve been just sleeping. His breath was deep and regular, his body still warm and I could definitely feel his pulse. But, he was not waking up for some reason. I even shook him a few times, but still got no reaction. -Well if not this, then¡­ Elvu - I said, pointing a finger at his face. A thin stream of water emerged from my fingertip and splashed him in the face. -Even this? HEY! Now I was sure that something was wrong. That was not a normal state for someone to be in. As I was pondering how exactly I should go with it, I got an idea. What if I poke into his mind a little bit? I didn¡¯t really have experience in looking into other people, but definitely managed to contact them on multiple occasions. What if I tried that? Just like he did before, I placed my hand on his shoulder and focused. I intended to speak my words right into his mind, to see if he¡¯s able to respond or just hear me, but before that, I heard something. 289. Off -No. That¡¯s not it. It was his voice. Huh. I guess it was easier than I thought. Maybe really it was because he was unconscious? An awake person would probably instinctively try and defend themselves. But, as I was about to say something to wake his ass up, I heard another voice. -What else is there to do? It¡¯s not like we have anything here. Who was that? Was he communicating with someone? But that voice¡­ sounded weird. It wasn¡¯t exactly his, but it wasn¡¯t that much different either. It sounded like someone pushed his own voice through a tube and then distorted it on top of that. -Mor is here. -So what? -Maybe he can help. -How? He¡¯s not good at portals. -It¡¯s not really portal magic. -Maybe. But it¡¯s connected. And it was his idea. My idea? What did I do? -Not really an idea, more like inspiration. -Same thing. -Do you really want to go with him? -I never said I did. It¡¯s not like he has to go along, there¡¯s plenty of targets. -And how do you know? -I just assume! I mean, this is still only a theory! -True. Well, your body, your choice. -Our. But there¡¯s no need to be hasty. Maybe we¡¯ll find something here. It¡¯s not like we have to escape right now. -Sure. If we find something. -Yeah, I am not very optimistic either. -Do whatever you please. As long as it¡¯s not boring. It seemed like they finished their discussion. I hesitated. I only got inside his head to try and wake him up, but now speaking up didn¡¯t seem like a good idea. He¡¯d instantly realize I was eavesdropping. But, I didn¡¯t need to. He started waking up on his own accord. I guess he just finished whatever he was doing and was getting back to it. I quickly pulled out my mind before he realized and went back to shaking him. -I said, wake up! Elvu! Another streak of water hit his face the moment he opened his eyes. -AFH! PFEH! The fuck?! -Finally! The hell was wrong with you, you lost consciousness? -I just¡­ felt tired¡­ - he replied, feigning a yawn. -Aha. Well, you sleep like a rock. -Like a wet rock, apparently. He shook himself off. -You didn¡¯t have to pour a whole lake on me. -It worked. -Pfeh. -What, you scared you¡¯ll get a cold? Come on. -No. But what¡¯s going on, why are we in a hurry? -Hurry? Not really. I just wanted to tell you that I found something. I noticed a glint of interest in his eyes, but it disappeared almost immediately. -What, another ruined wall. -Ha. If only you knew. It¡¯s a city. Ruined - I immediately said, seeing as he was about to ask. - But still. A large one. -You know which one? -And how would I know that? Those are ruins! -I¡­ Right. -If you want, you can take a look, but this time I recommend we go there ourselves. -Oh. Really? -Yes, really. You teleporting us or want me to try my hand at making a portal? -No thanks, just give me a moment. He took a breath and stood up. I was observing him closely, trying to see if he¡¯s still talking inside his head with¡­ I don¡¯t know, someone. But, it was hard to discern. I was not going to try again and peek into his mind to check, though. He¡¯d know for sure. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. But, did it really matter? For once, the voice didn¡¯t seem that malicious to me. Honestly, if anything, it sounded more like he was arguing with himself, as weird as that sounded. Well, it¡¯s not like I had a place to complain about that one. I literally was talking to myself on multiple occasions. And not only myself. In any case, as long as he wasn¡¯t going to convince him to¡­ I don¡¯t know, try and murder me, I was fine. Not like it would be easy in the first place. -I hope this time it¡¯s going to be different - he muttered, opening the hole in reality. -I can¡¯t speak of what we find there, but there¡¯s definitely more to look through. -That¡¯s good. He was a lot calmer, so I guess that¡¯s good. Let¡¯s hope it¡¯s going to last. The portal he created this time was in a tree again, so I assumed it should be a smooth one. -Right behind you. I nodded and stepped through. Smooth teleport? Well, it wasn¡¯t. I immediately felt a change in gravity when I stepped through and tried catching back my balance, trying to grasp anything in the nearby vicinity. The issue was, there wasn¡¯t anything nearby. -FUUCK! We were freefalling. While I was preoccupied with Mike and his antics, I forgot that I left my ¡°scout¡± flying quite far above the ruined city. And of course, that was our anchor point. I wasn¡¯t too concerned at first moment: it wasn¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve fallen from the sky. Or we for that matter. But I realized that the last time our fall was slowed down by the canopy. Meaning, this one was going to be a lot harder, because below us was a very obvious piece of ruined building. Modern building. That means, those ruins included sharp metal pieces of rebar sticking out of random places. I quickly focused on the scout to see if I could take control of it and maybe help him down without breaking his neck, but it was nowhere to be seen. I could feel it, but¡­ Ah. Right. It got consumed in the process of teleporting. The thing I felt was the remaining core that was left. Probably should grab that when I come down¡­ But that¡¯s not important. I should help Mike¡­ CRASH! I crashed right in the middle of the ruined building I was worried about. Mike was still falling, seeing as he stepped into the portal second. So I still had an occasion to do something. -Wisfe! I slammed my hands into the concrete, and from the ground next to me, a growth sprouted. I intended to create a tree to slow his fall and then use it as a cushion, but I couldn¡¯t get it to grow fast enough. If not that, then¡­ -Wind! For a second there, my brain forgot how to compose a spell, making me spit out¡­ Well, I wanted to say garbage, but it worked. It was a long shot from a competent spell. Or a decent one even. I intended to create a vortex of wind under him to at least slow his fall, but I might have been a bit too eager. The updraft I created straight up stopped him mid-fall and even raised him up half a meter or so. Both of us looked at each other stupefied, but quickly shook off from the stun and while I attempted to dial down the mana I was using, he cast his own spell. I couldn¡¯t hear him, but I guess his idea was similar to mine, because a tree that I ditched started growing again. While it did not gain any leaves, it did gain height to the point where he could simply just grab onto a branch and I disabled my spell. -That was something. -Yeah, my bad, I forgot about the part where we were still up in the air - I said, gathering myself from the ground and dusting off the rubble I¡¯ve fallen on. I looked at the wall I¡¯ve destroyed, and, unsurprisingly, I did manage to land right on a bunch of rebar. Didn¡¯t do a thing to me, instead got warped under my weight. Thanks, Origin Crystal. -Sure, whatever. What was that spell though!? Of course. He was more interested in magic than his life. Nothing new. -Nothing, I didn¡¯t even try and actually construct it. While I informed him what exactly transpired, his brow only furled and he did not say anything. -I wanna say that¡¯s the Crystal at fault, but I don¡¯t know any more. It¡¯s not the first time - I said, scratching my brow. - Not like I am complaining. -Hm. -Well, to be honest, I am more concerned about something else. -Hm? -Look. I pointed to the tree that two of us created moments ago. Sure, it was hasty. Sure, it was scuffed. But that shouldn¡¯t matter much. -Say, you just wanted to use green magic to slow your fall, right? -Pretty much. -And your spell wasn¡¯t weird or anything. -I did not use just plain language, no. -Why is this thing so weird, then? When I used the spell, I had a hard time growing it and the leaves never even appeared. -Funny, now you mention it¡­ I felt similar. I mean, I didn¡¯t really pay attention to the leaves, but I did have to pour more mana to grow it.. The tree was still standing there, bare and thin. It looked weak and it honestly looked almost dead. If anything, it was a miracle that it managed to support his weight. I approached it and briefly touched the bark, trying not to drain it, and just touch was enough for some bark to peel away and turn to dust. -Damn. -Strange. What if¡­ He kneeled next to me and placed his hands on the ground. -Wisfe. He used the same spell as I did before, but a much smaller version. Was he trying to check if the result was the same? Well, the plant that sprouted from the ground was just as miserable as was my attempt at a tree. Dry and naked. Honestly, I barely would call it a bush. He grabbed the branches he created and they just crumbled in his fingers without even using any force. -That is unsettling. -Something is wrong - he commented. - I can feel it. This place. -You can feel it? I tried to focus, but for the life of me I didn¡¯t feel a thing. Maybe a little bit less mana in the environment, but in a spot where there¡¯s no plants it is relatively normal. -What do you mean, you can feel it? - I asked. -I am¡­ uncertain. It¡¯s¡­ like this place makes me sick. -Makes you sick? -You don¡¯t sense this¡­? -No - I shook my head. - Not at all. -Ha. I guess one thing I am better than you. -Hah. Sure. It was strange, considering that the Crystal was what was enhancing my senses. He had a lot less of it, and yet he could feel more? Didn¡¯t make much sense to me, but it¡¯s not like he was making that up. Maybe¡­ Was it the other presence that was helping him? The other voice? -Okay then. Maybe that¡¯s the reason why this place is deserted then. -Maybe. But, to be honest, those are ruins. There could be a plethora of reasons to bail out. -I don¡¯t know¡­ -Well, we¡¯ll never learn the reason if we won¡¯t start looking. Come on. He nodded, leaving the plants alone. Or rather just a singular plant, his wilted and crumbled to dust completely already, leaving a pile of reddish-brown ash on the ground next to him. 290. Wrong -I have to say, this place is really something - said Mike while walking through the deserted streets of this city. -True¡­ I saw it from above, but for it to be this preserved¡­ -Yeah¡­ The city, despite the fact that it was a deserted ruin, was in surprisingly good shape. Sure, most of the buildings were gone, but the streets themselves were still mostly intact. Not even a patch of grass poking through a hole in the sidewalk. And, the buildings that did survive, their interiors were still there, to the point where I could recognize what they were used for. A store, a bar, a gym. Hell, I think I even found a pool. The place we landed at was in the outer part of the city, where the buildings were in the best shape. I say ¡°best shape¡±, but they were ruined as well. But, the deeper we were going towards the middle, the worse it was getting. From recognizable shops to only walls standing. From walls standing to just singular bricks. Roads were gone as well, cracked and turned into devastation. But still, no plants. -This looks¡­ familiar¡­ - muttered Mike. -You know this city¡­? I didn¡¯t say, but I also had that uneasy feeling that I¡¯ve seen something similar before, although I couldn''t place where or when. -Not really a city. The pattern. -Pattern¡­? For a second I was confused, but slowly started understanding. Looking closer, I started understanding. The destruction, all the ruins¡­ it had a certain shape to it. -An earthquake or something¡­? No¡­ -I am not so certain¡­ -But¡­ -It probably all will make sense when we move further in¡­ -Right. Let¡¯s go. That was definitely an understatement. As I noticed before, the closer we were to the middle, the larger the devastation was. But I was not prepared for what was at the core. A crater. A large hole, the size of a large building, a couple meters deep. In the nearby vicinity there was nothing standing, nor even a sign of anything being there before, besides some melted slag, now long cooled down, creating new ¡°carpet¡± for the streets. Or rather raw earth. -Ah. -Yeah. Ah. I wanted to see it up close, so started approaching, but Mike stopped me. -What? -You still don¡¯t feel that?! Again with his senses? -Nope. Nothing at all - I replied, briefly checking. - Are you sure that¡¯s not you overreacting? -Hell no! It¡¯s¡­ I feel¡­ He wanted to say something, but instead puked. -Oof¡­ Okay, I guess you might be right. Besides the contents of his mostly-empty stomach, he also had spilled from within himself copious amounts of blood. That was not normal. -You better step away then. I can check it myself. -Yourself? But you¡­ He stopped mid-sentence, almost puking again. -Shut up and¡­ I don¡¯t know, conjure some water? He nodded. -I get it, this place is weird, but I guess my body is not something that would be affected. Crystal wins. Again. He was about to say something, but decided not to, in case he¡¯s about to turn his stomach inside out again. -Just say here. I walked past him and towards the large hole in the ground. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. I am not sure what I was expecting to find. Okay, that¡¯s not true. I was looking for Crystal shards. I was pretty sure that I knew the reason for this hole and destruction of the city. And that would be me. Or rather us, the MIRE, that is. So you can imagine my surprise when I found absolutely none. And not only in the crater. As we were walking through the ruined city, I was keeping my eye out for any signs of magical spots, be it increase in magic or a void, but there was none of that. No sign of magic. I mean, even in my time, there was just no way for the city to be completely magic-free. The moment it appeared and was made public, it spread like a flood. Can you blame people? Who wouldn¡¯t try and mess with magic themselves? But¡­ time. Yeah, time was the issue. If we were to believe what we said earlier, that meant we were a bit¡­ late for the party, let¡¯s say. That would mean most of the enchanted items would be straight up used up and completely mundane now, right? Well, depends. Some items, no matter how old, would still retain some of its enchantment. Maybe not working, but at least detectable. Especially to me, that is. So when I found nothing at all, it deeply confused me. I mean, I sort of understand the lack of such items near ground zero. But no magic signatures at all? There should be some remains of whatever the source of this was, and since I assumed that was the Origin Crystal, or at least something connected to it, there should be plenty of shards, right? Why there¡¯s none, then? Was there a way to wipe them all out¡­? Maybe¡­ Technically, a person could be a reason. Or rather a crystal like me. It¡¯s not impossible, right? But then, what was up with Mike and his sickness? If we were in some immensely magical zone, I¡¯d say that his sickness was somewhat understandable. He¡¯d definitely be dazed and nauseous. And the blood¡­ I guess I could try to think of an explanation, but all of that only mattered if you were just a regular bag of flesh and bones. Not some weird crystal abominations like ourselves. True, he had more flesh than me, but I¡¯ve been to a lot of places as a similar creature as him and been absolutely fine. Absorbed a lot of mana too. And, of course, this was not the case in the first place. Mana here was normal. Ish. Definitely within normal human limits. So what gives? I climbed out of the crater while thinking about this conundrum. When I approached Mike, I realized that he seemed a bit better, sitting next to a piece of broken building a bit further away. He was not puking any more and cleaned himself up, while next to him was floating a ball of water that I assume he was drinking from every now and again. -You better? - I asked, a bit relieved but a lot more perplexed, seeing as he was in a better condition. -I think so - he nodded, standing up. - So, what did you find? -That¡¯s the problem. Nothing at all. -What? I briefly explained what I saw, or rather what I didn¡¯t see. I also did share what I thought about his sickness. He furled his brow as he started thinking. -I must admit - he said - I had a similar hypothesis. I did think that the timing was a bit off, but that can be explained by MIRE repeating their mistakes. -They did try to replace us. -Right. -And if those people failed, that would add more reasons for their relentless pursuit. -True. But that doesn¡¯t seem to be the case any more. -There has to be something that survived this¡­ - mumbled Mike. We left the crater and started going to the opposite side of the city, to the part where stuff was still standing. At first, he wanted to go back and search again through where we came from, but when I told him that I was scouring our surroundings with my senses he changed his mind. -¡±This¡±... Wonder what ¡°this¡± even was. -Explosion for sure. -Don¡¯t need to state the obvious - I sighed. - If it wasn''t an ¡°accident¡± similar to ours, then, was it just a regular bomb or something? -¡±Accident¡±... Hah. -Okay then. Crystal-based explosion. -If that was a regular bomb¡­ I mean, maybe? But what, does that mean that this city fell to a terrorist attack? That¡¯s not it¡­ -Right¡­ Sure, the city had plenty of infrastructure destroyed. And most likely plenty of people killed. But that¡¯s not a reason to abandon it, right? -True. Some buildings did survive. But how are we sure that it got abandoned at the same time as¡­ this - I gestured towards the crater far behind us - happened. Maybe it¡¯s just a coincidence that¡­ -You think they wouldn¡¯t clean this up and rebuild? What, they wanted to have a monument to destruction or something? He was right. The cleanup of something like that would be the first thing that people would do. If they survived, of course. There had to be some survivors, right¡­? -Hm. If we think that was the bomb¡­ - I started thinking out loud. - Or something¡­ that might mean we had a war. -¡±We¡±? -Oh, you know what I mean - I scoffed at him. - Pfeh. So, if there was a war, the people would at least try to hide, right? -A bunker¡­ -Might be a good start to look, yes. -It would also explain the skeleton in the basement. -Skeleton? That guy is so far away from us¡­ -Yes. But, if we assume technology was still¡­ well, normal, the internet or something would still exist. So the¡¯d know. -And presumably hide in the basement. Or bunker. Or whatever that was. -Yeah. -But how did they get trapped? There was no sign of explosions or anything nearby. -Beats me. But it could just mean that the terrain had eroded. And that the place wasn¡¯t a focus of the attack. -I guess¡­ It¡¯s not that far-fetched to think that they were just living in the woods alone, right? -Eh¡­ -Okay, maybe it is. Some summer retreat maybe¡­ -We are grasping at straws here. We need to find some source of information here, in the city. -But where? You¡¯d think a large city like this would have at least one bunker, but¡­ -Yeah. But what would we even find there? A working PC with the latest news? -I thought maybe an old newspaper¡­ But that¡¯s even more stupid. -Ha. -Yeah, I realized as soon as I said it out loud. -If the buildings are in this state, do you think a piece of paper would survive? And besides, who even uses newspapers anymore? -Yeah¡­ 291. None It took us a long while before we found something usable. We did stumble upon many buildings that were definitely offices before, or at least were full of paperwork. Obviously, the more interesting pieces were missing already and we only managed to figure out the main purpose of those thanks to the room layout being absolutely dreadfully dull. Of course there were no PCs either. I mean, that was kind of given. Judging the time passed that we assumed at least and the destruction¡­ Or just that the people here took more valuable stuff with them when they deserted this place. Yeah. Deserted¡­ It sort of started looking to us like it was the case. I mean, I get it. Destruction and all. But it did look too clean. Okay, it was possible that it was just the time that cleaned up the place, but wouldn¡¯t that mean that nature should¡¯ve taken over the place a bit more? And yet, this place looked more like it was abandoned than anything. And I started having a very unsettling idea about what exactly had happened here. -Another one like this¡­ - I said to Mike, leaving an empty building. - I guess a store of some kind, but¡­ -Cleaned? -Yeah. He was still outside, waiting for me. He checked outside, looking for another, more enticing target, but seems like he finally ran out of ideas. -And no basement? -There was, but a small one. Nothing to write home about. -So no skeletons. -Hah. Yeah, no. -Hm. At this point, we were slowly starting to be a bit pessimistic, thinking that this place is just a waste of time. -Maybe the outskirts then¡­? -We are at the outskirts. -I mean, there¡¯s still plenty of buildings. -Eh¡­ Right. But we did check most of the tall ones. -So we check the rest. -Fair enough. I focused on a spot that we hadn¡¯t been to yet, but, unsurprisingly, did not find anything magical. -Nothing magical, but let¡¯s go anyway. -Like there was something magical anywhere else¡­ -... He was back with complaining again. But, I can¡¯t blame him, really. I dragged us here, and while he was definitely willing and thought that we¡¯ll get some answers¡­ Well, we didn¡¯t get much. And there was that sickness of his, too¡­ At this point, I didn¡¯t even want to mention that, being hopeful that my hunch was wrong, but¡­ -Okay, I take the absolute ruin over here, you take the other side of the street. He nodded and walked away. The building I¡¯ve chosen was¡­ well, not a building any more. It probably used to be at least two stories tall, but right now it was just three walls standing, not even two meters high, with rubble inside. I intended to clear it¡­ or at least move some trash away so I could at least pinpoint if there was a basement here. At this point, it was the only thing I was looking for, I already lost faith in us finding anything useful on the ground floors, unprotected from the elements. This building looked promising. Or more promising than just one old shop or gym. I mean, at least it wasn¡¯t one. This one I couldn¡¯t really place. It didn¡¯t look like anything I¡¯ve really seen, so that made me hopeful. It also weirded me out a bit for some reason. It was strange. I¡¯ve seen plenty of rooms, and recently most of them were unusual and weird. And yet, this one felt¡­ different, and I don¡¯t know why. And I couldn¡¯t tell why, for all that it mattered it was just another ruin. I did find a hatch, though. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Usually it wouldn¡¯t be much of a discovery. Plenty of ruins so far had those, or any other way to get underground, that is. But this one¡­ This one was armored. Full metal, thick as a real bunker hatch that was a size enough to fit four people at once, and yet, still bent a bit with plenty of marks from the damage. It was a bit unusual, since we were far from the explosion, and most of the walls were still standing. If that¡¯s not a bunker, I don¡¯t know what is. Now question, how do I get in? It looked completely manual. And closed from the inside. Of course. I considered calling Mike, but it¡¯s not like he¡¯d be much of a help, if I am being honest. I think right now he was somewhere on top of a building, or just a wall rather, on the opposite side of the street, looking towards somewhere away from the city. Was he distracted by ¡°voices¡± again? Ha. Easiest solutions are usually the best, right? So why not use some strength¡­ That¡¯s what I would say, if that thing had even a handle remaining. Whatever was used to open this place from the outside was long gone, leaving just a piece of bent metal that you could barely grip. If not that, then¡­ -Move. I realized a bit too late I was speaking plain language. I intended to move the earth to assist me with wedging between the hinges and breaking this thing open. The problem was, I wasn¡¯t really surrounded by earth, really. More rubble and ruins than anything else. Instead of that, my touch just melted away the hatch itself. I say melted, I mean, that¡¯s what it looked like. But it was more that everything has started moving away from me, including rubble and trash around. Those didn¡¯t change the state of matter, because it actually had a place to escape my touch. But the fully closed hatch had no way of escaping, so instead the material started moving by itself. -Ahh¡­ I wanted to curse myself for using just regular words. For some reason I started catching myself more often using just regular language when casting spells. It usually wasn¡¯t the problem¡­ Well, usually. I was just glad that the spell didn¡¯t backfire. It did use more mana, though. Wasn¡¯t a problem for me, but still, it was something to keep in mind going forward. -Could be worse¡­ - I muttered to myself, looking at my ¡°work¡±. The hatch was completely gone, instead there was just a square hole leading down, with a set of metal stairs. The material that used to be the hatch was now moved to the side in a pile of¡­ I¡¯d say goo, but it hardened completely. Hell, not like it was ever liquid to begin with. Magic is weird sometimes. Without much of a thought, I started walking down. I was half-joking when I thought that this place was a bunker. Sure, reinforced door, right, but it¡¯s not like it couldn¡¯t be something else, right? Well, it wasn¡¯t. And it was surprisingly well kept, too. The walls were untouched. While the old paint was crumbling and in most places I could see bare concrete peeking out, I could still clearly see the markings leading me down, along with large letters: ¡°EMERGENCY SHELTER¡±. I stopped myself, thinking I should call Mike, and without second thought, I sensed him nearby. Still somewhere up top. Of course, I couldn¡¯t pass the occasion to have a reason to peek into his mind. Maybe hear something interesting again? But this time, his head was quiet. I even waited a couple moments, just to make sure. It¡¯s either he realized earlier, which I doubt, or I was unlucky. I assumed second. -Mike. You might want to come join me. I could tell he flinched. -Don¡¯t fucking scare me like that! -My bad. I don¡¯t think he was that good at acting, so I guess he really didn¡¯t realize I did that before. -What¡¯s going on?! -Well, I found¡­ something. A bunker. -Again? -Well, this time it¡¯s a real one. I focused, sending him an image of the wall I was looking at. -AGH! You¡­ What?! How did you even do that?! -Eh? -Never mind¡­ I¡­ Just a moment. Oh. That was a good question. I mean, I¡¯ve done similar things before, but I didn¡¯t think about this one even. I just¡­ did it. Usually it would take a considerable amount of effort to attempt something like that¡­ Especially thanks to the distance. Sure, we weren¡¯t that far apart, but I don¡¯t think I remember trying something like that with a person that wasn¡¯t actively touching me. And the fact that I¡¯ve done it without even thinking¡­ If that was me some time ago, I¡¯d say it was worrying. Right now, I was just content. -Well, I didn¡¯t come far down, so I am waiting. I made a path. Sort of. -Sort of? -Just come here. As I was waiting, I quickly popped out an orb of light. I wouldn¡¯t really need it either way, but why not. -Okay, what¡¯s up with the door upstairs¡­? -Nothing much. Why? -The fuck happened to it?! It had to be some kind of weird magic that¡­ -I happened. -Oh. -Yeah, sorry to disappoint. -Mgh. And here I thought someone¡­ Well, never mind. What¡¯s down¡­? -Let¡¯s check. -This is disgusting¡­ - groaned Mike as we were walking down. - You really can¡¯t smell, can you? -I guess so - I shrugged, not really concerned about my loss of one sense. - It¡¯s that bad? -It¡¯s not a corpse smell, I can tell you that - he said. - But it¡¯s pretty bad. Maybe worse. -Shit. We entered a rather thin room, considering the width of the stairs. It wasn¡¯t really ruined like the building above, but more decayed. And that is saying something, because most of the ¡°furniture¡± was made out of metal. Or at least I think those used to be furniture. Maybe beds? Hard to tell, it was just a row of rusted and bent metal skeletons. Of course, with normal skeletons on top of them. -Well, if we were wondering where people went, there we are¡­ 292. Stupidity The room was long. It continued far beyond what my light was illuminating, and I could sense that it was going for at least tens of meters in, in a gridlike pattern, with some square rooms in between. -Are you sure that¡­ this is not the source of smell? -No. It¡¯s not like with that singular guy. This¡­ Ygh, it¡¯s getting worse. It¡¯s coming from further in. I stepped closer to one of the skeletons. It didn¡¯t look broken, no visible holes or cracks. If the ones by the entrance were like that, I guess they didn¡¯t get attacked. -Maybe that room¡­ I guided us to the first closest different room, the square one. I was unsure what it could be, but apparently it was just storage. And, according to Mike, it was the source of the disgust. -Fuuuck¡­ I definitely agreed. Even without smelling, I could tell what was going on. The bunker had plenty of supplies. Too bad that most of them were right now literally oozing out of its containers and onto the floor, creating an unidentified pile of sludge. -What is this mess? - asked Mike through blurry eyes, the smell getting to him apparently. -Food. Or, well, used to be - I said approaching one of the broken containers. - And here I thought that canned food can survive centuries without going bad. The can I picked up was blown open from the inside. What could even accomplish something like that? There were plenty of those lying around, and I was not that curious to inspect the closed ones. But I was curious enough to check a set of small glass ampules lying on the shelf nearby. Those were open and used. There was no label any more, be it thanks to age or just that they weren¡¯t labeled in the first place, but I couldn¡¯t help but think I¡¯ve seen something like this before. -Give me that - said Mike, also interested. I stepped through the pile of goo and gave him one that wasn¡¯t covered in the sludgy bile scattered all over the place. -I think¡­ I know this¡­ -Oh? -I wish I could smell this, but¡­ -Heh. I doubt that would help, if this was next to this pile of puke I doubt it smells any different. He visibly recoiled. -Eugh. Fuck. If I am correct, then no. -Hm? Then have a quick walk, it¡¯s not that far. We took a few ampules with us and quickly left to the surface, or at least to the staircase where the smell was not that bad according to him. That is, besides¡­ -Move. You smell like shit. -Eh? -You were pretty much standing in that garbage, if you¡¯re next to me I can barely breathe! -Ha. Fine, fine. Let¡¯s get out then, maybe you won¡¯t be that bad outside. We went out. He stayed in the building and I just was standing on the street, trying to not smell like shit. -So, how is it? -I still can smell you. -Oh, fuck off. -Just go away somewhere further. -Ehe. At this point, I was pretty sure that he was just trying to get rid of me. I felt like this was coming sooner or later. But it genuinely could be just the smell. So¡­ -Eh, whatever. Water. I conjured a ball of water above me and promptly dropped it on my head. I doubted that it would help much, and I was not going to try and figure out a cleaning spell on the spot, so I just repeated the process a couple of times, until Mike actually noticed that I was up to something. Or it might just be that I¡¯ve been flooding his building with goop water. Could be both. In any case, good news. He didn¡¯t ditch me, and the water actually helped a bit, at least to the point that he wasn¡¯t actively recoiling when he got closer. And he even came to me on his own. -So, what is it? - I asked, stepping out of a puddle of my own making. -Iodine. That was surprisingly direct. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. -Iodine. In those¡­ Yeah, they used to package those like this¡­ - I said looking at the glass container he gave me. -You are not surprised. -No. I had a hunch before. Not about the iodine, no, but it being here only feeds into my suspicions. And it doesn¡¯t bode well for you. He only nodded. He was not stupid. He managed to put two and two together. Iodine. A radiation treatment. A large hole, destroyed buildings, people hidden yet perished with seemingly pristine skeletons. A very unpleasant device has exploded here. -Ehhh¡­ Should¡¯ve known. People always go back¡­ - I sighed. -Fuck that. I am more worried about myself. True. The ¡°sickness¡± he felt before, about now I was pretty sure was just radiation sickness. ¡°Just¡±. He did get better, although I am pretty sure that was soon to change. It also explained the cans. Or, at least I thought so. Could it be possible that some kind of radiation could penetrate the containers and contaminate the food? Or¡­ just plainly cook it? If that would happen to food¡­ What happened to humans? I didn¡¯t want to think about that. Not a pleasant way to end. Although I had a hard time thinking it was really what happened. It must¡¯ve been a very, very modified bomb to reach underground like this without completely destroying the shelter. -I should probably go back. And you leave this place as far as you can - I said to Mike. -While I hate it¡­ you might be right. -I expected more resistance from you. -I am not stupid. It¡¯s either that or converting myself on the spot. -To be honest, it¡¯s probably best for you to do it anyway. -... He didn¡¯t reply, but from his expression I could tell he wasn¡¯t disagreeing. Despite his overwhelming disdain to have a crystal body, he was seriously considering that, meaning he realized the situation was serious. -I¡­ I know - he finally replied. - We don¡¯t know how it¡¯s going to affect me. But if it is still just as human would, I am in trouble. -¡±Trouble¡± is mildly put. And I would consider doing that sooner or later. If you were to get sick again, you are not going to be able to do it to yourself. -I¡¯d be on your mercy - he nodded, grimacing. - I am aware. -And you still are going to do that. -Honestly? I don¡¯t fucking know. He was weighing which one he hated the most. Be it getting help from me to turn him into a crystal or doing it to himself. Neither seemed like a good option. In his eyes of course. If I were him I would¡¯ve done it to myself already and that would be it, but he wasn¡¯t me. -Mgh¡­ OKAY. Fine. -Fine what? -I¡¯ll do it. But I don¡¯t want you to watch. -Huh? That was a weird request. What, he was going to strip or some shit? That¡¯s not something to be ashamed about. It¡¯s just a spell. Well, ritual, but at this point, what¡¯s the difference? What was he trying to hide? -Er¡­ Okay¡­? - I carefully replied. - And that is because¡­? -Do I have to give you a reason every time? -Not really. -I need you to search the bunker in the meanwhile - he said instead. - I will take care of myself while you do that. -I was going to do that anyway, you know? - I said, raising my non-existing brow. - Why can¡¯t we do it together¡­ after that? -Cause I don¡¯t know how it will affect me. -Okay¡­? I don¡¯t know how it was connected in any way, but I was not going to argue. As long as he survived, it was fine. Wait a second. Why did I even want him to survive? I mean sure, he used to be a friend, but now. I shook off those weird thoughts and just shrugged. -Fine. Do what you want. I''m going down. Of course I was going to keep monitoring him. It didn¡¯t matter if he was going to escape or something, but if he was to prepare something against me I¡¯d prepare as well. But I doubt he was that stupid. He knew I would be able to sense it anyway. Just as I said, I again went and descended into the bunker. I was going to avoid the storage rooms at first, but after a bit of wandering around corridors filled with skeletons, I decided to check those later anyway. I mean, it¡¯s not like the smell and the bile was bothering me, but I honestly thought that I¡¯d find something interesting on a person or bed instead of digging in storage. With people themselves it was clear that I wasn¡¯t going to get anywhere. How much can some bones tell you? It¡¯s not like they still can talk to me. And I thought that if they were just skeletons, it was obvious that most things decayed to the point of uselessness, but there still was some stuff to find. It did take a hot second, though. I finally did find some plastic scrap - that shit was going to outlive anyone and anything, really. Among that, there was some interesting stuff. I managed to find some IDs. Names weren¡¯t telling me shit, but I did find at least where we were. Or, well, mostly. While plastic did survive whatever happened here, it wasn¡¯t untouched. I barely could read the letters, and the fact that it was definitely not English was not helping. -So a place that doesn¡¯t use the latin alphabet¡­ - I mumbled to myself, trying to get a better look at the scratched piece of plastic. - About the year¡­ Yeah, year. If I was to assume that people didn¡¯t find some eternal youth serum, it didn¡¯t seem like much time passed, really. Which was surprising, considering what we were thinking about our teleports and all. I don¡¯t underestimate the ability of the human race to go into extinction, but damn, it was fast. Judging by the date of printing of this little thing it looked like it didn¡¯t even take them twenty years to go nuclear on each other. Disappointing, but not unexpected. I sighed and placed the ID back on the skeleton I found it on. -Poor bastards. Well, doesn¡¯t matter much. I gazed up towards where Mike was. While digging through the bedframes and other crap, I noticed that he¡¯s been gathering mana for a good while. I want to say he was having a hard time, since the orb of magic was growing at a slow pace, but it was probably because he was also focusing on something else. I mean, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s a quick process. I think. It did seem like he was indeed doing what he said he was, so I wasn¡¯t going to bother him and just started heading towards one of the storage rooms hidden deeper in the bunker. Of course, all of them were a mess. Each and single one of them that contained food had been turned into a disgusting place by the bile of processed spoiled food. If I still had my sense of smell I doubt I¡¯d be so eager to explore each of those. I wouldn¡¯t miss much, anyway. Besides spoiled food and more vials of what we thought was iodine, there was some medicine remaining as well. Those only survived, again, thanks to plastic containers. Not like it was useful to me in any shape or form, so I just ignored it and started digging deeper. I think only in the third or fourth room did I finally find something of interest. 293. Refine When earlier I briefly scanned through the rooms, I thought all of the scattered smaller square areas were storage. Well, I was wrong. One of them looked more like a workshop or a study. It had a metal table affixed to one of the walls and while walls were still stacked up to the ceiling with shelves, it didn¡¯t have anything spilled or broken. What caught my attention was pinned above the desk. A map. It was fully plastic again, thanks to that it survived. It also had some notes on it, which was doubly interesting. But, first thing first. Where are we¡­? I learned the same thing I did from the IDs. But what I was more interested in was the area surrounding us. Was this really some completely deserted place? No cities, nothing? Well, according to the map, not at all. At least not back when this map was up to date. On the map there were plenty of names that, while I couldn¡¯t recognize, or read for that matter, definitely looked like cities. I mean, even without knowing the local alphabet I can read a map, you know? What I could read, however, were the numbers next to the cities. Or more like dates. The fact that the places were also crossed out didn¡¯t bode well. Was it the date of destruction maybe? I mean, I know, I am getting a bit ahead of myself, but what else? A date of attack? Ha, we weren¡¯t in a military outpost. I think. Hell, there was a chance that this map wasn¡¯t even of this area! Sure it was here, but so what? It¡¯s not like we could really compare, the forest had overtaken the¡­ Well, everything. It didn¡¯t matter either way. My thoughts were interrupted by a sudden surge of magic. Oho. Mike is doing something. -I probably should check that out¡­ I did hesitate. He told me to not interrupt, right? That he¡¯s going to be fine by himself? I mean, I didn¡¯t doubt him, but I feel like leaving him to his own devices was¡­ -Mor. Ah. Speak of the devil. -I felt that. You done? - I immediately asked. -Er, not really. I need some assistance. Hah. Well, there goes that. -Sure. Just a moment. -You found anything downstairs? -I learned a little bit about our time and place. -And? -I¡¯d say¡­ mostly what we predicted. -Mostly? -Date isn¡¯t¡­ Well, let¡¯s leave that for later. -Understood. When I stepped outside, he was waiting for me. At first glance, it didn¡¯t seem like he¡¯s changed. He was fully focused, though, sitting right next to the ball of mana he¡¯s been gathering all that time -So. What do you want? - I simply asked. - I thought you were fine by yourself. -I should. But you did this once before, right? I figured out it would be safer if you¡­ I shot him a look. I didn¡¯t really mind, but him suddenly changing his mind? Seemed suspicious. -Alright¡­ I guess I did. But I moved the whole¡­ eh, ¡°spirits¡±, so to say, did not try to grow someone¡¯s crystal. -No difference. You grew yourself, right? -It was more of a ¡°last ditch resort¡±. And more an accident guided by something, or rather someone else that was sharing the body with me. -... -Look, I can assist, but don¡¯t blame me for shit going south. -Fine. Together then? -Ah¡­ Okay¡­? He was so adamant on me taking part in this it made me worried even more. -So, how do we go about this? He proceeded to explain how I would assist his own ¡°ritual¡± to pour mana into the crystal pieces in his body, but I honestly wasn¡¯t paying much attention to detail. Mostly because he was explaining stuff I was very aware of and coincidentally avoiding the ones I was most curious and uncertain about. Most likely because he didn¡¯t know how to proceed with those either. The more he explained, the more I felt like I wasn¡¯t needed to even be present. Just to guide some mana? It¡¯s not like it was going to escape anywhere. Hell, if he was to start the process it would almost work by itself. Since the Crystal is eager to absorb energy, it would suck the mana for as long as there was something there, unless contained. And he was the only one controlling it, being a part of his body. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. He, of course, knew that. But soon, I realized the reason why he wanted me here. And it wasn¡¯t some secondary goal of his or something. No. He has already started the process. I realized that when I asked him when we should start. -I already did. Just help me now and soon I will be done. Hearing that I was dumbstruck. He started? Again, what was I here for, then? -Just contain me if I don¡¯t end up holding myself back. -What? And then, he fainted. -Of fucking course. It was not mana deficiency or just tiredness that hit him. It was the return of the symptoms of radiation sickness. Let¡¯s just say, his body wasn¡¯t looking so good. He had to be using mana to keep himself together, or at least to heal the immediate injuries. At least that way he got a headstart in infusing his own flesh. Or Crystal. Without much of a thought, or really a choice, I started directing mana from the orb he gathered towards the crystals in his body. I was not going to leave him like that, after all. Just like I predicted, it didn¡¯t really need much of a guide. I only needed to slightly control the volume of mana and prevent it from leaking outside too much. Nothing much, really. The process was slow. But consistent. I could tell that the pieces of crystal were getting larger, and while he was bleeding from the start thanks to his sickness, now with the crystals growing it was only getting worse. It was not like the flesh was getting converted to the Crystal - it first had to be destroyed to rebuild itself. Sure, the radiation did its job, but that wasn¡¯t really a ¡°clean¡± process. I considered helping out with destruction a bit, but decided to let the process work itself out. I mean, it seemed to work by itself, so why try to fix something that isn¡¯t broken? Sure, it didn¡¯t seem very nice to watch. And definitely wasn¡¯t pleasant to the subject. But not like the subject was awake. Was he even alive? I mean, I could feel his magic, but it was barely anything. I mean, in his flesh that is, not in the crystal. The crystal was overwhelming everything else with its presence and growing ever stronger. Sure, that was the point, but¡­ Well, no point in dwelling on it. It¡¯s either going to work or not, and if I was to stop it it would only be problematic. So I just stood there, channeling the magic towards his unmoving body, watching how the crystal was slowly growing and covering the remains of the flesh with its weird carapace. It, in all honesty, went down pretty fast. The whole process was done in about ten minutes. Or at least that¡¯s when the mana he gathered had run out. I did consider adding some of mine or just gathering more, but judging by the look of his body, it was more than enough. He looked just like me now, fully crystal. When I cut myself off, I realized that he was still draining a little bit of mana from the environment, but it was expected. He was sustaining himself, even while not awake. Good. It meant that he had control over himself, even while not awake. Better than me when I started. Now, a better question. How do I wake him up? I approached him slowly, making sure that he wasn¡¯t draining my magic, but it was pointless. My crystal was still strong enough and was genuinely immune to his attempts, as it should be. I could feel his body trying to, though. -Mike¡­? - I said, poking him in the arm. He didn¡¯t move. Of course, if only it was that simple. -Mike? You good? I switched to mental communication, expecting a bit better result. I did manage to get the message to him, but still, no reaction. I probably could think of something to get him to respond, but we had plenty of time. I mean, why should we even hurry? I just sat next to him and patiently waited for his consciousness to return. I figured that if he wasn¡¯t going to snap out of it in an hour or so I¡¯d start thinking of something, but for now I could just relax for a bit. But, despite my efforts to relax, I had no time. It didn¡¯t take even half an hour for him to suddenly jolt and his body to finally start moving. Which was a bit strange, since I didn¡¯t feel any change in his mana. I thought that if he was to start waking up I¡¯d first notice something, but nope. -Finally, I was getting¡­ I didn¡¯t even get to finish the sentence, he was already up and standing. -...concerned? He was standing next to me, towering above. Was he always this tall? I mean, I was sitting down, but still¡­ He wasn¡¯t saying anything, just staring at me. -Everything¡­ alright? Hello? -Yes¡­ I think so. His voice was a bit different, but that to be expected after your whole throat got changed into crystal. Now when I think about it, how does that even work? I swear, without magic it shouldn¡¯t work at all¡­ Never mind that. -You think so? So there¡¯s something feeling off? You fucked up somewhere? -I¡­ I don¡¯t know. I never was¡­ this much¡­ -Uh¡­ -You didn¡¯t feel weird when you first transformed? -I didn¡¯t feel much of a difference, to be honest - I shrugged. - But I always was more¡­ well, flexible. -Riiight¡­ -Maybe be a bit specific? What¡¯s weird? -If I could tell, we wouldn¡¯t be having that conversation, you know that. -Eh. -But it doesn¡¯t seem to be affecting at least my mana, so we should be fine. -If you are fine with it, then whatever. -So, what¡¯s next? -Next? -Well, we took a bit of a detour with my problems, but what now? What did you find? -Ah, that. Well, not much. I explained what I discovered underground. He nodded and didn¡¯t seem too surprised when I finished my brief description of the situation. -So we still don¡¯t know shit. -A little bit more than nothing, but yep - I confirmed. -Ehh¡­ Fucking damn it. -Right? I wish we still had access to our database. -Ha, database? Just regular internet would be enough. I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. -True. That would be first page news for sure. -It¡¯s not a hard bar to clear, you know. -Right. Assistant, find the newest info about nuclear disasters near me - I said. I meant it as a joke. Obviously. But just as I said that, a sudden spike of information pierced my head. -OH. FUCK. -What? - Mike flinched with my sudden outburst. - What¡¯s going on? -I¡­ I know. -You know? Know what? -A city turned to ashes by a retaliatory nuclear strike after the second batch of terrorism during the collapse of the global government. He stared directly at me. -What.